LESSON 1: EXAMINING BIAS

What is bias?
✓
Bias refers to an author’s expression of his/her own opinion on a particular issue without
examining and presenting enough evidence. This arises from the author’s thinking which
may be influenced by personal beliefs, culture, attitudes, preferences, and past experiences.
To further understand bias in writing, refer to the illustration below.
✓
Bias refers to an author’s expression of his/her own opinion on a particular issue without examining
and presenting enough evidence.
✓
This arises from the author’s thinking which may be influenced by personal beliefs, culture, attitudes,
preferences, and past experiences.
✓
Showing bias prevents an individual to approach an issue or matter from neutral point of view.

When does an author become bias?

✓ An author becomes bias when he/she persuades the reader to believe on his/her own stand
of the issue by giving inaccurate information or false impression even with or without the
intention of misleading the readers.
How do you determine the author’s biases?
✓ To determine the author’s biases and to understand his/her underlying purpose, you must
look at the use of evidence and diction.
Evidence
✓ Evidence can be in a form of facts and information, testimonies and direct
observations, scientific and legal findings, and anecdotes and philosophical evidence.

✓ Diction refers to the words or expressions that help convey the stand of the author towards
an issue. These words and expressions may indicate a positive or negative connotation or
meaning.

• Does the author present more positive evidence to support one side of an issue?
• Does the author present more negative evidence to disprove one side of an issue?

Here are some guide questions to check the author’s diction.

• Does the author use more positive words and expressions to present one side of an issue?
• Does the author use more negative words and expressions to present one side of an issue
 LESSON 2: PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES
Propaganda
➢
It is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitudes, perspectives and emotions of
people or communities toward some cause or position by presenting only one side of an argument. It is
usually repeated and presented over a wide variety of media in order to attract the interests of a
greater majority.
➢
The spreading of information with the purpose of influencing feelings or actions. It’s not so important
whether the information is true or false or if the cause is just or not – it’s all propaganda.
➢
Propaganda is always biased and can be positive or negative.
➢
Publicly to promote something: information put out by an organization or government to promote a
policy, idea, or cause misleading publicity: deceptive or distorted information that is systematically
spread.
➢
Print media

➢
Electronic media
➢
Radio, television, CDs, DVDs, movies, videotapes, documentary films, the internet.
GOAL OF PROPAGANDA
➢
To mold opinion or behavior to support a cause without concern for the interest or benefit of the
audience.
Who uses propaganda?
✓
Military, Media, Advertisers, Politicians, You and I
Basic Propaganda Strategies
1.Name Calling
✓
Trash-talking another product or person. This is used to make us reject and condemn a
person or idea without examining what the label really means.
✓
This is the use of names that may evoke fear or hatred among the viewers. The name-
calling technique links a person or idea, to a negative symbol. The most obvious type of
name-calling involves bad names such as racist, dictator, terrorist, rebel, protester,
idiot, liar and monster.
✓
Example:

2. Glittering generalities
✓
Words of praise for product or person; nice words like goodness or patriotism.
✓
This is the use of words or ideas that evoke a positive emotional response from an
audience. Virtue words are often used. For better effect, brands appear to use
hyperboles, metaphors, or lyrical phrases to attract more attention.
✓
Ex. “Natural”, “Organic”, "Scientific", "Ecological", "Sustainable"
3. Transfer
✓
when a product is sold by the name or picture of a famous person or thing but no
words from the said person or thing.
✓
An appeal that helps a person imagine himself as part of a picture.
✓
Transfer is when a symbol that carries respect, authority, sanction, and prestige is used
along with an idea or argument to make it look more acceptable.
✓
Ex.
4. Testimonial
✓
when a product is sold by using words from famous people or authority figures.
✓
Ex.

5. Plain folks
✓
This technique uses normal people to promote a product or support a particular idea.
✓
This is the use of common people to sell or to promote a product or service.
Advertisements appear to associate a person or groups of individuals to be one of
common people or the masses. This technique is commonly used in the world of
advertising because buyers are on the lookout for real experiences.
✓ Ex.

