4.1 Read a text

English first additional language

Grade 7

Module 15

Read a text

Activity 1

Some words in English sound the same, but are spelled differently and their meanings obviously differ, e.g. meet/meat. Such words are called HOMOPHONES (homo=the same; phone=sound).

1. Next to each number you will see two words that sound the same. One of each pair has been taken from the text. The other one is its homophone. Note how they are used in the sentences printed here.

(a) idol / idle

• David Beckham is my idol because I think he is a fantastic soccer player.
• My mother hates it when I am idle. She wants to see me busy all the time.

(b) feet / feat

• I have walked 20 km today, so my feet are very tired.
• It is quite a feat to shoot five goals in one soccer match.

(c) role / roll

• When we have a concert I want to have the role of Elvis.
• Please roll the ball towards me so that I can practise kicking it.

(d) key / quay

• I can’t unlock the door if I don’t have the key .
• The yacht was moored to the quay .

(e) weekly / weakly

• This is a weekly magazine; it appears each Friday.
• The man could only mumble weakly that he had been shot, because he had already lost a lot of blood.

Make your own sentence with each of the words that have been printed in bold type.

Activity 2

2. Try to find another five pairs of homophones and write them here, and then make a sentence containing each word as above.

Of course, idols are not found in the world of film and music only. Many sports personalities are idols, and even politicians have become idols and icons. We need only think of someone like Nelson Mandela who is a universal symbol of freedom. You will probably all agree that Mr Mandela, or Madiba, as he is affectionately called, is an icon, as he is revered by people all over the world. He has grown to be much more than an idol.

Who are your idols in the sporting community? Surely we know about South African stars such as Allan “White Lightning” Donald, Shaun Pollock, Makhaya Ntini and the all-rounder, Nicky Bojé, to name but a few.

These cricketers work very hard to gain their status as idols! A lot of hard work and many preparations go into a test or tournament. One of the things that have to be prepared, is the cricket pitch.

The condition of the pitch is tremendously important, and before a match it must be inspected to make sure that it is in perfect order. A past English captain, Sir Leonard Hutton, once said: “ A cricket pitch is like a woman. One never knows how it is going to change with time.”

For one-day matches the pitch is usually cropped (the grass is cut to the ground) and rolled very hard to give the batsmen the best advantage. In longer tests some grass will be left on the pitch to give the fast bowlers the best advantage. A pitch normally deteriorates by the fourth or fifth day and then the spin bowlers use these conditions to make the ball spin sharply on the eroded spots.

Look at the following sketch of a cricket pitch, and insert the words or figures printed on the next page in the appropriate places so that the information about the pitch is correct. You will probably need to do some research. You may consult books on cricket, or ask your physical education teacher/coach.