Cambridge

Lower Secondary
Complete

8
English
Series Editor: Dean Roberts
Annabel Charles, Alan Jenkins,
Mark Pedroz, Tony Parkinson
Second Edition
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Foodies’ delight
1
Healthy eating – a radio discussion Listen to the Developing your language – writing Global
Sophia, Nikri and Nor were asked to discuss how young people audio for this task: appropriately for the reader Perspectives
can be encouraged to eat healthily. Sophia starts the discussion. Sophia, Nikri and Nor talk about how to convey information Most fresh food produced
Listen carefully to their discussion. about healthy eating effectively for young people. Answer the by farmers around the world
following questions about language features. is nutritious. However, many
Understanding 1. What do the group suggest is important? of these natural foodstuffs
2. Look at the features below and decide which you think are are then processed into
Answer the following questions.
important and which are not. Explain your answer. considerably less healthy
1. Sophia’s and Nikri’s mothers have the foods. Think about your
same view of food. What is it? region. How might a local
Standard English clear headings straightforward words
2. What do Nor, Sophia and Nikri think farmer communicate this to
writing in the third person colloquial language
young people need to eat to stay local people?
healthy? short sections complex sentences

3. What do they think are the foods you scientific words illustrations addressing the reader directly
should eat less of? What would you subject-specific language glossary to explain difficult
add to that? words similes exclamations humour
4. Give two ways the group suggests of persuading young
people to eat healthily. 3. Add more features to those above.

5. Which method do you think is more effective? Explain your 4. Using the information from the radio discussion, and your
answer. own knowledge, write an information leaflet for students of
your age to encourage them to eat healthily.
6. You just heard someone say, “An awful lot has to change
before children will eat a healthy diet.” What might they You need to think about:
mean by this? ● what you are going to include in your leaflet
● how to make your leaflet persuasive for a younger
Word builder Word cloud audience by using a range of suitable language techniques
● how you are going to organise your ideas clearly.
calcium nutritious
The words in the Word cloud are all subject-specific words
linked to the topic of nutrition and diet. Look at the Word carbohydrate protein
cloud and answer the following questions. fat vitamins My favourite food
1. Check you know what each word in the Word cloud means. nutrients
On social media, you follow a Teenage Kicks pro-health
Use a dictionary to help you. food group. Write a quick tweet, in reply to these
2. Give some examples of foods in each of these categories: rich prompts.
in calcium; high fat content; high protein content; plentiful ● My favourite healthy food is ...
vitamins.
● What I love about it is ...
3. Nutrients and nutritious come from the same word family.
● Nutritionally it is ...
They are both Latin words. Use a dictionary to find out what
their Latin origins are. ● Science says we need this food because...

16 17

For more information, visit:

www.oxfordsecondary.com/cambridge-lowersecondary-english

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Contact your local educational consultant: www.oxfordsecondary.com/contact-us
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford, OX2 6DP, United Kingdom Extract from ‘Sky Hawk’ by Gill Lewis, OUP 2011. Reproduced with
permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.
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Acknowledgements
1960)/Private Collection/Bridgeman Images; p103: Catherine
The publisher would like to thank the following for permissions to
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use copyright material: ‘The Machine Stops’ by E.M. Forster. The
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Society of Authors as the Literary Representative of the Estate of
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E.M. Forster. Used by permission.
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‘The Long Walk: the true story of a trek to freedom’ by Slavomir (B): Lana Stem/Shutterstock; p118 (T): slhy/Shutterstock; p118
Rawicz; Robinson, 2007. Reprinted by permission from Aitken (BL): Fuse/Getty Images; p118 (BR): Allstar Picture Library Ltd./
Alexander Associates Ltd Alamy Stock Photo; p120: breakermaximus/Shutterstock; p124:
christophe_cerisier/Getty Images; p125: Laurin Rinder/Shutterstock;
Extract from ‘The Cruelest Journey’ by Kira Salak. Copyright © 2005
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Society, 2005.” Used by permission from Restless Books.
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Poem ‘Breathless’ by Wilfred Noyce. Copyright © Estate of wilfred Alamy Stock Photo; p139 (L): Maria Skaldina/Shutterstock; p139
Novce 1954. Reproduced with the kind permission of Johnson & (R): Richard Whitcombe/Shutterstock; p140: Trendsetter Images/
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Extract from ‘Railhead’ by Philip Reeve, OUP 2016. Reproduced with Every effort has been made to contact copyright holders of
permission of the Licensor through PLSclear. material reproduced in this book. Any omissions will be rectified in
subsequent printings if notice is given to the publisher.
Extract from ‘And the Mountains Echoed’ (Bloomsbury, 2013),
copyright © Khaled Hosseini 2013, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Reprinted by permission.
Contents
Introduction 4

