How to F...ken to study ENGLISH? (2 Viewers)

[69^boi]

alright then i guess you 'can't study english'

 

[glitterfairy]

Hmm...

In my opinion your teacher did very basic Yr 9 and 10 level stuff. At my school we probably only spent a day or two on characters as we were expected to be able to analyse this ourselves.

Techniques are the way a composer has chosen to convey an idea, a theme, or something else. There are basic grammatical techniques, such a simile and personification, but bigger literary ones such as fragmentation, meta-theatre. There are more genre-specific ones for specific genres.

What texts are you doing, and what english subjects? If I can help you I will, this sort of case is really quite depressing. It sounds like you haven't really been taught correctly, although this is really just my opinion.

 

[69^boi]

well i wouldnt blame my english teacher...she was good n harkwording considering my class was a pain in the neck sometime. By the end of yr 12 my teacher told the class she gave us more than enough 'Related texts' to answer the questions to in the HSC,which i didnt get...it also was my fault too that i hardly read my book

 

[glitterfairy]

Ok. Well, if you're planning on starting again, you may as well do it properly. I suppose you wouldn't know what modules or texts you are doing?

 

[69^boi]

Mate..dont even know wot module means...i will just wait till my uai n hsc results come back and i see. Only considering to do about 4 sub including adv/std eng

 

[glitterfairy]

Hmm! Ok.

Well, a module is sort of like an area of study.

All NSW HSC students must do the Eng - Area of Study (Journeys) - ie physical/imaginary/inner journey

You will also do either Standard or Advanced English. I'm not famailiar with standard, but in advanced we have 3 main modules. within those modules are a few "options", and with those options, several different presribed texts set for study.

It's a bit confusing, I didn't really get it until a few weeks before HSC trials.

How do you know you've failed if you haven't even got your results back yet?

 

[69^boi]

cause i didnt really put any work in english and coz i didnt relly know how to *prepare* for for 1/2 yearly ,yearly & hsc english exam

 

[glitterfairy]

Well, I "prepared" by looking over my notes. Because we went over them so thoroughly I just needed to refresh everything, then I wrote some practice essays to make sure that I still knew everything and could write it down well, and that was it, really.

Although I must admit it could sometimes take me a few hours of cramming and practice essays to get to the point where I felt confident enough to answer most questions put before me though. when you "get" a module, you'll know, and it's a wonderful feeling.

 

[69^boi]

Pratice essays? so do u like made up your own Question or ask the teacher to make up one 4 u

 

[glitterfairy]

Usually there are generic ones that no-one needs to make up for you, such as "How is the notion of inner journey explored in your presribed text, one stimulus text of your own choosing and two related texts of your own choosing?"

This sort of question allows you to practice writing down everything you know. Then, you can try some more challenging questions - Past Questions, hunting around on BOS or asking the teacher to make some up, for example.

It's good to do both - the generic ones so you can write down as much as you know, the more specific ones (including genre types!) to practice looking at your texts from a different angle. It also doesn't allow you to re-write a "prepared" or 'memorised" essay, which prepares you to be able to write a good essay no matter what the question. Too many people memorise a good essay that doesn't answer the question, I believe in KNOWING your texts so you can answer any question.

 

[69^boi]

thx glitter. also i agree with you on the you either understand it or don't. My friend(who is in adv eng+EE1+EE2) mention that some people are naturally born with it and you can't do nothing about it,that some people are better able to creatively & imaginatively express their ideas better.Saying that he aslo said my english isnt dat good just by telling the way i speak and type on here...

 

[glitterfairy]

Well, admittedly some are more "gifted" and take to it more easily, but that doesn't mean that those who aren't can't achieve some sort of degree of proficiency.

The more you read and the more you write, the more you learn. My own writing and essay writing in particular has changed so much over the HSC year as a result of all the reading and writing I did. It's actually changed the way I think, and that's quite a big thing.

I think you can improve - everyone can - it might just take a little bit more work to get to the level you want, but it is still entirely possible.

