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- CSEC English




Sunday, February 12, 2022



Paper 1 Preparation


Paper 1 is a multiple-choice paper. It is 90 minutes long. 

It is made up of:

- vocabulary

-key word transformation

-5 comprehensions (story, poems, graphic comprehension)


Poetry & Paper 1


Poetry makes use of several figurative devices/ literary techniques to bring their stories to life.



Write examples of each of the following.

Think of how each can be used to enhance your essay writing skills. 


  1. Simile - a comparison using like or as

She was as quiet as a mouse when the police questioned her.

  1. Metaphor - a comparison without using like or as

My grandmother is my heart.

  1. Personification - comparing an inanimate object to a human

(e.g) It felt like the pizza was calling my name.


  1. Alliteration - words in a sentence or phrase beginning with the same consonant

(e.g) Peter Piper ate pumpkin pie


5. Hyperbole - an extreme exaggeration

(e.g) I was so hungry I could eat a horse


6. Paradox - a statement that seems to say opposite things and yet is perhaps true

(e.g) It was bitter sweet when my sister left for university


Use this link to write your answers for the following numbers. You must be able to justify your answers.           (1-4, 11)

https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/Humanities/Literary-Techniques-230993.html


  

Mood & Poetry

What is mood?

The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere.

Any word that can be used to describe emotion can be used to describe the mood of a story or poem. Mood is usually determined based upon the imagery and setting described. 


Words to describe mood:


  • Cheerful

  • Reflective

  • Humorous

  • Melancholy

  • Idyllic

  • Romantic

  • Mysterious

  • Ominous

  • Calm

  • Lighthearted

  • Angry

  • Fearful

  • Tense

  • Lonely

For analysis & discussion: https://www.liveworksheets.com/tt2583404im 


Complete: https://www.liveworksheets.com/en2120220fg 


2016 Paper 1 (Poem)

https://www.csecpastpapers.com/eng-a-1 



Homework



Argument writing 

https://youtu.be/i3arH39hJSc 



Sunday, February 19, 2022


Section 1: Synonyms & Context Clues





A synonym is a word or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word or phrase in the same language.


Why do we need synonyms? Synonyms are also called similar words. They are used to avoid repetition of the same words in a text. The meaning has to be exact or very close to the exact phrase.



Activity:


The word ‘beautiful’ is an overused word. Rewrite the sentences below using appropriate synonyms. 


  1. She was the most beautiful girl in the school.

  2. It's a beautiful day!

  3. Chris Brown has a beautiful smile.

  4. My neighbour has a beautiful garden.

 


Click & Complete:


https://www.liveworksheets.com/worksheets/en/Reading/Context_clues/Context_Clues_eh1328676qy



2015 Paper 1 (1-10)


https://www.csecpastpapers.com/eng-a-1



Understanding Poetry


Draw/ write this down:


Elements of Poetry























Drag & Drop


Poetry Practice



Thoughts


What kind of thoughts now, do you carry

In your travels day by day

Are they bright and lofty visions,

Or neglected, gone astray?

Matters not how great in fancy,

Or what deeds of skill you’ve wrought;

Man, though high may be his station,

Is no better than his thoughts.

Catch your thoughts and hold them tightly,

Let each one an honor be;

Purge them, scourge them, burnish brightly,

Then in love set each one free.


Myra Viola Wilds


                                                                        

1. Why does the poet ask the questions in the first stanza?

        a. He is inquisitive and wants to know what we are thinking.

        b. He is curious to find out how confused we might be.

        c. He wants to have an idea about the quality of our thoughts.

        d. He wants to find out if our thoughts have changed overtime.



2. The poet uses the word "travels" (line 2) to

        a. reveal how adventurous we can be when we travel.

        b. show how often we travel on a daily basis.

        c. symbolize the different activities we are involved in as a part of life.

        d. highlight that we harbour negative thoughts about our travels.


3. The lines "are they bright and lofty visions/or neglected gone astray" (lines 3-4) create the

     impression that

        a. We have difficulty making decisions on a daily basis.

        b. We are easily distracted when we are travelling.

        c. We are always thinking about all they can acquire from life.

        d. We have diverse thoughts depending on our life experiences.



4. What does the word "station" (line 7) MOST likely refer to?

        a. A train station

        b. The height of a building

        c. The floor an office is located on

        d. The status of a person



5. Why does the poet say "man is no better than his thoughts" (line 8)?

        a. A human cannot achieve anything if he does not reflect.

        b. Only the actions of a man counts; his thoughts don’t matter.

        c. A man’s character is revealed by how he thinks.

        d. A man will not be appreciated if he does not express his thoughts.



