Study and Thinking Skills
Study and Thinking Skills
Study and Thinking Skills
LESSON 1
USING THE LIBRARY EFFECTIVELY
THE LIBRARY
Derived from the Greek word librarium which means a place for
the custody or administration of a collection of reading materials.
Is the heart of the school
Is a storehouse of books and other reading materials.
Is a collection of graphic materials books, films, tape recording
organized for use.
A reader should:
a. know the librarian
b. Discover the policies concerning the use of the library
c. Have a knowledge of the kinds of materials the library holds.
d. Be familiar with the system of the library classification and physical
set up (sections of the library)
e. Have the ability to pick out the kind of book and materials needed.
B. Reserve Section kept in this section are books that may be requested
by some teachers to be made available for their students but for a shorter
period of time because of the limited number of copies per book.
Therefore, allowing students to take turns in borrowing these books for
just a few hours.
2. Nonfiction these are books of information. The books are about real
things, people, places, and the like
3. General References
a. Dictionaries give a lot of information about a word, such as its
spelling, syllabication, pronunciation, meaning, stress, function, its
etymology or origin, etc.
b. Encyclopedias reference materials that give information on
almost every subject. These pieces of information, arranged
alphabetically, are put together in book form and are sold to the
public in series of volumes.
1
Study and Thinking Skills
Types:
Broadsheet/National a newspaper that contains comprehensive
information of events. It uses formal language
Tabloid/local or community contains bit information. It does not
use formal language
2
Study and Thinking Skills
Arrangements of Books
Classification System
1. Dewey Decimal System named after its developer, Melvil Dewey. A
system which uses numbers to classify books. It is usually used by small
library such as college/university libraries.
000 099 General Works/References (Encyclopedia, Dictionaries)
100 199 Philosophy (Logic, Ethics)
200 299 Religion (Bible, Saints)
300 399 Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Law)
400 499 Language (Composition, Speech)
500 599 Pure Science (Physics, Biology)
600 699 Applied Science (Electronics, Automotive Agriculture,
Aeronautics,)
700 799 Arts and Recreation (Music, Paintings, PE)
800 899 Literature (Poetry, Essays)
900 999 History, Geography
3
Study and Thinking Skills
Kinds:
1. Title Card the title of the book appears on the top most part of
the index.
793.7
L34
Games to Play
Larsen, Harold, 2nd Ed. Illus. by Berthold,
Tieman, California: Harper and Row.1995
4
Study and Thinking Skills
2. Author Card - the name of the author appears on the top most
part of the index.
793.7
L34
Larsen, Harold
Games to Play, 2nd Ed. Illus. by Berthold,
Tieman, California: Harper and Row.1995
3. Subject Card - the subject and or topic appears on the top most
part of the index.
EXERCISES
Exercise 1. Arrange the words alphabetically as to how they are written in the
dictionary.
1. breezy 2. misgiving 3. chain 4. applicable 5. scarcity
breast mistaken chaos appoint scene
breathe misty chaff appearance scant
breech misplace channel appendix scatter
break mishap chance applause scenario
breed misstep char apply scan
breach mistreat chafe appease scale
breakup misjudge change appetite scavenger
breeding mislead chapter appraise scarcely
breadth misery chant append scamp
5
Study and Thinking Skills
Column A Column B
On Dewey Decimal Classification
1. Language a. 100-199
2. History, Geography b. 400-499
3. Philosophy c. 600-699
4. Applied Science d. 700-799
5. Arts and Recreation e. 800-899
f. 900-999
On Library of Congress System
6. Law g. K
7. Education h. L
8. Medicine i. M
9. Music j. R
10. Technology k. S
l. T
Exercise 4. From among the choices below, choose the section/part of the
newspaper that is illustrated in the articles.
7
Study and Thinking Skills
LESSON 2
SKIMMING AND SCANNING
SKIMMING
Is the process of quickly running or passing over an entire selection or
passage to get the general impression of it.
It is what you do when you read quickly to get the main ideas of a text.
This is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading.
People usually skim when they have lots of materials to read in a limited
amount of time.
It involves reading a text very quickly and superficially in order to get a
general idea of the content
Steps:
1. Read the title, subtitles and subheading to find out what the text is
about.
2. Look at the illustrations to give you further information about the topic.
3. Read the first and last sentence of each paragraph.
4. Don't read every word or every sentence. Let you eyes skim over the
text, taking in key words.
