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Contents THEME 1 ............................................................................................................................. 5

WHAT IS A NOVEL ............................................................................................................. 5

FEATURES OF A NOVEL ................................................................................................... 6

ANALYSING A NOVEL ........................................................................................................ 7

THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE .................................................................................... 7

Activity 1: Book Review on Cricket in Times Square ........................................................ 8

Activity 2: The Time Machine ........................................................................................... 9

PRONOUNS ...................................................................................................................... 11

PERSONAL PRONOUNS .................................................................................................. 11

Activity 3: Personal Pronouns ........................................................................................ 12

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS ................................................................................................. 12

Activity 4: Indefinite Pronouns ........................................................................................ 12

PAST TENSE .................................................................................................................... 13

Activity 5: Past Tense ..................................................................................................... 14

PRESENT TENSE ............................................................................................................. 14

Activity 6: Present Tense ................................................................................................ 14

FUTURE TENSE ............................................................................................................... 15

Activity 7: Future Tense .................................................................................................. 15

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE .............................................................................................. 15

Activity 8: Future Perfect Tense ..................................................................................... 16

PAST PERFECT TENSE ................................................................................................... 16

Activity 9: Past Perfect Tense ........................................................................................ 16

THEME 2 ........................................................................................................................... 17

FOLKLORE .................................................................................................................... 17

CHARACTERISTICS OF FOLKLORE STORIES ........................................................... 18

Activity 10: The Wishing Fish ......................................................................................... 19

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WRITING A CHARACTER SKETCH ................................................................................. 20

Activity 11: Write a character sketch .............................................................................. 20

FABLES ............................................................................................................................. 27

MYTHS .............................................................................................................................. 29

LEGENDS .......................................................................................................................... 31

The Legend of Robin Hood ............................................................................................ 31

FAIRYTALES ..................................................................................................................... 37

VERBS ............................................................................................................................... 39

Activity 12: Verbs ........................................................................................................... 40

GERUNDS ......................................................................................................................... 40

Activity 13: Gerunds ....................................................................................................... 41

PUNCTUATION: COMMA ................................................................................................. 42

Activity 14: Comma ........................................................................................................ 43

THEME 3 ........................................................................................................................... 44

SHORT STORY ................................................................................................................. 44

Activity 14: The Stone Cutter .......................................................................................... 45

ADJECTIVES ..................................................................................................................... 48

Activity 15: Adjectives ..................................................................................................... 49

CONJUNCTIONS .............................................................................................................. 49

Activity 16: Conjunctions ................................................................................................ 49

CONTRACTIONS .............................................................................................................. 50

Activity 17: Contractions ................................................................................................. 50

FRIENDLY LETTER ....................................................................................................... 51

Activity 18: Friendly Letter .............................................................................................. 52

THEME 4 ........................................................................................................................... 53

CARTOONS AND COMIC STRIPS ................................................................................... 53

Activity 19: Comic Strips ................................................................................................. 54

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ANALYSING A COMIC STRIP .......................................................................................... 55

Activity 20: Analysing Comic Strips ................................................................................ 55

ADVERBS .......................................................................................................................... 56

Activity 21: Adverbs ........................................................................................................ 57

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE ......................................................................................... 57

Activity 22: Active and Passive Voice ............................................................................. 58

DIRECT AND INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH ........................................................... 58

INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH ..................................................................................... 59

Activity 23: Direct/Indirect Speech .................................................................................. 59

THEME 5 ........................................................................................................................... 60

DRAMA .............................................................................................................................. 60

ELEMENTS OF DRAMA .................................................................................................... 61

Activity 24: Elements of Drama ...................................................................................... 61

Activity 25: Drama .......................................................................................................... 67

DIALOGUE ........................................................................................................................ 68

Activity 26: Dialogue ....................................................................................................... 68

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THEME 1

WHAT IS A NOVEL • A novel is an extended story. • Just as there are many types of stories, there are also many types of novels to enjoy and experience. • A great way to start reading novels, is to begin with short novels so that you can try lots of different types and find out what you like.

• There are different genres of books to choose from. • Some genres include: fantasy, adventure, mystery, comedy, etc. • Choose what interests you.

• There are two types of books, namely, fiction and non-fiction

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FEATURES OF A NOVEL Title page The page at the front of a book that shows its title, the

name of the writer, an illustration or design.

Table of contents A list of the titles of chapters.

Index An alphabetical list (found at the back of a book) that shows on which pages certain topics are mentioned.

Glossary An alphabetical list of difficult words that appear in a piece of writing, with explanations of their meanings.

Heading The title at the top of a page.

Caption Words printed near or on a picture that explain what is shown in the picture.

Illustration A picture, drawing or photograph used to decorate a book or explain something.

Chapter One of the sections into which a book is divided.

Blurb The print at the back of the book, which is used to promote or describe the book.

Extract A short passage from a book – to give us insight into the

content

Font size Size and shape of the lettering.

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ANALYSING A NOVEL • The novel you will be reading this term is Cricket in Times Square by George Selden.

• Let us analyse this novel.

THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE

TITLE: Cricket in Times Square AUTHOR: George Selden

TYPE OF BOOK: Fiction GENRE: Adventure SETTING: New York

CHARACTERS: Chester (cricket)

Mario Bellini (his parents own a news-stand) Mama Bellini and Papa Bellini Tucker Mouse Harry Cat Mr Smedley

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PLOT: • Chester the cricket arrives in New York in a picnic basket and he is quickly befriended by Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.

• Chester becomes the pet to a young boy named Mario and the three animals work together to save his family’s news-stand.

THEME: • Friendship • Loyalty

• Value of hard work

Activity 1: Book Review on Cricket in Times Square • Once you have read your novel, you must write a book review.

• Use the format that you were taught.

• Your review must be between 100 – 120 words (plot only).

Follow the steps of the writing process:

• Mind map

• First draft

• Editing • Final draft • Word count

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Activity 2: The Time Machine • Read the questions first, then the passage.

• Answer in complete sentences. • Look at the question words and mark allocation as a guide to answer the questions.

• Highlight important words in the questions and passage.

Questions: 1. Use a dictionary and find suitable definitions for all the underlined words

in the passage. (5)

2. What type of technology is mentioned in this story? (1)

3. Describe the future in the year 10 000? (2)

4. Name the two groups of people that The Time Traveller meets in the year

8000. (2)

5. List two characteristics for each group of people? (2)

6. Why did The Time Travellers' friends not believe in a fourth dimension? (2)

7. Who became friends with The Time Traveller? (1)

8. What do you think happened to The Time Traveller, because he never

returned with the evidence to show his friends? (2)

Language: 9. Find a synonym, from the listed paragraph, for each word below: (3)

a) construction – paragraph 2

b) scared – paragraph 4

c) proof – paragraph 9

10. Find an antonym, from the listed paragraph, for each word below: (2)

a) enemy – paragraph 5

b) started – paragraph 3

Total: 22 marks

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The Time Machine

1 The Time Traveller is a British gentleman, living in the 19th century, who builds a time machine.

2 At the beginning of the story he is having dinner with friends. He explains his theory, that time is the fourth dimension. His friends argue that this cannot be true because you cannot move through time like you can move through space. The Time Traveller tells his friends that he is busy building a time machine and that he will have evidence of time travel within a week. His friends don’t believe him, but agree to meet for dinner again the following Thursday.

3 When his friends arrive the next Thursday, The Time Traveller greets them with an amazing story. He tells them that he finished his time machine that morning, and set off for the future. At first, all he noticed was how fast the machine was going, but after a while, he was able to look at what was happening around him. He stopped the machine in the year 8000 and got out to explore.

4 The Time Traveller met two groups of people, the Eloi, who live above ground, but are afraid of the night and live in fear of the other, and the Morlocks, who live in caves below the surface of the Earth and seem to hunt the Eloi.

5 The Time Traveller met an Eloi called Seena, who became his friend. The Morlocks tried to steal his time machine, but he managed to escape by pulling a lever. His time machine took him even further into the future, to the year 10 000. When he got out, he discovered that there was no civilisation left and Earth seemed to be dying. He was saddened by this and got back into his time machine and went home.

