Xitsonga Home Language - Term 4 - Week 10

A sentence is a group of words that expresses a complete thought. In Xitsonga, sentences often start with a capital letter and end with a full stop (.), question mark (?), or exclamation mark (!). Today, we will learn how to write sentences correctly and use punctuation marks to show the end of our thoughts. For example, 'Nna ndi na nwana.' means 'I have a child.' This sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.

Let's look at some examples together. 'U funa ku hlaya.' means 'You like to read.' Notice how it starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop. Now, if we want to ask a question, we can say, 'U funa ku hlaya?' which means 'Do you like to read?' Here, we use a question mark at the end. Let's practice identifying the punctuation in these sentences.

Now, let's write some sentences as a class. I will say a sentence, and you will help me write it on the board. For example, if I say, 'Nna ndzi rhandza ku dya.' which means 'I love to eat.', you will tell me how to start with a capital letter and what punctuation to use at the end. After we write it, we will read it together and check for any mistakes.

It's your turn to write! I want you to write three sentences about your favorite animal. Remember to start each sentence with a capital letter and end with the correct punctuation. After you finish, share your sentences with a partner and check if they used punctuation correctly. This will help you learn from each other.

• Comma (,)
• Full stop (.)
• Exclamation mark (!)
• Question mark (?)

Answer: Full stop (.)

A full stop is used to indicate the end of a statement.

• u funa ku hlaya.
• U funa ku hlaya!
• U funa ku hlaya?
• U funa ku hlaya.

Answer: U funa ku hlaya.

This sentence starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop.

Answer: Question mark (?)

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

• Lowercase letter
• Capital letter
• Number
• Symbol

Answer: Capital letter

Every sentence should start with a capital letter.

• Full stop (.)
• Comma (,)
• Apostrophe (')
• Question mark (?)

Answer: Apostrophe (')

An apostrophe is not used to end sentences; it is used for contractions or possession.

Answer: Responses will vary.

Students should write a complete sentence about their favorite food, demonstrating correct punctuation.

• Comma (,)
• Full stop (.)
• Exclamation mark (!)
• Question mark (?)

Answer: Exclamation mark (!)

An exclamation mark is used at the end of a sentence to show strong feelings or excitement.