Q&A - PSLE English

[jamestancx997]

Oh yes, good catch.

[ridcully]

anneshirleygilbert:

Was just wondering if it should have been:

Karen is allowed to use the art materials provided that she puts them back in their original positions after using them.

True.

Although not covered at the primary level, the subjunctive form in the third person singular differs from the indicative form. For instance:

Teacher Ridcully returns home late each evening after work. [indicative]
Mrs Ridcully suggests that he return home earlier. [subjunctive]

Rgds
R

[Kloggy]

yingxuan0806:

jamestancx997:

Hello yingxuan


your 2nd one is correct.

for the first, you need the past perfect.

The salesgirl would not have admitted to the theft if the footage had not been captured on the security camera.

thx for telling

I let my DD try the above question and her answer as follows. Is it acceptable ?

The salesgirl would not have admitted to the theft, had the footage not been captured on the security camera.

[anneshirleygilbert]

Karen is allowed to use the art materials provided that she puts them back in their original positions after using them.[/quote]True.


Although not covered at the primary level, the subjunctive form in the third person singular differs from the indicative form. For instance:

Teacher Ridcully returns home late each evening after work. [indicative]
Mrs Ridcully suggests that he return home earlier. [subjunctive]

Rgds
R[/quote]

Thank you, Ridcully, for your expansion on the question.
It is not uncommon for students to be tested with questions that are not covered in the primary syllabus.

I always appreciate the way you are so clear and careful in explaining English Grammar rules.

Have a good day!

[ridcully]

Kloggy:

The salesgirl would not have admitted to the theft, had the footage not been captured on the security camera.

Kudos to your daughter: That's a sophisticated way of expressing the conditional. There are indeed several ways of expressing the conditional.


The comma between 'theft' and 'had' is not needed.

Rgds
R

[ridcully]

anneshirleygilbert:

It is not uncommon for students to be tested with questions that are not covered in the primary syllabus.

Very true indeed, but I understand MOE's approach. Language is complex and it is difficult to micro-manage a syllabus. That is why I always say to parents not to be unduly impressed when a tuition centre advertises 'We follow MOE's syllabus'. Actually, the syllabus is stated in broad strokes, and I think that is quite understandable.

Perhaps parents should consider the syllabus to be the minimum level of competence required.

Have a wonderful, peaceful and healthy weekend!

Rgds
R

[Mum1113]

Just one simple question :

Just before the game, the team _____ full of enthusiasm and ready to give of their best.
) is
2) are
3) has
4) have
Why is the answer are, is it because their best ?

[Kloggy]

Thank you Ridcully for your clear explanation.


Have a few more questions here, would appreciate your help.

1. The form teacher reprimanded our class in the hall. We were too playful and noisy.
In the hall, ___________________________

Ans (a) : In the hall, the form teacher reprimanded our class for being too playful and noisy.
Ans (b) : In the hall, the form teacher reprimanded us for being too playful and noisy.

Are both answer acceptable ?

2. The notorious girls broke into a shop. Mrs Lam warned them.
_______________ despite ______________________

DD ans : The notorious girls broke into a shop despite Mrs Lam's warning.
Teacher's ans : The notorious girls broke into a shop despite that Mrs Lam had warned them.

I thought DD's answer sounds reasonable. What's your view ?

3. The delinquent continued playing truant. The social worker warned him.
___________________ despite ____________________

This question seems similar to (2) above and therefore DD gave a similar answer. But, again it is wrong and the teacher gave a different answer this time.

DD ans : The delinquent continued playing truant despite the social worker's warning.
Teacher's ans : The delinquent continued playing truant despite the warning from the social worker.

My DD is quite confused and she does not have a chance to ask the teacher ..... Pls help ! :scratchhead:

[pixiedust]

Mum1113:

Just one simple question :

Just before the game, the team _____ full of enthusiasm and ready to give of their best.
) is
2) are
3) has
4) have
Why is the answer are, is it because their best ?

Let me give this a go :

Team is a collective noun. The verb can be singular or plural - depends on whether you think of the group as one unit or a number of people - but the selected choice must be in agreement with the rest of the sentence. Hence, the answer is 'are' due to the 'their best' as you have explained.

\"The team is full of enthusiasm and ready to give its best.\" is also correct.

ridcully:

...Although not covered at the primary level, the subjunctive form in the third person singular differs from the indicative form. For instance:
Teacher Ridcully returns home late each evening after work. [indicative]
Mrs Ridcully suggests that he return home earlier. [subjunctive]

I tried to read up on indicative and subjunctive and I am :scratchhead:
Is this topic generally covered in Secondary school ?
It looks like it is possible to test via the S&T or grammar MCQ sections of PSLE ! *sigh*

[ridcully]

pixiedust:

Team is a collective noun. The verb can be singular or plural - depends on whether you think of the group as one unit or a number of people - but the selected choice must be in agreement with the rest of the sentence. Hence, the answer is 'are' due to the 'their best' as you have explained.


\"The team is full of enthusiasm and ready to give its best.\" is also correct.

Spot on, pixiedust! You're a twinkling star!

About the subjunctive: Most secondary school teachers would not dare touch the subjunctive. To be fair, it is a rare verb form. Nevertheless, it is part of the syllabus.

Sometimes, the subjunctive is 'inadvertently' touched upon in primary schooling when dealing with unreal or impossible situations:

If I were Teacher Ridcully, I would pass the PSLE with flying colours.

The primary students are taught that this is the second conditional, which is true enough. They are not normally introduced to the term 'subjunctive'.

Rgds
R