Onomatopoeia

A term used for some grammar schools for boys and in particular for many secondary schools for girls (Almost all the 24 girls’ public schools operated by the Girls’ Public Day School Trust have ‘High School’ as part of their name).

Independent school

A fee-paying school, usually a public school or preparatory school, that operates outside the state system. Many such schools are long established and have gained a reputation for their high standards; however, only approximately 7 % of all school children attend independent schools. See also private schools.

Infant school

A school for very young children from the age of five, when compulsory education begins, to seven. See also first school.

Kindergarten

An alternative term for a nursery school, especially a private one.

Lower school

A term occasionally used for the junior classes of a secondary school. Today such classes are often organized as middle school.

Polytechnic

A college that offered a wide range of courses at further education or higher education level, with some courses leading to a degree. By 1993 all polytechnics had become universities, with some changing their name to avoid confusion with existing universities. Thus Leicester Polytechnic became De Montfort University (named after Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, who ruled England in the 13^th century), to avoid confusion with Leicester University.

Pre-preparatory school

An independent school that prepares children aged 5 to 7 for entry to a preparatory school.

Preparatory school

An independent (fee-paying) school for children aged (usually) 7 to 13. Many are boarding schools and for boys only (aged 7-13) or girls only (7-11) and some form a junior department of a public school. Most pupils go on from a preparatory school to a public school by taking the Common Entrance examination (providing education ‘preparatory’ to a public school).

Primary school

A junior state school for children aged (usually) 5 to 11, after which they pass to a secondary school. Some children of this age group, however, attend a first school or middle school.

Private school

An independent (fee-paying) school such as a preparatory school, as distinct from a state (non-fee-paying) school. The finances of such schools are often controlled by a charitable trust. Most public schools are in fact private schools, although the term is not generally used in order to avoid confusion.

Secondary modern school

A type of secondary school that offers a more general and technical and less academic education than a grammar school. Of all school children of secondary school age, fewer than 4 % attend such schools.

Secondary school

A state school or private school that provides education for school children aged between 11 and 18. Such schools are organized in a number of ways, with the most common type being the comprehensive school, attended by over 90 % of school children of this age. Other types of secondary schools are grammar schools, middle schools, secondary modern schools, technical schools and public schools. An extension of a state secondary school is the tertiary college. Most students leave their state secondary school at the age of 16, having taken one or more subjects in the GCSE.

Sixth form

The most senior class in a secondary school often divided into two years as a ‘lower sixth’ and an ‘upper sixth’. The class is usually intended for students preparing for the A-level examination.

Sixth form college

A further education college, sometimes an independent (fee-paying) one, for students who wish to prepare for the A-level examination or, in some cases, to retake the GCSE. Compare tertiary college.

Special school

A school catering for children with physical or mental handicap or emotional or behavioral disorders. Such schools can be either state (non-fee-paying) or private (fee-paying, or run by a voluntary organization)

Technical school

A state secondary school that provides an integrated academic and technical course. Such schools are attended by under 1 % of all students of secondary school age.

Tertiary college

A state educational college that provides a range of specialized courses for students over 16 at sixth form or further education level. Tertiary as the third level of education after primary and secondary.

Upper school

The senior classes in a secondary school or public school, usually including the sixth form.

3. Look at the different types of educational establishments below. Match them to the sort of person who might attend them.

1. A co-educational secondary school

2. A primary school for infants and juniors

3. A sixth-form college

4. A nursery school

5. A further education college offering evening classes

6. A university

7. A public school

a. A five-year-old and a nine-year-old

b. A thirty-six-year old office worker who wants to get better at computer skills

c. A seventeen-year-old who hopes to go on to higher education

d. A twenty-year-old who wants to be a doctor

e. A thirteen-year-old girl and a fourteen-year-old boy

f. A fifteen-year-old whose parents want to pay for his/her education

g. A three-year-old

School Slang, Idioms & Phrasal Verbs List

ace a test

blow something

brain

brush up on something

count noses

cow college

cut class / ditch class / play hooky

draw a blank

drop out

hand in / hand out

have one's nose in a book

hit the books

jot down

know-it-all

pop quiz

sign up (for)

stuck-up

take the roll

the teacher's pet

1. Describe these people using the suitable idioms and phrasal verbs.

1. The teacher always … before starting the course.

2. The teacher always … before going back to school after a school trip.

3. Harry is the …: he always gets good marks and the teacher is very friendly with him.

4. I went to a … and I started my own business. I have one hundred cows now.

5. Sarah always buys dozens of books. She loves science fiction books, novels and poetry. She always ...

6. I'm going to study really hard so that I can ...

7. I can't believe I … another test. My grades are going down the tube.

8. Mike is such a.... He knows everything.

9. We need to … our Spanish since we are going to Mexico next month for vacation.

10. Max and Jo … yesterday. They went to Disneyland instead of going to class.

2. Each of these people has said two sentences: one from the upper column and one from the lower column. Match them.

1. I missed that test question, but I totally knew the answer.

2. Man, I'm tired of school.

3. Don't forget to hand in your homework.

4. You could hear a pin drop as the professor handed out the final exam.

5. We really need to hit the books if we want to do well in the exam on Friday.

6. Max is such a know-it-all.

7. I haven’t signed up for the tennis tournament next weekend.

8. The teacher gave us a pop quiz today.

9. I wanted to ask her out, but she wouldn't even give me the time of day.

10. Tom always jots down during lectures.

a) He thinks he knows everything.

b) I think she's a little stuck-up.

c) I think I'll drop out and do a little travelling.

d) Next time I’ll bring your copybooks and we’ll analyse the results.

e) This exam is really important for us.

f) He thinks that in this case he will remember much information.

g) I think I blew it.

h) I just drew a blank.

i) It was so because we were very excited.

j) I’m going to do it a bit later.

Onomatopoeia

Onomatopoeia is a combination of speech sounds which alms at imitating sounds produced in nature (wind, sea, thunder, etc.) by things (machines or tools, etc.) by people (singing, laughter) and animals. Therefore the relation between onomatopoeia and the phenomenon it is supposed to represent is one of metonymy There are two varieties of onomatopoeia: direct and indirect.

Direct onomatopoeia is contained in words that imitate natural sounds, as ding-dong, burr, bang, cuckoo. These words have different degrees of imitative quality. Some of them immediately bring to mind whatever it is that produces the sound. Others require the exercise of a certain amount of imagination to decipher it. Onomatopoetic words can be used in a transferred meaning, as for instance, ding - dong, which represents the sound of bells rung continuously, may mean 1) noisy, 2) strenuously contested.

Indirect onomatopoeia demands some mention of what makes the sound, as rustling of curtains in the following line. And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain. Indirect onomatopoeia is a combination of sounds the aim of which is to make the sound of the utterance an echo of its sense. It is sometimes called "echo writing". An example is: And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain" (E. A. Poe), where the repetition of the sound [s] actually produces the sound of the rustling of the curtain.

Date: 2014-12-29; view: 1302