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Contents
Knowledge is power.
~ Francis Bacon
Page 1
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
A. Introduction
In English, there are different parts of speech. You may see them appeared in dictionaries.
The eight common parts of speech are as follows.
B. Parts of Speech
1. Nouns (N)
Nouns are naming-words. They are the names of people, places, animals and things.
For example:
Remember to
People: teacher, students, principal, David, Derek, Edgar
use capital
Places: park, library, Bonham Road, King’s College, China
letters when
Animals: duck, bird, dog, cow, fox, fish, elephant
the nouns are
Things: football, recorder, flower, clock, television
proper nouns.
Abstracts: braveness, happiness, lateness, power, love
2. Pronouns (Pron)
Pronouns are words that replace nouns and noun phrases. We use them when we already
know who and what is being referred to. Then, we do not need to repeat the same nouns
again and again. For example:
He His
Derek goes to King’s College every day. Derek is in Class 1D. Derek’s classmates are
him His They
friendly to Derek. Derek’s best friend is Stephen. Derek and Stephen are good friends.
3. Articles (Art)
There are two types of articles: indefinite articles (i.e. “a” and “an”) and the definite article
(i.e. “the”). We use them before nouns. For example,
I have an apple and a knife. I use the knife to cut the apples into pieces.
Alvin is clever and smart. He does five challenging difficult Mathematics questions every
day. When he is free, he plays football with some friends.
5. Verbs (V)
Verbs are used to indicate what something or someone does or what happens to someone
or something. For example,
Michael plays the guitar every day. The guitar costs $3000. It is put in his studio.
6. Adverbs (Adv)
Adverbs tell you more about when, how or in what conditions something happened.
For example,
I rarely go to that restaurant because the waiters treat the customer badly.
Derek plays table tennis every day. He can play repeatedly for 3 hours.
7. Conjunctions (Conj)
Conjunctions join words, phrases and sentences together. After joining the words, phrases
or sentences, some of the words are left out. For example,
Ducks are animals. Chickens are animals. Æ Ducks and chickens are animals.
Is this dress purple? Is this dress red? Æ Is this dress purple or red?
I have a book. I have no pencil. Æ I have a book but no pencil.
8. Prepositions (Prep)
Prepositions show or talk about time, location and movement. For example,
Miss Lowe arrives at school before 8:10 a.m. Then she has to go upstairs to go back to
her office. At 8:30 a.m., she has a short meeting with other teachers.
Exercise II
Read the following sentences. Write the parts of speech of the underlined words in the
blanks. The first one has been done for you.
A. Introduction
Sentences are formed by words. We use sentences to express facts and opinions. A full
sentence always has two basic elements – a subject and a verb. There are different
sentence patterns. Common sentence elements and patterns are introduced below.
B. Sentence Elements
1. Subject (S)
A subject comes before a verb and tells is who or what does something.
For example, The boys are playing football.
2. Verb (V)
A verb says what something or someone does or what happened to that someone or
something, e.g. play, speak, sit, want ,think, cost.
3. Object (O)
An object comes after a verb and is involved in or affected by the action of the verb.
For example, Derek hit Stephen.
4. Adverb (A)
An adverb tells you more about when, how or in what conditions something happened.
For example, Calvin runs slowly.
C. Sentence Patterns
1. Subject + Verb (S + V)
David sleeps.
D. Practice
Exercise I
There are some mistakes in each of the following statements. Make them correct by adding
or deleting words. Then rewrite them in the spaces provided. The first one has been done
for you.
e.g. He loves. He loves sports.
1. She likes the .
2. The pen blue.
3. My is lost.
4. I you a book.
5. I a book.
6. They the piano well.
7. We dinner happily.
8. He she watched a.
Exercise II
Put the words below in the correct order to form sentences. Use the information in
brackets to help you. Then write them in the blanks. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. love / my/ cooking/ mum (S + V + O)
My mum loves cooking.
1. a / bought / Edgar / for / her / camera (S + V + DO + Prep + IO)
A. Introduction
When we talk about permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all
the time (not just around now), we usually use the simple present. We can also use time
words and adverbs of frequency with the simple present to talk about habits
B. Common usages
1. Talking about facts which are always true
Facts are things that are always true. We use the simple present to talk about facts which
are always true. For example, The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Past Future
Now
2. Talking about facts which are true now but might change
We also use the simple present to talk about facts which are true now but might change.
For example, Derek is twelve years old. He goes to King’s College.
Past Future
Past Future
(Austin swam on the day before yesterday and yesterday. He swims today. He will swim
tomorrow and on the day after tomorrow. Then, swimming becomes his everyday habit.)
D. Spelling
We spell verbs in the third person singular like this.
