Tips for the PMR Candidates

               It's just another 12 days more to go for the PMR candidates to equip themselves with whatsoever preparation before sitting for the examination which is just around the corner. But please keep in mind that notes, formulas and theories alone are not the sole priorities that you must always emphasize on when it comes to preparing yourself for examination. The following tips might be helpful to you in order to stay fresh and healthy throughout the challenging weeks.

Diet

Always watch what you are eating or it will eat you back! Watch your portion and if possible, eat nutritious food instead of unhealthy snack-bites. Avoid taking carbonated drinks for it might affect your bladder and makes you suffer from dirty urine which is not only painful when you are passing urine, but it will make lower abdomen feel the pain at all time. Hence, please take note the followings:

• drink a lot of water and if possible, avoid iced water intake;
• consume more fruits for they are able to keep the fluid in your body from dehydration;
• eat vegetables in every meal;
• say 'no' to late supper;
• say 'farewell' to junk food and fizzy drinks;
• declare fast food especially the instant noodles as your worst enemy;
• consider to eat the food as consumed by Muhammad (peace be upon him) such as dates, fig (tin), olive, milk and honey;
• cut down carbohydrate is possible;
• eat in small portion; and
• do not skip any meal (unless you are fasting).

Supplement

Recent weather condition is unpredictable and such changes constantly are exposing you to unpredictable illnesses especially flu, fever and cough. Hence, you are advised to take supplements especially Vitamin C in order to hinder you from such sufferings. Nobody wants to sit for exam with runny nose nor unstable condition. So, please consider these as well:

• regular fruits intake especially oranges and watermelon;
• take Vitamin C in forms of liquid and capsule every day;
• raisins are good supplement too;
• chew healthy snacks like salads, pistachios and cashew nuts between meals; and
• have some energy drinks.

Rest and Sleep

Ensure that you are having a quality sleep every night. Here are some suggested ideas so you'll have a good rest and sleep:

• set regular bedtime;
• do not sleep past midnight;
• do not oversleep;
• avoid long afternoon nap;
• stop doing chores or revision when you are too sleepy;
• just go to sleep when you feel like to;
• never fight with your drowsiness for you might get headache;
• clean yourself before bed;
• do not study or do revision for a very long hour for your body and brain need rest; and
• give your body some stretches after a long day by doing light exercises.

Final Touch

• always jot down notes so you will not forget easily;
• set schedule for revision so you will not leaving any of the registered subjects;
• study group is still not to late;
• double-check your notes and answers when doing exercises;
• keep telling yourself what you have memorize for verbal act is the most powerful ones;
• double-check your mistakes and errors in previous examinations;
• never underestimate yourself nor too proud of your achievements;
• PLEASE.....seek advice and assistance from your teachers PERSONALLY; and
• keep on performing SOLAT on time and pray.

I wish the very best of luck for your PMR!

Writing a PROCESS

Writing a PROCESS is very easy. All you need is to use all of the following correctly:

• Imperatives
• Sequence connectors

What are IMPERATIVES?
Imperatives are verbs  that are used to give instructions, directions and even to give orders. Imperatives are written in base form; which means we are using the root words without adding any 'ing', 's', 'es', 'd', 'ed' and past participle forms. Here are some examples:

Giving directions

• Walk straight. Then, turn right and walk again until you see a traffic light ahead.
• Take the stairs to the second floor. Turn right and take a few steps onward.
• Ride a bus from here to reach Kuala Kangsar. Then, take a taxi from there.

Giving instructions

• Cut the edge of the paper and paste the flowers at the centre of the card.
• Fold the card and draw some sketches on the cover.
• Heat the oil in the pan. Then, put in the sliced onion and garlic. While waiting for the onions to turn golden brown, slice the tomatoes and cucumber.

Giving orders

• Tuck in your shirt right away!
• Submit your assignments now.
• Go now!

Inviting

• Enjoy your tea, Maria.
• Please, have a seat.
• Come over my house for dinner at eight tomorrow.

