Chapter 3
Checkyour progress
Soundprogress
•
I u n d e r s t and and can u s e s o m e ofthekey convention s of a spee ch.
•
I can use some of the main convention s of inter view s in a clear w.ay
•
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 .
Excelent 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 iveyl.
•
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 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
98
Writing for
purpose
4
Links to ot her chapters: reading and direc ted writing In this chap,tyeoru are going to develop a range
Chapter 3: Key writing form s coursework of fundamental writing skils that you wil use
Chapter 7: Analysing language throughout your Cambridge IGCSE course.
E x t eChnadpteedr 8r:e s p o n s e to
uoY will learn how to write for a rang e of
Chapter 9: Compo sition purposes:
A pproChaacphtienrg10w: r i t ten
•
to inform and ex plain
•
to persuade
•
to argue
•
to explore and dis c u s s
•
to describ e
•
to narrate.
Learning about the conventions of thes e kinds of
t e x t s will help you to comple te larger and more
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
form . These will require you to unders tand how
the purpose c a n a f fe c t th e s t yle and stru c t u re of
your writing.
99
Chapter 4 . oT pic 1
Wtir 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
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 •
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). clear and conci se
Explore the skills sentences
Read the opening two paragraphs from an article about grey •
wolves. c o n n e c tives to ex plain
There are many rea sons why humans view wolves harshly. p r o c e s s e s ormake
F o r a s t ar t , f a i r y tales su ch as the Brothers Grimm’s
Cap from1218o f ten feature the wolf as an evil beas t . T h e n things clear
there’s the f a c t that wolves are a ge nuine threat to live s t o ck ,
e s p e c i ally as their natural prey in the wlid declines. Finaly, •
there is their pack mentalit y – the idea of wolves being precise vocabular y
prepared to act to gether to get what they want.
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 •
as a malignant fo?rcNeo t e x a c tyl.For example, the formation data and st atistic s ,
of the city of Rome is said in myth to have bee n achieved
a f t e r twin brothers were saved from death and su ckled by diagrams, tables,
a s h e - wolf. One of them, Romulus, gave his name to the
city. Such a my th dates back to the 3rd centur y illus tratio n s
whatever reas on this image of the wolf as caring parent has
not continued. L i t t le Red •
subheadnigosr
1 T h e t e x t opens with a general s tatement in the form of a bc
topic sentence. What is th e focus of t h e t e x t as a wh?ole , but for difefrenctategoeriosf
2 In what way is fac tual information us ed in the s econd and nomfrioniat
third sentenc?se
•
3 I s the information pres ented logicaly? For example, could a general s tatement
the fi nal sentence be swap ped with th e fi r s t – or does it
have to go at the en d? and introduc tio n
4 The opening paragraph presents the general picture. •
In what way is the second paragraph more focused and both past and present
detailed?
tenses
•
references, quotations
orcitation s .
topic sentence
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
100
.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 yto 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 .
5 W hich is the to pic sentence in this paragra?hp How do you
know?
Develop the skills connective s For a st a r t , Key term
The way you lin k s e n t e n c e s t o g e t h er is also im p o r t a nt. In the link the sente nces in th e following ways . connective s: words or
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 introduces a fi r s t example to show the reader what p h r a s e s used to link
and Add to this sentences
introduces another example to p rovide even m ore
•
For a st a r t
the writer mean s .
•
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 killinglarge r animals such as d.eer
•
Packs u sually ledbyan‘alpha’ male and female (whose
o f f s p ring comprise the pack).
6 W hat is the co mmon thread or fo cus in each of these
s t a t e m e n? tHsow does this information link to the original
paragra?phs
Appylthe skills
7 Write a paragraph of three or four sentence s , u s ing the
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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 2
Strcut u rngiornfi tma vie w rigtni
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 The
l o g i c a l.l y
niwhcihthemani
Explore the skills
Read this shor t ar t icle about a dif ferent t y p e of preda. tor
Falconr y i s a centuries - o l d a c t ivity, and it is still reveredtoday. It is the ac t of hunting animals in
their natural habitat through the us e of a trained birdofprey.
Theprocesoftraninighawk shigihylskelid.Itbeginwsthim‘ annig’–thatis,gettnigthehawk
usedtoyourpresence.Oncethehawktrus tsyouandwfleiedcalmlyonyourgolvedfi s t tra,ninig
canbegin.Thehawknowhastoelarntocometoyouforfood.Firs t,itneedstobeattachedto
anile–caledacr‘eance’–andplacedonapostoranassistant’shand.Theny,ouhodlapeiceof
meatniyourgolvedfi stsothehawkcanoseTeit. startwtihtiw,plirobablyonlycomeforaver y
short distance,but afetrafewdaysyoucanincreasethedistancetoabout50 100m– etres.When
thehawkcomesthsfiarwtihouthesitatoiny,ouarereadytoletifl yerfy.lThen,usnigaul‘re’
neila(withmeatatheend)youcantoranfiolworcometoyou.
Thesespecailsedwordsgobackmm,anayn
years.Infact b,ackni6t1hethcent,ury
Shakespearewroteaspeechnihpsialy
ma T nigoftheShrew
cha,rarcet Petruchio,tkaeladbouthowhewas
goingtotamehsiwfieasfishewereahawk!
Nowadays,falconryisusedformorepleasant
purposes.Peopelhriedsipalysforfairs ,
exhibitons andevenweddings.But,don’ t
forgettheanceinstkliostraninigthatgonito
tiasyouwatchsuchadsipalythsium. mer
1 W hat is the main focus or p urpose of ea ch paragr?aph
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 c detail s
covered in each paragrap.)h
Build the skills
2 T he second paragraph explains a pro c e s s .
a) What main ten se does it use?
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
102
.2
4
b) Whatwordsorphrasesdoesthewriterusetoexplain the Once .)
orderofevents?(Lookfortime-markerssuch as
Develop the skills
3 N ow think abou t t h e a r ticleoverall.
a) Would the four paragraphs make sense in any ord?er
Why, or why not?
b) How are the paragrap h s t h e m s e l veslinke d? (Look at the
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 T he situation today
• bc • •
Whaling date s back to 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
3000 catches Minke whales by firin g ‘scienti-ficresearch’ whaling
harpoons from c annons on
• bow of boat; follow up with •
F i r s t organised w haling rifles if not kiled immediately They believe that whale
s t o c k s are now at a level
f l e e t s i7n 1 th century • where whaling could st a r t
ekat oehvatsaHrefunty again
• neiciofprenasdlcyexomat
Inlate193 0 s , more than hwonkyeht tahtevoorptow •
wueseapons Many arguments over
5 0 0 0 0 whales kille d whaling, including wh o
• shoudledciwehethsietr
annually Other methods inclu de
beaching whales by driving tuobarehatwehtad,ehlatgel
• them onto land cerroc snoioaotskcd,nt
9l1anoietnhanITre68
moC gnnoiislsaWmhi
gniicrlmeaohcwdenlnab
•
Not all countries signed up
to it
4 H ow would you orde r the informa?tioCnreate a
paragraph plan .
Appylthe 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 whailng 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 willbe(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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 3
Wtir nigt operseuda
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 Features of persuasive
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 , writing:
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
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 •
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 strong, si n g l e - minded
p e r s u a s i v e t e c h n i q ue s .
viewpoint
Explore the skills
•
There are three key eleme nts to bear in mind when w riting personal tone expres sed
t o p e r s uade:
• in the fi r s t p e r s o n
A : ideas – the points you cho ose to make and the evidence you •
use to supp o r t these point s d i r e c t appeals to the
•
B: language – the voc a b u l a r y or other techniques you u se to reader/il s t e n e r ( you )
infl u e n ce how your reade r thinks
• •
C: s t r u c ture – the way you present and o rder your points so rhetorical questoins:
that they have the greate s t e f fe c t .
Look at this ope ning to an ar ticle about ‘driverless’ c a r s . Doyoureayltlhnikthat
mcilatechangeasi m? yth
•
emotive images or other
language ( dying gulls
slicked with oil on a
t r a s h - covered beach )
the
•
p a t t e r n s of three (
A n t a r c tic will soon be
a m y t h , a m e m o r,yan
e x t i nct continent )
•
counter- arguments
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
from A to B appals me : technology is just too unreliable. Element A: clear statement of
viewpoint and evidence
Akeyproblem is hacking. What happe ns if the comp uter
that drives the c ar is affe c t e d by a virus or some othe r Element B: strong, negative
n a s t y a t t a c?kIt would be abs olute chaos! language
1 Whoathperowerful useosf anlguagcaeynoudientfiy ?ereh
2 xet sihtuTrtsfohbectuelarciogltisfehcautesargarapstph
cesaherglatgnreawdpheiovdntpesurcntih
dwsyawthanopg.aIletsvrhdepaitodpehonvaslcr
if?rhtest
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
104
.3
4
Build the skills
uoY can use vo cabulary and persuasive devices tomake an
emotional app eal to your read er and to make a‘cal to ac.tion’
Read this extr a c t from a parent to a h ead teac.her
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?
