Analysing text and responding to it personally

You might need to look for people’s opinions and the reason they give.

Read what Ian has written in a magazine for young people about keeping fit and healthy.

Dw i wrth fy modd yn bwyta bwyd iach fel a ffrwythau achos mae’n bwysig edrych ar ôl y a hefyd dw i’n hoffi edrych yn dda. Ond mae’n gas gen i’r ar y teledu am fwyd . Yn fy marn i, mae pobl ifanc yn bwyta fwyd, halen a siwgr ac felly mae gormod o bobl ifanc heddiw.

If you were asked to provide information about Ian’s likes and dislikes you should look for expressions associated with liking and disliking. Similarly, you need to look for reasons and opinions if you are asked for the reasons he gives.

Question

List the expressions in the passage that are associated with liking and disliking.

Question

List the expressions in the passage that express reasons and opinions.

Question

Answer these questions about Ian’s likes and dislikes.

Yn hoffi – ________________ Pam?________________

Ddim yn hoffi – ________________ Pam?________________

What to do if you don’t recognise all the words in a text – here are some tips:

Try to work out if the first letter of the word has been mutated, eg fwyd is used instead of bwyd in this passage.
Look carefully at the word. Does it remind you of another word? Look carefully at the word gordew in this passage, for example. Does the word remind you of other words?

What about…?

gor from gormod
dew from tew

Hopefully, you will now be able to work out that gordew means too fat or obese.

You could be asked to choose what, in your opinion, is the best point – y pwynt gorau – made in the text and your personal reasons for choosing it. You should therefore choose the point you agree with most, whether it is a positive or a negative point, eg:

Fel Ian, dw i’n casáu hysbysebion am fwyd afiach ar y teledu achos mae plant a phobl ifanc yn gweld yr hysbysebion ac maen nhw eisiau bwyta’r bwyd afiach.

Like Ian, I hate adverts for unhealthy food on the television because children and young people see the adverts and they want to eat the unhealthy food.

You could also be asked to choose a point that you dislike in the text – y pwynt dydych chi ddim yn hoffi – and your personal reasons for choosing it. Again, this could be a positive or a negative point, eg:

Dw i ddim yn cytuno gydag Ian bod edrych yn dda yn bwysig achos mae gormod o bwysau ar bobl ifanc i edrych yn dda.

I don’t agree with Ian that looking good is important because there’s too much pressure on young people to look good.

Reading with confidence – WJECAnalysing text and responding to it personally