SPM Section D

Know your text

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

This week, we will look at the last question in Section D of the 1119 English paper. Question 34, which is based on the novels studied, carries 15 marks – 10 for content and 5 for language. It is quite easy to obtain marks for this question if you know your text well.

Knowing the text means knowing the plot, characters, themes, moral values and messages or lessons conveyed.

Knowing the plot means knowing the events, the sequence of events and details of the events. You should know what causes an event to occur. You should also know whether an event triggers other events and the effect an event or events on characters.

Knowing the characters means knowing the people in the story. You should focus on their characteristics – their physical, emotional and mental attributes. We learn about a character from what the author says about him or her, what other people say about him or her, or we may have to infer these characteristics from the character’s behaviour, actions or thoughts. Make sure you know your text well enough and are able to provide relevant and accurate information to support a point you make about a character.

Knowing the themes means knowing the main ideas that are conveyed in the novel. A theme is usually expressed as a statement about life. Some themes are explicit while most are implied, which means that they are not revealed directly.

Likewise, moral values or lessons may be conveyed explicitly or be implied.

An analysis of the aspects tested since 2004

GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERING QUESTION ON THE NOVEL

Read the question carefully. Ask yourself what is required of you. Underline key words or phrases in the question so that you cover every aspect required.

Spend about five minutes planning your answer. A well-planned answer is one which is thought out and organised. Points are clearly advanced and the line of thought or argument is easy to follow. In other words, the answer should be smooth flowing. There is no irrelevant information or deviation from the question. Your answer should have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Do pay attention to paragraphing. You may leave a line between paragraphs.

Display a sound knowledge of, and engagement with the novel. Provide relevant details to support your answer. Do not make the mistake of merely retelling the story. Remember, the examiners have read the texts. What they want to see is your engagement with the text.

As this is a language paper, focus on using correct language. Use simple sentences if you cannot handle complex structures. What is important is that you convey your ideas clearly. Do pay attention to spelling and punctuation, and write neatly and legibly. When we respond to literary texts, we usually use the present tense but if this is not possible, you may respond in the past tense. The important thing is to be consistent.

Be careful when answering questions on moral values. Many students confuse characteristics with values. If a character is brave, the value is bravery. Likewise, if a character is wise, the value is wisdom. Remember to use adjectives for character traits and nouns for values. Do not mistake negative values for moral messages. Students have been known to say that one of the moral values or messages in The Pearl is greed. The value/ message conveyed is one should not be greedy.

Let’s consider the strengths of the answer. The answer is well structured.

It has an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

The introductory paragraph conveys the idea that there are several lessons to be learnt from the novel but only one lesson is chosen as required by the question and that lesson is that we should not be greedy. The next sentence conveys what greed can do to a person.

Before the effects of greed are discussed, it is important to mention briefly what Kino’s life was like before the discovery of the pearl.

This is to show how Kino and his life changed as a result of desiring something to the extent that he misplaces his priorities. The paragraphs which follow convey the problems and losses that poor Kino has had to suffer.

The conclusion conveys the idea that Kino too realises how wrong he was and that Steinbeck had deliberately given the story a sad ending so that we, the readers, can learn something from this tragic tale.

Remember, this is only a sample answer.

This is not the only way to write an answer.

Common pitfalls

Some candidates do not read the question carefully. In this question, for instance, you are asked for one lesson but some candidates have been known to write about more than one lesson. This clearly shows failure to understand the requirements of the question.

Some candidates tend to retell the story. As mentioned earlier, the examiners have read the text. There is no need for you to narrate the story.

Some candidates also show that they have no clear understanding of the text. They only know about some events, and not in detail at that. This is due to not reading the text. It is important for you to read the text several times so that you know the story well. Also, you may gain new insights every time you read the text. Good luck!

This is the last segment of the SPM English series.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT A SAMPLE QUESTION.

Write about a lesson you have learned from the novel you have studied. Support your answer with details from the text.

The novel The Pearl by John Steinbeck conveys several lessons to the readers. One lesson which I have learnt is that we should not be greedy. This is because greed is a destructive force.

Initially, Kino is a happy and contented man although he is poor. He is not bothered by the lack of material comfort in his life. His only material possessions are a canoe and his brush house.

However, when he finds the pearl he becomes ambitious. He desires things which he has never considered before. He wants new clothes for himself, Juana and Coyotito. He also wants to marry Juana in a church. He wants a harpoon and a rifle. Most importantly he wants an education for his son, Coyotito.

However, his desire for these things soon becomes an obsession. When he is attacked the first time, Juana advises him to get rid of the pearl because she believes that the attack was triggered by the pearl. He refuses to listen to Juana and is adamant on keeping the pearl. When he is attacked a second time, Juana again tells him to throw the pearl away but he refuses to listen. He is intent on getting a better life for himself and his family.

Unfortunately, after these attacks, he becomes suspicious of everyone. When Juana quietly creeps out of the house to throw the pearl away, he follows her and is able to stop her before she flings the pearl out into the sea. Angry, he lashes out at her and beats her viciously, punching her in the face and kicking her in the stomach. His determination to keep the pearl makes him lose his senses. He beats up the one person who has been very supportive of him.

Things become worse for him when he accidentally kills a man in the third attack.

The people who are after the pearl are also driven by greed. They too become destructive. They destroy his canoe and burn his brush house. Kino, knowing that his life and that of his family’s are at stake, has no choice but to flee. He heads towards the mountains and he is pursued by three trackers who will stop at nothing to get hold of the pearl. The pursuit ends with Kino killing all three trackers.

Unfortunately, his son Coyotito is also killed by a stray bullet.

LITERATURE

Literature made easy

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

Section D of the 1119 English paper focuses on the literature component and carries 25 marks. All in, there are 3 questions: Question 32, 33 and 34. Questions 32 and 33 carry 5 marks each while Question 34, which is on the novels, carries 15 marks. By now, you should be familiar with the six poems, five short stories and one of the three prescribed novels. The literature component is not as difficult as it seems. You need to know and understand all your texts well. Do not focus on a few selected ones as it is difficult to pinpoint which poem or short story will be tested. You must engage with them on a personal level. If you are able to respond to the texts by bringing in your own knowledge and experiences, you will be able to have a better understanding of them.

Do discuss the texts with your teacher and friends. Do not be upset if your interpretation is different from someone else’s. Remember, no two people will have exactly the same interpretations. What is important is that you should be able to prove your interpretations with textual evidence. You might have noticed that there is a common thread among some of the texts.

For instance, the idea of having to make choices and its consequences is explored not only in the poem The Road Not Taken but also in the short story The Necklace and the novel The Pearl. Mathilde Loisel could have told her friend Madame Forrestier the truth but she chooses not to.

As a result she endures ten years of hardship. Likewise, Kino chooses to keep the pearl despite his wife’s warnings and loses everything in the end.

Below is an analysis of the texts tested since 2004:

Guidelines for tackling poems and short stories

· Read and understand all the six poems and five short stories.

· Pay close attention to the language used by the writer to convey his ideas and thoughts.

· With short stories, make sure you know the plot well. Also, focus on characterisation, themes, values and messages conveyed by the writer.

· With the poems, make sure you understand the literal/denotative meaning as well as the figurative/connotative meaning. The former is the dictionary meaning while the latter is the inferred or implied meaning.

· There is no harm in knowing some of the common literary devices (metaphors, similes, personification, onomatopoeia) employed in the short stories and poems.

· Remember, the answers to the first three questions on the poem and short story can be found in the extract given.

· The fourth question is usually a personal response question and the answer is teased out of candidates. This means you need to know the poem or story well in order to tackle this question. (This is where engaging with the texts is important).

Let’s look at some sample questions.

Drinking milo,
Nyonya and baba sit at home.
This was forty years ago.
Sarong-wrapped they counted
Silver paper for the dead,
Portraits of grandfathers
Hung always in the parlour.

a. Where are nyonya and baba?

at home [1 mark]

b. What are they doing?

counting silver paper for the dead [1 mark]

c. Which word means ancestors?

grandfathers [1 mark]

d. Do you think it is important for us to remember our ancestors?

Give a reason for your answer

Yes, because they are an important part of our past/ we should respect the for what they have done for us/we would not be here if not for our ancestors

No, there is no point in remembering our ancestors as we should concentrate on our present

[2 marks]

*Any answer that is logical is acceptable here

Reading Tennyson at six
p.m. in pajamas,
Listening to down-pouring
rain; the air ticks
With gnats, black spiders fly,
Moths sweep out of our rooms
Where termites built
Their hills of eggs and queens zoom
In heat.
We wash our feet.
For bed, watch mother uncoil
Her snake hair

a. What is the persona wearing?

