Guiding students to solve exercises about making sentences

PART ONE:

INTRODUCTION
THE REASONS FOR CHOOSING TOPIC

Nowadays, English has become an international language because it is widely
used in many parts of the world. In the tendency of integration of the global
economy, English is one of the effective communicative tools for everybody. The
role of English is considered to be very important in the fields of economics,
politics, science, culture and education. Especially, Vietnam’s official membership
of WTO on 7th November 2006 opened a new door for integrating into the world
economy, and more and more people want to learn English for communicating with
foreign partners, tourism, study tours, etc.
In recent years, English has become a compulsory subject in secondary
education programme and it is one of three main subjects in GCSE examinations. In
upper secondary school English programme, each unit is divided into five lessons
with language focus and four skills: reading, speaking, listening and writing .
Writing is an impotant skill that is always used in General Certificate of Secondary
Education, and competitions for gifted students. Writing exercises usually account
for 20% of the total score of the tests. However, many students have difficulties in
doing the exercises that require writing skill in English, and some even ignore doing
them so that their results are always low. Writing is always thougth to be a difficult
skill, so teachers and students only pay their attention to other exercises, not writing
ones.
Therefore; I choose the topic " Guiding students to solve exercises about
making sentences" in my experience initiative to help them reinforce and practice
grammar effectively and achieve good results in the exams.

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PART TWO:

CONTENT

I. Theoretical basis.
Writing is one of four important skills that are used in almost important
examinations, especially in the English test of GCSE examination, it accounts for
20% of the total score. However, writing seems to be the most difficult skill. When
learning it, they find it very hard and they tend to ignore writing exercises. In
examinations, when scoring their papers, we realize that, most of students avoid
doing writing part or if they do it, the answers are not correct. In my topic, I only
focus on some theoretical problems, some basic exercises about writing and some
simple ways to make sentences so that the students can do the exercises related to
writing skill in English. When they can make different types of sentences, they will
be able to write a paragraph or an essay, which will help them do all the writing
exercises in examinations and it is certain that their scores will be higher.
II. Scope of research.
I applied this experience initiative for teaching 10 and 11 grade at Trieu Son 1
upper school. They are students of classes 10A8,11C1 and 11C7.
III. Factual basis.
I researched this topic based on the following aspects:
- Based on actual teaching.
- Based on some references about writing.
- Based on the opinions of the colleagues.
Before making the topic, I had a test to examine the quality of the
students of the classes 10A8,11C1 and 11C7 at Trieu Son I high school. I obtained
the following results:
Class

10A8

11C1
11C7

Number Excelent
of
Number %
students of
50
42
41

Good

Average
Number %
Number
of
of
students
students
students
5
10% 16
32% 15
3
7% 13
31 % 14
4
10% 12
29.2 11

%

Weak
%
Number
of
students
30 % 14
33.4% 12
26.8% 14

%
2%
28.6%

34%

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IV. Solutions.
1. Parts of a sentence
To make a sentence, students have to understand what forms a sentence. In
general, a sentence includes following basic parts of speech: subject, verb,
complement, modifier. However, not all senentences have all these parts. Some
sentences have three parts, some have two and the others have only one verb.
1.1 . Subject
Subject is the agent in a sentence, it can be a pronoun, a proper name, a noun or a
noun phrase. Subject is usually at the beginning of the sentence and it decides
the form of the verb following it.

Examples:
1. Flowers are beautiful ( “flowers” is a noun )
2. That new red car is mine ( “That new red car” is a noun phrase)
In some situations, when there is no real subject in the sentence, “It” or “ there”
will be the subject
Examples:
1. It is a nice day today
2. There is someone at the door
In English, every sentence has a subject, even imperative sentence. In this kind of
sentences, subject is understood the listener, even if it doesn’t appear.
1.2 . Verb
Verb is an integral part of a sentence.There are two types of verbs: action verbs and
state verbs. It can be a verb or a verb phrase. A verb phrase includes a verb and
particles ( maybe one or two )
Examples:
1.
I usually play badminton ( action verb)
2.
He feels happy
( state verb)
3.
This food tastes delicious ( state verb)
4.
I tasted the food carefully ( action verb)
5.
I have seen Mr Brown
( action verb)
6.
They are looking for their car key. ( verb phrase)
7.

