English PSLE Revision Guide

The English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd Edition) is specially written to help
pupils improve their English language skills. The user-friendly book allows them to recall
lessons learnt in primary school for the specific purpose of taking the PSLE. It is designed

English
to help pupils prepare for the PSLE in an effective and strategic manner.

Features in the book include:

Do you recall… A refresher list of items pupils should know

A quick brush-up! Learning points to revise what has been learnt

in primary school

Smart tips! Exam-smart strategies and general tips on

improving skills

PSLE
Just in case you Worked examples and detailed explanations
were wondering… of answers for self-check

Specimen Paper An exam paper with answers provided to

practise and gauge level of ability

Exam-Smart Study Planner A planner for pupils to organise their time

(Available online as well) efficiently

(2nd Edition)
Revision Guide
Audio Clips Audio recordings of listening comprehension
(Available online) scripts for practice

Also available:

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 English
PSLE
Revision Guide
2nd Edition

Chen Mei
Judin Victor Lopez Based
Linda Wong o
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(S)PSLERevGuide_TP.indd 2 15/12/14 5:30 pm

 © 2005 Marshall Cavendish International (Singapore) Private Limited
© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd

Published by Marshall Cavendish Education

Times Centre, 1 New Industrial Road, Singapore 536196
Customer Service Hotline: (65) 6213 9444
E-mail: tmesales@mceducation.com
Website: www.mceducation.com

First published 2005

Second edition 2015
Reprinted 2 0 16 , 2 0 17

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system

or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the copyright owner. Any request for permission should be
addressed to the Publisher.

Marshall Cavendish is a registered trademark of Times Publishing Limited.

ISBN No: 978-981-01-9947-0

Printed in M alay sia

Acknowledgements:

The publisher wishes to thank the following organisations and individuals for granting permission to
reproduce the images listed:

Cover (pencil on notebook) © Ron Chapple | Dreamstime.com; Page 13 (mountain) © New Numerals / MCE;
Page 13 (baby) © GaborfromHungary | morgueFile.com; Page 13 (eye) ©
hrustall | morgueFile.com; Page 15 (cake) © jdurham | morgueFile.com; Page 15 (present) © cohdra |
morgueFile.com; Page 15 (girl on phone) © anita peppers | morgueFile.com; Page 16 (studying) © psarahtonen
| morgueFile.com; Page 16 (hoop) © kakisky | morgueFile.com; Page 16 (choices) © imelenchon | morgueFile.
com; Page 157 (accident) © Jusben | morgueFile.com; Page 157 (grief) © grietgriet | morgueFile.com; Page 157
(tunnel) © pamsan | morgueFile.com

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 2 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 How to Use This Book

Dear pupil,
Welcome to the English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd Edition), your all-in-one review resource for
the PSLE. This book has been specially designed to make your exam preparation as easy and
efficient as possible – the lesson points are concise and easy to understand with adequate
exercises for your practice.

The book includes features to enhance the effectiveness of your review. These are:

1. Study Planner
This study planner helps maximise your learning and practice within a budgeted time frame.

2. Specimen Paper
This closely resembles the PSLE paper and serves as your dry run for the actual PSLE. After
you have completed all 13 chapters, you are ready to tackle the specimen paper. We highly
encourage that you attempt the specimen paper only after you have completed the 13
chapters.

3. Suggested Essays
Every situational writing and continuous writing exercise in the books comes with a suggested
essay for your reference to self-improvement.

4. Answer Key
All exercises and practice items in the book come with corresponding answers found in the
Answer Key section.

5. Audio Clips
The audio clips for the Listening Comprehension practices can be downloaded from
www.mceducation.com/catalogue.

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 3 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 This book contains 13 chapters that closely follow the new PSLE format.

In each chapter you will find the following sections:

Chapter 1
Situational Writing
Do you recall… Section 1:
• how to read situational content thoroughly so as not to miss
important information?
• that you must read the fine print in pamphlets, articles, advertisements
Do you recall…?
and other visual texts as it may contain valuable information?
• how to write a concise, yet accurate email, letter or blog post based
Each chapter begins with a summary of
on the given information?
• that you should start your email, letter or blog post with an introduction learning outcomes. This is an outline of
what you are about to revise.
or greeting, and end with a farewell note?

Chapter 1

A Quick Brush-up!
Situational Writing •

The following points will come in useful when you write letters, emails and blog posts.

Letters

7
A letter can be formal or informal. Write clearly and do not make the letter longer than necessary.

For a formal letter:

• Write your address at the top left-hand corner of the letter.
Chapter
• Write the date. Spell out the month in full, e.g. 21 January 2015.

• Write the address of the addressee (the person receiving the letter) below the date.

• Start your letter with a salutation or greeting. Greetings always end with a comma.
– Use “Dear Sir or Madam” if you do not know the name of the person.
Grammar Cloze
– Use “Dear Mr Tan/Aunt Jane”, for example, if you know the name of the person. Do you recall…
• Include a line that briefly states what the letter is about. This is called the subject of the letter,
e.g. Request for additional tables.
• what the different types of sentences are?

© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) 1 • how to use the correct form of ‘be’, ‘do’ and ‘have’ to complete sentences?
• how to use articles, pronouns, prepositions and modals correctly?

PSLE Eng Ch 01.indd 1 5/12/14 8:09 pm

Section 2:
A Quick Brush-up!

A Quick Brush-up! • Types of sentences

A simple sentence is one that has one main verb.

This segment contains the chapter’s

E.g. My family is going to Hong Kong for a holiday.
A compound sentence comprises two or more clauses (or simple sentences) that
are joined by conjunctions such as and, but and or.
lesson points. They are concise and E.g. I wanted to buy the new Harry Potter book but they are out of stock!
A complex sentence comprises a main clause and a subordinate clause, which is introduced

easy to understand. by conjunctions such as because, who, if and when.

E.g. We cannot see microorganisms with our bare eyes because they are too small.

Note: Refer to Chapter 10, Synthesis and Transformation to review the use of conjunctions and
relative clauses.
• The auxiliary verbs, be, do and have, are usually used to form sentences, passive voice, and
questions. Look out for tense and number agreement in the use of these auxiliary verbs.
E.g. Have you been to America?
I do not understand what he is talking about.
Smart tips!
Note: Refer to Chapter 3, Grammar (MCQ) to review the use of subject-verb agreement, tenses,
• Read the passage carefully twice before attempting to answer. This will help you better conditional sentences, infinitives and gerunds. Information on the passive voice can be found in
understand what the passage is about. Chapter 10, Synthesis and Transformation.

• Look out for clues in the passage. Although the missing words are content words,
besides inferring the parts of speech of the missing words from their functions in the 74 English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) © 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd
sentence, there are clues to narrow down the choices. E.g. nouns are often preceded by
determiners. Verbs might come after modal verbs, auxiliaries or the infinitive marker to.
Adjectives normally precede nouns.
PSLE Eng Ch 07.indd 74 5/12/14 9:32 pm
• Where meaning is concerned, the missing word often repeats, rephrases or summarises
what the passage is already telling you. E.g. The school rule requires that pupils should
be punctual. They should come to school on time. So learn more ways of expressing the
same idea in different words.
• Certain phrases and common terms often require certain words to be used together. For
example, we often say legend has it, little is known of…, law and order and common
practice. If you are familiar with expressions like these, some words will come to you
naturally when you do cloze passages.
• Remember, as you are filling in the blanks, that consistency in tenses is important.
Chapter 9
Comprehension Cloze •

Section 3:
Smart tips!
This tip box provides you with strategies
on how to remember what you have
just learned, plus how to tackle exam
questions with confidence and ease.

© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) 93

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PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 4 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 Just in case you were wondering…
Sample Exercise
For each question from 1 to 5, choose the most appropriate option (1, 2, 3 or 4) and write your
answer in the brackets provided.

1. A is someone who can speak several languages.

(1) linguist (2) translator
(3) artiste (4) author ( )

The answer is (1).

linguist noun 1 someone skilled in languages 2 someone who studies language

2. Susan was awarded a for her outstanding achievement in sports.

(1) voucher
(3) pension
(2) plague
(4) plaque ( ) Section 4:
The answer is (4).

Just in case you were wondering…

plaque noun 1 a decorative plate of metal, china etc for fixing to a wall 2 a film of saliva
and bacteria which forms on the teeth

3. The mood of
(1) apprehension
is always felt on all festive occasions.
(2) anxiety
This self-check segment provides
you with detailed explanations on the
(3) jubilation (4) sombreness ( )

The answer is (3).

answers for the questions.

jubilant adjective full of rejoicing, triumphant n jubilation noun a feeling of triumph

4. Parents must moral values into their children so that they become responsible
citizens.
(1) instil (2) contribute
(3) incubate (4) prohibit ( )

The answer is (1).

instil or instill verb to put in little by little (especially ideas into the mind)
instil instils or instills, instilling, instilled
▼

5. John was for his disruptive behaviour in class.

(1) congratulated (2) reprimanded
(3) apprehended (4) implored ( )

The answer is 2.
reprimand verb to scold severely, censure n noun scolding, censure

42 English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) © 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd

PSLE Eng Ch 04.indd 42 5/12/14 8:29 pm

Your turn!
Exercise 5
For each of the following questions, rewrite the given sentence(s) using the word(s) provided.
Your answer must be in one sentence. The meaning of your sentence must be the same as
the meaning of the given sentence(s).

1. All the contestants from our school entered the finals. Only Joel did not.

except

Section 5:
.

2. My friends are all excited about the new Hobbit movie, except Indy.

Unlike
Your turn! .

In this segment, you get the chance 3. If you do not play Romeo, then I will have to.

to apply the skills and knowledge

Either

Chapter 10
.

you have brushed up on. The 4. You might be very smart; you still need to work hard in order to be the best.

exercises are designed to provide

Even if
Synthesis/Transformation •
.

you with ample practice. A complete 5. We bought this set of Italian sofa even though the cost was high.

answer key to all the exercises is

Despite the high

provided at the end of the book.

© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) 117

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The best of luck to you, and we are certain you will ace your PSLE paper!

- The Writing Team

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 5 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 Here are the different components of the PSLE and the marks allocated for each component.
All the components are covered in our English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition).

Paper Component No. Marks Weighting

of Items

1 Situational Writing 1 15
Writing 27.5%
(1h 10 min)
Continuous Writing 1 40

2 Multiple-Choice Questions: 47.5%

Language Use and
Comprehension Grammar 10 10
(1h 50 min)
Vocabulary 5 5

Vocabulary Cloze 5 5

Visual Text Comprehension 8 8

Open-ended:

Grammar Cloze 10 10

Editing for Spelling and Grammar 12 12

Comprehension Cloze 15 15

Synthesis and Transformation 5 10

Comprehension Open-ended 10 20

3
Listening
Listening Comprehension MCQ 20 20 10%
Comprehension
(About 35 min)

4 Reading Aloud 1 10
Oral Communication
(About 10 min) 15%
Stimulus-based Conversation 1 20

TOTAL 200 100%

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 6 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 Contents

PSLE Study Planner

Chapter 1 Situational Writing 1

Chapter 2 Continuous Writing 11

Chapter 3 Grammar (MCQ) 17

Chapter 4 Vocabulary (MCQ) 39

Chapter 5 Vocabulary Cloze 47

Chapter 6 Visual Text Comprehension 57

Chapter 7 Grammar Cloze 74

Chapter 8 Editing for Spelling and Grammar 84

Chapter 9 Comprehension Cloze 91

Chapter 10 Synthesis and Transformation 101

Chapter 11 Comprehension (Open-ended) 119

Chapter 12 Listening Comprehension 137

Chapter 13 Oral Communication 148

Specimen Paper 155

Answer Key 187

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 7 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 PSLE Study Planner
Serious revision should start at least six months before the PSLE. Use the study planner below as a
guide to plan your revision work.

Fill in the dates below to suit your own learning style/schedule.

Paper Component Start End

1 Situational Writing

Continuous Writing

2 Grammar
(MCQ)

Vocabulary

Vocabulary Cloze

Visual Text Comprehension

(Open- Grammar Cloze

ended)

Editing for Spelling and Grammar

Comprehension Cloze

Synthesis and Transformation

Comprehension Open-ended

3 Listening Comprehension MCQ

4 Reading Aloud

Stimulus-based Conversation

English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) © 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd

PSLE Eng Prelims.indd 8 12/17/14 12:01 PM

 Chapter 1
Situational Writing
Do you recall…

• how to read situational content thoroughly so as not to miss

important information?
• that you must read the fine print in pamphlets, articles, advertisements
and other visual texts as it may contain valuable information?
• how to write a concise, yet accurate email, letter or blog post based
on the given information?
• that you should start your email, letter or blog post with an introduction
or greeting, and end with a farewell note?

