HSST Junior English Syllabus

Kerala PSC will conduct HSST Junior English exam in February 2018.

The following is the detailed syllabus of HSST Junior English exam 2018.

How to Write a Diary Entry

Writing A Diary Entry

Diary Writing is said to have originated more than a 1000 years ago. The diaries of Samuel Pepys and Anne Frank have given the world invaluable information about the English Restoration and the Nazi Holocaust respectively. Diary Writing is now an immensely popular habit throughout the world and an exercise for the elementary school children.

A Diary is a personal record of daily events and feelings usually written on daily basis. It is easy to write a great diary entry if we follow a few simple steps.

• First Person: The Diary entry should be on first person narrative as it is you who writes your own daily life and feelings

• Record of Life: The Diary entry should contain the events and occurrences of the day on which you write. It is not necessary to include as much as you can write. Rather it will be a good idea to write down only those things you want to remember about later.

• Feelings and Emotions: A diary is the repository of one's own emotions. A diary entry can include the mood of the day, the joy, sadness, triumphs... all that you want to write.

• Diary, your Companion: A diary entry is where you can write as you would talk to your closest friend or companion. It is a place for all your feelings that you haven't even shared with anyone else. 

• Strictly No Rules: There are no rules for the structure of a diary entry. There are conventions that you can follow. A diary entry can usually be written in your own style whatever it is. It can be crisp and short forms and ungrammatical expressions are viable in a diary entry.

• Natural: Writing the diary entry is seen as a natural activity that is flexible and subjective. Simple and incomplete sentences and use of jargons are usual in writing a diary to make it as truthful to the life. Colloquial and informal words are common in a diary entry.

Structure of a Diary

• A diary entry is usually brief and has simple structure. A diary entry is perfect to start with the date of the day on which it is written. The date helps the writer to recollect incidents in a later reading of the entry.

• The diary entry is often not a neatly written paragraph. Similar to the stream of consciousness technique in literature, a diary entry is of broken sentences and short paragraphs. The events recorded would not always be in a sequential order but in an order that the writer thinks it best reflects his emotional attachment with those events.

• Ellipses, question marks and exclamation marks are usually seen in a diary. Ellipses indicate that the diary is incomplete and only the important parts of an event or incident is written. The question marks are used to reiterate the doubts and questions that rises in the mind of the diary writer in that day. Subsequently exclamation marks help to record surprises, joy and similar feelings.

• It is important to remember that a diary entry is a poetic representation of a day in the life of the diary writer. It is not an entity that is complete in itself but just a part of the diary. Hence, it is best to write about the hope and expectation for the days after the date of diary in the entry. The next entry will be a continuation of the entry just like this one was a continuation of the previous one.

• Always write a short, simplified and compressed diary entry because we are sure that no one wants to read so much from one’s own diary. Just hint about the important occurrences of the day which you think you would be happy to read again.

Sample of a Diary Entry

How to write a Formal/Official Letter?

          In the digital world of today, the e-mails and telephones are widely used, Letters are beginning to lose their importance. A formal letter is a letter for a formal purpose, it can be a Recommendation Letter, a complaint Letter, an Invitation Letter, Official Notifications, Apologies, Minutes of meetings, Letters of acceptances, Institutional communications and so on. formal letters are used for communication between persons, business concerns or offices or official matters.

Parts of a Formal/ Official Letter

• Address of the Sender: Give your complete address here. Include your e-mail id and contact number also.
• Date: A date can be written as 16 December 2013, 16 December 2013 or December 16, 2013. (British usage); December 16, 2013 (American usage)
• Address of the addressee
• Salutation: This should be in accordance with the situation and the relationship with the addressee. For example, Dear Sir, Dear Mr. Kalam, Dear Dr. Tessy and so on.
• Subject line: It is written in a singule line, all capital letters, one space below the salutation.
• Introduction
• The body of the Letter: It is considered as the crux of the letter.
• Conclusion: For example: I look forward to hearing from you.
• Complementary close: eg. Regards, Warm Regards, with Warm Regards, Yours sincerely, Yours truly, Yours faithfully and so on.
• Name and signature of the sender

Format of the Formal Letter

(Address of the Sender)     (Date)     (Address of the addressee)     (Salutation)     Sub: ………………………     (Introduction) …….……………………… ………………………..… …………………………………………………………                (Body)………………………………………………………..................  …………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………     (Conclusion)…………………………………………     (Complimentary close)     Name of sender     Signature

  Sample: Formal Letter

The Touristers Ltd.
145C, Tara Buildings
HAL II Stage Delhi 560 035
Touritsterspvtltd@gmail.com

15th January, 2014.

