Kingsway Practice Unit 11

Section C 14 (i) It has influenced their defence systems, their strict building codes and even the training of the population on how to respond in times of such disasters. (ii) It implies that there is more than one life of defence against tsunamis. 15. They broadcast earthquake alerts, giving the Japanese people as much as 30 seconds' warning to dive under a table, turn off the gas or put on a helmet. 16. "stringent." 17. (i) Most Japanese know the earthquake drill: keep a backpack filled with some essential items near the door. They know how to go under a solid table to guard against falling objects. They know to turn off the gas mains. They know to keep a door ajar lest a tremor jams it shut trapping them inside a crumbling house. They have been advised to keep a spare pair of shoes under the bed and a bicycle outside. They know how to navigate rooms and roads littered with broken glass and debris. (ii) People can prepare for a real earthquake in a high-tech earthquake simulator. 18. 'People believe that good preparation ensures survival.' 19. (i) It is a good word to use because 'aftermath' refers to the unpleasant consequences of an event like an earthquake. (ii) increased 20. - tremors set of early alarms in people's homes -building codes are strict and buildings are quake-proofed -old structures have been strengthened -power plants and bullet trains automatically shut down in an earthquake -Japanese are well-trained to respond to earthquakes -People make personal preparations as advised -They prepare for the real thing in earthquake simulators -quake response drills are held regularly in schools and workplaces.

Kingsway Practice Unit 12

Section C 15(i) It means 'when seen or examined quickly for the first time.' (ii) They put too low a value on it. (iii)'There are those who have serious reservations about its effectiveness.' 16. email - the instant transfer of information. chat sessions- the interaction of students and exchange of ideas. 17. (i) 'Learning in the traditional classroom provides an interactive environment that promotes the open exchange of ideas.' 'First- hand interaction with the educator also allows for ideas to be exchanged or refined.' (ii) Lucas can say that the traditional classroom sometimes encourages passive learning, especially with shy students who may never speak up in class. 18. How much they will learn and how much they can contribute in their future careers. 19. Points for summary: (a) online learning allows for learning in distant or disadvantaged locations (b) convenient requiring only a home computer with Internet access (c) Transfer of information is facilitated through email (d) Learning is enhanced through chat sessions (e) Allows for more individual attention (f) Online learning is not effective for complex subjects (g) Can isolate students from one another and the instructor (h) Little research done to evaluate its effectiveness.

Be you ti ful Section C

15. To appear beautiful/presentable 16. "relentless pursuit" 17. To show opposites: white lead, a toxic/poisonous substance, is believed to be good for the skin. 18. European women had to endure the painful process of plucking their hairline to have ahigh forehead [1] and damaged their scalps by sitting in the sun in crownless hats to bleach their hair [1]. 19. Modern women do not have to risk their lives or health in the process of looking beautiful [1] as stringent regulations ensure that cosmetic products are safe for usage [1]. 20. (i) Egyptian ladies used cosmectics for health and hygiene. [1] They used cosmetics to combat the harsh weather conditions. [1] (ii) They also use them to beautify themselves/to keep their skin soft and smooth. 21. Summary points: - sme of which are decidedly dangerous\ - in ancient Egypt, cosmetics were important for health and hygiene. - they used oils to prevent excessive dryness - some treatments used harmful chemicals - Asian women bleached their faces to attain pasty white complexion - Japanese women used bird droppings - During the Renaissance, Europeans removed hair from their harlines to attain high foreheads. - Dyes were used to bleach their hair - Italians sat in the sun despite the resulting scalp damage - In the 16th century, many imitated Queen Elizabeth's pale complexion. - Dyes applied had adverse effects.

