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March 29, 2024, 06:49:26 pm

Author Topic: 50 in English, available for queries :)  (Read 339083 times)  Share 

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nerdmmb

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #45 on: February 14, 2014, 10:02:34 pm »
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Hi Lauren,
I was just wondering, when am I expected to actually start writing context essay? (am in year 11 btw) :)

Einstein

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #46 on: February 14, 2014, 10:07:42 pm »
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Hope that helps :)



nope didn't help me at all, pick your game up. HAHAHA are you joking me, thank you so much for taking the time to write that all :)

literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #47 on: February 14, 2014, 10:13:04 pm »
+5
^lol cheers Einstein  ;D

Hi Lauren,
I was just wondering, when am I expected to actually start writing context essay? (am in year 11 btw) :)

Presumably you'll have to write some this year. Every school orders their content differently, I think we covered Context in term 2. I'd just wait till your teacher starts introducing it all. Read up on the general requirements or some past papers for now, but otherwise there's really no rush. You'll be so sick of practice essays by october next year, you'll wonder if there was ever a time when you weren't writing context essays. So long as you have a vague idea of what is required (and Context is vague at the best of times) I wouldn't worry :)

nhmn0301

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #48 on: February 15, 2014, 05:26:58 am »
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Hi Lauren,
I find myself not so much "creative" in Context and really lack of ideas. Can you give me some tips on how to improve this throughout the year? My context is Encountering conflict btw.
Thanks heaps Lauren :D
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #49 on: February 15, 2014, 09:25:39 am »
+7
Hi Lauren,
I find myself not so much "creative" in Context and really lack of ideas. Can you give me some tips on how to improve this throughout the year? My context is Encountering conflict btw.
Thanks heaps Lauren :D

Sure!
Context can be the trickiest of the three tasks for a variety of reasons. Chief among which: sample essays won't really help. In Language Analysis you're expected to cover the same thing, it's just a mater of how well you structure/express it. In Text Response, though you might have different texts, the way you analyse and approach the prompts are the same. But for context, two completely different pieces could be given full marks. For this reason it's also hard to get right; it's inherently subjective. This is particularly bad for students attempting creative writing - I once got a feedback sheet from a chief assessor that said 'This is too risky, you might be given a 6/10 and that is an insult to you. Don't do this in the exam!!!' <-- lesson learned: you don't get any points for writing well unless your ideas are relevant and plausible.

You don't need to write creatively in Context, but you do need to be creative. Your writing can be purely expository, though that might be a little dry. I'd recommend hybrid essays (ie. either weave in some creative elements, like in the intro or conclusion, or try to make it persuasive so that your voice becomes stronger.) This skill can be developed throughout the year, try to work out where your strengths are in terms of writing styles. If you want to post something up here I'd be happy to help, otherwise your teacher might be able to assist you.

Re: lacking ideas. Okay, my advice to a friend was to write about anything. (for practice papers) She loved surreal art, so I suggested researching Salvador Dali's life and incorporating the conflicts he experienced into a response to the prompt. (yeah we did conflict too, and I never want to hear that word again but oh well) This is best done around late term 2/term 3, once you've grasped the basics of context's requirements, and come to terms with the texts you're studying. Find whatever interests you (movies, politics, history, literature, current events, people) and start developing a bank of examples you can use. eg. If our conflict essays dealt with the idea of power, then I'd link it to the leadership challenge in Australian politics, and how this compares with parliaments around the world, even the Arab Spring if I had enough time. Worst case scenario, just go back to the texts. Take the voice of a character or a narrator exploring their predicament. eg. I wrote one from the POV of Daisy from Paradise Road as she was composing her poetry. As she was choosing her words, I'd give voice to her inner monologue, contemplating the hardships the women had faced, and their resilient hope etc. etc.

I wrote in an earlier post the challenge for context lies in finding examples or points of discussion that few others would use. That's not to say the quality of your ideas/writing doesn't matter, but all that is acquired learning. Assessors like reading about interesting things. It breaks up the monotony of: 'Conflict occurs often in human history. This can be seen in WW2 when Hitler does this and then in Australia asylum seekers do that...' There's nothing intrinsically wrong with these examples, but you need to employ them in a creative manner. Boring them is the worst thing you can do.

For Conflict in particular I'd recommend the news as a vital source of essay fodder. We were given handouts on everything from the War in Syria to the Evolution "debate." There really is no shortage of potential discussion here, everything ties into conflict somehow. We turned it into a game, my friends would say 'coffee' and I'd say 'the debate between fair trade beans and regular, and the way the western world prioritises price over working conditions for our fellow man.' Yeah, we were the cool kids.  8)

Read the paper every morning if you can, or have a little news feed tab open to skim through in your spare time (this will help for L.A. and vocab building anyway) and start accumulating ideas now so that you'll have a wealth of concepts to draw from in the exam. Breadth and depth, say that like a chant in your head. Cover as much as you can, since you're meant to be commenting on universal truths here, but don't forget to explore your examples rather than just cramming them in. Breadth and depth, breadth and depth...

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #50 on: February 15, 2014, 08:01:49 pm »
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Hi Lauren,
Do you have a guide/structure to an oral presentation? This is for the SAC.
Thanks a bunch :)
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #51 on: February 15, 2014, 08:26:14 pm »
+4
Hi Lauren,
Do you have a guide/structure to an oral presentation? This is for the SAC.
Thanks a bunch :)

Not really.  :-\ Your structure will depend on your topic, and the number of arguments you have is entirely up to you. As a general rule, try to have a clear cut intro, 3/4 main points, and a well rounded conclusion. The structure isn't really assessed, unless you do it badly enough for it to be noticeable to the audience.
For some general-purpose tips check our this blog:
http://www.vcestudyguides.com/advice-for-a-oral-presentations
Otherwise if you need more specific help, let me know what your topic is, or PM me with what you've got so far.

~V

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #52 on: February 15, 2014, 10:54:11 pm »
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Yeah i get what you mean when theres not an actual structure like a text response or something. Thanks for link! I looked at the author's name and she did graduate from my school!
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #53 on: February 19, 2014, 10:45:38 pm »
+4
Does this sound like an analysis (only one body paragraph) to you?

The British newspaper columnist, which is the fuel for most of The Australian's corrective viewpoints, is rebuked as publishers of "nonsense" and positioned as a naive group who are fast to "express outrage" but "little heard" when the Iraq War actually occurred. pretty long for an opening sentence, try to break this up, or have a more general topic sentence to start off (ie. just a general comment on tone, or whatever your paragraph will focus on) Through asserting that the columnist is publishing "delusional rhetoric", the columnist is relegated to an individual that publishes content that is melodramatic, hyperbolical and fictional. Therefore the readers are made to feel... or made to view the writers as...? Compounded by suggestions that the columnist is "not alone" in this saga, the reader is more easily appealed persuaded by the newspaper's contention that Wikileaks is a convenient scapegoat fabricated by the media. How? Why is this effective? Resultant of this, Wikileak's true contributions are unfairly overshadoweds.<--this is evaluation, not analysis  *This alludes to a broader cultural habit of media publications to create caricatural antagonists and protagonists to galvanise division within the community, with the ultimate aim of fuelling debate and increasing their own readership.* Thus, by acting as if it is shedding light to the true sentiments of media publications and proposing that a "reality check" on Wikileaks is needed, The Australian elevates itself as an objective publication that is contrary to its British counterpart. needs another sentence here too: how does a reader feel about this? What is this appealing to?

