Year 9 - English
Improving a letter: deliberate verbs and precise adjectives
Literary perspectives from the First World War
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit, pupils explore and compare texts written about the First World War. They first read Beck's 'Propping up the line', Mansfield's 'The Fly' and Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter home to his mum. They finally read Brittain's 'Testament of Youth', and then plan and write a comparative response.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to improve a letter which recounts an imagined experience from the British home front during World War One by paying close attention to your choice of verbs and adjectives.
Key Notes
- Writers spend as long choosing deliberate verbs and precise adjectives as they do on other methods.
- Verbs tell us how an action is done, and so can give an insight into character, atmosphere and tone.
- Adjectives describe nouns and also impact tone.
Vocabulary To Learn
- Vera Brittain: a British writer (1893-1970) best known for her memoir 'Testament of Youth' about her experiences on the home front of World War One
- flare: a light used to attract attention
- Wilfred Owen: a British soldier and poet (1893-1918) best remembered for his poetry about World War One
- tone: the attitude and emotion of your voice - written or verbal
- PTSD: an acronym for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a mental health condition
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- It is important to focus on the creation of complex methods like metaphor or anaphora. Verbs don't matter.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.
Writers spend as long choosing deliberate verbs and precise adjectives as they do on other methods. Verbs tell us how an action is done, and so can give an insight into character, atmosphere and tone.
2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'Vera Brittain'
a British writer (1893-1970) best known for her memoir 'Testament of Youth' about her experiences on the home front of World War One.
3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.
Mistake: It is important to focus on the creation of complex methods like metaphor or anaphora. Verbs don't matter. Correction: Every sentence should contain a verb. As such, choosing them requires careful thought, and can dramatically impact the tone and pace of your writing.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Analysing the presentation of the gas attack: Ian Beck's 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One in comparative analytical paragraphs Study Guide
- Comparing texts about World War One using comparative topic sentences Study Guide
- Creative writing in the third person inspired by Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Debating different interpretations of Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' Study Guide
- Exploring the presentation of the boss in 'The Fly' by Katherine Mansfield Study Guide
- Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line': Alice's experiences on the Home Front Study Guide
- Improving the style of a letter: sentence structure and rhythm Study Guide
- Katherine Mansfield's 'The Fly' (1922): exploring character foils and symbolism Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Vera Brittain's 'Testament of Youth' as stimulus Study Guide
- Letter writing: planning, using Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter as stimulus Study Guide
- Reading 'Propping Up the Line', a short story about World War One by Ian Beck Study Guide
- Reading Katherine Mansfield's short story, 'The Fly' (1922) Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: 'Testament of Youth' by Vera Brittain Study Guide
- Skim reading and close reading: Wilfred Owen's 1917 letter to his mother Study Guide
- Symbolism and motif in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up The Line' Study Guide
- The presentation of trauma in Ian Beck's short story, 'Propping Up the Line' Study Guide
- Understanding why people write about war Study Guide
- Using sentence structure to create rhythm in writing about World War One Study Guide
- Vivid descriptive writing using Ian Beck's 'Propping Up The Line' as stimulus Study Guide
- World War One: propaganda and trench warfare Study Guide
- Writing a letter as a soldier in the trenches of World War One Study Guide
- Writing a letter from the British home front: tone, audience and purpose Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 9 English guide library.