Tone

‘Celebrities are a drain on society’. Discuss this statement.

(try to use an ironic/sarcastic tone).

Using Humour for Serious Issues

The following is a collection of examples produced by students.

LIFE BEYOND YOUR TEEN MAGAZINE BY TYLA-MAE MATTHEWSPosted on November 17, 2012 by tomorrowswriters

Why do you care about people that live thousands of miles away? They’re not Justin Bieber’s new haircut! They’re not a 5 piece British boy band telling you how beautiful you are! So what if people are being tortured constantly in North Korea? At least they have sunshine where they live. I mean, they may not see it since they are locked away in isolated concentration camps, fearing for their next beating… but it’s still there. You can’t change the world-so why bother even caring in the first place? Nobody listens to what you have to say anyway, right? That’s why you find it necessary to update your Facebook and Twitter every 5 minutes. By the way, congratulations on getting 500 followers-I’m sure your parents are proud.

Why can’t they just leave their country; it would save lots of fuss? First of all, they might not be able to afford to. Did I not mention that 90% of the North Korean population are in poverty? Secondly, they are not allowed to leave their country. They are forced to live under the rules of Kim-Jong Un, confined in their corrupted country. But thank you for the suggestion.

Whilst you are completing your ever so exhausting homework, children are being trained…to kill. You have to go outside to walk the dog or go shopping with you mum? How awful. At least you can go outside knowing that you are safe and not in fear or being shot or sold unwillingly into being a slave.

Next time you are asked to do a small favour, don’t complain because you think that you are the king of everything and you have too much to do already. Think about the people less fortunate than you because they would rather do that minor favour than be beaten and starved to death.

NORTH KOREA #NO.1 COUNTRY BY BILLY KEELEYPosted on November 17, 2012 by tomorrowswriters

WARNING

EVERYTHING in this piece of writing is entirely sarcastic!!

 

North Korea: let’s help! Their luxurious private estates and luscious, nutritious food put our lifestyle to shame! Anyway, they’re thousands of miles away from us; we’re too busy with our stressful, dutiful, hectic lives to care. Millions of people around the world live in poverty; millions of people around the country live in poverty! So why focus on North Korea? Why not focus on our own suffering, tattered, horrific country first?

In North Korea they don’t even have to wait for their food! Or to kill the animal! They can just glamorously wait behind their animal of choice when their meal is being served! High class servants! We don’t have that tasty, nutritional luxury: do we? The quality delights of North Korean cuisine! Truly delicious! “We love our food,” one delightful North Korean told us. Unfortunately, the man had to be rushed to the hospital shortly after with a severe case of food poisoning.

Don’t forget that travelling to North Korea would be a rare, amazing, magnificent addition to your CV! If you ever return to see it…

North Korea is a never-ending candy shop. North Korea is a tropical paradise. North Korea is a breath of fresh air. North Korea is heaven. Who wouldn’t want to sleep on the rat-infested floor? You wouldn’t have to pay for a bed! Who wouldn’t want to be separated from your family for eternity? No-one can tell you what to do: besides the prison camp guards. Who wouldn’t want to be isolated from this hideous gluttony-filled world? Away from the first world monstrosities; One Direction; job cuts; plastic people.

At least they care about your state of health in North Korea. If you’re suffering from starvation in a drought season, the government will feed you. And if you’re lucky, you’ll only get tortured three times a day! I know… amazing! And if you’re ill, the camp officers will pre-dig your grave to save that last minute hassle! The government really care about their citizens.

North Korea is so much better than every single other country, no-one wants to leave! The government like to get to know their citizens and future soldiers! And if on the odd occasion someone finds the need to take a brief vacation.,, they get tazed…or sniped…or shot…or tortured…or abused…or electrified…or captivated.

True dedication!

North Korea: #1 Country!

IS IT REALLY THAT BAD? BY DAN POWELLPosted on November 17, 2012 by tomorrowswriters

Who cares about North Korea? A thousand miles away from us and aren’t we all too busy watching TV or sipping a cup of tea while staring out the window?

The weather there is exquisite compared to Britain. All you have to do is hand in your freedom; your dignity; your honour: a small price to pay.

Imagine it: living in a holiday resort. Walls to protect you; guards to keep you safe; the most amazing, delicious slop once a week. What a world? If you’re lucky you may only get tortured once a day.

If you are lucky you may only get tortured once a day.

North Korea is a place full of depth and culture. The people are happily willing to be dictated by a corrupted government. If that’s not a wonderful country united together what is?

It’s such an amazing country that anyone who tries to leave should be shot dead. In fact, their wonderful government have taken the liberty to do that for us. How kind are they?

Why stay in rainy old England? NO peace from work, no real happiness.

Isn’t it terrible in England? But over in North Korea everything is wonderful. If you go on a tour there they only show you a small bit of the country because to see it all is so outstanding it would be too much fort one person to handle.

The people are so kind they won’t say anything bad about you; in fact they will pretend you’re not even there.

A single rose blossoming in the overgrown, corrupted, wild garden that is the world we live in.

North Korea: the eye of the storm!

NORTH KOREA: PARADISE BY DANIELLE MERCERPosted on November 17, 2012 by tomorrowswriters

North Korea: the best holiday destination the world has to offer; great for the whole family. Once you make it past the line of trained snipers, all with their targets aimed at your head, the place is a pure haven. You can stay at a 5 star concentration camp where, if you’re a woman, you will be sold to the highest bidder to satisfy their sordid pleasures. If you’re the man of family, don’t be surprised when you’re shot in front of your ‘loved’ ones after they’ve told the guards about your precious escape plan. But why would you want to escape? You’re not programmed to think like that.

What’s the typical food you should expect in North Korea? Well the hassle of choosing from the millions upon millions of consumables, stacked on shelves in crammed stores, is finally over; you only have two glorious ‘foods’ to choose from. Corn kernels retrieved from cow dung or your own sick, tough choice. Sounding good so far?

At last, your ears will be safe. Away from the whine that comes from annoying teens trying to sing, all of who sound more like Alvin and the chipmunks than Whitney Houston or Queen. Instead, you hear next to nothing. No laughter, no friends talking, no music…just peace and quiet. You wouldn’t dare say much anyways, you’ll probably be whipped. Oh well. At least it’s quiet.

Sleep? If you do get any sleep, is it even worth it? If we dream about what we know and all you know is pain, your sleep will be full of painful nightmares. You can’t get away from the torture; it lurks in the shadows, everywhere, ready to pounce at any moment. It can creep behind you when you least expect it, there’s nothing you can do. You’re powerless. You’re paralysed.

Imagine this…nothing. My point is you can’t imagine anything. You can’t think independently, you can’t be ambitious, you can’t be determined. You can’t choose who’s comes into power, one family controls you; generation by generation. All with the same twisted mind. How fun life would be?

What’s the point in school, when you can be a trained killing machine from as soon as you leave the womb? What’s the point in individuality when you can be a carbon copy of everyone else? What’s the point in life when you can’t live it anyways? Exactly, what’s the point?

You’re a prisoner, for the whole time that you are alive; which believe me, will not be long. Even if you’re not physically in prison, your mind is definitely locked up, with the key thrown away. You will probably never be able to get that key back. But what’s the point?

You’ll be fine, I’m sure.

YOUR HARD LIFE BY LAURA FARRELLPosted on November 17, 2012 by tomorrowswriters

Hard. Your life is hard enough. You’ve had a full day at school, received one piece of homework, you barely have any time to check your Twitter page and now you’re expected to care? It’s not right. There are maybe around 250,000 people in North Korean concentration camps but you just keep concentrating on how many followers you got today.

Anyway, why should you care? It wasn’t you who doomed an entire country. They’re half way across the world from you; it doesn’t impact your life.

You may feel a pang of guilt for not coming but your life is too complex to take action. You have to wake up to a dark sky, which is an effort in itself; your social ranking depends on what image you reflect of yourself; there’s so many decisions you have to make for yourself; the boy you like doesn’t acknowledge your existence; there’s so much food to choose from, you don’t know what to pick and the list goes on.

However in North Korea, you don’t have to worry about any of that stuff, imagine that? Now imagine all of your worries amplified by 100. Welcome to North Korea.

The sky is always sunny; if you’re allowed outside. Don’t worry about Twitter; the North Koreans have never even heard about the internet. Forget about friends; they’d probably turn you into the government anyway. Who needs a boyfriend in North Korea? They’ll just chuck you in a room with a stranger for a few hours and nine months later, the population will have increased. No need to worry about what food to eat; you can worry if you’re going to eat at all.

When you put things into perspective, I’d say North Korea sounds a little bit worse than your life.

However, you still don’t have to do anything, you can go on with your life without sparing another thought about those poor, poor people whilst they starve, die and be poisoned about the outside world.

You don’t have to support a charity which helps people escape the hellish nightmare that they call home. You don’t have to strive to help people who can’t help themselves. You don’t have to help change people’s life.

The thing is, you don’t have to do anything but the difference is… You can.

Delaying the reader (basic example)

Writing to inspire in your descriptions

Extracts from On the Road, by Mr Jack Kerouac

I shambled after, as usual, as I've been doing all my life, after people that interest me, because the only people that interest me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, desirous of everything

at the same time, the ones that never yawn or say a commonplace thing... but burn, burn, burn like Roman candles across the night

I want to marry a girl so I can rest my soul with her until we both get old. If only I could find her and cultivate her and make her mind my soul.

I like too many things and get all confused and hung up running from one falling star to another ‘til I drop.

We were leaving confusion and nonsense behind and performing our one and noble function of the time: move. And we moved.

The whole country was open like an oyster for us to open; and the pearl was there. The pearl was there.

Oh, smell the people! Ah! God! Life!

Galeta was a serious girl. She was pale and looked like tears all over.

Dean was no longer responding. He was only dreaming in his eternity.

Their (*people) souls really won’t be at peace unless they can latch on to a proven worry and, having once found it, they assume facial expressions to fit and go with it, which is, you see, unhappiness; and all the time it all flies by them and they know it and that too worries them no end.

For a moment I had reached the point of ecstasy that I had always wanted to reach, which was the complete step across chronological time into timeless shadows and wonderment...all the angels dove off and flew into radiances shining in bright mind essence, innumerable lotus-lands falling open in the magic of moth swarm of heaven.

We stand uncertainly underneath the immense skies, and everything about us is drowned. Where to go? What to do? What for? To fill the empty space with the substance of our lives.

Dust rose to the stars together with every sad music on earth.

Semantic fields.There are lots of words related to...

Details given about people

Style of sentence construction

How are things emphasised?

How do the extracts make you feel?

Anything else you spot?

Look through these sentences and generate a list of typical features in inspiring writing, using the criteria below:

Now, write a description of a time you felt free (25 marks).

Remember to use imagery:

The house is a blanket.

Safe

Comforting

Durable

Welcoming

House

Bricks

Windows

Doors

Garden

Examples from students:

YEARNING BY SAFFRON PRITCHARDNothing.  The only elements of the world around you are the semi-circular sun, the dust beneath your feet and the sky which seems like a silken sheet thrown across the world. This is the void between two desired places which seems more elating than the places themselves. The abyss.

Surely any life worth living requires seeing everything? If we are born into this world with no idea as to why we are here, then the only thing to do is see the world we live in. Explore it. Expand it.

You must travel; otherwise, your life is pointless. Why else are we, as humans, overcome with a yearning to explore?  A yearning for the copper coloured sunrise and its warmth against your cheeks. A yearning for the wind in your face and the breeze entangling itself in your hair.

A yearning for life.

A yearning for life worth living.

There is life and then there is living.

PRESENT BY JOE DAVIES

Taking in my first breath, it ushers memories into my mind, streaming around my body like a torrential waterfall, drowning my common sense, opening up a world of possibilities; a world of madness; a world of life.

Particular memories come floating into view; the absolute essence of pure venture pulsates through my veins, ordaining my heart and body to fly, leave and live, live on the road, and never stop running until I reach the point of complete and utter illumination, and only then. Then I will be satisfied.

