SUMMARY

ENGLISH LANGUAGE JSS2 THIRD TERM

WEEK ONE

THEME: READING

SUMMARY

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

1. Identify topic sentences from paragraph/passages

CONTENT

Population explosion refers to the number of people that live in an area. It is a major issue for developing countries. Also, the government is not taking proper measures to control this problem. Besides, it generates many issues in the country that cause many problems for people.

Meaning of Population Explosion

It refers to the rapid increase in the population of an area among human beings. Furthermore, it is a situation where the economy is not capable of coping with the increasing demand of its population.

Causes of Population Explosion

The cause of the population explosion includes many factors and reasons. These includes:

Increase in the birth rate- Due to lack of control on delivery and unawareness of people the birth rate is increasing rapidly. Also, the gap between death and birth has gone way wider than what we can think of. Furthermore, the birth rate has increased many folds in comparison to the death rate.

A decrease in infant mortality rate- Mortality rate refers to the number of death of infants below the age of 6 months. Due to science and technology, we can minimize this rate and now only a few cases of death are known per thousand death.

The life expectancy growth- Earlier the life expectancy of people was around 55-60 years. But due to better and improved medical facilities, we are now able to increase the life expectancy of people. Now the average age of a person increased to 70-75 years.

Besides, these better living conditions, good quality food, better nutrition, and better sanitation facilities also helped in increasing life expectancy.

High level of illiteracy- The literacy level of women is one of the biggest problems of family planning. In India, people pay very little importance to women’s education and marry them at an early age. That’s why they do not know birth control methods and the use of contraceptives.

Effects of Population Explosion

The population explosion affects natural resources and many sectors of the economy in many ways:

Unemployment- Due to the increase in the population the demand for jobs and employment also increases. But, due to a lack of resources and employment opportunities, there are millions of jobless people in India.

Also, the condition of unemployment is growing day by day. To face this problem most people are either migrating to other countries for better job opportunities.

Poverty- Due to the large population there a large number of people who belong to below the poverty line and they do not have adequate knowledge of the overpopulation of the country. Also, they are the major contributor to a high birth rate.

Prevention of population explosion

There are various methods by which we can prevent a population explosion. The government can take measures to aware of the population about the various methods that can help in controlling the population. Also, it should implement some strong campaign for family planning and birth control.

Note

From the above passage, the summary has been divided into subheadings.

THEME: WRITING

OUTLINE - COMPREHENSION

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

1. Read through a passage
2. Jot down main and supporting ideas from passage
3. Write down answers to questions

CONTENT

Read the passage carefully. Then choose the correct answer.

It is every school student's dream to become a university student one day. However, some dreams are not realised due to poor academic performance. For those who achieve their dreams, they will face challenges in university. Being a university student demands a lot of hard work and perseverance. Students are also on their own and have to manage their affairs independently. For example, they need to manage time, decide who they want to be friends with, manage their money and cope with emotions. Sometimes conflicting issues impinge on their study time, so they should know how to handle these wisely. Being able to adapt to university life helps students focus on their studies. There are many ways that students can adapt to university life.

First, they should know that they are not the only ones facing a new environment. There are others, too, who are trying to cope with a strange environment. For example, those from big cities with lots of entertainment will have a tough time adjusting to a new place with less entertainment. Students from faraway places especially foreign students from overseas also have to make huge adjustments. Almost everyone on campus is in a similar situation. Students should tell themselves they are at university to study and acquire knowledge for a better future. They should also know they need to go through tough and challenging situations before achieving success. By thinking positively they can overcome feelings of homesickness.

Next, students should consider socialising. They should not let feelings of homesickness prevent them from socialising with fellow students. Socialising with others enhances soft skills and eliminates feelings of boredom and loneliness. It can also foster new friendships with students from different backgrounds. Stories can be shared and learning from each other's experiences will gradually eliminate negative feelings. Furthermore, many clubs in the university organise activities that students can join in and participate. For instance, the debate club, the cultural club or other sports and recreational activities. Participation in these activities helps kill time. These activities also give opportunities for students to represent the university at national or international levels of competitions.

