PERFECT SCORE MODULE 2014

ENGLISH 1119

MODULE 2
CONTINUOUS WRITING
(DESCRIPTIVE & NARRATIVE)

PREPARED BY:
MOHD AZMI BIN ZAKARIA
SEKOLAH BERASRAMA PENUH INTEGRASI SELANDAR

IDA RUHIDIBA BINTI BAKHTIAR

SEKOLAH MENENGAH SAINS KEPALA BATAS

NAME: ………………………………………………………..

CLASS:………………………………………………………….
TASK REQUIREMENT

For SPM level, students are required to:

1. Produce a piece of continuous prose in accurate standard English.

a. Students must write an essay using standard English. Use of slangs and other non-
standard English is not allowed.
b. Students are only allowed to use British and American English. But students must
choose either one and be consistent with the chosen English.

2. Respond relevantly and creatively to a task chosen from a number of alternatives.

a. The subject matter of the essay must be relevant to the topic chosen throughout the
essay.
b. Students are encouraged to be creative in terms of presenting the idea and also creative
putting the ideas into words.

STEPS OF WRITING AN ESSAY

•Read all the 5 options given.

•Analyse each question. Understand what is required from the topics given.
•Choose a topic that you know best/interests you the most/you have experienced or written
Read before.

•Brainstorm. List all the possible points.

•Write an outline of your essay. You are encouraged to draw a mind map.
•Decide the appropriate tense to be used.
Plan •This step is the most important part because it will determined if your content points are
relevent or not.

•Start with an interesting opening paragraph.

•Write using clear and accurate English.
•Follow the rule of grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Write •Use suitable vocabulary.

•Check for any grammatical errors.

•Make sure the spellings are correct.
Revise •Make necessary amendmends.

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A good quality essay should have:

1. A variety of length and type Have a good mixture of

of sentence structure i. Simple sentence
- My father enjoyed taking a ride with you.
ii. Compound sentence
- My father enjoyed taking a ride with you and he kept on
talking about it.
iii. Complex sentences.
- After enjoying taking a ride with you, my father kept on
talking about it.
iv. Complex-compound sentences.
- As he returned home, with a smile carved on his face, my
father kept on talking about how he enjoyed his ride with
you.

Alternating short and long sentences.

i. Long sentences are helpful for including a lot of
information.
ii. Short sentences are helpful for adding emphasis.

2. Wide vocabulary and used i. Avoid using the same word, again and again.
accurately. ii. Insert new words to spice up the essay.
iii. Use specific and accurate words to convey meaning.
iv. Sensory words and adjectives are helpful.

3. Attract the reader. Use of good and variety of sentence structure.

Wide vocabulary and accurately used

A well-planned essay
- A narrative essay with a good plot (with a twisted
end would really help).
- A descriptive essay with vivid details and description.
- An argumentative essay with convincing facts and
arguments.

Written in well-planned and linked paragraphs

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BRIEF NOTE ON PUNCTUATION

Punctuation is used to create sense, clarity and stress in sentences.

Without proper punctuations, a sentence can mean differently.

Punctuation Usage Example

Full stop [ . ] 1. Use a full stop at the end of a 1. The teacher asked why Maria had
sentence that makes a statement. left out the easy exercises.
2. Hand in the poster essays no later
than noon on Friday.
Comma [ , ] 1. To separate the elements in a 1. He hit the ball, dropped the bat,
series. and ran to first base.
2. To connect two independent 2. He hit the ball well, but he ran
clauses. toward third base.
3. To add information. 3. Calvin's ambition, to become a
goalkeeper in professional football, is
within his reach.
Question mark [ ? ] 1. At the end of a direct question. 1. He should quit smoking, shouldn't
he?
2. He shouldn't have quit his diet,
should he?
Exclamation mark [ ! ] 1. At the end of an emphatic 1. "No!" he yelled. "Do it now!"
declaration, interjection, or
command.
Colon [ : ] 1. Before a list or an explanation 1. There is only one thing left to do
that is preceded by a clause that now: confess while you still have time.
can stand by itself.
Semi colon [ ; ] 1. To help sort out a monster list. 1. There were participants from
Bangor, Maine; Hartford, Connecticut;
Boston, Massachusetts; and Newport,
Rhode Island.

