Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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Cambridge
Checkpoint Guide
English 0058 as a first language
2024
Dr. Chérihanne Achraf
MA. English Language Arts
Teaching Methodology Techniques
Brighton University.UK
Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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Text Types
The text types are broken into three genres:
1. Narrative
2. Non- Fiction
3. Poetry
Each of these genres has then been sub-divided into specific text types such
as adventure, explanation or a specific form of poetry, e.g. haiku.
Fiction (narrative)
Non- fiction
1. Adventure
1. Discussion texts
2. Mystery
2. Explanatory texts
3. Science Fiction
3. Instructional texts
4. Fantasy
4. Persuasion texts
5. Historical fiction
5. Non-chronological reports
6. Contemporary fiction
6. Recounts
7. Dilemma Stories
8. Dialogue, Play scripts ,film narratives
9. Myths
10. Legends
11. Fairy tales
12. Fables
13. Traditional tales guidance
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Part 1
Fiction
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Genre 1 : Adventure story
An adventure story is a story that might take you to a faraway landwith a
journey full of action, and problems to solve.
Why do we write adventure stories ?
The purpose of an adventure story is to entertain the reader.
What makes an adventure story? (Features /Elements)
Adventure stories often:
 Have a title
 Have a main character going on a risky journey
 Have faraway setting described using lots of ambiguous adjectives
 Have a build-up; a hint of the problem that might show
 Have a problem
 Have short, snappy sentences for effect (tension / suspense)
 Have resolution when the problem is solved
 Have conclusion or ending
 Have dialogue using speech marks and reporting powerful verbs
 Are written in the past tense.
Themes :
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Becoming lost
Becoming chased
Trapped
Searching quest
Nightmare
Secrets
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Challenging threats
Spies
Isolation
School adventure
Camping adventure
Ocean adventure
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Possible problems :
The main characters
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Come across a villain where they are
Are swept out to sea in a small boat
Lose their pet who led them to danger
Chased by someone /something unseen
Board the wrong plane at the airport
Lose a friend mysteriously while playing
Kidnapped by pirates
Organisation:
 Write a short opening paragraph and get into the story quickly
 Make sure the opening paragraph lets the reader know who the main
characters are and what they are going to do
 Let the characters do this for you
 Separate paragraphs for each event of the story
 Build tension and suspense through each new paragraph up until the
climax and resolution
 Use the last paragraph to bring the characters back to normality
perhaps using a dialogue to round off the story and make a comment
''Well , I don't think we'll be going back there in hurry,'' laughed Billy.
 Show not tell
Perfect punctuation
 Dialogues are important to show characters personality and move the story
along remember 66 99 rule
 A new speaker, A new line.
 Remember punctuation inside as well as around speech commas question
and exclamation marks
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Use an ellipsis at the end of a cliffhanger sentence but not too often.
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Tricks of the Trade
 Have characters that you readers will have strong opinions about .
 the hero / heroin should be likeable but not boring
 Use language for impact:
 Powerful verbs to show how someone speaks e.g. retorted blustered,
whispered ,cajoled
 Adjectives to show power size appearance e.g. immense grotesque
alarming, sinister.
 Adverbs to show the way in which actions were made e.g. nervously,
surreptitiously, clumsily
 Describe your characters by what they do what they say and how they say it and
how they respond to other characters
 When describing appearance weave it into the action rather than just tell e.g. Billy
flew down the road with his red hair flapping about his friendly face how we hate
those freckles.
 Don't tell the reader how to feel use description to make them feel scared ,tense or
excited
 Show how characters feel by what they say and do e.g. with the heart thumping in
his chest; 'I'm out of here!''
 Make your main character interesting by giving him a fault or a quirky personality.
 Keep the number of characters manageable; too many and you will lose control of
them
 Keep your characters in character, ask yourself what would this person do or see in
the situation.
 Make your reader jump! create a calm scene and introduce the dilemma suddenly
 Use rhetorical questions to draw the reader into the story e.g. what should they do
now?
Super sentences
 write in the first or third person
 use past tense
 use powerful verbs to convey actions thoughts and feelings
 use simple sentences to build suspense or make your reader jump
 use compound sentences to show actions or reasons
 use complex sentences to show the reader who where and when and why
 start complex sentences with ed ,ing and ly starters to create rhythm
 use punctuation for impact e.g. ''help! ''
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Genre 2 : Mystery story
 Mystery writing usually follows the usual story structure
 structure is often chronological
 information is sometimes layered with facts being revealed one by
one
 flashbacks are sometimes used to fill in missing information
 sections can be organised that tell a story before or after a main
event
 suspense should be increased by hinting what might happen next
then letting the reader work it out
Why do we write mystery stories ?
 The purpose of a mystery story is:
 To entertain the reader and intrigue.
 To provide clues for the reader to try and solve
 To involve the reader by the use of subtle hints such as fingerprints scraps of clothing
or notes
What makes a mystery story? (Features /Elements)
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Mystery stories often:
Have a title
Have a clever main character solving a mysterious crime
Have suspects and innocent characters
Have a build-up; different clues and misleads.
Have a crime
Have short, snappy sentences for effect (tension / suspense)
Have resolution when the problem is solved
Have conclusion or ending
Have dialogue using speech marks and reporting powerful verbs
Are written in the past tense.
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Organisation
 Settings are often places the main characters is unfamiliar with and they seem
mysterious from the start like the forests, uninhabited places or lonely rural
landscapes
 Other settings can be familiar but with an unfamiliar event that triggered the
mystery like a parcel that arrives or people who act strangely.
Themes
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an unsolved crime
disappearances
theft of an object
unexplained phenomena or events
kidnapping incidence
murders or was it
Possible Problems
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Strange happenings in the deep dark Forest
Answer a distress call
Enter an old building
Be captured and kept imprisoned
Witness a crime
Unexplained or mysterious events like shadows at the door
Someone watching from the street
Conflict between the villain & the hero
All characters appear to have a motive but who is the culprit
A character behaves strangely
Receiving an unexpected message from someone thought to be dead
Footprints and a broken window
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Tricks of the Trade
 Add suspects and innocent characters
 include events to make thereader begin to work out clues for themselves
 Make ambitious word choices to describe your character
 use well-known mystery stories and innovate - who killed grandma? Who ate
the porridge? Who poisoned the apple?
 Use powerful verbs to convey actions thoughts and feelings especially ones
that can be mysterious events oscillated ,flashed shimmered
 Use language effect for impact like adverbs, adjectives or precise nouns and
some expressive verbs
 Use metaphors and similes e.g. They edged their way towards the door ;a
lion's mouth waiting to swallow them whole
 include techniques such as red herrings (false clues) to make your readers
think they have solved it then reveal that they were mistaken
 All the time drop clues ,hints and puzzles for the reader to think about but
don't give away too much
 Use questions to highlight key moments as the mystery deepens :a sudden
noise, what would be waiting for them through the door
 Reveal the answer to the mystery as late as possible.
Super sentences
 Use simple sentences to build suspense or make your reader jump.
 Use complex sentences to show the reader who, where, when and why.
 Use language affects to bring the settings to life .
 Complex-compound sentences show good control of sentence structure, and
allow writers to express sophisticated connections between ideas. However,
there is a danger that the overuse of complex-compound sentences can make
essays difficult to read and maybe confusing to the reader.
Perfect punctuation
 use one or two exclamation marks when something dramatic occurs
 New speaker new line using speech marks.
 Remember punctuation inside as well as around speech commas
question and exclamation marks
 ask your reader a question and use a question mark for one of your
characters
 use one or two ellipses to show a cliffhanger but don't overdo them.
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Genre 3 : sci-fi stories (science fiction)
 Science fiction, also often known as 'sci-fi', is a genre of literature that
is imaginative and based around science. It relies heavily on scientific
facts, theories, and principles as support for its settings, characters,
themes, and plot.
 Many of the storylines and plots within pieces of science fiction are
possible or plausible according to science.
 Science fiction is usually futuristic and often presents alternative ways
of life and living that are made possible by technological change.
 Science-fiction novels are similar to fantasy in that they imagine
alternative worlds that exist outside the realms of our real world.
