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CE.E29 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Set 6

ISEB CE CE.E29 · Calculators not allowed · about 55 minutes

Total Marks

Name: _______________________________ Date: ____ / ____ / ______

This is the sixth Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar pack for the ISEB Common Entrance English paper, complementing CE.E4, CE.E10, CE.E14, CE.E19 and CE.E24 with entirely new practice. Short spelling and punctuation questions come first, building to grammar, sentence construction and Standard English, and finishing with two questions on the effect of punctuation choices and a longer editing task. Write your answers clearly, using full sentences where asked.

For each pair, circle the word that is spelled correctly.

(a)arguement / argument(1)

A) arguement
B) argument

(b)libary / library(1)

A) libary
B) library

(c)twelth / twelfth(1)

A) twelth
B) twelfth

(Total for Question 1 is 3 marks)

Complete each sentence with the correct word from the brackets.

(a)By the end of the assembly, several children admitted they felt rather _____ during the long speech. (board / bored)(1)

(b)The new footbridge over the river is supported by thick _____ beams. (steel / steal)(1)

(c)A strong _____ in the river swept the canoe off course. (currant / current)(1)

(d)Visitors walked slowly down the church _____ to admire the stained glass. (isle / aisle)(1)

(Total for Question 2 is 4 marks)

Each word below is misspelled. Write the correct spelling.

(a)Wensday(1)

(b)exercize(1)

(c)conveniant(1)

(d)opertunity(1)

(e)mischevous(1)

(Total for Question 3 is 5 marks)

Rewrite each phrase using an apostrophe to show the missing letters.

(a)were not(1)

(b)they had(1)

(c)it will(1)

(Total for Question 4 is 3 marks)

Add the missing commas to this sentence: For the geography field trip we packed waterproofs maps a compass and sandwiches.

(Total for Question 5 is 2 marks)

Add an apostrophe in the correct place in each sentence.

(a)The deer footprints crossed the frosty field.(1)

(b)The three choirs concert was postponed due to bad weather.(1)

(c)Devikas painting won the art prize.(1)

(Total for Question 6 is 3 marks)

In this sentence, identify the word class (noun, verb, adjective or adverb) of each word shown in asterisks: 'The *nervous* actor *paused* *briefly* before addressing the *audience*.'

(a)nervous(1)

(b)paused(1)

(c)briefly(1)

(d)audience(1)

(Total for Question 7 is 4 marks)

Circle the correct word in each sentence.

(a)The family wore black to attend the (morning / mourning) service.(1)

A) morning
B) mourning

(b)The show was broadcast as part of a six-part (cereal / serial) on Sunday evenings.(1)

A) cereal
B) serial

(c)The young dancer showed real (flair / flare) during her solo.(1)

A) flair
B) flare

(d)We hadn't expected an extra (guessed / guest) to arrive for dinner.(1)

A) guessed
B) guest

(Total for Question 8 is 4 marks)

Add the missing punctuation to this sentence: hurry along called miss bello as the pupils queued for the coach

(Total for Question 9 is 3 marks)

Identify whether each sentence is simple, compound or complex.

(a)The choir sang beautifully.(1)

(b)Mia tidied her room and she fed the cat.(1)

(c)Although it was raining, the match went ahead.(1)

(Total for Question 10 is 3 marks)

Each sentence below contains a comma splice (two main clauses wrongly joined by a comma). Correct the punctuation and, in one sentence, explain why your correction is needed.

(a)The museum was fascinating, we stayed for three hours.(2)

(b)Leon practised every day, his serve improved quickly.(2)

(Total for Question 11 is 4 marks)

Add the suffix shown to each word, spelling the new word correctly.

(a)beauty + ful(1)

(b)hope + ing(1)

(c)big + er(1)

(d)study + ing(1)

(Total for Question 12 is 4 marks)

Add the missing capital letters and punctuation to this passage: last saturday our class visited kew gardens we saw the palm house the treetop walkway and the japanese pagoda my friend imogen said it was the most peaceful place shed ever visited

(Total for Question 13 is 6 marks)

Complete each sentence using a colon correctly.

(a)Farah had one good reason for being late she had missed the school bus.(2)

(b)Remember to bring your kit socks shin pads and a water bottle.(2)

(Total for Question 14 is 4 marks)

The extra information below needs to be added into the sentence as parenthesis. Rewrite the sentence three times, using (a) a pair of commas, (b) a pair of brackets, and (c) a pair of dashes. Base sentence: 'My uncle Mr Adeyemi runs the corner shop every weekend.' Extra information to insert: who was once a professional footballer

(a)Using a pair of commas.(1)

(b)Using a pair of brackets.(1)

(c)Using a pair of dashes.(1)

(Total for Question 15 is 3 marks)

Circle the correct verb in each sentence.