Be you tiful Section B

5. ‘SLOWLY’ -> She was tired from the vomitting [1] ‘ALMOST RESIGNEDLY’ -> but she accepted that she needed to do it again.[1] 6. Vocab + explain: The finger is used for vomiting [1] and is now an important part of the retching process [1]. 7. “exhausted” and “wearily” 8. To get rid of the taste/smell of vomit. [1] 9. (i) They are not fat. [1] (ii) “flawless” (iii) vocab + explain: The girls are obsessed with fashion [1] and they will go to all means to look good.[1] 10. She scrutinised herself daily [1] and this shows how obsessed she is with her appearance.[1] 11. To look thin. (ii) ‘skeletal’ (in line 30, “she had to look thin”, this does not show that she has ACCOMPLISHED thinness.) 12.The word ‘scarlet’ emphasizes the redness. [1] This in turn, emphasizes how embarrassed and ashamed of herself she is, to be unable to fit into the clothing her mother had picked out for her. [1] 13. oxymoron: “chirped” is a sound that birds make, and it indicates cheerfulness, but ‘cattily’ shows spitefulness. [1] It is effective because it shows that they are superficial friends/that her friends are superficial [1]. 14. Hazel has been vomiting to be thin, which means that she is not better internally, therefore it is ironic that she said she has never been better. [1]

Examining the effect of literary devices

Today we are going to look at 3 very similar scenarios, with marginal difference in the description of the writers feelings.

Scenario 1:

The silhouette of the man whom I have grown to fear loomed bigger and bigger. For a full minute, it was still. That sixty seconds was the longest in my life. Then suddenly, the silhouette broke into a run. The distance between him and me grew smaller and smaller till it was no longer his silhouette that I was seeing; it was him. The corners of his mouth lifted. I could see his teeth, stained crimson in the light from the hallway that bathed us in its warm glow. Crimson from the blood that had gushed out of my mother’s throat when the man’s teeth made contact with her neck, pierced through her skin, punctured it, and bled her dry. I felt like I am cornered in all directions, with nowhere to run or hide.

The technique used here is clearly a simile, because of the word 'like'.

Literary device questions always test on your ability to truly understand why certain words are used, or why that particular situation is described as such.

How does the simile above bring about the writer's feeling?

Before I give you the answers, I will guide you through the steps to arriving at the answer.

Based on the highlighted sentence, the key words are :

cornered: what does to be 'cornered' mean? _______________

If you are cornered with nowhere to run or hide, how are you supposed to feel?

__________________

Before we check if your answer is correct, you should already cross out common, generic feelings like 'scared', 'afraid' and 'fearful' because you can be scared when for any silly reason; it could be because of a butterfly, or it could be when you hear marble noises from your rooftop at night even though you live on the top floor.

Correct answer: It shows that the writer is feeling hopeless/is in despair.

Scenario 2:

The silhouette of the man whom I have grown to fear loomed bigger and bigger. For a full minute, it was still. That sixty seconds was the longest in my life. Then suddenly, the silhouette broke into a run. The distance between him and me grew smaller and smaller till it was no longer his silhouette that I was seeing; it was him. The corners of his mouth lifted. I could see his teeth, stained crimson in the light from the hallway that bathed us in its warm glow. Crimson from the blood that had gushed out of my mother’s throat when the man’s teeth made contact with her neck, pierced through her skin, punctured it, and bled her dry. I felt that death was staring at me, bidding its time to suck my soul away from my body.

Which two words clearly show that death is described as a human?

___________________________

Answer: 'staring', 'suck'

Why is death described in this way?

Again, before I give you the answer, I will guide you to arrive at the right answer.

To stare at someone means to have eye contact with that person. Therefore, if death has eye contact with you, what do you know? _________________

Therefore, you have the knowledge that your end is near. And if someone bids his time to suck something out of you, what do you know? ____________________

Therefore, death is described that way to show that the writer knows that her end is near (staring at you), but she does not know when exactly(bidding his time). The writer also knows that it will be a painful process (suck my soul away from my body).

Scenario 3

The silhouette of the man whom I have grown to fear loomed bigger and bigger. For a full minute, it was still. That sixty seconds was the longest in my life. Then suddenly, the silhouette broke into a run. The distance between him and me grew smaller and smaller till it was no longer his silhouette that I was seeing; it was him. The corners of his mouth lifted. I could see his teeth, stained crimson in the light from the hallway that bathed us in its warm glow. Crimson from the blood that had gushed out of my mother’s throat when the man’s teeth made contact with her neck, pierced through her skin, punctured it, and bled her dry. I turned and fled down the hallway blindly. I suddenly thought of birds and insects that frantically fly around just before a tornado. Even if they have a certain foreknowledge, what can they do with that knowledge? Suddenly I was that bird or insect fleeing.

What is that 'foreknowledge'?

____________________________

Answer: That something bad will happen.  

What is the impact that the writer wants to make by comparing herself to 'that bird or insect fleeing'?

Again, I shall guide you to arrive at the answer.

This is a classic example of how you need to read the whole paragraph to get the context right.

In the line leading up to the metaphor, the writer questions if the birds and insects can even do anything with the knowledge that something bad will happen.

Therefore, if you are that bird or insect, you ______________________________ but _____________________

By comparing herself to 'that bird or insect fleeing', the writer is trying to say that she knows that something bad will happen, but she is not sure if she can escape it.

Always remember that the writer consciously chooses the words that she uses, which means she is very aware of the aim she is trying to achieve. Therefore, you need to be specific because in English, like in Maths and Science, there is no room for much variation(if any) in your answers. (:

Remedial and Course

If you have not already heard it from Srikesh, I received word that the English course that you have paid for will not happen. Apparently, the organisers did not really give a reason for this. Your money is currently still with the HOD. I will get it from her and return it to you all in Semester 2. I know some of you were really looking forward to this course :(

On a separate note, please remember that there is EL remedial on Wednesday 5 June 2013 for these students: Wea Wen, Wei Xian, Vui Kee, Yi Dan, Zhen Li, Jin Kiat, Han Qiang, Amirrul. Time: 9-10am

If you really want to sit in the lesson, you may do so but I will not really encourage it because the lesson will be pitched to that group of people. Therefore, it may be too slow, too structured (and easy even?) for some of you.

From 10-10.30am, however, you may see me for a consultation (so far only Sarah has emailed me regarding this).

From Tuesday 4 June 2013, you find me your Kingsway books that you have given me in my pigeon hole 52. I have given explicit feedback for that comprehension that you do, and the answer sheet, together with how you derive the answers, can be found tucked into the books. I am only printing enough for those who bothered to hand in to me.

Your next assignment will be pages 6-15 of the Kingsway book. The deadline will be Friday 7 June 2013, again in my pigeon hole. We need to speed up and be consistent with our work and you also need to be diligent and read my feedback because I really do spend quite a bit of time writing it for you, based on what I observe. Answers to the Kingsway book will not be explained in class anymore, unless it is noteworthy because (1) if you read through my detailed answer sheet, you would absorb even more than if you had just listened in class and (2) I need you to be self-directed.

On Tuesday 4 June 2013, I am also printing 5 sets of SVA editing for all of you. I will label it HA (High Ability), MA (Middle Ability) and LA (Low Ability). It is meant for Monday- Friday, and deadline is the same -Friday 7 June 2013.

The Kingsway book is of a low level in difficulty so you must score at least 30/50 before we can tackle more challenging comprehensions. Again, please read through my feedback and the detailed answer sheet and be prepared to re-visit the texts again because remember, it is not about whether you get it right or wrong. It is about WHY you get it wrong, and HOW you can get it right the next time.

I should be free on most days if you wish to see me separately for a consultation or a feedback session. Just email or SMS me. Let's work hard in the month of June! If you make English a part of your life every day, I promise you by the time we reach October, you will see the difference! :))

Argumentative Essay 1

Hi all! The following essay is all mine, so please don't anyhow disseminate! Basically, I want to show you that in an argumentative essay, you not only need to select good points and have a good rebuttal, but your essay must engage with the audience and must use persuasive language that will mock the opposing view. In the essay that you will read, my comments on what I have done are within brackets, and underlined).

Question:

‘Artificial beauty should be condemned’. Do you agree?

