Top 6 Best Preparations on "Independent Components" for 9th Grade

Basic Knowledge

• Modal elements are used to express the speaker's attitude or perspective towards the event described in the sentence.

• Exclamatory elements are used to express the speaker's emotions (such as happiness, sadness, joy, anger, etc.).

• Modal and exclamatory elements do not contribute directly to the core meaning of the sentence and are therefore considered supplementary elements.

I. Modal Elements

Task

Read the following sentences (extracted from Nguyen Quang Sang's story 'The Ivory Comb') and answer the questions:

a) With his longing, he probably thinks that his child will run into his arms and tightly hug his neck.

b) He turned back to look at his child, gently shaking his head while smiling. Perhaps it was because he was so troubled that he couldn't cry, so he had to smile instead.

1. How do the bolded words in these sentences reflect the speaker's perspective on the events described?

2. Would the meaning of the sentences change if the bolded words were removed? Why or why not?

Answer

1: The word 'probably' (sentence a) and 'perhaps' (sentence b) reflect the speaker's confidence in the reliability of the statement (with 'probably' being more certain than 'perhaps').

2. Even without these words, the factual meaning of the sentences would not change. These words serve to express the speaker's attitude towards the event or their relationship with the listener.

II. Exclamatory Elements

Task

Read the following sentences, paying attention to the bolded words, and answer the questions:

a) Oh, how joyful it is there!

(Kim Lan, 'The Village')

b) Oh my, there's only five minutes left!

(Nguyen Thanh Long, 'Quietly in Sa Pa')

1. Do the bolded words in these sentences refer to any objects or events?

2. What other words in the sentences help us understand why the speaker exclaims 'oh' or 'oh my'?

3. What is the purpose of the bolded words?

Answer

1: The words 'oh' and 'oh my' do not refer to any objects or events.

2: We understand why the speaker exclaims 'oh' or 'oh my' by looking at the following clauses, which explain the reason for the exclamation.

3: The words 'oh' and 'oh my' are not used to call anyone; they are simply expressions of the speaker's emotions.

III. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1 - Page 19 in the textbook: Identify the modal and exclamatory elements in the following sentences:

a) But there's this as well, which he's afraid of; it might be even more frightening than those other sounds.

(Kim Lan, 'The Village')

b) Wow, meeting a person like him is a rare opportunity for creative work, but completing the work is still a long journey.

(Nguyen Quang Sang, 'The Ivory Comb')

c) In the final moments, unable to muster the strength for last words, it seems that only the bond between father and child cannot die. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the comb, handed it to me, and gazed at me for a long while.

(Nguyen Quang Sang, 'The Ivory Comb')

d) The old man suddenly stopped, unsure if his words were correct. Could it really be that the people from the village were that heartless?

(Kim Lan, 'The Village')

Answer

a) 'Probably' (modal element)

b) 'Wow' (exclamatory element)

c) 'It seems' (modal element)

d) 'Uncertainly', 'Could it be' (modal elements)

Exercise 2 - Page 19 in the textbook

Arrange the following words according to the increasing level of certainty (or reliability):

probably, seemingly, certainly, perhaps, most likely, it appears, apparently.

(Note: words showing the same level of certainty should be grouped together.)

Answer

The words expressing levels of certainty, ranked from least to most certain: seemingly, it appears - perhaps - probably - most likely - certainly.

Exercise 3 - Page 19 in the textbook

Which of the following words, when substituted in the following sentence, implies the speaker holds the least responsibility for the reliability of what is being said? Why did the author of 'The Ivory Comb' (Nguyen Quang Sang) choose the word 'probably'?

With his heartfelt longing,
(1) probably

(2) it seems

(3) certainly

he thinks that his child will run into his arms and tightly hug his neck.
Answer

Among the three words 'probably', 'it seems', and 'certainly', 'certainly' expresses the highest certainty, while 'it seems' expresses the lowest certainty.

The author chose the word 'probably' because it conveys a level of certainty higher than 'it seems' but lower than 'certainly'. Due to the war and his duty to the homeland, Mr. Sau hadn't seen his child for a long time, and he couldn't be 'certain' that his child would run into his arms and hug him when they reunited.

