DEVELOPING SKILLS for HKDSE Book 4 Set B

nit 4 Sport Name:

Class:
Class number:
Paper 1 Reading
Date:

Skills Development

Learning focus: Reading skills

Summarizing information
Identifying reference words

Learning focus: Question types

Cloze summary
Reference questions

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Reading skills

Summarizing information

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S ummarizing is identifying and retelling the main ideas of a text. Being able to do this helps you
consolidate your understanding of the information.
 ote that the writer of a text may include examples and elaborations to support their main ideas.
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Therefore, you may sometimes need to skip these details when scanning the text to make your own
summary.

STRATEGY
Follow these steps to summarize information quickly after reading the text for
the first time:
1 Scan the text for keywords, subheadings and topic sentences (usually the opening
sentence of a paragraph).
2 Skim the first and last paragraphs. The main topic is often stated in the
first paragraph and repeated in the last/concluding paragraph.
3 Underline key information along the way and make your own summary.

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R ead the text below. Then check out the mind map that follows for a summary of the information
presented.

Hong Kong’s boxing ‘Wonder Kid’

keeps going strong
While popular sports in Hong Kong such as badminton, swimming
and cycling are the ones usually under the spotlight, one of the city’s
new generation of superstar athletes, Rex Tso Sing Yu, has successfully
brought a lesser-known sport – boxing – to media attention.

Born in Tuen Mun, Rex was a school dropout. He described himself as having no ambitions
or aspirations. After Secondary 4, he quit school and mostly stayed at home playing video
games. Sometimes he worked part-time distributing flyers or as a warehouse worker.

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Then he met Jay Lau, a coach at a local boxing gym. Rex had had boxing experience because

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of his family’s background in boxing, and he became Jay’s assistant coach. At the age of 16,

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Rex won his first amateur match, and he turned pro in 2011.

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As of March 2017, he had 21 consecutive wins from a career of 21 fights, with a total of 13

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knock-out wins – an immaculate record. His matches have attracted thousands of spectators.

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Nicknamed ‘Wonder Kid’ for his string of wins without defeat, Rex is a supernova in the
professional boxing world. Being the first Hong Kong fighter to attain a No. 1 ranking
worldwide, Rex’s success has helped build the boxing scene in Hong Kong.

Summary

Boxer Rex Tso – a HK success story

Humble beginnings: Turning point: met Career high point (so Popularity and
school dropout; Jay Lau, a boxing far): an undefeated contribution:
worked odd jobs gym coach; turned record of 21 wins as nicknamed
pro in 2011 of March 2017 ‘Wonder Kid’

u4.2
 Note All answers
Activity 1 Read the excerpt from an article below and summarize the main ideas with the mind map
given at the bottom of this page.

Your shoes may make or break your training

[1] A good pair of training shoes is essential for injury-free running. To keep up with the
fitness boom, shoe manufacturers have designed more sports shoe options than ever before.
Being spoilt for choice doesn’t mean it’s always easy to pick the best ones for running.
Trainers that are a mismatch for the sport can hamper the effectiveness of your training and
may even cause grave injuries.

[2] So how should you choose the best shoes for running?

[3] In the first place, running shoes should be comfortable

with excellent cushioning, flexibility and shock
absorption. Maximum cushioning and shock absorption

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are essential if you often train on tarmac or concrete

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surfaces. To check these features, put the shoes on and

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then jump up and down a few times on a hard surface. Your feet should feel comfortable

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and they should not move around in the shoes.

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[4] To test for flexibility, make sure that the shoes bend easily when the heel rises off the

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ground. The ‘upper’ of the shoe (the part that stretches across the top of the shoe and over
the arch of the foot) should not be too stiff or rigid. Leather uppers are best but they are
often expensive, so nylon is often used instead. Canvas uppers, however, are not suitable
for serious runners as they do not give enough support to the feet.

Summary

Ans Main topic:

Ans Key point 1 (paragraph 3): Ans Key point 2 (paragraph 4):

u4.3
 Identifying reference words
 hen the same subject comes up in a text multiple times, pronouns and other reference words
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are often used to avoid repetition.

Read the example below.

Extreme sports , also known as action sports, such as rock climbing and
snowboarding, are getting more and more popular worldwide. These
adrenaline-pumping activities frequently involve speed, height and a
considerable level of physical strength and risk-taking that can be fatal. So
what attracts people to these exhilarating pursuits? Is it the danger or the
adventure? ‘The challenges they offer are awesome beyond words; I want
to see how far I can go – to really test myself and push my limits,’ explains
a veteran of these pastimes.

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In the example above, the term ‘extreme sports’ has been repeated or paraphrased in different
ways after the first mention: ‘action sports’, ‘these adrenaline-pumping activities’, ‘these exhilarating

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pursuits’, ‘they’ and ‘these pastimes’.

NOTE
Apposition, where
two phrases that
refer to the same
subject are placed
ASTRATEGY
Pay attention to the following types of reference words and phrases:
(Referencing the example above)
1 Synonyms
together and
separated by a The words ‘extreme’ and ‘adrenaline-pumping’; ‘sports’, ‘pursuits’, ‘activities’
comma, are also and ‘pastimes’ are synonyms.
commonly used. 2 Pronouns, possessives and demonstratives*
E.g. Obesity , The pronoun ‘they’ indicates a plural subject, the demonstrative adjective
a high-risk health these (‘activities’; ‘pursuits’) is also plural.
condition , is known (*In general, apart from considering whether the subject is singular or
to be the cause plural, you should also pay attention to the gender (‘he’ or ‘she’) of the
of many fatal pronoun and whether it refers to something or someone.)
diseases.
3 Paraphrasing expressions

The expression ‘also known as’ is used to connect ‘extreme sports’ with
‘action sports’. Other expressions with the same function include ‘or’, ‘in
other words’, ‘that is’ and ‘which means’.

u4.4
 Activity 2 Read the following text and underline the reference words or phrases that refer to ‘the ollie’.

Birth of skating’s ‘ollie’

Ans [1] Every sport has its fundamentals. Skateboarding is no
exception. Consider ‘the ollie’. Most skateboarders probably
don’t know that this most essential of skills was actually
invented by a skateboarding fanatic named Ollie. Back in
5 1978, Alan ‘Ollie’ Gelfand was a 15-year-old keen
skateboarder from Hollywood, Florida in the US. As a
student, Ollie was every teacher’s nightmare, but he was
highly respected in dedicated skateboarding circles.

[2] Practising on the rough-surfaced concrete pool of a skate park one day, Ollie
10 found that when he reached the top of the bowl, his board would kick off the lip into

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the air and, after turning 180 degrees, come back to his feet. He also found that he

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could finish the move by bending his knees to gain control of the skateboard again

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and ride it back down the bowl.

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[3] ‘It was all by accident,’ Ollie said of the trick. At first, he called it the ‘no hands

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15 air’ but skaters quickly dubbed it ‘the ollie’.

Question types

Cloze summary
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In the exam, your skill in summarizing information will be tested in many ways. The most common
is cloze summary questions that require you to complete a summary by filling in the blanks using
words from the text or your own, while keeping the meaning unchanged.

STRATEGY
Follow these steps to tackle a cloze summary:

1 Check whether there is a word limit for each blank.

2 Stick to the paragraph(s) specified in the question to find useful information.

3 Make sure your answers are grammatically correct. Pay attention to tenses,
parts of speech, subject-verb agreement, etc.

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 Read the following example of a cloze summary question.

Complete the following summary based on the text in Activity 2 (u4.5). Use ONE word to fill in
each blank.

Alan Gelfand was infamous at school, but well-respected as a

(i) skateboarder . (ii) Practising/Sharpening his skateboarding
skills with other, just as (iii) dedicated , skateboarding was
his great love. It was while skating in a park one day that he
(iv) accidentally invented the (v) move/trick/skill now
known as ‘the (vi) ollie ‘. In this famous move, the
skateboarder kicks the board into the air and (vii) bends

his knees to smoothly land it back on the ground.

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bends
STRATEGY

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Blank

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(i) T he statement is about Gelfand’s occupation; The article ‘a’ indicates a noun is needed

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to fill in the blank.
(ii) T he word ‘practising’ is from line 9. Any other suitable synonym
(e.g. ‘sharpening’) would be acceptable.
(iii) T he word ‘dedicated’ is from line 8. It is the best answer given the cue phrase ‘just as’
that indicates a quality (similar to one of Gelfand’s/that is characteristic of Gelfand) is
needed to fill in the blank.
(iv) T he adverb ‘accidentally’ is derived from the phrase ‘by accident’ (line 14), matches the
meaning in the text, and is the correct part of speech needed to fill in the blank.
(v) ‘ The ollie’ has been referred to as a ‘move’ (line 12), ‘trick’ (line 14) and ‘skill’ (line 3) in
the text. Any one is a correct answer.
(vi) T his is the name of the move; the phrase ‘this famous move’ refers to ‘ollie’ in the
previous statement.
(vii) The keyword ‘knees’ is preceded by the word ‘bending’ (line 12). Here in the summary
we need to fill in the blank with a verb in the third-person singular simple present form,
so the correct answer is ‘bends’.

EXAM TIP
Write neatly in the Question-Answer Book so that what you’ve
written is legible to the marker. You may lose marks if the marker
cannot read your answers.

u4.6
Referencing questions
Referencing questions test your understanding of specific parts of a text. This type of question may ask you
to identify the subject referred to by a pronoun or phrase in the text.

Read the excerpt below and referencing questions that follow.

Beckham before and after retirement

[1] In his heyday as a professional athlete, David Beckham was dubbed one of the greatest
football players of his time. He is still looked up to as a role model for the sport even though he
has moved on to modelling and sponsorship projects since his retirement. Born in London to
parents who love football and the football team Manchester United, young Beckham worked hard
5 towards his goal of becoming a footballer. In 1992, the enthusiastic teenager began his training
and football career with Manchester United, staying with his boyhood club until 2003. He then
took his skills to several other massively popular European teams, namely Real Madrid, AC Milan

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and Paris Saint-Germain, before moving to the US to play for Los Angeles Galaxy.

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[2] To sports fans, he was an amazing midfielder who managed to kick a dead ball with amazing

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10 accuracy. In other areas, he is a style icon who lives a fairy-tale life with his talented wife,
designer Victoria Beckham, who first rose to fame as a member of a now disbanded pop group,

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The Spice Girls. Together, they have three sons and a daughter, and the family is probably among

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the most photographed in the world. Despite his retirement from the playing field, the one-man
marketing phenomenon is still influential in many ways in the fields of sports, fashion and
philanthropy.

1 What does ‘his’ (line 1) refer to?

David Beckham’s

2 The phrase ‘his boyhood club’ (line 6) refers to Manchester United .

3 What does ‘several other massively popular European teams’ (line 7)

refer to?
Real Madrid, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain STRATEGY
4 Who does the pronoun ‘they’ (line 11) refer to? 1 While most references are
‘back-references’, questions
David and Victoria Beckham
might sometimes ask for
‘forward-references’.
5 In paragraph 2, find three phrases used to refer to David Beckham.
2 Payattention to the
(Do not include ‘David Beckham’ or ‘he’ as an answer.)
subject-verb agreement.
e.g. a footballer Your answer must be singular
an amazing midfielder when the pronoun or phrase
in the question is singular,
a style icon
and plural when it is plural.
the one-man marketing phenomenon
u4.7
 Note What you have learnt in Unit 4:
Summarizing information
Reading Assessment Identifying reference words
Cloze summary
Reference questions
Read the opinion essay below and answer questions 1-13.

Does a gym membership card and a veggie diet equal healthy living?
Q1i [1] If aliens visited Hong Kong, they would assume that its citizens were extremely fitness conscious.
Q1ii The evidence to back up this assumption includes gyms on every city centre corner, juice bars on every
Q3 thoroughfare, and vegetarian restaurants proudly serving meat-free goodies without shame or deference to our
Q5 more carnivorous past.
5 [2] However, you and I know that these little green men and women would be mistaken. Although the
Q6 Hongkongers streaming through the streets give an impression of well-oiled efficiency, there is still a long way
Q7 to go before we can call our city a health hub.
Q8
[3] A new report by AIA* supports our suspicions. It shows that we trail the rest of the Asia Pacific region
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in health matters. In their Healthy Living Index, Hong Kong scores a disappointing 57 points out of 100. In
Q10
10 weekly exercise, adult Hongkongers average just 2.7 hours. Two thirds of those surveyed still want to lose
Q11 weight. Furthermore, they crave 90 minutes more sleep each night. Overall, adults rated their health a lowly 6.4

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out of 10.

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[4] Despite all the knowledge now available about diet, health and exercise, obesity is reaching epidemic
proportions in developed countries. How do we prevent Hong Kong from following suit? Is it time to spurn

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15 our modern system of self-deception and return to a healthier past?

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[5] There were certainly advantages to the simpler life enjoyed by our ancestors. If you’d said you wanted to

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get fit 150 years ago, you would have received some odd looks. To move from one place to another usually
involved walking. People of means in the 19th century openly engaged in climbing, hiking and riding to put

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them in touch with nature. Fitness was simply an afterthought.
20 [6] By the 1900s, Americans had caught on to the idea of ‘the body beautiful’, encouraged by Dr Dudley
Sargent of Harvard University. In truth, his complex exercise programmes did not do much to improve overall
fitness, but they were the first step towards recognizing that fitness through physical exertion was desirable.
[7] Yet in the 1950s, the number of preventable deaths in America and Europe was still high. Doctors knew
that a combination of overeating and inactivity was largely to blame. So why were people refusing to exercise
25 more? It seems the public saw exercise as taxing and unpleasant. Clearly a new approach was needed.
[8] What emerged was a worldwide revolution in physical fitness. When ordinary people were told they didn’t
have to kill themselves to stay fit, exercise suddenly became more fun. Easy-to-follow workout videos and
dance classes in the 1980s made it social and entertaining. And this leads us to the mystery of our current state.
What has changed in the last three decades? The AIA report suggests work-induced stress, excess time online
30 (cutting into exercise and sleep) and misconceptions about food are trending in the 2010s.
[9] In my opinion, we need to get back to basics. It seems ironic that with all the knowledge that modern
science has given us about the benefits of exercise, we should still be living like this. The problem is that
where physical effort was once an unconscious part of daily life, we now throw money at it.
[10] There is hope though. Hongkongers are aware of their health challenges – the first step towards changing.
35 Instead of wasting money on fancy fitness clubs, I suggest we download running apps and hit the park or
running track. Instead of driving or taking taxis, let’s walk. Finally, I suggest we turn our offices into gyms by
standing up and stretching in front of our computers, and challenging each other to lunchtime walkathons.

*AIA: American Insurance Association; an insurance company About this text type
with operations in Hong Kong as well as worldwide
Opinion essays are argumentative in nature. They are
written to present the writer’s own stance and arguments
on a specific topic. A typical opinion essay is written with
a more personal ‘I’ approach, with supporting evidence
u4.8 reinforcing the writer’s subjective opinions.
 All answers

1 What do these words in paragraph 1 refer to? reference question (2 marks)

i) ‘they’ (line 1) Ans
ii) ‘its citizens’ (line 1) Ans

2 The writer uses the example of aliens visiting Hong Kong at the beginning to …

A give an outsider’s viewpoint on Hong Kong life.

B suggest that aliens are healthier than humans.
C argue that aliens are probably vegetarian. A B C D
D show that this is not a serious piece of writing. Ans

3 Who are ‘these little green men and women’ (line 5)? reference question
Ans

4 Complete the summary of paragraph 3 below by choosing the best options to complete the missing

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

information. Blacken ONE circle only for each blank. cloze summary (3 marks)

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A recent survey found that Hong Kong people are (i) they seem. There are several causes

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of poor health. First, people (ii) to spend enough time on physical activity. Secondly, they

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seem to get (iii) sleep.

