JUSTICE BY RALPH SEMINO GALAN – (ILIGAN, MINDANAO)

STUDY AND APPRECIATION OF LITERARY TEXTS FROM THE DIFFERENT REGIONS WRITTEN IN DIFFERENT GENRES

THE JUSTICE SYSTEM – POETRY: JUSTICE BY RALPH SEMINO GALAN – (ILIGAN, MINDANAO)

NELSON G. VERSOZA, T2

MNHS, SAN MANUEL, ISABELA

•       MANILA, Philippines - He was one of the nation’s top lawyers, capping his career with an appointment as chief justice, but fell ignominiously, becoming the first chief magistrate to be removed by impeachment.

•       Renato Corona died early yesterday due to cardiac arrest. He was 67.

•       His son Francis announced the death at 1:48 a.m. in The Medical City in Pasig.

•       He died with the cases against him for graft and tax evasion still not resolved.

*************************************************************

Ralph Semino Galán

•        He teaches literature, humanities and writing subjects at the Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas. He graduated magna cum laude with an AB English (major in Literature) degree from the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology.

•       He was a fellow to all the national writers’ workshops (Silliman [1995], U.P. [1996] and Iligan[1997]), as well as to the 2nd ASEAN Writers’ Workshop/ Conference on Poetry. His poems in English and Filipino have won prizes from the Philippine Panorama (1993) and Home Life Magazine (1998) poetry contests. Ralph has an M.A. in English Studies (major in Creative Writing) from the UP-Diliman.

•        1997-2002 member of the admin staff of the UP National Writers’ Workshop

•       1999 to 2002- as the Workshop Coordinator

•       writes book reviews for the Lifestyle Section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

•       His first chapbook of poetry The Southern Cross and Other Poems was launched last December 2005 by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts as part of its UBOD New Authors Series. 

BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE (IMPEACHMENT OF CJ CORONA)

Ø  In December 2011

•       Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached by the Philippine Senate, with 16 senators voting to impeach him and 3 senators voting for acquittal.

He did not declare 183 million pesos in his SALN, a public document required for all government employees especially officials, and this was considered as ill-gotten wealth.

JUSTICE

BY RALPH SEMINO GALAN'

1.     These are the accoutrements of her office:

2.     The blindfold symbolizing impartiality;

3.     A golden pair of scales measuring the validity

4.     Of evidence given, both pro and con;

5.     The double-edged sword that pierces through

6.     The thick fabric of lies; Thoth’s feather

7.     Of truth which ultimately determines whether

8.     The defendant’s life is worth saving.

9.     In J. Elizalde Navarro’s oil painting titled

10.Is this Philippine Justice? The figure

11.Of the Roman goddess Justitia slowly fades

12.Into thin air, swallowed by pigments

13.Cloudy as doubts. In my uncertain country

14.Where right and wrong are cards

15.That can be shuffled like a pile of money bills,

16.Even the land’s Chief Magistrate

17.Is not immune from culpability; found guilty

18. He has to face the music of derision.

VOCABULARY

1. Accoutrements – accessories, paraphernalia
2. Thoth – the Egyptian Moon deity with the head of an ibis; god of wisdom
3. Justitia – the woman in the Philippine Justice System symbol
4. Chief Magistrate – chief judge
5. Derision - the act of deriding or treating with contempt or mock, ridicule
6. Simile - A figure of speech that expresses a resemblance between things of different kinds (usually formed with 'like' or 'as').
7. Metaphor - A figure of speech in which an expression is used to refer to something that it does not literally denote in order to suggest a similarity.
8. Symbolism - A system of symbols and symbolic representations
9. Culpability -  a state of guilt

Group Activity:

A>   Give the meaning of the symbols.

1.    BLINDFOLD
2.    GOLDEN PAIR OF SCALES
3.    DOUBLE-EDGE SWORD
4.    THOTH’S FEATHER OF TRUTH
5.    …FACE THE MUSIC OF DERISION

B>    Answer the Guide Questions (Maximum 15 minutes)

1.    Why are symbols important in a poem?

2.    Why are symbols important in the life of a nation?

3.    Why does the poem describe the Philippines as “my uncertain country”?

4.    What does the simile, “right and wrong can be shuffled like cards” mean when it comes to politics, politicians, the police, and the justice system?

