Monday, 26 July 2021 08:50

OVERVIEW OF THE ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE PAPER 1: LANGUAGE IN CONTEXT FORM - ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE PAPER 1 GRADE 12 STUDY GUIDE AND NOTES

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OVERVIEW OF THE ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
ENGLISH FIRST ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE
PAPER 1
STUDY GUIDE AND NOTES
GRADE 12

The Paper 1 exam is two hours long. You must answer ALL the questions  in the exam paper. 
Here is a summary of the three sections you will need to complete in the  Paper 1: Language in Context exam: 

Question number 

Section 

Number of marks

Question 1 

A. Comprehension 

  • Text A: Prose text 
  • Text B: Visual text

Total:

  • 30 marks 
  • 24 marks
  • 6 marks

Question 2 

B. Summary 

Total: 10 marks

 

C. Language structures and  conventions

Total: 40 marks

Question 3 

Question 4 

Question 5.1 

Question 5.2

Advertisement 

10 marks

Cartoon 

10 marks

Prose extract 

14 marks

Visual extract 

6 marks

It is recommended that you spend the following amount of time on each  section: 

  • Section 1: Comprehension 50 minutes
  • Section B: Summary 30 minutes
  • Section C: Language structures and conventions 40 minutes 

NB:

  • Make sure that you number your answers correctly, according to the numbering system used in the question paper. 
  • Start each section on a new page. 

Manage your  time so that you  answer all the  questions.

Question words  

Here are examples of question types found in the exam.

Question type 

What you need to do

Literal: Questions about information that is clearly given in the text or extract from the text 

Name characters/places/things ... 

Write the specific names of characters, places, etc.

State the facts/reasons/ideas … 

Write down the information without any discussion or  comments.

Give two reasons for/why … 

Write two reasons (this means the same as ‘state’).

Identify the character/reasons/theme … 

Write down the character’s name, state the reasons. 

Describe the place/character/what happens when … 

Write the main characteristics of something, for  example: What does a place look/feel/smell like? Is a  particular character kind/rude/aggressive … 

What does character x do when … 

Write what happened – what the character did.

Why did character x do … 

Given reasons for the character’s action according to  your knowledge of the plot.

Who is/did … 

Write the name of the character.

To whom does xx refer … 

Write the name of the relevant character/person.

Reorganisation: Questions that need you to bring together different pieces of information in an organised way.

Summarise the main points/ideas … 

Write the main points, without a lot of detail.

Group the common elements … 

Join the same things together.

Give an outline of ….. 

Write the main points, without a lot of detail.

Inference Questions that need you to interpret (make meaning of) the text using information that may not  be clearly stated. This process involves thinking about what happened in different parts of the text; looking  for clues that tell you more about a character, theme or symbol; and using your own knowledge to help you  understand the text.

Explain how this idea links with the theme x … 

Identify the links to the theme. 

Compare the attitudes/actions of character x with  character y …

Point out the similarities and differences.

What do the words … suggest/reveal about /what  does this situation tell you about …

State what you think the meaning is, based on your  understanding of the text.

How does character x react when …. 

Describe how something affected … 

State how you know that character x is …

Write down the character’s reaction/what the character  did/felt.

What did character x mean by the expression … 

Explain why the character used those particular words. 

Is the following statement true or false? 

Write ‘true’ or ‘false’ next to the question number. You  must give a reason for your answer.

Choose the correct answer to complete the following  sentence (multiple choice question).

A list of answers is given, labelled A–D. Write only the  letter (A, B, C or D) next to the question number.

Complete the following sentence by filling in the  missing words …

Write the missing word next to the question number.

Quote a line from the extract to prove your answer. 

Write the relevant line of text using the same words  and punctuation you see in the extract. Put quotation  marks (“ ” inverted commas) around the quote. 

Evaluation Questions that require you to make a judgement based on your knowledge and understanding of the  text and your own experience. 

Discuss your view/a character’s feelings/a theme ... 

Consider all the information and reach a conclusion.

Do you think that … 

There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to these questions,  but you must give a reason for your opinion based on  information given in the text.

Do you agree with …

 

In your opinion, what …

 

Give your views on …

 

Appreciation Questions that ask about your emotional response to what happens, the characters and how it is  written.

How would you feel if you were character x when … 

There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer to these questions,  but you must give a reason for your opinion based on  information given in the text.

Discuss your response to …

 

Do you feel sorry for …

 

Discuss the use of the writer’s style, diction and  figurative language, dialogue …

To answer this type of question, ask yourself: Does the  style help me to feel/imagine what is happening/what  a character is feeling? Why/why not? Give a reason for  your answer.

Related Items

words to know

100 most commonly used English words 

This is a useful list of words to learn that will boost your English vocabulary and help you with  writing and reading. These words make up about half of all written texts! 
Knowing these words will also help you to read faster and understand more. 
You will be able to identify them quickly in any text and then have more time to focus on the  words you don’t know. 

In alphabetical order

back 

even 

her 

just 

not 

over 

the 

to 

when

about 

be 

first 

him 

know 

now 

people 

their 

two 

which

after 

because 

for 

his 

like 

of 

say 

them 

up 

who

all 

but 

from 

how 

look 

on 

see 

then 

us 

will

also 

by 

get 

make 

one 

she 

there 

use 

with

an 

can 

give 

if 

me 

only 

so 

these 

want 

work

and 

come 

go 

in 

most 

or 

some 

they 

way 

would

any 

could 

good 

into 

my 

other 

take 

think 

we 

year

as 

day 

have 

it 

new 

our 

than 

this 

well 

you

at 

do 

he 

its 

no 

out 

that 

time 

what 

your

words to know

The table below shows how the 100 words are used: 

Time  Value  Joining words  Modal  verbs  Number  Nouns  Articles  Prepositions Pronouns Function words Function words
after  good and can come  all day  a by i back also
 now just bacause cou;d do any people an in he it as
 then like  but will get first   the into her its even
 time   how would give one     on him most for
 when    what   go some      over his new if
 year   which   know two     to me no of
     who   look       up my not or
        make       about our only out
        say       at she other so
        see       from their than that
        think         them this there
        work         they way these
        have         us well use
        take         we with  
        be         you want  
                  your    

words to know

These are useful words for you to learn for the Language in Context exam. 

  • abbreviation – a shortened version of  a word (e.g., prof (professor); doc  (doctor))
  • acronym – a word made up from  the first letters of the name of  something (e.g., SARS (South  African Revenue Service))
  • active voice – the subject of the  sentence does the action (e.g.,  Sipho threw the ball)
  • adjective - the part of speech used to  describe a person, place or thing  (e.g., The old, gray cat slept in a  warm basket.)
  • adverb – the part of speech which  describes a verb (e.g., The old man  walked slowly.)
  • alliteration – the use of several words  that begin with the same sound or  letter in succession (e.g., silvery  snakes slide swiftly)
  • allusion – writing or speaking that  mentions a subject, person, etc.  indirectly (e.g., Some members of  the class seem to think rules don’t  apply to them.)
  • ambiguity – a possible double  meaning which may make a  message unclear when used by  mistake (e.g., The lady hit the man  with the umbrella.)
  • analyse – to look closely at a text so  that you notice everything about  the way in which it has been  written
  • anecdote – a short story based on  personal experience
  • antonym – a word that is opposite in  meaning to another word in the  same language (e.g., tall is an  antonym of short)
  • appreciation – an understanding  of the importance or meaning of  something, such as a piece of  writing
  • appropriate – correct or suitable  for a particular time, situation, or  purpose
  • assonance – repetition of vowel  sounds in two or more words to  create effect (e.g., slow boats float  on the ocean)
  • assumptions – something that you  think is true although you have no  definite proof bias – an opinion about whether  something is good or bad which  influences how you feel towards it
  • caricature – a cartoon type drawing  of a well-known person which  exaggerates their most obvious  features (e.g., Barack Obama with  big ears)
  • cartoon – a drawing, which may  include words, which is meant to  be amusing
  • clause – a group of words which  contains a finite verb. A sentence  is made up of one or more clauses.
  • coherent – something which  makes logical sense (e.g., a  coherent paragraph has a clear  development of ideas)
  • cohesive – a cohesive answer or text  is one which flows and where all  ideas hold together
  • colloquial – language or words  that are used mainly in informal  conversations rather than in  writing or formal speech (e.g.,  How’re you doing? rather than the  formal, How are you?) 
  • comic strip – a series of pictures  or drawings which tell a funny or  interesting story
  • concord – the agreement of subject  and verb. If a subject is singular,  the verb must be singular (e.g.,  The team has new members). If a  subject is plural, the verb must be  plural (e.g., The teams have new  members).
  • conjunction – the part of speech  which is used to join ideas (e.g.,  and, but, or)
  • connotation – the feelings attached  to the meaning of words (e.g.,  holiday has positive feelings  attached to it; murder has feelings  of fear and negativity) 
  • context – the part of a text which  surrounds a word and gives it  meaning (e.g., The judge had  a grave look on his face as he  sentenced the prisoner. The  context of “grave” tells the reader  which meaning “grave” has in this  sentence.)
  • denotation – the literal meaning of  a word; the definition given by a  dictionary
  • direct speech – the exact words  someone says. These should be  written in inverted commas (e.g.,  “I am ready to write my exams,”  Thabo said.)
  • edit – to read over carefully what has  been written, to improve the style  and correct errors
  • emotive – emotive language is  language which arouses strong  feelings
  • euphemism – a polite word or  expression that you use instead  of a more direct one to avoid  shocking or upsetting someone  (e.g. Pass away is a euphemism  for die)
  • evaluate – to judge the value or worth  of something, taking into account  the information and experience  which you have
  • exaggerate – to describe something  as greater or larger than it really  is (e.g., His shoes must have cost  millions.) 
  • explicit – clearly or directly stated  (the opposite of implicit)
  • figurative – language which  describes things by using figures of  speech (e.g., similes, metaphors,  alliteration. Figurative expressions  are descriptive and not literal.)
  • font – the style and size in which a  text is printed
  • homonym – a word which has both  the same sound and spelling 
  • as another word but a different  meaning (e.g., the noun bear and  the verb to bear)
  • homophone – a word which sounds  the same as another but is spelled  differently and has a different  meaning (e.g., one and won)
  • hyperbole – an big exaggeration (e.g.,  He ate a mountain of food.)
  • image – a picture. An image can also  be a picture created by words. 
  • imagery – lively, detailed description  through which writers share their  ideas
  • impact – the effect or influence that  an event, situation etc. has on  someone or something
  • imply (implied – past tense) –  suggest, but not to state directly  (e.g., He was in the room when  your bag went missing.)
  • infer – to form an opinion about  something; to draw a conclusion  from the information which is  available (e.g., If he does not  answer your call, you can infer that  he does not want to speak to you.) inference – an opinion based on the  information available (e.g. If you  do not attend soccer practice,  the inference amongst the other  players will be that you do not care  about the team.)
  • interpret – to explain the meaning of  something in your own words (e.g.,  “You must interpret the meaning  of line 2 of the poem”, the teacher  told the class.)
  • irony – something which is the  opposite of what is expected  (e.g. She found maths difficult at  school, so it is an irony that she is  now an accountant.) 
  • key words – the most important  words in a piece of writing.  You may be asked to underline  key words to improve your  understanding of a passage.
  • literal – the exact, straightforward  meaning of something 
  • literacy – the ability to read and write logo – a symbol which belongs to a  certain product (e.g., each make of  car has its own symbol)
  • metaphor – a direct comparison; like  or as are not used (e.g., Themba is  a lion in battle.) 
  • noun – the part of speech which  names a person, place or thing  (e.g., Angela wore a hat to the  party.)
  • onomatopoeia – words which sound  like what they describe (e.g., a  brush swishes, a cow moos)
  • oxymoron – words which seem to  contradict each other are used to  describe something (e.g., Being  sent to prison for life must feel like  a living death.)
  • passive voice – the object of a  sentence becomes the subject  (e.g., The ball was thrown by Sipho,  instead of Sipho threw the ball.)
  • personification – something which is  not human is described in human  terms for effect (e.g., The sun  smiled when it looked down at the  earth.)
  • phrase – a group of words which  do not contain a finite verb (e.g.,  The yellow car). A sentence has  phrases in it.
  • point of view – a particular way  of thinking about or judging  a situation (e.g., From an  economic point of view, the new  development will benefit the  town greatly.); also someone’s  personal opinion or attitude about  something (e.g., I respect your  point of view, but I’m not sure I  agree with you.)
  • prefix – a syllable added to the  beginning of a root word to change  the meaning of the original word  (e.g., co-operate, preview). Prefixes  are often used to create opposites  (e.g., disappoint, unhappy)
  • prejudice – an opinion already  formed; bias (e.g., It is prejudiced  to expect all nurses to be women.)
  • preposition – the part of speech  which shows the link between two  things (e.g. The basket is on/over/ under/beside the chair.)
  • pronoun – the part of speech which  takes the place of a noun (e.g.,  John loves Martha – He loves her)
  • pun – a play on words (e.g., Seven  days without water makes a  person weak. “Weak” is a play on  “week”, which has seven days.) reflect – to think carefully about  something (e.g., When I reflect on how I behaved at school, I feel  ashamed.)
  • register – the use of a different  language style to suit different  speakers and audiences.  Language can be formal (e.g.,  How do you do?) or informal (e.g.,  Hi/Howzit) depending on who  is speaking and who is being  addressed.
  • root word – a word before it has had  a prefix or suffix added to it
  • sarcasm – speaking or writing using  expressions which clearly mean  the opposite of what is felt in  order to be unkind or offensive  in an amusing way (e.g., saying  to someone who has arrived at a  meeting very late, “So good of you  to come.”)
  • scan – to run one’s eyes over a text in  order to find specific information  (e.g., you scan a telephone  directory for a name and number,  or a timetable for the time of a  train or bus)
  • simile – a comparison using ‘like’ or  ‘as’ (e.g., He ran like the wind. He  is as brave as a lion.)
  • skim – to read a text very quickly to  get an overview (e.g., skim the  newspaper headlines for the main  news)
  • slogan – a well-known saying which  belongs to a certain product  (e.g., ‘finger lickin’ good’ is KFC’s  slogan)
  • suffix - a small word added to the  end of a root word to change the  meaning of the original word (e.g.,  helpless, manager)
  • stereotype – a fixed (and often  biased) view about what a  particular type of person is like  (e.g., the stereotype of a rugby  player is of a big, strong man).  Stereotypes can be dangerous  when all members of a particular  group are regarded in the same  negative way (e.g., foreigners)
  • symbol – something which stands for  or represents something else (e.g.,  a dove is a symbol of peace)
  • synonym – a word which has the  same meaning or nearly the same  meaning as another word in the  same language (e.g., big and large are synonyms)
  • target market – a group of people an  advertisement aims to attract as  customers
  • text – a written text is a piece of  writing. A visual text conveys  a message through pictures,  diagrams etc. 
  • tone – the emotional message in a  text (e.g., The tone of the letter is  angry and critical.) 
  • verb – the part of speech which  describes doing (e.g., to play, to  fight) or being (e.g., to be, to seem)
  • visual literacy – the ability to see  and find meaning in pictures,  photographs, diagrams, etc. 
Last modified on Tuesday, 27 July 2021 06:33