5. Continue to think about the meaning of the text.
First, try to find a topic sentence in the paragraph or section of the text to use as
a topic sentence. If you cannot find one, then write your own topic sentence by
combining important ideas from several sentences
SCANNING
Is the process of quickly locating a particular fact, figure, or word over
a selection or reading material to find the answer to a specific
question.
It is the technique you often use when looking up a word in the
telephone book or dictionary.
It involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific
words and phrases.
It is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it
will answer your questions.
It is a reading skill used to locate key or specific information quickly, eg
dates, numbers, examples & definitions.
Steps
Look for key words, or words that are repeated.
8
Study and Thinking Skills
*Skimming or scanning?
1. Reading a newspaper
2. Looking up the meaning of a word in the dictionary
3. Finding the plot of a short story
4. Checking the date of Fall of Bataan in the history book.
5. Locating the telephone numbers of a pet shop in a directory.
Exercise:
Direction: You will have a very short time to read the text and identify the main
ideas. You are given 2 minutes read the selection.
9
Study and Thinking Skills
proponents, four times as much paper can be produced from land using hemp
rather than trees, and many environmentalists believe that the large-scale
cultivation of hemp could reduce the pressure on Canada's forests.
Questions #1
The main idea of paragraph one is:
Scientists are worried about New York City
Logging is destroying the rainforests
Governments make money from logging
Salmon are an endangered species
life rafts
5. "In the late 1930s, a movement to ban the drug marijuana began to
gather force."
Types:
Definition Clue a word maybe directly defined in the
context.
13
Study and Thinking Skills
Examples:
have do make
14
Study and Thinking Skills
Come Go Get
come close go abroad get a job
come complete with go astray get a shock
come direct go bad get angry
come early go bald get divorced
Miscellaneous
Time Business English Classifiers
bang on time annual turnover a ball of string
dead on time bear in mind a bar of chocolate
early 12th century break off a bottle of water
free time negotiations a bunch of carrots
from dawn till dusk cease trading a cube of sugar
4. Faulty Diction
refers to the wrong use of words.
You must use words according to their recognized meaning.
Examples: accept, except
adapt, adopt, adept
affect, effect
alumnus, alumni, alumna, alumnae
all right, alright
15
Study and Thinking Skills
Exercises:
Exercise 2 Read the sentences and carefully note the underlined words. Then
do the matching exercise that follows.
16
Study and Thinking Skills
A B
____ 1. mythical a. use again in another form
____ 2. haunted b. not clear
____ 3. recycling c. imaginary
____ 4. vague d. excessive fatness
____ 5. obesity e. A frequent resort of host
Exercise 3: Choose from the box the correct word that would complete each
phrase.
Processing Activities:
Puzzle Story
Phrase Answers:
17
Study and Thinking Skills
Sentence answers:
1. The man occupying the
adjacent room called
him.
2. The hotel manager called
him.
3. His wife called him.
Sentence
18
Study and Thinking Skills
2. The subject and the predicate are structurally the mainstays of the
sentence.
3. The ruthlessness of their attacks on the cities and the atrocities committed
led to the complete mobilization of the people.
4. Fish is bought and sold in the market.
5. Cops are perceived and suspected to be involved in hanky-panky.
6. The car blew the front tire and crashed into the concrete wall.
7. They met on the beach and talked to bygone days.
8. The mourners broke up and walked slowly away.
9. Unique Christmas Lanterns will be on display and will be up for sale.
10. The ring and the bracelet were lost.
Sentence Fragments
Is a sentence part, usually a phrase, a clause, carelessly punctuated as
grammatically complete sentence.
Examples:
Eating in the Batalan under the moonlight
By helping others in need
Baptized on March 4, 1663
The man standing under the tree
EXERCISES
Exercise 1. Analyze the statements below. Identify the subject and the
predicate in each sentence. Divide youre your paper into two
columns. Write the subject on the first column and write the
predicate on the second column.
19
Study and Thinking Skills
Exercise 3. Underline the Simple Subject once and encircle the Simple
Predicate in the following sentences.
1. Ambition destroys its possessor.
2. The man who has done his best has done everything.
3. The hungry leopard leapt at the photographer.
4. The orchids under the shade do not bloom as much as those in full
sunlight.
5. Most of the ballot boxes have been brought to the city hall.
6. The doctors have uncovered the cause of the disease.
7. The cool colors of young plants have been placed in canvas by the artist.
8. A survey of clinical trials shows that garlic lowers cholesterol level.
9. These pieces are so beautiful to be used as mats.
10. The necessary use of water has been repeatedly emphasized.
20
Study and Thinking Skills
LESSON 3
GATHERING INFORMATION
A. Note Taking
- it is the recording of important items of information for future use.
- The best notes are as brief as possible without missing any vital points.
- General Guides:
21
Study and Thinking Skills
Exercises:
Here are two passages, take notes of them. Separate the main idea from the
supporting points then reduce the number of words in each sentence.
1. It was soon clear that the bus was overcrowded. On the top level, three
people were sitting in seats designed to hold two. The staircase leading to
the top level have people in it. An elderly woman missed her step
because she could not get through the crowd to the door and now the bus
could barely creep up the steep hill.
Main idea: ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
Minor ideas : _________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
2. In large cities anywhere, noise pollution is difficult to avoid. It comes from
various forms of traffic such as cars, buses, and trains that carry people
around the city. Planes also cause noise as they land and take off. And
furthermore, there are noises of people and animals such as crowds
cheering, people talking, and dogs barking.
22
Study and Thinking Skills
B. Outlining
- An outline or hierarchical outline is a list of related items arranged
hierarchically to depict their relationships.
- It is the skeletal framework of a paper.
- The data are grouped into major and minor ideas and each type of idea is
numbered differently from the other type to show that, though the minor
points are under the major points, still, there exists a certain degree of
difference between them.
- Drawing up an outline allows you to think before you write. And helps you
organize the ideas and information you collected from different reading materials.
- Types:
Topic Outline
ideas are presented in words or phrases
It is more practical because it is more economical in terms of
space, time and effort.
Sentence Outline
ideas are presented in sentences
23
Study and Thinking Skills
1. Transmittal of AIDS
1.1. Transfusions
1.2. Body fluids
1.2.1. Sexual
1.2.2 Non-sexual
EXERCISES
24
Study and Thinking Skills
Kinds of Maps
You are probably familiar with maps you see in school to study history and
current events. These are called political maps because they show the
boundaries of the different countries. Can you imagine what kind of map would
show things like railroad tracks, football fields, fire towers and oil wells? These
features appear on aerial maps or maps pilots use to guide them in their flight.
From the sky, a set of railroad tracks is a welcome clue to a lost flier.
Astronauts use celestial maps chart their position in space. Seamen use
navigation maps to steer their ships. You have probably seen a driver of a car
pull out a road map showing the lay out of streets and highways, or even used
one for yourself.
Map making begun with primitive man drawing rough sketches on the
ground. In early times, maps had to be based only on what man had observed.
Since methods of measuring and recording these observations were not very
advanced, many of the maps were inaccurate. Because of undiscovered land,
they were incomplete as well.
Today maps are still based to some extent on observation. But
photography and telescope astronomy now produce accurate maps for any
traveler.
Exercise 2. Read the selection carefully. Then, organize the items according to
topics and write them in outline form in the blanks. Use the Modern Method.
25
Study and Thinking Skills
willing to hire men over 6 feet tall than shorter men with the same
credentials. Studies of real-world executives and graduates have shown
that taller men make more money. In one study, every extra inch of height
brought in an extra $1,300 a year. But being too big can be a
disadvantage. A tall, brawny football player complained that people found
him intimidating off the field and assumed he "had the brains of a Twinkie.
Topic sentence: Height connotes status in many parts of the
world.
Main point: Even being tall can help a person succeed.
Main point: Executive offices are usually on the top
Main point: being too big can be a disadvantage
Summary:
Though height may connote slowness to some people, in the
business world, it is almost universally associated with success. For
example, taller men are more likely to be hired and to have greater
salaries. Further, those in top positions within a company are more likely
to work on the top floors of office buildings (Locker, 2003).
26
Study and Thinking Skills
It was well past 10:00 P.M. when I came home from a grueling day of
school work and extra-curricular activities. The wind was whishing overheads as I
walk through the door of our home. The harrowing news of my parents marriage
annulment began echoing in my head again. I immediately dismissed the thought
and moved toward the nearest couch and plopped myself into it to rest. Defeat
and exhaustion filled my frame as I laid back against the soft cushions. I was
about to close my eyes when I remembered our hematology project which was
due the next day. I struggled to lift my weary bones to get up and set out for the
computer situated on the other side of the room. Just then my little brother
Michael in Osh Kosh overalls dashed out of his room and headed straight at me.