6. Card stacking
✓
This technique is perhaps most popularly used. It involves the deliberate omission of
certain facts to fool the target audience.
✓
This is a technique that shows the product’s best features, tells half-truths, and omits
its potential problems.
✓
Ex.

7. Bandwagon
✓
“Join the crowd”
✓
persuading consumers by telling them that others are doing the same thing.
✓
This is a technique that persuades people by showing them that everyone else are doing
the same thing. It also implies that one must accept or reject an idea because everyone
else is accepting or rejecting it.
✓
Ex.

8. Soft soap
✓
Flattery or insincere compliments designed to get the audience on the side of the speaker.
Example:
“I love visiting you folks in Bohol where the people are wholesome, hardworking, and
family-centered. You all know what works in your province better than Metro Manila."
9. Repetition
✓
when the product ‘s name is repeated at least four times in the ad
✓
Ex.

10. Emotional words

✓ words that will make a consumer feel strongly about someone or something are used.
11. Simplification.
✓
This is used to reduce crucial issues to basic ideas and packages them with catchy
slogans and images. It usually targets uninformed readers or customers.
✓
Ex.
An important person in the community declares “We made it!” The person deliberately
announces victory against a massive health issue experienced by the country despite the
increasing number of cases of the disease. This is an example of a simplification propaganda
technique because the person reduces the critical issue into a simple one by using a catchy
expression to persuade uninformed listeners about the real health status.
 LESSON 3: SOCIAL, MORAL, and ECONOMIC ISSUES

What is an issue?
An issue is an important problem or topic that people in the society argue about or
discuss since it negatively affects many people in the society. It could be a social, moral, or
economic issue. What are common issues in the society? The following are common issues in
the society:
A. SOCIAL ISSUES prevent the society from functioning at the most desirable
level. An issue becomes a social issue under the following circumstances:
• The issue involves people in the society.
• The public, as a whole, recognizes the situation as a problem.
• A large segment of the population sees the situation as a valid concern.
• The situation can be alleviated through the joint actions of the citizens.
Example of Social Issue:
Drugs, Crime Poverty, Health Care, Discrimination, Education, Racial
Discrimination, Politics, Violence, Government

B. MORAL ISSUES are situations or actions that do not conform to the shared
norms and values, culture, and beliefs distinguished by a certain community or
social setting.
An issue becomes a moral issue under the following circumstances:
• It is against the values, beliefs, and preferences of the people in the society.
• It involves behavior patterns that bring the individual repeatedly into conflict
with the society.
• It involves actions which have the potential to harm others or the
persons themselves.

Example of Moral Issue: Extra-marital affairs, gambling, homosexuality, abortion,

pre-marital sex, alcohol consumption, divorce, use of contraceptives

C. ECONOMIC ISSUES are situations that reflect the scarcity of resources which are
deemed insufficient to satisfy human wants and needs.

An issue becomes an economic issue under the following circumstances:

• It involves inflation or the increase of price of basic commodities and
services affecting a large number of people.
• It involves an increase of unemployment or not having a job to earn ones living.
• It involves poverty caused by underlying factors such as lack of
education, cultural and religious discrimination, overpopulation,
unemployment, and corruption.

Example of Economic Issue: Inflation, Poverty, Globalization, Economic

Inequality, Income
 LESSON 4: Analyzing Literature as a Mirror to a Shared Heritage

What is Literature?

It refers to a body of written works such as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays that
reflects the background of a certain culture. It is derived from the Latin word litaritura/litteratura
which means “writing formed with letters.” There are a number of ways that literature is classified.
The most basic types of literature are fiction and non-fiction.

What are the Types of Literature?

1. Fiction. It is a type of literature that is a product of a writer’s imagination. It can be inspired

by actual or completely made-up events. It is usually created through the use of clear details
that we recognize or that move us in some ways.
Examples:
The story “The Soul of the Great Bell” is a Chinese fiction retold in English by Lafcadio
Hearn. The story is all about a girl named Ko-Ngai, a virgin maiden, who sacrificed her life to
save her father Kouan-Yu from the anger of the Son of Heaven and Yung-Lo. Her blood was
the main ingredient to successfully make the great bell.
2. Nonfiction. It is a type of literature that is based on facts. It is a writing about real
people, places, and events which include biographies, auto-biographies, and interviews.
Example:
“Long Walk to Freedom” is an autobiography, a self-written story, of Nelson Mandela who
was a South African activist and former president (1918-2013).
 What are the Elements of a Story?
1. Setting. It refers to the time and place in which the action of the story happens.
Example:
In Ramayana, there is more than one setting such as Ayodhya, Lanka, and the
forest (place). The story happened a long time ago (time).

2. Plot. It is defined as an interrelated sequence of events in a story where each event affects the
other, thus showing the cause-and-effect relationship. The illustration below shows the
sequence of events of the story Ramayana.

A plot has six elements:

a. Exposition/Initial Action. This is the very beginning of a story. In this part,
authors usually introduce the major characters and setting to the reader.
In the illustration above, the author introduces the place Ayohdya as the setting
and presents the characters King Dasharata, Rama, and Sita.
b. Rising Action. This is the part when tension starts to build. It usually involves facing
and conquering minor conflicts, which is what keeps the plot moving forward.
In the illustration above, the tension started when Ravana devised a plan to abduct
Sita.
c. Climax. This is the part of the story where the characters finally have to face and solve
the major conflict. This is the "peak" of the plot or the highest point of interest where
all the tensions of the rising action lead to the success or failure of the hero.
In the illustration above, Rama solved the major conflict when he fought and
killed Ravana to save Sita.
d. Falling Action. This is everything that happens after the climax but before the resolution.
This is when the tension lessens and starts bringing the action to a close.
In the illustration above, the tension started to lessen when Rama saved Sita,
returned to Ayodhya, and became the king.
e. Resolution/Denouement. This is the conclusion or ending of a story.
In the illustration above, the story ended when Rama ruled Ayodhya in peace
and harmony with his people.
3. Character. It refers to a person, an object, an animal, or imaginary creature personified in
the story.
There are two types of characters: the protagonist and the antagonist.
a. Protagonist. It is the main character who does heroic acts in the story.
In the story Ramayana, Rama is the protagonist since he does the heroic acts of saving
Sita and winning the battle against Ravana.
 b. Antagonist. It is also a main character who opposes the protagonist in some
way. Ravana is considered as the main antagonist of the story Ramayana.
4. Conflict. It refers to the problem that the main characters have to face.
The conflict of the story has four major types: man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. society,
and man vs. supernatural.

Man vs. man. It is the conflict of the story in which the struggle is between the protagonist
and the antagonist. In this conflict, the protagonist wants something, and the antagonist
obstructs the protagonist from getting what he wants
Example:
In Ramayana, the author illustrates man vs. man conflict when Rama fought against
Ravana who abducted Sita.

Man vs. self. It is a conflict that takes place within the character himself. It often involves the
character in making a decision between right and wrong.
Example:
Dasharatha had a conflict within himself in his decision to set Rama into
banishment even against his own will.
Man vs. society. It is a conflict that occurs when the character has a conflict with
the government, cultural, or societal tradition.
Example:
In Ramayana, the author shows man vs. society when everyone including the band of
monkeys fought against Ravana to save Sita.
Man vs. supernatural. It is a conflict that happens when the protagonist faces a struggle
against a god, gods, and supernatural forces.
Example:
In Ramayana, the author depicts man vs. supernatural type of conflict when
Rama and Lakshmana fought against Rakshasas or the evil creature.
5. Point of View. This is the angle of narration or the perspective from which the story is told. It
can be classified as first person and third person.

a. First Person. The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only personal
thoughts and feelings. It uses the personal pronoun I.
Example: “I was standing in the dark. I was scared and cold. Then, I felt something on
my shoulder, and it was a hand. I was trying to get away, but it wouldn’t let me go. I
screamed as loud as I could, but no one heard me.” – In the Dark
b. Third person. This is when the narrator is removed from the story and tells it from an
outside perspective. To do this, the narrator uses personal pronouns like "he," "she," and
"they" to refer to the characters in the story.
Example: “Ravana devised a plan to abduct Sita. He sent a magical golden deer
which Sita desired Rama to hunt. A long time had passed, but Rama didn’t return.
Thus, Lakshmana went off to find his brother.” – Ramayana
6. Theme. It refers to the central idea or message of a story.
In Ramayana, the author illustrates man vs. self-type of conflict when King In Ramayana,
the theme is about showing love and doing one’s duties and responsibilities, or known as
dharma. Rama showed his love to Sita by saving her from the enemy. He also performed his
duties and responsibilities as a king, husband, son, and brother, respectively.

Sources: https://literaryterms.net/. https://education.seattlepi.com/types-

conflict-can-found-narrative3739.htm
 LESSON 5: COHESIVE DEVICES
COHESIVE DEVICES
- Are words or phrases used to connect ideas between different parts of text.
- Proper use of it will help guide the readers put together information between sentences in
a text so that clearer understanding will be achieved.
Ex: My friend works three jobs in a day; however, he doesn’t earn much money.
Types of Cohesive Devices:
1. Conjunction
➢
Are words or groups of words that are used to connect other words or phrases in a
sentence.
➢
Are key to good cohesion
➢
“and”, “but”, and “or”
➢
“on the one hand” and “on the other hand” are helpful for connecting information
that is similar, yet with an important difference, so that you can make a point about it.
Types of Conjunction:
A. Coordinating Conjunction
➢
The most common type of conjunction
➢
Join words, phrases and clauses together, which are usually grammatically
equal
➢
Is placed in between the words that it links together, and not at the beginning
or at the end
➢
Example:
F- for
A- and
N- nor
B- but
O- or Y
- yet
S- so

B. Subordinating Conjunction
➢
Used in linking two clauses together
➢
They introduce a dependent clause
➢
Also describe the relationship between the dependent clause and the
independent clause in a sentence.
➢
Example:
Let us talk about our proposal when I see you.

List of Common Subordinating Conjunctions:

• while • How • Though
• Even if • Once • Before
• Wherever • In case • Whether
• As if • So that • After
• In that • Although • Provided
• Unless • No matter how • While
• As • Until • Now that
• As soon as • If • since
• Because • Supposing
• When • As far as
 C. Correlative Conjunction
➢
- Pairs of conjunctions which are used to join equal sentence elements
together
➢
Examples: Either…or, Neither…nor, Not only…but also, Both…
and, Whether…or, So…as
2. Pronouns
➢
Are used to replace nouns in sentences.
➢
Are easy to use, just stick to the simple rule – it should be very clear what your pronoun
refers to.
➢
Avoid using too many pronouns in one sentence – it can easily confuse your reader or your
listener.
➢
If you refer to several subjects within one sentence, substitute the pronoun for something
else.
➢
Example:
Original Sentence: She said she doesn’t know him
Corrected Sentence: Jane said she doesn’t know him/ She denied knowing him.

3. Preposition
➢
Indicate relationships between other words in a sentence
➢
Those relationships are:
❖
Direction
❖
Time
❖
Location
❖
Spatial relationship
❖
Abstract types of relationships
❖
Example:
Direction: Look to the left and you’ll see our destination.
Time: We’ve been working since this morning
Location: We saw a movie at the theater
Space: The dog hid under the table.

4. Adverbial Conjunction

➢ Are words that can be used to show order, contrast, and such. When used at
the front of sentence with a comma, they call attention to what is to follow.
➢
Adverbs as conjunctions are called Adverbial Conjunctions
Purpose of Adverbial Conjunction

Adding something Also, besides, finally, furthermore, in addition, moreover ,

still, therewith, too, top of that
Comparing Also, as well, alike, similarly

Contrasting Although, yet, at the same time, despite that, even though,
however, in contrast, instead, in spite of, nevertheless, on
the other hand, though
Emphasizing Certainly, definitely, indeed, in fact
 Give example For/ as an example, for instance, to illustrate, in other
words, it is true that, namely, specifically, case in point
Showing equality As…as, both…and, either…or, neither…nor, not only…but
also
Summarizing and as it was/ has been said, in conclusion, finally, in short, in
concluding other words, to put it simply, on the whole, summarizing