Adgold Advertisers
246 v, Consort Consortium
JN Nagar, Kollam 674 602

Dear Sir,

INVITATION FOR FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

        We are happy to inform you that our company is calling for Financial proposal for the publication of a calendar and diary in connection with the 25th anniversary of the company.
        You are requested to submit your proposal in detail with the proposals amount on or before 24th January, 2014 by e-mail.

Thanking you
With warm regards
(signature)
Paul
(for manager)

How to Write a Book Review?

What is a Book Review?

            A book review is not a summary of the book. It is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed based on content, view point, style, merit and so on. A book review helps a reader to take a decision whether to read a book or not. The length of a book review may vary from a paragraph to a lengthy essay. It may evaluate the book on the basis of personal taste. 

Before Write the Book Review You Should Do the Following Things:

• Read the book and take notes
• Think about the book’s genre.
• Determine the major themes of the book.
• Consider the author’s writing style
• Think about how unique the book is.

Write the Book Review:

          First you should give a title for the review. You can start the book review with a catchy phrase that hints something interesting from the book. You should mention the book title, name of the author, place, publisher, publication date, edition, pages and special features in the first paragraph itself. And also include the main theme of the book. It is very important, a reviewer should never retell the entire story, because the reader may lose the interest to read the book. You can give a quick summary of the plot. If the book contains some elements of surprise your review should also keep it.
          Give the reader a little more information about the book than just the storyline. For example, genre of the book (historical, fictional, romance etc.), whether the characters fictional or realistic, does the author talk about any social issues and so on. You should provide information to reader about author’s writing style. For example, what kind of language does he use, is there heavy use of symbolism, does he follow the language of common people or use difficult vocabulary and so on.
          A reviewer can include which portion of the book is favourite for him/her. Include a few relevant quotations from the book. In addition to point out the merits of the book you can also include the mistakes (if there any) you could see in the book. A review often suggests whether or not the audience would read it. And you must avoid grammatical and spelling errors.

How to Write an Editorial?

An editorial is an article written by the editor of a newspaper or a magazine that presents the opinions and policies of the newspaper or the magazine on any current issue. It gives objective explanation for the specific issue and suggests solutions for the issue. The opinions of the author deliver in a professional way and in a journalistic way. Editorials are meant to influence public opinion, promote critical thinking, and sometimes cause people to take action on an issue.  “Write Less and Say More” should be the motto of an editorial writer. According to Cambridge Dictionary “an editorial is an article in a newspaper that expresses the editor's opinion on a subject of particular interest at the present time.”

Steps in Writing an Editorial

1. Select a significant topic: You should select a current political or social issue that already have been discussed by the readers. You can find the most interesting daily topics through conducting surveys in social media networks.
2. Collect information and facts.
3. Write the editorial.

 Write an Editorial: Things to do

• Give a headline that grabs reader’s attention
• Declare your agenda outright
• Build your argument
• Strengthen your argument with analogies
• Provide possible solutions

Parts of an Editorial

1. Title: The title of the article should be catchy, short and simple. You can use puns, idioms and phrases in the title to make it attractive.
2. Introduction: State your opinion in the form of a thesis statement. The thesis will show up the position you are taking concerning a particular subject. Main point, a main idea or central message should be included in the introduction.
3. Body: In the body of the editorial you should explain the issue objectively and reject the other side. To convince the readers about your opinion collect as many facts and evidences. Bring comparisons to similar situations to support your argument.
4. Conclusion: Sum up all information in conclusion and provide possible solutions.

Tips
          Five hundred should be the maximum number of words in an editorial. Short paragraphs are good to be included in an editorial. Avoid too long paragraphs. Never use singular pronoun, “I”. Avoid difficult and technical terms and dialogues in an editorial.

Sample

How to Write A Film Review

A good film review is an analysis of a film that should appreciate the work of art and entertain the reader by giving what to be expected in the film without giving away the plot of the movie. Technically it is a critical appreciation just like what we do for poems and stories in our schooldays. A movie review should persuade the reader to watch a good movie or make him cautious about what not to be expected from the Cinema. Whether the subject of critique is a good film or a bad one, the reviewer should not attack the film in a didactic manner. The review should be a presentation of subjective opinions on the movie, keeping in mind the general trends and aesthetics of the moviegoers.


Although a movie review may not adhere to certain rules for its structure, a review needs a structural integrity in order to please the readers. We discuss what can be the steps to be taken to draft a good movie review.



The prerequisite for writing a movie review is to watch the movie. While watching the movie it would be a good idea to note down the twists and turns and important dialogues that you feel would help you writing the review. You may also refer to the internet or other sources to get to know about the movie's background and about the cast and crew and their earlier ventures.


Drafting the Film Review

 Introduction: 

The first paragraph should introduce the film and its cast and crew (director, producer and lead actors). There should be a mention about the genre of the movie and its sequels or prequels (if any). The basic information about the movie needs to be shared in this space. It will be good to restrict the paragraph to less than five or six sentences.

 Main Content: 

It is not a bad idea to give the basic idea about the plot the of the movie. But it should be only an outline of the plot. The crucial twists and turns should not be disclosed and the surprise elements and characters should also not be given away in the review. There should be hints about important characters, setting and the theme of the movie. The names of director, script writer, musician, actors etc. can also be mentioned if needed. The technical side of the movie including the performances, direction, production value, music, computer graphics etc. can be evaluated in the review. The reviewer has the freedom to make a commentary about the movie and present his own opinions. He can criticize the various aspects of the movie but it is not fair to attack the movie in a didactic manner. The reviewer should keep in mind that the moviegoers have different concepts of a good movie and hence the critique should be based on the general aesthetics of the audience. The reviewer can judge the movie in a fair manner expressing his like or dislike for the movie. The main content of the movie review can be extended upto two or three paragraphs.

Conclusion: 

The concluding paragraph can describe the merits and the demerits of the movie. The reviewer can express how the movie affected him or whether it was a boring or an interesting one for him. He can recommend the reader to watch the movie citing what are to be expected and what not. The ideal conclusion should be restricted to a single paragraph. You can optionally add a 10-star or 5-star rating with your review.

 SAMPLE

  Review: Interstellar is an Epic of the Science Fiction Genre

Christopher Nolan who always gave us over the top films likeInception and The Batman Series is back with his new film Interstellar. Interstellar is a science fiction movie that has a universal theme and a very sincere narrative. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain in lead roles. Interstellar is inspired from a work by Jonathan Nolan, the brother of Christopher Nolan, who jointly scripted the movie with Christopher.

Interstellar opens up with Cooper, a former pilot and astronaut, and a widower, living with his two children. Cooper runs a farm. His ten-year-old daughter, Murphy, finds something called by her "a ghost" in her book shelves trying to communicate with her. Cooper trace the coordinates of the ghost and he reaches a secret NASA station. Cooper finds his old professor there who urges him to take charge of an interstellar mission to a black hole near Saturn in order to find potentially habitable planets to save the population of earth which is on the verge of extinction. Cooper joins the mission and the progress of their mission and whether Cooper returns to Murphy form the crux of the story.

The movie is a scientifically accurate presentation of many concepts along with the portrayal of the basic human passions. The father-daughter relationship between Cooper and Murphy stands in the middle of the movie. The longing for the father and the desperation of separation are nicely woven into the movie. Also there is the love between Amelia (a co-pilot of Cooper in the mission) and a lost scientist named Edmunds. Their love results in Cooper and Amelia delivering their own philosophies on love.

