Maintaining Harmony in the Family
Primary 6 · English
Maintaining Harmony in the Family
Lesson 1 of 4
18 min
Let's begin
Umutoni stamps into the kitchen. "I do everything in this house!" she says.
Her brother Gatete is just coming in from the tap with two full jerrycans. "Everything?" he asks, and puts them down with a thump. Today you will learn the words for jobs at home, how to say who does what and how often, and why a home runs best when everybody plays a part.
In English, each household job has its own verb. Learn them as pairs.
| Verb | Goes with |
|---|---|
| fetch | water, firewood |
| sweep | the house, the compound |
| mop | the floor |
| wash | the dishes, the clothes |
| cook / lay | supper / the table |
| make | the bed |
| iron and fold | the clothes |
| feed | the goats, the chickens, the cows |
| water / weed | the garden |
| take out | the rubbish |
| look after | a younger brother or sister |
Careful! We make the bed; we do not do the bed. And we fetch water, which means going to get it and bringing it back.
Jobs we do again and again are routines, so we use the present simple. With he, she, it or one person's name, the verb takes -s, or -es after sh, ch, x and o: Mama cooks, Gatete fetches water, Keza washes the dishes, Papa does the shopping.
Adverbs of frequency say how often: always (every time), usually, often, sometimes, rarely, never (not once). They go before the main verb, but after is/are: Gatete always feeds the goats. Mama is usually tired after work.
Saturday at Mutesi's home
On Saturdays, everybody at Mutesi's home has a job. Papa gets up first and always feeds the cows. Mama usually cooks breakfast while Mutesi sweeps the compound. Her big brother Mugisha fetches water from the tap at the end of the road, and he often makes three trips. Little Ishimwe is only five, but he sometimes helps to lay the table. After breakfast, the whole family washes the dishes together and sings. Nobody ever says, "That is not my job." By nine o'clock the work is finished, and there is time for football.
In the game of chess, every piece has its own moves, and you cannot win with the king alone. Read how one boy sees his family in the same way.
Chess and family roles
by Jamie LuketaThere is a boy named Rodney. He lives with his family.
His mother and father are Jamima and Mike. His sisters are Suzy and Lola.
Rodney is the last born child.
Rodney loves playing chess.
He loves it so much that whenever he plays chess, he does not talk.
One day, Rodney was at school playing chess.
He realised that the game could be about his family.
Mike is the King. Jamima is the queen, which is why she has power.
Suzy and Lola are the knights and bishops.
Rodney is the pawn because he is younger.
After realising this, Rodney ran home to tell his family.
They all laughed at him at first. But later they understood.
Rodney explained their roles and why he is a pawn.
Rodney told his mom that she is the queen, and his father a king.
His sisters are knights and bishops.
Rodney is a pawn because he likes adventure!
He can become anything he wants, even if he has to make some sacrifices.
Rodney's idea is that every member of a family has a role, and that the game only works when all the pieces play their part. The same is true of jobs at home. If one person does everything, that person grows tired and angry, like Umutoni. If everybody does a part, the work is soon finished, and there is time left for everyone.
Here are some jobs with their letters mixed up. Say the sounds aloud and move the letters until a word you know appears: shaw → wash, defe → feed, chetf → fetch. A useful trick: look for a pair of letters that often go together, such as sh, ch or ee, and build the word around it.
Tip
He, she, it: add the -s bit
When ONE person does a job again and again, the verb takes -s: Mama cooks, Gatete sweeps. After sh, ch, x and o, add -es: washes, fetches, does. Say it aloud. Keza fetch water sounds as if something is missing, because it is.
Answer each one, then check.
Complete: Keza ___ (wash) the dishes every evening.
Answer: washes. Keza is one person, and wash ends in sh, so it takes -es.
Put the adverb in the right place: Gatete feeds the goats. (always)
Answer: Gatete always feeds the goats. The adverb goes before the main verb.
Rearrange the letters to make a household job: K O O C
Answer: cook.
In the story, which chess piece is Rodney, and why?
Answer: the pawn, because he is the youngest and he likes adventure. A pawn can become anything.
Write two sentences about jobs you do at home. Use usually and sometimes.
Answer: for example, “I usually sweep the compound in the morning. I sometimes help my mother to cook supper.”
What you learned today
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each job verb to the word it goes with.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
