<![CDATA[Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know]]>It has been oft said that the English language has so many exceptions to the rule that one might as well do away with the rules completely.


It can indeed be quite confusing and daunting for the uninitiated. So we thought it would be good to share some of the knowledge and ideas that we have picked up in our years of teaching. We hope you find this useful. Please feel free to give any comment or query.


The One Grammatical Item That Confounds P1 & P2 Pupils

The grammatical item mentioned in the title is the Infinitive.

The Infinitive is the base or root form of the word; i.e. it does not come in the singular or Past Tense forms.

Before we embark on the Infinitive, it would be useful to review the two main rules in English grammar that we need to look out for – agreement and tenses.

Rule 1 : Agreement aka Concord

This basically means that the verb must agree with the subject (the noun that does the action).

For example:

Carol likes red roses.

In the example above, Carol is a singular subject, so we have to use the singular verb ‘likes’.

Example:

The girls like red roses.

'The girls' however is a plural subject so the plural verb 'like' is used in the sentence.

So far so good.


Rule 2: Tenses

Generally, a sentence could be in the Past Tense, Present Tense or Future Tense and the verbs should comply.

Example:

James' jaw dropped when he saw the snake on the dining table.

The above sentence is in the Past Tense. Both verbs, 'dropped' and 'saw' are in the Simple Past Tense.

Example:

Lily brushes and flosses her teeth twice a day.

This sentence is in the Present Tense and the verbs ('brushes' and 'flosses') are in the Simple Present Tense.

Then things start to get complicated.


Tricky Exceptions To Look Out For

The problem is that after most children master these rules, they tend to apply them with an iron hand. But there are certain tricky exceptions they have to look out for. Below is a list of questions that many children tend to be tricked by.

1.\tThe To-Infinitive

Julie forgot to _____(wash) the grapes yesterday.

Many children, when confronted with this question, will choose ‘washed’ as the answer because they see the words ‘forgot’ and ‘yesterday’, so they think that the answer should be in the Past Tense.

Correct answer is:
Julie forgot to wash the grapes yesterday.


The rule is that in a sentence, after the word 'to', the Infinitive is generally used

For the younger children, it helps to tell them to circle the word ‘to’ and to remember that if the action is immediately after ‘to’, the action should not end with ‘s’ or ‘ed’ (the Past Tense form).

2.\tThe Special Infinitive

James can come to the party if he wants to.

Peter will remember that he has to bring the Chinese book tomorrow.

It is useful to give the children a list of ‘special words’ (these are actually Special Finites but I call them 'special words' so as not to confuse the P1 and P2 children) and highlight to them that any action that comes immediately after these words should not end with ‘s’ or ‘ed’ (the Past Tense form).
The list consists of the following words:[list]
  • to
    not
    can/could
    will/would
    shall/should
    may/might
    • [/list]3.\tThe Question-Infinitive

    (a) Did Percy _____(take) the keys on the table?

    (b) Does Amy _____(want) to have a slice of apple pie?

    The above questions are also traps that many children will tumble into. In (a), they will see ‘Did’ and assume that the answer should also be in the Past Tense (took).

    In (b), they see either ‘Does’ or ‘Amy’, thinks that the subject is singular and hit on ‘wants’ as the answer.

    In both cases, they are wrong.

    The answers are ‘take’ and ‘want’ respectively. Yes, the almighty Infinitive again.

    The reasons are that in the above question form, the tense is indicated by 'Did'. Likewise for (b), the tense and agreement are already indicated by 'Does', so the verb we are looking for should be in the Infinitive form.

    It not easy to explain the concept of the Infinitive to young children.

    It is easier to tell them that when they come across questions that begin with 'Do', 'Does', 'Did' or one of the 'Special Words', then they must remember that the action in the middle of the question should not end with ‘s’ or ‘ed’ (the Past Tense form) again.

    These 3 types of questions are some of the trickier ones that the P1 and P2 pupils would come across. However, many P5 and P6 pupil (sometimes secondary school students too) are also stumped by such questions.

