ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE: PAPER 1

Question 1: Text A (Article) TIPS:

Types of questions asked: 1. Use your own words!

2. Quote only if asked (with

1. The meaning of words
How to figure out the meaning of difficult words:
quotation marks and a
line reference).
• What does it sound like? Does it look/sound like
other words you know or other words in the text? 3. NEVER “lift” (copying
• What part of speech is it? Is it a noun, adjective, verb, adverb? from the text without
• Are there prefixes or suffixes? And what is the root then? using quotation marks or
• Look at the mood of the paragraph. Is it negative or positive? Does this your own words).
help you to find a possible meaning?
4. Base your answer on the
2. Tone and mood text ONLY. If a specific
• Tone: the writer’s attitude towards the subject. Can be positive or negative. paragraph is mentioned,
• Mood: the feeling evoked in the reader. use that paragraph to
find the answer.
3. Writer’s intention and point of view, or the purpose of the text
• Why did the writer include specific details? Does he want to prove a point, 5. Don’t repeat the question
draw attention, give his/her opinion, persuade the reader to think in a in your answer.
certain way, tell a story, give information?
• The writer’s intention is the influence he/she wants on the reader. What 6. Write in full sentences
should the reader feel/do/believe after reading the text? unless a short answer is
required.
4. Themes and message
• Theme: the main idea. This is usually a key term (e.g. love) or a contrast 7. Look at the mark
(life vs. art) allocation.
• Message: the ‘lesson’ that the reader learns from the text (e.g. It’s never
1 mark = 1 point/fact
too late to try something new).
8. Find the key concepts in
5. Denotation and connotation of words
the question and make
• This can help you find the meaning of words. It can also help you explain
sure you refer to all of
what a writer means by a phrase.
• Denotation: literal dictionary meaning (e.g. pig = pink round “oink oink”) them in your answer.
• Connotation: additional, hidden, often metaphorical meaning (e.g. pig = a
rude person, or someone with poor table manners, usually male)

6. Implications and assumptions

• Implied meaning: reading between the lines. E.g. if someone says a woman is not exactly beautiful, he
implies that she is unattractive.
• Assumption: things you accept as true even though you can’t see/prove it. E.g. if you say, “Learners
don’t like homework”, the assumption is that these are school children and homework is part of school.
• When answering these questions, look for the hidden message.

7. Text structure
• One-sentence paragraphs draw attention, focus the topic, prove a point etc.
• The introduction is meant to introduce the topic. It usually consists of a ‘hook’ (attention grabber) and a
topic statement. Does it do this in your text?
• The conclusion usually sums up the whole text. It doesn’t contain new information, but may express the
writer’s view or give final advice.
• Exam questions on structure usually ask if you think the structure is effective. Try to answer BOTH ‘yes’
and ‘no’ (mixed answer).

8. Stylistic devices/techniques
• The most common ones:
o Rhetorical questions
o Repetition
o Quotations of famous people’s words
o Giving examples
o Giving statistics or credible sources
• The writer wants to prove a point, give a balanced account, make the reader think, etc.
9. Comparisons and contrasts
• Two types
o Something IN the text is compared to/contrasted with something else IN the text.
o Something IN the text is compared to/contrasted with something OUTSIDE the text.
• There are always TWO sides: A is compared to B, or A is contrasted with B.

10. Recognising stereotypes, prejudice and bias

• These are generalised false believes about a group of people.
• Examples: “Men can’t cook”, “All women love shoes”, “Cats are stupid”, “BMW divers always drive too
fast”

____________________________________________________________________

Try it: Activity 1

NOTE: These are only practice texts and therefore shorter than those in the exam.
Read the text below and answer the questions that follow.
1 Scattered amid a relentless barrage of news about COVID-19 case surges, quarantine orders,
and medical supply shortages on Twitter this week, some happy stories softened the blows:
Swans had returned to deserted Venetian canals. Dolphins too. And a group of elephants had
sauntered through a village in Yunnan, China, gotten drunk off corn wine, and passed out in a
tea garden.

2 These reports of wildlife triumphs in countries hard-hit by the novel coronavirus got hundreds
of thousands of retweets. They went viral on Instagram and Tik Tok. They made news
headlines. If there’s a silver lining of the pandemic, people said, this was it—animals were
bouncing back, running free in a humanless world.

3 But it wasn’t real.

4 The swans in the viral posts regularly appear in the canals of Burano, a small island in the
greater Venice metropolitan area, where the photos were taken. The “Venetian” dolphins were
filmed at a port in Sardinia, in the Mediterranean Sea, hundreds of miles away. No one has
figured out where the drunken elephant photos came from, but a Chinese news report
debunked the viral posts: While elephants did recently come through a village in Yunnan
Province, China, their presence isn’t out of the norm, they aren’t the elephants in the viral
photos, and they didn’t get drunk and pass out in a tea field.

Define “relentless” and [Source: [Link] 22 March 2020]

“barrage” in your answer.

1. What does the writer mean by “a relentless barrage” in the context of paragraph 1? (2)
2. Name and explain ONE assumption made in the words “animals were bouncing back, running
free in a humanless world” (paragraph 2). (3)
What was is before?
And what is it now?
3. Is the change in tone in paragraph 3 effective? Explain. (3)
4. Discuss the purpose of the one-line paragraph (paragraph 3). (2)
5. Account for the use of quotation marks in paragraph 4 (The “Venetian” dolphins...). (2)

false facts are shared to indicate that it is not the truth.

5. (Account for = explain/give a reason for something.) The dolphins were not from Venice. The quotation marks take the place of the word “so-called” that is often used when
4. Introduce a contrast. Make the point that the good news was fake. Grab the reader’s attention.
a surprise to readers.
3. The tone in paragraph 2 is hopeful and positive whereas the tone is paragraph 3 is blunt, abrupt and negative. It is effective, because it is sudden and to the point. It comes as
2. One assumption is that animals fare better when there are no humans around. Another is that animals worldwide are ready to take over the moment humans step back.
overwhelming.
1. Relentless – without stopping, barrage – bombardment. The writer compares the news reports about the corona virus to non-stop bombing, implying that it is continuous and
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
 Try it: Activity 2
NOTE: This is the second part of the article used in Activity 1 above.
Read the text below and answer the questions that follow.

1 Kaveri Ganapathy Ahuja’s controversial tweet about the swans that “returned” to Venice
canals has hit a million likes. “Here's an unexpected side effect of the pandemic,” her tweet
reads. “The water flowing through the canals of Venice is clear for the first time in forever. The fish are visible, the
swans returned.” Ahuja, who lives in New Delhi, India, says she saw some photos on social media and decided to
put them together in a tweet, unaware that the swans were already regulars in Burano before the coronavirus tore
across Italy.

2 “The tweet was just about sharing something that brought me joy in these gloomy times,” she says. She never
expected it to go viral, or to cause any harm. “I wish there was an edit option on Twitter just for moments like this,”
Ahuja says.

3 Nonetheless, she hasn’t deleted the tweet and doesn’t plan to, arguing that it’s still relevant because waters in
Venice are clearer than usual—a result of decreased boat activity—and that’s what matters, she says. She’s
tweeted about the “unprecedented” number of likes and retweets she’s received on the tweet. “It’s a personal
record for me, and I would not like to delete it,” she says.

4 Paulo Ordoveza is a web developer and image verification expert who runs the Twitter account @picpedant, where
he debunks fake viral posts—and calls out the fakers. He sees firsthand the “greed for virality” that may drive the
impulse to propagate misinformation. It’s “overdosing on the euphoria that comes from seeing those like and
retweet numbers rise into the thousands,” he says.

5 Getting a lot of likes and comments “gives us an immediate social reward,” says Erin Vogel, a social psychologist
and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University. In other words, they make us feel good. Studies have found that
posting to social media gives one’s self-esteem a temporary boost.

Define “controversial” in your answer, as [Source: [Link] 22 March 2020]

well as evidence from paragraphs 1 – 3.

1. Referring to paragraphs 1 – 3, critically discuss why Ahuja’s tweet is called “controversial” (line 1). (3)
2. What does it mean when something “goes viral” in the context of paragraph 2? (2)
What is in paragraph 1?
And how is paragraph 3 different?