(i) A
B
C
D
as healthy as

A
a little healthier than
much healthier than
not as healthy as Ans
A B C D

(ii) A fail
B manage
C try hard A B C D
D are willing Ans
(iii) A enough
B excessive
C insufficient A B C D
D proper Ans

5 Who does ‘they’ (line 11) refer to? reference question

Ans

6 In paragraph 4, find a word that means ‘reject’. Ans

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

u4.9
 Note All answers

7 According to paragraph 5, what activities did people favour in the 19th century? (3 marks)
, and Ans

8 According to doctors in the 1950s, what were two causes of preventable deaths? (2 marks)
i) Ans
ii) Ans

9 What does ‘it’ (line 28) refer to? reference question

Ans

10 What does the phrase ‘our current state’ (line 28) refer to? reference question
Ans

11 What does it mean to ‘throw money’ (line 33) at a problem?

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

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Ans

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12 Complete the summary below using information given in paragraphs 5–8. Use ONE word only

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for each blank. Make sure your answers are grammatically correct. Pay attention to word forms,

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plurals, etc. cloze summary (9 marks)

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Ans

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Back in the 19th century, (i) people worried about the need for exercise as
Ans
(ii) was the primary means of transport. Outdoor activity was seen as a way
Ans Ans
to enjoy (iii) rather than to keep (iv) . By the early 20th
Ans
century, the link between (v) and fitness had been acknowledged, specifically
Ans Ans
by the (vi) , but the (vii) available were taxing
Ans
and not very user-friendly. In the 1980s, however, the (viii) craze really

caught on. Fun in exercise became the emphasis, and the idea of it being entertaining and
Ans
(ix) took hold.

13 Which of the following is the best alternative title for the text?

A A brief history of exercise

B Understanding AIA’s health report
C Why Hong Kong will never be a fitness centre A B C D
D An alien’s view of Hong Kong Ans

Answers written in the margins will not be marked.

u4.10
 Paper 2 Writing

Skills Development
Learning focus: Writing skills

Responding to requests
Writing personal profiles
Character description in narratives

Writing skills
Responding to requests
You have probably received emails and letters that make requests.
Letters or emails that make requests often ask you to:

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• do something

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* Refer to
• give something Appendix 3

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for further

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Let’s look at a sample letter of request which uses the full-blocked format.* information.

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• date 15 April 20_ _

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• salutation Dear Students
• heading (to tell you what Sports Day
the letter is about )
• opening (background As you know, our school holds a Sports Day every year. This is a popular school
information) event that not only gives many students the chance to compete and cheer for their
teams, but also raises funds for new sports equipment for our school.
• main body (why the
person is writing, i.e. the This year’s Sports Day will take place on 24 May 20_ _ . On Sports Day, we would
purpose of the letter) like to raise funds to buy new equipment for the school gymnasium. We would
like to ask if you would be willing to help sell snacks and drinks on Sports Day.

• details about the request We will have two stalls in the sports stadium selling snacks and drinks. The
snacks and drinks are being donated by Healthy Snacks Limited, so all the money
we raise will go towards buying new gymnasium equipment. Would you be able
• what you should do to help out at one of the stalls for just two hours?
when you finish reading
the letter If you can help, please send me an email with the times that you are available.
In addition, please let me know your contact telephone number.
• closing remark (these
are common remarks If you have any questions, please feel free to give me a call on 2345 6789 or send
used in many letters) me an email at [email protected]. Thank you for your support and I look
forward to hearing from you.
[Note: ‘faithfully’ matches Yours faithfully
the letter’s salutation]
• name of sender Christopher Chan
Chairman, Sports Club
• name of club/
organization, title
u4.11
 Note All answers
In Unit 1, you learnt how to write personal letters and emails. In Unit 3, you learnt how to respond to an
invitation. When you respond to a request, you can use the same skills. Below is a brief review of those skills.

STRATEGY
To write a letter or email of reply:
1 plan and organize the contents of your reply;
underline the key points you need to respond to
decide the:
- format (indented/full-blocked)
- style and register (formal/informal)
make a list of the information you plan to talk about

2 draft your reply

3 proofread your reply

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Activity 3 Read the email of request on the left and complete the response on the right.

