ENGLISH TEACHING THE BASICS EXERCISES 2016 - Grades 8-12 - Hoërskool CR ...
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ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
ENGLISH
Grades 8-12
TEACHING THE
BASICS
EXERCISES 2016
Page 1
ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
INTRODUCTION
The material in this document is designed to determine that ALL LEARNERS master
the BASIC KNOWLEDGE of English.
As a topic is taught, for example NOUNS, they complete these simple exercises to
ensure learners understand and then teachers may add another exercise/ exercises
at the level of the grade they teach.
For example: Grade 12 learners will complete these exercises but will later do an
additional exercise taken from their text books or any other source.
We work on this basis: Basic exercise + ADDITIONAL EXERCISE at Grade
12/11/10/9/8-level.
THESE EXERCISES ARE SIMPLY COMPILED TO ENSURE ALL ASPECTS OF
LANGUAGE are ADDRESSED and TAUGHT in both the GET and FET phases.
These exercises in this document are for PAPER 1 / LANGUAGE only.
Comprehension Tests are not included, although the instruction words are.
Use THE HANDBOOK AND STUDY GUIDE for SENIOR PRIMARY TO MATRIC
AND BEYOND (see p 3). The authors are BERYL LUTRIN and MARCELLE
PINCUS. Most schools received these books in 2012, 2013.
ALL TOPICS SHOULD BE TAUGHT before learners do relevant exercises.
We cannot expect results if teachers simply hand out exercises to be completed,
without teaching first. Please adhere to this procedure:
Teach
Practise (help learners by doing one or two examples with them – assisted
teaching/learning)
Learners then complete basic exercise
Complete additional exercise compiled by teacher / from text book
Write class tests
I hope this resource will help educators as well as learners to master the basic
concepts of English.
Compiled by: AlthaCatherine du Plessis
Subject Advisor English
Free State
Page 2ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
These exercises are based on the most basic content of this resource:
ENGLISH HANDBOOK AND STUDY GUIDE by Beryl Lutrin and Marcelle Pincus
Page 3ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
NOUNS – Handbook and Study Guide p 16, 17, 18.
What is a noun? A noun is a naming word
Identify the following nouns.
Are they common-, abstract-, collective- or proper nouns?
List the nouns according to the table:
Retief High School, love, table, perseverance, hatred, Simon, Gauteng, swarm of
bees, fruit, government, Mr Mosia, “Isidingo”, TV 1, Pioneer, respect, cars, subjects,
Geography, hostel, anthology of poems, DSTV, string of pearls, honour, Samsung.
Common nouns Collective nouns Proper nouns Abstract nouns
COLLECTIVE NOUNS – Handbook and Study Guide p 17, 18
e.g. a gaggle of geese. Find the right answers for:
1. a __________ of stairs 2. a range of _____________________
3. a __________ of bees 4. a _______________ of worshippers
5. a _______________ of trees 6. a bundle of ____________________
7. a stack of ______________ 8. a hatch of ________________
9. an _________________ of diplomats 10. an _______________ of musicians
Page 4ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
ADJECTIVES – HANDBOOK and STUDY GUIDE p 26, 27
What is an adjective? A word that describes a noun/pronoun
Example : The girl sings a song.
The beautiful girl sings a sad song.
adjective noun adjective noun
1. Add adjectives to describe these nouns.
Use the words in brackets to form adjectives:
An (stand out) student An (educate) TV-program
An (enjoy) holiday A (complicate) sum
An (admire) person A (demand) career
An (explode) bomb An (adore) toddler
An (impress) performance A (horrid) accident
A (beauty) princess A (luck) draw
2. Form adjectives from the words in brackets :
Complete the following sentences by filling in the correct form of the adjective :
He is always honest. He is an (honour) _____________________ man.
All our Gr 12’s passed in 2015. The results were (satisfy) _______________________.
My cellphone fell on the cement. Luckily it is (repair) __________________________.
Our pastor is a (please) __________________ man and truly (religion)
___________________.
She is an (obey) ___________________ child.
Of all the matriculants, Sarah is (bright) _______________________
Of the two boys, Mpho is (good) __________________________ at soccer.
Today I am tired. Yesterday I was even (tire) ______________________.
May you have (much/many) ________________ more birthdays!
I do not want to go home. There is not (much/many) _____________________ to do.
The meeting was not a success. Only a (few/little) ___________ people attended.
Joan is fit. Peter is (fit) __________, but Cindy is the (fit) _________________.
Sinah is (laid back)_________________ than Marianne.
Page 5ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Complete the table by filling in the correct form of the adjectives to complete the
degrees of comparison:
e.g. pretty prettier the prettiest
thin
easier
painful
most comfortable
Form adjectives from the words in brackets:
Complete the following sentences by filling in the correct adverbs:
We go to town (regular) _________________________ on Saturdays.
Father hates shopping, but he (usual) ___________________ waits in the car.
(Clear) ________________ Mother will not be rushed by anyone.
She strolls (slow) _____________________ through the mall, looking (careful)
________________ at the prices of everything, before she buys.
Dad is (sincere) ___________________ pleased when she finally comes to the car
with all her shopping bags. The shopping spree went (good/well) _______________
ADVERBS – Handbook and Study Guide p 33
What is an adverb? An adverb is a word that describes the verb
Example : The girl sings the song. (How does she sing? She sings passionately)
The girl sings the song passionately.
verb adverb
Change the following words into adverbs by adding –ly :
correctly efficient
patient spontaneous
quick necessary
Underline the adverbs in the following sentences and circle the verbs :
1. The proud father shook his son’s hand wildly after he was called to the stage
as ‘Soccer Player of the Year’.
