The thousandth “Ek en my familie”

Are you still writing lame essays about “my vakansie” and “die beste dag van my lewe”? The same cliche that your teacher probably read a few hundred, if not a thousand times? I was there too at some point. The tips I am going to give you today are not just applicable to essays in Afrikaans but also English.

The psychology- how to use the brain in your favour

The goal of your essay should be to wow the reader. And from the beginning of the year, you should be building up your vocabulary. You have two sections to sweep the reader off their feet, beginning and end, because psychologically what stands out is the last thing we said, or the last thing that happened. Think about it, when you go to a party, and it starts fun and all good, but then at the end, a fight breaks out, what will be most memorable? What will people be talking about the next day, the next week?

The tips

So that’s how you will work your essay. Having a nice beginning will hook your teacher, draw them in. Let’s focus on Afrikaans here. In English, if you start with “it was a dark and starry night”, it sounds basic, but what’s cliché in English will not necessarily also be in Afrikaans. And your teacher will think, “Well, this is good”. Storytelling is not about what you did, but about describing how you did. You can say “I walked across the room” and you will not have enough words for your essay. But I (because I am me darling), I would say: “As I walked across the room my heart was pounding, I felt uneasy, walking towards her was difficult. I did not know what the result would be. This would not be exciting.”

How it works and recommendations

This slows down the action, and it tells the reader what was going on in that moment. And it is very important that you adapt this idea from the beginning of the year, apply it in class and assignments. When the exam finally comes, you have built up the skill, and it becomes natural. I recommend you take note of the words in the prescribed readings, memorise them and use them. You can also try to get sayings from the handbook if you have one. And if not, the internet is abundant with information. Speak in the language with your friends too, to lock it in.

Example

Since everyone is always at the beach, let me show you an example. “Die see was moeg, en ek ook. Vandag was lang, en moeilikeid.” That’s all I have friends I am fighting the urge to use Spanish words, in-between, it is so much easier because the words are similar to English, like dificil.

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Embody great writers

I hope you catch my drift, though. Tell stories, be a Shakespeare, describe how the trees moved while you poured your heart out to the grass, and the stones seemed to hear your cries. It is more interesting and it will get you those marks.