PASS WELL IN ENGLISH

THE GATE WAY TO SUCCESS

FOR
GRADE 10, 11 AND 12
STRUCTURES

STUDY NOTES AND QUESTIONS/ANSWERS IN:

 COMPARISONS
 DIRECT SPEECH
 INDIRECT SPEECH
 PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
 TIME CONJUNCTIONS/CLAUSES
 CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS
 DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES
 CONDITION
 CONTRAST
 SUBJECT VERB INVERSIONS
 LEXIS/PREPOSITIONS

COMPPOSITIONS

BRIEF NOTES ON:

 FORMAL LETTER
 ARTICLE
 SPEECH
 REPORT
 PROFILE
 EXAMINERS ADVICE

BY: LUKAMA K , Examiner English Paper 1 Volume 1- 2013 Edition

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT- SOLWEZI DAY SECONDARY SCHOOL

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 TRANSFORMATIONS
COMPARISONS

Comparisons are words used to compare two or more things. Comparisons are divided into two
namely comparatives and superlatives.

Comparatives are used to compare only two things and you add (-er) to a word to form the
comparative form.
E.g. Tall + er = Taller

John is taller than than James.

You are comparing two things in this regard. When you are comparing more than two things, you
add -est to form the superlative form

E.g. Joseph is the tallest boy in 8 A

However, there are some words which have more than two syllables. A syllable is a sound unit
uttered with a single chest pulse. In such a case, you add more to the word to form the
comparative and most to the word to form the superlative.

E.g. Things Fall Apart is more interesting than Animal Farm.

The Bible is the most interesting book I have ever read.

Attempt the following Transformations/Rewrites

1. A: Rabbeca is the tallest girl in class

Begin: Of……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
2. James is taller than Keegan
Begin: Keegan …………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………
3. You become more hungry when you work hard.
Begin: The harder ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
4. John gets more answers correct when he reads.
Begin: The harder ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
5. It becomes cooler when you go higher.
Begin: The higher ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 DIRECT SPEECH

Direct speech refers to the actual words spoken by someone. The actual words spoken by
someone are normally in inverted commas and the first part is the speech tag.

E.g. John said, “I will come today”.

Speech tag Direct speech

When changing a sentence from indirect speech to direct speech, there are changes which take
place. There are changes in pronouns, tense and time and place. For example, if you want to
rewrite sentences from indirect to direct speech, examine which pronoun, tense and time and
place should change in such a sentence.

E.g. Robert said that his pen had stopped writing.

There will be the following changes.

Pronoun – his (Indirect) will change to my (direct)

Tense – had (Indirect) will change to has (direct)

The sentence will then read.

Robert said, “My pen has stopped writing”.

Rewrite the following sentences

6. The teacher said that he was going to punish all of you if you do not sweep that classroom.
Begin: The teacher said, ……………………………….…………………………………………………………….
7. Binche told Martin that Mr. Lukama had arrived.
End: “………………………………………………………………………………..………………”, Binche told
Martin.
8. My mother told me to go back home and pick her suitcase.
End: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………, said my mother.
9. Chisengo said that she would bring my pen the following day.
Begin: Chisengo said, ……………………………………………………………………….……………………………
10. The tall boy demanded for his refund there and then.
End: ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….., demanded
the tall boy.

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 INDIRECT SPEECH

Equally, the same principle applies when changing a sentence from Direct to Indirect or Reported
speech. There are changes in pronoun, tense, time and place. Attempt the following.

11. The head teacher said, “Mrs. Namukolo wants to see you, Ennia”.
Begin: The head teacher …………………………………………………………………………………………………
12. “Close the window, John”, Kyapusana said.
Begin: Kyapusana ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
13. “Where are you coming from, Janet?” John asked.
Begin: John asked ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
14. Mr. Munsanje asked Brian, “What is your name?”
Begin: Mr. Munsanje asked ……………………………………………………………………………………………
15. “Is anyone at home?” Chisengo asked.
Begin: Chisengo asked ……………………….……………………………………………………………………………
16. “Will you come and pick me, please?” Gladys asked Mr Sampa.
Begin: Sarah asked …………………………………………………………………………………………………………
17. “Please, sit down while you are waiting for your tea”, said the waiter.
Begin: The waiter asked us ………………………………………………………………………………………………
18. “Father, can I go to Livingstone tomorrow, please”, said Lushomo.
Begin: Lushomo asked ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

Participial phrases are phrases that have the participle form (-ing) in them. The (-ing) form is
usually added to the verb at the beginning of the sentence in the subordinate clause. The secret
on this structure lies in the identification of the subject. A subject in any given sentence is the
doer of the action.
Participial phrases are usually made of the main and subordinate clause and a comma is used to
separate the two. Usually, the subject identified comes immediately after the comma in the
subordinate clause.
When writing a sentence involving participial phrases, please, identify the subject or the doer of
the action and make it the subject in the main clause.

E.g. The team won the game after playing well

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 Begin: Having ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Answer: Having played well, the team won the game

19. Joseph saw Ruth beating the baby while she was going home yesterday.
Begin: Going ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
20. The waiter picked out a fly that was swimming in the soup.
Begin: Swimming ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
21. The small boy saw the snake which was swallowing a rat.
Begin: Swallowing …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
22. The pastor prayed for the two deacons who had been ordained.
Begin: Having ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
23. Gonious finished the exercise and showed it to Ms. Akapelwa.
Begin: Having ……………………………………..…………………………………………………………………………
24. A thief snatched Mrs. Katongo’s money as she entered shoprite.
Begin: Entering ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
25. Because the dog attacked the bandits, Mrs. Tembo likes it.
Begin: Having ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
26. Mr. Chimba bought a laptop for Brian as he hoped to please him.
Begin: Hoping …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
27. A snake bites my brother. He was walking in the field.
Begin: Walking in the field, ………………………………..……………………………………………………………
28. The lion didn’t attack the zebra because it had eaten one a while ago.
Begin: Having ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
29. As the dog ran out onto the road, a passing lorry knocked it down and killed it.
Begin: Running out onto the road, …………………………………………………………………………………

TIME CONJUNCTION + PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

Words that are used to express time include before, while and after. ‘No sooner than’, Hardly
hard ………..when’, and ‘Barely did …….when’ is also used. In other words, whenever you use ‘No
sooner’, you must know that it is used as an alternative to “as soon as”. The words always make
the following combination:
i. No sooner had ……… than
ii. Hardly had …………… when
iii. Barely did …………….. when

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 E.g. No sooner had Mrs. Kampamba left the classroom than the pupils started making
noise.

Attempt the following rewrites on ‘Time’.

30. Janet washed the clothes and then cooked nshima

Begin: After …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
31. Namunji found the missing coin while sweeping the classroom.
Begin: While ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
32. You must water the garden before going to school.
Begin: Before ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………....
33. As soon as the Minister arrived, the meeting started.
Begin: No sooner …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
34. Just as he left the station, the police officer started following him.
Begin: Barely …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
35. The conference had just started when the lights went off.
Begin: Hardly …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
36. Mr. Lukama had scarcely entered the classroom when he noticed that his duster was
missing.
Begin: No sooner ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
37. As soon as Solwezi Day scored, the whole school rejoiced.
Begin: No sooner …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
38. Immediately, the reporter arrived, the crowd greeted him.
Begin: Hardly …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
39. After passing Chingola, the conductor examined my ticket.
Begin: When ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS (CO ORDINATORS)

Correlative conjunctions are a pair of words that always appear together. A pair means two.
There are a number of correlative conjunctions such as Neither……nor and Not only…….but also,
to mention only a few. When using correlative conjunctions, you must make sure that the verb
always agrees with the subject that is closer to it.

