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King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group

Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term


Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Contents

Chapter Content Page Finished Date


Table of Contents 1
Grammar Items
1 Eight Parts of Speech 2-4 / /2007
2 Simple Sentence Structure 5-6 / /2007
3 The Simple Present 7-12 / /2007
4 Personal Pronouns 13-15 / /2007
5 The Simple Past 16-20 / /2007
6 Possessives 21-23 / /2007
7 The Present Continuous 24-27 / /2007
8 Articles 28-31 / /2007
9 There is/ are/ was/ were 32-34 / /2007
10 Information Questions 35-38 / /2007
Skills Focus
11 Reading Skills 39-44 / /2007
12 Writing Skill 45-48 / /2007
13 Editing Skills 49-51 / /2007
14 Language Arts 52-56 / /2007

Knowledge is power.
~ Francis Bacon

Page 1
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 1 Eight Parts of Speech

A. Introduction
In English, there are different parts of speech. You may see them appeared in dictionaries.
The eight common parts of speech are as follows.

1. Nouns (N) 5. Verbs (V)


2. Pronouns (Pron) 6. Adverbs (Adv)
3. Articles (Art) 7. Conjunctions (Conj)
4. Adjectives (Adj) 8. Prepositions (Prep)

B. Parts of Speech
1. Nouns (N)
Nouns are naming-words. They are the names of people, places, animals and things.
For example:
Remember to
People: teacher, students, principal, David, Derek, Edgar
use capital
Places: park, library, Bonham Road, King’s College, China
letters when
Animals: duck, bird, dog, cow, fox, fish, elephant
the nouns are
Things: football, recorder, flower, clock, television
proper nouns.
Abstracts: braveness, happiness, lateness, power, love

2. Pronouns (Pron)
Pronouns are words that replace nouns and noun phrases. We use them when we already
know who and what is being referred to. Then, we do not need to repeat the same nouns
again and again. For example:
He His
Derek goes to King’s College every day. Derek is in Class 1D. Derek’s classmates are
him His They
friendly to Derek. Derek’s best friend is Stephen. Derek and Stephen are good friends.

3. Articles (Art)
There are two types of articles: indefinite articles (i.e. “a” and “an”) and the definite article
(i.e. “the”). We use them before nouns. For example,

I have an apple and a knife. I use the knife to cut the apples into pieces.

Chapter 1 Eight Parts of Speech Page 2


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
4. Adjectives (Adj)
Adjectives are words that tell us more about nouns, e.g. colour, shape, size, condition, etc.
We put them before nouns and nouns phrases or after verbs. For example,

Alvin is clever and smart. He does five challenging difficult Mathematics questions every
day. When he is free, he plays football with some friends.

5. Verbs (V)
Verbs are used to indicate what something or someone does or what happens to someone
or something. For example,

Michael plays the guitar every day. The guitar costs $3000. It is put in his studio.

6. Adverbs (Adv)
Adverbs tell you more about when, how or in what conditions something happened.
For example,

I rarely go to that restaurant because the waiters treat the customer badly.
Derek plays table tennis every day. He can play repeatedly for 3 hours.

Everyday (adj) ≠ Every day (adv)

7. Conjunctions (Conj)
Conjunctions join words, phrases and sentences together. After joining the words, phrases
or sentences, some of the words are left out. For example,

Ducks are animals. Chickens are animals. Æ Ducks and chickens are animals.
Is this dress purple? Is this dress red? Æ Is this dress purple or red?
I have a book. I have no pencil. Æ I have a book but no pencil.

8. Prepositions (Prep)
Prepositions show or talk about time, location and movement. For example,

Miss Lowe arrives at school before 8:10 a.m. Then she has to go upstairs to go back to
her office. At 8:30 a.m., she has a short meeting with other teachers.

Chapter 1 Eight Parts of Speech Page 3


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
C. Practices
Exercise I
Look at the following words. Which parts of speech are they? Write the words in the
spaces provided. You may use a dictionary to help you.

1. late ___________ 13. Japan ___________


2. your ___________ 14. or ___________
3. today ___________ 15. with ___________
4. we ___________ 16. I ___________
5. Derek ___________ 17. to ___________
6. buy ___________ 18. because ___________
7. belong ___________ 19. super ___________
8. that ___________ 20. swim ___________
9. beauty ___________ 21. supermarket ___________
10. peacefully ___________ 22. everyday ___________
11. behind ___________ 23. the ___________
12. great ___________ 24. of ___________

Exercise II
Read the following sentences. Write the parts of speech of the underlined words in the
blanks. The first one has been done for you.

e.g. She is so happy. Pronoun Adjective


1. The shop is closed. ___________ ___________
2. There is a musical fountain. ___________ ___________
3. I read comics every day. ___________ ___________
4. The bank is opposite the museum. ___________ ___________
5. Stephen plays the flute skillfully. ___________ ___________
6. Sam is good at karate. ___________ ___________
7. Chinese lives in China. ___________ ___________
8. I was scared so I ran fast. ___________ ___________
9. When the bell rings, I go to the hall. ___________ ___________
10. Where is the car going? ___________ ___________
11. A boy is eating an apple-pie. ___________ ___________
12. Some students are absent today. ___________ ___________
13. These books are interesting and fun. ___________ ___________
14. Thank you very much! ___________ ___________

Chapter 1 Eight Parts of Speech Page 4


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 2 Simple Sentence Structure

A. Introduction
Sentences are formed by words. We use sentences to express facts and opinions. A full
sentence always has two basic elements – a subject and a verb. There are different
sentence patterns. Common sentence elements and patterns are introduced below.

B. Sentence Elements
1. Subject (S)
A subject comes before a verb and tells is who or what does something.
For example, The boys are playing football.

2. Verb (V)
A verb says what something or someone does or what happened to that someone or
something, e.g. play, speak, sit, want ,think, cost.

3. Object (O)
An object comes after a verb and is involved in or affected by the action of the verb.
For example, Derek hit Stephen.

4. Adverb (A)
An adverb tells you more about when, how or in what conditions something happened.
For example, Calvin runs slowly.

C. Sentence Patterns
1. Subject + Verb (S + V)
David sleeps.

2. Subject + Verb + Object/ Direct Object (S + V + O)


Kelvin bought a jacket.

3. Subject + Verb + Indirect Object + Direct Object (S + V + IO + DO)


Edgar bought me a camera.
OR
Subject + Verb + Direct Object + Preposition + Indirect Object
Edgar gave his camera to Derek.

Chapter 2 Simple Sentence Structure Page 5


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
4. Subject + Verb + Adverb (S + V + A)
Victor cries loudly.

5. Subject + Verb + Object + Adverb (S + V + O + A)


Calvin is reading a book funnily.

D. Practice
Exercise I
There are some mistakes in each of the following statements. Make them correct by adding
or deleting words. Then rewrite them in the spaces provided. The first one has been done
for you.
e.g. He loves. He loves sports.
1. She likes the .
2. The pen blue.
3. My is lost.
4. I you a book.
5. I a book.
6. They the piano well.
7. We dinner happily.
8. He she watched a.

Exercise II
Put the words below in the correct order to form sentences. Use the information in
brackets to help you. Then write them in the blanks. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. love / my/ cooking/ mum (S + V + O)
My mum loves cooking.
1. a / bought / Edgar / for / her / camera (S + V + DO + Prep + IO)

2. peacefully / sings / Teresa (S + V + A)

3. does / Japanese / know / Derek / not (S + V + O)

4. and / swim / ducks / quack / the (S + V)

5. Kel / barks / the / at / dog (S + V + O + A)

6. Chinese / us / Miss Lowe / teaches (S + V + IO + DO)

Chapter 2 Simple Sentence Structure Page 6


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 3 The Simple Present

A. Introduction
When we talk about permanent situations, or about things that happen regularly or all
the time (not just around now), we usually use the simple present. We can also use time
words and adverbs of frequency with the simple present to talk about habits

B. Common usages
1. Talking about facts which are always true
Facts are things that are always true. We use the simple present to talk about facts which
are always true. For example, The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

Past Future

Now
2. Talking about facts which are true now but might change
We also use the simple present to talk about facts which are true now but might change.
For example, Derek is twelve years old. He goes to King’s College.

Past Future

1997 Now 2017


(Although Derek is twelve years old now, he was two years old in 1997 and he will be
twenty-two years old in 2017. The fact that he is twelve years old will change.)

3. Talking about habits


Habits are things that we do regularly. We use the simple present to talk about habits.
For example, Austin practices swimming every day. He often swims fast.

Past Future

The day before Yesterday Today Tomorrow The day after


yesterday tomorrow

(Austin swam on the day before yesterday and yesterday. He swims today. He will swim
tomorrow and on the day after tomorrow. Then, swimming becomes his everyday habit.)