Verbs You should… Examples
Most verbs +s work → works stay → stays
Ending in a constant + y - y & + ies cry → cries reply → replies
miss → misses push → pushes
Ending in –s, -z, -ch, -sh, -x + es buzz → buzzes fix → fixes
watch → watches
go → goes have → has
Exceptions
do → does
F. Adverbs of Frequency
1. Adverbs of definite frequency
We use adverbs of definite frequency when we want to talk about things that happen
regularly. They exactly show how often things happen. We usually put these adverbs at the
end of the sentence. We sometimes put them at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis.
Who/ What? What happens? How often?
I go to King’s College every school day.
Austin writes his diary every night.
Edgar and Derek go shopping together every holiday.
Our school has a Speech Day every year.
We also use adverbs of definite frequency when we want to talk about things that happen a
certain number of times in a day, week, month, etc.
Who/ What? What happens? How often?
William reads newspaper once a day. Once = one time
Daniel has a French lesson once a week. Twice = two times
Stephen sells flags twice a month.
Our class has regular meeting three times a term.
G. Practices
Exercise I
Complete the passage below using the correct form of the verbs in the brackets.
Stephen always (1) (get up) at seven o’clock. Then he (2) (wash)
(3) (4)
his face. When he (have) breakfast, his baby brother Derek
(5)
(wake up). He sometimes (cry) loudly. Stephen usually (6) (kiss)
(7)
Derek before he (say) goodbye to him in the morning. Since Stephen does
(8)
not want to (miss) the school bus, he always (9) (leave) home
(10)
so early. He usually (arrive) at school on time.
Exercise II
The passage below is Edgar’s evening. Complete it using the correct form of the verbs in
the word box. Then write the words in the blanks.
cook finish drive be have dislike love
practice read switch talk think prepare watch
My evening by Edgar
(1)
I usually home at half past six. Every evening, I (2)
driving with Daniel. We usually (3) about 8000 km. I (4)
driving fast but Daniel (5) driving fast. He (6) it is too
dangerous. After we (7) driving, we go home. Then I (8)
dinner and (9) bowls and dishes. Then I (10) dinner with
Daniel and Alice. She usually (11) on the TV and (12) The
(13) (14)
Evening Show. Daniel usually a book or to me.
Exercise VI
How often do you do the following things? Try to use the adverbs of definite frequency and
answer the questions in full sentences in the spaces provided. Tell the truth!
1. How often do you go to a dim sum restaurant?
A. Introduction
In chapter 1, we have learnt that pronouns are words that replace nouns and noun phrases.
Then, we do not need to repeat the same nouns again and again. We have also learnt what
“subject” and “object” are in chapter 2. In this chapter, personal pronouns are introduced.
There are two types of personal pronouns, subject and object pronouns. For example:
B. Personal Pronouns
1. Subject Pronouns
Pronouns that act as subjects are called subject pronouns. They usually come before verbs.
There are singular and plural subject pronouns.
Singular Examples Plural Examples
I I love English. we We dislike Physics.
you You are my classmate. you You are my classmates.
he/ she/ it He/ She/ It is nice. they They are boys.
¾ We use “it” for animals that are not pets or when we do not know if an animal is male
or female. For example, There is a cat. It is meowing.
¾ We also use “it” as a meaningless subject with expressions that refer to time, weather,
temperature or distances. For example,
Page 13
Chapter 4 Personal Pronouns
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
2. Object Pronouns
Pronouns that act as objects are called object pronouns. They usually come after verbs or
prepositions. There are singular and plural object pronouns.
Singular Examples Plural Examples
me Please look at me. us Miss Lowe teaches us.
you Mum punishes you. you I can help you.
him/ her/ it Don’t talk to him/ her/ it. them Jenny knows them.
C. Practices
Exercise I
Underline the pronouns. Write “S” if the pronoun is a subject pronoun. Write “O” if the
pronoun is an object pronoun. Write who or what each pronoun refers in brackets. The
first one has been done for you.
S (Michael)
Michael: Are you a member of the Chess Club, Chris?
Chris: No, I’m not. However, David joined it last week. He enjoys playing chess.
He’s very good at it. We sometimes play together but I always lose.
Michael: I like playing chess, Chris. We can play together. I can help you to beat him.
Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with suitable subject or object pronouns.
1. I saw Jenny yesterday. looked very healthy.
2. Miss Cheng is sick. Miss Lee substitutes for these week.
3. I have bought some sweets. are sweet.
4. Look at those boys over there. Do know ?
5. There is a duster. can use to clean the blackboard.
6. is eight degree Celsius now. is too cold here.
7. The children are sitting at the table. Their mother is looking at ____________
through the window. enjoys looking at .