The notion of artificial beauty only came about in recent years, with a worldwide rise in the number of people who turn to plastic surgery. The growing affordability of plastic surgery as well as people’s changing mindsets has attracted much media frenzy. As a result, the subject of artificial beauty has come under scrutiny and has led to much controversy. (I talked about the current situation) Artificial beauty encompasses altered and even enhanced beauty.(I am defining the key words here) The spate of media attention has led to many who outrightly condemn any alteration or enhancement done to the face and body. I feel that these people have been too quick to judge without truly understanding what ‘natural’ is. To condemn is surely too harsh an action, especially because they who condemn, are also, in some ways, guilty of enhancing their features. (This is my stand, but notice that I do not merely write, 'I disagree') Altering or enhancing one's looks also shows that that person is taking personal responsibility for how he or she looks and this is something laudable, and most certainly not an act to be condemned. There is also nothing wrong in doing that to increase one's self-confidence. (These is my scope. The scope is where you list in the right order, the two points that you will be talking about)

(I am starting with the rebuttal. This is OK, feel free to play around with the structure but please make sure it flows well) The main argument in favour of ‘natural’ beauty is that we should be satisfied with what God has given us, and celebrate God’s gift to us. Does that mean we should all rise from our sleep tomorrow and trudge to school with bacteria festering in our mouths and eye wax framing our eyes? Perhaps we should burn our toothbrushes and toothpastes this very instant, for these help to mask the very odour that is ‘natural’ in all of us. If we want to go in the direction of ‘natural’ beauty, should we perhaps not be hypocrites in disregarding that what we do every day without much thought, is actually defying ‘natural’ beauty? (I ask lots of questions because this is a technique to engage the audience, and to make them think. I also give lots of imagery to help the audience imagine better) Yes, perhaps by altering your looks, that is a real transgression of God’s gift to us, but even the littlest of acts, such as brushing your teeth for oral hygiene, could be construed as a transgression. God has intended for us humans to be smelly and dirty, as a result of our own biological functions. Shall we then celebrate our own smelliness and dirtiness?

I am a natural beauty.

(This is an extension of my rebuttal above. I use a different example. Please take note that you can split the paragraph up if it is too long and if you use more than 1 example. You just need to make sure they everything flows well.) Let me give you another powerful imagery to show just how skewed ‘natural’ is, in this case. Babies usually have nice skin and when they begin to develop teeth, their teeth are white and healthy. Do you see a baby on his back kicking his feet in the air with a bad case of pimples brimming with pus waiting to erupt? Do see a baby on his back kicking his feet in the air with black, decaying teeth? Do you smell the horrible aroma of rotting teeth when you tickle a baby and he laughs in your face? No, you do not. If babies do turn out to be a picture of acne and decaying teeth, it is most likely their doing, rather than God’s doing. Yet, when that person attempts to rectify her problem by perhaps going for intensive acne treatments, or simply by going to the dentist to fix her teeth, or even getting braces to align her teeth, we call her vain. Although we do not condemn her as outrightly as we would have if she had gone for plastic surgery, we still bestow the title of a “vain pot” on that person. Why? Should we accept our acne, complete with pulsating pus, and our horrible black teeth? What is wrong in wanting nice skin and teeth? Are acne and decaying teeth something that we should even be proud of? Are people with acne and decaying teeth the epitome of ‘natural’ beauty, then?

 

To my future wife: I love you, but I will not go for any acne treatment because I love to be natural. I can't wait for the next 60 years with you, baby.



(This is my first point) If the debate on what is ‘natural’ or ‘artificial’ beauty exists in the first place, it means that humans are taking personal responsibility over how they look. Braces, teeth whitening, fake lashes, hair highlights, Botox and a new nose – these are all different extremes of altering or enhancing one’s looks. If you want to condemn the new nose, you should also condemn everything else that precedes it in the list. Basically, all these just show that humans are dissatisfied with how they look and they attempt to look closer to their goal by making changes to themselves. Is this really so bad? If a man born into a poor family, works very hard to better himself, we praise him. We certainly do not encourage him to accept and celebrate, even, his state of poverty. We all love those rags to riches stories. Yet we are not as comfortable with the ugly duckling to beautiful swan stories. In both situations, however, dissatisfaction in the present condition leads to a personal goal, which in turn, results in action. Are we then, not hypocrites when we are quick to give a standing ovation to he who manages to rise above his poor lineage, but jeer he who decides to revamp how he looks?

