MIND MAPPING FOR TEACHING THE STUDENTS WRITING SKILL

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. BACKGROUND
There are four important skills in learning English, they are listening,
speaking, reading and writing. Listening skill is useful in communication life
especially as a first tool of the communication. Speaking skill is useful in
communication also, but it is used to communicate to another people immediately.
There is feedback between listening and speaking in communication. Reading
skill is useful in finding out the information in the text, book and so on. And
writing skill is useful in giving arguments to the social matter, it is also useful in
pouring out someone¶s ideas in social matter to express that there is something
important to be solved together and to entertain the reader who are looking for the
information about something they need. In learning English, writing skill can help
people learn English easily. Writing also can be used by people to give
information to another, and giving argument about something.
People learn English by using many ways to master the language. Some
skills of English are learnt by the people to understand their potential in learning
English. Sometimes students feel difficult to learn writing because, in writing skill
the writer should understand about how to organize the idea, using vocabulary
appropriately, mastering the sentence structure, using punctuation correctly.
Writing is one of English language skill that has an important role, either
in formal communication or in informal communication. Writing is an instrument
of both communication and self-expression (Pincas, 1987:2).
In SMAN 4 Palopo, there are some students still difficult to write well
because actually, they have many ideas in their mind, but they cannot convey their
idea into a piece of paper. Also, they cannot write their ideas into incorrect
sentence. And also the students do not know where they should start to write and
where they should end it.
In this research, the writer will use mind mapping to teach the students
writing skill. That is why? Because by using mind mapping, the students can be

interested to learn English especially in writing. And also by using mind mapping,
the students can show their arguments in social matter. And also by using mind

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mapping the students can show their ideas by looking the picture in mind
mapping. Because sometimes the students are interested to learn English by
picture but in this research the writer uses mind mapping especially in teaching
writing to the students of SMAN 4 Palopo.
In this research, why does the writer use mind mapping in teaching
writing? Because mind mapping can stimulate the students¶ brain to write by
looking a picture or a diagram of mind mapping. And also the students can be
easy to understand where they should start to write a text and when they end it.
Because in mind mapping, there is a guideline to write a text easily by looking the
picture of mind mapping. So, the students can be easy to write a text, especially
students of SMAN Palopo.

B. PROBLEM STATEMENT

Based on the background above, the problem statement are formulated as
follows:
In what way should the mind mapping be applied in improving the students¶
achievement in writing skill at the second year of SMA Negeri 4 Palopo?

C. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE RESEARCH

Based on the problem statement above, the objective of the research is :
To find out the strategy or way in using mind mapping in teaching writing to the
students at the second year of SMA Negeri 4 Palopo.

D. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

1. Students: it can be applied to motivate students in learning writing.
2. Teachers: it can be useful information for the English teacher in teaching
writing.
3. Next researchers: It can be useful as a references to next researcher in doing
the similar topic of the research.
4. TEFL field: It can become information about teaching English language
especially teaching writing by using mind mapping.

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E. THE SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

The researcher focuses on mind mapping in teaching descriptive writing
text to the students of SMAN 4 Palopo.

F. OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

A mind mapping is a diagram used to represent words, ideas, tasks, or
other items linked to and arranged around a central key word or idea. Mind maps
are used to generate, visualize, structure, and classify ideas, and as an aid in study,
organization,

problem

solving,

decision

making,

and

writing.

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CHAPTER II
RIVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
A. Previous Studies
1. Nasir (2004) in his thesis ³Writing ability of the second year students of
SMPN 4 Palopo in reproduction technique, conclude that the students can
compose paragraph easily when they are given a test to be reproduction than
without any test.
2. Bidu (2000) conducted a research about ³the students¶ interest and ability in
writing journal stated that the students should start writing with writing in
their private word because the primary function of writing is to help students
know themselves with other.
Based on researches above the writer has different thinking and different
ways to teach the students in writing ability especially by using mind
mapping.
B. Pertinent Ideas
1.

Classroom Action Research
Kemmis (1992): Action research as a form of self-reflective inquiry

undertaken by participants in a social (including educational) situation in order to
improve the rationality and justice of their on social or educational practices, their
understanding of these practices and the situations in which practices are carried
out.
McNeiff (2002): action research is a term which refers to a practical way
of looking at your own work to shack that it is you would like it to be. Because
action research is done by you, the practitioner, it is often referred to as
practitioner based research; and because it involves you thinking about and
reflecting on your work, it can also be called a form of self-reflective practice.
Based on the explanation of Kemmis and McNeiff that the definition of
Classroom Action Research as a form self-reflective by the practitioner. The
action is done to improve the rational stability of their actions in doing their job as
a teacher or practitioner and Deeping the understanding of the actions that is done
and repairing the condition where the practices of learning is done by the
practitioner and researcher. To realize the purpose of classroom action research,

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classroom action research is done in cyclical process consisted of four steps, they
are: Planning, action, observation/evaluation, and reflection.

