Reading and Writing Module 3 4

Narrating
Past Events

The Curriculum Project

Reading and Writing Module 3

Narrating Past Events
Contents
1. Introduction

2. Time order and time phrases

3. Structures to narrate: past simple

10

4. Combing sentences

15

5. Biography

19

6. Structures to narrate: direct speech

22

7. Summarising

25

8 Writing assignment

29

9. Check your writing: spelling

30

Appendix: Irregular verbs

33

Welcome to Reading and Writing Module 3 - Narrating Past Events

In this module, you will focus on:
skills

structures

- Telling a story in the past

- Using chronological (time) order
- Researching and writing biographies
- Writing dialogue
- Idenitifying main points
- Summarising written texts
- Identifying and using correct spelling

- Using signal words to show time order

- Using prepositions of time
- Revising past simple tense structures
- Combining sentences
- Using conjunctions
- Using direct speech
- Recognising common spelling patterns

Part 1: Introduction
DISCUSSION

1.1 A Princess from Shan State

a. Do you know the woman in the pictures? What do you know about her?
What can you infer about her from the picture?

EXERCISE

b. Read the text quickly.

Sao Nang Hearn Kham, the Mahadevi

The British
returned in
1945, but
without a
plan for
Shan State.
In February
1947, Shan
leaders
gathered at
Panglong,
where they
agreed to join an independent Union of
Burma. After independence from the British,
Sao Shwe Thaike was chosen as president. In
1948 the family moved to Rangoon. There
Sao Yawnghwe served as the First Lady.
Later she became a member of parliament
for her birthplace, Hsenwi.

(Princess) Yawnghwe was a very important

figure in Shan history and the history of
Burma. She was a member of the Burmese
parliament, the wife of the first president and
later, the leader of a rebel army.
She was born on May 27, 1916 in North
Hsenwi, in northern Shan State. Her father
was one of 33 independent rulers of
mountainous Shan State. The young Hsenwi
princess attended schools in Maymyo and
Kalaw. She loved her studies and wanted to
be a modern girl. She didnt want a
traditional, arranged marriage. But in 1937,
at age 22, her family arranged for her to
marry Sao Shwe Thaike, the powerful ruler of
Yawnghwe in southern Shan State. For the
first few years of marriage, the Mahadevi
settled into the traditional life of a Shan
ruling family. Gradually, the lonely princess
involved herself in state affairs. She
encouraged Shan people to unite.

When the military took power on March 2,

1962, Sao Shwe Thaike was a major target.
The Burma Army surrounded the familys
Rangoon home and killed Saos third-eldest
son, Sao Myee. The president was arrested
and sent to jail, where he died on November
21. One year later Sao gathered her children
and fled to Thailand.

During World War II, Japanese soldiers

moved into the palace at Yanghwe. The
family lived on the second
floor of the palace, and the
Japanese officers lived on
the ground floor. Sao was
afraid of the Japanese
soldiers. However, the
family survived three
years of Japanese
occupation without
major problems.

Sao set up a house in Chiang Mai, and her

younger children attended school there. The
exiled princess worked with her second son,
Chao Tzang, to form a rebel army, the Shan
State Army (SSA). In 1969 she left to join her
eldest son in Canada. She died in 2003, at the
age of 86.

EXERCISE

c. Here are some short paragraphs about the text. Put the paragraphs in order.

1. The Burmese military took over the

country and killed Saos husband. She fled
to Thailand.

4. Sao Nang Hearn Kham has had an

interesting life. She is very important to
Shan and Burmese history.

2. The Japanese army came to Burma, and

spent three years in Saos palace.

5. The Shan signed the Panglong agreement.

Burma got independence from the
British, and Saos husband became
Burmas first president.

3. Sao moved to Chiang Mai and organised

the SSA. Later she went to Canada, where
she died.

6. Sao didnt want a traditional lifestyle,

but her family arranged for her to marry the
Prince of Yanghwe. She beame involved
in politics.

What are these short paragraphs called?

Hint: If you turn to the contents page of this module, you will find this word.

ACTIVITY

d. Circle the words in the text you dont understand.

Work in groups of three or four. Does anyone else in your group know these words?
Make a list of words that nobody in your group understands.
Tell these words to the class, and make a class list on the board.
Can anyone guess the meanings of these words?

DISCUSSION

e. What do you call this type of text?

Hint: If you turn to the contents page of this module, you will find this word.
What tenses were used in this text?
This is one type of narrative writing. Where else can you find narrative writing?

1.2 Questions
DISCUSSION

a. In groups, think of five questions to ask about Sao Yawnghwe.

The answers must be available in the text.
Join with another group, and ask them your questions.
Give them 30 seconds to find the answer to each question. Do they get them correct?

ACTIVITY

b. What else would you like to know about Sao Yawnghwe?

In your groups, think of some questions you could ask about her.
3

Part 2: Time order and time phrases

2.1 Story from pictures
Look at these pictures. They they tell a story, but they are not in the right order.
1.

2.

3.

4.

EXERCISE

a. Number the pictures so they are in the right time order.

EXERCISE

b. Write one or two sentences for each picture decribing what happened.

EXERCISE

c. Put your sentences together to make a paragraph.

2.2 Using time order

EXERCISE

a. The sentences below belong to the same paragraph, but they are not in the correct order.
Number them so they follow a logical time order.

A.
____ After that, they spent some time
relaxing in Kentung, and finally they went
back home to Mandalay.
____ From there, they went to Lashio and
Hsipaw.

