Have you ever failed?

25 April 2018

Came across a very good article in the Sunday Times dated 1 Apr 2018. 

The writer sits on the panel of interviewers in a scholarship interview to look for the right candidate.  All the applicants fitted the typical profile of potential scholars – good schools, stupendous grades and sterling achievements in co-curricular activities.  Everyone seemed to possess unsullied records.  But the writer and the panel of interviewers were less than impressed…  When the applicants were asked if they ever failed, they were stumped. 

The interviewers were looking for that down-to-earth applicant who would share with them his failure and how he confronted and overcame his setbacks.  Indeed, in my blogpost dated 1 Jan 2017, I mentioned “it ain’t how hard you hit.  It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving till you get there”. 

Certainly, the judges have no doubt scholarship applicants’ potential to continue the string of achievements in life.  But to survive a setback and remain resilient is a question mark.  Barely three years ago in 2015, society witnessed how a straight As student allowed a ‘setback’ to crush her – by jumping to her death.
(read: https://www.allsingaporestuff.com/article/spore-straight-student-commits-suicide-after-getting-b-o-levels)

So for those who wish to apply for scholarships or even that coveted job opening in future, don’t shy away from your failure.  Talk about it and impress the interviewers with your fighting spirit.  After all, success is merely ephemeral that we celebrate, but we learn from failure that makes us wiser.

Is the teacher always right?

05 April 2018

A friend recently sought help from me to check if his son’s answers to his K2 homework were correct.  I draw to your attention Q1 – ‘on the bus’ or ‘in the bus

The boy’s answer was correct but he was not sure why.  Why do we say in the car but on the bus instead?  He was happy after being enlightened and submitted his work.  His joy was short-lived when he was told by his teacher that the answer should be ‘in the bus’ since children are inside the bus.  The poor boy was confused…

I am glad my friend verified with me instead of following blindly what the teacher had claimed.  To which, I provided a credible source – Ministry of Education’s (MOE) explanation.

This is not an isolated case of our educators obfuscating our young.  I have come across students attempting to use difficult vocabulary that they have learned outside the classroom – only to be penalised because the teachers are not familiar.  I am not advocating that our educators must be walking encyclopaedias.  But certainly they can do better than to simply disregard our young minds when they experiment with something new.  When something seems unfamiliar, mutual learning happens. 

How to Ace English Paper 2 – Part 2

27 March 2018

Last month I shared the standard questions that are found in the Paper 2 Visual Text.  This month, I would like to continue with the final component, which is the standard questions for comprehension.

1. Literary Device

There are plenty of literary devices.  Students are generally only required to identify the 3 common ones in the exams:

  • Personification
    • Something that adds a human characteristic to inanimate objects
    Eg. The abandoned house has blank staring windows
  • SimileEg. The survivor was bobbing like a cork in the open sea
  • MetaphorEg. We are nothing but cogs in the huge economic machine…

2. Using your Own Words

To paraphrase an answer using your own words, you simply change the verbsadjectivesadverbs and possibly nouns in the sentence or phrase.  In short, the word form.  All words typically have four word forms namely:

Noun                 example: beauty
Adjective          example: beautiful
Verb                  example: beautify
Adverb               example: beautifully

For example to paraphrase the sentence below:
‘The camera is able to locate exactly the whereabouts of the endangered species’.
The camera is capable to clearly identify the position of the threatened species.

3. Irony

To explain something that is ironic, all you need is to show an outcome or situation contradicts what we expect.  For example:
Tigers are endangered species, and they are poached aggressively…
What is ironic about the above?

Since tigers are becoming extinct, we should protect them, instead, we kill them in great numbers.

4. Unusual and Effective

In order to show why something is unusual, simply compare it with logic or reality.  And being effective refers to emphasis; that is, what it is trying to emphasise.  For example:

“When Andy entered the dank cave, he was greeted with a sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh.
What is unusual and effective about the underlined phrase?

It is unusual as rotting flesh should not smell sweet, which is pleasant.  The phrase is effective as the combination of sickly and sweet in the smell emphasises how repulsive it is.

5. Language use Question

This type of question requires students to firstly identify the phrase that explains something (be careful of excess denied!!)  After identifying the phrase, explain what it means in your own words.  For example:

– Explain how the language used shows danger in the expedition.

First, identify the phrase
“rewards a false step with whatever comes after life”

Then, explain what the phrase means
“rewards a false step with whatever comes after life” shows that any wrong move in the expedition will result in death

With all the valuable tips I have shared so far in Paper 2, I hope it provides some insights and confidence in tackling your Visual Text and Comprehension henceforth.  Good luck!

Tips to handle Paper 1

2 February 2018

Every year for the last 7 years, I send my soldiers; I also call them warriors to the O-level battle ground in Oct.  Before they go for battle, I do my best to ensure that they not only survive, but also emerge victorious.

Indeed, the last year’s students were my best performing batch ever – every single one of them delivered either an A or B.  I have been exploring the different ways and techniques over the years to best nail the O level English.  The performance of my last year’s batch bears testament that my latest technique adopted is by far the most expedient.  And I shall share with everyone the tips in my blog.  

The Paper 1 component consists of Editing, Situational and Creative Writing. 