    Hope this makes it easier for your children to understand. 😄
    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/topic/13586/quirky-grammar-amp-other-obscure-things-good-to-knowRSS for NodeTue, 21 Apr 2026 09:52:31 GMTThu, 02 Sep 2010 20:06:00 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:37:21 GMT]]>Hi 24hr-mum,



    Our website is currently experiencing some technical difficulties but we are trying to fix it as soon as possible.


    In the meantime, you could contact us at 6484 0680.


    Best regards,
    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602848https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/602848Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:37:21 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:41:06 GMT]]>hi


    wats ur website and contact number?

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/599865https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/599865Sat, 01 Oct 2011 16:41:06 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:07:36 GMT]]>Hi mama_g, when I opened the article, the first thing that caught my attention was the caption under the photo - ‘Above: Matthew Huang Jiaxuan holding onto his PPS card, and his passport, which has many chops from the countries he has visited.’



    I believe you are referring to the word ‘chops’.


    ‘Chop’ is commonly used to refer to the action of cutting.


    In this case, it would be more correct to use the word ‘stamps’.



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/475154https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/475154Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:07:36 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:19:33 GMT]]>spot the error: http://www.relax.com.sg/relax/news/682788/Only_3_boy_has_flown_23_times.html

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/473238https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/473238Wed, 06 Jul 2011 08:19:33 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:39:59 GMT]]>

    Learning Partners:
    Hi parents,


    It's good to be back. There has been a hiatus in our posts as we were busy with the opening of our two new branches - Ang Mo Kio and Bedok - but now that the dust has settled, we will resume our posts.

    As the English Paper 1 examinations (compositions) are just round, we thought it would be timely and useful to share with you some words that are commonly misspelled. Run a checklist with your child(ren) to see how many they know.



    Commonly Misspelled Words in English


    Can you spot the spelling mistakes in the following words?

    -Explaination
    -Definately
    -Wierd
    -Recieve
    -Theif
    -Beleive
    -Arguement
    -Embarassment
    -Moniter
    -Acurate

    Let’s see what the correct spelling of the following words should be...

    ✘--------------------------✔
    Explaination------Explanation
    Definately------Definitely
    Wierd------Weird
    Recieve------Receive
    Theif------Thief
    Beleive------Believe
    Arguement------Argument
    Embarassment------Embarrassment
    Moniter------Monitor
    Acurate------Accurate


    You may have noticed that the common mistakes are with the sequence of vowels (especially ‘i’ and ‘e’) and the repetition of consonants (e.g. there are two ‘r’s in ‘embarrassment’ and two ‘c’s in ‘accurate’).


    This is hardly a childhood problem. Many adults spell ‘definitely’ as ‘definately’, for instance. Just check out the comments on just about any YouTube video, many of which are written by adults!


    Sometimes it may seem counterintuitive to spell some of these words the correct way. After all, ‘definitely’ seems to rhyme with ‘fortunately’.
    The best thing to do is to get them right since young. Print out a comprehensive list of commonly misspelled words among children and practise with your child regularly.


    One website you can refer to is http://www.alphadictionary.com/ww/misspelled_kid_words.html. But you really just have to conduct a Google search on ‘commonly misspelled words for kids’ and you'll get an avalanche of websites with similar lists. Of course, it also helps if your child is reading English books on a regular basis!



    Learning Partners
    Hi Learning Partners,
    This post has been so useful and that too when the English Paper 1 is fast approaching. Thank u very much.

    KRR

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/397444https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/397444Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:39:59 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:47:25 GMT]]>Hi parents,


    It's good to be back. There has been a hiatus in our posts as we were busy with the opening of our two new branches - Ang Mo Kio and Bedok - but now that the dust has settled, we will resume our posts.

    As the English Paper 1 examinations (compositions) are just round, we thought it would be timely and useful to share with you some words that are commonly misspelled. Run a checklist with your child(ren) to see how many they know.



