7

Unit 4 - Symbols and verbal communication

i

8

A silent language

Design your own symbols for:

The language of symbols doesn’t require words but can still convey meaning. Sym-bols can give instructions, shout warnings,

without a single word.

What do each of these symbols mean?

Sunrise World Environment Day

9

Cloze exerciseA string telephone

A “There’s 1 one thing worse than a wet Saturday afternoon,” grumbled Brian.“What’s that?” asked his sister.“Toothache,” said Brian gloomily, as he 2 the rain beating against the window.“If you two are 3 , why not telephone Joan and ask the Weavers to tea?” she asked.“How marvellous,” cried Anne.So Brian 4 the Weavers’ number and Anne spoke to Joan. Mrs Wilson paused in her darning.“You can make a telephone with string,” said Mr Wilson, who had just come in.“They’ll be here in half an hour,” announced Anne as she replaced the receiver. “They’re putting on wellingtons and mackintoshes.”“Good,” said Brian. “Useful things, telephones! We got a 5 through to them without getting wet.”“With string?” echoed Anne. “Can we make one now?”“We can,” said her father, and straight away he found two 6 tins whose tops had been cut off smooth with a wheel-type can opener.He punched a hole in the centre of the 7 of each tin while Anne fetched a ball of string from the cupboard. He slipped the end of the string through the hole in one tin and 8 it into a knot. Then he cut off a length of string that stretched across the room and down the hall and 9 the other end of the string to the second can.“Now hold a tin each, and walk apart until the string is stretched taut,” said Mr Wilson. “Brian, listen in your tin. Anne, 10 into yours.”The children found that, even with a whisper, they could hear each other speak quite 11 through the string.“As you speak,” explained Mr Wilson, “your voice makes sound waves in the air. These 12 waves hit the bottom of the tin and make it vibrate. The vibrations travel down the string to the other tin. Here they cause the receiving tin to 13 and this makes more sound waves which you can hear. If you like you can add another tin telephone to your line, so that 14 friends can listen to your conversation. This is very similar to the extension to our own 15 telephone.”

Study the following wordshistory admireancient tricyclevowels engineconsonants gentle

empty sound watched

tied dialled bottom clearly only message two vibrate real

10

5. symbols laugh6. pictures enough7. alphabet thirst8. papyrus breath9. obelisk young10. hyphen yellow

DictationI have a very brave slave.The little mouse lived in a lift.She bought herself a loaf of bread.

Pronunciation

2. Who’s afraid of phenomenal phantoms.3. Laugh enough for now, Phillip and Fred!

Comparisons

As sweet as honey As deep as a wellAs black as pitch As hot as pepperAs red as blood As brown as a berryAs white as a sheet/as snow As steady as a rockAs blue as the sky As dry as a boneAs busy as a bee As cheap as dirt

Idiomatic speechOnce in a blue moon: SeldomOut of the blue: Unexpectedly, from nowhere.A red herring: False clue.To turn green with envy: To be very jealous of someone of something.A yellow streak: CowardiceTo make old bones: To become oldTo bring home the bacon: To do what you set out to doTo make a beeline for a place: To go straight or directly

Reading and understandingClass and group reading

Listen well as your teacher reads “The beginning of writing” to you so that can read well too.

11

The beginning of writing

More than 5 000 years ago, people made their homes in caves, hunted for food, and did not communicate in writing. Instead, they carved images on bone and ivory and made

paintings. As time passed, the artists used colours made from charcoal and coloured earth. Most of the pictures, painted on the damp walls of their caves, were of hunting scenes.

No one really knows what these cave paintings meant. Perhaps the people who made them believed that they would give them magic powers over the animals they hunted. Scientists think that the pictures were drawn to bring the hunters good luck, or to tell one another the stories of particularly successful hunts. The pictures and bone carvings certainly mean something to us. By studying them, we can learn about the people who made them. Not only do they tell us how they dressed and hunted, but they are also a record of the kinds of animals that existed at that time. Scientists believe that these paintings and carvings were

About 3 000 years ago, people stopped relying only on hunting for their main source of food, and learned to grow crops. They became skilled in the use of tools and began to live together in larger communities. Trade between farmers and hunters grew and soon they needed to record what they owned or traded. This need led to the invention of writing. When people learned to write, it was no longer necessary for all knowledge to be passed on by word of mouth. It could be written and communicated to other people who lived far away. Once writing was invented, people’s knowledge increased quickly.

mean the insect. Later, the picture of a bee might have been used to express the idea of being hard-working. Thus, a drawing of a bee and a man could have meant: This man is a good worker. However, pictures of this kind could only communicate very simple messages. The most important step forward came when pictures were used to represent sounds. When this happened, the picture of the bee could have represented the sound B, if we take an example from English. Then several pictures were drawn together to form a word. In time,

were invented.

