Grade 7 English : HYGIENE – READING: POETRY Notes

English — Hygiene

Learning objectives

Recognise and use the present simple for routines.
Identify and form imperatives (commands) used in instructions.
Classify nouns: countable and uncountable; use articles correctly (a/an/the).
Use pronouns and possessive adjectives (you, we, your, our).
Identify verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions and conjunctions in short lines.

Short poem for reading

Wash Day 🧼💧

1. Every morning we wash our hands and sing.

2. Water from the tap splashes — we are clean.

3. Soap bubbles dance on palms and thumbs.

4. Dry with a clean towel. Don't use another's towel!

5. At school we use the latrine and keep it neat.

6. Wash your hands before you eat — it's a good habit.

Grammar points (using lines from the poem)

Present simple for routines
Example: "we wash our hands" (line 1), "we use the latrine" (line 5). These show habits or actions done regularly.
Imperative verbs (commands)
Example: "Dry with a clean towel." and "Wash your hands before you eat." — subject (you) is understood. Negative imperative: "Don't use another's towel!" — use don't + base verb.
Nouns: countable and uncountable
- Countable: towel, thumb, hand, latrine (we can count: one towel, two towels).
- Uncountable: water, soap (we say some water, some soap, not "a water"). Use a/an with countable nouns only.
Articles (a / an / the)
Use "a" or "an" with singular countable nouns (a towel, an orange). Use "the" for something specific (the tap).
Pronouns and possessive adjectives
Examples from poem: "we" (subject pronoun), "your" (possessive adjective in "Wash your hands"), "our" (possessive adjective in "our hands").
Other parts of speech
- Verbs: wash, sing, splashes, dance, dry, use, keep, eat.
- Adjectives: clean (describes towel, hands).
- Adverbs are less used here; "before" is a conjunction/preposition showing time ("before you eat").
- Conjunctions: and (joins words/phrases), — dash used for a pause.

Short grammar exercises (try these)

Underline the verbs in line 1 and write their tense. (line 1: "Every morning we wash our hands and sing.")
Turn line 6 into a negative command. (line 6: "Wash your hands before you eat — it's a good habit.")
Identify two countable and one uncountable noun from the poem.
Choose the correct article: "___ towel" (one clean towel you see now).
Replace the possessive adjective: change "our hands" (line 1) to show belonging to one person: write the new phrase.

Answers

Verbs in line 1: wash, sing. Tense: present simple (used for routines).
Negative command: "Don't wash your hands before you eat." (Note: logically we do not want students to actually say this — grammatically the negative form is shown. A better correct negative command about towel: "Don't use another's towel.")
Countable: towel, thumb (or hand). Uncountable: water, soap.
Correct article: "a towel" (one clean towel seen now). Use "a" before consonant sounds.
Change "our hands" to show one person's possession: "my hands" (if you mean yourself) or "his hands" / "her hands" for another person.

Quick grammar tips

Use this poem to practise grammar while thinking about hygiene at home and school. Keep safe — wash hands well and often! 💧

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