effective techniques in summary writing

7/29/2019 Effective Techniques in Summary Writing

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Techniques in SummaryWriting

By: ABIDAH BT SARAJUL HAQ * English Language Master Teacher

Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman , Ipoh

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Questions 19 24 in the PMR English Language Paper 1 are

based on your understanding of phrasal verbs and idiomaticexpressions.

Two sets of conversation based on given situations are

tested.

Students are required to give the meaning of the underlined

expression.

Each set of conversation is followed by THREE questions on

phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions.

A total ofSIX questions are tested from both sets of

conversations.

Each phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions are followed by

FOUR given options : A , B, C and D.

Students are to choose the meaning that BEST fits each of the


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Examination Tips

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1. Read and understand the conversation carefully. Try to get

the general idea of the whole conversation.

2. Pay attention to the situation mentioned . This will inform

you of the actual place where the conversation occurs.

3. Focus on the underlined expressions as you read on.

4. Ask yourself these questions to understand the conversation.a) What is the topic of the conversation ?

b) Who are involved in the conversation ?

c) What is the main concern of their conversation ?


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What are phrasal verbs and idiomaticexpressions ?

Phrasal verbs are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs andprepositions to make newverbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the dictionary definitions of the individual

words. They are widely used in both written and spoken English, and new ones are formed

all the time as they are a flexible way of creating new terms.

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb and an adverb (particle). Phrasal verbs are a very importantfeature of everyday English Language. They are used in spoken and informal English,

and they are also in written and even formal English. Understanding and learning to

use phrasal verbs, however, is often a problem and there are many reasons for this.

The meaning of the phrasal verb often has no relation to the meaning of either theverb or the particle which is used with it. This means that phrasal verbs can be difficultboth to understand and to remember. Many phrasal verbs have several different

meanings too.

Phrasal verb

A phrasal verb can be made up of:a verb + adverb throw away

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a verb + preposition look into

a verb + adverb + preposition put up with

A phrasal verb is an idiom which consists of a verb followed by a preposition, averb followed by an adverb, or a verb followed by an adverb, followed by a

preposition. The phrasal verbs in the following examples are printed in bold type.

e.g. I ran into an old friend.

We put offwashing the dishes.They all look up to him.

In these examples, the phrasal verb to run into consists of the verb to run followedby the preposition into, the phrasal verb to put offconsists of the verb to put

followed by the adverb off, and the phrasal verb to look up to consists of the verb to

lookfollowed by the adverb up, followed by the preposition to.

Phrasal verbs : PMR Practice 1

Fill in the following verbs (believe, fill, get, look, put, switch, take, throw, turn, try)

with the correct prepositions (away, down, for, in, off, on, out).

Example: My parents are out. So I have to ________ my baby-brother.

Answer: My parents are out. So I have to look after my baby-brother.

1. Quick! the bus. It's ready to leave.

2. I don't know where my book is. I have to it.

3. It's dark inside. Can you the light, please?

4. the form, please.

5. I need some new clothes. Why don't you the jeans?

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6. It's warm inside. your coat.

7. This pencil is really old. You can it .

8. It's so loud here. Can you the radio, please?

9. The firemen were able to the fire in Church Street.10. Does your little brother ghosts?

Examples of Phrasal verbs & Idiomaticexpressions

A penny for your thoughts

This idiom is used as a way of asking someone what they are thinking about.

A penny saved is a penny earned

This means that we shouldn't spend or waste money, but try to save it.

A picture is worth a thousand words

A picture can often get a message across much better than the best verbal

description.

A poor man's something

Something or someone that can be compared to something or someone else, but is

not as good is a poor man's version; a writer who uses lots of puns but isn't veryfunny would be a poor man's Oscar Wilde.

A pretty penny

If something costs a pretty penny, it is very expensive.

A rising tide lifts all boats

This idiom, coined by John F Kennedy, describes the idea that when an economy is

performing well, all people will benefit from it.

A rolling stone gathers no moss

People say this to mean that that a go-getter type person is more successful than aperson not doing any thing.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows stronger.

Actions speak louder than words

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This idiom means that what people actually do is more important than what they

say- people can promise things but then fail to deliver.

Ahead of time

If something happens ahead of time, it happens early or before the set time.

Any Tom, Dick or Harry

If something could be done by any Tom, Dick or Harry, it could be done by

absolutely anyone.

Apple of your eye

Something or, more often, someone that is very special to you is the 'apple of your' eye.

Recommendations

There are a number of ways of learning phrasal verbs:

1) You can learn different meanings according to the main verb, for instance look up, look

up to, look down, look down on, look into, etc.

2) You can learn different meanings according to the preposition or adverb, for instance let

down, turn down, sit down,put down, write down, etc.

3) You can learn different verbs used for a particular subject or situation, for instance

telephoning:put through, hold on, hang up, get through, cut off, speak up, etc.

4) You can learn the different meanings for one particular verb:

The new job did not work out

She has been working out in the gym all afternoon

I have worked it out and you owe me RM 65

Personally, I feel that trying to learn verbs from a list is boring and quite

difficult. It is better to learn them for different situations, then there is more chance that

you'll remember them. It is even easier to treat them as you treat any other vocabulary you

learn. Do not think of them as a special subject that has to be learnt. They are only words!

If you find a useful phrasal verb, learn it like you would learn any ordinary word such as

'table' or 'ashtray' or others.

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But make sure you write down the structure. It is ineffective to note down that turn

down means decline if you do not know how to use it. It is even better to note down a

couple of sentences each day in your special note book using the verb that you have come

across so that you have a context to remember it in and indeed with constant practice you

will understand how to use them.

For further practice , try out the exercise below.

PMR Practice 2

Situation A :

Syafiq and Syamim are discussing about their preparations for the forthcoming exams .

Syafiq : Hello Syamim. How are your preparations for the forthcoming exams ?

Syamim : Ive been (1) under the weather lately. I had flu for the past few days.

Syafiq : Im sorry to hear that . Have you seen the doctor , Syamim ?

Syamim : Yes , I m feeling a bit better now. Thanks for your concern. But when I think

of the exams , I have (2) butterflies in my stomach.

Syafiq : Dont worry too much about it . I feel we need to take care of our health too

and not to (3) burn the midnight oil too often.

Syamim : Yes . Yourre right. Thats a good piece of advice.

Syafiq : I sincerely hope that well pass the PMR exam with (4) flying colours.

1. under the weather 3. butterflies in my stomachA. Feeling exhausted A. feel nervous

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B. Feeling excited B. feel contented

C. Feeling unwell C. feel like a butterfly

D. Feeling tired D. feel sympathetic

2. burn the midnight oil 4. flying coloursA. stay up late A. satisfactory results

B. stay in the library B. unsatisfactory results

C. light up a candle C. excellent resultsD. light up a fire D. unexpected results

ANSWERS

PMR Practice 1

1. get in 6. take off 2. look for 7. throw .. away

3. switch on 8. turn down / switch off

4. Fill in 9. put off 5. try on 10. believe in

PMR Practice 2

1. C 2. A 3. A 4 C

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