Nce SS2

New Concept
English
For Senior Secondary Schools
2
J Eyisi
A Adekunle
B Adepoju
F Ademola-Adeoye
Q Adam
J Eto
i
Learn Africa Plc
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© Learn Africa Plc 2012, 2014
First published 2012

Revised edition 2014
ISBN 978 978 925 173 5
Acknowledgments
The publishers are grateful to all the copyright owners whose material
appears in this book.
Every effort has been made to trace the copyright holders and
we apologise in advance for any unintentional omissions. We would
be pleased to insert the appropriate acknowledgement in any future
reprint of this publication.
ii
Preface
The New Concept English for Senior Secondary opportunity to master the pronunciation of the
Schools series has been designed for teaching sounds through dialogue practice and writing
and learning English language at the Senior practice. ‘Reminders’ included in the various
Secondary Schools’ level, and offers an impec- sections of the book help students to remember
cable platform for preparing students for the what they have learned in all the four basic lan-
Senior Secondary Schools’ Certificate Examina- guage skills. The grammar component teaches
tion (WAEC and NECO) in English language. a particular topic, often reinforced through
Based on the contents and requirements of exercises and pair work. The reading compo-
the NERDC Curriculum for English language nent helps students to ‘reflect and discuss’,
learning at the Senior Secondary level, the well- summarise and draw conclusions. The writing
structured lessons in the series are filled with component is taught through guided composi-
a wide variety of fun and learning activities to tion, where students are engaged in reflective
build and challenge the competence of learn- thinking. It is important to state that the listen-
ers in the use of English, and to make serious ing texts have been included as an appendix to
learning truly exciting. the book. This is done to discourage students
A careful and deliberate effort has been from reading the texts in advance.
made to teach the four basic language skills, There is no gainsaying the fact that the
namely listening, speaking, reading and writ- eclectic approach to teaching and learning Eng-
ing, in each of the books. This explains the lish language adopted in the series is perhaps
reason for the adequate reading content and the best on offer, to meet the evolving needs
language exercises in the entire course. of English language teachers and students in
The activities in the text are diverse, but Nigeria.
with greater emphasis on speaking, listening, With New Concept English, teachers can:
and problem-solving — all designed to jump- • follow an active approach to English lan-
start discussion and fuel English language guage teaching and learning
conversations, with the aim of helping students • engage their students with a bank of
solve problems through collaborative strategy stimulating and exciting questions
–sharing. The level of challenge and difficulty • help their students develop a concrete
in the content-rich activities in the series is understanding of English language with
appropriate for each class, with clear and well- a carefully planned progression from one
thought out differentiation within levels. unit to another, and from one book in the
This book has 19 units and appendices series to another
highlighting holiday assignments, words often • plan and teach to the needs of their stu-
mispronounced, phonetic symbols, words often dents
misspelt, irregular verbs and listening texts. • put themselves in control of the English
The Oral English component describes the language curriculum for a particular level
sounds being taught. Students are given the of learning
iii
A workbook and a teacher’s guide are available
for each of the books in the series. While the
workbook is filled with stacks of content-rich
activities, the teacher’s book contains bundles
of guidance about what to watch out for, tips
for getting started, and strategies for teaching
and assessing students.
We firmly believe this course should make
the teaching and learning of English language
more efficient, interesting and effective.
iv
Contents
Preface iii Unit 12

Stanley meets Mutesa 138
Scheme of work vi
Unit 13
Unit 1 If women go unclad… 150
Revolutionaries without will 1
Unit 14
Unit 2 Animals plan to overthrow Man 161
The kingdom of Benin 14
Unit 15
Unit 3 The unafraid lover 173
History and scientific knowledge 25
Unit 16
Unit 4 The treasure 189
The wealthy mare 38
Unit 17
Unit 5 Chimere in search of her roots 203
The casualties 50
Unit 18
Unit 6 Nigerian history must transcend 218
Mr Walter, the womaniser 65 the hegemonic view
Unit 7 Unit 19
The determined mother 78 The end of the story 229
Unit 8 Appendix 1
Writing English composition 91 Holiday assignments 242
Unit 9 Appendix 2
Uduefe the rubber thief 101 Commonly misspelt words 252
Unit 10 Appendix 3
The joy of victory 114 Listening texts 254
Unit 11 Index 261

War on honest men 128
v
Scheme of work
Unit Page Oral English Reading Vocabulary Gr
1 1 Consonant clusters Reading for the Human internal Rev

Revolutionaries Word drill main gist body system and cla
without will Sentence drill Comprehension: function ver
Class work ‘Revolutionaries Exercises Exe
Tongue twister without will’
Dialogue practice Reflect and
Exercises discuss
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
2 14 Consonant clusters Reading strategies Human internal No

The kingdom Three consonants Comprehension: body system and Pai
of Benin at the initial position ‘The kingdom of Benin’ location No
Word drill Reflect and discuss Exercises of v
Sentence drill Summary writing No
Homework Drawing conclusions of o
Exercise Difficult words Exe
Retesting grammatical
structure
3 25 Word stress Reading strategies Health and health care No

History and Five-syllable words Comprehension: Exercise No
scientific Sentence drill ‘History and pre
knowledge Class work scientific knowledge’ No
Paragraph drill Reflect and discuss Exe
Homework Summary questions Ho
Dialogue practice Pair work
Exercise Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure devices
vi
Grammar Writing Listening comprehension Literature
Revising the grammatical Expository Animal Farm

classes in English (nouns, essays Questions
verbs, adjectives, conjunctions) Group work
Exercises Homework
Noun phrases Argumentative

Pair work essays
Noun phrases as complements Proposition and
of verbs opposition
Noun phrases as complements Sample essay
of objects Questions
Exercises Exercise
re Noun phrases as appositives Argumentative Figure of speech

Noun phrases as objects of essays Pair work
prepositions Sample debate Exercises
Noun phrases as adverbials Questions
Exercises
Homework
vii
4 38 Word stress Making notes when Health and Pro

The wealthy Six–syllable words reading health care Pe
mare Word drill Comprehension: Exercise Pa
Sentence drill ‘The wealthy mare’ Ex
Paragraph drill Reflect and discuss
Class work Summary writing
Dialogue practice Pair work
Common errors Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
5 50 Sentence stress Making notes when Soccer and other Pro

The Pair work reading sports Re
casualties Exercise Comprehension: Exercises De
‘The casualties’ pro
Reflect and discuss Ex
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting figure of
speech
structure
6 65 Intonation Making notes when Building No

Mr Walter, Intonation patterns reading construction Ad
the womaniser Sentence drill Comprehension: Exercises Pa
Class work ‘Mr Walter, the Ex
Dialogue practice womaniser’
Homework Reflect and discuss
Summary writing
Pair words
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
viii
Pronouns Formal letters

Personal pronouns (features)
Pair work Homework
Exercises Group work
Common errors
Exercise
Pronouns Formal letters Radio

Relative pronouns Fully blocked Class work
Demonstrative sample letter
pronouns Fully indented
Exercises sample letter
Homework
Exercises
Nominalisation: Free writing Figures of speech

Adjectives Literary devices Pair work
Pair work for free writing Exercises
Exercises and
creative writing
Homework
ix
7 78 Intonation: Reading for Environment No

The Rising tone implied meaning Nouns associated Pa
determined Sentence drill Comprehension: with the Ex
mother Dialogue practice ‘The determined environment
Homework mother’ Nouns for natural
Class work Reflect and discuss disasters
Summary writing Verbs associated
Pair work with the
Drawing conclusions environment
Difficult words Causes of soil
Retesting pollution
grammatical Exercise
structure
8 91 Intonation: Reading for implied Word modifiers Ac

Writing Expressing meaning pa
English surprise/ Comprehension: Ex
composition disbelief ‘Writing English
Dialogue practice composition’
Exercise Reflect and discuss
Summary question
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
structure
Exercise
9 101 The troublesome Reading for critical Word modifiers Ac

Uduefe the vowel /ɜː / evaluation Exercises pa
rubber Class work Comprehension: Gr
thief Word drill ‘Uduefe the rubber thief’ Ex
Sentence drill Reflect and discuss
Paragraph drill Summary questions
Group work Pair work
Dialogue practice Drawing conclusions
Exercise Difficult words
Retesting figures of
speech
structure
Reading to improve
your conversation
x
Nominalisation: Verbs The writing Animal farm

Pair work process Questions
Exercise Class work
Writing tips
Homework
Active and Features of

passive voice an essay
Exercises
Active and Narrative ‘Songs of Sorrow’ I and II

passive voice essays Questions
Group work Guidelines for
Exercises writing a personal
narrative
Elements of a
narrative
Point of view in
narrative
Class work
xi
10 114 The troublesome Reading for Word origins Ac

The joy of vowel /ə/ critical evaluation Exercises pa
victory Word drills Comprehension: vo
Class work ‘The joy of victory’
Dialogue practice Summary writing
Exercise Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
speech
structure
11 128 Problem consonants Reading to Word modifiers Seq

War on /q/ and /ð/ paraphrase poems Exercises
honest men Word drill Comprehension:
Sentence drill ‘War on honest men’
Class work Reflect and discuss
Paragraph drill Summary questions
Exercise Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
speech
structure
12 138 Words with Reading to Prefixes Seq

Stanley meet silent letters paraphrase poems Roots Co
Mutesa Word drill Composition: ‘Stanley Prefixes showing Ex
Class work meets Mutesa’ negation
Pair work Summary writing
Exercise Pair work
Homework Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
speech
structure
13 150 Sentence stress Reading to Prefixes Seq

If women Sentence drill paraphrase Prefixes showing ten
go unclad ... Class work dramatic works negation Ex
xii
Active and Narrative The internet

passive essays Homework
voice Sample essay
Class work
Group work
Homework
Sequence of tenses Speeches

Features of
speech–writing
Sample speech
Class work
Homework
Sequence of tenses Speeches Figure of speech

Conditional forms Class work (simile, metaphor,
Exercises Homework hyperbole,
personification)
Sequence of Descriptive ‘Telephone conversation’

tenses: Reported speech essays Questions
Exercises Sample essay
xiii
Exercise Comprehension: Prefixes showing

‘If women go unclad, number
men will stop staring’ Prefixes that
Reflect and discuss generate antonyms
Summary writing Prefixes showing
Pair work attitude
Drawing conclusions Exercises
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
14 161 Words difficult Identifying topic Preservative Ph

Animals plan to pronounce sentences prefixes Ex
to overthrow Word drill Comprehension: Exercises
Man Sentence drill ‘Animals plan
Group work to overthrow Man’
Exercises Reflect and discuss
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
15 173 Effective Identifying topic Word roots Ph

The unafraid speech delivery sentences Exercises wi
lover Features/format Comprehension: on
of speech ‘The unafraid lover’ Ex
Class work Reflect and discuss
Homework Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
speech
structure
Exercise
16 189 Speaking to Identifying Suffixes Ad

The treasure persuade structural patterns Ex
Target audience Comprehension:
Sample speech ‘The treasure’
Homework Reflect and discuss
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
xiv
Class work
Group work
Homework
Phrasal verbs Descriptive

Exercises essays
Sample essay
Exercise
Homework
Phrasal verbs Creative ‘An interview’

with more than writing Questions
one particle Group work
Exercises Project
Adjuncts Creative Poetry

Exercises writing What is a poem?
Exercises Structure of poems
(couplet, tercet,
quatrain)
Exercises
xv
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structures
Reading tips
17 203 Persuasive speech Identifying Suffixes Co

Chimere Group work structural patterns (inflectional sen
in search Guidelines for Comprehension: suffixes, Ad
of her roots persuasive writing ‘Chimere in search derivational cla
Exercises of her roots’ suffixes Ex
Reflect and discuss
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
speech
structure
Exercise
18 218 Making a toast Identifying Using the Co

Nigerian Steps for making structural pattern dictionary sen
history a toast Complex sentences What the
Sample toasts Comprehension: dictionary
Exercise ‘Nigerian history contains
must transcend Exercises
the hegemonic view’
Reflect and discuss
Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Difficult words
Retesting
grammatical
structure
19 229 Debate Identifying Improving your Co

The end Requirement of sentence purpose vocabulary sen
of the a good debate Comprehension: Exercises Pa
story Exercise ‘The end of the story’ Ex
Sample speech Reflect and discuss
Homework Summary writing
Pair work
Drawing conclusions
Comprehension tips
Difficult words
speech
structure
Exercise
xvi
Complex Creative Poetry

sentences writing Structure of poems
Adjectival or relative Pair work Sonnets
clause Exercise Exercise
Exercises
Complex Technical/ ‘The Adventures

sentences scientific of Solomon’
writing Questions
Strategies for Listening tips
technical/
scientific
writing
Sample
scientific report
Homework
Project
Complex Record– Festivals

sentences keeping Project
Pair work Class work
Project
xvii
xviii
Unit 1 Revolutionaries without will
Oral English
Consonant clusters trade /treɪd/ pin /pɪn/

play /pleɪ/ drink /drɪ k
Now that you are in SS 2, we welcome you drought /dra t flat fl t
again to the study of oral English. As we did view /vjuː plumb pl m
in SS 1 and in your junior secondary course,
we are going to concentrate on the study of
the correct pronunciation of English words. The pronunciation of pin /pɪn/may
We should not be ashamed of attempting to be very easy but spin /spɪn/ or spat /spæt/
pronounce English the way native speakers is likely to be difficult due to the presence
do. We may never be perfect, but with constant of two consonants in a cluster. The usual
practice, we may achieve near perfection and error is the insertion of a vowel in between
thus sound quite intelligible to native speakers the consonants. This is because we do not
and other foreigners who are proficient in have consonant clusters in many Nigerian
the language. This should be our aim, as it is languages. Since our target is to speak English
difficult to change our accent. correctly so that speakers from other countries
of the world can understand us, we should
Two consonants at the initial position endeavour to pronounce words with consonant
In this unit, we are going to revisit the study clusters properly, without inserting a vowel or
of consonant clusters so that we can gain dropping any of the consonants.
some fluency in their pronunciation. Do you
remember what the term consonant cluster
means? Word drill
Now pronounce the words in the table Practise the pronunciation of words with a
below, giving attention to the two consonants cluster of two consonants at the beginning
at the initial position. of the word. As you pronounce each, ensure
stop / st p / blue /bluː/ you do not insert a vowel in the middle of the
spat /spæt/ splint /splɪnt/ cluster. Do not drop any of the consonants. The
cry /kraɪ / fry /fraɪ/ sound symbols of each word are enclosed in
bright /braɪt / great / reɪt/ slashes to guide your pronunciation.
flow fl / switch /swɪt /
music / mjuːz k store st ː/
1
climb /kla m plum pl m Sentence drill
frown /fra n crunch kr nt / Practise saying these sentences using words
suite /swiːt flask fl ːsk/ with clusters of two consonants at the initial
stole st l/ queen /kwiːn/ position.
hew /hjuː/ pretty / pr ti/
triumph /tra mf cute kjuːt/
state /ste t/ time /ta m/
slogan / sl n during dj r
human / hjuːm n space spe s/
throw / r / glory / l ːri/
plank pl k swine swa n/
dwarf dw ːf/ spinach / sp n t /
brush br / dream /driːm/
grass / r ːs/ quota / kw t
plight /pla t/ story / st ːri/
greed / riːd/ truth /truː /
blunder / bl nd clear kl 1 The driver stole the broken plate.
three / riː/ priest /priːst/ 2 The greedy Prince derives pleasure from
globe / l b/ prize /pra z/ plucking fruits from the tree.
snake /sne k/ quality / kw l ti/ 3 The bride from the primary school
presents green flowers to her new friend
Exercise 1 in class six every Friday.
4 The three friends smashed the music box
Indicate the correct pronunciation of the from the Principal’s drawer.
following words. You may use your dictionary 5 Promise bribed the clerk through the Press
to confirm your answers. but tried to pretend that she did not.
1 suite Class work

2 school Now form your own ten sentences. For each,
3 scale use at least two words with a cluster of two
consonants at the beginning.
4 during
5 switch Tongue twister
6 clap Practise saying the following sentence very fast.
Pay attention to the consonant clusters.
7 view
The plantain planter planted plantain in his
8 quality plantain plantation.
9 quota
10 new Dialogue practice
Read the following dialogue. Pay attention to
the consonant clusters.
2
Ibe: Hello Audu, how is your new planta- Multiple-choice questions
tion?
Audu: Oh, there is a lot of progress. My friend From the words lettered A–D, choose the word
Adamu comes around to help me. that has the same consonant sound as that
Ibe: Are you sure he’s a friend you can represented by the underlined letters.
trust? 1 queen
Audu: Yes, of course. He’s not like my other A under B quite
greedy friends who come around to C plight D sprite
steal my green vegetables. 2 suite
Ibe: That’s good. How large is the planta- A sweet B smile
tion? C simple D suit
Audu: It is quite large: one part is grassland 3 wrestle
where my cattle graze while the other A ring B world
is my fruit and vegetable plantation. C wing D wink
Ibe: What kind of fruits and vegetables do 4 swine
you have in your plantation? A sold B swallow
Audu: I have spinach, plums, garden egg, C simple D sky
green vegetables and green peas. 5 crook
Ibe: Is there any challenge in managing A ceiling B krypton
your plantation? C clear D cling
Audu: es, the flood that washes my crops 6 blue
away and thieves who come around A albeit B bite
at night to pluck my fruits are my C blade D belt
major challenges. 7 drape
Ibe: h it’s a pity For the flood, you can A dispense B digress
use a pipe to drain the water. As for C desk D draw
the thieves, you can drop some traps 8 prophet
on the ground to catch them whenever A pink B please
they come. C principle D pity
Audu: Thank you very much; you have a 9 flow
pretty sharp brain. A fly fry
C fumble D follow
10 quick
A Chris B kind
Exercise 2 C wise D quality
Use your dictionary and find the correct
pronunciation of the following words. Reading
flew trash stole triumph Reading for the main gist
greed blend blunder quota The gist means a general idea of something –
clear scale graze beauty the essential contents. It is the main substance
grace prompt frozen frown of what has been written. If you get the gist of
quite quiet question query
3
something, therefore, you have grasped the has dropped from an unreachable rafter on
main ideas, the main points. If anyone asks which it has been resting for a long time, and all
for the gist, the person is not interested in its hidden contents are now exposed to general
unnecessary details but in the main points. The view. A few more coughs are heard.
gist, therefore, is the main ideas, the substance, Lights are switched on.
the significance, the summary. ‘Jiggers are funny insects.’ It is Emeni that
breaks the controlled silence, stretching himself
and yawning wide.
There is loud laughter among us.
Agbeyegbe shoots him an aggressive glance.
‘Mm? Oh, I was talking about jiggers.’
‘What about jiggers?’
‘I was saying what funny creatures they
are, so hard to understand.’
‘What have jiggers got to do with this
issue?’
What was the last movie you watched? Or the ‘Oh, I was just thinking … you see, I was
last book (novel) you read? Can you give the in court every single day of my life, and every
gist of the story? This means that you will need single day of my life I was bitten by at least
fewer words and less time to do this. Energy is one jigger, because I had no shoes on. So I was
not expended on irrelevances that only prolong always worrying about jiggers. And now that
the story but on the aspects that are gripping I think of it, I think the reason I never got that
and essential for the desired information. When promotion after all was because I always had
you have read ‘Revolutionaries without will’, jiggers either on my mind or in my feet.’
– the comprehension passage in this unit, give Agbeyegbe hisses and looks away. There
the gist of it to a friend in another class. is another outburst of laughter, and Emeni is
careful to conceal his mocking face from its
Comprehension object.
‘I see,’ says Agbeyegbe, and there is
Revolutionaries without will silence again, ‘that some people are not ready
for our cause. But we should not let them drag
us back. We have no time to waste, and we must
tackle our problem, fast. Comrade Okoro, what
do you say about helping to organise this thing
tonight?’
‘Who, me?’ asks Okoro.
‘Yes.’
‘Oh … em … I have a pain in my neck,
and I am feeling a bit sleepy already.’
There is more laughing.
My doubts seem confirmed by the atmosphere ‘Please, comrades!’ Agbeyegbe pleads,
that now prevails. It is as if a great earthen pot standing up to press his point. ‘There is no
4
reason for all this.’ Turning again to Okoro, he another word or phrase that means the
says, ‘I sympathise with you, Comrade Okoro, same and which can replace it as it is used
but I feel sure that you fully associate yourself in the passage.
with the noble cause of the revolution.’ i) doubts
‘Oh, I’m with you–I’m with you!’ Okoro ii) exposed
says. ‘Just take it that some of us are not iii) queries
physically ready for the revolution. A pain iv) conceal
in the neck is quite a drawback, but I am v) pleads
certain that you made an allowance for this vi) revolution
contingency in your planning.’ vii) drawback
And simulating a stiffened neck and a viii) simulating
face contorted with pain, Okoro groans to good
measure and rests his back on the floor. The Re ect and discuss
laughter from the group is barely muffled. 1 Why do you think most of the people
Agbeyegbe is frustrated. His lips tighten. laughed when a serious matter was
His eyes flash. He puts his hands to his hips, being discussed?
sighs vehemently – and the sound resembles 2 Could it be true that Okoro had a pain
the snorting of a cornered ram. in his neck?
(From The ast Duty by Isidore kpewho, 3 Emeni complained he never got the pro-
pages 149–151) motion. Apart from his reason, why do
you think he did not have the promotion?
4 Why does it seem Agbeyegbe did not
Comprehension questions enjoy the cooperation of the people?
5 Do you think Emeni’s jigger story was
a) Use an adjective to describe the behaviour relevant? Why did he tell the story?
of most people in this passage.
b) What doubts did the writer have? Summary writing
c) What kind of a person is Emeni?
In five sentences, one for each, summarise five
d) How did Agbeyegbe feel at the end?
facts that you can recollect from the passage.
e) i) Why did the people gather?
ii) What do you think will be the out-
come of the meeting?
Pair work
f) ‘It is as if a great earthen pot has dropped
from an unreachable rafter…’ Tell your partner what revolution is.
What figure of speech is contained in the Exchange ideas on revolution and rebel-
expression above? lion.
g) ‘… that now prevails.’ Exchange ideas on the causes of revolu-
i) What grammatical name is given to tion.
this expression as it is used in the Tell your partner certain setbacks that
passage? could be experienced in a revolution.
ii) What is its function? Point out two incidences of comic relief
h) For each of the following words, find in the passage.
5
Drawing conclusions relating to human internal body systems in the
Read the comprehension passage again and puzzle below. Explore all directions.
then indicate whether the sentences below are
true (T) or false (F). organs systems human
1 Agbeyegbe is leading a rebellion. skeletal muscular integumentary
2 The people are committed to the cause. nervous digestive excretory
3 Okoro is a pretender. respiratory circulatory lymphatic
4 Emeni trivialised the discussion. endocrine reproductive healthy
5 Agbeyegbe was frustrated in his efforts. cells metabolise balance
body internal
ifficult words
se the dictionary to find the meaning of these
words from the passage.
S K E L E T A L L L B C O R I
jiggers funny yawning
E N D C A A I I M E N
aggressive outburst tackle
C R E E I D M N R E P T
press sympathise comrade
I N E L A T E U Y P T C T R E
associate noble cause
H E A L T H Y C S H E U A O R
allowance contingency stiffened
S T E S M N S D A R D G
contorted groans muffled
W A H U M A N U I T N A O U U
swings frustrated vehemently
R G A N F M G I A T C M
snorting cornered
Y R O T E R C X E C L O I T E
Use ten of these words in sentences of your B A L A N C E R S B H R S I N
own. A R E S P I R A T O R Y E V T
N D E N D C R I N E E A
Retesting grammatical structure
S S T E M S R A D E P R
a) What grammatical name is given to each
D E E N E R S
of the following expressions as used in the
passage?
b) What is the function of each expression?
1 ‘… on which it has been resting…’
2 ‘… because I had no shoes on.’
Exercise 2
3 ‘… because I always had jiggers on my
mind…’ Some of the 1 organ systems, such as the 2_,
4 ‘A pain in the neck…’ skeletal, muscular and 3 systems are 4
5 ‘The snorting of a cornered ram.’ throughout the entire body. You can learn the
location of the 5 by identifying the relevant
Vocabulary
areas or 6 of the body. For example, the 7
Human internal body system and organs for 8 are located in the 9 region, while
functions 10 reproductive organs are located in the pelvic
Exercise 1 region and 11 area. The 12 system is located
in the chest area and the 13 system is located in
Use the words in the box to locate 20 words the 14 and pelvic areas. Learning the regions
6
of the body and 15 of the organs within organ 18 , the organs and 19 thereof, and even
these regions can help you better understand the 20 parts of the body, such as 21 , all
the human 16 . Diagrams of the human body play an important role throughout the human
and anatomy can help you chart these organs body. Learning the anatomy of the 22 body
and place them within the different 17 of the is important in learning how to take 23 of
body. It is important to remember that each yourself and maintain a 24 plan for the care
of your body and its important 25 organs.
A B C D
1 major other external olfactory
2 imbibed located dedicate formed
3 circulatory nosary smellry bonary
4 anxious bonus nervous tubular
5 organs factors velum sublime
6 overhead down formations regions
7 abdominal testicular pulmonary reproductive
8 binary tubular moles males
9 pelvic thigh waist robust
10 human female animal entire
11 leg mouth abdomen head
12 domiciliary rotary respiratory auditory
13 excretory digestive circulatory metabolic
14 nose abdomen eyes intestine
15 placement formulation location citing
16 anatomy psychology physiognomy psychiatry
17 cases regions applications houses
18 size system form chart
19 skeleton bones components fingers
20 compositional temperamental tiniest gregarious
21 saliva water blood cells
22 accidental impaired tormented human
23 round either care both
24 faulty healthy temporal permanent
25 internal exterior anterior diagrammatic
7
Grammar criterion – criteria,
ox – oxen
Revising the grammatical classes in Some nouns do not have a plural form: sheep,
English furniture, money.
There are thousands of words in the English Common nouns refer to an entire class
language, but each of these words is important and most of them have plural forms, as in
because each has its meaning, function and table(s), man (men). Proper nouns designate a
position in a sentence. particular class. Because of the special nature
The many words we have in English can of proper nouns, they begin with the capital
be divided into content words and function letter and do not take the plural form, e.g. Jane,
words. Content words have meanings. You Waheed, February and Lagos.
can look them up in the dictionary and some Some nouns are referred to as concrete
of them can be replaced by alternative words. nouns because we can see or touch them.
This is why they are regarded as the members Others, such as goodness, education and idea, are
of the open class. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and abstract nouns.
adverbs are the content words. Exercise 1
Function words (closed class), on the
Classify the following nouns into countable
other hand, are the words we use when we
nouns, abstract nouns and proper nouns.
want to show grammatical relationships or
create the relationships into which content Kano bag value Lagos
words fit. Examples of content words include street honesty obedience April
articles (a, an, the), prepositions (on, to, from), Sheila tap fun Mrs Disu
conjunctions (and, which, both), determiners and evil child home book
interrogatives. In this unit, we will be revising
nouns, verbs, adjectives and conjunctions. Countable nouns Abstract nouns Proper nouns
Nouns
The words in this class name or label ideas,
things, people or places.
Nouns can take determiners, which Recall that nouns can function as the subject or
modify them as in the man, some boys, three object in a sentence.
ideas. Recall that the word man, with a modifier Example
(or more than one modifier), is called a noun Ade took some pens
phrase. Most nouns take the plural suffixes
shown below. Such nouns are referred to as subject verb object
countable nouns. (doer) (action)
Example
boy – boys Exercise 2
In the following text, underline the noun
Other ways of turning nouns to plurals are:
phrases and circle the nouns functioning as
boxes, passes
the subject.
cargoes, heroes
8
Homework includes tasks or assignments The verb has an important function in a
given to students by their subject teachers to sentence because it tells us the activity or what
be done at home. Homework is important happened.
because it helps to reinforce and increase Examples
students’ knowledge of a topic or a skill taught
He danced yesterday.
in school. Sometimes, parents are expected to
He cried yesterday.
assist students by guiding them and providing
He slept yesterday.
the resources (not the answers!) needed for
such tasks.
The basic form of the verb is the infiniti e, e.g.
to watch. The base forms do not have suffixes.
Verbs Different forms of suffixes are added to verbs
Verbs are words that indicate an action or state
to create different tense forms as shown below.
of being: go, become, was, are, see, jump, eat.
uffi eaning E ample sentences
–s added to a verb to indicate the Kamoru wakes up at 5 a.m.
third-person singular in the every day.
present tense
–ing used to express the present I am/I was washing my car
participle or continuous activity in when he came in.
the present or past
–ed indicates the past tense I washed my car.
–en creates the past participle form– They have gone.
used with have/has/had or Be He has gone.
(am, is, are, was, were) The boys have eaten their breakfast.
Oprah is well known
Most verbs in English are regular, but some are irregular. Regular verbs end in -d or -ed, while the
irregular verbs are those that do not follow this pattern.
Exercise 3
Complete the table below with the correct verb tenses.
Present Past Past participle (-n/-en/-d/-ed)
1 attack _______ ____________
2 call called ____________
3 begin _______ begun
4 do did ____________
5 draw _______ drawn
6 fall _______ ____________
7 grow grew ____________
8 ring _______ ____________
9 speak spoke ____________
10 wear _______ ____________
9
Remember that the verb phrase consists of I will come to the concert on friday.
the main verb and auxiliaries, also known as
helping verbs. Auxiliary verbs come before the auxiliary main
main verb. verb verb
Examples Can you explain what each is expressing?
be, is, am, are, was, were, being, been
have, has, had Adjectives
do, does, did Adjectives work with nouns. They are words
Recall that this set of auxiliary verbs can also that describe nouns by providing the following
function as main verbs in sentences such as: information:
He has a blue bag. quality: good, delicious, terrible
Ade is good. quantity: ten, fifteen, second
colour: blue, greenish, purple, grey
size/shape: tall, round, fat
Exercise 4 origin: wooden, British, metallic.
Underline the main verb and circle the auxiliary Adjectives may precede the noun they describe
verbs in the following sentences. or come after the noun by being in the predicate.
1 I was going to the Principal’s office. Examples
2 The boy has not done his homework. A purple car
3 Did you see the big rat that scurried past
4 Some girls were punished last week. adjective noun
5 Oluchi has read all her notebooks.
The car is purple
The other type of auxiliary verbs are the modal
auxiliaries or modals. They perform the extra noun adjective
function of conveying the speaker’s attitude. predicate
For example, may (past tense, might;) expresses
possibility, permission and ability; will (past The predicate is the part of the sentence
tense, would) can convey futurity or willingness. governed by the verb and does not include the
noun. Or put differently, the predicate is what
Examples remains of a sentence after the subject is taken
I may come to the concert on Friday. away. This means that if you have a sentence
and you remove its subject, whatever that
auxiliary main remains is what we call the predicate. Now
verb verb consider the following:
or che is a student of Girls’ High School, Agulu.
I can come to the concert on Friday. In this sentence, Uche is the subject. Take it
away and you will have: is a student of Girls’
auxiliary main High School, Agulu (the predicate).
verb verb Adjectives may be recognised by some
suffixes such as -ous, -ful, -less, -ish, -able, -ic as in
10
courageous, faithful, careless, childish, reliable and or unless
atomic. Can you provide two more examples of not if
adjectives ending in each of these suffixes yet even though
Examine the patterns in the tables below. so so that
Adjective Comparative Superlative
Coordinating conjunctions connect equal
tall taller tallest parts of a sentence and they come between the
shy shyer shyest elements they are joining.
thin thinner thinnest 1 and is used to show addition or the result
tasty tastier tastiest of an action, e.g.
stupid stupider stupidest Tola and Maitama are friends.
You should be able to recall that some adjectives
do not take the er or est. They are preceded by adding two people
more (less) or most (least): We made noise in class and were punished.
Adjective Comparative Superlative
first action showing second action
active more active most active result as result
responsible less responsible least
responsible 2 but denotes contrast or indicates opposite
delicious more delicious most ideas, e.g.
delicious Hakeem was given a prize, but he was
demanding more demanding most not happy.
demanding indicates
opposite
Some adjectives have different comparative and idea
superlative forms, such as:
(The second side of the sentence is not
Adjective Comparative Superlative expected.)
good better best 3 or indicates options or choices, e.g.
bad worse worst Will you eat rice or beans?
ill worse worst
well better best first indicates second
option choice option
Conjunctions 4 so expresses the action that follows
Conjunctions connect words, phrases and a previous one. If the conjunction is
clauses. A conjunction can be a word or a group between two independent (complete
of words. sentence) clauses, we use a comma, e.g.
We can sub-divide them into two types: Banki was summoned, so he went there.
Coordinating Subordinating R e m e m b e r t h a t w e u s e c o o rd i n a t i n g
conjunctions conjunctions conjunctions in compound sentences: should
and because I say yes or should I say no?
but although
11
Exercise 5 Note that the dependent clause can also be
in front of the sentence. However, a comma
Use and, but and or in the following sentences. must come after the dependent clause when it
1 They hid in a corner _______ no one could precedes the independent one, e.g.
see them.
2 Jumai _____ Fikayo are good swimmers. Because the hall was full, we stayed outside.
3 Charity debated very well _______ her
opponent won. subordinate clause main (independent)
4 I love beans _________ I want rice today. clause
5 Kamil can be in the dinning room ______
the library. Exercise 6
There are more subordinating conjunctions
than co-ordinating conjunctions in the English Complete each of the following with a dependent
language. clause. The subordinating conjunctions have
Recall that these conjunctions join the been added for you.
subordinate clause (incomplete sentence) to 1 Although _________, we stayed till
a main clause (complete sentence) to make a midnight.
complex sentence 2 They could not eat because ___________.
Also remember that the subordinate or 3 Unless _____________________, you will
dependent clause depends on the main clause. not get to school in time.
It cannot stand on its own. The examples 4 Because __________________, Adaora was
below show how these clauses create complex not nominated as a prefect.
sentences: Should I say yes or should i say no? 5 We all participated in the school concert
so that __________________.
main clause subordinating
conjunction Writing
Anthony got 50% in although Expository essays
Mathematics he had a The expository essay is one of the types of essay
special tutor. we discussed in SSS book 1. Do you remember
what we expect of a writer who wishes to write
dependent an expository essay?
clause As the name implies, in the expository
essay, a writer tries to expose, explain, inform,
main clause subordinating instruct and direct the reader on a given
conjunction course of action. It entails having prior and full
understanding of the topic of the essay. For this
You will not be allowed unless reason, it is important that the writer puts him/
to stay in school you have paid herself in the position of a competent teacher,
your full fees. the learner in the position of an ignorant
learner. Bearing this in mind, the writer exposes
dependent every aspect of the topic with a view to making
clause
12
the learner achieve mastery of every detail Listening comprehension
involved. A short passage from George rwell’s Animal
Effective writing demands that you Farm will be read to you. Listen carefully and
should first: pay attention to details. Then answer the
• introduce your topic questions below.
• define the subject matter, if necessary
• give appropriate examples
• give sufficient information
Questions
• explain the procedures involved in a
1 Why did the animals gather?
sequential order.
2 a) What kind of animal is Old Major?
Providing detailed and valid information
b) How old is he?
for your readers helps to give them a deeper
3 What are the names of the three dogs?
understanding of the topic.
4 Where did the hens sit?
5 Which animal has a white stripe down his
Group work
nose?
1 In your group, decide on a topic for an 6 Mention ten animals that attended the
expository essay. Discuss and jot down meeting.
relevant points for the essay. 7 Who is the oldest animal on the farm?
2 Develop your points into the essay. 8 What does Benjamin’s statement that he
3 Proofread and edit your essay. Rewrite it ‘… would sooner have had no tail and no
to make it neater and better. flies’ mean
4 Read your essay to the class. Decide on 9 Which animal is said to be worst-tempered?
the best essay. 10 Which two animals spend their Sundays
5 Write the final essay, taking into consider- together?
ation the corrections and suggestions of
your teacher.
Reminder
Homework
To write a good expository essay, consider
yourself as a competent teacher and your reader
Write an expository essay on any three of the
as an ignorant learner.
following topics.
1 Consequences of dressing indecently
2 Drug abuse
3 Choices and consequences
4 Dangers of abortion
5 Dangers of pre-marital sex
6 Why male/female prostitution is a crime
7 The future of the Nigerian youth
8 Time management
9 Reading as a hobby
13
Unit 2 The kingdom of Benin
Oral English
Consonant clusters
Three consonants at the initial position

Observe closely the consonants at the beginning
of the words with the pictures below. Listen
carefully, as your teacher pronounces the
words.
Repeat the pronunciation after him,
making sure you do not insert any vowel in
between the cluster.
scream spread
Word drill
Pronounce the following words, making sure you do not insert a vowel sound in between the
consonants in each cluster.
spring/sprɪ / square/skweə/ spray/spreɪ/

strike/straɪk/ split/splɪt/ scream/skriːm/
sprite/sprɑɪt/ stripe/straɪp/ straight/streɪt/
scrub/skʌb/ scrap/skræp/ squeeze/skwiːz/
stream/striːm string/strɪŋ/ strive/straɪv/
straw/srɔː/ strength/streŋ / screw/skruː/
strangle/stræ gəl/ script/skrɪpt/ splash/splæʃ/
stranger/streɪndʒə/ scroll/skrəʊɭ/ squash/skwɒʃ/
stress/stres/ sprinkle/sprɪŋkɘɭ/ squat/skɒwt/
squelch/skweltʃ/ Stratford/strætfɔːd/
14
Sentence drill words with clusters of three consonants at their
Practise saying these sentences using words initial position.
with clusters of three consonants, just as we
did for the clusters of two consonants. Dialogue practice
1 The guest from Stratford struggled to fetch Read the following dialogue. Pay attention to
water from the spring. the consonant clusters.
2 The old man who lives across the street Jegede: Excuse me, please do you have a
has no strength. stream around here?
3 The straight man struggled to regain the Tari: Yes, just walk straight, you’ll see a
stolen screw. valley by the end of that street. The
4 Baby splashed water on the floor, so you stream is down the valley.
should scrub it.
5 Get me a straw for my Sprite.
6 The stranger in the neighbourhood is a
very strong man.
7 The children screamed as they went down
the stream.
8 The animal was squashed as the stranger
strangled it.
9 My mother fed the dogs on scraps in
spring. Jegede: Does the water gush from a spring
10 They picked up a scroll down the street. or a tap?
Tari: Oh! You’re truly a stranger here.
Paragraph drill The water is a natural spring water,
Read the following paragraph. Pay attention to the best in the neighbourhood.
the clusters of three consonants. Jegede: That’s good, I no longer need to
struggle for water at our village tap.
After school on a Tuesday afternoon, some Thank you so much.
students strolled to the stream to have fun.
On their way, they saw a stranger in a striped Exercise
shirt squatting by the road. When the students
approached him, they discovered he was Using your dictionary, find the correct
screaming and struggling to save his leg, which pronunciation of the following words.
had got accidentally trapped in a square hole. straight student split
The students rescued his leg from the hole and street screw scrap
straightened it. The stranger thanked them and stranger stream string
picked up his scroll tied with a blue string. His struggle squeeze scrub
leg trembled as he continued his journey. scrap strive spread
spray scream squelch
stripe sprinkle stress
Homework
Write a well–constructed paragraph using
15
Multiple-choice questions • Re-read when problems occur. You may
need to return to the beginning of a
From the words lettered A–D, choose the word sentence or paragraph and read it again.
that has the same consonant sounds as that • Predict and confirm what you expect to
represented by the underlined letters. see, what you think will happen next,
1 sprung whether it makes sense and whether you
A spell B spray are finding answers to your questions
C skip D sky about the topic.
2 scream • Skip, read on and go back. Sometimes
A scale B scutt you can skip an unfamiliar word and read
C screw D stress to the end of a sentence or a paragraph,
3 stranger thinking about what would make sense.
A stripe B scream Then, using the context, go back, re-read
C spy D square and try to determine the meaning of the
4 splash word.
A split B stink • Connect background knowledge to the
C style D speak information in the text. You should think
5 squash about what you already know about the
A spill B squat subject and the kind of material you are
C struggle D splash reading. Think about how the information
6 stream is similar to what you already know about
A scrub B sprite the topic, event or person.
C spring D street
7 scrub
A sky B split
C sway D screw
8 straw
A stripe B squash
C squat D student
9 sprinkle
A style B sprite
C screw D smile
10 scrabble
A scrunch B skip • Think about explicit and implicit
C speak D sweat information. Think about what
information is given directly. Also think
Reading about what you know from reading that is
Reading strategies not directly stated in words, such as how a
What do you do during reading? character’s actions show his/her feelings
• Cross-check one cue with another. Ask or why things may have happened, based
yourself whether the word looks right, on the clues the writer gives.
sounds right and makes sense.
16
• Stop and review. If you are reading a
longer text, stop and think about what
has happened in the story so far or what
information has been given.
Comprehension
The kingdom of Benin
In many ways the kingdom of Benin, which any other state.
emerged in the mid-western region of Nigeria The pre-twentieth century history of this
among the Edo peoples of Nigeria, was old and fascinating state falls into two main
historically one of the most important of the phases: the first is known as the giso period
states and empires of the southern savannah, from the beginning to about 1300; the second
forest and coastal regions of West Africa. In began with the founding of the Eweka dynasty.
the first place, it was the first of the kingdoms It is evident from the few available sources
to emerge in the forest and Guinea areas of that by the tenth century, a centralised kingdom,
West Africa. Secondly, it did not owe its rise or rather city-state, had already emerged in the
and early development to either Islam or the very area of the city of Benin today, under a
European presence on the coast. Thirdly, unlike ruler with the title of Ogiso. Not much is known
Oyo, Benin never abandoned her capital city, about these early rulers except Ere, who was the
which has remained in continuous existence eldest son and successor of Igodo, the founder
in the same place for about a thousand years. of the dynasty. According to Chief Egharevba,
Its second dynasty, the Oranyan or Eweka the outstanding traditional historian of Benin,
dynasty, founded in the thirteenth century, it was Ere who founded many villages and
has also remained in power ever since. Its created the five elders of the kingdom, who
cultural artifacts are world-famous, and Benin were later to constitute the Uzama group or
probably exerted a greater influence on the council. He is also believed to have introduced
socio-political institutions of the states and a number of items, royal regalia, and to have
peoples of southern Nigeria than did Oyo or instituted the Ughoron, a specialist group of
royal historians. Above all, he established the
guild system by organising woodworkers,
carvers, leather workers, hunters, weavers and
pottery-makers into separate associations.
Many rulers followed Ere about whom
history is still silent. It is known, however, that
some rulers of the period extended the frontiers
of the kingdom by founding villages over which
they sent their children to rule as hereditary
chiefs or onogie. However, some time between
1000 and 1300, the last Ogiso was banished
for his cruelty and after an interregnum and
a period of instability, the five elders of the
17
Uzama got together and appealed to the Oni and empires? Examples are Benin
of Ife to send them a new ruler. According to kingdom, Oyo empire, Borno empire,
both Benin and some Yoruba traditions, this Ashanti empire, and Songhai empire.
request was granted, and Oduduwa sent one 2 Nigeria has more than 450 existing
of his sons, Oranmiyan or Oranyan. languages. Can you mention just 50?
(From Topics in West African History by Adu 3 Can you name all the past presidents and
Bohen, pages 74-75) heads of state in Nigeria? Then mention at
least two contributions to Nigeria of any
Comprehension questions of them.
4 Which empire or kingdom did your town
a) Where is the kingdom of Benin situated? belong to in previous years?
b) What factor differentiates Benin from 5 Mention five empires kingdoms that once
Oyo? extended to present-day Nigeria.
c) What role has Islam played in some
kingdoms, empires or dynasties? Summary writing
d) Mention the two phases of the Benin
kingdom. In six sentences, one for each, summarise the
e) Mention the founders of the two dynasties factors that make the kingdom of Benin one of
of Benin. the most important of the states and empires
f) Mention two of the contributions of Ere of the coastal regions of West Africa.
to Benin.
g) ‘… which emerged in the mid-western Reminder
region of Nigeria…’
To answer summary questions, you need to do
i) What grammatical name is given
the following.
to this expression as it is used in the
1 Read the passage quickly to get an
passage?
overview of what it contains.
ii) What is its function?
2 Read it a second time to jot down ideas
f) For each of the following words, find
relating to the questions.
another word or phrase that means the
3 Check whether you can group these words
same and which can replace it as it is used
and phrases.
in the passage.
4 Write the summary.
i) abandoned
5 Edit the work, leaving out anything
ii) exerted
irrelevant.
iii) fascinating
6 Keep all you do within the time frame
iv) evident
allotted.
v) outstanding
vi) created
Drawing conclusions
vii) silent
Read the comprehension passage again and
indicate which of the following sentences is
Re ect and discuss true (T) or false (F).
1 Do you know that some modern states,
1 The Edo people founded modern–day
nations, countries were once kingdoms
Nigeria.
18
2 The Europeans assisted Benin in its early tissues and connective tissues. The anatomy of
rise to prominence. the human body can be thought of in groups
3 The Benin kingdom once covered the based on location. Picturing these locations
whole of southern Nigeria. can provide a better idea of how the internal
4 The founder of enin was Alaafin, who structure of the body fits together. First, you
came from Oyo. can start with the head and neck region, which
5 Many of the rulers who followed Ere are includes everything above the thoracic region.
silent. You then move to the upper limb region, which
includes everything from the hand to the
ifficult words shoulders. Then to the neck and the chest area,
Apart from words given in the comprehension which includes everything from the shoulders
questions, more words from the passage could to the next area, the abdomen. Then you have
still be relatively difficult. ou can make use the back region, which includes the entire spine
of the dictionary to find the meaning of the and back; the pelvic region, which includes the
following words. abdomen in the pelvic area; and the lower limb
area, which includes the area from the pelvic
presence dynasty artifacts
area to the feet. Within these regions of the body
institutions centralised regalias
lie the major organ systems. Each system has
guild frontiers hereditary
a distinct location based on the function of the
banished interregnum
organ group.
Use ten of the above words in sentences of
your own. Exercise 1
Retesting grammatical structure The following words have been taken from
a) What grammatical name is given to each the passage above. Use the dictionary and the
of the following expressions as used in the context of use to find their meanings. The first
passage? one has been done for you.
b) What is the function of each expression? 1 Cells: the smallest part of a living thing
that can exist independently, e.g. blood cells,
1 ‘ the first of the kingdoms to emerge ’
brain cell, red blood cells.
2 ‘… her capital city which has remained in
2 Organs: ____________________________
continuous existence…’
3 Tissues: ____________________________
3 ‘The pre-twentieth-century history of this
4 Anatomy: __________________________
old and fascinating state…’
5 Internal: ____________________________
4 ‘… who was the eldest son and successor
6 Thoracic: ___________________________
…’
7 Spine: ______________________________
5 ‘… about whom history is still silent.’
8 Pelvic: _____________________________
Vocabulary
Exercise 2
Human internal body system and Locate all the human internal organs in
location the word bank below. They are simple and
The human body is made up of organs, cells, common. You could seek a partner’s assistance.
There are 27!
19
penis testes vagina uterus Box ‘A’ Box ‘B’ A B
nerves tendon adenoids tonsils
lady your
thyroid hormone rectum blood
bottle my
intestine lung heart liver
students the
brain tissues cerebrum oesophagus
doctor a
adrenals appendix bladder kidney
boxes an
pancreas medulla spleen colon
potato both
textbooks many
I N T E S T I N E S H E A R T shirt good
L U N G T I S S U E S A U M L bottle three
P O N S C T E S T E S D T E I
Example
C O V A G I N A R O S R E D V
modifier noun
E E A B L A D D E R P E R U E
1 A lady was caught
R S P A N C R E A S L N U L R
E O P O V A R I E S E A S A B
noun phrase peeping through our
B P E R E C T U M T E L K U R
window.
R H N H O R M O N E N S I P A
U A D T Y R O I D M T B D E I You should also remember that a noun phrase
M G I T O N S I L S Y L N N N can have about four words preceding the noun,
A U X D T E N D O N R O E I P e.g.
E S A D E N O I D S O O Y S O A few good African men could be seen dis-
N E R V E S A D E P O D J U J playing some self-control during the riot.
Grammar Pair work