Justpicturethe street byourschoolifyouwere to ask the council to bancars: instead of huge
metal monstersbelchingoutsmoke,grindingtheirgearsandskidding to a halt withascreechof
brakes,alyouwouldhearwouldbeletchheiledhraeopnpfaylnicdhtaheirparentsA.f t e r all,
whatcouldbemore importantthantheseafty andwebl-eingofourpreciouschildren?
Develop the skills
How do you achieve such emotional appeal? Look at this table.
Method Example Effect
huge metal mons t e r s
powerful or emotive A f t er all, what could be more s u g g e s t s that they are enormou s
i m p o r t ant than the safet y and b e a s t s , threatening children
vocabular y w e l l - b e ing of our precious chlid?ren
belching out smoke , grinding their emotional app eal:make s the point
rhetorical question g e a r s and skidding to a halt unanswerable – no one is leikly to
disagree!
p a t t e r n of three in favour of
has a rhythmic emphasis that
4 W hich verb s in the table have a particularly power ful hammers home th e m e s s a g e
impact? What come s to mind wh en you read th?em
Key term likely tomake
5 leh?hettWsofeifencyeohlsnptegleiptscaevicrti
emotive:
Appylthe skills people feel s trong
emotions
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 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 vie.w
•
Include language that has emotional poweru(s e the
table to help yo.)u
Driverlesscarsareagreatidea!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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 4
Strcut 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 ments or ideas you inc lude, an d t h e w a y that
you orga n i s e t h em , a r e a s e f fe c t i v e a s possible.
Explore the skills oY u n e e d s trong arguments s u p p o r ted by per suasive .
or examples
• oY u need sente nces or paragraphs sequenced in a
Content: sdl iub .mtungeraeht
evidence
•
S t r u c tu r e :
logical way to have maximum impac t .
argarap sfeihemcutegswirhapdeahnyea,thRplenovsitnftect
tuognikraipwohfoethcoNsipoe.dtilost
One benefi t of a traffi -fcreezoneoutsideschoolis.clear Furthermore, it clear topic sentence to
Recentresearchhasshownthatwhencarsarebanned, up to introduce the point
%07 ofparentswalktheirchildrentoschool,whichwouldbe
incrediblybenefi cial to our childrens’ health. factual evidence to support
mightbegoodofrparents too – weal needthatextra bit of the point
exercise. specifi c benefi t from the
evidence
1 W hatadditonalpointdoesthefi nalsent?enceemak
Topt pi
2 I sthsitheonlylogicaplalceforthsi entencetobe
positionednithep?aWraoh,ywgrrahpynhot? Develop your key points
Build the skills fuly. J u s t m entioning a
Itisvitaltodecidewhyaotukeryargumentsareandpalnhowyou f a c t without saying what it
wpliresentthembeforeyoustartwritng.
s h o w s d o e s not help your
3 W hatotherpointscanyouthnikoftosupport theproposal
tobancarsoutsidetheschoo?lConsider: persuasive argument.
•
the social b e n e f i t s to children – and parents – fro m
walking to scho ol
•
the fi nancial ben e f i t s or savings
•
t h e i m p a c t on the environment in and around school.
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
106
.4
4
Develop the skills Condition If you Example (in an ‘if’ clause) ban c a r s , you will improve air
kiyle , nhti,eoyr oreobparl
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 q u a l i.t y
tempting to g e t a n g r y and demand chang es – ‘Ban cars now’! – If you
but it is usually more ef f e c tive to show the ef f e c t s of a par ticular improve air qual i .t y
course of a c t ion, using modal verbs and ‘if ’ clauses . If you
air quali.ty
Modal form If you
will, would have
banned c a r s , you would
might, could ,may outcome unsure ban c a r s , you might improve
would have not possible (too lat)e
had banned c a r s , you would
improved air quali.ty
4 Look back at the paragraph about parking outside school.
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 wrtier?
5 Complete the following ‘if ’ clause s:
a) If parents had u sed their c a r s l e s s, they ………….
b) If the children are ex p o s e d t o car fumes , they
…………
Appylthe skills
6 Write a furth e r t w o paragraphs about the traf f i -frce 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-fircee 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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 5
Wtirnigto argeu
Persuasive t e x t s t e n d t o b e o n e - si d e d . W hen you 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
than persuasive writing
Explore the skills •
considers the fact s and
There are dif ferent ways of organising argument tex t s . For
example, consider how you could approach this topic: ideas on both sides of
Bikerental scheme s: should they be introduced into your an issue
local tow n or ci?ty
•
s u p p o r t spoint swith
evidence(for or
against), butalso rebuts
on the
counter-argument s
)
The simples t stru c t ure is: •
use of count-e r the
•
balancing linking words
or phrases(
other hand…
Paragraph :1 i n t r o d u c tion – the issue: what beikrental s c h e m e s
are points fo rbikerental sch emes in your town •
points against bike rental sch e m e s works lo gically towards
• conclusio n: weigh up the points and give your
a conclusion that st ates
Paragraphs 2– 4:
the writers’ viewpoint .
•
Paragraphs 5: 7–
•
Paragraph 8:
opinion. Key terms
1 D o you think this would be an ef f e c tive struc ture to ?use counter-argument:
Why, or why not? opposite or co ntrasting
viewpoint
2 What alternative ways of str u c t uring the ess ay can you rebut: to ‘knock down’ a
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 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
108
.5
4
Bike rental schemes areverypopularrightnow,butaretheyreally worthit?Af t e r all, docking stations , create and plan signage and run
it costs a lot of money tobuildthe commuter JonDevanisays,‘ I used tohaveto paytoparkmycarat
theschemes.H,otwhevienrk of the income generat ed. In,Lon1don1ian0b2ikescheme
raisedover nine million dollars in on,ewyehaicrhseemsgoodvalue to me.
Somecriticsclaimthatyouneed tobeearning a lot of money tohireabike,butconsider
the alternatievs.As
thestationandthenformyrailticket–nowI’mpayinglessofrthe bikeinagndI’m g e
i f ert’oo.
4 W hat ‘pe r s o n a l e x p erience’ could be adde d to the
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.
5 Look at the str u c t ure of the resp onse above.
a) W h e r e are the count-earrguments placed in the e x t r a ct? coVabulary
Do they appear in d i f ferent paragraphs? are these counter- arguments and
bikerent al schemes:
introduc tio n – the issue cities have sch e m e s w h e r e many
point 1 plus counter- argument you rent bicycles from
b) What points 2 an d 3, with count-earrgum ents how have they docking st ations and c y c le
b e e n r e b u t ted? f u r t her points to strengthen the main view but them to others
conclusio n – summing up the evidence. docking stations:
This approach can be summari sed as follows: places the bike sareke p t
commuter:
• travels to work by car or
public transp o r t
the
Paragraph :1
•
Paragraph 2:
someone who
•
Paragraphs 3 – 4:
alongside
•
Paragraph 5:
which do not have counter- a r g u m e n t s
•
Paragraph 6:
Appylthe skills
6 Write the third paragraph of this argu m e n t . U s e the
‘coun-tearr 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 bik.)e
•
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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 6
Strcut 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 and can generate significant pow. re first idea
pyaweu,graivotyfteoietrauvswdtoiaWhnufylsronuheio
conjunction and gives
ndawdscornginect pesahr ekmaot e.dnarelscaedeincdeivruoy additional information to
Look at this example. support the first idea
second idea
Tidal energy is plentiful
Now look at this second example.
Tidal energy is plentiful, yet it can b e di f f i cult to harnes s .
1 Which is the conjunction in the secon d exam?p(lReemind
yourself about conjun c t i o ns by looking backotopiTc1s 2 .
and 2.2.)
2 W hat is its f u n c ?tio(Ins it supp o r t ing the firs t idea o r doing
something eesl?)
3 Conjunctions can beused for different purpose s. Match
eachconjunc toi ntoitspurpose. Onehas been doneforyou.
Conjunction Purpose Key terms a word used
idea + and,
idea + and + idea to o f fer an alternative conjunction:
idea + to give additional information to join clause s or words a
idea + so + idea to give a reason in the same clause or
idea + to show a result or consequ e n c e sentence, for example, ,yl lani fhterofer,
but + idea to give a contras t, in dicate but, or uacwohsotse
ve:bsadiverutnocj
or + idea lbrevdaenvikisoucntjc
nianudeisplecndent a
because + idea nksiodrlieaen,sct
beotwrfe–etnentsncwo
d i f f e rence or problem aemxe,pl
, meorv
ot yaw rasaledmiiignsiknatcnuioj,nrolscisbrieatvdcmoSe efandfect
us rosenuasoc,itsngace cneuqThse.sero
evitcnujnoc sbrevda
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
011
raworhpeduhcurolscnsedias revweoh n, i f yl la dna yletaidmei . .6
cnujnuocjndmoeahrcirtsmeboedfBrsenavrdiaoetrtesvintc 4
enoc sa yletcveleviislot.c conjunction
conjunctive adverb 111
4 What is the purpose of each conjunction and conjun c t i ve
adverb in the pa s s a g e b e l o?w topic sentence introduces the
subject of the speech
Tidal energy is plentiful, yet can be dif fi cult to harness .We follow-up sentences give
need to inve s t i n research in o rder to fi n d out how pra c t i c al it supporting detail to the
i s . However , this is not straightfo r w ard a s research co s t s a lot argument about wind
ofmoney. turbines
Build the skills C h a p t e r 4 : W r it i n g f o r p u r p o s e
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 opening 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 leikgiants from the
l a n d s c a p e , are huge and beautiful. Th ey attra c t t h eeyelike
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
up close. Ind eed, I love them be cause of theirother- worldly
appearance, a n d , f u r thermore, I’d be happy to have o ne of
them stand guard over my own hou se.
5 What viewpoint is expres sed he? rHeow do you know thi s
from the very fi r s t senten?ce
6 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 on)e
b) s t r e n g t h e n an idea
c) p resent the outcome or co nsequence of something.
7 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 wind turbines . Use co n j u n c tions or co n j u n c tive
against
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 tioonu. cYould star t :
reEv ydriveortrainjourneyalongamajorroadorroute inthe
UKnowreveals a dreadful spectacle – wind turbines. These.
Chapter 4 . oT pic 6
Develop the skills F i r s tly, Secondly and Finally to
When you want to prese nt points in a straight f o r wardway, you C o n j u n c t i o n or conjunc tive – a controversial
can use co n j u n c tive adverbs such as adverb used
s e q u e n c e i d eas. Howe,vre weighing up or contra sting the ideas or or
argument require s a different approach.
Read this extr a c t from an article about fracking
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 game changer and the harbinger of cheap
energy or as an ecological disas,te r the cause of
e a r t h quakes an d pollution, f rackinsge’ntrance into
our lives has b e e n c o l o u r ful. The fundamenta ls are
c l.eFararcking is a method of ex tracting gas from
rock formations by using high-pressure water and
chemicals.
It enables us to extract from place 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 theless, in the U S A , it has trans f o r m e d c o s t s
and is rapidly replacing coal as a source of ge neration. D i r t y coal produce s higher emissions, so
fracked g a s c u t s A m e r i c a n p o l l u tion and allows t h e c o u n t r y to claim to be fighting climate change.
Howe, vgera s , l i k e c o a l , i s a f o s s i l f u e l . I t s 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 o n
capture and s torage, still contribute hugely to global war ming.
From ‘Fracking: the pros and cons’ by L o r d D e b e n and Emma Hugh e s , Country Life magazine website
9 According to the ar ticle, what are the arguments for and E f f e c t oT( contrasTo?t show
against frack?ing anoutcome)?
10 How are the different ideas presented? Copy and complete p r e s e n t s the positive and
the table below to track the pro gress of the argument of negative sides
the debate.
Sentence
Hailed as… co l o u r ful.
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.
Howeve…r, fuel.
I t s e m i s sions… global warming.
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
211
Readthefolowingt askandthinkabouthowyouwouldanswer it. .6
4
uoY have learned that a wind farm is to be built ver yclose to
your village or town. Th e council has invited pe ople to come Topt pi
to a public mee ting to exp ress their views and you have been Look back1oatopt iTc3.
askedtomake a speech arguing against wind turbines . Write remind yourself about the
your speech. conventions of speeches.
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 .
11 Add some ideas of your own to this list . For example,
consider issues such a s: birds or wildlife; T , cVomputer an d in order that , since, unless ,
radio recep tion;milit a r y defence.
12 How would you organi se these ponits? Note down the
order in which you would pres ent your ideas .
Appylthe skills in your paragraphs by usin g conjunctions and
13 Write your spe e c h .
Checklistforsuccess
✔
Begin with a paragraph that ‘set s up’ the argum ent (look
again at the firs t‘pro - turbine’ example.)
✔
Link ideas
conjunctive adverbs you have come across in this unit. H ere
are some other s you could use:
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 or 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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 7
Wtirnigtoexporleand discuss
If you are asked to discuss or explore a topic , 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 discursive writing: measured tone – although it can still b e p e r s onal
• clear explanation of an issue, o f ten by
engages the reader in the op ening paragraph, perhaps
facts or st atisti c s
by using an anecdote or by giving unusual or surpri sing
weivdtnieffrepnsoti usianbeout
information , although this may not
conclusion
•
has a
•
provides a
reference to
•
oexsprl
•
comes to s o m e s o r t of
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 so.uSpu’ch 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 fu?s 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 .
Howe,viesrit such a goo d th?inFgor 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- sounding dishes.
teY the popularit y is no t j u s t down to a celeb rated res taurant or two.Atatime when more
and more people are rejecting fast food, whic h i s o f ten unhealth, ythe 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 seems
likely to remain po pu, leavren if not ever yo ne is convinced.
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
411
1 a) W h a t i s s u e is being dis c u s s e d ? .7
b) What is the w riter’s viewpoint,ifany? 4
c) W h a t s t a t e m e n t s ,ifany, s u g g e s t ?hsti
511
Build the skills
2 Reread the ar ticle. Which features from the list at t h e s t ar t
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:
B e c a u s e foraged fo od is free and close at han d I absolutely wo n d e r f u l innovation am convinced use of fi rst person
it is an ! powerful verb of personal
belief
seems emphatic noun phrase
exclamation mark
3 Look at the fi nal sentence in the article. How is it mo re
measured than th e example ab?ovCeonsider:
•
the use of th e fi r s t p e r s o n
•
t h e e f fe c t of the verb
•
the fi nal subordinate clau s e a f ter the comma.
4 H ere is another paragraph on a similar topic. Rewrite
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 maek
food look like art . I hate the idea of my meal lo okinglike a
I just want
painting, b utlike e v e r yo n e something nutritious ,
t a s t y and fi ling.
S t a r t: It seems slighy…lt
End: … 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
y Athpepsl kills
Chapter 4 . oT pic 8 research)
British Medic al Journal
Strcutur nigconetnnit
discursive wtinrgi
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
the focus o f t h e t ask.
Explore the skills
oInp,iTcy4o.u7 read an article about fo raging. Th e tone of the
a r t iclewaskey,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 d i r e c t e d w r i t i n g t a s k , yo u m a y b e g i v e n s o m e i n f o r m a t i o n
on which to bas e your writin g . B e l o w i s s o m e information
about a dif ferent food topic: cho colate and wha t i s g o o d /
b a d a b o u t i t . The information include s c o m m e n t s from an
e x p e r t a n d t h e 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 strok%e.by(21
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 guil,tyes pecialy 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 helpmakeyou more aler t .
ooT much caf fein e can lead to dis turbed sleep.
pyT ical ingredients in a chocolate bar: bu t t,esurg, carream 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 darkchocolate.’ (Dr Miles Be tter)
Chocolate can be a pleasant reward, from time to time.
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
611
1 H ow would you organi se the information into a stru c t u re anecdote – visit to the denti s t .8
similar to the one used in the foraging ar ?toeiclu mYay 4
need more than four paragraph s .
tniopsecudortni ecnetnes cipot
2 Come up with an alternative struc ture that address e s s o m e second sentence provides
of the pros and cons within the same paragrap h s . F or supporting information
example: fi nal complex sentence sums
up wristevrie’ w
•
F i r s t paragraph:
•
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 paragrap h .
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
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 unhealth, ythe idea of going back to
nature seems v e r y appealing. While fora g e d f o o d is free and
close to hand , it seem slikely to remain po pu, leavren if not
e v e r yone is convinced.
3 Write a paragraph about th e b e n e f i t s of chocolate. St a r t
with the topic sentence below, then:
•
add any suppor tin ginformation
•
if 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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 8
Develop the skills within paragraphs. The words and
Another impor t a n t feature in effe c t ive discursive writing is how Cause and Comparison Contrast Developm ent
you link and conn e c t ideas effect marker s markers markers markers
p h r a s e s you use to link or explore ideas are so metimes called A s a result In the same way On the other Moreover
‘discourse mark. ers’ Thus Similarly hand Furthermore
Therefore Likewise In contras t Additionally
Time or sequence Following this As However What is more
markers Because Both teY Also
This morning , that In this way Also But In addition
day As can be seen Although For example
Ear,lier
A f te r w a rd s
Once,
Finally
Subsequently
Readthisopeningtoanar ticleonthebenefi ts ofchocolate.It uses
aslightlydifferent anecdotefromthenote s in ‘Exploreth.esklils’
This morning at break time, I noticed hundre ds of stu d e n t s adverbial of time specifi es the
moment adds extra bit
tucking into their favourite chocolate.bPaerrhaps they were relative clause
of information a word
rewarding thems elves with a quick snack, w hich is often coordinating conjunction p a r t of a
offers alternative possibility
something swe e t , or perhaps they felt they need ed the adverb signals wrister’
personal question
energy from a sudden sugar rush. However , I wondered if they
Key terms
really under s t o o d t h e e f fe c t that chocolate is having on them .
adverbial of time:
All these discours emarke rs and phrases alow the writer to or phrase expressing when
explain, explore and sugge s t . T h e se thing s help create the something happ e n e d
measured to ne needed fo r discursive writing. relative clause:
sentence which usually
4 H ere is another paragraph. Choo se an appro priate joining explains or a d d s d e t ailtoa
word or phras e for each space from the word bank o n preceding noun
pa91gtoe c1reate the same s o r t of measured tone.
ugas,____k_snirownas oboaucintrr y faotcrwtgehit
c_____n,igahoeatdalneart dseiase. hoc,___o_alet
ocunyasglrntaiels cheamonqdixtfeu(ashnitclsait
canpervehnttebdul-i huoapmrfufluolanthiebstodyand
lower blood -pressu_er._)________,100 gdarkchocolate per
daycouldreducetheriskofahear tattack ors%tro.keby21
__________,wearet alkingaboutrelatively smal por t ions of
dhcakoracet.l
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
811
.8
4
yesterday that who which at the p r e s e n t time
yet so as n e v e r th e l e s s a s 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 = 110bililon US dollar s
•
sales of M&M’s in the U SA=661. 5millionU 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 estlé and Lindt
•
chocolate play s a p a r t in festive and religious celebratio n s ,
for example, Eas,tre 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).
5 W hat link sallth e s e i t e m s of informa?tion
a) p opularity of chocolate
b) sales of chocolate
c) consumption of chocolate
6 Where would th i s s o r t of information work b e s t in your
a r t icle (beginning, middle or end)?Why?
Appylthe skills Topt pi
Look backoapt icT3.5to
7 Write an article exploring the role that chocolate plays in remind yourself about the
people’s lives and whether it does harm or good. conventions of articles.
Checklistforsuccess C h a p t e r 4 : W r it i n g f o r p u r p o s e
✔
Begin with an anecd o t e , p e r s onal experie n c e a n do/ r
background informatio n to the topic.
✔
Continue with a range of viewpoint s .
✔
Link your ideas c arefuly, using appropriate conn e c t ive
words and phra s e s .
✔
Keep a measured, balanced tone throu g h o u t .
✔
End with a conclusion that prov i d e s s o m e idea of your own
viewpoint.
911
Chapter 4 . oT pic 9
Descript ivewr gniti
What m a k e s a d e s c r i p t ion ef 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
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 comparisons that create
good descript ion. a mental pic ture
simile: a vivid comparison the
of twothingsorid eas using kiel – for example, )
as or
Explore the skills hoarse voice sounded out
likesandpaper on a br oken
edaer eht esvediogeyosotpwrtup,eeuobtnysmiaWnierharcur brick
etarucscaihteodirorTtepxedfo.itroecvobjocsnpeirn,hesv
retiwr , lfolwes n:et metaphor: a p o w e r ful
• use specifi cvocabular y image in which t wo
• choose (forexample, dinghy ratherthan boat ) d i f ferent things or ideas
make the i r d e s c r ip t i o n s o riginal ( such as ) are compared without
• use the vivid imagery similes , metaphors o r s y m b o l s to using
( i c y w i nd chilling the bones arrowing thr ough the wat er example,
• u se language techniques such as tiny splinters of ice
• createanoverall mood or atmos p h e r e as or kiel – for
• u se a varie t y o f sentences and paragraph s t r u c ture to create
d i f f erent persp e c t ives or viewp o i n t s . s e n s e s t o provide a me morable picture or impres sion myfi nge r s w e r e
Read this des cription of a remote place.
) personifi cation: when a
personifi cation
thing or idea is describ e d
as if it has human qualities
( the storm bared its teeth
and roared with anger
The long, dangling t endrils of thehugetreeelfto the damp 1 W hcihofthefeatures
soil.Likethehairof a giant mon,ster theyswayedandroled listed nithebueletdlist
astheweather begantoworsen. Under them, sparkling abovecanyouidentify
raindropsdancedontheofrestfl . oor Atinytreefrog on one inthisd?escrpitoin
tendril gulped twice.Itsorangeeyeswievlled. Then, it leapt o ff
intospace. The tendrils continued to shif t andshaketothe
r h y thm of the rain.
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
120
2 W hat is the paragraph as a whole describng?i Consider .9
each of thes e possibilities: 4
• 121
the tendrils of the tree
•
the raindrop s
•
the tree frog.
3 W hatdfi ferenthingsaredescribedniordertocreatethe
whole?peircut
4 Arethereanydescripivtedetalsthiatpar citularlystandout? what you describe. For
Areafil vesensesusedbythe?rewthosifr,Iw?
If you are going to de scribe a p a r ticular per son, pla ce or
experience, you need to think about
example, the stu dent who wrote the paragraph on pag2e01
made these note s:
Remote place–nopeople;tropicalforestorriver?Bot?h not u s e d y e?t
When?Before,duringandaf t e r a storm – susnr’ays
disappeinagringgr;orauindh.i
What?Plantsandtrees–branches, roots etc.; earst/h oil;
forestcreatures–red ants, python, tree frog.
5 W hat ideas from the notes has the stu d e n t
Build the skills
I t i s i m p o r t ant to have a wide vocabular y to use in your Key term
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 synonym:
and, more impo r t a n tly,you will be able to choose the most identical, o r v e r y close in
appropriate o r p o w e r ful word or phra se. meaning, to another word
a word that is
Do not just use the fi r s t word that comes to your mind. Many
words have synonyms – some of which might be be t t e r than your
glow
if r s t choice. For example, consider the sun’srays: they can …
g l i t t er
shine sparkle shimmer
dazzle beam i l f cker
6 W hatsihedfi ferenceinmeaningbetweeneachofthese
?bserv
7 W hcihwoudlbebestfordescrbinigtherayscomingthrough
thebrancheso?Wrtrtieaesentenceortwodescrbiing
theraysu,singthewowrod(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
Chapter 4 . oT pic 9
In the description of the fo r e s t , the stud e n t u s e s a number of , rolled , shift , shake. The tendril sarelike ned to the hairof
closely relate d words to describ e the movem ent of the ten drils: .
swayed
a giant monst er
8 W hat sy nonyms or related words can you find for the semantic field Key term vocabular y
following wo?rds semantic field:
Creatures or set of terms closely
a) hair red ants linked by subject o r u s a g e
p y t h on
b) m o n s t e r tree frog River
muddy banks
c) shaek
It can also be helpful to think in terms of the
w h e n d e s c r ibing. This is a good way of making sure that you
have enough to d e s c r i b e in relation to a par ticular experience
o r s e t t ing. Look at the t able below, which contains some word s
c o n n e c ted to various features of the rainforest s e t t in g .
Storm Forest
thunder slindret
raindrops
disappearing sun orost
darkness, gloom acnopy
oppression sevael
9 Copy and complete the table, addi n g f u r ther nouns to swirl or flow .
each semantic fieoldu.cYould create an additional table
with a set of related verbs – for example, to d escribe the
movement of a river you could add
10 Choose one of the words or p hrases from the table (not
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 ekeye l e m e n t s from the overal
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 detali s .
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
12
.9
4
Paragra p h Overallfo c u s El e m e n t s Up close
1 slindresntianedrt eye of the tree fro g
tendrils and how they move,
2 mortshet tree frog o n tendril s, raindrops
3 anocpyert
4 irofrevbanks
5
11 Copy and complete the table, adding your own ideas
to each r.ow
Appylthe 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
task about seeing a lonely person.
. 1 Benchwtihahomelswoman–colthnigaf/c–e
old newspapers
2. A childstopping…
.3
.4
.5
Here is the fi r s t paragraph.
