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IMPORTANT TERMS USED IN THE COMPREHENSION

Ambiguity More than one meaning, one less obvious

Contradiction Ideas which are opposed to one another
Irony What appears to be is in contrast with what is actually the case
Paradox Absurd or contradictory statement which proves to be true
Sarcasm Use of irony as ridicule
Satire Ridicule used to expose or criticize issues

UNDERSTANDING STYLE

Style in literature is the literary element that describes the ways that the author uses
words — the author's word choice, sentence structure, figurative language, and sentence
arrangement all work together to establish mood, images, and meaning in the text.
[Defining Style - Read Write Thinkhttps://www.readwritethink.org › definition_style]

Technical-type questions focus on the following:

 Use of statistics or numbers
 Grammar – formal / conversational / slang
 Punctuation
 Direct speech
 Rhetorical questions
 Paragraph structure e.g. single-sentence paragraph
 Sentence lengths
 Figurative language – images
 Repetition
 Diction, emotive words

The possible trigger phrases are:

 To involve us more directly, personally
 To provoke emotional responses
 To add credibility, validity, authenticity
 To convince, manipulate, persuade
 To emphasise, highlight, give prominence
 To engage readers (participation)
 To encourage thinking / an opinion
 To elicit a response
 To link an idea or to allow the reader to draw conclusions
 To reach a possible solution

Understanding style is imperative in informing tone as well. It is difficult for learners to

understand tone if they do not have a clear grasp of the concept of style in writing.

UNDERSTANDING TONE

Tone is the author's attitude toward a subject. The tone can be identified by looking at word
choices and phrases. Take time to look at the language. An author uses words to create
meaning.
[https://study.com/academy/lesson/understanding-tone-and-mood-in-a-reading-passage.html]
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 P a g e | 20

QUESTION 2 – SUMMARY
2.1 Summarising Skills

To perfect the summary, it takes PRACTISE! PRACTISE! PRACTISE!!!

Take note:

 A summary is a BRIEF statement or account of something.

 You are instructed to summarise in PARAGRAPH form only so you must be able to
construct a coherent, FLUENT SINGLE PARAGRAPH.
 Understand that summaries should be written in YOUR own words.
 Write in full sentences and try NOT to exceed 12 words per sentence.
 If you learn how to answer the summary correctly, you CAN score full marks.
 Avoid using quotations (as it appears in the original text).
 Use words like synonyms, pronoun replacements and try to write in simple sentences.
It works really well.
 Where possible, try to rewrite a sentence from the
active voice into the passive voice.
 Use your own words does NOT mean give your
OPINION.
 Make sure to have a copy of the rubric when you
are practising the summary and become familiar
with it.
 Label ‘Rough Work’.
 Label ‘Final Copy’.

2.2 HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMARY QUESTION

RESOURCE: SCE/NSC EXAMINATIONS PAPER 1: 2022
SECTION B: SUMMARY
QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

TEXT C highlights the importance

of developing youth leadership.
Summarise, in your own words,
how young people can emerge
as the next generation of
leaders.
 P a g e | 21

Use the summary instructions as a CHECKLIST.

NOTE:
1. Your summary should include SEVEN points and NOT exceed 90 words
2. You must write a fluent paragraph
3. You are NOT required to include a title for the summary.
4. Indicate your word count at the end of the summary.

HOW TO DO A FIRST DRAFT

Underline the instruction and rephrase it as a question:

How can young people emerge as the next generation of leaders?

The word ‘how’ is an important word in this summary. It is asking in what ways or by what
means can young people emerge as the next generation.

STEP ONE
What is the Summary about? You should have a gist of what the text is about.
Read the text carefully and highlight all sentences/words/phrases that answer the question:

How can young people emerge as the next generation of leaders?

Now underline/highlight the important points in the text by referring to the above question.
 P a g e | 22

TEXT C

YOUNG PEOPLE AS EMERGING LEADERS

Young people are already spearheading the social
entrepreneurial movement across the world. There are currently
two ways the sector talks about young people – as the
beneficiaries of 'youth development' or as participants of 'youth-led
Point 1
development' – but often it is not clear whether as a group we are
being portrayed as the problem or the solution.
We should be focusing on inter-generational work. Currently
young activists are given their own spaces, but at the cost of not
being in the room for the 'grown-up' discussions. Young people are
equipped to interact and inform decision-making on thematic
Point 2
issues, so they should be involved in all discussions. We need
more young people participating in decision-making at both
local and global levels. For example, national policymaking in
India often involves consultation with industry groups, community
leaders, and other sections of society. However, these should
Point 3
involve youth consultations, and advisory groups formed to
work on youth issues.
It is frustrating to see 'youth leaders' who do not talk about race,
gender or class, so having more intersectional youth-led
Point 4
organisations should be a priority. Increasingly young people
are getting 'a voice' at the table, but like everyone else in society,
young people have many different perspectives and won't
always feel they identify with any given platform's 'youth voice'. Point 5
Supporting young people to engage socially, politically and
economically and creating opportunities for them to
contribute to developmental processes create effective policy
and build a generation of engaged citizens. Too often,
however, their engagement is inhibited by traditional, Point 6
customary and legal structures that do not value their
perspectives.
Young social entrepreneurs and civil society leaders often face
issues related to resources, access and accountability. This is Point 7
where more experienced leaders can step in and provide
assistance. There are many examples of industry leaders serving
on boards of social enterprises and NGOs, partnering with younger
organisations to channel funds and mentoring young
entrepreneurs.
Point 8
We are tired of spaces where we are the topic of the
discussion, not the leaders of it. Listening means taking those
voices seriously. No one benefits if young people are a wasted
resource. Point 9
[Adapted from theguardian.com]

Point 10
 P a g e | 23

You should have highlighted/underlined the following points from the text.
1. ‘We should be focusing on the inter-generational work.’/’they should be involved in all
discussions.’
2. ‘more young people participating in decision-making at local as well as global levels.’
3. ‘should involve youth consultations, and advisory groups formed to work on youth
issues.’
4. ‘more intersectional youth-led organisations should be a priority.’
5. ‘young people have many different perspectives’/Too often, however, their engagement
is inhabited by traditional, customary and legal structures that do not value their
perspectives.’
6. ‘Supporting young people to engage socially, politically and economically.’
7. ‘creating opportunities for them to contribute to developmental processes create
effective policy and build a generation of engaged citizens.’
8. ‘more experienced leaders can step in and provide assistance.’
9. ‘We are tired of spaces where we are the topic of the discussion, not the leaders of it.’
10. ‘Listening means taking those voices seriously.’
STEP TWO
Use the highlighted/underlined words from the text and write out the SEVEN POINTS, using
YOUR OWN WORDS.
For example:

This is what you should have underlined
from the text.
QUOTATION
1. ‘we should be focusing on
intergenerational work.’/they should be
involved in all discussions.’
2. ‘more young people participating in
decision-making at local as well as
global levels.’
3. ‘should involve youth consultations, and
advisory groups formed to work on
youth issues.’
4. more intersectional youth-led
organisations should be a priority.’
5. ‘young people have many different
perspectives’/’too often, however, their
engagement is inhabited by traditional,
customery and legal structures that do
not value their perspectives.’
6. ‘supporting young people to engage
socially, poltically and economically,’
7. ‘creating opportunities for them to
contribute to developmental processes
create effective policy and build a
generation of engaged citizens.’
8. ‘more experienced leaders can step in
and provide assistance.’
This is what you could say, using your
own words.
OWN WORDS
Young people should be given the
opportunity to engage in discussions with
adults.
Young people should be involved in local
and international decision-making
processes.
Teams should be established to give
advice on youth-related matters.
Organisations representing the youth
should be more diverse and representative.
Because they have diverse views, their
contributions must be appreciated and
encouraged.
Youth participation in economic and socio-
political discussions should be facilitated.
Young people should be included in policy-
making decisions.
Established leaders can facilitate the
development of under-resourced young
leaders.
 P a g e | 24

9. ‘We are tired of spaces where we are
the topic of the discussion, not the
leaders of it.’
10. ‘Listening means taking those voices
seriously.’
The young must lead conversations about
their role in society.’
The contribution of the youth must be taken
into account.

STEP THREE: Final Copy

Your FINAL COPY MUST be in the form of a SINGLE FLUENT paragraph.
It should include SEVEN points.
It should NOT exceed 90 words.
You may delete/put a line across all your previous drafts so that the marker is aware which
aspect to mark.

A final word of WARNING:

Avoid lifting by copying complete sentences from the text.

Try to rephrase points in your own words.
Please be HONEST by stating the exact number of words used.

NOTE: What follows is merely an example. It is not prescriptive and must be used very
carefully.

Young people should be allowed to interact with adults in order to be involved in local and
global decision-making processes. Organisations representing the youth should be more
diverse and representative. The youth should be guided by advisory teams because of
their divergent viewpoints. More specifically, young people’s participation in fiscal
decision-making contributes to the socio-economic growth of the country. Established
leaders should facilitate their development, while the youth lead conversations about their
role in society. The contributions of the youth must be appreciated/encouraged and taken
into account.
(87 words)

TOTAL SECTION B: 10
 P a g e | 28

QUESTION 3: ANALYSING ADVERTISING

SECTION C: LANGUAGE STRUCTURES AND CONVENTIONS
What is an advertisement?
An advertisement is a public notice PROMOTING a PRODUCT, a SERVICE, an
OPPORTUNITY or a CAUSE.
Advertisers use the AIDA PRINCIPLES to create advertisements that will convince the
reader to take action and buy their product, service, etc.
PURPOSE OF ADVERTISING
The purpose of advertising is to persuade someone to buy a product (for example food or
clothing); or to do something (for example, to stop smoking or to vote in an election).
Advertisements also announce events (for example, Mandela Day or a sporting event) and
inform the public about jobs or services that are available. These can be done through
different types of media, eg. Websites (online), radio, television, newspaper, magazines,
billboards and flyers.
3.1 ADVERTISING TERMINOLOGY