2. The appreciative child accepted the trophy gracefully.
Page 6ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
3. The difficult exam paper confused me completely.
4. The mother shook the dying baby desperately.
5. The strong WWF-wrestler defeated the slender competitor viciously.
6. She writes impeccably and calculates faultlessly.
7. The grateful parent thanked the police officer gratefully and scolded the child
mercilessly.
PRONOUNS – Handbook and Study Guide p 19, 20, 21.
Exercise 1 Choose the right word in brackets :
1. (Him, He) and (I, me) are both fourteen years old.
2. Give it to (I, me).
3. This is my sister. Do you know (she, her)?
4. He cut (himself, him) with a knife.
5. (Who, Whom) did you speak to just now?
6. James is much taller than (I, me).
7. I have lost my pen. Have you seen (it, him)?
8. This pen is not (your, yours).
9. The birds were feeding (there, their) chicks.
10. When I spoke to Ann, (she, he) did not answer me.
Exercise 2 Replace the underlined names with pronouns.
Example : Tom went to the store this morning.
He
1. Harry can run very fast.
____
2. Lerato is in Grade 9 C.
_____
3. The chair is broken.
_______
4. Did you see Mary or Ben on the playground?
____ ___
5. You and I will help Peter and David.
________ ______________
6. The farmer will dip the cattle today.
_________ _______
Page 7ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Exercise 3 Fill in the correct pronoun :
Example : I read from my book. The book is mine.
1. You read from your book. The book is ________.
2. He reads from his book. The book is _________ .
3. She reads from her book. The book is _________.
4. It broke ____ leg.
5. We read from our books. The books are _______.
6. They read from their books. The books are ________.
7. Mary and John read their books. The books are ________.
Exercise 4 Use pronouns instead of the words in bold :
Example : This pen is a thing belonging to me.
This pen is mine.
1. The dog is an animal belonging to me.
The dog is __________.
2. Those cattle are animals belonging to us.
Those cattle are ________.
3. The t-shirt is a thing belonging to her.
The t-shirt is ________.
4. These sheep are animals belonging to them.
These sheep are _________.
5. This hat is a thing belonging to me.
This hat is _______.
6. These knives are things belonging to him.
These knives are _________.
Exercise 5 Fill in the correct pronoun :
1. I have lost _______ (belonging to me) pen.
2. Alfred tore _______ (belonging to him) trousers.
3. The farmers have ploughed __________ (belonging to them) fields.
4. She was wearing ___________ (belonging to her) blue dress.
5. Maro and I made ___________ (belonging to us) beds.
6. Have you found ___________ (belonging to you) books?
7. The baby bird opened _______ (belonging to it) beak.
8. Lerato and Mpho helped _________ (belonging to them) father.
9. The dog wagged ________ (belonging to it) tail.
10. She left _________ (belonging to her) book at home.
Page 8ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Exercise 6 Read through the examples and then fill in the correct pronouns :
Examples: I hurt myself. It hurts itself.
You hurt yourself. We hurt ourselves.
He hurts himself. You (two or more) hurt yourselves.
She hurts herself. They hurt themselves.
1. John cut ________ with a sharp knife.
2. I saw __________in the mirror.
3. We helped ___________ to some cake.
4. The woman was speaking to ____________.
5. You must do this by ____________.
6. The children enjoyed ____________ very much.
7. My little sister dresses __________ every morning.
8. The horse hurt _________ trying to jump over the fence.
9. They burned _____________ while they were playing with matches.
10. Tom and Felicia, did you wash _____________ this morning?
11. The bird killed ___________ when it flew against the wall.
12. Mother bought _____________ a new hat.
Exercise 7 The following words in capital letters are pronouns which help us
to ask questions :
WHO lives there?
WHOM did you see in the classroom?
WHAT did you buy?
Here are two books. WHICH is yours?
Fill in WHO, WHOM, WHAT or WHICH :
1. _________ is the time, Jane?
2. _________ helped Patrick with his sums?
3. _________ did you meet at the post office?
4. _________ of the two girls is the older?
5. _________ did you ask to direct you to Qwa-Qwa?
6. _________ of the dogs caught the rabbit?
7. _________ lives next door to them?
8. _________ is the date today?
9. _________ did you knock down with your bicycle?
10. _________ of you two children knows the answer?
11. _________ came first in that test?
Page 9ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Exercise 8 PRONOUNS can also be used as conjunctions.
Examples : This is the boy. He hit me.
This is the boy who/that hit me.
The car was black. The car knocked him down.
The car which/that knocked him down, was black.
REMEMBER : WHO is used for persons only.
WHICH is used for animals and things.
THAT is used for persons, animals and things.
Choose the correct word in brackets:
1. It was my aunt (who, which) sent me the money.
2. The knife (whom, which) I found belong to Mamosea.
3. This is the bus (whom, which) we have to take to town.
4. I do not know the man (who, which) threw a stone at me.
5. He had a puppy (who, which) was run over by a lorry.
6. It was Andrew’s book (whom, which) I picked up on the playground.
7. The cow (which, whom) Father sold had a black calf.
8. He saw the woman (who, which) stole your cell phone.
CONJUNCTIONS (linking words) – Handbook and Study Guide p 35
Exercise 1 Join each pair of sentences together with the words given in
brackets. Pay attention to correct usage of punctuation.
1. Joan will lay the table. Mother will fry the eggs. (and)
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2. I called her. She did not hear me. (but)
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10ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
3. I went to town yesterday. I bought new shoes yesterday. (and)
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4. I sat down to rest. I was very tired. (because)
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5. I saw the accident. I went to school. (when)
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6. She fell. She was running across the street. (while)
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7. Mom is singing. Dad is singing. I am not singing. (but)
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8. She had a bath. She went to bed. (before)
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9. He was ill. He did not go to school. (therefore)
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11ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Exercise 2 CONJUNCTIONS don’t only have to be added between two
sentences. Sometimes they are used at the beginning of a sentence.
Example : The rugby match is cancelled. It is raining. (because)
The rugby match is cancelled, because it is raining
or
Because it is raining, the rugby match is cancelled.
Combine the following sentences by using the conjunction in brackets. Start your
sentence with the given word.
1. The teacher punished him. He was naughty. (because)
The teacher
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Because_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
2. She washed the dishes. He carried the dishes to the kitchen. (after)
She___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
After__________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
3. It began to rain. We were playing soccer. (while)
It_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
While_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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12ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
4. Lettie sharpened the pencil. She began to write. (before)
Lettie_________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Before________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. I shall visit my brother. I go to Durban. (when)
I_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
When_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
6. I watched TV. I was eating Kentucky. (while)
I_____________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
While_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
7. Mother mixed the ingredients. She baked a cake. (before)
Mother________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Before________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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13ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
PREPOSITIONS – Handbook and Study Guide p 36, 37
Prepositions
Use the Handbook and Study Guide to find the suitable prepositions :
Please think ___________ the matter.
This sum is so difficult. It is __________ her ability.
Abortion goes __________ my principles.
The books were divided _____________ the pupils.
She is 16. She is ___ a difficult stage.
To warm up, the soccer players run ________ the field.
The second floor is ___________ the first floor.
The first floor is ____________ the second floor.
The teacher stood ___________ me when she explained the sum.
I cannot understand it! This is __________ my understanding!
____ noon she arrived!
Take ______ all the soccer advertisements! It is over now!
I feel sorry ____ beggars.
This letter came _____ England.
My shoes were imported ______ Italy.
The concert is ___ the morning.
He concentrated. He tried to take ___ the facts.
The cat fell _______ the river.
She was a victim ___ rape.
The South Africans are fond ____ braaivleis.
After we had a fall-out, she went _____ in a hurry.
The picture hangs ___ the wall.
We congratulated him ___ his victory.
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He loves rugby! He is very keen ____ it!
He finished school in 2009. He now went ___ to university.
It was _____ midnight when she came in!
She was able ___ stop smoking.
The book, I am David, is similar ___ the movie!
______________ seven o’clock, I fell asleep.
I waited ____ my son to come home after the bachelor’s party.
The house is ___ for sale.
The meaning of the word lies ______ the sentence.
Choose words provided in the word box to complete the following sentences
meaningfully.
Word box: motivated by / approve of / ill with / believe in /
ask of / ask for / rely on / insist on / accused of /
afraid of / object to / waits for
She has long been ___________________ malaria.
There is nothing to be _________________, the murderer was caught by the police.
It is no wonder that people ____________ your conduct.
All I ________________ you is that you do your best this year.
The students _______________________ the exam time table.
The teachers are ____________________ the motivational quotes.
Pensioners ___________________ the government grant for the elderly.
The parents ______________________ the young man’s behaviour.
I ______________________ God and Rasheed says he is spiritual.
Mother ____________________ me being home before 23h00.
The thug is _______________________ a smash-and-grab-robbery.
Father __________________________ me to finish my drama practice.
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15ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
CONCORD RULES – Handbook and Study Guide p 34
To show how the verb agrees with its subject in person and number:
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STUDY THESE CONCORD RULES BEFORE YOU ATTEMPT THE EXERCISE:
1. Two singular subjects joined by and take a plural verb.
Tom and Harry are brothers.
2. Two singular subjects separated by either … or / neither … nor
take a singular verb.
Neither Peter nor his brother is athletes.
But: S + Pl = Pl Neither Peter nor his brothers are . . .
A singular subject who has a phrase beginning with like, with, or as well as
added to it takes a singular verb.
Dick, with two others, is going.
Mavis, like her sister, is clever.
James, as well as Peter, is here.
3. The nouns news, physics, mathematics, politics take a singular verb.
The news is bad.
Measles is an infectious disease.
Mathematics is taught by Mr Moloi.
Politics is a subject I usually avoid.
Darts is an interesting game.
4. The nouns sports, athletics, trousers, shears, scissors, shorts, pliers, pants,
clippers, compasses, bellows, pincers, tongs, thanks take plural verbs.
Our sports were held on Friday. My trousers are dirty.
Athletics are popular. The scissors are blunt.
Use singular verb with ‘ A PAIR OF ‘
A pair of trousers is a useful gift.
My pair of compasses is lost.
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16ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
5. In alternative subjects the verb takes the number of the alternative subject
nearest.
The captain or the soldiers are to die.
Is the boy, or the girls, to be blamed?
6. Expressions such as each (of), either (of), neither (of), one (of) and words
such as every, no-one, anybody, and nobody take a singular verb.
Each of the boys has a pen.
Each is different.
Either of the girls is available to assist.
Either is correct.
Neither of the dogs is mine.
Neither is missing.
One of the pupils is missing.
Not one of the sheep is missing.
Every pupil has passed.
No-one is allowed to go.
Somebody is making a noise.
Anybody is allowed to go.
Nobody has gone already!
7. None may take either a singular or a plural verb.
None of us was strong enough.
None of us were able to do the sum.
8. Some nouns of multitude always take a plural verb.
These cattle are my father’s. The people were angry.
The poultry are doing well.
Animals, such as rats, mice and jackals do much harm.
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17ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Others such as Government, Council, Police, company, number, crowd,
pack, party may take either a singular or a plural verb.
a) If such a noun stands for a single group it takes a singular verb.
The Government has always helped the poor.
The crowd is well-behaved.
The Skhosana family is rich.
The Police is here!
b) When the noun stands for all the individuals, who make up the group, it
takes plural.
The Government have decided to do more for the poor.
The party have taken the food to the shelter.
The Body Corporate all agree to increase the levy.
A number of people were killed in the accident.
9. Care must be taken when the verb stands before the subject.
Yesterday there were a table and two chairs in the room.
There are children who work very hard.
On the table are pencils.
10. The words heaps and lots, meaning a great lot, are not good English but they
are sometimes used. They take a singular verb.
There is heaps of time.
There is lots to do.
If a plural noun with of is used = plural ( plural noun + of = plural )
There are heaps of cups.
There are lots of figs on the tree.
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18ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
11. Much / little = singular
Many / few = plural
There is little sugar left!
There are many apples on the tree.
Only a few parents are at the meeting.
Many boys play soccer.
There is not much we can do to comfort her now.
There is only a little flour in the pantry.
CONCORD exercise
IS/ARE? WAS/WERE? HAS/HAVE?
Complete the following exercise. Circle the correct answer.
1. He and she is/are brother and sister.
2. Both Tom and Dick is/are going to the cinema.
3. Mary is/are older than me.
4. Fruit is/are healthy.
5. One of our horses is/are brown.
6. Our cattle is/are in good condition.
7. Much money is/are wasted on unnecessary things.
8. Game is/are plentiful in the Kruger National Park.
9. Trousers is/are unnecessary.
10. His trousers is/are torn.
11. Some of the boys is/are going to university.
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19ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
12. Very few of the people here is/are educated.
13. Little is/are done to protect the young.
14. Many of our sheep is/are dying of hunger.
15. Everybody in our town is/are proud of it!
16. The picture of the two lions feeding on a buck is/are excellent!
17. Mathematics is/are not so difficult.
18. Most of the passengers is/are injured.
19. Mara and I is/are washing the dishes.
20. The boy or the girls was/were to be punished.
21. Each boy was/were doing his best during the game.
22. Several pupils was/were absent today.
23. Was/were David or the two girls watering the garden?
24. Teacher Sue, with two others, was/were planning something.
25. Either of the parcels was/were too heavy to carry.
26. The crowd is/are noisy.
27. He, as well as his family, is/are driving me mad!
28. My scissors is/are blunt.
29. Every pupil in Grade 12 has/have passed.
30. The Government has/have decided to support the poor.
31. Animals, such as jackals, rats and mice does/do much harm.
32. None of us was/were strong enough to lift that weight.
33. No one is/are able to give me the correct answer.
34. Neither is/are missing.
35. Every pupil has/have passed matric.
36. The captain or the soldiers is/are to die.
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20ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
37. My pair of compasses is/are lost.
38. Fish and chips is/are my favourite meal!
39. Your shorts is/are in the washing machine.
40. Measles is/are an infectious disease.
ARTICLES – Handbook and Study Guide p 23
Articles : A / AN / THE
A is used in the following cases :
1. For words starting with consonants: b, c, d, f, g, h, k …
You say: a bed, a dog, a horse, a letter
2. Vowels with a ( you – sound ):
A union, a university, a European city
3. Vowels with a ( wa – sound ) :
a one – eyed man, a one – man band
AN is used for the following cases :
1. For words starting with vowels :
a, e, i, o, u. Not y.
You say: an apple, an iglo, an orange
an ugly man , an early peach
2. Words starting with a silent h :
an hour, an honest man, an honourable guest
3. The following letters – in abbreviations :
F, M, S, N, L
an FM – radio an SA – team
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21ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Do not use a or an before nouns you cannot count.
Example: water, bread, sand, information
I like bread.
I don’t like water.
Complete :
1. ___ SA – team of athletes were sent to the Paralympics in 2008.
2. Mr. Mandela was ________ honourable guest on the Dr Phil – show last night
3. I am a member of ________ union who fight for teachers’ rights.
4. Paris is _________ European city.
5. I bought __ magazine from __ foreign country.
6. ___ boy with the scar in his face, sing __ amazing song.
7. ____ umbrella
8. ____ friendly teacher
9. ____ award (but if the award is specific: She receives the award for best dancer)
10. ____ brilliant idea
11. ____ idea
APOSTROPHE – English Handbook and Study Guide p 13,14
The apostrophe is used:
POSSESSION
To show the possession form of a noun
All singular words + s
o e.g. man’s car child’s toy
my uncle’s horse the woman’s dress
- If word end in s
e.g. princess’s James’s
- Exceptions ! ! !
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22ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
- Jesus’ words Moses’ laws
For goodness’ sake
Plural words
Plural has a S already.
Just add ‘ e.g. boys’ cars, girls’ rooms
o If the plural form differs from the singular form :
o E.g. child – children = children’s books
man - men = men’s clothes
Lifeless objects : ( car, house, table etc.)
o May not show possession.
o Correct : The keys of the car NOT the car’s keys
The windows of the house NOT the house’s windows
OMISSION
cannot (no is taken away, in its place apostrophe) = can’t
e.g. will not = won’t I shall = I’ll you are = you’re it is = it’s
To form certain PLURALS :
S = s’s A = a’s 2’s
Complete: Write the following phrases, using an apostrophe:
e.g.
1. The shirt of the boy The boy’s shirt
2. The jackets of the boys
3. The fur of the cat
4. The words of Jesus
5. The mouth of the baby
6. The eyes of the babies
7. The hat of the man
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23ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
8. The opinions of people
9. The car of Father
10. The necklace of Sophie
11. The hat belonging to Mom
12. The wing of the bird
13. The wings of the birds
14. More than one “s”
15. More than one “7”
16. The book belonging to James
17. The books of someone else
18. The laws of Moses
19. The keys of the car
20. The clothes of the men
21. For the sake of goodness
Use the apostrophe correctly in:
E.g. Ann is Ann’s need not
are not shall not
cannot am not
could not she had
dare not she has
did not she is
do not she will
does not she would
had not should not
has not they are
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24ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
have not they had
he had they have
he has they will
he is was not
he will we are
I am we had
I had we have
I have we shall
I shall were not
is not what is
it has where is
it is will not
it is not would not
may not used not
might not you are
PLACE the APOSTROPHE where it should be.
1. Whatevers the matter with you, John? Cant you see theyre only trying to
help?
2. Henrys getting caught after only ten runs.
3. Helen and Marys marks were about equal, but Jack and Peters differed a lot.
4. “Its wonderful to be here.”
5. The Joness kids are a nuisance but the Smiths children are beautiful.
6. Id like to go.
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7. Shes already done her work.
8. Hell go with me and shell go with Maviss car.
9. Whats going on?
10. The boys school is only for boys.
11. Shouldnt you be at church?
12. I cannot do this any longer.
13. I havent been there, he hasnt been there, no ones been there!
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FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS – Handbook and Study Guide p 56
READ the FIGURATIVE EXPRESSIONS and give the figurative meaning.
Then write a new sentence in which you express the literal meaning.
Figurative expression Figurative meaning Literal / real meaning
She’s got tons of money. She’s got plenty of I happened to look over the
money. fence and to my amazement,
saw my neighbour standing
waist-deep in green and blue
banknotes.
1. This school is going to the The school is not what it I saw the school walking in the
dogs. used to be. It was good direction of the dog.
and is not good any
more.
2. All the noise makes my The noise is unbearable.
head spin.
3. Some people see the Some people are not Some people prefer to ignore
world through rose- realistic. reality, what’s really going on.
coloured glasses. They concentrate only on that
which they want to believe.
(The rosy-nice and easy part
of life).
4. She managed to catch the
head waiter’s eye as he
hurried past. Catch
5. I’m afraid he’s got a chip
on his shoulder.
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27ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
HOMONYMS – Handbook and Study Guide p 54
These words sound the same, are spelt identically but their meanings and
functions differ.
e.g. watch
Father loves to watch rugby on television (verb) function? VERB
Since I got my cellular phone, I stopped wearing my wrist watch as the phone
also indicates time.(noun) function? NOUN
Look up the meaning of these words and make sentences to indicate the
differences in meaning:
1. well
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. try
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. spring
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. saw
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. pool
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. mine
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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28ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
7. body
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. charge
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. bat
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.bank
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Write down the meaning of:
1. bill (noun)
bill (verb)
2. bear (noun)
bear (verb)
3. club (noun)
club (noun)
4. notice (verb)
notice (noun)
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29ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
HOMOPHONES – Handbook and Study Guide p 55
Words sound the same, but are spelt differently and have different meanings.
Talk about these words in class. Allow learners to explain the meaning of words
before the written task is given.
Look up the meaning of all the words. Choose ten pairs and make sentences to
show you understand the meaning of the words.
1. accept / except
2. affect / effect
3. allowed / aloud
4. bridle / bridal
5. bow / bough
6. bored / board
7. bare / bear
8. born / borne
9. belief / believe
10. brake / break
11. course / coarse / cause
12. cease / seize
13. knew / new
14. hole / whole
15. grief / grieve
16. heal / heel
17. gorilla / guerilla
18. death / deaf
19. councillor / counsellor
20. past / passed
21. knight / night
22. lose / loose
23. medal / meddle
24. patience / patients
25. practise / practice
26. principal / principle
27. safe / save
28. sight / site
29. their / there
30. through / threw
31. waist / waste
32. witch / which
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30ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
PREFIXES and SUFFIXES – Handbook and Study Guide p 46, 47.
1. Make words. Use these prefixes:
aero aero anti anti
aqua aqua bi bi
dis dis co co
ex ex fore fore
in in mis mis
multi multi non non
pre pre re re
tele tele tri tri
2. Make words. Use these suffixes:
e.g.
able able al al
honourable
dom dom hood hood
ing ing d d
less less less less
ment ment ment ment
tion tion ture ture
y y wards wards
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31ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
3. Complete the following words by filling in the correct suffix / prefix :
self____________________ govern____________________
friend____________________
__________racial __________fix __________finals __________modern
penn(y)i____________________ astro____________________
mak(e)____________________
__________gram __________sound __________lingual __________active
assist____________________ rain_____ east_______________
real_______________
__________nutrition _____________robics __________pilot ______connect
4. MAKE SENTENCES WITH THESE WORDS. Use dictionaries if necessary:
translate
___________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
multicolour
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
5. Give the meaning of the following prefixes,
Refer to the Handbook and Study Guide p 46
mono _____________ mid _______________ tri ________________
fore _____________ counter ____________ trans ______________
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32ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
You have learnt the basics of English. Now complete these exercises:
KNOW THE BASICS – EXERCISE 1
Read the questions in the left column and write your answers in the right
column:
Questions: Answers:
Example:
There are four different kinds of 1. Collective nouns
nouns.
2. Proper nouns
Name them.
3. Common nouns
4. Abstract nouns
Example:
What are helping verbs? Words which link with a verb to
make it finite/complete. They show
tense :
will, shall, can, may, must, have, is
…
But, and, because are all
conjunctions.
1. thus 3.
Add another FOUR conjunctions.
2. 4.
Complete the following collective
nouns :
1. A pack of _________
1.
2. A ________ of geese
2.
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33ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Use the word ‘ round ‘ in three
different sentences:
1.
1. as an adjective
2.
2. as an adverb
3. as a verb
3.
Most adverbs end in ____?
All present participles end in _____?
Use the word ‘ last ‘ in a sentence, 1.
as:
1. an adjective
2.
2. an adverb
Read the sentence:
Peter was attacked by a gang of thugs
on his way home.
What part of speech is ‘ was ‘ ?
Give a definition for conjunction.
Change the word ‘song’ (noun) into
a verb.
Add adjectives to the underlined
words :
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34ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
I eat marshmallows in bed.
What part of speech is I, they, he,
she?
The girl walks. 1.
1. Add an adverb to the sentence.
2. Add an adjective. 2.
List the three different articles in
English
Give an adjective to describe : girl
KNOW THE BASICS – EXERCISE 2
Sit !
1. Is this a complete sentence ? 1.
2. Why ? 2.
Walking in the cool night air with the 1.
birds chirping sweetly.
1. What is wrong with the sentence ?
2.
2. Correct it.
Madonna kissed the actor while 1.
singing on stage.
1. Replace the nouns with pronouns.
2.
2. What ‘part of speech’ is ‘on’ ?
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35ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Make up sentences :
1. Article + noun + verb + adverb 1.
2. Article + adjective + noun + verb 2.
+ adverb
Degrees of comparison – Complete :
1. Of the two girls, Sheila is the 1.
(prettier/prettiest)
2. Of all the boys, he is the (faster/ 2.
fastest).
What is the subject of this sentence:
The horse ran across the road.
What is the object of the sentence:
He writes a letter.
What is the indirect object in the
sentence? 1.
1. Maria sends a message to her mom.
2. She gives Jenny an apple. 2.
3. He sang her a song.
3.
Are these words numerals/ordinals?
1. fifteen 1.
2. final 2.
3. each 3.
4. second 4.
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36ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Complete these sentences by using 1.
tags :
1. He runs quite fast,_____________?
2.
2. She walked home,_____________?
Complete these proverbs :
1. Beauty is . . . 1.
2. Absence . . . 2.
3. Strike . . . 3.
4. Two wrongs . . . 4.
What is the meaning of these
idioms?
1.
1. to raise the bar
2.
2. to keep your ear to the ground
Flying in a plane is wonderful.
1. How many verb/s in the sentence? 1.
2. What part of speech is ‘plane’? 2.
Big boys blow balloons.
1. Add an adverb. 1.
2. Which word is the adjective? 2.
The tall man walked very slowly
down the cobbled road.
1.
1. List all adjectives.
2. Change the tense of the sentence to
2.
Present Tense.
Complete the following collective
nouns
1.
1. A pride of ________
2.
2. A school of ________
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37ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Verbs ending in –ing (hopping) are
called ______ verbs.
Red, blue, yellow. These are all . . .
How can you determine whether a 1.
word is a verb?
Name 3 things.
2.
3.
Read the sentence:
Of the three ladies Mina is the tallest.
What part of speech is ‘of’?
Change the following words into
verbs
1.
1. large
2.
2. pure
The big boy squashed the bug.
1. Name all the nouns. 1.
2. Name the article. 2.
Peter, New York, Kestell, Samsung,
MTN are all _______________ nouns.
In, on, over, about are all examples of
which part of speech?
Mom loves tasty KFC. 1.
1. Name the proper nouns.
2. Which word is the verb ? 2.
3. Which word is the adjective?
3.
Boring teachers bore brilliant
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38ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
boffins!
1. What part of speech is ‘brilliant’ and 1.
‘boring’?
2. Name the nouns. 2.
Change the following nouns into
adjectives :
1.
1. freedom
2.
2. poverty
JUMPS
1. Add a subject 1.
2. Add an adverb. 2.
I had brushed my teeth.
Which verb is the helping verb?
Language Cloze Exercise 1:
Read the following article before answering the questions set on it :
BOOKED-UP STAR PLANS TO WRITE
Suburban Bliss star, Motshabi Tyelele, has been taking things easy. Apart from the
1.(occasion) parties, she has spent time reading.
‘Iv’e just finished Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and I’m
halfway through Terry Mc Millan’s Mama,’ the beautiful actress says.
She resolved last year to read more. ‘It wasn’t a New Year 2. (resolve) – I took the
3. (decide) long before the festive season. I’m not a person who 4. (read) a lot, but I
told myself I should.’
She misses the stage and says 5. (she) always wanted to write a play. ‘For a long
time I’ve been thinking i need to write. I love theatre. I’ve tried putting thoughts down,
but 6. (hasn’t/haven’t) had time to work on them seriously. The time 7. (will/would)
come.’
In Suburban Bliss she plays Thando, the spoilt wife of Ike Moloi who works for a
manufacturing company. She does not see eye to eye with her mother-in-law,
8. (play/played) by Ruth Cele.
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39ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
WRITE down the correct answers :
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.1. Write down an example of a figurative expression found in the article:
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
9.2. What is the meaning of this expression?
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Language Cloze Exercise 2:
Read the following article before completing the cloze test set on it :
Sing to your cell phone ringtone
Cell phones used to ring, now they sing!
1 With the right phone and a computer, phone users can get rid of boring brrrr-rings
and replace them with the American national anthem, Wake me up before you go-
go, Hello of Adele or even such standards as I’ve got you under my skin.
2 All of this has the potential to make your airport experience or your train commute
more interesting or annoying, depending on your point of view. For users, it’s a mark
of identity. Although the ring tone phenomenon is fairly new to the US and hasn’t
caught on in a bog way, it’s hugely popular in Europe, Japan and South Africa.
3 In Nokia’s home, Finland, where three out of four people carry cell phones, ring
tones have a practical purpose : determining whose phone is ringing. “As far as I can
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40ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
tell, ring tones don’t bother people here. Really, it’s the best way to know whose
phone is ringing,” Charlie Schick, a marketing manager at Nokia in Finland and
owner of eScribe in Massachusetts, says.
4 Many new cell phones come equipped with a dozen or more programmed ring
tones. But in such places as Finland and Japan, cell phone users want, and perhaps
need, something more distinctive.
5 “If everybody had the same 15 or 20 ring tones that come with the phone, that
would be problem,” says Eric Bernatchez of Montreal who writes a cell phone guide
for about.com. “I was in an elevator recently in America and had a StarTac phone
which didn’t have a custom ringtone. Somebody’s phone went off and I wasn’t sure if
it was mine or his. “
6 In Europe, ring tones have become so much a part of the culture that they are now
crossing over into the pop music world. Last year the Finnish duo, Nylon Beat,
released a single exclusively as a mobile phone ring. The Vengaboys, A Dutch pop
group, previewed their single Cheekah Bow Bow as a ringtone. And Boy George has
composed a ring tone for the customers of a British telecommunications company.
7 “In Japan, people use cell phones not only to receive calls, but also to get e-mail
messages, download animation and entertain themselves,” says Tracey Northcott
who works in Tokyo with a mobile software developer.
8 “Some enterprising companies have capitalized on this by charging a small fee
(about R 16) for a whole song to be downloaded with the words flashing across the
screen so people can sing along karaoke style,” Nothcott says.
9 It’s difficult to quantify how many people use ring tones, but customers of one
company, Premium Wireless Services, which launched its service last year, have
downloaded over 60-million songs, with American customers accounting for only
about one-fifth of that number.
10 But, it should be noted, when a company rolls out a new cell phone gimmick, the
US is usually last in line. Unlike Europe, where phones operate on one transmission
mode (GSM), there are several in the US (CDMA, TDMA, GSM and analogue.)
Suffice to say that with such a choice of technologies, tune choices are more limited.
11 In Europe, ring tones are available on various websites or, if your phone has a
programmable “composer” you can call up a website and get instructions to punch in
tunes like Livin’ la Vida Loca and The girl from Ipanema. It’s a bit like sheet music for
the digital age.
12 “Those inclined to download can use the ring tones built into their phones. On
Nokia models they are generally tunes made up by Nokia, ones that the company
has arranged for or songs in the public domain,” says Keith Nowak, a spokesperson
for Nokia.
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41ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
13 Although ring tone “theft” – the unauthorized use of songs – has been in the news
lately, Nowak says that reputable sites pay copyright fees for song downloads.
14 For cell phone companies, the popularity of mobile phones forced the
multiplication of melodies. “If you go back in time a way when phones were not so
prevalent, they all basically rang the same way,” Nowak says.
15 Phones can also match ring tones to people who call frequently. (If your friend
Rosemary calls, you might hear Love Grows Where my Rosemary Goes.)
16 Noise-intolerant folks may be asking: isn’t it getting pretty loud in Europe and
Japan? “Not the case,” says Nortcott. “It’s rare to see a person shouting into a
phone. Although in China and Taiwan people don’t seem to mind listening or being
heard in public while on the phone,” she says.
(Adapted from The Hartford Courant )
CLOZE TEST
By referring to the above text, complete this exercise:
Cellphone technology is advancing in leaps and bounds. It has always
(be)______________ a fast and easy way of communication, but it is constantly
becoming 2. ____________ and 3. ________________
It has also become 4.____________ sophisticated. For 5.______________ an
ordinary brrr-brrr-ring is nowadays considered as old- 6. _________________ as
well as common. So you would much rather devise your own jingle. The possibilities
7._____, of course, unlimited. You can even choose from a variety of musical styles:
pop, gospel, folk or 8. _________________ . Some people however, go overboard
and choose something 9. _________ different.
10.___________ pupils from some schools have come up with a 11. _________
idea. Being very loyal 12. ___ their schools, they have decided to use the school’s
13.___________ as a cell phone ring.
Just imagine the 14. ____________ look on people’s faces when they hear these
cell phones ring ! To get something like that programmed onto your cell phone is
quite cheap. Or do you think a copyright fee of R20 15.______ a lot to pay? I
16._______ don’t think so!
If you want to be the 17.___________ girl or boy around, get that personal jingle!
Apart from giving you that deserved “cool” 18.____________ , it also has another big
advantage : No more confusion in 19._____________ places, as to
20.____________ is ringing.
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42ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Share with us . . . you are using a 21._________________ cell phone and you have
a 22._____________________________ ring tone? Yah, we have all become cell
phone-crazy!
HOW TO WRITE SUMMARIES:
The secret of writing a summary is to paraphrase (write in your own words and do
not change the meaning). Ensure you paraphrase correctly. Find the main idea in
every paragraph. Let us try!
Summary 1
First do a very simple summary.
Read this passage :
Bats
Among orders of mammals, bats rank second only to rodents in number and diversity of
species. I’d guess the world’s bat population is some tens of billions. About 900 species are
recognized in 18 families. By far the greatest number live in the tropics. They abound in
temperate climates but, being nocturnal and usually small and secretive, rarely attract
attention or arouse curiosity.
They vary considerably in size. For example, the tiny Philippine bamboo bat, with a 6-inch
wingspan, weighs 1/20th of an ounce, while the flying fox, with a wingspan of four or five
feet, may weight two pounds.
