Wordwise

By S.H. LOKE

IT is not surprising that expressions related to clothes and dressing cover every facet of life. They can be used to describe events, people and jobs. You can use some of these well-worn expressions to add a splash of colour to your language.

1. Cap

To put on your thinking cap means to think hard.

We have to put on our thinking cap to solve the mystery of the missing suitcase.

2. Coat

To cut your coat according to your cloth means to spend within your means.

During bad times, we should learn to cut our coat according to our cloth.

3. Coat-tails

If you do something on the coat-tails of someone else, you are able to do it because of the other person’s success and not due to your own efforts.

He won the post because he was riding on the coat-tails of his father.

4. Belt

To hit below the belt means to resort to foul means.

In any game you cannot hit below the belt.

To tighten your belt means to spend less money and manage without luxuries as you have less money.

We have to tighten our belt since we have just bought a house.

5. Hat

Someone who wears several hats has several roles or jobs to perform.

Joan is a talented lady who wears several hats.

6. Skirt

Something that skirts an area is situated around the edge of it.

There are cows grazing in the field that skirts the lake.

If you skirt a problem, you avoid dealing with it.

He skirted the issue of raising funds for the school.

7. Tie

Ties are connections that you have with people or a place.

Malaysia has close ties with Indonesia.

If two people tie in a contest or game, they have the same number of points or same degree of success.

There is a tie between the Red house and the Green house.

8. Gloves

Something that fits like a glove fits perfectly.

To work hand in glove means to work closely.

He and his brother work hand in glove in running their timber business.

9. Cloak

To cloak something means to cover it or hide it.

Mt Kinabalu was cloaked in mist.

Her wedding plans were made under a cloak of secrecy.

10. Frills

Something which has no frills has no extra features but only the basics.

I stayed at a hotel which provided good accommodation with no frills.

11. Lace

To lace food or drinks with a substance such as a drug means to put a small amount of it into the food or drinks.

Some years ago, some chocolates in Japan were laced with poison.

12. Collar

If you collar someone who has done something wrong, who is escaping, you catch them or hold them so that they cannot escape.

The thief tried to flee but was collared at the junction.

Blue collar jobs require physical work such as making things in factories.

White collar workers work in offices, and are better paid.

Many high-ranking officials are the brains behind white collar crimes.

13. Sleeve

If you have something up your sleeve, you have an idea or plan which you have not told anyone about.

He was smiling at the meeting, so I suspect he has a trick up his sleeve.

If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you openly show your feelings.

14. Pants

If someone bores, charms or scares the pants off you, they bore, charm or scare you a lot.

His sweet talk scares the pants off me.

If one person in a relationship, especially the woman, wears the pants, they are the one who makes all the decisions.

Mei Li is the one who wears the pants in her home.

THE WORD CHALLENGE

The MOE word challenge

By OH TEIK THEAM

FORM the words that contain the letters ‘M’, ‘O’, ‘E’ to complete the sentences below. The words each have eight letters, as today is the eighth anniversary of Mind Our English!

1. “If citrus fruits are bad for your eczema, you should not drink this glass of _ _mo_ _ _e.”

2. She had to withdraw from the play because she just couldn’t m_ _o_ _ _e her lines.

3. His friends gave him the mo_ _ _ _e_ ‘Ash’ because he is a chain-smoker.

4. The rock gathered mo_e_ _ _ _ as it rolled down the hill.

5. Even though they hurled abuse at her, she remained perfectly _ _m_o_e_.

6. “It’s such a bright night,” the drunk said to himself, “I think I’ll climb up a m_o_ _e_ _ to reach the clouds.”

7. “Dew,” the teacher explained to her class, “is the mo_ _ _ _ _e which forms on the surfaces of cool bodies during the night.”

8. “It was rather _m_o_ _ _e of you not to thank him for the present he gave you.”

9. She accepted his marriage proposal after he promised to love her _ _ _ _mo_e.

10. “To call him a supervisor is a m_ _ _o_e_ — he’s more like a tyrant!”

11. As a _ _ _mo_e_, she has been very successful, for sales of the company’s products have increased tremendously since she took up the job.

12. The little girl was smart enough to remain _m_o_ _ _e under the bed during the robbery.

13. “Please listen carefully to my words,” the politician said to the reporters, “so that you will not m_ _ _ _o_e me.”

14. The boss decided to give his secretary a huge bonus to mo_ _ _ _ _e her to continue with her excellent work.

15. I watched the piece of wood _mo_ _ _e_ and then doused it with water to prevent a serious fire from breaking out.

Answers

1. lemonade 2. memorise 3. monicker (also moniker) 4. momentum 5. composed 6. moonbeam 7. moisture 8. impolite 9. evermore 10. misnomer 11. promoter 12. immobile 13. misquote 14. motivate 15. smoulder

Forming a word train

By LUCILLE DASS

FILL in the spaces with letters to form the 18 words as defined by the clues provided. The last letter of each word forms the first letter of the next word. Each letter is used only once in the initial position.

Example: To attack someone in a public place and steal from them (verb): m u g

1. To control or direct the running of a country or a group of people (verb): g - - - - -

2. To discuss in order to reach an agreement (verb): - - - - - - - - -

3. To authorise or give freedom to do something (verb): - - - - - - -

4. Not cooked (adjective): - - -

5. An official document that permits a search or an arrest (noun): - - - - - - -

6. A general development/direction of behaviour or style (noun): - - - - -

7. Feeling sleepy (adjective): - - - - - -

8. To scream or cry out loudly (verb): - - - -

9. To pass the tongue over something (verb): - - - -

10. A round handle — of a door or drawer (noun): - - - -

11. To make someone believe only what you want them to believe (verb): - - - - - - - - -

12. Very funny (adjective): - - - - - - - - -

13. Peculiar to or characteristic of something (adjective): - - - - - - - -

14. To cut or trim (verb): - - - -

15. A remedy for all ills (noun): - - - - - - -

16. The fact or claim that an accused was elsewhere than at the scene of the crime (noun): - - - - -

17. An article or a separate thing (noun): - - - -

18. To cut down, for example, grass (verb): - - -

Answers

1. govern

2. negotiate

3. empower

4. raw

5. warrant

6. trend

7. drowsy

8. yell

9. lick

10. knob

11. brainwash

12. hilarious

13. specific

14. clip

15. panacea

16. alibi

17. item

18. mow

LINE UP THE LITTLE WORD

Line up the little words

By LUCILLE DASS

LINE – “a long thin mark on the surface of something” (CIDE) – is capable of stretching itself, beyond linear style, to combine with ‘little words’ (whose use can become problematic) to perform linguistic stunts both literal and literary.

Apart from what results in partnership with the little words, as a stand-alone the word lends itself to multiple meanings when variously used. The guide words in any good dictionary will indicate this.

Here is an exercise that requires you only to put in place those little words that help to keep each sentence in line with its intended meaning. (Repeat use of the little words is allowed).

1. You guessed it, dear Editor. This activity sprang to mind when I heard the announcement of the new cabinet line-___.

2. Everyone knew that Najib was ___ ___ line ___ replace Pak Lah as the sixth prime minister of the country.

3. ___ line ___ the company’s policy, you are required to attend all meetings.

4. The choice of Jamal as a credible witness is crucial as he is our last line ___ defence in this case.

5. Angie is super-efficient but she tends to act independently too often. She needs to be brought ___ line a bit.

6. Rosy told her husband that it was not worth laying his job ___ the line by disclosing the truth now.

7. Not all the students in his class could read ___ the lines to sufficiently appreciate the writer’s intention.

8. Could you please stay ___ the line while I check the manager’s appointment diary? Thanks.

9. Newcomer Gopal has little chance of winning because he is lined ___ ___ a veteran politician.

10. By constantly reminding them how much they would benefit by supporting him, the chairman made sure no one stepped ___ ___ line.

11. Now that you’re a member of the staff, your father expects you to fall ___ line like the rest of the employees.

12. Johan felt that the best way to keep peace at home was to take the line ___ least resistance ___ his wife and do whatever she wanted him to do.

13. Kirpal supported his son’s campaign right ___ the line to ensure his victory.

14. Given the spate of crime on the streets, don’t you think the authorities should take a firm line __ the sale of guns to the public?

15. Believe it or not, before she quit, Susan laid it ___ the line that the company would never advance if the employees were not appreciated enough.

16. Rani went from shop to shop looking for a vase that was something ___ the lines ___ the one she accidentally broke.

17. His boss told him that he would surely be ___ line ___ a promotion if he completed the project in time.

18. What do you expect? With an incompetent adviser like that, he was doomed to foul things up somewhere ___ the line.

19. Hassan was taken prisoner while on a reconnaissance mission ___ enemy lines.

20. When the media criticises the government’s policy, the Prime Minister is undoubtedly ___ the firing line.

Answers:

1. line-up – a group of people brought together as a team

2. next in line to – person likely to be or get something

3. in line with – in agreement with something

4. line of defence – position of defence

5. bring somebody/something into line – make somebody/something conform

6. lay something on the line –place at risk

7. read between the lines – find or look for hidden meaning

8. stay on the line – stay connected on the telephone

9. line up against – oppose/compete

10. step out of line – break the rules

11. fall into line – behave/function like the rest

12. take the line of least resistance with someone – choose action that causes least trouble

13. down the line – all the way/completely

14. take a firm line on something – act decisively when dealing with a problem

15. lay it on the line – tell something in an honest and direct way

16. along the lines of – similar to

17. in line for something – likely to receive it

18. somewhere along the line – at some particular stage

19. behind enemy lines – position closest to the enemy

20. in the firing line – in a position to be attacked

Wordwise

By S.H. LOKE

Words like chair, table and bench can take on a new meaning when they are used in a different context. Some of the following expressions inject colour into the English language. Complete the sentences with the right answer.

1. The River Nile is considered the ______ of Egyptian civilisation.

2. My neighbours were distressed by the _____death of their baby.

3. We enjoy being _______travellers whenever we watch travel programmes.

4. The______for this case consists of reputable judges.

5. Harry is quite happy to______the meeting at short notice.

6. We rejected the agreement which was______in ambiguous terms.

7. The girl at the information______is friendly and helpful.

8. Nowadays many children are overweight because they are_______potatoes, and rarely exercise.

9. Ryan Lee is popular with the state voters, because he has no skeleton in his _______.

10. _____and breakfast hotels are popular with budget travellers.

11. Her______consists of many smart and well-styled pants.

12. Many drugs can be bought over the __________.

13. Julie is very rich, so life is a_______of roses for her

14. The state government has______its plan to build another flyover.

15. The roast chicken looks appetising when it is served on a______of mixed vegetables.

16.The continental ______around Malaysia is rich in marine life.

17. Our school hockey team turned the _______on our rivals when they decided to play with better strategies.

Answers:

1. cradle 2. cot 3. armchair 4. bench 5. chair 6. couched 7. desk 8. couch 9. closet 10. Bed 11. wardrobe 12. counter 13. bed 14. shelved 15. bed 16. shelf 17. tables

TERENGGANU OT1 2009

PAPER 1 OT1 2009



PAPER 2 OT1 2009

TERENGGANU TOV1 2009

PAPER 1 ENGLISH TOV1



PAPER 2 ENGLISH TOV1

For Better or For Worse

June 23rd, 2009

REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH PART 3

REPORTED SPEECH

REPORTED SPEECH PART 1


REPORTED SPEECH PART 2

How the puny beat the mighty

By OH TEIK THEAM

THE Jade Emperor had a court official organise a fighting competition to choose 12 animals as emblems to represent the 12 years in each calendrical cycle. A sizeable number of animals expressed their interest to flaunt their physical prowess.

The official appointed the Elephant as the sole judge of the competition, for the gargantuan creature, known for his good morals, was an upstanding member of the animal community.

“Are you sure you are bold enough to fight with me?” the Ox said to the Rat. “You don’t have any chance of beating me.” “Don’t be overconfident, Ox,” the Rat said. “You may have to eat your words.”

The Rat put his thinking cap on and muttered to himself, “The only way I can beat Ox is with artifice.”

When the competition started, the strong Ox strutted menacingly on the platform and shook his imposing curved horns, taunting the Rat, “Come and get me, you teeny-weeny rodent!”

The agile Rat managed to sidestep his opponent’s stamping and jump onto the bovine creature’s back. Straining every sinew, the little murine creature gnawed away at his adversary’s skin, so that the big animal screamed in pain and shouted, “You have defeated me!”

The other animals in the fray also battled bravely for glory. The competitors and spectators were all ears when the Elephant announced the results: “The runner- up is the Ox! And the undisputed champion, for his inventiveness, is the Rat!”

The third to 12th places went to the Tiger, the Hare, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Boar.

As the Ox slunk back to his home with his tail between his legs, the Rat’s good friend, the Hare, said to the champion, “Congratulations, Rat. This victory is a feather in your cap. You’ll be the talk of the town!” “Thank you, Hare,” said the Rat unpretentiously.

“I have an idea, Rat. Why don’t we paint the town red?” (Ref: http://www.cozychinese.com/storyof- the-chinese-zodiac)

Eat one’s words: To retract one’s words humiliatingly.

Put one’s thinking cap on: To think seriously about a problem, difficulty, etc.

All ears: Listening attentively.

With one’s tail between one’s legs: In a state of defeat or humiliation.

A feather in one’s cap: An achievement that one can be justly proud of.

The talk of the town: The subject of everyone’s conversation in the town.

Paint the town red: To go out and have a boisterous time in celebration of something

HYPEN TEST

Hyphen test

By OH TEIK THEAM

HYPHENS have three main uses: (i) to join words into a compound word; (ii) to join an affix to a base word; (iii) to break a word at the end of a line.

There are three forms of compound words: (i) closed or solid compounds (written as single words with no hyphenation), e.g. teapot, toothache; (ii) hyphenated compounds, e.g. mother-to-be, passer-by; (iii) open compounds (written as separate words), e.g. heart surgeon, seat belt.

The proper use of hyphenation can help to clarify the meaning of a sentence. This exercise looks at some of the ways in which hyphens are used. Can you tell which of the sentences below are correctly hyphenated?

1. The six-year-old boy said he put a toad in his sister’s bed because he couldn’t find a mouse.

2. She was scantily-dressed in a backless gown that was designed to catch men, but all she caught was a cold.

3. Twenty-five years ago, I applied for a job in a bank because someone told me there was money in it.

4. The mean American-history teacher faxed my poor grades to my father.

5. My broker called this morning to say that I should start the day with some good buys, namely, five- and eight-year bonds.

6. We re-elected him as the club’s secretary because one good term deserves another.

7. I call my pet cat Meow, which it probably thinks is not an odd-sounding name.

8. Repairing a clock is a time-consuming activity.

9. When he came back from a long-and-tiring trip to Venice, he complained that the whole place was flooded.

10. “I want you to re-sign ? the document,” the boss said to his nervy secretary as the ringing of the telephone interrupted his statement.

11. The red-eyed frog asked the princess to kiss him because he espied a fly on her upper lip.

12. The tongue-tied pupil was the only person at the class picnic who didn’t get sunburn on the tongue.

Answers

Only sentences 2 and 9 should have no hyphenation:

1. The phrase “six-year-old” is hyphenated because it functions as a single adjective to modify the noun “boy”.

Compare with the phrase “six years old” in the sentence “The naughty boy is six years old”. Here, the phrase is not hyphenated because it does not function as a single adjective.

2. Do not hyphenate a compound consisting of adverb ending in –ly + adjective/past participle, whether or not it precedes the noun it modifies: she was scantily dressed; a scantily dressed guest.

3. Compound numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine, if they are spelt out, are hyphenated. Except for years, numbers at the beginning of a sentence are spelt out.

4. The sentence is correctly hyphenated if the teacher teaches American history. Compare with “American history-teacher”. (This is an example of a temporary compound, with hyphenation to avoid ambiguity in a particular sentence.)

5. Hyphenate a suspended compound, in which a word common to several compound adjectives is not repeated. (Sometimes it is the first part of the compound that is not repeated: a three-eyed and –armed alien.)

6. Generally, use a hyphen when a base word begins with the letter that ends the prefix.

7. Hyphenate a compound consisting of adjective + present participle before and after a noun: an odd-sounding name; a name that is odd-sounding.

8. Hyphenate a compound consisting of noun + present participle before and after a noun: a time-consuming activity; an activity that is time-consuming.

9. Do not hyphenate independent adjectives preceding or following a noun. In the sentence, “long” and “tiring” each modify the noun “trip”. (Hyphenated compounds containing “and” function as a single idea: an up-and-coming politician; it’s not a hard-and-fast rule.)

10. Use a hyphen to prevent a word from being confused with another word of different meaning, e.g. “re-sign” is not the same as “resign”.

11. Hyphenate a compound consisting of adjective + noun to which –d or –ed has been added, whether or not it precedes the noun it modifies: a red-eyed frog; a frog that is red-eyed.

12. Hyphenate a compound consisting of noun + past participle when it precedes the noun it modifies. (Many such compounds are also hyphenated when they follow the noun they modify: a tongue-tied pupil; a pupil who is tongue-tied / an expensive tailor-made suit; a suit that is tailor-made.)

Wordwise

By S.H. LOKE

ARE you a cut above others in mastering English? Try this test on words associated with cutting. Choose the right answer from the options given:

1. I ______ my hair every six weeks.

A chop B slice C carve D trim

2. We should avoid _______ trees in view of global warming.

A slicing B peeling C chopping D slitting

3. The design must be drawn on the wood before you ______ it.

A slice B carve C peel D grate

4. For my sandwiches, I ______ my cucumber thinly.

A carve B slice C slit D incise

5. You should ______ your beef before cooking it with spaghetti sauce.

A slit B incise C mince D peel

6. I usually ______ my cucumber and carrot to make my salad.

A carve B slit C incise D grate

7. You can _______the potatoes to cook them with chicken.

A julienne B slit C trim D cube

8. My uncle likes to _______ the Christmas turkey into slices.

A julienne B cube C carve D grate

9. It takes some time to ______ the carrot and cucumber for garnishing.

A julienne B slit C carve D incise

10. A television programme should be ______ if it is too violent.

A slit B axed C carved D incised

11. The chairs in the palace are ______ with the royal emblem.

A cubed B incised C slit D chopped

12. Why do people cry when they _______ onions?

A slit B carve C peel D incise

13. Joan’s dress does not fit her well because it is badly ______.

A cut B slit C minced D chopped

14. A mentally unsound man _______ a girl’s throat in a shop.

A grated B minced C peeled D slit

Answers:

1. D trim 2. C chopping 3. B carve 4. B slice 5. C mince 6. D grate 7. D cube 8. C carve 9. A julienne 10. B axed 11. B incised 12. C peel 13. A cut 14. D slit

EH POH NIM

Bananas and fruitcakes

By LYDIA TEH

EH Poh Nim and her colleagues visited an old folks’ home in Petaling Jaya as part of their company’s community project.

Eh Poh Nim, Jane and Paul were grouped together. The first inmate they called on was a petite woman with grey hair tied up in a bun. When they came to her room to give her a gift pack of oats, milk powder and cream crackers, she pressed a key into Eh Poh Nim’s palm.

“Help me open the cupboard door,” she said in Cantonese.

Eh Poh Nim tried to insert the key into the keyhole of the plain wooden cupboard but it wouldn’t fit. Jane took the key from her and struggled with it too. Just then the home supervisor, Sheila, popped in.

“It’s all right, ladies. The door isn’t locked.” She tugged on the edge of the door and it opened. “Tai Cheh is always getting unsuspecting folks to unlock the door for her.”

“She’s as nutty as a fruitcake,” Paul said softly as they trooped out of Tai Cheh’s room.

“And quite harmless,” Sheila added.

“What’s that man doing?” Jane nudged her head across the hall towards an old man who seemed to be squiggling something in the air, arm raised high above his head.

“Is he off his chump too?” Paul asked.

Sheila snorted. “That Maniam is as crafty as they come. He’s pretending to write on a blackboard. Hand exercise, he calls it. He used to be a schoolteacher. Excuse me, I have to check on lunch in the kitchen. Do talk with the old folks, they’re always happy to have company.”

The room next to Tai Cheh’s was ajar. Jane knocked on the door before gently pushing it open. A thin woman was lying on a red-and-white plastic reclining chair.

“Hello, Aunty. How are you?” Eh Poh Nim said as she approached the woman and tried to shake hands with her.

The woman flinched and clutched her hands to her chest.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped. “Got germs on your hands. Did you wash them?”

Eh Poh Nim said, “Er ... yes.”

Jane placed a gift pack on the single bed. “This is for you, Aunty.”

“Take it away from my bed. Don’t dirty it,” the old woman said.

“I put it on the floor, okay?” Jane moved the pack to the floor.

“She’s bananas,” Paul said when they exited the room. “Don’t tell me all the inmates here are off their rockers.”

Eh Poh Nim and Jane glared at him.

“Don’t be so unkind, Paul. They’re old and senile but that doesn’t mean they’re not right in the head,” Jane whispered fiercely.

