Paper 1 — language

Parts of speech in an unseen text

In the unseen text, name the job of each word. A verb acts. An adjective describes. An adverb says how.

CAPS

Grade 12 · English First Additional Language · Parts of speech in an unseen text

Language structures are tested on words in a real passage.

Parts of speech
A noun names. A verb does or is. An adjective describes a noun. An adverb says how, when, where or to what degree. Name the job the word does in this sentence, not the job it might do in another one.
Concord and tense
The verb must agree with the doer. “Each” and “every” take a singular verb. A tense stays the same unless the time really changes. An edit question wants the corrected pair, not a new paragraph.
Vocabulary in context
Give the meaning the passage is using. A synonym must fit back into the sentence. If it does not fit, it is the wrong sense of the word.
Register
Formal writing uses complete sentences and no slang. Informal writing may be warmer, but it still has to be clear. Mixing a formal opening with a slang ending loses the register mark.

These conventions are the language section of Paper 1 (80 marks in total). One error, corrected, is the whole answer when that is what was asked.

Say this

In English First Additional Language, the librarian is ready and names the question neatly at the hall.

Verb
names
Adjective
ready
Noun
the question
Adverb
neatly

Pronounce

Stress the action “names”. The describing word is “ready”. “neatly” says how. The place is the hall.

Worked example

English First Additional Language, Grade 12. Parts of speech in an unseen text. Use these five examples only. Do not import a sentence from another topic.

Simplified approach

Rule, five examples written for this topic, one common mistake, then a short quiz.

Culture note

First Additional Language in English First Additional Language: the marker credits the rule on the sentence the question asked about.

Step 1 / 4

Rule

In Parts of speech in an unseen text, name the job of each word. A verb acts. An adjective describes. An adverb says how. The verb must agree with the doer, and the tense must match the time.

More worked examples

Board walkthroughs on this topic. Open one, copy the working, then try the next.

Example 1 / 20

Paper 1 comprehension, Grade 12. Passage: “The clinic queue inches forward after the rain. A nurse calls the next name, and the boy keeps his place.” What is the main idea? Quote four words that prove it.

4. Step-by-step working

01
Point
He does not leave the queue. The nurse calls the next name and he stays.
main idea: he waits his turn
02
Apply the law
Quote only what is printed: “calls the next name”.
quotation

How we got there

Read this like a teacher at the board. We go slowly, name every number, and say why we take each step.

Explain in another language · 11

1. What is the question asking?

Read the question twice. Circle the unknown. Underline every number and unit. The paper is asking: Paper 1 comprehension, Grade 12. Passage: “The clinic queue inches forward after the rain. A nurse calls the next name, and the boy keeps his place.” What is the main idea? Quote four words that prove it.

In other words — as if you have never seen this before

If you have never seen this before: The main idea is in the whole passage, not in one interesting word. The quote must be from the text. We will name a method in words, write the formula with no numbers, then substitute one line at a time.

2. What do we already know?

an NSC-length passage

3. Which method — and why this one?

The main idea is in the whole passage, not in one interesting word. The quote must be from the text.

4. Step-by-step working

01 / 05
Point
He does not leave the queue. The nurse calls the next name and he stays.
main idea: he waits his turn
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
02 / 05
Apply the law
Quote only what is printed: “calls the next name”.
quotation
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
03 / 05
Sense-check
The quote supports the idea. A quote about the rain alone would miss the point.
quote matches the point
Why this step: We only do one job per line so a marker can follow the marks — and so you can find a slip without starting over.
04 / 05
Step F — Box the answer with its unit
The boy stays in the queue until his name is called. Proof: “calls the next name”.
Why this step: A number without a unit is half a mark on a Physics paper, and a marker can miss a Maths answer that is buried in working.
05 / 05
Step H — What the marker is looking for
On an NSC memo you usually earn: (1) a method mark for naming the right formula or idea in words, (2) an accuracy mark for substituting the given numbers with units, (3) an accuracy mark for the boxed answer with its unit. Write those three lines even if you are unsure of the arithmetic — blank pages score zero.
Why this step: First-timers chase the final number and leave the method blank. The memo still pays out for the idea and the substitution even when the last line is wrong.

5. The answer

The boy stays in the queue until his name is called. Proof: “calls the next name”.

6. Check it like a marker

Do not add a war, a metaphor, or a feeling the passage never states. Comprehension marks stay inside the text.

7. A trap first-timers fall into

First-timers often grab the first formula they remember, mix units (cm with m, minutes with seconds), or drop a minus sign. Write the formula in words first: “this equals that, because…”

Share on WhatsApp

Next lesson →

Paper 1: comprehension, summary and language

English First Additional Language

Take topic quiz