ZNOTES.ORG UPDATED TO 2022 SYLLABUS CAIE CHECKPOINT ENGLISH SUMMARIZED NOTES ON THE READING SYLLABUS CAIE CHECKPOINT ENGLISH 1. # Literary Techniques Imagery-Vivid descriptions of senses ‘The sunset was the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen; the clouds were outlined with pink and gold glitter.’ Simile-Direct comparison between two things ‘You fought like a lion on the field.’ Metaphor-Indirect comparison between two things ‘The snow is a white blanket.’ Personification-Giving a human quality to something nonhuman ‘The lightening danced across the dark night sky.’ Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words ‘She sells seashells on the seashore.’ Exaggeration/Hyperbole: A statement that represents something as better, bigger, worse etc than it really is ‘I have a million assignments to complete today.’ Onomatopoeia: The use of words that mimic sounds ‘The corn went pop in the microwave.’ Irony: A result opposite to what might have been expected o ‘Yesterday the police station got robbed!’ Sarcasm: Words that are contrast of their usual meaning A man replies to a telecommunicator, who calls him while he is having his dinner, “Thanks for calling! I hate having my dinner when it is hot!” Having a good grip over vocabulary is important, hence, it is advisable to know synonyms of basic words you might be asked to give synonyms for a word or words from the text. Strong adjectives are used to emphasize or arouse a particular mood. Reading 1.2. Overview To score well in Section A(Reading) of the Paper 1 and Paper 2 it is important to be able to critically read the passage and recognize the purpose, tone, language, structure, and effect of it. When you are answering comprehension questions remember: Some questions require answers in your own words. Some questions need you to support your answer with evidence/quotes from the text. Some questions want you to use both. Use full sentences where necessary. Don’t spend more than 30 minutes on this section! The three common purposes of a text are: To Inform-Provide information about a topic(Usually in Paper 1) WWW.ZNOTES.ORG To Persuade-To convince the reader to agree with the author’s views on a subject(Usually in Paper 1) To Entertain-To amuse and fascinate the readers(Usually in Paper 2) Understanding an outline, which is made up of a primary idea followed by a numbered list of supporting details, makes it easier to understand the purpose of the text. An outline can be found out by looking for list words and addition words like: Several kinds of Various causes One First of all Also A writer’s tone displays his or her view towards a subject, which is often expressed through his or her choice of words. Identifying the genre of the text can make it easier to understand the tone. Here are a few genres: Adventure Comedy Fantasy Horror Mystery Science Fiction Informal Style Addresses the reader directly Simple sentences Formal Style Third person Complex sentences Here are a few possible tones: Admiring Amused Angry Bitter Confused Concerned Cruel Excited Frustrated Pessimistic Urgent Worried Understanding the explicit meanings Explicit meanings are obvious meanings. Techniques such as Skimming (briefly reading) and Scanning (closely reading) can help identify the main ideas of the text, useful for the summary. Understanding the implicit meanings Implicit meanings are underlying or indirect meanings. Writers use various stylistic features of language 1.3. Punctuation and Structures CAIE CHECKPOINT ENGLISH Brackets – Used to give additional information that stands out. Capital Letters (The whole word) – Are used to lay emphasis. Colon – Is used to make the reader pause or start a list. It is also used for relating to or expanding on information before it. Commas – They are used in lists; they are used to mark clause divisions. Dash – It is to insert additional information. Ellipsis – Are used to make the reader continue reading; the intentional omission of words; a pause in speech; an unfinished thought; a sentence that trails into silence. Exclamation Mark – Used to excite the senses and show something is surprising or forceful. Semicolon – It can join two clauses to substitute a conjunction and to separate information in a sentence. Speech marks – Used to show dialogue. Long sentences- To create a feel of relaxation or reaching a climax. Short sentences- To quicken the pace. Connectives- to sequence events and to show the order of occurrence. Passive form- It describes the process, highlighting it than the character Active form- To describe the subject in detail. Sub-headings- To draw attention to or highlight specific information in a text and make it easier to follow. Sentence types- Simple, Compound and Complex Simple- Create tension and quicken pace. Compound- It joined by a conjunction such as ‘and’ or ‘but’, providing more information or give an extra viewpoint. Complex- Provides extra detail and information. Poetry Stanza is a sequence of poetic lines grouped together. Rhyme is the repetition of similar sounds. Rhythm in the poetry is made by the arrangement of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line. Meter is the simple rhythmic structure of lines in a verse. Couplet is a two line stanza. Tercet is a three line stanza. Quatrain is a four line stanza. Cinquain is a five line stanza. o Sestet is a six line stanza. Octave is an eight line stanza. Types of poems: Narrative- Tells a story and has a plot. WWW.ZNOTES.ORG Lyric- Portrays powerful emotions. Descriptive- Describes the atmosphere and society the poet is living in. Types of poem structures: Free verse- Does not have definite structure and rhyme scheme. Sonnet- Consists of 14 lines and has a specific rhyme scheme. Elegy- Poem lamenting the dead. Ballad- Story narrated in form of a lyrical poem. Villanelle- It has fixed form has 2 rhymes and 19 lines. Ode- Praises a specific person, thing or event. 1.4. Features of Important Formats Diary: Written in informal style. Uses opinions and facts. Uses first person pronouns. Magazine Article: Has a headline and subheadings. Newspaper Report: Written in third person. Has a headline. Descriptive/Narrative: Uses imagery. Usually in third person 1.5. Extra Tips While solving the comprehension: First, briefly read through the passage. Read the questions and underline information which seems important in the passage. Answer the questions If you do not understand the meaning of a word, stay calm. You can get contextual meanings by: Punctuation- Meaning of unfamiliar words are given after the word separated by commas, dashes or parenthesis. Contrast or Antonym- The unfamiliar word is shown to be different from or unlike, another word and is often opposite. They use words like ‘although’, ‘however’ and ‘otherwise’. Example- The unfamiliar word is cleared up by using signal words, like, ‘such as’ and ‘for instance’. CAIE CHECKPOINT English Copyright 2022 by ZNotes These notes have been created by Navya Sheth for the 2022 syllabus This website and its content is copyright of ZNotes Foundation - © ZNotes Foundation 2022. All rights reserved. The document contains images and excerpts of text from educational resources available on the internet and printed books. If you are the owner of such media, test or visual, utilized in this document and do not accept its usage then we urge you to contact us and we would immediately replace said media. No part of this document may be copied or re-uploaded to another website without the express, written permission of the copyright owner. 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