Instructions on Peer Editing:
1. Do read through the Sample essay carefully before commenting.
2. Focus on the key Plot elements first (Problem; Characterisation; Settings).
3. Do give Clear, Specific and Constructive comments. Identify problems clearly (e.g. by using the Paragraph numbers) and suggest solutions. Point out Illogical parts and ask constructive Questions. Be kind to your classmates; give praise where it is due. You may use the Elements of Reasoning and Intellectual Standards extensively to achieve Clarity in in your descriptions.
4. Point out obvious Language errors such as: awkward expressions; wrong tense usage; unclear or strange word choices/ connotations; SPG (spelling; punctuation; grammar) errors.
(Do not waste your time/effort giving frivolous or unconstructive comments.)
5. Class Register numbers 1-15 will begin editing from Sample 1 (forwards).
6. Class Register numbers 16-26 will begin editing from Sample 26 (backwards).
7. If you identify an essay as your own, you may skip that sample.
8. Comment on each essay at least once.
Comment posting instructions:
1. Click on the Comment link at the bottom of each Sample essay.
2. Under Comment As, choose Name/URL. Enter your name and click Continue (leave the URL field blank).
3. Click on Post Comment (you should then see your comment appear at the end of the sample).
(Anonymous and inappropriate comments will be deleted by the Moderator.)
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sample 26
Sample 26
1 It was a gloomy and dark night; I was in the living room switching on the radio. Once I switched on the radio, it started playing songs. Suddenly, a voice boomed “Surrender or die in pieces”. Another sound boomed “Surrender, you terrorists!” I was terribly afraid. I was thinking, who said it?
2 The voice which I assumed to be the police shouted “We’ve got you surrounded!” Another voice shouted “I don’t care, you just freeze and drop your weapons and surrender so that we can catch you!” A rocket sound boomed in the distance. “Ha ha, it’s the mini atomic bomb, now this place will turn into smithereens and you are going to die soon, ha ha ha!” shouted the terrorist. I started looking out of my house’s window, but I saw no atomic bomb.
3 “Boom!” The explosion shook me out of my senses, and then I realized it was coming out of the radio. Then it broadcasted “Show over, next show the terrorist’s strike.” I sat down and wiped the sweat of my face with the sleeve of my shirt and sighed “Lucky it was just a show.” How I hope I wouldn’t get nightmares tonight when I am sleeping. (201)
1 It was a gloomy and dark night; I was in the living room switching on the radio. Once I switched on the radio, it started playing songs. Suddenly, a voice boomed “Surrender or die in pieces”. Another sound boomed “Surrender, you terrorists!” I was terribly afraid. I was thinking, who said it?
2 The voice which I assumed to be the police shouted “We’ve got you surrounded!” Another voice shouted “I don’t care, you just freeze and drop your weapons and surrender so that we can catch you!” A rocket sound boomed in the distance. “Ha ha, it’s the mini atomic bomb, now this place will turn into smithereens and you are going to die soon, ha ha ha!” shouted the terrorist. I started looking out of my house’s window, but I saw no atomic bomb.
3 “Boom!” The explosion shook me out of my senses, and then I realized it was coming out of the radio. Then it broadcasted “Show over, next show the terrorist’s strike.” I sat down and wiped the sweat of my face with the sleeve of my shirt and sighed “Lucky it was just a show.” How I hope I wouldn’t get nightmares tonight when I am sleeping. (201)
Sample 25
Sample 25
1 The stars gazed at the Earth, unblinking. I was alone listening to the radio late at night in my house, located at Singapore’s Centre Business District. My parents had attended their friend’s wedding, and my siblings had gone on a camp. I was exhausted and stifled a yawn and rubbed my bleary eyes.
2 Out of the moon, a broadcast interrupted the radio program, “All residents living in the Central Business District! A suspicious parcel has been found at the City Hall gate! It probably contains a yellow liquid explosive to destroy the City Hall! Please report to the bomb shelter immediately!” The warning jolted me. There was an incredulous look on my face. I shook my head in denial. This could not be possible! Singapore is so safe and secure! Dumbfounded, I stood rooted to the floor. What could an eleven year old child like me do? I hesitated for a moment and tried to calm myself down.
3 Finally, I remembered my parent’s advice. My parents have prepared all essentials, such as canned food into a bag in case of an emergency. I grabbed the emergency bag, and dashed down the flight of stairs of my HDB flat down to the first floor. From there, I sprinted to the bomb shelter, which was just opposite the street.
4 Upon reaching the gate of the bomb shelter, I noticed that many people had already reached there and had started registering. After registering, I entered the bomb shelter, which was underground. An officer told us to calm down and that everything would be fine.
5 In the bomb shelter, I asked the officer, who had a short beard, “Do you know when we are going to get out of this place?” The officer replied in a calm tone, “Only after the investigation is complete and the explosive is disposed of before you can go home. Your safety is the top priority.” “Would my house be destroyed?” I asked myself. The harder I tried to keep my mind from wild thoughts, the faster my mind raced. My heart pounded like a sledgehammer. I prayed that my parents would be fine and that hopefully the explosive would be a hoax.
6 “Ring… Ring…” The officer’s mobile phone rang. He picked his phone up and I heard him ask the person on the other line, “Is this true?” I saw him heave a sigh of relief. Immediately, he informed us, “I am sorry that the explosive was a hoax. It has been discovered via an X-ray scanner that some honey has been mistaken as a yellow liquid explosive. I am truly sorry that we made a huge mistake.” People in the bomb shelter had mixed reactions. Some were relieved that the “explosive” was a hoax. Others felt that it was a waste of time staying in the bomb shelter and blamed the government for being careless.
7 I muttered a prayer of thanks and felt that all the tension in my muscles eased. The officer asked us to go home. By the time we came out, the sun had already inched its way up the sky. I strolled home, carrying my emergency bag and found my mother and father waiting in the living room. They had not heard about the explosive yet. They buried me under an avalanche of questions, such as where I was at night. I tried to explain to them about the explosive. Upon hearing that, they clasped their hands and bowed repeatedly to the statues at the altar. This is an experience which I will never forget. (592)
1 The stars gazed at the Earth, unblinking. I was alone listening to the radio late at night in my house, located at Singapore’s Centre Business District. My parents had attended their friend’s wedding, and my siblings had gone on a camp. I was exhausted and stifled a yawn and rubbed my bleary eyes.
2 Out of the moon, a broadcast interrupted the radio program, “All residents living in the Central Business District! A suspicious parcel has been found at the City Hall gate! It probably contains a yellow liquid explosive to destroy the City Hall! Please report to the bomb shelter immediately!” The warning jolted me. There was an incredulous look on my face. I shook my head in denial. This could not be possible! Singapore is so safe and secure! Dumbfounded, I stood rooted to the floor. What could an eleven year old child like me do? I hesitated for a moment and tried to calm myself down.
3 Finally, I remembered my parent’s advice. My parents have prepared all essentials, such as canned food into a bag in case of an emergency. I grabbed the emergency bag, and dashed down the flight of stairs of my HDB flat down to the first floor. From there, I sprinted to the bomb shelter, which was just opposite the street.
4 Upon reaching the gate of the bomb shelter, I noticed that many people had already reached there and had started registering. After registering, I entered the bomb shelter, which was underground. An officer told us to calm down and that everything would be fine.
5 In the bomb shelter, I asked the officer, who had a short beard, “Do you know when we are going to get out of this place?” The officer replied in a calm tone, “Only after the investigation is complete and the explosive is disposed of before you can go home. Your safety is the top priority.” “Would my house be destroyed?” I asked myself. The harder I tried to keep my mind from wild thoughts, the faster my mind raced. My heart pounded like a sledgehammer. I prayed that my parents would be fine and that hopefully the explosive would be a hoax.
6 “Ring… Ring…” The officer’s mobile phone rang. He picked his phone up and I heard him ask the person on the other line, “Is this true?” I saw him heave a sigh of relief. Immediately, he informed us, “I am sorry that the explosive was a hoax. It has been discovered via an X-ray scanner that some honey has been mistaken as a yellow liquid explosive. I am truly sorry that we made a huge mistake.” People in the bomb shelter had mixed reactions. Some were relieved that the “explosive” was a hoax. Others felt that it was a waste of time staying in the bomb shelter and blamed the government for being careless.
7 I muttered a prayer of thanks and felt that all the tension in my muscles eased. The officer asked us to go home. By the time we came out, the sun had already inched its way up the sky. I strolled home, carrying my emergency bag and found my mother and father waiting in the living room. They had not heard about the explosive yet. They buried me under an avalanche of questions, such as where I was at night. I tried to explain to them about the explosive. Upon hearing that, they clasped their hands and bowed repeatedly to the statues at the altar. This is an experience which I will never forget. (592)
Sample 24
Sample 24
1 ‘Sigh… I don’t know why I am soooooo bored, I mean look! My father is the president; I should be in luxury, not to mention happiness.’ I was mumbling to myself late at night while listening to the radio as I had nothing else better to do. ‘I guess my life just needs some excitement.’
2 Just then, when I though this couldn’t get any worse than this, there was a disruptive signal interrupting the transmission. Come on… WORK!!! I’m missing the news! Voices were soon being sent through the radio, “Captain, I think we intercepted the signal, ability to communicate with the earthlings is stable.”
3 “Who are you? What is this? Where am I?” So many questions, I was in a state of shock.
4 “We are the rulers and army of the Eugopitanians, take your leader from your current location six thousand seven hundred and sixty-two meters due north, and eight hundred and eighty meters due east 2820 minutes later. Don’t be late, I repeat, DO NOT BE LATE.”
5 After the paralyzing message that caused me to petrify, I ran in the direction of my father in cold sweat. I ran to the door and reported that I had to see the president, but they replied with an unbelievable: “Sorry, Mr. Chann is a very busy man, please reserve an appointment and come back next time.” “But I’m his son!” “I heard that excuse before, now GET!”
6 I dragged my feet all the ways to my bedroom and started weeping, thinking, “what if they want world domination, what if they freeze us…”
7 The next morning, I got my GPS and went off to the place given by the aliens and informed my father I was going to hang out with my friends. At the time given, UFOs started appearing in the sky, the citizens were frozen to the core for a moment and screaming in the other.
8 The Eugopitanians took out their guns and started shooting multiple objects, turning them into stone. Seeing this, I sprinted of to my nearest friend’s house and banged on the door with all my might. He opened the door and without even as much as a gesture, dashed in, locked the door and closed all curtains.
9 He asked: “What’s the hurry? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
10 “Aliens! Help!”
11 “ I’ve got to admit that pretty convincing, but you expect me to believe that…” Before he could finish, I opened the curtains. “Ahhhhh! A, Al, ALIEN!!!”
12 We both stared through the window surprised, why didn’t they shoot us? Soon, we realized that they were shooting mostly butterflies, colorful objects, scents that tickle the nose and not shooting dull objects, moths and garbage. And we saw that this house was in a mess. “QUICK!!! Go get all our friends and ask them to bring anything they consider cute and cuddly!”
13 We covered ourselves in litter and went from house to house asking for help from others and soon were had an arsenal of people the help us fight. With all ourselves coated with litter, went out onto the battlefield, and started cornering the Eugopitanians one by one and attacking with our weapons of cute that vaporized them.
14 “Oh My God, are they really that powerful?” “Enough chit-chat, CHARGE!”
15 We went off and ambushed the aliens while gathering up more troops to fight, weakening their forces one at a time, and before my father even noticed, they retreated into space.
16 “Hey, but Solomon, what do we do with these statues?”
17 “Maybe, hey, pass me more soft toys.” I started rubbing on the statues and they returned back to normal.
18 So much for a boring life… (610)
1 ‘Sigh… I don’t know why I am soooooo bored, I mean look! My father is the president; I should be in luxury, not to mention happiness.’ I was mumbling to myself late at night while listening to the radio as I had nothing else better to do. ‘I guess my life just needs some excitement.’
2 Just then, when I though this couldn’t get any worse than this, there was a disruptive signal interrupting the transmission. Come on… WORK!!! I’m missing the news! Voices were soon being sent through the radio, “Captain, I think we intercepted the signal, ability to communicate with the earthlings is stable.”
3 “Who are you? What is this? Where am I?” So many questions, I was in a state of shock.
4 “We are the rulers and army of the Eugopitanians, take your leader from your current location six thousand seven hundred and sixty-two meters due north, and eight hundred and eighty meters due east 2820 minutes later. Don’t be late, I repeat, DO NOT BE LATE.”
5 After the paralyzing message that caused me to petrify, I ran in the direction of my father in cold sweat. I ran to the door and reported that I had to see the president, but they replied with an unbelievable: “Sorry, Mr. Chann is a very busy man, please reserve an appointment and come back next time.” “But I’m his son!” “I heard that excuse before, now GET!”
6 I dragged my feet all the ways to my bedroom and started weeping, thinking, “what if they want world domination, what if they freeze us…”
7 The next morning, I got my GPS and went off to the place given by the aliens and informed my father I was going to hang out with my friends. At the time given, UFOs started appearing in the sky, the citizens were frozen to the core for a moment and screaming in the other.
8 The Eugopitanians took out their guns and started shooting multiple objects, turning them into stone. Seeing this, I sprinted of to my nearest friend’s house and banged on the door with all my might. He opened the door and without even as much as a gesture, dashed in, locked the door and closed all curtains.
9 He asked: “What’s the hurry? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
10 “Aliens! Help!”
11 “ I’ve got to admit that pretty convincing, but you expect me to believe that…” Before he could finish, I opened the curtains. “Ahhhhh! A, Al, ALIEN!!!”
12 We both stared through the window surprised, why didn’t they shoot us? Soon, we realized that they were shooting mostly butterflies, colorful objects, scents that tickle the nose and not shooting dull objects, moths and garbage. And we saw that this house was in a mess. “QUICK!!! Go get all our friends and ask them to bring anything they consider cute and cuddly!”
13 We covered ourselves in litter and went from house to house asking for help from others and soon were had an arsenal of people the help us fight. With all ourselves coated with litter, went out onto the battlefield, and started cornering the Eugopitanians one by one and attacking with our weapons of cute that vaporized them.
14 “Oh My God, are they really that powerful?” “Enough chit-chat, CHARGE!”
15 We went off and ambushed the aliens while gathering up more troops to fight, weakening their forces one at a time, and before my father even noticed, they retreated into space.
16 “Hey, but Solomon, what do we do with these statues?”
17 “Maybe, hey, pass me more soft toys.” I started rubbing on the statues and they returned back to normal.
18 So much for a boring life… (610)
Sample 23
Sample 23
1 ‘Ah, nothing beats sitting on the couch and sipping a cup of hot coffee while listening to the radio after a hectic day at work. I have to prepare slides for the upcoming presentation next week, participating in numerous conference calls, and a lot of other things. Thankfully tomorrow is Saturday and I can relax.’ I said to myself, still awake at the stroke of midnight. I was listening to the relaxing music that the radio station in the heart of Brisbane, Australia.
2 Suddenly, the music stopped. I thought that the battery must have drained out. I went to my bedroom to get two AA-sized batteries, and as I walked back to the couch, the radio broadcaster announced in a hurrying tone, ‘this is an important announcement. A Class 5 monster cycloneis going to make landfall in about 12 hours. I repeat a Class 5 monster cyclone is going to make landfall in about 12 hours. Everyone please evacuate to the emergency shelters towards the west.’
3 Upon hearing the announcement, I freaked out. I quickly grabbed my luggage from the attic, and packed in food, clothes, and some drinks. I closed all the windows and moved all the furniture away from them. I then grabbed my luggage and drove out onto the highway, which was packed with cars escaping the path of the cyclone.
4 Just as the last car left Brisbane, the cyclone started to make landfall, packing winds of up to 200 kilometres and destroying many houses. Luckily, everyone had evacuated and there were no casualties. At the emergency shelters, we turned on the radio to listen to news updates. We could also feel some of the wind that the cyclone had packed.
5 After the cyclone had passed, I went back home, just to discover that the whole house was in a mess and some of the windows were shattered. The lamp had been blown down by the wind and was lying in pieces. Part of the roof was also damaged.
6 During the next few days, construction workers went to all the houses to perform repairs. Although the house would look different, I would still remember the days before and this horrific incident too. (365)
1 ‘Ah, nothing beats sitting on the couch and sipping a cup of hot coffee while listening to the radio after a hectic day at work. I have to prepare slides for the upcoming presentation next week, participating in numerous conference calls, and a lot of other things. Thankfully tomorrow is Saturday and I can relax.’ I said to myself, still awake at the stroke of midnight. I was listening to the relaxing music that the radio station in the heart of Brisbane, Australia.
2 Suddenly, the music stopped. I thought that the battery must have drained out. I went to my bedroom to get two AA-sized batteries, and as I walked back to the couch, the radio broadcaster announced in a hurrying tone, ‘this is an important announcement. A Class 5 monster cycloneis going to make landfall in about 12 hours. I repeat a Class 5 monster cyclone is going to make landfall in about 12 hours. Everyone please evacuate to the emergency shelters towards the west.’
