READING:COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Notes, Quizzes & Revision
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READING: COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES β Grammar Focus
Subject: English | Topic: Land Travel | For: 12-year-old learners (Kenya)
What to look for while reading (Grammar helps you understand)
- Verbs and tense β tell you when events happen (past, present, future).
- Pronouns β show who or what the sentence talks about; check what each pronoun refers to.
- Connectors / conjunctions (and, but, because, after) β show sequence and reason.
- Prepositions (on, in, to, from) β show location and direction in travel stories.
- Punctuation β full stops, commas, question marks and quotation marks help you follow ideas and speakers.
- Adjectives/adverbs β give extra details (how, when, where, how much).
Why grammar matters for comprehension
When you read a paragraph about land travel (matatu, bus, train, boda-boda), grammar shows:
- Who is doing the action (subject + verb).
- When the action happens (tense: yesterday, now, tomorrow).
- How sentences join to give reasons or order (connectors).
- Where things happen (prepositions).
Example passage (Land travel in Nairobi) ππ£οΈ
On Monday, Amina boarded a matatu to Nairobi. She sat near the window and watched the trees pass. The driver drove carefully because the road was wet after rain.
Color guide: Nouns (people/places), Verbs, Time words, Prepositions/connectors, Transport words.
How to read the passage using grammar
- Find the time: "On Monday" β events happened in the past.
- Notice verbs: "boarded", "sat", "watched", "drove", "was" are past tense β past simple and past continuous idea.
- Follow pronouns: "She" refers to Amina β this helps keep track of the main character.
- See reason or condition: "because the road was wet" β explains why the driver was careful.
- Prepositions: "near the window", "to Nairobi" give place and direction.
Short grammar tips for better comprehension
- If verbs are in past tense, picture things that already happened.
- Words like then, after, before show order. Example: first β then β finally.
- Because, so, since show reason. Ask βWhy?β to find the cause.
- Check who pronouns refer to. Circle the noun the first time it appears, then replace later pronouns in your mind.
- Punctuation: a question mark means ask; a comma can join ideas or show extra information.
Practice β Use grammar to answer
- Identify the tense in this sentence: "The lorry arrived late so the passengers waited." β (Answer below)
- Which word shows reason in: "He ran because the boda-boda moved away"? β (Answer below)
- Replace the pronoun with the noun: "She closed it quickly." (If earlier: "The conductor left the door open.") β write the full sentence. β (Answer below)
- Find the preposition: "We waited at the bus stop until the rain stopped." β (Answer below)
- 1. Past simple: "arrived", "waited".
- 2. "because" shows reason.
- 3. "The conductor closed the door quickly."
- 4. Preposition is "at" (shows place). "Until" is a conjunction showing time.
Quick checklist while you read about land travel
Tick these in your head: Who? When? Where? Why? How? β Use grammar (verbs, pronouns, connectors, prepositions) to answer each question.
Good luck! Remember: grammar is a map that helps you follow the story β just like signs and directions help a driver on the road. πΊοΈπ