1 The rock band Floating Stone

toured around Shan State.
____ Their first concert was in Taunggyi.
4

B.
____ As the family became larger, finding
names became harder and harder.
____ Jacob and Tin Tin Ma wanted a large
family.
____ After their tenth child was born, they
couldnt think of a name at all, so they
called him Ten.
____ When their first child was born, they
decided on a name very easily.

C.
____ They enjoyed working together very
much, and at the end of the year, they
got married.
____ In July, she hired a clever young man to
help with the computers.
____ She was good at her work, and after
three months she became the
office manager.
____ In January, Naw Paw got a job in an
office in Pa-an.

EXERCISE

b. Write the sentences into paragraphs.

2.3 Signal words

EXERCISE

a. What are the signal words in this paragraph? Signal words show the order that things happened.
Circle the signal words in the paragraph.

Hakim had a busy morning. First, he cleaned his kitchen. Then he sat down and
wrote some letters on his computer. After that he went into town to go to the
post office, the market and the computer shop. Next, he went back home and
cooked some lunch. Finally, he sat down to rest.
Signal words (transitions)
Signal words show time relationships. We use signal
words to guide the reader from one idea to the next.
5

BRAINSTORM

b. How many signal words do you know? Make a class list on the board.
The easiest signal words number the order things happen, e.g.
First , light a fire.
Second , wash your rice. .
Third , put water and salt into the pot with the rice.
Fourth , cook the rice.
Finally , eat your rice with some delicious curries.
People mostly use these signal words in instructions.
Here are some more sentences with signal words. Dont forget the punctuation!
Before Hakim went to town, he cleaned his kitchen,
and then he washed his hair.
Next , he ironed his shirt.
After that , he left the house.

EXERCISE

c. Fill the gaps with signal words.

I had a terrible morning. Everything went wrong.

First , my

alarm clock didnt go off, so I woke up an hour late. __________ I burned

my hand when I was making breakfast. __________ I ran out of the house
without taking my homework. The teacher gets angry if anyone doesnt bring
their homework, so I had to go back and get it. __________ I ran down the
road. People on the way looked at me in a strange way. I didnt want to talk
with them as I worried that I could miss my first lesson. ___________, I
walked the two kilometres to my school only to discover that it was Sunday!

2.4 Practice with signal words

EXERCISE

a. Roi Nu wants to open a small shop, but she doesnt have any money. She has to do many
things before she can open her shop! Read the list and put the things in order.
____ Find a good place to have a shop
____ Buy some things to sell
____ Open the shop
1

Borrow some money

____ Set up the shop

b. Roi Nus shop is open. Write a paragraph explaining how she did it.
Roi Nu opened a small shop. First, she borrowed some money from her friend.
6

ACTIVITY

d. Work in groups. Choose one of these situations:

1. Your group is planting a vegetable garden
2. Your group is organising a picnic
3. Your group is organising a concert to raise money for your school.

First, make a list of the steps you take to do this.

Second, put these steps in order.
After that, write them in complete sentences, with appropriate signal words.
Finally, write these sentences in a paragraph. Use the present tense.
ACTIVITY

e. Pretend it is one week after you did these things. One member of your group
tells the class what you did, and how you did it.
We planted a
vegetable garden last week.
First, we found some land...

2.5 Prepositions of time

BRAINSTORM

a. What prepositions do you know that express time?

Read through the text on page 2 for ideas.
Prepositions of time
Prepositions show time order. Here are the basic ones:
Date
Time
in March, in October
in the rainy season
on Saturday, on Tuesday
on July 28, on the 3rd of May
on New Years Day
at the end of the year
at the beginning of class
at Christmas, at Thingyan
from Monday to Friday
from 2002 - 2004

EXERCISE

at five oclock, at 12.45

at midday, at night
in the afternoon, in the evening
from 2.00 to 4.30

b. Write the correct prepositions in the gaps.

3. He was born ______ October 31 ______

4:00 ______ the afternoon.

6. Mi Chan Mon goes to Maymyo every

weekend to visit her parents. She takes
the train ______ Saturday ______ 9:00
______ the morning and arrives in
Maymyo ______ 1 p.m.

4. Ill meet you for lunch ______ Thursday

______ noon.

7. Theres a market in our village ______

Wednesday.

5. Our school closes ______ the hot season.

8. Thailand has a holiday ______ the Kings

Birthday, ______ December.

1. I lived in Pa-an from 1960 _____ 1968.

2. Thida was born ______ 1992, _____ May.

EXERCISE

c. Write your own gap-fill exercises like those in b.

Write five sentences with missing prepositions of time, and give them to another student.
How many did they answer correctly?

EXERCISE

d. Identify and correct the mistakes in this paragraph. There are eight incorrect prepositions.
Dr Chao Tzang Yanghwe, the son of Sao Shwe
Thaike and Sao Nang Hearn Kham, died in
Monday, July 26, 2004. He died at 6:30,
Vancouver time (20:30, Bangkok Time) at his
home in Canada.
Chao Tzang Yawnghwe was born on 26 April
1939 in Shan State, then known as Federated
Shan States. In 1961 to 1963 he worked as an
English teacher at Rangoon University. On
March 1962 General Ne Win took power in a military coup. Chao Tzangs younger brother, Sao
Myee, was killed by government soldiers on
March 2, and his father, the president of Burma,
was taken to prison. He died at November. Chao Tzang left Rangoon on April
the next year to join the Shan State Army.
From July to December
he took part in the failed
peace
talks
with
Rangoon, and in 1971,
he co-founded the Shan
State Armys political
arm,
Shan
State
Progress Party. He left
Thailand in 1985, and
moved to Canada.
In Canada, he studied
for a PhD in Political
Science, which he finished on 1997. He was
an advisor to the
NCGUB and NRP. On Chao Tzang with his mother and siblings:
March 2004 he became L-R: Sao Ying Sita, Sao Harn, Sao Hso Hkan Hpa (Tiger), Sao Hearn
chairman of the Ethnic Hkam, Chao Tzang and Sao Myee. Seated are Sao Leun and Haymar.
Nationalities Solidary
and Co-operation Committee. He died three months later, of brain cancer.
Our task is not only to say or show the world that the SPDC is BAD, BAD,
BAD, it is also to convince the world that we are the available alternative, that
we are smart, we get things done.
- Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, February 2004
8

