INSTRUCTIONS

Instructions can take a few different forms, for example recipes, how-tos, directions

to a place or instruction manuals for devices, or even tips or suggestions for activities

like studying for exams.

They are written in the imperative mood, which is when the type of sentence used is

mostly commands e.g. turn right at the traffic light.

Recipes and how-tos include a list of items needed such as the ingredients and

utensils or materials.

Directions to a place include landmarks (sights that are familiar to everybody that will

help the reader know if he is going in the right direction).

Instruction manuals include a list of parts.

Instructions should be given step-by-step in the order in which each step should be

done. It is important that instructions are easy to follow and logical.

Title of the recipe Include measurements e.g. teaspoon, grams Steps can be in bullets or numbered

Rice in the microwave Ingredients: 1 cup rice 3 cups water 1 teaspoon salt Utensils: Large microwave-safe bowl Plate Spoon to stir

Place the rice, water and salt in the bowl.

Cover the bowl with the plate as if it were a lid.

Hello, Grade 8s. Below is an

explanation of how to write

instructions. Read through the

explanation and examples.

On this side, you will find

an explanation for each

section of the example.

Always nice to know

Put the covered bowl intro the microwave.

Cook on high for 10 minutes.

Take the plate off and microwave for a further six minutes or until the water has completely evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Serves four.

Title Language used is straightforward but not informal

How to put your own fortune into a fortune cookie Materials: 1 Fortune cookie, available at most Chinese take-away shops A serviette A slip of wax paper on which the new fortune has been written

Remove the fortune cookie from the wrapper by neatly cutting the plastic wrapper on one side.

Fold open the serviette and moisten it, without soaking it.

Place the fortune cookie on a plate, covered with the moistened serviette.

Microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Working quickly, remove the serviette and untwist the fortune cookie.

Remove the original fortune and replace with your own.

Twist the fortune cookie back into shape.

Allow to stand until it has hardened once more.

Put the fortune cookie back into the wrapper and seal as neatly as possible with sticky tape.

Title Say what the starting point is Landmark

Directions to the Heart from the Auditorium

From the entrance of the Auditorium, walk down the slope in the direction of the pool.

When you reach the wall around the pool, turn right and walk all the way along the school building. You will pass the covered cement stands on your right and the cricket/rugby field on your left.

Next to the cement stands is a door. Go through the door and climb the flight of stairs.

At the top of the stairs, turn left to enter the Heart.

Practice

Imagine you are asked to demonstrate to your class how to do something. It could

be making a dessert, doing a magic trick or any other skill that you have. Write the

step-by-step instructions that you are going to share with them. Remember to

include a list of any items they may need.

ORAL TASK TWO: PREPARED SPEECH

Due date: will be set by your teacher for +/- a week after we get back to school

You have now learned how to write instructions. Now you are going to put that skill to

use by preparing a speech in which you teach or demonstrate a skill to the class.

Your speech must be between two and three minutes long.

You must write it down. It must have an introduction (telling your audience what

you will be demonstrating and giving background information on the skill), a body

(explaining the activity step-by-step) and a conclusion (summing up and leaving

your audience with the last few suggestions).

Then you must convert your speech into cue cards using the important (key)

words only.

You must learn your speech by practising it several times, preferably in front of

an audience (your friends or family) or otherwise in front of a mirror.

You must time yourself beforehand to make sure you meet the time

requirements.

Now write your own

instructions – use

the topic below.

Below is your oral topic for this

term. Start thinking what you

would like to talk about (you

may use your practice

instructions as a starting

point).

Ideas:

An easy-to-make recipe (one that can be demonstrated in class)

How to fold an origami animal

A craft, like decoupaging a jewellery box

A sports skill

A fancy up-do

Checklist:

Choose the activity you wish to teach to the class

Write down the steps of the activity, as you will demonstrate it to the class

Write an introduction and a conclusion for your demonstration

Convert it into cue cards

Practice, practice, practice!

Time yourself

Pack any equipment or material you may need the night before

Bring your rubric to class

DIALOGUES A dialogue is a form of writing used for conversations between two or more people, for interviews or for script writing.