Foodies’ delight 6
1 Development of writing skills, including spelling, sentence
construction, punctuation, and stylistic techniques

Amazing arts 22
2 Development of reading skills, including inference,
setting, and drama

Terrific technology 38
3 Development of speaking and listening skills to explain ideas
clearly and give presentations

4 Unnatural nature
Non-fiction: Use of imagery, metaphors, and personification
54

5 Fabulous hobbies
Features and conventions of non-fiction texts
70

6 Alarming journeys
Features of poetry across different times and cultures
86

7 Heroic history
Myths and legends from different cultures
102

Exciting escapades 118

8 Contemporary fiction: introducing stories and characters

Digital diversity 134

9 Non-fiction: features of articles and letters

Reading: Sky Hawk by Gill Lewis 150

Language and literacy reference 156

In every unit there are listening tasks. Your teacher may play the audio for
you, or you can listen to the audio on the website using the QR code.
Website: www.oxfordsecondary.com/9781382010279

3
Introduction to Student Book 8
Welcome to Oxford’s Cambridge Lower Each unit has a global theme. For example,
Secondary Complete English Student you’ll explore how to maintain a healthy
Book 8. This book and the student Workbook eating regime, read about how our reliance
will support you and your teacher as you engage on smartphones was predicted 100 years
with Stage 8 of the Cambridge curriculum ago, imagine the dangers and wonders of the
framework. jungle and deserts, and drift to the Arctic and
It aims to encourage you in becoming: climb Mount Everest by reading poems.
● Confident in your English skills and your
ability to express yourself Thinking time
● Responsible for your own learning and
responsive to and respectful of others
● Reflective as a learner so that you can be a
Speaking & Listening
life-long learner – not just in school now Through the Thinking time and Speaking &
● Innovative and ready for new challenges as Listening features you get the chance to express
a global citizen what you already know about a theme or topic,
● Engaged in both academic and social think critically and find out more from your
situations. classmates whilst exploring new ideas.

Student Book and Workbook

There are some great features in your Stage 8 Reading
book. Here’s an explanation of how they work.
Every day, each of us reads all kinds of texts
such as novels, recipes, newspapers, blogs,

9 Digital diversity bicycle repair manuals, cartoons, school reports.

We read from books, phones, computers,
In this unit, you will join a budding blogger as she begins her quest for Internet
tablets, food packaging and bus timetables. In
success, respond to a worried mother with concerns about teenage TV drama
and listen to the inspiring story of an all-girl choir’s amazing journey to
this Stage 8 book, you’ll encounter all kinds of
international stardom. You will learn how to shape your writing through varying
sentence length and using a range of language devices. Finally, you will learn
texts to enhance your reading experience. From
how to write an effective article using four steps to success. Zen’s exhilarating train ride through space
And in doing all that, you will be practising these key skills:
and around planets in Railhead to the canoe
Speaking & Listening Writing Reading expedition undertaken by Kira Salak, who
£ Collaborate with others to £ Use the prefixes re- and £ Engage with a blog to
make a short but effective
presentation.
pre- to change the timing
of events and widen your
understand how the
choice of media can affect
wrote The Cruelest Journey about travelling 600
£ Use persuasive prompts
such as rhetorical
vocabulary.
£ Practise using rhetorical
the structure of a text.
£ Recognise the way tone,
miles along the Niger river in Africa, you’ll be
questioning to engage an questioning as a linguistic register and choice of
audience successfully. technique. language devices can
influence the presentation
discovering both the literal and literary world
£ Listen to an interview £ Incorporate antecedents
between a presenter, a
choir master and a choir
and relative pronouns
to further develop your
of a text.
£ Experience how using
around you. Comprehension tasks help you to
member to understand
how an effective interview
writing skills. specialised language can
make your writing more show that you understand explicit and implicit
is structured. powerful.
At the start of every unit, you’ll see the type of meaning and lead from information retrieval to
page above. It gives you a quick summary of generating new ideas and material.
Television,
what the unit will be about and the main skills the great
time-waster.

you will be learning and practising. live

TV characters
in our minds as
and your
4 Read a book
ination takes over; wa
tch
though they’re
actual people
.
imag sleep.
d it goes to
television an
134
 yourself clearly, accurately and impressively.
Word cloud Glossary The language awareness and development
activities in this Stage 8 book will improve your
As you read, use the Word clouds that appear grammar, spelling and punctuation. Explore the
near the reading texts to learn new vocabulary range of conditional tenses on offer in English
and explore meanings and usage in context. and how using them with precision and at the
The Glossary will help you with words or appropriate times empowers your language.
phrases that you may not find in a dictionary
because they are uncommon, colloquial or
technical. Writing
Every unit has a writer’s workshop where you
Vocabulary will learn the skills of writing for different
purposes linked to some of the texts you have
Learning new words and, perhaps more read in the unit. In Stage 8, you will write a
importantly, learning exactly how they should report for your school magazine and an article
be used is a key element of this series of books. for a local newspaper. You will also write about
There are lots of word building exercises for you your favourite author and review a poem, as
to extend and enhance your vocabulary. Don’t well as create a scene for a play and stories
expect to know all the words you encounter – about a superhero and characters in a haunted
this book will help you build up your vocabulary. house. With step by step guidance, you will
develop the structure and organise your ideas
using a range of sentences and presentations
Listening to become a powerful, engaging and accurate
writer.
You will listen to a radio discussion about healthy
eating, an interview with an artistic director
discussing the world tour of a stage play, a talk by The story of my success!
a wildlife photographer, and a lively discussion
At the end of each unit in the Student Book,
about books and what makes a good story. When
there is a practice test that is similar to the
you listen to all of these people, and more, you
Cambridge tests. There is also an opportunity
will be practising your skills of listening to locate
for you to measure your progress in developing
details, listening to understand the gist of what
some important language and literary skills.
is being said and listening to make inferences…
trying to work out what people really mean. Workbook 8 enables you to practise and
expand on what you’ve been doing in lessons,
Language development independently or for homework. Each
Developing your language is more than just Workbook unit ends with a quick, fun quiz as
learning grammar! It gives your spoken and a ‘progress check’ and a personal reflection so
written ‘language muscles’ the chance to that you can understand your own personal
grow strong. Then you’ll be able to express development in English.

5
2 Amazing arts
In this unit, you will explore some classic texts – drama and fiction – and think
about the difference between the two art forms. You will read a review of
one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays, Hamlet, and analyse an extract from
Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. You will listen to a director talking
about adapting a novel for the stage. You will then write your own adaptation,
changing prose into playscript.

And in doing all that, you will be practising these key skills:

Speaking & Listening Writing Reading

£ Take part in a discussion, £ Select and use language £ Identify words and phrases
considering points to create a particular that contribute to bias.
of agreement and atmosphere. £ Investigate how synonyms
disagreement. £ Produce a map to develop and antonyms add variety
£ Work in pairs, listening ideas for a character. and interest to texts.
and evaluating each £ Use semi-colons to £ Explore different techniques
other’s ideas. separate clauses, especially writers use to create
in description. character.

“Either write something

worth reading or do
something worth
writing about.”
Benjamin Franklin

oks
o ca n re ad, ever lo
h shelf,
“No one w ened on a
n u no p who had, no
at a book
, eve s “A brave vessel
ca nn ot.” Charle oble creature
like one w
h o doubt, some n
al Friend all to pieces.”
ick en s, Our Mutu in her, dashed
D peare, The
William Shakes
Tempest

22
 2
Thinking time
The Tempest by William Shakespeare is a play that begins with a
great storm but ends happily for those characters who are honest
and good.
1. What will happen to a small wooden ship caught in a
huge violent storm?
2. Why do you think a storm is an effective way to begin a
story or play?
3. What qualities must a story have for you to want to read it?
4. Does a story have to end happily for the main characters
to make it enjoyable?
5. Do you think it is important for a story to have a moral?

Speaking & Listening –

problem solving
You are travelling on a ship that is caught in
a terrible storm and sinks. While escaping,
you only have time to collect five items from
the list in the box opposite. You manage to
reach safety on a deserted island.
A box of A mobile A can
Complete the following activity. matches phone opener
1. Discuss which five items you would A whistle A flare gun A hat
choose, bearing in mind your survival
depends on them. A blunt A woollen A notebook
2. Create a table like the one below. Fill it penknife jumper and pencil
in while you are having your discussion.
Five metres A map of A compass
of rope the ocean
Collect Leave behind
Item Reason Item Reason

23
 Amazing arts

The world’s most famous play

Hamlet in the round (and about town)

1 ‘Hamlet in the round (and about town)’ is an extraordinary
modern interpretation of William Shakespeare’s most iconic
play, in all its multifarious glory. Here in Market Newtown, our
very own Newtown Players have recreated the court intrigue of
5 Elsinore with a unique twist. Inspired by open-air theatre but
on an unprecedented scale, each performance takes place in a
variety of locations across town. Taking in the parks, town square
and ruins of the old castle, this incredible production makes the
most of the local scenery, changing locations between acts and Word cloud
10 performing some scenes while on the move.
extraordinary
The production has already received acclaim in the national press,
as well as on TV, and has been nominated for several prestigious iconic
theatre awards. The cast of top graduates from our renowned incredible
theatre school has received particular praise for its energy and multifarious
15 freshness of approach. According to artistic director Rupert prestigious
Cartwright, “The next step is to obtain funding to take the show
renowned
on the road, and that’s looking really promising at the moment. We
look forward to the thrill and challenge of performing in different unique
towns and cities, throughout the UK and beyond.” unprecedented

20 The magic of Hamlet

First performed more than 400 years ago at Shakespeare’s Globe, Glossary
the tale of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has captivated generations artistic director the
of audiences worldwide. Featuring universal themes of murder, person who decides how,
betrayal and a quest for revenge, the role of Hamlet is one of the what and where a theatre
25 most challenging and sought after by actors of stage and film. company performs
There have been over 50 film adaptations since the invention
Elsinore a city in Denmark
of cinema, and since 1960 there have been publications and
which is the setting for
productions of Hamlet in more than 75 languages.
much of Hamlet
in the round performed on
a centred stage with the
Understanding audience arranged on at
Answer the following questions. least three sides
1. How does this version of Hamlet claim to be different from Shakespeare’s Globe the
others that have come before it? Globe Theatre in London
2. What examples in the text indicate that ‘Hamlet in the take the show on the
round’ has been well-received? road go on tour to other
destinations
24
 2
3. How does the writer suggest that Hamlet appeals to
audiences all over the world? Global
4. The two sections of this text have different purposes. What Perspectives
are they? Language can be a strong
5. Does the text make you want to see this production of tool. Fake news is news that is
Hamlet? Refer to specific details to support your answer. deliberately false and may use
6. Imagine you have been to see a performance of this biased language to create a
production. Write a review for social media giving your misleading view of something.
reaction in a tweet. Collaborate and search for
some local news that has been
Developing your language – creating bias
presented from different points of
Many writers create a bias in their writing. Read this extract from view, using language as the tool.
an alternative review of the ‘Hamlet in the round (and about town)’
tour. The words in the Glossary all suggest a negative bias. Do you think there is a global
increase in fake news?

1 I recently read about this misguided theatre company that

foolishly wants to perform Shakespeare’s Hamlet not on stage Glossary
but across multiple outdoor locations! Why? Why would a flawed containing some
group of talented actors ever consider such a fool’s errand? error or fault
5 In my opinion, Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most difficult plays
fool’s errand a task that
to understand. In addition, the average length of a production
has no hope of success
is around four hours! And that doesn’t include walking all over
town! A slow burner, some may say, or is it just painfully tedious? obsolete out of date; no
And the language! Not only is it written in a language which is longer in use
10 obsolete, but most of it is in a redundant poetic style far removed
redundant no longer
from the way we speak today. A noble but flawed vision, I’m
needed or useful
afraid; much like the character of Hamlet himself.
slow burner something
Answer the following questions. that is not immediately
impressive but becomes
1. Pick out other words and phrases used to create negative bias.
so with time
2. How does the reviewer’s use of question marks and
exclamation marks add to the negative impression?

Word builder
All eight words in the Word cloud are adjectives chosen to show
the special nature of the performance. Using a thesaurus, create
your own range of positive adjectives based on the Word
cloud words. 25
 Amazing arts

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms
Shakespeare was a playwright but he can also be described as an
author, a dramatist or a writer because the words have similar
meanings.
A word that has a similar meaning to another word is called a
synonym. A hero is often described as brave.
The famous balcony scene from
courageous Romeo and Juliet
bold
brave daring
fearless
heroic

He can also be described as shy.

hesitant
coy
bashful shy
timid
reserved

Answer the following questions.

1. Create your own list of synonyms for each
of these heroic qualities:
a innocent c proud
b honest d faithful.
2. Use an alternative synonym for each word in bold in the
following passage.
Romeo and Juliet is a play by Shakespeare about two important
families who hate each other because of an ancient
argument. Romeo is the handsome son of the Montagues
who falls in love with Juliet, the beautiful only daughter of the
Capulets. The families fight each other but in the end become
friends. The play is set in the busy city of Verona.
3. Choose a word expressing emotion such as happy or sad. How
many synonyms can you think of for it?
26
 2
Antonyms
An antonym is a word that is the opposite of another word:
● question is an antonym for answer
● war is an antonym for peace.
Antonyms do not have to be nouns:

Antonyms
Verbs love hate
Adverbs inside outside
Adjectives good bad
Prepositions to from Key concept

Antonyms are really useful when juxtaposing different ideas. Synonyms and
Answer the following questions. antonyms
1. Copy and complete the table by adding antonyms. Synonyms and antonyms
can be used to add
variation and depth to
Hero Villain
your writing.
cowardly
Synonyms have similar
honest meanings but there are
subtle differences, as two
trustworthy
words rarely have exactly
Key concept
immoral the same meaning. For
example, cross and angry
gentle both mean ‘annoyed’, but
loyal the word angry suggests a
stronger emotion than the
ugly word cross.
innocent Antonyms are opposites
but there can still be
2. Language is complicated, so sometimes the opposites are not
subtle variations in
as clearly definable as they initially appear.
meaning. For example,
Take day and night, for example. These are antonyms, but happy and serious can
each can be described in a number of ways. have approximately the
Write two lists of words to describe different times of day opposite meaning, as in
and night. Each word in one list must be matched with an She had a happy/serious
antonym in the other list. For example: personality but serious
suggests being solemn
Day Night and thoughtful as well as
being unhappy.
noon/midday midnight

27
 Amazing arts

Great Expectations Word cloud

Miss Havisham confusedly heaped
Pip, a young boy, has been sent to visit Miss Havisham at her scattered
home, Satis House. He is surprised and shocked by what he finds.
shrunk
sunken
1 In an armchair, with an elbow resting on a table and her head
withered
leaning on her hand, sat the strangest lady I have ever seen...
She was dressed in rich materials, satins, and lace, and silks – all
of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil
5 dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair,
but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck
and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table.
Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed
trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished dressing,
10 for she had but one shoe on – the other was on the table near her
hand – her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were
not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets,
and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a
prayer-book, all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass.
15 It was not in the first few moments that I saw these things, though
I saw more of them in the first few moments than might be
supposed. But, I saw that everything within my view which ought to
be white, had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was Glossary
faded and yellow. I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had dependent hanging
20 withered like the dress, and like the flowers, and had no brightness down
left but the brightness of her sunken eyes. I saw that the dress had
looking-glass mirror
been put upon the rounded figure of a young woman, and that the
figure on which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone. lost its lustre no longer
From Great Expectations by Charles Dickens bright and shiny
Miss Havisham a woman
Understanding abandoned by her fiancé
Answer the following questions. on their wedding day
1. Identify one adjective from the text that shows the narrator’s satins, and lace, and
immediate reaction to Miss Havisham. silks expensive materials
2. What kind of room does Miss Havisham seem to be sitting in? those trinkets items of
3. Why might Miss Havisham’s appearance frighten a child? jewellery
4. What is the significance of Miss Havisham still being dressed skin and bone painfully
in the clothes she wore on her wedding day? thin

