Free practice · Paper 2
40 PSLE Synthesis and Transformation questions, with answers
Four sets of ten, from the connectors every P5 child meets to the word-form questions that catch out P6. Try each one, reveal the answer, mark yourself, and see your score add up.
On this page 7 sections
Key takeaways
- Do one set of ten at a time: write each answer in full on paper before you reveal ours.
- Mark yourself strictly: the answer must keep the meaning and start with the words given, and every word must be spelt correctly.
- Where there is more than one correct answer, we list the other accepted answers too.
- Copy each mistake and its rule into an error log. The rule is what you are really learning.
How to use these questions
Each question gives one or two sentences and the first words of a new one. Your child finishes the new sentence so that it means exactly the same. It is the section where careful children score full marks and rushed children lose easy ones.
- Write it outUse paper. Write the whole new sentence, not just the missing part.
- Check, then revealRead your sentence against the original, word by word. Then open our answer.
- Mark yourselfTap “I got it right” or “Not yet”. Your score adds up at the bottom of each set.
About these questions. All 40 are our own practice questions, written by our tutors in the style of PSLE Paper 2. None is taken from an exam. For the rules behind the ten most common patterns, read our Synthesis and Transformation guide first.
Set A: joining words
Connectors that show contrast, condition, cause and result. Most P5 children meet these first.
- Although
Mei Ling was tired. She finished her homework before dinner.
Begin: Although …
Show answer
Although Mei Ling was tired, she finished her homework before dinner.
Rule One connector only: never “Although … but …”.
- Despite
It rained heavily. The sports day went on as planned.
Begin: Despite …
Show answer
Despite the heavy rain, the sports day went on as planned.
Also accepted: Despite the fact that it rained heavily, …
Rule Despite takes a noun, an ‑ing form or the fact that, never a plain clause (“Despite it rained”).
- Unless
You must water the plants every day. If you do not, they will wither.
Begin: Unless …
Show answer
Unless you water the plants every day, they will wither.
Rule Unless already means “if not”, so the verb after it is positive.
- Neither … nor
Ravi did not bring his water bottle. Ahmad did not bring his water bottle either.
Begin: Neither …
Show answer
Neither Ravi nor Ahmad brought his water bottle.
Rule The not disappears: neither … nor carries the negative, so the verb is brought, not did not bring.
- Not only … but also
Jia Hui sings well. She also plays the violin beautifully.
Begin: Jia Hui not only …
Show answer
Jia Hui not only sings well but also plays the violin beautifully.
Rule Keep the two halves in the same form: sings … plays.
- Too … to
The box was very heavy. The boy could not lift it.
Begin: The box was too …
Show answer
The box was too heavy for the boy to lift.
Rule Too … to already means “could not”, and the sentence ends at lift: no it, because the box is already the subject.
- So … that
The soup was very hot. We could not drink it immediately.
Begin: The soup was so …
Show answer
The soup was so hot that we could not drink it immediately.
Rule Unlike too … to, so … that keeps the full second clause, including not and it.
- Enough to
The hall is very big. It can hold the whole school.
Begin: The hall is big enough …
Show answer
The hall is big enough to hold the whole school.
Rule Enough comes after the adjective (big enough), followed by to + verb.
- So as to
Mother switched off the lights. She wanted to save electricity.
Begin: Mother switched off the lights so as …
Show answer
Mother switched off the lights so as to save electricity.
Rule So as to and in order to show purpose and take the base verb: to save, not to saving.
- Provided that
You can borrow my bicycle. You must return it by Friday.
Begin: You can borrow my bicycle provided …
Show answer
You can borrow my bicycle provided that you return it by Friday.
Also accepted: … provided you return it by Friday.
Rule Provided (that) sets a condition. The must drops out, because the condition already says it has to happen.
Set B: who, which, where, having
Joining two sentences by turning one of them into a description, or into an ‑ing phrase.
- Who
The boy won the spelling bee. He is my cousin.
Begin: The boy who …
Show answer
The boy who won the spelling bee is my cousin.
Rule Who replaces he; do not repeat it (“The boy who he won …”).
- Where
This is the park. We had our class picnic there.
Begin: This is the park where …
Show answer
This is the park where we had our class picnic.
Rule Where replaces there, so there must go.
- Whose
The lady thanked me. I had returned her purse.
Begin: The lady whose …
Show answer
The lady whose purse I had returned thanked me.
Rule Whose replaces her and sits right before the thing owned (whose purse). The main verb, thanked, comes at the end.
- Which
The coach praised the team. The team had trained hard all year.
Begin: The coach praised the team, which …
Show answer
The coach praised the team, which had trained hard all year.
Rule Which replaces the team and keeps its tense, had trained.
- To whom
The man is a famous chef. I spoke to him at the fair.
Begin: The man to whom …
Show answer
The man to whom I spoke at the fair is a famous chef.
Rule After a preposition, use whom, not who, and do not repeat the to at the end.
- Having
Siti finished her chores. Then she went out to play.
Begin: Having …
Show answer
Having finished her chores, Siti went out to play.
Rule Having + past participle shows the first action was done first. The name (Siti) comes straight after the comma.
- On + -ing
Ben saw the snake. He screamed and ran away.
Begin: On seeing …
Show answer
On seeing the snake, Ben screamed and ran away.
Also accepted: Upon seeing the snake, …
Rule On + ‑ing means “as soon as”. The person must follow the comma.
- Before + -ing
Wash your hands. Then eat your lunch.
Begin: Before …
Show answer
Before eating your lunch, wash your hands.
Also accepted: Before you eat your lunch, wash your hands.
Rule Check the order of events: washing comes first, so it goes in the main part.
- -ing phrase
The girl was sitting next to me. She dropped her pencil case.
Begin: The girl sitting …
Show answer
The girl sitting next to me dropped her pencil case.
Rule Sitting next to me describes the girl, so was and she both drop out.
- Instead of
He did not take the bus. He walked to school.
Begin: Instead of …
Show answer
Instead of taking the bus, he walked to school.
Rule Instead of is followed by an ‑ing form, and the not disappears.
Set C: reported speech and the passive
Ten questions where the tense, the pronouns and the time words all have to change together.
- Reported statement
“I am going to the dentist tomorrow,” said Wei Jie.
Begin: Wei Jie said that …
Show answer
Wei Jie said that he was going to the dentist the next day.
Also accepted: … the following day.
Rule Three changes: I → he, am → was, tomorrow → the next day.
- Yes/no question
“Have you seen my keys?” Mrs Lim asked her son.
Begin: Mrs Lim asked her son …
Show answer
Mrs Lim asked her son if he had seen her keys.
Also accepted: … whether he had seen her keys.
Rule Use if or whether, statement word order, and a full stop, not a question mark.
- Wh- question
“Where did you buy this book?” Amir asked me.
Begin: Amir asked me where …
Show answer
Amir asked me where I had bought that book.
Rule Did you buy becomes I had bought (no did), and this becomes that.
- Request
“Please close the windows,” the teacher said to Ali.
Begin: The teacher asked Ali …
Show answer
The teacher asked Ali to close the windows.
Rule A request becomes asked + person + to + verb. Please drops out.
- Command (negative)
“Don’t run along the corridor,” the prefect told us.
Begin: The prefect told us …
Show answer
The prefect told us not to run along the corridor.
Rule Don’t + verb becomes not to + verb.
- Reported statement
“We will visit our grandparents this weekend,” said the twins.
Begin: The twins said that …
Show answer
The twins said that they would visit their grandparents that weekend.
Rule Will → would, we/our → they/their, this → that.
- Passive (past)
The cat knocked over the vase.
Begin: The vase …
Show answer
The vase was knocked over by the cat.
Rule Past tense becomes was/were + past participle. Keep over with its verb.
- Passive (perfect)
Someone has stolen my bicycle.
Begin: My bicycle …
Show answer
My bicycle has been stolen.
Rule Has stolen becomes has been stolen. Leave out “by someone”: it adds nothing.
- Passive (continuous)
The workers are repairing the lift.
Begin: The lift …
Show answer
The lift is being repaired by the workers.
Rule Are repairing becomes is being repaired: the be verb now agrees with the lift, which is singular.
- Passive (must)
You must hand in the forms by Monday.
Begin: The forms …
Show answer
The forms must be handed in by Monday.
Rule Must + be + past participle. By you is not needed.
Set D: word forms and fixed phrases
The set that separates a good score from a full one. Many of these need a noun made from a verb or adjective.
- Adjective → noun
Mr Tan was very generous. Everyone was touched.
Begin: Everyone was touched by …
Show answer
Everyone was touched by Mr Tan’s generosity.
Rule Generous → generosity. Learn noun forms in families: curious/curiosity, anxious/anxiety.
- Much to
Ali was disappointed because he lost the race.
Begin: Much to …
Show answer
Much to his disappointment, Ali lost the race.
Also accepted: Much to Ali’s disappointment, he lost the race.
Rule Much to + possessive + noun of feeling (disappointment, relief, delight, horror).
- Such was
The children were very excited. They could not sleep.
Begin: Such was …
Show answer
Such was the children’s excitement that they could not sleep.
Rule Excited → excitement, and that joins the result.
- Verb → noun
She explained the rules clearly. We understood them easily.
Begin: Her explanation …
Show answer
Her explanation of the rules was so clear that we understood them easily.
Rule Explained → explanation (no second i), and the adverb clearly becomes the adjective clear.
- No other
Peter is the tallest boy in the class.
Begin: No other boy …
Show answer
No other boy in the class is as tall as Peter.
Also accepted: No other boy in the class is taller than Peter.
Rule The superlative (tallest) becomes as tall as or taller than.
- In the event of
If it rains, the match will be postponed.
Begin: In the event of …
Show answer
In the event of rain, the match will be postponed.
Rule In the event of takes a noun (rain), not a clause (“it rains”).
- Owing to
The flight was delayed because the weather was bad.
Begin: Owing to …
Show answer
Owing to the bad weather, the flight was delayed.
Also accepted: Owing to the fact that the weather was bad, …
Rule Like because of, owing to is followed by a noun phrase.
- Prefer … to
Kumar likes swimming more than running.
Begin: Kumar prefers …
Show answer
Kumar prefers swimming to running.
Rule Prefer pairs with to, not than.
- Would rather … than
Grace wants to stay at home. She does not want to go to the party.
Begin: Grace would rather …
Show answer
Grace would rather stay at home than go to the party.
Rule Would rather takes the base verb on both sides: stay … go. Compare prefer, which takes ‑ing.
- The more …
We waited longer and longer. We became more and more impatient.
Begin: The longer …
Show answer
The longer we waited, the more impatient we became.
Rule Two halves, each starting with the + comparative, joined by a comma.
What to do with your score
| Score on a set | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| 9 or 10 | The patterns are secure | Move on to our 12 difficult patterns |
| 6 to 8 | The rules are known, but slips creep in | Redo the wrong ones tomorrow, then read each answer aloud before marking |
| 5 or fewer | Some patterns are new | Learn two patterns a week from our guide, then come back to this set |
Once a set feels easy, mixed practice is the next step, because the exam does not tell your child which pattern is coming. Our app’s Synthesis section gives five mixed questions per session at P5 and P6, marks them straight away and shows every accepted answer.
Questions parents ask
Are these questions from PSLE papers?
No. They are our own practice questions, written by our tutors to test the patterns that come up in school and PSLE papers. We do not reproduce exam questions.
How many marks is each question worth in the PSLE?
Synthesis and Transformation is 10 marks of Paper 2: five questions worth 2 marks each, as schools describe the format to parents. A single wrong word, tense or spelling can cost the marks, so check every answer against the original.
My child’s answer is different from yours. Is it wrong?
Not always. If it starts with the given words, keeps the exact meaning and is grammatically correct, it may be fine. Check it against the rule in the answer. If you are unsure, the Synthesis section in our app shows every accepted answer for each question.
Which set should a P5 child start with?
Set A, then Set B. Sets C and D include reported speech, the passive and word forms, which most schools cover in more depth in P5 and P6.
Mustard Seed is an independent tuition provider and is not affiliated with or endorsed by SEAB, MOE or Cambridge Assessment. No tutor can guarantee a particular grade.
