Last Minute Revision Tips

Dear all,

All the best for your examinations tomorrow. Here are some last minute revision tips:

Grammar Rules 

Please remember to check for the grammar rules and also for the singular / plural and tenses form. 

1. Verb Noun Verb (Root word form)

He made me clean the floor.

Tom saw the criminal rob the bank.

He witnessed the boy fall down yesterday. 

2. Neither .... nor .....

    Either .... or .....

Look at the second noun to determine if it is plural or singular. Most importantly, check for tenses too.

Neither the boys nor Tom is in the canteen now.

Either Tim or the girls were at the park just now. 

3. ...... together with ........

Look at the first noun to determine if it is singular or plural but please check for tenses too.

My father, together with his brothers, is going to the park now.

My friend, together with his family, was at the museum just now. 

4. If I had .... I would/would not have .....

If I had done this, I would not have regretted it. 

If my cousin had gone to the park in time, he would not have missed the performance.

Phrasal Verbs

You can check out the website below for a list of phrasal verbs and their meanings 

http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/list-of-phrasal-verbs/ 

Synthesis & Transformation 

1. whom 

Rule: Person whom Person

The boy whom the principal spoke to is my cousin. 

Tom whom I am friends with is an intelligent boy. 

2. Until ...

Rule: Until (something is done or someone does something) , (If not what would happen? Consequences)

Until James puts away his storybook, he will not be able to come down to play. 

Until Pamela studies hard, she will not do well in her test. 

3. Transformation Items 

Q. Ken performed enthusiastically in his dance item. It brought applause to the audience.

Ans: Ken's enthusiastic performance in his dance item brought applause to the audience. 

Ken's (adjective) (noun)

Transform enthusiastically (adverb) to its adjective form (enthusiastic)

Transform performed (verb) to its noun form (performance)

4. Reported speech 

Refer to the notes given on the website and your own notes.

Just take note of the PPTT skill.

Also, for the word 'Don't' --> follow the NT rule. (not to)

"Don't take my kindness for granted," Tom told his son. 

Ans: Tom told his son not to take his kindness for granted. 

5. Due to (pronoun) (noun)

Due to his behaviour, he was punished. 

Due to his kindness, he was rewarded handsomely. 

Key Skills

Highlight the key words and clues for comprehension cloze. Run through your practices to take a look. 

Then, look out for the grammar rules (tenses / plural / singular) Transformation of word forms. Verbs <-> nouns <-> adjective 

Remember to put the ticks, crosses and C (for change of words) for your synthesis. 

For comprehension OE, please remember to highlight key words (5W and 1H) plus your tenses. Also, read the questions first. Ask yourself about the characters, actions and source of finding the answers.

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong

Learning Points for English

Dear all,

Learning Points for English

Situational Writing

For this term, we are focusing on the area of content as an area for improvement based on your CA1 and daily work.

-          It is important to plan your six content points first before writing your answers.

-          You must be specific and precise with your content points. (e.g If the answer states that the bully is Peter Pang from Class 6A and if you have of the points missing, the content point is incomplete.)

-          At times, the one content point is a combination of many small points from different parts of the information so you have to look for the information carefully. Do not rush and assume the answer is simply very short.

In terms of formality (Purpose / Audience / Context), remember to introduce with a purpose and end off with polite closing words.

For informal writing, remember to start off with ‘How are you?’

Grammar and Synthesis Structures

1.       Despite / In spite of

In spite of the fact that ….

Despite the fact that ….

e.g Despite the fact that it was raining, the boys continued playing.

2.       Much to

Much to pronoun noun

e.g Much to his anger, he slammed the door as he walked out.

3.       Neither …. nor / Either … or

Remember to always look at the second item after ‘nor’ and ‘or’ to determine the singular/plural form of the verb that follows

e.g Neither the boys nor the girl is at home now.

4.       Due to

Due to the fact that

Due to pronoun noun

e.g 1 Due to the fact that he was careless, the plan did not work.

e.g 2 Due to his carelessness, the plan did not work.

5.       Unless

Unless shows an action and its consequences if not carried out

e.g Unless you keep the toys away, everyone will trip over it. (ßIf not what will happen)

6.       Would rather … than …

Would rather verb (root word form) than verb (root word form)

The boys would rather stroll at the park than swim in the sea.