28
 2
5. Do you think this is an effective descriptive of Miss Havisham? Remember
Refer to specific details in the text to support your answer.
Charles Dickens, who lived
6. Write a paragraph from the point of view of Miss Havisham, 1812–1870, is one of the
describing her thoughts. You could start: ‘When I stare into best-known English novelists.
the looking-glass, I see...’. He is famous for creating
memorable characters, often
Developing your language – creating
exaggerated to make them
a character terrifying, grotesque, or
Dickens is famous for his memorable characters. Miss Havisham funny.
is a particularly fine example. He uses several techniques.

Pathos is an appeal to the emotions of the ‘I saw that the dress had been put upon the rounded
audience. Here it is used to create a feeling of figure of a young woman, and that the figure on
pity and sympathy for Miss Havisham. which it now hung loose, had shrunk to skin and bone.’

‘She had not quite finished dressing, for she Observed detail – Pip narrates everything he
had but one shoe on – the other was on the sees in minute detail, giving the reader an exact
table near her hand.’ impression of what has become of Miss Havisham.

Below are more techniques. Find quotations to illustrate them.

1. Shades of white are used to contrast how Miss Havisham was Global
on her wedding day and how she has decayed. Perspectives
2. There is a sense of time having passed. How relevant and interesting is
3. First person narrative – we see Miss Havisham through the it to learn about literature from
eyes of an intelligent but frightened young boy. other countries? What writers
from your country might have
Word builder global impact? Books and novels
are available globally more than
Dickens has chosen his vocabulary very carefully to exaggerate ever before, and in a wide range
how strange and frightening Miss Havisham looks to Pip. of formats. Evaluate the impact of
Answer the following questions. this, locally and globally.
1. Miss Havisham’s clothes and possessions are ‘confusedly
heaped’ and ‘scattered’ in the room. Which of the choices in neatly ordered flung haphazardly
the upper box could have been used in the same context? thrown placed carefully
2. Miss Havisham is described as having physically ‘withered’ abandoned
and ‘shrunk’. If Dickens had used a simile, which of those in
the bottom box might he have likened her to? a dying leaf a healthy tree
a rotting piece of fruit
a deflated balloon

29
 Amazing arts

Semi-colons
A semi-colon looks like a comma with a full stop on top of it . ;
It signals a stronger break than a comma, but it is not as final as
the break provided by a full stop.
Semi-colons are used in three ways.

As a kind of ‘super’ To separate a series of

comma, to mark an connected clauses To separate two
important break in a
Example: contrasting or
sentence
Shakespeare’s plays balanced clauses
Example: ‘Globe are set in different Example: Romeo and
to Globe Hamlet’ is countries: Hamlet in Juliet is a tragedy; A
unique; no theatre Denmark; The Tempest Midsummer Night’s
company has on a Mediterranean Dream is a comedy.
attempted this kind of island; and Macbeth in
tour before. Scotland.

Place the semi-colon in the correct position in these

sentences.
1. My best friend loves Shakespeare I prefer Dickens.
2. A study of 100 teenagers revealed the following results: 30%
enjoyed watching Shakespeare 20% agreed to liking the
storylines but not following the language 36% found the
plots complicated and difficult to follow and 14% admitted to
being unable to access the language at all.
3. In my opinion Great Expectations is the best Dickens novel
because of the interesting characters A Tale of Two Cities is his
worst because the plot is so weak.
4. The main speakers at the recent Shakespeare convention
were: Professor James Underwood, Cambridge University
Neesha Patel, author and journalist Diego Montalban, actor
and Giles Simmons, Royal Shakespeare Company.

30
 2
Using semi-colons for description
Dickens made considerable use of semi-colons in his writing,
particularly when he was describing a character or location.

1 Ours was the marsh country, down by the river, within, as

the river wound, twenty miles of the sea. My first most vivid
and broad impression of the identity of things, seems to me
to have been gained on a memorable raw afternoon towards
5 evening. At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak
place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard; and that
Philip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the
above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew,
Abraham, Tobias and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid,
10 were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness
beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds
and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes;
and that the low leaden line beyond, was the river; and that the
distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing was the sea;
15 and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and
beginning to cry, was Pip.
From Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

In this extract, Dickens describes the moment

S ea
when Pip discovers what happened to his
family (the Pirrips) and how small this made
the frightened boy feel. Marshes
Think about the clauses separated by the
R i ve r
semi-colons as concentric circles to illustrate
Dickens’ technique. rc hy a
Complete the following activity. hu
rd
C

1. Think about your own life. Draw your own Pip

version of the circles, beginning with you at
the centre and expanding outwards.
2. Now turn your drawing into a sentence
using semi-colons to separate your clauses.

31
 Amazing arts

Listen to the
‘Great Expectations – The Play’ audio for this task:
Listen to a fictional interview with artistic director Boz Charles,
conducted by Mei Chun, the arts presenter at a TV studio.
Glossary
Understanding
caricatures heavily
A touring theatre company will often seek promotion of its show exaggerated characters
through interaction with the local media.
the Dickensian world life
Answer these questions.
as shown in the novels of
1. In which city is the interview taking place? Charles Dickens
2. What is Mei Chun’s favourite part of Great Expectations?
in modern parlance in
3. Summarise the reasons for Boz Charles being inspired to today’s language
choose a Dickens novel as a subject.
like a rabbit in the
4. Boz refers to Dickens making you laugh and cry on the same
headlights a simile
page. In what ways might Miss Havisham cause different
meaning ‘frozen with
reactions in the reader?
fear’
5. Do you agree that the themes of Great Expectations are still
relevant today? Give reasons for your answer. moral compass ability
to focus on important
6. Explain some of the challenges of adapting a novel into a
issues
play, TV series or film. Refer to examples you have seen that
either work or don’t work well. quintessentially English
stereotypically English in
nature and style
Speaking & Listening –
secret benefactor
similes game unknown sponsor
Boz Charles uses a simile that describes Pip ‘like a rabbit in the
headlights’ to show how scared he was on seeing Miss Havisham
for the first time. What other similes can you think of to
describe Pip, Miss Havisham and Satis House?
Decide who goes first, then take it in turns to create a simile.
Give each other marks out of five for how effective you think
each simile is.

32
 2
Word builder Word cloud
Look at the Word cloud. The last six words are adjectives that enduring
describe a negative state, but they do so in varying ways. intimidated
Answer the following questions. overawed
perpetual
1. How does using intimidated, overawed and traumatised help to
redundant
create sympathy for Pip?
traumatised
2. Miss Havisham is described as being vicious. In this case there unrequited
is no sympathy created for the character. In what ways does vicious
vicious have different negative connotations from the other
words in the Word cloud?
3. During the novel, Pip falls in love with Estella and decides he
wants to marry her, but his love is unrequited because Miss
Havisham has raised Estella to be heartless and incapable
of love. How does the use of unrequited add to the negative
atmosphere surrounding Pip?
4. Mei Chun suggests Dickens’ novel may be redundant in
today’s society because it is outdated and out of place in the
contemporary world. How might the word redundant also be
appropriate to describe Miss Havisham?

Developing your language –

atmosphere through setting
Through the eyes of Pip, the reader is taken on
a personal journey through Satis House that helps
to build the feeling of a once important home now
left to decay. Complete the following activity.

Before the
When Pip visits:
wedding day:
dilapidated
magnificent
filthy
welcoming

1. Can you think of five or more words to add to each box?

2. Choose one of the completed boxes and use it as the basis for
your own description of Satis House.

33
 Amazing arts

Writing a dramatic scene

Re-read the extract from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
on page 28.
Many novels have been transformed into playscripts. You are
going to adapt this extract into a playscript.

Preparation
First, you will need to research your characters. One way is to
use a character map like the one below.

Orphan who lives

with his sister and Pip is around seven years old
Real name Philip Pirrip her husband when he visits Satis House

Sent to play at Satis A poor boy who is intimidated

House against his will by Miss Havisham’s wealth

Pip Lacks any confidence because

Raised to be well-mannered
of his sister’s poor attitude
and polite to adults
to him
Can read and write but not
well-educated

Now complete the following activity.

