Monday, December 29, 2008

Word List 1 (essential Words that you must know)



  1. WORD LIST 1

  2. 1.)Judas: Someone who betrays his friend
  1. 2.)Behest: Command
  1. 3.)Ergonomically: Specially Designed with particular considerations in mind
  2. Abominable: terrible/Horrible
  3. Poignant: Very moving/touching
  4. Kindle: Ignite/Start the flames
  5. Pandora's Box:Mythical Box that once opened up throws up all sorts of problems
  6. At loggerheads: At odds
  7. Surmount: Overcome
  8. Grappling:Dealing/Coming to terms.
  9. Aftermath: Period of time that follows an important event.
  10. Quelled: extinguished/subdued
  11. Somberly:seriously.Sadly
  12. Midas: As in the myth of king midas who turned everything he touched into gold
  13. Occult: Supernatural
  14. Notorious: Well known for negative reasons/Infamous
  15. Lugubriously:Gloomily
  16. Nook: Corner/Small Space
  17. Reverberating: Shaking with Sounds
  18. Inconsequential: Unimportant
  19. Bickering: Quarreling/arguing
  20. Excruciating: Extremely Painful
  21. Lurking: Hiding
  22. Solace: peace
  23. Synonymous: Equivalent
  24. Drudgery: Work that is difficult or boring

Situational Writing Speech

Name: _______________________________( ) Date: __________________

Class: _______________________________

Situational Writing – Speech

You are advised to write between 250 and 350 words for the speech.

You should read the information carefully and plan your answer before beginning to write.

The Principal of your school has agreed to hold a course that will help you to improve your spoken English, and it will be held in school during the December vacation. The course will be chosen by you and your classmates. The details of the two courses are given below:

Drama Course

Debating Skills Course

· to be held for 3 hours for 3 days

· costs $30 for each student

· learn speech and acting techniques

· opportunity to perform on stage in front of a ‘live’ audience

· further training in a drama school for selected students

· to be held for 2 hours for 4 days

· costs $15 for each student

· learn oral and presentation skills

· opportunity to speak in front of a panel of judges

· participation in inter-school debate competition for selected students

Using the above information and adding relevant details of your own, write a speech in which you explain to your classmates which of the two courses you prefer and your reasons for your choice. Try to persuade them of the relevance of the course for now and its usefulness when they leave school.

*You must make an evaluation of the two courses when you explain the reasons for your choice.

Planning Sheet

Audience

Who are you writing the speech for?

For my classmates

Purpose

What is the purpose of writing the speech?

To explain to my classmates which course I prefer and the reasons for my choice.

Tone and register

What type of tone and register do you adopt?

Friendly and Informal tone.

Paragraph 1

Introduction

How would you grab the attention of your audience in the introduction of your speech?

By using motivational words and descriptions.

State the aim of writing the speech.

To persuade them the relevance of oral & presentation skills and the opportunity to speak out.

l

State your choice of course.

Debating skill course.

Paragraph 2

By taking the course, what relevance does it have for now?

Participation in inter-school debates

Able to talk in front of the class

Paragraph 3

What usefulness does the course have in the future?

Oral and presentation skills,

Able to put forward your point of view effectively

Paragraph 4

Evaluate the other course. What are the reasons why it is not / less relevant or useful now and in the future.

Drama is usually for acting. Also more expensive.

Students may not be able to afford.( Unless the school sponsor)

Paragraph 5

Conclusion

Re-state your choice and summarise the reasons for your choice.

My choice is the debating skills course. Can learn oral and presentation skills

Name: ________________________________ ( )

Class: ________________________________ Date: _________________

Friday, December 26, 2008

Writing Speeches

WRITING SPEECHES

Introducing a guest speaker

Your school has invited someone to speak during the school assembly, and you have been asked to give a speech introducing the guest speaker. Write the speech, with the following points in mind.

  • Who the person is
  • What his/her achievements are
  • What topic he/she will be talking about
  • Why he/she has the credentials for the talk
You are to address the speech to a school of students, so be sure not to be overly formal. You may begin as follows:

Ladies and gentlemen. I'm very pleased to introduce a very special guest.....

Features of a speech

1) Should we use formal or informal language in an introduction speech?
It depends on the audience. You have to know your audience

If you are speaking to a group of school students, you should not be overly formal. A touch of informality with the use of contractions:
  • I'm very pleased.
  • Let's give Mr Ang a round of applause
This helps to tone down the seriousness of the occasion and helps both the speaker and the audience to relax.

