PSLE English
Sign in Create an account

Primary 3 English Language syllabus: topics and practice questions

These are the topics and skills of Primary 3 English Language in the MOE syllabus, with 82 original practice questions. Each topic below has a sample question: try it, then open the worked answer.

Grammar

Verbs and tenses

11 practice questions

  • Simple present, past and future tenses
  • Subject–verb agreement (everyone, each, collective nouns)

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
My father the MRT to work every day.
  1. A take
  2. B takes
  3. C taken
  4. D taking
Show the answer and working

Answer: (B) takes

How:
"every day" shows a habit, so use the simple present tense. "My father" is singular, so the verb takes -s: takes.

Why: We use the simple present tense for things that happen again and again. With he, she, it or one person, the verb ends in -s.

Words and phrases

15 practice questions

  • Object and possessive pronouns (him, them, mine, theirs)
  • Countable and uncountable nouns (many, much, a few, a little)
  • Prepositions of time and place

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
Ravi helped Mr Kumar carry the heavy boxes. Mr Kumar thanked .
  1. A he
  2. B him
  3. C his
  4. D they
Show the answer and working

Answer: (B) him

How:
Ravi is the person being thanked, so he comes after the verb "thanked". The object pronoun for a boy is "him".

Why: After a verb we use object pronouns: me, you, him, her, it, us, them. "he" is used before a verb, as the subject.

Linking ideas

6 practice questions

  • Connectors: when, while, before, after, so, because

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
Wash your hands you eat, so that germs do not get into your food.
  1. A before
  2. B after
  3. C so
  4. D because
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) before

How:
Hands must be clean when you start eating, so you wash them first: "before you eat".

Why: "before" shows which action comes first. Washing comes first, eating comes next.

Vocabulary

Words in context

10 practice questions

  • Choose the word that fits the meaning
  • Prefixes and suffixes (un-, re-, dis-, -ful, -less, -ly)

Sample question

Choose the correct answer.
The baby is . Please speak softly so that you do not wake her up.
  1. A asleep
  2. B awake
  3. C crying
  4. D noisy
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) asleep

How:
We must not "wake her up", so she must be sleeping now: asleep.

Why: "asleep" means sleeping. A baby who is awake, crying or noisy is not sleeping, so you could not wake her up.

Reading & Viewing

Comprehension

15 practice questions

  • Find information stated in a text
  • Infer feelings and reasons; work out word meanings
  • Read posters, notices and signs

Sample question

Read the story, then choose the correct answer.
Why did Mei Ling and Wei Jie go down to the void deck?

A Visitor at the Void Deck

On Saturday morning, Mei Ling and her younger brother, Wei Jie, went down to the void deck of their block to play badminton. As they were setting up the net, Wei Jie heard a faint mewing sound. It seemed to come from behind the row of letterboxes.

Mei Ling bent down and peered into the narrow gap. Two frightened yellow eyes stared back at her. It was a tiny grey kitten, dusty and shivering. "It must be hungry," whispered Wei Jie.

Mei Ling remembered that their neighbour, Mdm Lim, fed the cats in the neighbourhood every evening. The children took the lift to the seventh floor and knocked on her door. Mdm Lim followed them downstairs with a small bowl of fish and an old towel.

She placed the bowl on the floor and stepped back. After a few minutes, the kitten crept out slowly and began to eat. Mdm Lim gently wrapped it in the towel.

"I will take it to the animal shelter tomorrow," she said. "They will find it a good home."

Wei Jie looked at his sister and grinned. They never played badminton that morning, but neither of them minded at all.

  1. A To play badminton
  2. B To look for a kitten
  3. C To visit Mdm Lim
  4. D To collect letters from the letterbox
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) To play badminton

How:
The first paragraph says they "went down to the void deck of their block to play badminton".

Why: The reason is stated in the text: "to play badminton". They only found the kitten after they arrived.

Listening & Viewing

Listening comprehension

5 practice questions

  • Listen for details and the main idea

Speaking & Representing

Conversation

5 practice questions

  • Give a suitable reply in a conversation

Sample question

Choose the most suitable reply.
Siti: "Thank you for helping me carry my books."
You: ""
  1. A You're welcome.
  2. B Yes, please.
  3. C Excuse me.
  4. D I'm sorry.
Show the answer and working

Answer: (A) You're welcome.

How:
When someone thanks us, a polite reply is "You're welcome."

Why: "Yes, please" accepts an offer, "Excuse me" gets someone's attention, and "I'm sorry" is an apology. Only "You're welcome" answers a thank-you.

Writing & Representing

Accuracy

15 practice questions

  • Spot and correct spelling mistakes
  • Speech marks and apostrophes
  • Join two sentences into one

Sample question

The underlined word is spelt wrongly. Type the correct spelling.
My best freind Priya sits next to me in class.
Show the answer and working

Answer: friend

How:
The correct spelling is "friend": f-r-i-e-n-d.

Why: In "friend", the i comes before the e. Remember: a friend is there till the "end" of the word.

Practise all 82 Primary 3 questions

With an account, practice adapts to your child: hints one step at a time, feedback on the mistake behind a wrong answer, review of older topics and a Primary 3 mock paper.

Create a student account Other levels