In case/ In order to /No matter/ None/Never/ As long as/ Much to

1. Spend fifty dollars at this store. You will get a mystery gift.
In order to get a mystery gift, you have to spend fifty dollars at this store.

2. Brush your teeth and have a regular dental check-up. Then your teeth will not decay.
In order to prevent your teeth from decaying/ decay, brush your teeth and have a regular check-up.

3. I didn’t want to lose my key. I made a duplicate key.
I made a duplicate key in case I lost my key.

4. It was possible that they hadn’t heard me. I rang the bell again.
I rang the bell again in case they hadn’t heard me.

5. I was afraid of a virus attack. I installed an anti-virus software in my computer.
I installed an anti-virus software in my computer in case of a virus attack.


No matter /As long as/None/ Much
1. Diana looked everywhere for the ring. She could not find it.
No matter where Diana looked /how hard Diana looked for the ring, she could not find it.

2. I told him many times to find a job. He refused to find a job.
No matter .

3. If you don’t provoke the dog, it will not bite you.
__________________________ as long as ____________________________.

4. All the goldfish I bought died when I reached home.
None ___________________________________________________________.

5. I was disgusted by him. He blew his nose while at the table.
Much to _________________________________________________________.

6. She wrote the note. Then she emailed it to her friend in China.
Having __________________________________________________________.

7. Always wash your hands before eating.
Never ___________________________________________________________.

8. Celestine is more knowledgeable about computers than I do.
I don’t know as _________________________________________________

Grammar Revision Notes

Grammar Revision Notes

1. (Qn Tag) The girls jog at Bishan Park every other day, don’t they?
2. (Conditional if) If I were you, I would not act so rashly.
3. (S-V Agree) All/Both + plural verb
4. (S-V Agree) All the participants but one attend the seminar.
5. (S-V Agree) Ellen, together with the boys, / Ellen, like the boys, is /has /does/ goes
6. (S-V Agree) The boys, as well as Gillian, / with Gillian, are/have/ do/ go
7. (S-V Agree) Each/ Every/ someone/anyone/ No one / Not one/ Nobody is/has/ does/goes
8. (S-V Agree) Either of the boys /Neither of the boys is/has/does/goes
9. (S-V Agree) Neither Susan nor the girls /Either Susan or the girls are/have/do/go
10. Plural Countable Nouns are always followed by plural verbs: many, few, some, a lot of , a number of, a great deal of e.g. Few cats are kept by the Chinese.
11. Uncountable Nouns are always followed by singular verbs: much, a little, some, a lot of, a great amount e.g. News is spread fast.
12. (Tense) As Mr Tan was walking to the gate, he heard the emergency bell ring/ringing.
13. (Active / Passive Voice) Nobody cleaned the board.
The board was not cleaned.
14. The better of the two boys won the prize. (good)
15. Tom is neater (neat) than Ali.
16. Of all the children, Susan is the worst (bad).
17. (Relative Pronoun) Mr Leong whose son had gone abroad to study bought a condominium recently.
18. (Emphatic Pronouns) I did this myself; You did this yourself. By ourselves; by themselves
19. (Conjunctions) Although/Though/Even though Mrs Syed was busy with her work, she came to help out. OR
20. (Conjunctions)Despite/In spite of Mrs Syed’s business with her work, she came to help out. OR
21. (Conjunctions)Despite /In spite of being busy with her work, Mrs Syed came to help out.
(Prepositions/ Phrasal Verbs)
22. according to
23. called for
24. come round/come across/ come into/come down
25. delighted for/ delighted with
26. difference between/ differ from
27. similar to
28. compare with /comparison to
29. dislike for
30. divided between
31. engaged to
32. fond of
33. liking for
34. married to
35. peel off
36. interested in
37. related to
38. summoned by
39. regard for
40. rely on
41. run into
42. similar to
43. thought of
44. withdraw from
45. worried for
46. interfere with
47. protect from
48. prevent from
49. conscious of
50. approve of

Grammar Websites (Revision work to be done on PSLE Marking Days)

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/english_tenses.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/passiv.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported_speech/statements2.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/zeitformen.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/check.php

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/phrasal.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/structures/phrasal_verbs_sentences.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/partizipien.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises_list/partizipien.htm

A Robbery

A Robbery

1. day blossomed like a bright and lovely flower
2. warm rays of the sun filtered through the canopy of leaves
3. embracing the glistening dewdrops
4. bidding them farewell
5. screeched to a halt
6. leaped out of the vehicle with great ability
7. Before a befuddled Lucas could utter a word
8. put up a tough struggle
9. pair of burly arms that encased him
10. fear gripped the pits of his stomach
11. journey was treacherously long and bumpy
12. rough handling
13. turning blue in his face
14. ashen-faced
15. slowly regained his orientation
16. an idea dawned upon him
17. a dilapidated room
18. malodorous stench of garbage permeated the air
19. shuddered at the thought
20. creepy crawlers swarming
21. threatened malevolently
22. chuckling in glee at their imminent windfall
23. fatigue finally overwhelmed
24. jolted awake
25. tumultuous commotion
26. uncanny silence
27. ran fanatically
28. justice had finally been served


1 bustling activities
2 around the corner
3 a huge grin split across my face
4 at my disposal
5 broke my concentration
6 muttered in frustration
7 on the verge
8 torturous
9 devious
10 concorted
11 dressed to the nines
12 charming
13 pleasant and melodious
14 ingrained
15 flew out of my mind
16 boomed
17 ghastly pale
18 in a flash
19 stuttered and stammered
20 penetrating gaze
21 a shrug of his shoulders
22 took to his heels
23 apparently
24 con man
25 tactic
26 unsuspecting
27 a dressing down

1. mumbled irately
2. rummaging
3. exclaimed frenetically
4. literally ripping
5. an arduous search
6. priceless
7. coupled
8. alluring
9. critical perusal
10. arrays of mirrors
11. sauntered
12. edgy
13. muttering like a broken radio
14. threatened with baleful intent
15. mouths agape in shock
16. livid
17. berating
18. deck yourself like a Christmas tree
19. to catch the fancy of people
20. fell to the ground in a dead faint
21. register all that had just transpired
22. a dam of emotions
23. ear-splitting shriek
24. pierced through the silence of the night
25. screamed devastatingly
26. losing track of everything
27. flustered
28. cradling
29. crooned
30. staunch the flow of blood pooling ceaselessly
31. pleas echoed into the still night air
32. loud shrill that rang high into the night


1． A steady stream of customers
2． Crowd started to dwindle
3． Sinister expressions
4． Mean and menacing
5． Beads of perspiration streamed down his face
6． Stood rooted to the ground, his legs felt like jelly
7． Regained his composure
8． Bellowed
9． Demanded in a gruff voice
10． Stormed into the bank
11． Glanced
12． For the umpteenth time
13． Flustered
14． Accomplice
15． Scared speechless
16． Taken by surprise
17． Quivering in trepidation
18． Panic-stricken
19． Tension hung in the air
20． Lashed out threats
21． Brandished his knife
22． Whipped out a knife
23． With trembling hands
24． Discreetly pressed the silent alarm
25． Activate a distress signal
26． Shuddering in fear
27． Huddle in a corner
28． Worked the tellers
29． Eyes widened in awe
30． Excitement bubbled inside me
31． Chimney of money
32． Wads of money notes/cash
33． Stammered in a tone as soft and meek as a mouse
34． Grabbed the loot
35． Moment of jubilation
36． Made a dash
37． All was too late
38． Armed officers were hiding at strategic positions outside the bank, waiting to ambush the escaping robbers
39． Gave ourselves up
40． Everything happened in a blurry
41． Chill in my bones
42． Weight of repentance
43． “Low crime does not mean no crime”

Robbery 1

1. The robbery t_________ p________ in Nathan Road yesterday.

2. The a_______ robbery happened in broad d___________.

3. One of the salesmen pressed the a_________ .

4. The robbers e_________ f_________ with the police.

5. The taller robber was wearing a m_________ .

6. C_______________ television and a s____________ camera have been installed.

7. Finally, the policeman o______________ the robber and arrested them.

8. The valuables were r_________ .

9. The victims were g_________ to the police.

10. The police d___________ the on-lookers from the scene.

11. One of the robbers stood on g_________ while the other robbers ransacked the shop.

12. The police are still i_______________ the robbery.

13. Two policemen were p_________ the area at the time of the robbery.

14. Two police cars rushed to the s_________.

15. The jewellery shop had lost several trays of o___________.

1. took place
2. armed, daylight
3. alarm
4. exchanged fire
5. mask
6. Closed-circuit, surveillance
7. overpowered
8. recovered
9 grateful
10. dispersed
11. guard
12. investigating
13. patrol
14. scene
15. ornaments

