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WORKBOOK

A COMPILATION OF TUTORIALS AND EXERCISES FOR
HPE1043 PROFICIENCY ENGLISH

(FOR INTERNAL USE ONLY)
STUDENT’S COPY

1

CONTENTS

GRAMMAR COMPONENT.......................................................................................... 3
PARTS OF SPEECH ................................................................................................ 3
NOUNS.................................................................................................................. 4
ADJECTIVES ........................................................................................................ 6
ARTICLES............................................................................................................. 8
PRONOUNS ........................................................................................................ 11
ADVERBS ........................................................................................................... 13
PREPOSITIONS.................................................................................................. 15
CONJUNCTIONS ................................................................................................ 17
VERBS ................................................................................................................ 20

REVISION - PARTS OF SPEECH ............................................................................. 22
TENSES..................................................................................................................... 23

PAST TENSES ....................................................................................................... 23
PRESENT TENSES................................................................................................ 26
FUTURE TENSES .................................................................................................. 29
THE PERFECT TENSES........................................................................................ 31
THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE ........................................................................ 32
THE PAST PERFECT TENSE................................................................................ 35
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE................................................................................... 38
TENSES EXERCISES ............................................................................................... 40
FINAL EXAM REVISIONS......................................................................................... 44

2

GRAMMAR COMPONENT

PARTS OF SPEECH

Nouns
Articles
Adjectives

Part of Speech Pronouns Past Tenses
Verbs Present Tenses
Adverbs Future Tenses

Prepositions

Conjunctions

3

NOUNS

Nouns are names that we give to all living things and non-living things around us.

Types of Nouns

1) Proper Nouns – refer to specific people, places or things.
Eg: Michael Jackson, KLCC, Panasonic, LRT, Everest

2) Common Nouns – refer to people, places, things or animals in general.
Eg: lecturer, shopping complex, fan, mountain, school, fish

3) Abstract Nouns – refer to concepts, qualities or ideas.
Eg: wisdom, love, courage, happiness, effort, hate, success

4) Collective Nouns – refer to group of people or things.
Eg: committee, group, team, family, band

5) Uncountable Nouns – refer to things which cannot be counted.
Eg: hair, salt, time, air, oxygen, sand, water, strength

Singular and Plural Nouns

Rules Singular Plural
Add ‘s’ boy boys
chair chairs
Add ‘es’ to nouns ending in ‘sh’, ‘ch’, ‘s’ and ‘x’ match matches
box boxes
Add ‘ies’ baby babies
library libraries
Nouns end with ‘fe’ or ‘f’, change the ending to wife wives
‘ves’ leaf leaves
Irregular Nouns woman women
child children
Nouns with the same singular and plural form sheep sheep
deer deer

4

EXERCISE
Underline the nouns in the following sentences.
1. The farmer loaded his cart with boxes of fresh vegetables.
2. Before Marie signed the agreement, she discussed the matter with her parents.
3. I met my long-lost friend at the bookstore last week.
4. I need some matches to light the fire.
5. Determination is the key to success.
6. Reading is a good habit as it exposes us to new things and information.
7. When I was in Terengganu, I stayed at Berjaya Hotel.
8. My father works as a policeman.
9. My mother loves gardening. She plants variety of plants and flowers in her garden.
10. Swimming is a good form of exercise.
11. Eva is cooking pasta in the kitchen.
12. I bought some furniture at the Furniture Expo 2011 at KLCC last month.
13. We saw beautiful mountains and lakes on our trip to Kota Kinabalu.
14. I love to read short stories. My favorite author is Zainon Ahmad.
15. I love my mother. She is a good cook.

5

ADJECTIVES

Adjectives are words to describe the qualities of people, things and places.
Placement of Adjectives
1) Before a noun

eg: clever girl, beautiful picture, fresh fruit, old building
2) After a non-action verb (am, is, are, was, were, will be)

eg: The chair is blue
The books are expensive
When I was small, I used to learn ballet

3) After verbs like look, feel, taste, smell, seem, sound
eg: The soup tastes delicious
I feel tired
The teachers seem upset with students’ performance

Functions of Adjectives
1) To give more information or detail about nouns

eg: crunchy groundnuts
gorgeous supermodel

2) To express quantity
eg: three apples
Hundred-metre run

3) As Comparative Adjectives
eg: This is preetier than that one
Jackson is smarter than his brother

4) As Superlative Adjectives
eg: Please take the biggest apples in the box
Micheal is the youngest in his family

6

EXERCISE
Write a complete sentence using suitable Adjectives for the following words.

1. college : _______________________________________________________

2. book : _______________________________________________________

3. girl : _______________________________________________________

4. beach : _______________________________________________________

5. tiger : _______________________________________________________

6. scenery : _______________________________________________________

7. father : _______________________________________________________

8. policeman : _______________________________________________________

Underline the Adjectives in the following sentences.

1. The tall man standing under the shady tree is my brother.
2. I went to a very informative workshop on personal grooming and self-confidence

last week.
3. Sara receives an expensive birthday present from her parents. She is very happy.
4. We live in a small house. It is painted blue and surrounded by colorful flowers.
5. I finished read a good book last night. It is a story about a kind and poor boy who

becomes rich because of his noble deeds.
6. Jane is the cleverest student in the class. She always scores high marks in

examinations.
7. James is the winner of the competition because he is the fastest runner.
8. This purple bag is cheaper than that black one.
9. I am afraid to swim in a deep sea.
10.My aunt always cooks delicious meals for us whenever we visit her.
11.I love her long black shining hair.
12. Sheila is grateful to Azmi because he has helped her a lot during her short visit to

Pahang.
13. Janet is a good and skilled ballet dancer. She learned to dance since she was small.
14. My family and I had a wonderful vacation at Penang.
15. I bought that new dress using my own money.

7

ARTICLES

There are two kinds of Articles:
1) Indefinite Articles: a and an (used before singular countable nouns)
2) Definite Article: the (used before both singular and plural countable nouns as well

as uncountable nouns)
Articles are placed before nouns or before adjectives describing the nouns.
eg: a car, a nice gown, the book, the pretty girl

Indefinite Articles
a can only be used before singular and countable nouns. Eg: a bag, a bicycle, a boy
An is used before singular countable nouns which begin with:
1) Vowels a, e, i, o, u – an umbrella, an illness, an orange, an uncle
2) A silent ‘h’ – an hour, an honour

Definite Article
The is used:
1) To refer to a specific person or thing

eg: The cat belongs to my sister.
2) Before the name of thing of which there is only one

eg: The moon is shining brightly tonight.
3) Before a superlative

eg: Nadia is the tallest girl in the class.
4) To refer to the person or thing already mentioned

eg: Ali bought a car last month. The car is sporty and expensive.
5) Names of places

eg: deserts, oceans, rivers, seas
6) Countries with plural names

eg: the United States, the Netherlands
7) Countries with Republic or Kingdom names

eg: the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom
8) Large areas of the world

eg: the West, the Middle East

8

Names without the:
1) Names of games

eg: Andre loves to play tennis.
2) Names of meals

eg: We had dinner at our parent’s house last night.
3) Names of roads and streets

eg: Marie went to Petaling Street last Monday.
4) Special expressions like school, hospital, town, church, work

eg: They walked to town yesterday.
5) Names of languages

eg: I can speak Mandarin. I’ve learned it since I was 7-year-old.
6) Names of places

• Continents - Africa, Europe
• Countries - Britain, Korea
• States - Texas, New York
• Lakes - Lake District, Lake Geneva
• Mountains - Mount Everest, Mount Kinabalu
• Airport - JFK Airport, Oxford Airport
• Station - Glasgow Central Station
• Cathedral - Exeter Cathedral
• University - Cambridge University
• Palace - Buckingham Palace
• School - School of Fashion & Design
• Places with possessive ‘s - McDonald’s

9

EXERCISE
Put in a, an, the or (-).
1. Gina lives in ____________ big bungalow.
2. “Where’s _____________ phone?” asked Nani. “It’s in _________________

kitchen” her mother replied.
3. My brother has got ______________ nice smile.
4. Most people like ________________ animals.
5. Do you play __________________ golf?
6. “___________________ music is too loud. Please turn down the volume” said

Hani.
7. Have you ever visited ________________ Eiffel Tower?
8. My sister is ________________ nurse.
9. Adriana works at __________________ Grand Theatre.
10. ______________River Rhone runs into _________________ Mediterranean Sea.
11. All our furniture is made of _______________ wood.

In _____ 1952, in _________ New Jersey, _________ New York, ___________ man
went to rob __________ bank. He didn’t want ___________ people in ______________
bank to know what was happening, so he walked up to one of ______________
cashiers, wrote on _______ piece of paper – ‘This is ______ robbery and I’ve got
_____________ gun’, and showed _____________ paper to _____________ cashier.
Then he wrote – ‘Take all _____________ money out of your drawer and put it in
_____________ paper bag’. _________ cashier read __________ message and wrote
at ____________ bottom of __________ paper – “I haven’t got __________ paper bag’
and gave ___________ paper back to ______________ robber. ______________
robber was pissed off and stormed out of ______________ bank.

10

PRONOUNS

Pronouns take the place of nouns in sentences.

1. Personal Pronouns

Singular Subject Object Possessive Possessive
Plural Pronouns Pronouns Pronouns Adjectives
I me mine my
you you yours your
she her hers her
he him his his
it it its its
we us ours our
you you yours your
they them theirs their

2. Reflexive Pronouns – to intensify or reflect antecedents

I myself
you yourself
she herself
he himself
it itself
we ourselves
you yourselves
they themselves

3. Relatives Pronouns – join two sentences, refer to antecedents
Eg: who, whose, which, that
• I am deeply indebted to Sarah who had helped me a lot
• Help is needed for families whose homes were destroyed in the earthquakes
• Cinderella is a story which every little girl would enjoy
• It a song that my mother taught me

4. Demonstrative Pronouns

Singular This - Please help me carry this bag.
Plural That - I love that blue dress.
These - These books are mine.
Those - Those are my brother’s favourite CDs

11

EXERCISE
Correct the errors in the following sentences.
1. I have three best friends. I love all of it.
2. When I was a child, my sister and me used to play hide-and-seek every week.
3. If you want to pass you’re exams, you had better study hard for it.
4. A hippopotamus spends most of it’s time in the water.
5. A child should learn to respect other people. They need to learn how to speak with

people politely.
6. My sister forgot to bring their umbrella today.
7. My cat’s name is Tompok. He loves to play with her blue ball.
8. I borrowed books from library last week. They have to return it tomorrow.
9. John has a car. She drives to work every day.
10. Shima loves his new pet, a parrot. Their father bought him last week.

Choose the correct pronouns in the brackets.
1. This is (my/mine) umbrella. (Your/Yours) umbrella is over there.
2. This blue book is (my/mine). The red one is (your/yours).
3. Mary has a pet. (Its/It’s) name is Bubble. (Its/It’s) a cat.
4. They will arrive at (their/them) house at 9.00 pm.
5. Hannah brings along (his/her) sister to the rehearsal. (They/Them) are very close.
6. We attended a very interesting workshop last night. (It/They) was organised by

English Club.
7. I read a number of American short stories last night. (They/It) are written by

(me/my) favourite authors.
8. We forgot to bring (our/my) textbooks today. As a result, (our/we) were punished

by our teacher.
9. Jay and Kyle have (their/theirs) own books. I have to buy (my/mine) own book

immediately.
10. Please give me (that, those) books. I cannot reach (them, it)

12

ADVERBS

Functions:
1) To give more information or detail about verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Verbs
• She talked enthusiastically.
• They dance beautifully.
• They run quickly.
• He laughed cheerfully.

Adjectives
• The manager was visibly angry with the careless worker.
• She felt terribly sick after eating the wild mushrooms.

Adverbs
• The building was very beautifully decorated.
• This is the most professionally embroidered material I have ever seen.

2) To show frequency of how things are done
• I always come early to class.
• Jenny sometimes goes to the night market.
• She never walks to school.

13

EXERCISE

List down the verbs and adverbs in the column provided.

SENTENCE VERB ADVERB
Heidi speaks softly.
Hilmi drives carefully to work.
Thalia came late to class this morning.
The children quickly ran towards the
playground.
They solved the problem easily.
The workers worked hard to earn some money.
The girls dance gracefully on that competition.
Please speak clearly. I cannot understand you.
My sister is terribly injured in the accident.

Fill in the blanks with a suitable adverb from the boxes.

easily quickly patiently loudly hard
angrily suddenly greedily carefully madly

1. The teacher shouted _____________ at the students for making noise in the class.
2. Romeo is ________________ in love with Juliet.
3. You have to study ______________ for your examinations.
4. The man _________________ stopped the car in the middle of the road.
5. You have to read the article _______________ in order to understand it.
6. My mother ______________ came down when she heard my voice.
7. The hungry boy ate his food ____________________.
8. The parents waited ______________ for their children to get down from the bus.
9. Our neighbours may not like it if we play music _________________.
10. You can _______________ find the meaning in the dictionary.

14

PREPOSITIONS

Prepositions are used to show relationships among words in a sentence. The
relationships include place, position, time, manner or direction.

Prepositions to show place

Prepositions Examples
in Put your all of your things in the box.
at Haiqal is waiting for me at the park.
on Please leave the keys on the table.
under The girls are playing doll under the tree.
beside My house is beside the playground.
between My mother is sitting between my sisters.
above My apartment is above the store.
behind I sit behind Maisara in the class.
inside There is money inside the envelope.
outside My brothers are playing outside the house.

Prepositions to show direction

Prepositions Examples
to I went to the USA for vacation last month.
from I just came back from class.
into Janet jumped into the river to save the boy.
across He swims across the river.
along They walked along the beach hand in hand.
out Don’t take anything out of this hall.
around Fara jogs around her neighbourhood every Sunday morning.

Prepositions to show time

Prepositions Examples
in She goes jogging early in the morning twice a week.
during All students are paying attention during the lecture.
on The class on Monday is cancelled.
for I will further my studies in UK for three years.
at Please wait here at 8.00 pm. I will come and pick you up.

15

Prepositions to show manner

Prepositions Examples

about I love everything about her.

by This essay is written by my sister.
for Let’s go for a cup of tea.

with I went to picnic with my family last Sunday.

without He left without telling me anything.

Preposition Phrases

Prepositions Examples
because of I couldn’t make it on time because of traffic congestion.
in order to I must listen to the lecture attentively in order to pass the
subject.
for the sake of For the sake of our relationship, I am willing to forgive you.
on behalf of I am attending this meeting on behalf of my boss.
in case of In case of emergency, please call 999.
instead of Why did you go to watch movie instead of class?
in spite of/ In spite of my objection, my brother goes to play at the
despite playground.

EXERCISES

Fill in the blanks with suitable prepositions.

Fishermen go _________ sea ___________ night _________________ catch fish.
They usually go out to sea late _____________ night. They spend a lot of time
_________ sea. __________ the morning, they will return _________________ shore
________ their catch. Customers will usually be waiting _____________ them to buy
the fresh seafood. The fishermen also will store some of the catches to be distributed
_________ the local wholesale seafood distributors. Later, the seafood will be sold
_______________ the markets ________________ Malaysia.

Last December, my family and I went ______ a vacation _____ boat _______ Pulau
Redang. We went there _______ my aunt, Fatimah. There were eight of us
_____________ the boat. I sat __________ my father and mother. Our family had not
visited the island ________ nearly 3 years. We really had a wonderful time swimming
__________ the crystal-clear sea and walking ______ the white sandy beach.
___________ the vacation, we also went to jungle trekking. We spent 4 days
___________ the island. That was a memorable experience that I will never forget
____________ the rest of my life.

16

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions are used to link words, phrases, clauses or sentences.
I like to write + I like to draw = I like to write and draw
I woke late this morning + I missed the bus = I woke up late this morning so I
missed the bus
I love to eat Laksa + It is delicious = I love to eat Laksa because it is delicious.

Functions Examples
1. To express addition My friend and I went to Carefour yesterday.
I love to read short stories as well as poems.
Conjunctions Both my father and mother pay me a visit at the hostel.
and Ben is not only clever but he is a very humble person.
as well as
both …… and Examples
not only …… but I am planning to go on vacation at Pulau Perhentian or
Pulau Redang.
2. To express choice You must attend the class otherwise you will be given a
warning letter from the lecturer.
Conjunctions I can’t decide either to choose Amir or Ammar to be the
or class monitor.

otherwise

either …… or

3. To express cause and effect

Conjunctions Examples
because
as I love purple colour because it makes me happy.
since I catch a cold today as it rained yesterday.
so I feel lonely since I moved here.
I forgot to bring my wallet today so I have to borrow
therefore some money from my friend.
I am interested in fashion. Therefore, I have decided to
as a result further my study in Diploma in Fashion and Design.
Zaki always do his revision every night. As a result, he
passes his examinations with flying colours.

17

4. To express time Examples

Conjunctions He looked sad when I met him yesterday.
when While I was walking to school, I saw an accident.
while I spent two days at Kampung Pauh during my visit to
during Pahang.
You cannot enter this room until you tell me the reason
until why you are late today.
I will continue my work after I finished my lunch.
after
before “It is better for us to go back before it is dark,” said
Fahmi.
since I live a meaningful life since I met you.

5. To express condition Examples

Conjunctions Shah will go to the park today if it is not raining.
if
unless I will not go the party unless you come with me.
as long as
You will be able to pass the subject as long as you work
hard for it.

6. To express contrast Examples
Conjunctions
although Although Amy is not a native speaker, he is trying very
hard to pick up English accent.
even though
Even though he is in the class, his mind is in somewhere
but else.
I want to buy this blue bag but my mother suggests to
yet me to buy that black bag.
I have been waiting for him for an hour yet he is not
whereas coming.
I love to eat Japanese food whereas my sister loves to
despite eat Western food.
either …. or Despite the rain, they continue to play football.

neither ….. nor She will go to the Genting Highlands either today or
though ….. yet tomorrow
This clock is neither accurate nor reliable
whether …. or Though he is poor, yet he has strong will to be success
not only …… but also in life
so …. that Please inform me whether you are going or not.
Reid is not only intelligent but also a good looking man.
I am so tired that I could sleep all day!

18

EXERCISE

Join these sentences using suitable conjunctions.

1. The lecture asked me to see him. I did not attend class today.
__________________________________________________________________

2. The child drinks milk every morning. The child drinks juice every evening.
__________________________________________________________________

3. People can watch movies on CDs. People can watch movies at cinemas.
__________________________________________________________________

4. Haniff passed the examinations. He is hardworking and persistent.
__________________________________________________________________

5. You can choose to buy a pair of shoes. You can choose to buy a blouse.
__________________________________________________________________

6. Her mother just passed away. She is very sad.
__________________________________________________________________

7. My sister scolded me. I lost her favourite bracelet.
__________________________________________________________________

8. I live in the city. My parents live in the village.
__________________________________________________________________

9. Kamal likes to eat rambutan. Dania likes to eat durian.
__________________________________________________________________

10. My mother won the cooking competition. Her chicken curry was scrumptious.
__________________________________________________________________

Write a complex sentence using the following conjunctions.
1. as a result

__________________________________________________________________
2. during

__________________________________________________________________
3. until

__________________________________________________________________
4. otherwise

__________________________________________________________________
5. whereas

__________________________________________________________________

19

VERBS

Verbs are the action words in a sentence that describe what the subject is
doing. Verb is divided into ACTION VERBS and HELPING VERBS

Most verbs describe a physical action or activity, something external that can be seen or
heard. These verbs are formally known as dynamic verbs, but can also be
called action or event verbs.

Examples: walk, laugh, swim, play, eat, drink, sing, dance, talk, say

There are a lot of actions that take place in our minds and feelings, which are not external.
Verbs that describe mental or internal actions are still dynamic verbs, but they’re not always
so obvious. These include “process verbs,” which describe actions of transition.

Examples: consider, guess, change, grow, live, endure, succeed, fail

Auxiliary verbs, or “helping verbs,” are used in English to change another verb’s tense, voice,
or mood. When auxiliary verbs are used, there’s always a main verb that represents the main

action. However, the auxiliary verb must still be conjugated correctly.

The main auxiliary verbs are be (is/are/was/were/will), have (has/have/had), and do
(does/do/did).

Some auxiliary verbs are added to another verb to show necessity, possibility, or capability.

Like other auxiliary verbs, modal auxiliary verbs are not the main verb, but they do change its

meaning slightly. Some common examples

are can, may, could, should, would, must, ought, and might.

Eg: I could swim across the English Channel, but should I do it?
She must be the strongest person on the team, and might be the strongest person in the
region.

Regular vs. irregular Verbs

Regular verbs follow the standard grammar rules of modern English in adding “-ed” or “-d”
to form the past tense and past participle forms. Irregular verbs, however, use completely
original words for their different verb forms when they’re the main verb of a sentence.

20

Verbs come in three tenses: past, present, and future.
➢ The past is used to describe things that have already happened (e.g., earlier in the

day, yesterday, last week, three years ago).
➢ The present tense is used to describe things that are happening right now, or things

that are continuous.
➢ The future tense describes things that have yet to happen (e.g., later, tomorrow,

next week, next year, three years from now).

The following table illustrates the proper use of verb tenses:

Simple Present Simple Past Simple Future
I read nearly every day.
Last night, I read an I will read as much as I can
entire novel. this year.

Present Continuous Past Continuous Future Continuous

I am reading Shakespeare at I was reading Edgar Allan I will be reading Nathaniel

the moment. Poe last night. Hawthorne soon.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect

I have read so many books I I had read at least 100 I will have read at least 500
books by the end of the
can’t keep count. books by the time I was year.

twelve.

Present Perfect Past Perfect Future Perfect Continuous
Continuous Continuous

I have been reading since I I had been reading for at I will have been reading for

was four years old. least a year before my at least two hours before

sister learned to read. dinner tonight.

21

REVISION - PARTS OF SPEECH

Determine the Part of Speech in the underlined words below.
1. My mother is very busy in the kitchen.
2. The Conference Room is on the third floor.
3. Whose books are these?
4. I have two pens in my hand.
5. The class teacher is sick today.
6. Ben ran fast out of fear.
7. 30 college students conquered Mount Kinabalu.
8. It is raining bombs and anxiety in Libya.
9. Those green apples are sour.
10. Shall I meet you this evening?
11. Anna gave this present to me happily.
12. Four students came and see me for consultation this morning.
13. The post office is at Jalan Panglima.
14. The students give a warm welcome to the Minister of Education coming to their

school.
15. They are going to conduct a meeting this Saturday.

22

TENSES

PAST TENSES

Simple Past Tense is used to describe actions which occurred at a specific time in
the past.

Time expressions
a long time ago, last month, several days ago, yesterday, a few days ago, last
Sunday, in 2005, just now, when I was a child etc.

Forms of Simple Past Tense:
1) ‘be’ verbs

I

Singular He was Nouns or Adjectives
She

it

Plural We were Nouns or Adjectives
You
they

2) Verbs + ed
eg: walked
watched
kicked,
washed
jumped

3) Irregular Past Tense verbs

Present Past Present Past
run ran
come came ring rang
cut cut
go went put put
read read
see saw buy bought
throw threw
do did know knew

swim swam

catch caught

fly flew

bring brought

23

Past Continuous Tense is used to show that an action was going on in the past.

Time expressions
While, as, for two hours, the whole evening, all morning, all day long, the whole
night, from 2.00pm to 4.00pm

Forms of Past Continuous Tense:
‘be’ verbs + ing

Singular I was Verb + ing
He were Verb + ing
She
it

Plural We
You
they

A sentence can have the Simple Past Tense and the Past Continuous Tense at the
same time. It is used to describe a past action which was going on when something
happened in the past. In this case, the Simple Present Tense must be used for the
specific action or activity.

eg: As the old man was crossing the road, he stumbled in the middle of the road.
While we were walking to the library, we saw an accident.

24

EXERCISE
Write a Past Tense sentence using the given words below:
1) walk : _______________________________________________________
2) sing : _______________________________________________________
3) catch : _______________________________________________________
4) put : _______________________________________________________
5) buy : _______________________________________________________
6) fly : _______________________________________________________

Choose and underline the correct answer.
1. My father (stop, stopped) smoking a few years ago.
2. Amran (was, were) absent yesterday.
3. The meeting (finished, finish) at 3.00 pm yesterday.
4. Last Sunday, my family and I (went, go) to Pantai Morib.
5. My sister (forgot, forget) where she had put the car key.
6. We (were, was) in the same class last semester.
7. We (watch, watched) Armageddon last night.
8. We (won, win) a dance competition last month.
9. Jamie (write, wrote) a letter to her mother last night.
10. When I (was, were) a child, I (loved, love) to eat ice-cream.

25

PRESENT TENSES

Simple Present Tense is used to express habitual habits, facts and general truth
or statements.

Time expressions
Every day, each week, every year, daily, weekly, monthly, always, often, frequently,
sometimes

Forms of Simple Present Tense:

1) ‘be’ verbs

I am
is
Singular He Nouns or Adjectives
She
It

Plural We are Nouns or Adjectives
You
they

2) Subject – Verb – Agreement (SVA)
i. Singular subject + verb + s, es, ies

He He smiles at me
She She washes her car.
It The cat chases the mouse.

ii. Plural subject + base form verb
I I play violin.
We We go to the canteen.
You You read this article.
they They buy the bags.

26

Present Continuous Tense is used to show an action is going on at the moment
of speaking.

Time expressions
Now, currently, at the moment, at present, right now, presently, today, still

Forms of Present Continuous Tense:

1) ‘be’ verb + ing I am verb + ing
Singular He is verb + ing
She
are
it

Plural We

You
they

27

EXERCISE
Correct the mistakes in the sentences below.
1. My mother wear glasses.
2. Elephant are large animals.
3. Your heart beat faster when you exercise.
4. Every child in the class know the alphabet.
5. A number of my students in my class is from Mexico.
6. There is many kind of insect in the world.
7. The United States have a population of more than 250 million.
8. Healthy hearts needs regular exercise.
9. One of my favourite subject in school are Mathematics.
10. Amin kick the ball through the window.
11. Each of the houses are in ruins.
12. A lot of movies is full of violence.
13. The chairs in those room is comfortable.
14. Eating vegetables are good for your health.
15. My family went to Pulau Perhentian every year.

28

FUTURE TENSES

Future Tense is used to show future actions.
Time expressions

Tomorrow, later, soon, tonight, shortly, in a while, in a minute, next weekend, this
evening, in a few months

Forms of Future Tense:
1) Will

• to say things that we think, guess or know about the future
eg: I think it will rain tomorrow.

• when we decide or agree to do things in the future
eg: I will help you find your missing cat.

• to promise to do something in the future
eg: I will go to the party tonight.

2) ‘be going to’ verb
• When we see a future situation is starting or clearly on the way
eg: Rebecca is going to have a baby next month
• To talk about plans of doing something in the future
eg: Micheal is going for a holiday to Belize next week.

Singular I am
Plural He going to
She
It is
You
We are going to
they

How to differentiate ‘will’ and ‘be going to’ verb’?

