Botswana PSLE English key terms

A word that names a person, place, thing, or idea, such as 'teacher', 'Gaborone', or 'happiness'. It can usually be made plural or preceded by 'the'.

A word that shows an action or a state of being, such as 'run', 'write', or 'is'. It changes form to show tense, for example 'walk' becomes 'walked'.

A word that describes or gives more information about a noun, such as 'tall', 'happy', or 'dusty'. It often comes before the noun or after a linking verb.

A word that describes how, when, or where an action happens, such as 'quickly', 'yesterday', or 'outside'. Many adverbs are formed by adding '-ly' to an adjective.

A word used in place of a noun so that the noun need not be repeated, such as 'he', 'they', 'it', or 'ourselves'. The noun it replaces is called its antecedent.

The special name of a particular person, place, day, or organisation, such as 'Kabo', 'Botswana', or 'Monday'. It always begins with a capital letter wherever it appears in a sentence.

The person or thing that performs the action in a sentence, or the thing being described. In 'The children sang', the subject is 'the children'.

The person or thing that receives the action of a verb. In 'She kicked the ball', 'the ball' is the object of the verb 'kicked'.

The form of a verb that shows when an action happens. English has present tense ('I walk'), past tense ('I walked'), and future forms such as 'I will walk'.

The verb form used to talk about actions already finished, such as 'played', 'ate', or 'went'. Regular verbs add '-ed'; irregular verbs change in other ways.

The verb form used for actions happening now, habits, and general truths, such as 'She walks to school every day'. It also has continuous forms like 'is walking'.

A verb whose past form does not follow the usual '-ed' pattern, such as 'go/went', 'eat/ate', or 'buy/bought'. These forms must be learned and remembered.

The form of a word that refers to just one person or thing, such as 'book', 'child', or 'she'. It is the opposite of plural and affects verb agreement.

The form of a word that refers to more than one person or thing, such as 'books', 'children', or 'they'. Most plurals are made by adding '-s' or '-es'.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb ('The dog barks') and a plural subject takes a plural verb ('The dogs bark').

The marks used in writing to make meaning clear, such as full stops, commas, question marks, and capital letters. Correct punctuation helps the reader follow the sentence.

The large form of a letter, used at the start of a sentence, for proper nouns, and for the pronoun 'I'. In 'We met Kabelo in Francistown', several capitals are needed.

The dot mark placed at the end of a statement or command to show the sentence has finished. It is also used in abbreviations such as 'e.g.'

A punctuation mark used to separate items in a list, mark a pause, or set off extra information within a sentence. For example: 'She bought bread, milk, and sugar.'

The mark '?' placed at the end of a direct question instead of a full stop, as in 'Where are you going?' It signals that an answer is expected.

The small raised mark used to show possession ('the girl's bag') or to replace missing letters in contractions ('do not' becomes 'don't'). Its position changes meaning.

A shortened form made by joining two words and replacing the missing letters with an apostrophe, such as 'can't' for 'cannot' or 'we're' for 'we are'.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, such as 'big' and 'large' or 'begin' and 'start'. Synonyms help you avoid repeating words.

A word that means the opposite of another word, such as 'hot' and 'cold' or 'early' and 'late'. Recognising antonyms is a common comprehension question.

The collection of words a person knows and can use. A wide vocabulary helps you understand passages and choose precise words in your own writing.

A letter group added to the front of a word to change its meaning, such as 'un-' in 'unhappy' or 're-' in 'rewrite'. It does not usually change the word class.

A letter group added to the end of a word to change its meaning or word class, such as '-ful' in 'careful' or '-ness' in 'kindness'.

The basic part of a word that is left when prefixes and suffixes are removed, such as 'help' in 'helpless' or 'unhelpful'. Knowing roots helps you work out meanings.

A group of sentences about one main idea, written together and starting on a new line. A new paragraph signals a change of topic, time, or speaker.

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea. The other sentences give details or examples that support it.

The most important point that a paragraph or passage is making about its subject. It is broader than a detail and can often be stated in one sentence.

A conclusion you reach by combining clues in the text with what you already know, even though the writer does not state it directly. It requires careful reasoning.

The ability to read a passage and understand its meaning, including its facts, ideas, and purpose. It is usually tested by questions that follow the passage.

Writing a speaker's exact words inside quotation marks, as in: 'Sit down,' said the teacher. The punctuation of the quoted words follows special rules.

Telling what someone said without quoting their exact words, as in 'The teacher told us to sit down'. Pronouns and verb tenses often shift backwards.

The form of an adjective or adverb used to compare two things, usually made with '-er' or 'more', as in 'taller' or 'more careful'. The superlative compares three or more.

A word that shows the relationship between a noun and another part of the sentence, often of place or time, such as 'in', 'under', 'before', or 'with'.

A word that joins words, phrases, or clauses, such as 'and', 'but', 'because', or 'although'. It helps show how ideas are connected.