1. Write your own character map for Miss Havisham. Pip
2. Once you have more understanding of the characters, you frightened – young and
can make notes on how each will behave in the scene. To do inexperienced
so, add to the notes in the margin. intimidated – in a strange
You can use your notes as a guide when planning the place
conversation between Pip and Miss Havisham for the writing
activity on the next page. Miss Havisham
bitter – wants revenge on all
males
powerful – wealthy and in
control

34
 2
Setting the scene
Playscripts are set out differently from works of prose. To adapt
the scene, you need to take into account the differences.

Great Expectations – the prose novel Great Expectations – a drama script

● direct link between the writer and the ● no direct link between the writer and
reader the audience
● first person narrative seen from Pip’s ● the audience experiences everything by
perspective watching the actions of the characters
● detailed description of the characters and listening to their dialogue
● everything is experienced through ● stage directions guide the actors’
reading and imagining the scene performances
● Dickens uses a whole page to describe ● the audience sees the physical scene
what Pip sees and how he feels and interprets the emotions through
the actors’ performances

Stage directions need to be precise, helpful to the actors and brief:

Havisham: (coldly) Well, what is it boy? Haven’t you

seen an old woman before?
Pip: (politely but trembling with fear) Excuse
me, ma’am, I am new to all this and have
no intention to cause offence.

Speaking & Listening – Remember

bouncing ideas The opening stage
directions may be more
1. Write the opening stage directions for the scene. Allow your
detailed, to include:
partner to read them.
● a description of the
2. Now draw a rough sketch of how the scene looks.
room and its contents
3. Your partner then describes the opening scene, using the ● a description of the
sketch. characters and where
4. Discuss whether this description matches how you imagined they are situated
the scene to be. ● the kind of lighting
5. If necessary, revise your written version of the opening stage to be used to create
directions. atmosphere.
Write your scene, using the skills you have learned.

35
 Amazing arts Practising key skills

Re-read Miss Havisham on page 28 and answer questions 1–6.

Copy, or take a photo of, the questions and write your answers in your exercise book.
1. Explain two ways the writer tries to engage the reader’s interest in the first sentence of this
text (lines 1–2).
...............................................................................................................
............................................................................................................[2]

2. How does the writer link paragraph 1 (lines 1–2) and paragraph 2 (lines 3–14)? Refer to a
specific word or phrase in each paragraph in your answer.

................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................[2]

3. Look at lines 3–14. Identify two pieces of evidence that suggest Miss Havisham was
abandoned when she was in the middle of getting ready for her wedding.

................................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................[2]

4. In lines 15–17, what does the narrator suggest about his experience of seeing Miss Havisham
for the first time? Tick (  ) one box.

It took him quite a while before he absorbed all the details.

He noticed everything he describes in the first few moments.

It took him longer than he expected to absorb what he saw.

He saw many details almost immediately but not everything. [1]

5. In lines 17–23, the writer uses contrasts to make the description vivid.

(a) Identify one contrast from these lines.

........................................................................................................[1]
(b) Explain in your own words the effect of the contrasts used in these lines.

............................................................................................................
........................................................................................................[1]
6. ‘had lost its lustre’ (lines 18–19) What literary technique is this an example of? Tick (  ) one box.

Personification Onomatopoeia

Alliteration Metaphor [1]

36
 2
The story of my success!
Here are some of the important skills from Unit 2. Reflect on how successfully you
can use each skill.

 I can relate to different points of view in a group discussion.

 I can work comfortably with a partner, evaluating his or her ideas.
 I can select suitable words and phrases to create atmosphere in my writing.
 I can develop understanding about a character with accuracy.
 I can use semi-colons to separate clauses in descriptions.
 I can recognise words and phrases that contribute to bias in texts.
 I can appreciate how synonyms and antonyms add interest to a text.
 I can identify some specific techniques writers use to portray characters.

I’m okay at this but I’m quite good at I have mastered this
I make some mistakes this as long as I am and can explain it to
and need more practice thorough and careful. someone else.
for sure.

Discuss your progress with your teacher. Agree on some targets for an action plan.

37
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