Predictions
Will: we think or believe things will happen in the future
Going to: we can see things coming or starting
Decisions
Will: we are in the process making decisions
Going to: decisions are already made

29

EXERCISE
List down 5 things you would like to change about yourself using the Future Tense
forms.
Eg: I will wake up early tomorrow so that I can attend my morning classes.
1. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

30

THE PERFECT TENSES

The three perfect tenses in English are the three verb tenses which show action already
completed. (The word perfect literally means "made complete" or "completely done.")
They are formed by the appropriate tense of the verb to have plus the past participle of the
verb.
Present Perfect: I have seen it.
(Present tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the present.)
Past Perfect: I had seen it.
(Past tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the past.)
Future Perfect: I will have seen it.
(Future tense of to have plus participle. Action is completed with respect to the future.)

31

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE
Exercise 1: Choose the correct option.
1. I have / has already finished my homework.
2. My son have / has just started the university.
3. The Black family have / has gone to the seaside.
4. Dad haven’t / hasn’t watered the plants.
5. Have / Has Sam ever been to the USA?
6. Our English teachers have / has never ridden a horse.
7. Ann, Frank and Jim have / has bought a new house.
8. Have / Has you taken the dog for a walk?
9. The weather have / has been terrible since yesterday.
10. My little sister have / has just stopped crying.

Exercise 2: Make present perfect questions.

* No. 1 has been done for you

1. your father / pay the bill? Has your father paid the bill? / How often has your father
paid the bill?

2. Peter / lose his keys? __________________________
3. Susan / come back? ____________________________
4. you / hear about Mary? _________________________
5. everybody / go home? __________________________
6. what / John / tell his teacher? ___________________
7. where / your neighbours / go? ____________________
8. why / you / get lots of presents? __________________
9. what / your mother / cook for dinner? ______________
10. where / Diana / put her bag? ____________________

32

Exercise 3: Complete the sentences with the suitable verb from the box in present
perfect.

have / iron / break / do / not read / clean / not correct / speak / not finish / do

1. I _______________________________________________________ the house.
2. Dad __________________________________________________ the shopping.
3. Mrs Brown ______________________________________________ the clothes.
4. Susan ______________________________________________ to her colleague.
5. Pam and Joe __________________________________________ their breakfast.
6. My neighbour __________________________________________ the gardening.
7. Our Maths teacher ________________________________________ our tests yet.
8. The basketball match _____________________________________________ yet.
9. My brother _________________________________________________ a window.
10. Mr White ____________________________________________ the newspaper yet.

Exercise 4: Make present perfect sentences by using the given words.
1. Ernie / break / his leg / four times __________________________________________
2. I / never / fly a kite ______________________________________________________
3. your brother / ever / eat / snails? __________________________________________
4. our friends / not play / volleyball / this month _________________________________
5. he / borrow / your pen? __________________________________________________
6. my father / never / read / romantic books ____________________________________
7. I / not see / Julia / this morning ____________________________________________
8. Mrs Salwick / ever / write a book? _________________________________________
9. my family / lived / in this town / for 6 years ___________________________________
10. your grandma / ever / ride a bike? _________________________________________

33

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE
Complete the sentences using Past perfect tense.

1.- The fire ………………………………… (already/reach) the roof by the time the firemen arrived.
2.-Joe Smith went to prison because he …..…………………………………………. (steal) a lot of money.
3.-Helen went to bed after she …………………………………… (watch) her favourite TV programme.
4.-My father bought the new car after he ……………………………………………….. (try) it a few times.
5.-By the time Sonia got to the party, everyone …………………………………………………. (begin) dancing.
6.-Lorenzo …………………………………………………….. (eat) all the ice cream before I opened the fridge.
7.-There was a lot of snow outside because it ……………………………….. (snow) earlier in that day.
8.-Beatriz didn’t pass the test because she ………………………………………………….. (not study) at all.
9.-Look! Somebody …………………………………………………………………………………… (leave) the windows open.
10.-By the time the police arrived, the burglar ………………….. (break)into my neighbour’s house.
11.-The girl felt guilty because she …………………………………………………………………. (drink) all the milk.
12.-Our flat was robbed because we …………………………………………………. (not lock) the front door.
13.-My father couldn’t find the money because he …………………………….. (hide) it in a drawer.
14.-Leonard didn’t have money for the bus because he …………………. (forget) to ask his mother.
15.- My cousin ………………………………… (never/visit) a mine until his father took him one day.
16.-Her bicycle wasn’t there because a friend ……………………..… (take) it without asking her.
17.-Daniel was arrested after he …….…………………………………………………… (escape) from prison.
18.-When Kathy met Jonathan, he ………………………………………………………………….. (join) the Navy.
19.- Before they arrived at the airport, they …………………………………….. (pay) the taxi driver.
20.-His dog …………………………………………………………………. (die) two weeks ago. He was very sad.

34

THE PAST PERFECT TENSE

Fill in the gaps with the Past Perfect of the verbs given.
1. When I got to the station, the train---------------------------------------------------- [already / leave].
2. Before I lost my wallet I -------------------------------------------------------------- [lose] my umbrella.
3. By the time the doctor arrived, the patient ------------------------------------------------------- [die].
4. When Anna phoned, I -------------------------------------------------------------------------[leave] to work.
5. Before Sara crossed the road, she ------------------------------------------------------ [look] both ways.
6. Before I had a driving license, I ------------------------------------------------------- [have] a driving test.
7. Before he ------------------------------------- [fill] in the application form, he looked for job offers in the
newspaper.
8. When I looked up, the burglar ------------------------------------------------------------------- [go]
9. When the police arrived, the riots ------------------------------------------------------------------- [stop].
10. After we -------------------------------------------------------- [reach] an agreement, we shacked hands.

Look at the sentences and decide which happened first.
1. By the time Charles arrived at the office, the boss had already left for the meeting.

□ Charles arrived at the office.
□ The boss left for the meeting.

2. Britney had washed all the dishes when her husband came.
□ Britney washed all the dishes.
□ Her husband came.

3. After he had had the accident, he reported it to the insurance company.
□ He had an accident.
□ He reported it to the insurance company.

4. Tom had saved a lot of money so he bought a motorbike.
□ Tom saved a lot of money.
□ He bought a motorbike.

5. After Margaret had read the book, she took it back to the library.
□ Margaret read the book.
□ She took the book back to the library.

6. Before my parents visited London, they had visited Paris.
□ My parents visited London.
□ My parents visited Paris.

35

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of past perfect tense.

1. I _____________________ (never/see) such a beautiful sunset before I went to the island.
2. We were not able to stay overnight at the hotel since we_________________

(not/reserve) a room in advance.
3. She ________________________________ (never/be) to the symphony before last night.
4. Marc knew Philadelphia so well because he ________________ (live) there for five years.
5. He understood the math test because he _________________ (discuss) about it all week.
6. I did not have any cash because I _______________________________ (lost) my purse.
7. I ________________________________________________ (be) to Mexico once before.
8. If I ___________________________________ (see) him, I would have told him the news.
9. Before he did his homework, he _______________________ (stay) after school for help.
10. She _________________________________ (live) in California before moving to Texas.
11. The cat ____________________________ (chase) the bird before it flew out of the yard.
12. We _________________ (just/call) home when my mom texted us about returning the car.
13. She _________________________ (visit) several doctors before she found out what the

problem was with her hand.
14. If we _____________________ (call) ahead, we would not have needed to wait so long

for a table.

