Interviews
You often see or hear people being interviewed on TV or radio. They are usually chosen
because they have something of interest to say. The job of the interviewer is to ask the kind
of questions that will encourage that person to speak freely and give the kind of information,
that will interest the viewers or listeners.
The secret of being a good interviewer lies not only in preparing the right kind of questions,
but also in being a good listener. By listening carefully to what the person being interviewed
is saying, the interviewer will think of other good questions to ask.
Choosing the right kind of questions is very important.
Some hints for interviewers
1. Try to find out as much as you can about the person you are going to interview to help
you to prepare the right kind of questions.
2. Ask questions to obtain information that will interest listeners.
3. Avoid questions which require one-word answers.
4. Listen carefully to the replies. Your subject may say something to suggest new questions
which are more interesting than your prepared ones.
5. Do not do too much talking yourself. You are the link between the audience and the
person being interviewed, not the star!
6. Always be polite. Thank the other person at the end of the interview.
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Let’s talk about it
News report
Imagine that you are a radio news reporter. Prepare a report on any newsworthy event for a
live broadcast. Remember that you will have to present “word pictures” which will enable
your readers to visualise the event. Examples of news items that you may use are:
• a devastating forest or veld fire
• a tragedy at sea
• the plight of endangered wildlife
• a train derailment or major road accident
OR
Interviews
In pairs, role-play an interview between a television reporter and a sports star, or another
famous personality. Find out as much as you can about the person beforehand in order to
prepare the right kind of questions to ask during the interview.
AND
Dramatisation: advertisements
a. Dramatise your own favourite television or radio advertisement
OR
b. In groups, write and act your own television or radio advertisement for any product which
would appeal to children. For example: cool drinks, kites, chocolates, chips, bicycles,
skateboards, etc. Include characters and situations with which you can identify and use
a catchy tune (a jingle), in which the product’s name is repeated.
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Creative reading
Language exercises
The Loggerhead turtle
The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), a marine turtle which
lives along our tropical to moderate coasts, from Cape Town
to Mocambique, is endangered in its wild habitat. Listed
in the South African Red Data Book as “vulnerable”, these
turtles live in the sea, but breed on beaches.
Karetseeskilpad in Afrikaans and ufuda lwasolwandle in Zulu,
the loggerhead turtle is characterized by its reddish brown ,
smooth shell – elongated and tapering at the rear. The neck,
throat and the sides of its neck are yellow, while the head can
also be identified by reddish-brown blocks, divided by white
lines.
Smaller than the leatherback turtle, which also occurs along
the South African coast, the loggerhead turtle grows to a
length between 70 and 100 centimetres, while the leatherback
turtle can reach a length of 1,7 metres.
Young loggerhead turtles hatch from eggs, buried in the sand
of beaches along the Maputaland coast. Females lay about
five clutches of 100 eggs each. The young hatch after approximately two months and head straight for the sea. Many
young perish both on the way and into the water. Their small
sizes makes them an easy prey for many predators. For the
first three years of their lives, the young loggerhead turtles
drift in the surface water foraging on softer foods. As adults
they hunt for crabs, molluscs or sea urchins in shallow coastal
waters.
Although they spend most of their time in the water, loggerhead turtles regularly go to the surface to breathe.
A young loggerhead turtle at the Two Oceans Aquarium in
Cape Town
1. Which words in the first paragraph are nouns? How do you know that they are nouns?
2. Find some adjectives in the second paragraph. How do you know that they are
adjectives?
3. Find some prepositions and the objects they refer to; e.g. in the sand, in the fourth
paragraph.
Synonyms and antonyms
Words similar in meaning are called synonyms.
Words opposite in meaning are called opposites or antonyms.
Opposites or antonyms
handsome
bold
diligent
humble
serious
polite
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-
ugly
shy
lazy
vain
funny, jovial
impolite
friendly
steady
obedient
quiet
caring
famous
-
unfriendly
unsteady
disobedient
noisy, rowdy
selfish
infamous
Synonyms
handsome
friendly
bold
moody
diligent
obedient
humble
quiet
serious
polite
-
attractive, good-looking, dishy, striking
amicable, amiable, affable
brave, courageous, daring
temperamental
industrious, conscientious
dutiful
modest
timid
grave, solemn
courteous
Do some bodybuilding
he’s a giant (of a man)
she’s an amazon
extremely tall
tallish
above average height
he’s / she’s got a good figure
he’s / she’s well-built
plump
corpulent
built like a barrel
he’s as square / big / round as he’s tall
obese
overweight
squat
muscular
opposites
he’s a midget
slightly built woman
very short
shortish
below average height
not well proportioned
puny
thin
skinny
like a pipe cleaner
a stringbean
like a lamp-post
underweight
slight and slender
slim
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Discuss or write down the answers to these questions
1. Which of the adjectives and phrases would suit a student in your class or a member of
your family?
2. Do you think your build sometimes determines your character? If so, how?
3. What sort of build should gymnasts, football players and weight lifters have?
4. Which word in each pair of words would you prefer people to use about you? Why?
a. skinny / slim
d. plump / stocky
b. overweight / obese
e. short / below average height
c. all skin and bones / thin
f. knee-high to a grasshopper / very short
5. Should you be content with the way God made you?
Enjoying poetry
“Unfair” is a poem about a family. It is about how we inherit our looks and our personality
from our family. For example, you may have the same shape of eyes as your mother, or
your toes might be funny like your father’s, or you might laugh at the same things as your
uncle.
Read the poem and think about what you have inherited from your family.
Unfair
Gareth Owen
They say I’ve got my father’s nose
They say I’ve got his walk
And there’s something about my granddad
In the serious way I talk.
“And aren’t his legs just like our Jack’s,”
Says smiling Auntie Rose
“He could bend them just like that
And touch his head with his toes.”
I’ve got Aunt Julia’s funny laugh
I’ve sister Betty’s lips
And just like Sid on my mother’s side
I’m fond of fish and chips.
I have moods that remind them of Auntie Vi
And my hair’s just like their Paul
Sometimes when I look in the mirror
I wonder if I’m me at all.
But what I ask myself is this
Why does it have to be
That it’s me who looks like them and not
them that look like me?
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