University of the Philippines

College Entrance Tests Review 2019

GRAMMAR

Christine Diane Galvan, CSPE, LPT

Instructress
Computer: Keyboard :: Cellphone: ___

“Computer is to keyboard as
cellphone is to _____.”
ANALOGY
 Analogy
• is a comparison between two things,
and the comparison is used to
determine the relationship between
different sets of things.
Meow is to cat Bark is to dog
 Types of Analogies
• Synonym to Antonym : hot is to cold
• Part to Whole : core is to apple
• Function to thing : cook is to stove
• Characteristic to thing : slippery is to ice
• Product to thing : milk is to cow
 How to solve analogies?
Eye:See : Ear: ____

1.Decide upon the relationship between first 2 words.

2.State the relationship : Function to thing
3.Examine the third word : Ear
4.Select a fourth word that will make the third-fourth word
have the same relationship as the first-second word.
5.Be ready to explain your fourth word selection.
Eye is too see as ear is to hear because…
 Let’s Practice!
1. On: Off :: Start: _____
Answer: Stop (Opposites)
2. Wool: Sheep :: Egg: _____
Answer: Chicken (Product to thing)
3. Ratify: Approve :: Gratify: ______
Answer: Give (Synonyms)
 Do you think that the victory of
President Bush over Saddam Hussein made
____ of Saddam’s salves a reality?

a.Manumission
b.Remittance
c.Repulsion
d.Compulsion
 Sentence
Completion
 Sentence Completion
• Filling up of blanks
• Checks whether you are capable of fitting
the right word in the right blank
• Also checks your “English” and “Logic”
Ex.
Tom and Jerry were both _____, so they
decided to purchase ____ to share.

a.hungry… a soda
b.Exhausted… a meal
c.Starving… medicine
d.Confused… a snack
e.Thirsty… a beverage
Strategies in Sentence
Completion
 Strategy 1: Proactive Solving
• To predict something

1. Guess the answer

2. Look for the option that is closest to your
guess.
 Strategy 2: Identify the Clues
Present
1. Signpost words

• Give you directions

Support Signs Contrast Signs
• And • But
• Similarly • However
• In addition to • Although
• Also • Despite
• for • Unless
• Even though
• Yet
• Rather
Ex.
He studied everyday for the exam, and
topped the class.

Ex.
He studied everyday for the exam, but
failed by a narrow margin.
 Strategy 3: Root words
What word is that?

•Guess the meaning using the root word

Unemployment
 The 200th anniversary of Mozart’s death
is being ______ around the world with
concerts featuring his work.

A. liberated
B. commemorated
C. expatiated
D. protracted
 Strategy 4: Prefixes and Suffixes
• Letters that are added to the beginning or
end of a word to derive another word from
it

Prefixes
Acu – Sharp Peri - Around
• Accurate Perimeter
• Acupuncture
Suffix

Able - Capable of being

•Excusable
•Acceptable
•Accessible
Scope - To see or watch

•Telescope
•Microscope

Dom – place/state of being

•Freedom
•Kingdom
 Disclaimer
Misleading Prefixes

General Case
The prefix “in” is used to negate a word.
•Incapable
•Inappropriate
•Infertile
Exception case:

Inflammable
-same as flammable

Opposite: Nonflammable
 Strategy 5: Cause and effect
• Thus
• Subsequently
• Therefore
• Because
• For
• Since
• so
Ex.
I feel extremely tired. And so, I want to
___.

a.Chat with my friends

b.See the doctor
c.Watch some funny movie
d.Go to bed early
 Parts of speech
Ex.
Manny Pacquiao has gained extraordinary _____
throughout the world.

a.Aggresively
b.Abdicating
c.Momentous
d.Recognition
 Common
Grammar Mistakes
 THE PURPOSE OF GRAMMAR

• Clarity of meaning
• Readability
• Credibility
 TYPES OF ERRORS

• Wrong-word errors
• Punctuation errors
• Usage errors
WRONG-WORD ERRORS
 TYPES OF WRONG-WORD ERRORS

1. Spelling and Typographic Mistakes

• Don’t just rely on spell check!

