Grade 8

Language Booklet: 1

Name: __________________________
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 PARTS OF SPEECH / WORD CLASSES
NAME FUNCTION CLUE EXAMPLE
Naming word, A, the ... There are desks and chairs
Common noun names of in every classroom.
ordinary,
everyday things.
Names of Capital letter Mrs Jones was born in
Proper noun people, places England.
etc.
Names a Replaces ‘lots of A staff of teachers. A class
Collective noun collection or ...’ of students.
group.
Something You can give it John’s intelligence and
Abstract noun which is not to someone but perseverance won him the
visible or not in a box. trophy.
tangible.
Stands in place Can replace a Mary is given homework
Pronoun of the noun. noun. every day and Mary (she)
does homework (it)
diligently.
Adjective Describing The ... boy, girl. The pretty girl.
word.
Doing word. Can you...? We work in the mornings,
Verb (work, play, we play sport in the
study) afternoons, we study in the
evenings.
Modifies (tells Tells you when, He ran fast (how) at the
Adverb you more where or how athletics meeting (where)
about) the verb. something is yesterday. (when)
done.
Joining word Joins two words, She went to school
Conjunction phrases or although she was feeling ill.
clauses.
‘Small words’ Usually comes The teacher sat on the
which usually before nouns, chair behind her table in
Preposition relate two pronouns or the classroom and spoke
words or articles. to her students.
phrases to one
another.
The words ‘a’, ‘a’, ‘an’ ... John won a prize for
‘an’ or ‘the’ (indefinite) history. (indefinite – non-

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 Article which precede ‘the’ ... specific)
nouns or (definite) John won the history prize.
adjectives. (Definite – specific.

BASIC EDITING
• Shows possession/ownership
Apostrophe • Shows omission/contraction

• Separate items/phrases in a list

• Show additional information
• Separate introductory words or phrases
Comma from the rest of the sentence
• Beware of the comma splice error:
Commas cannot be used between
complete sentences
• Balance 2 equally important, related or
parallel ideas
Semi-colon • Shows opposite ideas
• Takes the place of a conjunction to join
two main clauses
• Shows that a list, explanation or
example is to follow
Colon • Introduces a quotation
• Placed after a speaker in a dialogue
• Follows exclamations or interjections
(expression of strong emotion)
Exclamation marks • Used after sentences to show strong
emotion
• Strengthens the tone of a statement
• Shows direct speech
• Shows someone’s words are being
quoted
Inverted commas • Shows titles of books, movies, songs,
magazines etc
• Shows foreign words or slang have
been used
• Shows metaphoric language

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 • Joins 2 words to make a compound
Hyphen word (new words)
• Used after syllables of a word that has
been carried onto the following line
• Can be used in the same way as
commas and brackets to add
additional information to a sentence
• Separates a comment or afterthought
Dash from the rest of the sentence
• Creates a dramatic pause leading to a
climax or anti-climax
• Can separate a part of a sentence to
force us to pause
• Shows words have been left out of a
quotation
Ellipsis dots • Shows an interruption
• Shows a thought or statement that has
not been completed so the reader can
fill it in for themselves
• Indicates a dramatic pause
Brackets (parenthesis) • Show extra information in a sentence
• Encloses an example

• Are letters that cannot be pronounced

as 1 word
• Abbreviations which show
measurement have no fullstop, e.g.
Abbreviations mm
• Fullstops are usually left out of
abbreviations of well known places
• If the abbreviation ends in the same
letter as the full word there will be no
fullstop.
• Are letters that can be pronounced as
Acronyms a word, for example COPE, for
Congress of the People.
Underlined These are written in THREE ways only
Titles “Inverted • Italics
commas” • Inverted commas
Italics • Underlined

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 Question Mark • Question marks are placed either outside
or inside, depending on whether the
question or exclamation is part of the
quotation:

Synonyms: words of a similar meaning (when they come out of a comprehension use the
context if you are not sure what the word means.
Exercise 1: Provide 3 synonyms for the words below:

1. Big
2.Small
3.Good
4.Bad
5.Pretty
6.Ugly
7.Few
8.Thin
9.Fat
10.Happy
11.Sad
12.Clever
13.Stupid
14.Nice
15.Many

Exercise 2: Rewrite each of the following sentences using better descriptive words:

1. The nice old lady was kind. _________________________________________________________

2. The small man ran quickly. _________________________________________________________
3. The fat, tall man walked slowly. _________________________________________________________
4. The clever girl was pretty. _________________________________________________________
5. There were many bad things in the dirty water.
_________________________________________________________

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Antonyms: words of the opposite meaning.
Exercise 3: Give an antonym for the underlined word in the space provided.
1.The walls were painted a bright green.

2. The geography lesson was really boring today.

3. This was the darkest green crayon I could find.

4. My brother weighs 45kg and is the lightest in the family.

5. ‘Come in darling! I’m so pleased to see you,’ she said warmly.

6. ‘Dress warmly in cold weather,’ mother said.

7. Did your team win the match?

8. His directions were quite confusing.

9. Taylor Swift sang a beautiful song.

10. It was a terrific day!

Exercise 4: In the table below provide a synonym and antonym for each word provided.
Word Synonym Antonym
1. Active
2. Old
3. Serious
4. Sleepy
5. Famous
6. Scarce
7. Join
8. Quick

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Homonyms: Words that are spelt and pronounced in an

identical way but they have different meanings and functions.

For example: 1. He hit the ball over the net. 2. The prince met Cinderella at the ball.

Exercise 5: Explain the difference in meaning of the underlined words in the sentences below:
1. He hit the ball over the net. The prince met Cinderella at the ball.

2. The dog has a loud bark. The bark of the tree showed its age.

3.The bat flew into the cave. His cricket bat was brand new.

4. It is cold in Alaska. I need medication for my cold.

Homophones: Words that are pronounced in the same way

but differ in spelling and meaning.

For example: 1. She spoke aloud. 2. The girls were allowed to go shopping.

Exercise 6: Underline the correct homophone in the sentences below:

1. We talk (aloud/allowed).
2. The bride walked down the (aisle/isle).
3. Busy people are never (bored/board).
4. Gender refers to (mail/male) or female.
5. He booked a (sweet/suite) of rooms.
6. Cutlery is made of (steal/steel).
7. There is a (hole/whole) in the ozone layer.
8. Vegetarians do not eat (meet/meat).
9. He paid with a (check/cheque).
10. I (wonder/wander) about the future.

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 Direct and Indirect Speech
Direct Speech is when one person is speaking directly to another. Direct speech
will always be written in inverted commas. For example:

“I am going to the party and I hope it is exciting,” said the woman.

(Notice that the comma at the end of her speech is written INSIDE the inverted commas.)

Indirect Speech is sometimes called ‘reported speech’. This is because someone is

reporting what a person said at a different time. For example:

The woman said that she was going to the party and that she hoped
that it was exciting.

Notice that when the speech is indirect, some important things change:
 There are NO INVERTED COMMAS.
 All PRONOUNS will change.
 VERBS will change into the past tense.
 The sentence will always begin with: X said that...

You must be able to:

Change Direct Speech into Indirect Speech

Change Indirect Speech into Direct Speech

Change each of the following into Indirect/Reported Speech:

1. She said, “I am so nervous tonight and terribly afraid that I will let my fans down.” (3)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

2. “I don’t want to let anybody really great go because they are nervous,” said Jennifer Lopez. (4)

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 ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

Change each of the following into Direct Speech:

1. Rihanna has said that she and her boyfriend are definitely in love and that she is expecting him to
propose at any moment. (3)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

2. Lady Gaga told reporters that she wants to tie the knot with her boyfriend and that she sees her
fairytale wedding taking place in London. (5)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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 ROOT WORDS
Just as the roots of a plant are the foundations that link it to the soil, so all words
have 'roots' that are their foundations. Nearly every word has a 'root', an
original word from which it was formed. Most English words are formed from
root words that originated in a foreign language and most of these are Latin,
which is the base language for English and many other modern European
languages.

