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Free Writing Assignment
Free writing is almost the toughest thing to do for English. Given all the topics in the world, it is totally a headache to choose from one of them. I guess I would be better off writing with a specified topic.
Romance stories are enjoyable to some people while others find such stories corny and boring. And what is with these mysterious tales of Sherlock Holmes wannabes solving crimes and all the investigations, these stories certainly do not interest me. I think I can never bring myself to sit down and read something like that, let alone crack my brains and write about it. However, probably somewhere out there, some nutty people might find such mysteries mind-boggling.
Yes, Mr B Tan, you just asked the air (because nobody responded) whether it was difficult to write and finish this assignment, and my answer to you is DEFINITELY DUH. Free writing without slangs, abbrevations and bullet points, it is seriously a bother to add on to the headache.
So I find myself writing about free writing for free writing, well well well...
Comments :
Your writing is quite alright but you have to work on making your sentences flow more smoothly.
Two Paragraphs From The Book Of An Appreciated Author
They were the self-styled kings of Manhattan nightlife, and while their press clippings might reach to the ceiling, neither was taller than five-five, and Eliza towered over both of them in her four inch Louboutin platforms. Alan Whitman was balding and dough-faced, but he'd been legendary since ninth grade at Riverdale, when he'd begun his career selling pot at the Limelight.
He'd oozed his way up a string of downtown hot spots until he'd raised enough money to open his trio of celebrity playgrounds- Vice, Circus and Lowdown. He liked to say that before he'd gotten his hands on Paris Hilton, she was just a cute little Dwight sophomore in a rolled-up uniform skirt. He'd been the one who'd waived Paris past the ID check and had personally alerted gossip columnists when she was dancing on the tables-or falling off them-on any given night. His partner, Kartik ( one name only), a Miami transplant, had been friends with Madonna back when he was still a teenager and she was still a dog-collar-wearing pop icon, not a dowdy children's book author who answered to the name Esther.
Melissa De La Cruz
Comments :
Not sure about you but this is too Americanized for me. I can't apply the style to my writing. Would have been better if you had chosen a local writer. Thanks for the effort anyway.
I Made A Mistake In Telling Him (or her) My Secret: Planning
Introduction
- First day of school, new transfer student, unhappy
- Dad was recognised for his efforts at work, promoted and sent away to a new country
- I was the poor thing, had to move away from my friends and school
Para 2
- Singapore totally different from Malaysia
- Looked down by the students because of my Malaysian slang
- Lonely Pony in school
- Introduction of a girl clique who approached me during recess
Para 3
- Happy I found friends, hung around them most of the time
- More like a servant than a friend
- But still, I was happy that I am no longer alone and by myself
(so you were willing to trade dignity and self-respect for company/companionship? Would this better describe your situation then? If so, you can develop along this line. Think about it.)
Para 4
- Excited about the coming sleepover
- Describe how different I am compared to the girls (pyjamas vs night gowns)
- Tradition of sleepover- writing your darkest secret in a journal to be shared with the other girls
Para 5
- Describe me as a changed person (bitchy, vain, etc) -(who described you?) -Influenced by the clique, always thought their advice was the "best"
- Best friend from previous school was upset and disappointed at the changed Me
- Did not realise, thought she was just jealous
(This paragraph is not quite connected. I cannot see the links and you'll need to work in more details.)
Para 6
- Everyone pointing fingers at me when I reached school
- Did not know what had happened
- Went on to look for "my clique", who turned their backs on me and told me to scram
- Felt puzzled and hurt during class, thought we were friends
Para 7
- "They betrayed you, they let you down, that explains why everyone was laughing at you just now. You should not have trusted them too much"
- Realisation dawned upon me
- Embarrassed about secret being let out and how I had let those girls change me into someone else
- Finally understood what best friend meant
Conclusion
- It is best being the good old Me
- It was a big mistake- being friends with those girls and telling them my secret
- I could do without those girls even if it means I'll be left with no friends, I could make new ones
Comments :
Good plan - I like the part about moving from M'sia to S'pore. Highlighting the differences in culture despite both countries being so close (geographically) would be interesting for the markers as it is unlikely that they know much about the region. This increases your chances of getting better grades for your essay.
Muay Thai Article 2
3 Good sentence/starters for sentences :
- She explains that...
- She punctuates every sentence with a nervous giggle.
- A sly smile comes over her face and she lets loose her secret weapon.
3 Good phrases to "borrow"
- Clad in something
- Polite and soft-spoken
- A sly smile
Ten Year Series 2004 Paper1 - Question 2
Finally, a break. A break from all that office work and administration. This morning had been more hectic than normal, and the stack of documents and files awaiting my arrival seemed unusually tall. That sight dampened my mood straight away.
At last, I managed to get away from all that toiling to enjoy a good lunch. My girlfriend who was supposed to meet me for lunch, backed out last minute. I hurried to the restaurant located next to the company to grab a quick meal, and to escape the lunch crowd as well. There is always a huge crowd during the lunch hour, and I am definitely not the kind who paces around waiting for a table. I quickly placed my orders and secured a vacant table to myself. Just five minutes later, throngs after throngs of people are screaming orders and arguing over what to eat.
I chuckled to myself, and quietly thanked God that my workplace is just next to the restaurant.
Then, someone punched me from behind. It was that man-to-man kind of playful punches. I quickly turned around and saw an unfamiliar face ginning and staring intently at me. I guess my face spelt "surprised" because he said, "Hey! Don't you remember me? I am Chris, your secondary school buddy!" Though secondary school was some ten years ago, I remembered vividly that I had no classmate named Chris. He took a seat beside me without me inviting him to do so. With much enthusiasm, he recounted all the "fun times" we had in the past, and of course, I had no idea of what he is rambling on about. He also added that it was only fair that I gave him a treat since he was the one who recognised me first.
Chris scrambled to the counter and started ordering a whole lot of food without even waiting for a response from me. When he came back, he wasted no time in helping me recall what happened during our secondary school days. Just when i thought it was no harm listening to him, my jaw dropped at the arrival of the dishes, and this was when I blew up.
"You do not expect me to foot the bill for all these, do you?"
"Oh, come on! It is fate that we meet after ten years, this meal is not too much for you I am sure."
"Sure it is! When I don't even know who you are, it sure does matter!"
"John! What is wrong with you?"
It finally dawned upon me that this meeting was a misunderstanding, because my name is certainly not John. I cooled myself down and slowly begun my explanation. I tried to tell Chris I was not the person he thought I was. I even took out my identification card to prove that I was not his secondary school buddy. However, instead of feeling embarrassed about the misunderstanding, Chris got into a fit.
"It is fine if you do not want to give me this treat, I can take that!", he shouted furiously.
It was getting overboard. I honestly felt that I had tolerated enough nonsense by a total stranger. It was simply no use reasoning with him, Chris was getting on my nerves. Keeping in mind that I was almost late for work, I started walking off in the direction of the exit. However, Chris refused to let me go just like that. The angry man tugged and dragged me back to the table, by the sleeve. A couple of heads turned and I felt a number of eyes on the both of us. I struggled to free myself from his grasp.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?!"
"Don't you yell at me when you are the one at fault!"
"How can you said that? You were the one who mistook me for someone else!"
Chris continued to spew all kinds of vicious insults about me not wanting to admit I was John. His booming voice attracted more and more attention from the diners and passersby. I could not have felt more relieved when I spotted a group of colleagues entering the restaurant. I gesticulated wildly, but I thought it was Chris who got them to look towards our table. As they were walking towards our table, I turned and said to Chris, "Now you will know that I am not John and not that buddy of yours!"
My friends nodded politely at Chris even though he was glaring at them.
"Hey James! Is that your friend?"
"I have not met him before, but he claims that I am his friend"
My colleagues exchanged glances. I looked over at Chris who was already tongue-tied, his gaze was locked on his shoes. Sensing his awkwardness, I pulled out my wallet and put some money on the table. That amount was more than enough to pay for my own meal.
Before walking off with my colleagues, I faced Chris and said in a small voice, "John must be an important friend of yours, but too bad I am not him."
XinMin Sec School Prelim Paper2
1a) The rowers are putting in a great amount of effort to speed up and compete with other boats. (effort already used in the question. Try to use another word.)
The rowers are working extremely hard to win the race.
1b) Light from the sun reflects off the water, making it difficult for the villagers to see. (Right.)
1c) They were filled with enthusiasm, moving around in search of the best position(s) to watch the race. (Right)
2) Each judge might be biased against the other village's team, thus both of them might have different says(?) with regards to the results. (Is this logical? In what situation will the judges be biased?)
When there is a tie in the competition, each judge will definitely claim that his village is the winning team, thus resulting in disagreements and the arising of arguments.
3) The first consequence was heated arguments between the judges and the second consequence was the breaking out of fights between the two teams. (Right)
4a) The word is "altercation". (Yes)
4b) The gentleman could have used the eku to toss the sand into the air. (Yes but be more precise pse.)
4c) ???
