Primary 5 · English · Spelling & Editing
Spelling & Editing questions for Primary 5 English
12 questions to work through online, 8 of them written out the way the paper asks. Answer and you get the working straight away, then a score at the end. No sign-up, and you can retake it as often as you like.
- Agreement across a phrase
- Words with related forms
- Choosing the correct spelling
- Tense against a time word
- Writing the correction
- Writing the correct spelling
- Writing the correct form
Answers and explanations for all 12 questions
Every answer with the reasoning behind it. Worth reading after you have tried the set — or on its own, if you are a parent marking it.
Which word is wrong? The list of names on the noticeboard were updated last Friday.
Answer: were
It is the list that was updated, not the names, so the verb is was. Of names on the noticeboard is there to pull you towards the plural.
Which word is wrong? Her advise was to keep the receipt until the warranty ran out.
Answer: advise
Her ______ was needs a noun, and the noun is advice with a c. Advise with an s is the verb: I advise you to keep it.
Which spelling is correct? The two schools reached an agreement on the shared use of the ______ .
Answer: facilities
Facility becomes facilities: the y turns to i and -es is added.
Which word is wrong? Since last March, the club has met on Tuesdays and raised over four thousand dollars.
Answer: none of these
The sentence is already right. Since last March needs has met and has raised, and both are there — part of editing is being willing to find nothing.
Write the correct form of the marked word. Neither the coach nor the players [was] told about the change of venue.
Answer: were
With neither ... nor the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Players sits closer to the verb, so it is were.
Write the correct form of the marked word. The scientist explained that light [travel] faster than sound.
Answer: travels
Reported speech usually steps back a tense, but a fact that is always true does not: light travels faster than sound.
Spell the marked word correctly. The hall was [seperated] into four sections for the examination.
Answer: separated
It is separated — se-pa-rated, with an a where the e is often written.
Write the correct form of the marked word. The committee [have] not yet decided where the funds will go.
Answer: has
A committee acting as one body takes has. (British usage allows have when the members are meant separately, so both are accepted here.)
Write the correct form of the marked word. Her performance was [remark] enough to be mentioned in the newsletter.
Answer: remarkable
The blank describes the performance, and the describing word from remark is remarkable.
Spell the marked word correctly. We were [dissapointed] to hear that the trip had been postponed.
Answer: disappointed
It is disappointed: the prefix dis- joined to appoint, so one s and two p's.
Write the correct form of the marked word. If I [will have] known about the deadline, I would have started earlier.
Answer: had
If I had known pairs with I would have started — the if half never takes will or would.
Write the correct form of the marked word. There are [fewer] water in the tank than there was last week.
Answer: less
Water cannot be counted, so it takes less rather than fewer.