Giving advice

1. Papers 1 & 2 Reading and Writing Unit 2 Health and Well-being Reading Recognising and understanding tone and attitude Tackling tone and attitude questions EXAM SKILLS Activity 5 Activity 3 Activity 4 Activity 2 Activity 1 Writing Giving advice Activity 6 Argumentative writing: two-sided arguments Activity 7 Activity 8 Practice Paper Part B2 Paper 1 – Part A Part B1 Paper 2 –Part A Part B

2. READING GENERAL SKILLS Recognising and understanding tone and attitude In this unit, you are going to learn how a writer can use language to create the tone of a piece of writing. U2.2

3. ToneTone refers to a piece of writing’s style and mood. It is affected by: • the audience – the reader • the writer’s purpose The writer’s purpose may be, for example, to: • inform • entertain • complain • persuade • sympathise • warn U2.2

4.  Read the following information, paying attention to how the tone matches the writer’s purpose. U2.2

5. PURPOSE tone tone tone (semi-) formal, objective formal, serious, critical, concise, direct (semi-) formal, persuasive to inform e.g. a textbook to complain e.g. a complaint letter to persuade e.g. a promotional flyer U2.2

6. tone tone (semi-) formal, informal (semi-) formal, sincere to entertain e.g. comic books to sympathise e.g. a condolence letter* * a special type of letter usually sent to offer sympathy if someone has died U2.2

7. It is possible for a text to have more than one purpose and/or a combination of tones. U2.2

8. The language used in a text should reflect the writer’s purpose. Let’s look at two examples of this. U2.3

9. 1 The writer’s purpose is to inform; the language used is objective and the third person is used. U2.3

10. Your participation in the Child Sponsorship Programme can help restore the hope and happiness of poor children like Sarath. For just HK$7 a day, you can provide a child in a developing country with basic healthcare, education, clean water and nutrition. Your donation will make a difference to a child’s life and help the child’s family and community reach self-sufficiency. ■ 2 The writer’s purpose is to persuade; the language used is subjective; the writer ‘talks’ to the reader directly by using the ‘we/you’ approach. U2.3

11. Let’s look at examples of how language is used to create tone. U2.4

12. <news article> language use The writer uses: • persuasive vocabulary • subjective language (examples highlighted in text) tone The writer’s tone is: • persuasive • critical • semi-formal U2.4

13. The writer is negative about smoking and positive about the anti-smoking campaign. U2.4

14. <news editorial> EDITORIAL A recent study has shown that the youth of America are dangerously unfit. Our children must get in shape or face a lifetime fraught with illness. Parents, educators and society must pay heed to this warning. We all have a role to play to improve the health and livelihood of our children. 1 The writer expresses his/her concern for American children’s health. U2.4

15. The frightening results of the study released on Wednesday show that a third of the teenagers tested completely failed a simple eight minute fitness test. If projected over the entire teenage population, this would mean a staggering seven million youngsters in the US alone will be facing a dangerously high risk of heart disease later in life. Last year, the American Obesity Association reported that 15.5 percent of US teens are obese, an unacceptably high increase since data was last released 25 years ago. 2 The writer uses factsto show shocking results, and strong adjectives to show his/her opinion. 3 U2.4

16. The writer praises Overtown Public School, informing the readers of the measures they have taken. However, he/she also states that more needs to be done. The tone is critical, informative and semi-formal. To its credit, one school, Overtown Public, has already taken action, hiring social workers, a fitness instructor and a nurse to examine students. The school provides information to students that promotes the benefits of healthy eating and physical activity. These are signs of a community battling a serious threat, but it must be followed by schools across the country before any meaningful progress can be made. 4 U2.4

17. EXAM SKILLS Tackling tone and attitude questions There are a variety of ways to test your understanding of tone and attitude in a text in the Exam. You may be asked questions about: • the attitude of the writer • words or phrases that suggest attitude • the overall tone of a text • attitudes of people mentioned in a text U2.5

18. Understanding the context Context refers to the words and phrases around an idea or a thought. Without context, a reader cannot easily identify how a writer feels. However, once a thought is supported by a context, it is easy to identify tone and attitude. U2.5

19. Study the main ideas in the examples below. U2.5

20. 1 MAIN IDEA Thailand was hot. The weather was perfect! (= the writer liked the weather) I couldn’t stand it! (= the weather was too hot for the writer) U2.5

21. 2 MAIN IDEA Hong Kong is small. It’s so easy to get around! (= the writer thinks Hong Kong’s size is a benefit) I feel trapped! (= the writer does not like being in a small place) U2.5

22. Activity 1 Read the following excerpt of a text and then answer questions 1 – 4. U2.5

23. Tired of ‘the body beautiful’ Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve had just about enough of the endless stream of advertisements filled with ‘healthy’ and ‘beautiful’ people … I’m talking about all advertisements: watches, washing powders and even wireless Internet connections. Regardless of what is being sold, a tiny skinny model with ridiculously white teeth and a fake orange tan like an Oompa Loompa is used to get our attention. I don’t understand why companies should tell us what a healthy body looks like. Isn’t a healthy body what a normal person who eats well and exercises has – not a chopstick-thin supermodel who hasn’t eaten for weeks? What is a healthy body? Well it is certainly not what advertisers are showing us. U2.5

