Writing

ELATE: E- Learning and Teacher Education.

TEACHER’S GUIDE

Subject: English

Unit: 3

Target group: S.1

Topic: Writing

Introduction:

To the teacher:

In this unit, we are going to look at the Writing skill. This is the last skill among the four language skills, namely; listening, speaking, reading and writing.

We usually write what we have read and we are able to read what we have heard and spoken.

Some parts of speech, that is, verbs in the Past Simple Tense and in the Present Perfect Tense, adverbs, and pronouns are used to show how the writing skill can be developed in students.

In order to help the students develop their writing skill, there will be need to give them as many opportunities as possible to practice writing. Activities have been provided which you may use or improve on and give to your students either in class or as home work.

It is very important to always have the students’ work marked so that they identify their errors and learn from their mistakes. Remedial lessons should be provided in those areas in which the students have not yet acquired the competences.

Sub –topics:

1. Developing the writing skill through using adverbs.
2. Developing the writing skill through using pronouns.
3. Developing the writing skill through using verbs (The Past Simple Tense).
4. Developing the writing skill through using verbs (The Present Perfect Tense).

Time required: Minimum 320 mins (8 periods)

Maximum 480mins (12 periods)

Brief description of topic:

This topic aims to enable the students to develop their competence in writing by equipping them with the knowledge and understanding of adverbs, pronouns and verbs as parts of speech, and other word forms, as tools to build sentences with.

- Writing is the skill of putting together or connecting in a consecutive and continuous way a group of words or sentences to make a coherent text.

- The writing process is developed through the knowledge and understanding of the use of words, learning the writing system including punctuation and spelling according to the conventions of language, control of the structure of the language, and selecting the most appropriate ways of conveying the meaning and purpose of what is communicated. This process involves the use of the other skills of language: - listening, speaking and reading.

- Writing is a multi-dimensional skill consisting of distinct but related activities ranging from copying a variety of words, phrases, sentences and other forms of script like making tables; re-producing what is learned orally or though listening and reading. Re-combining sentences, or re-phrasing and replacing words and phrases; transforming sentences and paragraphs, and composing a sequence of ideas in the form of reporting events, giving explanations, describing or narrating imaginative accounts, and composing poems, dialogues, letters and other forms of writing.

MAIN CONTENT AND CONCEPTS:

1. Among the four key skills of language, writing is the most formal and sophisticated and involves cumulative knowledge, mastery and use of various kinds of language content (i.e. discourse). Writing tasks consist of different kinds and styles of writing, according to content, form, audience and purpose. Thus letters, reports, informative tables or instructions exhibit different kinds and styles of functional writing, as do evocative descriptive or narrative prose, and poetry and drama, of imaginative writing. Each serves a different purpose and a specific audience.

These different kinds of writing must be reflected in the range of tasks given, and be systematically developed as a step-by-step process, from guided- writing to freer continuous writing, commonly known as composition, throughout secondary education.

• In S1 and S2 emphasis should be on guided functional and imaginative writing. The steps through which the particular piece of writing is developed should be emphasised. Not every product should therefore be a composition, as indicated in the range of writing activities in the description of the topic.

2. The integration of all the skills of language is best demonstrated in preparation

for writing tasks. Listening activities leading to note-making or a dictation exercise, oral activities like discussion before writing on a topic, and reading set texts to extract or summarise key points from form content areas to generate ideas to write on. Students’ written products in return can be read out, discussed and form a body of texts to read as examples of good written work.

• Controlled exercises ranging from single units of production (e.g. sentence-formation, paragraph-building) to combination of ideas into situational written texts should be introduced through listening, speaking and reading activities. This makes writing a ‘natural’ language process arising from shared experience in which students are active participants.

• Personal experience should be made use of as much as possible. The students have a wealth of cumulative personal experience that is a reservoir for self –expression. Making use of the potential requires simulation of situations in which students contextualise their own expression of similar experiences. The contexts should be varied and include opportunities to write on topics across the curriculum and contexts beyond the classroom.

3. The parts of speech dealt with are and function, respectively, as follows:

adverbs: words that tell more about the action, happening or state described by the verb in a sentence; pronouns: words that are used instead of nouns to avoid repetition, and verbs: words that express action, happening or state of being in time perspective.

The main principle is to demonstrate the use of each part of speech in context (using writing texts)

Sub-topic 1: Developing the writing skill through using Adverbs

Brief description of sub-topic:

- Knowledge of adverbs as parts of speech and understanding their function in communication is the main aim of the sub-topic to enhance students’ ability to use language actively in speech and writing.

- Adverbs are, commonly, words that modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs (showing action, happening or state of being). There are several classes of adverbs (Simple - those that only modify a word;

Interrogative-which, apart from modifying a word, also introduce a question;

Relative – which not only modify a word but also refer back to a noun).

In S1 only Simple adverbs are dealt with. Simple nouns further fall into several categories showing when (time), how often (frequency), where (place), and how (in what manner) actions take place.

- Writing is a key skill whose development calls for students’ ability to construct language using a wide range of words and a knowledge of their functions in context. Using adverbs in writing enhances the ability to integrate different parts of speech and word-forms to enrich expression.

Main content and concepts to emphasise:

Main content.	Main concepts
1. Grammar practice: Adverbs. Adverbs as a word-class: Definition of adverbs Application of adverb use in structure and usage.	- Functions of adverbs in speech: why used - Modifying verbs, adjectives and other adverbs to show action, happening or state of being in sentences. . – Using adverbs in communication: speech and writing. -Adverb-formation from adjectives
Categorisation of adverbs: Simple Interrogative: Relative:	- Modifying words in sentences. - Showing when (time), how often (frequency), where (place), and how (in what manner) actions take place. - Modifying words in sentences - Introducing questions. - Modifying words. - Referring back to nouns (antecedents)
Writing Practice: Adverbs in context: using listening, speaking and reading texts of various kinds. Developing writing through a range of activities for different purposes.	- Recognition of adverbs used in various contexts. -Building a range of adverbs to enhance writing style.

Sample lesson 1 and 2

Activity 1: Conversation

Read and act out this short conversation in groups of threes.

A: Did you feel the earthquake last night?

B: No, I didn’t. Was it strong and loud?

C: What a quake! Must have lasted a whole two minutes.

B: That long? I must have been in a deep slumber,

A: How lucky you were! We had to jump out of our beds as our unsteady house

rocked about.

C: Lucky? That was sheer lack of sensitivity on his part.

A: Whatever it was; that earthquake must have caused severe damage to some

buildings.

What you need to know

The underlined words in the conversation above are adjectives. Some adjectives can be turned into adverbs, which are words that modify (or tell more about) verbs, adjectives or other adverbs in order to emphasise the particular action happening or a state of being described in a sentence or phrase.

Adverbs fall into several classes: simple, interrogative and relative. In this sub-topic only simple adverbs are dealt with and they in turn fall into several groups. Simple adverbs show when (time), how often (frequency), where (place), and how (in what manner) actions take place.

Look at the adverbs in the following sentences formed from the underlined adjectives.

1. Did the earthquake shake the ground strongly? Did it rumble loudly?
2. I must have been sleeping (or slumbering) deeply!
3. Luckily, you didn’t hear the earthquake.
4. Our house rocked unsteadily.
5. Some buildings must have been damaged severely by the earthquake.

Discuss briefly as a class:

How have the adjectives been turned into adverbs? (What common thing has been done to make the adjectives adverbs?)

Activity 2: Telling when, how often, where and how an action took place.

Add to each of the following short sentences when or takes place, how often, where or how the action took or takes place as indicated in the brackets. Do not repeat adverbs.

1. She screamed. (how) (loudly)

2. The short fat man fell. (how) (heavily)

3. Rose cooks our lunch (how often) (daily/regularly/ everyday)

4. The ceremony took place. (where) (outside)

5. He left the village. (when) (to day)

6. Will you write to her? (when) (soon)

7. The boy answered the teacher (how) (rudely/politely)

8. We eat meat (how often) (hardly/rarely/twice aweek)

9. She learnt French (where) (abroad)

10. The scouts arrived (when) (early)

11.The books are kept (where) (inside)

12. He comes to see her. (how often) (weekly)

(Note carefully where you put the adverbs in the sentences)

Choose one adjective from the box below and change it into an adverb to complete each sentence. There are a few which do not change.

1. His new clothes fitted ……… (perfectly)
2. The new girl stood……….. (nervously) on the stage.
3. All the students are working……….. (hard) these days
4. He (cleverly) avoided knocking the dog with his bicycle.
5. They walked. ………(cautiously) through the door.
6. We shall…………….. (greatly) miss our retiring head teacher.
7. The Nile flows (fast) between the Bujagali Falls and Kalagala.
8. ………..(Suddenly), there was a great rush towards the door.
9. We arrived late but …………..(fortunately) there was some food kept for us.
10. All the projects were completed……….. (late)

sudden clever late fast great hard perfect fortunate cautious nervous

.

Activity 3: Writing paragraphs.

• Write two paragraphs on the following topic by completing the opening sentences with some of the words and ideas in each sentence below. You may have to change some adjectives into adverbs or provide your own adverbs. Work in pairs before writing your own paragraph.

Sights and sounds in the evening

“I opened the door and walked onto the verandah. I looked southwards across the valley as the sun was setting to my right, behind the house. A large faint rainbow hung across the sky…….” (Continue from here)

1. There was a slight drizzle (can be changed to “It was drizzling slightly”)
2. The sun’s last rays (colour?) shone behind the dark grey clouds.
3. Dust (colour?) hung (where?) the road to the city.
4. Traffic: (how heavy?) Car horns and engines made noises (what kind?)
5. In the valley below the children at the well sang or shouted (how?)
6. In the centre of the large trading village there was drumming (how?); there was dancing (noise?)
7. A child cried out (what kind of voice?) A woman called out (how?)
8. The rainbow had disappeared (when?); darkness began to settle over the scene(how?).

Sample lessons 3 and 4

Using nouns, adjectives and adverbs.

Activity 4: Using nouns Read the following ‘poem’ and answer the

questions on it.

Today the sun scorches

Tomorrow the rain pours

It makes me mad

When drought hits the land

Then floods rush over the plains

Eating the soils.

But a little sunshine any time

Then a steady shower

With a rainbow in the sky

All the year round

Gives delight to my spirit.

(i) Something to think about.

The character of nouns:

In topic 1 you learned about the use of nouns in your reading. Do you think nouns are dull and lifeless words? In the poem, the underlined words are nouns. They may not look or sound exciting at first, but think about them and answer these questions in your groups: -

1. What kind of effect does the sun have in the first five lines?

2. What kind of effect does the rain have in the first five lines?
3. What single word would you use to describe the ‘character’ of the sun or the rain in those lines?

4. What has modified (changed) the ‘character’ of the sun and the rain in the last five lines?

5. What two words are used just before sunshine and shower respectively? What kind of words are these?

6. What is the effect of the rainbow? What does a real rainbow look like and when and why does it appear in the sky?

7. How does the writer of the poem feel at the end of the poem?

Why does he feel so?.

Activity 5: Paragraph completion.

Look at the following sentences:

1. I came face to face with a lion this morning.
2. There was a snake in the garden.
3. Look at the rainbow!
4. Festo is a bully.
5. There is darkness in the room.

What kind of feeling is created by each underlined noun?

Complete the following paragraph on the ‘character’ of nouns based on the poem and the sentences above.

“Some nouns are ‘strong’ in character according to what they do or make us

feel sun destruction

………Words such as the …….… are ‘strong’. when they cause ……………They

gentle destruction pleasant

are………when they do not cause ……. ………but are…………….to our feelings.

pleasure/beauty good

Some nouns express……………………and make us feel ………or glad. Examples of such nouns

rainbow sunshine showers

are ………… ,…………………,and…………….Some nouns name animals

fierce unpleasant

which are either……….or…………… in character. Such animals make us

afraid time sky

…………… A few nouns such as………..and……………are neutral in character

exact

and can only get their specific ‘character’ when we use other words like……………..

cloudy / blue bully cruel/unpleasant

or ………….respectively to describe them. A …………is a /an……………………

unpleasant darkness

person like Festo. This noun itself has an ……………… character, like…………..

in a room!”

(ii) Words which add feeling and show manner of action

Activity 6: Completing sentences that add feeling and show manner of action

Look at the following pairs of sentences. Complete the second sentence

with the correct form of the underlined word in each pair.

1. The sun’s heat was fierce. The sun shone……………………yesterday.
2. The moon was bright last night. The moon shone…………….last night
3. That bird’s song is sweet. That bird is singing………………………….
4. The rain was heavy all day. It rained……………………all day.
5. A hungry lion’s roar is loud. A hungry lion roars……………….
6. Leo is a very fast runner. Leo runs very………………………….
7. The prisoner was very hungry. The prisoner ate his food……………..
8. She was always careful in her work. She always worked………………..
9. They are good footballers, aren’t they? They play football…………,don’t they?
10. His illness seems serious. He seems to be ………………ill.

What are the underlined words in the left hand sentences called?

What words have you used to complete the sentences on the right hand?

(iii) Weather forecast for Uganda.

[where is the weather forecast map?]

Activity 7: Look at the map of Uganda showing the weather forecast for one day.

(a) In pairs or groups, study the weather map and discuss it.

(b) Write a summary of what the weather will be for that day using the

information on the map and following these instructions:

1. Make a general introductory statement about the weather all over the country, like this: “Generally, the weather will be…………..,” then state the main variations (differences) in the different regions of Uganda.

2. Describe the main details of the weather in each region (rainfall, temperature variations, cloud cover, sun, thunderstorms, etc).

3. Use the adjectives given (cloudy, sunny), add your own adjectives, and make sentences with adverbs from the nouns or adjectives (e.g. “It will rain lightly (where showers are expected) or heavily with thunderstorms in the north-west”.

4. Give some advice to the listeners to the weather forecast on what they should do or be careful about in parts of the country that day(E.g. “Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in the east, especially in hilly areas, may cause flooding and landslides. Care must be taken both indoors and outdoors”)

TEACHER’S GUIDE

Unit: 3

Subject: English

Target group: S.1

Topic: Writing

Sub-topic 2: Developing the writing skill through the use of Pronouns.

Time required: Minimum 80mins,

Maximum 80mins

Brief description of topic:

• A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. For example: Akello is a pretty girl. She is a pretty girl. The pronoun “she” takes the place of the noun “Akello”.

• Examples of pronouns: anybody, he, she, herself, him, himself, his, I, it, its, itself, me, my, oneself, our, ourselves, she, somebody, their, theirs, they, us, we, you, yourself.

• Pronouns do not take articles (the or a/an) before them, except in very restricted constructions involving some indefinite pronouns, for example a little something, a certain someone

Main content and concepts to emphasise:

There are basically four types of pronouns:

• Subject pronouns,
• Object pronouns,
• Possessive pronouns and
• Demonstrative pronouns.

1. Subjective pronouns-, I, you, he, she, it, we, you, they function as the subject of a sentence:

I live in Kampala

Do you like playing tennis?

He doesn’t want to come this evening.

She works in Moroto.

It won’t be easy.

We are studying pronouns at the moment.

You went to Mbarara last year, didn’t you?

They bought a new car last month.

2. Objective Pronouns-me, you, him, her, it, you, them, and us serve as the object

of a verb.

Give me the book.

He told you to come tonight.

She asked him to help.

They visited her when they came to Makerere University.

She bought it at the store.

He picked us up at the airport.

The teacher asked you to finish your homework.

I invited them to a party.

3. Possessive pronouns – mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs show that something belongs to someone. Note that the possessive pronouns are similar to possessive adjectives (my, his, her) .the difference is that the object follows the possessive adjective but does not follow the possessive pronoun. For example
   • Possessive pronoun: That book is mine.
   • Possessive adjective: That is my book.

That house is mine.

This is yours.

I’m sorry, that’s his.

Those books are hers.

Those students are ours.

Look over there, those seats are yours.

Theirs will be green.

4. Demonstrative pronouns – this, that, these, those refer to things. “this” and “these”

refer to something that is near. “that and ‘those’ refer to things that are farther

away.

This is my house.

That is our car over there.

These are my colleagues in this room.

Those are beautiful flowers in the garden.

Teaching /learning materials, activities and guidance:

Activity.1

Read the sentences below. Circle the noun and replace it by writing a pronoun above the word.

He

Example: John went to the grocery store.

1. Mrs. Ongwen wrote on the chalkboard.

2. Mr. Ongwen is a principal.

3. Musoke likes to draw pictures.
4. Let’s go to Mrs. Bbosa’s house.
5. Children like to play outside when it is warm.

Activity .2

Write some sentences of your own using pronouns. Circle the pronoun.

Activity.3

Re-write the sentences given below using suitable pronouns instead of the underlined nouns.

1. This is Mrs Kiwanuka. Mrs. Kiwanuka is apart of the royal family. Mrs Kiwanuka likes to watch wrestling. Mrs. Kiwanuka’s cakes are very tasty.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………

2. Miss Nambozo goes to school. Miss Nambozo studies well. Mukasa is Miss Nambozo’s friend. Mukasa also goes to school. Miss Nambozo and Mukasa go to school together.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Otim tells Opolot, “These are Otim’s shoes, The shoes are new”. Opolot asks,

“Where did Otim buy the shoes from?” “Otim bought the shoes from the

marketr,” Otim answers.

……………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………….

4. The children play in the garden. The children play hide and seek.

………………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………….

5. This is a dog. The dog lives in the dog’s kennel. The dog likes to eat bones.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

……………………………………………………………………………………..

REQUESTS ON ICT IMPLEMENTATION

http://www.abcteach.com/grammer/pronouns.htm

http://esl.about.com/cs/beginner/f/f pronouns.htm

REFERENCES:

1. Sesnam, B. (1997).How to teach English. Oxford University Press. Oxford Ox2, 6DP.

2. National Curriculum development centre.(2003). The integrated English Syllabus and Teacher’s Guide.S.1 to S IV. National Curriculum Development Centre, Kampala, Uganda.

3. Forrest. R. (2005). Revised English. New Edition. Longman Group Limited.

4. Pearson.R Education Limited. Essex CM20 2JE, England.

Unit : 3

Subject: English

Topic : Writing

Sub- topic 3: Past simple tense (simple past)

Time required: Minimum 2 lessons (80 minutes)

Maximum 4 lessons (160 minutes)

Brief description of sub-topic.

The past simple tense is used to describe events and states, which are thought of as completed in the past. In this sub-topic emphasis is going to be put on how different verbs (regular and irregular ones) change especially the spellings, when they are used in the simple past.

We use the simple past for many kinds of past events, short, quickly finished actions and happenings, longer situations and repeated events.

The simple past is common in stories and descriptions of past events. In general the past simple is used when we do not have a special reason for using one of the other tenses.

Main content and concepts to emphasise:

• The simple past /past simple tense often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time as in: She received his letter a week ago,

: He left the job last year.

• Sometimes this tense is used without an adverb of time. In such cases the time

may be either implied or indicated by the context as in :

: I learnt French in school

: I didn’t sleep well (last night)

• The past simple is also used for past habits as in:

: He studied many hours every day.

: She always carried a basket.

Most regular verbs: Add -ed	Work  worked Stay  stayed Show  showed Wonder  wondered Visit  visited
Verbs ending in – e: Add - d	Hope  hoped Decide  decided
Verbs ending in one stressed vowel plus one consonant (except worry): Double the consonant and add – ed But (last syllable not stressed).	Shop  shopped Plan  planned Refer  referred
Verbs ending in consonant + -y: Change y to i and add –ed But (vowel + -y):	Hurry  hurried Cry  cried Study  studied Play  played

Spellings of regular affirmative past tense forms.

NOTES FOR THE TEACHER.

Answering in the past tense

Questions with question-word, demand complete answer. Inversion questions should be answered in short form e.g. - What did he write? He wrote plays

- Did you see him? No, I didn’t.

The past simple often ends in –ed (regular verbs)

• I work in a school canteen now. Before that I worked in a shop.

• They played all day.

• The doctor called me last night.

• Y changes to i before the ending – ed as in hurry/hurried, study/studied,

apply /applied, try /tried.

• An exception is pay/paid, lay/laid, say /said.

• Before the ending –ed , we double the consonant at the end. So p  pp,

n  nn as in:

• Stop / stopped
• Plan /planned
• Rub /rubbed

• If the word has more than one syllable, we double the consonant at the end only

if the final syllable is stressed:

• preFER / preferred.
• BeGIN / beginning
• ReGRET / regretted.

• If the final syllable is not stressed, we do not double the final consonant:

• VISit / visited
• HAPpen /happened

• In British English verbs ending in –ll have –ll before –ed whether the final

syllable is stressed or not. travel /travelled, cancel / cancelled.

• We do ot double the final consonant if the word ends in two consonants

(-rt, -lp, ng etc): start/ started, help/helped.

• We do not double the final consonant if there are two vowel letters before it

(-oil, -eed, etc): boil/boiled, need / needed, explain / explained.

• We do not double y or w at the end of words: stay/stayed.

For the irregular verbs, a list of such verbs should be provided for the learners. They are called irregular because they do not end in – ed or d. When they change to the past simple tense. Some of such verbs are.

Beat beaten Tear torn

Win won Hold held

Ring rang Lead led

See saw Make made

Sing sang Sell sold

Spoil spoilt Sit sat

Teach taught. Sweep swept

Bend bent

Break broke

Build built

Catch caught

Cut cut

Dig dug

Draw drawn

Fight fought

Grid ground

The past tense has the following four forms:

1. I loved (simple past)
2. I was loving (past continuous)
3. I had loved (past perfect)
4. I had been loving (past perfect continuous)

The past tense in conclusion can be said to be used for:

1. Narrating past events (which happened on one past occasion).
2. Expressing events that happened regularly in the past.

The past tense is used with:

1. Non- clauses e.g. yesterday, ten minutes ago.
2. Clauses of time e.g. when I reached home.

Activity 1

Give the correct past tense form of the verb in brackets.

1. My friends (see) the Queen.

2. He (fall) a sleep while he was driving.

3. He (go) out fire minutes ago.

4. When he lived in London, he (go) to the cinema once a week.

5. Every day last week the maid (break) a plate.

6. The bus (leave) before we reached the station.

7. I (dream) I was in an aeroplane.

8. He (wait) for her in vain.

9. He (travel) a lot when he was a soldier.

10. Here is the man who (steal) a sheep from the old man.

Answers to activity 1

1. saw 8. waited
2. fell 9. travelled
3. went 10. stole.
4. went
5. broke
6. left
7. dreamt

Activity 2

Write a letter to your friend telling him/her how you spent your Easter/ Christmas holidays.

(As you mark this letter, pay attention to the student ‘s use of the past tense).

Activity 3.

Write out the following, using the verbs in brackets in the past simple tense form:

Winnie’s graduation party.

1 2

On the day of the party, Winnie (be) very nervous. She (feel) sure that something

3

wrong was going to happen . so she (pray) in the morning before getting out of bed., she

4 5 6

(go) to the kitchen to see what her mother (be) doing . She was (surprise) to see that

7

the cooking was almost (did).

8 9

The guests (arrive) on time and the party (start) at 2.00pm. Many of her friends

10 11 12

(come) and she was happy that they had not (disappoint) her. There (be) lots of drinks

13

and enough to eat. The guests (bring) a number of presents to congratulate Winnie on

14

her achievement. At the end of the day Winnie (thank) God for a successful day.

Answers to Activity 3

1. was

2. felt
3. prayed
4. went
5. was
6. surprised
7. done
8. arrived
9. started
10. came
11. disappointed
12. was
13. brought
14. thanked.

Activity 4

For each of the sentences below, re-write the sentences as instructed in the brackets without changing the meaning or the past tense form.

1. I borrowed five thousand shillings from Tom. (Re-write using lend)

2. The players quarrelled with one another (Re-write using….among….)

3. I learnt how to read and write seven years ago. (Re-write beginning , It is seven years…….)

4. He worked hard because he wanted to join the university. (Re-write using ….so that…)

5. The difficult problem was solved by the teacher. (Re-write beginning: The teacher……)

6. Sany refused to give the reason for her coming late.(re-write…. Reason why…)

7. The teacher said that I must do the examination by myself. (Re-write beginning, The teacher insisted on ……)

8. A man visited our school last week. He was the minister of Education. (Re-write as one sentence using ……who…….)

9. It is four years since I joined this school. (Re-write beginning: I joined……)

10. The bird flew away. He was aiming at it. (Re-write as one sentence using: which)

Answers to Activity 4

1. I lent five thousand shillings to Tom.

2. The players quarrelled among themselves.

3. It is seven years since I learnt how to read and write.

4. He worked hard so that he would join the university.

5. The teacher solved the difficult problem.

6. Sany refused to give the reason why she was late.

7. The teacher insisted on my doing the examination myself.

8. The man who visited our school last week was the minister of Education.

(Note that a man becomes the man because we know who he was.)

9. I joined this school four years ago.

10. The bird which he was aiming at flew away.

REFERENCES

1. The integrated English Syllabus AND Teacher’s Guide by NCDC.

2. Living English Structure, 4th Education by N.Stannard Allen, 1964.

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Hazoll Watson and Viney ltd,

Aylesbury, Books

3. High school English Grammar and Composition, by Wren and Martin

Reprint 1998, published by S.chard and Company ltd, Rom Nagar, New Delhi.

4. Revision English, New Edition (129^th impression 2005) by Ronald Forrest. Published by Pearson Education ltd.

5. English in use, An English course for secondary schools, by Neville

J.H. Grant and C.R Wang’ombe 1980.Pearson Education ltd.

6. Integrated English, A Course for Ugandan Secondary Schools, Students

book 1,first Published 1991 by Macmillan Uganda (Publishers) ltd.

Sub-topic 4: Developing the writing skill using the Present Perfect Tense.

Brief description of the sub-topic.

The present perfect tense is a form of a verb that shows a period of time up to and including the present, formed in English with the present tense of the verb ‘have’ as in ‘He has gone and a past participle. e.g. I have worked.

This tense may be said to be a sort of mixture of present and past. It always implies a strong connection with the present and is chiefly used in conversations, letters, newspapers and television or radio reports. It’s therefore appropriate for the development of the writing skill.

The writing skill in language skills is a production skill which focuses on the ability to communicate with use of putting words on any reading material that is, paper, board and any alike.

Main content and concepts to emphasise.

There are six uses of the present perfect tense.

1. The present perfect used with just for a recently completed action.

E.g. He has just gone out, which means he went out a few minutes ago.

‘Just’ is placed between the auxiliary and main verb.

2. The present perfect for past actions whose time is not definite, e.g.

1. I have read the instructions but I don’t understand them.

This is when the time is not known for the action.

2. Tom has had a bad car crash.

This is when the recent actions have results in the present.

3. I have seen wolves in that forest.

This is when the actions have occurred further back in the past, provide

The connection with the present is still maintained, that is that the action could be repeated in the present.

3. The present perfect used for actions occurring in an incomplete period.

e.g.

1. Tom has rung up three times this morning already.

 That is when its still a morning-before 12 pm.

2. There have been some changes lately.

Actions done in the recent past are likely to continue.

4. The present perfect used for an action that lasts throughout an incomplete

period. Time expressions include ‘for’ ‘since’; e.g.

(i) He has been in the army for two years i.e. He is still in the army.

For the actions that begins in the past and continues past the time

of speaking in the present.

(ii) Sometimes, however, the action finishes at the time of speaking.

e .g. I haven’t seen you for ages (meeting someone and now you

see them).

It has been very cold lately but its just beginning to get warmer.

3. Verbs of knowing, believing and understanding cannot be used

in the present perfect except as shown in (i) .e.g.

• I have known him for a long time.
• I have never believed their theories.

5. The present perfect used with ‘for’ and ‘since’ e.g.

1. We lived there for ten years
2. She has been here since six o’clock
3. We ‘ve been friends since our school days.

6. Other uses e.g. I have always lived in a house boat. (Still there and possibly will be)

1. In broad casts: ‘Thirty thousand pounds’ worth of Jewellery has been

stolen from Jonathan Wild and Company, the Jewellers. The thieves broke

into the flat above sometime during Sunday night.

2. In letters: I am sorry I haven’t written before but I have been very busy

lately.

Activity. 1

Look at the following advertisement for camp leaders and write a short paragraph about yourself in response to the advertisement.

Wanted: 5 Girls and 5 Boys, ages 12-15 years

Job: Leaders at a holiday camp for 5-10years old.

Responsibility: participate in daily activities with campers, offering encouragement

and assistance while setting a good example. Activities include:

swimming, dancing, football, netball, handcrafts, singing, cooking ,

looking after the camp.

Are you one of the people we are looking for? Just answer the following questions to find out:

HAVE YOU EVER:

• Taught someone how to swim?
• Been responsible for your house?
• Cooked a meal for your family?
• Danced in a troupe?
• Played in a football or a netball team?
• Made a gift for someone?
• Sung in a choir?
• Offered help to a younger child?

You can begin like this:

I have not taught anyone to swim, but I am a good swimmer and I enjoy the water. I have been responsible for my house. My mother has a big garden and so I help in the house a lot…

Activity. 2

Read the expressions given in this poem and do the exercise after it.

Friendship’s way.

As with you I have walked up the paths

On the hill side,

Loving it all the day,

And I have loved the sweet song of the brook as it tumbled.

Sparkling with spray.

Walking with you, friendships way.

And with you I have sung all the airs that

We loved so

Songs both tender and gay

And the echo I loved as it rose from the valley,

Lit by the sun’s rays

Walking with you friendship’s way.

Now write four simple sentences about things you have done with a friend.

(Remember these should be in the present perfect tense).

Activity. 3

Change the following sentence to present perfect tense.

1. The classroom was swept yesterday.
2. The judge will give his sentence in court.
3. The choir sings in tune.
4. A train crashed yesterday.
5. Six boys were arrested in town
6. There is a fall in fuel prices
7. The media is getting comprehensive.
8. Eating meat is discouraged by doctors.
9. The bus to Jinja is leaving now.
10. We are in a serious meeting.

Answers.

1. The classroom has been swept
2. The judge has given his sentence in court.
3. The choir has sung in tune.
4. A train has just crashed.
5. Six boys have been arrested in town.
6. There has been a fall in fuel prices.
7. The media has gotten comprehensive.
8. Eating meat has been discouraged by Doctors.
9. The bus to Jinja has to leave now.
10. We have had a serious meeting.