Problem

Reflection

Planning

CYCLE I

Action

Observation/
Evaluation

According to Lewin (Prendergast, 2002:2) said that Classroom Action
Research is the way of teacher or practitioner to organize the teaching learning in
their experiences with other teacher or practitioner as a collaborator.
According to Calhoun and Glanz (Prendegrast, (2002:2) said that,
Classroom Action Research is a method to power the teacher or practitioner who
can support the school performance. And Prendegrast (2002:3) said that
Classroom Action Research is a way for the teacher or practitioner to do a selfreflective and an action systematically in their teaching learning process to
improve process and students¶ study result.
Action research is the process through which teachers collaborate in
evaluating their practice jointly; raise awareness of their personal theory;
articulate a shared conception of values; try out new strategies to render the values
expressed in their practice more consistent with the educational values they
espouse; record their work in a form which is readily available to and
understandable by other teachers; and thus develop a shared theory of teaching by
researching practice. (John Elliott)
2.

Teaching and Learning
Teaching is a complex process. Not only delivering the information to the

students, but the teacher also should do much better, if the teacher wants the
students to get best learning result.

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Biggs (1991) divides the concepts of teaching.
a. Quantitative teaching, teaching as the transmission of knowledge. In this case
the teacher just needs to know the teacher¶s study field and delivering the
knowledge to the students well.
b. Institutional teaching, teaching as the efficient orchestration of teaching skills.
It means that the teacher teachs by organizing the ability in teaching
eficiently. In this case the teacher is demanded to adapt the teaching
technique to the students that have different type in learning, different trace,
ability and students¶ needs.
c. Qualitative teaching, teaching as the facilitation of learning. It means that, the
teacher help the students feel easy in learning process to find out the students¶
purpose and understanding of the learning.
According to Slameto (1995:29) teaching is the transfer of the culture as
an experience and proficiency to the students. Other definition from the modern
country that teaching is a guidance to the students in learning process. In this
definition, the students who are active in the learning process, because the
students are in learning process and the teacher who builds the students and
showing the way to learn by looking the students¶ character. In this case, the
students are given a chance to do and thinking much by the teacher.
According to Sudjana (2000: 37) teaching is a tool that is programmed
through a setting and preparing the condition to the students to do some learning
activities as optimum as possible.
In generally Learning is a change process of behavior, it caused by
interaction between individual with the surrounding.
Purwanto (1998:84) says that there are some important elements that
mark out the definition of learning. They are:
a. Learning is a change of behavior, where the change can aim to the best
behavior but the change can also aim to the bad behavior.

b. Learning is a changing process that happens through the exercise and
experience.

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c. Learning can be said as learning, if the change of behavior can be great, it
should be the end of the period of time.
3.

Contextual Teaching and Learning
It is a learning concept that the teacher presents real world situation in the

class and helping the students to make relation between their knowledge and their
daily life in assembling (Depdiknas, 2002:1)
Dewey (2000:16) explains that contextual is one of the phenomenological
teaching-learning that emphasizes the important of the natural phenomenon to
make enjoyable learning in the class so that the class is more interesting and
means, because the students feel what they learn.
According to Johnson in Nurhadi and Senduk (2003:12) that CTL system
is an education

process which has the purpose to help the students to look the

means of the lesson that they are learning by linking with their daily life and their
characteristic surrounding, social and their culture.
TEACHNET (Nurhadi and Senduk, 2003:2) says the important declaration
about CTL is a teaching-learning concept that helps teacher to link the lesson
content with the real situation and giving motivation to the students for what they
are learning and making relation between the students¶ knowledge and the

application.
Corebima (2002:18) CTL is teaching process holistically that purpose to
help to the students to understand their learning material by catching with
contextual life (characteristic context, social and cultural) so that the students have
dynamist and flexible knowledge or skill to construct their understanding.
But actually there are most something important to advocate the CTL
process that is the teacher should give more motivation in teaching-learning
process, because by giving motivation more, the students can understand what
they are learning for. So that teaching-learning process can be helpful for the
teacher and especially for the students. And also the teacher should do much well,
like bringing their life into the teacher¶s life. It means that the students learn in the
teacher¶s experience, and the teacher can look the character of every the student
who are faced by the teacher so that the teacher can be more easy to apply the
teaching-learning technique.