Ate, can you help me with my assignment? Mom was here this afternoon
but she was too busy packing her clothes to even mind me. I was wondering if
youwell... My brothers words didnt seem to filter through my mind at first. My
attention was so glued at the computer screen that my brother had to nudge me
and pull the tip of my blouse to get my attention.
You see, its about Seven Wonders of the World and Look, not right
now, I am busy I snapped while ticking on the keyboard.
Youre always like that! Youre no different from mom and dad! he wailed
stomping back into his room. For a moment, Michaels words fiddled in my mind.
I felt a twinge of guilt as his words lingered in my thoughts. But feeling adamant, I
convinced myself that the urgency of my work seemed more important to me
than my brothers. I sighed a few times and continued to polish my school work.
The next day, I went home late again. I went straight to my room to
change my clothes for the night. When I was about to turn off the lights, I heard
thumping on the door. It was Michael.
I know you are busy, but theres something I want to show you, he
began. I was just wondering if my classmate was right when he said that my
assignment was wrong.
I snatched the paper from him and looked over his written assignment
without saying a word. All I wanted was to get rid of him and finally get some rest.
Suddenly, I felt a wave of jolt sweep over me. There he wrote in gothic letter:
I stood there stunned and speechless as the words make their way into my
brain. I could not believe what my seven year old brother just scribbled on paper.
Regaining my composure, I thought, How could such an innocent little child
fathom such things in life? Trying hard to push back my emotion to the farthest
27
Study and Thinking Skills
I paused for a moment and gently closed the door. I wished my parents
were here so they could read what Michael wrote. Perhaps, someday they will.
(Health and Home, October 2006, pp. 16-16)
Conversation A Conversation B
A: Single? A: locked?
B: Double. B: locked.
A: Double? A: key?
B: Yes. B: key?
A: cone? A: Key.
B: cup. B: Okey? Okey.
Conversation C Conversation C
A: Cup of coffee? A: Apple?
A: Milk? B: Starved.
B: Coffee. A: Hungry?.
A: Pardon? B: Sure?
B: Black please. A: Take it.
A: Milk?
B: No!
The intonation pattern of tag questions vary according to the speakers intention.
Rising Intonation is used when a question is asked.
Rising-falling intonation is used simply to invite confirmation of
something that the speaker already knows.
Examples:
1. The real meaning of peace is not clearly defined, is it?
2. Peace springs from within, doesnt it?
28
Study and Thinking Skills
EXERCISES:
Exercise 2. Get a partner and read the sentences in A and B which illustrate two
ways of expressing the tag question.
B. Rising-falling Intonation
1. I was just wondering if my classmate was right, wasnt I?
2. Michael wrote the Seven Wonders of the World in gothic letters, didnt he?
3. I struggled to lift my weary bones to get up, didnt I?
4. The students did not understand the lesson, did they?
5. Some teenagers who turned 18 did not register for 2010 elections, did
they?
29
Study and Thinking Skills
1. dictionary 6. excessive
2. adequately 7. interview
3. addition 8. government
4. spacious 9. independent
5. natural 10. maladjustment
Exercise 2 All the words in each number are built on the same base word.
Write the base word.
1. deserve, serviceable, disservice
2. knowledgeable, knowing, unknown
3. inform, uniform, deformity
4. condense, density, condensation
5. gracious, disgraceful, gracefully
30
Study and Thinking Skills
Exercise 3 The words are all but one are built on the same word. Find the
word that has a different base word.
1. period, perilous, imperil
2. provide, reprove, approval
3. finely, unrefined, refinish
4. carrier, carrying, career
5. bushy. business, busybody
LESSON 4
GIVING AND FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS
Imperative Sentence
- It expresses a command, request, or plea.
- The subject you is not stated which is represented by an interaction
between persons: the speaker and the listener.
31
Study and Thinking Skills
Examples:
1. Sow the seeds of peace
Allow no barrier: creed, religion, race
Promote genuine harmony among
Brothers, sisters, and nations
32
Study and Thinking Skills
What's the best way to the post office? (Use the map for orientation.)
1. Excuse me, where is the post office, please?
2. ______ at the next corner.
3. Then ______ until you come to the traffic lights.
4. there _______.