My mother takes care of us.
( verb phrase)
1.3 . Complement
Complement is a word or a phrase that refers to the object influenced by subject.
Like a subject, a complement is always a noun or a noun phrase without a
preposition at the beginning. However, a complement usually follows a verb or a
verb phrase. Not all sentences have a complement. It is used for the answers to “
What” or “ Whom” questions.
Examples:
1.
John bought a car yesterday.
( What did John buy yesterday?)
2.
Jill wants to drink some water.
( What does Jill want to drink?)
3.
I met her at the party last night.
( Whom do you meet at the party last night?)
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1.4 . Modifier
Modifier is a word or a phrase that refers to time, place or manner of an action.
Not all sentences have a modifier. It can be an adverb, an adverbial phrase or a
prepositional phrase. A prepositional phrase starts with a preposition an ends with a
noun . A modifier can be used for the answers to “ When”, “ Why”, and “ How”
questions. One sentence may have more than one modifier. Then, adverb of time
will be at the end of the sentence.
1.
He went to Da Lat last summer.

( adverbial phrase – when did he go to Da Lat?)
2.
My mother is in the kitchen.
( prepositional phrase – Where is your mother?)
3.
He can play the piano well.
( adver of manner- How can he play the piano?)
4.
They sang beautifully at the competition last Sunday
Manner
place
time
2. Types of sentences:
Basing on their functions, sentences are devided into four types: statement,
interrogative sentences, exclamative sentence and imperative sentence
2.1. Statement:
S + V + (complement) + (modifier)
This is the most popular kind of sentences. It is used to convey information. It
can be affirmative or negative.
Examples:
1. David plays the piano.
2. The boy doesn't learn English.
2.2. Interrogative sentences.
2.2.1. Yes/No question: the answer to this kind of question is always “ yes” or “
no”. To make this kind of question, we need to invert the auxiliary verb or modal
verb to the beginning of sentence.
Aux./ modal verb + S + V + ( complement) + ( modifier)?
Examples:
1. Is he a doctor? Yes, he is./No, he isn't.
2. Does he like coffee? Yes, he does./No, he doesn't.

3. Can you speak English? Yes, I can./No, I cannot.
2.2.2. Negative questions: This kind of question begins with a negative form of an
auxiliary or a modal verb. And the answer is usually “ No”
Aux./ modal verb + not + S + V + ( complement) + ( modifier)?
Examples:
1. Isn't she a student at this university? – No, she isn’t
2. Doesn't he like black coffee?
- No, he doesn’t
3. Can’t they speak english?
- No, they can’t
2.2.3. WH- questions: this question starts with one of the following words: what,
why, where, when, how, who, whom, which, whose .
+ Wh- word is the subject : Wh + V+ ( complement) + ( modifier)?

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Examples:
1.What is this?
2.Who is in the room?
+ Wh- word is not the subject: Wh+ aux./ modal verb+ S + V
Examples:
1.What did you do last night?
2. Why do you learn English?
3. How does she learn English?
2.2.4. Alternative question
Examples:
1.Are you Vietnamese or English? I'm Vietnamese.
2.Do you learn English or Russian at school? I learn English.
2.3. Exclamative sentence:

This kind of sentences is used to express feeling or emotion. And it is used with
"what, how"
2.3.1. What +(a/an) + adj + noun!
Examples:
1.What a clever boy he is!
2. What beautiful flowers!
3. What tight shoes!
4.What beautiful weather!
5. What delicious food they served!
6. What a lovely house they have!
2.3.2. How + adj/adv + S + V!
1.How cold it is!
2.How quickly he ran!
2.4. Imperative sentence:
2.4.1. V- inf.+ ( complement) + ( modifier)?
Examples:
1.Go out!
2. Open your book, please!
3. Hurry up!
4. Have a piece of this cake. It's delicious.
2.4.2. Don’t + v-inf. + ( complement) + ( modifier)?
Examples:
1. Don’t make too much noise in the room.
2. Don’t do it again.
3. Exercises of making a sentence
3.1. Answer the questions:
Giving questions for students to answer is a basic activity that any teachers
apply in their teaching.
This kind of exercise can be used in oral test, or during a lesson. Not only
does it improve the ability of making sentence, but it is also very good for them to

