Word Classes Superlative Adjectives 15 A superlative adjective is used to compare more than two things. Example : His jump was the longest of all the athletes. Here the word longest is used to compare his jump with all the other jumps. To form superlatives of most one- and two-syllable adjectives you should use the ending _est. If the adjective ends in a y you will have to change this to an i before adding _est (see second example below). Examples : smooth (adjectiv smoother (comparative adjectiv smoothest (superlative adjectiv easy (adjectiv easier (comparative adjectiv easiest (superlative adjectiv With longer adjectives you may have to use more and most. Example : exciting (adjectiv more exciting (comparative adjectiv most exciting (superlative adjectiv A Add Two More 1 Complete this table of adjectives. One is done for you. Adjective Comparative Superlative B More Please 1 Write the superlatives of each of these adjectives. One is done. low Adjective Superlative sharp beautiful i) cold high fast clever strong tasty sweet... cleverer... cleverest handsome industrious feeble violent prosperous cunning most industrious j) weak famous C Recognition 1 Beneath each adjective, write down whether its form is a comparative or a superlative. furtherest greater more cautious cosier most often happiest brightest smarter i) more generous
Written Language Climax of Story 33 5. The Climax is the fifth part of the Six-Part Story Structure. It is the most exciting part of the story. All the events in the story so far have been directed towards the events that make the climax. It should be the most intense or important point in the story. Example : By the time her friend Donna reached their car, Jaz had changed into dry clothes and the rescue helicopter was landing on the beach. Apparently, the surf club s safety officer wanted to speak to Jaz, but she was out of there and Donna could get in or stay - her choice. But Donna insisted on hanging off the car door and raving on and on about the girl being in a bad way and how Jaz needed to front up to the guys at the club. Front up! Front up! That s what she HAD been doing. Fronting up to all this damn surfing stuff from so-called friends like Donna. And the very first time she gets the courage to try it, look what happens! It wasn t her fault! The waves were too big and it wasn t even her board! Silence settled as hot tears welled up in her eyes and she turned away to gaze back down the beach. The helicopter was leaving and the crowd was thinning. She noticed the boyfriend dragging two boards up the beach by himself. Nobody was helping but that wasn t her job. Jazmine reached for the key and started the car. Climax of the Story Climax : Jaz s friend pressures her to take responsibility for the accident. Jaz can t handle the pressure. She leaves the scene of the accident. She runs away. A Climactic Action 1 Build up to the climax of your story. A climax contains the most important action of the story. Sometimes it is big action, like a fight or a crash. In other stories we have small actions with big meanings, like the story above as Jaz turns the key to start the car and makes the decision to leave. Climax
48 Apostrophes 2 Punctuation An apostrophe ( ) can also be used to show that an object has one owner or more than one owner. This is shown by placing the apostrophe either before or after the s. To decide whether the apostrophe comes before or after the s, ask yourself who owns this object? If the sentence indicates one owner, the apostrophe comes before the s. When there is more than one owner, the apostrophe is placed after the s. Examples : The cat s tail was broken. The tail (singular) is owned by the cat (one cat), therefore the apostrophe comes before the s. The cats tails were broken. The tails (plural) are owned by the cats (more than one cat), therefore the apostrophe comes after the s. An exception : When the plural does not end in _s, then we must put the apostrophe before the s. Example : Women s hats. A Show Possession 1 Rearrange these phrases and use an apostrophe to show possession. One is done for you. the horse belonging to the farmer the farmer s horse the garden belonging to the old man the leaves of the trees the windscreen of the car the wheels of the trucks B Plural Possession 1 Rearrange these using an apostrophe. the hospital for children the club for working men the enclosure for sheep 2 Place an apostrophe in the appropriate place to show plural possession. T h e c o w s p a d d o c k w a s m u d d y. T h e c h i l d r e n s t o y s w e r e l y i n g a b o u t. A m y d r e w t h e b u t t e r f l i e s w i n g s. T h e m e n s c l o t h e s l o o k e d e x p e n s i v e. 3 Express each of the following by making a sign using only two words. One is done for you. the collars of the dogs the legs of the spider the nest of the wasps i) the dresses belonging to the ladies the office of the principal the library for children the ward for women hairdresser for men hospital for pets Principal s Office
Language Skills Chapter Overview 75 Introduction As well as word classes, the crafting of sentences, paragraphs, essays, a knowledge of punctuation and the use of a dictionary, there are other ways of using language that will give colour and interest to your written work. Many of these language uses are appropriate only to informal writing, such as letter-writing between yourself and people who are your close friends. Informal language is what we use every day and it is coloured with expressions, proverbs and sayings that help us to express our ideas. As well as a dictionary a Thesaurus, which lists words of similar meaning to the headword (synonyms), is a useful resource particularly as you head into the senior classes and need to find alternative words to avoid repeated use of a word. Often, after the synonyms are listed, the antonym (or opposit to the headword is given. Key ideas in this Chapter : synonyms antonyms thesaurus similes metaphors alliteration repetition colloquialisms proverbs idioms cliches personification onomatopoeia homonyms ` homophones jargon hyperboles puns synonyms Language Skills antonyms thesaurus similes metaphors alliteration repetition colloquialisms proverbs idioms cliches ` personification onomatopoeia homophones homonyms jargon hyperboles puns
102 Internet Research Research The internet and the websites it connects you to can supply a large amount of information about your research topic. However, anyone who has ever done a web search using a search engine such as Google will understand how easy it is to become swamped with the hundreds and possibly thousands of websites these searches can return. You must learn to quickly sort useful sites from dead-end sites. The first few pages of the results will list the websites with the best fit for your search words. Don t bother to look at websites more than four or five pages into the results list. The connections between your keywords and the websites are getting weaker. If you are not getting good information from a search - change your keywords and try again. The quality of an internet search depends on the keywords you use. The more specific (on topi the words used to search with, the higher quality information on the sites returned. You must therefore do your brainstorming before you search the internet because the subheadings or keywords can be used to search with. Example : Research Topic : The Great Maori Migration General search words : Maori history; migration; canoes; Tahiti - these will provide large amounts of general information only. Specific keywords : Pacific migration; Kupe; double-hulled canoes; Hawaiki - these will provide more on topic information. A Good Search Words = Quality Results 1 Open your internet browser. Select the search engine Google and type in this keyword: canoes How many websites (or hits ) does this keyword bring up? Now type in these keywords : double-hulled canoe How many websites do these keywords bring up? Which search was the best for the topic The Great Maori Migration? Say why. B Best of a Bunch 1 Quickly examine the websites returned by the keywords double-hulled canoes. DO NOT go beyond the first four pages of results. DO NOT go from site to site. Always return to the search list to select the next website on the list. List the top five websites that you believe would provide quality information on the topic The Great Maori Migration. C Search Your Own Topic A Warning : The material acquired from websites needs to be supported by other sources you have used. It is not acceptable to download large amounts of information and present them as your own writing - this is plagiarising - claiming it is your own work. Any work you present should be compiled from all the information sources you found and put into your own words. [Do this exercise after you have completed pages 104 and 105. You will need the subheadings and keywords you come up with for your research topic to complete this exercise.] 1 Search the internet for information that will help you complete your research topic. Use the subheadings and keywords you wrote on pages 104 & 105 to search with. With these keywords, I found these useful and informative websites: Now change your keywords. With these keywords, I found these websites: