Grade 4 English Study Notes

Listening Comprehension: Njeri and Her Mother

Read this conversation carefully. Njeri is learning about her family from her mother.

Sounds /t/ and /d/

These two sounds are made in the same place in the mouth, but they are different:

• /t/ — place the tip of your tongue near the top of your mouth and push air out. No voice. Examples: ten, toy, train, hat
• /d/ — same position, but use your voice. Examples: den, doll, drain, had

Poem: My Family

Read this poem aloud and listen for words with /t/ and /d/:

My father says, There are ten lions in that den.
My mother says, Try and dry the dishes.
My brother says, My toy train has fallen into the drain.
My sister says, I bet you have not made your bed.
My grandfather says, I had a hat yesterday.
My grandmother says, I love my tie and die dress.
My family says, We are going downtown.

Tongue Twisters — /t/ and /d/

Say these slowly first, then faster:

1. Dod told Todd to do to others as he would like them to do to him.
2. If you tightly tie the toe of a tiny doe, it will die.
3. Ten ten-toed tree-toads told the doe to tow them with the doe's four-toed foot.

Minimal Pairs

Minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound. Match column A with column B:

Sounds /f/ and /v/

These two sounds are made the same way, but they are different:

• /f/ — place your top teeth lightly on your lower lip and blow air out. No voice. Examples: fine, fast, fan, flower
• /v/ — same position, but use your voice. Examples: vine, vast, van, valley

Conversation: Mwangi and Moraa

Read this conversation. Notice how /f/ and /v/ words differ:

Tongue Twisters — /f/ and /v/

1. The four famous fast vans carried a few fans to the first very vast field.
2. Five very funny friendly fleas and five flies flew over the valley.

Family Members

Use this table to learn the names of different family members and who they are.

The Digraph /tw/

A digraph is when two letters come together to make one sound. The letters t and w together make the sound /tw/.

Find the /tw/ words

Read this sentence and identify all /tw/ words:

"Between them, the twins have won twelve times and lost twice."

/tw/ Word List

Say each word aloud:

• twins — two children born at the same time
• twigs — small thin branches
• twice — two times
• twist — to turn or wind
• twelve — the number 12
• twenty — the number 20
• between — in the space separating two things
• twinkle — to shine with a flickering light

Notice: /tw/ appears at the beginning of most words (twins, twice) and also inside a word (between).

Key Points Summary

• /t/ and /d/ are made in the same place in the mouth. /t/ has no voice; /d/ has voice.
• /f/ and /v/ are made the same way — top teeth on lower lip. /f/ has no voice; /v/ has voice.
• Minimal pairs are words that differ by only one sound, e.g. ten/den, fan/van.
• Tongue twisters are sentences with repeating sounds used to practise pronunciation.
• A digraph is two letters that make one sound. The letters tw make the /tw/ sound, as in twins and twelve.
• Relatives are family members. Key vocabulary: uncle, aunt, nephew, niece, cousin, siblings, orphan, twins, relatives, adopt.
• A dictionary helps you find the correct pronunciation and meaning of words.

Family Vocabulary

Learn the meaning of each word below and use it in a sentence.

The Junior Encyclopedia

A junior encyclopedia is a reference book that gives information about many different topics. Topics are arranged in alphabetical order — from A to Z.

How to use a junior encyclopedia

1. Decide what you want to read about — for example, family
2. Look for the topic under its letter — look for Fam under F
3. Once you find the topic, read the information downwards
4. Pay attention to pictures and headings — they help you understand

Encyclopedia page: The Family

Introduction
A family is a group of people who are related to each other. They are related by blood, marriage or adoption. Families often live together. Family members love and take care of one another.

Parents
Parents are the mother and father in a family. They take care of their children. Parents teach their children new things and provide them with love and support.

Guardians
Guardians are adults who take care of children when their parents cannot. They can be relatives, like an aunt or uncle. A guardian can be someone else who steps in to provide a safe and loving home.

Siblings
Siblings are brothers and sisters. They share the same parents and often grow up together. Siblings play, learn and sometimes argue but they always have a special bond.

Grandparents
Grandparents are the parents of your parents — your grandmother and grandfather. Grandparents often tell stories and share wisdom.

Aunt
An aunt is your parent's sister or your uncle's wife.

Uncle
An uncle is your parent's brother or your aunt's husband.

Cousin
A cousin is the child of your aunt or uncle. Cousins are like extra siblings.

Nephew
A nephew is the son of your brother or sister.

Niece
A niece is the daughter of your brother or sister.

The Dictionary

A dictionary is a book that lists words in alphabetical order and gives their meanings, spellings and pronunciations.

How words are arranged in a dictionary

• Words are arranged from A to Z
• If the first letters are the same, look at the second letter
• Each entry gives the word, its meaning, and sometimes an example sentence

Practise alphabetical order

Arrange these family words in alphabetical order:

mother, child, father, parent, family, made, children, adopt, orphan, young, old, visitors, friend, caregiver

Correct alphabetical order:
adopt, caregiver, child, children, family, father, friend, made, mother, old, orphan, parent, visitors, young

Words to look up in a dictionary

Articles in Context

Articles appear in many contexts. Let us practise matching nouns with the correct article.

Match column A with column B

Rules summary

Sentences to complete

Articles: a, an and the

Articles are small words that come before nouns. There are three articles in English: a, an and the.

Indefinite articles: a and an

A and an are called indefinite articles — used when talking about any one of something, not a specific one.

• Use a before words beginning with a consonant sound: a mother, a family, a boy, a car, a guardian
• Use an before words beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u): an aunt, an uncle, an orphan, an ancestor, an elder

Definite article: the

The is the definite article — used when talking about a specific person or thing that is already known:

• The mother was away, so an aunt took him to school.
• The water Mother gave me was boiled. (a specific water — the one Mother gave)
• Father took me to the barber on Saturday. (a specific barber they always go to)

Practice paragraph

Read this paragraph and notice every article:

The mother was away, so an aunt took him to school. An uncle drove the car. Before they left, the aunt asked them to bow their heads and pray. At the end she said that a family that prays together stays together.

Fill in the blanks — a, an or the

Filling Forms

A form is a document with blank spaces that you fill in with specific information about yourself. Forms are used at school, hospitals, banks and online.

Why we fill in forms

• To record important personal information
• To apply for something (a school, a job, a service)
• To register for an event or activity

How to fill in a form correctly

1. Read all the instructions before you start
2. Write clearly and neatly — forms must be easy to read
3. Fill in every required space — do not leave important spaces blank
4. Be accurate — write the correct information, not guesses
5. Check your work before submitting

Sample form — Family Information

Digital Forms

Today, many forms are found online — on a computer, tablet or phone. Filling in a digital form follows the same rules as a paper form.

Steps for filling a digital form

1. Open the form on your device
2. Click on each blank field
3. Type the correct information
4. Check all your entries carefully
5. Click Submit or Send when you are done

Paper form vs Digital form

Key Points Summary — Theme 1

• A junior encyclopedia provides information about many topics, arranged A–Z.
• A dictionary lists words alphabetically with meanings and pronunciations.
• Alphabetical order — arrange words by first letter, then second letter if needed.
• Article a — before consonant sounds (a family, a guardian).
• Article an — before vowel sounds (an uncle, an orphan, an ancestor).
• Article the — for specific or one-of-a-kind things (the sun, the barber).
• A form records personal information. Always read instructions first, write neatly and check your work.
• Digital forms are filled in online — type carefully and click Submit when done.

Sound /ɔɪ/ — the "oy" sound

The sound /ɔɪ/ is a diphthong — a sound made by gliding from one vowel position to another. You start with an "aw" shape and move your mouth to an "ee" position.

Say these sentences aloud and listen for the /ɔɪ/ sound:

1. The boy was filled with joy when he got a toy for only a coin.
2. Joyce and Joy made a choice to join the boy with a toy.
3. The boy was annoyed when Joyce and Joy soiled his toy with oil.