7.       Until

Until (An action is carried out), (Consequence of the action not done)

Until you clean up the mess, you will not be able to go out to play.

8.       Prefers … to …

Prefers verb (-ing form) to verb (-ing form)

Peter prefers running to swimming.

9.       By

By verb(-ing form) … , intention of the action carried out …

By keeping the toys, Ben hoped that his mother would not scold him. (ßIntention of his action)

10.    Upon / On

On verb(-ing form) … , Action that takes place after that …

On witnessing the accident, Lucy quickly sought help.

Upon completing his work, the boys went out to play.

11.     Whom

Person whom Person  

The boy whom I was talking to was a famous musician.

12.      Who

Person who Action…

The girl who was singing on stage won a prize.

13.     Reported Speech

Come à go

An hour ago à the previous hour

14.     Collective Nouns

A collective noun is a word for a group of specific items, animals or people. For example, a group of ships is called a fleet, a group of cows is called a herd, a group of lions is called a pride, a group of baseball players is called a team, and a group of ants is called a colony.

You have to read carefully for the singular / plural form for the verb.

Example

The group of boys IS (Many boys but only ONE group of boys)

The box of toys IS (Many toys but only ONE box of them)

Feedback for CA1

You would have received your areas of feedback for your CA1. Do work on them and make the improvement for SA1. You can do it.

Areas for improvement as a whole

-          Vocabulary Cloze

-          Editing

-          Comprehension Cloze

-          Composition Writing (Exposure to positive topics)

-          Situational Writing (Content)

All the best and work hard! You can do it!

Sincerely,

Mr Nelson Ong

CA1 Revision 2

Dear all,

Some last minute revision notes for CA1:

Grammar rules 

1. Always look at the verbs to determine the tenses (present / past / past perfect)

take (present tense)
took (past tense)
had taken (past perfect)

2. Neither .... nor ..........
    Either ..... or .........

This is also known as the proximity rule. Always look at the second noun involved to determine if the verb that follows is Singular / Plural.

e.g Neither Peter nor Fabian is at home now.
      Either your or I am to complete the work.
      Neither the boy nor the girls are studying.

3. Verb Noun Verb Rule 

The second verb is always in the root word or continuous form.

I saw the boy take / taking the wallet.
He witnessed the driver swerve / swerving the car.

4. Can / Could / Will/ Would / Shall/ Should / Might / May + Verb (Root word)

The verb that follows after these words are in the root word form.

May I take the plate?
He would strike back if he was provoked.

5. Each / Every / Everyone / None / No one / Neither of / Either of (Singular form)

These words are all in the singular form.

Each of the cars is painted by Jim.
None of the boys is here now.
Neither of the students has eaten yet.

Synthesis and Transformation

1. However (adjective) (pronoun/noun) (verb)

However tired Peter was, he continued to press on.

2. Much to (pronoun) (noun) .................

Much to our horror, we witnessed the accident.
Much to Peter's disappointment, he failed to clinch the award.

3. Reported Speech 

Remember to check for the tenses of the verbs OUTSIDE the speech first.
Check for your PPTT (pronoun / place / time / tense) to change the respective words.
If it is a question, check if it is a 'Yes/No' question. If it is, then you got to start your answer with 'if / whether'.

*Remember to put a tick for the words used, a cross for the words not used and (C) for words that need to be changed.

Some questions require the use of transformation and as such, do know how to change from one form to the other.

e.g

Angry (adjective) --> Anger (Noun)
Disagree (verb) --> Disagreement (Noun)
Strong (adjective) --> strongly (adverb) --> strength (noun)

You can have some practice at this website. Click HERE!

Vocabulary MCQ & Cloze 

Remember to read the sentence or passage first. Thereafter, highlight the main key words in the sentence to give you the clues for the answer. Certain words can mean the same meaning but only one word can fit the given context.

Comprehension Cloze 

Read once through first for the main idea.
Thereafter, link the information and highlight the key words.
Highlight for tenses / singular / plural clues.
Some information can be found in the passage itself so read carefully. Some clues in the first paragraph may provide the answer for the blanks in the last paragraph so read as a whole.

