How to use varied sentences lengths for effect!

Your descriptive and narrative writing are all about creating a gripping plot, full of unpredictable twists and turns.

Using varied sentence lengths – some long some short – create an unpredictable tone. Longer sentences slow down the writing with endless detail that creates a calm and peaceful pace. Gradually, you feel calmed into the peaceful atmosphere. With no fear of sudden movement, you relax as the words guide you through the text.  Without warning, a sudden short sentence speeds up the pace. With the increase of full stops, you have to take more breaths – you breathing rate is flummoxed. The sudden shift in pace shudders readers, leaving them with one though: what is yet to come?

Using varied sentence lengths for tense, unpredictable tones.

Short abrupt sentences can add power to your writing as they can mark pivotal moment (the climax, the moment all changes) in your writing.

• Simple sentence – one independent clause.
  • Silence fell.
  • Patiently, the eerie eyes of the ancient house waited.

Compound sentences can build your ideas so readers feel locked in a chain of events.

• Compound sentence: two or more independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
  • ‘A lifeless silhouette arrived yet it never made a sound.’
  • ‘Under the yellow sky, the wishing waves splashed against the joyous families and the golden sands glistened in the sun.’

 

Complex sentences can connect your ideas (with time or by connecting an actor to the described action) so readers can truly establish who performed the actions and when.

• Complex sentences include one or more dependent clause and one or more independent clauses.
  • Adapted from Mysterious Kor.
  • Blotted into one shadow, these two proceeded towards the park.
    • Adapted from Mysterious Kor.
  • Whether it be thunder or rain, the three Witches remained.
    • Inspired by Macbeth.
  • Full moonlight drenched the city, searching every living soul.
    • Adapted from Mysterious Kor
  • As the echoing wind blew against the ancient train, its once rigid body turned.
  • Beneath the dark seas remained a soulless body, where the gracious waters shuddered in its presence.

 

Complex – compound sentences can intensify the pace, with its range of incomplete and complete clauses.

• Complex-compound sentence: Two or more independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses.
  • Before he knew it, the majestic witches stood before him yet they remained in silence, watching.

 

 

Now guys, when you proofread your writing check whether you have used simple, compound, complex and complex-compound sentences. If you use one sentences type excessively, feel free to adapt your sentences (replace full stops/commas to elongate or shorten sentences).

 

Thanks for reading 🙂

How to craft a clear, contextualised and coherent analysis in Literature #English #Dickens #AQA

For top marks in GCSE English Literature, it is crucial that you do three main things in your answer to a question…

Example questions:

• Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens presents Scrooge as an outsider.
  • Consider how Scrooge is presented in the text.
  • Consider how Scrooge is present in the text as a whole.
• Starting with this extract, explore how Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth as an evil woman.
  • Consider how Lady Macbeth is presented in the text.
  • Consider how Lady Macbeth is present in the text as a whole.

Three Elements for a Clear and Quality Answer

1. AO1: Clear Response to Task and Text
   • You have a clear argument about how the writer presents someone or a theme with evidence from the text that supports your view.
2. AO2: Analysis
   • You break-down exactly how the writer uses language, structure or form techniques (metaphor, repetition etc) to create certain effects/meanings/impressions of the character/theme.
3. AO3: Links to Context/Society
   • You explain why you think in a certain way about the character/theme based on your understanding of stereotypes during the era (Jacobean, Victorian, Edwardian, contemporary).

 

Here’s how you can do this!

This may seem daunting, but all it really takes is to answer 11 short questions in one connected paragraph.

Just see how to craft an analytical answer  for any literature exam (Dickens, Shakespeare, unseen poetry and so on…) through 11 simple steps…

• Firstly, by answering questions 1-3, you gain AO1 marks.
• Secondly, questions 4-5 and 11 allow you to gain AO3 marks.
• Finally, questions 6-10 lets you gain a clear analysis for AO2 marks.

 

I hope you all find this useful! 🙂

A quick literacy resource, helping you secure accurate spelling and punctuation!

An absolutely crucial skill in English (and in general life) is clear communication.

Yours ideas become powerful you expression them in clear Standard English…

• Have you ever had to think twice as to whether you need to use one ‘l’ or two ‘ll’s?
  • E.g. ‘Initial’ Vs. ‘initially’ or ‘fully’ Vs. ‘eventful‘

 

• Do you sometimes double check whether you placed the commas correctly?
  • E.g. ‘As the man walks however,…’    Vs.   ‘As the man walks, however,…’

 

Under timed pressure, ideas can become unclear: so what should you do?

