adminMorris Mtis Education Panorama
I DEDICATE this week’s columns to students on school holiday in the spirit of our independence which is still in the air. I have you in mind as you prepare for final examinations this year and I feel obliged to expose the areas that need extra attention and revision.
The following are examination guidelines and tips that will make all the difference between making it and blowing it during your June or November examinations. No one must find English Language a hard nut to crack. No candidate must find it too tough to pass. Easier said?
PAPER 1 (SECTION A.) FREE COMPOSITION:
CHOOSING THE TOPIC. (Spend a good one to two minutes to do this.)
This is where it all begins. Many candidates fail because they have no good reasons to choose one question and not another. It is important to ask yourself the following questions as you strive to make a choice:
What is my favourite composition type? Is it Narrative, Descriptive, Argument or Factual? If all your favourite types are disappointingly difficult, say, because there is one or are two unfamiliar words or a tricky idiomatic expression in the question, quickly opt for the second favourite type.
Do I have something unusual / unique to write about? Something interesting? Predictable stories with predictable movement and ending are boring.
It must be an original story, not one you read in a recent newspaper or magazine or some fast-moving gossip making rounds in your village, town, suburb or neighbourhood. Or a summarised Hollywood thriller or African Movie feature film! Create your own story. The examiner can always tell if you are composing a fresh story or re-telling an old one. Remember you gain impression marks for being original.
PLANNING:
Spend some good four to five minutes, even a little more, jotting down useful ideas at random. This is the brainstorming stage. Remember writing an Introduction and then stating Where it happened: What happened: Conclusion: is not planning. A good plan has the opening sentence… exactly as you want it; short and to the point, captivating (catchy and interesting), hooking the interest of the marker and displaying a suitable identifiable skill. The beginning should not be long and winding. Dive straight into the swimming pool. Don’t hesitate and write irrelevant matter or detail. That becomes an INTRODUCTION. Don’t use one. An Introduction is an irrelevant waste of time. It will cost you precious marks.
EXAMPLE: A QUARREL AT HOME.
My mom and dad were now living like a cat and a rat in one cage. Dad had suddenly become a vicious animal and mom a loud foul-mouthed non-stop chatterbox. Not one day passed without these two quarrelling. It was sickening to say the least.
COMMENT:
The language is expressive. Look at the suitable comparison (like a cat and rat). The vocabulary is apt…very suitable and effective (vicious, loud, foul-mouthed non-stop chatterbox, sickening).
CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS:
My mom took her torn handbag and walked out. Dad heaved up and down the lounge room and vowed he would kill someone.
“March out of my house! In one piece! Do you hear? And march out of my life!” Dad shouted angrily.
“Over my dead body – this is your house as much as it is mine. Kill yourself first before you kill me,” my mother shouted back, apparently more furious than the man of the house. She was determined to put up a fierce fight no matter what nature it took.
COMMENT
Notice the excitement, the drama and the liveliness brought about by vivid descriptive detail and the direct speech. Be careful not to allow characters to speak in the same line. Each speaker has his or her own line unless the speaker continues to speak in the same paragraph. Do you see how after the actual words spoken, the writer (you) supports the spoken statements: ‘my mother shouted back…’/she was determined to put up a fierce fight, etc etc. This gives a clearer, more vivid description of what is happening.
Tears of joy trickled down my dry face. I pulled out my handkerchief from my back pocket and wiped off a tear or two. Biting my lower lip to gather already escaping courage, I nervously walked towards the stage to receive my first prize. Inside I felt an uncontrollable sensation of victory and pride. I was walking on air and could not believe what was happening.
TASK:
Discuss the language, choice of words and the effect of the beginnings. Please notice all these are not INTRODUCTIONS, simply BEGINNINGS-captivating, interesting, straight and to the point. You delve straight into the story and begin where it is gripping. Avoid something like, “Last year in July my sister Tururu and I went to visit our aunt in Mandeya, Honde Valley. We set off at five o’clock in the morning very sure we would catch the only bus that operated in that area”…bla bla bla and so forth and so on ad infinitum, telling a cold and boring account of events! That is an INTRODUCTION. Avoid it. At all costs!
COMMENT
Observe the K.I.S.S. formula…Keep It Short and Simple. The writer dives straight into the pool. The beginnings are captivating and dramatic. They raise curiosity and stimulate the reader to want to read on. There is vivid display of dramatic effect. Look at the stimulating use of direct speech. What a skilful bunch of writers!
3. HOW TO INVOKE INTEREST:
(i) Remember to use real names;
(ii) Once names are suggested, breathe life into your people by allowing them to speak…use of direct speech as you have seen in one of the above beginnings.
(iii) Don’t forget the occasional idiom, idiomatic expression or proverb as you tell /write this great story.
(iv) Rely on descriptive detail to achieve photographic detail.
NEXT WEEK I SHALL HANDLE PARAGRAPH COHESION AND ORDER: Don’t miss your copy of The Manica Post. Spend your holiday wisely. One thing you can never recycle is wasted time.
Online Reporter