5. The post office is ______ the cinema.
Processing Activity:
1. What are the commands expressed in the song
2. To whom are these commands addressed?
3. What id Gods plan for all his creation?
4. How can you promote peace on earth/
5. What is the message
34
Study and Thinking Skills
And we use in for the names of land-areas (towns, counties, states, countries,
and continents).
She lives in Durham.
Durham is in Windham County.
Windham County is in Connecticut.
Prepositions of Movement: to
and No Preposition
Toward and towards are also helpful prepositions to express movement. These
are simply variant spellings of the same word; use whichever sounds better to
you.
We're moving toward the light.
This is a big step towards the project's completion.
With the words home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs,
we use no preposition.
Grandma went upstairs
Grandpa went home.
They both went outside.
35
Study and Thinking Skills
We use for when we measure time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, months,
years).
He held his breath for seven minutes.
She's lived there for seven years.
The British and Irish have been quarreling for seven centuries.
EXERCISES:
I'm Peter and I live _______ Germany. _______summer I like to travel _____
Italy, because ____ the weather and the people there. Last summer I took a plane
_____ Munich to Rome. ______the airport we went to our hotel ____ bus. We
stopped _____ a small restaurant for a quick meal. The driver parked the bus
_______ the restaurant. Nobody could find the bus and the driver, so we waited
________the restaurant _____one hour. The driver was walking ________the
small park _______the restaurant which we did not know. So we were very angry
_________ him. But my holidays were great. We sat _______campfires and went
dancing _______the early mornings.
36
Study and Thinking Skills
37
Study and Thinking Skills
Column A Column B
Column A Column B
1. auto- a. understand
2. tri- b. navigate
3. mis- c. contented
4. circum- d. angle
5. dis- e. biography
1. chemist, chemistry
a. Thomas Edison is a _______.
b. When he was in college, his favorite subject is _______.
2. volcanologist, volcano
a. Mt. Mayon is a _______.
b. The _______ headed the group who investigated Mt. Mayons
latest eruption.
3. electrician, electricity
a. _______ is the property of matter associated with atomic
particles.
b. An _______ is an expert in handling tools and instruments in
relation to electricity.
38
Study and Thinking Skills
4. photographer, photography
a. _______ is an art of producing images of objects on sensitized
surfaces by the chemical action of light.
b. A person skilled in (letter a)
5. technology, technologist
a. One who learns the technical details and special techniques of
an occupation is a ________.
b. ________ is the science of industrial arts and manufactures.
LESSON 6
READING AND INTERPRETATION OF GRAPHIC MATERIALS
Graphic materials The term graphics is a Greek origin which refers to the art
of expressing ideas by lines, pictures, charts or diagrams. They are
sometimes referred to non-photographic materials.
39
Study and Thinking Skills
40
Study and Thinking Skills
EXERCISES:
Exercise 1. Read the selection Mothers Day Today and answer the questions
that follow after the selection.
Definitely and indefinite harder than bearing a child is being a mother. For
motherhood does not end after 9 months, but lasts a lifetime. Because of this, a
mothers work is never done, not even after a child has grown up and has her
own children. In most families through out the world, mother is cook, nanny,
laundress, cleaning-woman, doctor, arbiter, treasurer, and adviser, among other
things, are rolled into one unsalaried package. In a growing number of
households, she is also a career woman and Fathers business partner.
Believe it or not, after centuries since eve of doing her thing, Mother was
first honored just 75 years ago in the United States. A certain Anna Jarvis of
Grafton, West Virginia, started the crusade for the celebration of mothers day in
honor of her beloved mother. Miss Jarvis was 41 when her mother died and from
thereon spent the remainder of her life to establish the second Sunday of May as
a memorial to all mothers of the world, living or dead. At 84, she died penniless
and nearly blind, her fortune devoted to her crusade. But her mission was
successful. In 1908, then American President Woodrow Wilson officially
proclaimed every second Sunday of May as Mothers Day.
Today, most English and European nations follow the tradition. Asian
countries, including Japan and China have also adopted the day as special
occasion to remember mothers. In the Philippines, the lush and lusty month of
May brings with its fruits and flowers the season of harvest and fiestas, Flores de
Mayo and Santa Cruzan, and the now popular Mothers Day.
As other Catholic-populated countries, Mothers Day in the Philippines
assumes greater significance because it falls on the month of Blessed Mother
Mary, the paragon of all mothers.
With book launchings, essay-writing contests, theater presentations,
commercial premiums, Mothers Day movies and other festivities dizzying one
and all, the true spirit of Motherhood is always felt but sometimes overshadowed.
