A message to the students of Yuen Long lutheran secondary school From Gary Harfitt, HKU. 30th October 2015

But is English only about textbooks, exams, DSE and grades?

Reading for everyday life and reading for school subjects: different kinds, different purposes, different ways; Everyday English is different from academic English – everyday text-types are different from academic text-types.   Differences – contexts, text-types, academic functions, sentence patterns and vocabulary; Similarities – both are important to the language development of our students

Letter to SCMP August 2015 English exam paper was too difficult for Hong Kong secondary students “Firstly, the reading passages of the exam this year, which were sourced from The Washington Post, The New York Times and a New South Wales government document….It is impossible for them to spend much time learning the English Language. Setting reading passages from overseas contexts, and expecting the students to have some familiarity with such material, is too idealistic and demanding… Worse still, the high percentage of open-ended questions in the reading paper was unfair to students who are just teens, and not native speakers.”

Subject CONTENT is not the only focus - how we learn is also important

English is also a window to the world

Why are these signs funny?

Alliteration in other characters we love… Micky Mouse Minnie Mouse Donald Duck Daisy Duck Daffy Duck Porky Pig Bugs Bunny Road Runner Bob the Builder The Teletubbies Sesame Street Atom Ant Fred Flintstone Postman Pat The Wind in the Willows

“LANGUAGE IS A LIVING THING” ENGLISH IS ALL AROUND US IF WE TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK

FAMOUS STORIES AS COMICS

“But I keep making mistakes in English….”

WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES!!

Vocabulary “Fungible” We all find new words in texts – this is part of the reading process. “Fungible” Vocabulary

More clues “Money is fungible” Any more clues? Can we see the part of speech? Are there clues in the word? More clues

“Money is fungible. It has to find a home somewhere so if it cannot go into apartments, why not buy an office, a shop or a car park?” Context

From the dictionary Definition of FUNGIBLE something that is fungible —usually used in plural fungible adjective Definition of FUNGIBLE being of such a nature that one part or quantity may be replaced by another equal part or quantity in the satisfaction of an obligation <oil, wheat, and lumber are fungible commodities> interchangeable / flexible fun·gi·bil·i·ty \ˌfən-jə-ˈbi-lə-tē\noun Examples of FUNGIBLE <since fruits and vegetables are regarded as fungible in this diet, you are allowed a total of five servings of either or both> Origin of FUNGIBLE New Latin fungibilis, from Latin fungi to perform Related to FUNGIBLE Synonyms: commutable, exchangeable, interchangeable, substitutable, switchable Antonyms: non-interchangeable

English IS troublesome… A moth is not a moth in mother, Nor both in bother, broth in brother, And here is not a match for there Nor dear and fear for bear and pear, And then there’s dose and rose and lose – Just look them up – and goose and choose. And cork and front and word and ward And font and front and word and sword Come, come, I’ve hardly made a start! A dreadful language? Man alive – I’d mastered it when I was five! From Hints on Pronunciation for Foreigners by Herbert Farjeon.

How many ways can we say ‘I am hungry’ in English? I need food I’m starving I’m ravenous I could eat a horse My stomach is growling / roaring / rumbling I’m famished My stomach feels like my throat has been cut I am peckish

An extract from Mr Stink by David Walliams Chapter 1 Scratch ‘N’ Sniff Mr Stink stank. He also stunk. And if it is correct English to say he stinked, then he stinked as well. He was the stinkiest stinky stinker who ever lived. A stink is the worst type of smell. A stink is worse than a stench. And a stench is worse than a pong. And a pong is worse than a whiff. And a whiff can be enough to make your nose wrinkle. It wasn’t Mr Stink’s fault he stank. He was a tramp, after all. He didn’t have a home and so he never had the opportunity to have a proper wash like you and me. After a while the smell just got worse and worse.

Pictures, like words, express meanings which need to be interpreted if they are to be understood ---Goodwin 2004: 125 WRAP YOURSELF IN WORDS

Be brave in your learning and it will bring you a lot of benefits one day I visited your school many, many times between 2003-2005

Your teachers believe in you… "If you have the belief that you want the students to acquire better English, then it is possible. Of course, all of us have to work very hard... not just for a short period of time. It takes time and you must be patient. Give yourself time and also give the students time." (Zoe Chan, panel chair, 2004)

Do not miss one opportunity to improve your language skills – take every opportunity that your school offers you because you don’t know when these chances will arise again

GOOD LUCK!!!