5. Ellipsis

➢
Is also known to some as dot-dot-dot because it consists of three periods, or dots, in a row in
writing.
➢
Is the deletion or omission of linguistic item that the reader or listener already knows.
➢
Can be interpreted as that form of substitution in which an item is replaced by nothing.
➢
An occasion when words are deliberately left out of a sentence, though the meaning can still
be understood.
➢
Example:

After school I went to her house, which was a few blocks away, and then came home.
After school I went to her house… and then came home.
 LESSON 6: PARALLELISM
To improve the clarity of your writing, it is important to remember the equality of your sentence
structure.

Parallel Structure means using the same construction for sentence elements that are the same in
function.
➢ The balance between two or more similar words, phrases or clauses is called
parallelism in grammar. Parallelism is also called parallel structure or parallel
construction.
➢ Parallel construction prevents awkwardness, promotes clarity and improves writing
style and readability.
➢ In grammar, parallelism, also known as parallel structure or parallel
construction, is a balance within one or more sentences of similar phrases or clauses
that have the same
grammatical structure. The application of parallelism improves writing style and
readability, and is thought to make sentences easier to process
Below are three rules to consider when checking for Parallel Structure in your writing:

1. Parallel Structure should be used when elements are joined by coordinating conjunctions:

Incorrect: I am allergic to the dog’s hair and how it smells.

Correct: I am allergic to the dog’s hair and smell.

2. Parallel Structure should be used when writing elements in the form of a list or a
series: Incorrect: The class valued respect, honesty, and being on time in a teacher.
Correct: The class valued respect, honesty, and promptness in a teacher.

3. Parallel Structure should be used when comparing or contrasting elements (A is better

than B or X is less than Y): Incorrect: James enjoys reading more than to write.
Correct: James enjoys reading more than writing.

Note: If the sentence includes time signals that indicate the action happening at
different time or will happen in the future, disregard this rule.

Example: Edna is an industrious student, an obedient daughter, and a loyal friend.

In the use of parallel structure, grammatical balance should be observed. If parallel

structure is not observed there will be a disruption of rhythm, thus there will be
grammatical unbalance.

More Examples:
1. Toni Gonzaga is a multi-talented celebrity. Singing, acting, and being a host are some of
her talents. No error What do you think is the error in the sentence?
You are correct! The answer is “being a host”, it is the error in the sentence.

Explanation: In the list of talents that Toni Gonzaga has, two items are gerunds, or verbs
being used as nouns ("singing" and "acting"), whereas "being a host" is a phrase. Thus,
"being a host" does not fit with the parallel structure, and should be changed to "hosting.”

2. I live in a condominium on a higher floor than my boss. No error What do you think is
the error in the sentence?
You are correct! The answer is “boss”, it is the error in the sentence.
 Explanation: Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to
"that of my boss" or my "boss”
Correct: I live in a condominium on a higher floor than my boss’ apartment

Correlative Conjunctions and Parallel Structure

Correlative Conjunctions
either/or neither/nor not/but not only/but(also) both/and

To use parallel structure in a sentence, words/phrases joined together by correlative

conjunctions should be of the same grammatical level or structure.
Wrong: The mall requires not only wearing face masks but also face shields.
Right: The mall requires wearing not only face masks but also face shields.

In the example above the first part of the sentence, not only, joins the verb wanted. While the
second part, but also, joins the direct object face masks. To achieve parallel structure, you
must join two elements of the same grammatical level.

Neither - Nor Mistakes

The elements joined together by correlative conjunctions should be equal to achieve parallel
structure.
An example:
Wrong: For the talent contest, she neither wanted to sing nor to dance.
Right: For the talent contest, she wanted neither to sing nor to dance.

Either - Or Mistakes

Some examples:
Wrong: Either you answer your modules or attending online classes.
Right: Either you answer your modules or attend online classes