Linking Ideas in Discussion, Summarising, Noun Phrases, Developing Paragraphs and Character Language

1. Why Link Ideas?

In a poor discussion, each speaker repeats their own view and nobody seems to listen. In a good one, ideas grow as people respond to each other. Linking questions show that you have listened, and they move the conversation forward. They may connect what two speakers said, ask for more detail or test an idea. Such skills are valuable in class, at meetings and in the workplace.

2. Useful Question Stems

3. Responding to Questions

When someone asks you a question, listen to all of it. Pause before you reply. Answer the question that was actually asked, and use evidence. It is acceptable to say, "I had not thought of that," or "Could you repeat the question?" If you disagree with someone, comment on the idea and not on the person. Say, "I see your point, but..." rather than, "That is foolish."

4. Discussion Roles

Everyone should have the chance to speak. Encourage quiet members by asking for their views, and avoid dominating the discussion. At the end, sum up what was agreed and what is still undecided. A discussion that ends in a clear summary feels useful.

1. What Is an Objective Summary?

Objective summary: A short, accurate account of a text's main ideas, without the reader's own opinions.

To be objective means to report what the writer said, not what you think about it. A summary should be much shorter than the original. It uses your own words, and leaves out examples, repetition and minor details. In the B.E.C.E. and in later study, this skill shows that you have understood what you read.

2. Reading Passage: Water Is Life

Across northern Ghana, women and girls may spend hours each day fetching water. In the dry season, some walk many kilometres. The water they find is often unsafe, and children become ill with diarrhoea and guinea worm, a disease that was once common and has now been eliminated in Ghana through years of effort. Time spent collecting water is time that cannot be used for school or for earning money.

Community boreholes have changed life in many villages. When a safe water point is close to home, girls attend school more regularly, and illness declines. Yet a borehole is not a complete solution. Many stop working because there is no money for repairs. Communities need trained water committees, and small fees that pay for maintenance, if clean water is to last.

3. Steps in Summarising

4. A Model Summary

Fetching water costs women and girls much time and often causes disease. Nearby boreholes improve health and school attendance, but they last only if communities maintain them.

Notice that this summary uses only 27 words. It includes both key points, and has no opinion such as "I think that is sad". It does not include "guinea worm", which is a detail. Use reporting phrases if needed, such as "The writer explains that...". Avoid copying whole sentences.

1. What Is a Noun Phrase?

Noun phrase: A group of words built around a noun, which works as a noun in a sentence.

The noun at the centre of the phrase is called the head noun. Other words add information about it. In "the old wooden stool", the head noun is "stool". Words before the noun are premodifiers, and words after it are postmodifiers. You can test a noun phrase by replacing it with a pronoun: "The old wooden stool broke" becomes "It broke".

2. Parts of a Noun Phrase

3. Examples

4. Using Noun Phrases Accurately

In a sentence, a noun phrase can be the subject, the object or the complement. For example: "The new headteacher (subject) praised the hard-working learners (object)." The verb must agree with the head noun, not with the nearest word. So we say, "The list of names is on the board," because "list" is the head noun and it is singular. Likewise, "The boys in the class are ready" uses "are" as "boys" is plural.

Noun phrases allow you to pack information into few words. "The tall, smiling nurse from Ho" tells us more than "the nurse". Do not make them too long, or your reader may get lost. Mix short and long phrases.

1. Supporting Details

Supporting details prove, explain or illustrate your main idea. They can be facts, examples, reasons, descriptions or quotations. Without them, a paragraph feels thin. "Exercise is good for you" is only a claim. Readers want to know why, and how. Compare it with this: "Regular exercise keeps the heart strong, lowers stress and helps you to sleep. For instance, a thirty-minute walk each day can reduce the risk of high blood pressure."

2. Types of Details

3. Testing for Completeness

A paragraph is complete when the reader has no important questions left. Ask yourself: What? Why? How? Can I give an example? If your answer is "yes", add it. Do not pad your work with repetition, however. Saying the same thing in other words adds length but no value. Each sentence should do a new job.

4. Unity Check

Read each sentence and ask, "Does this support my main idea?" Remove any that do not, even if they are interesting. Suppose your paragraph is about the benefits of trees. A sentence about your uncle's car does not belong there. Staying on topic shows clear thinking. In an examination, plan your paragraph with a quick list of points before you begin to write.

1. Page, Stage and Screen

2. Language in Dialogue

Dialogue shows education, age, background and mood. A lawyer in a play may speak in long, careful sentences. A market woman may use proverbs and humour. A teenager may use slang. Writers use these details to make a character real. Pidgin English is often used in Ghanaian TV and film to show a relaxed or street-wise character. It should not be seen as a sign of low intelligence, and good writers treat such characters with respect.

3. Sample Analysis

Consider this extract. NANA ESI: In my day, a child did not speak until spoken to. AKU: (smiling) In my day, Grandma, a child has a phone. NANA ESI: A phone! Can a phone teach you how to greet?

Nana Esi's statement "In my day" shows a concern for tradition. Aku repeats those words, and this is playful: it shows confidence and humour. The stage direction "smiling" shows that she is not being rude. Nana Esi's question is rhetorical, since she does not expect an answer. The scene is funny, but it also shows the gap between generations.

4. Round and Flat Characters

Think of characters you have studied this year. Do they change? What makes them believable? Stories are often driven by what a character wants, and what stands in the way. When you can explain this with evidence, you are analysing literature well.