Exercise 2: Fill in the blanks with the correct form of past perfect tense by choosing
one of the given words in the box. You may use some words more than once.

play put study meet say tell establish engage fall practice purchase see
ask leave go get

1. She stayed up all night because she __________________________________ bad news.
2. They lost many of the games because they __________________________ (not) enough.
3. Anthony ________________________ Ryan before you introduced him to us at the party.
4. You _______________________________________ Italian before you moved to Rome.
5. She ______________________________________________ her company before 2008.
6. He ____________________________________________ (never) football until last week.
7. They ______________________________________________ engaged before last year.
8. I ________________________________________________ asleep before eight o'clock.
9. The teacher asked if we _________________________________________ for the exam.
10. The usher asked if we ____________________________________________ our tickets.
11. My neighbour asked if we ____________________________________________ her dog.
12. The boss __________________________________________ it would be a long meeting.
13. We wished we _____________________________________________ the winning ticket.
14. I wished I ________________________________________________________ the truth.
15. She wished she __________________________________________________ her friend.
16. The boy wished he __________________________________________ another question.
17. She ____________________________________ the scene when the ambulance arrived.
18. He ____________________________________ the dog on the leash when we got there.
19. The bus ____________________________________________ when we got to the stop.
20. I _________________________________________ (just) outside when it started to rain.

36

Exercise 3: Fill in the correct form of the past perfect simple or past simple as in the
examples.

i. After Loren had turned on the alarm, she locked the door. (turn on)
ii. By the time Simone arrived, the police had already left. (arrive)
iii. Had you known about the contract they signed? (know)

1. After the company ___________________Joe, he began to work on his first project. (hire)
2. ___________you _______________________ the news before you saw it on TV? (hear)
3. Michael didn’t want to see the movie because he ____________ the book yet. (not read)
4. The concert _________ already ________when we ________ the stadium. (begin/ enter)
5. Until Anne ___________ Mark, she ________ never _______________in love. (meet, be)
6. Bill _________________ for years before he finally ___________________. (smoke/ quit)
7. _______________ Sara ever ________________to London by herself before then? (drive)
8. How many fish _____________ the boys _________ by the time it started raining? (catch)
9. You ________________________________ them to go to the beach, hadn’t you? (forbid)
10. The girls ________ in weeks? That’s why they ______ so much afterwards. (exercise / hurt)

Exercise 4: Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate
tenses (Simple Past or Past Perfect)

I can't believe I ______________ (get) that apartment. I ___________________ (submit) my
application last week, but I didn't think I had a chance of actually getting it. When I
_______________ (show) up to take a look around, there were at least twenty other people
who ______________ (arrive) before me. Most of them ______________ (already/ fill) out their
applications and were already leaving. The landlord said I could still apply, so I did.

I _____________ (try) to fill out the form, but I couldn't answer half of the questions. They
___________ (want) me to include references, but I didn't want to list my previous landlord
because I ____________ (have) some problems with him in the past and I knew he wouldn't
recommend me. I _________________ (end) up listing my father as a reference.

It was total luck that he _______________ (decide) to give me the apartment. It turns out that
the landlord and my father __________________ (go) to high school together. He decided that
I could have the apartment before he ______________ (look) at my credit report. I really lucked
out!

37

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

The Future Perfect tense is quite an easy tense to understand and use. The Future
Perfect talks about the past in the future.

The Future Perfect tense expresses action in the future before another
action in the future. This is the past in the future. For example:

• The train will leave the station at 9am. You will arrive at the station at
9.15am. When you arrive, the train will have left.

The structure of the Future Perfect tense is:

subject + auxiliary + auxiliary + main verb (past
verb WILL verb HAVE participle)

Look at these example sentences in the Future Perfect tense:

TONE OF SUBJECT AUXILIARY AUXILIARY MAIN COMPLEMENT
SENTENCE VERB VERB VERB
I
+ You will have finished by 10am.
+ She
- We will have forgotten me by then.
- Will
? Will will not have gone to school.
?
will not have left.

you have arrived?

they have received it?

38

Common regular verbs in the future perfect tense

Infinitive Future Perfect Negative Question
will you have asked. . . ?
to ask will have asked will not have asked will he have worked. . . ?

to work will have worked will not have worked will I have called. . . ?
will they have used. . . ?
to call will have called will not have called

to use will have used will not have used

Common irregular verbs in the future perfect tense

Infinitive Future Perfect Negative Question

to be* will have been will not have been will I have been . . . ?

to have will have had will not have had will you have had . . . ?

to do will have done will not have done will she have done . . . ?

to say will have said will not have said will we have said . . . ?

to get will have gotten** will not have gotten will they have gotten . . . ?

to make will have made will not have made will you have made . . . ?

to go will have gone will not have gone will he have gone . . . ?

to take will have taken will not have taken will you have taken . . . ?

to see will have seen will not have seen will I have seen . . . ?

to come will have come will not have come will it have come . . . ?

39

TENSES EXERCISES

IDENTIFY THE ERROR AND CORRECT IT.
1. I enjoyed study geography at school and now I’ve enrolled at the Economics Faculty.
2. I use to be keen on all scientific subjects but now I would prefer to study art.
3. I want to met your sister when she comes to see you – she sounds very nice.
4. My friends told me that the English exam is quite difficult but I’m not worried.
5. The tickets, which are extremely good value, can be buy from large supermarkets.
6. The number of people which asked for the discount was low but grew during the summer

period.
7. He always want to be a doctor and after doing medicine he now works in a hospital.
8. The information they give us was not very helpful so I consulted the website instead.
9. There isn’t many time, do you think we should get a taxi to the exhibition centre?
10. He graduated in Arts in June and is now thinking of do a second degree in psychology.
11. The policeman showed us an identification picture of the man who steal the car.
12. How long does it took to get to the station on foot from your house?
13. I was so angry that I took the broke watch to the jewellers to get my money back.
14. He rang me this morning to tell me that he has passed his driving test.
15. Jason has work in the stockroom store since high school.
16. It was such a nice day that they decide to have a picnic in the field.
17. I have never seen anybody who ride a horse so well before.
18. My boyfriend always takes me to see horror films, but I doesn’t like them very much.
19. We gone to Guatemala last year as we were tired of the usual beach holiday.
20. I’ve be to Marbella. I remember it well. A busy town with a nice modern promenade and

picturesque ‘piazza’.

40

IDENTIFY THE ERROR AND CORRECT IT IN THE SPACE PROVIDED

1. The girls had been to the mall twice this month. ________________

2. I have written the email before he apologized. ________________

3. By this time next year,we will have being married for 15 ________________
years.

4. The book came out yesterday but I has already read it ________________

5. The patient was died before the doctor came. ________________
________________
6. Last night, I was playing my guitar loudly and the
neighbors complained.

7. The children smiles whenever they see their mother walks ________________
in.

8. I was preparing myself for the competition at the moment. ________________

9. Siti was having dinner when she hear the news. ________________

10. Have you live here all your life? ________________
________________
11. The students has not had their sports day ever since the
earth quake.

12. The policeman has noticed the suspect before he caught ________________
him.

13. John will still have complete his assignment by ________________
Thursday noon.

14. Suzy have been gone since last year. ________________

15. Mother has already cook many dishes. ________________
16. Selva had finished his missions before he move out. ________________

17. In the next five years, his wife would have been promote ________________
as a Chief clerk.

18. She had run to that shelter before the tree fall. ________________

19. The author has recently wrote a new novel to cover his ________________
living cost.

20. By the time Sally met Johnny, they would had hugged each ________________
other.

41

FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH APPROPRIATE FORMS OF THE VERB IN THE

BRACKET

1. Mr Ramlan usually _____________ (stay) at my house when he goes to Penang.
2. My sisters ____________ (watch) their favourite cartoons every evening.
3. At the moment, the workers _____________ (cut) grass along Jalan Kiambang.
4. I did not ___________ (know) that you were going to London.
5. He ____________ (go) to his friend’s house tomorrow.
6. When I arrived, Daud ___________ (play) with his scrabble.
7. The water ____________ (boil) when I went to the kitchen.
8. Were you ___________ (work) at 9 o’clock last night?
9. ________ (Do) Tara call you last night?
10. As soon as I _________ (get) home, it started to rain heavily.

PUT IN THE CORRECT VERB FORM: PRESENT PERFECT OR PAST SIMPLE
1. How long _______________ (she/study) German?
2. When _______________ (he/begin) to study Business Administration?
3. Who _______________ (write) the play Dancing at Lughnasa.
4. _______________ (you/visit) any museums when you were in Sofia.
5. Henry has a perfect school record. He _______________ (not/be) sick this year.
6. Prices _______________ (go) up. Things are much more expensive this week.
7. What _______________ (happen) to you. I waited all afternoon for you.
8. Marilyn _______________ (have) an accident. She was running for the bus when

she _______________ (fall) down.
9. Mr Arnold _______________ (win) the Exporter of the Year prize twice. His brother

_______________ (win) it four times already.
10. Alfred Hitchcock _______________ (make) lots of films in his long career.
11. I _______________ (just/remember) something.
12. _______________ (you/reply) to Mr Aston's letter yet?
13. Mr Miller _______________ (work) in a travel agency for years. Then he gave it up.
14. Melanie lives in Bucharest. She _______________ (live) there all her life.
15. My uncle died in 1960. I _______________ (never/have) the opportunity to meet

him.

42

COMPLETE THE SENTENCES USING THE PRESENT PERFECT OR PAST PERFECT.
1. The park looked awful after the music festival. People ______________ (leave) litter

everywhere.
2. You ______________ (make) a mistake. I am not the person you are looking for.
3. When we arrived at the cinema, the film ______________ (already/start).
4. It isn't raining now. It ______________ (finally/stop).
5. I am rea1ly not very hungry. I ____________ (just/have) lunch.
6. His apartment was rea1ly dirty. He obviously ______________ (not/clean) it for weeks.
7. At last the Board of Directors were ready to announce their decision. They

______________ (make) up their mind.
8. I am so exhausted. ______________ (really/have) a tough week.
9. The ball hit the back of the net before the goalkeeper ______________ (notice).
10. The CEO didn't speak until he ______________ (hear) a1l the arguments.

FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE MOST APPROPRIATE VERB
1. The girls ________ (spend) a lot of money on shopping last weekend.
2. My grandparents ________ (go) for a walk every morning.
3. They ________ (be) camping by the river.
4. Yati ________ (wake) up early every morning.
5. Salmah and June ________ (cycle) to school every day.
6. The sun _______ (rise) in the east.
7. Neither the girls nor the boys ________ (be) at home.
8. The two boys ______ (fight) yesterday.
9. They always _______ (wash) their clothes at night.
10. You ______ (watch) the badminton match last week.
11. The children ________ (be) enjoying themselves.
12. One of the students’ ________ (be) the rich man’s son.
13. Those puppies ______ (like) to run around the house
14. Either Ali or Ahmad _________ (be) at school yesterday.
15. The manager of the bank _________ (look) after all his staffs.

43

FINAL EXAM REVISIONS

READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE 1

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.
NEW CENTERS TO BOOST MSC FLAGSHIP APPS

1 CYBERJAYA: Initiatives to bolster development of the Multimedia Super Corridor’s
(MSC) Flagship Applications are scheduled to be launched next month. Officials from
Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) said the MSC Flagship Centre and the
Centre for Telehealth and Medical Enterprises were set up to promote innovation and
R&D for the MSC’s existing Flagship Applications.

2 “They will enhance these Flagship Applications,” MDC senior vice-president for
regulation Narayanan Kanan said. He declined to provide more details on the new
centres and would only say that more information would be given at the launch. Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad is due to unveil the two centres on Sept 6 at
an official ceremony here, as part of events lined up in conjunction with the Sixth MSC
International Advisory Panel Meeting (IAP) to be held from Sept 4 to 7.

3 While few details on the new centres have been made available, they are at least
expected to complement the ongoing development of the Flagship Applications, which
form the core of the MSC and were introduced to jumpstart its development when it was
launched six years ago. The applications were also earmarked to position the MSC as
a platform – or test bed – for technology to be developed and used in government,
health, education and business.

4 There are eight Flagship Applications, including those for telehealth, electronic
government and technology-aided education, or smart schools. Each has a far-reaching
scope and wide-ranging application, making them large projects – in both complexity
and cost – when they are to be rolled out on a national scale. “The flagships are very
important ... they are huge items,” Narayanan told reporters last week at a briefing on
the upcoming Malaysia ICT Week, which will be held in conjunction with the IAP meeting
and include several exhibitions showcasing the current state of the Flagship
Applications.

5 According to MDC, a few applications have moved beyond the pilot phase, in which
several of the more daunting projects still remain. The Government Multipurpose Card
application – now known as MyKad – has by far been the most successfully
implemented. About two million Malaysians are holders of the card, which is a chip-
based smartcard containing several application including the national identity card,
driving licence and passport, as well as transactional features like the ATM (Automated
Teller Machine) and Touch ‘n’ Go payment application.

44

6 An official with GMPC Corporation Sdn Bhd, the technology providers for MyKad, said
the MyKad pilot phase is almost complete and has largely been successful. MyKad’s
success could also be measured from another angle – it has reportedly made its way
into the hands of some illegal immigrants. The Government is scheduled to review the
results of the pilot run before the expected nationwide rollout next year.

7 Big ticket items like the Telehealth and Smart Schools applications would be much
harder and costlier to roll out – there are thousands of health facilities and schools
spread out across Malaysia. MDC said the pilot phases of these Flagship Applications
were “progressing well.” “The results have been extremely encouraging,” said
Narayanan, adding that the new centres would aid the progress of the Flagship
Applications further.