Pyjamas [1 mark]

b. Which phrase tells you that it is raining?

down-pouring rain [1 mark]

c. Name one creature that comes out of hiding during the monsoon season.

gnats/black spiders/moths/termites [1 mark]

d. In your own words, explain what the speaker means when she says ‘watch mother uncoil her snake hair’?

She notices that her mother’s long hair uncoils like a snake when it is untied [2 marks]

See if you can answer the following questions on the short stories.

But one Sunday, having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh herself after the labours of the week, she suddenly saw a woman who was leading a child. It was Madame Forestier, still young, still beautiful, still charming.

Madame Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not?

a. Why did Madame Loisel go for a walk at the Champs Elysees?

To refresh herself (after the labours of the week) [1 mark]

The answer is found in the line “… having gone to take a walk in the Champs Elysees to refresh herself after the labours of the week…”,

b. Who does the word her in the extract refer to?

Madame Forestier [1 mark]

The answer is found in the line before the reference “Madame Loisel felt moved. Should she speak to her?”

c. What can you conclude about Madame Loisel’s feelings about having settled the debt?

She is pleased that she has settled the debt/There is a sense of pride in

having settled the debt. [1 mark]

You have to conclude this from the lines “Should she speak to her? Yes, certainly. And now that she had paid, she would tell her all about it. Why not?”

d. Do you think it was right of Madame Loisel to speak to Madame Forestier?

Give a reason for your answer.

Yes, I think she did the right thing because she had nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

or

No, speaking to Madame Forestier only revealed that the ten years of her life

had been wasted because the necklace had been an imitation. [2 marks]

*Any answer that is logical is acceptable here

Remember the answers to the first three questions can be found in the extract. Only the fourth question requires some interpretation/reflection on your part.

SUMMARY WRITING

More on summary writing

LAST week, we had a look at reading comprehension and summary writing. Here is question 31 which could not be included in last week’s article due to space constraints.

31. Based on the passage given, write a summary on:

> the reasons the writer and her husband migrated to Malaya, and

> the problems the writer and her husband faced in Malaya.

Credit will be given for use of own words but care must be taken not to change the original meaning.

Your summary must:

> be in continuous writing form (not note form)

> use materials from lines 21 to 46

> not be longer than 130 words including the 10 words given below.

Begin your summary as follows:

My husband felt that migrating to Malaya was the only ...

Answers to summary writing

Below are the sentences taken from the passage, and the summary points are in italics.

First uncle had mortgaged the land to a local bank many years ago when the crops had failed.

He was too old to work the farm alone and my husband was not interested in farming at all, having spent most of his growing years in Malaya.

Worse still, due to the outstanding mortgage payments first uncle was heavily in debt and

the banks had refused to give the farmers any more loans

My husband often left me alone because he had to work outstation.

I was extremely lonely as I had no one to talk to.

Our only neighbours were some Malay families and I could not talk to them because I did not understand a word of the local language

In those days, there was no electricity supply.

The wooden house we lived in had no piped water, either

For a while, we led a quiet and happy life that is, until the tin mine ceased operations and my husband lost his job

After three months, my husband had still not found a job.

He finally gave in to the demands of second uncle and his wife.

My husband had to scrub the drains and

cut the grass on their five acre piece of land

Meanwhile, I had to do all the tedious household chores.

Here is a sample summary using phrases and sentences from the passage.

My husband felt that migrating to Malaya was the only solution because his uncle had mortgaged the land (reason 1) and he was heavily in debt (reason 2). Moreover, the banks had refused to give farmers any more loans (reason 3). Besides, my husband was not interested in farming (reason 4). However, life in Malaya was just as difficult. My husband often left me alone (problem 1) when he had to work outstation. I was extremely lonely (problem 2). I had no one to talk to as I did not understand the local language (problem 3). Worse still, there was no electricity supply (problem 4) or piped water (problem 5). Things became worse when my husband lost his job at the tin mine (problem 6). We had no choice but to move to Kuala Lumpur. After three months, my husband was still without a job (problem 7).

(125 words)

SECTION C SPM ENGLISH

Substantial Section C

SPM English by JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

Today we will take a look at Section C of the SPM 1119 paper. This section, which carries a substantial 25 marks, is divided into two parts, reading comprehension and summary writing. 10 marks are allocated for reading comprehension and 15 marks for summary writing.

Guidelines for reading comprehension

1. Read the whole passage through once to get a general idea of what the passage is about. Do not worry if you come across unfamiliar words. Sometimes, it is not necessary to understand every word you read.

2. Do read the passage a second time, if necessary. The second reading helps you take in the details and improve your understanding.

3. Read the questions carefully. Use cue words in the questions to help you answer the questions. These can be the “wh” words (what, when, where, why, who, whose, how) and action verbs (identify, find, list).

4. Questions sometimes contain words found in the passage. Use these words to help you identify the part of the passage where the answer can be found.

5. You do not have to answer questions in complete sentences (look at the sample answers given).

6. You can lift words, clauses or sentences from the passage to answer questions. You do not have to use your own words unless you are told to do so. Moreover, there is a danger in paraphrasing – you might alter/distort the meaning expressed in the passage and hence lose precious marks.

7. For questions on vocabulary, if you are asked for a word, then give only ONE word and nothing else. Make sure you spell the word correctly. If you are asked for a phrase, then give the relevant phrase. If you copy the sentence where the word or phrase are found, you must indicate the chosen word or phrase by underlining it or putting it within quotation marks.

8. Some questions require you to use your own words and you must do so.

9. Do pay attention to the tense (and sometimes pronoun) used in the questions when formulating your answers.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Do not give more than the required information. Sometimes, students copy chunks from a passage, giving two or more sentences. This only highlights their weakness – failure to understand the question and/or text.

2. Do not give two or more answers to a question. Some students write down all the possible answers to a question just to be on the safe side.

3. Do not waste time paraphrasing answers unless you are asked to do so.

Summary writing

The question on summary writing is based on the same text used for reading comprehension. This should be a boon as you would be familiar with the text after several readings. Despite this, many students are not comfortable dealing with summary writing.Their fears stem from their inability to identify informtation relevant to the answer. Some are also worried that they may not be able to put the information together into a coherent paragraph. Weak students have an additional problem to grapple with – language. While these concerns are genuine, there is no reason to fret as these problems can be easily overcome with proper guidance and help from teachers.

Remember that summary writing in the context of this paper is largely a reading skill (as you are required to select relevant information in the text) with a bit of writing thrown in (as you have to string the points together into a unified text). The task is made easier for you as you do not need to summarise the whole text, only certain aspects (maybe one or two). Therefore, it is crucial that you read the question carefully and consider what information is relevant.

The allocation of marks for summary writing is as follows: 10 for content and 5 for language. Usually, there are more than 10 content points but you should be able to identify at least 10. I always advise students not to worry too much about paraphrasing. You should focus on getting marks for content, not language.

Guidelines for summary writing:

1. Read the question carefully. Ask yourself: “What am I required to summarise?”

2. Mark the first and last lines of the passage you are asked to refer to.

3. Then select information that is relevant to your answer. To do this, underline the relevant lines or ideas as you read the text. Always ask yourself: “Is this...” (For the summary below, you would ask: “Is this a reason tigers have become extinct? or Is this a measure that should be implemented?”

4. Look through the lines/ideas you have underlined. Sometimes an idea is repeated in another line by way of paraphrasing. Ask yourself, is this a repetition?

5. Summarise these ideas. You can combine ideas by combining phrases or sentences, or you may want to paraphrase ideas/sentences. However, make sure your sentences are complete sentences and not fractured bits and pieces.

6. If you cannot paraphrase ideas, see if there are words in the text that you can replace without affecting meaning. For example, you can use a pronoun to replace a noun.

7. If you are a weak student, do copy the complete sentence. This way, you will not lose marks for content or language.

8. Begin the summary with the 10 words given and remember that the three dots after the tenth word mean you have to complete the sentence with some relevant information from the text.

9. Organise the ideas/points in the manner in which they are found in the text. Do not waste time trying to rearrange ideas.

10. Adhere to the word limit. Writing more than the required number of words will not get you any marks. Anything far too short of the word limit means you lack content.

11. Pay attention to the tense (and sometimes pronoun) used in the given 10 words.

12. Write the summary in one paragraph. Some students are in the habit of drawing columns to facilitate counting of words. This is perfectly fine but do write your final draft in one paragraph.

Pitfalls to avoid

1. Do not include information not found in the text.

2. Do not include your own ideas or opinions.

3. Do not spend too much time paraphrasing as you might end up losing marks for content unless you can do so without altering/distorting meaning.

