english name: primary 4 grammar...

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Term One Week Nine © English © Primary Four

English

Primary 4

Grammar Cloze

Conjunctive Adverbs

An adverb is a word that modifies a v _ _ b, an adjective or another adverb.

Example: “The mouse crept silently out of its hole and headed swiftly towards the

plate of cheese.”

The underlined words, “silently” and “swiftly” modify the verbs “crept” and

“headed”, meaning they tell us more about h _ _ the mouse moved towards

the plate of cheese.

A conjunction is a word that connects phrases and clauses.

Hence, a conjunctive adverb is a type of adverb that j______ t___________ two

clauses.

The purpose of such adverbs is to show a r _ l _ t _ _ _ sh _ p between the two

clauses such as:

- c _ _ p _ ring

- c _ _ tr _ _ ting

- c_______ and e________

- s _ q _ _ _ ce of ev _ _ ts

Example: “Marie was not feeling well. Hence, she went home early to rest.”

Exercise One

Read the passage and fill in the blanks using the correct conjunctive adverb.

Choose from the options provided.

however otherwise besides later anyway

then nevertheless since still furthermore

Name: _____________________

Date: ______________________

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Exercise Two

Read the passage. The underlined conjunctive adverbs have been used wrongly.

Replace these with the correct answers using the boxes provided.

Richard was getting ready for a fishing trip. (1) ___________ no one was

keen to join him, he had decided to go on his own. (2) ___________, being on his

own would give him time to think about the important decision he had to make.

He packed his rods, bait, raincoat as well as some food. (3) ___________, he sat

back and thought about what else he would need on this trip. (4) ___________, he

could think of nothing else that he should bring along. (5) ___________, Richard

had learnt from the trips he had taken in the past that it was best to travel light.

(6) ___________, he might not be able to cope with carrying so many items on his

own. (7) ___________, Richard felt uneasy. There was something missing from his

stock of items. What was it? He just could not figure it out! He noticed that the sky

was darkening a little. Was a storm imminent? Richard did not want to get caught

in inclement weather. (8) ___________, he was determined to go on with this

fishing trip.

“Joan, you had better start revising for the upcoming examination. (1)

Although, you will probably fail!” Joan’s mother, Mrs Ting exclaimed, exasperated

by Joan’s lack of motivation. Joan turned a deaf ear to her mother’s incessant pleas.

“I’m so smart,” she thought complacently. “(2) Still, there is so much time left before

the examinations start.” (3) Furthermore, Joan continued reading her favourite

magazines, without a care in the world. (4) Therefore, the day of the examinations

arrived. Jane who was completely unprepared should have been like a cat on a hot

tin roof. (5) Thus, she was as cool as a cucumber as she walked into the examination

hall. (6) Next, despite her show of confidence, Jane was really a bundle of nerves

inside.

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(1) (2) (3)

(4) (5) (6)

Exercise Three

Read the passage, then underline the correct answer from the words given in the

brackets.

Harold went to bed really late last night; (1) [indeed/consequently], he woke

up late this morning for work. He sat up in bed, his mind in a whirl. What day was

it today, he wondered. (2) [Then/Next], it dawned on him that it was Monday and

he had an important presentation to make. He leapt out of bed and flung open his

bedroom door. “Nita!” he called out to his domestic helper. “Why didn’t you wake

me up?” he hollered. He rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his

face; (3) [likewise/meanwhile], an apologetic Nita hurriedly packed Harold’s lunch

box and got ready his work attire. “I’m so sorry, sir,” Nita apologised to a red-faced

Harold as he huffed and puffed while getting ready. (4) [Although/However] her

apology was sincere, Harold was in too much of a rush to pay any attention to her.

(5) [Instead/Nevertheless], all he could think about was the promotion that was at

stake during today’s presentation and how he was probably going to lose this

important chance, all because he overslept!

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Supplementary Activity

“Cat on a hot tin roof” is one example of many of the animal idioms in the English

Language. How many of these idioms and their meanings are you familiar with?

Fill in the answers using the options (A – L) provided.

Idiom Meaning Origin of the Idiom

cat on a hot tin

roof

A hot tin roof would be h _ _ d to walk on since its’s

so hot, hence cats up there would be j _ _ py

one trick pony Ponies were usually taught tricks to p _ _ f _ _ m at

shows; those who could only do one trick were

called one-trick ponies

elephant in the

room

An elephant is the largest land m _ mm _ _ and

definitely impossible to i _ n _ re if it were in the

room

the lion’s share Lions do eat the largest share of any k _ _ l brought

back to the pr _ _ e

hold your horses Came into use at a time when the first settlers and

gold m _ n _ _ s in America relied largely on horses

for transportation and they would pull on the

r______ to literally make the horses stop

let sleeping dogs

lie

Dogs usually look p _ _ c _ ful while asleep and

disturbing them might result in a b _ t _!

wild goose chase It is nearly i _ p _ ss _ _ le to catch a wild goose so

going after one will usually be unsuccessful

cold turkey Cold turkey was a quick and easy dish to prepare

fish out of water The natural e _ v _ _ o _ m _ nt for a fish is in the

water, hence being out of it would mean

death/d___________

red herring A herring is a st _ _ ng smelling fish; if hunting dogs

smell a herring, they would be d _ _ t _ _ ct _ d by

the strong smell and go in the wrong d__________

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A. A piece of information that distracts from the real facts of a situation