    Commonly Misspelled Words in English


    Can you spot the spelling mistakes in the following words?

    -Explaination
    -Definately
    -Wierd
    -Recieve
    -Theif
    -Beleive
    -Arguement
    -Embarassment
    -Moniter
    -Acurate

    Let’s see what the correct spelling of the following words should be...

    ✘--------------------------✔
    Explaination------Explanation
    Definately------Definitely
    Wierd------Weird
    Recieve------Receive
    Theif------Thief
    Beleive------Believe
    Arguement------Argument
    Embarassment------Embarrassment
    Moniter------Monitor
    Acurate------Accurate


    You may have noticed that the common mistakes are with the sequence of vowels (especially ‘i’ and ‘e’) and the repetition of consonants (e.g. there are two ‘r’s in ‘embarrassment’ and two ‘c’s in ‘accurate’).


    This is hardly a childhood problem. Many adults spell ‘definitely’ as ‘definately’, for instance. Just check out the comments on just about any YouTube video, many of which are written by adults!


    Sometimes it may seem counterintuitive to spell some of these words the correct way. After all, ‘definitely’ seems to rhyme with ‘fortunately’.
    The best thing to do is to get them right since young. Print out a comprehensive list of commonly misspelled words among children and practise with your child regularly.


    One website you can refer to is http://www.alphadictionary.com/ww/misspelled_kid_words.html. But you really just have to conduct a Google search on ‘commonly misspelled words for kids’ and you'll get an avalanche of websites with similar lists. Of course, it also helps if your child is reading English books on a regular basis!



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/394865https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/394865Fri, 08 Apr 2011 03:47:25 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:21:31 GMT]]>Hi pixiedust and ZXmum,


    You are most welcome. 😄



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/283574https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/283574Wed, 27 Oct 2010 13:21:31 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:37:40 GMT]]>Hi Learning Partners,

    Thanks for your reply.

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281493https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281493Mon, 25 Oct 2010 00:37:40 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:23:14 GMT]]>Very useful ! Thank you !


    I really like your clear explanations (better than many reference books/website) and examples of words children are confused with.

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281382https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281382Sun, 24 Oct 2010 12:23:14 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:44:44 GMT]]>

    ZXmum:
    Hi, should we use \"was\" or \"were\" in the following sentence.


    None of them _____ (was/were) happy with the information they received.

    thanks


    Hi ZXmum,

    In the sentence that you quoted, the correct answer should be 'were'.

    'None' can be used with both singular and plural verbs. So when deciding to use the singular or plural verb, we have to look at the context of the sentence.

    None of them _____ (was/were) happy with the information they received.

    The word 'they' in the sentence precludes the usage of the singular verb so the answer should be 'were'.



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281214https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281214Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:44:44 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:04:04 GMT]]>

    pixiedust:
    Thanks again !


    I have a problem these few days but it is related more to spelling than grammar. I would appreciate any insights.

    Q: When to double final consonant when adding suffix ? and when not to double the final consonant ?

    Thanks in advance.


    Hi pixiedust,

    The main rules to remember when doubling the final consonant are:

    1. it must be a single consonant;

    2. there is only a single vowel in front of it;

    3. the suffix begins with a vowel;

    4. when the base word has two or more syllables, the final syllable is the accented (aka stressed) syllable when pronouncing the new word.




    Example 1:

    'Forbid' ends with a single final consonant (rule 1) and there is only one vowel in front of the final consonant (rule 2). It is also accented on the last syllable (rule 4) so when we add the suffices '-en' or '-ing' (both beginning with vowels - rule 3) to it, the word becomes 'forbidden' and 'forbidding'.



    Example 2:

    'Flap' is a mono-syllabic word which means it is always accented (rule 4). It ends with a single consonant (rule 1) which is preceded by a single vowel (rule 2). So it becomes 'flapping' or 'flapped' when we add the suffices '-ing' and '-ed' (rule 4).



