Final Revision

Reading-Approaching reading text

Skim through the text to have a general understanding of the text.

1. Establish the setting, mood and atmosphere of the text.

Read through the text carefully again:

● Question the author, for example:

● Why did the author use this word?
● What does it mean by this?
2. Highlight interesting words, phrases, and quotation
3. Make connection between words, phrases (make meaning of the text
Tips on answering the question
1. Identify the types of questions.
2. Highlight the keywords in the question, "Give", "Explain", "In your own words”
3. How would you rephrase or restructure the question?
4. Look at the marks allocated for each question as guide to how much you should
answer.
● Keep your answers short; answer straight to the point.
● 1 m questions usually require short direct answers.
● Questions that require longer answers will have keywords like: ‘explain in your own words’ or
worth 2-3 marks
● When you find a suitable quotation, try to narrow down to the important words and phrases that
make the point, don’t give the entire sentence.
● Use quotation marks. For questions that require quotation, keep quotation short.

5. Don’t begin answer with conjunctions: because, and, etc

Exam Command Words
Give: look for word(s) or phrases from the text.
Identify: pinpoint words or phrases from the text.
Compare: identify the similarities and differences between two sources
What does...tell us about/suggest: look at the underlying/implicit
meaning of the given phrase. Read between the lines.
Describe: write about the features of a source of evidence using
factual details
Exam Command Words
Explain: give reasons or causes for. Show an understanding of how
or why something has occurred
Summarise: draw your key ideas and key points on a source of
evidence together in one short section of writing.
Look at the number of words to write as an indication of the number of
points you need to include
40 words- 4 points
30 words- 3 points
Exam Command Words
Commenting on language
Some questions ask you to comment on the writer's use of language -the meaning
of certain words, or the effect of certain words.
Here are some examples of questions like this (all relate to the passage opposite):

1. In the first paragraph, what does ‘mischievous little fellow’ suggest that the
writer feels about frost?
2. What is the effect of describing frost pattern as ‘ sparkling sculptures’
(paragraph 2)
3. In the whole passage, how does the writer’s choice of language make you
feel that frost is something attractive?
Exam Command Words

Explaining purpose and effect

Some questions ask you to comment on the purpose or point of view of the writer.

They may also ask you to explain the effect of the text.

1. Suggest a reason why the author begins her explanation of frost by describing
the legend of Jack Frost.
2. Does the author like frost? Explain.
KEYWORDS- Fiction
Atmosphere
The main mood or emotion in a piece of writing.
Consider how words used by the writer suggest the ‘feel’ of a place being described.
Comment on how the words in the description appeal to your senses to create the
mood suggested by the setting of the passage.
Setting
The place where the action of the story occurs
Attitude
Focus on words writer used to convey their feelings about the subject, and by extension,
the feelings that they hope to inspire in the reader.
Contrast
Always use words that shows differences between two things, for example: ‘but’, ‘whereas’,
‘on the other hand’, ‘n contrast’, ‘however’, ‘on the contrary’.
KEYWORDS- Fiction
● Point of View
First person ‘I” Third person- story told by someone outside of the story.
● Imagery
Language intended to conjure up a vivid picture in the reader’s mind
● Emotive language
Vocabulary used by a writer to deliberately arouse emotions
● Impression
idea, feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without
conscious thought
● Symbolism
Using an object or image to represent an idea or a feeling
KEYWORDS- Fiction
● Senses
Taste, sound, sight, touch and hearing.
● Personality Trait
Look at the action, behaviour, spoken words of the character(s)
● How writer achieves an effect
Look closely at the words used by the writer- what does the words used in
the phrase/description make you feel or imagine?
For question where you are given the phrases/quotation, you should identify the
literary devices used and comment on how it is used to create effect
KEYWORDS-Non-fiction
Language (implying meaning of words)
Grammatical choice/ vocabulary
Adjectives, adverbs, sentence structure, superlative

Main idea/ main aim

Look for the topic sentence of the paragraph
Features of the text
Elements that make up the text

Purpose of the text

Persuasive Techniques
Purpose of the text [aim]
Generally there are three main purposes of texts: Persuade, Inform, Entertain, but there can be more, such as:
◦To encourage… To encourage readers to do stop wasting time
◦To convince… To convince readers of the truth/facts/situation/necessity
◦To inform… To inform the readers regarding events that occurred
◦To explain… To explain to the readers the reason/need for
◦To emphasise…. To emphasis the importance/urgency/necessity
◦To urge…. To urge reader to change their ways of life
◦To influence… To influence readers to do/take action
◦To advise… To advise reader on the steps to take
◦To describe… to describe the scale of the project
◦To create awareness
Style of text

◦Style is the way the whole text is put together

1.Style includes the language, structure, and layout of a text.
2.When you’re reading, think about how the purpose and
audience influence the style of a text.
Informal Style
Writer use an informal style when they know their audience well or they
want to connect with their audience.
Informal style includes the following features:
● Slang- cool, yeah,
● Personal language- second person pronoun ‘you’ or first person
pronoun ‘we’
● Contractions- won’t, don’t
● Short sentences
● Jokes, humour
Formal style

Standard English/ formal language- no contraction

Impersonal language- passive sentences are used rather
than active.
Longer complex sentences
Technical language-for example, a recipe might say ‘dice
the apples’ instead of ‘cut the apples’
Layout of a text [Text features of a non-fiction text]
Layout is about how a text is presented, about how a text looks

Name of text feature Purpose of text feature

Catchy title Quickly tells the reader what information they will learn about, capture
attention

Headings and subheadings Help the reader identify the main idea for that section of text, add impact
and clarity

Sidebars Are set apart from the main text, (usually located on the side or bottom
of the page) and elaborate on a detail mentioned in the text

Bulleted or numbered aid clarity

Formatting: bold, italic and create impact and emphasis

underline

Short paragraphs and sentences easier to follow and grasp

Persuasive techniques
A - Alliteration/ Adjectives
F -Facts
O -Opinions
R -Rhetorical Questions (What are you waiting for?)
E -Emotive Language/ Exaggeration (create an emotion in the reader) (THE BEST
IN THE WORLD!)

S -Statistics
T - rule of Three/ Talk to the person (personal pronoun)
(STOP, LOOK, LISTEN/ EAT, SLEEP, REPEAT)
 Literary Devices (SHAMPOO)
◦Simile: Describing something by stating that it is like something else, using the word ‘as’ or ‘like’.
For example: He was as cold as ice.
◦Hyperbole: Deliberate exaggeration for effect.
For example: I’ve told you a million times, no Xbox after 10pm!
◦Alliteration: Repetition of the same sound at the beginning of words.
For example: The man moved mountains.
◦Metaphor: Describing something by stating that it is something else.
For example: He flew down the road in his car. He did not literally fly, but the metaphor suggests the idea that he drove so fast that he
achieved speeds like those of an aircraft.
◦Personification: Giving human characteristics to something that is not human.
For example: The flames danced playfully in the fire. Flames cannot dance–this is a human characteristic to describe the way the
flames move around.
◦Onomatopoeia: Where the word imitates the sound of the thing it is naming.
For example: I saved my work with a click of the mouse. When you say the word ‘click’, it makes the sound of a ‘click’. Other examples
are splash, drip and bang.
◦◦Oxymoron: Placing two words together which are opposite to each other.
For example: Act naturally, pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp.
Other Literary Devices
◦Oxymoron: Placing two words together which are opposite to
each other.
For example: Act naturally, pretty ugly, jumbo shrimp.
◦Irony: the use of words to express something other than and
especially the opposite of the literal meaning
Punctuation
Remember, for punctuation, you have it's general rule of usage and it's
usage in a particular context.
When you are asked for example, “How is dash used in line 23?”, do not
just give the general function of dash, look at how it is used in the
sentence.
Writers choose and use a particular punctuation in their writing for certain
effect. Thus, you should be able to explain them in your answer.
colon (:)

There are three main uses of the colon:

•between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows
from the first:
◦That is the secret of my extraordinary life: always do the unexpected.
◦It wasn’t easy: to begin with, I had to find the right house.
•to introduce a list:
◦The price includes the following: travel to London, flight to Venice, hotel accommodation, and
excursions.
◦The job calls for skills in the following areas: proofing, editing, and database administration.
•before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:
◦The headline read: ‘Taxi Driver Battles Gangsters’.
◦They shouted: ‘Our families are starving! We need land!’
Dashes
Used in pairs to mark off information that is not essential to an understanding of the
rest of the sentence ( similar to parenthetical comma)
Many birds—do you like birds?—can be seen outside the window.

Used between two clauses to reinforce the first one, to elaborate the first clause
One thing’s for sure—he doesn’t want to face the truth.

