Happy Children's Day!

Thank God for you. :) Do spend the weekend wisely.

Things to Do

I understand you have many things to do, so the following homework is optional. However, if you want me to mark, you need to complete (1) and (3) by tomorrow. I will go through (1) in class on Monday so if you can't finish it by tomorrow, you'll still have access to the answers on Mon.

(1) PSLE Booklet Specimen Paper (Do your best!)
(2) Vocabulary MCQs (Will go through on Monday)
(3) Composition (Not mentioned in class, but you may do Question (5) in the PSLE Booklet if you need the practice)

For (3),
If you submit it tomorrow - I will mark and return it on Mon.
If you submit it on Mon / Tue - I will go through it orally with you.
If you do not submit it - It's fine, but please do spend time reading up your composition notes and exposing yourself to the vocabulary list.

Situational Writing Practice (5) - PSLE Booklet

Model answer:

Dear Manager,

My name is Tina Lee and I am a pupil from Clever Primary School. I am writing to inform you of how helpful one of your staff, Miss Lily, was towards me.

On 5 October 2009, I was at the Bedok Public Library borrowing some books. As I was about to leave the library, I dropped my wallet on the ground. I only discovered that it was missing when I was about the board the bus at the bus stop. At that moment, Miss Lily came running towards me and returned me my wallet. I could not thank her as the bus driver was hurrying me to board the bus.

I would like to express my gratitude towards Miss Lily. If it had not been for her, I would have been stranded at the bus stop. Once again, I would like to convey my appreciation towards her. Please help to convey my gratefulness to her. Thank you.

Regards,
Tina Lee

Points to note:
1) Introduce yourself.
2) At the end, give a short conclusion. Do not end abruptly.
3) At the end, some of you wrote "I look forward to your favourable reply." However, you did not ask the manager to do anything, so why do you need a favourable reply? Put yourself in the shoes of the manager and see what information is needed.
4) Include your surname when signing off.

Homework and what to bring

1) Vocab Q41-70
2) Bring Practice Paper file tomorrow
(As mentioned previously, do not bring it unless I tell you to..... Tomorrow is one of the rare occasions when I will use it.)

Situational Writing Test

Model answer:

Dear John,

How are you? On the evening of 14 August, Saturday, Dad, Mum, Joy and I were having a barbecue at our condominium's barbecue pit. Dad started the fire at the pit while Mum skewered the chicken.

As Dad was fanning the flame, his apron caught fire. All of us rushed to get water from the swimming pool and splashed it onto Dad's apron to douse the fire.

Fortunately, Dad was unhurt, aside from the big hole that was formed on his apron. We managed to enjoy ourselves at the barbecue after ensuring everyone's safety.

Do write back as we have all missed you.

Love,
Peter

Common mistakes:

1) Mistake: Dear brother
Correct: Dear Brother
The word "Brother" has to start with a capital letter.

2) Mistake: Dad, mum, sister and I were at the barbecue.
Correct: Dad, Mum, Sister and I were at the barbecue.
The words Mum and Sister have to start with capital letters as they are names you use to address your family members.

3) Mistake: My father, my mother and my sister were also at the barbecue:
Correct: Father, Mother and Sister were also at the barbecue.
You should not use terms such as "my father" or "my mother" here as you are writing to your brother and you usually do not refer to your parents as such to your sibling.

4) Mistake: Having only one long paragraph
Correct: Use paragraphs to present your ideas. There should be at least 2 paragraphs.

Homework

Complete Grammar MCQs 91-125 by Friday.
Hand in the St Andrew's paper tomorrow.

There will be a mock English exam on Friday (11.50a.m. - 1.40p.m.).
As such, lunch will be from 1.40p.m.-2.15p.m. Eat more during recess.
English lesson will continue from 2.15-2.50p.m.

There will also be a mock compo exam on Monday during English periods. You will be tested on both situational writing and continuous writing. Please revise your notes and vocabulary lists.

Composition Ideas

A few of your classmates persuaded you to join them in playing a trick on a boy in your class whom all of you disliked. You agreed to do so.

Make use of the points below:
- how you were persuaded
- why you agreed to the ploy
- what you and your classmates did to the boy
- how the boy reacted
- what happened in the end

Possible ideas:
1) Clarence
- The boy was a hypocrite and your classmates who all loathed him persuaded you to play a trick on him.
- You did not want to be a wet blanket.
- The plan was to switch off the master power in the hall while the boy was giving a speech.
- The boy was embarrassed.
Complication: Just as you turned on the switch again, things did not turn out the way you intended. There was a power trip.
- The boy cried and the AV crew was punished.
Conclusion: Two wrongs do not make a right.

2) Joel Ting
- Your classmates made the plan sound tantalizing.
- You agreed to play the trick as you did not like the boy – state why.
- You and your classmates stole the boy’s money. You left your own wallet on the table.
- The boy told the teacher about the loss of money.
Complication: The money was found in your own wallet. Your classmates had framed you for the crime!
- You were reprimanded and later, when you confronted your classmates and beat up one of them, your teacher caught you in the act and punished you again.

3) Matthew
- Your classmates were irritated with Paul, a Christian who kept evangelizing.
- They got angry when you did not want to join them in the ploy. Pressurised by your peers, you agreed to join them.
- You destroyed Paul’s Bible.
- Paul burst out in unstoppable tears, but forgave you instantly when you confessed to the act.
- You became good friends.

4) Ching Wah
- A new student was transferred to your class. He was short and fat and was taunted mercilessly by your classmates.
- Your classmates put paint on the victim’s seat.
- He rushed out of school during recess as he could not tolerate the taunts.
Complication: The boy met with an accident as he was running out of school.
- You were punished for the act.

Homework

St. Andrew's Practice Paper (Due on Thu)

Homework

1) Practice Paper from Christian Brothers' School
2) Comprehension OE 4 from PSLE Booklet

All the best for the LC. Calm down and do your best. Praying for you.

Statistics from prelim (English)

Average for 6B:
Overall score - 77.7%
Paper 2 - 70.6 / 95
Composition - 30.3 / 40
Oral - 23.5 / 30
Situational writing - 13.4 / 15
Listening - 17.7 / 20

Highest overall score - 86.3% (Level position: 9th) (Congratulations, Isaac, and keep it up!)

As I have shown you, a number of you have the potential to score A* in the PSLE. Aim high and take steps to reach your goal. :)

Homework

First 30 MCQs from Grammar WS

Holiday Homework

1) Queenstown Paper Booklet A and B

2) Composition (Choose 1)

3) Revise

Reminder

1) EL Prelim Practice Paper 10

2) Bring EL Worksheet File on Tue

3.5 weeks more to go......14 school days (not counting the Sep hols). Persevere and you will enjoy the fruit of your labour on 25 November.

God bless.

Except / Except for

Except

1) They do nothing except complain all the time.
2) The weather was good except in the east.
3) He's not very friendly except when he needs help.
4) I have no answer to his criticism, except to blame the management.

Except for

1) There was complete silence except for the sound of someone whispering.
2) Except for John, the boys were enthusiastic about the party.

Except / except for

1) They did all their homework except / except for English.
2) Everyone was there except / except for Sam.

Thank you

Thank you for organising the class party. "Don't Forget the Lyrics" was a great idea. Really appreciate the pupils who went the extra mile to look for the songs, download the lyrics and design the PowerPoint slides.

Thanks for the gifts and cards too. Owen, I like your card - so innovative. :) I like all the other gifts too. Thanks for ordering the pizzas and bringing the chips, for putting up the singing item - you're the most united class and for being so considerate during the class party. A big thank you to you all! Have a good holiday tomorrow, but don't forget to do PP9.

Curiosity Kills the Cat by Jeremias Shae

Setting

The sun was setting. The crimson sky was turning dark as beautiful, flashing lights lights dotted it. The cool night air made me shiver. My friends and I were camping in the heart of the forest. The trees looked ominous and frightening. Their leafless branches were shaped like the claws of a beast. The holes made by bugs were like eyes, staring at us like we were their dinner.

"Hoot, hoot," an owl howled. Our teeth chattered in fear. A howling wind made a ghostly wail. Chills went down our spines.

Problem 1: Zack, Jason and I were wandering far from our campsite. We saw a deserted mansion, looking like it was haunted. As frightening as the house might be, curiosity got the better of us. As we crept into the the mansion, the doors opened with an eerie creaking sound. We walked in unsteadily, our legs feeling like jelly. After a few steps into the mansion, the old willow door slammed. "Nice one, Zack," I said. Zack was always playing pranks, being the class clown. "But it wasn't me this time," Zack said with fear in his voice. Jason grabbed the gold-pained maple bars of the door. Complication 1: "The door's stuck!" he shouted, face as pale as a sheet of paper.

Fortunately, we had all our camping tools with us, even our sleeping bags. We had brought everything along with us as we were not going to let our expensive items get stolen or our sleeping bags blown away by the wind at the campsite.

I took out a hammer from the toolbox which had all the tools we needed to set up the tent with. "Stand back," I said, determined to escape. I smashed a hole in the window and we jumped out from it. "That was a close one!" Jason sighed, relieved that the terrifying experience was over.

The doors of the mansion flew open again and this time, we zoomed off. Problem 2: After ten minutes of running, I realised I had a problem. I was far from the campsite. In fact, I did not even know where I was and to make matters worse, I was alone. The three of us had been separated while we were running for our lives. Complication 2: I took out my cell phone to call my friends, but unfortunately, there was no reception.

I was alone, cold, hungry and cut off from the outside world. I was wondering around, animals all making their mating calls. I totally freaked out. My heart was slamming against my rib cage.

"Jerry!" I heard someone call my name. I looked around, my heart in my throat, legs like jelly, face pale. I saw a shining light and I regained hope of finding my friends and getting out of here.

"Jason, Zack!" I cried out in joy. My two friends had found me. I was full of joy, but moments later, I realised our predicament. Problem 3: We were still far from our campsite. We continued wandering, with our last hope of finding our destination. Hope was completely regained again as we found a compass lying on the ground. Complication 3: However, the dust-covered device was in no working condition. I looked up in the sky, praying to God, asking for a sign.

I remembered suddenly that the brightest star in the sky showed us where North was. Our campsite was in the east. I scanned the sky, finding the northern star. I found it! "So if north is there, east must be here!" Zack said, pointing to the left.

We ran towards the east. Tears streamed down our faces, hoping that this was for real - the chance to find our campsite and go home in the morning.

Outcome: We praised God - He gave me the hint of finding our way back. We were safe under the covers of our tent. For a second while we were stuck, I began to lose hope, thinking that we would be stuck in the forest forever and to survive, we had to eat leaves and twigs.

Conclusion: I realised how important it was to remember what we had learnt at school, like how I remembered the brighest star in the sky led to the north. I also truly understand what the saying "Curiosity kills the cat" really meant. This incident was really terrifying, but at the same time, both enjoyable and educational.

The memory of this incident will be forever stuck in my mind.

How did it go?

How did the oral go today? Sorry I could only wish Group 1 well. Hope everyone excelled. :)

Do revise for the prelim on Monday.

What you can do this weekend:

1) Review the grammar, vocabulary, editing and synthesis sections in the 19 Practice Papers, CA1 and SA1 papers, especially those you made mistakes in before.

2) Do your corrections for Prelim Practice Paper 8 and Prelim Mock Exam, referring to the answer keys only when necessary.

3) Ensure you know the spelling of words that appeared in the editing and vocabulary sections of your practice papers

4) Read through your notebook.

5) If you haven't completed your mind map, please do so as it helps to consolidate your learning.

6) After you have finished the paper on Monday, check for mistakes. Underline keywords. For cloze and comprehension, make sure you have answered in the correct tenses.

ALL THE BEST! PRAYING FOR YOU. :)

Question tags

Remember:

positive (+) in one clause, negative (-) in the other

E.g.

1) You have (+) done your homework, haven't (-) you?

2) You come (+) to school by bus, don't (-) you?

3) You saw (+) the burglar, didn't (-) you?

4) You hardly visit (-) your grandmother nowadays, do (+) you?

5) Henry seldom falls (-) ill, does (+) he?

Be careful with cases 4 and 5. The first clause looks positive in each case, but it is actually negative. Explanation: "hardly visit" means "do not often visit" and "seldom falls ill" means "does not often fall ill".

Oral Tips - Final Words

1) Use the given five minutes wisely. Read aloud softly. If you do not know how to pronounce any word, please break the word into its syllables during this preparation time.
Next, look at the picture and prepare your speech. Remember DIEO.

2) Enter the room confidently. Approach the examiners with a smile and greet the examiners cheerfully upon reaching them.

Say, "Good morning, teachers. My name is __________. My index number is __________. May I be seated please?"

3) Examiners will tell you when to start reading.
Remember to read expressively and pronounce each word clearly and carefully.
Remember the end consonants.

4) Picture Discussion (E.g. Parents' Copy Picture 4)

Introduction
E.g. This picture shows a scene at a park. The sun is peeking out from the clouds. It is a great day for outdoor activities.

Body
A) A family has laid out a mat on the grass patch. The members are enjoying a scrumptious feast. From the smiles on their faces, they are delighted with their sandwiches and seem totally oblivious to their surrounding.

B) Next to them, a little girl is pointing at a kite that has been trapped in a tree. She is also shouting desperately for help. She is probably the daughter of the two adults in the family. She seems to be upset as her pleas for help have been ignored. If I were her, I would approach the adult man on the mat, who is presumably her father, and get his attention. The kite is too high for her to reach and it is wise for her to ask someone to help her.

C) On a path next to the grass patch, a boy has fallen off his bicycle. Perhaps he has been cycling too quickly. He is injured rather seriously and blood is trickling down from his knee. From his facial expression, I deduce he is feeling miserable and has difficulty standing up.

D) A man is cycling towards him at a seemingly rapid pace. The man seems to be very anxious as he is perspiring heavily and has a worried expression on his face. He could be the father of the injured boy and is hurrying over to the boy to render help. Alternatively, he could be a passer-by who is cycling too quickly to stop. He could be afraid of colliding into the boy on the ground.

E) I hope the family could be more aware of their surrounding instead of being engrossed in their food. There are many opportunities for them to show their concern and help.

Conclusion
In conclusion, the park is a suitable place for various activities. However, we should always consider the safety and well-being of other park users in our actions and ensure that the park is conducive for relaxation.

You are awarded marks for language, so do use appropriate vocabulary and ensure accurate grammatical structures. Speak consistently in the present tense.

5) The examiner will prompt you that the conversation is about to begin.
Be interactive and introduce connected points on your own.
Smile and have eye contact.
Be enthusiastic so that the examiners will not be bored.
You may want to inject humour if possible.

E.g. Parents' Copy Practice 4 again

Q: Do you go out on family outings?

A: Yes, I do. My family loves the outdoors so we usually go to the park. The park we frequent most is the Botanic Gardens. When we are there, we sometimes play soccer or simply lie on a mat to relax. As my little brother is only three years old, he loves playing with bubbles. Occasionally, we bring a bubble machine and we will have a competition to see who can poke the most bubbles.

We also go to the Jacob Ballas' Children's Garden on the grounds of the Botanic Gardens. There, we learn interesting facts about plants, like what they need to photosynthesise. My parents will patiently read the signages with us and at home, they conduct a quiz to ensure that we have assimilated the information. At the Children's Garden, there is also a water play area. Again, my little brother loves playing here. Once, he ran right into a fountain of water fully clothed. He was all drenched but he did not seem fazed at all. Instead, he ran right into another fountain and giggled in merriment as he got wetter. In the end, the whole family decided to join in the fun and soon, we were all soaked in water. It was truly a memorable outing.

Q: Do you think it is important to spend time with the family?

A: Yes, I think it is important to spend time with the family. Spending time together will strengthen our bond. It helps us know each other better. We can also encourage each other to excel in each other's area of interest or talent. If we are weak in a particular area, our family members can be there to fill in the gap. I think we can count on our family members more than we can count on our friends. There is somehow a tie that exists in the family that is hard to explain.

Unfortunately, some people do not think it is necessary to spend time with the family. I know of parents who work very hard, seemingly to provide for the family. As a result, they do not spend enough time with their children. This is deplorable as many social problems are results of the lack of parental guidance or discipline. Perhaps that is also why more children are labelled as Beyond Parental Control.

Recently, in the news, there was a feature about a girl who was abandoned by her mother. Her mother had her out of wedlock and had been leaving her with various family members while she worked. Currently, the girl is left with her step-aunt who is only 18 years old. The girl had never met her father. I felt very sad when I read about this case.

To conclude, I will reiterate that spending time together with the family is very important for the reasons I have already mentioned and I am very glad that I have a closely-knitted family who treasures time with each other.

I pray that you will all have good results. Do practise, practise and practise! Do all the 15 practices in the Parents' Package. That will give you the confidence you need. God bless you with good results.

(I will be in another school on Thu and Fri as oral examiner so I can't be in Fairfield to give you support, although I would very much like to. However, I will be praying for all of you. I would have liked to go through PP8 and the mock exam with you before Mon but I have meetings on the afternoons of Thu and Fri. So, please refer to the answer keys that I will be dishing out tomorrow. Revise all the past PPs and school papers and complete your mind map.)

Songs

Hi,

I received a strange request from some of you to suggest songs for relaxation. Here are some suggestions:
1) Most classical pieces have the ability to soothe
2) Disney songs
3) Christian songs

I guess there is a generation gap as we are almost two 12-year cycles apart. :)

Lastly, revise your notes for oral and practise using the Parents' kit. All the best!

Homework

1) English Practice Paper 8
2) Revise and write notes on your revision
3) Memorise verb forms for test on Tue
4) Revise for oral exam (Go through all the pics and conversation topics - Get someone in your family to converse with you; record yourself reading and see how you can improve - most of you need to work on pronouncing end consonants and being expressive)

Announcement
1) There will be a mock English exam on Monday. Study hard!

Past Perfect Tense

The past perfect tense should be used when there are two actions. It is used for the action that occurs first.

E.g.1) I brushed my teeth. I left the house hurriedly.
"I brushed my teeth" occurred first, so we should write:
After I had brushed my teeth, I left the house hurriedly.
or
Before I left the house hurriedly, I had brushed my teeth.

2) I did my homework. I went to bed.
Logically, "I did my homework" occurred first, so we write:
After I had done my homework, I went to bed.
or
Before I went to bed, I had done my homework.
or
By the time I went to bed, I had done my homework.

To + infinitive

"To" is usually followed by the infinitive (base form).
E.g.He seems to like ice-cream.
You have to take your medicine three times a day.

Instances when "to" is not followed by the infinitive.
1) I am looking forward to meeting you/ I am looking forward to watching the movie with you.
2) I prefer swimming to jogging.

A clause is a part of a sentence that contains its own verb.
E.g."She went to the market early as she wanted to avoid the crowd.
"She wanted to avoid the crowd" is a clause. It has its own verb -wanted.

Revise

Situational

1) Text
Audience
Purpose
Formal / informal

2) Number your points and ensure you have included all the points

3) Align salutations and signing off to the left.

4) There should be at least 2 paragraphs.

5) Re-read what you have written and check for spelling or grammtical errors.

Continuous

1) SPCOC - Need to include problem and complication! Think of something creative.

2) Use vivid descriptions.

3) Check for spelling / grammatical errors.

Homework

1) English Practice Paper 7
2) Composition 9 (PSLE Booklet)
3) Situational Writing 4 (PSLE Booklet)

You Reap What You Sow by Ian Harijanto

"All right! Let’s head out!” Mr Tan said. I quickly ran up the bus and grabbed the window seat. Soon, my best friend Hezekiah arrived and sat next to me. Immediately, we struck up a conversation. During the journey, we talked about one subject in particular. We were discussing what our English teacher, Mrs Gan, had told us about. It was this phrase “You reap what you sow”.

I could not fully comprehend and Hezekiah was no different. I shrugged at the thought as we had arrived at the beach. When we were very near the beach, I felt the sea breeze and it made me all energetic again. Once we were at the beach, Mr Tan gave us a quick briefing of what we had to do. Mr Tan said, “You’ll have to pick up all the rubbish on the beach that you can find. No fooling around. While you’re doing that, I’ll be enjoying myself picking up seashells!”

The moment we heard that, we all chorused in complaint as Mr Tan skidded off towards the sea. I thought to myself, “Man, we have to do all the work and he gets to enjoy himself.”
I strolled over to take the garbage bag and started picking up all the rubbish that inconsiderate people left. As I picked up the endless amount of garbage, I saw something small moving in the distance. At that moment, I actually thought, “Cans can’t move around!” At that thought, I laughed heartily to myself. I ran over, ignoring all the rubbish scattered on the ground. As I moved closer, I saw that it had two pincers and it turned out to be a crab!

I watched it for a considerable amount of time and then, a nasty thought filled my mind. I instantly looked around for a wooden pole. When I finally found one, I rushed over and was jubilant to find that the crab was still there and not moving. I crept over stealthily, raised the pole and did an overhead swing. It landed perfectly on the crab shell and it created a dent on it.

It scampered back to its underground tunnels and it seemed to wince in pain. I laughed at that sight and continued picking up the rubbish. When I returned to where my friends were, I told them my story. Surprisingly, they did not believe what I had said and told me to prove it to them. I scanned the ground for holes that represented the entrance to the crabs’ underground tunnels. I soon spotted some and I stuck my hand in, trying to draw out a crab. After I had dug my hands in the sand for a considerable amount of time, I felt a sharp pang of pain and let out a loud shriek! I instantaneously pulled my hand out of the soil and what I saw shocked me.

The crab that was on my finger had a dent on its shell. It was the one that I had whacked before. Now it was my turn to wince in pain and I reckoned that it felt satisfied to have got its revenge. In the distance, I heard one of my enemies doubling over in laughter. The word spread like wildfire and soon everyone was present.

Finally, I heard my teachers’ voice ordering, “Move aside! Move aside!” When he saw me, he asked with concern, “What happened? Hurry up and get that crab off your hand!” He used a stick to probe the crab and soon, the crab was off my hand and it hurried back to its tunnel.

My finger was bandaged and as Mr Tan bandaged my finger, he forced the circumstances out of me. I was ready for the inevitable and prepared to face the music. Mr Tan glared at me with dagger eyes and started his ear-piercing speech.

After the lecture was over, Mr Tan asked me what I had learned and I told him that we should not disturb nature. I also learnt that retribution would come back and haunt us if we did wrong. There was something else I learnt which I kept to myself. Now, I could finally comprehend the phrase “You reap what you sow”. This would be a lesson that will stay etched in my mind as I had learnt it the hard way. It would help me in making my life’s decisions for years to come.

Sounding the Alarm by Ben Lim

“Dad! I told you a million times we shouldn’t come to this horribly crowded place. Just moving an inch takes half an …..” I groaned and moaned as patience was not one of my virtues.

Last Saturday, Dad brought me to Jurong Point to buy groceries at the Fair Price supermarket. I dreaded that place as it was usually crowded. It was my worst nightmare! As I was complaining, I sensed frustration emanating from my father. He had become increasingly infuriated with my bombardment of complaints. He bellowed in my face, “You’d better shut that dissatisfied mouth of yours before I make sure it can never be functional!” I knew better than to disobey Dad when he was in such a foul mood, so I dragged my lethargic legs across the floor as I followed him through the boisterous crowd.

After spending an hour and a half at the supermarket, Dad and I made our way to the cashiers. To my utmost horror, there was an unbelievable 5-metre beeline in front of every cashier! Irritated to the point of explosion, I blurted out, “Not again!” Dad threw me an utterly stern look. Instantaneously, my lips sealed so tightly as if they were fused.

Out of the blue, an ear-piercing blare of the fire alarm reverberated throughout the mall. The once joyous place turned into a sight of hell. People went helter-skelter. Screams of terror filled the air. Panic-stricken shoppers scurried to any emergency exit they could access. It was total mayhem.

Mustering all my courage, I tried to stay calm as I was advised during the last fire drill in school. Dad, however, was “ice-cool” throughout the whole ordeal. He ordered me to call for help as he listened closely for any announcements made.

Suddenly, something swift and sinister caught my eye. He stood out from the crowd almost perfectly. He was clad in black and carried a black bag and suitcase. He seemed to be in a hurry to escape from the building, not because of the fear of a possible fire, but of the fear of being caught. I came to the conclusion that the man had most likely stolen something valuable from the supermarket, then triggered the fire alarm so that it would be a diversion for his escape. Excited about the impending adventure, I quickly told Dad my theory. To my surprise, Dad accepted what I had guessed and urged me to report the ominous-looking man to the authorities. As I called the authorities, I continued to spy on the strange man. He dashed, he jumped and he rolled across the floor. Lo and behold! He was trapped by his own escape plan! Being overwhelmed by panic, the shoppers had occupied every single possible exit to safety.

Irate, the man in black pushed through the crowd, but could not get far. With no other choice, he took out a knife and swayed it menacingly in the air. My suspicions were confirmed – he was a criminal! People of all ages backed off, trembling in fear. Now, the people had two causes for worry – the fire and the apparently insane man!

In the frenzy, an elderly man fell onto the ground, unconscious. At this moment, a police officer appeared out of nowhere and confronted the perpetrator. Instinctively, the criminal stabbed and swayed but was finally subdued as more police officers arrived.

Dad, the other shoppers and I were led out of the shopping mall as police officers cordoned it off for further investigation. By now, recordings from surveillance monitors had determined that there was no fire and that the fire alarm was indeed set off by the suspicious man.

News of the day’s events was widely publicized. There was a short feature of how my instincts about the crime led to the timely arrival of the police. However, I did not bask in the glory of my feat. I only had one wish in mind: May world peace be possible one day.

Bullying by Julian Goh

“Ring” The long awaited recess bell rang as throngs of eager students made a beeline for the canteen. Whereas for me, I was morose by the thought of missing my break and now found myself dragging my lethargic legs towards the most dreaded place in the school, the Staff Room, where my incensed teacher would give me a piece of her mind for not doing my homework.

Drifting away in my thoughts, a clamorous shriek, followed by some faint sobbing woke me from my reverie. My suspicion aroused, I took a quick glance around my vicinity. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a big burly boy and a small-sized boy. The big boy stood there menacingly, arms akimbo, as lewd profanities spewed from his mouth which the defenseless boy curled up like a millipede and was crying profusely.

I was shocked by the scene that unfolded before me and finally decided to take matters into my own hands. Being a good Samaritan, I approached the bully and to my horror, I realized that it was John, the notorious “baddie”. I chided him for bullying a little boy but he gave me a scornful look and passed a scathing rebuke. Feeling unjustified, I held my anger and asked the little boy, “What did he do to you?”

In between sobs, the little boy replied, “He extorted money from me and I have been giving him my allowance for the past three days.” Bewildered by his unacceptable behaviour, I decided to put a stop to it. I said, “Why don’t we have a challenge? If I win, you must let the boy go.”

“Fine! Let’s fight!” John replied. At the back of my mind, I knew that I would lose so I decided to use an excuse.

I thought hard and could feel my mind gears whirring as a plan formulated in my head. I replied, “Since this is the World Cup period, let’s have a penalty shootout!” Being a soccer fanatic, he instantaneously nodded his head. We proceeded to the field with the little boy in tow. After playing for a while, it was over. The little boy was freed. John shot me a dejected look as he walked away in sorrow.

Like a bolt out of the blue, the recess bell rang again. I stood rooted to the ground and my face turned as pale as sheet. As if the Earth was getting warmer and warmer, I started perspiring profusely when I recalled that I still had to pay a visit to the staffroom and face my teacher. Nevertheless, I mustered all my courage and decided to face the music. When I saw my teacher, her face turned a bright shade of ruby red. She towered over me and demanded an explanation for being late! After relating the incident to her, she calmed down and praised me for being helpful. She even said that on account of what I did, she would not scold me for not doing my homework and gave me a chance. After that, she confronted and berated John and even took disciplinary action against him.

As I walked back to my classroom, I reflected on the things that happened in the short duration. Even though I got a hurtful scolding from John, the teacher let me off the hook and even praised me! This was indeed a blessing in disguise.

Homework

Vocab p. 162-165.

Keep pressing on!

PSLE Oral is coming!
Keep reading aloud. Take any picture and talk about it.
During the conversation segment, pls remember to give specific examples and personal experiences. For example, instead of just saying that you like documentaries because they are interesting, you may talk about a specific documentary that you have watched. Talk about the content of that documentary and what you have learnt.

Do memorise some descriptive words and phrases that you have learnt for the compo exam next week. We will talk more about composition and situational writing on Thu.

Happy Founder's Day.

Busy indeed

Sorry guys. I've been having meetings or workshops in the afternoons and the only time I have online, I need to clear the numerous emails that I receive. Will try to make the postings more regular.

Please hand in Practice Paper 6 tomorrow. Daniel, pls submit your composition on the crab incident too!

PSLE is drawing very near. PSLE Oral is in 18 days' time. We need to get all our gears whirring. You will reap whatever you sow (as Ian's recent composition will remind you). Press on and I am praying for you. Take good care of your health too.

revival

Hi,

Hope you have all done your weekend homework:

1) Practice Paper 3

2) PSLE Booklet p. 31, 32

About 40 more work days left to PSLE. Press on! Do remember to take breaks now and then.

God bless.

Model Essay III

Night of Horror

Written by Qiancheng (2004 - Now a student in NUS (High))

I had just fallen asleep when I heard cries of “ Fire! Fire!

I leapt out of bed, and rushed to the window. Thick smoke was billowing out of my neighbour’s flat. Pale in the face of death, I stood petrified and snorted contemptuously for a few moments. Then after regaining composure, I dashed to the next room and banged on the door.

“What’s the matter?” roared my brother. “House on fire?”

“”It will be, if you don’t wake up!” I shouted and ran to the next room.

Soon the whole family was awake. My father took immediate control of the situation. “Our neighbour’s flat cannot be saved,” he said. “But the fire is likely to spread here. We can get as many things as possible out of the house to safety for we are lucky to live on the ground floor.”

My younger brother immediately ran out with the waste paper basket! My eldest brother dashed out with a bag, and then returned for the television set. He was an ardent television viewer. But the set was too big for him to carry so my father and I helped him. The thick smoke from our neighbour’s flat urged us to hurry up with the arduous work.

I carried out the most of my school books, and those of my brothers and sisters. I helped my mother to carry out her kitchen utensils and the new gas stove. My father and my two elder brothers stumbled out with the refrigerator. Soon more than half the household things were a safe distance from the house.

Sirens wailed down the street and announced the arrival of a fire engine, an ambulance and a police car. While some of the firemen used a hose to put out the fire in our neighbour’s flat, the others drenched our house to prevent the flames from spreading to it.

My neighbour’s house was in complete ruins by the time the flames were extinguished. When our house was out of danger, the fire engine went away and the ambulance sent a casualty to the hospital. But there was no sleep for us that night. For some time, we talked to our neighbours who left a little later to stay with one of their relatives. Then we began a massive clean-up of our house, and it took us several days to get back to normal once more. That night was analogous to a horrifying nightmare and we wished that it would not happen again.

Model Essay II

A Great Experience

Written by Veralyn (also a student from the 2002 batch)

With whoops and shrieks of joy, Lily and John bounced up and down on the sofa. They were going to Rali Park for a picnic.

Armed with baskets of fruits, sandwiches and cold drinks, they trooped out of their garden, heading happily for Rali Park. They scuttled about looking for a place. At long last, they settled down under a wide-spread angsana tree. It was a lovely day. Birds sang lustily and butterflies and bees seemed busier than ever.

The surroundings blended perfectly with the weather. John began to sprawl out like a starfish while Lily fished out a piece of bread, munching at it hungrily.

The two children felt chirpy that day. Suddenly, John let out a shrill cry. He pointed a finger at what seemed like a massive cave. Lily squealed.

John, who was trembling with excitement tugged at his sister’s sleeves frantically. Lily looked at the mouth of the cave, which sent shivers down her spine.

“Don’t be a baby, your big brother is here to protect you,” boasted John, hopping around with his nose high up in the air.

Hands clasped together, Lily and John walked in. Lily was really petrified and clutched John’s hand like a vice. Lily, by now, was slick with sweat.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, both of them, John and Lily, heard a deep churchyard groan. They gasped. Then they heard it again. John, out of curiosity, decided to go further. “Don’t, John!” cried his sister who was by now terrified to tears.

John put on a grave look. Lily looked on, trembling. John towered over the girl who was trembling like a jelly. Lily knew that she was beaten. Nothing could change her brother’s mind.

Rather reluctantly, Lily merely nodded her head while tears trickled down her cheeks. It was relatively quiet in the cave. Suddenly, what seemed like a stench filled the cave.

They pinched their noses and gave disgusted looks, when all of a sudden, John spotted a bear. No, two bears in fact. One was lying helplessly on the floor and the other, quite dead.

Lily gave a terrified yelp that woke the bear up. It stared at them with dangerous bright sparkling eyes. It growled and snarled.

Lily almost jumped out of her skin. John, bold once again, went up to the bear. The bear began to arch its back like a cat. Then, in a composed voice, he said, “ It’s all right, we’ll help you.”

The bear seemed to understand and calmed down a little. Then, it gave a little whine. John saw that it must be injured. Lily watched all these with bated breath.

Time seemed to stretch like eternity for Lily - she was so afraid of bears. John then gave a terrified yelp. Lodged in the bear’s stomach was a bullet.

John beckoned Lily to come over. Legs wobbling, she walked small steps towards the massive, once snarling bear.

“Go and get Mr. Thomson!” cried John. Mr. Thomson was a veterinarian who often gave their dog, Blackie, regular checkups.

Lily ran as swiftly as an arrow to Mr. Thomson’s house, panting all the way. She finally reached there and at last caught some fresh air. Lily explained everything in a jiffy, gasping for air every now and then. Mr. Thomson then quickly packed up the things needed and rushed to the scene.

John was there, trying his hardest to console it. Mr. Thomson without a moment’s hesitation, tried his very best to save it. However, his effort was fruitless.

After an hour of hard work, Mr. Thomson announced sadly, “I’m so sorry, but I can’t save it. The bullet has beem there for too long.”

John’s face looked forlorn. Lily who was by now, very friendly to animals looked doleful while Mr. Thomson looked crestfallen. The bear had died!

From that day onwards, when the two children walked past the cave, they always remembered what happened. The memory, to them, was as clear as tinklebells.

Now, Lily found it hard to resist animals and became an animal lover too like John when she found out they were quite harmless except when provoked.

Model Essay I

An Experience in the Woods

Written by Olivia (my student in 2002; now a student in NUS Medicine Faculty)

It was a long walk up the hill. Mother Nature embraced the two children with the tranquility of the surroundings. The melodious chirping of the birds, the lush, green leaves, and the dancing butterflies as they fluttered from flower to flower stimulated their senses.

"What a beautiful place!" thought young Fiona, feeling at ease with herself as she trudged up close behind her brother, John. They were searching for a place where they could have their picnic. They soon settled on an open clearing and prepared their picnic. John was halfway through his peanut butter sandwich when he spotted a cave opening. His imagination ran wild. Thousands of scenarios flooded his mind. A pack of tigers? A robbers’ hideout? He decided to check it out for himself.

Inquisitive by nature, his curiosity lured him towards the opening. Fiona hung back, being only six, she was afraid of such places.

Stepping into the darkness, there was not a hint of hesitation in John’s footsteps as he held his sister close. There was a dim, uninviting gloom about the place. The trickling sound of the water sent shivers down their spines. Nevertheless, they continued walking.

When their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, they spotted an old man, bent, feeble, and humbled by life’s cruel lessons, sitting and coughing roughly on the ground.

Fiona heaved a sigh of relief. At least it was not any wild animal. But why was the old man here? Did he live here? There were still many questions that had yet to be answered.

John ventured tentatively towards the man.

“Who are you?” the old man croaked.

“W-we…we mean no harm…” John stammered.

“Excuse me, mister,” Fiona started. “Do you live here?”

“Ahh…you are right about that,” he sighed. “For many years this has been my home.”

Slowly, they began to warm towards the old man. They began to ask him many questions and soon found out that the old man lived alone, and that he survived on wild berries and occasionally some bird meat. He had been a hunter, and he was equipped with enough skills to survive in the wilderness.

"How did it feel?" Fiona thought to herself. "To have stones for a bed and wild berries for food?’ she shuddered involuntarily, feeling utmost pity for the old man.

Suddenly, she rushed back out, gathered all the picnic foods, and offered them to the old man. He seemed delighted at the prospect of having a change in his diet after so many years, and gobbled it all down before you could say ‘Jack Robinson’.

They were soon taken on a tour by the old man of the picturesque surroundings.

“See?” the old man said, pointing at a hole in a huge tree. “There lives a squirrel who comes out everyday without fail when it starts to get dark.” Just then, out popped a squirrel’s furry head.

“Oh!” cried John, a realization dawning on him. “It is almost five already! We had better get going!”

Reluctantly, they packed whatever was left of their picnic things and set off for home. John dropped pieces of cloth as they walked home, marking the route along the way, but when they tried to find the place the next day, it was nowhere to be found. They searched and searched, but their efforts were futile. They never saw the kind old man again.

Holidays!

The hols are finally here. Do use your time wisely.

Homework:

1) Prelim Practice Paper 1

2) Vocab p. 53-102 (Do about 3-4 a day for 15 days in order to complete)

Please look up the meanings of all words that you don't know. Take note of the spelling.

3) Read the model essays which will be posted here - I will post them on Wed next week.

The June holidays is the time when you take stock of all that you have learnt.

Look forward to the Spelling Bee Competition!

God bless.

Things to Do

1) Clear your lockers by 24/5.

2) Hand in your result analysis tomorrow (21/5).

3) Write the poem on phobia by tomorrow. I will bring you to the lab to type it out. Pls include some original illustrations.

4) Email me the soft copy of the fractured fairy tales and return me the storybooks that you have made. Include some illustrations. Deadline: 27 May 2010.

5) Budding Writers Project by Marshall Cavendish
If you are interested, pls write a story and submit when school reopens.
More information can be found in http://www.marshallcavendish.com.sg/contentview.aspx?article_id=3

What to Revise

Before the exam, please revise:

1) Practice Papers 1-10 (Don't just look - take notes and redo questions) / CA1

2) English notebook

3) Forms of verbs (the list that I gave today)

4) Advanced vocabulary

During the exam,

1) For synthesis, please note: only change tenses / time reference words in REPORTED SPEECH. Underline the words to be changed if there is any reported speech question.

2) Highlight clues in grammar section (Q6-12) and cloze. You may write down your thought processes whilst checking.

3) For comprehension, check your tenses. Also ensure you write in complete sentences.

4) Use your time wisely.

Practice Paper 8

Please type out questions here if you need me to give you the answers. You may call or email me also.

I am praying for you. Please take this exam seriously.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

I was disappointed today when only a handful of you said you had studied for the vocabulary test. All the items in the test were from Practice Papers 1 to 9 or the CA1 paper. Yet, I had to detain pupils who did not perform well in the test during recess. You all should be scoring 10/10, given your intelligence.

Please revise all that we have been doing in class. There are so many aspects of English to cover, but you should at least be familiarised with what you have already learnt.

Let's set a target for you. Try to improve by at least 5 marks in Paper 2 from CA1. Those who can meet this target will get a sticker on the chart.

Homework:
1) Complete the revision sheet that I prepared for you.

Revise Vocabulary

Please revise vocabulary sections (Q16-25) of Practice Paper 1 - 9 and CA1 paper today. Look up the meanings of words you do not know and study how the words are used in context.

I will give you a mini-test on vocabulary tomorrow. I will also test you verbally.
Penalty for pupils who do not show effort: Stay back during recess and use that time to do revision.

Please bring your practice paper file tomorrow. I will be referring to the practice papers when we do revision tomorrow.

Last-minute Tips

You will be in my prayers as you prepare for the SA1. Do put in effort and don't be contented with a mediocre mark. Strive for A*, which means every mark counts!

Situational Writing
1) Identify text type -Email (formal/ informal) / Letter (formal/ informal/ complaint)
2) Appropriate greeting and signing off (If names are given, use them) - If formal, need to introduce yourself sufficiently
3) Highlight points that need to be included
4) Re-read what you have written and ensure recipient will be well-informed
5) Number your points and check your tenses and spelling

Composition
1) SPCOC - Setting / Problem / Complication / Outcome / Conclusion (Do not miss out any of these)
2) Add descriptive words and phrases. Memorise one or two sentences from each category in the vocabulary list as I have mentioned a long time ago
3) Check tenses, punctuations and spelling

What do I mean by descriptive words / phrases?
E.g.
He walked to the shop. ----> The lanky boy sprinted to the provision shop with long strides, as though he was racing against time.
The latter sentence is more vivid and you can visualise the scene much better.
Do make the effort to write vividly.

Descriptions by a former pupil (Can be found in Many Dreams, One World)

The boy not only had a shaven Mohawk, he also had gothic tattoos on his arm. Chains of cheap jewellery also hung around his neck which was tightly wrapped in a spiked collar.

Reward for pupils scoring 32 and above for compo: 1 sticker
Reward for pupils scoring 15/15 for situational: 1 sticker
Strive to get the rewards!

May He keep you and bless you and make His face shine on you.

Commonly Made Mistakes

These are some commonly made mistakes:

Correct Spelling

1) exhilarated

2) success

3) separate

4) disappointed

Starting of sentences

In your compositions, do not start a sentence with "But" or "And".

"But" can be replaced with "However" or "Nevertheless".

"And" can be replaced with "Furthermore" or "In addition".

In comprehension, do not start a sentence with "So", "So that" or "To".

Past tense

1) Present - seek

Past - sought

2) Present - Forgive

Past - Forgave

3) Present - Worship

Past - Worshipped (double p)

Punctuations

E.g. "Who are you?" she asked.

Note that the word "she" starts with a small letter. The sentence only ends at the word "asked", so "she" should not start with a capital letter.