6 His friends listen to his story, but do not believe him, so he gets into his time machine, intending to bring back some evidence, but he disappears, never to return.

Taken from The Time Machine, by H.G Wells

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PRONOUNS

The different types of Pronouns are: Personal pronouns Indefinite pronouns

PERSONAL PRONOUNS

Personal pronouns are the most common pronouns.

Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them

These pronouns often replace nouns that represent people

.

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Activity 3: Personal Pronouns

Underline the Personal Pronouns in each sentence. Rewrite the sentences in your book.

1. Alice asked Deon if she could borrow his pencil. 2. Ryan parked his car in the garage. 3. When the students heard the scream, they hid in the closet. 4. The soccer players left their boots on the field. 5. The cat ate all its food

INDEFINITE PRONOUNS ♥ A large group of pronouns which do not refer to a specific person, place or thing.

♥ They can be used instead of nouns.

♥ Here is a list of the most common indefinite pronouns:

All, any, anybody, anyone, anything, both, each,

either, everybody, everyone, everything, few, many, neither, nobody, none, no one, nothing, one, one another,

other, several, some, somebody, someone and something

Activity 4: Indefinite Pronouns Rewrite these sentences and underline the Indefinite Pronoun 1. Anyone can attend the school concert on Saturday. 2. Nothing could be done to prevent the accident from happening. 3. Antonio is looking for somebody to play tennis on Sunday. 4. Can everyone see the board? 5. Several children were absent today.

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TENSES

• Tenses are used in our everyday written and spoken language. • The tense tells when the action takes place. • Tenses tell us whether actions happened in the past, are happening or happen now, or will happen.

PAST TENSE

• We use the simple past tense to show that the action has already happened. • E.g. Liza walked to school.

• We normally add an “ed” to a word to make it past tense.

But, sometimes we have irregular verbs, which do not follow this pattern. In this instance, the spelling must be changed.

• E.g. The birds fly to a warmer country during winter.

• The birds flew to a warmer country during winter.

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Activity 5: Past Tense

Change the following words to Past Tense. Take note of irregular verbs.

1. Sail 2. Wear 3. Boil 4. Write 5. Answer

PRESENT TENSE • We use simple present tense to show that the action is happening now. • E.g. Jane mops the floor.

• We normally add an “s” to make the word into present tense

Activity 6: Present Tense

Choose the correct tense within brackets and then rewrite the sentences in your book. Underline the correct tense.

1. The class (plant/plants) a tree every year. 2. The bee (stings/sting) the boy as he runs.

3. He (turn/turns) the lights off when he leaves the room. 4. Susan (ignores/ignore) the messages that she receives.

5. William (drive/drives) us to school every morning.

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FUTURE TENSE • The simple future tense shows when the action will happen. • Use: “will or shall” + the simple present tense verb.

• Example: We (clean) will clean the house on Tuesday. • Example: He (drive) shall drive us to school.

Activity 7: Future Tense

Rewrite these sentences in your book and change them to the future tense, using the word in brackets

1. Fred dreams about his favourite dessert. (will)

2. Donna becomes a famous supermodel. (shall)

3. The girls go to the mall every day. (will)

4. The boys attend the concert. (shall)

5. Ralph spoke to the soccer player. (will)

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

FUTURE TENSE FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

1. They will play a game at school. They will have played a game at school

2. She will eat all her food. She will have eaten all her food.

FUTURE TENSE WITH AN IRREGULAR VERB

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE WITH AN IRREGULAR VERB

3. We will find the answer to the riddle. We will have found the answer to the riddle.

The future perfect tense consists of:

will + have + verb with ed / en or complete change.

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Activity 8: Future Perfect Tense

Rewrite these sentences in your book and change them to the Future Perfect Tense. Underline all your changes.

1. We will write many stories. 2. She will leave by this time tomorrow. 3. We will save all our money. 4. They will fall off the tree. 5. The baby will walk by her first birthday.

PAST PERFECT TENSE

PAST TENSE PAST PERFECT TENSE

1. They played a game at school. They had played a game at school

2. We found the answer to the riddle. We had found the answer to the riddle.

PAST TENSE WITH AN IRREGULAR VERB

PAST PERFECT TENSE WITH AN IRREGULAR VERB

3. She ate all her food. She had eaten all her food.

4. She fell off the chair. She had fallen off the chair.

Past perfect tense consists of: had + verb ed / en / or complete change

Rewrite these sentences in your book and change them to the Past Perfect Tense. Underline all your changes.

1. Chris wrote six books about fairies. 2. Mel travelled all around the world. 3. My mom baked a vanilla cake for tea. 4. He ate all the sweets.

Activity 9: Past Perfect Tense

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THEME 2

FOLKLORE

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CHARACTERISTICS OF FOLKLORE STORIES Folklore Folklore refers to the traditional beliefs, myths, art and customs of a specific

community.

They are passed on from generation to generation in the form of stories.

These stories are called folktales.

Folktales often explain things that happen in nature or pass on some truth about life

and human nature.

Plot

Plot refers to the events in a story and the structure of these events.

The plot of a folktale is about tradition or belief. In the past, people used storytelling to try to explain the world around them.

Characterisation

The characters in a folktale, even when they are animals, often represent specific character traits in people, such as cheerfulness, determination, vanity or selfishness. These features are often exaggerated in order to teach the listener or reader a particular lesson.

Role of the narrator

Folklore is part of an oral tradition – they were originally passed along by word of mouth.

The narrator is often an elder or ancestor who wants to teach the community about

their past.

Messages and themes

Many folktales have a moral lesson for their listeners.

These moral lessons are passed down from generation to generation, in order to

equip the next generation with the wisdom that their ancestors have acquired.

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Activity 10: The Wishing Fish Read the questions first, then the passage. Answer the questions thereafter. Questions:

A. Know the facts 1. What does the old man do for a living?

2. What does the fish offer to do for the old man?

3. What warning does the fish send the old man’s wife?

B. Understanding the folktale 4. Who tells the story?

5. Does the narrator sympathise with the old man or his wife? To support your answer,

refer to how the two characters are described.

6. Describe the different settings in the story.

7. Why do the settings change?

8. How do the various settings develop the theme?

C. Mood 9. How does the man’s mood change during the story? Why?

10. Describe the twist at the end of the tale.

D. Characters and characterisation 11. Why does the old man throw the fish back? 12. Describe how the wife’s character changes during the story and give reasons

for these changes.

13. Describe the character of the fish. Support your answer with evidence.

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E. Messages and themes 14. What is the theme of the story?

15. How do the two main human characters develop this theme?

F. Language in context 16. Show how a reader can guess the meaning of ‘toiled’ (in the first paragraph)

from the context of the paragraph.

WRITING A CHARACTER SKETCH • Use adjectives (describing words) when writing a character sketch.

• A character sketch/analysis is about a person in the story.

• Each character will display his/her, unique qualities.

• These qualities describe their character.

• When writing a character sketch, use information from the passage to develop your analysis.

• Remember to write in full sentences.

Activity 11: Write a character sketch

.

Greedy selfish kind

tolerant wicked sad happy

delightful amazing beautiful

intelligent compassionate

ungrateful generous

demanding cruel

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Read the folktale below and answer the questions

THE WISHING FISH

By Ann Pilling

There was once a poor, old man, who lived in an old, run-down fishing hut with his wife.

The hut was right by the seashore. One day, the old man took his fishing net and bait and

went down to the seashore to try to catch some fish for him and his wife for supper. He

was all skin and bone and his elderly wife was no better. Catches had been getting poorer

and poorer, and there was no food left for them to eat. The old man toiled all day, but

caught nothing in his fishing net. He cast his net repeatedly, hoping that he would be able

to bring home supper. He knew his wife was hungry and he wanted to be a good

husband.

