a) Conjunctions

Conjunctions are connecting words that join two or more sentences into a single
sentence.
Examples of conjunctions:
and although but because for however if or since
so then though unless until when whether while yet
Activity:
1. TV can cause children to be more aggressive. Children often see violence on
TV shows.
2. TV encourages children to take part in risky behaviour. Parents should limit
the amount of TV their children watch.
3. Watching too much TV can lead to obesity. Watching too much TV can lead to
high blood pressure.
4. Many parents do not monitor how much TV their children watch. Watching too
much TV could be harming their children.
5. Children may copy bad behaviour they watch on TV. Role models on TV often
have bad behaviour.

b) Generalisation and Stereotyping

 Generalisation is when we use specific cases to support general conclusion in an
argument; for example, if some learners at a school think the principal is a good
man, we conclude (and might be wrong) that all learners think he is a good man.
Similarly, if someone tells you they have lost weight by skipping lunch every day, you
cannot conclude that skipping lunch every day will help everyone to lose weight!
 Stereotyping is when you give certain characteristics to a whole group of people. The
group could be a religious or ethnic group, or people in a certain job, or of similar
habits. You stereotype when you say or write things such as:
 Teenagers use foul language.
 Women with red hair are short-tempered.
 Fat people are jolly.
 Stereotyping is a problem because you make judgements about people without even
knowing them. Stereotyping can also be a form of discrimination. For example,

Sarahjane Olivier [Operational Head - Curro Aurora - High School] 1

 “Jews cannot be trusted” is a form of discrimination. Stereotyping can cause you to
make wrong conclusions about a person, or to lose a possible friend.
Activity:

In the sentence below, state whether generalisation or stereotyping has been used.

1. Women love lipstick.

2. Men over fifty are lazy.
3. She is a Jew, therefore she must be stingy.
4. The De Klerks are Afrikaners, I am sure they are farmers.
5. My friends are English-speaking. They all read very well.
6. Teenage boys like teasing girls.
7. He has a red-headed wife; they must surely have many heated arguments.
8. Men prefer beer to wine.
9. I’m sure that accident was caused by woman driver.
c) Abbreviations
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word. There are a few rules regarding
abbreviation you need to be aware of.
If the abbreviation consists of just the first few letters of the word it represents, you
traditionally have to use a full stop.

Abbreviation Word
Sat. Saturday
Apr. April
Tel. Telephone
Prof. Professor
p. Page
Ch. Chapter

In English we also use phrases taken from other languages, and their abbreviations
are also written with full stops.

Abbreviation Word
R.S.V.P Respondez s’il vous
Sarahjane Olivier [Operational Head - Curro Aurora - High School] 2
 plait (Please reply)
Etc. Etcetera (and so on)
e.g. Exempli gratia (for
example/ example
given)
i.e. Id est (that is/ it is)

If the abbreviation includes the first and last consonant of the word, no full stop is
needed.
Abbreviation Word
Pls Please
Mr Mister
Dr Doctor
Rd Road
Crt Court
Maths mathematics

However, recent abbreviations do not use a full stop even if the last consonant is left
out.

Abbreviation Word
Cell Cellular (phone)
Kb Kilobyte computer
MB Megabyte
GB Gigabyte
data-capacity
TB Terabyte
units

Cellphone technology has resulted in many new abbreviations. (These are only
appropriate in SMS communication)

Abbreviation Word
FYI For your information
Bf Best friend /

Sarahjane Olivier [Operational Head - Curro Aurora - High School] 3

 boyfriend
Gf Girlfriend
B4 Before
Cu See you
Gr8 Great
L8r Later
Ne1 Anyone
Nth Nothing
XOXO HUGS AND KISSES
Hru How are you?

We can also abbreviate a phrase by saying only the first letter of each word.

Abbreviation Word
SABC South African
Broadcasting
Corporation
SAP South African Police
PTA Parent and
Teachers’
Association
SPCA Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals
UFO Unidentified Flying
Object
FET Further Education
and Training
ANC African National
Congress
MDC Movement for
Democratic Change
SMS Short Message
Service

Sarahjane Olivier [Operational Head - Curro Aurora - High School] 4