All About English Creative Writing

[jasmineong]

TAS, I went to look for your other posts at other threads and found these postings by you that are commonly asked and commonly confusing to us parents..I post them here so it is easy reference for other parents and me to look through when we are in doubt, thanks for taking the time to post all these tips! :celebrate: I have categorized them, hope I have done it correctly.


-an, a (when 'an' should not be used even when the first letter is a vowel)
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=540

-\texamples of flashbacks
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=530

-\tLie, lay, lain, laid (when to use what)
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=520


-\tdiff between past tense and past continuous tense
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=500

-\twhom, who (when to use what)
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11809&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=40

- past tense, past perfect tense
http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11809&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30

[quirkymum]

Hi Jasmine,


Thanks for compiling this list. I have been following TAS for a short while but was too busy and tired to go back further into their earlier threads to read what they posted. Now the tips are all in one place, fantastic! :celebrate:

[Leicestergal]

Hi TAS,


Thanks for your detailed and very clear answer. Thanks for all your posts too, I can help my kids here who are out of the singapore system to catch up! Would you consider posting your lessons online and we can subscribe and pay to watch, so mummies like me who are overseas can benefit

[metz]

Leicestergal:

Hi TAS,


Would you consider posting your lessons online and we can subscribe and pay to watch, so mummies like me who are overseas can benefit

Oh yes, that's what I have in mind too! Please, would you give some thought to this suggestion?

[starlight1968sg]

Hi TAS,

Thanks a lot for sharing your tips again in the forum.

[jeestan]

Hi TAS,


Would appreciate it you could help see how to improve this piece of writing by a P4, thank you:

- I struck a match and threw it on some paper. The paper began to burn merrily. Suddenly, the wind blew the paper against the cupboard and the cupboard began to burn as well. Huge flames roared towards us. My brother and I trembled with fear and we were white with apprehension. I could not move. My brother pulled me away from the inferno. We ran to the door and opened it. The flames roared behind us. Thankfully we could escape. Once we were outside the house, we called for the fire brigade and they came and doused out the fire.

[The Alternative Story]

Leicestergal:

Hi TAS,


Thanks for your detailed and very clear answer. Thanks for all your posts too, I can help my kids here who are out of the singapore system to catch up! Would you consider posting your lessons online and we can subscribe and pay to watch, so mummies like me who are overseas can benefit

No problem I will answer your question about the online lessons together with chamonix?

[The Alternative Story]

chamonix:

Leicestergal:

Hi TAS,


Would you consider posting your lessons online and we can subscribe and pay to watch, so mummies like me who are overseas can benefit

Oh yes, that's what I have in mind too! Please, would you give some thought to this suggestion?

Hi chamonix and Leicestergal,

Currently, we have no plans to do so. We will think about it but even if we
do so, it might be in the next few years. Sorry about that. Perhaps
in the meantime, you could buy more assessment books from Popular
and also get examination papers from some schools in Singapore to
continue to familiarize yourself with the Singapore education?

TAS

[The Alternative Story]

starlight1968sg:

Hi TAS,

Thanks a lot for sharing your tips again in the forum.

No problem, starlight1968sg! Glad to be of help

[The Alternative Story]

jeestan:

Hi TAS,


Would appreciate it you could help see how to improve this piece of writing by a P4, thank you:

- I struck a match and threw it on some paper. The paper began to burn merrily. Suddenly, the wind blew the paper against the cupboard and the cupboard began to burn as well. Huge flames roared towards us. My brother and I trembled with fear and we were white with apprehension. I could not move. My brother pulled me away from the inferno. We ran to the door and opened it. The flames roared behind us. Thankfully we could escape. Once we were outside the house, we called for the fire brigade and they came and doused out the fire.

Hi jeestan,

This piece of work is good The child's vocabulary is quite wide
and there is a flow to the story.

However, here are some pointers as to how he or she can improve:

1) Make the story flow more logical:

- When a burning paper touches a cupboard, it is not likely that
the whole cupboard can erupt in flames so quickly.

What the child could have written:

- I struck a match and threw it on some paper.
The paper began to burn merrily. Suddenly, the wind blew the
paper against some curtains. The curtains began to catch fire.
Horrified, I stood watching as the hungry flames leapt from the
curtains to the sofa. Soon, the sofa was on fire as well.

2) Vary the sentence structure:

- The child's sentences mostly start with a pronoun like 'we', 'I'
or a noun like 'The flames'. To make the story sound more
'natural' it will be good if she or he can vary the sentence
structure.

Example:

- Huge flames roared towards us. Trembling,
my brother and I stood in one corner, watching the flames
eat up everything in its path.Wham! The cupboard fell over
as the flames now engulfed the furniture.

\"Run!\" my brother hollered above the roar of the fire.

Here, you vary the sentence structure with a) 'ing' sentence
b) sound effect c) speech

3) Describe the 'fear' in increasing intensity

-My brother and I trembled with fear and we were white with
apprehension

This sentence sounds a bit repetitive. When you want to elaborate on
the fear, you should do it in increasing intensity. Here, both
the 'trembling' and the 'white with apprehension' are about of the
same intensity.

Example:

- Trembling with fear, I held onto my brother.
Whoosh! The flames came closer and closer. Tears ran unchecked
down my face and I curled up in a ball at the corner of the room,
unable to move. Sobbing, I could only think of one thing- I was going
to die.

\"Run!\" my brother hollered and pulled me to my feet.

Here, you can see that the character gets more and more afraid,
first she trembles, then she cries and starts to sob. She is
unable to do anything, she is too frightened, she simply
hides in one corner, waiting for the inevitable, which is her
death, until her brother's cry galvanizes her to action.

Hope this helps.

TAS