Review for the “ Pruebas para la Certificación de Maestros (PCMAS)

1. Review for the “Pruebas para la Certificación de Maestros (PCMAS) • Prof. Miguel A. ArceRamos • Dr. Maria de los A. Nazario • PUCPR

2. This presentation will be available on my website so feel free to download it. • Professorarce.weebly.com

3. Overview • Manage and use of language • Use of vocabulary in context • Correct usage of prepositions and pronouns • Subject-verb Agreement • False cognates • Use of correct verb tenses

4. Overview • Reading Comprehension and Literary Analysis • Author’s Purpose • Author’s Tone • Main Idea • Classification of types of discourse • Paragraph Structure • Previewing and Inferring

5. Vocabulary in Context

6. Vocabulary in Context • Purpose • The purpose of vocabulary in context is to use the information surrounding the unfamiliar word to predict its meaning. • How to answer vocabulary in context exercises efficiently? • Read the sentence • Look at your answers • Verify whether they have prefixes or suffixes

7. Context Clues • Types of Context Clues • Repetition • The constant use of that word in the paragraph • General Knowledge • The meaning is derived from the experience and background knowledge of the reader; "common sense" and logic.

8. Context Clues • Types of Context Clues • Definitions • Phrases or words that define or explain • Synonyms/Cognates • Phrases or words that indicate similarity or similar to the first language • but, in contrast, however, instead of, unlike, yet

9. Context Clues • Types of Context Clues • Antonyms • Phrases or words that indicateoppositemeaning. • in other words, that is, also known as, sometimes

10. Context Clues • Context Clues Exercise

11. Prepositions

12. Use of Prepositions • What is a preposition? • Prepositions are used to express a number of relationships,including: • time • location • manner • means • quantity • purpose • state or condition

13. Identify the prepositions in the paragraph below • My neighbor said she wanted to ask me for a small favor. Little did I know what was in store for me when I agreed to feed her cat. After my neighbor left on her trip, I walked across the street to her house. Once I got inside the house, I was overwhelmed by the stench of cat urine. I looked around the house and couldn’t believe what I saw. My eyes fell on two salad dressing containers sitting on a table beside the couch, which was completely covered with dirty laundry, except for this one worn area by the table. The volume on the TV was turned up all the way. In disbelief and despite my better judgment, I walked toward the restroom. Around the base of the tub I saw these red velvety mushrooms coming up between the tub and tile floor. This filth was beyond anything I’d ever seen in my life. Within two minutes the cat was fed and I was out of there. Since she returned from her trip, I have never been available to watch her cat again.

14. Pronouns

15. Pronouns

17. Indefinite Pronouns • Indefinite pronouns are words which replace nouns without specifying which noun they replace.

18. Singular Indefinite pronouns • little • much • neither • nobody • no one • nothing • one • other • another • anybody • anyone • anything • each • either • everybody • everyone • everything • somebody • someone • something

19. Singular Indefinite Pronouns • They take singular verbs or singular personal pronouns. • Correct: Each of the members has one vote. (The subject, each, is singular. Use has.) • Correct: One of the girls gave up her seat. (Her refers to one, which is singular.) • Incorrect: One of the girls gave up their seat.

20. Plural Indefinite Pronouns • Example: both, few, many, others, several • They take plural verbs or plural personal pronouns. • Correct: • A few of the justices were voicing their opposition. • (Few is plural, so are were and their.)

21. Indefinite Pronouns • For indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural, it depends on what the indefinite pronoun refers to. • Singular or Plural: all, any, more, most, none, some.

22. Indefinite Pronouns • Correct: All of the people clapped their hands. • (All refers to people, which is plural.) • Correct: All of the newspaper was soaked. • (Here all refers to newspaper, which is singular.)

23. Exercises

24. 1. Shirley: I saw Robert and Luis at the beach.Angie: Did you talk to ____________ . A) they B) their C) them D) him E) us

25. 2. Wallace: Do Billy and you play on that team? Mike: No, ____________ don’t’. A) I B) they C) he D) you E) we

26. 3. The teacher asked each of us to do ____________ own work. A) our B) its C) his D) their E) your

27. 4. The coach asked Charlie and ____________ to substitute the players. A) I B) me C) we D) he E) she

28. 5. She wrote __________ a letter. A) anybody B) somebody C) anything D) something E) nothing

29. 6. Isn’t there ____________ in the cabinet? A) somebody B) everything C) nobody D) nothing E) anything

30. 7. ____________ has to do his own work. A) Everything B) Something C) Everybody D) Anything E) Anybody

31. Subject-Verb Agreement

32. Subject-Verb Agreement • The subject of a sentence must always agree with the verb. • However, in standardize tests, you will encounter many different tricks that test makers make to confuse you.

33. Subject-Verb Agreement

34. Subject-Verb Agreement • Subject – Verb Split - instead of the typical subject near the verb, the test maker loves to separate the subject from the verb with many distracting words, phrases, and clauses. • For example, • The teacher along with his students (is/are) going on a field trip.

35. Subject-Verb Agreement • Correlative Conjunction – • The two most common correlative conjunctions are the "Neither/Nor" combo or the "Either/Or" combo. • The closest subject to the verb determines the verb. • For example, • Neither the student nor his classmates (is/are) enjoying the game.

36. Subject-Verb Agreement • Inverted Word Order - The test maker loves to begin sentences with long-winded phrases at the beginning that commit the sentence to a verb usage first before the subject. • For example, • At the back of the room (is/are) a small desk and a large desk for visitors.

37. Exercises

38. 1. This box of ornaments _____in the attic. • A. belong • B. belongs

39. 2. A man chasing unicorns ____ on the terrace. • A. is • B. are

40. 3. Each of the divers ______ an oxygen tank. • A. has • B. have

41. 4. Not one of these cell phones belongs to me. One of the phones ______ to Melanie. • A. belong • B. belongs

42. 5. Professor Legree often goes for long walks in the rain. The lights in his house ____ on at midnight. • A. go • B. goes

43. False Cognates

44. Cognates • Cognates are words descended from a common ancestor; that is, words having the same linguistic family or derivation. • These are the words that are generally written similarly in English and Spanish.

45. Cognates • However, there are also many "false Spanish English cognates". • These pairs of words look similar in Spanish and English but their actual meanings can be very different.

47. Verb Tenses

48. Past Tense • It expresses an action occurred in the past. • The simple past tense is the one we use most often. • Formula: • Subject + verb in past tense + complement. (regular or irregular)

49. Future Tense • It indicates that an action is in the future relative to the speaker or writer. • There are no inflected forms for the future in English (nothing like those -ed or -s endings in the other tenses).

50. Present Progressive Tense • It indicates an ongoing action that will be completed at some definite time. • It is formed with the auxiliary verb "to be", in the present tense, plus -ing ending. • Formula: • Subject + be + v(ing)+ (complement).