24. 1. Is this text subjective or objective? 2. What is the purpose of this text? A. to describe health advertisements B. to encourage us to buy beauty products C. to tell us how advertising works today D. to criticise advertising’s definition of ‘beauty’ A B C D subjective U2.5 TEXT

25. 3. The use of the words ‘healthy’ and ‘beautiful’ is … A. ironic B. admirable C. good-natured D. disappointing A B C D U2.5 TEXT

26. 4. Look at the text that has been underlined. The tone of the underlined text is … A. funny and informative B. sarcastic and critical C. encouraging and amusing D. persuasive and encouraging A B C D U2.5 TEXT

27. E X A M QUESTION T Y P E S multiple-choice questions extended response questions short response questions  matching questions U2.6

28. Tone and attitude questions in the Exam could be: • multiple-choice questions • extended response questions • short response questions • matching questions U2.6

29. multiple-choice questions U2.6

30. Activity 2 Read the excerpt and example questions 1 and 2 shown below and on U2.7. Use the information in the strategy boxes to help you choose your answers. U2.6

31. Tommy looked at his watch for the twentieth time since the seminar had begun that morning. Tommy’s teacher had decided that they all needed to learn more about being healthy as the school was worried about rising levels of obesity and unhealthiness among the students. Tommy yawned as the speaker went on and on about eating the right foods, exercising more, avoiding junk food … the list was endless. Was there nothing fun that was healthy? After the seminar, if he walked quickly, he could get to the takeaway and buy chicken wings, noodles and an ice-cream. Now that was worth thinking about! U2.6

32. Examples <tone and attitude question> Choose the best answer and blacken ONE circle only. 1. Tommy is … A. disinterested in the seminar B. enjoying the seminar C. tired because of his walk D. looking forward to an invigorating walk A B C D TIP Review the information in the strategy box on U2.7 for this question before choosing your answer! U2.6 STRATEGY BOX

33. Choose the best answer and blacken ONE circle only. 2. Tommy is … A. thinking about making changes to his diet B. going to take walks each day C. not benefiting from the seminar D. thinking about how to be more healthy A B C D TIP Review the information in the strategy box below for this question before choosing your answer! STRATEGY BOX U2.7

34. extended response questions U2.8

35.  Review the strategy below that you learned in Book 4 for tackling this question type. to answer extended response questions STRATEGY Read extended response questions carefully.  Note the marks allocated – this may tell you how many points are needed in your answer. U2.8

36. Example Question: In what ways is a person’s body like a car? (3 marks) Is your engine running smoothly? Do you frequently stall? No – we don’t mean your car, we mean your body! Your body is like a finely tuned car engine. It needs good quality fuel to run efficiently, and it needs to be looked after with love and attention. If you neglect your car – it will break down. But … and this is a BIG but … a car can have parts removed and replaced; your body can’t. You only have one  make the most of it! U2.8

37. STEPS  Read the question and then the text. Note how many marks the question is worth.   Look through the text to find three pieces of information that compare a car to a person’s body: • needs good quality fuel • needs to be looked after with love and attention • if you neglect it, it will break down  1 To complete a conversation, first read the entire conversation carefully. Then read the information you are given in the words & expression box. U2.8

38. STEP  Use the question and your points to write your answer. ANSWER A person’s body is like a car – both need good quality fuel and to be looked after with love and attention. In addition, if a person neglects his or her body, it will break down just like a car would. U2.8

39. short response questions U2.9

40.  Review the strategy below that you learned in Book 4 for tackling short response questions. U2.9

41. to answer short response questions STRATEGY Read short response questions carefully.  Identify the key information you need to look for. Write a short response, not a long and detailed answer. Do exactly what the question asks you to do – if you are asked for two pieces of information, give two. U2.9

42. Activity 3 Read the following article and then answer the questions. U2.9

43. Do you sleep enough? Shockingly, most students neglect this important part of their health and well-being. How do they hope to achieve good results at school when they’re tired – even before the school day starts! Students will tell you how important their diet is, how they must exercise regularly to maintain their health and how important studying is. Do any of them mention sleep? No, but they’ll tell you they’re tired and that they sometimes fall asleep in class! A chronic lack of sleep has serious side-effects. These include drowsiness, irritability, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, weight gain, depression … and more! So next time you feel tired and drowsy – consider getting a good night’s sleep … ZZZZZ U2.9

44. 1. How would you describe the tone of this text? 2. What does the writer think most students would say if asked, ‘Do you sleep enough?’ persuasive (The writer thinks) Most students would say no. U2.9

45. 3. Name one side-effect of insufficient sleep. The question asks for one item – only write one! (Choose ONE only) drowsiness, irritability, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, weight gain, depression U2.9

46. matching questions U2.10

47.  Review the strategy below that you learned in Book 4 for tackling matching questions. U2.10

48. to answer matching questions STRATEGY Read all parts of the question carefully before beginning your answers. DON’T write your answers before you have finished reading. If you do this, you may find there are parts you cannot find an answer for when you reach the end of the question. U2.10

49. Activity 4 Read the text and then answer the question. U2.10

50. Question: Match each sentence with the correct person from the list below. Write A, B and C in the appropriate spaces. A is concerned about Tommy’s eating habits. B decided to eat the healthier lunch option. C is worried about Tommy’s health. Tommy Mr Wong Ms So B A C U2.10 TEXT