11 October 2019
This month I would like to share the final component in Paper 1 which is Editing. A lot of students attempt the Editing based on “gut feel” or by “trial and error”. Most times, many are disappointed by their scores.
In fact, it is just a simple technique to follow in order to ace the Editing – look for the 7 types of errors in the text:
- Grammar – referring to subject verb agreement, tenses etc
Example: The child may become greedy and expects more toys – expect
- Preposition – such as in, on, under, through etc
Example: I am now travelling in the bus – on
- Word form – any word can come in 4 different forms; noun, verb, adjective and adverb
Example:
This is a beautiful (noun) crafted piece of work – beautifully (adverb)
- Pronoun – such as it, he, they, ourselves, their etc
Example: The dog is trained to walk home by himself – itself
- 5W 1H – (who, what, where, when, why, how)
Example: This is the park when I will go to unwind – where
- Conjunction – a word that connects the whole sentence such that it makes sense
Example: Fried food is unhealthy and many people still love it – yet
- Article – (a, an, the)
Some students are still unclear when to change from “a’’ to “the” and vice versa. “A” is used when it refers to things in general and “the” refers to something more specific.
Example:
The school is an institution where students attend to gain knowledge – A
Singapore is a small country. A country is known for its strict laws – The
8. Comparatives & Superlatives – such as big, bigger and biggest etc
Example: Though Sydney is the capital city in Australia, Brisbane is actually the large city in the country – largest