Tradition and Modernity
Senior 4 · English (Languages)
Tradition and Modernity
Lesson 3 of 5
40 min
Let's begin
In Unit 3 you met the basic correlative pairs: both … and, either … or, neither … nor, not only … but also. Writing about tradition and modernity needs more: ways to show that one thing happened the instant another did (no sooner … than), that a preference was made (rather … than), or that a result followed from a degree (so … that). It also needs precise description, built from phrases rather than single words, and the colour of idioms, the fixed expressions that English speakers use to talk about the old and the new. The model text uses all three.
A magazine feature written by Ganzaa; the people are imagined.
Old Kanyamibwa has made drums for more than fifty years, and his hands are as hard as the wood he carves. When his grandson Ganza asked to learn the craft, he was not at all sure the boy was serious. "Young people today would rather scroll than sweat," he said.
He was wrong. No sooner had Ganza finished secondary school than he moved into the workshop, and he worked so hard that his grandfather stopped calling him "the visitor". He learned to choose the trunk, to hollow it slowly and evenly, and to stretch a cowhide tight enough to sing.
Then Ganza did something his grandfather considered completely out of the question: he photographed every drum and sold it online. Hardly had the first photos appeared when an order arrived from a cultural troupe abroad. Kanyamibwa calls it a flash in the pan. Ganza calls it the best of both worlds. Whether the old man likes it or not, the workshop is busier than it has been in years, and the craft has stood the test of time once again.
| Pair | Meaning | Example | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| whether … or (not) | it makes no difference which | Whether he likes it or not, the workshop is busier. | Not |
| rather … than | preference | They would rather scroll than sweat. | Same form on both sides: scroll / sweat |
| no sooner … than | the second thing happened immediately after the first | No sooner had he finished school than he moved in. | than, not |
| hardly / scarcely … when | the same meaning, slightly more literary | Hardly had the photos appeared when an order arrived. | when, not |
| so + adjective/adverb … that | result of a degree | He worked so hard that his grandfather noticed. | so with adjectives and adverbs |
| such (a) + noun … that | result of a degree, with a noun | It was such a good drum that it sold at once. | such with a noun phrase |
| as … as | equality | His hands are as hard as wood. | not as/so … as for inequality |
Inversion. When No sooner or Hardly opens a sentence, put the auxiliary before the subject, as in a question: No sooner had he finished…. Without inversion, keep normal order: He had no sooner finished school than he moved in.
A phrase is a group of words built around one main word, the head, that works as a single unit in the sentence. An adjective phrase has an adjective as its head and does the work of an adjective; an adverb phrase has an adverb as its head and does the work of an adverb.
| Phrase | Structure | Example | Function in the sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjective phrase | modifier + adjective | not at all sure | after a linking verb (predicative): he was not at all sure |
| Adjective phrase | adjective + complement | proud of his craft; tight enough to sing | describes a noun: a hide tight enough to sing |
| Adjective phrase | as + adjective + as … | as hard as the wood he carves | after a linking verb |
| Adverb phrase | modifier + adverb | very slowly; much more carefully than before | tells how: he hollowed it very slowly |
| Adverb phrase | adverb + adverb | slowly and evenly | manner, joined by and |
| Prepositional phrase used as an adverbial | preposition + noun phrase | for more than fifty years; in the workshop | how long, where, when |
| Prepositional phrase used adjectivally | preposition + noun phrase | the man with the hard hands | describes a noun: which man? |
Order of adverbials: usually manner → place → time: He worked carefully in the workshop every evening.
Definition
Key terms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| stand the test of time | remain good or useful for a long time | The craft has stood the test of time. |
| a thing of the past | something that no longer exists or happens | Carrying a bride in an ingobyi is almost a thing of the past. |
| behind the times | old-fashioned | He says his grandfather is behind the times, but he isn't. |
| ahead of its time | too modern to be understood when it appeared | Her idea was ahead of its time. |
| break with tradition | do something different from the usual custom | They broke with tradition and held the wedding in a garden. |
| pass the torch | hand over responsibility to the next generation | The old drummer passed the torch to his grandson. |
| a flash in the pan | a sudden success that does not last | He thinks online sales are a flash in the pan. |
| out of the question | impossible; not allowed | Selling drums online was out of the question for him. |
| come full circle | return to where you started, after changes | Fashion has come full circle: young people wear the umushanana again. |
Worked example 1: rewriting with inversion
Two sentences: The drummers arrived. The dancing began at once.
Worked example 2: finding the phrase and its job
Sentence: Kanyamibwa, proud of his craft but anxious about the future, watched his grandson very closely for the first few months.
Warning
Errors to avoid
Tip
Learn an idiom with its sentence. Write each new idiom in a full example sentence about your own life, not as a single line in a list. You will remember "My grandmother's recipes have stood the test of time" long after you have forgotten a definition.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Quick check
Choose the correct sentence.
