Year 8
English Department
British Division
Checkpoint Revision Pack
2024/ 2025
Name: -----------------
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It was dark and dim in the forest: The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.
• The children were screaming and shouting in the fields: “Screaming” and
“shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing, or auditory sense.
• He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee: “Whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of
smell.
• The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric: The idea of “soft” in this example
appeals to our sense of touch.
• The fresh and juicy orange is very cold and sweet: “Juicy” and “sweet” – when
associated with oranges – have an effect on our sense of taste.
The old man took the handful of dust, and sifted it through his fingers.
• The starry night sky looked so beautiful that it begged him to linger, but he reluctantly
left for home. ………………….
• The fragrance of spring flowers made her joyful. ………………….
• The stone fell with a splash in the lake. ………………….
• The sound of bat hitting the ball was pleasing to his ear. ………………….
• The silence in the room was unnerving. ………………….
• When he was on the way to work, he heard the muffled cry of a woman --------
• The beacons of moonlight bathed the room in ethereal light. ………………….
• The wild gusts of cold wind pierced her body. ………………….
• The burger, aromatic with spices, made his mouth water in anticipation of the first
bite.………………….
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• For a brief second, a spike of lightning illuminated the dark purple clouds. -----
• A faint buzz of voices came from behind the closed door. ………………….
Openers to Build Openers to Openers to Openers to Add
Tension Convey Describe settings Action
Characters’
feelings
Stunned by the Disappointed with Streaked with yellow Wounded and
deafening sound, their efforts, and orange, fatigued,
Petrified that he was Thrilled with her Stained and Soaked to the skin,
alone, birthday presents, crumpled,
Locked up deep inside Relieved to hear good Encrusted in gold, Depleted of energy,
the castle, news,
Buried under all the Terrified at the sight Crammed full of Weakened and
rubble, of the beast, people, moving very
sluggishly,
Unprovoked Aggrieved that they Littered and polluted Revitalised and with
dangerous, and had been tricked a new lease of life,
ready to pounce, again,
Tormented by the Energized after a Dirtied and cracked, Staggered and
horrifying monster, good meal, stunned as he ran
through the jungle,
Abandoned and Frustrated to Multicolored and Lined up carefully in
frightened, discover yet magnificent, order,
Filled with anxiety Another dead end, Exuberant and Marched along the
and dread, bright, corridor like soldiers,
Blinded by the Saddened at the Covered in grime, Huddled together,
dazzling, news,
Advancing towards Screaming in pain, Scanning the Running like the
him, horizon, wind,
Stopping dead in his Crying with Gazing out of the Scrambling over the
tracks, laughter, window, wall,
Doubting they would Smiling through his Swaying in the Tiptoeing through
be, gritted teeth, breeze, the……
Able to escape, Feeling exhausted, Falling from the sky, Crashing to the
Being able to escape, ground,
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Suspecting the worst, Gasping for air, Soaking up the Moving quickly,
sunshine,
Looking behind her, Trembling with fear, Plodding through Diving for cover,
thick mud,
Anticipating the next Fighting back her Sweltering in the Heading out of the
move, tears, heat, door,
Fearing their answer, Breathing heavily, Glistening in the Escaping its clutches,
distance,
Holding his breath, Singing light- Trudging through the Treading carefully,
heartedly, bustling crowd,
Searching for the Hiding his true Lurking within the Saying goodbye
way out, feelings, narrow passageways.
Hoping to get out Yelling like a maniac, Shivering in the icy Bursting into the
alive, air, room,
1- The ‘ly’ starter (adverbs)
Slowly, he approached the backyard
Hurriedly, he dashed into the classroom.
Happily, I punched the air with delight and shouted, “Hurray”.
Bravely, the wounded soldier charged at the enemy.
Carefully, she tiptoed through the door.
2- The’ ing’ starter (gerunds). Use a present participle ending with - ing
followed by a comma :
Rushing across the road, the small boy was hit by a car.
Hoping to meet her friend, Rebecca kept on waiting in hope.
Walking along, Sally met her best friend.
Muttering to himself, the old man shuffled throughout the house.
3- The ‘ed’ starter. Use a past participle ending with ed followed by a comma :
Surprised by the bang, she tumbled on the floor.
Worried by the wind, I hurried to close the window.
Frustrated, Joe let out a loud scream.
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Startled by the noise, Sally spun round.
4- Start with a Simile:
Like a butterfly, the beautiful girl danced in her garden.
As strong as whip-lashes, the rains stroke the building.
