O-Level English

[Teacher Aaron]

A better tomorrow:

Hi , may I know Is it correct to say

I think .. ....
Or
I think that ........
?

The answer is that it depends on who you are asking. For most newspapers, you will notice that they tend to drop the \"that\" to save space. Dropping the \"that\" doesn't usually impede comprehension, so it's generally fine to drop it, but if you prefer to be very strict on grammar, then it is better to leave the \"that\" in.

[Teacher Aaron]

nansk:

W.r.t. the Oxford comma in a list, what is the style preferred in Singapore? To use, or not to use?

e.g. the following sentence from your post uses the Oxford comma:[quote]The committee will consist of Bob, Mr. Parsons, and me.

[/quote]This is a question that is difficult to answer because I can't speak on behalf of all Singaporeans. Globally, the Oxford comma is subject to raging debates between proponents and opponents with no resolution on the matter in sight.

Those who claim that the Oxford comma is incorrect are definitely people who do not know their grammar; beware any English teacher who make such claims or heaven forbid, does not even know of the existence of the Oxford comma.

As for those who claim that the Oxford comma is unnecessary, that is true to some extent. A common rule of thumb is that if a sentence is unlikely to result in misunderstanding by the omission of the Oxford comma, then it's fine to leave it out.

Here's my favourite example of why the Oxford comma matters.

\"We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin.\" -> This indicates there are three distinct parties who were invited as the Oxford comma clearly indicates a list of three nouns.

\"We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin.\" -> This indicates that there is only one party, the strippers, who were invited, and there were two strippers named JFK and Stalin who were invited. The grammatical explanation is that the lack of the Oxford comma turned the phrase \"JFK and Stalin\" into an apposition for the noun \"strippers\".

So, my advice is that it doesn't hurt to drop the Oxford comma or to use it; just be sure that you do not cause any confusion with your choice of inclusion or exclusion.

[nansk]

Teacher Aaron:

nansk:

W.r.t. the Oxford comma in a list, what is the style preferred in Singapore?

This is a question that is difficult to answer because I can't speak on behalf of all Singaporeans.

I am aware of the unsettled debate globally. I was asking what the preferred style was in academic institutions in Singapore. What is taught and what is expected of students?

[sharonkhoo]

nansk:

Teacher Aaron:

[quote=\"nansk\"]W.r.t. the Oxford comma in a list, what is the style preferred in Singapore?

This is a question that is difficult to answer because I can't speak on behalf of all Singaporeans.

I am aware of the unsettled debate globally. I was asking what the preferred style was in academic institutions in Singapore. What is taught and what is expected of students?[/quote]I believe that in general the Oxford comma is not used. This is from vague memories of my kids' lessons in Pr school! However, I don't think they are penalised when it is used to avoid misunderstandings.

[Teacher Aaron]

nansk:

Teacher Aaron:

[quote=\"nansk\"]W.r.t. the Oxford comma in a list, what is the style preferred in Singapore?

This is a question that is difficult to answer because I can't speak on behalf of all Singaporeans.

I am aware of the unsettled debate globally. I was asking what the preferred style was in academic institutions in Singapore. What is taught and what is expected of students?[/quote]The honest truth is that most teachers shun the topic. I only have a handful of students whose teachers actually tried to explain basic grammar concepts, not to mention contentious things such as the Oxford comma. As far as I know, the national syllabus doesn't say anything about the Oxford comma, and at the tertiary level, from my experience, I would say that I generally see people not using the Oxford comma and not expecting its use.

Personally, I teach my students that the Oxford comma is generally optional provided that the meaning of the sentence is clear enough to most people.

[Teacher Aaron]

kitty2:

kitty2:

Do you have any good recommendation for secondary oral and composition guide books?


Thanks

Looks like you don't have any good recommendation :?

http://teacheraaron.com/others/JustWrite.jpg\">

For self-study, I find that this book is pretty decent. There are not that many good books on composition and essay writing on the market, but I find this book quite okay.

[kitty2]

Teacher Aaron:

kitty2:

[quote=\"kitty2\"]Do you have any good recommendation for secondary oral and composition guide books?


Thanks

Looks like you don't have any good recommendation :?

http://teacheraaron.com/others/JustWrite.jpg\">

For self-study, I find that this book is pretty decent. There are not that many good books on composition and essay writing on the market, but I find this book quite okay.[/quote]
:thankyou:

[kitty2]

Teacher Aaron:

kitty2:

[quote=\"kitty2\"]Do you have any good recommendation for secondary oral and composition guide books?


Thanks

Looks like you don't have any good recommendation :?

http://teacheraaron.com/others/JustWrite.jpg\">

For self-study, I find that this book is pretty decent. There are not that many good books on composition and essay writing on the market, but I find this book quite okay.[/quote]
:thankyou:

[Abernathy]

Hi, I would like to know if anyone can share and email me some english CA or exam paper for sec 1 level express , to practise on ? I am quite at a loss as to what is expected for this paper and what type of standard … appreciate if can forward any CA or Exam papers for practise with answer keys? thanks very much… thanks so much…

[HAPPYH]

Teacher Aaron:

kitty2:

[quote=\"kitty2\"]Do you have any good recommendation for secondary oral and composition guide books?


Thanks

Looks like you don't have any good recommendation :?

http://teacheraaron.com/others/JustWrite.jpg\">

For self-study, I find that this book is pretty decent. There are not that many good books on composition and essay writing on the market, but I find this book quite okay.[/quote]Thank you for sharing