Collective nouns are nouns which stand for a group or collection of people or things. They include words such as audience, committee, police, crew, family, government, group, and team. Most collective nouns can be singular or plural. However, there are a few collective nouns that are used only in the plural form, the most common[…]
Quiz: How do you pronounce “often”? a. with the “t” b. without the “t” c. all of the above Solution: The answer is (c) all of the above. “Often” can be pronounced with and without the “t”.Interesting things to note:1. The pronunciation with “t” is a reversion to the 15th century pronunciation2. Most British and American[…]
Thanks to Pornsak for graciously agreeing to attend the “Study Room Press Conference”! He shared with us how he learnt his languages, why he got into the entertainment circle and how he managed his time despite his busy schedule. The budding young reporters in the Upper Primary English class were awed by him and were[…]
“How much is that diamond ring?” asked Tai Tai A. Tai Tai B shrugged, flashed the glistening stone in front of her friends, blinding her friends. “Come on, give me an estimate, agar agar,” Tai Tai A persisted. What Tai Tai A could have also said: “Come on, give me a ballpark figure.” Ballpark refers[…]
We can easily label someone 13-19 years old as a teenager. How do you call someone who is in his 70s or 80s? Do you know there’s a term for every age group? . . . . . . . . 10-19 years old: denarian 20-29: vicenarian 30-39: tricenarian 40-49: quadragenarian 50-59: quinquagenarian 60-69: sexagenarian[…]
Your writing can be more rigorous and clearer when you find the “hidden verbs.” You can do this by changing nouns to verbs. Here are a few examples: 1. BEFORE: We made an application. AFTER: We applied. 2. BEFORE: We made a decision AFTER: We decided. 3. BEFORE: We will have a celebration. AFTER: We[…]
When your comprehension segment, read through the passage once very quickly. Before attempting the questions, ask yourself: how do I summarise the story in one sentence? That way, you know that you truly understood the article. Try this during your practices. This is a good way to train yourself for the end-of-year examinations!
Introducing Singapore’s newest reporters. At a tender age of seven and eight, they write fantastic cover stories.
Another of our new reporter, a 12-year old girl, wrote about the latest kidnap story. Yes, we are timely like that. And we believe in introducing students to news.
WRONG: We moved to a new premise. Can you spot the error? Premises are land and buildings together considered as a property. If you are referring to property, it needs to come with a “s”, regardless whether it is singular/plural. CORRECT: We moved to the new premises. If you used “premise” without the “s”, it[…]