2. Wrong Meaning
•Use a dictionary.
•Be careful using the thesaurus.
•Watch out for words with the wrong shade of meaning or
the wrong meaning altogether.
3. Commonly Confused Words
• Spell check won’t catch these!
 COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS

They're / Their / There

•They’re going to the store together. (contraction of “they are”)

• The managers are in their weekly meeting. (possessive)

• Place the flowers there. (adv. – indicates location/direction)

You're / Your

• You're going to be a great writer!

(contraction of “you are”)

• Your hair looks nice today. (possessive)

Who's / Whose

• Who's on first base? (contraction of “who

is”)

• Whose watch is this? (possession)

It's / Its / Its’

• It’s a beautiful day! (contraction of “it is”)

• Download the program, along with its

readme file. (possessive)

• Its’ is not a word.

Affect / Effect

• The outage shouldn't affect anyone during

work hours. (verb – to act
on, influence)

• The outage shouldn't have any effect on

users. (noun – result)
To / Too / Two

• I am going to the store. (preposition)

• She decided to go along too. (adv. – also)

• My jacket is too small. (adv. – to an excessive amount)

• I have two buttons missing. (number)

A lot / Alot / Allot

• The workers are worrying a lot about their jobs.

(adv. – to a great degree/extent)

• Alot is not a word.

• We were each allotted twenty tickets.

(verb – to assign/distribute)
PUNCTUATION
ERRORS
 COMMAS

1. Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction

(and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet) to join two
independent clauses.

Ex.
• The game was over, but the crowd refused to leave.
• Yesterday was her birthday, so they went out to dinner.
2. Use commas after introductory clauses, phrases,
or words that come before the main clause.

Ex.
• While I was eating, the cat scratched at the door.
• To get a seat, you'd better come early.
• Well, perhaps he meant no harm.
3. Use commas to separate three or more
words, phrases, or clauses written in a
series.

Ex.
• The Constitution establishes the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches of
government.
4. Use commas to set apart a parenthetical
phrase in a sentence.

Ex.
• My friend Jessica, who lives in Pili, is a senior
high school student.
 SEMICOLONS ;

1.Use a semicolon between two related

independent clauses that are not joined by a
conjunction.

Ex.
• The participants in the first study were paid; those in
the second were unpaid.
2. Use a semicolon to separate elements in
a series that already contains commas.

Ex.
• The students in the class were from
Lynchburg, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and
Raleigh, North Carolina.
3.Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses when
the second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb
(however, therefore, moreover, furthermore, thus,
meanwhile, nonetheless, otherwise) or a transition (in
fact, for example, that is, for instance, in addition, in
other words, on the other hand).

Ex.
• I really have no interest in politics; however, I do like to stay
informed by watching the debates.
 COLONS

1.Use a colon to introduce a list preceded by

an independent clause.
Ex.
• The application includes the following pieces:
personal information, job history, and references.
2. Use a colon to separate an independent clause and
a final phrase or clause that illustrates, extends, or
amplifies the preceding thought.

Ex.
• They have agreed on the outcome: informed participants
perform better than do uninformed participants.
• Road construction in Dallas has hindered travel around
town: parts of Main, Fifth, and West Street are closed
during the construction
 APOSTROPHES

1. Use an apostrophe to create a contraction

(but don’t use contractions in your academic
writing!).

Ex.
• I don’t like him very much.
1.Use an apostrophe to form a possessive noun.
Ex.
• My mother’s job is better than all my brothers’ jobs put
together.
• Dickens’s later works are much darker than his early
novels.

2. Do NOT use an apostrophe to form a plural.

• Remember that “it’s” = “it is,” but “its” is possessive.
 QUOTATION MARKS

1.If the sentence ends with the quotation (and if

there is no parenthetical citation), put your final
mark of punctuation INSIDE the quotation marks:
Ex.
“That dog is as big as a horse.”
2. If the sentence continues after the quotation,
you’ll usually need a comma AFTER your quotation
but BEFORE your final quotation mark:
Ex.
“I wish this workshop were over,” John said.