Dealing with inferences is a fine line to walk on. Some of this * sounds a little too much like evaluation of the issue, instead of an analysis of the article. You round it back eventually, and what you're writing is true, but you won't get any marks for a sentence like this. Your analysis of "deluded rhetoric" is excellent, do this about once a paragraph if you can; don't force it, but most articles will have some key words you can break down and analyse the connotations of.
You could do with mentioning one or two techniques though. I know it feels simplistic just to point out devices, but it is a requirement, so do get it out of the way so you can move into deeper analysis without compromising easy marks.
Analysing inferences really only works for certain articles, and it's usually a technique in itself. And implication (that is, what the author is suggesting) can be very different from inferences (what the reader interprets.) Since LA is about determining how language is used to persuade, your focus is on what the author is doing, not on audience interpretation or understanding.
Having said that, you do need to mention the effect on the reader. If you're not certain about structure, go back to the tried and tested TEE until you're confident to deviate. Technique, Explain/Elaborate Effect. Or maybe the order of Es is different, I don't know, most schools appropriate this so find whatever works for you.

Re: sorting paragraphs, by technique is very limiting, and by tone is incredibly difficult unless you get the right articles. Refer to my earlier post where I ramble about 'key players'/ another word for stakeholders for more.  To sum up, yes it's the closest I've come to a foolproof way of structuring LA essays. Though once or twice it hasn't worked, and I've had to fall back on chronological analysis, so try some other methods just to have up your sleeve. And you might find something completely different works better for you anyway :)

Blondie21

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #54 on: February 20, 2014, 09:23:24 pm »
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What is the best way to,identify the overall tone when analysing a text for language analysis?
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #55 on: February 20, 2014, 11:42:46 pm »
+6
What is the best way to,identify the overall tone when analysing a text for language analysis?

Hmm. It's a skill that comes with practice, usually you'll have to listen for the 'voice' of the reader. Best way I can explain it is: if the text was being read aloud to you, how would it sound? Vitriolic/ sarcastic/ passionate? The answer is usually in the language used, or the way key players/ stakeholders are positioned.

English Language students probably have an advantage here, though it's easy enough to understand.
Note the difference between concrete nouns and abstract nouns. Concrete: basic things you can see/hear/touch (chair, pen, house). Abstract nouns are ones that can't be interpreted by the 5 main senses (eg. happiness, poverty, corruption) With these, the author is communicating ideas by association, appealing to certain emotions. Analyse the connotations since this is usually where subtle tonal changes are evident.

As a general rule, there are often short sentences or interjections like 'This is intolerable!' or 'How dare they?' that give the game away. ie. the tones here are outraged, infuriated, incredulous etc. Often the ability to comment on tone comes from having sufficient vocabulary to do so. Check my earlier post on helpful words for year 12 english, there's a good handout in there that lists the sort of vocab you should familiarise yourself with. It's by no means conclusive, and there are heaps of websites that list hundreds of adjectives to describe tone and getting to know this sort of stuff now is highly recommended.

In terms of how to identify overall tone, I'd say an adverb or two in the intro or first paragraph is sufficient; sometimes the tone is simply not important enough to warrant anything more. But as always with VCAA things are a tad trickier, tones will change throughout the body of writing, and the high level responses will notice these shifts instead of merely commenting on the general tone of the whole piece. Try to avoid blatant phrases like 'The author employs a dispassionate tone,' instead aim to use adjectives/adverbs, as this forces you to analyse instead of summarise, eg. 'The author vehemently decries the government while patriotically asserting our right to basic freedom.'

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #56 on: February 27, 2014, 05:46:28 pm »
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Hey. Year 9 here :).

How do you suggest to improve my structure of essays and fluency of my writing? I tend to rely a lot on my plan because when I have to write on the spot I crumble under pressure. Love using complex vocabulary, and sometimes I take ages to write, as I want the words to fit in perfectly.

Also is writing practise essays a good way to improve English skills in general? If so, what type of essays... Text responses, persuasive writing, creative? What are the types you will be using for VCE?