Indeed, whatever the gift, whoever the giver, wherever the gift-giving takes place,
the best way to celebrate this sentimental day is to be with dear ever-youthful
41
Study and Thinking Skills
Mom, showering her with Thank You Kisses, that she deserves and needs.
After all, your mother may have just about the toughest job of all: loving a face
that only she could love.
Processing Activity:
1. Enumerate the role of mothers in the selection. Are these roles being
done by all mothers? Defend your answer.
2. In what month is Mothers Day celebrated?
3. Compare mothers of the 21st century from mothers during the olden times.
4. As a child, how do you show your love to your mother?
Exercise 2. From the selection, list down 10 sentences, underline the predicates
used and identify the tenses used.
Exercise 3. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in the parenthesis.
A miser, to make sure of his property, sold all that he had and _____
(convert) it into great lump of gold, which he _____ (hide in a hole in the
ground, and ____ (go) continually to visit and inspect it. This ____ (rise), the
curiosity of one of the workmen, who, _____ (suspect) that there ____(be) a
treasure. _____ (go) to the spot and _____ (steal) it away. When the miser
_____ (return) and ____ (find) the place empty, he _____ (weep) and tore his
hair. But a neighbor who _____ (see) him in this extravagant grief, and ____
(learn) the cause of it, said, Fret no longer, but take a stone and ____ (put) it
in the same place, and ____ (think) of it as your lump of gold, as you never
meant to use it, the stone will do you as much good as the gold.
LESSON 7
DRAWING INFERENCES (Making Predictions)
DRAWING INFERENCES
Means sensing relationships that are not stated but implied by the author.
These inferences may be assumptions, predictions, conclusions, and
generalization.
MAKING PREDICTIONS
Is stating something about the future behavior or actions based on present
or past actions or behavior.
Predictions with high probability are based on facts, not on assumptions or
on others predictions.
42
Study and Thinking Skills
Selected Reading:
BORN TO FLY
One day, a prairie chicken found an egg and sat on it until it was hatched.
Unbeknown to the prairie chicken, the egg was an eagle egg, abandoned for
some reason. Thats how an eagle came to be born into a family of prairie
chickens.
While the eagle is the greatest of all birds, soaring above the heights with
grace and ease, the prairie chicken doesnt even know how to fly. In fact, prairie
chickens are so lowly that they eat garbage.
One day, he looked up a majestic bald eagle soar through the air, dipping
and turning. When he asked his family what it was, they responded, Its an
eagle. But you could never be like that because you are just a prairie chicken.
Then they returned to pecking on the garbage.
The eagle spent his whole life looking up at eagles, longing to join them
among the clouds. It never once occurred to him to lift his wings and try to fly.
The eagle died thinking he was a prairie chicken.
43
Study and Thinking Skills
EXERCISES:
Exercise 2. Choose the synonym of the following words from the choices
in the box
hand-driven decoration
proud dangerous
sleepy
1. drowsy
2. perilous
3. manual
4. ornament
5. arrogant
44
Study and Thinking Skills
Modals are little HELPERS to the VERB. They help change the IDEA of the
VERB.
Example: I play piano.
I can play piano. (expresses ability)
I might play piano. (possibility)
I should play piano. (its a good idea to play)
I must play piano. (obligation)
FORM: Modals are ALWAYS used with the SIMLE FORM OF THE VERB:
NEVER: He can plays piano
He can playing piano right now.
He can played piano yesterday.
Modal Auxiliaries are helping verbs which are used with the principal verb to
express certain moods like ability, inability, permission, obligation,
willingness, and conjecture.
EXERCISES:
Exercise 1: Matching Type: Column A contains the first word and Column B
contains the second word that will complete the first word to form a
45
Study and Thinking Skills
Column A Column B
1. _____________________ chest a. gain
2. _____________________ hand b. fast
3. _____________________ card c. head
4. _____________________ fore d. some
5. _____________________ bar e. board
6. _____________________ under h. room
7. _____________________ straw i. bars
8. _____________________ mush j. ring
9. _____________________ handle k. ground
10. _____________________ ear l. berry
Exercise 2: Complete the sentences using the words listed in the box below.
Don't forget to capitalize when necessary. Some gaps may have more than one
correct answer.
2. If you want to get a better feeling for how the city is laid out, you
walk downtown and explore the waterfront.
