“Imprisoned for 38 years, supporters believe activist leader was framed for murder by police in tumultuous early ’70s.” Oh dear. How would you interpret this headline? It seems to imply the supporters were imprisoned for 38 years! Adjectives that end with -ing and -ed are called participles. When you use such participles with no proper[…]
I always advise writers to be concise. This is not easy and I write redundant words too if I’m not careful. In an earlier post, I wrote “past experience” when “experience” could have sufficed because experience is something that has happened. Here are other examples: bright flash of light huge skyscraper Free gift Old antiques[…]
English composition tips: To ace at PSLE, one must be tactical in his approach. Today, we will teach you how to be exam-smart and how to behave on the actual day of the examinations. Time Allocation You are given 70 minutes to finish two essays: 1) Situational composition (15 marks) 2) Continuous composition (40 marks) I would advise you[…]
How to become a great writer
Writing tip: Here’s part III on how you shouldn’t end your composition. (See part II here https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=198039540368604&set=a.175449439294281.1073741828.175114272661131&type=1) Don’t end your story abruptly. More often than not, students don’t manage their time well and panic when you see the time is almost up. Imagine watching Superman: Man of Steel at the theatre. After the exciting fight[…]
Writing tip: On Aug. 1, we advised students not to end the story by saying it’s a dream. (See link: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=184968275009064&set=pb.175114272661131.-2207520000.1378436313.&type=3&theater) Over the next few days, let’s examine other atrocious methods to conclude your composition. Conclusion 2: What’s Worse Than a Dream? Asking your reader "Was I dreaming or was it real?" Make up your[…]
English tip: We mentioned sentences need to be concise and tight. We must avoid needless words. The use of "who" and "which" sometimes result in such redundancy. For example: Before: He is a man who is very sly. After: He is very sly. Before: Disneyland is always a theme park which I have always wanted[…]
English tip: We talked about using the active voice yesterday. Sometimes, when we use affixes, it shortens the sentences, tightening the language. Here are some examples: He is not honest–> He is dishonest This is not a usual situation. –> This is an unusual situation. He was better than his classmates –> He outperformed his[…]
English tip: Always use the active voice in your composition. It’s more direct and more vigorous. For example: Active: I like my cat. Passive: The cat is liked by me. Active: The children ran around the school compound. Passive: The school compound was filled with running children. The active form is stronger, shorter and reads[…]
English tip: SHOW, not tell This writing tip is useful for the composition segment and will benefit you even as you grow older and need to write thesis or market proposals. A good writer will draw an image in a reader’s mind, instead of telling him what to think. Always be specific, not vague. For[…]