Contents

English Home Language Grade 5

End of year grammar revision Memorandum

A. Simple present tense and simple past tense 2

B. Relative and reflexive pronouns 2

C. Comparison of adjectives 3

D. Subject-verb agreement 4

E. Direct and Indirect Speech 4

F. Similes, proverbs and idioms 4

G. Colons, semi-colons, inverted commas, capital letters 6

H. Infinitive verbs 7

I. Onomatopoeia and Homophones 7

J. Gerunds 8

K. Simple sentence and compound sentences 8

L. Subject, predicate and object 9

M. Clauses and phrases 10

N. Antonyms and synonyms 10

O. Stems, Prefixes and Suffixes 11

A. Simple present tense and simple past tense

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 1&2: simple present tense, simple past tense

1. The learners write the provided sentences in the present simple tense by changing the
verb in brackets.
Suggested answers:
a) The train leaves every morning at six o clock.
b) I don’t like winter in Cape Town because it always rains.
c) Once a week Sipho cleans and washes his father’s car.
d) He likes to play football and he plays tennis every Monday.
e) The school opens at 7 ó clock on weekday mornings.

2. The learners complete the provided sentences by choosing verbs from the wordbox and
writing them in the simple past tense.
Suggested answers:
a) My sister tidies her room.
b) We live in Durban.
c) The film finishes at 10pm.
d) I enjoy the walk in the mountains.
e) The boys play games on the computer.

B. Relative and reflexive pronouns

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 1&2
1. The learners underline the relative pronoun that introduces the clause and circle that
noun that it refers to.
Suggested answers:
a) The book that I got from the library is due tomorrow.
b) My teacher, whom I respect, congratulated me on a job well done.
c) Her first book, which was published last year, was about her trip to India.
d) The reckless driver who crashed into the wall didn’t have a license.
e) Mrs Johnson, whose son teaches Grade 5, also teaches at the school.

2. The learners use a relative pronoun to join the provided sentences.

Suggested answers:
a) We walked past the church. I got married in that church.
We walked past the church in which I got married.
b) That hit song has been playing all day. The composer won an award
That hit song whose composer won an award has been playing all day.

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c) The singer is very talented. She won the talent show competition.

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

The singer who is very talented won the talent show competition.
d) Spiders build beautiful, intricate webs. They catch insects to eat in their webs.
Spiders build beautiful, intricate webs in which they catch insects to eat.
e) I ride that bicycle to school. It is very old and needs a new saddle.
The bicycle that I ride to school is very old and needs a new saddle.

C. Comparison of adjectives
Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 3&4; comparison of adjectives

1. The learners complete these sentences using a comparative adjective.

Suggested answers:
a) My sister is shorter than yours.
b) My washing is drier than yours.
c) Our car is older than his.
d) My brother is more handsome than yours.
e) Tonight’s sunset is more beautiful than last night’s sunset.

2. Complete these sentences using a superlative adjective.

Suggested answers:
a) My grandfather is the wisest person that I know.
b) That was the saddest film I have ever seen.
c) The quickest way to the shop is down that road.
d) This is the heaviest bag in the bus.
e) This is the most delicious cake I have ever eaten.

3. The learners give the degrees of comparison for each adjective.

Suggested answers:
a) many, more, most
b) little, less, least
c) bad, worse, worst
d) generous, more generous, most generous
e) shallow, shallower, shallowest

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D. Subject-verb agreement

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 3&4; subject-verb agreement
Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 7&8; subject-verb agreement
The learners complete these sentences using the correct verb form. (When marking,
remember that if the subject is singular, the verb is singular. If the subject is plural the verb is
plural.
Suggested answers:
a) Only the best coffee beans are ground to make Ermia Select.
b) Advertisers always guarantee their products.
c) Propaganda techniques are a useful tool for advertisers.
d) The car stays in the garage during the week.
e) The flower smells beautiful.

E. Direct and Indirect Speech

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 5&6; direct and indirect speech
The following sentences are written in Direct Speech. The learners change them to Indirect
Speech.
Suggested answers:
1. The boy said that he has got a sore back.
2. The teacher said that he/she was very busy then.
3. The traffic officer said to us that we should hurry up and cross the road.
4. He told her that she should please get him a glass of water.
5. Raju said that his father was a dentist.

The following sentences are written in Indirect Speech. The learners change them to Direct
Speech.
Suggested answers:
1. James asked Lindi, “Where are you going?”
2. She told her teddy bear, “You are my favourite toy.”
3. He told him (or me), “You am my best friend.”
4. She said, “Thank you for bringing me flowers.”
5. The teacher said, “You have passed your History test.”

F. Similes, proverbs and idioms

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 1&2; similes, proverbs and idioms
Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 5&6; metophors, similes, idioms, proverbs, homophones
Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 5&6: metophors, similes, idioms, proverbs

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1. The learners identify the simile in these sentences and say which two things are being

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

compared.
Suggested answers:
a) She is as musical as a hummingbird and can sing every song in key.
Simile: as musical as hummingbird
Comparison: She and a hummingbird.
b) John is as smart as a fox when it comes to Maths tests.
Simile: as smart as a fox
Comparison: John and a fox
c) Her father was as hungry as a bear at dinner.
Simile: as hungry as a bear
Comparison: Her father and a bear
d) The football player slithered like a snake through the players to the goal post.
Simile: slithered like a snake
Comparison: The football player and a snake
e. She cried like a baby when her friend went to live in another city.
Simile: cried like a baby
Comparison: She and a baby

2. The learners explain the meanings of these well-known proverbs.

Suggested answers:
a) The pen is mightier than the sword.
Trying to convince people with words is more effective than using force.
b) Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Don’t turn down a good opportunity that someone offers you.
c) When the going gets tough the tough get going.
Don’t give up when the challenges get hard. Just work harder.
d) No man is an island.
You can’t live completely independently. Everyone needs help from others.
e) Better late than never.
It is better to do something on time. But if you can’t do it on time do it late. Don’t not
do it!

3. The learners match the correct idiom to its meaning. After that they create sentences with
each idiom to bring out its meaning.
Suggested answers
A penny for your thoughts A way of asking what someone is thinking
An arm and a leg This item is extremely expensive
At the drop of a hat Without any hesitation; instantly
The ball is in your court. It is up to you to make the next move
Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place for an answer.

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After this the learners make their own sentences to bring out the meaning of the idioms.

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

4. The learners underline the similes in these sentences and circle the metaphors.
Suggested answers
a) That boy is as sly as a fox.
b) You are a bright shining light.
c) That girl’s smile is as sweet as sugar.
d) Reading is a key that opens the mind.
e) Lisa’s cream made her skin as smooth as a baby’s skin.
f ) This computer is as heavy as an elephant.
g) My diary is my best friend.
h) The glue was as sticky as syrup.

G. Colons, semi-colons, inverted commas, capital letters

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 5&6; colons, semi-colons, inverted commas, capital letters
Suggested answers:
1. The learners add colons to the following:
a) Bring these things with you on the trip: a towel, a swimming costume, a lunch pack
and a drink.
b) Albert Einstein said: “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried
anything new.”
c) I bought the following: a big bag of juicy apples two lemons and a grapefruit.

2. The learners add semi-colons to the following sentences by removing the conjunction
joining them:
Suggested answers:
a) We worked non-stop; we didn’t even stop for a lunch break.
b) You tried your best; second place is a good achievement.
c) My puppy does not like dog pellets; he likes to eat my food.
d) I live on a farm; I am not a city dweller.
e) I don’t like oranges; I much prefer naartjies.

3. The learners add quotation marks, commas, full stops question marks where necessary in
the correct places in these sentences.
Suggested answers:
a) “Have you seen the latest Disney movie?” asked Andile.
b) Marie said, “Kim wants to play at my house and not her house today.”

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 c) “Did the teacher say our poetry assignment is due on Monday?” asked Jim.

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

d) “You’re next to bat,” said Sam.
e) “Where will you go on your holiday?” she asked.

H. Infinitive verbs
Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 5&6; infinitive verbs

1. The learners underline the infinitive and the verb in each sentence below.
Suggested answers:
a) My dog wants to run with me.
b) I am training my new puppy to sit.
c) My cat loves to play with my sister and brother.
d) John’s dream is to be a famous singer one day.
e) Sipho hopes to win the long distance race.
f ) Mom said she couldn’t afford to buy the dress.
g) We decided not to go out in the rain.
h) We would like to thank you for the lovely gifts.
i) When something is difficult the most important thing is not to give up.
j) We are all ready to go.

2. The learners underline the infinitives in this extract.

Suggested answers:
It was supposed to be a sign of bad luck, particularly for sailors to catch a glimpse of the
Flying Dutchman ship. The ship seems to appear suddenly from nowhere and then it
seems to disappear again just as fast. I would not like to see a ghost ship!

I. Onomatopoeia and Homophones

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 7&8; onomatopoeia, homophones,
1. The learners add onomatopoeia words to these sentences. They choose from: waaah,
boink, swoosh, squish, z.z.z.z.z, bam, slurrp.
Suggested answers:
a) The baby yelled waaah.
b) The soft ball hit the dog on the head boink and he ran off howling.
c) We watched her in disbelief as she drank her tea slurrp.
d) The tennis ball went from one side to the other with a whoosh
e) I could hear that John was fast asleep z.z.z.z.z.

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2. The learners underline the homophones in these sentences.

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

Suggested answers:
a) Nowadays we receive our male/mail electronically.
b) We searched and searched but couldn’t find/fined the lost cat.
c) The fierce winds blue/blew so hard that the fires spread fast.
d) This is the month that we start to sew/sow/so the seeds.
e) Glass containers have been band/banned from this room.

J. Gerunds
Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 7&8

1. The learners underline the gerunds in the provided sentences.

Suggested answers:
a) Reading is a very important skill.
b) Running is one way to get good exercise.
c) They called her flute playing brilliant.
d) His favourite sport is swimming.
e) He was punished for laughing so loudly.

