Grade 7 English HEROES AND HEROINE – READING:CLASS READER Notes
ENGLISH — READING (CLASS READER)
Subtopic: HEROES AND HEROINES — Grammar Notes for Class Reader (Age 12, Kenya)
Quick guide: When you read stories about heroes and heroines, pay attention to nouns, plurals, tenses, pronouns, sentence types and reported speech. These grammar points help you understand and write about brave people clearly.
1. Key words
- Hero (noun) — a brave person; a male or general term. Example: "The firefighter is a hero."
- Heroine (noun) — a brave female person. Example: "The heroine rescued the child."
- Class reader — the story or text you read in class about heroes and heroines.
2. Grammar points to practise while reading
Nouns and Plurals
- Most nouns add
- Spelling change: nouns ending in
- Change
-s for plural: "hero" → "heroes".- Spelling change: nouns ending in
-o or -ch often add -es: "hero" → "heroes", "branch" → "branches".- Change
-y to -ies if a consonant before y: "country" → "countries". (Not usually for "hero".)
Gender forms and modern use
- "Hero" can be used for both sexes in modern English. "Heroine" specifically means a female hero.
- Many prefer gender-neutral words: "hero", "leader", "champion". Example: "Our community hero is a nurse."
- Many prefer gender-neutral words: "hero", "leader", "champion". Example: "Our community hero is a nurse."
Tenses used in stories
- Past simple to tell events that happened: "She saved the boy."
- Present simple to state general truths: "A hero shows courage."
- Past continuous for background actions: "They were walking when they saw the fire."
- Use the correct tense to understand when events happened.
- Present simple to state general truths: "A hero shows courage."
- Past continuous for background actions: "They were walking when they saw the fire."
- Use the correct tense to understand when events happened.
Pronouns & subject-verb agreement
- Use correct pronouns: "he" for a male, "she" for a female, "they" for singular gender-neutral use.
- Match the verb to the subject: "The hero is brave." / "The heroes are brave."
- Match the verb to the subject: "The hero is brave." / "The heroes are brave."
Possessives
- To show something belongs to the hero: add
- For plural that ends in -s: add only apostrophe: "the heroes' medals".
's for singular: "the hero's medal".- For plural that ends in -s: add only apostrophe: "the heroes' medals".
Relative clauses (who, that)
- Use who for people: "The heroine who fought for her village was brave."
- Use that for essential information: "A hero is someone that helps others."
- Use that for essential information: "A hero is someone that helps others."
Direct and reported speech
- Direct speech: use quotation marks. Example: She said, "I will help."
- Reported speech: change tense back (if needed). Example: She said that she would help.
- When reading interviews with heroes/ heroines, note changes between direct and reported speech.
- Reported speech: change tense back (if needed). Example: She said that she would help.
- When reading interviews with heroes/ heroines, note changes between direct and reported speech.
Modal verbs for ability and advice
- Can/could for ability: "She can swim" / "He could lift the child."
- Should/must for advice and duty: "A hero should help others." / "We must protect the weak."
- Should/must for advice and duty: "A hero should help others." / "We must protect the weak."
Adjectives and adverbs
- Adjectives describe nouns: "brave heroine", "young hero".
- Adverbs describe verbs: "He acted bravely" (not "brave"). Use -ly adverbs for actions.
- Adverbs describe verbs: "He acted bravely" (not "brave"). Use -ly adverbs for actions.
3. Short examples
- Singular and plural: "A hero saves a life." → "Many heroes save lives."
- Possessive: "The heroine's courage inspired the village."
- Relative clause: "The boy who found the lost goat became a small hero."
- Direct/reported speech: He said, "I can't leave." → He said that he couldn't leave.
- Tense: "Last year, a nurse helped many patients" (past simple for events that happened).
4. Practice (try these in your exercise book)
- Pluralise: lady → ______ ; hero → ______ ; country → ______ .
- Change to possessive: "The hero / medal" → ___________________.
- Rewrite in reported speech: The heroine said, "I will come tomorrow."
- Combine using a relative clause: "There is a woman. She saved the children."
- Fill with the correct tense: "Yesterday the hero (rescue) the family." (Use past simple)
Answers (check your work)
1) ladies ; heroes ; countries.
2) The hero's medal.
3) She said that she would come the next day. (or She said she would come tomorrow → reported: the next day / the following day.)
4) There is a woman who saved the children. (or The woman who saved the children...)
5) Yesterday the hero rescued the family.
2) The hero's medal.
3) She said that she would come the next day. (or She said she would come tomorrow → reported: the next day / the following day.)
4) There is a woman who saved the children. (or The woman who saved the children...)
5) Yesterday the hero rescued the family.
Tips for reading a Class Reader about heroes/heroines
- Underline verbs and check their tense to know when events happened.
- Circle nouns and write singular/plural forms nearby.
- Look for who, that, which to find extra information (relative clauses).
- When you see quotes, decide if they are direct or reported speech.
- Think about who the hero/heroine is and which words (adjectives, verbs) tell you why they are brave.
Good luck! Read carefully, mark the grammar, and practise writing your own short hero or heroine story.