9 English Unit 2 : Looking Back

Adejctives Follows adjective + Different adjectives take I'm bored with this weather.
that the preposition + noun (or different prepositions: Are you scared of spiders?
describe structure pronoun) In a Wh- question. the What are you angry about?
feelings preposition often goes at the end Who is she scared of?

Noun formation
From  forms nouns from adjectives.
adjectives  Not all adjectives can have –ness added
to them, but it is a common form –
especially
a. with adjectives ending in y (though note
suffix –
the spelling change, to –iness),
ness
b. hard consonant sounds like d,
c. and many adjectives ending in ful.
 The suffix -–ity forms nouns from
adjectives.
 Again, this is only for certain
adjectives, though it is
suffix –
 common in adjectives ending in –ble
ity
or with soft -–s sounds.
to form nouns with –ity, changes in spelling
often occur, such as replacing the last few
letters of the adjective.
From  The suffix –ance (or –ence) can be
verbs added to either adjectives or verbs to
form nouns.
suffix –
 This is particularly used for adjectives
ance (or –
ending in –ent or –ant (where the
ence)
spelling changes to replace t with -ce)
and various verbs.
 The suffix –ment can be added to either
adjectives or verbs to form nouns.
 It is mostly used with verbs, of many
kinds, but occasionally also with
suffix –
adjectives with soft endings (such as y
ment
endings).
 This suffix normally does not change
the spelling of the core word (though y
may change to i).
 The suffix –tion (or –sion) can be added
to verbs to form nouns.
suffix –  They follow many different verb forms,
tion/sion and often change spellings to fit
comfortably (for example adding an
 ready – They questioned her readiness for the
test.
 happy – It is important to create happiness for
everyone.
 weak – Eating too much cake was a major
weakness of his.
 sad – The closure of the post office brought
sadness to the community.
 mad – The decision to drive in the snow was pure
madness.
 forgetful – Forgetfulness comes with old age
responsible – Your children are not my responsibility.
possible – Nuclear war seemed like a real possibility.
scarce – The scarcity of drinks became problematic
during the party.
hilarious – They reacted to the joke with much
hilarity.
probable – It’s hard to guess the probability of her
passing the test.
independent – Having a car has improved my
independence.
important – Never underestimate the importance of
studying.
silent – Enjoy the silence while the children are away.
appear – The appearance of a second singer improved
the concert.
resist – The home team put up a strong resistance
against their opponents
appoint – I need to make an appointment with my
doctor.
assign – The final essay was a very big assignment.
enjoy – Don’t let the rain affect your enjoyment of
this walk.
merry – The children found a lot of merriment in the
clown’s antics.
replace – Our replacement teacher was much better
than the first one
inform – There is not enough information about foxes
in our area.
decide – The committee will make a formal decision
this Friday.
describe – The police have a good description of the
thief.
 additional vowel or changing a consonant multiply – I like addition and subtraction but
to sound more natural). multiplication is difficult.
admit – The criminal’s admission of guilt got him in
trouble.
 note that a lot of the changes from Admit is a good example Admit – to confess –
adjective or verb to noun will need to of this, as it can be used  The criminal’s admission.
be learned individually, and spelling as a verb with two Admit – to give access –
rules will not always help you – even if different meanings, and  Admittance to the top floor is
you know how to choose the right each one forms a noun prohibited.
suffix, the spelling to connect it to the with a different suffix:
core word may not be simple.
from other Use –ship  The suffixes –ship and –hood can be friend – Our friendship is very strong.
nouns or –hood used to create nouns from other nouns. partner – We are in partnership with a major
Nouns with –ship added to the end organisation.
create an abstract noun that shows a
relationship (relationship itself is an
example!).
 Nouns with –hood added to the end are priest – Entering the priesthood is a very serious
abstract nouns to show groupings, which commitment.
can refer to grouped people, areas or, neighbour – Our neighbourhood is thankfully very
more abstractly, periods of time: quiet.
child – My childhood was a fun and productive time!
 Past tense contrast
Simple Past Past Progressive Past Perfect
Use to talk about completed events in the past Action was in progress at special time in the past Perfect tenses show when an action happened
We use the past continuous to set the scene. in relation to another action.
We use the past con tinuous to describe an action The action in the past perfect began and ended
which was in progress when another action interrupted before the event or time it is being related to.
it.
We use the past simple for the action that
interrupted it
talk about an event which happened before another
event in the past.
Time We often use yesterday, three months While No unambiguous ones
expressions finished time ago, last week, in 1999
expressions with
the past
simple

Form Regular verb Infinitive + ed Was, were + infinitive + -ing Had + past participle*
Irregular verb 2nd column of the * past Regular verbs → infinitive + -ed
irregular verbs participle Irregular verbs → 3rd column
of the table of the irregular
verbs
Affirmative We were in the USA and visited Alaska last Joe was writing an e-mail at 5 o'clock yesterday She had read a comic before she went to bed
sentences year. evening.
Negative We were not in the USA and did not visit Alaska Joe was not She had not read a comic before she went to
sentences last year. Writing an e-mail at 5 o'clock yesterday evening. bed.
Question Were you in the USA and did you visit Alaska Was Joe writing an e-mail at 5 o'clock yesterday Had she read a comic before she went to bed?
last year? evening?
Used
to

 Narration literally means to tell a story.