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Teacher is transformer, motivator, and instructor for the students, but
better if the students feel their experience in their learning, because they will
remember always when they experience what happen that faced by the students.
The teacher gives the students ways to do in their learning so that the students
learn through the teacher¶s instruction. It will give the best learning result for the
students.
C. Writing
A. Definition of Writing
Linguistics / Letters of the Alphabet Foreign a group of letters or symbols
written or marked on a surface as a means of communicating ideas by making
each symbol stand for an idea, concept, or thing, by using each symbol to
represent a set of sounds grouped into syllables, or by regarding each symbol as

corresponding roughly or exactly to each of the sounds in the language.
writing is letters or symbols that are written or imprinted on a surface to
represent the sounds or words of a language.
Writing is one of the ways to give information to the readers so that in
giving information to the readers, the writing should be clearly and useful for the
reader need. To make writing clearly, there are some guides that important to
make the writing clearly and easy to be understood. The guides will be explained
below:
B. Writing Guides
1. Abbreviations and Acronyms
An abbreviation is a shortened version of a word or phrase, like Mr.
and Corp. An acronym is an abbreviation formed from the first letter or letters
of a series of words, like (AIDS, Garble, NAACP and radar.)
Use abbreviations and acronyms only when they will help your
readers by making written text simpler and less cumbersome. Do not use an
abbreviation or acronym that would confuse the readers that they would not
recognize quickly. When in doubt, spell it out. It means that always spell out
terms, common names and the complete proper names of organizations,
projects, programs or documents the first time you use them, and repeat the
complete term or name at the beginning of sections in longer documents.

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Although the abbreviation or acronym is capitalized for some common or
generic nouns and terms, lowercase the spelled-out form. If an abbreviation or
acronym of the term or name would not be clear on second reference, avoid
using it. Instead, use a shortened version of the name or a generic word, such
as the agency, the committee, the department or the company. Avoid using
e.g., i.e.; et al.; etc. Many abbreviations may be used in charts, tables and

certain types of technical writing. If the meaning is clear, abbreviations may
be used in headlines and headings.
2. Addresses
Always use numerals for an address number: She lived at 456 N.E.
81st. Spell out and capitalizes First through Ninth when used as a street name:
Example ³The bus drove down Fourth Avenue South´. Use numerals with
two letters for 10th and above: Example ³She lived on 81 st Street´. When first
is used without a number, always spell out and capitalize the full name of a
street, avenue, road or boulevard: Example ³He lived on Southwest Harbor
Boulevard´. Also spell out compass points (South, Northwest, etc.) if
omitting the number: Example ³the building is on Southwest 32nd Street´.
3. Capitalization
Avoid unnecessary capitalization. Use capital letters to begin proper
nouns, sentences, headings and the important words in publication titles.
Proper nouns are the particular names of people, places and things. Excessive
capitalization for other purposes distracts the reader and hinders reading. Do
not capitalize the first letter of a word (or words in a phrase) simply to
highlight it or to express its importance.
4. Myths
To make good writing, avoid using the criteria below, they are:
a.

Never split an infinitive.

b.

Never begin a sentence with But or And.

c.

Never split a verb phrase.

d.

Never use between with more than two objects.

e.

Never end a sentence with a preposition.

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f.

Never use contractions.

g.

Never use the first-person pronouns I and me.

h.

Never use since to mean because.

i.

Never write a paragraph containing only a single sentence.

j.

Never refer to the reader as you.

k.

Never begin a sentence with Because.

5. Numbers
In amounts more than a million - unless the exact amount is essential
- round off to one decimal point. Write out the word million or billion:
Example ³The grant was for $6.5 million´. Always include the words
million, billion or trillion when giving ranges: Example ³The project could
cost $20 million to $25 million, not $20-$25 million´. When numbers must be
spelled out, use a hyphen to connect only two-digit numbers twenty-one
through ninety-nine. Don't use either a hyphen or the word and when spelling
out numbers in the hundreds and thousands: Example ³fifty-two, fifty-two
thousand, fifty-two million, nineteen fifty-two, one hundred fifty-two students,
two thousand fifty-two trips, two thousand two ´. Also, spell out ordinal
numbers first through ninth when they show sequence in time or place:
Example ³first base, Third Avenue. Exceptions include county, legislative
and congressional districts: She lives in the 2 nd District´. Most ordinal
numbers 10th and above (21 st, 215th and so on) are usually not spelled out.
When particular ordinals must be spelled out, use a hyphen to connect twodigit numbers twenty-first through ninety-ninth: ³twenty-fifth anniversaries´
6. Plurals
Follow the rules below for forming words to show more than one of the
things named:
a.

For most words, add s: books, guitars. Except when making a plural of
single letter, do not add an apostrophe to words or numbers to make them

plural.

b.