Chapter 3 The Simple Present Page 7


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
C. Positive and Negative Statements
1. Verb “to be”
We form statements in the simple present with the verb “to be” like this.
Subject Verb to be
We usually use contractions
am/ ’m
I (short forms) when we speak.
am not/ ’m not twelve.
are/ ’re happy.
You/ We/ They
are not/ aren’t free.
is/ ’s
He/ She/ It
is not/ isn’t
2. Verb “to do”
We form statements in the simple present with the verb “to do” like this.
Subject Verb to do Object
I like
dogs.
You/ We/ They do not like/ don’t like
sports.
likes
He/ She/ It dancing.
does not like/ doesn’t like

3. Verb “to have”


We form statements in the simple present with the verb “to have” like this.
Subject Verb to have Object
I have
a mobile phone.
You/ We/ They do not have/ don’t have
a book.
has
He/ She/ It short hair.
does not have/ doesn’t have

D. Spelling
We spell verbs in the third person singular like this.
Verbs You should… Examples
Most verbs +s work → works stay → stays
Ending in a constant + y - y & + ies cry → cries reply → replies
miss → misses push → pushes
Ending in –s, -z, -ch, -sh, -x + es buzz → buzzes fix → fixes
watch → watches
go → goes have → has
Exceptions
do → does

Chapter 3 The Simple Present Page 8


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
E. Forming questions and short answers
1. Verb “to be”
We form questions and short answers in the simple present with the verb “to be” like this.
We usually give short answers to yes/ no-questions.
I am.
Am I Yes, you/ we/ they are.
twelve?
he/ she/ it is.
Are you/ we/ they busy?
I am not/ ’m not.
tired?
Is he/ she/ it No, you/ we/ they are not/ aren’t.
he/ she/ it is not/ isn’t.

2. Verb “to do”


We form questions and short answers in the simple present with the verb “to do” like this.
I
do.
I Yes, you/ we/ they
cats?
Do he/ she/ it does.
you/ we/ they like reading?
I
swimming? do not/ don’t.
Does he/ she/ it No, you/ we/ they
he/ she/ it does not/ doesn’t.

F. Adverbs of Frequency
1. Adverbs of definite frequency
We use adverbs of definite frequency when we want to talk about things that happen
regularly. They exactly show how often things happen. We usually put these adverbs at the
end of the sentence. We sometimes put them at the beginning of a sentence for emphasis.
Who/ What? What happens? How often?
I go to King’s College every school day.
Austin writes his diary every night.
Edgar and Derek go shopping together every holiday.
Our school has a Speech Day every year.
We also use adverbs of definite frequency when we want to talk about things that happen a
certain number of times in a day, week, month, etc.
Who/ What? What happens? How often?
William reads newspaper once a day. Once = one time
Daniel has a French lesson once a week. Twice = two times
Stephen sells flags twice a month.
Our class has regular meeting three times a term.

Chapter 3 The Simple Present Page 9


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
2. Adverbs of indefinite frequency
We use adverbs of indefinite frequency when we do not know exactly how often
something happens or we do not want to say. We usually put the adverbs between the
subject and the main verb in a sentence, but we put them after the verb “to be”.
How often? Examples
100% always I am always very busy on Saturdays.
usually He usually has lunch with his classmates.
often Jonathan often plays PSP.
generally Lawrence generally goes home later.
sometimes They are sometimes helpful to teachers.
seldom/ rarely She seldom/ rarely sleeps after ten.
0% never I never go swimming in winter.

G. Practices
Exercise I
Complete the passage below using the correct form of the verbs in the brackets.
Stephen always (1) (get up) at seven o’clock. Then he (2) (wash)
(3) (4)
his face. When he (have) breakfast, his baby brother Derek
(5)
(wake up). He sometimes (cry) loudly. Stephen usually (6) (kiss)
(7)
Derek before he (say) goodbye to him in the morning. Since Stephen does
(8)
not want to (miss) the school bus, he always (9) (leave) home
(10)
so early. He usually (arrive) at school on time.
Exercise II
The passage below is Edgar’s evening. Complete it using the correct form of the verbs in
the word box. Then write the words in the blanks.
cook finish drive be have dislike love
practice read switch talk think prepare watch

My evening by Edgar
(1)
I usually home at half past six. Every evening, I (2)
driving with Daniel. We usually (3) about 8000 km. I (4)
driving fast but Daniel (5) driving fast. He (6) it is too
dangerous. After we (7) driving, we go home. Then I (8)
dinner and (9) bowls and dishes. Then I (10) dinner with
Daniel and Alice. She usually (11) on the TV and (12) The
(13) (14)
Evening Show. Daniel usually a book or to me.

Chapter 3 The Simple Present


Page 10
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Complete the interview below using the correct form of the verbs “to be” or “to do”.
An Interview with Susanna Ng
Interviewer: Hello, Susanna. (1) your Chinese name Ng Siu-ting?
Susanna Ng: Yes, it is. However. Most people call me Susanna these days.
(2)
Interviewer: birthday 14th July 1978?
Susanna Ng: Yes, it is. You know a lot about me. (3) you a fan?
Interviewer: Yes, I am. I love all your songs.
(4)
Susanna Ng: you like my new song?
(5)
Interviewer: Yes, I do. it popular in Hong Kong?
Susanna Ng: Yes, it is. It’s also very popular in Taiwan.
(6)
Interviewer: you have lots of friends in Taiwan? (7)
they know about your films too?
Susanna Ng: Yes, they do. My fans in Taiwan are very nice. They know a lot about me
and my films. When I go to Taiwan, I always see Edgar, one of my fans.
Interviewer: (8) you like being famous? (9) you happy?
(10)
Susanna Ng: Wow! Those are difficult questions. you want me to
answer them?
Interviewer: No, you don’t. (11) you hungry? (12) you
want to have lunch with me and my sister?
Susanna Ng: Sure. (13) she nice? (14) she like Italian
food. I know a great pizza restaurant.
Interviewer: She’s very nice and she loves pizza. (15) you ready. Let’s go.
Exercise IV
Michael wrote two paragraphs about his friend. There is one mistake in each line. Help
Michael correct the mistakes. Underline a word that is incorrect and write the correct
word above it.
I am two good friends at school. One is called Alvin and the other is called David.
Alvin is a clever boy. He always does well and get very high marks in tests. He is
a member of the Mathematics Club. David are not very good at schoolwork but he
is very good at sports. He am a member of the school tennis team and football
team. He have to practice after school every day so he is very fit.
Both Alvin and David are very helpful and kind to me. Alvin always teach me
how to do my math homework and David always practice football with me. I
think I is really lucky to have these two friends. I am really happy when we meet.
I hopes we can be both friends and classmates next year.

Chapter 3 The Simple Present Page 11


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise V
David has a lot of questions. Complete his conversation using the adverbs of frequency.
always usually often sometimes seldom rarely never

David: How often does it rain in Hong Kong?


Jonas: Well, it (1) rains in summer. Summer is very wet.
(2)
However, it rains in winter.
David: How often does it snow?
Jonas: It (3) gets very cold in February but it (4)
snows in Hong Kong.
David: What do you do on Saturday morning?
Jonas: Every Saturday morning, I play football with Michael. We (5)
play football in Wan Chai but we (6) play in Sai Ying Pun.
(7)
We play in Hong Kong Island as we both live there.
David: What do you do on Sunday mornings?
Jonas: That’s easy! I (8) go to a dim sum restaurant in Central
with my family. My grandmother and grandfather (9)
come with us but they don’t come every Sunday. They (10)
eat dim sum with their friends.
David: Thank you very much!
Jonas: You’re welcome.

Exercise VI
How often do you do the following things? Try to use the adverbs of definite frequency and
answer the questions in full sentences in the spaces provided. Tell the truth!
1. How often do you go to a dim sum restaurant?

2. How often do you tidy up your room?

3. How often do you buy new clothes or shoes?

4. How often do you go to the Study Group?

5. How often do you do volunteer service?

6. How often do you go out with your friends?

Chapter 3 The Simple Present Page 12


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 4 Personal Pronouns

A. Introduction
In chapter 1, we have learnt that pronouns are words that replace nouns and noun phrases.
Then, we do not need to repeat the same nouns again and again. We have also learnt what
“subject” and “object” are in chapter 2. In this chapter, personal pronouns are introduced.
There are two types of personal pronouns, subject and object pronouns. For example:

He ←(Subject pronoun) (Object pronoun)→ him


Derek goes to King’s College. Derek is in Class 1D. His classmates are friendly to Derek.

B. Personal Pronouns
1. Subject Pronouns
Pronouns that act as subjects are called subject pronouns. They usually come before verbs.
There are singular and plural subject pronouns.
Singular Examples Plural Examples
I I love English. we We dislike Physics.
you You are my classmate. you You are my classmates.
he/ she/ it He/ She/ It is nice. they They are boys.

“I” is always written “You” is both a singular and


with a capital letter. a plural subject pronoun.

¾ We use “it” for things. For example, There is a pen. It is purple.

¾ We use “it” for animals that are not pets or when we do not know if an animal is male
or female. For example, There is a cat. It is meowing.

¾ We use “it” in sentences that refer to a fact, an event or a situation.


For example, Our passports were lost. It made our holiday impossible.

¾ We also use “it” as a meaningless subject with expressions that refer to time, weather,
temperature or distances. For example,

It is three fifteen. It is thirty degrees Celsius.


It is raining now. It is ten metres from our school.

Page 13
Chapter 4 Personal Pronouns
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
2. Object Pronouns
Pronouns that act as objects are called object pronouns. They usually come after verbs or
prepositions. There are singular and plural object pronouns.
Singular Examples Plural Examples
me Please look at me. us Miss Lowe teaches us.
you Mum punishes you. you I can help you.
him/ her/ it Don’t talk to him/ her/ it. them Jenny knows them.

