Grammar
Fill the gap: Only when the meeting ___ (finish) could we leave.
Only when the meeting had finished could we leave.
Find a synonym for persuasive
(convincing, influential, manipulative)
What is the word order of English?
SVO
Rewrite in formal English: “Hey, can you send me that file ASAP?”
Could you please send me that file as soon as possible?
Tongue twister:
She sells seashells by the seashore.
Good job! / Sorry :(
Which is correct: He said he will call tomorrow OR He said he would call tomorrow?
He said he would call tomorrow (backshift after past reporting verb).
what do we call words that sound the same but have a different meaning
Homophones
English is a member of which language family?
Indo-European (Germanic Branch)
“Stocks plunge amid fears of recession.” → What does plunge mean here?
Fall sharply / decrease suddenly
Give a formal synonym for “start.”
Commence
Turn into passive:
They will have completed the project by Friday.
The project will have been completed by Friday.
(3 for a bonus 50 pts)
make up
call off
fly away
What are phonemes?
the smallest unit of sound in a language that distinguishes one word from another
Academic writing: Replace the phrase “very important” with two advanced academic synonyms.
Crucial / significant / essential
“burn the midnight oil”
To work late into the night, often to finish something important.
Rewrite with inversion: She had never seen such a beautiful city.
Never had she seen such a beautiful city.
What’s the difference between historic and historical?
Historic = important in history; historical = related to history in general.
What’s the difference between voiced and voiceless sounds?
Voiced = vocal cords vibrate
Voiceless = no vibration.
Academic register: Give two formal synonyms for “big problem.”
Major issue / significant challenge
Mention 4 major works of Shakespeare
How many tenses does the English Language have?
12
What’s the difference between job, occupation, and profession?
job (general work), occupation (formal word for job) profession (requires training/qualification).
What does the suffix -ology mean? Give 2 examples.
The suffix -ology comes from Greek (-logia), and it means “the study of” or “the science of.”
Ex: Etymology → the study of the origin of words.
In the phrase “climate summit,” what does summit mean?
A high-level meeting between leaders or officials
The more of me you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?
Footsteps