Sesotho Home Language - Term 1 - Week 6

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. In Sesotho, just like in English, we use punctuation marks to help us understand the meaning of sentences. The most common punctuation marks are the full stop (.) which shows the end of a sentence, the question mark (?) for questions, and the exclamation mark (!) for strong feelings. Today, we will learn how to write sentences correctly and use these punctuation marks.

Let's look at some examples of sentences. 'Ke rata ho bapala.' (I like to play.) This sentence ends with a full stop. If we want to ask a question, we can say, 'O rata ho bapala?' (Do you like to play?) This sentence ends with a question mark. Notice how the punctuation helps us understand what the sentence means.

Now, let's write a sentence together. I will say a sentence, and you will help me write it on the board. The sentence is: 'Lerato o a ithuta.' (Lerato is learning.) What punctuation should we use at the end? Yes, a full stop! Let's write it together: 'Lerato o a ithuta.' Make sure to leave a space between each word.

Now it's your turn! Write three sentences about what you like to do. Remember to use correct punctuation at the end of each sentence. For example, 'Ke rata ho ja.' (I like to eat.) Make sure to leave spaces between the words and check your sentences for punctuation.

• Comma (,)
• Full stop (.)
• Colon (:)

Answer: Full stop (.)

A full stop indicates the end of a sentence.

• Ke rata ho ja
• Ke rata ho ja.
• Ke rata ho ja!

Answer: Ke rata ho ja.

The sentence is correct without punctuation, but it should end with a full stop.

Answer: Question mark (?)

A question mark is used at the end of a sentence that asks something.

• With a comma (,)
• With a full stop (.)
• With an exclamation mark (!)

Answer: With an exclamation mark (!)

An exclamation mark shows excitement or strong feelings.

Answer: Ke rata pizza.

This is a simple sentence that expresses a complete thought.

• To make it pretty
• To separate words
• To confuse readers

Answer: To separate words

Spacing helps readers understand where one word ends and another begins.

• Comma (,)
• Full stop (.)
• Asterisk (*)

Answer: Asterisk (*)

An asterisk is not a punctuation mark used in sentences.

Answer: Exclamation mark (!)

An exclamation mark is used to show excitement or strong feelings.