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Showing posts from June, 2013

He Had Such Quiet Eyes

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                                                              He Had Such Quiet Eyes                                                                  By: Bibsy Soenharjo He had such quiet eyes She did not realize They were two pool of lies Layered with thinnest ice Were breathing desolate sighs Imploring her to be nice And to render him paradise If only she'd been wise And had listened to the advise Never to compromise With pleasure-seeking guys She'd be free from "the hows and whys" Now here's a bit of advise Be sure that nice really means nice Then you'll never lose a dice Though you may lose your heart once of twice 1968 3.1 SYNOPSIS OF THE POEM The poem is about a woman who has been deceived to think that she was loved by a man with ‘quiet eyes’. She suffers for this and only learns on hindsight not to trust or give in to men who seek women only for pleasure. The poet gives an advice on being able to recognise what is true and what is not, when a

In The Midst of Hardship

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IN THE MIDST OF HARDSHIP Latiff Othman At dawn they returned home their soaky clothes torn and approached the stove their limbs marked by scratches their legs full of wounds but on their brows there was not a sign of despair The whole day and night just passed they had to brave the horrendous flood in the water all the time between bloated carcasses and tiny chips of tree barks desperately looking for their son’s albino buffalo that was never found They were born amidst hardship and grew up without a sigh or a complaint now they are in the kitchen, making jokes while rolling their ciggarete leaves SYNOPSIS (OVERALL) In this poem, the poet tells of the situation of a farmer and his family. They come back at dawn after being out in the floodwater for a day and night. They are looking for their albino buffalo. They come back wet and hurt but they do not show any despair. They have been born into a life of hardship and have never complained. Now, they are in the kitchen and they joke and

The Fruitcake Special

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___________________________________________________________________ CHARACTER MAIN CHARACTER ANNA Anna works as a chemist in the Amos Cosmetics factory in New Jersey. Her job is to design new perfumes. Anna is single and lives with her mother. Her mother and Aunt Mimi are worried she is not getting married. Anna is very aware of what goes on around her and quite a discerning character. She knows that David Amos is not possibly in love with her nor is the waiter at the restaurant. She recognizes that it is the result of the powerful perfume she has created. MINOR CHARACTERS DAVID AMOS An important minor character is David Amos. He is the owner of Amos Cosmetics. David Amos is a dark, handsome and fashionable gentleman who is often seen with beautiful women. He appears polite but he actually does not think much of his workers. AUNT MIMI Aunt Mimi, is pleasant but she also likes to mind other people's business. She is constantly trying to find a suitable partner for her n

Some useful spelling rules

When the word ends in a consonant If the accent falls on the last syllable, the consonant is doubled to form the past tense. So we have Occur –> occurred Transfer –> transferred When the word ends in a short vowel + consonant, the final consonant is not usually doubled to form the past tense. Therefore Offer –> offered (NOT Offerred) Budget –> budgeted Short monosyllabic words always double their final consonant. Examples are: Shop –> shopping Let –> letting Cut –> cutting ‘ie’ and ‘ei’ The general rule is ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’ Examples are: Siege, believe, friends But Receive, deceive, ceiling (after ‘c’, we use ‘e’ before ‘I’) There are however several exceptions to this rule. Examples are: reign, heir, seize, weird. As you can see, in all of these words, the letter ‘e’ goes before the letter ‘i’. Dis and mis Never double the ‘s’ of these prefixes. In some words, you may notice a second ‘s’, but remember tha

Spelling and Pronunciation

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Words ending in -ize and -ise In British English some words can be spelt with either -ize or -ise. In American English, the forms with -ize is more common. Examples are given below: British English Realize / realise Computerize / computerise Mechanize / mechanise Baptize / baptise American English Realize Mechanize Computerize Baptize Most words of two or more syllables have -ise in both British and American English. Examples are: Surprise, revise, exercise, advise, comprise, despise, compromise, improvise, supervise, televise, advertise Notes: In American English, advertize is also possible. If in doubt, remember that -ise is almost always correct in British English. Spelling and pronunciation In English, spelling words is not easy. In fact, even native English speakers often find it difficult to spell words correctly. This is mainly because the pronunciation of many English words has changed over the last few hundred years. The spelling system, on

Words ending in -ise and -ize

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Many English words can be spelt with either –ise and –ize. In American English, the spelling with –ize is preferred. In British English, both forms are usually possible. Examples are: British English American English Realize / realise Realize Mechanize / mechanise Mechanize Computerize / computerise Computerize Baptize / baptise Baptize Some words have –ise in both British and American English. Examples are: Surprise; revise; advise; comprise; despise; compromise; exercise; supervise; televise; advertise In American English advertize is also sometimes possible. Exception Capsize has –ize in both British and American English. If you are in doubt, remember that in British English the forms with –ise are almost always possible. Adverb formation We normally change an adjective into an adverb by adding –ly. Real – really Definite – definitely Pale – palely Complete – completely Right – rightly There are some exceptions to this rule. True – truly (NOT Tr

Words ending in ‘ar’, ‘er’, ‘or’, ‘our’, ‘re’, ‘ure’, ‘ur’

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The pronunciation of these different terminations is often very similar. In fact, it is not easy to decide when to use one or another. The lists given below give some common words ending in each of these terminations and these should be learned by heart. Note that this is not an exhaustive list. Words ending in -ar Pillar, scholar, calendar, vicar, particular, pedlar, beggar, solar, grammar, circular, similar, altar Words ending in -er Miner, traveller, saddler, conjurer (or conjuror) Robber, summer, alter, clever, character, prisoner Leather, manner, messenger, villager, farmer, meter, tiger, interpreter Words ending in -or Minor, impostor, inventor, traitor, debtor, surveyor, actor, tailor Doctor, ancestor, governor, emperor, sailor, author Professor, visitor, liquor, director Words ending in -our ‘-Our’ is the common termination of abstract nouns. Endeavour, humour, hour, vigour, rigour, valour Colour, ardour, candour, demeanour Words ending in -r