C. Practices
Exercise I
Underline the pronouns. Write “S” if the pronoun is a subject pronoun. Write “O” if the
pronoun is an object pronoun. Write who or what each pronoun refers in brackets. The
first one has been done for you.
S (Michael)
Michael: Are you a member of the Chess Club, Chris?
Chris: No, I’m not. However, David joined it last week. He enjoys playing chess.

He’s very good at it. We sometimes play together but I always lose.

Michael: I like playing chess, Chris. We can play together. I can help you to beat him.

Chris: Thank you!

Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with suitable subject or object pronouns.
1. I saw Jenny yesterday. looked very healthy.
2. Miss Cheng is sick. Miss Lee substitutes for these week.
3. I have bought some sweets. are sweet.
4. Look at those boys over there. Do know ?
5. There is a duster. can use to clean the blackboard.
6. is eight degree Celsius now. is too cold here.
7. The children are sitting at the table. Their mother is looking at ____________
through the window. enjoys looking at .
8. Derek has a few stamps. gives to John.
9. Edgar is a dog. always barks so his owner punishes .
10. We spoke to you when saw yesterday.
11. When have finished your homework, please pass to
the front now. If cannot hand in now, see me later
12. William is 183 cm tall. Stephanie is 160 cm tall. is taller than .

Chapter 4 Personal Pronouns Page 14


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Alvin and his friends are talking about school clubs. Complete their conversation using
the correct subject or object pronouns.
Alvin: Hi, Kelvin. Hi, Austin. Are (1) busy?
(2) (3)
Kelvin: Yes, are. need to design this board.
(4)
Alvin: Is about the Astronomy Club?
(5)
Kelvin: Yes. Do want to join (6) ?
(7)
Alvin: am not sure. I’m interested in the Astronomy Club and
the Drama Club. However, I want to find out more about (8) .
Austin: I also want to know more about school clubs. My brother knows a lot
about (9) . Let (10) ask (11)
to help (12) .
Alvin: That’s a great idea. Where is (13) ?
(14)
Austin: usually plays basketball at lunchtime with his friends.
Follow (15) . (16) know where he is.

Exercise IV
Read the conversation below and complete it by filling in the blanks with suitable subject
or object pronouns.
Andrew Hi, Alan! How was the basketball game yesterday?
Alan: Great! (1) was a lot of fun.
Andrew Who won?
Alan: Of course (1) did. (1) played against the
(1) (1)
Tigers. played well, but we beat 86
(1)
to 78. So, where are going?
Andrew I’m going to meet Ben and Calvin at the Pacific Cinema. (1)
are going to see X Files II. Have you ever met Ben?
Alan: Ben Chau? Yes, I know (1) , but who is Calvin?
(1)
Andrew is my cousin.
Alan: Hmm… no, I’ve never met (1) .
(1)
Andrew Well then, come and see the film with . I can introduce
(1)
to (1) . I’m sure you’ll like him.
(1)
Alan: Well, I’d like to, but haven’t got my wallet. Can you
(1)
lend some money for the film ticket? promise I’ll pay
you back.
Andrew Sure, no problem. Come on!

Chapter 4 Personal Pronouns Page 15


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 5 The Simple Past

A. Introduction
We use the simple past to talk about things that happened in the past and are now finished.
We often use the simple past with time words. We can put time words at the beginning or
at the end of a sentence when we want to emphasise the time.

B. Common Usages
1. Talking about past actions
Past actions are things that happened in the past. We use the simple past to talk about past
actions that are short and quickly finished.
For example, Cherry went to the hospital last Sunday. Lawrence was sick yesterday.

Past Future

Last Yesterday Now


Sunday
2. Talking about long situations in the past
We use the simple past to talk about long situations that lasted for a period of time in the
past. For example, I spent three months in Japan.

Past Future

March April May Now

3. Describing stories
We use the simple past to describe stories. For example,

One day/ Once upon a time, there was a king called William. He lived in his castle. He
ruled a city. Everyone had to follow his orders. However, he did not have a queen.

Past Future

One day/ Once upon a time Now

Chapter 5 The Simple Past Page 16


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
C. Positive and Negative Statements
1. Verb “to be”
We form statements in the simple past with the verb “to be” like this.
Subject Verb to be
I was ’s = is ≠ was
happy.
He/ She/ It was not/ wasn’t ’re = are ≠ were
at school.
were
You/ We/ They at home.
were not/ weren’t

2. Verb “to do”


We form statements in the simple past with the verb “to do” like this.
Subject Verb to do Object
I shopping.
went
You/ We/ They to school.
did not/ didn’t go
He/ She/ It home.

D. Forming questions and short answers


1. Verb “to be”
We form questions and short answers in the simple past with the verb “to be” like this.
I
was.
he/ she/ it
Yes,
I
Was stupid? you/ we/ they were.
he/ she/ it
healthy?
I
Were you/ we/ they clever? was not/ wasn’t.
he/ she/ it
No,
you/ we/ they were not/ weren’t.

2. Verb “to do”


We form questions and short answers in the simple past with the verb “to do” like this.
I
I Yes, you/ we/ they did.
breakfast?
he/ she/ it
Did you/ we/ they have lunch?
I
dinner?
he/ she/ it No, you/ we/ they did not/ didn’t.
he/ she/ it

Chapter 5 The Simple Past Page 17


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
E. Spelling
1. Regular Verbs
A regular verb is a verb which has an “ed” ending for its simple past tense form. We form
the simple past tense of regular verbs like this.
Verbs You should… Examples
show → showed wait → waited
Most verbs + ed
work → worked stay → stayed
arrive → arrived hope → hoped
Ending in - e +d
decide → decided like → liked
hurry → hurried cry → cried
Ending in a constant + y - y & + ied
study → studied tidy → tidied
Ending in - c + ked picnic → picnicked
Some verbs ending in a double the plan → planned stop → stopped
single constant constant & + ed refer → referred step → stepped
travel → travelled (British English/ B.E.)
“Travel” has two simple past tense forms.
travel → traveled (American English/ A.E.)

2. Irregular Verbs
An irregular verb is a verb which does not have an “ed” ending for its simple past tense
form. We form the simple past tense of irregular verbs like this.
Ways Examples
cut → cut read → read split → split
Some verbs keep the same spelling.
quit → quit shut → shut cost → cost
drink → drank sit → sat wake → woke
Some verbs change the vowel(s).
drive → drove win → won write → wrote
make → made lend → lent send → sent
Some verbs change the constant(s).
build → built spend → spent bend → bent
break → broke leave → left take → took
Some verbs change completely.
sleep → slept stand → stood say → said
Some verbs delete the vowel(s). hide → hid meet → met shoot → shot

3. Special Verbs
Some verbs are both regular and irregular verbs. You can use either one.
Examples
burn → burned/ burnt smell → smelled/ smelt
learn → learned/ learnt hang → hanged/ hung

Chapter 5 The Simple Past Page 18


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
G. Practices
Exercise I
Write the simple past tense of the verbs given in the spaces provided.
1. be 2. light 3. hear 4. sing 5. sting 6. swim
7. dig 8. hit 9. grow 10. steal 11. teach 12. bring
13. eat 14. rewrite 15. lead 16. go 17. meet 18. sell
19. feel 20. find 21. lie 22. catch 23. think 24. hurt
25. give 26. wind 27. lay 28. tell 29. do 30. kneel
31. fly 32. cry 33. cost 34. agree 35. have 36. picnic

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18.
19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30.
31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36.

Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Police Report: Jewellery Robbery (No. 255A)


A robbery (1) (take) place at a shop in Tsim Sha Tsui last night. A car
(2)
(stop) outside the Wai Leung Jewellery Shop and two men (3)
(get) out. Witnesses (4) (say) both men (5) (be) short and stout
(6) (7)
and (wear) masks. One witness (think) he (8)
(see) a gun in the car.
One of the men (9) (have) a large rock in his hand. He (10)
(throw) the rock at the shop window and (11) (break) it. Then, the other man
(12)
(grab) the jewellery from the window and (13) (put) it in the
front seat of the car.
Most of the witnesses (14) (stand) quietly and (15) (watch)
(16)
the robbers, but one brave boy called Steven (run) to a telephone box
(17) (18)
and (call) the police. Steven (give) the robbers’ car
(19)
registration number to the police. He also told what the car (look) like.
(20)
The robbers (drive) way quickly. Because of Steven’s telephone
(21)
call, the police soon (catch) the robbers.

Chapter 5 The Simple Past Page 19


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
The postcard below is sent by Austin to Derek. Complete it using the correct simple past
tense form of the verbs in the word box. You can use the verbs more than once.
arrive be enjoy rain have stay
visit walk watch try on play talk

9th January, 2007


Hi Derek
Guess what? I’m in Paris at the moment. My family and I (1) here
yesterday. Last night, we (2) in a very expensive hotel. Our rooms
(3) (4)
very comfortable. There a big TV in my
room so I (5) lots of films. Some of the films (6)
French. I (7) watching the French films. My parents (8)
TV, too. After that, they (9) with Kelvin.
(10)
This morning, it for a few hours so I (11) some
computer games. After lunch, we all (12) to a shopping centre. We
(13) (14)
some clothes. We also to some French.
Later, we (15) the Eiffel Tower. We (16) the Louvre
(17)
because we not enough time.
See you soon.
Austin
Exercise IV
Form questions and short answers using the words in brackets. Then write them in the
spaces provided. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. (Alvin/ visit/ the Eiffel Tower/ Yes) Did Alvin visit the Eiffel Tower? Yes, he did.
1. (Derek/ be/ tired/ last night/ Yes)

2. (Christopher/ play/ basketball/ No)

3. (Andrew/ buy/ some souvenirs/ No)

4. (Mum and Dad/ have/ lunch/ together/ Yes)

5. (Stephen/ like/ eating snails/ Yes)

6. (David/ be/ busy/ for/ his homework/ No)

7. (Edgar/ enjoy/ swimming/ No)

8. (Austin/ be/ born on/ 16 Jan/ Yes)


Chapter 5 The Simple Past
Page 20
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 6 Possessives

A. Introduction
Possessive is a kind of pronoun. There are three types of possessives, possessive nouns,
possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns. They answer the question “Whose?”.When
we want to show that something belongs to someone or something, we use possessives.

B. Possessive Nouns
We use possessive nouns to show that something belongs to someone. We put possessive
nouns before a noun or noun phrase. For example, Edgar is David’s classmate.

We form possessive nouns in the following ways.


Nouns You should… Examples
Most singular nouns + ’s the teacher’s desk a student’s tie
Regular plural nouns +’ a boys’ school the ladies’ handbags
Irregular plural nouns + ’s children’s books men's toilet
Most names + ’s Stephen’s keys Silvia’s sunglasses
Names ending in –s +’ Dennis’ basketball James’ wallet

When we are talking about things, we usually form the possessive by using a combination
of “noun + of + noun”. For example, Harry Potter is the title of the book.
C. Possessive Adjectives
We use possessive adjectives to show that something belongs to someone or something.
We put possessive adjectives before a noun or noun phrase. We can add the word “own”
after a possessive adjective to emphasise the idea of possession.
Possessive
Singular Plural Male Female Examples
Adjectives
my 9 9 9 I have my own room.
your 9 9 9 9 Lend me your pencil.
our 9 9 9 This is our class photo.
their 9 9 9 Their books are new.
his 9 9 His dog is barking.
her 9 9 She has her own bag.
its 9 9 9 He hurts its leg.

Chapter 6 Possessives Page 21


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
D. Possessive Pronouns
We use possessive pronouns to show that something belongs to someone or something.
Unlike possessive adjectives, we use possessive pronouns without a noun or noun phrase.
Possessive adjectives Possessive pronouns
This is my pen. This pen is mine.
That is your seat. That seat is yours.
These are our books. These books are ours.
Those are their sweets. Those sweets are theirs.
These are his sunglasses. These sunglasses are his.
This is her album. This album is hers.
This is its kennel. Notice that there is NO possessive pronoun for “it”.

E. Practices
Exercise I
Rewrite the expressions below using the apostrophe. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. The footballs of the men The men’s footballs
1. The toys of the children
2. The beak of the bird
3. The mirror of Agnes
4. The shoes of the babies
5. The Open Day of the school
6. The eyes of the owl
7. The bottle of Mr Hsu
8. The eggs of hens

Exercise II
Fill in the blanks using the suitable possessive adjectives.
Teresa and her friend Jacky went to Tung Chung for a day trip. On the way, Teresa
(1)
lost camera. She was very sad. She turned to Jacky and said, “Have you
(2)
seen camera?” “No. I haven’t seen (3) camera, Teresa,”
Jacky replied. They began to look around the MTR carriage for the camera. Suddenly
Teresa saw a black object near a man’s legs. “Look! I can see (4) camera. It
is near (5) legs!” Teresa cried, pointing at the man. Jacky nodded. Teresa
(6)
asked the man to move legs so she could get back (7)
camera. “Great! You’ve found (8) camera,” Jacky smiled. “Hang the
(9)
camera around neck. We are lucky enough to get (10)
camera back this time but not next time. We can’t afford to lose (11) camera.”

Chapter 6 Possessives Page 22


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Read the diary entry below. There is one mistake in each numbered line. Correct the
mistakes. Underline a word that is incorrect and write the correct word above it. Mark the
position of a missing word with a ‘^’ and write the missing word above it.
Dear Diary
1 Yesterday mine friends and I went to Ocean Park. We invited our classmates,

2 Sunny, because it was birthday. We all bought him a small present. Mine was

3 a pen. Kenny bought him a jigsaw puzzle and Daniel got hers a mug.

4 We gave our presents to Sunny and sang him a birthday song in the cable car.

5 She was very happy. Next Thursday is my birthday. I wonder if my friends

6 Will surprise I too.

Exercise IV
Complete the conversation using the correct personal pronouns and possessives.
Edgar: Steven and David, there are a lot of things. (1) have to
(2) (3)
tidy up today. two should help me
(4)
if you are friends.
(5)
Steven: Yes, are right! Edgar, do (6) know
(7)
whose coat is this? Is Daniel’s coat?
(8)
Edgar: No, it isn’t . His coat is blue. (9) has a
(10)
big picture of a dog on the back. think it’s Michael’s.
(11)
David: Yes, I agree. is purple. Give it to (12) .I
(13)
have a lesson with later.
(14)
Edgar: Then whose pens are these? Are they , Steven?
(15) (16)
Steven: Yes, they belong to . Look! names
(17)
are on .
David: This black ball pen is not (18) . There isn’t (19)
name on (20) .
(21)
Steven: Oh, I see. I borrowed from Derek last Friday because
I did not bring one to the school. I should return it to (22) .
(23)
David: Whose bag is this? There is no name on nametag.
(24)
Steven: Are sure? Look at here. Here is a name on the back of
(25)
the nametag. It is .
(26)
Edgar: It is . I will take it home. Leave it first.

Chapter 6 Possessives Page 23


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 7 The Present Continuous

A. Introduction
When we want to show actions that are happening right now or going on at the time of
speaking, we use the present continuous. We often use the present continuous with time
expressions at the beginning or ending of a sentence.

B. Common Usages
1. Talking about what is happening right now
We use the present continuous to talk about actions that are happening right now.
For example, I am doing homework at the moment. You are watching TV right now.

Past Future

Now
2. Talking about temporary situations
We also use the present continuous to talk about temporary situations.
For example, At present, Uncle Hui is staying at the King’s Hotel.

Past Future

Last month Now Next month


3. Describing photographs and pictures
We use the present continuous to describe photographs and pictures. For example,

In the photo, Mum and Dad are eating happily. They are also talking with each other.

C. Positive and Negative Statements


We form positive statements in the present continuous like this.
Subject Verb to be Present Participle
I am/ ’m eating.
You/ We/ They are/ ’re reading.
He/ She/ It is/ ’s sleeping.

Chapter 7 The Present Continuous Page 24


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
We form negative statements in the present continuous like this.
Subject Verb to be Present Participle
I am not/ ’m not drinking.
You/ We/ They are not/ aren’t talking.
He/ She/ It is not/ isn’t driving.

D. Spelling
When we use the present continuous, we use the verb “to be” and the present participle of
the main verb. We form the present participle of verbs like this.
Verbs You should… Examples
Most verbs + ing drink → drinking eat → eating
Ending in – e - e + ing take → taking write → writing
Ending in – ie - ie + y + ing run → running swim → swimming
Some verbs ending in a double the
die → dying lie → lying
single constant constant & + ing

E. Forming questions and short answers


We form questions and short answers in the present continuous like this.
I am.
Am I Yes, you/ we/ they are.
sleeping?
he/ she/ it is.
Are you/ we/ they standing?
I am not/ ’m not.
raining?
Is he/ she/ it No, you/ we/ they are not/ aren’t.
he/ she/ it is not/ isn’t.
F. Non-progressive Verbs
Non-progressive verbs are not usually used in the present continuous, even when they
describe a situation or action that exists at the moment of speaking. Look at the following
list of common non-progressive verbs.
agree like believe see
love suppose promise feel
prefer think appear hate
understand imagine look want
know remember mean wish
hear smell seem taste
sound feel surprise need
be belong own fit

Chapter 7 The Present Continuous Page 25


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
G. Practices
Exercise I
Complete the descriptions of the photos below using the correct form of the verbs in the
word box. You can use them not more than twice.
eat Hold lie not have not listen rain read
shine Sit stand swim talk wait wear

This is a picture of Calvin. He (1)


in front of Big Ben. He (2) to his
(3)
mum. Daisy on a wall. She
(4)
ice cream and
(5)
a book.

This is Daisy and her friend Christine. They


(6)
in the hotel pool. The sun
(7)
and it is very hot. Mum and
(8)
Dad on sunbeds. Mum
(9)
to Dad but (10) .

(11)
This is Mum and Dad. They for
a bus. It (12) hard. They (1)
umbrellas and (13) raincoats but they
are still wet. They (14) a good time.

Exercise II
Complete the sentences below using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the
simple present or the present continuous. The first two have been done for you.
1. I (e.g. 1) am getting/ ’m getting (get) a pen. The pen (e.g. 2) is (be) on that desk.
2. I (1) (watch) television at the moment. The programme (2) (be)

very interesting. Kelly (3) (sing) and some people (4) (dance) well.

I (5) (like) Kelly a lot.

