VS 2A 2009 English Language Blog

Hi guys,

Most of you did fairly well in English and have shown some improvement. Congrats to Francis for topping the class in English and Xun Yi for showing the most improvement.

Do remember to read more short stories during the year-end break and make regular deposits in your Vocab Bank. This will help you get a better grasp of the language and aid you in your other subjects as well.

Please also check the LMS for your holiday homework.

Happy holiday!


MS Koo

DOs

• Analyse the question to determine what the question is asking for.
• Refer to the passage instead of relying on your memory/ knowledge to answer the question (this is important, especially for vocab questions!).
• Answer in the same tense as the question (a must for summary).
• Read instructions (especially for own words and quote questions)
• Answers for vocab question must follow the same word form (e.g., "frightened" = "scared", NOT "scary")

DON'Ts

• Don't be tricked by the question. Factual/ literal questions need not always start with the 5Ws1H (e.g., "what", "who", "when"), they could start with "list", "write", "state".
• Don't infer too far from the text (see example given at the end of this entry)
• Don't use the root word to explain the meaning (of the phrase).

Good luck for your exams!

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E.g., if given the statement, "The Minister confessed to owning the gun that was used to injure his wife", we may infer the following:

• the Minister is married (since he has a wife)
• the Minster is a man (since he has a wife)
• he owns a gun
• his wife was injured
• the minister acknowledged that he owned a gun

We may NOT infer the following (too far an inference):

• the Minister shot his wife (he only confessed to owning the gun)
• his wife is dead (statement only says she is injured)
• the Minister is covering up for someone

Sec2 2007 P2 Answer

Hi guys,

You should have received the 2007 Paper 2 from Ryan. Do try it under exam conditions. I will post the answers on the blog on Sunday.

REMINDER #1: Underline the key words in the question and look for these key words in the passage (you will usually be given the paragraph or line number). The answer is usually found within the paragraph/line stated (unless it is an inferential question).

Except for Own Words, Vocabulary and Summary questions, you may lift the answer directly from the passage (i.e. no need to substitute key words).

If you answer in your own words for factual/literal questions, you may risk losing the contextual meaning or accidentally giving an inferential answer (which is NOT what the marker is looking for!) You may also have wasted precious time (and brain cells) rewording your answer.

TIP #1: Assume all questions (unless told to write the answer in your own words) are factual/literal questions, and look for the answer in the passage. If you are unable to find the answer in the passage, deduce/infer your answer from the clues given in the passage.

TIP #2: If the key word in the question is not used in the passage, chances are that it is a factual/literal question. E.g., if the question asks you "What did Timmy do to punish Tommy?" and "punish" is not in the paragraph, it may be a factual/literal question and you should look for verbs that are related to "punish".

If you have problems recognising the type of question, drop by my window and I'll give you a mega tips on the wording usually used for each type of question. Do bring along the practice papers you have for 'live' examples.


MS Koo

How do you bring the reader into your story? How do you create a vivid picture with words? You could consider showing the reader instead of telling. What's the difference between showing and telling?

Consider these two simple examples:

• I grew tired after dinner.

• As I leaned back and rested my head against the top of the chair, my eyelids began to feel heavy, and the edges of the empty plate in front of me blurred with the white tablecloth.

The first sentence tells readers that you grew tired after dinner. The second sentence shows readers that you grew tired. An effective narrative essay will have such 'shows' because they enable readers to imagine or experience something for themselves.

The best way to create a vivid experience for your readers is to focus on the five senses.
• sight
• sound
• smell
• touch
• taste

When you focus your descriptions on the senses, you provide vivid and specific details that show your readers rather than tell your readers what you are describing.

(adapted from How to Write a Descriptive Essay by Jesse Seldess, Professional Writer)

Hi guys,

For those of you who wish to rest your brains, you may wish to visit these websites and read the collection of short stories there.

www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories

www.theshortstory.org.uk

www.americanliterature.com

www.shortstoryarchive.com


MS Koo

For your essays, do not use informal language (unless it's in a dialogue). Words like "kids" & "bike" are not allowed.


MS Koo

Hi guys,

Attached are some sample narrative scaffolds you may wish to refer to when planning your essays.

Remember, it is okay to keep the story simple - use language to retain the readers' attention.



MS Koo

Sample Narrative Scaffolds

For those who wish to know the solution to the Neightbours puzzle.

Neighbours

Unless the question specifically asks you to quote a word, you may quote the phrase you deem appropriate. When in doubt (i.e. you are not sure which is the relevant phrase), you may quote the entire chunk of text within the punctuation marks (e.g., all the words in the second half of the sentence, between the comma and the full-stop).