 

Quickly proofreading to make sure that you communicate clearly using Standard English is challenging… To practice how to quickly proofread your literacy skills, give the following task a go:

 

Give it a go: Re-write this paragraph with correct spellings and punctuation.

Initialy, the writer appeers to feel ambituous when he perceives a “dead mouse lying among [there] treasures” as an “exciting discovery”. As it is unusual to view a dead animal as “exciting”, his enthusiasm may reflect that he is ambitious to find opportunities in life. As the extract progresses however the writers feelings become increaseingly tense, with him being terified as he remains at the “rear of the group. Finnaly, the writer closes with a lasting impreshion of their sense of accomplishement and sense of “hero[ism]”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check your answer:

Initially, the writer appears to feel ambitious when he perceives a “dead mouse lying among [there] treasures” as an “exciting discovery”. As it is unusual to view a dead animal as “exciting”, his enthusiasm may reflect that he is ambitious to find opportunities in life. As the extract progresses however the writers feelings become increasingly tense, with him being terrified as he remains at the “rear of the group. Finally, the writer closes with a lasting impression of their sense of accomplishment and sense of “hero[ism]”.

 

Thanks for reading! 🙂

 

The Core of #Story-Writing: Life Experiences #English #Creativewriting #AQA

Write about what you know, saw or heard… This doesn’t get us far when it comes to story-writing. For an effective story, your readers need to be immersed in your experiences.

For an effective story, you need to encapsulate your readers!

Make them fall into your shoes; let them feel as you did, see the intricate details that saw, hear the specific sounds that only you heard.

Three Tips for Story-writing…

#Tip 1: Explore the setting through your experiences

Many writers like to describe unknown, mythological settings or simply places that they have not visited. This leads to minimalistic descriptions. But how can you intricately describe a place that you haven’t been to? When you are establishing your setting, every one of your 5 senses are activated – from what you hear to what you can smell… and each sense shaped your feelings about the place.

 

For an engaging setting in your story, explore your 5 senses. Look back to a place/setting from your life. What happened to your 5 senses? How did you feel? Use your senses as a way to bring your setting to life. Allowing your readers to understand the finer details of the place, they begin to feel as though they are trapped in the place… Once they’re trapped in the place, they’re hooked in your story.

#TIP 2: Convey your emotions through dialogue and actions/physical descriptions.

It’s all too easy to say how we feel: ‘I was sad” or ‘the smell made me feel sick”. Just stating how someone feels is not engaging. It is just listing emotions. Instead, dialogue or actions helps readers decipher what the character is feeling or thinking.

Before: ‘I was happy’

After: ‘the shimmering sands tickled my feet as I strolled along the beach’

• Notice how the actions (verbs) create a happy, peaceful atmosphere.

 

Before: ‘I felt trapped’

After: Hoisted with fellow soldiers, Lieutenants charge at us. “Silence!” as someone says . “Shoot ’em” says the other. “Take me home!”, I whisper.

• Notice how the dialogue creates a dangerous tone in which people are commanding the narrator.
• What is the effect of “whisper” compared to the imperatives “silence” and “shoot ’em”??

#TIP 3: Use your experiences to raise awareness/send a message.

Life is about new experiences and learning from mistakes. In all, we all have a many lessons that we’ve learned: don’t tell lies, always do your homework so you avoid detentions, save money (and the list goes on).

Autobiographical writing is about sharing our life lessons with others. Your story has the potential to inspire your readers and raise awareness of important life lessons. Choose 3 to 5 life experiences. What happened? What did you learn? What could others learn based on this?

Behind every story is a lesson to be learnt. So make your story count.

 

Thank you for reading 🙂

How to Write Poetry: Part 3 #poetry #English #AQA

Avoiding the pitfalls in poetry

Ironically, one of the biggest problems in poetry is creativity. While poetry liberates us to use creative language that implicitly reveals our emotions and experiences, being too creative can make our ideas difficult to follow.

How to Avoid Poetry Pitfalls. 

#Tip 1: Being overly descriptive; actions speak louder than words.

