NSSCAS Setswana First Language 8196 flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Maitlhomopho

The main idea or central claim of a passage. Comprehension questions asking for it require a general statement, not a list of supporting details or examples.

Dintlha tse di tshegetsang

Supporting details that back up the main idea. In comprehension answers they are used as evidence, and must be linked explicitly to the point they support.

Go ntsha bokao mo seemong

Working out a word's meaning from its surrounding sentence. Substitute the proposed meaning back into the sentence to check that both grammar and sense survive.

Maikutlo a mokwadi

The writer's tone or attitude, such as bitterness, calm, or confidence. It must be named with a Setswana term and justified with a specific line from the passage.

Kakaretso

A summary: a shortened version of a source text in continuous prose, in the third person, containing only the points the question asks for and no personal opinion.

Go fetolela puo e e tlwaelegileng

Converting direct speech in a source into reported speech for a summary, changing first and second person pronouns into third person and adjusting verb forms accordingly.

Ditlhabologo tsa kakaretso

Linking words such as 'gomme', 'ka jalo', and 'morago ga moo' used to join summarised points into flowing prose. Unconnected sentences lose coherence marks.

Go fetisa tshedimosetso

Information transfer: moving names, figures, dates, and facts from a passage into a table, form, or notice exactly as given, without alteration or added commentary.

Lokwalo lo lo ikemetseng

A formal letter. It requires sender's address, date, recipient's address, salutation, body, formal closing, and signature; register stays formal throughout.

Lokwalo lwa tsala

An informal letter to a friend. It still needs a date and a sign-off, but uses warm direct address and relaxed register rather than bureaucratic phrasing.

Kitsiso

A notice. It needs a heading and the essential details of what, when, where, and whom to contact, written briefly; full sentences are optional but clarity is required.

Phasalatso

An advertisement. It combines a heading, persuasive language, and practical details such as price or contact, and must suit its stated audience and purpose.

Puo ya semmuso

Formal register. It avoids slang and direct 'wena/lona' address, uses full concord, and is required in letters to officials, reports, and formal speeches.

Seti le bothitho

The setting and initial situation, followed by the complication that disrupts it. These are the opening two stages of a narrative composition.

Setlhoa sa ditira

The climax of a narrative: the point of highest tension where the complication is confronted. A story without one reads as a flat account.

Tshwantshanyo

A simile: an explicit comparison using 'jaaka' or 'e kete'. It earns marks in descriptive writing when it adds sensory precision rather than decoration.

Phetapheto

Repetition of a word, phrase, or structure for emphasis or rhythm. In composition it must be deliberate; accidental repetition of the same adjective weakens vocabulary range.

Ngangisano

An argumentative essay. It needs a thesis in the introduction, one reason per paragraph with evidence, a rebutted counter-argument, and a conclusion restating the position.

Tlhaloso e e tseneletseng

Descriptive writing that earns marks through sensory detail and figurative language rather than plot, building a picture of a place, person, or atmosphere.

Tumelano ya maina le madiri

Noun-verb concord: the subject prefix on the verb must match the noun class of the subject, as must adjective concord and pronouns referring to it.

Sebopego sa lediri

Verb structure: subject concord, tense marker, object concord, root, extension, and ending occur in that order. Analysing a verb means identifying each slot.

Leswao la nako

A tense marker such as '-a-' present, '-tla-' future, '-ne-' past, or '-ka-' potential. The marker, not context alone, signals the time reference.

Tlhakore ya tumelo

The negative form of a verb, typically built with '-sa-' or '-se-' and a changed final vowel, for example '-a' becoming '-e' in many negative forms.

Lefoko la maikutlo

An ideophone such as 'phuu' or 'maaka' that vividly depicts sound, manner, or intensity. Identifying one in context is a common grammar-analysis question.

Kganetso ya lediri

Negation in Setswana requires checking both the negative prefix and the final vowel; changing only the prefix leaves the verb ungrammatical in many tenses.

Puisano mo terameng

Dialogue in a drama text. It carries plot and character, and must be distinguished from stage directions and monologue when answering context questions.

Ditaelo tsa sela

Stage directions in a play. They reveal setting, mood, and movement, and are legitimate evidence in drama answers alongside the spoken dialogue.

Mokgabo

A metaphor: a direct identification rather than a comparison. In poetry answers, name the metaphor and state the effect it creates in that stanza.

Moribo wa poko

The rhythm of a poem, created by stress, line length, and repetition. Commenting on it requires linking the pattern to mood or emphasis.

Kgaolo ya poko

A stanza. Structure questions ask how stanzas are organised and what changes between them, such as a shift in tone or addressee.

Melaetsa

A monologue or soliloquy in drama, where a character speaks alone and reveals private motive. It is key evidence for character analysis.

Tebelelo ya mokwadi

The theme or underlying concern of a literary text. It must be stated as an arguable claim and supported with evidence from across the whole text.

Baanelwa ba ba fetogang

Characters who change during the text. Analysis requires naming what they want, what blocks them, and how they differ by the ending.