Author: Msomi Bora

TOPIC 8: READING FOR COMPREHENSION Reading and Obtaining General Information Reading for comprehension involves reading information from different sources. It involves reading in details with specific aims and tasks passages and information carefully with the aim of knowing all things about the information’s in the text. In this part you are reading with the aim of being able to answer comprehension questions. When you are answering comprehension questions, the first thing to do is read the questions carefully before you read the passage, after reading the questions, you have to read the whole passage while remembering the questions. While reading you…

TOPIC 7: EXPRESSING OPINIONS Participating in a Debate on Familiar Issues We express our opinions by participating in different debates. Debate is contention in argument; strife, dissension, quarrelling, controversy; especially a formal discussion of subjects before a public assembly or legislature, in Parliament or in any deliberative assembly. Debate is a method of formally presenting an argument in a disciplined manner. Through logical consistency, factual accuracy and some degree of emotional appeal to the audience are elements in debating, where one side often prevails over the other party by presenting a superior “context” and/or framework of the issue. The outcome of a…

TOPIC 6: TALKING ABOUT CULTURAL ACTIVITIES Cultural activities are activities which are done according to the culture of a certain place. In Tanzania we have different cultural activities like marriages, funerals, harvesting celebrations, ritual celebrations and games. TALKING ABOUT GAMES Games are physical or mental competitions that have rules and have participants in direct opposition to each other. There are different types of games, for example, football, basketball, handball, baseball, rugby, cricket, tennis and netball. FOOTBALL Football or soccer is a game played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball; it is played in a rectangular field with two goals…

TOPIC 5: DESCRIBING THINGS Things in Terms of their Quality In English we use adjectives to describe things. An adjective is a word which is used to express the quality, quantity and point out the person or things. This is the word which is used to explain more about the noun or pronoun. In this lesson we are going to learn to describe things according to their quality and quantity. Adjective of quality; is an adjective used to talk about the quality of a person or thing. These adjectives answer the question ‘of what kind?’ Example 1 1. Greta is a good girl.…

TOPIC 4: LOCATING PLACES The Important Terminologies Used When you are locating places you have to use certain prepositions to locate them such as In front, Around, Behind, Close to, Adjacent to, The left hand, The right hand, Beside, North, Opposite to, South, Along, West, Across, at, in and on. The prepositions at in and on can be confusing sometimes. The following is an explanation of how to use these prepositions. These are at, on and in. AT is used to locate something at a certain point: Example 1 At the bus station At the entrance At the crossroads At the junction…

TOPIC 3: ASKING FOR SERVICES Services is the supplying or supplier of utilities or commodities such as water, transport, telephone, electricity, or gas, required or demanded by the public. Asking for services is the need of that service. Services are intangible commodities. When you go for services you pay money but not all services are seen in physical form, if you buy a voucher for telephone calls, you just get minutes to speak, or if you go to the hospital the commodity you get is the medicine to cure your health. In this topic we will talk more about making…

TOPIC 2: TALKING ABOUT EVENTS Narrating What Took Place in a Given Event When you are talking about an event, you have to know what took place in that event. The events took place either at home, in your street, school or nation wise. The event might be a celebration, an accident, elections or a sport match or game. When you want to Talk about an Event you have to Note the following: 1. The place where the event took place. 2. The date and time of an event. 3. Participants of that event; examples are the president, vice president,…

TOPIC 1: LISTENING TO VARIOUS SIMPLE ORAL TEXTS Listening is the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages in the communication process. When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then to speak, then to read, and finally to write. These are called the four “language skills”. Listening Speaking Reading Writing As you can see, listening is the first language skill. It is perhaps the most important skill of all, and forms the basis for the other three. Listening is key…

TOPIC 16: WRITING A VARIETY OF TEXTS Complete this Visitor’s Card Name of visitor: Address: Arrival date: Destination: Flight no……………………………… Flight arrival time…………………… Writing Things/Notes in a Diary Diaries or journals are books where you write what has happen each day, year, month, week, etc. It is written to help the writer to remember important events and thoughts. In their diaries, writers comment on what they have seen recently or previously. They also describe their thoughts and feelings. They record the reasons for doing or liking certain things. The language used in diaries is usually informal and the writer will…

TOPIC 15: TAKING NOTES This is the process of taking notes, either from spoken or written text. For example, from radio, television broadcasting and different stories or speeches or in the papers. Important Points from Oral Texts What to consider when taking notes from different sources: 1. To note down important information. 2. Write in short phrases, not long sentences. 3. To use dashes and other marks to separate points. These marks are used to separate the noted points to avoid mingling and/or redundancies. Activity 1 Listen carefully from the text and take notes: Early marriage puts girls at great…