If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above.
You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed.
To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Alright, so. My Engish teacher is very strict, also I really want to show him that I've turned my life around (I didn't do much last year). So, this is our first homework. I'm trying my best, but I can't think!
I have to write about a family event. It can be in the past, future or something that's happening as I write it (it doesn't need to be real at all).
I have to include :;()...- so firstly can someone explain to me when I need to use a ';'.
Now, I want to do this all made up. About the perfect family that knowone has, stupid names (like John Jizzwasher - but not that rude xD).
Does anyone have any tips for me? I'm finding it super difficult on what to base my paragraphs on! D:
Here is my first paragraph:
Last Friday I met up with all my family members that I hadn't seen in a long time. We met at a secret park that makes everybody happy no matter who you are. We was all there from 10am-1pm. My aunt arranged this event 2 days before she got out of prison (for robbing a few banks). We all spoke about what we did for the summer holidays and what we've been doing at work and school. I couldn't wait to see all my family after so long! They had all moved to Cuba three years ago you see? Would you have been able to spend this long without seeing your family? My mum, dad, nan, grandad, aunts, uncles and cousins were all there. We also had a clown called Oldoaf and a mime called Oldoak.
I would probably be more descriptive of the people, their personalities and the clown and the things you done together. If youre looking to get creative and are able to with this, I would make something up myself, when I read things I tend to enjoy them more if theyre works of fiction. Use metaphors in your work too, if you need more info on metaphors heres a useful link:
Thanks alot. Been waiting for someone to reply.
I'll post back when I've finished.
By the way, I've re-written it so it's more realistic.
No more imaginary park or clowns etc.
I would use your imagination if youre allowed to do so, in my own experience I have found it much easier to make something up from my imagination than use reality and real experiences.
once i wrote something about the visit of my cousin, Lil'-Einstein I, (hes 13 and his younger bro, so called lil Einstein II.). it was just almost a rant, but my French-teacher loved it. i agree with Michael, cause reality and imagination flowed in together easily in this story. and i found writing the story much easier, as i made up a theme to it ... perhaps like:
"My little cousin and I or the art, how to teach 11 year old little geniuses and professional nerve-killers kindly that they nevertheless are only small boys, and that each 3 year older cousin aren't Einsteins either."
I think you should relax a little, even though I understand that you want to make a real point to your teacher. (: Try not to think too 'technically' about this homework ... it doesn't really matter whether the writing is fictitious or factious (shut up, it's a word! Faction is a word!) or a mix of both. You're not getting marked on the writing's credibility! If you want a good starting point, why don't you base some of the characters or situations on things that you've experienced in your own life? It might make doing the homework more appealing, and it'll certainly make it easier to conjure up mental images to describe. You could include a character based on your favourite video game character for example, or someone you admire from a band. I think you get the idea.
Academic English is usually more about the actual writing than the context. That's to say, you'll usually glean a higher mark if you employ writing techniques well regardless of whether the story/essay/poem/whatever is good or not.
If you're stuck for what to write, remember that description is a great part of writing and that it can often inspire what topic you write about next. Describe the sights, the smells, the textures of things, sounds, if certain colours remind you of certain memories or people. Use ambitious vocabularly, use longer sentences that are clarified with a variety of punctuation, and make sure that the technicality of your writing is consistent - so if you start out writing in third person past tense, make sure you don't stray!
It sounds to me like you're feeling a little over-whelmed, so here's an idea. Why don't you write about whatever family event you've chosen from several different perspective? So have the first paragraph from the narrator's perspective, the next from the narrator's brother, the next from the grandmother. Again, I think you get the idea. Writing from different perspectives means that you're free to 'start fresh' occasionally and look at the writing from a different view, e.g. somebody more feminine, somebody more irate. You could write it in the form of a monoloque, i.e. what people are thinking, so that you can put some dialogue in that represents the characters.
_______________________________
STOP. ARE YOU READING THE ABOVE POST?
If not, do it. I'm beginning to get the impression that 50% of TF is populated by literate parrots/sentient mirrors.
Today's Toppers
English homework help.
