Signs
10:14 PM
Use of informal English
7:21 PM
Use informal language to write realistic dialogues for your drama script.
_ use figurative language ( go figure out the meaning of this word)
_use colloquial language ( go check the dictionary )
-use slang,conversational language but omit expletives
-use exclamation marks and punctuation marks
Examples
" It takes a considerable leap of the imagination to picture her as Miss Universe!"
" Wow! I didn't think that she would stoop so low to get that promotion"
"When I walked into the room,I was completely bowled over by her stunning beauty"
" The salesman was so convincing with his sales pitch that I bought 10 boxes of the instant slimming cream"
"If you're waiting for him to get hitched,you can wait till the cow comes home."
"For crying out loud!stop whining and get down to pulling the weeds"
"Have you taken leave of your senses! How can you do such a stupid thing?"
"Don't kick up a fuss! Just pay the cashier and let's go home."
" I swear,he wouldn't have hurled that brick if the other boys haven't egged him on".
"Sure,you're sweet 18.Have a good look at the mirror. You really could do with a lift_ on the face."
For each of the statements:
-Imagine who the speaker is ,give background information about him or her in terms of age,character,dressing,etc.
-What tone is used to make the statements?
-Describe the time and setting in which the dialogue takes place.
-Who is the speaker addressing and in what circumstances.
_ use figurative language ( go figure out the meaning of this word)
_use colloquial language ( go check the dictionary )
-use slang,conversational language but omit expletives
-use exclamation marks and punctuation marks
Examples
" It takes a considerable leap of the imagination to picture her as Miss Universe!"
" Wow! I didn't think that she would stoop so low to get that promotion"
"When I walked into the room,I was completely bowled over by her stunning beauty"
" The salesman was so convincing with his sales pitch that I bought 10 boxes of the instant slimming cream"
"If you're waiting for him to get hitched,you can wait till the cow comes home."
"For crying out loud!stop whining and get down to pulling the weeds"
"Have you taken leave of your senses! How can you do such a stupid thing?"
"Don't kick up a fuss! Just pay the cashier and let's go home."
" I swear,he wouldn't have hurled that brick if the other boys haven't egged him on".
"Sure,you're sweet 18.Have a good look at the mirror. You really could do with a lift_ on the face."
For each of the statements:
-Imagine who the speaker is ,give background information about him or her in terms of age,character,dressing,etc.
-What tone is used to make the statements?
-Describe the time and setting in which the dialogue takes place.
-Who is the speaker addressing and in what circumstances.
" And terror like a frost
Shall halt the flood of thinking"
W.H.Auden
"We all operate with various"mental maps" of reality and one of the most important things that critical thinking can teach us is that there is a difference between our maps (of the world) and the underlying reality they describe.If we fail to grasp this deceptively simple point,we can all
too easily end up identifyong our own culture's way of looking at reality with the only possible way of looking at reality.History suggests that the results of such a misidentification can be disastrous.As the German philosopher,Karl Jaspers observed:
" Man has an urge to consider his own life form the only true one,to feel every existence that does not resemble his own to be a reproach,and to hate it.From this arises the disposition to enforce one's own way of life upon everyone else,as far as possible to model the whole world upon it."
Since none of us can aspire to an omniscient,God's eye view of the world,I think it is best to say that reality is not so much something that is given as something that is constructed.However,I would also say that the business of constructing reality out of our own limited,fallible and sometimes jaundiced experience is an essentially moral task.From the fact that no one can be said to"know" what the world is like in any ultimate sense,it does not follow that any map is as good as any other.For example,a map that is based on nothing more than a kaleidoscope of fleeting images,sound bites and gut reactions can hardly be described as a good map.Probably the single most effective way of moving towards a richer,more insightful,and generally more inclusive understanding of the world is to look at it from a variety of different perspectives.No easy task,admittedly;but this,presumably,was one of the motivating ideas behind the development of international education.
Language is another powerful knowledge filter,which does not so much passively describe as actively structure our experience of the world.Every day,a growing army of political activists,media consultants and spin doctors seek to mould our perceptions through a stream of persuasive definitions,painted words and urgent narratives.To illustrate the power of language,consider the question of whether you should describe political groups that resort to violence as terrorists or freedom fighters.
