1. Skills Enhancement Seminar
Eastern Visayas State University July 7, 2012
Skills Enhancement Seminar
Mark Fullmer

2. English Questions on the LET
Reading Comprehension
Vocabulary
Pronunciation
Grammar
Idioms
Knowledge of Literature
Knowledge of Language Terminology

3. Reading Comprehension
What is the meaning of this statement: “History never cited a leaderless nation”?
Nations can survive without leaders
A leader can fade away but another will come up
Leaders are always born
Leaders are matched with historical events

4. Vocabulary The President is a garrulous speaker. GARRULOUS means:
Taciturn
Reticent
Talkative
Diligent

5. Knowledge of Literature
In Paz Latorena’s short story “The Small Key” what is inside the chest when the second wife Soledad opened it?
Old clothes
Skeletons
Land documents
Weapons used in the second world war

6. Knowledge of Language Terminology
This theory of language learning and literacy views children capable of relating new information to prior knowledge.
Constructivist
Sociolinguist
Interactive
Reader Response

7. Objectives for Today Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Pronunciation
Singular-Plural agreement
Idioms
Knowledge of Literature
Knowledge of Language Terminology

8. Results from our prepositions seminar
1. 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

9. PRONUNCIATION: What you need to know for the LET

10. 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.

11. 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
adjective
verb
Tip 1: Ask yourself what part of speech is being identified?
Tip 2: Read each option aloud to hear emphasis
noun
adjective
pronoun

12. 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 sounds
Tip 2: Memorize the most common phonetic symbols using a word chart.

13. 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

14. Pronunciation Post-Test
Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes

15. 1. Which of these words do not rhyme. (a) Watch the bird soar high
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

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

17. Singulars & Plurals Workshop
Pretest: Complete the following 10 questions in 10 minutes.

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

19. 5. Some words are never pluralized in English
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

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

21. English Pluralization is Buang-buang!

22. We'll begin with a and the plural is

23. But the plural of
should be
oxen, not oxes.

24. One fowl is a
but two are called
geese,

25. Yet the plural of should never be meese.

26. You may find a lone
or a whole set of

27. Yet the plural of is houses not hice.

28. If the plural of
is always called

29. Why shouldn't the plural of
be called
pen?

30. If I speak of a and you show me your

31. And I give you a
would a pair be called
beet?

32. If one is a tooth and a whole set are Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?

33. One may be “that” and three would be “those,” Yet in the plural wouldn't be hose.

34. And the plural of is cats and not cose.

35. We speak of a and also of brethren,

36. But though we say we never say Methren,

37. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him

38. But imagine the feminine being She, shis and shim

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

40. 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.
word + s
word + es
Word ending in “y” = ies
Word ending in “f” = ves

41. Word + s (*most common*)
singular
plural
a car
two cars
a cassette
two cassettes
a lamp
two lamps
a hat
two hats
a cup
two cups

42. Word + es Sibilants include “ch” “ts” “zh” “z” “x” “s”
Add “es” after sibilants. (What are sibilants?)
singular
plural
a box
two boxes
a sandwich
two sandwiches
a boss
two bosses
a buzz
two buzzes
a couch
two couches

43. For words ending in “y”
Rule 1: After consonant + y, replace with “ies”
singular
plural
a city
two cities
a lady
two ladies
Rule 2: After vowel + y, add “s”
singular
plural
a boy
two boys
a day
two days

44. For words ending “f” or “fe”
Add -s
Replace with -ves
singular
plural
a roof
two roofs
a thief
two thieves
a cliff
two cliffs
a wife
two wives
a sheriff
two sheriffs
a shelf
two shelves

45. For words ending in “o” Add -s Add -es singular plural a disco
two discos
a tomato
two tomatoes
a piano
two pianos
a potato
two potatoes
a photo
two photos
a hero
two heroes

46. Activity: Pluralize these words
1. overlay
2. sanctuary
3. trench
4. trinket
5. reef
6. leaf
7. interruption
8. information
overlays
sanctuaries
trenches
trinkets
reefs
leaves
interruptions
information

47. For some words, you never add “s” (Uncountable nouns)
Sentence
homework
My Math homework was not easy.
information
Information is more available in the internet age.
knowledge
His knowledge of English is excellent.
furniture
All the furniture was on sale at the store.

48. Topic 2: Singular Nouns
Some nouns are singular even though they refer to plural things
Noun
Sentence
water
She spilled a lot of water.
fruit
Would you like some fruit?
hair
Your hair looks lovely.
rice
He always eats too much rice.

49. Some nouns end in “s” but use a singular verb
Sentence
news
Good evening. Here is the news.
physics
Physics is our first lesson on Monday morning.
progress
Progress was made in developing new technologies.
The United States
The United States is a country with 50 states.

50. 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.

51. Activity: is the sentence correct?
The furniture at the stores were very expensive.
The furniture at the stores was very expensive.
The items of furniture at the stores were very expensive.

52. Topic 3: Irregular plurals
singular
plural
a man
two men
a woman
two women
a child
two children
a mouse
two mice
a tooth
two teeth
a goose
two geese
a foot
two feet

53. Topic 4: Foreign Plurals
Words in English borrowed from other languages often don’t follow the above rules. You have to memorize them.

54. Foreign Plurals with “es” ending
Singular: Analysis Axis Basis Diagnosis
Plural:
Analyses
Axes
Bases
Diagnoses

55. Foreign Plurals with “a” ending
Singular:
Datum
Medium
Criterion
Phenomenon
Plural: Data Media Criteria Phenomena

56. Foreign Plurals with 2 forms
Singular: Syllabus Index Appendix
Plural:
Syllabi/Syllabuses
Indices/Indexes
Appendixes/Appendices

57. Plurals/Singulars: Post-Test
Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes

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

59. 5. Which of these is always singular
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

60. 8. Which is incorrect?
Economics is a difficult subject
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”?
bases (b) basises
(c) basices (d) basis
10. Which is an incorrect plural?
(a) boys (b) convoies
(c) quandries (d) appendices

61. Idiom LET Questions What is an idiom? Dog Cat Rain
“It’s raining cats and dogs.”
An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning different from the dictionary definition of individual words.

62. “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.”

63. Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes.
Idioms Post-test
Complete the following 10 questions in 8 minutes.
Tips for LET pronunciation questions
1. 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.

64. What do the following underlined idioms mean?
1. We have waited long enough. It’s time to face the music.
face the speaker (b) strive for excellence
(c) listen to music (d) begin a difficult challenge
2. He learned to swim through trial by fire.
a court case (b) learning by doing
(c) an easy experience (d) an impossible task
3. The acid test for a good friendship is respect.
difficult exam (b) sign of friendship
(c) best way to judge (d) a lie-detector test

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

66. 8. Don’t move to Manila. You’ll be opening a whole can of worms.
spoiled food (b) a place of opportunity
(c) many problems (d) many people
9. 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 accident
10. Watch out for changes in the law next year.
be prepared (b) applies to children
(c) do not believe (d) be happy