When you study advertisements, you should watch out for:

Slogan/Catch Phrase: Words that are linked to a product and that are easy to remember
(for example, “Finger-licking good”).
Logo/Symbol: A visual design, sometimes including letters, words or symbols,
that is the official sign of a company or organisation (for example,
the Nike tick).
Font: The style and shape of printed letters, often especially chosen for
emphasis in advertisements or cartoons.
Target Market: The type of people an advertisement wants to attract (for
example, fashionable young people; wealthy business people).
Layout: The way the advertisement is set out on the page so that certain
words and pictures attract attention.
Language Use: The choice of words and ways of saying things (for example, the
use of slang to sell jeans to young buyers; formal language used
to sell banking services to business people; dramatic language
used to sell adventure equipment; repetition used to make the
reader remember the message).
Figures of Speech: The use of metaphor, simile, hyperbole (great exaggeration),
onomatopoeia, puns, personification and alliteration (for
example, hyperbole and alliteration used together: ‘Betty bakes
the best buns in the world’).
Sound Devices: Words chosen for the effect of their sounds (for example,
onomatopoeia and alliteration used together: ‘Shush, baby’s
sleeping, it’s time for a soothing sip of rooibos tea’).
 P a g e | 29

The AIDA Principal

Something used to attract the reader’s attention. e.g.

photo, picture, bold typed words, white spaces, ad’s
size.

Advertisements arouse interest by delivering

messages that are relevant to this market.

Something used to make you desire the product. E.g.

a celebrity may appear in the ad or the ad may
suggest you will benefit from the product.

Something is done to urge you to act NOW. There

may be a time limit on a sale price or limited supply

Ensure that learners understand that the purpose of an advertisement is to influence the
reader to TAKE ACTION, as in to buy a product, service, etc. This is done by appealing to
the human desire for the following:
 Health
 Enjoyment
 Excitement
 Luxury
 Beauty
 Romance
 Independence
 Success
 Power
 Social status APPEALS
 Freedom
 Escape
 Belonging
 Love
 Physical safety
 Financial security
 Saving money
 Hunger
 Being a good parent/wife/citizen etc.
 P a g e | 30

DESIRE
(TO BE ATTENTION
HEALTHY) AIDA Principle in Action
(BRAND
AWARENESS)

ACTION INTEREST
(EASILY (COKE WITHOUT
ACCESSIBLE) SUGAR)

Adapted from: Department of Education, 2015

ATTENTION: Coca Cola bombards consumers with adverts in order to promote their
products. This is done to create brand awareness.
INTEREST: Advert mentions that this beverage has zero sugar. This implies that
customers will be drinking coke without calories. This will interest people
who are health conscious.
DESIRE: People view these cool young ones drinking their coke-zero and having
a good time without worrying about health issues. Coke adverts are
known to be about a good lifestyle. This is what many people desire.
ACTION: You can get a Coke anywhere. Since Coke is easily accessible, the advert
persuades the customer to take action and buy it.
 P a g e | 31

IMPORTANT FEATURES of an advertisement.

HEADLINE

IMAGE
(VISUAL
CUES)

SUPPORTING
TEXT
(VERBAL CUES) LOGO

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES TABLE

Persuasive techniques Aim/Intention/Purpose
1. Visual – pictures / photos Identify the link between the text (words) and the
image (pictures).
Adds credibility, validity, authenticity.
To convince, manipulate, persuade, highlight and
makes it easier to understand.
Evokes an emotive response – e.g. a little teary-
eyed toddler
2. Use of personal pronouns Shows personal involvement and experience.
‘We’, ‘Us’, ‘You’ or Adds credible, reliable, sincere and believable.
relating to a common Involves us more directly.
cause/shared view To engage readers (participation).
Shows a shared concern – comrades/friends.
3. Literary expressions, To impress, astonish, imprint.
puns, clever sayings Gets the reader’s attention. Makes you remember –
recall.
4. Repetition Has a pounding effect – hammers a point. Makes
you remember - Recall.
Familiar.
It emphasises.
To add credibility, validity, authenticity.
To convince, manipulate, persuade.
To emphasise, highlight.
5. Rhetorical Questions To provoke involvement, an emotional response,
answer, reaction.
To involve us more directly / personally.
To add credibility, validity, authenticity.
 P a g e | 32

6. Emotive Adjectives Emotive words - e.g. A new principal. vs A new,

foolish principal.
Emotive words create an expectation/bias/prejudice
… an unusual comment will now be seen as ‘foolish’.
Just ONE word can swing things.
To provoke emotional responses.
To emphasise, highlight.
To engage readers - (participation).
To encourage thinking/ an OPINION.
7. Style – Direct/Casual To add credibility, validity, authenticity.
To convince, manipulate, persuade, emphasise,
highlight.
To engage readers - (participation).
8. Numbers, statistics, data, Credible, reliable.
research To convince, manipulate, persuade, emphasise,
highlight.
9. Arouse feelings of Guilt – Encourage a response, play on feelings.
manipulation/exploitation/ To encourage thinking/an opinion.
blackmail To involve us more directly / personally.
10. Font/Punctuation To emphasise, attract attention, to highlight,
engage readers (participation).
11. Celebrities/ To attract attention.
Avarice(greed)/Lifestyle/ To add credibility, validity, authenticity.
Attractive people To engage readers (participation).
To encourage thinking/an opinion.
To manipulate.

