COMMISSION ON DIOCESAN SCHOOLS OF LA UNION

St. Mary’s Academy

Consolacion, Agoo, La Union

English Learner’s Material

Grade 8

THE INTERVIEW

WEEK 13

NAME____________________________________________________

GRADEANDSECTION: _____________________________________
LESSON 3: The Interview by Patrick Ng Kah Onn
MELCs
1. analyze literature as a mirror to a shared heritage of people with diverse backgrounds
2. use appropriate cohesive devices in various types of speech

I. Objectives
In this lesson, you are expected to:
a. read comprehensively the story entitled The Interview by Patrick Ng Kah Onn;
b. share the importance of being sympathetic; and
c. construct a paragraph with appropriate cohesive devices.

Task 1: Warm Up Activity

Answer the question below within five sentences.
What is the profession that you want to become 10 years from now?
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Maybe this time there is a career appeals to you very much: career like teaching
students, building buildings, healing the sick, running a business, and so on. Now, think about
the career that you want to have. How would you feel if you would have to give up your
career for some reason? If you start thinking seriously today about what you would like to be
in the future, you could avoid a lot of heartaches and useless expenses.

To read the selection entitled The Interview, you need to answer the first two activities
below.

Task 2: Pre-reading Activity

Vocabulary Building
Read how the bolded words used in column A. Then, write their closest synonym in
second column to construct sentences correctly in third column.
Unfamiliar Words Synonyms Constructed Sentences
1. looked dispassionately at
the building

2. living like a recluse monk

3. turned a somersault

Comprehension Check
Answer Yes or No. Put a check mark to answer. Write your answer on the space
provided.
Questions Yes No
1. Does a recluse go to parties frequently?
2. When one is dispassionate, can he talk about an issue objectively?
3. When one is doing a somersault, is he skipping, hopping, and
running?
 The literary piece below is written by Patrick Ng Kah Onn. He was born in Kuala
Lumpur in 1932. A teacher and writer, he has written various scripts for Radio Malaya. His
interests include stage craft, exotic cooking, Balinese and Malayan ballet, dress designing, and
collecting paintings.
Kuala Lumpur became capital of the Federated Malay States in 1895. A former capital of
the state of Selangor, it became a federal territory in 1974. It is a major commercial center
serving an important tin mining and rubber-growing area.

READING TEXT: The Interview

DIRECTIONS: On page 277-284 on your Language in Literature book, read “The

Interview” and perform the following tasks.

Task 3: During Reading Activity

Answer the following questions. Write your answer on the lines provided.
1. Who is the main character of the story? Why does he compare himself to the building that
once housed the British Council Centre?
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2. Why does the main character feel that the taxi driver with his frayed collar was better off
than himself?
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3. What other details show the main character’s poverty? What was the cause of his
poverty?
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4. What does the interview with the prospective employer reveal about the main character’s
fitness for the work he was applying for?
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5. What conflict does the main character undergo? Do you agree with his decision? Explain
your answer.
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6. Do you think the main character would eventually be hired? Explain your answer.
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FOLLOW UP QUESTIONS
a. Are the two interviewers seemed sympathetic to the main character in the story?
Why?
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b. Is the polite expression said by the main character upon leaving (stay well) would
likely get him the job?
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7. What message about life does the story give?

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8. How does the main character feel about himself? Why does he feel that way? How does it
affect him?
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9. What good or bad can self-esteem do to a person?
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10. If you were to talk to the main character, what would you tell him? How would you help
him recover from his fall?
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11. Can you identify with the main character’s dilemma? What would you have done if you
were in his position? Would you have given up your passion?
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12. What extent will you fight for your own dreams?
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13. What does it take to succeed in life? How are talents or skills crucial to success? In the
case of the main character, what seems to be missing in his formula to success?
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ACTIVITY 5: Let’s Start the End

1. Do you think the main character will get fresh inspiration after he sees the exhibition
pictures by Malay artist? Why?
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2. Do you think the main character will get the job, then paint pictures on the side? Why?
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II. Discussion

What makes a good paragraph or speech?