Interstellar is a visionary movie that has a universal theme. Nolan handles a sensational subject of earth being on the verge of extinction due to drought and the human urge to find new home. At the same time the movie has the truthful portrayal of human emotions which were lack in the run of the mill science fiction movies.

The performances are praiseworthy and all the actors leaves their mark in the movie. The lead actor Matthew McConaughey gives the best of his career and is exceptional as Cooper. Anne Hathaway is cool and efficient as the no-nonsense pilot. Jessica Chastain dies a commendable job as the matured Murphy.

The script written by the Nolan brothers is the driving force of the movies. The background music is so suitable for the narrative. The cinematography has an integral role in the movie. Whether it’s the dusty yard of the Cooper household or the icy land of the unknown planet, the visuals are very beautiful and picturesque. The video graphics are astonishing and may be the finest ever work in Hollywood.

The movie is about 170 minutes long and Nolan has given a slow paced narration which is not familiar in science fiction movies. But the movie engages the audience throughout. While Nolan depicts the two-year journey to Saturn in a few seconds, he gives the chitchats of the astronauts the time it deserves. He is the artist and Interstellar is his magnum opus.

Interstellar is undoubtedly the epic among the science fiction for its theme and the unique narration which differs out from other movies. The movie is sure to win a cult status among the film lovers. Interstellar is a must watch movie indeed.

How to write an Informal Letter or Friendly Letter or Personal Letter

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a letter as “a written message from one person to another, usually put in an envelope and send by post”. Letters are probably the most widely used form of interpersonal written communication. They have been one of the most intimate, as well as expressive forms of human communication.

          Informal Letters are also known as personal / friendly / social letters; these are letters written to friends or relatives.  They are written with the purpose of sharing information or news, and also with the purpose of expressing one’s views and opinions.  Before the advent of the telephone and the electronic media, this was the letter form that was mostly used.

Informal Letter: What?

• Written to Friends/Relatives
• Written to someone with whom you have a non-professional relationship with
• In a Personal Fashion
• Friendly Tone
• Not to Business Partners

 Informal Letter: Points to Remember:

• Person to Whom it is Addressed
• Format of Letter
• Punctuations
• Way of Addressing
• Completeness of Message
• Style of Writing
• Way of Concluding

 Parts of an Informal Letter or Friendly Letter:

The essential parts and details that need to be included in an informal letter are the following:

• Address of the sender: Your personal Address should be located at the top left corner of the page.

     e.g.:

       Sur name, last name         : John Paul

       Street name & No.             : 21 Nehru Road

       Postal code, city                : NP 194 Chennai

       State or Province               : Tamil Nadu

       Country                                : India

• Date: The date is usually located below your own address.  Simply leave one-line space after the address.

     e.g.:

          English Format    :    22 November, 2011

          American Format : November 22, 2011

• Salutation: Salutation in a very close or friendly manner. (put a comma after it)

     e.g.: Hi John, / Dear John, / Dear Mr. John, / Hello John, / Hi buddy, / Dear friend,

• Opening Sentence: Your opening should be casual or simple.

     e.g.: - 

          ➤ How are you? Hope you are keeping fine…

          ➤ How have you been? How are you?

          ➤ I hope you are doing well.

          ➤ How have you been?

          ➤ I got your letter last week.

          ➤ How are the kids?

• Body: Should be brief, clear and not exceed 150 words.

     1^st Paragraph    : Opening Sentence and the reason for writing

     2^nd Paragraph   : Expand the first paragraph

     3^rd Paragraph   : Conclude your letter well

• Ending:

     e.g.:

          ➤ See you soon.
          ➤ Convey my regards to…
          ➤ Send my love to...
          ➤ I am looking forward to seeing you.
          ➤ Write to me soon.
          ➤ I can’t wait to hear from you.
          ➤ waiting to see you…
          ➤ Giving my regards to…
• Complementary close (Do not forget to put a comma after the complementary close):

     e.g.:

          ➤ With love,
          ➤ Best wishes,
          ➤ Kind regards,
          ➤ Love,
          ➤ Lots of love,
          ➤ Yours lovingly,
          ➤ With lots of love,
• Signature and name

     e.g:

          (signature)

          Name

Format of an Informal or Friendly Letter:

Informal Letter: Example

How to Write an Email?

Today e-mail communication has almost entirely replaced the traditional letters. E-mail is one of the cheapest and fastest mode of communication that is easy to be operated by anyone who has a basic knowledge about computers and internet. E-mail is also flexible than its alternatives and enjoys the status of being the spirit of the age. E-mail has also become valid and is used for legal and official purposes all over the world.

Here we are going to look how to write a professional / official / formal e-mail…

Structure of a Formal Email

The below sample will give you an insight towards the various components of a formal e-mail.

Subject Line

The subject line of an e-mail is important because it is how you introduce your e-mail to the recipient. Here are a few tips how your subject line should be.

• Never Leave it Blank

If you leave your subject line empty, it will give a negative impact on the recipient about your message.

• A clue to the content

The subject should carry a clue to the theme of your message.

• Keep it Short and Accurate

The subject line should preferably be 2 to 5 words

• Include Keywords
• Use only Specific Words
• Make it look Professional
• Avoid words like ‘Urgent, important, hi, hello’ etc. in subject

Salutation

• It’s Flexible
• Use it Properly
• Person’s title followed by first name
• Use the person’s last name for a more formal tone.
• Use ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ if it’s a very formal letter.
• Examples: Hi John/Mr John/Hello John/Dear Sir/Hi Anna
• If you don’t know the name of the recipient, use “To whom it may concern”

Opening Statements

➤ Introduce yourself if necessary

Example: I am John Smith from the ABC company, writing for…

➤ Start with a pleasant statement

Example: Hope you are doing well

➤ If you are replying to a letter, start by saying it

Example: I am writing to follow up on our discussion last Wednesday.

➤ Thank the recipient

Example: Thank you for writing to me.

➤ State your purpose

Example: I am writing this to enquire about…

➤ Writing with reference to…

Example: I am writing this in reference to… / I       am writing in response to…

Body of the Email

• Keep it Short - No more than 5 paragraphs (ideally 3 paras)
• Do not use indenting (insert a line break between paragraphs)
• Adopt a suitable tone
• Say No to SMS languages
• Do not use bold characters

Dear Mr John, ______________________________________ __________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________ ___________ ______________________________________ ______________________ _____ ___ ___

Closing Statements

• When a reply is expected

➤ Please let me know of your take on this.

Or

➤ I look forward to hearing from you

• When you need a help

➤ Thank you for your consideration

Or

➤ Kindly help me on this

• When you clarify something

➤ If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to let me know

Complimentary close

• Include an appropriate closing
• Choose the best phrase according to your intimacy with the recipient
• Use a comma after it
• Samples

   ➤ Best wishes,
   ➤ Faithfully,
   ➤ Thanks and Love
   ➤ Warm regards,
   ➤ Love,
   ➤ Thank you,
   ➤ Yours cordially,
   ➤ Best,
   ➤ Cheers,
   ➤ Respectfully,
   ➤ Best regards,
   ➤ Yours sincerely,

Send the E-mail

✓ Proofread

✓ Spell check

✓ Add attachments if necessary

✓ Send it….!

How to Write an Essay?

What Is An Essay?

An essay is not merely a string of paragraphs.  It is a series of paragraphs oriented around a central theme, carrying a consistent tone, attitude and perspective.  The word ‘essay’ comes from French and denotes “a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose”.  An essay is a written composition in which the author shares his/her knowledge about certain topic, reveals to the reader his/her perspective on the issue being discussed, and offers criticism and comments on the situation.  The writing of an essay, therefore, requires the author to display not only his/her knowledge of the subject but also the maturity of vision, clarity of thought, and felicity of expression. Besides these, the author should also be able to weave together the different parts of an idea into a thread unity.

Stages In Essay Writing

➤ Read the Topic Carefully: First you should understand the topic well and then brainstorm what are the things you can include in your essay.

➤ Collecting the material: A good essay is the result of careful research.  Therefore, before writing an essay on a topic we need to collect the relevant material required to be studied so that the essay we compose is authentic, substantial and convincing. Without proper data and understanding of the relevant details we are likely to produce a perspective that would seem subjective, trivial and prejudiced.

➤ Making an outline: The outline of an essay relates to its skeletal form. It consists of the main and sub points of our essay. An outline is always helpful as it keeps us focused and systematic in taking up the various issues involved in an essay.  A good outline helps us to express ourselves in a coherent way. 

➤ Making the first draft: Since essay is a detailed composition, it is generally best produced after revision and editing.  However, in competitive exams it is not possible for us to write a draft fully.  Even then, it is always handy to jot down the sequence in which we plan to take up the different ideas that are going to form the fulcrum of the essay.

➤ Revising and editing: While revising the essay we must pay careful attention to maintaining logical development of the idea.  Besides the content and style, the natural evolution of the thesis is what makes an essay eminently readable.

Components Of An Essay

• Introduction
• Body – Development of an idea
• Conclusion

Introduction

While writing the introductory part of the essay, keep in mind the following points:

• Keep your introduction brief and effective.
• Avoid starting abruptly or too philosophically.
• Define or explain the title in a precise, specific way.
• Use quotations, dictionary meanings or sayings to introduce the reader to the main idea.
• Don’t take sides on an issue or sound prejudiced in your approach.
• Avoid jargons, clichés and bombastic beginnings.

Body

This part of the essay runs into several paragraphs with each of those consisting of a topic sentence, a set of developers and a terminator. To be able to come out well in this part of the essay, we need to keep in mind the following ideas:

• Evaluate all the possible aspects of a problem, topic or issue.
• Give due importance to each aspects; don’t appear prejudiced or biased in your approach.
• Relate all your ideas to one another.
• Connect this part to the hopes raised or promises made in the introduction.
• Avoid a miscellany of too long or too short paragraphs in this part of the essay; let there be a semblance of equality in the length and size of different paragraphs.
• It is in this section that the author attempts to convince the reader of his/her perspective on the issue; therefore, analyze the different aspects of the problem exhaustively and leave nothing to chance.
• Use supporting material to argue and develop ideas. Or carrying conviction, use brief or extended examples, facts, comparisons, contrasts, expert testimony and other such devices to make the text look comprehensive and authentic.
• Let the main body lead the reader automatically to the conclusion of the essay.

Conclusion

In order to come up with a good conclusion, bear in mind the following suggestions:

• A conclusion is meant to reinforce the idea already illustrated and established in the main body; therefore avoid developing any new idea in the concluding part of the essay.
• Avoid feeble endings; pack it with a punch of force and vigor.
• An unrelated or irrelevant ending makes an essay ludicrous at times; hence, let the conclusion naturally emerge out of the decision.
• Keep your conclusion crisp and in cohesion with other parts of the essay.

Sample of an Essay:

Deforestation

          Deforestation is the removal of forests on a big level by cutting down plants or burning of forests for fulfilling the personal means. It is endangering the wild life, human health and environment. Increasing human population, increasing crowd, increasing competition in the world force human beings to cut the forests and establish well developed cities or farms or land for harvesting.

          Deforestation results in many effects like loss of animal home, animals are dying, environment change, seasonal change, increasing temperature, rising environmental heat, global warming, increasing greenhouse gas effect, melting ice caps and glaciers, increasing sea level, weakening ozone layer, hole in the Ozone layer, increasing risks of natural disasters like storm, cyclone, typhoon, flood, drought and many more negative changes which are enough to last the existence of life on the earth. Deforestation disturbs the human lives by causing several imbalances ecologically and environmentally. Deforestation is alarming continuously and indicating the needs to stop cutting plants for the safety of human lives. Some people are doing deforestation to fulfil their greediness of earning money from wood. People are cutting plants for their agricultural activities, logging (to make papers, matchsticks, furniture etc.), urbanization (road construction, housing, etc.), the certification of lands, mining (oil and coal mining), fires (to get heat), etc.

          Deforestation leads to air pollution, increasing level of poisonous gases in the environment, increasing soil and water pollutions, increasing environmental heat and many more. All the negative effects of deforestation cause many health disorders and most importantly lungs and respiratory problems.