This book is a superb all-in-one guide to success GCSE English Language and English Literature - GCSE English 2003

Warm-up Questions
Section Ten — Language and Grammar

You could read through this page in a few minutes but there's no point unless you check over any bits you don't know and make sure you understand everything. It's not quick, but it's the only way.

Warm-up Questions

1) Which of these should you check for when you finish a piece of writing?

a) correct punctuation

b) cauliflowers

c) paragraphs properly divided up

d) clever bits so you can pat yourself on the back

e) spelling all right

f) each sentence grammatical

g) bookworms

2) What's 'standard English'?

3) Do you need to use standard English in your GCSE exam?

4) Can you think of any parts of your English GCSE when it would be alright not to use standard English?

5) Rewrite the cliches in the sentences below in your own words:

a) Juliet should have realised that you win some and you lose some.

b) Sophocles' plays are all Greek to me.

с) I am writing to inform you that I am slinging my hook.

d) "Come on, comrade. It's eight o'clock.

Let's go out and paint the town red."

6) Choose the grammatically correct sentence in each of the following pairs:

a) Give me them pens.

or Give me those pens.

b) Macbeth is a general who kills a king.

or Macbeth is a general which kills a king.

c) The boy did as the teacher said.

or The boy did like the teacher said.

7) What do you always have to have at the beginning and end of a sentence?

8) Write down three places in a sentence where you would need to put a comma.

9) Would you use a colon or a semi-colon to replace the * in the sentence below?

"I saw these items in your bag * a shirt, some shoes and a pair of trousers."

10) Which creates a longer pause, a dash or a full stop?

11) Write out these sentences with the correct punctuation:

a) the man who still hadnt recovered from his cold was writing his shopping list bananas milk tea and bread

b) why wont Roberts dog the childrens dog and the ladies dog play with cats c) Sarah asked has anyone seen Liz today

d) does anyone want another cup of tea Andy asked because Im having one

12) What will the examiners think you mean if you write 'I don't want to do no English exam'?