SKILLS ENHANCEMENT SEMINAR

Mark Fullmer

Eastern Visayas State University

July 7, 2012

English Questions on the LET

Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Pronunciation Grammar Idioms Knowledge of Literature Knowledge of Language

Terminology

Reading Comprehension

What is the meaning of this statement: “History never cited a leaderless nation”?(A)Nations can survive without

leaders(B)A leader can fade away but

another will come up(C)Leaders are always born(D)Leaders are matched with

historical events

Vocabulary

The President is a garrulous speaker. GARRULOUS means:(A)Taciturn(B)Reticent(C)Talkative(D)Diligent

Knowledge of Literature

In Paz Latorena’s short story “The Small Key” what is inside the chest when the second wife Soledad opened it?(A)Old clothes(B)Skeletons(C)Land documents(D)Weapons used in the second

world war

Knowledge of Language TerminologyThis theory of language learning and literacy views children capable of relating new information to prior knowledge.(A)Constructivist(B)Sociolinguist(C)Interactive(D)Reader Response

Objectives for Today

Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Pronunciation Singular-Plural agreement Idioms Knowledge of Literature Knowledge of Language

Terminology

Results from our prepositions seminar1. Joan lives ___ Santillan Road.

(a) in (b) on (c) at (d) to

2. Maggie will be ready to leave ___ about thirty minutes.

(a) in (b) at (c) on(d) where

3. Since he met his new girlfriend, Mico never seems to be ___ home.

(a) on (b) at (c) in (d) towards

4. Jeremy responded to his mother’s demands ___ throwing a tantrum.

(a) with (b) by (c) from (d) through

5. I think Carmen spent the entire afternoon ___ the phone. (a) on (b) in

(c) at (d) with

Pre-test:62% correct

Post-test:78% correct

PRONUNCIATION: What you need to know for the LET

Rhyme Questions

1. Which of these words do not rhyme?(a) That’s easy to bear.(b) Let us sing a cheer for them.(c) It is so clear.(d) it is the sheer truth.Tip 1: If you find any 2 sounds

that are the same, eliminate them as possible answers.Tip 2: Don’t be fooled by spelling. English pronunciation is not consistent.

Emphasis Questions

Which word is read on a high note to emphasize the kind of day: “This is a warm day!”(a) is(b) day(c) warm(d) this

Tip 1: Ask yourself what part of speech is being identified?Tip 2: Read each option aloud to hear emphasis

verb

noun

adjective

pronoun

adjective

Phonetics Questions *most common*4. Which among these words has the ending [d] sound?(a) Joked(b) Walked(c) Laughed(d) Played

Tip 1: Eliminate answers with similar soundsTip 2: Memorize the most common phonetic symbols using a word chart.

Some sounds that might be on the LET:

[unvoiced th]

[voiced th]

[zh] [sh] [z]

/ð/ /θ/ /ʒ/ /ʃ/ /z/

the thump pleasure plush please

breathe wreath measure mesh miser

bathe bath leisure leash leads

them theme genre shop zombie

those thought precision formation

amaze

these thesaurus

visualize wish whizz

that thank decision demolition

visit

Pronunciation Post-Test

Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes

1. Which of these words do not rhyme?

(a) Watch the bird soar high. (b) I am studying core curriculum.

(c) Please pour the drinks. (d) I was one hour late for class.

2. Which ED end sound is different?

(a) Pleaded (c) Collaborated

(b) Imported (d) Informed

3. Which word is read on a high note to emphasize who is doing the action:

“I bought the cake yesterday!”

(a) I (c) bought

(b) cake (d) yesterday

4. Which among these words has the ending [id] sound?

(a) unchecked (c) pockmarked

(b) coughed (d) misinterpreted

5. Which among these words has the [z] end sound?

(a) Maps (c) Laughs

(b) Jokes (d) Buys

6. Which among these words has the starting voiced [th] sound?

(a) Thank (c) Think

(b) These (d) Thing

7. Which among these words has the [sh] sound?

(a) through (c) promotion

(b) vizualize (d) vacillate

8. Which among these words has the voiced [th] sound?

(a) Mouth (c) Breathe

(b) Teeth (d) Health

9. Which of the words below has the [zh] sound?

(a) Ships (c) She

(b) Shore (d) Leisure

10. Which among these words has the [id] end sound?

(a) Praised (c) Mailed

(b) Judged (d) Needed

Singulars & Plurals Workshop

Pretest: Complete the following 10 questions in 10 minutes.

1. Which is the correct plural for the word “mouse”?

(a) mouses (c) mice

(b) mouse (d) mices

2. Which is a correct singular-plural pair?

(a) thief--thiefs (c) tomato--tomatos

(b) roof--rooves (d) hero--heroes

3. Which has a correctly pluralized noun?

(a) The two ladys were late. (c) The two sandwiches were eaten.

(b) The two womans were late. (d) The two cupes of water.

4. Which of the following sentences uses an incorrect plural noun?

(a) I broke my one pair of glasses and now I cannot see.

(b) After the murder, many polices arrived on the scene of the incident.

(c) A number of people attended the fiesta in V&G subdivision.

(d) There was much furniture at the store.

5. Some words are never pluralized in English. Which of these is always singular?

(a) appendix (c) information

(b) media (d) data

6. Which sentence is grammatically correct?

(a) My scissors is not cutting correctly. (c) Physics is my favorite

subject.

(b) Economics are a difficult subject. (d) The United States are

very influential.

7. Some words have 2 acceptable plurals. Which includes an unacceptable form?

(a) appendixes/appendices (c) syllabuses/syllabi

(b) indexes/indices (d) criterions/criteria

8. Which incorrectly pluralizes a word that should be singular?

(a) Reading will teach many facts. (c) Reading will improve your

vocabularies.

(b) If you read, you will gain new ideas. (d) Reading will teach you more words.

9. What is the correct plural for the word “phenomenon”?

(a) phenomenones (c) phenomena

(b) phenomenons (d) phenomenas

10. For words ending in “y”, what is the correct rule?

(a) Add “s” after all words ending in “y”

(b) Add “ies” after all words ending in “y”

(c) Add “s” after words ending in vowel + y, but replace “y” with –ies for words ending in consonant + y

(d) Add “s” after words ending in consonant + y, but replace “y” with –ies for words ending in vowel + y

English Pluralization is Buang-buang!

We'll begin with a and the plural is

But the plural of

should be oxen, not oxes.

One fowl is a

but two are called geese,

Yet the plural of

should never be meese.

You may find a lone

or a whole set of

Yet the plural of

is houses not hice.

If the plural of

is always called

Why shouldn't the plural of

be called pen?

If I speak of a

and you show me your

And I give you a

would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are

Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?

One may be “that” and three would be “those,”

Yet

in the plural wouldn't be hose.

And the plural of

is cats and not cose.

We speak of a

and also of brethren,

But though we say

we never say Methren,

Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him

But imagine the feminine being

She, shis and shim

So English, I fancy you will all agree,Is the funniest language you ever did see.

Topic 1: Plural Nouns

There are 4 main ways to construct plural in English. There is a pattern, but there are also exceptions to the rule.

1. word + s2. word + es3. Word ending in “y” = ies4. Word ending in “f” = ves

Word + s (*most common*)

singular plurala car two carsa cassette two cassettesa lamp two lampsa hat two hatsa cup two cups

Word + es

Add “es” after sibilants. (What are sibilants?)

singular plurala box two boxes

a sandwichtwo sandwiches

a boss two bossesa buzz two buzzesa couch two couches

Sibilants include “ch” “ts” “zh” “z” “x” “s”

For words ending in “y”

singular plurala city two citiesa lady two ladies

singular plurala boy two boysa day two days

Rule 2: After vowel + y, add “s”

Rule 1: After consonant + y, replace with “ies”

For words ending “f” or “fe”

Add -s Replace with -vessingular

pluralsingular

plural

a roof two roofs a thieftwo thieves

a cliff two cliffs a wife two wivesa sheriff

two sheriffs

a shelftwo shelves

For words ending in “o”

Add -s Add -essingular

pluralsingular

plural

a disco two discos a tomatotwo tomatoes

a pianotwo pianos

a potatotwo potatoes

a phototwo photos

a hero two heroes

Activity: Pluralize these words

1. overlay2. sanctuary3. trench4. trinket5. reef6. leaf7. interruption8. information

overlayssanctuariestrenchestrinketsreefsleavesinterruptionsinformation

For some words, you never add “s” (Uncountable nouns)

Noun Sentence

homeworkMy Math homework was not easy.

informationInformation is more available in the internet age.

knowledgeHis knowledge of English is excellent.

furnitureAll the furniture was on sale at the store.

Topic 2: Singular Nouns

Some nouns are singular even though they refer to plural things

Noun Sentencewater She spilled a lot of water.

fruitWould you like some fruit?

hair Your hair looks lovely.

riceHe always eats too much rice.

Some nouns end in “s” but use a singular verb

Noun Sentence

newsGood evening. Here is the news.

physicsPhysics is our first lesson on Monday morning.

progressProgress was made in developing new technologies.