2. To separate closely related 2. My grandmother seldom goes to

independent clauses bed this early; she's afraid she'll miss
out on something.
Hypen [ - ] 1. Creating compound words, 1. the well-known actor, my six-year-
before nouns. old daughter, the out-of-date
curriculum
2. Adding certain prefixes to 2. ex-husband, all-inclusive, self-
words. control

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Dash [ − ] 1. As a super-comma or set of
super-commas.
2. In writing dialogue, the dash is
used to show breaks in thought
and shifts in tone.
Ellipsis [ …] 1. When quoting materials and
you want to omit some words.
2. To indicate a pause in the flow
of a sentence and is especially
useful in quoted speech.
Quotation mark [ “ ” ] 1. To set off material that
represents quoted or spoken
language.
1. All four of them—Bob, Jeffrey,
Jason, and Brett—did well in college.
2. "How many times have I asked you
not to —" Jason suddenly stopped
talking and looked out the window.
1. The ceremony honoured twelve
brilliant athletes … visiting the
Malaysia.
2. John thought and thought … and
then thought some more.
3. "I'm wondering …" John said,
bemused.
1. "I don't care what you think
anymore," she said, jauntily tossing
back her hair and looking askance at
Edward.
"What do you mean?" he replied.
"What do you mean, 'What do I
mean?'" Alberta sniffed. She was
becoming impatient and wished that
she were elsewhere.
"You know darn well what I mean!"
Edward huffed.
"Have it your way," Alberta added, "if
that's how you feel."
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Describes an event, a place, a thing, a person or experience by creating a vivid picture in writing.

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Steps in writing descriptive essay.

Prewriting Write Revise

• Brainstorm about the • Follow the ouline • Check whether the

qualities you want to done earlier language used has
describe. • Keep in mind to involved the five sense
• Even when not writing SHOW NOT TELL. and convey emotion
about a place, reflect • Involve all the five and meaning.
on the surroundings. senses - sight, hearing, • Identify all the
• Consider what touch, smell and taste grammatical errors.
memories, feelings
and ideas the subject
evokes.
• Plan the focus of each
paragraph and create
an outline that puts
the details into logical
sequence.

SPM CLONE QUESTIONS

1. Describe a celebration that you witness in your area.

2. Describe the most difficult obstacle in your life.
3. Describe an exciting weekend you have experienced.
4. Describe a humiliating incident in your life.
5. Write about a person who strived for success in life.
6. Describe a memorable event that you witness after school.
7. Describe the most well-known student in your school.
8. A popular person you look up to.
9. Describe a daytrip with your classmates.

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 PRE-WRITING STAGE

PRACTICE 1

Choose a topic from the list of SPM Clone Questions, list out all the possible content points related to the
topic. It is advisable to use a mind map.

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PRACTICE 2

Referring to Practice 1, arrange the points according to suitable manner i.e. introduction, body and
closure.

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 WRITING STAGE

A, INTRODUCTION

1. Start off by capturing the reader’s interest - use different approaches of writing an
introduction. For example:

TYPE EXAMPLE

Everyone in this world needs a friend. Friends are there to help and
accompany us as we travel the journey of life.

General The recent flood that occurred in Malaysia was an eye-opener in many
a.
Statement ways. In the first place, the flood was a grim reminder of what the
environment of the future would be like if collective efforts are not taken
to cater the problem. Secondly, the flood brought about a host of health-
related problems.

“Lisa, don’t forget to stay in touch. We might not be in the same school
anymore, but let’s keep our friendship alive.” I could still hear her words
Dialogue/ as we said our goodbyes on the final day of school.
b. Monologue
“Flood! Flood! Wake up and get out of this house!” Someone shouted.
His shouts of warning were drowned in a frenzy of panic stricken
screams. Immediately, there was a patter of hurried footsteps as
everyone in the house rushed to the door.

Caring, soft-hearted, supportive and not to forget, as beautiful as a

queen pageant – that’s my best friend. Her name is Lisa.
c. Listing
Cold, wet, strong current and possible deaths. These are the things that
happen when flood occurs. Never underestimate the danger of flood, not
even once!

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 It was a long and tiring day. I was on duty at the library for this week and
it so happened that it was “Reading Week”. Just my luck! As I shut the
library door behind me, I heard someone calling out my name. It was
Lisa. There was a smile carved on her face. She showed me a plastic bag.
Personal “Hungry?” Oh, Lisa! You really are my best friend. You know how I feel
d.
experience right now!

I was sleeping soundly when my brother plunged into my bed. Before he

could utter anything, I noticed there was something wrong. Flood! My
room was all wet and the floor was covered with water at ankle level.
When did this happen?

Lisa is the best friend in the world. I say that not because she is my best
friend but because of what she has done to me.
e. Opinion
Water can be our best friend but can also be our worst enemy. When we
were a small child, we would always play with water. But when there is
too much water, it can turn into a terrifying monster – flood!

2. Set the tone/theme/mood of the whole essay (for a story-like descriptive essay). This is
to set the appropriate mood of the essay and also the readers’.

a. If the question is about a celebration/cheerful event/happy incident, set a

tone/theme/mood of happiness in the introduction e.g.