8. Derek has a few stamps. gives to John.
9. Edgar is a dog. always barks so his owner punishes .
10. We spoke to you when saw yesterday.
11. When have finished your homework, please pass to
the front now. If cannot hand in now, see me later
12. William is 183 cm tall. Stephanie is 160 cm tall. is taller than .
Exercise IV
Read the conversation below and complete it by filling in the blanks with suitable subject
or object pronouns.
Andrew Hi, Alan! How was the basketball game yesterday?
Alan: Great! (1) was a lot of fun.
Andrew Who won?
Alan: Of course (1) did. (1) played against the
(1) (1)
Tigers. played well, but we beat 86
(1)
to 78. So, where are going?
Andrew I’m going to meet Ben and Calvin at the Pacific Cinema. (1)
are going to see X Files II. Have you ever met Ben?
Alan: Ben Chau? Yes, I know (1) , but who is Calvin?
(1)
Andrew is my cousin.
Alan: Hmm… no, I’ve never met (1) .
(1)
Andrew Well then, come and see the film with . I can introduce
(1)
to (1) . I’m sure you’ll like him.
(1)
Alan: Well, I’d like to, but haven’t got my wallet. Can you
(1)
lend some money for the film ticket? promise I’ll pay
you back.
Andrew Sure, no problem. Come on!
A. Introduction
We use the simple past to talk about things that happened in the past and are now finished.
We often use the simple past with time words. We can put time words at the beginning or
at the end of a sentence when we want to emphasise the time.
B. Common Usages
1. Talking about past actions
Past actions are things that happened in the past. We use the simple past to talk about past
actions that are short and quickly finished.
For example, Cherry went to the hospital last Sunday. Lawrence was sick yesterday.
Past Future
Past Future
3. Describing stories
We use the simple past to describe stories. For example,
One day/ Once upon a time, there was a king called William. He lived in his castle. He
ruled a city. Everyone had to follow his orders. However, he did not have a queen.
Past Future
2. Irregular Verbs
An irregular verb is a verb which does not have an “ed” ending for its simple past tense
form. We form the simple past tense of irregular verbs like this.
Ways Examples
cut → cut read → read split → split
Some verbs keep the same spelling.
quit → quit shut → shut cost → cost
drink → drank sit → sat wake → woke
Some verbs change the vowel(s).
drive → drove win → won write → wrote
make → made lend → lent send → sent
Some verbs change the constant(s).
build → built spend → spent bend → bent
break → broke leave → left take → took
Some verbs change completely.
sleep → slept stand → stood say → said
Some verbs delete the vowel(s). hide → hid meet → met shoot → shot
3. Special Verbs
Some verbs are both regular and irregular verbs. You can use either one.
Examples
burn → burned/ burnt smell → smelled/ smelt
learn → learned/ learnt hang → hanged/ hung
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.
Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
Chapter 6 Possessives
A. Introduction
Possessive is a kind of pronoun. There are three types of possessives, possessive nouns,
possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns. They answer the question “Whose?”.When
we want to show that something belongs to someone or something, we use possessives.
B. Possessive Nouns
We use possessive nouns to show that something belongs to someone. We put possessive
nouns before a noun or noun phrase. For example, Edgar is David’s classmate.
When we are talking about things, we usually form the possessive by using a combination
of “noun + of + noun”. For example, Harry Potter is the title of the book.
C. Possessive Adjectives
We use possessive adjectives to show that something belongs to someone or something.
We put possessive adjectives before a noun or noun phrase. We can add the word “own”
after a possessive adjective to emphasise the idea of possession.
Possessive
Singular Plural Male Female Examples
Adjectives
my 9 9 9 I have my own room.
your 9 9 9 9 Lend me your pencil.
our 9 9 9 This is our class photo.
their 9 9 9 Their books are new.
his 9 9 His dog is barking.
her 9 9 She has her own bag.
its 9 9 9 He hurts its leg.
E. Practices
Exercise I
Rewrite the expressions below using the apostrophe. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. The footballs of the men The men’s footballs
1. The toys of the children
2. The beak of the bird
3. The mirror of Agnes
4. The shoes of the babies
5. The Open Day of the school
6. The eyes of the owl
7. The bottle of Mr Hsu
8. The eggs of hens
Exercise II
Fill in the blanks using the suitable possessive adjectives.
Teresa and her friend Jacky went to Tung Chung for a day trip. On the way, Teresa
(1)
lost camera. She was very sad. She turned to Jacky and said, “Have you
(2)
seen camera?” “No. I haven’t seen (3) camera, Teresa,”
Jacky replied. They began to look around the MTR carriage for the camera. Suddenly
Teresa saw a black object near a man’s legs. “Look! I can see (4) camera. It
is near (5) legs!” Teresa cried, pointing at the man. Jacky nodded. Teresa
(6)
asked the man to move legs so she could get back (7)
camera. “Great! You’ve found (8) camera,” Jacky smiled. “Hang the
(9)
camera around neck. We are lucky enough to get (10)
camera back this time but not next time. We can’t afford to lose (11) camera.”