Add s to compound words written as single words: cupfuls, handfuls. For
compound words that use separate words or link the words with a

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hyphen, make the most significant word plural: assistant attorneys,
attorneys general, daughters-in-law, deputy chiefs of staff.
c.

Add s to figures: General Motors built the car in the 1940s. The Boeing
Co. sold 12 more 767s.

d.

Don't change the spelling of proper nouns when making them plural. Add
es to most proper names ending in es or z: Gonzalezes, Jameses, Joneses,
Parkses. Add s to other proper names, including most proper names
ending in y even if preceded by a consonant: the Clintons, the
Abernathys, not the Abernathies.

e.

Add es to most words ending in ch, s, sh, ss, x and z: churches, buses,
foxes, fuzzes, glasses.

f.

Change is to es in words ending in is: parentheses, theses.

g.

Add es to most words ending in o if a consonant precedes o: echoes,
heroes. There are exceptions: pianos.

7. Possessives
Follow these rules for forming nouns and pronouns to show possession:
a.

Add 's to singular nouns not ending in s: the church's members, the girl's
parents, Xerox's profits.

b.

Add 's to singular common nouns ending in s unless the next word begins
with s: the bus's engine, the bus' seats, witness's answer, the witness'
story.

c.

Use only an apostrophe for singular proper names ending in s: Drakes'
decision. And add only an apostrophe to plural proper names ending in s:
the Parkses' home.

d.

Add 's to plural nouns not ending is s: children's passes, men's bike,
women's rights, women's room.
Many pronouns have separate forms for the possessive that don't use an

apostrophe: yours, ours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose. Use an apostrophe with a
pronoun only when the meaning calls for a contraction: you're (you are), it's (it is).
Follow the rules listed above in forming the possessives of other pronouns:
another's plan, others' plans, one's rights, someone else's umbrella.

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Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when using the word as
an adjective - describing the following noun. If the prepositions for or by would
be more appropriate than the possessive of, do not use an apostrophe:´ a radio
band for citizens, citizens band radio´; ³a guide for writers, a writers guide´; ³a
day for veterans, Veterans Day´.
8. Punctuations
Punctuation should help reading - to make clear the thought being
expressed. If punctuation does not help clarify the message, it should not be
there. When more than one punctuation mark (not including quotation marks,
parentheses or brackets) could be used at the same place in a sentence, use
only the "stronger" - or more necessary - of the two. Question marks and
exclamation points, for example, are stronger than commas and periods:
"Have all the ballots finally been counted?" asked the reporter. (The question
mark fills the role of the comma.) The topic of his speech is "We demand
justice now!" (No period following the exclamation point.)
Here the punctuations are:
a. Ampersand (&)
Use the ampersand when a company uses it is part of the

company's full name. Do not use the ampersand to replace and in other text.
The ampersand may be used in tables and abbreviations.
b. Colon (:)
The colon has three main uses, all of which involve pointing the
reader toward the words that follow the colon. The colon always follows a
whole sentence in these uses. Don't combine a dash and a colon.
The most frequent use is to introduce a list, often after expressions such as
the following or as follows: Loretta Schwieterman appointed three people
to the committee: David Allen, Greg Edwards and Jean Rheinhard. The
Parks Department has scheduled open houses in the following communities:
Valley View, April 5; Gantry, May 6; and Sierra Hills, Aug. 7.
Do not use a colon immediately after a verb. Incorrect: Loretta
Schwieterman appointed: David Allen, Greg Edwards and Jean Rheinhard

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to the committee. Correct: Loretta Schwieterman appointed David Allen,
Greg Edwards and Jean Rheinhard to the committee.
Second, the colon can be used to stress the word, words or sentence that
follows it: He had only one thing on his mind: flowers. The news was good:
No one would be laid off. When used this way, the colon replaces such
words as that is, namely and for example. Capitalize the first word after a
colon if it is a proper noun or the start of a whole sentence.
Third, use a colon to introduce a quotation longer than one sentence within a
paragraph and to end a paragraph that introduces a quotation in the next
paragraph. Use a comma, however, to introduce a quotation of one sentence
that stays within a paragraph. Also, use a colon to separate numbers in times
(7:15 a.m.), to separate a title and subtitle, and after a business salutation
(Dear Mr. Hyde :).

c. Brackets ([ ])
Brackets may be used to show the words in brackets were added or
changed by the editor to clarify the meaning. Avoid altering quotations. If a
speaker's words are clear and concise, use the full quotation. If cumbersome
language can be paraphrased fairly, use an indirect construction. "We
strongly disagree with the [Lincoln County] council's decision," she said.
Square brackets also may be used occasionally to insert words into a
statement that's already enclosed in parentheses.
d. Apostrophe (')
This punctuation mark has two main functions: First, it often shows
possession: Dan Lindler's appointment. And second, it often marks the
omission of letters in contractions and other words or numbers in years and
decades: he¶ll, won't, finger lickin' good, the class of '68, the '90s .
Apostrophes never make a word plural, but they may be used to
mark the plural of single letters and abbreviations with internal punctuation:
Dot your i's. She got straights A's on her report card, M.A.'s Ph.D.'s. Don't
use it in forming plurals of decades: the '70s, the 1980s, not '70's, the
1980's.

