I Took The Road Less Travelled...

It has been a while...

2009-03-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

Just want to say a big "Hi" to all my lovely ex-students from 5P 2007 and 5P 2008 as well as all my other students whom I've previously taught at HW (if you ever pop by this blog)...
Would also like all of you to know that I have read all the comments you left here...
Awfully sweet to know thatI can at least meet my former students "here" even if I can't meet you in person...

It has been some time since I visited this blog and actually updated it. Some of you may find the blogskin a little less desirable than before but this template actually makes for much easier and pleasurable reading... at least in the eyes of a former teacher...

I've been terribly busy since I left HW slightly over a year ago and embarked on another path of my life. I've been traveling rather frequently as well. While I very much enjoy my current work, busy as I am, I'm glad I finally got a chance to stop and smell the roses. The most beautiful memories that I brought back with me from this teaching stint are those with all of you. To a teacher, nothing is more precious than the lives and future of wonderful students such as all of you. I miss my "crazy" students!

Life is a journey. You never stop moving.
Education is also a journey. The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop living.
The true value of something is what your heart perceives it to be.
You can move mountains if you only believe.
What do you see - a problem or a challenge?
Do not consider it an accomplishment if you defeat others; true victory comes when you conquer yourself.
I'm not sure if all of you can comprehend my words but do contemplate them in terms of whatever you are facing in your lives right now, especially education-wise.
After all, I was, and still think of myself as, your teacher.

Alright, it is way past midnight now and my eyes are now tiny slits. I can barely see what I'm typing. Till I post my next entry, have a happy relaxing weekend!

With warmest regards,
Miss D.Lim

All the best for your SA2!

2007-10-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

Dear 5P students,

I'm sorry I posted this so late. I've been very busy, juggling many tasks at the same time.

As for your Sa2, do remember what I've taught you many times before, as to how to tackle each component in your paper.

Please remember to read through the passages carefully before attempting to fill in the blanks or to answer the questions.
I will not repeat it here. I have said it many times before.
Each paragraph should have a certain focus of its own, and subsequent paragraphs have linking ideas.
For your comprehension OE, do remember to answer the questions directly like I've taught you in previous exercises.
Most of your answers should not be more than one sentence.
Highlight the key words in each question before attempting the questions.

If there are vocabulary words you don't know in the vocabulary section, use the trimming method. Trim away the words you know for sure cannot be the answer first, then zoom in into the remaining words to see which fits.
Look for contextual clues.

Read the instructions CAREFULLY.
Don't miss out on the details.

I'm sure all of you will do your best and you'll do well.
Go in with a relaxed mind, don't stress yourself.
As long as you've tried your best, that's all that's enough for me and also for you.

Mock Exam's Answers

2007-10-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Section A:

01. (4)
02. (1)
03. (2)
04. (2)
05. (3)

Section B:

06. (4)
07. (4)
08. (2)
09. (3)
10. (1)
11. (4)
12. (4)

Section C:

13. (2)
14. (3)
15. (3)

Section D:

16. (1)
17. (3)
18. (3)
19. (2)
20. (4)

Section E:

21. (4)
22. (3)
23. (3)
24. (1)
25. (4)

Section F:

26. (3)
27. (3)
28. (1)
29. (2)
30. (3)

Section G:

31. (B) in
32. (P) Unlike
33. (L) through
34. (F) were
35. (K) during
36. (A) as
37. (G) from
38. (M) without
39. (N) Under
40. (C) of

Section H:

41. observed
42. worried
43. concentrating
44. adventure
45. encouraged
46. Eventually
47. procedure
48. bring
49. loves
50. heal

Section I:

51. lives
52. homeless
53. hard
54. news
55. attending
56. first
57. different
58. together
59. subjects
60. share
61. teachers
62. grateful
63. lost
64. going
65. continue

Section J:

66. The boy, whose father is a policeman, had stolen the teacher's handphone.
67. Both Li Li and Siti are afraid of the dark.
68. Tom insisted on taking part in the floorball match although his ankle was badly injured.
69. The girls were fighting in the corner while the discipline master was addressing the students. 70. Miss Wong asked Kumar whether/if he could complete his homework that night.

Section K:

71. The characters survived a plane crash. (or) They were survivors of a plane crash.
72. He was going to lead the survivors in rationing their food.
73. The sentence is 'Our supplies had been exhausted.'
74. He wanted his last portion/bit of food to last.
75. It was probably 12,000 feet or higher.
76. They were thin and drawn.
77. They were hoping to find straw to eat. (or) They were looking for food/something edible.
78. 'it' refers to the leg (wound of a boy near the author). (or) 'it' refers to the boy's leg.
79. They were thinking of eating human flesh/the boy.
80. He knew that the only way to survive would be to eat human flesh. (or) He wanted to share his thoughts/concerns with Carlitos. (or) He wanted to know if Carlitos would consider eating another human being.

