English language and literature

English language and literature I offer online lessons on different platforms such as Zoom and WhatsApp.

Be descriptive.
11/08/2026

Be descriptive.

29/07/2026

Tenses

Present tense:

The present tense is surprisingly versatile.
It's not just for what's happening right this second; it's also for habits, facts, and scheduled events.
Think of it as the multi-tasker of the tense family.

English
# Cambridge English
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Tenses The Hilarious Hijinks of English Tenses: A (Mostly) Serious GuideWelcome, esteemed linguistic adventurers, to a j...
29/07/2026

Tenses

The Hilarious Hijinks of English Tenses:
A (Mostly) Serious Guide

Welcome, esteemed linguistic adventurers, to a journey through the wild and wonderful world of English tenses! Prepare yourselves for a lesson that promises more laughs than a grammar convention, which, let's be honest, isn't a high bar, but we'll take it!

23/07/2026

Today's lesson is on oxymorons.

An oxymoron is word play. Where two words that are opposites are used together.

Example:

Bittersweet

This highlights what is being implied. Moreover, it adds sophistication to your language use. Let's leave simple language for the grade ones

Today let's test our grammar.Is it its or it's that you want to use.It’s is a contraction of “it is” or “it has”. The a...
26/06/2026

Today let's test our grammar.

Is it its or it's that you want to use.

It’s is a contraction of “it is” or “it has”.

The apostrophe shows the missing letters.

Example:

It’s raining = It is raining
It’s been 3 days = It has been 3 days
It’s my period day = It is my period day

Its is possessive. Shows something belongs to “it” .
No apostrophe, just like his, hers, theirs.

Example:

The cycle has its own pattern = The pattern belonging to the cycle

The dog wagged its tail = Tail belonging to the dog

Zimbabwe has its seasons = Seasons belonging to Zimbabwe

Now let's see if you can do it.
Replace with “it is”. If it still makes sense use it’s. If not use its.

Try it:
1. ___ a hot day in Harare today
2. The app lost ___ data

Communication is aided by good grammar.It is important that we learn to write and speak properly.Today we will focus on ...
08/06/2026

Communication is aided by good grammar.

It is important that we learn to write and speak properly.

Today we will focus on correcting our grammar.

Let's start with it's vs its.

These 2 get mixed up because they look identical. The trick is the apostrophe.

It's is a contraction.

it's = it is or it has

The apostrophe ' is replacing a missing letter. That’s what apostrophes do in contractions.

That's = that is

Test if you can you replace it with "it is" or "it has"?
If yes → use it's

Examples:

1. `It's raining` → `It is raining` ✓
2. `It's been 3 days` → `It has been 3 days` ✓
3. `Look, it's your dog!` → `Look, it is your dog!` ✓

Its
is a possessive pronoun

its = belonging to it
No apostrophe because possessive pronouns do not use them:
his, hers, ours, theirs, yours, its.

Test if you can you replace it with his/her.

If yes → use its

Examples:

1. `The dog wagged its tail` → `The dog wagged his tail` ✓
2. `Uganda has its own culture` → `Uganda has her own culture` ✓
3. `The company lost its CEO` → `The company lost her CEO` ✓

13/04/2026

😂😂😂😂😂

have a vacay

11/04/2026

Today's lesson is on punctuation. Focusing on semi-colons.

Varied punctuation gives written work a dash of sophistication.

Semi-colons ;

They connect two independent clauses. (clauses that could stand alone as separate sentences) that are closely related in meaning.

Connecting closely related clauses:

- I have visited many cities; Paris is my favorite.
- I'm going to the store; I need to buy milk.

Both clauses should be independent (can stand alone).

Example:
- I went to the store; they were out of bread.

- I was hungry; I ate a sandwich.
l was hungry. I ate a sandwich.

Persuasive Communication.It is important to tailor our communication for a specific purpose. Today we are going to look ...
10/04/2026

Persuasive Communication.

It is important to tailor our communication for a specific purpose. Today we are going to look at the 'Triplets' and how they can help us engage our audience when writing a speech or an article.

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The Rule of Three is effective in speeches, ads, and everyday conversation.

Examples:

- "I came, I saw, I conquered." (Julius Caesar)
- "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
- "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle"
- "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" (Shakespeare's Julius Caesar)
-"Nutritious, delicious and environmentally conscious, plant-based eating is the only way to reduce our impact on the environment.
We must act now on climate change, ..."

In marketing:
- "Snap, Crackle, Pop" (Rice Krispies)
- "Think different, work different, be different."

You can use it to:

- Make a point:
"It's fast, it's cheap, it's efficient."

- Tell a story:
"I tried, I failed, I succeeded."

- Sell a product:
"This phone is sleek, powerful, and affordable."

Good grammar is essential when writing any exam. More so for formal texts like a business letter and a report. Varied se...
09/04/2026

Good grammar is essential when writing any exam. More so for formal texts like a business letter and a report. Varied sentence structure is essential. Today, we are looking at complex sentences.

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Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.

Structure:
Independent clause + Dependent clause
or
Dependent clause + Independent clause

Example:
Because I studied hard, I passed the exam.

- Independent clause: I passed the exam
- Dependent clause: Because I studied hard

Dependent Clause Markers:

- Time: when, while, as, since, after, before, until
- Cause: because, since, as
- Condition: if, unless
- Contrast: although, though, even though
- Purpose: so that, in order that

Examples:

1. When I arrived, they were eating dinner.
- Independent clause: they were eating dinner
- Dependent clause: When I arrived

2. I went to the store because I needed milk.
- Independent clause: I went to the store
- Dependent clause: because I needed milk

3. Although it was raining, we still went to the park.
- Independent clause: we still went to the park
- Dependent clause: Although it was raining

Exercise:
Create your own complex sentences using the given dependent clause markers.

1. Time
2. Cause
3. Condition
4. Contrast
5. Purpose

More Examples:
1. When I finished my homework, I watched TV.
2. I stayed home because it was raining.
3. If I win the lottery, I'll buy a house.
4. Although I was tired, I went to the party.
5. I studied hard so that I could pass the exam.

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