Cambridge IGCSE™ English Student’s Book (Collins Cambridge IGCSE™) 9780008262006, 9780008481377

Table of contents :
Cover
Introduction
Chapter 1: Key reading skills
Chapter 2: Key technical skills
Chapter 3: Key writing forms
Chapter 4: Writing for purpose
Chapter 5: Comprehension
Chapter 6: Summary writing
Chapter 7: Analysing language
Chapter 8: Extended response to reading and directed writing
Chapter 9: Composition
Chapter 10: Approaching written coursework
Chapter 11: Approaching speaking and listening
Chapter 12: Practice papers and guidance
Glossary
Acknowledgements

Citation preview

™

Cambridge IGCSE

English

STUDENT’S BOOK

™

Also for Cambridge IGCSE

SeriesEditor:

KeithBrnidleJul, aiBurchell,

SteveEddyMi,ekGouldandIanKirby

(9–1)

JuaiBlurchell

William Collins’ dream of knowledge for all began with the publication of his

i

f

rst book in 1819.

A self-educated mill ,worker he not only enriched millions of lives, but also

founded a ourishing fl publishing,house. oday stayingTtrue to this spirit,

Collins books are packed with inspiration, innovation and practical expertise.

They place you at the centre of a world of possibility and give you exactly

what you need to explore it.

Collins. Freedom to teach.

Published by Collins

Publishers

An imprint of HarperCollins

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1 London Bridge Street

London

SE1 9GF

Browse the complete Collins catalogue at

www.collins.co.uk

Publishers

© HarperCollins

Limited 2018

eWwould like to thank the following teachers for reviewing

chapters of the book as it was developed:

abinda TShoaib, ELC Inter national School, Selangor , Malaysia;

Catherine Franklin, The British School of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

Amanda Rundle, Girls’ College, Bulawayo, South Africa; Amelia

reproduced, stored in aetrieval r system, or transmitted in any

Kellerman, Village Montessori School, Centurion, South Africa;

form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,

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recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of

Africa; Kate Martin, Acorn Academy , Cornwall, UK; Naomi

the Publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying in the

Hursthouse, Steyning Grammar School, UK.

United Kingdom issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd.,

All exam-style questions and sample answers in this title were

Barnard’ s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1EN.

written by the authors. In examinations, the way marks are

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

awarded may be different.

A catalogue record for this publication is available om fr the

British Library .

Series Editor: Julia Burchell

Keith Brindle, Authors: Julia Burchell, Steve,Eddy Mike Gould,

Ian Kirby

Project manager: Sonya Newland

Development editor: Sonya Newland

Commissioning editor: Catherine Martin

In-house editors: Hannah Dove, Helena Becci, Natasha Paul

Copyeditor: Catherine Dakin

Proofreader: Kim er Vnon

Cover designer: Gordon MacGilp

Cover illustrator: Maria Herbert-Liew

y

T

pesetter: Jouve India Private Limited

Production controller: Tina Paul

eBook Edition © May 2021

Source ISBN 9780008262006

E-Book ISBN 9780008481377

Version: 2021-04-08

Cenot s

Introduction

5

SECTION 1:

Chapter 1:

BUILDING KEY SKILLS

yKe reading

1 . 1

1.2

skils

7

L ocating information:

skimming

L ocating information:

scanning

1.3

S e l e c ti ng information

1.4

Synthesis

8

1 . 1 0

41

1.5

Explicit m eaning

Implicit meaning: c h a r a c te r

7.1

I mplicit meani n g : s e t ti ng

A nalysing an d evaluating

4 0

Un d e r s t a n ding the form and p u r p o s e o f

1 . 13

D educing th e audience

d i f fe r e n t t e x t s

28

42

4 6

Checkyourp r o g r e s s

50

32

Chapter 2:eyKtechnical skils

1

2.

15

o Vc ab u l a r y

and word clas s e s

52

Accurate s e n t e n c e s

2 . 2

56

e n Ts e s a n d v e r b a g r e e m e n t

2 . 3

3 8

1 . 12

20

24

Emotive la n g u a g e

81.

36

Recognising f a c t , opinion and bias

1 . 1

61

6.1

S e n s o r y la n g u a g e

91.

01

58

2 . 4

S e n t e n c e p u n c t u a ti on

2.5

Re p o r t e d and direc t s p e e c h

6 0

2.6

Accurate use of p aragraphs

2.7

Paragraph

2.8

Proofreading

2.9

Audience and

1 . 20

oice V

6 4

co h e s i o n

6 8

07

levels of formalit y

and role

67

Check your pro g r e s s

8 0

66

Chapter 3:eyKwriting forms

18

Conventions

o f s p e e ch e s a n d t al k s

3.2

Conventions

of interviews

3.3

Conventions

of diaries and journals

3.4

Conventions

of report s

1 . 3

82

Conventions

3.5

8 6

8 8

Conventions

3.6

9 0

92

o f l e t te r s

9 6

Check your pro g r e s s

9 8

99

Writing to inform and e xplain

4 . 2

St r u c turing informative writing

4 . 3

Writing to per s u a d e

4 . 4

S t r u c turing p e r s u a s i o n

4 . 5

Writing to argue

01 0

021

01 4

4.7

Writing to explore and discu s s

4 . 8

St r u c turing content in dis c u r s i ve writing

0 1

41

61

1

1

D e s c r i p tive w riting

4.9

01 6

01 4 .

20 1

Narrative w riting

01 8

xhepatrgatnm ruegapragni rutrusctS ts

64.

of news rep o r t s and magazine

a r t ic l e s

Chapter 4: Writing for purpose

1 4 .

72

24 1

Check your pro g r e s s

28 1

1

SECTION 2:YING APPLKEY SKILLS

Chapter 5: Comprehension

291

Locating an d s e l e c ti ng information

1 . 5

3 01

Pr a c ti c e q u e s ti o n s a n d s am p l e r e s p o n s e s

5.3

Literal and inferre d meanings

5.2

3 41

Chapter 6: Summary writing

question focus

414

S e l e c t ing and orderin g main points

6.2

6.3

Writing a summary

6.4

Pr a c ti c e q u e s ti o n s a n d s am p l e r e s p o n s e s

4 16

Check your pro g r e s s

Chapter 7: Analysing language

1

.

7

4 21

43 1

I d e n t i f ying and selec tin g according to the

1 . 6

3 81

Check your pro g r e s s

5 01

5 14

5 81

591

egnt inaylnom eysdnagnlaim dIysfernit s

60 1

.

7

2

E xplaining t h e s u g g e s tions that words

can create

6 12

3 Content s

.

7

3

I d e n t i f ying the writer ’scraf t

.

7

4

A nalysing th e w r i t e rs’ c r a f t

61 4

5.7

6 18

Chapter 8: Extended response to

reading and directed writing

8.6

to reading questions

8

.

2

178

E x t e n d e d

g a t h e r i n g

r e s p o n s e

t o

7.8

i n f o r m a t i o n

18 2

8 . 8

81 4

8.9

s :gnidaerExten ot peosdnresgnirutruct

91 6

9 1gniptsuceritrw sr d8i:reurieoDrcytugtnoens

Pr a c ti c e q u e s ti o n s a n d s am p l e r e s p o n s e s:

to reading

E xam-s tyle

202

q u e s t io n s a n d s a m p l e r e s p o n s e s:

d i r e c ted writing

eponsera

8 81

qgni t intUcw edreodirsntuaegsndi

8.5

Di r e c ted writing: analysing and evaluating

e x t e n d e d response

a convincing role

8.4

67 1

text s

r e a d i n g :

E x t e n d e d r e s p o n s e to reading: d eveloping

8 . 3

07 1

71

Understanding extended response

8.1

Pr a c ti c e q u e s ti o n s a n d s am p l e r e s p o n s e s

Check your pro g r e s s

20 8

Check your pro g r e s s

4 12

29 1

Chapter 9: Composition

512

Un d e r s t a n ding compositio n t a s k s

1 . 9

9.2

Planning ideas fo r a d e s criptive ta s k

9.3

St r u c tu r i n g d e s cription creatively

9.4

U sing the sens es and ima g e r y in

6 12

81 2

2 20

9.5

N arrative writin g : s t r u c ture

a n d d e t a li

96.

Narrative writing: characterisation

7.9

Pr a c ti c e q u e s ti o n s a n d s am p l e r e s p o n s e s:

2 26

23 0

composition t a s k s

d e s c r i p t ive writing

2 24

232

Check your pro g r e s s

24 0

SECTION 3:YING APPL KEY SKILLS IN COURSEWORK

Chapter 10: Approaching written coursework

1

124

10.

D eveloping pe r s o n a l w riting

10.2

A pproaching A s s i g nment1:

discuss,

24 2

10.6

Writing to

a r g u e a n do/ r p e r su a d e

10.3

A s s i gnment1:

10.4

A pproaching A s s i g nment 2: Writing

Responding

24

to a text

4

10.7

24 6

10.8

252

A s s i gnment 2: Writin g a d e s criptive tex t

A

s s i g n m e n t

25 8

3 :

D e v e l o p i n g

n a r r a tive

w r i t i n g

to

describe

10.5

A pproaching A s s i g nment 3: Narrative

writing

10.9

25 4

26 0

D r a f ti ng and improving your work

26 4

Coursework- s t y l e

t a s k s an d r e s p o n s e s

26 6

Check your pro g r e s s

257

SECTION 4: SPEAKING AND LISTENING

Chapter 1:Approaching 1 speaking and listening

72

U sing the right languag e

1 . 1 1

278

7 . 11

Choosing and re searching a p r e s e n t a t ion

2.11

topic

28 2

3.11

St r u c turing your pres entation

4.11

Engaging you r audience

8.11

28 6

seeing implications an d

9 . 11

29 0

Preparing for conve r s a t ion

29 4

D eveloping and supp o r t ing ideas with

dence

confi

28 8

D eveloping a role

5 . 11

6 . 11

Re s p o n d i n g to t a l k ,

paraphrasing

Pr a c ti c e t a s k s

and sample res p o n s e s

29 6

29 8

Check your pro g r e s s

30 4

292

SECTION 5: EX AM PRA C TIC E

Chapter 12: Practice papers and guidance

1

12.

305

A n introduc tio n to Practi ce Paper 1

30 6

12.2

A n introduc tio n to Practi ce Paper 2

3 13

Glossary

7 13

Acknowled gements

913

™

4 C a m b r i d g e

I G C S E

E n g l i s h

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Section 1: Building key skills

Section 1

introduces you to the fundamental skills that you will use throughout your course.

Understanding these underlying skills will enable you to tackle a range of different tasks in

Sections 2 to 5.

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5 I n t r o duct ion

Section 3: Appl

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Se

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Section 4: Speaking and listening

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c t

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Section 5: Exam practice

Se

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Julia Burchell

Series Editor

™

6 C a m b r i d g e

I G C S E

E n g l i s h

S t u d e n t s’

B o o k

and

r

Key re a d i n g

s k i l l s

1

In this chapter , you will develop a range of

fundamental reading skills that you can us e

throughout your Cam b r i d g e I G C SE course.

uoY will learn how to

•

skim and scan to locate information

•

s e l e c t information

•

u n d e r s t a n d explicit meanings

•

s y n t h e s i s e information

•

infer implicit meanings ab out charac ter and

s e t t i ng

•

identify

emotive and sen s o r y l anguage

•

recognise , analyse and evaluate fac t s , o pinions

and bias

•

d e t e c t the form, purpo s e , s t yle and audience

of text s .

On their own, some of the s kills may se em

simple, but reme mber that they are building

blocks to completing larger and more complex

Links to other chapters:

t a s k s l ater on. For example:

Chapter 5: Comprehension

•

t a s k s t hat ask you to find a word or phras e

Chapter 6: Summar y writing require you to ski m , s c a n and selec t

information

Chapter 7: Analysing language

•

t a s k s t hat ask you to ex plain or put somethin g

E x t eChapter n d e d 8:r e s p o n s e

into your own word s draw on your ability to

to reading and dire c t e d

u n d e r s t a n d explicit or implicit meanin g s

writing

•

t a s k s t hat ask you to re tell or reus e a t e x t in a

Chapter 9: Compo sition

more succinc t way require you to s y n t h e s i se.

7

oT pic 1

Chapter 1 .

Locatingonrfi mona:tiskm im ngi

Therearet woways to fi ndinfor mta ioninatext. The fi rst

Toptip

miks

scan andthesecondisto

is to

.

skim

Remember what

in everydaylanguage: when

we say that an insect skims

Explore the skills

the water we mean that it

just goes along the surface.

uoY use skimming and scanning skills in everyday life as well as

uoY do not have to read every

study. For example, you may skim and scan to fi

n d information

word of the text.

from a train time table or from websites .

means reading th e w h o l e t e x t quickly, to get an overall

Skimming

p i c t ure of what it is about. Eve n a v e r y quick skim- read can tell

you a great deal abou t a t e x t .

coVabulary

S kim the following e x t r a c t f r o m the openin g chapter of

1

the ability to

intuition:

No. 1 Ladies D e t e c tive Agency

The

by Alexander Mc Call

sense thin gs about p eople

Smith, then ans wer the que stions below.

and situations

instin c t ively

M m a R a m o t s we had a detec tive a g e n c y in Africa, at the foot of Kgale Hill. The se were it s a s s e t s:

a tiny white van , t w o d e s k s , two chair s , a telephone, and an old ty pewriter . Then there wa s a

teapot, in which Mma Ramots we – the only la dy private d e t e c t ive in Bots wana – brewe d redbush

tea. And three mugs – one fo r h e r s e ,l fone for her secr e t a r, yand one for the clie n t . W h a t else

does a dete c t i ve a g e n c y really need? Detec tive agencies rely on human

and intellige nce,

intuition

both of which Mma R a m o t s we had in abundance. N o inventor y would ever includ e those, of

course.

But there was also the view, which again could ap pear on no inve n t o .r yHow could any such

l i s t d e s cribe what one saw whe n one looke d out from Mma R a m o t s we’s door o ?the T front, an

acacia tree , the thorn tree w hich dots the wide edg es of the Kalahari; the great white thorns, a

warning; the oliv e - grey

leaves,

by contras t , s o delicate. In its bran c h e s , in the late af ternoon, or in

the cool of the early m orning, one might see a Go -Away Bird, or hear it, rather . And beyo nd the

acacia, over the dus t y road, the roofs of the town under a cover of trees and scrub bus h; on the

horizon , in a blue shimmer of heat, likeimprobable, ove rgrown termite m o u n d s .

From

a)

W h a t t y pe of tex t i s ?this

b)

Where is it set?

c)

Does the pas sage feature a characte ?r

d)

Is this pa s s a g e f u l o f a c?tion

e)

What is the purpose of thi s t e x?t

f)

I s a s tr o n g a t titude or me s s a g e b e in g p r e s e n ted by the

text?

S e c t i o n

8

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

The No. 1 Ladies D e t e c t i v e A g e n c y

by Alexander M cCall Smith

means

.1

1

g)

Is this pas sage ver y d escripti?ev

h)

Do you get a se nse of what might happen ne x t / later?

Build the skills

uoY may need to skim a text in order to be come familiar with it so

that you can ans w e r q u e s tions about i t .

2

Would you now know where in the pa s s a g e t o look if you

had to resp ond to the following, mo re specifi

c , t a s ?k s

a)

D e s c r i b e the kind of vege tation near M m a R a m o t s we’s

o f f i ce.

b)

D o e s M m a R a m o t s we employ any s t a f f ?

c)

W h a t s o r t of woman is Mma Ramot w se?

Develop the skills

S o m e t i m e s a t e x t may be too lon g or complex to skim in one go.

In this case , it helps to give each paragraph a heading.

3

Reread the extr a c t . What h eadings would you give to its

two paragraphs ? Do the headings make it easier or harde r

to answer t h e q u e s tionsains kT2?

4

In the passage, both paragraphs could be annotated to

show that they cont ain two s e t s of information. W hat

would you write and where?

Appl y the skills

5

A nswer th e three ques tionsa ins kT 2 in full se n t e n c e s , as if

approaching pa r t of a comprehen s i o n q u e s tion.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Quickly skim- read the te x t to unders tand what it is about.

✔

Use annotation s and heading s to identif y the content of

each paragraph.

✔

Use these annotations to locate the information you ne e d

to answer t h e q u e s ti o n s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

9

oT pic 2

Chapter 1 .

Locatingonrfi tm a :noi

scannig

S c a n n i n g i s t he r e a d i n g s k i l l t h at y ou u s e a f t er you

h a v e s k i m me d t h e t e x t . S c a n n i n g m e a n s l o o k i n g f o r

p a r t ic u l a r d e t a i l s o r i n f or m a t i o n .ouY d i p i n a n d ou t ,

Toptip

r e a d i n g c e r t a i n w o r d s or p h r a s e s c l o s e l y t o c h e c k

I n e v e r yday life, scanning is

w h e t h e r t h e y a r e u s e f u l o r n ot .

like fishing around in your

sock drawer lo oking for the

other half of a matching pair!

Explore the skills

In real life, you sc an when you are looking for s omething

p a r t icular – for example, the cost of an item or the clo sing date

Key term

for an application. o doT this, you firs t decide what you are

looking ,for then find some thing that fit s that requirement.

a convers ation

dialogue:

b e t w e e n t wo or more

1

Copy and complete the table below by matching each

people in a pie ce of writin g

numbered box with a lettered box .

Information yo u

Text

What you would sc an for

need

cinema home

1

show times

A

the words

donate

,

; o r t y pes of information:

giving

how you can help, an a d d r e s s , telephone numbe , r

page

t e x t n um b e r

take- away menu

2

their email addr e s s

B

for example, their nam e , a d j e c tives near their

name, pieces of

a d v e r t for a

3

Zumba class

i n s t r u c tor

a charity leaflet

a novel

the name of the

C

4

how to donate

D

5

quotes about a

E

c h a r a c te r

a receipt

6

dialogue

the words

S e c t i o n

01

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

,

shoes

the price of a pair

F

pleased to inf orm you

the phrase

G

footwear

or the word

a word beginning with a capital or the words

i n s t r u c t or

did I get the ?job

,

the @ symbol

,

refund

7

boots

regret

o f b o o t s to get a

a l e t te r

that they are in

numbers in time format

teacher

,

led by

.2

1

Build the skills

Toptip

Remember that scanning

em numsym ealueorsoyafoiu,dyto,ytsgnrtdpanoeW ietch

is the reading version of

foetehntodeietsatytm ealrainocawrifntcesalefihsuctorsr

matching sock s , s o yo u n e e d

m eei tlowheevhcaethrdiadteonrfoym taYo euce.ginpiat diewrt

to look carefully at the one

noi tmarofnTofidieene.nhuoytiagnda,ext

nacs

.

in your hand befo re you can

The clue is always in theeyk words of the ques tion. Loo k at the

i

f

n d i t s p. a i r

following ques tion.

S e l e c t four unpleasant a s p e c t s of the narrator’s h o u s e.

Here,

unpleasant

and

the narrator’s house

are the key w o r d s .

F i r s t , you nee d to ‘unpick’ the word

unpleasant

.

unpleasant = not nice,wouldbe uncomfortable to live with,

would make dailyelifhard

Then make a mental che cklist of what you are looking for:

•

I am looking for d etails about a building.

•

I am going to be s canning mainly for comme n t s a b o u t it that

Key terms

do not sound nice.

•

I should look out for descriptive det ails (

adjectives

/

adverbs

) a d j e c t i v e s:

words that

with negative mean i n g s . d e s c r i b e nouns (‘the

red

c a, ‘rt’h e

closed

shop’)

A s y ou scan, your brain will a s k i t s elf whether the words you are

reading fi

t the checklis t .

adverbs:

describ e a verb

(usually an action)

Here is the ex tra c t t hat goes with t h e q u e s tion.

I live in a corner of [the cit …]yin[ a cramped

h u n d r e d - square -fo ot shack whichhas(a)nonatural

light or (b) no ventilation, with a corru g a t e d m e t al

s h e e t s e r ving as a roof over my head. It vibrates

violently whenever a train pas ses ove rhead. There

is no running wate r and no sanitation. This is all

I c a n a f ford. But I am not alone].[…There are a

million pe ople like me, packe d in a two - h un d r e d -

h e c t a r e triangle of swampy urban wasteland,

where we live likeanimals and die lik e inse c t s .

D e s t i t u te migrants from all over the country jostle

with each other for

their own handful

of sky

in[the

world’s ] bigges t slum. Th ere are daily squabbles

– over inches of space, over a bucke t of water –

which at times turn deadly.

From

Q&A

by Vikas Swa r u p

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

1 1

oT pic 2

Chapter 1 .

2

s e toebthl pcmeuoiolcbhyw adtnsap,ehwtloyteptflhioC

aerchnpetendhmneotatsrsfrwfseiodfsreoewhs

A&Q

on s i d.nat naesdvei cl etdarhwot11 naeorgattxpce

Words read

Is this ab out

Are the wo r d s u s e d

a ho use?

unpleasant?

Other thoughts

I live in a corner of

no,about anarea

corner sounds like a

[the c i t]y

trap – not nice

in a

yes, ‘in’suggestswe

are going to get a

description of a house

next

cramped

yes, means too small

forcomfo r t

h u n d r e d - s quare-fo o t

yes,aboutits size

I am used to a bigger

room so I would not like

this

shack

anotherword fora

thisword means

house

not well made or

temporary , so yes

which has (a)no

natural light

or (b)

ventilatio n

with a corrugated

m e t a l s h e e t s e r ving as

a roof over my head

It vibrates

violently

whenever a train

passes ove rhead

There is no running

water

and no sanitation

S e c t i o n

21

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.2

1

Develop the skills

Scannightereohstefsnetknohauertw nedyclsuwodylarsil

iyofphuel ndhtceorcnfioetlm rcasioasiTtnh.dunisghte

contepsaxt. irtI cu miytalpror tanntaeislc eviustmmawhen yr,

um sonhytoaufivem rsioarintonapcuialrpstectofatext.

Usethewhoari eslcotnecfyfact nom friouniatslchta,se

personorpalcebenigdescbried.

H ow could you us e the whole

3

sentence below to work out the

specifi

c meaning of the word

migrants

?

D e s t i t u te migrants from all over the country jostle with each

other for their ow n handful of sk yin[the world’s ] bigges t

slum.

Appl y the skills

S o m e t i m e s you will nee d to skim a whole sentence or paragraph

in order to ide n t i f y the gist , or a ge neral feeling. ou will Y then go

back to scan for the words that are key to creating this ef f e c t . This

i s p a r ticularly useful when approaching ques tions that look at

how writers achieve effe c t s .

U se the strategies that you have learned to scan fo r

4

relevant information to answer the following qu e s t i o n

about the ex tra c t o n page .1 1

Howdoesthewritersuggest thatfilesinoteas yforthe

?oartnar

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Use the key words in the qu e s t i o n to help you decide what

is relevant and what is not.

✔

Find relevant, s h o r t w o r d s , p h r a s e s or detail s that answer

t h e q u e s t io n .

✔

Make sure that you under s t a n d the precise meaning of

each word, phrase or de tail by loo king at the conte x t of

the whole senten ce around it.

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

31

Chapter 1 .

oT pic 3

Selectginoifr tm a noi

O n c e y o u h a v e t he g i s t o f a t e x t ( sk i m m e d ) a n d h a v e

locate d t h e i n f or m a t ion you n e e d (s c a n n e d ) , y o u ne e d

select

what i n f o r m at io n t o u s e .

to

Explore the skills

Select

most relev ant

only the

1

information.

Read the following qu e s t i o n a n d e x tr a c t . Then ide n t i f y the

u n n e c e s s a r y material in the t wo sample answer s below.

Nametwoaspect sofPor tugatlhatJackPetcheywante d

otherstoexperience.

nI1970 45- year- old Jack Petchey stood on a hilltop overlooking one of th e m o s t b eautiful bays on

P o r t u gal’s Algar v e and envisage d a time wh en people would come and mar vel at the same view,

walk on those w h i t e - gold s ands and s wim in that pe r f e c t sea – and they would do it all from th e

c o m f o r t of a luxury holiday reso r t c o m p l e x .

From

e P

tchey wanted people t ohave his experience of the white-gold sands and to swim in the perfect

sea. He wanted them to ‘marvel at the view’ .

P e t c h e y liked th e hi ll abov e a l ovely ba y a n d t h e a m a zi n g v i ew t h a t h e w a s enjoyin g

s o h e w a n t ed to sh a r e i t .

Toptip

Build the skills

Being concise and using your

Look at the two sample answers to thi s q u e s t ion.

own words are impor t a n t in

summary and directed writing

WhatmadeJackPetcheydecdietobudliCubl Pr?aaidaOura tasks. Simply copying out

sentences from the passage

wilmake your response

.weaker

eJack tchey P decided to build the clubbecause he enjoyed

that part of the Algarvecoast and he wanted other people to

be able to enjoy it too.

41 S e c t i o n

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

P - L e isure Magazine

.3

1

Toptip

J a c k P e t c h e y d e c i d e d to bu i l d t h e c lub be c a u s e one d a y h e

w a s out f or a walk a n d t h e v i e w rem i n d ed him h ow l ovel y it Never include descriptive

w a s on the b e a c h a n d in th es e a a n d h e w a n t ed o t h er people

detail, examples, anecdotes or

quotations in a short answer to be a b l e to d oi t too s o t h ey n ee d e d s o m e w h ere t o st ay.

or a response to a summary

question.

U sing the st a t e m e n t s below, fi

2

nd examples of what makes

one answer m o r e e f fe c t ive than the other .

•

It removes specifi

c examples.

•

It removes

descriptive det ail.

•

It ignores irrelevant additional detai l s .

•

It combines d i f ferent examples into larger poi n t s .

Key term

s h o r t storie s

anecdotes:

Develop the skills

to exemplif y o r back up a

writer’s or speake r’s p oints

Writers o f ten develop their ideas by adding

anecdotes

.

eki dyloelrtnal’Icatsh;ecsyaerome IfIok.nocW ,eum rlnyaelI.gistephestainytlbackwards

anhdwtoferm taitopasnoegciyvslen,rtactekn-w ihkrepnalytshireil framesThey’ .re

mysteous ri al,oecroauftersGm veso ia.eppcyanieanyt miOe.noelafostaeknciydotkunow ti

ek‘ : l ml,way’ Ipenhotietmood’yoe‘rsyes, yes, elt,stlanotwI’ya!’plartedwhwenIasm salal

eft wladnIdslhci hntgeiadrenonmoywnN.ex do t ocastr’meownlktum geoidlpIae.

harmelsenacfonug i h;toiltkecuddadynldnkidsop,Iumtaym rotwsutaneidpalurldsme.

w o YtI !lmanbdetialreoseia,ndswpiedmeacorhtsceheIekwap.thbiesgwovatnleani

ohtulyhSeaodrt:ueiona!srvhnIateoufryfriendsnainu,sth.el

W hat is the main point here ? W h e r e d o e s the anecdote

3

s t a r t and fi

ni?hs

S o m e t i m e s you will nee d to use your own words to answer a

q u e s t i o n concisely .

Rewrite the following sentence in your own words .

4

I n p a r ticualr, think about u sing alternative verbs and

a d j e c tives (

synonyms

.)

Key term oltIokedharmlessenough;nifact, oliotkedcuddlyandkind.

synonyms:

words that are

identical, o r v e r y close in

Appl y the skills meaning, to other words

A nswer the following ques tion on th e p a s s a g e above.

5

Summarise conci sely in your own w o r d s , grouping ideas

together in longer sente n c e s .

Howdoesthewriterfeelabout catsanw dhy?

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

51

oT pic 4

Chapter 1 .

Syntesihs

S y n t he s i s i s a s k i l l y o u w i l l n e e d w he n r e s p o n d i n g t o

a d i r e c t e d w r i t i n g t a s k . S y n t he s i s i n v o l v e s l o c a t ing

i n f o r m at io n f r o m d i f f e r e nt s o u r c e s a n d c o m bi n i n g i t i n

your own t e x t .

Explore the skills

borfllkhsitenosgm firoinatogeohrftm erange

Synthesi

elc si ti tahtedrnsaudgnsaiorpseucgneoyrsm f.likarof

I n e v e r yday life, you o f ten need to consider a wide range of

w r i t t e n information o n a topic. For example:

•

if you were planning to purchase a n ew mobile phone , you

would probably che ck the details of severa l phones in store or

on the internet

Toptip

•

if you were planning aholiday, you might gather info rmation

about a countr y from holiday bro c h u r e s , the internet and

Synhtesisisalittlebietlik

guidebooks.

cookingameal.Itwould

be very inefficienttostart

However , s y n t h e s i s is not simply about collecting information

cookingwhiletheingredients

from different locations. I t is also ab o u t s o r ting relevant

arestluijmbledupinyour

information into a clear and conci se order .

shoppingbags.Good cooks

uoY may need to gather information from severa l places an d use

unpacktheirni gredientsand

it in one piece of writing. Dire c t e d writing and ex tend e d

organisethemaccordnigto

r e s p o n s e s to reading ta s k s a s k you to draw your answer s from all

whentheyareneededand

p a r t s of one, or som etimes t wo, te x t s . S u m m a r y q u e s t ions ask you

whichitemswilbe l combined

to look at one te x t at a time, but you still need to use info rmation

witheach . other

from across the whole tex t .

Look at the ingredi e n t s b elow. Som e are used tomake

1

t o r t lilas (simple pancake s made of flour and water) and

others to make the fillings of chilli, salad, sour cream,

cheese and s a l s a . S o r t the ingredients into t wo li s t s : o ne

f o r t h e t o r tillasand one for the

fillings .

red onion, finely sliced

cheddar cheese, grated

fresh tomatoes

f resh coria, nder chopped

one cup of water

sourcream

le uce

tinned tomatoes

minced lamb

S e c t i o n

61

two hot green or red chil ies

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

cucumber

juice of one lime

plain flour

.4

1

Build the skills

If the question is a simple on e, you may only b e looking fo r one

t y p e o f information fro m the text o r t e x t s. For e xample:

Summarisetheproblemscausedbyextremeweather

conditionsasshowninthepassage.

It is tempting in these circumst ances to simply star t reading and to

write out your a n s w e r a s you go along. However, this can was te

time and your an swer will be weake r if similar point s are rep eated

in several places in th e t e x t .

This is even more of a problem if you nee d to use t w o o r more

t e x t s in an ex tend e d r e s p o n s e to a reading ta sk. For example:

m I aginethatyouareaoj urnalistputtingtogetherascriptfor

aradiobroadcast aboutthekindsofaidthatareneeded after

oanaturadil.Ysaster uhavereadtheex artct belowandyou

havealsomadethefoolwingnoteon(spage1at8k)enfrom

aninterviewwthianadiworkerfromanniternatoinalchari . ty

In your broadc a s t , y ou should explain:

•

what kinds of problems ari se from natural d i s a s te r s

•

what can be d one in advancetomake recover y ea sier

•

w h a t n e e d s to be done af ter t h e d i s a s ter has occurred.

E x t r eme winds, such as thos efoundinhurricanes, tornadoes

and some thunderstorm s, can overturncaravans, tear off ro ofs

and topple tree s, cau sing extreme distress to many people

and fi

nancialhardshiptowholecommunities.Some of the

strongest tornadoescan demolish houses completely,leaving

people homeless , and vulnerabletodis ease and criminalharm.

People may be kno cked down or struck by debrisandmany

placesmaylo se electricity .lFooding and storm surges can

destroybuildings and roads,contaminatewater supplies ,halt

other essentialser vice sanddrown people. Largehailsto nes

can damage car sandroo f s , and destroycrops ,butrarelykil

people. Heat waves can lead to drought,

which caus escroploss

aswellashealth issues and death from dehydration.

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

71

oT pic 4

Chapter 1 .

Interview no t e s

Need supplies, fresh water , medicines, tents

Diseasespreads fast when pipes are broken

y l erveitropn, etcdeangatlsrPuunosahnecshti yenehlotapeo

R a p id response teams need to beormed f to remove debris

andsearchforrt/eat survivors

Rough terrainvehicle s needed Extra police presence helps to

reduce looting

A f ter you have dige s t e d th e q u e s tion, fi

r s t scan the te x t t o

locate info rmation. Then go back over the t e x t and categori s e

the information into the diffe r e n t t y p e s r e q u e s t e d in the

q u e s t i oou n. could Y use colour- coding to group similar pieces of

information tog e t h, so e r that when you write your ans w,eryou

only make each point once.

2

Reread the pas sage on page 71 and list all the different

s t a t e m e n t s about problem s c a u s e d b y e x treme weather

conditions.

Develop the skills

I t i s i m p o r t a n t t o g r o u p i d ea s t o g e th e r a s y o u a r e r ea d i n g , t o

save time.

3

Look back at the li st of pro b l e m s c a u s e d b y e x treme

weather conditions you gene rated for a s kT 2. Group

the information int o b e t ween fi

ve and nine different

c a t e g o r i e s . Each tim e you come a cross a new piece of

information, decide wh ether it should go under an exis ting

heading or whether you need to create a new one.

uoY can go through th e same process with t wo or m o r e t e x t s .

Simply add to the categorie s you have create d, or add d etails to

existing o n e s .

S e c t i o n

81

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.4

1

Appl y the skills

Toptip

Makingnotescanalsohelpto When making notes for a dire c t e d writing ta sk, you should use

keepyouranswersbalanced. the bullet points given in t h e q u e s tion to help you decide on the

Indirec tedwritngtask s,itisa category

headings.

commonmistakotefocustoo

4

Consider the who l e e x te n d e d r e s ponse to the reading ta sk muchononetextandforget

on pages7 to1 18. Make a complete se t of notes fo r the tousepointsfromt.heother

t a s k , u s ing the inter view notes as well as the pass age that Bymakingnotes,youwil

a p p e a r s with the question. ensurethatboth text sarefulyl

covered.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Use the ques tion to help you decide on your cate gories fo r

making notes or annot ations.

✔

Decide on the b e s t m ethod of re cording info rmation from

a t e x t so that it is mos t useful for summary q u e s t ions or

d i r e c ted writin g t a s k s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

91

oT pic 5

Chapter 1 .

tExpm cilgenai

uoY w i l l b e a s k e d t o f i n d w o r d s w i t h e x p l i c it mean i n g s , Toptip

o r p r o v id e e x p l a n a t io n s f o r t h e m , i n s e v e r a l d i f f erent

Understandingexplicit

a s s e s s m e n t t y p e t a s k s . S o me t i m e s t h e i n f or m a t i o n t h at

meaningsi also

y o u a r e s c a n n i n g f o r i s v e r y o b v i ou s , o r e x pl i c i t . For

extended response

importantni

toreading

anddirectedwritingtasks. For

example, yo u m ig h t b e l o o k i ng f o r a pr e c i s e p ie c e o f

these,youwihav l etogather

i n f o r m at io n , s u c h a s a n a m e o r numbe r i n a n o n-if c t i o n

and select

p i e c e , o r t h e n a r r ator m a y r e v e a l s o m e t h i n g a b out a

the text sprovidedandadapt

c h a r a c t e, r place o r f e e l i n g i n a d i r e c t w ay i n a p ie c e o f itforadierfentpurposSee e.(

Ch)aper8t.

i

f

ction.

Explore the skills

S u m m a r y t a s k s a n d l o w - s coring ‘cl o s e d ’ comprehensio n o r s h o r-t

answer exam q u e s t io n s o f te n t e s t your ability to identif y e xplicit

information. ou also Y need to be able to fi

n d and adapt explicit

information in re sponse to reading and direc ted writing ta s k s .

oT do this, use the following four steps of basic scanning skills

(explain e d o n p a g e s10 ) 31 :–

1

Look carefully at the ques tion.

2

D e c i d e e x a c tly what you are loo king. for

3

Jump to the rough lo cation of that information.

4

Cr o s s - e xamine what is the re to see if it matches your checklist .

1

Re a d t h e e x tr a c t from

The Salt Road

by Jane Johnson on

page.21Th en use the four step s above to i d e n t i f y a word

or phrase from the text that

s u g g e s t s the same idea as the

words underli ned.

I z z y s’ wigwam co n s i s t s of

a)

cotton

hanging from a

bamboo pole.

b)

Izzy

c)

Izzyfoundthehouse

b e o u t side.

would rather

impossibleot

breathefreelyni

I z z y s’ parents studie d the

d)

vanished cultures

evidence of

from long ago.

Izzy wa s not the kind of child

e)

to

lifest yle.

S e c t i o n

20

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

go well with her parents’

.

niformationfrom

.5

1

coVabulary

W h e n I w a s a c h i l d , I h a d a w i g w a m i n o u r b a c k g a r d e n: a

circle of thin yellow c o t to n d r a p e d o v e r a b a m b o o p o l e a n d

grandeur:

grandness

p e g g e d t o t h e l a w n . E v e r y tim e m y p a r e n t s a r g u e d , t h a t was

Georgian:

w h e r e I w e n t . I w o u l d l i e o n m y s to m a c h w i t h m y f i

s t y le of

ng ers in

a r c h i t e c ture from the

m y e a r s a n d s t a r e s o hard at the red animals printe d o n i t s

period 1 71 14 8 1 –

b r i g h t d e c o r a t i v e b o rd e r t h a t a f t e r a w h i l e t h e y b e gan to

scientis t s

archaeologists:

dance and run, until I w a s n ’ t in the garden any m o r e b u t o u t

w h o s t u d y the past by

o n t h e p l a i n s , wearing a f r i n g e d d e e r s k i n tu n i c a n d f e a t h e r s

looking at his torical o b j e c t s

in my hair , j u s t like the brave in the fi

lm s I w a t c h e d e v e r y

and sites

S a t u r d a y m o r n i n g i n t h e c i n e m a d ow n t h e r o a d .

unbiddable:

unresponsive

Even at an early age I found it preferable to be out side in

to being told what to do

m y l i t tl e t e n t r a t h e r t h a n i n s i d e t h e h o u s e . T h e t e n t w a s

o d d l y a t tenuated:

my space. It wa s as large a s my imagination , which was

strangely long and thin

infi nite

. B u t t h e h o u s e, for all i t s

grandeur

and

Georgian

mannequins:

s p a c i o u s n e s s , felt small a n d s u f fo c a t i n g . I t w a s

s t u f fe d

models or

with

dummies

t h i n g s , as well as with my mother and fa t h e r ’ s b i t t e r n e s s .

They were both

, m y p a r e n t s : l o v e r s of

archaeologists

t h e p a s t , t h e y h a d s u r r o u n d e d t h e m s e l v e s w i t h b o x e s of

y e l l o w e d p a p e r s , a n c i e n t a r te f a c t s ,

o b j e c t s ; t h e f r a gile

d u s t y

h u s k s o f l o s t c i v i l i s a t i o n s . I n e v e r k n e w w h y t h e y d e c i d e d to

h a v e m e : e v e n t h e q u i e t e s t baby, t h e m o s t h o u s e - t r a i n e d

t o d d l ,e rt h e m o s t s t u d i o u s c h i l d , w o u l d h a v e d i s r u p t e d

a r t i fi cial

the

,

m u s e u m - l ike calm

they had wrapp ed around

t h e m s e l v e s . I n t h a t h o u s e they lived se parated

of the world, in a bubble in whic h d u s t motes fl

from the res t

o ated silentl y

like the fake s n o w i n a s n o w - g l o b e . I w a s n o t t h e c h i l d t o

complement such a life, being a

l i t tl e c r e a t u r e ,

wild

m e s s y

and

unbiddable

loud

and

.

]…[ I had dolls, but more of ten than not I behea ded them

or

them, or burie d them in the garden and forgot

scalped

where they were. I had no interes t in making fa shionable

outfi

t s for the

their

w o r s h i p p e d and

o d d l y a t tenuated

i n s e c t li e

pink plastic

t o r s o s and

adorned

mannequins

with

hair that the other girls so

brassy

.

From

T h e S a l t Road

by Jane Johnso n

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

12

oT pic 5

Chapter 1 .

Build the skills

Writerschoosewords verycarefuylfortheirprecisemeanings .

Asyoureadapass age,youneedtothnikaboutthepre cise

meaningofnidivdi ualwordsandaskyourselfwhytheauthor

eeb ehvtayhsnreh(soht)chgm sdW ym w trnioashahnmn.

used instead?

2

Look back at the ex tra c t o n page.21Lo ok up the words

that have been highlighted, then copy and co mplete the

table below.

Word

Precise

Synonym

meaning

What the

writer

wanted to

convey

infinite

having no

d

is highly

imaginative.

very full

yellowed

dusty

Develop the skills

uoY may be aske d to explain the meanings of words and

p h r a s ersT.

y u sing a rang e of senten ce stem s to st a r t this kind

of explanation – fo r example:

The writer choosestheword … , whichineveryday language

means…

Theword used by the writ, ..,means. er .

Thewriterusesthephrase …whi , chisanotherwayofsayi… gn

3

U se each of the s entence st a r t e rs above to write abou t

three of the highlighted words in the extr a c t .

S e c t i o n

22

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

The girl

measurable

extent

stuffe

boundless

limits or

.5

1

Appl y the skills

A range of que s t i o n s will tes t your und e r s t a n d ing of explicit

m e a n i n g s . ( T h e following ques tions all relate to

The Salt Road

e x t r a c t o n page.)21 T h e m o s t common are the simple ‘close d ’

q u e s t i o ns that appear in comprehe n s i o n q u e s ti o n s . F o r example:

Givetworeasonswh esythoketiglrligooutside.

Howdidthegirtleat?hertoys

Another compre h e n s i o n q u e s ti o n t y pe require s you to explain the

explicit meaning of the write r’s wo rds. For e xample:

Explainhokw eilhtgelridtoenojyhersefl.

Usnigyourownwords,explainwhatthewreitrmeansby‘In

thathousetheylivedseparatedfromtherestofthewordl ,

inabubbleinwhichdustmotesfloatedelsinhktaeyilf

snowni asnow -glob’e.

There will also be a su m m a r y q u e s t ion. For example:

Usingdetaistlhatyouhavelearnedfromthe text ,sumup

whatyouknowabouthegsr’ilchildhood.

4

A nswer th e f i r s t four of the ques tions above in full

s e n t e n c e s , using the ex tra c t f r o m

The Salt Road

on page .21

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

23

oT pic 6

Chapter 1 .

tm im cIieanpgli: character

S o m e t i m e s t h e m ea n i n g t h at yo u a r e lo o k i n g f o r i s

n o t i m m e d i ately o b v i ou s f r o m t h e e x p l icit m e a n i n g o f

w o r d s a l o n e . oWrd s a l s o c a r r y w i t h t h e m s ug g e s t ions

a n d a s s o c i a t ions.ouY n e e d t o b e a bl e t o id e n t i f y a n d

i n t e r pr e t t h i s i m pl i c i t

i n f o r m a t io n .

Explore the skills

When readin g a t e x t , you might be:

•

looking for subtl e a s p e c t s of a characte r

•

t r y i n g to work out how a character feels about something

or someone

•

tryingtodefinetherelationshipb etween t woormore people

•

exploring the writer’s feelings o r a t ti t u d e s

Key term

•

looking for a par t icular effe c t that the writer wants to create

inferring:

(for example, sympathy wi t h a p a r ticular character).

the lines and drawing

Moalng.m ciniaeplucstdeoiflcratsThis lgavyueolyrotdat

conclusio ns from subtle

icsnoinomilpitm autraognfiisdynslihrTyaidefntvuelycr.pisart

clues

delwnew pum lahcrenteeTstohrnpei.orecs

ngirrenfi

.

Look at the followin g q u e s tion, then co py and complete

1

the spider diagram below to record the clues that you use

to reach your deci s i o n s .

How do you know wh ether or not your teacher is in a g o o d

mood?

orehHow

wwonkuoyodhwHoether

.skol ehs

.seodehs roehWtah aetniruoystoni rehoca

?dmodog

syasehs roeh.Wtah

S e c t i o n

24

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

reading bet ween

.6

1

Build the skills

Writers give similar clue s to guide their readers’ r e s p o n s e s to

c h a r a c te r sou. need Y to lo ok for these clues and draw your own

inferences from them. Con sider this ex tra c t a n d then look at the

table showing you how to draw infere n c e s .

‘Iatn’ogSrsao’oshdcae!gyoradI.‘noednahwtTe’mo rant ther

am t ybhrtidaypart aynthat’ dhtedsnihtodscif!unossi’

Drawing o u t

Phrase

‘ S a s h a g ro a n e d ’

Possible meaning

A s if in pain – but

Sasha wants tomake her

she is not in physical

mother feel that he r a t t e mpt

pain, so she m u s t b e

t o p e r suade her is hur tin g

p u t t i n g it on to make

he,rtomake her mother feel

a point.

guilty and warn her to s top

before she ge ts more up s e t .

U se the same approach to draw out what is implied about

2

Sasha’s a t t itude by ‘th a t ’ s the end of this d i s c u s. sion!’

Read the continuation of the extr a c t below, then a n s w e r

3

t h i s q u e s tion.

Explainhowthehighlgihtedphrasesareusedbythewrtierto

telusaboutthemotherandthedaught . er

Her mother smil e d , b u t

her eyes were

troubled

as she sco o p e d

up the invitations from the t able and began sliding them

s w i f tly into

the beautifully addres sed enve l o p e s . ‘ W ell it

d o e s n ’ t s e em kind to m e to leave out j u s t one girl in your

c l a s s , s w e e t h ea r t . I think you ’ll jus t have to a ccept that

you can’t have absolute l y e v e r y thing your own. way ’… She

looked up and tried to c atch Sasha’s eyes, which had alread y

moved on to the photograph s of elaborate cakes she had

downloaded fro m the computer months ago.

Develop the skills

4

Re a d t h e e x tr a c t from the ope ning chapter of

E x p e c t a tions

Great

by Charles Dicke ns on page 26 .

A s y ou read, note dow n what each chara c t e r lo o k s l ike, says and

d o e s , a n d how others r e a c t to him. Then think about the

effec t

of what you are show n – what doe s it reveal abou t t h e t wo

c h a r a c te r s , Pip and the convic t Mag witch ?

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

25

oT pic 6

Chapter 1 .

Record your id eas in a se parate table,likethe one below, for each

c h a r a c. rte

Pip: What is said /

E f f e c t : What it

E f f e c t : What it

done/how others

tells us abo ut

suggests about

r e a c t / words u sed

him

his relationshi p s

to describe him

‘Hold your noise ’ cried a terrible voice, as a man s t a r t e d up from amon g the graves at the side of

the church porch. ‘Kee p still, you lit tle devil, or I’ll cut your throat!’

A f e a r ful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on hi s leg. A man with no hat, and with

broken s h o e s , and with an old rag tie d round his head. A man who had be en soake d in water ,

and smothered in mud, and lam ed by sto n e s , and cut by fl

int s , and stung by n e t t le s , a n d torn by

briars; w ho limped , and shivere d, and

glared and growle d

; and whose te e t h c h a t tered in his h ead

as he seize d me by the chin.

‘O! Don’t cut my throat,’, Isirpleaded in terror . ‘Pray do n’t do it’ . , sir

Te‘ ll us your nam e’, said the man. ‘Q uickl’ y.

‘Pip, ’ . sir

‘Once more,’ said the man, s taring at me. ‘Give it mou ht’!

‘Pip. Pip, ’ . sir

tni!oePic‘alalp.usnm oayehehte’trsuw ,oehSd’hteu‘oiv

I pointed to w here our villagelay, on the fl

at i n - s hore among the alder-trees and p ollards , a

mile or more from the church.

The man, af ter looking at me fo r a moment, turned me upside down, and emptied my pocke t s .

There was nothing in them bu t a piece of bread. When the church came to itself – fo r he was so

s u d d e n a n d s trong that he made it go head over h eels before me, and I saw the stee ple under

my feet – whe n the church came to itself, I say,Iwas seated on a high tombs tone,

trembling

while he ate the b read ravenously.

ou‘ young Y dog, ’ said the man, lickin g his lips , ‘what fat c h e e k s you ha’ got. ’

I believe they were fat, though I was at that time undersized for my year s , a n d not stro n g .

‘Darn me if I couldn’t eat em ,’said the man, with a threatening shake of his head,a‘ nd if I han’t

half a mind to ’t’ .

I earnestly e x p r e s s e d my hope that he wouldn’t , and held tighter to the tomb stone o n which he

had put me; p a r tly,tokee p myself up on it; par tly , toeke p myself from c r ying.

From

S e c t i o n

26

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

G r e a t E x p e c t a t io n s

by Charles Dicke n s

,

.6

1

U se your notes to write a paragraph about ea ch

5

c h a r a c. rte

S o m e t i m e s , meaning is implied by the literal meaning

of an adjec tive or adverb. For example, in the se ntence

‘He fl

a s h ed a warm smile in my direc ti,o’ n w e a s s o ciate

warmth with friendliness o r a f fe c t io n .

W hat is implied about th e characters by th e

6

underlined p h r a s e s in the following se ntences ?

a)

Maria gave o mT

b)

He had a reput ation for being

c)

‘Can’t you just be straight

d)

Counsellor Smith dealt with the obj e c t o r s s o m e w h at

e)

He greeted m e

an icy

glance

.

a smooth talker

iwht ?m e

.

’

h e a v y - h a n d e d.l y

rather dist antly

.

Appl y the skills

I n a t a s k , sometime s the implicit information will be ide ntifi

and you will be aske d to fi

ed

n d the words that create it. For

example:

Reread the des criptionofPip’sfi r s t meeting with the convic t

Magwitch. Explain how the highlighted phras es are us ed by

Toptip

the writer to su g g e s t t hat Pip is scared of Magwitch.

uoY can explain the

effe ct a w riter creates by uoY may be aske d to selec t wo rds or phra ses that have a n e f fe c t

focusing only on the literal on you, and to i d e n t i f y what this ef f e c t is. For example:

meaning – what the writer

tells us direc . tly However ,

Reread the des cription s of Magwitch in t h e e x tr a c t . S e l e c t you wil improveyourskils if

four powerful words or p hrases from the extr a c t and explain you also explain the implicit

how each word or phrase is us e d e f fe c t ively. meaning – what you deduce

from the subtle clues the

writer gives.

7

A nswer the t w o q u e s t i o n s above in complete sentence s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

27

oT pic 7

Chapter 1 .

tim cm Iiplenaig: set gni

C h a r a c t e r s a r e n o t t he o n l y f eatu r e o f w r i t i n g i n w h ich

y o u n e e d t o s e a r c h f or i m p l icit m e a n i n g s .ouY m a y a l s o

b e a b le t o i n f e r me a n i n g f r o m t h e s e t t i ng.

Explore the skills

uoY probably us e your skill s of inference in daily life, whenever

you visit a new place.

Look at the followin g q u e s tion, then co py and complete

1

the spider diagram below to record the clues that you use

to reach your deci s i o n s .

Whenyoufir stvisitanewplacewhataffe c t s yourattitude

otwa?tdris

.skol ti wHo

.draehebnacWtah

tsrnweiaftsiuoyivWneh

stceffatwahecayourlp

?tdwroati edutsai

gnahpinesWi aht

.ereh

S e c t i o n

28

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.7

1

Build the skills

Writers give us similar clues to guide a reader’s r e s p o nses to

places. T hey imply meanings through th e detail s they give abou t

s e t t i n gs to create a mo od or atmosph ere.

Read the paragraph below. Consider the ef f e c t of word choices ,

such as

. This litera lly sugge s t s a bee, which is thought of

buzzed

as continuou s l y b u s y and energeti c .

coVabulary The room buz zed with en ergy and ever y t hing appeared to

be moving slightly as if to echo the

hum of cheerful

frenetic

b u s y i n an excited,

frenetic:

voices. Balloons ge ntly swayed in the bre eze, bunting swishe d

uncontrolled

way

above heads as couples dance d o r c h a t ted with animatio n.

Even the ed ges of the brightly patterned table cloths lif ted a s

d r e s s e s s wept by.

T hink of three wo rds you could use to sum up the

2

atmosphere in the room. Consider the followin g:

•

How does th e writer want you to feel about the event

b e i n g d e s cribed?

•

Why might the w riter have this intention ?

S o m e t i m e s a writer will u s e

pathetic fall a c y

in describing a place.

Ad d t w o more examples of this technique by making small

3

changes to the p a s s a g e .

Some settingsalreadyhavepar citularconnotaiotns.For

4

example,readerstendtoseeacaveasamysteriousor

threateningplace–whatcouldbeul ?rkHowever ni,gwithni

insomecontex t s , itcouldsuggest.shelter

Key term

a)

Place the word ‘jungle’ at the centre of a spider diagram

or mind map. Use this to explore words and id eas that

pathetic fall a c y :

when

y o u a s s o ciate with the word ‘ju ngle’ .

a writer refl

e c t s human

emotions in natural

b)

What kinds of stor y might have jungle se t t i n?sg

features or obj e c t s: for

5

What is implied by the word ‘jungle’ in thes e sentences ?

the balloons

example,

s w a y e d happily

a)

or

the

Mrs Jones’s back garden was a jungle.

leaden clouds hung heav y

b)

Living in an inner - ci t y jungle, I grew up fa s t .

above the fi

gure crouching

on the moorland p ath

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

29

oT pic 7

Chapter 1 .

Develop the skills

Read this extr a c t from

Set in Stone

by Linda Newbe ry. A young

man has arrived late at night and is searching for ‘Fo u r w i n ,das ’

h o u s e d e e p in the country side.

D a r k n e s s s wallowed me; the branches arched high overhead; I saw o nly glimps es of the pale r s k y

through their tracery. My feet crun c h e d b e e c h m a s t . I smelled the coolnes s of the mos sy ear th,

and heard the trickle of water close .byA s my eyes accu s t o m e d t h e m s e l v e s to dimmer light, I saw

that here, on the lower ground, a faint mist hung in the, air trapped perhaps b eneath the tre e s .

I m u s t b e careful not to stray from the path, which I could only dimly di scern; but before many

minutes had p a s s e d , wrought- iron gates reared ahead of m e, set in a wall of fl

int. Though I had

reached the ed ge of the wood , my way was barred. The gate mu s t , however, be unlocke d, as my

arrival was exp e c t e d .

I peered through the scrollworkofthegates .Thetrack, pale and broad, wound between

specimen trees and smooth lawns; I had some distance s toli walk,it seemed. The mist clungto

the ground, andthe trees s eemed rooted in a vaporous swamp.Itriedthefa stening; the left -hand

gate swung op en with a loud gratingsqueal that echoe dintothenight .

At the same moment another sound arose, competin g for shrilln ess with the gate’s pro t e s t : a

sound to make m y h e a r t pound and my ne r v e s stretch t aut. It was a wailing shriek that fi

le d

my head and thrumme d in my ears; close enoughtomake me shrink agains t the gate, w hich I

p u s h e d o p e n to its fulle s t e x tent against the shadows of the wall. Wh e t h e r t h e c r y was animal

or human, I could not tell. If human, it was a sound of terrible dis t r e s s , of unbearable grief. I felt

the hairs p rickle on the back of my neck , my eye s t r ying to st are in all direc tio ns at once. In s t i n c t

told me to hunch low till the danger p a s s e d . D ropped into such str a n g e n e s s , I had acquired, it

s e e m e d , t h e impulse of a wild creature to hide myself and sur v i v e whatever pe rils were nea . r The

metal bit into my hands as I clung into the gate. Attempting to retain a clear head, I remin d e d

myself that I wa s unfamilia r with the sound s of the countr ysid e at night. I t m u s t be a fox, a

b a d g, some e r creature yowling in hunge r or pain.

From

Set in Ston e

by L inda New b e r y

T h e p a s s a g e creates an atmos phere of fore boding without the

writer saying direc tly that there is any threat. S he doe s not say,

‘I arrived at th e house af ter a long journey and wa s really sc ared

when I heard so mething screaming.’ I n s t e a d , you work this out Toptip

from the details she incl u d e s .

Inyourowncreativewritng,

remembertoshowatrherthan 6

Copy and complete the following table on page 31 to help

te.lThsitechniquewilhelp you analyse th e d i f ferent features the writer us es to create

youimplysubtlemeaningsof the mood in th e e x tr a c t . Add any fur t h e r words or p hrases

yourown. that help to create this ef f e c t .

S e c t i o n

30

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.7

1

W o r d / p h r a se

Time of

Time of

year

day

Weather

Landscape

Object

Action

Sound

darkness

branches

m o s s y e a r th

trickle of

water

faint mist

wrought-iron

gates

a loud grating

squeal

T he mood could be completely altered by changing the

7

Toptip

words and phra s e s . A d d another column to your table with

words and phra ses that wouldmake the approach to the

Manywritersusethefactors

house exciting and op timisti c .

ni thetoprowofthetableto

createatmrosTpher. e ythem

outwhenyouarewritingyour

Appl y the skills

own descriptions.

A range of que s t i o n s will tes t your und e r s t a n d ing of implicit

m e a n i n g s . Usually you wil l be ask ed to explain how wo rds or

phrases are used to s u g g e s t something. For example:

Usnigyourownwords,explanihowthehgihgilhetdphrases

areusedbythewrtiertosuggest thenarrastoexper r’ ience

andfeelnigs.

a sound to make m y h e a r t pound and my

n e r v e s stre tch taut .

wailing shriek

It was a

my ears; clos e enough to make me

that fi

l ed my head and thrummed in

shrink against

the gate.

Atamoresophisticatedelvelyou , maybeaskedtoselec w t ordsor

phrases,andidentif yandexplaintheir effe c t s onyou.Forexampl:e

Rereadparagraph2oftheex artct on page30,beginning,

‘I peeredthroughthescrow l orkofthegat’es .

Selectfourpowerfulwordsorphrasesfrom

thsi

paragraph.

Explainhoweachwordorphrase selectedisused effe ctively

nithecontex t .

8

A nswer the t w o q u e s t i o n s above in complete sentence s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

13

oT pic 8

Chapter 1 .

Emovit e alngeuga

O n e i m p o r t a n t t y p e o f i m pl i c i t m e a n i n g t h at may o c c u r

i n a t e x t i s e m ot i v e l a n g u a g e – w o r d s o r p h r a s e s t h at

m a k e t h e r ea d e r f e e l a p a r t i c u l a r e mo t i o n .

Explore the skills

Somewordarseveroybvoiuyeslmvioetbecuaesohtfxtercpil

Key term

meaniFgoe.xramhtwepl,odr

dairaf

usleltyelarlc hsowsomeone

connotations:

efaesnldwm ei m,ed srefyealtiHv.ow eymsopmet ahtym i esthe

emootinaelefctelsiobvoiuFs.oerxamhtpewl,odr

gavreydar

hnasegvaeit

connotaotins

ofm um rgihcotndsipe ter opYel.

emotional or s e n s o r y

a s s o c i ations of a word

or thing – for example,

dtoaesvgyrbgesahivoerdntfigpalcTehs.ewodrmgiht

a fl

oyekoveuorwnmemmoeakoiryosuefnlhapuponyera.s

ag can immediately

make some one think ‘my

1

W hat are the em otional effe c t s of the following word ? s

Is

country ’

t h e e f fe c t created by the ex plicit meaning of the word or

phrase, or by its connotations ?

Toptip

a)

sullen

b)

sunset

Incaseswhereyourpersonal

niterpretation is dierfefntfrom

c)

red rose

theusualone ,itissafestto

assumethatthewritermeant d)

irritable

thewordtobeinterpretedin

themorenorm.alway

Build the skills

Differentwordshavediferentconnotatoinsandelvelsofintensi.t y

Forexample,therearemanywordsthatmeansomeonedoesnot

haveverymuchbodyfat,buttheyalclar ydfiferentconnotatoi ns.

S e c t i o n

32

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

the

.8

1

Consider the em otional effe c t s of the

2

following adjec tive s . W h ich have a

positive ef f e c t and which have a

negative one ? Are any neutral ?

a)

thin

b)

slim

c)

slender

d)

skelet al

e)

scrawny

It is also imp o r t ant to consider

how

strong or weak

the emotional i n t e n s i t y of a word is. For example, there

are many words to describ e feeling a f f e c t i o n for

something:

•

eke non

•

•

keil

a dore

•

love.

If you place thes e words on a scale of i n t e n s i t, you y will

notice that some s u g g e s t a stronge r feeling than oth e r s .

like

1

3

4

adore

W here on the scale would you place the othe r t w o

e x p r e s s i o ns in the lis ?t

4

D r a w y o u r o w n ‘ i n t e n s i t y s c al e ’ f o r w o r d s r e l a t e d t o

dislike

.

Develop the skills

It is also imp o r t ant to consider

why

a writer choos es to us e a word

with a particular emotional connotation or intensit , y and what

r e a c t ion they want from their reader .

5

W hat kind of e motional res ponse do you think the author

wants to create in each of the following s entences ? How do

the word choices a chieve?this

The pack of ravening wolves b o u n d e d , s narling, razor

a)

fangs bared , closing in on the two terrifi

e d children.

A s t h e rain began to lighten, an d the sun shone b ravely

b)

out from behind the clouds , a glorious rainbow spread

in a huge arc acro ss the sk . y

The creatures slithered on their bellie s , b u lb o u s , p u s -

c)

i

f

l ed eyes p ulsating at the ends of their long slimy

stalk s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

33

oT pic 8

Chapter 1 .

Read the following te x t fr o m a s h o r t stor . y

The rounded bodies fel l a p a r t as he came into sight over the

ridge, and dis played the pinkish objec t to be the par tially

devoured bo dy of a human being, but wh ether of a man

or woman he was unable to say . An d the rounded bodies

were new and ghas tly-lo oking creatures , in shap e somewhat

resembling a n o c to p u s , with huge and ver y lo ng and fl

e xible

t e n t a c l e s , coiled copiously on the ground. The skin had a

gliste ning texture, unpleasant to see, likeshiny leather . The

downward ben d of the tenta c l e - surrounde d mouth, the

curious excre scence at the bend, the tentacle s , a n d the large

intelligent e y e s , gave the creatures a grotesque s u g g e s t ion

of a face. They were the size ofafair- size d swine about the

body, and the tenta c l e s s e e m e d to him to be many feet in

length. There were, he thinks , seve n or eight at leas t of the

creatures. wT enty yards beyon d them, amid th e surf of the

now returning tid e , t w o others were emerging fro m the sea.

Their bodies lay fl

atly on the rock s , and their eyes regarded

him with evil intere s t ; b ut it does not appear that M r Fison

was afraid, or that he realise d that he was in any danger .

Possibly hi s confi

d e nce is to be ascribe d to the limp ness of

their atti t u d e s . But he was horrifi

e d , of cours e, and intens ely

excited and indignant, at such revolting creatures preyin g

upon human fl

e s h. He thought they had chanced upon a

drowned bod. y He shouted to them, with th e idea of driving

t h e m o f, fand fi

n ding they did not bud g e , c a s t about him,

picked up a big rounded lump of rock, and fl

un g it at one.

And then, slowly uncoiling their tenta c l e s , they all began

moving towards him – creeping at fi

r s t deliberately, and

making a sof t p urring sound to each other .

In a moment Mr Fi son realise d that he was in danger . He

shouted again , threw both hi s b o o t s , a n d s t ar t e d o f, fwith a

leap, forthwith. weTnty yar d s o f f he stopp ed and fa c e d a b o u t ,

judging them slow, and be hold! The tentacles of their leader

were already pouring over the ro cky ridge on which he had

j u s t b e e n s t a n ding!

F r o m ‘ T he Sea R a i d e r s ’ by H. G. We lls

S e c t i o n

34

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.8

1

Copy and complete a table like the one below.

6

•

I d e n t i f y the emotive words and phra s e s u s e d in the

text.

•

Alongside each word, make a note explainin g how the

word would affe c t the reader .

•

Consider why the writer wante d to create that ef f e c t .

W o r d / p h r a se

E f f e c t o n reader

Reason why writer wants

to create tha t e f f e c t

partialy

Wethink of the shocking sight

He wants us to be disgusted and to

devoured

of the remains, andthesavage

fearorf Mr iFson.

power and appetit e of the

creatures.

coiled copiously

Appl y the skills

Write up your note s as an ans wer to the following exam-

7

s t y l e q u e s t io n .

Selectfourpowerfulwordsorphrasesfromeachoftwo

paragraphs.Explainhoweachwordorphraseisused

effec veitylnithecontex t .

uoY could use th e following pro mpts to o rganise your ans wer:

•

how the writer u ses emotive language

•

how the writer make s creatures seem alien

•

how the writer u s e s p h y sical det ails

•

how the writer u ses language to sugges t threat.

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

35

oT pic 9

Chapter 1 .

Sensory

anlgueag

S e n s o r y l a n g u a ge s t i mulat e s t h e r e ader’s i m a g i n at ion

s o t h a t t h e y a l m o st f e e l a s i f t h e y a r e t h e r e .ouY c a n

i m a g i n e e x a c t l y what y o u w ou l d b e ab l e t o s e e , h e a, r

t o u c h , t a s t e o r s m e l l at t he s c e n e .

Explore the skills

It can help to analyse sen s o r y language in the form of a fl

ow

c h a rou t . need Y to think not only about w hat a word means

literally (its

denotation

mind (its

) but also w h a t a s s o ciated ideas it brin gs to

connotations

.)

Word/

Explicit

phrase

meaning

lA‘ l around

no light,

Connotations

Effect

•

•

, r ae f

•

ecanm e

c

me was

h a r a c ter feels sc ared

•

p

blindness

lace is frighte ning

cannot see

•

s

omething ba d is going to happ e n

darkness.’

Toptip M akea fl

1

ow c h a r t for the following p hrases:

a wailing shriek

a)

It is importanttobeableto

spotwordswithasensory

I could smell th e coolnes s of the mos sy ear th.

b)

appealandexplani their

effec t s ni writing.Sensory Read this des cription of a summer’s day at the beach. Make

2

al nguagesialso a powerful a list of any words or p h r a s e s that stimulate the sense ou s. Y

techniquetouseinyourown could use a t ablelike the one st a r t e d on page . 37

descriptiveandnarratvie

wrting.

Slush- grey and ice- whitegull s scream and s ticky toddlers

wrestleoverplas tic spade s, gigglingcarelessly.Their voices and

the sweet smell of can d y f l

os s waft salongthe pebbled beach

towardsme.Striped de ckchaircanvas esbilowinthebreeze

and the commandingfl ag s advertising ice- cream companies

archkilestretching beautie sasthewarm wind catches them.

The waves race towards us and their w hite cres t cur ves up and

ove,r scooping s a n d a n d s trayfl ip - f l

o p s in its grasp. I lurch a s

the water suck s at my fe et pulling me towards its grey- green

d e p t h s , a n d grimace as th e salt spray lingers on my stin ging

lips and ton gue. There i s no laughter in my mouth, jus t the

h a r s h t a ste of lonelines s .

S e c t i o n

36

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.9

1

See

Hear

Touc h

saT te

Smell

Slush-greyandice-white gulls

scream

sticky

salt spray

candyfloss wafts

toddlers wrestle

lingers

Build the skills

sedbnonoaeshiretpenptacnsii.63forW phgaecnao

3

r aTlm tuaietrdhusrtolhctosneadstaiew rohpeylte

esneps nfeho,etIrilabptfio.pasedhsoitndarw picrnes

oy tuo kcipltniacrtehdwtehyeonsres.hurs

Develop the skills

Writers choose word s v e r y carefully to create preci s e p i c tures in

the reader’s mind.

Think about the difference bet w e e n s aying that the gulls were

‘grey’ and saying that they were ‘slus h - g re. Which y ’ de scription

helps you pic ture t h e m m o s t clearly?

Writers use adjec tive s , a d v e rbs and even carefully sel e c t e d nouns

and verbs to create particular effe c t s .

Look again at the d escription of the bea ch. Copy and

4

complete the table below by picking out examples of ea ch

t y p e o f word and consid ering their impa c t o n the reader .

W o r d / p h r a se

Noun

Slush-grey

Adjective

√

Verb

Adverb

Effect

reciPse colour , makes us picture dir ty

snow. This does not sound positive

and adds to theeelif ng of unease or

unhappiness.

Appl y the skills

A nswer the q u e s t i o n below.

5

Selectfourpowerfulwordsorphrasesfromtheextract .Explanihoweachwordorphrase

selectedisused effe ctivelynithecontex t.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

I d e n t i f y p a r ticular words an d phrases relating to the se n s e s .

✔

Consider the int e n d e d e f fe c t s of this language an d how it helps the writer to create a mood

or convey the narra t o rs’ feelin g s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

37

Chapter 1 .

o T01cpi

Recognising fact,opnoinandbais

Key terms

To r e s p o n d t o t e x t s i n d i r e c t e d w r i t i n g , y ou m u st b e

fact

a b l e t o t e l l t h e d i f f e r e nc e b e t w e e n

and

opinion

, and

bias:

t o u n d e r st a n d

a strong favouring of

. T h i s w i l l d e t e r m i n e h o w y ou m a k e

bias

one side of an argume nt

o r d e b a t e , o f ten without

u s e o f t h e t e x t i n y ou r o w n w r i t ing.

representing the other side

of it

Explore the skills

i y l floasunesdoesntduicafNon-lfacnnfionspitcnoiAets i. t

Toptip

ht n i rodfl uo–c eutranhtem:evtetoaelm btprasptbxneoyaeroet

. s i rfaiPEoneihTlseTfi rew

Astatement

c tahs ti ntoninopwiepoiebvnAtoana

eb ot tncervrocr:p

presentedas

a

factcouldbeinocrrect,but

ew s i no.dtnoiLs ifvtorwoawe lroTlhehT

thatdoesnotmeanitisan

1

gn iwo l laof. sneoerhitanew htmeipteaosdtrtsoriencshetDc

opinion.

a)

Nothing matters more thanfamily.

b)

Water covers 71 per cent of th e E a r th’s surface.

c)

Women are on ave r a g e s h o r ter than men.

d)

Going abroad is a waste of money.

e)

Many people enjoy foreign holiday s .

Build the skills

Read the following de scription of Dubai from a guide book. Look

out for fac t s and opinions .

hatf Diabuso’tebm reghnoreidt,esarniosuqituveshet orF

ifnad’uoy ehougltvola–ernkf-star geisoucrliehotfh

ouiurxl assekianadtsorth fyhtuosednp,icgseis

ot wtnauoiyruotifehlIctdneobtpyse.gsnchés om sbieat,

, lrelv’uewoioyfhmuchsaouyDuhbinafotfhaotmnrehdor

ticdm olorfi,nkgcsganhitfigntahetrehgmtwci ,eyrnt

souks

ubfohtnirybgaehdiy-ledglpiyltngs

i

f

psenrtiesrdwthi

lanoitidartdm hkoyusrlhoqenm autiaoynbiArele,s

posm t odenr

het ofsnekypsaornhiusetetclauhcraihtefost

coVabulary

uh.syest’lnoea gifDabusim rcitm e,ygeaboplgnhr

tamr,oscitnam oEpnial,dIrsianIfobAass,iromtnret

souks:

na w hsrocntapicgnsaifieploatpneruos–iEplfFknads

postmodern:

tichetahrsuatevtanguiaesltyucil.euqpdaleyinuilsr

r u l e - breakin g

From

S e c t i o n

38

markets

and

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

R o u g h G u i d e s D u b ai

imaginative,

.10

1

Create a table lik e the one below to s how at least three

2

m o r e f a c t s and three more opinions in the text about

Dubai. Remembe r – opinions u sually make a judgement .

Facts

Opinions

Dubaihas‘ designer boutiques

Dubaisioneoftheworlds ’

and five-starhotel . s’

bestplacesorfabeachand

shoppingholiday(‘ takessome

beatin.g’)

Find words or phrase s in your table that prese nt a

3

j u d g e m e n t , such as

takes some beating

. Use them in three

sentences of your own to de scribe a place you know .

Develop the skills

Bias is des cribing so mething in a way that make s it seem b e t t e r

or worse than it actually is. Bias may be unconscious (a s in bad

r e p o r t ing) or delib erate(a s in a charity campaign or tourism

promotion).Common fo rms are:

•

presentin g only those f a c t s that supp o r t the writer’s views

•

using misleadi n g s t atistic s .

4

Look at these biased s t a t e m e n t s .

Which misu s e s s t atistic s ,

andhow? Which is sel e c t ive in its u se of fac t s , andhow?

a)

Nettlefi

eld United has never lost a home game.

b)

The Antarc tic is a great place to liv e , b o a s ti n g 2 4 - hour

sunlight and wide - o p e n s p a c e s .

Now read this tex t from the Visit Dubai website.

ThecrystealowfncrlahAietrnaDGoubiysfetusrelvbeornfa,m ihtoseanrig

skyscrapersofShkehZiayedSp.eandoiahutw yoedlufaolKentrBieacghiyfoe,slutr e

ABluojrfntoieynjoabrenigpampereodatncohbeincfaichuclwbnsi,ghrcfteihe

if lou’l m uYPnd aJm lahr.eitwhshaterht’eactivitoyfrao,tsimktesuirfi ngandpaddebloadrnig

kur4ont1oaginlhtgemgreencushoineudrnnoainrklcutgJmaChrScoeniru.nsa,ndbl,ue

aeksnideveubnwelirfae–tr ndtheperefctbeyoafuhcr.

F r o m w w v.wi s i tdubai.com

5

Inwhatwaysdoes this te x t show?bias Whatinformation

mighthavebeen include dinacompletely unbiased version ?

Appl y the skills

6

Write a des cription encouragin g tourist s to visit w here you

live. Includ e f a c t s , o pinions and bia s .

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

39

1o T pc1i

Chapter 1 .

Anyanlsigandevalnugiat

Indirectedwr itngtaskyso,umaybeaskedtoreadoneor

moretexts

givinafgct sandopinions,thentowreti

ale,ter

speechoreportbasedonyuorassessmentotfhem.

Explore the skills

om ugneralnotToehtm e–audenyolasyuv,sertfi

howndauentroandcseyhra,sthnreyuitwdthacoFtred.

l lretpeahikvceds.sgenvihadtahetunordyeaioufyeospedrl

W hatdoyouunderstand byeachofthefollowinga s a

1

source of evidenceforanalysingandevaluating a text ? How

wouldyouranktheimp o r t a n c eandreliability of each?one

Key term

•

The wording of the title

topic sentence:

a sentence

•

poT ic sentences

introducing

paragraphs

that introduce s or sums up

•

F a c tual evidence the overall idea or focu s of

a paragraph

•

Anecdotal evidence

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m a newspape r a r ticle about the

e f f e c t of social me dia on tee n a g e r s .

title

Social media is harming the mental

healthof

summarises

teenagers.Thestatehastoact

altgidiThe

putahendrlscidpcase

,lwleI oemszaeisdtnrichft

leatil

ecnetnes c ipot

eursepr

on

etnagesr

,yadot

and

we

nbg.aifl

secudor tni

efl .ti eThre era os myna laisoc medai

A new udtsy sha oundf that teenagers

hpargarap

aFnat,Isgm ar , wtier:Tslenahccebook,

who

uSnaphc,at T, r l bm

engae

hwti

laosic

amide

ngidur

ouy nm ae .ti I made

eb

deluocls

thgrinhet

ehnm dgtapgia

factual

a ousiconsc noisdeic ot diova hcpantS

ngisaendrnci

and

am natIsgr

beusca

of

het

ksofnxairrihetiy nad

e dToepniesr. enabogutesprok

eursepr

I

aws

hemt

punigt

on

ltiel

.

ertsis

hte

my

eursepr

- r a-e41y dol

evidence

alsioc

f I

my

yeht

tlef

ot

em ka

htemvesl

mum

anecdotal elbal iava

untred

of

het

, 42 / 7

nda

het

ngitulser

iW Fip 1ta m, 1 my ertsis

evidence anexiyt

w doul

bge

me

ot

nrut

my

enohp

fi

hopsto.t

heS

wsyal

need

ot

ot

not

pserond

etxs

or

posts.

eens T

olad

era

hernhSaptcsestior

ddi

otni

ymleim tadei

a

yhet

os

yl loanm eiot

sedvnti

ni

laiocs

onemeorei,tor

amdie that a fifht of onecdars y school

ot

ylper

ot

a

mesagse

hta

had

ocme

l lwi sl ipuon ogl nda ghtniu taekw ap,

ni wto senutmigao because hes tdn’di

tusj

wnat

hre

nedirf

ot

lef

deg.nori

fI

ot

ekma eurs

hyet

tdon’

msi

ou.t

I

F r o m ‘ S ocial m edia is

oc

ehs peosrnd gneurifesydau,l

het

ni

harming the me n t a l

ermngoyuni’uir dgeYht‘ ’mIngo,ir

health of tee n a g e r s ’ by

et a sa i l nevE pseclaasi.choef’senager June Eric Ud o r i e ,

S e c t i o n

40

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

The Guardian

1 1.

1

U sing your own wo r d s , e x p l ain the main point Ud orie

2

makes in the fi

r s t paragraph.

W hatevidencedoessheprovideforthimsaniponit?

3

Build the skills

W hat impor tant point does Udorie make in the

4

second paragraph of the ar ?ticl e

W hatevidencedoesshe ? egiv

5

Develop the skills

To e v a l u a t e ,

F o r

y o u

e x a m p l e ,

m u s t

y o u

s t r e n g t h e n e d

–

j u d g e ,

m i g h t

o r

w e i g h i n g

j u d g e

w e a k e n e d

t h a t

–

b y

u p

t h e

U d o r i e ’ s

w h a t

s h e

p o i n t s

m a d e .

a r g u m e n t

r e v e a l s

i s

a b o u t

h e r s e l f .