During first quarter and second quarter, you learned different methods of organizing a
paragraph. For each of these methods, certain words may be used to connect ideas and make
them flow smoothly from one sentence or paragraph to another. These words are called
cohesive devices.
The following are some of the most commonly used cohesive devices to achieve
coherence in a paragraph or speech.

Spatial Order: inside, outside, above, beneath, underneath, beyond, near, under, behind, over,
below, in front
Chronological Order: first, second, then, next, afterwards, as soon as, immediately, lastly,
after, finally, before, meanwhile
Order of Importance: first, second, besides, lastly, the most, the least, most important,
greatest,
more importantly, next, also, even more
Comparison-and-Contrast Order: but, in contrast, whereas, however, besides, similarly,
both,
too, on the contrary, likewise, as well as, like
Developmental order: in addition, besides, however, therefore, furthermore, moreover,
accordingly, thus, despite, nevertheless, for example, along with

Task 4: Post-reading Activity/Dependent Practice

1. What conflict is highlighted in the story?
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2. Do you agree with the main character’s decision? Why or why not?
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 3. Explain the virtue that learned from the selection. How will you apply it in your life?
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Task 5: Independent Practice

Construct a paragraph or speech about your dream profession and on how you are
going to reach it. Use cohesive devices in your writing. Do not forget to underline the
cohesive devices that you used.

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III. Assessment
TRUE OR FALSE: Write TRUE if the statement is correct. Write FALSE if the statement
is incorrect. Write your answer on the space provided.
________ 1. The literary piece The Interview by Patrick Ng Kah Onn is a novel.
________ 2. Patrick Ng Kah Onn is a Vietnamese.
________ 3. Kuala Lumpur became capital of the Federated Malay States.
________ 4. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas from one sentence or paragraph to
another.
________ 5. Spatial order samples are inside, outside, above, beneath, and underneath.
________ 6. Chronological order samples are first, second, then, next, afterwards and as soon as.
________ 7. Order of importance samples are first, second, besides, lastly, and the most.
________ 8. Comparison-and-contrast order samples are but, in contrast, whereas, and however.
________ 9. Developmental order samples are in addition, besides, however, and therefore.
________ 10. Cohesive devices are used in connecting sentences and paragraphs.
GRAMMATICAL SIGNS OR EXPRESSIONS
MELC: Use appropriate grammatical signals or expressions suitable to each pattern of
idea development: general to particular; claim and counter-claim; problem-solution; cause
and effect; and others

📌 What I Need to Know

Objectives:

 recognize signal words and phrases,

 incorporate signal words and phrases in their writing, and

 consider structural relationships in their writing more carefully.

📌 What I Know

TASK 1: Enumerate Grammatical Signs or Expressions you know.

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📌 What’s In

TASK 2: How do Grammatical Signs or Expressions improve writing?

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📌 What Is ItGrammatical signals are writing devices that serve to maintain text coherence.

They signal. Relationship between sentence by means of back reference through the using of

pronominal. Forms, determiners, repetition of key words, ellipsis, parallelism, synonyms and.

super ordination (Saraka, 1988:111).

General to Particular

These grammatical signals are usually used in providing examples or illustrations.

for example specifically for instance

to illustrate once such as

Add more examples here:

ACTIVITY

Read the selections below and circle the illustration words. Note the example.

Example:

Black English used to be considered simply poor English until linguists realized that the so-

called errors were actually consistent alternative grammatical forms, some of which originated in

African linguistic patterns. For example, the word “be” in standard English is primarily used as

part of the infinitive “to be.” But in Black English, “be” can also be used to indicate a repeated

action or existential state (Labov, 1972). To illustrate this, in Black English one can say “I am

sick” or “I be sick.” The first means “I am sick at this present moment.” The second includes the

recent past as well as the present; to express the second concept in standard English, one might

say, “I have been sick for a while.”

Read the selections that follow and circle the comparison or contrast words.

1. One purpose for incorporating sexual themes or pictorial material in advertisements is to

attract consumers’ attention to the ad. However, evidence suggests that use of such material may

not always have an easily predictable or desired effect. For example, one study found nonsexual

and sexual-romantic themes to have a greater influence on consumers’ attention than did nudity.