Sample Compositions from Internet

http://www.englishdaily626.com/english_compositions.php?080

The Gorilla Gang

The Gorilla Gang

1. shying away from ‘the Gorilla Gang’
2. muscular boy
3. this ritual – swaggering around picking on the newcomers to impress on them who was boss
4. secret agenda to recruit a boy good enough to represent them within the new cohort
5. profound disappointment
6. no more daring to demur
7. a bespectacled tiny boy
8. keep our distance
9. “You’re ‘kacang putih’ (chickpeas), tiny and easy to gobble down, right?” Gorilla put to us, eyeing us from top to toe, challenging us to react.
10. he had reached sanctuary, namely the sacred vicinity of the teacher’s room
11. stood by helplessly
12. his eyes widening
13. Gorilla’s stance changed
14. turned him down flat
15. Gorilla looked surprised, then angry
16. not used to being turned down
17. Gorilla’s gang looked at their leader in sadistic expectation
18. said a silent prayer for Timmy
19. adding in a mumble something which sounded suspiciously like ‘Sir’
20. I almost fell on my knees in worship of my hero
21. Timmy blinked innocently behind his thick lenses
22. Timmy made it a point of waving to the gang who gaped at him – and then respectfully bowed.

Compound Adjectives

Compound Adjectives

Breath-taking view
Daily-rated worker
Dimly-lit room
Gaily-coloured clothes
Hand-painted batiks
Hard-boiled eggs
High-heeled shoes
Ill-tempered farmer
Man-eating tiger
Old-fashioned ideas
Pale-looking boy
Shabbily-dressed man
Time-consuming task
Well-kept garden
White-collar job
White-washed house

1. The old beggar is a _____________________.
2. Mr Low cannot see eye to eye with his employer who has _________________.
3. At the annual sale, ______________ were on sale.
4. Does your brother earn a monthly salary or is he a ________________.
5. John prefers _______________ to fried ones.
6. We were thrilled by the ______________ from the top of Mount Faber.
7. The hunt is on for the _______________.
8. Mrs Tan has a _______________ with many potted plants.
9. The boys who teased the ____________ were scolded by him.
10. Who is that ___________ waiting for his turn to see the doctor?

Synthesis (Yellow Bklet) p 5 & 7: Active and Passive Voice

p 5
1. The stranger was requested by us to leave the premises (by us).
2. The new students were told by the others where to sit.
3. You will be asked by them several questions.
4. The men will be ordered to stop work soon by the guard.
5. The room shall be painted by us tomorrow.
6. Tea is sold by the grocer.
7. The dog was beaten by the naughty boys every day.
8. The land is ploughed by the farmer alone.
9. All the cookies have been eaten by the boys.
10. The roof has been repaired by the workmen.
11. A bookshop has just been opened by Philip.
12. These eggs are laid by the biggest hen.


P 7
1. The old lady is read to every afternoon by May.
2. The letter will be written by her tonight.
3. The flyover has been built by the construction workers .
4. Flowers in that shop are sold by Mrs Wang.
5. A box of chocolates was given byZhiyuan for her birthday.
6. The torn dress has been mended.
7. You will be laughed at if you wear that silly hat.
8. The little boat was overturned by a huge wave.
9. All the curry was eaten up by us yesterday.
10. Many valuable paintings will be destroyed by this fire.
11. Higher wages are promised to us by them.
12. Our meal has already been paid by Mr Lim.

Writing At The Sentence Level

Adding an adjective (61-62)

1. The thief sneaked into the house.
The bold and desperate thief sneaked into the house.

2. The dejected ice-cream seller cycled in the rain.

3. The angry toddler screamed at the frightened maid.

4. The hardworking girls sweated in the sun.

5. Charming Johan smiled at his unexpected date.

6. Frustrated, I ran out of the room.

7. The dark and stormy sky was full of grey clouds.

8. Furious, Mrs Lim clenched her fist.

9. My father patted the adorable dog.

10. Curious, Aloysius watched the exciting tennis match.


Adding an adverbial (63-64)

1. The maid sobbed.
The maid sobbed broken-heartedly.

2. The cat purred contentedly.

3. The wind blew caressingly.

4. Mother screamed hysterically.

5. Hillary waltzed gracefully.

6. The building swayed gently.

7. The flames roared wildly.

8. Mr Chan paused dramatically.

9. The pupils wrote tirelessly.

10. The day dragged on listlessly.


Combining Short and Long Sentences (65)

1. The day was hot. It was humid. The sky was cloudless. It was unbearable.
The day was hot, humid and cloudless and it was unbearable.
The hot, humid and cloudless day was unbearable.

