WDPB16325
In collaboration with:
Dickens Publishing Ltd. Suite G7-G8, Davina House, 137-149 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7ET, United Kingdom. E-mail: info@dickenspublishing.co.uk
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• Online Bookstore • Online Library •
Pelangi Publishing Singapore Pte. Ltd.
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www.PelangiBooks.com Published by:
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Writing Exercises
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PELANGI
• Online Bookstore • Online Library •
( 201112597 C )
WDPB16325
ISBN 978-981-07-6110-3
,!7IJ8B0-hgbbad!
In collaboration with Dickens Publishing Ltd. (UK) Based on Revised
English Language Examination NEW Essential Skill-building Exercises Progressive Tasks That Stimulate Creative Thinking Clear and Concise Answers for Easy Reference
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ISBN 978-981-07-6110-3
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First Published 2015 In collaboration with Dickens Publishing Ltd. (UK)
Š Pelangi Publishing Singapore Pte. Ltd. 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of Pelangi Publishing Singapore Pte. Ltd.
PELANGI PUBLISHING SINGAPORE PTE. LTD. ( 201112597 C ) 1 Goldhill Plaza, #02-27 Goldhill Plaza Novena, Singapore 308899. E-mail: pps@pelangibooks.com
Printed in Malaysia
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Our English Writing Series for Primary Levels is aimed at guiding pupils to write effectively upon developing their creative and analytical skills.
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When pupils are trained to observe and analyse different situations, then asked to create and suggest ideas, they will be equipped with the skills for writing, and hence feel confident to write.
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In line with the requirements of the latest Singapore English Language Syllabus which aims at moulding pupils into creative human resources, our series focuses on the following essentials:
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• grammar and lexical enrichment exercises
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• skill-building exercises (e.g. how to expand on a word, a phrase, a sentence, a paragraph, etc.)
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• progressive tasks that stimulate creative and analytical thinking (e.g. give opinions, suggest ideas, make conclusions, etc.)
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• exposure to the different styles of writing
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The carefully graded exercises are excellent resources that teachers can use for classroom teaching. Pupils can also work on the exercises by themselves at home as clear and concise answers for easy reference are included in the book. Our English Writing Series for Primary Levels has been carefully planned and arranged by experienced teachers to help pupils to learn to write different compositions using their creativity and analytical skills.
It will be a great help to pupils who are keen to learn more about writing!
A Giving reasons to persuade readers
Let’s Find Out – descriptive writing
B Constructing sentences to express opinions
A Expanding sentences into descriptive sentences
C Writing a persuasive composition
B Focusing on details
WRITING EXERCISE 5.........................28
C Writing a paragraph to describe a subject
Let’s Find Out – argumentative writing
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WRITING EXERCISE 1 ........................... 1
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A Practising how to argue B Completing a passage with transitional markers
Let’s Find Out – narrative A Responding to narrative excerpts
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WITING EXERCISE 2........................... 7
C Writing an argumentative composition
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B Continuing from ending lines of excerpts
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C Summing up what to consider when writing a narrative D Writing a narrative based on a topic
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WRITING EXERCISE 3......................... 13
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Let’s Find Out – expository writing
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A Writing the first and supporting sentences that lead to a thesis statement
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B Explaining thesis statements C Writing a paragraph based on a topic sentence
WRITING EXERCISE 6.........................33
Let’s Find Out – imaginative writing A Writing a paragraph using an opening line B Writing a story using an opening line C Writing a story using an ending line WRITING EXERCISE 7.........................39 Let’s Find Out – Poem A Creating a poem using an opening line B Creating a limerick using an opening line C Writing haiku poems based on themes
WRITING EXERCISE 4......................... 19
D Writing personification for a topic
Let’s Find Out – persuasive writing
E Writing six-line poems using personification
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WRITING EXERCISE 8.........................48
WRITING EXERCISE 11.........................63
Let’s Find Out – compare-and-contrast writing
Let’s Find Out – book review
A Completing tables with short notes
A Answering questions before writing a book review
B Writing a composition on a topic
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B Writing a book review based on answers
C Writing a composition on a topic
WRITING EXERCISE 12........................68
Let’s Find Out – speech
Let’s Find Out – fiction book review
A Completing an inaugural speech
A Writing a fiction book review using an outline
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WRITING EXERCISE 9 ........................53
B Writing a motivational speech
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B Writing a fiction book review using short notes
WRITING EXERCISE 10 .......................58
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ENRICHMENT PRACTICES..................... 75
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Let’s Find Out – personal recount
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B Writing about an incident
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A Writing on a topic
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C Writing a farewell speech
ANSWERS........................................ 87
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Let’s Find Out
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1. What is descriptive writing? Descriptive writing is written with the purpose of the writer explaining or telling everything about his subject (e.g. a place, person or thing) to the reader so that the reader can picture the subject vividly even though he or she has never been to the place, or has never known the person or has never used the thing being described.
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2. What are some examples of descriptive writing? Some examples of descriptive writing include journals, diaries, recounts, stories and reports of an event, a special moment, an incident, an experience, an observation and even something that may not be real but imagined.
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3. How to write a descriptive composition: To enable the reader to know the person, the place or something that you are describing, you must do the following: (a) give sensory details that will stimulate the reader’s five senses (taste, touch, see, hear and smell).
e.g. The boat ride was nauseating and I could feel my head throbbing and hear my heart pounding.
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e.g. The milk tasted sour and smelled obnoxious.
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e.g. I ran to the bathroom and saw my pale face in the mirror.
(b) make use of onomatopoeia (words that imitate the sounds of the real things)
e.g. sizzle, hiss, buzz, bang, plop, swish, clang, vroom, boom
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Writing Exercise 1
(c) include alliteration (a series of words that begin with the same letters or same consonants) e.g. Billy the Bunny beamed delightfully.
e.g. The fly flew fast as I clenched my fist.
e.g. She sells seashells on the seashore.
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(d) use metaphors (compare one thing to another without using “like” or “as”)
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e.g. The former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was an iron lady.
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e.g. He was a brick wall and no one could shoot a goal in with him there.
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(e) use similes (compare one thing to another using “like” or “as”) e.g. John walked as slowly as a snail.
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e.g. Lucy marched like a soldier at the school parade.
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(f) include personification (describe a non-human thing as if it could feel or act like a human being) e.g. The parched plants thirst for water. e.g. A thick layer of dust settled down on the rickety bench.
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Tips on how to be good at descriptive writing: • Carry a notebook with you. You do not want to miss out on anything. You also want to practise writing regularly. • Write a little every day. When you make writing a daily routine, you are sharpening your writing skill, and in time your writing skill will improve as words and ideas flow freely. • Look around you and be observant. Look at the people and the scenarios. • Jot down everything that you see. Make quick notes (e.g. “who”, “what”, “when”, ”where,” “how” and “why”). Say how you feel too. Later you can use the short notes to complete your writing. 2
Writing Exercise 1
• Be precise when you write (e.g. instead of “food”, say “what kind of food”). • Finally, combine your knowledge of facts, experiences, memories and imagination, and put them into descriptive writing.
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Adjectives, verbs, adverbs and nouns in descriptive writing Any descriptive writing will become vivid with the use of the above grammar items. Try to have a good collection of these grammar items and use them when you write descriptive compositions.
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Compare the difference between descriptions A and B. A : The tree stood in the field. B : The tall coconut tree stood majestically in the lush green field.
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The grammar items used:
tall, coconut (“coconut” is a noun but it functions as an adjective here because it describes the tree), lush, green
Nouns (names of people, places and things)
tree, field
Verbs (action words)
stood
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Adjectives (describe nouns)
majestically
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Adverbs (modify verbs)
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A Expand each sentence below into a descriptive sentence.
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1. The elephants came close to us.
2. The rain made the weather cool.
3. Bill rode through the field of grass and daisies.
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Writing Exercise 1
4. The girl was wearing a pair of jeans.
5. Jenny remembered her mother’s smile.
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6. Tom enjoyed the bread.
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7. South America is a continent with a lot of rivers, forests, beaches and valleys.
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8. The girl sat down on the chair.
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10. The birds flew away.
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9. The teacher walked into the classroom.
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B Focusing on details is the key to descriptive writing. Answer the following
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questions to sharpen your eye for details.
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1. Write about the qualities you see in yourself and elaborate on them.
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Writing Exercise 1
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2. Write about an event and what happened to you and around you.
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3. You saw a child wearing new shoes while his father was clad in a pair of worn-out shoes that revealed his toes. Use your imagination to describe this child’s father.
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C Write a paragraph describing each subject below as vividly as you can.
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1. A tree
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Writing Exercise 1
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2. An elderly man
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3. A box
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4. A crowded place
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5. A brood of hens
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Let’s Find Out
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1. What is a narrative? A narrative is simply an account about something. It is what is told to the reader or hearer in detail. In most cases, it is the narrator sharing his or her personal experiences or recounts with the reader. Since a narrative is told from a personal point of view, it is often written as a story.
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2. What are some examples of narratives? Some examples of narratives include stories, fables, autobiographies or biographies, folk tales, fairy tales and diaries.
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3. What elements are present in a narrative? A narrative is made up of significant events told in an ordered sequence and with the relevant details. Through the events, certain ideas and experiences are shared. A narrative contains vivid images with which the reader can imagine the place or event, and feel the emotions and sensory details.
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e.g. “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett When Mary Lennox was sent to Misselthwaite Manor to live with her uncle, everybody said she was the most disagreeable-looking child ever seen. It was true, too. She had a little thin face and a little thin body, thin light hair and a sour expression. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.
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4. Different narrators have their unique ways of writing to respond to the same issue. Let’s take a look at the following excerpts.
e.g. “The Boxcar Children” by Gertrude Chandler Warner One warm night, four children stood in front of a bakery. No one knew where they had come from. Their parents had died. They had a grandfather they had never met, but they did not want to live with him. They were afraid he did not like them. 7
Writing Exercise 2
A Respond to the two narrative excerpts provided. Write your answers
in the blanks. 1. What common issues are conveyed in the two different excerpts? The excerpts convey the issues of
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2. What are the clues that lead you to arrive at your answer to (1)? In “The Secret Garden”,
In “The Boxcar Children”,
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3. Describe how you feel towards the characters after reading both excerpts. Give reasons to support your answer.
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I empathise with
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because
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Writing Exercise 2
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4. How is the first excerpt different from the second in terms of presentation?
B Assuming that you have not read these books before, write a paragraph
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to continue from the ending line of the excerpts provided.
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1. Her hair was yellow, and her face was yellow because she had been born in India and had always been ill in one way or another.
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2. They were afraid he did not like them.
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C Summing up what to consider when writing a narrative.
1. A narrative has three main parts: (a) Beginning (the central idea or theme) (b) Middle (relevant facts, climax, conflicts, details and explanations that support the central idea) (c) End (resolving issues and embracing the new change(s)). 9
Writing Exercise 2
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2. To make your narrative interesting, include the following: (a) Concrete sensory details (e.g. adjectives, verbs, nouns, adverbs, etc.) to conjure a strong impression. (b) Other relevant details that support and enhance the theme(s). (c) Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and appropriate paragraphing. (d) A variety of sentences. You can include dialogues. (e) Consistency in your point of view. After you have made up your mind what to write about, you demonstrate a clear understanding of the purpose so that your narration will take on meaning for the reader. (f) You can write from the first person point of view (e.g. I) or third person (e.g. He, She, It) D Choose one of the topics given and write a narrative in not less than
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200 words.
