ENGLISH NOTES FOR FORM THREE – ALL TOPICS

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Participating in Debates, Dialogues, Interviews, Impromptu Speeches and Discussions

Expressing Opinion/Ideas/View Orally

Express Opinion/Ideas/View Orally

Language is a system of symbols that permit people to communicate or interact. Symbols can include vocal and written forms, gestures and body language. Language may be described in terms of four basics language skills; listening, speaking, reading as well as writing.

People generally learn these four skills from stage to stage, main focus in this topic will be in writing as well as speaking. Writing refers to process of reproducing symbols on paper to create words with meaning.

DEBATE

Refers to a method of formally presenting an argument in a disciplined manner through logical consistency, factual accuracy and some degree of emotional appeal to the audience.

Debate may be done in schools, community and other social contexts.

FORMAT OF DEBATES

Two groups are formed they comprise of a proposing and opposing side. Each side argues for their views and are judged by the judging team under a set criteria.

TYPES OF DEBATE

PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES: Take place in parliament and other legislatures. Members debate proposals regarding legislation before voting on the resolutions which become laws.

COMPETITIVE DEBATING: Teams compete against each other and are judged by a list of criteria usually based on content, style and strategy, this may be done at local, national or international level.

IMPROMPTU DEBATE: Is relatively informal style of debating compared to other highly structured formats. A topic is given to participants twenty minutes before the debates begins is characterised by a simple format.

DIALOGUE

Refers to a conversation between two or more people as a feature of a book, play or film or refers to a spoken conversational exchange between two or more people.

Dialogue may be of various forms: Egalitarian Dialogue, refers to the concept of dialogic learning ,it may be defined as dialogue in which contributions are considered according to the validity of their reasoning instead of status or position of power of those who make them.

Structured dialogue, refers to the disciplined form of dialogue where participants agree to follow framework or facilitation, Also enables groups to address complex shared problems. Structured dialogue is employed to complex problems such as peace making and indigenous community development.

INTERVIEW

Refers to conversation between two or more people in which person is asked question in order to know the facts and capability of person needed for particular position or job

Person who ask questions is called INTERVIEWER and Person who answers questions from interviewer is called INTERVIEWEE. Interview also used in journalism and reporting news

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN INTERVIEW

An interview is more personal a questionnaire.

The interviewer works directly with the interviewee.

Interviews are time consuming and resource intensive.

An interviewer is trained to test individuals.

Provides opportunity of face to face interaction between interviewer and interviewee.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR INTERVIEWS

Knowledge of your resume. You have to know the ins and outs of your resumes after receiving call of interview from a recruiter.

Find out about the company background, annual report and management profile.

Study all data before the interview since knowledge of the company makes a great impression.

Try to challenge yourself with various questions and answer them but do not focus on salary or benefits.

What to wear, a make good choice of clothes to wear for most preferred colours are grey, blue, black and remember to stay away from bright colours.

Hairstyle matters, choose simple styles.

Put you forms and other paper work together a day before the interview and remember to have multiple copies of your resumes.

A Good night’s rest is essential to wake up fresh fro the next day.

Your confidence, exude your confidence, body language will speak louder than what you say. remember to use hand gestures and pay attention to your actions.

IMPROMPTU SPEAKING

Is the speech and debate individual event that involves five to eight minute speech with a short preparation of one to three minutes.

Speakers are given topic in terms of quotation, object, proverb or one abstract verb

Example of topics for impromptu speaking are:

Tell us how to make new friend

Tell us about your favourite holiday

Exams are/are not good forms of assessments

Competitors success and ranking is ultimate determined by judges decision

CRITERIA THAT COMPETITORS AND JUDGES SHOULD ADHERE

Avoid exceeding two minutes on preparations

Create an interpretation of prompt use it to establish argument or thesis

Use heavenly examples such as historical background to support their argument

Advanced speakers often use theories in conjunction with examples to illustrate them

Speaker are advised not to use pre prepared impromptu speech

Presenting Fact/Ideas Logically and Fluently

Present Fact/Ideas Logically and Fluently

Word fact originated from Latin word FACTUM which means thing to be done or performed.

