Q&A - PSLE English

[Joy of Learning 111]

sim:

Hi, thanks for the reply. I also think both are acceptable as I seen both type of answer given in assessment bk. I remember p4 teacher taught not to repeat. Quite confusing sometimes, even difference teachers in same school also have difference answers. Make us even blur. Not just for Englsh. I think Science having the same problem.

Hi sim. I sympathise.

Yes, it is very frustrating that teachers, even in the same school, have different answers. Teachers, like assessment books, are of variable quality. I used to be surprised, but am no more, to hear from parents that primary school teachers mostly do not return marked compositions from assessments – that tells us something.

The advice I give to my clients and to parents more generally is to focus on developing a high competence in the language rather than worry about second-guessing what is and what is not acceptable because of varying advice from different teachers. Overall, the questions in the PSLE are fair, so if a child has a high level of competence, then the child will do well.

Of course, my second piece of advice is to engage a really good tutor.

[jetsetter]

sim:

Hi, thanks for the reply. I also think both are acceptable as I seen both type of answer given in assessment bk. I remember p4 teacher taught not to repeat. Quite confusing sometimes, even difference teachers in same school also have difference answers. Make us even blur. Not just for Englsh. I think Science having the same problem.

No, how can both answers be acceptable and how could the teacher make such a terrible mistake?

[quote]Mary asked,\" Tina, how long has it been since we last saw each other?\"

Son's ans: Mary asked Tina how long had it been since they had last seen each other.

Ans sheet: Mary asked Tina how long it had been since they had last seen each other.[/quote]
SOS Mum's ds got it wrong. This is a WH-question in a direct speech. When you re-state/re-quote a WH-question in an indirect speech, the WH (main clause) remains, but the Subject (it)-Auxiliary (had) that follows (subordinate clause) must invert. That is the rule.

Doesn't this sentence sound funny to the teacher?
[quote]Mary asked Tom where had he been all this while.[/quote]

[Joy of Learning 111]

jetsetter:

sim:

Hi, thanks for the reply. I also think both are acceptable as I seen both type of answer given in assessment bk. I remember p4 teacher taught not to repeat. Quite confusing sometimes, even difference teachers in same school also have difference answers. Make us even blur. Not just for Englsh. I think Science having the same problem.

No, how can both answers be acceptable and how could the teacher make such a terrible mistake?

[quote]Mary asked,\" Tina, how long has it been since we last saw each other?\"

Son's ans: Mary asked Tina how long had it been since they had last seen each other.

Ans sheet: Mary asked Tina how long it had been since they had last seen each other.

SOS Mum's ds got it wrong. This is a WH-question in a direct speech. When you re-state/re-quote a WH-question in an indirect speech, the WH (main clause) remains, but the Subject (it)-Auxiliary (had) that follows (subordinate clause) must invert. That is the rule.

Doesn't this sentence sound funny to the teacher?
[quote]Mary asked Tom where had he been all this while.[/quote][/quote]jetsetter, I believe that sim was replying to me about an earlier query regarding repetition of gerunds, not to SOS Mum.

[jetsetter]

Joy of Learning 111:

KRR:

It is time she __________ some water, or she will suffer from dehydration.


drink, drank, drunk, drinking

The teacher's answer is 'drink'
Can you please explain why it cannot be 'drank'

It should be ‘drank’.

We sometimes use the past tense to describe things in the present or future that are imagined. When we say ‘It is time she drank…’ we are saying that something is not happening, but it should be happening.

Agreed with Joy. \"Drank\"

Whenever you see \"It is time...\", \"It is high time...\" or \"It is about time...\", you have to use the past subjunctive. The meaning is somewhat like this: speaker thinks you ought to be doing something, and you're still not doing it; it's already late...

Again, the teacher must be sleeping.

[Joy of Learning 111]

jetsetter:

Again, the teacher must be sleeping.

That's one interpretation. I can think of others.

[SOS mum]

Thank u very much, Joy n Jetsetter :lovesite:

[SOS mum]

Hi all, ps help the following:

Many thks and God Bless:)

1) I cycle to work every day. It is one way I exercise daily.

Son’s ans: Cycling to work is one way I exercise daily.

Ans sheet: Cycling to work every day is one way I exercise daily.

Must we include "every day" since "daily" also meant every day?

2) The king, after suffering a humiliating loss in the second battle, went into exile.

Son’s ans: The king went into exile by a humiliating loss in the second battle.

Ans sheet: The king, humiliated by a loss in the second battle, went into exile.

Is son’s ans acceptable?

[Joy of Learning 111]

SOS mum:

1) I cycle to work every day. It is one way I exercise daily.


Son's ans: Cycling to work is one way I exercise daily.

Ans sheet: Cycling to work every day is one way I exercise daily.

Must we include \"every day\" since \"daily\" also meant every day?

I would side with your son's answer for the reason you state.

SOS mum:

2) The king, after suffering a humiliating loss in the second battle, went into exile.

Son's ans: The king went into exile by a humiliating loss in the second battle.

Ans sheet: The king, humiliated by a loss in the second battle, went into exile.

Is son's ans acceptable?

No. It's a dangling modifier.

If your son wants to use the prepositional approach to transform the sentence, how about using a complex preposition? For example:

The king went into exile because of a humiliating loss in the second battle.

Alternatively, the participial approach works too. For example:

The king went into exile following a humiliating loss in the second battle.

[SOS mum]

Tks Joy…Appreciate greatly

[forestcadee]

Hi, all, would appreciate if anyone can give advices on the situational writing.

My dd told me that her school teacher had discouraged them to write \"I am writing to tell you....\" at the
start of the situational writing. She indicated that it is a grammatical error and could deduct marks if the teacher
is strict at marking.

Is there other ways to start?

Thanks.

:scratchhead: