Marking Scheme For Upsr Paper 2
Countable and Uncountable Nouns
Basic English Grammar - have, has, had
Preposition Of Place - on, at, in
Simple Present vs Present Continuous
Pronoun
Singlishproject-What A Wonderful World
Common Mistakes
1. Among – between
When there are two people or things, between is used. When there are more than two, among is used.
e.g. Stand between those two marble columns. Sitting among the audience was a clown.
It is incorrect to say : The referee rushed between all the football players as they began to fight. (among)
2. Amount – number
The word, amount, is usually used for a quantity or volume that cannot be counted or measured
precisely, while number refers to a quantity that can be counted.
precisely, while number refers to a quantity that can be counted.
e.g. No amount of money can compensate for the suffering she has experienced. There have been a
number of accidents at that new intersection.
number of accidents at that new intersection.
It is incorrect to say : There have been an increasing amount of robberies in this area. (number)
3. Bring – take
The verb, bring, refers to a motion or act “to” or “toward” someone or something.
e.g. Will you please bring your laptop computer when you come?
When take is used as a verb, it refers to a motion or act “away” or “from” someone or something.
I will take you to the airport. Make sure you take your umbrella with you.
It is incorrect to say : I will bring you to the train station.
4. Can – may
The word, can, implies “ability” or “to be able”.
e.g. We can come to the movies after all. Can you see the parade from there? The word, may, implies
“permission”.
“permission”.
e.g. May I sit here? – You may start this test now. It is a common error to use can when asking
“permission”
“permission”
It is therefore incorrect to say: Can I come with you to the movie?
To right the wrongs
As long as one is willing to correct one’s mistakes, learning English can be a piece of cake.
PERSEVERANCE, practice and persistence are what it takes to be a superior communicator of the English language.Besides that, not much is required except that one needs to be introspective. By recognising the common mistakes made in daily conversations and correspondence, learners can improve their grasp of the language.
1. All right
The term “all right” is two words, just like “all wrong”. Example: Is Jake all right after falling off that ladder?
It is traditionally incorrect to write the word group “all right” as “alright”, “allright” or “all-right”. Unfortunately, some dictionary publishers include the spelling “alright” thus causing confusion for learners.
2. A lot
There is no such word in English as “alot”. The term “a lot” should always be written as two words. Example: The gambler lost a lot of money betting on race horses.
3. Only
The adverb “only” should always precede the word it qualifies. Example: Only the Premier can resolve this political factional impasse. — If only she were here.
4. Real — really
The word “real” is an adjective that is used to describe a noun. Example: That was a real challenging experience.
The word “really” is an adverb that is used to describe or qualify a verb or another adverb. Example: I felt really well after my holiday at the beach.
It is incorrect to say: Jason is real sorry for crashing your motorbike. (really)
5. Some — any
While the adjectives “any” and “some” are usually interchangeable, these words should be used carefully in the context of a question.
It is incorrect to say: Where can I buy any batteries for my torch? (some)
It is preferable to say: “Have you any AAA batteries?” rather than “Have you some AAA batteries?”.
6. Such as — like
It is common practice to use “such as” for examples and “like” for resemblances.
Example: Some police officers, such as those who handle domestic disputes, need very good people-skills. — Those elderly neighbours are like grandparents to my children.
7. An — a
A common mistake is to use the wrong indefinite article. To use “a” instead of “an” or “an” instead of “a”.
Example: I ate a orange for lunch. (an) — Can you draw an unicorn? (a)
The indefinite article “an” is always used instead of “a” before the vowels “a”, “e”, “i”, and “o”. Example: an apple, an eel, an ice cream, an orange.
When the following word begins with a “short u”, an is used. Example: an umbrella.
When the “u” sound is “long”, a is used. Example: a unit, a unicorn.
With unstressed “h-words”, an is used. Example: an honest man.
Pronouncing words with the neutral “uh” sound also causes indefinite article difficulties.
Example: Do you have a answer to my problem? (an)
8. The
The word “the” is called the definite article. Unlike the indefinite articles “a” and “an”, its function is to definitely or specifically refer to someone or something. Example: That is the car I want. — He is the captain of our team.
In contrast, “a” and “an” are more general in their reference to words. Example: I would like a new bike, ie. the bike could be one of many.
Similarly, in the sentence: I eat an apple every day, ie. any apple.
One of the mistakes made is to wrongly omit the definite article “the”. Example: That was only way to solve the problem. (... the only way...).
Another less commonly made error is to confuse the definite article “the” with the pronoun “they”. Example: They concert was really wonderful. (the)
9. Either or — neither nor
“Either” is always followed by “or”. “Either” should never be followed by “nor”.
Example: We can either go to the theatre or to the art show. The words, “either - or” and “neither - nor”, form what are called correlative conjunctions.
Both require singular verbs when used with singular nouns in a sentence. Example: Either a cat or a dog is an ideal pet for a child.
In contrast, when one or both the specific subjects are plural, the verb too has to be plural.
Example: Neither the dog nor the cats have been fed. — Either the parents or the students have to pay for the books.
It is a common grammatical mistake to use “or” with “neither”. Example: I like neither that blue tie or that red one. (nor)
Another common error is using a plural verb when two singular subjects are joined by “either - or” and “neither - nor”.
Example: Either David or Mica are going to mow the lawn as neither Peter nor Andrea were able to do it yesterday. (is...was)
Highlighting everyday errors
Don’t let common speech and writing errors become a habit.
With practice and self-discipline, these mistakes can be easily
rectified.
In teaching grammar, common errors made during communication should be highlighted and presented with the accurate alternative.
Learners are encouraged to regularly practice using the correct forms of words and word groups.
Antonyms — Synonyms
Using the incorrect antonyms and synonyms is common among many new English language learners.
Example: That basketball player is very high. (tall) — How ancient is your neighbour? (old) — Jane held the kitten gently but Jason handled it heavily. (roughly).
An excellent tool for mastering antonyms and synonyms is a thesaurus.
Double comparatives
It is not acceptable to use a double comparative description of an adverb or adjective when comparing two persons, places or things.
It is a common mistake in English to use two “comparatives” at the same time to compare something.
Example: He is more older than she. — That rope is longerer than this one. — Both examples are incorrect.
The correct comparatives would be: He is older than she. — That rope is longer than this one.
Double negatives
In English, a double negative construction generally should not be used. Example: I don’t know nothing.
This would mean “I do know something “ which is the opposite to what was intended.
Note these two other common examples of incorrect usage. He doesn’t eat nothing that is hot. — We won’t say nothing about what happened.
The exception is when one really wants to give special emphasis to a positive attribute.
Example: Max is definitely not an unskilled driver. In other words, Max is a very skilled driver.
Double superlatives
Just as one should not use double comparatives, it is also not acceptable in English to use a double superlative description of an adjective or adverb.
It is a common mistake to use two superlatives at the same time to compare something.
Example: “He is the most oldest man in the retirement village” is incorrect.
The correct superlative description would be: He is the oldest man in the retirement village.
Homophones
Using the correct homophonic word is a major challenge in English.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and may or may not have different spellings.
Spelling differences have to be remembered. Examples: course — coarse; their — there; council — counsel, etc.
Nouns of multitude
Words that have the same singular and plural forms are called nouns of multitude.
Example: trousers, scissors, postage, series, wages, cattle, pyjamas, pliers, salmon, etc.
It is because of their dual function that problems occur with the “number” of the verbs that are used.
Example: My trousers is tight. (are) — I resigned because my wages was too low. (were) – Your pyjamas has a button missing. (have).
While most nouns of multitude only take plural verbs eg. “Those scissors are blunt.” — difficulties arise because some nouns of multitude can take either a singular or plural verb depending on whether “one” or “more than one” thing is being referred to.
Example: That salmon weighs 10 kilogrammes. (singular) — The salmon are swimming upstream. (plural).
The noun of multitude, postage, is an exception as it takes only a singular verb. Example: Postage is expensive in that country.
Plurals
Pluralising words in English can be a major challenge for learners.
This is mainly because of the many words that have been borrowed from foreign languages.
