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
Seah_EMS
Saturday, December 30, 2017
Friday, October 27, 2017
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 10th
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 8th
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
|
Saturday, September 16, 2017
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.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
English Learning Websites
https://www.englishclub.com/
http://www.freecollocation.com/
https://www.grammarly.com/
Sunday, August 6, 2017
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.
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.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
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.
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.
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