isiNdebele First Additional Language - Term 3 - Week 5

Punctuation marks are essential in writing as they help us understand the meaning of sentences. In isiNdebele, we use full stops (.), commas (,), and question marks (?) to indicate pauses and the end of thoughts. Today, we will explore how these marks change the way we read and write sentences.

Let's look at the sentence: 'uThandi uthanda ukudla'. If we want to ask a question, we can change it to 'uThandi uthanda ukudla?' Notice how the question mark changes the tone of the sentence. We can also add a comma for clarity: 'uThandi, uthanda ukudla.' This shows a pause in the sentence.

I will write a sentence on the board: 'uSipho uthanda imidlalo uThandi uthanda ukufunda'. Let's read it together. Now, let's edit it. What punctuation do we need? Should we add a comma or a full stop? How can we make it clearer? Work with your partner to suggest changes, and we will discuss them as a class.

Now it's your turn! Write three sentences about your favorite activities. Remember to use correct punctuation. After writing, swap your paper with a friend and check each other's work. Look for any missing punctuation marks or spacing errors and suggest corrections.

• Full stop
• Comma
• Question mark
• Exclamation mark

Answer: Question mark

A question mark indicates that the sentence is asking something.

• uThandi uthanda ukudla.
• uThandi uthanda ukudla
• uThandi, uthanda ukudla.
• uThandi uthanda, ukudla.

Answer: uThandi uthanda ukudla.

The first option correctly uses a full stop at the end of the sentence.

Answer: Punctuation marks

Punctuation marks help clarify the meaning of sentences.

• uSipho uthanda imidlalo uThandi uthanda ukufunda.
• uSipho, uthanda imidlalo.
• uSipho uthanda, imidlalo.
• uSipho uthanda imidlalo.

Answer: uSipho uthanda imidlalo uThandi uthanda ukufunda.

The first option is a run-on sentence and needs a comma for clarity.

Answer: uThandi uthanda ukufunda.

This sentence uses correct punctuation and clearly states what Thandi likes.

• To ask a question
• To show excitement
• To end a statement
• To separate items

Answer: To end a statement

A full stop indicates that a sentence has finished.

• uThandi uthanda ukudla.
• Uthanda ukudla?
• Uthanda, ukudla.
• Uthandi uthanda.

Answer: Uthanda ukudla?

This sentence ends with a question mark, indicating it is a question.