Theoldwomanlayonthewoodenbenchfastasle.eWprappedinseveraellraeyedrbosrwonf ta
coatssheseemedcocoonedfromthebusyworkers who rushed .bHyer wrinkled face lay on its
side,proppeduponabundleofoldnewspaperswithfrayed,greying edges.
12 Finish or rewrite the plan, u sing a str u c t urelike the one in
the tablea.1inCs okTm1e up with your ow n i d e a s .
13 Write another paragraph from the plan.
Checklistforsuccess
✔
Have a general o v e r view or idea of what you are describing
intheparagrap h .
✔
Describe several elements using vocabulary to create a vivid
picture.
✔
Zoomnopsinaeifci edcfautor.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
Chapter4. oT c1p0i
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:
•
Sticktoalimited numbe r of maind/ 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.)
•
Maketheir 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 .
1 Lookcloselyatthepointsabove.Whatfurtherguidanceor
pointswouldyouadd,basedongoodstorieysouhavere?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 anotu. Yn e e d
to know what will become of your main charac ,tevren if this is
something you do not reveal untli the end.
It can be u seful to plan your plot in five s t a g e s :
1. I n t r o d u c t i o n : the reader find s out abou t the situation and Topt pi
usually the main charac. rte something happens or changes that af f e c t s the
a problem or ob s t a c l e faces the main character usj siulorsfeusnahoiTeplt
2 . Development: actioFbuted.,esiarviboernts
main chara.crte themostdramatcioremotoinaplonitofthestor. y
the tension dro ps and loos e ends are tied up (for ymadeor,cuemlaoxepl
3. Complication: ohnmaetvoagretos
and creates rising tension – th e reader wond ers what wil prorniemtacoblm.cipl
happen.
4. Climax:
5. Resolution:
b e t t e r or for wors.)e
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
124
.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 Michelle Priya Marco
autobiographical account of a disapp ointing exp erience.
A newcomer to the A talented musician Shy and small for his
• school, she app ears
Thereaderfi ndsoutaboutsixschool friends, theirnames, a tough pers on who but not good at age. Marco prefe r s
what therye’ like. rarely reveals he r
feelings , but in f a c t English, Maths or if ddilng around
• has a heart of gold.
A school talent contestisannounced. Science. She longs writing sof t w are or
• to leave school and mending laptops to
Thereisnotmuchtime to rehearse.
make her living as a school subjec t s .
•
The night of the talent show; none of them win. p e r f o r m. e r
•
. andaythexngotreaynexrtcaTfmhneyiet
2 H o w e f fe c t ive is this as a s t o r y s t r u c t?uCreonsider the
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 Tyto improve the plot and the details. W hat would you
change? Note down your ideas.
Build the skills
The overal 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
A popular and
confi d e nt boy who
is good at mos t
s u b j e c t s and spor t .
He usually wins prize s
in competitions or
rewards for his work.
4 W hich of thes e would you choo se as your main charact?re
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 . tIterdoes 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
Chapter4. oT c1p0i
Develop the skills
Whetheryouwriteindetailaboutacharacetrormentionpeoplein characterisation needstobeconvninicgC.harac terisationis Key term
passing, characteri sation: how
an author pres ents a
butbliyprovdiingthereaderwithdetlassiuchas: p a r t icular characte r
•
how someone behav e s
•
how they speak
•
what they look leik
•
what others s ay about the m .
6 W hich of the fa c t o r s listed above c an you identif y in the
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 interrupted his train of thought .
hA‘ , Marco. Are n’t you supp osed to be in Scie ncenow? ’
It was the head teac.hMear rco gulped , and turned around
guil.tily
7 H ow do you think Marco would rep?lWy rite a senten ce of Marcolikesmessingaround with computers;
speech that fi t s with his charac . ter
wefi ndouthelacksconfi dence in other
Itcanhelptoconsiderthecharacetorju’snrey.Sometimes,this
teilsra–tlheygofromonepalcetoM.anortheeimr por tant , subjects, and doesn’t have many friends.
how,iservtheirper sonaloremotionaljourney–howtheydeveolp
asapersono,rhoweventschangethemovertmi e.Forexample, He misses a lesson because another student
lookatthesenotesasutdenthasmadewhenplannnigastor y: has bullied him into fi xing his lapto. p
Introduction He is caught by the head teacherandgiven
detention. T he head teachergiveserhim a le
Development forhisparentsaskingthem to come in t o see
him.At detention are someotherstudents.
Complication They want to enter the talent showbutthey
need some good backingmu…sic
Climax
Resolution
S e c t i o n 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
621
8 M arco’s emotional journey be gins with him la cking .10
confidence and f r i e n d s . What could happ en to Ma?rHcoow 4
might it change or helpmhi? Copy and complete the table,
adding your own i d e a s . Topt pi
nigninigmeBatcnopisher
Finaly, where you se t your sto r y i s i m p o r t ant. There is more ouryngeayeraconlioactl
information abou t s e t ting.s oinp7ciT1. G o o d l o c ations can nkil si ti lefladipces,y daerr
evenmake you think of good plots! Here are five dif ferent ntevehetotruoylerdctfoi s
settings: i rotS.wacnlkeosrlstory
,se,caolptyadnebvyiurt
• netvoretacshvracehts
a subway covered in graffi ti in a dark, r e m o t e p a r t tni ylnigliatpeobsntirec
of a city of.e9sacChreteahSpatr
ofnoitsaboeuntmrioat y
•
an ultra- modern of fice at the top of a tower block with .ngsopnei
huge glass windows and a white desk
•
a pond full of still, slimy water in the middle of a dark
forest
•
a p r e t t ywal ed garden with ro ses climbing the sides ,
and colourful birds singin g
•
a storero om in a scho ol in which old pieces of compu ter
equipment are dum p e d .
9 W hat sto ries come to mind when you consider the se
locatio?nMsake som e basic notes on:
•
charactersyoumightseeora ssociatewiththelocations–
or perhaps someone who wouldbeoutofplacethere
•
s t o r y i de a s b a s e d on what might happ en or have
happened in these loc ations.
Appylthe 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 youhaveworke d on or
encountered in this topoiuc. dYo 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 wa, yusing 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 clea.rly
•
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 hatIsay.
•
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 varie.ty
•
I can plan and write a simple, clear s t o r y with one or two main characte r s .
Excelent 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 detalis and create atmo sphere throu gh thoughtful
use of sen s e s , i ma g e r y and sentence varie.ty
•
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 1: Build i n g k e y s k i l l s
128
Comprehension
5
Links to earlier chapter: Someradnigtaskersyoqeturpiondtoa
Chapter1: Key readings skills ocesfirmprehenosinquestionbsasedonatext.
oT answer thi s t y p e o f q u e s tion, you wil need t:o
•
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.)
uoY maycomeacros s different types of que stion
in comprehension tasks . Closed questionstendto
focusontheliteralmeaningofwordsand what
this sugges ts. O pen questionsaskyoutoexplore
the subtler meaningsofawordor phrase – what
itmightbesuggesting about a person, placeor
attitu de.
921
Chapter 5 . oT pic 1
Locantigandselecntigofr tma 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 Topt pi
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 Look bac1koapt iTc.s 1 and
you hav e underst o o d t h e b asic fact s and ideas that t h e 2.1 toremindyours elf about
texts cont ain. Skimming and scanning s k i l l s w i ll help skimming and scanningskils.
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 opic or idea. coVabulary
a c o l y t e s:
Explore the skills s e r v an t s
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
to reread the who l e t e xotu.wYill probably not come acro s s
q u e s t i o ns about what you discove r from your firs t skim- read.
Howe,vietrwill still be helpful to both s kim and sc a n a t e x t .
1 S kim the following ar ticle about a national park in
C a m b o d i a , then answe r the questi o n s .
followers or
Kirirom Nat ional Park
All that remains of the kisng’ palace is the o,daTy Kirirom is popular among locals but
often overlooked by foreign visitors. w A ay
fireplace.wenTty feet tall, it was built in the from the hot chaos of the capital, there are
peaceful treks, mountain biking and dips in
1940s by the king and his acolytes . It stands watsAKetarafitaryilrlsoM.mountaLiondge
(douwfUbroeSloemf$nsrk63oe05mn;d),
on a flattened mountain top. The viwe is of a converted 1940s villa near Oamrei Phong 51
village in the centre of the park, Moroccan 20
5 chef Bouchaib serves flatbread, honey-
dripped and dotted with raisins. Guests can 25
Cambodsia’ only high-altitude pine forest, eat while surveying the green expanse of The Guardian
cardamom forests b.elwo
in Kirirom national park – two hours’ dvrei
southwest of Phnom Penh. The scenery is
almost alpine, the skinny pines saluting the
sun, the air aromatic and fresh. [During a
01 period of unrest] the palace [was smashed]
along with 150 surrounding villas that once
maduthkep“eiHsnga’pMpyountainre”sort.