Why do we write sci-fi stories?
The purpose of a sci-fi story is:
 To entertain the reader and enthrall.
 To warn about the power of silence
 to warn of what might happen in the future
 to explore ideas of other worlds and times
What makes a sci-fi story? (Features /Elements)
 Similar to other forms of fiction writing, science fiction contains the usual
elements of the novel. These include a specific setting, character
development, plot (central conflict, complications, climactic events, and
resolution), themes, and structure.
 Setting: is the context in which a story or scene occurs and includes the time,
place, and social environment. It's important to establish a setting in your
story, so your readers can visualise and experience it. Science-fiction settings
tend to include space travel, new galaxies or futuristic times.
 Character: is a person in a story - either a human, a fantasy character, mythical
character or even an animal. Science fiction is no exception to this element of
fiction writing and the characters in these stories often include aliens, time
travellers and heroic adventurers.
 Plot: is the main event or events of a play, novel, film, or similar work, devised
and presented by the writer as an interrelated sequence. The plot of science
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fiction usually centres around technological discoveries, time travel and alien
invasions.
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Structure: is the basic events of a story and how its plot unfolds. Sciencefiction stories are usually full of action, adventure and plot twists that make up
the structure.
Organisation
 As the timing settings may be unusual they need to be revealed early in the
story
 Relate events in chronological order or include flashbacks or start with the
problem return to the original setting
Structure
 Science fiction usually follows a usual story structure there may be
flashbacks and forwards if time travel is involved.
 The time or setting must impact upon the characters and the plot.
 The resolution is often good overcoming evil or characters misplaced
in place or time returning home.
 Avoid a list of action-packed events this is a story not a cartoon or a
computer game .
Themes
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Technology taking over
Aliens on Earth
Space exploration
Time travel
Good triumph over evil signs
Discovering new life forms
Space travel
Utopias and dystopias
Encounters with alien life forms
Possible Problems
 Answer a distress call
 Slip into a parallel place
 Be misplaced in time
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 Life in the future ruled by
machines
 Create a new life form
 Invent a machine to give
superpowers to the
character
Stranded on a planet
Meet visiting aliens
Be abducted by aliens
Have an experiment go
wrong
 Find a new life form
Tricks of the Trade
 Have goodies and baddies: great people and lowly people.
 Include things that we know already so that the reader can relate to the science
fiction element machines and transportation that have changed into futuristic form.
 The story is more important than the science fiction description should support
the story not replace it.
 Use well-known stories and change to the Future - Jack And The Sky-Hook ,
Goldilocks And The Three Robots , Three Little Aliens ,Little Red Space Traveller
,Hansel And Gretel Or Lost In Space.
 Use language for impact:
 Powerful verbs to show how someone speaks e.g. retorted
blustered, whispered ,cajoled
 Adjectives to show power size appearance e.g. immense grotesque
alarming, sinister.
 Adverbs to show the way in which actions were made e.g.
nervously, surreptitiously, clumsily
 Invent futuristic names for objects and people - the writer's own
name spelt backwards often works Nasus-Yelsel-Esiuol-Trebor –Xela –
Alocin- Aniwde
 Use dialogue to carry the story forward to tell the reader what is
happening.
 Experiment with parallel events happening at the same time but in
two different places or times.
Super Sentences
 Use simple sentences to build suspense or make your reader jump.
 Use complex sentences to show the reader who, where, when and why.
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 Use language affects to bring the settings to life .
 Complex-compound sentences show good control of sentence structure, and
allow writers to express sophisticated connections between ideas. However, there is
a danger that the overuse of complex-compound sentences can make essays difficult
to read and maybe confusing to the reader.
Perfect Punctuation
 Use one or two exclamation marks when something dramatic occurs.
 New speaker new line using speech marks.
 Remember punctuation inside as well as around speech commas
question and exclamation marks.
 ask your reader a question and use a question mark for one of your
characters
 Use one or two ellipses to show a cliffhanger but don't overdo them.
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Genre 4 : fantasy stories
 Fantasy is a genre of fiction that typically, taking inspiration from myth and
legend, is set in a fictional universe and features supernatural characters and mythical
creatures. This can mean that a fantasy story can include magic, the supernatural,
alternate worlds, superheroes, monsters, fairies, magical creatures, mythological
heroes. Essentially, these stories can include anything that an author or writer can
imagine outside of reality.
 Fantasy stories are a great genre for you to explore with your students as
fantasy has become a huge part of media, film, literature and gaming that young
people enjoy. Breaking out a fantasy story in your lessons or adding these stories to
your classroom library is a sure fire way to engage your children's imaginative minds.
Why do we write fantasy stories?
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 The purpose of a fantasy story is:
 To entertain the reader and fire the imagination
What makes a fantasy story? (Features /Elements)
 Adventure, with the main character(s) going on a quest or being chosen to
complete a special task.
 Magic: Inserting a little bit of magic into your story is a fantastic and common
element of lots of fantasy stories. The presence of magic is what makes the fantasy
genre stick out amongst other forms of fiction writing. A magical element refers to
things that occur or exist in your story that do not or cannot exist in the real world.
Elements of sorcery, witchcraft and enchantment, as well as fantastical creatures and
the supernatural; advanced abilities or powers. You can use this plot to create
conflict, drive the plot, or even spur on character development.
 Mythical creatures
 Intriguing characters:A character is a person in a story; either a human, a
fantasy character, mythical character or even an animal. Characters in fantasy
storywriting often include witches, wizards, heroes, kings and queens filled with
magic and mystery.
 A portal between reality to another world
 Dramatic settings (castles, mountains, forest) : Just as any story, your fantasy
story will need a great setting.Setting refers to the time and place that the story is
set. For short fiction stories, this could be a single setting or time, whilst longer
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stories can make use of different settings. The setting of a fantasy story is usually
wildly different from the one we live in. When you’re writing in this genre, your story
can take place in a completely new world. To help you create the perfect fantasy
setting, here are a few questions for you to answer:
 What does it look, sound and smell like?
 What are its people like? Are there distinct groups or classes? How does society
operate?
 Who holds the power in your world?
Organisation
 Open in a fantasy setting and create flashbacks to the real world.
 Move between the real world and the fantasy setting.
 Write a short opening paragraph and get into the story quickly
 Make sure the opening paragraph lets the reader know who the main characters
are and what they are going to do leave the characters do this for you.
 Separate paragraphs for each event of the story
 Build tension and suspense through each new paragraph up until the climax and
resolution.
 Use the last paragraph to bring the characters back to normality or wondering if
life will never be the same again.
Structure
 Use narrative structure of opening, build-up, problem resolution and ending
 A story told as a series of exciting events in the order in which they happened
building towards the high impact resolution
 The story may have several peaks of dramas with the highest point of tension
nearer to the end
 know your ending so that the events leading up to it and you avoid including
irrelevant details
Themes
 Time travel stories
 Different worlds stories
 Under seas world stories
 Magical worlds stories
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Possible Problems
 Be misplaced in time
 Slip into a parallel place
 Stranded underground
 A quest to beat a sea monster
 Meet visiting creatures
 Be abducted by aliens
 Threats to real world from another world
 Being lost in Candyland
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Tricks of the Trade
 Settings and characters are particularly important in fantasy stories to describe
them in full details
 Choose adjectives carefully to describe the places and the things in the story
 Use similes to help the reader imagine what you're describing more clearly e.g. The
glass castle was as big as a football field and as high as a skyscraper ,its clear walls
sparkled like blocks of ice in the sunlight
 Don't make everything so fantastic that it is unbelievable
 Make what happens as interesting and detailed as the setting don't get so
involved in creating amazing places
Super sentences
 write in the first or third person
 use past tense
 use powerful verbs to convey actions thoughts and feelings
 use simple sentences to build suspense or make your reader jump
 use compound sentences to show actions or reasons
 use complex sentences to show the reader who where and when and why
 start complex sentences with ed ,ing and ly starters to create rhythm
 use punctuation for impact e.g. ''help! ''
Perfect punctuation
 Dialogues are important to show characters personality and move the story along
remember 66 99 rule
 A new speaker, A new line.