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e. Virgule (/)
The virgule may replace and in some compound terms: the
Vancouver/Portland

area,

the

May/June

issue,

an

innovative

classroom/laboratory. Using and, however, may be less ambiguous. When
using the virgule, don't separate the punctuation mark from adjacent words
or numbers with spaces.
The virgule may be used to separate the elements of dates and the
numerator from the denominator in numbers containing fractions.
Avoid using the virgule - also called a slash, forward slash,
diagonal or slant - to stand for omitted words or letters. Examples include
per in 40,000 tons/year, to in price/earnings ratio, or in his/her and
oral/written tests, versus in parent/child issues, with in table/mirror, w/o for
without and c/o for in care of.
f. Dash (²)
Long dashes, called em dashes, have three main uses. In these uses,
em dashes are usually less formal but more emphatic substitutes for other
typical punctuation marks. To preserve the impact of dashes, avoid
overusing them.
First, use an em dash to explain, justify or stress in the second part
of a sentence something in the first part: Fans filled all the seats - the
concert hall was packed! The new shopping mall will open Tuesday - if the
air-conditioning works.
Second, use a pair of em dashes to make an emphatic pause or
abrupt, parenthetic change in thought within a sentence: The new auditorium
- opening six months behind schedule - is getting praise from both critics

and audiences. If you'd prefer to play down such a phrase, consider placing
it between parentheses instead, or between commas.
Third, use a pair of em dashes to set off a phrase that has a series of
words separated by commas: Leif Hansen described the qualities intelligence, initiative and assertiveness - he wants in a supervisor.

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As shown in the examples above, do not put a space before or after
an em dash (an exception to the rule followed by the Associated Press for
newspaper use). Avoid using more than one pair of em dashes in a sentence.
A short dash, called en dash, may be used to mean up to and
including when placed between numbers, times, dates and other uses that
show range: 1993-96, $25-50, $432,000-$560,000 (but $25 million to $50
million), 55-65 years, 2:30-4 p.m. (but 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), ages 15-20,
pages 167-78. It also may be used to replace to and versus in capitalized
names: the Chicago-New Orleans train, the Huskies-Cougars game. Do not
put spaces before and after the en dash. See between ... and, from ... to,
dates, ranges.
Note: A hyphen (-) is not a dash. Most current word processing and design
software can create em dashes and en dashes. If not possible, use two
hyphens to create an em dash, and substitute a hyphen for an en dash. In
Microsoft Word, if you don't space after the second hyphen, the two
hyphens become an em dash.
g. Ellipsis (...)
An ellipsis is usually used to show the deletion of one or more
words in condensing quotations, texts and documents. It also shows
hesitation or trailing off in a quotation: "I wonder what I will say after us ..."
Treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, with three periods and a space on
each end.

h. Exclamation Point (!)
Use sparingly and only to express a high degree of surprise,
disbelief or other strong emotion. The exclamation point goes within the
quotation marks when it applies to the quoted matter only.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: "Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation
mark is like laughing at your own joke."
i. Hyphen (-)
A hyphen is not a dash. For example, this organization mail stop,
KSC-TR-0824, has hyphens, not dashes. A hyphen may be used to divide a
word at the end of a line, especially to remove large gaps at the end of an
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adjacent line. Here are some guidelines for hyphenation to aid readability
and reduce reader confusion:
a. Divide words only between syllables, but don't add a hyphen to a word or
phrase that already has a hyphen, such as decision-maker or re-election.
Instead, break the word or phrase at the existing hyphen.
b. Avoid ending more than two consecutive lines with hyphens.
c. Don't hyphenate a word at the end of a line unless you can leave a
syllable of at least three characters on both the first and second lines.
Avoid dividing words with fewer than six letters.
d. Don't divide the last word in a line when the second part of the word
would be the only "word" on the second line.
e. Don't hyphenate abbreviations, contractions and numbers. Also, don't
hyphenate words in headlines and headings.
Hyphens are joiners. They link words. Use a hyphen to avoid ambiguity
or to form a single idea from two or more words: She recovered her health. She
re-covered the torn seat. He is a small-business man. He is a foreign-car dealer.
Unclear: He is a small businessman. He is a foreign car dealer. Also see

