Download Revision Guide

Name: _________________________________________________
English
Revision
Guide
Victoria Burrill
Erika Cross
Jenny Olney
AN HACHETTE UK COMPANY
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 3
3
08/03/16 9:57 PM
Contents and progress record
Use this page to plot your revision. Colour in the boxes when you feel confident with the skill and
note your score and time for each test in the boxes.
l How to use this book ...................................... 7
1
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
l Introduction .................................................... 12
l Prefixes.............................................................. 14
l Suffixes ............................................................. 16
l Compound words, plurals and
silent letters .................................................... 20
l Homophones, homonyms and other
commonly confused words ........................ 22
l Basic punctuation .......................................... 24
l Commas and apostrophes .......................... 26
l Punctuating speech....................................... 28
l Parentheses ..................................................... 30
l Colons, semicolons and ellipses ................ 31
l Types of sentence and clauses .................. 33
l Parts of speech ............................................... 35
l Test 1: Spelling, punctuation and
grammar ........................................................... 37
2
/ 150
:
Reading
l Introduction .................................................... 41
l Identifying text types ................................... 43
l Strategies for tackling comprehension
questions .......................................................... 55
l Understanding the purpose, audience
and structure of texts................................... 57
l Summarising key ideas ................................ 59
l Using clues to find definitions................... 61
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 4
08/03/16 9:57 PM
l Retrieving specific information in
fiction and non-fiction texts ...................... 63
l Inference and deduction.............................. 65
l Making predictions about characters
and events........................................................ 67
l Separating fact and opinion in
non-fiction texts ............................................ 69
l Analysing language ....................................... 71
l Test 2: Fiction comprehension ................... 75
/ 29
:
l Test 3: Non-fiction comprehension ......... 77
/ 27
l Test 4: Poetry comprehension ................... 79
/ 23
:
:
3
Composition
l Introduction .................................................... 81
l Choosing a task .............................................. 83
l Planning ............................................................ 85
l Narrative writing from a title .................... 88
l Responding to textual prompts................. 89
l Responding to pictures ................................ 91
l Continuation ................................................... 93
l Book review ..................................................... 95
l Personal response .......................................... 97
l Discursive and persuasive writing ............ 99
l Improving your writing: story starters
and endings ...................................................101
l Improving your writing: adverbials.........103
l Improving your writing: flashbacks ........104
l Improving your writing: imagery and
descriptive techniques ...............................105
l Improving your writing: mimicking style .....107
l Improving your writing: sentence
structure .........................................................109
l Improving your writing: verbs for effect .... 111
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 5
08/03/16 9:57 PM
l Improving your writing: choosing
a point of view..............................................112
l Improving your writing: linking devices... 113
l Test 5: Composition ................................... 115
/ 25
:
l Test 6: Composition ....................................116
/ 25
:
l Spelling, punctuation and grammar ......124
/ 70
:
l Comprehension 1.........................................128
/ 20
:
l Comprehension 2.........................................132
/ 25
:
l Composition 1 ..............................................135
/ 25
:
l Composition 2 ..............................................136
/ 25
:
4
Useful information
l Glossary of useful words and phrases ...117
l Spelling list ....................................................119
l Model writing samples ...............................121
11+ Sample tests
Answers
Success grids
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 6
1
xx
08/03/16 9:57 PM
Prefixes
Skill definition: Adding prefixes to words and understanding how they change the spelling and
meaning of root words.
Prefixes are a very important element of spelling. They are strings of letters added at the beginning
of a word which alter the meaning of the word. The word to which the prefix is added is called the
root word.
A prefix is added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning in some way. It does not usually
change the spelling of the root word, it is simply added at the beginning, for example un + helpful
= unhelpful. The same rule also applies when two of the same letters end next to one another, for
example mis + spell = misspell.
Common prefixes include:
un-
dis-
in-
mis- non-
All of these mean ‘not’ or ‘the opposite of’, as in:
unpopular
disagree
indirect
misfortune
nonsense
1 Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Other prefixes include:
ab- (away, from)
ante- (before)
anti-
(against, opposing)
co-
(together)
contra-
(against, opposite)
ex-
(out, away, former)
inter-
(between, among)
post-
(after)
re-
(again)
sub-
(under, below)
trans-
(across)
Exceptions
The prefix in- changes depending on the spelling of the word you add it to.