Some example of specific usage of dash:

● To emphasise information
● To state a sarcastic remark
● To remind the reader about….
Semicolon
Semicolons join two independent clauses (complete sentences) that are closely related if no
coordinating conjunction is used.

Megan said she was tired; she had stayed up late cutting giraffe-shaped holes out of foreign
newspapers.

Semicolons signal to a reader that the information in both sentences should be taken
together.

We were planning to go get coffee; however, he had to cancel.

Semicolons help avoid confusion between items in lists where there are already commas

She traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, South Korea; and Nairobi, Kenya

To omit repeated words

Writing-Fiction
Effective Opening
● An Action (The Snatch” in The BFG)
Under the blanket Sophie waited. After a minute or so, she lifted a corner of the blanket and
peeped out. For the second time that night her blood froze to ice and she wanted to scream,
but no sound came out.
● Dialogue and/or Exclamation (“The Great Plan” in The BFG by Roald Dahl)
“We’ve absolutely got to stop them!” Sophie cried. “Put me back in your pocket quick and we’ll
chase after them and warn everyone in England they’re coming.”
● A Thought or Question (Guess What Peter?” in Superfudge by Judy Blume)
Life was going along okay when my mother and father dropped the news. Bam! Just like that.
“We have something wonderful to tell you, Peter,” Mom said before dinner. She was slicing
carrots into the salad bowl. I grabbed one. “What is it?” I asked.

● A Sound (“Mario” in The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden)

Mario heard the sound too. He stood up and listened intently. The noise of the shuttle rattled off
into silence. From the streets above came the quiet murmur of the late traffic. There was a
noise of rustling nothingness in the station. Still Mario listened, straining to catch the mysterious
sound … And there it came again.
Show and not tell
It is more effective to reveal the characteristics of a character through the actions of the
character than to tell directly the characteristics of the character
Telling: Eric was an irritable, impatient and heartless boy.

Showing: Eric shoved open the door, kicked a box out of his way, and shouted,
“Where’s my dinner”.
Telling: Suzie was blind.

Showing: Suzie felt for the bench with a white cane.

Telling: It was late fall.

Showing: Leaves crunched beneath his feet.

5 senses
Use the 5 senses to describe what is happening and/or what the character is
experiencing

•See
•Smell
•Hear
•Feel
•Taste
Use a variety of sentence structure

● Vary sentence length

● Begin with an adverb.
● Embed additional information in an ordinary
sentence.
● Begin with an alliteration to describe sounds,
movements or feelings.
Writing-Non fiction

Be clear of the
1. Text type- features, structure
2. Purpose
3. Audience
4. Tone
5. Language
Article

Introduction
Start with a hook.
Attract your reader’s attention
Set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way.
Provide readers with background on the topic
Present the thesis statement.
Your thesis statement identifies the focus of your essay.
Subject + Opinion + Supporting Reasons
Techniques that help to create strong leads include:
An Amazing or Interesting Fact
During the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, the astronauts spotted a large
object flying in the same direction.
A Description
Reports of flying saucers, flashing lights in the sky, strange burn marks on
the ground, and men in shiny spacesuits have continued over the years.
A Quote
“The recent explosion in UFO reports has more to do with the increase in
UFO study groups around the country than it does with an increase in alien
visitors,” said Rutkowski of Ufology Research, Manitoba.
.
Techniques that help to create strong leads include:

A Question
Is there life in outer space?
A Bold Opinion
We are not alone in the universe.
A Statistic
Almost 75% of all UFO reports turn out to be a weather balloon,
meteors, or the reflection from clouds and ice
Body Paragraph

● TOPIC SENTENCE
Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general
idea
● SUPPORTING DETAIL SENTENCES
Plan and structure your ideas. Group similar ideas in a paragraph.
Similar ideas can be used as supporting detail sentence
● CONCLUDING SENTENCE
Wrap up the point of your paragraph with a sentence that restates or
refers back to the topic sentence
Conclusion
● A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it
in light of the evidence provided.
Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review
your thesis
Use modal verbs- CAN, MIGHT, WILL, MAY, SHOULD, MUST

Can to express ability

May to express possibility
Must to express obligation to express strong belief
Should to express opinion/advice
Will to express willingness
Could to express something that was not done
Use “-ly” adverb
Amazingly

Exceptionally

Incredibly

Particularly

Remarkably

unusually
ALL THE BEST!