GRADE 12 ENGLISH

HANDOUT FOR SECOND SEMESTER LESSON

APRIL 1, 2020
MINDESIL NIGUSSIE
e-mail: [email protected]. Mobile No. +251936458789
UNIT 7

FINDING A JOB: Language Focus; Relative Clauses

UNIT 8

HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: Language Focus; Modals of ability, possibility (can, may,

might)

UNIT 9
TRADITION VERSUS PROGRESS: Writing; Report

UNIT 10

FUTURE THREATS: Language Focus; Quantifiers (Some, Any, No, None)

UNIT 11

THE FILM INDUSTRY: Exam strategies

UNIT 12

CLASS MAGAZINE: Punctuation Marks

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 Grade 12 English: Compelled by Mindesil N.

UNIT 7
FINDING A JOB
LANGUAGE FOCUS ; RELATIVE CLAUSES
A relative clause begins with relative pronouns such as who, whom, which, that, whose, of
which, where etc.

e.g. The book is about a girl who falls in love with Tom.

The underlined part of the above sentence is a relative clause. It gives additional information
about the noun “girl”.

Generally, there are two kinds of relative clauses

1. Defining Relative Clause

 This describes the preceding noun in such a way so as to distinguish it from other nouns of
the same class.
 A clause of this kind is essential to the clear understanding of the noun. Examples;
 I meet someone who said he knew you
 The girls who serve in this shop are the owner’s daughters
 Notice that there is no comma between the noun and the defining relative clause. Also, “that”
can be used with this clause.
Examples
 The man who robbed you has been arrested (subject, person)
 The man who/whom/that I saw told me to come back today (Object, person)
 The woman whose son I helped was very happy (possessive)
 This is the picture which/that causes impression (subject, thing)
2. Non-defining Relative Clause
 This clause is placed after nouns which are definite already. They do not define the noun,
but simply add extra information. i.e. They are not essential in the sentence
 They are separated by comma.
 “that” cannot be used with this clause

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Example
 Kenenisa, who is Ethiopian athlete, won the marathon race.
 I invited Ali, who is my neighbor.
Example
 My neighbor, who is pessimistic, says there will not be good harvest this year.
 This is Bekele, whose father lives in Germany.
 These books, which you can get at any shop, are valuable.
Exceptions
 Qualifier (all, both, most, several etc.) + of + whom/which
e.g. Her sons, both of whom study abroad, call her up every week.
 Preposition for /to/ with + whom/which
This is Chala for whom I lent my computer.

Exercise
CHOOSE THE ALTERNATIVE THAT BEST ANSWERS EACH QUESTION
1. Anyone ___________ wants to drive a car must have his driving license.
A. who B. whom C. that D. A and C
2. My classmate knows a person________ can paint beautiful pictures
A. Who B. whom C. which D. whose
3. I have a cousin _________ can speak five languages.
A. Whose B. who C. that D. B and C
4. My friend, _________ grandfather’s name is the same as mine, is here today.
A. Who B. whom C. whose D. which
5. __________ do you think will come tonight?
A. Whom B. who C. whomever D. that
6. Will the delegate from the parliament indicate_______ he wants to support?
A. Whom B. what C. that of D. which
7. Sara: I am going downtown
Helen: ________________?
Sara: With my mother.
A. Whose with B. Who with C. Which with D. With who
8. These are the students from my village both of ___________study medicine.
A. Who B. that C. whom D. all
Writing; A letter of Application and CV (Curriculum Vitae)
 When you apply for a job, you have to sell yourself. Every aspect of the letter is important:
neat writing and appearance, clean paper, good use of English and correct spelling, all are the
necessary information, the correct length, politeness, formal layout and style.
Steps to follow when writing an application letter (Cover letter)

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 Begin the letter by referring to the advertisement and the name of the newspaper where you
saw it.
 Give necessary information about yourself: age, schools attended, examinations passed,
subjects taken, languages spoken etc.
 Give any other useful information such as relevant experience, posts of responsibility inside
or outside school.
 Include the names of two referees who are willing to answer questions about you.

A Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A curriculum vitae often shortened as CV or Vitae, is written overview of someone’s life’s work
(academic formation, publications, qualifications etc.). In many countries, a CV is typically the
first item that a potential employer encounters regarding the job seeker and is typically used to
screen applicants often followed by an interview. Vitae may also be requested for applicants to
post-secondary programs, scholarships and grants.

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Sample CV

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 INCREASE YOUR WORD POWER
Techniques of guessing the meaning of unfamiliar words
1. Contextual Analysis
This is a technique of guessing the meaning of a word from the specific meaning a word has
in a particular sentence. A word may have denotation meaning (dictionary meaning) and
connotation meaning (contextual meaning). Contextual meaning is the attitude & feelings
associated with the word. For example, if you see the word “Orthodox”, its dictionary
meaning is ‘straight or accepted as true by most people’, but in the example below it means
different. This is called contextual meaning.
e.g. The doctor advised me to take orthodox medicine before exploring alternative therapy.
Orthodox means conventional
e.g. The manager told clearly that he would cashier the servant from office if he continued to
misbehave. Here, cashier means fire or sack or dismiss.
2. Word Analysis
This is a technique of splitting up a word into its prefix, base word and suffix to find the
meaning of an unfamiliar word. For example, the word ‘insurmountable’ can be splitted into
‘in-sur-mount-able’. The base word is ‘mount’ which means ‘climb’. Hence, insurmountable
means very difficult to overcome.
e.g. The Corona Virus has caused insurmountable crisis to countries in the world.
Others
Ir/re/pre/ssible- unrestrained
In/conceiv/able-unthinkable
In/calcul/able- very great, difficult to calculate
In/comprehens/ible- difficult to understand
The above words have a negative meaning due to their negative prefixes. However, this logic
does not work for all English words. The words below, for example, have positive meaning in
spite of their negative prefix or suffix.
Example
Priceless – highly pricy e.g. life is priceless
Invaluable – highly valuable
Inflammable – highly flammable
3. The Comma
The comma technique tells us that two words separated by a comma but used in one sentence
are technically synonyms. The word after the comma is an alternative for the preceding word.
e.g. Although the surgeon was outstanding in performance his attempt to save the life of the
patient met a fiasco, failure. Here, fiasco means failure.

