Register in Practice, Comprehension, More on Dashes, Paragraph Links and Character in Plays

1. Formal Situations

2. A Formal Conversation

Study this example. AMA: Good morning, madam. I am Ama Serwaa, and I have come about the library assistant position. MRS OWUSU: Good morning, Ama. Please have a seat. Why are you interested in the post? AMA: I enjoy reading, and I would like to help younger learners to use the library. MRS OWUSU: That is good to hear. AMA: Thank you, madam.

Ama uses full forms, polite words and a clear reason. She addresses the librarian as "madam", and she waits for permission before sitting. Her body language should match her words too: she should stand straight, look attentive and speak clearly.

3. Informal Situations

Informal language is warm and friendly. With friends, you can use contractions, humour and shared expressions: "Hey, you won't believe what happened at break!" However, even informal speech should be kind. Using insults or bad language with friends can become a habit, and it may come out in the wrong place. On social media, remember that your message may be read by people you did not expect.

4. Switching Register

Skilled speakers switch register with ease, sometimes within minutes, as a trader may speak Twi with a customer and formal English with a bank officer. This ability is an important life skill, and it helps you to succeed in many settings.

1. Reading Passage: The Old Tree at Asuom

The great odum tree had stood at the edge of Asuom for longer than anyone could remember. Under its branches, the elders settled quarrels, and the children played ampe. So when a timber contractor offered the town a large sum of money for it, the meeting that followed lasted until nightfall.

The young men wanted the money for a new classroom block. "A tree cannot teach anyone to read," argued Yaw, the unit committee chairman. Old Maame Afia rose slowly to her feet. "That tree held down the soil when your grandfather was born," she said. "Cut it, and the next rain will carry the road away."

In the end, the town chose neither the money nor the argument. It asked the contractor to take a different tree from the far side of the forest, and it planted twenty seedlings. The classroom block was built two years later, with help from the district. The odum still stands.

2. Understanding the Text

3. Text Features

Look at how the passage is organised. It sets up a situation, presents a conflict, gives two points of view and ends with a resolution. The writer uses speech to show the characters' views. The short final sentence, "The odum still stands," leaves us with a feeling of quiet victory. Writers choose these effects with care, and good readers notice them.

4. Writing a Response

To respond to a text, state your opinion and support it with evidence. For instance: "I think the town made the right choice, because it protected the land and later got the classroom too." You may disagree with characters, but you should show that you have understood them. Yaw is not a bad man: he wants children to learn. Seeing both sides of an argument is the mark of a mature reader.

1. Dashes for Effect

The dash forces the reader to pause, and this gives weight to what comes next. It works especially well in stories, and when you want to surprise the reader. Compare "She was the winner" with "The winner was — to everyone's surprise — the quietest girl in the class."

2. Dashes in Dialogue

A dash shows when a speaker is cut off. "If you do that again, I'll —" "You'll what?" Notice that the dash comes before the closing quotation mark. Three dots (...) show that a speaker has trailed off, while a dash shows a sudden stop. Choosing the right mark helps the reader to hear the voice. "I don't..." sounds uncertain, and "I don't —" sounds interrupted.

3. Common Errors

4. When Not to Use a Dash

Formal letters, reports and examination essays should use dashes sparingly. Using them all the time makes writing look rushed. A good rule is to use no more than one or two in a paragraph, and only where they really add something. Read your sentence aloud: if you would make a real pause there, then a dash may be right. If you would make only a small pause, then use a comma. Good writers use punctuation to guide their reader, and not just to decorate the page.

1. Ways of Organising a Paragraph

2. Transitions Between Paragraphs

A transition carries the reader from one paragraph to the next. You can use a linking phrase, such as "Another cause of..." or "On the other hand". You can also repeat a key idea from the end of the last paragraph at the start of the new one. For example, if one paragraph ends with the health effects of pollution, then the next might begin, "Apart from its effects on health, pollution also harms the economy."

3. Reference and Repetition

Reference words stop you from repeating the same noun. However, be sure that it is clear what a pronoun refers to. "Kofi told Kwame that he had won" does not show who won. A good writer checks for such confusion.

4. Revising for Coherence

Consider this weak example: "Farming is important. I like football. Many people work on farms." The middle sentence breaks unity. Remove it, and add a link: "Farming is important, because many people depend on it for work." Revising is where good writing is made. Few writers get it right the first time, so leave time for checking in your examination.

1. Features of a Play Script

2. Reading Directions and Dialogue

Stage directions, usually in brackets or italics, show how lines should be spoken and what characters do. They are not read aloud. Dialogue shows the characters' feelings and relationships. In a script, there is no narrator to explain things to us, and this is why we must read closely. Ghanaian drama such as Ama Ata Aidoo's The Dilemma of a Ghost and Efua Sutherland's The Marriage of Anansewa use lively dialogue to show conflict between generations and cultures.

3. Sample Script

Consider this short scene. ESI: (gently) Mother, please sit down. You have been standing since morning. MAAME: (waving her away) Sit? And who will fry the fish? You? With your university hands? ESI: (hurt) That is not fair. I came home to help you. MAAME: (softening) I know, my child. I know.

Maame's questions are sharp and show pride and tiredness. The phrase "university hands" suggests that she feels her daughter has grown distant. Esi's gentle tone shows care, but the stage direction "hurt" reveals her pain. At the end, the repeated "I know" and "softening" show that love lies beneath the anger.

4. Writing About a Character in a Play

For instance: "Maame is proud but loving. Although she mocks her daughter's 'university hands', she softens at the end, showing that she appreciates Esi's return." Using a short quotation and explaining it is much stronger than just retelling the story. Always read a script aloud, because plays are written to be heard.