How to study advertisements for exam preparation

 It is important that you are aware of the fact that not every advertisement promotes a
specific product, but that some advertise a service, manufacturer, an idea or a lifestyle,
among other possibilities. Your knowledge of all these is therefore essential.
 Practise answering questions based on this section of the exam to reinforce your
knowledge of advertising skills and techniques. Many questions are technical type
questions that just require practise in order to master them.
 Exposure to a variety of texts to enrich your understanding and enjoyment of the genre is
key to passing this part of the exam. It can be viewed as the most enjoyable question in
the exam and allows for you to tap into the creative side of your brain.
 Since this part of the exam requires your critical analysing skills, interacting with a variety
of advertising texts will boost your confidence in evaluating the effectiveness of an
advertisement and voicing your opinion when answering higher order questions, that is,
questions which require your opinion or judgement. Take note that your opinion or
judgement is always based on evidence from the text.
 It is important to understand the use of language in the context of each advertisement, as
well as the layout features of given advertisements.
 P a g e | 46

QUESTION 4: CARTOONS
RESOURCES: English Handbook and study guide and X-KIT Achieve
The ability to recognise or understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images – it
simply means understanding what you see.
4.1 CARTOON TERMINOLOGY
 Cartoons can be light-hearted fun/reflect social trends/ highlight serious issues-
political/economic.
 CARTOON TERMINOLOGY
 BODY LANGUAGE: provides non-verbal clues/ communication about their mood and
attitude; this is seen through elements such as: body pose, gestures, and facial
expression and eye movements.
 CARICATURE: features or actions of a person are exaggerated.
E.g. Barack Obama may be drawn with big ears, long chin and big teeth.
 INTENTION: Is the cartoon meant to amuse, make a political statement or
ridicule someone (satire)?
A line between the speaker and the
 SPEECH BUBBLE: words to indicate who is speaking.

 THOUGHT BUBBLE: looks like clouds – indicates unspoken thoughts.

 CAPTION: title, brief explanation or comment accompanying an illustration.
 COMIC STRIP: sequences of drawings telling a humorous or adventurous story.
 FRAME: one drawing in a comic strip.
 MOVEMENT: indicated by means of vertical, curved and diagonal lines.
 Speedy action is indicated by streaky lines, or by the action going out of the frame.
 PUNCTUATION: clever use is made of punctuation to create meaning.
 STEREOTYPES: An exaggerated preconceived generalisation about the typical
behaviour, attitudes, dress etc. of various types of people.
 VERBAL CLUES: some parts of the drawing may be used to help the reader establish
what the cartoon is about.
 VISUAL METAPHOR: in a metaphor two things are compared. In a visual metaphor, a
picture stands for or represents something else.
 IRONY: when one thing is said, but something else is meant.
 PARODY: an imitation of a piece of writing used to ridicule the original or create a satirical
point.
 SATIRE: uses humour to make a serious point. It involves using wit, irony or sarcasm to
highlight human vices or follies.
 P a g e | 47

WHEN ANALYSING A CARTOON, LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING ASPECTS:

ACTION:
 What is happening in the cartoon?
 How is the action portrayed?

CHARACTERS:
 What emotions are communicated through facial expressions?
 What actions and emotions are communicated through body language?
 What does the body language suggest about the relationships between characters?

LANGUAGE:
 What words have been used?
 How has punctuation been used to suggest emotion?

SETTING:
 Where and when is the cartoon set?
 What is the particular social context?

STEREOTYPES/ SYMBOLS:
 Has the cartoonist made use of stereotypes – an over-generalized belief about a particular
category of people, example, all teenagers are rebels?
 Has the cartoonist used any symbols to represent something else?

When ANALYSING cartoons and referring to the TECHNIQUES used by a cartoonist,

look at these five elements:
 Speech bubbles
 Thought bubbles
 Facial expressions
 Body language
 Movement lines
 Onomatopoeia

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS:
Be careful they are not the same as body language. Facial expressions examples and what
they could possibly refer to in context of the cartoon.
INDICATE:
 Raised eyebrows: shock, enthusiasm, interest
 Furrowed eyebrows: scepticism, concentration focus, frustration
 Frown: sadness, confusion
 Smile: joy, pleased , satisfaction
 Enlarged eyes: shock, admiration, energetic
 Rolled eyes: annoyance, frustration
 Wide open mouth: excitement, shock, enthusiasm
 Smirk: satisfaction, conceited, smug, self- satisfied, playful
 Grimace: pain, disgust, disapproval
 P a g e | 48

NOTE TO LEARNER: Refer to facial expressions and what they indicate IN

CONTEXT of the cartoon.

BODY LANGUAGE:
Remember to point out the obvious! It does not matter how clear an expression through
body language (or facial expression) may seem.
Example of body language and what may be INDICATED:
 Outstretched arms: exaggeration, emphasis
 Slumped posture: uninterested, bored, tired
 Head buried hands: overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, crying
 Head placed on one hand: annoyance, impatience, frustration
 Head/ body turned away: disinterested, ignoring someone/something

SPEECH BUBBLES:
These are very easily identifiable, they are bubbles... with spoken words. When asked to refer
to diction, text, language or words in the cartoon this is where we look!
WHEN USED AS A TECHNIQUE:
A lack of speech bubbles, especially in a comic strip where people are interacting or having
a conversation can be used to convey a message or a cartoon character’s attitude/reaction
to something or someone.
EXAMPLES:
 Indicating shock/surprise
 Emphasising anger
 Creating tension(as we wait for a spoken response)
 Confusion

THOUGHT BUBBLES:
These are usually in the shape of a cloud and contain words that are NOT spoken (thoughts).
WHEN USED AS A TECHNIQUE:
The presence of thought bubbles can indicate or show the following:
 A character is very deep in thought/ concentrating hard and is thus not speaking.
 Someone has a thought but does not want to say it aloud; they do not want others to
know what they are thinking.
 This could be an exclamation, or a ‘secret’ comment, example: A character is annoyed
with their classmates but will not voice their irritation (it stays in their thought bubbles) as
it will lead to more, unnecessary conflict.
 It could also show the thought process behind what has been said, for example: the
thoughts of a child before asking their parent for money.

MOVEMENT LINES:
These lines are squiggles that indicate movement or a specific action.
WHEN USED AS A TECHNIQUE:
Movement lines are effective in showing the reader how the characters move and can
highlight their movements and motives.
 P a g e | 49

EXAMPLES:
 A powerful punch can be indicated by sharp movement lines around a hand and the
person who is hit, this will then show aggression, anger etc.
 A hand that is waving desperately to get someone’s attention in a crowd would possibly
be surrounded by lots of movement lines to show their frantic gesture.

ONOMATOPOEIA:
Words that mimic a SOUND of an object or action, for example ‘pow’, ‘clink’, ‘slurp’, ‘boing’,
‘crash.’ They are usually outside speech bubbles and are accompanied by movement lines.
WHEN USED AS A TECHNIQUE:
 They can add to humour
 They can indicate an action without saying anything (‘crash’ indicating items falling in
another room, ‘pow’ indicating a punch)
 Growing tensions (a character slurping their milkshake, while another character grows
visibly annoyed)
 Onomatopoeia words written in large, bold fonts can indicate louder sounds, whilst smaller
fonts can indicate softer sounds.
These elements of a cartoon can also help when commenting on and identifying the message
of a cartoon.

EXAMPLES OF CARTOONIST’S MESSAGES:

 Criticism of human nature
 To highlight the unfairness of something
 To make people question something
 Showing how it is ironic that...
 To criticise systems or leaders(usually with satire)

HUMOUR:
Humour is usually created in cartoons.
These are types of humour to look for:
 Irony
 Satire
 Pun
 Stereotype
 Ambiguity
 Anti-climax
 Incongruity
 Caricature
 P a g e | 50

CARTOON TERMINOLOGY
TERM EXPLANATION
Comic strip A sequence of drawings telling a humorous or adventurous story - found
in newspapers, etc.
Frame Each separate picture in a comic strip is called a frame.
Punch - line The final phrase or sentence of a cartoon, providing the humour. The
different frames usually build up to the punch line in the last frame.
Verbal Clues It refers to the size and type of letters used. Larger or bold letters are
FONT used for emphasis.
PUNCTUATION Clever use of Punctuation to create meaning.
Speech bubbles Speech bubbles are used to indicate the words spoken by the character.
Thought bubble Thought bubbles show what the character is thinking.
VISUAL CLUES Some parts of the drawing which may be used to help the reader
establish what the cartoon is about. Eg
 Body language- If a character is tall and upright, he is athletic or
proud.
 Observe surroundings(background and foreground)
Irony When one thing is said, but something else is meant.
Tone The most important way in which words can create comic effect is
through the tone used. Ask yourself the following questions.
 Is the writer being serious?
 Is he mocking?
 Is there a contract between seriousness of the character and the
absurdity of the situation?
Pun The play on words is where two possible meanings of a word are
referred to, one of them the expected meaning, the other an absurd or
comic meaning in context.
 P a g e | 51