practise listening and speaking skills. When they answer the questions in writing or
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speaking,it means that they are making sentences. The teacher should start with
simple questions and then give more and more difficult ones
Examples:
When starting Unit 1, English 10 with the topic “ A day in the life of……………”,
a familiar topic for student, I usually ask some students to answer the questions
about their daily routines and they are eager to answer.
1. What time do you usually get up in the morning?
2. What do you do after that?
3. How many lessons do you often have a day?
4. What do you do in the afternoon?
5. Can you tell me what you do in the evening?
………………………………………………..
Examples:
In Language focus part of unit 2 , English 10, students have to revise how to
make “ Wh- questions”. At the beginning of the lesson, I often ask them some
questions with “wh”:
1. What time is it now?
2. How often do you play sports?
3. When were you born?
4. What subjects do you like?
5. Who are you learning English with?
6. What does your father/ mother do?
7. How many brothers/ sisters do you have?
8. Why do you like English?
9. How far is it from your house to your school?
10.Where is your house?

These questions are simple and related to their life, so they can answer correctly
and frequently, which makes them feel confident. Then I give them more difficult
sentences and guide them to make questions for underlined parts.
Examples:
English 10, Unit 9- Undersea world . Before reading, I ask the students to
answer some questions:
1. How many oceans are there in the world?
2. Can you name some sea animals that you know?
3. How many percentage of the Earth’s surface is covered by the water?
Giving questions is also very effective when teaching reading or listening
skills. After students have finished the lesson, I usually ask them to close their books
and answer my questions associated with what they have learnt.
Examples:
In Listening part of Unit 11: National Park, English 10, I ask the students some
questions at the end of the lesson:
1. Where is Cuc Phuong national Park?
2. When was cuc Phuong National park officially opened?
3. Which ethnic minority live in Cuc Phuong?
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4. Whose army was stationed there before it made its surprise attack on Thang
Long?
3. 2. Translation.
From my point of view, it is sometimes neccessary to use Vietnamese to teach
English, especially for the first level students or weak students. This may make them
feel more confident in learning a foreign language. We can use Vietnamese in
explaination to convey the meaning of the language that they are learning. And then
we can ask them to translate English into Vietnamese and vice versa
While teaching, I usually ask my students to translate some sentences to practice

the grammatical structures or new words/ phrares that they have learnt. This is a
good way to enrich vocabulary and remember structures.
To distinguish the different uses of “ used to/ be used to/ get used to” , I give
them the following exercises: ( Unit 4, English 10)
Examples: Translate into English:
1. Tôi thường dậy sớm để học bài khi còn là học sinh.
->I used to get up early to revise my lesson when I was a student.
2. Tôi quen với việc dậy sớm để học bài.
-> I am used to getting up early to revise my lesson.
3. Tôi bắt đầu quen với với việc dậy sớm để học bài.
-> I get used to getting up early to revise my lesson.
4. Con dao này được dùng để cắt bánh mì.
-> This knife is used to cut bread./ This knife is used for cutting bread.
These phrases are very familiar but the students may be confused when using
them. When they do the exercise, they can easily distinguish the differences between
them.
To help them remember a group of words or phrases that have the similar
meaning, I also use this kind of exercise:
Examples: Translate the following sentences into English, use the phrases:
+ be in danger of extinction
+ become extinct
+ at risk
+ be threatened
1.
Cá heo đang gặp nguy hiểm bởi vì sự săn bắt quá mức ( Unit 9, English 10)
-> Dolphins are at risk due to overhunting.
2.
Nhiều loài động vật đang có nguy cơ bị tuyệt chủng. ( Unit 10, English 11)
->Many species of animals are in danger of extinction.
3.

Thiên nhiên đang bị đe dọa ( unit 10, English 10)
-> Nature is being threatened.
4.
Khủng long đã tuyệt chủng hàng ngàn năm trước đây.
-> Dinorsaurs became extinct thousands years ago.
This kind of exercise can be used in oral test, homework or during the lesson. And
the content should be based on the knowledge that the students have known, or they
can infer, sometimes. Or you can fix some information about the fact or history into
the sentences
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Examples:
1 . Có nhiều nguồn năng lượng thay thế, ví dụ như: năng lượng mặt trời, địa nhiệt,
năng lượng hạt nhân…….. ( Unit 11, English 11)
-> There are a lot of alternative sources of energy, such as solar energy, geothemal
heat, nuclear power…………………..
2. Thành Cổ Loa được xây dựng theo hình xoắn ốc. ( Unit 16, English 11)
-> Co Loa citadel was built in spiral form.
3. Quốc Tử Giám được xem là trường đại học đầu tiên ở Việt Nam
-> Quoc Tu Giam is considered to be the first university in Viet Nam.
4. Phạm Tuân là người Việt Nam đầu tiên bay vào vũ trụ.
-> Pham Tuan was the first Vietnamese person to fly into space
5. Neil Amstrong là người đầu tiên đặt chân lên mặt trăng
-> Neil Amstrong was the first person to st foot on the moon.
Asking students to translate some sentences in Vietname songs or poems into
English is also an interesting exercise. Teacher should choose some popular songs or
poems for them to translate. It will give comfortable atmostphere to the whole class
Examples: When teaching “Conditonal sentences type 2”, I ask them to make
English sentences for the following Vietnamese ones in the song “ Tu Nguyen”,

composed by musician Truong Quoc Khanh
1. Nếu là chim tôi sẽ là loài bồ câu trắng
-> if I were a bird, I would be a white dove.
2. Nếu là hoa tôi sẽ là một đóa hướng dương
-> If I were a flower, I would be a sunflower.
3. Nếu là mây tôi sẽ là một vầng mây ấm
->If I were cloud, I would be a warm cloud.
Most of the students have listened to this song, and they are eager to do the task.
When doing it, they can rememer the use of conditional sentence type 2.
3.3. Reordering the words/ phrases to make meaningful sentences
This kind of exercises is widely used in many tests. All the given words and
phrases are jumbled. Students have to reorder them into the correct positions
without adding or changing words. To do this exercise well, students must
understand the structure of the sentences and the uses of parts of speech clearly. This
will help them identify the words and their functions and they can reorder them
correctly.
3.3.1. For weak students, teachers should give them simple sentences that they can
do. Don’t give them too complicated ones, which will make them feel depressed.
Examples:
1.
up/ early/ in/ I/ always/ the/ get/ morning.
-> I always get up early in the morning
2.
subjects/ you/ How many/ studying/ school/ at/ are?
->How many subjects are you studying at school?
3.
learning/ you/ do/ Why/ English/ like?
-> Why do you like learning English?
4.
practises/ every day/ Lan/ speaking/ English.

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-> Lan practises speaking English every day.
5.
going/ How about/ for/ out/ dinner?
-> How about going out for dinner.
All the sentences above are very simple. Students can apply what they have learnt
to do this task, such as: like + v-ing, practise + v-ing, how about + v-ing
……………
3.3.2. For intermediate and advanced learners, the exercises, of course, must be
more difficult. Sometimes, they need to think much when doing them.
Examples:
1. to be / are /many / understanding/ that There /seem /beyond / our / mysteries.
->There are many mysteries that seem to be beyond our understanding.
2. lecture /attending / regretted/ the /last / Peter/ week/ not.
->Peter regretted not attending the lecture last week.
3. so / got on /time /for /the / passengers / to /leave / It / all /the / was / train
/board.
->It was time for the train to leave so all the passengers got on board.
4. of /We / because/ our/ upset/ failure/ were.
->We were upset because of our failure.
5. badly /policeman / damaged/ accident/ to /the /whose /The/ car /had/ talking/
was /been /in/ the / man
->The policeman was talking to the man whose car had been badly damaged in
the accident.
3.4. Building sentences by using the given words or phrases.
Because of its difficulties, not many teachers are not interested in using this
exercise in the tests. From the words or phrases given, students have to make a
meaning sentences. Firstly, they must understand the meaning of the words and