With your partner, develop each of the
Noun phrases following noun phrases. Each noun must have
You were told in SS 1 that a noun phrase is a four determiners preceding it.
group of words with a noun or a pronoun as 1 An eagle
the headword. ___________________________________
We also discussed some examples of noun ___________________________________
phrases and the use of the definite article with 2 My bag
nouns. ___________________________________
You will recall that the article and other ___________________________________
words that precede the noun to create the noun 3 Many scholars
phrase are referred to as modifiers because ___________________________________
they make the noun specific by describing it. ___________________________________
4 The bus
Exercise 1 ___________________________________
Make five sentences, using a noun from box ___________________________________
A with a suitable modifier from box . ne 5 Thirty bottles
example has been done for you. ___________________________________
___________________________________
20
Exercise 2 3 ___________________________________
___________________________________
In the following passage, the first noun phrase 4 ___________________________________
has been circled. Circle the other noun phrases ___________________________________
in the passage. 5 ___________________________________
___________________________________
The whole world is beginning to realise the
important role of the English language. Many Exercise 4
Africans can speak the language fluently and
so do other people from Europe and Asia. Over Use the following noun phrases in your own
90 countries worldwide use English as their sentences, making them perform the functions
official language because of the different ethnic indicated.
groups in such countries. Surprisingly, native 1 Those abandoned buildings – subject
speakers of the language are not as many as 2 three blind mice – object
the non-native or foreign users of the language. 3 my reading partner – object
4 Several casualties – subject
In SS 1, we explained the functions of the noun 5 last week – object
phrase: it can be either the subject or the object 6 beautiful silver necklaces – object
of the verb in a sentence. It is the subject if it is 7 An old music box – subject
in the position of the doer of the action and the 8 Many textbooks – subject
object if it is receiving the action. 9 Your uncle – subject
Examples 10 five brown handbags – object
Twenty new vehicles were purchased last week. The determiners in a noun phrase qualify the
noun or give it more meaning. Let us compare
noun phrase (subject) verb the two short texts below.
My school has just bought twenty new vehicles. Text A
It was a nice room. The windows were
verb noun phrase decorated with blue and purple plastic plants.
(subject) You could lie on the soft bed and sleep for
hours. There was an efficient maid to get you
Exercise 3 whatever you needed and delicious meals were
Write out the noun phrases you circled in the served. It was a wonderful place to relax.
passage. Indicate if each one is the subject or
object of the verb. The first one has been done Text B
for you. It was a horrible room. The windows were bare
and many cockroaches could be seen having a
The whole world is beginning to realise the field-day. ou would find it difficult to sleep
important role of the English language. because of the uncomfortable bed. To top it all,
(noun phrase as subject) there was an unfriendly maid who would take
1 ___________________________________ all day to get what you needed and the tasteless
___________________________________ meals they served would make you conclude
2 ___________________________________ that it was a terrible place to relax.
___________________________________
21
ou can see what the modifiers were able to Exercise 5
express in the two texts. They made text A and
text B entirely different. Add a noun phrase as the complement in each
How would you assess or rate the place of the following sentences. Use the items in
without those modifiers? Let us now see the box.
another text. An American ripe mangoes
the assembly prefect
Text C doctors a naughty boy
It was a room with windows and a bed in which
you could lie if you wanted to. They had a maid 1 David was ________________________
available and meals were served regularly. It 2 My parents are ____________________
was a place to relax. 3 Those are _________________________
4 I will soon become _________________
You will notice that we still used determiners 5 Our laundry man is ________________
(to show how important they are) but in text
C we have not been able to express the detail Exercise 6
needed.
Provide your own noun phrases as complements
Noun phrases as complements of verbs to complete the following sentences.
In English sentences, the subject shows the 1 They are all _______________________
performer of an action. The verb shows 2 The new student used to be ___________
the action that is performed, or the state of 3 Jaiye is now a _____________________
being (when it is called a linking verb). The 4 Nigeria has become ________________
complement completes the subject, as shown 5 My neighbour was _________________
in the following examples.
Noun phrases as complements of objects
1 The new coach is a nice man. Recall that an object is the receiver of an action
in a sentence, e.g.
subject noun phrase as I saw Ahmed at the cinema.
complement
subject verb object
2 Dayo may become our hero
The noun phrase that complements the object
subject noun phrase as
tells you more about the object in the sentence.
subject
complement Examples
1 We call Nasiru a hero.
Some examples of linking verbs that introduce
the complement in a sentence are: am, is, was, subject verb object object
are, were, being, found, appear, taste, see and smell. complement
22
2 The Principal named my friend the new Writing
represen-
tative. Argumentative essays
You have already studied argumentative essays
subject object object in your Junior Secondary course and again in
complement your Senior Secondary 1.
Do not forget that in an argumentative
Exercise 7 essay you are expected to argue. Persuasion
is the watchword here. Your choice of words
Complete the following by adding the object
should persuade the reader into believing in
and the object complement. An example has
your point of view. Your position is similar to
been done for you.
that of a prosecuting lawyer. As a result, you
should see the topic as a case before the law
Nigerians elected him President.
court. Your reader is a sceptical judge who has
the freedom to accept or refute your opinion,
object object complement
depending on the strength of your argument.
Therefore, you must not leave any stone
1 My neighbour sees _________ ___________
unturned in your bid to convince the reader.
2 Shade considers ___________ _________
3 The Principal labelled ________ _______ Proposition and opposition
4 The club members call _______________ In the argumentative essays, there are two
___________ options – the proposition and the opposition.
5 Mr and Mrs Johnson made ___________ If you are on the proposition side, you will be
___________ writing to support the position of the topic.
On the other hand, a writer on the opposition
Exercise 8 writes to oppose the topic. In most cases the
choice of whether to propose or oppose is
In the following sentences, indicate the function
yours. At other times, you may be asked to
of the noun phrase, either as subject, object,
assume a particular position or even to take
subject complement or object complement.
both sides, so that you argue for and against
a particular position. Knowing the basics of
1 The clown looks very annoying.
an argumentative essay will help you to be
2 Fatima has a kind heart.
comfortable in any position you are asked to
3 Badiya was elected captain of the team.
adopt.
4 Our school team won the match.
5 My mother calls me ‘sweetheart’.
Sample essay
6 We all brought our favourite novels.
7 The noise maker was a nuisance. Read the following sample essay. Then answer
8 The high chief was invited to the ceremony. the questions that follow.
9 My friend’s parents named their new baby The responsibilities of child training
‘The lily’. Child training is the act of directing a child
10 The house needs some repairs. in positive ways of behaviour. It involves
discipline, correction and care, which can be
23
given by parents or guardians. It is often said: their children. Without mincing words, let me
‘Train up a child in the way he should go, say that child training is also the responsibility
when he is old, he will not depart from it.’ This of the father.
instruction was not given to the mother alone.
The father has a part to play in the training of Questions
a child.
The home is the first school of a child. 1 What is the aim of the writer?
The parents are the first teachers. Proper 2 What side does the writer take in the
upbringing of a child demands corporate argument?
training from both parents. Spare the rod and 3 Assuming you are a judge being
spoil the child. The child has to be disciplined. presented with this case, what will be
Some mothers are weak when it comes to your judgement?
disciplining a child. This weakness is a result
of the close relationship between the mother Exercise
and the child. If the discipline of a child is not
well-considered, the child might go astray. Write an argumentative essay on the following.
Child care also entails financial support. Choose whether to propose or oppose.
Some mothers are housewives without jobs or 1 Military rule is better than civilian rule.
skills. They cannot provide the basic needs of 2 Child labour should be a punishable
the child. The father who is the breadwinner offence.
of the family can provide the child with his 3 Corporal punishment should not be a
needs, like paying school fees. Therefore, his disciplinary measure.
co-operation is needed in the training of the 4 Female circumcision should be abol-
child. ished.
Some children are naturally closer to
their fathers than to their mothers, especially
girls. They tend to listen to their fathers more Reminder
than to their mothers. This is usually an
To be good at argument:
opportunity for fathers to teach their children
present a viewpoint
what their mothers cannot. Some children take
present your point to be valid
their fathers as models. They learn from their
convince your readers or audience.
behaviour and skills. A father is said to be the
How good can you be?
head of the family; that symbol of authority
efore you start, use your dictionary to find the
controls every misdemeanour of the child. It
meaning of any word from the topic that you do
is also the responsibility of the father to train a
not understand.
child.
A child is a member of a society whose
future depends on his/her decisions in life.
Such decisions are produced by the type of
training the child has received. For a better
society with better citizens, both parents should
commit their time and energy to the training of
24
Unit 3 History and scientific knowledge
Oral English
Word stress Reminder

We use capital letters to indicate the stressed
Five-syllable words syllables.
Do you remember what we mean by syllables?
Recall that syllable is the breaking down of
Word drills
words into sections that contain the smallest
Observe the following words closely. Each of
vowel sound. Study the example below.
them has five syllables. bserve particularly the
e-xa-mi-na-tion = 5 syllables
syllable that is stressed in each word.
Exercise
Indicate, with the use of hyphens, the way each Five-syllable words with stress on the
word can be divided into syllables. first syllable
CApitalism
1 consideration
REgionalism
2 indispensable
RAdicalism
3 manipulative
FAvouritism
4 impermissible
FUNCtionalism
5 impersonation
Five-syllable words with stress on the

How many syllables did you get in each case?
second syllable
You must not forget that in our study of
word stress, we emphasised that stress is placed
maNIpulator unCOMfortable
not on a whole word but on a particular syllable
adMInistrator parTIcularly
of a word. Do you remember what we mean by
coMMEmorative maNIpulative
stress?
coMMUnicative maNEUverable
Stress is the extra force put on a syllable in
adMInistrative obSTRUCtionism
a word or a word in a sentence to make it sound
inDUstrialist
more clearly than the surrounding syllables or
words.
In this unit, we are going to study the
placement of stress on words of five syllables.
25
Five-syllable words with stress on the Paragraph drill
third syllable In the paragraph below, words of five syllables
with different stress patterns are used. Read it
incaPAcitate converSAtional aloud. Take note of the stressed syllables.
interNAtional imperMIssible
opeRAtional impeCUniously In former days, agriCULtural products came
eduCAtional imperTURbable from subsistent farmers who cultivated only
agriCULtural inciDENtally for themselves and their families, using local
peniTENtiary preserVAtionist tools. Because the food supply was not enough,
the situation became so unCOMfortable that
Five-syllable words with stress on the people started thinking of the best solution to
fourth syllable the problem. This generated the mechaniSAtion
of agriculture. As a result, some interNAtional
dramatiSAtion mechaniSAtion organiSAtions, parTIcularly inDUstrialists
organiSAtion examiNAtion from all over the world, became so interested in
glorifiCAtion encycloPAEdia agriculture. There has been a great improvement
consideRAtion incompreHENsion in agriCULtural activities since then.
manifesTAtion investigation
Sentence drill Homework

Practise the following sentences in pairs, taking
Write a paragraph that contains words of five
note of the stressed syllables in capital letters.
syllables with the stress in the first, second,
1 Farming is now a lucrative business as a
third or fourth positions. Study words of five
result of the mechaniSAtion of agriculture.
syllables from the examples above before you
2 There are lots of FAvouritism in our
start.
institutions.
3 Many students now have coMMUnicative
Dialogue practice
competence in the English language.
Read this dialogue in pairs and take note of the
4 The lady was the best paper presenter at
words of five syllables.
the interNAtional conference.
5 The new manager is a powerful
adMInistrator.
Class work
1 Write ten words of five syllables each.
Indicate the position of stress in each
word.
2 Write ten correct sentences, each bearing
a word of five syllables. Indicate the a is Clems, is it true there was pande-
position of stress in the five-syllable monium at the administrative block
words. during the school’s annual seminar?
26
lems Yes, of course. The problem came about what you have read. Ask each other
particularly from the senior boys who questions.
felt they were almost out of the school. 5 Write to support understanding: Write
a is So… what actually caused the pan- about what you have read, telling what
demonium? it made you think of or what you learned.
lems Well, while the career representative
from the World Health Organisation Comprehension
was presenting his paper, some of the
senior boys became uncomfortable History and scientific knowledge
because of the young man’s heavy accent I invite you to join me in reflecting on the
which made him speak English as if he role of history in the promotion of scientific
was speaking his mother tongue. They knowledge, particularly about man and
started imitating him while other stu- society. This is an issue about which there is
dents burst out laughing. The academic considerable confusion. But I believe that we
administrator immediately started can cut through some of the confusion and see
punishing anyone to everyone, so there that history is in fact social science or, at any
was disorder. rate, the future of the social sciences.
a is It was indiscriminate, then! Like the natural sciences, the social
lems Well, I believe that will teach the sciences are concerned with making possible
senior boys to avoid discrimination a systematic explanation of the social world
and be more responsible. by showing the empirical and logical relations
between social ‘events’. However, the social
Reading sciences cannot accomplish this task unless
they operate within the framework of historical
Reading strategies
analysis. Man, the subject matter of the social
What do you do after reading?
sciences, is highly susceptible to change. Even
1 Retell and summarise: Talk to someone
as a physical object, he changes constantly.
or write what happened in the story. Try
But his susceptibility to change is greatly
to include characters, plot and important
compounded by his psychological and social
events. If it’s non-fiction, review what
character. As he feels and thinks, so he adjusts
information was presented.
his behaviour. In his constant interaction with
2 Draw conclusions: Think about what
others, he recreates himself constantly.
predictions you made before and during
The study of man, social man, must have
reading. Look back and think about
a temporal dimension. If social man is to be
what you read. Then consider how the
understood at all, he must be understood
information you read relates to what
as a phenomenon in process through time,
you already knew about the topic. Ask
in short, historically. Again, because of the
whether your questions were answered
constraints on experimentation arising from
or whether you still have more questions
the peculiar nature of their subject-matter,
about the topic.
the social sciences rely heavily on trying to
3 Re-read: Read through the text or a section
find explanatory principles through precise
again to help you understand it better.
comparisons. Here again, historical time enters
4 Discuss and respond: Talk with someone
27
as a decisive factor. Since human beings and ii) Mention three changes man under-
society are so susceptible to change and appear goes.
to lack the uniformity of physical objects and to d) What is the relationship between science
develop in an autonomous manner, our options and the social sciences?
for ‘generalising’ them are severely limited. e) How would you relate change and the
We are largely confined to comparing them at laws of motion?
different points in time and stages of evolution; f) Why do you think that anything at all will
we cannot avoid anchoring social science be understood historically?
scholarship on historical and developmental g) ‘If social man is to be understood at all…’
analysis. i) What grammatical name is given
As a matter of fact, the need to situate to this expression as it is used in the
scientific investigation in the developmental passage?
and historical context arises for the natural ii) What is its function?
sciences also, although it is admittedly less h) For each of the following words, find
compelling. We do not really fully understand another word or phrase that means the
something without knowing its ‘natural same and can replace it as it is used in the
history’, without knowing how it has come passage.
to be what it is. In a world in which change i) considerable
is ubiquitous, we cannot accept experience ii) logical
merely in its immediacy, or as a determination iii) accomplish
which is fully formed and not referable to any iv) constantly
process of development. That will be the very v) interaction
negation of the idea of science. When science vi) peculiar
predicts, it does not have knowledge of the vii) ubiquitous
future as such, but only of a present that has
already passed. ur scientific knowledge is
the knowledge of this passing present from Re ect and discuss
which we are also able to derive knowledge 1 Would you choose history as a field of
of the ‘natural history’ of phenomena. In a study in the university? Explain your
world of change and flux, we are obliged to answer.
try to understand phenomena in process, and 2 Have you ever thought of how Nigeria
ultimately in terms of their laws of motion. came to be?
(From Tarikh’s, History and the Social Sciences 3 Why do you think a man you know
pages 19–20) changed from what he used to be?
4 What subjects/courses make up social
sciences/sciences?
Comprehension questions 5 Can you name about ten things whose
history you feel we should know? (There
a) i) What type of writing is this? are thousands, though.)
ii) What is the passage about?
b) What is the focus of social sciences?
c) i) Why does man change?
28
Summary writing understanding of the passage.
1 Change is peculiar to human beings.
1 In four sentences, one for each, summarise 2 Man can be understood only in transit and
the roles of history on the promotion of not in a permanent form.
scientific knowledge. 3 Historical developments show the change
2 In one sentence, summarise what scientific phenomenon.
knowledge is. 4 Those who erased the distinction between
history and social sciences failed in their
enterprise.
Reminder 5 The problem with history is that it brought
considerable confusion.
You will be able to write a clear summary
when you are able to use your critical reading ifficult words
skills well. Many students struggle to write How would you rate the comprehension
an acceptable summary. In order to write a passage Difficult, moderate, easy ou may
clear summary, you need to decide on the need to pay attention to the following words
essay’s central point, consider the passage’s in the passage, making use of the dictionary
significance as a whole and its stages of where necessary.
thought. Ask yourself the following questions.
1 What does each paragraph say? empirical analysis susceptible
2 How are the ideas organised? compounded temporal dimension
3 How does each part of the passage fit into phenomenon constraints precise
the whole? autonomous confined anchoring
4 What do all the points add up to? situate compelling obliged
Above all, summary writing means using your
own words. Do not depend on the original Use ten of the words above in sentences.
words of the passage. Retesting grammatical structure
The following expressions are taken from the
Pair work passage:
1 How much of the history of your lineage/ a) What grammatical name is given to each
family do you know? Tell your partner. of the following expressions as used in the
2 Do you know your home town? What passage?
aspect of its history can you tell your b) What is the function of each expression?
partner? 1 ‘… that we can cut through some of the
3 Festivals and ceremonies in each town or confusion…’
village have a story behind them. Discuss 2 ‘… unless they operate within the
what you know about these in your town framework of historical analysis.’
with your partner. 3 ‘… the need to situate scientific
investigation in developmental and
Drawing conclusions historical context…’
Read the comprehension passage again and 4 ‘In a world in which change is
indicate true (T) or false (F) to reflect your ubiquitous,…’
29
5 ‘When science predicts,…’ us, surgeons and general practitioners were
doctors working in the hospital.
Vocabulary
Exercise
Health and healthcare Fill in the gaps below with the appropriate
You may not be familiar with all the words
option from A–E.
associated with health and healthcare in the
passage below. Choose your time to check the I made a visit to the University Teaching
unfamiliar words in the dictionary with your Hospital the other day. At the 1 department,
classmates. where accident 2 are treated, the doctors were
In those days when I had a cold or a headache, battling to save the life of a man who had just
I did not know there were other ailments and been knocked down in a road accident. They
infections more than the pains I had. Even 3 the injured man thoroughly with the aid of
when I had a cut or a bruise, I did not know several 4 instruments such as the 5 used in
my wound was nothing compared to a heart measuring body temperature and the 6 used
attack or meningitis. In those days, we merely in listening to the sound of the heart and the
bandaged our wounds or put on a plaster. For lungs. By using 7 , several internal parts of
some ailments, we merely took a dose of the the patient’s body were filmed. 8 and pain-
prescribed medicine and drugs, although in killing injections were given. His bleeding
some extreme cases an injection did the magic. was stopped. The nurses 9 his wounds and
However, tranquillisers were unheard of and he was carried on a 10 to the special unit
an operation was only imagined. Many of us 11 where those under 12 care are kept. The
wanted to be a doctor or a nurse though we doctor asked the nurses to keep the patient
did not know about a dentist or a midwife. To under close 13.
A B C D E
1 mortuary psychiatry paediatrics anatomy casualty
2 drivers victims motorists convicts culprits
3 examined inspected tested consulted healed
4 biological laboratory scientific clinical pathological
5 barometer odometer speedometer ammeter thermometer
6 microscope heliotrope stethoscope horoscope telescope
7 xerox x-ray xylophone heat rays sun rays
8 Anti-malaria Immunisation Pathological Anti-tetanus Cerebral
9 decorated plastered rinsed bathed dressed
10 stretcher trolley bed coffin lift
11 house ward cell compartment room
12 critical fatal potent serious intensive
13 restriction diagnosis observation inspection confinement
30
Grammar 1 My uncle __________ was awarded a
Nobel Prize.
Noun phrases as appositives 2 Mr Johnway _________ was asked to give
An appositive modifies or renames the noun the speech.
that precedes it. The appositive phrase tells 3 The President ________ has never travelled
us more about the noun that comes before it. to India.
We are going to use some of Alexander’s titles 4 Jimoh ________ prayed for everyone at
as appositives in the sentences below. Both the assembly.
appositives rename Alexander. 5 Celestine Babayaro ________ scored the
winning goal.
Alexander the Great fought many battles. 6 My aunt _______ was featured in a
newspaper article.
noun appositive 7 Mr Ahmed __________ danced all night
at the party.
noun
Noun phrases as objects of preposi-
Alexander, the son of Philip II, fought tions
and won many battles. You should not forget that a preposition
indicates the link or relationship between
appositive a noun or pronoun with other words in a
sentence. Some prepositions are: at, in, from,
Exercise 1 under, between, by, above and among.
Create sentences about Alexander using his Example
remaining titles as appositives. You do not We saw Kulu at the gallery.
need to repeat Alexander fought and won battles. The noun phrase that is in the position of the
Create your own action or activities in which object of a preposition (or object complement)
Alexander engaged. is always preceded by the preposition in a
the great man prepositional phrase.
son of Philip II A prepositional phrase starts with a
king of Macedonia preposition and ends with a noun or a noun
leader of his people phrase.
conqueror of the Persian Empire
one of the greatest military geniuses of all
times
1 Alexander, ________________________
2 __________________________________
3 __________________________________
Exercise 2
Provide your own appositive phrases to
complete each of the following sentences.
31
prepositional phrase
Pero hid under a table.
preposition Noun
phrase
(object of preposition)
The sanitary inspector went round the house.
preposition noun
phrase
My English teacher called the names of noise makers.
preposition noun phrase
The children played under the mango tree.
preposition noun
phrase
Exercise 3 ___________________________________
6 He needed to keep his books __________
Complete each of the the following sentences ___________________________________
by adding a prepositional phrase. Then identify 7 Nobody there agreed _________________
the object of the preposition in each sentence. ___________________________________
1 Gbenga is fond of chatting ____________ 8 The masquerade danced wildly ________
____________________________________ ___________________________________
2 During the riot, we all ran ____________ 9 You should not send such a message ___
___________________________________ ________________________________
3 I often study ________________________ 10 Almost all the participants are _________
___________________________________ ___________________________________
4 Seidu does not eat ___________________
___________________________________
5 Oranges can be found ________________
32
Exercise 4 Exercise 5
Underline the noun phrases that are functioning Correct the error underlined in each of the
as the prepositional complement (object of a following sentences.
preposition) in the short passage below. 1 Many people attended the concert and the
most of the people enjoyed the short play.
As the vice-principal was coming into the new 2 Too much chairs have been ordered.
class, he heard a scream from the next room 3 Sarki, a man jumping, is a brave man.
which was the biology laboratory. He decided 4 Someone bought for me flowers.
to go into the place to find out what was going 5 During the crisis we all dived towards
on. When he entered the laboratory, he saw inside the house.
some guinea pigs running around the floor. He
quickly sent for the laboratory assistant who Multiple-choice questions
was able to gather them up and put them back
1 A prepositional complement is the same
in their cage.
as an
A object of a preposition.
Noun phrases as adverbials B indirect preposition.
In SS 1, you were told that adverbials modify
C object complement.
or tell us more about the verb. The adverbial,
2 My uncle, the physiotherapist, has just
which may be a word or a group of words
come back from Ghana.
tells us where, when, how and why an activity
The item underlined is an example of a
occurred. In other words, we can say that
noun phrase as an
adverbials tell us more about actions, their
A object of preposition.
place, time, manner and reason.
B appositive.
The noun phrase can serve the function
C adverbial.
of the adverbial.
3 Which of the following has the noun
Examples
phrase as an object of preposition?
modifier noun A My friend bought some sweets for
me.
1 Morayo travelled last week. B My friend bought me sweets.
C My friend bought some sweets.
verb noun phrase as an 4 Another word for the noun phrase that
adverbial (time) renames the preceding noun is an
A adverbial.
modifier noun B appositive.
C object complement.
2 There was a lot of merry-making
throughout the night. Homework
noun phrase as adverbial (time) Underline the noun phrases in paragraph one
in the passage below and indicate its function.
The first one has been done for you.
33
A What it is what it is not Make writing your hobby. It builds you into an
AIDS is one of the most serious, deadly diseases effective writer.
in human history. (object of the verb is). Debate
Today, there are an estimated 42 million Do you have a debating society in your
people living with HIV or AIDS worldwide, and school? Are you aware that a debate is the
more than 3 million people die every year from same as an argumentative essay, except that it
AIDS-related illnesses. is orally presented? Debate however, has some
AIDS is caused by the human rules.
immunodeficiency virus (HI ). HI destroys 1 Timing: Your argument must be within
a type of defence cell in the body called the time limit provided. For instance, if
a CD4 helper lymphocyte. This is part of the rules say you should speak for only 5
the body’s immune system, which fights minutes, you must keep strictly to it.
infectious diseases. But as HIV destroys these 2 Presentation: This is the manner you adopt
lymphocytes, people with the virus begin to get in communicating your ideas to your
serious infections that they normally wouldn’t. listeners. Your manner of presentation
They become immune deficient. must be adequate.
The medical community has been able to 3 Elocution: Elocution means good, clear
develop drugs to inhibit the growth of AIDS. speaking in public. It indicates that in
These drugs have been successful in slowing your presentation you must speak well
the progress of the disease and people with the and clearly. This involves adequate
disease now live much longer. But there is still control of your voice and the correct
no cure for HIV and AIDS. pronunciation of words.
HIV can be transmitted from an infected 4 Gestures: To command and hold the
person to another person through blood, attention of your audience, you must learn
semen, vaginal fluids and breast milk. The to speak fluently and marshal your points
virus is spread through high-risk behaviours with good gestures.
such as unprotected, oral, vaginal or anal sexual 5 Accuracy: The points you establish in your
intercourse. Other means of contacting the argument, whether for an essay or for a
disease include sharing needles such as those debate, must be accurate. They should be
used to inject drugs or the skin tattoo. acceptable facts supporting your point
of view. ou must find time to research
Writing the topic. This will help you to obtain the
Argumentative essays valid facts needed in supporting your
ou are now gaining confidence in the writing argument.
of an argumentative essay. How good was the There are other rules of debate. Usually, the
argument you wrote in the previous unit? Do judges read them out before the debate begins.
you think your argument could win the support
of any reader? The more often you write an
argumentative essay, the stronger you are in the
techniques. Therefore, choose some other topics
and write more and more. Enjoy the exercise.
34
Sample debate keep us striving? Let me see your hands
up.
Teachers are more important than Now, let me tell you what you’ve just said.
doctors Whether you realise it or not, you just said:
My name is Joy Chioma. I am standing here No matter the circumstances at hand, in every
to propose the motion that teachers are more moment/sphere of life, the teachers in our lives
important than doctors. will ever remain the grassroots to a blossoming
That teachers are more important than future because without them, you don’t know
doctors is an indisputable fact. how we would acquire the knowledge we need
The word teacher was derived from to soar highly.
the word teach. According to the Longman A country, a nation or a school without
Dictionary of Contemporary English, the word a teacher is like a city without a builder. And
teach is a general word for helping a person or of course, a doctor who never passed through
a group of people to learn something. In other a teacher’s hands is a great danger to human
words, a teacher is someone whose job is to lives. I’ll expatiate on some critical facts about
teach, whose job is to help a person or a group the benefits of teachers.
of people learn something. On the other hand, First, with respect to the fundamental
from the same dictionary, a doctor is someone basis of our social growth, teachers give us
who is trained to treat people who are ill. words, images and ideas from which we build
But then, before I go on, it is indeed wise our lives, showing us how much we can do on
and appropriate for me to give honour to whom our own and how much we can do working
honour is due and with this I say, good day, with others, as well as how to build whatever
Mr Moderator, Panel of Judges, Ladies and we build. They help us to lay the foundation.
Gentlemen. They help us discover the potentials in us,
I am strongly in support of the motion, exactly what we do best, so we can even do it
‘Teachers are more important than doctors’. much better. They make us aware, broadening
Nothing can be truer than that statement. our horizons to the very many careers in life,
Anyone in his or her right senses anywhere and and this makes us decide at a very particular
wherever in this whole wide world would hail moment in our early lives that we want to be
the statement as a saying of the century. doctors, lawyers, politicians, or whatever else
Well, permit me to ask you a few questions we can think of. Therefore, great careers are
which will invariably unfold the weight and often traced back to the influence of teachers.
significance of that statement. The second fact is this: their ability to
Now, how many of us believe that there always guide and encourage can never ever
would be a doctor if there were no be underestimated. When every detail of what
teacher? Can I see your hands up? they taught has been forgotten, a touch of their
Again, how many of us here have never enthusiasm, encouragement and kindness
ever been taught by a teacher? May I see remains. They help us make something of
your hands up? our lives, however bad times are. They let
All right, how many of us believe that our us explore, invent, create, question and even
potential would blossom and yield fruit explain with a hand ready to steady us when
if we are not taught certain skills that will we are stuck and that’s what we all, as students
35
here, have been passing through… isn’t it? second to the last paragraph?
And the third fact is this: teachers have this
legacy of fairness, honesty and perseverance. Literature
The organisation of the 2011 Nigerian elections
is a proof to this fact. Professors in the teaching Figures of speech
profession, as a result of these legacies, were You have already looked at some of the
assigned to oversee the course of the election. techniques writers and poets use to enrich their
This sure had a great impact as the election writing and make readers (or listeners) enjoy
was free and fair. Certainly, they did not invite their work.
doctors because they knew as much as we did In this unit, we will be looking at other
and still do that their presence was irrelevant devices they use. You can also use them from
to such an essential national affair. time to time when interacting with friends or
Finally, may I tell you, ladies and writing essays or poems.
gentlemen, if you can write your name, please
thank your teacher, not your doctor. Where are Euphemism
doctors throughout the period of a person’s We use euphemism to replace an
foundational academic training? Indeed, every expression that may sadden or offend someone.
honest thinker knows that teachers nurture us It is used to make a serious issue (or an offensive
all through the nursery, primary, secondary, and issue) less serious. Here are some examples.
even through the tertiary, education. Show me
Expression Euphemism
any brilliant doctor, and I will show you the
powerful influence of a great teacher. died passed away/
What better proof do we need to expatiate gone to meet
our points more when everybody including his maker
doctors, appreciate the song that says: prison correctional
Teachers are greater than doctors facility
No matter what you think, liar economical
I will always thank my teachers with the truth
I have decided to thank God for teachers, jobless/unemployed between jobs
For teachers are greater than doctors. toilet (offensive to rest-room
Please sing with me … mention when others are
Thank you so much for accepting the simple eating)
truth.
Pair work
Questions
With your partner, explain the following
1 Mention the three questions the debater euphemisms. Your teacher will ask you to read
asked the audience. them out.
2 How did he liken a doctor that was not 1 physically challenged
taught by a teacher? 2 expecting
3 What question did this debater ask in the 3 kick the bucket
36
4 well-endowed You can bank on our bank.
5 gentlemen of the highway
rely on a financial institution
Paradox
This is seen in a statement that appears Different words with similar sound
contradictory but which is true when you look
‘Stephanie and her sisters love fashion.
at it closely.
They have a clothes-knit family.
Exercise 1
sounds like close
The Physics professor has gone fission.
Explain the following paradoxes. The first one
has been done for you.
sounds like fis n
Paradox Meaning
1 unity in diversity being united and Exercise 2
at the same time
not losing your Create jokes using the following words as puns.
culture or indi- The first one has been done for you.
viduality fanatics, supporters
2 war is peace
3 the beginning of 1 A superstar wondered where his fans
the end were and one of his assistants produced
4 a rich country a fan.
(natural resources)
of poor people tool for cooling the face
5 penny wise, pound 2 bag
foolish 3 toe
4 change
Pun 5 table
A pun is a play on words. It is another way 6 week
of showing your skill as a writer or user of a
language as you use a word to express two or
more meanings in one sentence. You can use
the similar sense or sound of different words
as in these examples.
Same words with different meanings
only
The sole owner of the beach front crushed

the hapless sole with his soles.
a kind of fish a part of a shoe
37
Unit 4 The wealthy mare
Oral English
Word stress externaliSAtion

personifiCAtion
Six-syllable words
Some six-syllable words have the main stress Sentence drill
on the third syllable. Others have theirs on the Practise the following sentences in pairs. Take
fourth or fifth syllable. bserve the following note of the stressed syllables of the six-syllable
words closely. The stressed syllables, as you words.
already know, are indicated with the use of 1 The responsiBIlity of the sanitary prefect
capital letters. is to ensure the cleanliness of the school.
2 Following widespread development in
Word drills rural areas, the Federal Government is
Six-syllable words with stress on the currently embarking on an electrifiCAtion
third syllable project.
3 PersonifiCAtion is one of the figures of
congreGAtionalism speech we studied last week.
congreGAtionalist 4 He is reportedly being held
indeFAtigable incommuniCAdo at a military prison.
capitali Ation 5 Her essay was filled with lots of
revoLUtionary incompreHENsible jargon.
indeTERminable
agriC turalist Paragraph drill
pedaG gically elow is a paragraph that contains words of
indisTINguishable six syllables. Read it and take note of the six-
interNAtionally syllable words.
Six-syllable words with stress on the After some scientific experimentation at

fifth syllable the Ajagbo village in Ankpa district, the
industrialiSAtion Federal Government decided to embark on an
generaliSAtion electrification project. Initially, what seemed
incommuniCAdo an impossibility eventually became a reality.
electrifiCAtion As a result of the favourable nature of the
experimenTAtion Ajagbo village, many investors, including
38
agriculturalists, started trooping in. The Becky: Thanks to our parents. They are
village, which was once known as a bush, indistinguishable in terms of their
became internationally recognised as a result philosophy of life.
of tremendous developments. Bruno: Well, their dependability compels
them to work harder for us because
we rely on them.
Class work
Class work
1 Write out all the words of six syllables in
the paragraph above and place the stress Study the conversation above carefully
appropriately. and pick out the words of six syllables.
2 Write ten correct sentences using words Indicate where the stress falls in each of
of six syllables. Indicate their stress pat- the words.
terns in capital letters. Do not use any of
the words used in the examples above. Common errors
ecause the English language adopts a definite
Dialogue practice stress pattern, some learners of English as a
Read this dialogue in pairs. second language mispronounce some words
because of interference from their mother
tongue. As a result, many polysyllabic words
may be pronounced wrongly with the wrong
stress placement. Below are some correct and
incorrect stress placements. Listen carefully as
your teacher pronounces them.
Incorrect Correct
pronunciation pronunciation
INcomprehensible incompreHEnsible
resPONsibility responsiBIlity
imPOssibility impossiBIlity
Bruno: Do you know our parents have lots
inD strialisation industrialiSAtion
of responsibilities?
geneRAlisation generaliSAtion
Becky: Of course. Take Daddy, for example.
PERsonification personifiCAtion
He combines his teaching job with
experiMENtation experimenTAtion
his career as an agriculturalist just
elecTRIfication electrifiCAtion
to give us a better future.
AGRIculturalist agriC turalist
Bruno: Mummy, for her own part, has been
conGREgationalism congreGAtionalism
totally incommunicado for three
days now. She buries herself in her saTISfactorily satisFACtorily
studies to produce her third book
next week.
39
Exercise you can make further comments later.
For easy handling and filing, use paper
1 Use capital letters to indicate the stressed of the same size.
syllables in the following words. As you write, use your own English
a) revolutionary expressions.
b) internationally The ideas in the notes should relate to one
c) sustainability another. Orderliness is important.
d) experimentation
e) inevitability Comprehension
f) congregationalism
g) pedagogically The wealthy mare
h) dependability
2 Pronounce the words correctly.
3 Write ten other words of six syllables.
Indicate their stress patterns accordingly.
You may use your dictionary.
Reading
Making notes when reading
Making notes (note-taking) is an essential
part of reading to comprehend. It is a form Having travelled about three miles, we came
of summarising, extracting the essential to a kind of building, made of timber, struck in
points from the whole book or story. At the ground, and wattled across; the roof was
meetings, lectures, or in other activities such low, and covered with straw. I now began to
as listening to a sermon, it is impossible to be a little comforted; and took out some toys,
write everything. In these circumstances, good which travellers usually carry for presents to
note-taking is essential. the savage Indians of America, and other parts,
Note-taking is a method of recording in hope that the people of the house would be
important information for future use. Good thereby encouraged to receive me kindly. The
notes should be as brief as possible without horse made me a sign to go in first it was a
leaving out essential details. The title of a book, large room with a smooth clay floor, and a rack
story or sermon will be enough to guide you and manger, extending the whole length on one
in taking notes. Notes can be taken during a side. There were three nags and two mares, not
talk or immediately afterwards but should not eating, but some of them sitting down upon
be delayed more than necessary. A note that is their hams, which I very much wondered at;
not taken without delay may lose some of the but wondered more to see the rest employed in
vital points and then accuracy will be lost. In domestic business. These seemed but ordinary
summary: cattle however, this confirmed my first opinion,
Notes must be highly selective. nly that a people who could so far civilise brute
significant points should be noted. animals, must needs excel in wisdom all nations
Write out the sub-topics boldly and always of the world. The grey came in just after, and
remember to leave wide margins where thereby prevented any ill treatment which the
40
others might have given me. He neighed to Comprehension questions
them several times in a style of authority, and
received answers. a) What was the writer’s first opinion
Beyond this room there were three others, b) Who is referred to as ‘the grey’ in the
reaching the length of the house, to which you passage
passed through three doors, opposite to each c) How many rooms were in the house?
other, in the manner of a vista, we went through d) ‘… in the same dialect’
the second room towards the third; here the What does this expression mean?
grey walked in first, beckoning me to attend e) How did the writer feel about happenings
I waited in the second room, and got ready around him?
my presents for the master and mistress of the f) i) What adjective is used to describe the
house: they were two knives, three bracelets owner of the house?
of false pearl, a small looking-glass, and a ii) How many ‘children’ are there?
bead necklace. The horse neighed three or four g) ‘ that a people who could so far civilise
times, and I waited to hear some answers in a brute animals, …’
human voice, but I observed no other returns i) What grammatical name is given
than in the same dialect, only one or two a to this expression as it is used in
little shriller than his. I began to think that this the passage
house must belong to some person of great ii) What is its function?
note among them, because there appeared so h) For each of the following words, find
much ceremony before I could gain admittance. another word or phrase that means the
But that a man of quality should be served all same thing and can replace it as it is used
by horses, was beyond my comprehension. I in the passage.
feared my brain was disturbed by my sufferings i) wattled
and misfortunes: I roused myself, and looked ii) savage
about me in the room where I was left alone; iii) wondered
this was furnished like the first, only after a iv) prevented
more elegant manner. I rubbed my eyes often, v) admittance
but the same objects still occurred. I pinched my vi) comprehension
arms and sides, to wake myself, hoping I might vii) misfortunes
be in a dream. I then absolutely concluded
that all these appearances could be nothing
else but necromancy and magic. ut I had no Re ect and discuss
time to pursue these reflections for the grey 1 Why is the house of the rich different from
horse came to the door, and made me a sign that of the poor?
to follow him into the third room; where I saw 2 Why do you think it is difficult to see a
a very comely mare, together with a colt and rich man who has many attendants in his
foal sitting on their haunches, upon mats of house?
straw, not unartfully made, and perfectly neat 3 The narrator has a gift ready for the
and clean. host(ess). Why do you think this is
(From Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, necessary?
pages 212 – 213)
41
4 Why do you think some people are hostile 2 The owner of the house is an animal.
to strangers 3 The children in the house are animals.
5 Why do you think the horse neighed three 4 The children are a boy and a girl.
or four times instead of knocking on the 5 The narrator is apprehensive.
door? 6 The hosts are Indians and Americans.
Summary question ifficult words