Essays: history and definition

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An essay is a piece of composition. Composition is the art of composing an article on a theme or subject. A piece of composition has to be written in clear and grammatically correct English so that it becomes interesting to read. You can write on any topic you like; you can express your thoughts in any way you like. There is no hard and fast rule regarding the size of an essay. It could consist of any number of paragraphs. History of essays The first man who used the term essai was a Frenchman called Michel de Montaigne. He wrote about his feelings on certain ideas like idleness, agony etc in the late 1500s. The first English essayist was Sir Francis Bacon who wrote on subjects like death, fear, friendship, studies etc in the early 1600s. What is an essay? An essay is a short piece of composition that expresses the writer’s opinion on a particular subject. It is a major form of literature that includes many types of writings such as magazine articles and newspaper editorial

Essay writing: why you must strive for variety and coherence

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Every essay is woven around a particular topic. Therefore, finding a topic to write on is the first thing you need to do. The principles of good writing are the same and must be followed at all stages of composition. Every essay begins with a sentence. It just happens to have a large number of sentences in it. Make each sentence grammatically and structurally correct and you have won half the battle. Variety Use different sentence patterns in your essay. Variety is essential to retain the reader’s interest. If you write too many sentences of the same pattern, your writing may sound dull and monotonous and the reader may lose interest. To avoid this, use all kinds of sentences in your essay. There should be long and short sentences, simple and complex, straight forward and inverted. Note that a good knowledge of the different techniques of sentence synthesis is essential to add variety and sophistication to your writing. Variety is necessary; however, it must not be overdone. The idea

Grammar Rules

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This is a quick, basic grammar review for nouns, verbs, and the sometimes confusing usage of lay versus lie, and rise versus raise. This reference can be used for term papers, grammar class reviews, or simply for anyone confused or curious about the basics of English grammar. Nouns 1. Noun identification 2. Count, Mass, and Collective Nouns 3. Plural and Possessive Nouns Noun Identification What is a noun? A noun is a person, place, thing, quality, animal, idea or activity. For example: Person — Maria Place — Detroit Thing — Desk Quality — Width Animal — Dog Idea — Independence Activity — Navigation Spot the nouns in a sentence: Maria went into the city to purchase detergent. Nouns: Person — Maria Place — City Thing — Detergent The functions of nouns Nouns sometimes function differently in sentences. For example: Subject: Maria likes ice cream Object of Preposition: He gave the ice cream to Maria Subject complement: The best customer is Maria Grammar vocabulary: Nominal means any wor

Story writing tips

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To tell a story well you need some practice. A good story writer looks ahead as he tells the story and plans it out. To write a good story you must have the whole plot clear in your mind. You must also have the main points arranged in their proper order. So how does one write a good story? To be a good story writer you must have a fertile imagination. Read extensively and you will find your mind brimming with ideas. Here are a few tips to help you become a better story writer. Before you start writing, see that you have a clear idea of the plot in your mind. Once you have got the outline ready all that you need to do is to develop the points. While writing the story, do not omit any point and keep to the order in which the events take place. Connect the points naturally so that the story will read as a well written piece of composition. Use your imagination and where possible introduce dialogues. Note that care must be taken to ensure that they sound natural and interest

How to write a short story

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A short story is a work of fiction. It is a product of the author’s imagination. Every short story has a beginning, a middle part and an ending. Development of a short story requires careful thought and planning. Not every writer employs the same techniques in writing a short story. Some start with the plot and then create the characters. Others start by creating characters and then allow them to interact. From this interaction, the plot takes shape. Here are a few tips for writing a short story. Note that these are not meant for a seasoned writer who has already mastered the art of story-telling. Nonetheless, a beginner with little or no experience in writing a short story should find these tips helpful. Step 1: determine the plot The theme is what the story is about. A theme sometimes conveys a moral. If you have read the Aesop’s Fables you should know what I mean. All of those stories have a message. Some stories are written just for the purpose of conveying a message. The me

Rewrite in the proper order

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The sentences given below are taken from a story, but they are jumbled. That means they are not arranged in their proper order. Rearrange them in their logical sequence. 1. The young man sold his share of the property and left for another country. 2. The father tried to dissuade his son, but he wouldn’t listen to his father whom he regarded as old and ignorant. 3. Years went by. The younger son began to get restless because he was unhappy with his lot. 4. He led a luxurious life and spent a lot of money on gambling. 5. They were living together happily. 6. Soon all his money was gone and he became a pauper. 7. Once there lived a rich farmer. 8. He went to his father and asked for his share of the property. 9. So the father gave him a third of his property. 10. He had two sons. Solution Once there lived a rich farmer. He had two sons. They were living together happily. Years went by. The younger son began to get restless because he was unha

Taklimat SPPBS

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Date of Event : 19 June 2013 Day : wednesday Venue : DEWAN SRI PANGLIMA Organized by : UNIT PEPERIKSAAN SEKOLAH (SIDANG PETANG) Lecturer : EN. NORDIN DARISAH & EN.ASIBIH BAGINDA Source : School's Blog

Self Development Camp

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Date of event : 19th June 2013 Day : Wednesday Venue : DEWAN SRI PANGLIMA Organized By : PPD SEMPORNA Source : School's Blog