Comprehension OE 

Read through the questions first!

Highlight the 5W 1H and key words in the questions.

Highlight for tenses. (Past or present)

Read through the passage and carry out your chunking or pre-reading activity.

For vocabulary questions, quoting of words / phrase / sentence, please make sure punctuation and spelling are 100% accurate.

All the best! You can do it!
Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

CA1 Revision 1

Dear all,

Some notes for your Paper 1:

Always check for your FRAP
Format 
Role
Audience 
Purpose 

Formal e-mail 

Dear Mr Tang,

I am writing his email to inform you of ..........................
.......................................................
........................................
.................................
..........................
...................
.............
........
....
I hope you can ..................

Yours sincerely,
Peter Wong

Informal e-mail

Dear Mr Wong,

How are you? I hope you are feeling better. I am writing this email to inform you of ........................
........................................
.................................
..........................
...................
.............
........
....
I hope you can .......................

Regards,
Peter

For your composition, you need to plan first and always remember to plan for your introduction, events, problems and solution.

Introduction
Flashback ?
Conversation ?
Sound ?

Events 
What happened? Describe the actions
Why did it happened?
How did the characters feel?

Problem
What happened? Describe
Why did it happened?
Feeling of the people involved.

Solution?
What was done?
Elaborate and explain why it was done.
Feeling of the people involved.
Any lessons to be learnt?

Do not forget to infuse good vocabulary words and phrases as much as possible into your writing.

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Composition Writing

Dear all,

A recap of the composition writing technique being taught:

Always identify and break down the definition of the topic first.

Make use of at least ONE of the pictures.

Introduction techniques 

Sounds

Using sounds helps to captivate the audience as you introduce your story. It gives a sense of mystery that makes the audience want to find out more about your writing.

e.g

"Beep! Beep! Beep!" The constant reverberating of sirens around my neighbourhood made me feel shell-shocked. What could that sound be? I needed to find out the source of the strange sounds.


Conversation 

Conversation helps to introduce characters and gives an indication of the action that is taking place.

e.g

"Quieten down, Hector. You are too loud. We need to be stealthy and careful or you will alert the guards. Remember that we are here to retrieve my worksheet from the classroom if not I will be in deep trouble tomorrow," I whispered to Hector.

Flashback 

An effective way of introducing a story to add suspense but yet clarity for the reader. Making use of an object or an item to invoke past memories so as to retell the incident. With flashbacks, you have to always make reference back to the flashback in your conclusion.

e.g
Introduction
"Donuts for sale! Donuts for sale! Come get them now!" shouted an enthusiastic employee at the donut stall. As I peered at the donuts on sale, waves of memories filled my head and I remembered the birthday surprise I had just two months ago......

Conclusion
I snapped back to reality as I heard the employee asking me if I wanted to get some donuts. I did not realise that I had been staring hard at the donuts for the past fifteen minutes. As I recalled back about the incident, I could not help but smile delightfully. It was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Always remember to elaborate on your ideas.

Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?

Invoke feelings out of your characters rather than just describe them. Sometimes, you can showcase the feelings through conversation and actions rather than just simply describing the characters.

Show not Tell

Tell
He was extremely angry with me and proceeded to shout at me.

Show
"Hey you! Why did you have to tell Tom my secret? I actually trusted you!" John bellowed at me as he raised his fists in the air in sheer anger. As his fists came crashing down onto the table with a loud thud, my heart shuddered in fear. I knew I was in trouble.

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Situational Writing Recap

Dear all,

A recap of the Situational Writing notes:

Use the acronym of 'FRAP' to help you with the planning.

·         Format (email? letter? note? report writing? letter of complaint/compliment?)

·         Role (who are you writing as and your position if any?)

·         Audience (who are you writing to?)

·         Purpose (what is the aim of writing this piece of SW?)

The choices of words used are very important. It affects the tone / formality of your writing.

Example of wrong choice of words used

Dear Chairman of Hougang Town Council,

            How are you doing? I am well. I want to tell you about the amount of litter lying around my block. I want you to do something about it. From 1^st January 2015 to 7^th January 2015, I started to notice a large amount of litter being strewn around my neighbour, Block 315A, Hougang Avenue 99. I am deeply concerned by the pests and bacteria that the litter will attract. There is no neighbourhood cleaner on duty and my elderly mother often complains to me about the smell.