(a)The choir (was / were) rehearsing every lunchtime before the concert.(1)

A) was
B) were

(b)Everyone (was / were) delighted with the fireworks display.(1)

A) was
B) were

(c)The squad (has / have) qualified for the national finals.(1)

A) has
B) have

(Total for Question 16 is 3 marks)

Rewrite each sentence in Standard English.

(a)The players was warming up before kick-off.(1)

(b)The twins hurt theirselves on the climbing frame.(1)

(c)Farah and me are organising the raffle.(1)

(Total for Question 17 is 3 marks)

Each sentence contains one error. Name the type of error and correct the sentence.

(a)I haven't done nothing wrong.(1)

(b)Yesterday, I finish my homework early.(1)

(c)The coaches whistle blew for full time.(1)

(d)There going to announce the results after lunch.(1)

(Total for Question 18 is 4 marks)

Read this sentence from a student's account of an athletics meeting: 'The starting gun fired and the runners surged forward - Yusuf was already yards ahead.' Explain why the writer has chosen to use a dash rather than a comma before the final part of the sentence.

(Total for Question 19 is 2 marks)

The paragraph below contains eight errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar. Find and correct all eight errors: 'on sunday, me and my friend sana took part in the inter-school quiz final. she dont usually enjoy general knowledge rounds, but she revise every evening. by the time the last question was read out, we was both shaking with nerves, but we knew every answer and one the trophy.'

(Total for Question 20 is 8 marks)

Mark scheme · CE.E29 Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Set 6

Question 1

(a) B1 argument circled
(a) Answer: argument
(b) B1 library circled
(b) Answer: library
(c) B1 twelfth circled
(c) Answer: twelfth

Question 2

(a) B1 bored
(a) Answer: bored
(b) B1 steel
(b) Answer: steel
(c) B1 current
(c) Answer: current
(d) B1 aisle
(d) Answer: aisle

Question 3

(a) B1 Wednesday, exact spelling required
(a) Answer: Wednesday
(b) B1 exercise, exact spelling required
(b) Answer: exercise
(c) B1 convenient, exact spelling required
(c) Answer: convenient
(d) B1 opportunity, exact spelling required
(d) Answer: opportunity
(e) B1 mischievous, exact spelling required
(e) Answer: mischievous

Question 4

(a) B1 weren't, apostrophe replacing the missing letter
(a) Answer: weren't
(b) B1 they'd, apostrophe replacing ha in had
(b) Answer: they'd
(c) B1 it'll, apostrophe replacing wi in will
(c) Answer: it'll

Question 5

B1 comma after the fronted phrase: 'For the geography field trip,'
B1 commas correctly separating the list items waterproofs, maps, a compass (comma before 'and' optional)
Answer: For the geography field trip, we packed waterproofs, maps, a compass and sandwiches.

Question 6

(a) B1 deer's (irregular plural not ending in s, so apostrophe plus s)
(a) Answer: The deer's footprints crossed the frosty field.
(b) B1 choirs' (plural noun already ending in s)
(b) Answer: The three choirs' concert was postponed due to bad weather.
(c) B1 Devika's (singular name takes 's)
(c) Answer: Devika's painting won the art prize.

Question 7

(a) B1 adjective
(a) Answer: adjective
(b) B1 verb
(b) Answer: verb
(c) B1 adverb
(c) Answer: adverb
(d) B1 noun
(d) Answer: noun

Question 8

(a) B1 mourning circled
(a) Answer: mourning
(b) B1 serial circled
(b) Answer: serial
(c) B1 flair circled
(c) Answer: flair
(d) B1 guest circled
(d) Answer: guest

Question 9

B1 opening speech mark and capital letter starting the spoken words: 'Hurry
B1 exclamation mark and closing speech mark correctly placed before the reporting clause, with a comma after the reporting verb
B1 capital letters for the title and name Miss Bello and a full stop at the end of the whole sentence
Answer: 'Hurry along!' called Miss Bello, as the pupils queued for the coach.

Question 10

(a) B1 simple
(a) Answer: simple
(b) B1 compound
(b) Answer: compound
(c) B1 complex
(c) Answer: complex

Question 11

(a) B1 valid correction, e.g. semicolon ('fascinating; we stayed') or a full stop and capital letter or a conjunction such as so
(a) B1 reason given: a comma alone cannot join two complete main clauses / sentences (independent clauses need a semicolon, full stop or conjunction)
(a) Answer: The museum was fascinating; we stayed for three hours.
(b) B1 valid correction, e.g. adding a conjunction ('day, so his serve') or a semicolon
(b) B1 reason given: the comma alone cannot join two independent clauses; a conjunction, semicolon or full stop is needed to link or separate them correctly
(b) Answer: Leon practised every day, so his serve improved quickly.