 Remember punctuation inside as well as around speech commas question and
exclamation marks
Use an ellipsis at the end of a cliffhanger sentence but not too often.
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Genre 5 : Real-life story (realistic fiction )
Realistic fiction is a genre of stories where the events are made up, but they could easily
happen in real life. These kinds of stories take place in familiar, everyday settings and have
ordinary characters. They aim to represent real life.
Unlike fantasy or science fiction, realistic fiction features normal people and normal places
- there are no fire-breathing dragons or adventures alongside aliens in outer space.
Instead, realistic fiction focuses on conflicts and problems that any person might face in
their life. For example, it might be about losing old friends and making new ones, moving to
a new and unfamiliar place or winning a sports competition. Whatever the story's about, it
shows our world and our society.
Why do we write realistic fiction ?
The purpose of a fantasy story is:
 To entertain the reader and fire the imagination
What are the characteristics of realistic fiction?
There are certain characteristics of a story that tell us what genre it is - so there are
characteristics that tell us whether a story fits in the realistic fiction genre.
The story takes place in the present or in the recent past (if it's set
Setting
further in the past, then it's historical fiction).
 The characters live in places that could be or are real.
 The characters seem like real people.
Characters
 They behave and speak in a way that makes them appear to be real.
Events  The events that unfold are events that might happen in real life.
 The problems that the characters face are realistic and something that
Problem people struggle with in real life.
 For example, moving to a new place, growing up, making friends.
 The solution to fix the characters' problems are believable and rooted
Solution in the characters' actions.
 They don't just have a magic spell to wish it all away.
 The themes make the reader think about things that they face in
Themes
everyday life.
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Tricks of the Trade
 A good realistic fiction story is believable. The characters should be authentic and
relatable, perhaps having just as many weaknesses as they do strengths.
 The problems the characters face should also be ordinary and realistic - issues that anyone
could encounter during their life. The way that these problems are dealt with should also
be realistic, not exaggerated or blown out of proportion.
 Just like other genres of fiction, themes are also important for realistic fiction. Some of the
most common themes of realistic fiction are friendship, love, school, growing up and
family. These should be woven into the story's plot and characters.
Super sentences
 write in the first or third person
 use past tense
 use relative pronouns
 use powerful verbs to convey actions thoughts and feelings
 use simple sentences to build suspense or make your reader jump
 use compound sentences to show actions or reasons
 use complex sentences to show the reader who where and when and why
 start complex sentences with ed ,ing and ly starters to create rhythm
 use punctuation for impact e.g. ''help! ''
Perfect punctuation
 Dialogues are important to show characters personality and move the story along
remember 66 99 rule
 A new speaker, A new line.
 Remember punctuation inside as well as around speech commas question and exclamation
marks
Use an ellipsis at the end of a cliffhanger sentence but not too often.
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Genre 6 : Play script
What is a play script ?
A play script is a piece of writing written for the stage. Your child will learn the following
facts about the play scripts they read, write and perform:
A play script will include a list of characters (at the very beginning).
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It may be divided into acts which are then divided into scenes.
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Each scene will have a description of the setting at the start and then the characters'
dialogue.
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Dialogue is set out with the character's name on the left, then a colon then the dialogue
(without speech marks).
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Stage directions for the actors are written every now and again in italics and brackets.
For example:
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What is the stage direction?
- It is to put (verb or adverb ) between two brackets to show what the character should do
or feel on the stage.
Example :
Capital letter + italics+ between brackets
Sam:(Angrily)You have to go out, you've done terrible mistakes.
Character colon Stage Direction
Pete: (Walking to the door) ok ! I will go now .
Capital letter + italics+ between brackets
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Part 2
Non-Fiction
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Genre 1 : Argumentative essay
An argumentative essay is a text that presents both sides of an issue or argument.
Why do we write argumentative essays?
The purpose of argumentative essays is
 To present different points of view about the topic
 To present the evidence and information from both sides
Audience
 Someone who wants to know all about the issue and understand the different points of
view.
 someone who might want help in making up their own mind about an issue
Typical topics
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Should children be allowed to watch whatever they want on television?
Homework! Is there life after school ?
Should pupils have to wear school uniform?
Zoos! Good or bad for animals ?
Should animals be made to perform in circuses?
Chips with everything! Yes or no ?
Should mobile phones be banned in schools ?
Should fox hunting be banned?
Should whale hunting be banned?
Should children be allowed to choose their own books?
Does the village need a by-pass ?
Should children walk to school?
Should bullies be punished or helped?
Key ingredients
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An introduction stating the argument
Arguments for and against with support supporting evidence and examples
A summary and conclusion
Logical connectives
Complex sentences
Present tense
Balance all points of view
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Awesome outcomes
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A live debate
A newspaper or magazine article with pictures and photographs
bullet points in two or more columns
as a leaflet or a flyer
as an interview with people with opposing point of view
as a letter presenting each side of the discussion
Super sentences
 Use the present tense if you are writing about a current issue
 Use the past tense if you are writing about issues from history
 Use third person if you are writing about other people's discussion and first person if
you are writing about your side of debate
 Use an impersonal voice it's so that rather than he or she thinks
 Use complex sentences
 Use connectives like the ones on this side to add detail and extra information to each
point of view
 Start with general statements then move towards the arguments .e.g. Animal lovers
believe that it is cruel to keep wielding captivity kieco. The orca whale in the film
free willy was kept in captivity for years before being released into the ocean.
 Use conditionals if could would might
Perfect punctuation
 use question marks for titles written as questions
 use exclamation marks for impact
 Remember to use commas to separate clauses
Structure and organisation
 Say why you are discussing the issue
 Start with an opening statement of the issue and the general overview of the different
points of view.
 Either write the argument for with supporting evidence followed by the argument
against with supporting evidence or write one point for with supporting evidence then
one point against followed by supporting evidence
 Carry on one point at a time present each argument in a separate paragraph
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Tricks of the trade
 Use a question for the title
 Introduce the leader to the discussion and why you are writing about it
 Keep the argument balanced and present both points of view as fairly as possible
 Support each side's point of view is reasons and evidence
 Use reasonable language often usually perhaps
 If you present your own point of view in the conclusion give the reasons for your
decision
 Ask rhetorical question does anyone actually believe.
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Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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Genre 2 : Persuasive essay
An argumentative essay is a text that presents both sides of an issue or argument.
Why do we write persuasive essays?
The purpose of argumentative essays is
 To argue the keys for a particular point of view
 To encourage the leader to agree with you
 To persuade
Audience
Readers you wish to persuade to buy your product or believe in your course
Typical topics
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Healthy eating
stop smoking
the exercising
Persuading your teacher to reduce homework
Persuading your teacher to abandon school uniform
Persuading your teacher to allow football in the playground
Persuading your teacher to allow mobile phones in school
Advertising posters on radio jungles for products or attractions
save our pork
Save our school
Save our woodland
Joining your club
Reading a particular book
Persuading a friend to watch a film or tv program you have really enjoyed
persuading a historical figure to change a course of action
Persuading children not to bully
Key ingredients
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An opening statement of the case
Present simple
logical connectives
techniques to attract and engage
Evidence and examples
Persuasive language
Powerful reasons and benefits
A closing statement to reinforce the case
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Awesome outcomes
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A letter
A leaflet
A poster
An article
A radio jingle
A video recording
An oral presentation
An advertisement
A holiday brochure
Super sentences
 Write in present tense
 You could write in the second person so that you sound friendly
 Start sentences with ly words like obviously ,evidently ,apparently, statistically
,clearly and surely
 Use questions to make the reader want to part of something e.g. Do you want to be left
behind in the race to be fashionable?
 Use descriptive sentences when selling holidays or luxury goods e.g. Golden sands or
the warmest of gentle breeze makes serenity island the perfect getaway destination
 Use emotive sentences when persuading your reader to believe in your cause e.g.
Children have been playing in these woods for hundreds of years where will they
play if …..?
Perfect punctuation
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Use question marks at the end of the questions sentence
Use exclamation marks at the end of sentences that attract the reader's attention
Use bullet points to list facilities or benefits
Use a colon after the list title
Structure and organisation
 Say why you are discussing the issue
 Start with an opening statement of the issue and the general overview of the different
points of view.
 Either write the argument for with supporting evidence followed by the argument
against with supporting evidence or write one point for with supporting evidence then
one point against followed by supporting evidence
 Carry on one point at a time present each argument in a separate paragraph
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Tricks of the trade
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Attract the reader's attention using alliteration ,rhyme ,puns, humour and questions
Engage the reader, be friendly expect them to agree with you
Use the second person ,you.
Inform the reader ,tell the what it's all about
Make the reader feel that everyone else does this ,agrees or has benefited from this
Tempt the reader
Organize and put in order the points you want to make
Use emotive pictures such as tropical beach or cute puppy
Be reasonable
Don't use words such as stupid fool or thick
Use evidence and statistics to support your case
Think about opposing points of view and try to think of voice to make these seem
incorrect use strong positive words
 Emphasize the benefits of your viewpoint rather than being negative about another
point of view
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Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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Genre 3 : Recounts
 What are recounts and why do we write them?
 A recount is written to retell a series of past events or experiences.Depending on the
event that is being recounted , the text structure may include additional components
. For example , procedural recounts may include results , conclusion and/or diagram .
These recounts are usually scientific recounts.
1- Personal Recounts
In personal recounts, the writer retells personal activities and experiences.
Personal recounts include biographies and diaries.
2- Factual, impersonal, Recounts
Factual recounts usually retell particular incidents that have happened.
Factual recounts include police reports, scientific experience, historical recount and
news report.
What are the different forms of recounts?
 There are many different types of recounts including:
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Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
Historical Recount
News Report
Biography
Autobiography
Story Retell
Scientific Experiment
Diaries
Letters
Newspaper Articles
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What are the features of recounts?
1- A Title
 This gives the reader an idea of what the text will be about. The title should be
written to grab the reader's attention.
2- Opening Paragraph
 The opening paragraph acts as an introduction. It should provide a setting and a
background for the reader; include who, what, when, where and why,
orientation.
3- Body of paragraphs
 The body of paragraphs is a series of paragraphs about the events that you are
describing.
4- Chronological Order
 The events in recounts are structured and organised in a chronological order.
 Chronological order means that the given events are organised in the order in
which they occurred.
 This feature makes it easier to the audience to read and follow the progress of
events.
5- Conclusion
 The conclusion simply sums up your text and gives some concluding comments
about the events.
 You could include how you felt and what you thought about what happened in
your text. (In personal recounts)
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1- Language of Description
 Recounts shall be rich with a range of adjectives, adverbs, and verbs to help the
audience to imagine and comprehend the events.
 Adverbs, for example: He yelled loudly in the classroom.
 Adverbial phrases, for example: He yelled in a loud, angry voice in the
classroom.
 Adjectives, for example: He was a very sad person.
 Adjectival phrases, for example: The girls from Year 4 won the school
prize
2- Language of assessment and evaluation
 For example: Advent is a significant period in the Christian calendar
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Text Structure
1-A title
 This gives the reader an idea of what the text will be about. The title
should be written to grab the reader's attention.
2-Opening Paragraph
 The opening paragraph acts as an introduction. It should provide a
setting and a background for the reader; include who, what, when,
where and why, orientation.
3-Body of paragraphs
 The body of paragraphs is a series of paragraphs about the events that
you are describing.
4-Chronological Order
 The events in recounts are structured and organised in a chronological
order.
 Chronological order means that the given events are organised in the
order in which they occurred.
 This feature makes it easier to the audience to read and follow the
progress of events.
 5-Conclusion
 The conclusion simply sums up your text and gives some concluding
comments about the events.
 You could include how you felt and what you thought about what
happened in your text. (In personal recounts)
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Genre 4 : Newspaper report
Newspapers have a range of features that attract the reader.
A newspaper report must include :
1. The name of the newspaper at the top.
2. An interesting headline
3. A sub-headline.
4. A By-line
5. An introductory paragraph that includes the five Ws.
6. Captions for all pictures.
7. Writing in the third person and past tense.
8. Facts about the main events.
9. Quotes written as direct speech & indirect speech.
10.A conclusion paragraph to explain what might happen next.
1. Headline
Newspapers use the headline to try to grab the reader’s attention.
It might even use a pun , rhyme or alliteration.
2. A sub-headline
A subheading is text placed under a headline, often with a smaller
font, which expands on what the headline says, so we can say it is a
smaller, secondary headline that usually elaborates on the main
headline above it. It adds information about the headline or
separates sections of an article.
3. A by-line
a line at the head of a newspaper or magazine article carrying the
writer's name.
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4. Introductory Paragraph (Lead paragraph)
A newspaper report begins with an introductory paragraph that includes
the five Ws.
5. Writing in the third person and the past tense
Third Person
Write about what happened to others (e.g. he, she ,it, they , him, her,
them, it),
not from your own perspective.
Past Tense
Newspaper articles are normally an example of a recount text. They are
written in the past tense as the event has already taken place.
6. Facts about the main events
A newspaper must give information that is factually correct about the events.
9.Quotes from eye-witness
Quotations tell us what has been said and who has said it. They can help to
make the story credible by giving the reader the opinions of the people
involved.
Remember to use inverted commas!
10. Concluding Paragraph (conclusion)
A concluding paragraph is often used to tell the reader what might
happen next.
Newspaper Reports
Purpose
 To inform
Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
Audience
Readers who are interested in news.
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Genre 5 : Biography & autobiography
Biographies and autobiographies are records of the events in the life of the
subject (person) they are written about. The main difference between them is
that biographies are written about the subject (person) and autobiographies
are written by the subject (person). However, they share a number of features
Biographies
Autobiographies
Usually written about people who have
Can be written by anyone about their
achieved or experienced something
own life, but not all will be published as
extraordinary, or whose lives have been
books or online
interesting journeys
Are written in the third person(he or she) Are written in the first person (I)
May include the subject’s personal
Usually include quite a lot of the subject’s
opinions and reflections, but also may not personal opinions and reflections
More likely to have a formal,
More likely to have a personal voice,
informational tone.
which may be informal
Usually have an opening statement to
May begin ‘at the beginning’ or talk
explain who the person is
about ‘now’ and later go back to the start
of subject’s life
Describe events in chronological order (the order that events)
Contain adverbials to mark time passing, early in life, soon, after a few years… etc.
Include facts, for example, dates, places, achievements
Are mostly written in the past tense (did, learned)
Include details about childhood, family and home, and significant experiences that
have influenced the subject’s life
May contain pictures and captions
May include comments from others as direct reported speech
May contain a closing statement that reflects upon life so far, or looks towards the
future
.
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Part 3
Vocabulary
& starters
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Sentence starters and useful vocabulary
1) Advertisements
Rhetorical questions
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Do you think that . . ?
Don’t you think that . .?
Isn’t it time to . . ?
Have you ever thought about . . ?
Why not . . ?
Need a . .?
Need to . . ?
Fancy . . . ?
Fed up with . . . ?
Bored by . . . ?
Haven’t you always longed for a . . ?
Thought about . . ?
Worried about . . ?
Starting sentences with a verb
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Don’t . . .
Go on, .
Try a . . .
Enjoy the . . .
Imagine . . .
Consider . . .
Take a moment to . . .
Find out . . .
Guaranteed to . . .
Persuasive statements
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You will be . .
It will . . .
You’ll never need to . . . again.
Just think how . . .
Now you can . . .
For the rest of your life . . .
Useful adjctives
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extraordinary
remarkable
amazing
astonishing
incredible
phenomenal
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unbelievable
startling
tantalising
attractive
unmissable
unique
sensational
outrageous
2) Biography
Words and phrases to use at the start of
sentencesTime connectives
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As a child . . .
During his early life . . .
At a young age . . .
In his early years . . .
As a teenager he . . .
Shortly after this . . .
Soon afterwards . . .
The time came for . . .
By the time he had . . .
Many years later . . .
In 1878, at the age of . . . he . . .
In his later years . . .
Towards the end of his life . . .
In his final years . . .
Other starters
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Either by chance or by design . . .
As it happened . . .
Sometimes he . . .
Once he had . . .
What is clear is that . . .
Nobody is sure why . . .
Making statements
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One of the interesting things about . . . was . . .
One of the most remarkable facts about . . .
Strangely . . .
Another unusual thing about . . . was . . .
Complex sentence starters
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Even though . . .
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Although . . .
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Despite the fact that . . .
In spite of . . .
Expressing a viewpoint
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In my view . . .
As I see it . . .
I believe that . . .
In many ways . . .
It’s difficult to understand why . . .
Speculating
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He might have been . . .
If he hadn’t . . . he would have . . .
Legacy statements
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His one regret was that . . .
His dying wish was that . . .
He will probably be best remembered for . . .
His greatest achievement was . . .
He will be remembered most of all for . . .
His life was . . .
His lasting legacy is that . . .
3) Descriptive writing
Some adjectives to introduce
children toDescribing characters
aggressive
ambitious
amiable
anxious
arrogant
assertive
astute
avaricious
bashful
belligerent
benevolent
blunt
bold
boisterous
bombastic
caring
carefree
candid
cantankerous
capricious
casual
cautious
charitable
chivalrous
compliant
conceited
conscientious
confident
considerate
contrary
convincing
cranky
creative
deranged
determined
deceitful
decent
defiant
diligent
dishonest
disrespectful
dour
dynamic
eccentric
elegant
energetic
enigmatic
entertaining
enthusiastic
feeble
flippant
formidable
frank
frugal
gallant
generous
genial
gentle
hyperactive
ignorant
immature
knowledgeable
narrow minded
level headed
loathsome
neurotic
obdurate
patient
persistent
pessimistic
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gregarious
grotesque
heroic
hostile
humane
humble
humourous
impatient
pusillanimous
responsible
rowdy
ruthless
sarcastic
scheming
self-centred
quarrelsome
reckless
repulsive
resilient
resourceful
respectful
inconsiderate
independent
insensitive
irritating
jaunty
jovial
self-conscious
malicious
malingering
mature
meek
modest
miserly
mournful
sensitive
sharp
spiteful
squeamish
stern
stubborn
sulky
obedient
obliging
obstinate
obnoxious
optimistic
outspoken
overbearing
phlegmatic
placid
pompous
precocious
prickly
proud
pugnacious
surly
sympathetic
temperamental
tenacious
thoughtful
treacherous
truculent
unpredictable
unruly
unscrupulous
vain
valiant
vicious
violent
Some adjectives to describe settings in a narrative
attractive
barren
beautiful
bleak
built-up
cluttered
colourful
cosmopolitan
cosy
cramped
crowded
deserted
desolate
dingy
drab
dreary
dusty
eerie
exquisite
extravagant
glittering
gloomy
glum
isolated
lively
luxurious
magnificent
modern
mysterious
old fashioned
peaceful
picturesque
placid
polluted
pulsating
quaint
remote
restful
rural
scenic
secluded
sedate
shaded
spacious
stunning
tranquil
vibrant
warm
welcoming
windswept
Some adverbs to describe actions in narratives
accidentally
admiringly
adoringly
aggressively
angrily
anxiously
assuredly
awkwardly
beautifully
boldly
bravely
carefully
carelessly
caringly
casually
cautiously
clumsily
confidently
continually
convincingly
courageously
courteously
decisively
defiantly
desperately
determinedly
imaginatively
impatiently
impressively
menacingly
modestly
needlessly
persistently
persuasively
promptly
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disrespectfully
ecstatically
eloquently
emphatically
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energetically
equisitely
erratically
excitedly
expressively
ferociously
firmly
foolishly
forcefully
frankly
sarcastically
sensitively
spitefully
gallantly
generously
gently
gingerly
gracefully
graciously
gratefully
harshly
hesitantly
hysterically
thoughtlessly
timidly
urgently
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insensitively
instantly
instinctively
lazily
loosely
maliciously
majestically
negatively
nervously
nonchalantly
optimistically
painstakingly
patiently
perilously
proudly
surreptitiously
pessimistically
suspiciously
rapidly
reluctantly
resentfully
resourcefully
respectfully
sympathetically
tantalizingly
tenderly
theatrically
thoughtfully
vaguely
viciously
violently
willingly
wisely
wistfully
worriedly
4) Diary writing
Adverbs to start a diary sentence with:
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Hopefully
Fortunately
Unfortunately
Fortuitously
Luckily
Unluckily
Thankfully
Lately
Recently
Incidentally
Curiously
Eventually
Anyway
Conversational manner with ‘speech like phrases’
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By the way . . .
To tell you the truth . . .
I must tell you about . . .
Right now I’m . . .
You will never believe it but . . .
I hope that . . .
To be honest . . .
I imagine that . . .
I should have told you that . .
I have been looking forward to . . .
I am looking forward to . . .
(I am not looking forward to . . .)
I am worried about . . .
(I am not worried about . . .)
I was looking forward to . . .
I expect that . . .
I think that . . .
As it happened . . .
I didn’t expect . . .
I don’t expect . .
In truth . . .
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The best bit is . . .
The worst part is . . .
Worst of all . . .
Best of all . . .
(The best bit was . . .)
(The worst part was . . .)
Rhetorical questions
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You’ll never guess what happened?
You know what?
Do you know what?
Can you imagine it?
Have you ever . . ?
Speculative sentence starters
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Perhaps
I wonder if . . .
I wonder whether . . .
Maybe . . .
Other sentence starters
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Even though . .
For once . . .
At least . . .
At times . . .
Sometimes . . .
I felt so . . .
5) Discursive texts
Openings
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This piece of writing will . . .
I intend to . . .
My intention is to . . .
I am going to . . .
I will present . . .
I will begin by . . .
To do this I will . . .
Following that I will . . .
Useful phrases
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In fact . . .
AsI see it . .
It appears to me . . .
It seems to me that . . .
One argument for this is that . .
I would counter this view because . . .
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On the other hand . . .
It seems plausible to . . .
Therefore . . .
In addition . . .
Moreover . . .
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Furthermore . . .
Nevertheless . . .
Subsequently . . .
Consequently . . .
However . . .
In point of fact . . .
It is precisely because . . .
The evidence I would use to support this is . . .
Naturally . . .
Doubtless . . .
It is surprising that . . .
It surprises me that . . .
It is no surprise that . . .
It would seem logical to . . .
Let us now turn to . . .
Let’s consider . . .
An example of this is . . .
My next point concerns . . .
Concluding remarks
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In conclusion . . .
It is my conviction that . . .
It is clear that . . .
Finally I would like to add . . .
To sum up . . .
My overall feeling is . . .
On balance . . .
The evidence presented leads me to conclude that . . .
6) Explanatory texts
Opening statements
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This article will . . .
The purpose of this article is to . . .
This explanation is intended to . . .
This article is designed to . . .
The following information . . .
I will try to . . .
I will attempt to . . .
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It can be difficult to . . . so . . .
Firstly I will . . .
Following that I intend to . . .
I am going to . . .
The purpose of this explanation is to help . . .
Time connectives
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To begin with . . .
Next . . .
After that
Following that . . .
After a while . . .
Wait a moment before . . .
Before long . . .
After a minute . . .
First . . .
First of all . ..
Firstly . . .
Next . . .
After . . .
Afterwards . . .
After that . . .
When . . .
At this point . . .
Lastly . . .
Finally . . .
Subsequently . . .
Causal connectives
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So . . .
This causes . . .
As a result . . .
This results in . . .
This leads to . . .
This is because . . .
This was because . . .
Because . . .
Therefore . . .
Furthermore . . .
Other useful phrases
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In addition . . .
Everyone understands that . . .
Nobody knows why . . .
Many people believe . . .
I believe that . . .
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It is true to say that . . .
7) Information texts (non-chronological reports)
Opening statements
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This article will . . .
The purpose of this article is to . . .
The information presented will . . .
This article is designed to . . .
The following information . . .
I will try to . . .
I will attempt to . . .
It can be difficult to . . . so . . .
Firstly I will . . .
I am going to . . .
Each paragraph . . .
Factual sentence starters for information texts
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are . . .
is . . .
They are . . .
They are also . . .
They like to . . .
They don’t like . . .
They avoid . . . because . . .
They don’t . . .
It doesn’t . . .
They can . . .
It can . . .
Instead they . . .
In addition, . . .
Usually . . .
Generally . . .
Normally . . .
As a rule . . .
Frequently . . .
They can be . . .
They are usually . . .
(It is usually . . .)
They are rarely . . .
(It is rarely . . .)
They are never . . .
(It is never . . .)
They are a very . . .
(It is a very . . . )
Like many . . .
Unlike . . .
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This is a . . .
Although . . .
Even though . . .
Despite . . .
Despite the fact that . . .
Sometimes . . .
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Often . . .
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Frequently they . . .
Be careful if you . . .
More than half . . .
Less than half . . .
Most . . .
8) Instructions and procedures
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First . . .
First of all . ..
To start with . . .
Firstly . . .
Next . . .
After . . .
Afterwards . . .
After that . . .
When . . .
At this point . . .
Lastly . . .
Finally . . .
More advanced language constructions
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To begin with . . .
Begin by . . .
Secondly . . .
The next step is to . . .
Continue by . . .
Carry on . . .
Do this until . . .
Stop when . . .
When you have done this . . .
Try to . . .
Try not to . ..
Avoid . . .
Don’t forget to . . .
Be careful of . . .
Don’t worry about . . .
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Concentrate on . . .
Focus on . . .
Try to make sure that . . .
Whatever you do, don’t . . .
I would suggest that . . .
To conclude . . .
Before . . . remember to . . .
Whilst you are . . .
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Use the time you are waiting to . . If you find that . . .then . . .
If . . .doesn’t . . .
9) Invitations
Polite directives
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Please come to . . .
It will be . . .
It will take place at . . .
It starts at . . .
It finishes at . . .
I am having a party because . . .
I’m looking forward to . . .
More advanced language constructions
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I would like to invite you to . . .
During the afternoon we will be . . .
At two O’ clock there will be . . .
There will also be . . .
The easiest way to get here is . . .
At around . . .
I think that . .
I expect that . . .
The thing I am looking forward to most is . . .
It is anticipated that we will finish at around . . .
If you would like you can . . .
It would be good if . . .
I hope that you will . . .
Try to/try not to . . .
Don’t forget to . . .
If it’s okay with you . . .
If you can remember to . . .
Ten time connectives
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First of all . . .
Later . . .
Afterwards . . .
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After that . . .
Next, we will . . .
Soon after . . .
At about . . .
Following that . . .
Finally . . .
At the end of the afternoon/evening . . .
10) Letter writing
Openings
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I would like to inform you that . . .
It has come to my attention that . . .
I am grateful to you for . . .
I wish to . . .
I wish to express . . .
I would like to . . .
Thank you for . . .
It is with much pride that I can confirm that . . .
It is with regret that . . .
I am delighted to inform you that . . .
I write to you because . . .
Useful expressions
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Please accept my . . .
I hope that . . .
I trust that . . .
It concerns me that . . .
I wonder if you would be kind enough to . . .
I would be grateful if . . .
It would be helpful if . . .
I wonder if . . .
As I see it . . .
I would rather not . . .
I appreciate that . . .
It is for this reason that . . .
Closing remarks
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I look forward to hearing from you in due course
An early response would be greatly appreciated
I trust that this is all in order
Thank you once again for . . .
Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.
11) Narratives
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Words/phrases signifying the passage of time
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Instantly
Immediately
Just at that moment
Before long
So
Presently
Soon
Later
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Afterwards
After a while
Much later
At last
In a flash
In next to no time
Within seconds
Next day
The next evening
Eventually
Towards nightfall
At dawn
At dusk
As the sun set
Simultaneously
Finally
Words/phrases that create more complex sentence constructions
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Sometimes
Moreover
However
In spite of
Nevertheless
Surprisingly
Strangely
Similarly
Incidentally
Ironically
Despite the fact that
Even though
Whilst
Although
Unusually
In contrast
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Unknown to . . .
Unable to . . .
Without noticing that . . .
Words/phrases to change the focus of the story
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Suddenly
Meanwhile
Not far away
Some distance away
While
During
12) Newspaper reports
Using indirect speech (no speech marks needed)
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He reported that . . .
He also claimed that . . .
He went on to state that . . .
He confirmed that . . .
She claimed that . . .
He disputed that . . .
She refused to accept that . . .
He agreed that . . .
He went on to tell us that . . .
He continued by informing us that . . .
In addition to this . . .
He also spoke of how . . .
He refused to accept that . . .
He reputed . . .
He emphasised . . .
He continued by . . .
A spokesman stated that . . .
Using connectives in reports
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Shortly before daybreak . . .
Later that day . . .
Before long . . .
As evening fell . . .
As the sun set . . .
Soon after . . .
Hours later . . .
Unfortunately . . .
Fortunately . . .
Soon
So
Afterwards
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After that
Later on
Next
Moments later
Seconds later
Much later
Within minutes
Suddenly
Without any warning . . .
At that very moment . . .
Presently
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In a flash
Eventually
Simultaneously
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14) Persuasive writing
Phrases using that
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I believe that . . .
I think that . . .
It seems to me that . . .
It is clear that . . .
It strikes me that . . .
There is no doubt that . . .
I am convinced that . . .
It appears that . . .
It is obvious that . . .
(There can be no doubt that . . .)
Rhetorical questions
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Is it any wonder that . . . ?
Don’t you think . . . ?
Isn’t it clear that . . . ?
Isn’t it the case that . . . ?
How can anyone believe this to be true?
Does anyone really believe that . . .?
Other phrases to start a sentence with
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In my opinion . . .
As I see it . . .
As everyone knows . . .
Clearly . . .
Obviously . . .
Inevitably . . .
My own view is . . .
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Initial phrases followed by a comma
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Surely,
Firstly,
Secondly,
Thirdly,
In addition,
Furthermore,
Moreover,
Phrases to use when providing evidence
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For example,
I cite, as an example . . .
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My evidence to support this is . . .
I would draw your attention to . . .
I would refer to . . .
Phrases to finish off with
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My last point is . . .
My final point is . . .
Finally,
In conclusion,
In summary,
To conclude I would like to say . . .
On the basis of the evidence presented . . .
On balance . . .
The evidence presented supports the view that . . .
It is my sincere belief that . . .
15) Recounts
Useful language constructions
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Last week we . . .
First . . .
Next . . .
After . . .
Afterwards . . .
After that . . .
When . . .
Suddenly . . .
Just then . .
Soon . . .
Meanwhile . . .
Finally . . .
So
Later on
Before long
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Next
Moments later
Seconds later
Much later
Within minutes
At that very moment
At precisely
Presently
In a flash
When this was complete . . .
Eventually
More advanced language constructions
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To begin with . . .
Before long . . .
Eventually . . .
As it happened . .
As a result of . . .
Consequently . . .
Subsequently . . .
Evidence of viewpoint
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I found it interesting when . . .
My favourite activity was . . .
It was funny when . . .
I liked the part when . . .
I didn’t enjoy . . .
The best part was . . .
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The worst part was . . .
I was surprised that . . .
I was pleased that . . .
I didn’t expect that . . .
It was difficult to . . .
Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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Part 4
Common
Exam
Questions
Dr.Chérihanne Achraf
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100 Common Exam Questions
Note: remember that these are general answers you just have to
know and understand but not to memorize them as the answers
may vary.
1.Why does the author use imagery ?
To create an image in the reader’s mind and grab the reader's attention
2. Why does the writer use alliteration?
To create rhythm and music to the text
To add an emotive effect to the text
3. What are the features of explanatory text?
 Verbs are in present tenses
 It gives information
 Titles describe contents
4. Why is the story written in the first person (I and me)?
The author/narrator is talking about himself/ herself.
5. Why is the story written in the second person (you)?
To address the reader.
6. Why is the story written in the third person (he-she)?
The author narrates what happened to another characters.
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7. What are the features of adventure writing?
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Must contain exciting plot.
Must contain suspense.
