Learning more about English Sentences 1. Sentences are made of words which are placed in a certain order to make sense. Which of the following are sentences? Explain why the rest are not. a. All kinds of pets. b. In a kennel. c. Barks dog never he but our bites. d. Pink elephants love strawberry ice-cream. e. Bees sting. 2. Look at 1c again. If the words are put in the correct order, they make a proper sentence: Our dog barks but he never bites. Rearrange the words in the following examples to form sentences. Remember to begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop. a. mutton sheep from we wool and get. c. guide-dogs excellent the blind labradors for make d. has a wheel my cage hamster a ladder and in its e. talking bird has grandmother Tracy mynah a Types of sentences Statements give information and end with a full stop. Questions ask for information. They end with a question mark. Exclamations can be statements or questions which show anger, fear, hurt, surprise or worry. They end with exclamation marks. We call these signs punctuation marks. She must be hungry. I ve just given her some milk. Has anyone seen Rover? 53
Where have the sausages gone? EEEEK, a mouse! Get rid of it quickly! b. Simba, get down e. The cat had six kittens c. Watch out, he bites f. What do hamsters eat 2. Think of your own endings for the following sentences. a. This morning, my dog... d. No, I... b. Ouch,... e. Why does... c. Can you tell me... f. Go away,... 3. Oh, dear! Mandy has written six sentences for her project, but has forgotten the full stops and capital letters. Write out what she has written, putting the capital letters and full stops in the right places. birds are beautiful creatures but they are also very useful many birds feed on insects they catch millions of insects which eat plants if these insects were not controlled they could destroy crops and ruin gardens no wonder farmers and gardeners say that the birds are their friends it is a pity that poisonous sprays which kill insects sometimes also kill the birds which feed on them 4. Alphabetical order Write the names of these animals in alphabetical order. a. parrot, penguin, pelican, pigeon, pheasant, parakeet b. lion, chimpanzee, leopard, baboon, elephant, buffalo, eland, cheetah, crocodile, buck, eagle, loerie a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 54
Vocabulary practise Sounds made by animals 1. Pick the correct word from the list and complete the sentences. barks mews brays trumpets bleats chatters squeaks roars a. A dog. b. A mouse. c. A monkey. d. A sheep. e. A cat. f. A donkey. g. A lion. h. An elephant. 2. Pick from the list the sounds made by the following crows cackles grunts hisses lows chirps sings a. A pig. b. A snake. c. A cow. d. A hen. e. A cock. f. A canary. g. A bird. The small of animals 3. Pick from the list. cub foal puppy kitten nestling calf lamb piglet a. The small of a bird is a. b. The small of a lion is a. c. The small of a cow is a. d. The small of a horse is a. e. The small of a cat is a. f. The small of a dog is a. g. The small of a pig is a. h. The small of a sheep is a. 55
Poem Read the following poem and then answer the questions in full sentences and in your own words. Wishes with a queer little squirm a fat little worm! Said the next little chicken, with a sharp little squeal, some nice yellow meal! Said the third little chicken, with a sigh of grief, a little green leaf! See here, said the mother, from the green garden patch, If you want any breakfast, just come here and scratch! Questions 1. How many chickens were there? 3. What did the second little chicken wish for? 4. What did the third little chicken wish for? 5. Where was their mother? 6. What do you think she was doing? 7. What did she tell them to do? 8. If you had three wishes, what would you wish for? 56
Rhyming words Fill in the missing words below. They will all rhyme with the word stone. 1. A dog s favorite is a... 2. The bottom part of a summertime treat is a... 3. You talk on the... 4. If something belongs to you, you... it. 5. The sound you make when you re sad:... 6. Someone who is sitting by himself, is all... 57
