hashtags!!
#pihnotes -notes
#pihjuice -tips and other study content
#stopkenzslander - STOP KENZ SLANDER >:(((
#othertips -tips from other study groups
#mentalhealth -mental health awareness!!
#kenzthoughts- just my stupid thinking process
#eng -english notes
#chi -chinese notes
#bio -biology (both pure and c) notes
#chem -chemistry (both pure and c) notes
#phy -physics (both pure and c) notes
#geog -geography (both pure and c) notes
#hist -history (both pure and c) notes
#lit -literature (both pure and c) notes
#ss -social studies notes
#math - mathematics (both e&a) notes
#poa- principal of accounts notes
#malay
#sotd - song of the day

i’ll add if there are others

i found some english oral notes from reddit if you all need

https://www.reddit.com/r/SGExams/comments/cm9g9v/o_level_english_oral_tips/

#eng

okay here’s a short english class with kenz:

what’s the diff between:
anyway and anyways?

anyway is used in a more formal format of writing, like formal letters, and formal emails, or compositions for argumentative writing or passages.

anyways is used in a more informal environment, like for dialogues in writing. it’s the same meaning as anyway, but it is used more informally, mainly i’m speeches too.

be mindful of what you use when you are writing your compositions, because this small thing can cause you to lose marks in the language component

#eng

eng lesson with kenz, episode 3.

can you start your sentences with CONJUNCTIONS?

conjunctions like “and” and “but”- or other similar conjunctions are often used at the beginning of their sentences in their speech (dialogue), and is often misinterpreted into their writing in the wrong sentence structure.

but you may encounter some people who mistakenly believe that starting a sentence with a conjunction is an error.

eg.
many people have a fear of insects. but the fear of heights is also very common.

if you seperate a sentence like this (with a period/ fullstop), it gives a dramatic way to emphasise the contrast introduced by “but”.

not everyone likes this style of writing though, so it is also possible to connect both of these with a comma

eg.
many people have a fear of insects, but the fear of heights is also very common.

however, some people dislike seeing the conjunctions “or”, “nor”, and “yet” at the beginning of a sentence.

even though it may not be an error in sentence structure and language, starting sentences with these words does sometimes seem a little melodramatic

eg.
they have an upcoming exam soon . yet they still haven’t studied for it despite it being 30% of their grade.

you can phrase it like this

eg.
they have an upcoming exam soon , yet they still haven’t studied for it despite it being 30% of their grade.

#eng

eng lesson with kenz episode 4

Hyperbole

hyperbole is a language that is obviously exaggerated and not meant to be taken literally. people would often use hyperboles for emphasis or to be funny when writing.

eg.
- i’m so hungry i can eat my own finger
- he has tons of money

a hyperbole is a type of figurative language, just like metaphors and similes. furthermore, metaphors and similes often incorporate hyperbole. hyperboles can make your writing livelier and more engaging for readers which can excite certain scenes in teh book or your composition writing.

eg.
- my mom screamed at my sibling when they came home late. i swear, the entire country could’ve heard her scream at them.

the hyperbole in the second sentence places particular emphasis on mother’s volume.

however, it’s impossible for one person’s shout to travel for hundreds of miles and kilometres, but the point is that mother was really angry when my sibling came home.

sometimes, people use the word “literally” in a figurative sense to amplify an already hyperbolic statement. but unless your teacher has asked you to go out and, say, harass a cranky grizzly bear, this homework is literally killing me! is just a hyperbolic way to say that your homework is harder or more abundant than you’d like.

although this usage is widespread and even accepted by some dictionaries, it’s generally a good idea to avoid it because many readers find it annoying.

in the example above, you can even get rid of “literally” without sacrificing the hyperbole: this homework is killing me!

#eng

kenz’s english lesson episode 6 (short one because i can’t think of ideas)

difference between “Your” and “You’re”

“Your” indicates a possession – and defines that something belongs to you. 

“You’re” is short for “You are”

eg.
- You’re beautiful
- You dropped your wallet
- Do you understand what you’re even saying?
- Do you need your bag?

WRONG.
- Your beautiful
- You dropped you’re wallet
- Do you even understand what your even saying?
- Do you need you’re bag?

this is a common misconception, even with people our age nowadays and sometimes adults, so please know when to use your and when to use you’re.

if you write these wrongly during your compositions, you can be marked down in the “language” component.

