Synthesis Notes

Dear all,

Synthesis Notes

Although

Shows a difference in two actions or events happening. It has the same meaning as 'but'.

Unless

Shows an action plus the consequences if it is not carried out or fulfilled. If your action is positive, the consequence should be negative. If the action stated is negative, the consequence becomes positive.

e.g 
Unless you disturb the cat, it will not bite you. (If you do not disturb the cat, what will happen?)

Unless you do not study hard, you will do well for the examinations.

Both

Both (Noun 1) and (Noun 2) verb.......

Who

Person Who Verb

He is the boy who likes to dance.

Whom

Person Whom Person

The boy whom I talked to is a dancer.

Either ...... or.....

If 'Either...or' is used at the start of the sentence, then:

Either (Noun 1) or (Noun 2) (Verb - the singular/plural form of the verb depends on the 2nd Noun)..........

If 'either....or' is used in the middle of the sentence, then:

- If there is only ONE main verb:

.............. VERB either Noun 1 or Noun 2.......................

The box is either small or big.

- If there are two verbs:

.............. either VERB 1 or VERB 2.......................

Jack either plays at the field or jogs in the park.

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Welcome back to Term 3

Dear all,

It's been awhile. Welcome back to Term 3. It will be a hectic term ahead with plenty of holidays and your CA2 drawing near. Lets' work hard together. We can do it! :)

For a start, we are concentrating on Comprehension Open-ended for this week. I have been drilling and practising the skill of Pre-Reading with you for the first semester. This is a basic and important skill of reading the questions first and understanding the story through the questions. As you read the question, ask yourself what you know and what you want to know. Therefore, highlight the key words in the questions such as 5W1H and the tenses.

For this term, I am concentrating on teaching you how to break down the passage further and more comprehensively through the skills of summarizing and retelling. We summarized the story through the use of answering the key questions being posed by me in your group work. Also, we make notes in the passage such as the introduction, key characters, events, what happened during the event and after the event.

Make sure that you make notes and read carefully. As mentioned in class, there are three different levels of comprehension - zero, partial, full. Most of you are at the level of partial to full comprehension. Do not just read on the surface. You need to ask yourself questions and make notes to fully comprehend the passage and details.

We also did retelling through telling the story again through the use of images. Images provide a powerful tool to visualise the story and recap the story. Through your drawings, we are able to see if you have fully internalised the story by re-telling the story.

We will also be concentrating on the use of newspaper articles this term to help in your comprehension and vocabulary.

Work hard! =D

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Revision Notes for SA1

Dear all,

Here are some reminders again for tomorrow's paper.

- Remember to highlight the key words tomorrow (tenses, main nouns/verbs, singular/plural) and draw the arrows to arrive at the answers. You need to zoom in and focus on the items in the questions to help you. This will also help you in your checking. Bear in mind this simple but important skill.

- Read through the passages first (except for comprehension OE) and grasp the main idea of the passage. This will help you comprehend the passage first. Thereafter, go through the key words in the questions. Form images in your mind as they can help you to answer the questions.

- For your comprehension OE, jot down in point forms or with the questions your Pre-Reading (What I know, What I want to know). You can tell the story briefly through the questions. This stimulates your understanding before you read. Highlight key words in the questions (5W 1H, tenses, key ideas and singular/plural form).

- Don't forget to be specific in your answering as I have taught you all along.

Grammar Notes 

1. Verb Noun Verb rule 

The second verb is always in the root word form (Present tense, Plural form)

The boy made Tom steal the wallet.
I saw the group of boys run away.
He witnessed Peter take the money,

2. Pronouns 

Check for the gender carefully before placing the right pronoun.

The boy said that the wallet belonged to him.
Mary told us that the pencil case was hers.

3. Using of 'Whom'

Person WHOM Person 

Father whom I spoke to about the broken car is furious at me.
Mr Tan whom I shouted at is crying now.
The group of boys whom the principal is talking to about their behaviour has to each write a reflection.

4. Neither.......nor.............

Neither Noun1 nor Noun2 verb .................

Always look at the second noun to determine if the verb is in the singular/plural form. This is called the proximity rule. Look at the 2ND noun.

Neither Peter nor the boy is at the field now.
Neither the boy nor the girls are here now.

5. Prefers........to............

Paul prefers walking to running.
He prefers the the blue cap to the green cap.

6. Main Noun

In a set of nouns given, check for the main noun to determine if the verb is singular/plural.

Jim, together with his brothers, is going for the party.
Sally, together with her friends, is here now.

Synthesis 

1. In spite of / Despite

You can use the words 'the fact that' after in spite of and despite.

In spite of the fact that there was a heavy rain, the boys played soccer outdoors.
He continued making fun of the small boy despite the fact that he was scolded severely.

2. Unless

Unless shows an action and a consequence. It shows a positive against a negative action/consequence.

Unless you study hard, you will not do well in your examinations.
The boy will go for the party unless his mother changes her mind.

3. Rather.......than 

I would rather walk than run.
He would rather sing a song than read a book.

4. If only

If only Jimmy did not have his tuition class, he would have gone for the party.


All the best everyone. Read carefully. Please check and be meticulous. Write neatly. You can do it! :)

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Notes for Paper 1 (Composition)

Dear all,

Here are some notes for the upcoming Paper 1 Examination.

1. Remember to plan your composition first. 
- Place (Where)
- Time (When)
- Characters involved (Who)
- Feelings (important!!!)
- Main event
- Problems
- Resolution (Conclusion)

2. Introduction to your composition
- We have learnt three techniques which are flashbacks, conversations and sounds.

Flashbacks
This is always a good technique to start your introduction. Using an item which reminds you of a particular event, flashbacks recalls the memories of a character. Do not forget that for flashbacks to work effectively, your last paragraph should always go back to the present day and recap about the flashback and any lessons to be learnt.

e.g
Looking at the picture of my family lying on my table, a wave of horrifying memories flooded my mind. It reminded me of a Tsunami incident a couple of years ago. It was an incident which I had almost lost my family and it served to remind me of the importance of family.

.........................................

Back in the present day, my mother's shouting jolted me from the horrific memories. I took another glance at the family photo and hoped that such an event would never happen again.

Conversations
Using conversations in the introduction builds up the story / actions / feelings. It also introduces you to the characters involved.

e.g
"Mum! Look over there! What are those huge waves?" I shouted hysterically while pointing at the waves. "Quick! Let's tell Dad and get out of here. There is no time to waste," Mother cried out as beads of perspiration trickled down her forehead.

Sounds 
Sound effects add to the suspense and will set the tone for the introduction. It can also explain about the setting and what is happening.

e.g
"Splash! Splash! Splash!" The deafening sounds of the tidal waves resounded through the air as the waves came crashing down towards the shore. "Dee. Dum. Dee. Dum." My heart palpitated wildly against my chest as trepidation filled me. I stared at the waves with my mouth agape. It was like a giant shadow covering me.

** Build up your story and explain what is happening leading up the main event and problem.

3. Main event / Problem
- 5 W 1 H
- Focusing on what happened? Why it happened? How did it happened?
- Remember to show and not tell (that means to not just describe but to show the actions plus the emotions)
- Expand on your ideas and details

4. Resolution / Conclusion
- How was the problem resolved? Any lessons to be learnt? What did the characters do? How do they feel?

5. Vocabulary words and phrases
- It is important to include many good words and phrases to make your composition stand out and to score well for your language component. Also, please do remember how to use the words and phrases to the correct setting. Do not use for the sake of using.

- You must make a conscious effort to remember and store your own set of words and phrases to be used. Look at the sample compositions and the show not tell activity that we do together in class for your revision.

6. Grammar 
- Watch your tenses. (Mainly past tense)
- Be mindful of singular / plural nouns and the accompanying verbs.

Work hard and study hard for your Paper 1. We have done our listening comprehension practice today. Key skills are to highlight key words for the importance of what the questions are asking, jot down notes along the way and recheck upon the second hearing.

Looking forward to seeing you do well. :)

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Nouns

Dear all,

Nouns name people, places, and things. One class of nouns is concrete. You can experience this group of nouns with your five senses. You can see them. 

Ice cream, for example, is a concrete noun. You can see the colour. You can taste the flavour. You can feel your tongue growing numb from the cold. Any noun that you can experience with at least one of your five senses is a concrete noun.

A second class of nouns is abstract. They cannot be seen directly. 

Disapproval is an example of an abstract noun. What color is disapproval? You don't know because you cannot see it. What texture is disapproval? Who knows? You cannot touch it. What flavor is disapproval? No clue! You cannot taste it! Does it make a sound? Of course not! Does it smell? Not a bit!

The changing of adjectives to nouns is also important. 

Adjective                    Nouns
sad                               sadness
happy                          happiness
angry                           anger
worried                       worry
amused                       amusement 
thoughtful                  thoughtfulness
sincere                        sincerity 

Regards,
Mr Nelson Ong

Grammar Rules

Dear all,

Here is a recap of the grammar rules taught in class this week.

Types of Conjunctions

To show an action plus a consequence/result

- Consequently
- As a result
- Therefore

To show a difference

- In contrast
- But
- Yet
- However

To link actions or events

- So
- Then
- Before
- After

To reinforce about the truth

- In fact

Conjunctions are important as they link ideas/events together. However, you need to know the types of conjunctions to be used and how to apply them. This is especially useful in your writing and for grammar cloze which often tests on conjunctions and prepositions.

Synthesis & Transformation

Neither....nor....... 

We learnt about the two ways to use this particular synthesis structure. It can also apply to the structure of 'either....or...'

1st way to use the structure is to focus on the comparison of 2 nouns.
Neither Noun 1 nor Noun 2 verb ....................
For this, 'neither...nor.' is often placed at the start of the sentence.

Whether the verb is in the singular/plural form will then depend on Noun 2. This is known as the proximity rule.

e.g Neither the boys nor the girls are at the field.
      Neither the boys nor the girl is at the field.

2nd way to use the structure is to focus on the comparison/uses of the verbs and for this, 'neither....nor...' is often placed in the middle of the sentence.

When there is only 1 similar verb, the verb is placed before 'neither'
When there are 2 different verbs, the first verb is placed after 'neither' and the next verb is placed after 'nor'.

e.g Peter eats neither sweet nor salty food. (1 verb only)
      Peter neither bakes cakes nor cooks vegetables. (2 different verbs)

Homework reminder:
- Vocabulary Booklet by next Friday with the research on the meanings!

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Grammar Rules - Pronouns & Adverbs

Dear all,

In today's grammar lesson, we learn more about two grammar structures that we have gone through at the start of the year.

Pronouns
are words that can replace/substitute nouns

1st person pronouns

I, me, myself, we, our, ourselves

2nd person pronouns

you, yourself, yourselves

3rd person pronouns

he, him, himself, she, her, herself, they, them, themselves, their, the boy's, the boys'

Adverbs 
are words that add on to verbs and describe the manner and time of the action.

Adverbs of time
describe the time/frequency of the action

e.g often, now, then, later, weekly, annually

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong