Form 4 Homework (20 Feb 2012 Submission) Part Two

Copy this in your essay book.

Then, write your own on the same title using the underlined phrases.

NARRATIVE WRITING

Write a story ending with “... En. Nizam was grateful he had such good neighbours.”

            Not even in his wildest dream did En. Nizam think he would lose so much in such a short time. It had been a trying period. When he got word that his father was on his death bed, En. Nizam’s family rushed to his hometown. Even before the funeral rites were over, he received a call from his immediate neighbour that his house was partly destroyed by fire and that the cause of the fire was believed to be arson.

            Members of En. Nizam’s immediate family and his relatives were in the state of disarray. First, it was the death of an elder member of a family, then this misfortune. Although En. Nizam was worried, deep in his heart he knew that he had very good neighbours, friends who would stand by him in good times and bad.

            Sure enough, the minute he set foot in the compound of his house, he knew he was right. His neighbours, Mr. Subra and En. Majid, were there taking a close watch on the house. He learnt from them that the neighbours had been taking turns to keep an all-day vigil on the house. He thanked them from the bottom of his heart.

After inspecting the damage caused by the fire, En. Majid handed donations collected by the residents living in the area. His neighbours had passed the hat around and the donations came up to a significant amount. Although, the donations was still short of the amount required to repair the damages, En. Nizam was grateful.

The next day, En. Nizam was even more overwhelmed by the care and concern shown by his neighbours. They were there to extend their condolences and to show their support. Donations came pouring in. The women folk were busy preparing all the meals for the family.

With the help of his neighbours, En. Nizam got a building contractor to repair the damaged sections of the house. The repair and renovations took almost a week to complete. When the house was ready, the neighbour turned up in full force to congratulate him.

Tears welled up in En. Nizam’s eyes. He was at a loss for words. En. Nizam was grateful he had such good neighbours.

Form 4 Homework (20 Feb 2012 Submission)

Copy this essay in your essay book.
Then, write your own essay on the same title using the underlined phrases.


Friends 
(by Manu Menon)

Friends are people whom we turn to when our spirits need a lift. They are always by our side through thick and thin. They stand beside us even when our disposition is not perfectly right and will fight for us if we are oppressed. Therefore, it is clear that friends play a vital role in shaping who we are today. But what qualities exactly do we need to look for in a friend?
     A friend should always be caring towards you. He or she should take interest in your problems no matter how big or petty your problem may be. A friend should be able to sit beside you and encourage you to keep your chin up even when everyone else is against you. A friend’s empathy and lovingness will also replenish your worn-out soul and will make you realize how important a friend really is.
     Apart from that, a friend should be an honest person. An honest friend will dissipate any worries that he or she is lying towards you. A friend’s honesty will enable you to trust his or she’s opinion when it comes to telling you the truth about yourself. For example, an honest friend will remand you on your declining grades and will ask you to work harder while a dishonest friend will see it with a blind eye. Therefore, an overall improvement in yourself will be noticeable if you have an honest friend.
     Moreover, a friend should be generous both emotionally and knowledge wise. A friend who is generous ought to be able to connect with you and provide emotional support. He or she should also be generous when it comes to sharing knowledge. A true friend must be ever-ready to help you when you are inept in certain subjects. A friend can easily guide you towards understanding the subject matter better as he or she is often on the same page as you. The only difference is that you can’t quite grasp the content of the page per se.
     Besides that, a friend must also be able to humour you. Humour plays a quintessential role in making your day more lively and enjoyable. Friends who pull your leg and mess about will indefinitely make life seem so much better. As they say, laughter is the best medicine and a little levity on rainy days is always welcomed. 
     In conclusion, friends are people we spend most of our time with. Thus, we have to be selective when it comes to choosing our friends.

Form 5CA Homework (Directed Essay Writing) Part One

14 February, 2012

Letter of Complaint: More Sample Essay and tips on elaboration of points

Your class is unhappy with your school canteen. As the monitor of your class, you have been asked to write to your principal, to complain about the following:

- food left uncovered

- attract many flies

- food served is stale

- food too expensive

- oily plates and cups

- rude workers

- workers not properly attired

- dustbins not cleared daily

- same menu daily

In your letter, you would also like to offer three suggestions from your classmates:

- stringent checks

- cheaper food

- serve a variety of food

When writing the letter, you should remember:

- to set out the letter correctly

- to include all the points given

- to write in paragraphs.