“God, I hope I don’t lose my marbles when I get old,” Paul said.

“It would serve you right if you become mad as a hatter, you insensitive cad,” Eh Poh Nim said.

“Mad as a hatter?” Jane scratched her head.

“This expression has its origin in the hat-making business during the 19th century. At that time, mercury was used in making hats. The accumulation of mercury in the workers’ bodies caused them to suffer from symptoms such as loss of co-ordination, trembling, slurred speech and depression. That’s why mercury poisoning was known as the mad hatter’s syndrome,” Eh Poh Nim said.

“I’d rather be as mad as a March hare,” Paul said.

“It means the same thing,” Eh Poh Nim snapped.

“Ah, but then hares behave excitedly in March as it’s their mating season. That’s why I’d rather be mad as a March hare, know what I mean?” Paul winked.

“You’re off your trolley!”

“Who’s the insensitive one now?”

“Sssshhhh! Don’t argue so loudly!” Maniam the ex-school teacher called out from across the hall. “Not all of us here are hearing impaired, you know.”

Eh Poh Nim hurried over to give him a gift pack. “Sorry about that, uncle.”

“I heard you fellas talking about mad people. I know some crazy folks. Back in those days when I was a school teacher, there was this mother who always came to school to complain about something or other. Her son should get 100 marks for everything, he should be a prefect, he should’ve won the art and elocution contests and stuff like that. She drove me up the pole, I tell you.”

“I wouldn’t call her a basket case. That was plain kiasu, scared to lose out,” Paul butted in.

Maniam ignored him and continued, “And then there was this guy who was barking mad. Do you know where he lived?” He paused for effect. “In the roof of a bus stand. He had removed the ceiling tiles and placed a mattress on the beams of the roof. One day, I saw him climbing down stark naked. That chap had bats in the belfry, totally.”

At that moment, the tinkling of a bell sliced through the air.

“That’s the bell for lunch. Thank you, folks,” Maniam said as he bowed and shuffled off.

Eh Poh Nim and her colleagues made haste to distribute the gift packs to the other inmates who were hobbling to the kitchen.

Lydia Teh is the author of Honk! If You’re Malaysian and Life’s Like That – Scenes from Malaysian Life, available at good bookstores. Visit her blog at www.lydiateh.wordpress.com for more Eh Poh Nim stories.

The only correct way

By STEPHEN KAU

AS the saying goes: The little things in life are important. To which I add: True, but small matter is no matter. The trick, of course, is to know the difference – how to collect the important “little things” in your life and when to ignore the insignificant “small matter” irritating you temporarily.

In a similar vein, one of the more difficult decisions to make, when being pedantic about the English language, is knowing when to stop nitpicking over grammar – or else, you will end up sounding like a pompous BOF (boring ol' fart).

Having said this, I run the risk of being too pedantic with today's topic about “only” (adjective, meaning the one entity).

Too many folks, journalists included, sometimes do not know the correct placement of this adjective (and occasional adverb and conjunction) for emphasis in sentences.

Generally, most speakers and writers of English think that if they put “only” immediately after a pronoun (I/we/you/he/she/they) or a subject, then the adjective covers all the bases, so to speak.

Also, they believe it sounds better to say “only” as early as possible in any sentence.

Nevertheless, the wrong emphasis is often made in such cases.

Examples:

“The doctor only went to the local supermarket to get a packet of peanuts.”

“We only want five mangosteens.”

“She only told the waiter her choice for dessert after five long minutes.”

In the first example, the speaker's intention is to emphasise that the doctor did not buy anything else apart from the peanuts. But with the “only” placed before the “went”, the sentence could be open to the interpretation that the doctor checked out only the supermarket and nowhere else.

In this example, the correct place for “only” is after “get” – to point out that the buyer sought nothing else except the munchies:

“The doctor went to the local supermarket to get only a packet of peanuts.”

In the second example, the sentence should read: “We want only five mangosteens.”

The last example: “She told the waiter her choice for dessert only after five long minutes.”

Occasionally, “only” is the first word in a sentence, used as if for extra emphasis. Song titles Only You and Only the Lonely, and one of the most poignantly profound sayings of modern times, “Only the good die young”, come to mind.

The placement of the word in these examples is correct.

It is incorrect, however, in some instances. The main character of an animated movie says, “Only get what you need” while considering the amount of food to steal. Here, it is more precise to say, “Get only what you need” or to put the “only” at the end of the sentence.

This, too, is correct for emphasis, particularly when placed after a noun. Examples include “Cash only” and For Your Eyes Only, the James Bond novel by Ian Fleming.

Stephen Kau is a writer who lives in Sydney, Australia.

Which is the odd one out?

By OH TEIK THEAM

LOOK at the words in each of the groups below and see if you can spot the odd one out:

1. apostrophe, interjection, pronoun, adverb

2. but, because, since, although

3. goat, lion, tiger, sheep

4. jeans, scissors, binoculars, shirts

5. duck, chicken, goose, turkey

6. car, boat, furniture, flower

7. begin, laugh, steal, throw

8. family, honesty, crowd, jury

9. speak, stop, snore, sink

Pronunciation matters

By LYNNE MCGREADY

I WALKED into a shop in Sydney, Australia over the Christmas break. The shop assistant was very helpful and inquisitive ... I was asked questions about my home, my family, my marital status and my profession. I felt a little awkward but after being interrogated (in the nicest possible ways!) by my Malaysian students about my personal life, I found myself answering without any hesitation.

When she asked about my company, I explained it was a training and consultancy “firm”.

She stopped me and asked confusedly, “You have a training ‘farm’?”

I was so surprised that I nearly shouted. “ ‘FARM’ ... !!! You heard ‘farm’?”

She said, “Yes!” (And then backed away slowly…)

At that moment I wished I had used the word “company” but would she have heard something different with this word as well? Was my pronunciation deteriorating? Was I becoming slack?

I quickly did a self-assessment of myself after this experience.

• Was I spending enough time on pronunciation as a teacher?
• Was I correcting them too often?
• Was I not correcting them enough since most of them can understand what I am saying?
• Was I focusing only on the biggest pronunciation mistakes?
• In the end, is studying pronunciation really that important?

The last question nagged me the most. I thought back to my experiences over the years as a teacher and a trainer. The answer I came up with was:

“Yes! Pronunciation is an important part of language! It is just as important as vocabulary or grammar!”

I am sure that some will argue this. After all, shouldn’t we focus on being able to get a message across rather than creating perfectly structured sentences and crisp pronunciation?

My response is simple. “We must give equal importance to all the systems of a language, be that vocabulary acquisition, phonics, sentence structure or function. They must be developed simultaneously, not one at a time!”

However, one compelling reason to pay attention to pronunciation is the significant change in students’ confidence in their ability to express themselves when they are able to pronounce their words correctly. When they can finally speak the words that they previously found unspeakable, their self-esteem sky-rockets, as does their desire to continue learning the language.

Another strong validation for continual pronunciation practice is first impressions. The first thing a person will notice about the other is pronunciation (particularly at work!) They won’t immediately take note of the grammar or how wide their range of vocabulary is, however pronunciation is there, in their face. And we all know that first impressions count heavily.

The right pronunciation?

I am sure many teachers are asked “American or British?” Let me confuse the issue ... How about Australian or South African or New Zealand? Okay. Let’s choose British since, we are using the British English standard in our school system. Good. Which English regional dialect are you going to chose? London or Manchester or West Country? Have I lost you yet?

Once we realise this problem, we see clearly our ultimate goal – to help improve our students’ pronunciation. We want them to sound like a Malaysian, rather than trying (unsuccessfully) to sound like an American or an Australian. The latter is not an option, and often ends in failure.

Our goals should be to:

• Develop an understandable way of speaking NOT ONLY to the people living and working around them but also to those who are not Malaysians!
• Improve listening comprehension and become familiar with the many varieties of English.

Many students try to understand every word said by native English speakers. When they cannot understand every single word, they give up and lose heart. I recommend the following:

• If you are watching TV, switch off the subtitle function or cover the subtitles with paper!
• Choose TV and radio programmes that you find enjoyable and interesting. If you are struggling, take a break and come back a little later.
• Listen to world news in your mother tongue first and then in English.
• Don’t try to understand every word. (I know many of my American friends cannot understand what Australians are saying!)
• Music! Listen and sing English songs. You can download the lyrics from the Internet and follow them as you listen.

Teachers, who are at the frontline for making sure students start off on a good path to English learning, should:

• Monitor and correct their own pronunciation. Familiarise yourself with the International Phonetic symbols, the phonemes they represent and how to pronounce them.
• Word drills are good for improving word stress and intonation. Story telling is another great way to improve these skills.
• Help your students to become autonomous learners. Direct them to sites where they can hear the word being pronounced e.g. wiki dictionary.
• Bring some (English) music into your classroom. It breaks the monotony and makes the class more enjoyable.
• Don’t allow yourself or your students to lose heart or give up ...
• Be consistent with pronunciation work in class. You needn’t interrupt every sentence to correct someone’s speech. But ensure that there is regular correction and feedback. Don’t fall into the “no time for this” trap!

Others may disagree with the strong importance I place on pronunciation. However, people need to understand what you are saying.

If the wrong sounds are used, and through that a poor first impression is created, does it matter what comes next? You may not get a “second chance”.

CREATIVE GREEN

GREEN business has become the trend of the century. While the Earth Hour was a short-term effort to create awareness about the environment, or as critics claimed, a mere publicity stunt, some organisations are going green by making long-term changes for sustainability.

The following are some examples of green business initiatives by several companies:

Waterless urinals in men’s washroom

At the Sunway Pyramid, there is no more need to flush at the urinals in the men’s toilets as each urinal is coated with BioCare liquid, a special chemical that breaks down urine into environment-friendly components without using water.

“This is part of the mall’s effort to conserve water and reduce wastage to help the environment. As the breakdown of the urine takes place immediately upon contact, this system ensures the urinals are always hygienic for use,” said the mall’s leasing and marketing general manager Kevin Tan.
Waterless urinals: There is no need to flush at the urinals in men’s washroom as each urinal is coated with BioCare Liquid, a special chemical that breaks down urine into environment-friendly components without using water

According to Tan, the chemical is changed weekly to ensure its effectiveness.

Other green activities by the mall include a car park guiding system, the Alam Flora Recycling Buy Back Centre, and the Bring Your Own Bag campaign.

The parking system uses red/green LED (light emitting diodes) light to guide motorists to the nearest available parking bay.

“This system helps drivers to save time in locating available parking bays and reduces the time spent on finding available parking bays means less carbon monoxide emission from running vehicles,” Tan said.

“Shoppers and tenants can also recycle old cardboard boxes, newspapers, can and hard plastic for cash at the Alam Flora Recycling Buy Back Centre (BBC), which is open daily from 10am to 5pm except Thursday,” he said.

“A recycling buyback centre in the mall encourages not only the public but the retail outlets to trade in recyclables for cash as well.

In addition, the Sunway Pyramid will be rewarding shoppers with free parking every Tuesday (except public holidays) for supporting the environment. To qualify for the scheme, shoppers need to bring their eco-friendly bags (paper or plastic bags are not allowed) and buy product-based goods worth a minimum of RM50. They then have to present their receipts to one of the concierges and exchange their parking ticket for a free ticket.
Recycling help: Shoppers and tenants can recycle old cardboard boxes, newspapers, can and hard plastic for cash at the Alam Flora Recycling Buy Back Centre (BBC) in Sunway Pyramid.

“The main message of the campaign is not solely about the mall going green for the long-term, but that its shoppers take ownership and do their part for Mother Nature,” Tan said.

100% PCR PET Bottles

The Body Shop, known for its environment-friendly initiatives, is no stranger to the concept of green business.

According to The Body Shop marketing communication manager Jennifer Chan, one key value at The Body Shop is to protect the planet.

“Early last year, 100% recycled plastic bottles were introduced. That’s because some people still discard the packaging the usual way even if there’s a recycling centre or the option to return it to our outlets. The bottles are also 100% recyclable, from the cap to the label, even if it ends up in a landfill,” Chan said,

She said The Body Shop paper bags were made from 100% recycled paper with printing using water-based ink that did not harm the environment.

For the Green Office concept, the company’s workers are encouraged to practice the 3R — reduce, reuse and recycle.

Recycle bins are placed in the office for used paper and empty bottles.

Employees are advised to switch off all electrical appliances such as lights, air-conditioners, and computers when not in use, print emails or documents only when necessary and print all documents double-sided where possible, as well as publish, distribute or copy documents electronically.

As for reuse, the workers are encouraged to use scrap paper for taking notes and printing, re-use envelopes from internal mail and use own coffee mugs or water bottles for water and beverages instead of plastic/paper cups.

Up next is the “Kick The Bag Habit” on World Environment Day on June 5. Launched on Earth Day last year, the campaign raised RM91,953 towards the protection of the Temengor rainforest and over 77,000 paper bags saved over the period of the campaign.

For each shopping bag declined by every customer during the campaign, The Body Shop donated 50 sen to its campaign partner Malay­sia Nature Society (MNS). Customers who requested a bag donated 50 sen towards the campaign.

“The concept is same for this year, but customers can now have the choice to purchase a limited edition tote bag at RM5, where RM2.50 will be donated to the MNS for the Save Temengor campaign,” Chan said.

Reducing carbon dioxide emissions

Panasonic Malaysia Sdn Bhd is committed to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its production activities by 300,000 tonnes globally over three years from fiscal year 2008 to 2010.

According to its assistant general manager (corporate communication and branding), Azizah Wahid, as part of the company’s environmental sustainability management activities, it will focus on three initiatives: Eco ideas for manufacturing, Eco ideas for everybody and everywhere, and Eco ideas for products.

Internally, the company has adopted a series of activities such as “no overtime” day, saving energy by switching off air-conditioners and lights, “no driving out for lunch” day to save petrol and reduce carbon footprint as well as recycling and office cleaning to maintain a clean and healthy work environment and work culture.

Azizah said the company was also striving to develop technologies for resource conservation while improving product functions.