phrases that are given and their uses. Then they need to identify the grammatical
structure that will be used. When making the sentence, they may have to add some
more words and change some given words. It is not an easy task for students.
However, it is an effective way to improve their use of language if the teachers
design suitable exercises for them. This is a very important step to help them do this
kind of exercise correctly. We should use this kind of exercise in oral test, in writing
test or homework. The level of difficulties must depend on the knowledge of the
students.
3.4.1. For weak students, the exercise must be on what they have known/ have learnt
and the signals must be very clear for them to infer.
Examples:
1. They/ build/ new/ hospital/ city/ at the moment
->They are building a new hospital at the moment.
In this sentences, the adverbial phrase “ at the moment” helps students identify the
tense easily.
2. If/ it/ rain/ I/ not/ go/ out/ tomorrow.
->If it rains, we will not go out tomorrow
The words “ if” and “ tomorrow” are clear signals for conditional type 1
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3. Mai/ be/ beautiful/ than/ her/ sister
->Mai is more beautiful than her sister
The word “ than” in this example refers to comparative.
4. He/ enjoy/ play/ football/ afternoon
->He enjoys playing football in the afternoon.
Students remember the structure : enjoy+ v-ing
5. My father/ come/ home/ late/ last night.
->My father came home late last night
The adverb “ last night” refers to past simple tense.

In all the above sentences, the symbols are very clear:
3.4.2. For better students, the exercises must be more complicated for them to infer.
The sentences should include difficult words or phrases because good students
usually like challenges
1. if/ you/ listen/ my/ advice/ first/ place, you/ be/ successful/ now
->If you had listened to my advice in the first place, you would be successful now.
In this sentence, there are two adverbs: in the first place and now so that
students can understand that it is a mixed onditional sentence
2. motion pictures / broaden /viewers/ awareness / different/ lifestyles.
-> Motion pictures have broadened the viewers’ awareness of different lifestyles
This sentence is a bit more difficult than the last one. However, students can
base on the meaning of the word to infer that they need to use present perfect tense
because it focuses on the result of the action.
3. not / mistakes / again!
-> Don’t do these mistakes again!
Students can easily realize that this is an imperative form.
4. Gagarin / astronaut / travel / space.
->Gagarin was the first astronaut to travel into space.
Basing on the meaning of the given words, good students can make a correct
sentence wit the structure : the first +noun+ to v-inf.
5. virus / bacteria / so small /we/ not/ see/ microscope.
-> Virus and bacteria are so small that we can’t see them without a microscope
The struture “ so adj …..that…..” and the meaning of the sentence helps the
students find out the word “without”
3.5. Rewrite the sentences as directed without changing the original meaning
This kind is considered to be one of the most difficult exercises. However, it
tends to be used widely in many examinations: 15 minutes, 45 minutes test,
semester test……Especially, it is currently an essential part of English tests in
GCSE examination and in examination for gifted students. It can be said that it is
very important to teach students to do this kind of exercise in order to get better

result. Teacher should classify the sentences into different levels of difficulty. That
means all students can do this kind of exercise but not all sentences
3.5.1. For weak students, teacher should choose the popular and simple structures
for them to rewrite, such as :
+ Comparisions: three types
+ Basic passive sentences
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+ Structures with although, in spite of and despite
+ Structures with because and because of
+ S+ spend+ time + v-ing and It + takes +(O) + time + to v
+ Structures with “ too” and “ enough”
+ So ………….that and such……………..that
+ reported speech : basic sentences
+ some sentences relating to tenses
+ modal verbs: present
+ Relative clauses: who, whom, which, whose, that
Examples:
Complete each sentence in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
before it.
1. Although she has a lot of homework to do, she spends time playing with the
children.
->In spite of having a lot of homework to do, she spends time playing with the
children.
2. He said, “ Mary, when is the next train?”
->He asked Mary when the next train was.
3. I have never seen a more interesting film than that one.
-> This is the most interesting film I have ever seen
4. He was late for school because his bike was broken.

->Because of his broken bike, he was late for school
5. The last time I met my sister was 2 years ago.
-> It is 2 years since I last met my sister.
3.5.2. With the above structures and some more difficult ones, good and excellent
students have to do more complicated exercises which they must refer the meaning
sometimes.
+ Comparisions: all types.
+ Conditional sentences: all types
+ Passive sentences: all types
+ Phrases and clauses : all types
+Reported speech : all types
+ Some sentences relating to tenses
+ Inversion
+ Modal verbs: all types
+ Subjunctive mood.
Examples:
Complete each sentence in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
before it.
1. If she had a watch, she wouldn’t always be late.
->Were she to have a watch, she wouldn’t always be late.
2. Please don’t say things like that.
-> I wish you didn’t say things like that.
3. People say that he is a good doctor.
->He is said to be a good doctor
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4. It’s sad, but unemployment is unlikely to go down this year.
->Sad as it is, unemployment is unlikely to go down this year.
5.They spent all their money building the house so they are in debt now.

->If they hadn’t spent all their money building the house, they wouldn’t be in debt
now.
2.6 Use the given word/ phrase to rewrite a sentence without changing the
original meaning
This is the most difficult exercise in making sentences. It is mostly used in
examination for gifted students. When doing this kind of exercises, students must
have firm knowledge and understanding. Because of this, teachers often avoid
giving this kind of exercises to their students. They only use it when teaching gifted
students. However, if teachers design the exercises suitably, it is completely used
for all students.And when they can do this kind of exercise, they will improve their
writing skill. oi That means weak students will do the simple exercises while the
better have to take more difficult ones.
2.6.1. For weak students to be able to do this exercise, teacher should give them
simple sentences that they understand easily. Morever, the signals must be clear.
Examples:
1. Can you take care of my parrot when I am away? LOOK AFTER
->Can you look after my parrot when I am away?
2. He is ill so he can’t go to school.
IF
->If he weren’t ill, he could go to school.
3. She is planting some new flower trees in the garden.
PLANTED
-> Some new flower trees are being planted in the garden.
4. The shoes are so small that she can’t put her feet into them. TOO
->The shoes are too small for her to put into
5. She can’t knit as well as her mother does.
BETTER
->Her mother knits better than she does.
The signs in the sentences are very clear, such as take care of = look after, so
adj….that = too adj + to v- inf., passive or comparision…

2.6.2. When designing this kind of exercises for good and excellent students,
teachers should focus on phrasal verbs, advanced grammatical structures, idioms….
1. When do you think this bridge was built?
OLD
->How old is this bridge?
2. You can avoid tooth decay by brushing your teeth regularly. PREVENT
->Brushing your teeth regularly can prevent tooth decay
3. It is raining cats and dogs .
TORRENT
-> The rain is coming down in torrent
4. The bank robbers escaped in a stolen car.
GETAWAY
-> The bank robbers made a getaway in a stolen car
5. She is not upset; she is only pretending.
ACTS
->She acts as if she were upset
When doing these sentences, students have to infer the meaning of the words
and sentences. Morever, they have to know phrasal verbs, idioms….such as : It rains
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cats and dogs = the rain comes down in torrent, make a getaway = escape, the use of
as if………..
4. Some selected exercises:
Exercise 1:
Reordering the words/ phrases to make meaningful senence
1. the mountains / never / we / go to
->…………………………………………………………………..
2. often / she / writes to me.
->…………………………………………………………………..

3. on Saturday afternoons / the boys / play / always
->…………………………………………………………………..
4. usually / arrives late / the bus.
->…………………………………………………………………..
5. go to bed / often / before 11 / we.
->…………………………………………………………………..
6. never / in the evening / drinks coffee / she.
->…………………………………………………………………..
7. it / in the summer / doesn’t / often / rain.
->…………………………………………………………………..
8. read book / I / always / slowly
->…………………………………………………………………..
9. usually / my father / by bus / goes to work
->…………………………………………………………………..
10.at the weekend / always / go to the beach / we.
->…………………………………………………………………..
Exercise 2:
Complete each of the following sentences, using the words given.
1. You / mind / if I / borrow / car / ?
->…………………………………………………………………..
2. Tom / always / going / home / late / so / mother / be/ angry / .
->……………………………………………………………………
3. It / be/ necessary / you/ practice English / every day / .
->……………………………………………………………………
4. She / interested / making / own / dress / .
->……………………………………………………………………
5. Flight 710 / Chicago / take off / ten / minutes / .
->……………………………………………………………………
6. If/ it/ not rain/ tomorrow/ I/ go/ camping/ my friends.
->…………………………………………………………………..

7. If/ I/ meet/ alien/ outer space/ I/ invite/ home/ talk.
->…………………………………………………………………..
8. I/ never/ travelled/ by/ air.
13


->…………………………………………………………………..
9. The students/ study/ for exam/ now.
->…………………………………………………………………..
10. It/ be/ such/ cold day/ we/ decide/ not/ go out.
->…………………………………………………………………..
Exercise 3:
Complete each sentence in such a way that it means the same as the sentence
before it
1. The little boy crossed the street although the traffic was heavy.
->In spite of...................................................................
2. We couldn’t answer the question because it was very hard.
-> The question..............................................................
3. He could not sell his car. He could not even give it away.
-> He could neither........................................................
4. He has never seen such an interesting film before.
-> Never.........................................................................
5. I’m sorry I was rude to you yesterday.
-> I apologize................................................................
6. Although his leg was broken he managed to get out of the car.
-> In spite......................................................................
7. Nobody can deny that she has a beautiful voice.
-> It................................................................................
8. She liked Paris a little and Rome less.
-> She thought Rome.....................................................

9. After fighting the fire for 12 hours the firemen succeeded in putting it out.
-> The firemen managed...............................................
10.Peter is a careless driver. If he doesn’t take more care, he will have an accident.
-> Unless.......................................................................
Exercise 4: Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as
similar as possible in meaning to the sentence printed before it. Do not change
the form of the given word.
1. I am telling you this for you not to make a mistake.
FEAR
->........................................................................................
2. I'd rather you didn't stay long at the party.
BETTER
->........................................................................................
3. I now think differently about this matter.
MIND
->........................................................................................
4. I am going to write and complain to the council.
COMPLAINT
->........................................................................................
5. She was just as good as they had thought.
CAME
->........................................................................................
6. While I was driving, I realized that the car wasn’t working properly. WRONG
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->........................................................................................
7. Sandra said that she was willing to work late.
MIND
->........................................................................................

8. They pretended to be enjoying themselves, but they weren’t really. AS
->........................................................................................
9. I can't lift this table on my own.
UNLESS
->........................................................................................
10. We couldn't find the cat anywhere.
NOWHER
->........................................................................................

IV. Experimental results:
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In my teaching process in the shool year 2015- 2016, I applied this topic in my
teaching for 10th grade and 11th grade students. And it has been proved to be
effective. It has made students more confident to do writing exercises. They don’t
avoid doing them any more. Especially, I have two students who attended the
examination for gifted students organized by Thanh Hoa Department of education
and training. They did three exercises of writing skill very well, although there were
some very difficult sentences.
At the end of the school year, I had a test about making sentences for
students of the three classes : 10A8,11C1 and 11C7. And the result was much better
in comparision with that at the beginning of the school year.
Class

