YEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 2: RESPONDING TO · PDF fileYEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 5: ... To...

YEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 2: RESPONDING TO QUESTIONS

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YEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 5: NEWS STORIES AND SPEECHES


1. FUNDAMENTALS OF ENGLISH

Parts of Speech

English has 9 basic parts of speech or types of words: Verbs, Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs,

Pronouns, Articles, Prepositions, Conjunctions and Interjections. In this lesson we will look at

Pronouns and how they function in English sentences.

Pronouns

A pronoun is a word which REFERS to a noun or TAKES THE PLACE OF a noun. There are

several different types of pronouns: personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns,

interrogative pronouns, indefinite pronouns, relative pronouns, reflexive pronouns, and

intensive pronouns.

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A personal pronoun refers to a specific person or thing and changes its form to show

person, number, gender, and case.

SUBJECTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A subjective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as the subject of the

sentence. The subjective personal pronouns are: “I,” “you,” “she,” “he,” “it,” “we,” “you,”

“they.”

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a subjective personal pronoun

and acts as the subject of the sentence:

I was glad to find my keys

You are the strangest person I have ever met.

He stole the money from the bank

When she was a young woman, she earned her living as a waitress.

It is on the counter.

After many years, they returned to their homeland.

We will meet in the library at 3:30 p.m.

Are you the people from the bus company?



OBJECTIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS

An objective personal pronoun indicates that the pronoun is acting as an object of a verb,

compound verb, preposition, or infinitive phrase. The objective personal pronouns are: "me,"

"you," "her," "him," "it," "us," "you," and "them."

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is an objective personal pronoun:

John took the spoon and forced him to eat.

After reading the pamphlet, Judy threw it out.

The teacher said to the students, “I’ll be with you in five minutes.”

Rebecca and Penny will meet us at the café.

Give the book to me.

Christopher was surprised to see her at the races.

POSSESSIVE PERSONAL PRONOUNS

A possessive pronoun tells us who owns a particular object or person. The possessive

personal pronouns are "mine," "yours," "hers," "his," "its," "ours," and "theirs."

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a possessive personal pronoun:

The book is mine.

This is yours.

Possessive pronouns can also act as the subject of a sentence, as in the examples below.

His is on the kitchen table.

Ours is the green one on the corner.



PERSONAL PRONOUNS TABLE:

PRONOUNS AS

SUBJECTS

PRONOUNS AS

OBJECTS

PRONOUNS THAT SHOW

POSSESSION

I me mine

you you yours

he, she, it him, her, it his, hers, its

we us ours

they them theirs

who Whom whose

SOME PROBLEMS OF CASE:

One of the most common mistakes made by English speakers is putting pronouns into the

wrong case: in other words, confusing subject and object pronouns. In sentences where

there are two pronouns or a noun and a pronoun, it can help to drop the other noun for a

moment to see if the sentence makes sense. The examples below indicate some common

mistakes.

Bob and I travel a lot

Not: Bob and me travel a lot

(Would you say, "me travel"?)

He gave the flowers to Jane and me

Not: He gave the flowers to Jane and I.

(Would you say, "he gave the flowers to I"?)



English speakers also commonly make mistakes with comparisons. In a construction such

as: “He is taller than I” we must consider how we would construct the sentence in full.

He is taller than I (am tall)

Not: He is taller than me.

(Would you say, "than me am tall"?)

Here are some other examples:

This helps you as much as (it helps) me.

She is as noisy as I (am).

DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS

A demonstrative pronoun points to and identifies a noun or a pronoun. “This” and “these”

refer to things that are close either in space or in time, while “that” and “those” refer to

things that are further away. The demonstrative pronouns are “this,” “that,” “these,” and

“those.” “This” and “that” are used to refer to singular nouns and “these” and “those” are

used to refer to plural nouns.

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a demonstrative pronoun:

This is terrible.

Here “this” is used as the subject of the verb “to be”.

This is tiny; that is the tree I want.

In this example “this” is used as subject and refers to something close to the speaker. The

demonstrative pronoun “that” is also a subject but refers to something further away from the

speaker.

Three customers wanted these.

Here “these” is the direct object of the verb “wanted.”



INTERROGATIVE PRONOUNS

An interrogative pronoun is used to ask questions. The interrogative pronouns are “who,”

“whom,” “which,” “what” and the compounds formed with “ever” (whoever, whomever,

whichever, and whatever). You will find “who,” “whom,” and “which” used to refer to

people, and “which” and “what” used to refer to things and to animals.

“Who” acts as the subject of a verb, while “whom” acts as the object of a verb or

preposition.

The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is an interrogative pronoun:

What did she say?

Which of these is yours?

Who wrote the play MacBeth?

Whom do you think we should invite?

In the last example, “whom” is the object of the verb “invite.”

To whom do you wish to speak?

Here the interrogative pronoun “whom” is the object of the preposition “to.”

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

You can use a reflexive pronoun to refer back to the subject of the clause or sentence.

The reflexive pronouns are “myself,” “yourself,” “herself,” “himself,” “itself,” “ourselves,”

“yourselves,” and “themselves.” Note each of these can also act as an intensive or

emphasising pronoun.

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a reflexive pronoun:

I tried to teach myself Mandarin.

She tried to kill herself.

Don’t do it to yourself!

We washed ourselves with a bucket of water.

Birds often wash themselves in the fountain.



INTENSIVE PRONOUNS

An intensive pronoun (also called emphasising pronouns) is a pronoun used to

emphasise the noun it refers to. The intensive pronouns are the same as the reflexive

pronouns.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are intensive pronouns:

I myself believe she is a good prime minister.

The teacher himself said we didn’t have to do homework.

They gave them the money themselves.

RELATIVE PRONOUNS

A relative pronoun is used to link one phrase or clause to another phrase or clause. The

relative pronouns are “who,” “whom,” “that,” and “which.” The compounds “whoever,”

“whomever,” and “whichever” are also relative pronouns. We use the relative pronouns

“who” and “whoever” to refer to the subject of a clause or sentence, and “whom” and

“whomever” to refer to the objects of a verb or a preposition.

In each of the following sentences, the highlighted word is a relative pronoun.

You may invite whomever (object) you like to the party.

The candidate who (subject) wins the most votes is not always elected

Whoever (subject) broke the window will have to pay for it.

The box which (subject) was left in the corridor has now been moved.

I will read whichever (object) book arrives first.



2. VOCABULARY

VOCABULARY MEANINGS

headline

editorial

straightforward

alliteration

allusion

seldom

homicide

dismembered

pledge

transcript



3. TEXT TYPE: NEWS ARTICLES

A news article always follows the pattern of an upside-down pyramid

PURPOSE

Is to inform the public of events in a factual, straightforward and objective way. (But

always look out for hidden subjectivity.)

The news article must command attention immediately.

The HEADLINE sums up the report. It is short and dramatic and often uses puns, or allusion or alliteration to get the attention of the audience immediately .

The LEAD contains the introduction and most important info: who, what, where, when and why. Make it snappy – many readers don’t

get beyond the lead before moving on to another interesting-looking article

BODY paragraphs combine facts, quotes, other evidence types and background information.

The TAIL contains the least important information. Most readers don’t get this far – they’ve changed train or finished their coffee and

gone!



STRUCTURE

Headlines are short, sharp, attention-grabbing and may be ungrammatical. They will

feature:

puns

alliteration

rhyme

allusions

or hyperbole

Sentences and paragraphs are kept very short.

News articles follow the upside-down pyramid structure:

First paragraph summarises the whole text; who, what, when, where, why

Next few paragraphs provide further detail and depth

Middle section will often present a case study

The final section presents

Quotes from key participants in events reported

Concerned authorities eg government officials and agencies

Experts eg psychologists, scientists, criminologists

All other genres build to a climax. The news article presents the most important information

first. This is because many readers only scan the papers, seldom reaching the end of one

article before moving on.



