Grade 7 English MUSIC – READING:NOTE MAKING Notes
READING: NOTE MAKING — MUSIC (English grammar focus)
Target: Kenyan learners, age 12. When you read a passage about music, practise note making that focuses only on English grammar: parts of speech, tenses, subject-verb agreement, speech, and sentence structure.
Make short notes that show the key grammar points you find while reading. Use keywords, symbols and short labels (S = subject, V = verb, Adj = adjective, P = present, Pa = past, R.S. = reported speech).
Simple steps (easy to follow)
- Read the sentence once to understand meaning.
- Underline or spot important grammar items: nouns, verbs, adjectives, tenses, speech.
- Write a short note: keyword(s) + grammar label. Use symbols: +, =, →
- Check tense and agreement: mark P (present), Pa (past), F (future).
- Use these notes to revise grammar quickly later.
Short reading passage (about music)
♪ At village festivals, musicians play drums and sing songs that tell stories about our people. Many young people enjoy both traditional benga and new pop music. The choir practised every evening last month for the national competition. Music unites communities and is used at weddings and harvest celebrations.
Examples of grammar-focused notes (from the passage)
- Note: village festivals → place + time (N)
- musicians (N, pl); play, sing (V, present simple → habitual)
- that tell stories → relative clause (that = connects; tell = V)
- Short note: musicians (N pl) play/sing (V P) → drums, songs (N); relative clause = gives more info
- Note: many young people (N phrase)
- enjoy (V, present simple → general fact)
- both ... and ... (correlative conjunction linking two nouns)
- Short note: young people (N) enjoy (V P) = traditional benga + new pop (N)
- Note: choir (N, S); practised (V, past → Pa)
- every evening last month → adverb phrase (time; shows past)
- for the national competition → purpose/reason phrase
- Short note: choir (N) practised (V Pa) → when: last month (time)
- Note: Music (N, S) unites (V, present) communities (O)
- is used (passive voice) → show function; at weddings, harvest = places/events
- Short note: Music (N) → unites (V P) communities; passive: is used (passive present) at weddings/harvests (purpose)
Symbols & abbreviations to use
S = subject, O = object, V = verb, N = noun, Adj = adjective, Adv = adverb, P = present, Pa = past, F = future, rel cl = relative clause, pass = passive, R.S. = reported speech.
Quick grammar checklist for your notes
- Which tense? Mark P / Pa / F.
- Is the verb singular or plural? (S–V agreement)
- Any passive verbs? Mark as pass.
- Are there clauses? (relative, conditional, adverbial)
- Any direct speech or reported speech? Write DS / R.S.
Practice: make notes (try these)
Try these sentences — write short grammar notes.
- Our band will perform at the county festival next week.
- They sang a song that celebrated the harvest.
- Teacher: "Sing clearly," she said. (convert to reported speech)
Answers / model notes
- Our band will perform at the county festival next week. Note: band (N S) will perform (V F) → time: next week (Adv), place: county festival.
- They sang a song that celebrated the harvest. Note: they (S) sang (V Pa) a song (O); that celebrated the harvest = rel cl (celebrated = V Pa).
- Teacher: "Sing clearly," she said. Reported speech: She told them to sing clearly. Note: direct speech → R.S. (infinitive after 'told') ; reported: told (V Pa), to sing (inf).
Tips for busy revision
- Keep notes short: 2–6 words per line.
- Use arrows → and + to show relationships (e.g., Music → unites + celebrations).
- Colour-code if you like: blue for verbs, green for nouns (helps memory).
- Use one page for grammar notes from a single passage — easy to review before tests.
Good luck! Practice with stories or song texts from your local area (benga, taarab, gospel). Focus on finding verbs, tenses and sentence types — then make quick grammar notes.