2 Sunny, because it was birthday. We all bought him a small present. Mine was
3 a pen. Kenny bought him a jigsaw puzzle and Daniel got hers a mug.
4 We gave our presents to Sunny and sang him a birthday song in the cable car.
Exercise IV
Complete the conversation using the correct personal pronouns and possessives.
Edgar: Steven and David, there are a lot of things. (1) have to
(2) (3)
tidy up today. two should help me
(4)
if you are friends.
(5)
Steven: Yes, are right! Edgar, do (6) know
(7)
whose coat is this? Is Daniel’s coat?
(8)
Edgar: No, it isn’t . His coat is blue. (9) has a
(10)
big picture of a dog on the back. think it’s Michael’s.
(11)
David: Yes, I agree. is purple. Give it to (12) .I
(13)
have a lesson with later.
(14)
Edgar: Then whose pens are these? Are they , Steven?
(15) (16)
Steven: Yes, they belong to . Look! names
(17)
are on .
David: This black ball pen is not (18) . There isn’t (19)
name on (20) .
(21)
Steven: Oh, I see. I borrowed from Derek last Friday because
I did not bring one to the school. I should return it to (22) .
(23)
David: Whose bag is this? There is no name on nametag.
(24)
Steven: Are sure? Look at here. Here is a name on the back of
(25)
the nametag. It is .
(26)
Edgar: It is . I will take it home. Leave it first.
A. Introduction
When we want to show actions that are happening right now or going on at the time of
speaking, we use the present continuous. We often use the present continuous with time
expressions at the beginning or ending of a sentence.
B. Common Usages
1. Talking about what is happening right now
We use the present continuous to talk about actions that are happening right now.
For example, I am doing homework at the moment. You are watching TV right now.
Past Future
Now
2. Talking about temporary situations
We also use the present continuous to talk about temporary situations.
For example, At present, Uncle Hui is staying at the King’s Hotel.
Past Future
In the photo, Mum and Dad are eating happily. They are also talking with each other.
D. Spelling
When we use the present continuous, we use the verb “to be” and the present participle of
the main verb. We form the present participle of verbs like this.
Verbs You should… Examples
Most verbs + ing drink → drinking eat → eating
Ending in – e - e + ing take → taking write → writing
Ending in – ie - ie + y + ing run → running swim → swimming
Some verbs ending in a double the
die → dying lie → lying
single constant constant & + ing
(11)
This is Mum and Dad. They for
a bus. It (12) hard. They (1)
umbrellas and (13) raincoats but they
are still wet. They (14) a good time.
Exercise II
Complete the sentences below using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the
simple present or the present continuous. The first two have been done for you.
1. I (e.g. 1) am getting/ ’m getting (get) a pen. The pen (e.g. 2) is (be) on that desk.
2. I (1) (watch) television at the moment. The programme (2) (be)
very interesting. Kelly (3) (sing) and some people (4) (dance) well.
3. My Chemistry teacher Miss Kong (6) (give) us a lot of homework every day. I
(7)
(do) my Chemistry homework right now. It (8) (be) very
Thank you for the interesting postcard from London. I (1) (be) in Australia
(2)
at the moment with my family. We (visit) Uncle Austin and Auntie Jane.
(3)
They (live) in Brisbane. Uncle Austin (4) (work) in a school.
(5) (6)
He (be) a teacher. Auntie Jane (be) a nanny of her
(7)
neighbours. However, they (work) today because it is Sunday.
I (8) (sit) in the garden at the moment. My aunt and uncle (9)
(have) a pool in their garden. Mum and Dad (10) (swim) in the pool
(11) (12)
now. They (laugh) and (shout) very loudly. I think they
(13)
(have) fun.
Uncle Austin (13) (have) a big dog called Kel. Kel (14) (look) at
(15) (16)
me at the moment. I think he (want) me to (play) with
(17) (18)
him. He (know) that I (be) frightened of big dogs!
Derek
Chapter 8 Articles
A. Introduction
In chapter 1, we have learned that articles are the words “a”, “an” and “the”. We often use
articles in front of a noun. There are two types of articles. “A” and “an” are called
indefinite articles. “The” is called the definite article.
B. Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles are used with singular countable nouns. They have the meaning “one”.
For example, Eric is a boy. He eats an apple every day. We use indefinite articles to:
1. To say what something is
We use indefinite articles to say what something is, like a place and thing.
For example, That’s a hospital and this is an office block.
I have a new storybook. (The listener does not know which storybook it is. He only knows
that the speaker has one new storybook.)
It is in a library in Western District. (The listener does not know which library it is. He
only knows it is one library in Western District.)
C. Definite Article
We use the definite article “the” before both countable nouns and uncountable nouns to
talk about something specific. We use it when both the speaker and the listener know
exactly which someone or something being talked about.
For example, The sun is in the sky. We use definite article when:
1. Someone or something has been mentioned before
We use definite article when the same thing is mentioned again. For example,
Here is a camera. The camera is new. (When the camera is mentioned the second time,
the speaker uses “the” because both the speaker and the listener know it refers to the new
camera the speaker has.)
The film was very interesting and standard. (Both the speaker and the listener went to see
the same film.)
Pass me the book. (The listener knows which book the speaker wants.)
D. Practices
Exercise I
Say these letters with the indefinite article “a” or “an”. Then write the indefinite articles
in the blanks.
1 “A” 2 “B” 3 “C” 4 “D”
5 “E” 6 “F” 7 “G” 8 “H”
9 “I” 10 “J” 11 “K” 12 “L”
13 “M” 14 “N” 15 “O” 16 “P”
17 “Q” 18 “R” 19 “S” 20 “T”
21 “U” 22 “V” 23 “W” 24 “X”
25 “Y” 26 “Z”
Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with suitable article “a”, “an” or “the”.
(1)
1. butterfly is (2) insect.
(3) (4)
2. Nick is teacher. subject he teaches is Mathematics.
(5) (6)
3. author is person who writes books.
(7)
4. This is expensive watch. I bought from (8) shop in Nathan Road.
(9) (10)
5. earth moves around sun.
(11) (12)
6. There is old woman at the . She is carrying (13) basket of eggs.
7. Have you ever seen (14) horseshoe? It is shaped like (15) “U”.
(16) (17) (18)
8. There is old saying: tooth for tooth.
My school is very big. It has three special rooms. It has multimedia room, music room
and art room. The multimedia room and music room are on first floor and art room is
All of students in my school are very active. Most of them take part in different
every month. Sometimes we ask principal and our form teachers to be judges.
Exercise IV
Fill in the blanks with suitable articles where necessary; otherwise fill in with a cross.
Join (1) Outdoor Club!
(2)
Do you enjoy taking walk in (3) New Territories? Watching (4)
bird flying in (5) ? Having (6) barbecue under (7) stars? If you do,
maybe you should join (8) our club!
(9)
We organize outdoor activity almost every weekend! For example, this
Saturday we are planning (10) one-day hiking trip across (11) Hong Kong
(12)
Island: we are taking MTR to Quarry Bay, and then we are hiking from Tai
(13)
Tam Reservoir to Repulse Bay. It will be (14) lot of fun for everyone!
(15)
Our members can participate in hiking trip free.
If you want to become (16) member of (17) Outdoor Club, please contact
(18)
committee members Derek Hsu (6D) or Austin Hui (4E).
A. Introduction
We can use “There …” to talk about the existence of someone or something in the present
and the past. It is formed in this way: There + the verb “to be” + a noun or noun phrase.
B. Common Usage
We use “There + the verb ‘to be’ + a noun or noun phrase” to talk about or ask questions
about the existence of someone or something. For example,
E. Practices
Exercise I
Complete the following conversation using the correct form of ‘there is’, ‘there are’, ‘there
was’ and ‘there were’.
Jenny: Oh! (1) a hole in my favourite Louis Vuttion school bag.
I need to buy a new one.
Silvia: Let’s go shopping after school and you can buy a new one.
Jenny: Where should we go shopping?
Silvia: We can go to Pacific Place.
Jenny: No, (2) an Louis Vuttion shop at Pacific Place, but
(3)
one at the IFC mall.
Silvia: I went there yesterday and I discovered that it was closed.
Jenny: Oh really? I think (4) another branch in the Landmark.
Silvia: Do you mean the Landmark in Central? A group of us went there last
Monday. Didn’t you come with us?
Jenny: No, I didn’t. Don’t you remember (5) a family dinner I
had to go to?
Silvia: Oh, that’s too bad because (6) a lot of sales at that time.
(7)
Jenny: Really? any advertisements about that in the
newspaper?
(8)
Silvia: a big crowd at the Landmark that day, but
(9)
any good items on sale.
Jenny: Oh well, then I didn’t miss anything. Can’t we go there anyway, besides
(10)
a restaurant there so we can have our lunch.
Silvia: Well, the restaurants at the Landmark are very expensive and always
full. (11) any economical restaurants near there instead?
Jenny: Of course, (12) .