 

[69^boi]

Cool. would it be a good start by just simply reading a novel i enjoy a few pages a day. Im thinking about harrpotter or lord of the rings,lots of adv ppl read like all these they borowed from library

 

[glitterfairy]

hmm.

Well, reading things you enjoy certainly a) keeps you entertained and b) improves your reading speed (I'm sure you'll find that those good at english are all reading fans), but to really improve your skills within the english syllabus I think that reading your prescribed texts and a lot of good books and LITERATURE (not always the pulp fiction variety) would also be required somewhere down the track.

But, I do think that reading - reading anything! - is a good start. But why a few pages a day? I tend to finish an entire novel in half a day... The library is my friend...

They say that reading increses your vocabulary... random note pulled out of nowhere. Therefore the more things you read - a variety, just like the variety of vegetables we're supposed to eat - is good for you.

 

[InfiniteQ]

My friend(who is in adv eng+EE1+EE2) mention that some people are naturally born with it and you can't do nothing about it,that some people are better able to creatively & imaginatively express their ideas better.Saying that he aslo said my english isnt dat good just by telling the way i speak and type on here...

I don't believe that you can't study for English & that it comes "naturally". That is an insult to the amount of effort people including me had put into it to score the marks. Read the prescribed text (as much as you don't want to), read other people's analysis on it (you can find it on the net). Have a look at about 10 past paper essay questions regarding that text (and 10 is a LOT!) then write prepared essays for each one. This way you know beforehand what to say. You will also notice a pattern in what you write... everything will pretty much just go back to techniques and how effective they were etc etc... you know the drill.
Write a lot, write on everything & have your teachers mark what you write. Ask them to write you more essay questions or creative questions. This will help you develop a style of writing that you're comfortable with & something that will get you the marks.

Good luck with it.

 

[glitterfairy]

I've taken care to avoid saying "you can't study for it" (unless I use "per se" after it) in all situation except for those in which I was emotionally involved and thus wasn't really watching what I was saying.

In the instances where I have said it, I mean it in the "you cannot study for it as you would maths or geography" variety. You cannot learn english by rote, and I think that is the difficulty so many people have, as so much of the HSC subjects must be learnt by rote. I think that's why I do ok in english, because... I SUCK AT LEARNING BY ROTE! I really do...

 

[InfiniteQ]

You cannot learn english by rote, and I think that is the difficulty so many people have, as so much of the HSC subjects must be learnt by rote. I think that's why I do ok in english, because... I SUCK AT LEARNING BY ROTE! I really do...

I disagree with you there. My group created generic essays for all their prescribed text and learnt them by rote. And if you look at the 03 paper, that was all that was necessary they all scored above 90. English CAN be learnt by rote, you just gotta study smart & it's possible. I am not good at bullshitting my way through an english paper because it doesn't come "naturally" to me, and I am not denying there are people who just *get it*. I used to sit next to one who ended up scoring 95 in English but the point is it is possible to rote if it doesn't come naturally.

 

[glitterfairy]

Hmm...

well, I half agree with you there. I also know people that learnt things by rote and did reasonably well (eg Band 5 at least), but all the people that did REALLY well knew their work very well and had no need of learning by rote.

I don't believe that you can learn the english syllabus properly by rote, but I'll agree that you can do somewhat well without learning it and doing it by rote. I admit it's possible, but do not support it or condone it in any way.

Just my opinion

 

[InfiniteQ]

Hmm...

well, I half agree with you there. I also know people that learnt things by rote and did reasonably well (eg Band 5 at least), but all the people that did REALLY well knew their work very well and had no need of learning by rote.

I don't believe that you can learn the english syllabus properly by rote, but I'll agree that you can do somewhat well without learning it and doing it by rote. I admit it's possible, but do not support it or condone it in any way.

Just my opinion

You're right, to get over 95 in English the rote isn't going to take you there... that's when the imagination, creativity & the "natural ability" comes in. But yes I think we both agree, rote can get you as far as maybe 93, if it's possible to put a number on it hehe.

 

[69^boi]

wots rote n 'per se'. n thx 4 helping