I move my arm, and entire cities fall under my feet, only memories, distant recollections of wonderment and marvel. All have their unmatched niches; Paris, a city of design and shape; Berlin, a city of efficiency and technology; Rome, a city of history and surprise, but none have that unspoilt pureness, that feeling of enlightenment that yearns within me, but cannot emanate itself in it’s surroundings.

I raise my foot, as I did so many times, walking across the world, desperately searching for that one place that housed true happiness. Before long I had escaped the disappointment of Europe, and I was deep in Asia, the domain of rich, prominent and captivating characters and places. But even after the diversity of India and the uniformity of China, no location stood out amongst the thousands of towns and villages I had traversed in the past weeks, months and maybe even years. Time had no meaning anymore. Time. The limitless dictator of the world, governing everything, everyone, everywhere. Yet I seemed to have eluded time. I could of been young or old, but it wouldn’t of made a difference to the these words I am writing now, or then, or later.

I blinked. Life rushed past me; a bullet flying past a tree. I was the tree. Stood there, weathered, tired, however irrelevant to anyone walking past me, walking perhaps to their certain doom, bankruptcy, or even death. But look at it from the opposite perspective, and those same people are walking to success, triumph and riches. I seek no money. It is not he bearer of happiness. And it seems, like the tree, I will never find such joy and I will be forever destined for normality, order and routine.

I squirmed. Time may govern our lives, but only one thing governs the way we live them. Fate. Fate has no perspective, no control and no measure, yet it’s presence is unimaginably important. Without it, life would predictable and repetitive.

With it, life is a mystery, an enigma, and most importantly; an adventure. My journey? Euphoria was always there, with me, following me. My voyage ended with my birth: after my breath, after moving my arm, after kicking my foot, after blinking and after my silly little squirm; I was born, and my adventure began.

For true happiness is not found or uncovered or crafted. It cannot be made. There is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Happiness is the rainbow. Joy is all around so live for the moment, as it is a gift. That is why they call it the present.

Practise structuring your narratives!

Paragraph 1: long descriptive paragraph describing your surroundings (HEAVEN) without revealing WHERE you are.

Paragraph 2: short paragraph revealing where you are.

Paragraph 3: long paragraph flashback to your life- family/friends etc.

Paragraph four: long paragraph describing your life the morning you died. (POSITIVE)

Paragraph five: short paragraph to highlight the horrors of your death.

Paragraph six: long paragraph describing your death.

**********************************************************************

Writing A Speech: ‘Travelling is important for teenagers’ What are your views?

The following are resources (this was a GCSE Controlled Assessment last year) from lessons. After reading them, write the speech (and don’t forget to enjoy every minute).

• Experts say that in any speech you have TEN SECONDS to grab your audience.

• We speak on average 3 words a second.

• Therefore, your first 30 words are VITAL.

• Also, the mark scheme demands a crafted opening! J

ShortRhetorical questionsPolite imperatives

Sentences

Pronouns “we” “you”RepetitionSuperlatives “best”

Words

• How can you make the opening relevant to your audience and the rest of your speech?

• Start with an anecdote – a real-life experience- which your audience could relate to.

• Show you understand their emotions.

• Talk about things your audience are interested in.

• Act like an expert.

• Highlight the THEME of your speech. Whatever aspect you’re going to focus on, draw their attention to it straightaway.

Anecdote: for a speech on the pros and cons of travelling abroad to teenagers.

An example of dangerous people abroad? Waiters in Greece. This one can only be described as weird. He apparently spotted me one day when we were eating because he came into my side of the restaurant.

So, he spots me at the Gala buffet, and just continuously talks to me, then the next day he finds me and drags me away. This is the last full day and he starts getting angry and upset that he only spotted me then, and not at the start of the cruise. He kept saying he liked me and that I had wings because I was an angel from heaven, how he liked me when I was smiling because when I smiled- he smiled.

Wait it gets weirder.

He then started to say that we had to keep it a secret because a relationship between passenger and crew is not allowed, and he was trying to meet up with me another time when he was off work.

At this point I decided I suddenly needed the toilet.

Annnnd still he goes on about how he just wants to talk to me and needs to see me... So I leave him but he gives me a paper rose.

I told the mother about him and she said, '' well you've scored!'' Lovely.

In discursive writing, you must develop COUNTER-ARGUMENTS

• Tell the audience the opposite side of the coin. Then reinforce that your side is the right side.

For: Travel is good because you can meet new people.

Against: Travel is dangerous because there are different laws and you don’t know who you can trust.

Counter-argument: Although some people believe travel is dangerous, the fact is that the chance to meet interesting and cultured people is far more likely.

Crafting your sentences:

1. Repetition of key points- creates rhythm.

2. Antithesis: opposites in one sentence.

3. Start sentences with blunt, captivating words.

4. End sentences with unexpected details.

5. Use short sentences to grab attention.

6. Use long sentences for detail: make the audience see what you can see.

Crafting your paragraphs:

1. Order your thoughts considering teenager’s interests.

2. Use short paragraphs to capture attention.

3. Link your ending to the start of the speech.

4. Give your speech a THEME and refer to this throughout: this helps keep the audience focused.

5. Develop a relationship with the audience by occasionally interacting with them: they’ll be scared to drift off.

6. Use extended metaphors.

7. Delay information/keep the audience in suspense.

8. Use juxtaposition.

Extended metaphor example:

Facebook is not a website. It’s a parasite creeping around your body, devouring anything in its path. It starts at your fingertips, infecting your bones, locking them into an attacking formation: useful only for the keyboard.

As it prowls up your body, it targets your brain, searching for a desire to move; to talk; to see anything beyond the computer: ready to destroy your life beyond the imprisoning pages of the webpage.

Order these points to successfully engage teenagers:

Order Point to be made

Summary of how boring life can be without travel.

Facts and statistics about travel.

Anecdote describing a personal travelling experience.

An interactive hands-up section.

Why people think teenagers travelling is a bad idea.

Now write your speech! J

******************************

Using this persuasive speech from Obama as a stimulus, write an ARTICLE persuading people to vote for you as Malaysia’s Top Person, who is required to represent Malaysia around the Globe, promoting the country.

Let me begin by saying thanks to all you who've travelled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today.

We all made this journey for a reason. It's humbling, but in my heart I know you didn't come here just for me, you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that's shut you out, that's told you to settle, that's divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what's possible, building that more perfect union.

*****

Let's be the generation that ends poverty in America. Every single person willing to work should be able to get job training that leads to a job, and earn a living wage that can pay the bills, and afford child care so their kids have a safe place to go when they work. Let's do this.

Let's be the generation that finally tackles our health care crisis. We can control costs by focusing on prevention, by providing better treatment to the chronically ill, and using technology to cut the bureaucracy. Let's be the generation that says right here, right now, that we will have universal health care in America by the end of the next president's first term.

Let's be the generation that finally frees America from the tyranny of oil. We can harness homegrown, alternative fuels like ethanol and spur the production of more fuel-efficient cars. We can set up a system for capping greenhouse gases. We can turn this crisis of global warming into a moment of opportunity for innovation, and job creation, and an incentive for businesses that will serve as a model for the world.

Let's be the generation that makes future generations proud of what we did here.

Most of all, let's be the generation that never forgets what happened on that September day and confront the terrorists with everything we've got. Politics doesn't have to divide us on this anymore - we can work together to keep our country safe.

*****

I want to win that next battle - for better schools, and better jobs, and health care for all. I want us to take up the unfinished business of perfecting our union, and building a better America.

And if you will join me in this improbable quest, if you feel destiny calling, and see as I see, a future of endless possibility stretching before us; if you sense, as I sense, that the time is now to shake off our slumber, and slough off our fear, and make good on the debt we owe past and future generations, then I'm ready to take up the cause, and march with you, and work with you. Together, starting today, let us finish the work that needs to be done, and usher in a new birth of freedom on this Earth.

(You can also use this to practise Reading Q2).

Speech to article

It is important to vary your vocabulary, grammar and the personal nature of your writing for speeches/articles.

Arrange the sentences into 2 columns: speech and article. Some can go into both.

