Register in Formal Situations, Noun Functions, Paragraph Organisation and Visualising Stories

1. Formal Situations

2. A Short Interview

Interviewer: "Good morning. Please have a seat. Could you tell us why you want to be school prefect?" Learner: "Good morning, Sir. Thank you for this opportunity. I would like to serve as prefect because I am responsible and I enjoy helping others. For example, I organised the cleaning of our classroom last term." Interviewer: "How would you handle a learner who breaks school rules?" Learner: "I would first speak to the learner politely and explain the rule. If the behaviour continued, I would report it to the teacher on duty."

Notice the formal features: polite greetings, "thank you", complete sentences, "I would like to", a clear example and a calm, respectful tone.

3. Body Language in Formal Situations

Formal register is not only about words. Stand or sit upright, look at the person respectfully, speak clearly and not too fast, and avoid chewing gum or putting hands in pockets. In many Ghanaian communities, it is respectful to greet elders first, use the right hand to give or receive things and avoid interrupting.

4. Formal and Informal Versions

1. Noun as Subject

The subject is the person or thing that does the action or that the sentence is about. It usually comes before the verb: "The teacher marked our books." "Accra is the capital of Ghana."

2. Noun as Object

The direct object receives the action of the verb: "Ama bought oranges." The indirect object tells us to whom or for whom something is done: "Ama gave her brother an orange." Here "orange" is the direct object and "brother" is the indirect object.

3. Noun as Complement

A subject complement comes after a linking verb such as is, are, was, become or seem, and renames the subject: "My father is a farmer." "Kofi became captain." Here "farmer" and "captain" tell us who the subject is.

4. Noun after a Preposition and in Apposition

A noun can be the object of a preposition: "The cat slept under the table." A noun in apposition stands next to another noun to explain it: "Mr Asante, our headteacher, spoke at the assembly." The phrase "our headteacher" is in apposition to "Mr Asante".

5. Noun Phrases

A noun phrase is a group of words built around a noun: "the tall mango tree", "a basket of fresh tomatoes", "my best friend from Ho". The whole phrase can act as the subject or object: "The tall mango tree behind our house fell during the storm."

6. Practice in Context

Read this sentence and identify the function of each underlined noun phrase: "Last Friday, Mrs Boateng, our form mistress, gave the class a long lecture on punctuality." "Mrs Boateng" is the subject, "our form mistress" is in apposition, "the class" is the indirect object and "a long lecture" is the direct object. "Punctuality", after the preposition "on", is the object of a preposition. Seeing these roles helps you build correct, varied sentences.

1. Parts of a Paragraph

2. Organising Ideas Logically

Ideas can be ordered in different ways depending on the purpose. Time (chronological) order tells events as they happened. Order of importance moves from the least to the most important point, or the other way round. Spatial order describes things from left to right, top to bottom or near to far. Cause and effect explains why something happens and what results.

3. A Model Paragraph

"Cocoa is one of the most important crops in Ghana. First, it is a major export that earns the country foreign exchange. Second, it provides jobs for hundreds of thousands of farmers, especially in the Ashanti, Western and Eastern Regions. In addition, cocoa supports industries that process the beans into chocolate, cocoa butter and powder. Finally, money from cocoa has helped to build schools, roads and hospitals. Clearly, cocoa remains a pillar of Ghana's economy."

4. Planning Four to Five Paragraphs

For a longer piece, plan each paragraph before writing. Write the main idea of each paragraph as a heading in your plan. Use an introduction to present the topic, two or three body paragraphs for the main points and a conclusion to sum up.

5. Coherence and Unity

A paragraph has unity when all its sentences support the topic sentence. It has coherence when the sentences are in a logical order and linked with cohesive devices. Remove any sentence that does not belong; for example, a sentence about football does not belong in a paragraph about cocoa farming.

1. Reading Passage: The Storm on the Lake

Yaw and his uncle pushed the canoe into the still waters of Lake Volta just before dawn. The lake was as smooth as glass, and the only sound was the soft dip of the paddles. Uncle Kwaku hummed an old fishing song while Yaw checked the nets piled at the bottom of the canoe.

By midday, the sky to the east had turned the colour of charcoal. A cold wind rushed across the water, and small waves began to slap against the sides of the canoe. "We must go back now," Uncle Kwaku said quietly, but his eyes were worried. Yaw paddled with all his strength. Rain began to fall in heavy drops that stung his face like tiny stones.

The waves grew taller. Water splashed into the canoe, and Yaw used an old calabash to bail it out as fast as he could. At last, through the grey curtain of rain, he saw the lights of their village and heard the drums that the villagers beat to guide fishermen home. When the canoe scraped onto the sand, Yaw's arms were trembling, but he was smiling.

2. Visualising the Story

3. Monitoring While Reading

As you read, pause at the end of each paragraph and ask: What has happened? How do the characters feel? What might happen next? If you cannot answer, re-read. Notice words that show changes in mood, such as "worried", "stung" and "smiling". Similes such as "as smooth as glass" and "like tiny stones" help you picture things by comparing them to something familiar.

4. Questions to Ask While Reading a Story

Answering these questions as you read keeps your mind active. Yaw, for example, learns courage and teamwork, while the drums show how the whole community looks after its fishermen.