Vocabulary

images: drawings or pictures that look like the real thing existed: could be found, lived relying: depending, trusting traded: bought and sold goods and services represent: be an example or stand in the place of several: more than two but not many

increased: got more or bigger eventually: after some time has gone by express: say what one thinks or means

12

Group reading

Sit in groups of four. Each group member should read one paragraph out aloud to the rest of the group. Then the group must write down three questions on each paragraph to put

E.g. Par 1: 1. What was used to make coloured paintings on cave walls? Charcoal and coloured earth.

Questions

1.1. How did people, who lived 5 000 years ago, keep record of things that happened in their daily lives?

1.2. How did they make paint?1.3. What is the theme of most cave paintings?1.4. What is the real meaning of their cave paintings?

1.6. Why did people stop relying on hunting for their food?1.7. Why did it become necessary to keep written records?1.8. What was the problem with picture messages?1.9. What was the most important step in the development of writing?

2. Imagine you lived 4 000 years ago. Draw a picture, which says:

2.1. The boy killed a snake.

3. Today we live in the time of cell phone messages (SMS).

Think of the shortest way to write the following messages on a cell phone.3.1. How are you today? Don’t be late, okay?3.2. You are my greatest friend and I will remember you forever.

Class reading

Vocabulary

invaded : taken over by the enemy or strangers

Shakespeare : famous English writer who lived from 1564 - 1616seafaring : travelling at sea.tongues : languages

13

Reading passage

A treasure chest of words

1. Do you know that English has the largest vocabulary of any of the 5 000 languages and dialects spoken on earth?

2. The main reason for this is that the British islands were a real melting pot of languages for over a thousand years. From about 700 years before the birth of Christ until about 1066 after Christ, Britain was invaded many times. Each time many words from the language of the invaders were taken over by the native people, and so their language kept growing and changing.

3. By about 1600, when Shakespeare was writing his plays, the English were a powerful seafaring nation. They traded with nations all over the world. They kept “borrowing”

4. The result is that today English has about 600 000 words, apart from many special words used only by groups such as doctors or lawyers. A very learned person might know about 30 000 words. Shakespeare used about 25 000 words in his works. An ordinary American high school pupil knows about 10 000 words. Only about 6 000 words are used in the English Bible.

5. So, how many English words do you need to know? That will depend on your personal needs, but remember: the more words you know, the more value and pleasure you get

6. A good vocabulary is like a door into the treasure room of knowledge and enjoyment - and a dictionary can help you unlock that door.

Let’s discuss what we have read

Say whether each of the following statements is true or false. Give a reason for your choice.

birth of Christ). (Par 2)b. English, as we know it today, was already spoken by about 700 B.C. (Par 2)

the languages of the nations with whom they traded. (Par 3)

(Par 4)e. It is easier to understand the language of the English Bible than the language in

Shakespeare’s plays.¹People living in Britain

Individual reading

Read and respond

1. How do we learn language?

Babies learn the language they hear spoken around them, which is called their mother

human speech. Babies listen most carefully to the sounds of people talking.

14

A about six months old babies begin to babble. This means they make noises with their mouths, often repeating sounds like ma, ba and aba. This exercises their mouths and helps them get ready to speak. By 12 months babies understand some words and phrases. From 12 to 18 months old they begin to use words.

Between 18 months and two years old, a child learns about 100 words, and begins to put

has lost her ball does not say “My ball is gone.” She says only the most important ideas:

complete sentences.

An important part of learning a language is discovering the rules. Children learn about making plurals, using different tenses and making negatives without really realising they are learning the structures of the language. They know quite a lot about how their language works. All this is learnt very quickly, and it’s something that almost all of us did, although we don’t remember now!

While learning a new language, we also learn the rules of the language. Think of the rules of English that you already know. Do this test of your knowledge about the rules.

How well do you know the rules of English?

1. The words in the sentences below are in the wrong order. Rewrite them in the correct order.a. We saw giraffe zoo Saturday a on large at the.b. Red is danger a colour warns us of that.c. It is fun bicycle to a around ride on.

2. Write the following sentences in the past tense. To help you use the past tense startyour sentences with ‘Yesterday’;a. I walk to school every day.b. Sara teaches the children their spelling.c. My father writes a letter for me for school.

3. Read the paragraph below in pairs and decide where the commas and full stops go. Remember: for a short pause, use a comma, and for a longer pause, use a full stop. Every sentence must start with a capital letter. Rewrite the paragraph.

Everyone in the world talks but they talk in different languages there are about 4 000 languages spoken in the world today some of these languages are spoken by millions

15

2. A different way of using language

People who can’t see or hear have special ways of communicating with other people. When people lose the use of one of their senses, the other senses become more developed. For example, a person who cannot hear, could have a very well-developed sense of sight. That is why many deaf people can understand what others are saying by watching their lips - they lip read.

There is also an alphabet that deaf people can learn to use. In this alphabet, each letter is

Another way for deaf people to communicate is by using sign language. Sign language is a language of hand symbols and gestures.

Deaf people use not only their hands, but their faces, the shape of their lips and their eyes to make themselves understood in sign language.

People who can’t hear or can only hear partially, can talk about anything and everything using sign language or the sign alphabet. The problem is that very few hearing people learn these methods. This prevents hearing and deaf people from communicating.

Many people feel strongly about sign language being taught at ordinary schools. Here are their opinions on this issue:

language, it should be taught at school.b. If lots of hearing people learn sign language, they would be able to talk to deaf people.

are the same. We would be better friends.c. If hearing people learned sign language, it would help the deaf to live their lives more

easily. We could communicate better in all everyday situations where we often have

restaurants, shop assistants and doctors.

1. Do you agree with the writers that we should all learn sign language? Give reasons for your answers.

2. If we learn sign language, should we also learn all the other languages?3. Which languages do you think should be taught at school?4. Each paragraph gives a different reason why we should all learn sign language. Look

at each paragraph, and work out what the three reasons are.

16

Here is the ‘silent language’ of deaf people. The signs are made to ‘spell’ words to the deaf.

Speaking and listening

1. Communicate with body language:

Use your face, hands and body to convey the following:I’m really angry.I don’t know.We’ve won.I’m scared.I’m sad.She is so tall.I’m cold.Come here and sit next to me.That’s great!

A

B C D E F

G H I J K

PONML

Q

V

R

W

S

X

T U

Y Z

17

Picture words

Draw and write your own picture words here

The hidden alphabet - can you recognize your A B C’s?

Contraction fractions

You know that when you work with fractions in math, you must reduce them to the lowest common denominator. Contractions are like fractions because they ‘reduce’ two words into one smaller word. Work the ‘Contraction Fractions’ below.

18

do I we not = _____ am = _____ are = _____

he should you is = _____ not = _____ have = _____

it would they is = _____ not = _____ are = _____

she are therewill = _____ not = _____ is = _____

was you cannot = _____ will = _____ not = _____

you will hasare = _____ not = _____ not = _____

were I does not = _____ will = _____ not = _____

Rebus raceTry your luck at reading these rebuses. Sit where you can see a clock. Time yourself to

rebus, and record your time in the box.

1. ____________________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________________

“K” + U. Do U

“K” +

4

4 m + - K?Time:

1.

+ ATime:

S +

2 “T” - cl.

2.

19

3. ___________________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________________

,

“W” + R m + ,

N ?Time:

3.

h +S Time:

4.

U

2 KT

URTime:

5.

U “h” + the N

?Time:

N

6.

20

7. ____________________________________________________________________________

Writing about it

1. Story writing

No one really knows why prehistoric people painted pictures on their cave walls. (Perhaps they just wanted to decorate them!) Imagine that you are one of those artists. Tell the story of one of your paintings and explain why you did it. It will help to plan your story if you

a. Who are you? Where and how do you live?b. What is the subject of your painting? (An animal? A hunt?)c. How did you paint it? How did you make your colours?d. Why did you paint it? (For good luck? To impress others? To teach your children

about hunting? To celebrate a successful hunt?)e. What did your family, or fellow hunters, think of it?

OR

2. Codes

You are a spy on a secret mission. Write a story about your adventures, and include a message in code which you sent to your chief at headquarters. You may invent your own code, or use one of the following examples.

a. Reverse the letters of the alphabet so that Z = A, Y = B, X = C, etc.b. Use different shapes or symbols to represent each letter:For example:

Using the above alphabet, the message below

would mean

Y O U R S E L F

Th + S thethe

2 Time:

7.

21

Giving directions1. Clear and precise language is important when giving people directions on how to reach

the class.

A: Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to the Phalaborwa Mall?

see the Oxwagon heritage site on your left. Carry straight on to the zebra crossing where you will see the ‘Spur’ on your left. That is where you must turn left to and you will be in the parking area for the mall. The main entrance is just a little farther on from the ‘Spur’.

immediately after pedestrian crossing.B: That’s right.A: Thank you so much.B: My pleasure. Bye!

Direction-giving vocabulary

go north go straight on on the cornergo south on the right until you come togo east from... on the left accross the streetgo west in the middle next door to...turn right on your right between... andturn left on your left blockcontinue carry on drive on

2. Think of the different ways you will talk when directing the following strangers to the

a. An adult lady wanting to see the principal.b. A new gr. 1 pupil with a bruised and bleeding knee.

