News Item: The Famous and Legendary Badminton Player

Basic Competence :
Stating the meanings and the correct generic structure in a news item text
Indicators :
After studying this you are able to :
1. Identify the genre of the text
2. Identify the generic structure of the text
3. Rearrange the jumbled sentences into a good paragraph
4. Rearrange the jumbled paragraph into a good text
5. Make sentences in the Simple Past Tense
Materi
THE FAMOUS AND LEGENDARY BADMINTON PLAYER OF INDONESIA

 

Do you recognize the woman on the right picture?
Right! The woman on the right picture is Susi Susanti, a popular badminton player.
And do you know the man in the picture on the left?
You`re right again! He is Ricky Subagja, also a popular badminton player.
Do you know the famous and legendary badminton player of Indonesia?
Yes. He is Rudy Hartono. Let`s read about him and perhaps later you can write about him by yourself through a NEWS ITEM TEXT.
News-Worth Event(s)
Before we study the generic structure of a news item text, let`s find out about the function of this text. The function is to inform readers, listeners, or viewers about events of day which are considered news- worthy or important.
Next is the generic structure of a news item text. The first part of a news item text is NEWS-WORTHY EVENT(S). The function is to recount the event in a summary form. In this part, you can get the information about a thing or a person, a place or time of the subject briefly. It could tell an interesting resume of the story. For example :
Town Contaminated
Moscow-A Russian journalist has uncovered evidence of another Soviet nuclear catastrophe, which killed 10 sailors and contaminated an entire town.
Background Events
The second part of a news item text is BACKGROUND EVENTS. It elaborates what happened, to whom, in what circumstances. In this part, it tells you about the specific information of the events and also the detail.
It could explain on why or how something occurs. You`ll get a lot of information in this part. For example :
Yalena Vazrshavskya is the first journalist to speak to people who witnessed the explosion of a nuclear submarine at the naval base of Shkoto- 22 near Vladisvostock.
The accident, which occured 13 months before the Chernobyl disaster, spread radioactive fall-out over the base and nearby town, but was covered up by officials of the Soviet Union.
Residents were told the explosion in the reactor of the Victor-class submarine during a refit had been a ‘thermal’ and not a nuclear explosion. And those involved in the clean up operation to remove more than 600 tones of contaminated material were sworn to secrecy.
Sources
The last part a news item text is sources. It contains comments by participants in, witnesses to and authorities expert on the event. This part is not always placed or located at the back part, it can be in the middle or sometimes in front part of a text. For example :
A board of investigators was later to describe it was the worst accident in the history of the Soviet Navy.
Reading Text


The following is the interview`s result about Rudy Hartono by the students of SLTPK 2 BPK Penabur KPS Jakarta as an example of a news item text.
RUDY HARTONO
Since when did you start playing badminton? Since I was a child about 8-9 years old, it was about 1956.
Around 1958 Indonesia won Thomas Cup. So since that moment, you `ve been motivated? Yes. It should be like that. If every country makes success in the world championship, then every one in that country will be motivated to practise the sports.
Since when did you begin serious? Being serious always follows the training. My father also has a pleasure in badminton. So, I had to train myself about 2 - 3 times a week. Of course, it was after the school. Since then, I always trained myself in order not to be defeated because I lost once. Losing is painful, sometimes makes us not able to sleep.
So there is a meaning behind the loss? Yes. If we know why and how not to lose again.
Since when did you start joining the championship? Since I was about 11 years old, but I still experienced losses. When I was about 13 years old, I won. The first time I joined a junior championship, the opponent was an adolescent. I was then younger than 13 years old.
Did your parents support you? Of course. Because at that time, I was still a little boy, so my father always accompanied me.
Was that what you wanted to be? Yes, because I saw some Indonesian badminton players` successes in the international championships.
What is your comment about Indonesian players now? They are quite good because it`s impossible for a country to win all the time. Sometimes Indonesia wins, sometimes China does, and sometimes the other countries do. That does prove that badminton is well-known in the world, except for America. Actually there are three big countries for badminton in the world: Indonesia, China, and Denmark.
What is the most exciting experience in your career? My first winning at the All England Championship because if we win at the All England, it seems that we are the world champion, and at that time I was still young, and that was my first experience, and the game was so hard.
What is your principle? Never be satisfied. Don `t be conceited because in sport, if we are the best maybe we`re not the best as we can be defeated and age has an effect to our muscles too.
What`s your comment about narcotics? Actually now there are a lot of chances but they chose the wrong one. The most important thing is a harmonic family, but the more important one than that is that we should be afraid of God. Based on their experience they say they can dream while they are sitting, but God gives us a good way not to dream.
What`s your activity now? I founded a badminton club, Jayaraya. Particularly it is for the talented children and always trust in God as well as give spiritual for other human beings.
How are the prospects of the Indonesian badminton? It depends on how many young Indonesian people who are interested in badminton.
Jakarta, September 16, 1999 02.00 PM - SLTPK 2 BPK Penabur KPS Jakarta
Simple Past Tense
When you want to write a news item text, sometimes you may need to use Simple Past Tense. It`s good for you to learn about it.
The Simple Past uses the second form of the verb or the past form, such as was or were for the auxiliary (helping verbs). It indicates that an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past.
For eample :
a. She walked to school yesterday.
b. He lived in Bandung fo 10 years, but now he is living in Jakarta.
c. I wrote three letters two days ago.
If a sentence contains when and has the simple past in both clauses, the action in the "when clause" happens first.
For example :
a. I stood under a tree when it began to rain.
b. When she heard a knock on the door, she got up to open it.
c. When he dropped his cup, the coffee spilled on his lap.
In (a): 1st: The rain began. 2nd: I stood under a tree.
Adapted from : Understanding and Using English Grammar by Betty Schramfer Azar, New Jersey, 1989.
Simulasi
Latihan
Rearrange the following sentences into a good paragraph by writing the right number into the boxes
  1. The British officials in India learned how to play the game and took it to England.
  2. By coincidence, Gloucestershire is now the base for the International Badminton Federal (IBF).
  3. It is derived from the game of battledore and shuttlecock played in ancient Greece.
  4. Badminton took its name from Badminton house in Gloucestershire, the home of the Duke of Beafort, where the sport was played in 1873.
  5. Badminton has a surprisingly long history.
  6. In India it was called poona.
Rearrange the following paragraphs into a good text of explanation.
No recycling Box = £ 1,000
  1. Local councils provided residents with black plastic boxes. Residents now have to put all their old glass bottles and jars, tins and cans, newspapers and magazines, into the box for collection. People who do not use the recycling box could be fined £1,000
  2. Local councils will fine £ 1,000 to people ignoring recycling box.
  3. Local councils was later to state that it was the most effective way to accustom people recycling their household waste.
  4. Since 1st April 2004, people living in some areas of London have had to
    recycle much of their household waste.