Fronting and embedding

Looking for a quick and easy way to vary your sentence structuring to (a) improve your writing and (b) increase your marks?

Look no further!

First things first

You need to understand the difference between a main clause and a subordinate clause.

Complex sentences contain main clauses (which can be sentences by themselves) and subordinate clauses (which don’t make sense by themselves).

For example:

You should build a youth facility on the land because it will enhance opportunities for young people in the area.

Here, the main clause is:

You should build a youth facility on the land

This could be a sentence by itself, complete with a capital letter and a full stop.

The subordinate clause is:

because it will enhance opportunities for young people in the area

This can’t be a sentence by itself, as, if we popped a capital letter at the start and a full stop at the end, it would sound ‘unfinished’.

Activity 1: Try to identify the subordinate clauses in the sentences below. (You’ll find the answers after the picture.)

  1. When you leave, shut the door.
  2. If you want to kiss me, just ask.
  3. I wanted to kiss him because he is beautiful.
  4. I like children, although I couldn’t eat a whole one.

Answers to Activity 1:

  1. When you leave, shut the door.
  2. If you want to kiss me, just ask.
  3. I wanted to kiss him because he is beautiful.
  4. I like children, although I couldn’t eat a whole one.

Fronting is when we place a subordinate clause (or phrase) at the front of our sentence, like this:

Because it will enhance opportunities for young people in the area, you should build a youth facility on the land.

Activity 2: Rewrite these sentences so that the subordinate clause is fronted.

  1. I will continue to support the plan even though I disagree with many of your arguments.
  2. I was disappointed by the result of the action despite expecting it.
  3. The uniform policy at Lutterworth College is in desperate need of a revamp, although I can see why it was put in place.
  4. I was excited by the new menu until I saw it first-hand.

Answers are below the image…

Answers to Activity 2:

  1. Even though I disagree with many of your arguments, I will continue to support the plan.
  2. Despite expecting it, I was disappointed by the result of the action.
  3. Although I can see why it was put in place, the uniform policy at Lutterworth College is in desperate need of a revamp.
  4. Until I saw it first-hand, I was excited by the new menu.

 

When we embed a subordinate clause or phrase in the middle of a sentence using parenthetic commas, it’s another way of impressing the examiner.

The key thing is that your embedded clause/phrase should be removable without destroying the sentence.

For example:

Vegetarianism, despite people’s misconceptions about it, is a healthier way to live.

If we took out the subordinate clause, we’d have Vegetarianism is a healthier way to live, which makes sense without it.

Activity 3: Embedding subordinate clauses/phrases into main clauses.

Below, you’ll find a table of main clauses and subordinate clauses/phrases. See if you can turn them into full sentences with embedded clauses.

Embedding

Answers are below the next image…

Answers to Activity 3:

  1. My English lessons, even though they were difficult, were the most inspiring ones I had.
  2. I saw the new Avengers film, which cost more than $200 million to make, at the Showcase last night.
  3. My teacher, a diligent and committed man, kept an eye on my progress.
  4. The best album of all time, Girls Aloud’s ‘Tangled Up’, was released in 2007.

 

Think you’ve got it? Click here to take a cheeky little test that will email you your results.

 

 

Describing a supermarket

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Just before Christmas, all of our Year 10 students had a go at writing a description inspired by the picture above.

You can find a selection of brilliant descriptive writing in the comments on this post.

If you’d like to add some of your own, feel free.

Other students can then use it for inspiration for future descriptive tasks.

 

 

Year 11 Mock Exams – Examiners’ Report

The majority of you did well on your Year 11 mock exams, but this report focuses on what could be improved in advance of the second set of English mocks in March.

Unit 1: Reading

  • Make sure you stick to 15 minutes per question; Question 4 had the lowest average mark for this paper, which is possibly down to you running out of time.
  • Refer to writers by their last names. You’re not friends with them.
  • Start each question on a new side in the answer booklet. This makes it easier for an examiner to mark, and easier for you add extra content to in the event that you have some spare time.
  • Try to begin each answer with a topic sentence that shows you’ve understood the question.
  • Back up all of your points with quotations from the texts.
  • Use the language of the question in your answer to ensure you stay focused on what’s being asked of you.
  • Do what the question tells you to do. If you’re asked to divide an answer into two sections, do it.

Unit 2: Writing

Content

  • Take your time working out what you are being asked to do and make sure you’re doing it!
  • The letter, for example, ought to have been addressed to a local newspaper, and yet around ¼ of you aimed it at the local council. Similarly, some of you thought it was the newspaper planning on running a festival. Read the task carefully.
  • A ‘lively’ article should be entertaining, and not dull. Many of you wrote articles on social networking that felt more like advisory leaflets.
  • Think carefully about your audience. The article, for instance, was aimed at students your age, and so the best responses were a little more casual and entertaining.
  • Adopt the right form for your text. Letters need addresses – and these need to be in the right place. Articles need headlines and bylines, and these should be engaging – not dull.
  • Plan your pieces of writing and include these plans in your answer booklet so that the examiner can see you’ve given your work some thought. Well-planned pieces almost always achieve higher marks.
  • A strong set of arguments is always preferable to simply crowbarring in the persuasive devices.

Sentence structure, punctuation and spelling

Christmas 50: Year 13 English Language

Year 13 Language students: here’s what you need to be doing over the holidays to complete the Language allocation of your ‘Christmas 50’…

1. Make sure you have detailed notes on every term covered in the Grammar Glossary. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can tweet us (@englishatlc).

2. When you’ve done that, have a go at The Grammar Megatest if you’ve not do so already. (Make sure you input your email address very carefully, as the test will email you your results. These should be printed and placed in your folders.)

3. Complete this blog task. Make sure you watch both talks and submit a comment on the post with your own thoughts.

4. Listen to the CLA-themed audio files below, and make detailed notes on each. These will help a great deal in preparing you for the mock exam in January.

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5. Watch this Intelligence Squared debate and make notes on the arguments presented by both sides. At the end of the debate, decide whether you’d vote for or against the motion, and explain your decision in 100-200 words in a comment on this post.

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6. Complete the task on this blog post. Make sure you read/watch/listen to all of the links given, and leave a comment on that post to show the decision you’ve reached.

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7. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break!

If you have any questions/queries, get in touch by email or on Twitter (@englishatlc).

PS. If you haven’t already got this, make sure you grab it from the library before the holiday, or add it to your Christmas list.

 

Christmas 50: Year 12 English Language

Year 12 Language students: here’s what you need to be doing over the holidays to complete the Language allocation of your ‘Christmas 50’…

1. Make sure you have detailed notes on every term covered in the Grammar Glossary. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can tweet us (@englishatlc).

2. When you’ve done that, have a go at The Grammar Megatest if you’ve not done so already. (Make sure you input your email address very carefully, as the test will email you your results. These should be printed and placed in your folders.)

3. Using the language scrapbook you compiled over the summer holiday, create a visual analysis similar to the one below.

Exemplar Analysis - Hot Chocolate Rubbish.png

You should place your text in the middle of a larger page (preferably A3), and annotate around the edge. Imagine you’re answering the question, How does this text use language to achieve its aims?

If you’re struggling for a suitable text to use, have a go with the Bin Bag Notice we found on the stairwell of an apartment block in Leicester city centre.

4. Complete this blog task if you haven’t already done so. Make sure you watch both talks and submit a comment on the post with your own thoughts.

5. Listen to the CLA-themed audio files below, and make detailed notes on each.

_____________________________________________________

6. Enjoy the rest of your Christmas break!

If you have any questions/queries, get in touch by email or on Twitter (@englishatlc).

PS. If you haven’t already got this, make sure you get it from the library before the holiday, or add it to your Christmas list.