e. Look at this timeline. Here are some more events in the life of Sao Nang Hearn Kham and

ACTIVITY

her family. Read through the texts on page 2 and page 8. Work in groups. Add more information
to the timeline.

Chao Tzang Yawnghwe

leaves the SSA, moves
to Thailand
Sao Hearn Hkam
escapes to Thailand
and forms SSA with
her son Chao Tzang
Harn Yawnghwe, Sao
Hearn Khams youngest
son, becomes NCGUB
representative to the
European Union.

Sao Hearn Hkam is

born in Hsenwi,
Shan State

Panglong
agreement is
signed

2.6 What happened?

EXERCISE

a. What are some important things that have happened to you?

Think of things that happened:
-

Today
This week/month/year
Three years ago
When you were a child

Write sentences about each event, giving time or date, e.g.

At half past eight I had a shower
In 1997 my baby sister was born
ACTIVITY

b. Write the four time/dates on a piece of paper, and give it to your partner.
Look at your partners times/dates and ask What happened...? questions.

What happened in July?

EXERCISE

I went to my uncles wedding.

c. Write a paragraph about events in the life of your partner.

9

Part 3: Structures to Narrate - past simple

3.1 Mystery of the missing necklace.
EXERCISE

a. Read the text.

Laila was a young Muslim woman
from Rangoon. Although she was
an English language graduate, she
couldnt find a job in Burma, so she
went to Bangkok in 1996. She was
lucky, she soon found a job as a
maid for a wealthy family, the
Maneewans. Her job was not so bad
- she looked after the baby, cooked
and cleaned. She loved the baby,
and the cooking and cleaning were
OK. She earned quite good money,
and saved most of it. The only
problem was John, the familys
driver. He said he was in love with
Laila. He wrote her letters, gave her
presents and asked her to marry
him. One day, he tried to kiss her
when nobody was looking. Laila
hated John. I will NEVER marry
you! Now go away and leave me
alone! she shouted.

DISCUSSION

EXERCISE

The next year the family lost all their

money in the Asian financial crisis.
They couldnt afford to keep servants, so Laila, John and the other
servants lost their jobs. Laila was sad
to leave the baby, but she had a lot
of money to take back to her family.
She said goodbye to the family, and
left Bangkok.
The next morning, when Mrs
Maneewan woke up, her beautiful
gold necklace was not in her drawer.
Instead, there was a note.
I tuk your nekliss.
I no have job no have money.
goodby, Laila.

The Maneewans rang the police. They

arrested Laila at the Bangkok bus
station. I didnt take it - it wasnt me!
Laila begged.

Do you believe her? Who do you think took the necklace? Why?
How do you know?

b. Circle all the verbs in the past simple tense. Classify them into regular and irregular forms.
Write them in the table.
re g u la r fo rm s

lo ved

irreg u lar fo rm s

was

10

EXERCISE

3.2 Forming the regular past simple tense

a. Complete the grammar box.
Verbs in the past simple tense
If the verb ends in:
1) a consonant

want

2) a consonant + y

try

3) a vowel + y

play

4) a consonant +
vowel + consonant

drop

5) x or w

show

_______

showed

6) a vowel

love

_______

_______

wanted

change y to _______
_______

7) two syllable verbs with

stress on the last syllable

add -ed

prefer

tried
_______

double the consonant,

add _______

_________________ ,
_________

_______

_______

8) two syllable verbs with

stress on the first syllable

EXERCISE

listen

add _______

_______

b. Do you know all the verbs in the box? If you dont, look them up in your dictionary.
Fill the gaps with correct forms of the past simple.
stop

repair

work

disappear

decide

avoid

travel

confess

study

apologise

graduate

fix

question

enjoy

blame

1. Laila ____________ hard at university, and ____________ in 1996.

2. She ____________ to Thailand to find a job.
3. In Bangkok, she ____________ as a maid for the Maneewan family.
4. She ____________ looking after their baby.
5. John was the Maneewans driver, and he also ____________ things around the
house. He ____________ the TV and other electrical appliances.
6. Laila didnt like John. She ____________ him as much as possible.
7. Laila and John ____________ working when the Maneewans lost their money.
8. Laila ____________ to return to her family.
9. John

____________ with Mrs Maneewans necklace. He ____________ Laila.

10. When the police ____________ John, he ____________ to his crime.

11. He ____________ to Laila and the Maneewans.
11

3.4 Irregular past tense verbs

DISCUSSION

a. How do you learn irregular verb forms in the past?

Think back to when you first had to learn them.
What techniques did you use? Do you know any good ones?

BRAINSTORM

b. Look at the verbs in the boxes. In groups, think of more verbs for each box.
Hint: focus on the sounds, not the spelling of the verbs.