4. Do not repeat ideas. Sometimes, an idea is repeated in the text and you may not notice it as it may have been paraphrased.

5. Do not include material from other lines in the text.

SENTENCES

Writing sentences

SPM ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

AS promised last week, we will take a look at sentence types this week.

At the SPM level and beyond, it is crucial that you have some knowledge of the basic sentence types in English.

This is because your choice of sentence types reflects on your ability and maturity as a writer.

For example, if you use only simple sentences in your writing, your writing will not only sound monotonous but also choppy and immature.

Generally, English sentences can be categorised into four types - simple, compound, complex and compound-complex.

A simple sentence, which is also called an independent clause, contains one complete idea.

This sentence can be short or long, depending on the idea that is being conveyed.

Examples:

Vincent walks to school.
Vincent and Edward walk to school.

(This sentence is not a compound sentence as it expresses only one idea i.e. Vincent and Edward walk to school although it contains the conjunction ‘and’)

Edward met me at the train station.
Edward met me at the dilapidated train station near his house at 2 p.m.

(As you can see the second sentence is longer than the first sentence but they are both simple sentences as they express only one idea)

A compound sentence contains two independent clauses that are joined by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so).

You may use the mnemonic FANBOYS to remember these as each letter represents the initial letter of these conjunctions.

Both the ideas in a compound sentence are related and of equal importance.

Examples:

I watched a movie and my sister did the crossword puzzle.
Kenny wanted to play football but it started raining.
Mary was very happy with the tour guide, so she gave him a big tip.

A complex sentence contains:

one independent clause and
one or more subordinate clauses.

These clauses are connected by subordinating conjunctions or subordinators such as because, although, since, after, when, despite etc. or a relative pronoun such as that, who or which

Let’s take a look at some examples.

Example 1:
I enjoyed the cake that you baked.

In the sentence above, I enjoyed the cake is an independent clause.

An independent clause is a clause that can stand on its own. In other words, it is a complete sentence by itself.

that you baked is a subordinate clause or a dependent clause. A subordinate clause cannot stand alone on its own. It is like an incomplete sentence.

Example 2:
Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was our first Prime Minister, was born in Kedah.

In the sentence above two ideas are combined together. They are:

Tuanku Abdul Rahman was born in Kedah.
He was our first Prime Minister.
Tunku Abdul Rahman was born in Kedah
is an independent clause.
who was our first Prime Minister is a
subordinate clause.

Like a simple sentence, a complex sentence can be short or long as shown in the examples below.

He felt that he was not ready for marriage.
I agreed with her that the blue dress was pretty although I personally felt that it was hideous, to say the least.

A compound - complex sentence contains at least:

two independent clauses and
one or more dependent clauses. These clauses are connected by both coordinating conjunctions and subordinators.

Example 1:
I felt guilty about lying to him, so I
apologised when I finally had the chance.

The sentence above consists of the following clauses:

I felt guilty about lying to him. (independent clause)
I apologised to him. (independent clause)
when I finally had the chance. (dependent clause)

They have been combined using a coordinating conjunction ‘and’ and a subordinator ‘when’

Example 2:
Despite our mutual dislike for each other, we had to put aside our differences and make sure the project was a success because both our careers depended on it.

In the above sentence, several ideas have been combined together. They are:

We disliked each other.
We had to put aside our differences.
We had to make sure the project was a success
Both our careers depended on it.

The ideas have been combined using the following clauses:

Despite our mutual dislike for each other (dependent clause)
we had to put aside our differences (independent clause)
(and) make sure the project was a success (independent clause)
(because) both our careers depended on it. (independent clause)

Other examples:

My sister, who looks like a film star, has won numerous beauty competitions and appeared in several television advertisements.
The proposal, which Mandy had improved on over the weekend, was presented to the directors, but it was rejected because it was too costly.

Sentence Structures

Another important aspect of writing that you should pay attention to is how to write a variety of sentence structures. To be able to do this, you need to know that there are numerous ways of organising words to form a sentence. You also need to understand some basic structures in the English Language and how to use these structures to achieve the effect you want. However, this is something which cannot be learnt overnight but you can learn this to a large extent through extensive reading.

Look at the following structures. All three convey the same idea.

My grandfather is 78 years old and he is an active man.
Although my grandfather is 78 years old, he is an active man.
Despite being 78 years old, my grandfather is an active man.

Here’s another example.

Liza was the eldest and she had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities.
Being the eldest, Liza had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities.
Liza had to shoulder a lot of responsibilities as she was the eldest.

Try to express the following ideas in as many ways as you can.

1. It had rained non-stop for three days and Amir’s village was flooded.

2. The sudden storm caused terrible destruction as many trees were uprooted and roofs of houses blown off.

3. Nazmi refused to admit that he was wrong and this only made his parents angrier.

4. Myra is a gifted child as she can solve Year Six Mathematics problems easily.

5. The movie, Terrible Teens, did very well although it projected teens negatively.

You can check your answers with your teachers or your friends.

FORMAL LETTER SPM

Writing a formal letter

SPM ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

WRITING a formal letter can be difficult for some students but with the right guidance and some practice it can be made easy.

When writing a formal letter, you must pay attention to the format/layout of the letter. Besides, you must also keep it short and to the point.

Also, make sure your points or ideas are well-presented. Most importantly, pay attention to the tone and language. A formal letter must be polite.

There is no need to be rude even if you are expressing your unhappiness or dissatisfaction. Remember, you should not use informal language or contractions in a letter of this nature.

These days there are several formats available for writing formal letters but we will only look at the format which is used in Malaysian government departments and taught in the Malaysian school system.

Guidelines for Writing a Formal Letter

1. Your address

• Your address should appear on the
• left-hand corner.

2. A horizontal line across the page sepa rates your address from the recipient’s address.

3. Address of the person to whom you are writing

• The recipient’s address should be
• below your address.
• The postcode and name of the town should be underlined.

4. Date

• The date is written on the right along the same line as the last line of the recipient’s address.
• The month should be spelt out (i.e. it should be in words, not numbers). It must be written in full (do not use abbreviations such as Sept) and in capital letters.

5. Salutation/Greeting

• If you know the name of the recipient, then do use his surname (Dear Mr Tan)
• If you do not know the name of the person to whom you are writing, then use Dear Sir or Madam

6. Subject heading

• The subject heading gives the reader an idea what the letter is about.
• Write the subject heading directly below the salutation and it should be underlined

7. The body of the letter

• The body of the letter refers to the contents of your letter.
• It should be divided into short and clear paragraphs.
• All paragraphs should be numbered except for the first and last paragraphs.

a. In the first paragraph, you should state the reason for writing (whether it is to inform, to complain, to invite etc).

b. From the second paragraph onwards, you should include information that is deemed necessary, depending on what you are writing about.

The number of paragraphs depends on what you are writing.

c. In the last paragraph, state what you expect from the recipient. This is usually in the form of an action or response. It is a common practice to end a formal letter with phrases such as I look forward to hearing from you or I hope prompt action will be taken to solve this problem.

A note of thanks is usually included

• Remember to organise the information in a clear and logical manner.
• Also, do not write lengthy paragraphs.

8. Ending

• You can end the letter by writing “Yours faithfully”.
• In practice, we usually use “Yours
• sincerely”, if we know the recipient but for exam purposes I would advise you to use only “Yours faithfully”.

9. Signature

Do not forget to sign the letter and write your name below it in capital letters with in brackets.

Above is a letter of job application. The numbers refer to the notes above.

Read the sample question below

You are the Secretary of the Residents’ Association in your housing estate. Write a letter to the director of the local municipal council to complain about the problems you and the other residents are facing.

In your letter, include the details below:

■ rubbish not collected

• causes terrible stench


• stray cats and dogs scatter rubbish

■ clogged drains

• breeding ground for mosquitoes


• increase in cases of dengue fever

■ street lights not working

• cause accidents at night


• increase in crime

■ playground not well- maintained

• overgrown grass


• playground equipment damaged

When writing your letter, you should remember to:

• set it out in the correct format


• include all the points given


• address the letter to the director of the local municipal council

---

Rajvind Gill,
10, Jalan Jujur,
Taman Jayadiri,
68000 Ampang,
Selangor

The Director,
Ampang Jaya Municipal Council,
Bangunan Mentari,
Ampang Jaya,
68000
SELANGOR.

15 SEPTEMBER 2009

Dear Sir,

Poor Maintenance of Taman Jayadiri

I am writing this letter on behalf of the residents of Taman Jayadiri to complain about the dismal conditions we have been putting up with for the past three months.

2. One of the main grouses of the residents concerns uncollected rubbish (point 1). Initially, rubbish was collected three times a week. However, since June this year the garbage collectors have only been coming once a week. Our litter bins are always filled to the brim and we have no choice but to leave our bags of rubbish next to the bins. The rotting waste causes a terrible stench (point 2). Worse still, stray cats and dogs scatter the rubbish (point 3) while looking for food. This is not only unpleasant but also unhealthy.

3. Most of the drains in Taman Jayadiri are clogged (point 4) with rubbish resulting in the water becoming stagnant. It is not uncommon to see plastic bags, bottles and dry leaves in these drains. There is an urgent need to clear these drains as the stagnant water is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes (point 5). The residents are worried as there has been a sharp increase in dengue cases (point 6) in the last two months.

4. The street lights along several roads are also not working (point 7). This has caused several accidents at night (point 8), mostly involving motorcyclists as they are unable to see in the dark. Unfortunately, the dark streets have also led to another problem – an increase in crime (point 9). Several residents, especially women, have fallen victim to snatch thieves.

5. The one and only playground in our area is also not well-maintained (point 10). The grass is overgrown (point 11) as it has not been cut for almost three months. Besides, the playground equipment is damaged (point 12). Many of the see-saws and swings have been spoiled by vandals.

I hope the council will look into our complaints and take prompt action to solve our problems.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

RajvindGill
(RAJVIND GILL)

LETTER WRITING

Writing letters the right way

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

This week we will take a look at letter writing. Generally, students are taught to write two types of letters – formal letters and informal letters. Informal letters are easier to write in terms of format, language and tone. These letters are sometimes called social or friendly letters. Examples of informal letters include letters to family members and friends.

When writing an informal letter, remember to use the right format. There are several formats for informal letters, but some of these are not accepted in the Malaysian exam system and I will not discuss them here.

In the Malaysian school system, students are taught to:

> include the writer’s address and date in the upper right hand corner. The date can be written in different forms. (7th September 2009, 7 SEPTEMBER 2009 or 7.9.2009)

> use the most common salutation. (Dear John)

> indent paragraphs.

> include a suitable complimentary close. (Your loving daughter)

Do not use ‘Regards’ as it is considered slightly more formal and distant.

Also, do not use ‘Best Wishes’ as this is considered inappropriate.

> use proper punctuation.

For example, a comma should be used after the salutation and complimentary close.

> use capitalisation where necessary.

For example, the month of the date (10 January 2009), the salutation (Dear Maria)

Under normal circumstances, it is perfectly acceptable to use informal language (e.g. stuff, jam-packed) and contractions (I’ll, won’t) in an informal letter, but this is usually not acceptable in the local examination system.

Let’s look at some important aspects of an informal letter.

1. Organisation

Paragraph 1 – include formalities; give reason for writing the letter.

Paragraph 2 onwards – depends on the reason for writing the letter. If your reason is to tell the recipient about your holiday, then you will include details of the holiday.

The last paragraph – you can give a reason why you have to stop

writing such as:

I am sorry I have to stop here because it is getting late.

I am sorry I have to stop here because …

I have to stop now because …

Or you can simply end the letter in a number of appropriate ways as shown in #3 below.

2. Some useful expressions on how to begin an informal letter

> I was pleasantly surprised to hear from you.

> Thank you for your letter. I was pleased to hear that you are in good health.

> It was really nice hearing from you. I am glad that you like your new school.

> I hope this letter finds you in the pink (of health).

> Thank you for the lovely birthday card.

3. Some useful expressions on how to end an informal letter

> I promise to write to you soon.

> I hope you will reply soon.

> Give my best wishes to your parents.

> I am looking forward to seeing you.

> I look forward to hearing from you.

> Do write and tell me how you are progressing.

Sample Question

Your younger sister, who is studying in a boarding school, has written to complain that she finds the compulsory co-curricular activities very tiring. Write a letter to her to explain the benefits of co-curricular activities.

Use the notes given below to write your letter.

> help you become a better person

> instil discipline

> learn good values - cooperation

> respect for others

> develop leadership skills

> learn to organize activities

> provide opportunities - to develop social skills

> to take part in competitions

> keep you healthy

> get a good testimonial

When writing your letter, remember to include the following:

> your address

> a proper salutation/greeting

> a complimentary close

> all the notes given above

Sample answer 1

10, Jalan Mega Minang, Taman Minang Sari,
68000 Ampang, Selangor.
7th September 2009

Dear Lina,

It was lovely to hear from you. All of us miss you very much. Mum and Dad are glad that you are slowly adjusting to life in a boarding school.

In your letter you complained about the compulsory co-curricular activities. Well, let me tell you that you can reap many benefits through active participation in these activities. Firstly, the various co-curricular activities help you become a better person (point 1). Participation in uniformed units, clubs and societies, sports and games will help you discover your talents and develop your character. You will become a more confident and well-rounded person. The strict rules and good behaviour expected of you as a member of a uniformed unit will instil discipline (point 2) in you. This is important if you are to become a law-abiding citizen.

Besides, you will learn good values (point 3) through the various co-curricular activities. You will learn about the importance of cooperation (point 4) and respect for others (point 5). These values are very important in a multi-racial society like ours.

You have always said that you admire great leaders like Nelson Mandela and Abraham Lincoln. Well, co-curricular activities will certainly help you to develop leadership skills (point 6). There will be ample opportunities to enable you to become a good leader. Besides learning how to plan events, you will learn to organise activities (point 7). Sometimes, you might even have to handle a challenging situation and this will teach you how to make on-the-spot decisions.

More importantly, co-curricular activities provide you with many opportunities (point 8) to help you develop social skills (point 9). As you know, a person with good social skills has an edge these days. Extra-curricular activities will also provide you with opportunities to take part in competitions (point 10) at various levels. Schools usually select their representatives for competitions at zone, state or national level by looking at their students’ performance in school-level competitions.

These activities also keep you healthy (point 11). Who knows, you might finally shed your baby fat! Most importantly, you will get a good testimonial (point 12) if you are active in co-curricular activities. This will definitely boost your chances when applying for a scholarship or a job.

There is no need for you to worry that participation in these activities will affect your grades. On the contrary, it has been proven that students who are actively involved usually do well academically.

I hope you will take the opportunities co-curricular activities provide to experience new things and discover your strengths.

I have to stop here. I have to study for my trial examination, which is in two weeks’ time. Till I hear from you, take care.

Your loving sister, Shuhada

Sample answer 2

10, Jalan Mega Minang,
Taman Minang Sari, 68000 Ampang,
Selangor.
7th September 2009

Dear Wani,

Thank you for your last letter. All of us miss you very much. Mum and Dad are happy that you will be coming home next month.

In your letter you complained that co-curricular activities are very tiring. Well, let me tell you that these activities have many benefits. Firstly, they will help you become a better person (point 1). They will instil discipline (point 2) in you. This is important if you want to become a good citizen.

Besides, you will learn good values (point 3) such as cooperation (point 4) and respect for others (point 5). Co-curricular activities will help you to develop leadership skills (point 6). You will also learn to organise activities (point 7).

Moreover, co-curricular activities provide you with opportunities (point 8). They help you develop social skills (point 9). Extra-curricular activities also give you opportunities to take part in competitions (point 10). Co-curricular activities can keep you healthy (point 11). Most importantly, you will get a good testimonial (point 12).

I hope you will take co-curricular activities seriously.

I have to stop here. Till I hear from you, take care.

Your elder brother, Izzan

The sample above is meant to show weak students how they can get marks for format and content.

Most of the sentences are simple sentences and the points are not elaborated. If you are a weak student, try to insert some sentences to elaborate on the points given.

Remember when you write an informal letter:

> Do not use slang words.

> Do not use words which are in a language other than English. This means you cannot write ‘Dear Abah’, or ‘Dear Amma’ even if that is how you address your parents.

·Do not sign off with ‘Love and Kisses’. Keep that for your personal letters.

Tips on writing skills

SPM English
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

THE focus of the SPM 1119 paper, which is the English Language paper, is mainly on the reading and writing skills. Paper 1 tests candidates on their writing skills while Paper 2 deals, for the most part, with the reading skills.

We’ll begin this series with the more difficult writing skill as it carries a significant portion of the marks for the whole paper. This paper consists of two compulsory questions: Directed Writing and Continuous Writing.

The Directed Writing question carries a total of 35 marks – 15 marks for content and 20 marks for language.

The marks for format, which can vary between one to three marks depending on the text type, are included in the 15 marks allocated for content.

