VERB TO BE

Present I am We are
Affirmative You are You are
simple: He/She/It is They are

Question Am I? Are we?

Are you? Are you?
form: Is he/she it? Are they?

We are
I am not/ I’m not not/aren’t
You are not/ You are
Negative: aren’t not/aren’t
He/She/It is not/ They
isn’t are not/aren't

Past I was We were

You were You were
simple He/She/It was They were

The past
been.
participle:

Present
has/have been
perfect:

Past
had been
perfect:
 The verb be is used in the following patterns:

1. with a noun:
 My mother is a teacher.
 Bill Clinton was the president of the US.
2. with an adjective:
 This soup is very tasty.
 The children were good.
2.1 with the -ing form to make the continuous aspect
 We were walking down the street.
 Everything was wet. It had been
raining for hours.
2.2 with the -ed form to make the passive voice
 The house was built in 1890.
 The street is called Montagu Street.
 This car was made in Japan.
3. with a prepositional phrase:
 John and his wife are from
Manchester.
 The flowers are on the table.
 VERB TO HAVE

Present I am We are
Affirmative You are You are
simple: He/She/It is They are

Question Am I? Are we?

Are you? Are you?
form: Is he/she it? Are they?

We are
I am not/ I’m not not/aren’t
You are not/ You are
Negative: aren’t not/aren’t
He/She/It is not/ They
isn’t are not/aren't

Past I was We were

You were You were
simple He/She/It was They were

The past
been.
participle:

Present
has/have been
perfect:

Past
had been
perfect:
PRONOUNS PRESENT PAST
TENSE TENSE
I AM
HE / SHE
IS WAS
IT
WE
THEY
ARE WERE
YOU
PRONOUNS PRESENT PAST
TENSE TENSE
I DO
HE / SHE
DOES
IT
WE
DO
DID
THEY
YOU

PRONOUNS PRESENT PAST

TENSE TENSE
I HAVE
HE / SHE
HAS
IT HAD
WE
THEY
HAVE
YOU
AN is used when the
next word begins A is used when 1. Only one
with a vowel sound the next word
(a, e, i, o, u). begins with a 2. Second time
consonant sound mention
1. an apple (b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k
2. an umbrella l,m,n,p,q,r,s,t,v,w,
x,y,z). 3. Superlative
3. an hour
(silent H)  a book
 a table
4. Ordinal
 a university
number
(because the
beginning of
university
sounds like
YOU-
niversity)
 SINGULAR PLURAL
MAN MEN
PERSON PEOPLE

SINGULAR PLURAL
SHEEP SHEEP
SINGULAR PLURAL
BIRD BIRDS
TOWER TOWERS
HOTEL HOTELS

SINGULAR PLURAL
KNIFE KNIVES
BOOK BOOKS

 SADNESS
 HAPPINESS
 ANTONYMS WITH PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

With the Prefix – un

able He will buy a new car as soon as he is able.

Unable I was unable to play tennis after the injury.
Are you aware how important you are to
Aware me?
She was unaware of the change in travel
Unaware plans.
There are clear differences between the
Clear two candidates.
Unclear His reason for not going is still unclear.
We divided the profits into three equal
equal shares.
Unequal academic standards for male and
Unequal female students.
We finally reached even ground after the
Even long climb.
Uneven His breathing was shallow and uneven.
He insists that he has always been faithful
Faithful to his wife.
Colonists who later proved to be unfaithful
Unfaithful to the cause of independence.
Happy You don’t look happy. What’s the
problem?
Unhappy I’ve never seen her looking so unhappy.

Like Do you like Mexican food?

Unlike She’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met.

Load We loaded up and drove off.

Unload It took four hours to unload the truck.

Necessary It’s not necessary to wear a tie.

Unnecessary In this city, owning a car is unnecessary.
Safe I don’t feel safe in this neighbourhood.
If it weren’t so unsafe, he’d take her with
Unsafe him.
Is it true that you were planning to go
true without me?
Untrue He made untrue statements to the press.

Usual She charges less than the usual fee.

It’s not unusual for him to stay late at
Unusual work.
The spot where the spring bubbles up to
Well the surface and forms a deep well.
Unwell Miss Bannett, are you unwell?

Willing He was a willing participant in the crime.

Unwilling He was an unwilling participant in the
 demonstration.
With the Prefix – in

ability A young woman with many remarkable

musical abilities.
Inability She has shown an inability to concentrate.
The model is accurate down to the tiniest
Accurate details.
The estimate is inaccurate ,but will do for
Inaccurate our purposes.
We stay active during the cold winter
Active months by skiing and ice skating.
Inactive people suffer higher rates of heart
Inactive disease.
The garden hasn’t been getting adequate
Adequate water.
Inadequate I felt inadequate to the task.
My doctor said it was advisable for me to
Advisable lost weight.
It would be highly inadvisable because of
Inadvisable the risks involved.
Applicable Is that information applicable in this case.
Or in other words, the conception of a
Inapplicable cause is inapplicable to the phenomena we
are examining.
Apt “Stripe” is an apt name for the cat, since
she has striped fur.
An inapt but well-meaning attempt to
Inapt inject some humor into the proceedings.
Her voice was barely audible over the
Audible nose.
She spoke so quietly that she was almost
Inaudible inaudible.
Complete He spoke in complete sentences.
Incomplete She handed in an incomplete assignment.
She is one of the most considerate people
Considerate I know.
He was rude and inconsiderate to the
Inconsiderate waiter.

Correct I hate it when she corrects my grammar.

Incorrect The doctor’s diagnosis was incorrect.
He is a decent guy who would help anyone
Decent in need.
Indecent He took indecent pleasure in her troubles.
He has been alcohol dependent for several
Dependent years.
Independent She has an independent income.
Let me direct your attention to he book’s
Direct second chapter.
Indirect We took an indirect route.
 The most elegant First Lady in the nation’s
Elegant history.
Inelegant furniture that looked like it
Inelegant belonged in a budget motel.
Eligible I’d like to join but I’m not eligible yet.
Ineligible They are ineligible for a loan.

Excusable Please excuse me for not calling sooner.

Spitting at a teacher is inexcusable
Inexcusable behaviour and will be severely punished.
Human She is a very kind and human person.
Inhuman He let out an inhuman moan.
No sane person could do something so
Sane horrible.
Insane She was insane with jealousy.
A brisk walk is sufficient to raise your heart
Sufficient rate.
The case was thrown out because of
Insufficient insufficient evidence.
Visible The ship was barely visible.
She feels as if her success is being blocked
Invisible by an invisible barrier.
Do you consider any of the staff to be
Dispensable dispensable?
After a night’s sleep the news is as
Indispensable indispensable as the breakfast.
 With the Prefix – im

modest They own a modest home near the beach.

Immodest Although it might sound immodest of me
to say no, I am very proud of what we
have accomplished.
The author avoids making moral
Moral judgements.
Immoral It was immoral of her to tell lies like that.
I hate having to stand in long lines. I’m just
Patient not very patient.
After months of delays, customers are
Impatient becoming impatient.
Polite Please be polite to the guests.
It’s impolite to talk during the
Impolite performance.
It is possible that she decided not to join
Possible us.
Impossible It’s impossible to predict the future.

Proper It is not proper to speak that way.

The doctor gave him an improper
Improper diagnosis.
The company bottles only the purest
Pure water.
Be careful, because impure motor oil can
Impure damage your car’s engine.
Mature She’s very mature for her age.
His teachers have complained about his
Immature immature behaviour.

With the Prefix – dis

ability A young woman of great musical ability.

Disability She has learned to keep a positive attitude
about her disability.
She says that a change is needed, and I
Agree agree completely.
I think that I should sell my car, but he
Disagree disagrees.
Connect Connect the cable to the battery.
Disconnect The alarm system had been disconnected.

Honest He has an honest face.

She gave dishonest answers to our
Dishonest questions.
These people deserve to be treated with
Honour honour.
He is afraid that his confession will bring
Dishonour dishonour on the family.
Like He likes baseball, but he loves football.
We have a strong dislike for olives and
Dislike wouldn’t eat them even if we were paid.
Loyal The team has many loyal fans.
Disloyal It would be disloyal to abandon them.

Obey He always obeys his parents.

Disobey He was afraid to disobey his father.

Order They ordered everyone out of the house.

Be careful, not to disorder the carefully
Disorder arranged contents of the dresser.
He joined the football team to please his
Please father.
Her co workers’ tendency to pry
Displease displeased her.
His lies and deception shattered my trust
Trust in him.
Distrust He has a distrust of doctors.

Believe You shouldn’t believe everything you read.

Several jurors disbelieve the witness’s
Disbelieve testimony.

With the Prefix – mis

behave If you can’t behave in the store we’ll have

to leave.
misbehave Every child misbehaves from time to time.

fire Stay away from the fire.

Their scheme to rob the bank misfired
misfire disastrously and landed them all in jail.
fortune He hoped to achieve fame and fortune.
She endured her misfortune without
misfortune complaint.
You should not judge people by their
judge appearance.
misjudge The pilot misjudged the landing.
The lead diplomat is responsible for
lead making policy for the entire embassy.
We believe that her comments were
mislead deliberately meant to mislead the public.
I’ve heard it’s a good place to raise
place children.
misplace I seem to have misplaced my keys.
She has no trust in the security of online
trust banking.
mistrust She has a strong mistrust of politicians.

understand I can’t understand a word you’re saying.

She expressed herself in clear terms that
misunderstand no one could misunderstand.
Doctors have found a new use for the
use drug.
She’s charged with misusing company
misuse funds.
The way the court construes various
construe words has changed over time.
 And he’d probably misconstrue it as
misconstrue flirting.

With other Prefixes

citizen She was a United States citizen but lived

most of her life abroad.
non-citizen Most of refugees were classed as non-
citizens.
clockwise Turn the screw clockwise to tighten it.
anticlockwise He moved in the anticlockwise direction.

legal She has a lot of legal problems.

illegal The team was penalized for an illegal play.

legible The documents is not legible.

Illegible signatures on the petition will be
illegible disregarded.
noble He was a man of noble character.
Such an ignoble act is completely
ignoble unworthy of a military officer.
normal He had a normal childhood.
The results of the blood test were
abnormal abnormal.
ordinary The meal was ordinary and uninspired.
extraordinary The race is an extraordinary event.

regular Most days she follows a regular routine.

 Her application was handled in an
Irregular irregular manner.
responsible She is a very responsible worker.
It would be irresponsible comments that
irresponsible helped cause the riot.
sense His senses were clear despite his illness.
nonsense Don’t listen to him. He’s talking nonsense.

By changing the Prefix

absent A gene that occurs in mammals but that is

absent in birds.
present He presented the queen with a diamond
necklace.
They watched their balloons slowly
ascend ascend into the sky.
descend Wait for the elevator to descend.
I heard a noise behind me and glanced
backward backward.
forward The forward deck of a boat.
A city teeming with emigrants from many
emigrant lands.
immigrant The city has a large immigrant population.

encourage They encouraged us in our work.

discourage Try not to let losing discourage you.
export Countries that export oil to the U.S.
A dealer who imports cars from Italy to
import the U.S.
external The external features of the building.
A patient who is experiencing internal
internal bleeding.
include The price of dinner includes dessert.
exclude The prices on the menu exclude tax.

increase She increased her wealth substantially.

decrease Sales decreased by five percent this year.

minimum The job will take a minimum of ten days.

This hall holds a maximum of 1000
maximum people.
The optimist looks into a mirror and
optimist becomes more optimistic, the pessimist
more pessimistic.
It’s better to be an optimist and be wrong
pessimist than to be a pessimist and be right.
She was waiting for some outward
outward expression of his love.
Moved towards the inward room for more
inward privacy.
I no longer wish to be associated with
associate people like him.
dissociate The director has tried to dissociate
 himself from his earlier films.

By changing the Suffix

cheerful She has a cheerful outlook on life.

cheerless The room was surprisingly bare and
cheerless.
My former employer gave me an excellent
employer reference.
employee A good boss listens to his employees.
He plays the role of a timid and fearful
fearful clerk.
Skydiving is one sport that tends to attract
fearless fearless types.
DDT has been proven to be extremely
harmful harmful to the environment.
harmless His ideas seem harmless enough.

lawful A lawful search of the property.

lawless The lawless society of the frontier.

lively The book is lively and well-written.

The book’s plot was lifeless and
lifeless predictable.
merciful He became less merciful to his enemies.
merciless The merciless killing of innocent people.

painful I got a painful sunburn.

 Everything will be completely painless
painless from here on out.
The country is becoming more and more
powerful powerful.
I wish I could help you, but I am powerless
powerless in this situation.
My teacher gave me some sensible
sensible advice.
senseless Don’t be such a senseless idiot!

thoughtful He looked thoughtful for a moment.

thoughtless A selfish and thoughtless person.

useful Does anyone have any useful suggestions?

useless The tent is useless in wet conditions.
 SCHOOL ESSAY TOPICS

TOPICS EXAMPLES
 Success
 Failure
 Peace
 War
 Beauty
One word tittle  Flowers
 Stress
 Freedom
 Tourism
 Water
 Health

 Crime
 Corruption
 Social Ill
 Bully
 Truancy
Current Issues  Gangster
 Drug Abuse
 Abandoned Babies
 Juvenile
 Vandalism
 Traffic Accident

 Flood
 Pollution
Factual
 Environment
 Global Warming

Write an essay based on :

 Charity begins at home
Essays on proverbs  Prevention is better than cure
 Cheats never prosper
 Every dog has its day

 An eventual holiday
 Describe your best idol
Descriptive
 A good humoured person you like
 A person you admire the most

 Should public exams be abolished?

 Which would you prefer , to be a boss
or employee
 What career would you choose after
Argumentative
leaving school or college?
 Should sex educations teach in
school.

 Home alone one day

 Narrative  Act of kindness
 A kidnap
 Running away from home

 What would do if you won a million

dollars?
 If you could change the world, what
Imagination
will you do?
 If he was a superhero, a king / a
queen

 My life as a MP3 player / a phone / a

Autobiography computer
 Autobiography of a dictionary / a car

 It was a dark and stormy night…

 Once upon a time…
Starting with
 I heard a loud noise after I woke up
early…

 … I become a better person

Ending with  … it just a nightmare
 …it is my wonderful moment
 Definition for School Essay Topics

SER TOPICS MEANING/DEFINITION

 Frighten or hurt a weaker or smaller
person.
1. Bully
 To do something by making threats or
insults by using force to someone.

 The existence of a number of different

species of animals and plants which
2. Biodiversity
together contribute a good and healthy
environment.

 The qualities in a person or a thing that

give pleasure to the senses or the mind.
3. Beauty
 The quality of being physically attractive.
 A beautiful woman.

 A job which needs a special training and

which someone usually does for many
years.
4. Career  A job or profession that someone does
for a long time.
 A period of time spent in a job or
profession.

 Dishonest or illegal behaviour especially

by powerful people (such as government
5. Corruption officials or police officers).
 Something that has been changed from
its original form.

 The physical punishment of people,

6. Corporal Punishment
especially by hitting them.
  The protection of animals, plants, and
natural resources.
 The careful use f natural resources (such
as trees, oil, etc) to prevent them from
7. Conservation
being lost or wasted.
 The things that are done to keep works of
art or things of historical importance in
good condition.

 An illegal act for which someone can be

punished by the government.
8. Crime  Activity that is against the law : illegal
acts in general.
 An act that is foolish or wrong.

 The act or result of cutting down or

9. Deforestation
burning all the trees in an area.

 An authorize medicine consumption

10. Drug Abuse
without qualified doctor’s prescription.

 The decision by court of law that the

Death Penalty
11. (Capital Punishment)
punishment for someone’s crime will be
death.

 A shaking of a part of the Earth’s surface

12. Earthquake
that often causes great damage.

 The conditions that surround someone or

something : the conditions and
13. Environment influences that affect the growth, health,
progress, etc., of someone or something.
 The natural world.

 The action or process of teaching

someone especially in a school, college,
or university.
14. Education
 The knowledge, skill, and understanding
that you get from attending a school,
college, or university.
 A field of study that deals with the
 methods and problems of teaching.

 The state of being friends : the

relationship between friends.
15. Friendship
 A friendship feeling or attitude : kindness
or help given to someone.

 A lack of success in doing or achieving

16. Failure
something.

 A large amount of water covering an

area of land that is usually dry.
 A flood described in the Bible as
17. Flood
covering the earth in the time of Noah.
 A large amount of things that come or
happen at the same time.

 A person who you like and enjoy being

with.
18. Friend  A person who helps or supports someone
or something (such as a cause or
charity).

19. Gangster  A member of a group of violent criminals.

 The rising average temperature of earth’s

20. Global warming atmosphere and oceans since the last
century and its projected continuation.

 The condition of being well or free from

disease.
21. Health  The overall condition of someone’s body
or mind.
 The condition or state of something.

 A better lifestyle habits and the way you

22. Healthy Lifestyle
live well and free from illness.

23. Internet  An electronic communications network

that connects computer networks and
 organizational computer facilities around
the world.

Juvenile  A young person who is not yet an adult

24. Delinquency and who is guilty of committing a crime.

 A layer of ozone high above the earth’s

25. Ozone Layer surface that helps to protect the earth
from harmful radiation from the sun.

 The action or process of making land,

water, air, etc., dirty and not safe or
26. Pollution suitable to use.
 Substances that make land, water, air,
etc., dirty and not safe or suitable to use.

 A state in which there is no war or

fighting.
27. Peace  An agreement to end a war.
 A period of time when there is no war or
fighting.

28. Patriotism  Love that people feel for their country.

 To keep (something) in its original state or

in good condition.
29. Preservation  To keep (something) safe from harm or
loss.
 To prevent (food)from decaying.

 To make something new from (something

that has been used before).
 To send (used newspapers, bottles, cans,
30. Recycle
etc.) to a place where they are made
into something new.
 To use (something) again.

 Immoral activities that involved

31. Social Ills
themselves in.

32. Sport
  A contest or game in which people do
certain physical activities according to a
specific set of rules and compete against
each other.
 A physical activity (such as hunting,
fishing, running, swimming, etc.) that is
done for enjoyment.

 The fact of getting or achieving wealth,

respect, or frame.
 The correct or desired result of an
33. Success
attempt.
 Someone or something that is successful :
a person or thing that succeeds.

 The act of killing yourself because you do

not want to continue living.
34. Suicide
 An action that ruins or destroys your
career, social position, etc.

 A state of mental tension and worry

caused by problems in your life, work,
etc.
35. Stress
 Something that causes strong feelings of
worry or anxiety.
 Physical force or pressure.

 A sudden event that is not planned or

36. Traffic Accident intended and that causes damage or
injury.

 The practise of staying away from school

37. Truancy
without permission.

 Teaching especially when given to a

38. Tuition
small group of person.

 The activity of travelling to a place for

pleasure.
39. Tourism
 The business of providing hotels,
restaurants, entertainment, etc., for
people who are travelling.
 Unemployed  People who are not in work but actively
40. Graduate seeking works.

 Belief about what is the right and wrong

41. Universal Values
way for people to behave.

 The state of being in full agreement.

 A way of combining the parts in a work
42. Unity
of art or literature so that they seem to
belong together.

