Saint Ferdinand College

Elementary Department
Sta. Ana St., City of Ilagan, Isabela
Tel. # (078)-622-3931
BEED 3 – TEACHING ENGLISH IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES (LANGUAGE ARTS)
S.Y. 2020-2021

DEVELOPING COMPOSING SKILLS – TEACHING MECHANICS OF WRITING

I. OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, the students must be able to

a. Revise writing for clarity – correct spelling, appropriate punctuation marks,

transition/signal words,
b. Distinguish the errors in a text, and;
c. Apply the different mechanics in composing written literature.

II. LESSON CONTENT

A. Introduction

In composition, writing mechanics are the conventions governing the technical aspects
of writing, including spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and abbreviations. Getting your
main points together can be a challenge, and one solution is to put together a draft of main
ideas before writing. This is where knowledge of the proper writing mechanics comes in.
Following the appropriate rules of writing is a tried and tested way of improving reader
comprehension. Writing mechanics are the established rules that should be followed when
writing sentences. They go hand in hand with grammar as the standards to follow when
writing and are an important way to effectively communicate ideas. In this article, we’ll
outline these rules, and the ways each one can be used effectively in your work. Before we
begin though, let’s give you a bit of an idea of what writing mechanics actually are.

B. Motivation

Before we start our discussion, let us have an activity. It is called as “Analyzing and
Make difference”. In this activity, I will give an example of a sentence put (,) (.) (!) And (?) or
punctuation marks to change the meaning of the sentence.
Example:
 a. I hear somebody calling, Evelyn.
b. I hear somebody calling Evelyn.

Direction: Rewrite and put the punctuation marks needed in a sentence given.

1. I need you to be there - (stating a fact)

2. Children play happily on the playground - (shows emotion)
3. Liza is getting married on Sunday – (surprised and is asking for clarification)
4. Sir John Paul had a creative mind in teaching - (stating a fact)
5. It is time to eat David! – (need to pause)
6. My favorite is chocolate cake – (surprised and is asking for clarification)
7. Sorry guys she’s married. - (need to pause)
8. I am hungry - (shows emotion)
9. You were meant to be back yesterday - (shows emotion)
10. Mary and Samantha took the bus - (stating a fact)

C. Discussion

We will discuss under teaching mechanics of writing are the following: spelling,
punctuation, and capitalization in sentences errors.

But before we start, can you read the questions?

1. What is the Mechanics of writing?

2. What are the rules in the mechanics of writing?
3. How will you distinguish the errors in a text or in a sentence?
4. Why it is important to know the mechanical rules in writing?
5. How will you apply the different mechanics in composing written literature?

Thank you, let’s start the discussion. Who has an idea of what our lesson is for today?

1. What is mechanics of writing?

Mechanics are conventions that have to be considered in writing. It refers to the rules of
the written language, such as capitalization, punctuation and spelling. It is important to know
and observe these conventions in writing to avoid confusion. It also refers to the parts of
speech and how they combine together to form sentences. An understanding of both grammar
and mechanics is required to clearly communicate your ideas in a paper.

2. What are the rules in the mechanics of writing?

The Rules in the Mechanics of Writing are the following:

 Let’s go over some of the most important mechanics of writing that you need to be
familiar with before you get started on your masterpiece.
 Mastering the proper usage of quotation marks.
 Ensuring that both grammar and spelling are correct. Knowing grammar rules is
 extremely vital.
 Mastering punctuation.
 Knowing how, where, and when to use apostrophes.
 Creating a concise topic sentence or thesis.
 Being able to form coherent sentence structures and avoiding sentence fragments.
 Ensuring that capitalization is used properly.
 Having a mastery of the English vocabulary.
 Knowing how to formulate concise paragraphs that are not too wordy.

3. How will you distinguish the errors in a text or in a sentence?

To distinguish the errors in sentence should identify the sentences error, correct spelling, using
appropriate punctuation marks and capitalization.

 Sentences Errors Example:

Singular Verbs Sentences
Typical error: The son are expected to take over the business
when Mr. Robin retires.
Correct: The son is expected to take over the business
when Mr. Robin retires. (The subject is
singular, so the verb is singular.)
Do you understand class?
Okay then if you understand underline where the typical error is and give the correct sentence.

1. Typical error: Martha’s room-mate, Jane, have won a scholarship.

Correct: Martha’s room-mate, Jane, has won a scholarship. (The subject Jane is singular, so it
requires a singular verb.)

2. Typical error: The Premier’s enthusiasm for entrepreneurial approaches have caused
severe job losses.
Correct: The Premier’s enthusiasm for entrepreneurial approaches has caused severe job
losses. (The subject enthusiasm is singular, so it requires a singular verb.)

 Spelling

Spelling is a set of conventions that regulate the way of using graphemes to represent a
language in its written form. In other words, spelling is the rendering of speech sound into
writing. In written language, spelling is the correct arrangement of letters that form words. To
improve spelling skills, you can use a memory device known as mnemonics. This memorable
phrase, acronym or pattern can come in handy for remembering something like the spelling of
a word.

Example:
1. Adverbs compliment verbs to provide additional information.
Adverbs complement verbs to provide additional information.
Do you understand Class?
How about in this sentence what is the incorrect word?

 I scent the package by mail.

I sent the package by mail.

 Punctuation Marks
Punctuation marks are symbols that are used to aid the clarity and comprehension of written
language and are used in sentences and phrases to make the meaning clearer. Some
punctuation marks are the period (.), comma (,), question mark (?), exclamation point (!),
colon (:) and semicolon (;).

Punctuation
Symbol Definition Examples
Mark

 I am – I’m: “I’m
An apostrophe is used as a substitute for a planning to write a
missing letter or letters in a word (as in book someday.”
the contraction cannot = can't), to show the  You are – You’re:
possessive case (Jane's room), and in the “You’re going to
apostrophe '
plural of letters, some numbers and have a lot of fun with
abbreviations. Note: groups of years no your new puppy.”
longer require an apostrophe (for example,  She is – She’s:
the 1950s or the 90s). “She’s always on
time.”

 There are many

A colon is used before a list or quote. punctuation marks:
period, comma,
A colon is used to separate hours and colon, and others.
colon : minutes.
 The time is 2:15.
A colon is used to separate elements of a  The ratio of girls to
mathematical ratio. boys is 3:2.

 She bought milk,

 A comma is use commas to separate
eggs, and bread.
words and word groups in a simple series
 He is a strong,
of three or more items.
comma , healthy man.
 Use a comma to separate two adjectives
- We could also
when the order of the adjectives is
say healthy,
interchangeable.
strong man.
 [Em] dash example
 You are the friend,
the only friend, who
offered to help me.
You are the friend
—the only friend—
 Dashes can be a complex topic with who offered to help
many subtle uses. The various types me.
include the [en] dash, [em] dash, 2-em
dash, and 3-em dash. We will limit our [En] Dash example
dash —
discussion to the most common uses of  The student council
the [en] and [em] dashes as they will will meet Thursday,
fulfill the bulk of the needs of most 3:15–3:45 p.m.
writers.  During the years
1999–2016, Joshua
lived in Fargo,
North Dakota.
 We expect 300–325
people at the
reception.

 An ellipsis (three dots) indicates that part

 0, 2, 4, ... , 100
of the text has been intentionally been
left out.
ellipsis ...  Use an ellipsis to show a pause in
 She opened the door
thought or to create suspense. (Suspense
. . . and saw . . . a
is when a reader is excited to know what
cake!
is going to happen next.)

exclamation ! An exclamation point is used to show  Excitement - “I

point excitement or emphasis. can’t wait to go to
Disneyland!”
Exclamation marks, also known as
 Surprise - “Oh! You
exclamation points, were originally called the
already bought a
"note of admiration." They are used to
new car!”
exclaim something. They are commonly used
after interjections (words or phrases that are  Astonishment -
used to exclaim, command or protest like “Wow! El Capitan
“wow” or “oh”). Exclamation marks can is even bigger than I
express the following emotions in writing: thought!”
 Emphasizing a point
 - “No! We don’t
want to go to the
party!”
 Another strong
emotion - “That
news story made me
so angry!”

A hyphen is used between parts of a

compound word or name. It is also used to The sixteen-year-old girl
hyphen -
split a word by syllables to fit on a line of is a full-time student.
text.

Parentheses are curved lines used to separate

This sentence (like
explanations or qualifying statements within
others on this page)
parentheses () a sentence (each one of the curved lines is
contains a parenthetical
called a parenthesis). The part in the
remark.
parentheses is called a parenthetical remark.

A period is used to note the end of a

period . I see the house.
declarative sentence.

question A question mark is used at the end of a

? When are we going?
mark question.

Quotation marks are used at the beginning

quotation and end of a phrase to show that it is being
" She said, "Let's eat."
mark written exactly as it was originally said or
written.

 Class was canceled

today; Mr. Smith
was home sick.
A semicolon separates two independent
clauses in a compound sentence.  Relatives at the
semicolon ;
reunion included my
A semicolon is also used to separate items in older brother, Bob;
a series (where commas are already in use). my cousin, Art; and
my great-aunt,
Mattie.

4. Why it is important to know the mechanical rules in writing?

 Learning grammar rules and the mechanics of writing are critical components of learning
to write. Having strong skills in writing and grammar allows writers to get their message or
story to their readers in a clear and understandable way. It is important to know the rules of
grammar and how to use them properly.

5. How will you apply the different mechanics in composing written literature?

This can be applied by constructing poems, journalism, stories, etc. Writing equips us
with communication and thinking skills. Writing expresses who we are as people. Using the
different mechanics in composing written literature makes our thinking and learning visible
and permanent. Writing fosters our ability to explain and refine our ideas to others and
ourselves.

D. ACTIVITY

The class will be group into 3 groups, each group must have a leader. Each group has
its task. Group 1- Compose a poem about online classes, Group 2 - Write an essay
about your experience in an online class and Group 3 - Make a short story.
I will give you 5 minutes to do the given task.

Criteria:

Content 50%
Creativity 20%
Presentation 30%
Total 100%

III. Additional Resources:

Learning Competency Code: N5WC-IIIf1.8.2/1.8.1/1 .8.3

 https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/English-CG.pdf
 https://getcoudeless.com/writingmechanics/?
fbclid=Iw8AR0IzkoN0rRl_D35AQIbeGGNXprUv4ogT44xUfVdzEZENPlEclroxmBB1
M4#Mechanics
 https://www.gbtime4writing.com/writing-mechanics

PREPARED BY:
SHARDY C. AGUTO, BEED III
MAURA CARMELA M. APALLA, BEED II
MARIE KIT S. TERRENAL, BEED III