(35 marks)

Look at the model answer below to revise the format of a formal letter and see how the points are elaborated.

Form 5 Amanah,

SMK Pasong,

82010 Pontian,

Johor.

Encik Juhair bin Jumaat,

The Principal,

SMK Pasong,

82010 Pontian,

Johor.

11 JANUARY 2012

Dear Sir,

Unsatisfactory School Canteen

On behalf of the students of 5 Amanah, I would like to lodge a complaint about the school canteen.

2. First and foremost, the food served is not covered and many flies can be seen hovering over the food. This may lead to food poisoning. Moreover, the canteen also serves stale food. The ‘nasi lemak’ turns bad by the time the upper forms have their recess. Last week, a few of us had diarrhoea after consuming food from the canteen.

3. Apart from that, the food is also too expensive. A small plate of fried mee costs RM1.50 and many poor students cannot afford it. Besides that, the canteen serves the same menu daily. The students are bored with fried rice and fried mee every day.

4. Another complaint is that the cups and plates are oily and not washed properly. The workers are also not appropriately attired although they have been told to wear aprons and caps. Moreover, these workers are rude to students. They shout at us and use foul language whenever they get angry. They also do not clear the dustbins and rubbish daily. This is very unhygienic. As a result, there is a foul stench whenever we eat in the canteen.

5. Thus, we would like to suggest that the school authorities make stringent checks on the canteen daily or weekly. They should also ensure that the canteen serves a variety of food at a reasonable price.

We would like to appeal to your sense of fairness and hope prompt action will be taken regarding these matters.

Yours faithfully,

(NORLISSA BT DUSUKI)

The Class Monitor

5 Amanah

Note how the points given are arranged into paragraphs and elaborated where needed.

The last paragraph states the action you want taken.

To elaborate on a point, you may:

- give a reason

- state one effect/outcome

- give details

- explain further with facts or statistics

- give an opinion

Let’s look at some examples from the sample essay.

1. food left uncovered - attract many flies

First and foremost, the food served is left uncovered and many flies can be seen hovering over the food. This may lead to food poisoning.

(Since the two points are connected, group them in one sentence. It is all right if you do not wish to use the exact words given but you must stick to the original meaning when writing. The underlined sentence are elaborated by stating one possible effect of the flies.

Remember that you only need to give a sentence or a phrase. Do not elaborate more than three or four lines. You will be wasting your time and effort.)

2. same menu daily

Besides that, the canteen serves the same menu daily. The students are bored with fried rice and fried mee every day.

(The phrase “same menu” is elaborated by giving a few examples.

Can you identify more examples of elaboration and the methods used?)

Pay attention to the structures in the sample essay above.

Notice how the use of First and foremost, Moreover, Apart from that, Besides that, Another complaint is and so on. These are transitional words and phrases which help to make the essay flow smoothly and to lead the reader from one point to another.

You can use many other transitional words and phrases to make your essay more cohesive.

1. To add to what you have just said: also, similarly, furthermore, in addition, then, moreover, in other words, in the same way
2. To use a specific example to support what you have said: For example, especially, for instance, to illustrate, as an illustration, such as
3. To show sequence: First and foremost, first, The second advantage is, Next, Another reason is, Lastly, Finally
4. To indicate that you are about to contrast what has just been said: but, on the other hand, yet, nevertheless, on the contrary, however
5. To indicate a conclusion: In conclusion, consequently, thus, therefore, in summary, therefore, as a result

Now, do this exercise.

Section A: Directed Writing

[ 35 marks]

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.

Question 1

You find that the generation gap between teenagers and their parents is

widening. You are very concerned and write a letter to the editor of a local

newspaper giving your suggestions about how the problem can be

reduced.

Below are the suggested ideas that you mustinclude in your letter.

* parents talk to teenagers

* parents listen to teenagers

* parents monitor teenagers activities

* parents lay down house rules

* parents are flexible

* parents know friends’ parents

* family outings

* eating together

* celebrate teenagers’ achievements

* parents tell teenagers they love them

You should use all the points given above.

When writing the letter, you should remember to:

* use the correct format for an informal letter

* elaborate on the points

* start and end your letter correctly