Most bats are insectivorous. Mexican free-tailed bats consume an estimated 20 000 tons of
insects a year in Texas alone. Some bats feed on pollen and nectar and act as the main or
only pollinators of a number of tropical and sub-tropical plants.
Follow these instructions :
1. Write a 4-point summary
2. The four points should tell us about : the species of bats, their habitat, size and feeding
habits (THESE ARE THE 4 MAIN IDEAS!)
3. Give your passage a title
4. Your summary should not be longer than ________ words
5. Write a draft as well as a final summary.
6. Count your words.
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43ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Summary 2
Refer to the following text: Read the passage.
A visit to the barbershop
You have to understand that I have very happy hair. No matter how serene and
composed the rest of me is, no matter how grave and formal the situation, my hair is
always having a party. In any group photograph you can spot me at once because I
am the person at the back whose hair seems to be listening to a disco album called
Dance Craze 2012.
Ever so often, with a sense of foreboding, I take this hair of mine uptown to the
barbershop and allow one of the men there to amuse himself with it for a bit. I don’t
know why, but going to the barber brings out the wimp in me. There is something
about being enshrouded in a cape and having my glasses taken away, then being
set about the head with sharp cutting tools that leaves me feeling helpless and
insecure.
I mean there you are, armless and squinting and some guy you don’t know is doing
serious, almost certainly regrettable, things to the top of your head. I must have had
250 haircuts in my life by now, and if there is one thing I have learned it is that a
barber will give you the haircut he wants to give you and there is nothing you can do
about it.
So the whole experience is filled with trauma for me. This is particularly so as I
always get the barber I was hoping not to get – usually the new guy called “Thumbs".
I especially dread the moment when he sits you in the chair and the two of you stare
together at the hopeless catastrophe that is the top of your head, and he says, in a
worryingly eager way, “So what would you like me to do with this?”
And so I sit for a small, tortured eternity, staring at my lap, under strict instructions
not to move, listening to the terrifying cutting machinery trundling across my scalp.
Out of the corner of my eyes I can see large quantities of shorn hair tumbling onto
my shoulders.
“Not to much off”, I bleat from time to time, but he is engaged in a lively conversation
with the barber and customer at the next chair, and only occasionally turns his
attention to me and my head, generally to mutter, “Oh, dang,” or “Whoopsie”.
Eventually, unable to speak, I hand him a large sum of money and stumble from the
shop. I walk home with my collar up and my head sunk into my shoulders. At the
house my wife takes one look at me. “Did you say something to upset them?” she
asks in sincere wonder, and goes off to fetch the big hat.
(Adapted from Bill Bryson’s book, Notes From a Big Country)
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44ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Your principal has asked you to get a haircut. You really do not want to go. You have
recently read Bill Bryson’s account of his trip to the barbershop and decide that you
will try using it to persuade your principal not to force you to cut your hair..
Summarise the content in point form. Do not use more than ______ words.
Summarise in your own words, those parts of the passage you think will be
relevant in helping you to convince your principal that you have good reasons
why not to go to the barbershop. Provide a word count. You must adhere to the
guidelines. If not, you will be penalised.
Summary 3
Refer to the following text. Read the passage:
Basis rules for holiday photography
Some of the best things about a holiday are the memories, so make sure yours
are as good as possible
Camera shake will spoil the clarity of your picture. So prop yourself against a wall or
solid object, support your elbows, take a deep breath and hold it as you press the
shutter. Be careful if your subjects are wearing hats as their faces will be in shadow.
Ask them to lift their hats slightly and use a fill-in flash to light them up. Do not be shy
of using your flash in the daytime to highlight shadows. Remember never to shoot
directly into the sun, unless you want a silhouette. Try to avoid midday sun; it is
harsh and subjects often squint. Early mornings and late afternoons are best.
Think about the composition of your picture. To avoid pictures of stick figures in the
distance, always tightly frame your subjects for close-up detail. Don’t be afraid to
approach your subject. At other times you might want to give your picture sense of
space or openness. Let repetitive patterns, tone or colour lead the eye towards the
focal subject of the photograph. By slightly dipping, lifting or moving the camera left
or right, you can create a completely new perspective on the scene. Experiment, as
the subject doesn’t always have to be dead centre in the frame. Use different
viewpoints – stand on a chair, drop to your knees or turn the camera on its side.
Consider the background detail which can detract from a subject. Check that walls
and patterns are not cutting your subject in half.
It is important to know what your camera can and cannot do. A point-and-shoot style
camera with built-in flash generally will not take good photographs of fireworks, the
moon and stars, and distant night shots. In these instances a tripod, slow shutter
speed or a powerful flash is required.
(From RCI Holidays 2003)
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45ENGLISH LEARNING THE BASICS GR 8-12
Your parents just bought a new camera and will be using it for the first time when
you take a family holiday together. You read the article below in a magazine. List
seven basic rules for holiday photography given in the article to tell them when
you get home.
Instructions :
List seven facts in full sentences
Number your sentences from 1-7
Write one fact per sentence
Use your own words
Do not use more than ____ words
Indicate your word count.
You will be penalised for exceeding the maximum number of words or for not
indicating your word count
VERBS – Handbook and Study Guide p 28, 29, 30
Teach different verbs to learners e.g. auxiliary verbs, infinitive verbs etc.
Verb Exercise
Present Tense Past Tense Future Tense
Time words: Time words: Time words:
Every day, every Yesterday, last week, a Tomorrow, next week,
Sunday, often, month ago, in the past in the future
regularly
awake
bite will bite
learned / learnt
lost will lose
eat ate
felt
ring will ring
rise rose
fly flew
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