Grade 7 English FAMILY – READING:ORAL NARRATIVES Notes
English — Topic: FAMILY
1. Use the right past tenses for storytelling 🕒
Oral narratives about family usually use past tenses. Know when to use each:
- Past Simple — main events: "My mother cooked dinner." (regular: cook → cooked; irregular: go → went)
- Past Continuous — background actions happening at the same time: "While we were eating, it started to rain."
- Past Perfect — an action that happened before another past action: "By the time I arrived, they had already left."
Examples (family)
- "Baba fixed the roof." (past simple)
- "Grandmother (Nana) was telling a story when the lights went out." (past continuous + past simple)
- "When I reached home, Mama had cooked supper." (past perfect + past simple)
2. Pronouns & possessives for clear retelling 👪
Replace names or family nouns with pronouns when you retell:
- "My sister told me" → "She told me."
- Possessive adjectives: my, your, his, her, our, their (e.g., "our house", "her phone").
Use these to avoid repeating the same family words too many times.
3. Direct speech vs. Reported speech (retelling others) ✍️
When you tell what someone said, you either quote them exactly (direct speech) or report it (reported speech). For oral retelling, reported speech is common.
Direct speech (exact words)
Direct: Auntie Wanjiru said, "I will visit tomorrow."
Reported speech (retell)
Reported: Auntie Wanjiru said (that) she would visit the next day.
Important rules:
- Move the tense one step back (backshift) when reporting past speech: present → past, will → would, simple past → past perfect.
- Change pronouns and time/place words: "I" → "she/he", "tomorrow" → "the next day", "today" → "that day".
- Verbs used for reporting: said, told (use 'told' + object: "told me"), asked, replied.
4. Dialogue punctuation and speaking clearly 🗣️
If you use direct speech in a story:
- Start speech with quotation marks: "Hello," said Mama.
- Start a new paragraph for each speaker for clarity in writing and practice clear voice changes when speaking.
- Use commas and question marks inside the quotes where needed: "Are you coming?" asked Baba.
5. Linkers and sequence words (keep the story clear) ➡️
Use words that show time order and cause so listeners follow the story:
- Sequence: first, then, after that, later, finally.
- Time/connectors: when, while, before, after, because, so.
Example: "First we went to the market. Then Mama bought vegetables. After that, we walked home because the taxi was full."
Quick grammar checklist before you tell a family story
- Are most verbs in the past? (past simple for main events)
- Did you use pronouns correctly (he/she/they) when retelling?
- Did you backshift tense for reported speech?
- Do you use sequence words to order events?
- Is dialogue punctuated correctly if you quote speech?
Practice exercises (try these)
- Yesterday Mama (help) _______ me with my homework.
- We (go) _______ to the market and Baba (buy) _______ fruit.
- While we (eat) _______ dinner, it (start) _______ to rain.
- Direct: "I will come tomorrow," said Uncle Joseph.
Reported: ____________________________ - Direct: "We have finished the work," Mama said to Baba.
Reported: ____________________________ - Direct question: "Are you all right?" asked Nana.
Reported: ____________________________
- "My brother told my sister that my brother would come late."
- "Baba and Mama said Baba and Mama were proud."
Exercise 2:
1. Uncle Joseph said (that) he would come the next day.
2. Mama told Baba that they had finished the work.
3. Nana asked if I/he/she was all right. (Use the correct subject: who was asked.)
Exercise 3:
1. "My brother told my sister that he would come late."
2. "They said they were proud."