“(5) enough places to sit in most shopping centres,” said Amanda So, a Form 1 student
from Tsuen Wan. “In the past, (6) more space. These days, everywhere (7) very crowded.”
“A lot of shopping centres are very boring,” said Alvin Chau, (8) Form 3 student from
Sha Tin. “(9) some good ones – for example, I like New Town Plaza. However, most
shopping centres do not have enough attractions for teenagers.”
“I (10) that the most important feature of a shopping centre is its food court,” said Alan
Wan from the Chinese International School.” Why (11) larger food courts? At the
moment, most food court (12) too small.”
1 A do 2 A show 3 A they
B does B shows B it
C are C showing C them
7 A be 8 A a 9 A There is
B was B an B There are
C is C the C There were
A. Introduction
There are two types of questions, yes/ no-questions and information questions. We have
learnt yes/ no-questions in the simple present, the simple past and the present continuous.
With a yes/ no-question, we want a “Yes” or “No” answer. With an information question,
we want more information. We will learn how to use question words (wh-words) and
question phrases to begin information questions in the simple present and the simple past.
B. Question Words
We use question words or wh-words, to ask information questions. We ask information
questions with different question words for different information.
Wh-word Purpose Example
What Ask about things What is your name?
When Ask about time When is your birthday?
Where Ask about places or positions Where is King’s College?
Which Ask about people or things of Which is the shortest way to go home?
a limited number
Who Ask about people Who is your best friend?
Whose Ask about possessions Whose is this?
Why Ask about reasons Why do you like playing football?
How Ask about in what ways How do you go to school?
C. Question Phrases
1. What/ Whose/ Which + a noun/ noun phrase
We can form information questions with question phrases “What/ Whose/ Which + a
noun/ noun phrase” if we want more specific information. For example,
The answers to the first question (with question word) and the second questions (with
question phrase) may be different. However, “Whose” and “Which” can also be used on
their own if both the speaker and the listener know what they are talking about.
Exercise II
Say the following questions and answers using a question word or question phrase and the
correct tense form of the verb “to be” or the helping verb “do”. Then fill in the blanks.
1. is your mother? She is a nurse.
2. you refuse to answer me? Because I… I was afraid.
3. King’s College open? In 1926.
4. Mary invite to her party? She invited the whole class.
5. this new born baby? It weights about 3 kg.
6. it from Bonham Road to High Not too far.
Street?
7. the cakes? They are delicious.
8. the lady standing there? She is the principal.
9. you want – coffee or tea? I want coffee, please.
10. the International Finance Center? It is in Central.
11. you go to church? I never go to church.
12. you go on holiday the previous I went to Vancouver.
summer holiday?
13. you in? I am in class 1B.
14. he sleep yesterday night? At 10 pm.
Exercise IV
Supply questions to the following statements, asking about the italic words. Begin each
question with suitable question word or phrase. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. (This is our teacher’s book.) Whose book is this?
1. (They go to Sha Tin by KCR.)
B. Skimming
When doing a reading exercise, students should take a moment to preview the text. This
process is called skimming. After skimming the text, you should know the:
1. Type of the text (a report, an informal letter, a formal letter, advertisement...)
2. Purpose of writing the text (to describe, to inform, to explain, to persuade...)
3. General content of the text (the main idea or topic of the text)
C. Scanning
Students should study the questions and then the text in more detail. They should look for
specific information that is required for answering the questions. This is called scanning.
D. Structure of a Paragraph
Most writing is divided into paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of sentences about one
idea or subject. We call this main idea or subject the topic of the paragraph. A paragraph
usually consists of the following parts:
1. Topic sentence
A topic sentence is the heart of a paragraph. It is often the first sentence in the paragraph
and acts as a sort of signpost. It tells you what the paragraph is going to be about.
2. Supporting sentences
The other sentences in a paragraph are called supporting sentences. These sentences
provide additional information and explanation, supporting evidence and examples.
3. Linking sentences
Linking sentences are the sentences that link a paragraph to the next paragraph.
4. Summary
The summary of the paragraph usually comes at the end of a paragraph.
3. Matching
Students are required to choose one meaning in Column B which best explains each word
in Column A as they are used in the passage.
4. Long questions
Students are required to answer long questions in complete sentences. For each question, if
grammatical mistakes are made in answering, one mark will be deducted. So, students are
reminded to be careful about the grammatical accuracy of the sentences they make.
6. Identifying reference
A number of pronouns are provided and students are required to write what each refers to.
F. Practices
Exercise I
Read the following passage and answer the questions in all sections.
The crocodiles in the Sahara Desert belong to the “Nile crocodile” family and they
have adapted to live in the desert. Their bodies are much smaller so they are called dwarf
crocodiles. Being small helps them save water in the dry desert.