(This is my second point) It is also an indisputable fact that our appearance plays a huge role in either boosting our confidence, or dampening it. Surely our self-confidence should take precedence over this necessity to adhere to an unyielding standard of ‘natural’ beauty? If you absolutely hate your crooked teeth, and you do nothing about it because you do not want to be labelled negatively, you will not be receiving an award certifying that you are a natural beauty anytime anyway. If you absolutely hate your flat nose, even the self-knowledge that you should not do anything about it because it is God’s will, will not stop you from wincing each time you look in the mirror. Surely your own happiness and your own self-confidence should override this silly adherence to all things natural?

(This is an extension of my second point) It really is undeniable, that artificial beauty does boost our self-confidence. If you look in the mirror and even you wince at the sight of yourself, how do you celebrate that beauty when people all around you are praising others for looking beautiful? Would you rather be deemed as the ugly duckling not worth talking about except to be made fun of or would you rather be deemed as that cute girl next door? It is not really about what you have, but how else you can enhance it. We all want to appear that bit smarter than what we actually are, we want to appear funnier than we really are. There is nothing wrong in that.

(This is my conclusion. Notice that I do not end with your usual way of 'In conclusion' or 'in a nutshell') Paul Cobra once said, “A great man is not born great. He works towards it.” (This is the right way to quote. I completely made up that guy's name and the quote) Before we decide that people who have had plastic surgery should be banished from this face of Earth, perhaps we should re-evaluate our notion of ‘natural’, and perhaps, too, we should acknowledge that these people, whom we are quick to condemn, are actually worthy of praise because they are the ones who bothered to change their circumstances instead of merely accepting everything that came their way.  

In the above essay, I have been quite experimental with my format. Usually teachers give you a particular format to make sure you write enough, but for those who are already proficient, you can be more flexible (in this case, I started off with my rebuttal). Also, I had extended elaboration, so in total, I had one rebuttal, and 2 points. I do this only because my elaboration is really in depth and covers a lot of dimensions. If yours is short, then it has to be 3 points and 1 rebuttal.

In everything that you do, you need to be very aware of your purpose. An argumentative essay is just like a debate. If you disagree with a particular statement, you need to be aware that your role is to really, really rebut that statement. In this case, I disagreed with 'artificial beauty should be condemned.' In each and every of my paragraph, I am actively rebutting why it SHOULD NOT be condemned.

I also used relevant examples that helped you to think, and the purpose is ultimately, at the end of the essay, to make you agree with me. So please be aware of your purpose, because if you are not, it shows, and therefore your argumentative essay will just seem like a discursive essay. Please re-read the essay again, to take note of everything that I have mentioned.

 

Vocabulary List 1

Heya! Let's do a simple recap - we have learnt quite a few new (to some of you) words in class 2 weeks ago. They are:
(1) discombobulated by
(2) prophetically
(3) facade
(4) aloof
(5) sieved out
(6) lethal
(7) infiltrated
(8) surreal

Today we are going to fit in 7 more words into your brain. (because a research shows anything more than 7, and your brains get overworked) :)

(1) I did not believe in the rigid school system with its unyielding (means inflexible) rules. I had no regard for authority and would often come to school late just to miss the morning reading period that I so detested. I also did not bother much with homework, and I reckoned that my teachers would be much too busy to chase me on a daily basis. I was right. Within two weeks of being a junior in the school, my reputation as a recalcitrant (continually disobedient with no regard for authority) child grew.