EXERCISE

1.

begin - began
swim - swam

2.

blow - blew
know - knew

3.

keep - kept
read - read
meet - met

4.

cost - cost
put - put

5.

send - sent
build - built

6.

break - broke
ride - rode
sell - sold

c. What are the rules for each group?

1. final vowel sound changes from i to a (as in fat)
2.
3.
4.
5.

see

6.
saw
ACTIVITY

d. Work in groups of three.

Student A says an irregular verb.
Student B says the past tense.
Student C makes a sentence using the verb in the past tense.
Then student B chooses the next verb.
12

I saw three fat

cats outside the
window

3.5 Verb search

EXERCISE

ACTIVITY

a. Find the past tense forms of the verbs in the box. Words can be

or

shake

swim

fly

forget

understand hold

make

tell

lose

mean

kneel

wear

fight

shoot

stand

become

buy

throw

teach

b. Make your own verb search, using

irregular past tense verbs. Give it to
another student.

3.6 Rhyming verbs

ACTIVITY

Work in pairs. Partner A says a verb-past tense combination, e.g. blow-blew.

Partner B replies with a rhyming combination, e.g. know-knew.
tell-told
Partner A replies with another combination, e.g. grow-grew.
If you cant think of a rhyming verb, get it wrong, or take too
sell-sold
long, your partner gets a point.
The winner is the partner with the most points.
13

3.7 Negatives and questions in past simple

EXERCISE

a. Complete the grammar box.

Negatives and questions in the past simple tense
When we make negatives and questions in the past simple tense, we use the auxiliary
verb _______ .
_______ you see the newspaper this morning?
Where _______ you put my pen?

EXERCISE

No, I _______ see it. I was busy.

I _______ touch it. Look, its on the table.

b. Write sentences that are true for you. Use the past tense (negative or positive).
e.g. you/wake up/at 5.00? I woke up at 5.00

or I didnt wake up at 5.00

a) you/eat fish for breakfast

b) you/go to Post-10 school/last year
c) you/study Thai/three years ago
d) your parents/live in Burma/in 1990
e) you/get malaria/when you were a baby
f) you/do your homework/last night
g) your family/build a new house/in the dry season
h) you/watch a video/last night
i) you/have a best friend/in primary school
j) your teacher/wear a white shirt/yesterday
ACTIVITY

c. In pairs, ask and answer questions with the information in b.

When you answer, provide more information, e.g.
Did you wake up at 5.00?

- No I didnt. I woke up at 6.30.

- Yes, I woke up and then I brushed my teeth.

3.8 Practice with questions

EXERCISE

a. Turn to page 8. Look at the biography of Chao Tzang Yawngwe, and write wh- questions you
could ask about his life.
What?

ACTIVITY

Where?

When?

How many?

Who?

Why?

How?

b. Work in groups of three. Choose the best five questions. Make sure you know the answers!
Ask your questions to another group. They are not allowed to look at their books - try to answer
from memory!
14

3.9 Word association story

BRAINSTORM

lie

a. In turns, everyone in the class says a noun or verb.

The teacher will write the words on the board.

arrange
tree
buffalo

b. Write a story. You must use all the words on the board, in the past tense.

ACTIVITY

I lay in a tree. My buffalo arranged some flowers on the ground...

Part 4: Combining Sentences

4.1 Subjects and verbs again
DISCUSSION

a. Which of these sentences contains a compound subject?

Which contains a compound verb?
Its raining, and the wind is blowing.
Im waiting for my brother.
We stayed and studied late at school.
Im cold and uncomfortable.
My shirt and my jacket are wet.
I didnt bring my raincoat, and I left my umbrella at my friends house.
My brother and I hate and fear the dark.

The first sentence - Its raining, and the wind is blowing - is a compound sentence, as there are
two separate s/v combinations.
The second sentence has a simple subject and a simple verb.
The third sentence, We stayed and studied late at school - has a compound verb.
The fourth sentence has a simple subject I and a simple verb am.
The fifth sentence, has a compound subject: shirt and jacket.
The sixth sentence is a compound sentence, as there are two separate s/v combinations.
The last sentence, My brother and I hate and fear the dark - has a compound subject - My
brother and I - and a compound verb - hate and fear. It is not a compound sentence, as the
subjects and verbs are together, (SSVV) rather that mixed (SVSV).
In this module, we are not looking at compound sentences. Youll meet them in Module 5.
15

EXERCISE

b. Underline the subjects and verbs in this text, and write an S or a V above them.
s
v
My great-uncle had his eighty-fifth birthday last week. He is very
fit and healthy, and exercises every day. He doesnt smoke or
drink alcohol. Every day, he walks for an hour and lifts weights.
He likes to have parties and invite all our family to his house.
Twenty or thirty people can sit in his house and eat. He never gets
tired and is always the last to go to bed. Last summer my greatuncle and his friends organised a big football competition.
Grandchildren were in one team, grandparents were in the other
team. Old people and young people ran around and kicked the
ball all afternoon. In the end, the grandparents team won 5-4!

EXERCISE

c. Which are simple sentences, and which are compound sentences?

ACTIVITY

d. Think about your own family. Write one sentence with a compound subject, one sentence
with a compound verb, and one sentence with a compound subject and a compound verb.
Make two sentences true, and one sentence false.
e.g. My brother and sister have three aeroplanes.
My mother speaks and writes Pa-O language.
My cousins and their friends buy and sell used cars.
Give your sentences to a partner. Can they guess which sentence is false?

4.2 Remember your subject / verb agreement!

REVIEW

a. Check the subject-verb agreement on these sentences. Some have compound subjects.
If the subject and verb do not agree, change the verb.
1) I like to cook thagu with coconut.
2) My young brother and sister likes it very much.
3) Sometimes coconut and sugar is very expensive.
4) I uses a lot of coconut, but not much sugar.
5) Sometimes I add a tin of milk or some chocolate.
6) I cooked thagu and hot chocolate drink last Thursday.
7) People comes to my house on Thursdays to watch TV.
8) Everybody really enjoy my cooking.

16

4.3 Conjunctions
BRAINSTORM

a. How many conjunctions do you know? Make a class list on the board.

EXERCISE

b. Complete the grammar box. Which conjunctions are used in simple sentences?
Conjunctions
a. and
b.

EXERCISE

joins similar things.

I like bananas and

joins similar things

in negative sentences.

I dont like papayas

oranges.
mangoes.

c.

also joins choices.

Ill buy some bananas

some oranges.
(I cant buy both)

d.

joins contrasting things.

I like bananas

I dont like papayas.

e.

shows a result.

I like bananas

I bought a kilo of them.

c. Work in pairs. Use and or or to join these sentences.

1. I dont play table tennis. I dont play badminton.
I dont play table tennis or badminton.
2. I can speak English well. I can write English well.
3. I cant speak French. I cant speak Chinese.
4. Fishpaste is my favourite food. Rice is my favourite food.
5. You can have pork curry. You can have chicken curry. (you must choose one).
6. Saw Htoo watched a video last night. Jenny watched a video last night.
I watched a video last night.
7. Yesterday I cleaned my house. I cooked a big meal. I invited my friends over.
8. Do you want to leave now? Do you want to stay here? (you must choose one).
9. Chao Tzang Yawngwe, a famous Shan politician, studied in Burma.
Chao Tzang Yawngwe, a famous Shan politician, studied in Canada.
10. He finished his PhD in 1997. He became an advisor to the NCGUB.

17

4.4 Practice with combining sentences

DISCUSSION

a. What is the best way to join these sentences?

Laila, an English language graduate from Burma, lived in Bangkok.
Laila, an English language graduate from Burma, worked as a servant for the Maneewans.
John, an ugly, dishonest man, lived in Bangkok.
John, an ugly, dishonest man, worked as a servant for the Maneewans.

Rules for sentence combining

- Dont repeat words if possible.
I like football. I like volleyball.

= I like football and volleyball

I like football and I like volleyball.

- You can change words, for example noun to pronoun, or single to plural form.
Yee likes football. Ma Ma likes football.
= Yee and Ma Ma like football.
- Dont leave out important details.
I play football on Tuesdays. I play volleyball on Fridays at the school.
= I play football on Tuesdays, and volleyball on Fridays at the school.
I play football on Tuesdays and vollyball on Fridays.

EXERCISE

b. Combine the sentences in each group to make one sentence.

There are many correct possibilities!
Then combine all your sentences into a paragraph.
7. A football team was waiting for the bus.
A high school class was waiting for the bus.
Twenty monks were waiting for the bus.

1. Yesterday, I had a horrible day.

Yesterday, I had a difficult day.
2. I got up late.
I washed quickly.

8. I missed the next bus.

I had to wait for two hours.

3. I didnt eat any breakfast.

I didnt drink any coffee.

9. I was hungry and dirty.

I was late for the meeting.

4. I had an important meeting.

The meeting was in the city.

10. At the meeting, I didnt speak well.

I didnt give my opinions.

5. I could get a bus.

I could get a taxi. (only one)

11. When I returned, my boss was very angry.

My boss said I was stupid.

6. I decided to take a bus

I went to the bus station.
The bus station is far from my house.

12. I hope she doesnt fire me.

I hope she doesnt reduce my salary.

18

Part 5: Biography
5.1 Whats in a biography?
BRAINSTORM

BRAINSTORM

What information can you find in a biography?

Look at the biographies of Sao Nang Hearn Kham and Chao Tzang Yawngwe for ideas.
In groups, write a list of information you can find in a biography.
Date of birth
Family
education

b. You can use the questions formula to think of things to write in a biography.
In groups, think of all the questions you can ask about someone - X.
Make a biographical questions mind-map.

Who were Xs friends?

Who did X admire?

who
biography

what
what was X like?
what were Xs jobs?
what did X think? What did X believe in?

ACTIVITY

c. Work in pairs - work with someone who is not in your group. If possible, work with someone
you dont know very well.
Ask each other the questions, and write down their answers.
What other things are interesting about your partner? Ask and write as much as you can.

EXERCISE

d. Choose some of the most interesting information about your partner.

Write this information into a short biography.
Remember to use the correct tenses:
- If you write about something that happened in the past, use the past tense.
In 5th standard, Naw Naw won a prize for best English student.
- If you write about something that is true now, use the present tense.
Naw Naw likes reading. She reads every night before she goes to sleep.
19

5.2 Some biographical details

DISCUSSION

a. Look at the photo of Naw Louisa Benson

What do you know about her?
What can you guess about her?

ACTIVITY

b. In pairs, read these details about her life. Put them in chronological order.

1 . She married Glenn, and had three

6. She took command of

children. She spoke out many times

about the situation in Burma, the
student uprisings in 1988, and the plight
of the Karen people.

her husbands unit, and

led them back to the
jungle. She stayed in the
jungle for a while, but she
suffered badly from
malaria.

2. When she returned home, she became

an actress. She became very famous and
popular. General Ne Win hired her to
teach his children acting skills.

7. Louisa Benson was

born to a Karen mother and a Jewish
father. They lived in Rangoon, where her
father owned a trucking company.

3. She spent a year in America, studying

at Tufts University. In America she
made many friends, including Glenn
Craig, another student.

8. Two years later, she married Brigadier

Lin Tin, of the KNU. He was killed when
he went to attend peace talks in 1965. I
dont know how he was assassinated,
Louisa said quietly. The only thing I
know is that he never came back.

4. Now she is working on behalf of the

villagers who were displaced to make
way for the Yadana Gas Pipeline. She
says that Unocal, the US oil company, is
guilty of using forced labour to build
the pipeline.

9. Louisa enjoyed sports and beauty

contests. In the early 1950s, she won
Miss Burma twice.

5. Her old student friend, Glenn Craig,

10. In 1962, the military seized power.

Her father supported the Karen armies
fighting the Burmese military, so he was
sent to jail for three years.

contacted her. He persuaded her to

move to the United States. Her father,
brothers and sisters were already in
the States.

BRAINSTORM

c. Look at your questions in 5.1 b. How many of these questions does the text answer?

AC TI VI TY

d. Cover the text. Spend two minutes writing as much about Naw Louisa Benson as you can.
Now join in a group of three or four. As a group, write Naw Louisas biography.

20

5.3 Putting information together

BRA INST ORM

a. Look at the picture of Thakin Kodaw Hmaing.

What do you know about him?
What can you guess about him?

AC TI VI TY

b. Here is some information about Thakin

Kodaw Hmaing. There are a lot of missing words.
In groups of three, put this information into
complete sentences.

young boy studied monastary Mandalay

British government arrested teenager
continued study many different places
Rangoon work editor. 1905 novel history
Moulmein
British colonial government. Wrote books
independence.
World War two underground against British. Later against Japanese
chairperson Doburma organisation. 1948 civil war. Called for peace in Burma
wanted world peace. Travelled Burma speeches world peace
interested socialism. Travelled socialist countries
died 1964. Father of Burmese literature

c. Compare your groups writing with another group. Have you got the same facts?

AC TI VI TY

Now look at or listen to the teachers version. Are the facts the same?

5.4 Getting biographical information

D I SC U SSI ON

a. Look at the information about Naw Louisa Benson and Thakin Kodaw Hmaing.
Where do you think this information came from?
21

BRA INST ORM

b. Where could you find out more information about Naw Louisa Benson or Thakin Kodaw
Hmaing? In groups, brainstorm two lists of information sources.
N a w Louis a B e ns on

Tha k in K oda w H m a ing

contact her and interview her

5.5 Biographies of famous people

BRA INST ORM

a. What information do you usually include in a biography of a famous person?

Make a class list.

EXERCISE

b. Make notes for the biographies of Naw Louisa Benson and Thakin Kodaw Hmaine.
Naw Louisa Benson

Thakin Kodaw Hmaine

Reason she is famous:

Reason he is famous:

Education:

Education:

Important events in her life:

(in chronologial order)

Important events in his life:

(in chronologial order)

What is/was she like?

What is/was he like?

EXERCISE

c. Think of another famous person. Make biographical notes like the notes above.
22

Part 6: Structures to Narrate - direct speech

6.1 How is he talking?
EXERCISE

a. Look at these cartoon pictures of Bo Bo talking.

Fill the gaps below with the phrases in the speech bubble.
No, thanks. Im
not hungry.

HELP!
Maybe she wants
to marry me...

Thats so funny!

DONT touch
my bag!

Be careful somebody might

hear us.

Keep away
from that dog
- it bites!

Are you a new

teacher here?

I own two cars, an aeroplane

and three white elephants.

1)

Are you a new teacher here ? asked Bo Bo.

2) ____________________________________ Bo Bo shouted.
3) ____________________________________ he screamed.
4) ____________________________________ thought Bo Bo.
5) ____________________________________ he whispered.
6) ____________________________________ Bo Bo laughed.
7) ____________________________________ he lied.
8) ____________________________________ replied Bo Bo.
9) ____________________________________ Bo Bo snarled.

b. In pairs, practice speaking the phrases.

BRAINSTORM

c. How many synonyms do you know that mean similar to said?

Brainstorm a class list on the board.

23

asked
shouted...

6.2 Dialogue
EXERCISE

Read the comic.

After the chickens

disappeared, the villagers
discussed the problem. One
old woman made up a song...

The headman had a plan.

Oh Mother... oh Mother... do you
have any chickens? Give one to your son, and one for the
commander too. There are no chickens, son...

From now on, anyone who

catches a chicken thief, whether
soldier or villager, send him to me.
Do you all understand?

Later that night...

Wait close to
the houses, and
dont make any noise.
Shout if you see
the thief.

Around midnight, one young man

saw a soldier behind his house.

THIEF, THIEF!
Stop, chicken thief!

Why are you stealing our

chickens? You say the army is here
to protect the villagers.
Hey! Youre a
villager. Im a soldier.
Dont insult me!

24

6.3
EXERCISE

Using speaking words

a. Look at the text version below of the cartoon in 6.2.

After the chickens disappeared, the villagers discussed the
problem. One old woman made up a song. Oh Mother... Oh
Mother... do you have any chickens? Give one to your son, and one
for the commander, too. There are no chickens, son... she said.
The village committee called a meeting to discuss the
problem, and the Headman had a plan. He suggested the villagers
hide near the houses at night, and watch for the thief. From now
on, anyone who catches a chicken thief, whether soldier or villager,
send him to me. Do you all understand? said the Headman.
Later that night the villagers gathered together quietly. Wait
close to the houses, and dont make any noise. Shout if you see the
thief. the Headman said.
Around midnight, one young man saw a soldier behind his
house. THIEF, THIEF! Stop, Chicken Thief! he said. Why are you
stealing our chickens? You say the army is here to protect the
villagers.
The soldier turned angrily. Hey! Youre a villager. Im a soldier.
Dont insult me! said the soldier. Then he hit the young man in the
face with the chicken.
Look at all the underlined said s. What words could you use to replace each said?

AC TI VI TY

b. Continue the story, by playing Collaborative Chain Story in groups.

What happens after the thief hits the young man with the chicken? Do the villagers catch the thief?
Take turns to add a sentence to the story.
Remember to add dialogue!

EXERCISE

c. Write your ideas of the storys ending.

Include some dialogue from the villagers, the young man, and the thief.

6.4 Speaking practice

AC TI VI TY

Write a sentence on a piece of paper. On another piece of paper, write a speaking verb.
Work in groups. Give your sentence and your speaking verb to different people in your
group. In turns, speak your sentence. Then mix and swap sentences and verbs and repeat.
25

Part 7: Summarising
7.1 A short summary of summarising
D ISCU SSION

Why do people write summaries?

When do people write summaries?
What information do you write in summaries?

Summarising
A summary gives only the main ideas. It does not give details.

EXERCISE

7.2 Match the summary

a. These summaries go with texts from this module. Which text matches which summary?

a. A young Burmese maid was working in

Bangkok. When she lost her job, her boss
thought she stole a necklace. Later, the real
thief was caught.

d. The villagers made a plan to catch a

chicken thief. Late one night, a young man
caught a soldier stealing a chicken.
e. She was born a Princess, but she
wanted to be an educated, modern woman.
She became First Lady of Burma, and an
elected Member of Parliament. She wanted
Shan people to unite, and she fought for
their rights all her life.

b. After the Burmese military killed his

father and brother, this man joined the
Shan State Army. In his life, he fought for
rights for ethnic people in Burma. He died
recently in Canada.

f. In her youth, she played sport and won

beauty contests. Then she married a Karen
soldier. When he was killed, she joined his
army and fought in the jungle in Karen
State. Now she lives in America.

c. In the first half of the twentieth century,

this writer fought for independence from the
British. When Burma got independence, he
fought for peace in Burma and the world.

EXERCISE

b. Put the information from the summaries on this chart.

Some summaries dont have all the information.
Text

a. Necklace

who

what
a woman is accused of stealing a
necklace

26

when

where

7.3 What are the main points?

Main points
Main points answer who, what, where, when, how and why questions.

EXERCISE

a. Look at the pictures of different kinds of money.

Try to identify these types of money.

old one satang coin (Thailand), one New Zealand dollar, two pounds (England), old Burmese
coins, ancient Egyptian coin, 10 cents (US), one Singapore dollar, 500 Euros, old Chinese coins,
one Hong Kong dollar (1958), new Iraqi notes, new east Timorese coins, old ten rupee note (India)

Read the article.

In the world today, most money is either metal coins or paper
notes. In the past, it was very different. Different cultures used a
lot of unusual things to buy what they needed. Sharks teeth, hair
from elephant tails and rare shells were all money.
No one knows exactly when people started using metal coins for
money. The oldest coins dicovered are from 600 BC, but maybe
there are older ones. At first, people used precious metals, such
as gold and silver, to make coins. They put a picture on the coin
to indicate its value.
In the 13th century, people in China used iron coins. These coins
werent worth very much, so people needed a lot of coins to buy
things. They were very heavy and inconvenient to carry
everywhere. The government started printing paper receipts. They
were easy to carry, and people could trade them for coins. This
was the first example of paper money.
Stones were the heaviest money ever. They were used on the
island of Yap, in the Pacific Ocean. Some weighed over 200 kgs.
The lightest money ever used were feathers. They were used on
another Pacific Island, Santa Cruz.

27

AC TI VI TY

b. In groups, complete the mind map with the main points from the article.
all over the world

where
what

who
money

when

why

Remember:
- When you write a summary, only include information from
the original text. Do not add your own ideas or opinions.
- Only include main points, not small details!

EXERCISE

c. Working by yourself, write a one paragraph summary of the article.

Include the important information from your mind-map.

REVIEW

d. Check your summary. Have you included too much information?

Are your sentences in a logical order?
Compare your paragraph with another student.

AC TI VI TY

7.4 Match the summary

a. Your teacher will give you a short biography of a famous person.
Make a mind-map of the biography, as in 7.3 b.
On a piece of paper, write a one paragraph summary of the biography.
Dont include the name of the person. Use she or he instead.
Check your summary, and give it to your teacher.

AC TI VI TY

b. Work in groups. Your teacher will give you some summaries.

Match them with the original biographies.
How fast can you match them?

28

Part 8: Writing assignment

8.1 Choose an assignment
A S SI G N M E N T

Select one of the three assignments below.

A. Choose a famous person from your

B. Tell a story of something that happened

culture, or an internationally famous

person. Write their biography.

when you were at primary school. Make

sure you tell it in a logical order, and include
appropriate signal words.

Start by making notes as in

exercise 5.5 b.

Include a timeline putting the events in

your story in order.

C. Write a dialogue between a teacher and a

student. The student has not completed
their writing assignment. The teacher
is angry.
Then narrate the dialogue as a story in the
past tense.

Dont hand it in to your teacher yet...