Local people have known about the crocodiles all along and treat the animals with
great respect. They protect the animals from poachers and believe if the crocodiles
disappear, the water will disappear too.
Thousands of years ago, the Sahara Desert was actually grassland, where many
Nile crocodiles lived. The grassland, however, eventually dried up and became a desert
and most of the crocodiles died.
Section (B): Decide whether these statements are true or false. Put a circle in one box
only for each statement.
True False
particular hormone.
There are many Japanese restaurants in the United States of America (USA). If asked
to name a typical Japanese food, most people would say either “sushi” or “tempura”.
Yes, those are typical Japanese foods that can be found in most Japanese restaurants in
the USA. However, there are many traditional Japanese foods besides sushi and tempura.
Although seafood, meat and vegetables are common foods in Japan, you may think
“What about rice?” Rice was introduced to Japan in about 400B.C. during the Jomon
15 Period. It has been approximately 2300 years since Japanese started cultivating rice.
After the introduction of rice farming, the Japanese started eating a main dish and a
side dish. This has become one of Japanese customs.
The dishes of ancient periods are quite different when compared with the dishes
nowadays. Japanese history is older than 1000 years; however, some of the more
20 enjoyable dishes and delicacies were just created in the last 300 to 400 years.
Section (A): Some words are underlined in the article above. Write what each refers to.
1. those (Line 3)
2. there (Line 5)
4. It (Line 15)
7. eatable (Paragraph 2)
8. plenty (Paragraph 2)
9. about (Paragraph 3)
Section (C): Choose the best answer. Circle the correct letter.
11. Which of the following food is not mentioned in the passage?
A Tempura C Sushi
B Sashimi D Seafood
12. According to the article, which season is the best time of the year for eggplants?
A Spring C Autumn
B Summer D Winter
13. After the introduction of rice farming, the Japanese started eating …
A a main dish C a side dish
B a main dish and a side dish D rice
16. Which of the following is the best title for the article?
A The History of Japanese Food C Japanese Food in the USA
B Types of Japanese Food D The Joman Period
19. Is the availability of harvested food remain regular throughout the year? Why or why not?
22. Do you think this article was written by an American or a Japanese? Why?
Topic 1: Write a narrative composition on the following picture. The guiding questions
and the vocabulary items in brackets may be useful to you.
Guiding Questions
¾ What has a lorry driver done? (saved 12 people / fire / flat)
¾ When was Mr Yau driving his lorry through Tsuen Wan? (6 o’clock / this morning)
¾ What did two joggers do? (ran out / stopped / him)
¾ What did they tell him? (fire / flat)
¾ What did he see? (people / trapped / flat)
¾ Could they escape? (no)
¾ Where did he drive his lorry? (near / building)
¾ Where did he stop the lorry? (under / window)
¾ What did the people do then? (jumped / top / lorry)
¾ How did they get to the ground? (walked / front and climbed down)
¾ How many people were saved? (all 12)
¾ What happened to their flat? (badly burned by the fire)
Topic 2: Look at the comic strip below and write a narrative composition. You are asked
to create an ending for the story. Name the boys Stephen and William. The vocabulary
items in the box may be useful to you.
hit hard shoot up throw racket settle
beak pick up drop shake fist grumble
?
Topic 3: Write a short story based on the following pictures and start the composition with
the following sentence:
One Saturday last summer, Michael and I decided to go for a barbecue on Lamma
Island …
E. Marking Scheme
According to the latest HKCEE English syllabus, your composition will be marked with
reference to this table of criteria.
Marks
Relevance and adequacy of content for purpose 10
Accuracy and appropriacy of punctuation, vocabulary and language patterns 10
Planning and organization 10
Appropriacy of tone, style and register; appropriacy of features for genre 10
Total: 40
For example,
an
1 Most people think that ice cream is a American food. Yet, ice cream
the
2 really came from Asia. In ∧ late 1200s, Marco Polo saw Asians eating
3 dishes of ice. Before After it was served, the ice had been flavoured with fruits.
Leonardo DiCaprio
1 Leonardo DiCaprio was born on 11th November 1974. She was born
3 Loe has a pet lizard called Blizzard. He takes Blizzard with when he
4 makes films. Leo love animals. Loe’s other interests include reading
5 and listening to music. His favourite bands Pink Floyd. The Beatles and
6 Led Zeppelin. He also likes sports. His favourite sports is baseball and
7 basketball. He is a big fan of the Lakers and often watches them TV.