#eng

okay so even though my eng oral is over, i thought that i should help some of you all out.

a lot of people tend to miss out on their personal experiences during spoken interaction, AND IT CAN MAKE YOU LOSE A LOT OF MARKS.

make sure you answer in a PEEL method
Point
Evidence
Example
Link

it’s like ss/hist, follow this format.

my teacher said that she had one student where she tested him for day 1, and it was about like the games one, he gave a personal example on him playing uno with his friends.

but what caught my teachers attention was the fact that he said “my friend made me draw 4 plus-four cards at that one turn. do you know who lost?”

so instead of the teacher always asking the qn, he asked THEM the qn. you can do that, but make sure it’s like a light conversation type.

try to be as detailed as possible, and it’s okay if you cannot make eye contact, look at their foreheads. (psst it helps a lot)

don’t panic if the qn is hard, take a deep breath and calm yourself down. it’s okay to take a few seconds to think, don’t panic okay?

ALL THE BEST TO THOSE TAKING ORALS SOON <33

#eng

super impromptu english lesson with kenz episode (i lost count)

SHOW NOT TELL EXAMPLES

EMOTIONS

Happiness

- he was dizzy with delight
- he was in high spirits as he skipped around the room..
- he clapped his hands with delight
- wide smile was plastered on his face...
- showered us with love.
- she skipped/bounced towards someone/something..

Sadness

- her sobs shook her body as she bent over crying.
- I felt a lump in my throat but I turned away and quickly swiped away the tears that threaten to roll down my cheeks..
- Walked with heavy footsteps
- Tears clouded my vision ...
- Tears welled up in my eyes and threatened to spill over
- The dam of tears broke.
- Sobbed wearily...

Anger

- My blood boiled..
- I seethed with rage.
- I turned around, face flushed and glared at her...
- My fists were clenched as I took a step towards her..
- She kicked open the door
- He picked up the (object) and hurled it at the window..
- I trembled in anger.

Pride

- He was so full of himself
- He strutted in front of the judges.
- She looked at her friends with disdain...

Tiredness

- She sank into the chair, drained of energy
- He was drenched in sweat and sat unmoving as the others packed up the equipment..

Nervousness

- I swallowed the lump in my throat.
- He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and rubbed his palms for the umpteen time..
- She kept going to the window every few minutes to check if the postman had arrived.
- The students averted their eyes from the test papers the teacher
was carrying..
- My pulse quickened..
- Fumbled with my keys/bag

Shock

- A sudden tapping at the widow drew me back to reality.
- I jolted out of my reverie and turned around hastily.

Moved

- The memory was deeply ingrained in me...

Fear

- Stomach-churning
- My apprehension was steadily building as my turn approached.
- My trepidation mounted.
- Blood-drained face
(Many phrases to describe Nervousness can also be used to
describe Fear)

#eng

SHOW NOT TELL EXAMPLES PT2

WEATHER

Raining cats and dogs/ pouring/ raining heavily

- A curtain of rain beat down/swept across the place.
- The delicious breath of rain was in the air..
- Lightning flashed across the sky...

Windy

- The flowers were dancing in the wind
- The flowers bobbed merrily in the gentle breeze...
- The trees swayed gently to and fro
- The long grass waved merrily...

The sun was shining brightly/Hot

- She shielded her eyes from the glaring rays..
- A golden glow spread across the sky
- The sun cast her crimson rays onto the place.
- The warm sunlight cast a delicious warmth on her back..
- She basked in the sunlight as she waited for the bus to arrive...
- Sweltering morning...

Cold

- The morning was cold and wet and a brisk wind swept across the
place..
- She pulled her coat tightly around her ... rubbed her hands
together

Good Weather

- White clouds drifted lazily across the sky
- The waves lapped gently at the rocks
- The smell of freshly cut grass..
- The park was drenched in the golden rays of the setting sun.
- Fresh air filled my lungs as I ..

#eng

SHOW NOT TELL EXAMPLES PT3

PLACES

The lights were not switched
on/The house was dark

- The house was shrouded in darkness
- The house was blanketed in darkness

The room did not have many
things

- The room was scantily furnished
- The few things in the rooms were scattered about

Kitchen/Barbecue - Food description

- The unmistakable whiff of roasting lamb drifted across the
garden..
- The smell of sizzling bacon drifted from the kitchen
- Steaming bowl of chicken soup..
- The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted towards us..

The room was messy...

