β: Grammar Drill (1)

Form 4 and 5

Shalom and hi!

This week, we'll be doing Grammar drills. You'll be tested mainly on tenses.

1. Open your book to the Grammar section, and write today's day and date, as well as the title Grammar Drill (1): Tenses.

2. Copy the essay below and fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Think carefully!

Answers will be provided later in the week. Happy writing!

1.       Till this day, James __________________ (be) the naughtiest boy I _____________________ (know).  His mother ___________________ (tell) me that last year, he ______________________ (lock) a friend in a storeroom in school. Then, he _____________________ (go) for recess with everyone else. After recess, when the teacher ______________________ (ask) where his friend was, he _________________________ (say) he ___________________ (do) not know. When he finally _______________________ (go) to open the door, his friend was crying loudly. The discipline teacher __________________ (be) so angry! James _________________ (be) caned three times.

2.       When I grow up, I ___________________________ (want) to be a fireman. I _______________________ (make) this decision after I ____________________ (see) two fireman rescuing my neighbour’s children from their burning house. Everyone ___________________________ (think) it ___________________ (be) too late for the children, but not the brave firemen. They ______________ (run) into the burning house and _________________________ (rescue) Dolah and Khadijah. I will always remember how they ________________________ (come) out of the fire carrying one child each. It ___________________ (be) so heroic! I _________________________ (want) to help people, too, so I will do my best to _________________________ (become) a fireman!

3.       It _________________ (be) important to take care of the environment. One of the things we can ______________________ (do) to reduce pollution is to carpool. My father ______________________ (do) this with two friends last year. When I ________________________ (ask) him, he ___________________ (tell) me that doing this will save money and help save the environment. Father _______________________ (say) he ________________________ (spend) less money on petrol because he ___________________________ (share) the cost with his friends. He ________________ (be) happy that he ________________________ (help) to protect our environment. He will carpool again this year after he discusses this with his friends.

4.       I ________________________ (love) flowers very much. I __________________ (like) looking at them, and I _____________________ (like) planting them. I ________________ (be) sad because now I ______________________ (live) in an apartment and cannot plant anything. Two years ago, I __________________ (stay) in a single-storey house. I _______________________ (plant) many types of flowers! In my garden I ________________________ (have) hibiscus, bougainvillea, daisies and lilies. There ______________________ (be) many different colours, and everything __________________ (be) so beautiful! I ____________________ (spend) a lot of time and effort to take care of my garden. Now, all I can do __________________ (be) to hang up pictures of my favourite flowers. 

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𝛼: Grammar Drill (1)

Form 4 and 5

Shalom and hi!

This week, we'll be doing Grammar drills. You'll be tested mainly on tenses and gerunds.

1. Open your book to the Grammar section, and write today's day and date, as well as the title Grammar Drill (1): Tenses and Gerunds.

2. Copy the essay below and fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Think carefully!

Answers will be provided later in the week. Happy writing!

       “I _________________ (go) to the shop. Do you need anything?” Mum __________ (ask) me. I _______________________ (do, not) even ______________________ (bother) to __________________ (lift) my head from where I ____________________________ (stare) at the television, I just _____________________ (grunt) a ”No” at her. I __________________ (know) Mum __________________________ (scowl) at me because I __________________ (be) quite rude, but I ______________________ (do, not, care) – my favourite drama ______________ (be) on and I couldn’t afford to _______________ (miss) an episode!

          

Mum _____________________ (leave), __________________ (close) the door with a bit of an irritated bang that I hardly ______________________ (notice), because my eyes ______________ (be) ____________________ (glue) to the television screen. It really ______________ (be) a crucial episode – today’s story would _________________ (explain) the twist in the previous one, which I _____________________________ (go) mad _________________ (try) to __________________ (figure) out. I _____________________ (focus) so intently that it actually _____________________ (take) the sound of someone ___________________ (clear) their throat for me to ________________________ (realise) that there ______________ (be) something thin, cold and sharp at my neck.

            I ______________________ (freeze) and my eyes __________________ (go) wide. Someone ______________________ (come) into my house without me _____________________ (be) aware of it! I ___________________________ (focus) on the television so much that I _____________________________ (not, heard) the burglar ____________________ (come) in at all! My heart ____________________ (go) a mile a minute as I _____________________ (try) to __________________________ (think) clearly. I _______________________ (glance) at the burglar from the corner of my eyes.  He ____________________________ (wear) a balaclava, so I __________________________ (can, not, see) any of his facial features other than his eyes. They ______________ (be) cold and unforgiving, and I almost _________________________ (gulp) until I _______________________ (remember) that he _________________ (has) a blade at my neck.

       “Don’t ____________________ (do) anything stupid,” the man ___________________ (warn) in a rough voice. It ___________________ (sound) like he ________________________ (swallowed) a mouthful of sand. A quiet corner of my brain that ______________ (be) not panicking ________________________ (think) that he _______________ (be) probably ________________________ (try) to ____________________ (disguise) his voice. I ______________________ (recall) what I ________________________ (watch) on a documentary on criminals some time ago – if they _________________________ (show) you their face, your chances of ________________________ (get) out of a situation like this ______________ (be) very, very low. I ______________________ (squeeze) my eyes shut and ______________________ (try) not to ___________________________ (cry).

         “I’m going to tie you up,” the burglar __________________________ (continue), “and if you ______________ (be) a good little boy, I won’t _____________________ (harm) you.” He __________________________ (press) the knife closer and I _______________________ (feel) it cut into my skin. I _______________________ (let) out a whimper that he ______________________ (take) for agreement. “Good. Now ______________ (go) __________________ (sit) facing that corner. If I ___________________ (see) you ______________________ (peek), your mum will have a very nasty surprise when she ____________________ (come) home.”

      He ____________________ (give) me a kick in the direction of the corner he ____________________ (want) me to ______________________ (sit) in. I ____________________ (trip) but _______________________ (manage) to __________________ (prevent) myself from falling by ________________________ (clutch) at the sofa on my right. I _______________________ (hobble) my way to the corner and _____________________ (stand) with my nose to the wall. I ___________________ (keep) my eyes closed and _____________________ (try) to _______________________ (tune) out the sounds of drawers being opened and furniture being overturned violently.

           I _______________ (be) so intent on ____________________ (pretend) that nothing ________________________ (happen) behind me that it ________________ (take) me a while to ___________________ (realise) that the sounds ______________________ (cease). I had to ____________________ (take) a few minutes to ____________________ (screw) up the courage to _____________________ (turn) around. When I finally ______________ (do), I ___________________ (see) that the place ________________ (be) in a shambles, and that the burglar ___________________________ (disappear). My knees _______________________ (knock) together and I _________________________ (sink) to the floor, ___________________ (shiver) and almost __________________________ (faint) in relief.

            Mum ______________ (be) horrified when she ________________________ (come) home to ___________________ (find) me sitting pale and shaking amidst the mess that our living room ______________________ (become). She immediately ___________________ (call) the police, who ________________________ (come) and ___________________ (take) my statement. Till this day I cannot quite ______________________ (remember) what I ___________________________ (say), but I ______________________ (recall) very clearly what the policeman ______________________ (say).

           “You’re very lucky, boy,” he _______________________ (told) me. “From what you ___________________ (tell) us, this ____________ (be) definitely the modus operandi of The Slasher Thief. He ________________________ (kill) almost all his victims so far, so you should ______________ (be) very thankful to ___________ (be) alive.”Hearing that, I nearly __________________ (pass) out again.

    Over two years ________________________ (pass), but as much as I _________________ (want) to, I’m not going to ________________________ (forget) this whole experience. It’s definitely the most horrible thing that ________________________ (happen) to me, and I’m never ______________________ (go) to _____________________ (forget) it.

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5 L, N: Captain Nobody Sample Answer (2)

Form 5

Shalom and hi!

This is another question and sample answer for the novel question.

1. Open your book to the Literature section, and write today's day and date. The title is Novel: Captain Nobody Sample Answer (2).

2. Copy the question and sample answer below. Be careful not to make mistakes! Highlight exactly as shown below. You can underline with different colours if you don't have any highlighters.

Question 2

‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’

How is this proverb seen in the novel you have studied? Explain how you can apply this proverb in your own life.  

The novel I have studied is Captain Nobody by Dean Pitchford. This story is about Newton (Newt) Newman, who is a quiet, often-ignored 10-year-old boy who lives with his busy parents and football star brother, Chris. He loves his family very much and is a responsible and caring person. On Halloween, Newt’s best friends JJ and Cecil show prove their friendship by helping him make a costume, and he calls himself Captain Nobody. He becomes a superhero who does many brave things until his town acknowledges him as a courageous superhero. The proverb ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ is seen in the novel I have studied. There is a way I can apply this proverb in my life.

This proverb is seen when JJ and Cecil visit Newt. Newt is worried about his brother Chris, who fell into a coma as a result of his injuries during the Big Tackle incident of the Big Game. His friends, JJ and Cecil, come to visit him to cheer him up. They bring him a CD each as a present. They tell him how Chris’ football teammates took revenge on Reggie Ratner, who is accused of injuring Chris, by vandalising his house and car. JJ and Cecil come back later in the evening to take Newt trick-or-treating with them, but Newt doesn’t have his Halloween costume ready, and doesn’t feel like celebrating Halloween. JJ and Cecil help him turn Chris’ old clothes into a superhero costume. Newt ends up going out with his friends, and he calls himself Captain Nobody.

