English: Comprehension, Grammar and Composition
What you must understand
English at PSLE tests accurate reading and clear writing. For grammar, know tenses and their consistency, subject-verb agreement, articles, prepositions, pronouns, and the difference between direct and indirect speech. For vocabulary, learn word families, synonyms, antonyms and common collocations, so you can choose the word that fits both meaning and grammar. For comprehension, practise locating information, inferring feelings and motives, and explaining the effect of a phrase in context. For composition, plan a clear structure: an engaging opening, a build-up, a climax and a resolution, with consistent tense and viewpoint.
Traps to watch for
Grammar questions often include a distractor that sounds right in speech but breaks a rule, especially with collective nouns and indefinite pronouns. In comprehension, questions beginning why or how need a reason or method, not a repeated quote. Questions asking for in your own words penalise copying. Watch for singular subjects joined by as well as or together with, which do not make the subject plural. In editing, a sentence may contain more than one error, so read it twice. In composition, avoid sudden scene changes and unexplained characters.
Rule of thumb and worked example
For grammar, find the subject first, then match the verb to it, ignoring phrases in between.
Example: The box of old photographs (was/were) kept in the attic. The subject is box, singular. The phrase of old photographs is extra information. So the correct verb is was.
For comprehension, answer in a full sentence that restates part of the question, then give the reason. For composition, keep one clear problem and one clear solution rather than several half-finished plots.