73

Past perfect tense

This tense is formed by using had with the correct form of the verb.

Example: He had given his sister two sweets.

It is used to describe an action completed by a given time in the past.

Example: By four o’clock he had mown the lawn.

When she arrived, we had already left.

When two actions happen in the past, the one which happened first is moved further back

into the past, that is the past perfect.

Example: After she had set the table, she arranged the flowers.

Learn the following list by heart

Every day I Yesterday I I had already

am was been

choose chose chosen

eat ate eaten

say said said

go went gone

make made made

take took taken

1. Use the verbs in the last column to make seven meaningful sentences of your own.

2. Write down the correct form of the verbs in brackets.

Example: After she (do) her homework, she went to bed.

After she had done her homework, she went to bed.

a. When he had read the book, he (return) it to the library.

b. After Mr Brown (wash) the car, he watered the garden.

c. After Richard and Sally had bought the present, they (to catch) the bus home.

d. By late afternoon she (finish) all her chores.

e. Mrs Peters not (be) at home for long, before her neighbours called.

When

I

she

we

the boys

he

you

they

had put

had planted

had washed

had done

the car away,

the seedlings,

the cars,

their chores,

I

she

we

they

went indoors.

watered them.

asked for a reward.

played a game.

3. Give the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Example: By noon the boys (walk) five kilometres.

By noon the boys had walked five kilometres.

a. She was sent home from school because she (break) her arm.

b. John told me that he (lost) the list.

c. By the time we left the farm, the rain (start).

LEARN THE

FOLLOWING

LIST

BY

HEART

74

d. He went to have a bath after he (clean) the garage.

e. When they arrived, Susan already (receive) the flowers.

f. She forgot what she (want) to say.

g. Mother asked whom I (invite) to the party.

h. She asked me if I (see) her brother.

4. Active voice Passive voice

a. Peter had done the work. The work had been done (by Peter).

b. Sue had watered the plants The plants had been watered (by

Sue).

c. The man had bought a newspaper. A newspaper had been bought (by

the man).

d. I had seen her sister. Her sister had been seen by me.

e. Mary had invited me to her party. I had been invited by Mary to her

party.

Change the following to the passive voice.

Example: Anne had received the flowers.

The flowers had been received by Anne.

a. He had ordered a cup of coffee.

b. She had set the table.

c. They had flown a kite.

d. Jack had called Peter to the telephone.

e. Mother had asked Jack to clean the shoes.

f. Amy had asked Jack to make the boys sandwiches.

g. We had brought all the books home.

h. The boys had let out the air of the tyres.

5. Give the correct form of the verb.

a. After we (find) the money, we (give) it to the principal.

b. It is true. I (be) away for a long time.

c. I (think) about the answer, before I (write) it down.

d. When I (complete) the exercise, I (go) to bed.

e. Yesterday, by three o’clock she (bake) a lot of cookies.

f. When you (call), I not (be) at home.

g. After he (phone) the police, they (come) very fast.

h. Before you (tell) me, I (know) about the accident.

6. Write in the Passive voice.

a. She had booked a room.

b. I had ridden my bicycle by then.

c. She had warned me.

d. They had hidden the ball.

e. Paul had seen the whole thing.

f. Penny had drawn the picture.

g. I had played a prank on the teacher.

h. He had scored a goal before the match ended.

75

Listening comprehension

Listen to your teacher reading this story from The Star of 25 July 1996 that describes how

Penny Heyns’s swimming career has developed.

Penny gets gold at Atlanta

Penny Heyns’s 100m breaststroke win at the

Atlanta Olympics is a far cry from her first,

disastrous Olympics and her schooldays

when she did not take swimming seriously.

The powerful swimmer with the determined

eyes and flashing smile was born in Benoni

in 1974. Her family later moved to Natal

where she attended the Doornheights

Primary School in Durban. She went on

to the Amanzimtoti High School where she

matriculated in 1992 as the school’s head

girl.

Mary-Ann Norval, a family friend and

senior deputy head of Amanzimtoti High,

says Penny did not take swimming seriously

until her late high school years when she set

a number of records.

While in Std 8, Penny was chosen for the

SA Junior team to Taiwan and in her matric

year, she was chosen to represent SA in

the Olympics in Barcelona. She was the

youngest member of the team.

But her trip to Barcelona was surrounded

by disagreements on her selection. She had

recorded the fastest breaststroke times in the

country, but they had been achieved in heats

rather than during the finals at the national

championships. She failed to progress

beyond the heats in Barcelona.

Former coach Neville Phillips said yesterday

it was perhaps her poor performance

at Barcelona, which sparked off her

determination to go for gold at Atlanta.

Shortly after her 18th birthday, she went

to Lincoln University in Nebraska, USA,

on a scholarship to study psychology. There

she linked up with Czech-born coach Jan

Bidrman who helped her change her stroke

and training.

The golden girl comes from a family of

swimmers - mother Patsy is a coach at the

prestigious Amanzimtoti Swimming Club,

younger brother Etienne has his national

swimming colours and baby brother Stephen

is the current record holder of the 100m and

200m breaststroke. Dad Steve, although not a

swimmer, was a good athlete.

Determined, realistic and self-focused are

the words most often used to describe Penny

and she has proven herself worthy of such

praise by not only breaking the Olympic 100m

and 200m breaststroke records, but also by

obtaining the first South African Olympic gold

medal in swimming in 44 years.

Said Phillips of her achievement: “Fantastic,

absolutely fantastic! This will put swimming

back on the map.”

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

76

Performance by Penny Heyns

Barcelona Olympics 92

Commonwealth Games 94

World Championships 94

SA Nationals 95

Pan Pacific’s 95

Universiade 95

All Africa Games 95

SA Championships 96

Atlanta Olympics 96

Questions

Choose the best ending for these statements from the choices.

1. Penny Heyns’s first attempt at the Olympics was

a. very successful.

b. successful.

c. unsuccessful.

d. very unsuccessful.

2. At Amanzimtoti she was

a. her school’s head girl.

b. not interested in swimming.

c. a matric student in 1974.

d. a pupil at both the primary school and the high school.

3. She was the youngest member of the team when she went to

a. Natal.

b. Taiwan.

c. Barcelona.

d. the USA.

Write the answers to the following questions in your exercise book.

4. Why was there so much disagreement when Penny was chosen to go to Barcelona?

5. In what way did going to the USA improve her swimming career?

6. Why should South Africa be proud of Penny Heyns?

7. According to the graph, in what year did Penny go to Barcelona? What position did she

finish in?

8. Name the competitions in which Penny finished in first position.

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 1

Position in the Race

Yea

r and T

ype

of

Com

pet

itio

n

77

Language

1. Give the correct form of the word in brackets.

a. When I (see) the car, it was (come) up the street.

b. My father usually (catch) a bus to work.

c. Sarah (wear) her new dress tomorrow morning.

d. Have you (find) your new hat, Peggy?

e. Tom (feel) ill last night.

f. I (bring) the book back tomorrow afternoon.

g. The hen (lay) an egg yesterday.

h. In Cape Town it often (rain) in winter.

i. Mom (bake) a cake before Ms Campbell arrived.

j. Tomorrow we (go) home again.

2. Choose a suitable word (or words) to complete each sentence. You can choose from the

words in the box underneath.

My sister left ... train ... Thursday. She went ... her best friend, Annabel. They got .. the

train at 9 o’clock. The train did not stop ... it reached Johannesburg. My sister is going

away ... six months. From the train window, she saw the river running ... the bridge near

our house.

until

on

on

under

onto

for

for

of

by

with

3. In English there are some activities that we always express as doing to ourselves.

For example: The baby knows how to dress herself already. I cut myself yesterday with

a knife.

Choose from:

myself

yourself

himself

herself

itself

ourselves

yourselves

themselves

Fill in the missing word. You can choose from the words in the box above.

a. Jane, my sister, cut ... with a sharp knife.

b. I got dressed, then I looked at ... in the mirror.

c. We helped ... to some more cake.

d. The old lady was speaking to ...

e. You are doing very well! You can do this by ...!

f. The children went to the party and enjoyed ... very much.

g. My little sister dresses ... every morning.

h. The horse tried to jump over the high fence, and hurt ...

i. They burned ... while they were playing with matches.

j. You are sick. You must go to bed and look after ...

78

Conjunctions

Using and or but

The guy didn’t even touch me. The ref gave him a red card.

The guy didn’t even touch me, but the ref gave him a red card.

Using a subordinating conjunction

The referee was very strict. It was a good game to watch.

Although the referee was very strict, it was a good game to watch.

Because the referee was very strict, it was a good game to watch.

You could change the word order, without changing the meaning.

It was a good game to watch although the referee was very strict.

It was a good game to watch because the referee was very strict.

Exercises

until as unless but

1. Use the conjunctions from the box in these sentences.

a. ... he invites me, I’m not coming to the party.

b. She likes singing ... she hates dancing.

c. I’ll wait ... they come.

d. They arrived ... we were leaving.

2. Rewrite the following sentences so that they begin with the conjunctions that are bold.

a. She’s very popular because she has won many medals.

b. You can become good at sports if you practise hard.

c. Our team did not win, although they tried their best.

3. Now join these sentences, using the word in brackets to do so.

a. The goalie was kicked on the head. He was not badly hurt. (but)

b. The team did not win the game. The coach was satisfied. (although)

c. Don’t do that again. I will send you off. (or)

d. I am giving you a warning. That was dangerous play. (because)

e. You broke his leg. He may never play again. (and)

79

Word search

Can you find all the listed words in this box of letters? They may each be prefixed by the

word “black” to form a new word or sense, and may read horizontally, vertically or diagonally

either forwards or backwards, but always in straight lines. Use a ruler to score them through

as you find them.

ball guard prince

beetle humour pudding

belt jack sheep

berry letter shirt

board list smith

bottom looks spot

comedy thorn currant

mailer velvet death

market watch diamond

widow

G A X P L A H S C R B U N D I P K L V R Y

V E Y F R S C Z E M T A E M E B R T U J D

L H P K H T F R T Q U I X J E N S H L M O

F G T I N U J C L E R G S E A Y F Y A T N

R A R A M N E A O E V X T S P C E R G J T

M T F L E K R U T M D L O C H I K R C E T

O G N R U D B T G F E P E N J E R F K D N

F H M D N G E H T L A D M V R P G D B X A

C D N Y K L P S F Z A J Y N D T P M O C R

M G T D H R I N P G V L X N R E D N A H R

D N A B A L L C R N Z T O Y R O F S R T U

Y W S T T M B E A M D M G O J E H W D A C

K N O S W R C E H A A W N B K E S T B L R

G I L D Y N G P K I G T I K E S Y E H P F

R G S T I N C O D L Y X D P D L C M C M A

U M U R F W O I L E F Y D R B S T A T I L

Q L P A N Y P U G R H V U E M N I Z A M Y

P U P P R L X E D A K O P I Y T J A W N C

O M A R T D E V N L M O T T O B W H E C K

W H E R K L E G S U C H F P A M B L E P L

O B C D R F R C H U J H S L K D E V B G U

80

Indirect or reported speech

Direct speech indicates the actual words used by a

speaker. Indirect or reported speech is a report of the

words used.

Carefully study the examples below:

1. Peter says: “I am tall.” Peter says that he is tall.

2. Peter said: “I am tall.” Peter said that he was tall.

3. Mary says: “I am watering the garden.” Mary says that she is watering the

garden.

4. Mary said: “I am watering the garden.” Mary said that she was watering the

garden.

5. Father asks: “Is Tom washing the car

now?”

Father asks if Tom is washing the car

now.

6. Father asked: “Is Tom washing the car

now?”

Father asked if Tom was washing the

car then.

7. Sam says: “My sister is playing tennis this

afternoon.”

Sam says that his sister is playing

tennis this afternoon.

8. Sam said: “My sister is playing tennis this

afternoon.

Sam said that his sister was playing

tennis that afternoon.

9. Mother says: “I shall be here tomorrow

morning.”

Mother says that she will be here

tomorrow morning.

10. Mother said: “I shall be here tomorrow

morning.”

Mother said that she would be there

the next morning.

11. Sally tells Richard: “I bought this skirt

yesterday.”

Sally tells Richard that she bought this

skirt yesterday.

12. Sally told Richard: “I bought this skirt

yesterday.”

Sally told Richard that she had bought

that skirt the previous day / the day

before.

13. Jack says: “I called on you two days ago.” Jack says that he called on him / her

two days ago.

14. Jack said: “I called on you two days ago.” Jack said that he had called on him /

her two days before / previously.

I am knitting

Mags says that

she is knitting

81

Note

1. When reporting what someone says, the colon, the question mark and the inverted

commas fall away.

Example: Jack says: “I am mowing the lawn.”

Jack says that he is mowing the lawn.

Father asks: “Is Jack mowing the lawn?”

Father asks if Jack is mowing the lawn.

2. When the verb of the first part of the sentence is past tense, the verb of the second

part moves further back into the past.

Example: He said: “I am mowing the lawn.” (am mowing = present continuous

tense)

He said that he was mowing the lawn. (was mowing = past continuous tense)

Direct speech Reported speech

mows mowed

mowed had mown

will mow would mow

was mowing had been mowing

has mowed had mown

will be mowing would be mowing

will have mowed would have mown

Other common changes which occur in the past tense include:

Direct speech Reported speech

now then

today that day

tomorrow the next day / the following day

yesterday the previous day / the day before

last week the previous week / the week before

ago before

this that

these those

here there

Exercises

1. Change the following sentences to reported speech. Use the introductory verbs first in

the present tense, and then in the past tense.

Example: Peter says: “I am hungry.”

Peter says that he is hungry.

Peter said that he was hungry.

a. The boys say: “We are playing cricket today.”

b. Jane says: “I was baking a cake.”

c. Ms Brown says: “I shall be late.”

d. Tom says: “I visited my sister two weeks ago.”

e. Father says: “I planted these flowers yesterday.”

f. The teacher asks: “Where are your books?”

82

g. The girls say: “We were here all the time.”

h. Andrew says: “I have closed the door.”

i. Amy says to Linda: “We haven’t done our homework today.”

j. Linda replies: “We must do it now.”

2. Change the following sentences to reported speech.

Example: Caleb: “I brought these lilies from the lake.”

Caleb said that he had brought those lilies from the lake.

a. Caleb: “I’m afraid the lilies will not grow in it.”

Caleb said ...

b. Sashie: “What is in the bucket?”

Sashie asked ...

c. Gardener: “We thought you might like some lilies in your pool.”

The gardener replied ...

d. Sashie: “How nice these lilies smell.”

Sashie commented ...

e. Gardener: “Let’s go and find something to plant these flowers in, Caleb.”

The gardener said ...

Language

1. Make the bold adjectives in the following sentences opposite in meaning by adding one

of the prefixes below.

un in mis il

a. It was legal for the government officer to accept bribes.

b. Please do not behave like a civilised person.

c. Our English teacher will not accept any work that is complete.

d. Students who behave will be expelled from school.

2. Use the correct form of the adjectives:

a. Nolo was the (pretty) girl in the class.

b. Ms Scott is (small) than Rebecca.

c. That concert was the (good) thing that ever happened.

d. John was a (bad) pupil than Jack.

83

Different ways of asking questions

In general people are very curious and so often ask questions. Your teacher will help you to

practise saying (or asking) the following sets of questions.

What

is Father

the traffic officer

the teachers

the boys

calling to

saying to

telling

the players?

Mother?

the careless driver?are

When willthe girls

your parents

be back?

be leaving?

get here?

