Monday, September 15
something to ponder upon
"Freedom is to be fought for, not with tanks and missiles, but with the burning desire to master even the most rudimentary information."
Thursday, September 11
Wednesday, September 10
composition writing
Notes:
Writing a piece of essay requires specific procedures. A student needs to understand that his/her composition will be read by someone (a teacher or an examiner), as such, attention must be given in creating a piece of work that is interesting and arresting so that the teacher or examiner will not find it a ‘chore’ when reading the composition.
These are steps that a student needs to take into consideration when attempting to write a piece of composition:
1) Choose a suitable title – a suitable title means that students should choose a title he /she is capable of doing. A student should have at least 4 or more points to write about and elaborate before attempting to write about the title.
2) Brainstorm for ideas – brainstorming should be conducted once a student chooses a title. Brainstorming need not be in a particular manner. Some students prefer to do mind-mapping, some writing points in a linear fashion, some only think about the title (but I would advise that you, at least, write down the points so that you would not forget what you have been thinking).
3) Elaborate on each point – at this juncture, it would be helpful if you also think and write down how each point is going to be elaborated. Use examples, instances, anecdotes and even dialogues to emphasize the particular point. The more elaboration the better will your reader understands your work.
Note* (some of my students lamented to me that they do not have enough materials and ideas to write on and as a consequence could not write an essay that suffice the examination requirement. I advised them to utilize examples, anecdotes and elaborations as a way to lengthen the composition)
4) Write a draft. Often students start writing on the answer paper right away. I feel that this is not advisable because students may realize that they have missed a point or did not elaborate on a point. If they were to squeeze extra lines in between the sentences, the paper will be untidy and the examiner will not find it amusing reading scribbling made by students.
5) Reread the draft for any mistake in spelling, grammar and punctuation even paragraphing because these aspects will be looked into when the examiner determines what band you should be in. Make sure you put in a few interesting vocabulary like phrasal verbs, idioms, proverbs, sayings, famous quotes or even scientific vocabulary. This is to add zest to your composition as a way to impress your examiner.
6) Writing out the composition. Be sure to use your best handwriting. I would advise my students to use double space when writing so as to make it easier for examiners to read through your composition. Writing should be legible and use dark coloured ink, for instance, blue black or black ink pen.
Model Composition
Type: Descriptive
Describe a person you admire.
“Hahaha!” Aunty Marlia’s laughter reverberated as we chatted merrily, while feasting on homemade Malay ‘kueh’ and hot tea. I could not help but contribute my own guffaws to her delighted little peals of laughter.
It was her infectious laughter and sparkling eyes that first caught my attention when I met her two years ago. Aunty Marlia, a gutsy lady in her middle 50’s, was entertaining me, a customer when I visited the town’s local food fair. Aunty Mar, as she is fondly known, soon became a very close friend of mine, as we discovered that we share similar interests. Our conversations, I discovered, were always peppered with thoughtful insights and new experiences.
Aunty Marlia was often in high spirits and she was always exuberant. There was an ever-present twinkle in her brown eyes, which were slightly faded due to her age. Her hair tightly twisted into a bun exuding an air of confidence. She warm smile and girlish giggle would be my undying memory of this fascinating lady. I always wondered how she could have so much enthusiasm for life. No one would have guessed she was over 50 and diagnosed with the fatal disease that is cancer.
While most cancer victims would wallow in self-pity over their sickness and wait for death, Aunty Marlia would not let her last days be filled with sorrows and regrets. She spent most of her time praying and reciting the Quran, reading the Hadiths and other religious books in order to become a better muslim. She believes that nobody is too old to learn and better themselves even though she realized that her end was near. In addition, this courageous woman, while suffering and battling cancer, never stopped from exploring the boundaries of her creativity and helping to alleviate the sufferings of other unfortunate souls she came across every day.
Aunty Marlia had a warm, giving spirit. She would welcome anyone or any animal who needed her help. For instance, one day she found a kitten caught in the middle of a very busy road. Without thinking of her own safety, she walked boldly to the centre of the road, took the kitten in one hand and gestured (like a traffic policeman) with another hand to stop the traffic.
Besides reading, another passion that was ‘very close to her heart,’ was helping out in charity work and getting involved in non -governmental organization. She even gained public recognition in this aspect when she single handedly set up a home for homeless old people. She was also the main player in the ‘hot food from a friend’ program, where, through public donations and left over supplies from restaurants, cook hot meals to be distributed to homeless people regardless of race and religious affiliation.
I admire Aunty Marlia because she lived her life to the fullest. After knowing of her sickness she took each day of her life as it was and never complained about how cruel life was to her. She taught me that life did not end with death. When her earthly body finally succumbed to cancer last year, she could still joke about how she would look if all her hair were to fall, leaving her bald! In our last conversation, she told me that she was not sorry nor sad to go, for she had lived life to the fullest.
Narrative essay:
Write a composition which begins with “It was a bleak Sunday …………………..”
It was a bleak Sunday. Adiba had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks a deep crimson. She was crouched behind her bed. Suddenly images of what had happened the day before crossed her mind. Again her eyes became blurred and tears of pain trickled down her cheeks. She brushed away her tears but suddenly stopped. Her cheeks were bruised. It hurts when she tried to touch it. “Why me?” Adiba asked herself in a whisper in between sobs. “What have I done wrong? Why do I have to be beaten every other day? Why can’t I be like Dina and Linda whose parents have been showering with love and affection?” “Don’t I too deserved to be loved?,” she asked herself. After sobbing her heart out, Adiba got up and decided to wash her face to erase all signs of her crying. “I must be strong. It may be bleak now but I am sure that the future will be different for me,” she assured herself.
After washing up and taking a bath, Adiba looked at herself in the mirror. She expected to see a dull, lifeless girl. But no!, to her surprise she saw a rather pretty, rosy cheeked girl with a pair of almond shape eyes that displayed a soft, shy character. Feeling rather satisfied with her appearance, she plucked up enough courage to step out of her room and looked for something to eat. She walked out slowly but stopped abruptly. Her stepfather was snoozing on a worn out sofa in the far side of the hall, the fan was functioning at top speed. As quietly as a mouse, she tip-toed into the kitchen and hurriedly looked through the shelves and opened the cupboards in search of food. But to her dismay, there was nothing that could fill her growling stomach, not even a piece of bread. She had not eaten for a day but only drunk three glasses of water.
She opened the fridge door and to her relieved found a plate of noodles. As she was gobbling down the food, she accidentally dropped the plate. It crashed into a thousand pieces and what was worse; the crashing sound woke her stepfather Abu. Abu woke up, groggy from his slumber. He walked hastily into the kitchen to check on the source of disturbance that had rudely awaken him. He growled in anger when he saw Adiba standing near the fridge looking as white as a corpse. Abu’s voice thundered and his spanking was as fast and hurtful falling on Adiba’s small frail physique. She fell to the floor but Abu continued to hit her with his big dirty hand.
“Is she alright?” Adiba opened her eyes to the unfamiliar voice of concern. “Oh! Thank God, you are alright!” Puan Sabrina held Adiba’s hands to her chest. “Don’t worry, your monster stepfather will not hurt you anymore. The police has put him in their custody and I’m sure he will be incarcerated for a very long time.” Puan Sabrina said. A sense of love and pity could be clearly seen in her eyes. “Do you want to stay with me and be my daughter?” She asked Adiba. “Yes, I would love to,” was Adiba’s reply. Puan Sabrina hugged Adiba and they hugged for a long long time.
Writing a piece of essay requires specific procedures. A student needs to understand that his/her composition will be read by someone (a teacher or an examiner), as such, attention must be given in creating a piece of work that is interesting and arresting so that the teacher or examiner will not find it a ‘chore’ when reading the composition.
These are steps that a student needs to take into consideration when attempting to write a piece of composition:
1) Choose a suitable title – a suitable title means that students should choose a title he /she is capable of doing. A student should have at least 4 or more points to write about and elaborate before attempting to write about the title.
2) Brainstorm for ideas – brainstorming should be conducted once a student chooses a title. Brainstorming need not be in a particular manner. Some students prefer to do mind-mapping, some writing points in a linear fashion, some only think about the title (but I would advise that you, at least, write down the points so that you would not forget what you have been thinking).
3) Elaborate on each point – at this juncture, it would be helpful if you also think and write down how each point is going to be elaborated. Use examples, instances, anecdotes and even dialogues to emphasize the particular point. The more elaboration the better will your reader understands your work.
Note* (some of my students lamented to me that they do not have enough materials and ideas to write on and as a consequence could not write an essay that suffice the examination requirement. I advised them to utilize examples, anecdotes and elaborations as a way to lengthen the composition)
4) Write a draft. Often students start writing on the answer paper right away. I feel that this is not advisable because students may realize that they have missed a point or did not elaborate on a point. If they were to squeeze extra lines in between the sentences, the paper will be untidy and the examiner will not find it amusing reading scribbling made by students.
5) Reread the draft for any mistake in spelling, grammar and punctuation even paragraphing because these aspects will be looked into when the examiner determines what band you should be in. Make sure you put in a few interesting vocabulary like phrasal verbs, idioms, proverbs, sayings, famous quotes or even scientific vocabulary. This is to add zest to your composition as a way to impress your examiner.
6) Writing out the composition. Be sure to use your best handwriting. I would advise my students to use double space when writing so as to make it easier for examiners to read through your composition. Writing should be legible and use dark coloured ink, for instance, blue black or black ink pen.
Model Composition
Type: Descriptive
Describe a person you admire.
“Hahaha!” Aunty Marlia’s laughter reverberated as we chatted merrily, while feasting on homemade Malay ‘kueh’ and hot tea. I could not help but contribute my own guffaws to her delighted little peals of laughter.
It was her infectious laughter and sparkling eyes that first caught my attention when I met her two years ago. Aunty Marlia, a gutsy lady in her middle 50’s, was entertaining me, a customer when I visited the town’s local food fair. Aunty Mar, as she is fondly known, soon became a very close friend of mine, as we discovered that we share similar interests. Our conversations, I discovered, were always peppered with thoughtful insights and new experiences.
Aunty Marlia was often in high spirits and she was always exuberant. There was an ever-present twinkle in her brown eyes, which were slightly faded due to her age. Her hair tightly twisted into a bun exuding an air of confidence. She warm smile and girlish giggle would be my undying memory of this fascinating lady. I always wondered how she could have so much enthusiasm for life. No one would have guessed she was over 50 and diagnosed with the fatal disease that is cancer.
While most cancer victims would wallow in self-pity over their sickness and wait for death, Aunty Marlia would not let her last days be filled with sorrows and regrets. She spent most of her time praying and reciting the Quran, reading the Hadiths and other religious books in order to become a better muslim. She believes that nobody is too old to learn and better themselves even though she realized that her end was near. In addition, this courageous woman, while suffering and battling cancer, never stopped from exploring the boundaries of her creativity and helping to alleviate the sufferings of other unfortunate souls she came across every day.
Aunty Marlia had a warm, giving spirit. She would welcome anyone or any animal who needed her help. For instance, one day she found a kitten caught in the middle of a very busy road. Without thinking of her own safety, she walked boldly to the centre of the road, took the kitten in one hand and gestured (like a traffic policeman) with another hand to stop the traffic.
Besides reading, another passion that was ‘very close to her heart,’ was helping out in charity work and getting involved in non -governmental organization. She even gained public recognition in this aspect when she single handedly set up a home for homeless old people. She was also the main player in the ‘hot food from a friend’ program, where, through public donations and left over supplies from restaurants, cook hot meals to be distributed to homeless people regardless of race and religious affiliation.
I admire Aunty Marlia because she lived her life to the fullest. After knowing of her sickness she took each day of her life as it was and never complained about how cruel life was to her. She taught me that life did not end with death. When her earthly body finally succumbed to cancer last year, she could still joke about how she would look if all her hair were to fall, leaving her bald! In our last conversation, she told me that she was not sorry nor sad to go, for she had lived life to the fullest.
Narrative essay:
Write a composition which begins with “It was a bleak Sunday …………………..”
It was a bleak Sunday. Adiba had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and red, her cheeks a deep crimson. She was crouched behind her bed. Suddenly images of what had happened the day before crossed her mind. Again her eyes became blurred and tears of pain trickled down her cheeks. She brushed away her tears but suddenly stopped. Her cheeks were bruised. It hurts when she tried to touch it. “Why me?” Adiba asked herself in a whisper in between sobs. “What have I done wrong? Why do I have to be beaten every other day? Why can’t I be like Dina and Linda whose parents have been showering with love and affection?” “Don’t I too deserved to be loved?,” she asked herself. After sobbing her heart out, Adiba got up and decided to wash her face to erase all signs of her crying. “I must be strong. It may be bleak now but I am sure that the future will be different for me,” she assured herself.
After washing up and taking a bath, Adiba looked at herself in the mirror. She expected to see a dull, lifeless girl. But no!, to her surprise she saw a rather pretty, rosy cheeked girl with a pair of almond shape eyes that displayed a soft, shy character. Feeling rather satisfied with her appearance, she plucked up enough courage to step out of her room and looked for something to eat. She walked out slowly but stopped abruptly. Her stepfather was snoozing on a worn out sofa in the far side of the hall, the fan was functioning at top speed. As quietly as a mouse, she tip-toed into the kitchen and hurriedly looked through the shelves and opened the cupboards in search of food. But to her dismay, there was nothing that could fill her growling stomach, not even a piece of bread. She had not eaten for a day but only drunk three glasses of water.
She opened the fridge door and to her relieved found a plate of noodles. As she was gobbling down the food, she accidentally dropped the plate. It crashed into a thousand pieces and what was worse; the crashing sound woke her stepfather Abu. Abu woke up, groggy from his slumber. He walked hastily into the kitchen to check on the source of disturbance that had rudely awaken him. He growled in anger when he saw Adiba standing near the fridge looking as white as a corpse. Abu’s voice thundered and his spanking was as fast and hurtful falling on Adiba’s small frail physique. She fell to the floor but Abu continued to hit her with his big dirty hand.
“Is she alright?” Adiba opened her eyes to the unfamiliar voice of concern. “Oh! Thank God, you are alright!” Puan Sabrina held Adiba’s hands to her chest. “Don’t worry, your monster stepfather will not hurt you anymore. The police has put him in their custody and I’m sure he will be incarcerated for a very long time.” Puan Sabrina said. A sense of love and pity could be clearly seen in her eyes. “Do you want to stay with me and be my daughter?” She asked Adiba. “Yes, I would love to,” was Adiba’s reply. Puan Sabrina hugged Adiba and they hugged for a long long time.
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