8 Leo are one of Hollywood’s hottest stars. His films include Titanic,
9 The Beach and Gangs of New York. Does you know the name of his
10 most popular film? It’s Titanic. Titanic is an quite old film but
12 Loe lives in Hollywood but also has a flat in Paris. He loves France.
My Pets
1 I have two pets. One of them is big husky called Wolf. Huskies
2 are so very attractive dogs as they have thick, grey fur and clear, blue
3 eyes. There is several huskies close to where I live but I think Wolf
6 Every morning and evenings, I take Wolf for a long walk. We live on
7 Cheung Chau so there is a lot space. We also have quite a big garden
8 Wolf loves to sleep on the grass when it was sunny. Last weekend,
10 Last week, I got another pet. Her name is Meow Meow. She is the cat.
11 I Got Meow Meow from the SPCA in Wan Chai. There lots of kittens
12 at the SPCA.I played with them all but, in the end, I chose Meow Meow
13 because she was the friendliest. Do you know which I gave Meow
14 Meow this name? It’s easy. It’s because she is very noisy on that day.
15 Are Wolf Meow Meow good good friends? I’m not very sure about
2. Setting
The time at which and the place where a story happens.
3. Atmosphere
The atmosphere of a poem is the general impression you get of it. It can be ordinary,
joyful, sorrowful, touching, hopeful, terrifying, mysterious and etc.
4. Tone
The tone of a poem is its style and the opinions or ideas expressed in it. It is a reflection of
the writer or poet’s attitude towards his readers. The tone may be playful, ironic, sarcastic,
hostile, indifferent, insulting, serious, friendly, unconcerned, doubtful and so on.
Note: Everyone may have different feelings and impressions on the same poem. Therefore,
there is no standard for the atmosphere and the tone of a poem.
5. Stanza
Stanza is a structural unit in a poem set off by a space. A stanza is sometimes called a
verse. It is similar to a paragraph in a prose.
6. Syllable
A syllable is part of a word that contains a single vowel sound. It is pronounced as a unit.
For example,
¾ The theme of this poem is the reasons that the writer’s classmates dislike him.
¾ The story happened at school during the writer’s school life.
¾ The atmosphere of this poem is upset.
¾ The tone is a bit upset and unhappy.
¾ There is only a one stanza.
C. Prosody
1. Alliteration
Occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words in a line.
For example,
(/f/ sound is repeated in line 1 and /w/ sound is repeated in lines 3 and 4)
2. Repetition
Repetition means the use of the same word(s), phrase, sound, structure or idea to create
certain stylistic effects.
3. Rhyme
Sameness in sound between words or syllables, especially the endings of lines of a poem.
4. Rhyme Scheme
The arrangement of rhyming words gives the poem its characteristic pattern.
D. Rhetoric
1. Contrast
Comparing and contrasting is a way of presenting information in a text. By contrasting
one thing or idea with another, we can let the readers to see their difference. Setting up a
contrast is also a means of creating certain stylistic effects.
For example, Small friends can be of big help. (A mouse helps a lion.)
2. Exaggeration
When we exaggerate something, we indicate that something is less or more important than
it really is. We can also exaggerate a situation, a quality or a feature to make it appear
greater, more obvious, or more important than it really is.
For example, I can eat an elephant. (This means “I can eat a lot.”)
3. Irony
The use of words to convey an implication opposite to the literal meaning of what is said.
For example, Ricky is so honest that he always tells lies.
4. Metaphor
A metaphor is a imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else
which is the same in a particular way.
For example, Derek is a tortoise. (Derek is very shy and frightened of things.)
5. Onomatopoeia
Combination of sounds in a word that imitates or suggests what the word refers to. The
lines in the stanza should have the same theme. For example,
The hiss of snakes The tick of a clock
The chirp of birds The meow of cats
I am a poor television set. My disgusting enemy is the LCD TV. She came to my home three
days ago. Then my master threw me away and I got abandoned in the rubbish dump.
7. Simile
A simile is an expression that describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or
something else by making the association explicitly.
For example, Matthew runs like a deer. Then his face becomes as white as a sheet.
E. Practices
Exercise I
Read the poem below and finish the following questions.
Descendant of the Dragon Heiman Lui
I belong to a culture
Of art and poetry,
Of wisdom and music,
Of legends and mystery.
I live in a kingdom
Whose lands stretch wide,
Of mountains and rivers,
Of beauty that’s thrived.
I am kin to those
Of golden skin and dark eyes,
Of black that shines,
I am a descendant
Of the dragon.
Stanza 1: , , and
Stanza 2: , , and
Stanza 1:
Stanza 2:
5. Match the theme of each stanza with the correct stanza number (1 - 4).
A A description of China
B The view of the writer on her own national identity and mother country
D A description of Chinese
7. In stanza 1, copy the line in which “alliteration” is used. What sound is repeated there?
8. From the second to the fourth line in both stanza 1 and 2, what technique is used?
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