3. Hiking the trail to the peak be dangerous if you are not well
prepared for dramatic weather changes. You research the route a
little more before you attempt the ascent.
4. When you have a small child in the house, you leave small
objects lying around. Such objects be swallowed, causing serious
injury or even death.
46
Study and Thinking Skills
7. Please make sure to water my plants while I am gone. If they don't get
enough water, they die.
10. Leo: Where is the spatula? It be in this drawer but it's not here.
Nancy: I just did a load of dishes last night and they're still in the dish
washer. It be in there. That's the only other place it be.
LESSON 8
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
CONCLUSIONS
Are statements based on written materials or observed facts.
When the reader makes a conclusion, he makes a statement telling about
the nature of an evidence or a fact. In doing so, he must see to it that his
statement really consists of factual evidence instead of assumptions.
47
Study and Thinking Skills
This is my quest
To follow that star
No matter how hopeless
No matter how far
Processing Activity:
1. Who do you think is speaking in the song?
2. What kind of person is he/
3. Does the speaker have the qualities of a hero?
4. What does the speaker want to do?
5. Why is the dream impossible?
6. What other dreams are impossible aside from those mentioned in the
song?
48
Study and Thinking Skills
b. Homographs words that are spelled the same but different in meaning.
Some homographs sound the same.
the run in my stockings; the home run he made
his blue coat; he feels blue
EXERCISES:
2. meat meat
He promised to _____ us in the _____ section of the market.
3. knew new
We ____ there was a ____ hole near the garage.
4. by buy
Did you ____ this for the two of us ____ yourself?
5. plain plane
She wore a ____ dress which is required by the _____ attendant.
49
Study and Thinking Skills
Exercise 3. Read the passage and find out how wrong decisions can help you
learn better.
RIGHT DECISIONS
The young thought about that for a moment and said, Thank you very
much; that is very helpful. But can you be a bit more specific? How do I make
the right decisions?
Exasperated, the young president said, but sir, thats why Im here. I
dont have experience I need to make the right decisions. How do I get
experience?
Processing Activity:
1. How young was the man when became the president of the bank?
2. What were his feelings when he was first appointed president?
3. To whom did he go for advice?
4. Why did he ask for advice? Wasnt he confident of his knowledge and
experience/
5. What was the advice of the old man?
50
Study and Thinking Skills
LESSON 9
PARAGRAPH AND PARAGRAPH DEVELOPMENT
PARAGRAPH
It is a group of related sentences joined together to develop one/single
idea which is called the main idea which deals with the topic.
The sentence that expresses the main idea is the topic sentence.
a subdivision of a written composition that consists of one or more
sentences, deals with one point or gives the words of one speaker, and
begins on a new usually indented line.
A distinct division of written or printed matter that begins on a new, usually
indented line, consists of one or more sentences, and typically deals with
a single thought or topic or quotes one speaker's continuous words.
51
Study and Thinking Skills
Example:
Note that there are two main ideas presented in this paragraph. The
topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will deal with the subject of
"employees' attitudes," but the paragraph shifts unexpectedly to the
topic of "management's attitudes." To achieve unity in this paragraph,
the writer should begin a new paragraph when the switch is made from
employees to managers.
2. Coherence, which means that all the information of the paragraph is well-
organized, logically ordered and easy to follow. This is accomplished by:
a. Repetition of key words and phrases (often from the topic sentence)
b. Arranging sentences reasonable chronological order, spatial order,
order of importance, Inductive and deductive
c. Transition words and phrases.
Example:
In this paragraph, the writer begins with the topic of job-skills courses,
but veers off onto the topic of algebra and history before returning to
52
Study and Thinking Skills
3. Emphasis it is making the important ideas stand out from the rest of the
details.
Topic Sentences
All paragraphs start out well with a topic sentence.
A topic sentence is a sentence whose main idea or claim controls
the rest of the paragraph; the body of a paragraph explains,
develops or supports with evidence the topic sentence's main idea
or claim.
The topic sentence is usually the first sentence of a paragraph, but
not necessarily. It may come, for example, after a transition
sentence; it may even come at the end of a paragraph.
Topic sentences are not the only way to organize a paragraph, and
not all paragraphs need a topic sentence. For example, paragraphs
that describe, narrate, or detail the steps in an experiment do not
usually need topic sentences.
Topic sentences are useful, however, in paragraphs that analyze
and argue. Topic sentences are particularly useful for writers who
have difficulty developing focused, unified paragraphs (i.e., writers
who tend to sprawl).