If you understand the Latin roots of words, you will be able to figure out what
different words mean.

PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES

Many words are made up of a root (or base word) and a prefix (which comes
before the word). Some words also have a suffix (added at the end of the
word).

For example, the root word port means to carry.

Attach the prefix ex, meaning out and you have the word export, to carry out.
Attach the prefix im, meaning in or into and you have import, to carry in.

By learning the common roots and prefixes (and a few suffixes) you will be able
to discern the meaning of many new words almost immediately.

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COMMON ROOT WORDS:
Root: Meaning: Example:
Alter Other Alternate
Anni / Enni Year
Aqua Water Aquamarine
Arch Leader / Chief Archangel
Biblio Book
Bio Life
bent / Donto Tooth
Derm Skin
Dict Speak Dictate
Dynam Power Dynamite
Equ Equal Equidistant
Fac Make Manufacture
Geo Earth
Graph Writing Biography
Hydro Water
Jud Judge Adjudicate
Mar Sea
Mater Mother Maternal
Mort Death
Pater Father Paternal
Path Feeling
Phono Sound
Port Carry
Sect Cut Dissect
Sol Sun Solar
Tang Touch Tangible
Therm Heat Thermal
Vac Empty
Vita Life Vitality
Zoo Animal Zoology

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 COMMON PREFIXES
Prefix: Meaning: Example:
Anti Against Antipathy
Auto Self Autobiography
Circum Around Circumference
Contra Against Contradict
De Down Descend
Ex Out of Exit
hetero Different Heterosexual
Homo Same Homophone
Hyper Over Hyperactive
Micro Small Microscope
Mono One Monologue
Trans Across Transport
Post After Postpone
Pre Before Precede
Re Again Repeat
Tele distance Telephone

COMMON SUFFIXES
Suffix: Meaning: Example:
-cide Kill Suicide
-ism To believe in Terrorism
-ology Study of Biology
-phobia Great fear of Hydrophobia

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 Comprehension Skills!
Comprehensions can be tricky, but if you follow the steps given in these
notes they will become much easier. There are two golden rules when it
comes to comprehensions and you need to remember both:
RULE ONE: Every answer to every question you are asked can be
found in the
_____________________ and _____________________.
RULE TWO: To gain the maximum marks when answering questions
you must remember to _________________________ and
_________________________.
Basic guideline to approaching a comprehension:
 Read the passage through.
 Read the questions through.
 Underline the important part of each question.
 Check the mark allocation.
 Answer in full, clear sentences.

Quoting Correctly:
The good news is that you must NOT EVER use long and difficult quotes in your comprehensions. Use the
following guidelines:
 ALWAYS quote in inverted commas. This is non-negotiable!
 Only use one or two specific words at a time and never more than four. (However there may be
exceptions to this guideline)
Remember that the marks lie in quoting and EXPLAINING! Anyone can find a quote, but you need to be able to
explain it to truly answer a question well.

TYPES OF QUESTIONS
Title Questions:
For example: Discuss the effectiveness of the title in relation to the passage.
 Look for any ________________________________________________.
 Now look at how well it links with the passage.

Tone/Attitude Questions:
These questions must always be answered with an _______________ word. You can tell how the speaker is
feeling by looking at the _______________ and ________________ used.
Figure of Speech Questions:
 There is always a simple approach to answering these questions.
 _______________ the figure of speech.
 State clearly what is being ____________________.
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  Explain why it is a good comparison by looking at all the possible similarities between the two things.
Statement Questions:
For example: What statement is the writer making in….
You are simply being asked to say what point the writer is trying to make and explain how you know that. Once
again, the answer lies in the _____________ and ________________ and you must remember to
_______________ and ____________.
Freebie Questions:
These are the best questions because they literally mean ________________.
For example: Do you agree with the writer about X? In the course of your answer you must refer to the passage
as well as your own experience.
Essentially you must be able to state whether or not you agree, give some specific examples from the passage
and then most importantly explain using your own experiences in life. What could be easier? ☺
Common Comprehension Terms
Sometimes it is the language of a comprehension that scares us and can be
difficult to understand. The following words are ones that you will find in
most comprehensions and are actually much simpler than they seem:

Explain
Comment on
Discuss
Refer to
Justify
Find evidence
Support
How effective is it?
Compare
Contrast
In context
You now have the basic terminology to tackle any comprehension question,
but to answer these questions well takes practice.
Practice time:
In each case, read the extract and then answer the question that follows.
Remember to use your golden rules and check the mark allocation carefully.