6. "Catch your thoughts and hold them tightly" (line 9) is an example of

         a. metaphor

         b. simile

         c. irony

         d. Repetition



7. The overall tone of the poem is BEST described as being

        a. didactic

        b. intrigued

        c. demanding

        d. condescending





8. The poem’s overall purpose is to

        a. invite us to examine the thoughts that we have.

        b. encourage readers to avoid confusing thoughts.

        c. instruct us to give our thoughts freedom.

        d. challenge us to transform our thoughts.





Introduction to Summary Writing




Summary Writing Tips

  • Writing a good summary is not as easy as it may appear. 
  •  First, read and comprehend the text. 
  •  Then identify main ideas and key points (distinguish between essential and nonessential information) Finally, express this information in your own words. 
  • This means that summarizing a text requires both comprehension and expression skills
  • When writing summaries for the exam, you must show 5 points that you plan to write about
Summaries should not contain opinions, background knowledge, or personal information; rather, a summary should be entirely text based.




Paraphrasing 

 Finish these paraphrased sentences by changing the word/word type and grammar.

e.g. We studied the statistics then applied for funding.
- After _________ the statistics, we made an _________ for funding.
- After studying the statistics, we made an application for funding.

1. We were concerned about her health.
We had some _________ about her health.

2. The council cut funding so we could not provide free parking.
As a result of council funding _________, there was no_________ for free parking.

3. His proposal was a failure as it was too theoretical.
His proposal_________ because it relied too much on _________ .

4. As the emphasis was only on the UK, there were weaknesses in the evidence.
By _________ the UK only, the evidence was _________ .

5. As the emphasis was only on the UK, there were weaknesses in the evidence.
As the emphasis was only on the UK, the evidence was not_________ .



Summarize the passage below in 40 words


Tropical rainforests are thought to contain around 50% of all the Earth’s species of plants and animals, though they cover only about 6% of the land surface. (8,000 years ago, they covered about double the current area.) Rainforests are a priceless and economically vital source of food and medicine, wood and water, building and craft materials and much, much more.


Summarize the passage below in 60 words

Paragraph 2: Cultural diversity

In rainforests, biological and cultural diversity often mirror one another.

For example, hundreds of different languages are spoken in

‘biological hotspots’ like New Guinea and the Amazon Basin.

It should not be surprising that the people who understand rainforests

best are those whose cultures were shaped by them, the indigenous

peoples of the tropical rainforests. Rainforest destruction is being driven

by an economic world view which originated externally in Western

capitalist cultures. Unfortunately, ecosystem destruction has

gathered pace over the last 200 years, with the advent of

‘consumer culture’ and breath-taking population growth. 


Summarize the passage below in 60 words

Paragraph 3: Climate stability


Rainforests also play a vital role in the planet’s water and

carbon cycles and in regulating climate. Yet today,

rainforest destruction releases more CO2 than all the world’s

cars, planes and ships put together. Earth systems scientists

like James Lovelock believe that rainforest conservation

is vital to stabilising CO2 emissions and combating dangerous

climate change.

The role that Rainforests play in the regulation of earth’s

climate is quite major. The destruction of rainforests today

releases more CO2 into the atmosphere than every vehicle

combined.


Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your own words whenever possible (maximum 80 words,)


As today's bride and groom celebrate their wedding, they have every excuse for being nervous. They exchange promises of lifelong fidelity and mutual support. However, all around them, they can see that many people do not and cannot keep these promises. Their own marriage has a one in three chance of divorce, if present tendencies continue. Traditional marriage is facing a crisis, at least in Britain. Not only are there more and more divorces, but the number of marriages is falling.

     Living together is more popular than before. The family is now no longer one man, one woman and their children. Instead, there are more and more families which include parents, half sisters and brothers, or even only one parent on her / his own. Although Britain is still conservative in its attitudes to marriage compared with other countries such as the USA, Sweden and Denmark, the future will probably see many more people living together before marriage - and more divorce.             Interestingly, it is women rather than men who apply for divorce. Seven out of ten divorces are given to the wife. Also, one of the main reasons for divorce, chosen by ten times more women than men, is unreasonable or cruel behaviour. Perhaps this means that women will tolerate less than they used to. 


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