3. Explain the contrast found in paragraphs 1 and 3. (3)

4. Discuss the stylistic technique used by the writer in paragraphs 4 and 5 to strengthen her
message. (2)
5. Evaluate whether the writer’s diction in paragraph 4 is effective in portraying posting on social media
as a dangerous, destructive activity. (3)

5. Yes, it does. The word ‘overdosing’ compares posts on social media to using drugs. It is therefore implied that social media is addictive, destructive and dnagerous.
4. The writer quotes expert opinions to prove her point. She uses both an internet expert and a psychologist as sources.
3. In paragraph 1 Ahuja innocently shared something she believed to be true. In paragraph 3 she knows that her post constituted fake news, but still refused to delete it.
2. Information is spread very fast and by many people on social media.
attention online.
she spread false information. She also refused to delete her post, because it received many likes and retweets. This is controversial, because she is willing to lie in order to attract
1. Controversial = people don’t agree on it. In paragraph 2 Ahuja explains that she wanted to post about something positive, which she did, but in paragraph 3 she admits that
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE: PAPER 1
Question 2: Summary RULES:

How to get full marks for a summary 1. Use your own words.
Don’t “lift”.

Step 1: Identify the topic you have to summarise. 2. Find and organise the
Read the instructions very carefully. On your information in a
planning page, write down the QUESTION that you numbered list, BUT...
have to answer. This is the topic.
3. The final answer is a
Step 2: Read the passage with the topic in mind. PARAGRAPH.
Read the passage once. Mentally tick off the number of facts that answer the 4. Stick to the word limit.
question.
5. Every sentence must
Step 3: Eliminate the “fuzz”. answer the question.
Read the passage again with a very critical eye. If a sentence doesn’t answer 6. Don’t give your own
the question, cross it out. If it does, leave it. Do the same with examples, extra
opinion! Use only info
explanations, lists, etc. You should be left with 7 – 10 facts.
from the text.

Step 4: Find the main ideas.

Write a list of facts on your planning page. Make sure every sentence answers
the question.

Step 5: Write it in your own words.

You don’t have to rewrite everything. Simplify by getting rid of the following:
• Repetition
• Unnecessary detail
• Figures of speech (similes, metaphors etc.)
• Quotations (change it to indirect speech)
• Examples and lists (use an umbrella term instead)
• Colloquialisms and slang
• Change passive to active voice
• Complex tenses (use the present simple tense whenever possible)

Step 6: Edit, edit, edit!

Rework your numbered sentences until you are ready to write it in paragraph form. COUNT THE WORDS!
You may NOT exceed the word limit. And yes, the marker will count the words too...

Step 7: Write the paragraph and review.

Answer these questions:
• Did you write one paragraph?
• Did you answer the question in every sentence?
• Did you use your own words?
• Did you write 90 words or fewer?
• Did you write FULL SENTENCES? Phrases or incomplete sentences will get no marks!
 Try it: Activity 1
Read the text below and summarise why some foods are named after places.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Your summary must consist of SEVEN points and no more than 90 words.
2. Present your answer in full sentences in a fluent paragraph.
3. Do not give a title for the summary, but do include the word count.

Why are these foods names after places?

Baked Alaska. London broil. Singapore noodles. When a food is named after a city or country, you’d
think this would indicate that the dish was either connected to or concocted in that place. But the reality
is often lost in translation somewhere between an actual origin story and a marketing campaign.

For the most part, food names are meant to win diners and influence eaters. “You want something that
resonates with your consumers’ values, and you want to stand out from your competitors,” says food
historian Ken Albala, author of culinary history books such as Eating Right In The Renaissance and
Nuts: A Global History. Albala also thinks some food names come from sheer ignorance. “For example,
people initially thought turkey came from Turkey,” he says.

One perfect example is chicken Kiev. The basic recipe: a breaded, deep-fried chicken cutlet stuffed
with seasoned butter. It’s pretty decadent but, it’s not from Ukraine. Bonnie Morales, chef and co-
owner of Portland, Oregon Russian restaurant Kachka, first tasted the dish when her Soviet immigrant
parents served her a TV dinner version in the 1990s. They’d never heard of it in their native Belarus.
“People don’t make chicken Kiev at home,” says Morales.