Stereotype An exaggerated preconceived generalisation about the typical

behaviour, attitudes, dress, etc. of various types of people.
Caricature When one or more physical features is exaggerated to convey a
message. E.g. Huge hands that reach out could show that someone is
greedy.
Satire When the weaknesses of society (social/political) are criticised through
mockery and ridicule.
Anti-climax This is when tension is created and we expect something important or
exciting to happen, but instead, the ending is very ordinary or a let-down.
Climax The climax of the cartoon is the most exciting or important moment in it,
usually near the end, often after a series of events.
[Source: English Home Language Step Ahead Programme 2, February 2022]
TONE / ATTITUDE WORDS
accusatory charging of wrong doing
arrogant opinionated/ self-important
assertive confident/forceful/bold
blunt direct/frank
cynical Questions the basic sincerity and goodness of people
condescending A feeling of superiority
compassionate Showing sympathy or concern
contempt Feeling that something/ someone is worthless or beneath you.
contemplative Studying, thinking, reflecting on an issue
critical Finding fault
contemptuous Showing or feeling that something is worthless or lacks respect.
complacent Smug/ satisfied
demanding Insistent
derisive Ridiculing, mocking
disappointed Sad/ disheartened
disdainful Disrespectful/scornful
dismayed Shocked/concerned/distressed
dismissive Off-hand/ unworthy
domineering Intimidate/ bully
elated Thrilled/overjoyed
flippant Carefree/not serious irresponsible
indignant Marked by anger aroused by unfairness/injustice
judgmental Authoritative and often having critical opinions
jovial Happy
Matter-of-fact Accepting of conditions; not fanciful or emotional
mocking Treating with contempt or ridicule
malicious Purposely hurtful
nonchalant Unconcerned/relaxed/indifferent
objective An unbiased view- able to leave personal judgements aside.
optimistic Hopeful/cheerful
offensive Attacking/insulting
pessimistic Seeing the worst side of things; no hope
quizzical Odd, eccentric, amusing
relaxed Casual
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resentful Indignant/irritated/aggrieved
sarcastic Sneering
satiric Ridiculing to show weakness in order to make a point
sincere Without deceit or pretence; genuine
surprised Startled
whimsical Odd, strange, fantastic, fun

4.2 DECODING OF CARTOON QUESTIONS

SOURCE: NSC MAY/JUNE PAPER 1 2022
Study TEXT E and TEXT F and answer the set questions.
TEXT E: CARTOON

FRAME 1 FRAME 2 FRAME 3 FRAME 4

[Source: thecomicstrips.com]
4.1 Refer to FRAMES 1 and 2.
How does the dialogue reflect the two characters’ attitudes towards their
customers? (2)
Discussion:
You need to understand the instructional verb in the question.
What is the character’s attitude with reference to body language, speech or
both?
This question deals with body language together with dialogue (speech). In
your answer focus on the following:
 Focus on Frames 1 and 2.
 You must state the attitude (1 mark will be awarded)
 A reference to some aspect related to his dialogue in keeping with the
attitude given. (1 mark will be awarded)
 NB. Should the question include body language then you should make
reference to body language in keeping with the attitude given.
The smaller of the two characters is dismissive because he is in a position of
power, whereas the character in the black t-shirt is aware of the damaging
impact of the smaller character’s contempt for customers.

4.2 Refer to Frames 3 and 4. (2)

Comment on the effectiveness of ONE technique used by the cartoonist.
DISCUSSION:
You need to understand the instruction word COMMENT, it means to give your
opinion, explain or criticise. Make a judgement based upon the evidence.
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QUESTION 5: EDITING

This component of the document refers to terms/concepts that appear in Question 5 of the
NSC ENGHL P1. In some instances, references have been made to Question 5 of the 2022
May-June ENGHL P1.This component also includes TWO self-study exercises with
memoranda of suggested answers.

5.1 EDITING TERMINOLOGY

1. The HYPHEN
2. The COLON
3. The SEMI-COLON
4. Use of the ELLIPSES
5. PARENTHESES (BRACKETS)
6. CONCORD
7. The use of TWO DASHES
8. PREFIXES
9. REDUNDANCY
10. AMBIGUITY
11. HANGING / DANGLING PARTICIPLES
12. The SPLIT INFINITIVE
13. COMMA SPLICE ERRORS

EXPLANATIONS OF THESE TERMS:

 THE HYPHEN (-)

Hyphens: -
• Form compound words from single words.
• Separate two vowels to prevent awkwardness.
• Show that a word is unfinished at the end of a written line.
• Connect prefixes to nouns.
EXAMPLES:
• Mother-in-law, well-crafted
• Co-operative
• Anti-violence

 COLON (:)
Colons:
• Introduce a list that will follow.
EXAMPLES
• The bookstore specializes in: art, architecture and graphic design.
• The man bought: apples, oranges, walnuts and ice-cream.

 SEMI-COLON (;)
Semi-colons:
• Separate two main clauses in the place of a coordinating conjunction or a full stop.
EXAMPLES
• Everybody knows; nobody is telling.
• Iago preyed on Othello’s naïve nature; Desdemona was one of the victims.
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 ELLIPSES (…)
Ellipses:
• Indicates an incomplete thought.
• Indicates a trail of thought.
• Indicates an interruption.
• Indicates hesitation.
EXAMPLES:
• Oh, my word! I cannot believe that …
• If you do not do this work, I will …

PARENTHESES / BRACKETS ( )
Parenthesis / Brackets:
• Separate non-essential information from the rest of a sentence.
• Encloses an explanation of what a word means.
• Provides additional information.
EXAMPLES:
• He won a lot of money (about R 1 million)
• Signor Brabantio (Desdemona’s father) accused Othello of using sorcery to win over
Desdemona.

 THE USE OF TWO DASHES IN A SENTENCE

• Dashes are interruptions within the sentence.
• They provide extra information.
• In many cases, the additional information may be necessary and valuable.
THE TWO DASHES: 2022 MAY-JUNE NSC ENGHL P1
5.1 Provide the function of the two dashes in line 1. (1)
‘If you're reading this – at the risk of sounding like your breathing App – I want
you to take a deep breath.
How to answer this question:
 Spot the dashes.
 Identify the sentence / phrase found between the dashes.
 Read the sentence without the words between the dashes: ‘If you’re reading this I want
you to take a deep breath. ‘
 If the sentence is grammatically correct and makes sense, then the function of the dashes
would be to provide additional information

 PREFIXES
• Prefixes are letters which we add to the beginning of a word to make a new word with
a different meaning.
• Prefixes can, for example, create a new word that is opposite in meaning to the word
the prefix is attached to.
• They can also make a word negative or express relation of time, place or manner.

PREFIX IN THE 2022 MY-JUNE EXAMINATION [QUESTION 5]

Line 10
…job losses, not to mention systemic inter-racial conflict, both locally and overseas…
5.5.2 Explain the meaning of the prefix, 'inter' in 'inter-racial' (line 10). (1)
How to answer this question:
• It is important to have a working knowledge of the types of prefixes and to identify the
prefix in the question.
• The prefix ‘inter’ means between.
SUGGESTED RESPONSE:
The prefix ‘inter’ in inter-racial means: conflict between the races.
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EXAMPLES OF COMMONLY- USED PREFIXES

PREFIX MEANING EXAMPLES
anti- against/opposed to anti-government, anti-racist, anti-war
auto self autobiography, automobile
de- reverse or change de-classify, decontaminate,
dis- reverse or remove disagree, displeasure,
down- reduce or lower downgrade, downhearted
extra- beyond extraordinary,
hyper- extreme hyperactive, hypertension
il-, im-, in-, ir- not illegal, impossible, insecure,
inter- between interactive, international
mid- middle midday, midnight, mid-October
mega- very big, important megabyte, mega-deal,
non- not non-payment, non-smoking
over- too much overcook, overcharge,
out- go beyond outdo, out-perform, outrun
post- after post-election, post-war
pre- before prehistoric, pre-war
ultra- extremely ultra-compact, ultrasound

 CONCORD
WHAT CONCORD (IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR) IS
• It’s the agreement between the SUBJECT of the sentence and the VERB of that
sentence.
RULE:
• If the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb must be singular.
• If the subject of a sentence is plural, the verb must be plural.
The basic rule of CONCORD is simply:
• A singular subject takes a singular verb,
• A plural subject takes a plural verb.
EXAMPLES OF CONCORD
1. The pages (subject) is (verb) held together by a staple.
2. The pages (subject) are (verb) held together by a staple.
• Option 2 is correct, because the subject, ‘pages’, and the verb, ‘are’, are both plural.
A PHRASE BETWEEN SUBJECT AND VERB
Look at these examples:
1. The message between the lines is that we need to finish before Monday.
2. The message between the lines are that we need to finish before Monday.
• The subject of the sentence is ‘message’ -- ‘message’, is singular. Therefore we use
the singular verb: ‘is‘

CONCORD IN THE 2022 MAY-JUNE NSC ENGHL P1

PARAGRAPH 4.
All things considered, however, it's important to acknowledge the various different
aspects of trauma that has been inflicted by this crisis, and to understand its impact
on our society as a whole.

5.7 Correct the concord error in paragraph 4. (1)

How to answer this question:
1. Spot the SUBJECT and VERB in the sentence and check if singular or plural:
SUBJECT: ‘aspects (plural)
VERB: ‘has’ (singular)
SUGGESTED RESPONSE: …things considered …aspects of trauma that have …
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 REDUNDANCY
Redundancy / Tautology is the use of duplicative, unnecessary, contradictory or useless
wording / phrases which repeat a concept with different words.
EXAMPLE:
Incorrect: In my opinion, I think the Cardinals are the best team.
Correct Option 1: In my opinion, the Cardinals are the best team.
Correct Option 2: I think the Cardinals are the best team.
In the first sentence, in my opinion and I think mean the same thing and therefore it is not
necessary to use both.
COMMON EXAMPLES OF REDUNDANT PHRASES
• “small in size” or “large in size”
• “true facts”
• “basic fundamentals”
• “past history”

EXERCISE: TAUTOLOGY / REDUNDANCY

Remove the redundancies / tautology from the following sentences.
1. Shayur’s alarm was set for 7 a.m. in the morning
2. The burglar returned back to the scene of the crime.
3. At the end of the concert, the crowd rose to its feet and gave the musicians a standing
ovation.
4. We all need to cooperate together, or we will never make any progress.
5. For most people, riding in a hot-air balloon is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

REDUNDANCY IN THE 2022 MAY- JUNE NSC P1

PARAGRAPH 4
All things considered, however, it's important to acknowledge the various different
aspects of trauma that has been inflicted by this crisis, and to understand its impact
on our society as a whole.
5.8 Remove the redundancy in paragraph 4. (1)
How to answer this question:
• Read through the paragraph.
• Identify concepts / ideas that mean the same thing but are expressed differently
• NOTE: ‘various’ and ‘different’ are synonyms and therefore mean the same thing
Suggested response:
• Remove either ‘VARIOUS’ or ‘DIFFERENT’

 AMBIGUITY
Ambiguity is created when a statement / situation has more than one possible meaning /
can be understood in more than one way.
EXAMPLES OF AMBIGUITY
1. Ribbon Cutting for Breastfeeding Room
• The room does breastfeeding.
• The room is designed for breastfeeding moms.
2. Kids Make Nutritious Snacks
• Kids, when cooked well, can make nutritious snacks.
• Kids know how to prepare nutritious snacks.

EXERCISE: Spot the ambiguity in the following sentences.

1. Marcy got the bath ready for her daughter wearing a pink dress.
2. I saw someone on the hill with a telescope.
3. I shot an elephant in my pyjamas” (Groucho Marx).
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 DANGLING [HANGING] PARTICIPLES

• In grammar, a dangling participle is an adjective that unintentionally modifies the wrong
noun in a sentence.
EXAMPLE 1
"Walking through the kitchen, the smoke alarm was going off."
• This sentence literally means that the smoke alarm was taking a stroll.
EXAMPLE 2
"If found guilty, the lawsuit could cost billions."
• This sentence suggests that lawsuit itself will be found guilty.
To fix this, simply add the missing pronoun or noun, such as "the company,"
• A corrected sentence, then, might read, "If found guilty, the company could lose
billions."
• This sentence makes it clear that the company may be found guilty and be forced to
pay billions.

MORE EXAMPLES
1. Oozing slowly across the floor, Marvin watched the salad dressing.
2. Waiting for the Moonpie, the candy machine began to hum loudly.

 THE SPLIT INFINITIVE

A split infinitive is a grammatical error when an adverb or adverbial phrase separates the
"to" and the verb (infinitive)"
EXAMPLES:
1. I was told to quietly eat.
ERROR: The adverb ‘quietly’ is placed between ‘to’ and ‘eat’
CORRECT FORM: I was told to eat quietly. [The adverb comes after the verb.]
NOTE: This question may be framed as: ‘correct the grammatical error in the sentence.'
HOW TO CORRECT A SPLIT INFINITIVE ERROR:
• Spot the ‘to’ and the verb in the sentence.
• Remove the adverb / adverbial phrase between ‘to’ and the verb
• Restructure the sentence ensuring that it is grammatically correct.

 COMMA SPLICE ERRORS

What a comma splice error is:

• Comma splice errors are created when two or more independent clauses are joined
with a comma.
HOW TO CORRECT COMMA SPLICE ERRORS
1. JOIN THE SENTENCES WITH A COORDINATING CONJUNCTION (and, but or so)
With most comma splices, the conjunction you’ll want to add is probably and, but, or
so.
EXAMPLE
I am not angry with you, I am not happy with you, either.
I am not angry with you, but I am not happy with you, either.
2. REPLACE THE COMMA WITH A SEMI-COLON (;)
EXAMPLE:
I am not angry with you; I am not happy with you, either.
3. SEPARATE THE TWO SENTENCES WITH A FULL STOP (.)
I am not angry with you, I am not happy with you, either.
EXAMPLE
I am not angry with you. I am not happy with you, either.
NOTE:
The question may appear as: ’Correct the punctuation error in …’ in a question
paper.
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CHECKLIST FOR PAPER 1

I know the following: Paper 1 – Language YES NO

The parts of speech and the function of each:

conjunction article preposition verb adverb
noun adjective pronoun interjection
Compound words (adjectives and nouns)
Punctuation and the function of each:
full stop comma apostrophe capitals semi-colon
colon question mark exclamation ellipsis dots hyphen
dash brackets parenthesis Inverted commas
Paragraphing – topic sentences, supporting sentences
Concord and the basic rules of concord
The apostrophe rules – possession and omission
The pronoun and the rules governing the personal pronoun
Singular and plural
Degrees of comparison
The verb – auxiliary verbs
Synonyms, antonyms
Homonyms, homophones
Abbreviation, acronyms
Prefixes, suffixes
Etymology, root of words
Tenses
Ambiguity, redundancy (tautology), malapropism, portmanteau, neologism
Figures of speech and the function of each:
simile metaphor personification oxymoron
metonymy onomatopoeia hyperbole contrast
irony sarcasm anti-climax symbol
euphemism litotes paradox pun
understatement synecdoche alliteration assonance
Register: formal, informal, colloquial, slang
Satire
Rhetorical question
Idiomatic expressions, idioms, proverbs
Visuals, graphs, charts
Conditional sentences
Active and passive voice
Direct and indirect speech
Emotive language
Bias, prejudice, stereotyping
Denotation and connotation
Purpose of writing, writer’s point of view
Tone, attitude
Summaries
Diction
Clauses/phrases