To reduce CO2 emissions in the group’s activities, Panasonic will improve productivity in all manufacturing processes, including product planning, procurement, marketing, logistics and recycling.

“Reducing resources will reduce the amount of material used; reduce the rate of non-circulating resources over their life cycles; use more recycled resources; and increase recyclable resources. At the same time, Panasonic will reduce CO2 emissions,” Azizah said.

For the Clean Factories initiatives, Panasonic emphasises preventing global warming, reducing total waste, and reducing the release and transfer of chemical substances.

The company is endeavouring to minimise all input and output and to make all their manufacturing sites into Clean Factories.

Panasonic also promotes green logistics and recycling waste to help prevent global warming and reduce air pollution.

Panasonic will expand its eco- activities to local communities around the world. The company is promoting awareness-raising activities such as Love the Earth Citizens Campaign to encourage employees and their families to be active parti­ci­pants in eco-initiatives at home, the workplace and local communities.

Panasonic is aiming to establish factories co-existing in harmony with local communities and societies.

In addition to giving environmental consideration to materials and promoting recycling-oriented de­signs, Panasonic will accelerate development of energy conservation technologies while eliminating products with low energy efficiency.

BEAUTY OF NATURE

Beauty of nature

I love to go to the falls
To watch the leaves of nature
The colours are so beautiful to see
For they have great meaning to me
Orange is for love and friendship
Green is for my new life to come
Brown is for my past memories
The crispness of the falling leaves
Is nature finally arriving in my heart?
Never a breeze so sweet
Flowers burst forth in brilliant colours
As the butterflies come to greet
The bees even harmonise with life
As they drift among the flowers
A golden rainbow carved after the storm
Beauty beyond compare
Tall trees, I am surrounded by
As I look for the sky
It had never looked so blue
When I pass by, the birds fly high to me
Singing in the trees, the squirrels climb
A taste of heaven here on Earth
As gentle rains caress
My face with drops of life
In such pure tenderness.
And if you listen close enough
Nature is crying
For the foolish work of Man.

– How Han Ming

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 gangsters who have been terrorising the area always record in their notebooks the amount of money they extort from each shopkeeper.

2. The football club has decided to offer a reward to anyone who discovers a young player of remarkable skill.

3. The teacher decided to tell an interesting story to the class, and a pupil interrupted her a minute later by asking, “Why was the hare late for the race?”

4. “By the time you get to the end of this book of potions,” the wizard said to the young man, “you will have learned how to cure aches and pains of all kinds.”

5. She watched her little boy walk with long steps towards his father to say, “Dad, give me a fast ride on your back!”

6. “This bar ain’t good enough for me,” said the loud-mouthed cowboy just before he was thrown out of the saloon, so that he found himself drenched in the downpour.

7. “Was she at home when her ancient sword with its case was stolen from her house?”

8. The headmaster had a weird dream in which a teacher said to him, “I can’t teach in a classroom where the pupils throw porcelain cups at me!”

9. “Why did the writer throw a stapler at the group of linguists on the podium?”

10. The new girl at the office, painfully retiring and reticent, wrote on a card that she sent to her supervisor: “I’m unable to attend your party, but I wish you a happy birthday.”

11. There wasn’t a particle of truth in the words uttered by the farmer who stood in his field in the slanting rain: “They give the Nobel Prize to people who are outstanding in their field.”

12. When his mother made an unplanned visit to the dentist’s, the mischievous boy thought, “I should seize this opportunity to help myself to the appetizing raspberries in the fridge.”

13. The man behind the counter, who was small in height, asked me, “Would you prefer cash or traveller’s cheques?”

14. At the insects’ convention, a lively wasp aired her views about pollination, and a brace of cicadas applauded her.

15. Directing his anger at his assistant, the scientist bellowed, “Another new rat has escaped from the lab!”

Answers

1.enter 2.rare 3.relate 4.reach 5.stride 6.rain 7.sheath 8.china 9.fling 10.shy 11.grain 12.grasp 13.short 14.pair 15.wrath

The Fox and the Sick Lion

By OH TEIK THEAM

AN old Lion who could no longer hunt for food said to himself one day, “Now I know why I don’t like fast food – because I can’t catch it!” He finally decided to get his meals by artifice. Thinking that his plan was better than letting nature take its curse, he asked a Jackal to let it be known that he was sick and that it would be in the best interest of every animal to visit him and enquire after his health.

The Lion’s first visitor was a Leopard. “Hello, mighty Lion,” the Leopard said. “How do you feel today?”

“As usual, with my paws,” the Lion joked and laughed feebly at his own “prey amble”. “Actually, I’m suffering from jungle flu – it’s making me weaker every day.” And he manufactured a coughing fit.

When the Lion’s feigned coughing continued unabated, the Leopard came nearer to him and patted him on the back, whereupon the Lion grabbed his unsuspecting victim and killed him with a vicious bite on the spot.

“That was an appetising meal on a fantastic chewsday,” the king of the jungle said when his hunger was satiated. “I’m indeed grateful for small fevers – imagined ones, that is!” And he left the leftovers to his friend the Jackal, saying, “I hope you like it – medium roar!”

In the evening a Deer came along, and the Lion invited her into his den. “I hear you are sick,” the Deer said.

“Yes, some vexing problem with the eyes,” said the Lion. “And speaking of eyes, I can tell the age of a deer just by looking closely at the eyes.”

“Really?” said the Deer. “That’s an interesting eye-deer!”

Curious, the cervine creature let the Lion examine her unblinking eyes. A few minutes later the Lion rubbed his stomach in contentment. “She certainly had no time to run for deer life,” he said, roaring triumphantly. “Blinking fool!”

A few days later the Lion received another visitor – a Goat. “What ails you?” the caprine animal asked.

“It’s my lungs,” said the Lion, “but I can’t pinpoint the illness.”

“Do you have trouble breathing?” asked the Goat.

“Of cough.”

“TB or not TB, that is the question,” conjectured the Goat, hoof on horn.

“What did you say?” said the Lion as he cupped his paw against his ear. “This tenacious illness makes me hard of hearing at times.”

The Goat came nearer to the Lion to repeat his words. His action was a fatal mistake, for the Lion killed him quite effortlessly.

The next day a Fox stood on the outside of the Lion’s den at a safe distance. He cordially asked the Lion how he was feeling, and the latter replied, “Not too well. I ate some seafood that tasted shrimp-ly awful. But why do you stand out there in the savage heat? Please come inside so that we can talk further. This isn’t much of a place, but it’s still a home to have pride in.”

“You must think I was born yesterday if you expect me to go inside,” the vulpine quadruped said. “I don’t relish the idea of hearing you say ‘Pleased to eat you’ and dying in your living room.”

“What do you mean?” the Lion asked.

“I notice from the footprints that many visitors have entered your den, but I see no trace of their coming out,” the Fox replied. “The only animal who can enter your den and come out alive is you. I shall have to warn the other animals of your deadly cunning!”

SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The Simple Past Tense

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POLLUTION

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PHRASAL VERBS

Fun with phrasal verbs

By OH TEIK THEAM

A PHRASAL verb is an idiomatic phrase consisting of (i) verb + adverb (break down); (ii) verb + preposition (look into); or (iii) verb + adverb + preposition (put up with).