1. Let me tell you about my friend.

2. This week saw the launch of..

3. Did you know that...

4. Things are getting worse.

5. Yesterday, figures were released highlighting that...

6. People were outraged this week after...

7. Beyond my garden gate lies a small pond.

8. You’re all intelligent people.

9. All over the country, people are celebrating...

10.You need to listen to me.

11.How many of us are really honest?

Make these sentences less personal: (keeping your distance = more formal)

1. You might think = it is often thought

2. Your family is precious =

3. I think life is scary =

4. I believe we should give up =

5. You probably hate it =

A guide to apostrophes: How to put apostrophes into your writing.

Look at all words in your sentences that end in ‘s’. Do they usually end in ‘s’? If not, they either need an apostrophe, or they are plurals. (If they need an apostrophe, you must use the possession rule, see below.)

SCENARIO 1

The word ending in ‘s’ isn’t a real word. You need an apostrophe (these are usually names or time, see below)

o Megans Megan’s Harrys Harry’so This is unless the sentence is talking about how many “Harrys” there are in a

room: which is unlikely, really.

SCENARIO 2

The word can be used as a simple plural e.g. parks, bikes, toilets, girls. You know that there is only one of the object e.g. there is one park, one bike, one

girl being talked about in the sentence. Therefore, it is not a plural and you need and apostrophe before the ‘s’.

The bike’s wheel.

The girl’s bag.

The park’s swings.

The toilet’s flush.

SCENARIO 3

The word can be used as a simple plural but there is more than one Think about: Does the sentence still make sense if I change the plural to a singular? If it does, it is likely to be a normal plural. If not, you need an apostrophe

before the ‘s’.

o The toilets are broken The toilet is broken (yes)o The bikes wheels The bike wheel (no)o The girls toilets The girl toilet (no)o The parks are beautiful The park is beautiful. (yes)

(Don’t forget to change any other plural words: are/is were/are etc.)

If you are not sure how many there are, look at other words in the sentence like: her (one), they (more than one), are (more than one), is (one)

OR: You can learn the possession rule, which applies to everything:

1. Look at the word ending with the ‘s’.2. Look at the words after it.3. Are any of the words after it objects that can belong to the word ending in ‘s’? 4. If there are, the word ending with ‘s’ needs an apostrophe. Where it goes

depends upon whether the word ends in ‘s’ because there are more than one, or because it normally ends in ‘s’. If it does, the apostrophe goes after. If not, it goes before.

e.g. The girls picture was on her wall.

- Think – the picture belongs to the girl. Apostrophe goes before ‘s’ : there’s only one girl, because ‘her’ and one ‘picture.’

Things to remember:

1. It’s not just people who can have possessions. Days, weeks and years can too, as can animals and objects:

Tomorrow’s mail

Today’s weather. (‘todays’ isn’t a word, on paper.)

The desk’s legs were wobbly.

The giraffe’s neck was very high.

The dog’s bowl was smelly.

2. Plural words that do not usually end in ‘s’ will always need an apostrophe:e.g. women, feet, men.

Women’s clothing, men’s deodorant

Remember womens and mens are not words (even though they’re all over Tesco because their bosses are stupid).

Typical Punctuation Crimes

• Sentences run-on to each other.

Sentence: a grade D for punctuation.

• Commas missing within sentences.

Sentence: a grade C for punctuation.

• Capital letters where they shouldn’t be/missing.

Sentence: a grade D for punctuation.

• Cant/wont/id/didnt

Sentence: grade D – missing apostrophes/ inaccurate spellings of basic words.

THE most interesting and LIFE-CHANGING video about colons and semi-colons you’ll ever be blessed to watch:

http://www.curriculumbits.com/english/cool-colons-and-super-semi-colons/

Picture it: a world without boundaries.

Imagine it: rolling hillsides and sparkling sunsets.

It’s beautiful: like a perfect picture waiting to be explored.

It’s breath-taking ; it’s illuminating; it’s exhilarating.

A world where nothing can be broken; nothing can be stolen; nothing can be lost.