Please do something about it immediately. It is so irritating. Thank you so much.

Cheers,

Tom Tang

The underlined words imply a sense of being rude and informal. Both samples cover the same content points but the choice of words used can affect the meaning greatly.

Example of correct choice of words used

Dear Chairman of Hougang Town Council,

            I am writing this letter to inform you about the amount of litter lying around my block. From 1^st January 2015 to 7^th January 2015, I started to notice a large amount of litter being strewn around my neighbour, Block 315A, Hougang Avenue 99. I am deeply concerned by the pests and bacteria that the litter will attract. There is no neighbourhood cleaner on duty and my elderly mother often complains to me about the smell.

            I sincerely hope that you can look into this matter. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Tom Tang

Format 

Email (Formal and informal)
Note (Formal and informal)
Letter (Formal and informal)
Report Writing (Formal)
Letter of Complaint or Compliment (Formal)

Informal email, note & letter

Dear _______________,

        How are you? [Ask after the person and open with some polite words.] I am writing this letter to inform you ............ [State the purpose]............ Points 1 to 6 [Paragraphing is important]

       I hope you can............ [Closing words]

Regards,
_______

Formal email, note & letter

Dear __________, 

        I am writing this letter to request/inform you about .................. [State the purpose of the letter politely] Points 1 to 6 [Paragraphing is important]

        I hope you can............ [Closing words]

Yours sincerely,
______________

Report Writing

Date: ___________

Dear ___________,

Report on an Accident Along Hougang Avenue 9

I am writing this report to inform you of an accident that took place along Hougang Avenue 9. [Purpose of the report must be stated clearly and politely too] Points 1 to 6 [Paragraphing is important]

I hope you can look into this matter......... [Closing words]

Reported by:
__________
Position if any 

Letter of Complaint / Compliment 

Date: ___________

Dear ___________,

Letter of Compliment about Mr Tommy Tan's Attitude

I am writing this letter to inform you of your staff, Mr Tan's, good attitude. [Purpose of the report must be stated clearly and politely too] Points 1 to 6 [Paragraphing is important]

I hope you can look into this matter and praise him......... [Closing words]

Yours sincerely,
__________
Position if any 

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong

Reported Speech

Dear all,

A recap of the important points for reported speech.

Reported speech involves the reporting of a direct to indirect statement or vice versa.

A direct speech is one in which someone says something to you. It is always within the open and close inverted commas (Either through a statement or question). An indirect speech is one in which you report what someone says.

The key skills for Direct to Indirect speech are:

1. Identify the tense of the verb OUTSIDE the speech first.

2. If the tense is in the present form, DO NOT change of the tenses in your answers.

3. If the tense is in the past tense form, make sure you change the tenses in your answers (Present -> Past, Past -> Past Perfect, Past Perfect to remain as it is)

4. Apply the PPTT skill (Place, Pronoun, Time, Tense). This will help you identify the words to be changed. You do not need to change every single word. Only the words which apply for PPTT.

5. If the direct speech is in a question form, identify if the question is Yes/No? If it is, you have to start your answer with 'if'.

Example

Q. "Did you do your work yesterday?" Tom asked me. [Yes/No type of question]

Pronouns - you, your (2)
Place - (0)
Time - yesterday (1)
Tense - did do (2)

The number of PPTT you have identified should match up against what you have identified in the given direct speech.

Answer:
Tom asked me if I had done my work the previous day.

Indirect to Direct speech

You are simply required to work in the opposite way from a direct to indirect speech. In this case, you have to apply the PPTT skill too.

Example.

Q. Tom asked me if I had eaten my food just then. (the word 'if' tells you it is a yes/no question)

Pronouns - I, my (2)
Place - (0)
Time - just then (2)
Tense - had eaten (2)

Answer:
"Did you eat your food just now?" Tom asked me.

or

"Have you eaten your food just now?" Tom asked me.

Homework:
Grammar Exercise 1.10 [Questions 1-5]
S & T Extra Practice [Questions 1-3]

Sincerely,
Mr Nelson Ong