Which Subject Do You Like Best? – My Secondary School (Senior 1 English) | Ganzaa

My Secondary School

Lessons

Senior 1 · English

My Secondary School

5 lessons

Lesson 2 of 5

Which Subject Do You Like Best?

25 min

Let's begin

At break on a Monday morning, two S1 students, Umutoni and Gatete, sit under the tree near the library. An S2 student, Niyonzima, joins them. Their conversation is full of questions, and that is the grammar of this lesson.

Listening: close your book while your teacher, or two classmates, read the conversation aloud. Listen for three things: each speaker's favourite subject, the reason, and one subject somebody finds hard. Then open the book and read it yourself.

Conversation: under the library tree

Umutoni: Hi, Gatete! You look worried. Is everything all right?

Gatete: Hi, Umutoni. I'm fine, but I don't understand this timetable. How many periods of Mathematics do we have?

Umutoni: Six a week. Look: one every day, and two on Wednesday.

Gatete: Six! Do you like Maths?

Umutoni: Yes, I do. It's my favourite subject. I like it because every problem has one clear answer. What about you? Which subject do you like best?

Gatete: ICT. We go to the computer lab on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Mr Habimana shows us how to type and make tables.

Umutoni: Does he give a lot of homework?

Gatete: No, he doesn't. But he gives us a small project every month.

Niyonzima: Hello, you two. Are you comparing subjects again?

Umutoni: Yes! Niyonzima, which subject do you find hardest?

Niyonzima: Chemistry, I think. There are so many new words: atoms, elements, compounds… But Entrepreneurship is my favourite. Our class runs a small stall on sports day, and we sell juice and mandazi.

Gatete: When do you study Chemistry?

Niyonzima: On Monday and Thursday mornings. Why do you ask?

Gatete: Because my brother says S1 Chemistry is easy.

Niyonzima: (laughing) Everything is easy for your brother. He comes top every term!

Umutoni: That's the bell. What do we have now?

Gatete: English, in Room 4. Let's go!

Listening for detail

Copy and complete the grid in your exercise book.

Speaker	Favourite subject	Reason or detail	A subject someone finds hard
Umutoni	…	…	–
Gatete	…	…	–
Niyonzima	…	…	…

How many periods of Mathematics do S1 students have each week?
On which days does Gatete's class use the computer lab?
What does Mr Habimana give instead of a lot of homework?
Why does Niyonzima find Chemistry hard?
Why does Niyonzima laugh at Gatete's answer? What does it tell you about Gatete's brother?

Show answersHide answers

Grid: Umutoni: Mathematics, because every problem has one clear answer. Gatete: ICT, because they use the computer lab and learn to type and make tables. Niyonzima: Entrepreneurship, because the class runs a stall on sports day; Niyonzima finds Chemistry hard.
Six periods a week.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
A small project every month.
Because there are so many new words, such as atoms, elements and compounds.
Gatete's brother is a very strong student (he comes top every term), so Chemistry seems easy to him but may not be easy for everyone.

Vocabulary: talking about subjects

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
period	one lesson on the timetable, often 40 minutes	We have six periods of Mathematics a week.
favourite	liked more than all the others	ICT is Gatete's favourite subject.
challenging	difficult in a way that makes you work hard	Chemistry is challenging because of the new words.
practical	done with your hands or with real objects, not only on paper	Biology is practical: we use microscopes.
project	a piece of work that takes several days or weeks	Mr Habimana gives us a project every month.
stall	a small table or stand where things are sold	The class runs a juice stall on sports day.
revise	to study again something you learned before, for a test	I revise my notes every Thursday.
come top	to get the best marks in the class	Gatete's brother comes top every term.

Subjects on the S1 timetable: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, ICT, English, Kinyarwanda, French, Kiswahili, Geography and Environment, History, Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Home Science, Fine Arts, Music, Religion and Ethics, Physical Education and Sports.

Definition

Auxiliary verb (helping verb): a verb such as do, does, be or have that works with the main verb to make questions and negatives.

Yes-no question: a question whose answer is yes or no. Do you like Maths?

Wh-question: a question that begins with a question word (what, which, who, when, where, why, how) and asks for information. When do you study Chemistry?

Grammar: questions in the simple present

Yes-no questions

Auxiliary	Subject	Base verb	Rest	Short answers
Do	you	like	Maths?	Yes, I do. No, I don't.
Do	they	sell	juice?	Yes, they do. No, they don't.
Does	Mr Habimana	give	a lot of homework?	Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.
Does	the class	use	the computer lab?	Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

Wh-questions

Question word	Asks about	Question from the conversation	Answer
What	a thing or activity	What do we have now?	English.
Which	a choice from a group	Which subject do you like best?	ICT.
When	a time or day	When do you study Chemistry?	On Monday and Thursday mornings.
Where	a place	Where does the class go for ICT?	To the computer lab.
Why	a reason	Why do you ask?	Because my brother says…
How many	a number	How many periods of Maths do we have?	Six a week.
How often	frequency	How often does he give a project?	Every month.

Worked example

Make a question for the words in bold: Umutoni likes Maths because every problem has one clear answer.

Choose the question word. The bold words give a reason, so the question word is Why.
Choose the auxiliary. The subject, Umutoni, is a she, so the auxiliary is does.
Put the main verb back to its base form. likes becomes like: the -s has moved to does.
Put the parts in order: question word, auxiliary, subject, main verb, rest.
Result: Why does Umutoni like Maths?

Tip

Remember the order with QASM: Question word, Auxiliary, Subject, Main verb. When (Q) do (A) you (S) study (M) Chemistry?

Pronunciation: a yes-no question usually rises at the end (Do you like Maths? ↗). A wh-question usually falls (Which subject do you like best? ↘). In fast speech, does he sounds like "d'z he".

Warning

Don't forget the auxiliary. Wrong: Where you study? Right: Where do you study?

But when who or what is the subject of the question, there is no do or does: Who teaches ICT? (not Who does teach ICT?). The answer, Mr Habimana, is the subject of the verb.

Easy English Conversations, Episode 7: how to talk about likes and dislikes, BBC Learning English (4 minutes). Listen for the questions "What do you like?" and "Do you like…?" and copy the short answers the presenters give.

Speaking: interview a classmate

Ask a partner six questions about their favourite subject. Use at least three different question words. Note the answers; you need them for the writing task.

Show model interviewHide model interview

A: Which subject do you like best?
B: Geography and Environment.
A: Why do you like it?
B: Because we learn about Rwanda's lakes and mountains, and we draw maps.
A: Who teaches it?
B: Mrs Uwera.
A: How often do you have it?
B: Three times a week.
A: Does she give a lot of homework?
B: No, she doesn't, but she gives map exercises.
A: Which subject do you find hardest?
B: French, because the verbs change a lot.

Writing: my friend's favourite subject

Use your interview notes to write a paragraph of 80–100 words about your partner's favourite subject. Write about your partner, so use he or she and remember the -s.

Show model answerHide model answer

My friend Ingabire likes Geography and Environment best. She enjoys it because she learns about Rwanda's lakes and mountains, and she loves drawing maps. Mrs Uwera teaches the subject three times a week. She does not give a lot of homework, but she often gives map exercises, and Ingabire always finishes them first. Ingabire finds French the hardest subject because the verbs change a lot, so she practises them with her cousin every Saturday. She wants to become a tour guide at Nyungwe National Park one day.

✦

Practice

Complete with do or does: ___ Niyonzima sell juice on sports day?
Complete with do or does: Where ___ you and your friends sit at break?
Write the question word: ___ does the bell ring? (Answer: At half past five.)
Write the question word: ___ subject does Gatete like best, ICT or Music?
Make a yes-no question: They have Physics on Friday.
Make a question for the words in bold: Mr Habimana teaches ICT.
Correct the mistake: What time you start lessons?
Correct the mistake: Who does teach Chemistry?

Show answersHide answers

Does
do
When (or What time)
Which
Do they have Physics on Friday?
What does Mr Habimana teach?
What time do you start lessons?
Who teaches Chemistry? (Who is the subject, so there is no does.)

Sources and credits

Conversation "Under the library tree", listening tasks, vocabulary, grammar explanations, practice and model answers written by Ganzaa.
Photo: Juru Secondary School Smart Classroom by Joachim Hauschopp, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Video: How to talk about likes and dislikes: Easy English Conversations, Episode 7, BBC Learning English, embedded from YouTube.

1Conversation: under the library tree

2Listening for detail

3Vocabulary: talking about subjects

4Grammar: questions in the simple present