Some buildings are intact – more deserted
than ruined. From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’
by Nathan Thomson,
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi ng key ski l l s
130
.1
5
a) Is this tex t fi c t i o n o r n o n - f i c ?tio n Topt pi thatrelate to the
b) What is the purpose of the text?
c) Who do you think the writer ’sinten ded audien ce is for When scanning, think about
keywords
the tex ?t kindofinformation you have
d ) af llatiu?slncI-itcohetsbdotanelsadoirxpttdirecs beenasked to select.
e) How is the focus of the fir st paragraph different to that
of the secon d paragr?aph
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 ehitlantoaLihtnafinesah?itcntuMyoaWhtemegd
b) In which dec ade was th e king’s palacebuilt?
c) How far is the national park from Phnom P?enh
d ) What is the only remaining feature of the king’s pal?ace
e) What is the s t a r t ing price for a wee kend double room at
the Kirirom Mountain Lod?ge
3 Note down the techniques that you use d when scanning
t h e t e x t for the answers atos kT 2.
C h a p t e r 5: C o m p r e h e n s i o n
131
Chapter 5 . oT pic 1
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 c s t a t i s tic:
‘ T h e f i re place at the kin g’s palace is 20 feettal.’
An opinion is s omeone’s perception – what they think o r feel
about a subjec t:
K‘riomnatoi nalparkhasthemostbeautfiuslceneryni Cambo’d.ai
4 Skim the paragraph below and d ecide what it is about.
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 %5cocoa solid s .
Milk chocolate u s e s f ewer cocoa solids and was fi r s t sold as a
barin1875. White chocolate was fi r s t launched in th 1e93 0 s
and is a pale yellow or ivory co.loIturcontain s more sugar
and no cocoa s olids so i t t a s tes a bit too s w e e t ; howe,ver
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 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
231
.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 theme or ideoa.dTo this, you will nee d to sc an for Key term
specific instea d of fact s or opinions. For e xample, in an article key
words
about a workplace, you might be as ked to find two things that theme: a recurring idea
workers feel about th eir jobu.cYould therefore s can for wo rds
linked to positive o r negative emotions, or look for points where within a piece of writing
theworke r s ’ s p e e ch is quoted.
Topt pi
5 Reread the pas sage about chocolate. Loc ate and selec t
two way s in which white chocolate i s d i f ferent from other Underlinekeyphrasesormake
chocolate. quickannotations at the side
of the text to help you ident i f y
6 Why would the following answe r s fact s and opinions.
a) White chocolate contain s more cocoa solids.
b) Lindt make s white cho colate. not have been c o r r e c?t
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.
7 Read the text on pag3e 01about the Kirirom national park Checkyour progress:
again. Use your skimming and s canning skills, and your I can lo cate the main to pic or
u n d e r s t a n d ing of fact s , o p inions and info rmation related idea in a t e x t .
to a specific theme, to answer the following ques t i o n s . I can lo cate a range of
information in a tex t .
a) Give two f a c t s about the king’s palace, according to the
text. C h a p t e r 5: C o m p r e h e n s i o n
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 tex t t o remind yours elf what it is ab o u t .
✔
Think about t h e t y pe of information that the que stion is
asking you to locate.
✔
Use your sc anning skils to help you s e l e c t appropriate
information.
31
y Athpepsl kills
Chapter 5 . oT pic 2
Literalandniefredmeanigs
In a comprehensiont ask, you w i l l b e e x p e c t e d t o pitch us into foaming waters . The river itself
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 rtii n g coVabulary throw hard
your explanation, it is import ant to use your own words. pitch:
Explore the skills .
Read the paragraph below abou t a journey by r.iver r o c k s that jutted now and again from the river’s
Wetravele 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
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
be the razo r-s harp rocks that jutted now and again from the
river’s s u r f a ce.
If you were aske d to explain what the rocks are like , you would
scan the paragraph and loc ate the phra se‘ra-ozr sharp ro cks that
j u t t e d now and again from the river ’ssur f.ace ’ The trick then is
p u t t i ng it into your own words
S t a r t by thinking aboutthekey words that you mu st avoid using:
arzo-r sharp
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 canthenputhesewordstogethertoformasentence,suchas:
Jagged rock s o c c asionally stuck out of the water s .
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
134
.2
5
1 Put the following p h r a s e s into your own word s . Topt pi
a) the current was fi e rce
b) threatened to pitch us into the foaming waters Lookbackattheactivities
c) t h e s a f e t y of the grass y bank see med far away nivovlnigsynonyompsiincTs
3 . 1 and4.9toremnidyourself
Build the skills howtoefectivelychooseyour
ownwords.
uoY may not unders tand all the language in a te x t , which can
makeit d i f f i cult to explain w hat a phras e means in your own context – read around the word
w o r d s . I t can help to identif y the
or phrase in order to work it out.
Read the article below about a town in Malaysia.
Taipingtown
nPgae outrapIroe wonhahntodsi onsidneitas cheong f un r c(ie noodels drenched in spicy
ni .aisMyal tBu hte orad betewne htem si sauce and sesame se.)eds
wertsn whti smal wont,s each thwi rtihe own
Laf fohethetGwnrtaoseOtn,irgekdaernsct 20
25
a .Thstpiecmhaosraodnmhsreitypsithranpgs sreggoj arps otourgiwlisnegyctlns,dc dna 30
5
eiortsd of hetm :al once a hytweal tin mining
tner nac uo Yiarerste.icwntanhtiekibniedl a
ti ,buh efowoaslbanyduds mpoldeevdepnaitr
ot dnif eht tmso cnecis . stops tuB rof drewli
ni hte 9th1 .nectury hsitBri olocniatsils set up
tiubj daeh tn,aseutr wuojt ehtefualrgsdethnr
ebsa ,ehr gnevial behidn uhc,shecr gadners
andtek nipdi Buwtafehrt.llopmres
andalcloneis .dsbgilun
’oyerfuI ymaothgtnaseri ,hkieyada Bkuptu i
01 These sdya, aipi ngT esdeif sti ftneveul past, kLosalwru,tollnHe.Mlisaxwn
setled in the eyslp ety steadstf rhythms of
oT teg ot ipa,ign T atke het ETS tarni fomr
a market owt n. Btu what a market ti s:i owt
aKlLau.mTrunhpaeltSthuoreyjr-hne
magnicftnei wooden arcades, dating bkac
sespa ghutorh yluiftuaeb ugder, enotismle
revo 310 eyars, host fr tui esrel by day and
acsdna.psel seriuLlolegefHnaerftod-tmohi
5 1 rweakhgFbhnsoyc.tioes:dsauopaicdneil
2£nihwto$tmo[ratnfeci .thgeorm25]ne0s
try oclal dsihes such as kuay etwo goenrg
k ow ( fried noodles whti ) hsfbialsl and chee From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’
byLingLow, 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 l?ine 1
oT answer thi s, you wil need to consider th e word’s c o n t e x t .
C h a p t e r 5: C o m p r e h e n s i o n
531
Chapter 5 . oT pic 2
2 a) What is the a d j e c tive ‘hot’ being us ed to de scribe in this Topt pi
s e n t e n? c e
Remem, wbehren you explain
b) ? t owhong‘n i debr sowegeotngdugaoeubnhtaseathPWt’s what something means you
c) What other phrase in the s entence give s a clue abou t arebeinglitea;rlwhen you
explain what something
the context in which the town s are being di s c u s s e d ? suggests youareinefrring.
d ) If the word ‘hot ’ i s not describing the tempe rature of
the town, what do you think it is d escrib?in g
3 B y p u t t ing the following wo rds or phra ses in th eir context ,
explain what they mean.
a) ‘ s l e e p y ’
b) ai‘pinTg is perhaps the mos t sto ried of them all’
c) ai‘pinTg defie s its event f u l p a s t ’
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 hbelow.
Thmuesinthwenbwgyzibaesrlahcehotdrcewded
beachH.unddernldhciofwsahpyniealrplgigames,
urnnigbacknodfr umjht,pnigupandowmsnihltreign,
afbgceisrhetnighetcnseTehcr.aeimvendohradsold
ouatndpeopewl.eqrueunigofralecswdieofaestr
5
Wecs annedhtebeachesanhcrofagirs,powthehtreeofur
mioumIfsg.tihbsoatebalgnpieahdstcwleioasnec
paradsebiotumstirhapdsehtdploeieaceandbeauy.t
‘the s un w as blazi n g’
o t’
‘the crowded beach’
4 Copy and complete the following table, using the ‘children were happily
quotations from the box in th e margin. For each s t a t e m e n t , playing games’
choose one piece of evidence that has literal meaning and
one that implies meaning.