guidelines at composition titles, compound words, initial-based terms, race.
f. Parentheses ( )
Parentheses may be used to surround words, phrases or even whole
sentences that are relatively unimportant to the main text. But they can
distract the reader from your main point. Think about deleting the
unimportant text. If a sentence must contain incidental information, setting
off the information with a pair of commas or a pair of dashes may be more
effective. Also try placing the extra information in a separate sentence - with
no parentheses.
Parenthesis marks always come in twos, one opening and one
closing ( ). Don't use one without the other, including if they're used in
numbered or alphabetized lists.
Place a period outside a closing parenthesis if the material inside is
not a sentence (such as this fragment). If a parenthetical sentence (here is
one example) is part of a sentence, don't capitalize the first word or end the

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parenthetical sentence with a period. But if the parenthetical sentence ends
with a question mark or exclamation point, put a period after the closing
parenthesis (here's another example!). If the material in the parentheses is
an independent sentence, capitalize the first word and place the period
before the closing parenthesis. (Here is an example.)
g. Period (.)
This punctuation mark has two main purposes. It ends all sentences
that are not questions or exclamations, and it's used in some abbreviations.
Use periods to break up complicated sentences into two or more
readable sentences. "There's not much to be said about the period except
that most writers don't reach it soon enough." William Zinsser, On Writing

Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction, 1980. See sentence length.
Use a period, not a question mark, after an indirect question: He
asked what the score was. Don't put a space between two initials: T.S. Eliot.
Use periods after numbers or letters in listing elements of a
summary: 1. Wash the car. 2. Clean the basement. Or: A. Punctuate
properly. B. Write simply. Periods always go inside quotation marks. Put
only one space after a period (and other sentence-ending punctuation,
including colons).
h. Question Mark (?)
Direct questions always take question marks: Who is going with
you? Did he ask you if you were going? Indirect questions never take
question marks: He would like to know who's going with you. For multiple
questions, either use a single question mark at the end of the complete
sentence: Did she plan the project, manage the budget and supervise the
staff? Or stress each element by breaking up the sentence: Did she plan the
project? Manage the budget? Supervise the staff? Put only one space after a
question mark (and other sentence-ending punctuation).
The question mark replaces the comma normally used when
attributing a quotation: "Who is going?" she asked. The question mark may
go inside or outside quotation marks depending on the meaning: Who wrote
"Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey"? She

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asked, "How long will it take?" Also, use a single question mark, inside the
quotation mark, in sentences like this: Did you hear him say, "Who wrote all
the reports?"
i. Quotation Marks (" ")
Put quotation marks around direct quotations: "No comment," he

said. She said, "Report to work on time." If a full paragraph of quoted
material precedes another paragraph that continues the quotation, do not put
quotation marks after the first paragraph. But do put quotation marks before
the second paragraph.
Put quotation marks around words used ironically or unfamiliar
terms used on first reference: The "tycoon" turned out to be a pauper. But
avoid putting single words or terms in quotation marks to draw attention to
them as slang, informal or cute. Avoid fragmented quotations. Do not use
quotation marks to report a few ordinary words used by a speaker or writer.
Do not put the words of one person into the mouths of many:
Witnesses at the accident said there was "a tremendous bang, and then all
hell broke loose."
Quotations within quotations: Use single quotation marks for
passages contained within a direct quotation ("She said, 'Ouch!'").
Punctuation: The period and comma always go within the quotation
marks. The dash, question mark and exclamation point go within the
quotation marks when they apply to the quoted matter only. Colons and
semicolons go outside quotation marks.
In headlines, use single quotation marks: Man cries 'Fire!' in
theater, causes panic
j. Semicolon (;)
The semicolon has three main uses, although the first use below is
the most common. The semicolon shows a greater separation of thought and
information than a comma but less separation than a period.
First, use semicolons to separate parts of a series when at least one
item in the series also has a comma. A semicolon also goes before the final