4d) He used the eku to throw sand at the rowers, causing them to have no choice but to stop the fight as the irritation due to the sand in their eyes, noses and mouths was too much to bear. (Right)
4e) He did not shout and yell nor get involved in the fight, but still managed to put an end to the argument without injuring anyone. (No. Try again.)
He managed to stop the fight without injuring anyone.
5) He hopes that practitioners of the martial art will always remember that weapons despite their abilities to kill and do harm are meant for life protection. (No. Try again.)
6) Martial sport is only an activity for leisure and is not put to use in daily life while martial art is an activity which an artiste practises and applies in daily life. (OK)
7a) They stop the technique they are practicising just before coming in contact with each other and add precautionary movements during practice. (Right)
7b) The conclusion of a technique might be death or permanent disability. (Right)
8) You never look at the person living inside you (Not a good description. Try again.), your character, personaility and thoughts so clearly as when you face death.
You begin to understand the person that you really are.
9) The ultimate goal is the development of one's technique, knowledge and character. (Right)
10) 1. enthusiastically waiting for (Right)
2. at the same time (Yes.)
3. great (Yes)
4. ineffective
5. change something in a harmful way (does this flow in the sentence?) corrupt
11) Martial sports and martial arts are different in many...
Phylisia, you are one of our bright prospects for a distinction in English. Work hard and let me know how I can help you.
CHIJ Toa Payoh Prelim Paper2
1) The two surfaces are walls of caves and beaten mulberry bark. (correct)
2) Real paper was cheaper to produce compared to parchment and could be produced in great quantities. (minus 1)
3) They were forbidden to step on a piece of paper with writing on it. (correct)
4) It means to bring about something, paper making brought about the the first information revolution in Europe. (prepare/pave the way)
5) The word is "reached". ("advent")
6) Printers used paper made of hemp and linen rags which were pure and strong, ensuring the survival of printed materials for hundreds of years. (correct)
7) While the writer was amazed and deeply attracted to Bach's work, Munn was unable to concentrate as she disagreed with Bach's usage of cheap and dull paper. (correct)
8) He was pessimistic. (correct)
9) It was made of recycled materials. (correct)
10) Julie is an easy and out-going person. (resilient/strong and active/sporting)
11) She wanted to show the other industries the importance of recycling and incite the orders for recycled products. (start trend for other businesses to follow and create a market for used items)
12) (search far and wide for something)
13) Aluminium was the material most commonly recycled. (correct)
14) She is implying that her country is filled with large amounts of trash. (correct)
15) 1. easily broken (hard but easily broken) 2. part of something (a very small part) 3. idea (resourcefulness) 4. wasting (correct) 5. generalized (essential part)
CHIJ St Theresa's Convent Prelim Paper2
1a) It has been announced that Japan's population has decreased by 19000 and deaths has outstripped the number of births. (correct)
1b) The Yomuiri Shimbun views the issue in a critical way. (views it in dismay)
2a) Many Japanese are migrating to other countries.
2b) People are living longer lives. (correct)
3) It means growing older extraordinarily faster. (the population is aging at a rate that has never happened before)
4) Japan's demographice patterns are decreasing. (proportion of elderly population is greater than proportion of younger people)
5) University places are easily attainable. (minus 1) (there are more university places than applicants)
6) People will be leading lives of a lower quality. (minus 1) (mention entire nation)
7) The mandatory retirement was adopted to make room for the next batch of younger employees. (correct)
8) He is doubtful that the adjustments will bring about any changes. (minus 1) (doubtful as he feels that the adjustments are not enough)
9) The retirement age should be raised as people are having longer life spans and it should not be compulsory for people to stop working when they are still interested and able to continue working. (correct)
10a) The phrase is "most now take it for granted that women have as much to offer as men". (momentous social change)
10b) The sentence is "As men marched off to fight, women put aside their grooming magazines and gardening gloves and took their husbands' places in factories and on the farms." (correct)
11) He thinks it is ridiculous that people capable of working are retiring at an early age. (correct)
12) i) (dangers)
ii) probability (possibility)
iii) excess (correct)
iv) serious effects (dreadful results)
v) in depth (deep)
CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' Prelim Paper2
1) Detection instruments have only recently reached the capability to detect these planets. (correct)
2) How the universe began was illogical and cannot be backed up with scientific basis. (it is not something most people bother about)
3) Everyone who views this question will come up with a different say on whether we are alone or whether there are others like us. (it takes us human beings as the reference point for the existence and appearance of aliens)
4a) The two potential benefits are the extraction of raw materials from other planets and the expansion of our territory on earth. (minus 1, materials cannot be used) (extraction of ores)
4b) It seems impossible to fulfill these ideas. (travelling to and communicating with these places take far too long)
