Don't know how to study English!+I failed my HSC. (1 Viewer)

[69^boi]

Yes its true i have no idea how to study 'english' i sound stupid but i dont know how to.
WELL....you see when i think about english its not based on any facts or knowledge! back in 7-10 i thought that you cant study i ask my friends(back in 10)
how you study it and they say you cant because there like piecec of story,poems, newspaper article that you never seen before? One of my teachers even told me to Bullshit your way through cause they ask you to make up some kind of story...

Then yr11-12 came and i kind of understand how to study it....i think you study different text(movies,books,poems,pictures)and you as a auidenince have to understand what the composer tries to express, sumfin like dat

i download the eng std syllabus to have an idea on how to study english but its complex its not like in dot points like in other subjects sylllabus

the only part in the syllabus that i did kinda understand is the RESPONDING & COMPOSING variety of texts which does have a link from yr7-12 eng....just thinking about it....COMPOSING-making up stories,diaries,newspaper article?
and RESPONDING-which is answering Questions on texts on what they try to represent and tell you as a audience-these are all similar stuff from tests in eng 7-12

So in simple Terms how do you actually study ENGLISH!...wot is it about?
So do some other people dont how to study english before like me??

Ahhh... I failed my HSC anyway and i need to know this so i can repeat HSC next yr at tafe so i can a more SERIOUS attempt...

THANKS-69^boi

 

[69^boi]

oh yeah n what the hell is TECHNIQUES?

 

[zenger69]

To study English successful you need to always think of two words WHAT and HOW.

WHAT is what the author's idea is, concept the author is trying to get through. Sometimes you need to link these ideas for others. Like inner journeys.

HOW
What is being said. So like you said techniques that shape the concept the author is trying to get through.

 

[69^boi]

thx...grr how da hell other know how to study...

 

[69^boi]

To study English successful you need to always think of two words WHAT and HOW.

WHAT is what the author's idea is, concept the author is trying to get through. Sometimes you need to link these ideas for others. Like inner journeys.

HOW
What is being said. So like you said techniques that shape the concept the author is trying to get through.

i need more of a detailed guide please but thanks

 

[glitterfairy]

*glitterfairy bursts into tears*

No no no no no no no no no!!!

No no no no no no no no no!!!

"What and How" is the way you answer an "Explain" question, eg "Explain how the author has..."
Similarly, "Analyse" means to analyse both negative and positive aspects. I could talk more about this, but it's not answering the fundamental question of "how to study".

In a nutshell, you can and you can't. You can't study for english the same way you do for maths. With maths, there is always an answer. In English, the answer is almost secondary to how you write it. So in theory you can study by becoming very familiar with your texts and module's themes, issues, points etc, and by doing PRACTICE ESSAYS (Heck, send any and all of your essays and assessments to me for critique, I'm only more than happy to help you out here).

You need to UNDERSTAND english. In any exam you'll be tested on what you know, and you'll either understand it or not. Seeing as you're repeating, I take it that you don't understand.

How about you tell me what english subjects you're doing and your texts? I can help you more that way.

And finally, techniques are just that - techniques. The way an author has conveyed something. Metaphor, juxtaposition, fragmentation, meta-fiction, meta-theatre, simile, language, form, style... the list goes on.

 

[glitterfairy]

To add to this, there is the "you will never understand english" mantra. All you can really do is try your hardest, because there is never any one definitive answer.

 

[paper cup]

actually I think english is a relatively easy subject, because with other subs, maths for example, there is only one answer, and one way to get 100%...
with english it's not like that.
Anyway I don't like adv english as much because you have to do a lot of analysis work...in ext english you have more freedom to explore what you want to do, especially ext 2 (yes, I know I'm being obvious). So a lot of ext-ers actually end up hating adv.

 

[glitterfairy]

I KNOW!

omg Journeys was full like my worst subject.. give me eng ext 1 or eng ext 2 anyday...

 

[Moonlite]

I find English to be one of the easy subjects too. Unlike Maths, which is so black and white, and where answers are either right or wrong, you can get away with making shit up for English and atleast getting SOME marks for it.

Just make sure you read your texts heaps of times, and practice writing a variety of essays! And then get your teacher to mark them and ask where to improve. That's how I study for it anyway.

 

[silvermoon]

for what it's worth, here's my advice:

-you'll have noticed that most exam questions for the essays contain the keyword "How". whenever you see this, mentally substitute the words "What techniques"

-a technique is the tool a composer uses to get across the message of their text to the repsonder. you probably know lots already, but just don't recognise them under this name. for example, all figurative language (similie, metaphor, personification, alliteration, assonance, even repetition and the like) are techniques.

-read your texts at least twice before commencing study of them - once to get an idea of what the composer is trying to say and what the text is about and then again to look for techniques, quotes and links within and between texts.

-after you finish dissecting one text, don't forget to still pick it up once every few weeks and give it a quick read again. you need to have it fresh in your head to sit an exam.

-practice writing essays and esssay plans.

-when you write an essay, make sure it is to a 40 minute time limit. when you've finished, put it aside immediately and leave it for one or two days. then, read back through it, trying to view it as a marker would. have you thoroughly explained all your arguments? have you used examples to back up what you said? could you have expressed yourself better? are you repeating certain phrases all the time (especially when starting paragraphs)? have you left things unexplained thinking that the marker should infer them?

-get other people, preferably those who have some english skills, to look through your work and give it an honest critique. note, it is not important that the person you ask has any knowledge of the topic - in fact, in some ways it's almost better if you can find two people to mark it - one who knows the texts and one who doesn't.

