Basic 8 · English Language
Describing Familiar Places, Reading Fluently, Revising Predictions, Relative Pronoun Errors and Polishing Introductions
In this topic you will describe familiar places orally, read prose accurately and at a suitable pace, confirm and revise predictions in a story, correct common errors with relative pronouns and revise your introductory paragraphs.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Describe a familiar place clearly in speech
- Read prose with accuracy and a suitable pace
- Confirm and revise predictions while reading a story
- Correct errors in the use of relative pronouns
- Revise introductory paragraphs to make them stronger
What you already know
- Descriptive language
- Relative clauses and essay introductions
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Oral Language
- Sub-strand
- Conversation
- Indicator
- B8.1.1.1.3 – Use appropriate language orally to describe familiar places and events
Introduction
If a visitor asked you to describe your hometown, what would you say? A good oral description helps listeners see the place.
1. Planning an Oral Description
Choose one place you know well, such as your home, school, market or a beach. Decide on the main impression: is it busy, peaceful, beautiful or run-down? Then choose three or four details that show this. Arrange them in a clear order, such as from the entrance to the centre, or from what you see first to what you notice later.
2. Useful Language
| Purpose | Expressions |
|---|---|
| location | It is situated in... It lies near... |
| position | On the left... In the centre... Behind the... |
| comparison | It reminds me of... It is like... |
| sensory detail | You can hear... The air smells of... |
| feelings | What I love most is... |
3. Model Talk
"Good morning. I want to tell you about Busua Beach, in the Western Region. It lies a short drive from Takoradi. As you arrive, the first thing you notice is the long curve of golden sand, lined with coconut palms. Fishermen pull their nets on the left, and small restaurants stand on the right. The air smells of salt and grilled fish, and the waves never stop their steady roar. What I love most is sitting there at sunset, when the whole sea turns orange. If you visit the Western Region, Busua is a place you must see."
4. Delivering Your Talk
Use notes, not a full script. Look at your listeners, speak clearly, and use gestures to show directions. Vary your voice so the talk does not sound flat. Practise at home, and time yourself so that you keep within the limit. End with a sentence that leaves a strong impression.
New words
- main impression
- The overall feeling a description gives.
- situated
- Located in a place.
- sensory detail
- A detail that appeals to the senses.
Summary
- Plan an oral description around a main impression and a clear order.
- Use language of position, comparison and senses, and speak clearly with notes.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Busua Beach is in the…
- A. Western Region
- B. Upper East Region
- C. Volta Region
- D. Savannah Region
Show answer
Answer: Western RegionModel talk.2. Speakers should use short notes instead of reading every word.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueEye contact.3. The overall feeling of a description is its main ______.
Show answer
Answer: impressionMain feeling.4. Write two sentences describing a place using sensory details.
Show answer
Answer: The market smells of fried fish. You can hear traders shouting prices. (any suitable answer)Senses.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Literature
- Sub-strand
- Prose
- Indicator
- B8.5.1.1.3 – Read prose fluently and with understanding
Introduction
A fluent reader reads smoothly, as if speaking. Fluency frees your mind to think about meaning instead of individual words.
1. What Is Reading Fluency?
Reading fluency: The ability to read a text accurately, at a suitable speed and with expression.
| Part | Meaning |
|---|---|
| accuracy | reading words correctly |
| rate | reading at a suitable speed, neither too slow nor too fast |
| phrasing | grouping words into meaningful phrases |
| expression | using your voice to show meaning and feeling |
2. Why Fluency Matters
A reader who stops at every word forgets the beginning of the sentence before reaching the end. Fluent reading helps comprehension, makes reading enjoyable and saves time in examinations. Fluency comes from regular practice, especially reading the same text several times.
3. Practice Passage
Every morning before school, Kwabena fed his grandmother's chickens. He scattered maize across the yard, counted the birds and checked the nests for eggs. One day he counted again. There were only eleven. The speckled hen, the one his grandmother loved most, had disappeared. He looked behind the kitchen, under the old truck and along the fence. Then, from the bushes behind the house, he heard a soft, proud clucking.
4. Steps for Practising Fluency
- Read the passage silently first to understand it.
- Note difficult words and practise them.