NOTE: Use this ONLY when you are desperate and unsure which is the correct answer. As you may inccur "excess denied".

Hi guys,

I am considering putting together some practice exercises targetted at skills needed to answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., inferential questions). Do let me know if anyone needs additional help on a specific type of question.


MS Koo

Hi guys,

For your info, you will most probably be tested only on narrative essays for your Paper 1. Do not assume that there will be factual or expository questions (or that you can write a factual/expository essay using a narrative topic).

For those who submitted a factual or expository essay on Thursday, I would strongly recommend that you attempt a narrative one over the weekend so that I can take a look at it next week and give you comments on how you could improve your essay.

Hi guys,

The baton is in your hands - we've already gone over all the material you will be tested on and you have been handed the necessary tools you need to get that A1 in your SA2. All that's left is for you to practice and hone your skills so that you can secure that oft-elusive distinction.

So, good luck guys and full steam ahead for the last leg of the 'race' (until 20 Oct anyway)!


MS Koo

p.s. Those who have any queries, feel free to look for me in the Staff Room. I should be in school till 5pm.

Hi guys,

I've created a new blog for the class' Vocab. Bank (http://vs2a2009vocab.blogspot.com) and given you the admin rights (via email). Please do visit the blog and actively post new words.


MS Koo

A good way to understand what you read is to ask youself questions when scanning the text. This is a technique good readers use (sometimes unconsciously) to make sense of and to internalise the information presented, as well as to make predictions based on the information given in the text.

In fact, most of you would already be familiar with this technique. For example, when watching a movie, you will be predicting which character will be killed next or when the bickering hero and heroine will start falling for each other.

Apply this technique when reading. Ask yourself why the character in the story is doing this, what he could be feeling, what he will be doing next, what factors contributed to his actions/ thoughts, etc.

This technique will help you start the thinking process needed to answer inferential questions.

It is also a very useful technique to use when studying content-based subjects (in this case you will be asking yourself whether the new information presented is true and trying to recall facts that support or refute the new information).

Please attempt the questions using the strategies we discussed yesterday BEFORE checking your answers. If you do not get the answers correct, analyse why this is so (it will help you get the right answer next time). Simply copying the answers will NOT help improve your comprehension skills.

SA2_2006_EL_Sec2_Ans

Common mistake
A common mistake students make in answering factual questions is to answer them as an inferential one, i.e. they tend to summarise details or give a general idea instead of lifting a specific answer from the text. [This usually happens because the answer is a straightforward one that you recall after reading the question.]

Another mistake is not rephrasing the answer to address the question (refer to Q4 of the 2004 paper where the exact phrase from the text is a "when" phrase whereas the question requires a "what" answer).

Tip
To avoid the above mistakes, read the question carefully, underline important words then zero in on the part of the passage containing the important words (or their synonyms).

Look at the sentence containing the important words (or the sentence before and after it), and look for your answer. Only if you are unable to spot the answer in the given paragraph, can you answer the question as an inferential one.

NOTE #1: DO NOT copy blindly. The examiner will deny you the marks even if the answer is within the chunk you have copied (excess denied).

NOTE #2: Check the use of tense in the question. Your answer must follow the tense used in the question.

Recap
You will be told explicitly that you are to express a word or phrase (from the passage) in your own words. This type of question is pretty much the same as substitution in summary writing. The aim of it is to ascertain that you know the gist of the phrase (as used in the passage).

Tips
When answering such questions, read the paragraph containing the given phrase first (to get contextual meaning).

Then, underline the important words in the phrase (usually the verbs, nouns and adjectives) and write down the meaning (as used in the text) or a synonym for each word.

Thirdly, join the meaning/ synonyms of the important words into a cohesive phrase (may rearrange the meaning/ synonyms, if necessary).

Finally, check that what you have written has the same contextual meaning as the original phrase.

IMPORTANT: The above method will not work if the phrase used is an idiom (e.g., "bite the bullet") as replacing individual words will only give you the literal meaning. In such cases, your answer will be a phrase (or word) that has the same contextual meaning as the given phrase.

IMPORTANT X 2: All verbs must be replaced.

NOTE #1: There is no restriction on the number of words you may use to express the given phrase in your own words.

NOTE #2: There are some nouns you may be unable to replace (e.g., "parents"). In such cases, it is usually acceptable to use them in your answer.

