Past simple tense
We looked at the use of the past simple tense in Unit 3. Quickly remind yourself of
what we learnt.
Read the following sentences.
1. Farmers grew cereals.
2. Warriors served the king.
3. Women weaved baskets.
4. Everyone wanted raw materials.
All bolded words are in past tense.
All the events described in the passage happened at a specific time in the past.
We use simple past tense to describe events that took place in the past.
Rewrite the following sentences in the past tense.
1. The heir to the throne takes over the king’s seat.
2. The Europeans colonise Africa.
3. The warriors serve the King.
4. Men and boys look after the cattle.
5. Women cultivate the land.
6. Women weave baskets.
7. The abiru advises the queen.
8. The agacaca judge cases brought to them.
9. The old advise the youth.
10. The priests conduct worship ceremonies.
Construct ten sentences of events that happened in the past in Rwanda. Use the past
simple tense.
Adverbs of time
Adverbs of time show when something happens. Here are examples of these adverbs:
since, late, before, formally, next, already, and lately. Here are examples of how they are
used in sentences:
1. In the late 19thcentury, Europeans colonised Rwanda.
2. Formerly, Rwanda was under a king.
3. Since the 19th century, we have felt the effects of foreigners among us.
4. The next decade will have Rwanda richer and more developed.
5. Lately, Rwanda has witnessed steady economic growth and progress.
Time clause with past simple tense
We can use these adverbs of time with the past simple tense. We then make adverbial clauses of time. We have seen that a clause is a group of words that have a subject and verb. Look at the following examples.
1. When the war ended
2. When the king ruled
3. When warriors served the king
4. When women weaved the baskets
5. When Rwanda became a member of the UN
The time is shown by the word When.
The above are clauses that denote time. The past simple tense is in the verb form, for
example, ‘ended’, ‘ruled’, ‘served’.
The time is denoted by the word ‘when’.
These are subordinate clauses, meaning they don’t make sense on their own. They are
part of a complete sentence. The subordinate clause is usually attached to the main clause
in sentence. For example: When the war ended, Rwanda developed rapidly.
Identify the time clauses in the following sentences.
1. When the Second World War broke out, Africans fought alongside the Europeans.
2. When the men went to fight, their families stayed without fathers for years.
3. Many farms were deserted when the war broke out.
4. Many men were killed when they went to war.
5. When the genocide broke out, many Rwandans ran away from their homes.
6. When the Germans arrived in Rwanda, King Rwabugiri welcomed them.
7. Many of the abiru members were unhappy when the king welcomed the Germans.
8. African culture was destroyed when the Germans came to Rwanda.
9. The Europeans cheated Africans of their land when they colonised Africa.
10. Africans rebelled when they realised the intentions of the colonialists.
Use the adverb of time to construct ten sentences describing what happened in
Rwanda in the past.
Time clause:with past continuous tense
We can also use the time clause with the past continuous tense. We can do this by using
the world ‘while’. ‘While’ usually shows that two or more activities were happening at the
same time. Look at the following examples.
1. While the King was ruling ...
2. While the war was going on ...
3. While the Europeans were arriving ...
4. While Rwanda was liberating herself ...
5. While the colonialists were living ...
The above clauses denote time with the verb in the past continuous form. Time is denoted
by the word while. The verb in the past continuous form takes –ing, for instance, ruling,
going, arriving, liberating, and living.
Combine the following sentences using either while or when. Avoid repetitions.
1. The Germans established a colony in Rwanda. The Belgians established a colony in Congo.
2. Some Africans fought against colonialism. Some Africans encouraged colonialism.
3. Rwanda became a German protectorate. Uganda became a British protectorate.
4. Rwanda became independent in 1962. Kenya became independent in 1963.
5. The Germans signed treaties with African rulers. They took over their land.
6. The Germans preferred indirect rule. The French preferred assimilation.
7. Warriors protected the king. The abiru advised the king.
8. Women made beautiful pottery. Men took care of farms.
9. The children played. The adults worked.
The words below are associated with colonial history. Read and discuss them with
your desk mate and then form correct sentences that have a time clause with a past
continuous tense.
In your small groups, discuss and come up with a vocabulary of 10 words regarding the
colonial history. You may use a dictionary.
1. The words below are associated with early Rwandan social history. Read and discuss
them with your desk mate.
2. Men and women had different roles before the colonialists came to Rwanda. Refer to
your history textbooks and find out:
a) what warriors used to do
b) who used to weave
c) who served the king
d) what men used to do
3. In your small groups, discuss and compare the roles of men and women before the
colonialists came, after the colonialists came and their roles today.
4. Complete the following sentences to show habits of the past. Use ‘used to’ in each
sentence.
a) The women in the Rwandan kingdom ........
b) Men ........
c) Before the colonialist came, warriors ........
d) The warriors ........
e) The children ........
Here is an example: In Rwanda, before the colonialists came, warriors used to serve
the king.
Using the sentences that you came up with, write a short history of Rwanda. Focus on
habits of the past, with used to and other past tenses.
Adverbials of t i m e + past simple tense
Read the following sentences.
In the 19th century, Europeans colonised Rwanda.
In 1916, Rwanda became a Belgian protectorate.
The words in bold are adverbials of time because they denote an aspect of time. The
words ‘colonised’ and ‘became’ denote the past tense.
1. Construct 10 sentences using adverbials of time + past simple tense.
2. Write 10 sentences about Rwanda’s history paying attention to clauses with past
simple tense and past continuous tense.
Working in groups of five, research on the important dates in Rwandan history. You may
get this from history books. If you have access to the computer with Internet, you use it.
Write down all these dates and use the adverbials of time and the past simple tense.
D. Writing
Biography
A biography is a life history of someone written by another person. When called upon to
write a biography, set out what you would want to cover about the person. See to it that
you do not deviate from this .
Always write in third person. This will ensure that the unintended pride associated with
writing in first person is removed.
Do background research to know the person better. This will help you to set a purpose
for your writing. Ask yourself, how you would want to portray the person; as a rags-to-
riches millionaire, or maybe a homeless man who once had it all and how he ended up in
such a situation?
Shorter biographies focus only on highlights of a person’s life, or even a single endeavour.
Long biographies tell the story of a person’s life, again focused on that person’s
accomplishments.
Very long biographies, perhaps book length, can cover a person’s entire lifespan.
1. Make correct sentences that show social roles, from the following table.
2. Discuss in groups and write down what happened in Rwanda during colonisation.
3. In groups, discuss and write down events in Rwanda after colonisation.
4. Research about a prominent person from your locality then write a short biography about his or her life.
E . Little laughter
“Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” John
F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America.
MOTHER: Young woman, which three adverbs describe you?
GIRL: Really, really, really, smart!
a) In groups of five, exchange stories about the origins of Rwanda. Choose a secretary whoshould present your findings to the class. With the help of your teacher, summarisethe findings of all the groups into a plausible story.b) Listen as your teacher reads a passage and then fill in the gaps in the following passage.The kingdom of Rwanda was founded in the sixteenth century.Rwanda traces its origins toone of the many small kingdoms beginning .........1......... The oldest of these small kingdomsis the one established by the.........2 .......... It covered most of modern Rwanda. There wasalso the .........3.........founded by the Abazigaba, which covered an extensive area. .........4 .........was in the southeast.King Rwabuguri united these small kingdoms in .........5.......... He extended the kingdomall the way to the shores of .........6 ......... He set up camps of warriors along the boundaries.The warriors used to serve the king. They used to protect the kingdom from attacks.The king used to rule and make
the kingdom to prosper. He hada .........7 ........., which was called‘kalinga’. He used to control largeestates throughout the kingdom.He had many fields of .........8..........These were the basis of his power.The king’s subjects were engagedin various social-economic activities.Farmers .........9......... needed tofeed the kingdom. The warriors.........10......... of the kingdom.Women used to weave baskets andmade beautiful potteries. The menused to hunt and rear cattle.
The pictures below show what people used to do in Rwanda. Discuss each picture withyour desk mate. Make correct sentences to show what used to happen according tothe pictures. Use used to in your construction.
Sadly, some young Rwandans think that these are just stories. They are more likely tobelieve the ‘educated’ who say such stories are myths. However, Rwandans have alwaysbeen united as our oral tradition shows.Some of the younger generation easily believe those who speak of fights betweendifferent communities. In the eyes of Rwandans, their country was a place of happiness.People even believed that Imana (God) loved Rwanda more than He did other countries.Without doubt, there is no perfect society. Like any other society, Rwandans have hadtheir fair share of weaknesses and strengths. There are those who have treated othersharshly. A tiny number of educated people came across stories about races. Thereafter,they learned and taught the theories of race and migration of people. They taught aboutopposition between different societies. This small group, ‘the elite’ brought about mistrustamong communities. That is how people started fearing and avoiding each other.Sadly, there have been recent cruelties and genocides. These are a result of man-madeethnic divisions in our country. In fact, many young people may not believe that we allcame from the same parents. However, history shows we did. We shared festivals, joysand sorrows. The poor and rich all lived together, enjoying peace and happiness. That ishow it should be even today.(Adapted from S.M. Sebasoni, The Origins of Rwanda)
2. The ancestor of all Rwandans was ............., the son of............., who came from ..............3. Draw a family tree of the founders of the Rwanda kingdom.4. The younger generation may not believe that we all came from the same parentbecause .............A. we have fought, killed and treated each other badly.B. these are just stories told by old people.C. we look different and come from different places.D. they are learned and listen only to other educated people.5. Which group of people do not believe in the story that we all came from the same ancestor?A. The young people C. The educated peopleB. The old people D. None of the above6. Some in the younger generation easily believe those who speak of ............. betweendifferent communities. In the eyes of Rwandans, their country was a place of..............People even believed that ............. loved Rwanda more than He did other countries.7. From the passage, the old Rwanda society was .............A. a perfect society where all were happy.B. an equal society where all were rich.C. had its own weaknesses and strengths.D. had divisions and fights between people.8. What does the writer suggest is the source of the problems facing the Rwandan societytoday?