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1. A Bad Decision
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2. The Confession
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1. A Bad Decision
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Beginning:
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What decision did you make? When? Why? Where?
Middle: Describe in detail what you did after making the decision. How did the decision affect you and the people concerned? Describe your own and others’ responses and reactions, and the consequences.
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Writing Exercise 2
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Beginning:
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2. The Confession
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End: You conclude that it was a bad decision. Reflect on the consequences and explain why it was deemed a bad decision. How will this experience influence you in making decisions next time?
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Introduce your character e.g. his or her name, age, family, special talents, school, hobbies, etc.
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Writing Exercise 2
Middle:
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Narrate an experience that showed the character’s wrongdoing. What had caused the character to misbehave or do something wrong? When the character was caught red-handed, how was he or she punished? Did he or she admit his or her guilt? Who was there to advise and encourage him or her to turn over a new leaf?
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End:
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Do you think that if one confesses one’s mistake, it would give a bad impression to others? What good will emerge out of being honest with oneself?
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Let’s Find Out
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1. What is expository writing? Expository writing is written with the purpose of the writer explaining a topic by giving solid concrete facts and statistics, not opinions. In short, the writer is informing the reader about a topic in a matter-of-fact manner.
Examples of topics for expository writing: • Explain the events leading up to Singapore’s independence. • Describe the composition of a dragon fruit. • How to bathe a cat. • Describe the National Day Celebrations.
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2. What are some examples of expository writing? Some examples of expository writing include newspaper articles, reports, manuals, pamphlets, recipes, analyses, descriptions and instructions.
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Beginning: The introduction paragraph starts with a sentence that captures the interest of your readers. This first sentence leads to two or three sentences that provide details about your subject or your process. All of these sentences build up to your thesis statement. The thesis statement declares the main idea or topic of your essay. Coming up with a clear thesis statement in the introduction paragraph will provide a good structure for your essay supported by the body paragraphs. The thesis statement must be explained in the supporting body paragraphs.
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3. How to write an expository composition: Like any typical composition, an expository composition consists of three main parts:
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Writing Exercise 3
Middle: Begin the first sentence as the topic sentence for that paragraph. Give details for the topic sentence. A good topic sentence is clear, concise and emphatic, and it stresses the important word or phrase.
End: Repeat the thesis statement and give your personal comments.
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Tips on how to be good at expository writing: • Arrange all the steps or events in an ordered sequence. • Give the details for each step or event. • Explain any important term that you think your reader may be unsure of. • If it is a process that you are describing, then describe clearly any tool, material or item of equipment that is used. • If you are describing an event, provide concrete details. • What you write must be logical and factual in order to inform or to educate the reader.
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Example of an expository composition:
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Title: How to bathe a cat.
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Middle:
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Beginning: Keeping cats as pets is quite common. However, many assume that cats can clean themselves so they do not bother to give their cats a bath. In actual fact, cat owners do need to bathe their pets to keep their coat of fur and skin healthy. There is a special technique for bathing one’s cat. (Thesis statement)
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Topic sentence: First, gently coax your cat or carry it to the bathroom.
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Details for the topic sentence: Once inside the bathroom, close the door for you do not want the cat to run out. Topic sentence: Next, lay a towel on a chair and place your cat on the towel. Details for the topic sentence: Cats love being on a rug, so putting your cat on the towel will make it feel assured and comfortable. You can also give your cat some food to keep it calm.
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Writing Exercise 3
Topic sentence: Now, you fill your tub with warm soapy water.
Topic sentence: Then, begin to rub the cat’s fur gently with your soapy hands.
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Details for the topic sentence: The soap is any cat’s shampoo which you can purchase from the pet shop. Place your hands in the soapy water and lather them.
