1.
Read the texts carefully and answer the questions afterwards.
TEXT A
Why Do They Say That Our English Is Bad?
(An Excerpt)
Grace M. Saqueton
(1) English teachers in the Philippines often find themselves in a very frustrating situation – no matter
how hard they try to teach the rules of written English to their students, the students still commit
errors in word order, word choice, subject-verb agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles,
punctuations, and the like. Teachers get frustrated when they hear or read sentences such as
“They decided to got married,” “What did the students watched?” or “Ana go to the canteen.” It is
also alarming because the rules that apply to these sentences are supposedly simple rules that
the students should have learned in grade school. Yet, here they are in college, still committing
those same errors.
(2) Teachers and linguists alike have sought and (probably) are still seeking for ways and strategies
to teach English effectively especially in the light of teaching English as a second language or as
a foreign language. Different research studies have been conducted and different theories have
been used to address the situation. One of the topics that the researchers have explored is the
recurring errors in phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and discourse of second language
learners. They believe that studying these recurring errors is necessary to address the supposed
grammar problems of the Filipino college students.
(3) In a paper titled, “Why Does They Say That Our Sentences Is Wrong When We Knows English?
An Analysis of the ‘Common Errors’ of Freshmen Compositions,” Saqueton (2008) identified
some of the common errors found in the essays of first year college students. She provided
explanations, using error analysis, language acquisition theories, and Fairclough’s paradigm on
the appropriacy of “appropriateness”, as to what caused the “errors.” This is in the hope of helping
English teachers develop teaching materials and devise teaching strategies that are appropriate
for Filipino first year college students of different linguistic backgrounds.
(4) Saqueton found out that among the students’ essays, errors in the use of verbs are the most
common, followed by errors in the use of prepositions, problems in word choice, and problems
in subject-verb agreement. There are also errors in the use of articles, conjunctions, pronouns;
spelling problems are also evident.
(5) These “errors” are considered errors because of certain standards that language teachers want
their students to follow. These standards are the ones prescribed by grammarians. Educators
want their students to master Standard English as second language learners of English. The
problem here lies in the definition of “Standard” English. Is there really a common standard? If
there is, who uses it? Whose standard should be followed?
(6) Answering the question would entail a lot of problems. First, there should be clear definition of
what standard is. What kind of English is Standard English? Dr. Andrew Moody, when asked
during the International Conference on World Englishes and Second Language on how to
maintain correctness and consistency when teaching English in the Philippines, said that it would
be dishonest to teach Standard English as if it exists.
(7) That answer alone could raise a lot of issues. It only shows that the concept of standard is
problematic. According to Fairclough (1995), there is a need for a particular standard in order to
rationalize policies on the teaching of Standard English. He further stated that appropriateness
figures within dominant conceptions of language variations (234).
(8) Is there an implied claim then that students of English as second language or as a foreign
language speak a substandard kind of English because they do not follow the standards of
General American variety? What if they (Filipinos, for example) have accepted English and
appropriated it to fit their needs and the context of situation in their own places?
(9) Andrew Gonzalez (1985), in his paper, “When Does an Error Become a Feature of Philippine
English?” pointed out that until Philippine English is really creolized, English is still a second

2.
language in the Philippines, and he believed that in teaching any second language, one must
accept a standard. However, he also stressed that no matter how hard the English teacher tries,
a local variety will continue to develop (168).
(10)There will always be different perspectives on this matter, especially that language issues seem
to be highly emotional matter. Should language education then go for mutual intelligibility rather
than subscribe to a certain standard? Educators and language policy planners could go back to
Fairclough’s model of language learning. They have to decide how relevant English is to their
students, and from there they have to decide what to teach and how to teach it.
TEXT B
Dear Prof. Lanuza:
Congratulations for being chosen as one of the recipients of the ASEAN Educational Program Award. You
are invited to the 5th Annual ASEAN English Teachers’ Conference. Our sponsors value the important work
done by English language teachers and they are willing to support your professional endeavors by giving
financial aid in the conference.
The conference organizers and sponsors want to know more about your work and how the ASEAN English
Teachers’ Conference will be able to help you. May we ask you to complete the attached questionnaire to
help us provide that information? Also, we would appreciate the opportunity for members of our
Sponsorship Profile team to talk with you about your work and the challenges and opportunities that you
have identified in your study.
If you have questions, just send me an email or check this link to the conference website. Thank you and
we look forward to meeting you.
Best regards,
Prof. Hannah Lee
TEXT C
Republic of the Philippines
REGIONAL TRIAL COURT
______ Judicial Region
Branch _____, _______ City
EX-PARTE MOTION FOR EXTENSION TO SUBMIT COMPROMISE AGREEMENT
Defendants, by the undersigned counsel and unto the Honorable Court, respectfully state that:
(1) On 5 January 2015, the Honorable Court, in open court, directed the Parties to submit their
Compromise Agreement within ten (10) days therefrom, or on 15 January 2015. Said day being a
Sunday, the Parties have until the next working day, 16 January 2015, to submit said Compromise
Agreement.
(2) Defendant Hannah Dy is presently abroad and needs to execute a Special Power of Attorney
authorizing her brother and Co-Defendant Roland Dy to sign the Compromise Agreement on her
behalf.
(3) Thus, the Defendants respectfully pray that the Parties be given additional fifteen (15) days from
today, or until 30 January 2015, within which to submit their Compromise Agreement.
(4) This Motion is not intended to delay the instant proceedings but filed solely by reason of the
foregoing. Moreover, the filing of the same will not result in any injustice or prejudice to any of the
parties herein.

3.
Now that you have already read the texts, answer these two initial questions on a one whole sheet
of paper. 5 points each. Make it clear and concise.
1. In your opinion, which of the texts is an academic text?
2. Why did you consider it an academic text?
Did you choose the text that appears to be more “serious” to you as the academic text? Do you
think that academic texts are difficult to read?
Some students think that academic essays are difficult because they are written in long sentences
that are mostly complex or compound-complex and use words that are hard to understand like
peruse, stipulate and erudite.
So how did you choose the academic text from the others? Below is a table that will help you
answer this question. Copy this table on the paper that you previously used to answer the two
initial questions. Make it clear and concise. 3 points each.
Text A Text B Text C
What is the text about?
(subject/focus)
What is the writer’s goal in
writing the text? (purpose)
Who is the target reader of
the text? (audience)
What is the point of view
used in the text? (1st, 2nd,
3rd)
How much does the writer
know of the subject?
(writer’s knowledge)

4.
How did the writer organize
the text? (style)
Did the writer write in a
formal or informal manner?
(tone)
How did the writer choose
the words and organize the
sentences? Was the
language formal, informal,
or casual?