3. My Chemistry teacher Miss Kong (6) (give) us a lot of homework every day. I
(7)
(do) my Chemistry homework right now. It (8) (be) very

difficult. I (9) (spend) all my efforts to (10) (finish) the homework.

Chapter 7 The Present Continuous Page 26


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Complete the letter below using the correct form of the verbs in brackets. Use the simple
present or the present continuous. Some of the verbs are negative.
Dear Edgar

Thank you for the interesting postcard from London. I (1) (be) in Australia
(2)
at the moment with my family. We (visit) Uncle Austin and Auntie Jane.
(3)
They (live) in Brisbane. Uncle Austin (4) (work) in a school.
(5) (6)
He (be) a teacher. Auntie Jane (be) a nanny of her
(7)
neighbours. However, they (work) today because it is Sunday.

I (8) (sit) in the garden at the moment. My aunt and uncle (9)
(have) a pool in their garden. Mum and Dad (10) (swim) in the pool
(11) (12)
now. They (laugh) and (shout) very loudly. I think they
(13)
(have) fun.

Uncle Austin (13) (have) a big dog called Kel. Kel (14) (look) at
(15) (16)
me at the moment. I think he (want) me to (play) with
(17) (18)
him. He (know) that I (be) frightened of big dogs!

Bye for now

Derek

Chapter 7 The Present Continuous Page 27


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 8 Articles

A. Introduction
In chapter 1, we have learned that articles are the words “a”, “an” and “the”. We often use
articles in front of a noun. There are two types of articles. “A” and “an” are called
indefinite articles. “The” is called the definite article.

B. Indefinite Articles
Indefinite articles are used with singular countable nouns. They have the meaning “one”.
For example, Eric is a boy. He eats an apple every day. We use indefinite articles to:
1. To say what something is
We use indefinite articles to say what something is, like a place and thing.
For example, That’s a hospital and this is an office block.

2. To say what someone does


We use indefinite articles to talk about a person’s occupation or job.
For example, My father is a librarian and my mother is an Art teacher.

3. To mention someone or something for the first time


When we mention someone or something for the first time, we use indefinite articles. In
this situation, the speaker does not say which someone or something it is and the listener
does not know which one it is. For example,

I have a new storybook. (The listener does not know which storybook it is. He only knows
that the speaker has one new storybook.)

It is in a library in Western District. (The listener does not know which library it is. He
only knows it is one library in Western District.)

4. To talk about one of a group of something


When we talk about one of a group of something, we use indefinite articles. For example,

I want to be an actor when I grow up. (“Actors” is a group of people.)

A tomato is a fruit. (“Tomato” is a kind of fruits.)

Chapter 8 Articles Page 28


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
We use “a” and “an” in different ways. It depends on which sounds that words or
abbreviations begin with. Look at the following table.
Indefinite articles Use Examples
a ¾ Words beginning with a doctor, a table, a university, a bottle
constant sounds
¾ Abbreviations beginning a CD, a DJ, a VCD, a KCR train
with constant sounds
an ¾ Words beginning with an orange, an air-conditioner, an hour
vowel sounds
¾ Abbreviations beginning an LRT, an MP3 player, an MTR station
with vowel sounds

C. Definite Article
We use the definite article “the” before both countable nouns and uncountable nouns to
talk about something specific. We use it when both the speaker and the listener know
exactly which someone or something being talked about.
For example, The sun is in the sky. We use definite article when:
1. Someone or something has been mentioned before
We use definite article when the same thing is mentioned again. For example,

Here is a camera. The camera is new. (When the camera is mentioned the second time,
the speaker uses “the” because both the speaker and the listener know it refers to the new
camera the speaker has.)

2. The situation makes it clear


We use definite article when the situation makes it clear which someone or something we
mean. For example,

The film was very interesting and standard. (Both the speaker and the listener went to see
the same film.)

Pass me the book. (The listener knows which book the speaker wants.)

3. Someone or something is the only one


We use definite article when there is only one of someone or something. For example,

The Chief Executive is on TV. The moon is very bright tonight.

Chapter 8 Articles Page 29


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
With most names of proper nouns, we do not use an article. However, with some nouns,
we need to add the definite article “the”. Look at the following table.
Use Examples
Some countries the People’s Republic of China (the PRC), the Philippines,
the United Kingdom(the UK), the United States of America(the USA)
Some geographical names the Artic, the Equator, the North Pole, the Sahara
Seas, oceans, rivers the South China Sea, the Pacific Ocean, the Yellow River
Mountain groups the Himalayas, the Andes, the Rockies, the Andes
Some places in Hong Kong the New Territories, the Hong Kong Museum of History, The Peak,
the Space Museum, the Cultural Centre, the University of Hong Kong
Some organizations the English Society, the Putonghua Club, the Social Service Group
Groups of people the rich, the poor, , the young, the elderly
Musical instruments the guitar, the flute, the harmonica, the drum
Ordinal numbers the first of September, the second time, the eleventh floor,

D. Practices
Exercise I
Say these letters with the indefinite article “a” or “an”. Then write the indefinite articles
in the blanks.
1 “A” 2 “B” 3 “C” 4 “D”
5 “E” 6 “F” 7 “G” 8 “H”
9 “I” 10 “J” 11 “K” 12 “L”
13 “M” 14 “N” 15 “O” 16 “P”
17 “Q” 18 “R” 19 “S” 20 “T”
21 “U” 22 “V” 23 “W” 24 “X”
25 “Y” 26 “Z”

Exercise II
Fill in the blanks with suitable article “a”, “an” or “the”.
(1)
1. butterfly is (2) insect.
(3) (4)
2. Nick is teacher. subject he teaches is Mathematics.
(5) (6)
3. author is person who writes books.
(7)
4. This is expensive watch. I bought from (8) shop in Nathan Road.
(9) (10)
5. earth moves around sun.
(11) (12)
6. There is old woman at the . She is carrying (13) basket of eggs.
7. Have you ever seen (14) horseshoe? It is shaped like (15) “U”.
(16) (17) (18)
8. There is old saying: tooth for tooth.

Chapter 8 Articles Page 30


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Michael has written two paragraphs about his school. He has missed out fourteen articles.
Read the paragraphs and help him insert the articles in the correct places with an arrow.

My school is very big. It has three special rooms. It has multimedia room, music room

and art room. The multimedia room and music room are on first floor and art room is

on second floor. My school also has playground and basketball court.

All of students in my school are very active. Most of them take part in different

extra-curricular activity every day. My school also organizes inter-form competition

every month. Sometimes we ask principal and our form teachers to be judges.

Exercise IV
Fill in the blanks with suitable articles where necessary; otherwise fill in with a cross.
Join (1) Outdoor Club!
(2)
Do you enjoy taking walk in (3) New Territories? Watching (4)
bird flying in (5) ? Having (6) barbecue under (7) stars? If you do,
maybe you should join (8) our club!
(9)
We organize outdoor activity almost every weekend! For example, this
Saturday we are planning (10) one-day hiking trip across (11) Hong Kong
(12)
Island: we are taking MTR to Quarry Bay, and then we are hiking from Tai
(13)
Tam Reservoir to Repulse Bay. It will be (14) lot of fun for everyone!
(15)
Our members can participate in hiking trip free.
If you want to become (16) member of (17) Outdoor Club, please contact
(18)
committee members Derek Hsu (6D) or Austin Hui (4E).

Chapter 8 Articles Page 31


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 9 There is/ are/ was/ were

A. Introduction
We can use “There …” to talk about the existence of someone or something in the present
and the past. It is formed in this way: There + the verb “to be” + a noun or noun phrase.

B. Common Usage
We use “There + the verb ‘to be’ + a noun or noun phrase” to talk about or ask questions
about the existence of someone or something. For example,

There is a big exhibition. There are lots of people at the exhibition.


Was there a lot of people there yesterday? There were 2000 people there yesterday.

C. Positive and Negative Statements


We form positive and negative statements with the structure “There …” like this.
Tense There Verb to be
is/ ’s
Simple milk in the fridge.
is not/ isn’t
Present There
are/ ’re
Tense some pencils in the box.
are not/ aren’t
was
Simple a bank in the shopping mall last year.
was not/ wasn’t
Past There
were
Tense lots of flowers in the garden.
were not/ weren’t
D. Forming questions and short answers
We form questions and short answers with the structure “There …” like this.
is/ ’s.
are/ ’re.
Yes, there
Is a roller coaster? was.
there
Are any cinemas? were.
Was a shop here in 1999? is not/ isn’t.
there
Were any seats in the park? are not/ aren’t.
No, there
was not/ wasn’t.
were not/ weren’t.

Chapter 9 There is/ are/ was /were Page 32


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
D. Important Notes
Do not write “there HAS”, “there HAVE” or “there HAD” when writing compositions! In
Cantonese, we often use the word “have” to perform this function. Students are reminded
of avoiding making this kind of mistakes. If they include these wrong expressions in their
compositions, the marker will definitely have a worse impression on their proficiency.

E. Practices
Exercise I
Complete the following conversation using the correct form of ‘there is’, ‘there are’, ‘there
was’ and ‘there were’.
Jenny: Oh! (1) a hole in my favourite Louis Vuttion school bag.
I need to buy a new one.
Silvia: Let’s go shopping after school and you can buy a new one.
Jenny: Where should we go shopping?
Silvia: We can go to Pacific Place.
Jenny: No, (2) an Louis Vuttion shop at Pacific Place, but
(3)
one at the IFC mall.
Silvia: I went there yesterday and I discovered that it was closed.
Jenny: Oh really? I think (4) another branch in the Landmark.
Silvia: Do you mean the Landmark in Central? A group of us went there last
Monday. Didn’t you come with us?
Jenny: No, I didn’t. Don’t you remember (5) a family dinner I
had to go to?
Silvia: Oh, that’s too bad because (6) a lot of sales at that time.
(7)
Jenny: Really? any advertisements about that in the
newspaper?
(8)
Silvia: a big crowd at the Landmark that day, but
(9)
any good items on sale.
Jenny: Oh well, then I didn’t miss anything. Can’t we go there anyway, besides
(10)
a restaurant there so we can have our lunch.
Silvia: Well, the restaurants at the Landmark are very expensive and always
full. (11) any economical restaurants near there instead?
Jenny: Of course, (12) .

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King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
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Exercise II
Read the following article. There are some words missing from it. Choose the best option
for each blank and circle the correct letter.

What (1) Students Think of Hong Kong’s Shopping Centre


A recent survey among the students in Hong Kong (2) that over ninety per cent of
students like shopping. More than fifty per cent of the students said that (3) was their
favourite pastime. Most students spend at least (4) hour a day in shopping centres.
However, they are not satisfied with the shopping centres in Hong Kong.

“(5) enough places to sit in most shopping centres,” said Amanda So, a Form 1 student
from Tsuen Wan. “In the past, (6) more space. These days, everywhere (7) very crowded.”

“A lot of shopping centres are very boring,” said Alvin Chau, (8) Form 3 student from
Sha Tin. “(9) some good ones – for example, I like New Town Plaza. However, most
shopping centres do not have enough attractions for teenagers.”

“I (10) that the most important feature of a shopping centre is its food court,” said Alan
Wan from the Chinese International School.” Why (11) larger food courts? At the
moment, most food court (12) too small.”

1 A do 2 A show 3 A they
B does B shows B it
C are C showing C them

4 A a 5 A There isn’t 6 A there was


B an B There aren’t B there were
C the C There weren’t C there will be

7 A be 8 A a 9 A There is
B was B an B There are
C is C the C There were

10 A think 11 A are there 12 A is


B thinks B isn’t there B are
C thought C aren’t there C be

Chapter 9 There is/ are/ was /were Page 34


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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Chapter 10 Information Questions

A. Introduction
There are two types of questions, yes/ no-questions and information questions. We have
learnt yes/ no-questions in the simple present, the simple past and the present continuous.
With a yes/ no-question, we want a “Yes” or “No” answer. With an information question,
we want more information. We will learn how to use question words (wh-words) and
question phrases to begin information questions in the simple present and the simple past.

B. Question Words
We use question words or wh-words, to ask information questions. We ask information
questions with different question words for different information.
Wh-word Purpose Example
What Ask about things What is your name?
When Ask about time When is your birthday?
Where Ask about places or positions Where is King’s College?
Which Ask about people or things of Which is the shortest way to go home?
a limited number
Who Ask about people Who is your best friend?
Whose Ask about possessions Whose is this?
Why Ask about reasons Why do you like playing football?
How Ask about in what ways How do you go to school?

C. Question Phrases
1. What/ Whose/ Which + a noun/ noun phrase
We can form information questions with question phrases “What/ Whose/ Which + a
noun/ noun phrase” if we want more specific information. For example,

What is it? What time is it?


Which do you like? Which colour do you like?
Whose are these? Whose books are these?

The answers to the first question (with question word) and the second questions (with
question phrase) may be different. However, “Whose” and “Which” can also be used on
their own if both the speaker and the listener know what they are talking about.

Chapter 10 Information Questions Page 35


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
2. How + a adjective/ adverb
We can form information questions with “How + a adjective/ adverb” to find out
information about people or things. For example, How tall is he? How fast can he run?
Some common question phrases ad their purposes are included in the following table.
Question phrases Purpose Example
How many Ask about countable quantity How many people are there?
How much Ask about uncountable amount How much money do you have?
How old Ask about age How old are you?
How often Ask about frequency How often do you go shopping?
How tall Ask about the height of people How tall are you?
How high Ask about the height of things How high is the mountain?
How heavy Ask about weight How heavy is an elephant?
How big Ask about size How big is your coat?
How long Ask about length of objects How long is this ruler?
Ask about length of time How long does a game last?
How far Ask about distance How far is it from here to there?

D. Forming Information Questions


1. Verb “to be”
We put question words at the beginning of an information question. We ask information
questions in the simple present and the simple past with the verb “to be” like this.
Question words Verb to be Subject
Where am I?
What are you? This question is
What is your favourite subject? asking about your
Who was your form teacher? occupation or job.
Why was he so angry?
Why were you late?
2. Verb “to do”
We ask information questions in the simple present and the simple past with question
words and the verb “to do” like this.
Question words do Subject Main verb
Where do you live?
What does she cook for dinner?
When did they go home?
Where did he buy this bag?

Chapter 10 Information Questions


Page 36
King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
E. Practices
Exercise I
Match the questions in Column A with the answers in Column B. Write the letters of the
answers from Column in the spaces provided in the Answers’ column.
Column A Answer Column B
1 What is your favourite pastime? 1 A It is 28-storey high.
2 Where is the Cathay Cinema? 2 B On Nathan Road.
3 How many cows did the farmer have? 3 C About fifty dollars.
4 What did the wind blow down? 4 D About thirty minutes.
5 How do you spell your name? 5 E Jonathan told me.
6 Which boy got the highest mark? 6 F Thirty- two cows.
7 How high is this building? 7 G Within today.
8 How long is the river? 8 H Playing the guitar.
9 How much does this cake cost? 9 I Matthew got it.
10 Who told you the news? 10 J Longer than a creek.
11 When can you finish your homework? 11 K It is spelt “D-a-v-i-d”.
12 How long do you take to go home? 12 L The trees in the garden.

Exercise II
Say the following questions and answers using a question word or question phrase and the
correct tense form of the verb “to be” or the helping verb “do”. Then fill in the blanks.
1. is your mother? She is a nurse.
2. you refuse to answer me? Because I… I was afraid.
3. King’s College open? In 1926.
4. Mary invite to her party? She invited the whole class.
5. this new born baby? It weights about 3 kg.
6. it from Bonham Road to High Not too far.
Street?
7. the cakes? They are delicious.
8. the lady standing there? She is the principal.
9. you want – coffee or tea? I want coffee, please.
10. the International Finance Center? It is in Central.
11. you go to church? I never go to church.
12. you go on holiday the previous I went to Vancouver.
summer holiday?
13. you in? I am in class 1B.
14. he sleep yesterday night? At 10 pm.

Chapter 10 Information Questions Page 37


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise III
Read the interview below and fill in the blanks using a question word or question phrase.
An Interview with Henry Cheung
Interviewer: Hello, Henry. (1) are you?
Henry Cheung: Fine, thanks.
(2)
Interviewer: do you like badminton?
Henry Cheung: I don’t know, really. I suppose it’s because it’s fast and exciting.
Interviewer: Maybe this is not very polite, but (3) are you?
Henry Cheung: I’m sixteen years old.
Interviewer: That’s quite young. (4) do you practice every day?
Henry Cheung: Oh, three hours a day. Maybe more at the weekend.
(5)
Interviewer: do you relax?
Henry Cheung: I relax on Sunday. That’s my only day off.
(6)
Interviewer: is your coach?
Henry Cheung: Christopher. He’s very good.
(7)
Interviewer: do you practice?
Henry Cheung: At the Shek Tong Tsui Sports Centre.
(8)
Interviewer: brand of sports equipment do you use?
Henry Cheung: Well, I use Kennex, mostly.
(9)
Interviewer: do you do when you’re not playing badminton?
Henry Cheung: Oh, I read a lot of books. I like reading.
(10)
Interviewer: else do you do?
Henry Cheung: I see films and go swimming.
Interviewer: Well, thank you very much for you time, Henry.
Henry Cheung: It’s my pleasure.

Exercise IV
Supply questions to the following statements, asking about the italic words. Begin each
question with suitable question word or phrase. The first one has been done for you.
e.g. (This is our teacher’s book.) Whose book is this?
1. (They go to Sha Tin by KCR.)

2. (The hunter shot the sanke.)

3. (I have spent $28 for lunch.)

4. (I go shopping with my mum.)

5. (He bought a new wallet because he lost one.)

Chapter 10 Information Questions Page 38


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

Chapter 11 Reading Skills


A. Introduction
Reading refers to the process of understanding written texts. In examinations, candidates
need to read different types of passages and answer a variety of questions. In this chapter,
you will learn important skills when reading a variety of written texts of different lengths.
Besides, you will understand more about the style of examination questions.

B. Skimming
When doing a reading exercise, students should take a moment to preview the text. This
process is called skimming. After skimming the text, you should know the:
1. Type of the text (a report, an informal letter, a formal letter, advertisement...)
2. Purpose of writing the text (to describe, to inform, to explain, to persuade...)
3. General content of the text (the main idea or topic of the text)

C. Scanning
Students should study the questions and then the text in more detail. They should look for
specific information that is required for answering the questions. This is called scanning.

D. Structure of a Paragraph
Most writing is divided into paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of sentences about one
idea or subject. We call this main idea or subject the topic of the paragraph. A paragraph
usually consists of the following parts:
1. Topic sentence
A topic sentence is the heart of a paragraph. It is often the first sentence in the paragraph
and acts as a sort of signpost. It tells you what the paragraph is going to be about.

2. Supporting sentences
The other sentences in a paragraph are called supporting sentences. These sentences
provide additional information and explanation, supporting evidence and examples.

3. Linking sentences
Linking sentences are the sentences that link a paragraph to the next paragraph.

4. Summary
The summary of the paragraph usually comes at the end of a paragraph.

Chapter 11 Reading Skills Page 39


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E. Common Types of Questions
1. Multiple-choice questions
For each question, there are usually four given options. Students are required to choose the
best answer from the given options.

2. True and False


Students are required to justify each given statement is true or not.

3. Matching
Students are required to choose one meaning in Column B which best explains each word
in Column A as they are used in the passage.

4. Long questions
Students are required to answer long questions in complete sentences. For each question, if
grammatical mistakes are made in answering, one mark will be deducted. So, students are
reminded to be careful about the grammatical accuracy of the sentences they make.

5. Searching for words


For each given word/phrase, students are told to find one word of similar meaning from
the paragraphs indicated.

6. Identifying reference
A number of pronouns are provided and students are required to write what each refers to.

F. Practices
Exercise I
Read the following passage and answer the questions in all sections.
The crocodiles in the Sahara Desert belong to the “Nile crocodile” family and they
have adapted to live in the desert. Their bodies are much smaller so they are called dwarf
crocodiles. Being small helps them save water in the dry desert.
Local people have known about the crocodiles all along and treat the animals with
great respect. They protect the animals from poachers and believe if the crocodiles
disappear, the water will disappear too.
Thousands of years ago, the Sahara Desert was actually grassland, where many
Nile crocodiles lived. The grassland, however, eventually dried up and became a desert
and most of the crocodiles died.

Chapter 11 Reading Skills Page 40


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Section (A): Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why do people call the Nile crocodiles “dwarf crocodiles”?

2. How do the Nile crocodiles adapt to live in the desert?

3. What was the Sahara Desert like thousands of years ago?

4. Why did most of the crocodiles die in the grassland?

Section (B): Decide whether these statements are true or false. Put a circle in one box
only for each statement.
True False

5. If the crocodiles disappear, the water will disappear too.

6. Poachers protect the Nile crocodiles.

7. The dwarf crocodiles are protected by local people.

8. The Sahara Desert became grassland thousands of years ago.


Section (C): Choose a word which best completes the sentences below from the passage
above. Then write it in the blanks. You may have to change the form of the word.
9. There are some children who remain as because they lack a

particular hormone.

10. We have to to the climate when we go to Canada.

Chapter 11 Reading Skills


Page 41
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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise II
Read the following article and answer the questions in all sections.

There are many Japanese restaurants in the United States of America (USA). If asked
to name a typical Japanese food, most people would say either “sushi” or “tempura”.
Yes, those are typical Japanese foods that can be found in most Japanese restaurants in
the USA. However, there are many traditional Japanese foods besides sushi and tempura.

5 Because Japan is surrounded by sea, there is always an abundance of fresh seafood. In


addition, 61% of the land area of Japan is mountains; therefore edible wild plants and
fish from rivers and lakes are also available. The availability of harvested food
throughout the year varies with the season. Each season, some vegetables and seafood
are available but not at other times of the year. Therefore, Japanese cook those vegetables
10 and fish that are in season. For example, autumn is the best time of the year for
eggplants and some kinds of fish. Japanese still eat a huge amount of seafood but they
also eat meat and vegetables.

Although seafood, meat and vegetables are common foods in Japan, you may think
“What about rice?” Rice was introduced to Japan in about 400B.C. during the Jomon
15 Period. It has been approximately 2300 years since Japanese started cultivating rice.
After the introduction of rice farming, the Japanese started eating a main dish and a
side dish. This has become one of Japanese customs.

The dishes of ancient periods are quite different when compared with the dishes
nowadays. Japanese history is older than 1000 years; however, some of the more
20 enjoyable dishes and delicacies were just created in the last 300 to 400 years.

Section (A): Some words are underlined in the article above. Write what each refers to.
1. those (Line 3)

2. there (Line 5)

3. they (Line 11)

4. It (Line 15)

5. This (Line 17)

Chapter 11 Reading Skills Page 42


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Section (B): For each of the following, find one word of similar meaning from the
paragraph indicated. Then write it in the spaces provided.
6. representative (Paragraph 1)

7. eatable (Paragraph 2)

8. plenty (Paragraph 2)

9. about (Paragraph 3)

10. old (Paragraph 4)

Section (C): Choose the best answer. Circle the correct letter.
11. Which of the following food is not mentioned in the passage?
A Tempura C Sushi
B Sashimi D Seafood

12. According to the article, which season is the best time of the year for eggplants?
A Spring C Autumn
B Summer D Winter

13. After the introduction of rice farming, the Japanese started eating …
A a main dish C a side dish
B a main dish and a side dish D rice

14. Which of the following statements is true?


A Most of the land area of Japan is mountains.
B Rice was introduces to the USA during The Joman Period.
C Japanese do not eat meat and vegetables.
D The dishes of ancient periods are the same as the dished nowadays.

15. What does the abbreviation “B.C.” in line 14 mean?


A Bank of China C Blue Cross
B Bureau of Census D Before Christ

16. Which of the following is the best title for the article?
A The History of Japanese Food C Japanese Food in the USA
B Types of Japanese Food D The Joman Period

Chapter 11 Reading Skills


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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Section (D): Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
17. If you ask people in the USA to name a typical Japanese food, what would you say?

18. Why there is always an abundance of fresh seafood in Japan?

19. Is the availability of harvested food remain regular throughout the year? Why or why not?

20. How long has rice been eaten in Japan?

21. What do the Japanese eat besides seafood?

22. Do you think this article was written by an American or a Japanese? Why?

Chapter 11 Reading Skills Page 44


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Chapter 12 Writing Skills


A. Introduction
Writing refers to the process to convey your messages to others. It is as important as
reading in learning English. In this chapter, we mainly focus on writing short stories.
In this chapter, you will learn how to write short stories.

B. Writing Short Stories

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C. Practices
Write a short story based on one of the topics below in not less than 150 words on a
single-lined paper on alternate lines. You are reminded the importance of clear
handwriting and the need for planning and proof-reading.

Topic 1: Write a narrative composition on the following picture. The guiding questions
and the vocabulary items in brackets may be useful to you.

Guiding Questions
¾ What has a lorry driver done? (saved 12 people / fire / flat)
¾ When was Mr Yau driving his lorry through Tsuen Wan? (6 o’clock / this morning)
¾ What did two joggers do? (ran out / stopped / him)
¾ What did they tell him? (fire / flat)
¾ What did he see? (people / trapped / flat)
¾ Could they escape? (no)
¾ Where did he drive his lorry? (near / building)
¾ Where did he stop the lorry? (under / window)
¾ What did the people do then? (jumped / top / lorry)
¾ How did they get to the ground? (walked / front and climbed down)
¾ How many people were saved? (all 12)
¾ What happened to their flat? (badly burned by the fire)

Topic 2: Look at the comic strip below and write a narrative composition. You are asked
to create an ending for the story. Name the boys Stephen and William. The vocabulary
items in the box may be useful to you.
hit hard shoot up throw racket settle
beak pick up drop shake fist grumble

Chapter 12 Writing Skills Page 46


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?
Topic 3: Write a short story based on the following pictures and start the composition with
the following sentence:
One Saturday last summer, Michael and I decided to go for a barbecue on Lamma
Island …

Chapter 12 Writing Skills Page 47


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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Before you start your composition, you can use the spaces provided for draft and plan.

E. Marking Scheme
According to the latest HKCEE English syllabus, your composition will be marked with
reference to this table of criteria.
Marks
Relevance and adequacy of content for purpose 10
Accuracy and appropriacy of punctuation, vocabulary and language patterns 10
Planning and organization 10
Appropriacy of tone, style and register; appropriacy of features for genre 10
Total: 40

Chapter 12 Writing Skills


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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Chapter 13 Editing Skills


A. Introduction
Editing refers to the ability to make corrections on wrong items. It is also called
proofreading. In this chapter, proofreading exercises and editing skills are introduced

B. Instructions of Editing Exercises


The editing exercises require you to proofread and correct mistakes in each numbered or
every line of a passage or article. There is only one mistake in each numbered or every
line. You will score no mark if you make two corrections in the same line. Do not make
any changes to punctuations and do not change the original meaning.

C. Common Methods of Corrections


1. Wrong Word: underline the wrong word and write the correct word above it
2. Missing Word: mark the position of the missing word with a “ ∧ ” and write the
missing word above it
3. Extra Word: delete the extra word with a “×”

For example,
an
1 Most people think that ice cream is a American food. Yet, ice cream
the
2 really came from Asia. In ∧ late 1200s, Marco Polo saw Asians eating

3 dishes of ice. Before After it was served, the ice had been flavoured with fruits.

D. Methods of Tackling the Questions


Before you correct something, you should think about these questions.
¾ Does the sentence sound right? You may read the passage to yourself softly. It is
easier to spot mistakes in this way.
¾ If something does not sound right, try to ask yourself that is there any unnecessary
word, any wrong word or any missing word.
If you add in a word or correct a word, think about these questions.
¾ Is the new sentence grammatically correct?
¾ Is the new word spelt correctly?

Chapter 13 Editing Skills Page 49


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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E. Practices
Exercise I
Read the following article. There is one mistake in each numbered line. Correct the
mistakes. Underline a word that is incorrect and write the correct word above it. Mark the
position of a missing word with a “ ∧ ” and write the missing word above it.

Leonardo DiCaprio

1 Leonardo DiCaprio was born on 11th November 1974. She was born

2 in Hollywood, a city in the USA. He have no brothers or sisters.

3 Loe has a pet lizard called Blizzard. He takes Blizzard with when he

4 makes films. Leo love animals. Loe’s other interests include reading

5 and listening to music. His favourite bands Pink Floyd. The Beatles and

6 Led Zeppelin. He also likes sports. His favourite sports is baseball and

7 basketball. He is a big fan of the Lakers and often watches them TV.

8 Leo are one of Hollywood’s hottest stars. His films include Titanic,

9 The Beach and Gangs of New York. Does you know the name of his

10 most popular film? It’s Titanic. Titanic is an quite old film but

11 teenagers still love them.

12 Loe lives in Hollywood but also has a flat in Paris. He loves France.

13 He particularly loved French food. Although he likes going to

14 expensive French restaurants, he always gets fat. This is because

15 he goes to the gym three time a week – usually on Monday, Tuesday

16 but Sunday. Perhaps that’s why he looks so fit.

Chapter 13 Editing Skills Page 50


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Exercise II
Read the following essay. There is one mistake in each numbered line. Correct the
mistakes. Underline a word that is incorrect and write the correct word above it. Mark the
position of a missing word with a “ ∧ ” and write the missing word above it. Cross out the
extra word with a “×”.

My Pets

1 I have two pets. One of them is big husky called Wolf. Huskies

2 are so very attractive dogs as they have thick, grey fur and clear, blue

3 eyes. There is several huskies close to where I live but I think Wolf

4 is a most attractive dog. He is also very obedient and very friendly

5 and loves to play m neighbour’s young children.

6 Every morning and evenings, I take Wolf for a long walk. We live on

7 Cheung Chau so there is a lot space. We also have quite a big garden

8 Wolf loves to sleep on the grass when it was sunny. Last weekend,

9 I see him lying down in our garden.

10 Last week, I got another pet. Her name is Meow Meow. She is the cat.

11 I Got Meow Meow from the SPCA in Wan Chai. There lots of kittens

12 at the SPCA.I played with them all but, in the end, I chose Meow Meow

13 because she was the friendliest. Do you know which I gave Meow

14 Meow this name? It’s easy. It’s because she is very noisy on that day.

15 Are Wolf Meow Meow good good friends? I’m not very sure about

16 that. However, I hope they learn to like each of other.

Chapter 13 Editing Skills Page 51


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Chapter 14 Language Arts


A. Introduction
Language arts refers to the class of art forms that focus on the creation of art works which
are primarily language-based. In this chapter, we focus on the characteristics of poems.

B. Basic Elements of a Poem


1. Theme
The theme of a poem means the central or main idea of a poem.

2. Setting
The time at which and the place where a story happens.

3. Atmosphere
The atmosphere of a poem is the general impression you get of it. It can be ordinary,
joyful, sorrowful, touching, hopeful, terrifying, mysterious and etc.

4. Tone
The tone of a poem is its style and the opinions or ideas expressed in it. It is a reflection of
the writer or poet’s attitude towards his readers. The tone may be playful, ironic, sarcastic,
hostile, indifferent, insulting, serious, friendly, unconcerned, doubtful and so on.

Note: Everyone may have different feelings and impressions on the same poem. Therefore,
there is no standard for the atmosphere and the tone of a poem.

5. Stanza
Stanza is a structural unit in a poem set off by a space. A stanza is sometimes called a
verse. It is similar to a paragraph in a prose.

6. Syllable
A syllable is part of a word that contains a single vowel sound. It is pronounced as a unit.
For example,

In-ter-na-tion-al (a 5-syllable word) I’m not tall. (3 syllables)


sur-prised (a 2-syllable word) There is an elephant. (7 syllables)

Chapter 14 Language Arts Page 52


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
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Look at the following example, see what basic elements of the poem you can point out.

My School Life By Leslie Lui


My classmates don’t like me
Just because I’m not smart enough at school
Just because I don’t join them to loo
Just because I often look very cool

¾ The theme of this poem is the reasons that the writer’s classmates dislike him.
¾ The story happened at school during the writer’s school life.
¾ The atmosphere of this poem is upset.
¾ The tone is a bit upset and unhappy.
¾ There is only a one stanza.

C. Prosody
1. Alliteration
Occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of two or more words in a line.
For example,

Fight for Food By Leslie Lui


Five furious families fought for a table
In a Chinese restaurant
The waitress watched the war
What’ll happen worries them all
All the customers fled without paying at all

(/f/ sound is repeated in line 1 and /w/ sound is repeated in lines 3 and 4)

2. Repetition
Repetition means the use of the same word(s), phrase, sound, structure or idea to create
certain stylistic effects.

3. Rhyme
Sameness in sound between words or syllables, especially the endings of lines of a poem.

4. Rhyme Scheme
The arrangement of rhyming words gives the poem its characteristic pattern.

Chapter 14 Language Arts Page 53


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Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
Look at the following example.
My School Life By Leslie Lui
My classmates don’t like me [6 syllables]
Just because I’m not smart enough at school [10 syllables]
Just because I don’t join them to loo [10 syllables]
Just because I often look very cool [10 syllables]

¾ “Just because” is repeated three times in the poem.


¾ In the poem above, “school” rhymes with “cool”.
¾ The rhyme scheme of the stanza above is “a b b b”.

D. Rhetoric
1. Contrast
Comparing and contrasting is a way of presenting information in a text. By contrasting
one thing or idea with another, we can let the readers to see their difference. Setting up a
contrast is also a means of creating certain stylistic effects.
For example, Small friends can be of big help. (A mouse helps a lion.)

2. Exaggeration
When we exaggerate something, we indicate that something is less or more important than
it really is. We can also exaggerate a situation, a quality or a feature to make it appear
greater, more obvious, or more important than it really is.
For example, I can eat an elephant. (This means “I can eat a lot.”)

3. Irony
The use of words to convey an implication opposite to the literal meaning of what is said.
For example, Ricky is so honest that he always tells lies.

4. Metaphor
A metaphor is a imaginative way of describing something by referring to something else
which is the same in a particular way.
For example, Derek is a tortoise. (Derek is very shy and frightened of things.)

5. Onomatopoeia
Combination of sounds in a word that imitates or suggests what the word refers to. The
lines in the stanza should have the same theme. For example,
The hiss of snakes The tick of a clock
The chirp of birds The meow of cats

Chapter 14 Language Arts Page 54


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong
6. Personification
Personification means treating something that is without life as a human being or
representing it in human form. For example,

I am a poor television set. My disgusting enemy is the LCD TV. She came to my home three
days ago. Then my master threw me away and I got abandoned in the rubbish dump.

7. Simile
A simile is an expression that describes a person or thing as being similar to someone or
something else by making the association explicitly.
For example, Matthew runs like a deer. Then his face becomes as white as a sheet.

E. Practices
Exercise I
Read the poem below and finish the following questions.
Descendant of the Dragon Heiman Lui

I come from a land


Of red and gold,
Of silk and spice,
Of history old.

I belong to a culture
Of art and poetry,
Of wisdom and music,
Of legends and mystery.

I live in a kingdom
Whose lands stretch wide,
Of mountains and rivers,
Of beauty that’s thrived.

I am kin to those
Of golden skin and dark eyes,
Of black that shines,
I am a descendant
Of the dragon.

Chapter 14 Language Arts Page 55


King’s College Counseling Team 2007-2008 – Study Group
Form 1 English Tutorial Materials for the 1st Term
Prepared and Designed by Steven Chong

1. How many stanzas are there in the poem?

2. Write down the words which rhyme in each stanza.

Stanza 1: and Stanza 3: and

Stanza 2: and Stanza 4: and

3. Write down the number of syllables in each line in stanzas 1 and 2

Stanza 1: , , and

Stanza 2: , , and

4. What are the rhyme schemes of stanzas 1 and 2 respectively?

Stanza 1:

Stanza 2:

5. Match the theme of each stanza with the correct stanza number (1 - 4).

The civilization of the mother country of the writer

The national identity of the writer

A geographical description of the mother country of the writer

An overall description of the mother country of the writer

6. What is the theme of the entire poem?

A A description of China

B The view of the writer on her own national identity and mother country

C The national identity of the writer

D A description of Chinese

7. In stanza 1, copy the line in which “alliteration” is used. What sound is repeated there?

8. From the second to the fourth line in both stanza 1 and 2, what technique is used?

This chapter is typed by Alvin Cheung.


Chapter 14 Language Arts

Page 56

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