The proverb ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ can also be seen when Captain Nobody climbs a Dumpster. Captain Nobody gets a summons over his walkie-talkie. It was Cecil, asking Captain Nobody to meet him in an alley. Captain Nobody is reluctant to go at first, but in the end he goes to meet his sidekick and friend. He finds Cecil next to a Dumpster. Cecil asks Captain Nobody to climb the Dumpster to take down a big bass drum that has been left there. Initially, Captain Nobody hesitates because he is afraid of heights, but then Cecil says that Captain Nobody is fearless. This gives Captain Nobody the strength to cast aside his fears. He climbs the Dumpster and retrieves the bass drum for his friend, Cecil.

I can apply the proverb ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ in my life by helping my friends when they need help. If my friend doesn’t have money to buy food during recess, I can share my food with him/her. I can help to pump air into my friend’s motorcycle tyres if they are running out of air.

In conclusion, the proverb ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ can clearly be seen in the novel I have studied, and I can apply the proverb in my life by helping my friends who need help.

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Rational Cloze (Set 1)

Form 5

Shalom, kids!

Open the Comprehension section of your book, and on a new page write today's day and date, and the title: MCO Rational Cloze Exercises 1-3.

Please copy the Rational Cloze exercises below, including all the answer options. Yes, ALL the three exercises and their answer options.

Make sure you look up the meaning of the words you don't understand, and please finish the work. I will give you the answers later this week.

These exercises are taken and modified from http://www.englishdaily626.com/rational_cloze.php

Rational Cloze 1

Dear Janet,      Thank you for the invitation to join your family for a holiday in Pulau Langkawi. I would ___1___ to accept. I am looking forward to ___2___ you and the others. You told me that you would ___3___ your parents in Penang first. Give them my ___4___ when you see them. It's been many years ___5___ I last saw them. I think it was at your sister's wedding. By the way, ___6___ is your grandmother? She must now be over eighty years of age ! My family is doing fine except for my mother who ___7___ from arthritis and frequently ___8___ of pain. I have been really busy and the ___9___ of a holiday by the sea is really attractive. I'll meet you ___10___ the hotel on the fifteenth. I will be taking the afternoon flight and should be there by dinner time. Goodbye for now. Love, Lina
1.		A	love		6.		A	who
		B	happy				B	where
		C	eager				C	when
		D	delighted				D	how
2.		A	see		7.		A	suffer
		B	saw				B	suffers
		C	seen				C	suffered
		D	seeing				D	has suffered
3.		A	visit		8.		A	talks
		B	visits				B	discusses
		C	visited				C	suggests
		D	visiting				D	complains
4.		A	wishes		9.		A	dream
		B	regards				B	wonder
		C	affection				C	idea
		D	greetings				D	ambition
5.		A	before		10.		A	by
		B	after				B	at
		C	since				C	on
		D	when				D	outside

Rational Cloze 2

Years ago, as a newly-qualified teacher, I was posted to a school in a small village. There was only one coffee shop, ___1___ sundry shop and a bicycle repair shop. The village had piped water ___2___ no electricity supply. There ___3___ no public transport at night. ___4___, the lack of amenities in the village did not bother me much. The students ___5___ hardworking and eager to learn. There were no discipline ___6___. I had to ___7___ a set of living quarters with two others and we had to cook our own meals. In the evenings and during weekends we went fishing or ___9___ round the many surrounding villages. At weddings and festivals, we were showered with food. ___9___ village folk respected ___10___ and made us feel wanted. I'll never forget their warmth and kindness.
1.		A	a		6.		A	problems
		B	an				B	difficulties
		C	the				C	challenges
		D	-				D	attitudes
2.		A	and		7.		A	live
		B	but				B	make
		C	or				C	share
		D	both				D	divide
3.		A	is		8.		A	cycle
		B	are				B	cycles
		C	was				C	cycled
		D	were				D	cycling
4.		A	Moreover		9.		A	A
		B	Therefore				B	An
		C	Since				C	The
		D	However				D	-
5.		A	is		10.		A	us
		B	are				B	we
		C	was				C	me
		D	were				D	you

Rational Cloze 3

Students today have to sit for exam after exam. Studying for exams is ___1___ inevitable part of a ___2___ life. Some study regularly and systematically. ___3___ do it in fits and starts, finally cramming at the last minute, ___4___ themselves unnecessary stress. When you study or read, write brief notes on ___5___ points in the margin. Write a summary of each chapter. Writing the notes in your own ___6___ means that you have ___7___ what you have read or studied. Then there is no need to reread everything ___8___ the exam. Looking ___9___ your notes or your summaries will help ___10___ remember or recall what you have read as you can't memorize everything you read.
1.		A	a		6.		A	words
		B	an				B	ideas
		C	the				C	way
		D	-				D	writing
2.		A	student		7.		A	understand
		B	students				B	understands
		C	student's				C	understood
		D	students'				D	understanding
3.		A	Other		8.		A	near
		B	Others				B	before
		C	Any				C	during
		D	Another				D	prior
4.		A	cause		9.		A	at
		B	causes				B	by
		C	caused				C	for
		D	causing				D	after
5.		A	certain		10.		A	one
		B	special				B	us
		C	important				C	you
		D	interesting				D	them

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