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4. Conjunction ‘Or’
Two words joined by conjunction or are generally synonyms.
e.g. Because the manager cannot attend the meeting himself he had to send a surrogate or
deputy. Surrogate means deputy or vice.
5. Definition
This technique is used when a technical term is defined where another approximately the
same meaning word is used in the definition.
e.g. A sycophant is a person who tries to win favor by flattery. Here the word flattery is used
to describe the character of a sycophant person, so sycophant means ‘flattener’.
e.g. Skepticism is the view that one has to doubt everything & anything including his own
sight. Here, skeptic means doubtful.

Exercise
I. CHOOSE THE ALTERNATIVE WORD THAY IS THE SAME OR NEARLY THE
SAME IN MEANING AS THE ORIGINAL WORD UNDERLINED.
1. Although she continued to predict victory, captain Helen was really not sanguine about her
team’s prospect.
A. hopeful B. cynical C. joyful D. skeptic
2. After a hectic year in the city, George was glad enough to return to the peace and quiet of the
country.
A. placid B. unstable C. long D. new
3. After a good deal of coaxing, the mother finally acceded to the children’s request.
A. accessed B. accented C. assented D. asserted
4. The loud, raucous laughter of the troops irritated the lieutenant.
A. coarse B. pleasant C. melodious D. juicy
5. The painting clearly shows the aegis or shield of Athens.
A. defence B. edifice C. moll D. history
6. A large constrictor grabs its prey in its mouth and quickly coils itself around the victim to
immobilize it.
A. kill B. prevent from moving C. drive away D. hunt

The present perfect

Form : has / have + V3
e.g. We have learnt English since KG1.

Uses

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 The present perfect is used to express an action which happened at a definite time in the past
and is still going on. This tense connects the past with the present. It can be used with time
markets since and for.
e.g. We have lived in Adama since 2000. (We are still living in Adama)
N.B. ‘for’ can be used with either the present perfect or the simple past.
e.g. We have lived in Nairobi for 10 years. (we are still in Nairobi)
e.g. We lived in Nairobi for 10 years. (we are not living in Nairobi currently but once we
were)
 Use the present perfect to denote an action which happened at an indefinite time in the past
(when time of action is not mentioned)
e.g. I have read the fiction Great Expectation
I have seen an elephant
 Also, use the present perfect with incomplete period of time such as this week, this year, this
evening etc.
e.g. I haven’t seen my friend Naol this week
Has been Vs has gone
I have gone to Sodore (I am still there)
I have been to Sodore (I have ever visited Sodore)
N.B. Have been shows life time experience of visiting a place.

Exercise
I. CHOOSE THE ALTERNATIVE THAT BEST ANSWERS EACH QUESTIONS
BELOW
1. The school ____________in 1984.
A. was founded C. has been founded
B. is founded D. had been founded
2. Elias ____________ in this school since he graduated.
A. is teaching C. was teaching
B. has been teaching D. had been teaching
3. The family _______ to Jimma last year and they are still there.
A. went B. has gone C. is going D. have gone
4. Since the day he ________ to this company, Ali has done a lot.
A. has come B. had come C. came D. have come
5. We ____________ about his success.
A. just heard B. just hear C. have just heard D. just hearing
6. He_______ ill last month but he _________ now.
A. has been / has recovered C. was / has recovered
B. has been / recovered D. was / recovered
7. No sooner he ________ than he __________ ill.
A. had arrived / falls C. had arrived/fell

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 B. arrives / has fallen D. arrived / will fall
8. Last Monday, when I ___________ the house, it ___________ heavily.
A. leave / rain B. left / had rained C. left / was raining D. was leaving / rained
Gerund and Infinitive
 A gerund is the ‘ing’ form of the verb that is used as a noun. A gerund is used in the same
way as a noun. It can be a subject, direct object or object of preposition.
Example
Reading is a fun.
Cooking requires skill.
My favorite exercise is swimming.
My parents objected to my swimming.
The following verbs are followed by gerund: enjoy, appreciate, mind, quit, stop, postpone, delay,
keep, consider, dislike, prevent, mist, despise, deny, admit, risk, finish, avoid, forget, recall,
tolerate, pardon, suggest, dread, involve, detest, advise, mention, recommend, resist, excuse,
understand, anticipate, discuss, worth, practice, regret, recollect, etc.
Examples
 I enjoy watching television
 He quit smoking
 An infinitive is the basic form of the verb preceded by to.
Example : to go, to come, to play.
An infinitive can be used as a noun (subject, object or object of preposition)
Example
 To refuse would have been costly.
 To skate is fun.
 He promised to be here.
 We managed to go.
 We decided to rest.
 The following verbs are followed by infinitive with to: afford, agree, appear, arrange,
manage, need, offer, plan, choose, attempt, aim, beg, care, wait, want, wish, hesitate, cease,
claim, consent, decide, prepare, pretend, promise, volunteer, demand, deserve, fail, forget,
refuse, regret, remember, hope, learn, seem, swear, happen, etc.
Example
 She promised to write everyday
 We arranged to meet at Ras Café.
 The following common verbs can be followed by either the gerund or the infinitive: ask, beg,
like, expect, hate, love, intend, mean, prefer, want, wish, forget, remember.
Example.
She likes playing chess.
She likes to play chess.