5.    What does line 10-11-12 mean?

6.    Of all the objects that Justice owns, which one do you think is the most important, why?

7.    Why is money mentioned in the poem?

8.    Why was it important for the Chief Justice to be impeached? What is its message to the Filipino government officials?

(Individual Activity) (maximum 15 minutes)

1. Answer the APPLICATION & EVALUATIVE Questions below

1. Based on your life’s experience, what is justice?

2. What can you say about the Justice system here in the Philippines?

MAGDALENA JALANDONI BY WINTON G. LOU YNION

􀁠􀀸􀁇􀁄􀀆􀀵􀁔􀁄􀁄􀁍􀀆􀀻􀁑􀁈􀁓􀁄􀁑􀀆􀁎􀁅􀀆􀁓􀁇􀁄􀀆􀀷􀁎􀁔􀁓􀁇􀁡
She remains the reina of Hiligaynon
literature. No one knows if she once
had dreamt of herself as a reina for
the feast of Candelaria, or if she ever
imagined of Jose Rizal escorting her
down the plaza.

BY WINTON LOU G. YNION | PHOTOS BY TED MADAMBA
August 2009 | balikbayan 41

42 balikbayan | August 2009
The belfry of Jaro C hurch in Iloilo.

August 2009 | balikbayan 43
MAGDALENA JALANDONI WAS FIVE YEARS OLD IN
1896 when her first love was sentenced to death by firing squad by the
Spanish authorities. The man, who was known as José Rizal, was an
ophthalmologist who, in his times of passion, wrote reformist novels that
provided an indelible momentum for the Philippine Revolution in 1898.
His life had been accentuated by women of different languages. He left
Leonor Rivera, his childhood love, when his family sent him to Europe
for further medical studies, only to fall in love with a German dame in the
person of Josephine Bracken. When he visited Japan in 1888, he wrote a
woman named O-Sei-San about the equation of her beauty and that of
the blooming sakura. There were other women; some of them were kept
in secrecy along with José’s indecent encounters while sojourning with
other ilustrados who established relationships with women of European
lineage. His looks were ordinary; Filipinos, in fact, felt deceived when he
once came home and packaged himself as a doktor Aleman. But he was
gentle and, perhaps, romantic that Magdalena, heiress to the incredible
fortune of Francisca Gonzaga and Gregorio Jalandoni, fell in love with
him.
Magdalena’s father died when she was two. Her brother Luis was
only three-months old and her mother was only twenty-three. After
Gregorio’s death, the Gonzagas supported the Jalandonis, sending
Magdalena to Colegio de San Jose. At night, she would hear stories from
her mother. At one instance, she asked if the happenings and situations
in the narrative were true. Having told that the storyteller imagined the
story, Magdalena resolved to make one. And the household was amazed
that she narrated a story that she originally owns. At ten, she wrote
her first corrido, Padre Juan kag Beata Maria (Father Juan and Mother
Maria). At 13, she has four of the same genre, manuscripts of these were
submitted by her mother to La Editorial in Iloilo City, which published
them in 6”x8” softcover newsprint edition.
When Magdalena was sixteen, almost ten years after her first love’s
death, she wrote her first novel, Mga Tunoc sang Isa ca Bulac (Thorns
of a Flower). It was becoming evident then that she would be a wellknown
writer like her José. But writing was a male-dominated sphere, so
Magdalena was prohibited by her mother from producing more literatures.
She would write at night and keep her notebooks under her clothes in
her trunk. When she was 18, her mother wanted her to get married. The
bothered Francisca had chosen a prospective husband for her daughter.
Magdalena, out of obedience, agreed to marry the man of honorary
stature; but she had one unjust precondition, that he should write a novel
within the year. So, Magdalena remained single, and wrote 37 novels, 5
autobiographies, 8 narrative poems, 6 corridos, 10 plays, 213 lyric poems,
132 short stories, 9 essays, and 10 melodramas. Not almost over José, she
transformed into painting all that was imagined by him in his novels. Along
with her dioramas of Filipino life, society, culture and history are striking
canvasses of scenes from Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
From her room, Magdalena could view the quarters of the Spanish
priests ruling the Archdiocese of Jaro. So religious that she ornamented
her inherited house with wood statues that she personally carved. In
present Iloilo, the house, located at No. 84 Commission Civil Street in
Jaro, no longer bears the sophistication of Magdalena’s isolated world.
Perhaps, even the local government lacked the funds to preserve the
grandeur of the history of Jaro. The Jalandoni house was among the balay
na bato styled after European architecture, and was among the mansions
that decorated the vicinity of the bell tower and the Cathedral of St.
Elizabeth of Hungary where the statue Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria
can be found. On the streets of Jaro, formerly known as Salog, rumbled
the carruajes driven by cocheros.
The feast of the Señora or the Lady of Candle has been celebrated
ostentatiously with a reina, a festival queen chosen from among the
daughters of the richest and the famous of Ilonggo families. She is often
considered as binukot (literally means “isolated”) or family treasure for
her affiliation with powerful, usually through marriage, could bring more
affluence. Contemporary Ilonggos continue to observe the spirituality
and essence of the Virgin who is believed to have been discovered by a
fisherman in the banks of Iloilo River. It was only a foot high then but was
dreadfully heavy until folks decided to bring it to Jaro. Since then, she had
the habit of disappearing in the early mornings. Stories say that a beautiful
lady with long hair had been seen bathing her child at the artesian well at
the plaza.
The Candelaria, as colloquially known, called for an extravagant
procession of Jaro’s material assets, a practice that Ilonggos were not able
to protract along the onset of inequities in a colonial society. Unwritten,
it must be celebrated every 2nd of February to commemorate the
presentation of Jesus at the Temple and the purification of the Blessed
Virgin. Once, perhaps was just imagined, when the wealthy families were
broke and cancelled the feast, Great Flood came. The lineage, wealth, and
opulent lifestyle, and prominence of affluent personages of Jaro largely
contributed to the glory of Iloilo as the “Queen City of the South.” In
its streets figure the gem-bathe mansions of the Lopezes, Montinolas,
Ledesmas, and, of course, the Jalandonis. But the heirs could only
imitate the arrogance of colonial models that Jaro lost from the track of
development and progress.
When she was 75, Magdalena wrote about this leitmotif of losses and
finds in Juanita Cruz, her most mature novel according to scholar Lucila
Hosillos. Conscious of the depreciating affluence of Jaro, she wrote about
Juanita who is a binukot of her family, a treasure kept by her father to the
highest bidder who offers the greatest wealth and power. But she fell in
love with a poor choirmaster Elias. Disinherited, she disguised as Celia de
Asis, went to Manila, found a surrogate family, and became heiress of her
foster parents. Juanita was reunited with Elias in the end only to discover
that he is involved in the revolutionary movement against Spain. He was
killed in a victorious battle and now, Juanita, or the old woman who tells
the story, or Magdalena, confronts Elias’s monument at the plaza.
On the 70th anniversary of her first love’s death, Magdalena wrote
about an undying love – whether filial, agape, nor eros, it was a passion
toward a country finding golden meanings out of its centuries of feasts.
From her glass windows, Magdalena might have had internalized, more
than ever, her life role of a binukot, isolated and untouched.
In 1978, 80 years after the realization of José’s dream, Magdalena
died at the age of 87. She remains the reina of Hiligaynon literature. No
one knows if she once had dreamt of herself as a reina for the feast of
Candelaria, or if she ever imagined of Jose Rizal escorting her down the
plaza.