Brave Characters (often encounter situations that need quick thinking)
Problem solving
Obstacles to get over
inner strength
Action
A hero/heroine
A quest
8. Write two features of fantasy stories.
 The setting could be imaginary.
 The characters could be imaginary, perhaps with human characteristics.
 The events could not actually happen.
 Magical or fantastical creatures
 Magic could be involved
9. Write two features of ghost story
 It is scary and mysterious
 It has a lot of descriptions
 It has suspense & tension
10. What are the features of realistic fiction?
 The characters could be real people.
 The events could actually happen.
 The story has a contemporary setting.
 The plot is familiar theme for real life story.
11. What are the features of comedy?
 It amuses
 Mostly having a cheerful ending
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12. What are the features of fairy tale?
 Plot drives the story with action and suspense.
 Problems are resolved with happy ending
 Royalty is usually present in a fairy tale, a beautiful princess and handsome prince
13. Write two general features of fable
 Animal characters
 Non-specific countryside setting
 Simple moral lesson
14. What are the features of horror?
 a familiar setting often becomes unfamiliar scary.
 Characters could be frightening
 There is an element of shock and not just surprise
 The story often scares its readers
 The plot may involve nasty characters or monsters which need to be overcome
 It could be terrifying
 There may be gory details as blood
 There could be scary sounds, voices, nightmares and ghosts
15.What are the features of report writing?
 Contains all facts.
 Third person (he-she---)
 Uses formal language.
 The verbs used are in the present tense.
16. Write two features of science fiction?
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Space travel/ time travel / science & technology
An unknown phenomenon
Real life characters in a futuristic situation
Futuristic characters :aliens & robots
Futuristic gadgets : flying cars
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17- Write two features of mystery writing?
 There is a crime.
 A trail of clues are found.
 A satisfying ending
18-Why is the sub heading important?
 It divides the text into parts, so we can find information easily and quickly.
 To tell the reader what is the paragraph will be about.
19-Why sub-heading is in the form of question?
 To attract the reader to know the answer.
20-Why the author or the writer used short sentences and sentences fragments?
Example
Something red. Blood. The girl.
 The writer used short sentences to create suspense.
 The author is trying to create a sense of speed to build the tension and
create the mood.
 The short sentences mirror the actions and thoughts of the character.
 The short sentences build excitement and suspense.
 To introduce a surprising fact.
 It emphasis the idea of the danger.
(remember that you will not write all of these, you have to pick according to the
text given to you)
21-Why is the paragraph short and not joined to the previous or next paragraph?
This is an exciting part of the story and short paragraph emphasis it.
It shows the change of place/action/new speaker
To emphasise
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22-Identify how the writer has used language to create the mood
 Short sentences and sentences fragments.
 Rhetorical questions
 Imagery /Use of other senses
 Creating arguments between characters
 Short paragraphs
23-Identify how the writer has used language to create suspense
 The author uses imagery. (write example from the text given)
 The author uses descriptive adjective. (Example)
 The author uses short sentences and sentence fragments. (Example)
 The use of ellipsis
24-Why the author starts his story by description?
To create suspense and to grab the readers' attention.
25-Why does the author write the name of the dog as Bob and not the dog? Why
the author refers to the dog by He and not it?
To make him seem like a person to the reader.
26- How the author makes the passage/paragraph exciting?
The author makes the passage exciting by using short sentences, short paragraphs,
sentence fragment, imagery or figure of speech./onomatopoeia /word choice.
27- Why are some letters in the middle of the sentences written in a capital form?
DO NOT-------- To emphasise the idea
(write which idea from the text given)
 To show that------ is essential/important.
 To show that the character is shouting or stressing the idea
28.Do you think the author is successful at creating the mood?
"Yes," because it makes the reader wonder about what will happen next.
He uses adjectives and phrases to describe the setting and the mood like "------" and "
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29.Why are some sentences written in bold?
To attract the reader’s attention.
To emphasise
30. Why is the passive form of the verb used?
Because here the object is more important than the subject or it does not matter who
is doing the process.
31. Explain why connectives are used to show time in the text.
To sequence or to show the order in which things happen.
To show the chronological order
32. "finally, we have chocolate!", "then come to us!" give two ways these short
sentences are similar?
 Both are simple sentences
 Both have exclamation marks
 Both use the first person (we-us)
33. They also eat krill (tiny shrimpmlike animals), squid, shellfish and
octopus." In this sentence why (tiny shrimp like animals) in brackets?
Because it explains the meaning of the word krill by using a parenthetical clause to add
extra information .
34. Look at this sentence: “imagine standing........., overlooking.........." What
effect is the writer trying to have on the reader?




Grab the reader's attention by addressing the reader directly
To create an image in the reader's mind
To trigger the reader's imagination.
To feel how stunning it would be to be there.
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35. Look at this sentence:" it really is an ice paradise!" give two ways the
writer has emphasised the information in this sentence.
 Use of exclamation mark
 Use of the word "really" which is an intensifier
 Use short sentence
36. What is the purpose of a biography?
To tell the reader about someone s life.
37. Give two features of a biography








Named person is mentioned
Verbs are in the past tense
Use of the third person
The use of the formal language
Mention of dates
Chronological order
The use of formal language
Gives details of achievements
38.Why is a colon (:) used?
 To introduce a list / a list follows it
 To explain.
 To add extra information and data .
 To emphasise
(remember that you will not write all of these, you have to pick according to the text
given to you)
39. Why is a semicolon (;) used?
 To join two related sentences.
 To list phrases
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40. Look at these lines: "suddenly I heard high- pitched screams. "No-o-o-o
screamed the scream. "NO! No! NO!”. The crowd froze. Every single person turned
towards where the screams were coming from.
Give three ways the writer builds up the tension in these lines.
Choose any three:
 The repetition of the word "no" and "scream".
 The uses of exclamation mark.
 The use of the word "suddenly" at the beginning of the sentence.
 The use of the words "scream" and "froze"
 The use of the short sentence as "the crowd froze" built the tension.
41- When Netta describes the daily routine, she writes : walk. walk. walk...
What does this way of writing tell us about the daily routine?
 To show fast pace
 To create the tension
 To tell us that they are in a hurry all the time.
42. But usually the place was half hidden in mis…..MMMMM ...."
what atmosphere does the writer create with this description?
A mysterious/ ghostly/ scary/ chilling atmosphere. As if it is a magical place.
43. This story is told by a narrator. Give 2 ways the story would be different
if it was written from the point of view of the hero?
 The story would be told in the first person.
 We would know the hero's feelings/thoughts and opinions and we would see
things from the hero's eyes.
 There would be no description or comments or opinion about the hero.
44. Their gymslips- a different colour for each house and the school badge which she often chewed absent- mindedly (another thing she was told off about) Why have dashes and brackets been used in these phrases?
To add extra information or to give more details.
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45. The writer could have used commas (,) instead of dashes in these phrases
above. What effect does using dashes instead of commas have here? (write
anyone)




The information and details are emphasised by the dash than the comma.
To make the information stands out.
To highlight the information.
To make the information more visible.
46.The story is told by a narrator, but it is told from …………. (the character) ‘s
point of view.How do we know it is told from …………….. (the character)’s point
of view?
 We know what he is thinking.
 We know his feelings (and what he wants).
 We see everything through his eyes.
47. How would the story be different if it were told by (the character)?
Use of 1st person instead of 3rd person
Use of ‘I’ / ‘me’ instead of ………. (the character)
48. Why does the writer use questions in lines ………?
 to engage/excite/make the reader want to read on / to keep / hook the reader's
attention /make it more interesting
49. Give two ways the story would be different if it was written from the point of
view of …………... (the character)
 Story would be told in 1st person / first person pronoun used.
 The story would be one-sided.
 We would know …………. (the character)’s thoughts and feelings directly.
50. What effect does the short sentence create?



To emphasis / highlight the information in the sentence.
To build suspense.
To create a dramatic pause
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51. The word suddenly comes immediately after the short sentence. What
impact does this have?
 Adds dramatic effect
 It breaks the tension or quietness (from the short sentence).