In Editing, there are only 2 correct sentences.  The rest of the eight sentences have some form of error.  In order to spot the mistake, just look out for the 5 common errors in each sentence:

  1. The 5Ws 1H – ‘who, what, where, when, how’
  2. Determiners – ‘a, an, the etc’
  3. Preposition
  4. Word form – ‘noun, adj, verb and adv
  5. Tenses

Unfortunately, many students are either unaware or have forgotten there are typically 6 different types of Situational Writing they may encounter, namely:

  1. Formal email
  2. Formal letter
  3. Proposal
  4. Report
  5. Feature Article (news report)
  6. Speech

Always make sure that you know the correct structure and format for each type.  By doing so, you are guaranteed the max 10 marks in format.  Also be mindful of the difference between “Yours sincerely” and ‘Yours faithfully” when signing off.
When it comes to Essay Writing, most students would take the safe approach and tackle

1) Narrative (personal recount) type 
While this tried and tested approach may be safe, it will not get you very far if your story is trite or fabricated; which unfortunately is usually the case for most students.  A story is unique to everyone and unless you have personally experienced an incident that is ‘mind blowing’, don’t attempt such questions. 

Some might also attempt
2) Descriptive type
Such essays require students to have stupendous descriptive phrases that bring out the five senses; smell, touch, sight, taste and hearing.  Generally those who love to read novels and are adroit in adopting the language use of novelists score in such essays.  But for those who do not like to read, never attempt such questions because the risk of failing is high if your writing fail to stimulate the five senses of the examiner.

The best way to score in essay is to do the expository type – mixed textargumentative and discursive.  Present your opinion in a cogent manner, pebbled with one or two idioms and generous use of nice vocabulary words; you are on your way to a distinction!  I always prepare and train my soldiers to do such essays.  Yes, for those who may not have had the opportunity to learn from me, fret not!  Just head to the Popular bookstores and grab a copy of my book, Excel in Argumentative, Expository and Discursive Essays.  This book provides some of the useful idioms that you can use with a step by step approach in developing your cognitive thoughts.  What’s more, all the essays are backed by real life examples and statistics to vindicate your points.

So much for Paper 1 this month.  I will share the the tips to handling the Paper 2 in my next blog.  Till then, stay healthy and ebullient!

My books at our National Library

9 December 2017

I was searching for some material when I chanced upon all the books that I have written are made available at the National library.  I am aware some of the books have been used by the schools but to see them placed at the library is something I never imagined.

I will continue to deliver good material to benefit our young minds.

Voluntary Sessions

31 August 2017

I was invited on 12th August and 19th August 2017 to conduct lectures on English Paper 1 & Paper 2 for both parents and students. These were voluntary sessions for Chong De Cultural Association.

The feedback I got for both sessions was very encouraging. At the end of the final session, I was presented with tokens of appreciation. More touching moments include parents coming up to thank me personally and a father who even got his son to thank me in person. It’s moments like these that make me feel it’s all worthwhile… Fulfilment!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

01 January 2017

happy 2017

I feel very blessed 2016 had been a wonderful year for me.  I sincerely express my gratitude and deep appreciation for all my students (past and present), parents and stakeholders who have made all the wonderful things possible.

We are seeing turbulent times ahead and for some of us, our resilience may be put to the test.  Whatever it may be, always remember to count our blessings and never be defeated.  I would like to share a favourite quote from the famous boxing show ‘Rocky’.  “Success ain’t how hard you hit.  It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving till you get there”. 

Indeed, it is not how good or much you can achieve, but how hard you can fall and stand up, and move forward when life hits you hard.  Fall again, stand up, and trudge on till you get to your dreams when life continues to rain punches at you.  That’s what a REAL WINNER is!  Not easily crushed or defeated.

Happy New Year and wishing everyone good health!

My Pride…

08 August 2016.

I am very happy to learn that my books are used by the teachers in Hwa Chong Institution! One of the top schools in Singapore.. The students have been encouraged to purchase them from their bookshop.

The O-Level English Oral book consists of 40 practices covering a wide range of topics that are commonly discussed in the oral exams.   All the pictures in the book were personally taken by me; here in Singapore as well as overseas. 

Another key highlight about the book is that it comes with Assessment Criteria based on MOE’s marking scheme.


非常高兴我以下的两本书被华侨中学纳为参考书!(华侨中学 是新加坡的名校)老师们都鼓励学生们购买。

这本英语口语书共有四十多类的标题。都是普遍在O水准口语考试所会讨论的题目。书里的每一张照片都是本人在本地和外国所拍下来的。 希望以最真实的画面呈现给学生。

书里的得分标准也是跟据教育部的评分规则所定的。

The Upper Secondary – Visual Text Comprehension book is also another unique book.

All the posters and advertisements found in the book are real advertisements and posters that appear in newspapers and magazines. However due to copyright issues, I am not able to reproduce them in its original form.  Hence with the help of my wife, she re-created all the graphics in the posters and advertisements.  The words were re-phrased by me while retaining as much the authenticity of the articles. This enable students to understand the underlying messages in real posters and advertisements.

这是图片形式理解书,是另一本对我来说蛮独特的书。

所用的图片都是在报账或杂志所能看到的真实广告!但因为版权问题,我不能使用原版的图片。感谢我的太太帮我把图片改版。而我也把宣传语以另一个方式改写,但还是保存了原有广告的含义。 这样学生们可以真正的学到真实广告背后的含义。

It is truly very encouraging that a top school appreciates the effort put in to write both books.  Such recognition keeps me motivated in continuing to come up with good material to benefit our young minds!

写这两本书所花费的精力,居然能够被这所名校认同,让我备受鼓励,并且十分荣幸。这样的支持能够激励我再接再厉,继续写出能够让学生们获益匪浅的书!