Word order: time and place before the verb
Chinese fixes time and place into slots before the verb: Subject + (Time) + (Place, with 在) + Verb + Object. Example: 我每天在图书馆看书。(Wǒ měitiān zài túshūguǎn kàn shū.) -- I read books in the library every day. 每天 (time) and 在图书馆 (place) both sit before the verb 看, unlike English, which puts time and place after the verb. Likewise 我昨天在家看电视。(Wǒ zuótiān zài jiā kàn diànshì.) -- Yesterday I watched TV at home.
是 links two nouns, never before an adjective
是 (shì) links two NOUNS to say "A is B", identifying or classifying one thing as another: 他是我的老师。(Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.) -- He is my teacher. 她是我姐姐。(Tā shì wǒ jiějie.) -- She is my older sister. 他是我同学。(Tā shì wǒ tóngxué.) -- He is my classmate. An adjective, by contrast, is its own predicate and takes 很 (hěn), never 是 before it: 他很高 (Tā hěn gāo -- he is tall), NOT 他是高.
的 possession and topic-comment fronting
的 (de) joins a possessor to the noun they own: 这是我爸爸的车。(Zhè shì wǒ bàba de chē.) -- This is my father's car. (的 is often dropped before close family terms like 我姐姐, but required before an ordinary object like 车.) Topic-comment fronting moves the topic to the front, before the subject: 中文，我觉得很有意思。(Zhōngwén, wǒ juéde hěn yǒu yìsi.) -- As for Chinese, I find it very interesting.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Dropping 的 between possessor and noun
✗ 这是我妈妈车。(no link between 我妈妈 and 车) ✓ 这是我妈妈的车。(Zhè shì wǒ māma de chē.) -- This is my mother's car. 的 must join a possessor to the noun it owns whenever the possessed item is an ordinary object rather than a close family term, e.g. 我的老师的书 (wǒ de lǎoshī de shū -- my teacher's book).
general FL trap
A missing subject leaves the answer unclear
Every written sentence needs its own explicit subject; dropping it leaves an ambiguous fragment even when the vocabulary is right. ✗ 很聪明。(who is smart?) ✓ 他很聪明。(Tā hěn cōngming.) -- He is very smart. Spoken Chinese may drop the subject, but an exam answer must state who or what the sentence is about.
Digest Reading: an answer lacking a subject judged unclear (s23 P21 Q11(h); s23 P22 Q8(h))
Dropping the verb or 是 makes it ambiguous
A sentence also needs its verb -- including 是 -- or the meaning collapses. ✗ 他我的老师。(no 是 linking the two nouns) ✓ 他是我的老师。(Tā shì wǒ de lǎoshī.) -- He is my teacher. A missing key verb impacts comprehension and loses the mark even when the rest of the answer is correct.
Digest Reading: a missing key verb impacts comprehension (s23 P22 Q8(g)); a missing verb or key word lost the mark (s22 P21 Q8(b); s22 P22 Q11(b))
Time/place after the verb (English order)
✗ 我看电视昨天在家。(Subject-Verb-Object-Time-Place, the English pattern) ✓ 我昨天在家看电视。(Wǒ zuótiān zài jiā kàn diànshì.) -- Yesterday I watched TV at home. Time and place must be MOVED to sit before the verb in Chinese, not left in their English position after it. Transform the pattern, do not transfer it.
general FL trap
的 with close family vs an ordinary object
的 is optional before a close family term but required before an ordinary possessed object. ✓ 我姐姐 or 我的姐姐 (my older sister -- both acceptable). ✗ 我妈妈车 ✓ 我妈妈的车 (Wǒ māma de chē -- my mother's car). Keep 的 before an object like 车/手机/书包; treat it as optional only before close kin like 我姐姐/我爸爸.
general FL trap
Topic-fronting but dropping the subject
When you front a topic, the comment still needs its own subject. ✗ 中文，很喜欢。(topic fronted but no subject in the comment) ✓ 中文，我很喜欢。(Zhōngwén, wǒ hěn xǐhuan.) -- As for Chinese, I like it very much. Fronting the topic (中文) does not replace the subject (我); keep both.
general FL trap
Believing 是 works like English "to be"
是 (shì) only links two NOUNS or noun phrases for identification -- it is never placed directly before an adjective, which is its own predicate with 很 (hěn). ✗ 他是很高。(是 plus an adjective predicate is doubly wrong) ✓ 他很高。(Tā hěn gāo.) -- He is tall. Compare a genuine 是 sentence linking two nouns: 他是我同学。(Tā shì wǒ tóngxué.) -- He is my classmate.
Build a sentence in fixed slot order
From an English prompt: state the subject explicitly; add any time word, then any place phrase with 在, both before the verb; add the verb and object; choose 是 (two nouns) vs 很 + adjective (never 是); add 的 for anything possessed. Never omit the subject or verb.
Answer in a full sentence, not a fragment
Even short reading answers should be a complete sentence with a subject and verb, not a bare fragment. Asked 小林是谁 (who is Xiaolin), answer 小林是我们班的班长 (Xiǎo Lín shì wǒmen bān de bānzhǎng), not just 班长. A full clause removes the ambiguity that loses marks.
Reorder from English: park time/place first
The examiner rewards transforming language, not transferring English order. Before writing, move any time and place phrase to sit BEFORE the verb, and check you have not left them at the end. 我昨天在家看电视 (Wǒ zuótiān zài jiā kàn diànshì), never 我看电视昨天在家.
Chinese sentence structure has one big difference from English word order: time and place phrases go BEFORE the verb, not after it. The basic order is:
Subject + (Time) + (Place, with 在) + Verb + Object
Three other structures build on this basic order:
Every complete Chinese sentence needs an explicit subject and a verb (or 是) -- do not drop either when writing an answer.
Say "I read books" in Chinese (just Subject-Verb-Object, no time or place).
把下面这句话翻译成中文，注意把时间和地点放在正确的位置：I read books in the library every day.
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
你想向你的中文笔友介绍你的一位家人。请写一条短信，包含以下几点：（1）他/她是谁，和你是什么关系（用「是」句）；（2）他/她的一样东西是什么样的（用「的」表示所有）；（3）他/她平常在哪里、什么时候做什么（时间和地点放在动词前面）。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字，注意短信的语气比较随意。（8分）
请描述你的一个典型周末，请包含以下几点：（1）周末对你来说是什么（用「是」句，例如：周末是我最放松的时间）；（2）你通常几点起床、通常在哪里、和谁一起做什么（时间和地点放在动词前面）；（3）你的心情怎么样。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字。（8分）
