GRADE 9 English PERSONAL GROOMING – READING:INTENSIVE READING - COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES Notes
READING: INTENSIVE READING — COMPREHENSION STRATEGIES
Topic: Personal Grooming — Subject: English (grammar focus)
Target: Kenyan learners, age 14
When you read a passage about personal grooming, use grammar clues to understand meaning quickly: verb forms, pronouns, linkers and modals tell you time, who does what, reasons, instructions and advice.
Grammar clues to use when reading texts on personal grooming
- Verb tenses — time and habit
Example: "She brushes her teeth twice a day." (present simple = habit) 🪥 - Imperatives — commands and instructions
Example: "Wash your hands before eating." (imperative = instruction) 🧼 - Modal verbs — advice, obligation, possibility
Examples: "You should use sunscreen." (advice) "You must dry your hands." (strong obligation) - Passive voice — focus on action or receiver
Example: "Hair is washed with warm water." (passive often used in general instructions or descriptions) - Pronouns and reference — cohesion
Find what pronouns refer to: "Use the soap. It removes dirt." ('it' = 'the soap') 🔎 - Conjunctions / linkers — logical relations
Words like because, so, however, therefore, before, after, then show reason, result, contrast or sequence: "Apply lotion after bathing." - Relative clauses — extra information
"The comb that she bought is strong." (the clause tells more about the comb) - Conditionals — cause and effect / advice
"If you cover your hair, it will stay clean." (first conditional = likely result) - Adjectives & adverbs — descriptive detail
"Use a clean towel." / "Brush carefully." These words add important meaning for comprehension.
Short examples (personal grooming)
1. "He trims his nails every Sunday." — present simple (habit).
2. "Use a clean razor." — imperative (instruction).
3. "If you wash your face, the skin will feel fresh." — conditional (cause → effect).
4. "The soap that Ana uses smells nice." — relative clause adds extra info.
Practice — use grammar to understand
- Identify the tense and explain: "She combs her hair every morning."
- Find the pronoun and name its antecedent: "Apply the lotion. It keeps skin smooth."
- Choose the best modal: "You ___ wash your hands before eating." (must / should). Explain why.
- Turn the command into a polite suggestion: "Clean your nails."
- What does the connector show: "He applied oil because his scalp was dry." (why/use of 'because')
- Combine into one sentence: "I have a comb. It is made of wood." (use a relative clause)
Answers & brief explanations
1. Present simple — shows a regular habit.
2. Pronoun: "It" → antecedent: "the lotion". (It refers back to lotion.)
3. Best: "should" (gives advice). "Must" shows a rule or necessity — choose depending on context.
4. Polite suggestion: "You should clean your nails." or "Please clean your nails."
5. "Because" shows the reason (he applied oil for the reason that his scalp was dry).
6. Combined: "I have a comb that is made of wood." (the relative clause "that is made of wood" describes the comb)
Quick exam / reading tips (grammar focus)
- Spot the verb tense first — it tells you when actions happen (present for habits, past for completed acts).
- Look for modals to judge advice or obligation (should/must/can).
- Follow pronouns back to their nouns to keep meaning clear.
- Use linkers (because, so, however) to find reasons, results and contrasts quickly.
- In instruction texts (personal care steps), expect imperatives and sequence markers (first, then, finally).
Icons: 🪥 = brushing, 🧼 = washing, 🔎 = check reference. Use grammar clues to read faster and understand clearly.