It was pointed out (to me) that the prefix "in" does not mean "not" for the word "ingenious" (thanks Lie Wen!). Do note that some prefixes may have more than one meaning. In this case, "in" may also mean "extreme". You will have to look for contextual clues to determine which is the correct meaning.

Recap
This type of question requires you to give either a synonym or definition for the word within the context of the passage and in the same part of speech (e.g. the noun, verb or adjectival form).

The starting point for successful answering of vocab questions is a correct understanding of the text as a whole, and the gist of the specific paragraph. [You must give the contextual meaning.]

Tips
When you get words that you have no idea of their meaning, use the following tips:

1. Look for contextual clues - locate the sentence/ paragraph containing the word, look for clues relating to the word and deduce the meaning of the vocab word (e.g. from a list of synonyms, a pair of words with contrasting meaning - such as "intuition and practice")
2. Break word into prefix-root word-suffix and analyse each part - e.g., infallible= in + fail + able --- in = not, fail = to fall short of success, able = capable of---thus infallible = not capable of failing (for list of suffixes and prefixes, visit http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prefixtext.htm).
   
   

"bite the bullet" (www.phrases.org.uk): endure pain with fortitude

"bite the bullet" (simplified meaning): to do or accept something difficult (or unpleasant) and live with it

Sentence: In the current economic crisis, we all have to bite the bullet and learn to live without unnecessary luxuries.

Origin (www.phrases.org.uk): In the days before effective anesthetics, army doctors gave soldiers bullets to bite on to help them endure pain during operations.


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"keep your nose to the grindstone" (www.phrases.org.uk): Apply yourself conscientiously to your work

Sentence: With the end-of-year exams round the corner, we have to keep our noses to the grindstone and work really hard for the next few weeks.

Oxymoron (dictionary meaning): a figure of speech by which a particular form of expression produces an incongruous, seemingly self-contradictory effect

Oxymoron (simplified meaning): a set of words (e.g., phrase, idiom) that contradict each other due to their opposite meaning (i.e. the meaning of the words in the expression 'clash' or oppose each other)

Examples of oxymorons: “organised mess”, “open secret" & "to make haste slowly"

Sentence: "Although 'fuzzy' and 'logic' have opposing meanings, the term 'fuzzy logic' has become an oxymoron widely used by the scientific community."

Hi guys,

One of the ways of improving your vocabulary is to actively increase your 'word bank' by finding out the meaning of new words and making a sentence using those words.

I know that some of you already have excellent vocabulary, so, to help your classmates make those much needed deposits into their 'bank account', please post a new word each week. Include the dictionary meaning(s) of the word and a sentence that contains that word.

The rest of you should try to make up sentences using the posted words. Post your own sentences on the blog so that you have the opportunity to test your sentences. You may also comment on each other's words & sentences.

I will not make this compulsory, but I do hope that you guys will actively partcipate in this activity as it will not only help you in your comprehension skills, it'll also aid you in your free writing.


MS Koo

p.s. I'll start the ball rolling by posting one word today.

Factual Quote Inferential

If the file does not load, please visit the link http://www.scribd.com/doc/19868235/Factual-Quote-Inferential?secret_password=3830umz5uundtx1a9r4

Summary Writing Guide
If the file does not load, please visit the link http://www.scribd.com/doc/20170761/Summary-Writing-Guide?secret_password=1bm58to1w8q73m0xceyk.

Hi guys,

As Zhirui would have told you, I've put the 2005 English Paper in your class pigeon-hole. Please do the paper (except for the vocabulary questions) for homework.

I've compiled the key points from your guides and added some additional tips (thanks for your inputs!). Will be uploading the comprehension guides (as soon as I figure out how to do so).

As your 2004 papers were badly done, please take a look at the step-by-step guides BEFORE attempting the 2005 paper (especially Hadi, who missed the lesson and the two boys who were doing some other subject's homework at the back of the classroom).

We will discuss the answers during the next class on 22 Sep.


MS 'Emo' Koo

p.s. I'm trying to finish marking your 2004 scripts so that you'll know your mistakes before attempting the 2005 papers. If you're in school over the weekend, please check the class pigeon-hole. If not, follow the steps in the guide and give it your best shot :)

hi all,

You should have received your latest timetable by now and you would have noticed that there's been a change in your English teacher. The teacher taking over is Mr Maran, rest assured that he is a very experienced English teacher and you are in very good hands.

Due to various exingencies, there's been a change in the deployment of teachers in VS and I have been deployed as a specialist humanities teacher. That means that I will continue as your teacher, but in the capacity as your history teacher.