    Words That Commonly Confuse Children

    Cane vs Can

    As 'cane' ends with a silent 'e' (a vowel), when we add the suffices '-ing' and '-ed', the 'e' should be dropped.

    So the Past Tense form of 'cane' is 'caned' and the Present Participle form is 'caning'.


    'Can' however fulfils all the rules for doubling the final consonant and so the Past Tense form of 'can' is 'canned' and the Present Participle form is 'canning'.



    Hope vs Hop

    'Hope' ends with a vowel. So when we add the suffices '-ed' and '-ing', the 'e' is dropped and the word becomes 'hoped' and 'hoping'.

    'Hop' like 'can' fulfils all the conditions for the doubling of the final consonant so when we add the same suffices, the base word is changed into 'hopped' and 'hopping'.



    Some Exceptions To Look Out For

    1. When the suffix '-ic' is added, the final consonant is not doubled.

    Examples: atomic, acidic, poetic


    2. When the final consonant is 'w', 'x' or 'y', it is not doubled.

    Examples: waxing, sawing, delaying


    3. When the final consonant is 'c', it is also not doubled. However, if a suffix beginning with 'e' or 'i' is added to the word, 'k' is added after the letter 'c'.

    Examples: panicked, trafficking



    It's quite a lot of information to digest but we hope you find it useful. 😄



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281202https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/281202Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:04:04 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:18:29 GMT]]>Hi, should we use "was" or "were" in the following sentence.


    None of them _____ (was/were) happy with the information they received.

    thanks

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/280807https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/280807Fri, 22 Oct 2010 10:18:29 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:03:49 GMT]]>Thanks again !


    I have a problem these few days but it is related more to spelling than grammar. I would appreciate any insights.

    Q: When to double final consonant when adding suffix ? and when not to double the final consonant ?

    Thanks in advance.

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/279028https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/279028Wed, 20 Oct 2010 02:03:49 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:59:11 GMT]]>

    pixiedust:
    Great lessons, Learning Partners. Thanks.


    Any idea where can I find an exhaustive (or near exhaustive) list of nouns that are the same in both singular and plural forms? If not, then at least the common ones used in primary and secondary schools ? The 6 you listed are the ones I know. I want to check if there are anymore. Thanks.


    Hi pixiedust,

    Unfortunately, we've not come across such a list.

    So we've done the next best thing we could - share with you some of the words that we have come across. Do note that this list is not exhaustive.

    Most of such nouns include animals like:
    - swine
    - moose
    - bison
    - pike
    - cod
    - chiru (a type of gazelle)



    Others include:
    - aircraft
    - offspring
    - series
    - crossroads
    - species
    - headquarters
    - means
    - corps
    - Chinese (He is a Chinese. I saw two Chinese on the road just now.)



    If we ever come across such a list, we would let you know. 😄



    If anyone has such a list (or has more words to add), please do feel free to share it with the other forummers.



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273756https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273756Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:59:11 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:03:40 GMT]]>Great lessons, Learning Partners. Thanks.


    Any idea where can I find an exhaustive (or near exhaustive) list of nouns that are the same in both singular and plural forms? If not, then at least the common ones used in primary and secondary schools ? The 6 you listed are the ones I know. I want to check if there are anymore. Thanks.

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273196https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273196Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:03:40 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:07:07 GMT]]>One Or Many?




    Some nouns in the English language can only be used in the plural form, i.e. they have no singular form.

    Hence beware of the word 'police'.

    'Police' is always in the plural form.

    To indicate one law enforcer, we should use the term 'policeman'.



    Other nouns that are always in the plural form include:
    - clothes
    - manners
    - premises



    There also those items that always come in pairs and so they are always in the plural form. Eg:
    - spectacles/glasses
    - scissors
    - pliers
    - jeans
    - trousers
    - pants



    And the confusing ones are those that look the same in both singular and plural forms! Eg:
    - deer
    - salmon
    - antelope
    - trout
    - sheep
    - fish

    For such nouns, we need to pay attention to the context of the question to determine if the noun is in the singular or plural form.

