MASTER COMPOSITION WRITING

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5 Exercises and Models on Picture Stimulus and Situational

Compositions from the Primary 2 Composition Writing Workbook

Exercise Title Exercise Model

/Model Page Page

Number

Authors: Merle Celine Magness and K Rajamanikam

Authors Message to Parents

Authors Message to Students

1. The Broken Doll Ex1 Model1
2. Helping a Sick Person Ex28 Model28
3. Taking the Wrong Bus Ex46 Model46
4. My Family Ex86 Model86
5. The Blackout Ex115 Model115

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Master Composition Writing: A Guided Workbook for Primary 2

Foreword to Parents

This book is one of a series of guidebooks for primary school children to
learn and practise writing compositions. The complete series, comprising six
in number – one each for Primary 1 to Primary 6 - when completed will
serve as a step-by-step guide for primary school children to enter the
exciting world of creative writing.

We approach from a different angle from the method taught in schools. Our
approach uses a step-by-step approach where we build up the student’s
confidence gradually. We feel that our method helps to promote confidence
in writing. The compositions in this book are meant as a supplement to
what is taught in schools and to provide additional practice for this crucial
subject.

In writing the model compositions, the writer (who has published more than
100 short stories and has won national level contests for short story
writing) has adopted the methods of fiction writers. Eg. The stories do not
begin with backgrounds like those traditionally written by students, but
rather plunge into the story in an exciting way, often into the middle of
things, like those presented in exciting action movies. In this book,
compositions begin with ‘hooks’ to compel the reader to continue reading.
Stories are told through descriptions and not exposition. The endings are
often ‘twists’ or end in other exciting ways. This is how modern stories;
especially movies, are presented.

The way our students usually begin stories with ‘One day...’ or with the
weather (as in ‘One sunny day ...’) is deplorable. It is called ‘exposition’ and
it is outdated by 200 years. Modern writers abhor it and poke fun at it.
Snoopy’s classic exposition ‘It was a dark and stormy night’ beginning is a
standing joke the world over. There is even a competition on who can write
the worst exposition! Yet many of our students, even some in secondary
school, write nothing but exposition. We believe that every child can, and
must be taught how to write naturally and beautifully. Children are
smarter than we think! Children easily master things like foreign
languages and computer software with which we adults often find difficult.
We are sure they can master composition writing.

All our model compositions are written like modern fiction. This will help
students think and write like fiction writers. Our goal is to promote the art
of composition writing as a creative and exciting activity. We think it
should be enjoyed by students as a favourite subject, rather than feared
and dreaded as a difficult and tedious chore.

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Master Composition Writing: A Guided Workbook for Primary 2

Authors’ Message to Students

Welcome to the exciting world of creative writing!

It has been a lot of fun and work to get this book to you and we enjoyed
every bit of writing it. I hope you like it too and that it helps you to write
better. We hope it inspires you to stop writing in that dull, dreary way that
many of you write, and helps you to learn to write in this exciting way that
we teach you. Frankly, writing is an exciting activity. If you think it is
difficult, it simply means you do not fully appreciate it. We are sure that by
doing these exercises and reading the models, you would be led to changing
your thinking.

Once you see writing in a new light, as an exciting activity through which
you can bring out your creative ability, a new interest in your life begins.
You will stop writing just what is required for an exam and start writing the
best that you can. Let us assure you that of all the subjects you learn in
school, the most important is language, and in language, composition
writing is the most important to master. It will be useful to you all your life,
to university and even beyond.

The method we teach in this book can, with a little bit of imagination and
adjustment, be used for writing compositions in any language. We would
like nothing better than that you should excel in writing composition in all
the languages that you study.

All the best to you, Young Writers.

K. Rajamanikam

Merle Celine Magness

Authors

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Five Free Sample Composition Exercises
Exercise 1

Look at the picture carefully. I have written a story based on it.
Complete the story by filling in the blanks with the ‘helping
words’ and then compare your story with Model 1.

Helping Words

broken stepped thanked new went
finished happy sad favourite fixing

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The Broken Doll

I have been collecting dolls from the time I was in
kindergarten. I name all my dolls. There is one called Cynthia;
another called Olivia and so on. Altogether I have 12 dolls. My
(1) ____________ is a doll I call “Cinderella‟. She was a
gift from my late grandfather.

One day, I was careless. While playing with Cinderella, I
dropped her. She fell on the floor and, in my anxiety, (2) I
____________ on her. I was so (3) ____________ when I
noticed that her arm was broken. I felt like crying.

My elder brother saw me sitting in the corner. When he asked
me why I was so sad, I showed him my (4) ____________
doll. He smiled and took the doll into his room. I saw him (5)
____________ it with super glue.

When he had (6) ____________, he came back to the sitting
room and handed the doll to me. She looked as good as (7)
____________; the part which had been broken could not be
seen. I was so (8) ____________. I hugged him and (9)
____________ him again and again. He laughed and (10)
____________ out.

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Exercise 28
Rearrange the paragraphs so that the story reads correctly.
After that, compare your story with Model 28.

Helping a Sick Person
We walked up to her together. “Hello, Grandma, are you ill?”
Salbiah asked kindly. The elderly lady looked at us for a while
and said nothing. We could see that she was sweating.
Salbiah and I spotted her as soon as we came to the bus stop.
She was an elderly lady and we had seen her before. Usually
she was cheerful, but that day she looked unwell.

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Salbiah stayed with the lady while I ran to a public telephone
nearby. I called the lady‟s daughter and told her what was
happening. Then I ran back to the bus stop to join Salbiah and
our friend. Her daughter arrived in a few minutes in a car. We
helped the elderly lady into the car.

“I feel faint,” she said finally. “Do you want to see a doctor?” I
asked. She shook her head. “Just call my daughter and tell her
that I am ill and that I am here,” she said. Then she gave us
her daughter‟s telephone number.

Take a break …

Grammar Point: What is wrong with this sign, which I saw
over a hawkers stall?

Boneless Hainanese Chicken Rice
The sign says that the Hainanese (a person who is or whose
ancestors are from Hainan in China) is boneless! In that case
the poor man or woman would not even be able to stand up.
He or she would be a boneless mass, like a jellyfish, on the
floor!

The sign should say:
Hainanese Boneless Chicken Rice

This makes it clear that it is the chicken that is boneless and
not the hardworking shop-owner.

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Exercise 46
Fill in the missing two paragraphs with at least four sentences
each. After that, you may compare your story with Model 46.

Helping words and phrases: Use them only if you wish.

gentleman explained Interchange heart turned

laughed wrongly correct cold suspect
.

The Day I took the Wrong Bus

I was worried. My mother had dropped me off at school for my
ECA and told me to find my way home. We had just moved into
the neighbourhood and I did not know what bus to take. My
mother had told me to ask people. I did not like to do that,
because I felt that they might think I was stupid.

Hence, I sat in the bus shelter and looked at the buses passing
by. I looked hard at the buses as some of them had their

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destinations written on them. After a few buses had passed by,
I saw a bus with the name ‘Lorong 8’ written on it. I got on the
bus. I thought of asking the bus driver, but again felt shy.
Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

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Exercise 86

Complete the following composition by writing the missing
paragraph with at least four sentences. After that, you may
compare your work with Model 86.

Helping words: Use them only if you wish.

cat outside the house eats corner hunts

spends missing at night sleeps member treat

My Family

The oldest person in my family is Grandma. She is my father‟s
mother and tells everyone what to do. My brother and I are her
favourite grandchildren. Even our parents do not dare to scold
us because Grandma would be upset. Our cousins envy us.

My father works as a chef. He goes to work in the afternoon
and comes home late at night. My mother is a housewife. She
looks after all of us. She does all the work in the house except
cooking. Grandma does the cooking.

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My little brother Wah Soon is only five years old and goes to
kindergarten. He is mischievous and gets into all sorts of
trouble every day. He cannot keep still for a minute and annoys
me and the cat the whole day. Still, I know that he is a loving
boy.

Paragraph 4

Take a break …

Laugh …

What is the best way to talk to a monster?
From a distance!

What time is it when an elephant sits on your chair?
It is time to get a new chair!

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Exercise 115
Write a story on the situation in four paragraphs of at least four
sentences each. After that, you may compare your work with
Model 115.
Situation: You were at the lift lobby about to get into
the lift when suddenly there was a blackout.
Title:
Paragraph 1

Paragraph 2

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Paragraph 3

Paragraph 4

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Five Free Sample Model Compositions for P2

Model 1: The Broken Doll

I have been collecting dolls from the time I was in kindergarten. I name
all my dolls. There is one called Cynthia; another called Olivia and so
on. Altogether I have 12 dolls. My favourite is a doll I call ‘Cinderella’.
She was a gift from my late grandfather.

One day, I was careless. While playing with Cinderella, I dropped her.
She fell on the floor and in my anxiety, I stepped on her. I was so sad
when I noticed that her arm was broken. I felt like crying.

My elder brother saw me sitting in the corner. When he asked me why I
was so sad, I showed him my broken doll. He smiled and took the doll
into his room. I saw him fixing it with super glue.

When he had finished, he came back to the sitting room and handed the
doll to me. She looked as good as new; the part which had been broken
could not be seen. I was so happy. I hugged him and thanked him again
and again. He laughed and went out.

Model 28: Helping a Sick Person

Salbiah and I spotted her as soon as we came to the bus stop. She was
an elderly lady and we had seen her before. Usually she was cheerful,
but that day she looked unwell.

We walked up to her together. “Hello Grandma, are you ill?” Salbiah
asked kindly. She looked at us for a while and said nothing. We could see
that she was sweating.

“I feel faint,” she said finally. “Do you want to see a doctor?” I asked. She
shook her head. “Just call my daughter and tell her that I am ill and that
I am here,” she said. Then she gave us her daughter‟s telephone number.

Salbiah stayed with our friend while I ran to a public telephone nearby. I
called her daughter and told her what was happening. Then I ran back to
the bus stop to join Salbiah and the lady. Her daughter arrived in a few
minutes in a car. We helped the elderly lady into the car.

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Model 46: Taking the Wrong Bus

I was worried. My mother had dropped me off at school for my ECA and
told me to find my way home. We had just moved into the
neighbourhood and I did not know what bus to take. My mother had told
me to ask people. I did not like to do that, because I felt that they might
think I was stupid.

Hence, I sat in the bus shelter and looked at the buses passing by. I
looked hard at the buses as some of them had their destinations written
on them. After a few buses had passed by, I saw a bus with the name
‘Lorong 8’ written on it. I got on the bus. I thought of asking the bus
driver, but again felt shy.

As I was looking out the window, I saw the blocks and streets whizzing
by. I was hoping to spot my block, Block 808. I realised that the block
numbers were a 100 something. I began to suspect that I had taken the
wrong bus. My heart turned cold. Finally, I decided to be bold and speak
to the bus driver.

He was a nice gentleman who smiled when I spoke to him. Then, I asked
if the bus would be going to Lorong 8. He laughed and explained that the
bus I was on was going to Lorong 18. I had read the number wrongly!
The driver then explained that the bus I should have taken was Service
45. He told me that he would take me to the Interchange and I could
then take the correct bus. After a few more streets, the bus turned into
the Interchange. I thanked my new friend and then took Service Number
45 and went home.

Model 86: My Family

The oldest person in my family is Grandma. She is my father‟s mother
and tells everyone what to do. My brother and I are her favourite
grandchildren. Even our parents do not dare to scold us because
Grandma would be upset. Our cousins envy us.

My father works as a chef. He goes to work in the afternoon and
comes home late at night. My mother is a housewife. She looks after
all of us. She does all the work in the house except cooking. Grandma
does the cooking.

My little brother Wah Soon is only five years old and goes to
kindergarten. He is mischievous and gets into all sorts of trouble every
day. He cannot keep still for a minute and annoys me and the cat the

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whole day. Still, I know that he is a loving boy.

I am not sure whether other people do the same, but we treat our cat,
Tom, as a member of the family. He does nothing but eats and sleeps.
He has his own bed in the corner of the hall and since we live in a house,
spends a lot of time outside. Quite often he is missing at night and comes
home in the morning. Then he sleeps till lunchtime.

Model 115: The Blackout

Our hands were full of groceries as we had just come back from
Causeway Point. The whole week‟s groceries were in our hands and we
were just about to get into the lift when the lights went out. I heard a
shout of “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” from all over. Then I felt a grip on my
hand and my mother whispered, “Don‟t be afraid.”

“What shall we do?” she asked. “Let‟s take the stairs,” I said. “With all
the groceries?” she asked. “It is only eight floors,” I said. “OK,‟‟ she said
and started walking up the stairs. As we walked up two flights of stairs
we saw a light coming down. We stopped to look.

It was Grandma Laxmi, our next-door neighbour and she was carrying a
candle. “Where are you going, Grandma?” I asked. She looked so eerie
standing there in the candlelight. “Looking for you two,” she said. “I was
worried about how you would walk in the pitch dark.” We laughed as she
turned and led the way with her candle.

Slowly we climbed the stairs one step at a time. I was amazed that
Grandma had no difficulty climbing the stairs. She walked rather fast
and could see well too. Soon we were outside our door. Mummy
opened the door while we stood behind her. Suddenly the lights came
on again. “We could have waited,” grumbled Mummy. Grandma and I
laughed.

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I am sure you like all these exercises and model compositions.
You can buy the whole thick, beautiful 316-page workbook with
120 exercises and 120 models from us. The book comprises 80
stimulated composition exercises with models and 40
situational composition exercises with models. Each book costs
$12. If you want us to mail it to you, the registered postage
within Singapore is $5.00. The book is available only from us
directly and not from bookshops, and that is why it costs so
little. For details, please go to our website at:
http://www.p2compositionwritingworkbookwithmodels.com

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