In this section, candidates are given only one question. This means that candidates do not have the luxury of choice which they are given in the Continuous Writing section.

Most candidates find this question quite manageable. In fact, even weak candidates can be taught to cope with this question to a certain extent.

Several factors make this question quite doable. Firstly, candidates are given help with content.

This means candidates do not have to worry about what to write as content points are provided.

It is not difficult to score full marks for content. In fact, candidates can score full marks for content if they are able to use the information given in grammatically sound sentences, irrespective of the sentence type or length.

It is also easy to get marks for format if they have been exposed to the formats of different text types. Secondly, this question does not demand much linguistically unlike the continuous writing question. Most candidates are able to cope with this question, even if they are linguistically limited. Thirdly, the question is usually set around the experiences of students. Hence, there is no reason for candidates not to attempt this question.

Over the years, teachers and students have become quite adept at predicting the type of question that might appear. Still, I would suggest that you familiarise yourself with the different text types. Below is an analysis of the questions which have appeared over the past few years:

General Guidelines for Directed Writing

Read the question carefully. Identify your task, your role and your audience.

Use the 45 minutes allocated for this question wisely.

Plan your essay and organise your thoughts (this includes what to write and how to elaborate on points)

Include an introduction and a conclusion and make sure your paragraphs are well organised.

Use all content points given. It is advisable to cross out the points you have used, so that no point is left out.

Include points of your own only if you are asked to. Otherwise, do not waste precious time doing so because you will not get any extra marks.

Elaborate on the points given. Write two to three sentences to elaborate on each point. Remember a crucial aspect of this paper is language and your ability to write can only be tested if you provide sufficient language for the examiner to gauge your linguistic ability.

Use a variety of sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and monotonous.

Always read through what you have written. Correct grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.

Common pitfalls

Poor time management. Do not spend more than the allocated 45 minutes on this question. Otherwise you will not have enough time for the second question.

Lengthy essays. Do not write too much. As mentioned earlier, this question does not make many demands on a candidate. Directed writing is a succinct piece of writing. All you have to do is use the given points and provide a sentence or two (maybe three) to elaborate on them. A response of one-half to two pages is more than sufficient. After all, the more you write the more mistakes you might make. Some candidates make the mistake of writing one paragraph for each point. If you do this, your essay is going to be very lengthy. Save the time and energy for Continuous Writing.

Usage of informal language. This paper tests your written English. Do not use spoken language. Avoid using slang words (such as guys), contractions, and informal language (such as informal idiomatic expressions or informal phrasal verbs).

Poor punctuation. Some candidates do not punctuate their sentences correctly. Make sure you end your sentence with a full stop and not a comma. Also, make sure that the pronoun “I” is written in upper case and not lower case (i) as is the practice among some candidates.

Let’s look at a sample question.

Many students in your school complain that they are stressed. As the president of the Health Club in your school, you have been asked to give a speech during assembly. You have made a list of the reasons given by these students and you would like to give them some suggestions on how to cope with their problem.

Use the following notes to write your speech.

Causes

- long hours spent at school

- too much homework

- too many projects

- frequent exams

- tuition classes

- high expectations from parents

- lack of sleep

When writing out your speech, you should remember to:

address your audience

state the purpose of the speech

use all the points given

end your speech appropriately

Before you start writing, ask yourself these questions:

what am I required to do?

what is my role?

who is my audience?

how many points have been provided? Do I need to give any point of my own?

This task requires you to write a speech in your capacity as the president of the Health Club. You have been asked to address the students during assembly. This means that your audience includes teachers and students. As such, make sure your tone is formal and polite. A total of twelve points have been provided which means that twelve marks are for content and three marks for format. The marks for format are allocated as follows: One mark for addressing the audience, one for stating the purpose of your talk and another for ending the speech appropriately.

SPM ESSAY

A sample essay entitled ‘A difficult life’

SPM ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

“BEING illiterate is like a curse. It closes all doors to your life even before they can be opened!”

My mother’s words rang loud and clear in my mind.

She had literally been plucked from a remote village in India and brought to the then Malaya by my father, a man she had obediently married some sixty years ago.

Being the only daughter of a well-heeled man, she had believed that her aunt had got her a good match. My mother was fair, tall and willowy. Everyone had remarked on her big eyes and thick lashes when she entered her husband’s house as his bride.

The marriage celebrations had gone on for three days and she had yet to see what her groom looked like. As custom dictated, she had kept her head bowed and eyes downcast throughout the numerous ceremonies that went on during the three days.

The fact that her head scarf had been drawn low to cover her face did not make things any easier.

When she was finally introduced to her spouse, she was shocked. He was stocky and quite dark while she was as white as snow, by North Indian standards.

The fate that awaited her shattered all the dreams that her aunt had spun for her, the very aunt who had made the match.

Being the typical Indian bride, she became a dutiful daughter-in-law to her husband’s childless aunt and uncle who had cared for him ever since he had been orphaned at the age of seven.

Life was difficult as there was nothing of the luxury that she had been used to in her father’s house but she did not complain.

When her in-laws, asked her to pawn her jewellery to release their land from mortgage, she did so without question.

When her husband’s aunt insisted that she wove blankets for them, she did so submissively. After all, she was illiterate and her only skills included cooking, sewing and embroidery.

Six months later, her husband announced that they would be leaving India to seek their fortunes in Malaya. She cried for days but remembered her father’s parting words,

“Your husband decides your life for now. Go with God’s blessings.”

The trip to Malaya took almost a week by ship. All sorts of fears tortured her but she did not dare utter a single word for fear of displeasing her husband.

Upon arrival in Penang, they travelled to a little town in Perak where they lived with another uncle until her husband secured a job.

Life in Slim River was not easy. Her husband often left her alone, unaccompanied for days at times as he eked out a living as a lorry driver at a tin mine.

The kind Malay ladies, sensing her loneliness, tried to make small talk with her, despite knowing that she did not understand a word of the local language.

Undeterred, they slowly taught her simple words which she would need in her daily life. This life went on for three years.

There was no electricity or water supply. She did her washing and bathing by the river.

Despite her frail form, she could carry two pails of water all the way home for cooking and drinking. Every night, she cried herself to sleep.

A few months later, she gave birth to a daughter. Her husband had not been pleased and he had refused to see the new child.

He had expected his first born to be a son. His ego had taken a slight dent, but he did not know that there was a worse fate awaiting him – the tin mine ceased operations and he lost his job.

They had no money and no savings. Not about to give up, he decided to take her and their little daughter to the capital.

For the next few years, they lived with his second uncle and his wife who were also childless.

Life for the young couple was no bed of roses. Jobs did not come easily those days and after failing to secure a job, her husband gave in to the demands of his uncle and aunt.

For two meals a day, he had to wash the drains on the five-acre piece of land and cut the grass while she had to do all the tedious household chores.

Without fail, the old woman would insist that she scrub all the brassware (even though it had not been used) with ash every day before beginning the day’s chores.

She had to wash second uncle’s white trousers and white shirts by boiling them in caustic soda over a charcoal fire and then scrubbing then clean before ironing them using a hot coal iron.

Her daily chores kept her busy and she barely had time for her first-born.

The poor child was often hungry as second aunt did not provide them with breakfast. Deprived of essential nutrients, the poor little girl was thin, almost skeletal.

The young couple endured this terrible life for several years. Even when her husband got a job as a watchman she still had to submit to the will of second aunt.

The couple had a second child, a boy, but he died when he was ten months old. Three years later they had me, another girl. This time my father was not so disappointed. I suppose the hard life had made him more accepting.

“Why did you allow these things to happen, ma?” I asked furiously as she related her painful past.

I held her battered hands in mine; the cuticles were swollen and the nails had turned yellow due to all the washing with caustic soda.

“... because I was illiterate and I had no one.”

That was her simple answer. She had no options as she was financially dependent on others for every single need. She could not go out to work as her husband’s uncle and aunt had a reputation to maintain. They were the cream of the town. No one knew or even suspected that she and her husband were being ill-treated. Worse still, she had to tolerate all forms of verbal abuse.

“My father had never raised his voice. He showered me with love after the death of my mother when I was five.”

My father, who himself had lost his mother when he was twenty-six days old and his father when he was seven, could not do much.

I am now thirteen. I know mother is telling me these stories so that I will be resilient. I also know she wants me to study hard so that I will not have to have a difficult life.

As much as I admire my mother and her perseverance in the face of adversity, I will not allow a similar fate to befall me.

DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY SPM

Details to ‘liven up’ essay

SPM ENGLISH
By JUGDEEP KAUR GILL

Writing a descriptive essay is more challenging than writing a narrative essay. This is because it makes more demands on your ability to use language effectively. When writing a descriptive essay you should be able to portray people, places, things, moments or experiences vividly so that the reader can create a mental picture of what is being described.