(2) I remembered that I hated my principal. She was a bespectacled woman of fifty, with piercing eyes that seemed to penetrate into your soul. I absolutely abhorred (regarded with contempt) her draconian (means harsh. However, you can only use 'draconian' to describe a method or a system) methods of punishing recalcitrant students.

(3) She would make us stay in school after our lessons and wash the school toilets for her. She seemed to take perverse pleasure (these 2 words go together. It means wicked pleasure) in watching us, behind her black spectacles, on our knees scrubbing away at her personal toilet in the General Office.

(4) Truth be told, her toilet was the worst of the lot. It  reeked (smells) of the potent (powerful. used to describe an odour or stench in this case) combination of stale urine and the odour of ripe papayas. I got the impression that she would sit at home and consume large quantities of papayas at night. Since they were in excess, the smell still lingered in the urine. Having seen (and smelled, even) her personal toilet and having formed these judgements of her, I could never maintain a straight face when I saw her.

Have fun with these 7 new words/terms. Remember, you need to try them yourself so that your brain can store them into active working memory! :))

Spoken Interaction Thematic Approach 2- Sports

The different angles to look at:

(1)   Individual sports vs group sports

(2)   Competitive vs leisure sports

                                                          

The capitalised words are some of the thematic vocabulary for this topic. Your 3 questions for today are:

(1) Think about one sport that you do. Why do you take it up?
(2) What are some sports that teenagers these days like to do?
(3) A competition is not always about winning. Do you agree?

If you would just stand in front of the mirror and answer these 3 questions just once, while simultaneously incorporating the relevant thematic vocabulary, you will be more likely to remember them and reproduce them during an actual conversation between you and the examiner. Try it - remember, your daily 10-minute dose of English goes a long way in helping you :))

Heya, my apologies for the lack of update today. Been a super busy weekend, so I'll have two entries tomorrow to make it up. FYI, you will be receiving your June holidays schedule tomorrow. You will see that there is EL remedial slated for 5 June 2013, 9-10.30am. This is compulsory for the following students - Wea Wen, Wei Xian, Vui Kee, Yi Dan, Zhen Li, Jin Kiat, Han Qiang, Amirrul. I am also leaving it open for students who want a consultation. However, you would have to inform me in advance.

Please also watch this space for updates about that O Level English course that you signed up for, because I would need to hear from the organisers first. Don't worry, money will be refunded in the event IF the course does not happen for whatever reason. :)

Spoken Interaction Thematic Approach 1 - Children with Special Needs

Hi, my lovelies! I have a special treat for all of you who are dying for some fast romance!

I was sitting in Macdonald's by myself, uploading the blog and very much engrossed in my plugged in music when this Macdonald's waitress, who looked barely a day past 16 years, passed me this piece of paper saying that her 'friend' (she gestured to empty air) asked her to pass me this. When I scanned the area discreetly, all Macdonald's staff look like juvenile deliquents hoping to earn a fast buck and when I looked at the paper, it was a Malaysia number. Nice. The calibre of young men falling in love with me at first sight is becoming better and better. So I thought, why not share it with you guys, seeing that you are single and ready to mingle? *Insert mad grin* Please do not sms crude things to this poor malaysian boy ok, or worse, give my number!

On to today's lesson -

Spoken Interaction not only tests you on how well you speak, but rather, how you develop your ideas, and how you infuse your own personal response into it. Prior general knowledge is needed; otherwise you will seem like someone who is out of touch with this world. In today’s lesson, we will look at all the possible angles dealing with children with special needs in Singapore.

Possible questions that you must answer by the end of today’s lesson:

(1)   What are your thoughts about more and more special needs students joining mainstream schools?

(2)   Describe how you feel when you see someone whom you know clearly has a special need, either in your school or in public.

(3)   'The way to an enlightened society is by education'. Do you agree that if more Singaporeans are educated on people with special needs in Singapore, people will be kinder to them?

Students with special needs in Singapore:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia. (please do your research on what people of these disorders exhibit)

Not every child with a special need can enter a Special Education School (SPED) because of the long waiting lists. As a result, there are special needs students entering a mainstream school from young. There are also those who were initially deemed as ‘normal’ but later diagnosed as having a special need when they are in the mainstream school.