• “A woman, dressed in silver jewels and a graceful royal blue dress” naturally sounds beautiful… To really prove that she’s beautiful, you need to explore what she does more than how she appears.
  • How to improve this by focusing on what she does:
    • As she glided into the ballroom, the beauty in blue turned the room silent.
    • She elegantly floated into the center with an essence of grace and a touch of pride.
    • With each delicate dance, her majestical aura mersmerised every soul.

 

 

#Tip 2: Avoid the cheesy cliches

• “Bright like a diamond”,”one in a million”, “silent as a mouse”, “as light as a feather – These are all cliches… common phrases that are used to describe ideas.
  • We’ve heard them before.
  • Using them only makes your ideas sound less unique, making them less intriguing.
    • Try something new… “As bright like a diamond” becomes “As striking as a piercing light”

#Tip 3: Using a clear and fluid rhythmic structure

• For fluid, romantic or calm tones..
  • Make sure the rhyme scheme is consistent and matches (ABAB, AABB).
    • Avoid ‘cat’ and ‘laugh’
  • Check that each line has the same number of syllables.

 

• For a chaotic or unpredictable tone..
  • Make sure that the irregular lines (e.g. random long/short lines) share a meaning… So when they’re read by themselves, readers realise that the irregular lines actually expose what is causing them a problem.
    • The irregular lines all should share a meaning.

Owens’s Exposure: using short lines in the end of each stanza to symbolise the futility of conflict as a vice of death.

Our brains ache, in the merciless iced east winds that knive us . . .

Wearied we keep awake because the night is silent . . .

Low drooping flares confuse our memory of the salient . . .

Worried by silence, sentries whisper, curious, nervous,

       But nothing happens. 

Watching, we hear the mad gusts tugging on the wire,

Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles.

Northward, incessantly, the flickering gunnery rumbles,

Far off, like a dull rumour of some other war.

       What are we doing here?

The poignant misery of dawn begins to grow . . .

We only know war lasts, rain soaks, and clouds sag stormy.

Dawn massing in the east her melancholy army

Attacks once more in ranks on shivering ranks of grey,

       But nothing happens.

Sudden successive flights of bullets streak the silence.

Less deadly than the air that shudders black with snow,

With sidelong flowing flakes that flock, pause, and renew,

We watch them wandering up and down the wind’s nonchalance,

       But nothing happens.

Pale flakes with fingering stealth come feeling for our faces—

We cringe in holes, back on forgotten dreams, and stare, snow-dazed,

Deep into grassier ditches. So we drowse, sun-dozed,

Littered with blossoms trickling where the blackbird fusses.

       —Is it that we are dying?

Slowly our ghosts drag home: glimpsing the sunk fires, glozed

With crusted dark-red jewels; crickets jingle there;

For hours the innocent mice rejoice: the house is theirs;

Shutters and doors, all closed: on us the doors are closed,—

       We turn back to our dying.

Since we believe not otherwise can kind fires burn;

Now ever suns smile true on child, or field, or fruit.

For God’s invincible spring our love is made afraid;

Therefore, not loath, we lie out here; therefore were born,

       For love of God seems dying.

Tonight, this frost will fasten on this mud and us,

Shrivelling many hands, and puckering foreheads crisp.

The burying-party, picks and shovels in shaking grasp,

Pause over half-known faces. All their eyes are ice,

       But nothing happens.

How to use semi-colons and colons effectively! #SPaG #Literacy #punctuation #English #AQA

Like a spinal cord, punctuation marks subtly control the ways that language is produced, read and interpreted. Every mark is a symbol that helps us write with clear grammatical structures and present our feelings and thoughts on paper.

 

The colons

Colons have a unique skill: flexibility. Yes, colons do introduce a list; they’re so much more than that.

Like a warning sign, the colon is an indicator that something new is approaching.

The colon is not followed by a complete sentence; it has three main functions:..

1. To introduce a list:
   • We shall be as one: strong, united, supported.
   • Reflecting on each first person narrative, both Remains and Poppies expose the psychological impacts of conflict on individuals: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and endless guilt.
2. To emphasise one idea
   • Upon the blue lake, a light glistened: hope.
   • As the plot progresses, Shakespeare increasingly unveils Lady Macbeth’s inner evil spirit to subvert Jacobean expectations: her inner witch.
   • Society has one wish: equality.
3. To introduce more detail about a preceding idea
   • Homework is our chance to truly test our independent skills: a chance to prove our unique capabilities.
   • Social media has become a hub for professional networking: a platform where individuals can develop reflect, share and develop ideas for their own employment.