The following words are found in the passage.
In four sentences, one for each, summarise the Do you truly understand them? If you do not,
experiences that surprised the narrator. use the dictionary to find their meanings.
Reminder encouraged nags mares

hams excel neighed
Telling the story is not required in a summary.
vista beckoning observed
Besides, you will need to be precise, to be
shriller roused furnished
exact. Your answer must not leave the reader
absolutely necromancy reflections
confused. You will need to sieve the vital,
comely colt foal
relevant points from examples and illustrations.
haunches unartfully rack and manger
Note that the writer did not have you in mind
before writing. He was merely expressing
himself. So you need to eliminate needless Retesting grammatical structure
words and repetitions he might have included. a) What grammatical name is given to each
Avoid using expression such as ‘the writer of the following expressions as used in the
says’ or ‘according to the writer ’ These passage
will make your summary answer wordy. b) What is the function of each expression?
Wordiness is considered unnecessary and will 1 ‘… which some travellers usually
be penalised. Make your ideas understandable; carry for presents…’
make your writing legible. 2 ‘ a large room with a smooth clay
floor, ’
3 ‘… the rest employed in domestic
Pair work business…’
4 ‘ which the others might have
Have you ever visited a rich man’s house? given me ’
Explain to your partner the occasion, the 5 ‘… that all these appearances could
purpose and your experience of the environment be nothing else but necromancy and
and the people in and around the house. magic ’
Drawing conclusions Vocabulary

Read the comprehension passage and indicate
whether the following sentences are true (T)
Health and healthcare
You may not be familiar with all the words
or false (F).
associated with health and healthcare in the
1 The writer of this passage is an animal.
passage below. Choose your time to check the
42
unfamiliar words in the dictionary with your hurt injure treatment feel sick
classmates. be sick healthy well
Whenever you have a stuffy nose, a sore throat,

and a pounding headache, how do you know Exercise 1
if it’s a cold or flu Children typically don’t die
from flu or its complications. However, health 1 Explain the following words extracted
officials reported that many kids younger from the passage on health and healthcare.
than 18 died from flu-related causes during
a) stuffy nose h) sore throat
a one-year period. And many of the deaths
b) pounding headache i) health officials
could have been prevented if the children had
c) pregnant women j) flu shot
been vaccinated. Pregnant women should get
d) chronic pain k) bulging disk
a flu shot to protect themselves and even their
e) fibromyalgia l) headaches
newborn from flu.
f) back pain m) joint pain
Chronic pain can begin with an injury or
g) nerve pain
a problem such as a bulging disk in the spine.
It can be associated with complex syndromes
such as fibromyalgia. Or you may experience it
as a headache, back pain, joint pain nerve pain, Exercise 2
or a myriad of other localised symptoms.
There is no reason to suffer. Diagnose the Match each word in column A with the
symptoms, get treatment and find relief for appropriate related words in column B.
back, neck and other types of chronic pain.
A B
1 complications influen a, cold
Now study some more words associated with 2 officials innumerable,
health and healthcare below. untold
3 vaccination indications,
People and places indicators
4 flu disorder, disease
dentist doctor midwife nurse
5 spine inoculation,
patient specialist surgeon hospital
immunisation
ward surgery waiting room
6 syndromes spot, identify
general practitioner operating theatre
7 myriad vertebrae, back-
bone
8 symptoms difficulty,
Verbs and adjectives
problem
unhealthy painful unwell catch 9 diagnose therapy, remedy
operate on fit ill 10 treatment representatives,
care prescribe sick prescription administrators
cure heal treat vomit
43
Grammar
You She
Me
Pronouns
You should remember that pronouns can
replace nouns and prevent monotony or
boring essays. sing pronouns in your writing
helps to make your work interesting, thereby
overcoming boredom. Without pronouns, we
would have the kind of writing shown below.
Mrs abington is a fine old lady. Mrs abington

lives across our street and Mrs abington’s
house has a lovely garden which Mrs abington In addition, the pronouns also indicate gender
waters daily. Mrs abington’s husband, Mr (male female).
abington used to work in a hospital. However, Note also that pronouns can be further
both Mr abington and Mrs abington have divided into the following.
a dog named ingo. ingo is friendly and 1 Subjective case: those that occupy the
helpful. ingo actually takes out the dustbin subject position.
and guards Mr and Mrs abington’s garden Examples
jealously.
I will go home in the evening.
The noun that a pronoun replaces is referred to
as the antecedent. The nouns that could have We will become successful in life.
been changed to pronoun have been underlined
in the passage. She He ou will remain faithful to God.
Personal pronouns
The personal pronouns are I, me, we, us, you, he, 2 Objective case: pronouns that are placed
him, she, they, them and it. in the object position
Personal pronouns point to the nouns
He saw me.
they represent and match them in number.
subject object
Singular Plural
They did not greet us.
First person pronouns I, me we, us
Second person pronouns you you subject object
Third person pronouns she, her, they,
he, him, it them Others include: her, him, you.
Possessive pronouns
Some pronouns indicate possession. (Recall that
we discussed adjectives that denote possession:
44
my, your, their and our.) The possessive pronouns At the re-union, the old friends hugged
are mine, yours, theirs and ours. one another.
Exercise 1 Note that you cannot use love themselves when

referring to a two-way affection – use each other.
Replace all the nouns underlined in the passage
on page 44 with appropriate pronouns.
Use each other or one another in the following
sentences.
Pair work
1 Bayo and Ekanem cannot tolerate _____.
Complete the following using pronouns that 2 The neighbours’ dogs, Tinko and ingo,
are the object or the subject. Check your barked at ___________.
partner’s work. 3 ode, Shola and Sheriff belong to the Press
Tanko: Have you heard the news A spe- Club and they respect .
cial guest is coming tomorrow to 4 All the students in class were urged to love
speak to _________. ___________.
Imabong: When is coming 5 The drivers almost collided with ______.
Tanko: Friday next week. What are
________ expected to do? What Interrogative pronouns
will ________ wear? Interrogative pronouns are used to ask
Imabong: ________school uniform, of course, questions. Some are why, what, where, how,
because ________ is a formal occa- when, which and who.
sion. Recall that who is used for human beings
Tanko: _________ teachers are really pre- while which is usually used to ask questions
paring for this event. about objects, ideas and things.
have scheduled different interest-
ing programmes as part of the Exercise 2
special occasion. Complete the following questions with the
Imabong: ut have not given appropriate pronoun. The first one has been
________ any duties as prefects. done for you.
Tanko: That is not true! ________ have
been chosen as the ushers. 1 Who is at the door?
2 ___________ does he want?
Reciprocal pronouns 3 He has come from ___________?
There are only two reciprocal pronouns in the 4 did he get here at this time
English language. They are used to indicate 5 paintings has he brought
a two-way relationship between two or more
people.
1 Each other: We use this when we want to
talk about two people.
2 One another: We use this when we are
talking about an action involving more
than two people, e.g.
45
Writing financial issues, insurance, complaints, requests
for service, job applications, etc. are official
Formal letters matters that demand your ability to write a
In today’s world, electronic means of letter.
communication such as telephone calls, Success in any of the following demands
text messages, email, etc. seem to be more your ability to write a formal letter:
effective, quicker and more convenient than • when applying for a job
letter writing. ut the fact remains that none • when making or responding to a
of these means has wholly or satisfactorily complaint
replaced letter writing. Even if these methods • when a written reply is requested
replace the informal letter, formal letter writing • when giving information to institutions,
in our business lives cannot be so replaced. such as banks, government departments,
This is because the use of letter writing in etc.
the business and professional world cannot • when sending documents to any office (it
be over-estimated. It plays a crucial role in is a good practice to include a letter listing
the day-to-day communication with clients, the documents being sent).
in negotiations, administration, marketing,
recruitment, employment, etc. The sample below shows the features of a
At some time in your life you will discover formal letter.
that personal issues, such as legal matters,
The writer’s address, including

contact information
Date
The address of the receiver
Salutation (opening greeting)
Subject heading
ody of the letter in different paragraphs
Complimentary close
Signature
Writer’s full name
Writer’s official position
46
Writer’s address school, down to the largest unit, the name of
The first thing that comes to the mind of anyone the country. This is the acceptable form. The
who wishes to write a letter is the writing of the block format, without punctuation, is the most
writer’s address (also known as the sender’s current format.
address). This address comes at the top right-
hand side of the writing sheet. It does not bear he slanting format
the writer’s name. The address may be written Girls’ Secondary School,
in the block format or in the slanting format. It P O Box 141,
may be punctuated or left unpunctuated. The Awka,
choice is that of the writer. You must maintain Anambra State,
consistency with any format you have chosen. Nigeria.
bserve the following examples.
he block format with punctuation This slanting format is out-dated but still in use.
Igwebuike Grammar School, Date

P O Box 391, It is written below the address, but you must
Awka. give a space of one line to separate the date
from the address. The date must be written
If the letter is going outside the state, the writer in full, as in: 12 August 2012 or 12th August,
will include the state in the address. 2012. The American form: August 12, 2012 is
Ikeja Grammar School, also acceptable.
P O Box 391, You must avoid abbreviations such as
Ikeja, 12 – 08 – 11 or 12 08 2012 or 12 Aug 2012. They
agos State. give the impression of a la y writer. Moreover
12 – 08 – 12 or 12 08 2012 has two meanings.
If it is going outside the country, then we
In ritish English, it means 12 August 2012,
include the country, Nigeria, in the address.
but in American English it means December 8,
This means that we put a comma after the state
2012. Writing your date in full, therefore, helps
and then a full stop after Nigeria.
to make it specific. ook at the following:
he block format without punctuation
Department of English
Boys’ Secondary School Faculty of Arts
P O Box 28 Ahmadu ello niversity
Benin Zaria
Edo State 12 August, 2011
Nigeria
Observe the space between the address and the
Notice that there is no punctuation in the above
date. It is important.
address. We refer to this format as the open
address. Since the letter is going outside the
Address of the recei er
country, Nigeria is included in the address.
This address is also called the inside address. It
More importantly, observe that we started our
comes at the top left-hand side, on a line slightly
address from the smallest unit, the name of the
below the date. No space is necessary, unlike
47
the space we have between the writer’s address you have written the title in capital letters, there
and the date. The receiver’s address can begin is no need to underline it, but if you used only
with the title and name of the receiver, if these initial capital letters, then the use of underline
are known to you. It is followed by his her is necessary. bserve the following:
official position and then address.
Examples A P P I C AT I N F R THE P ST F
Professor James Eke SECRETAR
The ice-Chancellor
Nnamdi A ikiwe niversity Or
Awka
Application for the Post of Secretary
Or
he body of the letter
This is the part of the letter that carries the
The ice-Chancellor
message for which the letter is being written.
bafemi Awolowo niversity
It is divided into different paragraphs and the
Awka
sentences are fully punctuated. The paragraphs
Anambra State
may be in the block format or in the indentation
Salutation format.
This is the greeting at the beginning of the letter.
It comes after the address of the receiver. The Complimentary close
type of salutation you adopt is dependent upon The way you have worded the salutation dictates
who the receiver is and the relationship you how you word the complimentary close. If you
share. If you are writing to a man whose name have indicated the name of the receiver in
you do not know, use the opening greeting: the salutation, then the complimentary close
Dear Sir. If you are writing to a woman whose is Yours sincerely, but if you do not have the
name you do not know, adopt the salutation: name of the receiver in the salutation, then the
Dear Madam. If you are writing to an individual complimentary close is Yours faithfully. Observe
but you do not know the person’s gender or the following:
name, then use Dear Sir/Madam. But if the name Salutation Complimentary
of the receiver is known to you, the salutation is close
straightforward as in: Dear Mr Obi or Dear Mrs
Dear Sir Yours faithfully
Lawal. If you do not know the marital status of
Dear Sirs Yours faithfully
the receiver but you know the gender, a woman
Dear Madam Yours faithfully
and you also know her name, the salutation is
Dear Mr Okoh Yours sincerely
Dear Ms Eke, for example.
Dear Mrs Okoh Yours sincerely
Subject heading Dear Mr and Mrs Okoh Yours sincerely
The subject heading, that is the title of the Dear Dr Ipaye Yours sincerely
formal letter, comes after the salutation. This
heading is important as it helps the receiver to The complimentary close is followed by the
know, at a glance, what the letter is all about. If writer’s signature and his full name, as in
48
Yours faithfully Group work
(Signature)
Jane Benbee As a group, assume you are the Principal of
Secretary your school. Write a letter to the parents of your
school children requesting them to pay their
Or school fees before the examination commences.
Discuss the points in your group. ot these
Yours faithfully points and develop them into paragraphs.
(Signature)
Jane Benbee Homework
Write an application letter to a supermarket
requesting work as a sales person during the
Exercise holidays.
With the use of your own example, show the
following parts of a formal letter: Common errors
the writer’s address There are common errors people commit when
the date writing formal letters. These errors are so
the receiver’s address common that we often do not notice them, but
the salutation they are very important and must be avoided.
the title Correct Incorrect
the complimentary close.
Yours faithfully, Your’s Faithfully
Dear Mr Musa, Dear Doctor Mr Musa
15 April 2011 15 4 011
15th April, 2011 15 – 4 – 2011
49
Unit 5 The casualties
Oral English
Sentence stress All the content words are underlined, but the
Sentence stress, as we already know, is the grammatical words are not.
placement of stress on a given word of a
sentence to give the sentence a particular Exercise 1
meaning. Can you remember how we know
the words to stress in a sentence? Underline the content words in the following
Look at the following table for content passage.
words and grammatical words.
Jane is one of the very clever girls in our class.
Content words Grammatical words She is habitually diligent. Our record shows
she is the most punctual, regular and duty-
Nouns Pronouns conscious student. Jane is respectful, assiduous
Verbs Prepositions and pleasant. Jane is physically, emotionally
Adjectives Determiners and morally strong.
Adverbs Auxiliary verbs
Conjunctions Do not forget that the content words are stressed
in normal speech. But note that, usually, it is the
speaker that determines which word to stress
Content words are usually stressed in normal and which to leave unstressed. A speaker may
speech patterns. Grammatical words are not as decide to stress even a grammatical word, if
important as the content words, so we do not there is a special meaning to convey, and may
stress them in normal speech. leave the content words unstressed.
Consider the following sentences. Observe the following examples:
Uche took the orange from the basket. A: The PEN is on the CHAIR.
I cannot see the book I kept on the table. B: The pen is ON the chair.
Do you know that Audu has bought a car?
I do not like people who are dishonest. In the first sentence, only the content words
In the Book of Wisdom, honesty is the first are stressed. This is normal speech. However,
chapter. in the second sentence, the preposition, which
is a grammatical word, is stressed. All the
content words are unstressed. The speaker
50
Multiple-choice questions
In each of the following sentences, the word
that receives the emphatic stress is written in
capital letters. From the options lettered A–D,
choose the one for which the given sentence is
the appropriate answer.
1 ohn scrubs the floor every SAT RDA .
A Does Peter scrub the floor every
here wishes to emphasise that the pen is on Saturday?
the table and not under it or beside it. When Does ohn sweep the floor every
we shift the stress from one word to another, Saturday?
the shape and meaning of what we are saying C Does John scrub the wall every
will automatically change. Saturday?
Notice, therefore, that the speaker stresses D Does ohn scrub the floor every
any word he/she wishes to draw attention Sunday?
to, perhaps to correct an impression or a 2 The manager SACKED the typist last
misunderstanding. A word is stressed to make month.
understanding clear. Look at the following A Did the manager employ the typist?
conversation. B Who sacked the typist?
A: Is your wife a student in the school? C Was the typist sacked last week?
B: My wife is a TEACHER in the school. D Did the supervisor sack the typist?
3 MARY loves brown shoes.
Exercise 2 A What colour of shoes does Mary
Give the meaning of the following sentences in love?
accordance with the word that bears the stress. B Does Mary hate brown shoes?
The first one is done for you. C Who loves brown shoes?
D Does Mary love brown shoes?
1 My BROTHER bought the book for me. 4 The ROBBERS attacked the bus at night.
Meaning: Not my sister or uncle A Did the police attack the bus?
2 The SOLDIERS stormed the town. B Did the robbers attack the train?
3 The BLUE coat belongs to Tunji. C Where did the robbers attack the
4 IKEJA is the capital of Lagos. bus?
5 May I have the DICTIONARY? D Did the robbers attack the bus dur-
6 He paid for the NEW book. ing the day?
7 They arrived LAST week. 5 Mary stole the HISTORY teacher’s pen.
8 My mother GHT fresh fish. A Did Anne steal the History teacher’s
9 The teacher SCOLDED the boy. pen?
10 He climbed the WALL. B Did Mary borrow the History
teacher’s pen?
C Did Mary steal the Geography
teacher’s pen?
51
D Did Mary steal the History teacher’s Pair work
pen?
6 Jane prepared a DELICIOUS meal. Write out a dialogue using the picture above.
A Did Mary prepare a delicious meal? In pairs, present it in class, taking note of the
B Did Jane prepare a delicious meal? stressed words. Your teacher will guide you.
C Did Jane prepare a tasteless meal?
D Did Jane serve a delicious meal? Reading
7 My UNCLE is never angry.
A Is your uncle always angry? Reading to paraphrase poems
B Is your father never angry? A paraphrase is a statement that expresses in a
C Is your uncle never happy? shorter, clearer or different way what someone
D Is your friend’s uncle never angry? has said or written. When you paraphrase, you
8 Akpan is always LATE to school. translate a given passage into another form
A Is Akpan always late to bed? using your own words and expressions.
B Is Olu always late to school? Poems are often written in elevated and
C Is Akpan seldom late to school? condensed language. A poem is a work in
D Is Akpan always early to school? which language is used in a special way.
9 The man likes COFFEE on Sunday 1 You cannot paraphrase a poem unless you
mornings. understand it. So, you need to read and re-
A Does the man like coffee on Sunday read the poem to understand it.
mornings? 2 Since poems make special use of lan-
B Does the man like coffee on Mon- guage, using imaginative, rhythmic,
day mornings? or metaphorical qualities and intensity,
C Does the man like tea on Sunday you need to identify words and phrases
morning? that are so specially used. Replace these
D Does the woman like coffee on with your own modern expressions.
Sunday mornings? 3 Poems are written in a special language
10 Kemi’s watch is made of GOLD. but the paraphrase is written in prose
A Is Bisi’s watch made of gold? and this will require that more words
B Is Kemi’s necklace made of gold? are used.
C Is Kemi’s watch plated with gold? 4 Are idioms, proverbs, metaphorical
D Is Kemi’s watch made of silver? language used? Identify these and
change them to your own English ex-
pressions. Old, obsolete, Latin-based
words are common in poetry. Do away
with these and use substitutes in com-
mon everyday English.
52
Comprehension 20 They are the emissaries of rift,
So smug in smoke-rooms they haunt
The Casualties abroad,
by John Pepper Clark They do not see the funeral piles
At home eating up the forests.
They are wandering minstrels who,
beating on
25 The drums of the human heart, draw the
world
Into a dance with rites it does not know
The drums overwhelm the guns…
Caught in the clash of counter claims and
charges
When not in the niche others have left
30 We fall.
The casualties are not only those who are All casualties of the war,
dead; Because we cannot hear each other
They are well out of it. speak,
The casualties are not only those who are Because eyes have ceased to see the face
wounded, from the crowd,
Though they await burial by instalment Because whether we know or
5 The casualties are not only those who have 35 Do not know the extent of wrong on all
lost sides
Persons or property, hard as it is We are characters now other than before
To grope for a touch that some The war began, the stay-at-home
May not know is not there unsettled
The casualties are not only those led away By taxes and rumours, the looters for
by night; office
10 The cell is a cruel place, sometimes a And wares, fearful every day the owners
haven, may return,
Nowhere as absolute as the grave. 40 We are all casualties,
The casualties are not only those who All sagging as are
started The cases celebrated for kwarshiorkor,
A fire and now cannot put it out. Thousands The unforeseen camp-follower of not just
Are burning that had no say in the our war.
matter.
15 The casualties are not those who escaping
The shattered shell become prisoners in
A fortress of falling walls.
The casualties are many, and a good
number well
Outside the scenes of ravage and wreck;
53
Comprehension questions Summary writing
In six sentences, one for each, mention six
a) Why does the poet say ‘Nowhere as
casualties of war and why they are casualties.
absolute as the grave’?
b) What is the condition of those who are
Reminder
wounded in the war?
c) How do those who escape the shattered Summary passages are often familiar topics.
shell become prisoners? However, you should answer the questions
d) Why does the poet say that we are from the point of view of the passage and not
casualties of the war? from personal experience. Besides, you are
e) What happens to the survivors of the war? requested to write answers in sentences of your
f) ‘A fortress of falling walls’ own. This means that you are not expected to
What literary device is contained in this copy verbatim, but are expected to rephrase,
expression? reconstruct or reword the expressions. Learn
g) ‘… that had no say in the matter.’ to do this now because you will need to do a
i) What grammatical name is given lot of it later in higher studies.
passage? Pair work
ii) What is its function? The poet makes subtle language choices,
h) For each of the following words, find especially in the first stan a. The impact of
another word or phrase that means the the tragedy is not felt directly or forcefully.
same and can replace it as it is used in the However, the message of widespread tribulation
passage. is vividly expressed.
i) casualties Examine the use of ‘not only’ in the first
ii) absolute stan a and discuss this with your partner.
iii) started
iv) emissaries Drawing conclusions
v) rites Read the comprehension passage again and
vi) characters indicate whether the following sentences are
vii) sagging true (T) or false (F).
1 It is better to die than to live in war.
Re ect and discuss 2 The promoters of the war are outside the
1 How do you think the poet feels about the country.
war? 3 Some people are of the habit of monitoring
2 Why do you think the poet did not excuse all wars.
or omit anyone? 4 The war changed everyone.
3 What do you think ‘emissaries of rift’ 5 It is difficult to stop the war.
means?
4 How can we liken starting a war to Questions and answer tips
making a fire Always read the questions carefully before you
5 Some casualties are fortunate. Who could attempt to answer them. Find out about exactly
these be and why? what the questions want you to do and do not fall
54
into traps as there are lots of these in examination Soccer kicks off on a high note this month when
questions. top English clubs Arsenal and Manchester
Plan your answers and make sure you do not United meet in the Millennium Stadium in
wander from the question. Stick to the point, whether Cardiff for the Community Shield – the first
in composition, comprehension or summary. piece of silverware to be won in this season.
Although the game is played in aid
ifficult words of charity, any love and friendliness going
ou may use the dictionary to find the meanings around will be reserved for the off-the-field
of the following words. happenings. On the field, FA premiership
champions Manchester United will want to
instalment grope haven ravage
show that they are more than a match for the
wreck smug haunt minstrels
FA cup winners. Alex Ferguson, Man United’s
overwhelm niche looters wares
wily coach, has something to prove: that the
Use ten of the words in sentences of your own. Red Devils are still tops without glamour boy
David Beckham. Arsenal’s crowing manager,
Retesting figures of speech Frenchman Arsene Wenger, will try to live up
What figure of speech is contained in each of to his somewhat hollow words of last season
the following expressions? about his team being the best despite losing a
1 nowhere as absolute as the grave few important battles.
2 the emissaries of rift
3 wandering minstrels
4 the cell is a cruel place
5 eating up the forests
passage?
1 ‘… who escaping the shattered
shell…’ A week later, it will be all systems go for
2 ‘… the emissaries of rift…’ the new Premiership season, when the first 10
3 ‘… the funeral piles…’ matches will be played. From then on, there
4 ‘… the extent of wrong on all will be no let-up – either in the fierce pace of
sides’ the competition, or in the enthusiasm generated
5 ‘… all casualties…’ by the faithful fans on the sidelines.
Supersports mammoth coverage of this
Vocabulary and other competitions will carry all the actions
into sports lovers’ homes. In this month alone,
Soccer and other sports your channel of champions will notch up more
You may not be familiar with all the words than 120 hours of football coverage, including
associated with soccer in the passage below. live broadcasts of all the important matches of
Choose your time to check the unfamiliar the big competitions in the United Kingdom,
words in the dictionary with your classmates. Europe, Africa and beyond.
55
Exercise 1 5 jockey the player of a game with
ball and clubs
Find a minimum of 20 words in the word 6 amateur rider of a bicycle or motor-
search. cycle
7 ace expert in gymnastics
P E R F O R M A N C E P O L O K S T
8 referee winning serve in tennis
S U P P O R T E R L I N E S M E N A 9 spectators official overseeing sport
10 golfer unskilled person
T M E D S A L I S T H A N D B A L L
A T H L E T I C S T A D I U M P O K
Grammar
L R O U N D R N B O X I N G R I N G
In this unit, we will be discussing demonstrative
E T C I N C O U R T R A C K L A N E and relative pronouns.
M G K A C I D T N I E V O I T I E N
Relative pronouns
A S E H P L E E T A S M A T C H D E Relative pronouns connect a relative clause to
the expressions or words they are describing.
T B Y M E O M U E T E V C E N U E T
Because of this function, some refer to the
E E A I S A R E N A R O H F S P B B clause they are introducing as an adjectival
clause. Relative pronouns are who, whom, that,
O H F A N S R T N S V R E F E R E E
which and whose.
C S P R A C E O I R E T S O T F W L
subject relative pronoun
F I U M P I R E S C I A L N S G C H (refers to ‘girl’)
L O S E R S C H A M P I O N A M H E
Look at the girl who has just been
T F O O T B A L L V I C T O R S M A named the best student.
You will notice that the relative pronoun is
close to the noun it is describing. The noun is
Exercise 2 described as the antecedent and the expression
Match each word in column A with the it is introducing gives a closer picture of whom
apprpriate related words in column B. the speaker is talking about.
Recall that an antecedent is the noun that
Column A Column B
is mentioned before a pronoun has replaced it
1 skis somebody moving along in subsequent mentions.
on skates We can subdivide relative pronouns into:
2 cyclist rider of racehorse those that are used when we want to refer
3 gymnast boards used to slide to human beings, e.g. who, whoever, whom
across snow and whose.
4 skater people who watch or those that are used when we want to refer
observe activities or to inanimate objects or ideas, e.g. which,
events that.
56
Who/which In this sentence, the girl is the receiver of the
Who is used for people in the subject position, e.g. verb saw. You is the subject (the doer of the
Is that the man who stole your money? action).
noun relative pronoun Exercise 1