Though it didn’t start in Ukraine, chicken Kiev seems to have first appeared on Russian menus in the
late 19th century. Back in Kyiv, the recipe wasn’t on chefs’ radars until the 1970s, when tourists began
requesting it at restaurants. To satisfy the tourism industry’s appetite, Kyiv embraced Kiev cutlets.

Some food names are just blatant marketing ploys. Take crab Rangoon, those deep-fried dumplings
stuffed with crab, cream cheese, and dashes of chili and HP sauces. In Yangon, Myanmar (formerly
known as Rangoon, Burma), very few markets stock the cream cheese needed to cook the dumplings.
And besides, crab Rangoon was created a couple of oceans away by mid-century California
restaurateur Victor J. Bergeron, whose tiki-themed Trader Vic’s restaurants appropriated South Pacific
decor and misappropriated a range of Asian and Polynesian foods on its menus. In many cases, like
the dumplings, Bergeron merely gave his dishes exotic names to fool customers into buying them.

Other dishes with monikers better travelled than what’s on the plate include German chocolate cake,
which actually originated in Texas. The name didn’t even come from the large European immigrant
population of Texas at the time. Instead, the recipe used Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate. The
chocolate was first made in the 1850s by American chocolateur Samuel German. Thus, the name
ultimately came from a person, not a place.

Sometimes the name did originate in the right place, but changed over time. Peking duck was first
served in Peking (now Beijing) as early as the 13 th century. However, today’s Peking duck is usually a
Pekin breed that’s been fattened up before the slaughter. The whole duck is then cleaned, prepped,
dried, glazed with maltose and spices, dried again, and roasted.

[Adapted from: [Link] 24 March 2020]

name ultimately came from a person, not a place.” 7. “Sometimes the name did originate in the right place, but changed over time.”
satisfy the tourism industry’s appetite” 4. “Some food names are just blatant marketing ploys.” 5. “...gave his dishes exotic names to fool customers into buying them.” 6. “the
1. “You want something that resonates with your consumers’ values, and you want to stand out from your competitors,”; 2. “some food names come from sheer ignorance” 3. “To
Seven quotes you can use to build your summary:
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
 Try it: Activity 2
Read the text below and summarise how the international community could
address the challenges related to global migration.
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Your summary must consist of SEVEN points and no more than 90 words.
2. Present your answer in full sentences in a fluent paragraph.
3. Do not give a title for the summary, but do include the word count.
GLOBAL MIGRATION

The numbers are staggering: globally, nearly a quarter of a billion people live in a country other than
their place of birth, an increase of 41% from 2000 to 2015. That number includes more than 21 million
refugees, often vulnerable. Given the geopolitical turmoil, this migration will only increase. What should
the global community be doing about it?

It is important that we closely examine the causes of migration – especially the flow of refugees. While
the primary driver of global migration is the search for a better economic situation, concerns over
physical security are often the catalysts for undertaking long, expensive and dangerous journeys. We see
women, children and families fleeing from violent regions in the world. In addition to focusing on the root
causes in problematic countries, we need an international approach to dealing with challenges related to
migration. Controlling the flow of migrants, caring for them in humane ways and fairly judging whether
they qualify as refugees require a team effort. We must apply both resources and technology to these
challenges in creative and innovative ways. This means increasing the number and training of civilians
who work in border control.

Both non-governmental organisations and the private sector have key roles to play. The international
committee of the Red Cross, the United nations organisations focused on migration and refugees, and
big private charities should convene a summit alongside governments to address solutions and ideas for
coping with the flow of migrants. Furthermore, there is a real security dimension to deal with. We should
use biometrics, monitoring of social networks and our militaries to help reduce security risks to a
minimum.

Most importantly, we need to hold to our values. In this season of hyperbolical elections in most
countries in the world, it is all too easy to lose sight of the most critical reasons for dealing with migration
humanely. On the Statue of Liberty, in the United States of America, carved in granite, it says, 'Give me
your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.' We can best live up to that
promise with an intelligent plan centred on international co-operation. Idealism needs a good plan, and
migration today is a powerful global crissis drifting without one.
[Adapted from Time, 26 September 2016]

addressed by using military and intelligence sources. Lastly, we cannot compromise our values.
improved training to control migration. Furthermore, a summit of leading organisations dealing with human migration should be convened. Moreover, security risks should be
Team effort is required when ensuring that human rights are not violated. In addition, the innovative use of resources and technology is imperative and more civilians need
Firstly, we need to understand the very nature of global migration, and countries cannot operate in isolation. We need to focus on the main causes in problematic countries.
A possible paragraph (yours might differ from this a bit)

biometrics, monitoring of social networks and our militaries to help reduce security risks to a minimum.' 9. 'we need to hold to our values.'
number and training of civilians who work in border control.' 7. 'convene a summit to address solutions and ideas for coping with the flow of migrants.' 8. 'We should use
ways’ 5. ‘fairly judging whether they qualify as refugees’ 6. 'We must apply both resources and technology to these challenges in creative and innovative ways.'/'increasing the
migration.'/ 'We can best live up to that promise with an intelligent plan centred on international co-operation.' 3. 'Controlling the flow of migrants’ 4. ‘caring for them in humane
1. “'closely examine the causes of migration’ /'focusing on the root causes in problematic countries' 2. 'we need an international approach to dealing with challenges related to
Nine quotes you can use to build your summary:
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE: PAPER 1
Question 3: Advertisement
APPEALS:
The AIDA principal Examples of the needs, wants,
The steps in reading an advertisement: desires addressed in adverts:

A: Attention/Attraction health; enjoyment;

Adverts attract the viewer’s attention, usually with excitement; luxury; beauty;
clever language use or visual images. romance; independence;
success; power;
I: Interest social status; freedom;
The advert makes the viewer aware that he/she has a problem or that there is escape; physical safety;
something missing from his/her life. Adverts usually present an ‘ideal’ lifestyle that financial security;
viewers would want (appealing to the viewer’s interest). saving money;
being a good person;
D: Desire
The viewer is made aware that his/her problem has a solution (the product!). This
creates a desire, want or need in the viewer.

A: Action
This A wants the viewer to act on the desire, want or need. This is done in three ways:
• The viewer can change behaviour (e.g. switching brands)
• The viewer can start behaviour (e.g. buying a new product)
• The viewer can stop behaviour (e.g. stop littering)
In other words, the advert wants the viewer to do something.

The target market

The people the advert is meant for. Who will look at this advert? Who will buy the product or obey the message?

Features (parts) of an advertisement

Image

Headline

Image

Supporting
text

Slogan
Logo
 Try it: Activity 1
For each advertisement below (A – D), do the following:
1. Find all the features of the advert.
2. Identify the target market.
3. Analyse the advert by writing down how it incorporates each of the AIDA elements.
4. What does the advert appeal to?
5. Discuss whether you think the advert is successful. Motivate your answer by referring to the
elements identified in questions 1 – 4 above.
A.
B.
C.
Additional question: This advertisement pokes fun of KFC’s slogan (Finger lickin’ good) to promote a social
issue. Explain in detail.

D.
Additional question: Explain the message portrayed by the image in this advertisement.
 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE: PAPER 1
Question 4: Cartoon WHAT TO LOOK AT:

The rules: 1. DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SEE!

2. Action: What is happening in

1. Describe what you SEE.
the cartoon and how is the
2. Then say how what you SEE answers the
action portrayed?
question.
3. Characters: What emotions are
shown by facial
Parts of a cartoon:
expressions/body language?
1. Body language and facial expressions What does the body language
Used to give non-verbal clues about attitude and mood. Describe what you say about the relationship
SEE first, and then give the associated emotion. between the characters?

4. Language: What words have

been used? How is punctuation
used?

5. Setting: When and where does

the action happen? What is the
social context?