3 Upon hearing the announcement, I freaked out. I quickly grabbed my luggage from the attic, and packed in food, clothes, and some drinks. I closed all the windows and moved all the furniture away from them. I then grabbed my luggage and drove out onto the highway, which was packed with cars escaping the path of the cyclone.
4 Just as the last car left Brisbane, the cyclone started to make landfall, packing winds of up to 200 kilometres and destroying many houses. Luckily, everyone had evacuated and there were no casualties. At the emergency shelters, we turned on the radio to listen to news updates. We could also feel some of the wind that the cyclone had packed.
5 After the cyclone had passed, I went back home, just to discover that the whole house was in a mess and some of the windows were shattered. The lamp had been blown down by the wind and was lying in pieces. Part of the roof was also damaged.
6 During the next few days, construction workers went to all the houses to perform repairs. Although the house would look different, I would still remember the days before and this horrific incident too. (365)
Sample 22
Sample 22
1 I would never forget this night all the days of my life.
2 It was a silent night. I was alone in the house as my parents has went overseas. I was half-asleep and half-awake, lying on the sofa with the radio switched on, babbling on and on. I was to listen to the radio for important news as what my teacher has instructed me. Funnily, the more the radio was babbling about news, the more I wanted to sleep. When I was almost asleep, a voice suddenly blared into my ear, “A BOMB CONTAINING CHEMICAL THREAT SUBSTANCES HAS JUST BEEN ACTIVATED IN CHANGI AIRPORT…” I was completely shaken out of my sleep now.
3 Why did the words “Changi Airport” sound so familiar to me? Suddenly, a thought glimmered in my brain. Oh yes, my aunt is leaving Singapore today for America! I immediately threw away the blanket on myself and went to get my car. As I drive to Changi Airport, I thought about my aunt. My aunt has been very good to me since young and now she might be in trouble! A bone-chilling fear through my spine, what if she is already in trouble? A vague picture formed in my mind with my aunt lying faint on the floor, not moving even a muscle. All this thoughts drove me to drive faster to Changi Airport.
4 After 20 minutes of fear and doubt, I finally reached Changi Airport. The whole building seems deserted. What? The rescue team has already given up? I grabbed my handkerchief out of my pocket, wet it, put it over my nose and mouth and began running to the building like a mad man. At last, I saw some firemen trying to calm the situation down. No matter how the firemen tried to stop me, I did not care about them and ran inside the building. All that matters now is my aunt, my most beloved aunt!
5 When I entered the building, the poisonous smoke enveloped me. I frantically did a quick scan and spotted my aunt in a corner. I pointed to my aunt at once and signaled to the group of firemen following me. The firemen immediately understood me and rushed to my aunt. I followed on quickly. At that point of time, I was beginning to suffocate. While running out of the building with the firemen, I suddenly blacked out…
6 When I woke up, all I saw was an anxious-looking group of firemen staring at me. They all started to bombard me with questions like are you alright, how are you feeling now…but the only answer that came up out of my mouth was a question spoken softly for I had no strength anymore and was feeling weak. The question is, “How is my aunt, is she alright? I am going to look for her.” All the firemen immediately told me not to over-exert my body and told me to rest instead. A stubborn answer came out of my mouth saying “I DON”T CARE!!!” Suddenly, I heard a voice, “SURPRISE!” I saw a beautiful-looking lady emerging from the firemen crowding around me.
7 I could not believe my eyes! It was my aunt, safe and unharmed! The next day, the whole newspaper was all talking about me. I was awarded a medal for my bravery. However, my biggest gain is that my aunt was not harmed or injured in any way! The next day, I returned to my junior college school. I was the talk of the town for the whole day. Lots of people asked me about the incident. I was so tired of telling people the same thing that I ended up writing the incident out and showed to the people who asked me. (623)
1 I would never forget this night all the days of my life.
2 It was a silent night. I was alone in the house as my parents has went overseas. I was half-asleep and half-awake, lying on the sofa with the radio switched on, babbling on and on. I was to listen to the radio for important news as what my teacher has instructed me. Funnily, the more the radio was babbling about news, the more I wanted to sleep. When I was almost asleep, a voice suddenly blared into my ear, “A BOMB CONTAINING CHEMICAL THREAT SUBSTANCES HAS JUST BEEN ACTIVATED IN CHANGI AIRPORT…” I was completely shaken out of my sleep now.
3 Why did the words “Changi Airport” sound so familiar to me? Suddenly, a thought glimmered in my brain. Oh yes, my aunt is leaving Singapore today for America! I immediately threw away the blanket on myself and went to get my car. As I drive to Changi Airport, I thought about my aunt. My aunt has been very good to me since young and now she might be in trouble! A bone-chilling fear through my spine, what if she is already in trouble? A vague picture formed in my mind with my aunt lying faint on the floor, not moving even a muscle. All this thoughts drove me to drive faster to Changi Airport.
4 After 20 minutes of fear and doubt, I finally reached Changi Airport. The whole building seems deserted. What? The rescue team has already given up? I grabbed my handkerchief out of my pocket, wet it, put it over my nose and mouth and began running to the building like a mad man. At last, I saw some firemen trying to calm the situation down. No matter how the firemen tried to stop me, I did not care about them and ran inside the building. All that matters now is my aunt, my most beloved aunt!
5 When I entered the building, the poisonous smoke enveloped me. I frantically did a quick scan and spotted my aunt in a corner. I pointed to my aunt at once and signaled to the group of firemen following me. The firemen immediately understood me and rushed to my aunt. I followed on quickly. At that point of time, I was beginning to suffocate. While running out of the building with the firemen, I suddenly blacked out…
6 When I woke up, all I saw was an anxious-looking group of firemen staring at me. They all started to bombard me with questions like are you alright, how are you feeling now…but the only answer that came up out of my mouth was a question spoken softly for I had no strength anymore and was feeling weak. The question is, “How is my aunt, is she alright? I am going to look for her.” All the firemen immediately told me not to over-exert my body and told me to rest instead. A stubborn answer came out of my mouth saying “I DON”T CARE!!!” Suddenly, I heard a voice, “SURPRISE!” I saw a beautiful-looking lady emerging from the firemen crowding around me.
7 I could not believe my eyes! It was my aunt, safe and unharmed! The next day, the whole newspaper was all talking about me. I was awarded a medal for my bravery. However, my biggest gain is that my aunt was not harmed or injured in any way! The next day, I returned to my junior college school. I was the talk of the town for the whole day. Lots of people asked me about the incident. I was so tired of telling people the same thing that I ended up writing the incident out and showed to the people who asked me. (623)
Sample 21
Sample 21
1 On that fateful night, I was listening to the radio, which was currently playing classical music. This has always been a habit of mine since the age of seven and has always been since. This has been a ‘bad habit’ to my mother so that she has been telling me to change this habit but I think there is nothing wrong in doing so.
2 I was sitting in the living room as usual, on the comfortable armchair as usual, and of course, listening to classical music as usual. All of a sudden, the radio spluttered and died. Question marks seemed to be flying about in the air as I stood up and shook the radio. That was what I always did when this happened. However it did not work this time. I was thinking of changing the batteries when a low growl burst from the radio, breaking my train of thoughts. Out of the blue, a news reporter as shouted excitedly,” A bomb is about to drop on Ang Mo Kio by Japanese fighters! Residents of the area RUN FOR SHELTER!” and the message abruptly ended.
3 On hearing the shocking news, my blood froze for a moment. How could the Japanese be attacking us right now, almost forty years after the World War II? Is it because they bore a grudge with us? Questions like these ran through my head rapidly as I unknowingly stepped back towards the door, taking the radio with me.
4 As I stepped out to the common HDB corridor, I spotted a few radio-listeners like myself, all having apparently fleeing for their lives. I then realized that I had forgotten my family! But since I was already halfway downstairs, it would do no good to run back and get my family as bombs would be dropping form the skies anytime.
5 The small amount of late-in-the-night radio listeners gathered in the common bomb shelter at the void deck, each clutching a radio as if it would save their lives. As each of us turned on the radio, we waited for a while as the coverage was poor, especially if you’re in a thickly armored underground bomb shelter.
6 All of a sudden, the radio spluttered to life and the voice of a flustered reporter said, “Apologies to the residents of Ang Mo Kio, as the radio report earlier was due to a joker who wanted to play a trick on everyone today, and had his reasons unknown. There was an uproar in the bomb shelter as many scrambled out, many cursing and swearing under their breaths. I checked my watch for the date. April the First! I should have known. (442)
1 On that fateful night, I was listening to the radio, which was currently playing classical music. This has always been a habit of mine since the age of seven and has always been since. This has been a ‘bad habit’ to my mother so that she has been telling me to change this habit but I think there is nothing wrong in doing so.
2 I was sitting in the living room as usual, on the comfortable armchair as usual, and of course, listening to classical music as usual. All of a sudden, the radio spluttered and died. Question marks seemed to be flying about in the air as I stood up and shook the radio. That was what I always did when this happened. However it did not work this time. I was thinking of changing the batteries when a low growl burst from the radio, breaking my train of thoughts. Out of the blue, a news reporter as shouted excitedly,” A bomb is about to drop on Ang Mo Kio by Japanese fighters! Residents of the area RUN FOR SHELTER!” and the message abruptly ended.
3 On hearing the shocking news, my blood froze for a moment. How could the Japanese be attacking us right now, almost forty years after the World War II? Is it because they bore a grudge with us? Questions like these ran through my head rapidly as I unknowingly stepped back towards the door, taking the radio with me.
4 As I stepped out to the common HDB corridor, I spotted a few radio-listeners like myself, all having apparently fleeing for their lives. I then realized that I had forgotten my family! But since I was already halfway downstairs, it would do no good to run back and get my family as bombs would be dropping form the skies anytime.
5 The small amount of late-in-the-night radio listeners gathered in the common bomb shelter at the void deck, each clutching a radio as if it would save their lives. As each of us turned on the radio, we waited for a while as the coverage was poor, especially if you’re in a thickly armored underground bomb shelter.
6 All of a sudden, the radio spluttered to life and the voice of a flustered reporter said, “Apologies to the residents of Ang Mo Kio, as the radio report earlier was due to a joker who wanted to play a trick on everyone today, and had his reasons unknown. There was an uproar in the bomb shelter as many scrambled out, many cursing and swearing under their breaths. I checked my watch for the date. April the First! I should have known. (442)
Sample 20
Sample 20
1 Lone tumbleweed drifted by the front porch as I sat back in my rattan rocking chair, enjoying the smooth, peaceful music playing from the radio. I was a Singaporean, who had come with my younger sister through a scholarship. Having just come back from a late night supplement class at the local university, and I was ready to enjoy some peace and quiet. In the dusty bowels of the suburbs of Oklahoma City, you don’t really get many chances to sit on your porch and relax, with all of the sand blowing in your face and all. However, that night was a windless one, and I allowed myself to drift into the midst of the tranquil music. What I did not know was that this calming music would be the greatest contrast to what would be happening in the next hour, as in the far distance, a great thunderstorm rumbled with growing intensity, lightning passing back and forth between itself and the ground. And then, with clouds swirling and wind blowing, the first one landed.
2 All of a sudden, the radio stopped playing music. Thinking that the connection had broken up, I fiddled around with the antenna wire to find the signal. All of a sudden, the speaker blared into life, with an announcer speaking in a frantic tone. “Emergency warning! A tornado has just touched down 7 kilometres away from Oklahoma City. Everyone is to head to their tornado shelters immediately! I repeat,” Not another tornado! I thought. Oklahoma City was right in Tornado Alley, a tornado hotspot which stretched for a great deal, and encompassed the city. As I headed to the shelter carrying my radio and a few important things, the radio announcer spoke again: “Everyone living in tornado-proof houses must still go down to their shelters, as it is a super cluster of tornadoes and their combined force will overwhelm the house’s support beams. I repeat, everyone living in tornado-proof ……” All of a sudden, a string snapped in my mind, as I thought of my younger sister, Lily, who was having a sleepover at her friend, Angel van Clive’s mansion. It was tornado-proof, but as the announcer had stated, it wasn’t able to withstand the storm. Besides that, they also didn’t have a shelter……
3 Dropping my things, I sprinted to the driveway and jumped in through an open window. I started the car, and shot off towards Lily and her friend’s family.
4 As I blazed along the road in the direction of Angel’s house, I noticed I was also headed right towards the tornado. Only now did I truly understand why the announcer had said it was a super cluster of tornadoes. Five towering masses of swirling clouds funnelled to the ground from the dark clouds overhead. Around the tornadoes flew pieces of debris from the nearby farms that were caught in the path of destruction. All around me, families were popping out of their houses like rabbits running away from danger, headed towards their shelters. At this point, I was quaking with fear, but somehow the determination to drive on came to me.
5 As I was nearing the house, the car was pelted with hailstones freefalling from above. Smacking into the windows and breaking the glass, I had to keep on dodging the massive balls of ice the size of oranges. When I had finally gone up and over the lawn to the front door, I sprang out of the car and rushed through the doors to the sprawling mansion of a house. It was labyrinthine inside, and it took me awhile to find Lily, Angel and her family cowering in one corner. As I looked out of the window, what I saw shocked me. An entire truck was flying right towards us. I had just enough time to herd everyone out of the room when the truck collided, sending us flying. At this my mind shifted back to a lesson on meteorology we had a few months ago about tornadoes. My teacher had said that the wind from tornadoes wasn’t what killed so many people, but it was the debris that it carried which did that.
6 Just then, items of all sorts were sent flying through the windows beside us. Signposts, shovels, fencing and even an encyclopaedia had narrowly missed us. Soon we were out of the house, but to my horror the first tornado was already only five hundred metres away. Climbing into the car, we shot like a bullet down the street. However, the tornadoes were catching up steadily, and as I turned my head around, I saw the last of the Van Clive Mansion either getting sucked away or bombarded by “missiles”.
7 Just then, I noticed a new problem: slowly, but surely, the car was getting sucked up like the other unidentified objects zooming past us. We had barely enough down force from the tail on the back of the car to keep us from slipping off the tarmac. I had to push the pedal to the metal just to keep out of reach of the danger zone. Soon, we all saw my house nearby. Everyone unlocked their doors, and as I pulled up at the tornado shelter’s doors, we all jumped out. However, we all had no idea what disastrous events were just about to unfold.
8 As I opened the doors, I noticed that the car was beginning to rise, and it crashed through the top floor of the house. Now, without anything to block projectiles, glass, metal wood and other assortments flew like darts right for us. Picking up a wooden board, I just managed to cover ourselves. Then, I looked up in horror to see the tornadoes entrapping us with a fatal circle that grew closer and closer. Rushing everyone inside of the shelter, I managed to close the doors just as a wooden plank smacked into it, sending me flying across the shelter, and leaving a big dent in the metal sheeting.
9 For half-an-hour we sat in the shelter, waiting and listening, checking to see if the radio announcer had announced the all-clear signal. Finally, at the end of a long wait, the tornadoes had dispersed entirely and we were allowed to come out. The scene that lay before our eyes was horrid. Everywhere we looked, destruction and carnage was eminent. Most of the houses had been reduced to nothing, except for a lucky few that were just out of reach. Leaving a distinct trail of destruction, it was clear that the tornadoes had advanced to the city, knocked down ten skyscrapers, and then dispersed after destroying the Little League stadium. On the ground lay the remnants of the many houses that had once existed, sprawling with wooden floor boards, broken sheets of glass, metal signboards and wrecked cars. I could even see my car, mangled and peppered with debris about two hundred metres away. From the extent of the damage, I predicted that it would take probably years for Oklahoma to recover economically and physically. However, we were lucky, as we had escaped unharmed.
10 Two weeks later, I was commended by the police for my bravery in rescuing Lily, Angel and her family, despite the air of sadness that encircled everyone. At the end of the police lieutenant’s speech, everyone clapped together in joyous unison in appreciation of my astounding feat. I would never forget that incident, as it was one of my most joyous memories, even in the aftermath of disaster . (1248)
1 Lone tumbleweed drifted by the front porch as I sat back in my rattan rocking chair, enjoying the smooth, peaceful music playing from the radio. I was a Singaporean, who had come with my younger sister through a scholarship. Having just come back from a late night supplement class at the local university, and I was ready to enjoy some peace and quiet. In the dusty bowels of the suburbs of Oklahoma City, you don’t really get many chances to sit on your porch and relax, with all of the sand blowing in your face and all. However, that night was a windless one, and I allowed myself to drift into the midst of the tranquil music. What I did not know was that this calming music would be the greatest contrast to what would be happening in the next hour, as in the far distance, a great thunderstorm rumbled with growing intensity, lightning passing back and forth between itself and the ground. And then, with clouds swirling and wind blowing, the first one landed.