Exercise 4 - Page 19 in the textbook

Write a short paragraph about your emotions when enjoying a work of art (such as a story, poem, movie, or sculpture), including at least one modal or exclamatory element.

Sample Answer

Reading 'The Tale of Kieu' by Nguyen Du, it's impossible not to feel deep sympathy for Kieu's tragic fate - a talented girl with a life full of misfortune. Only by understanding her fifteen years of wandering can we truly grasp the cruelty and injustice of the ruling class at the time. Alas, a society that only cares about wealth, ready to trample on human dignity and values. Truly, it was an inhumane, corrupt society that Nguyen Du wanted to expose. But at the same time, 'The Tale of Kieu' also serves as a defense, a lament for the crushed destiny of the helpless heroine. Surely the great poet Nguyen Du must have been deeply pained as he wrote about the suffering and injustice of the society he witnessed and lived in.

I - FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE TO MASTER

1. An independent component (IC) is a part of a sentence that does not directly express the event but instead conveys the speaker's attitude or evaluation towards the listener or the event mentioned in the sentence. IC is considered an external element to the grammatical structure of the sentence.

2. IC consists of modal components (MC), exclamatory components (EC), vocative components (VC), and parenthetical components (PC).

II - GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE LESSON

Part 1. Modal Components

Question 1

The words 'probably' (sentence a) and 'perhaps' (sentence b) express the level of certainty the speaker has towards the content (with 'probably' indicating higher certainty than 'perhaps').

Question 2

If these words were removed, the factual content of the sentences would not change. These words are used to reflect the speaker's attitude towards the event or the listener.

Part 2. Exclamatory Components

Question 1

The words 'oh' and 'oh my' do not refer to any specific object or event.

Question 2

The phrases like 'how joyful it is' or 'only five minutes left' help explain the reasons for the exclamatory expressions.

Question 3

The words 'oh' and 'oh my' in these sentences are used to express the speaker's emotions towards the event or phenomenon being described ('oh' for joy; 'oh my' for worry or regret).

Part 3. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1

a) probably (MC, expresses a level of certainty)

b) wow (EC, expresses surprise or joy)

c) it seems (MC, expresses a level of certainty)

d) could it be (MC, expresses a level of certainty)

Exercise 2

In order of increasing certainty, we have: seemingly (commonly used in written language) / it seems / apparently (commonly used in spoken language) - perhaps - probably - most likely - certainly.

Exercise 3

Among the words: probably / it seems / certainly, 'certainly' expresses the highest certainty, while 'it seems' expresses the lowest. The author does not use 'certainly' because the character is making a prediction from an outside perspective, but does not use 'it seems' (which indicates lower certainty) because the character is a long-time friend who can understand the other person's mindset. 'Probably' is used as it matches the situation's level of certainty.

Exercise 4

Here is an example paragraph (italicized words represent modal or exclamatory components):

A deep pond, no fish to catch,

A large yard, but hard to chase chickens,

The cabbage has not sprouted, the eggplant is just budding.

The gourd has just dropped, the squash is flowering.

The charm of these verses is that they show how everything is present but still absent, how there is nothing yet everything. There are chickens, fish, cabbage, eggplant, gourds, and squash, and one might think this house is quite affluent. [...] But there is something, and yet nothing, because things are out of season. Even the betel leaf, the beginning of the story, is missing. The author humorously acknowledges this absence:

There is no betel leaf to offer at the beginning of the guest's visit.

This 'absence' is a climax of the poem. In a village, how could there not be betel leaves, betel vines, or betel nuts? Especially for someone like Nguyen Khuyen, who 'always carries a mortar and pestle,' how could he not have them?

