Q&A - P4 English

[ridcully]

soyabean:

Is it alright for school teachers if our kids, when describing the scene in the picture, use phrases like


'in the foreground, there are two girls...'
'in the background, there are two boys...'

Yes, definitely. What the kids strictly must not do is simply point at the picture with their finger!

[ridcully]

soyabean:

Everyone enjoyed themselves at the party.

The indefinite pronoun 'everyone' always takes a singular verb; therefore, we should write:

[1] Everyone enjoyed himself at the party.

However, some people feel that the universal masculine is discriminatory; thus, we should write:

[2] Everyone enjoyed him- or herself at the party.

However, some people feel that using 'himself' and 'herself' together is too awkward; consequently, they write:

[3]Everyone enjoyed themselves at the party.

For informal, spoken English, option [3] is perfectly acceptable. For formal, written English, that is PSLE, I would go for [1] or [2].

Rgds
R

[soyabean]

Thanks Ridcully..I feel the same too..


However i know that they must not say at the bottom right-hand corner, top left-hand corner etcetc...

So is in the foreground,in the background 'banned' also...?

ridcully:

soyabean:

Is it alright for school teachers if our kids, when describing the scene in the picture, use phrases like

'in the foreground, there are two girls...'
'in the background, there are two boys...'

Yes, definitely. What the kids strictly must not do is simply point at the picture with their finger!

[KRR]

Can somebody help me with this question.

The coach told the athlete that the ____ he trained the ____ he could run.
(1) more…faster
(2) more…fastest
(3) most…fastest
(4) most…faster
This is from Primary 3 Tao Nan. The answer sheet says (2) as the answer. Can you tell me the reason.

Thanks in advance
KRR

[ridcully]

KRR:

Can somebody help me with this question.

The coach told the athlete that the ____ he trained the ____ he could run.
(1) more.....faster
(2) more....fastest
(3) most...fastest
(4) most...faster
This is from Primary 3 Tao Nan. The answer sheet says (2) as the answer. Can you tell me the reason.

Thanks in advance
KRR

So much for Tao Nan.

The correct answer is (1). The comparative, not the superlative, is required because you are making a comparison from one earlier state to a later state.

[ridcully]

soyabean:

Thanks Ridcully..I feel the same too..


However i know that they must not say at the bottom right-hand corner, top left-hand corner etcetc...

So is in the foreground,in the background 'banned' also...?

Out of curiosity, how do you know that the 'bottom right-hand corner, top left-hand corner etc' are banned?

[KRR]

ridcully:

KRR:

Can somebody help me with this question.

The coach told the athlete that the ____ he trained the ____ he could run.
(1) more.....faster
(2) more....fastest
(3) most...fastest
(4) most...faster
This is from Primary 3 Tao Nan. The answer sheet says (2) as the answer. Can you tell me the reason.

Thanks in advance
KRR

So much for Tao Nan.

The correct answer is (1). The comparative, not the superlative, is required because you are making a comparison from one earlier state to a later state.

Thank u very much for such a quick reply and a clear explanation.
KRR

[teh_oh]

Hi,

Appreciate your help on the following (from past year exam paper):-

(1) For synthesis and transformation questions, is the sequence of answers important? Eg
"Tom is the new boy in class. He is from England."
"Tom, who _______________________"

Child’s Ans: Tom, who is from England, is the new boy in class.
Ans Key: Tom, who is the new boy in class, is from England.
Is my child’s answer acceptable?

(2) The mall was packed with many shoppers. There was a sale.
- (no connector words given).

Child’s Ans: The mall was packed with many shoppers as there was a sale.
Ans Key: The mall was packed with many shopers since there was a sale.
Is my child’s answer acceptable?

[soyabean]

ridcully:

soyabean:

Thanks Ridcully..I feel the same too..


However i know that they must not say at the bottom right-hand corner, top left-hand corner etcetc...

So is in the foreground,in the background 'banned' also...?

Out of curiosity, how do you know that the 'bottom right-hand corner, top left-hand corner etc' are banned?

A school teacher told me so.

[ridcully]

soyabean:

A school teacher told me so.

I think your school teacher is mistaken. Such terms seem all right to me, and I have seen no official PSLE guidelines prohibiting their use. I am happy to be corrected if I am wrong.

Rgds
R