Word chosen shows the mood of anxiety

I woke up with a stomach that felt like jelly. Unusually for me, I was wide awake

immediately. It was competition day, the day when the best young musician in Malaysia would

be selected to go to Britain’s Royal School of Music on a scholarship.

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 b. If the question is about an accident/tragic event/regretful incident, set a
tone/theme/mood of sadness in the introduction e.g.

Words chosen show the mood of sadness

Under the grey sky, my friends all carried on as if nothing had happened. For them, it

was a normal day. But I felt down in the dumps. Nothing kept my interest. None of the class

jokes made me laugh. Calvin, my best friend, put it down to my being moody, and left me

alone.

PRACTICE 3

From Practice 2, write out the introduction to the topic. Make sure to write a standout
introduction. Refer to the above notes on Introduction.

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B. BODY
- the qualities that you want to describe.
- Refer to the following notes.
A. Arrange your content points for the body according to suitable manner.
Suggestion 1
1. Begin from something
physical (can be sensed by
the 5 senses: sight, sound,
smell, touch and taste)
Add as many vivid details
as possible. Give specific,
concrete details and not
vague ones. Use sensory
descriptive
2. End with the non-physical
aspects (opinion,
emotions involved, past
personal experience, etc)
Suggestion 2
Start from general to specific
details. Sort your content
points from general to
specific details.
DOS
Sight Sunlight streamed through the open window.
Though covered by a white curtain, the ray
brightened the room.
Sound My deep slumber was disturbed by the cheerful
chirping of a multitude of birds.
Touch Cool and gentle breeze murmured and whispered
into my ears, caressed my cheeks and ruffled my
hair.
Smell The air carried to me the aroma of freshly brewed
coffee and the smell of toasted bread from the
kitchen.
Taste I could feel saliva accumulating in my mouth as my
mind tried to picture the image of breakfast Mom
was preparing.
It did not matter that I did not know what the colour purple
was nor what a seagull looked like; somehow I could feel
Amelia’s youthful exuberance painting the images in my mind
which had always been shrouded in darkness. I could feel the
air around me dancing to the song of nature, a harmonious
display of nature’s splendor. It touched my heart and for the
first time in my life, I knew what beauty was.
Describing a favourite place:
Name of the place > Location and how to get there >
Attractions > Sensory descriptive of the place.
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Suggestion 3
1. A story-like descriptive
essay. It depends on the
question itself.
2. A story must have a good
plot. You need to plan your
outline properly. Refer to
notes on Narrative essay for
more guidelines.
B. It is advisable to start every paragraph with the topic sentence/content point. The
elaboration that follows is written based on that topic sentence. It serves as a guideline.
1. Begin the paragraphs with
the content points. All
sentences after it have to give
more information about the
sentence, prove it by offering
facts about it, or describe it.
C. Use figurative speech when describing
1. The use of figurative
speeches like simile,
metaphor, personification,
would make the sentences
more interesting as opposed
to simple and plain
description.
1. Describe an unforgettable incident that you saw on your
way home from school. (SPM 2008)
2. Describe an outing with your friends (SPM 2012)
- Though it is a story-like descriptive essay, the element of
description must be written. The above notes on writing a
description can be referred.
Kelisa residential area pulsates with life in the early
hours of morning. While the sky is still dark, many residents
are already making a beeline from their house to the nearby
garden. At the far end of the garden, near the pond teeming
with goldfish, a track for joggers is one of the must-do
activities in the morning. The younger ones jog while the older
ones do their spritely walk. It certainly looks like the
government’s campaign of “Healthy Lifestyle” is well heeded –
at least here in this residential area.
Simile She was like a happy lark when the
news came to her that she was
accepted to further her studies in the
UK.
Metaphor She was a happy lark when the news
came to her that she was accepted to
further her studies in the UK.
Personification The storm came rampaging the village,
tearing every house in its way.
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D. Add conversation/direct speech.

1. Make sure to use the On the day Uncle Robert arrived, he charged into my room. “Switch
punctuation correctly as direct
off the lights. It’s time to go to sleep. You need to get enough sleep
speech requires certain
punctuation. Refer to notes on to get ready for your exam.”
punctuation for more
“But my exam is next month.”
guidelines.
“Don’t worry, Lisa. Uncle Robert is going to accompany you
2. Do not write too many
until the last day of your exam,” he said with his face carved with a
conversation as this is not a
narrative essay. Just a few smile, a cynical smile to be exact.
exchanges of dialogue would
suffice.