Where

hasthe puppy

Mariannebeen

for so long?

since yesterday?

all afternoon?haveyou

the girls

Why

doesn’tyour aunt

the coachever

scold

punish

praise

you?

him?

her?don’tyour parents

the teachers

How many

tries

goals

points

hasthe champion

Leon scored

losttoday?

havethey

you

How often

is the boxer

too tired

to give

to play

to try

his

best?are the boys their

Write sentences using:

What, When, Where, Why, How many and How often.

84

Who, What, Where

Below is a list of questions that need a “who”, “what”, or “where” answer. Provide the

correct answer.

• At last, the great ship finally came to rest on these mountains. Where were they?

• Noah and his family were told to leave the ark with the animals. Who said this?

• Noah used this to determine whether the land was dry. What was it?

• Noah saw that the land was dry when he removed this. What was it?

• The dove returned with this in its beak so Noah knew the land was drying. What was

it?

85

Comprehension

Read the story.

Fishing trip

Way before the first light of dawn, John was up preparing for his fishing trip. Going

fishing with Grandpa was special, something he didn’t want to miss.

By the time Grandpa’s old pickup truck eased into the driveway, pulling the big boat

and trailer behind, John was waiting outside. Quickly John stowed his gear in the back

of the pickup and climbed in beside Grandpa.

“Morning, John.” Grandpa said, grinning at John’s excitement. “I heard red snappers

are biting down at Pelican Point. How about some?”

“Let’s go!” John replied eagerly.

Grandpa eased off the clutch and pulled out of the driveway. John felt as if they would

never get out of town. Finally the truck began to bump along the gravelly roads towards

Catfish Cove. The headlights of the pickup sparkled off the bits of shell that were ground

into the road and gleamed off the tips of the palmettos that crowded along the side. John

breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the salty air.

Just then they heard a bumping noise, and the pickup began to jolt along the road.

Grandpa stopped the truck and got out.

“What’s wrong, Grandpa?” John asked, following him.

Grandpa stood at the back of the pickup, looking at the back tyre. “Got a flat, son,”

he said, shaking his head. “Must’ve run over that broken bottle back there. I wish folks

wouldn’t litter. Oh, well, might as well get this tyre changed.”

Finally Grandpa got the tyre changed. “Going to lose part of our fishing time, John,”

he said, shaking his head. “Tide’ll change, soon.”

They reached the dock at the cove about full light. John helped get the boat into the

water. Then he went to the pickup to get his gear. When he tried to lift his pole, it

stuck.

“Oh, no,” he groaned. “My gear is all tangled! The fishing line is wrapped around the

gas can, and the hooks are stuck in the boat cushions!”

Grandpa shook his head. “This is quite a trip, and we haven’t even left the dock yet!

Do what you can, John. I’ll get the bait.”

Grandpa went to the bait house. He stayed for a while talking to the owner about the best

place to fish. When he got back, John had his gear stowed in the boat, trim and neat.

“That’s better,” Grandpa said approvingly. “You’ll be a fisherman yet.”

The motor roared into life and Grandpa guided the boat across the cove toward Pelican

Point. John watched carefully as Grandpa pointed out the channel markers. He knew

that straying out of the channel would take him into shallow water that could shear the

pin on the motor and disable the boat. He had once seen a few careless tourists being

towed home behind a fisherman.

“Want to guide her some, John?” Grandpa asked. As John eagerly took over, Grandpa

rubbed his chest. “Too much sausage for breakfast.”

“Are you feeling too bad to fish, Grandpa?” John asked.

“Never feel too bad to fish,” Grandpa replied, grinning at John. “Let’re rip!”

86

Questions

Answer the questions in full sentences.

1. a. What problem did Grandpa and John have on the road to Pelican Point?

b. What caused their problem?

c. What would you do to solve the problem of littering?

2. a. What problem did John have with his gear?

b. What caused his problem?

c. What did he do to solve his problem?

d. What could he do to keep it from happening again?

3. a. What was grandpa’s problem?

b. What do you think was causing his problem?

c. What could he do about his problem?

Near Pelican Point, John cut the motor, and the boat drifted with the tide. Grandpa

helped him toss the anchor overboard, but winced as he sat back down.

John gave him a worried look.

“Now, don’t you fret,” Grandpa said. “I’m fine.”

But by the time a dozen red snappers flapped in the bottom of the boat, Grandpa’s face

was white.

“John,” he gasped, clutching his heart. “You’ve got to get me to a doc!”

87

Creative writing

Write at least four paragraphs about “The one that got away!”

88

Homophones

Many words sound alike but do not mean the same. We call them homophones.

see sea son sun hear here

to two bear bare meat meet

by buy blue blew pane pain

our hour pear pair some sum

Choose the correct words from the list above.

a. My aunt’s ... does not go into the hot ...

b. ... of you don’t understand the ...

c. He cut his hand in the broken ... and now he feels great ...

d. Let us go to the ... to ... who has the best yacht.

e. The ... boys fight ... see who will win.

f. A heavy wind ... yesterday. Today the sky is ...

g. I bought myself a ... of shoes. The children will divide the ...

h. Let’s ... at my house and fry some ...

i. Come ..., do you ... me?

j. ... parents will return in an ...

k. I want to ... a coat made ... Mrs Jones.

l. I can’t ... to see poor children with ... feet during winter.

Complete the puzzle

Across

1. He joins in the fun with his (whole, hole) heart.

4. Laughter is a (save, safe) way of letting off steam.

5. His feelings are easily (hurt, heard).

7. How many (hours / ours) have you been angry?

Down

1. Hatred is one of the emotions (which / witch) are harmful to body and mind.

2. He almost bit (of / off) my head in a fit of temper.

3. (Their / there) are various ways of letting off steam.

6. (To, too) many people bottle up their emotions.

1 2 3

4

5 6

7

89

Poetry to enjoy

All of us would like to be good at whatever we do. The truth is, most of us are not stars.

This poem tells us what a certain little boy feels like when teams are picked.

Picking teams

When we pick teams on the playground,

whatever the game might be,

there’s always somebody left till last,

and usually it’s me.

I stand there looking hopeful

and tapping myself on the chest,

but the captains pick the others first,

starting, of course, with the best.

Maybe if teams were sometimes picked

starting with the worst,

once in his life a boy like me

could end up being first!

Allan Ahlberg

Oral

Now think about these things, and discuss them in your group.

• How do you think the little boy in the poem feels when it’s time for picking teams?

• Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?

• Have you seen it happen to somebody else?

• Did you realise at the time how that person must have been feeling?

• Has this poem made you think differently about anything?

• Not everybody can play soccer or netball or hockey well, but everybody is good at

something. Some of us can sing, some can dance, some can cook, and some can draw,

all of which are just as important as playing games well. What do the members of your

group do best?

90

Comparisons

Complete the following crossword puzzle.

Across

3. as gentle as a

5. as slow as a

7. as stubborn as a

9. as sick as a

11. as wise as an

12. as strong as an

13. as free as

15. as ugly as

18. as light as a

19. as greedy as a

Down

1. as good as

2. as sly as a

4. as busy as a

6. as white as

8. as brave as a

10. as fresh as a

14. as heavy as

16. as slippery as an

17. as faithful as a

1 2 3 4

5 6

7 8

9

10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17

18

19

91

Reading

Read the following passages quite quickly to get an idea of what they are about. Think about

the questions below, and then read the passages again, slowly and carefully.

Passage 1

Toulouse - A touch of magic by striker Benedict McCarthy allowed South Africa to grab

a 1-1 draw against Denmark in a game of high drama in which three players were sent off

- equalling a World Cup record - here last night. With the goal - South Africa’s first in a

World Cup final - the side snatched the chance to keep alive their slim hope of qualifying

for the next round.

And they could so nearly have stolen a win at the death when a thunderous 30-metre shot

from Quinton Fortune crashed against the crossbar with Danish goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel

beaten. Bafana now have one point with a lot riding on their game against Saudi Arabia next

Wednesday. With a mathematical chance of qualifying, providing the Danes lose to France

in their final game, Bafana will need to improve their goal tally considerably should they

also end with four points.

Passage 2

Vichy, France - Star Bafana Bafana striker Benedict McCarthy scored one of the most

important goals in his short but illustrious career against Denmark at the Stade Municipal

on Thursday - and then handed his boots to younger brother, Mark.

McCarthy pulled South Africa from the brink of defeat - and an early exit from the World

Cup - when he scored the equalising goal in the 52nd minute after Allan Nielsen had shot

the Danes into a 1-0 lead during the first half.

With McCarthy’s goal, Bafana Bafana kept alive their slim hope of qualifying for the next

round. But they will need to improve their goal tally should they end on four points with

Denmark.

“I made a promise that if I scored my first goal in

the World Cup I would give my boots to my brother.

When I did, I was at the other end of the field and

could not see my family’s reaction,” McCarthy

said in Vichy yesterday. “I waited until after the

game and then handed my boots to him.” He was

excited about the 1-1 result as it gave South Africa

an outside chance of staying in the competition.

Passage 3

Vichy - South Africa received somewhat of a lifeline yesterday when it was revealed that

“Golden Boy” Benni McCarthy may be fit for Thursday’s vital World Cup soccer clash with

Denmark.

Team doctor Victor Ramathesele said McCarthy had made a remarkable improvement.

“He can walk on his ankle and it looks like he might be ready for Thursday - he’s doing very,

very well,” the medic added.

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Officials had ruled the 20 year old Ajax striker out of contention for Thursday’s match in

Toulouse after an examination at a Marseilles hospital on Friday night.

Passage 1

1. At what stage of the game did Quinton Fortune nearly score?

2. Name the other three teams in South Africa’s World Cup group.

3. In what order did South Africa play these three teams?

4. Who won the first game?

Passage 2

1. Why was McCarthy’s goal against Denmark especially important to the South African

team?

2. Was Benni’s family at the match? How do you know?

Passage 3

1. Why was Benni McCarthy called “Golden Boy”? What does the nickname tell us about

him?

2. What is Victor Ramathesele’s profession? Why is he called a “medic”? What does the

word mean?

3. What is a “lifeline” usually used for? Why does the writer of this article use the word?

What does it tell the reader about the South African team’s chances against Denmark

without McCarthy?

4. Explain why the writer calls the match against Denmark a “vital” one for South Africa.

After Reading

Now answer these questions carefully and thoughtfully. Give a reason for every answer and

in each case say whether you found your answer in Passage 1, Passage 2 or Passage 3.

1. Was Benni McCarthy expected to play an important part in Bafana Bafana’s match

against Denmark? When the match took place, did he play an important part?

2. What is Benni McCarthy’s full name?

3. In what city did the match against Denmark take place?

4. What is the largest number of players that have ever been sent off in a single World Cup

match?

5. Who scored first in the game - South Africa or Denmark?

6. For what club does McCarthy play when he is not playing for South Africa in international

matches?

7. Did McCarthy score a goal in a previous World Cup match?

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Writing skills

You are very fond of athletics. Perhaps you are an excellent athlete or a spectator. Write a

paragraph of 10 - 15 lines in your exercise books. Use your dictionary for the difficult words.

It is unnecessary to make spelling mistakes. You will receive marks for your assignment.

Entitle your paragraph: My favourite sport.

Make you own brainstorm diagram and jot down as many ideas as possible.

Here are some words you may use:

Thunderous applause, excitement. Gasping for breath he approached the winning post.

Slender, muscular, athletic figure.

An excellent runner, broke a record / equalled a record. Gracefully he glided over the bar.

He ran like a hare.

Fill in the collective nouns

Note

Words that name groups of things are called collective nouns.

E.g. A flock of sheep.

a. A ... of players.

b. A ... of people.

c. A ... of flowers.

d. A ... of learners.

e. A ... of puppies.

f. A ... of bees.

g. A ... of mountains.

h. A ... of beads.

i. A ... of smoke.

j. A ... of wheat.