 

The semi-colon

A weak version of a full stop, semi-colons create a pause between two sentences; the first brings an idea, while the second sentence adds detail to the first.

Like a married couple, each sentence (before and after the semi-colon) depend on each other. The first needs the extra detail from the second; the second wouldn’t exist without the first as it builds on the initial idea.

The semi-colon not followed by a complete sentence; it has one main function:..

• To develop an idea from the first sentence; see how the second part adds detail to the first:
  • Stereotypically, Jacobean women are submissive and non-violent; hence, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Lady Macbeth’s desire to “chastise” Macbeth would subvert her from society.
  • Among the towpath, the glistening river shimmered; like golden stars in the sky, a blue sparkles blanketed the flowing river.
•  To contrast an idea from the first sentence; see how the second part adds to the first:
  • The book was interesting; however, the writer could have included more subtle language.
  • Teenagers must be liberated to vote; nevertheless, adequate insights into political manifestations is crucial for this to work.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading:)

 

 

THE GENERAL ELECTIONS 2017: HAVE YOUR SAY!…. And practice persuasive writing for Paper 2

With the political heat of the general elections, we’re endlessly pushed into a corner by politicians and newspapers forcing us to follow their views…

 Let’s hear your voice…Who would you support? Why? 

 Write a persuasive speech in which you express your support for one political party… This could get very interesting!

 

5 steps for a persuasive political speech

Make readers relate to your ideas and feelings… eventually, they’ll feel as strongly as you do about your idea.

#STEP 1: Set a personal tone. Relate to your audience and show your concern for the public.

Use address your audience (you, ladies and gentlemen), use inclusive words (our, we) and state your views.

• Ladies and gentleman, our nation lives on the foundation of unity, justice and equality… with the strong spine of the Labour government, our country shall grow even stronger.
• United Labour MPs are. United they shall make us. Vote Labour.

 

#STEP 2: Why is your political party specifically beneficial to society? Give a real-world personal example (anecdote, flashback)

Evoke empathy by stating why your party/idea is important. Who could this have helped?

• Crucial in making society stronger, the labour government shall uplift the minimum wage to over £8 per hour. If only this currently existed in Cara’s time…. Working over 50 hours per week on less than £6 per hour as a cleaner of disgustingly wretched restaurants, toilets and kitchens, Cara scraped her way by. Having finished her A-Levels, set for university, the iron bars of the minimum wages shot her down. She couldn’t afford the university costs on such a low income… Without the labour party’s initiative for increased minimum wage, more people like Cara will be shot down from reaching their goals… is that what you want?

 

#STEP 3: Give other reasons (solidify your reasons with hard research, facts, consequences if you don’t follow)

Make your party sound unstoppable by proving their quality with facts. Why is this undeniably a better party?

• What’s more, they learn and improve from past experiences. Labour MPs value your health, your needs and your time. Having founded the NHS in 1948 – one of the party’s proudest achievements – they will combat the Tory government’s desolation on the health service. In the past five years, minute by minute the Tory-led government have increased privatisation, increased waiting times and reduced standards in the NHS. To swiftly tackle this though, the Labour party plan rigorous training… Through this, the NHS shall be reformed with heightened mental health provision and 48-hour GP services.

 

#STEP 4: Audiences love to contradict. Disprove their counterarguments.

We love to contradict all that we hear or read. Be ready for that. What might readers argue against Labour – disprove their contradiction.

• Ok, the idea of cutting tuition fees seems like a high goal… even for the Labour party. But the point is, they are aware of society’s wider needs. They put you first – your needs, your health, your education and your voice.

 

#STEP 5: Acting upon their benefits to society, what can you do to help?

Sound like a leader. Bring your audience together. What can they do to help their society (by voting).

• As a proud multi-cultural nation, we must stand up by joining the Labour Party – a party, which puts you first. United in a shared ethos of a fairer and better society, every Labour MP will give us rise to world of strength and unity. Let’s make this happen. Vote Labour.

 

Give this a go! Pop your own persuasive speech in the comments below! 

 

An easy way to write a top quality summary – English Language, Paper 2, Q3

Have you ever done any of the following?

