Chapter Two: Celebrations

After practicing the activities in this chapter, you should be able to:

• Identify different types of celebrations.
• Explain the purposes of celebrations and when they take place.
• Plan celebrations.
• Understand the celebration plans of other people.
• Use the simple present tense to describe future planned events.
• Use polite language to express preferences.
• Use informal and formal language and register in invitations.
• Write and design a publicity poster for a celebration.
• Write and design formal and informal personal invitations.
• Use the passive voice in invitations.
• Understand the speeches made at celebrations.
• Identify the intonation and register used in recorded speeches.
• Write and deliver speeches, using appropriate intonation and register.
• Use the simple past tense to describe actions in the past.
• Use the simple present perfect tense to describe actions at unspecified times in the past.
• Use present participles to describe actions at unspecified times in the past.
• Understand written extracts about different types of celebrations.
• Use possessive adjectives, adverbs and pronouns correctly.
• Write about celebrations.

Key words
celebrate
wedding
finance
event
register
invitation

Introduction

In this chapter, you will talk and write about the different types of celebrations.
The activities include planning for a celebration, designing posters and writing speeches and invitation letters to deliver at a special occasion.

Special days
We all love the excitement of a special day. We dress up, we eat special food, we play music and we spend time with people we haven’t seen in a long time.
Celebrations create a bond between friends and families. When we celebrate, we allow ourselves to relax and have fun.

The future present simple tense

When we talk about the future, we sometimes use the simple present tense.
We mostly use this tense to talk about future plans or intentions, especially those that are scheduled for a specific time. For example:

• The bus arrives in the afternoon only.
• The new restaurant opens tonight.
• She celebrates her birthday this Saturday.

Activity 2.1 Identify different types of celebrations
Work in groups.
At a celebration, we often honour an important day in a person’s life. Other celebrations are about a special day on the calendar, such as Christmas, New Year or Mawlid el Nabil. Everyone has their own way of celebrating.

1. List of at least five different types of celebrations that you have been part of.
2. Discuss what was celebrated each time.
3. When did each celebration take place?
4. Discuss what happened at each celebration.
5. Compare your information and find differences and similarities.

Activity 2.2 Use simple future present tense
Work on your own.

1. Which of these sentences are in the future simple tense?
   The plane arrives at 18:00 tomorrow.
   She has a dance class every week.
   The bus leaves in ten minutes.
2. Use the future simple present tense to complete these sentences:
   The programme (to start) next Tuesday.
   They (to write) the examination tomorrow.
   The school year (to end) next week.
   The plane (to leave) in an hour’s time.
   The train (to arrive) at 18:00 tomorrow.
   She (to have) a swimming lesson this afternoon.
3. Complete this dialogue, using the correct tense of the verb in brackets.
   Underline the examples of simple future present tense.
   Alex: What do you think about (to go) to Kampala this weekend? It (to be) my sister’s birthday tomorrow.
   Jake: Sounds great. The bus (to leave) at six o’clock. But what time does the party (to begin)?
   Alex: Well, we could (to leave) the night before. There is a bus that (to depart) at six o’clock this evening. It (to arrive) in Kampala at midnight.
   Jake: We will have (to rush) to be on time. We (to have) football until five o’clock.

Activity 2.3 Listen to plans for celebrations
Work in groups.

1. Take turns to read the dialogues. The group members who are not reading, are to determine what type of celebration is being planned.

a)
Martha: Hi, Jane! Listen, I’m having a party this Saturday.
Would you like to come? It starts at three.
Jane: Oh, I’d love to come. Is there a theme?
Martha: Yes, Sweet Sixteen.
Jane: Sounds like fun!

b)

Mr Otaola:
Our son finishes university at the end of this year.
How are we going to celebrate?
Mrs Otaola: I am not sure that we can afford a big party.
Mr Otaola:
He’s our only child! Let’s sell the car and save for a new one next year. That can pay for a proper celebration.

C)
Sam: Are you decorating a tree this year?
Florence:
Oh yes! I will never miss out on that. I am already collecting ribbons and pretty lights. Next Thursday there is a special market in the city, selling all sorts of things in red and green. I can’t wait to go and see what they have. I will be there when they open at eight.

d)
Joyce: What are your tasks for the week?
Iziko: For Saturday’s ceremony, we are doing all the cooking. We start on Friday. On Tuesday, when the two families come together for the introduction, I will start the celebration with a speech.

2. Find an example of the simple future present tense in each dialogue. L for the simple present tense verb being used to describe an event that occur in the future.

A wedding celebration

A large wedding can be a wonderful event, with hundreds of smartly dressed people ready to celebrate the love between a couple.
Food, music, decorations and a beautiful venue all add to the event. Families need to save money for a long time to finance the event.

Activity 2.4 Plan a wedding celebration
Work in groups.

1. There are many videos of Ugandan weddings on the Internet. If possible, watch some, with the help of your teacher. He or she could use a phone, tablet or computer. Observe what happens at different weddings.
2. Using the videos, and your own experiences, list the different parts of a wedding that have to be planned, including the Kwanjula/Kuhingira.
3. Draw a flow chart that shows the stages of preparation.
4. What challenges does a family face when planning such a large event?
5. Do you think it is important to have a large, expensive wedding? Give a reason for your answer.
6. Not everyone can afford an expensive wedding. The list below shows ideas of how to save costs. Discuss the list and state whether you think they are good ideas or bad ideas. Using polite language, give reasons for your answer.
   Have the ceremony at home.
   Make decorations at home.
   Prepare food at home.
   Rent a community hall instead of a hotel.
   Have only one bridesmaid or even none at all.

Invitations for celebrations

When you communicate with an adult, you use different language in comparison to when you communicate with your friends. Some of the differences include choice of vocabulary, structure and grammar forms.

Register

Register of language, refers to the level and style used. Register varies according to social situations. It is either a formal or informal register.
When writing in the formal register, do not use any slang or contractions.
Write out numbers in full.
When speaking to friends or people you know who are at the same social level as you are, use the informal register. This means you can use contractions, abbreviations and slang.
When writing invitations, they can be either formal or informal.

Formal register examples:

• You are invited to the wedding of our daughter, Grace.
• Dr Sam Musenze requests the honour of your presence at his graduation celebration.

Informal register examples:

• We’re getting married, can you join us?
• Hey guys, I’d like you to come to my party!
• Let’s party!

Activity 2.5 Celebrate your birthday
Work on your own.

A birthday is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy of living, and to share it with family and friends.

1. Draw a mind map to plan a dream birthday party for yourself. A mind map is a tool for the brain that captures the thinking that goes on inside your head. See the example below. Your dream birthday party may be a party you may never be able to host, but you can still dream! Include these aspects in your mind map:
   venue theme music
   food and drinks number of guests

• decorations.
  Add drawings and/or pictures where suitable.
  Use this mind map as a starting point.

1. Create an invitation to your party.
   a) Write the text of the invitation.
   Use language that will get your guests excited for the birthday celebration.
   The invitation should include important information, such as:
   your name
   where and when the celebration is happening information on how to reply, such as to whom and by when (the letters RSVP, from the French words meaning “please reply”, usually indicate this information).
   Research different invitation ideas, themes and layouts.
   b) Design the invitation letter.
   For a birthday celebration, the design of the invitation should be fun and exciting. You can use different styles, colours and fonts to achieve this. If possible, use a computer program to create special effects on your invitation. Alternatively, you can use pens and pencils, drawings and cut-outs from magazines.
   Here are some examples you can use as inspiration:
   Invitation A
   Invitation B

Activity 2.7 Design and write a wedding invitation
Work on your own.

1. Plan the design of the wedding invitation. You need to decide on:
   the colours you will use the font/style of the text the images you will use
   the design feature you will use, for example frames and boxes.
2. Design and write/type the wedding invitation. Include the following elements:
   the couple’s names the date, time and place the host’s name.
   Remember to use the correct register for a formal, elegant wedding.
3. Display your wedding invitation in your classroom. Assess one another’s invitations.

Activity 2.8 Plan the design of a poster
Work in groups.

1. You have been asked to design a poster for a New Year’s Music Festival in your home town.
2. All notifications about a celebration require basic information about the time and place of the event. Discuss how this information will influence the design of the poster.
3. Use the checklist to make sure you include all the necessary information.
   Name of event
   Date and time of event
   Venue name and address
   Music (line-up or music at the festival)
   Price of entry
4. Plan what your poster will look like. You want to capture the attention of the viewers, and make them want to attend the festival. Keep the following in mind:
   Use a simple background.
   Use large, bold text that stands out.
   Use bright colours for text and images.

5. The language and design of the poster will depend on the type of music at the festival, and the intended audience. Brainstorm who your audience is, and what will appeal to them.

Activity 2.9 Design and produce a poster
Work in groups.

1. Decide how you will produce the poster. If possible, you can use a computer program, and search for images on the Internet. Alternatively, you can use pens and pencils, drawings and cut-outs from magazines to create your poster.
2. Display your poster in your classroom. Assess one another’s posters.

Speeches at celebrations

At most celebrations, someone makes a speech and there are usually several speeches. Speeches at celebrations can include thanking guests for coming, for their gifts, and for those who have organised the event. The speech at a celebration focuses mainly on the guests of honour or the person who is celebrating an important moment.