Just some admin stuff to clear up, I will complete marking your RP books as that is an assignment that I have set for you and thereafter all your assignments will be marked by Mr Maran. Also, this blog will continue to exist for your reference purposes.

I do hope that you've benefited from my stint as your English teacher and that your language capabilities are far improved from the time that you joined VS. I found teaching 2A to be a very enriching experience from the maturity of your responses to your wonderful enthusiasm and effort in all the things that you do.

Many thanks for being wonderful students, see you history class!

Best Wishes,
Mr Tan

The summary answer scheme is here for your checking.

Thanks.

2005 Paper Summary

hi all,

More samples from the e-learning.

Please try as far as possible to follow the tone and register and format of these letters.

Final Task Teacher 's Copy

hi all,

This is an example of a very good reply letter by Tristen.


E-learning Final Task_tristen

hi folks,

Here's the link for the letter that you are supposed to reply to.

Remember to address all the points of complaint brought up by the writer.

A few things to look out for:

1) Tone and register - How do you want to sound?
2) Address the elements of the complaint - You need some detail here, but you do not need to state the EXACT nature of what you are going.
3) Intro and conclusion.

Look forward to getting your work next week.

Thanks!

Mr Tan

For those of you who indicated that you would like English remedial, please fill in the following form. I will inform you of the place and date for the remedial.

Here are the e-learning documents.

Letter to Be ed Student 's Copy

hi all,

Could the following please start using your blogs to produce one free writing assignment per week?

1) Ze Xuan
2) Zhirui
3) Zhihao
4) Jerry
5) Bharath
6) Zi Xiang
7) Jia Peng
8) Dev

Essentially, what you need to do is to write one blog entry per week of between 150-200 words on any topic of your choice in proper English.

Thereafter, just e-mail me to let me know that you have done an entry and I will access your blog and comment on your entry.

If anyone else wishes to participate in this exercise, please go ahead and let me know when you have completed an entry.

Thanks!

Best Wishes,
Mr Tan

Hi all,

I'm sorry to sound like a broken record but I have yet to see some of your completed blogs.

Could the following please ensure that you have 5 entries by Saturday 14 Feb 2009:
1) Dev
2) Tomus
3) Harri

The following, you need to send me your blog URLs by Friday 13 Feb 2009:
1) Zhirui
2) Brendan

I have given you sufficient time to complete your blogs and I am being extremely generous by giving you such an extension. If you fail to comply with these instructions, you will be penalised accordingly.

Could those of you who check this blog regularly, please inform those people whose names I have highlighted.

Mr Tan

hi all,

Please print out what you feel are the two best entries from your blog for submission. Just print out the text alone, if you have already printed otherwise then just submit whatever you have already printed.

Thanks.

hi all,

Just to clarify, I know I initially stated I would grade your blogs online and leave the grades as a comment, however, I think it would be unfair to release your results at different times.

As such, I will release your results in class when I get back to school the following week.

I will only grade your blogs if you have 5 posts. For those of you with only 3 posts, you have till next Tuesday to top it up to 5 posts. For those of you who read the blog regularly, please pass this message to the rest of the class.

Hope all is well.

Best Wishes,
Mr Tan

hi all,

Please do print out the hardcopies of your blogs, I've done most of the grading at this point, however, I need to give you guys some feedback on the grammatical aspects of things and it's very hard to do online.

So, do give a copy to Mr Siva by next Fri.

In addition, Harri, Brendan and Zhirui - Where are your blog URLs?

Hope all is well, see you soon.

Mr Tan

hello all,

This is the help desk for your English CA preparations. If you haven't already heard, Mr Sivanesson will be covering for me in my absence, however, there are some periods that he will not be able to make it, so other teachers will cover the slots that he is not there. Mr Sivanesson is an ex-VS student and has done very well in the Sec 1 classes that he teaches. So I trust that everything will be in order in my absence.

Anyway, so I'm off for my reservist duty at Central Police Division and I have a strong feeling that I will be deployed for the law and order operation at Thaipusam.

So do post your concerns and whatever you require help for as a comment under this post. See you soon.

Best Wishes,
Mr Tan

Dear all,

This is the LAST call for all your blog entries. Please ensure that all your blog entries are updated and that you have indicated the entries for assessment. This must be done by Monday 2 Feb 2009.

If by any chance your blogs are not reflected or accurately reflected on the links in this blog, please do drop a comment on this post with your blog URL.

Thanks and see you soon!

hi all,

We now have a word of the day widget.

No need to look for the definitions as they are all in the widget, so, take down the definition and need to make a sentence with this word!