Chapter 1
A Quick Brush-up!

Situational Writing •
The following points will come in useful when you write letters, emails and blog posts.

Letters
A letter can be formal or informal. Write clearly and do not make the letter longer than necessary.

For a formal letter:

• Write your address at the top left-hand corner of the letter.

• Write the date. Spell out the month in full, e.g. 21 January 2015.

• Write the address of the addressee (the person receiving the letter) below the date.

• Start your letter with a salutation or greeting. Greetings always end with a comma.
– Use “Dear Sir or Madam” if you do not know the name of the person.
– Use “Dear Mr Tan/Aunt Jane”, for example, if you know the name of the person.

• Include a line that briefly states what the letter is about. This is called the subject of the letter,
e.g. Request for additional tables.

© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) 1

PSLE Eng Ch 01.indd 1 12/11/14 10:21 AM

 • End your letter with a closing, followed by your signature. Closings always end with a comma.
– Use “Yours faithfully” if you do not know the name of the person.
– Use “Yours sincerely” if you know the name of the person.

• You may leave out your address and the address of the addressee if you are writing to
someone you know such as your principal.

For an informal letter:

• Write your address at the top left-hand corner of the letter.

• Write the date below your address.

• Start your letter with a salutation or greeting. Greetings always end with a comma.

• End your letter with a closing, followed by your signature. Closings always end with a comma.

Emails
The layout and style of writing an email are different from writing a letter. Remember the following
points when you write an email.
• Read and understand the requirements of the message before you start to write. Ask yourself:
Who are you writing to? What do you need or want to say in your message?

• The date of the message is automatically generated by the computer, so there is no need
to include it.

• You need to write the email address of the recipient unless you are replying to the sender.
If you are replying to the sender, the email address will be automatically included.

• Pay special attention to the recipient’s email address, especially the full stops, lower
cases and underscores.

• In the “Subject” header, write a clear and focused line that describes the topic of your email
so that the recipient will know what the message is about at first glance.

• Start with a brief introduction or greeting. This is basic courtesy. Always be polite in all
emails under all circumstances.

• When writing, take note of your target audience. Ask yourself: Am I writing to people I do not
know and should thus use a formal tone? Am I writing to a friend and can therefore
sound informal?

• Ending a message with a farewell note is also basic courtesy.

2 English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) © 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd

PSLE Eng Ch 01.indd 2 12/11/14 10:21 AM

 Blog posts
A blog is a frequently updated website that may cover a particular topic or act as a personal
online diary. It can be updated by one person or a group of people. Remember these tips when
writing a blog post:

• Before you start, identify your target audience.

• Start with a working title to guide your writing and keep it focused.

• Organise your content into the categories of Introduction, Body and Conclusion.

• Write freely and in a relaxed manner, as if you are speaking to a person.

• You do not need to write your name or the date as these will be automatically generated by
the computer.

• When you have finished your blog post, revise the working title. Make it sound catchy.

• To improve your writing, write regularly. Consider keeping a personal blog and writing about
topics you are passionate about.

• Read a variety of blogs. When you read, you are exposed to new ideas and words, as well as

Chapter 1
useful writing tips along the way.

Smart tips!

Situational Writing •
• Remember to read the guiding points carefully.
• Keep sentences short and straight to the point, and never write in point or bullet form.
• Read through your writing once and check it against the guiding points to ensure you
did not miss any valuable information.

© 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) 3

PSLE Eng Ch 01.indd 3 12/11/14 10:21 AM

 Just in case you were wondering…

Sample Question
The pamphlet below is about a family-bonding event.

CRANBERRY CC FAMILY DAY 2015

Adventure Cove Waterpark

Registration period: @Resorts World Sentosa
14 April – 13 May 2015
Saturday, 13 June 2015
• Early Bird Registration 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
– $15 per person from 14 April till
28 April 2015 This Family Day aims to promote family
bonding and quality time with
• $25 per person from 29 April till 13 family members.
May 2015

• Fee includes entrance into the

waterpark, as well as coupons Please wear proper
for souvenirs, food and drinks swimwear at the
worth $50 various water play
areas.
• Visit www.acc.com.sg/fday2015
for registration and further details. rry

C
be

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4 English PSLE Revision Guide (2nd edition) © 2015 Marshall Cavendish Education Pte Ltd

PSLE Eng Ch 01.indd 4 12/11/14 10:21 AM