Sawubona mfundi omuhle! I know how you struggle with grammar at school. In particular, the requirements of the Matric syllabus in the IEB are tricky to navigate.
Just added: help for thos suffering with the current IEB setwork: Umhlaba Ofile.
You will have various tasks relating to grammar at school, but there are a couple of common features.
All High School tests from Grade 8 to Matric involve an increasing amount of the following key aspects of grammar and language or uHlelo noLimi (live links indicate fuller explanations, the rest is coming soon!):
- iziVumelwano: correct use of Concords, and especially the descriptive concords (izivumelwano zesiphawulo, zesibaluli & zobumnini).
- Izenzo (verbs):
- ukuPhikisa: how to Negate statements, descriptions and different moods of the verb ;
- iNkathi: correct use of Tenses, including the Compound Tenses;
- iziMpambosi: choosing the correct Verbal Extension for a given sentence, and especially using impambosi yokwenziwa (the Passive Extension), since these involve sound changes.
- oNdaweni: how to form Locatives, especially the exceptions and those that involve sound changes.
- iziNciphiso: how to form Diminutives, especially those that involve sound changes.
- izaBizwana: all kinds of Pronouns, but most commonly izabizwana zoqobo (absolute pronouns) and the always tricky izabizwana zokukhomba (demonstrative pronouns). If you are looking for izabizwana zobumnini (possessive pronouns), go to the last section of the Possession Explained page.
- iziNcazelo: writing multiple sentences to illustrate the different Interpretations of common words.
- isiZulu esihle: instead of borrowed or derived words (amabizombolekwa or izimfakelwa), using ‘pure’ isiZulu words .
- izAga: knowing and explaining common Proverbs
- isiSho: knowing and explaining common Idioms.
- imiQondofana nemiQondophika: knowing a range of Synonyms & Antonyms
- amaBizonto namaBizomuntu: knowing words derived from verbs, some of them Nouns Denoting Things, and others Nouns Denoting People
- amaBizoqoqa: collective nouns (really just words denoting categories of things)
The important thing to remember is that these are all manageable, and while they are tricky, they can be learned.
So DON’T PANIC!