- Read aloud, pausing at commas and full stops.
- Read again with expression, raising your voice for questions and excitement.
- Time yourself and try to improve smoothly, not by rushing.
- Ask a partner to listen and give feedback.
Speed is not the only goal. A reader who races and ignores punctuation is not fluent. Aim for a natural speaking pace, about the rate of a news reader.
New words
- fluency
- Reading smoothly and accurately with expression.
- phrasing
- Grouping words into meaningful chunks.
- expression
- Using the voice to show meaning.
Summary
- Fluency combines accuracy, rate, phrasing and expression.
- Repeated reading and attention to punctuation build fluency.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which is part of reading fluency?
- A. expression
- B. shouting
- C. skipping words
- D. guessing
Show answer
Answer: expressionVoice and meaning.2. Reading as fast as possible is the only goal of fluency.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseAccuracy and expression count.3. Grouping words into meaningful chunks is ______.
Show answer
Answer: phrasingFluency part.4. State three steps for practising fluency.
Show answer
Answer: Read silently first, practise difficult words, read aloud with expression (or time yourself).Any three.
Lesson 3
- Strand
- Reading
- Sub-strand
- Comprehension
- Indicator
- B8.2.1.1.2 – Use prediction to assess and improve engagement and understanding of non-fiction texts
Introduction
Good readers change their minds. As new information appears, they check their predictions and adjust them.
1. A Three-Step Process
- Predict: say what you think will happen and why.
- Read on: look for evidence for or against your prediction.
- Confirm or revise: decide whether you were right and make a new prediction.
2. Reading Passage: The Missing Hen, Part 2
Kwabena crept towards the bushes, expecting to find a snake or a thieving neighbour's dog. He parted the leaves carefully, and the clucking stopped. Two bright eyes stared back at him. There sat the speckled hen, her feathers puffed out. Kwabena reached forward, and she pecked his hand hard.
Then he saw it: beneath her, a tiny yellow head pushed out, then another. She had hidden her nest here for three weeks. Kwabena laughed and ran to fetch his grandmother. "Nana! Nana!" he shouted. "You have ten new reasons to love that hen!"
3. A Prediction Chart
| Prediction | Evidence | Result |
|---|---|---|
| a snake has taken the hen | the hen is missing and there is noise in the bushes | wrong; the hen is safe |
| a dog stole the hen | a neighbour's dog is mentioned | wrong |
| the hen is hiding something | "soft, proud clucking" and sitting still | correct |
4. Noticing Clues You Missed
Look back at Part 1. The clucking was "soft, proud", not frightened. That was a clue that the hen was fine. Skilful writers leave such clues, and rereading helps you notice them. Revising predictions is not a sign of poor reading. It shows that you are thinking as you read.
New words
- revise
- To change an idea after new information.
- prediction chart
- A table that records predictions and evidence.
- confirm
- To show that something is true.
Summary
- Predict, read on, then confirm or revise your prediction.
- A prediction chart records evidence, and rereading reveals clues you missed.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Why was the hen hiding?
- A. she was sitting on her chicks
- B. she was sick
- C. a dog chased her
- D. she was lost
Show answer
Answer: she was sitting on her chicksPart 2.2. The hen pecked Kwabena's hand.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueStated.3. To change an idea after new information is to ______ it.
Show answer
Answer: reviseAdjust.4. Which clue in Part 1 suggested the hen was safe?
Show answer
Answer: The clucking was soft and proud, not frightened.Clue.
Lesson 4
- Strand
- Grammar
- Sub-strand
- Pronouns
- Indicator
- B8.3.1.1.2 – Demonstrate use of relative pronouns correctly in speaking and writing
Introduction
Relative pronouns are small words, but they cause many errors in writing. In this lesson you will find and correct the most common ones.
1. Common Errors
| Wrong | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| The man which came is my uncle. | The man who came is my uncle. | use who for people |
| The book who I read was good. | The book which I read was good. | use which for things |
| The boy who his father is a doctor. | The boy whose father is a doctor. | use whose for possession |
| The girl who she won the prize. | The girl who won the prize. | do not repeat the subject |
| This is the school where I attended. | This is the school which I attended. | "attend" needs an object |
| Accra, that is big, is busy. | Accra, which is big, is busy. | no "that" in non-defining clauses |
| The people which live here are kind. | The people who live here are kind. | people need who |
2. Agreement with Relative Clauses
The verb in a relative clause agrees with the noun the pronoun refers to. "She is one of the girls who are in the choir." Here "who" refers to "girls", so the verb is plural. "The boy who sings is my brother." Here "who" refers to "boy", so the verb is singular.