- Chairs were cluttered in the living room and clusters of magazines
were haphazardly strewn on the floor..
- Plastered on the walls was a collection of family photographs,
yellow with age...

Busy place

- The kitchen/school hall/classroom was a hive of activity.
- People scuttled about..

A quiet room/You could hear
a pin drop

- Quiet blanketed the room.
- Room was deathly quiet

#eng

USEFUL PHRASES FOR ESSAY

Mothers are the most important member of the family

- Lauded for being the pillar of the family, mothers are…

A great celebration

- Celebrated with much aplomb

Mothers are so important in our lives

- Mothers feature so prominently in our lives

I worked hard for nothing

- I worked hard to no avail
- All my effort went down the drain
- My hard work was for naught

I worked very hard

- I burnt the midnight oil
- I ploughed through my homework..

My friends encouraged me to try

- My friends egged me on.

My things were a mess!

- My things were in disarray..
- My things were scattered everywhere

She knocked on my door for
ten minutes..

- The incessant knocking on my door...

Thinking back

- In retrospect

I waited for the bus for a long
time

- The bus took ages to arrive
- I tapped my foot impatiently and glanced at my watch for the umpteen time.

I failed to do my homework and I knew I was going to get into trouble

- I had a sinking feeling that I will not escape the wrath of my teacher when I tell her I had not done my work
- I cowered in fear as the teacher berated me for not handing in my work.
- The teacher saw through my excuses and berated me for not
completing my work..

I overcame my challenges

- I negotiated my challenges successfully..

I was about to shout for help

- I was on the brink of shouting for help...

I gave up/l quit

- I buckled under the pressure and threw in the towel

The test was so easy

- The test was a piece of cake

He got straight to the point

- He did not beat about the bush

#eng

english lessons with kenz episode 9

Appropriate Vocabulary and Descriptions to show emotion (non-exhaustive list)

————————————————
To show anger, frustration

vocab:
hostile, exasperation, irritated, annoy, irk, vexed, displeasure, indignation. infuriate, provoke, incensed, maddening

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Knitted eyebrows
- Eyebrows drawn together
- Furrowed forehead
- Had a scowl on her face
- His eyes burned
- flickered with anger
- He was fighting back tears
- Her eyes bored into him
- His nostrils flared
- mouth set in a hard line
- He pursed his lips
- jutted chin

————————————————
To show surprise/ amusement

vocab:
amazed, astounded, at a loss for words, stupefied, marvel

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Widened eyes
- Raise their eyebrows
- Dropped jaw
- The corners of his eyes crinkled
- She beamed
- grinned

————————————————
To show nervousness/ worry

vocab:
insignificant, inadequate, insecure, anxious, agonize, apprehensive, dread, perturbed, distress, disquiet, unease

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Eyes darting
- A bundle of nerves
- increased heart rate
- Sweaty palms
- Glance around the room
- Refusing to make eye contact
- Fluttery nervous tension in the stomach
- Fidgeting
- tapping their finger on the table
- Chew on their lips or nail
- Shift their weight from one foot to another

————————————————
To show disbelief

vocab:
incredulous, distrust, doubt,

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Arched her brow
- Tight-lipped smile
- Slow shake of the head

————————————————
To show confusion

vocab:
bewildered, overwhelmed. helpless, blank, numb, mental block, clueless

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Give a blank stare
- Gave a puzzled look
- Raised eyebrows
- Shows a lack of understanding
dumbfounded

————————————————
To communicate feelings of joy or mischief

vocab:
stimulating, amused, optimistic

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- A sparkle/ twinkle in one's eyes
- His eyes lit up/ gleamed
- Lopsided grin
- The corner of her mouth quirked up

————————————————
To show jealousy

vocab:
begrudging, envious, resentful, covetous

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Narrowed eyes and frown
- She pouted

————————————————
To show sadness, regret

vocab:
depressed, inferior, remorseful, apathetic

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Teary-eyed
- Tears welling up
- Tears shimmered in her eyes
- Down-turned mouth
- She sniffled

————————————————
To show arrogance

vocab:
aloof, disdain, egotism, pretentious, haughty, pompous, smug, critical

Descriptions of body language / facial expressions:

- Snooty expression
- she sneered
- Raised or lifted chin
- She rolled her eyes
- She glanced up to the ceiling
- She stuck her nose in the air
- He smirked/ scoffed

#eng #pihnotes

summarises everything in 3mins 🤩🤩
#eng