April 21, 2025

TOPIC 1: LISTENING AND SPEAKING ENGLISH FORM FOUR  – Click to download TOPIC 2: READING NOTES ENGLISH FORM FOUR – Click to download TOPIC 3 : GRAMMAR NOTES ENGLISH FORM FOUR – Click to download TOPIC 4 : WRITING NOTES ENGLISH FORM FOUR – Click to download

TOPIC 1: LISTENING AND SPEAKING ENGLISH FORM THREE  – Click to download TOPIC 2: READING NOTES ENGLISH FORM THREE – Click to download TOPIC 3 : GRAMMAR NOTES ENGLISH FORM THREE – Click to download TOPIC 4 : WRITING NOTES ENGLISH FORM THREE – Click to download

  Informal Letter of Apology In this topic you are going to be taken through the general layout of writing an apology letter. For you to have a better understanding of this lesson, you should have adequate knowledge of; 1. the general layout of formal and informal letters 2. appropriate register for formal and informal letters 3. Addressing and signing off procedure 4. paragraph development A formal letter is also referred to as either an official or business letter. By the end of the lesson, you should be able to use appropriate register and format in writing a letter of apology. Formal letter A formal letter of apology is written when one wants to apologize for a wrong deed to express a feeling that one is sorry for doing wrong or causing a problem. Such a letter is usually addressed to the person or institution that has been offended.The following are the parts of a formal letter: Situations that may require the writing a letter of apology include: 1. Arriving or reporting to school late. 2. Failure to do or complete assignments. 3. Being rude to a teacher or fellow students. Study Writing In this lesson we shall discuss study writing By the end of the lesson you should be able to communicate effectively through descriptive essays. Descriptive writing Descriptive writing is an attempt to vividly convey people’s impressions to the audience or the reader. You can describe a process, activity or static features. The description should appeal to the reader’s sense of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. However, you may not appeal to all the senses at the same time. Step by Step description This is describing everything from one step to another and showing where each detail is located. For example, in describing a tree, you can begin by describing the roots then the stem, followed by the branches and lastly the leaves to create a whole picture. A video recording is one of the best ways of capturing breathtaking scenes. It is also an easier way of sharing experiences because it brings reality to life. Likewise a good description creates strong emotions and moods like fear and excitement among others. In addition, it creates clear mental pictures of people, places and things.

  Paragraphs In this lesson we will discuss various devices used in developing paragraphs By the end of the lesson you should be able to develop paragraphs using different devices. What is a Paragraph? A paragraph is a group of related sentences that work together to explain or develop one main idea. The main idea in a paragraph is clearly expressed in a topic sentence which usually comes at the beginning of the paragraph. What comes after the topic sentences are the supporting details. They make up the body of a paragraph by giving details to develop and support the main idea. Finally, there is the clincher sentence. This is the closing sentence, which restates the main idea of a paragraph using different words. The clincher sentence summarizes the paragraph. The Great Rift-valley Kenya is one of the best tourist destinations in the world. First, the Kenyan people are friendly and enjoy having the tourists around. Secondly, there are diverse breathtaking sceneries for instance, Mount Kenya, migration of the wildebeest, the Great Rift-valley among others. Finally, its sandy beaches are spectacular. Therefore, this makes Kenya a desirable place to visit. Giving reasons and examples A paragraph can be developed by giving reasons and examples. Reasons are logical statements that answer the question ‘WHY’ while examples are specific objects, situations, incidents that explain or relate to the main idea. Examples are introduced by words like; for instance, for example, such as, among others. Overgrazed land There are various causes of soil erosion. One major cause is poor farming practices, for example; farming on steep slopes, non-rotation of crops and overgrazing. Natural calamities also lead to soil erosion. Such natural calamities include floods, landslides and whirlwinds. Another cause of soil erosion is deforestation which refers to the cutting down of trees without replacing them. The reasons cited above have been known to leave productive land barren. The paragraph above illustrates how reasons and examples can be used to develop paragraphs.

  Good Spelling Habits   By the end of the lesson, you should be able to spell words correctly. Spelling This lesson guides you on how to improve your spelling. Good Spelling Habits Good spelling habits can be developed through the following techniques: 1. Pronunciation of the word, studying and writing it down. 2. Learn to spell the words by breaking them into syllables and use the dictionary to confirm the correct pronunciation and spelling. The rule is LOOK at the word, SAY the word, THINK about it, WRITE the word and CHECK the spelling. 3. You need prior knowledge of spelling rules. How to study a word 1. Look at the word -How does it look? -What does it mean? 2. Say the word -Did you say it as you normally would? -What are the vowel and consonants sounds? 3. Think about the word -How is each sound spelled? -Did you note any prefixes, suffixes, or other word parts? 4. Write the word -Did you form the letters carefully? -Did you think about the sounds and letters? 5. Check the spelling -Did you write the word correctly? -Do you need to write it again? Words are misspelled because of poor pronunciation. This is through: 1. Omission of letters in words Enviroment- environment Campain – campaign Hemsphere – hemisphere 2. Addition of letters in words Arguements – arguments Wellcome – welcome Pronounciation – pronunciation 3. Change of letters in words Repeatation – repetition indiginous – indigenous Indefinate – indefinite 4. Transposition of letters in words amination – animation prespiration – perspiration charasteristics – characteristics 5.Misspelling is also caused due to poor application of affixation rules through prefixes and suffixes Prefixes-it is where a letter (s) is added at the beginning of the word to form a new word. When a prefix is added, the spelling of the original word does not change. If the prefix ends with the same letter as that which begins the word, both letters are retained.

  Order of Adjectives   In this lesson we shall learn the use and order of adjectives. Order of Adjectives An adjective is a word that modifies a noun or pronoun. As seen in the description of the buffalo ,nouns and pronouns can be described by several adjectives at the same time for example: A huge buffalo. A fierce buffalo. A black buffalo. A male buffalo. Purpose – describes what something is used for. They often end in -ing. An example of this is A walking stick. An old man with a walking stick Material – describes what something is made from, for example, A wooden spoon. Shape – describes how something looks like. For example, a round- faced clock. Describing Nouns and pronouns An Adjective is a word that modifies a noun or a pronoun. Nouns and pronouns can be described by several adjectives at the same time for example: Mariamu has lovely long, dark hair. The underlined words are the adjectives that describe the noun ‘hair’ When we use more than one adjective before a noun or pronoun, there is a preferred order. This order is referred to as the order of adjectives. The use of the correct order makes the sentence run smoothly and grammatically correct. Adjectives are divided into two main categories; these are opinion and fact. Opinion Adjectives They explain what one thinks about somebody, something or situation. Other people may not necessarily share the opinion. Opinions can vary from one individual to another. Different people would express different opinions about the house. For example, you can view it as a beautiful and your friend might say it’s horrible. Fact Adjectives These are adjectives which describe size, age, shape, colour, origin, make/material and purpose. the following are examples of opinions and facts. Red and orange flowers Size – tells you how big or small something is, for example a large envelope. Age – tells you how young or old something or someone is, for example, Fort Jesus is an ancient building. Colour – describes the colour of something. For example, A blue dress Origin – describes where something/someone comes from, for example, A Kenyan footballer.

  Active and Passive Voice   In this lesson, you are going to learn about active and passive voice. Study the following photograph. If you were to describe it, the following would be possible descriptions: 1. The boy is holding a cat. 2. The cat is being held by the boy. Sentence 1. is active while sentence 2. is passive. Read on for more information about active and passive voices in English. An active sentence gives prominence to the doer of the action, that is, the subject. In this case, the sentence states: a) The doer of the action b) The action c) The receiver of the action In the active voice, the doer of the action must be mentioned For example: Juma polished the shoes. A passive sentence will give prominence to the receiver of the action (object). In this case, the sentence states: a) The receiver of the action. b) The action. c) The doer of the action. Note that Mentioning the doer of the action is optional. The shoes were polished ( by Juma). When a sentence changes from active voice to the passive voice the subject changes to the object position and the object to the subject position. Note the change in the positions of the subject and the object in the following sentences. When a sentence changes from the active voice to the passive voice, the object in the active sentence becomes the new subject in the passive sentence. Active Voice In active voice emphasis is on the subject while in passive voice emphasis is on the receiver of the action or the object. The tense of the verb in the active voice changes when the sentence is changed to passive voice