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Details for the topic sentence: Lather your hands again in the soapy water and stroke the cat as if you were petting it. Do this till all of its body is properly cleaned with the soapy water.
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Topic sentence: After that, pour away the soapy water and fill the tub with clean warm water.
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Details for the topic sentence: Dip your hands in the warm water and gently pet your cat to take up the soapy water. Rinse your soapy hands and pet the cat again with the clean water. Do this till the cat’s fur is properly cleaned and free from soap.
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Topic sentence: Lastly, pick your cat up and dry it with a clean towel.
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Details for the topic sentence: Rub the towel gently on the cat’s wet fur as if you were giving it a massage. After that is done, you can open the door and let it out.
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End: This technique of bathing cats is easy for the owner and soothing for the cat. A Write the first and supporting sentences that lead to the thesis statement
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in bold.
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Example
Although many people know for a fact that exercise is one of the keys to fitness, they hardly exercise or do not like to exercise at all. The common reasons given are that exercise is boring, tough and a waste of time. However, their thinking will change if only they know that exercise can be fun and simple, not a chore nor a bore, and not at all time-consuming!
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Answers Answers
4. The petite girl was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans.
5. Jenny remembered her mother’s warm and assuring smile.
6. Tom enjoyed the freshly baked puffy white bread.
7. South America is a beautiful continent with a lot of long winding rivers, lush forests, enchanting beaches and breathtaking valleys.
8. The weary girl sat down happily on the hard wooden chair.
9. The strict teacher walked quietly into the noisy classroom.
10. The flock of singing birds flew away quickly when they heard a noise.
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3. Bill rode his old bike through the field of long grass and wild daisies.
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2. The misty rain that lasted hours made the weather so comfortable and cool.
2. I will always remember the first time I took part in a traditional costume contest organised by my school. At that time, I was in kindergarten. My mother bought me a yellow cheongsam. She helped to dress me up. She also powdered my face and brushed rouge on my cheeks. Then she applied a thin layer of red lipstick on my lips. She put my hair up in a bun and donned it with a matching round fluffy band. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I could see that I was transformed from a plain girl to a sophisticated lady. I thought I looked pretty and I felt excited and happy. In fact I was confident that I would stand out in the contest. On the day of the contest, each contestant paraded on the stage. Each of them wore a traditional costume. An Indian boy wore the
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A 1. The huge elephants confidently close to us.
So I think I am quite a sociable person. When it comes to studies, I think I am very serious. I always make sure I finish my homework and I make it a habit to prepare early for my exams. I think I am homely but I also like to be outdoors. I like to stay at home during weekdays but on a weekend, I look forward to going out with my family and doing something different like catching a movie, walking in the park or eating out.
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B 1. I think I am quite shy as I am not always the first person to talk to somebody whom I do not know. However, once I get to know a person, I can be quite talkative. I enjoy having a conversation with my friends. I like to eat together with them at the canteen, play netball together with them and even invite them over to my house.
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WDPB16325
e or ap ng
G
LAT
MOE
EST
SYL
LAB
US
ng iP
6
ub
lis hi
Primary
ng
for
Si
AM
GI . E.
Writing Exercises
Pt e.
Lt
d.
PELANGI
la
www.PelangiBooks.com
Pe
• Online Bookstore • Online Library •
Published by:
Pelangi Publishing Singapore Pte. Ltd. In collaboration with:
Dickens Publishing Ltd. Suite G7-G8, Davina House, 137-149 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7ET, United Kingdom. E-mail: info@dickenspublishing.co.uk
www.PelangiBooks.com • Online Bookstore • Online Library •
( 201112597 C )
WDPB16325
ISBN 978-981-07-6110-3
,!7IJ8B0-hgbbad!
In collaboration with Dickens Publishing Ltd. (UK) Based on Revised
English Language Examination NEW Essential Skill-building Exercises Progressive Tasks That Stimulate Creative Thinking Clear and Concise Answers for Easy Reference