Example: plateau — plateaux; radius — radii; memo — memos, etc.
Upper — Lower Case
A common practice for many illiterate people is to write words and sentences in upper case (using all capital letters) instead of using lower case (small letters).
Example: JOHN IS HOME NOW. (John is home now.)
Confusion is caused because many commercial sign writers and graphic artists use capitals (upper case) for emphasis, and for headlines and captions.
Another common error is to write the pronoun “I” in its lower case form, that is as “i”.
Similar errors often occur when writing the names of the days of the week, and the months of the year beginning with lower case letters instead of upper case.
Example: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. — January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
The problem occurs in reverse when the seasons — summer, autumn, winter, spring — are wrongly written with capitals.
50 Words of Encouragement for Students
In teaching grammar, common errors made during communication should be highlighted and presented with the accurate alternative.
Learners are encouraged to regularly practice using the correct forms of words and word groups.
Antonyms — Synonyms
Using the incorrect antonyms and synonyms is common among many new English language learners.
Example: That basketball player is very high. (tall) — How ancient is your neighbour? (old) — Jane held the kitten gently but Jason handled it heavily. (roughly).
An excellent tool for mastering antonyms and synonyms is a thesaurus.
Double comparatives
It is not acceptable to use a double comparative description of an adverb or adjective when comparing two persons, places or things.
It is a common mistake in English to use two “comparatives” at the same time to compare something.
Example: He is more older than she. — That rope is longerer than this one. — Both examples are incorrect.
The correct comparatives would be: He is older than she. — That rope is longer than this one.
Double negatives
In English, a double negative construction generally should not be used. Example: I don’t know nothing.
This would mean “I do know something “ which is the opposite to what was intended.
Note these two other common examples of incorrect usage. He doesn’t eat nothing that is hot. — We won’t say nothing about what happened.
The exception is when one really wants to give special emphasis to a positive attribute.
Example: Max is definitely not an unskilled driver. In other words, Max is a very skilled driver.
Double superlatives
Just as one should not use double comparatives, it is also not acceptable in English to use a double superlative description of an adjective or adverb.
It is a common mistake to use two superlatives at the same time to compare something.
Example: “He is the most oldest man in the retirement village” is incorrect.
The correct superlative description would be: He is the oldest man in the retirement village.
Homophones
Using the correct homophonic word is a major challenge in English.
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and may or may not have different spellings.
Spelling differences have to be remembered. Examples: course — coarse; their — there; council — counsel, etc.
Nouns of multitude
Words that have the same singular and plural forms are called nouns of multitude.
Example: trousers, scissors, postage, series, wages, cattle, pyjamas, pliers, salmon, etc.
It is because of their dual function that problems occur with the “number” of the verbs that are used.
Example: My trousers is tight. (are) — I resigned because my wages was too low. (were) – Your pyjamas has a button missing. (have).
While most nouns of multitude only take plural verbs eg. “Those scissors are blunt.” — difficulties arise because some nouns of multitude can take either a singular or plural verb depending on whether “one” or “more than one” thing is being referred to.
Example: That salmon weighs 10 kilogrammes. (singular) — The salmon are swimming upstream. (plural).
The noun of multitude, postage, is an exception as it takes only a singular verb. Example: Postage is expensive in that country.
Plurals
Pluralising words in English can be a major challenge for learners.
This is mainly because of the many words that have been borrowed from foreign languages.
Example: plateau — plateaux; radius — radii; memo — memos, etc.
Upper — Lower Case
A common practice for many illiterate people is to write words and sentences in upper case (using all capital letters) instead of using lower case (small letters).
Example: JOHN IS HOME NOW. (John is home now.)
Confusion is caused because many commercial sign writers and graphic artists use capitals (upper case) for emphasis, and for headlines and captions.
Another common error is to write the pronoun “I” in its lower case form, that is as “i”.
Similar errors often occur when writing the names of the days of the week, and the months of the year beginning with lower case letters instead of upper case.
Example: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. — January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
The problem occurs in reverse when the seasons — summer, autumn, winter, spring — are wrongly written with capitals.
50 Words of Encouragement for Students