Magdalena Gonzaga Jalandoni was a Filipino feminist writer. She is now remembered as one of the most prolific Filipino writers in the Hiligaynon language. Wikipedia

Born: 1891, Philippines

Died: 1978, Jaro, Iloilo City

Parents: Gregorio Jalandoni, Francisca Gonzaga

Books: Juanita Cruz

TASK 1:
#1. Supply the following biographical or historical details about Magdalena Jalandoni mentioned by the writer as he characterized his subject. Quote parts of the essay to complete this basic “biodata” of the Hiligaynon writer.
Address   ____________________________________
Year of Birth    ________________________________
Parents    ____________________________________
Schooling ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
First experience of Publishing ____________________
Her body of literary works _______________________

________________________________________________________________________________________
Year of death _________________________________

#2: How did the essay go beyond these biographical details? Plot the development of the character of Jalandoni between the period of her birth and death.
Birth ________________________________________
Growing Up __________________________________

____________________________________________
As a lady ____________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________
At 75 _______________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________
At 80 _______________________________________

____________________________________________

____________________________________________

TASK 2: Answer the following questions:

1. What do you think inspired Jalandoni to become a writer? Point out specific details in the essay that support your answer.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

2. How did her environment affect her writing?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From what can you infer from the text, what were the subjects Jalandoni wrote about? List down the titles and subject matter of the more prominently mentioned works.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

__________________________________________

3. Who is/are the audience of the essay?

____________________________________________________________________________________5. What is the purpose of the essay?

____________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________

TASK 3: The following statements from the text figuratively develop the idea that Jalandoni looked up to Rizal all throughout her life. How do these imply the writer’s devotion to the national hero? It represents what?

 “His looks were ordinary; Filipinos, in fact, felt deceived when he once came home and packaged himself as a doctor Aleman. But he was gentle and perhaps, romantic that Magdalena heiress to the incredible fortune of Francisca Gonzaga and Gregorio Jalandoni fell in love with him’.
“Magdalena, out of obedience, agreed to marry the man of honorary stature; but she had one unjust precondition, that he should write a novel within the year.
Juanita was reunited with Elias in the end only to discover that he is involved in the revolutionary movement against Spain. He was killed in victorious battle and now, Juanita, or the old woman who tells the story, or Magdalena confronts Elias monument at the plaza.”

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________.

2. What is the form of the essay? Why? Explain.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

TASK 4:

1. From what can you infer from the text, how did writing become Jalandoni’s refuge from the expression of resistance against her conservative society?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

2. What do you think is the importance of Jose Rizal in the life and work of Jalandoni? How was this aspect explored in the text?  ___________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

3. What is the message of the text?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Group Members: ______________________________

Individual

 Activity/Agreement:

Imagine that you are cultural worker trying to educate people about the importance and contributions of women in Philippine society. List down three relevant programs that you would introduce and why?

PRELUDES BY DARYLL DELGADO

Daryll Delgado

brilliant fictionist/writer

•voracious reader

•As a young girl, the books she read made her want to be a detective, or a castaway sailor, a Russian priest, a Japanese boy, or a dog.

PRELUDE PAGE 1

PRELUDE PAGE 2



LAST PAGE


INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY:
Write a short-paragraph reaction/ close analysis essay about the story.

RWS: PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT

By: Nel Versoza

Part 1. ORGANIZATION

- refers to the arrangement of ideas in a text.

*Paragraphing is organizing ideas.

BASICS TO A WELL-ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH = STTC

1. Each paragraph=built with single idea.

2. Create a topic sentence.

3. Appropriate technique to develop the idea.

4. Use appropriate connectives.

A PARAGRAPH IS - A collection of related sentences dealing with one topic.

The 3 Parts of Paragraph 

  >(TS,SS,CS)

THE TOPIC SENTENCE:

•      Expresses the main idea of a paragraph.

•       usually the first sentence of a paragraph.

•      Contains the central idea.

Ex: There are three reasons why Philippines is one of the best countries of the world.

SUPPORTING SENTENCE:

•      Develops, explains and supports the main idea of the paragraph.

•      Contains facts, examples and details.

•      Explains why the main idea is true.

Ex: First, Philippines has an excellent health care system. Second, it has a high standard of education. Finally, Philippines’ cities are clean and efficiently managed.

CONCLUDING SENTENCE

•      Usually the last sentence of the paragraph.

•      Restates the main idea.

•      Used to finish the paragraph or to prepare the reader for the following paragraph.

Ex:         As a result, Philippines is a desirable place to live.

        For those reasons, Philippines attracts a lot of immigrants. Wouldn’t you like to live there?

                          Philippines is a great model for other countries to follow.

