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Secondary 2 English — Quick Revision Notes
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Vocabulary Building
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Group new words by theme (e.g. emotions, weather, movement).
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Learn word families: courage, courageous, encourage, discouraged.
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Practise using each new word in two different sentences.
Sentence Paraphrasing
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Change sentence structure: active ↔ passive, statement ↔ question.
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Combine short sentences; split long ones for clarity.
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Replace vague words with precise ones (e.g. 'walked' → 'strolled').
Composition Structure (PEEL)
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Open with a hook — a question, a quote, or a vivid image.
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Each paragraph: one Point + one Example + Explanation + Link.
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End with a conclusion that restates your stand without repeating it.
Oral Communication
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Speak clearly at a steady pace — not too fast, not too soft.
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Structure answers: Point → Reason → Example → Conclusion.
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Show balance: 'On the other hand...' to mention another view.
Editing & Common Errors
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Check for run-on sentences — use full stops or conjunctions.
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Match pronouns to their nouns (singular/plural).
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Watch modifiers: 'only' and 'almost' belong next to the word they limit.
Figurative Language & Literary Devices
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Metaphor — a direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as'. Example: Time is a thief.
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Simile — a comparison using 'like' or 'as'. Example: She fought like a lion.
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Personification — giving human qualities to non-human objects. Example: The wind whispered through the trees.
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Hyperbole — deliberate exaggeration for emphasis. Example: I've told you a thousand times.
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Irony — when reality differs from expectations. Example: A traffic police officer gets fined for speeding.
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Alliteration — repetition of consonant sounds. Example: Wild winds whipped wildly.
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Assonance — repetition of vowel sounds. Example: The light of the fire is a sight.
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Onomatopoeia — words that imitate sounds. Example: Bang, buzz, crash.
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Imagery — descriptive language appealing to the senses. Example: The golden sunlight bathed the sparkling ocean.
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Symbolism — using an object to represent a deeper idea. Example: A white dove symbolising peace.
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Foreshadowing — hints about future events. Example: Dark clouds gathering before tragedy strikes.
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Oxymoron — two contradictory words placed together. Example: Deafening silence.
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Juxtaposition — placing contrasting ideas side by side. Example: Showing extreme wealth beside poverty.
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Repetition — repeating words or phrases for emphasis. Example: Never give up, never surrender, never quit.
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Rhetorical question — a question asked for effect, not an answer. Example: Who wouldn't want success?
Emotion Expressions — Happy / Joyful
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Beaming with delight — visibly extremely happy
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Brimming with joy — filled with happiness
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In high spirits — cheerful and energetic
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Walking on air — exceptionally happy
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On cloud nine — extremely delighted
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Over the moon — immensely pleased
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Beside oneself with joy — unable to contain one's happiness
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A surge of elation swept over her — sudden, intense happiness
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His heart swelled with joy — felt deep happiness
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Her face lit up with delight — suddenly looked very happy
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A radiant smile spread across her face — smiled brightly
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His eyes sparkled with excitement — showed obvious enthusiasm
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She could barely contain her excitement — struggled to control her happiness
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A warm glow of satisfaction enveloped her — felt deeply contented
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She was buoyed by the good news — became happier and more optimistic
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Euphoria coursed through him — experienced overwhelming happiness
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An irrepressible grin crept across his face — could not stop himself smiling
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Her spirits soared — became extremely happy
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She revelled in the moment — took immense pleasure in the experience
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A wave of exhilaration washed over him — felt an intense rush of excitement
Emotion Expressions — Sad / Miserable
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Consumed by grief — overwhelmed by sadness
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Overcome with sorrow — unable to control one's sadness
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Crushed by disappointment — extremely upset by failure
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Drowning in despair — feeling completely hopeless
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Plunged into despondency — suddenly became deeply miserable
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Her heart sank — suddenly felt disappointed or worried
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His spirits plummeted — became extremely unhappy
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A wave of melancholy descended upon her — sadness gradually overwhelmed her
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A profound sense of loss engulfed him — felt intense grief
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Tears welled up in her eyes — tears began forming
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Her voice trembled with sorrow — sadness affected her speech
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His shoulders sagged in defeat — posture revealed disappointment