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and in such a series: Attending were Tina Lopez, 223 Main St.; Ron Larson,
1414 Broadway; and Robert Zimmerman, 1976 E. Pine St.
The following two uses can add variety, eliminate a word or two, and
closely link contrasting or related ideas. But breaking a long sentence with a
semicolon into two or more shorter sentences can aid readability and clarity.
Second, use a semicolon to link two (or more) closely related
statements that could stand alone as independent sentences (or clauses): The
train arrived on time; the passengers were overjoyed. If a coordinating
conjunction such as and, but or or separates the two independent clauses, a
comma would replace the semicolon: The bus arrived on time, and the
passengers were overjoyed.
Third, use a semicolon between two independent clauses when the
second clause begins with transition words such as therefore, however, thus
and for example: The department had planned to drop the service; however,
overwhelming customer demand persuaded officials to keep it. Place
semicolons outside quotation marks. Put only one space after a semicolon.
k. Comma (,)
The following guidelines treat frequent questions about eight
essential uses of the comma.
a. First, in a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a
comma after each term: She opened the closet, grabbed a coat, and
picked up an umbrella. In a complex series of phrases, the serial comma
before the final conjunction aids readability. In a simple series, the
comma is optional before the conjunction: The van is economical, roomy
and dependable. Also, put a comma before the concluding conjunction in
a series if an integral element of the series needs a conjunction: He likes
jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues. Don't put a comma before the first item
in a series or after the and in a series.
b. Second, use a comma to join two independent clauses with a conjunction.
An independent clause is a group of words that could stand on its own as

a complete sentence; it begins with its own subject. The most common
conjunctions are but, and, for, nor, or, so and yet: The council's Water
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Resources Committee will go over the resolution Jan. 12, and the full
council is scheduled to act Feb. 11. Don't create run-on sentences by
combining two or more independent clauses with only commas. Either
insert conjunctions after the commas or break the clauses into separate
sentences.
c. Third, use a comma to separate an introductory phrase or clause from the
rest of the sentence: After graduating from college, he joined the Peace
Corps. It may be omitted after short introductory phrases (less than three
words) if no ambiguity would result: On Thursday the Kennewick City
Council will decide the issue. When in doubt, use the comma, especially
when it separates two capitalized words.
d. Fourth, enclose parenthetic expressions between commas. Parenthetic
expressions are word groups that are not essential to the meaning of a
sentence. If a parenthetic expression is removed, the sentence would still
make sense: The social services manager, who toured the Snoqualmie
Valley last week, will make her recommendations today. They took one of
their sons, Leif, to the concert. His wife, Donna, is a middle school
teacher. As shown in the examples, commas always go both before and
after a parenthetic expression within a sentence. If you'd prefer to stress a
parenthetic phrase, put it between dashes; you can play down such a
phrase by placing it between parentheses.
e. Also use commas to set off a person's hometown when it follows the
name: Rachel Solomon, Danbury, opened a new restaurant. If using a
person's age, set it off by commas: Tom O'Rourke, 69, opened a new
restaurant.

f. Do not use commas to set off an essential word or phrase from the rest of
a sentence. Essential words and phrases are important to the meaning of a
sentence: They took their daughter Jennifer to school. Their son Nils
works at Ticketmaster. (They have more than one daughter and more
than one son.)
g. Fifth, use commas to set off words and phrases such as however,
meanwhile, in fact, in addition, moreover, nevertheless, as a result, thus,

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therefore, for example, finally and in other words. Usually, place a
comma after such expressions when they begin a sentence, and place
commas before and after the expressions when they are within a
sentence.
h. Sixth, use commas to separate a series of adjectives equal in rank. If the
adjectives could be rearranged without changing the meaning of a
sentence or if the word and could replace the commas without changing
the sense, the adjectives are equal: A sleek, new car. A thick, black cloud.
i. Use no comma when the last adjective before a noun outranks its
predecessors because it is an integral element of a noun phrase: a silver
articulated bus.
j. Seventh, use a comma to set off a direct one-sentence quotation within a
paragraph: Theodore Roosevelt said, "It's not the critic who counts." Use
a comma before the second quotation mark in a quotation followed by
attribution: "No comment," said Jerry Carson.
k. Eighth, use a comma to separate the parts of numbers, dates and
addresses. Use a comma for figures higher than 999: More than 5,000
people attended the event.
Use commas to set off the year in complete dates: The department

released its report Nov. 16, 2002, for public review. But don't separate
the month from the year when not using a date. They held their first
retreat in January 1994.
Use commas to set off cities from names of states or nations: She went to
Vancouver, Wash., to tour the bridge retrofit program. He traveled to
Paris, France, on vacation.
C. Types of Writing
Determining the type of writing you will need to do, will help you
determine your topic (subject), purpose (why you are writing), style (how you
should write) and tone (your attitude toward your subject - supportive,
condemning, objective, etc.)

