Effective Writing Structures: Essays, Letters & Biographies
1. Narrative Essay Structure
A narrative essay tells a story. Follow these steps to craft a compelling one:
Paragraph Structure
- P.1: Introduce the characters and explain the background.
- P.2: Describe the main event.
- P.3: Explain what happened in the end.
Useful Expressions for Narrative Essays
Time Expressions
- At first
- By the time
- Eventually (suddenly/all at once)
- Finally
- After a while
- Afterwards
- Before
- As soon as
- When
Adverbs
- Angrily
- Sadly
- Suddenly
- Possibly
- Probably
- Absolutely
- Pretty
- Quite
- Really
2. Informal Letter &
Read MoreLife’s Defining Moments: Digital Shifts, Global Learning, and Survival
Life Before the Internet: A Personal Reflection
As a young man in my 20s, living in the 21st century, I didn’t have my first mobile phone or computer with internet access until I was 13 years old.
Childhood Without Digital Devices
During my childhood, I didn’t even know what the internet or Wi-Fi was. Instead, I spent my time playing with toys or practicing sports whenever I wasn’t at school. Furthermore, it was a time when my friends and I engaged in face-to-face conversations, a preferable alternative
Read MoreEnglish Grammar Essentials: Clauses, Tenses & Modals
English Grammar Essentials
Relative Clauses
Relative clauses provide additional information about a noun. They can be:
-
Non-defining (with commas): Used for extra, non-essential information. The clause can be removed without changing the main meaning of the sentence. In these clauses, who or which cannot be replaced by that.
- Example: That is the singer, about whom I was talking.
- Defining (without commas): Used for essential information that identifies the noun. The clause is crucial to the meaning of
Profound Life Lessons: Acceptance and Courage
Kisa Gotami’s Journey to Understanding Loss
Kisa Gotami’s Second Quest for Mustard Seeds
After speaking with the Buddha, Kisa Gotami was asked to procure a handful of mustard seeds from a household untouched by death – where no one had lost a child, husband, parent, or friend. She diligently went from house to house, but her quest proved futile. She could not obtain the mustard seeds because she found not a single home where death had not claimed a family member.
Grasping the Universality of Death
The
Read MoreThe Ghost Orchid: Facts, Conservation, and Literary Analysis
Ghost Orchid Comprehension Check
True or False Statements
- 1.1. FALSE: “Traditionally, the best time to see a ghost is at night, and in fact botanists sometimes look for the Ghost Orchid when it is dark.”
- 1.2. TRUE: “botanist Rex Graham, who had been searching for years in the hope of finding the Ghost Orchid.”
- 1.3. FALSE: “An experienced botanist, she recognized it immediately.”
Key Facts and Discoveries
- 2.1. The Ghost Orchid was named due to its pale appearance, mysterious beauty, and the way it appears
Key English Language Concepts: Verbs, Adjectives, & Terms
Mastering Modal Verbs in English
- Must (100%): Indicates obligation and high probability.
- Have to (90%): Also indicates obligation, but can be less strong than “must.”
- Ought to (85%): Indicates obligation, similar to “should” but with a stronger nuance.
- Should (80%): Suggestion or recommendation.
- Will (70%): Represents future action and can be used to make requests.
- Can (60%): Indicates ability, possibility, and permission.
- Could (50%): Shows possibility and can also be used to make more courteous requests.