-once you think you're comfortable with the texts, try explaining them to someone else - or, if you haven't got somebody who will sit there and listen, try just saying it out loud to yourself. this is a test of whether you truly know what you are talking about and if you can articulate your arguments ihn a way that can convince someone else - a thing you will have to do in an essay

-practice writing solid introductions, conclusions and topic sentences

-make notes on the composer's message, the techniques, examples of the techniques to back up your argument and a range of supporting quotes

-look on the net and in libraries to find critics appraisals of the text - you will find different ideas that may support your thesis. remember to cross reference these ideas to see if others agree that this is a well suported argument.

remember, in the end, nothing can replace the confidence that ample practice will bring. im sure you'll find plenty of people even here who will be more than happy to critique any practice essays and short answer or creative pieces for you.

cheers.

 

[sf_diegoxrock]

its always the WHAT and HOW of texts.. not only for 'explain' but also for 'analyse' 'synthesise' etc..
you just really need to communicate the essence of the text

 

[A l]

Yes its true i have no idea how to study 'english' i sound stupid but i dont know how to.
WELL....you see when i think about english its not based on any facts or knowledge! back in 7-10 i thought that you cant study i ask my friends(back in 10)
how you study it and they say you cant because there like piecec of story,poems, newspaper article that you never seen before? One of my teachers even told me to Bullshit your way through cause they ask you to make up some kind of story...

Then yr11-12 came and i kind of understand how to study it....i think you study different text(movies,books,poems,pictures)and you as a auidenince have to understand what the composer tries to express, sumfin like dat

i download the eng std syllabus to have an idea on how to study english but its complex its not like in dot points like in other subjects sylllabus

the only part in the syllabus that i did kinda understand is the RESPONDING & COMPOSING variety of texts which does have a link from yr7-12 eng....just thinking about it....COMPOSING-making up stories,diaries,newspaper article?
and RESPONDING-which is answering Questions on texts on what they try to represent and tell you as a audience-these are all similar stuff from tests in eng 7-12

So in simple Terms how do you actually study ENGLISH!...wot is it about?
So do some other people dont how to study english before like me??

Ahhh... I failed my HSC anyway and i need to know this so i can repeat HSC next yr at tafe so i can a more SERIOUS attempt...

THANKS-69^boi

In my opinion, in order to understand the concepts involved in the English subject, you need to have plenty of practice and you MUST have ALREADY mastered your basic literacy skills.
In your junior years, it is debatable that English cannot be studied. This is mainly because you are expected to know and apply certain skills. These skills cannot really be said to be studied, but they are developed over a period of time through writing, reading and analysing. Like Mathematics and Numeracy, long term practice in English and Literacy is the main key to succeed. This can be done by regular wide reading and regular/daily writing.
Now in senior years, you are required to have a deeper understanding and application of the English language. Remember, that you are studying a language (i.e. a way to communicate to people) and effective communication is what you should develop over time. This involves manipulation of aspects of the English language (i.e. knowing the right words to use when communicating to particular people in order to get your message across)

When reading, composing and analysing a text, you should ask yourself these basic questions: (This is a generalisation, so some may not be applicable to a few texts)
WHAT: The main content of the material. What is it talking about? What is the message it is trying to communicate to you.
WHEN/WHERE: The context, setting or background of the text.
WHY: (About 40% of your responses should be based on this question) The purpose and audience of the text. Who is it written for? What does it want to achieve?
HOW: (The majority of your responses should be based on this question) The way the text is presented. The TECHNIQUES or language features it uses to achieve its purpose or to communicate across.

For the Area of Study, the range of learning and applying is almost endless. In the Area of Study, you will learn how texts show and explore this particular concept. For example, for the Area of Study The Journey you will learn how texts show different aspects of a journey and how texts relate to particular contexts of a journey. To study for this, you will need to know your terminologies of journeys and your definitions of your specified focus area of The Journey. You have to read your texts many times to ensure that you know what aspect of a journey the text is trying to show you. You will need to study your texts very closely, taking note of contexts, purpose, audience, style, tone, level of language as well as other language techniques. In this 'module', it is not all about language techniques. You have to know the concept of The Journey very well, including definitions, different types of journeys and ways in which a text can show a journey.

For English (Standard), the main focus is on effectiveness of communication to audience.

The first module, Experience Through Language, explores particular aspects of language. You will learn how to compose and analyse a specific language feature. For example, for the elective Image you will learn how words can create a mental image in your head and you will be expected to identify these words or techniques. To study for this, you need to know the language feature or technique you are studying very well, as well as HOW and WHY it is used.

The second module, Close Study of Text, goes into detailed analysis of texts. You will learn how language features in a particular text type affect a particular audience or responder. For example, if you study a drama text, you should know the dramatic techniques (e.g. dialogue, setting etc) used to communicate the message to the audience. To study for this, I suggest you memorise or know thoroughly as many language techniques you can find in your selected text type.

The third module, Texts and Society, you will learn how texts communicate ideas to specific parts of society. For example, for the elective Into the World, you will learn how texts deal with aspects of growing up, such as attitudes and beliefs of growing up or change. To study for this, I suggest you know exactly the purpose and context of your texts and the messages they communicate to you.

Apologies if I over-elaborated, but I hope it helps.

 

[nitro.vo]

To study, I use old exams

Think beyond what the text is saying. think about the themes used, the techniques, why they are used etc.

practise by writing essays and getting your teacher to check them and give you feedback.

 

[craz]

English by any means is a hard subject. I did the HSC two years ago now... (gees it seems like a long time ago!) Best way is to practice past exam papers get someone to go through them tell you what's right or wrong it really helped me that way! Have confidence - the examiners will always give you marks...nothing is 100% right or wrong not like Maths. Good luck!

 

[nitro.vo]

LOL

I have my exam tomorrow and came here to search for study tips and that, and just saw my post. I didnt even follow my own advice.