Quick check
Read the advertisement for a house for sale. Answer these questions about the vocabulary used in the advertisement.
LOVELY FAMILY HOME.
Ideal for the handyman. 5 rooms, bathroom and kitchen. Large garden. Needs a bit of paintwork.
This is a euphemism (say yoo-fuh-miz-uhm): a figure of speech which makes something sound better than it really is.
1 Why do you think the seller writes “home” rather than house? 2 What do the words “Ideal for the handyman” tell us about the condition of the house?
3 What do the words “Needs a bit of paintwork” tell us about the appearance of the house?
4 Why do advertisers use euphemisms?
Listening and speaking: Listen to a reading of a text
The passage you will listen to is called My home. It was written in 1992 by Phyllis Ntantala Jordan. She was born Phyllis Ntantala in 1920 and later married AC Jordan the great isiXhosa writer and professor. She describes her home in the 1920s.
Activity 1: Listen to someone tell you about themselves Before listening Work as a class.
1 What differences do you think there are between a rural home in the 1920s and a rural home nowadays?
2 People who lived in rural areas did not have cars or taxis in those days. How do you think they travelled for longer distances?
3 There were not many shops in the rural areas. How do you think people got food?
4 Read the Glossary. You will hear these words in the story.
5 When you have listened to the passage twice, you will be asked about visitors to Phyllis Ntantala’s home. You will also be asked to draw the house and yard, so make sure that you note all the details about them.
24 Term 1: Weeks 3–4
Glossary Tata (isiXhosa): father
harvesting: gathering in the ripe fruit or vegetables
plastering: covering a wall with plaster to make it smooth
Mndundu, Rhamrha: places in the Eastern Cape (previously known as the Transkei)
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