In Primary 5, students are introduced to new grammatical structures that they may not have come across in Primary 4. In fact, many students who consistently scored full marks for the Primary 4 grammar section, lose marks in this section in the beginning because they are unaware of the new grammar structures.

At TF, we believe that the P5 year is when students learn the rules and techniques of all the new PSLE components. From, Situational Writing formats to grammatical structures, our teachers aim to impart the correct rules and techniques so that in the P6 year, students just need to practice and perfect these rules.

With the removal of the mid-year examinations, it is imperative that students at our centre are taught these rules and techniques, and then tested so that we can help those who may struggle in a certain English component. This is not an attempt to give P5 students more stress but instead, to prepare them sufficiently for the P6 year so that they will have less stress when they begin the year of their major examination.

Today, we will take a look at six questions from the English Grammar MCQ section of a 2022 end-of-the-year examination paper. We will look at each grammatical rule that P5 students should master by the end of their P5 year.

2022 English Grammar MCQ example

P5 English grammar MCQ example


Q1. Sensory verb Grammar rule

Sensory Verb e.g. saw / heard/ smelled/ watched etc

sensory verb + noun + base form/ gerund participle clause

Sulin was certain that she saw Jenny ________________ the building that morning.

  1. left
  2. leave
  3. had left
  4. was leaving

Answer:
leave
(base form)

Q2. ‘As well as’ Grammar rule – Prepositional phrase

When two subjects are joined by ‘as well as’, the verb must ‘agree’ with the number and person of the first subject. If the first subject is Singular, then the verb should be in agreement. If the first subject is Plural, the verb should be in agreement.

Samy, as well as his siblings, _____________ to eat durians. Let’s buy some for them later.

  1. like
  2. liked
  3. likes
  4. had liked

Answer:
likes
(Samy is the first person and is singular. ‘As well as’ is considered a ‘distractor’ in the sentence).

Q3. Phrasal verbs Grammar rule

A phrasal verb is an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, usually a preposition

We had agreed to the terms prior ______________ the meeting so the session would be a short one.

  1. in
  2. to
  3. of
  4. on

Answer:
to
(prior + to)

Q4. ‘Neither ..nor / either .. or’ Grammar rule

The verb must agree with the second subject or subject closest to the verb

Neither the duck or the geese ______________ on the farm now. They have probably gone to the pond.

  1. is
  2. are
  3. was
  4. were

Answer:
are
(‘Geese’ is the subject before the verb. ‘Geese’ is in the plural form. ‘Now’ is in the present tense.)

Q5. Question tags + negative adverbs Grammar rule

Negative adverbs – rarely, seldom, never, barely, hardly, scarcely- do not have negative question tags at the end.

Sally rarely cooked when she was studying overseas, _____________ she?

  1. did
  2. does
  3. didn’t
  4. doesn’t

Answer:
did
(Negative adverb ‘rarely’ results in a positive question tag. ‘Cooked’ is past tense.)

Q6. Irregular verbs + past participle Grammar rule

An irregular verb does not follow the normal patterns for tense and participles. The only way to remember them is to memorise them.

The concert had ______________ by the time I reached the auditorium.

  1. begin
  2. began
  3. begun
  4. beginning

Answer:
begun
(The sentence requires the participle of an irregular verb – begin.
)

We hope that this post has shed some light on the new grammatical structures that P5 students should try to master by the end of the year.

Remember to regularly practise your grammar exercises and memorise your rules :)

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2024 P5 English Tuition Timetable

BranchDayTime
Bukit TimahMON3 pm to 5 pm
Bukit TimahFRI5 pm to 7 pm
Bukit TimahSAT11 am to 1 pm
HougangTUE5.30 pm to 7.30 pm
HougangSAT9 am to 11 am
HougangSAT11.30 am to 1.30 pm
Virtual branch*FRI5 pm to 7 pm
* Virtual branch = 100% online live tuition