Slow as a snail, the old man trudged across the busy street
5- Start with a time Connective: (Meanwhile – Eventually – After a couple of
hours)
o Meanwhile, I was searching for any clues.
o Eventually, they were all safe and sound.
6- Start with other Connectives: (Although- However)
o Although he was thirsty, Mark refused to drink the hot tea.
o Because Dickens suffered as a child, he wrote about children’s misery in his
novels.
7- Start with a prepositional phrase followed by a comma:
o Above the clouds, the plane soared high in the sky.
o Near the gate, the dog lurked with the postman’s leg in his sights.
o Through the door, the dog trotted peacefully.
o Near the gate, the dog lurked with the postman’s leg in his sights.
8- The ‘to’ starter. To my astonishment, nobody was there.
9- Upon: Upon reaching the beach, they started to feel relieved.
10- With: With a gleaming smile, she looked at her baby.
11- Nouns Sally was a great public leader.
12- Noun phrases: The lovely innocent girl
13- Pronouns He, She, it, ………………….
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14- Appositives:
Stating a phrase about the subject
A mad scientist, Dr. Frankenstein created a monster
Asocial performer, Jane Austen portrayed women’s problems during the Victorian Era.
Describing feeling
Anger
He turned red with fury.
• Her face was contorted with rage and fury.
• Jimmy was so angry that his blood boiled.
• Lara’s voice crackled with anger.
• An angry frown creased her forehead.
• A wave of futile rage swept over him.
• She was like a bull in a China shop.
• Seething with anger, she approached Ben menacingly.
• Her eyes flashed with anger and resentment.
• His anger turned into violence.
Sad: cheerless/ crestfallen/ dejected/ depressed/ down/ glum/ hopeless/ low/ miserable/
tearful / Shocked/frightened: alarmed / horrified / panicky / petrified / terrified
down her cheeks like rivulets.
• No one could express his agony.
• She was on the brink of tears.
• He felt the whole world collapsing upon him.
• Dark clouds seemed to constantly loom over her head.
• She felt as if her heart had been ripped from her body.
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• He cried his heart out on hearing the tragic news.
• She fell to her knees, clutching her head in despair.
• He felt the whole weight of the world upon her shoulders.
• His eyes were puffy and red after all the crying.
Tears welled up in his eyes and began rolling
• After his partner died in a car accident, he was left grief-stricken.
o Terror seized us all.
o Panic started to engulf him. o
She was at a loss for words. o He
froze for a few seconds.
o A chill went down her spine.
o I was powerless and frantic with terror.
o She screamed at the top of her voice.
o She jumped in fright when ---------------
o His face turned pale and his skin felt cold and clammy.
o Overcome with fright, she lost her balance and fell down in a swoon.
o She stood rooted to the ground.
• The shock robbed him of speech.
• She was too afraid to utter a word.
• The timid girl shrank back in fear.
• Gary stood motionless with horror.
• She was panic-stricken when she realized, she was trapped.
• Fighting back tears of fear, he stared motionless at the approaching danger.
• Paralyzed with fear, he was speechless.
➢ Cold fear gripped me as I began to imagine all sorts of things that could
happen to me in the haunted house.
➢ I was about to turn the key when I heard something. I held my breath and put
my ear against the door.
➢ Tom turned as white as a sheet when he was caught red-handed stealing Ali’s
wallet.
o Her hair stood on end when she watched the horror movie.
o The screams of terror gave way to dead silence in the haunted house.
o Nervously, I opened the door and slowly tiptoed towards him.
o Trembling with fear, I handed them the keys
o The piece of news hit us like a bombshell.
o There was a lump in my throat when I saw the shadow.
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• Cold sweat trickled down my forehead when I woke up from a nightmare.
• I tried to walk at a faster pace but my knees turned to jelly and I felt sick.
He was speechless with fright when he saw the ghost.
• The eerie room made my blood run cold.
• All the windows were closed and the figure looked dark and menacing.
• Fear gripped me and I dared not move.
• All sorts of frightening things crossed my mind.
• My legs were heavy and frightening thoughts flooded my mind.
• I felt my blood chill in my veins.
Happy: blissful / cheerful / contented / delighted / ecstatic / elated / joyful /
rapturous.
He was over the moon when he heard the good news.
• She was floating on air when her teacher praised her.
• She could hardly contain her joy.
• Her eyes glittered with tears of joy.
• It seemed as if a smile was plastered on her face.
• They were saturated with happiness.
• She felt as if the whole world was on her side.