Now read this ex tra c t f r o m another article in the sam e n e w s p a .p e r

[A Sheffi

eld University] study found t ha t , ov e r a l l , s oc i a l me di a c a n ma k e c hi l dre n fe e l ha ppi er

about their friendshi ps . W i t h gi r l s e s pe ci,a lthe l y study found that m or e t i m e on s oci a l ne twork s

had a positive effect on how they felt about their friends. And other research, from North

Florida University , suggests that chatti ng onl i ne v i a a pps s uc h a s F a c e book M e sse nge r a nd

W hatsApp could incre a s e l e v e l s of e m pa t h e ti c c onc e rn for othe rs, a s i t gi v e s y oung p eo p l e a

chance to widen their pe r s pe ct i v e s a nd pr a c ti se e mpa thi c re sponse s. A s a re sul t, e xp ressi n g

empathy becomes habi t ua l .

F r o m ‘ S ocial m e d i a g e t s a b a d p r e s s , b u t it was a life line for me ’ by Grace Holliday,

6

W hat main argume nt does Holliday put for ward?

7

Comment on how convincing you fi

T h e G u a r d ian

nd this argument,

a n d   w .h y

Appl y the skills

8

Using material from both extracts, write the start of a

speech to parents of teenagers, in which you weigh up the

pros and cons of social media and start to reach your own

conclusions.

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

14

o2T pc1i

Chapter 1 .

Undaensrtdingethformand

purpose of differentexts t

Form a n d p u r p o s e a r e i m p o r t a n t f ac t o r s i n f l u e n c i n g a

Toptip

t e x t . ouY s h o u l d b e a w a r e of t h e i r e f f e c t o n a n y t e x t

ReadChapter3formore

y o u r e a d , a n d b e a r t he m i n m i n d i n yo u r o w n w r i t ing.

niformatoin

aboutdifferent

formsoftex t.

ReadChapter4formore

Explore the skills

niformatoin

purposes.

The

of a piece of writing is the contex t of where and how

form

i t a p p e a r s . For example, it might be a review in a magazine, an

informative web pag e , a l e t ter or a diar y e ntry. It will pro bably

follow at least some of the co nventions of its form . For example,

a review will contain both information and evaluation.

H ow would you exp e c t form to infl

1

u e n ce content in the

following tex ?t s

ehT

lacipoytt ,mrofn i aotsesoperurp

a)

a n a r ticle in a free in - f l

ight magazine

b)

a celebrity

autobiography

c)

a n e w s p a p e r review of a currently running play

oS . eve i hcssattnitoawxetttarhwohattsuiafiome

esoprup

retonte o,et sedaudisnvradepiaat.

2

W hich of the s e p u r p o s e s do you think would apply to the

following ty pes of te xt?

a)

a news repo r t

b)

a holiday brochure

c)

an accident prevention leafl

Build the skills

uoY should conside r each element c arefully whe n reading a tex t

and in your own writing. Whe n approachin g e x t e n d e d r e s p o n s e

to reading and dire c t e d writing ta s k s , eke p their form and

purpose in mind at all time s .

Read the following tex t on page 43 by the bu s i n e s s m a n and

adventurer Sir Richard Branson.In19, h 87 e a t t e mpted to cross the

Atlantic by hot-air balloon with his partne,r Per Linds trand. In this

e x t r a c t , a f ter a disas trous a t t e mpt to land , Per has leap t into the

sea to save him self but Branson remains in the ballo o n .

S e c t i o n

42

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

et

aboutdifferent

2.1

1

Alone in the ballo o n

WhateverIdidinthenexttenminuteswouldeladtomydeath

or survivwaI.laosnmyownWe . hadbroktenherecordbut

was I almos tcer tainylgoing,witoditehPer .nosurvivalsuit,

waseitherdeadortryingtoswm i on.Ihadtogetsomebodyot

i

f

ndhimhad I. tosur vivecI.laredmymindandconcentrated

ontheoptionsnifrontofme.Ihadn’tsleptforover24hours

andmymindfetlfuzz.yIdecidedotakethebalolonuphigh

enoughsoIcouldparachuteof fthecapsule.Iblastedthe

burnersandthenfoundmynotebookandscrawledacrossthe

openpage, Joan,‘Hol ,Sam,lyolIvewI’ayou. tieduntlthe i

altimetershowed80 00 feetandthenim cl bedout side.

was I alonenithecloud.Icrouchedbytheinraligsandlooked

down.Iwaslstiwheelingthroughtheposs itiblies.IfIjumped,

wI oueldlbyotekihave l onlytwominutestovile.fImanaged

toopenmyparachutewoul I, dend lsti upinthesea,where

Iwouldprobablydrown.fIetlfortheparachutereleasetag,

andwonderedwhetheritwasthergihtone.Perhapsduetomy

dyslexia,Ihaveamentalblockaboutwhichsirgihtandwhich

is left ,especiaylwthiparachutes.Thelasttm i ehad I free alf-len

pul I eldthewrongreleasetagandjet tisonedmyparachutAe.t

thetm i e,had I severaskl ydvei rsaroundme,sotheyac vaitted

my reserveparachuteBut . nowwas I bymyselfat80 0 0 feet. I

slappedmyseflhardacrosthefacetoconcentraet.

From

3

Losing my Virgi n i t y

by Richard Branso n

xoefat ethstiihsti fWh o,tem a?m lrpaxe trofFtadervn

nwioldlpioclfehdehost?eniougdonlywio?Hngoeol lab

a)

‘

We had brok en the record but I was almos t c e r t ainly

going to die.’

b)

‘

I... scrawled across the open pag Je,oan, “ Holly , Sam ,

I love you. ’”

c)

‘

Perhaps due to my dyslexia, I have a mental block

about which i s right and which i s l e f t ’.

4

Nowthni kaboutthepurposeofthetext .Whatdoyouthnik

theauthorwant tsoacheivewtihthefoolw?nisegnil

a)

‘

Whatever I did in the next ten minutes would lead

to my death or sur vival’.

Toptip

b)

‘

P,er with no survival suit, wa s either dead o r t r ying

A text wilonlyhaveoneform,

to swim on.’

butmay ti havemorethanone

c)

‘

If I jumped , I would be likelyto have only two minutes

purpose–suchastocritcise

to liv’e.

andentert ain.

d)

‘

I slapped my self hard acro ss the fa ce to concentrate.’

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

43

Chapter 1 .

o2T pc1i

Develop the skills

Form and purpose are closely related. For example, an instru c t i o n

booklet is sho r t and easy tofollow, b e c a u s e its purp ose is to

explain clearly. It will not tell funny stories or in clude po etic

d e s c r i p ti o n s .

Metroor onto T

Read the following op ening to a re p o r t in the

n e w s p a p. e r

Confessions of a h i g h - rise window clea n e r

A f te r c ycling from o ronto T to the We s t C o a s t and back , then

sailing fro m S c a r b o rough to Iceland, K.C . Maple was having

trouble adjus ting to the confi

n e d life within the tall tower s of

roT onto.

That was until he found a job that le t him climb to the top

and dangle off of them.

For the past two and a half years , the 24 -year-old with long,

blond hair pulle d back in a po n y t ail has wa shed the win d o w s

oofronto’s T highrise buildin g s . I t was on the way to a native

sun dance ceremony that the part-Swed e , p a r- ta b o riginal met

a man who cleaned windows for a living.

‘ T h a t was the pivotal point that brou ght me into the joy of

this busine ss,’ he says . He is s o m e t i m e s afraid, bu t mostly he

enjoys the thrill of being up so high. And the money is good.

He tells me a b eginner who works fa st can u sually mak e

around $50 0 0 0 a .year

‘ I t ’ s great to be paid to go out the re, have a lit tle danger

and have some fun,’ h e s a y s . ‘I’ve always wanted adventure,

excitement,

physical

danger ’.

Maple spends his days spe eding up elevators with 25 0 feet

of ropes draped ove r his shoulder s , t h en lowering the rope

down the side of buildings and

on a small ply wood

repelling

seat, holdin g a couple of sque e g e e s , a s u c t ion cup to help him

keep close to the windows and a fi

ve - g allon bucke t fi

l ed with

water and dish s oap.

I t ’ s great exercis e , e s p e c ially pulling the rope s up at the en d of

coVabulary

the day – ‘Fro m a fi

tn e s s s t andpoint, you’ve got a lot of

reps

’,

he explains .

repellinga(n d r e ps):

rappelling, a climbing

Instead of feeling trap ped within the walls of a crowded cit , y

technique for lowering

he feels lib erated in scalin g them.

yourself o n a rope

‘I love the peace out there – on the outside of the building.

uoY re’ not inside the fi

s hbowl.’

Metro Tor o n t o

By Carolyn M o r r i s ,

S e c t i o n

4 4

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

2.1

1

5

T h i s t e x t is from a news p a p, but e r what kind of repor t i sit?

For example, is it breaking news ? How does the following

sentence help you answe r this ques ?tion

For the past t w o and a half years , the 24 -year-old with long,

blond hair pulle d back in a po n y t ail has wa shed the win d o w s

oofronto’s T highrise build i n g s .

6

Comment on what th e following tell s you about th e form

of the pass age.

‘ T h a t was the pivotal point that brou ght me into the joy of

this busine ss,’ he says . He is s o m e t i m e s afraid, bu t mostly he

enjoys the thrill of being up so high. And the money is good.

He tells me a beginner who works fa st can u sually make

around $50 0 0 0 a .year

Appl y the skills

7

Both this repo r t and the ballooning account de scribe

dangerous physical ac tivities. Despite thi s similarity , their

p u r p o s e s a re diffe r e n t . E x plain how.

8

Nowwriteoneotfhefolwnig:

•

a r e p o r t in the form of the

Metroor onto T

a r ticle but

about Richard Brans on’s ballooning

•

an account of the dange rs of high - r i s e w i n d o w - cleaning

based on information in the

Metroor onto T

r e p o r t , but

in the same form as the balloo ning account.

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

45

o3T pc1i

Chapter 1 .

Deduncig ce entehudai

uoY w i l l a n a l y s e a n d e v a l uate a t e x t m o r e ef f e c t iv e l y i f

you under s t a n d h o w i t s c ontent a n d s t yl e a r e a i m e d a t

a p a r t i c u l a r au d i e n c e . T h i s w i l l a l s o h e l p y o u r e spond

t o t h e t e x t i n y o u r o w n d i r e c t e d w r i t ing.

Explore the skills

xeT t s are usually wri t t e n with a targe t audience in mind –

s o m e t i m e s a v e r y specific one.

1

W hat targe t audience d o you think you fit into based on

t h e t y p e of things you read? Rank the following fac tor s

according to their i m p o r t ance:

•

where you ilve

•

how old you are

•

how much you have to s p e n d

•

your gender

•

your level of education

•

your special interes t s o r p a s t i m e s

•

your existing knowledge of a s u b j e c t .

Build the skills

A writer will think about the target au dience and make choices

based on thi s audience that determine the content (w hat it is

about) and the s t y l e and language of a pie ce of writin g.

2

W hat can you deduce about the targe t audience of these

sentences from their content , s t yle an d language ?

At a time wh en global warmin g is already creating

a)

havoc in the natural world, it s’ down to pe ople like you

and me to save the planet.

Grange Park has something for everyone – wild water

b)

rides for ad venturous t e e n s , b o u n c y c a s t les for the

kiddies and rela xing gardens for Mum and Dad.

uoY r Rebel T5i 70 0 D of f e r s a wide range of shooting

c)

o p t i o n s , from Scene Intelligent Auto to fully manual

control of lens ap e r t ur e , s h u t te r s p e e d and ISO.

S e c t i o n

46

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

3.1

1

Readthefoolwingreviewopeningandmakenotesonany

3

culesyoufindaboutitstargetaudience.

J Hus – Common Sense

On

his

debut

album,

the

man

of

many

voices

shi

provides the sou ndofnow

t - 7 kcar 1

tubed

bumla

meranis

desigren

and

.ednetdlnrembontaurcttfnidyeniprlg

From‘J Hus “C o m m o n S e n s e ” R e v i e w ’ by Joe

If

any

single

ar tist

embodies

the

boundar - y

New Musical E x p r e s s

Madden,

cross-pollination

trouncing

s that’

mak ing

hip -

hopsociexti ng, ght wsri 20noaey- ’tir dloLondon

He’sHu J.srappertotala

chavocapabl calmeleon,

of

convincingly

nationa, lit y neve

requires.

through

autthoet uned bounce of

energyof

switching

–

depending

A

on

wsofl

what

signle

the

–

swtiching

t rack

erse v

can

find

J

scroll ing

oluche

the

Ghaniahinpl,ief

Londongrime

grind

of aJmaica n

dancehall,

aggy

the

zoned-out

andthe

ldra w

ofAtsalantdizzying arap.’It , dazzling t rcki.

prodigious

J s Hu’s

despite

conta ining

only

ofur

br efi

guest

ss pot

genre-hopping

means

t hat

–

–

Look closely at the following t wo quotations fro m t h e e x tr a c t .

coVabulary

•

‘ t h e l o u che grind of Jamaican dancehall, the autotuned

c r o s s - p o l lination:

mixing of

bounce of Ghanian hiplife, the agg y energy of London grime

influences

and the zoned - o u t drawl of Atlanta rap’

disreputable, not

louche:

•

‘energised and e n t e r t ainingly unp r e d i c t able’

r e s p e c t a ble

4

a)

What kind of s peciali st knowledge in the target

aggy:

agitated, n e r v y

audience doe s the firs t sentence s u g g e s?t

z o n e d - out:

b)

What do the d escriptive phrase s in the firs t senten ce

not thinking, as

if hypnotise d

s u g g e s t t hat the writer is t r ying to do for the b enefit of

prodigious:

im pressive in

the audience, and how would this help them ?

size or ex tent

c)

How does th e phrase ‘e nergised and e n t e r t ainingly

u n p r e d i c t able’ make a judgement that might appeal to

the target au dience ?

5

W hich words intheVo c a b u l a r y box above are e xamples of

informal ‘str e e t ’ language ? Which are lik ely to be us ed by

quite well- e d u c a t e d r e a d ?e W r s h a t d o e s this combination

tell you about the target audience ?

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

74

o3T pc1i

Chapter 1 .

Develop the skills

Now read the en d of the J Hus review.

This

is

ver y

much

a

posStormzy -t , post-Skepta,

With

post-Drake- going -roadman

important

the UK establsihnig

album,

stepping

stone

along

itself as a bona fide

and

the

path

an

for

to

his

hooks ,

with

world-

hit

beateratbeatsandrhyme s .

scene

at tentio n - grabbing

sculptin g

a

track.

H ow does this ending refl e c t w hat the writer thinks th e

target audience will know about and care about?

7

W hat assumptions does the writer make about the

audience in the final sentence ?

8

T he purpose of a textiscloselylinkedto its t arget audience.

For example, a review gives the writer’s assessmentof

something –suchasaplay, concertor music album.

What would a read er hope to get out of rea ding a music

a)

review?

What kind of rea der would therefore be intere s t e d in

b)

reading the J Hus review?

Appl y the skills

Readthefollowingar ticlefrom

a different type of reader .

The Times

A s youread,make notes on its target

audience and purpose.

9

H ow does th i s a r ticle reflec t it s targe t audience ? Consider

how:

•

the content relate s to reade rs’ inte r e s t s

•

the language relate s to level of education

•

the occasional informality (for example, ‘flog s i t ’ )

r e f l e c t s its p u r p o s e

•

the final senten c e r e f l e c t s why it s r e a d e r s might find it

e s p e c i ally interes ting.

S e c t i o n

48

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

on page 49, aime d at

skilsl

But

so

knack

could

feature

honestly,

exciting

and

Hus

single

stay ba skinginthatlo caladul? ation

6

J

right

crack

on

with

now ,

the

some

our

why

US

hot

rapp er’s

homegrown

not

simply

3.1

1

Restorationof a king’s art is long overdue

There si a maolr case

esierglal

ofr hte

ot

gvei

Louvre

us

back

masterpeics

osdl

and other

of

of f

art,

dozens

sculptures,

oCbm ry.wlel

of

often

priceless

tapestries

through

and

shady

500

middlemen,

sometimes for a pittance.

A

of

cabal

,wra

armed

revolutionaries

s t a r ts

a

civil

o v e r throws government, the exe cutes th e

ruler , c o n f i s c ates his ar t co l l e c tion and flog s it

to

buy

guns

later

ousted,

and

pay

the

the

old

off

self- same

regime

re t u r n s ,

and

debts.

plo t t e r s

wants

are

A

few

years

them selves

it s

paintings back.

There

Under

is

ownersof

d e s t r o yed

a

accepte d

s trong

modern

art

should

ca se

more s,

o b j e c t seize s din,swar o l do f f

be

compensate d.

for

the

restitution

here.

rightful

or

Museums

around the world are un d e pr r e s s ure to return

art

ob j e c t s

whether

to

these

Claims

for

whe rever

have

ar t

they

been

lo o t e d ,

came

paid

b o u gh t

or

from,

for

or

not.

o t h e r wi s e

ehT

obtained

during

the

Seco nd

World

taerg

rat

noietclloc

swa

ed.psers id

ferAt

War

eht

continue

to

crop

up

in

the

court s,

ni 60,61 selrahC

noitarotseR

II

deganma

ot

alm o s t

ih erh’prtehfotafem tequlrbaspsaehrese

always resulting in the obje c t returning to the

taerg

,draoh

gnmirof

eht

eroc

fo

eht

l ayoR

original owner .

foynmatuB.notceilCol

thesbt

nsgni tniarpev

.anemoiVM rafr,okscadbiim raerPcd

There

is

one

such

case

adequately

that

has

resolved,

never

been

however .

Charles

I

thos a r tofSome ew o r k s Bri returning to are tain

assembled

the

ever

greatest

seen

by

in

collection

this

Raphael,

country ,

Leonardo,

of

including

art

for

the

loan

from

intoretto, T

Mantegna,

Holbein

the

Bruegel

the

time

in

European

galleries

350

where

years ,

on

temp o r a r y

they

up,

for

a

Acade m y

next

blockbus ter

exhibition

at

the

ounger Y

Royal

and

the

itian, T

ended

Correggio,

firs t

works

. Elder

When

Charles

year

entitled

Charles

King and Collec tor

executed

in

1649,

Cromwell’ s

I:

was

.

republican

From ‘Re s t o r a tion of a King ’s Ar t i s

government

sold

off

more

than

1500

works

The Times

L o n g O v e r d u e ’ by Ben Maci n t y r e in

10

Wrtieabreifthattheeditorofeitheramuscimagazinefor coVabulary

youngpeopleoranatoi nalnewspapermightwritefora

Parisian art

Louvre:

gallery

youngojurnalsi wt anntigtowterim salirfeaturestothosein

cabal:

gang

this sectionforeitherpublication.Explainhowtoappealto

theapproprate i targetou audicoeulnce. dnicYuldephrases

restitution:

c o m p e n s a t io n

fromeithertex tasexamples.

Restoration:

reinst atement

of the monarchy

C h a p t e r

1:

K e y

r e a d i n g

s k i l l s

49

Chapter 1

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I can usually locate suit able words or phrase s to answe r a q u e s tion, and show that I

u n d e r s t a n d their effe c t s on the reader .

•

I can locate some word s with implicit meaning and b egin to ex plain their ef f e c t s .

•

I can locate a fair amount of information from across a w h o l e t e x t o r t e x t s , a n d use it in

an orderly and ef f e c tiveway.

•

I can selec t some emotive words and phrase s , a n d begin to ex plain their ef f e c t s and why

the writer has u s e d t h e m .

•

I can identif y th e e f fe c t of s e n s o r y language and be gin to explain how it is achieve d.

•

I can identif y fa c t s and opinio n s .

•

I can analyse f a c t s and be gin to evaluate arguments .

•

I c a n u n d e r s tand what f a c to r s d e t e rmine audience, and how audien ce influence s

content.

Excellent progress

•

I can locate a wide range of the correc t wo rds or phra s e s n e e d e d to answer a q u e s tion,

and show that I fully u n d e r s t and their meaning and purpos e.

•

I can locate a wide range of words with implicit meanin g, and explain their effe c t s and

purpose.

•

I can locate a range of information from acro ss a whole te x t o r t e x t s , a n d use it in an

e x t r e mely orderly an d e f fe c t iveway, always inclu ding suppor tin g detail.

•

I can selec t a wide range of em otive words and phrase s and evaluate their effe c t s with

reference to the reader and the writer’s intention.

•

I can analyse the diffe r e n t p o s si b l e e f fe c t s o f s e n s o r y language and explain clearly how it

is achieved.

•

I can identif y implied fac t s and opinions , and de t e c t possible bi a s .

•

I can analyse opinions and co nvincingly evaluate argument s .

•

I can identif y the link bet ween au dience and purp ose, and show how audience

influences s t y l e and language.

S e c t i o n

50

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

Key tech n i c a l

s k i l l s

2

In this chapter , you will develop a range of

fundamental te chnical skills that you can use

throughout your Cam b r i d g e I G C SE course.

uoY will learn how to:

•

u n d e r s t a n d t h e f u n c tions of dif ferent t y p e s of

words

•

understandanuddsefi efrtypes nt of

sentences

•

u s e t e n s e s in your writing

•

u s e s e n t e n ce p u n c tuation accurately and

e f f e c tively

•

u s e p u n c tuation in repo r t e d and direc t s p e e c h

•

use paragraphs to organi se ideas ef f e c tively

and cohesively

•

proofread your writing

•

use formal and

informal language

e f f e c t i vely

•

write in a variet y of voices and role s .

On their own, some of the s kills may se em

simple, but reme mber that they are building

blocks to completing larger and more complex

t a s k s l ater on. For example:

•

s a T kthsayoksw teuofpsaiurec cences difi

oyerquilwlutiounders tandandcaoefthre

needosdfifferenatudneyoigw teu.csirr

•

Q u e s t i o ns that ask you to write in role draw on

Links to ot her chapters:

your ability to create disti n c tive voices .

Chapter 5: Comprehension •

saT ks that require you to s t r u c ture pieces of

work to pres ent informatio n, arguments ,

E x t eChapter n d e d 8:r e s p o n s e to

narrative or des cription s will draw on your

reading and direc ted writing

ability

to use parag r a p h s e f fe c t ively.

Chapter 9: Compo sition

•

All writing t a s k s will require you to pay clos e

a t t e n t ion

A pproachin Chapterg10w: r i t ten

coursework

to your word choice, drawing on a

wide range of vo c a b u l a .r y

15

oT pic 1

Chapter 2 .

c o V abulary

andwordcalsses

I t i s u s ef u l t o k n o w t h e t e r m s f o r a n d f u n c t i o n s of

p a r t ic u l a r w o r d s i n E n g l i s h . T h i s i s t r u e b o t h w h en you

e x p l o r e w r i t e r s ’ s k i l l s a n d w he n c o n s i d er i n g t h e e f f e c t s

y o u c a n c r eate i n y o u r o w n w r i t i ng.

Explore the skills

There are eight wo rd class e s : n o u n s , v e r b s , a d j e c ti v e s , a d v e r b s ,

p r o n o u n s , prepositio ns, conju n c t ions and dete r m i n e r s . Each class

p e r f o r m s a different job in a se ntence.

Determiner

Adjective

Noun

Verb

Adverb

the

furious

wind

blew

strongly

a

gentle

breeze

w a f te d

down

I n m o s t c a s e s , y ou can only repla ce words in a s entence with

others from the same cla s s .

Nouns

There are two t y p es of

: common nouns and p r o p e r n o u n s .

noun

Common nouns

Proper nouns

Physical object s or

table, ,car computer ,

The Hunger Games,

‘things’

bread

Pride and Prejudice

Abstract concepts,

peace, religion,

Judaism

Key terms

noun:

a word for a per s o n ,

thing or idea

e m o t i o n s , i d e a s or

anger

pronoun:

a word that take s

ideals

the place of a noun, for

cat, soldie , r d o c to r

Living creatures

S ooty, S h a h e e d ,

example,

Dr Jones

Places

Malaysia,

beach, town

Paris

•

Nouns have a plural form, of ten marked byan‘s’:

tables, cats ,

beaches

.

•

Nouns combine with determiner s such a s:

the

some

:

the cat

,

some cheese

,

a

,

that

and

.

•

Nouns and noun phra ses can b e replaced by a

pronoun

.

proper noun

Shaheed was in the middle of explaining when suddenly

he

pronoun

raced out of the room.

S e c t i o n

52

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i t , s h e , something

.1

2

noun phrase

The black cat was about to cross the road when

it

stopped

pronoun

suddenly.

Look at the right- hand column of the table on page 52.

1

How can you tell w h e t h e r s o m e thing is a prop er noun ?

reV bs

There are three d i f fe r e n t t y pes of

verb

:

•

e x p r e s s a n a c t ion, proce s s o r s t ate:

Main verbs

I

, they would have

going

loved

think

Topt pi

, we are

it.

Being able to spot proper

•

Auxiliary

verbs

help create the ten se:

we

are

leaving

,

they

have

nouns can be useful in

eaten it all

.

comprehension and short-

• answer ques tions, as it may (a ty pe of auxili a r y verb) tell us how de finite,

Modal verbs

help you to ident i f y cert ain likely  o r p o s s ible something is:

I

must

do that now

,

we

could

information when skimming, say that

.

scanning and s e l e c t ni g.

Verbs are

tomake them agree with a s u b j e c t (the

conjugated

noun or pronoun that is ‘doing’ the verb).

Topt pi firstperson

Main verbs are ess ential –

I

walk

, he

walks third pers o n

every

I

am

,

she is

full sentence must have

one. Auxiliary

, they are

verbs, including

third pers on plural

modals, are used with a

main verb.

Verbs are also conju gated to make d i f ferent

tenses

.

For example:

Key terms

I

am

I

was

,I

( p r e s e n t tense)

walk

a word that expre s s e s

verb:

a n a c t ion (

,I

) or a st ate

go

( p a s t t e n se)

walked

(

feel

,

kiel

)

conjugated:

when verbs

Adjectives and adverbs change form, u suallytaking

on a differentending

A d j e c tives and adverbs are us ed to modi f y other words . They are

p a r t icularly useful when you n eed to de scribe people, place s or

forms verbs take to

tenses:

e x p e r i e n c e s in detail.

show the time of an a c t io n

A d j e c tives can d e s c r i b e o r m o d i f y a noun:

Adverbs can m o d i f y

The

timid

mouse

The tiger wa s

2

or intensif y a

verb or adjec tive:

I

dangerous

.

She was

really

hope she’s

ready.

incredibly bus. y

How many adjec tive s and adverbs can you think of in two minutes to fi t these se ntences ?

a)

T he... woman / t re e / .c ar

b)

T hat film/ b o o k game / was…

c)

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

I

am… tired.

s k i l ls

53

oT pic 1

Chapter 2 .

Build the skills

Pronouns,prepositions,conjunctions

and determiners

,snuorP

srenmrieted

dna

oy taht erusne nacur

onsitiposepr

taerruwcdcneacvusidsnetama,lgnrticorairfastnports eihi.le,c

Pronouns and pos s e s s i v e pronouns repla ce a noun, to avoid

repetition. ou should Y use them only when it is clear exac tly what

you are talking ab out:

I

gave

it

to

him.

I

want

that.

bike is

That

mine.

An exception to this is if you deliberately want to create mys t e r y –

for example, in the fi

r s t sentence of a stor y:

All morning I pa ced about the room, waiting for

it

to arrive.

indicate a relationship be t w e e n p eople or thin g s ,

Prepositions

usually in space or time:

before

,

s p e c i f y a noun:

Determiners

l

a

i

f

on

,

m;

to

,

by

this

,

under

cup;

, and so on.

my

cat

.

link two w o r d s , p h r a s e s or clause s together:

Conjunctions

because

,

and

although

,

but

,

.

Look at this se ntence. Which words are prepositions ,

3

determiners

and pronouns ?

I’ll me aylor et T at the entrance to the railwa y s t ation at

6 oc’lock with the s ecret plan s .

Key terms

Develop the skills

determiners:

words that

specify

nouns

Voc a b u l a r y can also dif fer in other ways , for example, when you

prepositions:

words that

want to create a particular effe c t .

d e s c r i b e the relations hip

•

Emotive words

can convey or produce pow e r f u l feelings:

b e t w e e n p eople, things or

desperation

,

incredible

,

joyous

,

golden

,

shadowy

,

abandoned

.

places

•

ceT hnical terms

or

phrases

for informatio n writing:

are used

Conjunctions:

species

,

habitat

,

migration

,

plumage

words that

.

join two w o r d s , p h r a s e s or

clauses

Read this shor t te x t , which use s emotive and technical

4

vocabular . y Identif y e xamples of each.

Playing my fi

r s t gig was a fanta stic ex perience. A s soon as I s trappe d on my shiny n e w e l e c tric

guitar I felt a shive r of expec tation run through me. M y h e a r t raced wildly as I strummed the

opening chords of the2-ba 1 r b l u e s , and I faltered momentarily as Roxy s’ vocals kicked in.

S e c t i o n

54

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

in a senten ce

.1

2

If you are writing about a par ticular topic, avoid repeating the

same words or phrases . For example, a police offi cer might warn

people about the

situation following the fir e

serious

could also say

, but they

grave, impor tant , worr ying

or

drastic

.

How stro ng is each of the se choices ? How do they dif fer in

5

meaning?

uoY might also choo se longer , p o w e r ful words or p hrases to

replace more co m m o n o n e s .

Copy the following te x t , replacing the highlighted word s

6

with more power ful vo c a b u l a .r y

The storm in the dese r t w a s

up

v e r y ba d

in the air and

got into

. The sand wa s

thrown

our ears , eyes and mouths. The

made a loud noise and it was ver y hard

wind

to walk.

uoY can also u se vocab u l a r y to be more precise and to a d d f u r ther

information. For

example:

The wind upro oted the tre es in the park.

could beco me:

specific type of wind

adjectives add visual detail

The

uprooted th e

tornado

battered

stadium

tall, slen d e r

cedars

around

the

.

precise type of tree

noitacol redaer sl letnoitisoperp

Rewrite this paragraph about the storm, adding your ow n

7

details in the same way . adjective and precise noun

provide even more detail

seavcwae(… jd… ehaed)stTre(cvnodew ojvcitni…,t

edba()chet… vje)jdia)ctech.o(vnp… iruto(nepio)s(… t

ehtsthisfodnakya)(luehdv… peje)icsad,jvicti… (ehTt

… echetjdae)c(lewivhjdt… heabt)ni(ediartevnu.on)i(… t

Appl y the skills

8

Write 100 521 – words des cribing your view of a deep c ave in

the side of a mountain as night fall s . R e m e m b e r:

•

Do not tell a sto r y : stick to the des criptio n of the cave

and what can be seen, heard or felt.

•

Select 4

– 5 specific things an d describe them in p recise

detail, using well- cho s e n v o c ab u l a .r y

•

Use a range of word class es to accurately convey what

c a n b e e x p e rienced.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

55

oT pic 21

Chapter 2 .

Acurate

sentces

youlanlIrwrityuongi,eedtouen aensrtegeofces

tiaporeapurttohtoriduenasyoineca.rerw ofritgin

Explore the skills

T h e b e s t writing:

•

u s e s s e n t e nces accurately so that the meaning is clear

•

uses a range of senten ces for ef f e c t a n d i m p a c t .

Remember that sentences begin with a c apital let ter an d end with

a

full stop

(

.

),

question mark

(

?

) or

exclamation mark

(

p u n c t u ation marks point towards the different

!

). Thes e

functions

of a

sentence.

Declarative

(for st a t e m e n t s o r s u g g e s tions)

Interrogative

•

(for ques t i o n s , r e q u e s t s or queries)

•

Maybe we could g o for a swim later

How does thi s work

.

•

?

•

The crowd clapp ed enthusiastic ally

Is someone following us

.

?

•

Do you honestl y e x p e c t us to believe that

Exclamatory

(for stressing a point or showin g

Imperative

s t r e n g t h of feeling)

?

(for instr u c ti o n s , o r d e r s o r

commands)

•

•

How beautiful that dress is

Press the bu t t o n now

!

•

!

•

What a shame

1

ruT n l e f t by the st ation.

!

Copy and complete this table. Write at least one sentence

for each function that is appropriate to the t e x t .

Text

Sentence function

A r e p o r t of a visit to a spo r t s or music show

declarative

M y sentence

The show too k place at the

Beach Hotel.

A stor y with a mysterious event

interrogative

I n s t r u c tions about how to get fro m your

imperative

home to the neare s t s h o p

An email to a fri e n d a f ter you have met a

exclamatory

favourite cele b r i t y

Build the skills

I t i s i m p o r t ant to under s t a n d and use the three main sentence

types

in your writin g .

S e c t i o n

56

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.2

2

The

of a sentence is the per son or thing that is doing the

subject

a c t i o n or feeling

the emotion.

The

i s t h e a c t of

verb

or

feeling

doing

,

being

something.

m Siesnpetlnecs

ylusaler

A

shoroaenuslotacin tde

compound sentence

is

A

usually long. Ite rcontain s

Theybe.vrand

wushatbeictj

two or m ore clause s

ofnianutpexlfsears

e f f e c t . I t contain s a

such as

sdievegaptisrordeasitnct

can add

contrast , or show c ause and

of equal

weight linke d by conjunc tio ns

aunrtdisctionTsh.ecayn

complex sentence

f u r t h er information , provide

or

for 

and

,

nor

a n d , y e t , so,

but,

main clause

and one or more

.

subordinate

, o f ten marke d o f f by a

clauses

itowm dnefloag swien

comma or connec tive.

Our team play ed well and the

op srednig up.

players showed all t heir skills.

Although it was the middle

I sat in the exam room .

of the night, the dog barke d

The clock ticke d.

loudly.

I had

failed.

I d e n t i f y the sentence t y p e s and func tio ns in this paragraph.

2

ew sandleNw ide,rniyceovbicolw RirahsTcewaesldi

nghetienEvThleymi!seniug.m skibedasyeoitd

,thgeivawrlnigtpgnieiwdrew lehougrw etslhtea.t

kdh,aw tcuerTolhsdtnegalih,oetdarelcjpy

edcniotI

aphentruwtsatotIsgnre’kvbe.ginrfasctlfailCrshioft

.

Develop the skills

Subordinate clau ses are im p o r t ant for expanding ideas. They are

Key terms

s e c o n d a r y to the main claus e and cannot s tand on their own.

subject:

the ‘do - e r ’ of the

For example:

v e r b a c tion in a sente nce or

clause

dhadeguiourhougtAl

deaausdenelvom vceigaehntpdrs

main clause:

the main part

tuewrw eeym,palreoltst.

of a sentence that could

s t a n d a s a sentence o n its

The main clau se here is ‘we were ut terly l o s t ’ – it can st and

own

alone as a sentence. The subordinate clau se adds su p p o r t ing

information. In many case s , s u b ordinate clau ses that s t a r t with a

subordinate claus e s :

subordinating co n j u n c tion (

although

,

even though

,

because

,

in

clauses that do not make

) can be switched with the main clause.

order that

sense on their own; not

complete sente n c e s

3

Add a subordinate clause to ea ch of these sentences .

a)

…, we insisted the driver s t o p p e d.

b)

We placed Clark under the shade of the only tre e, …

c)

Finally, his fever be gan to subsid e, …

Appl y the skills

4

Write a narrative account of a dange rous journey, with six

or seven sent e n c e s . Use at least one simple, one co mpound

and one complex se ntence.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

57

oT pic 3

Chapter 2 .

Tenseandverbgerament

uoY r u s e o f v e r b s a n d t e n s e s s ho u l d b e c onsistent .

W h i l e t e n s e s c a n a n d d o c h a n g e i n t e x t s , t h er e a r e

c o n v e n t io n s t h at y ou m u st f o l l o w t o a v o i d c o n f u s i on .

Explore the skills

uoY m u s t e nsure that your subje c t a grees with the main verb.

A singular subjec t mu st have a singular verb form . For example:

The

us ralugni]s[bejct

rehcaet

The

[plural subjec ] t

teachers

rev ralm ]ugnroifs[b

hsoust

. y lduol

[plural verb form] loudly.

shout

Key term

This applies even wh e n t h e a c tion is in the pas t. For e xample:

regular verb:

He

shouting loudly NOT He

was

a verb

that follows pre d i c t able

shouting loudly

were

p a t t e r n s in forming te n s e s

They

shouting loudly NOT They

were

shouting loudly

was

and agreeing with su b j e c t s

The table below shows how the main verb tens es are forme d for

regular verbs

, such as

neT se

to walk

and

to jump

.

Example

Simple present

Explanation

I jump, he jump

The ending of the main verb change s

s

according to the te nse and subje c t .

Simple past

I jump

ed

Present pro gressive

I

am

Past p r o g r e s s ive

I

was

jump

, she jump

ed

ing

, he

is

jump

T h e s e t e n s e s are created by an auxiliar y

ing

p r e s e n t p a r ticiple

verb and a

jump

ing

, she

was

jump

of the main

ing

verb (en ding in ‘– ing’ .)

Present per f e c t

I have jumped , he has jump e d

Past p e r f e c t

I had jumped , she had jump e d

T h e s e t e n s e s are created with an

auxiliar y verb and a

main verb (e nding in ‘–

C o r r e c t this paragraph from a discursive tex t:

1

Digital technologies transforms th e way we lives . Now car park themselves; you can even drove

them remotely.

S e c t i o n

58

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

past par ticiple

e d ’ .)

of the

.3

2

Key term

Build the skills

irregular verb s :

irregular verb s

Many

verbs that

do not follow this pa t t e r n . The table below

do not follow the s tandard

shows some common irregular verbs.

patterns

to be

Simple present

am, are, is

Simple past

was, were

Progressive

was being

to run

to eat

ea t , e a t s

to think

to take

to go

run, runs

think, think s

take,

tak es

ate

ran

thought

took

went

was eating

was running

was thinking

was taking

was going

go, goes

form

P e r f e c t form

had been

had eaten

had run

had thought

had taken

had gone

Copy and correc t th e following paragraph.

2

I had ran home wh en Sadiq tex t me and asking what we has to do for ho mework. I told him the

teacher takin g o u r b o o k s in so we didn’t hadany.

Develop the skills

areaformofauxilai r yverb. They provideinformation about the cert ainty , possibility or

Modal verbs

improbability of an actionorsituation. For example:

•

•

He

should

(it would be be st if he did)

go

He

would

go…

if

…

(he isn’t going but if

things change)

•

He

might

He

could

go

( i t i s u n c e r t ain but p ossible)

•

He

can

(it is possible, or he is allowed to)

go

•

go

(he has the p otential to )

•

He

wil

(hehasdecided–heintendstodoit)

go

Read this reply to an invitation.

3

I would come if I wa s free, but I will be watching Rav in his tennis final.

What is unlikel ?y

a)

What is definit ?e

b)

4

Write a short account (50

75– words) explaining w hat you

did last we eken d and what you inte nd to do next weeken d.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Make sure that your subjec t an d verbs agree.

✔

U s e t e n s e s c o r r e c tly and consis tently .

✔

Use at least t w o m odal forms.

C h a p t e r

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59

y Appl the skills

oT pic 4

Chapter 2 .

Senentce punctuonait

uoY have already learned how sentencesalways start

with acapital el tter and end with a full stop,exclamation

mark or auqestion mark. However, youmust use t he full

rangeofpunctuatio n to wr ite effecti. vely

Explore the skills

Using commas an d a p o s t rophes corr e c t ly is a basic punc tuation

skill, which you must get right in all your writing.

Commas

Use commas to separate ite ms in a lis t:

I bought fajit a s , t o mato sauce , onions and fried chicke n to

prepare for the

p a r t. y

Usecommastoseparateadverbs, lcausesorphrases of( tenasaway

ofaddingdetaiprl,oi rtisni gniformatoi nor

organisnigyourdieas: )

Although I was a n g r, yI didn’t say a n y t hing.

( T h e c o mma separates the subordinate clause so that it

is clearly the firs t clau se in the s entence, emphasising the

writer’s

a n).g e r

F i r s tofall, I’d liketo deal with t he problem of t r a f f ic in the

c i t y centre.

( T h e c o m m a s e t s ap a r t the sequence phrase –

f i r s t ofall

emphasising th e order in which ideas will be pres ented.)

Jose, on the ot her hand, believes that the biggest problem is

p e d e s t r i a ns .

(Here, the bracketing commas tell us more ab out Jose’s

feelings ).

The comma splice

Acommaspcilesiacommonerrorwheretwoclause sthatshould

havebeensptilntoseparatesentencesororganisedusniganilking

word/phrase,aremis atkenlyseparate dbyacomma.Forexample:

I went to see the film, it wa s fantas tic.

S e c t i o n

60

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

,

.4

2

This could be r e w r i t ten in several ways:

I went to see a film, which was f a n t a s ti c .

I went to see a film. It was f a n t a s ti c .

I went to see a film: it was fa n t a s ti c .

I went to see a film; it was fan t a s t ic .

Apostrophes

U s e a p o s t rophes to indicate po s s e s s i o n .

If the owner is singular , t h e a p o s tr o p h e g o e s before the :‘s’

Japan’s government

,

my uncle’s bald head

.

Watch out for names already ending in‘s’:

Dickens’s novels

.

If the owner is plural, then t h e a p o s trophe come s a f ter the ‘s’:

managers ’ problems with their teams

football e r s ’ wives

,

.

Get this wro ng, and you c an change the meaning. For example:

•

sekib=nehobtlsewrTebhoy’

tdahekyobenoiboltows esn

•

T h e b o y s ’bikes were both stolen =

each boy’sbike was stol e n

There are exce ptions fo r special plural words , such a s

children’s

men’s

,

women’s

,

.

uoY should also u s e a p o s trophes to show omissio n. The

a p o s t r o p h e g o e s w h e re a l e t,ter or series o f l e t te r s , h a s b e e n

removed:

•

There isn’t much you can do.

(is not)

•

uoY ’ll be lu cky!

(you will)

Read the following te x t , then rewrite it , adding or

1

removing comma s a n d a p o s trophes as appropriate. If you

need to chang e or add any wo r d s , t h en do so.

Even though it wa s raining we all went to the park. Shamira

brought bread ch e e s e s a l a d and iced tea. Alina however

brought nothing which made us all mad. Id brought a snack

and so had Shan. A linas excu se was that shed not had time

to go the shop. However it didnt mato . ter T u r i s t s hats were

g e t t i n g blown off so we knew a storm was comin g a n d l e f t

a f t e r ten minute s. Luckily on the way back we found a café,

it was warm and welco ming.

C h a p t e r

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oT pic 4

Chapter 2 .

Build the skills

Brackets and dashes

Bracke ts and da s h e s o f ten work in a similar way to commas . They

c a n b e u s ed to provide additio nal information or to make detail s

s t a n d o u t , such a s w h e n d e s cribing a situation or event, or adding

a humorous comm ent:

We didn’t mind hanging around at the beach in the winte r

(despite the cold) as it was where all our friend s went.

Florent told us he’d bought a secondhand car – not

t o o e x p e n sive – to replace his b a t t e red old Ford. I t was

secondhand – a Ferrari!

Where would you add bracke ts or das hes in thes e t w o

2

examples ?

The goal was t h e b e s tI’d ever score d although it wa s

a)

disallowed and I remembe red it for mont h s .

Z andra yes , shy Z andra of all people won th e talent

b)

show and the 10 0 0 d ollar priz!e

Develop the skills

Other form s o f p u n c tuation can be u s e d m o r e subtly for dif ferent

e f f e c t s . T hey can be e s p e c ia lly useful in cert ain forms of writing.

Colons and semi-colons

caniortwndltsioulefac,gaeneslatrsteihtmek:nilt,

oAcnl

We can be p roud of las t year: incr e a s e d s al e s , m ore

c u s t o m e r s and higher profi

It can also introduce a clause that e xplains th e fi

ts.

r s t clause:

She was overjoyed: the bag w a s e x a c tly what she wante d.

S e m i - colons are us eful for contra s t s a n d comparisons , to link t w o

clauses of equal impo r t a n c e. For example:

Rajesh lik e s table tennis; Irina prefer s hockey .

S e c t i o n

62

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.4

2

S e m i - colons can al s o b e u s e d when lis ting ite ms that take more

than a single word. For e xample:

I watched all my favourite Bond fi

lm s again las t week –

Live

and Let Die

3

;

Quantum of Solace

;

S k y fall

.

C o r r e c t or add colons or semi- colons to thes e sentence s .

Add any other pun c t u a t ion they need , such as co m m a s .

My phone has lots of thing s wrong with it broke n screen

a)

no audio dead bat t e r. y

Grime is my favourite ty pe of music Sasha has always

b)

loved techno.

Javed carefully opened the box it was completely empt y

c)

4

Read this shor t ar t icle from a school website. Rewrite it,

adding colons or semi- colons as appro priate.

The new libra r y i s w o n d e r ful more shelf space an internet

zone and comf y chairs for relaxing with a favourite book. The

internet zon e is already p opular the co m p u t e r s a re booke d up

e v e r yday. S o m e s t u dents com e in early to do hom ework on

them others u se them once l e s s o n s have ended.

Topt pi

Appl y the skills

Muaeksnocflnis

uoY r main goal is to en sure that your us e o f p u n c tuation is

analycitaorlrepor twrnitgi

accurate.

ohtpeoldrviecelar

expanloaintBs.ecaerunfolt

5

Write the ope ning two paragraphs of an article in which

overusesem-i ocnlsUs. ethem

you argue that exams are bad for stu d e n t s ’ health. r Ty to

spnairgyalndonywl henyou

use the full range of punc tuation (excep t s p e e c h m a r k s ,

situsiaecor r rectotdos.

unless you include an int e r view). Check your work as you

go along – and af ter ward ou s . could: Y

•

s t a r t with a question (for example,

the fi

r s t time that… ?

Do you remember

)

•

contrast two id eas with a semi - c olon

•

make a point and use b racke t e d t e x t or dashes to give

e x t r a information or a humorous aside

•

use a colon to introduce a list .

C h a p t e r

2 :

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63

oT pic 5

Chapter 2 .

Reportedanddirectspeech

uoY w i l l n e e d t o u s e s p e e c h pu n c t ua t io n i n y our

n a r r a t i v e w r i t i ng, but y o u m ay a l s o n e e d i t t o quote

someone’ s w o r d s i n a n a r t ic l e o r s p e e c h .

Explore the skills

speech marks around actual

The example below s e t s o u t the main conventions of spe ech words spoken, including any

marks (so metimes called inv e r ted commas). punctuation

‘How are you feelng?i

’ asked my father .

newlineforeachnewspeaker

‘ H e l o o k s pale,’ said my mothe . r

comma goes before the

c

losing speech mark when

I replied, ‘I don’t want to do it, but I gues s I’llhaveto.’

the speech is not a question

‘In that cas e’, said my fathe , r

helping me into my coat, ‘you

or exclamation

need to hurry, or you’ll miss the bus.’

comma after the speaker

and the speech inside speech

‘I wish my mathe matics exam was over ’, I said. ‘Can’t I jus t

marks, if the speaker comes

pretend mI’?il ’

i

f

rst

speaker can be mentioned

mid-sentence; if the speech

continues, the fi

rst word does

not have a capital letter

where the speaker is

mentioned between two

separate sentences, use a full

stop and then a capital letter

1

Copy the senten ces below and add the corr e c t p u n c t uation

to start the next part

(you may also nee d to correc t th e use of c apital let t e r.)s

sentences containing speech

Oh no! I drop ped my phone in the swimming pool crie d

a)

begin with a capital letter and

Natasha.

end with a full stop

I’m s o r r y but it jus t d o e s n ’ t fi

b)

t you said Rita’s mum you’l

have to take it back.

A huge fan nex ttomeaske dwhodoyousu p p o r t sonny?

c)

Build the skills

I n r e p o r te d s p e e c h , you do not ne e d s p e e c h m a r k s . R e p o r te d

s p e e c h c a n b e u s e d to create dist ance or a se nse of auth o r i t y – for

example, in repor t s w here the narrator is less i m p o r t ant than the

facts

being recounted.

S e c t i o n

64

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.5

2

D i r e c t s p e e ch: no speech marks

‘ W i l you let me? in’ I aske d the doorman.

direct form of address – ‘you’

‘ S o ou r r.er’Yytoo late,’ he replied.

changed to ‘he’

Reported speech:

relative pronoun used to

I aske d the doorman ifhe’d let me in but he told

introduce what was said

me that I was to o late.

‘you’ (said by doorman)

Change these di r e c t speech examples to repo r t e d s p e e c h .

2

changed to ‘I’

a)

‘The fi

re ’s still burnin g so you’ll need to keep back,’ said

the police of fi. ce r

‘told’ replaces ‘said’ where you

are the subject

The police

b)

o f f i ce r told...

‘I am delighted with the outcom e of the mee ting,’ said

the President .

The President said…

Develop the skills

I n v e r ted commas may also be u s e d f o r titles of po ems and shor t

stories . , Or they can be u sed if you want to quote a word o r

phrase in a n e s s a y or other repo r t . For example:

It is clear Word s w o r th is stru ck by the beau t y o f the

d a f f o dils ‘fl

u t tering and dancing in the breez . ’e

Copy and correc t th e s e s e n t e n ce s .

3

a)

Tidy your roo m fi

r s t was all she would say when I asked

her if I could go round to Ben’s .

b)

When Word s w o r th writes I wan dered lonely a s a cloud

we get a vivid pic ture of him strolling through the

mountains.

Appl y the skills

Continue the dialo gue below, b e t w e en a boy who is late

4

for school and his teacher .

I ran up the corrido r towards the exam room. Ou t of breath,

I turned the handle and burs t in.

ou‘ re’Ylate!’hi s s e d m y teacher .

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

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65

oT pic 6

Chapter 2 .

Acurate

useofparagraphs

P a r a g r ap h s help you o r g a n i s e y ou r i d e a s a n d g u i d e

y o u r r e a de r t h r ou g h y ou r w r i t i ng.

Explore the skills

uoY should use a n ew paragraph:

•

to change focu s or switch to a new topic or pe r s p e c t ive

•

to signal a change in tim e (for example, a day later)

•

to indicate a chan ge of scen e or place

•

in speech, when a new person is introduced or star ts to speak.

Writerso f etn use

topicsentencestohelpsginalhtkeyfocusofthe

paragraph.Readthisexample.Thetopicsentencesarehgihgilhted.

openingparagraphestablishes

Cruise holidays may suit some p eople, but th ey are not for

wri sviteer’worperspective

I couldn’t s tand the thought of being stuck with the same

me.

people for wee k s o n e n d , unable to esc ape except for the odd

trip ashore. It is my idea of a nightmare.

second paragraph switches to

teY I accept that th ey are increasin gly popular , e s p e c i ally

an alternative viewpoint

a m o n g s t o l d e r and retired people.

E v e r y thing is done for you,

and if you wish to make friends then you cannot help d oing

s o . I ts’ v e r y good for s ociali sing, that s’ for sure!

Read the paragraphs below, from the same t e x t .

1

kaTe my cruise trip with my parents las t .year

from the fi

It was a dis a s t e r

r s t day when I reali sed there wa s no one my own

age on the ship. Who was I going to spe nd time with ?

owT w e e k s alter, we came to the e nd of the mos t borin g trip

We dock ed at the harbour in Miami – dr y la n d ,

of my life.

I thought. At last!

a)

What is the purp ose of each paragraph ?

b)

What ‘chan ge’ is signalled by each topic s entence ?

Build the skills

Paragraphs c a n v a r y in st yle an d f u n c t ion, accordin g to when and

where they are u s e d .

S e c t i o n

66

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.6

2

Introductory

In text s

or opening

these provide the contex t or the main viewpoint .

a s u b j e c t (such as cruis e ships) or

exploring

arguing a point of view

,

paragraph s

nI

depvcisrt

or

textst,hesgrveigbkacounofim droaintse,thescene,

venairt

buaostplulngnaeir,bbnighteratders’ ng ietonw aehnixctimoment.

Body

Longer paragraphs

paragraph s

contrast

build or exp and

can

on the openin g information , or

o f f er

by way of new ideas or a change of pace.

Short

paragraphs

might be

used for s hock or empha s i s .

Concluding

These might

paragraph s

resolve a mys t e r y

keyview p o i n t s , or

sum up

or

leave things

look to the fu t u r e

. In stori e s , they might

u n c e r t ain

for the reader to contemplate.

W here in thi s stor y about a sea voyage could the following

2

paragraphs come?

Why?

ou‘ go Y on ahead,’ I called to Chen as we qu eued to ge t o f f the ship. ‘I ’ll me et you at the hotel.’ I

watched his slight fi

gure fade into the swarming s t r e e t s and disappear into the crowds .

How was I to know that I would not see him again for six month?s

3

Hownhtigseal -senetnpecargphbeenusedforefefct?

Develop the skills

The follow- up sente nces in paragraphs af ter topic sentences are

a l s o u s eful.

topic sentence

The populari t y of cruises i s indisputable. That is to say a

iefrsdiehate edrnieofdr ned

signifi

c a nt number of pe ople claim to e njoy them. In our small

town, acco rding to a rece n t s u r vey,at least on e member of

evidence is offered

e v e r y family has taken on e. This is a stonishing given that they

comment from writer

are by no means cheap. It is one reas on why we ge t so many

ads for them o n T V and online.

consequences explored

4

Write one further sentence to develop each of th ese topic

sentences.

a)

Social m edia is in credibly ad d i c t ive.

b)

E x t r e me weather se ems to be on the rise.

Appl y the skills

5

Write two paragraphs of a text about cruise s h i pous . Y

can either write about your views on cruis e s , o r write

paragraphs from a sto r y s et on one. r Ty to build several

sentences to follow the topic sentence.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

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67

oT pic 7

Chapter 2 .

pahrgaPra

ochesoni

uoY c a n h e l p g u i d e t he r e a d e r t h r o u g h y o u r t e x t b y

s e l e c t i n g w o r d s o r p h r a s e s t o l i n k p a r ag r a ph s t o g ether,

o r t o i n t r oduce

n e w i n f o r m a t io n .

Explore the skills

Read how this stu d e n t d e s cribes the build- up to a holiday.

topic sentence introduces idea

that this is about holidays and

I had been looking forwardt o our holidayorf weeks. Each day

writer’ s feelings

I crossed offa date on the cale. ndar I mooched around the

kitchen ingundergemum’s feet. I sat and stared out of the

details within the paragraph

window at our street.

The hours dragged b, y

but eventualyl

develop the topic

it was timeorf us to go.I crossed offthe last day on the

calendar and went to bed even though I couldn’t sleep.

linking phrase (connective)

relating to time

The next morning,

the bus ride to the air p o r t was dreadful:

we

topic sentence introduces

hadroadworks, a demonstration and evenleathat herd of ca

terrible bus ride

wouldn’t move! I thought weweren’t going to make it.

sequence word (connective)

Fin,ally

we made it to theicheck - n desk. As we queued ,upI

relating to feelings and time

could see the look of relief on Dad’s face.

topic sentence introduces

where this part of narrative

t Athedestkh,eassistantolokedatusbawylnkhewnehanded

takes place

oveapurssportsandtcourikeftlprnitout.‘ ghtiYsitomor, row

not ’ today , shesaipoidn,tnigtothedateonoutcrikets.

1

Note down how this text is held together by

cohesion

.

Consider:

•

the different topics or information in each paragraph

•

how time or se quence phra ses help

•

how the content is organised – for example, why is

arp‘i o r t ’ not mentione d again once ‘check - in’ appears in

paragraph ?3

Key term

cohesion:

i s k n i t ted toge ther and

Build the skills

linked to other paragraphs

around it. o picT sentences ,

2

A d d a f u r ther paragraph to the text . Use one of the

c o n n e c tives and linking

following ideas on page 69 and a to pic sentence to make

p h r a s e s all help to mak ea

the situation clear .

Make sure that you use a linking phra se

t e x t cohesive

to introduce your paragraph.

S e c t i o n

68

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

how a paragraph

.7

2

•

The ride back in the bus

•

Mum and Dad arguing back at the fl

at

•

The next

morning

Develop the skills

D i f f e r e n t t y pes of co n n e c t ive can help you link your ideas b oth

within and bet ween paragraphs. T hese include:

•

lacoginohlrcng:m i/etrdsqeioruenec

i f ta rstahytadnexr,etalt,

•

simple ordering of events o r a c tions:

i

f

r s t , second, fi

nally

•

logical ord ering (of t e n related to c ause and e f f e c t ) :

therefore,

consequently, as a result

•

contrastnig:

ontheotherhand,nicontras t, ho,wrevalthough

•

developing idea s:

what is more , in addition, moreover ,

f u r t h e r more.

Add appropria te connec tive s to the followin g email writ ten

3

by the check- in assi stant to h e r b o s s , who was ill and away

from the airpo r t for the day.

…(time) was incredi b l y b u s y at the airpor t . (… cau s e / ef f e c t) th ere were long queues up

to my desk . Apparentlythe , traffi

c in the city was terrible.… d( evelopment) there was a

s t u d e n t d e m o n s t r a tion, which closed the main road.

… (contra s t ) m o s t p a s s e n g e r s m a d e it on time, …(contras t) one famiyl, poor thing s, had

a n a s t y shock when they handed me their ticke t s . T h e yd ’ got the wrong day!

Appl y the skills

Checklistfor

H ere is stu d e n t s’ plan for a de scriptive piece of writing

4

success

called ‘M y P e r f e c t H o il d. aDecide y’ which paragraph to

✔

es cipototaenceUsnt

begin with, then write the t e x t .

foaedihtnematitse

.hpargaraphcae

•

T hings I would like to do on my per ef ct holiday ✔

Link paragraphs

with

c o n n e c ti v e s .

•

erribTle holidays I havehad in the past

✔

U s e c o n n e c tives within

•

T he sort of placountry/l ce/ ocation I would like to go

•

Who,ifanyone,Iwould take with me

paragraphs to link

sentences.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

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69

oT pic 8

Chapter 2 .

Proorfeadnig

uoY c a n i m p r o v e y o u r p er f o r m a n c e b y c he c k i n g o r

p r o o f r e a d i n g y ou r w o r k , b o t h w h i l e y o u w r i t e a n d a f t e r

you have

finished.

Explore the skills

Read these s t a g e s f o r proofreading your work.

Stage :1

checking for ‘s e n s e ’

. This means as you write ( p e r h a p s

a f t e r each paragrap h) and wh en you have finis hed, you read

through your work to check that it

makes sense.

Can you follow

the argument or sto r? Have y you remembered who th e reader

or audience? Isis the purpo se clear throughout? Or do you ge t

confused at any point? Look out for:

•

missing word s or phras e s

•

consisten c y o f t e n s e s

•

p u n c t u ation that helps the reader follow the viewpoint o r plot,

for example.

Stage 2 :

checking for det a i l .

This means a line- by-line read-

through looking for simple errors . T h e s e may or may not af f e c t

the overall se nse, but they can st and out and draw attention

away from what you are trying to say . Su ch errors can

a f f e c t the

meaning, to o. Check for:

•

spellin g errors , such as words you o f te n m i s s p ell, spelli ngs of

Key term

names,

homophones

(

bare/bear ,

your/you’r e; their/t h e yr ’e /

homophones:

), capital l e t te r s .

there

spelled dif f e r e ntly but

•

punctuaton,i espocymlecialmh–ayoveus dthemwheyreou

which sound the s a m e

hsoudhlavueseocunadjnctionorstar te?danewesnetnce

•

apostrophnicoe:srrectapostrophescanbevery notgaitiria

, ra.Ilnupart c iredaondocetnrufsethosemeanftoprosession

(

1

Sas’j

ekib

an)dhtoesofrmosin(

kaTe75 1 –0 0 words from any recent piece of work you have

completed. Foll ow the two s t a g e s above, highlighting any

e r r o r s o r o mi s s i o n s .

Build the skills

The final st age is making c o r r e c ti o n s . In reality , you will probably

do this as you makeyour c h e c k s , rather than afte r w ar d s , b u t

there is no point identif yin g errors if you do not ta ckle them.

S e c t i o n

70

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

! It’s ekbgieart

.)

words

.8

2

Stage 3: making correct i o n s .

If you need to cross out or add words

or phrases , do so neatly and clearly :

•

ohrtnPeuiam tsilghtapiresltughtw eodw orrodW rs.ethrie

repalcemenwtorohstdraeifrbiohntm v,eiorn,ag.ri

•

Use the ^ mark be t w e e n w o rds to indic ate a word or phrase

that you want to add.

Copy out and then c o r r e c t t h e s h o r t e x tr a c t below, using

2

the guidance above.

Theres no point in denying the infl

uence social media. Know

e v r y o ne knows y oure buisness . Id rat her have sum privacy.

Develop the skills

The time you spend pro ofreading will depend on th e t y p e of task

you are working on, and the contex t .

•

For longer written re s p o n s e s , such as comp osition ta s k s , allow

at least fi

veminutesatthe end of the ta sk for proofreading.

•

For coursework, you will have more time to write a fi

of your work, c o r r e c t it and then write fi

r s t draft

nal copies, so the

proofreading may happen mo re frequently and take longer .

3

Go back and look at any previous e x t e n d e d t e x t you

have written, and which you know you did not p roofread

c o r r e c tly.Go through the three s t a g e s and redraf t th e t e x t .

Appl y the skills

4

This is the op ening paragraph from on e s t u d e n t s’ narrative

s t o r. Follow y the st ages as outlined above and rewrite the

o p e n i n g . ( T here are app roximately4 1e rrors here.)

My fathers watch was a delicate item but it had a t orn strap ,

it had scratches on the face. I placed it on the desk and tryed

to read itsmaker’ ’ s label. But unfo r tunately, It was to faint, so

I couldn’t make it out. I picked it up and let it restorf a moment

in the palm of my hand: it was surprisingly heavy . T hen from

an angle I was able to read the maker’ s name: wright and sons,

London 888.Wwo1 – it was old. Later that day , my phone

rung. Caller unknown. I answeredandherd astrangevoice on

the line. ‘Is that Sunil? it asked. ’es, I repl ‘Y ied care f u.you l ‘Y

don’t know me’ the voice continued, But I knowyou.’

I had a sudden omen. Something bad is going to happen all

because of that watch.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

17

oT pic 9

Chapter 2 .

Aenucdiandelvelsof for m tial y

C h o o s i n g t he r i g h t l e v e l o f f o r m a l i t y i s i m p o r t ant when

s p e a k i n g or w r it i ng ou . Y n e e d t o b e a bl e t o udge j what

is appr opriat e l a n g u ag e f o r t h e a ud i e n c e o r reader .

Explore the skills

At a basic level, we all adapt our vocabular y a ccording to our

audience and purpose. For example:

Schootealch‘poertaern:t W oyduolaunbatRdeiabeotl

attendhteschooplroductionf

RometoainudJl

next

ew’k?

School teacher to small child: ‘Can you and Mummy come to

the school play n e x t week? ’

What vocab u l a r y has been a dapted by the teacher when

1

speaking to the small child? Why ?

We also adap t our language according accordin g to context . For

example, what is the di f f e r e n c e b e t we e n

formal

and

informal

moreimpersonal(lessfriendly , language ? Consider the way you might speak or write to your

a sort of studied politeness) close friend s about eve r y day things. Then contra st this with how

with ‘distance’ between the you might communicate with an adult in auth o r i t y about a more

writer and recipient serious subje c t .

uses few if, abbreviations, any

slang or exclamation marks Formal:

formal vocabulary or Excuse m e, Mr Bosingwa, what would b e the bes t time to

conventions to match the the job inter view?

attend

context or audience:

rather than

attend

turn up for

Informal

generally adopts a close and Hey, Frankie

,

what’s

t h e b e s t time for me to turn up for this

personal tone chat,

then

?

informal vocabulary and

abbreviations to match the

2

Look carefully at examples A and B below. Make notes to

context or audience

i d e n t i f y the formal and info rmal elements in each.

uses the sentence tag

A

Wlel, you wouldn’t belieev it, Carlos, but theres’ me,kicking aball

around in our backyardwhen Utds ’ boss trots by!

S e c t i o n

72

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

then

.9

2

B

Dear Mr P e r e z ,

was I suveyrpr ikised uroyyb ndinvitatio anot t t enad

trainingsessi GnhrowtaBine UynitM edonondMa3r2y, ch.

wIoubdledligehtedt ome co andwoulkitled othanyoukfo r

noticingmy iks llswheynopuahsbyoudres ouseal wetske.

Your s s i n c e r el y ,

D i d i erBr i l l i a n t i

Build the skills

Formality in forms such a s l e t te r s m e a n s beginning and ending in specifi

c ways that you would not

use in an email to a friend , for example.

Imagine that your head teacher has w r i t te n a l e t ter inviting you to give a spe ech to new s t u d e n t s

about your po sitive expe riences at the school. A fo rmal reply might loo k somethin glike this.

standard opening for a formal

letter

Dear , tMrst Dei W

refers back to Mrs De Witt’ s

I am nitwri g yin repl to your rette lofthe letter

7

1,

 May

tivning me

to speak otnew st udent sat

reminds reader of the subject

the sc hool

.

I am extreme y l

honoured to be asked

wouldikelot than kryou efing fo rof me thi s

and

polite tone

. opportutiny

response to the request

I would beghtedelitoacept the noitivtnia

and wil l arrange to meettiw h you at ya mut ual

next action

convenien ttim e

,

as reque .dets

standard closing when a

,

uoY yrssincerel

name is used in the opening

att inS

Long

Topt pi

full name

Be careful thatyourinformal

The order of informationisanaturalandlogicalone:

subject

,

letters do not come acro ss

thanks f ortheinvitation

,

acceptance

,

f u r t h er action

,

close of letter

.

as rude. Mak e sure that you

areconfident about how the

3

Imagine that you are related to the head teacher and know

recipient will react to this st yle

her well. Write a more informal re ply to the invitation.

andtone.

Formal

language

S t a r t…

can also seem comic or rude

Dear Auntie any Ta ,

if exaggerated or used in the

wrong situation. For example,

How are ?you T h a n k s so much…for

you would not ask someone

to move on a bus by saying:

Excuse me, my good man,

could I trouble you t o s h i f t

your position so thatmy

bodily for m can be lo cated

alongside yours ?

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

73

oT pic 9

Chapter 2 .

Develop the skills

Some formal te x t s require an

i m p e r s o nal tone

, e s p e c ia lly when an

authoritative or factual account is ne e d e d .

Read the text below. Note down how t h e o b j e c tive,

4

i m p e r s o n a l tone is achieve d. Look carefully at:

•

the way the verbs are used

•

who is speakin g or writing.

The shark was o b s e r ved at 7: 0 0 a . m . b reaking the sur face of

the water approximately one kilometre from the shore. Loc al

coastguard s were aler ted and the shark was guided out to sea

to safer areas before any harm wa s done.

Now read this eye - w i t n ess account of the same eve nt. What

5

d i f f e rences do you notice ?

I saw the shark at around seven this morning in th e sea,

I guess ab out one kilometre or so out. I called the coa stguard s

and they guided it out to sea b efore it could d o any damage.

If you are still not sure how the dif fere nt tone is achieved,

consider the verbs in the following examples , then go back to the

task above.

Active form:

the fi

I noticed

The subjec t of the sentence (

I

Passive form:

T h e s t a r t of the fi

Thesubejc t(personwhonceohdtifemsin)sgoith,ertextseemsmoreobj d‘andevi.ctstant ’

The passive , i m p e r s onal st yle i s p a r ticularly us eful for news

r e p o r t s or accounts by som eone who wishes t h e t e x t to have

a u t h o r i .t y

ruT n this short account into a formal news repo r t by

6

changing the ac tive forms to the passive where possible.

I discovere d the shipwreck yes terday a s our fi

s hing boat

returned in th e evening. I saw the hull shinin g deep down ,

then dived in. W hile unde r w a t, e r

I took photo graphs with

my waterproof camera and returned to the surfa ce where

I   p a s s e d t h em to the cap tain who s ent them using a mobile

phone to a loc al newspap. re

S e c t i o n

47

r e s t a r ting in the fact o r y and called the police.

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

re

) is prese nt and ‘d oes’ the a c t i o n (noticing the fi

re /calling polic.e)

was noticed

and the police were calle d .

.9

2

u oI‘hedntYnhgaecloltwi’

:htswi‘nigreo.B ’eh‘ oetxhetoef’

The shipwreck wasdiscovered yesterdayb y a local fi sherman

ashis…

Appl y the skills

C o r r e c tly handled, informality can be us eful when es tablishing a

convincing voice in a dialogue or in conver satio n in a narrative.

So, Olga, your’e saying ‘la s t n ig h t ’ s movie was the b e s t f i

lm

ever’ , right? B e c a u s e i t ’ s not in my book .Noway.

Other di stinc tive features of informal dialogue are contracti o n s ,

Key term

tags

and

. Here are examples from the spe ech above:

idioms

idiom:

a

typical

phrase

•

contract ion:

you’re ’s ==ityou is are; it

common to a language:

•

tag:

rgiht? for example,

dead funny

meaning ‘really funny’ ;

a

•

not in my book

idiom:

does not mean that the speake r has

right laugh

a book of favourite fi

meaning‘a lot

lm s; it is a turn of p hrase meaning ‘in my

of fun’

v i e. w ’

I d i o m s a p p ear in both formal and informal language , but they are

morelikely to be us ed conve r s a t i o nalyl. They can make the voice

of your speake rs sound co nvincing, but they do ne ed to be u s e d

carefully and o nly when appropriate: for example, in informal

s p e e c h b e t we e n t w o close frien d s .

7

Draftadialoguebetween abankmanagerandateenage

boywhowantstoopenasavingsaccount.Useniformal

usages,ockneitract l ionsandtags, fortheboytoestablish

hisvoiceandamoreformalst yleforthoebankmanager .Y u

couldstar t asfolows:

‘ S o , M r Ferrer , you have expre s s e d in t e r e s t in opening an

account with us . Do you have any proof of ide n t i?t y ’

The manager st ared at Ray over her glas s e s .

‘ W ell, yeah – I’ve got this pic of me with my mates. Look…’

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

57

o T c1p0i

Chapter2.

i o V ce andeorl

S p o k e n a n d d i r e c t e d w r it i ng t a s k s o f t e n r e qu i r e you

t o w r i t e i n r o l e .ouY n e e d t o s ho w t h a t y o u h av e

u n d e r s t o o d t h i s a n d d o n o t si m p l y w r i t e a s y o u r s e l f .

To b e c o n v i n c i n g , y ou r w r i t i n g v o i c e m ay n e e d t o b e

adapted t o m a t c h t h e p e r s o n y o u a r e s u pp o s e d t o b e .

Explore the skills

A s i n dividuals, we all have different views of the same situation.

We therefore ex press things in dif ferent ways.

•

Voic e

i s t h e p a r ticualr, p e r s o n a l e x p r e s s ion and language that

an individual use s (for example, chatt y or s e r i o u s , anxious or

optimistic).

•

i s t h e p a r ticular part , profe ssion or i d e n t i t y that someone

Role

has (for example, a ten- year- old child, schoolteacher or an g r y

neighbour). The role ad opted may af f e c t voice and the content

of what is said.

Here are two e x tr a c t s w r i t ten by different people. What

1

roles do you think they have ? How would you de scribe the

two dif ferent

voices ?

Oh no, I thought! Not my lovelydress!Justbefore the

wedding… gone in a fl

ash. Just my luck! I slumped on the bed

and sobbed, tearsstreakingmyface.What would I do?

I obser

v e d t h e w i n d ow h a d b e e n f or c e d . T h e w a r d r obe wa s

o p e n , a n d it w a s e m p t y. T h e v i c t i m wa s s i t t i n g on t h e bed

c r y i n g, but I tr i e d t o r e a s su r e h e r we woul d fi

nd t h e culpr i t .

Build the skills

Now, consider how you could ‘get into’ a role so that you can

write in an appropriate st yle, a s above. ou need Y to:

•

u n d e r s t a n d the role you have be en placed in

•

think about wha t a p e r s on in this role would spend their time

doing and what is i m p o r t ant to this t ype of p e r s o n

•

consider how they might feel about the topic you are writing

about – their role will affe c t their viewpoint an d a t t itude

S e c t i o n

67

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.10

2

•

decide whether they have a par ticular ty pe of charac ter for (

e x a m p l e , n e r v y an d a n x i o u s , calm and colle c t e d ) and if so, how

that might be show n in a shor t piece of writin g.

Putyournhstioresafl tuoduehnavtca eujesltdP.oypY

atkenpartnpsailegtournamenatgani stothers tudentsfrom

aroundthecountr. y Hyeosriudariry entryfothremornigotfhe

compeon. ti

: Day preparing 1 for the competition

Got up at 8:00 a . m . a n d w e n t d o w n t o j o i n a l l t h e o t h e r

students fo r breakfast. I ’ d

m a d e

a

s o r t o f

f r i e n d

w i t h a girl

called Sonya last night – at leas t I t h o u g h t I h a d , but this

m o r n i n g s h e i g n o r e d m e a n d s p e n t a l l b r e a k f a st w i t h h e r

n o s e

i n

a

d i c t i o n a r y. T h i s m a d e m e l a u g h . I f y o u d o n ’ t k n o w

t h e s p e l l i n g s b y n o w, t h e n y o u n e v e r w i l l . M i n d y o u , I w a s

s o n e r v o u s I c o u l d n ’ t e a t a nyway. B r e a k f a s t j u s t m a d e m e

t h i n k o f c o o k i n g - r e l a t e d s p e l l i n g s : ‘ r e s t a u r a n t ’ r (e m e m b e r

the ‘au ’ ! ) ,

‘ l a s a g n e , ’ c‘ u c u m b e r ’ n ( o t ‘ q u e u e c u m b e r ’ ! ! ) a n d

‘ t e m p e r a t u r e ’ a l l k e p t o n g o i n g t h r o u g h m y h e ad . A m I g o i n g

m a d ? I s i t a l l wo r th i t ? I w as a b o u t t o t e x t

M u m and Dad,

b u t t h e n i n c a m e t h e o r g a n i s e r – a t h i n , s e v e re-looking man

i n a g r e y s u i t – a n d t o ld u s R o u n d 1 w as g o i n g t o s t a r t in

01

m i n u t e s i n t h e m a i n h a ll .

Based on th i s t e x t , create a s tick fi

2

gure versio n of Poppy

likethe one opposite. Add feeling s, thou g h t s a/ t ti t u d e s

around the fi

gure.

Develop the skills

Now you need to create an effe c t ive voice. This means conveying

a character’s p ersonalit y a n d emotions through the language and

vocabular y u s e ou d . need Y to co n s i d e r :

•

Poppy’s character

•

formal or informal language, es peciall y vocab u l a r y choices (se e

poT ic 2.9)

•

how you might use sentences a n d p u n c tuation to convey what

she feels or thinks .

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

t e c h n i c a l

s k i l ls

77

o T c1p0i

Chapter2.

For example, you could say that Pop py is:

•

n e r v o u s (about the compe tition)

•

quite witt y

•

close to her mum and dad

•

friendly,

but competitive

•

o b s e r v an t .

How might thes e characteristics be re fl

3

e c ted in her writin ? g

Write her nex t dia r y entry. Use what you know about her

already,

including:

•

q u e s t i o ns that show he r doubting he r abilities

•

references to her parents

•

possibly co mical obs e r v a tions about other compe titors or the

organisers .

MaintaniPoppy’svoiceinthFor .ediaexampl ry e,shemixespresent -

tenseobservationsand

past-tenserecollect ouions.Y

couldstart:

Topt pi

oT help maintain the voice

Day2: late morning – R ound 1

of a charact , r e t r y imagining

what they would say and do

A f t erbreakfast we all made our way to the Main Hall. My tum

in differentsituations. Do they

was rumbling and suddenlyIfelt hungry ypical. T!(‘al’? or… ‘ l e’)

haveafavourite phrase or

Anyway, thatSonyawas just in front of me, looking…like

two, for example ?

If the ty pe of tex t you are writing chang e s , t h en your voice will

need to adap t. For example, imagine that Poppy ’steacher has

asked her to give a spe ech to her year group entitle d ‘ W hy takin g

p a r t in competitions is goo d for you’ .

4

Make som e brief notes on the following que s t i o n s .

a)

How is the

of this tas k d i f ferent from the d i a r y

purpose

entry?

b)

How will the

from the diary form ?

In what way will you need to b e s e l e c tive about the

c)

details you include and leave out in you r s p e e? c h

What element s of Poppy s’ voice will you continue using

d)

in the spee?hc

S e c t i o n

78

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

form

and

style

of the text b e d i f ferent

.10

2

5

Re a d t w o s a m p l e s p e e ches below, w r i t ten in Poppy s’ voice,

and make notes on how well each one:

•

makes use of information about Pop py and what

happens to her (for example, which one provides more

detail about the event?)s

•

shows Poppy s’ feelings through the st yle an d tone

(for example, whi c h u s e s variety of sentence s and

p u n c t u a t?nio)

•

f o c u s e s on the purpose of the spee ch, rather than the

d i a r y (for example, which one show s the positive aspe c t s

of taking par ?t )

•

u s e s t h e right st yle fo r a speech. (See o pic 1Tfor3. more

on the conventions of spe e c h e s . )

A

Wlel, it all start ed when we got there. I wanted t o win the

competition realyl badlyand made friends with this girl.