‘smilingfa ces brighte n e d
the scene’
Statement about Quotation wit h Quotation wit h
the text literal meaning implied meaning
The weather is ho t . ‘ the sun wa s blazing’ s a rof gnihcraespo‘t’ ‘people were queuing for
g l a s s e s of iced water ’
The beach i s busy.
‘s e a r chi n gf o r a sp
The children are ‘this place was once
happy. paradise’
The writer feels
that tourist s have ‘touris m had spoiled the
ruined the beach. peace and bea u t y ’
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
136
5 .2
5 Look at your lis t of quot ations with implied meanings.
Underline th e specific words or phrases in those quotations
uoY may also be asked to infer some one’s attitude towards an that suggest meaning.
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 the 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 ; howe,vietrwould be inco r r e c t to phrase your answe rlike
this, as it copies the writers’ 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
you need toalter? do
b) What alternatives can you think of for each of the word s
you need to change?
c) Rephrase th e s t a t e ment so it is in your own word s .
7 Use the information in the table froams kT 4 to complete
the following.
a) I n your own words , identif y two thin gs that show th e
beach is pop.ular
b) I n your own words , explain why some p eople might not
enjoy visiting the beach.
Appylthe skills
8 Look back at the pa s s a g e o n p age135 aboauiptinTg town Checkyour progress:
in Malaysia. Using your skils of explanation and exploring
literal and inferred mean i n g s , answer th e following
question s .
a) Usingyourownwords, explainwhatthetex tmeansby
‘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 worevnirunogtyaeiontgeieavgsdi,svpoefct
i a praTLGmghtetihtaotresngkiopudnrtesuotfs.
d ) Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain why peo ple might visit
i aT ping town.
Checklistforsuccess I can u sually explain the
literal meanings of phras e s .
✔
I can inf er and explain
Identify literal mea n i n g s . meanings.
✔ I c a n e x p l a i n t h e l i t e ral
Explore word s and phra ses in ord er to uncove r inferred
meanings of complex phrase s .
meanings.
✔ I can inf er and explain a
Use your own wo rds in orde r to prove full u n d e r s t anding. range of co m p l e x m e a n i n g s .
C h a p t e r 5: C o m p r e h e n s i o n
731
Chapter 5 . oT pic 3
cseiuedtnqoclaaipmrtsPeans
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 tYask
Read the following tex t ab out the Cambodian tow n of
Kratié and it s surrounding s , t hen read the ‘Checklist 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’aidobmaC dl iw“t” sae ehT ybaern rveir dnal s i fo hoK gnor T st saob
wher, dnoybe Kampong Cham, the main hte rualgni bitsisloipsy fong’ierostCna ntagi 20
25
roads are dir t tracks or ujst pyolro suarcfed. -tlfloehs tusenrlti het.dwliAreftathors rref y 30
35
e Y t thsi spyalers populated onregi ofsref a deir omrf an et lehdsnur w,hraf hte Perah
5 quinteseanlit slcie fo Cambodian rural lief SmaoyrQautirh decpr( , hl)wiaa,tgntoyb
uyalrgenafecetdbyht.edwnoydoblre reotnetisisvr wofo ilocubdlcra p onsfatirtaluni
C relidlatpsiybt candi’seldambaodi incoi
Kraéti si aetl il t6mekawront 1 2 onrt-h mseli
w.ouhbtechumzei,wsphdee
tsae fo monPh .hnPe A nirgettpas fo - t sruoti
The local com muntiy office adver t i se s r u ral
staohyednalfdsancfesrli npuspurgtenahre
homestays organ ised by NGOs, bceyil h i r e
01 nicrMafelpeht.gronomavkrtegntackreli
and ox c a r t tou rs. The 8.5-m ile p e r i meter
sairedtilenhsgilnotmitAvlen ehtbrosbaot
routea kes yoruighatrountdshiselan’d edge.
elapcset fo .tsensus ’tI kiel cthwgain a tangi
s It’ unchal lengi nagncdli maxewsith thsgeiht
doolb laomfrf engalor o.inlosimertoAwasn
of a floating Vietnamese vi llage bueoyd-
hetuns spidhniebd hteitlerint turnshetksy
up just off the soutewh- st tip of the island.
5 1 a dazgeinlrmoviln,ignntiteupprlhet hcneFr The Viet n a mese are a recogn ised et hnic
inoloacl ,savli atniodarti l onwed tilts seouh
minor ti y in Cambodia and t h is commu nit y
ta andW akoR Kandah–lutfaelibemtlpat
elivs offshore, though vt’hyee establ ished a
tn.ec9kc1tabhetseoutadry
Vietna mese-styel tempel on the island. An
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
138
.3
5
unexp ected treat after a hsardda’y p e d a l l i ng ClosKteor attifhéieshi nvgi l loaKfgeampie
is Raajbori Villa Resort in the nort h-east of offebrostarvttiopwieKssr atié’ othaeqru atic
the island, where s t’i possible to cool off in m a r v el, the I r rwa ddy dolp h i ns. T hough
40
tphoeol $f5ojurst dofub(lre$os6m5 ni)agt.h locals haev olng rveere d the dolp h i ns,
belei ving them t o b e h a l f h u m a n, h a l f fish,
5
soituortéruoinoKrtehaTfehthtaerb oyslngkai
their numbers haev d i m i n i sh e d in r e c ent
cinecs s eigvtrefonsoloam myeshtiltdaliauq fo
yeardsuteole c t r ci r o d sa n d expolvsie su s e d
.sdaor eht s ’astseIcen ylair ypmub ni tired- ku ukt
for fis h i ng. Dt’no expe ct any flipp-estryle
at ot ’sriéediroetKkranoe.aeslrectoriaurgcsal
45
a n t ci s, the s e r e t i r ing c r e a t u res only s u r af ce
nI monhP , r obmaS 22 selmi hrton fo , éi tKar
to breathe.
60
o t i s isvr era eetnadraug a thgi sfo eht l ehst f-ols
tu.rstle nI thewo helad oungdrs fo eht dogaPa From ‘Undiscovered South- E a s t A s i a’
fo Oen udnHedr umlCons, a msla gberdni by Thomas Bird, The Guardian
urtenrceaomirt.hestornuvtrheslrtei
50
1 Give t w o f a c t s about Kratié according to the second
paragraph.
2 Using your own wo r d s , e x p l ain what the tex t means by:
a) ‘climaxes with the sight ’ ( paragraph4)
b) ‘breathtakingly scenic’ (paragraph 5)
3 Reread paragraph 3. Give two reasons w hy people might
visit the island ofKoh rT o n g .
4 Reread paragraphs 2 and 6. t w o things that tour i s t s can enjoy in the town
a) Identif y
of Kratié.
b) E xplain s ome of the dif ferent a t t itudes displayed
towards dolp hins.
5 Using your own word s , e x p l ain why some people may find
visiting Kratié and its surroundings too challenging.
Checklistforsuccess
✔
Use your sc anning skils 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 o m p r e h e n s i o n
931
Chapter 5 . oT pic 3
Exploring responses
Read the following re s p o n s e .
Response 1
1
hTaetWRoka Kandal is a beautiful 19th-century temple.
KratiéisintheeastofCambodia.
2 a)
hTe villageyouseeiserally impressvie
)b
T he scenery isnice
3
hTe chance to see giant soft-shell turtles in their natuarl habitat.
Theferry ride is short.
4 a)
Goshoppinginthemarketandwatchagiantbloodorangefal fromatree.
)b
The writer isrealyimpressed by the dolphins.Thelocalskil thedolphinswithexplosives
becausetheyh-tuhmainlfaknt-,fhi eaylfasrhe. They like the dolphinsbecausetheycan
make money by taking tourists t o see them.
5
e oPrbehgtnifidagnarKethglmygitnlreathiectldpioryaoistlersouispaédvcaedint
erehtrmseynimtrhoeusTsamjdubnea.ry’nadteoylhcsaemlkIafyeplrsalusil
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.
2 Both explanations show a general understanding of the quoted statement. Ho,wtheveer
if 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 studesnotw’ n words.
3 Only the fi rst comment is a reason for visiting the island.
4 a) 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 owe,vtehre
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. Ho,witevisesrometimes badly expressed and the writer includes their own –
irrelevant – opinions. There is also some misreading of details from the teoxot.oTften the writer
uses words directly from the texts rather than choosing his or her own.