2 All of a sudden, the radio stopped playing music. Thinking that the connection had broken up, I fiddled around with the antenna wire to find the signal. All of a sudden, the speaker blared into life, with an announcer speaking in a frantic tone. “Emergency warning! A tornado has just touched down 7 kilometres away from Oklahoma City. Everyone is to head to their tornado shelters immediately! I repeat,” Not another tornado! I thought. Oklahoma City was right in Tornado Alley, a tornado hotspot which stretched for a great deal, and encompassed the city. As I headed to the shelter carrying my radio and a few important things, the radio announcer spoke again: “Everyone living in tornado-proof houses must still go down to their shelters, as it is a super cluster of tornadoes and their combined force will overwhelm the house’s support beams. I repeat, everyone living in tornado-proof ……” All of a sudden, a string snapped in my mind, as I thought of my younger sister, Lily, who was having a sleepover at her friend, Angel van Clive’s mansion. It was tornado-proof, but as the announcer had stated, it wasn’t able to withstand the storm. Besides that, they also didn’t have a shelter……
3 Dropping my things, I sprinted to the driveway and jumped in through an open window. I started the car, and shot off towards Lily and her friend’s family.
4 As I blazed along the road in the direction of Angel’s house, I noticed I was also headed right towards the tornado. Only now did I truly understand why the announcer had said it was a super cluster of tornadoes. Five towering masses of swirling clouds funnelled to the ground from the dark clouds overhead. Around the tornadoes flew pieces of debris from the nearby farms that were caught in the path of destruction. All around me, families were popping out of their houses like rabbits running away from danger, headed towards their shelters. At this point, I was quaking with fear, but somehow the determination to drive on came to me.
5 As I was nearing the house, the car was pelted with hailstones freefalling from above. Smacking into the windows and breaking the glass, I had to keep on dodging the massive balls of ice the size of oranges. When I had finally gone up and over the lawn to the front door, I sprang out of the car and rushed through the doors to the sprawling mansion of a house. It was labyrinthine inside, and it took me awhile to find Lily, Angel and her family cowering in one corner. As I looked out of the window, what I saw shocked me. An entire truck was flying right towards us. I had just enough time to herd everyone out of the room when the truck collided, sending us flying. At this my mind shifted back to a lesson on meteorology we had a few months ago about tornadoes. My teacher had said that the wind from tornadoes wasn’t what killed so many people, but it was the debris that it carried which did that.
6 Just then, items of all sorts were sent flying through the windows beside us. Signposts, shovels, fencing and even an encyclopaedia had narrowly missed us. Soon we were out of the house, but to my horror the first tornado was already only five hundred metres away. Climbing into the car, we shot like a bullet down the street. However, the tornadoes were catching up steadily, and as I turned my head around, I saw the last of the Van Clive Mansion either getting sucked away or bombarded by “missiles”.
7 Just then, I noticed a new problem: slowly, but surely, the car was getting sucked up like the other unidentified objects zooming past us. We had barely enough down force from the tail on the back of the car to keep us from slipping off the tarmac. I had to push the pedal to the metal just to keep out of reach of the danger zone. Soon, we all saw my house nearby. Everyone unlocked their doors, and as I pulled up at the tornado shelter’s doors, we all jumped out. However, we all had no idea what disastrous events were just about to unfold.
8 As I opened the doors, I noticed that the car was beginning to rise, and it crashed through the top floor of the house. Now, without anything to block projectiles, glass, metal wood and other assortments flew like darts right for us. Picking up a wooden board, I just managed to cover ourselves. Then, I looked up in horror to see the tornadoes entrapping us with a fatal circle that grew closer and closer. Rushing everyone inside of the shelter, I managed to close the doors just as a wooden plank smacked into it, sending me flying across the shelter, and leaving a big dent in the metal sheeting.
9 For half-an-hour we sat in the shelter, waiting and listening, checking to see if the radio announcer had announced the all-clear signal. Finally, at the end of a long wait, the tornadoes had dispersed entirely and we were allowed to come out. The scene that lay before our eyes was horrid. Everywhere we looked, destruction and carnage was eminent. Most of the houses had been reduced to nothing, except for a lucky few that were just out of reach. Leaving a distinct trail of destruction, it was clear that the tornadoes had advanced to the city, knocked down ten skyscrapers, and then dispersed after destroying the Little League stadium. On the ground lay the remnants of the many houses that had once existed, sprawling with wooden floor boards, broken sheets of glass, metal signboards and wrecked cars. I could even see my car, mangled and peppered with debris about two hundred metres away. From the extent of the damage, I predicted that it would take probably years for Oklahoma to recover economically and physically. However, we were lucky, as we had escaped unharmed.
10 Two weeks later, I was commended by the police for my bravery in rescuing Lily, Angel and her family, despite the air of sadness that encircled everyone. At the end of the police lieutenant’s speech, everyone clapped together in joyous unison in appreciation of my astounding feat. I would never forget that incident, as it was one of my most joyous memories, even in the aftermath of disaster . (1248)
Sample 19
Sample 19
1 I was so tired after another day of moving from Singapore to California. Dad was probably right about coming to California as it is better than staying in Singapore where dad’s business is not doing well. Just before sleeping, I listened to the radio, partly because I’m curious about how radios work in California. “You are now listening to -Bzzz- We sorry for this interruption but we have breaking news. A tornado breakout is heading towards the west of USA. All citizens of this region are advised to seek shelter at the nearest shelter. Thank you –Buzz- brought to you by the Radio Station”.
2 After a few silence moments of thinking whether that was real or not, I immediately rushed to my parent’s room and yelled at them, “Tornado, tornado!” My parents told me to calm down and tell them what was happening. “A group of tornado is about to hit California!” My parents’ responses were getting out of bed, grabbing my sister and snatching the emergency supplies. We rushed out of our house and immediately we saw people going in all directions and heard lots and lots screaming and felt strong winds blowing against my body. I took out the map of the neighbourhood and in the mist of all the panic, I found where the shelter is. “Turn right, then go straight for a hundred metres and turn left, and do a last turn right.” I hold the map down for a second and looked around, and somehow, my family is gone.
3 I called out for my family but not even the person who was five metres away could hear me. I looked around once more and suddenly a gigantic shadow cast right under me. I turned around and there it was, a tornado coming straight at me at one hundred and fifty kilometres an hour.
4 In desperation, I ran into an abandoned house to seek refuge just before the tornado reached me. I looked out of the window and saw three tornadoes circling the house like three dancing walls of destruction. I immediately got into the brace position. The roof of the house was ripped off and the windows shattered when a twig and scraps of metal hit it. I was expecting my life to be over when unexpectingly the tornadoes left this “prey”. I went outside the house to go to the bunker when I saw two people closing a door. I looked to the left of it to see the words “bunker”. I looked at the map again and slapped my forehead. “The bunker was right next to our house!” I ran inside and a group of familiar faces greeted me.
5 My family was there! They told me that our neighbours showed them the shelter. They wanted to tell me but I was already lost. We stayed in the shelter until the tornadoes past and went out. Luckily, not much harm was done and no house got destroyed other than the one I hid in. After all the madness, I finally got to sleep. First day and it was so exciting. From then on, I knew what to do during a tornado breakout. (528)
1 I was so tired after another day of moving from Singapore to California. Dad was probably right about coming to California as it is better than staying in Singapore where dad’s business is not doing well. Just before sleeping, I listened to the radio, partly because I’m curious about how radios work in California. “You are now listening to -Bzzz- We sorry for this interruption but we have breaking news. A tornado breakout is heading towards the west of USA. All citizens of this region are advised to seek shelter at the nearest shelter. Thank you –Buzz- brought to you by the Radio Station”.
2 After a few silence moments of thinking whether that was real or not, I immediately rushed to my parent’s room and yelled at them, “Tornado, tornado!” My parents told me to calm down and tell them what was happening. “A group of tornado is about to hit California!” My parents’ responses were getting out of bed, grabbing my sister and snatching the emergency supplies. We rushed out of our house and immediately we saw people going in all directions and heard lots and lots screaming and felt strong winds blowing against my body. I took out the map of the neighbourhood and in the mist of all the panic, I found where the shelter is. “Turn right, then go straight for a hundred metres and turn left, and do a last turn right.” I hold the map down for a second and looked around, and somehow, my family is gone.
3 I called out for my family but not even the person who was five metres away could hear me. I looked around once more and suddenly a gigantic shadow cast right under me. I turned around and there it was, a tornado coming straight at me at one hundred and fifty kilometres an hour.
4 In desperation, I ran into an abandoned house to seek refuge just before the tornado reached me. I looked out of the window and saw three tornadoes circling the house like three dancing walls of destruction. I immediately got into the brace position. The roof of the house was ripped off and the windows shattered when a twig and scraps of metal hit it. I was expecting my life to be over when unexpectingly the tornadoes left this “prey”. I went outside the house to go to the bunker when I saw two people closing a door. I looked to the left of it to see the words “bunker”. I looked at the map again and slapped my forehead. “The bunker was right next to our house!” I ran inside and a group of familiar faces greeted me.
5 My family was there! They told me that our neighbours showed them the shelter. They wanted to tell me but I was already lost. We stayed in the shelter until the tornadoes past and went out. Luckily, not much harm was done and no house got destroyed other than the one I hid in. After all the madness, I finally got to sleep. First day and it was so exciting. From then on, I knew what to do during a tornado breakout. (528)
Sample 18
Sample 18
1 It happened on the Christmas night. It was a dark stormy night. I live in a bungalow, the only house near a deserted street. I was listening to the late radio. The radio as droning out the late night news and I was almost asleep by then. My eyelids were half closed as the radio droned on and on. Suddenly, the radio news was interrupted by a loud bang which woke me out of my doze. It was followed by a frightening warning. “All of the people who listen to this warning must send $50 Singapore dollars to “Gregory” as cash and via mail at Blk 312 Commonwealth Avenue 4 # 67-102. Those who failed to do so shall be killed.“ The message ended abruptly with another loud bang.
2 I was shocked and stood rooted to the spot. I could not understand what was happening to me. One minute I was dozing off and the next minute some crazy threat gets thrown at me. Should I send the money to this “Gregory”? I am not sure of that. So I decided to send the money to “Gregory”. I took all my savings from my bank account and mailed them to “Gregory”. As a student, I gasped " What a big sum of money!" Although it was a big sum of money, I did not want to risk my life.
3 A few days later, I was listening to the radio again late at night as usual. Then, there was a report on the warning "Gregory" posted. I sat up and listened intently with great anticipation to what the reporter has to say. The reporter stated that the warning Gregory posted was a prank pulled on the innocent people to cheat money. Although the police searched the address of "Gregory", "Gregory" seem to have dissapeared into nowhere.
4 It turned out that "Gregory" was a wanted criminal whose real name is Bert Goery. He had been on the loose for a while. He was infamous for tricking other people and making them send money to him. He also burgled houses.
5 Suddenly, I heard noises in the living room. There, while searching the drawers, stood a masked man. He brandished a gun and walked into the master bedroom. He still had not seen me, so I hid behind the next doorway. After he walked into the room, I ambushed him, tackled him to the ground as I am good at tackling in my school's rugby team and hit him on the head with an umbrella. I kept hitting him until he was unconcious. After hearing the commotion, my uncle woke up. He stared at the broken door and me standing next to the masked man.
6 Before I could say anything, he said. "Isn't that the wanted criminal Bert Goery?" I unmasked the man, he sure fitted the description from the police. My uncle called the police immediately. Within five minutes, the police came. I told them all that happened and they confirmed the masked man was Bert Goery. I think "Gregory" had chosen my house as it was deserted and away from publicity. They thanked me profusely and rewarded me a thousand dollars. Much more than what I had sent to Bert. I was a hero! I was so excited that I had done a good job.
7 I snuggled deeper into my blankets. Blankets? What were they doing here? Oh, it was just a dream. Well, not everyone has a chance to catch a wanted man. At least I had the experience of catching a criminal and tackling him. (595)
1 It happened on the Christmas night. It was a dark stormy night. I live in a bungalow, the only house near a deserted street. I was listening to the late radio. The radio as droning out the late night news and I was almost asleep by then. My eyelids were half closed as the radio droned on and on. Suddenly, the radio news was interrupted by a loud bang which woke me out of my doze. It was followed by a frightening warning. “All of the people who listen to this warning must send $50 Singapore dollars to “Gregory” as cash and via mail at Blk 312 Commonwealth Avenue 4 # 67-102. Those who failed to do so shall be killed.“ The message ended abruptly with another loud bang.
2 I was shocked and stood rooted to the spot. I could not understand what was happening to me. One minute I was dozing off and the next minute some crazy threat gets thrown at me. Should I send the money to this “Gregory”? I am not sure of that. So I decided to send the money to “Gregory”. I took all my savings from my bank account and mailed them to “Gregory”. As a student, I gasped " What a big sum of money!" Although it was a big sum of money, I did not want to risk my life.
3 A few days later, I was listening to the radio again late at night as usual. Then, there was a report on the warning "Gregory" posted. I sat up and listened intently with great anticipation to what the reporter has to say. The reporter stated that the warning Gregory posted was a prank pulled on the innocent people to cheat money. Although the police searched the address of "Gregory", "Gregory" seem to have dissapeared into nowhere.
4 It turned out that "Gregory" was a wanted criminal whose real name is Bert Goery. He had been on the loose for a while. He was infamous for tricking other people and making them send money to him. He also burgled houses.
5 Suddenly, I heard noises in the living room. There, while searching the drawers, stood a masked man. He brandished a gun and walked into the master bedroom. He still had not seen me, so I hid behind the next doorway. After he walked into the room, I ambushed him, tackled him to the ground as I am good at tackling in my school's rugby team and hit him on the head with an umbrella. I kept hitting him until he was unconcious. After hearing the commotion, my uncle woke up. He stared at the broken door and me standing next to the masked man.
6 Before I could say anything, he said. "Isn't that the wanted criminal Bert Goery?" I unmasked the man, he sure fitted the description from the police. My uncle called the police immediately. Within five minutes, the police came. I told them all that happened and they confirmed the masked man was Bert Goery. I think "Gregory" had chosen my house as it was deserted and away from publicity. They thanked me profusely and rewarded me a thousand dollars. Much more than what I had sent to Bert. I was a hero! I was so excited that I had done a good job.
7 I snuggled deeper into my blankets. Blankets? What were they doing here? Oh, it was just a dream. Well, not everyone has a chance to catch a wanted man. At least I had the experience of catching a criminal and tackling him. (595)
Sample 17
Sample 17
1 On that stormy New Year’s Eve night, I laid on the sofa, in half-awareness of what happened around me, on that New Year’s Eve. It was brought to my attention when the radio broadcast was interrupted by an unusual message. “Attention, attention. Please send $100 via mail to Jurong East, house number 13. If the money is not sent, you will be murdered, if it is reported to the police, your whole family will be murdered, not only you.” Then the message ended abruptly. I laid motionless, petrified and guilty. If I did not tell the police, what a selfish person I am! I thought. I gazed at window, and I set off, towards the police station, along on that stormy night…
2 There I was, at the police station. Two police officers approached me, and said “What do you want?” I explained everything to the police officers. The chief police marched towards me, and asked “is that true”? “Yes it is.” We got into the police car, and we head off to the criminal’s apartment…
3 “One, two, three, Budge!” The chief police commanded. We found the apartment empty. “Search every crook and cranny for any clue on the criminal!” After a fruitless hour, the chief officer announced, “Looks like we have to call in Joah.”
4 Joah the detective came into the house and started the investigation. He soon discovered the criminal’s identity as Thornton.
5 We got back into the police car, where we drove off towards Thornton’s house. The wind was so strong that the car had a hard time resisting it. Upon approaching Thornton house, a loud gunshot was heard. A bullet zoomed into our car, almost hitting me on my heart, fired by Percival, Thornton’s assistant. We drove into the lawn, and got out of the car, as we towards the door.
6 We greeted by a loud gunshot when we entered. Thornton’s two brothers, Jacques and Jonathan both sprang an ambush at each police officers, where they collapsed onto the ground, moaning in pain at their wounds on their legs. The chief police officer arrested Jacques and Jonathan. We continued our progress towards Thornton as another shot hit Joah through the door. Joah dropped to the ground unconscious. The chief police ran into the room. I stayed outside the room, and conducted first aid on Joah and the two other police officers.
7 Thornton and his secretary pointed their guns at the chief police. “Say your last words or…” Before Thornton can finish speaking, the lights went out. I put on my night goggles, and crept over to the secretary, where I kicked the secretary and picked up his gun. “Ouch!” the secretary screamed in pain as he fainted after the chief police shot him with his revolver. The light flickered and went on. Percival sprang from under the desk, firing at Thornton. “Percival, You betrayer!” Thornton hissed at Percival, as he died of his wound.
8 In the end, everyone who is involved in commting the crime was sentenced to three years jailing except for Percival, who killed three radio managers and hijacked the radio station, who was sentenced to death. Joah and the two police officers recovered from their injuries too. I was also praised for being daring as a primary school student in assisting the case. (549)
1 On that stormy New Year’s Eve night, I laid on the sofa, in half-awareness of what happened around me, on that New Year’s Eve. It was brought to my attention when the radio broadcast was interrupted by an unusual message. “Attention, attention. Please send $100 via mail to Jurong East, house number 13. If the money is not sent, you will be murdered, if it is reported to the police, your whole family will be murdered, not only you.” Then the message ended abruptly. I laid motionless, petrified and guilty. If I did not tell the police, what a selfish person I am! I thought. I gazed at window, and I set off, towards the police station, along on that stormy night…
2 There I was, at the police station. Two police officers approached me, and said “What do you want?” I explained everything to the police officers. The chief police marched towards me, and asked “is that true”? “Yes it is.” We got into the police car, and we head off to the criminal’s apartment…
3 “One, two, three, Budge!” The chief police commanded. We found the apartment empty. “Search every crook and cranny for any clue on the criminal!” After a fruitless hour, the chief officer announced, “Looks like we have to call in Joah.”
4 Joah the detective came into the house and started the investigation. He soon discovered the criminal’s identity as Thornton.
5 We got back into the police car, where we drove off towards Thornton’s house. The wind was so strong that the car had a hard time resisting it. Upon approaching Thornton house, a loud gunshot was heard. A bullet zoomed into our car, almost hitting me on my heart, fired by Percival, Thornton’s assistant. We drove into the lawn, and got out of the car, as we towards the door.
6 We greeted by a loud gunshot when we entered. Thornton’s two brothers, Jacques and Jonathan both sprang an ambush at each police officers, where they collapsed onto the ground, moaning in pain at their wounds on their legs. The chief police officer arrested Jacques and Jonathan. We continued our progress towards Thornton as another shot hit Joah through the door. Joah dropped to the ground unconscious. The chief police ran into the room. I stayed outside the room, and conducted first aid on Joah and the two other police officers.
7 Thornton and his secretary pointed their guns at the chief police. “Say your last words or…” Before Thornton can finish speaking, the lights went out. I put on my night goggles, and crept over to the secretary, where I kicked the secretary and picked up his gun. “Ouch!” the secretary screamed in pain as he fainted after the chief police shot him with his revolver. The light flickered and went on. Percival sprang from under the desk, firing at Thornton. “Percival, You betrayer!” Thornton hissed at Percival, as he died of his wound.
8 In the end, everyone who is involved in commting the crime was sentenced to three years jailing except for Percival, who killed three radio managers and hijacked the radio station, who was sentenced to death. Joah and the two police officers recovered from their injuries too. I was also praised for being daring as a primary school student in assisting the case. (549)
Sample 16
Sample 16
1 It seemed like any other day... Listening to some soft music on the radio late one night in our penthouse at District 5 while thinking about a science project. Damnation! Right at the moment when I thought of a good idea for my project, an enormously loud broadcast interrupted the light music that was playing. “This is a message from the meteorological centre. District 1-9 in the Illinois region will have a 90% chance of being hit by a tornado in the next fifteen minutes. We will continue to give updates via this radio station. Residents are advised to proceed to their storm cellars and take a ready bag with you containing some food and a radio. You are reminded not to switch on any electrical, gas and water supplies. All updates will be given via radio and you will not be advised to call us, the meteorological centre.”
2 Alarmed by this sudden announcement, I alerted my parents and Tim, my little brother. My father double checked with another broadcast from the radio station. Upon confirmation, he immediately sprang into action. First, he switched off the main gas, water and electricity. He reminded us to keep calm and instructed us to assemble the ready bag. It seemed we had taken our safety for granted. We had not packed our ready bag even though we were encouraged by the government to do so.
3 After frantically packing our ready bag, we rushed down to the storm cellar in the basement. My watch screamed that fifteen minutes is almost up! Phew! We were really lucky. Just moments later, we heard a faint sound of the tornado approaching. “Brother, can I play ‘chopsticks’ with you?” When I could not hear a reply from Tim, I froze dead still. “Tim is not here!” I shouted in despair to my parents. My parents instinctively looked around but nowhere was Tim in sight. Oh no! I vaguely remembered him talking about our pet dog. He must have gone for him. My mother started wailing uncontrollably while I stood dumbstruck. My father, after careful consideration, told us to stay calm. We will search for Tim once the meteorological centre gives an all clear for our area.
4 The wait was unbearable. Even though there were only three of us, the noise in the cellar seemed louder than that of a fish-market. The emotions and tensions inside the cellar were high. Everybody was worried about Tim. We could not wait for the announcement being broadcasted to say that our district is safe from the tornado. For every second that passed, our patience dipped lower. Finally, we heard what we wanted to hear. The tornado alert in our district is lifted! We got out of the underground cellar and felt lucky to see that our house was completely untouched by the tornado although our neighbour’s house was destroyed.
5 Immediately, we started searching for Tim. Seeing the amount of destruction made by the tornado did not make us feel better. We started to search inside the house. The search yielded nothing. We tried to look at the positive side and searched outside the house. We were nearly giving up when we heard a faint cry from somewhere. That sound was similar to that of my brother! Suddenly, our spirits lifted up. We continued to walk towards the source of the sound. Then we saw our family dog, whining into the drain. We rushed forward and true enough, my dear little brother was crouching in the drain. When he saw us, he cried “Mummy, Daddy help! I can’t climb out of the drain.” My mum broke down in tears of joy. What a relief for all of us.
6 We got home and started to inquire our brother what happened. Our brother told us what had happened: My brother was woken up by us because of the tornado alert. He noticed that our pet dog was running away from our house. My brother was deemed too small to help, therefore left out and ignored. He decided to chase after our dog. The dog was too tired therefore stopped running. By then, my brother has already seen the tornado coming. Luckily for him, he remembered what his teacher has said and ducked in the drain. Because he listened in class, he survived. (706)
1 It seemed like any other day... Listening to some soft music on the radio late one night in our penthouse at District 5 while thinking about a science project. Damnation! Right at the moment when I thought of a good idea for my project, an enormously loud broadcast interrupted the light music that was playing. “This is a message from the meteorological centre. District 1-9 in the Illinois region will have a 90% chance of being hit by a tornado in the next fifteen minutes. We will continue to give updates via this radio station. Residents are advised to proceed to their storm cellars and take a ready bag with you containing some food and a radio. You are reminded not to switch on any electrical, gas and water supplies. All updates will be given via radio and you will not be advised to call us, the meteorological centre.”
2 Alarmed by this sudden announcement, I alerted my parents and Tim, my little brother. My father double checked with another broadcast from the radio station. Upon confirmation, he immediately sprang into action. First, he switched off the main gas, water and electricity. He reminded us to keep calm and instructed us to assemble the ready bag. It seemed we had taken our safety for granted. We had not packed our ready bag even though we were encouraged by the government to do so.
3 After frantically packing our ready bag, we rushed down to the storm cellar in the basement. My watch screamed that fifteen minutes is almost up! Phew! We were really lucky. Just moments later, we heard a faint sound of the tornado approaching. “Brother, can I play ‘chopsticks’ with you?” When I could not hear a reply from Tim, I froze dead still. “Tim is not here!” I shouted in despair to my parents. My parents instinctively looked around but nowhere was Tim in sight. Oh no! I vaguely remembered him talking about our pet dog. He must have gone for him. My mother started wailing uncontrollably while I stood dumbstruck. My father, after careful consideration, told us to stay calm. We will search for Tim once the meteorological centre gives an all clear for our area.
4 The wait was unbearable. Even though there were only three of us, the noise in the cellar seemed louder than that of a fish-market. The emotions and tensions inside the cellar were high. Everybody was worried about Tim. We could not wait for the announcement being broadcasted to say that our district is safe from the tornado. For every second that passed, our patience dipped lower. Finally, we heard what we wanted to hear. The tornado alert in our district is lifted! We got out of the underground cellar and felt lucky to see that our house was completely untouched by the tornado although our neighbour’s house was destroyed.
5 Immediately, we started searching for Tim. Seeing the amount of destruction made by the tornado did not make us feel better. We started to search inside the house. The search yielded nothing. We tried to look at the positive side and searched outside the house. We were nearly giving up when we heard a faint cry from somewhere. That sound was similar to that of my brother! Suddenly, our spirits lifted up. We continued to walk towards the source of the sound. Then we saw our family dog, whining into the drain. We rushed forward and true enough, my dear little brother was crouching in the drain. When he saw us, he cried “Mummy, Daddy help! I can’t climb out of the drain.” My mum broke down in tears of joy. What a relief for all of us.
6 We got home and started to inquire our brother what happened. Our brother told us what had happened: My brother was woken up by us because of the tornado alert. He noticed that our pet dog was running away from our house. My brother was deemed too small to help, therefore left out and ignored. He decided to chase after our dog. The dog was too tired therefore stopped running. By then, my brother has already seen the tornado coming. Luckily for him, he remembered what his teacher has said and ducked in the drain. Because he listened in class, he survived. (706)
Sample 15
Sample 15
1 “Lalala…” I hummed as I packed my bag for the holiday trip. “8th December 2011. Trip to San Francisco.” I read the words on the calendar. “Let’s see, clothes, passport, sunblock lotion, portable radio and…Oh I’m done! Let’s go!”
2 I made my way to the Singapore Changi Airport and boarded the airplane. An announcement was made I settled down, “We will be taking off in 5 minutes. Please enjoy your flight on flight SQ1.”
3 After 18 hours on the plane, the plane touched down at San Francisco International Airport. I checked into a hotel and rested on the armchair. The time read “05.45 A.M.” I took out my portable radio and listened to the news. “Channel 98.5 FM, Channel 101.3 FM, oh I know, Channel 183.0 FM!” The radio started blaring.
4 Just then, the radio crackled, “This is an important announcement; we are issuing a mandatory evacuation in San Francisco. This is an earthquake warning, I repeat AN EARTHQUAKE WARNING!” But the warning came too late.
5 “Rumble…Crash!” the building started to crash in. I ducked under a table as the fan crashed onto the tabletop. There was a huge dent on the underside of the table where was hiding under. At least I could see outside as the window was unharmed. I saw a school building collapse as I felt the building tip over. Car alarms wailed as the ground cracked open. The hotel started leaning into the crack.
6 “Help!” I screamed raucously. I felt the building tip even further and further into the crack. Just when all hope was lost, the rumblings stop. “Phew…” I thought as relief flooded through me. The building was tilted at an angle of 60 degrees. It was a dangerous situation to be in.
7 “Rumble…” the ground shook again. This time, the whole city shook like crazy. People screamed at the top of their voices. Anarchy gushed upon the entire city. Furniture slid across the ground, ramming against the wall. Power line after power line snapped. San Francisco became dark.
8 The hotel seemed to come alive. I held on for my dear life to one of the table legs. Cement rained down on the table. Whole stories crashed onto the lower stories. Along a section of the Golden Gate Bridge, the road gave way. Cars fell into the water, to their dooms.
9 No building structure was safe. Even the cranes at the docks could not withstand the force of the earthquake. The cranes buckled and crashed onto the boxes, ships and trucks.
10 Finally, the roaring stopped. I crawled out of underneath the table. The room was in a mess. It was as if a tornado had torn through the room. The fan was wrecked, the door flew off its hinges, and the ceiling had cracks in it. Without further ado, I crawled out to the hallway. I was just in time because as soon as I crawled out, the ceiling gave way. Everything from the room above mine crashed onto my room.
11 I managed to find a way out of the wrecked hotel. Outside, it was a catastrophe. There was a huge crack in the ground. Cars lay overturned. The hotel which originally had 20 stories was left with only 14. Something glowed in the horizon. I squinted my eyes and realized that minor fires had started.
12 Left with nothing to do, I managed to activate the portable radio. The only channel was Channel 101.1 FM. “Two earthquakes, the first of an 8.9 magnitude and the second of a 9.3 magnitude have hit San Francisco. Relief is coming to San Francisco. The estimated total deaths are going to hit approximately 5,000. It is expected to rise.” I was heartbroken to hear that and my heart filled with sorrow.
13 “It would take about 5 years to rebuild San Francisco, workers and contractors estimate.” The broadcaster continued. It was the worst natural disaster in San Francisco and I hope the city would be rebuilt and the fires would be put out. (665)
1 “Lalala…” I hummed as I packed my bag for the holiday trip. “8th December 2011. Trip to San Francisco.” I read the words on the calendar. “Let’s see, clothes, passport, sunblock lotion, portable radio and…Oh I’m done! Let’s go!”
2 I made my way to the Singapore Changi Airport and boarded the airplane. An announcement was made I settled down, “We will be taking off in 5 minutes. Please enjoy your flight on flight SQ1.”
3 After 18 hours on the plane, the plane touched down at San Francisco International Airport. I checked into a hotel and rested on the armchair. The time read “05.45 A.M.” I took out my portable radio and listened to the news. “Channel 98.5 FM, Channel 101.3 FM, oh I know, Channel 183.0 FM!” The radio started blaring.
4 Just then, the radio crackled, “This is an important announcement; we are issuing a mandatory evacuation in San Francisco. This is an earthquake warning, I repeat AN EARTHQUAKE WARNING!” But the warning came too late.
5 “Rumble…Crash!” the building started to crash in. I ducked under a table as the fan crashed onto the tabletop. There was a huge dent on the underside of the table where was hiding under. At least I could see outside as the window was unharmed. I saw a school building collapse as I felt the building tip over. Car alarms wailed as the ground cracked open. The hotel started leaning into the crack.
6 “Help!” I screamed raucously. I felt the building tip even further and further into the crack. Just when all hope was lost, the rumblings stop. “Phew…” I thought as relief flooded through me. The building was tilted at an angle of 60 degrees. It was a dangerous situation to be in.
7 “Rumble…” the ground shook again. This time, the whole city shook like crazy. People screamed at the top of their voices. Anarchy gushed upon the entire city. Furniture slid across the ground, ramming against the wall. Power line after power line snapped. San Francisco became dark.
8 The hotel seemed to come alive. I held on for my dear life to one of the table legs. Cement rained down on the table. Whole stories crashed onto the lower stories. Along a section of the Golden Gate Bridge, the road gave way. Cars fell into the water, to their dooms.
9 No building structure was safe. Even the cranes at the docks could not withstand the force of the earthquake. The cranes buckled and crashed onto the boxes, ships and trucks.
10 Finally, the roaring stopped. I crawled out of underneath the table. The room was in a mess. It was as if a tornado had torn through the room. The fan was wrecked, the door flew off its hinges, and the ceiling had cracks in it. Without further ado, I crawled out to the hallway. I was just in time because as soon as I crawled out, the ceiling gave way. Everything from the room above mine crashed onto my room.
11 I managed to find a way out of the wrecked hotel. Outside, it was a catastrophe. There was a huge crack in the ground. Cars lay overturned. The hotel which originally had 20 stories was left with only 14. Something glowed in the horizon. I squinted my eyes and realized that minor fires had started.
12 Left with nothing to do, I managed to activate the portable radio. The only channel was Channel 101.1 FM. “Two earthquakes, the first of an 8.9 magnitude and the second of a 9.3 magnitude have hit San Francisco. Relief is coming to San Francisco. The estimated total deaths are going to hit approximately 5,000. It is expected to rise.” I was heartbroken to hear that and my heart filled with sorrow.
13 “It would take about 5 years to rebuild San Francisco, workers and contractors estimate.” The broadcaster continued. It was the worst natural disaster in San Francisco and I hope the city would be rebuilt and the fires would be put out. (665)
Sample 14
Sample 14
1 It was a dark night. Although the cold weather made me shiver in my bones without wearing a second layering of clothes, I wasn’t going to bed early on New Year’s Eve. Our family was poor, therefore we had no television. The cost of raising children was high enough, and we barely had enough to eat. I was listening to the radio, eagerly waiting for the countdown like a hyperactive child. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, - we are sorry to interrupt the following program. All citizens kindly refrain from going to Skypark hotel. A bomb has been found there, and all citizens in the following area are requested to evacuate.”
2 Skypark hotel? It sounded familiar, yet I forgot why….. Suddenly, a thought hit my head. That was where my aunt was staying! Earlier in the night, I had taken her back to the hotel after she came to visit me. She was extremely tired, and even before I left, she had fallen asleep. I got into the rented car and started driving towards the hotel. It was a 1 and a half hour drive, and I had do idea of the bomb squad could stop the timer in time. I accelerated and sped off into the night.
3 I parked about 1km from the hotel. I had no idea if the bomb had gone off or it had stopped. Running at full speed towards the hotel, I went into the hotel. Strangely, nobody stopped me, and the hotel seemed deserted. A thought went through my head. The bomb squad couldn’t have given up hope already? I ran up the stairs to the second floor. The door was still locked. I barged through the door and charged in.
4 I picked my aunt up and rushed towards the exit. In my head, I could almost hear the timer of the bomb ticking. As I ran out, I ran straight into… a crowd? It was a blur as it struck me. The timer had been cut, and the bomb was removed, so when I went into the hotel, the police were just clearing up the area! I put down my aunt as she woke up. After making sure that she was alright, I went back to the rented car and went back home.
5 I woke up and found myself in the car. I had been so tired out that I had fallen asleep the second I parked the car. As I looked into the bright, warm light of the sun, I whispered:” Happy New Year.”. “ Jack, where are you? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” I turned and saw my wife holding a rolling pin and waving it about as if she was going to kill someone with it. And I had no doubt that the first person that she would kill is me. (474)
1 It was a dark night. Although the cold weather made me shiver in my bones without wearing a second layering of clothes, I wasn’t going to bed early on New Year’s Eve. Our family was poor, therefore we had no television. The cost of raising children was high enough, and we barely had enough to eat. I was listening to the radio, eagerly waiting for the countdown like a hyperactive child. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, - we are sorry to interrupt the following program. All citizens kindly refrain from going to Skypark hotel. A bomb has been found there, and all citizens in the following area are requested to evacuate.”
2 Skypark hotel? It sounded familiar, yet I forgot why….. Suddenly, a thought hit my head. That was where my aunt was staying! Earlier in the night, I had taken her back to the hotel after she came to visit me. She was extremely tired, and even before I left, she had fallen asleep. I got into the rented car and started driving towards the hotel. It was a 1 and a half hour drive, and I had do idea of the bomb squad could stop the timer in time. I accelerated and sped off into the night.
3 I parked about 1km from the hotel. I had no idea if the bomb had gone off or it had stopped. Running at full speed towards the hotel, I went into the hotel. Strangely, nobody stopped me, and the hotel seemed deserted. A thought went through my head. The bomb squad couldn’t have given up hope already? I ran up the stairs to the second floor. The door was still locked. I barged through the door and charged in.
4 I picked my aunt up and rushed towards the exit. In my head, I could almost hear the timer of the bomb ticking. As I ran out, I ran straight into… a crowd? It was a blur as it struck me. The timer had been cut, and the bomb was removed, so when I went into the hotel, the police were just clearing up the area! I put down my aunt as she woke up. After making sure that she was alright, I went back to the rented car and went back home.
5 I woke up and found myself in the car. I had been so tired out that I had fallen asleep the second I parked the car. As I looked into the bright, warm light of the sun, I whispered:” Happy New Year.”. “ Jack, where are you? I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” I turned and saw my wife holding a rolling pin and waving it about as if she was going to kill someone with it. And I had no doubt that the first person that she would kill is me. (474)
Sample 13
Sample 13
1 It was a beautiful night in New York when I rested in my terrace. The sky was starry, the stars were beautiful and everything was so peaceful. I was sitting on my most comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace listening to the radio songs. “So many beautiful songs to listen to…”I mumbled dreamily.
2 But my mumbles did not last for long as the radio stopped playing the songs. I was not suspicious as it always happened. After that I heard a phase that people with thanatophobia will be afraid of. It is “Emergency Message”…
3 The message continued “The Hurricane Scientists have just found that in 1 hour time, there will be a F5 hurricane hitting New York, San Francisco and Hawaii. If you are hearing this in one of the above places mention, please go to the underground bunkers near your home immediately with food and water. Thank You”
4 When I heard the broadcast, I was dumbfounded. This never happened in my half a year of living in New York as it never hit New York then. I ran to my closet where I put my tin food and drinks and ran to the neighbor’s where they don’t have a radio and told them the story but they just laughed and said “Haha, what a fake story because I already predicted it is tomorrow…haha…”If they never take my story for real it means that they will get hit. “Oh well never mind” I talked to myself.
5 When I ran to the closest underground bunker, it looked like a hospital with a Emergency Shelter” title plate on the top. I went in and saw thousands of people in there waiting for the hurricane to strike. I saw a notice there saying 15 minutes to F5 Hurricane or named “Stupefy”. I ran to the notice shelter saying “Underground Bunker” and drank and ate there waiting for the hurricane to strike USA.
6 15 minutes later, there was a siren saying “Please stay in the bunker…” but the words were drowned by the wind created by the hurricane and then I heard a familiar, piteous voice crying out “NO!!!”. I then realized it was the neighbors who I warned. But the underground bunker was still safe.
7 After what I thought was a few days , the speaker finally sounds “The hurricane has stopped, you may get out now.” When I came out, it did not look like New York anymore the buildings and the trees were uprooted and the ground looked like paper torn apart. Then I saw a fateful thing to see; my neighbor’s body ripped apart into four pieces, with the head, the chest, the stomach and the legs split into small shreds of what looked like paper size shrapnel.8 The morale of this story is to make sure to always listen to your neighbor’s advice and do not think that everything is correct to your way. (490)
1 It was a beautiful night in New York when I rested in my terrace. The sky was starry, the stars were beautiful and everything was so peaceful. I was sitting on my most comfortable armchair in front of the fireplace listening to the radio songs. “So many beautiful songs to listen to…”I mumbled dreamily.
2 But my mumbles did not last for long as the radio stopped playing the songs. I was not suspicious as it always happened. After that I heard a phase that people with thanatophobia will be afraid of. It is “Emergency Message”…
3 The message continued “The Hurricane Scientists have just found that in 1 hour time, there will be a F5 hurricane hitting New York, San Francisco and Hawaii. If you are hearing this in one of the above places mention, please go to the underground bunkers near your home immediately with food and water. Thank You”
4 When I heard the broadcast, I was dumbfounded. This never happened in my half a year of living in New York as it never hit New York then. I ran to my closet where I put my tin food and drinks and ran to the neighbor’s where they don’t have a radio and told them the story but they just laughed and said “Haha, what a fake story because I already predicted it is tomorrow…haha…”If they never take my story for real it means that they will get hit. “Oh well never mind” I talked to myself.
5 When I ran to the closest underground bunker, it looked like a hospital with a Emergency Shelter” title plate on the top. I went in and saw thousands of people in there waiting for the hurricane to strike. I saw a notice there saying 15 minutes to F5 Hurricane or named “Stupefy”. I ran to the notice shelter saying “Underground Bunker” and drank and ate there waiting for the hurricane to strike USA.
6 15 minutes later, there was a siren saying “Please stay in the bunker…” but the words were drowned by the wind created by the hurricane and then I heard a familiar, piteous voice crying out “NO!!!”. I then realized it was the neighbors who I warned. But the underground bunker was still safe.
7 After what I thought was a few days , the speaker finally sounds “The hurricane has stopped, you may get out now.” When I came out, it did not look like New York anymore the buildings and the trees were uprooted and the ground looked like paper torn apart. Then I saw a fateful thing to see; my neighbor’s body ripped apart into four pieces, with the head, the chest, the stomach and the legs split into small shreds of what looked like paper size shrapnel.8 The morale of this story is to make sure to always listen to your neighbor’s advice and do not think that everything is correct to your way. (490)
Sample 12
Sample 12
1 The whole city was dark, quiet, except for a few stray cats rummaging in bins for food, away from the bright streetlamps, and a single light in a window, where metal rock music was heard. Suddenly the music reached a crescendo, and a cat at the foot of the flat hissed and spitted angrily.
2 “Oh yeah…” I shouted, as the music came to an end. Then I smashed the tennis racket which I had been strumming to the electrical guitar music played on the radio on the floor. “Oops.” That was the third tennis racket I’ve smashed, as if I played the sport at all.
3 “And that was the music by…” The DJ referenced the composer. I took a glance on the hanging clock on the wall. Thirty minutes after twelve! It was really getting late and I should be in bed, but when I was about to switch off the radio, the station played my favourite piece, and I can’t resist. It was about fifteen seconds into the music when the drumbeats died out and the whole music was replaced by an annoying buzzing sound. Then what sounds like a news report was broadcasted.
4 “We interrupted this program with a shocking piece of news. The country’s military station detected a group of B-2 spirit stealth bombers of unknown nationality heading our way. It was thought to be arriving in two hours. Head for the bomb shelters now! I repeat. We-”
5 I thought I have heard wrongly. A bombing raid is going to happen? But that’s highly unlikely. Nevertheless, I decide to play safe.
6 “Mum! Dad!” I shook them awake, and they told me off for waking them up, then I showed them the broadcast, which was still playing.
7 “But that’s un-”
8 “Yes, I know, but better play safe than be sorry.”
9 So my parents, my younger brother and I crept into the bomb shelter, bringing the radio and some supplies with us. But there was no one else, and I was getting a bit suspicious. But I’ll still stick to playing safe.
10 The shelter was dark and stuffy. My younger brother was afraid of the dark so he began crying, then he fell asleep. Soon, the rest of us did the same too, unwary that the station was broadcasting some ridiculous messages.
11 “The ground troops are entering the grounds with nuclear grenades! Everybody flee for your life. You are about to be blasted by an A-bo-, no, H-Bomb!”
12 Just then, my father woke up with a snort, in time to here the station broadcasting the message, “If you believe this whole heap of rubbish for three hours, you’re really an idiot. If you are squatting in a bomb shelter, well, I don’t know what to say.”
13 Dad wasn’t very surprised. The only thing he was surprised about is that the radio station still dares to talk to the listeners like that after they lied and joke on something serious. Dad woke us up, muttering angrily under his breath that the whole thing was a fraud, not that he never suspected. My younger brother teased at me for being so gullible. I just felt hot in the face, but the radio station was at fault too. In the past radio stations made more stupid broadcasts like: the Martians are coming! And thousands of people panicked. But still, I think its better to be safe than sorry. (566)
1 The whole city was dark, quiet, except for a few stray cats rummaging in bins for food, away from the bright streetlamps, and a single light in a window, where metal rock music was heard. Suddenly the music reached a crescendo, and a cat at the foot of the flat hissed and spitted angrily.
2 “Oh yeah…” I shouted, as the music came to an end. Then I smashed the tennis racket which I had been strumming to the electrical guitar music played on the radio on the floor. “Oops.” That was the third tennis racket I’ve smashed, as if I played the sport at all.
3 “And that was the music by…” The DJ referenced the composer. I took a glance on the hanging clock on the wall. Thirty minutes after twelve! It was really getting late and I should be in bed, but when I was about to switch off the radio, the station played my favourite piece, and I can’t resist. It was about fifteen seconds into the music when the drumbeats died out and the whole music was replaced by an annoying buzzing sound. Then what sounds like a news report was broadcasted.
4 “We interrupted this program with a shocking piece of news. The country’s military station detected a group of B-2 spirit stealth bombers of unknown nationality heading our way. It was thought to be arriving in two hours. Head for the bomb shelters now! I repeat. We-”
5 I thought I have heard wrongly. A bombing raid is going to happen? But that’s highly unlikely. Nevertheless, I decide to play safe.
6 “Mum! Dad!” I shook them awake, and they told me off for waking them up, then I showed them the broadcast, which was still playing.
7 “But that’s un-”
8 “Yes, I know, but better play safe than be sorry.”
9 So my parents, my younger brother and I crept into the bomb shelter, bringing the radio and some supplies with us. But there was no one else, and I was getting a bit suspicious. But I’ll still stick to playing safe.
10 The shelter was dark and stuffy. My younger brother was afraid of the dark so he began crying, then he fell asleep. Soon, the rest of us did the same too, unwary that the station was broadcasting some ridiculous messages.
11 “The ground troops are entering the grounds with nuclear grenades! Everybody flee for your life. You are about to be blasted by an A-bo-, no, H-Bomb!”
12 Just then, my father woke up with a snort, in time to here the station broadcasting the message, “If you believe this whole heap of rubbish for three hours, you’re really an idiot. If you are squatting in a bomb shelter, well, I don’t know what to say.”
13 Dad wasn’t very surprised. The only thing he was surprised about is that the radio station still dares to talk to the listeners like that after they lied and joke on something serious. Dad woke us up, muttering angrily under his breath that the whole thing was a fraud, not that he never suspected. My younger brother teased at me for being so gullible. I just felt hot in the face, but the radio station was at fault too. In the past radio stations made more stupid broadcasts like: the Martians are coming! And thousands of people panicked. But still, I think its better to be safe than sorry. (566)
Sample 11
Sample 11
1 It was any other normal day, until this announcement came and I almost lost my precious brother.
2 I was listening to the radio blasting out music late at night when the radio fizzed and crackled. I was shocked as my radio has never crackled before. Then, the fizz died down and it was replaced by a deep male voice. It said, “There is an atomic bomb threat. Please evacuate at the nearest bomb shelter as soon as possible.” After that, it was replaced by loud music again. And as an answer to the warning, the bell that was not used except for bombs threats sounded for a long time. I was practically stunned and rooted on the ground. Then, I ran for the emergency bag. Luckily I had prepared enough for the bomb, I thought. I sling the bag over my shoulders, ran down the stairs (as I was living on the 2nd floor) and headed to a evacuation shelter as fast as my legs can carry me.
3 Then, I remembered, hey, where’s my brother? I was about to rush out when a person in the bomb shelter said,” It may be dangerous”. I said,” I am going to rescue my brother, no matter what it takes.” With that, I rushed out and went up the stairs. There was my brother, sleeping soundly on his bed, oblivious to any movement around him. I gently shook him up and told him about the whole matter. He was shocked too. Together, we rushed down the stairs and hid in the bomb shelter.
4 Five days has passed and we are running low on supplies. A person was impatient, so he rushed out and exclaimed, “Singapore is still there!” We followed suit and were surprised.
5 The next day, while we were watching television, we learnt that it was fake and this is to test how quick the citizen’s can evacuate. So, it will sound the bell to tell everyone is safe and get out from the bomb shelter now. We were all happy that we have been through this test and we passed! (349)
1 It was any other normal day, until this announcement came and I almost lost my precious brother.
2 I was listening to the radio blasting out music late at night when the radio fizzed and crackled. I was shocked as my radio has never crackled before. Then, the fizz died down and it was replaced by a deep male voice. It said, “There is an atomic bomb threat. Please evacuate at the nearest bomb shelter as soon as possible.” After that, it was replaced by loud music again. And as an answer to the warning, the bell that was not used except for bombs threats sounded for a long time. I was practically stunned and rooted on the ground. Then, I ran for the emergency bag. Luckily I had prepared enough for the bomb, I thought. I sling the bag over my shoulders, ran down the stairs (as I was living on the 2nd floor) and headed to a evacuation shelter as fast as my legs can carry me.
3 Then, I remembered, hey, where’s my brother? I was about to rush out when a person in the bomb shelter said,” It may be dangerous”. I said,” I am going to rescue my brother, no matter what it takes.” With that, I rushed out and went up the stairs. There was my brother, sleeping soundly on his bed, oblivious to any movement around him. I gently shook him up and told him about the whole matter. He was shocked too. Together, we rushed down the stairs and hid in the bomb shelter.
4 Five days has passed and we are running low on supplies. A person was impatient, so he rushed out and exclaimed, “Singapore is still there!” We followed suit and were surprised.
5 The next day, while we were watching television, we learnt that it was fake and this is to test how quick the citizen’s can evacuate. So, it will sound the bell to tell everyone is safe and get out from the bomb shelter now. We were all happy that we have been through this test and we passed! (349)
Sample 10
Sample 10
1 It was a cold, chilly night. The streets were deserted, and the dim, eerie lights of the street-lamps sent chills running down my back. I hugged my old coat nearer to me and quickened my footsteps. As I unlocked my front door, I saw a piece of paper flapping on the grass, and caught sight of a picture of a tall Dalmatian dog on it. Must be a lost dog poster, I thought. I shrugged and pushed the matter to the back of my head.
2 A warm cheery glow greeted me as I stepped into my house, and my servant helped me hang my coat and hat onto the coat stand. I sat onto my armchair and sipped on a cup of hot chocolate as I turned on the radio. Soothing classical music played, and I almost dropped off- who wouldn’t be tired after an entire day of working at a lab as a chemist - when suddenly the music was interrupted by an urgent announcement broadcasted by the police.
3 “Beware! It was reported that a dangerous creature has been sighted in the backyards of the people living in Kensington Street. Others living in that area, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!”
4 The music came back a second later, but now I was too worried to listen. I’d tell you, you would be worried too if you were living in Kensington Street, like I am.
5 I rushed to close all the windows, and locked all the doors I could find leading out of the house. Suddenly, I heard a growl coming from my backyard. It was the… the dangerous creature! I was very scared, but still managed to muster up the courage to peek out of the window. I saw a fierce, dirty looking creature rummaging through my dustbin, grunting and growling - although I had closed the window, I could still hear it -once in a while. I could feel my heart had jumped up to my mouth, but there was still a tinge of curiosity tugging at the corner of my brain. What was this creature? How did it look like?
6 I grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawers and shone it at the window. The mysterious creature must have saw the light, because it turned and snarled– and I was faced with the scary creature. Its bloodshot eyes that showed weariness was unlike anything I have ever seen before, it had sharp teeth, and tangled, matted, dirty fur with dark blotches here and there. It was standing on long, bony legs, and looked as if it had been starving for a long time.
7 Then, a second picture flashed through my mind– a Dalmatian. It looked a bit like this dangerous creature, which was divided from me by only a wall, only that the Dalmatian looked much more docile. It was the picture on the poster of a lost dog! I thought, it must be that the poor Dalmatian was lost and it was starving, and when it was starving it turned into a savage dog. I must help this poor little doggy (it’s funny how a person’s view changes once he finds out something new – remember what I first called it? A dangerous creature. Now I’m calling it a poor little doggy!).
8 I went into my emergency lab, which is in my house, and found a bottle of sleeping powder. I sprinkled some onto a piece of meat, and opened the window a teeny weensy bit– just enough to throw the meat out. I threw the piece of meat out of the window, and to the feet of the Dalmatian. The smell wafted up its nostrils, and it immediately gobbled up the meat. After about 3-5 minutes, the Dalmatian slowly lay down, and nodded off. I waited another few seconds to make sure it was really asleep, and called the police. I told them the whole story, and the police said they would come over as quietly as they could.
9 Just like they said, the police arrived in a few minutes, and get this– they came on bicycles! They quietly took the dog away, and only the sergeant remained. I invited him in for a cup of hot chocolate, but he shook his head firmly and thanked me for assisting the police and helping this street. I nodded and saw him away. I was glad this was over. I had never liked exciting events. Well, this has changed… (738)
1 It was a cold, chilly night. The streets were deserted, and the dim, eerie lights of the street-lamps sent chills running down my back. I hugged my old coat nearer to me and quickened my footsteps. As I unlocked my front door, I saw a piece of paper flapping on the grass, and caught sight of a picture of a tall Dalmatian dog on it. Must be a lost dog poster, I thought. I shrugged and pushed the matter to the back of my head.
2 A warm cheery glow greeted me as I stepped into my house, and my servant helped me hang my coat and hat onto the coat stand. I sat onto my armchair and sipped on a cup of hot chocolate as I turned on the radio. Soothing classical music played, and I almost dropped off- who wouldn’t be tired after an entire day of working at a lab as a chemist - when suddenly the music was interrupted by an urgent announcement broadcasted by the police.
3 “Beware! It was reported that a dangerous creature has been sighted in the backyards of the people living in Kensington Street. Others living in that area, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!”
4 The music came back a second later, but now I was too worried to listen. I’d tell you, you would be worried too if you were living in Kensington Street, like I am.
5 I rushed to close all the windows, and locked all the doors I could find leading out of the house. Suddenly, I heard a growl coming from my backyard. It was the… the dangerous creature! I was very scared, but still managed to muster up the courage to peek out of the window. I saw a fierce, dirty looking creature rummaging through my dustbin, grunting and growling - although I had closed the window, I could still hear it -once in a while. I could feel my heart had jumped up to my mouth, but there was still a tinge of curiosity tugging at the corner of my brain. What was this creature? How did it look like?
6 I grabbed a flashlight from the kitchen drawers and shone it at the window. The mysterious creature must have saw the light, because it turned and snarled– and I was faced with the scary creature. Its bloodshot eyes that showed weariness was unlike anything I have ever seen before, it had sharp teeth, and tangled, matted, dirty fur with dark blotches here and there. It was standing on long, bony legs, and looked as if it had been starving for a long time.
7 Then, a second picture flashed through my mind– a Dalmatian. It looked a bit like this dangerous creature, which was divided from me by only a wall, only that the Dalmatian looked much more docile. It was the picture on the poster of a lost dog! I thought, it must be that the poor Dalmatian was lost and it was starving, and when it was starving it turned into a savage dog. I must help this poor little doggy (it’s funny how a person’s view changes once he finds out something new – remember what I first called it? A dangerous creature. Now I’m calling it a poor little doggy!).
8 I went into my emergency lab, which is in my house, and found a bottle of sleeping powder. I sprinkled some onto a piece of meat, and opened the window a teeny weensy bit– just enough to throw the meat out. I threw the piece of meat out of the window, and to the feet of the Dalmatian. The smell wafted up its nostrils, and it immediately gobbled up the meat. After about 3-5 minutes, the Dalmatian slowly lay down, and nodded off. I waited another few seconds to make sure it was really asleep, and called the police. I told them the whole story, and the police said they would come over as quietly as they could.
9 Just like they said, the police arrived in a few minutes, and get this– they came on bicycles! They quietly took the dog away, and only the sergeant remained. I invited him in for a cup of hot chocolate, but he shook his head firmly and thanked me for assisting the police and helping this street. I nodded and saw him away. I was glad this was over. I had never liked exciting events. Well, this has changed… (738)
Sample 9
Sample 9
1 One stormy Saturday night, I had finished my homework and decided to stay up for a while to listen to some soothing music on the radio before going to sleep. My parents had gone to their friend’s house for dinner and I promised them I would be asleep before they come home. I switched the radio to my favourite channel and plopped down onto the sofa in my pajamas with a small pillow. The gentle music was very peaceful and I found myself slowly dozing off……
2 Suddenly, I was woke up by the abrupt stop of the music with an annoying beep. A shrill voice from the radio said,” We interrupt this program with a very important announcement. A very dangerous tiger which has escaped from the zoo has gone to this area. Repeat, a very dangerous tiger which has escaped from the zoo has gone to this area. Residents are advised to lock windows and doors immediately.” Upon hearing the message, I jumped up and ran to bolt all the windows and doors in the house that I could reach.
3 Then, perspiring all over and quite breathless, I trudged wearily to my room for a good night’s sleep. I pushed open my bedroom door with a creak, and saw a pair of green eyes staring back at me. I was stupefied and slammed the door shut with a bang. I found the key and locked the door, then rushed downstairs to call the experts.
4 After ten minutes, a van with a team of experts inside arrived outside my house. They followed me grimly as I led the way up to my room, some carrying heavy nets and others with tranquilizer guns. One of them slowly opened the door while the others stood nearby, clutching their gigantic nets and tranquilizer guns, waiting to strike. I stood a large distance away from them, my teeth chattering with fear.
5 The expert opened the door and out scampered a small, orange colored cat with green eyes. It mewed pitifully at me while I stood stunned. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten to close the windows in my room, and the cat had got in! As you see, I was quite a forgetful person. After a long, awkward silence, one of the experts chuckled and said, “Well, that’s one problem solved, little girl!” and the team left. Then, I was reminded of something: I had to be asleep before my parents came back. I picked the cat up and took it to my room; I had taken a liking to it and decided to call it Tiger, to remind me of this little incident. (442)
1 One stormy Saturday night, I had finished my homework and decided to stay up for a while to listen to some soothing music on the radio before going to sleep. My parents had gone to their friend’s house for dinner and I promised them I would be asleep before they come home. I switched the radio to my favourite channel and plopped down onto the sofa in my pajamas with a small pillow. The gentle music was very peaceful and I found myself slowly dozing off……
2 Suddenly, I was woke up by the abrupt stop of the music with an annoying beep. A shrill voice from the radio said,” We interrupt this program with a very important announcement. A very dangerous tiger which has escaped from the zoo has gone to this area. Repeat, a very dangerous tiger which has escaped from the zoo has gone to this area. Residents are advised to lock windows and doors immediately.” Upon hearing the message, I jumped up and ran to bolt all the windows and doors in the house that I could reach.
3 Then, perspiring all over and quite breathless, I trudged wearily to my room for a good night’s sleep. I pushed open my bedroom door with a creak, and saw a pair of green eyes staring back at me. I was stupefied and slammed the door shut with a bang. I found the key and locked the door, then rushed downstairs to call the experts.
4 After ten minutes, a van with a team of experts inside arrived outside my house. They followed me grimly as I led the way up to my room, some carrying heavy nets and others with tranquilizer guns. One of them slowly opened the door while the others stood nearby, clutching their gigantic nets and tranquilizer guns, waiting to strike. I stood a large distance away from them, my teeth chattering with fear.
5 The expert opened the door and out scampered a small, orange colored cat with green eyes. It mewed pitifully at me while I stood stunned. Then it dawned on me. I had forgotten to close the windows in my room, and the cat had got in! As you see, I was quite a forgetful person. After a long, awkward silence, one of the experts chuckled and said, “Well, that’s one problem solved, little girl!” and the team left. Then, I was reminded of something: I had to be asleep before my parents came back. I picked the cat up and took it to my room; I had taken a liking to it and decided to call it Tiger, to remind me of this little incident. (442)
Sample 8
Sample 8
1 One night, I was lying on the sofa at home, listening to the soothing music that the radio was broadcasting. All of a sudden, the radio cackled and a voice said in an urgent tone, “This is Channel 936 reporting. The series murderer of Kelly, Kettering, Sonvy and Joe was last seen in the neighborhood of Bukit Batok, Singapore. Everyone, please be alert.” Then, the music returned to the radio.
2 However, even while listening to the music, I did not feel calm and soothed. Instead, I felt very frightened and shocked, because I live in Bukit Batok! I murmured to myself, “Oh no! What should I do?”, then got up very stiffly but hurriedly to close and lock the windows and doors. After that, I finally settled into bed, hoping to get some sleep.
3 The next day, I woke up bright and early. Immediately, I dressed myself and headed to the police station to look at the picture of the murderer. I wanted to make sure that I can recognize him if he was anywhere near me. Thus, I brisk-walked to the police station and stared at the picture of the wanted murderer on the window of the police station until I memorized it by heart. After that, I walked to the shopping mall to have breakfast.
4 Soon after, I arrived at the shopping mall. I walked to “The Toast” shop to have breakfast. All of a sudden, from the corners of my eyes, I saw a person with a cap pulled over his face, creeping along the corridors. “Hey! Isn’t that person very familiar?” I thought to myself. I stopped walking abruptly and it hit me: the person was the series murderer whose picture I saw at the police station earlier in the morning! I screamed out at the top of my lungs, “That’s the series murderer, the wanted man!”
5 Everyone around me turned to look at me, then turned to where I was pointing. There, the wanted man stood rooted to the ground, his face as pale as a sheet. A few of the other customers also recognized the man, and they shouted too, “That is the wanted man! Quick, someone, call the police!” A few customers appeared to be too frightened to call the police, so, having recovered from the shock, I took out my hand phone and dialed “999”.
6 “Hello?” a policeman answered. I told the policeman about what is happening and asked him to come to the shopping mall very quickly. Then, I hung up. Meanwhile, the murderer made a run for the shopping mall door. However, there were too many people between him and the door, so he was trapped in the shopping mall! He began to perspire. Soon, the sound of the police cars arriving relaxed all the customers in the mall. The murderer became even paler, and tried to run again, but to no avail.
7 “Hands up! The police is here!” one police man shouted. The wanted man realized that he had no hope of escaping any more. He would be captured in five minutes. In that five minutes, many things happened. The police squeezed through the crowd to the murderer, he was captured and all the customers returned to their shopping. The police praised me for being a responsible citizen and for helping to capture the wanted man.
8 That day, I was very happy and relieved. Happy because I had helped to capture the murderer, and relieved because I would not have to be afraid of being murdered any more. It was the most memorable day of my life. (598)
1 One night, I was lying on the sofa at home, listening to the soothing music that the radio was broadcasting. All of a sudden, the radio cackled and a voice said in an urgent tone, “This is Channel 936 reporting. The series murderer of Kelly, Kettering, Sonvy and Joe was last seen in the neighborhood of Bukit Batok, Singapore. Everyone, please be alert.” Then, the music returned to the radio.
2 However, even while listening to the music, I did not feel calm and soothed. Instead, I felt very frightened and shocked, because I live in Bukit Batok! I murmured to myself, “Oh no! What should I do?”, then got up very stiffly but hurriedly to close and lock the windows and doors. After that, I finally settled into bed, hoping to get some sleep.
3 The next day, I woke up bright and early. Immediately, I dressed myself and headed to the police station to look at the picture of the murderer. I wanted to make sure that I can recognize him if he was anywhere near me. Thus, I brisk-walked to the police station and stared at the picture of the wanted murderer on the window of the police station until I memorized it by heart. After that, I walked to the shopping mall to have breakfast.
4 Soon after, I arrived at the shopping mall. I walked to “The Toast” shop to have breakfast. All of a sudden, from the corners of my eyes, I saw a person with a cap pulled over his face, creeping along the corridors. “Hey! Isn’t that person very familiar?” I thought to myself. I stopped walking abruptly and it hit me: the person was the series murderer whose picture I saw at the police station earlier in the morning! I screamed out at the top of my lungs, “That’s the series murderer, the wanted man!”
5 Everyone around me turned to look at me, then turned to where I was pointing. There, the wanted man stood rooted to the ground, his face as pale as a sheet. A few of the other customers also recognized the man, and they shouted too, “That is the wanted man! Quick, someone, call the police!” A few customers appeared to be too frightened to call the police, so, having recovered from the shock, I took out my hand phone and dialed “999”.
6 “Hello?” a policeman answered. I told the policeman about what is happening and asked him to come to the shopping mall very quickly. Then, I hung up. Meanwhile, the murderer made a run for the shopping mall door. However, there were too many people between him and the door, so he was trapped in the shopping mall! He began to perspire. Soon, the sound of the police cars arriving relaxed all the customers in the mall. The murderer became even paler, and tried to run again, but to no avail.
7 “Hands up! The police is here!” one police man shouted. The wanted man realized that he had no hope of escaping any more. He would be captured in five minutes. In that five minutes, many things happened. The police squeezed through the crowd to the murderer, he was captured and all the customers returned to their shopping. The police praised me for being a responsible citizen and for helping to capture the wanted man.
8 That day, I was very happy and relieved. Happy because I had helped to capture the murderer, and relieved because I would not have to be afraid of being murdered any more. It was the most memorable day of my life. (598)
Sample 7
Sample 7
1 "Phew!" I thought as I plopped down on the sofa. Relaxing on the sofa, I switched on the radio and listened with interest, for the latest hot songs. Just when they were playing through my favourite song, a piercing screech could be heard from the radio, and suddenly, an anxious voice of the DJ blasted the whole speaker,” All residents please do note! A hurricane is heading our way, I repeat; a hurricane is coming our way! Please do the necessary preparations and we encourage you to surf the internet for more information. We will try our best to help the people in danger. However, please do it yourself if you know how to do it. Remember, do not go outside anymore. Your safety is our priority! Thank you."
2 I leaped out of the sofa in immense alarm. What should I do now? I started to panic, and my whole mind was filled with the thought that my life was in danger. I ran about the house, pulling my hair in distress. I was trying to think of an idea which could help ensure my safety. However, my mind was blank and still in a state of shock. I was about to switch on the computer to surf the net, when suddenly, an idea pushed its way out of the back of my head. I recalled with relief, that I had once attended a workshop on what we should do when a hurricane occurs. I knew I had the notes somewhere, and so I started opening all the wardrobes and bookshelves in the house. Thump, thump, thump! Stacks of notes and books flew out of my hands as I searched for the notes in despair. Finally, just when I was about to give up, I found the notes. I took a long sigh of relief, as I started flipping through the notes.
3 However, I could not get anything right from my hands! I was too anxious to get things done; however, it took me an even longer time to understand, and made it impossible for me to get started! I took a deep breath, and told myself, “Alright, calm down.” I took a long, deep breath, and got started again. I took out a roll of masking tape, and started following the instructions on the book. The tearing noise of paper could be heard as I tore strips of masking tape from the roll. Bit by bit, the house windows and doors were stuck with masking tape, and soon enough everything was done just like the notes had said it should be.
4 Just when I had finished everything, I could hear the howling of the strong wind approaching, as well as the sound of rustling leaves falling onto the ground. I laughed out to myself,” Ha! Thank goodness I was smart enough to search for my notes! Who needs the computer! My brain is the best! I will be in complete safety now!”
5 Suddenly, the window burst open, and gusts of strong wind greeted me, as well as a tangled mixture of leaves and branches. I was taken aback, and for a moment, I did not know what was going on. I stood there, legs rooted to the ground and eyes widened as I watched the strong wind flinging around my belongings in the house. Then, an unexpected hit on my head from a book woke me up from my daze, and I started ducking from the random stuff that was coming my way. First a cup, then the wastepaper basket… Things were all around in a mess! I tried to make my way cautiously towards the window, ducking from all the things that almost hit me. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the window, and pulled with all my might to close the window. Luckily, the force of the wind had weakened, and it was easier for me to close the window.