• He nearly fell over in elation after learning that he had won the prize.
• Her bright smile was infectious, lighting up the room.
• Tears of joy streamed down my cheeks.
• Heart skipped a beat
• Heart was thumping wildly
• Heart almost burst with happiness
• Heart swelled with happiness
• I Jumped for joy when---
• Tears of joy welled up her eyes.
• Her eyes lit up with joy when--------
• Her eyes sparkled with happiness when-----
• Mouth curled into a pleasant smile
• I yelled a shout of joy as my prayers has been answered.
• The delight on her face was mixed with surprise.
• -They were in high spirits as they travelled, singing songs and telling jokes.
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Confused: baffled/ dazed/ bewildered/ disorientated/ fazed/ flummoxed/
flustered/ muddled/ mystified/ perplexed/ puzzled.
Surprised: amazed / astonished / astounded / dumbfounded / flabbergasted /
speechless / startled / stunned.
Worried: agitated / anxious / apprehensive / concerned / frantic / fretful / nervous
/
I puzzled over the assignment for a few days before I
decided to ask my professor for clarification.
➢ He’s ambivalent about quitting his job to start his own business; he wants his
freedom, but there are risks.
➢ Fumbling
➢ Using um and uh hesitations
➢ Grimacing
➢ Excessive swallowing
➢ Scratching at one’s cheek or temple
➢ Rubbing the chin
• Repeating back what was said as a question
• Touching the base of the neck
• Showing one’s palms and shrugging
• An uncertain tone
• Increased difficulty in finding the right words
• Body posture that loosens or collapses
• Tilting one’s head to the side and pursing the lips
• Narrowed eyes
• Stuttering
• Head flinching back slightly
• Trailing off when speaking
• Running hands through the hair
• Eyebrows that squish together
• Pulling or tugging on an ear
• Asking someone to repeat what was said
• Gaze clouding, going distant
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• Rubbing one’s forehead or eyebrows
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• Asking questions
• Biting one’s lip
• Rapid blinking
• Hands touching the lips, mouth, face
• Glancing around as if looking for answers
• Wandering a short distance away before returning
• Turning away to gather one’s thoughts
• A slight head shakes
• A mouth that opens but nothing comes out
• Blowing out the cheeks, then releasing
• A blank look, a slack expression
• Staring down at the ground
• Asking for affirmation: Are you sure?
Idioms and Expressions of Feelings
Idioms and expressions of “joy”
1- Burst with joy:
To be so filled with joy as if to burst.
E.g.: Bill was bursting with joy when he got the news.
2- Weep for joy:
to cry out of happiness.
We all wept for joy at the safe return of the child.
3- Be full of the joys of spring:
to be very happy /He bounced into the office, full of the joys of spring.
4- To be on top of the world:
to be very happy about something
I was on top of the world when I was offered a higher paid job.
5- To walk on air:
to be very happy about something
The parents were walking on air during their son’s graduation.
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6-Like a dog with two tails:
happy.
If somebody is like a dog with two tails, they are extremely
"When Paul won the first prize, he was like a dog with two tails."
7-Grin from ear to ear:
If somebody is grinning from ear to ear, they look very satisfied
and happy/ "When we saw Paul grinning from ear to ear, we knew he had passed the exam."
8- Music to your ears:
To say that something is music to your ears means that the information you receive makes you
feel very happy. “The good news was music to my ears.”
9- Thrilled to bits:
If someone is thrilled to bits, they are extremely pleased about something.
"Julie was thrilled to bits when her project was selected."
Idioms and expressions of sadness
Your heart sinks:
If your heart sinks, you feel very unhappy and despondent
"My heart sank when I saw the amount of work waiting for me."
-A lump in your throat: If you have a lump in your throat, you have a tight feeling in your throat
because of a strong emotion such as sadness or gratitude. “The speech was so
touching that I had a lump in my throat."
-Down in the mouth:
you look depressed and unhappy.
“What's wrong with Erica? She's been looking down in the mouth all week.
-Down in the dumps: to be depressed or miserable.
Sharon is down in the dumps because her parents have gone on holiday without her.
-Feeling blue or to have the blues:
to feel (or look) depressed or unhappy.
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She has the blues because she hasn't seen her parents for a week.
-Reduced to tears:
when someone or something reduces you to tears, they make you feel so unhappy that you cry.
My boss reduced me to tears when he shouted at me.
-Grin and bear it:
This means accepting a situation you don’t like because you can’t change it.
“Don’t complain so much! You’d better grin and bear it, he will never change
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