Something that really occurred or in case. Facts refers to the truth known by actual experience or observation,something to be true. Facts also may be knowledge or information based ion real occurrence.

For example when one says Nyerere died in 1999 that will be a fact since has based on real occurance. One may say Aisha is honest there is no clear evidence about it so that will not be fact rather than opinion.

OPINIONS

Refers to view or judgment formed about something not necessarily based on facts or knowledge. Also may be statement of advice from expert on professional matter.

It is not necessarily for opinionbeing proven to be opinion but facts needs to be proven so as to be facts.

Reading Intensively for Comprehension

Responding to Specific Questions on a Text Read

Respond to Specific Questions on a Text Read

Reading information from different sources involves two types of reading which are extensive and intensive reading.

Intensive reading Involves reading tasks, passages and information carefully with the aim of gaining knowledge from the information in the text.

Read the introduction: Many introductions contain valuable insights into the author’s life and his writing, both of which can enrich your understanding and appreciation of the work. It will often provide background knowledge on the novel.

Read carefully:This is no time for speed reading or skimming! A careful reading may seem slower, but you will ultimately save more time than if you have to reread everything. Begin reading the novel or short story as soon as it is assigned and read slowly and with attention to detail!

When you are reading a novel or short story, the main areas of focus should be form and content.

Form refers to the writing style and techniques used and how the elements of design are implemented. Content refers to what is the literary work talking about

Parts of Forms

1. Plot = Reflection of motivation and causation.

2. No plot = The king died and then the queen died.

3. Plot = The king died, and then the queen died of grief.

4. Character = Is a fictional person who drives a story or who the story is about.

5. Setting = Awork’s natural, manufactured, political, cultural and temporal environment, including everything that characters know and own (place, time, objects).

6. Title = Is the name of the book

7. Writer/ author =this s the person who have written a story

8. Tone = Methods by which writers and speakers reveal attitudes or feelings

9. Style= Ways in which writers assemble words to tell a story, to develop an argument, dramatise, or they way they use certain words in the service of content.

Parts of Content

Theme: Results of general and abstract thinking in literature, themes relate to meaning, interpretation, explanation and significance.

Literature: embodies values along with themes are vital to an understanding and appreciation of literature

Themes:Are not as obvious as character or setting.

It is important to consider the meaning of what you’ve read and then develop an explanatory and comprehensive assertion.

Message:Is what the reader learns from a literally work.

Identifying Themes

Theme

Identify theme

What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?

The theme of a fable is its moral or teaching. The theme of a piece of fiction is its view about life and how people behave.

In fiction, the theme is not intended to teach or preach. In fact, it is not presented directly at all. You extract it from the characters, action, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure out the theme by yourself.

The writer’s task is to communicate on common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

Identifying Main Features of Different Genres

Identifying main Features of Different Genres

Identify main features of different genres

Genres of literature include:

A Novel is a factious prose narrative of book length, typically representing characters and actions with some degree of realism.

A Play is a work of art which involves performance in a stage, and dialogue.

Poetry: Is made up offigurative language, songs, symbolic language with emphasis on imagination, emotions, and heartfelt ideas written in stanza and verses. A stanza is a single line in a poem.

Listening for Specific Information

Giving Specific Information

Give specific information

Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. When we learn a language; there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write. These are called the four “language skills”.

Listening

Speaking

Reading

Writing

As you can see, listening is the first language skill. It is perhaps the most important skill of all, the basis for the other three. Listening is key to all effective communication, without the ability to listen effectively messages are easily misunderstood – communication breaks down and the sender of the message can easily become frustrated or irritated. If there is one communication skill you should aim to master then listening is it.

Responding Appropriately to given Instructions

Respond appropriately to given instructions

When you are listening to texts read by a teacher or someone else you must do the following:

Figure out the purpose for listening. Activate background knowledge of the topic in order to predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate listening strategies.

Attend to the parts of the listening input that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest. This selectivity enables you as students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the amount of information in short-term memory in order to recognise it.

Listening for the main idea.

Predict.

Listen for specific details.

Recognising word-order patterns.

Check comprehension while listening and when the listening task is over.

Draw a conclusion.

Summarise to get specific information.

Listening for General Information

General Opinion about a Text One has Heard

General opinion about a text he/she has heard

When you are listening to get the general idea the following must be done:

Note the use of new words.

Listen to the text read by another person

Try to use the new vocabulary in everyday life, including during games.

Check the meaning of words in the dictionary or ask a teacher.

Summarise the general idea behind the text you have heard.

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Strategies to Learn any Language

1. Concentrate on one language island at a time

If you’ve ever felt stuck in your language learning journey, you’re not alone. Many learners experience what’s known as the language plateau, where they feel like they can’t progress further than they already have.

To overcome this hurdle, Richards suggests focusing on a single “language island.” Instead of jumping between unrelated topics like World War II, gardening, and Harry Potter, which introduce a vast range of vocabulary, he suggests focusing on interconnected subjects.

For instance, delving into the histories of World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the Korean War would be considered one language island. The advantage? “You’ll be learning lots of military terms, seeing those same words come up over and over again in different contexts,” Richards says.

The beauty of this approach lies in its simplicity. By immersing yourself in a specific language island, you encounter repeated vocabulary, which helps you learn faster. Richards shares a personal example to illustrate this: “I’ve been watching videos in Cantonese about making videos on YouTube. So, when I move on to the next video, I see the same vocabulary coming up all the time, which means I learn it faster.”

This method brings focus to your vocabulary learning and ensures that you’re continually reinforcing and building upon what you’ve already learned.

2. Focus on comprehensible input

If your goal is learning languages fast, it’s key to familiarize yourself with the concept of comprehensible input, or the idea that you should read or listen at your level or slightly above it, based on notable linguist Stephen Krashen’s theory of language acquisition.

When you’re new to learning Spanish, it’s probably too early to watch an entire movie in Spanish. Instead, you’ll want to find material just above your level at every stage of your language learning journey. As a beginner, this will likely be those short, simple dialogues we discussed earlier.

You’ll soon start understanding more than you think and be ready to read stories or non-fiction material. First, reading gives you everything you need for comprehensible input – you can study at your own pace and highlight any vocab you don’t know. Stories are particularly effective because their structures are universally relatable, so the stories you know in your mother tongue can help you understand.

Beyond that, stories allow you to have an experience that engages your entire brain in the learning process instead of just the left brain that may be involved when you’re only learning grammar. Activating different parts of your brain helps you form new neural connections, leading to better long-term language retention.

“This is how native speakers learn their own language,” Richards says, “We didn’t learn English by studying grammar rules. We learned from our parents reading us books.”

3. Use a structured reading technique

While reading is vital for learning a language, you need to be strategic about it. Here’s how Richards suggests you approach reading in a foreign language:

• Read the chapter from the beginning to the end: Don’t stop to look up new words or study grammar.
• Go back and reread the chapter: This allows your brain to notice more things, like conjugation or sentence structure.
• Look up any words repeated at least five times: This helps you focus on the most important vocabulary so you don’t spend more time in the dictionary than on what you’re reading.
• Move on to the next chapter: Don’t go back to memorize more words or learn new grammar rules.

Although you might feel tempted to return to the chapter to look up more words, the most important part of this process is moving on. You need to keep your focus on constantly getting new input from your target language. “Your progress in the language is going to come down to one thing, which is how much time you spend in the language,” Richards reiterates. “So you mustn’t spend all your time with your head in the dictionary. You’ve got to spend time actually consuming content.”