Before a root word starting with l, in- becomes il-:
illegal
illegible
Before a root word starting with m or p, in- becomes im-:
immature
immortal
impossible
impatient
imperfect
14
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 14
08/03/16 9:57 PM
irregular
irrelevant
Prefixes
Before a root word starting with r, in- becomes ir-:
irresponsible
Prefixes with hyphens
Sometimes a hyphen is used to add a prefix to a word. This often happens when the prefix ends
with the same vowel as the root word. It also helps avoid confusion, for example the meaning
of ‘repress’ (to not allow something to be expressed) is different from the meaning of ‘re-press’
(to press again).
co-ordinate
co-operate
re-examine
re-enter
Train
1 Make word webs for the following prefixes, finding as many words as you can that have each
prefix.
(a) sub-
(b) pre-
(c) re-
(d) anti-
(e) in- (including ir-/im-/il-)
2 Find out what these prefixes mean and, for each prefix, find at least three words that use it.
(a) ad-
(b) extra-
(c) over-
(d) semi-
(e) under-
3 Add prefixes to the bold words so that the sentence still makes sense. Write down the words
you have created.
(a) I won the race because I
(b) Stealing is completely
(c) I failed the test because I
(d) Albert Einstein was an
ran the other competitors.
acceptable.
understood the instructions.
ordinary man.
(e) If you try hard enough, nothing is
possible.
(f) The trains normally arrive every hour but today they are
Test
regular.
Target time: 10 minutes
4 Find the mistakes in this passage. Rewrite the passage with the mistakes corrected.
I tried to open the door but it was inpossible. The handle was broken and unmobile.
I wanted to try and break it down but that would be unlegal. What could I do to pregress
on my journey? I was feeling unpatient so I picked up a brick to smash the window but
something made me dethink it. I was subprepared for this problem. I detraced my steps
to the front of the house and noticed something superordinary. An open window. I had
finally decovered a way in.
(10)
15
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 15
08/03/16 9:57 PM
Suffixes
Skill definition: Adding suffixes to words and understanding how they change the spelling and
meaning of root words.
Suffixes are another very important element of spelling. They are strings of letters added at the end of
a word which alter the meaning of a word. The word to which the suffix is added is called the root word.
Suffixes can be added to different types of words. Some examples are shown below:
Verbs
-ing
(happening now – sing/singing)
-ed
(in the past – walk/walked)
-ment (changes a verb into an abstract noun – agree/agreement)
-able
(changes a verb into an adjective meaning ‘able to be’ – bear/bearable)
-ible
(changes a verb into an adjective meaning ‘able to be’ – convert/convertible)
-ion
(changes a verb into a noun – invent/invention)
-ation
(changes a verb into a noun – sense/sensation)
Nouns
-less
(changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘none or without’ – hope/hopeless)
-ful
(changes a noun into an adjective meaning ‘with’– doubt/doubtful)
-ous
(changes a noun into an adjective – poison/poisonous)
1 Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Adjectives
-ness
(changes an adjective into a noun – happy/happiness)
-ly
(changes an adjective to an adverb – quick/quickly)
-er
(changes an adjective into a comparative – slow/slower)
-est
(changes an adjective into a superlative – smart/smartest)
-en
(changes an adjective into a verb – flat/flatten)
One suffix that is commonly misspelled is -ful. The only time you write ‘full’ (with double
‘ll’) is when the word is used on its own, as in ‘The bag is full to the brim.’ Otherwise, there
is just one ‘l’, as in useful, beautiful, handful, spoonful, etc.
There are many rules for adding suffixes. Here are some general rules.
l
If the last (or only) syllable of a word is emphasised and ends with one consonant which has just one
vowel before it, the final consonant is doubled before any ending beginning with a vowel is added.
forget – forgetting/forgettable
clap – clapping/clapped
16
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 16
08/03/16 9:57 PM
If the last syllable is not emphasised, do not double the consonant.
garden – gardening
Suffixes
l
limit – limiting/limited
Train
1 Following the rule on the previous page, add -ed and -ing to the root words below. Write
down the words you have created.
(a) slip
l
(b) trip
(c) tap
happy – happiness
funny – funniest
If there is a vowel before the y then do not change the y to an i.
play – playing/played
l
(e) clip
When adding a suffix to a word ending in y with a consonant before it, change the y to an i
before adding the suffix.
fury – furious
l
(d) regret
grey – greying/greyest
Exception: adding -ing to verbs.
trying
frying
crying
Train
2 Following the rules above, find the incorrectly spelled words in the list below.
l
frayed
betraied
smellyest
displayed
bulkier
gloomily
muddyest
repling
juicyness
cheeriness
The e at the end of the root word is dropped before -ing, -ed, -er, -est, -y or any other suffix
beginning with a vowel.
hike – hiking/hiked
l
curlyest
shine – shining/shiny
define – defining/defined/definable
There is an exception: being.
Train
3 Add the appropriate suffixes, -ing and -ed, or -er and -est, to the following root words. Write
down the words you have created.
l
(a) accelerate
(b) assume
(c) exclude
(e) strange
(f) gentle
(g) simple
When adding -ing, -ed, -er, -est and -y to words of one syllable ending in a single consonant with
a single vowel before the consonant, the last consonant must be doubled if the vowel sound is to
be kept ‘short’.
pat – patting/patted
l
(d) fine
flat – flatter/flatten/flattest
There is an exception: the letter x is never doubled.
17
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 17
08/03/16 9:57 PM
Train
4 Find the mistakes in this passage. Write out the passage with the mistakes corrected.
It was the hotest day on record and Jane had stoped skiping in the park because she was
sweatty and thirsty. She floped onto the grass and siped on her water. She felt sleeppy so
closed her droopy eyelids and dozzed off. When she awoke, her eyes gradually fixxed on the
figure standing before her.
l
If a suffix starts with a consonant, the root word does not change unless the word ends in a y.
fulfil – fulfilment
l
great – greatness
hope – hopeful
There is an exception: argument
Train
5 Add -ment or -ness onto these words. Write down the words you have created.
(a) happy
(b) govern
(c) ill
(d) amuse
(e) improve
(f) fit
(g) foolish
(h) heavy
(i) sad
(j) lonely
Some suffixes have their own rules, which have to be learned.
The -ous suffix
l
Sometimes the root word is obvious and the usual rules apply for adding suffixes beginning with
vowels.
danger – dangerous
l
Sometimes there is no obvious root word.
tremendous
l
fame – famous
jealous
enormous
-our is changed to -or before -ous is added.
1 Spelling,punctuationandgrammar
glamour – glamorous
l
A final e of the root word must be kept if the -dg sound of g is to be kept.
courage – courageous
l
If there is short i sound before the -ous ending, it is usually spelled as i.
curious
l
obvious
A few words are spelled with an e not an i.
hideous
spontaneous
18
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 18
08/03/16 9:57 PM
Suffixes
Train
6 Follow the rules above to correct these mistakes. Write down the corrected sentences.
(a) Varyous people have climbed the mountaineous regions of Nepal.
(b) The comedian was very humourous.
(c) The cost of the holiday was utrageous.
The -ly suffix
l
The suffix -ly changes an adjective to an adverb. The rules on the previous page still apply. The
suffix -ly starts with a consonant, so it is added straight on to most root words.
large – largely
l
wide – widely
If the root word ends in y and has more than one syllable, change the y to an i.
angry – angrily
l
If the root word ends with -le, the -le changes to -ly.
gently
l
simply
If the root word ends with -ic, add -ally instead of -ly,
basically
l
grumpy – grumpily
frantically
dramatically
There are exceptions: publicly, truly, duly, wholly.
Train
7 Add an -ly word to these sentences. Write out the completed sentences.
(a) The pianist played
.
(b) Every evening I
complete my homework.
(c) This year my exam results were
(d)
better than last year.
it is nearly time to go to school.
Test
Target time: 10 minutes
8 Find the mistakes in this passage. Write out the corrected passage.
Suddenly, the ship swaied from side to side, battleing the enormous waves. The couragous
captain controled the sails and the crew rallyed together to bail out the water. The choppyness
of the water worsened and the boat tiped over dangerusly. There was no merryment
aboard that day. Everyone franticaly worked to survive.
(10)
19
9781471849220_Eng_Rev_Guide_CH1.indd 19
08/03/16 9:57 PM