(refers to ‘man’) Use who and whom correctly in the following
Which refers to inanimate objects or ideas, e.g. sentences.
The dress which you bought is nice. 1 Is that the baby _________ Bisola carried
yesterday?
noun relative pronoun 2 I do not understand _________ our teacher
Which is also used when the information is not has been talking about.
essential. Then we need a comma, e.g. 3 Mrs Johnson _________ is now old is not
friendly.
Bukola sent away the dog, which she
4 We saw Balarabe _________was given an
bought last month.
award.
dependent clause
5 The principal has forgotten _________he
(relates to ‘dog’)
picked among us.
Combine each pair of expressions, using who
or which. The first one has been done for you.
That
1 The man stood there.
That is used for both human beings and things.
He is a carpenter.
Note that we use that when the information
Answer: The man who stood there is a
in the subordinate clause is essential to the
carpenter.
meaning of the main clause, e.g.
2 My mother has a caring nature.
She has gone to a place that is dangerous.
She is a nurse.
3 You bought mangoes.
Whose
They are not yet ripe.
Whose shows possession, e.g.
4 My house is relaxing.
relative pronoun
It is near the sea.
5 The student was caught.
The man whose pen you took is upset.
He stole a bottle of ink.
Whom dependent clause
Whom is used for people but it is used when
the person or people we are referring to are Exercise 2
the objects.
Join each pair of expressions, using whose.
Example
1 The boy has gone home.
The girl whom you saw has come You called his mother.
back. 2 Mallam Aliu has reported to the police.
object pronoun subject Students broke his window.
(refers to 3 The baby is crying.
‘girl’) The maid took his toy.
57
4 The guest refused to eat. That is my pen
David drank his water.
5 The man is happy. singular, far away
His house was re-painted. Those oranges are spoilt.
plural, far away

Reminder
Relative pronouns:
people – that/who/whom Exercise 3
ownership – whose
Complete the following sentences, using the
things/animals – that/which
demonstrative pronouns indicated.
places – where.
1 Near __________ man is a clown.
2 Far I want to see _____________
Demonstrative pronouns tapes.
Demonstrative pronouns point to items being 3 Far Dede is in _________ house.
referred to. There are four in English: this, these, 4 Near __________ books are yours.
that, those. 5 Near _______________ country is
progressing.
Pronoun Near Far
Demonstrative pronouns can occupy various
Singular this that
positions.
Plural these those
1 We can place them before the noun, e.g.
This man
We can see that this and these refer to items that
Those candles
are close to the speaker. However, (1) while this
2 We can use them before the pronoun, e.g.
(pronounced with /s/) is used for a single item,
(2) these (pronounced with ) refers to more That one is good.
than one item.
Examples representing
I want these boxes. an item not stated
These (ones) are not ready to eat.
plural
plural
3 We can also use the demonstrative pro-

nouns alone. In such a case, the noun is
This is the car. implied.
singular Take this.

The ones that refer to distant objects are shown
used alone (noun is understood)
in the examples below.
58
Did you see that? Writing
implying a noun seen by Formal letters
speaker and hearer There are two major styles of setting out a
business letter. They are:
• the blocked style
Exercise 4 • the indented style.
Look at the examples on pages 60 and 61.
Use this, these, that and those without a noun in
sentence examples. Note the following points.
1 This ________________________ • The blocked style of letter shown on page
2 These ________________________ 60 is generally accepted for business letters.
3 Those ________________________ But, for purposes of your examination,
4 That ________________________ adopt the indented style on page 61 with
the complimentary close near the right-
hand margin. Make sure that you achieve
proficiency in its use. Regular practice will
Multiple–choice questions give you an advantage over other students
in the same examination.
1 I saw the man _______ shop was robbed. • The appearance of your letter is important.
A whose You must ensure the letter is neat and its
B whom contents are well-arranged. Taking time
C which to make an excellent letter is a courtesy to
2 Sanya and his friends congratulated _____ the person you are writing to. It creates a
after the final year examination. good impression.
A each other • n no account must you write a business
B themselves letter in pencil.
C one another • se good quality paper.
3 You gave the box to __________ in the • Good handwriting is essential. Writing
company? carefully without being in a hurry will
A which help you achieve this. You may decide to
B whom type your letter. But you know already
C whose that this is not possible for examinations.
4 Wande insulted Priscilla and _______ last Therefore learn to write very neatly,
week. making sure the letters of every word
A me are clear. Bad handwriting comes from
B I writing too quickly.
C my
5 I need _______ tables over there.
A these
B that
C those
59
Fully blocked sample letter
Girls’ High School
PO Box 14
Agulu
Anambra State
Telephone: 0803441530
7 November 2012
The President
Junior Writers’ Club
P O Box 280
Kabba
Kogi State
Dear Sir
Fully blocked style
I write to present the format of this letter to you as an example of the style which our Senior Writers’ Club
has introduced for use in the Writers’ Club generally. It is today the most current style of writing business
letters. The layout is standard.
The most obvious feature of this current style is that the features of the letter are justified to the left-
hand side, as shown in this letter. The first sentence of every paragraph and all other sentences of the letter
are also aligned to the left. Punctuation of the two addresses is optional.
As already indicated above, the layout is standard. A single line space separates one paragraph from the next.
There is also a single line space between all the features of the letter. This is the acceptable method of spacing
in the blocked style. There is no indentation of any kind; space is used to differentiate paragraphs instead.
Please find enclosed copies of current memos from the head office where this style is used.
It would be appreciated if you would recommend the use of this style during our next meeting, for use in all
official correspondence of the club.
Yours faithfully,
Mart
in Owolabi
Martin Owolabi
Club Secretary
60
Fully indented sample letter
Girls’ High School
PO Box 14
Agulu
Anambra State
Telephone: +234(0)803441530
7 November 2012
The President
Junior Writers’ Club
P O Box 280
Kabba
Kogi State
Dear Sir,
Indented Style
I write to present to you a sample of a letter written in the indented style and a description of the main
features of this form. This is the style that was in use before the introduction of the blocked style. It is
the style to which many people are familiar with.
The sender’s address, as usual, is at the top right-hand side of the writing sheet. It is written in the
blocked form and may or may not be punctuated depending on the choice of the writer.
The date comes after this address with a space of one line separating it from the address. The date
is punctuated only if the address is punctuated.
The receiver’s address is on the left-hand side of the writing sheet. It is also fully punctuated if the
address of the receiver is punctuated. The purpose is to maintain consistency in the form chosen by the
writer.
Immediately after the receiver’s address is the salutation of the letter. The salutation is followed by
a comma like what we have in the blocked style. It is, like in the blocked format, aligned to the left- hand
margin.
The title of the letter comes after the salutation. It is centred above the main body of the letter.
The title may be written in capital letters or in initial capital letters. If it is in capital letters, there is no
need for the underline. But the underline is important when it is in initial capital letters, as we have in this
letter.
The title of the letter is followed by the body, which bears the message for which the letter is intended.
As in the blocked style, it is written in paragraphs, but unlike the blocked style, there is no space separating
the paragraphs. Rather, the first line of each paragraph after the first one is indented.
Finally, there is the complimentary close. It is either centred under the body of the letter or placed
near the right-hand margin of the letter.
Yours faithfully,
Mart
in Owolabi
Martin Owolabi
Club Secretary
Homework Exercise 1
Write your own letter requesting your Principal
to grant you permission to participate in an Look at the following appreciation letters
event where you have an important function from two sisters in SS 1 and SS 2. Read them
to perform. carefully. Criticise their contents, pointing out
61
their strengths and weaknesses in accordance
with your understanding of writing formal
letters and correct English.
2 Niyi Adepoju St,
Beula bus stop,
Oke-Aro,
Ogun State.
17th August, 2011
Professor of English,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Anambra State,
Dear Madam;
LETTER OF APPRECIATION
I Tunmise Adepoju, the daughter of Mr B H Adepoju. I am writing formally to appreciate you for the gift
you sent to me. I am very grateful ma because I was not expecting it.
Although, I needed money as at that time but I was not expecting it from you and you made it a surprise
package. We are having our juvenille harvest on 28th of August and we are planning to buy some clothes and
also donate some money. Before the money was delivered to me a trader selling shoes came to our house and
with this money given to me, I am planning to buy the shoe because I know it will be useful for me.
However, I wish to use this medium to draw your attention to something which is that I will be glad
if you can invite me to your university. I wish you success in all you lay your hands upon. Thank you ma.
Yours faithfully,
Adepoju Tunmise
No 2, Niyi Adepoju Street,

Beulah Bus stop,
Oke-aro,
Ogun State.
17th August, 2011
The Professor,
Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Awka,
Anambra State.
Dear Madam,
LETTER OF APPRECIATION
I got your message sent through daddy on the 17th of August, 2011. I am writing this letter to appreciate
you for the surprise gift you sent to me. I am very grateful ma.
Although, I needed some money to buy some clothes and shoes when you sent the money to me. I have
being thinking on how I would get some money to buy the clothes and shoes because I don’t visit people. I
only stay at home and read my books, but God was so faithful to me by the money you sent. I am very happy
for what you have done for me.
I wish you success in all your endeavours and anything you lay your hands upon shall prosper.
Yours faithfully,
Adepoju Tosin
62
Exercise 2 of the time during wars. Now, the radio is a
source of entertainment and information. In
Write your own letter of appreciation to a man Nigeria, the radio was introduced as far back
or woman who sent a gift to you through your as 1933 by the British colonial government and
father. Ensure your letter is neat and your linked to the British Broadcasting Corporation
handwriting impeccable. (BBC). Later, we had the Nigerian Broadcasting
Corporation.
Literature Now, we have many radio stations, most
of which are privately owned. Can you name
Media: Radio some of them?
In former times, information was circulated What do you gain by listening to the radio?
by sounds such as bell ringing accompanied Some of you will prefer to listen to music, but
by shouts or announcements by those referred the radio educates its listeners through drama,
to as town criers. Members of a community qui programmes and awareness programmes
could also gather at a central place or the village on issues such as AIDS, corruption, exam
square to listen to gossip and updates, watch malpractice and recipes for success.
performances and sports, and enjoy other forms How many radio adverts have you
of entertainment. Today, information, education learned or even sung regularly? Be prepared to
and entertainment have been brought into our tell your class about some of those radio adverts
private homes since the invention of radio, or jingles.
television and, most recently, the Internet. Do you listen to the news? Did you know
What makes the radio special? It is that you will become a better student when
affordable – you can buy different types you listen to educational programmes and
depending on what you have to spend. It is the news? You can contribute to discussions
accessible to almost everybody. For example, because you are up to date. You will have more
you do not have to sit down and focus on materials to use in essay writing than those who
the radio; you can be washing your clothes, do not listen to the radio.
cooking or washing a car and yet be listening These days, you can be a part of a
to it. You can even carry it anywhere! programme by responding to issues being
discussed through the radio phone-in system.
How was radio invented? In addition, you can be sure that the radio will
The radio was invented when electromagnetic add a lot of value to your life because radio
waves were discovered. These electromagnetic stations are monitored by the government so
or radio waves transmit music, announcements that offensive language, music or any other
or other productions through the medium of form of broadcasting that will inculcate bad
air. culture is not allowed.
Those who invented the radio did not
imagine that it would become the giant Programme production
massmedia for entertainment that it later Who are the people involved in the production
became. Radio transmissions used to be of programmes?
made from ship to ship, as diplomatic 1 Radio producers: These people perform
communication, and between armies most many duties: they create programmes,
63
do research and even write commercials setting up equipment and regulating
(adverts) that will be broadcast during the transmission. If necessary, they adjust
programme. audio volume and monitor the quality of
2 Announcers/talk show hosts: They are sound of the transmission.
the people whose voices we hear on
the radio. They provide information, Class work
make announcements and interview
guests. Some of them read the news. 1 Create a radio station. Some of you can
We admire many of them because of be announcers and announce different
their communication skills and sense of information or news items. Be prepared
humour. to have your ‘transmission’ recorded.
3 Operators: Radio operators manage After the announcements and newscasts,
electronic items and operate the equipment play the recorded exercise and compare
used to transmit programmes your voices with those of professional radio
4 Technicians: They are in charge of announcers.
64
Unit 6 Mr Walter, the womaniser
Oral English
Intonation meaning of a speaker. For instance, the

We have already introduced you to intonation expression thank you said in a high to low
in your SS 1. Remember that it is the rise and voice would mean real gratitude. But
fall of the voice when we speak. the same thank you said in a low to high
You noticed that the meaning of a word voice shows a casual acknowledgement
or a sentence can change just because of a shift of something not very important.
of stress from one syllable to another or from 5 Intonation also performs grammatical
one word to another. functions. We can use it to tell which
Examples sentence is a statement, a question or a
TRANSport (noun) command.
transPORT (verb)
Like stress, intonation helps to give special Intonation patterns
meaning to what is spoken. Recall the following English has two patterns of intonation. They are
functions of intonation. the falling intonation and the rising intonation.
1 Raising and lowering our voice when The falling intonation is indicated with an
we speak (intonation) helps to give some arrow pointing in a downward direction (]).
musical rhythmic pattern to what we say. The rising intonation is identified with an arrow
2 Without intonation, our speech will sound pointing upwards (Z).
monotonous. It will be boring and will
hardly have a meaning for our listeners. Falling tone
3 Intonation is to speech what punctuation In this unit, we shall look at the falling tone.
is to writing. We will appreciate the In the falling tone, the arrow goes down (])
importance of intonation in our speech indicating a fall in the pitch of your voice. When
more if we understand the importance you use the falling intonation, you are sure of
of punctuation in our writing. An essay what you are saying and want the listener to
written without any punctuation would agree with you.
look absurd and would have little or no Look at the following sentences.
meaning to the reader, who would not A: He stole the book. ]
know when one sentence ends and where B: He stole the book? Z
another begins. Speaker A says, with an air of finality, that
4 Intonation is used to indicate the intended the person he was referring to actually stole
65
the book. This is indicated with an arrow (]) Class work
pointing downwards showing a falling tone.
Sentence B has a question mark followed Write ten sentences and indicate the falling
with an upward arrow (Z) indicating a rising tone.
tone. The speaker is seeking an answer as to
whether the person in question stole the book. Dialogue practice
The falling tone can be used in the The falling tone is used in the following
following ways. dialogue.
1 To give commands, e.g. Jane: I’ll finish reading my Chemistry
Close that door quickly. ] textbook today.]
Go away from that place. ] Jamila: I don’t like Chemistry.] I prefer
Hand those keys over to me.] Literature in English instead.
2 To make complete statements, e.g. Jane: Literature is my worst subject. ]
I am a Nigerian.] Jamila: You don’t have any problem.] You’ll
You are now a big boy. ] drop it as soon as we enter SS 2.
You’ll make it if you work very Jane: The same way you’ll drop Chemis-
hard.] try.]
3 To ask wh- questions, e.g. Jamila: Well, we’ll choose different careers.]
Who is that man? ] I want to be a lawyer. ]
What are you doing? ] Jane: While I’ll be a doctor. ]
Why did you do that? ] Jamila: I know that. It’s good we choose
the career that appeals to us. ]
Sentence drill Jane: Certainly.] In that way we will make
Listen carefully as your teacher reads out the progress. ]
following sentences. Take note of the falling
tone (]). Homework
1 There will be a debate between our school
Look at the following sentences. Indicate the
and Inland Girls’ Secondary School
ones that should have falling tone with the
tomorrow. ]
downward arrow (]).
2 We shall start our examination this
1 Our school is the best in Nigeria.
week.]
2 Mother bought biscuits, bread, and butter.
3 We may win the match. ]
3 Is she your friend?
4 Which of the teams are playing
4 I’ll see you tomorrow.
tonight? ]
5 There was an inferno in London last week.
5 I do not like Mathematics. ]
6 I’m glad you’re here.
6 Uche does her duties regularly.]
7 Too many cooks spoil the broth.
7 Get out of this place.]
8 Don’t be a naughty girl.
8 Close that door quickly.]
9 Get out of my sight.
9 Come out of that water at once. ]
10 Have a pleasant weekend.
10 Which of the apples do you prefer? ]
66
Reading women.
Making notes when reading

