Polite Language, Kinds and Order of Adjectives, Descriptive Writing and Predicting with Text Features

1. Making Requests

2. Apologising

A good apology admits the mistake, says sorry sincerely and offers to make things right: "I am very sorry I broke your ruler. It was careless of me. I will buy you a new one tomorrow." Avoid giving excuses that blame others.

3. Making Complaints Politely

A complaint should be calm, clear and specific. State the problem, explain its effect and suggest a solution: "Excuse me, sir. The light in our classroom has not worked for a week, so we cannot read on cloudy days. Could it please be repaired?" Shouting or insulting people rarely solves problems.

4. Giving and Receiving Compliments

A compliment is a kind remark that praises someone: "Your drawing is beautiful; the colours are so bright." When you receive one, simply say "Thank you" with a smile. Compliments encourage others and make communication warm and friendly.

5. Responding Politely

6. Politeness in Ghanaian Culture

In many Ghanaian homes, children are taught to greet elders first, to say "please" and "thank you", and to receive gifts with the right hand or with both hands. When an elder calls, a polite child answers "Yes, please" or "Me pa wo kyɛw" in Twi, rather than simply "What?". Bringing these good manners into your English makes your communication respectful wherever you go. Remember also that politeness is shown through actions: waiting your turn to speak, looking at the speaker and not interrupting.

1. What Is an Adjective?

Adjective: A word that describes or gives more information about a noun or pronoun.

2. Kinds of Adjectives

3. Position of Adjectives

Most adjectives come before the noun: "a busy market". They can also come after a linking verb: "The market is busy." Adjectives after linking verbs are called predicative adjectives.

4. Order of Several Adjectives

Example: "a beautiful large old round yellow Ghanaian woven market basket". In everyday writing we rarely use more than three adjectives together: "a beautiful old kente cloth", "two small brown goats".

5. Using Adjectives Effectively

Choose precise adjectives instead of weak ones. Instead of "nice", try "delicious", "comfortable", "elegant" or "friendly", depending on what you mean. Do not use too many adjectives in one sentence; two well-chosen adjectives are better than five ordinary ones.

6. Adjectives Formed from Other Words

Many adjectives are formed by adding suffixes to nouns and verbs. Common suffixes are -ful (care → careful), -less (hope → hopeless), -ous (danger → dangerous), -able (enjoy → enjoyable), -ive (act → active), -al (nation → national) and -y (rain → rainy). Knowing these suffixes helps you build a wider vocabulary and recognise adjectives when you read. For example, in "The dangerous road became passable after the careful repairs", the words "dangerous", "passable" and "careful" are all adjectives formed with suffixes.

1. Features of Descriptive Writing

2. Precise and Technical Vocabulary

When describing a process or craft, use the correct technical words. A writer describing kente weaving should mention the loom, warp, weft, shuttle, heddle and treadles. Technical words make the description accurate and show knowledge of the subject.

3. Model Description: The Weaver of Bonwire

In a shaded shed at Bonwire, an old weaver sits at his narrow wooden loom. Long warp threads in gold, green and red stretch out before him, pegged to a heavy stone far down the yard. His bare feet press the treadles in a steady rhythm: clack, clack, clack. With each press, the heddles rise and fall, and his hand flicks the wooden shuttle across the threads.

Slowly, a narrow strip of cloth grows beneath his fingers. Bright yellow squares appear, then zigzags of black, like lightning across a golden sky. The air smells faintly of cotton and dust, and somewhere a radio plays softly. He does not speak. His eyes, narrowed in concentration, never leave the pattern. In his hands, simple threads become a royal cloth.

4. Planning a Description

5. Show, Do Not Tell

Telling: "The market was busy." Showing: "Traders shouted prices, wheelbarrows rattled past and buyers squeezed between the stalls." Showing lets the reader see and hear the busyness instead of being told about it.

1. Text Features That Help Prediction

2. Predicting Before Reading

Before reading, survey the text. Read the title and headings, look at the pictures and captions, and read the first and last paragraphs. Then ask: What is this text about? What do I already know? What do I expect to learn?

3. Reading Passage: The Mole National Park

Title: Mole National Park: Ghana's Largest Wildlife Refuge. Headings: "Where Is Mole?", "Animals of Mole", "Visiting the Park", "Protecting Mole".

Where Is Mole? Mole National Park is in the Savannah Region of northern Ghana, near the town of Larabanga. Covering about 4,500 square kilometres, it is the largest national park in the country.

Animals of Mole. The park is home to more than 90 kinds of mammals, including elephants, buffalo, antelopes, warthogs and baboons, as well as over 300 kinds of birds. Visitors often see elephants bathing in the watering holes near the park headquarters.

Visiting the Park. Tourists can join guided walking safaris or drives with armed rangers. Nearby, the ancient Larabanga Mosque, built in the Sudanese style of mud and wood, attracts many visitors.

Protecting Mole. Poaching and bush fires threaten the park's animals. Rangers patrol the park, and nearby communities are encouraged to protect wildlife because tourism brings jobs and income.

4. Checking Predictions

From the heading "Animals of Mole", most readers predict a list of animals, which is correct. From "Protecting Mole", readers may predict threats to the park; the text confirms poaching and bush fires. Text features help readers find information quickly and understand it better.