• Told someone the plot of a movie that you saw.
• Gossiped about what someone else did.
• Shared a news update with someone.
• Say your friend missed a lesson, you let them know what you learnt.

Without realising then, you’ve been making summaries for a long time. Ultimately, these are all summaries.

In GCSE English Language Paper 1 (Q3), you’ll be given two texts with different ideas about the same topic..

Example question

Instructions: You need refer to Source A and Source B for this question

Task: Use details from both texts. Write a summary of the differences between Eddie and Henry (the writers)

• For a good summary, imagine you are explaining the texts to someone hasn’t read it. Then…
  • Simply draw out the key points of each text
  • Synthesis the texts based by specifying their subtle and obvious differences 

How can I write a top quality summary?

All you need is to sum up each text and say how they differ.

STEP 1: Making INFERENCES – Having read the text, write down the your conclusion of the text (e.g. find the main idea/argument/event/impressions of the characters)

STEP 2: Find REFERENCES – select “quotes” that helped you find the conclusion

STEP 3: Write your STATEMENTS – Based on your inferences and references, write the differences between the texts in sentences.

Example…

Eddie is a typical modern teenager (inferences), who cheekily speaks to his father im a “mocking voice” (reference). His mockery of his father appears to reveal his close relationship and mutual humour with his father (statements). However, Henry is noticeably more distant his father (inferences) when he addresses him with a formal tone with “my dear father” (references). His need to address his father with “dear” highlights Henry’s sense of being less powerful than his father. Hence, his respectful tone reinforces the imbalance of status between him and his father, which causes distance between them (statements).

Tips for Teachers… A musical way of exploring pathetic fallacy.

Have you ever noticed the following…?

• The Beatles’, ‘Here comes the sun’ makes you feel hopeful and happy
• Adele’s ‘Set fire to the rain’ implies that Adele’s extremely ignited with determination.
• Maroon 5’s ‘cold enough to chill by bones’ creates an impression of the singer as being uncomfortable and rejected.

All of these use pathetic fallacy (it’s is wedged in music)… Why? Because they use types of weather to create a mood, impression and atmosphere.

E.g. While ‘sun’, creates the impression of happiness, ‘gusts of wind’ indicates a dangerous atmosphere.

Music is littered with pathetic fallacy… They help use understand the atmosphere and the character’s feelings

Pathetic fallacy in Music

• ‘Thunder’ by Imagine Dragons
  • […] Have a seat in the foyer, take a number
    I was lightning before the thunder[Chorus]
    Thunder, feel the thunder
    Lightning and the thunder
    Thunder, feel the thunder […]

Example analysis: How does the writer present the character’s feelings?

The writer presents the character’s feelings of being ambitious and powerful (your impression of their feelings) as they perceive themselves as “lightning before the thunder” (what “words” influenced your opinion). The writer repetitively uses pathetic fallacy to portray their power as “lightning” and “thunder” are extreme weathers, which can control society (the general effect of the “words”). In likening himself to the weather, the writer uses pathetic fallacy to reinforce the character’s arrogance in believing that has unique power above others (what the general effect implies about the character

• ‘Here comes the sun’ by The Beatles
  • Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
    And I say it’s all rightLittle darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter
    Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been hereHere comes the sun, here comes the sun
    And I say it’s all right

Now you practice your analysis.

How does the writer present the character’s feelings?

3 simple steps that’ll make your analysis clearer and more effective!

How to analyse:

3 step process

1. What does the writer do?
   1. The writer presents the weather as being terrorising by repetitively using personification with violent imagery.
2. In using the technique, what image comes to mind?
   1. In repetitively personifying the “ice” as having “growled” and “roared”, the writer creates an image of extreme freezing cold weather that like an animal, terrifies its prey before it savages the victim.
3. Based on the image, what does the writer imply about the character?
   1. Hence, the violent image of a savaging animal indicates that the weather terrorises society like a ravenous beast.

 

YOUR TURN: PRACTICE

1. What does the writer do?
   1. The writer presents ­ [X]                as       [Y]                   by [using language/structural device]

 

2. In using the technique, what image comes to mind?
   1. In [using the language/structural technique] “ ”, the writer creates [a general image of                              ].

 

 

3. Based on the image, what does the writer imply about the character?
   1. Hence, the  image of                                     indicates that                         [X]       [does what?]