Remember to do the following.
Make a note of your sources before you
start making your notes. Write the author,
title of book, publisher, publication date,
place of publication and the edition of the
book.
Do not use small scraps of paper to write
your notes. It is easier to keep track of your
notes if you use the size of your regular Facially, Helen was not beautiful. The face
school books. The international standard is the first place people look at to determine
for almost all printed educational matter whether a woman is beautiful or not before they
is A4 paper. look at the other parts of the body to complete
Write boldly and legibly. Do not load too their assessment. With her high cheek bones and
many words on a page. Always leave a large bulging eyes, she could not be classified as
space between each set of notes. If you beautiful. ut her figure was sensational. Her
keep the items separately, they will be blatant figure emitted an aura that lifted her
easier to find. right out of the usual line of pretty women and
Always start a new note on a new page made her sensually sensational. Her full breasts
with its own title. It will help you to store straining against the T-shirt, those matronly
and identify them later. Keep the topics broad hips and the fleshy, succulent body, all
separately. Have them clearly titled and put together, made her overpoweringly sexy.
labelled to enable you to make easy recall. With that sort of body, Walter thought, she
When you make notes, use the front of would not even need a mattress under her to
the sheet of paper only. When you do make a man comfortable. That very thought
this, the back will always be available for brought warmth to his blood.
future corrections and additions. Always Walter shook his head vehemently as if
number the pages of your notes. it would clear it of dirty thoughts. He walked
back to his chair and sat down. His buttocks
Comprehension had barely touched the chair when he hurriedly
dug out his handkerchief and placed it against
Mr Walter, the womaniser his mouth as his stomach tightened, forcing out
Walter had come across many women in his a large quantity of air in a sneeze that shook
lifetime but Helen was different. He had not his body violently. He blew his nose into the
met a woman quite like her in all his exploits. handkerchief. Nothing came out of his nose.
There was something peculiar about that He was going to catch a cold, he thought. He
woman that stirred him. As he walked between dreaded having a cold. He mentally made an
the rows of chairs, inspecting the work of his appointment to see a doctor as soon as it was
students, he searched his mind for that thing practicable. Then he folded and returned his
in her that made her different from the other handkerchief to his pocket as his mind went
67
back to Helen. head.
She bothered him. He did not quite see any (From Weekend Flame by Uche Nwani, pages
reason why a woman, and a married woman, 10–11)
for that matter, he had met a few minutes
ago should agitate his mind. Walter had seen
and handled women much more beautiful
than Helen before, but as he sat on his chair, Comprehension questions
watching his students do the assignment he had
written on the board for them, he realised that a) What does the expression ‘in all his
the aura which surrounded Helen, although exploits’ in the second sentence suggest
subtle, had the force of a giant magnet which about Walter?
was pulling his heart violently towards her. b) What is the relationship between Walter
Even in her absence, still it bothered him. Then and Helen?
he saw her walking past the block of classrooms c) What does the writer refer to as ‘dirty
in which he sat and his heartbeat quickened. thoughts’?
He should have minded his own business d) What two things in particular attracted
and allowed her walk on. In any case, someone Walter to Helen?
also would have given her a lift anyway, but e) Why should Walter not have the kind of
that would not have been Walter. If he had left thoughts he has?
her alone, it would have saved him plenty of f) ‘Facially, Helen was not beautiful.’ What
trouble, but he did not leave her nor did he part of speech is facially?
foresee the future. Again, it did not seem the g) ‘… that the aura which surrounded
correct thing for him to do, to watch a lady Helen…’
known to him walk some distance when he i) What grammatical name is given
could possibly be of help. to this expression as it is used in
Seeing Helen walk down towards the the passage?
college gate brought an opportunity. And ii) What is its function?
opportunities which offered women were h) For each of the following words, find
opportunities he grabbed at sight. For Walter, another word or phrase that means the
on issues involving women, especially pretty same and can replace it as it is used in the
women that tickled his fancy, the looking passage.
usually came after the leaping. In this case, i) peculiar
Walter saw the perfect excuse to get closer to ii) stirred
Helen. He hurriedly stood up, told the class iii) determine
prefect to collect the exercise books at the end iv) assessment
of the period, and send them to his desk in v) classified
the staff room. Then he walked to his car, a vi) vehemently
Volkswagen Passat. vii) dreaded
Helen was taking the bend at the end of
the football field when Walter reached her. He Re ect and discuss
guided the car to a stop by her side. He wound 1 How do you think Helen feels about the
down the glass on his side and stuck out his thoughts Walter has towards her?
68
2 Do you think that Walter was considering 3 Ask what would happen as he left the
the beauty of Helen? Support your class.
answer. 4 Ask what would happen at the next lesson
3 Do you think it’s the thought of Helen that period.
made Walter seem to catch a cold? Discuss 5 Ask what could happen if Helen turned
this. down his advances.
4 Walter did not finish his lessons in the 6 Ask whether the teacher could be married.
class. What do you think would happen 7 If he was married, would his family be
after he had left the class? aware of his exploits?
5 Suggest those things you feel Walter 8 If he was not, would he be willing to
would tell Helen after he has given her a marry the married woman, Helen?
lift to town.
Drawing conclusions
Summary writing Read the comprehension passage again and
then indicate whether the following sentences
1 In three sentences, one for each, give three
are true (T) or false (F).
reasons why Helen should not bother
1 Walter was looking only at Helen in the
Walter.
class.
2 In two sentences, one for each, give two
2 Walter made an appointment with a
physical attributes that do not make Helen
doctor.
a beautiful woman.
3 Helen was Walter’s student.
4 Walter went to give Helen, who was
Reminder
waiting for him, a lift.
In answering a summary question, you are 5 Walter made adequate arrangements
looking for a main idea that is directly linked before he left the class.
to the question. The main idea is the important
information that tells more about the general
idea of the section of the passage. In line with ifficult words
this, therefore, ensure that your summary The following words are found in the passage.
answer is not longer than necessary. You only Make use of the dictionary to find their
need to check to see whether you use any meanings.
information that is not directly contributing
exploits inspecting bulging sensational
meaningfully to the answer. Ask yourself
blatant emitted aura training
whether there are details that you could leave
succulent violently mentally practicable
out to make the answer shorter.
bothered agitate giant foresee
stuck vehemently agitate aura
Pair work Use ten of the words above in sentences of
Do the following with your partner. your own.
1 Ask what subject Walter is teaching.
2 Ask how relevant the subject is.
69
Retesting grammatical structure Asphalt: used in building for the water-
a) What grammatical name is given to each proof covering of roofs, floors, and
of the following expressions as used in the other exterior parts
passage? Conduit: a pipe used in electrical work
b) What is the function of each expression? in which wire is installed
1 ‘As he walked between the rows of chairs, Eaves: the margin of a roof projecting
…’ over the wall
2 ‘That very thought…’ Foundation: the supporting portion of any
3 ‘His buttocks had barely touched the structure below the first floor
chair…’ Partition: a wall that subdivides spaces
4 ‘… as soon as it was practicable.’ within any storey of a building.
5 ‘… which was pulling his heart violently Rafter: structures designed to support
towards her…’ the roof
Veneer: thin sheets of wood made by
Vocabulary rotary cutting or slicing a log
Building construction Exercise 1

Fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate
options.
Construction of a 1 is usually executed by
a specialised construction 2. It is normally
separate from the 3 team, although some
large 4 may combine both functions.
The construction team is headed by a 5
organisation, often called a general 6 , which
Building construction involves houses, dams, takes the 7 responsibility for executing
bridges, etc. Below are some words you need the building and signs a 8 to do so with
to know about building construction. the building user. The cost of the contract is
Airway: a space between roof insulation usually an agreed 9, although cost-plus-fee
and roof boards for movement contracts are sometimes used on large 10 .
of air (From ‘Building Construction’ Encyclopaedia
Britannica )
A B C D
1 construction shelter building school
2 agent team builder bricklayer
3 design artistical architectural primordial
4 people organisations contractors agents
5 supervisory exclamatory terminating coordinating
6 builder agent merchant contractor
7 primary secondary tertiary ordinary
70
8 form paper contract waybill
9 lump sum sum assured premium contract
10 estates projects buildings compound
Exercise 2
Fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate options lettered A–E.
The 1 told the 2 that he should ensure that, through concerted efforts of the workers, the 3
work was completed on 4 . The foreman pointed out to him that although enough bricklayers,
masons and carpenters were working on the 5 , there was a need to 6 more 7 workers who
could help the professionals on the 8 if the work was to progress at a faster speed. He explained
that although the 9 had already laid the water pipes and fixed the water closets in the toilets, the
10 could not fix the glass windows until the carpenters had completed the roofing.
A B C D E
1 employer entrepreneur contractor foreman workers
2 painter bricklayer workers contractor foreman
3 construction arrangement housing social engineering
4 appointment schedule the day expectation the site
5 assignment work day project land
6 employ help reject sack assign
7 economic skilled unskilled engineering social
8 roof site field scaffold day
9 carpenters engineers plasterers masons plumbers
10 contractor workers electrician glaziers carpenter
Grammar faith faithful

In this unit, we are going to look at how we can
Nominalisation: Adjectives form nouns from adjectives.
Nominalisation refers to the process of turning Recall that an adjective describes or
a word from another grammatical class into a qualifies a noun. For example, words such
noun. This usually happens by means of adding as , n o s, fift , s and Chinese are
a suffi . Recall that suffixes are groups of letters adjectives.
(or one letter) that we add at the end of a word
to form another word. Exercise 1
Study what has been done to the following Fill the blanks in the following paragraph with
words to make them into nouns. some adjectives. The first one has been done
pretend pretender for you.
add addition On my way to school, I saw a huge man driving
annoy annoyed a _______ truck. In the truck were ______ people
kitchen kitchenette
71
whose faces looked ________. I was so ________ Exercise 3
because I was the only student walking along
that road at that time. I quickly dashed into a Now use these adjectives in sentence examples
shed. I was ________ that I found a place to as adjectives and as nouns. The first two have
hide. I could have been kidnapped! been done for you. Write eight more sentences.
Let us look at how we can turn adjectives into 1 Taribo’s parents are worried because he
nouns. is noisy. (adjective)
Taribo’s parents are worried because of
Adjective Noun his noisiness. (noun)
abundant abundance 2 Charity proved that she was pure.
bright brightness Charity proved her purity. (noun)
honest honesty Study how the following short text has been
free freedom changed by turning the adjectives underlined
dry dryness to nouns:
just justice
false falsehood Text A
heroic heroism Food was abundant at Jumai’s party, but there
sober sobriety were no alcoholic drinks because they were
loyal loyalty scarce. In spite of this, guests could see how
vain vanity grand the party was. Everybody showed that
they were happy because the atmosphere was
Exercise 2 lively.
Nominalise the following adjectives using the
suffixes in the box correctly ou may use your Text B
dictionary. Food was in abundance at Jumai’s party, but
there were no alcoholic drinks because of their
–dom, –ity, –ness, –ce, –cy, –ty, –th scarcity. In spite of this, the guests could see
the grandeur of the party. Everybody showed
Adjective Noun (or displayed) their happiness because of the
1 noisy liveliness of the atmosphere.
2 pure
3 holy
4 wise Pair work
5 cruel With your partner, rewrite the following text
6 innocent by changing the nouns to adjectives. You may
7 constant use your dictionary.
8 illiterate
9 happy The principal rewarded Chukwudi for his
10 fair wisdom and fairness. However, his classmate,
11 warm Jonei’s lack of discipline earned him a strong
12 total warning. The principal, who was respected
for his eloquence, reminded everyone that he
72
would not tolerate any acts of notoriety among Exercise 5
students.
The nominalisation of some adjectives does not Complete the following by using an adjective
involve adding a suffix. They are changed in or a nominalised adjective, with or without the
other ways instead. correctly.
1 The food aid has to be given to _______.
Adjectives Nouns 2 I saw many ___________ students at the
theatre.
proud pride 3 ___________ also have challenges.
young youth 4 _____________ and __________ did not
strong strength match the roof of the house.
long length 5 The awareness booklet should be read by
hungry hunger both ____________ and _______________.
6 Only ___________ were rescued from the
Exercise 4 disaster.
7 ___________ is over. We can now go home.
Change the following adjectives into nouns 8 The union leader addressed ________.
and use them in sentences. You can use your 9 A _______________ man was arrested
dictionary. The first one has been done for you. yesterday.
10 I saw _____________, _____________and
Adjective Noun Sentence ___________at the mall. They are still
1 angry anger He tried to control friends.
his anger.
2 delicious Writing
3 high
4 hot Free writing
5 poor Free writing and creative writing are
6 ferocious similar. Both of them require your ability
7 afraid to think, reason and create piece of literary
8 broad material such as a story, a poem or a play.
9 strong However, in free writing, as the name implies,
you have the freedom to write on any issue that
captures your interest. You can write on your
Some adjectives become shorter when they are personal experience or write stories dealing
turned to nouns. Here are some examples. with daily events. You can publish your written
work in your school magazine or your local
Adjectives Nouns newspaper. You will learn more about creative
writing in Units 15 and 16.
1 awful awe
2 beautiful beauty
Literary devices for free writing and
creative writing
There are literary devices used in creative
73
writing. Literary devices are like the ingredients Other examples
you can use to add flavour to your writing. The teacher walks like a soldier.
They include the following devices: Chika is like an angel.
1 Plot: This refers to events and their Life is like a play.
sequence. Simply put, it is the storyline. Ike is as tall as a tree.
2 Setting: This refers to when the event Jenny is as gentle as a dove.
happened (time) and where it happened He spoke like a mad man.
(place). Chioma crawled like a snail to school.
3 Theme: This means the main idea, the Ije is as cool as cucumber.
subject matter or the message being The question is as simple as ABC.
passed across. The food is as cold as an ice block.
4 Tone: This refers to the way (attitude) the
Metaphor
author delivers the message to the reader.
This is the direct comparison of two different
5 Rhythm: This means the beat or metre
things that share the same qualities, without the
usually used in poems.
use of as or like, e.g. e s c eet on t e fie d
6 Rhyme or rhyme scheme: This refers to
– comparing his speed with that of a cheetah.
the repetition of similar sounds, usually
Other examples
at the end of a line in poems. Letters can
• The news of his failure in the examination
be used to represent the rhyme scheme,
was a dagger in his heart.
e.g.
• Chika is an angel.
Twinkle, twinkle little star a • enny is a dove.
How I wonder what you are a • Ade was a lion in the battlefield.
Up above the world so high b • Amalin e is a cat.
Like a diamond in the sky b • Mustapha is a chameleon.
7 Structure: This refers to the arrangement • Mr Audu is a wi ard in the subject he
or organisation of the material so that teaches.
ideas are strung together to make the
Hyperbole
whole writing coherent.
This is used to exaggerate a fact or an event;
8 Figures of speech: These are words that
to show how serious it is or to make fun of
are not used in a literal sense in expressing
something. We use hyperbole in our everyday
thoughts in writing. They include simile,
language, e.g. The sight of the man stopped her from
metaphor, hyperbole, personification,
eating for three days.
onomatopoeia, apostrophe and
Other examples
alliteration.
• The drowning boy had swallowed two
gallons of water before he was rescued.
Simile • The whole world stood still to welcome
This is the comparison of two different things
the president.
which share the same qualities. The words as
• Trembling with hunger, ju ate all the
and like are often used, e.g. She is like a o e –
food in the big pot.
comparing her tenderness with that of a flower.
• Feeling so thirsty, Ike drank all the water
in the gallon jar.
74
Personification Alliteration
Here, an inanimate (non-living) thing is addressed This refers to the repetition of a consonant
as if it is living or a person, e.g. I heard the wind sound in quick succession in a group of words
saying, ‘The storm is over.’ for sound effects.
Other examples Examples
• The flower is dancing in the wind. • A plantain planter planted plantain in his
• Hunger pushed him into the fire. plantain plantation.
• Time waits for nobody. • He gave the child a last long lingering
When something inanimate is treated as a look.
human being, quite often the meaning is more • After life’s fitful fever, he sleeps well.
forcefully conveyed in the figurative than in
the literal sense. With these literary devices and other things you
Examples learned about free writing, try writing on your
• The earth is smiling. own. Remember you can write on anything that
• The River Niger is clapping. pleases you. It could be an article, a poem, a
• The trees behind the house are whisper- play or a story. Choose the topic. Write freely
ing. as you think freely and deeply on the issue you
• Today’s weather is sad. are writing about. Read your writing aloud to
• Fortune has not smiled on the vast majority yourself and enjoy the beauty of originality.
of the people. You must have seen articles posted on
billboards. You have seen and read novels,
Onomatopoeia interesting stories, exciting plays and poems.
This is the formation of words in suggestion or Each of them is the brain child of a free writer.
imitation of the actual sound made. You can start your own free writing today and
Examples create your own brain children.
hiss, buzz, cuckoo, splash, squelch, twitter, ping- Now read the following poem and see if
pong, ding-dong, crash, tinkle, bang, zoom, zip, you enjoy it.
crunch, crash
A poem
Apostrophe So I thought
This figure of speech refers to a direct address I was in love or so I thought
or appeal to an absent person or a non-human I was flying with the wings of love
object, especially in poetry. I did not see the dangers in it
Examples neither did I imagine the cost of it
• h Mother of Africa, thou art great
• ut ut brief candle My heart taught me to sing
• Akume, my father, if you were alive, I the birds heard me scream
shouldn’t have been ill-treated. the trees echoed my voice towards the east
• Africa, my Africa, Africa of proud of a truth I was day-dreaming
warriors in ancestral savannah
• wild west wind, thou art so fierce. Then came the warning again and again
Be careful these things will fade away
75
Your heart is so tender, it cannot hold the split a thud, waam! Someone had fallen down. But
Let it go, you cannot bear the grief they soon realised it was Uncle Tee-Tee, the
comedian (and Kiki’s uncle). This was his own
Let me be, were my words to them way of entertaining his niece’s guests! Kiki
I know my face will be to fame stomped out of the room and stumbled on a
I took my pace I know my worth rickety table on the corridor. Why she was so
I was in love or so I thought upset? Uncle Tee-Tee was just a harmless man
staging a silly joke. Really, it was just a silly joke.
I lost the grip; lost it all
My heart was bleeding, all was wrong
The melody was gone; I saw my fall Onomatopoeia
I was not in love now I know This term refers to words that imitate the
I took my pieces I taught myself sounds as explained on page 75. Can you give
No more nonsense now for God’s sake the actions in the pictures names?
I wrote my story what drove me to naught
I was in love or so I thought
Homework
1 Write a short play, a story or a poem

for your friend. Let your friend do the
same for you. Exchange your writing
with your friend’s. Read and comment.
2 Write about anything that interests you
and paste it in your room or somewhere
you can always look at it. This will always
encourage you to do more free writing.
Literature
Figures of speech
In the short passage below, some words will grab
your attention. Writers use these techniques to
make their writing more interesting. Let us look
at the technical names of some of these devices.
The clinking of glasses could be heard at Kiki’s

party, glasses of different shapes and sizes.
There was also chatter in different corners as
the hostess moved from guest to guest with a
beaming smile overflowing with joy. Suddenly,
76
Exercise 1 We can also have some other sounds between
as in this example.
In the passage, there are some examples
Perfect Pamela was paid only a pittance
of onomatopoeia. Identify and explain the
but she persevered.
meaning of each of them. Also use them in
sentence examples. The first one has been done
for you. Exercise 3
1 Clinking: This suggests the contact 1 Find the examples of alliteration in the
between items of metal or glass. text on page 76.
Sentence: The toast master ’s speech was 2 Write five more with the letters indi-
followed by the clinking of glasses by the cated below. The first one has been done
guests. for you
2 ___________________________________ a) z – The three zebras were making
3 ___________________________________ zig zag in the zoo.
4 ___________________________________
b) p – __________________________
Repetition __________________________
This is a word, phrase or a longer expression c) k – __________________________
that is repeated because the writer wants the __________________________
listener to appreciate the importance of the d) b – __________________________
expression. For example, ‘There were many __________________________
guests at the party: tall guests, short guests, e) t – __________________________
cheerful guests and boring guests. __________________________
f) d – __________________________
Exercise 2 __________________________
Identify other words or phrases repeated in the Rhetorical question

short passage. This is a question whose answer is known to
1 ___________________________________ everyone. It could also be a question to which
___________________________________ no answer is necessary. It is used to give
2 ___________________________________ emphasis to what is being expressed, e.g.
___________________________________ Why are we being treated this way?
3 ___________________________________
___________________________________ Exercise 4
Alliteration Identify and explain the rhetorical question in
We use alliteration when we have words the short passage on page 76.
beginning with the same consonant sound in
sequence as explained on page 76. It makes Pair work
a writing entertaining because of the sound
effect, e.g. With your partner, write, in about six sentences,
what you feel about corporal punishment.
For five footballs, Frederick fought for Use two rhetorical questions for emphasis.
fifty-five minutes.
77
Unit 7 The determined mother
Oral English
Intonation: Rising tone 4 To make polite requests, e.g.

We learnt in the last unit that the falling tone Please, let’s bury the hatchet. Z
(]) is used to indicate when the pitch of our Lend me your pen, please. Z
voice falls. Do you remember the examples? Go May I see you briefly, please. Z
back to Unit 6. Read again the uses of the falling 5 To express surprise/disbelief, e.g.
tone. Observe the examples closely. Really?Z
In this unit, we shall concentrate on the What?Z
rising tone. The rising tone is used to indicate a Can that be true?Z
rise in the pitch of our voice. Remember that it is Isn’t that ridiculous?Z
indicated by the use of the upward arrow (Z).
The rising tone can be used in the following Sentence drill
ways. Pay attention to the following sentences.
1 To make requests, e.g. Observe the use of the rising tone.
Close that door, please. Z 1 May I come in? Z
Could you lend me your pen? Z 2 Should I go with her? Z
Sweep the room as soon as you 3 Is he your uncle? Z
finish, please. Z 4 The teacher gave me some apples, Z
2 To list items, e.g. biscuits, Z juice, Z textbooks, Z and a
Mother brought rice, Z beans,Z dictionary. ]
maggi, Z and onions. ] 5 We came, Z we saw Z and we conquered.
There was enough food at the party: 6 Can you see me? Z
rice, Z salad, Z chicken, Z and foo 7 Close the door, please. Z
foo. ] 8 Let me have it, please. Z
She bought bananas, Zpineap- 9 Do you care for some rice? Z
ples, Zguavas, Z oranges, Zand 10 There are five items in the bag. They
water melons. are books, Z pens, Z a passport, Z a
3 To ask questions which require yes or no torch, Z and an identity card.]
as the answer, e.g.
Is she your mother?Z Dialogue practice
Did you enjoy the meal?Z Read the following dialogue and observe the
Would you want me to visit you?Z rising tone.
Nkem: Hello Su y, may I see you briefly
78
Suzy: Ok. But I’m waiting for my mother Certain things are left out of the discussion
(points at a woman far away). and the reader is expected to bring these bits
Nkem: Is that your mother? together to get a full understanding or add to
Suzy: Yes, she is. Our palm fruit is ripe, so the understanding of the passage.
she has gone to look for someone Reading for implied meaning, therefore,
that’ll help us harvest it. is reading to fill in certain gaps in which some
Nkem: May I call my brother to help? explanations are left out. For example, the
Suzy: Oh, that will be wonderful. statement ‘Years after we left school, I met Ado
Nkem: What can you get from the palmnuts? working as a lorry boy to Kaduna’ expects you
Suzy: We get oil, kernels, firewood and, of to ask the questions: What happened to Ado’s
course, we use the fresh nuts for final examination results What happened after
stew. that? What has Ado been doing? Doing this,
Nkem: Could you invite me whenever you you will discover that the statement is more
cook the stew? loaded than it seems on the surface.
Suzy: Definitely. Follow these tips to read for implied
Nkem: Thank you so much. meaning well.
Keep asking questions as you read.
Questions such as Where? Why? When?
Homework How? will shed more light on the content
of the passage. Then you will notice that
Write a dialogue between two people. Use certain expressions are subtle; they are
sentences that require the rising tone. Indicate laden with deeper meaning.
the tone with the correct arrow. Keep linking ideas as you read on
to understand the writer ’s line of
Class work development. This will enable you to
notice when a gap in information occurs.
Look at the sentences below. Indicate those that Your background knowledge of a topic
require the rising tone. Use the correct arrow. may assist you to decipher a hidden or
1 Would you want to visit me? implied meaning. Make use of your past
2 ‘Get out of my sight,’ he ordered. experience or knowledge and see how
3 Did you hear about the inferno in this can help you locate a new or deeper
London? meaning.
4 As soon as they noticed the masquerades, When you notice something is missing,
they ran away. you assume what has happened. This
5 Hey! Was that what she said? assumption may make you draw certain
conclusions. These conclusions will help
Reading you locate the implied meaning.
Reading for implied meaning