"I will go," Sam replied.

Note that the word "go" is followed by a comma, not a fullstop.

Situational Writing 6 (Letter of Complaint)

Dear Manager,

I am writing to seek your help in making an exchange for a CD. On 1 October at 11a.m., I bought a CD from your shop. When I arrived home, I realised that the CD was broken. That evening at 5p.m., I returned to the shop to exchange for a new CD. My request was turned down flatly.

I am upset that the cashier did not allow me to change the CD. The receipt clearly stated that exchanges could be made within three days of purchase. Please look into the matter and I look forward to your reply.

Regards,

Samuel Lim

Homework

English Practice Paper 10 (Due next Tue)
Once again, pls bring Practice Paper 8 (Do not do) next Tue. It will be used as a mock exam

Homework

Practice Paper 9 (Due on Wed)
Practice Paper 8 is to be used as a mock exam next Tue

What to Hand in on Monday

On Monday, please remember to submit:
1) Situational Writing (5)
2) Vocabulary Builder if you have not already done so

Have a good weekend.

Vocabulary Grabber

We went to the lab and learnt new words like "abdicate".
Please complete and hand in the vocabulary worksheet by Monday.

Homework:
1) Situational Writing 5 (Letter of Complaint)
2) Spelling tomorrow. Bring spelling book, do your corrections.

Conditional Tenses Revisited

We went through the answers to p. 85, 86. Please complete p. 86 and 87 for homework today.

I learnt about the annoying orange today! It's amazing how a little orange can entertain the whole class so much. Gives me an idea for a lesson......... if only I have 30 hours a day.

Please submit your compositions tomorrow. Don't forget that there is spelling on Friday too.

Groups that have not submitted the printouts of your stories, please do so asap. This includes Groups 1, 4 and 8. I am very impressed by the stories I have read so far. I am thinking of compiling them into a book. Will discuss more in class.

Good evening.

Oral, Punctuations and Other Matters

Oral
In class, we saw how a simple picture could be elaborated on. Any logical inference will be accepted, so do not be afraid of saying too much.

The pupils who sat for the oral exam today performed acceptably, but I feel there is room for improvement, given your usual eloquence and intelligence.

Points to note:
- Two pupils forgot to greet me.
- Do make extra effort to pronounce all the words carefully and do not be afraid of reading expressively.
- The picture discussion was quite well-done, but there was still more description than interpretation and personal opinions. Some of you used appropriate words such as "encasement", "fragments", "brute force" etc. That was commendable.
- Eye contact is important during the conversation segment. Please try to speak animatedly too.
- Thank the teacher after the exam.

Punctuations
We also attended a course on punctuations conducted by the Master Yoda. I hope you earthlings will remember never to connect two complete sentences with commas.

E.g.
Wrong - It was a fine Friday, I skipped happily to school.
Correct - It was a fine Friday. I skipped happily to school.

Remember how important punctuations are:
A panda eats shoots and leaves.
A panda eats, shoots and leaves.

A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: Without her, man is nothing.

Please bear the rules of punctuations in mind whenever you write.

Other Matters
Please hand in the corrections for Practice Paper 7 tomorrow.

Homework:
1) Composition (Practice 4 Composition B) - due on Thursday

Rest well.

What We Were Up To

We went through Q1-50 of English Practice Paper 7 today.

We also did a Mad Lib. You can find more Mad Libs at http://www.eduplace.com/tales/. :)

Homework:
1) Vocabulary Phrasal Verbs Test 1 - 5 (p. 151-155)
2) Keep practising for the oral exam!

Friday the 16th and Batam

We had spelling on Friday and a huge number of you did not do your corrections.

We also had a battle of "wits" between the boys and girls and the girls won! The quiz contained many simple questions (like "What does the acronym DIEO stand for?") and it showed who have been revising his / her work and have been paying attention in class. Do keep doing both. For the oral exam this week, look through all the handouts that have been given. They contain many precious tips.

You did well during the Batam trip. I was happy to see many people trying very hard to make friends with the orphans even though communication was not easy. You included them in the planned activities. I hope they had fun. Keep shining.

Today's Menu

Oral
- 5 of you read the designated passage
- We went through i-ROPE and other things to take note of in conversation. You were asked to write down your responses to "Would you like to go to an exhibition" and identify if your responses are i, R, O, P or E.

Spellcast
We watched an excerpt from Spellcast 2007. The words learnt were:
1) Mediterranean
2) Dachshund
3) Bougainvillea
4) Pronunciation
5) Mozzarella
6) Anaesthetic
7) Fluorescent

Conditional Tenses
We went through the worksheet and you did a test after that.

Homework
1) English Practice Paper 7 Q1-50
2) There is spelling tomorrow. Bring your spelling books and remember to do your corrections.
3) Hand in your storybooks and printout of the story tomorrow
4) Also, please hand in your situational writing (4) corrections tomorrow.
5) Please bring the lyrics of the Indonesian song tomorrow.

Norway

We went to Fairfield Sec today to watch a video on Norway. Some secondary school students also introduced us to Norwegian culture and famous people.

Situational Writing 4

Dear Dr Lim,

I am Alicia Tan, the person-in-charge of Best Primary School's Young Readers' Club. We would like to invite you to be our guest speaker at one of our weekly meetings on 25 April 2010 (Saturday). The talk will take place at the school library conference room.

We would like you to speak on your new titles and other books that you have published in the past. The purpose of the talk is to cultivate the love for reading. We have chosen you to give the talk as you have an interesting personality, are lively, young at heart and popular with young people.

The members of our club are between six to eleven years old. Their interests include reading storybooks, comics, watching movies made from stories, story-telling, listening to stories, dramas, poetry recitals and activities related to books.

I will be very happy if you can accede to our request as you are a renowned writer. We look forward to your favourable reply. Thank you.

Best regards,
Alicia Tan.

Pointers:
(1) Remember to introduce yourself sufficiently such that the recipient knows who you are and is able to reply you.
(2) Remember to ask for a reply politely.
(3) Paragraphing is important. Do not cram all the information into one paragraph.

Homework:
(1) Corrections for situational writing
(Write the whole letter if you scored 12 and below / Correct your mistakes if you scored 13 marks and above)
(2) Spelling on 16 April (Phrases 1-15 from "Anger" list)

Homework

Complete English Practice Paper 6

Fractured Fairy Tales

Task: To create a fractured fairy tale, illustrate the story and make a storybook containing the tale and illustrations. You need to submit both the storybook as well as a printout of the story.

Deadline: 16 April (Fri) - 3 periods have already been allocated for this. You need to complete the rest of the task at your own time.

Looking forward to your submissions. Have fun!

More on oral

We watched 3 video clips again - an interview with Ms Ris Low, an interview with Phua Chu Kang and a training video featuring Steve Jobs. We saw how it was important to speak good English and to make impactful presentations.

When conversing with your oral examiners, remember the following points:

1) Be enthusiastic

2) Speak in complete sentences and try to use appropriate and good words and phrases

3) Be proactive and offer as much relevant information as possible

During picture discussion, do not simply give a description of the picture. Interpret and give your own opinions. Language is also assessed here, so remember to speak in grammatically sound sentences and use phrases such as "in my opinion" etc.