What are the SEQUENCE CONNECTORS?
Sequence connectors are used to show a process, accordingly or in order. It shows a process from the beginning until the end. Here are some sequence connectors which can be used when writing a process:

• Firstly, (first of all)
• Next,
• Then,
• After that,
• Later,
• Afterward,
• Lastly,

Remember to always put commas after each connector.



The Sample

How to Cook Fried Noodles

               It is easy to cook fried noodles. It is a perfect serving to be enjoyed at any time. All you need are a packet of noodles, oil, beef, shallots, garlic, chilli paste, beansprouts, chives and salt. And don't forget spring onion and chillis for garnishing.

               First of all, soak the noodles for five minutes. While waiting for the noodles, unskin the shallots and garlic. Then, wash them thoroughly along with the beef. After that, slice the shallots, garlic and beef and put them aside afterwards. Remember to cut the beef into thin slices so it can be cooked easily.

               Next, heat four spoonful of oil in the pan. Turn the heat to medium. You may put some more oil if desire but definitely, it is not good for health.  Once the oil is hot, put in the shallots and garlic. Let them in the pan until they turn golden brown. Put about two spoonful of chilli paste and stir for a while. Leave them until the chilli paste turns crisp but not too dry.

              Then, put the sliced beef and let it be cooked for about ten minutes until it becomes tender. In the meantime, wash the beansprouts and chives. Drain them using a colander and then put them aside. Later, cut the chives into approximately three centimetre long. After that, put in the beansprouts and chives and stir them well with other ingredients in the pan.

               Leave the ingredients in the pan for about two minutes. Meanwhile, wash the noodles thoroughly and drain them well. Fry the noodles into the pan and stir for a while. Sprinkle some salt and stir the latter some more. Leave the latter for about three minutes and while waiting, slice the chills and chop the spring onion.

               Once the noodles are cooked, turn off the heat and  put the noodles on the serving plate. Garnish the fried noodles with the sliced chillis and spring onions on top. The fried noodles is be best served while hot for five to six persons. Try it now!



Writing a RECOUNT

When writing a RECOUNT, you are advised to use Past Tense forms for verbs to refer to the passed events. Here is a sample of a composition on recount. All bolded words are written in past tense forms.

A Trip to the National Park

            Recent school holidays, the Environment Club of my school had organized a trip to the National Park in Pahang. There were forty students joined the three-day trip and they were chaperoned by six teachers.

            We assembled (gathered) at school as early as 6.30 in the morning and left for Pahang a few minutes after a short briefing by the teacher in-charge. We chartered a bus from Ipoh to Pahang and we reached the National Park exactly at noon. Once we reached the reserved forest (National Park), we checked in our chalets and unpacked our stuff. We had a short rest and shower before lunch.

            Right after lunch, we went to the Orang Asli settlement which was located nearby. We took a ride on a big boat and it took us about twenty minutes to get to (reach) the village (settlement). The ride was quite alarming (worrying) for the current was wavy and wild. Luckily, we reached the village safe and sound although parts of our attire were soaked. We were warmly welcomed by the Chief and we enjoyed the three-hour visit personally. We were amazed by the Orang Asli’s authentic culture. We returned to our chalet before twilight (dusk) and cleaned up ourselves before we had our dinner around 9.

            On the following (next) day, we started our next expedition to a limestone cave which was located only a stone throw away from our chalet. We departed (left) as early as 7 o’clock and we were guided by two forest rangers. We learnt about the ecosystem of the cave and there were lots of information we gained (got) from the sightseeing (exploration) as well as the briefing given by the rangers. We spent about three hours in the cave and it was almost noon when we came out of it.

            It was amazing to witness such a beauty in the virgin forest especially when there was a cool and refreshing waterfall beside the cave. We had our lunch cum (together with) picnic over there. We swam happily like there would be no tomorrow although the water was quite freezing. Exactly at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, we began our jungle trekking activity. Guided by again, the dedicated rangers, this adventurous activity really taught us abundance of lessons. We not only learnt about the species of rare wildlife but we also learnt about survival skills in the forest. We were grateful to have such a forest that was rich with unique and rare species of flora and fauna.

            There were lots of information and experience gained through this activity. It was funny to know that there were many things that I had ignored and cared less about. This expedition had taught us that there were many more things that we know less about, as the saying goes ‘the more you learn, the more you don’t know’.

            This adventurous activity however ended before dusk. It was pretty tiring but it was absolutely a tremendous activity we had ever had. At night, we threw a barbeque dinner and had a wonderful moment. On the third day right after breakfast, we packed our stuff and cleaned up the chalet before we left home. Before leaving, the rangers gave some souvenirs to be taken home. The three-day stay at the National Park really left a memorable moment in our hearts.



The Simple Past Tense
The simple past tense is used to talk about past actions or events. It is used in active voice; where the SUBJECT / DOER is at the beginning of the sentence.

Here are some examples extracted from the above recount:

We assembled at school as early as 6.30 in the morning.

• We is the subject/doer of the sentence. "We" does the action 'assembled'. Certainly, there should be no other verbs between we and assembled.

Once we reached the National Park, we checked in our chalets and unpacked our stuff.

• The word once is an adverbial (decoration), not a subject. It does not affect the subject/doer at all.
• We is the subject/doer of the sentence. 'We' does the action 'reached', 'checked in' and 'unpacked' as for 'once', it does nothing but to make the sentence longer.

Right after lunch, we went to the Orang Asli settlement which was located nearby.

• The phrase 'right after lunch' is an adverbial (decoration), not a subject. It is functioning to refer to time.
• We is the subject/doer of the sentence. 'We' does the action 'went'.

On the following (next) day, we started our next expedition to a limestone cave which was located only a stone throw away from our chalet.

• The phrase 'on the following day' is an adverbial (decoration), not a subject. It does not affect the subject/doer at all.
• We is the subject/doer of the sentence. ''We' does the action 'started'.

The Past Perfect Tense
The past perfect tense is used to refer to actions or events that have been completed in the past. The formula is had + past participle. Here are some examples extracted from the above recount:


Recent school holidays, the Environment Club of my school had organized a trip to the National Park in Pahang.

• 
  The phrase had organized in this sentence shows that the action (of the trip) has been completed.
• If the word 'had' is not put, the sentence is still meaningful but lack of compassion.

The expedition had taught us .......

• The phrase had taught in this sentence shows that the action (of teaching) has been completed.
• If the word 'had' is not put, the sentence is still meaningful but it is very plain.

The Passive Voice
The passive voice is referring to the sentence in which, the doer is put at the end of the sentence or maybe the doer is not mentioned at all in the sentence. The formula to form passive voice correctly is by putting was + past participle or were + past participle before the doer (if any). Here are some examples extracted from the above recount and two other sentences:

There were forty students joined the three-day trip and they were chaperoned by six teachers.

• In this sentence, six teachers are supposed to do the action 'chaperoned', not the students. But since 'six teachers' are put at the end of the sentence, it seems like the teachers are no longer the subject.
• It is true BUT still, the teachers are actually doing the action in the sentence. Hence, auxiliary verb 'were' must be put before the verb 'chaperoned' to show that 'they' in the sentence is only an object, not the subject.

Right after lunch, we went to the Orang Asli settlement was located nearby.

• In active voice, the above sentence should be written as "There was an Orang Asli Settlement nearby. We went there right after lunch."
• But the active voice suggested is quite nerdy.
• Anyhow, passive voice really puts some colours into your writing. 

The girls were kidnapped on their way home.

• In the above sentence, somebody kidnaps the girls but that 'somebody' is not mentioned in the sentence.
• From the sentence, we know that the girls do not kidnap but they are the victims of the kidnapper.

Surya's brother was caught by the police for shoplifting.

• Clearly the sentence is passive because the word 'by' is the clue.
• In the sentence above, the police caught Surya's brother for shoplifting. But Surya's brother was put at the beginning at the sentence although he is not the doer.
• The doer in this sentence is the police but is put after the verb was mentioned.