 It surprises the reader
52. Why are dashes and brackets used in these phrases?
To add extra information/ to give more details
53.Who is the point of view character?
Write the name of the character or narrator don't just write 1st /3rd person
54.How do you know?
 We know what she is thinking.
 We know how she is feeling.
 We see everything from her eyes.
 We see what she sees.

55. List two different ways, other than imagery, in which the author creates
suspense.






Description of the character’s emotions.
Descriptive adjectives
Short sentences and sentences fragments
Short paragraphs
Repetition
Alliteration
56. Reasons the author used for starting new paragraphs:




Change of place
Change of time
New event or action
New speaker
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57. Why do you think the author chose to write this story using a first person
narrator?
 So that we see the events through the narrator’s eyes.
 So that we know the narrator’s point of view/ feelings.
 It describes what a person is going through.
 To tell you what the person is feeling.
58. Why do you think the author chose to use “Hyena”, rather than “The hyena”?
To make him seem like a person to the reader when she gave him people’s ideas
and feelings.
59. Why are exclamation marks used?
 To express the speaker's surprise /shock /amazement.
 To emphasis the information.
60. How does the writer show amusement/ or that something is amazing/
fantastic?
 By adding an exclamation mark.
 By emphasising the information with an exclamation mark.
61. Why is a dash used?
 to emphasise information in the middle of the sentence.
 to add /give more/give extra information in the middle of the sentence.
 To create a parenthetical clause
 To define /name
62.The writer has emphasised the information in this sentence, how can
you tell?
 Use of exclamation mark.
 Use of the word “……………”.
 Use of a short sentence.
 Use of literary devices, eg. rhyme /metaphor /hyperbole / alliteration.
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63. Which paragraph do you think is the most interesting to read? Explain Why.
 …………… because it’s formal and factual.
OR
 …………… because it’s informal and chatty.
64. Why did the writer use metaphors?
To create an image of judgement and comparison in the mind of the reader .
65. Why did the writer use assonance ?
It creates a form of rhyme not just within a verse , but within a whole line .
66. Why did the writer use simile?
To give the reader a more descriptive and in-depth understanding about a
particular object or person.
67. Why did the writer use repetition ?
 To emphasise
 To help make the text more interesting
 To help create patterns
 To allow the emphasis to be placed on certain themes , ideas or objects
68. Why did the writer use hyperbole?
 To provide strong effects .
 To provide great emphasis.

69 . Why are inverted commas (‘ ‘) used?
 To show that they are not real.
 To emphasise
 To give a name
 To show a quote /speech
(remember that you will not write all of these, you have to pick according to the text
given to you)
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70.Tick the text you prefer to read. Explain why you chose that text.
Explain Why you chose that Part
If Text ….. is ticked:
EITHER:
• A reference to the language as 'informal' or 'chatty'
OR:
 The words are very descriptive and fun to read (not just 'fun to read').
OR:
 Create a picture in my mind and make it easier to understand.
If Text … is ticked:
EITHER:
• a reference to language as 'formal".
OR:
it is very factual.
OR:
a reference to the language as more adult less childish.
71. Techniques writers use to show the main topic:
 Bold
 Subheadings
 Topic sentences /Thesis statement
72 . What is the purpose of onomatopoeia?
To create a certain image or atmosphere for the reader
The writer paints a picture in the reader's head and helps them to understand
the sounds that he's describing.
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73. What is the purpose of imagery?
It paints a picture in the reader's mind as the writer appeals to the five senses of
the reader.
74- What is the purpose of idioms (idiomatic phrases)?
Make the piece of writing more interesting as they have hidden meanings, so the
reader thinks about them
Note :
Flashback is a technique not a genre
75.What is the purpose of a flashback?
 Flashbacks help explain or add detail to events that are currently happening in
the story.
 To understand a character better
 To give us an insight into why a character behaves in a particular way
76- How will we start a flashback?
 The character may hold and use a stimulus for a memory like a certain item, a
book; a toy or a box, a piece of music or a house.
 Flashbacks are usually written in the present simple.
 We use certain sentences to start a flashback like (Character) began to recall
what had happened. It all started like any other normal evening at
home.../Memories started flooding back.../ Her/ his brain burst with crystal-clear
memories of the events from last night/last week/last year/last summer.)
 We start the flashback on a new line and we signal its beginning by using a
punctuation mark such as '********'before we start the flashback and after we
finish it.
77- What is the purpose of an argumentative essay?
-To present arguments from different viewpoints
78- What are the features of an argumentative essay?
Structure: It includes an introduction, evidence for and against, conclusion.
Language: Use of impersonal language Present simple Third person
Contrasting connectives such as however and on the other hand and
sequencing connectives such as in addition and finally
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79- What is the purpose of a persuasive essay?
To persuade
80- What are the features of a persuasive essay?
Some of the grammatical features are: Present simple -Personal pronouns
Some of the language features are: rhetorical questions -emotive language -facts
and opinions- Rule of three (3)
Some of the structural features are: Persuasive connectives like as a result and
consequently
81-What is the purpose of a play script?
- For actors and directors, a play script is written to narrate a story and inform
them with what they need to do to bring the story to life as well as the stage
directions.
82-Why are stage directions important (purpose)?
To explain how the characters should say the words (adverbs) To inform the
actors if they need to move on stage while saying their lines (phrases)
Note: Handwritten plays (in brackets) printed plays (in italics)
83- Why are the production notes important? Or What is the purpose of
the production notes?
Production notes are written for the production team, to help them understand
what they must do before, during and after each scene.
84-What do the production notes include?
The production notes include a list of props, provide details about what the stage
should look like, lighting and sound effects, character descriptions and
costume ideas.
89-Why is (-) written in a separate line?
 To show that someone new is speaking
 To change from dialogue to narrative
 The line after it is spoken by a different character
 To create suspense and build tension
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90- The difference between a play script and a narrative text.
Play Script
 Written in the present simple
 Divided into acts and scenes
 Direct speech and no speech
marks
Narrative
 Written in the past simple
 Divided into chapters
 Direct speech is sometimes used
with speech marks
91-Why did the writer use ellipsis?
(You should carefully read the sentences , lines, and the paragraph that has
the ellipsis before you decide.)
It can be one of the following reasons:
 To indicate a hesitation/ pause while speaking
 To create tension by adding a pause before the end of the sentence
e.g. Cautiously, she opened the door.../
 To indicate a pause in a speech e.g. “The winner is...Sam!”
 To indicate an incomplete thought
 To indicate an interruption
 To indicate that part of the text has been omitted and the meaning
doesn't change
92-Why did the writer use parenthetic commas? Why did the writer use a
parenthetical expression? Why did the writer use parenthesis?
-To add an extra piece of information that clarifies, explains or adds information
without changing the basic meaning of the sentence.
Examples:
a- Katie doesn't, of course, know her way home. (Commas)
b- She is -by the way- from California. (Dashes) c- You did (no doubt) make
payment with a credit card. (Brackets)
93-How does the writer link the ideas between the first and the second
paragraph?
The year (1912) used at the end of one paragraph is repeated at the start of the
next paragraph. The ideas are linked by time/ chronologically
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94-The information in the final paragraph connects back to the second
paragraph. Explain how.
(Look for something similar or common. ) The information in both paragraphs is
about (the ship's movement at the sea.) The number of people who died
connects back to the number of people on board.
95-How does the writer connect the narrative of the past with the present?
The writer uses events written out of the chronological order/ uses
flashback/uses memories The writer uses narrative past/past perfect tense
(had...spent/had suggested/had said/had been right) .
96-The difference between the persuasive essay and the leaflet
They are the same but the leaflet has subtitles/subheading
97- What is the purpose of a leaflet ?
To persuade
98- Why does the writer use quotations in the report ?
 To make the text credible
 To add credibility to the text .
99-why does the writer use a hyphen ?
To create a compound word .
To create a compound adjective
100.Why does the writer use personification ?
To create an image in the reader's mind
To grab the reader's interest
Good luck
Dr. Chérihanne Achraf
MA. English Language Arts
Teaching Methodology Techniques
Brighton University.UK
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