ENGLISH

MATTERS
FOR JAMAICA

Grade 7 Workbook
Julia Sander

Macmillan Education
Between Towns Road, Oxford OX4 3PP
A division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Companies and representatives throughout the world
www.macmillan-caribbean.com
ISBN 978-0-230-43757-9
Text Julia Sander 2013
Design and illustration Macmillan Publishers
Limited 2013
First published 2010
This edition 2013
All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted
in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the publishers.
Designed and typeset by Andy Magee
Illustrated by Jim Eldridge c/o Beehive Illustration
and Tech Type
Cover design by Clare Webber
The authors and publishers are grateful for permission
to reprint the following copyright material:
David Higham Associates Limited for the poem
Friends by Elizabeth Jennings from Collected Poems.
Used by permission of David Higham Associates Ltd;
Judith Nicholls for the poem Sounds of Silence? by
Judith Nicholls Judith Nicholls 2009. Reprinted by
permission of the author;
Alison Hinds for biographical details, reproduced with
kind permission;
Curtis Brown Group Ltd for the poem Have you Ever
Seen? by Grace Nichols from I Like That Stuff Grace
Nichols 1984, reproduced by permission of Curtis
Brown Group Ltd;
Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency for the poem Old
World New World 2000 by John Agard. Reproduced
by kind permission of John Agard c/o Caroline
Sheldon Literary Agency Limited;
LMH Publishing Ltd for an extract from Juice Box and
Scandal by Hazel Campbell, 2005. Reproduced with
permission.
The authors and publishers would like to thank
the following for their assistance in compiling
this course: Jason-Lee Daley (Campion College),
Andrea Hitchener (Immaculate Conception High
School) and Esther Tyson (Ardenne High School).

These materials may contain links for third party

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Printed and bound in Malaysia
2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents
1. New School

2. Free Time

10

3. Family

16

4. Places

22

5. Friends

28

6. Community

34

7. Advertising

40

8. Fiction

46

9. Technology

52

10. Media

58

11. Music

64

12. Poetry

70

13. Biography

76

14. Narratives

82

15. Describing People

88

16. Poetry and Prose

94

17. Science

100

18. Drama

106

Index

112

Unit

New School

Comprehension
1

Read this information and answer the questions.

The students are looking for e-pals (friends with whom they can correspond by email).
http://e-pals.net/chat window

Hi! Im Ashley and Im 12 years old. I live in Toronto, Canada. Im keen on all
kinds of sports, but my favourite is ice hockey, and Im on my school team. At
school I enjoy learning languages and art and drama. Apart from sports, my
hobbies are listening to music and watching movies. Id like to find an e-pal who
lives in a warm country because its often cold in Canada.
dreamgirl@canmail.com

Im Aldane, and Im from Jamaica. Im 12 years old and Ive just started
secondary school. My favourite school subjects are English, Maths and IT, but I
enjoy sports as well. Im hoping to be on the school football team. Id like to be
an airline pilot in the future as I love travelling. I already have an e-pal in the
USA, so Im hoping to find someone who lives in a different part of the world.
footballstar@carib.com

My name is Miguel, and Im from Belize. Im 14 years old and love all kinds of
music. At the weekend I play in a band with some of my friends. Im not really
sporty, but I enjoy football and basketball watching them, not playing. The
subjects I enjoy most at school are Spanish and English. Id like an e-pal in
Europe or North America.
musicalmig@freeserver.com

Hello everyone! Im Portia and I come from Shanghai. Im 14 years old and I
want to find an e-pal so I can practise my English. In China we have a lot of
school work, so I dont have much time for sports, but I like playing basketball.
My best subjects are Maths, Science and IT, but I like English as well. I dont
mind where my e-pal lives as long as he or she speaks English.
portialao@global.net

1. Which students enjoy playing sports?

2. Which students are interested in learning languages?
3. Which students like music?
4. Which student(s) would like an e-pal in any part of the world?
5. Which student would be the most suitable e-pal for Ashley? Why?


6. Which student would be the most suitable e-pal for Portia? Why?


4

Unit 1

Language
Parts of Speech
1a Underline the nouns in these sentences.
Example: The girls wore lilac dresses with white blouses.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The children waited outside the church.

6.
The man cut down the bush outside our house. 7.
Our teacher read us an interesting story.
She told me to look in my atlas to find the city. 8.
The whole class waited for the lesson to begin.

I cut the mango with a knife.

After lunch we all went to the
library.
I packed all my things in a box.

1b Write the singular and plural forms of the nouns you underlined.
Sentence

Singular

Plural

Example:

girl, dress, blouse

girls, dresses, blouses

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Complete these sentences by adding a suitable adjective.

Example: The
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

skilful

footballer soon scored a goal.

The
students rushed into the school yard.
At the end of the long day everyone was
.
The
boy told everyone how well he had played.
My first day at my new school was a
experience.
The student sitting beside me was very
.
My parents were
when I told them what had happened.

Underline the verbs in each sentence.

Take care! There may be more than one.
Example: Martina noticed that the other students were staring at her.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

The teacher looked up and smiled at Martina.