(1 signal word)
2. An interesting point about role playing is the way middle-years and adolescent youngsters

play the role of being their age. One eight year old boy, for instance, avidly collected baseball

cards and kept track of games and team standings in sports pages in accordance with the mores

of his neighborhood, even though he had never seen a baseball game or expressed the slightest

interest in attending one. (1 signal word)

COMPARISON OR CONTRAST WORDS

Comparison words signal that the author is pointing out a similarity between two subjects. They

tell you that the second idea is like the first one in some way. Look over the following

comparison words.

like like in the same way similarly

likewise equally alike just as

just in like manner similarity as in a similar fashion

Contrast words signal a change in the direction of the writer’s thought. They tell you that the

author is pointing out a difference between two subjects or statements. Look over the following

contrast words.

but yet variation conversely

however differ still otherwise

in contrast difference on the contrary on the other hand

Add more examples here:

ACTIVITY

Read the selections that follow and circle the comparison or contrast words.

1. In the half century between 1860 and 1910, some 23 million foreigners migrated to America.

Just as had been the case before the Civil War, most of them came in search of better economic

opportunities. But there were new forces at work in both the United States and Europe which

interacted to attract ever-increasing numbers of immigrants. (2 signal words)

2. Ellen tells a friend that she saw a Bob’s TV Repair truck in her neighbor’s driveway for the

fifth time in the last two weeks. Ellen is reporting only what she saw; she is relating a perception

of fact. A fact is a verifiable statement - usually a statement about something that can be or has

been directly observed. If, however, Ellen adds, “She’s having a terrible time getting her TV

fixed,” she is making an inference - a conclusion about what has been observed. (1 signal word)

3. Sleep has always been a fascinating topic. We spend about one-third of our adult lives

sleeping. Most animals sleep in a similar fashion - they collapse and relax their muscles. In

contrast, birds and horses sleep upright, with their antigravity muscles at work. Most of us

complain when we have not gotten several hours of sleep. Yet some people sleep for an hour or

less a day and lead otherwise healthy and normal lives. (3 signal words)

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

These are grammatical signals used to present information which expresses problem/dilemma

followed by a solution.

problem

the question is

a solution

one answer is

Add more examples here:

CAUSE-AND-EFFECT WORDS

Cause-and-effect words signal that the author is going to describe results or effects. Look over

the following cause-and-effect words.

because cause thus as a result

therefore reason consequently if . . . then

so that effect since result in

ACTIVITY

Read the selections that follow and circle the cause-and-effect words. Note the example.
Example:

Atherosclerosis is the result of the buildup of fat, fibrin, parts of dead cells, and calcium on the

inside of the arteries. No one knows what causes this disease, but a number of things can speed

its development. These include smoking cigarettes and eating animal fat and cholesterol. Others

include age, hypertension, diabetes, stress, heredity, and sex (males have more heart attacks).

Exercises: Read the selections that follow and circle the comparison or contrast words.

1. “The hamburger end of the fast-food industry is facing the long-awaited problem of

saturation,” says analyst Michael Culp at the brokerage firm of Bache Halsey Stuart Shields.

“It’s increasingly difficult to open more restaurants, and it’s harder to sell more hamburgers.”

Thus, to maintain their growth momentum, the industry’s big names are moving aggressively to

steal each other’s customers, enlarge their menus, and spawn new fast-food concepts. (1 signal

word)

2. Changes in social ideas about acceptable health result in changes in the problems of illness.

Twenty years ago, coal miners and workers in cotton mills accepted cancer of the lung as part of

life. In a vague way they knew longtime workers got short of breath and coughed up blood, and

they wrote folk songs about brown lung disease. But as a consequence of a new awareness about

occupational diseases and a social movement against cotton dust and coal dust, an accepted fact

of life was transformed into an unacceptable illness. (2 signal words)

3. There are several possible reasons why retail prices are set to end on certain odd or even

numbers. The practice is supposed to have started many years ago when retailers priced products

so that clerks were forced to record the sale and make change. This discouraged the clerks from

pocketing the money from sales. Some people believe that the practice of odd-even pricing

continues today because consumers view these prices as bargains. If the price of the shirt is only

$14.95, then they are able to spend “less than $15 for a shirt.” (4 signal words)