BODY PARTS CASE: WIDOW CHARGED Jordan Baker November 6, 2007 - 2:29PM

A woman understood to be the widow of Sydney man Wayne Robert Chant has been

charged with his murder, while his son is expected to face serious charges relating to his

death.

Homicide detectives are thrilled to have made a breakthrough in the cold case, which was

opened in October 1992 when dismembered remains were found at several locations in

Sydney's south and on the South Coast.

Last week DNA tests identified them as belonging to Chant, who disappeared in September

1992 at the age of 47.

Homicide squad detectives arrested a 57-year-old woman at a house in Lurnea and a 34-

year-old man at a house in Mount Pritchard shortly after 7am today.

The pair were taken to Liverpool police station where the woman, who is understood to be

Chant's former wife, Joy, was this afternoon charged with his murder.

The arrested man, believed to be Chant's son, Jamie, is expected to face serious charges

related to his murder.

Homicide Squad commander Detective Superintendent Geoff Beresford said the arrests had

followed a "lengthy investigation" by the cold case team and Strike Force Hepburn

investigators.

"We're very pleased to bring any of these enquiries to resolution," he said.

Plain-clothes detectives as well as forensic officers were at the house of Joy Chant this

morning.

A blue '90s Holden Commodore was parked in the driveway of the cream single-storey fibro

house.

Chant's body was identified through a DNA match with his late mother Dot, whom relatives

said spent the last years of her life fighting to find out the fate of her son.

He was reported missing to police by his family in April 1993.



A truck driver found his decapitated and limbless torso at a Mount Pleasant truck stop in

October 1992.

In the following weeks, his legs were found separately in mudflats at Taren Point.

His left arm was found in a stormwater creek at Kogarah.

His head, hands and right arm were never recovered.

Last week's DNA tests were carried out after a review of the case by the unsolved homicide

review team, a State Crime Command spokeswoman said.

"That process and some more investigative work that involved looking at the missing

persons database ... led to the DNA test," she said.

The spokeswoman could not elaborate on the reason for the review.

FOCUS QUESTIONS:

Identify the components of the newspaper report –

a) Headline

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b) Lead

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c) Body

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d) Tail

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WRITING TASK:

Compose a NEWS ARTICLE based on the structure outlined above. Write about a crime

that has been committed – eg. murder, robbery, assault.

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4. TEXT TYPE: SPEECHES

Speeches differ from feature articles in that they are spoken rather than written texts. For our

purposes, a speech is actually the written transcript of what is spoken. When we consider

techniques we do not include those techniques that make the delivery of the speech more

effective, even though this is a critical aspect of good speech-making.

Below is a list of conventions commonly adopted by composers of speeches. You might note

that many of them are the same as for feature articles. The devices used in a speech to

persuade the audience are called RHETORICAL DEVICES. The art of persuading through

speech is called RHETORIC.

Conventions of the Speech

Anecdotes (again, often at the beginning of the speech)

Jokes (even in serious speeches, occasional jokes are used to break the tension)

Use of the first person, singular and plural

Use of the second person

Use of colloquial language or idioms; this will depend on the context; sometimes

speeches can be formal in tone, such as when a politician addressed the nation.

Allusions

Use of imagery, metaphor, simile, symbolism, hyperbole etc.

Use of rhetorical questions

Use of emotive language

Use of repetition

Use of binary oppositions (eg. good / evil, freedom / tyranny)



EXAMPLE OF A SPEECH

The speech below, on indigenous issues, was given by the then Prime Minister of Australia,

Paul Keating, at Redfern Park in Sydney on 10 December 1992 (Redfern is an inner city

suburb of Sydney with an historically large Aboriginal population). The speech was written by

Don Watson, Keating’s principal speech writer. This is not a complete transcript.

Paul Keating “Australian Launch of The International Year for The World’s Indigenous People”

Ladies and gentlemen I am very pleased to be here today at the launch of Australia's

celebration of the 1993 International Year of the World's Indigenous People. It will be a year

of great significance for Australia.

