Correct the sentences
Dahlia Bartley, Contributor

How are you today? I hope you are on course, as the time for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations draws closer. Let us see how well you managed to correct the sentences you got for homework.

1. Mr Stewart set off in search of an elephant with his camera.

Correction: With his camera, Mr Stewart set off in search of an elephant.

2. Being very shy, strangers terrify my sister.

Correction: My sister, who is very shy, is terrified by strangers.

3. The suspects were rounded up a few hours after the break-in by the police.

Correction: The police rounded up the suspects a few hours after the break-in.

4. Dad called to Jeff to start mowing the lawn from the upstairs window.

Correction: From the upstairs window, Dad called to Jeff to start mowing the lawn.

5. While eating my sandwich, the train pulled into the station.

Correction: While I was eating my sandwich, the train pulled into the station.

6. Summoned by the alarm, the robbers were soon arrested by the police.

Correction: Summoned by the alarm, the police soon arrested the robbers.

Note the corrections well, please. (Remember, too, that there are other ways of correcting the sentences). You should not be making errors now with the dangling and misplaced modifiers.

Today, we shall do some work on factual writing. Factual writing is different from other forms of writing such as the short story and argument. Since we are concerned with presenting facts or information, there is no room for 'flowery language'. Nor is there room for your personal comments or criticisms. Reports (of an accident or a fight, for example), memoranda, notices, letters to accompany job applications or letters to organisations all convey factual information.

Any student preparing for the CSEC English A examination must be able to recognise factual information. Specific objectives as outlined in the syllabus are to:

• recognise facts stated explicitly
• extract specific information from what is read or heard
• extract implied information
• identify stated or implied time sequence
• draw valid conclusions and inferences from information presented
• recognise cause-effect relationships
• identify main and subordinate ideas and trace their development
• recognise the difference between denotative and connotative language
• identify passages in which the main purpose is informative rather than literary or persuasive
• interpret and respond to tables and pictorial communication, such as diagrams, conventional signs and symbols.

Now, this question from a past paper will give you an idea of how some of the objectives listed above may be tested.

Principal: Good morning. Let's get going. We don't have much time. We are here to finalise arrangements for this trip to Venezuela. Miss Bell, do you have the flight information?

Miss Bell: The flight is scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. which means that we have to be at the airport at 5 a.m.

Principal: This is a problem. A number of the boys live in the country and transportation at that time is difficult and expensive.

Mr Fitt: I agree. I'd like to suggest that the whole team be asked to sleep here in the gym the night before we depart. That way, we can be sure that everybody is ready on time. I've arranged with the bus company to have a bus here at 4 a.m.

We need to ask parents to let us know if their boys have need of any special medication and to make sure that they travel with an adequate supply. We might as well ask them to indicate if they are on any special diet, while we are at it. Are all our flights confirmed?

Miss Bell: Yes the travel agent has done that. We leave on TWA 1324 on Friday, June 13, and return on TWA 1325 on Friday, June 20.

Principal: OK. That seems to be all. Mr Fitt, I'd like you to prepare a draft letter to the parents of the boys on the team telling them what we have decided about sleeping here the night before. That means they must leave home on Thursday morning with everything they need while they are abroad. Ask them to send us a note with any information about medication and diet and give them the flight information and the name of the school where the boys will stay in Venezuela.

Mr Fitt: Yes. I'll do it right away.

Imagine you are Mr Fitt. Prepare the letter to be sent to the parents of the members of the team. It must not be more than 150 words.

Be good students and do your homework. See you next week.

Principal of the Victor Dixon High School, Orchid Smith (right), listens attentively to Deloris Palmer (left), head of the department of business, during class break in Manchester, recently. Also in the dicussion is Evadney Barrett, head of modern languages and social studies. - Photo by Nigel Coke

Dahlia Bartley teaches at Glenmuir High School.