English lesson on Tuesday 10 July

Dear all,


There's no homework today. Boys who have not given me the Companion Booklet 7, please submit the booklets before you adjourn for the learning journey tomorrow. Please also read the class library books that I've given you and return them to me during morning assembly next Tuesday.


Here's the comparison of the two stories i.e. version A and version B




Version A
It was a dark and gloomy day. I had to take a MRT train ride to work and everything seemed normal. I thought it would be another uneventful day. Boy was I wrong!

Out of the blue, I felt a sudden jerk. The train came to an abrupt halt and it was pitch black everywhere. Passengers started panicking and there was a lack of ventilation in the train.

Minutes later, some passengers experienced difficulty in breathing. There was an old man sitting beside me who started wheezing. Some passengers whipped out their handphones to contact the relevant authorities.

Soon, the lights in the train came back on. It was that moment that I realised the old man had actually passed out. Many kind Samaritans came over to help the old man. Thankfully, the train started moving and these kind souls helped to carry the old man out of the train at the next MRT station.

This incident proved to be traumatic to me, causing me to develop a phobia of taking MRT trains.







Version B



Every cloud has a silver lining. I totally agree that every bad situation has some good aspects to it. My firm belief in this saying is reinforced because of a memorable incident that I was caught in last week. This event had left a permanent imprint in my mind and caused me to change my outlook towards life ... ...



It was a dark and gloomy day. As usual, I had to take a MRT train ride to work. Everything seemed so normal. I thought it would be another uneventful day. Boy was I in for a rude shock!

Out of the blue,I felt a sudden jerk as the train came to an abrupt halt. The lights in the train began to flicker. The situation I was caught in reminded me of a scene only seen in a horror movie. True enough, the lights went out. It became pitch black everywhere. At this instance, some passengers started panicking. The cool-headed passengers whipped out their mobile phones in attempt to use the lights emitted to aid their vision. However, many passengers could not contain their fear and started screaming for help. To make matters worse, the air-conditioning units in the train stopped working too. This caused a lack of ventilation in the train. It soon became stuffy and unbearable in the train.



Minutes later, some people started having difficulty breathing. There was an old man sitting beside me who started wheezing. At this point, some passengers took control of the situation by contacting the relevant authorities using their mobile phones.

Soon, the lights in the train came back on. It was that moment that I realised the old man beside me had actually passed out. Many kind Samaritans came over to help the old man. Some took out medicated oil in attempt to revive the poor man. Thankfully, the train started moving. I was utterly moved when I witnessed these kind passengers carrying the old man out of the train at the next MRT station. Without the assistance of these kind souls, the old man might have suffered permanent health damage. The once indifferent fellow Singaporeans had responded in times of crisis and I was really impressed.

Having gone through this traumatic incident, I would shudder at the mere thought of taking a MRT train. However, this ordeal has also changed my once negative impression of Singaporeans to a good one. As the saying goes, "Every cloud has a silver lining." How true!



There is a proverb featured in the introduction of version B. This is better as it captures readers' attention. Readers will be curious to know the author's learning point after his experience.

In addition, the descriptive words and phrases used in the build-up and climax of story in version B provide readers with a more vivid view of the event.

Furthermore, the emotional aspect of the author is further explored in version B. The author reiterates the proverb used at the beginning of the story in the conclusion. This will reinforce the linkage between the introduction and conclusion of the story.