Use of Neither….nor……
Example
A. Both Patron and Annie do not have a book.
B. Neither Patron nor Annie has a book.

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Attempt the following rewrites on “neither….nor…..”

40. Lusekelo does not greet me and neither does his friend.
Begin: Neither …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
41. Both the boys and the girls have not done the work.
Begin: Neither …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
42. Both Grade 12 pupils and Grade 11 pupils do not know how to write a memo.
Begin: Neither …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
43. Precious does not play netball. She does not drink too.
Begin: Neither ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
44. Martin and Jubra do not like football.
Begin: Neither …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

NOT ONLY ……BUT ALSO

‘Not only…..but also’ is also an example of correlative conjunctions. In this structure, it is

important for one to see how the tenses used are changing. Past actions or events rely on the
use of past tense. Whereas present actions rely on the use of present tense.

Example
A. Jelita is both stupid and silly.
B. Not only is Jelita stupid, but also silly.

Now try the following

45. He lost his job and his wife left him on the same day
Begin: Not only ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
46. She loves drinking beer and smoking dagga.
Begin: Not only ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
47. The thief stole, sold the stolen goods and bought food.
Begin: Not only ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
48. Besides being a teacher, Mr. Lukama is a farmer.
Begin: Not only ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
49. They both detained Nelson Mandela and restricted his freedom of movement.
Begin: Not only ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
50. The hungry couple bought enough food and remained with some change.
Begin: Not only ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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EITHER …….OR

Either…….or means ‘one or the other of’. It simply means that there is a choice between two
possibilities.

Try the following.

51. You should come on time. You should not come at all.
Begin: You should either …………………………………………………………………………………………………
52. You may go shopping. You may go swimming.
Begin: You may either ……………………………………………………………………………………………………

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

Defining relative clauses are clauses that define or identify the noun that comes before it. They
are introduced with relative pronouns, who, that, which and whose.
Relative clauses always come immediately after the noun they identify. Who as a relative
pronoun is used with subjects that are people and which with subjects that are things.

Remember that defining relative clauses describe exactly the person or thing being talked about
and they are not marked off with commas in writing.

Example:
A. The boy is John. He broke the window last week.
B. John is the boy who broke the window last week.

Now try the following.

53. Janet is the girl. Her father works for Zanaco.

Begin: Janet …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
54. Jairos was caught stealing. He has been expelled from work.
Begin: Jairos ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
55. This is the cake you baked yesterday. It is very nice.
Begin: The cake ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 CONDITION
Condition looks at the likelihood or an event or something happening or not. There are a number
of words used to express condition namely unless, which means ‘if not’, had used to express
negative condition, if and ‘but for’ which is used to express condition and it sometimes expresses
impossible condition. Provided that, providing and supposing is also used to express condition.

Example:
A. You will pass the exams if you study hard.
B. Unless you study hard, you won’t pass the exams.

Now try the following

56. If you give me transport money, I will go with you to town.

Begin: Unless ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
57. If they are given proper directions, they will not get lost.
Begin: Unless ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
58. If you recover the money, I will not take you to the police.
Begin: Unless ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

PROVIDED THAT

59. You can go outside if you have finished your work.

Begin: Provided ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
60. I will not take you to the police if you recover the money.
Begin: Providing ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
61. What would you do if I hit you?
Begin: Supposing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

‘BUT FOR’

Example:
A. I would have died if it had not been for Jane coming early.
B. But for Jane coming early, I would have died.

Now try the following

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 62. I did not pass the examination because of the last question.
Begin: But for ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
63. If my father did not come quickly, I would have beaten him.
Begin: But for ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
64. We did not eat early because of you.
Begin: But for ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“HAD”
Example:
A. I would have passed the exams if I was careful.
B. Had I been careful, I would have passed the exams.