    Example

    The fish _____ swimming in the pond when the boy threw a pebble in and scared them away.
    1. is
    2. are
    3. was
    4. were

    'Threw' and 'scared' tell us that the sentence is in the Past Tense, leaving only (3) and (4) as possible answers.

    'Them' tells us that there are many fish.

    Hence the answer would be (4).


    We hope this post has been useful and would come in handy for the upcoming end-of-year examinations. 😄



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273099https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/273099Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:07:07 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:28:55 GMT]]>Hi Tianzhu,


    (1)

    (1) is a complex sentence, i.e. a sentence that consists of a main clause ('It appears') and a subordinate clause ('this question [involve/involves] calculating the area of intersection of two circles').

    For complex sentences, the verb agrees with the subject in the same clause.

    In the main clause, the subject is 'It' and hence the verb is in the singular form ('appears').

    In the subordinate clause, the subject is 'question' so the verb should be 'involves'.



    (2)

    (2) is perfectly correct.

    We generally use the Simple Past Tense when the time the action took place is known.

    When we use the Simple Past Tense and the Past Perfect Tense in the same sentence, this is to indicate the sequence of events.

    The earlier event would be in the Past Perfect Tense and the later event in the Simple Past Tense.

    So in (2), the use of the Past Perfect Tense ('had eaten') is used to indicate that the action of eating too much ice cream preceded the ailment and was its cause.



    (3)

    (3) is correct for the same reason as (2).



    (4)

    (4) is grammatically incorrect. To reflect the sequence of events, it should be amended to:

    Alex got a stomach ache because he had eaten too much ice cream.


    [(4) Alex got a stomach ache because he ate too much ice cream. - This sentence structure is very commonly used in Singapore but in this case, it's a situation of Singlish-gitis on an epidemic scale.

    In an informal context (e.g. speech), one may still get away with it but strictly speaking, it is grammatically unsound.]



    We hope that your queries have been answered.
    Feel free to get back to us with any other question you may have.:)



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/269085https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/269085Fri, 01 Oct 2010 15:28:55 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:37:40 GMT]]>Hi Learning Partners


    Thank you for your help.
    Please help to explain the grammar rules.

    1) It appears that that this question (involves/involve) calculating the area of intersection of two circles.

    The main verb here is appears, should the second verb be in base form?

    2) Alex was sick because he had eaten too much ice cream.

    3) Alex got a stomach ache because he had taken too much ice cream

    4) Alex got a stomach ache because he ate too much ice cream.

    Are sentences 2 to 4 grammatically correct?

    Best wishes

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/268769https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/268769Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:37:40 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:09:14 GMT]]>Part III of Agreement


    Hi parents, we are back with more quirky grammar.

    1. Percentages, Fractions and Other Proportions

    In sentences that mention percentages, fractions or other proportions, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.


    Example:

    Half of the cakes were eaten by Janice.

    Half of the cake was eaten by Janice.



    2. Units of measurement

    Units of measurements (think time, money and distance) are always singular.


    Example:

    $100 is not a small sum of money.

    3 hours is needed to finish this paper.



    3. Items vs Material

    Certain words like 'glass' can be used to refer to an item:

    Eg. the container that holds fluid as in 'a glass of milk' OR

    Eg. spectacles as in 'glasses'



    It can also be used to refer to a material:

    The statue is made of glass.



    The rule to remember here is that when a noun is used as an item, it may be singular or plural but when it is used as a material, it is always singular.


    Examples

    Glass

    There are 3 glasses of water on the table. [Item]

    Glass was rare and expensive in the past. [Material]


    Paper

    The test papers were on the teacher's desk a moment ago. [Item]

    Paper is an important resource and we should try to conserve it. [Material]


    Iron

    Those 3 irons are all high-end ones and cost a bomb. [Item]

    Due to the war, iron has become a scarce commodity. [Material]



    That is all for now. We hope you have enjoyed this post.
    Learning Partners 🙂

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/268666https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/268666Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:09:14 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:42:21 GMT]]>Hi pixiedust, we would be glad to help.