EMAIL OF REQUEST

IST RESPONSE

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To: [email protected] To: [email protected]
From: [email protected] From: [email protected]

Hi everyone

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As you know, we’re going to have an end-of-year
party on the last day of term. All guests who are
attending the party are invited to bring snacks and
Hi Jane

Thanks for your email. I would love to help with

Ans
drinks to share.

You can choose to bring one of the following: I can bring Ans
for us to share at the party. What do you think?
• fruit
• crisps Let me know if you need any help organizing the
• nuts party.
• soft drinks Ans

Drop me a line to let me know what you can bring

and I will give you further updates! Sam

Thanks
Jane
Chairwoman, Table Tennis Club

u4.12
 All answers
Let’s look at an exam-style writing question based on the letter of request on u4.11.
Reply to the letter from Christopher Chan saying that you can help tend a stall from 9 am to 11 am.
Your name is Joe Tam. Your contact number is 9876 5432. Your email is [email protected].

Below is a strategy plan you could use to tackle this writing task.

STRATEGY
To respond to a request:
1 check the letter for the following:
purpose of your reply
information you need to include
appropriate register (formal/informal) to use

2 draft and write your response

3 proofread your response:

Is your salutation correct?

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Have you included all the information asked for?
Is your closing remark appropriate?

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Is your tone and language use polite?

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Now go back to the letter on u4.11. Imagine you are going to respond to Christopher’s letter

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Activity 4
as instructed. Complete the list below regarding your reply.

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1. Writing purpose:

2. Information to include:
Ans
Ans

Ans
3. Register to use:

Writing personal profiles

You can use descriptive writing to create:
• personal profiles • character descriptions

Language choices

PL E S descriptive words and phrases

EX AM
positive negative
well-built, strong flabby, frail
generous, modest prideful, deceitful
pretty, handsome disgusting, ghastly
polished, charitable, charismatic roguish, miserly, repulsive

u4.13
 All answers
Describing a person or character
Think about these wh-questions:
• What is he/she like? (character, personality)
• What does he/she look like? (physical appearance, clothing choices)
• How does he/she behave? (manners, tone of voice)
• What is/isn’t the person good at? (talents, abilities, strengths, weaknesses)
• How does the person react to different situations? (e.g. calmly, nervously)
• What do other people think of him/her? (opinions, comments)

Activity 5 The following descriptive words and phrases are jumbled up. Re-group them and write the
words in the correct spaces in the table below.

Attitude Personality

anxious, bigoted, brash, candid, bossy, chatty, childish, cold,

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careless, cheerful, conceited, critical, compassionate, dishonest, friendly,

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eager, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, generous, gentle, graceful, honest,
hostile, playful, relaxed, resilient, kind, loud, mean, quiet, selfish, shy,

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stubborn, sullen, uptight unkind

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Attitude Personality

cheerful Ans friendly Ans

positive

uptight Ans childish Ans

negative

Ans Ans

neutral

u4.14
 
Look at the following notes about a young female snooker player. Note that the questions in the column
on the left are guiding questions to help you plan your writing. Comments are given in blue on the right.

Planning notes
What is this person’s
  • T
 his information is
basic to a profile, and
• full name? Ng On-Yee often features in a
• age or date of birth? 17 November 1990 profile’s introduction/
opening.
• sex? female
• place of birth? Hong Kong

• guiding • slim • Use descriptive words

What does this person
  and phrases to give
questions look like? • wears glasses readers a general
• youthful and often smiling impression

What interesting
 
information do you

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know about this
person? E.g.

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• important or
• Education? • L ives with parents who run a snooker hall, and significant events

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• Skills? started playing at age 13 because she liked the that left a mark on

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• Career? uniform. the subject
• Achievements? • Three-time amateur world champion, then two-

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• Hobbies/Interests? time winner of the professional Ladies World
• What do you know Snooker Championship, in 2015 and 2017.

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about this person’s • Positive, humble attitude; says she has a lot to
personality? learn still.
• Wants to compete with men and has been invited
to men’s tournaments.
• Refer to the
exam question
What is your opinion
  (*Pay attention to the writing question and decide if and decide if it is
of this person?* your writing is going to be objective or subjective. appropriate for
If it is objective, you need not give your opinion.) you to give your
opinion.

Organizing information
When writing profiles, it is common to use chronological sequence. Sometimes, a
reverse time sequence is used. You learnt about these when writing narratives in Unit 2.

Objective or subjective?
objective ➝ Your description is neutral and the reader cannot guess your opinion
of the person.

subjective ➝ Your opinion of the person is clear from your description.

u4.15
 All answers
Activity 6 The planning notes on u4.15 have been written into two profiles. Read the two profiles
and answer the questions that follow.

PROFILE 1
Ng On-Yee

Ng On-Yee, a snooker player from Hong Kong, was born 17 November

1990. Slim and youthful, and often smiling behind her glasses, she lives
with her parents, who run a local snooker hall.

Ng On-Yee began playing snooker when she was 13. She won three
amateur snooker world championships before moving on to professional
snooker. So far she has won the Ladies World Snooker Championship
twice, in 2015 and 2017. Her next goal is to play competitively against
male snooker players.

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1 Is this writing subjective or objective? Ans

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2 Is this writing organized chronologically or does it use a reverse time sequence?

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Ans

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A
PROFILE 2
Ng On-Yee

One of Hong Kong’s greatest, most beloved sports stars comes from an unexpected place: women’s
snooker. The positive attitude and endearing, bespectacled smile of Ng On-Yee have charmed all
of Hong Kong. Besides, no one can deny her talent now that she has bagged her second professional
world champion trophy in three years, at the 2017 Ladies World Snooker Championship.

Before she went pro, Ng On-Yee won an impressive three world championships at the amateur
level. Despite her success, the champion remains modest and true to her roots. She still lives with
her parents, who run the neighbourhood snooker hall where she got her start as a teen.

While her past success is inspiring, so is her drive to keep improving, and take on the men of
snooker as well as the women. She says she still has a lot to learn, but already there is a lot that
Hong Kong youths can learn from her.

3 Is this writing subjective or objective? Ans

4 Is this writing organized chronologically or does it use a reverse time sequence?
Ans

u4.16
Character description in narratives
 hen you are writing a narrative, you will usually have characters in your writing.
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You will not describe your characters in the same way as you would write a profile of them.
Instead, your description will form part of the story.

Writing to show, not tell

You should use descriptions to ‘show, not tell’ your reader about your characters.
‘Telling’ is not a good style when writing narratives. It can make a narrative very boring to read.
Instead, ‘show’ your reader interesting and important information about your characters.

Let’s look at an example.

The reader is ‘told’ directly
how the player feels,
without any concrete
telling The player celebrated energetically because she was details, which makes the
happy and proud of her victory. description boring.

showing

TO
After making the final shot, the player broke into a The reader is ‘shown’ what
happens in the scene. The

S
broad smile and pumped her fist in the air with her
reader feels interested, and

I
raised fists.
can easily guess how the
player feels.

A
Here are two more examples.
R
 hen you are describing characters in a narrative, you can use negative and/or positive words to help
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create a 3D image of your character. However, negative descriptions should not be impolite, rude or
inappropriate.

1 This is a negative description

of the man: careless,
unthinking/selfish (Note:
‘sprawl’ is a verb with
a negative meaning)

2 This is a positive description

of a female character: tall,
self-confident, self-assured
(Note: ‘sauntered’ is a verb
with a positive meaning)

u4.17
 Note All answers
Activity 7 Look at the short texts below. Description (A) is a neutral description. The text has then been
changed so that it is negative in Description (B). Write a third description that is positive for
Description (C).*

* Refer to the vocabulary

list at the bottom of this
page if you need help Description (A): neutral
with the writing.


As Julia walked along the road, she reflected upon her performance at the heats. Because of her
poor times, she knew she wouldn’t make it to the swimming finals. She wondered what she
should do next.

Description (B): negative

O
As Julia stormed down the dusty, tired road with her brow furrowed and lips pursed, she wondered
furiously about what she should do next.

IST
R
Description (C): positive

A

Ans

Vocabulary list
accept do one’s best never give up
better next time determined proud
believe in oneself hope relaxed
calm learn smile
cool make the most of try again

u4.18