The United States

The United States is a country with 50 states.

Activity: is the sentence correct?

In the past decade, scientists have made many progresses in the field of genomic research.

In the past decade, scientists have made much progress in the field of genomic research.

Activity: is the sentence correct?

The furniture at the stores were very expensive.

The items of furniture at the stores were very expensive.

The furniture at the stores was very expensive.

Topic 3: Irregular plurals

singular plurala man two mena woman two women

a childtwo children

a mouse two micea tooth two teetha goose two geesea foot two feet

Topic 4: Foreign Plurals

Words in English borrowed from other languages often don’t follow the above rules. You have to memorize them.

Foreign Plurals with “es” ending

Singular:AnalysisAxisBasisDiagnosis

Plural:AnalysesAxesBasesDiagnoses

Foreign Plurals with “a” ending

Plural:DataMediaCriteriaPhenomena

Singular:DatumMediumCriterionPhenomenon

Foreign Plurals with 2 forms

Singular:SyllabusIndexAppendix

Plural:Syllabi/SyllabusesIndices/IndexesAppendixes/Appendices

Plurals/Singulars: Post-TestComplete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes

1. Which is the correct plural for the word “goose”?

(a) gooses(b) gooves (c) geese (d) geeses

2. Which is the correct singular-plural pair?

(a) reef—reeves (b) potato—potatos

(c) hoof—hoofs (d) thief—thieves

3. Which of the following sentences uses an incorrect plural noun?

(a) The dean approved all the syllabi.

(b) The scientist computed much data.

(c) Winston had many homeworks from school.

(d) I learned many facts today.

4. Which has a correctly pluralized noun?

(a) Three childrens (b) Four photoes

(c) Two citys (d) Five boxes

5. Which of these is always singular?

(a) hair (b) knowledge

(c) history (d) metonymy

6. Which sentence is grammatically correct?

(a) Every day, the news are depressing.

(b) The Philippines are a collection of over 7,000 islands.

(c) There are many unexplained phenomena.

(d) The book has three appendix.

7. Some words have 2 acceptable plurals. Which includes an unacceptable form?

(a) appendixes/appendices (c) syllabuses/syllabi

(b) indexes/indices (d) criterions/criteria

8. Which is incorrect?(a)Economics is a difficult subject(b)The nightly news was watched by 5.7 million

viewers.(c) The informations about the LET were overwhelming.(d) I went to many beaches during the summer.

9. What is the correct way to pluralize “basis”?(c) bases (b) basises(c) basices (d) basis

10. Which is an incorrect plural?(a) boys (b) convoies(c) quandries (d) appendices

Idiom LET QuestionsWhat is an idiom?

An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning different from the dictionary definition of individual words.

RainCatDog

“It’s raining cats and dogs.”

“A penny saved is a penny earned”Explanation: This means we shouldn’t spend or waste money but instead save it.

Sample sentence: “I decided to watch a movie at home instead of at the mall. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned.”

Idioms Post-test

Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes.

Tips for LET pronunciation questions1. The right answer will never be a literal translation. Eliminate answers that are too close to the original idiom. 2. If you are not sure of the meaning of the idiom, make an educated guess. Ask yourself: is the idiom optimistic or pessimistic? Does the idiom sound good or bad? Then match it with an answer that has the same feeling.

What do the following underlined idioms mean?1. We have waited long enough. It’s time to face the music.(a)face the speaker (b) strive for

excellence(c) listen to music (d) begin a difficult challenge2. He learned to swim through trial by fire.(b)a court case (b) learning by doing(c) an easy experience (d) an impossible task3. The acid test for a good friendship is respect.(c)difficult exam (b) sign of friendship(c) best way to judge (d) a lie-detector test

4. The banker made some risky investments. Which idiom describes her action?(a)A dark horse (b) a ballpark figure(c) playing with fire (d) a drop in the bucket5. The actress had her day in the sun.(b)moment of fame (b) most popular movie(c) a beautiful tan (d) significant achievement6. The government made across the board changes.(a) educational (b) systemwide(c) international (d) dangerous7. I have no preference. The ball is in your court.(c)your hometown (b) your hobby(c) your choice (d) your possession

8. Don’t move to Manila. You’ll be opening a whole can of worms.(a)spoiled food (b) a place of

opportunity(c) many problems (d) many people9. Only an act of God can save us from the typhoon now.(a) belief in religion (b) humans are unable to save(c) dramatic action(d) a terrible accident10. Watch out for changes in the law next year.(b)be prepared (b) applies to children(c) do not believe (d) be happy