How to learn massive Irish Essays off by heart?

Moromaster

Our teacher isn't giving us a choice whether to do the Higher Level or Ordinary course, we go where she tells us. :rolleyes:

But to get into HL, I have to get a C2 or better in our upcoming test, which is a massive letter (2 A4 pages). :eek:

Now, that'd be fine, but she hasn't, and won't give translations. Just massive blocks of incomprehensible text.

My question is, how the hell am I meant to study this? I haven't a clue, I've tried writing the thing out, reading it over and over, learning it sentanceBYsentance... but I am having alot of trouble, alot.

Does anyone have advice for me? (Don't say OL because that isn't even an option).

Hurler29

well you could use a dictionary or focail.ie to translate some of the letter.

sry i cnt give you more help than that.

Moromaster

Hurler29 wrote: »

well you could use a dictionary or focail.ie to translate some of the letter.

sry i cnt give you more help than that.

It's all horribly complicated grammatical phrases, the dictionary is completely useless.

*giggles*

If you're going to be doing Honours, shouldn't you be able to understand it? The basis of learning these things off is to understand them.

Advice? Learn 5 nathanna cainte a week to increase your vocabulary and read things like Foinse or other Irish newsletters.

Anita Blow

What I did was say a sentence a few times in my head until I know it, then move onto the next sentence and do the same but after every new sentence learned, I have to all of what I learned up until that point off by heart. Ya get me?

So if I had to learn "I like fingers. I really like fingers"
I'd learn "I love cats", then "I like fingers" then when I have the 2 sentences learned, I'd have to try and say them together off by heart.

Closed ac

One of my strong points is actually learning long essays off by heart, it's what helped me get A/B's in Irish up until now. Basically, what I do, is learn what the story is about in English first, so you know what your saying. Then learn the first sentence off by heart. Then learn the second and repeat the first and second aloud. Then learn the third and repeat the first, second and third aloud. I think you get the idea. Then, when you've learnt off a paragraph, give it to someone in your family and recite it for them. Then learn the next paragraph off and recite the two paragraphs for them.

Trust me, this is such a good way of learning things off. It may take up a good portion of the evening, but it's well worth it as I find it stays in the brain for a long time afterward.

Slow Show

2 pages for a letter :eek: I have never done more than one.

Your teacher sounds like a right pain - my teacher gives us samples and at first they look like big incomprehensible blocks, what I always do is get my dictionary out, translate, and then simplify to make it easier for me to remember. I keep in what I can't cut out or simplify, and I learn new phrases. Learning off huge blocks of text doesn't work - take it from me, forgot one sentence and you're totally screwed.
I know you said the dictionary thing isn't working, but give it another shot. Every word you don't understand, look it up and write it above it and try to piece it all together.
Remember -it's always better to write very simple sentences perfectly than writing out long complicated paragraphs of things that don't make sense.
When it comes to writing a letter, you probably know to learn off the phrases for your introduction and closing paragraph and spout out as many as possible. I always do that and if I enlarge my writing a little, I could fill up nearly half the page with that alone. You don't need to use your teacher's introduction or closing paragraph, just the main body, because it doesn't really have much to do with the story.
Well, this is long. If you can, try follow my tips. It got me 90 in my last test, so it's worth a try Good luck.

Anita Blow - I do the exact same thing, works too!

elaine93

2 a4 pages, in the JC would be way too much, you'd just piss off the examiner.
Your teacher can't decide what level you take. You know how good or bad you are.

In terms of the letter, are you sure you have to learn it by heart, or was there an option to write your own letter? In that case its better to write your own letter. Just learn loads of phrases

The other thing you could do is type up the letter here (that'd help you learn it) and we can try translate it.

bluejay14

To learn paragraphs I usually say the first sentenc eout loud a load of times until I think I have it learned.Then I go on to the next sentence, then the next and when I have about 4 learned I try to say them al together.Then I contuinue like that learning it piece by piece until I have it all learned.When you have a paragraph learned I write it out to make sure I know it then correct it using the original and write in the corrections so I know where I go wrong.I also try to say it to myself when I'm doing something else.


If you post what you don't understand up here we can try to help you translate it.

MultiUmm

*giggles* wrote: »

If you're going to be doing Honours, shouldn't you be able to understand it? The basis of learning these things off is to understand them.

Advice? Learn 5 nathanna cainte a week to increase your vocabulary and read things like Foinse or other Irish newsletters.

Tbh I'm not sure how true that is.

Students can recite essays that are regurgitated in exams without a bit of bother but trying to have a normal conversation in Irish with them is like trying to get blood out of a turnip. (Depending on their fluency of course).

Cian92

Moromaster wrote: »

Our teacher isn't giving us a choice whether to do the Higher Level or Ordinary course, we go where she tells us. :rolleyes:

But to get into HL, I have to get a C2 or better in our upcoming test, which is a massive letter (2 A4 pages). :eek:

Now, that'd be fine, but she hasn't, and won't give translations. Just massive blocks of incomprehensible text.