But she wasn’t very nice and just wanted to revisefor the

test. I was nervous so I tried to call my mum and dad. The

competition was really scary andtheorganiser wasn’t exactly

friendly . I don’t know why I did it, reay.l

B

This weekend Ihavebeen at a spelling competition. ou mayY

think I’m an idiot no,don’ ( t answerthat!) a f t er all, who actually

likesspelling? But from the moment I arrived, representing our

school, I knew it was goodorfes,me.I was Y nerv es,ous.I had Y

to face people who smiled to my face one evening, then ignored

meatbreakfast, but I had to grow up fast. I didn’t care ifIbeat

the snooty girl frombreakfast well,(ok – I did a) –bitit was

more about competing with mysel , myf nerves and being on my

own away from home. And – I did it!

Appl y the skills

6

Write two entries fro m the diary of the other girl, Sonya. In

f a c t , she is shy a n d n e r vous and think s that Po ppy and the

others are really confi

d e n t . S h e d o e s not have many frien d s

at school, but English is her favourit e s u b j e c t .

•

Use the diar y co nventions from Poppy’s e n t .r y

•

Convey Sonya’s chara c t, efeelings r an d o b s e r vations

through her voice.

C h a p t e r

2 :

K e y

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s k i l ls

79

Chapter 2

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I u n d e r s t and the dif ferent word class es and how th ey can alter meaning.

•

I can use simple and compound sentences e f f e c t i vely, and some complex sentences .

•

I u n d e r s t and how dif ferent tenses wo rk and can usuallyke ep them consi s t e n t .

•

I can write in clear sentence s using a reasonably accurate range o f p u n c tuation.

•

I u n d e r s t a n d p u n c tuation in direc t an d r e p o r te d s p e e c h.

•

I use paragraphs to organis e my work.

•

I u n d e r s t and the pro ofreading pro cess and can use it to check my work when I have

finished.

•

I u n d e r s t and the dif ference s b e t w e en formal and informal forms of e x p r e s s i o n.

•

I can take on a role with a reas onably appropriate voice.

Excellent progress

•

My vocabula r y is varied and I use word cla s s e s confidently for a range of ef f e c t s and

purposes.

•

I can use a full range an d variety of sentence t y p e s and func tio n s f o r e f fe c t .

•

I can use a range of dif ferent t e n s e s , keeping their use c o n s i s tent throughout.

•

I use a wide range of punc tuation accurately fo r delibera t e e f fe c t s .

•

I u n d e r s t and direc t an d r e p o r te d s p e e c h and can punc tuate them accurately .

•

My paragraph s are well cons t r u c ted and logically orde red with a clear sense of th e

t a s k ’ s purpose and e f f e c t .

•

I use the proofreading pro c e s s both to check my work as I go alo n g a n d a f ter I have

finished.

•

I can apply knowled ge of formal and informal language to match audience or reader .

•

I can adapt voice and role thoughtfully depen ding on the ta sk and the purp o s e .

S e c t i o n

80

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

K e y

w r i t i n g

f o r m s

3

In this chapter , you are going to develop a range

of fundamental writing skills that you will use

throughout your Cam b r i d g e I G C SE course.

uoY

w elalrnihowto

wrtienthefoolwnigforms:

•

speeches an d talks

•

i n t e r vi e w s

•

diaries and journals

•

report s

•

news repor t s and magazine ar ticl e s

Links to ot her chapters: •

letter s .

Ontheirown,someoftheskm sli ayseemsimple,

Chapter 4: Writing for purpos e

but remember thattheyarebuildingblocks

E x t eChapter n d e d 8:r e s p o n s e to

tocompleting larger and more complex task s

reading and direc ted writing

,eartl which may askyoutowriteinsp ecific

forms. Thesewil requireyoutounde r s t a n d the

A pproachin Chapterg10w: r i t ten

coursework

s t r u c turalandst ylisticconventions

ofthoseform s .

81

oT pic 1

Chapter 3 .

eepdsintafnoesskvselnhaotcC

S p e e c h e s a r e u s u a l l y f or m a l s p o k e n p r e s entat i o n s f or a

p a r t ic u l a r p u r p o s e – o f t e n t o p e r s ua d e a n au d i e n c e t o

s u p p o r t a n i d e a , o r t o e x p l a i n o r d e s c r i b e a n i n t e r e s t i ng

t o p i c o r p a s t e v e nt . W he n y o u c o m p o s e a sp e e c h , y ou

n e e d t o t h i n k a b o ut :

•

h o w y o u w i l l e n g ag e y o u r audience’s i n t e r e st a s y o u

b e g i n t o s p e ak

•

h o w y o u c a n s t r u c t u r e y o u r sp e e c h t o r e t a i n t h e i r

i n t e r e s t a n d m a k e y ou r p o i n t s e f f e c t i v e. l y

Explore the skills

Have you ever given a s p e e? cIfhso, what was the topic ? Was it

at school or at a family event ?

What do you think is the bigges t

challenge for someone givin g a speech to an audience ?

r T

1

y t alking (without preparation)fo r t w o minutes on a

topic you feel s trongly about to a par tner: how easy or

diffi

cult was it? Were you able tokee p them interes ted?

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m a speech given by the ac tre s s

Angelina Jolie on World Refug ee Day in 20 09.

sets out the context for why

ohtdeanrsklyiblom luofitdeslm afipeertaes –

er ’W e

she is speaking

fameisloicut- o f frozat micvlointhattheydon’teven

knowthaeatdthasikyilexistsontheirbeha .fl

Moilnis

.And

repetition to stress a point

tanhm auilIanclouShm eyoitbsbu.at celnsraucere

use of personal pronouns

todaytosaythatrefugeesarenotnumber s .

connects with the audience

They’renotevenjus trefugees.Theyaremothersand

directly

daughtersandfathersandsons–theyarefarmers ,teacher s ,

repetition of ‘They are’ doctors, engineers,theyarenidivdiualsalAnd .l mostofall

punches home message they aresurvivors–eachonewitharemarkablestor ythat

teslofreeislncenithefaceofgreatolss.Theyarethemost

impressivepeopleIhaveevermetandtheyarealsosomeof

provides reasons why she is

thewordl s’

mostvulnerable.

Strippedofhomeandcountr, y

speaking

refugeesarebuffetedfromeve rywlinidthabtolw sacross

this planet.

I remember me eting a pre gnant] [… woman in a completely

…][She couldn’ttravelwheneveryone else

abandoned camp.

personal anecdote engages

interest

S e c t i o n

82

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.

1

3

was relocat e d b e c ause she wa s too late in he r p r e g n a n .c y

She was alone with her two children and another woman.

There was nothing for mile s around the c amp – not a single

tree, no other p eople in sight . So when they aske d me to

pattern of three details

come in for tea I s aid I didn’t feel it nece s s a r. But y] [… they

creates

rhetorical

impact

take pride in how they treat their gues t s s o they insisted and

they guided me into a small dir t house with no ro oftoke ep

out the scorching heat, and they dus ted of f th e two old mats

vivid descriptive images build

that they ate, slept and prayed on. And we sat and we talke d

picture

and they were jus t the lovelie s t w o men. And then with a few

t w i g s and a single tin cup of wat,er they made the la st of th eir

tea and insis ted on me to enjoy it .

Since before th e

parable of the W i d o ws’ Mite

it has bee n

develops and provides further

known that those who have the leas t will give the most .

detail on the speech’ s purpose

M o s t   r e f u gee families will o f fer you the only fo od they have

and pretend they’re not hungry . An d the generosi t y o f the

poor applies not only to refug ees. We should never forg e t

that more than 80% of refugee s are hosted and have be en

for years an d years in the poores t develo ping countries .

F r o m h t tp : / / speako la.com

coVabulary

parable of the Widows’

Read the spee ch again, thi s time aloud. Are there any

2

Mite:

obvious change s in tone or focus ?

If so, where arethey?

a Bible sto r y in which

a v e r y poor woman give s a

How might they af f e c t how the spee ch is given ?

few small coins to the local

government

Build the skills

Key term

revAgnopestaheftswPar oyfa’lhect ealontacm rficesl rhetorical:

designed to

:ei loJ have a power ful ef f e c t

on a reader; rhe torical

•

c o n n e c t s with her au dience through her voice and s t y l e

q u e s t i o ns are intende d

•

creates an emotional impact with her language

to create impac t rather

• than elicit information paints vivid pic ture s to des cribe what she has exp erienced.

(for example:

3

Should we

How does Jolie draw attention to her self and her audience ?

simply forget the a w f ul

Note down:

s u f f e ring and hardship ?

4

a)

how she refers to hers elf and her audience

b)

the purpose fo r the speech

c)

h e r o w n p e r s onal experie n c e s .

)

What par ticularly emotive language does s he use to

a)

d e s c r i b e the families at the st a r t of the spee ch

b)

d e s c r i b e the way in which refu gees are mistreate d all

over the world b y m i s f o r tune?

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

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83

oT pic 1

Chapter 3 .

5

6

What is the rh etorical i m p a c t of the single word ‘Millions’?

H ow does s h e u s e d e s criptive / s e n s o r y detail s to convey he r

m e s s a ?gThink e about the referencesto:

•

the mats

•

the making of the tea.

Develop the skills

T h e s t r u c ture of the spee ch is also i m p o r t ant. How e x a c t ly d o e s

Jolie’s sp eech work?

7

Copy and complete the table below to sum up the focu s of

e a c h s e c tion.

Section

Pu r p o s e

Paragraph 1

to introduce th e purpose

Kela y nguage or featur e

Effect

‘ W e re’ h er…’

draws audience in; st ates

of the spee ch

her own commitme n t ;

‘I am here’

shock and surpri s e

‘Million s.’

Paragraph 2

to get acros s m e s s a g e

‘ M o t h e r s a n d daughters’

that refugees are

‘each one with a

individuals

remarkable sto r y ’

Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

8

How are the paragraphs linke d? Think about:

•

how the secon d paragraph elaborates or builds up on

t h ef ir s t

•

how the third and four th paragraphs ar e c o n n e c ted by

t h e W i d o ws’ Mite

•

how they all contribute to the ove rall mes sage.

S e c t i o n

84

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

creates image… ?of

.

1

3

I n s u m m a r, yany s p e e c h you give will n e e d a s tr u c t ure with:

•

an

that engages the audience andmakes the purpose

opening

clear (perhap s through personal references, shocking or

interesting fact s or something simal)ri

•

that provide sp ecific examples or fur ther detail

middle sections

so that the tone is not too abs t r a c t or general ( p e r h a p s f u r ther

p e r s o n a l experience s, at or the very l e a s t , vivid detail s o f a c tual

events or e xamples)

•

a

that links back to previou s points or examples and

conclusion

enhances the overall effe c t .

Appl y the skills

Look at this sp e e c h t a s k .

9

Write a spee ch for your cla s s m a t e s , p e r s u a d ing them to do

Topt pi more physic al exercis e and/o r s p o r t .

Decide:

Makeeach of your point s

•

who the audience is clearly , using rhetorical

language or an ane cdoteto

•

what the purpos e i s .

strengthen your view not to

D r a f t your openin g two paragraphsup( to 75 words).

takeyou off course.

r T

y ou t your opening on a partn. How e r well did you? do

If you wish, co mplete your spe ech, building on what you have

learned and reme mbering to show a clear , well thought- out

s t r u c ture.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Make sure that your voice or view point is lively,strong an d

engaging.

✔

S t r u c ture your spe ech so your listen ers are immediately

i n t e r e s te d .

✔

Keep their atte ntion with new points or idea s , a n d finish

strongly .

✔

Speak direc tly to the audience by using inclu sive pronouns

(

you

,

we

) and rhetoric al devices .

✔

Use appropria te language for your audience an d v a r y

sentences to change pace or tone.

✔

U s e p e r s o n al references (such as reference to your own

e x p e r i e n c e)s and emotive language.

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

85

oT pic 2

Chapter 3 .

Convoensitofnite r v iews

vrentw Iesi

venhoctwnHoeiva.trhsnoeiowdointe r v iews

Key term

usuallyastart s o–t and esdrm noW eohthye?en d

I n t e r v i e w s:

‘ e?’vhtrseetw ngueiroi

in which one pe r s o n a s k s

the other ques tions o n a

topic or asp e c t of their life

Explore the skills

Read the bullet points b elow about the Siberian tige,r which come

from a conse r v a t ion website.

•

Only 350

– 4 0 0 tig e r s l e f t

•

Used to be

i n n o r th - e a st China , Mongolia

andKorean Peninsula

•

Poaching and cut ting down trees for logs are main problems;

n e e d v a s t f o r e s t s to sur vive

•

B o d y p a r t s u s e d in traditional me dicine

1

N ow read the inter view in which a cons e r v a ti o n e x p e r t

d i s c u s s e s t h e s e i s sues with a rep o r .t e r

A s you read, make

notes about th e d i f ferent roles of each speake , r

and how

this is repre sented by the way they speak.

R e p o r t e r:

I m’ here to talk to Dr Sandra Cappello, a

consultant fo r animal charity Save Our Sp e c i e s .

speakers’ names/roles on left

Expert:

G ood evenin g.

R e p o r ter:

So, Dr Cappello – with j u s t u n d e r 5 0 0 tigers still

in the wild, it seems like cons e r v ation effo r t s

questions directed personally

have failed , haven’tthey?

to the ‘expert’

reply to question – or part Expert:

Well, it’s true that numb ers have dwindled.

of it. There were once many more tiger s in China,

Mongolia and Korea. Places such as the Eas tern

Himalayas were ideal for them b u t i ts’ a fragile

landscape.

R e p o r t e r:

(interrupts) ou haven’t Y an s w e r e d my q u e s tion.

H a v e e f fo r t s faile d? I have b e e n r e p o r t in g f o r

y e a r s o n t h i s i s s u e an d i ts’ jus t not improving.

Expert:

T here are so many problems – we can’t d o

e v e r y thing. Many,

many organisations are

c o m m i t ted to prote c t i n g d i f ferent tiger s p e c i e s ,

b u t i ts’ a monument a l t a s k .

R e p o r t e r:

S o, what would you say is the big g e s t t h reat to

them?

S e c t i o n

86

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

convers ations

.

2

3

Expert:

It’s diffi

cult to single one out – but lo ss of

is clearly a huge issue. On ce hunting

habitat

specialist language of expert

grounds have d i s a p p e ared, it can take literally

hundreds of years to re cover them .

R e p o r t e r:

R

ight – I get it . No tre e s , n o tigers . punchy , informal summing up

Expert:

I t ’ s not quite as simple as that, but broadly

speaking that i s the situation.

R e p o r t e r:

ahrofewrDemli.,ltuoal’ytlaeheTpvpskanC.aohT

Build the skills

Write brief ans wers to these que s t i o n s .

2

a)

How are the roles of the repor ter a n d e x p e r t d i f ferent?

b)

Where have s ynonyms or

c)

In what way is this obviously an inte rview?

Key term

paraphrases

been used?

paraphrases:

rewording of

things that have b een said

o r w r i t ten d)

What information from the website was not us ed in the

i n t e r view?

Develop the skills

Look at this li st from a tiger charit y’s website, whi c h o f fe r s s o m e

solutions for saving the tiger .

•

Id e n t i f y h i g h - p r i o r i t y tiger populations – larger a reas are b e t,t e r

a s   t i g e r s n e e d0 10 0 square kilometres fre e of human ac t i v.i t y

•

Enforcement of f i c e r s and guards to protect tigers f r o m p o a c h e r s .

•

D evelop loc al community- b a s e d c o n s e r va tion program m e s .

•

C ontinue well- managed captive breeding (for insta nce, in

game parks) for the most at-r i s k t i g e r s.

3

In pairs , carr y out a brief role - p l ay of an intervi e w b e t we e n

the manager of the ch a r i t y and a repor . ter Use some of the

content above. Make sure that:

•

t h e r e p o r ter continue s to speak in the same s t y l e

•

the charity manager is forceful and tries to get his or h er

m e s s a g e a c ro s s a b o u t w h a t n e e d s to be done.

Appl y the skills

4

Write up your own version of the interview using the

convention s of the writ ten int e r view.

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

87

oT pic 3

Chapter 3 .

Convons enit of

daieri sanduojrnals

or jour n a l

A diary

i s a p e r s o n a l r e c o r d o f t h i n g s t h at

have happ e n e d t o t h e w r iter. I t c a n a l s o r e c o r d t he

w r i t er’s t h o ug h t s o r f e e l i n g s .

Explore the skills

Read this diar y e x t r a c t . W ho do you think is writing ?

1

date of entry

1 ,1Monday March

use of the fi

rst person and

past tense

WhatsbpeaelosnvrIetand !da ’tiym issedtheschoolbusand

htenw,henIfin ally a r r oiued,ndovIufhtewohleclasswason recounts events that have

asceince tripandtehyhadaler adyelf t.leIfsuchaof ol.Ihad

tositonmyownout sdiehtheadsofce tfei ache.’ral l day

happened that day

Itwas

reference to time/sequence

so bori n!g

personal feelings

mback ’I home , now sitt ing i nmyroom.Ihaven t ’ toldMumor

Dad I mi ssedthe t rpi.IfIdo,thl ey’lgomad.sDad d’ hom’Ie.

present tense gives sense of

b e t t erpretmena’dI selp.

things happening now

future tense shows worries

Build the skills

Diaries and journals give a sen se of the writer’s p e r s o n a il t y and

explain his or her changing emotions. Th ey focus o n key mom e n t s

or incidents in the writer ’s world and (u sually) provide a se nse of

time or sequence.

2

Make notes on the following.

•

What incide nt made this s tudent record his

Content:

t h o u g ?h It ds e n t i f y three different emotion s felt at

d i f f e rent times oftheday.

•

Structure:

How does th e s t r u c ture reveal what he feels

about the situatio ?n

•

Style:

likely age of the pe r s o n w r i ng?ti

S e c t i o n

88

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

How does th e s t yle of the writing match the

.

3

3

Develop the skills

uoY r d i a r y entries should aim to develop and e x tend ideas ful.yl

3

How does the following diar y e n t r y do this ? I t i s w r i t ten by

naT ya Saunde r s , a woman who lives inKenya , E a s t Africa.

e

Y th,wiecoarsoculoedliyasndlnayrdiestlastyaedrvaonfy

sugnihlatnotdoh]tbeaonydtlaerywanlkeo… har[mt

difeernm t onroibgh:atckescocrnhgiheatndhtecorcoedsleriutrnnig

ndoveisbtraskohnetsandbankswe,htlehGaihtHioleronth,eovtn

shwnioasftnuhgsijta,tdovewnhienrt ranedsdatyhtearn(d who

coduablmlu?ostr)ef,jIhaokidtacoshlwferitm atdiayy

mohretfonyselauslghotefa ertnoonhea.t

n o T ight, as might be expected,the thunder and lightning are raging

again, huge storm clouds fomented in the heatoft,hneowday otwe ring

overh]eand ad… [ the rain continues, and the bugs mul,and tiplythe

flowersprepare tolaunch into their reproductivecycles once again …] [

the tiny prett y blue commelinaflowe rs are already blooming eve r y where

nascent you look (including on our

sansevieria lawn)andthe

we

transplantedinto our garden (both on the balconyand outside) are

sending up a proliferation ofshoots, the newspikesbreaking the

s u r f ace of the ear thlike spiky aliens, and reachinguptowards the light.

From the blo g a l‘ es T from Kulafumbi: Th e D i a r y of a Nature Lov e r ’

4

A n s w e r t h e s e q u e s t io n s .

a)

W h a t d o e s the writer fo cus? on Is this lik e the s t u d e n t s’

diary?

b)

W h y / w hy not?

H ow does sh e use words or phrase s related to time and

sequence to s t r u c ture h e r e n t?r y

c)

How are tense s u s e d in d i f fe r e n t s e c tions to show what

h a s h a p p e n e d and is happenin ?g

d)

How does s h e u s e d e t ailed des cription of the natural

world to develop a vivid picture of the weather , and the

flowers and plants in the gard?ne

coVabulary

s t a r ting to grow

nascent:

5

Fromreadi anyangSaunders’ T diar yentry, what picture do

t y p e of

sansevieria: you get of the w riter and her interest? s

flowering plant with

6

Rereadthediar yentry ask3W . nirteTthebeginningofthe

t o n g u e - keil

leaves

e n t r y for the next day in which you:

•

mei treheathadwet ehoftowohred)nufaeosefarycty(s

•

giveadetaliedandwell- developed observationofsome

aspect ofnature.

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

89

y Appl the skills

oT pic 4

Chapter 3 .

Convoenits of reports

A t m a n y t i m e s i n y ou r l i f e yo u m a y fi nd you n e e d t o

r e p o r t on sit uat ions. R e p o r t s u s u a l l y t e l l t he reader

about a n e v e n t t h a t h a s t a k e n place, u s i n g f a c t u a l

d e t a i l . T he w r it e r m a y a n a l y s e o r o b s e r v e t h e s e e v e nt s ,

o r o f f er a m o r e p e r s o n a l p e r s p e c t i v e .

Explore the skills

R e p o r t s are alway s w r i t ten for a particular audience. They mus t

be clear and sound convincing.

1

Read this shor t e x t r a c t f r o m a r e p o r t . Then make brief notes on the following:

a)

W hat is the subje c t or topic ?

d)

W hat sor t of r e p o r t is it?

b)

W ho is the likelyaudience ?

)e

W here might you read it?

Why is the r e p o r t split into t wo

c)

f)

paragraphs ?

Theschoolfundrasini gdaywasagreatsuccess,thankstoyouall.Threethingsmadethedaysuch

asuccess:the,yourweharather dworkandthegenerosityofvisitorsandparents.

Thedaybeganwelwi,ltheclarblueskeis,buttiwasn’ttoohot.Asourfamieislarvried,tibeganto

getre.ysubalylwas I wornikgonastalsellnilgcolddrenisoon ksW. ranoutandneededmoresuppleis

desperatelymust I! thankKi,who nki parti cycledtcalhluaeway lr totheshopandbackwithbaskets

fuofl el monadeandsoda.sShe’ ebenmybestfreindsinceGrade2andnowyouknalownI.fwhy act,

ujstaswerestocked,theMayorappearedandwewereabletoservehimawonderfulylcooldrnik.

Build the skills

U n d e r s t a n d ing your audiencewil make your repor t sound

realistic. For this , choose the right content , s t yle and stru c t u re.

2

Copy and complete the table below, base d on the extr a c t

above.

R e p o r t t o classmates in s c h o o l m a g a z i n e a b o u t c harity day

content

Itgivesclearinformation, but also cove…rs

s t r u c ture

It could be in time sequence, but could also jump around to t opicssuch as the

weather , money raised and number of people there.

style

S e c t i o n

90

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

D o e s t h e r e p o r t soun d convincin ?g

.

4

3

Develop the skills

Read this longe r r e p o r t , then ans wer the que stions below.

ing students Ge to give to charity is one of our school’ s biggest challenges,andsitti’ me we and

readers of this magazine did something about it.

RecentresearchI havecarried out shows that one in fi ev students has given to chartiy, although

slightly more (twoout of fi ev) havebeen directly involevd in someorm f of fundraising. As our head

teacher Mr Marquez inggood saidesults r,‘Ge and working hard is, of course, vital. But if weare

to show that we areacaring community , we must do more, right now, for those lessortunate f

than oursel’ ves.

The good news is that since the start of the, year wehave raised02over 00for$ charity, so we

can do it. But is it enough? Surelywecan do more.

mo T orrowat 3p.m.therewil be a meeting in the school hall for any teachers and students who

wish togani or se fundraising events in the coming term. Let’ s hope ended. itisatch well W this a

space!

3

Content:

a)

What is the purp ose of this r e p o r?tHow do youknow?

b)

What eviden ce is there of s t a t i s ti c s , e x p e r t c o m m e n t ,

and so on, to s u p p o r t this purpose ?

4

S t r u c ture:

a)

H o w e f fe c t ively does th e r e p o r t use paragraphs?

b)

Does it have a strong b eginning and ending ? W h y / w hy

not?

5

S t yle:

a)

Is it clear who the repor t i sfor?

b)

How formal or info rmal is it?

c)

D o e s i t u s e detail tomake events clea?r

d)

D o e s i t u s e a variet y of s e n t e n c e s to engage li s t e n e? r s

Appl y the skills

Topt pi

6

Imagine that the me eting has taken place. Write a follo w -

Put different points

nito

u p r e p o r t of at least 100 words inclu ding:

separate paragraphsfor

•

f a c t s or stati s t i c s about who and how many atte n d e d

clarity . Write a strong opening

•

the outcome of the meetin g and your views on this, and a powerful conclusion to

good or bad. draw point s together .

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

19

oT pic 5

Chapter 3 .

Convons enit of

newsrepor tsand

mangeziar ticles

News report s and art icles, whether online or in

newspapers or magazines, are vital sources of

informat io n. The y usually fall into t w o t y pes. Those that

report t he main facts or informat ion about ver y recent

specific incidents are news repor t s . Those that discuss,

analyse or investigate a topic are called featur e a r t icle s.

ateF u r e a r t icles are often ,but not always, in magazines.

Explore the skills

S o m e t i m e s the headings give clues ab out what so r t o f r e p o r t or

a r t icle the text is. Look at these hea dings:

news article: it is a specific

single happening that has

mperat eT colufor–30 res night ddip °toest

record on

just occurred

Why are our winters getting colder?

Ice ca uses ch aos on mot o r ways

Topt pi

Snowgo– 36hours stuck on train

Succinct

How to pr edict cold winters headlines can capture an idea

immedia. tely

r T

1

y to i d e n t i f y which of the headin gs belong to news

r e p o r t s and which to feature arti c l e s .

Build the skills

idrneiv ceuashrw steitnsnahtsropiecrciaheiTdhwerlyutat,c

neht itdnrwaoe.hlesthnb,oteirilstw deancsoetnuRqo.ainna

simple headline sums up what

Mountain Goat Kills Hiker

happened

by Alex Robins o n

OBERT

R

BOA RDM AN,

and

fr iend

in

Olympic

National

was

att acke d

and

k ille d

63,

Pa rk

on

was

Monday

hi k i n g

when

with

his

wife

he

main event/news

S e c t i o n

92

1 :

by

B u i ld i n g

a

k e y

mounta in

s k i l l s

goat.

The

tr oi

was

vocabular y in

.

5

3

h i k i n g 

up 

lunch

a 

popular

when 

t he

swit chback

trail

goat

approached

and

decided

to

stop

them

orf

and

sta r t e d

acting

aggressi . ylev

how the incident happened

Board m a n t rie d to scare the goat off, but instead of r u n n i n g

and what led up to it

, yawa

it ch arge d h i m gor ing

came

to

t ry

him badly in

to

the leg.Mor e h i kers

help

Board m a n ,

but

the

goat

stood

over

the

s m ’a n  body and woul t letdn’ any other hikers come to his aid.

Anhou r a f tertheat tack ,rescuersfi na ly

a r r vei d

atthescene

but Board m a n d ied f rom his inju r eis. Park officials eventually

how the incident ended

shot and k i lled the goat.

Apparent , ly

tendencies

in

evweoh,r

le d

us

to

ellev

of

re’moval,

nothi ng

the

next

the

past.

bel vei

of

taking

ti

‘It

was

it

simi lar

xtre e meyl

shown

to

spokeswoman

‘Th is is h gi hly

any t h i n g

spe cific

has

appropriate

park

told the Associate d Press.

record

that

aggressive

t h is

seriously

had

shown

aggressive

behaviour ,

ta ke

Ba rb

direct quotation

no

park.s It’

a nd

‘expert’ comment, often with

May nes

unusua l. s Theer’

in

goat

a

doi ng

trage . dy

eW are

our

best

to

lea r n

as

much as we’ can.

The goat is being exa m i ned by

scientists to see

if it

had any

current situation and what is

diseases t hat couldhavecaused it to act so aggre . ylesvi

happening next F r o m w w . w outdoorlifec.om

2

Content and str u c t ure (what is in the a r ticle):

N e w s r e p o r t s of t e n have the ‘who, w h a t , w h e r e and

a)

when’ at the s t a r t of the sto ry. Is this the case here ? If

so, note down each aspec t . For example, ‘who’ is Ro b e r t

Boardman?

E x p e r t or witness co m m e n t s in d i r e c t s p e e c h ar e o f ten

b)

included to give weight to a sto r. yW hat do we fi

nd

out from Barb May nes? Why wouldn’ t this be the fi

rst

paragraph of the r e p o r?t

W h a t d o e s the fi

c)

3

nal paragraph fo cus? on

S t y le (how it is wri t t e:)n

oT make the r e p o r t sound objec tive , writers of news

a)

a r t icles tend not to use. Is‘ I this ’ the case here ?

N e w s r e p o r t s o f te n r e p o r t events in s equence: what

b)

h a p p e n e d , w hat happened n e x t . Identif y any time

c o n n e c tives in the ar ticle (for example,

n

c)

i

f

ally

r

i

f

s t

,

later

,

.)

M o s t v e r b s about what happened are in the past tense

(for example,

goat

approached

them

), but what d o you

notice about the headline and th e last paragraph ? Why

do you think thes e are different?

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

93

Chapter 3 .

oT pic 5

Develop the skills

Feature/magazi n e a r ticles are of ten more complex than n e w s

r e p o r t s. They :

•

a r e o f te n p e r s o nal (the write r refers to himself or h e r s e l f )

•

cover wider ground or more complex ideas

•

o f f e r a distin c t v iewpoint

•

explore ideas m ore deeply.

Read this feature ar ticle, then answe r q u e s tions 4 and 5.

feral First, catch your

kitten. then call

article title explains the topic

in the exper ts.

My

neighbou rhood

wild

is

th ings

i nund ated

that

cadge

feral

wit h

fo od

from

a nimal

evol rs

in

cats,

scraggy

winter

opening sentence is about

and

cadge

baby

blackbirds

a nd

robi ns

from

their

nests

each

problem/issue

spring

. y pical , Tyl v ’ Ie 

responsibilit y–unt illast

moane d

about

th is

wit hout

t a k i ng

any

week,whenIbecamesoexasperate d,

I set a huma ne trap.

I bought

to

show

my

a

an imal-mad

school when the

door slam med on

about what I should

actually

daughter ,

wire

Esme.

cage

to

Lucki ly

she

was

my

life I

see

if

I

cou ld catch

a

squir rel

or rat

at

an adorable ktit en.Clueless descriptive detail paints

do, orf

the

first

t ime

in

picture of cat

RSPCA

callethe d

and was astounded by

Rather . l ike the first time needed I

hospiat a l

the br i l l i a nce of the doctors and nurses,

the RSPCAwas amazing.

The cha rit y

caught 20

feral

RSPCA

offic er

knew

cats so fa. r

al l about my street’ s

I was

cat proble m and had

asked to t a ke ”1“2to meet an

personal involvement

at

a

nearby et,v

where

the

kit ten was

checked

writer

ac ( ts are

of 

assessed a nd adu lts sc a n ned for microchips to ensure

they a re not pets ) and pronounced aeral f tomcat.

Because1 2is only

as a pet. Adults

from,

eightwe eks old , he will

are neutered and

wh cih

released whererve

my

but  eral f

cats have hard

lves i

be found a home

they

neighbou rhood

and only

came

blackbirds

won ’t

s u r eviv

for

wcoelme,

a couple of

years.

The

other neighbours in helping feral

expense

problem

to

remains:

the

Esm e

RSP CA

cats and

ta .rxepay

is

has

now

lent

me

a

better

trap

so

I

ca n

joi n

other wild l ie,f at no

Broav

orf

tear fully

big

the

begging

to

keep

the

)cat (

os ciety .

One

next

writer dilemma ends with a

catch.

From ‘Firs t catch your feral kitten’ by

The Guardian

Patrick Barkham,

94 S e c t i o n

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.

5

3

4

S t r u c ture and content:

coVabulary

a)

Is this featur e a r ticle about a news event that has jus t

happened? Check the ope ning paragraph and see feral:

wild, undomes ticate d

whether it des cribes a p a r ticular incide n t .

RSPCA:

Royal Soci e t y for

the Prevention of Cr u e l t y b)

Compare the mountain goat news re p o r t with this one.

to Animals (in th e U K ) How is the str u c t ure different? For example, think a b o u t

how the repor t re counts information about the event. big society:

a political

idea in the UK relate d to

5

S t yle:

helping others

a)

What is it about the headline that sugges t this is a

feature article rather than a news rep ort?

b)

What can you infer about the viewpoint of th e writer

based on the language he us?se For example: what can

you learn from the adj e c tives

the reference to c a t s ’

humane

hard lives

, and

adorable

and

?

Appl y the skills

6

Write your own feature article about animals that are not

normally seen as problematic , b u t w hich can cau s e i s s u e s or

be dangerous .

•

Use some of the ideas or fa c t s from the goat rep o r t and

feral cat ar ticle.

•

Give a clear viewpoint: whether you think all animals

should be treate d as ‘wild’ or ‘dangerous’ .

uoY could star t with the goat att ack but do not make it the whole

f o c u s . For example, you could begin:

The recent death of a ,hiker gored by a mountain goat, might

make us think that all animals,howevecuddly’ r ‘ , areareal

danger to humans and otherwil… dlife

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

95

oT pic 6

Chapter 3 .

Convoensit ofelt ters

I n s o m e a r e a s o f l i f e , w r it t e n l et t e r s a r e s t i l l

very

import ant.

Explore the skills

When writin g l e t te r s , makesure that you:

•

think about the audience (thi s will change you r s t yle)

•

focus on purpose (why you are writing)

•

match your st yle to both (how formal or informal).

1

Here are two s h o r t l e t t e r s . C o m pare their st yle, to ne and

s t r u c ture. What is similar and different about thm ?e

S h a r p ’sS t o r e s

41 Jacaranda Street

23 Will ow Av e n u e

Hightown

H i g h t own

1

HK

3

BS

HK13BS

7 7htJune 1 02

7th Jun 7e120

DearJo, R e : P o s t o f s h op a s s i s t a n t

I’m so sorrytsi’ been so long since I

contacted you.We don’t have a computer

Dear Mr s Sh a r ,p

here and I can’t get a signal on my phone.

T h a n k y o u f or y o u r l e t t e r of 1s t J u n e ,

in

Anyway, I just wanted to say that the new

w h i c h you kin d l y o f f e r ed m

e t h e

post of

house is ok. Only four roomssoIhave to

s h o p

a s s i s t a n t , I am

w r i t i n g

sleep with Leila, who stil sucks her thumb

t h a t I w o u l d b e d e l i gh t e d t o   a c c e p t

you

I miss you so much. I can’t

and snores!

a n d

l o o k f or

write more now as I have to catch the post

Your s s i n c e r el y ,

before it goes. I’ l try t o phone you or send

Davina K h a n

something longer when I havetime.

Love to you and the rest of the gang.

Davina

S e c t i o n

96

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

wa r d t o w o r k i n g w i t h y o u .

t o i n f o r m

.

6

3

Build the skills

What do you notice in particular about th e d i f ferent st yles

2

used in th e l e t te?rConsider: s

•

•

choice of vocab u l a r y

•

p u n c t u a t io n

•

abbreviation s and

openings and closings .

sentence typ e s

Develop the skills

U n f o r tunately, Davina make s a poor s t a r t when dealin g with a

c u s t o m. Tehr e c u s tomer has now w r i t te n a l e t ter of complaint .

Dear Mr s Sh a r ,p

I’m wri t i n g t o c om p l a i n a bo u t t h e u n s a t i s f a c t o r y l e vel o f

makes writing the reason for

s e r vi c e I r e c e i v e d w h en I v i si t e d y o u r s t o r e y e s t e r d a y.

clear

A s y o u a r e a w a r e , I am a r e g u l a r c u s t o m er a n d e x p e c t h i g h

develops and begins to

l e v e l s o f c o u r t e s y a n d a d v i c e f r om you r s t a ff .

e

U n f or

xplain in what areas the

t u n a t e l y, your n e w a s s i s t a n t , Mi s s K h a n , d i d n ot m e e t shop failed

m y e x p e c t a t i o n s i n e i t h er r e g a r d .

links to and develops the

F i r s t l y , i t w a s e x t r e m e l y d i sa p p o i n t i n g t h a t wh e n I previous point, beginning to

a p p r oa c h e d t h e c o u n t e… r specify the bad service she

received

T h e c u s tomer then ex plains:

•

the fi

r s t specifi

c problem with Davina

•

the second s pecifi

c problem

•

w h a t a c tion the cus tomer wouldlike

Mrs Sharp to take.

3

Note down som e ideas you could

use if you we re the cus tomer writing

the le t t. e r

Appl y the skills

4

Now complete the customer’s l e t t e r of complaint ,

developing the p oints in the plan into full paragraphs .

Make sure that you write with an appropriate level of

formality .

C h a p t e r

3:

K e y

w r

i t i n g

f o r m s

97

Chapter 3

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I u n d e r s t and and can u s e s o m e of the key convention s of a spee ch.

•

I can use some of the main convention s of inter view s in a clear way .

•

I can compos e a diary t e x t using the main co nventions .

•

I can write a cle a r r e p o r t o r a r ticle with a sen se of the read er/audience.

•

I u n d e r s t and the key convention s of formal and info r m a l l e t te r s .

Excellent progress

•

I u n d e r s t and the varie t y o f ways a spe ech can b e e f fe c t ive and can apply them skillfully

to my own work.

•

I u n d e r s t and the dif ferent convention s of inter view s and develop them fully in my own

work.

•

I can use the main conventions of diarie s or journals to expres s feeling s and convey

information clearly and effe c t ively.

•

I can adapt the s t y le and content of a re p o r t o r a r ticle to effe c t ively engage and

interest

a given audien ce.

•

I can apply my knowledge of dif f e r e n t l e t ter forms acco rding to tas k, audie nce and

purpose.

S e c t i o n

98

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

W r i t i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

4

In this chapter , you are going to develop a range

of fundamental writing skills that you will use

throughout your Cam b r i d g e I G C SE course.

uoY will learn how to write for a rang e of

purposes:

•

to inform and ex plain

•

to persua d e

•

to argue

•

to explore and di s c u s s

Links to ot her chapters:

•

to describ e

Chapter 3: Key writing form s

•

to narrate.

Chapter 7: Analysing language

Learning about the conventions of thes e kinds of

E x t eChapter n d e d 8:r e s p o n s e to

t e x t s will help you to comple te larger and more

reading and direc ted writing

c o m p l e x t a s k s later that may as k you to write for

a specific purpose and audience, using a specific

Chapter 9: Compo sition

form . These will require you to unders tand how

A pproachin Chapterg10w: r i t ten

the purpose c a n a f fe c t th e s t yle and stru c t u re of

coursework

your writing.

99

oT pic 1

Chapter 4 .

W tir nigt oniofr mand xepnail

I n f o r m a t iv e o r e x p l anator y t e x t s , s uc h a s a r t i c l e s or

Features of informative

r e p o r t s , s h o u l d b e c l e a r a n d p r o v id e i n f o r mat i o n i n a writing:

l o g i c a l , s t r uc t u r e d w.a yT h e f e a t u r e s l i s t e d i n t h e b o x •

clear and conci se

a l s o a p pl y w h e n y o u i n c lude i n f o r m at iv e w r it i ng i n sentences

•

o t h e r t e x t s , s uc h a s a r g u m e n t t e x t s ( s ee Top i c 4 . 5). c o n n e c tives to ex plain

p r o c e s s e s or make

things clear

Explore the skills

•

precise vocabular y

•

data and st atistic s ,

Read the opening two paragraphs from an article about grey

diagrams, t a b l e s ,

wolves.

illus tratio n s

•

subheadnigosr

There are many rea sons why humans view wolves harshly.

difefrenctategoeriosf

F o r a s t ar t , f a i r y tales su ch as the Brothers Grimm’s

L i t t le Red

nom frioniat

from 18 21 o f ten feature the wolf as an evil beas t . T h e n

Cap

•

a general s tatement

there’s the f a c t that wolves are a ge nuine threat to live s t o ck ,

and introduc tio n

e s p e c i ally as their natural prey in the wild declines. Finally,

•

b o t h p a s t and present

there is their pack mentalit y – the idea of wolves being

tenses

prepared to a c t t o gether to get what they wan t .

•

references,

So, have fair y s tories a n d m y ths always re p r e s e n t e d the wolf

or citatio n s .

as a malignant force ? N o t e x a c tly.For example, the formation

of the city of Rome is said in myth to have bee n achieved

a f t e r twin b r o t h e r s were saved from death and su ckled by

a s h e - wolf. One of them, Romulus, gave his name to the

topic sentence

bc

city. Such a my th dates back to the 3rd centur y

, but for

whatever reas on this image of the wolf as caring parent has

not continued.

1

T h e t e x t opens with a general s tatement in the form of a

topic sentence. What is th e focus of t h e t e x t as a whole ?

2

In what way is fac tual information us ed in the s econd and

third sentence ?s

3

I s the information pres ented logically? For example, could

the fi

nal sentence be swap ped with th e fi

r s t – or does it

have to go at the en d?

4

The opening paragraph presents the general picture.

In what way is the second paragraph more focused and

detailed?

S e c t i o n

100

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

quotations

.1

4

Build the skills

The topic sent e n c e o f ten comes at the beginning of a paragraph ,

as in the example ab ove, but it does not have to. Read this later

paragraph fro m the same ar ticle.

They have strong jaws with sharp canine teeth for tearin g and chewing meat .

Add to this their s wimming prowess an d their abilit y to

travel up to 50

kilometre s

a day to hunt. All in all, they se em to be the ultimate huntin g b e a s t .

W hich is the to pic sentence in this paragrap ?h How do you

5

know?

Develop the skills

T h e w a y y o u l in k s e n t e n c e s t o g e t h e r i s a l s o i m p o r t a n t . I n t h e

Key term

e x a m p l e s o n p a g e 10 0 a n d a b o v e , t h e

connective s

and

For a st a r t

,

link the sente nces in th e following ways .

Add to this

connective s:

words or

p h r a s e s used to link

•

For a st a r t

introduces a fi

r s t example to show the reader what

sentences

the writer mean s .

•

introduces another example to p rovide even m ore

Add to this

information.

Read these fu r t h er detail s about the greywolf.

•

Usually hunt in family packs o f 3 – 30 wolves .

•

Packs u seful for killing large r animals such as deer .

•

Packs u sually led byan‘alpha’ male and female (whose

o f f s p ring comprise the pack).

W hat is the co mmon thread or fo cus in each of these

6

s t a t e m e n? tHow s does this information link to the original

paragraphs ?

Appl y the skills

Write a paragra ph of three or four sentence s , u s ing the

7

bullet points above. Include either a topic se ntence that

introduces t h e s e s p e cifi

c details or a concluding sentence

that sums them up.

Use some of th e c o n n e c tives and pro mpts from the word bank

below to help organise your paragraph.

W h a t i s m ore

Also

For

e xample

In fa c t

So

Wolf pa c k s

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

10

oT pic 2

Chapter 4 .

Struct u rngiornfi tm a vie w riti gn

uoY c a n u s e p a r a g raph s a n d t e n s e s t o order your t e x t s

l o g i c a l. l y

Explore the skills

Read this shor t ar t icle about a dif ferent t y p e of predator .

Falconr y i s a centuries - o l d a c t ivity, and it is still revered today. It is the ac t of hunting animals in

their natural habitat through the us e of a trained bird of prey.

Theprocessoftraninighawk shiighlyskelid.Itbeginwsthim ‘ annig’–thatis,gettingthehawk

usedtoyourpresence.Oncethehawktrus tsyouandwifleedcalmlyonyourgolvedfi s t tra,ninig

canbegin.Thehawknowhastoelarntocometoyouforfood.Firs t,itneedstobe attachedto

anile–caledacr‘eance’–andplacedonapostoranassistant’shand.Then,youholdapieceof

meatniyourglovedfi stsothehawkcanosee T it. startwithtiwi, prl obablyonlycomeforaver y

short distance,but afterafewdaysyoucanincreasethedistancetoabout50 100metres. – When

thehawkcomesthsfiarwithouthesitatoinyo, uarereadytoletifl

yerfy.lThen,usingaul‘re’

neila(withmeatattheend)youcantoranfiolworcometoyou.

These specialisedwordsgobackmany man ,y

years.Infact bac , kni6t1hethcentury ,

Shakespearewroteaspeechnihpsialy

The

ma T nigoftheShrew

niwhichthemain

charact , r e Petruchio,tkaelabout d howhewas

goingtotamehiswifeasfishewereahawk!

Nowadays,falconryisusedformorepleasant

purposes.Peoplehiredisplaysforfairs ,

exhibitons

andevenweddings.But, don’ t

forgettheanceinstkliostraninigthatgonito

tiasyouwatchsuchadispalythsiummer .

1

W hat is the main focus or p urpose of ea ch paragraph ?

Check for:

•

a topic senten ce(of ten , but not alway s , at the star t of

the paragraph)

•

t h e p a r ticular content (the fact s or spe cifi

covered in each paragraph .)

Build the skills

2

T he second paragraph explains a pro c e s s .

What main ten se does it use?

a)

S e c t i o n

102

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

c detail s

.2

4

Whatwordsorphrasesdoesthewriterusetoexplain the

b)

orderofevents?(Lookfortime-markerssuch as

Once

.)

Develop the skills

N ow think abou t t h e a r ticle overall.

3

a)

Would the four paragraphs make sense in any order ?

Why, or why not?

How are the paragrap h s t h e m s e l ves linke d? (Look at the

b)

f i r s t s entences of the third and four th paragraphs .)

Imagine that you have been aske d to write an ar ticle about

whaling for a magazine. Firs t, read these three columns of

information on th e s u b j e c t .

The past/ history

The process

•

•

Whaling date s back to

T he situation today

•

Many diffe r e n t t y pes of

Some countries have

whaling, fo r e x a m p l e , N o r way

continued s o - c alled

catches Minke whales by firin g

‘scientific - research’ whaling

bc

3000

•

F i r s t organised w haling

harpoons from c annons on

•

f l e e t s i7n 1 th century

They believe that whale

bow of boat; follow up with

s t o c k s are now at a level

•

Inlate193 0 s , more than

rifles if not kill ed immediately

where whaling could st a r t

5 0   0 0 0 whales kille d

•

ekat oehvatsaHrefunty

again

annually

neiciofprenasdlcyexom at

•

Many arguments over

•

9l1anoietnhanITre68

hw onkyeht tahtevoorptow

w h a l i n g , in c l u d i n g w h o

moC gnnoii slsaW m hi

wueseapons

shoudledciw ehethsietr

gniicrlm eaohcwdenlnab

•

O t h e r m e t hods inclu de

tuobarehatwehtad,ehlatgel

beaching whales by driving

cerroc snoi oaotskcd,nt

•

Not all countries signed up

to it

them onto land

4

H ow would you orde r the information ? Create a

paragraph plan.

Appl y the skills

5

N ow, write your article. Make sure that you:

•

explain the his t o r y of whaling

•

give information ab out what whaling is

•

explain what the situation is in the prese ntday.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Decide what t h e f u n c tion of each of your paragraphs will be (for example, to give the histo r y

or to explain a proces.)s

✔

Think about the tenses you will us e.

✔

Decide whic h c o n n e c tives of time or sequence will help you organise the information.

✔

Consider what th e topic senten ce for each paragraph might be an d where it should go.

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

103

oT pic 3

Chapter 4 .

W tir nigt opersueda

Features of pe rsuasive

W h e n y ou

w r it e t o p e r s u a d e , y o u a i m t o c h a n g e

writing:

s o m e o n es’ b e l i e f s o r p o i n t o f v i e. w To a c h i e v e t h i s ,

•

strong, si n g l e - minded

t h e   i n f o r mat i o n y ou i n c l u d e m u st b e c a r e f u l l y

viewpoint

s e l e c t e d   t o j u s t i f y y ou r o w n p o i n t o f v i e . w In •

p e r s o n a l tone expres s e d

a d d i t i o n , y o u w i l l n e e d t o a p pl y v a r i o u s o t h er in the fi

rst person

•

d i r e c t appeals to the

p e r s u a s i v e t e c h n i q ue s .

reader/li s t e n e r

(

you

)

•

rhetorical

questions:

Explore the skills

Doyourealylthnikthat

m cil atechangeasi myth ?

There are three key eleme nts to bear in mind when w riting

•

emotive images or other

t o   p e r s uade:

language (

•

dying gulls

slicked with oil on a

ideas – the points you cho ose to make and the evidence you

A:

t r a s h - covered beach

)

use to supp o r t these point s

•

p a t t e r n s of three (

the

•

language – the voc a b u l a r y or other techniques you u se to

B:

A n t a r c tic will soon be

infl

u e n ce how your reade r thinks

a m y t h , a m e m o r, yan

•

s t r u c ture – the way you present and o rder your points so

C:

e x t i nct continent

that they have the greate s t e f fe c t .

•

counter- arguments

Look at this ope ning to an ar ticle about ‘driverless’ c a r s . acknowledged and

demolished

•

a ‘call to ac .tion’

I cannot see a future for driverless c a r s . The idea of

robotic

machines with minds of their ow n f e r r yi n g p a s s e n g e r s

Element A: clear statement of

from A to B

appals me

: technology is just too unreliable.

viewpoint and evidence

A key problem is hacking. What happe ns if the comp uter

Element B: strong, negative

that drives the c ar is affe c t e d by a virus or some othe r

language

n a s t y a t t a c?kIt would be abs olute chaos!

Whoathperowerful

1

2

useofs

anlguagcaeynoudientfiy

xet sihtuTh rtsfobectuelarciogltisfehcautes argarst rap ph

cesaherglatgnreaw dpheiovdntph esurcnti

dwsyawthanopg.aIletsvrhdepaitodpehonvaslcr

if?rst hte

S e c t i o n

104

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

?ereh

)

.3

4

Build the skills

uoY

can use vo c a b u l a r y

a n d p e r s uasive devices

tomake

an

emotional app eal to your read er and to make a ‘call to action’ .

Read this extr a c t from a parent to a h ead teacher .

3

Write down ans wers to t h e s e q u e s t i o n s .

a)

W hat does the parent want to happ?ne

b)

W hat ‘happy pi c t ure’ does th e parent paint?

Just picture the street by our school if you were to ask the council to bancars: instead of huge

metal monsters belching out smoke, grinding their gears and skidding to a halt with a screech of

brakes,allyou would hear would belethe chilerdhappy renofand licha their parents.Af t e r all,

what could be more important than the safety andwelbl-eing of our precious children?

Develop the skills

How do you achieve such emotional appeal? Look at this table.

Method

powerful

or

emotive

Example

Effect

huge metal mons t e r s

s u g g e s t s that they are enormou s

vocabular y

b e a s t s , threatening children

rhetorical q u e s t i o n

p a t t e r n of three

4

A f t er all, what could be more

emotional app eal:make s the point

i m p o r t ant than the safet y and

unanswerable – no one is lik ely to

w e l l - b e ing of our precious chil dren ?

disagree!

belching out smoke , grinding their

has a rhythmic emphasis that

g e a r s and skidding to a halt

hammers home th e m e s s a g e

W hich verb s in the table have a particularly power ful

Key term

impact? What come s to mind wh en you read them ?

emotive:

5

likely tomake

leh?hettWh sofeifencyeolsnptecti egliptseavicr

people feel s trong

emotions

Appl y the skills

6

Reread the ex tra c t a b out driverle s s c a r s . Below is the s t a r t

of a paragraph that is

in favour of

driverless c a r s . Continue

the paragraph.

•

Add one suppor tin g sentence with evidence or rea s o n s

to back up your view .

•

Include language that has emotional poweru( s e the

table to help you .)

Driverless cars are a greatidea!Just think of …

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

105

oT pic 4

Chapter 4 .

Struct u rngi pesrunoasi

W h e n w r i t i n g t o p e r s uade, you n e e d t o m a k e s u r e t h at

t h e a r g u me n t s o r i d e a s y o u i n c lude, a n d t h e w a y t h a t

y o u o r ga n i s e t h em , a r e a s e f f e c t i v e a s p o s s i b l e .

Explore the skills

•

oY u n e e d s trong arguments s u p p o r ted by per suasive

Content:

evidence

or

examples

.

•

Structure:

oY u need sente nces or paragraphs

sequenced

in a

logical way to have maximum impac t .

argarap sfeihem cutegsw irhapdeahnyea,thRplenovsitnftect

tuognikraipwohfoethcoNsipoe.dtilost

sdl iub

.m tungeraeht

clear topic sentence to

introduce the point

One benefi

t of a traffi

-frcee zone outside school is. clear

factual evidence to support

Recent research has shown that when cars are banned, up to

the point

%07 of parents walk their children to school, which would be

specifi

incrediblybe nefi

cial to our children’s health.

c benefi

t from the

Furthermore, it

evidence

might be goodorf parents too – we all need that extra bit of

exercise.

1

W hatadditoinalpointdoesthefi nalsent?enceemak

2

I sthsitheonlylogicapllaceforthsisentencetobe

positionednithepar?Waoh,yw grrahph ynot?

Build the skills

Itisvitaltodecidewhyaotukeryargumentsareandplanhowyou

wiprl esentthembeforeyoust art writng.

3

Topt pi

W hatotherpointscanyouthnikoftosupport theproposal

tobancarsoutsidetheschool?Consider:

Develop your key points

•

the social b e n e f i

t s to children – and parents – fro m

fuly. J u s t m entioning a

walking to scho ol

f a c t without sayin g what it

•

the fi

nancial ben e f i

t s or savings

s h o w s d o e s not help your

persuasive •

t h e i m p a c t on the environment in and around school.

S e c t i o n

106

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

argument.

.4

4

Develop the skills

The tone you use in p e r s u a s i ve t e x t s is als o i m p o r t ant. It i s

tempting to g e t a n g r y and demand chang es – ‘Ban cars now!’ –

but it is usually more ef f e c tive to show the ef f e c t s of a par ticular

course of a c t ion, using modal verbs and ‘if ’ clauses .

Modal form

Example (in an ‘if’ clause)

Condition

ki yle , nht,ieoyr oreobparl

will, would

If you

ban

c a r s , you

will

improve air

quality .

If you

c a r s , you

banned

would

improve air qual i .t y

might, could , may

outcome unsure

If you

ban

c a r s , you

might

improve

air quality .

not possible (too late)

would have

If you

have

had banned

improved

c a r s , you

would

air quality .

Look back at the paragraph about parking outside school.

4

a)

What modal fo rms have be en used?

b)

Which of the t wo points bein g made is more ce r t a i n or

lik,elyaccording to the writer?

Complete the following ‘if ’ clause s:

5

If parents had u sed their c a r s l e s s, they …… …….

a)

If the children are ex p o s e d t o car fumes , they

b)

…………

Appl y the skills

Write a furth e r t w o paragraphs about the traf f i

6

-frec e

zone. Ex plain:

•

what you want to happ e n

•

t h e f u r th e r b e n e f i

t s or advantage s of the pro p o s e d

t r a f f-free i c zone.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

S t r u c ture your paragraphs to build an argument, adding

evidence and fur ther i d e a s .

✔

Use modal forms to show the b e n e f i

t s o f a c ting or the

problems that might arise if no a c t i o n is take n.

✔

Uesmaovlneitguagewhereapproea.tpir

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

107

oT pic 5

Chapter 4 .

W tir nigto argue

P e r s u a s i v e t e x t s t e n d t o b e o n e - si d e d . W he n y o u w r i t e

Features of argum entative

a n a r g u m e n t t e x t , h o w e v er, y o u n e e d t o c o n s i de r b o t h writing:

s i d e s o f a n i s s ue. •

a l e s s p e rsonal tone

t h a n p e r suasive writing

•

c o n s i d e r s t h e f a c t s and

Explore the skills

ideas on both sides of

an issue

There are dif ferent ways of organising argument tex t s . For

•

s u p p o r t s point s with example, consider how you could approach this topic:

evidence (for or

against),

butalso

rebuts

Bikerental scheme s: should they be introduced into your

counter-argument s

local tow n or city ?

•

use of counte- r

balancing linking words

The simples t stru c t ure is:

or phrases (

on the

other hand…

•

Paragraph

:1

)

i n t r o d u c tion – the issue: what bik e rental s c h e m e s

• are

works lo gically towards

a conclusion that st ates •

Paragraphs

2–

4:

points fo rbike rental sch emes in your town

the writer’s viewpoint .

•

Paragraphs

5: 7–

points against bike rental sch e m e s

•

Paragraph

8:

conclusio n: weigh up the points and give your

Key terms

opinion.

counter-argument :

the

D o you think this would be an ef f e c tive struc ture to ?use

1

opposite or co ntrasting

Why, or why not?

viewpoint

What alternative ways of str u c t uring the ess ay can you

2

think of?

counter- argument

Build the skills

Evidence can come in dif ferent forms.

For example, it could be:

•

f a c t s or s tatis t i c s

•

‘expe r t ’ or witness co m m e n t s

•

p e r s o n a l experience (from the writer).

3

Read the following re sponse to the

bike- rental scheme topic on page 10 9.

Which of the thre e forms of evidence

have been u sed?

S e c t i o n

108

1 :

rebut:

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

to ‘knock down’ a

.5

4

are very popularrightnow, but are they really worthit?Af t e r all,

Bike rental schemes

it costs a lot of money to build the

, create and plan signage and run

docking stations

the schemes. However , think of the income generat ed. In, London 1 1ina0bi2ke scheme

raisedover nine million dollars in one, whi yearch seems good value to me.

Some critics claim that you need to be earning a lot of money to hire a bike, but consider

the alternatievs.As

commuter

JonDevanisays,‘ I used to have to pay to park my car at

the station and then formy rail ticket – nowI’m paying lessorf the bikeinand g I’m g e 

i

f

er too. ’ 

W hat ‘pe r s o n a l e x p erience’ could be adde d to the

4

argument? Remember – it needs to be related to the

a d v a n t a g e s of using a bike to get to work .

Develop the skills

T h e s t r u c t u re of the resp onse above is slightly dif fere nt to the

simple struc ture outlined at the st a r t of this topic.

Look at the str u c t ure of the resp onse above.

5

coVabulary

a)

are the counter - arguments placed in the e x t r a ct?

Where

Do they appear in d i f ferent paragraphs? bike rent a l s c h e m e s :

many

cities have sch e m e s w h e r e

b)

are these counter- arguments and

What

how

have they

you rent bicycles from

b e e n r e b u t ted?

docking st ations and c y c le

This approach can be summari sed as follows:

them to others

• docking stations: Paragraph

:1

the

introduc tio n – the issue

places the bike sareke p t

•

Paragraph

2:

point 1 plus counter- argument

commuter:

someone who

•

Paragraphs

3–

4:

points 2 an d 3, with counter - argum ents

travels to work by car or

alongside

public transp o r t

•

Paragraph

5:

f u r t h er points to stren gthen the main view but

which do not have counter- a r g u m e n t s

•

Paragraph

6:

conclusio n – summing up the evidence.

Appl y the skills

6

Write the third paragraph of this argu m e n t . U s e the

‘counter - ar g u m e n t ’

s t r u c ture:

•

S t a r t with a new proble m (for example, you live too far

away to cycle all the way to work).

•

S u g g e s t t h e solution (it could be to t ake the bus to a

c e r t ain place, then pick up a bike .)

•

Finish the paragraph with a sho r t , i m p a c t ful sentence or

a rhetorical

q u e s t io n .

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

109

oT pic 6

Chapter 4 .

Struct u rnpgiargaphrsin

agrument texts

C o h e s i v e de v i c e s c a n h e l p y o u st r uc t u r e y our

p a r a g r ap h s t o

p r e s e n t a r g u m e n t s a n d c o u nter-

a r g u m e n t s c l e a r. l y

T h e y c a n a l s o help you d e v e l o p a n d

e x p a n d o n a p o i n t of v i e. w

Explore the skills

pyaw eu,graivotyfteoietrauvswdtoiaW hnufylsronuheio

ndawdscornginect

pesahr

ekm a ot

e.dnarelscaedeincdeivruoy

Look at this example.

first idea

Tidal energy is plentiful

and

can generate significant powe .r

conjunction

and

gives

additional information to

Now look at this second example.

support the first idea

second idea

Tidal energy is plentiful, yet it can b e d i f f i cult to harnes s .

1

Which is the

in the secon d example ? (Remind

conjunction

yourself about conjun c t i o ns by looking back otopiTc1s 2 .

and 2.2.)

W hat is its f u n c ?tion (Is it supp o r t ing the firs t idea o r doing

2

something eles?)

Conjunctions can be used for different purpose s. Match

3

eachconjunc toi n to its purpose. One has been doneforyou. Key terms

a word used

conjunction:

Conjunction

Purpo se

to join clause s or words

in the same clause or

idea +

and

idea +

so

+ idea

to o f fer an alternative

sentence, for example,

+ idea

and,

to give additional information

but, or

idea +

+ idea

but

to give a reason ve:bsadiverutnocj

a

lbrevdaenvikisoucntjc

idea +

or

idea +

because

+ idea

to show a result or consequ e n c e

nianudeisplecndent

+ idea

a

to give a contras t, in dicate nksiodrlieaen,sct

d i f f e rence or pro blem beotw rfe–etnentsncwo

aem xe,pl

, meorv

ot yaw rasaledm ii igns iknatcnuioj,nrolscisbrieatvdcm oSe

efandfect

us roseng uason c,itsacge

cneuqThse.sero

evitcnujnoc

S e c t i o n

011

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

sbrevda

, y l lani fhterofer,

uacw ohsot se

.6

4

raworhpeduhcurolscnsedias

revweoh

n

,

i

f

y l la

dna

yletaidmei

.

cnujnuocjndm oeahrcirtsm eboedfBrsenavrdiaoetrtesvintc

enoc sa yletcveleviislot.c

What is the purpose of each conjunction and conjun c t i ve

4

adverb in the pa s s a g e b e l ow ?

Tidal energy is plentiful,

yet

can be dif fi

cult to harness .We

conjunction

need to inve s t i n research in o rder to fi

n d out how pra c t i c al it

is.

, this is not straightfo r w ard

However

as

research co s t s a lot

conjunctive adverb

ofmoney.

Build the skills

uoY need to know how to constr u c t paragraphs that use

conjunctions or conju n c t ive adverbs to build argume n t s . L o ok at

this openin g to a spee ch about win d turbines.

E v e r y drive or train journey along a major roa d or route

now reveals a wond e r f u l p henomenon – wind turbines.

T h e s e i n s p iring stru c t u re s , s p routing lik e giants from the

topic sentence introduces the

l a n d s c a p e , are huge and beautiful. Th ey attra c t t h eeyelike

subject of the speech

w o n d e r f u l visitors from another plane t. People eve n d i v e r t

their journeys in order to exp erience th e thrill of se eing them

follow-up sentences give

up close. Ind eed, I love them be cause of their other- worldly

supporting detail to the

appearance, a n d , f u r thermore, I’d be happy to have o ne of

argument about wind

t h e m s t a n d guard over my own hou se.

turbines

5

What viewpoint is expres sed here ? How do you know thi s

from the very fi

6

r s t sentence ?

Write down the co n j u n c tions or adve r b s u s e d ot:

a)

a d d f u r ther informatio n or evidence (that is, one idea

plus another one)

b)

c)

7

s t r e n g t h e n an idea

p resent the outcome or co nsequence of something.

Note down any other language that s u p p o r t s the argume nt

(for example, the choice of adjec tive s or noun phra ses).

8

Write an opening paragrap h in the same s t yle but arguing

against

wind turbines . Use co n j u n c tions or co n j u n c tive

adverbs to add informatio n , s t r e n g then ideas and to show

the outcome of a course o f a c tion. ou could Y star t :

reEv ydrive or train journey along a major road or route in the

UKnowreveals a dreadful spectacle – wind turbines. These..

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

1 1 1

oT pic 6

Chapter 4 .

Develop the skills

When you want to prese nt points in a straight f o r wardway, you

can use co n j u n c tive adverbs such as

F i r s tly, Secondly

and

Finally

to

s e q u e n c e i d eas. Howeve , r weighing up or contra sting the ideas or

argument require s a different approach.

Read this extr a c t from an article about fra cking

–

a controversial

means of get ting gas from the groun d . A s you read, think ab out

how the article sets up the debate and then introduces the

arguments fo r and against fracking.

Hailed as a g ame changer and the harbinger of cheap

energy or as an ecological disaste , r

the cause of

e a r t h quakes an d pollution, f racking’ s entrance into

our lives has b e e n c o l o u r ful. The fundamenta ls are

c l .eFracking ar is a method of ex tracting gas from

rock formations by using high- pressure water and

chemicals.

I t e n a b l e s u s to extr a c t f r o m p l a c e s that were

h i t h e r to u n e c o n o m i c , b u t si t ’n o t c h e a p a n d i s o n l y

cost- e f f e ctive b e c a u s e o f t h e h i g h p r i c e o f e n e r .g y

N e v e r th e l e s s , i n t h e U S A , i t h a s t r a n s f o r m e d c o s t s

a n d i s r a p i d l y re p l a c i n g c o a l a s a source of ge neration. D i r t y c o a l p r o d u c e s h i g h e r e m i s s i o n s , s o

f r a c k e d g a s c u t s A m e r i c a n p o l l u ti o n a n d a l l o w s t h e c o u n t r y t o c l a i m t o b e f i g h t i n g c l i m a t e c h a n g e .

However , gas, like co al, is a foss il fuel. Its e m i s s i o n s a r e s i g n i f i c a n t a n d , i n t h e a b s e n c e o f c a r b on

c a p t u r e a n d s torage, still contrib ute hugely to global war ming.

From ‘Fracking: the pros and cons’ by L o r d D e b e n and Emma Hug h e s ,

9

Country

According to the ar ticle, what are the arguments for and

against fracking ?

10

How are the different ideas presented? Copy and complete

the table below to track the pro gress of the argument of

the debate.

Sentence

Hailed as… co l o u r ful.

C o n j u n c t i o n or conjunc tive

E f f e c t oT( contrastTo? show

adverb used

an outcome?)

or

p r e s e n t s the positive and

negative sides

It enables u s... p rice of energy.

N e v e r th e l e s s . .. generatio n .

D i r t ycoal… climate change.

However,… fuel.

I t s e m i s sions… global warming.

S e c t i o n

211

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

Life

magazine website

.6

4

Readthefollowingt ask and thinkabouthowyou would answer it.

uoY have learned that a wind farm is to be built ver y close to

your village or town. Th e council has invited pe ople to come

to a public mee ting to exp ress their views and you have been

asked tomake a speech arguing against wind turbines . Write

your speech.

Here are some arguments you could includ e:

•

It spoils the natural bea u t y of landsc ape.

•

I t c o s t s too much: currently wind ene rgy is not as

e f f i c ient as fossil fuel or nuclear energy ; farms are

expensive to build.

•

Noise pollution: so me people living close to turbines

claim low- level noise

causes

s t r e s s - r e l ated illne s s .

Add some ideas of your own to this list .

11

For example,

Topt pi

consider issues such a s: birds or wildlife; T , computer V an d

radio recep tion; mili t a r y defence.

Look back1opi atto Tc 3.

remind yourself about the

How would you organi se these points? Note down the

12

conventions of speeches.

order in which you would pres ent your ideas .

Appl y the skills

Write your spe e c h .

13

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Begin with a paragraph that ‘set s up’ the argum ent (look

again at the firs t ‘pro - turbine’ example).

✔

Link ideas

in

your paragraphs by usin g conjunctions and

conjunctive adverbs you have come across in this unit. H ere

are some other s you could use:

in order that , since, unless ,

until, wheneve,r while, similarly, likewise, nonetheles s ,

f u r t h ermore, accordingly,ot h e r w ise, in fac t .

✔

Use these co n n e c tives to give reas o n s , s trengthen poi n t s ,

s u g g e s t o u tcomes o r present the other side of the case in

order to knock it down.

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

311

oT pic 7

Chapter 4 .

W tir nigtoexploreand discuss

discuss

If you ar e a s k e d t o

or

explore

a t o p i c , you n e e d t o

s h o w t h a t y o u h av e t h ought about i t i n de p t h b y t a k i n g

i n t o account d i f f e r e nt v ie w p o i nt s .

Features of dis cursive writ ing:

•

engages the reader in the op ening paragraph, perhaps

by using an anecdote or by giving unusual or surpri sing

information

•

has a

– although it can still b e p e r s onal

measured tone

•

clear explanation

provides a

of an issue, o f ten by

facts

reference to

or st atisti c s

•

weivditneffrepnsoti

oexsprl

usianbeout

•

comes to s o m e s o r t of

conclusion

be stro ng or forcefully e x p r e s s e d.

Explore the skills

Read the following ar ticle.

L a s t w e ek I was t aken to a local re staurant by a friend, and was surpri sed to se e on the

menu such thin gs as ‘yarrow fl

owe r s h o r tbread’ and ‘ n e t tle soup’ . Such items re p r e s e n t

a new craze around here – food that has bee n ‘forag e, dor’ gathered in the wild. So, i s it

w o r t h all the fus ? s

My friend believes foraged food i s the future. ‘ I t s’natural , i ts’ unusual, and it tas tes great!’

h e s a y s . I t s e e m s local pe ople agree: there are now three r e s t aurants in our town (including

the one we visited ) that ser ve s trange - s o u n ding things that you would normally regard as

weeds or wild plants .

However , is it such a goo d thing ? For example, it is of ten t h e m o s t expensive r e s t a urants

that feature forage d food, such as Danish r e s t aurant Noma, voted the be st in the world in

4102 . This leads some to say that it is a fad and jus t an excu se for re staurants to charge a

lot for weird- soundin g d i s h e s .

teY the popularit y is no t j u s t down to a celeb rated res taurant or two. At a time when more

and more people are rejecting fast food, whic h i s o f ten unhealthy , the idea of going back

to nature seem s v e r y appealing. While fo raged foo d is free and close to hand , it seem s

likely

to remain po pular , even if not ever yo ne is convinced.

S e c t i o n

411

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

,

although this may not

.7

4

1

a)

W h a t i s s u e is being dis c u s s e d ?

b)

What is the w riter’s viewpoint,ifany?

c)

W h a t s t a t e m e n t s , ifany, s u g g e s t ?hsti

Build the skills

Reread the ar ticle. Which features from the list at t h e s t ar t

2

of this topic can you identif ? y

Develop the skills

One of the way s that you can identif y the ‘expl o r a t o r y ’ nature of

t h e t e x t is through its tone. Look at how the fi

nal sentence might

have been w r i t t e n:

use of fi

rst person

powerful verb of personal

B e c a u s e foraged fo od is free and close at han d I

am convinced

belief

absolutely wo n d e r f u l

it is an

innovation

!

emphatic noun phrase

exclamation mark

Look at the fi

3

nal sentence in the article. How is it mo re

measured than th e example above ? Consider:

•

the use of th e fi

rst person

•

t h e e f fe c t of the verb

seems

•

the fi

nal subordinate clau s e a f ter the comma.

H ere is another paragraph on a similar topic. Rewrite

4

it so that is has a more measure d tone by replacing the

underlined

s e c t io n s .

I a m u t terly appalled by the way re staurants want to mak e

food look like art . I

painting, b utlike

t a s t y and fi

hate

e v e r yo n e

the idea of my meal lo okinglike a

I

just want

something

nutritious ,

li ng.

S t a r t:

End: …

It seems slighy… lt

even though…

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

511

y Appl the skills

oT pic 8

Chapter 4 .

Structur nigconetnnit

discursive

wri ting

I t i s i mp o r t a n t t o h a v e a c l ea r s t r u c t u r e f o r y our

d i s c u r s i v e w r i t i ng. Ju s t b e cause y o u a r e ‘expl o r i n g ’ a

t o p i c , t h i s d o e s n ot m e a n t h at you shou l d l o s e s i g ht of

t h e f o c u s o f t h e t as k .

Explore the skills

oInpic ,Tyou 4.7 read an article about fo raging. Th e tone of the

a r t icle was key, but the struc ture was equally i m p o r t ant:

•

I n t r o d u c to r y paragraph: anecdote of p e r s o n a l experience

•

Second paragraph: developing point mad e in fi

r s t paragraph

•

Third paragraph: introduces alternative viewpoint

•

F o u r t h (concluding) paragraph: weighing up both side s .

I n

a

o n

w h i c h

d i r e c te d

a b o u t

b a d

a

t o

d i f

a b o u t

w r i t i n g

t a s k ,

yo u

b a s e your writin g .

f e r e n t

i t . T h e

e x p e r t  a n d

t h e

f o o d

t o p i c :

i n f o r m a t io n

m a y

b e

g i v e n

B e l o w

i s

s o m e inf or m at i on

c h o c o l a t e

i n c l u d e s

a n d

s o m e

w ha t

i n f o r mation

i s

g o o d /

c o m m e n t s from an

w r i t e. r

100 g dark chocolate pe r day could reduce the risk of a h e a r t

a t t a c k or stroke%.by(21

British Medic al Journal

Chocolate usually contains large quantities of antioxidants

(chemicals that can prevent the build - u p of harmful pollut a n t s

in the body and lower blood pressure).

‘I bought a large bar of chocolate recently and fi

ni shed it all in

one go, and I felt really guilty , es peciall y when the d e n t i s t told

me a week late r that I need e d t w o fi

li n g s’ .

Contains caf f e i n e which can help makeyou more aler t .

ooT much caf fein e can lead to dis turbed sleep.

pyT ical ingredients in a chocolate bar: bu t t, esugar r , cream or

milk, lot s of calories that canmake you put on weight .

‘Eating chocolate is fi

n e , provided it is in mode ration and you

stick to dark chocolate.’ (Dr Miles Be tter)

Chocolate can be a pleasant reward, from time to time.

S e c t i o n

611

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

research)

.8

4

H ow would you organi se the information into a stru c t u re

1

similar to the one used in the foraging ar ?ticl ou e may Y

need more than four paragraph s .

Come up with an alternative struc ture that address e s s o m e

2

of the pros and cons within the same paragrap h s . F o r

example:

•

First

paragraph:

anecdote – visit to the denti s t

•

Second paragraph: problem of calo r i e s / weight ve r s u s

b e n e f i t of antioxidants

•

Third paragraph: …

Build the skills

An overall s t r u c ture such as this allows you to balance the

d i f f e rent argument s , b u t it also helps you to build ideas across

your paragraph.

Look again at the fi

nal paragraph from the foragin g a r ticle.

teY the popularit y i s no t j u s t down to a celeb rated res taurant

tniopsecudortni ecnetnes cipot

or two. At a time whe n more and more p eople are rejec tin g

fast fo od, which i s o f ten unhealthy , the idea of going back to

second sentence provides

nature seems v e r y appealing. While fora g e d f o o d is free and

supporting information

close to hand , it seem slikely to remain po pular , even if not

fi

nal complex sentence sums

e v e r yone is convinced.

up writer’ s view

Write a paragra ph about th e b e n e f i

3

t s of chocolate. St a r t

with the topic sentence below, then:

•

add any suppor tin g information

•

i

f

ni sh with a summary point.

Some believe that chocolate ha s a role to play in our physical

health. For example…

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

711

oT pic 8

Chapter 4 .

Develop the skills

Another impor t a n t feature in effe c t ive discursive writing is how

you link and conn e c t ideas

within

paragraphs. The words and

p h r a s e s you use to link or explore ideas are so metimes called

‘discourse markers’ .

Time or sequen ce

Cause and

Comparison

Contrast

Developm ent

markers

effect marke r s

markers

markers

markers

This morning , that

A s a result

In the same way

On the other

Moreover

day

hand

Thus

F u r t h ermore

Similarly

Earlier ,

In contras t

Therefore

Likewise

Additionally

A f te r w a rd s

However

Following this

A s

What is more

Once,

teY

Because

Both

Also

Finally

But

In this way

Also

In addition

Subsequently

Although

A s c a n be seen

Read this openingtoanar ticle on the benefi

For example

ts ofchocolate.It uses

a slightly different anecdotefromthenote s in ‘Explorethe. skils’l

specifi

adverbial of time

es the

This morning at break time, I noticed hundre ds of stu d e n t s moment

tucking into their favourite chocolate. bar Perhaps they were

relative clause

adds extra bit

rewarding thems elves with a quick snack, w hich is often

of information

s o m e t h i n g s we e t ,

or

perhaps th ey felt they need ed the

coordinating conjunction

energy from a

sudden sugar ru s h .

However

,

I wondered

if they

offers alternative possibility

really under s t o o d t h e e f fe c t that chocolate is having on them .

adverb signals writer’ s

personal question

All these discours emarke rs and phrases allow the writer to

explain, explore and sugge s t . T h e se thing s help create the

Key terms

measured to ne needed fo r discursive writing.

adverbial of time:

a word

H ere is another paragraph. Choo se an appro priate joining

4

or phrase e x p r e s s i n g w h e n

word or phras e for each space from the word bank o n

something happ e n e d

page 91 to create 1 the same s o r t of measured tone.

relative claus e:

sentence which usually

explains or a d d s d e t ail to a

ugas ,____k_snirownas

oboaucintr r y

faotctrwgehit

preceding noun

c_____n,igaheart oeatdaln

ocunyasglrntaiels

dseiase.

hoc,___o_alet

cheam onqdixtfeu(ashnitclsait

canpervehnttebdul-i huoapm rfpo uflulanthiebody st and

lower blood -pressur_e._________ ) ,100

g dark chocolate per

daycouldreducetheriskofahear tattack orstroke %. by21

__________,wearet alking about relatively

small por t ions of

dhcakoracet.l

S e c t i o n

811

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

p a r t of a

.8

4

y e s t e r day

that

who

which

yet

so

at the p r e s e n t time

as

n e v e r th e l e s s

as

a

result

Now conside r this additional information that you could us e in a

d i s c u r s i ve a r ticle about the b e n e f i

t s or drawback s of cho colate:

•

retail s ales of chocolate worldwide = 10 1 billion US dollar s

•

sales of M&M’s in the U SA=661. 5 million U S dollars

•

s o m e p r o d u cers of cho colate are hous e h o l d n a m e s , such as

M a r s , N e s t l é and Lindt

•

chocolate play s a p a r t in festive and religious celebratio n s ,

for example, Easte , r Christmas and Hanukkah. In Me xico,

chocolate is u sed to makeof f e r ings during El Día de los

M u e r t o s (the Day of the D e a d f e s tival).

W hat link s all th e s e i t e m s of information ?

5

a)

p opularity

b)

sales of chocolate

c)

consumption of chocolate

of chocolate

Where would th i s s o r t of information work b e s t in your

6

a r t icle (beginning, middle or end)?Why?

Appl y the skills

Write an article exploring the role that chocolate plays in

7

people’s lives and wh ether it does harm or good.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Begin with an anecd o t e , p e r s onal experie n c e a n dor /

background informatio n to the topic.

✔

Continue with a range of viewpoint s .

✔

Link your ideas c arefully, using appropriate conn e c t ive

words and phra s e s .

Topt pi

✔

Keep a measured, balanced tone throu g h o u t .

Look back opi at cT3.5to

✔

End with a conclu sion that prov i d e s s o m e idea of your own

remind yourself about the

viewpoint.

conventions of articles.

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

911

Chapter 4 .

oT pic 9

Descript ive wr gniti

W h a t m a k e s a d e s c r i p t i o n e f f e c t i v e ? W h e t h e r t he

Key terms

d e s c r ip t i on i s p a r t o f a s t or y o r w h et h e r t h e p l ace

o r e x p e r ie n c e b e i n g d e s c r i b e d i s t h e f o c u s o f t h e

imagery:

words or

comparisons that create

w r i t i n g , t he r e a r e s e v e r a l k e y t e c h n i qu e s f o r c r e a t ing

a mental pic ture

g o o d d e sc r i p t ion.

a vivid comparison

simile:

of two things or id eas using

as

or

kiel

– for example,

the

Explore the skills

h o a r s e v oice sounded out

likesandpaper on a br oken edaer eht esvediogeyosotpw rtup,eeuobtnysm iaW nierharcur

brick etarucscaihteodirorTtepxedfo.itroecvobjocsnpeirn,hesv

ret i wr , lfolwes n:et a p o w e r ful

metaphor:

image in which t wo

•

use specifi

•

choose

cvocabular y

(forexample,

dinghy

ratherthan

boat

)

d i f ferent things or ideas

vivid

imagery

such as

similes

,

metaphors

o r s y m b o l s to

are compared without

make the i r d e s c r ip t i o n s o riginal (

arrowing thr ough the wat e r

)

using

•

i c y w i nd chilling the bones

(

as

or

u se language techniques such as

– for

tiny splinters of ice

)

p e r s o n i f i cation: •

kiel

myfi nge r s w e r e

example,

s e n s e s t o provide a me morable picture or impres sion

use the

when a

p e r s o n i f i cation

thing or idea is describ e d

•

create an overall mood or atmos p h e r e

•

u se a varie t y o f sentences and paragraph s t r u c ture to create

as if it has human qualities

(

t h e s t o r m b a r e d i t s teeth

d i f f e r e n t p e r s p e c t ives or viewp o i n t s .

and roared

with anger

)

Read this des cription of a remote place.

1

W hcihofthefeatures

The long, dangling t endrils of the huge treeelfl to the damp

listed

soil. Like the hair of a giant monster ,

they swayed and rolled

abovecanyouidentify

as the weather began to worsen. Under them, sparkling

inthisdesc ? rpitoin

raindrops danced on theorest f fl . oor

A tiny tree frog on one

tendril gulped twice. Its orange eyeswievlled. Then, it leapt o ff

into space. The tendrils continued to shif t and shake to the

r h y thm of the rain.

S e c t i o n

120

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

nithebueletdlist

.9

4

2

W hat is the paragraph

describing? Consider

as a whole

each of thes e possibilities:

•

the tendrils

of the tree

•

the raindrop s

•

the tree frog.

3

W hatdfi ferentthingsaredescribedniordertocreatethe

whole?piercut

4

Arethereanydescripivtedetailsthatpar citularlyst andout?

Areafil vesenses usedbythe?rewrthosif,Iw?

If you are going to de scribe a p a r ticular per son, pla ce or

experience, you need to think about

you describe. For

what

example, the stu dent who wrote the paragraph on page201

made these note s:

Remote place – no people; tropicalforestorriver?Both?

When?Before, during and af t e r a storm – sun’ s rays

disappeari ingnground. g; rain hi

What?Plantsand trees – branches, roots etc.; earth s/ oil;

forestcreatures–red ants, python, tree frog.

5

W hat ideas from the notes has the stu d e n t

u s e d y e?t

not

Build the skills

I t i s i m p o r t ant to have a wide vocabular y to use in your

d e s c r i p tive writing. Having a variet y of words and phrases at

your fi

n g e r t ips means that you are lesslikely to repeat you r s e l f

and, more impo r t a n tly,you will be able to choose the most

Key term

appropriate o r p o w e r ful word or phra se.

synonym:

Do not just use the fi

a word that is

r s t word that comes to your mind. Many

identical, o r v e r y close in

words have

synonyms

– some of which might be be t t e r than your

meaning, to another word

i

f

r s t choice. For example, consider the sun’s rays: they can …

shine

dazzle

6

glow

g l i t t er

sparkle

shimmer

beam

i

l

f

cker

W hatsithedif ferenceinmeaningbetween eachofthese

?bserv

7

W hichwouldbebest fordescribnigtherayscomingthrough

thebranchesor?Wrtrees tieasentenceortwodescribing

therays,usingtheworw od(rordosy)uhavechosen.

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

121

oT pic 9

Chapter 4 .

In the description of the fo r e s t , the stud e n t u s e s a number of

closely relate d words to describ e the movem ent of the ten drils:

swayed

,

rolled

,

a giant monst er

shift

,

The tendril sarelike ned to the

shake.

hair of

.

8

W hat sy nonyms or related words can you find for th e

following words ?

a)

hair

b)

monster

shak e

c)

Key term It can also be helpful to think in terms of the

semantic field

w h e n d e s c r ibing. This is a good way of making sure that you

vocabular y

semantic field:

have enough to d e s c r i b e in relation to a par ticular experience

or set of terms closely

o r s e t t ing. Look at the t able below, which contains some word s

linked by subject o r u s a g e

c o n n e c ted to various features of the rainforest s e t t in g .

Storm

Forest

Creatures

River

muddy banks

thunder

slindret

red ants

raindrops

orost

p y t h on

disappearin g sun

acnopy

tree frog

d a r k n e s s , gloom

sevael

oppression

9

Copy and complete the table, addi n g f u r ther nouns to

each semantic field. ou could Y create an additional table

with a set of related verbs – for example, to d e s c r i b e the

movement of a river you could add

swirl

Choose one of the words or p hrases from the table (not

10

one used in the original ex tra c t ) and write one or t w o

sentences using it.

Develop the skills

D e s c r i p tions can b e s t r u c ture d in a range of ways. O n e e f fe c t ive

way of planning is to selec t th ekey e l e m e n t s from the overall

scene or place you are des cribing and allow a paragraph for

each one. If you can, go one ste p f u r the,r and break down each

paragraph int o f u r ther detail s .

S e c t i o n

12

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

or

flow

.

.9

4

Paragra p h

Overallfo c u s

1

slindresntianedrt

El e m e n t s

Up close

tendrils and how they move,

m ortshet

2

anocpyert

3

irofrevbanks

eye of the tree fro g

tree frog o n tendril s, raindrops

4

5

Copy and complete the table, adding your own ideas

11

to each row .

Appl y the skills

uoY might be aske d to des cribe a p erson rather than

a place, but you can take the same app roach to this

d e s c r i p tion. Look at thi s s t a r t of a stud e n t ’ s plan for a

t a s k a b o u t seeing a lonel y p e r s o n .

.1

Benchwithahomeelswoman–colthnigaf/c–e

old newspapers

2.

A child stopping …

.3

.4

.5

Here is the fi

r s t paragraph.

Theold woman lay on the wooden bench fast asleep . Wrapped in severalered layersbrownof ta

coats she seemed cocoonedfrom the busy workers who rushed .byHer wrinkled face lay on its

side,propped up on a bundle of old newspapers with frayed,greying edges.

Finish or rewrite the plan, u sing a str u c t urelike the one in

12

the tablea.1inCome s kT 1 up with your ow n i d e a s .

Write another para graph from the plan.

13

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Have a general o v e r view or idea of what you are describing

in the paragrap h .

✔

Describe several elements using vocabulary to create a vivid

picture.

✔

Zoomnopsinaeifci ecdfautor.etali

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

321

o T c1p0i

Chapter4.

Natra ive wr gniti

A s t o r y i s a t y p e o f w r i t i n g b u i l t a r o u n d e v e nt s a nd

t h e i r e f fe c t o n t he p e o p le i n v o l v e d . S o , w h at make s a

g o o d s t or y ?

Explore the skills

Some basic guidan ce is useful for all short narratives:

•

Stick to a limited numbe r of main/d evelope d characte r s

(usually just o n e o r t wo, although other s can b e mentione d

in passin g.)

•

Have one main plot an d avoid too many a c t io n s , t ime spans

or events .

•

Develop a convincing voice or s t y l e for your main

c h a r a c ter(s).

•

Make their stor y m emorable throu g h i t s s tr u c t ure and

language (such a s unusual imag e r y o r lively dialogue.)

•

Capture the reader’s a t t e ntion from the s t a r t .

Lookcloselyatthepointsabove.What furtherguidanceor

1

pointswouldyouadd,basedongoodstorie ysouhavere?ad

The way you s t r u c ture your sto r y i s v e r y i m p o r t ant. ou Yn e e d

to know what will become of your main charac ,ter even if this is

something you do not reveal until the end.

It can be u seful to plan your plot in five s t a g e s :

1.

the reader find s out abou t the situation and

Introduction:

usually the main characte .r

2.

Developme nt:

something happens or changes that af f e c t s the

main characte .r

Topt pi

3.

a problem or ob s t a c l e faces the main character

Complication:

and creates rising tension – th e reader wond ers what wil

usj siulorsfeusnahoiTeplt

happen.

actioFbuted.,esiarviboernts

ymadeor,cuem laoxepl 4.

Climax:

5.

Resolution:

themostdramatcioremotoinalpointofthestor. y

ohnm aetvoagretos

the tension dro ps and loos e ends are tied up (for

prorniem tacoblm .cipl

b e t t e r or for wors. )e

S e c t i o n

124

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.10

4

Read this shor t s t o r y plan by a stu d e n t b a s e d on a fi

c t ional or

autobiographical account of a disapp ointing exp erience.

• The reader fi

nds out about six school friends, their names,

what they’re like.

• A school talent contest is announced.

• There is not much time to rehearse.

• The night of the talent show; none of them win.

• . ag andythexnotreaynexrtcaTfmhneyiet

H o w e f fe c t ive is this as a s t o r y s t r u c ture ? Consider the

2

following:

a)

Does it follow the fi

ve - s t a g e s e q u e n c e in the order

s u g g e s t e d above?

b)

Does it refl

e c t th e guidance given in the bullet p oints in

‘Explore the skills’?

3

r Ty to improve the plot and the details. W hat would you

change? Note down your ideas.

Build the skills

The overall plot is ver y im p o r t a n t , b u t as you have se en, it is th e

individual ingredients that make the stor y wo r k . A f ter the plot,

perhaps the m o s t i m p o r t a n t element of a s t o r y is the choice of

c h a r a c. rte Here are four po ssible main c h a r a c ters for the stor y

A ‘ Disappointin g N i g. h t ’

Jake

Michelle

Priya

Marco

A popular and

A newcomer to the

A talented musician

Shy and small for his

confi

school, she app e a r s

but not good at

is good at mos t

a tough pers on who

English,

s u b j e c t s and spo r t .

rarely reveals he r

Science. S he longs

writing sof t w are or

He usually wins prize s

feelings , but in f a c t

to leave school and

mending lapto ps to

in competitions or

h a s a h e a r t of gold.

make her living as a

school subjec t s .

d e nt boy who

rewards for his work.

age. Marco prefe r s

Maths or

i

f

ddling around

p e r f o r m. e r

W hich of thes e would you choo se as your main characte ?r

4

Consider which characte r :

•

you can visuali s e b e s t in your mind

•

you can imagine s peaking or thinking

•

you think would fi

t b e s t with any ideas you have for

A ‘ Disappointin g N i g. h t ’

5

Come up with an alte rnative main charac . ter It does not

have to be a stu d e n t .

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

521

o T c1p0i

Chapter4.

Develop the skills

Whetheryouwriteindetailaboutacharacterormentionpeoplein

Key term

characterisation

passing,

needstobeconvinnicg.Charac terisationis

characteri sation:

buitbyl providingthereaderwithdetailssuchas:

an author pres ents a

•

how someone behav e s

p a r t icular characte r

•

how they speak

•

what they look lik e

•

what others s ay about th e m .

W hich of the fa c t o r s listed above c an you identif y in the

6

following ex tra ct?

Marco scurried ,like a mouse in a hurry, into the computer

suite. He hoppe d up on to the s tool, pe ered through his

g l a s s e s at the laptop and rapidly tapp ed in a co de. A voice

suddenly inte rrupted his

train of thought .

hA‘ , Marco. Are n’t you supp osed to be in Scie ncenow? ’

It was the head teacher . Marco gulped , and turned around

guiltily .

7

H ow do you think Marco would reply ? Write a senten ce of

speech that fi

t s with his charac . ter

Itcanhelptoconsiderthecharacteorju’snrey.Sometimes, this

teilsra–tlheygofromoneplaceto.More anotherimpor tant ,

how,iservtheirper sonaloremotionaljourney–howtheydevelop

asaperson,orhoweventschangethemovertm i e.Forexample,

lookatthesenotesastudenthasmadewhenplanningastor y:

Marco likes messing around with computers;

Introduction

wefi nd out he lacks confi dence in other

subjects, and doesn’t have

many friends.

He misses a lesson because another student

Development

has bullied him into fi

xing his laptop .

He is caught by the head teacherandgiven

Complication

detention. T he head teachergiveserhim a le

forhisparentsasking them to come in t o see

him.At detention are some other students.

They want to enter the talent show but they

need some good backing musi …c

Climax

Resolution

S e c t i o n

621

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

how

.10

4

8

M arco’s emotional journey be gins with him la cking

confidence and f r i e n d s . What could happ en to Marco ? How

might it change or helpmhi? Copy and complete the table,

adding your own i d e a s .

Finally, where you se t your sto r y i s i m p o r t ant. There is more

information abou t s e t tings. oinpi7cT1.

G o o d l o c ations can

even make you think of good plots! Here are five dif ferent

s e t t i ngs:

•

a subway covered in graffi ti in a dark, r e m o t e p a r t

of a city

•

an ultra- modern of fice at the top of a tower block with

huge glass windows and a white des k

•

a pond full of still, slimy water in the middle of a dark

Topt pi

forest

ni gninigmeBatcnopisher

•

a p r e t t ywall ed garden with ro ses climbing the sides ,

ouryngeayeraconlioactl

and colourful birds singin g

nki l si ti led flaipces,y daerr

• ntevehetotruoylerdctfoi s

a storero om in a scho ol in which old pieces of compu ter

i rot.Swacnlkeosrl story

equipment are dum p e d .

,se,caolptyadnebvyiurt

9

W hat sto ries come to mind when you consider the se

netvoretacshvarceht s

locations ? Make som e basic notes on:

tni ylnigliatpeobsntirec

• of.e9sacChreteahSpatr characters you might see or a ssociate with the locations –

ofnoitsaboeuntmrioaty or perhaps someone who would be out of placethere

.ngsopnei

•

s t o r y i d e a s b a s e d on what might happ en or have

happened in these loc ations.

Appl y the skills

10

U sing what you have learned, w rite a fictional or

autobiographical account of a dangerous experience or

time in som eone’s life.

•

Decide on a main character and location(o r location s)–

this might be you , if the account is true!

•

U s e t h e f i v e - s t a g e plot struc ture to help you.

uoY can use any of the ideas you have worke d on or

encountered in this topic. ou do Y not need to go on and

write the whole s t o r, ybut if you wish to you could try

writing the op ening paragraph or two.

C h a p t e r

4:

W r it i n g

f o r

p u r p o s e

721

Chapter 4

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I can identif y s ome of the key features of informative and explan a t o r y writing.

•

I can stru c t ure an informative te x t in a logical way , using tenses to clarify i d e a s .

•

I can write a te x t w hich use s some pe rsuasive techniques e f f e c t i veyl.

•

I can stru c t ure a paragraph so that it pres ents my point of view clearly .

•

I can write a se quence of paragraphs that clearly set s out my ar g u m e n t s .

•

I can explore di f f e r e n t a s p e c t s of an issue u sing some evidence to sup p o r t w hat I say.

•

I can st ate a viewpointclearly.

•

I can use a range of de scriptive detail s and create a par ticular atmosph ere through

some use of s e n s e s , i m a g e r y and sentence variety .

•

I can plan and write a simple, clear s t o r y with one or two main characte r s .

Excellent progress

•

I u n d e r s t and and apply a wide range of el e m e n t s o f writing that info rms and explai n s . ,

•

I can carefully s t r u c ture an informative tex t s o it is logic al, and can use ten ses to clarify

and expand my idea s .

•

I can write a tex t w hich use s a wide rang e of persuasive technique s for impac t .

•

I can stru c t ure a paragraph in different ways fo r a range of ef f e c t s .

•

I can write and adapt a sequ ence of paragraphs that clearly sets out my argument s .

•

I can explore a wide range of a s p e c t s of an issue u sing well- cho sen evidence to suppor t

what I say.

•

I can st ate a viewpoint powerfully using a range of languag e and stru c t ural devices .

•

I can use a wide range of d escriptive details and create atmo sphere throu gh thoughtful

use of sen s e s , i ma g e r y and sentence variety .

•

I can plan and write an interes ting s t o r y with engaging chara c t e r s and plot .

S e c t i o n

128

1 :

B u i ld i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

Comprehension

5

Someradnigtasksersyoqeturpiondtoa

ocesfirmprehenosinquestionsbasedonatext.

oT answer thi s t y p e o f q u e s tion, you will need to:

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of explicit

meanings)(R1

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of implicit

meanings and a t t it u d e s ( R 2)

•

s e l e c t and use information for sp ecific

p u r p o s e s ( R 5.)

u oY maycomeacros s different types of que stion

in comprehension tasks . Closed questions tend to

focus on theliteralmeaningofwordsand what

this sugges ts. O pen questions ask you to explore

the subtler meaningsofawordor phrase – what

Links to earlier chapter:

it might be suggesting about a person, place or

Chapter 1: Key readings skills attitude.

921

oT pic 1

Chapter 5 .

Locatingandselectinigofr tm a noi

uoY w i l l o f t e n b e a s k e d t o r e a d p a s s a g e s a n d a n s w e r

b r i e f c omprehension quest i o n s t h a t t e s t w he t h e r or not

you hav e u n d e r s t o o d t h e b a s i c f a c t s a n d i d ea s t h a t t h e

t e x t s c o n t a i n . S k i m m i n g a n d s c a n n i n g s k i l l s w i ll help

y o u t o ident i f y f a c t s , o p i n i on s a n d d et a i l s r e l at e d t o a

s p e c i f i c t op i c o r idea.

Explore the skills

Topt pi Skimming is us ed to gain a quick, general u n d e r s t anding of a te x t ,

while scanning is use d to find spe cific information without having

Look back1 opics at T. 1 and

to reread the who l e t e xou t . will Y probably not come acro s s

2.1

to remind yours elf about

q u e s t i o ns about what you discove r from your firs t skim- read.

skimming and scanning skils.

However , it will still be helpful to both s kim and sc a n a t e x t .

coVabulary

1

kim the following ar ticle about a national park in

S

C a m b o d i a , then answe r the questi o n s .

a c o l y t e s:

followers or

s e r v an t s

Kirirom Nat ional Park

All

that

remains

of

the

king’ s

palace

is

the

oday , T Kirirom

fireplace. wenty T feet tall, it was built in the

is

often

acolytes

1940s by the king and his

. It stands

popular

overlooked

from

the

hot

among

locals

by

foreign

chaos

of

but

visitors.

the

w A ay

capital,

there

are

51

on

5

a

flattened

Cambodia’ s

in

period

along

park

of

alpine,

sun,

the

skinny

air

unrest]

with

–

150 

view

is

the

surrounding

of

peaceful

pine

two

Phnom

the

of

The

high-altitude

national

southwest

01

top.

only

Kirirom

almost 

mountain

hours’

forest,

scenery

pines

saluting

and

fresh.

[was

smashed]

villas

that

buildings

a

is

the

village

[During

a

and

dips

in

once

20

converted

1940s

in

the

chef

dripped

eat

made up the king’ “Happy s Mountain” resort.

Some

biking

(doubles weekend), from US$35; onfrom $60

The

aromatic

palace

mountain

waterfalls. Astay Kirirom at Mountain Lodge

drive

Penh.

treks,

villa

near

centre

Oamrei

of

Phong

the

park,

Moroccan

Bouchaib

and

dotted

while

with

surveying

serves

raisins.

Guests

the

flatbread,

honey-

can

green

expanse

25

of

cardamom forests belo . w

are

intact

–

more

deserted

From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’

than ruined.

by Nathan Tho mson,

S e c t i o n

130

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

The Guardian

.1

5

a)

Is this tex t fi c t i o n o r n o n - f i c ?tio n

b)

What is the purpose of the text?

c)

Who do you think the writer ’s inten ded audien ce is for

the tex ?t

d)

e)

af l la tiu?slncI-itcohetsbdotext anelsadoirptdirecs

How is the focus of the fir st paragraph different to that

of the secon d paragraph ?

2

Now scan th e t e x t to answer the following que s t i o n s .

a)

or i r iK ehitl antoaLihtnafinesah?itcntuM yoaW htemegd

b)

In which dec ade was th e king’s palace built?

c)

How far is the national park from Phnom Penh ?

d)

What is the only remaining feature of the king’s palace ?

e)

What is the s t a r t ing price for a wee kend double room at

Topt pi

When scanning, think about

the Kirirom Mountain Lodge ?

keywords

thatrelate to the

kindofinformation you have

3

Note down the techniques that you use d when scanning

been asked to select.

t h e t e x t for the answers atos kT 2.

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

131

oT pic 1

Chapter 5 .

Build the skills

W h e n s c a n ning a text , you should be able to tell the difference

b e t w e e n fa c t ual information and opinion. A comprehension

q u e s t i o n may ask you to identif y s everal fac t s o r opinions.

A f a c t is something that can be proven – it is based on evidence

and may be linked to a specifi

‘The fi

c s t a t i s tic:

re place at the kin g’s palace is 20 feet tall.’

An opinion is s omeone’s perception – what they think o r feel

about a subjec t:

K‘riomnatoi nalparkhasthemostbeautfiuslcenery ni Cambodi ’ .a

Skim the paragraph below and d ecide what it is about.

4

Then scan th e paragraph and note down two f a c t s a n d t wo

opinions.

There are dif ferent t y p e s of chocolate, de fi

n e d by the amount

of cocoa solids us ed. All chocolate is d elicious b u t I p a r ticularly

likedark chocolate which contains70

– 8 %5 cocoa solid s .

Milk chocolate u s e s f ewer cocoa solids and was fi

bar in 1875. White chocolate was fi

r s t sold as a

r s t launched in th 1e93 0 s

and is a pale yellow or ivory colour . It contain s more sugar

and no cocoa s olids so i t t a s tes a bit too s w e e t ; however ,

the additional vanillafl

avour is nice. Producers of chocolate

include Ca dbury, H e r s h e, yand L i n d t .

S e c t i o n

231

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.1

5

Develop the skills

S o m e t i m e s you will nee d to scan a t e x t for information about a

Key term

specific

or idea. o doT this, you will nee d to sc an for

theme

key

a recurring idea

theme: instea d of fact s or opinions. For e xample, in an article

words

within a piece of writing about a workplace, you might be as ked to find two things that

workers feel about th eir job. ou could Y therefore s can for wo rds

linked to positive o r negative emotions, or look for points where

Topt pi

the worke r s ’ s p e e ch is quoted.

Underlinekeyphrasesormake

Reread the pas s a g e a b o u t chocolate. Loc ate and selec t

5

quick annotations at the side

two way s in which white chocolate i s d i f ferent from other

of the text to help you ident i f y

chocolate.

fact s and opinions.

Why would the following answe r s

6

not

a)

White chocolate contain s more cocoa solids.

b)

Lindt make s white cho colate.

c)

I t t a s t e s too swe e t .

d)

White chocolate was launche dinthe193 0 s .

e)

The vanilla flavour is nice.

have been c o r r e c?t

Read the text on page 3 01 about the Kirirom national park

7

again. Use your skimming and s canning skills, and your

u n d e r s t a n d ing of fact s , o p inions and info rmation related

to a specific theme, to answer the following ques t i o n s .

a)

Give two f a c t s about the king’s palace, according to the

text.

b)

Give two examples of thin gs that you can do in Kirirom

national park, according to the t e x t .

c)

Give two features of the natural lands cape in Kirirom

national park, according to the t e x t .

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Quickly skim the te x t t o remind yours elf what it is ab o u t .

Check your progress:

✔

Think about t h e t y pe of information that the que stion is

I c a n l o c a t e t he main to p i c o r

asking you to locate.

idea in a t e x t .

✔

Use your sc anning skills to help you s e l e c t appropriate

I c a n l o c a t e a r a n g e of

information.

i n f o r m a t i o n i n a tex t .

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

31

y Appl the skills

oT pic 2

Chapter 5 .

Literaland niefredmeanigs

In a comprehension t ask, you w i l l b e e x p e c t e d t o

identif y b o t h literal and infer red meanings and to

explain what these meaning s sugge s t . W he n w r tii n g

your explanation, it is import ant to use your own words.

Explore the skills

Read the paragraph below abou t a journey by river .

Wetravelle d down the river by canoe. This was p a r ticularly

exciting as the current was fi

e rce, forming many rapids that

threatened to

pitch

us into foaming waters . The river itself

w a s v e r y wide and the saf e t y of the grass y bank see med far

away.If we capsize d, all we would have to grab onto would

coVabulary

be the razo r-s harp rocks that jutted now and again from the

river’s

s u r f a ce.

pitch:

If you were aske d to explain what the rocks are like , you would

scan the paragraph and loc ate the phra se‘raz-or sharp ro cks that

j u t t e d now and again from the river ’s sur face . ’

The trick then is

p u t t i ng it into your own w o r d s

.

S t a r t by thinking about thekey words that you mu st avoid using:

arzo-r sharp

r o c k s that

surface

Then you can s t a r t thinking about alternatives . For example:

arzo-r sharp > jag g e d

j u t t e d > stu ck out

now and again > occ asionally

river’s s u r f a ce > the water

u o Y canthenputthesewordstogethertoformasentence,suchas:

Jagged rock s o c c asionally stuck out of the water s .

S e c t i o n

134

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

jutted

now and again

from the

river’s

throw hard

.2

5

Put the following p h r a s e s into your own word s .

1

Topt pi

a)

the current was fi

e rce

b)

threatened to pitch us into the foaming waters

Lookbackattheactivities

nivolvnigsynonyms opics inT

t h e s a f e t y of the grass y bank see med far away

c)

3 . 1 and4.9toremindyourself

howtoeffe ctivelychooseyour

ownwords.

Build the skills

uoY may not unders tand all the language in a te x t , which can

make it d i f f i

cult to explain w hat a phras e means in your own

w o r d s . I t can help to identif y the

context

– read around the word

or phrase in order to work it out.

Read the article below about a town in Malaysia.

Taipingtown

nPgae outrarpIoe wonhahntodsi

onsidneitas

ni

cheong

.aisMa y al

tBu

wertsn whti

smal

hte

orad

betewne

htem

si

f un

r c(i e

noodles

drenched

in

spicy

sauce and sesame se .)eds

wonst, each thwi rtihe own

Laf fohethetGwnrtaoseOtn,irgekdaernsct

20

a .Thstpiechar mosanory dms hseitpithranpgs

sreggoj arps otourgi wlisnegyctlns,dc dna

5

eiortsd of hetm : all once a

hyt weal

tin mining

tner nac uo Yiarersten.icwntanhtiekibniedl a

t i ,buh

efowoaslbanyduds

mpoldeevdepnaitr

ot

ni

hte 9th1 . nectury

hsit Bri

olocniatsils

set

t iubj daeh tn,aseutr

ebsa

,ehr

gnevial

behind

dnif

eht

. stops

tuB

rof

drewli

uhc,shecr

ga dners

nipdi

Buwtatafehrt.llopmres

25

.din sbglui

’oyer fuI

01

c necis

wuojt ehtefurtar lrgsdehn

andt ek

andas lacloneis

tmso

up

These

sda y,

setled

in

a

market

aipi ngT

esdeif

the

sti

eyslp

ety

ftneveul

steadfast

past,

rhythms

Btu

what

,hike yad a

Bkuptu i

kLaroslawu,tollnHe.M lisaxwn

of

o

owt n.

ymaorthgtnasei

a

market

ti

s:i

T

teg

ot

ipai, gn T

atke

het

ETS

trani

from

owt

aKlLau.mTrunhpaeltSthuoreyjr-hne

magnificetn

wooden

arcades,

dating

bkac

sespa

revo

30 1

eyars,

host

fr tui

esrel

by

day

ghr uto h

yluiftuaeb

ugder,

enotismle

30

and

acsdna.psel seriuLlolegefHnaerftod-tmohi

51

rweakhghtFood bynihsc.eap s:isuoanicdedil

2£nihwto$t mo[ratnfeci .thgeorm25]ne0s

try

k ow (

ocal l

dishes

fried

noodles

such

wiht

as

kuay

) hsfball is

and

etwo

chee

goenrg

From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’

by Ling Low,

The Guardian

In a comprehen s i o n t a s k , you may be as ked what the writer

means by a spe cifi

c word. For example:

W h a t d o e s the writer mean when she refer s to the tow ns of

Penang and Ipoh a s ‘ h o t ’ in line ? 1

oT answer thi s, you will need to consider th e word’s c o n t e x t .

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

531

oT pic 2

Chapter 5 .

a)

2

What is the a d j e c tive ‘hot’ being us ed to de scribe in this

sentence ?

? t owho ng‘n i de br sow egeotngdugaoeubnhtaseathPWt’s

b)

What other phrase in the s entence give s a clue abou t

c)

the context in which the town s are being di s c u s s e d ?

If the word ‘hot ’ i s not describing the tempe rature of

d)

the town, what do you think it is d escribin ? g

B y p u t t ing the following wo rds or phra ses in th eir context ,

3

explain what they mean. Topt pi

a)

‘sleepy’

Remember , when you explain

what something means you

b)

aiping ‘ T is perhaps the mos t sto ried of them all’

c)

aiping ‘ T defie s its event f u l p a s t ’

are being litera;lwhen you

explain what something

suggests you are inefrring.

Develop the skills

In some compre h e n s i o n t a s k s , y ou may be aske d to explain the

d i f ferent things that a text s u g g e s t s .

Read the paragrap h below.

Thmuesinthw enbwgyzibaesrlahcehotdrcewded

beachH.unddernlds hciofwahpyniealrplgigames,

urnnigbacknodfr um jht,pnigupandown m snihltreig,

afbgceisrhetnighetcnseTehcr.aeimvendohradsold

ouatndpeopewl.eqrueunigofglraecsw dieofaestr

5

Wec sannedhtebeachesanhcrofagirs,powthehtreeofur

mioum Ifsg.tihbsoatebalgnpieahdstcw leioasnec

paradsebiotum stirhapdsehtdpe loei aceandbeauy.t

‘the s

un w

as blazi

n

g’

‘the crowded beach’

Copy and complete the following table, using the

4

quotations from the box in th e margin. For each s t a t e m e n t ,

‘children were happily

choose one piece of evidence that has literal meaning and

playing games’

one that implies meaning.

‘smiling fa ces brighte n e d

the scene’

Statement about

Quotation wit h

Quotation wit h

the text

literal meaning

implied meaning

‘people were queuing for

The weather is ho t .

‘ the sun wa s blazing’ g l a s s e s of iced water ’

The beach i s busy.

s a rof gnihcraespot‘ ’

‘s

The children are

‘this place was once

happy.

paradise’

The writer feels

‘touris m had spoiled the

that tourist s have

peace and bea u t y ’

ruined the beach.

S e c t i o n

136

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

e

a

r

chi

n

gf

o

r a sp

o

t ’

5

.2

Look at your lis t of quot ations with implied mean i n g s .

5

Underline th e specific words or phrases in those quotations

t h a t s u g g e s t meaning.

uoY may also be asked to infer some one’s attitude towards an

a s p e c t of t h e a r ticle. For example , you might be as ked to explain,

in your own words , what th e writer feel s about the b each. The

writer say s he feels that tourism has spoiled the beach’s peace and

b e a u t y ; however , it would be inco r r e c t to phrase your answe rlike

this, as it copies the writer’s words .

6

a)

W hich words in the st atement:

The writer f eels that

tourism has spoile d the beach’s peace and be a u t y

do

you need to alter?

What alternatives can you think of for each of the word s

b)

you need to change?

c)

Rephrase th e s t a t e ment so it is in your own word s .

Use the information in the table from a s kT 4 to complete

7

the following.

a)

n your own words , identif y two thin gs that show th e

I

beach is pop.ular

b)

I

n your own words , explain why some p eople might not

enjoy visiting the beach.

Appl y the skills

Look back at the pa s s a g e o n p age135 about aiping T town

8

in Malaysia. Using your skills of explanation and exploring

literal and inferred mean i n g s , answer th e following

question s .

a)

Usingyourownwords, explainwhatthetex t means by

‘drenched’ (line18)and‘Onthefringesoftown’(line20).

b)

Using your own wo r d s , i d e n t i f y two thin gs that peo ple

might do at the Lake Garden s .

c)

U

worevnirunogtyaeiontgeieasvgsdi,svpoect f

i a praTLGm ghtetihtaotresngkiopudnrtesuotfs.

d)

Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain why peo ple might visit

Check your progress:

i a T ping town.

I can u sually e x p l a i n t h e

literal me anings of phras e s .

Checklistforsuccess

I can inf e r a n d e x p l a i n

✔

Identify

literal mea n i n g s .

meanings.

✔

Explore word s and phra ses in ord er to uncove r inferred

I c a n e x p l a i n t h e l i t e ral

m e a n i n g s of c o m p l e x

meanings.

phrase s .

I can inf e r a n d e x p l a i n a

✔

Use your own wo rds in orde r to prove full u n d e r s t anding.

r a n g e o f co m p l e x m e a n i n g s .

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

731

oT pic 3

Chapter 5 .

csei uedtnqoclaaipm rtsPeans

sesnopse r

Key skills

•

Locate info rmation in a tex t .

•

Explain th e literal meanings of phr a s e s .

•

Infer and explain meanings with some complexity.

•

U s e s y n o n y m s to explain ideas in your own wo r d s .

our task Y

Read the following tex t ab out the Cambodian tow n of

Kratié and it s surroundin g s , t h en read the ‘Ch ecklist for

s u c c e s s ’ before ans wering the q u e s t ions that follow.

Kratié town and its surrounds

wesFstirusyoatrotts n’a idobmaC

d l iw“t” sae

wher,

dnoybe

roads

are

dir t

e Y t

5

tracks

this

quintesealnit

ehT

Kampong

slcie

Cham,

or

ujst

spars yle

fo

pyolro

main

rvei r dna l s i

bitsisloipsy fong’ierostCna

- tlfloehs

onregi

rural

ybaren

hte rualgni

surfaced.

populated

Cambodian

the

ofsref

life

a

tusenrtli

deir

uyalrgenaffecetdbyht.edwnoydoblre

Kraéti si aetl il t6mekawn rot 1 2

ornt-h

rref y

an

e t l ehdsnur

w,hraf

hte

Peah r

decpr( , hl ) wiaa,tgntoyb

reotnet isisvr wofo ilocubdl cra

C relidlatpsiybt candi’seldambaodi

hoK gnor T st saob

20

het.dwliAfretathors

omrf

SmaoyrQauarti h

fo

ntagi

p onsfrui atitaln

incoi

25

mseli

ws .ouhe btechumzi,wphdee

tsae

fo

monPh

.hnPe

A

nirgettpas

fo

- t sruoti

The

staohyednalfdsancfesrli

local

com munity

office

adver t i se s

r u ral

n puspurgthe enar

homestays

organ ised

by

NGOs,

biceyl

hire

nicrM afelpeht.gronomavkrtegntackreli

01

and

sairedtilenhsgilnotmitAvlen

ox

routeta kes

e lapcset

fo

. tsensus ’tI

kiel

chitwgan

a

laomfrf engalor

yoright u aroundthe sisland’

tou rs.

The

8.5-m ile

unchal lengi ngandcli maxeswith

30

thesight

o.inlosimertoAs wan

of

het uns

spidhniebd

hteitlerint

a

floating

Vietnamese

vi llage

buoyed-

turnshetksy

up

just

off

the

southew st

tip

of

the

island.

a dazgerinlmonvil,ignntiteupprlhet hcneFr

51

The

inoloacl

,savli atniodarti l

onwed

Viet n a mese

ta andW

akoR

are

a

recogn ised

in

Cambodia

and

t h is

commu nit y

35

Kandah–lutfaelibemtlpat

esliv

offshore,

though

vthe ’ ye

establ ished

on

the

a

tn.ec9tkc1abhetseoury tad

Vietna mese-styel

S e c t i o n

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

et hnic

t ilts seouh

minor ti y

138

p e r i meter

edge.

t angi

s It’

doolb

car t

ehtbrosbaot

temple

island.

An

.3

5

unexp ected treat after a hard s day’

is

Raja bori

the

p e d a l l i ng

Villa

isla nd,

Closer Kr to atié the fishi nvgi l lage ofKampie

Resort

where s t’i

in

possible

to

cool

the

off

nort h-east

of

offers boat trvie topwiKs sr atié’

in

other aqu atic

m a r v el ,

the

I r r wa ddy

dolp h i ns.

Though

4 0

the pool

$5fojurst

doubl f (rom e$65 s

nigh )at.

locals

have

belie ving

them

ol ng

to

be

hal f

revere d

h u m a n,

half

the

dolp h i ns,

fish, 5

soituortéruoinoKra tehTfeh tht aerb oyslngkai

their

cinecs

s eigvtrefonsolm oa

. sdaor eht

s ’astseIcen ylai r

myeshtiltdaliauq

numbers

have

d i m i n i sh e d

in

r e c ent

fo

year due s toele c t r ci

r o d sa n d

explovsie sused

ypmub ni tidre- ku ukt

for

fis h i ng.

Dt ’no

expe ct

any

flipper -style

at ot ’sriéediroetKkran oe.aeslrectoriaugrcsal 45

a n t ci s,

nI

monhP , r o bmaS

22

se lmi

hrton

fo

the s e

r e t i r ing

c r e a t u res

only

s u r af ce

, é i t Kar

to breathe. 60

o t i s isvr

era eetnadraug

  a t hg i sfo eht

tu.rstle nI thewo helad oungdrs fo eht

fo

Oen

l eh st f-ols

From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’

dogaPa

udnHedr

umlCons,

a

msla

by Thomas Bird,

gberdni

The Guardian

uretenrcaomirt.hestornuvtrheslrtei

50

1

Give

two

f a c t s about Kratié according to the second

paragraph.

Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain what the tex t means by:

2

a)

‘climaxes with the sight ’ ( paragraph 4)

b)

‘breathtakingly scenic’ (paragraph 5)

Reread paragraph 3. Give two reasons w hy people might

3

visit the island ofKoh

rT o n g .

Reread paragraphs 2 and 6.

4

a)

Identif y

two

things that tour i s t s can enjoy in the town

of Kratié.

b)

E xplain s ome of the dif ferent a t t itudes displayed

towards dolp hins.

Using your own word s , e x p l ain why some people may find

5

visiting Kratié and its surroundings too challenging.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Use your sc anning skills to help you s e l e c t appropriate

information.

✔

I d e n t i f y literal and implied mea n i n g s .

✔

Use your own wo rds in orde r to prove full u n d e r s t anding.

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

931

oT pic 3

Chapter 5 .

Exploring responses

Read the following re s p o n s e .

Response 1

1

heTatWRoka Kandal is a beautiful 19th-century temple.

Kratié is in the east of Cambodia.

2

a)

heT village you see iseally r impressive

) b

3

T he scenery is nice

heT chance to see giant soft-shell turtles in their natural habitat.

Theferry ride is short.

4

a)

Go shopping in the market and watch a giant bloodorange fall fromatree.

) b

The writer is reallyimpressed by the dolphins. The locals kil the dolphins withexplosives

because theyh-thiuman, halnfk they -fihalfare sh. They like the dolphins because they can

make money by taking tourists t o see them.

5

e

oPrbehgtnifidagnarKethglmygitnlreathiectldpioryaoistlersouispaédvcaedint

erehtrmseynimtrhoeusTsamjdubnea.ry’nadteoylhcsaemlkIafypelrsalusil

wet.eilelhdcstnyaceogtnkartigenhrywobrinvlahdenbueolsgnahedisreTlumloeipt

r.ewhyreve

Feedback

1

Although the fi

rst point contains a fact, the response also includes an opinion. The second point

is a good fact about Kratié but it comes from the fi

rst paragraph, not the second paragraph.

Both explanations show a general understanding of the quoted statement. However , the

2

i

f

rst explanation doesn’t consider the meaning of ‘climax’ while the second explanation fails

to express the full meaning of ‘breathtaking’ and scenic/scenery are a little too close to be

considered the student’ s own words.

3

Only the fi

4

a)

rst comment is a reason for visiting the island.

The fi

rst point is accurate but the second point is based on an incorrectly literal interpretation

of a simile.

b)

T he fi

r s t point is accurate and the las t point is a percep tive interpretation. H owever , the

second point is a confus ed misreading of diffe r e n t a t titudes towards the dolphins.

5

The response makes some good points about why visiting Kratié might be considered too

challenging. However , it is sometimes badly expressed and the writer includes their own –

irrelevant – opinions. There is also some misreading of details from the text. oo often T the writer

uses words directly from the texts rather than choosing his or her own.

S e c t i o n

140

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.3

5

For each ques tion above, identif y o ne thing in the s ample

6

Topt pi

r e s p o n s e t hat could be improved. Use the ‘Excellent

p r o g r e s s ’ points o n page 14 2 to help you.

It is very import anttochoose

your own words, rather than

Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e .

using words direc tly form the

text.

Response 2

1

It is 348 kilometresawayfrom Phnom enh. P

tIsWat Roka K andal temple dates back to9theth1century .

2

a)

heT mostimpressive view comes at the end of the.tour

) b

3

The landscape is strikingly beautiful.

Theplantations and paddies are peaceful activ r e. and a

The humped zebu are a classicfeature of Cambodia.

4

a)

T

) b

he beautiful sunset and the diff

erentstyles of architecture.

ThewrtierthinksthedolphnismarTheie.pvrsolicalssharethsopiinoinandrespectthe

myfeht,elavhoewtoHheudrafes-n.inymiaehuprlteblodca tahiltraiepfat’nodhemnser

i f r i eht sa sniehoprbcalvoadheidhrteashocdtoehsftuosametucruy.gtnanemhis

5

e

P

ople might fi

nd the visit too challenging because it is a countryside area that seems cut

offfromcivilisation and modern conveniences.heToads r arebadly constructed and this

makes journeys very uncomfortable. Some of the places to visit canonlybereached by a

long bike ride which some might fi

nd exhausting. eople might P also fi

nd the weather too

warm,especial y in places where le shade. thereis li

Feedback

wo appropriate T facts about Kratié’ have been selected from the second paragraph.

1

The quoted statements are explained clearly and precisely .

2

Despite the diffi

3

cult language in the text (‘bucolic’ and ‘iconic’), the student provides two clear

reasons why tourists might visit Koh rong.T

4

a)

wo accurate T points.

Threeclearat uti destowardsdolphinsthatarepresentedinthe text .

b)

This is a full answer , gathering details from across the text to suggest why the trip could

5

be considered too challenging for some travellers. The student has used their own words

throughout the response.

7

Using the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excellent progres s’ points on page 14 2, evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e s a n d improve them where you can.

C h a p t e r

5:

C omprehension

141

Chapter 5

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I can use skimming and sc anning skills to identif y examples in a tex t .

•

I can explain literal mea n i n g s , usually using my own words .

•

I can infer more subtle meaning s .

•

I can identif y at t i t u des in a t e x t .

•

I u n d e r s t and how information is use d for dif ferent p u r p o s e s .

Excellent progress

•

I can use skimming, scanning an d s e l e c ting skills to identif y a variety of examples in a

text.

•

I can explain literal meanings clearly using my own w o r d s .

•

I can infer and e xplain complex subtle meanings in a tex t .

•

I can identif y and explain at titu des in a te x t .

•

I can selec t an d use information for dif ferent p u r p o s e s .

S e c t i o n

142

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

6

During your cour se, you may be aske d to write a

s e l e c t iv e s u m m a r y of a particular pass age of tex t .

oT answer thi s t y p e o f q u e s tion, you will need to:

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of explicit

meanings)(R1

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of implicit

meanings and a t t it u d e s ( R 2)

•

s e l e c t and use information for sp ecific

purposes (R5)

•

organise and s t r u c ture ideas and o pinions for

Links to ot her chapters:

deliberat e e f fe c t ( W2)

•

use a range of vocabula r y and sentence Chapter 1: Key reading skills

s t r u c tures appro priate to cont e x t ( W 3)

Chapter 2: eKy technical skill s

•

make accurate use of spellin g , p u n c tuation

Chapter 5: Comprehension and grammar (W 5).

143

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 1

deInitfyingandseel ctingacorndgi

to theueston qi focus

I f y o u a r e a s k e d t o su m m a r i s e o n e o r t w o a s p e c t s o f a

p a s s a g e , yo u r f i r s t t a sk i s t o i d en t i f y t h e f o c u s – what

i n f o r m at io n i s t he quest ion s e e k i n g ?

Explore the skills

Look at this que stion about a pas sage writ ten by a retired

professional footballe r :

According to the autho,r how has football changed since the star t of his caree ?r

1

Which phra se in the que stion above tells you that the focu s

is not the overall histo r y of football?

2

the points below all app ear in the tex t .

Now imagine that

Which are relevant to the focus ?

3

a)

The author di sliked rugby.

b)

Players

c)

Players u s e d t o r e p r e s e n t their home town.

d)

T h e a u t h o rs’family wa s p o. o r

e)

Football has b ecome highly commercial.

become millionaires .

Rewrite the que stion in your own word s retaining its key

ideas. For e xample, fi

n d a synony m for ‘change. d ’

coVabulary

Build the skills

sacrosanct:

t i m e - honoured

and therefore imp o r t a n t

Read the pass age below about Malakhara w r e s t lers in Paki s t a n .

T h e w r e s tlers wore the baggy trou s e r s o f their

shalwar kameez

, with the bottom of the trous e r s

pulled up and tucked into the waist , looking likesho r t ba g g y b l o o m e r s which balloon ed from

t h e i r b o t to m s . T h] e… wore [y a turban on their h e a d s . Before the fi

ght, they carried out a

ritual particular to this sp o r t . Each took his

sacrosanct

sundhro,

which is a ver y long piece of

green material, and with the help of his oppo n e n t t w i s ted it into a long rope. Then each w r e s t l e r

wrapped his

sundhro

round his wais t and tie d it securely.

From

S e c t i o n

144

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

A Game of Polo w i t h a H e a d l e s s G o at

by Emma Levine

.1

6

4

W h a t t wo a s p e c t s of Malakhara wrestl wrestling i are des cribed?

5

Imagine the ques tion as ked

ng are described?

what

t h eww r e s tl e r s d o and the

r e s t l e rs do and

 they do it.

why

a)

Which point s in the pa ssage would be b relevant?

b)

Which would be irrelevant?

e relevant?

Develop the skills

Read how the account co ntinues.

The rule of this form of wres tling , which is quite unique, is for each man to aim to

get his hand in side the back of

his opponent ’ s

sundhro

, and then throw him to

the

ground from that po sition. (So me believe that this is the origin of

.) Other

sumo

than this move, the arms may not be used to p e r f o rm any ty pe of wres tling grip,

the legs being more impor tant a n d u s e d to trip and overbalance the oppo nent

and eventually fl

o o rhim].[...

T h e y d a r ted, each tr yin g to grab at the oth er’s w a i s t , snatching their ne c k s , t r ying

to spin them round to overbalance them. The pair nearest to me grabbe d each

other’s a r m s , t r ying to fl

in g each other aroun d, legs kicking in a kind of clum s y

waltz; af ter a few minutes of this, o ne eventually got his hand in the other’s

, grabbed it, pulled it and fl

sundhro

un g his oppone nt on his back. He hit the

ground with a treme ndous wallop.

Such force meant that the fallen wre s t l e r s u f fered not only defeat, but also it

seemed to me severe co ncussion. H e lay motionless on the ground with no one

overly conce rned except me. The vic tor went over , slapped him around to revive

him and poured water over his face, so if he didn’t die by kno -kc out it would

probably be through drownin g.

Check your progress:

6

Jot down the rule s and aims of Malakhara wre stling.

B e   s e l e c tive. For example, do not includ e what happe ns to

I u n d e r s t a n d w hat is m e a n t

defeated wres t l e r s .

b y ‘ f o c u. s ’

I can i d e n t i f y t h e f o c u s

of some q u e s t io n s .

Appl y the skills I can s i f t out ir r e l e v a n t

information.

I can i d e n t i f y t h e f o c u s

7

Make notes on:

o f   m o s t q u e s ti o n s .

a)

what happens to a defeated wre s t l e r I u n d e r s t a n d im p l i e d

meaning.

b)

w hat the autho r’s at t i t u de to this is .

I c a n d i s t i n g u i s h s e p a ra t e

a s p e c t s of a pas s a g e .

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

145

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 2

Selectginanddrnoeirgmainpoinst

W h e n w r i t i n g a s u m m a ,r yy o u w i l l n e e d t o i de n t i f y

main p oints

the

i n t h e t e x t r el a t i n g t o t h e que s t i on

f o c u s , e x c l ud i n g d e t a i l s a n d e x a mp l e s ou . Y must

a l s o o r g a n i s e t h e s e m a i n p o i n t s t o sh o w t h a t you

u n d e r s t a n d t h e p a s s a g e a s a w hole.

Explore the skills

Read the pass age below from a travel acco u n t .

coVabulary

The Italian Lakes are a little slice of paradise. Generations of

bougainvillea:

a flowering

travellers from the north, descending wearily from the chilly

Alpine passes, have come into this Mediterranean vision of fi

shrub with pink or purple

gs

foliage and palms,

bougainvillea

and lemon blossom, and been lost

for words. Elegant ribbons of blue water stretch out ahead,

rigours:

folded into the sun-baked foothills: after the

high Alps, the abundance of fi

rigours

ne food and wine must have

been a revelation. Warming, awe-inspiring and graced with

natural beauty , the lakes are still a place to draw breath and

wonder .

These days ,

of course, mass touri sm has found th e lakes , and

the shoreside roads that link e v e r y town can be as packe d

as the ferries that chug to and fro. But the chief reas on to visit

the area – its s p e c t acular land s c a p e s – remains compelling,

and there are plent y of ways to avoid the crowds.

The lake s – deep, slender fjords gouged by glaciers – are

sublime. All are oriented no r t h – s outh, ringe d by charac t e r ful

old villages o f te n w e d g e d onto narrow beach e s b e t we e n

rugged clif f s and the water . And those classic lake s images of

l

f

owe-r bedecke d balconies , Baroqu e gardens and s plendid

waterside villas can be found here in abundance.

From

Remember:

•

A

refl

is essential information , which of ten

main point

e c t s the purpose of the text .

•

A

eh,no-ttnsieopcnahnbutem iaianetlsse

l iated

.noi tmarofni

•

An

explanation

usually develops a main point, of ten

for information o r e m p h a s i s , but can so metimes be a

main point in it self if it is impor t a n t .

S e c t i o n

146

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

T h e R o u g h G u i d e t o T h e Italian L akes

of the

hardships

.2

6

•

An

e x p r e s s e s the writer’s point of view on the topic,

opinion

and could be regarded as a main point if you are as ked about

the writer’s views .

Imagine that you have to summarise the following:

What would at tra c t v i sitors to the Italian Lake s area ?

Which of the se do you think is a main point ?

•

a ihcrapehtm eno.ripfAlTsdeyservhalelviwenrcda‘ses’

•

Theyfound‘fi gsandpalms,bouganilevlaiandlemonblo.ssom’

•

N e w c o m e r s to the area have found it d elightful.

T h e a n s w e r is the last bullet point . T h e s t atement would be true

even if the travell ers were n o t w e a r y and encountere d roses and

bananas rather than fi

g s and palms!

om ascnidbtfeisItdoinoelm saitohrasnfiguitnuelcs

opno)nismtinaro(rfm ninoriai ns-tdel(laesnit

euPoriFvorp.uem)yolnascnoinactaupilxeahtdeaxme,pl

ualcehtanm doirdfr‘obuhestyounm dceralmsiawreacnsdgi

enipAlnoyslilsihspuctaes’gges itm haatrofntsi-essent laoin.

1

Look at the st a r t of the third paragraph. If you were

summarising what wou l d a t tr a c t visitors to the Italian Lake s

area, what piece of information he re is non- e s s e n t ia?l

2

In the secon d sentence of paragraph 3 , which piece of

information is relevant to the focus of the que stion ?

Build the skills

Now read the continuation of the pas sage below .

Dotted around and bet ween thelakesare some of It aly’sfi ne s t a r t cities.Milanispre - e m in ent,

whielVerona, Bergamo,Mantuaandothers display–intheirarchitec tureaswellastheir art–a

cviziled ,urbanvisionthat stand sinmarke dcontras ttothewild,largelyruralcharac terof the

alkeside

hinterlands

. Italy onlybecame a unifi e d state 1inand, 186 as a re sult, p eople often

feelmoreloyalty totheirhometownthantothenationas a whole – a feelingmanifes tinthe

multitudeofcuisines, dialect s and outlo oks that span the region.

cour Gofeo,grapsehdoes ,y nt’adhe backetipoltheurltnmndiy:teisaltirsconnected

aunetcrldi scapewithesouthenrmost,Iatinl- speaknigext Swoafeztrm slLinatkdei. s

MaggoierandLuganes nhoasiverlnitwocuneirt.s

Individual details can of ten be summarised within a main point .

coVabulary For example, the det ails ‘M editerranean vision of fi

g s and palms,

bougainvillea and lemon blossom’ could be summarise d as ‘e xotic

hinterlands:

nearby area

plants’ or ‘ Mediterranean fauna’ .

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

741

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 2

3

How could you summarise these details within main point? s

a)

‘Ve rona, Bergamo, Mantua and others’

b)

‘the multitude of cui s i n e s , di a l e c t s and outlo o k s t hat

span the region’

Not all explanations are main points .

4

Look at the sente nce beginning ‘Italy only bec ame a

unified st atein181. ’… 6 What cons equence of this event

might not qualify as a major point ?

Develop the skills

When plannin g a s u m m a r, yf i r s t list your selec ted p o i n t s , then

decide how b e s t t o order them. T he order you choose may not be

the same as in the text – it will dep end on what a s p e c t s you have

been aske d to summarise.

In a summary , aim to d e m o n s trate an overview – do not jus t

summarise one bit at a time.

5

Below is a list of points summarising touri s t a t tr a c tions in

the Italian Lake s . W h ich points could be groupe d togeth er

to create a concis e o v e r view?

•

lush veg etation

•

lots of play areas

•

good weather

•

food and wine

•

variety of waters p o r t s

•

beautiful la n d s c a p e s

•

ferries

•

theme parks

•

possible to avoid crowds

•

beautiful

lakes

•

i n t e r e s ting villag e s

•

h o r s e - riding and cycling route s through woo dland

•

a r t and architec ture

•

c i t y – c ou n t r y

contrast

•

local variations.

Topt pi

6

I magine that you are as ked to summarise: ‘ W hat would

Do not include your own

make the Lake s region ap peal to

families

. ?Reorder ’ the list

opinions in your summary .

to answer this question.

S e c t i o n

148

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

6

.2

Appl y the skills

Readthetabonw esxolncthirhe,rducti gdueiaverltan.oin

Welcome to Crete

There’s somethin g undeniably ar t i stic in th e way the Cret an

l a n d s c a p e u n f o l d s , from the sun- drench e d b e a c h e s in the north

to the rugged canyons spilling out at the cove - c a r ved and cliff-

lined southern coast . In bet ween, valleys cra dle moody villages ,

and round- shouldere d hills are the overture to often snow-

d a b b e d m o u n t ains.. [ ]. .

Crete’snaturalbeaut yise qualledonlybytherichnes s of its

histor . y The island is the birthplaceofthefi r s t advanced society

onEuropeansoil,theMinoans, who ruled some 4 0 0 0 years ago,

andyou’llfi ndevocative vestigesall,ove r includingthe famous

PalaceofKnos sos. Atthe crossroads of threecontinent s , Crete

has been coveted andoccupiedbyconsecutiveinvaders . Histor y

imbues HaniaandRethymno,wherelabyrinthinelanes–laid

outbytheVenetians –arelordedover by mighty f o r tr e s s e s , and

where gorgeously restored Renaiss ance mansions rub rafters with

mosques and urkish T bathhouse s. The Byzantine infl

inmagnifi

uence stand s

cent fresco ed chapels, churches and monaste ries.

Ifyou’re a foodie, you will be in heaven in Crete,

where ‘lo cavore ’

is not a trend bu t a way of life. Rural tave r n a s o f ten produce

their own meat , c h e e s e, olive oil,

and wine, and catch their

raki

own seafood. Follow a gourme t trail acros s the lands cape and

you’ll delight in disti n c tive herbs and greens gathered from each

hillside, c h e e s e s made fresh with unique villa g e - o r h o u s e h o l d -

specifi

c recipes , and honey fl

avoured by mountai n h e r b s.[.]. .

Cretes’piritedpeoplechampiontheiruniquecutlureandcustom s,

andtime- honouredaditrtoi nsremainadynamicpart ofthe

island’soul.Lookformusiciansstrikingupafree-formjamon

localins truments ekil ,thestringed

lyra

,orweddingcelebrants

weavingthertime -honouredtradiotinalregionaldances. Meeting

regularfoklgosspinigni

kafeneai

(cofee houses p,)reparingtheir

Easterfeast,tendingtotheirsheeporcelebratnigdurni gtheir

manyfestivalsiwham t akesavistioCretesospeci.al

Check your progress:

From

W e l c o m e t o C r et e , 6 t h e di t i o n

I can i d e n t i f y main poin t s i n

a text .

7

S e l e c t points to answer th e following que stion: I can co m b i n e d e t a i l s within a

main point.

I c a n o r d e r p o i n t s l o g i c a l l. y

According to the tex t , w hat makes Crete an enjoyable and

I can id e n t i f y main poin t s

interesting place to visit?

relating to t h e q u e s t i o n .

I can dis t i n g u i s h b e t w e e n

e s s e n t i al informatio n and

8

Use a mind map or s pider diagram to order your points .

n o n - e s sential information.

(Hint: the ques tion says‘e njoyable and interesting’ , so you

I c a n c o nv e y a n o v e r view.

might address each factor in turn.)

149 C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

Chapter 6 .

W tir ngi a

oT pic 3

summary

W h e n w r i t i n g a s u m m a ,r yy o u r r e sp o n s e s h o u l d b e

c o n c i s e , f l ue n t a n d w r i t t e n i n y ou r o w n w or d s a s f a r

a s p o s s i b l e .ouY s h o u l d a l s o u s e a c c u r at e sp e l l i n g ,

p u n c t u at i on a n d g r a m m ar.

Explore the skills

Read the firs t p a r t of a review of a docum e n t a r y film.

Jillian Schles inger’ s ‘Maidentrip’]..[. c h r o n i c l e s D u tc h tee n L a u r a

Dekker’ s sail around the globe at age 4, a 1feat which would win her

the title in2201 of youngest p e r s o n in h i s t o r y to make the voyag e

a l o n e . O b s e r va n t a n d u n a s s uming, the documentar y lo oks at the

significance of L aura’ s trip not in ter ms of rec ords, but as a rite of

pass age, an d as a way for the teen to negotiate her pas t.

The film gets the ugly stuffoutofthewayfir st.Following Dekk ser’

announcement tosailin20 09, she and her father wereembroiled

in a ten-month legal bat tle.D utch authorities claimed that Laura

needed a custody transfer ,whiletheinter net tosse dwordsat her

including ‘a rrogant’ , ‘spoiled’ and the par ticularly nastysentiment:

‘I hope she’ siAnfte ks. rayear of warring with the cour tsand

shouldering waves of media opinion, Laura was per mitte dtomake her

voyage,and to remain under her fathers’ custody .This periodintime

Schlesingerke epstoan

economical five -minute

montage.

Indeed, ‘M aidentrip’ is pleasantly free from the hyster ia that

s u r r o u n d e d L aura Dekke r for ove r a year , and instead presents he r trip

in a judgment-f r e e m a nn. Ite rneither sug gests (a s it unders t a n d a b l y

could) that 4 is1 an alarmingly young age to traver se the mightily

unforgiving Pacific and Atlantic O c e a n s , n o r takes a blindly

positive ‘Ra! Ra! Go L aura!’ stance. ].. . [

-nepo Loecnoto,npeddtan,aeaspretdisniasniaytaduIreutar

asl tkencehdisirpftnovatchnw,ieby eflabtoa,raehadiknycsai sysleei

w(egsdn,paeusluoslhdonHuaonr :tiyey,hegltnseom tcfnhctiecGiclh ‘u

tuo y l ure)svte’dnaeaipitdeger.hozSenfr,ieudhs.tnny,a tbsaubh a

ogyn-dinduroleorhlmp-otdcoerhoscterordldlegirwoanW thsu

ne l tupohoethgtrtisweahtrwrupoapyartseLoiheytvrfat,tgoilses

hfsft iltdunachiedhtnutkoaboos-dfnoranu,alecnteorxeeuhie

l a e,hasinom rleasFerrn(eyhm wtselusAohPsm tehhi,gcanligec

eht

dna sdn)acl si Ir fAsogahpa.tuloaSG

Indie Wire

From

S e c t i o n

150

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

website by Beth Ha n n a

.3

6

uoY may need to wo rk out the meanin g of some word s in the

p a s s a g e f r o m their contex t (s ee o picT1. 5).

1

What is the co r r e c t meaning of ‘e mbroiled’ in line 8?

•

cooked

•

entangled

•

found guilty

oT summarise an asp e c t of a t e x t you should:

•

i d e n t i f y the main points

•

write them out , using fewer words and paraphrasin g

if possible.

Read the following qu e s t i o n .

What do we learn ab out Laura Dekker ’s trip and what made

i t n e w s w o r t h y in this pass a?g e

Here are some possible p oints you

could make in respon se:

•

sailed round the globe at the

age of14

•

y o u n g e s t p e r s o n i n histor y to make

the voyage alon e

•

embroiled in a ten- month legal

b a t t l e before the trip

•

internet tos s e d w o r d s at her

includingarr‘ o g a n, ‘spoiled t’ ’ 

and ‘I hope she sinks’

•

gave hers e l f t wo years for the

excursion.

However , these notes are too close to

the wording of the tex t to use in the summary. In addition, som e

of the points should be combined. For example:

14At Dekker became the youngest ever solo circumnavig.ator

2

a)

I d e n t i f y the points that have bee n combined in this

sentence.

b)

W hat single word has been used to replace seve a?rl

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

151

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 3

Build the skills

3

S o m e d e t a lis may be imp o r t a n t , such as Laura’s age, but

others can b e o m i t ted. Which could be omit ted o r replaced

with one word in the third bullet point?

E x a m p l e s c a n be combined to save words:

→

We ate apples , orange s and bananas .

We ate fruit.

→

The British love rabbits , c a t s and hamste r s .

T he British love

pets.

4

a)

Rewrite the four th bullet point more concis ely by

combining examples .

Find an even more concise way to say this , beginning,

b)

‘ S h e r e c ei.ved…’

Develop the skills

T h e b e s t way to write a co ncise and fl

u e nt s u m m a r y is to aim for

an ov erview rather than jus t usin g s y n o n y m s for individual word s

or even summarising one sentence at a time. Comple x sentences

will help you combine ideas . Compare the following:

•

‘Maidentrip’ is about a Du tch girl. She s ailed round the world

solo. Her name was Laura Dekke . r

•

Topt pi ‘Maidentrip’ is about a Du tch girl, Laura Dekke . r

She saile d

round the world solo.

oT achieve an overview, t r y

•

‘Maidentrip’ is about Laura Dekke , r

a Dutch girl who sailed

writing your summ a r y from

round the world solo.

your notes without looking

back at the text.

The third ver sion is th e m o s t f l

u e n t b e c a u se it is a co mplex

sentence, using a subordinate clause and p u n c t u ation to combine

information.

5

Copy the line below,fi li ng in the gaps with your own

words to combine all the bull et points from Acti v i t y 1

in a single sente nce that provides an over view.

Welearn that6,ata1f t erovercoming.. and spending two.

Laura Dekkerbecame..

E x p e r i m e n t with different wording until you think you have

found one that inclu des all points fl

u e ntly in your own word s .

S e c t i o n

251

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.3

6

coVabulary

Appl y the skills

describin g

therapeutic:

Now read this continuation of the review of ‘Maidentrip’:

something that has a

healing effe c t o r that

makes you feel bet ter

assuage: Dekker acts as her own camer a operator and narrato , r

to relieve, or

periodically

make som ething feel l e s s filming herse lf throughout her trip, com menting on the wind s, weather

unpleasant and whateve r else might be on her mind.

therapeutic

Laura’ s c amera prove s

for the onset of loneliness that

strikes her early in the expedition; the device is something to talk

to. She comments on the silly and mundane, but also on the more

profound expe r i e n c e s o f being thousan ds of miles from land or

another human. We hear h e r s n i f f ling through tea rs as she films a pod

of dolphins swimming a longside her boat, pleading with them to stay

assuage

awhile and

her feelings of isolation.

t eY as time and the d o c u m e n t a r y go on we sen se a change in L a u r a .

She’ s relishing the days on end of alone time, and se emingly more

a t t u n e d to the fluctu ations of the oc ean.

Check your progress:

6

Using both par t s of the review, write a 100 051 – - w o rd

s u m m a r y in respon se to the que stion:

I can re w r i t e s e n t e n c e s u s i n g

my own word s .

I can co m b i n e d e t a i l s in single

What do we learn about Laura Dekker ?

ideas.

I can replace examples.

Begin by listing your main poi n t s , rememberin g to focus on Laura

I can re w r i t e s e n t e n c e s

herself. Write in your own w o r d s , using complex sentences to f l u e n t l y a n d c o n ci s e l y to

p r e s e n t a n o v e r v iew.

write fluently and concisel.y Aim to demon strate an ov erview.

I c a n f i n d s y n o ny m s f o r w o r d s

from their c o n t e x t .

I can com b i n e s i m p l e

s e n t e n c e s into fluen t

complex ones .

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

351

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 4

Practicquestoinsand

am seplersponses

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills:

•

locate the pa r t icular sec tio n of the pass age that the t ask or

q u e s t i o n refers to

•

u n d e r s t a n d the focus of the question

•

u n d e r s t a n d the explicit m eanings of wo rds and phra ses in th e

passage

•

u n d e r s t a n d the implicit meanings and at titu des in the p a s s a g e

•

s e l e c t , analyse and evaluate what is relevant to inclu d e

•

write in an appropriate st yle fo r a s u m m a r, ycon cisely and

using your own w o r d s .

our task Y

Read the following pa s s a g e a n d the task that follows.

Exploring responses: summary questions

Read this news paper repor t . T hen read the ‘Checklis t for succ e s s ’

before answering the ques tion that follows.

Lynx could return to Britain this year after absence 300 of 1 years

After

be

a n

back

Lyn x U Kr T

absenc e

of

31 0 0

in

year s,

UK

ust

forests

h a s a n n o u n c e di t

t r i a l

r e i n t r o d u ction

of r

the

by

ly n x

c o u ld

the

end

K i el der

o f . 7 21 0

The

possible

w i l l a p plyof ra

si x

ly n x

i nt o

forest ,

N o r t h u m b e r l a nd,

f ollow i n g

was

due

chosen

to

by

its

the

a b u n d a nce

t r ust

of

from

deer,

fvi

e

l a rge

forest a r e a a n d   t he absence of major r o a d s .

the

K iel d e r

Sheep

5

ofr e st

site s,

a

fa r m e r s

and

so m e

locals

are

opposed

to

t wo yea- r

the

r e i nt r o d u c t i o n ,

but

Dr 

Pa u l

OD’ o n og h u e ,

51

c o n s u l t a t i o n p r o c e s s w i t h l o c a l s t a k e h o l d e r s.

chief

The

se cretiv e

and fe e d s

a l most evisulexyc by

A t t a ck s

01

hunte d

S e c t i o n

154

2 :

to

A p p l y i n g

cat

can

on

hum a n s

ext i n c t ion

orf

k e y

g orw

ot

1. 5

m

in

leng t h

and 

ambush ing deer.

s k i lls

ex p e r t

fu r

u n k now n,

in

t he

UK.

but

The

it

was

there

predator.

a re

advisor

adv iser

f o r t h e C o n s e r v a t i o n of N a t u r e

a re

ti s

s c i e n t i fic

(I UCN)

go o d

to

to

t he

the

y Ln x

I n t e r n a t iona l

UK

rT

ust

Un ion

b e l ieves

reasons

for

r ei n t r o d u c i n g

the

20

.4

6

henyLmuch asbelong ‘herasedxgehogs,

badgers,

theyblackbi ro–bins,rds

intanare r i ncsi

of

par of t

UK environment ’ ,

of

l

he told the Guard i a n. ‘There is

amoral ekobgialtioW ln.l evdr y

25

the

the

trade,

s that’

a

wrong

ew evha

deer,

evah

t h’eU K ,

mostbiodevi rsity

fur

by

e ‘W

of ro edeerin

sinlglaeone st

them orf

forests

ou r i sh.f

allo w i ng

a

other

massiv e

w i l d l i ef

to

eov r p opulation

hesaid. ea r‘W eo neofthe

40

poorcount r i es i n t hewor e ld. W

n e e d t he lynx, more tha n t he lynx ] . needs . ’ [ us.

t’or gi ht.

fI ynxl

Rural

commu nit esi

t o u r ism,

Dono O’ghue

said:

tensofmi llions pounds offostrr uggling

in

also

‘They

benefit

from

eco -

will

t ees ce ot rmuioastft-oyehlsrin

generate

oDeuh’gOon

r u ralU K

economi.se Ly nx hav e al ready

30

would

b een

the

branded

l eelrwaoehwfontiynx taks

mounta ins

in

thewhole areathe‘k . ingdomofthely nx’

tha isi tNworiving ecotour smi

G e .r many

They

evah

xnyl

did ees

destinatwaeionnd

though cweexact tdoouldly

utconrnal

l udow eb yrev uctdilfi

ani,smla

: dais

y L ‘ nx

ear

yrev

vi terces

dna

54

e vhit ss utubl’ te,a ’sretitIe lnypmlao.cveter cnahc ae

reintroduced

Harz

ear cudo,trdneier t i

a eesa octn,avheci l

aeekscoartxnytl,

t ishcotapyrcisgAdn. fu

a nxyl ni eht ,d tlwii

l udow eb ehte f ldilwi

i l ae’tnfuocenref.mei

50

the ’sa ofKie mr,erdl

From ‘Ly nx could return to Britain’

hesaid.

53

The Guardian

by Damian Carrington,

nLy x

would

also

boost

the

n a t u r al

env i r o n ment,

said D’Oonoghue,by reducing the ov ergr a z i n g

According to the tex t , w hat plans are the re for reintrodu cing

t h e l y n x , and what are the argum ents in favour of ?this

uoY m u s t u se continuous writing (not notes) and your own

words as far a s p o s sible.

uoY r s u m m a r y should not be morethan15 0   w o r d s .

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Show an unders tanding of the pass age.

✔

Stick to the focus of the que stion.

✔

Omit details or group the m together as single point s .

✔

Order the impo r t a n t points to show an over view.

✔

Write fl

u e ntly, using your ow n words as far as pos sible.

✔

r T

y to use accurate spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar .

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

51

Chapter 6 .

oT pic 4

Exploring responses

Now read the following respons e to the ta sk, and the

annotations.

Response 1

n y L xcouldbeback in the UK by. the end 7 of102 The ynx L

unnecessary personal

rust UKTis going to applyfor a trial reintroduction of this judgement

beautiful creature

in the Kielderorest. F This was chosen

not relevant to task and

forits abundance of. deer Theyackdohumans, not athey

quotes passage directly

woulackdprobabl sheep. y a

better to group these

y L

nx belong in the UK, like hedgehogs,badgers, robins and

together in one phrase

W.e morally should bring them back because

blackbirds

we made them die out in the fi

r st place by hunting them

unnecessarilyorf. fur

unnecessary quotation, and

I t w o u l d b e great fo r t o u r i s m , l i k e i t i s i n G e r m a n ,y which used inaccurately

i s n o w k n o w n a s t h e ‘ k i n g d o m o f t h e l y n. x’

T h e y w o u l d e at

some explanation needed for

r o e d e e r w h i c h w o u ld b e g o o d of r of rests. We n e e d t h e m

the point to make sense

m o r e   t h a n t h e y n e e d u s f o r o u r bi o d i v e r s ity. T h e y a r e

secretive and hard t o s e e , b u t i t w o u l d s t i l l b e exciting

t o k n o w t h e y we r e t h e r e b y s e e i n g t h e i r t r a c ks a n d

s c r a t c h i n g p o sts.

Feedback

This respo nse is broadly accurate, although there are t wo

m i s u n d e r s t a n d i n g s . It makes s o m e e f fo r t to paraphras e and

provide an ove rview, but it still use s the wording of the text

too much and te nds to summari se line by lin e rather than

as a whole. It does not always stick to the focu s of the ta sk.

T h e s t yle would be more fl

u e nt if complex sentences were

employed, along with bet ter p u n c t u ation. The precise sen se is

not always clear .

1

I d e n t i f y three things in the sample

r e s p o n s e t hat could be improved.

Use the ‘Excellent pro g r e s s p oints’

on page 15 8 to help you.

S e c t i o n

156

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.4

6

Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e .

Response 2

T h e

L y n x U K r Tu

f o r e

s

t

h a v e

c

on

s t h o pe s

s of Nor

t o

r e i n t r od u c

t h u m b e r l a n d

su l t e d

c a r e f

u l l y

by

e si

x l y n

t h e e n d o ,f 2 70 1

p r i

or t o

d

oi n g

x i n

t h

e

a n d

t h i s .

A c c

or d i n g

succinctly makes point with a

to Pa u l

O ’ D o n og h u

e, w e

h a v e

a

m or a l

d u t y

t o

r e

s t o r e

e s

t h a t

phrase in place of a list

l y n x

b e c a u s e

t h e y a r e a n

i n d i g en o u

s s p e c i

effective paraphrasing

w a s c o m p l e t e l y

wiped out by hu m a n

h u n t i n g .

T h eir

concise vocabulary p r e d a t i o n o f

b e n e fi t t h

d e e r

t h

’s overgra

L y n x pose n

b e n e fi t

e U K ’ s e

e d i v e r si t y

z i n g

x c e s si v e

o f

r o e

t o

l o c a l

e c o n

h u m a n s

om y , a

d e er popul a t i o n

e c o s y s t em b y r e d u c i n g

a n d a l l o w i n g

o t h r e a t

t h e

t h e

ot h er s p e c i

a n d

s d e m

e s

t o

f l

woul d

t h e

ou r i s h .

w o u l d grea t l y

on

s t r a t e d

by

t h eir

complex sentence concisely

s u c c

e

s

s

f

u

l r e i n t r o d u c

t i o n in Ger m a n y . For t o u r i s t s , e v e n

combining points, correctly

i

f

n d i n g

e v i d

e n c

e o f lyn

x w o u l d b e

e x c i t i n g ,

a n d

a

c

t u a l l y

punctuated

s e e i n g

o n e w o u l d b e

t r u l y

m em o r a b l e .

Feedback

This respo nse is accurate and concis e. It shows evidence of an

o v e r view by reorderin g some point s and making co n n e c t io n s

b e t w e e n ideas across t h e t e x t . T h e s tudent paraphrases

s u c c i n c tly and fl

u e ntly,showing an unde r s t a n d ing of the tex t ,

and of what is mos t impor t a n t in it. Complex sentences are

used for fl

u e n c y a n d concision , and with helpful and correc t

p u n c t u a t io n .

2

Using the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excellent progres s points’ on page 15 8, evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e s a n d improve them where you can.

C h a p t e r

6:

S u m m a r y

w r i t i n g

751

Chapter 6

Checkyour progress

Reading

Soundprogress

•

I can show a reas o n a b l e u n d e r s tanding of the focus of the summary .

•

I can show unde r s t a n d ing of some id eas in the tex t .

•

I can work out th e meaning of dif ficult words from their contex t s .

•

I can selec t som e ideas that match the question focus .

Excellent progress

•

I clearly under s t a n d the focus of the summary .

•

I can show unde r s t a n d ing of a wide rang e of ideas that match the ques tion fo c u s .

•

My ideas are relevant at all tim e s .

•

I can selec t points carefully to dem onstrate an overall grasp of the te x t and what it

says abou t the topic in fo c u s .

Writ ing

Soundprogress

•

I can usually e x p r e s s myself clearly and conci sely .

•

I do not speculate or give opinion s .

•

I can generally use my ow n words whe n writing my summary.

•

My spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar are often accurate.

Excellent progress

•

I can write a clearly expres s e d r e s ponse that is fluent and co ncise.

•

I can stru c t ure my respo nse logically in a way that mak e s it easy fo r the reader to

follow.

•

I can summarise in my own words , usin g precise s y n o n y m s and collec tive n o u n s .

•

I can combine s everal pieces of information into complex sentences , usin g clause s .

•

My spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar are mostly accurate.

S e c t i o n

158

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

Analysing

language

7

S o m e t a s k s will require you to conside r the

language use d by writer s and the ef f e c t that it

has on the reade . r

oT answer thi s t y p e o f q u e s tion, you will need to:

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of explicit

meanings)(R1

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of implicit

Links to ot her chapters:

meanings and a t t it u d e s ( R 2)

Chapter 1: Key reading skills

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of how w riters

Chapter 5: Comprehension

achieve effe c t s and influence rea d e r s ( R .4)

951

oT pic 1

Chapter 7 .

deInitfying

nyos ms

andaertlim l eanigs

T h e f i r s t s t ep i n w r i t i n g a b out la n g u a g e i s t o s h o w your

u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t he m e a n i n g o f w o r d s a n d p h r a s e s .

Explore the skills

In Chapter 5, you p r a c ti s e d p u t ting phras es into your own words .

Synonyms are different words that have similar meani n g os . T

show your under s t a n d i n g of the meaning s in a tex t , you need

to be able to fi

n d quotations that match a synonymous word or

phrase that has been given to you.

Read the following paragraph.

A s s o o n as the ball wa s p a s s e d to him, Etebo headed for the goal.

C o n s t a n t ly tapping the ball a few metre s ahead of him , he raced down the

pitch. Glancing ba c k w a r d s , he spe d up as he saw three oppo sition playe r s

gaining on him. Do dging and weaving, he managed to pass t wo defe n d e r s .

5

O n e a t t e mpted a sliding tackle bu t Etebo jumped over him, met up with

the ball again and continued determinedly towards the g oal. Bearing dow n

on the single ke e p, eEtebo r paus ed momentarily to gather his s t r e n g t h and

choose his an gle. The side of his boot s mashed again st the ce ntre of the

ball, sending it hurtling through theairlike a rocke t and straight into the

back of the net .

01

1

Find a word or phrase in the fi

nal sentence that means

to hit with force

.

There are seve ral ways to work out the meaning of a word,

including:

•

looking at the stem and thinking of wo rds you know with

a similar ste m

•

looking at the co n t e x t of the word.

Topt pi

For example, you can work out the meaning of the word

by fi

dodging

pass two

r s t placing it in the c o n t e x t of Etebo managin g to

Consider the words carefy.lul

oT . clarify the meaning, you can then re duce

defenders

dodging

In this example,

to the ste m

kiel a rocket

meanings such as

evade

or

avoid

. This would help you to work out

speed and power , but they do

that

means avoiding.

dodging

not mean that something has

been hit.

2

constantly

W hat is meant by the word

second sente e?nc

S e c t i o n

160

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

h u r tling

and think about word stem s with similar

dodge

, at the st a r t of the

both suggest

and

.1

7

Build the skills

3

For each st atement below, selec t a word or phras e from the

t e x t that matches the un derlined w o r d s .

a)

Etebo

b)

Etebo headed towards the goal in a

c)

Etebo

looked quickly behind

him.

purposeful

ran faste r

w.ay

when he saw the oppositio n g e t ting

nearer .

d)

s t o p p e d v e r y quickly to prepare his shot at the

Etebo

goal.

Develop the skills

Synonymsarealsousefufiyou l areaskdetoexplaniwhatwords

or phrasesmean. oushould Y dothisa s precisely as possible. For

erwewuhoynidfarwoilpxedhe,ketoslmtaptxae

gnipat

ht gniplaltnabtysnocle

sarhp eht nie

gnihti

gnikc ik

dekc ik

woehtmonebidaleuwposxeitceIosrpated.r

4

mnaes

suj tonetodiwr, t

or

y l thgi l

.

Look at the followin g q u e s tion, then co r r e c t the respo n s e s

below to make them more precise.

Explain the meaning of the underlined words or phrases .

a)

He

b)

managed to pas s

two defen d e r s .

S ending it

h u r t ilng

)a

Hegotaway from the two defenders.

)b

T he ball movedthrough the . air

through the. air

Check your progress:

I c a n e x p l a i n i d e as in my o w n

words.

Appl y the skills

I c a n m a ke so m e u s e of

s y n o n y m s to explore and

e x p r e s s m eaning.

5

Using preci se language, explain the underlined word s or

I can us e language with so me

phrases from the pass age.

precision.

a)

A s s o o n as the ball wa s p a s s e d to him. I c a n e x p l a i n c o m p l e x i d e a s in

my own words .

b)

He

c)

Bearing down

raced

down the pitch.

I c a n m a ke us e of a ran g e

o f s y n o n y m s to e x p l o r e a n d

on the single ke e p. e r

express co mplex meanings .

I can u se la n g u a g e p r e cisely.

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

161

oT pic 2

Chapter 7 .

Expnailgthesuggesti ons thta

wordscancreaet

A s w e l l a s s ho w i n g t hat y o u u nd e r s t a n d t h e l it e r a l

Topt pi

m e a n i n g o f w o r d s a n d p h r a s e s , y o u n e e d t o b e a bl e t o

oT remindyourselfabouthow

e x p l o r e t h e i d ea s t h a t p h r a s e s su g g e s t .

words carry implicit meanings,

.

Explore the skills

Read this pass age about a soccer match.

T h e s p e c t ators followed the ball, o p e n - m o u t h e d , a s it shot through. air

When it hit the

back of the net , the crowd erupted. With only one minute of the match remaining , they

leapt to their fee t and cheere d excitedl.y Looking around at the spec tato r s , E tebo grinned

widely and punched the air in triumph. His team mates ran towards him, throwing their

arms around his s houlders in congratulation. He bask ed in their attention, his h e a r t warm

5

at the idea of having scored the winning goal. Aware that there were still s i x t y seco n d s

toplay, the players quickly returned to their positions and Ete b o r e f o c u s ed on the match,

resolute that the opposition wouldn’t manage a late equali .s e r

A short- a n s w e r q u e stion might ask what th e phrase

punched the

shows abou t Etebo’s feelings during the match.

air in triumph

uoY might star t by p u t ting the phra se in its c o n t e x t (Etebo has

j u s t s cored a g oal), then break the phras e d o w nri.u ‘mph’ T means

celebration , joy or prid e. Punching th e air sugges t s a n e x p r e s s ion

of excitement or pleasure.

1

Put these id eas together to create an explanation in your

o w n w o r d s , in a single sente nce.

Build the skills

2

Here are two phrases from the tex t . Below each phras e are

three explanations for what it s u g g e s t s about Etebo during

the soccer match. Decide which explanation is correc t .

a)

refocus ‘ ed on the match :’

•

The phrase shows that Ete b o s t o p p e d thinking abou t

his goal and returned his at tention to the game.

•

The phrase s u g g e s t s that Etebo hadn’ t b e e n

concentrating hard enough.

S e c t i o n

162

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

7

. 61na.d oc1psi Tatbokacl

.2

7

•

The phrase s u g g e s t s that Etebo didn’ t want his

happiness about the goal to get in the way of

winning, so h e refocuse d on the match.

b)

h‘ i s h e a r t warm’:

•

The phrase shows that Ete bo felt hot.

•

The phrase shows that Ete bo felt please d with hims elf

for having sco red the goal.

Topt pi

•

The phrase shows that s coring the goal made Eteb o

Remember to ke ep using your

feel warm inside.

own words to show your full

understanding.

Develop the skills

3

Look at the six th s entence. What does the phrase ‘baske d

in their attention’ sugg e s t a b out Etebo’s

feelings

during

the match ?

•

Think about w hat Etebo has j u s t done and how his team

mates have reac ted (the contex t of the phrase .)

•

a t t ention

Consider the meaning of

and

basked

, and

what these wo r d s s u g g e s t Etebo is feeling.

4

W h a t d o e s the phrase ‘resolu te the oppo sition wouldn’ t

m a n a g e ’ s u g g e s t about Etebo feelings during the match ?

•

Think about w hat the opposition are going to want to

do (the contex t of the phrase .)

•

Consider the meaning of the words

resolute

and

Topt pi

manage

, and what thes e words sug g e s t t h at Etebo is

feeling.

When explaining a phrase,

you do not need to explain

each word. Focusonkey

Appl y the skills

words or consider what the

phrase as a whole su g g e s t s.

5

Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain what the unde rlined

phrases su g g e s t a b out the crowd during the soccer match.

a)

T h e s p e c t ators followed the ball, o p e n - m o u t h e d , a s it

Check your progress:

shot through. air

b)

When it hit the back of the net , the crowd e rupted.

c)

With only one minute of the match remaining, they

I c a n u s e my own w o r d s .

I can wor k out t h e i m p l i e d

meanings of

leapt to their fee t and

cheered excitedly

i n d i v i d u a l wo r d s

. a n d p h r a s e s a n d explain w hat

t h e s e p h r a s e s s u g g e s t to the

r e a d .e r

Checklistforsuccess

I c a n u s e my own w o r d s w i t h

✔

Use your own wo r d s .

c l a r i t y and pre c i s i o n .

✔ I can co n s i d e r t h e s p e c i f i c

Don’t jus t say w hat words mean.

e f f e c t s of individu al words

✔ and phras es and explore

Consider the pre c i s e e f fe c t of individual words – what do

w h a t t h e y s u g g e s t to the

t h e y s u g g e s?t

r e a d .e r

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

163

oT pic 3

Chapter 7 .

deInitfying the wr se’tri  craft

Writ e r s c r a f t t h e i r w or k i n o r d e r t o ac h i e v e e f f e c t s i n a n

i n t e r e s t i n g a n d impac t f u l w a y t h a t i s e n jo yable t o r e a d .

M o s t w r iter s t r y t o d o t h r e e t h i n g s :

•

convey meaning/feelings/tmospher a e

•

create

a sensory

picture

•

provokeanemotion.

They ach i e v e t h is through careful selection of words that

have lit eral and implicit

meanings, which build an effe c t .

Writ ers also achieve effe c t s t h r ough a range of de vices

such as imagery , comparison and person i f i cation.

Explore the skills

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m a novel.

Afit r s t wewalkedalong the beach,hopingtocirclethecoas t , b u t t h e s a n d s o o n t u r n e d

to jagged r o c k s , which tur n e d t o i m p a s s a b l e

c li f f s

a n d

g o r g e s .

T h e n

w e

t r i e d

t h e

o t h e r

n i a se seohrtle,indyuhnw kusoesrreudfoewm eiie.W hrecd,ihnertnaritbaptseagmw

ot tubp eechoTgikoahesp.cudoneaihow envtlbnoswe hsntaebwieteysrhstaliw ftesal

5

ehtedolu-otnehnkisbci irpuy.oaw edngslrnagruernnvuloisjlrd

The fi

r s t t w o o r three hundred metres fro m the shore were the hardes t . T h e spaces

b e t w e e n the palm trees were covered in a strang e rambling bush with tiny leaves that

sliced lik erazo r s , a n d the only way pa st them was to pus h through. But as we got fur ther

inland and the groun d began to ri se, the palms b e c a m e less common than another kind of

t r e e — trees ilke rus ted, iv y - choke d space rockets , with ten -foot roots that fa nned from th e

01

trunklike stabilizerfi

the forest fl

n s . With less sunlight coming through the canopy, the veget ation on

o o r thinned out . O c c a sionally we were sto p p e d b y a dense spra y of bamboo,

b u t a s h o r t search would fi

n d an animal track or a path cleared by a fallen branch.

Aft Zepsdher’uenjhscteprionfiw tuhJgetar,lsipcasilnantsdartsngceyoluerdbirds,

51

Iwvagsudyesailpptoie.hnaritlebdyekyi lm nohewrtlfIgkaiwnstIlyaysughan

ofrhesdEniglst, ’ I ezjuem hitnusoBratm fohukr.yetwarloesrmhetnigshtat

uastm ebiSyfxlotvc.esiw btonarw lysiem tnonkeyscur arng zaniyuphtertsT,

ailnas

style

l

f

thsunekgabiolveusalaites— ct anhdtwerhtweadpstirapeted :r onounreck s,

-Tat,suckorutenerdhoariuhsri otsoturchest sTher . -fhweaoluhratosmtiuofhc empt y

canteensopped st beSatnigd.naiw gund ohsrakyebratnipagvhncordivieda

20

coupeoglpefkohoangvrfgul d.Tyihem qsakcuotw hisclpayeslesdry l,howoevrer

theswm ihteoam on vso ,yldekawhenweturnenaidnldines,t’capeme.

From

S e c t i o n

164

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

TheBeach

by Alex Garland

.3

7

1

The writer has created a d etailed s e n s o r y p i c ture for the

coVabulary

reader . How has he achieved this ?

liana:

a)

a long, wood y vine

Which nouns ha s the writer chosen for th eir precis e

(ofte n u s e d by monkeys to

literal meanig?

swing from tree to tree)

b)

S e l e c t a d j e c tives and ad verbs that h elp to create a

s e n s o r y p i c t ure.

2

The writer has also co nveyed the narrator’s d i f ferent

thoughts and fe elings. How have thes e been pre sented?

a)

Which verbs show that the narrato r found the

exploration of the island dif fi

b)

W hich adjec tive s add to th e impression that the

narrator found the journey diffi

3

cul?t

Reread the fi

cult?

r s t paragraph. Look at the lis t of paire d words

below. Considering w hat the words tell you about the

narrator’s feelin g s o r e x p e r i e n c e s , decide which is the mos t

p o w e r f u l word in each .pair

a)

try

b)

barrier

c)

sky

d)

goal

picked

inland

p r e cious

Topt pi

pass

When you are analysing the

writer’ s craft, there is not

one correct answer – all

Build the skills

readers will have an individual

response to a text. However ,

r T

y to comment on any p o w e r fu l i m a g e r y that you read in a tex t .

there

wil

be wrong answers.

Thismeansthatyoushouldolokoutforanyef f e civteexamplesof:

uM hetrysaotakeucnexpalni

•

simile

why your chosen words

• are interesting, powerful or metaphor

impact fu.l If you can do this,

•

p e r s o n i f i cation.

your choices are correct.

4

Look at the table below, which gives a defi

nition, example

a n d e f fe c t of the three t y p e s of i m a g e .r yW hi c h t y pe of

i m a g e r y goes with which row in the table ?

D e f i nition

Example

E x a m p l e e f fe c t

a descrip tive technique,

‘He gazed around at

T h i s d e s cribes th e sun as if it is an g r y

giving human

the bright fi

rew o r k s

or unwelcoming in order to convey the

c h a r a c teristics to an obj e c t

of fl

owers with their

d i s c o m f o r t c a u s e d by its heat .

or idea

p e t a l s of r e d s , blue s ,

and yellows’ .

a descrip tive compari s o n ,

using

kiel

or

as

‘ T h e s u n glared down

This captures the sparkling appearan ce of

from the cloudle s s

the water . By comparing it to diamonds , the

sky. ’

writer also s u g g e s t s how much the thir s t y

man values the water he has foun d.

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

165

oT pic 3

Chapter 7 .

Definition

a descrip tive compari s o n ,

w r i t t e n as if one thing

is

something else (ra ther

than it being

kiel

or

as

)

Example

E x a m p l e e f fe c t

‘ T h e m a n looked

This make s the multicoloured flowers

thirs tily at the pool of

sound vibrant and in abundance, a s well as

water as it gli s t e n e d

s u g g e s t i n g that they were a s triking si g h t .

likediam onds in the

sunlight. ’

Topt pi

Develop the skills

Do not try to explore

the words in a quotation. 5

Consider the phr a s e ‘ trees like r u s t e d , i v y - c h o ked space

Focus only on thos e that are rocket s’ from paragraph 2 of the ex tra c t o n page 16 4 .

p o w e r ful or interesting. Make notes using the following pro m p t s .

a)

W h a t t y pe of imager y i s this phras ? e

b)

Whatisthewritertryingtoconveyby

comparnigthetreestospac?oreckes t

Howdoesthmsiakethetreessound?

Whatmightthenarratorbefeelni g

aboutthe?trees

c)

W h y d o e s the writer de scribe them as

rusted

? How does this help the read er

to imagine what the trees loo k and feel

?eki l

d)

How is the iv y made to see m when it is

d e s c r i b e d as

6

Reread the second paragraph of the

e x t r a c t o n page16 4 , then copy and

complete the table on page . 167

Choose power ful p h r a s e s , apply subjec t

terminology an d consider w hat the phras e

s u g g e s t s about the narrator’s feelings or

e x p e r i e n c e s . Some examples have been

given.

S e c t i o n

166

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

choking

the trees ?

all

.3

7

Chosen phrase

Subject

Effect

terminology

‘strange

rambling b u s h ’

noun phrase

This shows the vegetation is unusual which

makes the narrator’s journey more interesting

and could sugge st that something is wrong.

simile

This shows that the journey was physically

d i f f i cult but that th e narrator was determined to

continue.

‘dense spray of bamb o o ’

Check your progress:

Appl y the skills

sancI electsomnterest ei ing

wordsanpdhraseoxrefstm a t.

7

Reread the final paragraph of the ex tra c t . Ch o o s e t h e t wo

individual words and the two phrases that you think are

I can ex plain wh at my chos en

w o r d s a n d p h r a s e s s u g g e s t to

m o s t e f fe c t ive in sugges ting the narrator’s emotion s in the

t h e r e a d. e r

paragraph. Note them down, use subjec t te rminology to

I can ap p l y s o m e s u b j e c t

i d e n t i f y t h e t y pe of words and devices the writer has u s e d

t e r m i n o l o g y to my chos e n

words and phrase s .

and what they sugg e s t .

I c a n s e l e c t a r a n g e of

i n t e r e s ti n g o r p o w e r f u l w o r d s

a n d p h r a s e from a t e x t .

Checklistforsuccess

I can a n a l y s e t h e e f f e c t s

✔

S e l e c t i n t e r e s ting and power ful wo rds and phra s e s

of my chose n words and

from a text .

phrases.

✔

Analyse th e e f f e c t s of language in a tex t . I c a n a p ply a ra n g e o f s u b j e c t

t e r m i n o l o g y to my chos e n

✔

U s e s u b j e c t terminology . words and phrase s .

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

761

oT pic 41

Chapter 7 .

Anyanlsig the wr se’tri  craft

Once you h a v e s e l e c t e d p o w e r f u l w o r d s a nd p h r a s e s

f r o m a t e x t , you n e e d t o e x pl a i n h o w t he y a r e b e i n g

u s e d e f f e c t i v e l y b y t h e w r i t e.r

Explore the skills

Reread the extr a c t from

The Beach

on page 16 4 . T h e n look at the

example of analysis below.

ifthenI ‘veceitadjshrsetnence, agged’ poajwsyaiefr luto

t p r ahtsi weotsha esh tkhcgoef.rbioe ril aehr hrcguystiethxd

n et alerhlrta hncf oedhntnuoosisetkadarmnoa lsl psix’ gheinrTiog

bedoculsugetashitce.hatpldaonugserwleias

1

Annotate a co py of the analysi s, identif y ing the following

elements:

a)

evidence (reference to the t e x t)

b)

use of subjec t te rminology

c)

analysis of why the word is powe r f u l

d)

f u r t h er developme nt of the explanatio n .

Topt pi

uoY can use the following

Build the skills

steps to ef f e c tively analys e the

writer’ s craft:

When writing about a tex t , it i s i m p o r t ant to focu s on specifi

c

1

makeyourp oint by

Point:

d e t a i l s , give clear and precise explanations and tr y to make use of

stating the ef f e c t created.

subject

terminology .

2

makereference

Evidence:

Look at the followin g t w o examples of analy s i s .

to the text as evidence of

your point.

In the second sentence, the writer uses the evrb phrase

3

Analysis:

give your analy sis,

‘wastingprecious time’ to convey the narra t o sreelif’ ngs when which may be :

exploring the island. The verb ‘wasting’suggests that he is

•

literal meanings

ing frustrat g e ed by their inability to ge t across the island.

•

associations(that is, the

The adjectivep‘ recious’adds to this f rustration b ycreating

senses or emotions)

a mood of urgency: the narratorfeels the hours of the day

•

language devices.

arequicklypassing and they are running out of time. These

examples ofword choiceclearly showhisfeelings. 4

S e c t i o n

168

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

eEffc:t

restatetheeffect.

.4

7

T h e wr i t er u s e s t h e w o r d s ‘ w a s t i n g p r e c i o u s t i m e ’ wh e n t h ey

a r e e xpl o r i n g t h e i s l a n d a n d f a i l i n g t o f i

n d a way t o ge t

f u r t h e r i n l a n d . D e s pi t e w a n t i n g t o e x p l or e , t h e n a r r a t o r f

t h a t t h e d a y i s b e i n g ‘ w a s t e d ’ a n d t h i s w o r d i s a power

w ay t o sh ow h ow h e f

power

ee l s

f u l

eel s. T h e word ‘pr e c i o u s ’ i s a l s o

f u l a s i t d e s c r i b e s t h e h ou r s o f t h e d a y . T h e t e x t s a i d

t h e su n h a d a l r e a d y ‘ r o s e i n t h e sky’ wh i c h m e a n s t h a t t h e y

a r e r u n n i n g ou t o f t i m e b e c a u s e t h ey a r e s p e n d i n g s o l on g

t r y i n g to fi

n d a p a s sabl e r o u t e a r o u n d t h e i s l a n d .

2

Decide whic h r e s p o n s e is the bes t and why . W hi c h a s p e c t s

of the less s u c c e s s ful example nee d improvem ent?

Develop the skills

Look back at the information on image r y ai ns kTo5,. pic 3.T 7

Consider again the phrase ‘ t r e eslike r u s t e d , i v y - c h o ked space

rocket s’ from paragraph 2 of the ex tra c t f r o m

The Beach

3

.

ruT n your notes into an explanation of why the phra se is

e f f e c tive. Remembe rto:

•

make a clear reference to t h e t e x t

•

use subjec t te rminology

•

explain the ef f e c t of a specifi

powerful

c word or device that you think is

or interes ting

•

develop your explanation by focu sing on anothe r specifi

c

a s p e c t of your quotation.

Appl y the skills

Check your progress:

4

Pick out three pow e r f u l words or phrases fro m the last

I c a n r e s p o n d to a tex t in

s o m e d e t ail.

paragraph of th e e x tr a c t on page 16 4 . I n clude one e xample

o f i m a g e .r yE x plain how each of your choices has b e e n u s e d

I can u s e s o m e s u b j e c t

t e r m i n o l o g y in my res p o n s e .

e f f e c tively by the writer .

I c a n e x p l a i n t h e e f f e c t s of

s o m e d e s criptive dev i c e s .

Checklistforsuccess

I can co n s t r u c t a conci s e a n d

✔

Write a concis e yet det ailed re s p o n s e .

d e t a i l e d r e s p o n s e t o a tex t .

✔

U s e s u b j e c t terminology .

I c a n i n c l u d e a r a n g e of

subject

t e r m i n o l o g. y

✔

Include at lea st one example of simile, me taphor or

I can ex plore a range of

p e r s o n i f i cation.

d e s c r i p ti v e d e v i c e s .

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

169

oT pic 5

Chapter 7 .

Practicquestoinsand

am seplersponses

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills:

•

locate and s e l e c t relevant or appropriate word s, phra ses or

language

•

i d e n t i f y explicit and implicit meanin g s

•

explain or analy se the ef f e c t of a writer’s language choices

using your own words

•

explore the writer’s c r a f t , using terminology to comment on

what makes a piece of writin g p o w e r ful.

our task Y

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m Alex Garland’s novel,

The Beach

TheneradhtC‘hes37ickbloufscetrosf’npreagne1swenrig

the.ques owloflhtoanist

A f t er a long journey , the narrator has fi

The fi

nally arrived at his hotel.

r s t thing I did afte r s h u t ting the door behind me was to go to the bathroom mirror

and examine my face. I hadn’t s een my refl

e c tion for a couple of day s and wanted to check

things were OK .

5

Itwasabitofashock. Being around lots of t anned skind’I somehow as sumed I wa s also

tanned, but the ghost inthemirrorcorrec ted me. My whiteness was accentuatedbymy

stubble, which,elimy k, rhai is jet black.UV deprivation aside, Iwasinbadne ed of a showe .r

MTy- shir thad the salt y sti f fness of materialthathasb een sweated in, sun - d r ied, then

sweated inagain.Idecided to headstraighttothe beach fora swim. I couldkil two birds

01

with one ston e — soakupafewraysandget clean.

Chaweng was a trav e l - b rochure photo. Hammocks slung in the shad e of curving palm trees ,

sand too b right to look at, jet- skis tracing whit e p a t terns like jet-planes in a clear sky. I

ran down to the surf, p a r tl y b e c a u se the sand was so hot a n d p a r tl y b e c a u se I alway s run

into the sea. Wh en the water be gan to drag on my legs I jumpe d up, and the mom entum

51 s o m e r s a u l ted me for ward s. I lan ded on my ba ck and sank to th e b o t t o m, exhalin g. On the

seabed I let myself re s t , head tilted slightly forwardtoke ep the air trapped in my nose, and

l i s t e n e d to the sof t clicks a n d r u s h e s o f u n d e r water noise.

d’I been splas hing around in th e water for fi

f t e en minutes or so when Étienne came dow n

to join me. He als o ran acros s the sand a n d s o m e r s aulted into the sea, b ut then leapt up

20

with a yelp.

S e c t i o n

071

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.

.5

7

‘ W h a t s’up? ’ I c alled.

Étienne shook his head, pus hing backwards through the water away from where he’d

l a n d e d . ‘ T his! This animal! This... fi

s ’!h

I began wadin g towards him. ‘ W hat fi ? s h’

25

‘I do not know th e English — A a ah! Aaah! There are more! Aaah!Stinging!’

‘Oh,’ I said as I rea ched him.J el‘ l y f i

s !hGreat ’!

hpaeserasepleiwprahseaw shetoaItevhdlfektvol,snilsi glnIfoioatsp.rdrlyio

.eghtfiaritocsl yhetm forw ladseinwtrasdehiartnbgdeauctpri, atnwplen

From

1

The Beach

by Alex Garland

I d e n t i f y a word or phras e from the tex t w hich sugges ts th e

same idea as the words und erlined:

a)

carefully in s p e c t s

The narrator

his face in the bathroom

mirror .

b)

The narrator ’s dark hair

the paleness of

emphasised

his skin.

c)

When Étie nne is stung by a jellyfi

s h he jumps fro m the

water and cries out in pain.

d)

B e c a u s e the white sand refl

e c ted the light, it was

almost

blinding

2

.

Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain what the write r means by

each of the words underline d:

I was

pleased

to see the pale shapes , fl

oating in

the water lik e drops of

oil. I loved their

silvery

straight f o r ward

weirdness

, the strange area they

occupied be t w e e n p lant and animal life.

3

Explain how the phrase s underlined are us ed by the writer

t o s u g g e s t the narrator’s r e s p o nses to the jellyfi

s h. Use your

own words in your explanation.

I was please d to see the pale shape s , f l

oating in

the water lik e drops of silve r y oil. I loved their

straight f o r ward weirdness , the s trange area they

occupied be t w e e n p lant and animal life.

4

Reread paragraphs 2 and 3, describing the narrator s’

feelings ab out hims elf and the beach.

S e l e c t f o u r p o w e r ful

words or phra ses from each paragraph. ourYchoices should

include imag ery. Explain how each word or phrase is us e d

e f f e c tively in the contex t . Write 200

– 3 00 wor d s .

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

171

oT pic 5

Chapter 7 .

Exploring responses

Now read the following respons e to the ques t i o n s , and the

annotations.

Response 1

1

a)

check

)b

shock

)c

A ‘

d)

2

the sand was so hot

pleased – unlike Étienne, he isn’t scared

silvery – shining like silevr

weirdness – behaving like a freak

3

pleased to see – the narrator had seen the jellyfi

shbefore and wanted to see them

again.

like drops of silev r y oil – the jellyfi

sh weresielvr and oiyl looking

Ilovedtheirstraightforwardweirdness – the narrator is fascinated by the jelly fi

4

sh.

T heword ‘shock’ is a powerf ulwayt o describe what the narratorfeels when he looks in

the mirror because he was expecting to look more tanned. The worsweated’ d‘ is also

powerf ulbecause it shows how hot it was. The phrasesoak ‘ upafewrays’ describes how

he wants to go sunbathing.

T he palm tree is described ascurving’ ‘ . This is good because it sounds quite peaceful and

graceful which matches the atmosphere on the beach. This is similar to the phrase ‘the

s o f t clicks and rushes’which is a powerf ulwayt o describe what he hears underwater .

Thewordc‘ licks’makes it sound unusual which is suitable becausehe’s underwater and

thewordr‘ ushes’ links to the movement of theseaoverhim.However ,

because he says

‘ s o f t’this makes it seem really gentle andrelaxingbecausehe’s enjoying him.self

S e c t i o n

271

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

aah! Stinging! ’

.5

7

Feedback

1

N one of thes e quotation s fully match the q u e s t ion’s unde rlined wo rds and phra s e s , a lthough

‘check’ comes close to ‘e xamine’ .

2

T he fi

r s t and third answers are ina ccurate. Th e second answer is co r r e c t , but the writer doe s

not fully use their own words .

3

The fi

r s t comment is not precise enough: although it implies the narrator likedje l l y f i

it also implies that he has seen the s ame jelly fi

sh ,

s h before. Th ere is not enough use of own

words in the s econd comm e n t . T h e third comment i s accurate but does not fully explain the

second half of the underlined phras e.

4

There are som e good choice s from the te x t , including on e example of imager , y but there is

not a full range and not all the word s s e l e c ted a r e p o w e r ful. Oth er words and p h r a s e s that

s t a n d o u t in the extr a c t have been o m i t t e d. There is s o m e a t tempt to explore the different

a s s o c i ations that word s c a r r y but, to o o f ten, the comm e n t s f o cus on literal rather than

inferred meanin g s . T h e last e xample could be ex plored in a mu ch more conci seway. The

explanations lack preci sion so fail to convey a full u n d e r s t anding of how language is us e d .

S u b j e c t terminology could be applie d .

5

Look back at the in c o r r e c t a n s w e r s from

Q u e s t i o n1.Can you work out why the stu d e n t

thought those quot ations were c o r r e c t and what

they misunders tood or m i s s e d o u?t

6

a)

Look at the res ponse to Q u e s t i o n 2. What

d i f f e rent things are wrong with th e fi

rst

explanation ?

b)

How could the se cond explanation be

altered to e nsure that it is all in their own word ? s

c)

What is wron g with the words ‘behaving ’

Checklistfor

and ‘freak ’ in the third ex planation ?

success

✔

M

7

ake us e of synony m s

For each of the points in the re sponse to Q u e s t ion 3,

and explain ideas using

i d e n t i f y what could be improved.

your own words .

8

Consider the re sponse to Q u e s t ion 4.

✔

S

a)

e l e c t i n t e r e s ting or

p o w e r f u l words and

Which word or phrase choice s would you cut from this

phrases.

answer?

✔

C b)

onsider the precise

What additio nal words or p hrase could you add from

e f f e c t s of language.

t h e e x tr a c?t

✔

Use

c)

Make the fi

su b j e c t

nal explanation mo re concise.

terminology.

d)

Apply subjec t te rminology to the examples give n.

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

371

oT pic 5

Chapter 7 .

Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e .

Response 2

1

a)

e x a m i n e

)b

a c c e nt u a t e d

l e a p t up wit h a yelp

c)

t oo br i g h t t o l o ok at

d)

pl e a s e d – h a p py a n d w e l c o m i n g

2

s i l v e r y – shim m e r i n g

w e i r d n e s s – b e i n g s t r a n ge o r u n u s u a l

pl e a s e d t o s ee – th e n a r r a t o r l i k e s jel l y

3

likedr ofopssilvreyoi–l thejely

fi

fi

sh s o h e w e l c o m e d t h e sigh t of th e m .

hsshim m e r edinth le ight andlookedil quidrather

than solid.

I l ov e d t h ei r s t r a i g h t

yet sim p l e t h e jelly

Sa l t y s t i f f

4

n e s s ’i sa n eff

f or

fi

wa r d w e i r d n e s s – t h e n a r r a t o r i s f a s c i n a t ed by h o w s t r a n ge

sh l o ok.

e c t i v e wa y o f d e s c r i b i n g t h e d i s gu s t i n g t e x t u r e o f t h e n a r r a t o r

t - s h i r t a n d t h i s i s h i gh l i gh t e d by th e si b i l a n c e . T h e ‘ s t i f f

n e s s ’ s o u n d s u n c omf or

’s

tabl e

a n d t h e ‘ s a l t y ’ i m p l i e s i t f e e l s g r a i n y , a s w ell a s em p h a s i si n g h ow m u c h h e ’s s w e a t ed

a n d h o w u n c l e a n t h e j o u r n ey h a s m a d e h i m .

T h e m e t a p h or ‘gho s t i n t h e m i r r or

’ i s a power

f u l way t o d e s c r i b e t h e n a r r a t o r

’s pal e

a p p e a r a n c e a n d em p h a s i s e h o w s t r a n g e l y w h i t e h e l o o k s , wh i l e a l s o sugge s t i n g t h a t

he f

eel s a l m o s t d e a d af

t er h i s e x h a u s t i n g jo u r n ey.

The l engthohf i sjourn iye sa l s ocapturedinth he yperbolicphra se‘ U V deprivationw’hi ch

sugge s t s hef ee l sthathe s’beenlockedawaylik pare ison rwitho e utan ysun light. The

ideaofbein g deprived alsoshows howrelievedhei stoh avefi n a l l yrea c h ed thebeac h.

T he m etaph o‘rsoak u paf ewr a y s ’ i sagoodwayto d e s c r i b esunba thing. T h everb‘s o a k ’

sugge s t s bathi ng by lin kingto wa.Italtersoso u n d srel a x i n g a n dplea s u rable,witht h e

wordr‘a y s ’ m a k i n g t h esunli ghtseemli ke ind i v i d u a l b e a m swarm ing h is body.

T h e t h i r d p a r a g r aph op e n s with a go o d m e t a p h or : ‘ C h a w e n g w a s a t r a v el - b r o c h u r e

p h ot . oT ’ h i s i m p l i e s t h a t i t l o oks p e r f

e c t i n a n a l m o s t u n b el i e va b l e way.

ll cpeuhkni-toniarotcl.Ttwhasnei’ushrintT‘yralsjikrym ceiadiasnm eilgi

makesthejekis t-sesmmilesawayratherthanclose-upandn ois Cm oy.paringtheseaot

l c lm .aeer,thpledm palym osatsch iokaw ectihuerfeslonhsetdasanwsehteka

T h e n a r r a t o r a l s o s e e m s r e l a x e d w h en h e d e s c r i b e s t h e ‘ s o f

t c l i c k s a n d r u sh e .sT ’ h i s

u s e s t h e s e n s e s o f s o u n d a n d t o u c h t o c on v e y t h e s t r a n g e y e t s o o t h i n g s e n sa t i o n of

b e i n g u n d er

wa t. e‘ Cr l i c k s ’ s o u n d s u n u s u a l a n d h e l p s t h e r e a d er t o i m a g i n e t h e e x o t i c

m a r i n e w o r l d , whi l e r‘ u sh e s ’ sugge s t s t h e c a l m m o v e m e n t of th e wa t e r on hi s sk i n .

T h i s c o n t r a s t s w i t h ‘ t h e m o m en t u m s o m e r s a u l t ed m e f or

wa r d s ’ w h i c h c r e a t e s f u n a n d

e x c i t e m e n t b y l i n k i n g t o m o v e m e n t a n d s p e e d . T h e v e r b ‘ s om e r s a u l t e d ’ su g g e s t s h e

f e e l s e x h i l a r a t e d , l i k e a gymn a s t , w h en h e ’s k n o c k e d i n t o t h e wa t. e r

S e c t i o n

471

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

.5

7

Feedback

1

The three ans wers are accurate and show precise u n d e r s t anding.

2

The three ans wers are accurate, working out the corre c t m e aning of the word in relation to

its place in the extr a c t .

3

The three explanations are accurate and the writer of the res ponse make s use of their own

words.

4

T his respo nse contains a range of well - s e l e c ted words and phrase s, inclu ding some i m a g e .r y

The writer co n s i d e r s t h e d i f ferent meaning s and ass ociation s of the words being quoted.

Writing is con cise and precise, makin g g o o d u s e of subject terminology ; there is clear

u n d e r s t a n d ing of the effe c t s achieved by language.

9

What is be t t e r about the ans wers here ? I d e n t i f y one

improvement in each answe . r Use the ‘Excellent progr e s s

points’ o help you. o n page76t 1

10

Using the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excellent progres s points’ on page76, 1evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e s a n d improve them where you can.

C h a p t e r :7 A n a l y s i n g

l a n g uage

571

Chapter 7

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I c a n u n d e r s t a n d m o s t meanings in a t e x t .

•

I can explain m ost meanings of words and phrase s .

•

I can selec t some p o w e r ful words and p hrases from a text .

•

I can selec t some p o w e r fu l i m a g e r y from a text .

•

I can apply som e s u b j e c t terminology .

•

I can explain some of the ef f e c t s of words and p h r a s e s .

Excellent progress

•

I c a n u n d e r s tand co mplex meanings in a text .

•

I can explain the meanings of words and p hrases p recisely an d concisely .

•

I can selec t a range of power ful wo rds and phra ses from a t e x t .

•

I can selec t a range of powe r f u l im a g e r y from a text .

•

I can apply a full range of subjec t te rminology .

•

I can explain t h e e f fe c t s of words and p hrases precisely and concisel.y

S e c t i o n

671

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

E x t e n d e d r e s p o n s e

to reading and

8

d i r e c t e d

w r i t i n g

eeeno ldaleriwsmeowuitotmeoytexSrtods,

ot mehatl m itesaocettrnaledfisropcndehnst

i rwepfos aecdeuraoipfdewgein.efcineiatic

dteenoeoytolskuld,nioskw psTstastielhur

l dinaksgngindaietr i hr.wstlob

Reading:

•

xe fo tgtanisrrcietdnudisnmoealdp

1R ( sgn)i naem

•

i l pmi sgnfionaem gtntasrirtednusinmoeacd

2Ri (ttase)dunta

•

pol eveadvedna, eesdyttdianclauafn,lsase

, snoinipo

ppus repptaa igrnfripoom tsrou

)t3xeRt(eht

•

ps rofnf i noeisutcamitdfrceniolaecs

)5R( seso.prup

Writing:

•

xeepdxnea eeatwhcaneslusiicetratp

dna t lefW)(, dtehnguigo1mahit

•

osdndranoafsaeesdnionaigneriotucprt

arebfife(l etcdt )W 2

Links to ot her chapters:

•

ecngenaatcnroevscuardftnyeoasrarslubet s

texteatniorcpoortp)pW (a3 Chapter 2: eKy technical skill s

•

xetnoc i ropotrsppigaert(raeesut 4)W

Chapter 3: Key writing form s

•

n i l elseduncpaasenotaieftcntruokpauam c,g

W( . rma)rg5 Chapter 4: Writing for purpos e

771

oT pic 1

Chapter 8 .

Undaensrtdnigexetnded response

to readingqtiouesns

S o m e t i m e s y o u w i l l b e a s k e d t o w r it e a n e w

t y pe of

t e x t , b a s e d o n i n f o r mat i o n g i v e n i n a n ot h e r passage.

uoY w i l l n e e d t o demonst rat e r e a d i n g s k i l l s t h at s h o w

u n d e r s t a n d i n g o f t he p a s s a g e .ouY w i l l a l s o n e e d t o

m a k e i n f e r e n c e s f r o m t h a t i n format i o n , d r a w i n g on

t h e d e t a i l a n d e x p a n d i n g o n it t o c r ea t e yo u r o w n p i e c e

o f w r it ing.

Explore the skills

Look at this exampletask. Theeykfeatures – thosethatwould

form the basis of a response–havebe enlabelled. (T his question

refersexto TtAon page 79, but 1 you do not need to read this yet.)

the role you should

You

a r e

A l f r e d o

. oYu

a r e

h o p i n g

t o

o r g a n i se

write in

g u i d e d

t o u r

s ,

i n c l u d i n g

a

v i s i t

A

. oYu

t o

a

f o o t b a l l

the material you should

g a m e

l i k e

t h e

o n e

i n

eT x

t

n e e d

t o

use in your writing

p e r s u a d e

y o u r

b u s i n e s s

p a r t n e r

t h a t

t h i s

i s

a

the purpose

g o o d

i d e a ,

e x p l a i n i n g :

the audience (in this

of your writing

case the reader) for your

•

what it is like before the game

writing

•

the different ways to experience the match

•

what tourist s will learn or experience from

the key points you must

going to one.

include

Write

a l e t te r

to your busin e s s p a r tner .

the form of

w

riting you must areminderto

Base your let ter o n what you have readeinx T t A ,

use usematerial

but be careful to use your own words . Deal with

fromthepassage

each of the three bullet point s .

inyouranswer

Begin your let ter:

idea for our guided tours…’

the opening

sentence

you Write about 25 0 to 350 word s .

must use

Upto15 marks are available for the co ntent of

your answer , and up to 10 marks for the quality of

your writing.

S e c t i o n

871

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

‘Dear Raul, I have had a great

.1

8

Look at the las t t wo paragraph s in the ta sk.

1

W h i c h t wo i m p o r t ant bits of guidance have

not been labelled here ?

Develop the skills

Read e x T t A below. As you do so, note dow n:

2

w h o s e p e r s p e c t i ve the text is from (for example,

a)

is it Alfredo’ ?s )

terlofa(tis is.i s),ietxhmtal?pxeofwrotsehat

)b

xeT tA

In this tex t , t he author , from the USA , has been taken to

a football match bet ween El Salvador and Mexico by his

friend Alfredo.

uoT t s

a r e t r y ing to sell them ticket s .

uPtng.hiAn rhouytrem ndi‘’ d.,aiuosyefw ohceatr ak ‘ T

evrBkecop.t Mco.syhuestlfarof.evsthaprieopl

ruoy 5

or’ .luolwyiyheTb

I did as I was told. ‘ W hat about the ticke?t Shall s we buy

some

from these boys? ’

Suns

‘No, I will buy

01

Shades

’.

rA‘ e they expen veis? ’

‘Of course, but thiswil beagreatgame.Icouldnever see

such a game in Sant a Ana. Any w,the ay Shades will be

coVabulary

quieter ’. Alfredo look ed around.‘Hideovertherebythe

wall.Iwill get the ticke ts.’

uoT t s :

people who sell

ticket s at high p rices

51

A l f r e d o v a n i s h e d i n t o t h e c o n g a l i n e a t a ticket w i n d o w .

outside groun d s

H e

a p p e a r e d again at the middle of th e line, jumpe d the

q u e u e , e l b o w e d f o r w ard and in a ver y sho r t

t ime had

fought his way to the window. Even his frien d s

m a r velled

Suns:

ticket s for pla ces

in the sun

a t

h i s

s p e e d . H e c a m e t o wa r d s

u s

s miling, waving the

ticket s for pla ces

Shades:

20

ticket s i n

triumph.

under cover or out of the

sun

We were frisk ed at the entrance; we passed through a

salver:

tunnel and emerge d at the end of the stadium. From the

more of a

salver

,a

i

tureen

f

f

at silver or me tal

l ed with brown screeching tureen:

25

l

tray

outside it had looke dlike a kettle; inside, its shape was

s e r v i n g dish, of ten

faces. In the centre was a pristin e r e c t angle of gree n grass. oval in shape

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

971

Chapter 8 .

oT pic 1

I t w a s , those 45 0 0 0 people, a mod el of Salvado rean societ . y

Not only the half of the st adium where the Suns sat (and it

was jammed: not an empty seat was visible);or the bet et-r

d r e s s e d and almost as crowded half of the Shade s(a t night,

30

in the dry s e a s o n , there was no dif fere nce in the qualit y o f

the seats: we sat on concrete ste p s , b u t o u r s , being more

expensive than the Suns, were less crowded); there was

a s e c tion that Alfred o had not mentioned: the Balconies.

Above us , in fi

35

ve tiers of a gallery that ran around our half

of the sta dium, were th e Balcony pe ople.

Balconypeople had seasonctikets. Balcony people had

small rooms , cupboardsized, about as largeastheaverage

Salvadoreanhut; I could see wine b ottle s, the glasses , the

plates of foo d.Balconyp eople had folding chairs and a good

4 0

viewofthefi

eld. There were notmanyBalcony people –

two or three hundred–butat$20 0 0 for a seasonctiketin

a country where the per capita incomewas$373onecould

understand wh.yTheBalconypeople face dthescreaming

Suns and, beyond the stadium,aplateau. What I took to be

45

lumpish multi- coloured veget ationcoveringtheplateauwas ,

Irealised ,aheapofSalvadoreans s tanding ontoporclinging

to the sides . There were thousands of themin this mass , and

gwm histaieostrrrifnyihgtahntSeuns.Thewygerihletd

byhteestae;urm dgilw uersjape s-tanw rcegbpitl

50

movemenatmongthaw -netbats.oidlei;sl ih

From

180 S e c t i o n

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

The Old Patagonian Ex p r e s s

by Paul Therou x

.1

8

Appl y the skills

Look back at the ta sk and the annot ations. Now ‘de code’

3

the following ta sk in the sameway. Copy it out and ad d

a n n o t a t i o n s , labelling thekey e l e m e n t s .

uoY are one of the ‘Suns’ . A f ter the game, a re p o r t e r a s k s

whether he can i n t e r view you about your experience s of

a t t e n d i n g the match. The r e p o r te r a s k s you three ques tions:

•

What did you se e and feel both before and during the

match?

•

What do you rem ember about other people watching

the game and how their experience s d i f fered to your? s

•

Would you go to another game if it was likeths?i Why/

whynot?

Write the words of the interview.

Begin your inter view with the firs t q u e s tion.

Checklistforsuccess

Check your progress:

Remember to note down:

I can un d e r s t a n d the main

✔

your role

i d e a s r e q uired in e x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e to reading t a s k s .

✔

the form and purpos e

I c a n u n d e r s t a n d all the

✔

the audience a s p e c t s required to resp ond

to an ex t e n d e d r e s p o n s e to

✔

any other key detail s . readingta s k .

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

18

oT pic 2

Chapter 8 .

Extendedresponsetoeradnig:

hegatring informonait

The key elements in the que s t io n will g uide you towards

the infor mat ion you n e e d f rom the tex t . T h e y will also

help you decide on the tone and st lye of your response.

Explore the skills

One key element of the q u e s t ion is the lis t of bullet points . This

is the content you

include in your respo n s e , s o u s e it to find

must

the key information you need from th e t e x t .

Look again at the b ullet points from th e task oin T

pic . 1 8.

uoY

are Alfredo.

oY u are hoping to organise guided tours including a visit to a football game

likethe one einx T t Aou. need Y to

p e r s u a d e y ou r b u s i n e s s

p a r tn e r

that this is a goo d idea,

explaining:

•

what it is like before the game

•

the different ways to experience the match

•

what tourist swillearn or experience from goingtoone.

a l e t te r

Write

to your busin e s s p a r tner .

Here is an example of some notes that have bee n s t a r ted in

response to the firs t bulle t point.

Keypa r t o f q u estion

M ain points from text to

Detail

use in the l e t t e r

what it is like before the game

the need to keep safe

watching out for ‘thieves’

how to get tickets

what it is like entering the stadium

1

Copy and complete the table, adding details to the third

column to suppo r t the overall points you might u se in

t h e l e t. rte This could b e specif i c f a c tual information or

p a r t icular des criptive

detail s .

At this point , you do not need to fo cus on how Alfredo

might view things dif f e r e ntly from Paul (the narrator).Stick

to what actually happe ns or can be seen by anyo ne who is

at the match.

S e c t i o n

182

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

thec‘ onga-line’ queue

.2

8

Build the skills

Toptip

Now conside r the seco nd bullet point:

t h e d i f f erent way s to

It is import anttoread the experience the match

.

text c arefully w ith the task

2

W hat are thes e

d i f f erent way s

? Scan the te x t for references inmind,tomakesure that

to the following, and make brief notes o n them: you include enough relevant

details from the text in

•

ih)teratwhaw h’dnysa(uSedehaS‘sn‘tm ae’hndatsso

your writing. I t can help to

•

the ‘Balcony ’ p e o p le (how their exp erience is d i f ferent

underline or highlgi htkey

to those of the ‘Suns’ an d ‘ S h a d e s’ )

details in the passage as you

•

the people on the mound outside the ground (this may

read it.

or may not be of use to you on the, sotour evaluate

whether it is worth including).

Develop the skills

Using inferen ce is an impo r t a n t skill in ta sks like this. For example,

they (the Balcony people) do

the writer s tates:

not have the hot sun in their

faces

‘ T h e B alcony peo ple

faced

the

screaming

Suns.’

the ‘Suns’ are making a huge

amount of noise

3

W hich of the following would be

reasonable

inferences

from the given information ?

The Balcony people

a)

b)

hate the Suns.

people.

The Balcony people

c)

The Suns hate the Balcony

d)

are privilege d.

The Balcony people are not

as excited by the match as

e)

The Balcony p e o p l e d o n ’ t

likefootball.

the Suns.

Appl y the skills

The third bullet point in the qu e s t i o n a s k s you to explain what

t o u r i s t s will gain from the experience. This requires a d i f ferent

s o r t of inference. Fo r someone unus ed to the e xperience, it might

n o t b e p a r ticularly relaxing or comfor t a b l e.

4

Fi n d t e x tual evidence to s u p p o r t the following st a t e m e n t s .

Check your progress: a)

It is an exciting experience.

b)

It is an impor t a n t match that ordinary people do not

I

c a n g a t h e r relevant

usually ge t to see.

i n f o r m a t i o n f rom a give n

passage.

5

W hatelsedoyouthniktourists wouldgainfromthe

I can s e l e c t r e l e v a n t

experi?Look ence againathowPaulTherouxrespondsto

i n f o r m a t i o n f rom a give n

p a s s a g e a n d c o n s ider how it

whathesees:whatdoeshelearnaboutthathewouldn’t

will be u s e d .

hdefa’viespentalhilstm i eatthe?beach

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

183

oT pic 3

Chapter 8 .

Extendedresponsetoeradnig:

devgoeplnia conv nigcieorl

For lo n g e r w r i t i n g t a s k s , y o u w i l l n e e d t o a do p t a

c o n v i n c i n g r o le . I n o r d e r t o d o t h i s , y o u w i l l n e e d t o

u n d e r s t a n d t h e t y p e o f c h a r a c t e r a n d ‘ v o i c e’ you w o u l d

h a v e i n t h i s r o l e a n d adapt y o u r u s e o f l a n g ua g e t o f i t .

Explore the skills

A

is the part someone plays or the t ype they fi

role

t into – for

Toptip

example, a particular profes sion (bus driver), place in a group

(eldes t child ) or even a s tate of mind (the hero in a sto r y .) L o o k b a c k a0ot1pic T for 2.

refers to t h e p e r s on’s pe rsonalit y o r b e l i e f s .

Character

more info rmation on voice

and role in writing.

The role might have c e r t ain ty pical behaviours or trai t s . For

example, a

tourist

•

want to see the sights

•

use a map or p hone app for dir e c tions

•

b e s t a ying in a hotel or gue s t h o u s e .

Their charac ter could be any thing, but it might be sugge s t e d

by the role. For example, they may:

•

have an inquiring , curious mind

•

be irritable about food or lack of comfor t

•

be worried about safe t y / s e c urity.

uoY can prac tise such creative thinking by taking so me

common roles in life and fi

ling in the blank s . F o r example:

elderly professor , livesalone: thoughtful, bookish, dry sense of humour …

Fill in the blanks fo r the following rol e s .

1

i f nefordlreihretcvai,fygrsudbnu… onytyeiixcva:t,

)a

waitress , new to h e r j o b , v e r y young: …

b)

Build the skills

It can help to build a ment al image of th e role you are ‘playing’ .

A s k y ou r s e l f :

•

D o I u n d e r s tand the role I have bee n given ?

•

W h a t d o e s this pers on feel about the situation or to ?cpi

S e c t i o n

184

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

might:

.3

8

•

How might this pe r s o n s p e n d their time ? What are their

i n t e r e s t s or beliefs ?

Imagine that your role is that of a ticke t tout. o Y

u could use

q u e s t i o nslike the ones above to infer ideas about the chara c t. e r

Look at the table below.

Detail from tex t

Question

D o I u n d e r s t and

Explanation

uoT ts are s elling

Inference

I’m selling unof f i c ial

uoT ts lik e me rely on

the role I have be en

ticket s for the ‘ S u ,n s ’

ticket s for the c h e a p e s t

people being d e s p e r a t e

gvien?

before the game.

seats.

to see the game at any

c o s t , even for the wor s t

seats.

What do I feel

Alfredo say s , ‘ B e v e r y

Locals warn tourist s

about the situatio ?n

careful. Mos t of the se

about tout slike me.

people are thie v e s .

They think I mus t also

They will ro byou.’

be a thief if I sell black -

market

2

ticke t s .

Complete the inference for the second row of the table.

oT flesh out char a c ters and make them realistic, you could create a

diagram.

3

Copy the diagram and complete it to build up an idea of

theticke t tout and hi s life.

I’m hardworking and competitive –

there are all the other ticket touts

trying to out-sell me!

I’m worried, always checking

I’m crafty , but I’m not like

around me. Police might turn up

the others. es, I’ll Y sell

at any time and…

dodgy tickets, but…

I have a family of… which

means I…

I’m jealous of that man they call

Alfredo’ and his friends ‘ because…

4

Create a similar diagram for one of the ‘ Balcony ’ people.

•

xetm iorhteanftomrinfehteonUsdt.elrubipctaitl

•

Consider any inferences about the ‘Balcony’ people

s u g g e s t e d by the text .

•

Use a range of different ideas.

C h a p t e r

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oT pic 3

Chapter 8 .

Develop the skills

A key asp e c t of developing a co nvincing role is to get the voice

of the pers on right. T his means that the language you choose for

that pers on must:

•

i

f

t their charac ter (for example, if they are a positive, excitable

p e r s o n , y ou might use sho r t e xclamations and positive

language)

•

i

f

t t h e i r r o l e ( a p a r ti c u l a r p r o f e s s i o n o r t y p e o f p e r s o n m i g h t

Key terms

u s e

v o c a b u l a r y linked t o t h e i r j o b – f o r e x a m p l e , a f o o t b a l l

technical te rms that

jargon: r e p o r t e r m i g h t r e f e r t o ‘ w a v e s o f a t t a c k ’ o r ‘ b r i l l i a n t l i n -k u p

people unfamiliar with the p l a y ’ ).

s u b j e c t would not know

uoY also need to decide whether the language they us e:

slang:

•

is formal or informal

of language (may include

•

contains

jargon

contains

slang

d i a l e c t words), o f ten

or other technic a l - s o u n ding language

common to an area, c i t y or

•

a n d n o n - s t a n d ard forms of Engli sh or is mos tly

group of people

i n s t a n dard English.

Look at list of people who are attending the match and the

5

d i f f e rent things they might say .

Match each role on the l e f t to an appropriate phras e on

a)

the right.

What are the clu es that tell you who is speaking ?

b)

‘Can I have a drink?Please, Dadd y!mI’ so hot! Please!’

child

fA ‘

footballer

ter an uneventful fi

r s t half, the match came to life on 52 minutes when

Ribeiro saved the penalty. ’

ticket seller

‘ W ell, it was tou gh but we held out – great save by Marco – so we’re still in

with a chance of the Cup, w hich is great. ’

‘Four for the We st St and? Right, that will b e f o r t y dollars pleas ’e.

reporter

Look at these t h r e e e x tr a c t s writ ten in the role of the tick et to u t .

Ihaveahighlysoughtaf t e r position as a ticket facilitator who distributes tickets in re turnfor

monetary

remuneration at public events.

tIs’a right old laugh, innit,like? Know what I mean?Cos I just wanna make a packet be fore the fuzz

catchme…

I know people look down their noses at me, but they stil wanttickets, don’t they?orFthe right

price, I’ l givethem what they want.

S e c t i o n

186

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

v e r y informal us e

.3

8

6

W hich ex tra c t s e e m s m o s t appropriate , bearing in min d

both the role and char a c t e r of the per son conce rned?

Now consider how to develop Alfredo’s voice. Remembe , r

t h e p a s s a g e is not written by him so you will need to read

t h e t e x t and note down what you find out about him.

Read the text on pages79 to 1 180 again.

7

M atch the inferen ces below to evidence fro m the text .

He warns Paul ab out his se c u r i .t y

H e is worried for Paul’s s a f e t y as a friend an d

a tourist .

He ‘jumped the queue’ and ‘elbowed

H e i s v e r y excited by the e x p e r i e n ce, which is

f o r w ard’ to ge t the ticke t s .

special

His friends ‘ m a r velled’ at his ability to do so.

for him too.

H e could be s een as a leader or some one

who take s respo nsibility .

He knows whichticke ts to g et – not the Suns ,

He might not have much money, but

but the more exp ensive Shade s .

c o n s i d e r s the event wor th t h e e x tra cost .

HetellsPaul‘suchamatch’wouldnever be

He is determined, and p erhaps slightly

seen in his own town, S anta Ana.

r u t h l ?e s s

8

N ow,con sider his

. What clue s are there in t h e t e x t

voice

about the way h e s p e a? k s

•

eusheDsoe

i lmbaercnetnrhoes,gindorg?nls,eno ts

•

Does he seem to be confident or timid in the way he

speaks?

•

W h a t s o r t s of things is helikely to talk about (he is

there as a fan of th e team, and with his friends , so

consider that) ?

Appl y the skills

9

01aWr eti 0 - w orddairyentryorfmviAoerfpndlotisoe’wni

whchiedescbrinvaeighrtsteaduiem kcanidbtuy ngi ts.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Use language that matches what you know about Alfredo

a s a p e r s on and his likelych a r a c. rte

Check your progress:

✔

Make sure that you draw from a range of dif ferent ideas in

t h e t e x t to create your role.

I c a n d e v e l o p i d e a s from a

t e x t to create a r o l e .

✔

Consider his p e r s p e c t ive – remembe r that the tex t i s

not

I c a n s e l e c t from a ra n g e o f

w r i t t e n from Alfred o’s point of view so think how his

i d e a s i n a t e x t to create a

p e r s p e c t ive might differ from Paul’s . convincing role.

C h a p t e r

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oT pic 4

Chapter 8 .

Extendedresponsetoeradnig:

structurin g a response

T o w r ite a n e f f e c t i v e r e s p on s e , y o u n e e d t o o r ga n i s e

your idea s s o t h at t he y a r e c l e a r a n d f i t t he f o r m o f t e x t

you have b e e n a s k e d t o w r it e .

Explore the skills

Look again at the t a s k .

uoY

are Alfredo.

oY u are hoping to organi se guided tou r s

including a vi sit to a football game like the one einx T t A .

uoY need to

p e r s u a d e y ou r b u s i n e s s

p a r tn e r

good idea, explaining:

•

what it is like before the game

•

the different ways to experience the match

•

what tourist s will learn or experience from goin g to one.

a l e t te r

Write

to your busin e s s p a r tner .

There are two e l e m e n t s of struc ture in this tas k :

•

the overall organisatio n of your tex t in l e t t e r format

•

the struc ture of individual paragraphs to e xplain key i d e a s .

In terms of the overall organisation, you have the information

you gathered fo r each bullet point from the t ask oinpiTc 8 .ou 2.Y

now need to consider how to organise thi s in letter format. For

example:

•

salutation:

Dear Raul

•

opening paragraph: explain your reaso n for writing

•

middle paragraphs: use the information you have gathered for

the bullet points in the t ask to p e r s u a d e Raul

•

concluding paragraph: what you want to happ e n n e x t – any

expected

1

r e s p o n s e from Raul.

Remember that this is a per sonal le t t. W e rh a t s t yle of

language would you use to ad dress Raul?(He is your friend ,

but also your busines s p a r tn ). e r

S e c t i o n

188

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

that this is a

.4

8

Build the skills

uoY now need to consider how to struc ture individual paragra p h s

so that you write 250

– 350 words in total.oInpiTc 8 . 2, you used

a table to explore the text . This i s a good st a r t ing point, but you

need to think about how to a dapt the information for

makeit

purpose

: to

p e r s u a s ive. For example:

•

introducing yourkey i d e a /s to Raul

•

anticipating any o b j e c tions he might rai s e

•

u s i n g p e r suasive language to get your point across .

2

H ow has this be en achieved in the following paragraph ?

Copy the paragraph and

annotate it.

u oT ristswil love the whole buildu-p to the match. es, Y

I know there are long queues for tickets, but,believe me,

I know how to ge t them quiceklWy.can also make sure

tourists aresafe by giving them clear advice about valuables–

this is something touristshave to do all over the world, so

tsi’ not a problem. Then, just imagine the thrill they will get

entering the stadium and seeing the excited crowd and the

pitch!

C h a p t e r

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oT pic 4

Chapter 8 .

3

Complete the pe rsuasive details for each of the points

below about dif f e r e nt ways of exp eriencing the match.

Remember – s tick to w hat is in the original text .

Suns ticke ts –

a)

don’t worr , y I’ll ensure tourist s don’ t have

these because…

4

b)

Shades tick e t s–

c)

Balcony tick e t s–

t h e s e a r e p e r f e c t b e c a use…

these are good, but…

Co n s t r u c t a paragraph using a similar mod el:

Toptip

•

topic sentence introducin g the idea

uoY will not find much

•

follow up senten ce/s anticipating any obj e c t ions that

explicit info rmation in t h e t e x t

Raul might raise

that will help you address the

•

i

f

second bull et point. ou Yn e e d

ni sh with key positive poi n t s u si n g p e r suasive

to use your skills of inference

language.

here.

Develop the skills

Now think about the fi

nal bullet point:

what touris t s w ill learn or

experience f rom going to a match.

5

U se a table or a spider diagram to come up with ideas – but

r e m e m b, they e r must be specifi

c details from the tex t .

benefi

t of a local guide who

will keep them safe

what tourists will learn or

experience

S e c t i o n

190

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.4

8

Appl y the skills

6

Write out a full plan for the ta sk, with a number for each

paragraph and l e t t e rs for ea ch point or de tail you wish to

include. T hen, draf t your respo nse.

Check your progress:

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Use the bullet points to help you organi se the order and

I c a n c r e a t e a n o v e rall

content of your res p o n s e .

p l a n f o r a t a s k a n d i n cl u d e

relevant point s .

✔

Remember the purpose of th e l e t t e r – to per suade Raul.

I c a n c r e a t e a n o v e ra l l p l a n ,

✔

Makesure that you stick to the form – a let . ter

a n d c o n s tr u c t paragraph s

t h a t i l l u s trate m y p o i n t s

✔

Use only the information from th e t e x t .

clearly.

C h a p t e r

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E x t e n d e d

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oT pic 5

Chapter 8 .

tsUrnde andgidirected wri ting

oqnsueist

D i r e c t e d w r it i n g quest i o n s m a y b e b a s e dd oon o n e o r t w o

n o n e o r t wo

passages. T h e y m a y ask you t o :

•

evaluate the material that you read, analysing the th id eas that

e ideas that

it contains

•

express your own views o n the issue o r i s s u e s

•

write in a form that allows you to ex press your oown ideas .

wn ideas.

Explore the skills

Read this tas k. It is base d on e x T t s A and B below, but bu you do not

t you do not

need to read them yet.

Write a spee c h

for a school a ssembly, giving your views on whether m oney raise d through

s c h o o l f u n d - raisin g events s hould be given to a charity called S ave Our Tig e r s , o r used in s o m e

other way.

In your spee ch, you should:

•

evaluate the views given in both tex t s about ‘single s p e c i e s’ c o n s e r vation

•

give your own views , b a s e d on what you have read.

n i daer epvsahruouw hyonyoeshatcBeae

htob

otwo lruufoeyrsa.setuscbdtsrxdeurdw Atoe,bns

l l ub eht sftoniohptotbe.

taepsro… fruyoyuaoyndToig‘kenBthace,’hpidsnemyhtg

Write about 25 0 to 350 word s .

Upto15 marks are available for the content of your ans wer and up to 25 marks fo r the quality

of your writing.

1

List the key e l e m e n t s of the ques tion.

Identify:

a)

the form of the tex t you are being as ked to write

b)

its

c)

the

Toptip

audience and pur p o s e

I f n e c e s s ar , look y back at

core issue or focus

poT 1i c to8 remind . your s e l f

how to identify the key p o i n t s d)

the content you mus t inclu d e

e)

any other key information.

in a task.

S e c t i o n

291

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

8

.5

Build the skills

uoY will need to analyse an d evaluate the ideas from the pa s s a g e s

in your own writing. In doing so, it may help toeke p a running

log or list of notes of the main points made by each writer .

For example, here is the opening paragraph eofT x t A :

rof koL

I don’t want the panda to die out . I want spe cies

to stay alive – that’s why I ge t up in the morning.

I don’t eve n kill mos quitoes or fl

pxesnoiraseselrc

tniowpeiv fo

,isfi ethahethtetk(em atrnaeslrst eccn

. )stnvwearusevreoiceptsiwr

ie s. So if pandas

Look for signals of

c a n s u r vive, that would be great.

But

alternative points

l e t s’ face it:

(that is, the connec tive ‘But ’ su g g e s t s

c o n s e r vation, both nationally and globally, has a

that the writer ha s more to say.)

limited amount of resource s , a n d I think

we’re

Look for

evidence

that sugges t s

going to have to mak e s o m e hard, pragmatic

a point of view (that is , lack of money

choices.

f o r c o n s e r vation, so choices have

to be made).

So, the point you note down here could be:

The writer believes in conserving all species, (‘ Iwantspecies

to stay alive’but there’s a lack of resources so it may not be

possi .) ble

2

N ow read the t wo pas s a g e s , making notes as you do so.

xeT tA

The following pass age is an ar ticle in which a telev ision presenter

and naturali s t , Chris Packham, ask s a dif fi

cult question about

c o n s e r v ation.

S h o u l d p a n d a s b e l e f t to face ex t i n c t i o n?

I don’t want the panda to die out. I wa nt species ot stay alive – that’ s why I get up in the mo rning.

I don’t even kill m osquitoes or flies. So if pandas can s u r vive, that would be great. But let’s face

it: conser va tion, both nationally and globally ,

has a limited amount of res ources, and I think we’ re

going to have to make some hard, pragmatic choices.

5

The truth is, pandas are ex traordina rily expe nsive to keep going. We spend millions and millions

of pounds on pret t y much this one species, and a few others, when we know that the bes t thing

we could do would be to look afte r the world s ’ biodiversity hotspots with greate r care. W ithout

habitat, you’ve got nothing. So maybe if we took all the cash we spend on pandas and just

bought rainfore st with it, we might be doing a bet t e r job.

391 C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

oT pic 5

Chapter 8 .

01

O f c o u r s e ,ti’s easier to raise money for something fluf f. Charismatic y meg afauna like the panda

do appeal to people’ s emotional side, and attr act a lot of public atte ntion. They are emblematic

of what I would ca ll single-sp e c i e s c o n s e r va tion:e.i. a focus on one animal. This approach b e g a n

inthe19 70s with Save the Tiger , Save the Panda, Save the Whale, and so on, an d it is now out

of date. I think pan das have had a valuable role in raising the profile of cons e r v ation, but per haps

51

‘had’ is the right word.

Panda conser va tionists may st and up and, say ‘It’s a flagship species. Weer’ a l s o c o n s e r ving

Chinese fores t, where there is a whole plethora of other things. ’ And when that works,mI’ not

against it. But we haveto accept that so m e s p e c i e s a re stronger than others. T he panda is a

species of bear that has gone herbivo rous and eats a type of food that isn’t all that nutritious, and

20

that dies out sp oradically . It is susceptible to var i o u s d i s e a s e s, and, up until re cently , it has been

almost impossib le to bree d in captivit. They’ve y also got a ve r y restricte d range, which is ever

decreasing. … [] Pe r h a p s the panda was already destined to run out of time.

E x t i n ction is ve r y mu c h a p a r t of life on ear th. And we a re going to have to get used to it in the

next few y e a r s because climate change is going to result in all sor ts of d i s a p p e a r ances. The la s t

25

large mammal ex tinctio n was anothe r animal in China – the a ngtze Y rive r dolphin, which looked

like a worn - o u t p i e c e of pink soap with piggy eyes and was never going to make it on ot anyone s’

s -T h i r t. If that had appe a r e d b e a u tiful to us, then I doubt ver y much that it would be extinct. But

it vanished, b e c a u s e it was pig-u gly and swa m around in a river where no one saw it. A nd now ,

sadly , it has gone for. ever

30

… ] [ m’I saying we won’t be able to save it all, so let’ s do the best we can. An d at the moment I

don’t think our strategies are bes t placed to do that. We should be focusing o u r c o n s e r va tion

endeavours on biodive r s i t y hotspots, spreading our net more widely and looking at g o o d - q u a l i t y

habitat mainte nance to p r e s e r ve as much of the life as we po ssibly can, using hard scien ce to

make educ ated decisions as to which species a r e e s s e n tial to a community’s maintenanc e. It may

35

well be that we can lose the c h e r r i e s f r o m the cake. Bu t you don’t want to lose the substance.

Save the Rainforest, or S ave the Kalahari: that would be bet. t e r

F r o m w w . wguardian.cou.k

S e c t i o n

194

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.5

8

xeT t B

The follow ing pass age comes fr om a naturalis t ’s autobiography .

A love affa ir with nature

Iwantyoutopicture a scene.ItisaSundayaf ternoon, twe n t y - f i

veyears ago.Achildwander s

aroundazoowith his parents ,untilheisdrawntothe panda enclosure.Atfi r s t , there isnothing

to see. Then, little by little,abundleoffur emerges from behind a tree. Largeeyesgaze out

at the visitors . In that moment, the childisentranced by the gentle panda, asif he had been

5

offere dthelarge st te ddy in theworld.Buthe also be ginsaloveaf fair with nature its.fel

Thatchdliwasme.Liteltdidknow I thatvistiwoudlchangemyfiel–butitdid.Forsincethen

Ihavebeenapowerfuladvocatefosr‘avethepanda’campaignsevennithefaceofmounting

crtismosf‘inglespecies’conservationanditscost.Afteralwho ,l can e puta?Yprcieonfeil s ,

therearethosewho objecttosavingcuddlycreattkueirelshepandaandwho

01

calm i thatfocusing

onindividualspeciesmis sesthebigger picture,theneedtoprotec thabitatsforadiverserange

ofanimals.Theyassert thatpilingeffo rt nitosavingacrkeiatluer,thepanda,whomayhave

diedoutnianycasethroughevoultoinar yforces,isadiversion,awas teofmoney…perhaps

evenawasetoftm i e.Butwhyshouldextinctionbesomethnigweacce?ptHumanityhasthe

powertochangefileforthebetter .

51

tssismtliarustanihwtyaeoNknbraehcotbneithova.esytrhYesnhwtdipIoihettnes

cefsietilesounglitneihtodrsetorm cvgedntum sadit,m ylaeucotbws.anipyotfAs lreI

ekhtieklcabkm eardm ewilbaInihow Icls:nktwhiatdhulwanrhedassafon,e

udcasibsaogm srt,eiolthw asnm etlrhanfiopdcts oinm eyitndaotly

?tahtth wongirhtsenwha’t

20 Themonewyegovtcaimpuasgvohcetincersauterdsom es uahrftjoner stsupporthtat

porvitIam des ni.aleducaoinatdempolymenfotlrcapefloipehl;aevjobshteay,er

otyeldekfieolsresutpports osi, habgatoiAsthoenspd.flgriv,oneirevtaibylmeans

pordnvbigaetterhaohbftarepr ieftiBydum .tsoofsm tifportan ,yl term iniduhsowoclse

htecrauw tersm eosctheoxtaehrsi nitctioTnh.eareon ab1yo8ult 00htaegniiptalnldiast

25

nsoayw iendthsl,ioughtosusthtnpaeiopAonaiut.l Igsew hrteofcuarIfpsotd

qkueyson:ihwtaopIseloptahsgypeniatnda,htwerethntioM e, adag,asrcam unertl

oh trensowW eloupb?dahedIralppusofcyhm raginfi ecntbeastbotecsohcm sfielre?tory

Fomrhtee,anodsw t.sibeyralhcno tklw ‘eina–snt’di

Develop the skills

3

Check your points – are the re any that could be d i r e c tly compared or contras ted? Record your

ideas in a table such as the o ne below.

Text A: Panda s – wort h saving ?

e xTt B: A love affa ir with natu r e

C o n s e r v ation has ‘li mited res ources’ .

ou can’t Y p ut‘a price on .life’

Appl y the skills

Check your progress:

4

Based on your initial readin g, what is your view on I c a n s e l e c t key po i n t s f r om a

source tex t .

whether the school money should be spent on a Save Our

T i g e r s c a m pagni? Write one paragraph summarising your I c a n s e l e c t key po i n t s a n d

compare them with one s

viewpoint. Check that you have e nough evidence from the

from a con t r a s t in g t e x t .

t e x t in your notes to suppor t this viewpoint .

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

195

oT pic 6

Chapter 8 .

Directed wri tinga:naylsnigand

evualt nigtexts

uoY n e e d t o d em o n s t r a t e t h at yo u h a v e c o n s i d e r e d t h e

k e y i d e a s i n t e x t s c a r e f u l ,l ys o t h a t y o u c a n w r it e a n

a n a l y t ic a l r e s p o n s e suppor t e d b y e v idence.

Explore the skills

There are two stages to this process. First, you need to look at an

idea in detail to fully understand what the writer is saying. For

example:

i’yflisniertanidroaehrttxe‘ re

hgihylbidercni si tsoceht stsegus

Thetruthsi

extkeorxapytolndevraiensepgonig.

pandasre

‘keep going’ – means help to

surv ive, support

So, the point is:

it cost s a huge amount to ke ep pandas ali ve

(according to the writer)

.

T he table below contains two qu otations froeTmx t s A and

1

BoinpicT 8.5. Copy and complete it to identif y the point

being made and the inference s. If th ere is more than o ne

inference, u se the fi

nal column.

Point being made

Quotation

Do I agree/

Why? Why

disagree?

(explain your reasons with

new information or ideas)

u

l

xeT t A : ‘Of c o u r s e , i t ’ s easier

People are happy

to raise m oney for something

to donate to save

f

appealing -lookin g

f f’ . y

animals.

xeT tB: ‘ t h e child is entranced

by the gentle panda’

Build the skills

T h e n e x t s t a g e in the proce ss is to

synthesise

t e x t s, fo r example:

xeT t A :

‘ E x t in c t io n i s v e r y m u c h p a r t of life on earth. And we are going to have to get used to it

in the next few years b e c a u s e o[f ] climate change…’

xeT t B :

‘But why s h o u l d e x ti n c tion be som ething we acce pt? Man has the power to change life

for the bet’ . ter

S e c t i o n

196

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

two id eas from the

not?

.6

8

St a r t by making notes about:

2

Key term

•

sem ksaiynadecdniasenchureocagnfywihtay

b r i n g t wo ideas

synthesise:

•

what your own viewp oint is.

together to make a new

one

Develop the skills

uses a similar word to ‘en-

Now evaluate. This means making your own judgem ent about the

tranced’ (‘captivated’) and

p o i n t s . Bear in mind that you are not d i r e c tly quoting fro m the

phrases the point using the

given text o r t e x t s , b u t writing your own material – in this cas e,

positive adjective ‘proud’ (like

a speech fo r the school a ssembly. The sample re s p o n s e b e l ow

‘gentle’ in ext A) T

s y n t h e s i s e s the two points of view into one evalu ative comment:

tshone‘ esaphrhet seus

kcabskni l dna ’sm egdutnej

Iknowthatwe are all captivated by the sight of ’si hturt eht‘ s m ahk’ocaPt

the proud tiger with its unique coat, but I agree

endswithaquestionandthe

with Chri ackham: sP

surely

we should

make honest

phrase‘morethanjust’which

about conservation on more than just a

judgements

suggeststhatthestudent

creature’s

visual appeal?

does not

thinkthemoney

shouldbespentonthetiger

campaign

There are a numb er of dif ferent ways of saying ‘I agree ’ or

‘I disagree . ’

For example:

I am in agreement with…

I am in disagree ment with…

Likewis e, I feel…

I share the same point of view

In contrast , I feel…

I don’t share the view that…

I concur with…

I d i f fer from…

I believe…

3

I

don’t believe…

Rewrite the evaluative paragraph above as

if you disagre ed with Chris Packham. Use

at least t wo of the phrase s in the right- hand

column.

