Exam Buster
Checking for errors
Study Tip
• Whenever you have to write something it is very important that after you have finished writing you check very carefully for any mistakes. Check your grammar, punctuation, spelling and word order.
Checklist
1 Look at the checklist and match the type of error with the examples. grammar (g), punctuation (p), spelling (s), word order (w.o.)
1 __________ e.g. -ing form (studying, not studing )
2 __________ e.g. singular / plural, tenses (My hair is, not my hair are...)
3 __________ e.g. inversion for questions (Can I help you?, not I can help you?)
4 __________ e.g. ‘speech marks’, capital letters (Monday, not monday)
Correct the mistakes
2 Jordan, a 15-year-old girl from the USA, has been asked to write a short paragraph about her summer. Correct the mistakes she has made.
I spent this summer at camp in wisconsin (p). It was a residential sports camp. We did sport all day every day. I was there for 8 weeks. My favrite (s) sport was horseback-riding. This year was the first time i (p) went horseback-riding. I loved it! First we have (g) to learn about being safe on a horse: wearing a helmet, not shouting and scaring the horses and stuff. By the end of camp, I knew how to mount, walk, trot* and canter*. At the end of the camp I took part in Miss Rodeo, a camp competition on horseback. I even won an award for most enthusiastic student. I had an english (p) instructor - cool! Now I’m back home. I’m definitely going to continue horseback-riding if my mum says OK. Mum, I can (w.o.) go horseback-riding? Please!
Writing
3 Write a paragraph about what you did last summer or last weekend. When you have finished, use the checklist to make sure there are no mistakes.
Words to remember
canter: andare al galoppo