A Composition A Week - The Problem With Flashbacks

Flashback is one of the most popular ways of beginning a story. And if used correctly, it is also very effective. However, just like using characterisation to start a story has its pitfalls, you must be careful when using the flashback technique.


How the flashback technique works is that the story starts in the present. An event in the present triggers the narrator's memory and the narrator then recounts the main story as an event that happened in the past, i.e. as a memory. The problem occurs when the pupil forgets to get the narrator to return to the present at the end of the story. To use the flashback technique correctly, the narrator must recollect himself and return to the present moment at the end of the story.


Below is a story by one of the pupils.


It is an excellent story on many counts. The flashback at the start of the story is succinct and effective, the story is well-developed with plot points that flow logically and the writer displays a great range of vocabulary. The only problem is that the writer forgot to bring the narrator back to the present at the end of the story.

Semester Lists for Semester 1 Week 21

Tip of the Week


Certain words in the English language have two forms of Spelling. For example, 'jewellery' which was used in the Semester 1 Week 19. It could be spelled in the following ways:

jewellery

jewelry

Other such words include:

1. judgement and judgment

2. acknowledgement and acknowledgment

3. tranquillity and tranquility

4. spelled and spelt

5. smelled and smelt

6. grill and grille



Note that such words are spelled differently within the British language (that is the British themselves spell the words two ways); it is not the case that one form is British spelling and the other American spelling.


It does not matter which form you choose but the important thing to remember is to be CONSISTENT. Pick one form and stick to it throughout the whole examination paper or essay.

~.      ~.      ~.

Book Revew: CHILLI PADI

Chilli Padi  by Adeline Foo

Mention Adeline Foo and the Amos Lee series, her bestselling books, comes to mind. Chilli Padi is a book from another series written by the same author. While the Amos Lee series deals with the issues faced by schoolchildren in Singapore, the series comprising of The Beaded Slippers, The Kitchen God, Chilli Padi and The Amulet aims to share the Peranakan culture with our children.

The story of Chilli Padi is a simple one: the main character, Puteh, a girl brought up in a Perankan household, lost her temper during the preparations for the Tang Chek (winter solstice) celebrations but it was her servant boy, Itam, who had to bear the consequences of her actions. Puteh regretted her actions when she saw what her actions led to and the rest of the story describes how she tried to make amends for them.

A Composition A Week - A Remarkable Rat

It has been some time since I posted good stories by pupils. With the examinations coming up and to make up for my tardiness, I'll be posting more such stories in the coming couple of weeks. I know, then the posts should not be entitled A Composition A Week, but never mind. :)

The constraints of Continuous Writing in the PSLE are rather limiting. The pupils are not encouraged to write about the supernatural, aliens or fantasy (which includes a range of characters from witches to elves to talking animals). In fact, some teachers have warned pupils that they would fail if they write about such topics in the examination.

Wow, think about that. It means that works like the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Ring trilogy and the Narnia series, all considered classics in their own right, would have failed in the PSLE.

You three would not have passed muster
in Singapore's PSLE!

That said, rules and regulation are rules and regulations so we teachers and tutors dutifully exhort our charges not to write about the abovementioned topics in all the-important PSLE, not even for the less important but still important school examinations.

But you know what? Children like such stories. They are so whimsical and amazing that children find them interesting and it is easy for them to immerse themselves in the worlds of such stories. And when given such topics to write about, the more natural writers simply get fired up and when they may be sometimes stuck for words, now they find a torrent pouring out.

Hence at times, to spark the pupils' interest, and to give them free rein to truly explore their creativity, in our classes, the tutors turn a blind eye and let the pupils write about these forbidden topics 'just this once'.

We have below an excellent example of such a story. Read and enjoy. We will share with you our analysis and why we think it is a great piece of work.

The assignment given was the beginning of the story below and the writer has to continue the story:

One night, after a movie, you were going home. When you reached your home, you saw something strange outside your neighbour’s house.

This was what the writer came up with:


[Warning: The story is more than 1000 words long.]

