Introduction
The Language Question (Question 5) in the English Home Language Paper 1 assesses a learner’s ability to use language structures and conventions correctly and effectively. This section tests not only knowledge of grammar and vocabulary but also the practical application of language rules in context.
Over the past five years (2020–2024), Question 5 has followed a highly predictable pattern, focusing on core areas such as grammar correction, vocabulary precision, punctuation, and sentence editing. Learners are expected to demonstrate skills in transforming, correcting, and improving sentences to reflect accurate and formal English usage.
By studying the trends and frequently tested question types, learners can prepare strategically, focusing on the most commonly assessed topics including passive voice transformation, subject–verb concord, word form changes, redundancy removal, punctuation, and synonym selection.
Analysis of English Language Questions (2020–2024)
Individual Question Types Ranked by Frequency (Most to Least)
Concord Errors
Number of times appeared: 7
Years appeared: 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024 ×2
Passive Voice Transformation
Number of times appeared: 5
Years appeared: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 ×2
Formal Language / Synonym Replacement
Number of times appeared: 5
Years appeared: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Redundancy Removal
Number of times appeared: 4
Years appeared: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Verb Tense Errors
Number of times appeared: 4
Years appeared: 2020, 2021, 2022
Incorrect Word Usage
Number of times appeared: 4
Years appeared: 2020, 2023, 2024 ×2
Hyphen Function / Usage
Number of times appeared: 3
Years appeared: 2021, 2022, 2024
Homophones
Number of times appeared: 3
Years appeared: 2021, 2022, 2023
Contextual Word Replacement
Number of times appeared: 3
Years appeared: 2020, 2022, 2024
Punctuation Correction
Number of times appeared: 2
Years appeared: 2022, 2023
Word Form Transformation
Number of times appeared: 2
Years appeared: 2020, 2021
Complete Sentence Formation
Number of times appeared: 2
Years appeared: 2020, 2022
Sentence Structure Analysis
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2022
Pronoun Error
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2024
Apostrophe Error
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2021
Idiom Explanation
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2020
Punctuation Difference Explanation
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2020
Abbreviation Expansion
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2021
Pun Recognition
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2021
Antonym
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2023
Direct Speech Conversion
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2023
Conjunction Replacement
Number of times appeared: 1
Years appeared: 2024
Understanding the concepts
The following twenty-two concepts represent the core language skills that examiners have consistently assessed between 2020 and 2024. Each concept is broken down into a clear explanation, with examples and practice questions provided to strengthen understanding. Together, these areas cover everything from technical accuracy (such as concord, tense, and punctuation) to meaning and style (such as idioms, synonyms, and puns). By focusing on the most frequently tested concepts first, you can prioritize your study time and build confidence in the areas that matter most.
1. Concord Errors
Concept:
Concord refers to the agreement between the subject and the verb in a sentence. In English, a singular subject requires a singular verb, and a plural subject requires a plural verb.
Examples:
- Incorrect: The group of learners are noisy.
- Correct: The group of learners is noisy.
- Incorrect: Sixty percent of the cake are gone.
- Correct: Sixty percent of the cake is gone.
Practice Questions:
- Identify and correct the concord error:
The list of items are on the table.
Answer: The list of items is on the table. - Identify and correct the concord error:
Neither of the answers were correct.
Answer: Neither of the answers was correct.
2. Passive Voice Transformation
Concept:
Passive voice shifts the focus of a sentence from the subject performing the action to the object receiving the action. It often uses the verb to be + past participle.
Examples:
- Active: The teacher marked the tests.
- Passive: The tests were marked by the teacher.
- Active: People speak English all over the world.
- Passive: English is spoken all over the world.
Practice Questions:
- Rewrite in the passive voice: The committee approved the new rules.
Answer: The new rules were approved by the committee. - Rewrite in the passive voice: Someone has stolen my phone.
Answer: My phone has been stolen.
3. Formal Language / Synonym Replacement
Concept:
These questions test your ability to replace informal, slang, or casual words with more formal or precise vocabulary. This skill is important in academic and professional writing.
Examples:
- Informal: Kids → Formal: Children
- Informal: Guy → Formal: Man
- Informal: Figure out → Formal: Determine
Practice Questions:
- Replace the informal expression with a formal synonym: The doctor told him to chill.
Answer: The doctor told him to relax/calm down. - Replace the informal word with a formal synonym: The manager said the results were okay.
Answer: The manager said the results were acceptable/satisfactory.
4. Redundancy Removal
Concept:
Redundancy happens when extra or unnecessary words repeat the same idea. These questions test your ability to make writing concise by removing words that don’t add new meaning.
Examples:
- Incorrect (redundant): She returned back home.
- Correct: She returned home.
- Incorrect (redundant): The reason why is because…
- Correct: The reason is…
Practice Questions:
- Identify and remove redundancy: He made a final conclusion at the end of the meeting.
Answer: He made a conclusion at the end of the meeting. - Identify and remove redundancy: She shouted loudly across the room.
Answer: She shouted across the room.
5. Verb Tense Errors
Concept:
Verb tense shows the time of an action (past, present, future). A tense error occurs when the chosen verb tense does not match the context of the sentence.
Examples:
- Incorrect: Yesterday, she go to the shop.
- Correct: Yesterday, she went to the shop.
- Incorrect: By tomorrow, I finish the project.
- Correct: By tomorrow, I will finish the project.
Practice Questions:
- Correct the verb tense: Last year, we are travelling to Durban.
Answer: Last year, we travelled to Durban. - Correct the verb tense: By the time he arrived, I finish eating.
Answer: By the time he arrived, I had finished eating.
6. Incorrect Word Usage
Concept:
Incorrect word usage happens when a word is used in the wrong context, often because it looks or sounds similar to the correct word (malapropism), or when a homophone/near-homophone is misapplied.
Explanation:
These mistakes occur because some words sound alike or share roots but have very different meanings. Recognizing the correct usage depends on understanding both grammar and context.
Examples:
- Wrong: She was sited as the best performer.
- Correct: She was cited as the best performer.
- Wrong: He is very adapt at fixing cars.
- Correct: He is very adept at fixing cars.
Practice Questions:
- Correct the word usage: The lawyer will site previous cases in his argument.
- Answer: cite
- Correct the error: He practises law in New York.
- Answer: practices
7. Hyphen Function/Usage
Concept:
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark used to link words or parts of words. It differs from a dash (– or —), which separates ideas.
Explanation:
Hyphens are mainly used for compound adjectives, joining prefixes to words, or clarifying meaning. Without a hyphen, a phrase can sometimes change meaning or cause confusion.
Examples:
- She wore a well-known brand. (compound adjective)
- We need to re-evaluate the plan. (prefix with base word)
- He is an ex-president of the club.
Practice Questions:
- Explain the function of the hyphen in long-term investment.
- Answer: Joins two words (long and term) to create a single compound adjective.
- Add a hyphen where needed: He is a high level manager.
- Answer: He is a high-level manager.
8. Homophones
Concept:
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.
Explanation:
They are a common source of mistakes because students often rely on sound rather than spelling when writing. Correct usage depends on context.
Examples:
- There/Their/They’re
- Sole (only) / Soul (spirit)
- Queue (line) / Cue (signal)
Practice Questions:
- Choose the correct word: She was the (soul/sole) survivor of the accident.
- Answer: sole
- Correct the homophone: He stood in the long cue waiting for tickets.
- Answer: queue
9. Contextual Word Replacement
Concept:
This involves replacing a word with another that better fits the context, tone, or level of formality required.
Explanation:
Often these questions test vocabulary knowledge and the ability to choose words that match the exact meaning intended in a sentence.
Examples:
- Replace informal: He needs a silver bullet. → solution / answer / panacea
- Replace weak: That’s a real problem. → really
Practice Questions:
- Replace the word in context: The company received great returns on its investment.
- Answer: profits / gains / benefits
- Suggest a suitable synonym: The new policy is a silver bullet to the crisis.
- Answer: solution / remedy / answer
10. Punctuation Correction
Concept:
This tests the correct use of punctuation marks such as commas, semicolons, dashes, and brackets.
Explanation:
Punctuation errors can change meaning or make sentences unclear. These questions require learners to identify and correct such mistakes.
