English English
English remains one of the most important subjects a student can learn at school. The world’s lingua franca (the most universal language) not only helps you to read and write well but acts as a window to the past and a key to your future. The ability to effectively communicate is an essential element of any dream you chase – from travel blogger to video game designer, to aerospace engineer!
English at St Rita's is designed to develop students into literate, creative and critical thinkers who participate actively in the world. Through the study of a range of literary and non-literary texts including poetry, novels, speeches, short stories, contemporary film, television, social media texts, documentaries and plays, St Rita’s students come to understand the power of language in shaping societal values and attitudes and, in turn, challenging injustice.
Bet you never knew building vocabulary and sentence structure and reading books could be so much fun and full of interesting facts… like the tune from a music track that is stuck in your brain being called an earworm!
Quiz yourself! Use the '+' button to reveal the answer.
Q. Which is the correct spelling of the word – four different spellings of a word; only one correct: hygene, hygine, higene or hygiene?
A. Hygiene.
Q. Which group of people might aspire to win the Miles Franklin Award? Artists, Authors, Actors or Architects?
A. Authors.
Q. Which novel by Louisa May Alcott was next published after Little Women: Little Men; Good Wives; Eight Cousins; or An Old Fashioned Girl?
A. Good Wives.
The Inspector Morse series was written by Colin Dexter. What was Morse’s first name: Barrington, Endeavour, Colin or Jericho?
A. Endeavour.
Q. The ________ sunroof is broken. Which is correct? Cars, car’s, cars’ or cars’s?
A. Car's.
Student Work Excerpts
Climate Change, Climate Action
... I notice the sun’s warmth, that kisses me on the cheeks,
And how the winters seem to be colder than the last,
And I wonder how unbearable the sun will be in the coming weeks.
I wonder how long it is until we can’t undo the damage of our past.
I wonder how long the money will be invested
Into sectors of the economy, with our climate still ignored.
I wonder how long I will stand on this Earth playing this game,
and running through our resources as if we aim to set a new record...
- Excerpt of Climate Change, Climate Action by Sarah Weis, Year 11 USQ Get Writing Prize recipient
Just in Time
Mitch had just finished his lunch when the phone rang. He knew what the call meant; he had been expecting it for some time now.
Slowly, he moved towards the loud, vibrating device on the table and his hand trembled as he picked it up.
“Yes, this is Mitch O’Dowd,” his voice started to crack.
“Yes, I will be there."
"No, I won’t be late.”
He was almost whispering now. Mitch brushed his hair out of his eyes and used his index finger to push his dark framed glasses back up onto his nose. His hand loosened unintentionally, and the phone dropped to the ground. Stretching down to pick it up, a familiar object caught his eye. Staring at it for a few seconds, Mitch reached out and caressed it’s comforting, memorable shape. His trance was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps towards the office door, his eyes widening like large plates. Still clutching the cherished object, Mitch realised he would need to explain that he must get to the airport, now!
- Excerpt of Just in Time by Sophia Lazzarini