English Cosy Corner

Something happened after Week 1 of the June Holiday Masterclasses that I didn’t expect.

The messages started coming in before I even wrapped up the last session on Day 3.

A parent told me her two kids found the workshop enjoyable. And then, she asked if there was still a slot for my regular class.

Another mum shared that her daughter felt she could understand well. She signed up for the oral class the happening on the last day as well, ending the last workshop on a great note with all slots filled.

And a returning student from last year came back. His mum asked and he said yes, he learnt.

That was the one that got to me. Because this boy had been with me before. He came back because something stayed with him.

This is what the June Holiday Masterclasses are built for — not just to cover content, but to give students a safe space to try, to discover, and to realise that English isn’t as scary as they thought.

Week 1 was fully subscribed. Round 2 still has spaces for P3–4 and P5–6 on 15, 16, and 17 June. Mock Run 2 on 22 and 24 June has just 2 seats left.

Small classes. Maximum 6 students. Every child is seen.

If you’ve been thinking about it, now’s the time. DM me or head to the link in bio to sign up.

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins.

“One day, I went to the hawker centre with my family.”

I see this opening, or something like it, in many a composition I mark.

It’s not wrong. But it doesn’t make me want to keep reading.

The compositions that stand out? They open with something you can feel.

Not a plot summary. Not the weather. One vivid detail, a smell, a sound, something that pulls you straight into the moment.

“The smell of char kway teow drifted through the air before I even saw the stall.”

Same setting. Completely different feeling.

That’s what the senses do. They turn a composition from a list of events into a story someone actually wants to read.

Swipe through for the full breakdown, including one sense your child can use today. 👉 📌

Come say hello if this resonates. Let’s have a chat. 💛

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

Small by design. That’s always been how I do things.

I’m opening a new P5 Physical Class beginning Term 3, and if you’d like a feel for it first, I’m running 3 Thursdays in June: 4, 11 and 18 June, right here in Tampines North.

A trial class, a cosy corner, a chance to see if it fits. DM me if you’re keen. 💛

One apostrophe. Two completely different meanings.

Its and it’s is one of those mistakes that looks small, but it trips up so many students, right up to P6 and even secondary level.

I get it though. It is also because we tend to leave out the apostrophe in our text messaging when we get lazy. Hence, we forget the use of it when needed.

Here’s the confusion I see most often:

1. They write “it’s tail, thinking it means “the tail belonging to it.”

ITS (no apostrophe) is already the possessive form, just like his, her, and their. None of them need an apostrophe either.

IT’S (with apostrophe) is the shortened form of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. The apostrophe shows that a letter has been left out, not that something belongs to it.

Try replacing the word with ”it is“ or ”it has.“
If the sentence still makes sense → it‘s.
If it sounds wrong → its.

“The cat licked it is paws.” ❌ Doesn’t work → use its.
“It is going to rain.” ✅ Works → use it’s.

Swipe through for the full breakdown and a reference card you can screenshot. 👉 📌

One letter apart. Very different meanings.

Than and then is one of those mix-ups I see so often in my students’ compositions, and it’s such an easy fix once you know the difference.

THAN → use this when you are comparing two things.
She is smarter than her classmate.

THEN → use this when you are talking about time or what happened next.
He finished his work, then he went to play.

The trick I teach my students:
If you can replace the word with “compared to” → THAN.
If you can replace it with “after that” → THEN.

Swipe through for more examples and a quick reference card you can screenshot. 👉

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

Reported speech is one of those components where students think they know it, until they see the marked script.

Two mistakes I see again and again in my students’ work:

One : forgetting to shift the tense. Went doesn’t stay as went in reported speech. It becomes had gone.

Two : leaving the question as a question. This is the one that surprises most students.

❌ She asked are you coming to the party.
✅ She asked if she was coming to the party.

Two things need to change at the same time : the word order flips, and the tense shifts back one step. Miss either one and marks are gone.

Swipe through — I’ve broken down both mistakes with examples and a checklist you can screenshot. 👉 📌

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

Reported speech is one of those components where it is always tested, and students forget to apply the shift.

Two mistakes I see again and again in my students’ work:

One : forgetting to shift the tense. ‘Went’ doesn’t stay as ‘went’ in reported speech. It becomes ‘had gone’.

Two : leaving the question as a question. This is the one that surprises most students.

❌ She asked are you coming to the party.
✅ She asked if she was coming to the party.

Two things need to change at the same time : the word order flips, and the tense shifts back one step. Miss either one and marks are gone.

Swipe through — I’ve broken down both mistakes with examples and a checklist you can screenshot. 👉 📌

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

This is one Synthesis skill most P5 and P6 students haven’t been explicitly taught.

When two sentences share the same subject and the first describes a feeling or action, try converting it into a noun.

❌ Sarah was embarrassed and she could not speak in front of the class.
✅ Sarah’s embarrassment prevented her from speaking in front of the class.

One sentence. Cleaner. More precise. More marks.

But knowing the rule is only half the battle. Your child also needs to know how to transform the word. Drop a 💙 in the comments and I’ll send you a reference list of the most common transformations for PSLE Synthesis. 📌

Swipe through the full breakdown first. 👉

At English Cosy Corner, there’s no such thing as a seat in a crowd. My groups are intentionally small, cosy by design. Because when a child feels safe in their learning space, that’s when the real work begins. Every student is seen, known, and taught in a way that fits where they are right now.

*Reposted for its clarity*