It is a Monday morning. The class works quietly under the stern gaze of Mr Barth. Suddenly a loud sound disturbs the peace and all heads turn in the direction of the culprit. Mr Barth: (as a question) Brandon? Brandon: (with feigned innocence) Yes, Sir? Mr Barth levels a scathing look at the boy. Mr Barth: (sarcastically) If it wouldn’t be a bother, would you care

to explain the disruption?

1 Always start with a paragraph that sets the scene for the reader. Note that dialogues are written in present tense, as if the action is taking place as the reader is reading.

2 Leave a line between each paragraph and between each speaker. This is to

make it clearer for the reader. 3 Each time a character speaks, his or her name is written on the left followed

by a colon. The exact words spoken (known as the A-text) follow the colon. Note that no quotation marks/inverted commas are used.

4 The words in brackets following the character’s name indicate how the

sentence is spoken or what action accompanies the speech. This, along with the setting and the action, is known as the B-text.

5 Each sentence is usually a response to the previous sentence. 6 Action describes what is happening in the scene. Action is written as a

paragraph separate from what is being said.

1

2

2 3

2 4

5

2 6

2

Read about

dialogues

below.

Note:

The tone and language used in the dialogue will depend on the relationship between the two speakers and topic of discussion.

A good dialogue will sound authentic, like a conversation that could actually have taken place between the particular people. It should not sound made-up.

In the course of the dialogue, there should be a crisis, a process of solving the crisis and a build-up to the resolution of the crisis (a bit like the stages of a narrative).

Practice

Take a conversation between two characters from a novel you are reading. Turn it

into a dialogue, using the format explained to you above. Make sure you include B-

text (see an explanation for B-text at number 4 above) and action (see number 6

above).

OR

Imagine your friend has been behaving strangely lately. Write the dialogue of the

conversation you have when you ask them what has been bothering them.

Now write your own

dialogue – use the

topic in below.

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech is a way of writing someone’s words exactly as he would have spoken

them.

e.g. “I am going for a walk this afternoon,” said David.

OR David said, “I am going for a walk this afternoon.”

Indirect speech is a way of reporting on what someone else said. It is also called

reported speech.

e.g. David said that he was going for a walk that afternoon.

When reporting on someone’s speech (putting it into indirect speech):

First person (I, me, we, us) and second person (you) pronouns change to third

person pronouns (he/she, him/her, they, them, it)

Present tense (e.g. am going) and future tense (e.g. will be going) change to

past tense

Certain other words and phrases change too – from the immediate (now) to the

later

direct indirect direct indirect

now then today/tonight that day/night

tomorrow the next day yesterday the previous day

this/these that/those

(fill in any more that you come across in the above table)

Indirect speech starts with: So-and-so said that …

Read about direct

and indirect speech

below.

Now do the

exercise on the

next page.

Exercise 1

Change the following from direct speech to indirect speech:

a) Holly said, “I walk to school.”

b) “My mom watches my hockey practices,” said Georgia.

c) Lukas said, “You are sitting in my seat.”

d) “Liam is coming to my party,” said Petra.

e) Lorna said, “Rosanne and I will meet you tomorrow.”

f) “We will practise for at least two hours today,” said Phumelela.

g) Jack said, “You can borrow my calculator now.”

h) “I stuck the worksheet on this page,” said Joshua.

i) Mrs Sampson said, “You and Marlene worked very hard yesterday.”

j) “I realised how lucky I was tonight,” said Rachel.

Commands get a “should” or “must”.

e.g. Mr Bellingham said, “Take out your work.” → Mr Bellingham said that they

should take out their work.

Questions get a “whether” or “if” rather than a “that”.

e.g. Sinazo asked, “Will you be at school tomorrow?” → Sinazo asked whether he

would be at school the next day.

Exercise 2

Change the following commands and questions into indirect speech.

a) Jordan said, “Enjoy that while you still can.”

b) “Can you still attend the rehearsal tomorrow?” asked Refilwe.

c) Carter asked, “Will you bring your rugby ball at break?”

d) “Follow my instructions,” said Corinne.

e) Sulaika said, “Take off your bibs for this match.”

f) “Are Malcolm and Jesse part of your group?” asked Leonora.