So, dedicate an exercise book for this and I will check the exercise books on a regular basis!

hello all,

These are the words that we looked at in class.

Endorse
Furnace
Obscure
Jaded
Eschew
Magnanimous
Fastidious

Your CNY assignment is to find the definitions of these words and make a sentence with these words. Post your sentences in the comments section to this post!

hi all,

Let's have a look at this sample blog post.

Well, I can't claim to speak for the Tekong people [I will leave that for Asri] because most of us on the blog at the moment were from BMTC 2 at Nee Soon Camp, come to think of it, most of us were in fact from Gryphon Company, BMTC 2.

I was absolutely scared stiff on posting day, whatever the Singapore Armed Forces had in store for me, I wasn't looking forward to it. I had seen the barracks at SAFTI MI and I was convinced the better it looked the less you were going to use it. In preparation for the inevitable let down by the supply chain, I had packed 5 toilet rolls in anticipation of a long and painful confinement period at OCS.

But, somehow or other at the back of my mind, I had a feeling that it was going to be my lucky day. After all, it was 5 Oct 1998, it was my 22nd birthday.

So as Gryphon Company gathered reluctantly to find out the fates that awaited us, 2nd Lieutenant Tay, my less than sane Platoon Commander went "Wah Lau! Daryl Tan and Mark Tan half left hit it!" I started to think this really could be my day, was it really the mythical NSPI posting that I had heard much about but knew very little off.

Numerous push ups and crunches later, it was confirmed, Mark and I were going to the SPF and of course, we were overjoyed and we let our platoon 2 mates who were going to SISPEC know all about it as well. I looked around the motley collection of individuals from Gryphon who were going to the SPF as well, there was Mark who I didn't know particularly well except he was the talkative one from Section 3 who got the whole company into pumping position during range as he was hassling the most effeminate member of our platoon. Looking further up the line, there 2 guys who stood out as they were clearly less than enamored at the posting which was rather strange to me. One was the psychopathic looking Indian guy who had a moustache and looked like he was in his 30s and looked ready to kill. There was also the skinny Eurasian dude who had hassled me on guard duty a few weeks before.

From this less than promising beginning, Mark, Aziz, Terence and I would become the best of friends during National Service!

As they say, this was just the beginning!

Can you identify the various structures in this post?

For this assignment, you will be required to create 5 blog entries over ANY FIVE days (from Sat 17 Jan 09 to Thurs 29 Jan 09) of which you will choose one to print out and hand to your teacher fro formal assessment.

Each entry which should be at least 250 words.

The entries should demonstrate the writer’s ability to:
• use language features and structures appropriate to a given audience (their peers)
• entertain and inform effectively.

Such structures and language features of blog creation should:
• include the use of at least one other media effectively combined with the text to elaborate and extend the communication
• be written in the form of personal recount with language features such as personal pronouns, details of events (what, where, when, what and how)
• vivid descriptions, elaboration through cause and effect and personal response and reflection

Your 5 entries could cover the following themes:
• something unusual that happened that day
• a difficulty you faced
• a moment you enjoyed with your family
• something that took place in school
• a moment spent alone doing something you enjoyed


N.B. THIS ASSIGNMENT CONSTITUTES 50% OF CA1 MARKS

Your assignment should be posted on your blog over the week ready to be assessed by your teacher by 8am, Friday 30 Jan 2009

hello all,

It's that time of the year again. Everyone is required to write and submit an essay of between 500 to 700 words for this competition by Thursday 22 Jan 2008, so I can clear the marking before I head off for reservist duty.

Please note you should submit your word processed essays (Times New Roman, size 12 font, double spaced) in hardcopy. After submission, please retain your soft copy until we decide which entries will be submitted for evaluation.

The topics are:

1 Your assignment is to interview an animal for your local newspaper or radio station. Send us the transcript of your interview!

2 What three plants or trees are most important for life inyour country? Why?

3 What I don’t want to do when I’m grown up.

4 A distant cousin who lives in a very different Commonwealth country is coming to visit for the first time. Write a letterintroducing yourself and your home

5 Write a story about the sea or a mountain or both.

6 Commonwealth Question OR Charlton Athletic Community Trust Question:
a) Commonwealth Question: Over half of the 1.8 billion people in the Commonwealth are
aged 25 or under. What changes in your country would enhance
the lives of young people?
b) Charlton Athletic Community Trust Question: ‘The Beautiful Game’: Why does football inspire such passion
around the world?

Please refer to the following document for more details:

2009 Commonwealth