Goronga essay writingEnglish language course 1122/1

Free composition
SECTION A
Aspects to be covered ;
1.Choice of essay topics –
.narrative,descriptive,factual,discursive/argumentantive
2.Strategies of essay writing
3.Gross errors
4.How to enrich one’s language
5.Assessment of compostions

NARRATIVE COMPOSITION
-the candidate is expected to tell a story based on a given
topic.
-though the essence of the narrative composition is to tell a
story (narrate) the use of descriptive language will be an
added advantage.

ASPECTS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE WRITING AND

ASSESSMENT OF A NARRATIVE COMPOSITION
.Consistence with topic (relevance)
.Linguistic ability-(i)grammatical accuracy (i)richness of
language (iii)register (formality and informality)
.Orignality
.Realism
.Interest value
.Characterization
.Pace
.Atmosphere
.Coherence
.Paragraphing and punctuation
.Length requirements

GROSS ERRORS
(indicated by a double underlining or a double caret)
The following are fatal errors which the candidate should
avoid at all costs;
1.Spelling error
2.Error of agreement e.g He have a big house
3.Misuse of simple words e.gTheir is no food left.
4.Omission of basic words
5.Misuse of prepositions ,pronouns and articles
6.Error of punctuation ,especially one that affects sentence
boundaries
7.Ridiculous idiom(Direct translation of
proverbs,idioms,adages,et cetera from any other language
into English)
The following sentences have gross errors .Re-write the
sentences ,getting rid of all the errors.
-All his parents died when he was only two.
-Raise up your hand if you know the answer.
-We persuaded him to go but he didn’t.
-They bought the meat irregardless of it’s prize.
-The master of ceremony was late for the event.
-Chipo got in hot soup for coming home in the middle of the
night.
-The doctor operated the old woman at midnight.
-The police accussed him for overspeeding and overloading.
-Try by all means to get there in time.
-If it was you I would not not have listened to such nonsense.
-Educating a boy is better than a girl.
-He was always number one in class.
STRATEGIES FOR WRITING A GOOD NARRATIVE
-Construct sentences of varying length and structure
(simple,compound,complex…)
-Garnish your language through the use of proverbs ,idiomatic
expressions,phrasal verbs ,imagery etc
-Use appropriate discourse markers to enhance coherence e.g
secondly,
-Give appetizing and relevant introduction.Do not begin in a
common-or-garden ,conventional way such as “it was…….” Or
“Once upon a time….” Note that a superfluous description of
weather that does not offer the reader a glimpse of what the
story is about cannot constitute a good introduction.
-The use of direct speech can be impressive .However,it is
advisable to use it sparingly to avoid problems of
punctuation .
-Avoid too long (rambling ) sentences ,as these may not
sustain intended sense.
-Use rhetorical questions (one or two maybe enough) where
necessary.
-Avoid experimenting with new words in the final
examination.
-Avoid essay topics that contain words or phrases that you do
not understand.There are always a trap and it will be unwise
to dice with death.
-Try to write neatly and always shape your letters
legibly.Candidates who write neatly are more likely to impress
examiners than those who are careless about their
handwriting,other things being equal.
-Train yourself to come out with an essay of required length
without having to count the words physically.Essays that are
too brief will be penalized for inadequacy of content .Avoid
too long esays as the number of errors increase in step with
length.
-Always make a brief plan before you plunge into writing .This
will help you to organize your ideas logically and also ,save
your time.If there are any special expressions , proverbs,or
any other stylistic devices that you intend to incorporate into
your composition ,you can write them down on your plan so
that you may not forget them due to exam pressure or the
unforeseen circumstances.
-All numerical values,except for dates , must be expressed in
other words rather than in figures.
-Try to come up with a highly and dramatic and fascinating
story.Interesting stories will earn higher marks than dull ones.
-Avoid too many characters to avoid confusion especially
where pronouns(he,she etc) are used in place of proper
nouns.