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 It’s a zoo out there!
Children of days gone by used to have manners, they knew when to speak and when to keep quiet. They understood that
even
though they were important, they were not as important as the adults around them. Today, everything has changed! The
3 little beasts are out of control. I encountered one such wild creature shopping with its mother at my friendly Spar the other
day and it honestly classifies as one of the worst experiences of my life so far. The little brat was out of control: screaming,
throwing things around the aisles, beating his little fists against his mother who happily pretended it wasn’t happening! When
6 she eventually noticed how many filthy stares she was getting and realized that someone else was about to teach her child
the meaning of a good spanking, she pacified the little horror with the very sucker he had been screaming for in the first
place. Way to go mom, that will really teach him! What an idiot! Surely she knows that she is setting her child up for the
9 worst possible disappointment in life because no adult I know will put up with that kind of self-centered behaviour from
another.

1. Describe the writer’s attitude towards the child in the paragraph. Support your answer carefully by referring to specific diction
and punctuation. (4)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

2. Refer to the underlined portion of lines 7-8. What is the writer’s tone in this line? Explain your answer carefully in your own
words. (2)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
3. Comment on the writer’s attitude towards the mother in this paragraph. Find evidence in the passage to support your answer.
(4)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
4. Using the passage, contrast the children of days gone by with the children of today as the writer has presented them.
(3)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
5. Refer to the underlined portion of lines 2-3. Identify the figure of speech and comment on its effectiveness.
(3)
________________________________________________
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________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
6. Comment on the effectiveness of the title in relation to the passage. (3)
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

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 Time to test your skills:
True Grit: Bethany Hamilton's Story
At 13, Bethany Hamilton lost her arm to a 14-foot tiger shark. Today she's a world-class surfer -- and the inspiration for a
new movie.

1 Cheri Hamilton had no doubt her only daughter would grow up to become a professional surfer. At
age 4 Bethany was riding waves off the beaches of her home in Kauai. By the time she was 8 she
was competing in surfing contests. Taking on gigantic waves was Bethany's specialty, and her
parents, both surfers, would encourage her. "We'd tell her, 'You can win
5 this because you're strong. The other kids are going to run away from the big surf,'" recalls Cheri.
And sure enough, Bethany, who squealed with delight when she caught a wave, would take home
the trophy.

But eight years ago Bethany's dream of surfing greatness nearly came to an end after she was
attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark that tore off her left arm. That headline-making
10 tradedy, and her astonishing path to recovery, is the subject of a new movie, Soul Surfer.

1. Answer the following questions:

a. What is the function of the commas in line 10?
_______________________________________________________________
b. What is the function of the hyphen in line 9?
_______________________________________________________________
c. What is the function of the inverted commas in line 4?
_______________________________________________________________
d. What is the function of the apostrophe in line 5?
_______________________________________________________________
e. Correct the spelling error in line 10.
_______________________________________________________________
f. Give two other ways Soul Surfer (a title) can be written.
_______________________________________________________________

2. Rewrite the following sentences into indirect speech:

a. “I am going to the party and I hope it is exciting,” said the woman.

_______________________________________________________________
b. “I don’t want to dance anymore,” said the ballerina.
_______________________________________________________________
c. She said, “I am so upset that I got the answer in the test wrong.”
_______________________________________________________________

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3. Rewrite the following sentences into direct speech:

a. Jane said that she and her best friend would always be friends.
_______________________________________________________________
b. He said he was going to the movies.
_______________________________________________________________
c. She said next week’s lesson is on reported speech.
_______________________________________________________________

Charlize Theron...our African film star in America

1 Charlize Theron comes from Benoni, South Africa;
the only child of Gerda and Charles Theron.
The Therons are descended from early Huguenot
settlers who came from France in 1688. Charlize
grew up near Johannesburg where she attended
Putfontein Primary School. She was interested in
acting and dancing from an early age, and at 13
she began her studies at the National School
of the Arts in Johannesburg. Although
Charlize became fluent in English, her first language
is Afrikaans.

