Good grammatical construct is one of the pillars of a successful GP paper. Writing correctly also implies the right use of verbs in sentences. When it comes to verbs, some students get confused with the usage of past participles; a common complaint from teachers and examiners alike.

Why Is The Past Participle So Confusing For Students?

The answer to this question perhaps lies in the polymorphic use of the past participle itself. That is, the past participle can be used in several ways namely: nouns, part of a verb, adjectives and adverbs. As you have guessed, past participles have the ability of denoting a complete action.

But you should bear in mind that past participles cannot be used as the main verb of a sentence. And this is where most students fail to anticipate.

Errors At Glance

Consider the following sentence:
1) “The global warming has long been forsee as a known threat to earth.”
2) “This truth cannot be bore any longer.”

What are wrong with the above sentences?
Sentence 1: forsee should have been written as “foreseen”
Sentence 2: bore should have been written as “borne” or “born”

My Opinion On Why Those Mistakes Happen

As per my experience as a gp student and class orator (some 5 years ago) my conclusion as why students make those mistakes are:

1) Student are not aware of the transformation of certain verbs into other tenses like past tense and past participles. (In the case of the “bore” in sentence 2.)
Some verbs have uncommon patterns in the transformation from their present tense into past tense and past particple.

Eg:

* bear -> bore -> borne (or born)
* see -> saw -> seen
* write -> wrote -> written

These ‘weird’ verbs are, I believe, not strongly grasped by students since ‘common’ verbs usually just take ‘ed’ or ‘d’ or just remain the same:

* describe -> described -> described
* arrive -> arrived -> arrived
* read -> read -> read

Advice:
You have to learn and be aware of the different categories of verbs and their different tenses. I remember in my early primary school, we used to learn by heart large table of verbs in all their tenses and this has been a lot of help to me in my later language usage. If you have not been able to do it at that time, do it now!

2) Students are not concentrated enough when writing.
You have to care what you are writing because the examiners do not care to give marks for such foolishness. Examiners are here to give marks, make it easy for them and for yourself!

3) Students write in a haste, thus forcing errors.
This is a fact due to time restrictions. But this is not an excuse! It is your duty and home work to train your writing skills alongside with your writing speed. The examiner does not care if you write quickly or slowly, what they care is ‘what you are writing’ and allocate marks.

So as a general paper student, take a moment to think about what I have explained and help yourself gain good marks. If you have any suggestion or you don’t agree with my point of view, you are free to use the comment form below to express your opinion.

1) Adhere ==> stick to

The aim of this video is to teach us moral values and to show how it would affect us if we did not adhere to them

2) Bragged ==> boasted

I remembered the many times Yanick bragged about what a good student he was whenever he scored outstanding marks in the exams.

3) Depleted ==> destroyed

Due to the increasing use of CFC products and other pollutants, the ozone layer is being depleted at an alarming rate.

4) Cornerstone ==> indispensable

Oxygen is a conerstone for the survival of an array of creatures living on Earth.

5) Renewable ==> restored to original state

Although plastic is a non-biodegradable organic product, it is renewable.

Read More Related Vocabularies:
=> Good Writing Skills –> Enrich English Language

Daily Short Exercise For You - The Reader!

1) Use the above words to make your own sentences, can you?
2) Explain the meaning of the following words, as I have used them in the above examples, and make sentences with them:
- outstanding
- alarming
- array
- survival

Use the comment form below to show your answers..

Previously, I wrote about the aim of an A-Level summary writing, explaining what the examiner is expecting from you and the importance of writing only as what you are being directed to. In this article, I will focus on simple techniques, steps or approach to help you write a summary and scoring maximum marks. Are you ready?

Elements Making Up A Good Summary For General Paper Cambridge A-Level

A gp summary usually lies between 90-100 words. This is very very short indeed, but just enough to convey our thoughts clearly. To score maximum points for a cambridge general paper summary writing and earn the examiner’s respect, strive to maintain the following:

1) Provide only and exactly what you are being asked
2) Write in your own words and style whenever possible
- (But it may happen that you will have to use a word as is in the passage. It’s up to you to use your common sense to judge whether the meaning of this word or phrase cannot be conveyed differently)
3) Good usage of grammar + correct punctuation
4) Clear language
- Avoid using complex words or jargons in a summary
5) Make it flow

=> If you have those 5 elements, I don’t see why you should not score 100% mark in a summary writing!

Approach You Need, To Write An HSC A-Level Summary

1) Make sure you have understood what the examiner is asking you. Read and re-read the question several times. Underline keywords
2) Now, identify the paragraphs which are related to your needs. Underline relevant phrases
3) Read, read and re-read those paragraphs until you are convinced you have the picture in your mind - 3 times should be enough + concentrate yourself
4) Jot down main points on your paper
5) Now, referring back to those paragraphs, ensure your main points are correct
6) Go back to your questionnaire and confirm that you have everything that the examiner has asked
7) All set, it’s time for writing the summary - write a smooth paragraph with your main points + write in your own words and in simple comprehensible words

NOTE:
=> I will stress again; you need to write the summary in a simple, crystal clear language, without using any complex words, jargons or idioms. You are being primarily assessed for your skills to write what you are being asked.