Today's homework:

1) Practice Paper 6 Questions 1-50

What we did today

Oral

We went through tips for oral reading. Remember to pronounce all words clearly, paying attention to end consonants. Also, read expressively and fluently. Take note of speeches as that is where you can modify the tone of your voice.
The oral exam is on 20 and 23 of April, as reflected in the Newslink.

Fractured Fairy Tales

We had a trivia on fairy tales. We read from Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes and you were asked to write your own fractured tales. Please bring materials for the book creation tomorrow.

Homework
1) English Homework Book p. 51 and 52

Subject-verb agreement

Every - always singular
E.g.
1) Everyone in my class has his own notebook.
2) Every member of the committee attends the meeting every week.

All - depends on whether the noun is countable or not
Countable - singular
Uncountable - plural
E.g.
1) All the salt has been used up. (Salt is not countable, so the singular verb is used.)
2) All the pupils in my class are present today. (Pupils are countable, so the plural verb is used.)

Conditional Tense

The following summarises the rules for conditional tenses:

CASE I
Clause 1: present
Clause 2: will (not) + infinitive
Example: If you try hard, you will succeed.

CASE II:
Clause 1: past
Clause 2: would (not) + infinitive
Example: If you misbehaved, you would be caned.

CASE III:
Clause 1: past perfect
Clause 2: would (not) have + past participle
Example: If you had been there, you would have seen the President.

You try:
1) If Ryan had come earlier, I ______________ (not need) to set up the projector on my own.

2) If it __________ (rain) tonight, we will not go to the Night Safari.

April's Fool

Happy April's Fool! I must admit that the "freeze" was quite well-coordinated. I should have taken a picture. From where I stood, the view was classic.

What we did today:

1) Went through elements of formal letter writing

2) You heard various sounds (thunderstorm; waves; gunshot; space shuttle launch; baby screaming) and wrote descriptive sentences based on the sounds.

3) Mad Libs

Homework:

1) Situational Writing (Practice 4). Remember to number your points.

Happy Easter! God loves you. :)

Today's Homework

1) Composition corrections
2) English Practice Paper 5 (if you haven't done it already)

What we did today (30 Mar)

We went to crimelibrary.com.sg to find out the penalty meted out to offenders of various crimes. Will go through some of your work tomorrow. Some of you produced very good work.

Homework for today:
1) English Practice Paper 5 (Due on Thu)

Hand in your ring files tomorrow if you haven't done so.

Yi Lin, I can't find the link for the 3rd video. Will try again when I am more free.

Nick, need to ask you about admin for the blog. Don't really understand that.

God bless you.

Appositives

(I am writing this in a separate entry so it is more convenient for you when you use the blog for revision. It used to be embedded in another entry.)

An appositive is a noun / noun phrase that refers to another noun right beside it. It provides more details about the noun.

Jiaqi's e.g. (adapted)
"I know the answer!" exclaimed Matthew, the smartest boy in class, from his seat.

"The smartest boy in class" is the appositive in this sentence. Note that it is flanked by two commas.

Eldon's e.g. (adapted)
The lady standing there is my sister, Jane.

"Jane" is the appositive in this sentence. The appositive is preceded by a comma. In this case, we end with a fullstop as we have come to the end of the sentence.

More examples:
Bryan, the monitor of the class, is very neat in appearance.
My best friends, Jocelyn and Samantha, like chocolate ice-cream a lot.
Catherine Lim is the writer of the best-selling book, "The Bondmaid".

Whose

"Whose" shows possession.

E.g. 1) Ryan met the actor whose father sold Char Kway Teow at East Coast.

In the example above, the father "belongs to" the actor. The actor's father sold Char Kway Teow.

E.g. 2) Rachel was the pupil whose mobile phone was confiscated by Mrs H.

In e.g. (2), the mobile phone belongs to the pupil, Rachel. It was Rachel's mobile phone that was confiscated.

We cannot write "James is the most famous badminton player in Singapore whose mother sells chicken rice" because the mother does not "belong to" Singapore. We are not referring to Singapore's mother.

The above sentence should be written as "James, whose mother sells chicken rice, is the most famous badminton player in Singapore."

The mother "belongs to" James. In other words, James' mother sells chicken rice.

Try this:

Joel used to be the fastest runner in school.

His son has been selected to represent Singapore in the Youth Olympic Games.

________________whose _______________.

(Write down the answer in your English notebook. If your answer is correct, you can get a sticker on your book.) :)

Happy weekend.

What we did today

Vocabulary (25 Mar, 26 Mar)

precocious: unusually advanced or mature in development, esp. mental development

Precocious Jerry started writing stories at the age of three.

forcible: done or effected by force; convincing, as reasoning (I think the answer in the book is wrong. We will discuss this on Monday.)

The robber entered the house forcibly.

forceful: full of force; powerful; vigorous; effective

Forceful measures were taken to curb the problem of smoking.

luxuriant: abundant or lush in growth

luxurious: characterized by luxury; ministering or conducive to luxury

(Meanings are all from dictionary.com)

Thank you James, Ching Wah, Ellenmae and Daniel for going through the meanings of words in Practice Paper 4 Q21-25. I was impressed that you went to look up the meanings of the words and tried to explain which answer was the best fit for each question.

Homework (26 Mar)

1) Comprehension

What We Did Today

Today, we watched Pepsi commercials and saw how they were so attractive and engaging. Do demonstrate your creative juices when you write your essays.

We also improved on mundane and common sentences before we embarked on the essay for the day. Always remember to engage your readers with descriptive phrases and varied sentence structures, as well as allow them to feel as if they are present at the scene. Do not neglect the content. Every story you write should have a problem and complication.

Homework:

1) English Homework Book p. 58, 59
2) Pupils who did not bring Homework Book Unit 3 today, please hand it in tomorrow.

What We Did Today

A Picture Paints a Thousand Words

Today, we watched three clips about the parting of the Red Sea. The three clips were produced by different people / companies. You saw how the one by Dreamworks was the most impressive. The scenes tugged at the hearts of people and details such as the people's expressions and the background sounds were given attention to. You also saw how the Red Sea can be parted in two seconds in another clip. Many of you laughed at its simplicity. Let's ensure that our essays are descriptive like the Dreamworks' production and not like the simple clip we saw.

Homework update

Pupils who did not hand in their holiday homework today:
English Practice Paper 4 - Register No. *12, *17, *36, 37, 20(abs), 40(abs)
Term One Reflection - Register No. *18, *24, *31, *37, 38, 20(abs), 40(abs)
*Stayed back during recess to complete.

Medad, I don't think you've handed in your group's file, so I'm also missing your work, as well as Isabelle's , Mandeal's and Anish's work.

Filing

These are what you need to put into your files:

Writing File:
- cover sheet + 3 compositions + corrections + 3 model essays
- 3 situational writing exercises + corrections + model answers
- 4 journals

Yellow Ring File:
- Practice Papers 1 - 3
(After I've checked for your parents' signatures, you will place the CA1 Paper 2 in this file.)

Worksheet File:
We will organise this in Term 2 Wk 1 as some of the worksheets are still in class.