Teachers Materials in English 6

Q1-W7-Day 1 to Day 5
Day 1
Elements of a Story
These are the basic elements of a story that you learn about in elementary school:

 Setting: Where and when is the story set? Setting represents both the physical location
but also the time (i.e. past, present, future) and the social and cultural conditions in
which the characters exist.
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 Character: A person or animal or really anything personified. There can be one main
character or many, and often there are secondary characters, but not always.
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 Plot: The events that happen in a story are called the plot. In a plot you typically find an
introduction, rising action, a climax, the falling action, and a resolution. Plot is often
represented as an arc. To learn about plot in detail, read the article: “What is a Plot.”
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 Conflict: Every story must have a conflict, i.e. a challenge or problem around which the
story is based. Without conflict, the story will have no purpose or trajectory.
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 Theme: Idea, belief, moral, lesson or insight. It’s the central argument that the author is
trying to make the reader understand. The theme is the “why” of the story.

In high school, you start learning the advanced elements of a story:

 Point-of-view: “Who” is telling the story? First person (“I”) or third person (“he/she/it”).
Limited (one character’s perspective), multiple (many characters’ perspectives) or
omniscient (all knowing narrator). Second person (“you”) is not often used for writing
stories.
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 Tone: The overall emotional “tone” or meaning of the story. Is it happy, funny, sad,
depressed? Tone can be portrayed in multiple ways, through word and grammar
choices, choice of theme, imagery and description, symbolism, and the sounds of the
words in combination (i.e. rhyme, rhythm, musicality).
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 Style: This is how things are said. Word choices, sentence structure, dialogue, metaphor,
simile, hyperbole. Style contributes significantly to tone.

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Day 2 –Day 3

Pronoun - Antecedent Agreement

copyright 2002, 1979 Margaret L. Benner All rights reserved.

In order to understand pronoun – antecedent agreement, you must first

understand pronouns.

A pronoun is a word used to stand for (or take the place of) a noun.

Below are the personal pronouns. They are called “personal” because they usually refer
to persons (except for it, which refers to things).

Look at this sentence.

There are two nouns in this sentence: John and man.

Either of these nouns can be replaced by a pronoun. If we replace John (the subject of the
sentence) with a pronoun, we choose he, a subject pronoun.

If we replace man (the object in the sentence) with a pronoun, we choose him,
an object pronoun.

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These sample sentences tell us some important things about pronouns:
1. A pronoun takes the place of a noun.
2. The pronoun which replaces the noun must agree with it in these ways:
a) A subject pronoun must replace a subject noun.
An object pronoun must replace an object noun.
b) A feminine pronoun must replace a feminine noun.
A masculine pronoun must replace a masculine noun.
c) A singular pronoun must replace a singular noun.
A plural pronoun must replace a plural noun.
Thus, in the sentence

We must replace the singular, masculine subject noun, John, with

the singular, masculine subject pronoun, He. We can replace
the singular, feminine object noun, woman,
with singular, feminineobject pronoun, her.

A pronoun can also refer to an earlier noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Look at this sentence.

We do not talk or write this way. Automatically, we replace the noun Lincoln’s with a
pronoun. More naturally, we say

The pronoun his refers to President Lincoln.

In this sentence, the pronoun his is called the REFERENT because it “refers back.”
We call President Lincoln the ANTECEDENT because it comes before the pronoun that refers to
it later. (ante = “before”)

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Thus, the mechanics of the sentence look like this:

Look at the examples below to see how to choose the right pronoun for two antecedents joined
by and, or, or nor.
1. When two or more singular noun antecedents are joined by and, they make a PLURAL
antecedent. (1 + 1 = 2)
example:

NOTE: The plural pronoun their replaces both masculine and feminine nouns.
If both noun antecedents joined by and are plural, then the referent pronoun will also be
PLURAL.

2. When two or more noun antecedents are joined by or or nor, choose a pronoun referent
to agree with the antecedent CLOSEST TO THE VERB.

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 Examples:
A. Two singular antecedents

B. Two plural antecedents

C. One singular antecedent followed by a plural antecedent

D. One plural antecedent followed by a singular antecedent

In the above examples, C and D are the most difficult because the antecedents have both a
singular and a plural noun. Remember these two guidelines . . .
1. For antecedents joined by and – always choose a plural referent pronoun.
2. For antecedents joined by or or nor – choose a referent pronoun to agree with the
antecedent closest to the verb.

Some nouns which name groups can be either singular or plural, depending upon their meaning
in individual sentences.
Some examples of group nouns are:

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 Because they can describe either the group as a SINGLE ENTITY (only one – singular) or
the INDIVIDUALS in the group (more than one – plural), these nouns pose special problems as
antecedents.

However, the following guidelines can help us decide which referent pronoun agrees
with such noun antecedents.
First, if we refer to the group as a whole, and therefore, as a single unit, we consider the noun
as a singular. In this case, we use a singular referent pronoun.
Example:

On the other hand, if we are actually referring to the individuals with the group, then we
consider the noun plural. In this case, we use a plural referent pronoun.
Example:

Here, each member of the class is considered separately. The students in the class will each
hand in a report.
Of course, we can make group nouns plural as well, usually by adding an s.
Some examples of plural group nouns are:

When used in the plural form, a group noun means more than one group. It naturally takes
a plural referent pronoun.
Example:

Remember these three important points about pronoun – antecedent agreement when a group
noun is the antecedent:
1. Group nouns considered as single units take singular referent pronouns.
(the club uses it ; the woman uses she or her)
2. Group nouns which consider the members as individuals in the group take plural
referent pronouns.

