Role models: who are they?
A role model is a person whose good actions we admire and want to follow. It can be a parent, a teacher, a scientist, a sportsperson or a neighbour. A role model does not have to be famous or perfect.
Look at what they do, not only what they say. Do they keep promises? Do they help others? Do they work hard?
Morals and virtues
Morals are ideas of right and wrong. Virtues are good habits that follow from them, such as honesty (telling the truth), kindness (caring for others) and courage (doing the right thing even when afraid). Other virtues: patience, respect, fairness, hard work.
A virtue is like a muscle. It grows when you use it every day.
How to write about a role model
- Name the person and say who they are.
- Give two virtues, with one short example for each.
- Say what you learnt from them.
- End with one thing you will do.
Use simple, clear sentences. Show with an example instead of only saying "he is good".
Participles: -ing and -ed words that describe
A participle is a verb form used like an adjective. The present participle ends in -ing: a caring teacher (the teacher cares). The past participle usually ends in -ed or -en: a respected leader (people respect the leader), a broken toy.
Feelings: a boring film makes you bored; a bored child watches it. More in Participles as modifiers.
Key formulas and definitions
- Role model = a person whose good habits we copy
- Virtue = a good habit (honesty, kindness, courage)
- Present participle: verb + -ing (a caring teacher) = does the action
- Past participle: verb + -ed/-en (a respected leader, a broken toy) = receives the action
- Watch, copy, practise
Worked examples
1. Write two sentences about a role model using one virtue each.
My aunt is my role model. She is honest: she returned extra change to the shopkeeper. She is also kind: she cooks for our sick neighbour.
2. Choose the right participle: "The (interesting / interested) story kept us awake."
interesting. The story causes the interest, so we use -ing.
3. Find the participles in "The respected coach gave a motivating speech" and say their types.
respected (past participle) and motivating (present participle). Both describe nouns.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a role model must be famous or never make mistakes.
- Writing "he is good" without an example.
- Mixing -ing and -ed feelings: "I am boring" means you are a dull person; "I am bored" means you feel bored.
- Copying only what a role model says, not what they do.