| ON CAMPUS December 2019 Issue |
| Creative Campus Year-End Holiday Closure
We will be closed from 15 December 2019 to 1 January 2020 inclusive. Classes will resume on 2 January 2020. During this period, we remain contactable via Whatsapp @ 88502499 during office hours, or via email chalk@creativecampus.com.sg. Please give us some time to get back to you.
Season's Greetings and Have a Wonderful 2020 ahead! |
| | | Congratulations to our P6 cohort. We couldn't be more proud :) |
| Campus News
New Courses for Secondary/IB students (NEW)
We are pleased to introduce 3 new courses for students in the IB and Language Arts programme. Using carefully curated materials, these courses will commence in January 2020. Click on the links below to find out more: Trial Classes
Registration is open for our 3-day trial session. Please have a look at our class schedule to determine which class your child would like to attend. Do call us at 6455 3063 or email chalk@creativecampus.com.sg for assistance. Charges will apply, as do terms and conditions.
Find out what we do: insights into Creative Campus (NEW)
The 2019 national exams are done and dusted. The respective post-mortem analysis can be found on our website. You can even access a sample of our worksheets online. Click on the links below to find out more:
Ongoing Promotion for Current Students and Parents |
| | Over the years, we have been blessed with numerous parents who have referred Creative Campus to their family and friends. In this regard, we would like to take the opportunity to show our appreciation. All promotions stated above can be enjoyed concurrently.
Do call us at 6455 3063 to find out more, or click here to view the terms and conditions.
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| Ongoing Promotion for NEW STUDENTSOur JC 2018 graduating cohort did exceptionally well last year. To celebrate their success, we are waiving $30 off fees for new students if they opt in to receive the discount code. Terms and conditions apply.
Click here to sign up today! |
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Contranyms
In English, there is a class of fascinating words known as “contranyms”. Contranyms are words with two contradictory meanings. This means that the words can also mean their opposite. Contranyms are also known as ‘Janus words’ – a reference to Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings, who is famous for his two faces.
Although contranyms might seem illogical, the formation of contranyms is, without a doubt, historically interesting. Sometimes they appear when two words with opposite meanings converge into a single one; other times, they emerge when a single word acquires a different meaning over the years.
I to II: ‘dust’ and ‘sanctions’
The words ‘dust’ and ‘sanctions’ are contranyms that arose when an original word developed separate, contradictory meanings over time. Consider ‘dust’, which can mean both to remove dust particles (“I dusted the table”) or to add fine particles onto something (“I dusted the cake with icing sugar”). Both meanings came from the noun ‘dust’ – which are, of course, powdery particles of matter that we are all familiar with. However, ‘dust’ as a verb can now mean to remove or to add dust, depending on context.
What about ‘sanction’? The word was borrowed into English from a Latin word that referred to the confirmation or enactment of a law. Its first use as a verb was in the sense of giving official recognition or approval (“His actions were not sanctioned by his boss”), but it later was used to mean the exact opposite – to condemn or penalise (“That country will impose trade sanctions”). This later, negative meaning was borne out of the original legalistic sense of the Latin word.
II to I: ‘buckle’
Contrariwise (no pun intended), ‘buckle’ is a contranym that emerged out of two different words converging into one. Both original words originated in French: ‘buckle’, as in belt buckle, came directly from Old French bocle, meaning “boss (of a shield)”, while ‘buckle’, meaning to bend out of shape, came from Middle French boucler, “to bulge”. Both words were borrowed into English at different times, but with the same spelling. That’s how we got the English contranym ‘buckle’ today!
Test Yourself
See if you can explain the different meanings of the following contranyms!
Q1. Cleave
Q2. Fast
Q3. Bolt
Q4. Clip
Q5. Bound
Q6. Oversight
Q7. Draw (curtains)
Q8. Left
Answers
A1. split / adhere to
A2. moving quickly / fixed in place
A3. leave quickly / immobilise
A4. attach / cut off
A5. tied down / leaping
A6. to accidentally miss something / close scrutiny
A7. open / close (curtains)
A8. leave / remain |
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| Winter festivals around the world
December is here! That means a month of festivities is upon us! Have you ever wondered what kind of festivities are celebrated around the world during this cheery time? Here are just three of the many holidays that people observe(d):
Samhain
Samhain (pronounced ‘saah-win’) is a Gaelic festival that was traditionally observed by the people of Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. It is held nearing the last of harvest season and the start of winter, around early November. Because Samhain coincided with ‘summer’s end’, it became known as a festival of death. Samhain is said to have inspired Halloween, which is internationally celebrated today. In fact, the current practice of carving and lighting jack-o’-lanterns began with Samhain.
Dongzhi/Dongji/Toji Festival
Dongzhi Festival, literally translated to “the extreme of winter”, is one of the most important festivals in East Asia. In the past, Dongzhi was observed as it marked the annual turning point (Winter Solstice) towards spring. Across East Asia, people celebrate the Winter Solstice with the entire family gathering for a meal. However, the food eaten differs. Dumplings are eaten in northern China, in contrast to the glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) that are common in southern China, Singapore, and Vietnam. In Korea, the Winter Solstice festival is known as Dongji, and red bean porridge (patjuk) is the meal of choice. Meanwhile, the Japanese celebrate Toji by taking a hot bath with yuzu and eating auspicious vegetables (unmori) and kabocha squash.
Yalda Night
Winter Solstice has historically been celebrated as Shab-e Yalda (Yalda Night) in parts of West and Central Asia like Iran, Azerbaijan, Tajikstan, and Turkey. On Yalda Night, otherwise known as the “longest and darkest night of the year”, families gather to eat, drink, and read poetry long into the night. These activities originally served to protect people from evil, which was believed to be at its peak on the long dark night. Summer fruits like watermelon were deemed particularly potent against the darkness, and thus enjoyed to the fullest. Families also ate nuts, which were thought to bring prosperity, and other red-coloured fruits, which symbolised the colours of dawn and life.
Something to Ponder…
• Many of the traditional holidays held in the latest quarter of the year celebrate the passing of winter. Why do you think people wanted to celebrate this?(TIP): Most of the food help to warm the body up or enhance the body’s resistance to cold by taking what traditional Chinese medicine deems as ‘heaty’ food. |
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Have you checked out our ebooks?
Two of them are FREE! Useful for all students from Primary 3 and up, these ebooks are essential building blocks for your child to have a better grasp on the English Language.
Free Brain Booster eBook Download
Download our eBook Brain Booster for revision now.
Visit the Shop Page on our Website to get your free copy!
Click here to find out more on our website.
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| Until the next time, The Creative Campus Team |
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For more interesting articles you can use as discussion tools, do like our Facebook Page where we share them weekly.
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