Look at these two sentences:

She ran into the kitchen.

The company ran into some problems.

In the first sentence, “ran into” is not idiomatic — it means “moved quickly into”. In the second sentence, “ran into” is idiomatic — it means “experienced”.

Some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning. In the ‘stories’ below, only the relevant meanings of the phrasal verbs are provided.

The cowboy

A cowboy buys a horse from a friend, who tells him to say “Phew” to make the horse go and “Bah” to make it stop.

The cowboy jumps onto the saddle and says, “It’s getting dark — time to set off.” And then he shouts, “Phew!”

The horse starts to gallop quickly. “Whoa, whoa!” the cowboy yells, but the horse refuses to stop.

They are almost at the brink of a deep canyon, and it seems the cowboy will meet with an unpleasant death. Luckily, at the very last moment, he remembers the right word to use. He yells, “Bah!” The equine animal stops, just inches from the edge.

Looking down at the rocks hundreds of feet below, the cowboy is relieved that he has come through the danger. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and says, “Phew!”

Set off: To begin a journey.

Meet with: To encounter.

Come through: To survive.

The blind date

When the 80-year-old widow returns home from a blind date with an 85-year-old man, her daughter asks her, “Mum, did you take to him?”

“No,” the mother replies.

“What happened, Mum? Please fill me in.”

“I had to slap his face a few times.”

“He got fresh?”

The mother falls about with laughter and says, “No, I thought he was dead!”

Take to: To form a liking for.

Fill someone in: To give someone the necessary information.

Fall about: To laugh uncontrollably.

The actors

An actor walks into a sleazy restaurant for a quick meal. As he is tucking into his dinner, he notices another actor clearing dirty crockery from the next table.

“I’m not surprised,” the first actor says. “Jobs are hard to come by for you — you can’t even play a corpse in a medical drama!”

The second actor, put out by the first actor’s rudeness, retorts, “At least I don’t eat here!”

Tuck into: To eat heartily.

Come by: To obtain.

Put out: To be annoyed.

SENTENCE,PHRASE AND CLAUSE

Sentence, phrase, clause

FUN WITH GRAMMAR
By OH TEIK THEAM

A SENTENCE is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate, and expresses a complete thought.

In writing, it begins with a capital letter and ends with a full stop, a question mark, or an exclamation mark. Example: Mary had a little lamb.

A phrase is a group of two or more words that acts as a single unit in the syntax of a sentence. It does not contain a subject and predicate, and does not express a complete thought. Examples: on the surface / of great interest / a slice of bread.

Soulful phrasing: Beatle George Harrison sings While My Guitar Gently Weeps ... is that a sentence, phrase or clause?

A clause consists of a subject and a predicate. Example: He has a swimming pool which is as big as a lagoon – where “which” (referring to the noun immediately preceding it) is the subject and “is as big as a lagoon” is the predicate.

There are two kinds of clauses: independent and dependent.

Independent clauses can be sentences by themselves. A simple sentence is an independent clause: Humpty-Dumpty sat on a wall.

Dependent (or subordinate) clauses cannot stand by themselves – they occur in sentences with independent clauses.

For example, in the sentence “The baby monster couldn’t sleep because he thought there was a human under his bed”, “because he thought there was a human under his bed” is the dependent clause and “The baby monster couldn’t sleep” is the independent clause.

Can you tell if the Beatles song titles below are sentences, phrases or dependent clauses?

1. Across the Universe

2. I Feel Fine

3. She Loves You

4. In My Life

5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

6. I Want to Hold Your Hand

7. A Hard Day’s Night

8. Till There Was You

9. I Saw Her Standing There

10. All My Loving

11. When I Get Home

12. Lonesome Tears in My Eyes

13. I Call Your Name

14. When I’m Sixty-four

15. The Long and Winding Road

16. Do You Want to Know a Secret?

Answers:

1. phrase 2. sentence 3. sentence 4. phrase 5. clause 6. sentence 7. phrase 8. clause 9. sentence 10. phrase 11. clause 12. phrase 13. sentence 14. clause 15. phrase 16. sentence

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For Better Or For Worse

Coping with Exams

This leaflet aims to give practical guidelines to handling the time leading up to examinations, as well as some tips about the exams themselves. Many of the suggestions are simple or 'obvious', yet at times when we are under pressure we can easily forget these basics. If anxiety or particular difficulties with study skills are a problem, read the leaflets in this series on 'Anxiety', 'Procrastination', 'Work Block', etc.

Preparing for exams

Start a revision programme in good time before the exams. Whilst you do not want to 'peak' too early, leaving revision too late is an excellent recipe for stress. Doing the work takes less effort than thinking about doing the work!

A certain amount of pressure is good for us and helps us perform well. But this is different from the popular game of "look how stressed I am" which is supposed to impress others with how hard one is working. Similarly, maintaining some balance in life and some perspective on the exams is different from that other popular game of "look how cool (and on top of my work) I am"!

Organising your space

Most people preparing for exams know they should organise their time - and we come to this in the next section - but fewer people know that it helps to organise their space too.

Think about where you work. See if you can separate out the places where you work from the places where you relax. Even if this all happens within one small room, create a 'working place' (around a desk/table?) which contains your papers, books, etc. and everything you need for your work.

Move all distractions out of your work area - pictures, music, TV - and put these into your 'relaxation areas'. Similarly, keep work out of the latter, so that when you are relaxing or sleeping your working is not intruding into this space.

Get used to working when you are in your work area, and 'switching off' when you get up from this place. Creating a physical separation of this kind will help you to do the same mentally.

Organising your time

People are different in how they react to revision plans. When these go wrong - as they often do - it is usually because they were planned too tightly and did not allow for sufficient flexibility: plans need plenty of blank space to allow for the unexpected.

Bearing in mind that plans need to be flexible, draw up a weekly timetable for yourself, firstly putting in everything you need to do: meals, sleep, lectures, supervisions, shopping, laundry etc. Then allocate time for revision and time for relaxing and enjoying yourself.

Be realistic about how much time you can aim to spend revising. As a guide, if you divide the week into 21 units (one per morning, afternoon and evening) you should aim to work in total for no more than 15 units per week, as it has been shown that ability to work effectively over a prolonged period decreases over this level. Therefore, you should have 6 units (e.g. 2 full days or 1 full day and 3 evenings) to do other things.

Allowing yourself time every week for relaxation, recreation, socialising and rest will help you feel less stressed and make it more likely that you will stick to your timetable. This is not wasting time; it helps you work more effectively.

Plan how you will use your time during your revision periods. You might want to list all the topics you want to revise, decide what order to learn them in, and how much time to spend on each. If you have other tasks to complete (e.g. reading, note-taking) you need to decide how much time to spend on these.

Be realistic about what you can achieve and stick to your deadlines. If there is too much work to do in the time available, use the following questions to help you prioritise:

• which are the most important topics?
• which subjects do you know best already, or are easiest to get 'up to scratch'?
• which topics are compulsory?
• for which subjects do you already have the most information/research/material?