Thanks for your time.
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #57 on: February 27, 2014, 06:58:46 pm »
+4
Hi Hannibal,
It's perfectly fine to rely on a plan. Though it won't be assessed, some people take a good 15 minutes just to write out an extensive plan to outline their ideas, and can then churn out an essay in 45-50 minutes. It might help to develop a shorthand so that you're not wasting time by writing out names, titles, long words etc. Letters for the author and characters are usually sufficient, abbreviate the title and some of the key words in the prompt (eg. id&b for identity and belonging) As I said, the plan won't be looked at by assessors, so it only needs to make sense to you (though for year 9/10 they might give it a mark out of 10, or check that you've done one, ask your teacher if you're not sure.)
A lot of people don't feel comfortable writing off the top of their head, and that's fine. By the time you get to the exam, you probably will have covered the general type of prompts, or you'l have a starting structure that you can fall back on. (eg. for Language Analysis: 'Following the recent media coverage of__, author __ contends in his article __ that...') These can be good last resorts, but you should steer away from rote-learned/ formulaic responses.
Don't worry about taking ages to write, you have four years to fine-tune all that! In Year 12 you will have to write three essays in three hours, but at the start of the year I'd usually take three hours just for one.
It's great that you're already building up vocab, focus on that so that it'll become more familiar to you over the next few years. The assessors are always complaining about students who cram complex words in where thay don't belong, and encourage students to use the language at their disposal (ie. that they are already familiar with) rather than memorising some "big" words to try and impress. Eventually you'll notice ideas will come to you much easier because you'll have the language to deal with more sophisticate concepts.
For VCE there are 3 essay types:
Text Response also known as Section A, which you'll be familiar with.
Context or Section B: your school selects one of 4 general 'contexts' (eg. Conflict or Identity and Belonging,) then selects a text to use as a springboard for ideas. Basically unlike a Text Response where you are analysing the book/film directly, in Context you are using it as a basis for discussing the overall theme. This is where you can chose between persuasive, expository (normal essay) or creative writing.
and Language Analysis/ Section C. You might know this as a Media Journal or Article Analysis, each school has it's own lingo. You're given a persuasive text, usually from a newspaper though in the exam it's different, and you have to write an essay on how language is used to persuade the audience. I've put some samples up in earlier posts, or if you want more info you might want to look through some of the past exam papers and assessor's reports: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/english/englishexams.aspx

For now, I'd suggest improving sentence structure and expression is all you should worry about. VCAA will be giving the English Study Design a revamp in 2015/16 (translation: the current system will probably change by the time you're in Year 12)
I guess if you're doing Language Analysis or an equivalent at school, try to get your head around that since the task doesn't really change much from yr 9 to 12, whereas T.R. essays will be marked by an entirely different criteria. Maybe practice some annotations or note-taking techniques.
Though since you're by far the youngest poster I've seen on here (kudos!) I'd say you have little to worry about at this stage :)

Rishi97

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #58 on: March 01, 2014, 11:52:15 am »
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Hey Lauren

Could you please explain the difference between "evoke" and "provoke"?
I want to use these words in my L.A but I'm having trouble deciphering the meaning for each.

Thanks in advance ;D
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literally lauren

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Re: 50 in English, available for queries :)
« Reply #59 on: March 01, 2014, 03:50:20 pm »
+9
Hi Rishi,
Easiest way to remember it is:
You provoke a fight or conflict &
You evoke emotions.
Sometimes the two are interchangeable, but for the most part, 'provoke' is a lot stronger and more deliberate; the author is intentionally aggravating or nagging readers into submission. 'Evoke,' however, is a lot more subtle, and will probably be more useful to you for L.A. Evoking is like 'summoning forth' feelings/memories/ideas that are already present in a reader's mind. As opposed to instilling which is when an author creates a sense for the reader to feel.
eg. He provoked his friend into jumping the fence (like an instigation)
      His speech about dying children evoked strong emotions in me (because this sympathy was already there, it was just brought to the surface)
      My parents instilled a sense of discipline in my brother (because he wasn't respectful before)
There's also invoke which also means 'to bring up' but more in terms of calling upon certain ideals or rules, like appealing to a common desire to protect the vulnerable
eg. The author invokes our sense of obligation to help the less fortunate.

Think of it this way: to invoke the imagination, to provoke people's senses, and to evoke emotions.

However, 'provocative' and 'evocative' are essentially the same thing.
English huh?