    We mentioned in one of our earlier posts, Agreement II, that 'who' and 'whom' belong to a class of words known as pronouns. They could be used as interrogative pronouns or relative pronouns but that is for another post.


    Many people get confused over the difference between the two.


    The main idea to remember is that 'who' refers to the subject (noun that does the action) while 'whom' refers to the object (noun that the action is done to).



    Example

    John gave the book to Peter.

    In the above example, John is the subject (he performed the action of 'giving').

    Peter is the object (the book was given to him).


    So if I were to ask questions pertaining to the above situation, they would be as such:

    1. Who gave Peter the book?

    John gave Peter the book. (subject)


    2. Whom was the book given to?

    The book was given to Peter. (object)




    What does this translate into during the tests/exams?

    The child may get a question like this:

    Tim _____ the teacher praised is the head prefect's brother.
    (1) who
    (2) whom
    (3) whose
    (4) which

    In this question, the teacher is the subject (the teacher performed the action of praising) while Tim is the object (he was being praised). Hence, the pronoun in the blank is referring to an object and so the answer should be (2).



    In some schools, they introduce such questions from as early as P3. From our experience, it is very difficult for children so young to understand the concepts of 'object' and 'subject'.



    Hence we teach them the following trick.

    Tim whom the teacher praised is the head prefect's brother.
    Noun 'whom' Noun

    The word 'whom' is usually sandwiched between nouns.



    Alan who was late overslept this morning.
    Noun 'who' verb

    The word 'who' would be sandwiched between a noun and a verb.



    It is important to master the usage of 'who' and 'whom' because besides Grammar MCQ, it could also be tested in Editing, Grammar Cloze, Comprehension Cloze and Synthesis & Transformation.


    Hopefully, now you have a clearer understanding of how to use them.:)



    PS: Increasingly, people are dropping 'whom' and using 'who' in place of it. This is especially prevalent in America. However, when formal grammar is required, 'whom' should be used.



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265914https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265914Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:42:21 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:48:35 GMT]]>

    Learning Partners:
    ...Given the context, the better answer for this question would be (2), as it is unlikely that you would have heard the entire quarrel (not unless the fight was very loud or you have the habit of eavesdropping).

    Learning Partners
    Thank you. Great tip above !

    Great 'Agreement' lesson too !

    In the near future, if you could clarify the finer points of usage related to who vs whom, I would greatly appreciate it!

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265180https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265180Thu, 23 Sep 2010 23:48:35 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:21:07 GMT]]>Part II of Agreement


    Hi parents,

    We promised to introduce the more obscure points of Agreement in one of our previous posts and here it is.



    1. Relative pronouns

    A question from from this genre has been brought up in some of the other threads. We hope that by revisiting it, it would clear up any lingering doubt or question parents might have.

    A relative pronoun is a word that acts as a subject (noun that does the action) in the middle of a sentence. It refers to another noun that is directly before it.

    Examples of relative pronouns are:[list]
  • who
    which
    whom
    whose
    where
    • [/list]
    The million-dollar question: Are relative pronouns singular or plural?


    Example 1:

    Jane is the girl who is always late.

    In the above example, the relative pronoun is 'who'. It refers to the noun that is directly before it - the girl. Since 'girl' is singular, 'who' is also singular in this case and that is why the verb is in the singular form ('is').


    Example 2:

    Miss Lim dislikes those boys who are always late.

    In Example 2, the noun directly in front of 'who' is 'boys' (plural). Thus, in this case, 'who' becomes plural and the verb following it is also in the plural form ('are').


    In a nutshell, relative pronouns refer to the nouns that are directly in front of them and would take the singular or plural form accordingly.



    2. 'Everyone', Everybody' and 'Each'

    These words are always singular!

    Children tend to think that 'everyone' and 'everybody' mean 'all the people' and hence they should be plural.

    No.

    They are always singular as seen in the examples below.


    Examples:

    (a) Everyone is going to the zoo tomorrow.

    (b) Everybody has a red jacket.

    (c) Each of the students is responsible for his/her own work.


    For (c), many children are tricked by the word 'students'. So teach your child to memorise that 'each', 'everybody' and 'everyone' are singular.


    Other pronouns that are always singular include:
    [list]
  • someone
    somebody
    anyone
    anybody
    • [/list]

    3. 'Except'


    Question: Which of the following sentences is correct?

    (a) All the boys except Alan is going to the beach.

    (b) All the boys except Alan are going to the beach.


    The answer is (b).

    The reason is that 'except' means 'not including'. This would mean that the noun that comes after 'except' is not the subject (the noun that does the action).

    In the above question, Alan is not going to the beach so he is not the subject of the sentence and should not determine if the verb is singular or plural.

    The subject of the sentence is 'All the boys' and as there are many boys, the verb should also be plural ('are').


    The word 'except' could also appear at the start of the sentence.

    Example

    Except for Lucy, all the pupils want to take part in the singing competition.


    In this case, the relationship between subject and verb is even clearer. The subject in the above example is 'pupils' (plural) and so the verb takes plural form 'want'.


    We hope that this has been useful. Part III would be up some time next week.



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265138https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265138Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:21:07 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:05:18 GMT]]>

    pixiedust:
    hermes173, thanks to me too for raising the question, right ? Hahahaha....just kidding.


    Thanks again Learning Partners. Once again, crystal clear ! Are you a grammar teacher ? :lol:

    The NVNV sentences is exactly why I asked. Given a question :
    I heard my neighbours ___________ last night.
    1) quarrel
    2) quarrelling
    3) quarrels
    4) quarrelled

    Since (1) and (2) are available as answers, this is a badly set question ?
    OR is the gerund form preferred when both base and gerund form are available as answers ?

    You are welcome, pixiedust and hermes173.

    In a way, yes, we are grammar teachers. Learning Partners is an education centre in Yishun. We provide tuition services to schoolchildren in Yishun and beyond (Upper Changi, Sengkang, Kovan, Bishan, Woodlands and Sembawang).

    We provide lessons in English (Paper 2), Creative Writing, Mathematics, Science and Mother Tongue for children from K2 to Sec 4.



    Regarding the question that you posted, pixiedust, it is a badly set question.

    This question would appear under Grammar MCQ during a test/exam.

    If the school is testing for grammar, then both (1) and (2) are perfectly correct.

    If your child is unfortunate enough to face this situation during a test/exam, teach him to look at the context, i.e. the meaning of the sentence.


    If the sentence is:

    I heard my neighbours quarrel last night.

    it means that you heard the whole quarrel, right from the start to the end.


    If the sentence is:

    I heard my neighbours quarrelling last night.

    the meaning changes. It means that you only heard part of the quarrel.


    Given the context, the better answer for this question would be (2), as it is unlikely that you would have heard the entire quarrel (not unless the fight was very loud or you have the habit of eavesdropping).


    However, we would like to repeat that this question is badly set. This is because, grammatically, both answers are correct. In fact, in cases like this, you could exercise your rights as a parent and demand that the school accept both answers. 😄



    Learning Partners

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265089https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/265089Thu, 23 Sep 2010 15:05:18 GMT    <![CDATA[Reply to Quirky Grammar &amp; Other Obscure Things Good To Know on Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:19:04 GMT]]>

    pixiedust:
    hermes173, thanks to me too for raising the question, right ? Hahahaha....just kidding.


    Hehehe...

    Sorry...my oversight, pixiedust. :imsorry:

    A big thank you to you too...

    :thankyou:

    ]]>    https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/264911https://forum.kiasuparents.com/post/264911Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:19:04 GMT