22

Language

Vocabulary

Can you remember the words from our reading passages that meant?a. drawings or carvings that look like the real thing.b. more than one but not many.c. made simpler, easier to understand.d. form of language typical of certain regions.e. baby-talk that prepares babies for speaking.

Nouns

In this unit we shall learn (a) how the plural (more than one) is formed and (b) a few diminutive nouns (nouns denoting something small).

Plurals

When a word describes just one person or thing, it is singular.When a word describes two or more persons or things, it is plural.We can change singular nouns to plural nouns in several ways:

1. By adding ‘-s’

Example: tree - trees donkey - donkeys cat - cats picture - pictures sign - signs cave - caves

2. By adding ‘-es’ to words ending on ch, sh, ss, s, x or z

Example: buzz - buzzes bush - bushes fox - foxes bus - buses church - churches glass - glasses

3. By changing the ‘y’ into ‘i’ and adding ‘es’.

baby - babies lorry - lorries sky - skies city - cities

4. By changing ‘f’ into ‘v’ and adding ‘es’

Example: knife - knives thief - thieves calf - calves wife - wives wolf - wolves loaf - loaves

23

• Watch out for these

cliff - cliffs safe - safes handkerchief - handkerchiefs roof - roofs

5. By adding ‘-es’ to words ending in ‘-o’

Example: potato - potatoes tomato - tomatoes mango - mangoes echo - echoes

• Watch out for these musical terms

piano - pianos trio - trios

• Some words can be written either way

dodo - dodos, dodoes zero - zeros, zeroes

6. Some times the vowel changes

Example: man - men tooth - teeth woman - women goose - geese mouse - mice foot - feet

7. Sometimes there is no change at all

Always plural: athletics, species, measles, cattle, scissors and trousers

8. Sometimes there is no rule at all:

Example: child - children ox - oxen

Remember that when changing singular to plural

I becomes we me becomes us he/she becomes they him/her becomes them this becomes these that becomes those

24

Let’s use your new knowledge:

1. Supply the missing singular or plural nouns:

2. Change the following sentences to the plural.

2.1. A tomato is a plant.2.2. A cat is a furry animal.2.3. A city is a large town.2.4. This cup is blue and the saucer is yellow.

3. Change the following sentences to the singular.

3.1. The children are playing with the toy trucks.3.2. Cities are large towns.3.3. Mothers, grandmothers and little girls attended the concerts.3.4. The lads drove the calves and oxen home.

Diminutives

1. man - manikin 2. owl - owlet3. cigar - cigarette 4. case - cassette5. river - rivulet 6. tower - turret7. lamb - lambkin 8. book - booklet

Plural nouns

1. Most nouns form their plurals by adding an s to the singular form. However, some follow different rules, and some seem to follow no rules at all! (Did you know that the word dice is the plural of die?) Write the plural forms of the following nouns. The rules on page 22 and 23 will help you.

Singular Plural

1. cliff - 2. rose - 3. - mosquitoes 4. buffalo - 5. - berries 6. sheep - 7. - leaves 8. - oxen 9. zoo - 10. basket - 11. - churches 12. - children 13. batch - 14. - dairies 15. spoonful -

25

match catch scratch box foxox shelf thief chief giraffevictory party lady volley chimneykey echo potato piano solo

2. Learn the following words:Singular Pluralgoose geesemongoose mongoosespasser-by passers-byoasis oasessheep sheepwoman womenspoonful spoonfulsfungus fungilouse licesister-in-law sisters-in-law

3. This is the result of John’s spelling test. Explain his mistakes to him, and help him to improve his spelling.

1. volcanoes2. rooves3. thieves4. tornadoes5. jockies6. countries7. tomatos8. cargoes9. shelves10. handkerchiefs

11. dwarfs12. teeth13. chimnies14. loaves15. wives16. radioes17. calfs18. safes19. gooses20. funguses

Plurals

1 2 3 4 5 6

7

8 9 10

11

12

13

14 15

26

Across Down

1 woman 2 ox 4 foot 3 goose 7 man 5 thief10 mouse 6 tree11 knee 8 tooth12 leaf 9 lily13 child 11 knife14 story15 sheep

1 2 3

4

5

6 7

8

9

10 11

12 13

14

15

Across Down

4. a ___ of oxen or horses 3. a ___ of bread 5. a ___ of players or horses 7. a ___ of puppies, pigs or kittens 6. a ___ of sheep 8. a ___ of chickens 9. a ___ of bees or locusts 9. a ___ of tools10. a ___ of teachers 11. a ___ of ships or cars12. a ___ of monkeys 13. a ___ of paper14. a ___ of trees15. a ___ of people