(Tran Dinh Su, 'You Came to Visit - A Joyful Smile with Me, with You')

A. MAIN KNOWLEDGE

I- MODAL EXPRESSIONS

Read the following sentences (extracted from the short story 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang) and answer the questions:

a. With his longing, surely he thought his child would run into his arms and hug him tightly.
b. He turned to look at his child, gently shaking his head and smiling. Perhaps, because of the overwhelming sadness, he couldn’t cry, so he smiled instead.
1. What do the highlighted words in these sentences (from 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyen Quang Sang) indicate?
2. If the highlighted words (modal expressions) were removed, would the basic content of the sentences change? Why or why not?
Answer:
1. The highlighted words in the sentences reflect the speaker’s assessment of the situation described.
a. surely: shows the high degree of confidence the speaker (the narrator) has in the content of the sentence (the character’s thoughts).
b. perhaps: also shows the speaker’s high degree of confidence, but not as much as 'surely'.
2. If the words 'surely' or 'perhaps' were removed, the basic meaning of the sentences wouldn’t change.

II- EXCLAMATORY EXPRESSIONS
Read the following sentences, paying attention to the highlighted words, and answer the questions:
a. Oh, how joyful that was!
(Kim Lan, 'The Village')
b. Oh my, there are only five minutes left!
(Nguyen Thanh Long, 'Quietly Sa Pa')

1. Do the highlighted words in these sentences refer to any objects or events?
2. Based on which words in the sentence can we understand why the speaker exclaims 'Oh' or 'Oh my'?
3. Modal expressions and exclamations do not contribute to conveying the factual meaning of a sentence, which is why they are considered independent components.
Answer:
1. The words 'Oh' and 'Oh my' do not refer to any objects or events.
2. We understand why the speaker exclaims 'Oh' or 'Oh my' through the rest of the sentence. The follow-up parts of the sentence explain why the speaker feels the need to express such emotions.
3. The highlighted words 'Oh' and 'Oh my' are not used to call anyone; they simply express the speaker’s emotions.

III. REMEMBER
Modal expressions reflect the speaker’s attitude towards the event described in the sentence.
Exclamatory expressions are used to convey the speaker’s emotions.
Both modal expressions and exclamatory expressions are independent components, as they do not affect the factual meaning of the sentence.

B. EXERCISES AND SOLUTIONS

Question 1: Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2

Read the following sentences and identify the modal expressions and exclamatory components:
a) But there is this too, which he fears, perhaps even more terrifying than the sounds he heard.
(Kim Lan, 'The Village')
b) Oh my, to meet someone like him is a rare opportunity for creation, but completing the work is still a long way to go.
(Nguyen Thanh Long, 'Quietly Sa Pa')
c) In his final moments, lacking the strength to utter a final word, perhaps only the father-child bond remained unbroken, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the comb, handed it to me, and gazed at me for a long time.
(Nguyen Quang Sang, 'The Ivory Comb')
d) The old man suddenly stopped, as if realizing his words weren’t quite right. Could it be that the people in the village were this ruthless?
(Kim Lan, 'The Village')
Hint:

Solution:
Modal expressions: perhaps, possibly, could it be
Exclamatory expressions: oh my

Question 2: Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2
Arrange the following words in increasing order of certainty (or confidence):
surely, perhaps, definitely, maybe, most likely, possibly, likely.
Solution:
Arrange as follows:
maybe, possibly, likely / perhaps / surely / most likely / definitely

Question 3: Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2
Determine, from the following interchangeable words, which one shows the highest responsibility for the speaker’s confidence in the statement, and which one shows the lowest. Why did the author of 'The Ivory Comb' choose the word 'surely'?
With his longing,
(1) surely
(2) possibly
(3) most likely
he thought his child would run into his arms and hug him tightly.
Solution:
In (1), 'surely' shows the highest responsibility for the speaker’s confidence in the truth of the statement, while (2) 'possibly' shows the lowest. The author chose 'surely' as the narrator is reflecting the character’s thoughts, which is a projection of what the character feels, so it cannot be as uncertain as 'possibly'.

Question 4: Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2
Write a short paragraph expressing your feelings after experiencing a work of art (story, poem, film, picture, sculpture, etc.), using sentences that contain modal expressions or exclamatory expressions.
Solution:
Sample Paragraph 1
In the short story 'The Girl from Nam Xuong', surely, the readers will feel sympathy for the character Vu Nuong - a beautiful and kind woman with an unfortunate life. Vu Nuong represents the women of the old society with her gentle, graceful beauty, and virtuous conduct. But despite her virtue, she could not have a happy life. A tragic marriage forced her to end her life in the river to prove her unwavering loyalty. This tragedy exposes the harsh reality of a feudal society where men held all the power and women had to endure mistreatment and injustice. This is the social reality that Nguyen Du sought to uncover in order to create a humane value, sympathizing with those unfortunate people like Vu Nuong.

Sample Paragraph 2
When reading 'The Tale of Kieu' by Nguyen Du, surely no one can avoid feeling pity for the fate of Kieu – a talented yet unfortunate woman. Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman, seems to be cursed by heaven. Her life, which should have been filled with happiness, was instead filled with hardships. Despite her deep love for Kim Trong, she sacrificed herself to save her father. Life has its moments, but Kieu spent fifteen years living a life full of difficulties, humiliation, and pain. It is the tragic life of Kieu that reveals the reality of the feudal colonial society, where people chased after money and trampled on human dignity. Nguyen Du conveyed these social realities while also providing a humane message, sympathizing with the unfortunate people like Kieu.

I. Modal Components

1.

Words that express the speaker's attitude:

- Surely: Indicates high confidence

- Perhaps: Indicates confidence, but lower than 'surely'

2.

Modal components do not affect the factual meaning of the sentence. Therefore, when the words 'surely' or 'perhaps' are removed, the basic meaning of the sentences remains unchanged.

II. Exclamatory Components

The words 'Oh' and 'Oh my' in these two sentences do not refer to any specific object or event. These are exclamatory components used to express the speaker's emotions.

1. The following components in the sentence help us understand the meaning behind the exclamation.

2. The highlighted words are used to express the speaker's emotions (joy, sadness, happiness, anger, frustration, etc.).

Practice Exercises

Exercise 1 (Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2)

- Modal components: Sentence a (perhaps), Sentence c (it seems), Sentence d (could it be?)

- Exclamatory components: Sentence b (oh my)

Exercise 2 (Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2)

Increasing order of confidence:

It seems / seems like / it appears – perhaps – surely – most certainly – definitely

Exercise 3 (Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2)

- Surely: Highest degree of confidence

- It seems: Lower degree of confidence

- The author uses 'surely' because it indicates the highest level of confidence that the event will happen. The situation is a prediction, and it can happen in two ways: it might happen based on blood relations, but due to the passage of time, the outcome is still uncertain.

Exercise 4 (Page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2)

Art is the voice of the soul and human emotions. Perhaps this is why people turn to art for many different purposes. As for me, I turn to artistic works to discover the beauty of life and experience emotions. From these works, I gain new perspectives, seeing many colorful and diverse worlds existing side by side. I remember not long ago, I revisited Nguyen Minh Chau's 'The Harbor'. What I understood before no longer remained the same. My thinking and perspective have changed. I now see more profound and insightful aspects, not merely the surface-level interpretation I had before. Surely, my experiences and accumulated life knowledge have allowed me to appreciate the work more deeply.

Part I: MODAL COMPONENTS

Read the following sentences (excerpt from the story 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyễn Quang Sáng) and answer the questions (page 18, Literature 9, Volume 2):

a) With his longing, surely he thinks that his child will run into his arms and tightly hug his neck.

b) He turned back to look at his child, shaking his head gently while smiling. Perhaps it was because the pain was so overwhelming that he couldn’t cry, so he had to smile instead.

1. How do the bolded words in these sentences reflect the speaker's attitude towards the events described?

2. Would the meaning of these sentences change if the bolded words were removed? Why?

Answer:

1. 'Surely' and 'perhaps' reflect the speaker's assessment of the events, showing a high degree of confidence in 'surely' and a lower degree in 'perhaps'.

2. If the bolded words were removed, the event described in the sentence would not change.

Part II: EXCLAMATORY COMPONENTS

Read the following sentences, pay attention to the bolded words, and answer the questions (page 18, Literature 9, Volume 2):

a) Oh, how happy this moment is.

