Events (Accidents)

Road Accidents

Events that led to the accidents(Build Up)

prancing about by the side of the road
glanced up and down the road
no sounds of approaching vehicles
trying to control a frisky dog
large blue sign at the corner asking for eye witnesses for an accident
infamous for being an accident prone area
cars whizzing by
released grip on daughter's hand
kicking a ball around
speaking incessantly into mobile phone and gesturing wildly
dug into bag while stepping off the pavement

Compositions: A Lift Breakdown (Cloze)

Lift Breakdown: Cloze (1)

Fill in each blank with one word only

            Siti was on her way home from her piano lessons. She pressed the lift button on the ground floor. After a short wait, the lift door (1)______________. She got in and punched the button for the 10^th floor.

            As the lift was moving up, Siti heard an unusual scraping sound. “Strange, the lift seems to be moving very slowly today,” she thought to (2) __________________. Just as the lift was approaching the 8^th floor, it jerked and stopped abruptly. Without warning, the lights in the lift went off. The fan also faded to a halt.

            Siti was stunned at first. Then she became frightened. She pressed the emergency button but did not hear it ring. Pounding on the (3) _____________, she yelled, “Somebody help!” She tried to call her family members for help on her mobile phone but there was no signal.

            “Help, somebody!” Siti cried again. Beads of perspiration were forming on her forehead. She felt breathless and her (4) _____________ was thumping very fast. The lift was becoming extremely stuffy.

            Suddenly, the lift door opened. A serious-looking lift technician led her out by the hand. Fortunately, he had arrived quickly to let her out. Feeling faint, she leaned (5) _____________ a corridor wall and breathed deeply several times before taking the stairs up to her flat.

Lift Breakdown: Cloze (2)

Fill in each blank with one word only.

                  It was pouring as I reached the lift, drenched through. The lift had been out of order this morning but I assumed that it had (1)___________________ fixed. After all there was no “Out of Order” sign on the door.

            Anyway, I live on the fifteenth floor and did not relish the thought of walking all the way up. I pressed the “up” button and to my (2)___________________, the lift doors slid open. I stepped inside, the water in my shoes making a squelching sound.

                  When the lift reached the fifth floor, the lights began to flicker. On reaching the ninth floor, the fan broke down. There was a loud moaning sound and the lights went out as the lift came to a halt at the tenth floor.

                  Initial (3)__________________ made me pound my fists on the lift doors. Then I calmed myself down and pressed the alarm button. But it did not work. A wave of anxiety hit me. I decided to shout for help. When that did not work, I fought down fresh feelings of panic and steeled myself to wait for (4)_____________________ as calmly as I could.

                  I was not going to try any of the foolish things that I had watched on television like climbing to the top of the lift to get it moving. After all, surely someone would notice that the lift was jammed. I repeated this thought in my head several times over to comfort myself.

                  The silence was eerie as I pressed my ear close to the door, hoping to hear sounds of activity outside. Nothing. My heart sank as the minutes ticked by. Beads of (5)________________________ formed on my forehead and my hands became clammy. Suddenly I heard footsteps, then a thud, followed by the sound of metal clashing. The lift sprang to life and I lurched forward as it began to descend.

            The doors opened on the ground floor and I ran out, much to the surprise of the lift technicians. I headed for the staircase, quite happy to climb all the flights of stairs to my flat. I looked at my watch. I had spent forty minutes trapped in the lift but it had seemed like an eternity.

Lift Breakdown: Cloze (3)

Fill in each blank with one word only.

                  It was pouring as I reached the lift, drenched through. The lift had been out of order this morning but I assumed that it had been (1)___________________. After all there was no “Out of Order” sign on the door.

            Anyway, I live on the fifteenth floor and did not relish the thought of walking all the way up. I pressed the “up” button and to my relief, the lift doors slid open. I stepped inside, the (2)__________________ in my shoes making a squelching sound.

                  When the lift reached the fifth floor, the lights began to (3)______________________. On reaching the ninth floor, the fan broke down. There was a loud moaning sound and the lights went out as the lift came to a halt at the tenth floor.

                  Initial panic made me pound my fists on the lift doors. Then I calmed myself down and pressed the alarm button. But it did not work. A wave of anxiety hit me. I decided to shout for help. When that did not work, I fought down fresh feelings of panic and steeled myself to wait for help as calmly as I could. I was not going to try any of the foolish things that I had watched on (4)______________________ like climbing to the top of the lift to get it moving. After all, surely someone would notice that the lift was jammed. I repeated this thought in my head several times over to comfort myself.

                  The silence was eerie as I pressed my ear close to the door, hoping to hear sounds of activity outside. Nothing. My heart sank as the minutes ticked by. Beads of perspiration formed on my forehead and my hands became clammy. Suddenly I heard footsteps, then a thud, followed by the sound of metal clashing. The lift sprang to life and I lurched forward as it began to (5)______________________.

            The doors opened on the ground floor and I ran out, much to the surprise of the lift technicians. I headed for the staircase, quite happy to climb all the flights of stairs to my flat. I looked at my watch. I had spent forty minutes trapped in the lift but it had seemed like an eternity.

Many Words for One (Synonyms)

57	fond	Affectionate, devoted, loving
58	frank	Artless, candid, ingenuous, open, outspoken, plain
59	friend	Associate, colleague, companion, comrade
60	frugal	Economical, sparing, thrifty
61	funny	Amusing, comical, humorous, ludicrous, strange, witty
62	fussy	Fastidious, finicky, meticulous, particular
63	gain	Obtain, profit, secure, win
64	gay	Blithe, cheerful, jolly, merry
65	good	Just, righteous, true, virtuous, upright
66	gloom	Darkness, depression, melancholy
67	govern	Control, rule, influence
68	hate	Abhor, abominate, detest, dislike, loathe
69	help	Aid, assist, succour, support
70	hold	Clutch, grasp, grip
71	increase	Amplify, augment, enlarge, expand, extend, magnify, multiply
72	infinite	Boundless, endless, eternal, everlasting, limitless
73	injure	Harm, hurt, ill-treat, violate, wrong
74	intention	Aim, motive, object, purpose
75	interfere	Intervene, meddle
76	joke	Banter, jest
77	just	Fair, right, upright, righteous
78	kind	Considerate, good, tender, thoughtful
79	lazy	Idle, inactive, indolent, inert, slothful, sluggish
80	mistake	Blunder, error, fault, inaccuracy
81	obedient	Cringing, meek, respectful, servile, submissive
82	old	Ancient, antiquated, antique, obsolete
83	polite	Affable, civil, courteous, polished, well-bred, well-mannered
84	poor	Destitute, needy
85	power	Ability, capacity, might, authority
86	pretty	Attractive, beautiful, elegant, gorgeous, lovely, trim
87	quiet	Calm, peaceful, placid, serene, still, tranquil
88	rash	Careless, hasty, impetuous, reckless
89	revolt	Insurrection, mutiny, riot, uprising
90	rude	Abusive, impolite, insolent, offensive
91	safe	Guarded, protected, secure, sure
92	see	Behold, discern, perceive, scan, view
93	severe	Arduous, austere, harsh, stern, strict, stringent
94	sly	Artful, crafty, cunning, shrewd, wily
95	souvenir	Memento, memorial, relic, remembrance, token
96	spread	Diffuse, dispense, disseminate, distribute, scatter
97	strange	Alien, foreign, queer, unexpected, unfamiliar
98	strong	Able, muscular, powerful, robust, sturdy
99	suitable	Appropriate, becoming, befitting
100	trick	Deception, hoax, pretence, hypocrisy
101	trust	Believe, rely
102	try	Attempt, endeavour, strive
103	ugly	Grotesque, hideous, horrid, repulsive, squalid, unsightly
104	useless	Frivolous, futile, worthless
105	value	Appreciation, esteem, worth
106	victory	Success, triumph
107	weak	Feeble, flimsy, frail, impotent, infirm

Bad and ugly characters

1. The sinister looking man stared hard at the two boys.

2. Two logs of hair stuck out of his head like horns. He looked like a devil.

3. She had a mean(nasty) smile on her face.

4. The boy had a greasy face and buck teeth.

5. He looked at them nastily and sneered, "Watch it!"

6. He was so dirty and smelly that Alice had to hold her nose.

7. There was a scar on his brow and skull-shaped tattoo on his right hand.

8. The red faced man had bushy eyebrows that wiggled when he talked.

9. He looked fearfully at the big, hefty man in the dark suit.

10. He was a nasty looking man, dirty and rude. He slouched down the street, looking neither left or right.

English Learning Websites

https://www.englishclub.com/

http://www.freecollocation.com/

https://www.grammarly.com/

INTERESTING WORDS AND ALTERNATIVE PHRASES

In our writing, there are many words and phrases we use over and over again. These ‘tired’ words and phrases are guilty of making our compositions boring. If many different pupils in a class use the same words in their compositions, then you would have to use interesting alternative words and phrases to help lift your composition above the mundane.

Why you should use alternative words and phrases:

1. Showcase your vocabulary Over the years, you have picked up and learnt thousands of words and phrases. Put them to use in your writing!

2. Lend maturity to your writing Good writers do not use the same words or phrases over and over again in their writing. As the saying goes ‘variety is the spice of life’, so add ‘spice’ to your writing with a variety of words!