HOW TO ENRICH ONE’S LANGUAGE

-credit is given to essays that display candidates ‘ s mastery of
the language.In particular,the candidate should be able to
garnish his /her language through employing a wide range of
stylistic devices .Essays written in plain English are unlikely to
impress examiners.The following techniques may help.
1.The use of English proverbs to capture complex
ideas.Proverbs are a condensed and wise way of expressing
ideas.Each language has its own set of proverbs,so avoid
direct translation of proverbs from vernacular into
English.Two or three proverbs will make a difference if
properly used.
.beggars must not be choosers
.cut your coat according to your cloth
.when in Rome do as the Romans do
.there is no smoke without fire
.birds of a feather flock together
.all that glitters is not gold
-make hay while the sun shines
-every dark cloud has a silver lining ec cetera

THE USE OF IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

Like in the case of proverbs ,every language has its own set of
idiomatic expressions that capture ideas in elevated and
effective way.The candidate is expected to display a
familiarity with idiomatic expressions by incorporating them
in their compositions.However,the use of expressions
drawn from vernacular must be avoided at all cost.
.to lead to the alter—to marry
.a bolt from the blue—a sudden and unexpected event
.a bone of contention—a cause of conflict
.to bury the hatchet—to become friends again after
quarrelling
.to be at loggerheads—to be enemies
.to flog a dead horse
.to be beaten blue –black
.to kill two birds with one stone
.cupboard love
.to shed crocodile tears
.a hard nut to crack
.to skate on thin ice
.in a nutshell
.a storm in a teacup
.a wild-goose chase
.to built castles in the air
.to take a bull by its horns
.to move heaven and earth
.a black sheep

3.USE OF COMPLEX PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES. Examples

.On account of =because of

.On condition that = if.eg.l will come on condition that you
provide the bus fare.
.On no account = for reason
4.USE OF DISCOURSE MARKERS.These are words are
phrases whose grammatical function is to link ideas,so they
enhance the smooth flow of ideas or a story line in a piece of
writing.In narrative composition discourse markers show
clearly the order factual and descriptive essays they help to
separate or dermacate ideas .Examples;
FOR NARRATIVE COMPOSITIONS;
Meanwhile
Afterwards At long last
All of a sudden Subsequently
Suddenly As a result
Eventually Consequently

For factual and discursive compositions

To start with Apart from that
To begin with Into the bargan
Firstly Besides that
First and foresmost However
Secondly Nevertheless
Furthermore Lastly
Moreover Last but not least
In addition In conclusion
In a nutshell In contrast
Compared with A cross section
obviously Serious difficulty
In particular On the other hand
Appreciate Clearly
While Affected drastically
NB. A discourse marker must be used once for all in a
composition.Never use one discourse marker more than once
in the same composition.A Comma follows a discourse
marker.

PHRASAL VERBS
Check out – Be too afraid to do something
Chuck out - Dispose of something you no longer want or need
Crop up - Appear unexpectedly
Go out with – Have a relationship with
Jazz up – Make something more interesting or attractive
Juice up – Make something more exciting or perform better
Mess about with – Have a sexual relationship outside
marriage or a permanent relationship
-try to improve something ,usually making things
Mill around – Walk around without going anywhere
Monkey around – Not be serious
Opt for—choose
Own up—confess
Wade through –get to the end of something with difficulty
Walk out on—leave somebody angrily
Weed out –remove ,get rid of
Zero in on—direct or focus attention on
Zip up –keep quiet
Zoom in on—focus more closely

7.USE OF SIMILES to create vivid mental pictures .eg

.as poor as churchmouse
.as slow as a tortoise
.as fast as lightining
.as useful as a cow
.as scarce as a hen’s teeth
.as simple as ABC
.as loud as thunder
.as soft as a wool
.as dark as midnight
.as cold as ice
.as cool as a cucumber

8.USE OF METAPHORS
-a metaphor is a direct comparison between two things that
are seemingly unrelated e.g
.John is a slow coach.
.You are a baboon.
.The way he eats,he is a real pig.
.The man is a lion. …She is an angel.
9.USE OF RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
-In order to convince the reader to view something from your
point standpoint.
10.USE OF APT VOCABULARY
-Candidates will be rewarded for using words,especially those
that are not commonly used,where they are most suitable e.g
.assassination (instead of murder)when referring to the killing
of an important political figure.
.fugitive ,when referring to someone who is running away
from prison or police custody.
.accomplice,when referring to someone who helps another to
commit a crime
.traffic din,when referring to sound produced by many
vehicles in motion

In many cases candidates fail into the trap of using words

which area closely related to,but not necessarily
interchangeable with the ones which are appropriate.The fact
that certain words can be synonymous scarcely means that
they can automatically fit in each other’s position like a
jigsaw.Consider the following sets of words and try to
distinguish them by using them in sentences.
Speaking/talking/saying/announcing
Centre/middle
Continuos/continual
Further/farther
Basketful/basket full
Altogether/all together
Kill/murder/assassinate/slaughter /massacre/destroy/
Product/production/produce
Made of/made from/made in
Wear/put on
Money/cash/finance/capital
Lady/woman/maid
Student/pupil
Clock/watch
Illness/sickness
Valuable/invaluable
Uninterested/disinterested/interested
Property/assets/belongings
Wise/clever/intelligent/cunning/intellectual/bright
Home/house/residence
Person/human being
FACTUAL COMPOSITION
As suggested by the word ‘‘factual,’’this type of composition
demands that the candidate give information or details about
something that are certainly known to be true.In other
words,facts and not opinions are required.
Factual compositions topics are often broad and open ended
and demanding.

Give as much information as possible, most candidates are unlikely to

score high marks because of a tendency to focus narrowrly on the
topic.A topic such as ‘LAND” is so open ended that it will be unwise to
limit one ‘s focus at the Zimbabwean context.There is land too in other
countries.
It is therefore unwise to plunge into writing before one has
obtained a clear understanding of the demands of the topic. It
is advisable to draft a brief plan before one begins to write
the final piece.

THE FOLLOWING ARE EXAMPLES FACTUAL TOPICS TAKEN

FORM PAST EXAMINATION PAPERS
Water Time
Computer Flowers
Electricity Advices
Books
Teenagers
It is advisable to avoid writing on a factual composition if
your knowledge to that topic is made up of bits and
pieces .Remember,also that, one’s limitation of the human
mind is that you cannot tell how you do not know about
something. You may falsely think that you know everything
about a topic when in fact you know virtually nothing.
DISCURSIVE/ARGUMENTATIVE COMPOSITION
This is a two-sided composition and the candidate has to
carefully consider and weight each side of the topic against
the other. At the end candidate must be able to come down
with a convincing view point .This is a fairly challenging task
that call an ability to argue persuasively and meaningfully on
both sides of a topic .Factual information is also called for in
this type of writing just like the case of factual composition, if
your knowledge about the topic in question is no more than
fragmenting, it is highly recommended that you choose other
topics.
The language of a discursive essay is largely technical and
formal.

EXAMPLES OF DISCURSIVE COMPOSITION TOPICS

-Modern technology has brought more harm than good.Do
you agree?
-The death penalty must be abolished.What are your views.
-The paying of lobola must be abolished.Discuss.
-Women are more responsible for the spread of HIV/AIDS
than men.Do you agree?
-Should children choose what they want to learn at school.

SECTION B –GUIDED COMPOSITION

-as the term suggests ,guided composition writing involves
interpreting and expanding provided guidelinses.In that
way ,it is different from free composition.Unlike the free
composition there is no stipulated length,it is determined by
your ability or mobility to expand the given ideas.

TYPES OF GUIDED COMPOSITION

-formal/informal letter
-report
-speech
-pictorial
-newspaper /magazine article

ASPECTS TO BE CONSIDERED IN WRITING AND ASSESSMENT

OF GUIDED COMPOSITIONS
(i)structure—each type of guided composition has its outlook
or structural aspects that make it different from other
types.You should be familiar with the structural features of
each composition type.
(ii)linguistic ability—guided compositions differ in terms of
degree formality or informality,so they should be well-versed
in the linguistic requirements of each composition type.In all
cases grammatical accuracy is a requirement and nothing can
compensate for poor grammar.
(iii)amplification/expansion of ideas—each given idea must be
developed into a paragraph.Generate as much detail as
possible about each idea ,giving examples and specific
information such as names of
people,places,roads,days,dates,rivers,statistical data,amounts
etc
(iv)paragraphing and punctuation—paragraphing should be
done logically and in accordance with the flow of ideas.Ideas
must be clearly separated and you must not put two or more
ideas in one paragraph.Observe all rules of punctuation.
(v)coherence—ideas should flow smoothly throughout the
composition.This is enhanced by the use of linking devices
such as discourse markers.
(vi)addition of one’s own ideas to the ones that are given.The
added ideas should be logically linked to the ones given

INFORMAL LETTER WRITING

-this is the kind of letter that you write to friends ,relatives
and all other people who are close to you.The language is not
restrained and the use of mild slang and colloquial
forms(dad,mom,guy,kid etc) is allowed.Contracted forms such
as can’t,don’t,didn’t can be used.The tone can be
serious,gentle or light –heartened,depending on the subject
matter at hand.
-at times the question comes in form of a letter that you will
be asked to reply to.In that case you read the given letter so
as to give a meaningful response.You also need to adopt the
name and the address that appear on the given letter.

STRUCTURAL ASPECTS:
-one address,aligned to the left margin.
-a date,to be wriiten in full,e.g12 April 2010
-salutation,e.gDear mom,Hi Chipo,Beloved,Uncle Jim etc.The
choice here depends on the level of intimacy between you
and the person to whom you are writing e.g

Gifford High School

P O Box 1
Bulawayo

14 May 2015

Beloved Norah
First paragraph; highlight the purpose of the letter.
e.g I ‘ve written this letter in response to your letter that I
received three days ago and ,also,to update you on the
developments that have taken place here in Bulawayo.
NB.do not greet anyone in this paragraph.

Second paragraph;introduce and develop the first given

idea.Use an appropriate discourse marker ,e.g To begin with…

Third paragraph;introduce and develop second given idea

Develop all other ideas in the succeeding paragraphs,making
appropriate use of discourse markers where necessary

FORMAL LETTER WRITING

-date(in full),after the first address
-salutation,Dear Sir /Madam, if it is an ‘office’ rather than an
individual who should attend to the letter,or Dear
Prof/Mr/Mrs/Miss/Dr….,if you are writing in response to a
formal letter to you by someone whose name is specified.
-RE-a statement summarizing the purpose of the letter.Do not
mistake RE with Ref.

Gifford High School

P O Box 4
Bulawayo

21 June 2014

The Manager
CBZ Bank
P O Box 66
Bulawayo

Dear Sir/ Madam

RE:APPLICATION FOR THE POST OF A BANK TELLER
First paragraph: highlight the purpose of the letter
-I have written in response to your advertisement published in
the Sunday Mail of June 5 2014.I am a boy aged twenty and
would very much like to be considered for a post of the post
of bank teller.
-second paragraph-introduce and develop first given idea
-third paragraph-introduce and develop second given idea
Develop all other ideas in the succeeding paragraphs, making
appropriate use of discourse markers where necessary.
-ending of the letter-make a concluding statement such as ‘I
am looking forward to your response.’’’I thank you in
advance’
-skip a line
-Yours faithfully,(if your letter has salutation Dear
Sir/Madam)or Yours sincerely (if the addressee is mentioned
by name)
-skip a line
-signature
-skip a line
-your name in full e.g Chando Kupisa
REPORT WRITING
To report is to give an account of what happened. Reports
can be written on a variety of situations such as bus disaster,
fire outbreaks violence at a soccer match, etc. A good
candidate should be able to write on any situation. The
language of a report should be straight forward and formal.

Structural Aspects
Give a heading, preferably beginning with REPORT ON…

E.g MATCH PLAYED OVER WEEKEND. REPORT ON THE

BASKETBALL
Skip a line after the heading
-first paragraph:give an introduction,giving specific
information about the day,place,date,time etc when the event
took place.
-second paragraph:introduce and explain the first given idea.
NB Develop the rest of the composition in the same way

Report compiled by

CHANDO KUPISA (Senior Prefect)