PROPERTIES OF A WELL-WRITTEN TEXT-Part 2

Ø  COHERENCE VS. COHESION

-          Coherence occurs when ideas are connected at the conceptual or idea level which can be seen through well-defended arguments and organized points.

-          Cohesion is the connection of ideas at the sentence level which can be seen through the smooth flow of the sentences and connection of the ideas.

Three main methods of Good Cohesion:

1.      REPEATED WORDS/IDEAS – One way to achieve cohesion is to repeat words, or to repeat ideas using different words.

2.      REFERENCE WORDS – used to refer to something which is mentioned elsewhere in the text, usually in a preceding sentence. The most common type is pronouns, such as 'it' or 'this' or 'these’.

3.       TRANSITION SIGNALS – also called cohesive devices. Examples of transition signals are:

 for example - used to give examples

 in contrast - used to show a contrasting or opposite idea

 first - used to show the first item in a list

 as a result - used to show a result or effect

Cohesion is an important feature of academic writing. It can help ensure that your writing coheres or 'sticks together', which will make it easier for the reader to follow the main ideas in your essay or report. You can achieve good cohesion by paying attention to three important features. The first of these is repeated words. The second key feature is reference words. The final important aspect is transition signals.

Final Task: Choose a topic sentence below and write one paragraph of it. Make the text coherent and cohesive.

1.      Religion is important in the society.

2.      Christmas is the season to give and forgive.

3.      Love means acceptance.

PROPERTIES PART 3.

      APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE USE

- refers to the acceptable style of language for a particular form of text

ON APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE

ON APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE

1. Levels of Formality: Use style and language that fits your audience and matches your purpose. 
2. In-Group Jargon: Jargon refers to specialized language used by groups of like-minded individuals. Never use jargon for a general audience.
3. Slang and idiomatic expressions: Avoid using in general academic writing.
4. Deceitful language and Euphemisms: Avoid using (words that veil the truth, such as "collateral damage" for the unintended destruction of civilians and their property).
5. Biased language: Avoid using any biased language including racial, ethnic, group, or gender bias or stereotypical language.

THE SIX CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LANGUAGE

1. Concrete and Specific Language - includes descriptions which create tangible images with details the reader can visualize.

He is a bad roommate.
He is lazy and discourteous.
He is untidy and unclean.
He doesn't clean up his own messes.
He leaves his dirty dishes on the kitchen counter.

2. Concise Language - A hallmark of effective writers is the ability to express the desired message in as few words as possible.

(1) It is widely discussed by employees that many of them will be forced to change jobs and take on new responsibilities when the merger takes place between the two companies.
(2) Before making a decision about whether the person on trial is guilty or innocent in this case, the members of the jury should be sure to carefully think about, ponder and reflect on all of the important and relevant testimony in the case.

3. Familiar Language

•      Language which the readers easily recognize and understand because they use it on a regular basis. One of the most important functions of language is to build "homophily" or a sense of commonality with one's readers.

•      Ex.1.An assignment given to a class of business students by their philosophy professor:
"The presently assigned paper necessitates an eloquently articulated analysis of the Existentialist perspective as it pertains to contemporary living. You should adumbrate the points which represent the sine qua non of your analysis."

•      Ex.2.A letter sent to high school students warning them of the risks of an unhealthy diet:
"Individuals who maintain a diet of high fat content are exposed to an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of fat deposits on the inner walls of the arteries. This condition can reduce or cut off the flow of blood in the arteries serving the major organs of the body. This can lead to poor health."

4. Precise and Clear Language

•      Words can be interpreted in different ways by different people in different situations. The more precise and clear one's use of language becomes, the fewer the number of possible interpretations for a message.

•      Consider the following examples. Note the potential confusion or ambiguity.

•      (1) Why students should continue their study in this state of apathy is not really understandable.
(2) Josefa is dull and slack-minded.
(3) He's an interesting individual.

•       Each of the following are actual headlines printed in newspapers. Notice their double meaning.

•      (1) Include your children when Baking Cookies
(2) Bank Drive-in Window Blocked by Board
(3) Killer Sentenced to Die for Second Time in Ten Years
(4) Eye Drops Off Shelf

5. Constructive Language

•      It phrases a potentially negative message in a positive way. Readers are likely to become defensive when the writer's language expresses any or all of the following:

•      Superiority over the reader

•      Indifference or apathy about an issue of importance to the reader       >. Command or control over the reader

•      Negative evaluation or judgment of the reader (as opposed to neutral descriptions or observations)

•      Skepticism or doubt about the reader's credibility or the legitimacy of their claims

•      EX.(1) Boss to employee: "Your job performance recently has been unacceptable and there are no excuses for it. You have claimed that you are having some serious personal problems, but even if this is true, you cannot allow it to affect the quality of your work. If your work doesn't improve, I'll have to replace you with someone else."
(2) Student to instructor: "You have confused me so badly with your lectures that I don't know what to do. I am considering dropping out and taking the class next quarter from Dr. Cruz, who can explain the information much more clearly. I don't want to drop out, but I have never been so frustrated with an instructor in my whole life."
(3) Instructor to student: "I have never had a student who was so confused with this material. Perhaps you should take an easier course from an easier professor.”

6. Formality of Language

•      The formality of the language one uses should match the formality of the situation and the relationship between the writer and reader.

•      Very Formal: Exceedingly large segments of the population are expressing their discontent with medical practitioners who appear to more engrossed in amassing financial assets than in providing efficacious care to people with health disorders.

•      Formal: A large number of consumers are complaining about medical doctors who are apparently more interested in making money than in providing effective health care.

•      Informal: A lot of people are unhappy with their doctors who only seem to care about how much money they make, and not about giving their patients good care.

PART 4. MECHANICS
as one of the properties of a well-written text
NELSON G. VERSOZA

***In academic and more formal texts, the following should be observed:

1.   Always use Standard English.

2.   Avoid contractions.

3.   Avoid exclamation marks unless they are part of the direct quotation.

4.   Mention the full name.

5.   Numbers from zero to ten should be spelled out; higher than ten, figures.

6.   Use citations.

CAPITALIZATION
- the action of writing in capital letters or with an initial capital.

RULE NO. 1

Capitalize the first word of a quoted sentence.

He said, "Treat her as you would your own daughter.“

"Look out!" she screamed. "You almost ran into my child."

RULE NO. 2

Capitalize a proper noun.

Golden Gate Bridge

Dr. Jose P. Rizal

Pasig Catholic College

RULE NO. 3

Capitalize a person's title when it precedes the name. Do not capitalize when the title is acting as a description following the name.

Chairperson Fernandez

Ms. Fernandez, the chairperson of the company, will address us at noon.

RULE NO. 4

Capitalize the person's title when it follows the name on the address or signature line.

Sincerely,

Ms. Joyce Haines, Chairperson

Yours truly,

Dr. Rolando P. Castro, Dean

RULE NO. 5

Capitalize the titles of high-ranking government officials when used before their names. Do not capitalize the civil title if it is used instead of the name.

The president will address Congress.

President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his SONA last week.

RULE NO. 6

Capitalize any title when used as a direct address.

Will you take my temperature, Doctor?

Do you have a court hearing, Attorney?

RULE NO. 7

Capitalize points of the compass only when they refer to specific regions.

Go south three blocks and then turn left.

We live in the Southeast section of San Manuel.
RULE NO. 8

Always capitalize the first and last words of titles of publications regardless of their parts of speech. Capitalize other words within titles, including the short verb forms Is, Are, and Be.

Do not capitalize little words within titles such as a, an, the, but, as, if, and, or, nor, or prepositions, regardless of their length.

The Day of the Jackal What Color Is Your Parachute?

A Tale of Two Cities

RULE NO. 9

Capitalize federal or state when used as part of an official agency name or in government documents where these terms represent an official name. If they are being used as general terms, you may use lowercase letters.

That is a federal offense.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been subject to much scrutiny and criticism lately.

We will visit three states during our summer vacation.

RULE NO. 10

Capitalize the first word of a salutation and the first word of a complimentary close.

Dear Ms. Prestoza:              My dear Mr. Vergara:                    Very truly yours,

RULE NO. 11

After a sentence ending with a colon, do not capitalize the first word if it begins a list.