 A liquid colourless , odourless , and tasteless

that falls as rain is in lakes , rivers , and seas.
43. Water
Scientifically it consists an atom of oxygen
and two atoms of hydrogen and written as
H2O.
 Conclusions for School Essay Topics

SER. TOPICS CONCLUSION

ONE WORD TITTLE In conclusion, water offers many benefits

 WATER to us. We could probably survive for four to
1. eight weeks without food, but a lack of water
could death in ten days.

FACTUAL ESSAY In a nutshell, it is a harsh but true fact that

 CHILDREN’S the world is no longer a safe place for
2. SAFETY innocent children as sexual predators lurk in
every nook and cranny.

CURRENT ISSUES To summarize, collective effort needed to

 TERRORISM tackle menace of terrorism as it makes
3. people feel threatened, insecure, traumatic,
oppressed, angry and anxious.

DESCRIPTIVE After a week continuous downpour, the

 DESCRIBE HOW rain finally showed signs of abating. The
BAD WEATHER overcast skies eventually cleared. The faint
4. CONDITIONS glow of the sun’s rays brought cheer and
AFFECTED THE relief to the people affected by the floods.
PEOPLE LIVING After a week of uncertainly and chaos, life
IN YOUR AREA returned to normal.

ARGUMENTATIVE To conclude, for students who are unable

ESSAY to get personal attention in school and for
 SHOULD those who have difficulty assimilating what is
5. STUDENTS GO taught in schools, tuition is definitely a must ,
FOR TUITION? as the gain is more than the cost.
 NARRATIVE ESSAY As we made our way to the exit, I felt as
 WRITE ABOUT though all people were giving us suspicious
AN INCIDENT stares, I vowed never to step into that
6. YOU WISHED supermarket again. It was the most
NEVER embarrassing incident of my life, an incident
HAPPENED which I wished never happened.

BEGINNING WITH The incident has helped me to get my

 “I COULD TELL priorities right. It has also made me realize
BY HER FACE that when we give a helping hand to those
7. THAT SHE WAS who need our assistance, the world will be a
VERY better place to live in.
DISTRESSED…”

ENDING WITH We all heaved sighs of relief when we

 “…I WAS GLAD heard this. Mum led us in saying a
THE DAY HAD thanksgiving prayer. As I got ready to go to
8. COME TO END.” bed that night, I recollected the events that
occurred that day. I was glad the day had
come to end.

ONE WORD TITTLE To summarize, it will not be impossible for

 TOURISM Malaysia to emerge as the number one
tourist destination in the Asia-Pacific region if
9. everyone cooperates. Malaysia is a
wonderful country that are full of beauty and
elegance in every aspects. Malaysia is truly
Asia.
 Modals

 MUST

 Must is used to refer to things which are absolutely

necessary or very important.

 Must does not have a past tense. If we want to talk

about something that happened in the past, we use
had to.
Example:
Yesterday, we had to go to the relief centre because our house
was flooded.

 Must can also mean probably or certainly.

Example:
You have been on your feet the whole day so you must be
feeling exhausted.

 HAVE TO

 Have to shows that we are obligated to do

something. Must shows a stronger obligation than
have to. We can use have to in the present tense,
past tense and future tense.
Example:
a) The children have to their homework every evening.
(Present tense)
b) Karen had to wash her shoes yesterday. (Past tense)
 c) The contractor will have to show me some new tile
samples tomorrow because the ones I ordered are no
longer available. (Future tense)

Common Mistakes

Incorrect Correct
 Yesterday, I must babysit my  Yesterday, I had to babysit
cousin. my cousin.
 They must queuing to enter  They must queue to enter
the bus. the bus.

 COULD

 Could is used :

1. To show past habit /ability

Examples:
 I could climb that tree easily when I was
younger.
 My grandmother could sew well when her
eyesight was better.

2. To describe a past action (to indicate the

meaning ‘was able to’).
Examples:
 He climbed the ladder so he could repair the
roof.
 She finished her homework so she could meet
her friends at the park.
 3. In polite expressions
Examples:
 Could you past me the salt, please?
 Could you lend me your umbrella, please?
 Could you help me arrange these books on the
shelf?

 SHOULD

 Should is used to offer advice. It is used to show that

something is a good idea but you have choice. It is used
in the present tense and future tense.
Examples:
 We should visit Uncle Lim and Aunty Mary during the
weekend.
 Khairul should save at least 10 percent of his salary every
month.
 “You should ask for directions if you get lost,” says Joey.
 Tee Ling is ill. He should see a doctor.
 Punctuation
CAPITAL LETTERS (A,B,C…)

We use capital letters for :

a) The first letter of a sentence.
b) The pronoun “I”
c) Proper nouns

Examples:
 My family and I are movie fans.
 I love the vases you bought from Sarawak, Lisa.
They are lovely.
 Jennifer is celebrating her birthday this Saturday.

FULL STOP (.)

We use full stops :

a) At the end of a sentence.
b) After initials.
c) For abbreviations.

Examples:
 Melvin and Devi are wearing identical t-shirts .
 Mr T. S. Liew was my favourite teacher in school.
 Encik Mohd. Said is an avid collector of oil
paintings .
 The weekly resident’s meeting has been changed
from Mon. at 7.30 p.m. to Fri. at 8.00 p.m.
QUESTION MARK (?)

We use question marks to ask questions. A question must have

a question mark at the end.

Examples:
 Are the children in bed already ? I have a surprise for
them.
 How much is a packet of biscuits ?
 Where is Sin Hong ?
 The test was tough, wasn’t it ?

EXCLAMATION MARK (!)

We use exclamation marks to show sudden or strong feelings

such as excitement, surprise or fear. They are also used when
we speak loudly.

Examples:
 Hello everyone !
 Oh ! what a lovely gift !
 Fire! Fire! Everyone get out of the house !
 Wow ! the decorations are beautiful.

COMMA (,)

We use commas:
a) To separate items in a list.

Example:
 Please give me half a kilogramme of tomatoes,
onions, shallots and potatoes.
b) To address a person.

Example:
 Sally, please have a seat here.

c) Between names of places.

Example:
 Mr and Mrs Lee loved the sea, sun, and sand at
Cherating, Pahang.

d) Before and after extra information in a sentence

Examples:
 Puan Alia, my primary school English teacher,
inspired me to become a teacher.
 Encik Rosli, is our friendly grocer, is passionate
about gardening.
 David Pero, a former international footballer, is
reentering the world of football as a sport
commentator.

e) After yes or no in responses.

Examples:
 Yes, I will.
 No, she hasn’t arrived yet.

f) To separate a question tag from the sentence.

Examples:
 That looks complicated, doesn’t it?
 He isn’t at home, is he?
 APOSTROPHE (‘)

1. (a) We use apostrophes to show possession.

(b) We add (‘s) at the end of a singular noun.

Examples:

 Maimunah’s children are polite and courteous.

 The dog’s bowl and bone are in the kennel.

2. (c) We add ( ‘ ) at the end of a plural noun and a singular noun

which ends in –s .

Examples:

 The girls’ books are torn.

 My brothers’ desks are very messy.
 Mr Peters’ students are putting up a play for the concert.

NOTE:
We do not use apostrophes for words such as yours, his,
hers, ours and theirs. Possessive adjectives do not have an
apostrophe.

3. We use apostrophes for short forms or contractions.

Examples:
 Are not – aren’t
 They will – they’ll
 Have not – haven’t
INDENT

We indent at the start of a new paragraph.

Example:
You will need a square piece of cardboard, a marker pen, a
safety pin and Cellophane tape.

Then, write your name on one side of the card. You can use
a marker pen or glitter pen.

After that, turn the card over. Use some Cellophane tape to
stick the safety pin or the cardboard. Now, you have your own
name card.