(Kim Lân, 'The Village')

b) Oh my, only five minutes left!

(Nguyễn Thành Long, 'Quietly in Sapa')

1. Do the bolded words refer to any object or event?

2. What words in the sentences help us understand why the speaker exclaimed 'Oh' or 'Oh my'?

3. What is the purpose of the bolded words?

Answer:

1. The words 'Oh' and 'Oh my' do not refer to any specific object or event.

2. We understand why the speaker exclaims 'Oh' or 'Oh my' thanks to the following parts of the sentences. These parts explain why the speaker is exclaiming.

3. The bolded words 'Oh' and 'Oh my' are not used to address anyone. They help the speaker express their emotions.

Part III: EXERCISES

Exercise 1 (page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2):

Identify the modal and exclamatory components in the following sentences:

a) But there's this one thing, perhaps it’s even scarier than the sounds we heard earlier.

(Kim Lân, 'The Village')

b) Oh my, meeting a person like him is a rare opportunity for creation, but completing the work is still a long journey.

(Nguyễn Quang Sáng, 'The Ivory Comb')

c) In the final moments, too weak to say anything, it seems that only the father-child bond could not die. He put his hand in his pocket, took out the comb, handed it to me, and looked at me for a long while.

(Nguyễn Quang Sáng, 'The Ivory Comb')

d) The old man suddenly stopped, uncertain if his words were entirely right. Could the people in the village really be that bad?

(Kim Lân, 'The Village')

Answer:

a) Perhaps (modal component)

b) Oh my (exclamatory component)

c) It seems (modal component)

d) Uncertain, could it be (modal components)

Exercise 2 (page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2):

Arrange the following words in increasing order of confidence (or certainty):

surely, it seems, certainly, perhaps, most certainly, it appears, seems like.

(Note: Words with the same degree of confidence should be grouped together.)

Answer:

In increasing order of confidence: it seems (formal writing)/it appears/seems like – perhaps – surely – most certainly – certainly.

Exercise 3 (page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2):

In the sentence below, identify which word expresses the highest responsibility for the truth of the statement, and which one expresses the lowest responsibility. Why did the author of 'The Ivory Comb' (Nguyễn Quang Sáng) choose 'surely'?

With his longing,

(1) surely

(2) it seems

(3) certainly

he thinks that his child will run into his arms, will tightly hug his neck.

Answer:

Among the words 'surely', 'it seems', and 'certainly', 'certainly' shows the highest level of confidence, while 'it seems' has the lowest level of confidence. The author chose 'surely' (higher confidence than 'it seems' but lower than 'certainly') because the narrator (the storyteller) is making a logical prediction, not a guaranteed statement about what will happen.

Exercise 4 (page 19, Literature 9, Volume 2):

Write a short paragraph expressing your feelings when you experience a piece of art (story, poem, movie, picture, sculpture, etc.), and include a sentence with a modal or exclamatory component.

Answer:

Every time I read 'The Ivory Comb' by Nguyễn Quang Sáng, my heart feels as if something is choking me. Family love is the most sacred bond, yet the story about the father-child relationship during the war is filled with so much loss and suffering. The heartbreaking cry of the little girl at the end of the story lingers in my mind—the first cry of a child deprived of a father's love and also the final cry of her life. How heartbreaking! Oh, my country! A small nation constantly burdened by foreign invasions. By the end of the story, I can only hope for peace in our small nation so that we can live forever in the gentle smile of our fathers and the warm embrace of our mothers.

I. Modal Phrases:
Read the following sentences (excerpted from the short story "The Ivory Comb" by Nguyễn Quang Sáng) and answer the questions.
a) With his longing, he surely thinks that his child will rush into his arms and tightly hug his neck. b) He turned around to look at his child, gently shaking his head and smiling. Perhaps it's because of the sorrow that he couldn’t cry, so he smiled instead.
Question 1 – Modal Phrases - Page 18 of Literature 9, Volume 2: How do the emphasized words in the above sentences reflect the speaker's attitude toward the event described in the sentence? Answer:
- "Surely, Perhaps" reflect the speaker's attitude towards the event in the sentence, indicating a higher level of confidence in "surely" and a lower one in "Perhaps."
Question 2 – Modal Phrases - Page 18 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Would the meaning of the sentence change if the emphasized words were removed? Why or why not? Answer:
- If the emphasized words were removed, the event described in the sentence would not change in meaning.

