Friday, August 12, 2011

Last Hurdle for Oral


“Let’s go for some grocery shopping!” my mother exclaimed as she took her floral-print recycling bag and coerced me into following her.
My mother loves to shop. She can shop from day to night, anywhere and anytime. Upon knowing that there’s a sale somewhere in town, she will definitely rush there. She is only short of being labelled a “shopaholic”.
Fortunately, I have inherited none of her “shopping” genes. However, being the only child in this family, it is inevitable that I am always the one being dragged along on her shopping sprees most of the time. 

Conversation: Do you like to shop? Why and why not?
                    : Where do you usually shop?
               
Possible Good Vocabulary:
A state of bewilderment
Balanced on his bike unsteadily
In a precarious situation
As clumsy as a bull in a china shop
Apologetic look can be seen on her face
Bustling supermarket
Milling with shoppers
Wide array of groceries
 
PRACTICE TWO



“Ohh… It’s my turn to mop the floor today…” lamented Ken as he started packing his schoolbag. Ken dreads doing household chores. He often envies his classmates who have maids to help out with the household chores.
Since young, Ken’s mother believes in inculcating independence in her children. Hence, she would rather have Ken and his siblings doing the household chores than to hire a maid.
No matter how much Ken detests doing these household chores, he dares not go against his mother’s wishes for he knows that it is for his own good.
 













Conversation: Do you like doing household chores?
                    : Is it important for children to do household chores from young?

Possible Good Vocabulary:  

Choral performance
Melodious voices
Perched precariously on the tree
Putting their heart and soul into the performance
Audience listened intently and gave full support
Leisure stroll
Danced enthusiastically



PRACTICE THREE


“Wow, the Botanic Gardens has changed so much!” exclaimed Grandmother as she ambled around the garden excitedly with her walking stick.
The sun was unbelievably hot but that did not dissuade Grandmother from going to the park that day. It is rare for the whole family to go on excursions given our hectic schedules.
However, upon seeing the radiant smile on Grandmother’s face, I believe that putting aside some time to bond with Grandmother is more important than any other things in this world.


 
Conversation: How do you spend time with your family?
                    : Do you like going to the park?












Possible Good Vocabulary: 

Cat and Dog life
Look of boredom
Reluctance to do household chores
Impish toddler
Inquisitive character
Shocked the daylight out of the mother
Cleans diligently and meticulously    
Snaps in frustration/infuriation
 


PRACTICE FOUR 







“Hey, Ahmad! Going to school?” Uncle Tan asked as he sat at the void deck of the block, enjoying the cool breeze.
Uncle Tan is a familiar sight in the neighbourhood. Without fail, he would be seated at the stone table at 8a.m as he watched the day pass by.
Ahmad would greet Uncle Tan every morning when he was on his way to school. He has immense respect for this octogenarian who had spent his days serving the nation as an upright and noble police officer. 
   

CONVERSATION: Tell us about your neighbourhood

What do you like about your neighbourhood?

Possible Good Vocabulary: 

A gust of strong wind
In a state of panic
Newspapers strewn all over the place
flabbergasted
Oblivious tourist
Floral dress
Checked sarong
Clad in sari
Wide assortment of products
Malay traditional costume- Baju Melayu

13 comments:

  1. Ms Loh,

    I believe that the Oral Practise 4 reading passage has an error. Instead of 'serving the nation as a upright', it should be 'serving the nation as an upright'.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ohh... Thank you... I will edit it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ms Loh,

    {Possible Good Vocabulary:
    •Cat and Dog life
    •Look of boredom
    •Reluctance to do household chores
    •Impish toddler
    •Inquisitive character
    •Shocked the daylight out of the mother
    •Cleans diligently and meticulously
    Snaps in frustration/infuriation} should be for practice 2 while
    {Possible Good Vocabulary:

    •Choral performance
    •Melodious voices
    •Perched precariously on the tree
    •Putting their heart and soul into the performance
    •Audience listened intently and gave full support
    •Leisure stroll
    •Danced enthusiastically} should be for practice 3.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Miss Loh,
    For the first picture, is the table with eggs and magazines the magazine stand?

    Thank you!
    Grace

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Miss Loh,
    For the third picture,what are the two kids at the bottom-right doing?
    Thank you!
    Cheng Feng

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Grace,

    It can be the magazine stand or just a table.

    Dear CF,

    What do you think?

    What about the rest of the class? How will you interpret the two kids' actions?