Furthermore, students need to behave responsibly. Since they are no longer school students, they are now responsible for their actions. They are in a position to determine their destiny with the help of people around them. People merely guide and give advice but the decision is theirs on what to do and what not to do. Their choices determine their future. They are also responsible for managing time because they have to meet assignment deadlines, be punctual for group meetings and discussions, and also have time for recreation and self.

Parents have limited control over their children once they are at university. Students, therefore, need to have a sense of responsibility and commitment towards their studies as this will ensure success in projects and assignments. They also have to be regular and punctual in attending classes and tutorials. Having a good attitude and putting in effort go a long way in securing good grades and doing well academically and socially.

Lastly, students should develop both soft skills and hard skills as these ensure better job prospects upon graduation. To acquire good hard skills, students need to work hard to achieve good grades. To polish soft skills, students need to socialise with others. Participating in activities organized by the university such as community activities and also contributing ideas to discussions will further enhance problem-solving and decision-making skills as well as critical thinking skills.

To summarise, student life at university is challenging and requires a lot of adjustment on the part of students. To survive and stay competitive at university, students must adapt to the new environment and develop a positive outlook. Years later, when looking back at their university years, students will treasure the time spent there because these are the best years in one's life!

                Using contextual clues, find a word with the same meaning as the following words from the passage.

        1.     impinge

        2.     achieving

        3.     foster

        4.     securing

        5.     polish

         Answer the questions below based on the passage.

1. What makes university life difficult for a new student?
2. What can new students do to enjoy university life? List three activities.
3. In your opinion, why do parents have limited control over their children in university?
4. What does the author mean by saying 'kill time', as stated in paragraph III?
5. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. Write 'T' for a true statement and 'F' for a false statement.
   1. Students should prioritise their work when they are in university. ( ___ )
   2. Socialising with others help students build friendships. ( ___ )
   3. All students feel homesick and lonely when they are studying at university. ( ___ )
   4. Students can participate in community work to enhance their soft skills. ( ___ )

 

        Answers

               

1.             affect

2.             getting

3.             develop

4.             obtaining

5.             improve

               

1. It requires a lot of hard work. / They need to be independent in university.
2. Should realise they are not the only ones facing a new environment.
3. Need to socialise with others.

 

4. Need to behave well.

 

5. Should work hard academically. ( Accept any three answers )

 

6.     Their children do not live with them anymore. Besides, youth like to assert their independence, making it difficult for parents to tell them what to do.
7. To while away their time
8.             a) T   b) T   c) F   d) T

THEME: SPEECH WORK

SPEECH STRESS AND RHYTHM

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

1. Identify the correct points of pause or stress in two-syllable words
2. Identify and describe appropriately the rhythm in poems listened to.

CONTENT

In phonetics, stress is the degree of emphasis given a sound or syllable in speech, also called lexical stress or word stress. Unlike some other languages, English has variable (or flexible) stress. This means that stress patterns can help distinguish the meanings of two words or phrases that otherwise appear to be the same.

For example, in the phrase "every white house," the words white and house receive roughly equal stress; however, when we refer to the official home of the American president, "the White House," the word White is usually stressed more heavily than House.

These variations in stress account for the complexity of the English language, especially to those learning it as a second language. However, in all languages stress is used to make words more understandable on the word level and is especially apparent in the pronunciation of individual words and their parts.

Observations on Stress in Speech

Stress can be used to provide emphasis, but more often than not it is used to provide meaning to words in general and can be either associated word stress on the word, phrase or sentence levels.

Word-level stress, as Harold T. Edwards says in "Applied Phonetics: The Sounds of American English," is influenced by the context and content of the stress to inform meaning. He uses the example of two stresses of the word "record" to illustrate this point:

For example, We're going to record a record, the two similar words are stressed differently so that the first record is stressed on the second syllable (vowel reduction in the first syllable also assists in helping us to assign stress to the second syllable), whereas the second record is stressed on the first syllable (with vowel reduction in the second syllable). All words of more than one syllable have a prominent or stressed syllable. If we pronounce a word with appropriate stress, people will understand us; if we use the wrong stress placement, we run the risk of being misunderstood.

The stress pattern of a word is the way all the syllables are stressed in it. There can be main and secondary stress or unstressed sounds.