The number of special needs children in mainstream schools has doubled from 5000 to 10, 000 in the last five years.

Challenges of special needs students in mainstream schools:

(1)   Not all mainstream schools have allied educators who are specialised in special needs. Normal teachers may not have the knowledge themselves, to recognise a student with a real special need, and to help them.

(2)   The other normal students are very unkind. Children and youths love to harp on differences between one another and because students with special needs are obviously different, they may be the subject of much unwanted attention and bullying. The root cause of this is a lack of understanding as well as insensitivity. While a lack of understanding can be overcome by education, sensitivity is something hard to culture.

(3)   Children with special needs more often than not cannot cope with the regular curriculum as well as the teachers’ teaching styles because the teacher’s teaching is usually pitched towards the needs of the class.

(4)   Children with special needs may experience a lot of problem in communication and other social skills. They often do not have social awareness and cannot fit in.

(5)   Some parents of special needs students deliberately placed their children in mainstream schools because they are in denial themselves, about their children’s condition. Most find it a source of shame, and to avoid the social stigma of a SPED school, they try to ‘normalise’ their children by sending them to mainstream schools. These parents usually have the same expectations for their special needs children as they do towards normal children, and this will cause great stress to these children.

The underlined words are the thematic vocabulary that you are expected to produce for such a conversation. Can you jot down your responses to the 3 questions above on a piece of foolscap paper? After that, please stand in front of the mirror, have eye contact with yourself in the mirror, smile (not too retardedly) and answer the 3 questions you ask yourself.

 You must do this from today, to be truly comfortable. Better still, record yourself to hear yourself. Your prelims 1 marks weren't too fantastic because oral wasn't included, the way it would be for prelims 2. You would then see quite a change in your marks. Therefore, for those already good in oral, make yourselves impeccable and for those struggling, there is time for you to get a decent grade, but only if you start now! :)

xoxo

 

Persuasive language in expository writing or Spoken Interaction (1)

How do you chalk up your marks for writing and speaking? Yes, nothing beats the accuracy of your sentences. However, it is also how you write or speak, right down to your choice of sentence utterance and your choice of words.

I am going to demonstrate using a paragraph that elaborates on how if mothers were to work, their children will be negatively affected.

(1)   It is perplexing, indeed, that so many mothers are working away from home, at the detriment of their own children.

(2)   It is baffling, indeed, that so many mothers are working away from home, at the detriment of their own children.

(3)   It is disconcerting, indeed, that so many mothers are working away from home, at the detriment of their own children.

(4)   It is of paramount importance that mothers stay at home to be with their young children.

(5)   It is of utmost importance that mothers stay at home to be with their young children.

(6)   Although one might argue that caregivers can also care for the children while mothers are away at work in the day, it is an uncontested fact (undeniable) that young children do need to feel their mothers’ presence all the time.

(7)   The role of the mother not just as the person who takes care of all of her children’s needs but one who also makes them feel secure and wanted cannot be underestimated.

(8)   Researchers who study early childhood development have all unanimously agreed that if the mother stays at home for the first five years of a child’s life, the child has a 67% greater chance of turning out to be a confident and secure adult.

(9)   Therefore, need I stress why it is such a perplexing fact that a whopping 62% of the world’s mothers are working full-time?

(10)  Yes, I am cognizant (aware) of the fact that some families need both parents to work, but I beg to differ that this should even be a reason to begin with. Couples should re-assess their financial situation as well as their commitment in starting a family before conceiving because the ramification (consequence) of the mother working and not being with the child is dire (serious).

There are 15 examples of persuasive language here. Can you do the same by using
-at least 7 phrases (for the LA)
-at least 10 phrases (for the HA)

You are to elaborate on the point that the presence of a large number of elderly people has caused a financial strain on families.
Please remember that while this exercise serves to build up on your persuasive language vocabulary, nothing still beats accuracy in your tenses, SVA and sentence structure. Happy learning! :))