Try the following

65. If Joseph knew that Martin is a thief, he wouldn’t have trusted him.
Begin: Had ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
66. I would have gone to South Africa if I arrived early.
Begin: Had ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

‘HAD IT’

67. The man would have died had it not been for the girl.
Begin: Had ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
68. Jelita would have gone to Japan had it not been for her passport expiring
Begin: Had ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

CONTRAST
Contrast is concerned with combining ideas that are not familiar. Words used to express contrast
include besides, apart from, in addition to, despite, in spite of, although, though, to mention a
few.

EXAMPLE:
A. Mr. Kashimoto is a farmer. He is also an engineer
B. Besides being a farmer, Mr. Kashimoto is an engineer.

69. Janet watered the garden and also cooked food.

Begin: Apart from …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

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 70. Although Apton came early, he was punished by the teacher on duty.
Begin: Despite……………………………………………………………………………………………………..............
71. Even if he is bad at Maths, Brown got a distinction.
Begin: In spite of …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
72. Kyapusana studied hard but failed to pass the exams.
Begin: No matter ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
73. I was sad but I could not cry in public.
Begin: Sad ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

INVERSIONS (SUBJECT – VERB)

The word inversion means changing something into its opposite. In most sentences, the subject
or doer of an action comes first followed by a verb. Subject verb inversions involve changes in
the position of the subject and the verb. Inversions take place when the subject and the verb
change positions.
Rewrites involving inversion begin with words such as Not until …….will/did, Only if….will and
Only when, to name a few.
Let us now look at each one of them.

NOT UNTIL
Example:
A. I will continue going to church until I die.
B. Not until I die will I stop going to church.

In the example above, I and will in sentence A has switched to will and I in the sentence B.

Try the following

74. I stopped paying school fees until my teacher chased me out of class.
Begin: Not until ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
75. I will not stop watering the garden until my father comes.
Begin: Not until ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
76. I will give you transport money after you slash the backyard.
Begin: Only when ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
77. The competition only started after the P.E.O gave her speech.
Begin: Only when ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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78. I sought Mr. Lamba’s advice when I failed to find a solution to the problem.
Begin: Only when ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
79. Namaan will be cured if he washes in the Jordan River.
Begin: Only if …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
80. Jesus Christ will come if the gospel spreads to the whole world.
Begin: Only if …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
81. Justina was so annoyed that she punched the boy.
Begin: So …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
82. John ran fast. No one caught up with him.
Begin: So …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

PREPOSITIONS (CHOOSING THE BEST WORD)

1. Grade 10 pupils were congratulated ……………… their good performance
(for, in, on, of)
2. His voice could be heard ………………… the noise.
(over, above, upon, through)
3. Neither my sister ………….my mother is at home.
(and, or, with, nor)
4. All hopes of winning the Africa cup seems to be fading ……………………………
(off, away, up, by)
5. The accountant was told to account …………………….the money.
(for, of, on, upon)
6. A long time ago, our parents were subjected…………………..harsh treatment at school.
(on, from, with, to)
7. The reports deterred some women ………………………….having the operation.
(to, from, against, not)
8. Some pupils have a very poor attitude……………………….school.
(with, about, towards, for)
9. Please, find ways and ……………………..of raising school fees for the orphans.
(methods, means, strategies, how)
10. His friends are jealous ………………………his success.
(of, about, for, with, over)
11. Their work was based on carrying …………….orders.
(for, on, up, out, through)
12. They quarreled ……………..the food they were given.
(at, on, for, over, as)

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13. The accused tried to conceal the truth …………………..the judge.
(on, from, behind, to, for)
14. The subject was ……………………discussion when I arrived.
(on, of, for, under, in)
15. The president will come here next week to drum …………………support for the candidate.
(for, at, up, on)
16. The three people had a heated discussion ………………….themselves.
(among, between, with, to)
17. The man gave ……………..smoking on the doctor’s advice.
(in, unto, up, to)
18. You will be luck to see a …………………of lions in the park.
(group, flock, pride, bunch)
19. He turned the book ………………..page 90.
(to, on, by, at)
20. She insisted ………………….being innocent.
(at, on, by, at)
21. The Judge tried to interfere …………..the investigation.
(with, in, on, at)
22. He takes pleasure …………………..seeing people suffering.
(in, with, at, on)
23. Carol was punished …………..coming late.
(for, at, by)
24. He connived …………………the wife to steal the car.
(in, with, at, on)
25. The slim boy apologized …………………………insulting his friend.
(at, in, for, with )
26. She borrowed a book ………………John.
(from, with, at)
27. The head teacher was cross …………………..the pupils caught stealing maize.
(at, with, in, for)
28. It is incumbent ………………….you to work extra hard.
(with, upon, on, at)
29. Muza is mistaken ……………….her mother.
(at, for, with)
30. She was nominated …………………..Member of Parliament.
(at, as, with)
31. The patient was operated ……………….yesterday.
(at, on, in, over)

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 32. I prefer tea ………………………coffee.
(to, with, and)
33. The man rebelled ………………his own country.
(at, against, with, for)
34. He has an excellent taste …………….clothes.
(in, at, of, with)
35. The big dog was staring …………………him.
(on, at, in)
36. Zimbabwe is incapable ………………………beating Brazil.
(in, at, of, with)
37. Do not indulge ………………………sexual immorality.
(in, at, with)
38. Lukama insured his car …………………….five damage.
(over, against, on, at)

39. The board chairperson presided ……………….the meeting in a biased manner.

(
40. A major is superior ………………….a captain.
(over, with, to, at)

Preposition Answers

1. On
2. Above
3. Nor
4. Away
5. For
6. To
7. From
8. Towards
9. Means
10. Of
11. Out
12. Over
13. From
14. Under
15. Up
16. Among
17. Up
18. Pride

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 19. To
20. On
21. With
22. In
23. For
24. With
25. For
26. From
27. With
28. Upon
29. For
30. As
31. On
32. To
33. Against
34. Of
35. At
36. Of
37. In
38. Against
39. Over
40. to

COMPOSITION
FORMAL LETTER

Formal letter can come either in section 1 or section 2 (guided) of the examination. There are
different types of formal letters. Formal letters may be application letters, reference
(recommendation) letters, letters of complaints, letter to the head teacher by a pupil and letter
to the editor. Since they are all formal letters, they have the same features or characteristics.

Features
i. The letters must have two addresses
ii. They begin with formal salutations, Dear Sir/Madam and Dear Editor in the case of letter
to the Editor.
iii. The subject should be indicated by RE:
iv. You should end with Yours faithfully,
v. Append your signature and then write your name
vi. Formal use of English is a must

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Example
Write a letter to the editor of your school magazine discussing the causes of poor results in the
province.

C/O Mr. Chimba

Solwezi Day Secondary School,
P.O Box 110020,
Solwezi.

1st September, 2013

The Editor,
Sol Magazine,
P.O Box 110001
Solwezi.

Dear Editor;

R E: Causes of Poor Results in the Province

With reference to the above mentioned subject, I would like to discuss the causes of
poor results in North Western province.

One of the causes of poor results in the province is that many schools luck teaching and
learning material. The shortage of books in schools is making it difficult for learning to take
place
effectively……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………
(Finish this composition on your own)

ARTICLE
An article is a piece of writing that is published in a newspaper or magazine. In most cases, articles
come as guided compositions. A situation can be given in which you are asked to extract relevant

16
information to use when writing an article. When such a thing happens, you are expected to
expand the information you gathered.

Features or Characteristics

An article must have the following features:

i. A title that captures the attention of the reader
ii. Name of the author of the article which must come immediately after the title or
at the end of the article.
iii. Use short paragraphs
iv. Mention sources of information used in the article to make it believable.
v. The simple past and present form of tense is used.