Topic sentences help these writers develop a main idea or claim for
their paragraphs, and, perhaps most importantly, they help these
writers stay focused and keep paragraphs manageable.
Topic sentences are also useful to readers because they guide them
through sometimes complex arguments. Many well-known,
experienced writers effectively use topic sentences to bridge
between paragraphs.
Topic sentence:
A. Supporting idea 1.
1.
2.
53
Study and Thinking Skills
3.
B. Supporting idea 2.
1.
2.
3.
C. Supporting idea 3.
1.
2.
3.
D. Concluding sentence:
Reading Comprehension:
54
Study and Thinking Skills
2. Exposition
Exposition is explanatory writing
Exposition can be an incidental part of a description or a narration,
or it can be the heart of an article
Aside from clarity, the key problem with exposition is credibility.
What makes your explanation believable?
middle of the night." Those people picked the wrong kind of park to
visit. Not that there was anything wrong with the park: The hikers
camped next to them loved the wild isolation of it. But it just wasn't the
kind of place the couple from New Jersey had in mind when they
decided to camp out on this trip through Florida. If they had known
about the different kinds of parks in Florida, they might have stayed in
a place they loved.
3. Definition
Informal definitions of term to explain what it is the writer meant. It
is then supported throughout the paragraph.
4. Description
Describing the topic sentence to give a mental picture to the reader.
Description is not what you see, but what readers need to see in
order to imagine the scene, person, object, etc.
Description requires you to record a series of detailed observations.
Be especially careful to make real observations.
The success of a description lies in the difference between what a
reader can imagine and what you actually saw and recorded
5. Comparison
Seeing how things are similar, or different.
There is a helpful technique for writing a comparison. If you follow
it, your comparisons will benefit.
Before writing a comparison, draw up a chart and fill it in, to make
certain you have all the elements necessary to write a comparison.
List the two items being compared, and the criteria by which they
will be compared. If you do not make such a chart, there is a
chance you will have a hole in your comparison.
6. Process Analysis
Describing how a process happens or how to perform a series of
actions,
Always think of your readers: can they follow this?
Analyze the process into a series of steps. Put the steps into
sequence. Then isolate the steps: number then, use bullets, put
them in separate paragraphs
Use illustrations keyed to the steps when appropriate: people can
often read diagrams better than they can read lists of steps.
When you find the park you are looking for, you will need to
make camp. One person can set up the Family Proof Tent, though it
is easier with two, yet almost impossible with three or more. Here's
how: First, clear a 9 by 9 foot area of snags, limbs, and anything
that might pierce the bottom of the tent. Unfold the tent so that the
corners of the waterproof bottom form a square. Peg down the
corners of the bottom. Next, snap together all four external tent-
poles (they are held together by shock cords to ake sure you get
the pieces matched up). Place a pole near each of the pegs.
57
Study and Thinking Skills
Thread each pole through the two loops leading toward the top of
the tent. After you have all four poles in place, lift one of the poles.
While holding the pole up, pull its guyrope tight and peg the
guyrope down, so that the pole is held up by the guyrope and the
pegs on opposing sides of the tent bottom. Lift the pole on the
opposite side of the tent in the same way, but this time, fit it into the
upper end of the standing pole before securing its guywire.
Assemble the two remaining tent poles in a similar manner. Finally,
unroll the front flap to form an awning. Prop up the awning with the
two remaining poles and secure them with guyropes. Now you are
ready to move in.
7. Persuasion
To persuade people to change their minds or take an action, more
is needed than your opinion or sense of conviction.
You need to supply them with the information, analysis, and context
they need to form their own opinions, make their own judgments,
and take action.
Remember: Readers are interested in only one opinion--their own.
If you can help them formulate and deepen that opinion, they will be
glad they read your article.
Bibliography
Alcantara, Rebecca D. et. al. Essentials of English Grammar. Katha Publishing Co., Inc.
Quezon City. 1999.
Baraceros, Esther. Communication skills: Improving study and thinking skills. Rex
Bookstore, Inc. Manila. 2005.
Carpio, Rustica C. Private and Public Speaking. Rex Bookstore. Manila. 2003.
Casuyon Armida G. et. al. English Plus. Manila: Rex Bookstore. 2001.
58
Study and Thinking Skills
Patron, Ida Y. English Plus: A Communicative Approach. Revised Edition. Great Books
Publishing. Quezon City. 2005.
59