Primary 3 English Paper 2 SA2 Reminders

The P3 and P4 Paper 2 English components test students on their grammatical foundation, vocabulary bank and comprehension. Students can score well if they follow certain techniques to help them find the correct answers. So, here are a few English Paper 2 reminders for students as they prepare for their upcoming examination.

English Paper 2 reminders

1. Find your clues

For the Grammar MCQ which tests students on their knowledge of subject-verb-agreement, tenses, phrasal verbs etc

• Read your sentence
• Highlight the clue
• Find your answer

For the Grammar Cloze section that tests students on their knowledge of subject-verb-agreement

• Read the passage
• Highlight the subject
• Identify it as singular or plural
• Select the verb in agreement with the subject

2. Review your Vocabulary Lists

To gain a good vocabulary bank, students should read various reading materials. Preparing a word bank for the whole year is also a good way for students to revise before the examination. At TF we give our students a weekly Vocabulary list so that they can gradually build their vocabulary bank.

3. Visual Text & Comprehension

• Read your text
• Summarise what each paragraph is telling you
• Highlight keywords or phrases in the questions
• Find your answers from the passage. (Remember not to totally lift the whole sentence)
• Check that you have truly answered the question asked

4. Synthesis & Transformation

The synthesis & Transformation component is rule-based just like grammar. Remembering the rules goes a long way to helping students score in this section. At TF, we work with our P3 & P4 students on the synthesis & transformation, introducing them to the common and more challenging ones throughout the year. Below are some common S&T question types.

4.1 Both…and

It is a correlative conjunction

They come in pairs and is often used in different parts of a sentence

*WATCH OUT for the subject-verb-agreement here. Both..and refers to two subjects now and thus the plural form of the verb must always be used.

4.2 Either..or / Neither .. or

They are correlative conjunctions.

They come in pairs and must be used in different parts of a sentence

*WATCH OUT for the subject-verb-agreement here. The verb conjunction depends on the subject closest to the verb or to the blank.

4.3 Prefer … to

This is another correlative conjunction.

4.4 Reported Speech

Reported speech is reporting to someone what has been said. When changing from Direct Speech to Reported Speech or from Reported Speech to Direct Speech, you need to watch out for:

• Tenses
• Pronouns
• Time
• Place

4.5 Unless 

Unless means the same as if..not

It is used in conditional sentences of all types

Unless is followed by a present tense, a past tense, or a past perfect tense

We hope that these reminders are useful and we wish everyone all the best for the upcoming examinations!