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N.B. Remember + gerund = past meaning
(forget)
Remember + infinitive = present meaning
(forget)
 I remember going to Cairo.
 I remember to go to Cairo.
Exercise
CHANGE THE VERB IN THE BRACKET INTO THE CORRECT FORM
1. Do you enjoy _________________ (dance)?
2. Where is Olana? He promised ___________ (come) yesterday.
3. Don’t forget __________ (do) your homework.
4. I don’t mind __________ (get up) early.
5. Ali suggested __________ (meet) at six o’clock.
6. I like __________ (drink) water every morning.
7. I don’t remember ___________ (see) that watch before.
8. Please remember _________ (lock) the door when you leave.

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 UNIT 8
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Language Focus;
Modals of ability, possibility
(can, may, might)
CAN
 It expresses present ability (physical, skill or capacity). This kind of ability is usually
general.
Example
 I can speak Arabic. (skill)
 I can lift up 200kg weight. (physical)
 This bottle can hold 3 liters of water. (capacity)
N.B. When you want to refer to ability at a specific situation you should use “am able
to/was able to”.
Example
 Last semester, I was able to score 100 in my Math subject.
 Could is the past form of can. It expresses past ability
Example
 I could walk 10 miles a day when I was a young.
 Can is also used to express permission & possibility.
Example
 Can I come in?
 Could I come in? (more polite)
Example
It can rain to night. (possibility)
MAY
The meaning of may is similar to that of can. It is used for asking permission, or expressing
possibility.
Might is another form of may. It is used to indicate uncertainty. It is used to make very polite
requests. May have and might have are both used to indicate that an event possibly happened.
Examples
 May I go to the store? (permission)
 You may have one chocolate bar. (give permission)
 John may have an extra pen. (possibility)
 It might rain tonight.
 It might have happened. (possibility about the past)

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 May can also be used to express ‘wish’
Example
 May you live long!
 May his soul rest in peace!

Exercise
I. CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. A: I wonder who took my umbrella.
B: It ______Sara. She is supposed to get up early.
A. might be C. must have been
B. had to be D. will be
2. Lucy is very late. She _________ her train.
A. may miss C. may have missed
B. had to miss D. should have missed
3. If you had explained your problem to me, I ________ to compete the exercise.
A. was able C. will have been able
B. would have been able D. could have
4. After looking at his notes again, he ________ to complete the exercise.
A. could B. was able to C. can D. has been able
5. Your umbrella is wet. It _________ raining.
A. must be B. was C. can’t be D. might
6. The flower is dead. May be I _________ it more water.
A. might give C. needed to give
B. should have given D. ought to have given
7. You __________ to see a doctor. You are perfectly healthy.
A. mustn't B. don’t need C. may not D. shouldn’t
Increase Your Word Power I
Words Relationship
1. Synonyms
They are words having the same or nearly the same meaning. Study list of synonyms below:
Example
brave – bold, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, gusty, gutty,
heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, valiant, valorous.
2. Antonyms
Antonyms are words having an opposite meaning. Let’s see antonyms for the same word brave.

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Example
brave – coward, fearful, gutless, chicken, chickenhearted, craven, nerveless, poor-spirited,
timorous, ungallant, yellow.
3. Homophones
These are words that sound alike but have different spelling & meaning.
Example
 Sea – See, Right – Write, Ship – Sheep, I – Eye
4. Homonyms
They are words having the same spelling & pronunciation but different meaning
Example
 bank - organization which keeps money
 bank – river side
Example
 train – to teach someone skills
 train – a vehicle
5. Palindromes
They are words which are read the same from left to right and from right to left
Example : level, radar, eve, bob
6. Acronyms
Acronym is a word formed from the first letters of each one of the words in a phrase.
Example : NATO, WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNESCO
N.B. Acronyms are different from abbreviations like Dr., Mr. etc.
Increase Your Word Power II
Adjectives + dependent prepositions
After many adjectives there are particular prepositions that must be used e.g. accused of. Some
adjectives can be followed by different prepositions. Sometimes each has different meaning
Example : surprised at/about

Study the following adjectives and their prepositions

Accustomed to Beneficial to Friendly with Insist on
Accused of Bored with Happy about Sympathetic with
Addicted to Busy with Keen on prone to
Afraid of Capable of Pleased with
Angry about/with Content with Famous for/as
Allergic to Delighted at Fond of
Amazed at Comfortable with Generous with
Appreciated for Eligible for Sick of
Bad/good at Enthusiastic about Die of/by
Excellent at Excited about Persist in

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Exercise
I. COMPLETE THE SENTENCE WITH SUITABLE PREPOSITION
1. My little brother is confident ____________himself.
2. The driver was amused __________the secretary.
3. He felt terrible __________ accepting the money.
4. What do you get angry __________?
5. What are you afraid ________?
6. What food are you not keen _________?
7. What is your country famous _________?
8. Ali Bira is famous _________ a singer?
9. When we were in high school we used to learn poem __________ our heart.
10. The man is said to have died _________ malaria.

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 UNIT 9
TRADITION VERSUS PROGRESS
Writing : Report
 Report is a process of writing what has been observed taking place at a definite time in the
past. In order to write report, we gather and remember the information personally observed or
what others reliably gathered and then systematize into sub-headings like Title, Introduction,
Finding, Recommendation, and Summary.
 In the field of natural science, report writing is an important skill. It has one general purpose;
to present information in a clear, orderly & objective manner.
 Any report may might also have a specific purpose. For example, some reports such as
progress reports & annual reports (in business) present facts. Progress reports tell how far
along a project is. Annual reports tell how an organization has performed during the year.
Task 1. Try to write a report of your annual academic activities in school.

Language Focus;
Causative Verbs
(Make, Let, Have, Get, Help)
A causative verb expresses the fact that one person or thing causes another person or thing to
perform an action. There are two main patterns with causatives.
a) Np1 + Causative +Actor + Bare infinitive + Object
e.g. He made the students do the work.
I will have you prepare the food.
We will let them sweep the floor.
He bade me carry the box.
He helped us clean the car.
N.B. “have” indicates force (whether physical or social) where as “get” indicates
persuasion and it is followed infinitive.
e.g. He got his friend to drive him home.
b) Np1 + Causative + Object + Past participle (V3)
e.g. He had his eyes examined.
The patient had his temp taken.
He had his tooth pulled out.
This pattern can be subdivided into two; intentional & unintentional
e.g. He got his hair cut. (intentional)
He had his watch stolen. (unintentional)

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Exercise
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. Tomorrow I’m going to ___________.
A. cut my hair C. have my hair cut
B. do my hair D. cutting my hair
2. You should get his floor __________.
A. polishing C. polished
B. polish D. to polish
3. She got the meat ____________.
A. cooked B. cook C. cooking D. for cook
4. My friend helped me ____________ my homework.
A. do B. to do C. doing D. done
5. The director doesn’t allow __________ in the class room.
A. to shout B. shouting C. to shouting D. shouted
6. The movie was so moving that it made all the girls _______ like baby.
A. to cry B. crying C. to crying D. cry

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 UNIT 10
FUTURE THREATS
Language Focus : Quantifiers
(Some, Any, No, None)
1. Some
It is used with both countable and uncountable nouns in the affirmative and question. Some
has the same meaning as a little or a few.
Example :
 I have some pain today. (a little)
 I can answer some of the questions. (a few)
2. Any
It is used with countable and uncountable nouns in the negative and question forms.
Example : Is there any sugar in the bowl? No, there isn’t any.
N.B. When any is used with adverbs barely, hardly, scarcely, etc., it expresses a more
negative meaning.
Example :
 I haven’t got any pencil.
 I have hardly any money.
3. No, None
No is an adjective and none is a pronoun. They are used with affirmative verbs to express a
negative meaning.
Example :
 He has no money.
 He has none.
Indefinite Pronoun
An indefinite pronoun is a pronoun to an identifiable but not specific person or thing. An
indefinite pronoun conveys the concept of some, any, no, none, each, and every. These are
somebody, someone, something, somewhere, anybody, anyone, anything, anywhere, nobody, no
one, nothing, nowhere, everybody, everyone, everything, everywhere, etc.
Example : I have got nothing to do, so I want to go somewhere with someone.
N.B. Somebody is used to express positive idea with positive verb. Anybody is used with
negative idea & negative verb. Nobody is used to express negative idea but with positive
verb.

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Exercise
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. I haven’t _______ money but I can give you __________ oranges.
A. some / any B. any/some C. some/some D. any/any
2. A: Do you need __________ help?
B: No thanks. I haven’t found _________ difficultly with this exercise.
A. some/some B. any/some C. some/any D. some/no
3. I don’t know what you are worried about because there isn’t _______ following you.
A. nothing B. someone C. anyone D. no one
4. What do you think is going wrong? _________ appeared for the exam.
A. Anyone B. Someone C. No one D. Only a little
5. Did he say he scored 100%? Oh no! He is _________ close to that.
A. anywhere B. somewhere C. nowhere D. not around
6. We left the hall because there was ________ for us to sit and attend the meeting.
A. nowhere B. everywhere C. nothing D. something
7. I am content with ________ of there two hats. I like them both equally.
A. every B. neither C. either D. some
8. Better leave it! That gets you ___________.
A. nowhere B. everywhere C. somewhere D. there
9. ____________ could I read your name. Weren’t you there?
A. Nowhere B. Somewhere C. Anywhere D. Everywhere
10. That was a very stupid mistake; we must all say ________ again.
A. ever B. never C. none D. no

Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal verbs are verbs that consist of a phrase of two or three words. The first word so a simple
verb e.g. book, take, make, call etc. and this is followed by a simple adverb or preposition such
as in, out, to, up, down, at, over, on, and off. Meaning changes when you change the preposition.
Example
Look at – see (involuntary)
Look on – watch e.g. he looked on anxiously from the side lines.
Look for – search
Look into – investigate
Look after – give a care
Look up – find a word in a dictionary
Look up to – to admire or respect someone
Look to – to hope or expect to get help or advice from someone

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Look over – to examine especially in hasty way
Look in – to visit somebody for a short time on your way to somewhere
Look down on – underestimate
1.1. Phrasal Verbs with Direct Object (transitive)
a) Inseparable (the direct object always follows the participate)
 Come across
e.g I wasn’t looking for it. I came across it by chance.
 Get over = (recover from illness)
e.g. She has got over her cold.
 Get on with (someone) – be good friends.
e.g. I get on with my friend Alex
 Get on with (Something) – Continue or make a progress
e.g. Can you get on with the house work while I go shopping?
 Put up with = tolerate e.g.
e.g. I can’t put up with your bad behavior
 Get away with – escape proper punishment
e.g. The suspect get away with the murder.
b) Separable
Sometimes the direct object can come between the verb and the adverb particle. If the
object is a noun it can be placed either after or before the participate.
Example
Do up = to wrap up
e.g. Can you do my dress up? I can’t reach the zip at the back.
Put on – wear
e.g. Put on your hat
Make up - Use cosmetics. e.g. She uses a lot of make-up.
Fabricate. e.g. That is not true! He made the whole story up.
Compensate. e.g. We have a make-up class.
Call off – Cancel.
e.g. The meeting has been called off.
Put off – Post pone.
e.g. The exam has been put off until tomorrow.
Put up – Give a shelter.
e.g. Can you put me up for the night?
1.2. Phrasal Verbs with no Direct Object (Intransitive):
Pass away, give in, take off, get by, boil over, clear up
Example
 Don’t answer back
 The man passed away last night

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  We will continue the match when the weather clears up
 Can you move please? I can’t get by (survive)
 Don’t shout! I give in. (submit)

Exercise
CHOOSE THE PHRASAL VERB THAT IS MOST SUITABLE TO COMPLETE THE
SENTENCE
1. There was a robbery at the bank and the police are _________ the matter.
A. up to B. in on C. in to D. through
2. At least half a dozen people ______ (watched with out doing anything) while the man was
being attacked.
A. looked at B. looked on C. looked over D. looked into
3. I have been trying to call you, but there must be something wrong with the line. I can’t seem
to __________
A. get down B. get together C. get out D. get through
4. My sister was very cruel when she was a child. She used to catch spiders and ________ their
legs one by one.
A. pull up B. pull away C. pull off D. pull out
5. I nearly fainted when my dentist told me that he would have to ________ two of my teeth.
A. pull off B. pull away C. pull up D. pull out
6. Thieves held _______ a bank in Manchester and got away with 50,000 pounds.
A. on B. out C. over D. up
7. She is very important to him. He wouldn’t get ________ without her.
A. over B. by C. down D. round
8. How is Janet _______ (progressing) in her new school?
A. coming round B. going on C. getting on D. getting in
9. It is very kind of you to put me _______ for the night, Alex.
A. along B. down C. in D. up
10. Sara promised to _________ at Josh’s birthday party.
A. show up B. show off C. show down D. show through

Narrative Tenses
The simple past, past continuous, the past perfect and past perfect continuous are said to be
narrative tenses for we use them in reporting of past events.

1. The Simple Tense

 This tense is used to denote an action which happened at a definite time in the past.
e.g. last year, yesterday, ago, when I was a child, when I was in Rome etc.
e.g. Ethiopians defeated fascist Italy at the battle of Adwa.

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 19

 Also, use this tense to express as short past action that interrupts another long past action that
was taking place.
e.g. I was watching a movie when the fire broke out last night
It was raining when I left home yesterday.
N.B. If both actions are longer, use past continuous to describe the actions.
e.g. It was raining while I was studying last night.
When = at that time
While = during that time
2. The Past Perfect
Form: had + V3
 This tense, which is also called the before tense, is used to express a past action which took
place before another past action. In this sense, it is a past before the past.
e.g. The dog touched the meat.
She threw the meat away.
She threw the meat away because the dog had touched it.
She completed high school
She studied music
 After she had completed high school, she studied music. Or Before she studied music she had
completed high school.
N.B. Do not use the past perfect if two actions happen at the same time or with no time
gap instead use the simple past.
e.g. He mounted his horse and rode away.
N.B. Misusing the past perfect can cause difference in meaning. Study the following
pairs of sentences.
e.g. She married when she was 18. (at 18)
She had married when she was 18. (before 18)
When the police arrived, the thieves ran away.
When the police arrived, the thieves had run away.