II. Exclamatory Phrases: Read the following sentences, paying attention to the emphasized words, and answer the questions.
a) Wow, how much fun it is!
(Kim Lân, "Village")
b) Oh my, only five minutes left!
(Nguyễn Thành Long, "Silent Sa Pa")

Question 1 – Exclamatory Phrases - Page 18 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Do the emphasized words in these sentences refer to any object or event?
Answer:
- The emphasized words in these sentences do not refer to any object or event.

Question 2 – Exclamatory Phrases - Page 18 of Literature 9, Volume 2: How do we understand why the speaker exclaimed "Wow" or "Oh my"?
Answer:
- We understand why the speaker exclaimed "Wow" or "Oh my" by looking at the rest of the sentence that follows these exclamations.

Question 3 – Exclamatory Phrases - Page 18 of Literature 9, Volume 2: What is the purpose of the emphasized words?
Answer:
- The words "Wow" and "Oh my" help the speaker express their emotions or feelings.

III. Practice:

Question 1 – Practice - Page 19 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Find the modal and exclamatory phrases in the following sentences:
a) But there is this one thing that he fears, it might be even more terrifying than those other noises.
(Kim Lân, "Village")
b) Wow, meeting a person like him is a rare opportunity for creation, but completing the work is still a long way to go.
(Nguyễn Thành Long, "Silent Sa Pa").
c) In his final moments, too weak to say anything else, it seems that only the father-child bond could not die, he reached into his pocket, pulled out the comb, handed it to me, and stared at me for a long time.
(Nguyễn Quang Sáng, "The Ivory Comb")
d) The old man suddenly stopped, feeling uncertain as if his words were not quite right. Could it be that the villagers were truly this cruel?
(Kim Lân, "Village")
Answer:
a) Perhaps
b) Wow
c) It seems
d) Could it be
- Modal Phrases: Perhaps, It seems, Could it be.
- Exclamatory Phrases: Wow

Question 2 – Practice - Page 19 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Arrange the following words in order of increasing confidence (or certainty):
surely, perhaps, certainly, probably, undoubtedly, seems like.
(Note: Words that represent the same level of confidence should be grouped together.)
Answer:
Order of increasing confidence: probably / seems like / perhaps – surely – undoubtedly – certainly

Question 3 – Practice - Page 19 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Which of the following words suggests the speaker has the highest responsibility for the truth of the statement? Which word suggests the least responsibility? Why did Nguyễn Quang Sáng choose "surely"?
With his longing,
(1) Surely
(2) seems like
(3) certainly
He believes that his child will run into his arms and hug him tightly.
Answer:
- "Certainly" carries the highest confidence, while "seems like" holds the lowest. Nguyễn Quang Sáng chose "surely" because, although the narrator feels confident, he isn’t completely certain, as he hasn’t seen his child for a long time.

Question 4 – Practice - Page 19 of Literature 9, Volume 2: Write a short paragraph expressing your feelings when experiencing a work of art (a story, poem, film, picture, statue, etc.) that includes a modal or exclamatory phrase.
Sample Response:

Every great piece of literature always leaves an impact on the reader. O. Henry's "The Last Leaf" is such a story. It’s a simple tale about the bond between three impoverished artists. Wow, without the loving care of Xiu, and especially without the silent sacrifice of Mr. Behrman, poor Jonsee would have never had a chance to nurture her dream of painting the Naples Bay as she had always desired. Mr. Behrman not only revived the color of the yellowing ivy leaf, but also restored the rosy glow to Jonsee's sickly cheeks. He brought hope, dreams, and the will to live, not just for Jonsee, but for all readers of this story. Perhaps the profound humanistic value about love for others is what makes "The Last Leaf" timeless.