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She fought back tears — tried desperately not to cry
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A lump formed in his throat — became emotional and struggled to speak
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Silent tears trickled down her cheeks — cried quietly
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Her eyes were clouded with sorrow — looked visibly unhappy
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His expression crumpled — suddenly showed intense sadness
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She was inconsolable — could not be comforted
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An oppressive gloom settled over him — intense sadness weighed upon him
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The crushing weight of disappointment bore down on her — disappointment felt overwhelming
Emotion Expressions — Angry / Furious
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Seething with rage — extremely angry but trying to contain it
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Consumed by fury — overwhelmed by anger
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Incandescent with rage — extraordinarily furious
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Livid with anger — extremely angry
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Fuming with indignation — visibly angry because something seems unfair
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His blood boiled — became extremely angry
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A surge of fury coursed through him — sudden powerful anger
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Her temper flared — became angry very quickly
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His patience wore dangerously thin — was close to losing his temper
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A flash of anger crossed her face — briefly showed anger
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His jaw clenched — physically restrained his anger
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Her fists tightened at her sides — body language revealed anger
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His nostrils flared — showed intense irritation
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Her eyes blazed with fury — looked extremely angry
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His face contorted with rage — anger distorted his expression
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She struggled to rein in her temper — tried to control her anger
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His voice was laced with venom — spoke with intense hostility
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She spat the words through gritted teeth — spoke with barely controlled anger
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A torrent of abuse erupted from him — suddenly unleashed angry words
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Pent-up resentment finally boiled over — suppressed anger finally exploded
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He flew into a rage — suddenly became extremely angry
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She bristled with indignation — reacted angrily to perceived unfairness
Emotion Expressions — Scared / Terrified
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Petrified with fear — so frightened that one cannot move
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Paralysed by terror — unable to react because of extreme fear
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Gripped by fear — suddenly overwhelmed by fear
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Consumed by dread — filled with intense apprehension
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Stricken with terror — suddenly extremely frightened
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A chill ran down her spine — experienced sudden fear
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His blood ran cold — suddenly became terrified
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Her heart hammered against her ribs — heart beat violently from fear
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His stomach churned with anxiety — felt physically sick from nervousness
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A knot of fear tightened in her stomach — anxiety intensified
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Her breath caught in her throat — suddenly struggled to breathe
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His palms grew clammy — hands became sweaty from fear
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Her knees threatened to buckle — legs became weak from terror
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His pulse quickened — heartbeat accelerated
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Her body went rigid with fear — became physically tense
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A prickling sensation crept down his spine — gradually sensed danger
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She recoiled in horror — physically moved backwards in fear
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His eyes darted frantically around the room — looked around desperately for danger
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She stood rooted to the spot — was too frightened to move
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An ominous sense of foreboding descended upon him — felt that something terrible was about to happen
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Panic clawed at her insides — experienced intense, almost uncontrollable fear
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A strangled gasp escaped her lips — involuntarily gasped from shock or terror
Sophisticated Emotion Transitions
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Her initial elation rapidly gave way to despair.
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Relief flooded through him, displacing the fear that had gripped him moments earlier.
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His apprehension gradually crystallised into outright terror.
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Her irritation simmered beneath the surface before erupting into unbridled fury.
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The exhilaration she had felt moments earlier evaporated instantaneously.
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A creeping sense of unease began to gnaw at him.
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Disappointment slowly curdled into resentment.
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His momentary shock was swiftly supplanted by indignation.
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A cocktail of fear and uncertainty churned within her.
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Relief washed over him as the crushing weight of anxiety finally lifted.
Powerful Emotion Vocabulary Bank
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Happy: elated, jubilant, euphoric, exhilarated, ecstatic, buoyant, gleeful, exuberant, radiant, rapturous.
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Sad: despondent, melancholy, crestfallen, forlorn, disconsolate, dejected, anguished, grief-stricken, morose, inconsolable.
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Angry: livid, irate, incensed, indignant, infuriated, enraged, exasperated, resentful, apoplectic, incandescent.
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Scared: petrified, apprehensive, unnerved, alarmed, horrified, panic-stricken, trepidatious, terror-stricken, jittery, aghast.