3. Describe different degrees of the same action. Some words such as ‘walk’ and ‘trudge’ may refer to the same action. However, they have a slight difference in meaning. ‘walk’ – generic word for moving from place to place ‘trudge’ – walk in a slow, tired or reluctant manner Since the characters in your story are all different, it is important to use different words and phrases to describe them.

Make your writing VIVID!

By using specific words, you can create clear and colourful word pictures for your reader.
Choose specific nouns: Some nouns are general (car, jacket, animal) and give the reader a vague, uninteresting picture. Other nouns are specific (Mercedes, aviator’s jacket, raccoon) and give the reader a much clearer, more detailed picture.

In the chart that follows, the first word in each row is a general noun. The second word is more specific. Finally, each word at the bottom row of the chart is clearly a specific noun. These last nouns are the types that make your writing clear and colourful.

General to specific nouns

PERSON : Woman,     Writer,                   J.K. Rowling
PLACE :    park,          theme park,            Escape Theme Park,
THING :    drink,          nutritious drink,      vegetable juice
IDEA   :     Pain,           Headache,             Migraine

1) Use vivid verbs: Like nouns, verbs can be too general to create a vivid word picture. For eg. The verb ‘looked’ does not say the same thing as ‘stared, glared, glanced, peeked or inspected’.

2) Whenever possible, use a verb that is strong enough to stand alone without the help of an adverb. Verb and adverb - Jerry sat down on the couch. Vivid verb - Jerry plopped on the couch.

3) Avoid overusing the ‘to be’ verbs (is, are, was, were…). Also avoid overusing ‘would, could or should’. Often a better verb can be made from another word in the same sentence. A ‘to be’ verb – Ashley is someone who plans for the future. A stronger verb – Ashley plans for the future.

4) Use active rather than passive verbs. Passive verb – Another strong pass was launched by Mary Kate. Active verb - Mary Kate launched another strong pass.

5) Use verbs that show rather than tell. A verb that tells – Iverson is very tall. A verb that shows – Iverson towers over his teammates.

Select specific adjectives:

Use precise, colourful adjectives to describe the nouns in your writing. Strong adjectives can help make the nouns you choose even more interesting and clear to the reader. For example, when describing your uncle’s new car as a “sleek, red convertible”, you are using adjectives to give the reader a clearer picture of the car.

1) Avoid using adjectives that carry little meaning:

neat, big, pretty, small, cute, fun, bad, nice, good, dumb, great, funny…

Overused adjective – The old house on the square belongs to an architect.
Specific adjective -    The dilapidated house on the square belongs to an architect.

2) Use adjectives selectively.

If your writing contains too many adjectives, they will simply get in the way and lose their effectiveness. Too many adjectives – A tall, shocking column of thick, yellow smoke marked the exact spot where the unexpected explosion had occurred. Revised - A column of thick, yellow smoke marked the spot where the unexpected explosion had occurred.

3) Include specific adverbs:

Use adverbs when you think they can help the action in a sentence. For eg. the sentence ‘SpongeBob reluctantly agreed to meet Patrick’ is more specific than ‘SpongeBob agreed to meet Patrick’. However, don’t use a verb and an adverb when a single vivid verb would be better.

Use the ‘right’ words:

The words in your writing should not only be specific and colourful, but they should also have the right feeling, or connotation. The connotation of a word is what it suggests or implies beyond its literal meaning.

Notice how the underlined words in the following passage connote positive, almost magical feelings about the subject, the writer’s hometown: TAHOE WAS A LAZY TOWN, STRETCHED OUT ON ITS HILLS AND ITS FLAT STREETS IN A SUMMER SUN. IT WAS A DREAMY PLACE, ALWAYS GREEN AND LUSH EXCEPT FOR FOUR COLD MONTHS AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF EACH YEAR. IT WAS HEAVY WITH LEAFY SMELLS, AND IN SPRINGTIME THERE WAS A PERFUME IN THE AIR THAT MADE YOU DIZZY IF YOU INHALED TOO MUCH.

Describing Feelings and Thoughts

 Describing Feelings

Feelings tell readers a lot about the characters in your composition. These feelings can be expressed through their actions and reactions to events. Being able to write about feelings would also give your writing a sense of maturity.

Eg. Old Mrs Khan beamed with pride as she clapped. That was her son on stage shaking the minister’s hand and collecting the certificate. All her hard work through the years suddenly seemed insignificant. All her sweat and toil was worth this one shining moment of happiness.

 Describing Thoughts

People think and have thoughts at every situation. Hence, when you show that your characters are thinking, it makes them seem real to the readers. A short spoken sentence to show the thoughts of a character goes a long way in telling the reader how the character feels.

Eg. Fiona alighted from the bus and walked slowly from the bus stop. She thought the little boy was right. The passengers in the bus were a selfish lot. Fiona tried to imagine herself frail and feeble like that old man. She suddenly felt ashamed at her refusal to give up her seat earlier.