Appl y the skills

Check your progress:

4

ak e the T points from th e ‘running log’ you

completed oinT pic 8.5. urnTthese into

I can s y n t h e s i s e p o i n t s f r o m

two tex t s .

evaluative sentences lik e the on e above.

Where there is not a ‘parallel point ’ in the

I can s y n t h e s i s e p o i n t s f r o m

o t h e r t e x t , t r y to evaluate that point on

t w o te x t s and evalua te what

they are sayi n g .

its own.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

791

oT pic 7

Chapter 8 .

Directed wri ting: structur nig

your esponse

O n c e y o u h a v e a g o o d u n d e r st a n d i n g o f t h e p o i n t s t h at

e a c h t e x t m a k e s , y o u n e e d t o w r ite d o w n y ou r i d e a s i n

a c l e a r a n d e ng a g i ng w .a y

Explore the skills

Reread the ta s k .

Write a spee c h

for a school a ssembly, giving your views on

whether money ra ised through school fund -rai sing events

should be given to a charity called S ave Our Tig e r s o r u sed in

some other wa .y

In your spee ch, you should:

•

evaluate the views given in both tex t s about ‘single

s p e c i e s ’ c o n s e r vation

•

give your own views , b a s e d on what you have read.

n i daer epvsahruouw hyonyoeshatcBeae

htob

ubtxeteb, st

surowotnwohltuorbfudeoAsyrsae.csrdep te l l ub eht . stfnoio

taepsrofr…uoyuy.oayndTc‘eoinekgpne,ithsBacde’hnm yehtg

Write about 25 0 to 350 word s .

Upto15 marks are available for the content of your ans wer

and up to 25 marks for the qualit y of your writing.

u o Y createdasil tofpointsthatbothtext scomment ask3onofniT

p o Touicnow 8.5.need Y todecidehowyouwolrgianiseyourwork

todealwiththesepoints .Therearedifferentoptionsavalb:ile

Option 1

O ption 2

O ption 3

S t a r t with ideas you agree with

S t a r t with most i m p o r t ant

S t a r t by going through

from both pass a g e s .

common area covered by both

Packham’s ideas one by one,

writers.

agreeing or disagreeing.

Continue with thos e ideas you

don’t agree with.

Continue with other common

esatehytbgenui tlnkoCconcd

areas (but le s s i m p o r t a n t ones).

o ybenos ’saredti.iewnr

End with a conclu sion summing

up your views.

S e c t i o n

198

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

End with a conclu sion summing

End with a conclu sion

up your views.

summing up the ideas .

.7

8

1

Look at the set of example notes below. Which of the thre e

options do th e s e n o t e sfolow?

•

r aP agraph : extinction 1 – is it natural or can it/

should it be stopped?

•

cost of conservation

•

P

aragraph2: appeal of ‘fl

uff

y ’ animals: hardscience

versus emotion

•

P

aragraph 3: whether single species campaigns

aroe‘ ut of date’given todays ’ concerns(i.e. climat e

change )

•

P

aragraph 4: habitat campai er than gnssibe ngle-

species ones?

•

P

aragraph5:naturalists’knowledge of the real facts

versus the views of ordinary people

•

Conclusion

Build the skills

Once you have d ecided on the order in which you will tackle the

key points – whe ther synth esised fro m both pass a g e s , o r each

p a s s a g e i n turn – you need to think about the struc ture of your

paragraphs.

Here is an example of a straight f o r ward paragraph addressin g

one of the second writer ’ey sk poi n t s .

Someargue thatmostordinary people are not able to

topic sentence sums

focustheirwholelives on the more detailed aspects

up writer’ s point

of nature and conservation. Instead, they respond to

the beauty or power of nature throughtheirfeelings,

develops explanation

andthatiswhysymbols such as the panda or tiger are

important.

I think this isverytrueandagoodreason expresses student’ s

why

weshouldsupporttheS‘ avethetiger’ charity:

own view

it wil keep us involvedwith conservation and in the

backs up/supports

future may lead us to suppor t otherlesswelkl-nown

view with own

species too.

evidence/ideas

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

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199

oT pic 7

Chapter 8 .

Copytheparagraphbelow, reorderingitsothatitfollow s a

2

similarstru ctureto the example above.Thencomplete the

final sentence,whichexplains the stu d e n tsvi’ ewmore.ful yl

e Y

t,Idisagree because if that child is gievn a false

view of nature then that is not healthy.It can turn

people into strong support ers of conservation. It is

also assert ed that children firstsexperience ’ with

magnificent animals such as pandascancreate a life-

long interest in nature.

They need to know the reality about…

Develop the skills

It is also imp o r t a nt to consider the conventions of the form your

writing should take. In this tas k, you are aske d to write a s p e e c h ,

so you should think about the following conventions:

•

Direct

address:

I’m talking

to you…

•

Personal and relevant per s p e c t ive:

As

I

walk around

the

school…

•

Presentation of arguments through imager , y p a t t e rn of

three, and so o n:

Pandas may be

manner

cuddly, cute

childlike

and

in

, but…

•

Use of intensifiers or oth e r p o w e r ful language:

It is

signi f icant

3

that…

D ecide which elements of the paragrapha ins kT 2 could be

improved, using some or all of the point s above.

S e c t i o n

200

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

hugely

.7

8

Appl y the skills

4

Choose a plan from Option 1,2 or 3 on page 19 8 and write

out how you will tackle the t a s k . T h e n , choose any of the

points that have not bee n covered in this topic and w rite a

paragraph. Makesure that it:

Check your progress:

•

includes a topic senten ce that make s clear what a s p e c t

I can c reate a ba sic plan

of the passag e o r p a s s ages you are a d d r e s s i n g

for my chos e n r e s p o n s e

•

includes e x p l a n a t o r y s e n t e n c e /s that explore the idea in

and create in f o r m a t i v e

paragraphs.

more detail

I c a n s e l e c t from a ra n g e o f

•

includes a sentence that shows clearly what your view i s

planning op tions a nd write

on the point you have s e l e c te d c l e a r p a r a g r a p h s to convey

my viewpoint.

•

i s w r i t ten in a st yle that suits a s peech to the school.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

201

oT pic 8

Chapter 8 .

Practicquestoinsandsm aepl

responses:extended response

to reading

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills in e x te n d e d r e s ponse to

reading tas k s :

•

I d e n t i f y the main ideas in a task in order to sel e c t relevant

information.

•

Consider how to use information form the pas s a g e e f fe c t ively.

•

Create a role with a convincing voice, based on id eas in a tex t .

•

Plan and execu te a suitable s t r u c ture.

•

Write paragraphs that clearly co nvey a point of view .

our task Y

Read the following t a s k , t h e n write a res ponse of 25 0

1

– 350

words.

Richard Branson i s a v e r y that you are Richard Brans on and you have b e e n

Imagine

s u c c e s s ful busines sman. He asked to speak abou t e x tr e m e s p o r t s at a loc al colleg e.Make

founded the Virgin Records

sure

youinclud e:

that

music sto res when he was

•

w h a t h a p p e n e d that day

22 years old. Since then, the

•

what Branson learned about him s e l f

Virgin brand has grown to

encompass many

•

what he would say to stud ents who are facing probl e m s

t y p e s of busines s, in cluding

or in adver s i t. y

a record label, an airline and

Base your rep o r t o n what you have read in the text , but be a m o b i l e - phone company .

careful to us e your own word s

.

Branson has also made s everal

a t t e m p t s at breakin g world

‘I am delighte d to have be en invited here to share my

Begin:

records in sailing and hot-air

experience withyou…’ .

ballooning.

S e c t i o n

202

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

d i f ferent

.8

8

nI1,9Branson 87 at tempt e d t o c r o s s the Atlanticbyhot- air balloon with his part ne,r Per

Lindstrand. In this ex trac t , af t er a disas trous at tempt to land, P er has leapt into the sea to save

himself but Branson remains in the balloon.

Alone in the ballo o n

Whatever I did in the next ten minutes would lead to my death o r s u r vival. I was on my ow n.

5

We had brok en the record but I was almos t cer tainly going to die. ,Per with no survival suit, wa s

either dead or tr yin g to swim o n. I had to get s o m e b o d y to fi

n d him. I had to sur vive. I cleared

my

mind and conce ntrated on th e options in front of me. I hadn’t slept fo r over 24 hour s and

my mind felt fuzz. y I decided to take the balloon up high enough so I could parachute o f f the

capsule. I bla sted th e burners and then found my note book and scra wled acros s the open page,

01

J‘oan, Holly, Sam, I love you.’I waited until the altimete r showed 80 0 0 feet and then climbed

outside.

was I alonenithecloud.crIouchedbytheinraligsandlookeddown.Iwaslstiwheelingthrough

thepossibetisli ujfI.mped,Iwoudkblieyltohaveonylt womniutestoivle.fImanagedto

openmyparachutewoul I, desllitndupinthesea,whereIwouldprobablydrown.Ifeltforthe

51

parachutereelasetag,andwonderedwhetheritwasthergihtone.Perhapsduetomydyslexia,

Ihaveamentalblockaboutwhichsirghtandwhichislef t,especiaylwithparachutes.Thelast

timeIhadfree alf-elnpIuel dthewrongreleasetagandjettisonedmyparachuteA.thetime,I

hadseveraskydi l versaroundme,sotheyac vaittedmyreserveparachuteBut . nowwas I bymyself

at 80 0 0 feet.IslappedmyseflhardacrosthefacetoconcentrateTher . ehadtobeabetter. ywa

‘Give yours elf more time ,’Isaid out loud. ‘Come on.’

20

A s I crouched on top of the cap sule, I looke d up at the vas t ballo on above me. The realis ation

dawned that I wa s s t a n d ing beneath th e world’s l a r g e s t parachute. If I could bring the

balloon

down,thenperhapscIoulduj mp offnitotheseaatth e last m oment before we crashed. I now

knew I had enough fu el for another thi r t y minu t e s . I t m u s t b e b e t ter to live for thir t y minutes

25

than jump off with my parachute and perhaps live for only t wo minu t e s .

‘ W h lie I am alive I can still do something,’ I said. ‘S omething m u s t t urnup.’

I climbed back inside and took off my parachute. I ma de up my mind. I would do anything for

t h o s e e x tra minutes . I grabb ed some chocolate, zipped it intomyjacke t pocke t, and che cked

that my torch was s til there.

30

Peering out of the capsuleintothefogbelowme,Itriedto work out when I should stop

burning, when I should open the vent, and when I shouldleavethecontrolsandclimbouton

topofthecap suleformyfi naljump.IknewIhadtojudge the la st burn exactly so that the

balloonwouldhit the sea as slowly as pos sible. Despitelosingall our fuel tank s, theballoonwa s

stilc a r r y ingaweightofaroundthre e tonnes.

35

A s I c ame out throu g h t h e b o t tom of the cloud s, I s aw the grey sea below me. I al so saw an R A F

helicopter . I gave a last burn to slow my de s c e n t , a n d t h e n l e f t the balloon to come down of its

own accord. I grabbed a re d rag and climbed out through the hatch. I squ a t t e d on top of the

capsule and waved the rag at the helicopter pilot. H e waved ba ck rather ca sually, seemingly

oblivious to my panic.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

203

Chapter 8 .

4 0

oT pic 8

Ipeeredovertheedgeandsawtheseacomingup.shuffl I

outwherethewindwascomingfrom.Itwasdiffi

edroundthecapsuletrynigtowork

cutlobesuresniceitseemedtobegus ting

fromadlriec ons. it Ifi nalychosetheupwindsideandolokeddown.Iwasfi

f t y feetaway ,the

heightofahouseand , theseawasrushinguptohitme.cIheckedam cjkefilytandheldonto

thneiralgiWi . thoutmyweight,Ihopedthebalolonwouldrsieupaganirathetrhancrashingon

45

topom fw eI.atei dunwIltiasjustabovetheseabeforepulinlgmylife-jkeac trpicordandhurnilg

mysefaway l fromthecapsuel.

The sea was icy. I spun deep into it and felt my sc alp freeze with the water . Then the lifejacke t

b o b b e d m e s traight ba ck up to the surface. It was h eaven: I was alive. I turned and watched

the balloon. W ithout my weight, it quietly soared back up through the cloud likea magnifi

50

ce nt

alien spaces hip, vanishing from sight.

From

204 S e c t i o n

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

Losing my Virg i n i t y

by Richard Branso n

.8

8

Exploring responses

Now read this exam p l e r e s p o n s e to the tas k .

Response 1

I am delighted t ohave been invited here today to share

vocabulary is repetitive

my experience with you. The experience I had wasev r y

excitingbutvery dangerous and I almost die d.

does not really say why

the audience ought to

What happened was that emptiI was ng aa record-

listen

breakingballoon fl

ight but my balloon ran out of fuel. I

wasover the sea and it wasfoggy – I knew I was going to

crasheventuay.lAt fi

r st, I didn’t know what to do as my

uses Branson’ s exact

words and doesn’t even

mindfelt all fuzz. y I wrote ers tolemychildren and wief

explain why he felt like

as I thought it was the end. Finalyl, I came up with a plan

this

to survive.I let all the fuel out of the balloon and used

it as a giant parachute, then just before it hit the sea I

jumped out. I was wearing aacket ej-lif and the sea was

icy but I was alive!

I l e a r n e d a l o t a b o u t my s e. l fO n e t h i n g I l e a r n e d w a s

that my dyslexia m a d e t h i n g s d i f f i

cult for m e : I c o u l d

n o t d i s t i n g u i s h b e tw e e n r i g h t a n d l e f t a n d t h i s m e a n t

I d i d n ’ t k n o w h ow t o o p e n t h e p a ra c h u t e . B u t I was

c l e v e r t o o b e c a u s e I r ea l i s e d t h e r e w a s a n o t h e r w a y

t o s u r v ive. I w o r k e d o u t I c o u l d u s e t h e b a l l o o n a s a

p a r a c h u t e t o s u r v ive – a n d t h a t i s w h a t I d i d . I a l s o k e p t

c a l m a n d r e a l i s e d t h a t p a n i c k i n g d o e s n ’ t s o l v e a n y th i n g .

youfaiSfrencopgi,roeblmsorthingsthatfrgihtenyou,

thwenIoudstlyahaytocuandefi nitoyevlrcomethem.

Therearoeltsofthingsyouofadcernox:ampldyes,alxi

oucanusedidn’tholyourdmenitgbiealence Yck.andkeep

camlandworkuatnswerstoyouprrobelmThat s. swhat i

didanIed.tsavdeimy filThanykosfuirlteningtome.

Feedback

This respo nse make s an attempt to take det ails fro m the text

and integrate th em into the sp eech. Unfo r t unately, the st yle

is inconsistent and the conte nt lacks s t r u c ture and the sens e

of audience is missing. Vo cabular y i s mostly l i f ted from the

original tex t , although there is s o m e a t tempt at original ideas,

if rather clum sily expre s s e d .

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

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a n d

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w r it i n g

205

oT pic 8

Chapter 8 .

2

I d e n t i f y t h r e e f u r ther things in this resp onse that could be

improved. Use the ‘Excellent progress points’ on page412

to help you.

Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e .

Response 2

engages audience

I a m d e l i g h t e d t o h a v e b e e n i n v i t e d h e r e t o d ay t o

by using powerful

share my experience with you. What happened had

adjectives

a p r o f o u n d i m p a c t o n m e , a n d t a u g h t m e i n c r e d i bly ‘profound’ and

valuable lessons.

‘valuable’ and

adverb ‘incredibly’

In essence, emptiI was ng aa record-breaking balloon concisely

use of second

l

f

ight but had got into terrible diffi

cultyover a freezing

paraphrases

person creates

information

and was running out of fuel. Can you imagine

cold sea

direct contact

from later in

Faced with probable death, I wrote goodbye’ ‘ not es

that?

with audience

text to sum up

formy family; I couldn’t think clearly and all the options

predicament

seemed to lead t o my inevitable destruction, but fi

nally I

cleared my mind and worked out a way to get through it.

Usingtheballoon as a parachute, I plunged into the sea

but without harming myse .fl I survived!

The experience taught me that I could work out solutions

to problems through cool thinking: that panicking doesn’t

help. Equally important, it told me thatIlovedfile and

that I would do any thing to sur vive and see my fami. ly

It showed me that even though I had problems such as

dyslexiaIcould overcome them through lateral thinking.

This, then, is my message to you. Whether the challenges

youfacearebig or small, don’t fix ate on your weaknesses.

o Y

u are more capable than you think! Keep a cool head

and consider all the options – somewhere inside you is

theansweryou seek.

Feedback

Thisianexcellentresponse.Itni stantlyengagestheaudience

andkeepstheirniterestbydescribni gtheni cidentnidramatci

detail.It usedpowerfullanguagesuchasstrong adjectives

andrhetoricalquestions.

Thespeechdevelopslocel,arlgicayyl

covenrigtahlreeofthebulletpointsinthetask.

S e c t i o n

206

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.8

8

3

U sing the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

p r o g r e s s points on page421, evaluate your own r e s p o n s e

and improve it wh ere you can.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

t o

r e ad i n g

a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

207

Chapter 8 .

oT pic 9

Exametlio-squeytns

andsameplresponses:

directed wri ting

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills in e x te n d e d r e s ponse to

reading tas k s :

•

S e l e c t keypoints from a source tex t .

•

Show that you unde r s t a n d explicit and implicit meanin g s

in a text .

•

Compare and contra s t i d e a s from two t e x t s .

•

Synthesise and evaluate poi n t s .

•

Choose an appropriate str u c t ure for your res p o n s e .

•

Write paragraphs to clearly convey your viewpoint.

our task Y

1

Read the tas k and the pass age that follows it. Then write

your respon se to the ta sk in 250

– 35 0 w o r d s .

Write a spee ch to be give n to stu dents at your school abou t

t h e e f fe c t s of global touris m .

In your spee ch, you should:

•

evaluate the views given in the tex t about the ef f e c t s of

tourism

•

give your own views , b a s e d on what you have read ,

about tourism to beautiful or historical place s , a n d how

it should be dealt with.

Base your spe ech on what you have read in

the text

careful to us e your own word s . A d dress both of the bullet

points.

Begin your spe ech: ‘T hank you for givin g me the oppo r t u n it y

to talk abou t this impo r t a n t issue… . ’

208 S e c t i o n

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

, but be

.9

8

xeT tA

Mass tourism i s at a tippin g point – but we ’re

all part of the problem

B y M a r t in Kett le

Nearly 30 years ago,…]I [ i n t e r viewed the zool o g i s t ,

D e s m o n d M o r r i s . During that inter view, Morris said

something that was hard to forge t. “We have to

recognise, ” he said, “that human beings may be becoming

5

an infest ation on the planet. ”

T h o s e w o r d s came back to m e a s r e p o r t s came in about

the increasing r e a c tion in many par t s of Europe against the

depredatio ns of mass tourism. La s t w e e k I read a stre s s -

inducing sto r y in The Time s about ap palling pa s s p o r t - check

01

delays at Milan airpor t ; three days late , r Iwalked through

t h o s e s e l f s a m e p a s s p o r t gates with only a brief and

c o u r teous check .

N e v e r th e l e s s , when places from the Mediterranean

to the Isle of S k y e all st a r t complaining more or les s

5 1

simultaneously about the sh e e r p r e s s ure of tourist n u m b e r s

in their stre ets and b e a u t y s p o t s , as has happ ened this

A u g u s t , it feels as if the always uneasy balan c e b e t we e n

the visited and the visitors has gone beyond a tippin g

point.

02

] .…[

P r e d i c t ably,Venice is one of the mo st agonisingly pressured

of all. It emb odies th e increasingly irreconcilable forces of

vernacular life, tourism and su s t a i nability in histo r i c p a r t s

of Europe. But that doe s n ’ t s top the millions arriving all the

52

time – 28 million this year , in a city with a population of

55 00 0, many disembarking fro m m o n s t rous cruise s hips

that dwarf the ancient cit y as they approach the Grand

Canal. Each day in summer is a humiliation of mos t of the

things the wo rld treasures about Ve nice. Not surprisingly,

30

many locals have had enough.

But these are only the hot sp o t s . T h e tourism pro blem runs

far wider . Human beings a cross the wo rldmake more than

a billion foreign trips a year , t w i c e a s many as 20 year s

ago. In Britai n , s t atistics this we ek show we to ok 45 million

53

foreign holidays last yea , r a 68% increase on 19 9 6 . A n d

foreign trips cut both ways . Many of tho se who were

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

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209

Chapter 8 .

oT pic 9

i n t e r viewed in the me dia when th e narrow road to Glen

Brittle on Skye became jammed with traf f i

c this week were

European visitors , a t tr a c ted not jus t by the s c e n e r y but by

40

the advantage ous exchange rate.

The problem sho w s i t s elf in both supply and demand.

There isn’t enough room for the many to walk through the

centre of Dubrov nik, o r enough public toilet [ ] s on Skye for

the visitors . But th e number of p eople wanting to visit such

54

places is ri sing all the time, fed by greater global pro s p e r i t, y

cheaper air travel and increas ed overall provision of hotels

worldwide. ourism T is now the lar g e s t e mployer on the

p l a n e t . O n e in every 1 people 1 relie s on the indu s t r y for

work. Unsurprisin gyl, few government s want to pu t a

50

squeeze on such a source of wealth.

]…[

It would be won d e r f u l if government s could fi

n d e f f e c t i ve

ways to at leas t mitigate the wors t problem s . S o m e , such

as those of T hailand and Bhutan, have been bold, even

55

t h o u g h m o s t r e s t ri c t ions hit harde st at the less wel l - of f

and are most easily circumvented by the rich. The role of

government action to ensure ad equate and app ropriate

infrastr u c t ure in tourist areas is indis p u t a b l e .

In the end, though, I think we have to take greater

60

individual resp onsibilit y t o] … [o.

We have to re- examin e the idea that we enjoy an

u n f e t tered libe r t y to travel at will or for pleasure. We have

to rethink the imp ulse that says that a holiday from work –

or retireme nt from work – is an o p e n s e s ame to exploring

56

vartnahcs]Wm eno[… –auhsnc.dtraheltwlroehdtluo

os’enom nuihusam beoapn–ledvsgandhwn ic

- raf ethitlaoclnsaiyocflcitoxetdnaoufnobghsnel.r

a .ryaspehetyTem nd,sohabenrhitelBvutsrsonwhose

retisw cadihi bu-sahltgkosurtm enditnaondi

07

skcquiaMorhenftoatsgoaniLtiaoPrfnalei ebeofer

ehccairhacaletohanm gheitdeplioanrsltiretsaner

swhonehetnhaentceipxrnesa phitenm daseofunt

ehbthetgniohrcwdtsam rebitutter flgkcba?hetnei dsaren

efniWnae.ebtiButondubtm ay.aeIton ryawitset

57

nmiehtw orrannacav .otlerd Tem opbrl.

From

012 S e c t i o n

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

The Guardian

.9

8

Exploring responses

Now read this exam p l e r e s p o n s e to the tas k .

Response 1

Thankyoufor giving me the opportunity to talk about

this important issue. I can see that tourism is on the

increase and it needs to be lookedat.

vocabulary is repetitive

Itisreallyclear that

lots

more people are now travellin

g

and limited

around the world. So,thismeans

lots of

delaysat

airports, plus more people going to beauty spots and

famous places. LienikecVe where there are these

monstrouscrusiehipwschmi usbteveryuglytoolokat.

words taken directly

from text

But it isn’t just famous places but also places like Skye in

Britain which are being spoiled by traffi

c jams. It is aw f ul

when a place like this is ruined because of visitors.

Also,there are places like Dubrovnik where you can’t even

walk in the centre because there are too many people.

personal view but no

real sense of audience

But people want to travel, and I want to travelwhen

I’m.olstI’ dsoermuch cheaper now and hotels are much

. er

Plus betourism makes a lot of money for cities and

countries so that mustn’ t stop . Lots of people work in

tourism, about 1 peopl 1 ine.1

So we all need to thinkhardbefore we take a holiday to

somelovely placeenice like V or Thailand. Because the

traffi

c and the number of people will make it a bit unreal,

not likesitsupposed ’ toerhaps be. P we won’t enjoy it as

much as staying at home, because we must notorge f t

that there is a lot to do and see in our own countr . y

Thank you.

Feedback

This resp o n s e d o e s d eal with both sides of the i ssue at a basic

level and sums up s ome of the key points made, but there is

little a t t e mpt at synthesising the m and drawing conclusi o n s .

There is als o little sense that the speake r i s t r ying to connec t

with the school audience.

2

Identifythreefurtherthingsinthisresponsethatcouldbe

improved.Usethe‘Excellentprogresspoints’on4page 1 2 to

helpyou.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

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a n d

d i r e c t e d

w r it i n g

112

oT pic 9

Chapter 8 .

Now read the se cond sample re s p o n s e .

Response 2

Thankyoufor giving me the opportunity to talk about

this important issue. The g i f t of being able to travelthe

world is onemI’ sure we all lookorw f ardt o as we ge t ,older

but we need to question its eff

ect.

The fact is that global tourism has seen a huge increase

and this has had a profound eff

ect on the world’ s most develops the point and

neV ice,for example, sees28mil ion

popular destinations.

responds to it from a

personal perspective

visitors a, many year arriving on ugly cruise ships. I ask

you – is this the bestbackdropfor such an ancient city?

The sheer weight of traffi

c is also a major problem, with

roads like the ones toy Islthe e ofinpre gSkye g e 

clogged ,upand so too is the fact that people are unable

to walk through the centre of popular cities due to the

staggering number of visitors.

What does this meanorf us as youngpeople? It is

synthesises points from

diffi

cult because on the one hand I don’t want to visit

both texts

places that are so overwhelmed you cannot even see

I do want to expand my horizons. I also

the sights, but

recognize that such tourism has ben e f i

ts too: there is a

good chance,orf example, that one in eve r y eleven of us

in this room will end up with a job in tourism. And every

government is pleased with the money tourism brings in.

Ultimatel, Iythink the issue of what sort oftravelwe

want is important.Wil staying in a dull modern hotel

andtakingafew snaps on your phone le the as youba

clear expression

hordes reallysatisf y you?When we leave school,wehave

viewpoint and of

a choice – to blindlyfolowthecrowd or do something

intentions

diff

erent.Asyoung people, we canblazeatrailfor how we

wanttravel to look in the coming years.For my part,I’m

going to begin ing btoyknow gemy own country fi

r st –

onfoot orbicycle. I hope you do too.

Feedback

This respo nse cover s the ta sk in a logicalway, a d d r e s s ing each

of the bullet points and de m onstrating a good un d e r s t a n d ing

of audience and purpose. T he writer su c c e s s fully evaluate s

the points raised in the text and synth e s i s e s t h e m to provide a

celar, concise analysis in their own words .

S e c t i o n

212

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.9

8

3

U sing the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

p r o g r e s s points on page421, evaluate your own r e s p o n s e

and improve it wh ere you can.

C h a p t e r

8:

E x t e n d e d

r e s p o n s e

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r e ad i n g

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d i r e c t e d

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312

Chapter 8

Checkyour progress

Extended response toeading r

Good progress

•

I c a n u n d e r s tand the main ideas and p oints fro m a source ex tra c t .

•

I can expres s ideas clearly and in a straightfo r w a rdway,although they may not be

well develope d.

•

I can use s o m e d e t a li s and examples to back up my ideas .

•

I can focu s on some of the bullet s in the t a s k .

•

I can use s ome conve ntions of a sp e e c h .

•

I can includ e a basic ‘voice ’ in my writing that sometimes evoke s a sense o f p e r s onality .

•

I can seque nce my writing well and choo se a broadly e f f e c t i ve s t r u c ture.

•

I o f te n g e t s p elling, pun c t u ation and grammar right.

Excellent progress

•

I can look clo sely at a tex t and show my opinio ns about it.

•

I can includ e well- developed and su s t a i n e d i d e a s , using convincing and ef f e c tive

language to exp r e s s t h e s e i d e a s .

•

I can use e xamples and det ails to ad d power and p urpose to my r e s p o n s e .

•

I can addres s all the bullet point s listed in the ta s k .

•

I can use the conventions of a spe e c h e f fe c t ively.

•

I can recreate a co nvincing voice that reflec t s s omeone’s p e r s o n a il t y a n d s u s t ain this

throughout my writing.

•

I can organise my ideas to have an ef f e c t on the audience.

•

I almost always get spelling , p u n c tuation and grammar right.

Directed writing

Good progress

•

I can sometimes write using the conventions of a sp ecified form.

•

I can organise my respons e, sometim es choosin g words that are p o w e r f u l.

•

I can sometim e s u s e language appro priate to my audience.

•

I can generally use a ccurate spelling, pun c t u ation and grammar .

Excellent progress

•

I can write in a var i e t y of forms, using conventions app ropriately .

•

I can organise my ideas to influe nce the reade . r

•

I can choose words for thei r i m p a c t a n d e f fe c t .

•

I can consis tently u se language to engage and influence my audience.

•

I can use co nsistently accurate spelling, pun c t u ation and grammar .

S e c t i o n

412

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

C o m p o s i t i o n

9

oppoat ehnoti vtuoigitysinoum ysptoketCrs

oy w hotgnlreuollyawothayseheTotti rw.u

a tnetnoc eht cufrotidnasetgsdrnedunfot

ev i dtagnr oriatngni irwetphietdvrnwaciisee,

soehtgihlfefhevidtekskaylstrtunetoiarerrot

rw fo ece i p l an i gti.ergcosnuedhoicnratpoaripopa

o

T

write a composition, you will need to use

your writing skills to:

•

xeepdxnea eeatwhcaneslusiicetratp

dna t lefW)(, dtehnguigo1mahit

•

osdndranoafsaeesdnionaigneriotucprt

arebfife(l etcdt )W 2

•

ecngenaatcnroevscuardftnyeoasrarslubet s

Links to ot her chapters:

texteatniorcpoortp)pW (a3

•

xetnoc i ropotrsppigaert(raeesut 4)W

Chapter 3: Key writing form s

•

n i l elsdeuncpaasenotaieftctnruokpauam c,g

Chapter 4: Writing for purpos e

W( . rma)rg5

512

oT pic 1

Chapter 9 .

Undaensrtndigcomponitsi

tasks

uoY w i l l h a v e t o m a k e q u i t e a f e w c h o i c e s i n your

Toptip

composit i o n w r i t ing. I t i s i mp o r t a n t t h at yo u f u l l y

Look back opics to T 4.9 and

u n d e r s t a nd what t h o s e c h oi c e s a r e a n d ho w t h e y w i l l

0 1 to4.remind yourself of the

a f f e c t y ou r r e s p o n s e . C o m p o si t i on t a s k s u s u a l l y g iv e

keyfeatures of descriptive and

y o u a c h o i c e o f t w o t y p e s o f w r i t i n g – d e s c r i pt i v e or

narrative writing.

n a r r a t i v e . A c o mp o s i t io n s h o u l d b e 3 5 0 – 450 w o r d s .

Explore the skills

desaviswW tkihepaxsm tohihbow ceoaibLtplkr.sc

1

desavWihstipwoh.cilerc

iwrevitotanrraM netak?esnghcwkiasnhditnw gikrst

tgnitiwrev?iketkM saanoest

daihtcedhcaew m hsecvohnayktsetyuopyeodn.

edevahuoyoepdn.ic

)a

D

e s c r i b e an occasio n w h e n t wo w people mee t for the fi

rst

o p e o p l e m e e t for the fi

rst

time.

)b

‘

A lthough it was alm oost s t midnigh m i dnight, I heard th e sound of

t, I heard the sound of

f o o t s t e ps approaching our hous house. I opened th. e ’ door …

e. I opened the . ’ door …

Use these t wo se ntences to ss ttaar r t a stor . y

t a stor . y

Build the skills

E a c h t y pe of writing has its own conventi o n s . T h ese might be

s t r u c t u ral

(how ideas and information are se quenced or o r d e r e d )

s t y l is t i c

or

2

(how language is u s e d ) .

Copy and complete the chart below.

Conventions of good narrative s

structure

Individual elements are tackled in turn in

structure adds interest by revealing

or concealing information

s k o o h t a h t g n i r needpaoe r g neohr tt s

use of flashbacks?

surprising ending?

dna gnfio aeprutyc li dp isvtneisiv

style

yregam’i redganeri seunitmcdainsrashrc

S e c t i o n

612

Conveonitnsofgooddescprivtiewntrig

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

detail.

.1

9

Develop the skills

uoY can develop you r u n d e r s t anding of the co nventions and

p r a c t i se using th em. However , in exam conditio ns you will n e e d

to deal methodically with the task s . I t can help to follow a proce s s

such as the one below.

1

Read the four ta sks (t wo de scriptive writing and two narrative writing).

2

S e l e c t the one task from the four for w hich you:

•

un d e r s t a n d the conventions (the form /purpo se and its s t yle and stru c t u r )e

•

have a good range of ideas (it is no good choosing a topic or theme that you know

nothing about o r c a n n o t p i c ture in your mind)

•

c an write in a co m p l e x , s o p histicated way (no t j u s t statin g the obvious but providin g

detail an d depth of language and ideas).

3

Quickly plan your ans wer .

Reread the two q u e s tionsains k1T. Which would you

3

choose?Why?

Appl y the skills

Once you have s e l e c t e d the task ,make sure that you under s t a n d

it is asking you to ou do. can Y do this by highlighting the

what

key words in the ques tion.

a narratiev is a story, so Narrative writin g

I must use what I know

A‘

lthough it was al m o s t midnight, I heard

aboutgood storytelling

the sound of foot s t e p s approaching our

tobetold

house.

in the first the content: a person hears

I o p e n e d t h e d .o o r ’..

Use these t w o

person (‘I’) someone coming to the

sentences t o s t ar t a stor . y

house and opens the door

makesure I only

write the beginning Check your progress:

I d e n t i f y thekey words in the following ques tion.

4

I u n d e r s t a n d w hat each

t a s k i s a s k i n g and c a n s e l e c t

a f o r m t h a t I ca n w r i t e

c o m p e t e n t l. y

Descriptive writing

I u n d e r s t a n d t h e r a n g e of

D e s c r i b e a scene in which a customer complains to a

t a s k s o n o f f e r a n d c an draw

c r e a t i v e l y o n what I k n o w

shop manager about an item he/she has bought.

of them.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

712

oT pic 2

Chapter 9 .

i rgon fi inkrvncssaiaeadttelpadeP

asenkthpw rendsiyorehkgteinhglHi

ppoleho?lpenstvredm tuoyaib,tponratw idoes

Explore the skills

Look again at the following task. The key words have be en

highlighted.

Descriptive writing

beircDse

1

wni eanechsc aih

sniaom ltproeusc

ot

Q uickly generate ideas abou t the

regam napohs a

thguob/ehmesathiehnsa.

bouta

, based on thekey

content

words. Jot down:

•

what

the

customer

and

are elik

manager

•

what the cus tomer is

2

complaining about

.

Create two spider diagrams to help you focus on the

. Copy and complete these spid e r

descriptive elements

diagrams, or come up with your own.

angry

other customers

ecaf

mdti,smlal

sweaty shirt

manrge

Unhappy customer Sights and sounds

sdnah dehcnelc meti fo flesh

The grid below collect s some po ssible notes on the initial idea s

you might have.

Paragra p h

Overall f o c u s

Descriptive

1

c u s t o m e r entering the s h o p

h i s / h e r s p e ed of walkin g

elements

U p close

wooden crate with

p e t ’ s eyes jus t visible

c a r r y in g o b j e c t

clothing – coat

2

3

W hat would you p ut in your se cond paragraph?

Jot down some i d e a s .

S e c t i o n

812

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.2

9

Build the skills

Follow the same proces s for the ta sk below. Pick out the

4

key words and then jot dow n:

a)

the main content of th e task (and what you should /

should not inclu de)

)b

thedepvsceitrlmhte(instygosupanltodebrsice–

foerxampswel,nigsf,olwerbeds,be.nche)s

Descriptive writing

D e s c r i b e a summer af ternoon in a park.

Develop the skills

noti lsiartoadsyrwaoendsenagoriseiuhcoigtsfnotnsks A

Toptip

lm de:ieubtlm aepdxlneaevrcroisedFateapdhcaie.ortdn

Look back otopiTc s 4 . 9 and

child chasing p i g e o n

– pigeon pecking in the grass – flies up in old

1 . 9 for help if you ne ed to.

man’s face – green grass – sc ared face

Nodenoktwilondropsrharosefwlseonrhflgactie.ohf

5

a)

children with football –

b)

water fountain –

c)

old men playing ch e s s –

shouts…

stone basin…

square table…

N ow conside r how you can lo ok at your des criptive t ask in

6

an original or unusualway. For example, think about the

shop task: how would the des cription change if:

•

the shop was on e from 10 0 year s a g o

•

the shop sold ver y unusual, out of the ordinary o b j e c t s

•

the custo mer complaining was a small child

•

) rotaer?kwpuroehayns(kw usroeahyrrtepnem oe

Choose one of these options. Write a list ofkey nouns or

7

noun phrases related to the shop, the customer or the

shopkee per or manager .

Appl y the skills

Check your progress:

Read the des criptive t ask below. Note down th ekeywo r d s

8

and then generate ideas usin g one of the methods above.

I can g e n e r a t e b a s i c i d e a s f o r

a d e s criptive ta s k .

Descriptive writing

I c a n g e n e r a t e a r a n g e of

i d e a s a n d c h o o s e o n e t h a t is

D e s c r i b e someone exploring an underground cave.

original or s triking .

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

912

oT pic 3

Chapter 9 .

Structur nigdescriptoincreat yveli

D e s c r i pt i v e w r i t i n g i s a b out creat i n g a v i v id p i c t u re

t h r o u g h y o u r c h o i c e o f w o r d s . I t i s a l s o a b out how ,

a n d   i n w h at o r der, y o u r e v e a l t h a t p i c t u r e .

Explore the skills

Look at the followin g t a s k :

D e s c r i b e someone’s impressions of a new town or city .

T h e r e

a r e

s e v e r a l

r e s p o n s e . o Yu

w a y s

c o u l d

y o u

l o o k

a t

c o u l d

i t

a p p r o a c h

s t r u c

t u r i n g a

t h r o u g h

t i m e

:

•

Has the per son jus t arrived or are they

arriving ?

(For

example, you could describ e their impre ssions as they come

into the city on a train.)

•

Are they jus t waking up in a new place, rea dy to see it in the

light? If so, is it dawn – or when ?

•

Could the impres sions be a t d i f ferent times – for example,

a s t h e y w a k e u p , t h e n l a t e r i n t h e day?

Alternatively , you might decide to struc ture your description

according to

place

.

•

Are you des cribing the w hole of the cit y – th e c i t y s c a?p e

•

Could you des cribe dif ferent location s(a café, a bus y

c r o s s r o a d s , then a p eaceful park) ?

•

Could you contras t this new place with the one your narrator

h a s j u s t come from ?

Here is a plan fo r s t r u c turin g a d e s cription.

1

W hat str u c t ural device doe s the

r aP agraph : Late 1 night:arriving by train – city lights

plan mostly use to divide up the

d e s c r i pon?ti

ae l I i csaeh: t2ersofhoilapcfawerPpyMugi va yevtsr

no i tats eht

2

window.

r aP agraph4:Lunchtime: more to be seen from my

.bal…cony

r aP agraph 5:

S e c t i o n

220

Ad d a f u r ther change for

paragraph 5.

r aP agraph3:Dawn. Sunlight. The view from the hotel

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.3

9

Build the skills

S t r u c ture also relate s to how you reveal details within

and betweenparagraphs.Wilyou l describeawhole?scene

Wyoliufocusonsmalni,ldividual?details

Note how in this example below, the paragraph begins by s e t t ing

the whole scen e, then ‘zo oms in’ on more preci s e d e t a li.

topic sentence

Through the window , a row of offi

gives the general

ce buildings

view

opposite slowly come to life. A modern glass tower compound sentence

gives a specifi

refl

c

ec ts the rising sun as the blinds are slowly

example of one of

l i f t ed. One window revealsabusinesswoman in a

the buildings

smart blue suit who sits at her desk sipping a cup

of coff

ee, refl

ec ting on the day ahead.

complexsentenceprovideseven

moredetaofliwhatsihappening

nitheg‘alstower’

Write a paragraph following a similar stru c t u re.

3

Toptip

•

In the fi

r s t sentence, de scribe a new scene from your

Think of this te chnique as

window.

the ‘came ra’ method: you

•

In the secon d, add more detail – what can you ‘paint in’

zoom in from a general

tomake the place more vivid?

w i d e - a n gle view to a close -

•

In the third, de scribe a specifi

c p e r s o n or object up of a particular per s o n

c o n n e c ted to the scene you are des cribing (u se a longer o r o b j e c t . It can give your

sentence to provide more d etailed information). writing a strong sense of

p e r s p e c t i ve

.

Read an example of how thi s idea could be developed.

Frommy hotel window , I watch as the long street lined with shops, ered andshu shut, slowly

] 1 [

awakes

At. one end

]2[

,acafé s ’ lights fl

]2[

icker before they illuminate fully , while at the other

blinds lif t up on a fashion displaHere, y. a young girl stands outside and stares at the mannequins

]3[

]4[

, then retreats inside and steps into the glass box.

5[]

andadjustsanambe r scarf on a pale and static neck.

Likeaballerina, on tipt oes, she reaches

Onthepavement, a sparrow picks at

crumbs . erin the gu

4

H ow does thi s r e s p o n s e apply ‘c amera techniques ? Link the

Key term

t y p e s of camera shot below to the numbered sente nces in

the text .

p e r s p e c t i ve:

t h e p a r ticular

angle or direc tio n from

a)

wide angle

b)

panning from side to side

c)

long shot framin g a p e r s o n

which something is seen

or experienced; it can also

refer to some one’s attitude

towards som ething

d)

tracking shot

e)

z o o m - in to close up

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

21

oT pic 3

Chapter 9 .

H ere are some ideas for a fur ther paragraph. Match each

5

one to the ty pe of came ra shot.

crumpled can of fi

z z y drink on paveme nt

long shot framing one thing

s c h o o l s tudent on bike c y cling past

zooming in

sun coming up over distant hils

panning from one side to another

Put these id eas together to create your ow n‘zoo m i n g -

6

in’ paragraph. Begin with the wid e - a n g le view before

narrowing to a clos e - u p .

Develop the skills

I t i s i m p o r t ant to be clear in the way you il nk or sequence words ,

p h r a s e s or sentence s . P r e p o sitions can help you.

Prepositions can indicate the time or s equence of events , or the

place or position of peo p l e o r o b j e c t s . T h e table below s hows

some common prepo sitions.

P r e p o s i t i o n s of time

Pr e p o s i t i o n s of place/position

on, in, at, since, ,for before, to, p a s t , from,

in, at, on ,by, n e x t to, beside, near ,between,

til/until, by

behind, in front of, u n d, below, e r ove , r above,

through, acros s, tow a r d s , onto

I d e n t i f y the prepositions of time or place in the examples

7

below. Note down what each prepo sition tells u s .

Through my wind ow I see the row of offi

a)

ce buildings

opposite co me to life.

b)

…abusinesswomanina smartbluesuitsitsatherdesk…

c)

… a cafe’s il ghts fl

H ere is a fur ther paragraph from the city scene. Copy and

8

complete it,

adding appropriate prepositions .

The sun has risen and … the dawn the quiet hush of the

morning has been replaced by the bustleoflife.. the lamppost

le mouseasniff li

s and scurries past … the yellow light

ers andsplgoes u out. A jogger runs … it, and screams in

fright… running off

… the street to her waitin.g car

S e c t i o n

222

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

icker before they illuminate fully …

.3

9

C o n j u n c tions are als o useful in descrip tive writin g. Conjunctions

that indicate eve n t s h a p p e ning concurrently (at the same tim e)

can sto p you from slipping into telli ng a sto ry. For example:

A modern, glass tower refl

At one end , a café’s lights fl

e c t s the rising sun

as

icker before they illuminatefully,

the blinds are slowly lif te d.

while

at the other blinds lif t up on

a fashion di splay.

Rewrite each pair of s entences b elow, using

9

a conjunction to make them a single se ntence.

a)

The fi

s h erman hauls in the n e t s . The small fi

sh

slither free.

b)

T h e b u s i n e s swoman s t a n d s up. Her fi

r s t visitor

enters the room.

Appl y the skills

Wtreitwhtoerpargarpnerhispsonsetohetaw .skobel

10

D e s c r i b e a stree t market as it opens up for custo m e r s .

Check your progress:

I u n d e r s t andhow d i f f e rent

s t r u c tu r e s c a n h e l p m e

Checklistforsuccess

organise my w o r k .

✔

Decide how you will str u c t ure the text as a whole.

I c a n u se a r a n g e o f s t r u c t u ral

d e v i c e s a t whole t e x t and

✔

Use camera - s t y le techniques to control the pe r s p e c t ive. p a r a g r a p h level to en a b l e

t h e r e a d e r to follow my

✔

Use linking wo rds and phra ses to s equence you r i d e a s . p e r s p e c t i ve clearly.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

223

oT pic 4

Chapter 9 .

Usingethsensesanm di ager y

in descriptive writ gni

Key terms

Explore the skills

simile:

I m a g e r y is the creative us e of words to create sens o r y pi c t ures

using

in the mind.

Similes

and

are both ty pes of imagery.

metaphors

which des cribe

metaphor:

Images play akeyrole in bringing your descriptive writing to life.

one

T h e s e n s e s are also ver y imp o r t a nt to descriptive writing. Good

another

d e s c r i p ti o n s o f ten evoke s o u n d s , s m e l l s , t e x tu r e s , sights and

tastes.

Here are two good examples o f i m a g e r y in description:

•

The man’s hoarse voice waslike a

broken brick

on sandpaper

.

(simile)

•

The child’s fi

n g ers on mine as I ope ned the door were

tiny

splinters of ice

.

(metaphor)

M ake notes on the followi n g q u e s ti o n s .

1

a)

What dif ferent s e n s e s d o e s each description app eal ? to

b)

What is par ticularly effe c t ive about each d escription?

Build the skills

T h e b e s t i m a g e r y is about choo sing your idea s carefully .

•

The man’s hoarse voice

2

was like fl

owing honey

.

Read the beginning of each de scription below, then decide

which of the simile s fi

t s b e s t with what is bein g describ e d .

T h e c u s tomer’s a n g r y words hit the manager like a

a)

soggy towel / shar p whip / bowl of warm rice

.

H i s p o w e r fu l s e r ve crosse d the net likea

b)

missile / gent l e b u t t e r f l

3

speeding

y / hovering helicopt er

.

N ow have a go your self.

The light bur s t t hrough the wide gap onto the fl

a)

oor

kile..

Anarrow… of light shone onto the fl

b)

(add your simile; think of a liquid)

.oor

metaphor; think of something thin, nas t y and sharp)

S e c t i o n

224

kiel

compare things

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

(add your

thing in terms of

or

as

to

.4

9

Develop the skills

T h e b e s t descrip tive writin g combines images to create an

overall

effec t

.

The midnight lake shone like a huge, silver brooch, and

around it, in the swaying grasse s, glow - w o r m s glittered

likeminiature diamond s. A co ol mist fr o s t e d my skin.

The moon, which hung from the sk y’s dark neck, was

an enormous locket which I felt I could reach ou t and

touch. I was poor in terms of money bu t living in such a

beautiful place, I was likethe richest prince on ear th.

4

Identifythethreesimile s and two

a)

metaphors in the text .

b)

What

main

sense do th e s e i m a g e s appeal? W toh a t

o t h e r s e n s e s you can identify?

What link s all th e s e i m a g e s together ? (Is there o ne

c)

overall comparison or

analogy

being made ?)

Hereisanotherparagraphonadifferenttopic.

There was a wild rush to get to the fro nt to see the band.

Like be es racing towards th eir favouriteliy, we sped

towards the s tage. From the sides of the arena, oth er people

s w a r m e d over the barrier slike soldier ants or a tide of

b e e t l e s s wallowing up the space.

5

Look at the three possible fi

nal sentence s below. Which fi

ts

b e s t w i t h the paragraphabove?Why?

•

I was a tiny leaf swept up in a huge , u n s t o p pable storm.

•

I felt like a leader of an army .

•

I was a shark spe eding through the water .

Key terms

a developed

analogy:

comparison bet w e e n t wo

Appl y the skills

ideas

6

Write your own de scription0(1 0 521 –words) ab out a

Check your progress:

journey into an unknown town or cit . y Create a mood that

s u g g e s t s the experience is lik e enjoying a delicious feas t .

I can u s e t h e s e n s e s and

imagery

in my des criptive

writing.

I c a n s e l e c t from a ra n g e o f

s e n s o r y i d e a s a n d i m a g e r y to

create the g r e a t e s t i m p a c t .

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

225

oT pic 5

Chapter 9 .

Natra ive wr nitgi:

structureanddetail

Narrative wri t i n g n e e d s:

•

a strong op ening to ho ok the reader

•

a complex, i n t e r e s ting narrative (the events are

told in an original way)

•

mgnayoltsul)hteftirwaflhocth(warngaiyedeas

•

detailed descrip tion and ambitious v ocab u l a r y u s e d w h e n

appropriate.

Explore the skills

Look at the followin g t a s k , which you cam e across.oin1picT 9.

lA‘ though it was alm o s t m i dnight, I heard th e sound of

f o o t s t e ps approaching our house. I opened the . ’door ... Use

t h e s e t wo sentence s to st a r t a stor . y

How can you res pond to thi s t a s k , fulfilling the requirements of

narrative writing listed above ?

1

T hink about creating an interes ting narrative. This means

writing the s t a r t of a stor y that will engag e the reader .

Copy the table below, then ad d more ideas to the right-

hand column.

Who is approachin? g

A strange r in the house ?

Another member o r m e m b e r s of the family ?

Who are ‘you’ ?

Are you a teenager in a hous elike your own ?

Or are you som eone else, olde , r an adult?

Why has the p e r s o n c o m e

oT m e e t s o m e o?n e

to the house?

oT reveal a secre?t

oT steal so mething ?

What will happe n next?

An argument?

A chase ?

A myste rious event ?

What might have

Other visito?r s

happened earlier?

Someone watching the house f o r w e e? k s

S e c t i o n

226

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.5

9

u o Y may have come up with lots of ideas, but now make your key

decisions (for example, who the person is and why they are there).

Bear in mind that the more original the idea is (without it being

ridiculous), the better the story will be.

M akeyourkey decisions based on th e table you

2

createdains k1T.

Build the skills

A good narrativ e o f ten:

•

i lraenaugom e)slfetoriwkraestchrtalber(ltasriksehcba

•

includes a surprise and o/ r s u s p e n s e (things are not as they

i

f

r s t appear)

•

withholds information (d oes not tell the reader eve r y thing at

once).

The beginning of the narrative is a vital ele ment. It will shape and

form what follows , inclu ding the us e of these techniques .

H ere are two potential o penings to the sto ry. Decide which

3

one uses th e techniques above.

Althoughitwas almost midnight, I heardthe sound of

footsteps approaching our house. I opened the.door In front

of me stood myabrother , P ulo.Hehad gone missing ten years

earlier and although he had changed, I knew it was him .

A l t h o u gh it w a s a l m o s t m i d n i g h t , I h ea r d t h e s o u n d of

f o o t s t e p s appr o a c h i n g o u r h ou s e . I o p e n ed t h e d o. oFor r a

m o m en t , I p e e r ed i n t o t h e d a r kn e s s. Was t h er e s o m eon e

t h e r e o r n ot ? I t o o k a s t ep f or

wa r d a n d a h a n d gr a b b ed m y

s h i r t .

‘ Y ou ? ’ I g a sp e d .

Sudde was niIyl,f yveear oldsa gaipanl,yinanhityg erd,

m ta l m l ey,mot es sahrerm gu.noeiakka

4

wod eoetcdoceneiss ,nweeohtawlhtm parrgxuonoefyinodsUnan

nwodsaeetdoni tnw ,aoehwlm prauoxefy d

of sehuqt grnedhiwoti.oslonrobtl.Ci dtehhnetppah

of sehuqt grnediwoi.rslenohl.Ctiotrb e

•

Did he herurun off and get los ?t

n o f f and get los ?t

•

Did heggo off to fi Did he

n d work and not retur ?n

o o f f to fi

nd work and not retur ?n

•

Did he ? he get ge into trouble

t into trouble ?

•

How old wwas? he

ashe?

•

W h aatt s os or r t o f p e r s on was? he

t of pers on was? he

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

227

oT pic 5

Chapter 9 .

5

C o n t i n u e

t h e

f l

a s h b a c k

1 0 0 w o r d s ).

F o r

f r o m

t h i s

p oint (writing a b o u t

e x a m p l e:

Wewerealways close, even though he was much older than me,

butthatday in the yard was the lastday I saw him au – Plo.My

brother …

6

7

If possible, compare your fl

a s hback with a partn e r ’ s .

a)

Did you come up with similar ideas ?

b)

W h o s e w o r k s best?Why?

Fl a s h b a c k s only really work wh en they have so m e i m p a c t

later in the sto r. Imagine y that the pe rson at the door is the

brother who has disappeare d. Note down some reaso ns for

his return – for e xample, he is in trouble and needs help.

Develop the skills

G o o d s t o ries work toward s a

climax

, w h e n e v e r y thing comes

together in a dramatic mome nt, followe d by an ending that

resolves o r completes what has occurred, for g ood or bad. For

example:

Stage :1grab r e a d e rs’ a t t e ntion

Mysterious stranger at the door turns out to be brother ,

u aP ol.

Stage 2: developm ent or

Flashback–why he lef t, has returned because he is penniless,

complication

living rough.ants W me to st ealfoodforhim from the cupboard.

Makes me promise not to t ellparents.

Stage 3: climax

r aP ents catch me and brother in the kitchen.

Stage 4:

ending

They forgevi himorf runningaway – all is well.

8

T his plan en ds‘all is well’ , but the be s t s tories of ten contain

Key term

t w i s t s – somethin g surprising – in their conclu sions. W hat

could be the t w i s t o r u n e x p e c ted ending he?er

climax:

i n t e r e s ting or exciting

9

Read these t wo endings and complete one of them with

point in a sto r y

a fi

nal t w i s t, or come up with a completely new ending of

your own.

Toptip

Myparentshugged my brother , andweallsat down around

our small wooden kitchen table. My father poured us all some

Look back0opic to 1 Tto4.

water with lime juice. Then my brother sighed, ‘I have something remind yourself about the

else to tell you. ’ Hegotup, went to the door and opened it. basic fiv e - p a r t s t o r y structure.

S e c t i o n

228

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

the most

.5

9

Aswesatetherdrinking,limIelowatokedr at mybrotheragain as

hareised the glass to hispils. Thee rwas somethingwrong – something

not … htgri

Another way in which you can organise and s t r u c ture a stor y i s

through your us e of senten ces – and in pa r t icual,r your use of

t e n s e s . F o r example:

I

am waiting

here,

hoping

to be res cued. I

remember

how it all present progressive

– the moment wh en I

began

decided

to explore the caves .

present simple

past simple

The use of the two present te n s e s p l un g e s u s s traight into the

a c t i o n . T h e p a s t tense sen ds the read er ‘back in time’ to how the

narrator got into this position.

W hich of the se ntences below would fi

10

t both

grammatically and in terms of making sens ? e

Think about where the writer is taking us –

f o r w ard, back or ke eping us in the prese n t .

It had been a glorious day – p e r f e c t for

a)

exploring.

b)

It is a glorious day – per f e c t for explorin g.

c)

It will be a glorious day – p e r fe c t for explorin g.

N ow, imagin e that the trappe d narrator be gins

11

to think of the future – he dreams of e s c a p e .

Use future te nse forms

I/he/they

(I am/he is going to

wil/might/may

or

, and so on) to write the

n e x t paragraph. Begin:

I try t o think about the future. How someone…

Check your progress:

Appl y the skills I can p lan and write a s t o r y

which has an effe c t ive plot.

I can p lan and write a s t o r y

12

N ow return to th e original taAsklthough (‘ it was alm o s t

using a range of t e c h n i q u e s

midnight…’ ) or think of an entirely new sto r y of your own.

t o e n g a g e the read e r ’ s

Plan and then write the fi

i n t e r e s t and se q u e n c e my

r s t d r a f t of your narrative piece. It

i d e a s i n a n i n t e r e s t i n g way.

should be 350

– 4 5 0 words long.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

229

oT pic 6

Chapter 9 .

Natra ive wr nitigch:acteri ra sonait

uoY w i l l n o t h a v e m uc h s p a c e i n w h i c h t o t e l l y our

s t o r, ys o y o u ne e d t o b a l a n c e d i a l o g ue a n d d e s c r i p t i o n ,

a n d u s e l a n g ua g e c l e v e r l y t o r e v e a l c h a r a c t e r s .

Explore the skills

I t i s i m p o r t ant that you

show

, rather than

tell

, the reader about a

c h a r a c ter or situation. For example, your s t o r y may hinge on the

a c t i o ns of a bore d child that lead to a dramatic eve n t .

Which of the following examples is more interes ting to read?

Minawasbored. She spent all day in her room thinking about

Toptip

what to do.

When implying character

andcontex t, small details

can reveal a lot: for example,

t a t t y school book implies that Minalayonhertinybedsta ring at thecei ling.Shehad

Mina is perhaps untidy and alreadycountedthe r owsof dull,fa dingfl

owe r on s her

disorganised as well as bored ! wallpapearn dha dreadh tre a t t y schoobolhtk reeti m e s .

She

sigh edh eavi lyan dli sten eda hs rbeds e i d ec l ock tic kedls owl.y

1

T he second example not only impli e s s o m e thing about

Mina’s charac ter – that she is bo red – but cleverly shows her

being bored. How is this do?en Note down an s w e r s t o the

following ques t i o n s .

a)

What is Mina doin ? g

b)

How is she acting? W hat det ails add to the overall tone ?

Build the skills

r T

y not to spend too much time on just o n e p a r t

of your stoou ry. Ym u s t create a

balance

the different elements . For example, if you spend

too much time on Mina bored in her room, you

might not have enough space to write what this

makes her do. A goo d plan might look liketh i s .

S e c t i o n

230

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

between

9

Introduction:

Mina is bored in her room.

Development and

Flashback:she’s beensenttherefornotdoingher

complication:

homework.Sheclmi bsoutofwindow,triestofi nd

.6

57words

5 7 015 1 –

words

5 2 1001 –

words

herfriends ’ housebutitisdarkandshegetslost.

She is chased by someone or something

Climax:

and cornered; it turns out to be her father ,

desperate t o fi

nd. her

Backathome, she now fi

Resolution:

nds her room a comfor t .

57words

2

Complete the sec tio n about Mina in h er room using

3 5 –

4 0 words.

Develop the skills

Dialogue can help bring your stor y and characters to life.

3

Read these t wo dialo g u e e x tr a c t s , t h en complete the

improved ve r s i o n .

Improved version

First version

W‘ ell, Mina, I have to say thatI’m very

Mina kne w she shou l d h a v e d o n e

disappointed inyoubecauseyouhaven’t

her h o m e work, bu t she s a t d own

done your homework somI’ real, lryeally

with a thum p a n d …

cross,’saidMinsa’mother angri. ly

m I’‘ very disapponi ted,Mina’,said

woenvkahuoysI st,’ luti’aften.ImodyI ton‘’n

herm ,angr oth reily turning

aGrhtwi’,oSIegnebiepsu.aldechaedbvn

her

back

and star tin gtowash theplat es.

’ ylnrio,b’utalhstpe.ankrMirfa hdteist’noId

Appl y the skills

4

Write your own narrative in res ponse to this task or

complete the sto r y about Mina:

‘ T h e E s cape’ – w rite a narrative with this as a title.

Check your progress:

Checklistforsuccess

✔

Keep the convers ation simple; make it reveal some thing

I can cr eate main cha r a c te r s

in a well- o r g a n i s e d p l o t .

about the chara c t e r s .

✔ I can cr e a t e i n t e r e s ting

Make sure that the spee ch is broke n up with action or

c h a r a c te r s through a range of

d e s c r i p tion.

e f f e c tive t e c h n i q u e s .

231 C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

oT pic 7

Chapter 9 .

Practicquestoinsandsm aepl

responses: comonpoist tasks

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills w hen answering

composition

q u e s t io n s .

D e s c r i p tive writing:

•

Generate a range of interes ting idea s , i n cluding ones

from an

unusual or original pers p e c t ive.

•

Include vivid detail s , u s ing the sens es to exp r e s s w h at is felt

or experience d.

•

U s e i m a g e r y or other techniques to create a stron g i m p a c t .

•

Organise your descrip tion in intere sting w a y s , through time,

place or a combination of both.

•

Use a variet y of ‘ focusing’ techniqu es to move from wider

o v e r views to clos e detail.

•

Link ideas str u c t urally through prepositio n s , c o n j u n c ti o n s ,

and so on.

Narrative writing:

•

Generate a range of interes ting plot s , i n cluding on es with

unusual forms

of narration.

•

U s e s t r u c tural or organisational devices such as flas hbacks or

changes of ten se to engage the reader .

•

Create compelling and engagin g characte r s .

•

Use dialogue accurately and to add meaning an d i m p a c t to

your sto r i e s .

our task: Y descriptive writing

Read the following d escriptive writing co mposition ta sk.

1

Then write a r e s p o n s e of 350

– 4 5 0 words.

D e s c r i b e a hidden or s ecret place.

S e c t i o n

232

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.7

9

Exploring responses: descripti ve writing

Now read this exam p l e r e s p o n s e to the tas k .

Response 1

Thesecretplacenter eI sithroughatalhedge. l Theresiadoor

clear opening sets the scene

agrwltahiehandleandwhetpulhi,neIdoor l ope.nsslowly

but with no sense of where

Thrg,tahoderughenopethensdoor upandcaeInsefe,hear l

the garden is or how the

andsmesoman l ythnigs.

writer got there

mlseehtsiehtsesfnoessenmyi klca

aioftTehgnihttrs

use of the senses to

l

f

.srewo

aergani vmoest.smoeihlavdanrsweoipgnreti I

convey feeling

lati eki lt tuIbedrvu,shromcausgtonaihdmtaehetohenfyrlI

tiafhktsleawsmgyn’ teiuzmnlaoIritonsocs.tudgnjiIa

.gnimzaos

use of imagery , if a little

Now I see old trees bendingdownover me with curvedbranches

unoriginal

likeoldmen’s arms which seek to grab me. I push them to one

side and fi

nd I am standing on a stonebridgeover a sparkling

stream. There are lots of fi

shes to see.

All around the garden is the tall hedge, like a box, and inside

there are lots more hedges creating a maze-like eff

ect.Ifeel

like I am inside a game and don’t know where to turn. Now I am

not sure of the way out so I go backtheway Icameover the

le bridge andlipast the old man trees. But I cannot fi

nd the

.door

olIokupaboveandtheskyisabriail ntblue.ds Bir fromthe

garden,onesIdon’trecognise–theydon’tlookevr yniceor

friendly–well,theyswoopdownandpeckclosetome.Ithink

theyaresomesortofseabird,whichseemsstrangebecause

wearenotnearthesea.Thegrassbythepathislikeagreen

blanket,sof tandinviting,soIsitdownwhileIconsiderwhat to

do next.

hTosm.eortagyneilf eht fo l mlseeerhtweNsgoiylslraweo

ffus dnaerusylskci oistfotImvoegail.tIgnostiymeteaclor

csemetmeiltslihlTwioh.cefpae,iwhtkoonradl ehtvraehr

intriguing idea that could

.erehtylsuiolu,tcarmi

have linked to the game

I

feellike Alice inonderl W andwakingupbutIhaven’t been asleep concept, but not really

so this is not a dream. I wil come back to this garden again if it

fully explored

isstil here.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

233

oT pic 7

Chapter 9 .

Feedback

While the r e s p o n s e p r e s e n t s a clear and vivid picture, there is

something lacking here. T here is lit t l e sentence var i e t y and the

d e s c r i p ti o n s , though easy to visualise , are sometimes a lit tle

dull and repe titive given the possibilities . Ideas are sugges ted

but not fully developed. There is evidence of original thought,

but it never quite gets going. Having said that, this is a more

than compete n t r e s p o n s e that does have i m a g e r, ycontrol and

a flu e nt s t r u c ture.

I d e n t i f y t h r e e f u r ther things in this resp onse that could be

2

improved. Use the ‘Excellent progress points’ on page 240

to help you.

Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e .

Response 2

A t t h e t o p o f m y p a r en t s ’ d u l l , gr e y a p a r t m e n t b l o c k i s a

s e t o f i r o n s t a i r s t h a t l e a d on t o t h e r oof – or so I th ou g h t .

T h e m e t a l s i g n w a r n s, ‘ N o e n t r y – d a n ,ge r’ so I c a n ’ t t ell you

w h a t ge t s

into m e t h a t af

t er n o on w h en I d e c i d e d t o c l i m b

them.

change of tense correct?

F o r c i n g open th e h e a v y t r a p d ,oor I s t epped in t o a n o t h er

good variety of sensory

w o r l d . For t h er e , f a c i n g m e w a s t h e m o s t l u sh , l u x u r i a n t

adjective g a r d en I h a v e e v er s e e n . A n a r c h , t wi s t ed r o u n d w i t h t h e

d e l i c ate fi

n g er s o f f r a g r a n t pin k r o s e s c onf r o n t e d m e, a n d zooms in, using imagi-

beyond wa s a m a t t e d w a l k way, spr i n k l e d with sa n d , l i k e

native metaphor

g o l d en paper .

effective simile, if not the

A s I t o o k my fi

r s t ten t a t i v e s teps, t h e t i n k l i n g s ound of tin y

best comparison

f o u n t a i n s a t e i t h er s i d e r o s e up, li ke a th o u sa n d m i n i -

excellent, original simile

o r c h e s t r a s

tuning up

. T h ey g l i m m e r e d a s w a t er s p o u t e d

f r o m s c u l p t u r e s . B e l o w,th e s o u n d o f t h e b r u t a l c i t y s t r e e t s

c o n t i n u e d . C a r s s n a r l i n g like wi l d c a t s . People c h a t t e r i n g

short sentences provide

l i k e m on k e y s .

I am at p e a c e. Awa y f r om i t a l l .

effective contrast

Yet th e r e w a s m or e . O ff

t h e m a i n pa t h w a y w e r e f u r t h er

new topic sentence and

r o u t e s. I e x p l o r e d e a c h in t u r n , e a c h r e v e a l i n g a n e w d el i g h t .

connective links to new

D o w n o n e , a h a m m o c k s w u n g b e t w e e n b a m bo o t r e e s , a s i f

description

i t s o w n er h a dju s t d i s a p p e a r e d . Down an o t h, er

tiny fl

were r o w s of

o w e r s I d i d n ’ t r e c o g n i s e , w h i c h seem ed n e w l y p l a n t e d .

I h a d n o i d e a w h a t w a s w a t er i n g t h e m but d e s pi t e t h e

i n t e n s e t r op i c a l h e a t t h e y w e r e t h r i v i n g.

How cou l d I h a v e m i s sed th i s p l a c e ? Who c r ea t e d i t ?

W h o e v e r i t w a s m u s t h a v e r e a l i s e d t h a t w e a l l n e ed an

e s c a p e f r om t h e sp e e d o f e v e r y d a y l i f

e. T h i s w a s a r e al oa s i s ,

n o t a m i r a g e . It f el t l i k e m i n e , a s if I wa s t h e fi

r s t e x p l or. e r

S e c t i o n

234

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.7

9

M y d r e a m s were br oken by a m el o d y i n t er

f

e r i n g n ea r m y

s i d e . I gla n c e d d o w n a t t h e pa t h w a y r a i l i n g. On it , a r ow

o f t i n y blu ebi r d s , s i x o r s e v en, I c a n ’ t r e c a l l e x a c t l y , s a t l i ke

a l i t t l e c h o,i r

c h i r p i n g out th e i r s o n g – j u s t f or m e! I r e a c h e d

d o w n a n d on e h o pp e d o n t o m y h a n d a n d t i l t e d i t s h e a d a s

laci syhpnonoi tnetta desucof

i f c h e c k i n g m e o u t . T h en , i n a fl

a s h of blu e i t w a s g o n e a n d

erehpsm ota ot sdda tnm evm o

s o w e r e t h e o t h er s. P e r h a p s t h ey’d h e a r d s o m e t h i n g .

I s u d d e n l y f el t l i ke an i n t r u d. er

T i m e t o l e a v e . Wil l I t e l l m y

feelings of the writer

p a r en t s? I f el t l i ke I wan t e d t o keep t h e p l a c e t o m y s e l f , l i k e a

d r e a m w h i c h you th i n k yo u w i l l r u i n if you re v e a l i t .

I c l o s e d t h e d o or behi n d m e. m I m e d i a t e l y it wa s a s i f t h e

excellent list of details

g a r d en h a d n e v e r e x i s t e d . B e l o w I c ou l d h e a r t h e s o u n d s

provides contrast at dis-

o f c o u p l e s ar g u i n g in th eir a p a r t m e n t

s, p o t s bubbl i n g i n

tance

k i t c h en s , t e l e v i si o n s b l a r i n g o u t .

I w a s b a c k in t h e r e a l w o r l d . effective single sentence

paragraph to conclude

Feedback

This is an excellent piece that really conveys the se t t i n g and

atmosphere of the garden. Th e descrip tion is built u p v e r y

well, with each paragraph developing what has go ne before or

taking the read er down new pathways (literally.) There is a real

variety of vocabula r y a n d i m a g e r, yalthough for the ans wer

to be improved it would nee d to be inve ntive and per f e c tly

matched to the d esired atm osphere. We also get a real sense

of the ‘interior voice’ of the writer and his or her feeling s .

O c c a s i o nally it feels as if the de scription is going to spill over

into stor y t elling but f o r tunately that doe s not occur . Very

occasionalyl,too, tens es are a lit t l e insecure, although overall

the account is con sistent in this resp e c t . T he use of sentences

is excellent, w i t h s h o r ter sentence s u s e d f o r e f fe c t . All in all, a

v e r y i m p r e s s ive piece.

3

I d e n t i f y t h r e e f u r ther specifi

c features of this r e s p o n s e that

are an improveme nt on Respon se1.

4

U sing the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excellent progres s points’ on page 24 0, evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e a n d improve it wh ere you can.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

235

oT pic 7

Chapter 9 .

our task: Y narrativewr iting

Read the following narrative writing compositi o n t a s k .

5

Then write your own respo nse of 350

– 4 5 0 words.

Write a sto r y that begins with you overhearing a phone call

which is meant to b e s e c r e t .

Exploring responses: narrativewriting

Read the example res ponse to th e t a s k b elow.

Response 1

I was on the stairs in the middle of the night when I heardthe

phone call. It was a very hot night and I couldn’t sleep and

needed a drink. I was coming down the stairs, rubbing my eyes,

when I saw my father by the phone. He was speaking quietly

and he had his back to me so he couldn’ t see me. The hall is long

and narrow so there wasnoway he could spot me.

‘He mustn’t fi

nd out.Have you got that? ’ my father whispered.

I could not tell if he was worried or angry , but I began to ask

all sorts of questions to mysel . Who f was ‘he’? I was the only

boy in the house, so it must be me. My father and mother had

been acting quite secretiy,elvit was true. They seemed to be

whispering to each other all the time.

‘I realise this is the best time to phone, but be caref ul.Don’t

call again. I’ l call you, ’ myfathersaid.

good use of questions,

Be caref ulaboutwhat?Wasmydadinvolved in something bad?

but we need to fi

Had he got into deb t?Butwhy hide it from me?

out more about the

The next day , I watched my parents caref yu.l But they didn’t narrator

give anythingaway . I evenolflowed my dad to the train station

one morning before going to school, but nothing strange

happened.

In any case, my mind

began to think about other things. Itwas

my birthday at the weekend. That was when it all made sense!

Of course, my dad had been talking to someone about my

present! He wanted to keep it secre t from me. But why speak

to someone in the middle o f the night? Thatwasstil weird.

S e c t i o n

236

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

nd

.7

9

The day came. I opened my presents whichwerewhat I’ d asked

for–like a new bike but no real surprises. Then my dad said he

needed to pop out t o get something – and could I help him?I

said yes of course.

needs detail or imagery

to create pictures in the

Suddenly, we seemed to be going to the airpor t. Whatwas

mind

goingon?

Our car pulled up at the short stayparking. I saw someone

walking towards us.No. It couldn’t be!Itwas!Itwasmy older

sister who had emigrated t o America fi ev years ago.She had

come back justorf my birthday.Sothatwaswhy mydadwas

talking in the middle of

the night.

good, concise ending

that shows us how close

le brother!’ ‘Hello, lishe said, hugging me.

they are

Feedback

T h e s t r u c t u re of this resp onse is cle,ra achieving a balance

b e t w e e n dialogue and eve n t s , although it ends v e r y suddenly.

The charac t e r s are clearly drawn but they are not d e s c r i b e d

in any detail. There is a lack of image r y and sense of location

o r s e t t ing, and rather too much ‘telling’ of information to the

reader rather than ‘showing’ .

6

I d e n t i f y t h r e e f u r t h e r t h i n g s i n t h i s r e s p o n s e t h a t c o uld

be improve d. Use the ‘ Excellent progres s points’ on page

240 to help you.

Now read the se cond sample re s p o n s e o n t h e n e x t page.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

237

oT pic 7

Chapter 9 .

Response 2

good opening tells us

Iheard my older brotherabri F cse’ hushed tones as I walked how brother is speaking

past his room. The door was slightly open, a shard of light

slicing the , andairI could see him, in hisintracksui g on t, si

the edge of his bed, speaking on his mobile

realistic speech and

‘No way , man. I can’t doouit!gotYme? ’ good characterisation

Fabrice sounded anxious, upset. What was goingon?

Suddenly it went quiet. The callwas. over

paddingover the fl

Iheardfootsteps

oorboards coming towards me. I froze. My

brother opened the door wide.

‘ W h atyoudoing? Listening ,huh? ’ he said, angri. lHe y pushed me

up against the wall, his eyes sparks of fi

re.

‘No – well – I heardsomething, but I didn’ t understand, ’ I replied

a bit repetitive and not

worriedl. y

, ‘Imean… ’ I didn’t have time to fi

nish.

really a proper word

‘Keep it that way!’ He slammed the .door

Thatweekend

wewereatabigathletics

meetingatWood ark.P

Mybrotherwas a bril iant runner and he was the favouritefor

the 00-metre 1 race.Itwas mdi-af t ernoon, the sun baking

the sandy track. He was prowling about beside it, like a caged

cheetah, his muscles rippling in his back. In his own world . But

then, just before the race began, the cheetah seemed to melt

away.I saw him talking to a gang of olderboys. One of them – a

thin, pale boy with a ring in his nose – grabbed him by his white

vest.The boy poked a fi

nger into Fabrice’s chest.What about

those muscles,abri F ce, I asked in my head? ou don’Yt have to

good ‘showing’ rather

take this!

than ‘telling’

But next I knew ,abri F ce was coming towardsme. He had tears

running down his face, butwalkedstraightpast.

Something got into me. le biMaybe t of that a licheetah

spirit. I needed to knowwhatwas going on. So, Ifollowed them.

of view while they gathered behind the old pavilion,

Hid out

smothered in graffi

ti, smears of whit e and red. ears,Tthey

looked like. I heard it all.

SoonIwasback in the grassy arena, and tracked my brother

down. He was tying up his running shoes – lef t shoe fi

r st,

alwaysthesame routine.

‘I know what ishappening,’ I told him.ou‘mustn’ Y t lose the

race.sItnot ’ right!’ I added,asforcefully as I dared. He didn’t

lookup, just paused and thenmoved on to the other shoe,

meticulouslyolfding the perfect white lacesovereach other .

S e c t i o n

238

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

.7

9

He stood ,upstaredfor a moment into the distance, at

nothing it seemed…

Before I knew it, the race had begun.tAfi

r st my brother was

a long way behind. But that was his usual style. His strength

er through wouldbain the last 30 metres. But he’ d l e f t it

late. oo laTte, surely?Hewas going to lose because of that

gang, because someone wanted to fi

x theracefor a bit of

cash. But…noI was wrong. Suddenly he was surging through!

It was like he was in his own corridor of, swiairf t as the

cheetah, swi f t ermaybe. He dipped on the line. H e ’ d won!

this is the climax but it is

H e ’ d won!

over too quickly

Soon a man in a business suit was giving him a long red sash

with a shiny medal on it. When the man had shakenFabrice’s

hand, I went. over

As I approached I saw the gang of boyswalkingover too. They

did not look happy at all.

‘ W h at are you going to do?’ I asked.

Fabrice put his arm around my shoulders.

s e v l o s e r – gn i dn e doog

Gu‘ess we’lljusthave to face the music together , won’t we? ’ he

no i t a u t i s

n e ew t e b

said, gripping me tighyt.l

s u s e v ae l

t ub s r e h t o r b

o o t g n i r e d n ow

Feedback

This respo n s e d e m o n s t ra t e s g o o d characterisation by showing

c h a r a c ters’ individual actions and contrasting ways of sp eaking.

There are als o some nice pieces of d escriptive detail , but more

i s n e e d e d . Ele m e n t s of the plot are a bit unbalanced: there

could be more su spense at the climax (for example, would

Fabrice lose the ra ce delibe rately or not .?)

7

U sing the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excellent progres s points’ on page 24 0, evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e a n d improve it wh ere you can.