Examples:
- Wrong: Let’s eat grandma.
- Correct: Let’s eat, grandma.
- Wrong: The new building, which was finished last year is very modern.
- Correct: The new building, which was finished last year, is very modern.
Practice Questions:
- Correct the punctuation: The company supplies fruit vegetables and dairy products.
- Answer: The company supplies fruit, vegetables, and dairy products.
- Replace the commas with dashes: The event, held in Cape Town, was a success.
- Answer: The event – held in Cape Town – was a success.
11. Word Form Transformation
Concept:
This involves changing a word into another grammatical form (e.g., noun, verb, adjective, or adverb) while keeping its root meaning.
Explanation:
English words often change form depending on their role in a sentence. Mastering transformation ensures grammatical accuracy and clarity.
Examples:
- toxic (adjective) → toxicity (noun)
- muscled (verb/adjective) → muscular (adjective)
Practice Questions:
- Change the form: She is a very creative person. (Change creative to a noun.)
- Answer: creativity
- Provide the adjective form of beauty.
- Answer: beautiful
12. Complete Sentence Formation
Concept:
This requires rewriting or restructuring fragments, lists, or incomplete thoughts into full sentences.
Explanation:
A complete sentence must contain a subject and a verb and express a full idea. Examiners test whether learners can identify and correct fragments.
Examples:
- Fragment: Running down the street.
- Sentence: She was running down the street.
- Fragment: Apples, bananas, oranges.
- Sentence: She bought apples, bananas, and oranges.
Practice Questions:
- Rewrite as a complete sentence: A busy schedule, late meetings, constant travel.
- Answer: He has a busy schedule, with late meetings and constant travel.
- Rewrite as a full sentence: Stock, suppliers, customers.
- Answer: The business depends on stock, suppliers, and customers.
13. Sentence Structure Analysis
Concept:
This tests the ability to identify sentence types such as simple, compound, and complex.
Explanation:
Each sentence type has a unique structure. Recognizing them shows understanding of grammar and cohesion.
- Simple: one main clause (e.g., She runs fast.)
- Compound: two main clauses joined by a conjunction (e.g., She runs fast, and she trains daily.)
- Complex: one main clause + subordinate clause (e.g., She runs fast because she trains daily.)
Practice Questions:
- Identify the type: The sun set, and the stars appeared.
- Answer: Compound sentence
- Identify the type: Although it was late, she continued working.
- Answer: Complex sentence
14. Pronoun Error
Concept:
This involves correcting the misuse or inconsistency of pronouns (words that replace nouns).
Explanation:
Pronouns must agree in number and person with the nouns they replace. Errors often occur when a pronoun shifts unnecessarily within a sentence.
Examples:
- Wrong: If one studies hard, you will succeed.
- Correct: If one studies hard, one will succeed.
Practice Questions:
- Correct the pronoun: Each student must bring their book.
- Answer: Each student must bring his or her book.
- Correct the pronoun error: When someone is late, they should apologise immediately.
- Answer: When someone is late, he or she should apologise immediately.
15. Apostrophe Error
Concept:
Apostrophes are used to show possession or form contractions. Errors occur when they are omitted, misplaced, or added unnecessarily.
Explanation:
- Possession: The boy’s book (book belongs to the boy)
- Plural possession: The boys’ books (books belong to many boys)
- Contraction: don’t = do not
Examples:
- Wrong: Its a good idea.
- Correct: It’s a good idea.
- Wrong: The girls bag was missing.
- Correct: The girl’s bag was missing.
Practice Questions:
- Correct the apostrophe: The teachers lounge is upstairs.
- Answer: The teachers’ lounge is upstairs.
- Correct the contraction: Its raining outside.
- Answer: It’s raining outside.
16. Idiom Explanation
Concept:
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of its individual words.
Explanation:
Idioms are fixed expressions that often use figurative language. Students are expected to explain the meaning in plain, literal English.
Examples:
- “There are plenty of fish in the sea” → There are many other opportunities or people available.
- “Break the ice” → To start a conversation in a social setting.
Practice Questions:
- Explain the idiom: “Hit the nail on the head.”
- Answer: To describe exactly what is causing a problem or situation.
- Explain the idiom: “Spill the beans.”
- Answer: To reveal a secret.
17. Punctuation Difference Explanation
Concept:
This tests understanding of how different punctuation marks can alter meaning or emphasis in a sentence.
Explanation:
Certain marks (like hyphens, semicolons, or dashes) change how words relate to each other. Examiners often ask for the functional difference between two punctuated forms.
Examples:
- ugly-crying → compound adjective, describes a specific type of crying.
- ugly; crying → two separate ideas, suggesting “ugly” and “crying” are distinct.
Practice Questions:
- Explain the difference: well-known vs. well; known
- Answer: well-known = compound adjective; well; known = two separate clauses/items.
- Explain the difference: high-quality vs. high, quality
- Answer: high-quality = compound adjective; high, quality = incorrect/ambiguous phrasing.
18. Abbreviation Expansion
Concept:
This involves writing out the full form of shortened words or acronyms.
Explanation:
Abbreviations simplify writing but may confuse readers. Examiners test whether learners know the expanded forms in context.
Examples:
- aka → also known as
- UNISA → University of South Africa
Practice Questions:
- Expand: etc.
- Answer: et cetera
- Expand: i.e.
- Answer: id est / that is
19. Pun Recognition
Concept:
A pun is a play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Explanation:
Examiners may ask learners to identify the pun and explain why it is effective.
Examples:
- “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.” (play on flies)
- “Faux” sounding like “foe” → used as a pun in an exam text.
Practice Questions:
- Identify the pun: “The math teacher has too many functions.”
- Answer: Play on the word functions (mathematical vs. social events).
- Explain the pun: “I used to be a banker, but I lost interest.”
- Answer: Double meaning of interest (personal vs. financial).
20. Antonym
Concept:
An antonym is a word opposite in meaning to another.
Explanation:
Questions on antonyms test vocabulary depth and precision. Learners must select or provide a word that contrasts directly with the given word.
Examples:
- profound → superficial / shallow
- generous → stingy
Practice Questions:
- Provide the antonym: optimistic
- Answer: pessimistic
- Provide the antonym: increase
- Answer: decrease
21. Direct Speech Conversion
Concept:
Direct speech reports the exact words spoken by a person, usually placed within quotation marks.
Explanation:
Examiners may ask learners to convert between reported (indirect) speech and direct speech. The main skills tested are punctuation, tense consistency, and pronoun adjustment.
Examples:
- Reported: He said that he was tired.
- Direct: He said, “I am tired.”
Practice Questions:
- Convert into direct speech: She said that she loved music.
- Answer: She said, “I love music.”
- Convert into direct speech: They explained that they had finished the project.
- Answer: They explained, “We have finished the project.”
22. Conjunction Replacement
Concept:
A conjunction is a word that connects clauses, sentences, or words (e.g., because, and, but, since).
Explanation:
Sometimes a dash or semicolon is used to join ideas. Examiners may ask students to replace these with a suitable conjunction without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Examples:
- Original: You must study hard – success depends on it.
- Replacement: You must study hard because success depends on it.
Practice Questions:
- Replace the dash with a conjunction: He didn’t join the match – he was injured.
- Answer: He didn’t join the match because he was injured.
- Replace the semicolon with a conjunction: I wanted to go; it was raining heavily.
- Answer: I wanted to go but it was raining heavily.
Final Reflections
The analysis of English language questions from 2020–2024 shows a deliberate and structured approach by examiners. By revisiting recurring concepts such as concord errors, synonyms, passive voice, redundancy, and verb tense, learners are trained to master the essentials of English. At the same time, less frequent but important areas (like idioms, puns, antonyms, and direct speech) remind us that language is not only about accuracy but also about creativity and interpretation.
For learners, this guide highlights two key strategies for success:
- Prioritise the fundamentals. Focus study efforts on the most frequently tested concepts.
- Stay versatile. Be ready for less common but equally important skills, since the paper always includes variety.
Ultimately, success in these questions lies not in rote memorization but in understanding how language works in context, a skill that benefits both exam performance and lifelong communication.
Now that you have gone through the whole guide, you should be ready to take the English Paper 1 Exam on our Prelim Exam App.