Question 12

(a) B1 beautiful, y changed to i
(a) Answer: beautiful
(b) B1 hoping, silent e dropped before a vowel-starting suffix
(b) Answer: hoping
(c) B1 bigger, final consonant doubled
(c) Answer: bigger
(d) B1 studying, y kept before -ing
(d) Answer: studying

Question 13

B1 capital letters for 'Last Saturday' and a comma after the fronted time phrase
B1 capital letters for the proper noun Kew Gardens
B1 full stop after Kew Gardens and capital letter starting We
B1 commas correctly separating the three list items: the Palm House, the Treetop Walkway and the Japanese Pagoda
B1 capital letters for the proper nouns Palm House, Treetop Walkway and Japanese Pagoda
B1 full stop after pagoda, capital letter starting My, capital letter for the name Imogen, and apostrophe inserted in she'd
Answer: Last Saturday, our class visited Kew Gardens. We saw the Palm House, the Treetop Walkway and the Japanese Pagoda. My friend Imogen said it was the most peaceful place she'd ever visited.

Question 14

(a) B1 colon inserted correctly after 'late' to introduce the explanation
(a) B1 wording after the colon correctly completes the explanation: 'she had missed the school bus'
(a) Answer: Farah had one good reason for being late: she had missed the school bus.
(b) B1 colon placed correctly after 'kit' to introduce the list
(b) B1 commas correctly placed between the list items: socks, shin pads and a water bottle
(b) Answer: Remember to bring your kit: socks, shin pads and a water bottle.

Question 15

(a) B1 a comma correctly placed both before and after the inserted clause
(a) Answer: My uncle Mr Adeyemi, who was once a professional footballer, runs the corner shop every weekend.
(b) B1 an opening and a closing bracket correctly placed around the inserted clause
(b) Answer: My uncle Mr Adeyemi (who was once a professional footballer) runs the corner shop every weekend.
(c) B1 a dash correctly placed both before and after the inserted clause
(c) Answer: My uncle Mr Adeyemi - who was once a professional footballer - runs the corner shop every weekend.

Question 16

(a) B1 was circled
(a) Answer: was
(b) B1 was circled
(b) Answer: was
(c) B1 has circled
(c) Answer: has

Question 17

(a) B1 were, correct subject-verb agreement with the plural players
(a) Answer: The players were warming up before kick-off.
(b) B1 themselves, correcting the nonstandard reflexive pronoun theirselves
(b) Answer: The twins hurt themselves on the climbing frame.
(c) B1 Farah and I, correct subject pronoun
(c) Answer: Farah and I are organising the raffle.

Question 18

(a) B1 double negative identified; corrected to 'I haven't done anything wrong.'
(a) Answer: I haven't done anything wrong.
(b) B1 incorrect tense identified; corrected to 'Yesterday, I finished my homework early.'
(b) Answer: Yesterday, I finished my homework early.
(c) B1 missing possessive apostrophe identified; corrected to 'The coach's whistle blew for full time.'
(c) Answer: The coach's whistle blew for full time.
(d) B1 incorrect homophone identified; corrected to 'They're going to announce the results after lunch.'
(d) Answer: They're going to announce the results after lunch.

Question 19

B1 identifies that the dash creates a sudden pause, marking Yusuf's early lead as a standout, dramatic detail rather than just another item in the sequence of events
B1 developed comment linking this to effect on the reader, e.g. the abrupt break mimics the sudden realisation of how far ahead Yusuf already was, giving more impact and excitement than the smoother, less emphatic pause of a comma
Answer: The dash creates a sudden, dramatic pause before the final detail, giving special emphasis to how far ahead Yusuf already was and creating a more sudden, exciting effect for the reader than a comma would.

Question 20

B1 capital letters for the day: On Sunday
B1 capital letter for the name: Sana
B1 pronoun order and case corrected: 'my friend Sana and I' in place of 'me and my friend sana'
B1 sentence-start capital and correct verb form corrected: 'She doesn't' in place of 'she dont'
B1 correct past tense verb form: revised in place of revise
B1 capital letter starting the new sentence: By in place of by
B1 subject-verb agreement corrected: were in place of was ('we were both shaking with nerves')
B1 homophone corrected: won in place of one
Answer: On Sunday, my friend Sana and I took part in the inter-school quiz final. She doesn't usually enjoy general knowledge rounds, but she revised every evening. By the time the last question was read out, we were both shaking with nerves, but we knew every answer and won the trophy.

Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar Set 6 - Worksheets, Questions and Revision