When confronted with complex and unsettling global events,there is always the danger that we simply retreat into the comforting myths and prejudices of our own cultural background.In the foregoing discussion,I have suggested that since thought is a crucial determinant of action,any such intellectual retreat is likely to encourage intolerance and fanaticism.Unless we are aware of the various ways in which our belief systems can be distorted and are occasionally willing to examine them,we are unlikely to rise above our own cultural prejudices and move towards a more inclusive understanding of humanity.My hope and belief is that international education in general and critical thinking in particular can make a modest but significant contribution to making the world a safer and more tolerant place.
Shall halt the flood of thinking"
W.H.Auden
"We all operate with various"mental maps" of reality and one of the most important things that critical thinking can teach us is that there is a difference between our maps (of the world) and the underlying reality they describe.If we fail to grasp this deceptively simple point,we can all
too easily end up identifyong our own culture's way of looking at reality with the only possible way of looking at reality.History suggests that the results of such a misidentification can be disastrous.As the German philosopher,Karl Jaspers observed:
" Man has an urge to consider his own life form the only true one,to feel every existence that does not resemble his own to be a reproach,and to hate it.From this arises the disposition to enforce one's own way of life upon everyone else,as far as possible to model the whole world upon it."
Since none of us can aspire to an omniscient,God's eye view of the world,I think it is best to say that reality is not so much something that is given as something that is constructed.However,I would also say that the business of constructing reality out of our own limited,fallible and sometimes jaundiced experience is an essentially moral task.From the fact that no one can be said to"know" what the world is like in any ultimate sense,it does not follow that any map is as good as any other.For example,a map that is based on nothing more than a kaleidoscope of fleeting images,sound bites and gut reactions can hardly be described as a good map.Probably the single most effective way of moving towards a richer,more insightful,and generally more inclusive understanding of the world is to look at it from a variety of different perspectives.No easy task,admittedly;but this,presumably,was one of the motivating ideas behind the development of international education.
Language is another powerful knowledge filter,which does not so much passively describe as actively structure our experience of the world.Every day,a growing army of political activists,media consultants and spin doctors seek to mould our perceptions through a stream of persuasive definitions,painted words and urgent narratives.To illustrate the power of language,consider the question of whether you should describe political groups that resort to violence as terrorists or freedom fighters.
When confronted with complex and unsettling global events,there is always the danger that we simply retreat into the comforting myths and prejudices of our own cultural background.In the foregoing discussion,I have suggested that since thought is a crucial determinant of action,any such intellectual retreat is likely to encourage intolerance and fanaticism.Unless we are aware of the various ways in which our belief systems can be distorted and are occasionally willing to examine them,we are unlikely to rise above our own cultural prejudices and move towards a more inclusive understanding of humanity.My hope and belief is that international education in general and critical thinking in particular can make a modest but significant contribution to making the world a safer and more tolerant place.
Critical thinking practice
11:17 PM
Read up on "logical fallacies" in arguments
Read these ideas and think critically about them.
1. It is not good for politicians to break promises made at election time,but they must not break core promises.
2. The rights of the individual are less important than the security of the nation.
3. Since wars begin in the minds of men,it is in the minds of men that the defences of people must be constructed.
(Constitution of Unesco,1946)
Read these ideas and think critically about them.
1. It is not good for politicians to break promises made at election time,but they must not break core promises.
2. The rights of the individual are less important than the security of the nation.
3. Since wars begin in the minds of men,it is in the minds of men that the defences of people must be constructed.
(Constitution of Unesco,1946)
Emotive language
7:02 PM
Emotive language relies on the feelings and emotions associated with words rather than just their literal meanings to influence and persuade.
Examples: I am firm,you are obstinate,he is pig-headed.
A fluent and forcible speech delivered by members of our own party is eloquent.
The same speech by a member of the opposite party is bombastic.
What is the connotation of " an incurable romantic" or " a love sick swine" or "lovelorn"?
What is the connotation of being " madly in love" and " head over heels in love"?
What is the connotation of " stop bugging me" and " do not disturb " ?
(I'm trying to finish my assignment at the 11th hour) Older brother to irritating sister
(Can I borrow your car mom to take my girlfriend on a trip) Mother's turning down plea of teenage son who has just gotten his learner's driving licence.
Posted outside the cage of a sleeping tiger
A sign on the door of the oral interview room
Posted on the door of a hotel room
( I'm in the middle of an important meeting with a client) husband on the handphone
Examples: I am firm,you are obstinate,he is pig-headed.
A fluent and forcible speech delivered by members of our own party is eloquent.
The same speech by a member of the opposite party is bombastic.
What is the connotation of " an incurable romantic" or " a love sick swine" or "lovelorn"?
What is the connotation of being " madly in love" and " head over heels in love"?
What is the connotation of " stop bugging me" and " do not disturb " ?
(I'm trying to finish my assignment at the 11th hour) Older brother to irritating sister
(Can I borrow your car mom to take my girlfriend on a trip) Mother's turning down plea of teenage son who has just gotten his learner's driving licence.
Posted outside the cage of a sleeping tiger
A sign on the door of the oral interview room
Posted on the door of a hotel room
( I'm in the middle of an important meeting with a client) husband on the handphone
personal response or review
6:13 PM
Purpose:to comment on an artistic work such as a novel,a movie or an art exhibition
Structural features: introduction giving the context of the artistic work,the title,the author,director or artist
:description of the artistic work detailing key features
:summarising evaluation,perhaps including a recommendation
Language :use of the present tense
:descriptive adjectives and adverbs
:emotive verbs reflecting the author's judgment
Examples : a book/movie review
review of a website
Structural features: introduction giving the context of the artistic work,the title,the author,director or artist
:description of the artistic work detailing key features
:summarising evaluation,perhaps including a recommendation
Language :use of the present tense
:descriptive adjectives and adverbs
:emotive verbs reflecting the author's judgment
Examples : a book/movie review
review of a website
Read between the lines
12:00 AM
"That which is left unsaid speaks volumes"
Test your assumptions in the text.
Read the following report and answer the questions that follow.
T= True when you think it is definitely true
F=False when you think it is definitely false
U=Uncertain when you think there is not enough information to be sure.
There was an accident on the building site.A carpenter had fallen from the third floor scaffolding.The site manager was in attendance and called an ambulance.A strong looking individual lifted a heavy beam off the carpenter's chest.A well known Perth doctor was walking past at the time and heard what was going on.An examination was made of the carpenter and blood was cleaned from a head wound.The ambulance arrived and the medical crew carefully placed a body on a stretcher.
1. The doctor examined the carpenter T F U
2.The carpenter had a head wound T F U
3.The carpenter died T F U
4.The site manager called an ambulance T F U
5.The man who fell was working on the third floor T F U
6.There was more than one person involved in the accident T F U
7.The doctor was well known in Perth T F U
8.The ambulance arrived because the site manager called for it. T F U
9.There were no women in this report. T F U
10.There were only six people referred to T F U
Locating the assumptions of a text is not always easy.It can help if you ask these questions:
-What has been left out of this text?
-Who will benefit from this version of things?
Answers
1 U 2U 3U 4T 5U 6U 7T OR U 8U 9U 10 U
Source: New Directions 3A and 3B by Don Munro
Heinemann
Test your assumptions in the text.
Read the following report and answer the questions that follow.
T= True when you think it is definitely true
F=False when you think it is definitely false
U=Uncertain when you think there is not enough information to be sure.
There was an accident on the building site.A carpenter had fallen from the third floor scaffolding.The site manager was in attendance and called an ambulance.A strong looking individual lifted a heavy beam off the carpenter's chest.A well known Perth doctor was walking past at the time and heard what was going on.An examination was made of the carpenter and blood was cleaned from a head wound.The ambulance arrived and the medical crew carefully placed a body on a stretcher.
1. The doctor examined the carpenter T F U
2.The carpenter had a head wound T F U
3.The carpenter died T F U
4.The site manager called an ambulance T F U
5.The man who fell was working on the third floor T F U
6.There was more than one person involved in the accident T F U
7.The doctor was well known in Perth T F U
8.The ambulance arrived because the site manager called for it. T F U
9.There were no women in this report. T F U
10.There were only six people referred to T F U
Locating the assumptions of a text is not always easy.It can help if you ask these questions:
-What has been left out of this text?
-Who will benefit from this version of things?
Answers
1 U 2U 3U 4T 5U 6U 7T OR U 8U 9U 10 U
Source: New Directions 3A and 3B by Don Munro
Heinemann