4. Read wisely, not widely

There’s value in narrowing the focus of your reading materials. Focus on choosing the right books, ideally, some that are related to your hobbies and interests.

Richards says, “If you are really into gardening, for example, then look for books on gardening in your target language.” The idea is to learn through topics that already interest you because you’ll be intrinsically motivated to understand.

But contrary to many common suggestions, Richards recommends not using popular book series, like Harry Potter, to learn a language. Most fiction books are filled with odd vocabulary you won’t use in real life – unless you’re a wizard.

Instead, start by reading nonfiction books because they use practical language you’re likely to use in your daily life. Nonfiction is written more simply than novels, which often use more creative vocabulary and complex sentence structures.

As a bonus, if you’re reading a nonfiction book about one of your interests, you already understand the topic. That means you can focus on learning the new language rather than unfamiliar concepts.

5. Avoid relying on parallel texts while learning

Parallel texts are books with the target language on one side and your native language on the opposite page. At first glance, this seems like a handy tool for language learners. For instance, you read a sentence in English and immediately have the German translation to assist you.

But Richards warns against becoming too reliant on this method. “It removes the struggle,” he says. “If you get an immediate translation, your brain doesn’t need to do the work of really trying to figure out the meaning of what you’re reading in the foreign language.” And while some might argue they can resist the temptation to peek at the translation, Richards is skeptical: “We always cheat.”

Imagine going to the gym and only lifting light weights. There’s no resistance, so your muscles will never grow. The same applies to your brain and a new language.

Instead of parallel texts, Richards recommends reading materials entirely in the target language. His books, for instance, are 100% in the target language without any translation. The most challenging vocabulary is bolded and explained at the end of each chapter.

This method encourages learners to grapple with the language, which promotes a deeper understanding. “What this means is that you struggle to read, you struggle with the story, and there’s some bits you don’t understand. It’s ambiguous,” Richards explains. “But then, at the end of the chapter, once you’ve finished, you get to learn some words that unlock the stuff you’ve been reading. This promotes your ability to actually deal with the language.”

6. Start speaking early

While we’ve focused a lot of tips on input, let’s not forget the critical importance of speaking. After all, when Richards learned Italian in 90 days, he spent his entire second and third months actually speaking Italian. So, if you want to learn a language fast, he recommends to start speaking and have daily conversations in the second month.

There are many opportunities to speak a new language even if you can’t travel to a country where that language is spoken. You can find a language exchange partner or use a language exchange app with on-the-go speaking tools.

“I would go on a service like Preply and take daily language lessons with a tutor so I’m speaking the language every day,” Richards says. Once you add regular conversation practice to your routine of reading and listening to your target language, you’ll progress quickly in your first three months.

7. Immerse yourself in the language

Once you’ve trained your ability to “get the language out of your mouth and speak it,” as Richards describes it, you need to start doing the same things as before, but “on steroids.” The idea is to speak to as many people as possible and get as much language input as possible through reading and listening.

To create as much immersion as possible from your home without traveling to a foreign country, you must find ways to input your target language into your daily life. As we explained earlier, learning through your personal interests can help tremendously by keeping you engaged and interested as you learn the language.

Other ways to create an immersion environment from home include:

• Listening to podcasts in your target language while doing chores, commuting or exercises
• Watch videos on YouTube in your target language
• Change your mobile phone to your target language (but make sure you know how to change it back!)
• Talk to a smart assistant like Siri or Alexa in your target language for stress-free conversation practice

Most of these examples are completely free, so it doesn’t hurt to experiment! Try incorporating them into your daily routine so you’re surrounded by your new language as much as possible.

8. Turn off the subtitles when watching movies and TV shows

Another popular “hack” for learning a language is to watch movies and TV shows in that language. But Richards isn’t such a fan of this as a core language study format.