Example

The following are some stress patterns showing the main stress and unstressed syllables:

0o e.g. key/board o0 e.g. con/duct (as a verb) o0o e.g. com/PU/ter 0oo e.g. mi/CRO/phone oo0o e.g. ed/u/ca/tion

In the classroom

There are different ways to show the stress pattern of a word. Large and small circles can be used, as in the examples above. Colours, a line above the main stress, an apostrophe before the main stressed syllable or underlining are alternatives.

Syllables

The English language is heavily stressed with each word divided into syllables. Here are some examples of English words with different numbers of syllables. These sets of words are followed by a series of examples using the correct stress placement:

Words with one syllable

The, cold, quiet, bed, add, start, hope, clean, trade, green, chair, cat, sign, pea, wish, drive, plant, square, give, wait, law, off, hear, trough, eat, rough, trout, shine, watch, for, out, catch, flight, rain, speech, crab, lion, knot, fixed, slope, live, reach, trade, light, moon, wash, trend, balm, walk, sew, joke, tribe, brooch

Words with two syllables

Party, special, today, quiet, orange, partner, table, demand, power, retrieve, doctor, engine, diet, transcribe, contain, cabbage, mountain, humour, defend, spacial, greedy, exchange, manage, carpet, although, trophy, insist, tremble, balloon, healthy, shower, verbal, business, mortgage, fashion, hover, butcher, magic, broken

Words with three syllables

Fantastic, energy, expensive, wonderful, laughable, badminton, idiot, celery, beautiful, aggression, computer, journalist, horrify, gravity, temptation, dieting, trampoline, industry, distinguished, however, tremendous, justify, inflation, creation, injustice, energise, glittering, tangible, mentalise, laughable, dialect, crustacean, origin.

THEME: GRAMMATICAL ACCURACY

ACTIVE VERBS

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

1. List active verbs
2. Make sentences with active verbs
3. Identify active verbs

CONTENT

Action verbs  are the verbs that are used to describe or demonstrate an action that can happen. Examples of action verbs are: walk, run, eat, throw, speak, drink, write, perform, activate, launch, build and pronounce.

Linking verbs reference any form of the verb be (are, is am, was, were, been, being, etc.) and also seem and become. Linking verbs are used to join the subject of a sentence (which is the main person, thing or location) to with additional or corresponding information. Example of linking verb: Here reading is good.

Depending on how a particular sentence is worded, a verb can either be active or passive.

Whenever a verb is active, it means that the subject of the sentence of the verb is the one that is doing the specific action. For example:

• The Huskies (subject) beat (active verb) the Bears in the last game.
• More than 30 people in my class (subject) will write (active verb) the math test on Monday.
• Kevin (subject) will take (active verb) the children to the play.

Whenever the verb is passive, the subject must undergo the action as opposed to actually doing it. For example:

• The Huskies (subject) were beaten (passive verb) in the last game.
• The math test (subject) is taken by  (passive verb) my class.
• The children (subject) will be taken to play (passive verb) by Kevin.

In the above examples, the point of view of the sentences have changed to become the subjects of the passive verbs. In the first example, you will note that the subject of the active verb (the Bears) does not appear in the passive version.

If you have any concerns about grammar and punctuation, get help with editing:

What are Active Verbs?

Active verbs get to the point of the sentence. They clearly demonstrate who or what is performing the action. The straightforward and point to who is responsible.

Active verbs should be easy to understand and will make your writing flow much more easily.

Additionally, learning how to properly use active verbs will make your writing much more concise because using active verbs requires using less words than passive verbs need.

Passive verbs, on the other hand, do not take responsibility and force your audience to think harder. They tend to add to the wordiness of a paper and are often used in longer, more convoluted and confusing work.

Learning the differences between active and passive verbs means that you will be better prepared to uncover passive verbs and change them to active ones. You will even develop a better understanding of when you should use passive verbs – all skills needed to make you a more effective writer.

First, here is a small refresher on verbs.

What are Verbs in General?

All languages have verbs. Verbs are the words that are used to demonstrate action (action verbs) or relationships or conditions (linking verbs). The English language also has help verbs (also known as auxiliary verbs.)

Active vs. Passive Verbs

Common logic might have you believe that active verbs are descriptive, lively and energetic. Whereas passive verbs are boring and sedentary. Perhaps shimmied is a more active verb than walked. Or maybe howled is a more active verb than laugh?

