The heart pumps blood throughout the body. The blood serves as the medium to transport oxygen, carbon dioxide, food, and other substances to the various parts of the body. The human circulatory system (and also that of many animals) is a “double circulatory system”. One circuit goes to the lungs, where the blood is able[…]
“I went to recce that place, it was very suitable for holding the field camp.” In Singapore, we use the slang “recce” during NS to refer to the act of visually observing a location before the actual operation. Do you know the full word is “reconnaissance”? For example: We did a reconnaissance of the enemy’s[…]
What are keys called in Chinese? a) 钥匙 b) 锁匙 c) Both a) and b) are acceptable. The correct answer is 钥匙. In Singapore, we often say 锁匙; this is a translation from the Cantonese’s term for keys. During exams, it’s best to stick with 钥匙 because examiners may consider 锁匙 as a 病句。
We had mentioned in previous posts about avoiding “word echos” when writing your compositions, i.e. try to refrain from using the same terms in a paragraph. For example: That group of old boys from XXX school look really old. Better: That group of old boys from XXX school have really aged. While you are trying[…]
When do you use the word “like”? 1) The obvious mistake Youngsters these days enjoy using “like” as a filler to replace “uh”, “erm”. Examples: I was, like, so angry. My boyfriend is ,like, the best ever. This is a simple correction. Just remove the word “like”. Correct: I was so angry. My boyfriend is[…]
This is another trick question. The family tree below shows the children and grandchildren of a female carrier of colour-blindness and a male who is not colour-blind. The question is: How many of the daughters or granddaughters are NOT colour-blind? ==================== The answer is 5 (not 7). Beware, do not count daughters-in-law and other members[…]
We often receive mails that say “Please revert soon.”This is inaccurate. You can say: “Please reply soon.” Revert means reversing to a previous state, condition, practice etc. Example for revert: After the discipline master left the class, the girls reverted to their squabbling.
The end-of-year school holiday starts from Nov. 16. We decided to compile a list of items that you can do with your children in this one-and-half month. 1. Reading Get your child interested in reading this holiday. This is one of the best hobbies to cultivate. Instead of relying on last minute tips, languages are[…]
Chinese tip: “一” means one in Chinese. It is often the first Chinese character we learn as a kid. But do we really know how to read this? Do you read “一” in the first, second, third or fourth tone? There are three ways to read “一”: “衣”（一声）、“移”（二声）和“义”（四声）。 1) If you are using “一” to[…]
English tip: Sometimes, when we have a piece of good news to share, we get excited and we may start by saying “Guess what”. Now- the question is– do we add a question mark or a period after “guess what”? In this scenario, “guess what” is an imperative (a command/request) so it is conventionally punctuated[…]