29

Part 9: Check your writing: Spelling

In Module 1 (Describing Pictures) you looked at mistakes with subject / verb
agreement.
In Module 2 (Describing People) you looked at mistakes with incorrect parts of
speech, and missing words.
In this module, we will look at spelling mistakes, and techniques you can use to
improve your spelling.

9.1 Difficult words to spell

EXERCISE

Here is a list of words that people often mispell.

24 are spelled wrongly here.Can you identify the mistakes?

absent
acheive
adress
among
appearance
arguement
balance
begginning
believe
busness
calendar
category
commitee
contry
definition

decsribe
dictionery
dissapoint
eightgh
environment
exellent
experience
familiar
Feburary
foreign
fourty
fourth
goverment
height
intelligent

immedeately
intresting
mathematics
neccesary
possible
probabably
quantity
some times
suceed
surprise
tecnique
through
usally
village
Wedesday

How did you know these words are mispelled?

There are some spelling rules in English. However, there are many words that dont
obey these rules. Improving your spelling involves:
- checking spelling in a dictionary if you are not sure
- learning to recognise patterns
- memorising problem words.

30

9.2 Spelling rules

DISCUSSION

a. Here is an a spelling rule:

I before E except after C .
What does this rule mean?

BRAINSTORM

b. How many examples of this rule can you think of?

believe, thief

BRAINSTORM

c. How many exceptions to this rule can you think of?

foreign

9.3 Spelling strategies

A problem with English spelling is the many words where the pronunciation is different to
the spelling, e.g. Wednesday, knowledge, through
BRAINSTORM

a. Work in groups.
Make a list of English words where the pronunciation is different to the spelling.

DISCUSSION

b. How can you remember these words? What techniques do you use?

9.4 Focus on the difficult parts

Words sometimes have a sequence of letters that is difficult. Different people have problems with
different words. You can help to remember these words by circling the problem letters.
e.g. necessary
language
This will help you remember the correct spelling.
EXERCISE

a. Read this text carefully. Circle the letter sequences you think are difficult.
Laila was a young Muslim woman from Rangoon. Although she was
an English language graduate, she couldnt find a job in Burma, so she
went to Bangkok in 1996. She was lucky, she soon found a job as a
maid for a wealthy family, the Maneewans.

DISCUSSION

b. Compare your text with a partner. Did you circle the same words?
31

9.5 Be your own spell checker: Does it look right?

EXERCISE

When you are familiar with words, you will recognise mistakes more easily.
Read this passage quickly - you have one minute.
Underline each spelling mistake, and write the letters sp beside it.

Her jobbspwas not so bad - she looked after the baby, cooked and
cleaned. She loved the baby, and the coking and cleening were OK. She
erned quite good money, and safed most of it. The only problem was
John, the familys driver. He said he was in loue with Laila. He rote her
letters, gave her presants and asked her to marry him. One day, he tryed
to kiss her when nobody was looking. Laila hated John. I will NEVER
marry you! Now go away and leive me alone! she shoutted.

9.6 Be your partners spell checker

D I SC U SSI ON

AC TI VI TY

a. Choose a class topic to write about.

b. Fast Writing. Write as much as you can about this topic in five minutes.
Dont worry about spelling or grammar.
Exchange writing with a partner.
How many spelling mistakes can you see? Underline each mistake, and mark it with sp.

9.7 Revision
REVIEW

Check your partners writing for other mistakes:

- wrong words ww (Parts of Speech, Module 2)
- missing words (Parts of Speech, Module 2)
- subject/verb agreement mistakes (Subject / verb agreement, Module 1)
Take your own fast writing back from your partner. Correct your mistakes.

9.8 Check your assignment

A S SI G N M E N T

Check your assignment for spelling mistakes.

Then check it for wrong words, missing words, and subject/verb agreement mistakes.
Write them again on clean pieces of paper, and give them to your teacher.

32

Appendix: Irregular verbs in past simple

shoot
show

shot
showed

shrink

shrank

heard

shut

shut

hide

hid

bit
blew
broke

hit
hold

hit
held

sing
sink
sit

sang
sank
sat

hurt

hurt

sleep

slept

brought

keep

kept

kneel
know

knelt
knew

slide
speak

slid
spoke

spend

spent

lay

laid

spit

spat

split
spread

split
spread

spring

sprang

be

was/were

grow

grew

bear

beat

begin
bend

began
bent

hang
have

hung
had

hear

bet

bet

bite
blow
break
bring
broadcast

broadcast

build
burst

built
burst

buy

bought

lead

led

catch

caught

choose
come

chose
came

leave
lend

left
lent

let

let

stand

stood

cost

cost

lie

lie

creep

crept
cut
dealt

lit
lost

stole
stuck

cut
deal

light
lose

steal
stick
sting

stung

make

made

stink

stank

dig

dug

mean

meant

do

did
drew
drank

met
paid

struck
swore

draw
drink

meet
pay

strike
swear
sweep

swept

put

put

swim

swam

drive

drove

read

read

eat

ate
fell
fed

rode
rang

swung
took

fall
feed

ride
ring

swing
take
teach

taught

rise

rose

tear

tore

feel

fled

run

ran

fly

flew
forbade
forgot
forgave

said
saw

told
thought

forbid
forget
forgive

say
see

tell
think
throw

threw

sell
send

sold
sent

freeze

froze

get
give

got
gave

set
sew

set
sewed

shake

go

went

shine

understand

understood

wake
wear

woke
wore

weep

wept

shook

win

won

shone

write

wrote

33