2 At 16, Charlize won a modelling contract in a magazine competition and she moved to
Italy. She spent a year modelling throughout Europe, and then decided to move to New
York to study dance. There she attended Joffrey Ballet School where she trained as a ballet
dancer until a knee injury put an end to her dream. This setback was very difficult for
Charlize but her mother said to her: “Either you figure out what to do next or you come
home”. Charlize realised that she still wanted to follow her dream of a career in the
performing arts and she decided to stay in America.

3 Charlize then flew to Los Angeles on a one-way ticket. She was determined to make it or
leave. One day she went to a bank to cash a cheque which the bank teller refused to cash.
Charlize was so angry that she lost her temper and the next thing she knew, a talent
agent in the line behind her handed her his business card and said she would make a great
actress. He then introduced Charlize to casting agents and an acting school which was the
beginning of her success.

4 Charlize won an Oscar for her role as the serial killer Aileen Wuornos in the film Monster.
In this role, she could not depend on her beauty at all but she relied entirely on her acting
ability. The world realised that Charlize was a very talented actress. Charlize is involved in a

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 lot of charity work and has adopted an African-American son. Her motto is “It isn’t your
skin colour that makes you human, it’s your heart. And we all have red hearts.”

Read the passage titled “Charlize Theron...our African film star in America”, and
answer the questions that follow:
1. Refer to paragraph 1.
Where was Charlize Theron born? (1)

2. Refer to paragraph 1 and 2.

What initially started Charlize on her journey to stardom? In your answer make reference to
the passage. (2)

3. Refer to paragraph 2 and 3.

What two bad things happened to Charlize? Quote to support your answer. (3)

4. Refer to paragraph 3.
How did Charlize get her lucky break? Use the passage to support your answer. (2)

5. What type of person do you think Charlize is? Think of two words that describe her, and
provide a reason from the passage for each word that you selected. (4)

6. Do you think that with Afrikaans being Charlize’s home language her career was negatively
affected? Discuss with reference to the passage. (3)

7. Do you think that Charlize is a good role model for young South Africans? Support your answer
with reference to the passage. (3)

8. Identify the word class of the underlined words in paragraph one:

8.1 Benoni
8.2 in
8.3 grew
8.4 was
8.5 Although
8.6 her ( ½ a mark per answer) (3)

9. Provide a synonym for the following words in the context of the passage.
9.1 difficult (paragraph 2)
9.2 line (paragraph 3) (2)

10. Identify the function of the following punctuation marks.

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 10.1 The hyphen in “one-way” (paragraph 3)
10.2 The apostrophe in “isn’t” (paragraph 4)
10.3 The apostrophe in “it’s” (paragraph 4) (3)

11. Explain the meaning of two of the following words in the context of the passage.
11.1 temper (paragraph 3)
11.2 serial killer (paragraph 4)
11.3 charity (paragraph 4) (2)

12. Give the correct form of the verb “fly” in each sentence:

12.1 When she was 19, she (fly) to Los Angeles on a very cheap (fly) because she had very
little money.
12.2 Now she (fly) in her own private jet.
12.3 Her career took (fly) when she threw a tantrum in a bank.
12.4 She is one South African who is (fly) high! (4)

13. Give the correct form of the adjective or adverbs in brackets:

Charlize Theron is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Besides this, she also cares
(13.1 deep) for the children of Africa. She has given her support to many (13.2 need) charities
by doing television commercials without any payment. She has also become a (13.3 trust)
friend of Nelson Mandela. When she won the Oscar for her role as the murderer, Aileen
Wuornos, she dedicated the (13.4 gold) statue to him. (4)

14. Name two other films that Charlize has starred in. (2)

[TOTAL: 35]

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