© 2019 Ray Chubb and Ian Jackson
2nd edition July 2020
These 100 simple drills are suitable for learners using Skeul an Tavas. The drills are designed to build confidence in employing the most fundamental grammatical operations: using the definite article and/or an adjective with a noun, short sentences pointing things out or saying what someone or something is doing (or did), asking if they are doing it (or did it), and replying to such questions.
A key is provided after each drill, so you can check your own work. One Cornish sentence may have a number of different English translations. For example, a present tense yma ... ow may mean ‘is doing’ or just ‘does’.
The drills will generally be suitable for use from the end of the first term of classes, or once the relevant grammar has been introduced. Those taking the Skeul an Tavas Level 1 examination may find these drills helpful for revision. The vocabulary is largely that of the Skeul an Tavas course book. Nearly all the words can be found in Gerlyver Kescows. If in doubt, ask your teacher. Or email your question to www.skeulantavas.com.
The Cornish sentences have been written in the formal prose style that is taught in the first coursebook of Skeul an Tavas. Colloquial styles are introduced later in the course. These drills may of course be answered in any style you prefer.
Advice for tackling questions
An ‘I’ answer will most naturally respond to a Cornish ty 'you’ question. An ‘I’ or ‘we’ answer will always fit a Cornish why 'you’ question. But remember that real everyday conversation is full of humour, surprise, sarcasm, irony, frustration, indignation etc. This may involve asking ‘I’ or ‘we’ questions rhetorically, or meeting ‘you’ questions with anticipatory ‘you’ answers. So try to imagine different conversational scenarios when you are formulating replies to the questions in these drills. See if it affects the choice of response.