2. The girl chewed gum, drank juice and gnawed on chicken wings.

3. The cat got up, stretched its back, yawned and left the room.

4. Ah Beng was a tall and stout sneaky bully who told lies.

5. She took out her licence, placed it on the dashboard, smiled and winked at the policeman.

Sentence Variety


Use prepositional phrases (66-67)

1. The thieves wore black stockings over their faces.
Over their faces, the thieves wore black stockings.

2. Throughout the housing estate, Mrs Lim looked for her missing poodle.

3. Against the raging storm, the brave girl struggled to get help for her mother.

4. Underneath her coat, she hid the stolen chicken.

5. Without the support of his devoted wife, Mr Muthu was devastated.

6. From a podium way up above the stadium, the policeman waved to the crowd.

7. Instead of turning up at work, Janice went to the park.

8. Upon the freshly-dug soil in the garden, rain fell.

9. With a loud shot,Devi jumped over the hurdle.

10. With a loud “plok”, the stone landed on the bonnet of Mr Tan’s Mercedes.

Use A Participle (68)

1. The tired boys slept through the night.
Tired, thee boys slept through the night.

2. Frightened, the maid hid in the bathroom.

3. Howling, the dogs kept the neighbours awake the whole night.

4. Sadly, the broken swing hung in the garden.

5. Screaming, my sister hung on to my mother’s arm when the nurse arrived.

6. Chattering, the extras at the set got into place slowly.

7. Wide-eyed, the children gazed at the rainbow in silent wonder.

8. Frowning, the salesgirl pointed out the sales items to me.

Use participle phrases (69-70)

1. The clown tipped his hat and blew kisses to the crowd.
Tipping his hat, the clown blew kisses to the crowd.

2. Sniggering gleefully, the teenager threw stones at the terrified kitten.

3. Measuring out the ingredients carefully, Mother put them into a mixing bowl.

4. Walking cautiously across the wet toilet floor, Mrs Siva slipped.

5. Sweating profusely, the sataty seller fanned the flames energetically.

6. The fragile butterfly, fluttering its wings weakly, tried to fly out of the bowl of water.

7. Snapping her fingers angrily, the shopkeeper shouted out several times.

8. Couging loudly, Ronald vomited into the spittoon.


Rewrite sentences (71)

1. The dog barked. The dog attacked the stranger.
The dog barked and attacked the stranger.
Barking, the dog attacked the stranger.

2. The stranger screamed and fell into the drain.
Screaming, the stranger fell into the drain.

3. Mrs Lee gasped and ran towards the dog.
Gasping, Mrs Lee ran towards the dog.

4. Mrs Lee grabbed the dog’s leash and shouted at the dog.
Grabbing the dog’s leash, Mrs Lee shouted at the dog.

5. Julian Lee helped the stranger up and apologised to him.
Helping the stranger up, Julian Lee apologised to him.


Use participle phrases (72)

1. Driven by intense hunger, the children in the ghettos began to wat bits of grss and other vegetation.

2. Amazed by his talent, the talent scouts signed on Talib immediately as their next recording artist.

3. Angered by his son’s behaviour, Mr Lim walked out of the school.

4. Stressed out by her increasing workload, Junita decided to take a long holiday in another country.

5. Looking out of the window, Mrs Salim saw her husband walking slowly home with a big sack on his back.

Use infinitive phrases (73)

1. Mary should avoid spicy food if she wants to win the singing contest.
To win the singing contest, Mary should avoid spicy food.

2. To collect the prize, winners must provide receipts as proof of purchase.

3. To prevent the branches from falling on the cars, the trees must be trimmed.

Use adjective clauses (74)

1. The teachers are extremely hardworking.
The teachers, who teach the PSLE classes, are extremely hardworking.

2. Mrs Lim’s pets, which are fed at the family dining table, are a lucky lot.

3. The sky, which is full of dark clouds, is a threatening sight.


Use appositives and appositive phrases (75-76)
1. The house stood silently at the end of the road.
The house, a large dilapidated mansion, stood silently at the end of the road.

2. The dog, a tiny poodle with a loud voice, barked non-stop throughout the night.

3. The contractor, a conscientious businessman, worked throughout the weekend to finish the job.

4. The dancer, a slim, youthful woman, floated across the stage.

5. John, an aspiring body-builder, lifted the heavy bag effortlessly.