In other words, you should be able to paint pictures using words. For instance, if you are describing a person, the reader should be able to visualise in his mind’s eye the person you are describing. If you are describing a place, then the reader should be able to see the place with his very eyes. Not everyone can handle a descriptive essay. You need to be competent in the language and you need an eye for detail. Besides, you should be able to appeal to the reader’s senses and evoke his emotions.

Techniques in Descriptive Writing

• Use details to make your descriptions come alive.
• Focus on evoking the senses. (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch)
• Nouns, adjectives and verbs help the reader see and feel things.
• A descriptive essay need not be boring and monotonous. Make use of a lively tone – show your own feelings, responses and reactions and let the reader feel them too.
• Describe different aspects. If you are describing a person, do not limit your description to the person’s physical appearance. Include a detailed description of the person’s character and personality and how other people react to him/her. Include a detailed paragraph of an incident which highlights one of these aspects.

Before you begin writing a descriptive essay, you need to identify what you want to describe.
Consider the following topic:
My favourite teacher

If you are going to write about a favourite teacher, you might want to include his/her physical appearance. When describing his/her physical appearance, you can provide a general description of him/her or focus on important certain aspects which define his/her character. An essay of this nature would not be complete without a description of his/her qualities and how he/she interacts with his/her students.

Look at the two extracts below.

Extract 1

Mr L was my English Literature lecturer. He was thin and of average height. He was boyish looking. He spoke with an unusual accent. He was also quite sarcastic and some of the students did not like this. He did not like students coming in late to class. Some of us loved him but others hated him.

Extract 1 is a simple description of the teacher. Although there are several adjectives, the description is somewhat dull as the structures used are simple and repetitive.

Extract 2

The first time I entered his class, I, like many of the other students, was charmed by his boyish looks. A quick calculation told us that he was in his twenties. His straight black hair fell across his forehead when it was slightly long and his clear complexion enhanced his looks. For a Chinese, he had unusually big eyes and quite a sharp nose. He was always welldressed in a rugged sort of way. He was not outrageously handsome but there was something in him which definitely made him attractive His unusual accent mesmerised some of us but his sarcasm did not go down too well with others. You see, he did not approve of tardiness or sloppy work. The fact that many of us were working adults was not an excuse for lack of punctuality or delay in handing in assignments. Some of us grew to love him but some hated him.

Extract 2, on the other hand, is a vivid and interesting description which brings the character to life.

We can almost see him in our mind’s eye and this effect is achieved through the description of the person’s features that are prominent and striking.

Note the details about his overall physical description (boyish looks, in his twenties, not outrageously handsome, attractive, straight black hair, unusual accent), his facial features (unusually big eyes, quite a sharp nose), and his manner of dressing (well-dressed in a rugged sort of way).

Note his qualities (he did not approve of tardiness or sloppy work) and the feelings the students had for him ( His unusual accent mesmerised some of us but his sarcasm did not go down too well with others. Some of us grew to love him but some hated him).

The description of his physical appearance supports and reinforces the fact that he is likeable character but his values made him unpopular with some.

Some writers like to merge descriptive writing with narrative writing.

There is nothing wrong with this, as the description enriches the narration.

ENGLISH SPM TRIALS 2009

ENGLISH JUJ PAHANG 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL _KEDAH 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL Q'S_JOHOR 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL A'S_JOHOR 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL_PERLIS 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL_SABAH 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL MARA 2009

ENGLISH SPM TRIAL MELAKA 2009

Common usage

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED by FADZILAH AMIN

IN a seminar organised by Pejabat Pelajaran Daerah, Johor Baru, the key personnel (KP) taught us to pronounce poems as POMS. Most teachers in Johor Baru are now pronouncing it as POMS. Is this really the new pronunciation?

Also, are these sentences correct, grammatically?

1) Everyone enjoy themselves very much.

2) My family has our dinner at the restaurant.

3) He took a taxi to go round the town Or He took a taxi to go around the town. What is the difference between round and around?

4) For Christmas Day and Christmas Eve, no apostrophe is required but it is used for New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve. Why? – Teacher

It is not clear to me, how the “O” in your “POMS” is pronounced – whether it is like the “o” in “bomb” or the “o” in “Rome”.

In both British and American English, “poem” is a word of only one syllable, but its vowel is a triphthong, a combination of three vowel sounds. In British English, it is pronounced /peuim/, where the “e” (in bold) is a schwa and the “u” and “ i” are both short. The “o” in “Rome” is the diphthong /eu/ in British English and the diphthong /ou/ in American English. “Poem” is pronounced /pouem/ in American English, where the “e” (in bold) is a schwa. (A schwa is the vowel sound in the first syllable of “ago” and is usually represented by an upside down lower case “e”.)

There is no new pronunciation of the word “poem”, but many Malaysians are used to pronouncing it as if it were a word of two syllables, i.e. “po-em” or even “po-yem”. Is it possible that the key personnel you mentioned pronounced the word correctly, using the “o” sound as in “Rome” (eu) plus the “i” sound, but that the teachers missed the “i” after the “eu”?

Now I will answer your other questions.

1) No. It should be either the more formal “Everyone enjoys himself or herself very much.”, or the less formal but more convenient “Everyone enjoys themselves very much.” “Everyone”, like “everybody” takes a singular subject, but the pronoun that refers back to it (himself, herself, themselves) can be either singular (more formal) or plural (less formal).

2) “My family has our dinner at the restaurant.” is correct. You can also say “My family have our dinner at the restaurant.” You can use either a singular or a plural verb after “family”. Also, in your sentence, “our dinner” sounds better than “its dinner”, which sounds impersonal in that context. However, “its” can be used to refer to a family in a sentence like the following:

“Now I think about it, my family has had its share of characters, including one great-uncle who managed to blow a hole through his hand by putting it on top of his own (loaded) shotgun, whilst climbing over a gate.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2006/08/24/somerset_sounds_the_mangledwurzels_feature.shtml

3) Both “round” and “around” can be used in your sentence in British English, but “around” is more formal and it is also used in American English. Here are some examples from the Internet:

The volunteers also go around the town and surrounding villages with Father Christmas on his sleigh to greet the children of the communities before Christmas.

http://www.bbc.co..uk/wales/mid/sites/volunteers/pages/talgarthchristmaslights.shtml

“It is nice for the council and for the residents to see the effort that goes into the competition and to go round the town and see the results.”

http://www.burnleyexpress.net/996/Awards-for-town-gardeners.837755.jp

“DANCE; Up, Down and All Around The Town” (title of an article in New York Times)

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/29/arts/dance-up-down-and-all-around-the-town.html

4) “Christmas” means “the mass or festival of Christ” and no apostrophe “s” is needed for Christmas Day, since the possessive is already contained in the meaning of Christmas. But a saint’s day and eve usually come with an apostrophe “s” after the saint’s name, e.g. St Patrick’s Day, St George’s Day, St Agnes’ Eve.

New Year’s Day and New Year’s Eve have traditionally been written with an apostrophe “s” after “Year”. I think this is a matter of usage rather than logic. After all, we can say “a summer’s day” or “a winter’s day”, but NOT “an autumn’s day” or “a spring’s day”.

Confusing tenses

I’m very confused about how to use “Says” and “Said” and also “Had” and “Has”. Please help. – Malini

Says and said

“Says” is the singular simple present tense of the verb “say” and “said” is the simple past tense and also past participle of the verb “say”. You use “says” in a sentence when the subject is a singular noun or pronoun (except for “I” and “you”) and the sentence is in the simple present tense. “Said” is used with both singular and plural subjects. Here are some examples of their usage:

“She often says she is not pretty, but I think she is.”

“My grandma always says she is not ill, but only old.”

“Many people said hello to me at school yesterday.” (simple past tense)

“She is said to be very rich.” (past participle used with “is” to form a passive verb)

Has and had

“Has” and “had” can be main verbs or auxiliary (helping) verbs. “Has” is the singular simple present tense form of the verb “have” and “had” is the simple past tense and also past participle of the verb “have”. You use “has” in a sentence when the subject is a singular noun or pronoun (except for “I” and “you”) and the sentence is in the simple present tense. “Had” is used with both singular and plural subjects.

As a main verb, “have” means “to own”, but it has other meanings as well, among them “to eat”. You will have to consult a dictionary for the other meanings. Here are some examples of the use of “has” and “had” as main verbs:

“He has a cat that he is very fond of.” (has=owns)

“Shalini has breakfast at 7.30 every morning.” (has=eats)

He had a cat last year, but the cat died. (had=owned)

The students had dinner late last night. (had=ate)

“Has” is also used as an auxiliary verb in a sentence using the present perfect tense, which talks about an action that was done in the past, without giving the time when it was done. A present perfect tense verb consists of “has” or “have” + the past participle of the main verb. “Has” is used with singular subjects and “have” with plural subjects. Here are some examples:

“She has seen the film.” (has + past participle of “see”, which is “seen” and no time is given)

“My friend has gone to Egypt to study medicine.” (has + past participle of “go”, which is “gone” – no time given)

“Had” is used as an auxiliary verb in a sentence using the past perfect tense, which talks about two actions or events, one of which was completed before the other happened. A past perfect tense verb consists of “had” + the past participle of the main verb. The earlier action/event is expressed in the past perfect tense, and the later action/event in the simple past tense. Here are some examples:

“We had eaten our dinner when our friends came.”

“Ahmad had given up hope of going to a university when a letter arrived offering him a place in the university of his second choice.”

Fun with synonyms

By OH TEIK THEAM

EACH sentence below contains a synonym of the italicised word(s), spelt out in consecutive letters. Can you spot it?

Example: The couple continued their walk along the path in silence after he commented that she was not as slim as she used to be.

1. The wood of the shepherd’s hut has swollen, and the door won’t close.

2. “I hope Ning Baizura will let me be the introductory act at her concert.”

3. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are now nearing the mansion of a beautiful lady who won overnight fame with her first novel.”

4. She decided to follow her doctor’s advice to lose a few pounds before Christmas.

5. The cunning fox was lying when he reported to his friends that the chicken coop was empty.

6. The donations of tens of thousands of people helped to alleviate the misery of the flood victims.

7. “Mum, shall I shoo the turkeys off the porch or fire my popgun to frighten them?”

8. The little boy found a bag of greyish rubber bands near the bush.

9. Requesting me to repair a thermometer that he had carelessly dropped, the eccentric man said, “It’s somewhat easy if you concentrate hard on the task.”

10. Her obvious lack of enthusiasm for her work was underscored when the boss hauled her over the coals for being behindhand and negligent in the discharge of her duties.

11. After they had eaten a light meal, the couple had a tiff in the presence of their friends.

12. The big increase in the salary of my supervisor is effectively the result of favouritism.

13. When she entered the salon, the other customers couldn’t help but notice the beautiful shininess of her hair.

14. He was absolutely frank with her when he said to her, “Your only hope now is to accept the offer.”

15. With a supercilious air, the driver boasted that he would win the race, but his dream was shattered when his car smashed into a wall of tyres and sandbags.

Answers

1. shut 2. opening 3. renown 4. shed 5. sly 6. soften 7. shoot 8. shrub 9. rather 10. slack 11. tiffin 12. rise 13. sheen 14. open 15. lofty

TEACHER'S TALK

Proud to be Malaysian

TEACHER TALK
By NITHYA SIDHHU

Being thankful and appreciative of the peace and freedom we enjoy in this country each day, is also a form of patriotism.

Patriots are you, me, and thousands of others like us standing firm for our country — William McGinnis

ASK kids at school what patriotism means and they will give you varied answers. The young ones in primary schools will immediately tell you about how much they love the country – they will even draw you a picture that has the Twin Towers or a kampong in it with a group of children in diverse costumes smiling in front of it.

You’ll see the inevitable. Ali with his songkok and samping while Muthu will be coloured in dark-skinned tones. Mei Lee will be the girl in pigtails wearing a mandarin-collared blouse and Aminah will be next to her wearing the familiar baju kurung. You might see Mala in a sari too. To the primary school-goers, this is Malaysia — a melting pot of races, lots of good food to eat, kampong scenery or towering architectural buildings.

With colours bright and attractive (the red, blue, yellow and white of the flag will be unfailing choices!), Malaysia will be represented either in this manner or with the green of the rainforest and huge rafflesia in the background.

Young patriots

Sweet will be the picture and vibrant will be the tone.

The young keep their love for their country simple – their message is clear – they love this country – along with its food, culture, races, progress and tourist spots.

Ask an older school-going teenager and he’ll probably spout the usual model answer too. But, he will also be more questioning – “Why didn’t my brother get the PSD scholarship? He scored all A’s, didn’t he? Why do I have to go for the national service programme? Why do we have to study History?

Some Malay boys will be all of fifteen years old but their Islamic Studies teacher is bound to complain that they barely know their basics. There may be some amongst them who might be wasting precious time smoking and fooling around without having time for their daily prayers.

Some Chinese boys will claim that they are Buddhists until you find out they hardly know the tenets of Buddhism.

While you see some Indian boys coming to school with ash-smeared foreheads, there are others who don’t even go to temple on Fridays, or know that Lord Ganesh is the ‘remover of obstacles’.

Talk about patriotism and some students are confused. Is religion in Malaysia an identifiable part of patriotism?

If you’re a Malay school girl or teacher, the head scarf is such a given that some students think it is a Malaysian thing.

But many do realise that the religion you practise has nothing to do with patriotism – yet, when they talk about patriotism, they throw religion in for good measure.

So, what is patriotism?

They talk about the broad matters, about revolutionary heroes, about Merdeka Day parades, about soldiers, about politics – but they don’t talk about what’s going on inside them – the feeling they have for this country, the loyalty they ascribe to, the pride they take in being Malaysians, or, what they would be willing to do for their country.

A patriotic act is “any selfless act that directly benefits the nation”, according to Word.IQ.com.

It states that displaying the national flag, singing the national anthem, participating in a mass rally, placing a patriotic bumper sticker on one’s vehicle, or publicly proclaiming one’s allegiance to the nation in any appropriate way, are all acts of patriotism.

In Malaysia, the symbolic display of patriotism is particularly felt in August in schools with Merdeka Day competitions, speeches, songs, ceremonies and other events.

What these festivities aim to do and often achieve, is to make students realise how proud they can be of the fact that they are Malaysians living in a peaceful nation; a nation that values educational progress and which counts on its young to become the leaders of change tomorrow.

All they need to do to keep this country’s flag flying high, is to be the best they can be, and foster the true Malaysian spirit for now and the future.

My only concern is for students who are driven by materialism and are cold inside. Since they have neither felt the ravages of war nor have been called upon to fight for their country, since they were born in a free nation and taken its freedom for granted; since the life they lead has little to do with servitude to the nation; since their minds are caught up mostly with studying with an eye on making good money in the future; since their parents highlight the negative instead of the positive, since they too have got into the habit of griping rather than appreciating – they therefore give little thought to what it means to be a patriotic Malaysian. They take but they do not give.

Writer William McGinnis says this of patriotism – that it should be “alive in our hearts and active in our lives every day.” For our young Malaysians, is it? For us teachers, is it?

My country, my home

I may not give much thought to patriotism myself, but I do know that I feel grateful that I am working in this country and not in a neighbouring country where more than 300 teachers are said to have been killed or injured by Muslim insurgents since 2004.

I do know that I like being a Malaysian – that I identify myself as one with pride and simple dignity – that I’d rather be here than anywhere else. That this country is my true home. That when I take my teaching job seriously and make every effort to teach well, I am helping his nation. I may not ascribe much patriotic significance, but I do know this – it matters!

If we could all do our jobs well, take them seriously and be civil, non-prejudicial and good citizens, I think we are in a way publicly proclaiming our allegiance to the nation in the most appropriate way. Selamat Hari Merdeka, folks.

Gender sensitivity

By DR LIM CHIN LAM

SCIENTISTS talk of animals as having evolved from the one-celled protists to the higher life-forms – fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals – with man at the very top of the evolutionary tree. In such context, the mere name of the animal suffices, e.g. duck, goose, pig, cattle, etc.

There is no need to distinguish between drake and duck, gander and goose, boar and sow, bull and cow – except in specific contexts such as anatomy, physiology, and reproduction.

Outside of zoology, the word man in its different forms and usages presents some interesting features. Let us look at some of these instances.

The word ‘man’ in salutation.

The word man is commonly used as a form of address or salutation, without any hint of insult or derogation. Examples: “I say, man, could you please tell me how to get to the bus station?”, ”Hurry up, man,” and “Man! that’s huge!” (an informal construction, used especially in the United States, “to express surprise, admiration, etc.” – Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, 1990, page 756).

To these examples, we must, of course, add our own construction in Manglish: “What, man! Do that cannot. Do this also cannot.”

Compare the situations where other forms of the word, viz. young man and woman, are used. These forms are not as innocuous as man in the above examples.