Talking about events that happen regularly in the present. Look at these sentences: Pedro:Our teacher told us to clear up the classroom after class today. Sandy: Our teacher tells us to clear up the classroom every day. In the second sentence, Sandy tells us about an event that happens every day. (Do you still remember the rules for the present simple tense?) Discuss with your partner events which happened in the past, and which also happen every day. For example, You came to school by bus yesterday. You come to school by bus every day. 1. Look at the following sentences. Change each one by saying that they happen every day on your own. Remember to change the verbs! For example: The wind blew strongly yesterday. The wind blows strongly every day. a. The baby cried all day yesterday. b. The two girls wore jeans and jackets on Tuesday. c. James caught the seven o clock train to work this morning. d. They left very early yesterday morning. e. The dog lay on the doorstep this morning. f. The postman brought the post at 9 o clock this morning. g. Maria went for a ride on her horse today. h. Johannes and I drank a glass of milk after breakfast. i. We went to school by bus today. 2. Rewrite these sentences into the present tense. a. My brother always drank two glasses of milk a day. b. Anne and Andrea went to school by bus. c. They lived on a farm in Gauteng. d. Andrea sang very well. e. Father came home at six in the evening. f. The storekeeper bought the eggs. g. One of our cows had a calf. 58
Sentences 1. Say the following sentences with your teacher: a. Yesterday Peter was tired. b. The boys were happy yesterday. c. There were two bicycles in the street yesterday. d. Last week Father bought a bicycle. e. My bicycle had a puncture yesterday. 2. Build sentences by using the following: a. b. I He She John The girl Father We You They The children was were happy late ill early tired sad cold glad lazy there here right late yesterday last night yesterday last week.. 3. Read the following, choosing the correct words from those in brackets: b. Where (was, were) Sam yesterday? c. Some of the pupils (was, were) on the playground. d. We (was, were) at home yesterday. e. I (was, were) late for school. f. (Was, were) you in town? 4. Fill in was or were in each of the spaces: a. We in the classroom yesterday. b. She scared last night. c. Last week we as quiet as mice. d. I at school yesterday. e. It very cold last week. f. A minute later Miss Jones back. 59
Negatives 1. Read the following sentences with your teacher: a. I was not ill yesterday. b. David wasn t at home last Saturday. c. The boys were not in town last week. d. You weren t top of the class last term. 2. Build sentences by using the following: I John He Susan She We The girls They You was not wasn t were not weren t in the post at school late happy pleased naughty yesterday last week. 3. Change the following sentences into the negative: a. Mrs Baker was in a hurry yesterday. c. The boys were at the counter. f. The letters were on the table. Questions 1. Read the following sentences with your teacher: a. Were you at home yesterday? b. Was the letter on the table? c. Was it cold yesterday? e. Wasn t the boy at school? 60
2. Build questions by using the following: Was Wasn t Were Weren t David he Susan she you the boys they good late for school at the post at home lazy yesterday last week? 3. Change the following sentences into questions: a. It was hot yesterday. b. Mrs Baker was in a hurry. e. The letters were on the table. Sentences 1. Study the following examples: I walk to town. I walked to town yesterday. Do the same with the following: a. Tom opens his bag. b. The children look at the new bicycle. c. Tom is proud of his bicycle. d. There are some books on the table. e. She wants to hear a story. f. I help the boy to clean his bicycle. 2. Study the following example: I see your bicycle. I saw your bicycle yesterday. Do the same with the following: a. I do my homework. b. She runs to the gate. c. We go to town. d. James catches the ball. e. The old man stands near the corner. 61
3. Complete the following: Every day we Yesterday we a. sing a song. sang... b. write a letter....... c.... to town ran... d. go home....... e.... some bread. bought... f. teach children....... g.... food. ate... h. get up.... up i.... the man. saw... j. break our toys....... k.... mealies. grew... l. give presents....... m.... in class. stood... n. stick stamps on letters....... o.... our books. found... p. lose money....... 4. Rewrite the following, starting with Yesterday: a. The bell rings and we walk into the room. When Miss Jones comes in, we are as quiet as mice. She walks to the table and opens the bag. When she sees the snakes she screams and runs out of the classroom. b. Harry is a boy in our class. He brings a rubber snake to school. He scares the girls with it. Then he puts it into Miss Jone s bag which is on the table. 5. Fill in the correct form of the words in brackets: Yesterday I (take) my bicycle and (go) to town. I (see) many cars, but I (rid) very carefully. I (stop) at stop streets and (signal) when I (want) to turn left or right. A policeman (speak) to me and (tell) me that I (have) a beautiful bicycle. 62