8 He also said that the current thinking within the Government and, specifically, MDC was
already focused on the task of rolling out the applications nationwide. He acknowledged
that the effort would be huge, but he indicated that there was no turning back. “(While)
it has to be a political decision (to move the projects further), (in the end) we (will) have
to do it anyway,” said Narayanan. “Our country’s future depends on it.”
(Taken from The Star dated August 21, 2002, written by RASLAN SHARIF)

1. What do the following words from the text refer to?

a. They (para 2) __________________________

b. He (para 2) __________________________

c. they (para 3) __________________________

d. it (para 6) __________________________

e. he (para 8) __________________________

2. Write the closest meaning for each of the following word according to the text.

a. Initiatives (para 1) : ______________________

b. innovation (para 1) : ______________________

c. official (para 2) : ______________________

d. complement (para 3) : ______________________

e. core (para 3) : ______________________

45

3. Answer the following comprehension questions according to the passage.
a. Who is responsible to unveil the MSC flagship Centre and Centre for Telehealth and

Medical Enterprises on September 6?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
b. What do MSC flagship Centre and Centre for Telehealth and Medical Enterprises MSC
flagship expected to complement?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
c. What are the Flagship Applications mentioned in the text?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
d. According to MDC, how many Malaysians hold the MyKad at the moment?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
e. What are the features of MyKad?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
f. Who is the technology provider for MyKad?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

46

READING COMPREHENSION EXERCISE 2

Read the following text and answer the questions that follow.

PASSWORD FATIGUE

I The average computer user has between 5 and 15 username/password
combinations to log in to email accounts, social networking sites, discussion
boards, news and entertainment sites, online stores, online banking accounts, or
other websites. For people who use email or other internet applications at work,
the number of required username/password combinations may surpass 30. Some 5
of these accounts demand that you use a specific number of symbols and digits,
while others require you to change your password every 60 days. When you add
to this list the codes needed to access things like ATMs, home alarm systems,
padlocks, or voicemail, the number of passwords becomes staggering. The feeling
of frustration that results from maintaining a memorized list of login credentials 10
has grown so prevalent that it actually has a name: password fatigue.

II Having to remember so many different passwords is irritating, but it can also be
dangerous. Because it is virtually impossible to remember a unique password for
each of these accounts, many people leave handwritten lists of usernames and
passwords on or next to their computers. Others solve this problem by using the 15
same password for every account or using extremely simple passwords. While
these practices make it easier to remember login information, they also make it
exponentially easier for thieves to hack into accounts.

III Single sign-on (SSO) authentication and password management software can
help mitigate this problem, but there are drawbacks to both approaches. SSO 20
authentication can be used for related, but independent software systems. With
SSO, users log in once to access a variety of different applications. Users only
need to remember one password to log in to the main system; the SSO software
then automatically logs the user in to other accounts within the system. SSO
software is typically used by large companies, schools, or libraries. Password 25
management software, such as KeePass and Password Safe, is most often used
on personal computers. These software programs—which have been built into
many major web browsers—store passwords in a remote database and
automatically “remember” users’ passwords for a variety of sites.

IV The problem with both SSO authentication and password management software 30
is that the feature that makes them useful is also what makes them vulnerable. If
a user loses or forgets the password required to log in to SSO software, the user
will then lose access to all of the applications linked to the SSO account.
Furthermore, if a hacker can crack the SSO password, he or she will then have
access to all of the linked accounts. Users who rely on password management 35
software are susceptible to the same problems, but they also incur the added
threat of passwords being compromised because of computer theft.

47

V Although most websites or network systems allow users to recover or change lost
passwords by providing email addresses or answering a prompt, this process can
waste time and cause further frustration. What is more, recovering a forgotten 40
password is only a temporary solution; it does not address the larger problem of
password fatigue.

VI Some computer scientists have suggested that instead of passwords, computers
rely on biometrics. This is a method of recognizing human users based on unique
traits, such as fingerprints, voice, or DNA. Biometric identification is currently used 45
by some government agencies and private companies, including the Department
of Defense and Disney World. While biometrics would certainly eliminate the
need for people to remember passwords, the use of biometrics raises ethical
questions concerning privacy and can also be expensive to implement.

VII The problems associated with SSO, password management software, and 50
biometrics continue to stimulate software engineers and computer security
experts to search for the cure to password fatigue. Until they find the perfect
solution, however, everyone will simply have to rely on the flawed password
system currently in place.

(Adapted from: https://englishforeveryone.org/)

Answer ALL questions.
a. What do the following words refer to?

i. “ their ” (line 15) :__________________________
:__________________________
ii. “ them ” (line 31) :__________________________

iii. “ he or she ” (line 34)

b. What is the closest meaning for the following words according to the text?

i. “ drawbacks ” (line 20) :__________________________

ii. “ remote ” (line 28) :__________________________

iii. “ eliminate ” (line 47) :__________________________

48

c. Read the statements carefully. Circle whether they are TRUE or FALSE.

i. Some internet applications accounts may require users to change True / False
their password every 30 days.

ii. It is exponentially hard for the hacker to hack into accounts if True / False
users use different passwords for each account.

iii. SSO software can automatically logs in to users’ different True / False
accounts by using only one password.

iv. Even if a hacker can crack a user’s SSO password, he or she will True / False
not have access to all the linked accounts.

v. Biometrics identification raises ethical questions concerning True / False
users’ privacy.

d. Answer the following questions.
i. What is password fatigue?
_________________________________________________________________
ii. How does password management software store and remember users’
passwords?
_________________________________________________________________
iii. What is the topic sentence for paragraph III?
_________________________________________________________________
iv. What must a user do if he or she lost their password?
_________________________________________________________________
v. What is biometric identification and who usually use it?
_________________________________________________________________

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QUESTION 2
Read the following information carefully. Answer the questions in the table
provided.

SOILS IN THE YARD OR GARDEN
Clay soils lack drainage because of their wet, sticky nature. They do have good, natural
nutrients, but gardeners must amend this soil if they want to grow vegetables. This
means they add other nutrients to make it less dense.
Sandy soil is good for growing vegetables because it has good drainage and it warms up
well. Unlike clay soil, it doesn’t hold its nutrients, so gardeners must add additional
components throughout the season. You can add compost, manure or grass clippings as
a start. This can improve your sandy soil.
Peaty soil is good for plants that like acidic soil like blueberries. This tends to be a darker,
heavier and damp soil without a ton of nutrients. Peaty soil is common in bog or marsh
areas.
Silty soil typically contains a lot of nutrients because it comes from river sediments. This is
a good and common soil for gardening. Lots of different types of plants do well in silty
soil. The only precaution is that you might have to work on drainage to achieve the best
results.
Chalky soil has a chunky, powdery texture and is found in rock or limestone areas. Small
rocks can help with drainage, but this soil requires amendments and nutrients for lawns
or gardens.
If you have loamy soil, then consider yourself lucky. Loamy soil is usually a mix of other
soils, including sand, silt and clay. It has good nutrients and drainage, making for lovely
plant conditions.

(Adapted from: https://sciencing.com/types-soil-uses)

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