Situational & Continuous Writing

2007-10-10T05:00:00.000-07:00

Situational Writing -

Total: 15 marks
Content: 6 marks (Infer your 6 points from the information given in the question)
Grammar: 9 marks (To get a score of 7-9 marks, you should not make more than 3 mistakes, your ideas and facts should be well-linked and sequenced such that the information presented is very clear, and your response should show a very good understanding and clear awareness of the purpose, audience and context)

Continuous Writing -

Total: 40 marks
Content: 20 marks
Grammar: 20 marks

Things to keep in mind when writing your composition:

1.) Keep dialogue minimal. When more than half of your composition consists of dialogue, it will be considered a weak composition. In this case, should we take away the dialogue, there will be nothing left of your composition.

2.) Content is very important. Remember to elaborate, elaborate, elaborate!!!
Characterisation and actions are very much welcomed!
Think - What will the reader think about your story? Will it engage the reader's interest?
Your starting should be as good as your ending.

3.) Do not write out of point. You can be creative and yet realistic at the same time. Think - Is your story believable? Do you believe what you are writing? What will the reader think?

4.) Try to keep your sentences short if in doubt about your sentence structure. Short sentences placed at certain points in your composition can make a great impact too.

5.) Give your composition a title to help you stay on the right track and not go out of point. You do not have to write the title on your writing paper, nor do you need to write the question on it.

6.) Organise your ideas properly using a mind map before you start writing. This should not take more than 5 minutes.
- Introduction
- Body
- Development of story
- Conclusion
(Plot, setting, characters, Who/Where/When/Why/How)

7.) A good composition comes alive when one reads it. Once you pick it up, you never want to put it down.

That's all for your paper 1!

Do not fear your exam! What you fear, you won't conquer!
For all your exams, do them with the mindset that you're going to conquer those papers, and you will!
Strike off the words "I can't" from your "life" dictionary!
There is no "I can't", only "I don't want".
I believe all of you can do it, and do it well!

Well... 5P... :)
All the best for your SA2 English Paper 1 tomorrow, and for all your other exams!

Comprehension (OE) Questions

2007-10-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

Q78.) What does 'it' (line 28) refer to?

Q79.) The author mentioned that they 'read each other's thoughts' (line 29). What were they thinking?

Q80.) Why do you think the author confided in Carlitos?

2007-10-09T19:38:00.000-07:00

THE ONLY FAILURE IN LIFE IS LIVING AND NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE LIVING FOR...

One more thing...

2007-10-09T07:51:00.001-07:00

All the best for the exam tomorrow! :)

To my dear 5P

2007-10-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

I've read all the comments some of you have written and have noted your concerns.
Thank you for for all your comments!

I didn't come to school today as I'm down with the cold and an inflamed throat.
To those who will read this post tonight -
Yes, I'm coming back to school tomorrow.

As for your queries -

The first conditional is used in instances where something is likely to happen in real life, and the simple present tense is used.
An example of the first conditional is "If there is a typhoon, lessons will be cancelled." or "Lessons will be cancelled if there is a typhoon.".

On the other hand, the second conditional is used for when something is unlikely to happen, and the simple past tense is used.
It can also be used for instances where something could have happened but did not happen.
An example of the second conditional is "If you had broken the window, you would have been punished." or "You would have been punished if you had broken the window.".

The difference between the active voice and the passive voice is that the "doers" of the actions are not mentioned when the passive voice is used, as opposed to the active voice.
Example:
"Paul broke the window." - "The window was broken."
The meanings in both sentences remain the same.

However, the "doer" of the action can be mentioned when the passive voice is used by including the word "by".
Example:
"This picture was painted by my brother."
Here, "my brother" is the "doer" of the action.
The "doer" is added in this sentence as it would not make sense if the "doer" is omitted from the sentence.

Though the technical terms are important, do not be too much bothered by them.
Simply remember the below -
To change from active to passive voice, use "is/are/was/were + (being) + past participle", or "has/have/had (already) been + past participle", or "will be/would be + past participle" depending on the meaning of the sentences.

That's all for now.
Please feel free to ask me if you have further questions.

Unit 12 - Grammar

2007-10-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Tutorials
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/1cond.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-conditional_2.htm
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/conditional2.htm

Quiz
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/330/grammar/1cond1.htm

Unit 11 - Grammar

2007-10-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

Tutorials
http://online.ohlone.cc.ca.us/~mlieu/passive/what_h.html
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html
http://www.kentlaw.edu/academics/lrw/grinker/LwtaPassive_Voice.htm

Exercises
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/410/reading/exercises/dogqz.htm
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/passiv.htm
http://www.nonstopenglish.com/allexercises/Grammar/Grammar-passive_voice.asp

For my occasionally crazy, sometimes rowdy, alltime lovely students of 5P HWS!

2007-10-04T18:02:00.000-07:00

If you have any questions/queries about English, please post them here.
If you want individual consultations, please e-mail me.

I would not be conducting any supplementary classes during the PSLE Marking week.
Students are not supposed to be in school during that period.

From time to time, I may post certain tutorial or practice links here for you.
Please check this website during the PSLE Marking week.

Miss D. Lim

2007-10-02T00:49:00.000-07:00

TALENT DECIDES YOUR PATH;
ATTITUDE DETERMINES ITS SUCCESS.

D. Lim