Exercise
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. She ________ you a letter three weeks ago.
A. send B. had sent C. sent D. has sent
2. Long ago people _______ little about those minerals.
A. had known B. knew C. have known D. will know
3. Before Luis Pastor died, he ______ the science of bacteriology.
A. discovered B. has discovered C. discovers D. discovered
4. He felt that he _________ it wrong.
A. has made B. was made C. made D. had made

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 20

5. Yesterday at this time it _______________.
A. had snowed B. was snowing C. had been snowing D. snowed
6. He was looking at the girl wondering where he ________ her before.
A. saw B. has seen C. had seen D. was seeing
7. Before answering the telephone, he _________ down the table.
A. laid B. lay C. was lying D. had laid
8. Nick _______ he ________his home work by 4 o’clock.
A. says / has done C. says / do
B. said / has done D. said / had done
9. By next year, we _________ entrance exam.
A. will take B. had taken C. will have taken D. are going to take
10. Do you think our teacher __________ our exercise by next Monday?
A. will correct C. is going to correct
B. will be correcting D. will have corrected
11. It ________ that the government would do something to relieve the situation.
A. is assumed B. was assuming C. assumed D. was assumed
12. I hate it when my boiled egg ______ properly.
A. not done B. was done C. isn’t done D. won’t be done
13. A: What happened to traffic in a traffic jam?
B: It _________ up.
A. is held B. has been held C. weren’t made D. was held
14. When I arrived no arrangements _______________.
A. had been made C. weren’t made
B. hadn’t been made D. have been made
15. Some parents shout in pain while ________ an injection.
A. giving B. given C. being given D. have been given

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 UNIT 11
THE FILM INDUSTRY
Exam strategies
How to work out reading comprehension questions
1. Read the entire passage and the questions before you do anything
 If you do not familiarize yourself with the passage first, looking for answers becomes not
only time consuming but also dangerous.
2. Familiarize yourself with reading comprehension questions
 If you are familiar with the common types of reading questions, you are able to take note
of important parts of the passage, saving time. There are six major kinds of reading
questions.
a) Main idea
Questions that ask for central thought /gist/ theme of the passage. Main idea is usually
located at the beginning or end of the passage.
b) Specific details
Questions that ask for explicitly stated ideas in the passage.
c) Drawing inferences
Questions that ask for a statement’s intended meaning
Example
Shetty likes to help people. She loves her job because she gets to help people every single day.
However, she has to work long hours and she can get called in the middle of the night for
emergencies.
Question: What is most likely Shelly’s job?
A. Musician B. Lawyer C. Doctor D. Teacher
We can infer that Shelly is a doctor.
d) Tone or attitude
Questions that test your ability to sense the emotional state of the author e.g. angry,
worried, cynical (doubtful), optimistic etc.
e) Context meaning
Questions that ask for the meaning of a word depending on the context.
f) Technique
Questions that ask for the method of organization or writing style of the author. The
following are some of the methods and styles;
 Cause & effect
 Compare & contrast
 Problem & solution
 Classification
 Rhetorical question

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  Definition
 Metaphor
 Simile
3. Read the passage carefully noting significant characters or events. Quickly jot down or
underline one word summaries of characters, notable happenings, numbers, key ideas etc.
4. Now, read the questions and all the choices
5. Mark the answer
How to work out jumbled sentences (Para jumbles)
Para jumbles are jumbled paragraphs. Basically, you are given a paragraph but the sentences are
not in the right order. It is up to you to rearrange them.
Solving jumbled paragraphs is a science. It is so much of a science that you can obtain an
accuracy of 100% even if you are not good reader.
Principles
1. Establish link between two sentences and then examine the options.
Suppose you establish a link ‘BA’. The given options are;
a. DABC b. ACDB c. CBAD d. DBAC
Now, if you find the topic to be c, the order becomes C,B,A,D
2. Use transition words as clues
Transition words make the shift from one idea to another very smooth. They organize and
connect the sentence logically. “also, again, now, first, then, generally, finally etc.”
3. Person pronoun as clue
Personal pronouns are he, she, it, her, you etc. Remember that personal pronouns always
refer to a person, place or thing which must have been mentioned before.
4. Demonstrative pronouns as clue
The demonstrative pronouns are this, that, there, those. Wherever a sentence contains a
demonstrative pronoun without mentioning the noun, it means that the previous sentence
must be mentioning that noun.
5. Time sequence approach
Time markers used in the paragraph can lead into correct order of the paragraph.
Example
A. But in the industrial era destroying enemy’s productive capacity means bombing the
factories which are located in the cities.
B. So in the agrarian era, if you need to destroy the enemy’s productive capacity, what you
want to do is bum his fields or salt them.
C. Now in the information era, destroying the enemy’s productive capacity means
destroying the information infrastructure.
D. How do you do battle with your enemy?
E. The idea is to destroy the enemy’s productive capacity, and depending up on the
economic foundation, but productive capacity is different in each case.

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 F. With regard to defence, the purpose of the military is to defend the nation and be
prepared to do battle with its enemy.
a. FDEBAC b. FCABED c. DEBACF d. DFEBAC
The correct answer is “a”. We can see that sentences A, B, C, & E cannot be topics. The topic is
F. Sentence F is more general than D. Sentence F is about military whereas sentence D is about
battle which is specific. Once you identify the topic, try to create a link. In this case, ‘EB’ is a
link (in sentence E (“each case”) directs the idea into three different era – agrarian, industrial,
and information chronologically). Therefore, the order becomes FDEBAC.
Language Focus; Reported Speech (RS)
When we report what the speaker said without using the exact words, we call that reported
speech. Shortly, it is a way of passing information from one person to a third person.
Example
 He said, “I will come”. (DS)
 He said that he would come. (RS)
1. Statement report
When reporting a statement, there is often change of tense, pronoun and adverb.
 The tense changes one step into the past
s.present → s.past
present continuous → past continuous
past simple → past perfect
present perfect → past perfect
will → would
can → could
may → might
 Pronouns also change
I → he/she or remains I
You → he/she or remains you
He/she → remains he/she
We → they
They → remains they
 Adverb changes
Now → then
This → that
These → those
Here → there
Today → that day
Yesterday → the day before
The day before yesterday → two days before
Tomorrow → the next day
The day after tomorrow → in two days’ time

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 Next week → the following week
Last week → the previous week
Example
 He said, “I eat bread.”
He said that he ate bread.
 He said, “I am eating bread.”
He said that he was eating bread.
 He said, “I ate bread.”
He said that he had eaten bread.
 He said, “I have eaten bread.”
He said that he had eaten bread.
N.B. In reporting habitual actions & general truth, there will not be change in tense.
e.g. He said, “my father smokes.”
He said that his father smokes.
e.g. Our chemistry teacher said, “Hydrogen & Oxygen give water”
Our chemistry teacher said that Hydrogen & Oxygen give water.
2. Question report
a) Questions that need yes/no answer take “whether or if”
e.g. He asked, “do you like spaghetti?”
He asked me if (whether) I liked spaghetti.
b) Questions that need explanation take “asked/wanted to know + Wh + S + V
e.g. He asked, “why are you late?”
He asked why I was late.
c) Reporting Imperatives
e.g. “Stand-up” he ordered us.
He ordered us to stand up.
e.g. “Don’t shout!” mother warned.
Mother warned us not to shout.

Exercise
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. Mother asked me __________
A. Why I have spent all the money
B. That I had spent all the money.
C. If I had spent all the money.
D. When I spend all the money.
2. He said, “I am very busy today.”
He said _______________
A. He had been very busy that day
B. He is very busy today

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 25

 C. He was very busy that day
D. I had been very busy that day
3. Lensa, “where have you been yesterday?”
Lensa asked _________________
A. Where she had been the day before
B. Where she had been yesterday
C. Where she was the day before
D. Where she could be the day before
4. “Don’t play in the street!”.
A. My mother told me don’t play in the street
B. My mother said to play in the street
C. My mother told me not to play in the street
D. My mother said I should play in the street
5. She told him that she _______ to see him the following day.
A. will come B. came C. come D. would come
Additional to Remarks made
In order to avoid needless repetition of words in an awkward sounding pattern of speech, we
usually makes a statement and then make a short addition.
e.g. You like to argue unnecessarily. My brother likes to argue unnecessarily.
 You like to argue unnecessarily, and so does my brother.
 You like to argue unnecessarily, and my brother does too.
a) Positive
i. So (so + aux+ subj)
ii. Too (subj+ aux + too)
e.g. We are very happy. They are very happy.
 We are very happy, and so are they.
 We are very happy, and they are too.
b) Negative
i. Neither (neither + aux + subj)
ii. Not, either (subj + aux + either)
e.g. We are not very happy. They are not very happy.
 We aren’t very happy, and neither are they.
 We aren’t very happy, and they aren’t, either.
Contrary addition
→ We use but
i. Elias speaks Russian but Almaz doesn’t
Elias doesn’t speak Russian but Almaz does.

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 Exercise
CHOOSE THE CORRECT ANSWER
1. We always do the work, ___________
A. and so she does. C. and she does, too.
B. and she does so. D. and too she does.
2. She won’t tell you, ___________
A. and so we won’t. C. and we won’t, too.
B. and neither will we. D. and neither we, too.
3. I did my work but _____________
A. you did also. C. you can’t do yours.
B. you will do yours. D. you didn’t do yours.
4. I am very happy over the result, _____________
A. and truly sister. C. and my sister is, too.
B. And my sister, too. D. and so my sister is.
5. She writes very fast, ____________
A. and I can’t, too. C. and so do I.
B. and I can, too. D. and I did, too.
6. I have seen him, _____________
A. and you haven’t. C. but you didn’t.
B. and so you did. D. but you haven’t.
7. Our school is very near but ______________
A. your is also. C. yours isn’t.
B. your doesn’t. D. yours was so.

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 UNIT 12
CLASS MAGAZINE
Punctuation Marks
1. End Marks
1.1. A Period (Full stop)
 A statement is followed by a full stop.
e.g. Summer vacation begins in June.
 An abbreviation is followed by a full stop.
e.g. Dr.
Mr.
Dec.
1.2. Question Mark (?)
A question mark is used after direct question
e.g. Do you know that the assignment is?
N.B. Indirect questions, however, are not followed by a question mark but a full stop.
e.g. She wants to know what the assignment is.
N.B. A question mark should be placed in side quotation mark, when the quotation is a
question.
e.g. He asked, “Do you know what the assignment is?”
otherwise, it should be placed outside the quotation.
e.g. Did you say, “meet me at eight o’clock”?
e.g. Did he ask, “are you coming tonight?”?
1.3. An exclamation (!)
An exclamation mark is used in exclamatory sentences, and sometime sin imperatives.
e.g. What a beautiful dress!
What a goal!
How expensive!
You are kidding!
Right on!
N.B. Many exclamations begin either with a “What a …” or “How …” as in the examples.
 An interjection at the beginning of a sentence is usually followed by a comma.
e.g. Ah, there you have me!
Oh, I missed my keys!
 An imperative sentence may be followed by either a period or an exclamation point,
depending on the force intended.
e.g. Please reply by return mail.
Block that kick!