5) The assumption is that the aliens we make contact with are amiable and they would want to open up to us. (correct)
6) The word is "perennial". (correct)
7a) The odds of finding ET are unlikely to return tangible results. (no unmanned probes have ever been sent into our solar system before)
7b) The first reason is the deep curiosity to know the results and the second reason is the pursue of our true selves and goals. (minus 1) (to find out who we are and what we are here for)
8) Most human beings do not believe in science. (opposition between belief in science at one extreme and belief in God at the other extreme)
9) They pay a huge sum of money to travel to space. (correct)
10) The two unique experiences are the glorious secenery of Earth and space and the never-ending pleasures of living in zero-G. (they will offer breathtaking sights and the boundless fun of living in zero-G)
bu
11) People expected to design space hotels have not expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible. (correct)
12) It is surprising that designers have already began designing for accomodation in orbit since 1973. (correct)
13a) (one does not expend much energy in zero gravity and so does not need much rest)
13b) There are many more activities you can do when you are living in zero gravity. (correct)
14) 1. (strong liking)
2. possibly (correct)
3. (material)
4. outdated (simple/frugal)
5. finding out (taking advantage of)
Manjusri Prelim Paper2
1) The word is "selfless". (he was a helpful man)
2) He needed a break from his busy scehdules. (minus 1) (he wanted to get back the strength and energy by going on a hike)
3) The growth of moss could have caused the rock to be wet and slippery. (the runoff from overhanging rocks)
4) He tumbled down the slope without being able to stop. (correct)
5) He had fallen too far away from the cliff and it was dangerous to climb back to the track as the route was steep and stony. (he was badly injured and to climb the steep slope back to the track would be impossible for him)
6) A helicopter would help them travel faster. (correct)
7) He felt dejected as he thought that there would be no chance of him being found. (minus 1) (he felt relieved that he survived the terrible fall)
8) He was trying to figure out the point at which Kanak had fallen from the cliff. This shows that he was wise and experienced. (minus 1) (he wanted to examine the place more closely as there was a possibility that Kanak was somewhere in the vicinity)
9) Though tourism helps bring in revenue for the country, it also brings disadvantages such as pollution to the country. (correct)
10) When one treks individually, he relies on local guides and villages for food and lodging, thus allowing them to profit by earning more income. (correct)
11) Nepal has exotic and unknown places as it is still developing, thus attracting adventure tourists to come and explore these places. (correct)
12) Western amenities are easily accessible. (easily available)
13) The two words are "scant attention". (correct)
14) They have become more reliant on money earned from tourism rather than to make their own living through means like agriculture.
15)1. busy (correct)
2. dangerous (correct)
3.(steep)
4. secluded (inaccessible)
5. appealing (tempting/ inviting)
Maris Stella Prelim Paper2
1) The phrase is, "practical use". (correct)
2) The country's purpose is to remain competitive and continue to sell their products to the world. (correct)
3) The first reason is the improve the country's talent pool and the second reason is to increase the country's talent pool by providing a short-term solution. (correct)
4) They encourage talented people to come as permanent residents, foreign workers or as students. (correct)
5) The U.S. has an unbiased and colourful society and also because the country focuses on research and development of new scientific findings. (attractive as having an honest and lively community, significant value the U.S places on exploring and investigating to use advances in science and technology)
6) The phrase is, "human talent is an intangible quality that cannot be measured". (correct)
7) People likely to make a difference in the knowledge economy tend to highly-educated and in demand by employers and educational institutes but Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, though successful, were college dropouts. (correct)
8) "Brain drain" means the lack of talented people in a country. (when too many skilled people move out of a country, the country may find it difficult to progress)
9) The two men who reached the top of the mountain were Malaysian-born and not true Singaporeans. (correct)
10) Jobs should be filled by people who are capable of fulfilling the job requirements, be it Singaporeans or foreigners. (minus 1) (necessary to offer high-ability positions)
11) Singaporeans feel that by rejecting foreigners from coming into Singapore, they would have more job opportunities to themselves. (almost all Singaporeans are descendants of immigrants, preventing foreigners from coming would not result in an increase of jobs for Singaporeans)
12) Foreigners need homes and services to meet their daily needs, thus creating jobs for property agents, house movers and the service industry. (foreigners who come still need goods and services provided by local people)
13) Some people may support the idea of having foreign talent while others may not be supportive of the idea. (difficult to discuss due to too many conflicitng opinions)
14) The word is, "blandness". (correct)
15) 1. difficult to define (correct)
2. serious (extremely important)
3. rightfully (correct)
4. (strengthen)
5. half-hearted (showing little enthusiasm)
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