History of English
Around how many people speak English currently?
a. 1.5 billion
b. 2.4 billion
c. 8.1 billion
d. 740 million
a. 1.5 billion
Which type of sensory imagery is being used in the following sentence?
"As soon as she took a bite, the sweet brown sugar and warm spices of the fresh cinnamon roll melted on her tongue."
Gustatory imagery / Taste
What word/s is the slang term 'rizz' derived from?
charisma
Which punctuation mark expresses strong emotion, excitement, surprise, anger or high emphasis in writing?
exclamation mark
Which English teacher has lived in Macau the longest consecutively?
Ms Lena
From Cantonese, this word means to kneel and touch your forehead to the ground as a sign of deep respect or worship, or figuratively to show excessive obedience and submission to someone in authority
kowtow
About how many people use English as their first language?
a. 275 million
b. 375 million
b. 640 million
c. 750 million
b. 375 million
Which type of sensory imagery is being used in the following sentence?
"The coarse sandpaper rasped against his fingertips, leaving behind tiny, sharp stings of pain."
Tactile imagery / Touch
What does 'aura farming' mean?
to intentionally perform specific actions just to make yourself look cool or collect social "clout"
What punctuation mark is used to introduce a list, a quote, or an explanation?
colon
Which of the following songs does Ms Fe hum the most in the office?
a. 'Love Story' - Taylor Swift
b. 'Payphone' - Maroon 5
c. 'So Sick' - Ne-Yo
d. 'Dancing Queen' - ABBA
c. 'So Sick' - Ne-Yo
From Korean, this word is a form of martial arts that began over 2,000 years ago
Taekwando
English is an established global language, but its current form is a product of many other languages and a long history of borrowing and innovating. How many languages does English borrow from?
a. 350
b. 450
c. 729
d. 750
a. 350
A writer describing the sweet, floral scent of blooming roses. Which of the following is the correct term for this type of imagery?
Olfactory imagery / Smell
What does it mean to 'trip the light fantastic' mean?
a. to dance lightly and gracefully
b. to freak out
c. to lose your temper quickly
d. to fix a lightbulb deftly
a. to dance lightly and gracefully
What mark is used to show ownership or to create a contraction?
apostrophe
Which of the following statements is false?
a. Mr Robbie owns a pink whale cushion.
b. Ms Si has an open water diving certificate.
c. Ms Fiona was on a swimming team.
d. Mr Sam does not know how to dougie.
a. Mr Robbie's whale cushion is blue, not pink.
From Cantonese, this word means "that which falls and grows"
kalanchoe
Shakespeare is credited with first recording or popularising roughly 1,700 words, including “bedroom,” “lonely,” and “eyeball.” Words like these are called neologisms, meaning newly coined words or expressions. In which era of English language development did Shakespeare write?
a. Old English
b. Middle English
c. Early Modern English
d. Modern English
c. Early Modern English
Which of the following sentences successfully combines sight, sound, and smell in a single sentence?
a. The dark thunderclouds rolled in as cold rain drenched the slippery grass.
b. Bright yellow flames crackled loudly in the fireplace, sending the warm scent of pine across the living room.
c. She took a bite of the sour lemon, causing her lips to pucker and her eyes to water.
d. The heavy iron gate slammed shut with a metallic bang that vibrated through the stone floor.
b. Bright yellow flames crackled loudly in the fireplace, sending the warm scent of pine across the living room.
What does it mean to 'put butter upon bacon' means?
a. to cook things to perfection
b. to add two or more ingredients to a plate
c. to start the day with as hearty breakfast
d. to exaggerate or be extravagant
d. to exaggerate or be extravagant
If you use a semicolon to join two independent clauses, what punctuation mark should you use after a transitional word, such as "however" or "therefore"?
comma
What is one thing no one in the English department has ever done before?
a. touched a squirrel
b. climbed Mount Fuji
c. ridden a hot air balloon
d. gotten into a fistfight
a. touched a squirrel
From Russian, this word means a person who rejects all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless
nihilist
The origin of English can be traced to which tribes from Northern Germany?
a. Vikings
b. Normans
c. Anglo-Saxon
d. Norman French
c. Anglo-Saxon
Which sentence relies on organic imagery?
a. The quiet mist drifted over the cold valley at dusk.
b. The sharp, sour flavor of fresh lemon coated the surface of the slice.
c. A deep, hollow pang of hunger gnawed at his stomach after hours of walking.
d. The dry autumn leaves crunched loudly underfoot along the trail.
c. A deep, hollow pang of hunger gnawed at his stomach after hours of walking.
What does the South African term 'walkie talkie' mean?
a. a meal of chicken feet and heads
b. two tin cups used as a megaphone
c. a police device to catch criminals
d. a person who speaks too much
a. a meal of chicken feet and heads
What is it called when two or more sentences are combined incorrectly, usually due to a lack of proper punctuation or connecting words?
run-on sentence
Name 2 different pairs of English teachers who have known each other for 10 years.
Mr Marvin & Ms Fe
Mr Sam & Ms Lena
From Tagalog, this word refers to a flower native to the Philippines
ylang-ylang