Grade 7 English TRAVEL – READING:INTENSIVE READING Notes
READING: INTENSIVE READING — Travel (English, age 12, Kenya)
Focus: When you read a short travel passage, look closely at grammar: tenses, verbs, prepositions, reported speech, adjectives, and relative clauses. Use the passage to notice grammar and practise changing sentences.
Learning objectives
- Identify tenses (past simple, past continuous, present perfect) in a travel passage.
- Find and use prepositions of place and movement (to, from, in, at, on, through).
- Change direct speech to reported speech (what people said).
- Make sentences with relative clauses (who, which, where).
- Use modal verbs for advice and permission (can, could, should, must).
Key grammar points with Kenyan examples
1. Past simple — events finished in the past.
Example: "We visited the Maasai Mara last year." (visited = past simple)
2. Past continuous — action in progress at a time in the past.
Example: "While we were driving to Nakuru, it started raining." (were driving = past continuous)
3. Present perfect — experience or action with a link to now.
Example: "I have seen Mt. Kenya in the morning light." (have seen = experience)
4. Prepositions of place and movement
Common: to, from, in, at, on, through.
Example: "We went to Mombasa by bus." / "She walked through the market."
5. Reported (indirect) speech — say what someone said without quoting exactly.
Example: "We went to Mombasa by bus." / "She walked through the market."
Direct: He said, "I will buy souvenirs."
Reported: He said that he would buy souvenirs.
6. Relative clauses (who, which, where)
Reported: He said that he would buy souvenirs.
Example: "The guide who showed us the park was friendly." / "The town where we stayed is small."
7. Modals for advice and permission
should (advice), can/could (ability/permission), must (strong obligation).
Example: "You should carry water." / "Can we enter the museum?"
Example: "You should carry water." / "Can we enter the museum?"
Short passage (read closely)
Yesterday, Rehema and her family visited Amboseli National Park. They drove from Nairobi early in the morning. While they were driving, the sun came up behind Mt. Kilimanjaro. At the park, a guide who knew the animals well showed them a herd of elephants. "Look at the elephants," the guide said. Rehema's brother took many photos. He has never seen elephants so close before.
Intensive reading activities (grammar focus)
- Find all verbs in the passage and write their tense (example: visited — past simple).
- Underline any sentence that uses past continuous or present perfect. Explain why the writer used that tense.
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Change this direct speech into reported speech:
Direct: The guide said, "Look at the elephants."
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Make one sentence using a relative clause from the passage. Use "who" or "which" or "where".
Hint: use "a guide who knew the animals well".
- Write one sentence using a modal verb to give advice to Rehema's family after their visit (use should, must, or can).
- Find and copy prepositions in the passage (examples: from, in, at, behind). Then make two new sentences using any two of those prepositions.
Suggested answers (check your work)
1. Verbs and tenses
visited — past simple
drove — past simple
were driving — past continuous
came up — past simple
showed — past simple
said — past simple
took — past simple
has never seen — present perfect
2. Past continuous / present perfect
drove — past simple
were driving — past continuous
came up — past simple
showed — past simple
said — past simple
took — past simple
has never seen — present perfect
Past continuous: "they were driving" — shows action in progress when another event happened (sun came up).
Present perfect: "has never seen" — shows experience up to now (he has not had that experience before).
3. Reported speech
Present perfect: "has never seen" — shows experience up to now (he has not had that experience before).
Reported: The guide told them to look at the elephants. OR The guide said that they should look at the elephants.
4. Relative clause
Example: "The guide who knew the animals well showed them the elephants." (Use who to join information about the guide.)
5. Modal for advice
Example: "They should wear hats in the sun." OR "They must carry water on long drives."
6. Prepositions
Found: from, in, behind, at
Example sentences: "They drove from Nairobi." / "The sun came up behind Mt. Kilimanjaro."
Example sentences: "They drove from Nairobi." / "The sun came up behind Mt. Kilimanjaro."
Tips for intensive reading (grammar-only)
- Mark all verbs and write their tense beside them.
- Circle reporting verbs (said, told) to practice reported speech.
- Look for link words (while, when, after, before) — they help find tenses.
- Transform a few sentences into different grammar forms (e.g., change to reported speech, or from past simple to past continuous).
Happy reading! 🚌🏞️📷