Set specific goals for each revision period. Make a list of your goals; keep them realistic; and tick them off as you achieve them so you can see what you have done. Allow more time for subjects you find difficult. Check out what you do not understand.

Some people find it helpful to work in groups - perhaps arranging to meet a few friends to discuss particular topics. You can use this to test each other's memory or talk through aspects you have not understood.

Motivation

Some people struggle with a lack of motivation. These simple strategies may help:

• plan rewards for yourself when you have achieved goals
• start with easier/more interesting subjects
• and establish a work routine - once started, a routine becomes easier to maintain
• remind yourself why you have chosen to do these exams - if you do not want the qualification you do not have to do them!

Improving concentration

There is a separate leaflet in this series which deals specifically with improving concentration, but here are a few pointers.

People vary in how long they can concentrate, so experiment and find a work pattern that suits you. Take regular, short breaks when you are working - for example, 10 minutes out of every hour you work - is likely to help you concentrate for longer.

If you are finding it very difficult to concentrate, start off by setting yourself a small, manageable goal. When you have achieved this, give yourself some reward. Keep repeating this goal setting and rewarding yourself. As you achieve your goals, gradually increase what you set out to do. In this way you can train yourself to concentrate more effectively. Here are some other ideas:

• Make notes as you read. Keep questions in your mind as you work. Speak out loud. Record yourself.
• Mix topics frequently. Mix easy and difficult topics, and interesting and dull topics.
• Try to work in a comfortable environment (not too cold, hot, noisy) and remove distractions if possible. Find out where you work best, e.g. in the library with a friend, or alone in your room - see the earlier section on 'organising your space'.

Active learning

Try to revise in an active way: do not just read notes through, but perhaps make a list of key points (writing reams of new notes is very time-consuming and is not an effective method of revising!). Test your memory as you go along and try to devise questions/answers concerning the information you are learning.

Some people find it helpful to use memory aids such as memorising a trigger word which is associated with a 'chunk' of information, making a trigger word out of the initial letters of key points or names, or finding a way of visualising information.

Practising

Spend some time going through past exam papers and practise answering questions within the allotted time. It doesn't matter if your attempts go wrong to start with - in fact, now is the time to make these mistakes! Such practice will give you a good idea of the format of the exam, the sorts of questions you could get, and will give you invaluable practice in planning and structuring answers under time pressure. In makes no sense to get your first 'practice' at this during the real examination!

Remember that you are not expected to produce an essay under examination conditions which looks like it took a week to carefully polish. So, be realistic: people tend not to be able to write 'perfect' essays during exams. Keep focusing your attention on the task in hand (i.e. answering the question) rather than being distracted by 'what if's.

Sleeping better

There is a separate leaflet in this series on insomnia, but here are a few pointers that may help during periods of revision and exams:

• Don't work in or on your bed - keep bed for relaxation and sleep.
• 'Switch off' before going to bed: stop working at least an hour before you intend to sleep and spend the time doing something more relaxing e.g. listening to music, talking to a friend, having a bath, doing relaxation exercises, taking a stroll.
• If you stick to a regular bed time and getting up time it will be easier to maintain good sleeping patterns.
• Too much alcohol will prevent you from sleeping properly and will tend to make you tired the next day.
• Do not 'catastrophise' about not being able to sleep well i.e. stop telling yourself that you will not be able to do anything the next day if you cannot get to sleep. Even when you are not sleeping much, you will still be able to function well, think logically and do difficult mental tasks. It is mundane, vigilance-type tasks and mood (e.g. irritability) which are mainly affected by lack of sleep. Most people manage to sustain sleep deficit over a few days (but not weeks!) before needing to 'catch up'.

On the day of the exam

Looking after yourself - for example, getting enough rest and eating reasonably - is more important and effective than trying to do some last minute cramming. This is a day to have planned beforehand and to take things gently in order to conserve your energy for the examination(s).

Don't get up very early, as this will just make you more tired. Eat breakfast, but do not drink too much liquid! If you have spare time, do something you find relaxing - have a bath, go for a stroll - and keep away from those whose stress levels are contagious.

Rather than trying to learn any new material, perhaps just look over a few key points.

Arrive at the exam hall comfortably in time but not too early; the tension hanging over this short period of waiting just before the exam is highly contagious so you do well to minimise your exposure to it!

It is natural to feel some anxiety when you go into the examination room. Use the few minutes before you are allowed to begin to do some simple relaxation and breathing exercises; sit back and separate yourself mentally from those who are getting stressed.

Read the exam paper through slowly. When you have chosen your questions read them through twice to make sure you have understood and not misread the question. If you are allowed to do so, underline key words or phrases in the questions.

Answer the correct number of questions and divide your time equally between them - or according to the marking scheme if questions have different weighting. With essay questions, you will get more marks overall by doing three (say) average answers, than by doing two brilliant ones but leaving the third question undone!

Some people write out essay plans to all the questions they need to answer at the beginning, so they can add things as they occur to them while working on other answers; others take each question in order. Which method works best for you, or is most appropriate to the format of your exams? After doing your plan, look back at the question and check you are answering the question asked - you do not get credit for a brilliant answer to a question you were not asked!

Take regular 'micro-breaks': whenever you pause at the end of writing a paragraph or stop to think for a moment, put your pen down and sit back, even if just for a moment.

If you start to panic during an exam

In an examination situation it is not uncommon for one's mind to go blank for a moment, or to be confused by a question put in an unfamiliar way. At these times it is easy to begin to panic. This is likely to take the form of doom-laden thoughts as well as physical symptoms such as feeling your heart racing, feeling faint, hot or sweaty. Although these symptoms are disturbing, perhaps even frightening, they are in fact very common and are not at all dangerous.

First, pause for a few moments: put your pen down and sit back; slow your breathing down a little. Let your body relax. Relaxation and breathing exercises will help to reduce these symptoms. Reassure yourself that you are not going to collapse or lose control - these things never happen because of anxiety. Push upsetting thoughts to the back of your mind and re-focus your attention on relaxing, and then back on the exam itself. No matter how bad the anxiety feels, do not leave the exam as the anxiety level will fall within a short space of time. Panic is always time limited and the symptoms will reduce in a short while.

When you are able, get back to work - remember that it is better to put something down rather than nothing.

After the examination

Before the day of the exam, it can be a good idea to decide what you are going to do immediately after the exam ends. Standing around and joining in with others' delight or dismay is almost always discouraging. If you have something already planned you can simply leave others to do the post-mortem, while you go and do something more enjoyable.

If you are exhausted, some food or a sleep may help; if you are still wound up, you could do something physical, such as go for a run or a swim. If you are going to meet up with someone, you could agree with them that you will only talk about the exam for 5 minutes - or even not at all.

REPORTED SPEECH

HOW'S YOUR HOLIDAY GETTING ON?DO YOU HAVE A TIME TABLE DURING THE 2 WEEKS HOLS?I HOPE YOU'VE PLANNED YOUR TIME WISELY.AS FOR THE FORM 5 STUDENTS, THE CLOCK IS TICKING.REMEMBER THAT TIME NEVER WAIT FOR ANYONE.START DOING YOUR REVISION.HERE'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU.IT'S GOOD ESPECIALLY FOR ESSAY.

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