C h a p t e r

9:

C o m p o si t i o n

239

Chapter 9

Checkyour progress

Soundprogress

•

I u n d e r s t and what a t ask is asking and can sel e c t a form I can write compete ntyl.

•

M y u n d e r s t anding and planning of the tas k shows that I know what the form is and

have some ideas for my res p o n s e .

•

I am able to use basic senten ce stru c t u res in des criptive te x t s .

•

I can use s o m e i m a g e r y tomake my writing me morable.

•

My stories contain the main str u c t ure of introduc tio n, developm ent, climax and endin g.

•

I can seque nce sto ries clearly and use simple sentence s t r u c tures and vo c a b u l a .r y

•

I can includ e easily und e r s t o o d c h a r a c ters and a recognis a b l e s e t ting.

•

I can includ e all the main ele ments of a stor y with equal balance.

Excellent progress

•

I can think creatively of detail ed and original ideas for my chosen t ask before I s t a r t .

•

I can use a range of str u c t ural devices to enable the read er to follow my p e r s p e c t ive.

•

I can selec t fro m a range of imag e r y an d s e n s o r y ideas to make my writing me morable.

•

My stories contain the main str u c t ure of introduc tio n, developm ent, climax and endin g ,

and include features such a s f l a s h b a c k , t w i s ts and holding back information.

•

I can manage elem e n t s s u c h as the climax and ending well, f i t t ing them to the s t o r y in a

way that satis fies the re a .d e r

•

I can use co m p l e x , b u t appropriate and varied se ntence str u c t ures and ambitiou s

vocabular y fo r e f fe c t .

•

My characters are clearly drawn, detailed and believable with the right balance of

dialogue and a c t i o n.

•

M y s e t t ings and de scriptions are vivid and inte restin g.

S e c t i o n

240

2 :

A p p l y i n g

k e y

s k i lls

Approaching

written coursework

0 1

uoY r coursewo rk assignment s will give you the

o p p o r t unity to explore ideas at length, an d to selec t

unusual or original ways of res ponding, giving your

own views on your experience of the world abou t

you. One assignment will b e w r i t ten in resp onse to

a n o n - f i c tio n t e x t .

Courseworka ssignments

arearealchancetoimpre ss!

u oY wilhavetimeto experiment with dif ferent

viewpoints , stru c t ures and time sequences ,totr yout

unusual formsandtodevelopcharac t e r s in det a.li

f i d eht hguroetrphahtscekuatosnm tentygiehiTrsesaf

ruuooyy gpno. silwelovlel,idbslekiasosttsiop

three

uoY will write

a s s i g n m e n t s:

writing to dis c u s s , a r g u e a n dor /

Assignment 1:

p e r s u a d e in r e s p o n s e to a tex t o r t e x t s

o

Assignment 2:

writing to de scribe

Assignment 3:

writing to narrate.

Y

u will need to focus on these writing skills:

•

a r t iculate experience and exp r e s s w h at is thought,

felt and imagined ( W) 1

•

d rsofdnasaedrseibnagiefferolu(ecturtcW)2

•

use a rang e of vocab u l a r y and sentence s t r u c ture s

appropriate to context ( W 3)

•

u s e r e g i s ter appropriate to contex t ( W4)

•

ni l lepscudnasenotiafeotrakupuam nctg,

W .(ma)mrga5

Links to other chapters:

For Assignment 1, you will also need to use your

Chapter 3: Key writing form s

reading skills:

•

Chapter 4: Writing for purpos e

demonstraetundersta1m n)Rdntiegoan(cxgfpil s

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of implicit meanings

Chapter 8: Ex tende d r e s p o n s e

and attit u d e s ( R 2)

to reading and dire c t e d writing

•

poleveadvedna,eesdtyaituaclfndanl,asae

(direc ted writing se c t i o ns)

pus trpexa)t3aRgn,ehis(notrm soupinorfoiptr

•

Chapter 9: Compo sition

ps rpofrnupinocei)s5Rutfm(ard.inoacsetlso

142

01 retpa.hC

o1 Tc i p

Deveolpnigpersonalwriti gn

uoY r c o u r s e w o rk a s s i g n m e n t s g i v e y ou a w o n d er f u l

o p p o r t unit y t o r e f l e c t a t l e n g t h o n i d ea s a n d i s s ue s , a s

w e l l a s t o f i n d y o u r o w n p e r s o n a l ‘ v o i c e ’ a n d t o w r ite

about y o u r o w n i n t e r e st s a n d e x p e r i e nc e s .

Explore the skills

Writing per sonally can mean writing honestly about your own

thoughts and viewpoints , develo ping a st yle of writing that is

your own, or choosing title s o r t a s ks that in t e r e s t you. Read the

two example s below – b oth of them are d escriptive accounts of

childhood mem o r i e s .

A

B

The Thought reeT TheWorst School Bus Ever

There, under the huge, curving branches of

L e t ’s b e h on e s t – t h e r i d e wa s

p l e a s a n t . I ’m ta l k i n g t h i r t y s m el l y el e v en -

thewilow, I would lie with my backagainst

y e a r - ol d s; I’m t a l k i n g a r i c k e t y old bu s

the knoy trunk, staring up at the clouds

h i t t i n g e v ery pot- h o l e i n t h e r o a d ; Im’

that flickered throughtheleaves,forming and

t a l k i n g b e i n g s q u a s h e d a t t h e ba c k wi t h

reforming themselves in greys and whites.

m y n o s e p r e s s e d l i k e a sq u a s h e d t o m a t o

This is the place my dreams and hopes began. a g a i n s t t h e g r e a sy w i n d o ws. Wh a t f u n !

1

W hat dif feren ces do you notice in:

a) t h e s u b j e c t m a t t e r chosen by ea chwriter?

b) t h e s t yle and mood each creates ?

Build the skills

Writing doe s not need to be entirely truthful to be p e r s o n a l – for

example, the bus might not have ‘hit ev e r y pot-hole’ , but when

you draw on som ething det ailed and concrete fro m your own life,

you can embellish it to create an impact .

2

3

wgt rwueohyhtsceanorem pd?i i nfrotW ecatixrehsotie

T h e s t yle of each example is quite distin c t ive. Which s t y l e

do you think is clos e s t t o your own ? What ‘childhood

m e m o r y ’ would you choose to w rite about?

242

S e c t i o n

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

not

1.

0 1

Develop the skills

oT e x p r e s s ideas that sound convincing and have impac t , you need

to be able to sus tain and develop them . Explorin g ideas in de tail

shows your reader that you have fully engage d with the subjec t .

H e r e i s p a r t of a plan for example A above.

✓

The old willow ing under – me isi t – the clouds.

✓

The tree in more detailing–atitsthese end of the garden.

✓

Mylife at that time – why I used to go there.

✓

How I stopped ing there assiI grew older and made friends.

✓

Thetreenow–orhowIimagineitnowwenolongervilethere.

4

T he writer u ses ‘change’ as a means of developin g and

e x t e nding their idea s .

a)

W h a t p e r s onal changes do they includ ? e

b)

What change in time do they refer ?ot

This stru c t ure of beginning with a core idea then developin g it

w o r k s e qually well for p e r s u a sive writing. Below is the st a r t of

some notes ab out the infl

u e n ce of social media.

My memories of my fi r st mobile phone andhowIfelt.

5

H ow could this account be develope d? Think about:

•

the same idea of change due to ge t t i n g older

•

adding linkin g ideas relate d to other a s p e c t s of social

media in the writer’slife.

Appl y the skills

6

T hink again about a childhood m e m o r y you would choos e

to write about .Make brief notes ab o u t :

Check your prog r e s s :

•

what your title an d focus would be

•

I u n d e r s tand h o w p e r s onal

what detail s you would inclu d e

i d e a s c a n help my w r i t i n g .

•

how you could develop or sust ain the account (for

I can co n s i d e r s o m e p e r s o n a l

example, through change s in time)

i d e a s a n d a p p l y t h e m to

writing t a s k s .

•

what impres sion you would liketo give the reader .

C h a p t e r

10 : A p p r o a c h i n g

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01 retpa.hC

gn i h c ao r ppA

o2 Tc i p

m eng: 1i stsAn

t,ssiucsrgWindeugoriat

edauos/r depnra

For A s s i g n m en t 1 , yo u w i l l w r i t e i n r e s p o n s e t o a t e x t

o r t e x t s y ou h a v e r e a d .

Explore the skills

uoY

wil:

•

e

xplore the ideas in the tex t / s

•

e

xpress your own views on

the information an d ideas you have

read about

•

w

rite in a par ticular form, such as a news a r ticle, a spe ech or a

l e t t, eand r for a par ticular purpose.

What topic s or issues intere st you ? ou could Y conside r:

•

p e r s o n a l or local is sues (for example pock et mo ney, traffi c

issues in your neighbourhood)

•

wider issuesorideas(for example, your thoughts aboutnature,

wildlife,the older generation, gender issues,culturalid.eas )

N ote down ideas about all the different things that interes t

1

or concern you. Then draw u p a s h o r-lit st of key areas.

Choose one or t wo of the topics from your lis t and think

2

about how you would:

•

f i n d a r ticles or othe r forms of writing about them

•

research info rmation (fa c t s , s t atistics and oth er ideas).

Which of the following would be par t icularly useful for ?you

•

looking in the lo cal news paper or loc al news website

•

looking in national newspape rs or magazin e s

•

using general online search e ngines

•

talking to, or i n t e r viewing, peo ple

•

s roi rpnaetmraoedriffeglnroirsdkontoebssoircteinfctiat

. sdrocer

Build the skills

In this ty pe of writing, you nee d to show your ability to

evaluate

ideas or argume nts in a te x t .

S e c t i o n

244

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

2.

0 1

W hat does ‘evaluate’ mean ? Think about each of the

3

defi

nitions below. Which one b e s t m a tches what you will

need to? do

•

Give your clear viewp oint on the topic you have chose n

and give suppor tin g evidence.

•

Explain th e d i f ferent argument s on the to pic as a whole

without giving you r p e r s o n alview.

•

Refl

e c t on the different ideas given and make a

judgement about whether th ey are convincing or not,

before giving you r p e r s o n alview.

Develop the skills

Once you have evaluated theeyk ideas in a tex t , you need to

respond to them in a spe cifi

c form. Imagine that you have chosen

as your issu e the subjec t of e b o o k s ve r s u s p rinted bo o k sou. have Y

found an interes ting ar ticle about the revival of printed b o o k s .

Here are three p ossible fo rms that your ow n writing could take:

Toptip

•

a l e t t e r to a book shop owne r about the is sue of ebo o k s

Look back, opics at1 T 3.5

•

a speech211–year to 1 olds abou t the topic

and 3.6 to remind yourself of

•

a n e w s p a p e r a r t icle in respo nse to the ar t icle you read.

theconventions of speeches,

a r t icles and lette rs. For each of the three forms above , note what conventions

4

you might includ e. For example:

Letter to bookshop

owner

opening salu tation –

S p e e c h t o c hildren

formal:

welcome introdu c t i o n

Dear…M r

i

f

N e w s p a p e r a r t icle

using ‘we’ to draw stu dents in

r s t paragraph – ex plaining

reason for writing

Appl y the skills

5

T hink again about a topic that inte r e s t s you. Create

your own tas k–like the ones above – that allows you to

evaluate the ideas and expres s your own viewpoint.

Check your prog r e s s :

poT ic:…

I unders tandthemain

requirementsofAs signment .1

Article that I wil respond t o: …

I c a n a p p l y w h a t I have

roFm of tex t I will write in response: … learned about A s s i gnment

1 to make my w o r k m o r e

Conventions required: …

e f f e c tive.

C h a p t e r

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01 retpa.hC

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Asginmt1en:

Respondnigto a text

W h e n w r i t i n g t o d i s c u s s , a r g u e o r p e r s uade, you w i l l

n e e d t o s e le c t i n f o r mat i o n , e v a l u at e it a n d adapt it for

y o u r o w n p u r p o s e s.

coVabulary

Explore the skills

Mintel:

a company that

Imagine that you have decided to explore the i ssue of ebo o k s a n d

carries out market research

printed bo o k s , and have found the following article. How will you

pc:

respond toit?

How printed books entered a new chapter of fortune

Daily elegraTph

bySam Dean,

“The

pr int

book reviav l cont inues as consumers,

young and

157YJU2•1:16PM 02 L

old,

appreciation

Itwill

notcomeas

asur p r isetoany onewith

appear

for

to have establ ished

t h is

a new

traditional

for m”a t ,

said

ven

RebeccaMcGrath, M sinte ’senilor med ia analyst.

a

brief

that

almost

understanding

of

the

halved

number

in

the

the

of

past 1 1 years,

British

independent

accordi ng

bookshops

high

stre et

As ,reve

has

to

the Booksel lers Association.

there a re mu lptile t heories for the ret u r n

of

the

old

is

that

it

fa shioned

es, liv

where

book.

A

is

days

a nd

widely

a

held

man ifestation

nights

are

sp ent

belief

of

our

st a r i n g

dig ita l-heavy

at

But there is hope – the book revia l is gat heri ng

screens, and all wewa nt is a momentof respit .e

pace. Once seen as doomed to an

death,

back

ebook i- nflicted

the

into

the

physical

ma inst ream

version

after

years

of

has

been

“Consumers

creeping

phycsia l

decli ne.

McGrath.

Fresh research has found that sales of ebook s a re

Mintel

expe cted to fa llfor the first time.

that

ebook

the

sales

same

in 7 120

will

time,

decl ine

print

by

sales

are

forecast

to

market

£2bn

ga ins

in

th is

thetide has tu r n e d .

businessdoesnotseemlike

growing

in

a

such

a

increasi ngly

get

away

connected

value

f rom

scre ens.

When

many

va lue

the

it

time

comes

to

chance

when

on

dig ita l

many

they

can

e“W

need

pri nt

to

enjoy

print

UK, wh cih

year,

an

Anda llof

sales

are

d riving

the

book

is estimated to su r p a ss

a n nual

rise

of

4pc.

In

short ,

Mindy

Gibbins-Klein,

Panoma

P ress,

agrees.

t he

time

on

t heir

ounder f

of

“People

spend

some

publisher

so

screens, ”

much

she

says.

break. ”

asudden,thebook

such dauntin a place g

For

iSmon

Key

at

t he

igB

G reen

Bookshop,

to be.

is

more

to

do

their desig ns and their fee.l

] … [

S e c t i o n

246

owrld,

value

digit a -lfree time athome. ”

in

the

At

readers,

grow

6pc this year and 25pcer ov thenext evi year f s.

Those

.

placing

“I n

people

predicts

pc

1

are

goods

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

with

the

ta ngible

na t u r e

of

books,

ti

a

”world,

adds

per cent) (%

3.

0 1

“It

is

the

physical

book

that

kovees

a

see

memory ” ,

just

being

selli ng

point.

about

the

It

story

is

not

itself.

just

the

content,

T hat

ti

is

is

a

a nd

books, ”

says

Gibbins-Klein,

compa yn

focuses

mai nly

on

the

the

leader

of

in

as

a

fir m

that

tr ei s to publ ish

their

back to ouy when you have

books

finished

office

publ ishi ng

business a nd personal de polevment book s.

big

As

memories they bring

our y

whose

he says. “It is about seeing that book, rather than

reading

them. ou Y do

not

get

that

many

ofr mats

firs-hta nd

that

as

possbiel,

Gibbins-

wit h

Klei n

sees

consumers

are

happy

an e-reader ” .

to

This,

Key

consumers

appear

wi lling

on

pri nted

book,

a

elect ronivercsion.

says,

is

rather

Itisalswhy o

one

of

to

spend

the

more

than

reasons

other

t hat

out

a

the

cash

opt ions

for

are

b e price-sensi ” , etiv

money

buying

hebelisve

mai n

fork

ava i labl.e

a

hard

“It

copy

does

not

seem

ven

when

to

she says. “People a r e willing

topay”more.

cheaper

more

This

is

backed

up yb t he

M intel research,

which

focus isnow going into their desig n.

stayshatnea ylr

eW“

are

London

and

based

ni

one

of

we

can

hte

ptseor

esl,l

ougbrhs

in

and

do

,les

hardabck

70pcofUKconsumersa rehappy

to

ievn st

more

just

p7 c1

are

t ha n

£6

on

a

hardback

willing

to

book,

spend

but

that

much

on

an

ebook.

oyxewdtowh ahupect lwnsohti,c5i2o£broksf

in

an

indpnet pohs

in ood W” Gren, he .syas

“tI

si

parylt

because

] .…[

thye

kol

os

wnoderful

thta

”ouhctotefnlapowdethanmel.

Alan

For

Key

go

th rough

t here

a re

patches

st i l l

where

. “ owbble”s

we

He

sa:ys

“e W

are

loo k i ng

at

the

Staton of the Booksellers Association adds

b a n kstatementeevr y

that

“publ ishers

are

publish ing

more

day

toseeifwe

canpay

the

beaut i f u l

bills ” .

books bookse and llers are creating

more beaut i f u l

places to discerov. them”

The

simpl istic

The

“shelfie”

interior

design

craze,

sig ns

ellev,

are

more

people

undoubtedly

are

w i l l i ng

to

encourag ing.

On

a

pay

where

more money for more books. The question, then,

people

show

off

their

intelle ct

th rough

thei r

is whether that wil l be enough.

book

book.

col lect ions,

also

adds

value

to

the physical

“There is prestige about people com ing

From ww

to

C h a p t e r

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01 retpa.hC

o3 Tc i p

Begin by get ting an ov erview of the argumento do . T this,

1

look at each paragraph in turn and jot down six or s even

keypoi n t s . For example:

Title: ‘How books entered a new chapteroffor t u ne’ –

whybooksare having a more ‘ of r t u nate’ exist ence!

o P : Fact int: number 1 of

independent bookshops down

almost 50% in tenyears.

Toptip

o P

int2: ‘there is hope – the book revival is gathering

pace’ – Opinion:er;thiebook ningsg be arsal e ege s

Read opics T 8.5 and 8.6,

which give more

information

are falling; print book sales rising.

about analysing and

o P

int 3: …

evaluating tex t s .

Build the skills

N e x t , you need to evaluate the points: to de cide wheth er you

agree or disagree with what the writer say s, and a dd a comment

of your own.

Here is an example, based on the information above. ou can Y use

the idea:

explain , evaluat e , e x p r es s

E+E+E(

)

explains

the key idea (from

T h e w r i t e r o f t h e a r ticle comments on the number of

paragraph 1) from the article

independent booksho ps as being down almost 50%.

in own words

This may be true, but the assumption that this is down

t o e b o o k s m a y b e m i s t a k e n . oF r e x a m p l e , r e s e a r c h s h o w s

draws on

personal research/

t h a t v i e w e r s o f e - s p o r t s h a s ‘ e x p l o d e d f r o m 20 4 t o 292

evidence

b e t w e e n4 102a n d 2’610s( o u r c e : b i g f i

s h g a m e s . c o).m

accurate or important the

I w o u l d a r g u e t h a t p e o p l e a r e j u s t c h o o s i n g o t h e r ways

information given is

t o s p e n d t h e i r l e i s u r e t i m e – n o t j u s t o n e books.

expresses own view

the evaluation

S e c t i o n

248

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

based on

to

evaluate

how

3.

0 1

The table below contains one of the point s from the a r ticle and

a s u g g e s t e d r e s p o n s e from a stu d e n t ( y ou do not have to share

their view! ).

P o i n t q/ u o t a t i o n

Meaning or

from text

implication

‘there is hope –

Ebooksales are falling

the book revivalis

and people are buying

gathering pace’

more print books –

Agree

Disagree

this is a good thing!

Copy and complete the table, adding the points from the

2

Toptip

list you madeain ou s k1T. do Y not have to agre e

and

Additional research can really

disagree but , as in th e model paragraph on page 24 8 , you

help in this ty pe of writing

must evaluate the point s .

task. Use the inte rnet, books,

magazines and newspapers

to find out more about the

Develop the skills

topic. If appropriate, go out

in your local area and find out T h e t e x t you have to write about may be chosen by your teacher ,

more. This can help you ot or you may be give n a choice of related t e x t s to choo se from.

personalise the task. Whatever th e t e x t is, you s hould:

•

draw on any conventions related to that tex t t y p e

Toptip

•

use language that matches your purpose (this relates to

oT remind yourself about

register

– which will show that you are able to ex press your

voice and formality/

ideas appro priately)

informal,it y look back at

•

write in the role you have chosen or that has be e n a s s i g n e d

poT ics192.and.2 0.

to you

•

draw on any additional information or research you have

Key term

done. (For example, how many book shops are t h e r e l e f t in

register:

the level of

your local town or city ? H ow many of your frie n d s u s e

formality in a piece of e - r e a ders like Kindl e o r s m a r tphones to re a d b o o? kDos they

writing b u y b o o k s from online re tailers ?)

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Look at the two example assignm e n t s b e l ow .

uoY are an avid reader and feel ver y s trongly about what

you have read in the ar ticle. Write a res ponse to the editor

of the newspaper in which you argue for or against th e

c h a n g e s d e s cribed.

uoY can respo nd in any form you wish – for example,

through an article or a let . ter

Give a spee ch to younge r s t u d e n t s at your school in which

you discus s a topical issue that mig h t a f fe c t th e m .

In this cas e, the issu e will be t h e i m p o r t ance – or oth e r w i s e –

of printed b o o k s .

D ecide which of these t wo pie ces you would prefer to

3

write. Star t by thinking about your own opinion on the Toptip

topic or your own experience s of printe d b o o k s o r e b o o k s .

Remember,

N ow, plan your respo nse. (LookoatpiTc s 8 . 5, 8.6 an d 8.7

4

t h e t h r e ee’s: ‘

•

Explain

the points in

for more information on planning and writing this t ype of

your own words .

task.) a T

keinto account the points you have s e l e c ted and

•

the points

Evaluate

commented on. R e m e m b, you e r will nee dto:

or information

either

•

begin with an ap propriate introduc tio n that fits the as they st and, or in

Thank you for

t y p e o f t e x t and audience (for example,

relation to other

l e t t i ng me talk to y ou today ab out…

) evidence or re search

you have. •

use clear paragraphs to ex plore each point and

• comment on it Express

viewpoint. •

end with a conclu sion that ex p r e s s e s your view – and, if

relevant, c alls for a c t io n .

F o r p e r s u a s ive writing, you need to us e:

•

Surely it is not the case

rhetorical q u e s t io n s o r s t a t e m e n t s (

hta… t?

)

•

incredibly sle ek machine

p o w e r f u l, emotive language (

)

•

no cover , no paper , no turning of pages

repetition or list s (

S e c t i o n

250

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

.)

your

3.

0 1

Appl y the skills

Check your prog r e s s

5

Write your arti c l e , l e t ter or spee ch. Remembe r that it mus t

I can d evelop a c l e a r a n d

be 500

– 8 0 0 w o r d s , so make sure you comment on each

e f f e c t i v e r e s p o n s e t o a given

point fully .

passage.

I c a n e x p r e s s m y i d e a s on a

g i v e n p a s s a g e t h o u g h t f u l l ,y

and for d e l i b e r a t e e f f e c t .

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Asginment2:

W tir nigto describe

ForA ssignment 2, youneed to produce a piece of

descriptive writ ing thatcreates a convincingtamosphere.

Explore the skills

It is likely that whatever t ype of description you cho ose to write,

it will involve some of the following eleme n t s :

•

a p a r ticular set tin g or building (for example, a wintry beach, a

magical tower)

•

weather or natural event (for example, mountain sto r m ,

heatwave in the city)

•

an event or expe rience (fo r example, a birth d a y p a r t y)

•

a p e r s o n o r group of people.

W hich of thes e ideas would you choose to d e s c r i?bWehy?

1

Build the skills

Whatever th e t a s k , yo u r d e s criptive writing should:

•

create a convincin g p i c tu r e o f fering depth and detail

•

provide a varie t y of focuse s, for example using ‘c a m e r a - s t y l e ’

techniques – zooming in on detail or widening out

•

create a vivid or power ful atm osphere, mood o r s e t t in g

•

use well- chos e n i m a g e r, ysen s o r y language and sentence

variety to bring the de scription to life

•

have a clear str u c t ure: this could be chronological, or inclu de a

change of mood , s e t t in g o r p e r s p e c t i ve

•

include de tails that ‘show’ rather than ‘tell’ the read er about

the scene or a character’s feelings

2

sheunrdtouryfweyehicraevRk–ofstasnegurdetaif

ohcae?wtahraelto ocseruodafyrne,notfIT .9scpia3nd

ohuoyw ohuscrtwh hs.c4o,9w t.yiept riuldcfoestnecti ei v

Develop the skills

Hieerarte.iwrytevidurialcdSnveushtpoidw cgeunolfsft

m deonnhtleriaxeltacnw ostahrdic,tsietsopcfvtiestlryc.

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For bleak, unadulterated m i s e r y that

set foot in. T here was no fi

dâk

-bungalow wa s the wors t of the many that I had ever

re place, and the windows would not open; so a brazier of charcoal

would have bee n u s e l e s s . The rain and th e wind splashe d and gurgled and moaned round the

house, and the

toddy palms

rattled and roared.

M y O wrnueTGhost Sto r y

From

We wandere d along inter s e c t ing avenues , until we c ame to one b roader than th e r e s t ,

of which sto od a little house. Tiny stream s fl

owed round and about it, fl

by Rudya rd Kipling

at the end

owe d u n d e r i t s walls and

into its ro oms; fountains splas hed ceaselessly in fro nt of it, a s o f t light wind swayed the heav y

folds of the pat terned c u r t ains hangin g half-way down acros s its d eep balconie s .

In Praise of Gardens

From ‘

’ by Ger t r u de Bell

My mother was the archety pal Cockney sparrow and was much loved by all the famyl.i She was

small, but m oved quickly, p o s s e s s e d a sharp wit and considerable intelli gence. He r school rep o r t s

were excellent: the family Bible was jus t one of s everal prizes sh e had won. No tra desmen eve r

managed to cheather, although some tried – she could always add up faste r than they could!

From

From Step ney toroStpT e z

by Peter Go uld

coVabulary

a traveller ’sre st- h o u s e

dâk:

toddy palm:

a type of tree

which produces a sort

of wine

3

W hich of the features in the lis t on the p revious page can

you identif y in each text ?

4

W hat is dis t i n c tive about each of the text? s

Think about:

•

the narrative viewp oint (who, if anyone, se ems to be

speaking)

•

the use of te nses or tim e

•

the mood or atmo sphere create d.

Check your prog r e s s

I u n d e r s t a n d w hat the

Appl y the skills

r e q u i r e m e n t s of As signment

2 are.

5

T hink of one me morable pers on, one memorable place and

I c a n a p p l y w h a t I have

learned abou t A s signment 2

one memorable ev e n t . W hich would you choos e to write

to my work.

about? Make notes about your choice, trying to visualis e as

much detail as you can.

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Asginmte2:nrW it niga

descriptive text

uoY r d e s c r ip t i v e t e x t d o e s n ot h a v e t o b e b a s e d o n your

o w n p e r s o n a l e x p e r i en c e s , b u t i t m a y h e l p t o draw

on place s o r p e o p le y o u k n o.owY u c a n t hen adapt

o r d e v e lo p t h e s e t t i n g o r c h a r a c t e r t o m a k e i t e v e n

more memorable.

Explore the skills

Look at the table below, which shows so me notes in preparation

for a piece of de scriptive writing about‘a memorable event or

experience’ .

Event– the opening match of the season

between my team and another

Developed

Ideas

•

•

went with my family

perhaps just go with

– big football fans!

my mother

•

•

lovelysunny day

holding her hand

•

•

wintry,

sat halfway up the

coldday?

stands

•

imagine we are at

•

ground level by the

next to a boy like me

side of the pitch –

can bring in all the

action from the game

•

next…toan old man

in a wheelchair

1

2

H ow has the original idea bee n developed?

gwusehetvahthsegnra?hiemct W deyisthehsreg

ek eedhtnistafuoisbhatcepuedmskoinsri,hcyn:Tos

•

having a focus or different focus e s

•

creating convincing, vivid p i c tu r e s

•

use of chang e or contras t .

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y fokniht oNo Rwem pixouw ren,a.cbem l obrer

3

deahssaiuoeytsae–hircteicepttohaniptrdcesvluo

story

,

rotarurocanfodyruohlywstahnouyarnoedshuears.

a)

Jot down your o riginal idea (lik e the on e on page 25 4 ,

b a s e d o n p e rsonal e xperience if possible.)

b)

Develop it to mak e it more interes ting or allow for a

tighter focu s (it is of ten b e t ter to focu s on a spe cifi

c

individual or individuals in a des cription rather than jus t

describe

broad groups .)

Build the skills

kaTe the same idea of an exciting event or ex perience. The notes

below begin to build the ideas from the table on page 254 .

huge,

sight:

cubed, silevr

l

f

oodlights

my child

touch:

hand holding my

roar

sound:

mum’shand

of fans, songs

Toptip

and chants

Football match

Chapter4 and opicT 9.2 show

you how to generate ideas for

with my mother

your descriptive writing. T his

mightinvolve using the sens es

wafting scent

smell:

to build ideas.

of hot coff

tea from fl

ee and

asks

Create a similar sen se diagram for your choice of exciting

4

event or expe rience (you could consider a music gig , a

ride at a funfair , g e t t ing caught in a tropical storm – or

whatever you canthinkof, real or imagined ).

taht merRb

uoy ,ensoetdiitw rpeveiutrw aohyc

us ot dneeiants

ti

rp,05slreivohletsiwedevnueory–inehvlbacoa8 w oT0.0dsr

oclaevedenasokh–tl lw tesfoaheodgetbnioisdenpheyd.

The huge, cubed fl

oodlights,fl ashingsilver in the early evening,

captured

slanted down, turning the white

the lines of rain

lines

thatfel across their glare. The rain

by the pitch in front of

me from straight, neat stripes to a blurry mess.Players slid or

crashed

into the hoardings or slipped, over

like clowns – except

it was not deliberate.

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H ow has the de scription of the fl

5

o o dlights b e e n

developed? Think about the highlighted s e c t ions:

•

w h a t a s p e c t of the weather the fl

o o dlights lead to

•

what feature of the pitch is then des cribed

•

w h a t p e o p l e c/ h a r a c ters are th en brought into the

p i c t ure.

kaTe one a s p e c t of your chosen exciting exp erience and

6

develop it in the s ameway.

•

Begin with one fo c u s .

•

Lead into a seco n d .

•

Add a third.

Develop the skills

B e c a u s e this is cours ework writin g, there are many st yles and

approaches you can take (see . o) 1piTc10.

L o o k a t t h e d e s c r i p t i v e p i e c e s b e l o w a n d o n p a g e 2. 5 7

7

What do you n otice about th e d i f fe r e n t f o r m s , s t r u c ture s

a n d u s e s o f l a n g u a g e t h e y a d o pt? Ma ke note s o n e a c h ,

p e r h a p s j o t t i n g d o w n w h a t y o u like, o r w o u l d l i k e t o u s e

i n y o u r o w n w ri t i n g .

A

Dusk: mothers with children dragged behind, raced by, their

ering through er-pafeet the pithin, grey puddles. The

neon lights at the crossing blinked and winked like naughty

schoolboysand red buses screeched to a halt t o let

passengers tumble off

.

Dawn:emp ty streets. A single starling sat on a lamp-post high

abovethe pavement, opened le beak and itssang li out. But

no one except me heard.

B

S l o w l y n ow

T h e s ea’s ti d e c r e e p s by

A l o n g t h e v a l l ey o f t h e s a n d y d u n e s ,

E a t s u p t h e l e v e l l a n d , t h e gr a s sy m a r s h e s ,

S w a l l o ws, spr e a d s a n d c o v e r s a l l with wa t. e r

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C

Supper is a rio t. Ma stan ds at the top of the l ong table,

dispensin gchi cken and cous- cous from a huge pot, while

sixpairs of han dsshout ‘Me fi

rst!Me fi

. Hot, rs’!t f ruity

saucedr i b b l e s down the ladl e while plates cl a t ter and

b a t tle for at ten t i o n .

D

The old

m a n i n the corner shop h a s a f ace like

it cre a s e s w h en h e

smile s , a n d u n f o l d s w h en h e

w o b b l y s t o o l t o h av e a

money, hi s

f i n g e r s

w e a r s a t a t t y

nap. W h en h e

o p e n s

are like b e n t tw i g s

a s

a w r i n k l e d m a p;

sits

h i s

back on his

p al m t o t ake m y

t h e y g ra s p t h e c o i n s . H e

re d b e r e t a n d a s c r a t c h e d m e d a l h a n g s f r o m

j a c k e t : a w a r h er o

I

w o n d e ?r O r s o m e t h i n g h e

his

h a s a c quired?

N ow, imagin e that you have be en given the following tas k :

8

uoY have just spent your fi

r s t night in a new town or city.

D e s c r i b e your surroundings and feelings as you awak e.

Do any of the str u c t ures and st yles you have jus t looke d

a)

at appeal to you ?

b)

Would any of them

c)

Can you think of any t e x t s you have rea d that could

not

be suitable ?

provide inspiration for your own work?

What other original or interes ting way s could you

d)

s t r u c ture or pres ent your idea ? s

9

U sing the skill s you have learne d here, and through your

reading oofpics T 9. 2 and 9. 3, plan a r e s p o n s e to the tas k ,

considering how you will a p p l y d e s criptive writing features

e f f e c tiveyl.

Check your prog r e s s :

Appl y the skills

I c a n c r e a t e a n e f f e c ti v e

r e s p o n s e to my chos e n

10

Complete the fi

r s t d r a f t of your des criptive re s p o n s e .

d e s c r i p ti v e t a s k .

Remember that in your cours ework, your draft will be

I can cr eate an original and

handed in with your fi

nal piece, so make sure that you use

d i s t i n c tive

d e s c riptive piece.

it thoughtfully to improve your work.

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01 retpa.hC

nghiAcaopr

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Asginmen3:t

Natra ive wr gniti

A s s i g n m en t 3 i s a g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y t o t e l l a c o mp e l l i n g

a n d o r ig i n a l s t o r y o f y o u r o w n . ouY w i l l b e a bl e t o d r aw

o n y o u r o w n r e a d i n g , a s w e l l a s o n n e w id e a s t h at you

d e v e l o p a s p a r t of t h e c ou r s e w o r k p r o c e s s .

Explore the skills

It is import antthatyourchos ennarrativehas a well- defi

ne d,

engaging plot withinteresting characterisation.Howcanyou

achieve ? this

Look back at the fi

ve - p a r t s t o r y s t r u c ture describ ed oinpic 01T . 4.

Then look at this palette of characte r s , locations and general plot

ideas.

a small hut a one-arm e d

a tale of

by a lake shop-keeper

revenge

a border a brilliant young

crossing-p o i n t

pianist

a j o u r n e y o f d is c o v e r y

a l u x u r y penthouse fl

at

a father whos e children have all

a secret revealed

l e f t

home

a huge hall in a castle

a t e r r i f y i ng experience

a highly successf u l

a p e a c e f u l forest glade

a n u n e x p e c t e d relationship

businesswoman

a palace made o f ice

a sad memory

1

Create three stories bas ed on or in spired by th e s e i d e a s .

Share your ideas with others , then ame nd or add to your

original plots to improve them .

Build the skills

A s w ell as the core co ntent (the main plot ideas and cha r a c ters),

you will als o need to consider how tomake your work original

and interes ting. Sp end some time exploring original ways of

telling or str u c t uring your work.

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Read this example narrative task:

Toptip

Write a fi

c t ional or autobiographical account of a se cret that

uoY could even mix the s t y l e s

is revealed with a n e f fe c t o n o t h e r s .

accordingot character – for

example, an elderly ‘p osh’

A s w ell as the core content, there are several narrative choices you

character might speak in

can make. For example:

a more formal way than a

teenage tearaway!

Narrative voice(s )

Form

short s t o r y

i

f

Style or m o o d

r s t p e r s on

formal and/or

Toptip

narrator

informal

third pers on

refl e

d i a r y or diary

If you are not sure what each

entries

c t i ve

of these narrative choices

narrator

l e t t e r )s(

dramatic, and

so on

refers ot , lookopi at Tc s

multiple narrat o r s

0 1 ,9.54.and9.6of r more

information

about narrative

Copy the table, th en add any oth e r f o r m s , voices or s t y l e s

2

writing.

you can think of .

Develop the skills

Here is a set of choices bas ed on the id ea of a secret revealed.

series of l e t te r s

two narrat o r s

i

f

refl

r s t narrator:

e c tive , s a d ,

looking back; second

narrator: angry ,

funny,

sharp

U sing the tas k above, or o ne of the sto r ylines you

3

developed earlier , makeyour own choice of narrator(s).

Appl y the skills

A s s i g nment 3 rewards b o l d n e s s and originalit . y

Complete the plan using the followi n g s t e p s:

•

Write out your c h o s e n s to r yline clearly (from the

opening to

this less on).

•

Underneath it, write out clearly your choice of narrator(s).

Check your prog r e s s :

•

Add any further detail s that come to min d (name of characte ,r

more detail on place...).

I u n d e r s t a n d w hat is r e q u i r e d

in a des criptive writing t a s k .

•

Evaluate the idea – is there any thing you could change or

I c a n a p p l y w h a t I have

improve to mak e it more original or striking (chang e characte ,r

learned about

d e s c r iptive

a d d a t wist or surp rise to the stor yl?i)ne

w r i t i n g t o c o n s i d e r a rang e of

options for succes s .

R e d r a f t your plan as nee d e d .

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Asginm 3t:eDevel n oping

nart ive wr gniti

In Topic 10.6 , y o u e x p l o r e d s o m e o f t h e b r o ad e r c h o i c e s

availabl e t o m a k e y o u r s t o r y e n g a g i n g a n d e f fe c t i v e .

N o w r e m i n d y ou r s e l f of s o m e o f t h e s k i l l s t h a t

n a r r a t i v e w r iter s e m p lo y t o a c h i e v e s uc h a n i m pa c t .

Explore the skills

What make s an interes ting account and interes ting chara c t e ?r s

In this extr a c t , the novelist John Braine explores the pro cess that

should go on in your head when you

imagine.

Let us consider another example of how not to write.

I made it up, but i t ’ s an absolute l y t y pical pass age from any

unpublished novel and I have see n p a s s a g e s likeit in more

than one publish ed novel.

oT‘ mwalked over to the window. The sun had come out .

H e w e n t u p s t airs an dawake ned Hilda.’

akm eubnrmaeerheodtstri.otsnafeuqsnoetfi’hnlbTsrwre

w i eht ot??yryelvklowso?kwiloldrSw adiBdom nTWtahdidwoH

htspuhguog?wrhoehtdnide?W eiwtahsdwoHehseriat

otneykiwawatenw hetehnofa?dIeiclHdiHw ?tonneh

ol ehks di?iswdalem ohpe,rtdsebawhlsnehawhkt

W adn.wileuhvtonoautjasirtYnel’gw vnaoidiktwklso

.gni laerevvenursdlnaceshilntoaiscypahdiptcAninosyyaihtc

. stuolem voenc nysim ltpni’dsoe

daedeerht s i

tuomeoc daH

eht taht s i ef iels slaiwehgNrnstnueBpiah.nsdwtroi.tnae

ro tehygliedfaehrbrlsapnosmiotirwof,nueglnsasl ec etd

awoscdnlmowfim erorfr,nefitwar,bmortfeicrehotttuo; sg

sarg ehetrtflofehterhukm otadnldanoatcise; swrwones

gniht padhlostakhno’dsnail.W tdnpaehrsgewndenliohts

nutcapflaaereilnbeatgkuncbm reaheiarntepsn,ayh

tuobaigc’bnefupow isnryecptsaeierficy,alcp cposenr.

]ee l .s eo… dandwsoehl?oad[idH,nlAtiHisprtnm teafhteIt’

hw nw aorsfm i s’eenrheoheskeanswle?o.Ddmat ’nrseetotd

s?aetfneihuedsrkgawsroaIrOyo tfi? odtulctanhwdehnAs se

eohekneTishws’elodehlespt?W eakhefonlksm eoshw al

h? t ra e

From

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Writing a Novel

by John Braine

7.

0 1

W hat advice d o you think is mo s t i m p o r tant from this

1

p a s s a?gWehy? What will you pay attention to in

your

s t o r? y

Build the skills

One piece of key guidance from John Braine is that you m u s t

‘ s h o w ’ not ‘tell . ’ ou cannot Y completely avoid giving information,

but generally it is be t t e r to show a charac t e rs’ p e r s onality rather

than tell the reade r w h a t s o r t o f p e r s on they are. For example,

She was a lonely old woman

i s b e t te r e x p r e s s e d a s :

The old lady

sat in the rocking chair s taring sadly out of the rain- s w e p t

window

.

H ow is this achieved in the followin g e x tr a c?t

2

The snake and Ántonia

I was walking back w a r d , in a crouching po sition, whe n I heard

coVabulary

Ántonia scream. She was s tanding opposite me, pointing

Bohemian: behind me an d shouting so mething in

Bohemian

a native or

. I whirled

inhabitant of Bohemia – round, and there, on one of thos e d r y gravel bed s, wa s the

in the prese nt-day Czech b i g g e s t s nake I had ever see n. He was sunning himself, a f ter

Republic the cold night, an d h e m u s t have been asleep when Á ntonia

screamed. W hen I turne d, he was lying in long loo se waves ,

likea l e t t e r ‘W. ’ He t w i t c h ed and began to coil slowly .He

was not merely a big snake , I thought – he was a circus

m o n s t r o s i t . y His abominable mu scularit , y his loathsom e,

l

f

uid motion, som ehow made me sick. He was as thick as my

leg, and loo ked as if mills tones couldn’t crus h the disgus ting

v i t a l i t y out of him. He l i f ted his hide ous lit tle head, and

rattled. I didn’t r u n b e c ause I didn’ t think of it – if my back

had been again s t a s tone wall I couldn’t have felt more

cornered. I s aw his coil s tighten – now he would spring , spring

his length, I r e m e m b e r e d. I ran up and drove at his head with

my spade, struck him fairly across the n e c k , a n d in a minute he

was all abou t my feet in w a v y l o o p s . I struck now from hate.

Ántonia, barefooted as she was, ran up behind me. Even af ter

I had pounded his ugly head fl

at , his bo dyke pt on coiling and

winding, doubling and falling back on it self. Iwalked away

and turned my ba ck. I felt seasick.

Ántonia cam e a f te r m e , c r ying, ‘O Jimmy,

he not biteo ?you Y u

user? Why you not run when I say ? ’

From

My Ántonia

by Willa C a t h e r

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M ake brief notes abou t :

3

a)

what we are told abou t Jim, his feelings an d behaviour

b)

the impression we get of Ántonia, through what Jim

says and how s h e s p e a k s and behave s

the way in which the e xcitement of the event is

c)

conveyed to the reader .

D oes the ex tra c t p a ss the John Braine tes ?t In what ways ?

4

Note down ef f e c ti v e a s p e c t s of the text . For example: How

in a crouched position

did Jim move ?(

and

whirled round

show his care, and fear – he wants to protec t Ántonia)

Develop the skills

Look at the tas k below.

Write a narrative piece in which th e following word s appear:

‘I knew we didn’t have long… ’

5

U sing what you have learned about generatin g ideas and

planning for narrative writing, make notes about how you

might approach the t a s k .

•

S t a r t by coming up with idea s s u g g e s ted by the title –

for example, who is ‘ I ’ ? W hy don’t they ‘have long’?

uoY could use a spider diagram, a list of ideas or any

other method.

•

C o n s t r u c t a ‘well- d e f i n e d ’ p l o t , using the five - p a r t s t o r y

s e q u e n c e o u tlinedoinpic 01T . 4.

•

C o n s i d e r s e t tings you might use, but do not have too

many.

•

Decide on your main character or charac t e r s .

•

Think about where the given sentence will come in the

s t o r. y

6

N e x t consider the variety of ways you could

tell

Think about:

•

the form or tex t t y p e

•

narrative voice()s

•

s t y l e a n d / o r mood.

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the stor . y

7.

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7

Finally, create a sto r y t ablelike the one below that capture s

all your deci s i o n s . Leave the third column blank for now.

Features

C h a n g e o r i m p?revo

Details

Who is the s t o r y about?

What is the ba sic (five- stage)

plot?

What will b e the main se t t i n g

or location ? s

What form will it be told? in

Who will tellit?

In what st y l e /mood?

8

Review your deci sions and the s t o r y you have planned. Is

there anything you could change or improve to mak e your

s t o r y or characters more distinc ?tive Complete the la s t

column of the table.

Appl y the skills

9

Write your firs t draf t .

As you do so, go backtoJohnBrainse’guidanceandlo okagainat

whatmakesWilaCather’saccount succes ou sful.should Y not copy

Check your prog r e s s :

what she has done, but use it as a template for good writing–

memorablecharac t e r s, situationandac toi n.

I c a n c r e a t e a n e f f e c ti v e

r e s p o n s e to my chos e n

narrative ta s k .

10

N o w c o n s i d e r w h a t m i g h t n e e d improving or chan ging.

R e m e m b e r t h a t your draft will be hand ed in with your I can cr eate an original and

d i s t i n c tive narrative

piece.

f i n a l p i e c e , s o m a k e s u r e t h a t y o u u s e i t t h o u g h t f ully to

improve your wo r k .

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Draftingandm irovin p gyourkwro

C o u r s e w o r k a s s i g n m en t s g iv e y o u t he o p p o r t u n i t y

t o h o n e a nd i m p r o v e your idea s – a n d p e r h a p s m o s t

i m p o r t a n t,l y

t h e w a y y o u e x pr e s s t h e m .

Explore the skills

What do you think will be the b i g g e s t challenges you face when

writing your coursework a s s i g n m e n? tThink s about what you have

done well previously, and what you have found more challen ging.

1

Copy and complete this self- evaluation check l i s t .

Skil

Not a

Could be

Needs

problem

better

a lot of

work

Using or adapting the basic conventions o f p a r ticular

t e x t t y p e s (for example, s p e e c h , l e t t e r s , n ews ar ticles)

Using an approp riate range and variety of vocabula r y

G e t t i n g basic grammar right

ae l c ss–i wrotoliglnoifssgnoiknitarcngoweurOqre

gni kanrigal ,ragypnlsigdnserfuowfievitsecshup

P u n c t u ating work for clarit y a n d m eaning

Spelling

c o r r e c tly

Explore the skills

2

U se your completed table to identif y areas that you might

struggle with in your cours ework.

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Build the skills

u oY wilhavetheopp o r t unity toredraf tyourworkandimprove it.

overall st r u c t u r e

F i r s t – check the

of your text:

•

Is it logical? Does it crea t e i m p a c t in the right place ? s

•

Are you able to follow the argument, stor y o r descrip tion

w i t h o u t g e t ting confus ed? Loo k again at your plan a n d t r y

s h i f ting ideas around.

technical accuracy

Second – ch eck for

the fl

: do not get ‘c aught up’ in

ow of the text b u t i n s tead look at each wo rd individually .

individual problem sentences or paragraphs,

Third – ident i f y

and

s t a r t to redraf t them. For example:

First draft

i ldwoulthIunderofabnrcthesmwT,hreiy

atupedstarThIouds.clunktrheyey

l

ttsniagkchabneo

f

eval tsapehcdheTavncgryuomehtklise.d

alpethoiwhsdnadniamase.nyraedigrheTgbmynse.cspi

Final version

There, under the huge, curving branches of thewilow, I would

lie with my back againysttrunk, the kno staring up at

the clouds which fl

ickered through theleaves, formingand

reforming themselves in greys and whites.

This is the place my dreams and hopes began.

W hat changes has the stu dent made bet ween th e t w o

3

v e r s i o? nThink s about:

•

covlncefiehregtnahctoteynasea(bcne)uayorulds

•

the end of the paragraph (wha t e f fe c t i s created by

separating

In what ways d oes the fi

4

i

f

information ilke?) th si

nal versio n work bet ter than the

r s tdraf t ?

Check your prog r e s s :

I u n d e r s t a n d w hat the

d r a f ti n g a n d p r o o f r e a d i n g

process

5

require s .

Review the three - s t a g e proofreadin g proces s outlin e d

I c a n a p ply my d r a f ti n g a n d

p r o o f r e a d i n g s k i l l s to my own

oinpiTc 2 . 8 , and make notes to en sure that you are clear

work.

about what you n eed to do.

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Coursework-style tasks and

responses

Asginment 1

Key skills

I n A s signment 1, you will nee d to show the following skill s:

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of explicit meaning s

•

d e m o n s t r a te u n d e r s t anding of implicit meanings and

attitu d e s

•

analyse, evaluate and develop f a c t s , i d eas and opinio n s , u sing

appropriate s u p p o r t from the text

•

a r t iculate expe rience and ex p r e s s w h at is thought, felt and

imagined

•

o r g a n i s e a n d s t r u c tu r e i d e a s a n d o p i n i o n s f o r d e l i b e r a te

effec t

•

use a rang e of vocab u l a r y and sentence s t r u c ture s appropriate

to context

•

u s e r e g i s ter appropriate to contex t

•

make accurate use of spellin g , p u n c tuation and gramma .r

our task Y

Read the tas k. It is base d on the ar ticleoinpicT 10.3: ‘How printed

b o o k s e n t e red a new chapte r o f f o r tune’ .

uoY have read an article about a to pical issu e. Write a

response to t h e a r ticle giving your views on the issue and

arguing your ca se. (In thi s case, th e a r ticle explore s the

revival in the sales of printe d b o o k s ).

1

I d e n t i f y thekey requireme nts of the q u e s t ion.

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Exploring responses

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m a respons e to the ta s k .

Response 1

This resp onse is a le t t e r to the editor of the news paper that

published the a r ticle. Read the op ening to th e r e s p o n s e , and

consider in w hat ways it m e e t s t h e criteria for a let ter arguing a

case to the reader .

Dear , Sir

clear opening, but a

Ireadthearticleaboutprintandebooksni your . paper

little blunt – could give

more of an overview

Thewriterstateshow‘ thebookrevivalisgathering

p a c e ’ a n d h o w s al e s o f e b o o k s a r e g o i n g d o w n .

comment on use of words and

what this implies

Thismakesitsoundlikethisisagoodthingasr‘evival’

meanscomingbacktofile.ButIthinkthismakesit

clear viewpoint on issue but

soundlikeebooksarerealylabd,andIdon’tagree.

not developed

The writer also mentions someone who says,

co‘nsumers, young and old, appear tohave

established a new appreciationfor this traditional

short sentence creates

persuasive impact

format. ’

But I am not one of them. I do not wish to go

back in time to old books as they do not fit in with effective rhetorical

mylifestyle.

Who wants to lug a great big old mass of question

paper with them?Not me.

paragraphs used for each

new point of discussion

that the writer makes is that people

Another point

are sick of looking at screens all the time. They need

a ‘respite’ which makes reading ebooks sound like an

ilness!However , I do not feel il when I read an ebook.

Lots of ebook electronic devices have screens that

do not affect your eyes as much as the usual ones, so

some development from

the student’ s own personal

I don’t agree there.

views

The writer says it is ‘t o do with the tangible nature

o f b o o k s , t h e i r d e s i g n s a n d t h e i r fe e l . I t i s t h e

viewpoint clear but no

physicalbook thatevokes a memory . ’ This is rubbish –

argument – and no detailed

I don’t agree.

comment on the point

made

Feedback

This resp onse provides a clear view of the writer ’s opini o n s .

However, points from the article have not be en evaluate d in

any depth and no additional research is referred to.

2

Identify

threethings

thatcouldbem i provendtihisresponse.

Usethe‘Exceelntprogresspoints’onpag2e75tohelpyou.

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Rewrite the final paragraph of the res ponse so that it

3

works more

p e r s u a s ively.

Now read an ex tra c t f r o m a second s a m p l e r e s p o n s e .

Response 2

This resp onse to the task is in the form of a spe ech to children

a g211– eabout d 1 print b o o k s v e r s u s e b o o k s . T h i s is the opening

of the spee ch.

a suitable opening that

refers to the audience

I am delighted t obeable to talk t o you all about

one of my favourite things – books! Now,you might

not think this is a big issue – everyoneloves a good

slightly informal register is

book! – but you ’ d be wrong. ousee,Yfor the last suitable here

fewyears people like youhave been choosing to read

ebooks rather than the paper ones. There was a explains point in

real danger that printed books would die out – but, own words

thankfully, it seems this is not the case.

The reason I am talking to you is that I read an

a r t icle recently whichsaidthatorf the first time

formany years,ebooksaleswere going down.rint P

comment and viewpoint

clearly expressed in same

bookswere having a ‘revival’ . This sounds like they are

sentence

coming back tofile,andthat’ s wonderf ul news.

Can

you imagine a world without brightly colouredcovers

rhetorical question skil-

fully uses visual detail

and paper you canflickthrough?

Boring, dull and

deadly.

pattern of three hammers

home the point

T h e a r ticle also stated that we all spend too long

paragraph for new point

staring at screens,

‘ day and night’ and we need a

break. I agree – I get fed up of staring at my phone

or my tablet; the light from the screen really hurts

effective personal

Research has shown that people whohave

my eyes.

reference

workrolesinvolving substantial screen time are

more likely to suffer sleep problems, headaches and

similar issues. It seems clear that staring at that

rectangular white space can’t be goodorf you.

Another important point from the ar ticle which I

want to share with you is that expertsbelieve people

like the ‘traditionalformat’ of books. I think this is a viewpoint clear but this is

good poiradi nt.tTion is very impor t a nt, isn’t it?

an assertion – no evidence

or support provided

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Feedback

This is an excellent resp onse, well -suite d to its target au dience

a n d o f fering a clear point of view on the topic . It make s use

of language device s e f fe c t ively,

including rhetorical

q u e s t io n s ,

p a t t e r n s of three and p e r s o n a l experience. It could be slightly

improved by a dding evidence for the final as s e r t ion, but

overall this is an effe c t ive, engaging op ening to a s p e e c h .

Look again at your r e s p o n s e to this tas k from o picT 10.3 .

4

Using the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in th i s l e s s o n, and the

‘Excellent progres s points’ on page 275 , evaluate your own

r e s p o n s e a n d make impro v e m e n t s where you can.

Asginment 2

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills:

•

a r t iculate expe rience and ex p r e s s w h at is thought, felt and

imagined

•

organise and s t r u c ture ideas and o pinions for d eliberat e e f fe c t

•

use a rang e of vocab u l a r y and sentence s t r u c ture s appropriate

to context

•

u s e r e g i s ter appropriate to contex t

•

make accurate use of spellin g , p u n c tuation and gramma .r

our task Y

Read the tas k, which you began to explore oinpicT 10.5.

uoY have just spent your fir s t night in a new town or city.

D e s c r i b e your surroundings and feelings as you awak e.

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Exploring responses

Read the extr a c t from the res ponse below .

Response 1

etaohltwfeahspmtoot frIoeFh rloo

fo k rowten de l gnat

ytsud

orb ortoassdgendrniuadohltslitiouwebced-rdedtepnswrpn

good ‘long shot’ of the city

nuos fodyrnaoehphmys Iasd

. s f oor

dna e l , ac fao l cre eht ek i l

opens up the possibilities of

c fo snesrvokhacuewrttnathedscwnaitdiehebshwterhantde

description

t i boatoh,menorcodeiytnhcaTdsesdtk.rwsoeitiwbrnrlca

vivid sensory details and

ht fo tuo. ndi naaga n,gnsi diwo,gognrnicegphpdtotdes

vocabulary

a hfguodfehot ieliacewafhi tfeoan, orsotkohNogti ehltl c

evo l g etiifhwfo neci i rl oespc

ap e l poeop r gFnwnadi v.eahwt sm

close up detail provides

buh a s i ecai vl pi tcsai hdtnademesedeisorna.twifynoost

focus

Iwentback to my apar t m ent as the evening faded and

Later

new paragraph good for

thebakingsun slowly slid down over the edge of the city . But

switching time

nothing stopped and the city never slept. Just new people

repetitive vocabulary

New cars and workers going to nigtiht-me work.

appeared.

eEv r y thing seemed jumbled up like whoeverbuilt the city just

threw all the buildings up in the air and let them fall on the

ground as if playing a game.

Iwasreally nervous about my new job but decided I needed to

welcome my newe.lif

Feedback

There are som e detail s picked out and some precise use of

vocabular , y but this res p o n s e b e g ins to slip into a narrative

towards the en d.

I d e n t i f y three spe cifi

1

c things that could be improved in this

r e s p o n s e . U se the ‘Excellent pro gress’ p oints on page 276 to

help you.

Now read this ex tra c t f r o m a second s a m p l e r e s p o n s e .

Response 2

The City is an Ocean

very expressive and original

I wake to the sight of a huge,silver eel. It is the highway

opening metaphor/image

which curls around the coral buildings, suff

ocati le ng the li

roadsandpaths, like tiny minnows

.

It growls and snarls and present tense suits

swallowsonrushingvehiclesand throws them out again,

description

forever hungry and never satisfi ed.

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inappropriate word

In offi

ces, I can see

sharks patrol

choice – sharks can’t

the corridors in business

‘patrol’?

t h e i r j a g g e d w o rds cu t t i n g d o w n t h e i r e n e m i e s .

suits,

Smallerlfie frightened sh – li lcrabs e into–rooms scu t o

clever link

avoidtheir bosses and cower behind doors or under desks,

afraid they ed. ’ l l The be ne shark s ’ narrow le oneyes a se metaphor cleverly

useless blo, ater

aslow-moving salesman who failed to hide. extended and

He’snot been selling much so the shark snaps him up and

developed

sends him home, never to return.

perhaps too literal – him

Abovethecity, I look up and see the sky is another ocean. It is

being sacked?

serene, stil and deep blue. It reminds all fi sh of other peacef ul

change of focus

worlds,where no nets come and food is free.

Backonthe streetsbelow,my eyes pick out married couples

excellent simile

and friends who cling to each other

likesea-urchins, wrapping

and vocabulary

t h e i r f r o n d s a n d s p ines around each othe r’s bodies.

choices

They sway along the pavement in the breeze,efa r f ul of being

swept up by the tide of time.stI’ only six hours til work begins

again.

Slowly le to as myI new sesurroundings,thewaves sleep and

structurally

the les too. eelItse eats but now moreslowwl-.atching Hal yf ,

links end to the

waiting, readyfor the rush of the new day.

beginning

Feedback

This is an out s t a n d in g r e s p o n s e, which is b oth original,

engaging and ef f e c tive. The str u c t ural deci s i o n s , s plitting the

d e s c r i p tion into different views and times , help the reader

visualise the

2

scene.

serhet,cngopUtinshaetnpisdoehkbainfcesd

ndanaplhet ltnleipocxsEopegrs‘i,nv27 e’t6prgsaeons

5.01ekMacihoptiany.Tronfimedkauosytadfhrets

enuoyitahftaonatelphnatgsewcnteirdo,iservln.an

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Asginment 3

Key skills

uoY will need to show the following skills:

•

a r t ic u l a t e

e x p e r i e n c e

a n d

e x p r e s s

w h a t

i s

t h o u g h t ,

f e l t

a n d

i m a g i n e d

•

organise and s t r u c ture ideas and o pinions for d eliberat e e f fe c t

•

use a rang e of vocab u l a r y and sentence s t r u c ture s appropriate to contex t

•

u s e r e g i s ter appropriate to contex t

•

make accurate use of spellin g , p u n c tuation and gramma .r

our task Y

Read the tas k, which you began to explore oinpics T 10.6 and. 10.7

Write a narrative piece in which th e following word s appear: ‘ I knew we didn’t

have long’ .

Exploring repsonses

Now read this ex tra c t f r o m a sample res ponse, which comes fro m

the end of the narrative.

Response 1

Stranded by the sea

Sowewere stuck and it wasallCarlsaf’ault.

‘ I d i d n ’ t w a n t t o c o m e t o t h i s s t u p i d cave i n t h e f i r s t place,’ I s a i d .

erom tub l i ated doog

Carla didn’t say anything.Webothfelt so cold and I could see the water

p l eh d l uow no i tp i r c sed

levelscreepingup.We huddled on a ledge but it was very narrow and we

weren’t sure if it would be high enough.

good use of suspense

Then something stirred in the surface of the wat. e r

‘ W h at’sthat?’ Carlascreamed. speech punctuation

error

‘I don’t know ’ . I replied.

There was another movement, and then a sort of hand reachedupfor

our ledge. It looked like a young woman’s hand as it has slim long fi

ngers.

Then slowly the rest of the person emerged from the grey-looking water .

Itwasabeautiful lady with long, fl

owing, like haira doll.

I had no idea how she got there,becausethewat er was so cold no one

would survivefor long. The huge waveswere now cra s h i n g i n t o t h e c a ve’s

a n d I k n e w w e d i d n ’ t h a v e long.

entrance

sensory detail

C‘ ome, ’ the woman said, holding out her hand.

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‘I’m not jumping into that!’ Carla stated.

punctuation

‘If you do notolflow me, you wil die, it is your choic’ e. Saidthewoman.

needs correcting

Then she added. ‘I know a tunnel under wat, bute ryou must trust me, you

need to hold your breathfor afew seconds. ’

I took one look at Carla and jumped. Then the water hit me like a

slap

good attempt at

imagery

in the face from an ice-block. Then I was underwater and to my shock

I saw what the woman looked like. She had a ta i l o f a f i

sh which was

narrative twist,

s h i m m e r i n g g r e e n a n d b l ue.

but perhaps more

e P

rhaps the cold water was blinding me and I couldn’t see properly that

could be made of

would explain it.

writer’ s shock

Next I heard Carla splosh into the water too.

Feedback

T h e s t r u c ture for the sto r y s eems clear and easy tofollow.

However , there are several errors o f p u n c tuation, tens e and

grammar . In places, there is som e e f fe c t ive description, bu t the

ideas are only par t ially develop e d .

1

I d e n t i f y three spe cifi

c things that could be improved in this

r e s p o n s e . U se the ‘Excellent pro gress’ p oints on page 276 to

help you.

Now read this ex tra c t f r o m a second sample resp onse. Thi s time it

is the opening to the sto r. y

Response 2

excellent fi

rst line plunges

The shrinking land

the reader right into the

I knew we didn’thave long. Now the sand had shrunk to a tiny action

area of about two metres square around me. The cold easterly

good use of sensory

wind howled

and in the dark I could no lon

g

erseemyfellow

details

i

f

shermen.

They say that when yourelifis underthreatyourpastfl ashes

beforeyoureyes.Inmycase, all I could remember was my wifes’

use of fl

ashback to set

face that morning when I l e f t.

scene

ou‘don’Yt have to go out on the sands.Eve r yonesaysst’i

dangerous,’ she told me.

Wewerestanding inourone-room hut; the baby was crying,

and the electricity meter had run out. The radiator was cold as

stone, and I couldfeel the icy winter draught sliding through the

gap under the.door

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‘I do, ’ I told. her ‘ eWhavenomoney. ’

She was right of course and perhaps now I wouldn’t see

rather repetitive

h e r a g a i n . I t h o u g h t o f m y fel l o w f i s h e r m e n a n d w o m e n

vocabulary

and wondered if they knew the sands andertides than me. be

e P

I

rhaps they weresafe at home now with their families.

l o o k e d

T h e r e

m o v e

f o r

w a s

o r

I ’

a

n o

d

l i g h t

m o o n

b e

o r

a n y

o r

d e a d .

s t a r s

I

s i g n

o f

life.

W h e r e

t o

g u i d e

m e ,

p l u n g e d

w a i s t

u p

b u t

i n t o

wa s

I

t h e

h a d

t h e

b e ach?

t o

s w i r l ing

excellent use of

w a t e, r

h o o k e d

a r o u n d

m e

l i k e

s o m e

g h a s t l y

g r e y

s n a k e,

imagery

a n d

h e a d e d

i n

a

s t r a i g h t

l i n e .

B u t t h e w a t e r r o s e e v e n f u r t h . e Nr o w i t w a s a t m y c h e s t !

There was nothing for it: I just d ropped my bas k e t s o f f i

the fi

sh –

sh that paid my pal t r y w a g e s – s o t h a t I c o u l d s w i m . I

fee lrtl yu m i s e r a b l e . Eve n i f I s u r v i v e d I w o u l d l o s e m y j o. b

I d i d n ’ t l i k e t h e g a n g b o s s , t h e s m u g m a n i n t h e e x p e n s i ve

concisely expressed charac-

coat who’

d picked me out of the line of men looking for work,

terisation

b u t I n e e d e d t h i s e. tY i f I c a m e b a c k w i t h n o c a t c h t h e y w o u l d

g e t r i d o f m e . D i scard m e l i k e a n u n w a n t e d b i t o f u s e l e s s

seaweed.

miaIngeidmwyefMandi.ysonbabwiythhisshar, pblueyeksi–el

use of short sentence for

epelbeslonthebach.hadI tomoftarthem. ike thiel

impact

Suddenly I saw a light! A hazy oval shimmering and dipping up

and down. It pulled me like a magnet towardsand it, and fi

nally I

felthope – surely I could survive now?eWwould see in the next

fewhorrible minutes.

Feedback

A v e r y e f f e c t i ve r e s p o n s e, with well- devel o p e d i d e a s and a

highly effe c t ive characterisation and content.

2

U sing the res p o n s e s a n d feedback in this topic, and the

‘Excelle nt progres s’ point s on page 276, evaluate the

response to this task that you drafted oin . piTc10.7

write the fi

S e c t i o n

472

Then

nal versio n of your resp o n s e .

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

0 1

Checkyour progress

Assignment 1

Reading

Sound progress

•

I can includ e relevant ideas from the tex t .

•

I can begin to explore simpler and more explicit ideas and say whe ther or not I agree

with them.

•

I can write a re sponse that is appropriate to the ta s k , u s ing some of th e c o r r e c t

convention s and voice required.

Excellent progress

•

I can fluently pick out ideas fro m the text and explain the m .

•

I can explore an d o f fer my views ab out implicit and explicit ideas from th e t e x t .

•

I can write a re sponse that uses my own research and experience, and which shows a

high level of unde r s t a n d ing of the issues discu s s e d .

Writing

Sound progress

•

I can write in a way that gets my views acro ss and engage s my reader .

•

I can usually organise my id eas into a clear s equence.

•

I can sometim e s u s e p o w e r ful words.

•

I can sometim e s c h o o s e the words and tone that match the pur p o s e

and audience of m y t e x t .

•

I can use g enerally accurate spelling, pun c t u ation and grammar .

Excellent progress

•

I can write in a way that gets my meaning acro s s v e r y precisely a n d p o w e r fuyl.

•

I can organise my writing carefully so that it helps my read er to under s t a n d my i d e a s .

•

I can selec t wo rds carefully to create precise meaning s a n d e f fe c t s .

•

My choice of regi ster is ef f e c tive and suits th e purpose and audience.

•

My spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar is almost always accurate.

C h a p t e r

10 : A p p r o a c h i n g

w r

i t t e n

c o u r s e w o rk

572

01 retpahC

Assignment 2 & 3

Writing

Sound progress

•

I can choose ideas and de tails relevant for the ta s k .

•

My organisation is strai g h t f o r ward and my writing f e e l s p u r p o s eful and complete.

•

I use some precise vo c a b u l a r y and a range of se ntences so metimes chosen for th eir

effec t.

•

M y r e g i s ter is sometimes app ropriate fo r the contex t .

•

My spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar is generally accurate.

•

I c a n d e s cribe objec t s , people and scenes by using helpful det ails(d escriptive writing).

•

My plot is suitable and ideas link togeth er (narrative writing).

•

I can create charac t e r s a n d s e t tings that are int e r e s ting (narrative writing).

Excellent progress

•

I can write in a way that is interes ting fo r my reader .

•

I organise my writing so that it ha s a n e f fe c t o n the reader .

•

I use well - c h o s e n v o c ab u l a r y preciselyan , d v a r y my sentence s for effe c t .

•

My writing makes

it easy for the reader to imagine pe o p l e , o b j e c t s or sce nes (d escriptive

writing).

•

I can write s tories with a clear sens e of developm ent and charac t e r s and places that are

convincing

(narrative writing).

•

My spellin g , p u n c tuation and grammar is almost always accurate.

S e c t i o n

672

3: Appl y i n g

k e y

s k i l l s

i n

c o u r s ework

Approaching

speaking and

1 1

listening

s lsuledhrinuatkoysngenltegYilsnkauaiielp

cusruof tm pdenadnaitnm edyeoiecltreht

rae l cdeeatnedieoflbnyo,cl yodiwuttus

i rbmaCrorafptrEouaSGCo.AscIyiegtdnumoc

dnlal goni ykieksat,eespgsinerrluaoirucns

no i taut ipestlpeahl am c rolsflihiiTw adessens.sra

y s dihlst iloulrtboifdknoasht ktosrubauotoy

dna ilonoum hoccs utoayfyfepnlielvtieatechc

. e f iyrleveyrauody

o

Y

uwuliseyourspeaknigandsiltennigsksltio:

•

xeepdxnea eeatwhcaneslusiicetratp

dnaLS)t(ledfen1,igthamguioht

•

ienhoipco adnaanf istaneesdvsneoi srpcts,

usrnehticdnuihawi erShesn(dtia’rote)s2ecL

•

soplnrcuipseudtnayc ylinlumuroafceeg

S ( egaugna l tneul)3fL

•

oc ot se)it4grepaLpraSi e(rrsptuexotn

•

listen an d r e s p o n d appropriately in

convers ation (SL 5).

277

11. retpahC

o1 Tc i p

Unsigeht ghtriangluage

You r a u d i e n c e i s

a n d

a

v i t al consideratio n

l i s t e n i n g s i t uat i o n .

a teacher should

you choo s e

t o

b e

i n

a

d e l i v e r

a

c h a r a c t e ,r y o u c a n s p e a k

suits

o f

t h e

t h e

A

t a l k

f a i r ly

o r

i n

a n y

speaking

p r e s e n t at i o n t o

f o r ma l

r e g i s t e .r

If

c h a r a c t e .r H o w e v e r ,

fo r m a l l y

i n

t h e

a s sessment, you should alway s

as long

t h e

r o le o f a

c o nversat i o n p a r t

s p e a k

f o r m a l l. y

s t a n d a r d

c a s u a l l a n g u a g e yo u m i g h t

t h e

as that

A n s w e r q ue s t i o n s u s i n g

t h a n

i n

monologue

l e s s

u s e

w it h

E ng l i s h

,

r at h e r

f r iends.

Explore the skills

uoY are going to deliver a pres entation o n how your scho ol’s rules

Key terms

should be change d. Remember the following point s w h e n

monologue:

a speech,

working through the t a s k s b elow.

in role, by one chara c t e r

•

Focus on using formal st andard Engli s h .

•

Use a suitable s t y le and includ e content that will

without interruptio n

standard Englis h:

the

engage your audience.

most widely u sed form of

English that is not specific

W ith a par tner , decide how you would vary your content

1

to a particular location

a n d s t yle for:

or region (fo r example,

a)

the head teacher

b)

your class mates

i n s t a n dard English , you

were

would say:

we

going

was

not

we

going

and

a meeting of interes ted pare n t s .

c)

you would use the word

argument

In each case , ask yours elf:

or

•

What will they already know?

•

What do I nee d to tell them ?

•

How can I put across my vi e w s m o s t p e r s u a s ively?

2

T he example on the n e x t p a g e i s p a r t of an unsucces sful

p r e s e n t a t ion. Read it, then decid e what need s to be

improved.

S e c t i o n

278

4 :

S p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i ng

rather than

barney

)

tiff

1.

1

1

Thing is, nobody likes rules. They’re rubbish. And

the ones we have in this school are brainless.

o Ya beu’here vego to know we suff

we suff

. er Man, do

er! arents? P They don’t know nothing

about stuffhappening to us everyday.We was

told offfor eating our lunch outside on the fi

eld

yesterda.y Maybe they thought the grasswas,

like, going to get worn out. Mental!

oT do well in speaking and listening, you will need to be able to

u s e s t a n dard English

in your task s . T h at means:

•

avoiding slang or language that is too informal

•

speaking in full sentences , usin g c o r r e c t grammar

•

using voc a b u l a r y that will be wid e l y u n d e r s to o d .

3

D eliver the sp eech ain T

sk 2 to a par tner , changing it

to stan dard English that would be more suitable for an

audience of pare n t s . A l t e r words and s entence str u c t ures

w h e r e n e c e s s ary.

Build the skills

The tone you use is always impor t a n t . Here is a good example of a

convers ation about healthy diets .

Sara:

… So, really, healthy eating is somethin g we should

all be aware .of

aeT c h e r :

Sara:

I m’ sure we would all agree with that.

We would,, but sir agreeing is not neces sarily the

same as ac tin g, is it? A f ter all, it is ea sy to say,e ‘s Y,

l e t ’ s eat more vege tables and consume les s sugar’ ,

b u t i ts’ much harder to apply that philosophy wh en

we arrive at the supermark et.

aeT c h e r :

Well…aren’t we all v e r y aware that our diet is

crucial if we are goin g to live a long and healthy

e?fil

Sara:

I guess… S… o are you sugg e s t i n g that

fundamentally a f fe c t s the produc t s we choose ?

C h a p t e r 11 : A p p r o a c h i n g

s p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i n g

279

11. retpahC

o1 Tc i p

aeT c h e r :

M aybe… Doe sit?

Perhaps…Buprtobabyolnuoneed otefntenoughY.

Sar:

…oeoctrdvxnaclem risnye… pam slfkeLiy

m …Iean…Hyam olfwoiyufr etdnoyuwgeih

youhoyrnsetkhayfDitlou?edenough, tuir

?…Dhyothguseotapnhtdki… rM i‘ds’m I,

betterbuyelchso.coaetnldmoreorange’s Otisr

…acoteusoafsyfloealprbtenhioefw agsrlvik

Writte n English c an be reco nsidered and reworked; spoke n

English is formulated moment by moment and de mands an

i n s t a n t r e s p o n s e . In the example above, Sara work s out h er ideas

as she speak s (‘I g u e s s … S … o)’ a n d u s e s part- s e n t e n c e s . However ,

she still u s e s appropriate English and her tone

i s p e r fe c t for her

audience. She is thoughtful and makes points without becoming

too casual o r o f fending her tea cher .

4

H ow does Saramake her conver sation e f f e c t i ve and

engaging ? Consider her u se of the following features:

a)

rhetorical

q u e s t io n s

b)

quotations

c)

sensitive chall enges to her teacher

d)

vocabular . y

Develop the skills

The example below is an imaginary convers ation bet ween a

s t u d e n t , Majid, and hi s teacher abou t transpo r t p r o b l e m s . N otice

how Majid some times s truggles to use ef f e c tive English , which

would clarify his ideas.

I get sick of traf fi

Majid:

aeT c h e r :

c j a m s . Boring traf fi

cjams.

I t ’ s a problem we all face, isn’ tit? Have you had

p a r t icular problems ?

I ’ve bee n stuck for hours s o m e t i m e s . A g eas . T

Majid:

ke last

week. Hardly moving at all. We n e e d b e t ter roa d s

made.

aeT cher:

W as there something actuallywrongwiththeroad?

o o Ttrue! An d it’s not enough to say ‘ride .bikes’ We

Majid:

need to ge t to places quicou kly. can’t Y c ycle across

the country , canyou? And the train s are rubbish.

aeT c h e r :

Inwhatway?

S e c t i o n

280

4 :

S p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i ng

1.

1

1

T hey’re rubbish. We n e e d s o m e o n e new in charge,

Majid:

if you ask me… Someone who know s w h a ts’

wrong. And put s it right…

5

Rewrite Majid ’s word s , t r yin g to improve:

•

the variety of sentence lengths and t y p e s

•

t h e s t yle, making it less c h a t t y bu t still natural

•

the detail s , s o that the ideas are d eveloped.

Now read this sample opening to a prese ntation in which the

speake r t a l k s about her favourite countr . y

Gerpeascleithartactspeoevrpeohtlfm rew alodlr

anfonw ct, iad:ayssomeresorts , .Huosjaw ereovtpo ert puarl

eht yodllefsuah,dicnlow ytkdsfihaentrded n’t

spots,dihdenfromhtm etonraisufri c,werm hcinyodiu

fo eelykoahwdiotelhawtneevtceaenhweodrnGafosofefr

orp l l w itnweogreotcnraefanhuitrepexr.vehnTalbatudfler

oti gn,ei m lpam bxuet,aroHefhttfnaor:on w tnistac

hcirurhecS efhotoydtntsayrbn,laihcseotdvoufnbia,rm tesey

m,aehhrtdttudoynwasksoeaherltcusptaohrejte,

oht l la enod ehpovsaohlm ag… iyehsapturso

6

A nswer th e s e q u e s ti o n s , considering the speake r’s

vocabular , y

sentences

and tone.

a)

What make s this ope ning engaging ?

b)

How does sheshowshehasthought about her

audience ?

Appl y the skills

7

Prepare the ope ning of a pres entation d escribin g your

favourite place and explaining why you like it. Use an

appropriate s t yle to engage your audience, and varied

vocabular y an d sentencesou. might Y include:

8

•

a precise d e s c r iption of what it is like

•

why it is spe cial for you, or your earlie s t m e mories of i t .

N ow rewrite it a s a monologue , recounting your fi

r s t visit

to this place.

C h a p t e r 11 : A p p r o a c h i n g

s p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i n g

281

11. retpahC

o2 Tc i p

Choosnigandresearchniga

pretio sennat otpci

W h e n m a k i n g a p r e s e ntat i o n , it i s i mp o r t a n t t o c h o o s e Toptip

a g o o d t o pi c a n d r e s e a r c h i t w e l l .

When asked to give a

presentation, try to choose

a topic that wil allow for a

Explore the skills

good discus sion,to show your

skils at analy sis and debate.

Always think carefully about how to make a present ation

i n t e r e s ting for your audience. Check that you know your to pic

in detail, so you will feel confide nt when talk ing and answering

q u e s t i o ns about it . If nece s s a r, ycar r y out research.

1

W hich of the se topics could you talk a b o u t m o s t

s u c c e s s fuy?l

W ?hy

Argue that pro b l e m s c a u s ed by teenagers are

•

sensationalised in the press .

Advise the parents of prima r y s c h o o l s tu d e n t s to send

•

them to your school.

Explain w hy teenage rs prefer technology to real life.

•

Build the skills

Once you have cho sen your to pic, think ab out what angle you

could take on it. For example, it is more dif f i c ult to persuade

someone that your football team is the be st than it is to des cribe

w h a t h a p p e n e d during a match. ou should Y not nece ssarily

choose the ea s i e s t approach – a mo re complex one i slikely to be

more engaging and

s u c c e s s ful.

2

Choose one of the topics b elow and us e n o t e s , a mind

map or a spider diagram, to explore the angles you could

take on it. Reme m b, eatr the simplest level you might be

arguing for or again s t a p oint.

•

Some television presente r s b e i n g v e r y highly paid

•

Pressure on te e n a g e r s to do well in exams

•

Zoos

Read the following s a m p l e e x tr a c t s from pre sentatio ns, showin g

d i f f e rent respo nses to the same to pic.

S e c t i o n

282

4 :

S p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i ng

2.

1

1

Response 1

a clear topic sentence

The trip was a huge success.eWmetat6:45,which

wasreallyearlyfor most of us, then the bus arrived at

aboutseven. I rushed straight to the back, to sit with

sets the scene

a whole gang of us were on the back

Jenny and Asma, and

. Mind you, we didn’tfeel like singing that early in the

seat

morning. 

IswearLucy wasstil chewing her breakfast when

adds humour

she got on …

Response 2

I know what the reaction from most of you wil be

direct address to audi-

when I ask this, but … howcananybody justify a trip

ence/rhetorical question

to a theme park in schooltime? And beforeyou start,

yes, Iknow everyone enjoys it – but what in the world does an engaging approach

it have to do with educatio?noul Wdn’ert ittobesit be

challenging

in lessons during the week and go to an amusement park

at the weekend?tsI’ lovely to see the teachers havin g fun

light humour

and running around, of course, but weekdaysshouldbefor

learning…

W tihapar ,identify tner whatisgoodaboutResponse1.

3

Thenidentif ythemoreadvancedsklishownniResponse 2.

Develop the skills

is not relevant, you will los e the attention of

If your content

your audience. Researchin g your topic carefully to fi

n d the most

i n t e r e s ting material is vital. Thi s means bein g s e l e c tive and fi

n ding

information fro m d i f ferent sources that suits your purpose. Avoid

copying material from any source.

4

List fac t s about the cit , y town or area wh ere you live. Make

Toptip them as dif fere n t a s p o s sible, to cover a range of intere s t s .

T h e n s e l e c t f a c t s from your list that you could us e in a talk

Each point you make needs

presentin g the place as:

to be clear and precise. If the

•

a tourist

d e s tination

•

a good place for a major company to relocate to

•

s o m e w h e r e d e s e r ving special government funding.

audience misses a point, they

have no secondchanceto

hear it.

C h a p t e r 11 : A p p r o a c h i n g

s p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i n g

283

11. retpahC

o2 Tc i p

Read the extr a c t from a pres entation b elow. The speake r chose

her topic, then her approach to explain w hat made Muhammad

Ali ‘the greatest. Note ’ how the to pic has bee n well researched.

full and well or ganised

It is

and uses a

range of language devices

.

Mostboxingexpe r t s agree that Muhammad Ali should be

considered the greatest boxer of all time. AsCassiusClay,

he won the gold medal at the Rome Olympic96s0,inthen 1

turned professionalandbecame world heavy weightchampion

964,indefeati 1 ng Sonny Liston, the boxer eve r yone else

feared.Claywashandsome,‘fl

oatederlikef a lbu y and

stung like a bee’ , and the world loevd him. However , he court ed

controversAliy. refused to fi

ghtfortheUSA in the Vietnam

. HeWrahad his title taken fromhim..

W ith a par tner , d i s c u s s the following que s t i o n s .

5

a)

How many fact s does th e r e s p o n s e above includ ? e

b)

How does th e speake r use the fa c ?t s

c)

What is the main point?

d)

How does th e speake r t r y tomake her audience

i n t e r e s ted in Muhammad A?il

T h e p r e s e n t ation on Muhammad Al:i

•

o f f e r s fac t s that give a clear picture of what was happening

•

indicates w hat was spe cial about him

•

gives an impre ssion of w hy he was su ch a great boxe r

•

only includ e s f a c t s relevant to the main topic – Ali and why

Toptip

he was outs tanding.

When planning a

Even a fairly e v e r yday topic, such as sch o o l r u l e s , can be mad e

presentation, remember that

more interes ting by in cluding:

each detail needs to suppor t

your overall purp ose. Finding

•

s t a t i s tics (fo r example, how many rules are broke)n

•

s u r v ey results (for example, how stud ents feel a b o u t

the fact s is jus t the star t .

What count s is how you

p a r t icular rules)

use and develop your ideas

around them. comparisons for ( example, with other schools).

•

Appl y the skills

6

Prepare a talk for your clas s on your favourite hobby .

Complete a table likethe one below, which is about

running.

S e c t i o n

284

4 :

S p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i ng

2.

1

Points you would select

W hy you wo u l d c h o o s e

How you would develop

1

the

points to sh ow their ef f e c t s

the points

or go into more detail

Running is healt.hy

health issues important at any

how much weight I lost/how

age

mylife changed as I became

healthier

5 1

million British people run.

pleasure/ competition/feeling of

age no barrier: Constantina

wel-bleing

Ditabecameworld marathon

championat38; Buster

M a r tin ran in the London

marathon 1aged 0 1

7

N owmake notes on po ssible angles for the pres entation

about your hobby. For example, is it unu sual? Does it help

you in other areas of your?life Could you ever mak ea

career of it?

C h a p t e r 11 : A p p r o a c h i n g

s p e a k i n g

a n d

l i s t e n i n g

285

11. retpahC

o3 Tc i p

Struct u rnigyourpesrnt on ati

I n a w e l l -s t r u c t u r e d p r e s e n t a t io n , t h e s p e a k e r k no w s

what t h e y a r e g oi n g t o s ay a n d i n what order. I n

p a r t icular, y o u w i l l n e e d t o t h i n k a b out t h e d i f f erent

w a y s t o b e g i n , d e v e lo p a n d e n d yo u r p r e s e n t at io n .

Explore the skills

I magine that you are going to give a pres entation ab out

1

your favourite school sub j e c t . Firs t, li st the points you might

make, then put them into a logical o r .dFor e r example, you

might group points as follows:

•

how it is taught

•

why it particularly appeals to you

•

how it could help you in the future.

T h i n k p a r ticularly about how you would be gin your pres entation

and how it might end.

uoY should plan your id eas in det ail, then summarise them s o

they fit on a cue c ard that you can refer to when giving your

p r e s e n t a t ion. Remember that you will only be talking for about

four minutes .

Toptip

Complete a table liketh e one below to develop your idea s .

2

Planning a pres entation is

Add more detailed information to the right-h a n d column.

similartoplanning an ess. ya

Then, using your plan, run through what you wouldsay.

However , when you are

talking, you can develop ideas

Main idea

Points to be inc l u d e d

on the spot and inte ract with

MissSpivey (brings cakes to school)

teachers

youraudience,

tones of voice and gestures.

Mr Jenkisinmspl( y adoresovlcanoes )

lessons

lots of videos

drama improvisations about other countries

include field trips, camping

trips

Build the skills

uoY r

s e t s t h e tone for what follows. It should make it

opening

clear what you inten d to talk about. It should also immediately

engage your audience.

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using different

3.

1

1

S o m e p o s s i ble techniques to use in an o pening include:

•

rhetorical questions:

Have you ever wondered why the sea is

salty?

•

We recently learned ab out the Leaning

relevant humour:

woT er of Pisa – not to be conf used with piz za..

powerful

•

f a c t s:

The9331Californi a e a r t hquake killed at le a s t

5 1 1 people.

Usehtetchnqiueasbhtew ornievitrenriegsotpengs ni

3

ofhtrepersenatoinabovychuoseatool fuir subject.

Develop the skills

uoY r c h o i c e o f e n d i n g w i l l d e p e n d o n y o u r t o p i c a n d p u r p o s erT.

y

to make a p o w e r f u l i m p r e s s i o n u s i n g o n e o f t h e s e t e c h n i q u e s :

•

a s u m m a r yofyourargument

•

ajoke

•

o nefinal,convin cingpoint

•

arhetorical  q u e s tion.

U se one of the se techniques to write a conclusion to a talk

4

on why it is imp o r t a n t for schools to have histo r y l e s s o n s .

Write an alternative ending to th e histo r y - l e s s o n t a lk using

5

one of the other te chniques li s t e d a b ove.

Read this example co nclusion to a prese ntation about a favourite

subject .

Anyone co ming to our school should look fo r w ard to doing Maths . We really do have the be s t

t e a c h e r s . The equipm e n t a n d b o o k s are all new. What is more , the way they pre sent the subje c t

makes it fun from the st a r t to the finish. An d they manage to fin d things to do outsid e the

school, so we g et away from o u r d e s k s for a while. Th e M a t h s d e p a r tment really could not be

a n y b e t. rte I t s’my favourite subjec t , and I bet it will be you r s .

6

Rewrite the con clusion ab ove to improve it.

•

Organise the material more ef f e c tively so that the id eas

develop more logically.

•

A d d m o r e d e t ail and comment appropriately.

•

Rephrase o r rewrite whe r e n e c e s s a r y to leave the

audience with a m emorable idea.

Appl y the skills

7

Plan a prese ntation to p e r s u a d e your local co m m u n i t y to

donate to a charit y sup p o r t e d by your school.

•

Make a plan in bullet p oints an d add detail s .

•

Prepare what you are going to say to open and clo se

the present ation.

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Enganginecuoyradie

Including i m a g e r y a n d r e p e a t i n g k e y w o r d s o r p h r a s e s

Topt pi s

w i l l h e lp y o u t o e m p h a s i s e i m p o r t a n t p o i n t s . C a r e f u l

I f•you choose a presentation

use of hu mour,

rhetor ical que s t io n s a n d e x a g gerat ion

where you must speak

w i l l a pp e a l t o l i s t e n e r s .

inrole, you will need to

adapt your tone tosuit

that role.

Explore the skills

I n•general, avoid repeating

yourself.

owRlonehfsampl altgdi eextractorfmapersenatoiTh n.pseaker

repetition skilfullyto

hachsoesnotdoamonoTelhrgeo.rnluie, sponnsesitandard

hammer home a point is

bEhsnu,tigtalbseenenchriedbym i agerayndreponeit.

an effe ctive technique ni

presentations.

I curse that man –rospero! P – and every thing about him. He

demands and he demands. Alwayscraving more. He holds

himself like a god and wields his power as if he even ruled

the world. As if he wouldbewo r thy to bow andcrawlatmy

mother’s feet;as if he would be worthy to sit at her table; as

, f i were it notorf the sprite who does his bidding, he could look

down on me today . He is mendacious. He is truly the serpent

onthisisland…

I d e n t i f y t h e i m a g e r y and repetition in the ex tra c t .

1

a)

Comment on each example and its ef f e c t .

b)

lA‘ ways craving more’ is not a conventional sentence.

Why is it u sed? What ef f e c t does it have ?

W ith a par tner , d i s c u s s why each example you have found

2

is appropriate for the purpo se.

Build the skills

Read the following ex tra c t f r o m a sample pre sentatio n spoke n in

role as Miranda from

TheTem p e s t

My father is a wonderf ul man. He does ever y thing in his power to keep every thing under control

and he has led a very diffi

cultlife. He has so much troublewithCaliban, because hebehaves

sobadl, and y my father simply has to discipline him. It seems that punishment is all Caliban

understands…

3

Rewrite this ex tra c t t o improve it, adding image r y and

repetitio n .

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.

However , using

4.

1

1

Develop the skills

Rhetorical q u e s t ions can be used to challenge the audience to

think more actively about an is sue. For example:

‘Can this eve r be accept able ? ’

•

( T h e d esired re a c t ion is:

Probably not!

)

Ad d t w o rhetorical q u e s t ions to this ex tra c t t o add interes t .

4

Whenweolackorssthewortdhl,esnrieoasownhwysehould

notworall,towdarktogether sacommonfutureSomeone . from

nyAroesldiaisfli

erentfromsomeoneWniviChaenldv.es

thatmayvaryandwmeeadihyfav

erenbtbeuewstif,alerall

humanbneaiguwhand lsh,ovel,. cry

a n d w i t t y tou ches can e ncourage th e audience to

Adding humour

Toptip

warm to you. r Ty :

Exaggeration can also •

( s h o r t stor y) to suppor t your point, for

a funny anecdote

makeaconsiderable example: ‘I caught measles on holiday . We l l , a c tually, measles

i m p a c t , for example: ‘ H e r caught me. What happened wa … s’

make- up was s o thick

5

Add a funny follow - o n to each of thes e sentences .

her nose was only just

poking out of .i t ’ a)

But use

Anyone can dress well if they know where to shop.

exaggeratio n sparingly .

b)

I t r y to help my cousin.

Appl y the skills

6

Produce a pre sentation opening about the job you would

likewh en you are older . Use the followin g techniques ,

underlining each example: i m a g e r, yrepe tition for ef f e c t ,

rhetorical qu e s t i o ns, humour and exaggeratio n .

Checklistforsuccess

✔

U s e i m a g e r y and repetition in your pre sentatio n to create

more of an impac t .

✔

Use rhetorical q u e s ti o n s , humour and exaggeration

sparingly and only when suited to a topic or an audience.

✔

Plan in advance w hich of thes e technique s you will u s e .

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Deveolpnigarole

uoY m a y c h o o s e t o m a k e y ou r i n d i v idual pr e s e n t at ion

i n c h a r a c t er – f o r e xample, a s a f i c t io n a l c h a r a c t e r o r

s o m e o n e f r o m h i st o r. y

Explore the skills

uoY need to prepare in advance to create and develop a

convincing characte . r If you have chose n a f i c tional charac ,ter such

as the examples of Caliban and Miranda from

TheTem p e s t

p.o1T ic4,1 you m u s t be prepared to discus s their role in th e novel,

play or film they com e from. If you have chosen a histo rical figure,

you may be as ked q u e s t ions about what they hoped to achieve, or

t h e i r i m p o r t ance in hi s t o r. y

In order to po r t r ay someone convincingly,you need to consider

the following:

•

t heir history :

what has happe ned to them

•

t heir att itudes:

what they think abou t d i f ferent issue s

and people

•

t heir behaviour:

how they speak to and treat others

•

t heir relationship s :

with people around the m

•

t heir motivatio n s :

1

why they behave as they do.

Choose one of the following roles .Make notes about the

c h a r a c ter for each of the areas in the lis t above:

2

•

an older relative

•

a famous painter

•

a prison guard

•

a film .star

I n groups of thre e, choose a c h a r a c ter each from the list

above. Introduce your charac ,ter describing your life and

what has happe ned to you.

Build the skills

W h e n p e r forming in role, you need to u se language that is

appropriate for your charac . ter For example, a politician will speak

d i f f e rently from so m e o n e w h o w o r k s in a burger . bar

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4 :

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in

5.

1

1

Work with a partn o . Ye r u are talking about whether space

3

exploration is a waste of time and monak e.yeitTin turns

to deliver a mo nologue while the other lis t e n s .

One of you is N eil Arms trong, the fi

•

r s t a s t r o n aut to

walk on the moon ,in19 69.

The other is a volunteer workerfor a charity fi

•

ghting

against hom e l e s s n e s s .

Before you begin, note down some appro priate words or phrase s

for your charac . ter

Develop the skills

When you are

in role, you nee d to speakclearly,

but you als o need

to speak in the way your character would.

Read the example improvisation below. The speake r is in role as

a television repo r t. Notice e r how she s p e a k s , giving th e audience

a vivid feeling of what happened at the end of a marathon, how

p e o p l e r e a c ted and an impression of t h e s o r t o f p e r s on she is.

Onlyrarelyin mylife haveIefl t so many people united in

joy: when Alexandro crossed the fi

nish line, there was an

outpouring of emotion the like of which many here today will

neverhave witnessed. He had run the entire race in absolute

agony, but was not prepared to givein, and 2 ki4lometres is

a long, long way to suff

. er

As he fi

nished, the whole crowdwas

cheering and many were crying. I cried…too

W ith a par tner , d i s c u s s what features of h e r s p e e c h make it

4

s u c c e s s ful.

Continue the rep o r t , making up any det ails, but

5

maintaining th e tone of the rep o r t e r ’s sp e e c h .

Appl y the skills

Choose a chara c t e r from the media or real life. It could be the

c h a r a c ter you chosea ins kT 2 . O th e r p o s s i bilities include:

•

a leading politician

•

a singer

•

someone in your favourite

•

a s p o r t s s. t ar

6

television show

Demons hoyewalhnrtcegyiaspteak, htaevrdiel -

mniueptseecyhaosucrharaecbrtoguiasfinti

canevten:t

perhapysouhw oyaebjvult,sorm anlfoe.ved olrnailn

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Preparginofr convesart oni

H o w y o u n e e d t o p r e p a r e f o r a c o n v e r s at io n w i l l

depend on you r t o p ic. For example,

f o r a c onversat ion

about t e e n a g e c r i m e , y ou c o u l d r e s e a r c h f a c t s , f i g u r e s

a n d o p i n i on s . I f y ou a r e a s k e d f o r i d ea s t o i m pr o v e y o u r

l o c a l c o m m u n i t, yy o u m ig h t a s s e s s a r a n g e o f o p t i on s

a n d t h e n a d o p t a p o i n t of v i e. w

During your conv e r s ation, you might b e aske dto:

expand on what you have already said, adding d etails or

•

considering

clarify

•

other angles

f a c t s or opini o n s .

Explore the skills

When preparing for the conve rsation about your pre sentation

Toptip

topic, think about what qu e s t i o n s your teacher might a s k , and

note down any info rmation and ideas . Brief notes are fine, but never

read directly from them. Mak e

W hat would you n eed to de cide and res earch to give a

1

sure that you do not develop

p r e s e n t a t ion and answe r q u e s t ions on the topic below?

them into any form of script.

The greates t individual th e world has ever known.

Build the skills

r T

y to anticipate ques tions that you might be as ked , and have the

information read. y For example, if you were talking a b o u t ‘ M y

life outside school an d what make s it interes ting’ , you might have

prepared info rmation on:

•

your hobbies o r interest s

•

a job you have

•

how you spen d the rest of your time.

2

W ith a par tner , decide what other details you would ne e d

to know in cas e a range of qu e s t i o n s were aske d on this

topic.

3

List ten fa c t s or points you would have to research abou t

someone you admire. In pair s , t akeit in turns to read

out your lis t sour . Y p a r tner should tr y to think of three

q u e s t i o ns seeking f u r t h er information on your chose n

p e r s o n a n d w hy you admire the m.

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1

Look at these sample resp onses to the prese ntation to pic:

What more can we do to help old pe opel?

Response 1

Response 2

I have a friend who suggests we should all Obviously , its’ nevereasCyh. arities like Age

think about what it wil be like when we get Concern give out leafl

e ts like this one, with

.olIfdweerall thought about that, I am advice, but we can’t just waveamagic wand to

surewewould treat old people much more transformthelives of old people. Neve r theless,

knidly. It is not just about raising moneyorf to just give up on them isn’t an option.Andeven

charities;siti’m p o r tant to be nice to old . le erthings Last ma li week,for instance,

people everyday. thepaperboyknew my grandma was unwell and

asked if she would like an extra magazine the

next…day

W ith a par tner , d i s c u s s why Resp onse 2 is b e t t. e r

4

Develop the skills

uoY need to be ready to ans w e r q u e s tions following your

p r e s e n t a t io n .

W ith a par tner , imagine that you have given a pres entation

5

s u p p o r ting the view that teache rs are a s chool’s m o s t

valuable resource. ourY p a r tn e r a s k s you questions about

why you hold that view an d challenge s your opinio n s .

r T

y to make use of some of their points and reach a

compromise. Follow the example below.

Well, it s’ true that

Student: aeT c h e r :

But couldn’t

you

c o m p u t e r s are good for revising learn just as well from an

something you’ve forgot t e n , b u t online res ource ?

you need a g ood teacher t o a s s e s s

what you need in the fi

r s t place.

Working in pair s , p repare a talk r e s p o n ding to the

6

following st atement:

dt ai rdanhanocd sebtolnpaoywjephttrono’aw P;tneyce

. egaw

aoctunrTsihetankie ocut ntvear aositnbetweenteachearnd

studentnwihcuhitetsdenatcknoweldghetsetachpeso’rniatsnd

ethierachcaoem s pormsiecokitsro

owunocslicn.

ohsreir

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y Appl the skills

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Respondnigto talk,seenig

tacimlpi onisnadpahrpansig

D u r i n g a c o nversat i o n , i t i s i mp o r t a n t t o s h o w t h at y ou

and can both talk

listen.

Explore the skills

E f f e c t i ve listening

allows you to absorb oth er people’s ideas and

develop new ones of your own.

Read this example ex tra c t f r o m a group discu ssion about people

we respec t .

OK. So, you think that Jus tin Bie ber is as

Kamal:

i m p o r t ant a world fi

gure as Mahatma Gandhi?

He was only my age when he released his fi

Lucy:

rst

full-le ngth album. How cool is that?

T h a t ’ s quite impres sive, but Gandhi’s n o n - v i olent

Kamal:

p r o t e s t helped to

secure India n i n d e p e n d ence.

Lucy:

Well, I think celebrities can do a lot of good.

Kamal:

Can you give an example ?

Shabnam:

Like footballers . There’s that Suarez for one.

Kamal:

Didn’t he bite another player ?

Lucy:

Well, it might have been a misunders tanding.

Toptip

In a conversation, always

respond direc tly to what

someone says, counter their

ideas, ask them for more

1

W ith a par tne , r

discus s:

detail or develop what they

a)

h o w L u c y s’ liste ning skill s are limiting the conver satio n

b)

how she fails to respo nd to promp ts and implications .

have said.

Build the skills

R e s p o n d i n g s e n s i t i v e l y m ea n s n o t o n l y e n g a gi n g w i t h w h a t

say dire c t l y

people

s a y t h i n g s t h a t i m p l y s o m e t h i n g e l s e , f o r e x a m p l e : ‘I love your

n e w d r e s s . I t s’ so… d i f f e r e n. tA’ g o o d l i s t e n e r p i c k s o u t w h a t i s

implied and co m m e n t s o n i t .

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but with what they

imply

. P e o p l e r e g u larly

7.

1

1

Look at the sample convers a t i o n e x tr a c t below, then

2

Toptip

a n s w e r t h e s e q u e s t io n s .

Look out for what your

a)

Which teache r r e s p o n s e s could be challen ged by a

teacher is implying and for

perceptive

liste ner?

any inconsiste n. cCheayl nge

b)

What is implied in each res ponse you have identifi

ed? them if necessar. y

Geography s’ likeRE – a total was te of tim e.

Dan:

aeT c h e r :

Have you ever be en on holiday ab road?

aeY h, we went to – wh ere was it – s ome place in Italy, or Spain.

Dan:

aeT c h e r :

So, you’re not sure what countr y you went to.

Oh... yeah, it was Mallorc a. Is that a country ? I t was a lot hot ter than we expec ted

Dan:

a n d e v e r y thing was shut on a Sunday.

aeT c h e r :

Might a bit of research have made the ex perience m ore rewarding ?

Develop the skills

Paraphras ing

what is said during a discu ssion proves that you

listen an d u n d e r s t and well. For example:

aeT c h e r :

I think that for many pe ople, travel is an educ ation as well as fun. It broadens our

horizon s .

onhetuskiagtotherparYthweodfloserxpandoshntuikrgandpercepoitn.

Sonia:

aeT c h e r :

A b solutely .

In groups of four , prepare a conve r s a t ion entitled: ‘ S p a c e

3

exploration is a waste of time. The money could be spent

o n m o r e w o r thwhile things’ . wT o of you should takeup

each viewpoint.

•

Note down the points mad e by each speaker taking the

opposite view.

Checklistfor

success

•

Summarise what each speake r thinks .

✔

Focus on li stening

carefully be c a u s e w hat

Appl y the skills

you hear affe c t s how

well you resp o n d .

In a group of three, discus s this topic:

4

✔

O f f e r a clear

paraphrase

Out of scho o l , m o s t te e n a g e r s waste m ost of th eir time.

of any

comments or q u e s t i o ns

to show that you

have listened well

•

Look out for implications and challenge them.

•

Use paraphra se to acknowledge what pe ople say,

a n d u n d e r s tood any

implications

made.

and to check your u n d e r s t anding.

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Deveolpnigandsupport nidegias

with codnecif

uoY w i l l f e e l m o r e c o n f i dent i f y o u a r e w e l l p r e pa r e d

a n d c a n d e v elop your i d e a s i n d e t a i l , u s i n g e v idence

and examples.

Explore the skills

Imagine that you are going to talk about the following topic:

There should be a ban on compe titive spo r t .

List the points you mak e in favour and thos e that might be

1

made against you. How would you counter each one ?

Look at this example of a convers ation abou t this topic.

2

How does Abi show that she has prepared well, and can

confi

d e ntly suppor t h er ideas ?

aeT c h e r :

What kind of mo ney do top playe rs earn ?

They earn obs cene amounts of money. A r s e n a l ’s Alexis Sanchez earns 1$ 8 6 0 0 0 a

Abi:

w e e k , a n d h a s j u s t b e e n o f fered $53 0 0 0 0 a we ek to move to China.

aeT c h e r :

T h a t s’ c e r t ainly a bit more than most of us earn, bu t aren’t these players an

inspiratio n to others ?

Up to a point, but their earning s might jus t encourage young peo ple to have

Abi:

unrealisti c e x p e c tations. Many young people won’t be able to see a live Premier

League football match – not when th e c h e a p e s t ticket s can co st up to $69. That s’ for

Chelsea. Even a ticke t for Leices ter co s t s a t least $29!

aeT c h e r :

Excellent p oint. But w h a ts’ wrong with j u s t watching on T

And becoming even more of a cou ch potato e ? T e n a g e r s w ould be bet ter of f goin g

Abi:

o u t a n d a c tually playing in an amateur game them s e l v e s .

Q u e s t i o n s may be us ed to tes t you and to encourage you to do

y o u r b e s t . They may :

•

r e q u e s t e x t r a information: ‘So, if you think Py thagoras was

the greatest mathematician ever – what did he do that has

improved my

•

ef?il ’

encourage you to extend an idea: ‘ Excellent , J a m e s – can you

develop that point?’

•

challenge you: ‘Surely not! What aboutVan Gogh .? ’

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In pairs , identif y how the teacher u s e s q u e s tions in the

3

Toptip

convers ation above.

Condfi ence is not just

4

about talking at length.

hink of another three q u e s t ions that the teacher might

T

Careful listening, fol owed

ask on this to pic, and su g g e s t h o w they could be ans wered.

by a pertinent comment or

question, can show your

Build the skills confidence just as well.

If someone raised the points and qu e s t i o n s below in

5

a convers ation, how could you develop them or argue

against thm ?e

Developme nt

Statement

Counter argument

Surely football d o e s n ’ t a c t ually

make the world a bet ter pla ce.

The whole world seems to b e

o b s e s s e d w ith America.

Develop the skills

Write down what you would say in re sponse to these

6

challenges . R e m e m b e r : you can, if you wish, acknowled ge

that someone ha s a point, but then dis agree.

a)

But isn’t educationallaboutg e t t ing a good joboneday?

b)

Shouldn’twebancarscompleteylfiwevauleh?umanfiel

c)

Don’t you think everyone should learn at least t wo

languages ?

Appl y the skills

In pairs , prepare a presentation on the following topic:

7

uoY don’t nee d to travel to enjoy life.

P r a c t i se giving your p r e s e n t a t ions, following them up with the

kind of conver sation you might have.

Checklistforsuccess

✔

E x t e n d your own ideas by adding supp o r t i n g evidence.

✔

Get your par tne r to clarif y qu e s t i o ns if nece s s a r, yby using

p h r a s e s such as

By that, do you mean...or.. ?

.

✔

Develop an idea yourself, by using phra ses lik e

And that reminds me…of

seY .

;

Not only that , but…

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s e ls npom acpaisssketsrcaatdrenPe

uoY w i l l h a v e t o g i v e a n i n d i v i d ua l p r e s e n t a t io n .ouY

w i l l t h en d i s c u s s t h e t o p i c w i t h you r t e a c h er .

aPrt 1: Indi vidual task

uoY will give a pres entation, a talk, a s p e e c h or a monologue. For

example, you might talk about your r e a c tion to meeting a famous

p e r s o n o r about a rece nt film you have se e n , s u g g e s ting why

others might also lik e ou it. can Y use a d i c ti o n a r y to prepare for

t h e t a s k , but you cannot take one into the as s e s s m e n t .

Key skills

For the individual t alk, you will nee dto:

a r t iculate expe rience and ex p r e s s w h at is thought, felt and

•

imagined ) 1 (SL

present fa c t s , ideas and opinions in a cohe sive order w hich

•

s u s t a i n s the audien ce’s intere s t ( S L 2 )

c o m m u n i c a t e

•

l a n g u a g e

c l e a r l y

a n d

p u r p o s e f u l l y

u s i n g fluent

( S L 3)

use regis ter appropriate to co n t e x t (SL4).

•

Part 2: Con versation

The individual talk leads into a convers ation about your chosen

topic. So, for example, you could develop an account of meetin g a

famous per son into a discus sion of wider i s s u e s such as the nature

and role of ‘ce l e b r i t y ’ and media intru sion into cele brities’ lives.

uoY could develop a talk about a film into discus sion of wider

i s s u e s s u c h a s c e n s o r s hip, popular culture and the film in d u s t r. y

Key skills

For the conver sation , you will need to:

•

a r t iculate expe rience and ex p r e s s w h at is thought,

felt and imagined ) 1 (SL

•

present fa c t s , ideas and opinions in a cohe sive order w hich

s u s t a i n s the audien ce’s intere s t ( S L 2 )

•

communicate clearly and purpos efully usin g

fluent language (S L3)

•

use regis ter appropriate to co n t e x t (SL4)

•

listen a n d r e s p o n d appropriately in conver sation (SL5).

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Exploring sample responses: Indi vidual task

Read this sample e x tr a c t from an individual p resentation entitled

‘My week in I t a ,l along y ’ with the annot ations showing its goo d

and bad points .

appropriate but

M y h o l i d a y w a s w i t h m y b r o t h ,e rm y m o t h e r a n d f a t h .e r

unoriginal opening

W e d e c i d e d t o d o s o m e t h i n g d i f f e r e n t t h i s y e ,a rs o w e f l

ew

t o R o m e . T h e n we rented a c ar and drove dow n to the bay

That was quite an experien ce, becau se some of

of Naples.

offers some relevant

t h e d r i v e r s w e r e c r a z. y W h e n m y m o t h e r w a s d r i v i n g , m y

detail

father ke pt coverin g u p h i s e y e s b u t i n f a c t s h e w a s m u c h

safer than him. journey is touched

upon but lacks

When we arrive d at the accommodation, it was great. I t was

development

miles from an y w here on a hill side in a conve r t e d farm. The

people who ran it had a family of cat s w h o s e e m e d

g

i

otf

ht

witheachotheraltlhetimebutneverbitus .Theyla y n e x t to engaging details

us when we were n e x t to the pool and they were waiting about cats

outside th e d o o r e v e r y morning. My favourite was N ero. He

followed me eve r y w h ere.

They said that he adopted s o m e o n e

e v e r y w e e k , from the people renting the pro p e r t . y I wonder if

he liked m e b e c a u se I get up much earlier than my brother so

there was more time to play . Al so, I don’t grunt as much as my

b r o t h e r d o e!s

sensible organisation of

We went off to see thing s some day s, lik e Pompeii and

material into sections

. Both of those tow ns were burie d when

Herculaneum

Vesu vius

back in Roman time s and you can see jus t

exploded

including place names

what life was like back then. They ha d central heating and adds interest

wall painting s

and you can walk in the building s themselve s .

I t ’ s v e r y hot though, so you have to tak e water with you, to

emotvievocabulary

stop dehydration…

althoughe‘rupted’

woudlbemoreprecsie

appropriate use of details offers quality of ‘being there’

but ideas put together with-

out fi

rm sense of structure

Feedback

The speake r u s e s s o me varied vo c a b u l a r y (including nam es)

and has organise d the pres entation lo gically . Th ere are some

engaging touch e s . T h e language is suitably formal most of

the time and the re is some s entence variety. The pres entation

l a c k s m o re imaginative touch e s , s u ch as the us e of anecdote or

e x t e n sion of ideas , and se ntences and vocabular y are accurate

but do not exhibit fl

air or great variet . y However , it is clear

(without eve r being exciting).

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In addition to the annotated points in this resp o n s e , f i

1

n d:

•

an overly casual expres sion

•

repetition of a word ver y s o o n a f ter it has

b e e n u s e d o nce

t w o s h o r t , simple sentence s that would be b e t t e r

•

turned into a single complex one

a g o o d u s e of humour to engag e the liste .n e r

•

Now read the following sample ex tra c t f r o m a presentation, in

which the speaker talks ab out looking a f ter a grandmothe r with

Alzheimer ’sdi s e a s e .

I imagine most

ofyouwillhave some idea of what Alzheim er’s

disease is: it progres sively take s away the me mory, so that

precise vocabulary

s u f f e r e r s l o s e touch with realit y more and more, until they

eventually can’t even re cognise their wife, their hus band, or

complex sentence

They jumble th e past an d p r e s e n t . Until there is

their children.

introduces the subject

no past or p resent fo r them. They can’t eve n recogni se night

orday. And my grandmother has Alzheimer’s .

broken sentences, making

it seem disturbing and

We noticed it s t a r ting when her m e m o r y suddenly got w o r s e .

emphasising ‘Until’

She struggled to cook our special meal on Friday night, which

had always be en her treat fo r us at the en d of the week.

examples to shock and

Then she was n’t sure what day it was. She didn’t know

emphasise the seriousness

what she had don e earlier in the day . Pe ople’s name s were

f o r g o t t e n even more easily than they had be en before.

possible pause before

She needed –

help

.

this word for effect

W e actually thought that w e n e e d e d help too, but as time

personalised – showing

goes on, you discover that the early st ages were nothing.

effect on family

It is a dege nerative di sease, which can only ge t worse. She

takes t a b l e t s and somehow manages to s tilli ve alone, but

now it is as if sh e is in a different kind of world altogeth. e r

C o n v e r s ations are alway s the same:

‘ W h a t day is it? ’

‘ W e dnesday. ’

‘Do I have meal s on wheels to morrow? ’

e‘ s Y, they l’

be here.’

‘Do I have to pay for them ? ’

‘No, they r ’ e all paid ’ . for

‘ W h a t day is it? ’

‘ W e dnesday. ’

reality of the conversation

‘Do I have meal s on wheels to morrow… ’ makes situation clear and

tragic

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1

Feedback

This speake r engages the audience and o f f e rs a varie t y

of information,

presente d in interes ting way s. Sente nces

are varied, th ere is some e xcellent voc a b u l a r y and the

grandmother’s situation is brought to life with the examples

and convers ation. St andard Engli sh is used with great

confi dence.

2

In addition to the annotated points in this resp o n s e , f i

•

n d:

a s h o r t sentence u sed as the dramatic climax to a

paragraph

•

simple sentence s u s e d a s dramatic examples of the

condition wor sening

•

s o p h i s t i c ated voc a b u l a r y showing that the sp eaker has

researched t h e s u b j e c t

•

dialogue us ed to show the tragic realit y of the

situation.

Exploring sample responses: Con versation

Noor has already delivered a pres entation o n the fundraising she

carried out f o r v i c tims of Hurrican e M a t t h ew in Haiti. She t alked

about her spo nsored silence, baking cakes for sale and a 20 km

sponsored walk she under took with her friends . Read this sample

e x t r a c t f r o m her conve r s a t i o n with her teache , r

along with the

annotations.

aeT c h e r :

That was all v e r y i m p r e s sive, eNoor . T ll me: did

you reach your target for the funds you hope d to

raise ?

Noor:

Y

e s , I did. In f a c t , I colle c t e d more than I was

clear and appropriate

e x p e c t in g , b e c a u se people were so generou s .

answer , offering a reason

And they were wo rried about the people who

w e r e s u f fering, obviously.

aeT c h e r :

seY , we all we re. So, do you think it’s right that

we should have to tr y to raise moneylike?hsti

Noor:

We try to give money to the p eople who need it

possibly doesn’t quite

so badly.

understand the intention

of the question

aeT c h e r :

O f c o u r s e – but might it not be bet ter if all the

m o n e y n e e d e d c ame straight from governm ents?

A f ter all, you ra ised a good deal, but they could

give so much more , b e c a u s e they have so much

more, haven’t

they?

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I

Noor:

suppose so. The governme n t s d o s e n d money to

responds to new idea

help, don’t they?

aeT c h e r :

seY , i n d e e d. But do you think it’s enough ?

honest answer ,

I

Noor:

haven’t really ever thought about that – but

recognising a good

I suppose th ey give as much as they can, j u s tlike

new idea

e v e r y b o d y e l s e , b e c a u s e they have other thin g s

they need to spend money on too. I know what

you mean, though. It would be go od if they gave

shows she has taken idea

some more.

on board

aeT c h e r :

Do you think rich countries give enou gh in foreign

aid general?yl

I

Noor:

t would always b e b e t ter if they gave so me more,

e s p e c i ally when the re has bee n a volcano or an

e a r t h quake or fl

o o d s . P e o p le living in vill ages

can’t help t h e m s e l v e s if they have no home s

and no jobs and they’ve lost eve r y thing. I think

makes signifi

governments

cant,

should give more.

relevant points

Feedback

T h e s t u d ent make s signifi

c a nt points throughout, li s t e n s

carefully and re s p o n d s t o what is obviously an idea she had

not thought of befo re. She mostl y r e s p o n d s to what is asked ,

but does al so challeng e the teacher in an appropriateway. She

s p e a k s in formal Engli sh and pres ents her ideas in sent e n c e s .

3

Find examples in this resp onse of th e s t u d e n t doing the

following:

•

challenging and encouraging a r e s p o n s e

•

developing an idea and, in doing so, showing s he is

listening well.

Nowerxahsdti artctfromanothesarmpceolnhvtenisrIonait.s

caseS,hanekatigw lechsaitebri oW uhteofrlodbalCtup,

ndiowlvsdnohifglupalresenatoinaboeurctonturnaments.

aeT c h e r :

World Cups make a lot of money. I s n ’ t it true,

though, that the ho st countries make relatively

little ?

D o e s n ’ t the organisation, FIF A , make an

absolute fo r t u?n e

I

Shane:

m’ afraid you’ re right. They eve n demand that

sensitive response

they are not taxed on the profi

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9.

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1

so they can ju st walk away with the pro c e e d s .

Countries lik e Brazil, who hos ted th e competition

in4201, got publicity and built new s tadium s , b u t

that was all: i t ’ s so bad that the p eople who had

adding vital and relevant

to build the groun ds were only paid a fraction of

details, using well-chosen

what they des e r v e d e v e r yday. I t ’ s shocking.

vocabulary

aeT c h e r :

teY you still think the Wo rld Cup is wond erful?

intelligent response,

tnialpsl labotofsehvahtouehted Y Y .

Shane:

expressed with balance

urrocehtm owarm efbhniteo… tniyadpctxe

aeT c h e r :

Can you do that? Should we do that?

mature interchange

I

Shane:

see what your’e saying – bu t if you love football,

with teacher

w h a t ’ s the alternative ?

takes initiative with

aeT c h e r :

Watch tennis ?

a challenge

Shane:

you could only watch your favourites

Well…

new idea, expressed with

o n

t e l e v i s i o n

m o s

t

o f

t h e

t i m e ,

n o t

l i v e ;

conviction

and, frankly , tennis doesn’ t have the pa ssion.

At football, you can sing and shout and even be

pattern of three used for

tribal again if you want. It s’ a release fro m the

effect

problemsofthewordluj, stfor90minuteseach

sense of conversation,

week.Unfor tuny,ealtennisdoesn’tof feryouthat.

rather than just

Haveyoueverbeentoavilefo?otbaml atch

responding to teacher

aeT c h e r :

No, though we all see it on television...

P

:enahS

eki l yeyhayatlspnatcnuaoibehwalposerg

weh-criwhbel–denvgasunoehdibivabephke

ub – odmeyethti cwoxnektaerhelnteglatned

ootmIa o.tgnirezhm hastmodnam syhcitka

l .wloubni lteb,sytltuigolenraIerhcsvaesogt

a t i fo m aarardeerhehtTwaytw .pbesym nlayelsai

l labtosofw irhestgrneihwifthgtndna eancn

toedtayncol iltathpemoutrrftruobtocantro

ssneorpeirl tolieom islpodtetrdanfouhsftne

… dl rwoeht dnuora

Feedback

T h e s t u d ent interac t s with the teacher in

a mature fashion, listens sensitively,

u s e s f o rm al standard

English and o f fers a ran ge of ideas that move the conve r s a t ion on as he pre s e n t s an d e x p r e s s e s

his ideas and arguments clearly. He has knowled ge of the subjec t an d s u s t ains the conve r s a t i o n

intelligenty.l

4

Find four examples of effe c t ivespeakinginShane’sfi nal

speech. Look especiallyforhisus e of language, how he

reallyengage sinaconver sationwith the teacher–quickly

responding towhattheteacher says,andhowheconclu d e s .

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Checkyour progress

Sound progress

•

I can use varied voc a b u l a .r y

•

I can communicate clearly and engage the liste .n e r

•

I can organise my prese ntation to engage the inte r e s t o f the liste .n e r

•

I can choose a topic that I can t alk about adequately, and do some research on it .

•

I can work out a basic order in which to make my points .

•

I can engage th e interest of the audience with some language devices .

•

I can anticipate q u e s t ions on my subjec t .

•

I can prepare to answer qu e s t i o n s and respo nd appropriately.

•

I can show a readiness to listen to my teacher and to respo nd appropriately.

•

I can respo nd to prompt s .

Excellent progress

•

I can use an appropriate st yle co nsistently,with varied se n t e n c e s , vocabular y and

expression.

•

I can speak co nfidently for a given purpos e.

•

I can use s t a n d a r d English co nfidently in an appropriate registe .r

•

I can choose a topic that allows me to resp ond with autho r i t y and enthusia sm,

and research i t e f fe c t ively.

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a n d

•

I can organise my content well for the given purpo se.

•

I can selec t an d use a wide range of languag e devices .

•

I can prepare to discus s i s s u e s that might arise.

•

I can acknowled ge points in a convers ation and develop them.

•

I can show that I und e r s t a n d implied meanin g s .

•

I can listen carefully and take the initiative.

l i s t e n i ng

Practice papers

and guidance

2 1

T h i s s e c tion of the boo k will tak e you through

t h e t y pe of tas ks that you will be aske d to

complete for fo r m a l a s s e s sment, to o f fer you a

realistic rehears al under examination conditions

of the skills you have learned throughout your

course.

W h e n u s i n g these pra c t ic e a s s e s s m e n t s , it is

i m p o r t ant that you complete them with an eye

to the timings required to complete a whole

examination. For e xample, the most sensible

way to approa ch a set of comprehension or

s h o r t - answer qu e s t i o n s is to use the marks

allocated for each one to work out what

p r o p o r tion of the total marks available this

r e p r e s e n tou s . can Y divide the time available by

these propo r t i o ns to work out how much time to

spend on each one.

S a m p l e a s s e s s m e n t s p r ovide a valuable

o p p o r t unity to a s s e s s your own strengths and

w e a k n e s s eou s . can Y then adju st your revision

plans accordin gy.l For example, if you realise that

you need fur ther clarificatio n of how to write a

summary, you might revisit Chapter 6 to brus h

up your skillsou. might Y also add another five

minutes to your time alloc ation for the s u m m a r y

when doing you r n e x t p r a c tice asse s s m e n t .

Approaching examinations is demanding

Links to other chapters:

b e c a u s e e xamination ques tions require cer tain

Chapter 1:

Key reading skills

techniques – you need to apply the appro priate

skills and knowledge to answer each q u e s t io n ,

Chapter 5:

Comprehension

Chapter 6:

Summary

remembering to look out for co mmand words

writing

and precise instru c t i o n s . U s e these pra c t i c e

a s s e s s m e n t s and the marking pro cess to s e e

Analysing langu a g e

Chapter 7:

which areas you are weaker on and focus on

Chapter 8:

E x t e n d e d r e s p o n s e to

those key areas the nex t time. This should help to

reading and direc ted writing

improve your exam technique.

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Chapter 12 .

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Anintroductoni to PracticPeaper 1

T h e e x a m -s t yle que s t io n s t h at f o l l o w o n p ag e s 3 07–313 a r e b a s e d o n t h e m o d el o f

t h e 2 0 2 0 C a m b r id g e I G C S E e x a m i n at io n . T h e y h a v e b e e n w r i t t e n b y t e ac h e r s , n ot b y

t h e e x a m i n a t io n b o a r d .

Which skills should I be using?

Question 1 (a)to(e)

a s k s y ou to show only rea ding skill s .

•

uoY will need to use th ekey skills of

skimming

,

scanning

s e l e c t i ng

and

o(1.1– pics 3 Tand 1.

Chapter 5). In addition, you will nee d to use your unders tanding of

explicit

and

implicit meanings

o( pics T 1. 5 7.1 and – Chapter 5).

•

Q u e s t i o nf1( ) a s k s you to show both reading and writing skill s .

•

uoY will need to use the

summary

writing skill so pi ( cT1. 4 and Chapte r6).

a s k s y ou to show only rea ding skill s .

Question 2

•

uoY will need to use th ekey skills of

skimming

understand

explicit

and

implicit meanings

explicit

and

implicit meanings

,

scanning

,

scanning

and

s e l e c t i ng

, and your abilit y t o

s e l e c t i ng

, and your abilit y t o

o7(.11– pics and T 1. Chapter 7).

•

uoY will need to show the skills of identif y ing language choice s a n d u n d e r s tanding how writers

achieve effe c t s o( pics T 1. 8 9.1 –and Chapter 7).

a s k s y ou to show reading and writing s kills.

Question 3

•

uoY will need to use th ekey skills of

skimming

understand

and

o (pics T 1.6 )7.1 –

•

uoY will need to write clearly and accurately u sing your ex tend e d r e s p o n s e to writing skills

o( piTc 1– s 8 . 8 . 4.)

Tipsfor success

•

Manage your time well. Spend slightly longe r on higher- marking que s t i o n s .

•

Make sure that you

use your own wor d s

if you are told to

explain

.

•

F o r Q u e s t ion 1 (f) you must write in continuous pros e and

use your own wor d s

wherever po ssible,

basing your summar y on your notes.

•

F o r Q u e s t ion 2 (d) it i s i m p o r t ant that you us e quotation s in your ans wer and explain effe c t s by

referring to the meaning and ass ociation s of words .

•

I t i s i m p o r t ant that you show detailed knowledge of the text in your answer to Ques tion 3.

This means that you must base your ow n ideas on

ideas and details from the t e x t

usually be st to use your ow n words to present th e s e .

S e c t i o n

306

5: E x a m

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, although it is

1.

21

PracticePaper1:Readngi

Reading

2 hours

Answer

all

question s .

The number of marks is given in brack e t s [ ] at the end of each q u e s ti o n o r p a r t q u e s t io n .

Read e x T t A and then answe r Q u e s tions 1 (a)to.(e)

xeT tA

Brady Barr h a s a T V series on the Geographic Channel. Here is an ex trac t from a n a r ticle that

he wrote for the channel ’s website about fi

lming a particularly dangerous episode.

The cave wa s literally a chamber of h o r r o r s , probably the wo r s t p l a ce I have worke d in the

ten years I have been at Geographic. The c ave was fi

5

l ed with the usual custo m e r s (s corpions ,

r o a c h e s , m a g g o t s , s p i d e r s , millions of bats ,liz a r d s , and snake s,)but it was th e unbelievable

amount of bat guano that made it unbearable. Th ere were places where you had to wade

through chest- d eep liquefi

e d bat guano. The stu f f w a slike quicks and, almo st sucking you

down and making pro g r e s s ve r y slow and cautio u s . T h i s bat guano soup along with low

o x y g en levels eventually prevented our expe dition from going deepe r into the cave.

01

On day three, ab o u t 2 0 0 feet (60 m e t e r)sinto the cave, walking along the right- side wall

where the fec al soup was the shallowes t, I spied a large p y th o n p a r tially expo sed in a crack in

t h e l e f t wall, on the op posite side of the cave acro ss the dee p e s t p a r t of the fecal river .

[ W i t h cameras rolling] I frantically waded across the mid d l e d e e p e s t p o r tion of the fec al river

(waist deep on me) and to the other side of the cave , where I was s u c c e s s ful in grabbing the

51 last few feet of the s nake’s tail before it es c a p e d i nto the wall.

By this time Dr Mark Auliya, a p y th o n e x p e r t working with me on this projec t , arrived to

a s s i s t m e in pulling this large snake out of the wall. I handed ove r the tail to Mark while I

a t t e m p t e d to free mo re of the large snake’s b o d y from the crevice as Mark pulled.

A f ter a brief power struggle , t h e p y th o n p o p p e d out of the crack in a blur of coils and quickly

20 s t a r t e d to wrap u s up. In the wai st- d e e p fecal soup, the darkness of the cave and myriad of

coils, it was dif fi

cult to locate the head, w hich was our major concern. W ith Mark still holding

the tail, the big snake w r a p p e d its powe rful coils around Mark’s b o d y once and around b oth

of my legs down low at leas t once, an d maybe two coils. The snake ’s head was h o r r i f yingly

all over the place, popping in and out of the fe cal soup an d making securing it almos t

25

impossible. Before we could formulate a plan to get out of the quicks a n d - l ike fecal soup,

where drowning was a serious issu e while tr yin g to subdue a giant snake , it bit me.

I felt the snake a t t ach to my leg right below my lef t b u t t o c k , which s ent me lite rally through

the roof with pain. T h e s e g u y s are armed with dozen s of stro n g l y r e c u r ved razor - s harp teeth.

A f ter securin g its hold, it threw the weight and power of its muscular b ody into the bite and

30

s t a r t e d ripping dow nward. The power of these snakes is beyond co mprehension… r e m e m b, e r

they are constr i c t o r s , a n d power is the name of their game.

C h a p t e r

12 :

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a n d

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307

Chapter 12 .

o1 Tc i p

Question 1

a()

Give

reasons why the cave was an unpleasant pla ce to be, according to the tex t

two

.

]2[

Why was it so impor tant to get out of the quicks and in paragraph 2?

(b)

] 1 [

Why do you think Brady de scribe d himself as ‘frantically’ wading af ter the snake

(c)

w h e n h e s e e s it in paragraph4?

]2[

Reread paragraphAf6 (‘ter abrief… bit me’).

(d)

(i)

Explain, using your ow n w o r d s , what the write r means by the wo rds in itali cs in the

following phrases:

•

t h e p y th o n p o p p e d out of the crack in

a blur of coils

(line9)1

]2[

•

the snake’s head was

h o r r i f y ingly all over the place

(line 23)

]2[

•

popping in and out

of the fecal soup (line 24)

]2[

(ii)

Give two reasons why catching the py tho n was a dangero u s a c ti v i .t y

]2[

Explain w hy the snake wound was par ticularly painful for Brady.

e)(

2][

ot [ Tal:15]

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21

Read e x T t B , a transcript of a blog p o s t e d o n a forum for viewer s of Th e Nature Channel,

and then answe n 1 ( rf.) Q u e s tio

xeT t B

Just fl

ick on the television on any given night of the week and you will be faced with a mind-

boggling array of docum entaries focusing o n all manner of exotic beast s from eve r y c o rner

of the globe – an d they’re j u s t the prese nters! No, seriously, I now have acces s to vir tually any

creature, in any loc ation from Pole to Pole.

5

Progress in d e e d , y oumaysay. In my childhood we were luck y if we s aw the occ asional lemur

a

peeling a grape or a rogue elephant knockin g down the se t on

kid’s T

V show.

They were

glamorous strangers i m p o r ted for our viewing pleasure and usually accompanied by a zoo

keepe r in a smart uniform. How we lau ghed at their s trange features andaah‘ ed’ at their

cute habits when they were let out of their boxes fo r a few minutes ofair-time...

01

A f ter our bed -time our parents watched their once - a - w e ek dose of some excee dingly dull

programme wi t h c l o s e - up fi

lm of insec t s co n s t r u c tin g elaborate de ns and birds jumping off

cliff s . T h e voice over was fa c t ua l , o f te n v e r y knowledgeable, b u t a w fully sensible… frankly I

didn’t mind that I wasn’t allowed to st ay up.

Nowadays young and old can se e a n y thing, any w h e r e , doing ever y t hing – includin g quite a

51 few things that frankly put me of f my dinner! We see animals in their natural environme n t s ,

living, dying, jus t as nature intended. It can be tough to watch bu t it is realit . y Modern nature

programmes o f ten tell a sto r. W ye get involved with a family or a charac . ter Recently we had

to delay dinner j u s t to check wh ether a lit tle m eerkat live d or died!

O f c o u r s e, the pres enters are a bit more high profi

20

le than I’m used to. They see m to be as

much on show as the animals but they really know what they’re talking about and they

c e r t a inly have a gift when it come s to making thin gs interes ting. I d o wish they wouldn’t do

stupid thing s though: pu t t i n g your hand in so mething’s mouth does n ’ t s trikeme a s s e t ting

a great example! I think I preferre d it when th e presente r j u s t kept a polite dis tance and

whispered to the camera .

uoY know we ought to think ou r s e l v e s lucky. From the comfor t of our sofa we can s hare the

25

lives of all s o r t s of amazin g creatures in a way that generations past could not even imagine.

Perhaps soon we won’t even need zo os at all – now that would be progress!

(f)

Accordingetox T t B, what changes in wildlife-themed T

V shows has the writer exp erienced

since their childho od?

u oY must u se

continuous writing

(notnoteform)and

useyourownwords

as far as possible.

uoY r s u m m a r y should not be morethan15 0 w o r d s .

Up to 10 marks are availabl e for the content of your answe r and up to 5 marks for the

quality of your writing.

ot [ Tal:15]

C h a p t e r

12 :

P r a c t ice pap e r s

a n d

g u i da n c e

309

Chapter 12 .

o1 Tc i p

Read e x T t C , an e x tr a c t from

My Family and Other Animals

, then answe r Q u e s tions 2 (a) – d( .)

xeT t C

This tex t is taken from a longer nar rative. It describes the ex periences of a young boy, Gerald,

and his family on the island of Cor f u . In this ex trac t Gerald describes one of his regular v i s i t s

to a local naturalis t .

Theodore would welcome me in his stu dy, a room that met with my full approval. It was , in

5

my opinion, ju s t w h a t a room should b e. The wall s were lined with tall bo o k s h e l v e s fi

le d

with volumes on freshwater biology, botany, a s t r o nomy, medicine, folk-lore, and similar

fascinating and sensib l e s u b j e c t s. Inte r s p e r s e d with these were s e l e c tions of ghos t and crim e

stories . Thus Sherlock Holm e s r u b b e d s h o u l d e r s with Darwin, and Le Fanu with Fabre, in what

I considered to be a thoroughly well-balanced lib r a .r Aty one window of the room s tood

01

Theodore’s telescop e, its no se to the sk ylike a howling dog , while th e sills of ever y window

bore a parade of jars and b o t t les containing minute fre shwater fauna, whirlin g a n d t witching

among the delicate fronds of green weed. On one side of the room was a massive de sk, pile d

high with scrapb o o k s , mi c r o - photographs, X- ray plat e s , d ia r i e s , a n d n o t e - b o o k s . On the

opposite side of the room was the microsco pe table, with its power ful lamp on the jointed

51

stem leanin glike a lily over the fl

at boxes that housed T heodore’s collection of slides . The

microscope s themselve s, gleaminglike m a g p i e s , were housed under a series of bee h i v e - keil

domes of gl a s s .

‘How are ?you’ Theodore would inquire, as if I were a complete strang, re and give me his

c h a r a c teristic handshake – a sharp downward tug, lik e a man testing a knot in a rope. The

20

formalities being over , we could then turn our minds to mo r e i m p o r t ant topics .

‘ I w a s ... you er know... looking throu gh my slides j u s t before your arrival, and I came across

one which may inte rest you. It is a slide of the mouth - p a r t s of the rat fl

ea ... ceratop hyllus

fasciatu s , you know. Now, I’ll jus t adju st the microscop e.... The re I... you se ? e

Very curious.

I mean to say , you could almost imagine it was a human face, couldn’ t?you Now I had

25

another ...... er slide here.. . T h a ts’ funny . A h I got it. Now this one is of the spinne rets of the

garden or cros s spider ...... er epeira fa sciata’.

S o , a b s o r b e d and happy, we would pore over the microsco pe. Fille d with enthusiasm, we

would tack from s u b j e c t to subject , and if Th eodore could not answer my ceaseles s fl

q u e s t i o ns himself , he had b o o k s that could. Gaps would appear in the b ookc ase as volume

30

a f t e r volume was e x tr a c ted to be co nsulted, and by our side would be anever- growing pile

of volumes .

‘Now this o ne is a cyclops… c yclops viridis… which I caught out near Govino the other day. It

is a female with eg g - s a c s ... Now, I’ll jus t adju s t . . . you’ll be able to se e the eggs quite clearly .

… I’ll ju s t p ut her in th e live box ... hum... er there are s everal sp ecies o f c yclops found here

35

in Corfu’.

Into the brilliant circle of white light a weird creature would appear , apear- s h a p e d body,

long antennae that t witche d indignantly , a tailike sprigs of heather , and on each side of it

(slunglike s a c k s of onions on a d onkey) the two large sac s bulging with pink beads .

S e c t i o n

013

5: E x a m

p r a c t ic e

ow of

1.

21

. . ‘ . called c y cl o p s b e c a u s e , a s you can s ee, it has a single eye situated in the centre of it s

4 0

T h a ts’ to say , in the centre of what would be its forehead if a c yclops had one. In

forehead.

Ancient Gree k m y thology, as you know, a c yclops was one of a group of giant s.... re .. each of

whom had one eye. Their ta sk was to fo rge iron for H e p h a e s t u s’ .

O u t s i d e , t h e warm wind would shoulder the shut t e r s , making them creak, and the rain- drop s

would chase each other down the wi n d o w - p anelike transparent t a d p o l e s .

45

hA‘ ha! It is curious that you should mentio n that. Th e peasant s in Salonika have a ver y

similar ...... ers u p e r s tition.... No, no, me rely a super s t i tion. I have a bo ok here that gives a

most inte r e s t ing account of vampires in... um... Bosnia. I t s e e m s that the local people there.’.

aeT would arrive, the cakes s q u a t ting on cushions of cream, toast in a melting shawl of

b u t t, ecups r agleam, and a faint wisp of steam risin g from the teapot s p o u t .

50

…‘ b u t , o n the other hand, it is impos sible to say that there is no life on Mars . I t i s , in my

opinion, quite possible that some form of life will be found...... er discovered there, should we

ever succee d in get tin g there. But th ere is no reas on to suppo se that any form of life found

there would be id entical… ’

Sittin g there, neat and c o r r e c t in his twe e d s u i t , Theodore would chew his toas t slowly and

5 methodically,his beard bri stlin g, his eye s kindling with enthusia sm at each new su b j e c t that

swam into our co n v e r s ation. o me T his knowled g e s e e m e d in e x h a u s tible. He was a rich vein

of information, and I mined him a ssiduously. N o m a t ter what the subjec t , T heodore could

contribute so mething int e r e s t ing to it. At last I would hear Spiro honking his horn in the

s t r e e t b elow, and I would rise relu c t a n tly to go.

Question 2

a)(

rfpeahw sroareodxtm rhytfedeinIt

whnuteidoa:rdlm sehiateuwseghsctesi

(i)

Gerald

(ii)

Gerald believed that the coll e c tion of book s cont ained a

non-fi

(b)

the appearan ce and content s of The odore’s study.

liked

] 1 [

(iii)

Theodore was quite

(iv)

Gerald was

of fi c t io n ,

good range

c t io n , f a c t and fantas. y

] 1 [

formal and dist ant

fascinate d

Using your own words,

towards Gera ld, des pite knowing him well.

and wanted to know about ever y t hing.

] 1 [

] 1 [

explain what th e writer mean s by each of the word s underlin e d

:

Sittin g there, neat and c o r r e c t in his twe e d s u i t , Theodore would chew his toas t

methodically

slowly and

, his beard bri stlin g, his eye s kindlin g with

enthusiasm

at

each new subjec t that swam into our co n v e r s ation. o me T his knowled g e s e e m e d

i n e x h a u s tible

. He was a rich vein of information and I min ed him as siduously.

(i)

methodicall y

] 1 [

(ii)

enthusiasm

] 1 [

(iii)

i n e x h a u s tible

] 1 [

C h a p t e r

12 :

P r a c t ice pap e r s

a n d

g u i da n c e

113

Chapter 12 .

o1 Tc i p

(c)

U sing your own words

,

explain how the

p h r a s e s u n derlined

are used by the writer to

s u g g e s t w h at Theodore i slike.

Sittin g there, neat and c o r r e c t in his twe e d s u i t , Theodore would chew his toas t

slowly and metho dically , his beard bris tling , his

eyes kindling

with enthusia s m

at

each new subjec t that swam into our co n v e r s ation. o me T his knowled g e s e e m e d

i n e x h a u s tible

. He was a rich vein of information and I min ed him assiduously

.

3][

Reread the des cription s of:

(d)

•

Theodore’s laborator y in paragraph, 1b e ginning ‘T heodore would welcome me… ’

•

Gerald’s feelin g s a b o u t Theodore in paragraph 2, 1beginning ‘ S i t ting there, neat and

c o r r e c t… ’

Select

four

p o w e r ful words or p hrases from

each

paragraph. ourYchoices should include

i m a g e .r yE x plain how each wo rd or phras e s e l e c te d i s u s e d e f fe c t ively in the contex t .

Write about 20 0 to 3 0 0 wo r d s .

Up to 15 marks are available for th e content of your answer.

] 51 [

ot [ Tal: 25]

Reread e x T t C , an e x tr a c t from

My Family and Other Animals

, then answe r Q u e s t ion 3.

Question 3

uoY are Gerald Durrell. Many years af ter the events describ ed in thi s e x tr a c t , you are as ked to give a

speech to a group of interes ted pare n t s a b o u t t h e i m p o r t ance of introducing children to the natural

world. The inte r v i e we r a s k s you three ques tions:

•

What do you re m e m b e r s e e i n g and feeling o n your visits with Theodore ?

•

What do you re m e m b e r a b o u t Theodore, hi s behaviour and the way he treated ?you

•

Why do you think that this kind of ex perience is valuable ?

Write the words of the interview .

Base your inte r v i e w on what you have readeinx T t C , b ut be careful to use your own words . Addres s

each of the three bullet point s .

Begin your inter view with the fi

r s t q u e s t io n .

Write about 25 0 to 350 word s .

Up to 15 marks are available for th e content of your answer, and up to 10 mark s for the quality of

your writing.

[25]

ot [ Tal: 25]

S e c t i o n

213

5: E x a m

p r a c t ic e

21

2.

Annit odruction to Practi cePaper2

T h e p r a c t i c e q ue s t io n s t h at f o l l o w o n p ag e s 3 41 –316 a r e b a s e d o n t he m o d e l o f t h e

2 0 2 0 C a m b r id g e I G C S E e x a m i n at io n . T h e se que s t i o n s h a v e b e e n w r i t t e n b y t e ac h e r s ,

n o t b y t he e x a m i n a t i o n b oa r d .

Which skills should I be using?

Section A

requires you to show both reading and writing skills .

•

uoY will need to use th ekey skills of

skimming

,

scanning

,

s e l e c t i ng

and

synthesising

o(14.1– pics 1. ). TIn addition, you wil l need to use your ability to unders t a n d

explicit

implicit meanings

and

o (pics T 1. 5ou)7.1will Y– also use the abili t y to analyse and evaluate ) 1 1o( pi.cT1.

•

uoY will need to use the skills contained in Chapter 8, which take s you through the proce ss of

responding to a direc ted writing

t a s k o pi ( Tc s 8 . 5

–

8.7.)

•

uoY will also n eed to und e r s t a n d the conventions of three dif ferent writing form s outlin ed in

Chapter 3: a sp e e c h , a r ticle or let . ter

•

Finally, you must be able to unde r s t a n d and incorporate the techniques of writing for dif ferent

p u r p o s e s , either to per suade, argue or explore an idea, as ex plored in Chap t e r 4 .

Section B

requires you to show only writing skill s .

•

uoY will need to be able to u se all th e key writing guidance co ntained in Chapter 2 and th e

guidance on des criptive an d narrative writing contained in Chapte rs 3 and 4 . R e m e m b e r that

some of the guidance about the way that writer s write in Chapter 1 will also be h elpful to you in

your own writing.

•

uoY should draw on th e detailed guidance given in Chapter 9 for th e t y p e of composition that

you choose.

Tipsfor success

•

It is vital that you manage your time effe c t ively and do not spe nd too long o n o n e s e c tion at the

expense of the other .

•

I t i s i m p o r t ant to show show

is vital

of the text in your answer in Sec tio n A . This means that

evaluation

you must consider the

ideas and details from the t e x t

, as well as givin g your own views .

Planning

for both tas k s , b u t e s p e c ially so for the compositio n t a s k .

•

Remember to

select language

and

make st r u c t u r a l

choices consciously

to fit each ta s k , c o n sidering

your form, viewp oint and audien ce.

313 C h a p t e r

12 :

P r a c t ice pap e r s

a n d

g u i da n c e

Chapter 12 .

o2 Tc i p

PracticePaper 2: Directed writ nig

and compoositn

Directed writing and composition

2 hours

Answer

two

q u e s t i o ns in total:

S e c t i o n A : a n s wer

Question 1

S e c t i o n B: answer

one

.

q u e s t io n .

Section A: Directed writing

Read e x T t A , then answer S e c t io n A , Q u e s t ion1.

xeT tA

The follow ing is taken from a blog by a mother (w ho is also a dietician) a f t er she learned that

local schools were checking the food that s t u d e n t s had b rought in from home, and removing

items that they considered t o be unhealthy .

My child’s lunchbag is a cri m e - scene!

5 A s a parent you might exp e c t the odd school pick- up to en d in tears . Frien dship issu e s ,

f o r g o t t e n homework, l o s t s p o r t s clothes – I’v e m o p p e d up the miser y of them all, but holding

your sobbing child bec ause they have a ‘naugh t y l unch bag’ sticker on their polo shir t was a

i

f

r s t for me.

Apparently , this h o r r i f ying idea is all the rage nowaday s . A s the governme n t s t a r t s to panic

01 over child nutrition, the foo d - h a l has beco m e a b a t tleground. Now don’t get me wrong – I m’

all for healthy eating and I takemyre s p o n s i b liities as a parent seriously but makin g a child

feel judged and embarras s e d a b o u t what they have be en given to eat i s just wrong!

F i r s tly,c an we remember that mos t food given to stu d e n t s i s provided by parents . If there i s a

problem then how about sending a discree t note home rather than humiliating the innocent

51

recipient? Kids are incre dibly sensitive. They hate being single d out at the b e s t o f times – bu t

for something that they are not in co ntrol of? No!

N o w l e ts’ look a bit clos er at the whole ‘name and shame’ p r o c e s s . Apparently our

government has decided that they will check what ever y s c h o o l - a g e s t u d e n t eats whil s t o n

the school site. Well- qualifi

e d as the st a f f are in our local school I doub t that ever y s chool has

20

a n o n - site nutritioni s t . C an Mrs Murray from K4 tell the difference bet ween a nice bit of local

cheese and a well- d r e s s e d p i e ce of plastic mixed with pre s e r v atives masquerading as a cheese

i

f

n g?re Does she know how much sugar th ere is in the ave rage ‘health bar’? For that matte , r

is she aware that fruit juice is a sure - f i

re way to raise our little ones’ blo od sugar to a nice

frenzied playground peak and then drop it again in time for a p ost- lunch slee p.

S e c t i o n

413

5: E x a m

p r a c t ic e

2.

21

Butokay. L e t s’ say the food police manage to identif y a rogue bit of foo d. Then what ? If they

remove

25

it then that is on e less ite m for that of fender (s o r r, ychild) to eat that dayA. re they

going to offer replaceme nts or doe s the criminal (s orry, child) jus t go hungr ? y G o o d - l u ck

eliciting high -level analysis from my son when h e’s hungry!

Iamnotdefendingthetypeofmealorsnackthatburs tswithenumbersand sport 21 s

brgihtylwrappeditemseachwithacar tooncharacter and 300caloriesminm i um.am I not

thekindofparentwhopassesfastfoodthroughtheschoolfenceorthinksthatafamyli-ezis

30

barofchocoalteisasuitablesnackforasxi-yeaor-dlchdliHowever .,Ihavebeenknownto

poptheoddcanoffi zz ydnriknitotheolngnileouflnchboxesfiI l l everymorning.(It s ’ hard

thinkingofdiferentideaseve ry day–thereare195schooldaysayeayromukn)goi oI’wn!gto

confessrgihtherethatwe

do

getthrons5akugh c-‘ezis1d’chocolatebiscuitsperweekonthe

35 ‘produc.Buton itthat’ niles’alongside30piecesoffreshfruit,endlesshome - g orwntomatoes ,

cucumbersandotherveggiesandwholemealbreadniabundance.salIbt’outbalance–and

actuallythoselunchboxesareonlyabout20%ofwhatmykidndaesiaty.Wherewitilend? l

Wmliychldirensoonhavetocompleteafooddiar ywhentheyarrvieatschool,confessingto

thefoodcrimescommitetdathomeandrunningalpsuntlthey’ i veshedtheexcess?calories

Whatwiwe l dowiththestudentswhohavenothadenougheota?Whatabouttheschools

4 0

whichprovideunhealthyfoodorhostvendingmachinespacke dwth?i

I d o u n d e r s tand that a s e d u c ators the s chools want to send out the right mess a g e s a b o u t

healthy eating. Bu t how about d oing something more positive than lunch- box polcnig?

Healthy cooking ‘parent and child’ se ssions… me nu cards fo r parents… o ne of our local

45 schools had an ‘eating for exams’ coo k book on sale recently . Those are approaches that

tackle the pro blem at its grass roots – parent al respo nsibilit y – and if need ed, even provide

healthy food for stud ents who c annot access it at home, rath er than encouraging young,

malleable minds to asso ciate cer tain foods with m i s e r y and embarras s m e n t .

Question 1

Imagine that your school is consid ering introducing similar c h e c k s on the food that children brin g to

school.

Write a letter

to your school in which you give your views abou t whether or not teachers should

check the foo d that stu dents eat at school.

In your lette ,r

you should:

•

evaluate the views given about th e checking of lun c h e s

•

give your own views , b a s e d on what you have read , about whe ther the checking of food would

benefitstudents .

Base your let teron the blog, but be careful to useyour own words . Addres sbothofthe bullet points.

Begin your let ter: ‘ Dear School Governors’…

uoY should write about 250 to 350 w o r d s .

Up to 15 marks are available for th e content of your answer, and up to 25 marks for the quality of

your writing.

[40]

ot [ Tal: 4 0]

C h a p t e r

12 :

P r a c t ice pap e r s

a n d

g u i da n c e

513

Chapter 12 .

o2 Tc i p

Section B: Composition

A n s w e r o n e qu e s t i o n f r o m S e c tion B.

Questions 2 and 3

Write about 35 0 to 450 words on

one

of the following que s t i o n s .

Up to 16 marks are availabl e for the content and structure of your answe ,r and up to 24 mark s for

t h e s t y l e a nd accuracy of your writing.

EITHER

Descriptive writing

2

D e s c r i b e a scene whe n a group of peo ple meet to celebrate a happy occasio n.

OR

Descriptive writing

3

D e s c r i b e a quiet garden or park.

OR

Narrative writin g

4

Write a sto r y that include s the words , ‘she s tood in shock as the scene unfolded befo re…’her

OR

5

Write a sto r y that involves a chara c t e r who is dete rmined to win.

[40]

ot [ Tal: 4 0]

S e c t i o n

613

5: E x a m

p r a c t ic e

Glossary

adjective:

connotations:

a word that describes a noun

(‘the

red

car’, ‘the

closed

the emotional or sensory

associations of a word or thing –

shop’)

for example, a flag can immediately

adverb:

describes a verb (usually

make someone think ‘my country’

an action)

counter-argument:

adverbial of time:

the opposite or

a word or phrase

contrasting viewpoint

expressing when something

determiner:

happened

a word that specifies a

noun

analogy:

a developed comparison

dialogue:

between two ideas

a conversation between two or

more people in a piece of writing

anecdote:

a short story to exemplify or

homophone:

back up a writer or speaker’ s point

words spelled differently

but which sound the same

bias:

a strong favouring of one side of

idiom:

an argument or debate, often without

a

language:

representing the other side of it

typical phrase common to a

for example,

dead funny

meaning ‘really funny’;

characterisation:

a right laugh

how an author presents

meaning ‘a lot of fun’

a particular character

imagery:

climax:

words or comparisons that

the most interesting or exciting

create a mental picture

point in a story

inferring:

cohesion:

reading between the lines

how a paragraph is knitted

and drawing conclusions from subtle

together and linked to other

clues

paragraphs around opic it. T sentences,

interview:

connectives and linking phrases all help

a conversation in which one

person asks the other questions on a

to make a text cohesive.

topic or aspect of their life

conjugated:

when verbs change form,

irregular verb:

usually taking on a different ending

a verb that does not follow

the standard patterns

conjunction:

a word used to join clauses

jargon:

or words in the same clause or

sentence, for example

and

,

but

,

technical terms that people

unfamiliar with the subject would not

or

know

conjunctive adverb:

an adverb that links

main clause:

independent clauses in a sentence, or

example,

the main part of a sentence

that could stand as a sentence on its

links ideas between two sentences – for

finally

,

therefore

,

moreover

own

,

to show cause and effect

metaphor:

on:iuontcj

wtwons,doisrjwhatdor

a powerful image in which

two different things or ideas are

compared without using

enstcaniaeuslcorpesahr

as

or

fingers were tiny splinters of ice

connective:

like

(

my

)

a word or phrase used to link

sentences

G l o s s a r y

713

monologue:

semantic field:

a speech, in role, by one

vocabulary or set of terms

closely linked by subject or usage

character without interruption

noun:

simile:

a word for a person, thing or

a vivid comparison of two things

or ideas using

idea

as

or

like

(for example,

the hoarse voice sounded out like

paraphrase:

a rewording of something

sandpaper on a broken brick

)

that has been said or written

slang:

pathetic fallacy:

very informal use of language (may

when a writer reflects

include dialect words), often common

human emotions in natural features

to an area, city or group of people

or objects:

for example,

the balloons

swayed happily

or

standard English:

the leaden clouds

the most widely used

form of English that is not specific to

hung heavy above the figure crouching

a particular location or region (e.g. in

on the moorland path

standard English, you would say

personification:

we

when a thing or idea is

were

was going

not

we

going

and you

described as if it has human qualities

would use the word

(

argument

rather

the storm bared its teeth and roared

than

with anger

tiff

or

barney

)

)

subject:

perspective:

the ‘do-er’ of the verb action in a

the particular angle or

sentence or clause

direction from which something

subordinate clause:

is seen or experienced; it can also

a clause that does not

make sense on its own; not a complete

r e f e r t o s o m e o n es ’ a t t i t u d e t o w a r d s

sentence

something

preposition:

synonym:

a word that describes the

a word that is identical, or very

close in meaning, to another word

relationship between people, things or

places

synthesise:

pronoun:

bring two ideas together to

make a new one

a word that takes the place of a

noun

tense:

rebut:

form a verb takes to show the time

of an action

to ‘knock down’ a counter-

argument

theme:

register:

a recurring idea within a piece of

writing

the level of formality in a piece

of writing

tone:

regular verb:

the way you vary your voice and

language to suit your audience and

a verb that follows

predictable patterns in forming tenses

get your meaning across (e.g. express a

and agreeing with subjects

certain emotion or create a particular

mood)

relative clause:

part of a sentence that

topic sentence:

usually explains or adds detail to a

a sentence that introduces

or sums up the overall idea or focus of

preceding noun

a paragraph

rhetorical:

designed to have a powerful

verb:

effect on a reader; rhetorical questions

than elicit information (

Should we

simply forget the awful suffering

and hardship?

)

G l o s s a r y

813

a word that expresses an action (

or a state (

are intended to create impact rather

go

feel

,

like

)

)

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913 T e x t ac k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

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