These are my favorite foods: chocolate cake, fried chicken and adobo.

These are my skills:  programming, driving, communication and multi-tasking.

RULE NO. 12

Do not capitalize names of seasons.

I love autumn colors and spring flowers.

Philippines has summer and rainy seasons.

**PUNCTUATION
- the marks used in writing to separate sentences and their elements and to clarify meaning.

Top Ten Rules in Punctuation

10.  COMMA (,)

Use commas to separate independent clauses in a sentence.

Example: The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.

Yesterday was her brother’s birthday, so she took him out to dinner.

10.  COMMA

Use commas after introductory words, phrases, or clauses that come before the main clause.

Examples: While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.

If you are ill, you ought to see a doctor.

10.  COMMA

Use a pair of commas to separate phrases aside from the main body of the sentence.

Example: John and Inga, the couple from next door, are coming for dinner tonight.

10.  COMMA

Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.

Example: Birmingham, Alabama, got its name from Birmingham, England.

November 25, 2014, was a momentous day in my life.

10.  COMMA

Use a comma to shift between the main discourse and a quotation.

Example: John said without emotion, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I was able,” she answered, “to complete the assignment.”

9.  Period (.)

The primary use of a period is to end a sentence.

Example:

Business English is very important for your professional growth.

9.  Period (.)

Its second important use is for abbreviations.

Examples: Jesus Christ was born c. 4-6AD

Mr. Jose was happy to see his wife.

8. Question Mark (?)

It goes at the end of a sentence which is a question.

Examples: What can you do for the company?

How can you be an asset?

7. Exclamation Point (!)

This is used in ending extreme emotions expressed in a sentence.

Example: Ouch!  Fire! Fire!  Hurray!

>are used to quote another person’s words exactly, whether they be spoken, or written.

Examples:

John said, “We are going shopping.” 

As Phil Nevers explains, “Knowledge is a useless power if not applied” 

6.  Quotation marks ( “ ” )

used to denote irony or sarcasm, or to note something unusual about it.

Example: The great march of “progress” has left millions impoverished and hungry.

5.  Colon (:) used after a complete statement in order to introduce one or more directly related ideas, such as a series of directions, a list, or a quotation or other comment illustrating or explaining the statement.

Example: The daily newspaper contains four sections: news, sports, entertainment, and classified ads.

5.  Colon (:)

used to separate chapter and verse from the bible or to separate hours, minutes, and seconds.

Example: John 1:21                   09:25:12

4.  Semicolon (;) Use a semicolon to join related independent clauses in compound sentences.

Example: Jim worked hard to earn his degree; consequently, he was certain to achieve a distinction.

Jane overslept by three hours; she was going to be late for work again.

4.  Semicolon (;) used to separate items in a series if the elements of the series already include commas. Example:

Members of the band include Harold Rostein, clarinetist; Tony Cruz, tuba player; and Lee Jones, trumpeter.

3.  Apostrophe ( ’) to form possessives of nouns.

Example: the boy’s hat              three day’s journey     

> to show the omission of letters.

Example: He’ll go = He will go               could’ve = could have

Ø  to form plurals.    Example: Mind your p’s and q’s.

2.  Parentheses ( )

occasionally and sparingly used for extra, non-essential material included in a sentence.

Example: Before arriving at the station, the old train (someone said it was a relic of ancient days) caught fire.

1.  Hyphen or dash (-)

Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun

Example: chocolate-covered peanuts               Two-storey house

1.  Hyphen or dash (-)   Use a hyphen with compound numbers.

Example: Forty-five   Sixty-two

1.  Hyphen or dash (-)

Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -elect; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters.

Example:   ex-husband      T-shirt

1.  Hyphen or dash (-)

Use the dash to emphasize a point or to set off an explanatory comment; but don’t overuse dashes, or they will lose their impact; typically represented on a computer by two hyphens with no spaces before, after, or between the hyphens

Example: To some of you, my proposals may seem radical--even revolutionary.

1.  Hyphen or dash (-)   used for an appositive phrase that already includes commas.

Example: The boys–Jim, John, and Jeff–left the party early.