The Dry Grammar Guide

Name:

Date:

Australian outback scene with drought-affected landscape

📚 Part 1: Modal Verbs in Context

Modal verbs express degrees of certainty, possibility, or necessity. In analytical writing about The Dry, they help convey nuanced interpretations.

Examples: must (certainty), might/may/could (possibility), should/ought to (necessity)

1. Complete each sentence with an appropriate modal verb from the box:

Word Bank: must | might | could | should | may

a) The drought _______ have lasted for years, affecting the entire community's mental health.

b) Aaron Falk _______ return to Kiewarra because of Luke's funeral, despite his reluctance.

c) The townspeople _______ be suspicious of outsiders due to their isolated circumstances.

d) Harper _______ be suggesting that environmental factors shape human behaviour.

2. Rewrite these sentences using modal verbs to express the meaning in brackets:

a) The heat affects everyone's mood. (strong possibility)

b) Small towns have long memories. (certainty)

🔗 Part 2: Cohesive Devices

Cohesive devices connect ideas smoothly. Key types include:

• Pronouns: he, she, it, they, this, these

• Conjunctions: however, therefore, furthermore, consequently

3. Identify what each underlined pronoun refers to:

The drought devastated Kiewarra's farming community. It forced families to abandon their properties and seek work elsewhere. This created a cycle of economic decline that affected everyone.

"It" refers to: _________________________

"This" refers to: _________________________

4. Choose the best conjunction to complete each sentence:

therefore

however

furthermore

however

consequently

similarly

5. Improve this paragraph by adding appropriate cohesive devices:

Original: Rural isolation affects mental health. People have limited access to services. The drought creates additional stress. Communities must support each other.

✏️ Part 3: Complex Sentences and Tense Usage

Complex sentences show relationships between ideas using subordinate clauses. Varied tense usage helps sequence events and show cause-and-effect.

6. Combine these simple sentences into one complex sentence:

Simple: The river dried up. The town's economy collapsed. Families started leaving.

7. Error correction: Fix the tense and cohesive device errors in this paragraph:

Incorrect: When Aaron return to Kiewarra, he will discovered that the town changed dramatically. The drought was lasting for three years, and this effects everyone's livelihood. People becomes suspicious of strangers because they was struggling to survive.

8. Write a paragraph analysing how geography influences character relationships in The Dry. Use:

• At least two modal verbs

• Three different cohesive devices

• Complex sentences with varied tenses