E. The rule of thumb is “Show, don’t tell”.

1. Always ask yourself “How SHOW, don’t tell!!

do I want to show …” Telling Showing
The house was The house frowned with a wrinkled brow,
old and inside it creaked with each step,
releasing a scent of neglected laundry
She was smart If you had to choose a study partner, she
would definitely be at the top of the list.
The car had been The car stayed loyal with us all these years,
with our family providing us the service that we needed at
for years. its best.
It was a nice day The golden sun was shining and the fluffy
clouds were dancing cheerfully in the sky as
a slight breeze blew across my face.
Miss Anita was a Miss Anita really knew how to help us turn
great teacher. our thoughts into good stories and essays.
He was a small Standing at a mere 1.4 metres and weighing
man. a measly 45 kilogrammes, he had the height
and weight of a Standard One school boy,
even though he was already in his 40s.
The stadium was The stadium with a capacity of about 40,000
relatively empty had only less than half seats filled. It was not
too surprising for it was an evening football
match and most people were either at work
in in school.

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 DON’TS

A. Write cliché words.

1. Lovely mother, loving father, a stone’s
1. try to avoid cliché words and the usual
throw, in the pink, beautiful woman,
adjectives in writing. Always look for
alternative words. Refer to the List of handsome man, happy family, a nice day, etc.
Adjectives for guidelines.
2. Different adjectives can be used:
2. cliché words or phrase would make the Gorgeous mother, charming father, stunning
essay monotonous.
woman, wonderful family, a fine day, etc

B. Avoid repetition of words and sentences.
1. don’t overuse certain words and
sentences. It makes the essay dull.
I had a nice day in Langkawi. At first, I wanted
to spend only a week there but I had such a
good time that I decided to extend my
vacation for another week. The weather was
nice and I had a happy weekend on a nice
beach.

Can be changed to:

I had a wonderful day in Langkawi. At first, I

wanted to spend only a week there but I had
such a good time that I decided to extend my
vacation for another week. The weather was
bright and sunny and I had a happy weekend
on a beautiful beach.

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LIST OF ADJECTIVES

Below are lists of describing words which would help in a descriptive writing.

Positive Traits of a Person

Affable Decorous gregarious Plucky Upbeat
Aggravated Devious Grumpy Pragmatic Vigorous
Alluring Docile Impulsive Quirky Vivacious
Apathetic Ecstatic Iridescent Rascally Volatile
Ardent Elated Jaunty Rhetorical Witty
Bewildered Eminent Lethargic Sedate Zany
Blissful Exuberant Melancholy Shrewd Zealous
Coherent Genial Painstaking Astounding
Conscientious Giddy Placid Succinct
Debonair Giggly Plausible Thrifty
Negative Traits of Person
Abrasive Defiant Finicky Jittery Skeptical
Aloof Domineering Flashy Malicious Vengeful
Belligerent Dour Flippant Obnoxious Wary
Boorish Erratic Furtive Scathing

Building
Baronial Derelict Gabled Moated Prefabricated
Cavernous Dilapidated Ionic Modular Romanesque
Corinthian Doric Labyrinthine Palatial Sprawl
Dank en suite Lofty Perpendicular Stuccoed

Positive Traits of a Place

Beauteous Classy Ravishing Statuesque
Bewitching Enticing Resplendent Sublime
Negative traits of a Place
Appalling Frightful Hideous Pesky Vile
Beastly Grisly Ignoble Repugnant Wretched
Deformed Gross Nauseous Sordid
Foul Grotesque Odious Vexatious

Event
Advent ceremonious inaugural plenary solemn
Calamity ill-tempered inquorate raucous uplifting

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 SYNONYMOUS WORDS

Word Synonym Word Synonym

Affable Genial Astounding Astonishing
Sociable Gregarious Succinct Concise
Impetuous Thrifty Frugal
Impulsive
Rash Upbeat Optimistic
Bad-tempered Grumpy Vigorous Energetic
Jaunty Cheerful Volatile Unstable
Mournful Zany Wacky
Melancholy Sombre Ardent Passionate
Painstaking Thorough Decorous Proper
Placid Tranquil Devious Deceitful
Couragous Ecstatic Delighted
Plucky
Brave Aloof Distant
Pragmatic Realistic Hostile
Belligerent
Quirky Peculiar Unfriendly
Boorish Rude Horrible
Beastly
Erratic Unpredictable Nasty
Finicky fussy Awful
Frightful
Furtive Stealthy Terrible
Jittery Nervous Pesky Annoying
Malevolent Squalid
Malicious Sordid
Spiteful Dirty
Obnoxious Offensive Advent Important
Scathing Withering Disaster
Calamity
Wary Cautious Catastrophic
Dilapidated Ramshackle Solemn Serious
Palatial Splendid
Gorgeous
Ravishing
Beautiful

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PRACTICE 4a (Beginner)
Choose one content point from Practice 2 and elaborate the idea in one paragraph. You are
required to write using Simple and Compound Sentences only.

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PRACTICE 4b (Intermediate)

Using the elaboration in Practice 4a, modify the sentences into Compound and Complex
sentences.

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PRACTICE 4c (Advance)

Using the paragraph in Practice 4b, add in Compound-Complex sentences.

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C. CLOSURE
1. Tie everything together.
2. Describe the things you can learn or evaluate what happened.
3. Do not restate the main points.
4. Instead summarize the main points with an overall impression.
5. Allow direct reference to the set question of title.
Example:

1. Topic: The saddest day of my life. And she was dead. I knew. Some part of me had
known all day. I hugged my mother and tears
shook us both. It was the saddest day of my life.

2. Topic: The hottest day ever. My brother and I jumped for joy as if we had
springs under our legs and we dashed for the
bathroom to clean ourselves up. Within an
hour, we were sitting happily together, tucking
into our tub of ice cream as the wind from the
new fan gave us respite from the unbearable
heat.

3. Topic: A friend you would never After almost 10 years apart, I could still
forget. remember his jovial and happy-go-lucky
attitude. In fact, he still is. This reminds me that
we should not change because of other people.
We only change for the better. The most
important is, just be who we really are.

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PRACTICE 5
Based on the topic you have chosen in Practice 1, write a closure for the essay.
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SAMPLE ESSAY

My Favourite Place

General Statement There is bound to be a place in everyone’s heart, and I am no

as an introduction.
exception. My favourite and special place is a beach where I can watch
the sunset. Though I had only been there once with my niece, it has
become a favourite place in my heart. I would never ever find a place
like that.
“Come with me Aunty! I’m bringing you to somewhere
Use of dialogue.
special,” a small children voice said as I felt a small hand tugging
mine.

Sophisticated Amelia, my niece, was barely ten years old, but she was a
Vocabulary and precocious little child, always inquisitive and full of exuberant energy.
sophisticated
sentence As a baby, she had wailed and screamed, determined to be taken out
from the confines of her cot. I knew she would grow up to be a bright
Use of Punctuation child. I wished that I could see her face but it was impossible – I am
[-] blind.
“Where are you taking me? Are you sure your mother would

Sense of touch approve of this?” I asked as we stumbled over some soft ground. I
could feel us moving against the hard and rocky path. Much as I was
worried for her safety, I was also intrigued. What was so special about
the place we were heading to?
“Don’t worry, Aunty. I’m bringing you to the most beautiful
Short and Simple place on earth. It is really magical,” she replied as she continued to
sentence
move on, hastening her pace.
Content point at the Somehow, Amelia did not ever seem to mind that I was blind.
start of a paragraph.
She would always describe her day and adventures in school, gossiping
Complex Sentence about the affairs of her friends and teachers to me. She never failed to

24
 make me feel that I was normal like her. I felt as though I was living
her when she told me shoes stories of hers.
“Here we are, Aunty! Can’t you smell the sea in front of you? It
is the most beautiful place with the deepest blue water in the world.
Picture it: it is calm and tranquil now, but you know that it can rage so
violently during a storm.” My mind sought to conjure up the images
Vocabulary she had just described so vividly.
“The sun is almost setting and its rays are glinting off the
Sense of sight water like many sparkling diamonds. Over there in the horizon is a
little boat with a cute little sail … I don’t believe it! There are people
waving at us! Let’s wave back, Aunty, otherwise, they’ll think that
we’re unfriendly people!” Amelia prompted enthusiastically.
Even though I had never seen the sea or sun before, I could
Sense of smell feel the salty tang of the sea breeze assailing my nostrils and I could
Sense of feel bask in the warmth of the setting sun on my uplifted face. Gigantic
Sense of hearing waves crashed on the rocks around us in a pandemonium of sounds.
Standing on the softness of the sand, I grasped Amelia’s hand and
asked, “Tell me more about what you see, Amelia. Is the view really
splendid as I think it is?”
Vivid description of “Oh, Aunty! The sky is filled with so many colours which are
‘Showing’ constantly changing. There is a streak of purple at the fringe of the
sun. The sun itself is turning into a dark crimson red as half its body
sinks slowly into the sea. Some of the stars are out, twinkling merrily
like little Christmas lights in the sky. I think the seagulls are rushing
home because they seem to be diving around madly. It is as if they are
Personification doing one last dance before the sun goes down.”
It did not matter that I did not know what the colour purple
Emotion and opinion
was nor what a seagull looked like; somehow I could feel Amelia’s
youthful exuberance painting the images in my mind which had

25
 always been shrouded in darkness. I could feel the air around me
dancing to the song of nature, a harmonious display of nature’s
splendor. It touched my heart and for the first time in my life, I knew
what beauty was.
“Aunty, did I say something wrong? Why are you crying?” Amelia’s
voice sounded worried.
Simple ending with a
“No, Amelia. You’ve done nothing wrong. It is truly a beautiful place
summary of the
points that you have brought me to.

By Wong See Mun

“Just Write Composition Guide”

FINAL PROJECT 1: WRITE IT

You have learnt the introduction, body and closure in the previous exercises. Now it is time to
put it to practice.

Based on the same topic that you have chosen, write a complete descriptive essay. Make full use
of all the notes and examples to write your descriptive essay.

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Narrative essays are mainly written to capture a certain memory or a particular time period and allow
the reader to experience an incident through vivid imagery and descriptions. Therefore, the key to
capture the imagination of the reader is by utilizing the descriptive language to convey sounds, feelings,
looks, tastes and smells. All these 5 senses are the tools that help shape the story as well as giving the
story depth and character with the help of adjectives.

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LET YOUR IMAGINATION RUN WILD!

BASIC AND INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

Igniting your 5 senses in BUILDING A SNOWMAN.

Write out the adjectives in the boxes given to express sounds, feelings, looks, tastes and smells in
building a snowman. An example for each sense has been done for you.

SOUNDS FEELINGS
-crunch -happy

TASTES
LOOKS (SIGHTS) -icy
-cute

SMELLS
-delicious

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ADVANCED LEVEL

WORLD CUP FEVER

Write out the adjectives in the boxes given to express the sounds, feelings, looks, tastes and smells in
describing the World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina. You are advised to use figurative
language in describing the senses. An example for each sense has been done for you.

GERMANY VS ARGENTINA

SOUNDS FEELINGS
-roar -exhilarating

SMELLS
LOOKS (SIGHTS) -victory
-vibrant

TASTES
-bitter

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“TEAR YOUR HAIR OUT”
Identify the words associate to sounds, feelings, looks, tastes and smells in the example below.

Nature warmly embraces you at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. It is amazing how the 130 hectares
of mangroves, mudflats and secondary forests soothe the frazzled nerves of people who pulsed to the
hustle and bustle of city life. Arrive there in the morning and you will be freshened up by the crispness
of the morning air and cheerfully greeted by the jaunty chirpings of birds. Walk on the wooden bridge
and you will enjoy the sight of a shimmering body of water teeming with water creatures. The board
walk also leads you to the mangrove where you will have fun spotting the mudskippers and counting the
number of tree-climbing crabs. Occasionally, a monitor lizard will slither past you before quickly
disappearing into the nearby bushes. Aquatic plants like the bright pink petals of Sacred Lotus add to the
allure of the place. In addition, birdwatchers will be richly rewarded by the sight of the migratory
shorebirds. With our naked eyes, these look like specks of grey and white by the muddy shore. They are
busily pecking away at the mud in order to replenish their energy to make the long flight back. It is here
that you feel one with Mother Nature.

Source from Just Write

SOUNDS FEELINGS LOOKS SMELLS TASTES

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 SENTENCED FOR LIFE

Once you are able to identify words related to sounds, feelings, smells, tastes and looks, it’s time to
make those words and ideas come alive to ensure your reader knows and understands what you are
trying to convey. This is the time for you to construct sentences to share your thoughts with the world.
In the words of John Keating, “Words and ideas can change the world.”

PLAYING DRESS-UP

Dressing up the sentences can entirely transform your common sentences making them different in
their appearance and form.

For instance the common sentence of:

Ifra ate.

To “dress up the sentence”, you can further expand the sentence like this:

Subject Verb Article Adjective Noun Verb Preposition Verb Noun

1 Ifra ate.

2 Ifra ate a chocolate cake.

3 Ifra ate a scrumptious chocolate cake.

4 Ifra ate a scrumptious chocolate cake drenched with melted chocolate.

The common sentence of ‘Ifra ate’ in the second step, ‘chocolate cake’ has been added. In the third
step, the adjective ‘scrumptious’ is added to describe the chocolate cake. Lastly, you can see that in the
final step, the sentence is further elaborated by adding the adjective, verb and preposition to give the
sentence its flair and provides a vivid picture of what Ifra ate.

WORK IT!

Dress up the sentence below. You can refer to the steps above to help you construct the sentences.

1. Justin ran.

2. ...........................................................................................................................................................

3. . .........................................................................................................................................................

4. . .........................................................................................................................................................

5. . .........................................................................................................................................................

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QUICK TIPS IN IMPROVING NARRATIVE ESSAY

A. PUT TIRED WORDS TO REST

As what the title suggests, these so called “tired words” should be laid to rest for they are words that
are overused and can be found in almost every student’s essay. These “tired words” are the barricade
for students to obtain a good mark in their essay.

Some of the “tired words” in the use of adjectives that should be put to bed are:

bad beautiful big

boring excellent exciting

funny great happy

new more nice

Instead, these adjectives can be replaced with other words that carry the same meaning:

Common adjectives Sophisticated adjectives

Bad Disagreeable, offensive, repulsive, unfavourable

Beautiful Attractive, appealing, exquisite, stunning

Big Enormous, extensive, huge, immense, massive, gigantic

Boring Monotonous, dull, commonplace, tedious

Excellent Superior, remarkable, splendid, unsurpassed, superb, magnificent

Exciting Thrilling, stirring, rousing

Funny Comical, amusing, entertaining

Great Tremendous, superior, remarkable, eminent

Happy Pleased, joyous, elated, jubilant

New Recent, current, novel

More Additional

Nice Pleasant, satisfying, gracious

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Other examples of “tired words” are the use common nouns.

shoes dog clothes

bags food place

drink movie car

singer job house

street colour Knife

Those “tired words” mentioned above can be substituted with specific nouns.

Common nouns Specific Nouns

Shoes oxford, loafer, stiletto, wedges, flip-flop, pumps, suede, sneakers,
moccasin
Dog Scottish terrier, poodle, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd, dachshund,
collie
Clothes jumper, military jacket, cargo pants, cardigan, crew neck sweater, polo
shirt
Bags messenger, tote, hobo, clutch, briefcase, satchel, rucksack
Food grilled cheese sandwich, pizza, caviar, ciabatta, spring roll, swiss roll, red
velvet cake, lemon meringue pie
Place park, Batu Feringghi, Port Dickson, Seremban, Castle Rock, The Lourve,
Annecy
Drink pepsi, caramel macchiato, orange juice, ice lemon tea, strawberry
milkshake, green tea, ginger ale
Movie “Back to the Future”, “Dead Poets Society”, “Se7en”, “The Godfather”,
“The Goonies”, “In the Name of the Father”, “Dark Knight Rises”,
“Inception”
Car Porsche, Cadillac, convertible, minivan, roadster, Rolls Royce, jeep,
sedan, limousine
Singer Debbie Gibson, Tiffany, Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake,
Timbaland, Mick Jagger, Adam Levine
Job surgeon, interior designer, prosecutor, dietician, hairdresser, fashion
designer, editor, journalist, news presenter, radio DJ
House mansion, bungalow, terrace, cottage, apartment, town house, caravan
Street Main Street, Perak Road, Green Lane, Privet Drive, Washington Street,
Lovers Lane
Colour fuchsia, chartreuse, mauve, cyan, navy blue, crimson, scarlet, violet,
emerald green
Knife butcher, cleaver, bread knife, carving knife, kitchen knife

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B. DIALOGUE
Dialogue is highly essential in a narrative essay. It makes the characters come alive and gives the essay
its appeal.

When writing a dialogue, always remember that the dialogue is able to convey the characters’ thoughts
and feelings effectively by using appropriate verbs and adjectives.

This is an extract from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling.

Take note of the excitement conveyed in Dobby’s speech. Dobby, the house elf was freed by Harry
Potter and no longer had to serve The Malfoys.

‘Dobby has got a sock,’ said Dobby in disbelief.

‘Master threw it and Dobby caught it, and Dobby –
Dobby is expressing his excitement that
Dobby is free.’ he is free

Lucius Malfoy had no choice. With a last, incensed

stare at the pair of them, he swung his cloak around
him and hurried out of sight.

‘Harry Potter freed Dobby!’ said the elf shrilly,
gazing up at Harry, moonlight from the nearest
window reflected in his orb-like eyes. ‘Harry Potter set
Dobby free!’
Dobby’s repetition of this line indicates
how excited he was and couples it with a
suitable adjective amplifies the
excitement further.

Least I could do, Dobby,’ said Harry, grinning. ‘Just

promise never to try save my life again.’

The elf’s ugly brown face split suddenly into a wide,

toothy smile.

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 A. STEREO-TYPICAL
Avoid the use of cliché ideas that threatens your essay to be highly predictable and mediocre.

Examples of a clichéd plot:

cancer

tumour DEATH accident

CLICHE PLOT

DREAM ROMANCE

chased by daydream late for school marriage happy ending

a ghost

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 SAMPLE ESSAY
WEREWOLVES IN MY KITCHEN, ZOMBIES DOWN THE STREET

I woke up startled to the ringing sound of my alarm

clock, groggily reached for my bathrobe and dragged
myself out of bed to the window. As I stood staring out The use of adjectives to give a
my window, a long sigh escaped me. A sudden feeling picture on how the atmosphere is
of eeriness suddenly sent shiver down my spine as I affecting the writer.
realized how empty the house was. Pulling my
bathrobe tightly around me, I tried to put aside that
creepy feeling that was creeping up on me.
After taking my bath and donning on my favourite
white shirt and blue jeans, I galloped downstairs to the
kitchen in search of food.
Expression that enables the reader
CLANG! to “hear” the noise.