E. a problem that is too big to ignore but one which everyone wants to avoid talking about as bringing it up will cause conflict

I. It’s best not to talk about things from the past which might cause problems if mentioned in the present

B. To be in an uneasy, agitated or restless state

F. to go after something which you are unlikely to get, hence it’s a waste of time

J. The biggest part or portion of something

C. To find something annoying

G. a person who only seems to have one ability and has no other outstanding talents

K. To be uncomfortable in a particular situation or environment

D. To stop something completely, immediately and quickly rather than gradually (usually an addiction)

H. Be patient, don’t be in such a hurry!

L. a stubborn and inflexible person

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English

Primary 4

Sentence Combining

Subject Verb Agreement

Put simply, subjects and their verbs have to agree in terms of n _ _ b _ r. Singular

subjects agree with singular verbs, while plural subjects agree with plural verbs.

Grammatical Structure of an English sentence

John wraps the present with gold paper

What is the subject of a sentence?

The subject in the sentence is generally the person or thing that the sentence

is _________.

It is also the person or thing that ________ the action of the verb.

e.g He was eating a sandwich

[subject]

What about the object of a sentence?

The object is the person or thing _____________ by the verb.

e.g Jimmy bought a drink.

[object]

Name: _____________________

Date: ______________________

subject verb

object

This is a prepositional phrase. If you

do not understand what that is, just

think of it as additional ____________

which can be removed from the

sentence and the sentence will still be

_______________.

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Sample Questions

(i) Andy does not like rock climbing. Andy’s cousins do not like rock climbing as

well.

Neither _______________________________________________________________.

In this case, the verb is a plural verb because it agrees with the subject closest

to it, i.e the subject “cousins”, which is plural.

This is also known as the rule of _____________, which means _____________.

(ii) Dean is preparing the dinner tonight. His sisters may be preparing the dinner

as well.

Either _________________________________________________________________.

Like the above example, the verb is a plural verb because it agrees with the

subject closest to it, i.e the subject “sisters”, which is plural.

Try the questions on your own.

1. The windows in this house have not been cleaned. The fan has also not been

cleaned.

Neither__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

2. The pasta is not tasty. The lamb chops do not taste nice either.

Neither__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

Grammar Rule:

The rule of proximity applies to both “neither … nor”

and “either … or”, meaning that in deciding subject

verb agreement, we look at the subject ___________

to the verb.

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3. John’s grandfather is sick with the flu. His aunts are still sick with the flu as well.

Neither__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

4. The boy has broken the mirror. The two girls have broken the mirror.

Either____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

5. The manager is responsible for this project. The secretaries may be responsible

for this project as well.

Either____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

6. Roast chicken is one of favourite dishes at this restaurant. Fish and chips is

another of my favourite dishes.

Either____________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

Singular Subjects

‘Each’

Isabelle has a car. Her sister, Annabelle has a car too.

Each of ____________________________________.

‘Everything’

There is no need to pay for anything. Even the food and lodging has been paid for.

Everything, including _______________________________________________.

‘None’

There are no boys in the classroom right now. There are no girls in the classroom as well.

None of ______________________________________________________________.

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1. The inmates in this prison have their own cell.

Each of___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

2. Every resident in this estate owns a bicycle.

Each of___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

3. The prefects have to take turns reciting the pledge each morning.

Each of___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

4. The gardens in this park are taken care of by the same gardener.

Each of___________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

5. Whatever happens in this competition depends on your ability and

concentration.

Everything________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

6. The councillors take care of all matters pertaining to the camp.

Everything________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

7. All the cookies in this jar are inedible.

None of__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

8. Everyone worker is not in favour of the manager’s new proposal.

None of__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

9. The animals at the pet farm are in poor health.

None of__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

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‘Neither of’

This classroom is dirty. That classroom is also dirty.

Neither of_______________________________________.

These books are not mine. Those books are also not mine.

Neither of ______________________________________.


1. This enrichment course does not interest me. That enrichment course also

does not interest me.

Neither of___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________.

2. This ice cream flavour does not appeal to Kenneth. The other ice cream flavour

also does not appeal to Kenneth.

Neither of___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________.

3. This floral dress did not fit Sue Ann. The other floral dress also did not fit Sue

Ann.

Neither of___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________.

Grammar Rule:

When “neither” is used as the ____________

of a sentence, it takes on a singular verb.

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‘Either of’

This movie is entertaining. That movie is also entertaining.

Either of _______________________________________.

This dog is a good companion. The other dog is also a good companion.

Either of _________________________________________________.

Try the questions on your own

1. This school is close to my home. The other school is close to my home too.

Either of__________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

2. The flight in the morning can take us to Bangkok. The flight in the evening can

take us to Bangkok too.

Either of_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

3. The bulb in the living room is faulty. The bulb in the bathroom could be faulty

too.

Either of_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________.

Grammar Rule:

When “either” is used as the subject of a

sentence, it also takes on a singular verb.

english name: primary 4 grammar...

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