 Plot, setting & characterization = 3 key elements.
 Descriptive language creates a clear picture in your mind of what is
being described.
 Aesthetic language is beautiful, artistic & carefully crafted with a
poetic rhythm & flow.
1. Use a  A “hook” is your opener. It’s the attention-getter, the
hook question or quote that immediately hooks your listener or
reader. The more off-the-wall or mysterious, the better.
Dare your audience to get lost in the story.
2. Tell  A story has natural momentum to it. If you simply state what
the story happened in chronological order (many people actually neglect
doing this), you will captivate your audience.
 Ira Glass calls this the “anecdote” — a story in its purest
form — and likens it to a train on which you’ve invited others
Narrating an event

to join. Those riding along can feel that you’re headed

towards a destination.
 Glass also says you need “bait” to keep your audience
engaged. As he defines it, bait is a series of implicit or
explicit questions you, the storyteller, raise. Just remember:
any question you raise, you’ll need to answer. Otherwise,
you’ll leave the listener in perpetual suspense and anxiety.
And who has time to be any more anxious?
3. Reflect  Many people seem to tell stories just to tell them. But when
you start asking why people share (and listen to) stories,
often there is an objective. A reason. It may be to encourage
or inspire or cause you to think differently. But still there is
purpose to the telling.
 At the end of your story, take a moment to reflect on what
you shared. Answer any questions you’ve raised:
 Why is this relevant?
 What’s the moral or point?
 Who is this message for?
 Help us, the audience, understand what we’re supposed to
get from the story. It doesn’t have to be cliche or cheesy. In
fact, your reflection can even be subtle. Just make it count.
  Stories are expected to have a clear beginning, middle and end
(not necessarily in that order!).
 Something must happen in your story, but take a short time span
and don’t have LOTS of dramatic events happening in a short
story.
Plot

 Tension & suspense can be created by leaving some questions

unanswered in the reader’s mind and then gradually revealing the
truth.
 A sense of unity & closure is important. Avoid a predictable
ending.
 Clearly describing your setting allows the reader to imagine being
in that place, allows them to mentally look around & see what the
Setting

characters see.
Narration

 It also helps to create a specific mood & atmosphere.

 Readers get to know a character’s personality through what they

say, what they do, how they look and from other people’s opinions
& attitudes towards this character.
 These details need to be revealed gradually and to be worked
naturally into the act of telling the story.
Characterization

 You can also reveal their thoughts and feelings, which gives the
reader a greater insight into the character’s true self.
 Only have 1 or 2 main characters to avoid confusion.
 Your reader needs to relate to the character on some level (to
feel sympathy, fascination or amusement); the reader need to
feel curious to find out more about them; and finally the reader
must believe in the character – must understand what motivates
them and feel that their actions, statements and thought
processes are convincing and true to life.

Narrative To write a narrative essay, you’ll need to tell a story Leandro

(usually about something that happened to you) in such a
way that he audience learns a lesson or gains insight.
Tips  tell a story about a moment or event that means a lot
to you--it will make it easier for you to tell the story in
an interesting way!
 Get right to the action!
 Avoid long introductions and lengthy descriptions--
especially at the beginning of your narrative.
 Make sure your story has a point!
 Describe what you learned from this experience.
 Use all five of your senses to describe the setting,
characters, and the plot of your story.
 Don't be afraid to tell the story in your own voice.
 Nobody wants to read a story that sounds like a
textbook!
 Effective narrative essays allow readers to visualize
everything that's happening, in their minds. One way
to make sure that this occurs is to use concrete,
rather than abstract, details.
 Remember: Avoid simply telling us what something
looks like--tell us how it tastes, smells, sounds, or feels
 The word “abstract” might remind you of modern art.
An abstract painting, for example, does not normally
contain recognizable objects. In other words, we can't
look at the painting and immediately say "that's a
by Joan Kendrick
Student Sample: Short Narrative
I'll never forget the day I began to suspect that there was an
advantage to being a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
The incident that I'm relating occurred on a hot, humid May
morning in 1947. I was a first-grade student in Miss Butler's
class at Fanning Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas.
The disturbance was over in a matter of moments, but the
memory of it is imprinted forever in my mind.
Miss Butler was infamous for her stern discipline. Little hands
and minds were kept busy, and anything that resembled
foolishness was quickly curtailed with a sharp rap on the head
or knuckles with the long pointed stick she carried. You can
imagine the horror I felt when, while drawing in a deep breath
of air, I accidentally whistled. Miss Butler spun around from
the blackboard, and seeing my expression, demanded, "Joan,
did you do that?"
I managed to find my voice and pointed to the Mexican boy
next to me and said, "No. Leandro did it." His denial was of no
consequence; in a moment the stick had descended, and
Leandro was sobbing into his worn shirt sleeve.
Somehow, I had known she would believe me. After all, I was
a nicely dressed little white girl, and I lived in a pretty white
house, and my mother was active in the PTA. And Leandro,
 house" or "that's a bowl of fruit." To the untrained
eye, abstract art looks a bit like a child's finger-
painting--just brightly colored splotches on a canvas.
 Avoid abstract language—it won’t help the reader
understand what you're trying to say!
who was he? A fat little Mexican boy who had difficulty
speaking English and whose mother had too many children to
care for to attend meetings. And besides, we all knew how
"spicks" lied and stole and then prayed for forgiveness to idols
that smiled down from their candle-lit altars.
Leandro, how I wish that I could ask your forgiveness. I don't
remember your last name, but I'll never forget your face. My
sin went beyond the telling of a lie. I knew that my skin was
whiter than yours and that somehow that had given me an
advantage over you.
And I was six years old.