6 I heaved a sigh of relief, now that things were not flying around. However, the moment I turned my back, what greeted me was the complete mess inside the house. Things were strewn all over the floor! Shattered cups, torn books and magazines, rubbish from the wastepaper basket, overturned tables, and lots more destroyed belongings! I took a long sigh, and started cleaning the house. Just when I was almost done, I saw the unhelpful notes lying in a pile on the floor. I grabbed it angrily, and flung it towards the ceiling. I regretted not surfing the net for information, and I hung my head in shame, reflecting on my arrogance just about half an hour ago. I learnt a lesson this time, that a person should never try to take a short cut out of any problem, but face it with the right attitude. I strongly believe that even if I had done wrong this time, I will do even better the next time. I vowed to myself secretly, that I will never make the same mistake again. (836)
1 "Phew!" I thought as I plopped down on the sofa. Relaxing on the sofa, I switched on the radio and listened with interest, for the latest hot songs. Just when they were playing through my favourite song, a piercing screech could be heard from the radio, and suddenly, an anxious voice of the DJ blasted the whole speaker,” All residents please do note! A hurricane is heading our way, I repeat; a hurricane is coming our way! Please do the necessary preparations and we encourage you to surf the internet for more information. We will try our best to help the people in danger. However, please do it yourself if you know how to do it. Remember, do not go outside anymore. Your safety is our priority! Thank you."
2 I leaped out of the sofa in immense alarm. What should I do now? I started to panic, and my whole mind was filled with the thought that my life was in danger. I ran about the house, pulling my hair in distress. I was trying to think of an idea which could help ensure my safety. However, my mind was blank and still in a state of shock. I was about to switch on the computer to surf the net, when suddenly, an idea pushed its way out of the back of my head. I recalled with relief, that I had once attended a workshop on what we should do when a hurricane occurs. I knew I had the notes somewhere, and so I started opening all the wardrobes and bookshelves in the house. Thump, thump, thump! Stacks of notes and books flew out of my hands as I searched for the notes in despair. Finally, just when I was about to give up, I found the notes. I took a long sigh of relief, as I started flipping through the notes.
3 However, I could not get anything right from my hands! I was too anxious to get things done; however, it took me an even longer time to understand, and made it impossible for me to get started! I took a deep breath, and told myself, “Alright, calm down.” I took a long, deep breath, and got started again. I took out a roll of masking tape, and started following the instructions on the book. The tearing noise of paper could be heard as I tore strips of masking tape from the roll. Bit by bit, the house windows and doors were stuck with masking tape, and soon enough everything was done just like the notes had said it should be.
4 Just when I had finished everything, I could hear the howling of the strong wind approaching, as well as the sound of rustling leaves falling onto the ground. I laughed out to myself,” Ha! Thank goodness I was smart enough to search for my notes! Who needs the computer! My brain is the best! I will be in complete safety now!”
5 Suddenly, the window burst open, and gusts of strong wind greeted me, as well as a tangled mixture of leaves and branches. I was taken aback, and for a moment, I did not know what was going on. I stood there, legs rooted to the ground and eyes widened as I watched the strong wind flinging around my belongings in the house. Then, an unexpected hit on my head from a book woke me up from my daze, and I started ducking from the random stuff that was coming my way. First a cup, then the wastepaper basket… Things were all around in a mess! I tried to make my way cautiously towards the window, ducking from all the things that almost hit me. After what seemed like an eternity, I finally reached the window, and pulled with all my might to close the window. Luckily, the force of the wind had weakened, and it was easier for me to close the window.
6 I heaved a sigh of relief, now that things were not flying around. However, the moment I turned my back, what greeted me was the complete mess inside the house. Things were strewn all over the floor! Shattered cups, torn books and magazines, rubbish from the wastepaper basket, overturned tables, and lots more destroyed belongings! I took a long sigh, and started cleaning the house. Just when I was almost done, I saw the unhelpful notes lying in a pile on the floor. I grabbed it angrily, and flung it towards the ceiling. I regretted not surfing the net for information, and I hung my head in shame, reflecting on my arrogance just about half an hour ago. I learnt a lesson this time, that a person should never try to take a short cut out of any problem, but face it with the right attitude. I strongly believe that even if I had done wrong this time, I will do even better the next time. I vowed to myself secretly, that I will never make the same mistake again. (836)
Sample 6
Sample 6
1 The night was cooling and fresh. It smelled like fresh spring rose blossoms, so refreshing, yet there are dangers everywhere lurking in its shadows.
2 I saw my home in a distance; it was dark, as it always was. I walked, until I reached my home. I unlocked the door and went in.
3 After taking a soothing bath, I sat down next to the radio to listen to some classical music, I like them the most, makes me feel so relaxed.
4 After a period of time, my peaceful moments were interrupted by a broadcast. “Listen carefully, we are the…” and then the line went crackly for a moment, “ w…the…sta…n, we now detect a tsunami coming in the direction of Singapore, those that heard this warning please warn others and get ready to evacuate from Singapore.”
5 “What bad luck, Singapore almost never has natural disasters, this year isn’t going to be an auspicious year, that’s for sure”, I thought as I was packing.
6 Luckily, because I was one of the fortunate that heard the radio, I evacuated Singapore safely. The night was certainly dangerous.
7 I was on the plane, getting ready to be escorted to a nearby island with no tsunami, when I saw it, I saw that other than me and a few elderlies, the whole plane was empty!
8 Hmm…this is funny. Why would there be only about ten people escaping the tsunami?
9 I have a habit, when I am in doubt, I always listen to my beloved portable radio.
10 After two minutes, I was so angry that I hit the roof, ouch!
11 It was a trick!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a trick that someone invented to get revenge on the weather station!! Then I remembered something more than that, today was also April fool’s day!!! Well I have certainly become the fool.
11 After I finished the painful experience of hitting the roof, I went to tell all the passengers to leave the airplane as there was no tsunami coming, but none of them listened to me,
12 “are you saying that we are wrong?”
13 “how dare you say that we are wrong!”
14 “what’s wrong with young people nowadays?”
15 “they just don’t listen to our advices”
16 “tut tut!!”
17 So, without taking them along, I went for the door before they could cover me with saliva.
18 Just as I was getting into a taxi to go back home, I saw a humongous tsunami going closer and closer to the island and “ splash!!!!!!”
19 I had a very wet time, and a wary night too.
20 After I dried myself off 5 hours later, I went to bed thinking that the report saying that there was no tsunami was the real joke, and that I would have made a great April fool day clown. Good for me, not. (462)
1 The night was cooling and fresh. It smelled like fresh spring rose blossoms, so refreshing, yet there are dangers everywhere lurking in its shadows.
2 I saw my home in a distance; it was dark, as it always was. I walked, until I reached my home. I unlocked the door and went in.
3 After taking a soothing bath, I sat down next to the radio to listen to some classical music, I like them the most, makes me feel so relaxed.
4 After a period of time, my peaceful moments were interrupted by a broadcast. “Listen carefully, we are the…” and then the line went crackly for a moment, “ w…the…sta…n, we now detect a tsunami coming in the direction of Singapore, those that heard this warning please warn others and get ready to evacuate from Singapore.”
5 “What bad luck, Singapore almost never has natural disasters, this year isn’t going to be an auspicious year, that’s for sure”, I thought as I was packing.
6 Luckily, because I was one of the fortunate that heard the radio, I evacuated Singapore safely. The night was certainly dangerous.
7 I was on the plane, getting ready to be escorted to a nearby island with no tsunami, when I saw it, I saw that other than me and a few elderlies, the whole plane was empty!
8 Hmm…this is funny. Why would there be only about ten people escaping the tsunami?
9 I have a habit, when I am in doubt, I always listen to my beloved portable radio.
10 After two minutes, I was so angry that I hit the roof, ouch!
11 It was a trick!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a trick that someone invented to get revenge on the weather station!! Then I remembered something more than that, today was also April fool’s day!!! Well I have certainly become the fool.
11 After I finished the painful experience of hitting the roof, I went to tell all the passengers to leave the airplane as there was no tsunami coming, but none of them listened to me,
12 “are you saying that we are wrong?”
13 “how dare you say that we are wrong!”
14 “what’s wrong with young people nowadays?”
15 “they just don’t listen to our advices”
16 “tut tut!!”
17 So, without taking them along, I went for the door before they could cover me with saliva.
18 Just as I was getting into a taxi to go back home, I saw a humongous tsunami going closer and closer to the island and “ splash!!!!!!”
19 I had a very wet time, and a wary night too.
20 After I dried myself off 5 hours later, I went to bed thinking that the report saying that there was no tsunami was the real joke, and that I would have made a great April fool day clown. Good for me, not. (462)
Sample 5
Sample 5
1 It was late in the night. I lay comfortably on my soft bed staring at the dark night sky which was full of bright shining stars twinkling and the big, round moon that hung in the sky.
2 Meanwhile, I was listening to soothing music which was broadcasted on the radio. Suddenly, a piece of shocking news interrupted my peaceful mood. “This is channel 9.8.2 reporting. The murderer of the series of murder has been known. However, he has not been caught yet. He had been last seen in the Clementi district. Advice to all: Please do not keep precious items at home especially the rich” An anxious voice said urgently. When I heard this piece of news, I was about to faint.
3 The soothing music continued to play, but it could not calm my anxious and urgent feelings. A million thoughts had rushed through my mind; what if…what if…
4 I ran down the stairs to the living room to inform my family of the latest shocking news. I fled down the stairs, caught my breath and started speaking rapidly” Oh no! The radio station had said that the murderer of the recent series of murders has been found but he has not been caught! Did you leave anything precious in the house? ……” I went on and on.
5 After that, we decided that the best plan was to make precautions and remain calm. We went to our neighbours and advised them to make sure that their windows and doors are locked before going to sleep. After informing everyone, we ensured that our doors and windows are locked before sleeping.
Even after we made precautions, I still felt uneasy and could not get to sleep peacefully. I turned and flipped around in bed thinking that the murderer might be in the neighbourhood. When the alarm rang, I woke up and got ready to go to school.
6 On my way to school, I saw someone giving out flyers. Some people who got the flyer looked frightened and horrified. Curiosity aroused me to take a look at that flyer. I walked over and took a copy. When I was looking through it, I realized that it was about the murderer. It said”Wanted man! He is the murderer of the recent series of murders. He had been last seen in Clementi. If he is seen by anyone, please inform the police by dialing 999.”
7 I continued my journey to school. Suddenly, I saw a man that looked familiar; it seems that I have seen him somewhere. Just then, a thought struck my mind” It was the murderer.” I took out the copy of the flyer and compared it with the man whom I recognized as the murderer. When I realized that it was the murderer, I was so dismayed and scared that I was rooted to the ground.
After recovering from my shock, I took out my phone and dialed 999 to inform the police. “Hello,” I said” I am calling from Clementi and I have seen the murderer who is wanted.”
8 After a few minutes, the police arrived and the murderer was arrested. The policeman praised me” You are very brave, you have helped in the capture of the wanted man. Thank you for your co-operation.”
9 When the policeman praised me, I could not help thinking that I was one of the luckiest person to be able to help in the arrest of a criminal. I was all smiles for the rest of the day. I felt proud of myself to be able to play a part in protecting our nation and people. (600)
1 It was late in the night. I lay comfortably on my soft bed staring at the dark night sky which was full of bright shining stars twinkling and the big, round moon that hung in the sky.
2 Meanwhile, I was listening to soothing music which was broadcasted on the radio. Suddenly, a piece of shocking news interrupted my peaceful mood. “This is channel 9.8.2 reporting. The murderer of the series of murder has been known. However, he has not been caught yet. He had been last seen in the Clementi district. Advice to all: Please do not keep precious items at home especially the rich” An anxious voice said urgently. When I heard this piece of news, I was about to faint.
3 The soothing music continued to play, but it could not calm my anxious and urgent feelings. A million thoughts had rushed through my mind; what if…what if…
4 I ran down the stairs to the living room to inform my family of the latest shocking news. I fled down the stairs, caught my breath and started speaking rapidly” Oh no! The radio station had said that the murderer of the recent series of murders has been found but he has not been caught! Did you leave anything precious in the house? ……” I went on and on.
5 After that, we decided that the best plan was to make precautions and remain calm. We went to our neighbours and advised them to make sure that their windows and doors are locked before going to sleep. After informing everyone, we ensured that our doors and windows are locked before sleeping.
Even after we made precautions, I still felt uneasy and could not get to sleep peacefully. I turned and flipped around in bed thinking that the murderer might be in the neighbourhood. When the alarm rang, I woke up and got ready to go to school.
6 On my way to school, I saw someone giving out flyers. Some people who got the flyer looked frightened and horrified. Curiosity aroused me to take a look at that flyer. I walked over and took a copy. When I was looking through it, I realized that it was about the murderer. It said”Wanted man! He is the murderer of the recent series of murders. He had been last seen in Clementi. If he is seen by anyone, please inform the police by dialing 999.”
7 I continued my journey to school. Suddenly, I saw a man that looked familiar; it seems that I have seen him somewhere. Just then, a thought struck my mind” It was the murderer.” I took out the copy of the flyer and compared it with the man whom I recognized as the murderer. When I realized that it was the murderer, I was so dismayed and scared that I was rooted to the ground.
After recovering from my shock, I took out my phone and dialed 999 to inform the police. “Hello,” I said” I am calling from Clementi and I have seen the murderer who is wanted.”
8 After a few minutes, the police arrived and the murderer was arrested. The policeman praised me” You are very brave, you have helped in the capture of the wanted man. Thank you for your co-operation.”
9 When the policeman praised me, I could not help thinking that I was one of the luckiest person to be able to help in the arrest of a criminal. I was all smiles for the rest of the day. I felt proud of myself to be able to play a part in protecting our nation and people. (600)
Sample 4
Sample 4
1 One night, I had been listening to soothing music on the radio before going to sleep. I sat on the sofa, eyes closed, taking in the beautiful tune. Gradually, I dozed off……
2 The music stopped abruptly. My eyelids flew open as I sensed, in my dreams, the music ending. A voice was now coming from the radio, “We interrupt this program to give you urgent news: a dangerous lion has escaped from the zoo! The zookeepers are now looking for it, but we advise you to stay at home until we announce its recapture. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” I jumped up from the sofa. A ferocious lion, on the lose around Singapore? I shuddered. The music started again. I sank onto the sofa again, somewhat calmed by it. As I listened, I made a decision: I was going to stay up until they announced the recapture. Otherwise, I would never feel safe again. After a while, I fell asleep.
3 When I woke up, it was already morning, and I had completely forgotten about the escaped lion. I was famished. Seeing that my parents weren’t awake yet, I decided to go out and buy myself some sweets.
4 As I walked down the streets, I hummed the song I had listened to last night. It seemed to be connected to a lion. I struggled to remember the details, but they seemed to have trickled out of my brain when I was asleep. I shook my head, and concentrated on the sweets I was going to buy. As I neared a corner, I heard a ferocious roar. My heart started thudding. I wasn’t keen on spending the rest of my life in a lion’s stomach. I rounded the corner.
5 My heart jumped into my mouth. Charging along the road, right at me, was a ferocious lion! Its matted brown fur told me that it had been traveling for ages. It looked like it had been starved for a long time. And I would look really good to it. I could even imagine it licking its chops after it devoured me. I cried out, but no one else was on the lonely street. The lion charged. By instinct, I ducked behind a tree. The lion blinked and skidded to a halt. Hidden by the tree, I glanced wildly around, looking for a weapon. But I knew it was hopeless. What weapon could be used against a lion? A net to trap it in, I thought. But where could I find a net now? Right behind me, was a fishermen’s shop. There! I was overjoyed. I dashed inside, looking desperately for a big enough net to capture the lion. I looked and looked, but all were too small. Meanwhile, the lion was sniffing and nosing around, still searching for its prey that had appeared and then disappeared so fast. I could feel its breathe on my face when it ate me already. I did not want to be eaten. I searched faster.
6 After what seemed like an eternity, I realized two things: the lion had bad eyesight and I had finally found a big enough net! I rushed out the shop. The lion roared. Looks like it had finally found its prey. I ducked behind the lion. It blinked, confused, and looked around trying to see where his breakfast had gone. Ha! I thought, Gotcha, big guy! I grinned. I readied myself. I raised the net above my head. I brought it down on the lion! It roared in a surprised sort of way and, when realizing that it was caught, whimpered and seemed to admit defeat. I called the zoo and said that I had the lion caught, one hand holding on to the net which held the “ferocious” lion, which was now sniveling sadly. They refused to believe me, but when I got them to hear the lion’s moans, they were delighted and came in their huge van in ten minutes. Then they loaded the lion into a cage.
7 I was awarded many awards: the Lion Tamer award, the Bravery award, and the Great with Animals award included. You name it, I’ve got it. Some of them weren’t even about lions, bravery and animals. But each had a prize-giving ceremony in which I received my prizes. I stood up on the stage, grinning; I loved getting attention. Catching a lion? It’s all in a day’s work for me! (737)
1 One night, I had been listening to soothing music on the radio before going to sleep. I sat on the sofa, eyes closed, taking in the beautiful tune. Gradually, I dozed off……
2 The music stopped abruptly. My eyelids flew open as I sensed, in my dreams, the music ending. A voice was now coming from the radio, “We interrupt this program to give you urgent news: a dangerous lion has escaped from the zoo! The zookeepers are now looking for it, but we advise you to stay at home until we announce its recapture. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.” I jumped up from the sofa. A ferocious lion, on the lose around Singapore? I shuddered. The music started again. I sank onto the sofa again, somewhat calmed by it. As I listened, I made a decision: I was going to stay up until they announced the recapture. Otherwise, I would never feel safe again. After a while, I fell asleep.