3. Editing Practice
Correct the paragraph
Correct: "Mr Asare, that teaches us Maths, is the man which won the award. The learners who they respect him are happy."
- "that" must be "who" in a non-defining clause.
- "which" must be "who" for a person.
- Remove the repeated subject "they".
Answer: Mr Asare, who teaches us Maths, is the man who won the award. The learners who respect him are happy.
4. Editing Your Own Writing
After writing, underline every who, which, that and whose. Ask: Does it refer to a person or a thing? Is the verb after it correct? Have I repeated the subject? Do I need commas? This simple check removes most errors.
New words
- error
- A mistake in language.
- agreement
- Matching verbs with their subjects.
- edit
- To correct mistakes in writing.
Summary
- Use who for people, which for things and whose for possession, and do not repeat subjects.
- Verbs in relative clauses agree with the noun the pronoun refers to.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Choose the correct sentence.
- A. The man who came is my uncle.
- B. The man which came is my uncle.
- C. The man who he came is my uncle.
- D. The man whose came is my uncle.
Show answer
Answer: The man who came is my uncle.People take who.2. "The girl who she won" is correct.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseRepeated subject.3. She is one of the girls who ______ (is, are) in the choir.
Show answer
Answer: areRefers to girls.4. Correct: "The boy who his bag was stolen is crying."
Show answer
Answer: The boy whose bag was stolen is crying.Possession.
Lesson 5
- Strand
- Writing
- Sub-strand
- Paragraph Development
- Indicator
- B8.4.1.2.1 – Record and use different techniques to capture the reader’s attention in introductory paragraphs
Introduction
Professional writers rarely get a first paragraph right at once. They rewrite it several times. Revision turns an ordinary introduction into a strong one.
1. A Checklist for Introductions
| Question | Yes or no |
|---|---|
| Does the first sentence catch attention? | |
| Is the topic clear? | |
| Is there enough background? | |
| Does it state the main idea? | |
| Is it the right length? | |
| Is the tone suitable for the essay? |
2. Before and After
Before: "This essay is about water. Water is very important. We use water every day. I will write about water."
After: "Imagine waking up one morning to find every tap in your town dry. For many Ghanaians, this is not imagination but daily life. Although water is essential for health, farming and industry, our rivers are being polluted and wasted. This essay explains why water must be protected and how each of us can help."
The revised version replaces the weak opening with a picture, gives background and states the main idea clearly.
3. Practical Steps in Revising
- Read the introduction aloud.
- Replace any general opening with a hook.
- Cut repeated ideas and empty sentences.
- Add one fact or detail for background.
- Write a clear thesis as the last sentence.
- Ask a partner to read it and tell you what they expect next.
4. Using Feedback
Exchange introductions with a classmate. Tell your partner what you liked and what could be stronger. If your partner cannot guess what the essay will be about, the introduction needs work. Do not be discouraged by suggestions; every good piece of writing has been revised many times.
New words
- revision
- Improving a piece of writing.
- draft
- An early version of a piece of writing.
- feedback
- Comments that help improve work.
Summary
- Check that an introduction has a hook, clear topic, background and main idea.
- Revise by replacing weak openings, cutting repetition and using feedback.
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. An early version of writing is a…
- A. draft
- B. thesis
- C. hook
- D. title
Show answer
Answer: draftFirst version.2. Good writers revise their work.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueRewriting.3. Comments that help improve work are called ______.
Show answer
Answer: feedbackResponse.4. Improve this opening: "This essay is about my school."
Show answer
Answer: Have you ever visited a school where the mango trees are older than the buildings? (any suitable hook)Stronger hook.
Homework
- Prepare a one-minute talk describing a familiar place.
- Read a passage aloud three times and record your improvement.
- Revise one of your essay introductions and rewrite it neatly.