My question is, how the hell am I meant to study this? I haven't a clue, I've tried writing the thing out, reading it over and over, learning it sentanceBYsentance... but I am having alot of trouble, alot.

Does anyone have advice for me? (Don't say OL because that isn't even an option).

If you had the time to write it all up here, we could translate it.

CookieMonster.x

This is what I do: say the sentence over and over again. I'm lucky because I have a flair for languages and a good memory.

Try taking 3/4 lines each night. Say it half of it/to a 'break' and say it again and again. Then take the next bit (like I mean until say agus then the next bit) and repeat. Then the whole sentence. Do that with the rest and try to pronounce it properly too. Also, try to pronounce the 'h''s and uru's etc so you'll hear it in your head when you're writing it and you'll just write it.
Once you're sure you know it saying it out, write out the small bit you've learned. Correct it with the proper one and write out the mistakes 3 times.

I know it seems long but if you take just 3/4 lines a night and do that, you'll get the results.

I sometimes rhyme it off for eg. like I'd say it in a weird way or whatever. Know the jist of the story. There's always google translator.

Gaeilge-go-deo

Moromaster wrote: »

Our teacher isn't giving us a choice whether to do the Higher Level or Ordinary course, we go where she tells us. :rolleyes:

But to get into HL, I have to get a C2 or better in our upcoming test, which is a massive letter (2 A4 pages). :eek:

Now, that'd be fine, but she hasn't, and won't give translations. Just massive blocks of incomprehensible text.

My question is, how the hell am I meant to study this? I haven't a clue, I've tried writing the thing out, reading it over and over, learning it sentanceBYsentance... but I am having alot of trouble, alot.

Does anyone have advice for me? (Don't say OL because that isn't even an option).

Your teacher cant make you do pass its up to yourself all she can do is advise you.. as another teacher in your school what it means then just learn it of in blocks just keep writin it out you might know it and dont know you know it haha .. on the jc paper it says 'Ní gá níos mó ná leathleathanach a scríobh' so i duno why ur doin two page letters :S

Moromaster

Gaeilge-go-deo wrote: »

Your teacher cant make you do pass its up to yourself all she can do is advise you.. as another teacher in your school what it means then just learn it of in blocks just keep writin it out you might know it and dont know you know it haha .. on the jc paper it says 'Ní gá níos mó ná leathleathanach a scríobh' so i duno why ur doin two page letters :S

Well there are exams which choose which teacher you go to, and with some you're not going to be learning anything.

jumpguy

Moromaster wrote: »

Our teacher isn't giving us a choice whether to do the Higher Level or Ordinary course, we go where she tells us. :rolleyes:

But to get into HL, I have to get a C2 or better in our upcoming test, which is a massive letter (2 A4 pages). :eek:

Now, that'd be fine, but she hasn't, and won't give translations. Just massive blocks of incomprehensible text.

My question is, how the hell am I meant to study this? I haven't a clue, I've tried writing the thing out, reading it over and over, learning it sentanceBYsentance... but I am having alot of trouble, alot.

Does anyone have advice for me? (Don't say OL because that isn't even an option).

I might be wrong about this...but it's your decision in the LC to do HL or OL. It's your LC, not your teacher's. However, he/she may have a decision on whether you get to sit in the HL class, that's where they get ya.

I struggle to learn reams of Irish myself (actually, I struggle to rote learn anything I don't understand), so unfortunately no advice on that front!

dekbhoy

Some excellent ideas , when i was studying irish through primary and secondary , my trick was to obviously understand it in English first but what i did then was always drew cartoons to go with the sentence in my own handy artwork(not), this stood in my brain for years afterwards and even though i havent used gaelic in a long time i can still recite sentences from irish exam by simply remembering the cartoons ...... as in , Lean an garda an gadai...... the policeman chased the thief ..... Phioc Nora Blathanna ...... nora picked flowers...... you obviously then interact such sentences making them more complicated thus creating an essay by picturing in your head the cartoons in which you drew , another trick is always remember the first word of each sentence, the rest comes flowing out again by imagining the picture with the senctence connected to it .

Moromaster

dekbhoy wrote: »

Some excellent ideas , when i was studying irish through primary and secondary , my trick was to obviously understand it in English first but what i did then was always drew cartoons to go with the sentence in my own handy artwork(not), this stood in my brain for years afterwards and even though i havent used gaelic in a long time i can still recite sentences from irish exam by simply remembering the cartoons ...... as in , Lean an garda an gadai...... the policeman chased the thief ..... Phioc Nora Blathanna ...... nora picked flowers...... you obviously then interact such sentences making them more complicated thus creating an essay by picturing in your head the cartoons in which you drew , another trick is always remember the first word of each sentence, the rest comes flowing out again by imagining the picture with the senctence connected to it .

That's probably the best information I've gotten, all the other stuff everyone knows, and tries.

I might honor it this time... :rolleyes: