Try to gain knowledge of many words and their meanings for comprehensions as well as to include them in your writings! Most importantly recognise the context these words are used in instead of just including them for the sake of increasing the quality of your writing as that might pose as an hindrance to clarity.We have included words from past papers in order to help you learn the variety of words they might test you on. As for any language, we highly recommend you try forming sentences with these words to ensure you are using them efficiently. Change the study modes to learn them in a fun manner and test yourself!
0 Comments
A good descriptive essay blends sophisticated and/or flowery vocabulary into the mood and tone of the work to produce a precise effect in the reader’s minds.
For example, the following two sentences suggest the same idea; that the wind was undesirable: 1- The chilling air crept into my bronchi [portrays air as sly] 2- The hasty wind swept into my lungs [portrays wind as ruthless] The word choice should reflect a strong and meaningful purpose. Descriptive writing is not about proving to the examiner that you have a sufficient vocabulary to describe a scene – it is actually about creating the image of that scene in the examiner’s mind. If the examiner can visualize what you write, he will credit you for it. The work must not read like a list of adjectives and adverbs put together. It should flow. 1)The essence of a good descriptive work is in its unhurried and deliberately slow pace. 2) The key idea of descriptive writing is its intricacy; every aspect of descriptive writing comes down to detail. This is what differentiates it from other forms of writing. 3)Stretch a single idea into many lines or paragraphs. Zoom in on every moment. It is as if time has frozen and you are very attentive towards colors, textures and smells. 4)Pick one instant or one element of the scene and elaborately describe it 5)Move slowly from the description of one element to the next 6)Attempting to cover all seven senses on one portion is unnatural and makes the thought process appear strained. Rather, cover the most important three to four senses in one portion of the scene and move on to the next scene where you can cover the rest of the senses. 7)Varying sentence lengths make a bigger difference than most people understand. Have long, languid sentences in your descriptive but balance the rhythm out through two to three word sentences in places. This will break the flow of your writing and make it sound less garrulous. Overgrown Garden The ambiguity of my emotions overcame me as I attempted to force the iron door open. Years of rust that coated it crumbled away in flakes and fell at my feet. I impatiently shuffled the heap of dry leaves, dirt and rust that had settled around my worn-out sneakers, and then with a heavy breath I pushed open the solid door. I gasped. The garden which had been my retreat for so long had grown so wildly. The intertwining vines that were now unguarded had draped the barks of the trees, and they hung suspended in tangles, and, in places, the moss was scuffed, peeling off the barks like a carpet; and the once sage green grass was yellowing in the heat, its sharp-edged blades scraping against my legs. They prickled my raw skin. I immediately withdrew from the garden. The stillness and restfulness it had offered me was long forgotten. Twelve months prior, I had been gratified to first stumble upon this unfrequented ground; and it had gently opened like a vortex and drawn me into its solitude. The pine brown gazebo at the back had become my hideaway. It was sprawling, a restful brown and so I had basked in its soundlessness. I had breathed the fresh scent of the blush red roses that adorned the bushes; I had watched each dancing bird and darting squirrel scurry around me. I had admired the flutters of the blue butterflies and the subtle movements of the flora, a song for the eyes. I had felt the cool breeze envelope me and bring me to a state of composure and I longed for it again. The empty vegetable patches that lay before my eyes seemed to call out in a pressing complaint of forsake, while the dust-coated water hydrant too protested that nobody had used it for so long. The buttercups that used to appear like liquid gold were shrivelled, fading, wilting and dying. I stumbled on the parched roots that lay over the ground like a mesh, like a trap to make me totter. I could feel their thirst for water, but even the tiny river that used to babble around the garden now meandered through it like a black rivulet. I rested my back against the thicket fence; the ivy I had once loved cascaded all over it, prickling me. My heart sank. The Cafe The glistening rays of the sun diffused through the large glass windows of the cafe, suffusing the cosy place in a pale scarlet glow. The second I opened the translucent door, I knew I had opened a door to a new world that soon opened up like a vortex and drew me gently in. The faint smell of cinnamon infused with a tinge of lemonade lingered timidly in the air, accompanied by the light jazz music drifting from the whispering radio. Sunlight lazily streamed through the rows and rows of dark walnut tables that stood silently along the wall, shakily casting drops of gold on the floor. I was allured. However, the emptiness of the cafe soon began to bother me. The vacant seats appeared to call out in a pressing complaint of forsake, while the dusty coffee machine seemed to protest that nobody had used it for so long; even the carefully baked meringue pies and the almond-caramel granola bars lay untouched behind the glass cases that held them. I peered behind the counter, anxiously looking for any sign of a staff member. The whole thing was odd: this was not the kind of welcome that I had expected. I remembered the nervousness that had gripped me all night, the uncertainty of how warmly I would be welcomed and how well I would prove my capability at my new job. The worries of last night now seemed to vanish, only to be replaced with a lost sense of confusion: did any customer ever wander into this lonely place? The only customer I had that day was a young lady, who walked in swiftly, dressed in a cotton shirt and a formal skirt, carrying the mildew scent of Charlie’s perfume with her. She ordered a meringue pie which I dutifully served, grateful that she had not demanded something else off the menu that I would undoubtedly have no idea how to prepare. She smiled warmly as she received the pie that I had wrapped in a crisp brown paper, and then settled down to feast on it. I breathed. Maybe this job was not so bad, yet the absence of any other worker in that place continued to constantly nag at me. Diving Into the Ocean The ocean had pulled a trick on me, put on a facade; the foamy waves of the clearest blue that had danced invitingly around my boat had turned monstrous the second I had plunged in - the chilling cold waves now engulfed me and drew me downwards into the heart of the ocean. The icy water stung my eyes and cheeks, and I could taste the salt of the seawater on the tip of my tongue. The waves had not spared my hands and feet. They were so numb that i could hardly kick my body forward, and with my eyes struggling to see through the cloudy water and my breath already running out I felt more miserable than I had ever felt before.
At this depth, the light blue of the surface was lost, and I was surrounded by the water of the darkest hue. The waters were a vacuum of quiet - devoid of sound, colour, movement and life. I flung my hands and kicked my legs as I swam further and further, deeper into the ocean. The same empty darkness surrounded me, the loud silence felt foreign to my ears and in the strangest way it was disturbing. the charm the sea had held as I had gazed out from atop the boat had vanished for now all I saw was a vast expanse of the plainest blue, the darkest blue. I felt choked; the waves that swept towards me felt hard like rocks as they splashed inconsistently, rather viciously on my swimsuit-clad body. I shivered, half because of the cold and half out of fear, for the waves felt colder and the shadows deeper every second. My whole body tingled with cold and my limbs began to fail; the fear in my heart grew and grew until the dusky waters finally swallowed me into their gloom. First, underline all of the factual details that pertain to the question. make sure not to state any statistics, examples or personal opinions!
Until 2020, IGCSE required us to make a list of 10 points in the paper which counted for 10 marks. Although they have removed that part of the question and now we are only required to write a summary for 15 marks, the method of listing points is still very helpful. If you list out all of your points in pencil on the paper, it makes it easier for you to know what all you have to cover in your summary, and you can also try grouping points together. You should reorder the points that you have picked from the passage in a way that makes more sense when written [i.e. your summary should not work in linear progression with the points made in the passage] In summary writing, the construction of complex sentences is what gains the marks! Merge two or more points / ideas into one single sentence. Vary the sentence structure so that it does not sound too monotonous. Use smooth connecting words between sentences. Attempt to begin your sentences with gerunds! A comprehensive answer to the question would involve the following: - A choice of specific words and the writers' purpose to use them - The effect they create on the reader - The implicit meanings of the words and the overall effect it generates in the reader's mind You can comment on diction, imagery and literary techniques as long as you analyse why they have been used in the context. While writing, make sure to mention "the writer" and "the reader" at least two times each per paragraph, so that the examiner knows that your answer is concentrated on analysing the effect the writer aims to achieve. Great phrases to use: - "Altogether the writer creates an impression of" as a starting sentence - "[word] conveys aptly" / "[word] exhibits the" - "invokes [feeling such as curiosity/fear] in the readers minds" - "creates an atmosphere of" - "readers have a clear impression of" - "the phrase [quoted phrase] accentuates the idea of" - "Through the [literary device] in [quoted phrase], the writer [fill this] and thus convincingly portrays [implicit meaning]
|
ContentsNotes
Exam Tips
Practice Questions
|