Martina was wondering if she would make any friends.
The writer lives in Jamaica and teaches at a school in St. Andrew.
It was getting late when my mother came home.
She travels to work every day by bus.
I have not read Inner City Girl yet, but I will try to borrow it from the library.
Unit 1

Find the nouns, adjectives and verbs in this paragraph. Write them in the table.
On the first day our teacher gave us a talk. She told us that she would present a prize on
the last day of term for the most helpful student. Afterwards she set us some work. I was
relieved to find it quite easy. I helped my new neighbour who was finding it difficult. When
I left school at the end of the day, I saw this student at my bus stop. We travelled home
together and I discovered that he lived in the next street. We soon became friends.

Nouns

Adjectives

Verbs

day

first

gave

Verb Practice: the verb to be

1

Complete the dialogue with the words am, is or are.

Are you a
new student?

Are
Tarik:
(1) you a new student?
Tanya: Yes, I
(2).
(3) you
new as well?
Tarik: No, I
(4) not, but my sister
Shelly
(5) new to the school.
Tanya: Hello, Shelly. Which class
(6)
you in?
Shelly: I
(7) in Mrs Spences class.
Tarik: So
(8) I. Thats great. My friend,
Sarah,
(9) in a different class.
Shelly: Everyone I know
(10) in a different class as well.
Tanya: Do you think those girls over there
(11) in our class?
Shelly: I dont know. Look, Mrs Spence
(12) calling us. I think we
(13) going inside.
2

Complete this paragraph using the words is or are.

is
(1) the first day of the new school year. Tanya and her new friend Shelly
It
(2) talking about the activities they
(3) hoping to do. There
(4) trials for the girls basketball team on Thursday. Tanya
(5) a good
player. Her friends from her old school
(6) sure she will be on the team. The
Computer Club
(7) on Wednesdays. Shelly
(8) hoping to join as she
and her brother Tarik
(9) very interested in computers. Now it
(10)
time for the students to join their new classes. Everyone
(11) quite nervous.
They all hope that their new teachers
(12) not too strict.

Unit 1

Write sentences using the present tense of the verb to be.

are very proud of me.

Example: My parents
1. My friends and I

2. The students in my class

3. My neighbour
4. I
5. My new school
6. It
7. Lloyd and his sister
8. My new school uniform
4

Rewrite these sentences in Standard Jamaican English.

Who is your sister?

Example: A who a yu sista?

1. Dem no inna fimi school.
2. A she a yu bes friend?
3. Weh fi yu fren dem deh today?
4. Him no inna fi wi class.
5. Mi fren and mi no inna di same class.
6. Who inna fi yu class?
5

Complete these sentences with there is or there isnt, there are or there arent, is there
or are there?
Example:

There arent

any students from my old school in my class.

1.

2. How many players

3.

seven days in a week.

4.

anything left to eat?

5.

not much time left to finish your homework.

6. How much water

7.

any space left in the car.

8.

any chairs left for me to sit down.

9. My mother does not like going to the beach when

10. If

so much noise I cant concentrate.

in a basketball team?

in the bucket?

so many people.

enough time to walk, well take the bus.

Unit 1

Vocabulary
1

Choose synonyms from the box to replace the words in brackets.

begin huge thrilled swiftly amazement certain anxious skilled enthusiastically shouting
When he first heard about the trials. Aldane was
(excited), but as he waited
he began to feel
(nervous). The football pitch was
(enormous)
and the other boys were
(competent) players. The football coach was running
(quickly) up and down,
(calling) out instructions. Soon it was time
for Aldanes group to
(start) playing. Aldane ran
(eagerly) on to the
pitch. To his
(surprise) he was the first to score a goal. If he played this well, he
was
(sure) that he would be on the team.

Join the adjectives which have opposite meanings.

a. gloomy
1. nervous
2. excited
b. impudent
3. boastful
c. relaxed
4. courteous
d. mean
5. cheerful
e. modest
6. generous
f. bored

Tick () the words which mean the opposite of the underlined words.
1. After he heard the results of the trials, Aldane felt elated.
a. embarrassed b. proud
c. disappointed
d. annoyed
2. The captain of the team was modest about their victory.
a. quiet
b. upset
c. happy
d. boastful
3. The team coach rebuked the players for their attitude to the game.
a. praised
b. rewarded
c. punished
d. blamed
4. The girls defied the Principals instructions.
a. listened to
b. disobeyed
c. followed
d. criticised
5. Our classroom is always orderly.
a. clean
b. untidy
c. dirty
d. noisy
6. There was a look of sorrow on my mothers face when she came towards me.
a. excitement
b. anxiety
c. happiness
d. pride
7. The new student constantly got into trouble.
a. never
b. frequently
c. occasionally
d. usually
8. He answered the teacher dishonestly.
a. politely
b. cheekily
c. confidently
d. truthfully

Study this entry in a vocabulary notebook.

Write notebook entries for the following words.
1. impudent
2. modest
3. amazement
4. criticise

Unit 1

courteous (adj.) polite,

well mannered
Students must be
courteous at all times.

Writing
1

Imagine that you want to find an e-pal. Complete this form with information about
yourself.
Worldwide E-Pals
Name
Nationality
Email address
Age
Favourite school subjects
Interests
Dislikes
Would like an e-pal in

Choose one of the e-pals on page 4. Write the text of an email saying that you would
like to be his or her e-pal.
Introduce yourself.
Explain why you chose him or her to be your e-pal.
New Message
From:
To:
Subject:

Dear

Regards

Unit 1