“For me, movies are not a very good way to study. It’s just not a very convenient format because it’s very long form,” Richards says. “It’s not convenient to rewind and rewind. You can only see one sentence on the screen at the same time.” Instead, he prefers books because everything is already on the page, so it’s easy to go back and reread something he didn’t understand.

That being said, if you are going to watch movies or TV in a foreign language as a supplemental learning tool, don’t use any subtitles – not even in your target language. When you turn the subtitles on, you’re not listening anymore; you’re reading. It’s even worse if you’re reading subtitles in your native language because you won’t be learning much in a foreign language, will you?

“With all things being equal, two hours spent in Spanish is better than two hours spent in English,” Richards says. “But don’t be under the illusion that by watching a movie for two hours you are making big progress in your language skills because, unfortunately, you’re not.”

9. Have a strong tolerance for ambiguity

You might be a bit shocked by the idea that a person can learn a new language to a conversational level in three months. For most of us, it takes much longer. Doesn’t it?

When asked what makes learning a new language take longer than it should, Richards explains that language learners need to have a strong “tolerance for ambiguity.” This means you need to be okay with the millions of things you don’t understand when learning a language.

“I think insisting on knowing everything and then just grinding to a halt and not moving is the biggest mistake I see people make,” Richards says. If you get caught up by checking every single word in a text that you don’t understand, it’s simply too inefficient and takes too much time.

But when you have a high tolerance for ambiguity, as good language learners do, you can be comfortable being a bit lost. By tolerating ambiguity, you free yourself to keep exposing yourself to the language while also being open and curious about the language to learn more.

10. Focus on real concentrated study, not cheap hacks

Just like anything that requires hard work, there’s no shortage of myths and shortcuts to learning a language floating around on the internet. But the truth is that you won’t get results with language learning by putting in the minimum effort.

So, can you learn a language while sleeping? Richards doesn’t hesitate to answer: “It’s a waste of time.” While the idea of absorbing a new language without actually doing anything might sound appealing, the reality is that true language acquisition requires active engagement and conscious effort.

That’s why immersion is the most effective way to truly grasp a new language. It forces you to think, process, and respond in your target language, which speeds up your learning and helps you think more naturally in the new language.

It’s also important to practice actively producing the language through speaking and writing, which is often overlooked. If your goal is to use your new language in the workplace, you need to have strong writing skills. It’s not enough to just speak when you also need to respond to emails and create presentations for meetings.

You can get practice by responding to writing prompts. This helps you practice constructing sentences and expressing your thoughts. Ultimately, this exercise can significantly improve your vocabulary and grammar, which is important for professional communication.

11. Finally, Find a Way to Make It Fun

As with anything, if you’re going to stick to it, you have to find a way to make it fun.

Find people you enjoy talking to. Go to events where you can practice while doing something fun. Don’t just sit in a classroom in front of a book, or you’re likely to burn out fairly quickly.

Talk about personal topics which you care about. Find out about the person you’re talking to. Make it personal, a life experience, or else you’re going to be in for a long, unenjoyable process which will likely end up in you forgetting everything you learned.

And those, my friends, are my 25 tips to learn a foreign language effectively. Now go and get learning.

The Three Elements for Success

1) Motivation

You need to enjoy your language and believe that you can succeed. Without a positive attitude, learning becomes less pleasant and more difficult. An essential component of language learning is staying the course. This is much less feasible without motivation. 

2) Consistency

Interact with your target language daily. Personally, I aim for at least an hour a day. Sometimes, this consists purely of listening to audio while I complete other tasks. For example, I’ll listen to a podcast while washing the dishes. I also recommend at least half an hour per reading per day. 

3) Notice Patterns

As the Sufi saying goes, “you can only learn what you already know”. Languages are full of patterns. As language learners, we need to stay attentive and aware of a language’s features. Through ample exposure, certain sentence structures or traits of the language will become more visible.