TEACH STUDENTS TO WRITE COMPLEX SENTENCES

The missing link in PNG schools

The major problem for students in PNG High Schools is to write in complex sentences. Most students have spent their school lives from primary school in writing in baby sentences.

They have no experience in using the connector words to link ideas and no idea of how to modify sentences according to the structure of the sentence to be put together.

As an English teacher in Papua New Guinea, I have always started my teaching with every class in converting baby sentences into complex sentences.

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I would give sequences of exercises in Mastery Learning every day at the start of a lesson in which students would convert sets of simple sentences.

And every second day, I would give students a story written in simple sentences and require them to combine sentences. Below is a set of sentences combined into a story with solutions given to readers.

MY LIFE AS A TEACHER

I am a teacher at Salamaua High School.

I have been here for 15 years.

I have lived with my husband.

I looked after our three children.

I am a teacher at Salamaua High School and

have been here for 15 years, living with my

husband and looking after my three children.

I am from Nasigelatu village.

It is in the Finschhafen area.

I attended Dregerhafen High School

I graduated in grade 10.

I am from Nasigelatu village in the Finschhafen

area and attended Dregerhafen High School,

graduating in grade 10.

My parents sent me to Bugandi High School.

Here I stayed and completed grade 12.

I gained distinctions in English and Social Science.

I had credits in Maths and Science.

My parents sent me to Bugandi High School

where I stayed and completed grade 12,

gaining distinctions in English and Social Science

with credits in Maths and Science.

My parents were very happy.

I gained a place at Goroka Teachers’ College.

Here I studied.

I met the man I would marry.

My parents were very happy that I gained a place

at Goroka Teachers’ College where I studied and

met the man I would marry.

My husband-to-be looked after me.

He helped me with my study.

He made sure that I was happy.

He even accompanied me when I went into town.

My husband-to-be looked after me, helping me with

my study and making sure that I was happy, even

accompanying me when I went to town.

He was studying to be a physical education teacher.

He was one year ahead of me.

This meant that he would graduate before I did.

He was studying to be a physical education teacher

and was one year ahead of me which meant that he

would graduate before I did.

In my last year I was alone.

I stayed quietly and studied.

I knew that my man was living in Salamaua.

He was a teacher at the high school.

In my last year, I was alone, staying quietly and studying,

knowing that my man was living in Salamaua and a

teacher at the high school.

There were no mobile phones in those days.

This meant that I had to wait until he went to Lae.

He would do his shopping.

He would call me on the public phone.

There were no mobile phones in those days

which meant that I had to wait until he went to Lae

to do his shopping and would call me on the public phone.

The big day came.

I graduated with a Diploma in Education.

I was soon posted to Salamaua High School.

I had requested this.

The big day came and I graduated with a Diploma

of Education and was soon posted to Salamaua High

School as requested.

My husband and I were married within a month.

We settled into a school house.

We started our life together.

We worked in the same school.

My husband and I were married within a month

and settled into a school house to start our life

together and work at the same school.

My husband and I were married within a month,

settling into a school house to start our life

together, working at the same school.

Within a year, we had a son.

We called him John.

He was the light of our lives.

He soon attended the local primary school.

Within a year, we had a son we called

John who was the light of our lives and

soon attended the local community school.

Now we have three children.

Each is a very special child.

We are very proud of them.

Now we have three children, each

a very special child and we are very

proud of them.

Now we have three children, each

a very special child of whom we are

very proud.