Number
of
students
50

10A8

11C1

11C7

Rank

Making sentences
Before applying
After applying

Excellent

5

10%

12

24%

Good
Average

16
15

32%
30%

24
11

48%
22%

Weak
Excellent

14
3

14%
7%

3
7

6%
16.6%

Good

13

31%

22

52.4%

Average

14

33.4%

11

26.2%

Weak
Excellent

12
4

28.6%
9.8%

2
8

4.8%
19.5%

Good

12

29.2%

16

39 %

Average

11

26.8%

12

29.3%

Weak

14

34.2%

5

12.2%

42

41

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PART THREE: CONCLUSION
I.
Conclusion.
In the process of teaching English at Grade 10 and 11 in the school year
2015-2016, I got the initatively good result. I introduced to the students the types of
sentences and how to make them correctly. I constantly gave them exercises about
writing and asked them to practice. For weak students , I only introduced the basic
sentences and simple exercises. And for gifted students, or the students who study
English to attend university entrance examination, I taught them advanced
sentences and more difficult exercises. I find that most of the students understand
the basic knowledge and they can do exercises relating to writing skill at low or
average level. However, weak students still have some difficulties and they need to
practise more and I continue applying this experience in teaching them. I have
shown this experience initiative in the meeting of the foreign language group at
Trieu Son 1 High school and got the support and contributive opinions from my
fellow teachers.
As a young teacher, I haven’t obtained much experience in teaching so that my
topic is still limited. Therefore; I look forward to receiving the comments and
contribution of the other experienced teachers and colleagues so that my topic will
be more complete and more effective in the teaching process.
II.
Proposal:
I would like to propose that all the good and effective experience initatives
should be widely applied in teaching at schools. The schools ought to organize
meetings and conferences at which teachers are able to exchange their teaching
experiences and knowledge to enhance the quality of education. Young teachers

should be constantly fostered their professional abilities and given more interest to
help them develop their best proficiency.
Sincerely thank you!
The confirmation of the Head –Master

Thanh Hoa, May 10th , 2016
I assure this is my experience
initiative, not copying the contents
of other people.
The writer

Nguyen Thi Cuong

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III. KEYS:
Exercise 1:
1. We never go to the mountains
2. She often writes to me.
3. The boys always play on Saturday afternoons
4. The bus usually arrives late .
5. We often go to bed before 11 .
6. She never drinks coffee in the evening
7. It doesn’t often rain in the summer.
8. I always read book slowly
9. My father usually goes to work by bus
10.We always go to the beach at the weekend .
Exercise 2:
1. Would you mind if I borrowed your car ?

2. Tom is always going home late so that his mother is angry .
3. It is necessary for you to practice English every day .
4. She is interested in making her own dresses .
5. The Flight 710 to Chicago takes off in ten minutes .
6. If it does not rain tomorrow I will go camping my friends.
7. If I met an alien from outer space I would invite him home to talk.
8. I have never travelled by air.
9. The students are studying for exam now.
10. It was such a cold day that we decided not to go out.
Exercise 3:
1. In spite of the heavy traffic, the little boy crossed the street
2. The question was too hard for us to answer
3. He could neither sell his car nor give it away.
4. Never before has seen such an interesting film
5. I apologize for having been/ being rude to you yesterday
6. In spite of his broken leg, he managed to get out of the car.
7. It can’t be denied that she has a beautiful voice.
8. She thought Rome was worse than paris
9. The firemen managed in putting the fire out after fighting it for 12 hours.
10. Unless Peter takes more care, he will have an accident
Exercise 4:
1. I am telling you this for fear that you might make a mistake.
2. It would be better if you didn't stay long at the party.
3. I've changed my mind about this matter.
4. I intend to make a written complaint to the council.
5. She came up to their expectations.
6. While I was driving, I realized that there was something wrong with the car.
7. Sandra said that she didn’t mind working late.
8. They acted as if they had been enjoying themselves, but they weren’t really.
9. I can't lift this table unless someone helps me.

10. The cat was nowhere to be found
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IV. References
1 . English 10 and English 11

- Viet Nam education publisher.

2. Exercises English grammar test
3. First certificate language practice
4. Intermediate languge practice
5. The Advanced Language Practice

- Đỗ Tuấn Minh – Hoàng Tuấn
- Michael Vince
- Michael Vince
- Michael Vince

6. English Grammar In Use
7. Destination B1 – Grammar and
Vocabulary
8. Destination B2 – Grammar and
Vocabulary
9. Destination C1& C2 – Grammar and
Vocabulary
10. English Tests for gifted students of
Thanh Hoa province.

- Raymond Murphy

- Malcolm Mann & Steve TayloreKnowles
- Malcolm Mann & Steve TayloreKnowles
- Malcolm Mann & Steve TayloreKnowles

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