=> The steps I wrote above, can be time consuming if you don’t practice them correctly. Bear in mind that your time is very limited in an exam, so train the speed of your summary writing also - this is equally important!

During your early english language classes, writing a summary essentially comprised reducing considerably the number of words of the whole passage. That is, you had to compress what you have read into a very brief account; no other specific requirements needed from you.

But in the General Paper level, this has changed enormously. The purpose of summary writing is more objective and more structured. And this is exactly what you will learn today, in this article.

Aim Of Summary Writing In GP Classes

=> To summarise only certain aspects of the passage directed by the examiner

You have to read and understand what the examiner is asking you. Be aware that he has a particular purpose in mind; to assess if you can provide/describe only and exactly what he is asking you + how well you deliver the results.

Why Has The Purpose Of Summary Changed For GP Papers?

The answer lies in the whole definition and aim of a GP class; a general paper class is primarily focussed on:
1) Analytical and critical thinking
2) assessing the general knowledge and reasoning of a student
3) Effective delivery of thoughts + Good usage of the english language

Hence, the summary is there to make sure you are selective and critical in filtering the specific and required information from a crowdy informative zone + conveying the message effectively.

The Cambridge General Paper Summary - Write Exactly What You Are Being Asked!

The examiner will give you clear instructions and indications as to what you should write in your summary. It is of an utmost importance that you read the specific instructions with extreme care. You should therefore conscientiously include the relevant pieces of information.

Follow-Up:
=> How To Write A General Paper Summary - A Level

Over To You - The Reader!

So, how do you proceed with gp paper summary writing? Any additional message you would like to share? Please use the comment form below..

To write about any simple thing or subject matter, we surely need an idea. If you don’t have an idea about what you want to write, how can you possibly write a full-fledged essay? The result is you will find yourself with two or three lines, but does that make an essay?

Idea - The Nightmare Of Writing!

But the biggest problem which GP essay candidates or any essay writing students face, is actually “how to acquire ideas“. The latter seems to be a daunting task since writing is not like other subjects where success depends upon assimilation of a certain number of facts, theories and the application of principles.

GP Essay Writing Or Essays Go A Step Ahead..

Essay writing transcends the requirement of other subjects by going a step further; it tests the total equipment of the student - his intelligence, his manners, his taste, his common sense, his personal experiences, his observation and his character. Infact, that’s the beauty of GP Essays. It makes you discover yourself and your abilities.

My GP (General Paper) classes have contributed a lot in discovering myself and some hidden skills. Of course, I was just like you, hating to write an essay. But a GP class, is completely different from our common english language class. Unless and until you grasp the true meaning of the purpose of a GP class, you will not really go in the right attitude and direction which contribute a lot to the future of how you will write.

Acquiring Ideas - 3 Steps Only!

1) STEP 1 - Reading

Reading is the most essential means of gaining knowledge. You could argue that listening might be above reading to increase your awareness, you might be right to a lesser extent, why? Just think for a moment, does listening contribute to help you write good english and gain vocabulary? The answer is “no“. When you read you see how words are written and that’s crucial from a proper grammatical point of view.
Reading will help you in two fold:
a) Increase your knowledge (to gain ideas)
b) Increase your vocabulary (to convey your ideas with the right words)

Nowadays, reading opportunities has never been so easy and comfortable. The computer/internet world allows you to read from anywhere and about anything you want. It’s like you are having the whole world’s library in your hand and in “one click”. So, make the most out of it my friend!

Now, you need to be selective in what you read. Spending hours and hours reading a lengthy gossip, for instance, is not desirable. Read quality stuff as opposed to quantity. Some points to note:
i) Always have a good dictionary handy and each time to you stumble across a new word, look for its meaning and write it down. (I recommend the concise Oxford Dictionary)
ii) Read about stuffs that pleases you, but provided you select quality material.
iii) Read a good newspaper from your locality and keep updated. (For example in Mauritius, I recommend ‘News On Sunday’ to all students)
iv) Read to increase your awareness and vocabulary, don’t rush to read a lot of pages like it’s a race.
v) Read with your soul. Put in effort, interest and will. Else you are wasting your time

2) STEP 2 - Observation

What I mean by observation and what you should understand is: observation means ‘to look carefully and diligently for the sole aim of discovering and noting anything that can help you in writing and gaining ideas‘. An active and intelligent mind is always on the lookout since there is something to be learned in everything, however simple it is! You should develop a creative mind. An artist always has this philosophy: “Beauty is found even in ugliness“. Same applies to your observation, you just need to view things at the right angle and with the right frame of mind.

3) STEP 3 - Ask Questions

The most stupid thing to do is to remain an ignorant. In classes, there are so many students who don’t ask questions, either they are shy or they are not interested at all. This is a big mistake. You are compromising the growth of your own knowledge.

Ask questions and challenge answers whenever you feel there is any bias or you have a better answer - that’s how you will progress!

Throughout history, people who have been most famous for their wisdom, have been those who asked questions and sought for answers in all its angle.

Writing The GP Essay

Here’s a list of my previously written article on Writing and GP Essays:
=> Writing the GP Essay - Write to convince!
=> Method For Presentation Of Topics
=> Words You Need To have In A Story Or Essay

For Bloggers

If you are a blogger, you should read this article: Wonderful Blogging Ideas - How To Breed Them In Your Garden?