Question:
You are a reporter of a local magazine and the Editor has just asked you to write a
feature on the effects of drug abuse.
Model Answer

Effects of Drug Abuse

By Kawanu Kasoka
Recently, there has been an increase of drug usage not only by young people but also
old people. The usage of drugs however, has had a number of effects and this article intends to
look at some.
One of the effects of drug abuse on anyone is that it impairs judgment thus leading
people to contract diseases such as Aids. When one takes drugs such as
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………. (Complete this
composition)

SPEECH WRITING

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A speech is a formal talk given to a listening audience. There are different types of speeches.
These include a vote of thanks, key note speech to name only a few. The speeches mentioned all
have the same features.
The features or characteristics that a speech must have include:

i. Observing protocol by acknowledging people in attendance (starting with the most

important)
ii. You must use the present form of tense
iii. Forms of address must be repeated. E.g. Ladies and gentlemen, fellow citizens, sir. This is
done to capture the interest of various stake holders in attendance.
iv. Conclude by thanking the audience for listening to you
v. When writing a speech, paragraphs should not be too long.

Question
Write a vote of thanks to present during the official hand over of desks donated to your
school by the Minister of Education.

Model Answer

The Minister of Education, the area Member of Parliament, the PTA chairman, the head
teacher, members of staff present or may I say ladies and gentlemen. I am honored and humbled
to stand before you to thank the minister for his good work.
Sir, for a long time now, the school has been experiencing a critical shortage of desks. In
some cases, my fellow pupils have been sitting on burnt bricks due to lack of desks
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. (Complete this speech)

REPORT WRITING

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A report is a document informing others of what happened after an event or investigation.
Reports can be verbal or written but one is expected to write reports in Grade 10, 11 and 12.
Reports can be written from two points of view that is the personal point of view where the
author of the report uses the pronoun ‘I’. The other one is where one detaches her/him self from
the situation. The best way of writing good reports is to detach yourself from what you are
writing.

Reports have the following features:

i. A title of your report

ii. Write your name and designation (position) at the end.
iii. Dates, names of people, places and time should be included.
iv. The past tense is used.
v. Formal English should be used.

Question
You have just completed a research on the causes of early marriages. Write a report.

Model Answer
Causes of Early Marriages

A research was carried out near Lumwana area on the causes of early marriages.
Samples of about fifty respondents were interviewed out of a targeted one hundred
respondents. After the research was conducted, there were many findings.
One of the causes of early marriages near Lumwana area is the attitude of parents
towards the girl child
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

By Kana .S. Chairperson

(Finish the report)
PROFILE WRITIING

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A profile describes the life history of someone. There are two types of profiles namely
autobiography and biography. An autobiography is where a person writes about his own history
while in a biography, one writes about someone else’s life history.
When writing profiles, it is important that information is arranged in chronological order starting
with events which happened first t events which happened later in life.
When writing a profile, remember to follow the following order:

a) Early life (name, place of birth, year of birth)

b) Education (primary, secondary, college[include year])
c) Career (jobs done, achievements or promotions at work)
d) Family life (marital status, number of children)
e) Future prospects (what you wish to do in future)
Note: When you are given a question, mostly, the information is jumbled. Begin by arranging the
information in chronological order and then expand that information. Profile come mostly in
section 2 as guided composition.

Example of a Biography

Gitutu Wa Kantanguru was born in a small town of Uhuru in Eastern Kenya. He was born
in the winter month of June, on 21st, 1946. He is the sixth child of Jackson and Mary.
Gitutu started his stardard one at Thithong Elementary school in 1952
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………… (Complete the profile)

Other composition questions and how they should be answered

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 1. Gender equality has brought more harm than good. Argue for or against this statement.
 This is an argumentative type of question and you must choose only one side. If you
chose to argue for (support) do that and do not support both side.
2. Write a story ending “Little did I know she was a type of a person”.
 This is a narrative composition and you must bring out clearly a scenario that you did
not know the person very well.
3. Describe an occasion in your life when you felt that time stood still.
 This is a descriptive composition and you must give a description which appeals to the
five senses namely sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. You should use a variety of
adjectives as you describe.
4. School days are the best days of one’s life. Argue for or against this statement.
 This is an argumentative composition and you should only choose and pick one side.
Do not write on two sides.

The Examiners Advice to Candidates writing good Compositions

Writing good compositions does not just happen overnight. A pupil must practice more
and also learn the art of writing. As an examiner, I would love to suggest a number of things that
can make someone loose marks and if avoided, one can score good marks in a composition. As
exam candidates, you must not do the following while writing compositions.

1. Avoid cutting words. When writing and the space remaining is not enough, do not cut a
word.
2. Do not write in figures. E.g. 10, write the figure in words (ten)
3. Do not write short forms. E.g. can’t instead of cannot. Words should be written in full.
4. Avoid writing wrong spellings. Your spelling should be correct.
5. Avoid writing wrong words. E.g. Instead of writing there (place) you write their
(possession). These are different.
6. Avoid wrong use of punctuations. E.g. capital letters. Do not write ‘grade one’ but ‘Grade
One’.

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 7. Avoid using double subjects. E.g. Me I can beat you.
8. Avoid using SMS language in compositions such as b4 for before, bcoz for because.
9. Avoid wrong sentence construction.
10. Avoid writing run-on sentences.
11. Avoid writing long paragraphs.
12. Avoid separating words which are one word. E.g. it is not can not but cannot. It is also
not alot but a lot.
13. Avoid repetition of words instead use a variety of words at your disposal.
14. Use capital letters correctly.
15. The subject and verb in sentences used should agree.
16. Avoid writing very short compositions and also very long compositions. To me, one and
half pages can make 250 – 350 words which is your standard.
17. Avoid running away from answering the question asked.

Note: Note that any mistake or error committed is taken into consideration and it affects your
final mark.

You must strive to:

1. Use a variety of linguistic expressions at your disposal. The structure teachers teach you
must be used correctly in a composition.
2. You must expand the points given in section 2 of the guided composition. The points of
interpretation include expansion, logical presentation and proper arrangement.
3. Remember that an A script (16 – 20) should be minimal of error and a variety of linguistic
expressions should be used. Use structures, idioms and proverbs correctly.

ANSWERS TO REWRITES
TRANSFORMATION
1. Of all the girls in class, Rabbeca is the tallest.

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 2. Keegan is shorter than James.
3. The harder you work, the more hungry you become.
4. The harder John reads, the more he gets answers correct.
5. The higher you go, the cooler it becomes.

DIRECT SPEECH
6. The teacher said, “I am going to punish all of you if you do not sweep this classroom”.
7. “Mr. Lukama has arrived”, Binche told Martin.
8. “Come back home and pick my suit case”, said my mother.
9. Chisengo said, “I will bring your pen tomorrow”.
10. “Give me my refund here and now”, demanded the tall boy.

INDIRECT SPEECH
11. The head teacher told Ennia that Mrs. Namukolo wanted to see her.
12. Kyapusana told me to close the window.
13. John asked Janet where she was coming from.
14. Mr. Munsanje asked Brian what his name was.
15. Chisengo asked whether/if anyone was at home.
16. Gladys asked Mr Sampa if he would go and pick her.
17. The waiter asked us to sit down while we were waiting for our tea.
18. Lushomo asked his father whether/if he could go to Livingstone the following day.

PARTICIPIAL PHRASES
19. Going home yesterday, Joseph saw Ruth beating the baby.
20. Swimming in the soup, a fly was picked out by the waiter.
21. Swallowing a rat, the snake was seen by the small boy.
22. Having been ordained, the two deacons were prayed for by the pastor.
23. Having finished the exercise, Gonious showed it to Ms. Akapelwa.
24. Entering shoprite, Mrs. Katongo’s money was snatched by a thief.
25. Having attacked the bandits, the dog is liked by Mrs. Tembo.
26. Hoping to please him, Mr. Chimba bought a laptop for Brian.
27. Walking in the field, my brother was bitten by a snake.
28. Having eaten one a while ago, the lion didn’t attack the zebra.
29. Running out onto the road, the dog was knocked down and killed by a passing lorry.

TIME CONJUNCTION + PARTICIPIAL PHRASES

30. After washing the clothes, Janet cooked nshima.
31. While sweeping the classroom, Namunji found the missing coin.

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 32. Before going to school, you must water the garden.
33. No sooner had the Minister arrived than the meeting started.
34. Barely did he leave the station when police officers started following him.
35. Hardly had the conference started when the lights went off.
36. No sooner had Mr. Lukama entered the classroom than he noticed that his duster was
missing.
37. No sooner had Solwezi Day scored than the whole school rejoiced.
38. Hardly had the reporter arrived when he was greeted by the crowd.
39. When we had passed Chingola, the conductor examined my ticket

CORRELATIVE CONJUNCTIONS (CO ORDINATORS)

40. Neither Lusekelo nor his friend greets me.
41. Neither the boy nor the girl has done the work.
42. Neither Grade 12 pupils nor Grade 11 pupils know how to write a memo.
43. Neither does Precious play netball nor drinks
44. Neither Martin nor Jubra likes football.

NOT ONLY …BUT ALSO

45. Not only did he lose his job but also his wife left him on the same day.
46. Not only does she love drinking beer but also smoking dagga.
47. Not only did the thief steal, sell the stolen goods but also bought food.
48. Not only is Mr. Lukama a teacher but also a farmer.
49. Not only did they detain Nelson Mandela but also restricted his freedom of movement.
50. Not only did the hungry couple buy enough food but also remained with some change.

EITHER …OR
51. You should either come on time or not come at all.
52. You may either go shopping or swimming.

DEFINING RELATIVE CLAUSES

53. Janet is the girl whose father works for Zanaco.
54. Jairos who was caught stealing has been expelled from work.
55. The cake which you baked yesterday is very nice.

CONDITION
56. Unless you give me transport money, I will not go with you to town.
57. Unless they are given proper directions, they will get lost.

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 58. Unless you recover the money, I will take you to the police.
59. Provided that you have finished your work, you can go outside.
60. Providing you recover the money, I will not take you to the police.
61. Supposing I hit you, what would you do?

‘BUT FOR’
62. But for the last question, I would have passed the examination.
63. But for my father coming quickly, I would have beaten him.
64. But for you, we would have eaten easily.

“HAD”
65. Had Joseph known that Martin is a thief, he wouldn’t have trusted him.
66. Had I arrived early, I would have gone to South Africa.

‘HAD IT’
67. Had it not been for the girl, the man would have died.
68. Had it not been for her passport expiring, Jelita would have gone to Japan.

CONTRAST
69. Besides being a farmer, Mr. Kashimoto is an engineer.
70. Apart from watering the garden, Janet cooked food.
71. Despite coming early, Apton was punished by the teacher on duty.
72. In spite of being bad at maths, Brown got a distinction.
73. No matter how hard he studied, Kyapusana failed to pass the exams.
74. Sad though I was, I could not cry in public.
INVERSIONS (SUBJECT – VERB)
75. Not until my teacher chased me out of class did I start paying school fees.
76. Not until my father comes will I stop watering the garden.
77. Only when you slash the back yard will I give you transport money.
78. Only when the P.E.O gave her speech did the competition start.
79. Only when I failed to find a solution to the problem did I seek Mr. Lamba’s advice.
80. Only if he washes in the Jordan River will Namaan be cured.
81. Only if the gospel spreads to the whole world will Jesus Christ come.
82. So annoyed was Justina that she punched the boy.
83. So fast did John run that no one caught up with him.

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