It comes at a time when we have committed ourselves to succeeding in the test which so far

we have always failed. Because, in truth, we cannot confidently say that we have succeeded

as we would like to have succeeded if we have not managed to extend opportunity and care,

dignity and hope to the indigenous people of Australia - the Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Island people. This is a fundamental test of our social goals and our national will: our ability

to say to ourselves and the rest of the world that Australia is a first rate social democracy,

that we are what we should be - truly the land of the fair go and the better chance. There is

no more basic test of how seriously we mean these things. It is a test of our self-knowledge.

Of how well we know the land we live in. How well we know our history. How well we

recognise the fact that, complex as our contemporary identity is, it cannot be separated from

Aboriginal Australia. How well we know what Aboriginal Australians know about Australia.

Redfern is a good place to contemplate these things. Just a mile or two from the place where

the first European settlers landed, in too many ways it tells us that their failure to bring much

more than devastation and demoralisation to Aboriginal Australia continues to be our failure.

More I think than most Australians recognise, the plight of Aboriginal Australians affects us

all. In Redfern it might be tempting to think that the reality Aboriginal Australians face is

somehow contained here, and that the rest of us are insulated from it. But of course, while all

the dilemmas may exist here, they are far from contained. We know the same dilemmas and

more are faced all over Australia. That is perhaps the point of this Year of the World's

Indigenous People: to bring the dispossessed out of the shadows, to recognise that they are

part of us, and that we cannot give indigenous Australians up without giving up many of our

own most deeply held values, much of our own identity - and our own humanity.



Nowhere in the world, I would venture, is the message more stark than it is in Australia. We

simply cannot sweep injustice aside. Even if our own conscience allowed us to, I am sure,

that in due course, the world and the people of our region would not. There should be no

mistake about this - our success in resolving these issues will have a significant bearing on

our standing in the world. However intractable the problems seem, we cannot resign

ourselves to failure - any more than we can hide behind the contemporary version of Social

Darwinism which says that to reach back for the poor and dispossessed is to risk being

dragged down. That seems to me not only morally indefensible, but bad history. We non-

Aboriginal Australians should perhaps remind ourselves that Australia once reached out for

us. Didn't Australia provide opportunity and care for the dispossessed Irish? The poor of

Britain? The refugees from war and famine and persecution in the countries of Europe and

Asia? Isn't it reasonable to say that if we can build a prosperous and remarkably harmonious

multicultural society in Australia, surely we can find just solutions to the problems which

beset the first Australians - the people to whom the most injustice has been done. And, as I

say, the starting point might be to recognise that the problem starts with us non-Aboriginal

Australians. It begins, I think, with that act of recognition. Recognition that it was we who did

the dispossessing. We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We

brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from

their mothers. We practised discrimination and exclusion. It was our ignorance and our

prejudice. And our failure to imagine these things being done to us. With some noble

exceptions, we failed to make the most basic human response and enter into their hearts

and minds. We failed to ask - how would I feel if this were done to me? As a consequence,

we failed to see that what we were doing degraded all of us.



FOCUS QUESTIONS:

1. What speech conventions can you identify? List them below, with examples from the

text.

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2. Look at the composer’s use of personal pronouns. What effect do you think the use of

“we” is intended to have on the audience?

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3. Who do you think is the intended audience for this speech?

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4. Can you identify the purpose of this speech? Do you think the speech has been

effective (has it achieved its purpose?)

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5. A speech is designed to persuade the listener by not only putting forward strong

arguments, but also by appealing to the emotions. List the words from the text that you

think would have an emotional effect and explain what that effect may be.

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5. WEEEK 5 HOMEWORK TASK

Write a speech in which you address Year 10 students about the HSC. You can either speak

in favour of it or against it. You will need to develop your argument and use the conventions

of this text type we have discussed. Refer to your theory booklet for help.

Edit your work carefully – check for spelling and grammatical errors. This will help you

achieve extra marks in all school assessments!

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YEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 2: RESPONDING TO · PDF fileYEAR 11 ESL ENGLISH LESSON 5: ... To...

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