Note: the verb “said” can be replaced with many others.

e.g. cried, shouted, replied, whispered, instructed, implied, demanded, told,

interjected etc., etc.

Read about how to change direct

speech to indirect speech when it is

a command or question, and then

do the exercises below.

When changing back from indirect speech into direct speech, reverse the process:

Third person pronouns change back to first and/or second person pronouns

Past tense changes back to present or future tense

Words or phrases change back from the later into the immediate

Punctuation is important when writing direct speech:

Use a comma or colon after the verb

Enclose the words spoken in quotation marks

Start the spoken words with a capital letter

Punctuation at the end of the spoken words should be inside the quotation marks

When the “said So-and-so” part is at the end of the sentence, a comma rather

than a full stop is used at the end of the spoken words.

e.g. Kyra said, “My book is in my locker.”

OR “My book is in my locker,” said Kyra.

Exercise 3

Change the following back from indirect speech to direct speech.

a) Cruise said that Sheldon and he were best friends.

b) Markham said that they were in Ms Kleinhaus’s class.

c) Priya said that she was going to take a shower that night.

d) Rhys said that Arnold had given them each a piece of cake.

e) Mr Grant said that he would not give them their tests back then.

f) Trenton said that he had learned Pythagoras’s Theorem.

g) Earl said that Margery had hurt his feelings the previous day.

h) Dr Pillay said that she should take three capsules then and one that night.

i) Gia asked whether Ashley had made the first team.

j) Brahm said that Jill had given the note to him the previous night.

What about going from

indirect into direct? Read

how below.

Now complete

the exercises

below.

Exercise 4

Say whether each of the following sentences is direct or indirect speech and change

it to the opposite.

a) Maria said that Brenley worked well with her and Jonathan.

b) Thomas said that Philippa would win the race the following day.

c) Fergus said, “English is my favourite subject.”

d) Ryan asked whether he liked Afrikaans too.

e) Charlotte said, “Follow your instincts.”

f) “I lost my pen in the library yesterday,” said Ernst.

g) Daniel said that they should take turns.

h) Horatio said that Arno and Isaac had impressed them with their presentation.

Exercise 5

Read the following and answer the questions that follow.

PASSAGE A

Carla could feel a deep blush spreading up her neck and across her face.

“C’mon! Go speak to him!” Nell nudged her in the ribs.

“Keep your voice down!” Carla hushed her. “Someone will hear you!”

She elbowed her way through the rowdy crowd of students happily munching at their

lunch and shouting at each other across the smeared tables until she reached the

table tucked away in the alcove, furthest away from the prying eyes of the teacher on

break duty.

“Hey,” she said, trying to sound casual.

“Sorry, what did you say?” he yelled back.

“I said, HEY!” she shouted back, realising how stupid she sounded.

PASSAGE B

Carla could feel a deep blush spreading up her neck and across her face.

Nell nudged her in the ribs and said she should go speak to him.

Carla hushed her and said that Nell should keep her voice down, someone would

hear her.

Does it matter whether we use

direct or indirect speech in our

own writing? Read the two

passages below and answer the

questions that follow.

She elbowed her way through the rowdy crowd of students happily munching at their

lunch and shouting at each other across the smeared tables until she reached the

table tucked away in the alcove, furthest away from the prying eyes of the teacher on

break duty.

She greeted him, trying to sound casual.

He yelled back at her, asking what she had said.

She shouted back, repeating her greeting loudly, realising how stupid she sounded.

a) In your opinion, which of these two passages is the livelier and more appealing

to read? Give a reason for your answer.

b) How is this effect achieved?

Exercise 6

Write a short narrative paragraph about someone in an embarrassing situation.

Make use of direct speech, making sure that you use the correct structure and

punctuation. Your paragraph should be about twenty lines long.

Note: when you use direct speech in a piece of writing, each time the person who is

speaking changes, his speech is placed on a new line.

Put the skills you have

learned into practice in

your own writing. Use the

topic in the exercise below.