T3.3.3 Standard English and other varieties Quiz: KS3 English, Unit 3

The 20 questions

1. What is Standard English?

   • The form of English used in formal writing and speech, with agreed grammar and spelling.
   • A regional dialect that is spoken only in the south of England by people in one town.
   • A form of English that is written only in computer code and cannot be spoken aloud.
   • A list of slang words that teenagers use in conversation with friends and family.

2. Which sentence is written in Standard English?

   • They weren't allowed to go nowhere cos it was chucking it down.
   • Dem wasn't allowed to go out 'cause it be raining real hard, innit.
   • Them wasn't allowed out because it were raining something rotten.
   • They were not allowed to go outside because it was raining very heavily.

3. Why is a dialect considered a legitimate form of English?

   • Dialects are not real forms of English, and they should be avoided in all situations.
   • Dialects have their own consistent grammar and vocabulary, and they are used by real communities.
   • Dialects are only used in poetry, and they have no grammar or vocabulary of their own.
   • Dialects are only a kind of spelling mistake that people make when writing quickly.

4. What is a regional dialect?

   • A list of foreign words that have entered English through trade and travel over centuries.
   • A technical language used by scientists in laboratories to describe experiments and results.
   • A variety of English linked to a particular area, with distinctive vocabulary or grammar.
   • A type of formal writing used only in official government documents and public reports.

5. Which is the best reason for using Standard English in a job application?

   • It is the only form of English that is legal in any job application in the United Kingdom.
   • It is the expected form for formal writing, which helps the reader take the application seriously.
   • It shows that the applicant does not speak any other form of English in everyday life.
   • It is the only form that contains words the employer is able to find in a dictionary.

6. What is the difference between a dialect and an accent?

   • A dialect is always written and an accent is always spoken, so the two terms cannot overlap.
   • There is no difference, because both terms refer to the same features of English speech.
   • An accent has its own grammar, while a dialect is only a difference in the way words are pronounced.
   • A dialect has its own grammar and vocabulary, while an accent is only a difference in pronunciation.

7. Why might a writer include dialect speech in a novel?

   • To make the novel harder to read, so that the reader must work to understand each line.
   • To show a character's background and make their voice feel authentic and distinctive.
   • To prove that the writer does not know how to spell any words in Standard English at all.
   • To make all the characters sound identical, so the reader knows they share one background.

8. Which sentence shows a non-standard feature of grammar used in some dialects?

   • She does not like it, but she told me so herself yesterday.
   • She doesn't like it, but she told me so herself yesterday.
   • She don't like it, but she told me so herself yesterday.
   • She dislikes it, but she told me so herself yesterday afternoon.

9. Which is a true statement about Standard English?

   • It has no rules of grammar, so writers can choose any word order they like in any sentence.
   • It is a variety of English that is used as a common reference in formal contexts and education.
   • It is the only correct form of English, and all other forms are simply mistakes made by speakers.
   • It is a form of English spoken only by people who live in the capital city of one country.

10. Why does respect for dialects matter when studying English?

    • Dialects are only interesting for historians, so they do not need to be studied at school at all.
    • Dialects reflect language change and identity, and they are valid varieties with their own rules.
    • Dialects should be ignored because they make the language less accurate and harder to understand.
    • Dialects are a sign of a poor education, so pupils should be discouraged from using them at home.

11. Why is Standard English usually taught in schools?

    • It is the form that the government forbids pupils from using in any situation outside the school.
    • It is the form most widely used in formal writing and public life, so it helps pupils communicate across contexts.
    • It is the only form of English that is spoken correctly by native speakers in the United Kingdom.
    • It is the form that contains the most words, so pupils can learn the most vocabulary from it.

12. Which sentence is in Standard English?

    • We ain't finished the project, so we gonna need more time to do it right.
    • We have not finished the project, so we will need more time to complete it properly.
    • Us haven't finished the project, so we'll need more time to complete it, innit.
    • We not finish the project so we need more time for doing it proper.

13. What is a non-standard grammatical feature found in some English dialects?

    • Double negatives, such as 'I don't know nothing about it', which are used in many dialects.
    • The use of the passive 'was broken' in the sentence 'The window was broken last night'.
    • The use of the past participle 'taken' in the sentence 'I have taken the bus this morning'.
    • The use of the relative pronoun 'which' in the sentence 'The book, which I read, was good'.

14. Which is true of a non-standard dialect?

    • It has no grammar at all, so speakers can use any word order they like in every sentence.
    • It is always spelled incorrectly, because dialects are never written down in any form.
    • It can only be used by people who were born in one specific village in one country.
    • It has consistent grammar and vocabulary, even though it differs from Standard English.

15. Which sentence would be most suitable for a formal school essay?

    • Loads of kids who got more kip did way better on the memory test, which is well interesting.
    • The results indicate that participants who slept longer performed better on the memory task.
    • Them what slept more did better on the memory test, which was pretty cool, innit.
    • So basically the people who had a longer sleep were, like, way smarter on the memory thing.

16. What is a feature of a regional accent rather than a dialect?

    • A different pronunciation of vowels, such as a different sound in the word 'bath'.
    • A different word for an everyday object, such as a local name for a bread roll.
    • A different word order in questions, such as 'Where you going?' without auxiliary verbs.
    • A different past tense form of a verb, such as 'I seen it' instead of 'I saw it'.

17. Why is it useful for a writer to know both Standard English and dialect?

    • They can prove that all writing is the same, whichever form of English they choose to use.
    • They can avoid learning grammar, because dialect is always simpler and more accurate than Standard English.
    • They can use dialect in every single text, so Standard English is unnecessary to learn at all.
    • They can choose the right form for each audience, purpose and context.

18. Which of these is a feature of dialect speech in many English regions?

    • Using 'me' as a subject pronoun, as in 'Me and my mate went out'.
    • Using 'my friend and I' as the subject in the sentence 'My friend and I went out'.
    • Using 'I' as a subject pronoun in the sentence 'I and my mate went out to play'.
    • Using 'we' as the subject in the sentence 'We went out with a friend this morning'.

19. What makes a text 'standard' rather than 'non-standard' in grammar?

    • It is the most recent text published in a national newspaper on the day it appeared in print.
    • It is written in the first person, which marks it as a standard and official type of text.
    • It follows the agreed rules of grammar and spelling used in formal contexts across the English-speaking world.
    • It is the longest text in a collection, which shows that the writer has used the most words.

20. Which sentence uses standard grammar and agreed wording throughout?

    • The children were chuffed with their results, which were really well good for the class.
    • Them children were chuffed with them results, which was well good for the whole class.
    • The children was chuffed with their results, which was really well good for the class.
    • The children were delighted with their results, which were excellent for the whole class.

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