Place colons and semi-colons in these sentences:

1. LFC is probably the best team in the world.

2. There was no way out and no way in and I was trapped.

3. Going on holiday should be exciting and wonderful because it’s an adventure.

4. Picture it, you on a beach caked in sun-cream or oil. Whichever takes your fancy.

“Welcome, members of the jury...

Make a statement + COLON : + give more detail

Description + ; + description + ; + description

The following defendants are here today for crimes against English. You should:

1. Read the evidence2. Decide if they are guilty – and of what crime3. Give them a sentence (Decide these on the lines below).”

1. Minor mistake ..e.g. hit in the face with a rubber chicken...2. Lack of proof reading ..............................................................3. Tut tut, you’ve forgotten the basics

..............................................................4. Major mistake ..............................................................5. Unforgivable ..............................................................

1. Defendant one Hello my name is rachel. i am 14 years old and i live in widnes. i like ice-cream and dogs.

Guilty of: Sentence:

2. Defendant two The wind spiralled around the room like a tornado of noise. My insides shuddered as I attempted to shut a window. The light suddenly shut off. The next morning I woke up freezing.

Guilty of:Sentence:

3. Defendant three I was scared off the door knock. I thought I could see the figure of a ghost inside it.

Guilty of:Sentence:

4. Defendant four “Were are we going?” Sarah asked. “No idea. Don’t know what I’m going to were,” Hayley replied.

Guilty of:Sentence:

5. Defendant five “What’s going on”? He asked miserably. “I don’t know” Jake replied “Wish I did though.”

Guilty of: Sentence: Being Beast At Grammar

You’re so common: Error 1

Me and my friends

Me= when you are the object in a sentence I = when you are the subject of the sentence.

Subject= someone or something who is doing something.

Object = something or someone something is being done to.

Taks 1: Underline the objects and subjects in these sentences using two difference colours.

1. The cat sat on the mat.2. Jack caught the train from Lime Street.3. Jasmin sent JLS a letter.4. Charlotte and Chloe hit the wall together. 5. Joe hit me in the face.

Task 2: Correct these sentences

1. Me and Jamie are going to the park. 2. When me and my sister eat our tea, we always argue. 3. When me and dad went shopping, I was spoilt.

You’re so common: Error 2

We could of gone home two hours ago

Could HAVE, should HAVE, would HAVE

Task 3: Correct the following sentences

1. I should of gone home when I had the chance. 2. I could of said yes, but I hate him.3. I would of gone out if it weren’t raining.

You’re so common: Error 3

If I was a boy

If I WERE a boy If your sentence begins with ‘IF’, you use WERE, not WAS.

Task 4: Correct these sentences

1. I couldn’t cope if you was to leave me.2. If you was a boy for a day, what would you do? 3. I was walking down the road.4. If I was a girl, I’d...

You’re so common: Error 4

There are less people in the room now

There are FEWER people in the room now

Less = something we can’t count. Fewer = something we can count.

Task 5: Fill in the gaps with ‘fewer’ or ‘less’.

1. There are .......................... cars on the road in the morning. 2. Jane has .......................... confidence. 3. There are .......................... sweets in the jar.4. Katie had .......................... pencils in her pencil case.

You’re so common: Error 5

We was going to the park I were going to the park

I/one person/one object = was More than one person/object/we = were

Task 6: Fill in the gaps with ‘was’ or ‘were’.

1. We....................... terrified during the movie. 2. I ............................ so happy to go to school this morning.3. Jack and Jill ............................ going up the hill. 4. My hamster .............................. eaten this morning.

You’re so common: Error 6

The waitress that brought us the food was ugly.

The waitress who brought us the food was ugly. Object = that Person = who

Task 7: Fill in the gaps with either ‘that’ or ‘who’

1. The car ..................... is parked in my spot better move. Now. 2. Kieran was a weird man .............................. liked to eat in the middle of the

night. 3. Yesterday, I saw the woman ...................... ate my gerbil. 4. I wish I could find the table ....................... is covered in chewy.

You are now a super English Grammar Expert and could be mistaken for the Queen. Dr Daryl says, ‘take this responsibility seriously’.