Q&A - P4 English

[ridcully]

soyabean:

So... There_______ some books and a pen.

1) is
2) are

ans = are???

So... the ans depends on the noun right after the blank...?

Thanks

Yes.

To be fair, this is a contested part of grammar. Some grammarians argue that you should use 'are' when two or more nouns follow joined by 'and', and at least the first noun is singular. However, for PSLE standard I think the first noun rule is acceptable.

Of course, if a PSLE examiner reading this post wants to huff and puff and correct me, I am happy to listen.

R

[atutor2001]

ridcully:

soyabean:

So... There_______ some books and a pen.

1) is
2) are

ans = are???

So... the ans depends on the noun right after the blank...?

Thanks

Yes.

To be fair, this is a contested part of grammar. Some grammarians argue that you should use 'are' when two or more nouns follow joined by 'and', and at least the first noun is singular. However, for PSLE standard I think the first noun rule is acceptable.

Of course, if a PSLE examiner reading this post wants to huff and puff and correct me, I am happy to listen.

R

Hi ridcully, during my kids' time (more than 10 years ago), PSLE standard uses 'are' when there are two or more nouns joined by 'and'.

Regards

[soyabean]

ridcully:

soyabean:

He is wearing an __________ look on his face.


1) agonized
2) agonizing

It is answer 1).

'Agonized' means showing or feeling extreme pain/anxiety whereas 'agonizing' means causing extreme pain/anxiety.

Of course, I could be witty and say that someone's look is so awful that it causes other people pain, therefore 'agonizing' would be correct. But
I wouldn't be so cruel...

Hehe, thanks R

[ridcully]

atutor2001:

Hi ridcully, during my kids' time (more than 10 years ago), PSLE standard uses 'are' when there are two or more nouns joined by 'and'.


Regards

Okay, thanks for the correction.

:celebrate:

[busybee]

Need help with this S&T qn


Sheila lives in Toronto. She started living in Toronto during her teenage years.

_____since

Answer key : Sheila had been living in Toronto since her teenage years.

Why is it "had been living" and not ‘has been living’?

TIA

[ridcully]

busybee:

Sheila lives in Toronto. She started living in Toronto during her teenage years.


________________________________since___________________________

Answer key : Sheila had been living in Toronto since her teenage years.

Why is it \"had been living\" and not 'has been living'?

Answer key is wrong. So many answer keys are wrong, or questions ambiguously/erroneously phrased, in assessment books and the like!

The present perfect continuous 'has been living' is the correct answer as Sheila is still living in Toronto. The present perfect continuous connects something started in the past which continues through to the present day.

Rgds
R

[busybee]

R,


Thanks for your prompt reply.

[cl82]

Hi Ridcully,


What should be the correct punctuation (in red) for this sentence?

\"Children, don't leave your pencils on the floor ./, \" said Mrs Tan.

The answer sheet says it shld be a comma. Is it? Why? It's just one statement without any continuation.

[ridcully]

cl82:

Hi Ridcully,


What should be t0he correct punctuation (in red) for this sentence?

\"Children, don't leave your pencils on the floor ./, \" said Mrs Tan.

The answer sheet says it shld be a comma. Is it? Why? It's just one statement without any continuation.

Yes, it is a comma. Commas traditionally have been used to separate the direct speech from the reporting clause (the latter identifying who is speaking).

Interestingly, you can put a question mark or an exclamation mark instead of the comma, but not a full stop. Thus, the following two sentences are also correct:

\"Children, don't leave your pencils on the floor!\" said Mrs Tan.

\"Children, have you left your pencils on the floor?\" asked Mrs Tan.

In these two cases, the exclamation mark and the question mark are considered as belonging to the direct speech sentence, not the bigger reporting sentence within which the direct speech is contained, and so it is permissible to continue the reporting clause.

In contrast, a full stop is considered too strong an endmark. If you use a full stop at the end of direct speech then that terminates the whole sentence. In other words, the full stop is seen as belonging to the bigger reporting sentence, rather than the direct speech clause, and you are not allowed to continue.

In normal compositional writing, it is permissible to use question marks and exclamations within bigger sentences, so I guess there is consistency eg

Ridcully answered my question - and wrote with panache! - in a timely fashion.

Rgds
R

[Champion]

Hello All,


Like to consult and seek advice on the followings, pertaining to coming SA1 P3 Compo :-

(1) Is it discouraged to use \"speech\" for P3 composition writing? Marks will be deducted?

(2) Cannot use phrases like \"smelled like dog poop\", \"like one thousand times\" - these are unacceptable phrases in Composition writing?

:thankyou: