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P6 Chinese connectives practice

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Singapore Primary 6 Chinese, connectives (关联词): choose the right connectives for a complex sentence — 因为…所以…, 虽然…但是…, 不但…而且… — testing the logical relation between the clauses. Everything here follows the MOE syllabus. You can try one set free without signing up, and it is marked as you go — get one wrong and the same point comes back asked a different way, so your child can push towards the PSLE on connectives. This page has 13 skill points and 57 questions.

What is tested in P6 connectives

In P5 and P6 尽管 leads our five-year count, and about twenty-eight connectives account for nearly all the items. Three pairings cause most of the errors: 尽管 against 虽然, 即使 against 哪怕, and 只要 against 只有. The sentences are complex, the blank is not always at the front, and the work is reading out a relation that is not stated.

Common traps

How to practise

Practise by relation, not by word: cause, contrast, escalation, condition, supposition and choice — six groups, with the easily confused pair in each written side by side. When answering, shorten both clauses to the briefest sentences you can and the relation shows itself.

P6 connectives · worked examples

  1. 这家店的福建炒面（　　）味道很好，（　　）价格也很公道。

    • ✓ 不但……而且
    • ・不是……就是
    • ・因为……所以
    • ・虽然……但是

    Why: The answer is "不但……而且". Because the sentence says the taste is good and the price is fair, both are positive aspects, which is a progressive relationship. "不但……而且" indicates progression. "虽然……但是" indicates contrast, "因为……所以" indicates cause and effect, "不是……就是" indicates choice, none fit.

  2. 他（　　）使劲，（　　）还是没能把筷子折断。

    • ✓ 虽然……但是
    • ・即使……也
    • ・只要……就
    • ・因为……所以

    Why: The answer is "虽然……但是". This sentence says 'he tried hard' but 'still couldn't break the chopsticks', which are opposite results, so we use "虽然……但是" to show contrast. "因为……所以" shows cause and effect, but here it's not cause and effect. "即使……也" shows supposition and concession, but here it's not supposition. "只要……就" shows condition, which doesn't fit.

  3. （　　）陈老师年纪大了，（　　）她仍然坚持每天提早到学校备课。

    • ・因为……所以
    • ・不但……而且
    • ✓ 虽然……但是
    • ・只要……就

    Why: The answer is “虽然……但是” (although...but). Teacher Chen is getting old and could take it easy, yet she still insists on arriving early every day to prepare lessons (备课) — the two parts are opposite, and 仍然 also shows the turn. “因为……所以” (because...so) is wrong because being old is not the reason for preparing early. “不但……而且” (not only...but also) is wrong because age and her effort go in opposite directions. “只要……就” (as long as...then) is wrong because being old is not a condition for preparing lessons early.

Decide first whether the clauses are cause, contrast, escalation or condition; get the relation right and the words follow.

Skill points on this page (13)

Skill point 1 / 13上L01·成语故事两则
关联词

小和（　　）很懒惰，（　　）成绩一直不好。