A REMARKABLE RAT

Dark rain clouds covered the night sky as I reluctantly slung my bag over my shoulder and headed home. I had just finished watching a movie with my best friend at the cinema and I was trudging home, a wave of guilt flooding over me. I knew it was wrong not to revise for the test for the next day but if I did not agree to go out with my friend, she might just think that I was not keen to be her friend and our friendship would just fade away. All because of the new girl, Cindy. Cindy wore black-rimmed spectacles and she always topped the class – except for English. My best friend, Hilary, had taken a liking to her and now she stuck to Cindy most of the time because Cindy was intelligent. The next day would be our English test. A really difficult one, the teacher had said in class. I groaned. I guess I had to burn the midnight oil this time because if I did badly again, Hilary might decide she did not want to be my friend anymore.

Glumly turning a corner, I was shocked to espy a livid-looking man, my neighbour Mr Tan, about to strike a helpless rat with the handle of a broom. The rat cowered below him, shaking with fear. As I approach it, the rat turned its head to stare right at me. To my astonishment, I heard it speak, ‘Please, rescue me! I promise I will be your loyal friend forever!’

Spelling Lists for Semester 1 Week 20

Tip of the Week


Pupils often get these two words confused:

'struck' and 'stuck'

To untangle the confusion, it is good to go back to the base form of both verbs.


'Struck' is the past tense of 'strike'.

'Stuck' is the past tense of 'stick'.


Once we look at both words in relation to their base form, then it becomes pretty clear which word is which because 'r' is present in both 'strike' and 'struck' but not in 'stick' and 'stuck'.



'Struck' is the past tense of 'strike'.

'Stuck' is the past tense of 'stick'.

Lightning never strikes in the same place twice?

~.      ~.      ~.

Model Answer for Advanced Composition S1W18

In preparation for the upcoming mid-year examinations, the pupils in Advanced Composition were asked to do a full Paper 1 as practice.


The following is the Situational Writing question:

Your Task

Your friend, Michael, expressed his desire to be a volunteer. He is very interested in working in the police force in the future. You came across this pamphlet and decide to tell him about it.

Write an email to Michael, telling him about the information in the pamphlet.

In your email, include the following information:

·         The date and venue of the talk

·         The internet address

·         Information of the quiz games

·         Other information in the pamphlet

·         What you think of the volunteer work

You may re-order the points. You should write in complete sentences.

Firstly, let's number the points that you have to give:

·         The date [1] and venue of the talk [2]

·         The internet address [3]

·         Information of the quiz games [4]

·         Other information in the pamphlet [5]

·         What you think of the volunteer work [6]

Now, you can respond in the following manner:

Book Review: HIT AND RUN

Hit and Run by R.L Stine

Not many readers have R.L. Stine on their radar but he is a vastly popular writer in America. He is the author of the Goosebump series as well as the Fear Street series. In 2003, the Guinness Book of World Records named Stine as the best-selling children’s book series author of all time. In fact, he reminds me of James Lee of Mr Midnight fame. Both write horror stories catered for young readers.

R.L. Stine - the man, not the skeleton

The similarity does not end here. Because their books are intended for the young, the language they use is necessarily simple. Also, do not look for any deep insight in their stories. Even the plots are straightforward and characterisation is shallow.

Run and Hit is that way too. Written for teenagers, in this case, the language used is slightly more advanced than that of the books from the Mr Midnight series but nothing that will win the Nobel Prize for Literature. It is essentially a tale told in the undemanding format of B-grade horror movies.

Four teenagers – Cassie (the only girl in the quartet), Scott, Eddie and Winks – drove without licenses one night. They were all going to take their driving tests and they wanted the extra practice. However, Eddie ran into a person and because they were driving illegally without licenses, they simply drove off, leaving the dead man on the spot, giving rise to the title of the story. What ensued next was a series of baffling and hair-raising incidents. The corpse disappeared from the morgue. They received phone calls from the dead man who warned that he was coming after them. Polaroid photographs of the dead man in a car and at Cassie’s doorstep were also received. Winks was run down and the driver sped away without stopping. All these seemed to point to only one conclusion – the dead man was coming after them.