1. Congratulations: The speech maker talks directly to the person celebrating and congratulates them. For example, at a graduation party the speech will be about what the graduate has accomplished: completing studies
   The chief
   and getting a degree.
2. Appreciation: A celebration speech includes positive comments about the person. For example, at a birthday party, the speech could include appreciation for the person, talk about the person’s personality and what makes them a great friend.
3. Remembrance: Celebrations often mark the passing of an important point in time, therefore, it is common to bring memories of past events into a speech.
   For example, at a wedding, a speech can refer to how the couple met or what they have done together so far.

Activity 2.10 Listen to speeches
Work on your own.
Speeches do not all give the same information. It depends on the nature of the celebration, who is making the speech and who is in the audience.
Listen carefully to the speeches your teacher will play for you.
Answer these questions about the speeches.
What is being celebrated in each speech?
Who do you think is making the speech?
What information is included in the content of each speech?
Find examples of congratulations, appreciation and remembrance.

Copy and complete the table, identifying the register used at different points in speeches. Add your own examples from the speeches you listened to.
1. Speech 1
Hi
Our secrets extend as far as our most personal thoughts.
I just really wanna say that you make everything more worthwhile.
2. Speech 2
Everything is gonna be OK.
I could not be more proud of you.
3. Speech 3
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and distinguished guests.
No success can be achieved without great effort.

Talking about the past

In English, there are different ways to talk about the past.
Past actions that have ended ways are scribed using the simple past verb in the simple past tense. For example:

• Anisha was born in 2000. She met Jorem on Valentine’s Day.
  We use the participle to change the basic form of a verb, to add meaning, when actions have ended or not.

In the present participle, the verb ends in -ing. It is used to form the continuous tense, either in the past or the present. The continuous tense describes something that is or was busy happening. For example:

• When I first heard you singing in church, I knew I had met an angel.
• It has been a pleasure to witness Shamim growing up before my eyes.

In the present perfect tense, the words has or have, are added to the verb to form a participle. This is used to express a past event that has happened at an unspecified time in the past, but still has an effect on the present. it is usually an action that is not yet completed. For example:
You have been my best friend through difficult times.
I have known her family all my life.

Activity 2.11 Use of the present and past participle
Work on your own.

1. Form the present participle of the verbs in brackets.
   Rashida (to talk) to her friend instead of (to listen) to the speech.
   The guests (to wait) for the bride to dance.
2. Rewrite these sentences in the present perfect tense.
   Ngobi (to know) the bride since they were at primary school together.
   The groom (to live) in Entebbe his whole life.
3. Use the correct form of the verb in brackets.
   The groom (to make) a beautiful speech last night.
   The couple (to be) best friends since the day they met.
   The guests (to cheer) while the couple were (to dance).
   The DJ has (to play) only gospel music up to now.
4. Sort the verbs you formed under these headings:
   Simple past tense
   Present perfect tense (past participle)
   Past continuous tense (present participle)

Structure of a speech

When preparing your speech, it is important to get the structure correct. You need an introduction, body and conclusion.

• In the introduction, you need to greet the relevant people and state the purpose of the speech.

The newlywed couple, our parents, friends, all invited guests, ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to celebrate the wedding of Joseph and Afiya. We warmly welcome all of you to this celebration.

• The body contains the main content or information of the speech. It is good to grab the audience’s attention with a powerful statement, fact, question or joke (if appropriate).

When Joseph started spending more time with Afiya than playing football, we knew something important had happened in his life. He had found the one he had been waiting for. Fortunately, Afiya shared his feelings. Ladies and gentlemen, Joseph and Afiya have scored the most golden goal of all: finding true love.

• The conclusion ends off the speech, by summarising the main message and thanking the audience. Ideally, the conclusion should leave a memorable impact on the audience.

Please raise your glasses to celebrate their present and their future.
Thank you

Activity 2.12 Write and deliver your own speech
Work on your own.
Plan, structure and write your own speech, using the appropriate language and register.
Choose a speech from this list:
Proposing a toast at a graduation ceremony
Thanking your cousin for hosting your 16th birthday party
Honouring the achievements of a Ugandan hero.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns

• A possessive adjective (underlined in the example below) is found before a noun (or a pronoun) to show ownership.
• A pronoun (in bold in the example below) replaces a noun in a sentence.
  For example:
  My sixteenth birthday was the best day of my life. All my friends were there. They all gave me such beautiful gifts. My cousin and her boyfriend came too. He was the DI. We enjoyed the music he played so much! I was really sorry when the party was over. We had to work hard to get our house tidy again, but everybody in our
  family helped.