Divide the class into four groups. Each group should sing our National Anthem. Thereafter, eachgroup should discuss its meaning. A group representative will present the interpretations ofthe anthem, to the class.
Here are the national anthems of two other countries in the East African Community. Getinto your groups, read and discuss the messages in these anthems. Report your findingsto the class
Reread the two anthems above and in your own words, write what you think is commonbetween them. How is the Rwandan anthem similar to the other two anthems?
Identify the time clauses in the following sentences.1. When the Second World War broke out, Africans fought alongside the Europeans.2. When the men went to fight, their families stayed without fathers for years.3. Many farms were deserted when the war broke out.4. Many men were killed when they went to war.5. When the genocide broke out, many Rwandans ran away from their homes.6. When the Germans arrived in Rwanda, King Rwabugiri welcomed them.7. Many of the abiru members were unhappy when the king welcomed the Germans.8. African culture was destroyed when the Germans came to Rwanda.9. The Europeans cheated Africans of their land when they colonised Africa.10. Africans rebelled when they realised the intentions of the colonialists.
Use the adverb of time to construct ten sentences describing what happened inRwanda in the past.Time clause:with past continuous tenseWe can also use the time clause with the past continuous tense. We can do this by usingthe world ‘while’. ‘While’ usually shows that two or more activities were happening at thesame time. Look at the following examples.1. While the King was ruling ...2. While the war was going on ...3. While the Europeans were arriving ...4. While Rwanda was liberating herself ...5. While the colonialists were living ...The above clauses denote time with the verb in the past continuous form. Time is denotedby the word while. The verb in the past continuous form takes –ing, for instance, ruling,going, arriving, liberating, and living.
Combine the following sentences using either while or when. Avoid repetitions.1. The Germans established a colony in Rwanda. The Belgians established a colony in Congo.2. Some Africans fought against colonialism. Some Africans encouraged colonialism.3. Rwanda became a German protectorate. Uganda became a British protectorate.4. Rwanda became independent in 1962. Kenya became independent in 1963.5. The Germans signed treaties with African rulers. They took over their land.6. The Germans preferred indirect rule. The French preferred assimilation.7. Warriors protected the king. The abiru advised the king.8. Women made beautiful pottery. Men took care of farms.9. The children played. The adults worked.
The words below are associated with colonial history. Read and discuss them withyour desk mate and then form correct sentences that have a time clause with a pastcontinuous tense.
In your small groups, discuss and come up with a vocabulary of 10 words regarding thecolonial history. You may use a dictionary.
1. The words below are associated with early Rwandan social history. Read and discussthem with your desk mate.
2. Men and women had different roles before the colonialists came to Rwanda. Refer toyour history textbooks and find out:a) what warriors used to dob) who used to weavec) who served the kingd) what men used to do3. In your small groups, discuss and compare the roles of men and women before thecolonialists came, after the colonialists came and their roles today.4. Complete the following sentences to show habits of the past. Use ‘used to’ in eachsentence.a) The women in the Rwandan kingdom ........b) Men ........c) Before the colonialist came, warriors ........d) The warriors ........e) The children ........Here is an example: In Rwanda, before the colonialists came, warriors used to servethe king.Using the sentences that you came up with, write a short history of Rwanda. Focus onhabits of the past, with used to and other past tenses.
Working in groups of five, research on the important dates in Rwandan history. You mayget this from history books. If you have access to the computer with Internet, you use it.Write down all these dates and use the adverbials of time and the past simple tense.
2. Discuss in groups and write down what happened in Rwanda during colonisation.3. In groups, discuss and write down events in Rwanda after colonisation.4. Research about a prominent person from your locality then write a short biography about his or her life.