Jobs and the World of Work
Primary 5 · English
Jobs and the World of Work
Lesson 2 of 3
14 min
The P5 project sounds easy: find one worker in your umudugudu, ask about their job, and tell the class what you heard.
Ishimwe chooses Mama Umutoni, the tailor. He stands in her doorway, opens his mouth, and out falls: "You sew clothes?"
She smiles kindly and says yes. And that is all he gets. One word.
A good question opens a person up like a door. A weak question shuts it. Today you learn to build the questions that get real answers — and to catch the answer as it flies past your ear.
Here are Mama Umutoni’s real answers. Each one came from a different question. Read the answer first, then see which question it belongs to.
| Her answer | The question that fits | Because the question hunts for... |
|---|---|---|
| "In a small shop near the market." | Where do you work? | a place |
| "At seven in the morning." | When do you start work? | a time |
| "School uniforms." | What do you make? | a thing |
| "Because I love beautiful cloth." | Why do you sew? | a reason |
| "My daughter helps me." | Who helps you? | a person |
| "About ten." | How many uniforms do you make in a week? | a number |
| "With a machine and a lot of patience." | How do you sew so fast? | a way of doing it |
| "For nineteen years." | How long have you been a tailor? | a length of time |
Now read it backwards, because that is the listening skill. If the answer is a place, the question was where. If the answer starts with because, the question was why. Always. The answer tells you what was asked.
Begin with a statement you already know how to write.
Mama Umutoni sews uniforms in a small shop.
Now turn it into a question about the place. Step by step, and do not skip Step 4.
Step 1 Choose the wh-word that hunts for a place: Where.
Step 2 Add the helper. She is one person, so the helper is does. (For I, you, we and they, the helper is do.)
Step 3 Say who: Mama Umutoni.
Step 4 Now the verb — and here is the whole secret. Does has taken the -s. So sews gives its -s back and becomes plain sew.
Step 5 Question mark. Never forget him.
✔ Where does Mama Umutoni sew uniforms?
✘ Where does Mama Umutoni sews uniforms? — two s’s. English never allows it.
✘ Where do Mama Umutoni sew uniforms? — do is for I, you, we, they. She is one person.
✘ Where Mama Umutoni sews uniforms? — no helper at all, so it is still a statement wearing a question mark.
Wh-word + do / does + the person + plain verb + the rest ?
| Wh-word | do / does | the person | plain verb | the rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What | does | a vet | do | all day? |
| Where | does | your father | work | ? |
| When | do | the teachers | arrive | at school? |
| Why | do | you | like | this job? |
One special case: with how many, the thing you are counting comes straight after the wh-word.
How many chairs does he make in one week? (how many + chairs + does + he + make)
Some questions have no action in them at all. They use is or are. Then you need no helper — you simply swap the first two words around.
The work is hard. → Is the work hard?
You are tired in the evening. → Are you tired in the evening?
Do not put two helpers in one question. ✘ Does the work is hard? One is enough.
Read it out loud twice. The first time, be Ishimwe. The second time, be Mama Umutoni. That is what role-play means: your voice does the work, not only your eyes.
Ishimwe: Good morning, madam. May I ask you a few questions for my school project?
Mama Umutoni: Good morning, Ishimwe. Sit down. Yes, you may.
Ishimwe: What is your job?
Mama Umutoni: I am a tailor.
Ishimwe: Where do you work?
Mama Umutoni: I work in a small shop beside the market.
Ishimwe: When do you open the shop?
Mama Umutoni: I open at seven o’clock and I close at six.
Ishimwe: What do you make?
Mama Umutoni: I make school uniforms, dresses and shirts. In January I hardly sleep.
Ishimwe: How many uniforms do you sew in one week?
Mama Umutoni: About ten, if the machine behaves itself.
Ishimwe: Why do you like your job?
Mama Umutoni: Because a child walks past me in a uniform I made, and she looks proud.
Ishimwe: Thank you very much for your time.
Ishimwe listened well, so now he can stand up and tell the class. Watch what happens to the verbs when he does.
She said: "I work in a small shop." → He tells the class: "She works in a small shop."
She said: "I sew about ten uniforms a week." → "She sews about ten uniforms a week."
She said: "I open at seven." → "She opens at seven."
The worker says I. You say she — and the -s comes straight back. That is Lesson 1 quietly doing its job inside Lesson 2.
Tip
Ask with DOES, answer with -S
Only one word in the sentence may wear the -s.
✔ Where does she work? ✔ She works at the health centre.
✘ Where does she works?
Say each question out loud before you tap Show answer — your ear will catch a double -s faster than your eye.
Ask about the place: Gatete repairs motos in Nyabugogo.
Answer: Where does Gatete repair motos? The helper does takes the -s, so repairs becomes repair.
Which wh-word fits? "___ do you want to be a nurse?" — "Because I like helping sick people."
Answer: Why. The answer begins with because, and because always gives a reason.
Repair this question: How many cows does the vet treats every day?
Answer: How many cows does the vet treat every day? Take the -s off treats — does is already wearing it.
The farmer answers: "At five o’clock, before the sun gets hot." What question did you ask?
A good answer: When do you start work? The answer is a time, so the question needed when.
Write one polite sentence to begin an interview and one to end it.
A good answer: Good morning. May I ask you some questions about your job? ... Thank you very much for your time. Politeness is part of the English, not extra to it.
What you learned today
Quick check
Which question is correct?