    ReplyDelete
  7. For practice 4's passage, I think it should be '...any other thing' not 'any other things'.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello Ms Loh! For practice 2,the reading passage, first line, do we read in a grumpy tone? That is because Ken lamented.

    Wai Kit.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1)This picture depicts a scene of a supermarket. The supermarket is milling with shoppers, so it should be a weekend. I think it is popular as there is a wide array of groceries to choose from and the supermarket is having a sale.

    In the foreground, there is a boy who had balanced on his bike unsteadily after he tripped on a puddle of water. His leg hit the edge of a table, thus he would be in pain. In my opinion, I think riding bicycles in a fast speed is dangerous and you can get yourself hurt. He should ride his bicycle at a more comfortable pace to prevent incidents like this to happen.
    Two siblings who were walking home witnessed the accident happen. They have a look of bewilderment plastered on their faces. If I were one of them, I would be equally as flabbergasted as the bicycle could have crashed into me.
    A stone's throw away from them, there is a woman who had dropped some eggs on the floor, and an apologetic look can be seen on her face. She is as clumsy as a bull in a china shop and she should be more careful in future. If I were her, I would clean the place up, to prevent anyone from slipping or falling by stepping on the broken eggs. I would also pay the cashier of the supermarket some money as compensation for braking the eggs.
    Behind her, there is a man clad in striped pants, walking out of the supermarket while carrying a big and heavy box that is filled with things he has bought from the supermarket. He is about to step on the eggs the woman has dropped and might trip and fall. I think he should not carry the not so high up as it is blocking his view. If I were in the picture, I would help him carry some of the groceries in the box.
    On his left, there is a bespectacled man paying money to the person who is selling newspapers. The man seems to be an avid reader as he i wearing spectacles. In my opinion, we should be like him and read more to increase our knowledge.
    Walking into the shop is a Indian woman who is clad in traditional clothes. She seems to be oblivious to the fact that someone beside him is carrying something heavy. I think she should not be so selfish and help the man beside her.
    In the shop, there is a cashier waiting for people to pay for their groceries. He seems extremely bored. If I were him, I would help the shoppers find things they do not know where it is put to prevent myself from wasting my time.
    On the extreme right, there is a mother and a son. The son wants an ice-cream and the mother is going to buy one for him. I strongly believe that the mother should think twice about buying an ice-cream for her son. Not only would the ice-cream damage the son's health, the son would also become a spoilt kid in future.
    All in all, we should be aware of our surroundings and be meticulous when doing things, to prevent danger from striking.
    Cheng Feng

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oops I forgot to say the above post was for the first picture.
    Cheng Feng

    ReplyDelete
  11. Picture 4.

    This picture depicts a scene of some shops along the streets. I think that this might be on a school day as there is a boy clad in school uniform walking past the shops.
    At the Universal Gift Shop, there is a shop keeper clad in a buttoned shirt introducing a to a tourist with a hat on his head. A broad smile is plastered on the shop keeper's face. If I were the tourist, I would feel elated as the shop keeper in Singapore is polite and nice, allowing me to leave a great impression of this country. In my opinion, I think that all Singaporeans should learn from that shopkeeper and treat their customers well.

    Just a stone's throw away, there is a tourist clad in a floral dress with a camera hanging on her neck. A gust of strong wind has blown her dress and her long hair. Behind the lady is a newspaper stand. Because of the strong wind, the newspapers are in a mess and some are strewn all over the ground. An indian man who is clad in the traditional indian costume has rushed out of the newsagent shop when he has seen what has happened. An indian lady, presumingly his wife, has a look of bewilderment on her face. I think that the indian man is the owner of the newsagent shop and the newspaper stand. In my opinion, I think that he should not leave the stack of newspapers there and should instead sit there and look after them in case a gust of wind blew the newspapers away.
    If I were the indian man's wife, I would rush out to help him out immediately after I had seen what had happened to the newspapers. Just footsteps away, there is a boy clad in school uniform who is bending down and helping the indian man to pick up the newspapers which had been strewn all over the place. I think that we should learn from the boy's actions by lending a helping hand to others when they need help. If I were the owner of the newspaper stand, I would be very impressed and grateful towards the school boy.
    Nearby, a lady who is clad in a dotted dress and is carrying bags of purchased stuff has her view blocked by a newspaper from the newspaper stand. If I were in that lady's shoes, I would feel very shocked to see a piece of newspaper landing on my face and bloc

    ReplyDelete
  12. * blocking my view.

    There is an error for me and I can't seem to post more than those amount of words.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Wai Kit,

    Yes, it should not be in an upbeat tone. :)

    ReplyDelete