3 When I woke up, it was already morning, and I had completely forgotten about the escaped lion. I was famished. Seeing that my parents weren’t awake yet, I decided to go out and buy myself some sweets.
4 As I walked down the streets, I hummed the song I had listened to last night. It seemed to be connected to a lion. I struggled to remember the details, but they seemed to have trickled out of my brain when I was asleep. I shook my head, and concentrated on the sweets I was going to buy. As I neared a corner, I heard a ferocious roar. My heart started thudding. I wasn’t keen on spending the rest of my life in a lion’s stomach. I rounded the corner.
5 My heart jumped into my mouth. Charging along the road, right at me, was a ferocious lion! Its matted brown fur told me that it had been traveling for ages. It looked like it had been starved for a long time. And I would look really good to it. I could even imagine it licking its chops after it devoured me. I cried out, but no one else was on the lonely street. The lion charged. By instinct, I ducked behind a tree. The lion blinked and skidded to a halt. Hidden by the tree, I glanced wildly around, looking for a weapon. But I knew it was hopeless. What weapon could be used against a lion? A net to trap it in, I thought. But where could I find a net now? Right behind me, was a fishermen’s shop. There! I was overjoyed. I dashed inside, looking desperately for a big enough net to capture the lion. I looked and looked, but all were too small. Meanwhile, the lion was sniffing and nosing around, still searching for its prey that had appeared and then disappeared so fast. I could feel its breathe on my face when it ate me already. I did not want to be eaten. I searched faster.
6 After what seemed like an eternity, I realized two things: the lion had bad eyesight and I had finally found a big enough net! I rushed out the shop. The lion roared. Looks like it had finally found its prey. I ducked behind the lion. It blinked, confused, and looked around trying to see where his breakfast had gone. Ha! I thought, Gotcha, big guy! I grinned. I readied myself. I raised the net above my head. I brought it down on the lion! It roared in a surprised sort of way and, when realizing that it was caught, whimpered and seemed to admit defeat. I called the zoo and said that I had the lion caught, one hand holding on to the net which held the “ferocious” lion, which was now sniveling sadly. They refused to believe me, but when I got them to hear the lion’s moans, they were delighted and came in their huge van in ten minutes. Then they loaded the lion into a cage.
7 I was awarded many awards: the Lion Tamer award, the Bravery award, and the Great with Animals award included. You name it, I’ve got it. Some of them weren’t even about lions, bravery and animals. But each had a prize-giving ceremony in which I received my prizes. I stood up on the stage, grinning; I loved getting attention. Catching a lion? It’s all in a day’s work for me! (737)
Sample 3
Sample 3
1 The night was quiet in Orchard road. I was on my leather couch, listening to the radio and sipping a cup of tea. The radio station played sooth classic music, making my night even more relaxing. I was about to doze off when the music stopped. I heard the station report urgent news “There’s going to be a flood at orchard road! The news station said it! Folks, please get ready to go through the flood!” I jolted out of the couch and dropped my mug into a thousand fragments. The crash woke me up to my senses. Frantically, I began to pack my precious china, some clothes, my hand phone, my laptop and other valuables. I was upset, and had a right to be. The water began rising up to my ankles.
2 Raindrops hit the roof and thunder was crashing as loud as a stereo with the volume turned to the limit and with the speaker to your ear. It was a devastating sight. The water was slowly rising up to my knees. Suddenly, I smelt a disgusting odor coming from the bathroom. My toilet looked like a geyser, with water shooting out of the toilet bowl at great speed. I waded to the living room hastily. I was upset, and had a right to be. I held my bag higher and hastily reached for the doorknob. Knowing that my house is being destroyed is bad enough, but realizing that I can’t do anything to stop it feels even worse.
3 By the time I got out my house, rescue rafts with people on top were everywhere. The street was like a big swimming pool. I raised my bag above my head and with the help of an officer; I got up onto one of the rafts and met some of my neighbors. They weren’t crying like others; they were praying. I looked around and saw the houses half-submerged in dirty, brown water. It was pouring heavily by now, and we had to row over to a nearby shelter.
4 About half an hour later, the prayers were answered and it finally stopped pouring. Finally, it was safe for us to walk on the streets. Everybody in the neighborhood gathered at the street corner, and bonded. Acquaintances became friends, friends became like family. For the next few days, I had to live with my friend’s house, where I could shower, do laundry, eat and have a good time together. (408)
1 The night was quiet in Orchard road. I was on my leather couch, listening to the radio and sipping a cup of tea. The radio station played sooth classic music, making my night even more relaxing. I was about to doze off when the music stopped. I heard the station report urgent news “There’s going to be a flood at orchard road! The news station said it! Folks, please get ready to go through the flood!” I jolted out of the couch and dropped my mug into a thousand fragments. The crash woke me up to my senses. Frantically, I began to pack my precious china, some clothes, my hand phone, my laptop and other valuables. I was upset, and had a right to be. The water began rising up to my ankles.
2 Raindrops hit the roof and thunder was crashing as loud as a stereo with the volume turned to the limit and with the speaker to your ear. It was a devastating sight. The water was slowly rising up to my knees. Suddenly, I smelt a disgusting odor coming from the bathroom. My toilet looked like a geyser, with water shooting out of the toilet bowl at great speed. I waded to the living room hastily. I was upset, and had a right to be. I held my bag higher and hastily reached for the doorknob. Knowing that my house is being destroyed is bad enough, but realizing that I can’t do anything to stop it feels even worse.
3 By the time I got out my house, rescue rafts with people on top were everywhere. The street was like a big swimming pool. I raised my bag above my head and with the help of an officer; I got up onto one of the rafts and met some of my neighbors. They weren’t crying like others; they were praying. I looked around and saw the houses half-submerged in dirty, brown water. It was pouring heavily by now, and we had to row over to a nearby shelter.
4 About half an hour later, the prayers were answered and it finally stopped pouring. Finally, it was safe for us to walk on the streets. Everybody in the neighborhood gathered at the street corner, and bonded. Acquaintances became friends, friends became like family. For the next few days, I had to live with my friend’s house, where I could shower, do laundry, eat and have a good time together. (408)
Sample 2
Sample 2
1 It was a late Saturday night. The sky was empty; except for the big yellow moon which hung brightly in the sky. I lay on my table, eyes half-open. A homework book lay open beside me, and upon seeing the book, I sighed to myself and decided to do the homework another day.
2 I decided to listen to the radio to relax. I tuned in to 950 and listened to the soothing music. Suddenly, I heard a voice coming on the radio and said in a very anxious and frightened voice, “Sorry for interrupting the program. We have a very important message to broadcast…” I perked up my ears. What could be so important at so late at the night? “…there is a murderer on-loose! He is known to have killed many people. Please shut all doors and windows and stay indoors!”
3 The soothing music continued to play, but even that could not calm my multi-feelings. “What if…” A million thoughts rushed through my mind. My peaceful mood was ruined by the frightening warning.
4 Scared and helpless at the same time, I decided to go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow I would forget about this murderer. But I found out that I could not sleep. The words of the broadcaster kept ringing in my head. I sighed and forced myself to close my eyes and fall asleep ……
5 The next day, despite having gone to sleep late last night, I woke up surprisingly early. There were only little traces of the warning last night still left in my head.
6 When I went downstairs to buy breakfast, I saw someone giving out flyers. Curious, I went and took a piece of the flyer and the sight made me shudder. It was the murderer! It said: “Wanted! Dangerous murderer in this vicinity. If seen, please inform the police immediately at 999.” There was also a picture of the man attached with the flyer. The man was probably in his forties, I thought as I looked at the picture. He had a moustache and looked very fierce. I stared at the notice, dumbfounded.
7 As I was queuing up to buy my favourite toast bread, I saw someone which looked very familiar, liked I had seen him somewhere before. Then, a thought struck my mind. It was the murderer! I took a quick glance at the flyer again and I made my conclusion. It was him!
8 I was rooted to the spot. What should I do? I thought. Two voices rang in my head at the same time. One was telling me to call the police immediately while the other one was telling me that I had mistaken the man for the murderer.
9 I decided to call the police. Picking up my mobile phone, I dialed 999. Within minutes, I heard sirens ringing and I shot the “murderer” another glance. I saw his expression changing and he was about to leave without finishing his breakfast. However, he could not trick the police. The squad of policemen rushed towards him and handcuffed him.
10 Everyone was curious and started crowding to see what happened and I saw many shocked faces when they saw the murderer. Not wanting myself to be discovered, I exited the coffee shop without buying my breakfast.
11 Although my tummy was still rumbling angrily as I was very hungry, I smiled to myself as I knew that I had done a good deed. (569)
1 It was a late Saturday night. The sky was empty; except for the big yellow moon which hung brightly in the sky. I lay on my table, eyes half-open. A homework book lay open beside me, and upon seeing the book, I sighed to myself and decided to do the homework another day.
2 I decided to listen to the radio to relax. I tuned in to 950 and listened to the soothing music. Suddenly, I heard a voice coming on the radio and said in a very anxious and frightened voice, “Sorry for interrupting the program. We have a very important message to broadcast…” I perked up my ears. What could be so important at so late at the night? “…there is a murderer on-loose! He is known to have killed many people. Please shut all doors and windows and stay indoors!”
3 The soothing music continued to play, but even that could not calm my multi-feelings. “What if…” A million thoughts rushed through my mind. My peaceful mood was ruined by the frightening warning.
4 Scared and helpless at the same time, I decided to go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow I would forget about this murderer. But I found out that I could not sleep. The words of the broadcaster kept ringing in my head. I sighed and forced myself to close my eyes and fall asleep ……
5 The next day, despite having gone to sleep late last night, I woke up surprisingly early. There were only little traces of the warning last night still left in my head.
6 When I went downstairs to buy breakfast, I saw someone giving out flyers. Curious, I went and took a piece of the flyer and the sight made me shudder. It was the murderer! It said: “Wanted! Dangerous murderer in this vicinity. If seen, please inform the police immediately at 999.” There was also a picture of the man attached with the flyer. The man was probably in his forties, I thought as I looked at the picture. He had a moustache and looked very fierce. I stared at the notice, dumbfounded.
7 As I was queuing up to buy my favourite toast bread, I saw someone which looked very familiar, liked I had seen him somewhere before. Then, a thought struck my mind. It was the murderer! I took a quick glance at the flyer again and I made my conclusion. It was him!
8 I was rooted to the spot. What should I do? I thought. Two voices rang in my head at the same time. One was telling me to call the police immediately while the other one was telling me that I had mistaken the man for the murderer.
9 I decided to call the police. Picking up my mobile phone, I dialed 999. Within minutes, I heard sirens ringing and I shot the “murderer” another glance. I saw his expression changing and he was about to leave without finishing his breakfast. However, he could not trick the police. The squad of policemen rushed towards him and handcuffed him.
10 Everyone was curious and started crowding to see what happened and I saw many shocked faces when they saw the murderer. Not wanting myself to be discovered, I exited the coffee shop without buying my breakfast.
11 Although my tummy was still rumbling angrily as I was very hungry, I smiled to myself as I knew that I had done a good deed. (569)
Sample 1
Sample 1
1 “What A Day!” I sighed as I sinked into my favourite couch. It had been a rather exhausting day after a day of 14hours of work. Uncomfortable with the eerie silence of the night, I decided to switch on the radio and listen to some slow music to calm my nerves. As I switched on the radio ,Michael Jackson’s hit song: “Heal The World” boomed over the radio. Being a top fan of Michael Jackson, I hummed to the tune of his song. Just as the song was reaching the chorus, the song abruptly stopped. Shocked by the sudden stop, I sat up straight, perked up my ears and listened with awe. Just then, a woman’s voice rang over the radio.
2 “ Sorry for this abrupt interruption but something very dangerous is happening. Apparently, tremors could be felt in the eastern part of Singapore and most likely, the other parts of Singapore will be feeling it very soon. So, to all people living in the other parts of Singapore, please take your precautions as soon as possible. Readings show that the tremors will be happening very soon, maybe around in 10mins time. Thank You!”
3 Feeling shocked and surprised, I stared into blankness in awe, thinking: An Earthquake? In Singapore? Before I could ask anybody that question, the earthquake answered my question with a tremor. Cups on the table fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces, a few that cut into my legs and made it bleed. Shrieking in pain, I tried to limp across to my bedroom for some oilment but was stopped by books which I stacked hazardly on the top of some cupboards stationed in the living room, which slammed on my head and made me feel faint and also added on to my pain. Next thing I know, I was practically grabbing anything that I could find as the building tilted towards the left side. Knowing that there was no way I could save my beloved home, I had no choice but to evacuate. I ducked and swerved my way out of the different things that were falling from the sky. Just as I approached the door, a thought struck me. How was I supposed to open the door without any keys? The colour drained from my faces as I thought of never being able to get out of the house. I tried to maintain my balance and concentrate on finding the keys despite the emotional trauma and the physical pain and numbness I was facing. I started to dig around in the mass of belongings that were flooding the ground and were already knee deep. Just as my hands were bleding like crazy after digging in the pile of glass, my legs bleeding from the glass that cut into my feet, one so deep that it cut into my veins, the gigantic bump on my head that was badly needing rubbing and the different cuts and bruises on my hand and legs were whining for some medicine, I found the key! I thrashed through the pile of belongings on the ground and unlocked the door. But before I could reach the ground floor, the earthquake ended.
4 I ran all the way back home and unlocked the door. What greeted me was piles of broken glass, stacks of opened books, blood stains from my wounds, and many other rubbish. Looking at my wounds and the mess at home, I could not hold back my tears anymore and they came pouring down. Thinking about the mess that I had to clear and the wounds I had to recover from, I sighed deeply but looking at the bright side, at least the danger was over, I am fine now.
5 Though this happened a few months ago, this whole accident is still etched in my mind as if it happened yesterday. I think that this accident will still be etched in my mind for life and this accident also taught me to be quick in our actions. (670)
1 “What A Day!” I sighed as I sinked into my favourite couch. It had been a rather exhausting day after a day of 14hours of work. Uncomfortable with the eerie silence of the night, I decided to switch on the radio and listen to some slow music to calm my nerves. As I switched on the radio ,Michael Jackson’s hit song: “Heal The World” boomed over the radio. Being a top fan of Michael Jackson, I hummed to the tune of his song. Just as the song was reaching the chorus, the song abruptly stopped. Shocked by the sudden stop, I sat up straight, perked up my ears and listened with awe. Just then, a woman’s voice rang over the radio.
2 “ Sorry for this abrupt interruption but something very dangerous is happening. Apparently, tremors could be felt in the eastern part of Singapore and most likely, the other parts of Singapore will be feeling it very soon. So, to all people living in the other parts of Singapore, please take your precautions as soon as possible. Readings show that the tremors will be happening very soon, maybe around in 10mins time. Thank You!”
3 Feeling shocked and surprised, I stared into blankness in awe, thinking: An Earthquake? In Singapore? Before I could ask anybody that question, the earthquake answered my question with a tremor. Cups on the table fell to the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces, a few that cut into my legs and made it bleed. Shrieking in pain, I tried to limp across to my bedroom for some oilment but was stopped by books which I stacked hazardly on the top of some cupboards stationed in the living room, which slammed on my head and made me feel faint and also added on to my pain. Next thing I know, I was practically grabbing anything that I could find as the building tilted towards the left side. Knowing that there was no way I could save my beloved home, I had no choice but to evacuate. I ducked and swerved my way out of the different things that were falling from the sky. Just as I approached the door, a thought struck me. How was I supposed to open the door without any keys? The colour drained from my faces as I thought of never being able to get out of the house. I tried to maintain my balance and concentrate on finding the keys despite the emotional trauma and the physical pain and numbness I was facing. I started to dig around in the mass of belongings that were flooding the ground and were already knee deep. Just as my hands were bleding like crazy after digging in the pile of glass, my legs bleeding from the glass that cut into my feet, one so deep that it cut into my veins, the gigantic bump on my head that was badly needing rubbing and the different cuts and bruises on my hand and legs were whining for some medicine, I found the key! I thrashed through the pile of belongings on the ground and unlocked the door. But before I could reach the ground floor, the earthquake ended.
4 I ran all the way back home and unlocked the door. What greeted me was piles of broken glass, stacks of opened books, blood stains from my wounds, and many other rubbish. Looking at my wounds and the mess at home, I could not hold back my tears anymore and they came pouring down. Thinking about the mess that I had to clear and the wounds I had to recover from, I sighed deeply but looking at the bright side, at least the danger was over, I am fine now.
5 Though this happened a few months ago, this whole accident is still etched in my mind as if it happened yesterday. I think that this accident will still be etched in my mind for life and this accident also taught me to be quick in our actions. (670)
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