How do you study for english?

[Biceps]

 Hi guys, i would like to know how people study for English because it is my weakest point in my VCE studies. if i don't improve it could bring down my ATAR quite a lot considering i need a 40 for the ATAR i want. There are 3 months left before exams so something with quick results would be helpful .

[monkeywantsabanana]

Write, get it marked, repeat.

[pi]

See these posts, and then post back with questions

English FAQs: READ THIS FIRST BEFORE ASKING ANY QUESTIONS

EvangelionZeta's Guide to Preparing for the English Exam

Nick's essential English writing tips for 2008-2011

Re: Getting a 50 in English

Re: Calling All High Scoring English Students!

[rachaelcool]

Try to develop unique interpretations of the text for text response through just analysing everything that COULD have a deeper meaning (ie a LOT) and thinking about it whenever I can.

For language analysis, really you can only practise once you've got the technique down. So I guess make sure you're analysing at a deeper level than just acknowledging the use of typical 'persuasive techniques', try to incorporate a complex analysis of concordant devices and their intended effect on an audience. My biggest problem in LA is time, as my analyses tend to be far too long to fit into a 55 minute time frame.

Developing your ideas and, I guess, philosophising about your context will really help you write your context piece. Try to keep an either mental or physical note of real world instances of your theme, ie if doing 'encountering conflict', make a "conflict bank" of different ways people encounter, deal with, deflect, create, live after, suffer from conflict etc etc. Generating a profound knowledge of your context, and then seeing this reflected in your texts, will help you develop flexible yet detailed ideas with which to base your essays on.

Other than this - write, write, write! Reading A+ essays, study guides etc will help a little, but the number one way to strengthen ideas and your skill as a writer, is to put it into essays. Get your essays marked, mark them yourself, and just keep it up. You'll appreciate it at the end of the year! (And think, the better you get, the more efficient you get, so if you have to spend an hour and a half writing an essay tonight, you're giving yourself about half an hour's free time in the future when you've got to an hour-per-essay stage!)

[Biceps]

Try to develop unique interpretations of the text for text response through just analysing everything that COULD have a deeper meaning (ie a LOT) and thinking about it whenever I can.

For language analysis, really you can only practise once you've got the technique down. So I guess make sure you're analysing at a deeper level than just acknowledging the use of typical 'persuasive techniques', try to incorporate a complex analysis of concordant devices and their intended effect on an audience. My biggest problem in LA is time, as my analyses tend to be far too long to fit into a 55 minute time frame.

Developing your ideas and, I guess, philosophising about your context will really help you write your context piece. Try to keep an either mental or physical note of real world instances of your theme, ie if doing 'encountering conflict', make a "conflict bank" of different ways people encounter, deal with, deflect, create, live after, suffer from conflict etc etc. Generating a profound knowledge of your context, and then seeing this reflected in your texts, will help you develop flexible yet detailed ideas with which to base your essays on.

Other than this - write, write, write! Reading A+ essays, study guides etc will help a little, but the number one way to strengthen ideas and your skill as a writer, is to put it into essays. Get your essays marked, mark them yourself, and just keep it up. You'll appreciate it at the end of the year! (And think, the better you get, the more efficient you get, so if you have to spend an hour and a half writing an essay tonight, you're giving yourself about half an hour's free time in the future when you've got to an hour-per-essay stage!)

Thanks for the insight. How do you find so much to write about in language analysis?? i get bored after like 5th paragraph and i begin waffling to fill the word limit. :S

[rachaelcool]

How do you find so much to write about in language analysis?? i get bored after like 5th paragraph and i begin waffling to fill the word limit. :S

Haha, trust me, I find language analysis as dry as old weet bix. I just have the issue that I want to write an analysis of EVERY bit that I annotate in the articles... if I did that I'd still be doing the SAC now!

[LOVEPHYSICS]

Detailed plans on as many different topics for context. There is no point churning out mediocre essays.

[Biceps]

Detailed plans on as many different topics for context. There is no point churning out mediocre essays.

i agree with that, i noticed that the more i write about identity and belonging the more monotonous it feels. i'll start writing paragraphs at a time for different ideas without a prompt. Good plan?

[Biceps]

How do you find so much to write about in language analysis?? i get bored after like 5th paragraph and i begin waffling to fill the word limit. :S

Haha, trust me, I find language analysis as dry as old weet bix. I just have the issue that I want to write an analysis of EVERY bit that I annotate in the articles... if I did that I'd still be doing the SAC now!

Is there success in doing that? if there isn't then i'll try that.

[TrueTears]

Hi guys, i would like to know how people study for English because it is my weakest point in my VCE studies. if i don't improve it could bring down my ATAR quite a lot considering i need a 40 for the ATAR i want. There are 3 months left before exams so something with quick results would be helpful .

Memorise high scoring essays and regurgitate it on the exam

[Biceps]

Hi guys, i would like to know how people study for English because it is my weakest point in my VCE studies. if i don't improve it could bring down my ATAR quite a lot considering i need a 40 for the ATAR i want. There are 3 months left before exams so something with quick results would be helpful .

Memorise high scoring essays and regurgitate it on the exam

Why didn't i think of that?!?!?
Any idea were i can get some from?

[charmanderp]

Hi guys, i would like to know how people study for English because it is my weakest point in my VCE studies. if i don't improve it could bring down my ATAR quite a lot considering i need a 40 for the ATAR i want. There are 3 months left before exams so something with quick results would be helpful .

Memorise high scoring essays and regurgitate it on the exam

Why didn't i think of that?!?!?
Any idea were i can get some from?

I'm almost certain that TT was trolling there, or at least I really hope he was

Plagiarising the essays of other people isn't only unethical and lazy but it undermines the effort you've put in for the last 6 years of high school. Even if they're your own, in most cases they won't fit the prompt or essay question, and several very good English students that I know who have admitted to trying to regurgitate pieces in the exam have turned out to have poorer grades than they were capable of.

[DarkHorse]

I think you missed the whole point of TrueTear's comment. Do not memorise other's pieces at all, instead take in their ideas and expression and use that in your own writing, but in your own way.

[charmanderp]

I think you missed the whole point of TrueTear's comment. Do not memorise other's pieces at all, instead take in their ideas and expression and use that in your own writing, but in your own way.

I don't think that's what he was trying to say, but DarkHorse is right. If you're struggling with English, a great way to learn is from reading the work of other students. Often what your teachers say can be confusing whereas your fellow students will have written in a more concise, simple manner (in some cases). It's also a great way to widen your interpretation of a text, so that you don't get too narrow-minded and mono-faceted.

[TrueTears]

lol yeah I didn't mean for you to interpret it literally, I meant you should memorise the essays which you have written and scored very good on, memorise the phrases, ideas, concepts you use from those essays and then try to match them to the prompt, the more you memorise, the more you have to match it with the essay topics.

This is exactly what I did Not sure if it will work for you, but give it a shot lol