3. If the quotation ends in an exclamation point or

question mark, omit the comma:
Ex.
“I hate going to the dentist!” John bellowed.
4. If your sentence ends with a footnote, put the superscript
number AFTER your final mark of punctuation:
Ex.
According to Car and Driver, the Denali is “among the
most agile of full-sized sport utility vehicles.”15

5. If the sentence ends with a parenthetical citation, omit the

punctuation at the end of the quotation (unless it is a ? Or
a !):
Ex.
According to Car and Driver, the Denali is “among the
most agile of full-sized sport utility vehicles” (Csere 20).
 USAGE
ERRORS
 FRAGMENTS
A complete sentence must have three components:
1. A subject (the actor in the sentence)
2. A predicate (the verb or action)
3. A complete thought (it can stand alone and make sense).

A fragment is an incomplete sentence.

• It cannot stand alone and does not express a complete thought.
• Some fragments lack either a subject or verb or both.
• Dependent clauses are also fragments if they stand alone.
 FRAGMENT EXAMPLES

• Went out of business after Starbucks Coffee

opened.

• One of my friends who won a contest by playing a

variety of instruments.

• Since I went fishing.

 RUN-ON SENTENCES

• A run-on sentence is a sentence comprised of two

or more independent clauses not properly separated.
•Lack of punctuation and/or conjunctions
•Incorrect punctuation
• A comma splice—two independent clauses joined
by a comma—is a run-on sentence.
• A run-on sentence is not simply a long sentence.
RUN-ON SENTENCES
• Long sentences can be grammatically correct.
Ex.

During the 1960s, development thinking, encompassing both

ideology and strategy, prioritized economic growth and the
application of modern scientific and technical knowledge as the
route to prosperity in the underdeveloped world and defined the
"global development problem" as one in which less developed
nations needed to "catch up" with the West and enter the modern
age of capitalism and liberal democracy, in short, to engage in a
form of modernization that was equated with westernization (and
an associated faith in the rationality of science and technology).
(86 words)
 RUN-ON EXAMPLES

• My favorite Mediterranean spread is

hummus it is very garlicky.

• It is nearly half past five, we cannot reach

town before dark.
 DANGLING PARTICIPLES

• A dangling participle is a word or phrase that

modifies a word not clearly stated or an
unintended noun in the sentence.

Correcting dangling participles:

• Reword the sentence.
• Provide the missing information.
• After rotting in the cellar, my brother brought
up some oranges.

• Featuring plug-in circuit boards, we can

strongly endorse this server’s flexibility and
growth potential.

• Having finished the assignment, the TV was

turned on.
 VERB TENSE

• Verb tenses should be consistent throughout your

writing.
• Reviews of literature should be in the present tense.
• Historical events should be in the past tense.

Correcting tense shifts:

• Be consistent throughout your sentences and paragraphs.
• Be familiar with verb forms and tenses.
 TENSE SHIFT EXAMPLES

• About noon the sky darkened, a breeze sprang up, and

a low rumble announces the approaching storm.
• We viewed A Caribbean Mystery and watch intently as
Joan Hickson portrays Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple.
• I climbed out of the car, walked through the door, and
prepared to meet “the parents,” but instead a large,
honey-colored dog runs to meet me at the door.
 PRONOUN/ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT

• Pronouns are words that take the place of nouns.

• Antecedents are the words that the pronouns refer to.
• Pronouns must agree with their antecedents in number,
gender, and person.

• Number = singular or plural

• Gender = masculine, feminine, or neuter
• Person = 1st, 2nd, or 3rd person
 P/A AGREEMENT ERROR EXAMPLES

• Everyone should make their own

decisions.

• Each speaker maintained their poise.

 SUBJECT/VERB AGREEMENT

1. Singular subjects must have singular verbs.

2. Plural subjects must have plural verbs.

Rule of thumb:
• Subjects ending in “s” are plural
• Verbs ending in “s” are singular

Correcting agreement errors:

• Become familiar with irregular verb forms.
• Focus on the subject, not any additional modifiers.
 S/V AGREEMENT ERROR EXAMPLES

• The box of ornaments belong in the attic.

• High levels of mercury occurs in some fish.

 END OF SLIDE

Thank you! 