If this is what you believe, you are not alone. Unfortunately, you aren’t necessarily correct, however. Uncovering active and passive verbs isn’t quick that straightforward.

Active verbs demonstrate the subject of the sentence acting.

For example:

• Beverly Cleary wrote the book.
• The actor fired the agent.
• Her mother baked the cake.
• The doctor found lumps in her shoulder.
• The sentence follows this pattern: subject + verb + direct object.

Passive verbs, on the other hand, demonstrate the subject receiving the action. Here are a few examples:

 

• The book was written by Beverly Cleary.
• The agent was fired by the actor.
• The cake was baked by her mother.
• The lumps were found by the doctor.

In this case, the sentence follows this pattern: subject + helping verb/verb + doer of action.

 

How to Identify Active and Passive Verbs

Active verbs can take a direct object. This is the objective for active verb identification. If a verb is to be considered active, all possibility of it being passive must be eliminated. And, if you are uncertain, put it to the test.

Here is a sentence from a review of Fifty Shades of Grey that was posted in the New Yorker.

• Ana, as she is usually called, first meets Christian Grey at Grey House, which is home to Grey Enterprises, in Seattle.

The subject (or the doer of the action) And + the verb (meets) + the direct object (Christian Grey)

 

It is easy to tell that this is an active verb because the subject is doing something instead of receiving something or having something done to them.

This is the formula (or pattern) needed for an active verb. Because this pattern is present, this sentence cannot be passive. But, what if it was worded differently?

 

• Christian Grey is first met at Grey House, which is home to Grey Enterprises, by Ana, as she is usually called, in Seattle.

 

In this case, the formula is: the subject (person receiving the action) + verb (is + met) + the doer of an action.

This would change the sentence to passive because the subject is not doing against. He is passively receiving the action (being met by Ana), thus creating the equation for a passive verb construction.

The important thing to take note of in the above two examples is the sentence that is more concise and easier to read and understand.

Active verbs are almost always the best to use. They are clear, concise and get to the point without confusing. However, there are times when you might choose to use a passive verb, particularly when you want your audience to focus on the person or thing that is receiving the action as opposed to the person or thing that is doing the action.

THEME: LITERATURE

DRAMA - KINDS AND FEATURES

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

1. Define drama
2. List the types of drama
3. Explain the types of drama

CONTENT

Definition of Drama

Drama is a mode of fictional representation through dialogue and performance. It is one of the literary genres, which is an imitation of some action. Drama is also a type of a play written for theatre, television, radio, and film.

In simple words, a drama is a composition in verse or prose presenting a story in pantomime or dialogue. It contains conflict of characters, particularly the ones who perform in front of the audience on the stage. The person who writes drama for stage directions is known as a “dramatist” or “playwright.”

 

Types of Drama

Let us consider a few popular types of drama:

• Comedy – Comedies are lighter in tone than ordinary works, and provide a happy conclusion. Dramatists in comedies intend to make their audience laugh. Hence, they use quaint circumstances, unusual characters, and witty remarks.
• Tragedy – Tragic dramas use darker themes, such as disaster, pain, and death. Protagonists often have a tragic flaw — a characteristic that leads them to their downfall.
• Farce – Generally, a farce is a nonsensical genre of drama, which often overacts or engages slapstick humour.
• Melodrama – Melodrama is an exaggerated drama, which is sensational and appeals directly to the senses of the audience. Just like the farce, the characters are of a single dimension and simple, or maybe stereotyped.

Musical Drama – In musical dramas, dramatists not only tell their stories through acting and dialogue, but through dance as well as music. Often the story may be comedic, though it may also involve serious subjects.

Examples of Drama in Literature

Example #1: Much Ado About Nothing(By William Shakespeare)

Much Ado About Nothing is the most frequently performed Shakespearian comedy in modern times. The play is romantically funny, in that love between Hero and Claudio is laughable, as they never even get a single chance to communicate on-stage until they get married.

Their relationship lacks development and depth. They end up merely as caricatures, exemplifying what people face in life when their relationships are internally weak. The love between Benedick and Beatrice is amusing, as initially, their communications are very sparky, and they hate each other. However, they all of sudden makeup, and start loving each other.