6. Stereotypes/Symbols: Are
there stereotypes? Is anything
• In the Garfield cartoon, Odie’s eyes and mouth are wide open and his in the cartoon a symbol for
tongue is hanging out. Odie is happy/excited. something else?
• Garfield’s facial expression changes. In frame 1 his eyes are closed and
his mouth isn’t smiling. He looks bored/neutral/the way he normally does. 7. Humour: Is there irony, a pun
In frame two his eyes are turned up at the corners, and he has a smile. He (words with double meanings)
now looks evil/willful/mischievous. In the last frame his eyes look the same or sarcasm?
as in frame 1, but he smiles. He looks satisfied.

2. Bubbles, strips, frames and captions

• Thought bubbles look like clouds. Speech bubbles have smooth sides or
just a line that connects the words with the character. Speech bubble with jagged edges and words in bold,
show shouting or loud sounds.
• Actions and movements stand alone (see middle frame above).

• A frame is the block in which the cartoon is drawn. The cartoon above has two frames. When more than one
frame is used, it is called a comic strip. Sometimes there is
no line around a frame. This is usually done to show
surprise, shock or a large action (like an explosion).
• The caption is used in a one-frame cartoon. It describes the
action or gives the character’s words as in this cartoon.
3. Movement and sound
Lines, clouds and stars are used to show movement. The lines mimic the direction of the movement.
• In the frame on the left below, Odie is bouncing and his tail is wagging. In the frame on the right, Odie and
Garfield are running so fast (note the band of white colour plus the cloud = very fast movement), that Jon falls.

Sound is also shown with lines, as well as symbols or words. For loud sounds, the words will be in capital letters,
in bold and there will be at least one exclamation mark.
• In the frame on the left, the lines and the word “BRIINNNG!” around Jon’s alarm clock shows the sound. In the
frame on the right, the sound is shown by the white explosion and the word “WHAM!”. Jon’s reaction is shown
with small lines all around his body.

4. Verbal clues and non-verbal clues

Verbal clues include the words printed in the cartoon.
Non-verbal clues include everything else – the setting, the body language
and facial expressions and movement.

5. Humour
Humour can be created in three ways:
• Irony is when you expect one thing, but another happens. In the cartoon
to the right, the one fish thinks that the cat is warming their bowl and
feeding them, when he is actually cooking them and adding seasoning.

• A pun is a clever use of words, so that two or more meanings are

possible. The pun can be found in the words, in the picture, or both, as
shown below.

• Sarcasm is a form of verbal irony. A character will say one thing, but mean another. For example a school
learner sitting math class with a thought bubble that says, “Oh, what fun”, but with bored facial expression and
body language, is sarcastic.

6. Satire
Satire uses humour, irony, exaggeration or ridicule to draw attention to bad behaviour, in the hopes of improving
it.
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
1. Dilbert uses the personal pronoun 'I' frequently to indicate that his interests and needs are paramount./Dilbert is self-absorbed and attempts to avoid any form of interaction with
his co-workers.
2. The cartoonist foregrounds the structure, showing the workplace, without characters, to emphasise the effort Dilbert has placed in his strategy to avoid his colleagues.
3. In FRAME 4, the colleague seems indifferent to Dilbert's expansive answer, and is awaiting the reply to the initial question. In FRAME 7, the colleague's facial expression has
changed to one of anger/annoyance, as it has dawned on him/her that his/her name could be on Dilbert's list. [1 mark for a change in the facial expression and 2 marks for the
comment.]
4. Humour is created through the use of irony: despite Dilbert's meticulous planning, he has not managed to avoid one of the listed colleagues. His strategy has backfired as a
colleague, whose name is on the list, approaches him. When confronted by his colleague, he replies in a nonchalant manner.
4. Discuss the point of humour in the cartoon. (3)
3. Refer to frames 4 and 7. Comment on the change in the facial expression of Dilbert's colleague. (3)
2. Refer to frame 5. Discuss the effectiveness of the technique used by the cartoonist in this frame. (2)
1. Explain what the use of the personal pronoun 'I' throughout the cartoon suggests about Dilbert. (2)
Study the cartoon and then answer the questions:
Try it: Activity 1
ANSWERS (Cover while you work on the activity.)
1. The boy is concentrating on his drawing./The reader is invited into his thought processes./It forces the reader to focus on the boy.
2. In FRAME 4, the boy outlines the reason for his drawing willingly/in a matterof-fact manner. In FRAME 7, his response is hesitant and evasive/reluctant.
3. In FRAMES 7, 8 and 9, the girl's stern, domineering attitude is depicted through her scowl, pursed lips and clenched jaw. Her facial expression remains angry throughout. • In
FRAME 8, the positioning of the two characters portray the girl’s overbearing nature. She is menacingly close to her brother, intimidating him. • In FRAMES 8 and 9, the absence
of speech bubbles emphasises her pent-up rage. • In FRAME 9, the large bold font/onomatopoeia/exclamation mark/body language/movement lines highlight the girl's
aggression. She has literally overthrown her brother.
4. The cartoonist has given prominence to/creates an interest in the ultimate message of the cartoon by placing it first/inverting the order of the frames, effectively highlighting the
price to be paid for truth. FRAME 1 is the consequence of the events in the cartoon. It precedes the flashback that commences in FRAME 2. The boy is depicted as a victim of
violence, illustrated by the ice-pack on his head/sling on his arm/plasters on his face.
on the effectiveness of this placement in the context of the cartoon as a whole. (3)
4. In respect of the sequence of events, the cartoonist has placed FRAME 1 first, instead of last. Critically comment
3. Refer to FRAMES 7, 8 and 9. Discuss TWO techniques that the cartoonist uses to depict the attitude of the girl. (3)
2. Compare the boy's verbal responses to his sister in FRAME 4 and FRAME 7. (2)
1. Account for the lack of speech bubbles in FRAME 2. (2)
Read the cartoon and answer the questions.
Try it: Activity 2
 ENGLISH HOME LANGUAGE: PAPER 1
Question 5: Using Language Correctly
Possible questions:

1. Correct the error of concord.

Concord is when the subject’s number agrees with that of the verb.
Example: The cat (singular) sits on the floor.
Example: The cats (plural) sit on the floor.

Watch out! There may be extra information between the subject and the verb which can confuse
you. Always ask yourself WHAT/WHO the verb is referring to.
Example: The cat with its emerald green eyes sits on the floor.
(The cat is doing the sitting, not the eyes!)
TIPS:
2. Rewrite the sentence as a full sentence.
1. Write ONLY the answer.
The basic sentence structure in English is Subject-Verb-Object. Find the
missing part, and insert it so that it fits into the context of the given text. 2. If the answer is only one
word, DON’T write a full
Example: The dog catches a rat. sentence.
Subject: Who/What the sentence is about. (The dog).
Verb: The main action. (catches) 3. If you have to make
Object. Who/What receives the action. (a rat). changes to a sentence,
This sentence has all three parts, so it is a full sentence. underline the changes.

Example: Rushing down the street before the shop closes.

Subject: ??? Who is rushing down the street???
Verb: rushing
Object: down the street before the shop closes.
This sentence is missing a subject. Rewrite it with your own subject.

3. What is the subject/verb/object of the sentence.

This is a variation of the question above. Identify the three basic parts (if present) and write down
only the answer. You might have to find the answer in another sentence in the same paragraph.

Text: The girl screamed, “You can’t walk there! Get off the lawn!”
Question: Find the subject in the sentence “Get off the lawn!”
Answer: At first glance it looks like this sentence doesn’t have a subject. BUT, if you read the
sentence before it, you realise the subject (Who the sentence is about) is ‘you’.

4. Rewrite in the active or passive voice.

Active voice: The subject is DOING the action, and the object is RECEIVING the action.
Example: Jennifer eats a biscuit.
Subject: Jennifer (she is doing the eating)
Verb: eats
Object: a biscuit (as the receiver, it doesn’t have a choice!)

Passive voice: The subject is RECEIVING the action, and the object is DOING the action.
Example: A biscuit is eaten by Jennifer.
Subject: A biscuit (because this sentence is about the biscuit. It still doesn’t have a
say in this eating business!)
Verb: is eaten
Passive voice marker: by (every passive sentence has this just before the object.)
Object: Jennifer (she is still the one doing the action.

TIP: Always find the Subject-Verb-Object first. Then put the object first, and rearrange the rest of the
sentence.
TIP 2: If a passive sentence is given, find the passive marker (“by”) and start with the object that
follows it.
5. Find the grammatical error/Rewrite the sentence so that it is grammatically correct/Correct
the common language mistake.
This question usually refers to a pronoun error.
Example: One can sometimes indulge in procrastination, but you shouldn’t make a habit of it.
The pronouns should agree. Use either “One can ... but one...” or “You can... but you...”

It can also refer to commonly confused words.

Example: The learner is to tired two study for exams.
It should be too and to
Example: Please borrow me your pen.
It should be lend.

6. The use of punctuation marks.

Apostrophe: 1. To show possession.
Example: The tractor that belongs to the farmer = The farmer’s tractor
Example: The tractors that belong to the farmers = The farmers’ tractors
Example: The tractor that belongs to Morris = Morris’s tractor
2. The show that something is left out.
Example: don’t = do not, with the “o” of “not” left out. (It does NOT show where the
two words were joined; so do’nt is WRONG!)
Example: Lady Macbeth: It is too full o’th’milk of human kindness. (Act 1 Scene 5)
o’th’milk = of the milk, with the “f” of “of” and the “e” of “the” left out.

3. NOTE: An apostrophe is NEVER used to form a plural. For plurals, simply add an -s.
Hyphen: A hyphen CONNECTS two parts of a word. It NEVER separates words!
Example: The biscuit-munching little boy.
“biscuit-munching” is ONE adjective that describes the boy.
Brackets: Brackets enclose additional information. It is also called parenthesis.
Dashes and commas can be used instead of brackets.
Dash: If there are two dashes, they mostly work like brackets.
If there is only one dash, it separates two clauses in a sentence.

Quotation marks/Inverted commas: Show direct speech. They are NEVER used to emphasise
words!

7. Malapropism.
A malapropism is a word that sounds almost like the correct word, but means something completely
different.
Example: You’ll never succeed with that altitude.
The correct word is attitude.

8. Give a synonym or antonym.

Synonym: word with a similar meaning.
Antonym: word with an opposite meaning.
TIP: Use prefixes or suffixes to form antonyms.
TIP: Make sure WHERE you should find the answer. Is it in the text or should you create your own?

9. Tautology, redundancy and ambiguity

Tautology happens when the same thing is repeated in different words.
Example: They arrived one after the other in succession.
“One after the other” means the same as “in succession”.

Redundancy means using too many words to say something without adding any meaning to it.
Example: In order to be able to sit upright with the use of a back brace...
Change it to: “To sit upright by using a back brace...” It means the same thing!
Ambiguity is when a sentence can be interpreted in more than one way.
Example: He laughed as he ate the popping candy. – Does “as” mean “while” or “because”??
10. Direct and indirect speech.
Direct speech: The exact words spoken by a person, enclosed in quotation marks.
Example: Sally said: “I want to go to this house tomorrow.”
Rules: Use quotation marks!

Indirect speech: Also called reported speech. A report of someone’s words without quoting directly.
Example: Sally said that she wanted to go to that house the next day.

Rules: No quotation marks.

Change pronouns (“I” becomes “she”).
Change verbs one step into the past (“want” becomes “wanted”).
Change adverbs (“tomorrow” becomes “the next day”, “this” becomes “that”)

11. Parts of speech

You can be asked to change a word into a different part of speech.
Example: Give the noun for of the word “move”. – Answer = movement

You can be asked to name the part of speech.

Example: What part of speech is the underlined word?

12. Formal English

You can be asked to rewrite informal English or slang into formal English. Use more formal
synonyms, but make sure you know exactly what they mean!

5.8 Ate too much; ate with enjoyment 5.9 All it took was...
5.7 Sitting around with my friends, we were laughing and kidding around...
5.6 The bread would be scooped out and stuff with the other ingredients by us.
5.2 differently 5.3 in – into 5.4 leaden 5.5 “But first one... when you were”
5.1.1 It connects “sepia” and “coloured” to form the adjective “sepia-coloured”. 5.1.2 It gives additional information.
ANSWERS TO ACTIVITY 1 on the next page. (Cover while you work on the activity.)
 Try it: Activity 1
Read the text and answer the questions.
This was Question 5 in the NSC November 2019 Paper 1 exam.