“What was that?” I shuddered as I held on to the rail. A monologue to indicate the
The clanging sound seemed to be coming from the writer’s anxiety along with the
kitchen. adjective to describe the writer’s
My heart was beating wildly as I moved slowly to the reaction.
kitchen. With all the courage that I could muster, I
groped my way and shakily reached for the switch.
There in plain sight, were three WEREWOLVES in my
kitchen! “Yikes!” I slowly muttered while thinking on
my own fate on the hands of these three vicious
creatures. Before I could even make a run for it, as if
by some werewolf instincts, all three turned around
and fixed their gleaming and terrifying eyes on me. A brief description of horror.

GULP!

I hurriedly turned towards the stairs, dashed upstairs

into my room and slammed the door. I took cover
under my own bed when I heard the werewolves’ This signifies the size of the
heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. My heart was werewolves.
thumping on my chest and beads of cold sweat started
forming on my forehead. The door knob turned and I
held my breath. This time, the door knob was
frantically turning back and forth. I knew that they
were getting closer to breaking the entry. With one
final glance at the door, I darted to my window and

36
made the leap.
I landed with a thud and limped my way to my jeep
that was parked in the driveway while fumbling for the
keys. Once inside the jeep, I turned on the ignition and
stepped on the accelerator. “Have I gone mad?” I cried
to my reflection in my rear view mirror. It was then
that I saw IT. I slammed on the brakes and the jeep To show the writer’s reaction upon
screeched to a halt. seeing the reflection in his mirror.

“Zombies?” I asked incredulously.

“Man, is this the Night of the Living Dead?” I quipped. Humorously associating the
Turning my head around, my eyes caught on what zombies with the horror movie,
looked like a whole army of the living dead. They were “Night of the Living Dead.”
all dressed in rags with rusty nails and an empty look
on their faces.
“Looks like they’re doing the death march, if you ask
me.” I snickered.
I quickly grabbed the torchlight in my car and without
thinking any further, I silently followed the zombies
from behind. Using the torchlight as guidance, I
sneaked my way to the mysterious destination. “I
need to get to the bottom of this!” I whispered A monologue to describe the
fiercely to myself. writer’s determination.

Within a few minutes, the zombies disappeared in the

darkness of night and it was then that I found myself
standing in front of the huge mansion. After almost an
hour of searching the mansion, I nearly gave up when I
found nothing. Just then, I heard it! It was barely
audible but I could catch that distinctive sound that
came from above. I followed the sound like I heard the
Pied Piper playing his pipe. The familiar sound of Describing on the sound that the
Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” caught my attention as I writer heard.
stood at the top of the stairs.

“That’s strange! First, it was the werewolves in my

kitchen, then, the zombies down the street. And now,
“Thriller” is playing in a haunted mansion? Is my mind
playing tricks on me?” I started to pinch myself as I
said this. Then, the door creaked open. I slowly
sneaked in. What I saw made me gasp. The whole
room was filled with many werewolves and zombies!
Sensing that I was about to get caught in the wrong
crowd, I slowly turned around and ran for the door.

37
Just then, a furry paw touched my shoulder from Giving the impression of how one
behind. of the werewolves caught him
sneaking in.
I froze in the doorway.

“Hey! Where have you been? Why aren’t you dressed

according to the theme?” asked the werewolf. A dialogue to indicate that the
“You can talk?” I whimpered. werewolves are not real.
“Of course I can talk, silly!”
“Ben! Is that you? What are you doing here with all
these zombies and werewolves?” I asked Ben blankly.
“Have you forgotten? It is a Halloween party!” Ben
gave me a quizzical look.
“Yes! The theme is zombies and werewolves.” added
Michael who stood behind Ben.

I was dumbfounded.

“We wanted to remind you about the party when you

caught us at the kitchen but you screamed and ran to
your room. Sorry for scaring you like that.” James
chuckled.

How could I forget that it was Halloween? Dismissing the thought on the
After getting dressed up in my zombie costume, I existence of werewolves and
made my way to the dance floor. We spent the whole zombies.
night doing the “Thriller” dance. Werewolves and
zombies indeed!

This essay was written by Yusizzatul Izzah from

SM Sains Kepala Batas.

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PRACTICE

SCHOOL OF ROCK

Imagine you trade places with your favourite singer for a day. Describe how it was living in the spotlight
for that one brief moment.

Introduction

Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3

Closure

FINAL PROJECT 2: WRITE IT!

Imagine you trade places with your favourite singer for a day. Describe how it was living in the
spotlight for that one brief moment.

39