Example 2: Oedipus

Tragedy:

Sophocles’ mythical and immortal drama Oedipus Rex is thought to be his best classical tragedy. Aristotle has adjudged this play as one of the greatest examples of tragic drama in his book, Poetics, by giving the following reasons:

The play arouses emotions of pity and fear, and achieves the tragic catharsis.

It shows the downfall of an extraordinary man of high rank, Oedipus.

The central character suffers due to his tragic error called hamartia; as he murders his real father, Laius, and then marries his real mother, Jocasta.

Hubris is the cause of Oedipus’ downfall.

Example #3: The Importance of Being Earnest (By Oscar Wilde)

Farce:

Oscar Wilde’s play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is a very popular example of Victorian farce. In this play, a man uses two identities: one as a serious person, Jack (his actual name), which he uses for Cecily, his ward, and as a rogue named Ernest for his beloved woman, Gwendolyn.

Unluckily, Gwendolyn loves him partially because she loves the name, Ernest. It is when Jack and Earnest must come on-stage together for Cecily, then Algernon comes in to play Earnest’ role, and his ward immediately falls in love with the other “Ernest.” Thus, two young women think that they love the same man – an occurrence that amuses the audience.

Example #4: The Heiress (By Henry James)

Melodrama:

The Heiress is based on Henry James’ novel the Washington Square. Directed for stage performance by William Wyler, this play shows an ungraceful and homely daughter of a domineering and rich doctor. She falls in love with a young man, Morris Townsend, and wishes to elope with him, but he leaves her in the lurch. The author creates melodrama towards the end, when Catherine teaches a lesson to Morris, and leaves him instead.

Function of Drama

Drama is one of the best literary forms through which dramatists can directly speak to their readers, or the audience, and they can receive instant feedback from audiences. A few dramatists use their characters as a vehicle to convey their thoughts and values, such as poets do with personas, and novelists do with narrators. Since drama uses spoken words and dialogues, thus the language of characters plays a vital role, as it may give clues to their feelings, personalities, backgrounds, and change in feelings. In dramas the characters live out a story without any comments of the author, providing the audience a direct presentation of characters’ life experiences.

Drama is the act of portraying a story in front of an audience. It involves the characters and events of the story being brought to life on a stage by actors and their interactions (verbal and non-verbal) through its events.

Of various forms of drama, plays are the most popular. Some other formats are dance performances, radio shows, puppet shows, etc.

The various characteristics of drama are:

Themes in Drama

It represents the basic idea of the text. It can be as direct as the title of the drama to very obscure and needs careful thought and analysis. The action and its plot makes the audiences immerse in the drama and try to extract the theme behind it.

Plot in Drama

The sequence of events or actions in a play is called its plot. It represents what happens in the drama. The clarity and coherence of the plot are essential to give the drama a logical and undisturbed flow.

The various characters follow a pattern of interactions and movements through various stages of the plot. These stages are initial disturbance or conflict, rising action, climax, falling action and finally the resolution of the conflict.

Characterization in Drama

How the characters are portrayed and developed is known as characterization. The characters act out the story in front of the audience. They are the agents of movement and progression in a drama.

They are responsible for perusing and traversing the plotlines. A character has its distinctive appearance, beliefs, thoughts, flaws, personality, age, and dialogues. Actors in the play have the responsibility of bringing the characters to life.

The various characters in any drama are the protagonist (represents the theme), the antagonist (the villain of the drama), anti-hero (the object of sympathy), etc.

Characters may include the narrator who introduces other characters and informs about the various interactions and happenings in the drama.

Setting, Spectacle, and Descriptions

The setting represents when and where the drama unfolds. It can have multiple places or confined to a single space. The historical and social context, time and the location of the story is set are all included in the design of the setting of any drama.

Example: Merchant of Venice is set in the 16th century Venice. Spectacle involves the complete range of aspects of dramatic production from the setting, make-up, costumes to special effects.

The visual elements add more information for the audience to register and help create a unique world or atmosphere and bring to life the playwright’s ideas. The direction is an essential constituent of effective stagecraft.

Stage directions are provided to the actors to follow and ensure unity of movement on stage. The organization of props and lighting is also crucial in any performance.

Descriptions provide a wealth of information about various things from the setting and its elements, characters, and their thoughts, plot and its web of action, etc. The coherence of details is important to keep the audience engaged and richness is important to keep them entertained.