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 28

2. Middle Marks
2.1. The Comma
It is the most frequently used mark of punctuation.
Uses
a) To separate items in a series/list.
e.g. My mother has formerly worked as an ambassador in the following countries:
Moscow, Vienna, Madrid, and Berlin.
There were toys for children, tools for fathers, and books for mothers.
N.B. You can omit the comma before the “and” joining the last two items in a series if
the comma is not needed.
 Words customarily used in pairs are set off as one item in a series.
e.g. For lunch we served a fruit cup, macaroni and cheese, salad, ice cream and cake,
and coffee.
b) Use a comma after introductory elements like: well, yes, oh, no, why, yeah etc.
e.g. Behaving like a child, he disappointed. (phrase)
If I were you, I would help the poor. (clause)
c) Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, & yet when they join independent clauses
unless the clause is very short.
e.g. The first two acts were slow moving, but the third act was full of action.
You go ahead and I will follow.
d) Use a comma to separate non-essential clauses & phrases in a sentence.
e.g. Addis Ababa, which the capital of Ethiopia, has over 3 million populations.
My little brother, playing in the street, is genius.
e) Use a comma after direct address.
e.g. Samuel, please come here.
f) Use a comma to separate items in dates and addresses
e.g. Their baby was born on Monday, May 1, in 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland.
2.2. The Semi colon (;)
 The semi colon can be used to connect two independent clauses which are related
somehow.
e.g. I’m looking for my book; where do you suppose I put it?
The car is old; however, it works well.
 Semi colon can also be used to separate short clauses in a list after a colon has been used
especially if the list potentially causes a confusion.
e.g. Please do the following assignments for homework: read page 15 – 17 in you
Math test; finish the outline for your essay; finish reading the book “The Giver”.

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 29

 2.3. The Colon (:)
 Use a colon to introduce list of items
e.g. My mother has worked as an ambassador in the following countries : Berlin,
Vienna, Madrid, and Moscow.
Also, it can be used to separate two independent clauses in such a way that the second
clause is important & should be emphasized.
e.g. It has been snowing for three days straight: the roads around here aren’t very safe
for driving.
 Use the colon, also to introduce quotes and dialogues in a play.
e.g. Bob Proctor: You can start from nowhere and nothing but out of nothing &
nowhere a way can be made.

Exercise
CHOOSE THE ALTERNATIVE SENTENCE THAT IS CORRECT IN PUNCTUATION
1.
a) Spain is a beautiful country; the beache's are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
b) Spain is a beautiful country: the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
c) Spain is a beautiful country, the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
d) Spain is a beautiful country; the beaches are warm, sandy and spotlessly clean.
2.
a) The children's books were all left in the following places: Mrs Smith's room, Mr
Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.
b) The children's books were all left in the following places; Mrs Smith's room, Mr
Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.
c) The childrens books were all left in the following places: Mrs Smiths room, Mr Powells
office and the caretakers cupboard.
d) The children's books were all left in the following places, Mrs Smith's room, Mr
Powell's office and the caretaker's cupboard.
3.
a) She always enjoyed sweets, chocolate, marshmallows and toffee apples.
b) She always enjoyed: sweets, chocolate, marshmallows and toffee apples.
c) She always enjoyed sweets chocolate marshmallows and toffee apples.
d) She always enjoyed sweet's, chocolate, marshmallow's and toffee apple's.
4
a) Sarah's uncle's car was found without its wheels in that old derelict warehouse.
b) Sarah's uncle's car was found without its wheels in that old, derelict warehouse.
c) Sarahs uncles car was found without its wheels in that old, derelict warehouse.
d) Sarah's uncle's car was found without it's wheels in that old, derelict warehouse.

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 30

5
a) I can't see Tim's car, there must have been an accident.
b) I cant see Tim's car; there must have been an accident.
c) I can't see Tim's car there must have been an accident.
d) I can't see Tim's car; there must have been an accident.
6
a) Paul's neighbors were terrible; so his brother's friends went round to have a word.
b) Paul's neighbors were terrible: so his brother's friends went round to have a word.
c) Paul's neighbors were terrible, so his brother's friends went round to have a word.
d) Paul's neighbors were terrible so his brother's friends went round to have a word.
7
a) Tims gran, a formidable woman, always bought him chocolate, cakes, sweets and a nice
fresh apple.
b) Tim's gran a formidable woman always bought him chocolate, cakes, sweets and a nice
fresh apple.
c) Tim's gran, a formidable woman, always bought him chocolate cakes sweets and a nice
fresh apple.
d) Tim's gran, a formidable woman, always bought him chocolate, cakes, sweets and a
nice fresh apple.
8.
a) After stealing Tims car, the thief lost his way and ended up in the chief constable's
garage.
b) After stealing Tim's car the thief lost his way and ended up in the chief constable's
garage.
c) After stealing Tim's car, the thief lost his way and ended up in the chief constable's
garage.
d) After stealing Tim's car, the thief lost his' way and ended up in the chief constable's
garage.
9
a) We decided to visit: Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy's mountains.
b) We decided to visit Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italys mountains.
c) We decided to visit Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy's mountains.
d) We decided to visit Spain Greece Portugal and Italy's mountains.
10
a) That tall man, Paul's grandad, is this month's winner.
b) That tall man Paul's grandad is this month's winner.
c) That tall man, Paul's grandad, is this months winner.
d) That tall man, Pauls grandad, is this month's winner.

BBO / EXCEL ACADEMY 31