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Briton in Nuzlinah (2003:3) classifies the type of writing based of the
three factors, namely the purpose of writing, audience, and context. Each of them
will be described below:
a. The purpose of writing
A writer decides some reasons why he writes. He also thinks about a
possible effect that might occur the reader.
Meyer (1999:40) in Nismayanti (2004:8) furthermore categories the
purpose of writing into three categories, namely to persuade, to inform, and to
entertain.
b. Definition Essay
Writing that tells what something means.
Good Definition:
1. Tells readers what term or concept is being defined
2. Presents a clear and precise basic definition
3. Uses examples to show what the writer means

4. Uses words and examples that readers will understand
c. Traits of Effective Writing:
Although the type of writing you will be doing is important, the
following are certain traits that all good writing follows:
1. Stimulating Ideas
2. Logical Organization
3. Engaging Voice
4. Original Word Choice
5. Effective Sentence Style
6. Correct, Accurate Copy
d. Cause/Effect Essay
Writing about meaningful relationships between events and their
results. A cause is what made an event happen and an effect is what happens as
a result of that event.
Good Cause/Effect:
1. Clearly distinguishes between a cause and an effect.
2. Establishes a clear thesis statement.

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3. Presents information in an effective order

A. Description Essay
When you are writing a description essay, you are "painting a picture"
with words. A descriptive essay uses the senses to describe something to the
reader. It uses the senses such as smell, hear, taste, or feel. It is more than telling a
person something. It uses words to write a verbal picture. It does not just tell the
reader about an object, but the words describe what the writer wants to show.
Using nouns it allows the reader to see. Using verbs gives them the sense of

feeling. A descriptive essay may be objective or even subjective. The writer uses
tone, diction, and attitude to get the message to the reader. The purpose of a
descriptive essay is to get specific and concrete details to the reader about an
object or place.
Description is writing which attempts to create a picture in the reader¶s
mind. When you use description to develop a paragraph, you intend to make the
reader vividly aware of what something looks like, or sounds like, or smells like,
or feels like, or tastes like. The writers using description is trying to recreate in
words something they perceive through five senses or create in their imagination,
so that the reader will have the quality of a direct experience to as a great an
extent as possible.
The key to writing the perfect descriptive essay is to provide enough
vivid detail to help the reader create a mental picture of what is being written
about.
1. Steps in writing descriptive essay.
1. Consider what other things are happening around you.
2. Think about objects located in relation to where you are.
3. Recall the sights, smells and tastes
4. Write down what you are feeling at the time.
5. Determine what you want the reader to feel about what you are writing.
6. Make sure there is enough detail in your essay to create a mental image for
the reader.
7. Visualize in your mind and describe.

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1. The descriptive text type
1) Purpose
Description is used in all forms of writing to create a vivid

impression of a person, place, object or event.
a.

Describe a special place and explain why it is special.

b.

Describe the most important person in your life.

c.

Describe the animal's habitat in your report Descriptive writing is
usually used to help a writer develop an aspect of their work, eg. to
create a particular mood, atmosphere or describe a place so that the
reader can create vivid pictures of characters, places, objects etc.

2) Features
Description is a style of writing which can be useful for a variety of
purposes:
1.

To engage a reader's attention.

2.

To create characters.

3.

To set a mood or create an atmosphere.

4.

To bring writing to life.

3) Language
1.

Aims to show rather than tell the reader what something/someone is
like.

2.

Relies on precisely chosen vocabulary with carefully chosen adjectives
and adverbs.

3.

Focused and concentrates only on the aspects that add something to the
main purpose of the description.

4.

Sensory description - what is heard, seen, smelt, felt, tasted. Precise use
of adjectives, similes, metaphors to create images/pictures in the mind
e.g. their noses were met with the acrid smell of rotting flesh.

5.

Strong development of the experience that "puts the reader there"

focuses on key details, powerful verbs and precise nouns.

Good Description:
1. Creates a main impression-an overall effect, feeling, or image -about
the topic

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2. Uses concrete, specific details to support the main impression
3. Uses details that appeal to the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste,
and touch.
B. Narration Essay
A narration essay is a writing that tells a story. When you use narration to
develop a paragraph, you intend to tell the reader something that happened and
how it happened. Novels and short stories are the most common examples of
writing which has narration as its controlling intent. But you will use narration,
particularly brief anecdote, to illustrate or make clear an idea in the kinds of
writing you will do in collage.
Good Narration:
1. Includes specific details to make the incident come alive for your reader
2. Focuses on re-creating an incident that happened to you over a short
period of time (usually an emotional experience)
3. Conveys a particular mood (feeling) - do you want to suprise your
readers, make them laugh, have them share in your sorrow or fear?
C. Persuasive Essay
In persuasive essays, you are writing to convinces others by presenting
solid, supported arguments.
Good Persuasion:
1. Takes a strong and definite position on an issue or advises a particular

action.
2. Gives logical reasons and supporting evidence to defend the position or
recommend action.
3. Considers opposing views.
4. Has enthusiasm and energy from start to finish.
D. Process Analysis Essay
In a process analysis essay, you write to explain how to do something or
how something works.
Good Process Analysis:
1. Either helps readers perform the steps themselves or helps them
understand how something works

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