Then, just as the old man was about to give up and return

home, empty handed once again, he felt his net grow

heavy. A wave of excitement shot through him as he

started to haul it in towards the shore. It was very hard

work. There must be dozens of fish inside it, he thought;

at last I’m in luck! But, when the net came out of the

water, a great surprise awaited him. Instead of many fish wriggling about, all he saw was

one tiny little fish, flopping about on the sand.

“Please, sir, throw me back into the sea, I beg you,” the fish gasped at the old man. “I am

no ordinary fish, I promise you.” And this was the truth, for the fish that he had caught was

made of pure gold. The evening sun glittered on its fins and tail as it squirmed about

helplessly.

At first, the old man thought to himself that he could sell the golden fish and live in comfort

for the rest of his life. However, he had a kind heart. Gently, he picked up the beautiful,

golden fish and threw it back into the sea. Then, heaving his net over

his shoulder, he trudged off up the beach. Already he was thinking about what he would

say to his wife when he returned home empty-handed.

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“Come back, old man!” called a voice. There,

standing on its tail in the sea, was the little

golden fish. “You have saved my life,” it said,

“and now, because I have special gifts, I have

the power to give you whatever you want.

What can I do for you? Name it and it shall be done. I owe you my life and will show my

thanks by granting your every wish.”

The old man tried to think of the many things he would like to have, but all his thoughts

were interrupted by the terrible hunger pangs in his stomach. The old man had, had

nothing to eat that day, and hunger was gnawing at his insides. “Bread,” he said. “Do you

think we could have some bread, me and my poor wife? We are so hungry and I haven’t

caught a fish in days.”

“Of course,” said the fish. “Go home. There is plenty of bread there. It will feed you both

for a week.” And it was true. As the old man approached his little hut, he could see there

was something very different about it. The old man’s run-down fishing hut was bulging

with loaves of bread, buns and delicious sticky cakes. In the middle of it all, sat his wife,

stuffing food into her mouth just as fast as she could. The old man approached his hut

and squeezed inside. He couldn’t believe his eyes. That little fish had granted his wish.

The old man took a piece of bread, sat down and began to eat.

“I found a little gold fish down on the beach,” he explained. “Just a little one, you

understand, nothing you could have made a meal of and, because I threw it back into the

sea, it said it would give me anything I cared to name. So, I thought that it would be a

good idea if I asked it to give us some food.”

When the old woman heard what her husband had to say, her mouth dropped open. “You

fool!” she shrieked, giving her husband a kick on the leg. “I want more than that! For a

start, your precious fish can smarten up this hut for us – it’s a disgrace! Now, you must go

back and tell him so, this minute. You tell him we want more.”

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The poor old man wanted to make his wife happy and so he scuttled back to the beach

and called out to the golden fish. “Little fish, little fish!” he cried, and immediately, the

golden fish popped out of the waves and stood on its tail.

“Forgive me, I know you granted my wish and gave us bread, for which I’m grateful, but my

wife’s still not happy. Could we possibly have a few sticks of furniture for our hut and

some new thatch, perhaps? The roof leaks badly. It’s a very old hut and I would like my

wife to have a decent hut to live in.”

“All shall be as you wish,” said the fish. “Go home and you will see. I will give you a home

that is far more luxurious.”

When he reached his hut, the old man thought he must be dreaming. It was no longer a

run-down old fishing hut with a leaking thatch roof. Now, it was a pretty little cottage, with

new thatch as yellow as butter, roses around the door, and, inside, rooms full of pretty

furniture and a soft feather bed on which his wife lay, snoring loudly.

“At last she is happy,” the old man said quietly to himself, as he started creeping away

towards the beach to mend his nets.

But, he was wrong! Within a few weeks, his wife was nagging him again. “This cottage is

too small for us,” she complained to her poor husband, “and I need someone to do the

gardening for me. I just can’t stand getting my hands dirty with soil any more. You need

to go back to that fish of yours and tell him that I want to live in the Lord Mayor’s house. In

fact, I want to be the Lord Mayor. I’m so tired of having to do your housework for you. I

want people to do housework for me, for a change.”

So, the old man went back to the fish and, though he was embarrassed to be back so

soon, he called out, “Little fish, little fish! I’m so sorry, but my wife still isn’t happy. Now

she wants to be the Lord Mayor and to live in his great house in town.”

“Go home,” said the fish. “She has what she wants.”

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When the old man reached his cottage, he was

shocked to find that it had vanished. Instead, there

stood the Lord Mayor’s house with its rows of

gleaming windows and its great sweeps of green

lawn. As he approached the house, he heard a

voice, much like his wife’s.

“Be off with you!” she yelled at her husband, who was still in his rags. Then she climbed

into her carriage and rode off into town to do some shopping.

But, she wasn’t content for very long. A few weeks later, she sent for her husband once

more. “It’s all very well being the Lord Mayor,” she said, “but it’s boring being stuck in this

dirty little town, with these common people. I think I want to be queen. Go on, find that fish

of yours and tell him what I want. And make sure it’s done immediately!”

The old man trembled. He was shocked and frightened by the change in his wife. “Wife,”

he began gently, “can you not be happy with what you have – first, a lovely cottage and,

now, the Lord Mayor’s house? Surely you don’t need anything more. Already the golden

fish has been very generous to us.”

“I want to be queen!” she screeched yet again. “I want to be –” But, the old man didn’t want

to hear any more. He couldn’t believe how his wife had changed and, rather than upset

her or make her mad, he rushed off to the seashore to find the golden fish.

When the fish heard what the old woman wanted this time, it gave a sigh. Nevertheless, it

stood on its tail obligingly and sent him away with the promise that his wife should have all

she asked.

When he reached town again, the Lord Mayor’s house had been replaced by a

shimmering golden palace. Everywhere he looked there were servants, rushing here and

there with dishes of food and armfuls of new clothes, all sent for by the very ugly new

queen, who sat at the centre on a great golden throne, barking orders at every- body. The

old man was ashamed. He crept away into the palace kitchen and sat with the servants.

As the days passed, he began to dread the day when his wife would send for him again.

He knew she would never be happy.

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Sure enough, a few weeks later, the Lord Chancellor dragged him before his wife’s throne.

“You,” she said to the trembling old man, “get back to that fish of yours, and quickly, or I’ll

have your head chopped off. Tell him I’m sick of being queen. It’s time I was the ruler of

the world. That’s it! I’ll be Empress of the Seven Seas. Nobody is more powerful than

that.”

The old man didn’t argue. He was frightened of what his wife might do to him. She

seemed to be going mad. Sick at heart, he dragged himself down to the beach again. He

couldn’t believe that he now had to ask this kind and gentle fish for another wish. When

he got to the shore, he couldn’t find his voice – he was too embarrassed about what he

now had to do. So he whispered his request in such a little voice that, at first, the fish

couldn’t hear him.

“Speak more loudly, old man. I can’t hear you!” it called above the crashing waves.

“I hate to ask you; you have done so much for us already and it seems we are never

satisfied,” the old man mumbled, “but, it’s my wife. She wants to be Empress of the Seven

Seas now. She says being queen is not good enough.”

“Very well,” said the fish, “she is Empress. But tell her this: there is only one wish left. I

advise her to think very carefully indeed before sending you here again.”

The old man thanked the golden fish, turned away and plodded back to the palace. It took

him a long time, because it was now perched on top of a mountain made of glass. The

palace was glass too and ten times bigger than the previous one, with hundreds more

servants. There sat his wife, a golden telescope stuck to her eye, surveying the seven

seas and purring loudly, like an enormous cat.

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“I have a message from the fish,” the old man said boldly. “There is only one wish left and

he wants you to think very carefully before you send me back again.”

The old woman dropped the telescope and the purring stopped abruptly. “Right,” she said,

“you can go back straight away.”

“What do you want this time?” her husband asked wearily. “Surely nothing is better than

being Empress of the Seven Seas.”

“I want to be God,” she said.

With great terror in his heart, the old man stood once again on the seashore. “Little fish,

little fish,” he called, hoping that the creature would not hear him this time.

But a golden fin sliced through the water and there was the fish, as before.

“She wants to be God,” he whispered.

“Go home, old man,” said the fish. “That is not mine to give.”

So the old man went away. When he got home, he found that the great glass palace had

been replaced by his smelly old fishing hut, with his wife sitting outside it, stirring a smoky

fire.

There is only one wish left! Use it wisely!

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FABLES

• A fable is another type of story, also passed down from generation to generation and

told to teach a lesson about something.

• Fables are about animals that can talk and act like people, or plants or forces of nature

like thunder or wind.

• The plants may be able to move and also talk and the natural forces cause things to

happen in the story because of their strength.

• The most famous fables were written by a man called Aesop. We know them as

Aesop’s Fables, and he wrote more than 600 of them.

• Examples are: The Miser, The Boy who cried Wolf, The Wolf in sheep’s clothing; Fox who thought he was cleverer than the Cat; Tortoise won a race against the Hare.

The Miser

A miser sold all that he had and bought a lump of gold, which he buried in a hole in the

ground, by the side of an old wall and went to look at it daily. One of his workmen observed

his frequent visits to the spot and decided to watch his movements. He soon discovered the

secret of the hidden treasure, and digging down, came to the lump of gold, and stole it. The

Miser, on his next visit, found the hole empty and began to tear his hair and to make loud

lamentations. A neighbour, seeing him overcome with grief and learning the cause, said,

"Pray do not grieve so; but go and take a stone, and place it in the hole, and fancy that the

gold is still lying there. It will do you quite the same service; for when the gold was there,

you had it not, as you did not make the slightest use of it."

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The Boy who cried Wolf

A shepherd-boy, who watched a flock of sheep near a village, brought out the villagers

three or four times by crying out, "Wolf! Wolf!" and when his neighbours came to help him,

laughed at them for their pains.

The Wolf, however, did truly come at last. The shepherd-boy, now really alarmed, shouted

in an agony of terror: "Pray, do come and help me; the Wolf is killing the sheep"; but no

one paid any heed to his cries, nor rendered any assistance. The Wolf, having no cause of

fear, at his leisure lacerated or destroyed the whole flock.

There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

A Wolf found great difficulty in getting at the sheep owing to the vigilance of the shepherd

and his dogs. But one day it found the skin of a sheep that had been flayed and thrown

aside, so it put it on over its own pelt and strolled down among the sheep.

The Lamb that belonged to the sheep whose skin the Wolf was wearing began to follow

the Wolf in the Sheep's clothing. So, leading the Lamb a little apart, he soon made a meal

off her - and for some time he succeeded in deceiving the sheep, and enjoying hearty

meals.

Appearances are deceptive.

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MYTHS Myths are made up stories that try to explain how our world works and how we should

treat each other. The stories are usually set in times long ago, before history as we know it was written.

People have always asked questions like, “How did our world come to be?” or “Why do

tornadoes happen?” Some myths answered these questions.

In other myths, gods or “super-beings” used their powers to make events happen. Or

the stories were about the adventures of gods, goddesses, men and women.

“Myth” comes from the Greek word “mythos” which means “word of mouth”.

How Bluebirds and Coyote Got Their Colours

Long ago, Bluebirds did not have the beautiful blue feathers they have now, and Coyote’s

coat was bright green.

One morning two dull Bluebirds were flying and chasing each other. They found a lake

they hadn’t seen before. It was like a giant puddle and it was a beautiful blue colour. From

up in the sky the water looked so cool and inviting they dived down into it.

The Bluebirds bathed, splashing and singing, “This water is so blue and we are in it. We

will be blue too.” They came back to the lake the next three mornings, bathed and sang

the song again. On the next morning after that, when they flapped their wings under the

water, their dull feathers came loose and dropped out. New shiny blue feathers grew in

their place.

When the Bluebirds came back to the tree they usually rested in. Coyote was dozing under

a nearby rock. He was very surprised to see their blue wings. “What have you done to your

feathers?” he asked.

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The Bluebirds twittered “We’ve renewed them and they’ll always be blue now.” Coyote

wanted his coat to be blue too. “I hate my ugly green coat. How did you make your

feathers blue and beautiful?" he said. “I want to be blue too.”

The birds told Coyote about the blue lake, and how he needed to bathe on four mornings

and sing the magic words - “This water is blue and I am in it. I will be blue too.” They said,

“On the fifth morning your coat will turn blue. Be careful, Coyote. You must follow the rules

and bathe each morning.”

The next morning Coyote went to the lake and bathed. He was impatient. “I want my coat

to be blue today” he said. “I’m not going to wait four mornings.” So he jumped back in the

water four times that morning.

On the fifth time, the hairs in Coyote’s coat came loose and floated away, and new blue

hairs grew in their place. He was very excited.

He ran out of the water and raced back along the track to show his beautiful new blue coat

to the Bluebirds. But, he was admiring his coat while he ran and wasn’t looking where he

was going. Because his feet were wet, he slipped and fell, rolling over and over in the dust

and dirt.

He got up, shook himself and howled when he looked at his coat. It was no longer blue,

but dirt-coloured all over.

And that is why Bluebirds have shiny blue feathers and Coyote’s coat is the colour of dirt. He was impatient and didn’t do as he was told

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LEGENDS • Legends are also stories that have been made up, but they are different from myths.

• Myths answer questions about how the natural world works, and are set in a time long-

ago, before history was written.

• Legends are about people and their actions or deeds.

• The stories are told for a purpose and are based on facts, but they are not completely

true.

• Either the person never really did what the story says, or the historical events were

changed.

• The purpose was to make the story more interesting or convincing, or to teach a

lesson, like knowing right from wrong.

• Examples of people in English legends are King Arthur, Robin Hood and Queen

Boadicea. A man who may have been King Arthur is known to have lived in the 5th or

6th century. But the stories about the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin the

Magician may not be true. The point of the story was that the knights and their king

defended their people and helped them.

• Like myths, legends are passed down from generation to generation.

The Legend of Robin Hood

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High in the branches of the Great Oak, the hooded man silently draws an arrow from the

quiver strapped across his back and notches it to the string of his bow. Hours have

passed since he climbed into the arms of the tree before daybreak and, were it not for the

thick blanket of fog that swirls around the trees, the sun would be shining down from high

in the sky. But a thick covering of mist is exactly what the hooded man wants as he waits,

silently, patiently, high on his perch.

He slowly brings the bow level with his face. In other trees around the clearing, four other

men – John, Alan, Much and Will - are doing exactly the same. For they have heard

hooves on the forest track, have caught the sound of cartwheels slowly lumbering and of

voices, as the approaching party call out to each other.

They emerge from the white mist like ghostly figures. The hooded man closes one eye,

pulls back on the bowstring and stares along the strong, straight shaft of the arrow.

He waits, barely breathing, remembering, a day like this, same weather, same place in

this forest. It was two, perhaps three years ago, when it all began, when the people

started their fight back against injustice.

That day had found this same man, Robert of Locksley, strolling along the edge of the

woodland. He was not long back from foreign lands, fighting the crusades with the

blessed King Richard, and he needed to take stock of his lands, the Outwoods.

True, they were not really his lands, for he had to pay rent to the Abbey of St Mary who

had ownership of these fertile pastures, after being granted them in the will of the last

Lord of the Manor. For generations Locksley’s family (like so many others) had paid their

rent to the Lord and received good service in return.

Then the abbey took over the lands and everything changed. Rents increased, repairs

were not done, and those who could not keep up the new payments were cast from their

homes, usually in a violent manner. Whether they were young or old, it did not matter.

The Abbot and his friends in Nottingham Castle thought nothing of dragging a young

mother and her terrified children from their home; stealing their possessions and then

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burning it to the ground.

Robert had already had dealings with the Abbot over these matters. Witnessing the

eviction of a young couple and their two small children, he was so enraged that he had

run straight to confront the Abbot.

“You call yourself a man of God,” he had yelled at the portly priest, “and yet you treat the

poor no better than would the devil himself. Your men wreak misery throughout these

lands in your name and that of your partner in despair, the Sheriff of Nottingham."

As he had trudged along the forest edge, making a mental note of where walls needed

repairing, he saw a movement in the forest and stopped behind a large ash tree to watch.

There was a shabbily-clothed man, bow in hand, string pulled taut with an arrow ready to

fly. Robin’s eye followed the line of the shot and could see it pointed at a large red deer,

one of the Abbot’s own animals.

Robin was about to shout a warning to the man, when there was a loud twang as the

bowstring snapped back into place, and the animal fell onto its side, an arrow protruding

from its neck. The man rushed out from the cover of the trees, dropping his weapons as

he went.

If the Abbot’s wardens were patrolling the forest and they had heard the deer fall, they

would seize him and, before the end of the day, he would be swinging from a noose in the

square outside the castle. As he ran, the man turned to look toward the forest edge and

Locksley recognised him.

“Will, Will Scarlet, stop, for the Lord’s sake, stop,” he spoke in as loud a whisper as he

dare. The man paused for a moment. “If they catch you they’ll string you up before that

deer is cold.”

“Locksley … keep out of this. I hear what you say, but when my children face death from

hunger and they threaten to take my home from me, like so many others, what would you

have me do?”

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There was a desperate look in the man’s eyes, a look of hunger, a look of suffering, of

complete despair. He knew the danger he was in but he had no choice.

“This is how we have to live now. Things have changed while you’ve been away. If we

want to put food in our children’s mouths this is the only way we can do it. Either we live in

fear of the Abbot’s men or in fear of our children dying before they have barely lived.”

He stared at Robert for another moment then his eyes shifted back to the woodland

clearing. “That deer is mine now,” he said and continued his run towards the fallen animal.

From the shelter of the tree behind which he stood, Locksley saw three wardens appear

out of the shadows not far behind the running man. They were so silent on their feet that

Will had no idea they were closing on him.

In the time it took the three men to halve the distance between themselves and the

poacher, Robert had moved to where he had seen Will drop his bow. He had already

taken the decision which would shape the rest of his life.

He knew what would happen to this man if caught and he knew what would happen to the

children too, if their father ended the day on the end of a rope gasping for breath.

In the time it took him to make the 10 strides to the bow he knew what he must do.

In a flash he had the bow in his hand, an arrow notched to the bowstring and two arrows

ready on the ground next to him. He looked up to find that two of the men had seized Will

by the arms and were holding him as he struggled to break free.

Robert took aim at the man on the left, pulled back the string and let go. The arrow flew

straight, silent and true, thudding into the back of the man.

By the time the other wardens realised what was happening, the second arrow was

already winging its way towards the man on the right and, less than three seconds later

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the first man fell, the second was clutching at his neck as an arrow pierced him.

“Will, get down, get down, let me see him,” shouted Robert. But the third man was already

scampering away through the trees to safety and the office of the Abbot.

By the time Robert joined Will, the other two wardens had breathed their last. Will seemed

rooted to the ground with fear, unable to move or speak.

“Will, come on, we have to get away from here! There are more of them in this forest for

sure. Take out your knife, cut from the animal what you can carry and let’s be gone.”

Their luck was in as they moved silently towards Will’s home. Once they felt they were on

safer ground they began to talk.

“You are a fool to risk your life alone like this Will Scarlet, Robert began.

"If you had been caught today."

“So what do we do then? You have no idea. Your land is safe, you are a freeman and

respected for your brave deeds in the King’s army. Who am I? Nobody. Nothing. They

think nowt of me and hundreds like me. They feed their hounds better and care more for

horses than they do their tenants and servants. They use the law of the land against us

however they wish and ignore it whenever it don’t suit them.”

They walked on in silence, and then Robert spoke. “You're wrong Will Scarlet. I have just

thrown away all I had by saving you from the Sheriff’s rope. The alarm has been raised by

now and before sunset they'll be looking for me … and for you too.”

Robert stopped by the edge of the wood at the point where the path to his home broke off

from the main track. He stood still, gazing into the distance.

“If they treat the law with such little respect and treat those who try to live by the law with

so little care, then perhaps it’s time for lesser folk to do likewise. Bad laws are no laws at

all. It’s time we took back what belongs to us, what

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Locksley turned his eyes away from the path home, looked along the other track and

began to walk.

“I believe my path lies in this direction now,” he said firmly. “Are you with me Will? Can

you bring others to our cause?

We don’t have to live in the dirt or under the boot of those who would do us harm. We are

many, they are few.

We have cunning, guile, knowledge of this land and these woods. And these woods can

support us. They are rich with food, enough for many to live on and, when times become

harder, there will be some who pass by that have more than they need.”

Robert paused to see what his companion had to say but, when there was no response,

he continued, his enthusiasm growing with every stride along the path.

“We will never take more than we need to live, not like those who rule us. Fairness and

equality will be our watchwords not greed and injustice. We will help our people find a

new way to live.

They'll come after us but we will use the woodlands to shelter us, to hide us, to protect us

as well as any armour. If they want us, then they will have to brave the forest to find us.

And we will be waiting.”

And Robert of Locksley was true to his word. And that is why this day finds him perched in

a tree, waiting with others, as officials from Nottingham make their way through the woods

with caskets filled with the taxes they have taken from the poor people of the county.

On one side of the heavy cart sits a soldier, his head lolling, almost asleep.

As they rumble slowly into the clearing, Robert prepares an arrow for a warning shot,

aimed just wide enough of the soldier to let him know where the next one might land.

He pulls back the string as far as his bow will allow him, looks along the length of the

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arrow, chooses a spot a few inches to the left of the guard and holds his breath, waiting,

waiting, and waiting.

Suddenly the arrow flies straight, silent and true. As it thuds into its target, the startled

guard looks up at the trees and sees a hooded man, bow in hand, an arrow loaded with

its tip pointing straight at his head.

He knows immediately who he is looking at.

He is staring into the eyes of Robin Hood!

FAIRYTALES Folk and fairy tales are stories written specially for children, often about magical characters such as elves, fairies, goblins and giants. Sometimes the characters are animals. Hans Christian Andersen is famous for writing fairy tales. He was born in Denmark in 1805. Examples of his stories are “The Little Mermaid”, “Thumbelina” and “The Red Shoes”. In Copenhagen there is a statue of the little mermaid, sitting on a rock on the beach at the harbour, in memory of the writer. Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm were brothers, born in Germany in 1785 and 1786. They are famous because they collected together many old fairy tales from different parts of Germany and wrote them down for people to read. We know them as the Brothers Grimm and their collection includes “Cinderella” and “The Frog Prince”

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The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have

to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get

what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they

were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So

he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real

princess.

One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain

poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king

went to open it.

It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious, what a sight

the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it

ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she

was a real princess.

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Well, we'll soon find that out, thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the

bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she

took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top

of the mattresses.

On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

"Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows

what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all

over my body. It's horrible!"

Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the

twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds. Nobody but a real princess could be

as sensitive as that.

So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the

pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it. There, that

is a true story.

VERBS

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Activity 12: Verbs

Rewrite the sentences and underline the action verb

1. The glider soars through the air. 2. The stars sparkle at night. 3. The farmer cuts the corn. 4. The boat sails into the harbour. 5. Marcy skates to the park.

GERUNDS • Gerunds are words that are formed with verbs, but act as nouns.

• They always end in -ing

• She has a fear of flying

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THE GERUND AS THE SUBJECT OF THE SENTENCE:

♥ Hunting tigers is dangerous. ♥ Flying makes me nervous.

THE GERUND AS THE COMPLEMENT OF THE VERB 'TO BE:

One of his duties is attending meetings. The hardest thing about learning English, is understanding the gerund.

THE GERUND AFTER PREPOSITIONS:

• To or of can also be used as a preposition, but it must be followed by a gerund.

She is good at painting.

She avoided him by walking on the opposite side of the road.

There's no point in waiting.

In spite of missing the train, we arrived on time.

I am used to waiting for the bus

Activity 13: Gerunds

Rewrite the sentences in your book and underline the gerund

1. The parrot was in the habit of imitating the boy. 2. The students were imagining they were playing on the beach. 3. When will you get around to mowing the grass? 4. Jessica was bothering the neighbours with her loud music. 5. Sasha was blowing bubbles in the wind.

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PUNCTUATION: COMMA

COMMA

Used to separate items on a list. Example

Dad bought pens, books, erasers and glue. (there is no comma before and)

Shows additional information. Example

Ronaldo, the famous soccer player, scored the winning goal. (brackets or dashes can also be used to show additional informational)

Placed before and after certain conjunctions. Example

He went to town, but forgot to buy his shoes. Example: Nevertheless, she will make up for her mistake.

Used after introductory words in direct speech.

Example Bill said, “I will meet her.”

Joanne asked, “Can I come with?”

Used to separate repeated words in a sentence.

Example Whatever you want to say, say it now.

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Activity 14: Comma Rewrite the sentences in your books and fill in the commas.

Use a different colour pen for your commas.

Add commas to separate items on a list: 1. The king rewarded him with gold silver and diamonds. 2. I bought tomatoes onions potatoes and carrots from the market. 3. She needed pencils pens an eraser a ruler and books for school. 4. The bird gathered leaves twigs and feathers to make its nest. 5. Susan Joe Mark and Eva went to Gold Reef City.

Add commas to show additional information: 6. The teacher who was almost 65 years old went on retirement. 7. The whale the largest mammal in the world got caught in the nets. 8. The whole class even the naughty kids went on a school trip. 9. Michelle the girl with the green eyes won the art competition. 10. Tony the school bully got punished for his behaviour.

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THEME 3

SHORT STORY A short story is a short work of fiction about imagined events and characters.

There are five key elements that go into every great short story:

character, setting, conflict, plot and theme.

A character is a person, or sometimes even an animal, who takes part in the action

of a short story or other literary work.

The setting of a short story is the time and place in which it happens. Authors often use descriptions of landscape, scenery, buildings, seasons or weather to provide a

strong sense of setting.

A plot is a series of events and character actions that relate to the central conflict.

The conflict is a struggle between two people or things in a short story. The main character is usually on one side of the central conflict. On the other side, the main character may struggle against another important character, against the forces of

nature, against society, or even against something inside himself or herself (feelings, emotions, illness).

The theme is the central idea or belief in a short story.

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Activity 14: The Stone Cutter

Read the questions first, then the short story. Answer the questions thereafter.

Questions: 1. Who is the main character in the story? Why? (2)

2. What is the setting of this story? (1)

3. Explain the conflict in this story. (4)

4. What is the theme of this story? (2)

5. What was the stone cutters job? (2)

6. Describe the stone cutters first appearance in the story. (2)

7. What did the stone cutter see that made him wish he was something else? (2)

8. List 5 problems that he encountered when he was the sun. (5)

9. List 3 problems that he encountered when he was a cloud. (3)

10. What was his final wish? (1)

11. Give this story a new title. (1)

Language: 12. Find a synonym in paragraph 11 for the word: rock. (1)

13. Find an antonym in paragraph 1 for the word: soft. (1)

14. List three adjectives from paragraph 5. (3)

Total: 30 marks

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1 Once upon a time there lived a stone cutter, in a small village. All day long he worked

hard, cutting the hard stones and making the shape which were needed by his

customers. His hands were hard and his clothes were dirty.

2 One day he went out to work on a big stone. It was very hard to work and the sun

was very hot. After spending several hours cutting the stone, he sat down in the shade

and soon fell asleep.

3 After some time, he heard the sound of somebody coming. Waking up, he saw a long

procession of people. There were many soldiers and attendants and in the middle, in a

palanquin, carried by strong people, sat the king.

4 How wonderful it must be to be the great king thought the stone cutter. How happy I

would be if I were the king, instead of a poor stone cutter.

THE STONE CUTTER

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5 As he said these words, a strange thing happened. The stone cutter found himself

dressed in silk clothes and shining jewels. His hands were soft and he was sitting in a

comfortable palanquin. He looked through the curtains and thought, "How easy it is to

be a king. These people are here to serve me."

6 The procession moved on and the sun grew hot. The stone cutter, now the king,

became too warm for comfort. He asked the procession to stop so that he could rest for

some time.

7 At once the chief of the soldiers bent before the king and said, “Your Majesty, only

this morning you swore to have me hanged to death if we did not reach the palace

before the sun set.” The stone cutter felt sorry for him and ordered the procession to go

on its way again.

8 As the afternoon wore on, the sun grew hotter, and the king became more and more

uncomfortable. I am powerful, it is true, but how more powerful the sun is, he thought. I

would rather be the sun than a king.

9 At once, he became the sun, shining down on the earth. His new power was hard to

control. He shone too strongly, he burned up the fields with his rays, turned the ocean

into vapour and formed a great cloud which covered the land. But no matter how hard

he shone, he could not see through the clouds.

10 “It is obvious that the clouds are even stronger and more powerful than sun,” said

the stone cutter. “Now the sun, I would rather be a cloud.”

11 Suddenly, he found himself turned into a huge dark cloud. He started using his new

power. He poured rain down on the fields and caused floods. All the trees and houses

were swept away, but a boulder, which once he had been cutting when he was a stone

cutter was unmoved and unchanged.

12 However much he poured down on the stone, it did not move. “Why, that rock is

more powerful than I am,” said the stone cutter. “Only a stone cutter could change the

rock by his skill. How I wish I were a stonecutter.”

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Are describing words. They describe a noun or pronoun. They help to make writing more interesting as they add detail to descriptions. Adjectives are often placed before a noun. Example: The small girl climbed the tall tree. The adjective may also come after a linking verb – is, am, are, was, were. Example: The girl is small. The tree was tall.

ADJECTIVES

13 No sooner he said the words that he found himself sitting on a stone with hard and

rough hands. He picked up his tools and set to work on a boulder, happily.

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Activity 15: Adjectives Rewrite the sentences and underline the adjective. 1. The cold weather set in. 2. The strong wind blew and the heavy rain came down. 3. The TV news predicted a gentle breeze along the coast. 4. It was an unusual afternoon for Paul. 5. The story my uncle told was fascinating.

CONJUNCTIONS

Conjunctions are words such as and, but, or, then, yet, however, because, which, since, so, etc.

∗ They join a group of words or sentences together.

∗ For example: I have a brown bag and a blue bag.

∗ He might like it, but I don’t.

∗ I went to the cinema as I like watching movies.

Activity 16: Conjunctions

Complete the sentences by filling in one of the conjunctions from the block.

1. The new house was complete, ________ it had no furniture. 2. Samantha ____________Jessie are sisters. 3. The tuckshop served burgers ________the hotdogs were sold out. 4. My friend wanted to know if I want a horror _______action movie.

5. _________ the clown was so funny, everyone laughed

because or since and but

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CONTRACTIONS

When we join two words and lose one or more letters, this is called a contraction. Contractions make language more informal, similar to the way we speak.

We use an apostrophe to show where the letters have been removed.

I’m = I am

you’re = you are

we’d = we had

should’ve = should have

Activity 17: Contractions

Change the formal words in each sentence to a contraction.

1. My mother says I cannot go to the movies this weekend. 2. Our team has not lost a match this season. 3. I am glad it is not raining today. 4. We will arrive after sunset. 5. Did not 6. Would not 7. Will not 8. It is

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FRIENDLY LETTER

Format of a friendly letter

• The address and date must be written on the right side of the page.

• Do not skip a line to write the date under the address.

• Skip a line and write the greeting on the left side of the page.

• Skip a line and begin with the introduction.

• Skip a line and write the body.

• Skip a line and write the conclusion.

• Skip a line and write the ending.

• Do not skip a line as your name comes directly underneath the ending.

• Look at the format on the next page as a guideline.

• You must follow the writing process when writing a letter.

• Your letter should be 100 – 120 words (content only).

• Do not count the address.

FORMAT OF A FRIENDLY LETTER

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10 Master Street

(ADDRESS AND DATE) Airfield

(NO FULL STOPS) Benoni

1501

1 August 2017

Dear Dad/Mum/Grandma/Uncle (GREETING TO THE PERSON)

Introduction (START IMMEDIATELY WITH THE TOPIC)

Body (ADD MORE INTERESTING/APPROPRIATE INFORMATION)

Conclusion (END THE LETTER)

Your son/daughter (END WITH WHO YOU ARE TO THE PERSON)

Sam (ADD YOUR NAME)

TAKE NOTE: THERE ARE NO PUNCTUATION MARKS USED IN THE FORMAT

Activity 18: Friendly Letter

Write a letter to your friend, telling him about how you spent your birthday, and how much you missed him at your party. Follow the writing process.

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THEME 4

CARTOONS AND COMIC STRIPS

Another way of telling a story is through words and pictures, such as we find

in comic strips.

There are many comic strips about animals, as Snoopy, Garfield and Fred

Basset, where the animals behave and think like people.

Speech bubbles are used to show the different speakers in a comic strip. Different speech bubbles can indicate a different speaker. The speech bubble on the left shows that a person is speaking. The speech bubble on the right shows that a person is thinking.

Punctuation is also used to emphasise what the speakers are saying.

Facial expressions and hand gestures are important in comic strips as well.

These enhance the effectiveness of the speech and show emotions/feelings

of the speaker.

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Here’s how to plan a comic strip:

• Choose your character (animal/people).

• Give each character a name.

• Think of a few humorous/witty lines for each character.

• Plan how many frames you want to use.

• Decide what the characters will say and think in each picture of the story.

• Keep it short because there is not much space in each block.

• Now you are ready to draw and write your story.

• Your drawings should also be simple so that they can fit into the blocks.

A three frame comic strip with two characters; an animal and a person.

A six frame comic strip about people only.

Activity 19: Comic Strips

Write a comic strip using the guidelines above.

You must draw a three frame comic strip.

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ANALYSING A COMIC STRIP • Look at the punctuation marks that are used e.g. exclamation marks. • Look at all facial expressions e.g. big, wide-open eyes. • Look at body and hand gestures e.g. folded hands, pointing a finger.

Activity 20: Analysing Comic Strips

Answer the following questions based on the comic strips below. COMIC STRIP 1: 1. How many frames are there in this comic strip? 2. How many characters are there? 3. Who is speaking and who is thinking, in this comic strip? 4. Describe the feelings of each character, from what you can see in the comic

strip.

COMIC STRIP 2: 5. Explain the feelings of the boy by looking at his facial expression and his use of

punctuation marks. 6. Rewrite the word “Whaddya” in formal English? 7. What facial expression does the teacher show?

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ADVERBS

Adverbs modify or describe a verb

TYPES OF ADVERBS

• Adverbs of manner tell you how something happened.

Examples: slowly, quickly, loudly, fast, carefully, beautifully, well, badly

• Adverbs of time tell you when something happened.

Examples: after, before, never, soon, today, yesterday, tomorrow, early

• Adverbs of place tell you where something happened.

Examples: away, inside, everywhere, upstairs, home, back, there, here.

• Adverbs of frequency tell you how often something happens.

• Some adverbs describe the frequency exactly.

Examples: hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, annually.

I listen to music daily.

• Some adverbs only give you an idea of how often.

Example: always, often, frequently, sometimes, rarely, never.

I sometimes / often / never listen to music.

• Adverb of degree is used when you want to find out someone’s

opinion about a topic.

• you can ask to what degree they agree or disagree with a statement.

Example: I really agree. I completely agree. I totally disagree.

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Activity 21: Adverbs

Decide whether the adverbs in italics tell us when, where or how the action happened.

1. Luke looked at the dirty water suspiciously. 2. Sometimes we have to pitch our tent in the rain. 3. The condensed water dripped down. 4. She lifted the cup of water carefully. 5. I hung the water filter in the tree over there.

Rewrite the sentences below and underline the adverbs

6. The bird swooped quickly to catch an insect. 7. The child stretched lazily in front of the television. 8. I will clean my room thoroughly.

ACTIVE AND PASSIVE VOICE

Active Voice:

• In the active voice, the subject performs the action. • For example: The country mouse visited the town mouse.

Passive Voice:

• In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. • For example: The town mouse was visited by the country mouse.

Although the two sentences have the same information, there is a

difference in emphasis.

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Activity 22: Active and Passive Voice

Rewrite these sentences into the Passive Voice

1. I read the book. 2. She discovered a huge attic full of old junk. 3. The man caught several fish. 4. Paul opened a can of coke. 5. The jeweller made beautiful bracelets.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH

• Quotes exactly what the person says/said.

• Uses quotation marks (“. . .”) to show what the person said.

• Uses a comma after the verb tense.

For example:

• Sarah says, “I am dreaming of strawberries and chocolate.”

However, if you say what someone said, the sentence then changes to one step

further in the past.

For example:

• Sarah said, “I was dreaming of strawberries and chocolate.”

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INDIRECT/REPORTED SPEECH

• When you tell someone or report on what someone else said.

• ‘I’ then becomes he or she, and ‘we’ becomes they.

• Add the word that after the verb.

• Remove all quotation marks and commas.

• The tenses that were used in the direct speech need to change to agree with the

subject in the indirect speech.

• The sentences used do not have to be word for word.

• It is important to use the same tenses when telling what happened.

For example:

• Sarah says that she is dreaming of strawberries and chocolate.

However, if you say what someone said, the sentence then changes to one step further in the past.

For example:

• Sarah said that she was dreaming of strawberries and chocolate.

Activity 23: Direct/Indirect Speech

Change the following sentences into indirect speech:

1. Marcus says, “I can fly to any country.” 2. Michelle says, “I am going to be famous.” 3. Felix said, “I have a dream that makes no sense.” 4. Cynthia said, “I invented a spinner.” 5. Amber said, “I will remember my dreams.”

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THEME 5

DRAMA

A drama is a play for the theatre, television, or radio.

What makes a drama different to a novel or a short story? • Plays or dramas appear differently on the page.

• They are divided into sections called acts and scenes

• most of the content is written in the form of a dialogue.

• The names of the characters appear on the left-hand side of the pages and are

followed by colons.

• The actual words that the characters speak follow these colons.

• Much of the action in the play is described through the words of the characters.

• The playwright (author of the play) sometimes writes stage directions for the

cast to follow.

• These are usually shown in italics in the script and suggest when characters leave

or enter the scenes, what sounds can be heard, and so on.

• Novels have chapters as sections; short stories are not broken into any sections.

• Of course, short stories are much shorter than novels.

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ELEMENTS OF DRAMA • one or more characters

• a situation that involves conflict (internal or external).

• Pay attention to the characters in the play and notice what a character says and does.

• Also notice what a character does not say or do (that you would have expected).

• You should ask yourself questions, such as:

• What does the character do?

• What does this show about the character?

• You must judge and draw a conclusion.

• Try to find out about the state of mind of the character or about his or her emotions at

that moment.

• What are the character’s reasons for doing something?

• What is the character’s motivation?

• Why does the character say one thing and not another?

•

Activity 24: Elements of Drama

Check how much you know about drama. Match the words in Column A with the definitions in Column B. Write your answers in your book

COLUMN A COLUMN B

1. Characters A. The words that characters speak in a play or film.

2. Dialogue B. A group of people who have come to a place to see or hear a film or play.

3. Action C. Someone who writes plays, especially as their job.

4. Actors D. The people in a play.

5. Audience E. The events that form part of a play or film.

6. Playwright F. The people who perform in plays and films, especially as their job.

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Read the following adapted extract from the play “I didn’t think”, by Julie Cordingley. She portrays a situation with which many of you are familiar: the idea that some of the

learners in your schools are ‘cooler’ than others, and can behave any way that they want

to.

As you read, bear in mind that there are millions of young people in this world who do not

have to deal with the unkindness of the ‘cool kids’. They have to contend with situations

that are far worse – not attending school, unfair and unkind bosses, small wages and

dangerous working conditions. This is a one act play.

Scene 1: Before school (Narrators take up positions at the side of the stage, in front of the curtains.) (Curtains open. Cool Chloe is in her bedroom getting ready for school. Pop music is playing. Chloe is dancing about, putting on her hairspray, singing into a hairbrush and admiring herself in the mirror. Chloe puts on her jacket with the collar turned up and the sleeves rolled up. She takes one more look in the mirror and spins round.)

Chloe: Looking good, Chloe. I think you are just about ready for another day of

being the coolest kid at Valley High School.

(Chloe picks up her bag, blows herself a kiss in the mirror and sets off walking to school. Joanne and Kelly move on to the stage.) Joanne: Oh Kelly, look who it is. Chloe Brown must be the coolest kid in our school.

Kelly: Well, Janet told me that Chloe scored the winning goal for the Girls’ Soccer

Club on Saturday with an overhead kick. Then to celebrate, she did three

perfect double back flips along the touchline!

Joanne: She’s so cool!

Kelly: Hi Chloe. That was a great goal on Saturday.

Chloe: Oh hi, err Kim, err Kate?

Kelly: Kelly, its Kelly. We heard all about your goal. The team have gone to the top

of the league, haven’t they?

Chloe: Yes, it was one of my more spectacular goals. I don’t know where that team

would be without me. Certainly not at the top of the league, that’s for sure.

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(Chloe flicks her hair back and carries on walking. Kelly and Joanne walk slowly behind, watching Chloe with admiration. Chloe is met by her friends Jimmy and Jenny.) (Simon walks on stage with his head in a book and bumps into Jenny.) Jimmy: (shouts) Hey, watch where you’re going Swotty!

Jenny: Swotty Simon reading a book again. (shouts) Simon, is your

head stuck in that book?

(All three giggle loudly so that Simon can hear.)

Chloe: What’s he reading? It’s not another Science book is it?

(shouts) Hey Swotty Simon, have you got enough books to open a library yet?

Simon: Give it a rest Chloe; I’ve heard it all before. Just because I’ve got better

things to do than spray my hair all day. Don’t you realise how many polluting

chemicals are released every time you spray? It’s people like you that are

ruining this planet.

Chloe: What a cheek! Can’t he take a joke?

Jimmy: What was all that rubbish about chemicals? He’s read too many Science

books if you ask me.

Jenny: Come on let’s get to the lesson or we won’t be allowed to try out for the

Rounder’s team this afternoon.

(Curtains close)

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Scene 2: In the classroom (Curtains open – Chloe, Jenny, Jimmy, Joanne, Kelly, Swotty Simon, Mousy Maureen, Sporty Cyril, Kevin and Miss Bramwell are in the classroom.) Miss Bramwell: Hurry up class, settle down. Now class, this morning we are going to

listen to some of the poems that were written in the last lesson. I was

particularly pleased with one and I would like that person to read it out

to the rest of the class. Maureen, come to the front please.

Kevin: Are you sure Miss? Nobody can ever hear a word Mousy Maureen

says.

Joanne: Leave her alone Kevin.

Miss Bramwell: That’s quite enough, Kevin. You could learn a lot from Maureen. Your

poetry skills could certainly do with some improvements!

Maureen: (in a quiet voice, with a bowed head) Please, Miss Bramwell, I’d

rather not read it out in front of the whole class.

Miss Bramwell: Come along Maureen, this is one of the best poems I have ever read,

you should be proud of it.

Maureen: (Walks to the front timidly, chewing her nails and whispers her poem) The gentle breath of North Wind whispered through the trees,

The icy touch of Jack Frost mingled with the breeze.

The dazzling sight of Brilliant Sunshine broke through at dawn,

The gloomy gaze of Dark Night slowly disappeared at morn.

Chloe: Has she started yet?

(Class giggles.) (Maureen looks very embarrassed and rushes out of the classroom in tears.)

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Miss Bramwell: Oh Chloe, that was quite uncalled for. Kelly can you go and see if she

is all right, please. Chloe you should be thoroughly ashamed of

yourself. Maureen has written a very clever poem and should be able

to show it off with pride and not be teased. Right Kevin, you were so

eager to speak out before, let’s hear your poem.

Kevin: (groans and steps up to the front of the class) Football is a very good game,

It never ever is the same.

And when my favourite players score,

I always jump across the floor.

(Class giggles) Miss Bramwell: Oh well, at least it rhymes!

(Bell rings) Miss Bramwell: Class dismissed.

(Curtains close)

Scene 6: The drama class (Curtains open – Chloe, Maureen, Kelly, Joanne, Helen, Kevin and Mrs Grant are in Drama class.) Mrs Grant: Good morning class. In today’s lesson we will be exploring emotions, and

how we can put these emotions into words and actions. The first task will be

to act out an emotion and the rest of the class will have to guess what it is.

Kelly, you can work with Maureen, Joanne and Kevin work together, and

Helen you can work with Chloe.

Chloe: Mrs Grant, I’d really like to work with Maureen, if possible?

(Maureen looks horrified.) Mrs Grant: Oh all right Chloe, is that OK with you, Maureen?

Maureen: (in a quiet, timid voice) I suppose so.

Mrs Grant: Joanne and Kevin I would like you to dramatise happiness, Kelly and Helen

you can tackle sadness, and Chloe and Maureen can work on anger.

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(The class begin to practise their dramas.) Maureen: Why did you want to go with me Chloe? Is it just so that you can have

another opportunity to make me look like a fool?

Chloe: No Maureen, I wanted to work with you because I know that you’re a brilliant

actor. This can be your chance to prove it to everyone. You can’t deny that

you want to perform on a stage, can you?

Maureen: Well no, but how do you know?

Chloe: Well, let’s just say that a little bird told me.

(Fade lights down as they prepare their drama. Fade up again.) Mrs Grant: OK class, gather round. Chloe and Maureen please show us your drama.

Chloe: OK Maureen, let’s sock it to them.

Maureen: (quietly) Oh, I’m really not sure about this; I’m not very good in front of a

crowd.

Chloe: Maureen, remember all the times I’ve been mean.

Maureen: Well yes, a mouse in my lunch box isn’t something I’ll forget in a hurry.

Chloe: Yeah, sorry about that. But just think of this as your opportunity to get angry

with me.

Maureen: If you’re sure. (to the audience) Our sketch is about anger.

(Chloe, shirt pulled out, hair ruffled walks towards Maureen.) Maureen: (very loud voice) Chloe, how dare you come home looking like that! Your

trousers are absolutely filthy and they’re ripped to shreds.

Chloe: But I …

Maureen: I am absolutely furious with you, you know very well that we are going out

tonight!

Chloe: But I …

Maureen: I can’t let you go out looking like that. Get up those stairs and get changed

and don’t you dare come back until you are neat and tidy.

(All of the rest of the drama group are standing with their mouths wide open, including Mrs Grant.)

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Mrs Grant: Maureen that was amazing. I have never seen such a wonderful piece of

acting before.

Maureen: Thanks Chloe, I would never have been able to do that without your help. I

just imagined my silent anger and just let it go.

Chloe: Maureen, I am truly sorry for upsetting you in the past and I hope we can be

friends.

(Curtains close)

Activity 25: Drama Answer the questions based on the play Questions: 1. How many acts and scenes are there is this play?

2. Who is the playwright?

3. What is the main idea in this play?

4. Name all the characters in the play.

5. What are the sentences in brackets and italics knows as?

6. In what form is a play written?

7. Which punctuation mark is used after a character’s name?

8. Describe Chloe’s character in the beginning of the play and then at the end of the play.

9. What is Chloe’s motivation for her behaviour in Scene 6?

10. Describe Maureen’s character in the beginning and then at the end of the play.

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DIALOGUE

Activity 26: Dialogue

Write a dialogue about a movie that you and your friend went to see.

Your dialogue must be 80 -100 words (content only).

Follow the writing process.

• A dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters.

• The names of the speakers appear on the left side of the page.

• Add a colon after the speaker’s name.

• Do not use quotation marks.

• However, punctuation like full stops, commas, exclamation

marks, etc. must be used in a sentence.

• The conversation must sound natural, just like the way people

would normally speak.

• Keep to the topic.

• Avoid only “Yes/No” answers in your replies.

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GM 2018