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 (the club member uses they or their)
3. Plural group nouns meaning two or more groups take plural referent pronouns.
(the clubs use they or their)

Sometimes a personal pronoun may be an antecedent.

In this sentence, he is the antecedent for the referent pronoun his.

His is both masculine and singular to agree with the masculine, singular antecedent he.
In the following sentence, she is the antecedent for the referent pronoun her.

Her is both feminine and singular to agree with the feminine, singular antecedent she.
In this sentence, I is the antecedent for the referent pronoun, my.

My is singular to agree with the singular antecedent, I.

Remember this important guideline:

A referent pronoun agrees with its personal pronoun antecedent.

Indefinite pronouns as antecedents also pose a special problem.

Some indefinite pronouns seem as if they should be plural when really they are singular.
Use the following guidelines.
1. As antecedents, the indefinite pronouns below ALWAYS take a singular pronoun
referent. Look at them closely.

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Examples:

2. The following indefinite pronouns ALWAYS take plural pronoun referents.

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Examples:

3. However, the following indefinite pronoun antecedents may be either singular or plural,
depending upon how they are used in a sentence.

Generally speaking, if one of these indefinite pronouns is used to designate something that CAN
be counted, then the pronoun is plural.

If one of these indefinite pronouns is used to designate something that CANNOT be

counted, then the pronoun is singular.
Examples:

In the above sentence, all designates the voters. Voters can be counted (1 voter, 2 voters,
etc.). Therefore, the plural pronoun their is the correct referent for all.

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In the above sentence, all designates sugar. Sugar cannot be counted (1 sugar, 2
sugars). Therefore, the singular pronoun, its, is the correct referent for all.

In the above sentence, all designates some unnamed people (e.g. campers, ranchers).
Campers, ranchers – people – CAN be counted. Therefore, the plural pronoun their is the
correct referent for all.

Day 4- Day 5

Describe Different Forms and Conventions of Film and Moving Pictures

Setting
Settings can quickly establish a situation or mood. It can help the audience to
understand the actions and emotional lives of the characters in the story. Most films consist of
both a main setting and minor settings. Often the constraints of a setting determine how the
characters behave or give as an idea as to how the story will develop.

Setting is the time and place (or when and where) of the story. It’s a literary element of
literature used in novels, short stories, plays, films, etc., and usually introduced during the
exposition (beginning) of the story, along with the characters. The setting may also include the
environment of the story, which can be made up of the physical location, climate, weather, or
social and cultural surroundings.

There are various ways that time and place indicate setting. Time can cover many areas,
such as the character’s time of life, the time of day, time of year, time period such as the past,
present, or future, etc. Place also covers a lot of areas, such as a certain building, room in a
building, country, city, beach, in a mode of transport such as a car, bus, boat, indoors or out,
etc. The setting of a story can change throughout the plot. The environment includes
geographical location such as beach or mountains, the climate and weather, and the social or
cultural aspects such as a school, theatre, meeting, club, etc.

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 Setting can be used for a number of purposes It might be used for:

•Realism (Time and place of setting is made known)

•Atmosphere ( Reinforce desired mood) E.g. Horror movies
•Symbolism •(Can be conveyed through setting) E.g. a storm can represent inner
turmoil

 Setting includes time and place.

 Backdrop setting is when the setting is unimportant for the story and the story
could take place in any setting. Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne is an example of
a story in which could happen in any setting.

 Integral setting is when the action, character, or theme are influenced by the
time and place, setting. Controlling setting controls characters. If you confine a
character to a certain setting it defines the character. Characters, given these
circumstances, in this time and place, behave in this way. The Tail of Peter Rabbit
is an example of how the setting is an integral part of Peter's behavior.
Charlotte's Web is another example of an integral setting.

Functions of setting: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth Speare creates a setting
of Puritanical austerity: hand-rubbed copper, indicating hard work, the heavy fortress-like door,
the dim little mirror, the severe wooden bench, the unpainted Meeting House, the whipping
post, the pillory, and the stocks. The tasks of a typical day performed by Kit: mixing soap with a
stick, the lye fumes stinging her eyes, tiring muscles, with one of the easiest tasks: making corn
pudding, which keeps her over a smoky fire with burning and watering eyes. A frightening and
uncompromising environment compared to her carefree Barbados upbringing.

 Setting as antagonist: Characters must resolve conflict created by the setting:

Julie of the Wolves, The Incredible Journey, and Island of the Blue Dolphins.

 Setting that illuminates character: The confining setting of the attic in Anne
Frank and Flowers in the Attic help the characters find themselves and grow as
individuals.

 Setting as symbolism: a symbol is a person, place, object, situation, or action

which operates on two levels of meaning, the literal and the figurative, or
suggestive. Children will understand only obvious symbols. Forest: unknown;
garden: natural beauty; sunlight: hope, goodness; darkness: evil, despair. A
grouping of symbols may create an image called an allegory. The Narnia books by
C. S. Lewis are allegories. In The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Speare uses symbols in
the usual way and to create conflict, as when she describes Hannah as a kind and
harmless woman who lives in the sunny meadows. When you would expect a
witch to live in the deep dark shadowy forest or swamp.

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