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.
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.
left
leave
had left
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.
like
liked
likes
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.
in
to
of
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.
is
are
was
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?
did
does
didn’t
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.
begin
began
begun
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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