2)Variety of sentence structures
  • Avoid overly long and complex sentence structures.
  • Short and simple sentences help to convey a speech message more effectively.
Readers can always go back to a written text to re-read a sentence if he/she doesn't get the idea on the first reading. But if your audience misses what you say the first time, the cannot"rewind" your message; and if they cannot understand what you say most of the time, their attention may wander, and you may be left standing, talking to no one in particular. This does not mean. however that you should avoid long sentences altogether.
  • Using long sentences to pave the way for a short sentence can give your speech a strong impact.
3) How to write a good introduction
  • The occasional anecdote gives a slice of interesting news about your guest speaker is a good start to an introduction. Your guest speaker will appreciate the complimentary gesture, and your audience will look forward to the speech.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

COMPREHENSION NOTES 2

COMPREHENSION
TYPES OF COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS:

THE REPHRASING QUESTION

The rephrasing question requires you to express certain phrases or sentences in your own words, .i.e. you have to explain their meaning. In answering this type if question, you have to read the given phrase or sentence in its context, i.e. you have to read the given phrase or sentence in its context, i.e. you have to read what comes before or after, in order to understand its meaning fully.

"I waited for Harry to appear. The minutes ticked by. It seemed like an age before he finally appeared."

To understand the meaning of the phrase "an age" you have to read the two sentences before it. Then you understand "an age" to mean a very long time.

Now read the following:

"Once you have tracked down the animal. you must shoot it clearly."

Cleany here means killing it immediately. Notice how that meaning of clean here is related to the context of hunting, and has nothing to do with the usual meaning of clean(i.e. free of dirt.)

Sometimes sentences given to you contain idioms and figures of speech , such as metaphors.
For instance:

1.) The ghosts of his past misdeeds keep returning to huant him.(He kept remembering, with guilt and fear, his pass wrongdoings.)

2.) He was convinced that his enemies, one fine day, would do him in.

Question: Explain the phrase in italics

Answer: It means__________________________________

COMPREHENSION NOTES 1

COMPREHENSION

THE VOCABULARY QUESTION

1.) The meaning of words

3 methods to unravel the meaning of words:

a) Using Contextual clues

The meaning must be the contextual meaning, rather than the usual dictionary meaning. You must look for clues within the passage that point towards the meaning of a word. These clues could include signal words (cohesive devices) which tie the text together, punctuation marks and other parts of the text that refer to the word.

The hero died a beautiful death.

beautiful here means holy, pious, inspiring, and has nothing to do with the more common meaning of attractive, splendid.

Gary saw the wine bottle at the corner of the room. A thought came into his mind. He could use the splinted neck to cut the rope.

Splinted means_______________________________

b) Analysing compound words (words with two or more words)

Breaking words into their componnent parts and deriving a single meaning from them.

Sunblock = Sun + Block(Barrier or Hindrance)

Meaning: barrier to the Sun

Earthbound

Look at the picture of the bird which remained earthbound..........

Earthbound means Ordinary

C) Taking notes of prefixes and suffixes

































EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!

TAKE CAREFUL NOTE THAT:

THE FORM OF THE WORD GIVEN MUST BE THE SAME AS THAT OF THE GIVEN WORD.

THE ANIMAL SNAPPED FEROCIOUSLY AT ME

A WORD THAT HAS THE SAME MEANING IS FIERCELY(AND NOT FIERCE) THE PHRASE IN A FIERCE MANNER IS ALSO CORRECT.

THE ANIMAL ATTACKED US WITH GREAT FEROCITY.

THE CORRECT WORD IS NOW FIERCENESS/AGGRESSIVENESS/SAVAGERY (NOT FIERCE, AGGRESSIVE OR SAVAGE).

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

COMPOSITION WRITING SKILLS ONE WORD TOPIC



COMPOSITION WRITING SKILLS

-----------------------------

A) THEME



Main idea of a composition
Theme can be given in the topic eg:

Describe a time when there was a serious storm in Singapore which caused widespread flooding.

(I will describe the results of the storm.)

-----------------------------------------------



One Word Topic

-----------------------



In some cases, the theme is not given in the topics :
Dreams
Slavery
Television
Pollution
Crime
Deserts
Accidents
Dancing

--------------------------------------

Use one of these approaches :
FATIMAH
F : Factual
A : Attitudes
T : Types
I M : Importance to man
A : Advantages/Disadvantages
H : Historical
S: Story / Personal recount

---------------------------

SOMETIMES ONE CAN COMBINE 2 OF THE ABOVE APPROACHES
Theme : Describe different





types of accidents











AND/OR



Describe the different





causes/consequences






of accidents








People attitudes towards







“accidents”
















MAKING A PLAN



------------------------------------------------------------------





TIPCAT





T : Time order







I : Importance


P : Place


C : Classify


A : Advantages


T : Theme

---------------------





STARTING A









COMPOSITION
-----------------

-------------







TAPS








T : Theme

A : Action

P : Proverb

S : Speech







Other starters:


Flashback




Action : Shocking





statement




Quotation


Definition


Description : environment





, people…







LINKING







WORDS






--------------------------------------



To link paragraphs





In addition





Besides this





Furthermore





Nevertheless





However





Despite this





Later on




Before this





On the other hand





Another reason





In other countries





In future





Finally...






ENDING A







COMPOSITION------------







FST





F : Future





S : Sum up





T : Theme





PLAN YOUR







ESSAY WELL








FATIMAH





TIPCAT





TAPS





FST














Monday, December 22, 2008

APT7

5.     Describing people

Face and Head                                                                      Nose

Pale-looking                                                                          Long sharp nose

Freckled cheeks                                                                    Hooked nose

Square jaws                                                                          snub nose

Pimply face                                                                          enormous nose

Sun-tanned skin                                                                    bulbous nose

Sunken cheeks

Wizened (old, shrunken and wrinkled with age)

Full of pockmarks

A fair complexion,     A dark complexion , A swallow complexion

 

7.     Describing people

Eyes / Eyebrows                                                                   Hair

   Bright sparkling eyes                                                              With lovely curls

   Eyes twinkling with mischief                                                    Wavy hair

   Bloodshot eyes                                                                      Neatly combed

    Small, beady eyes looking sly                                                           Plaited

    Dull, expressionless eyes                                                      Unkempt hair

    Eyes as red as burning coals                                                 Hair in a tangled mess

   Squinty eyes                                                                          Long, soft and silky hair

    Almond- shaped eyes                                                                        Hair sticking out

   Eyes that slant upwards

   Puffy eyes, Bulging eyes, small piggy eyes

 

Voice                                                                                        Shoulders

  A screeching voice                                                                  Broad muscular shoulders

  Loud and dictatorial                                                                 Narrow and sloping shoulders

  Deep, authoritative voice

  Dry and caustic

  Tremulous

 

8, Robbery

1.     He was shocked to see stacks of fifty-dollar banknotes and a revolver.

2.     Four masked robbers, armed with revolvers, rushed into the bank’s premises.

3.     They held up the staff members and three customers at gunpoint.

4.     There was a commotion as the robbers were gesticulating wildly and threatening to kill everyone.

5.     One jumped over the counter and forced the panic-stricken cashier to stuff the cloth bag with bank notes of various denominations.

6.     The robbers then rushed to a getaway car driven by an accomplice.

7.     Five police cars blocked all escape routes.

8.     The robbers knew they were cornered.

9.     They tried to smash through the police blockade.

10.  The loot was recovered intact.

11.  A crowd of onlookers was milling around the scene.

12.  They burst into applause and praised Tom for his bravery.

13.  The victims were too frightened to utter a word.

14.  The victims were panic -stricken when they realised that they were being held hostage by the robbers.

15.  The robbers fled in panic when they realised that the police was here.

16.  Beads of perspiration trickled down the forehead of the nervous robber.

17.  Two robbers smashed the glass displays and stuffed the gleaming jewellery into their bags as their accomplice stood guard over the frightened customers and staff.

18.  The suspicious looking man drew a gleaming knife from under his cloak, threatening his shocked victim.

19.   With a deadly glint in his eye, he motioned the victims to keep quiet.

20.  I sensed that something was amiss.

21.  The entire place was swarmed with policemen.

22.  Bullets whizzed inches over our heads.

23.  The little girl screamed at the top of her voice as she struggled with the robbers.

24.  My plea fell on deaf ears.

25.  He was found guilty of armed robbery and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.

26.  After studying the pattern of the robbery, a plan was hatched to catch the robbers.

27.  They foiled the robbery.

28.  I sprained my ankle during my struggle with a band of robbers.

29.  One of us made a dash to the police station.

 

9.Words and Phrases In composition writing.  

