THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton

Correcting Errors in a Student's Writing

Read the following piece of writing, which contains many errors. Your task is to identify all the errors and correct them.

I think Ponyboy should not be put into a children home. Because he is better off with

his own loving, caring family. Firstly, his brother darry work hard to look after him:

he make sure that Ponyboy has enough to eat; he buys him cloths; and supervise his

education. Second, Ponyboy quiet close to his other brother, Sodapop, and would miss

him badly if he had to stay in an institution. Thirdly, Ponyboy has a positive attitude

towards school at present, but if he lose his friend he may become a truant and

perhaps even a crime person. For all this reason, I think Ponyboy Curtis should be

allowed to remain with his two brother.

THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton

Using Pronouns to Avoid Repetition

Writing in English sounds clumsy if you repeat your nouns a lot -

e.g. Johnny Cade is a weak, frightened character. Johnny’s father often beats Johnny.

It is much better to use pronouns –

e.g. Johnny Cade is a weak, frightened character. His father often beats him.

or Johnny Cade is a weak, frightened character whose father often beats him.

Some useful pronouns to include:

he, she, it, we, they, his, her, its, our, their, who, which, whose, where, this.

Now look at the following examples of bad writing and re-write them so that they sound better. (Replace the underlined words with a pronoun.)

  1. Ponyboy meets a "Soc" girl called Cherry Valance. Ponyboy discovers that, like Ponyboy, Cherry enjoys watching sunsets. Ponyboy and Cherry become friends.
  2. Ponyboy observes that most "Socs" get a good education, wear smart clothes and have a car whereas most "Greasers" live in poverty and have low-paid jobs. Seeing how "Socs" are rich and "Greasers" are poor makes Ponyboy angry.
  3. The three boys rush over to the burning church. When the three boysrush over, they find that some children are trapped inside.
  4. Ponyboy and Johnny had been smoking in the church earlier, so Ponyboy and Johnny think that perhaps the fire was Ponyboy and Johnny’s fault.
  5. Ponyboy recognises that although "Socs" and "Greasers" come from different social classes, "Socs" and "Greasers" both have problems.
  6. Darry is a strict guardian . Darry checks Ponyboy’s homework nightly and constantly urges Ponyboy to aim for higher marks.
  7. The two boys enjoy a Robert Frost poem . The poem describes how everything youthful and beautiful eventually decays.
  8. The Curtis boys never lock their front door at night. They don’t lock it because it allows their Greaser friends to drop in anytime they like.
  9. The boys flee to Windrixville. They hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville.

[Try rewriting No. 9 by using the pronoun where and joining the two sentences together.]

THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton

Case Conference

______

You are a police officer from Ponyboy and Sodapop’s precinct. You have been asked to give evidence to a "case conference" which will decide whether the boys should move into children’s homes. (On balance, you think they should be put in homes.)

  • What do you know about their behaviour since their parents died?
  • Is Darry capable of looking after them?

Refer to actual events (in the novel) when you give your evidence.

______

You are a social worker who has visited the Curtis family from time to time since their parents died. You have been asked to give evidence to a "case conference" which will decide whether Ponyboy and Sodapop should move into children’s homes. (On balance, you think they should be put in homes.)

  • What do you know about their behaviour since their parents died?
  • Is Darry capable of looking after them?
  • Are they safe at home?

Refer to actual events (in the novel) when you give your evidence.

______

You are Darry. You have been asked to give evidence to a "case conference" which will decide whether Ponyboy and Sodapop should move into children’s homes.

  • How can you prove that you are capable of looking after them?
  • How can you defend yourself against the charge that your brothers are gang members, school dropouts and so on?

Refer to actual events (in the novel) when you give your evidence.

______

You are Ponyboy’s English teacher. You have been asked to give evidence to a "case conference" which will decide whether Ponyboy and Sodapop should move into children’s homes. (On balance, you think they should not be put in homes.)

  • Gang members, school dropouts and murderers: aren’t the boys out of control?

Refer to actual events (in the novel) when you give your evidence.

THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton

TV New Report

Children Rescued from Church Fire on JayMountain

In your group, prepare a television news report about the fire in the abandoned church at JayMountain, Windrixville and the rescue of the children by Johnny, Ponyboy and Dally.

Write a script for the report. You must include the following:

1. An introduction by the newsreader

e.g. "Two young men are in hospital tonight after dramatically rescuing a group of kindergarten children from a burning church in Windrixville, Oklahoma. The fire broke out while …" (ETC.)

2. Brief comments by:

  • Jerry (the children’s teacher)
  • Ponyboy
  • Dally
  • A doctor from the hospital where Johnny, Ponyboy, Dallas and the children are being treated

3. Final remarks by the newsreader

e.g. "Just a week ago, John Cade and Ponyboy Curtis were being sought by police in connection with the death of an eighteen-year-old boy in Tulsa. Today the same boys have become national heroes. Nevertheless, because of their age they will soon have to appear in a juvenile court, charged with running away from home."

Your script is very important. Make it sound like a real TV news report. Get the language right: for example, the newsreader and Jerry will say "children" whereas the boys may say "kids". There must be no mistakes: check with the teacher if you are not sure.

Rehearse the item. (Only the newsreader can glance at a copy of the script, so learn your lines – but make them sound natural.)

THE OUTSIDERS, S E Hinton

Revision Quiz

  1. Who "digs books and movies"?
  2. Who is "always happy-go-lucky and grinning"?
  3. Who is Sodapop’s best buddy?
  4. Who has "eyes like two pieces of pale blue-green ice"?
  5. Who has "dark-gold hair that he combs back" and "dancing, reclessly laughing eyes"?
  6. Who is "the oldest of the gang"?
  7. Who has "small, sharp animal teeth" and "ears like a lynx"?
  8. Who has "a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes"?
  9. Who has a girlfriend called Sandy?
  10. Who worries about "good grades, good cars, good girls, madras and Mustangs and Corvairs"?
  11. Which gang thought Elvis Presley was "tuff"?
  12. Who says "I think I like it better when the old man’s hittin’ me"?
  13. Who works as a jockey in rodeos?
  14. How did Ponyboy and Johnny travel to Windrixville?
  15. What book did Johnny buy at the store in Windrixville?
  16. "It’s like being inside a Halloween costume we can’t get out of". What is Ponyboy referring to?
  17. Who wrote the poem that Ponyboy recites at the old church? ("Nature’s first green is gold,/ Her hardest hue to hold.")
  18. Why did Dally hit Ponyboy hard across the back as he tried to re-enter the burning church?
  19. What was Dad’s pet name for Sodapop?
  20. "You can’t, you know that, don’t you?" Who says this to Ponyboy?