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
140
.3
5
6 For each ques tion above, identif y o ne thing in the s ample Topt pi
Now read this se cond sample re s p o n s e . 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 npage14 2 to help you. It is very import anttochoose
your own words, rather than
usingwordsdirec tlyform the
text.
Response 2
1
It is 348 kilometresawayfrom Pehnnho. m P
tIsWat Roka K andaltemple datesbackto9thteh1centu.ry
2 a)
hTe mostimpressiveviewcomesattheendofthe.tour
)b
The landscape is strikinglybeautiful.
3
Theplantations and paddies are pearcteifevu. l and a
The humped zebu are a classicfeature of Cambodia.
4 a)
T he beautiful sunset and the diff erentstylesofarchitecture.
)b
ThewrtierthniksthedoplhnismaTrieh.pvrsoelicaslharethsoipnoinandrespecthe
myfeht,elavhoewtoHheudrafes-n.inymiaehuprlteblodctahilatraiepfat’nodhmnser
i f rieht sa sniehoprbcalvoadheidhrteashocdtoehsftuosametucruy.gtnanemhsi
5
e P ople might fi nd thevisittoochallengingbecauseitisacountrysidearea that seems cut
offfromcivilisationandmodernconevniences.hTeoradsaerbadly constructedandthis
makesjourneysveryuncomfortable.Someoftheplacestovisitcanonlybereached by a
long bike ride which some might fi nd exhauesotpinleg.mPight also fi ndtheweathertoo
warm,especialyinplaceswheleresthhaerdeeis. li
Feedback
1 wo aTppropriate facts about Kratié’ have been selected from the second paragraph.
2 The quoted statements are explained clearly and prec.isely
3 Despite the diffi cult language in the text (‘bucolic’ and ‘iconic’), the student provides two clear
reasons why tourists might visit KrohngT.
4 a) wo aTccurate points.
b) Threeclearat utidestowardsdolphinsthatarepresentedinthetext .
5 This is a full a,ngsawtehrering details from across the text to suggest why the trip could
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 o m p r e h e n s i o n
141
Chapter 5
Checkyour progress
Soundprogress
•
I can use skimming and sc anning skils 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 attitu 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 .
Excelent 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 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
142
Summary writing
6
Links to ot her chapters: During your cour se, you may be aske d to write a
Chapter1: Keyreading skills
Chapter 2: eKy technical skill s s e l e c t iv e s u m m a r y of a particular pass age of tex t .
Chapter5:Comprehension
oT answer thi s t y p e o f q u e s tion, you wil need t:o
•
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 impilcit
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
deliberat e e f fe c t ( W2)
•
use a range of vocabula r y and sentence
s t r u c tures appro priate to cont e x t ( W 3)
•
makeaccurate use of spellin g , p u n c tuation
and grammar (W 5).
143
Chapter 6 . oT pic 1
deInitfyingandseel ctingacorndgi
to theueoqsntifocus
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,rhow has football changed since the star t of his care?e r
1 Which phra se in the que stion above tells you that the focu s
is not the overall histo r y offootball?
2 Now imagine that the points below all app ear in the tex t .
Which are relevant to the fo?cus round his wais t and tie d it securely.
a) The author di slikedrugby.
b) Players become millionaires .
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.
3 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 ’
Build the skills ritual particular to this sp o r t . Each took his shalwar kameez coVabulary time- honoured
sundhro sundhro, sacrosanct: by Emma Levine
Read the pass age below about Malakhara wrestlers in Pakis t a n . and therefore imp o r t a n t
T h e w r e s tlers wore the baggy trou s e r s o f their , 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…w[y ore a turban on their h e a d s . Before the fi ght, they carried out a which is a ver y long piece of
sacrosanct
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
From A Game of Polo w i t h a H e a d l e s s G o at
S e c t i o n 2: Applyi n g k e y s k i lls
144
.1
6
4 W h a t t wo a s p e c t s of Malakhara wrestiling are des cribed? what thheeww r e s tl e r s d o and ng are described?
restlers do and
5 Imagine the ques tion as ked
why they do it. erelevant?
a) Which point s in the pa ssage would be relevant?
b) Which would be irrelevant?
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 sumo .) Other
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 , grabbed it, pulled it and fl ung his oppone nt on his back. He hit the
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
sundhro
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 o,vselrapped 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.
6 Jot down the rule s and aims of Malakhara wre stling. Checkyour progress:
B e s e l e c tive. For example, do not includ e what happe ns to
defeated wres tlers . I u n d e r s tand w hat is m eant
b y ‘ f o c u. s ’
Appylthe skills I can i d e n t i f y the focu s
of some q u e s t io n s .
7 Makenotes on: I can si f t out irrelevant
a) what happens to a defeated wre s t l e r information.
b) w hat the autho r’s at t i t u de to this is . I can i d e n t i f y the focu s
o f m o s t q u e s ti o n s .
I u n d e r s tand implied
meaning.
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
Selectginanddrnoeirgmainponsti
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 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
t h e main p oints
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 o. uYmust
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 assage as a whole.
Explore the skills
Read the pass age below from a travel acco u n t .
The Italian Lakes are a little slice of paradise. Generations of bougainvillea and lemon blossom, and been lost coVabulary a flowering
travellers from the north, descending wearily from the chilly of course, mass touri sm has found th elakes , and From T h e R o u g h G u i d e t o T h e Italian L akes hardships
Alpine passes, have come into this Mediterranean vision of fi gs bougainvillea:
and palms, shrub with pink or purple
for words. Elegant ribbons of blue water stretch out ahead, foliage
folded into the sun-baked foothills: after the rigours:
high Alps, the abundance of fi ne food and wine must have
been a revelation. Warming, awe-inspiring and graced with rigours of the
natural be,atuhteylakes are still a place to draw breath and
w.onder
Thesedays ,
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 w.aAtenrd those classic lake s images of
lf ow-er bedecke d balconies , Baroqu e gardens and s plendid
waterside villas can be found here in abundance.
Remember:
• is essential information , which of ten
A main point usually develops a main point, of ten
refl e c t s the purpose of the text .
• eh,no-ttnsieopcnahnbutemiaianetlsse
A l iated
.noitmarofni
• explanat ion
An
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 2: Applyi ng key ski l l s
146
.2
6
• opinion e x p r e s s e s the writers’point of view on the topic,
An
and could be regarded as a main point if you are as ked about
the writers’ views .
Imagine that you have to summarise the following:
What would at tra c t v i sitors to the Italian Lake s a?rea
Which of the se do you think is a main poin?t
•
a ihcrapehtmeno.ripfAlTsdeyservhalelviwenrcda‘ses’
•
Theyfound‘fi gsandpalmsb,ouganilevlaiandlemonbol.ssom’
•
N e w c o m e r s to the area have found it d elightful.
The answer is the last bullet point . T h e s t atement would be true
even if the travelers were n o t w e a r y and encountere d roses and
bananas rather than fi g s and palms!
omascnidbtfeisItdoinoelmsaitohrasnfiguitnuelcs
opno)nismtinaro(rfmninorians-tdel(ilaesnit
euPoriFvorp.uem)yolnascnoinactaupilxeahtdeaxme,pl
ualcehtanmdoirdfr‘obuhestyounmdceralmsiawreacnsdgi
enipAlnoyslilsihspuctaes’gigtmhaatreosfntsi-eslsaeoin.t
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 st?ion
Build the skills
Now read the continuation of the pas sage belo.w
Dotted around and bet weenthelakesaresomeofIt aly’sfi ne s t a r tcities.Milanispre - e m inent, hinterlands .Italyonlybecame aunifi e dstate1ina18n6d,asare sult, p eople often
wheliVerona,Bergamo,Mantuaandothers display–intheirarchitec tureaswellastheir art–a
cviziled ,urbanvisionthat stand sinmarke dcontras ttothewild,largelyruralcharac terofthe
alkeside
feelmoreloyalty totheirhometownthantothenationasawhole–afeelingmanifes tinthe
multitudeofcuisines,dialect sandoutlooks thatspantheregion.
cGofeo,gurapsehd,yoesnt’adbackhetipoltehurltnmndiy:teisaltirsconnecetd
aunetcrldi scapewthiesouthenrmost,Iatinl- speaknigeSwxoafeztrmslLinatkdei. s
MaggoierandLuganhoasievrlsnitwocuneirt.s
Individual details can of ten be summarised within a main point . coVabulary nearby area
For example, the det ails ‘M editerranean vision of fi g s and palms, hinterlands:
bougainvilea and lemon blossom’ could be summarise das‘e xotic
plants’ or ‘ Mediterranean fa.una’ C h a p t e r 6: S u m m a r y w r i t i n g
741
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Collins Cambridge IGCSE™ ENGLISH STUDENTS BOOK
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