 

1.     I had to see a doctor as I was running a high temperature and had a runny nose too.

2.     The labourers working in the hot sun were perspiring profusely.

3.     The whole room was splattered with blood. It was indeed a gruesome murder.

4.     We were relieved when Mother regained consciousness shortly after she had collapsed in the kitchen.

5.     The jug was already filled to the brim with water.

6.     Last evening, we had a sumptuous meal at the popular restaurant.

7.     After a long and tiring bus ride, we finally arrived at our destination.

8.     The wailing sirens could be heard in the distance and soon, the fire engines and ambulances were in sight.

9.     In the dark of the night, I could hear the howling of the wind and the strange noises made by different animals.

10.  The newly opened department store was packed with people yesterday.

11.  From the top of Mount Faber, we can have a clear view of the harbour.

12.  When I found no one at home and discovered that the whole place was in a mess, my imagination began to run wild.

13.  Immediately I ran for my life, but the killer was hot on my heels.

14.  When I was called up by the principal, I entered his office with mixed feelings.

15.  I still treasure fond memories of my happy childhood days.

16.  When all the excitement had died down, everyone returned to his seat and resumed work.

17.  I caught sight of Bob running at top speed to the tuckshop once the bell had gone.

18.  I don’t think you should keep the wallet. It should be returned to the rightful owner.

19.  Although it was not a big house, it was very well-furnished.

20.  It was only after much persuasion that Alice finally agreed to attend the party.

21.  After spending an enjoyable day at my friend’s house, I thanked her family for their hospitality and bade them

      farewell.

22.  I immediately gave him medical aid and tried to relieve him of his pain.

23.  Please consider the matter carefully before coming to a decision.

24.  Mother keep telling lazy Jack to study hard for the examination, but her advice fell on deaf ears.

25.  I had forgotten to study for the test, but by the stroke of luck, I managed to pass it.

26.  Hawkers selling the New Year delicacies had a roaring business before the festival.

27.  With extremely good results scored by the pupils, ‘Prize-giving Day’ was indeed a red-letter day for the entire school.

28.  He feasted his eyes on all the delicious food laid on the table.

29.  The children had a whale of a time at the tea party.

30.  The school is just a stone’s throw away from his house.

31.  I couldn’t understand how my pen could disappear into thin air.

32.  The poor beggar was so hungry that he simply gobbled up the food.

33.  Mother nodded in approval of my suggestion.

34.  Betty eyed the stranger with suspicion because he had been standing at the gate for more than an hour.

35.  The girl with long silky hair and smooth complexion is my sister.

36.  The little boy was numbed with cold as he begged in the streets on a winter night.

37.  That old man with the wrinkled face and toothless grin is my grandfather.

38.  I knew I was wrong, but my foolish pride held me back from apologizing to him.

39.  I always like to hear the waves splashing because they soothe and calm my nerves.

40.  From this window, I could have a picturesque view of the sea and the mountain.

41.  I lost my balance, slipped and fell with a loud crash and a heavy thud.

42.  Orville Wright climbed into the glider. The engine burst into life and the machine was soon in flight.

43.  Mary had to tell a white lie to save her friend from further embarrassment.

44.  The top pupil had all her answers at her fingertips.

45.   The boy told a cock and bull story to explain his naughty act, hoping to escape punishment.

46.  The throbbing headache that I have makes it difficult for me to concentrate on my work.

47.  To participate in the competition or not is a nagging problem for most of our Primary Six pupils.

48.  The disobedient son is a thorn in Mrs Li’s flesh.

49.  Mrs Poh could not afford to buy a radio for she had been living from hand to mouth.

50.  Wanli is a bull in a china shop. When he walks, he either knocks down something or brushes against somebody.

51.  Is a pencil missing from your pencil-box? Why raise a storm in a tea cup?

52.  That fat middle-aged lady waddled like a duck down the corridor.

53.  They felt a surge of embarrassment going through their bodies.

54.  Ali gave Ahmad a cold shoulder when he discovered that he had made an unfair remark about him.

55.  His hatred for his rival grew deeper.

56.  Like they say, every dog has its day.

57.  She was a very poor old woman, but she managed to keep her cottage spick and span and she always had a vase of flowers on her table.

58.  There was an old red cushion there, very worn and shabby.

59.  It was a cold and frosty night.

60.  His face turned red with embarrassment when everyone started teasing him.

61.  His face turned as red as an apple when he realised that his zip was open.

62.  There was a hive of activity during that day.

63.  The minutes ticked by as I waited for my friend.

64.  The peace and tranquillity of the park attracted many tourists.

65.  He was green with jealousy when he saw his girlfriend talking to another man.

66.  Then one day, tragedy struck. The volcano erupted and claimed thousands of lives.

67.  They listened to him with utmost interest.

68.  Then, before I could even flick an eyelash, they ran past me.

69.  As he put the flute to his lips, the music was like the clear call of summer birds in the evening.

70.  Soon, I realised that I had been walking in circles.

71.  Without uttering a word, he stalked off.

72.  I hit upon a bright idea on how to solve the difficult puzzle.

73.  We craned our necks to catch a glimpse of the superstar.

74.  People were bargaining at the top of their voices, in different languages, over the food price.

75.  When she peered over the wall, she saw a snake.