Words with /ɔɪ/

Sounds /ɑː/ and /ɜː/

These two sounds are easy to confuse. Listen carefully to the difference:

• /ɑː/ — a long, open "ah" sound. Your mouth opens wide. Examples: far, farm, hard, barn, pass, card
• /ɜː/ — a sound like "er" in her. Your lips are relaxed and slightly rounded. Examples: fur, firm, heard, burn, purse, curd

Minimal Pairs: /ɑː/ and /ɜː/

Practise sentence

Say this sentence aloud. Find all the /ɑː/ and /ɜː/ words:

"It is hard to pass the farm gate without being heard and your purse being checked by a polite but firm guard."

Sound /aɪ/ — the "eye" sound

The sound /aɪ/ is also a diphthong. You start with an open "ah" mouth shape and glide to an "ee" position. It sounds like the word eye.

Poem: My Kind of Boy

Read this poem aloud. Listen carefully for the /aɪ/ and /ɔɪ/ sounds:

Is this the boy;
The boy you call Roy;
The boy you gave a toy;
The boy who jumped with joy;
The boy who is hard to annoy?

Is this the boy who does not tell a lie;
The boy who flies his kite quite high;
The boy who dreams he can fly;
The boy whom no money can buy;
The boy to whom it is hard to say bye?

Words with /aɪ/

Notice: the /aɪ/ sound can be spelled in many different ways — -ie, -i_e, -igh, -y, -uy, -ye. The sound is the same even though the spelling changes.

Sounds /l/ and /r/

These two sounds are often confused, especially at the beginning of words:

• /l/ — place the tip of your tongue behind your top front teeth. Examples: led, load, lake, law, lace, liver
• /r/ — curl the tip of your tongue slightly back without touching anything. Examples: red, road, rake, raw, race, river

Minimal Pairs: /l/ and /r/

Classroom conversation: Maina, Saina and Teacher

Read this conversation. It shows how to practise /l/ and /r/:

Listening Passage: The Graduation Party

Read this passage aloud. As you read, write down words with the /aɪ/ sound and words with the /ɔɪ/ sound separately.

It was with joy that I invited all the boys and girls in our football club to my brother's graduation party. Luckily, they all agreed to join us. To prepare for the day, my parents, brother and I went to the supermarket. We decided to buy soda, juice, biscuits, popcorn, fruits and baking flour among other items. "I have saved some coins. What else can I buy?"

"I am quite impressed by the fact that you want to help," my father told me.

At that point, Mother said, "Perhaps we can buy green maize with that money. If it is not enough, I will add some more. Most people love boiled maize, you know."

"You are right. I prefer boiled maize to popcorns."

Mary: Great! We are going to have a colourful celebration. My mother has baked a huge cake. I bought a lot of nice things to eat.

Paul: Do not make my mouth water. Please tell your parents to call ours so that we can be given permission.

Mary: It is wise of you to suggest that. I will.

Sort the words

Poem: I Wonder Who Will Offer

This poem is read in two groups: Group A reads the question lines; Group B reads the answer lines. Both sounds — /ɑː/ and /ɜː/, and /l/ and /r/ — appear throughout. Read carefully:

Celebration Vocabulary — Unit 2B

Use these words in sentences about family celebrations:

Celebration Vocabulary

Learn these words. They are all connected to family celebrations. Use each one in your own sentence.

Key Points Summary — Theme 2 Listening and Speaking

• /ɔɪ/ is the "oy" diphthong — heard in boy, joy, toy, coin, oil, choice. It often appears at the end of words.
• /aɪ/ is the "eye" diphthong — heard in lie, kite, high, fly, buy, bye. It can be spelled many ways: -ie, -i_e, -igh, -y, -uy, -ye.
• /ɑː/ is the long "ah" sound — heard in farm, hard, far, card. The mouth opens wide.
• /ɜː/ is the "er" sound — heard in firm, heard, purse, fur. The lips are relaxed.
• /l/ is made with the tongue tip behind the top teeth — heard in lake, led, load, law.
• /r/ is made with the tongue tip curled back — heard in rake, red, road, raw.
• A diphthong is a sound made by gliding from one vowel position to another.
• Celebration vocabulary: birthday, celebrate, party, invite, song, cake, colourful, wedding, burial, feast, ceremony, baptise, gift.