The expression “I keep telling you, woman, that all tickets have been sold out” carries a derogatory term plus a tone which the addressee may find offensive.

In “Young man, how dare you speak to me like that!”, the particular form of address is a way of chiding the speaker for his naïveté.

‘Man’ as an enclitic

Here I use the term enclitic as defined in Chambers Twentieth Century Dictionary (1974), thus: “a word or particle which always follows another word, so united with it to seem a part of it.”

I recall one occasion when this enclitic caused an unseemly problem. As the dean of academic affairs in a private college, I had vetted a draft examination paper, which included the word breadman, a word commonly used and understood locally. However, the moderator from a British university (a partner under a twinning arrangement) said that the word was meaningless.

It was then duly amended to bread seller. And yet, we Malaysians commonly use the enclitic man to mean “a door-to-door vendor”, as in breadman, eggman, and newspaperman (one who sells and distributes newspapers door-to-door).

Are we Malaysians really incorrect in our use of the enclitic man? After all, an English nursery rhyme has Simple Simon going to the fair, meeting a pieman, and asking to taste his ware. If pieman can be a pie vendor, why cannot our breadman or eggman be a vendor of bread or of eggs?

We must, however, also be aware that the enclitic can also denote an occupation, e.g. fireman, policeman, and postman – as well as gender, e.g. policewoman or postwoman. Because such terms are now often regarded as outdated and sexist, “there has been a move away from -man compounds except where referring to a specific male person. Alternative gender-neutral terms which can be used instead include firefighter and police officer.” – Concise Oxford English Dictionary (2004), page 865.

However, there is no escaping the seemingly sexist enclitic -man and -woman. Thus, we have horseman, sportsman, and swordsman, and, for the female, horsewoman, sportswoman, and swordswoman (which terms are better than horseperson, sportsperson, and swordsperson).

Even then, when it comes to denoting the associated art or skill, we say horsemanship, sportsmanship, and swordsmanship – not horsewomanship, sportswomanship, and swordswomanship.

‘Man-’ as a proclitic

I realise that the term proclitic in this heading is not quite correct, but I nevertheless use it to distinguish between the enclitic man attached to the end of a word and the “proclitic” man attached to the beginning of a word. It is not quite a prefix, but rather a combining form.

Note, however, that the morpheme /man/ in such words as manager, mandate, and manufacture is not connected with the word man, unlike in most words such as manhandle, manhole, manhunt, and manslaughter. Note, too, that the latter words may be deemed sexist – but there are no gender-neutral alternative terms.

Note, furthermore, that the compound adjective, man-made – as in man-made chemicals, man-made fibres, and man-made lake – is sexist. The alternative synthetic may be substituted for man-made in the case of chemicals and fibres, but not for that of lake.

‘Man’ as a verb

The word man is also used as a verb, as in “to man the office during lunch-time” or “to man the ship”. Here again there may be sexist objections to the word – a pity because the alternative to the said verb would be the phrase “to provide personnel to service/run/operate/defend a machine/vehicle/place”.

Now try to be non-sexist and paraphrase as succinctly as possible the expressions “to man the counter in a post-office”, “to man the office during lunch-time”, “to man the boat”, and “to man the fort”.

Parting shot: “I say, man, don’t you agree that the simple word man can present so many quirks and nuances in its usage?”

Wordwise

By S.H. LOKE

WHEN you can speak eloquently you will be walking on air. Here are some ‘air’ expressions to boost your confidence. Fill in the blanks with the right expression.

1. We need to _______ and settle the problem about our inheritance.

A. clear the air B. charge the air

C. cleanse the air D. fill the air

2. There was great excitement ________ on her wedding day.

A. on the air B. in the air C. off the air

D. up in the air

3. ‘Sesame Street’ is _______ now so call the children.

A. in the air B. on the air C. off the air

D. into the air

4. Our trip to Japan is _______ as our leave has not been approved.

A. on the air B. off the air

C. up in the air D. out of thin air

5. ______diseases spread easily in crowded places.

A. Air flow B. Airspace C. Airborne

D. Airspeed

6. In remote areas there is a regular _______of supplies.

A. air drop B. airdrome C. airfare

D. airflow

7. The injured were ________ to a nearby hospital.

A. air locked B. airmailed C. airlifted

D. airbrushed

8. After too much heavy drinking, some of the passengers displayed _______.

A. airlock B. airplay C. air rage

D. air raid

9. A Korean plane was shot down because it flew into Russian ________.

A. airlift B. airspace C. airflow

D. airway

10. John is ________ having obtained straight As in his SPM examination.

A. floating on air B. swimming on air

C. flying on air D. dancing on air

11. We landed on an ________ with the sea on both sides.

A. airport B. airdrop C. airstrip

D. air terminal

12. Faisal has an _______ alibi, so he is not afraid to go to court.

A. air power B. airlock C. airtime

D. airtight

Answers: 1.A, 2.B, 3.B, 4.C, 5.C, 6.A, 7.C, 8.C, 9.B, 10.A, 11.C and 12.D

Elephant talk

By GRANT BARRETT

NOTES FROM THE LANGUAGE UNDERGROUND

TODAY I want to talk about elephants.

One of the joys of my work as a dictionary editor is finding arbitrary but interesting connections among words, such as those colloquial expressions in English that have to do with elephants.

White elephant? One year after the Olympics, the National Stadium in Beijing, nicknamed the ‘Bird’s Nest’, has hardly been used for sports events.

One elephant you might encounter in English is a white elephant. This is something like a building or a piece of furniture that is big, costly, and seemingly impossible to sell or give away. It can also be a programme or organisation that is a sinkhole for money, meaning that it is expensive and produces little of value. It continues to exist because it is in the favour of some person in power, or else because of inertia.

Related to this is a white elephant sale, which is the kind of event at which you are apt to find things for sale which are perfectly fine – working, clean, and otherwise OK – but yet which are unwanted. Eight-track tape players, maybe. Or a hand-cranked washing machine. Clothing that was fashionable 30 years ago and has yet to come back into style. Art made by the artless and given as gifts to the thankless – or once bought by the tasteless.

Pink elephants are a joking way to describe the hallucinations – strange, imaginary visions and thoughts – you might see if you are excessively drunk or under the influence of drugs. A pink elephant is also used to mean something extraordinary.

Pink elephant is also often used when talking about how hard it is to not think of something once it’s been mentioned. If I tell you: “Don’t think of pink elephants,” what are you going to do? You’re going to think about pink elephants.

The approximate opposite of a pink elephant is the elephant in the room or elephant in the living room. “They ignored the elephant in the room: their daughter still would not speak to them until they agreed to let her go to the beach with her friends.”

This sort of elephant is so big you can’t miss it. Everyone knows it’s there, but nobody mentions it, usually because there seems to be no happy solution to whatever problem that elephant represents.

Elephants are often used metaphorically because of their size. In gold mining and the petroleum business, a piece of land with very large deposits might be called an elephant. Similarly, jumbo, meaning very big, is connected in history to a famous elephant who was considered to be a very large specimen. Since the 1860s, the term has been used for anything that is larger than ordinary.

Indirectly, dumbo, meaning a dumb person, is an elephant-ish term, as it was popularised by the elephant who flew with his ears in the 1941 Disney movie Dumbo. It is probably a play off of jumbo.

One outdated expression that is now little used except by writers who are looking for a bit of historical colour – meaning you’ll probably never hear this expression from the mouth of your average English speaker – is to see the elephant.

This means to become experienced, or to have passed through life or some event (or series of events) and come out on the other side wiser, or to just plain see, hear, feel, and experience everything that an occasion, or life itself, can provide. You might say of a soldier: “You could tell when a soldier had seen the elephant. He had a thousand-yard stare, he could fall asleep at a moment’s notice, and his commanding officer listened to his opinions.”

(A thousand-yard stare is a sharp, unblinking gaze that appears to see nothing at all but at the same time seems to look through you and into your soul.)

By the way, to see the light or to have a come-to-Jesus moment are similar to see the elephant. To see the light means to finally come around to someone else’s point of view. A come-to-Jesus moment is a revelation or sudden overturning of previous attitudes or beliefs. Both of these are still common.

A rare bit of old-fashioned jargon that I picked up from my research is the expression the elephant walks, meaning, “it’s payday”. I found it in a collection of jargon from elevator constructors in the 1930s. I like the expression and use it, but the elephant in my room is that when I do, nobody knows what I’m talking about.

Grant Barrett is editorial director of Wordnik, http://www.wordnik.com, a new online dictionary that aims to collect every word in English.

PERLIS SPM TRIAL 2009

BAHASA INGGERIS PAPER 1 & 2