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Highway to Success with Charles Dube
In learning you need to understand texts, selecting parts that are relevant to certain ideas. Once you understand the overall mean, you will practise making more specific points and supporting these with quotations or examples from the text.
As well as identifying the main ideas you will focus on how writers use different language, styles and forms to influence the reader to think in a certain way or to experience a range of emotions.
Before you can start to analyse any text in detail, it is essential that you take the time to understand what it is all about. This surface meaning is also known as the literal meaning.
Sometimes it may not be possible to gain a complete sense of what the literal meaning is straight away. However, taking note of what you do know is always a good place to start.
This has been a term of hard work what with the public examinations for O-level and A-level students. Deservedly, it is the end of the year and everybody deserves a rest. There are many activities going on at this time of the year.
It will be folly for me to think that learners will sit down and concentrate on studies. The least students can do at this time of the year is to relax and play as much as they like. This will help them to start the new year refreshed.
They would come back with their batteries recharged. But this is not closing out those who always like to read this or that even if they are on holidays. Learning does not stop because the term has ended.
I am not forgetting those students who are going a class higher at the beginning of the year. Those might get something from such columns.
As it is, it has been long since Grade Sevens were at school. They might have forgotten a lot of things when schools open. There is nothing wrong for them to find something to read in preparation for Form One.
The following might be relevant to them:
Writing sentences
Your teachers say you must write good, clear sentences when you write. But what is a good clear sentence? A sentence must start with a capital letter and end with punctuation.
Yes, but not just any punctuation. Look at this summary: What you need to know: A sentence is a group of words that makes sense on its own (it does not need other sentences). It expresses a complete thought.
A sentence makes a statement: (Harare is the capital city of Zimbabwe.) A command (Record the results on a graph.) A question (What is your name? An exclamation (Help! I’m under siege!) A sentence contains a verb (is, record, are, help and see are the verbs in the sentences above).
A sentence contains a subject (who or the verb and usually contains other words. A sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop(.). Question mark(?) or exclamation mark(!)
Writing paragraphs: What you need to know about paragraphs.
A paragraph is a group of sentences about a single topic. When we want to change the topic, we start a new paragraph. The first sentence of a paragraph usually introduces the topic — we call it the topic sentence. The rest of the sentences develop the topic — they may give examples or more information.
Each paragraph starts on a new line. When we write we use the block method these days, no indention. Newspapers, magazines and books do not always do that.
Introductions and conclusions
Introduction: This is a short paragraph to say what the essay or letter is about. Mention some things you are going to write about.
Conclusion: Summarise the points you have made. Do not add new facts or ideas. State your conclusion.
Analysing the question
How should we write an essay for school or in an examination? Look at the writing process. You should start with an essay or examination question.
Teachers always tell you to read the question carefully. That is because it is very important. You can write an excellent essay but if it does not answer the question you will get no marks. Read the question several times to understand it.
Find the key instruction word in the question. Think carefully about the kind of answer the question needs. Refer to the question in your introduction.
While writing, keep the question in front of you so you do not forget it. Go back to the question in your conclusion. Note instruction words which give guidelines in the answering of the question. For example: describe. On this you are to give details and main points. Discuss: describe, explain and give examples. Give arguments for and against.
Explain why and give reasons: Make it clear why something happens.
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