2. The learners complete each sentence by using the verb in brackets as a gerund.
Suggested answers:
a) I intend going to Thailand on a holiday with a friend.
b) We haven’t started packing for our holiday yet.
c) I don’t like getting my photos taken for a passport.
d) I didn’t mind paying the R200 fee.
e) Playing rugby is difficult when there are strong opponents.

K. Simple sentence and compound sentences

Grade 5 EHL Term 3 Weeks 7&8

The learners state whether the following sentences are simple sentences or compound
sentences.
Suggested answers:
a) Rugby players are careful but they still get hurt often. compound
b) Players obey the rules or they receive penalties. compound
c) We bought tickets to the rugby game. simple
d) John printed his tickets but sold them after school. Compound

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 e) Teachers, students and friends came to our first rugby game. simple

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

L. Subject, predicate and object
Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 1&2
1. The learners circle the subject and underline the predicates in the provided sentences.
Suggested answers:
a) Jabu lay listening to the cars whizzing past.
Answer: Jabu lay listening to the cars whizzing past.
b) She worked in a big house.
Answer: She worked in a big house.
c) He longed for his village school.
Answer: He longed for his village school.
d) Jabu watched and listened.
Answer: Jabu watched and listened.
e) The elephant slowly collected up bunches of hay.
Answer: The elephant slowly collected up bunches of hay.

2. The learner’s circle the subject and underline the object in each sentence.
Suggested answers:
a) Jabu’s mother bought an ice cream.
Answer: Jabu’s mother bought an ice cream.
b) He recognised the animal sound.
Answer: He recognised the animal sound.
c) The girls like chocolate.
Answer: The girls like chocolate.
d) John plays football with his friends.
Answer: John plays football with his friends.
e) Samuel sold his guitar.
Answer: Samuel sold his guitar.

3. Change these jumbled sentences into proper sentences. Then circle the subject and
underline the object.
Suggested answers:
a) lost / his / schoolbag / Andile
Answer: Andile lost his schoolbag.
b) won / the team / match / the football
Answer: The team won the football match.
c) her / pocket money / Cindy / on the table / left
Answer: Cindy left her pocket money on the table.

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 d) like to / a book / I / read/ sleeping / before

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

Answer: I like to read a book before sleeping.
e) eats/ every / vegetables / he/ day
Answer: He eats vegetables every day.

M. Clauses and phrases

Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 1&2, 5&6, 7&8
1. The learners circle the main clause and underline the subordinate clause in the provided
sentences.
Suggested answers:
a) I will stay with you until the sun sets.
b) If he asks me, I will tell the truth.
c) If you come, I will pay for your plane ticket.
d) Because it poured with rain, we all got soaking wet.
e) When she started talking, the learners listened attentively.

2. The learners underline the noun clauses in these sentences.

Suggested answers
a) Whichever dress you choose, it will look great.
b) I don’t know who left their jacket here.
c) Ask your teacher if this is the correct answer.
d) What she said made a lot of sense.
e) Whoever plays soccer must be able to run fast.

3. The learners underline the phrases in these sentences.

Suggested answers:
a) The retired principal was an elderly man with a friendly disposition.
b) The lady wore a necklace that was made from real gold.
c) He ran to catch the bus with great speed.
d) He spoke to the teacher in a very respectful manner.
e) The car was yellow with a green stripe on the side.

N. Antonyms and synonyms

Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 7&8
1. Each sentence has two antonyms in it. The learners underline the antonyms.
Suggested answers:
a) Rhinos are wild animals but cats are tame.
b) Giraffes have long legs but rhinos have short legs.

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 c) Monkeys are noisy but snakes are silent creatures.

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

d) The peacock has a beautiful tail while the donkey has an ugly tail.
e) The parrot has a strong beak but the sparrow has a weak beak.

2. Choose the best synonym for the sentence. Rewrite the sentence.
Suggested answers:
1) Her dad gave her mom a lovely bunch of roses.
a) ugly b) old c) lovely d) perfumed
2) The teacher asked the class to be quiet while the visitors were there.
a) noisy b)rude c) quiet d)thoughtful
3) The girls were starving when they came back from the movies.
a) thirst b) happy c) full c) starving
4) She found the Maths extremely hard.
a) easy, b)interesting d)upsetting e)hard
5. When they were doing cross country they had to leap over a stream.
a)climb b)run c)leap d)crawl

O. Stems, Prefixes and Suffixes

Grade 5 EHL Term 4 Weeks 7&8

1. The learners look at the following words in the wordbox. They underline the stem words.

careful unhappy walking faithful incorrect unlucky careless remark unsuitable

insincere

re: again or back dis: not

pre: before un: not, opposite
mis: wrong under: below
non: not, opposite

The learners add prefixes to the following stem words to change their meanings:

disagree nonsense return

unwilling unworthy preschool
disappoint non negotiable understand
underwater misbehave underplay
overheat mismatch preview

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2. Some common suffixes and their meanings are:

English Home Language Grade 5 End of year grammar revision

Suggested answers:
able: can be done ful: full of
est: most less: without
er: more er: one who

Add suffixes to the end of these stem words.

Suggested answers:

probable soft er slower

joyful comfortable careful
fearless bravest careless
younger reader breakable
singer louder worthless

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