Whenever you read, it is always necessary to
note that the writer has not written everything
even when it seems he/she has done so.
79
Comprehension over the amount of the captain’s debt from the
sailor’s bag into the one that I was holding.
The determined mother It was difficult because the coins were of all
countries and sizes. There were very few
English pounds.
When we were about half way through, I
suddenly put my hand on her arm. I had heard
a sound that filled me with fear: the tap-tapping
of the blind man’s stick on the frozen road. It
drew nearer and nearer, while we sat holding
our breath. Then it sounded sharp on the inn
door. We could hear the handle being turned,
and the bolt shaking as the blind man tried to
I quickly told my mother everything I knew. enter. Then there was a long silence. At last, the
We saw ourselves in a difficult and dangerous tapping began again and died slowly away.
situation. ‘Mother,’ I said, ‘take the whole bag, and
About one thing my mother was let’s go.’
determined: She would not lose the money that But my mother would not take more than
the captain owed her. ‘It belongs to me and it was owed to her. She went on counting.
belongs to you, Jim. We’ll have that chest open. A low whistle sounded at a distance. That
So we must get the key.’ was enough for both of us.
n the floor close to the captain’s hand ‘I’ll take what I have,’ she said, jumping
there was a little round of paper, blackened to her feet.
on one side. It was the ‘black spot’, and on the ‘And I’ll take this for my share,’ I said, and
other side, somebody had written: I seized the papers.
You have till ten o’clock tonight. We left the candle by the open chest,
I began to look for the key. It was on a bit opened the door, and ran away from the house
of dirty string round his neck. I cut it with his as fast as we could move. We had not started
own knife, and we hurried upstairs to the little a moment too soon. Less than halfway to the
room where he had slept so long, and where village, the sound of several running footsteps
his box had stood since the day he arrived. came to our ears. We looked back and saw that
‘Give me the key,’ said my mother, and one of the newcomers carried a lamp.
she quickly turned it and threw open the chest. ‘My dear,’ said my mother suddenly, ‘take
Inside we found all sorts of things: a bar the money and run on. I feel faint.’
of silver, a pair of very fine pistols, an old clock, Fortunately we were just at the little
some jewelled pins. The last things in the chest bridge. I helped her to the edge of the bank.
were some things looking like papers, tied up There, she did faint, and fell on my shoulder.
in cloth, and a bag of coins that sounded like I do not know how I found the strength to do
gold. it, but I dragged her down the bank and under
‘I’m an honest woman,’ said my mother. the arch.
‘I’ll have what is owed me, and not a penny (From Treasure Island by R. L. Stevenson, pages
more. Hold my bag.’ And she began to count 11–13)
80
Comprehension questions 5 What do you think would happen if the
mother and the son were seen as they fled
a) Who is the writer of this story?
b) Where is the captain? What happened to
him? How do you know? Summary writing
c) What five things are contained in the
chest? 1 In two sentences, one for each, explain
d) What proof was there that the woman was why it was difficult for the woman to take
honest? the exact amount of money that belonged
e) Which currency would the woman have to her.
preferred? How do you know? 2 In one sentence, summarise the feelings
f) How do you know they were not captured of the mother and son as they heard the
or harmed? sound.
g) ‘… while we sat holding our breath 3 In two sentences, summarise what
i) What grammatical name is given happened after the whistle was heard.
passage? Reminder
Two answers to a summary question may be
h For each of the following words, find
found in one sentence in the passage. However,
you are not expected to reproduce the answers
same and which can replace it as it is used
in the same way. You are not expected to link
in the passage.
answers in one sentence using and, or, but. Each
i) situation
sentence in a summary answer must contain
ii) determined
just one answer. Each summary answer is
iii) chest
independent of another. When two correct
iv) sorts
answers are joined in a sentence, the second
v) honest
attracts a penalty of the deduction of one mark.
vi) started
This is because one is regarded as irrelevant.
vii) fortunately
The second has not contributed to the first.
Re ect and discuss Pair work

1 Why do you think it was possible for the
woman and the son to take the money 1 The mother has a duty towards her son.
without being caught? The son has a duty towards his mother.
2 Do you think it would be wrong for them Discuss with your partner what the duties
to take the bag containing the papers? of the mother and the son in the passage
Explain why. are to each other.
3 Would you have left all the money for 2 Tell your partner ten duties of a child to
another person to come in and take it? the parent.
4 Who do you think blew the whistle and 3 Listen to your partner tell you ten duties
why? of a parent to the child.
81
Drawing conclusions Vocabulary
indicate whether the sentences below are true Environment
(T) or false (F).
1 The blind man knew somebody was in
the house.
2 The mother was ready to give her life for
her son.
3 The blind man was a spy.
4 The woman worked for the captain.
5 The people were on an island.
ifficult words
blackened string bar

jewelled penny tap
tapping bolt share
moment footsteps arch
Nouns associated with the environ-
ment
Study the following sets of words associated
Use ten of the words above in sentences of
with the natural environment. You may not
your own.
be familiar with many of them. Choose your
time to check the unfamiliar words in the
dictionary with your classmates.
of the following expressions as used in the atmosphere earth global warming
passage? gasses infrared carbon dioxide
b) What is the function of each expression? methane temperature coal
1 ‘… that the captain owed her.’ ozone petroleum hurricanes
2 ‘… that chest open.’ droughts hydrosphere stratosphere
3 ‘… where he had slept so long.’ ecology utraviolet rays chlorine
4 ‘The last things in the chest…’ death conservation disease
5 ‘… because the coins were of all countries biosphere climate pollution
and sizes.’ gasoline carbon sulphur
nitrogen smog acid rain
contamination sewage disposal
acid rain aerosol animal
welfare energy carbonmonoxide
climate conservation fertilisers
endangered species nuclear
energy pesticide solar energy
82
exhaust fumes forest fires Exercise 1
greenhouse effect nuclear
reactor oil slick rainforest Fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate
waste wildlife radioactive options lettered A–D to complete this passage
nuclear waste unleaded petrol on land pollution.
Land 1 is the 2 of earth’s land 3 often
Nouns for natural disasters caused by 4 activities and their 5 of land
6 . It occurs when 7 is not 8 properly.
drought earthquake flood Health 9 disposal of 10 and 11 wastes, 12
tidal wave typhoon of minerals, and 13 use of soil by inadequate
volcanic eruption tsunami agricultural 14 are a few factors. Urbanisation
and industrialisation are major causes of land
Verbs associated with the environment pollution. The industrial 15 set a series of
cut down destroy dispose (of) events into 16 which 17 natural 18 and
dump protect pollute recycle 19 the environment, causing 20 in both
save throw away use up humans and other 21 of animals.
A B C D
1 degradation pollution serialisation formation
2 formation segregation degradation separation
3 upheavals attendants repairs surfaces
4 human physical psychological terrestrial
5 misuse abuse obtuse refuse
6 attenuation resources facilities seriousness
7 surplus extra waste excess
8 imposed in juxtaposed with exposed to disposed of
9 lizard zig zag orchard hazard
10 pastoral city urban heavenly
11 orchestral industrial celestial terrestrial
12 exploitation cheating reprobation corporation
13 actual improper estimate formalised
14 cultivations machinery practices settlements
15 court mechanisation revolution localisation
16 parade open care motion
17 destroyed assuaged stabilised endangered
18 habitats pollution gifts emoluments
19 cleaned polluted rubbished messed
20 arson silt diseases riddles
21 arrays forms structures species
83
Exercise 2 6 Schools usually have a ________ club to
preserve, manage and care for the natural
Use the word bank to complete the sentences and cultural resources of the people.
below. 7 A ________ is a violent tropical storm.
aerosol climate conservation 8 A ________ is a high tide.
wildlife pollution drought 9 We regard them as ________ because they
typhoon flood recycle are living things but neither human nor
ozone domesticated.
10 ________ is a substance sprayed.
1 ________ is a triatomic reactive form Exercise 3

of oxygen that is a bluish irritating gas
of pungent odour used for oxidising, Fill in the blank spaces with the most appropriate
bleaching, etc. options lettered A–D to complete this passage
2 To __________ is to put paper or glass on the causes of soil pollution.
through a special process so that it can be Soil is 1 in many ways. When 2 get mixed
used again. with 3 , this causes acid rain. 4 degrades the
3 Today, the world is in danger of industrial 5 soil. 6 dumping, especially 7 , degrade
________. the soil 8 as they are non-biodegradable. 9
4 ________ is a period of dryness that causes fertilizers and 10 , when over-used, 11 the
extensive damage to crops. soil and also 12 into ground 13 and make
5 The variations in the weather of a region it non- 14 .
are also the ________ of the area.
A B C D
1 polluted drained reduced dug
2 soaps pollutants insecticide sand
3 salt water air oil
4 Harmattan Deforestation Farming Acid rain
5 loamy sandy rocky top
6 manure fertiliser garbage dirt
7 plants plastics refuse food
8 fertility nourishment richness embellishment
9 chemical industrial terminal organisation
10 patricides pesticides infanticides homicides
11 terminate rusticate pollute dismember
12 run fire crash penetrate
13 blood oil fuel water
14 abominable potable terrible assailable
84
Grammar –ation, –age, –ure, –or, –ance, –ce, –ment, –ion
Nominalisation: Verbs
Nouns can also be derived from verbs by Verb Noun
means of adding suffixes. Remember that 1 annoy
suffi ation is the process of attaching a letter 2 accuse
or a group of letters to the end of a word. Even 3 explain
the word nominalisation is created from the verb 4 pretend
nominalise. 5 interpret
Let us now see how we can form nouns from 6 leak
verbs by means of suffixation. 7 manage
8 collect
Verb Noun 9 depart
admit admission/admittance 10 fail
embarrass embarrassment
arrive arrival
block blockade Exercise 1
cover coverage
act actor/actress Rewrite the following text by forming nouns
depend dependence/dependant from the verbs highlighted. The first sentence
behave behaviour has been rewritten for you. You may use your
teach teacher dictionary.
discover discovery
Those residing at Jingo street were worried
Tips because the oil pipe in their area was leaking
badly. They had written a letter to complain,
You will have noticed that we provided two but no one had responded. It was after they had
examples of nominalised items for some verbs. decided to invite the Press that a government
In English, such nouns have different meanings. official came to inform them that they would
You need to consult your dictionary to know provide the technicians that would repair the
how to use them in writing. Some of them are: oil pipe.
man/manhood, remission/remittance, employer/
employee, novel/novella, nation/nationhood/ Example:
n t on t , c e t on c e t t , s ffi es s ffi t on, The residents of Jingo street were worried
transport/transportation, departure/department, because of the bad leakage of the oil pipe in
dependant/dependent/dependency. their area.
Exercise 2
Pair work
Change the following nouns to verbs. The first
With your partner, use the suffixes in the box two have been done for you.
to create a noun from each verb. 1 attendance attend
85
2 pleasure please succeed success
3 survival _____________ prove proof
4 revelation _____________ to fight the fight
5 prosperity _____________ to rain the rain
6 coverage _____________
7 tolerance _____________ Exercise 4
8 breakage _____________
Provide the noun form of each of the following
9 refinery
verbs. Then use each of them in pairs. An
10 remittance _____________
example has been done for you.
11 interviewee _____________
12 achievement _____________ Example: Speak/Speech
We will hear him speak on Monday.
Exercise 3 We will hear his speech on Monday.
Provide the correct words to fit into the blank 1 receive_____________________________
spaces below. The verb forms have been put in ___________________________________
brackets. Decide whether to change the verbs 2 sit _________________________________
to nouns or leave them as they are. You may ___________________________________
need your dictionary. Remember to use the 3 die ________________________________
appropriate verb tense. ___________________________________
The man who leaked the country’s secrets was 4 fly
not put in solitary (confine) because ___________________________________
he ________ (agree) that his ________ (betray) 5 pursue ____________________________
of the people’s trust was a serious crime. He ___________________________________
________ (submit) all his ________ (possess) 6 deceive ____________________________
and he was ________ (deprive) of any form of ___________________________________
________ (enjoy). 7 believe ____________________________
Some people ________ (sympathise) with ___________________________________
him, but they remembered that they could not 8 slaughter __________________________
do much in his ________ (defend) because of ___________________________________
the ________ (embarrass) he had caused the 9 think ______________________________
whole nation. ___________________________________
10 tell ________________________________
You may have encountered some verbs that
___________________________________
do not use the regular suffixes that we add to
others to become nouns. Here is a list of some
You should also note that the noun forms of
of these verbs.
some verbs are shorter than their verb forms,
e.g.
Verb Noun
Verb Noun
choose choice
terrify terror
sell sale
frighten fright
lose loss
86
Exercise 5
Provide the noun forms of the following.
Verb Noun
1 memorise
2 grieve
3 impoverish
4 enforce
5 skilful
Exercise 6
Nduka: Yes! There will be different tradi-
Combine each pair of the sentences below by
tional dances to show our culture.
nominalising the first verb. The first one has
Aminu: I hope your uncle is not driving
been done for you.
you to school for the rehearsal?
1 We decided yesterday.
He speeds, and that is dangerous.
It was accepted by everyone.
Nduka: That is true. My parents have
Answer: The decision we made yesterday
begged him to always reduce his
was accepted by everyone.
speed especially now that it is rain-
2 Shehu lost the watch.
ing and the roads are wet and slip-
His sister is upset.
pery.
3 The children behaved badly.
They were punished.
It is important to note that verbs in the
4 The animal survived.
progressive form –ing can be used as nouns.
The zoo keeper was happy.
These verbs are referred to as gerunds in
5 The man depended on his friend.
English.
It was too much.
Gerunds can be found in the different
6 He was admitted in the hospital.
positions of nouns in the sentence.
It was for two days.
Examples
Note also that there is another set of verbs that
do not change their forms at all when they Dancing is a form of entertainment.
are used as nouns. Their context of use will
indicate whether they are acting as nouns or gerund as subject
verbs. Some are use, dance, cover, report, sign
Some students do not like swimming.
and account. Note the other examples in this
dialogue.
gerund as
Aminu: Would you like to play football,
object
Nduka?
My hobby is reading.
Nduka: No, I’d rather practise for the end-
of-term play.
subject gerund as subject comple-
Aminu: That is interesting! Will you also
ment
dance?
87
He was punished for disturbing the on your subject, the next step is to start putting
class today. the ideas together. This includes outlining
your ideas. An outline is a general sketch or
preposition gerund as account, indicating just the main aspects such
object of as the topics and sub-topics to be discussed.
preposition Write down your ideas in as clear, correct and
well-organised a fashion as you can.
Exercise 7 Revising
The next stage is to have a rethink of what you
Use the following words as verbs and gerunds have written based on content and style. If
(nouns) in sentences. The first one has been your content is not good enough, you should
done for you. re-write the draft.
1 Swim Editing/proofreading
Tolu is always swimming. (verb) When you are through with your revision, you
Swimming is good for you. (noun) should edit and proofread, making sure that all
2 see the sentences are well-punctuated. Check for
3 travel errors or omissions.
4 cook
5 fight Receiving criticism
6 play When your work is ready for submission, you
should give it to your classmates to criticise it.
There may be some mistakes they will discover
Writing which you may never see no matter how many
times you read it.
The writing process
Throughout your school life, you will be
On page 89 is a chart on the writing process.
continually involved in a series of writings
Study it carefully and take note of the major
ranging from assignments, speeches, essays,
points. For effective writing, you should also
and debates to letters. For each of the writing
consider your topic, your purpose and your
tasks, the following stages can help.
audience.
Developing or planning
This involves discovering a subject, gathering
information, focusing on a central theme
and organising material. If you are given an
assignment, for instance, you should gather
the material you will use to write it.
Drafting
When you have gathered your material based
88
Developing or planning
– discovering subjects – Drafting
– gathering information – Expressing ideas
– gocusing on a central idea – Connecting ideas
Writing process
Receiving Rewriting
criticism Rethinking
Editing and Revising
proofreading
Your topic context in which you are working and the goal
The topic is very important for any piece of you hope to achieve.
writing. A topic may be given to you in class Your purpose for writing can include the
as an assignment by your teacher or you may following:
have to choose your own topics. to entertain readers.
to express your feelings or ideas
The following guidelines will help you to
to explain something to readers
narrow your topics.
to persuade readers to accept or act on
1 Consider your interests and note the
your opinion.
purpose, audience, sources, length and
deadline for submission.
Class work
2 Roughly sketch the main ideas and
consider how many paragraphs or pages 1 List and explain the stages that will help
of specific facts, examples and other you write effectively.
details you would need to pin those ideas 2 Explain the guidelines that will help you
down. narrow your topic.
3 If your topic is still too broad, you should 3 Mention four purposes of writing.
break it down further.
Your purpose Writing tips

Your purpose is your main reason for Ask yourself the following questions to iden-
communicating something about your topic tify better with your audience.
to a particular audience. The purpose includes 1 Who are my readers? Classmates?
all the three elements of the writing situation, Teachers? Children? Prefects? Students?
which are you, the writer, your topic, and 2 Why are they going to read my writing?
your audience. These connect with the specific What will they expect?
89
3 What do I want my readers to know or do Questions
after reading my work and how should I
make that clear to them? 1 With what three adjectives did the speaker
4 What do my readers already know and describe the lives of those that gathered?
not know about my topic? How much do 2 How are they used when they have
I have to tell them? strength?
5 What is my relationship with my readers? 3 What happens to them when they have
What role and tone should I assume? lost their strength?
4 At what age did the writer say that they
lose their happiness and leisure?
Homework 5 Did the speaker see their land as poor?
6 What kind of life did he say is almost
Study the tips above carefully, choose a topic beyond their imagining on the farm?
you’ll present to a particular audience and write 7 Who did he say is the only real enemy
a speech on it. they have?
8 Who is too weak to pull the plough and
Listening comprehension cannot run fast enough to catch rabbits?
Listen to a speech delivered at a meeting in 9 Give two examples of irony in the
George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Pay careful illustrations of the speaker.
attention to the speech as it is read to you, then 10 Which persuasive method is used by the
answer the questions below. speaker to spur his listeners to action?
11 Why did the speaker consider himself
lucky?
12 Why was the meeting originally
convened?
90
Unit 8 Writing English composition
Oral English
Intonation: Expressing surprise/

disbelief
Do you remember the intonation pattern we
use for the expression of surprise and disbelief?
Look at the following example.
A: He has won the visa lottery.]
B: Really?Z
C: Oh, has he? Z
A is a statement and so has the falling tune. But
B and C are questions that expresses surprise.
They go with the rising tone. The rising tone is
B: This is quite incredible!]
therefore used to express surprise.
A: The Principal threatened to call the
Examples
police. ]
Hey, really? Z
B: What? Z
Is that so? Z
A: Yes, he said the police will arrest everybody
Does he? Z
that entered his office this morning. ]
Are you sure? Z
B: Are you sure of what you are saying? Z
Can you prove it? Z
A: Of course, I’m sure.]
Do you have some evidence? Z
B: Isn’t that ridiculous? Z
A: You mean the arrest? Z
Dialogue practice B: Of course, yes! ]
With a partner, read the following dialogue
carefully. Take note of the tone expressing
surprise.
A close look at the dialogue shows that
Exercise
all the sentences that express surprise and
disbelief have a rising tone while those that do Indicate which of the following sentences ex-
not receive a falling tone. press surprise/disbelief using the correct tone
A: The Principal’s phone was stolen. ] mark.
B: Hey! Really? Z 1 Do you think he can dance?
A: It was stolen right from his office.] 2 Oh, beautiful! I like it.
3 I can’t believe it. Are you sure of what
91
you’ve just told me? Why did the manager become a manager and
4 There are lots of new books in the study. the bus conductor a bus conductor? What is
5 Hey, is it true? implied?
6 I’ll see you tomorrow.
7 Are you sure he did it? Comprehension
8 That’s all we have for today.
9 Was he the cause of the fight Writing English composition
10 Hunger pushed him into the fire. Since our official language is English and since
at one time or another we will need to write
Reading compositions during our school and external
examinations, and during our university
Reading for implied meaning careers, it is important for us to understand the
The essence of language is to communicate. nature of, as well as the basic skills required in,
The essence of communication is to make the construction of the English composition.
meaning. While expressing our ideas, thoughts A composition may be described as a
and feelings, some messages are stated openly piece of writing in various forms, consisting
whereas some others are inferred (to infer is of a series of related paragraphs, produced by
to form an opinion that something is probably students to satisfy the requirements of a course
true because of the information that you have). in the sciences, social sciences or arts for the
When information is not stated openly, award of a credit pass in the examinations. It
we may guess, assume, conclude or infer. The may be in the form of a letter, an essay, a term
implied meaning is therefore what is deduced paper, a project, etc.
from the passage we read. Composing a piece of writing implies
We use expressions such as those below to having a topic in mind or being given a topic.
say that based on our observations, even when It is this topic that the student considers
a fact has not been pronounced, we can get the and thinks hard about. With this comes the
underlying meaning. generation of ideas which are listed in the form
It means that… of an outline on a rough page. These generated
We can, then, say that… ideas are then examined to pick a few that
We can deduce that… are relevant. The less important ideas are put
This suggests … aside or dropped while the chosen ones are
It implies … reorganised in a logical order. It is these chosen
We can conclude … ideas that constitute the supporting ideas which
Let us consider this: the writer later develops into a series of related
paragraphs forming a coherent composition.
A bank manager asked his driver to pull up the The topic of a composition may either be
car beside a man who was ushering passengers specific (narrow) or general (broad). If a topic
into a bus (a bus conductor). The conductor was is considered broad, it means that it is likely
the manager’s classmate in secondary school to cover a wide area of human experience.
about 20 years before. Thus there are different aspects of the topic
that can be discussed. Since a composition is
normally restricted in terms of time and space,
92
it appears impossible for a writer to be able 4 Suggest two topics that are appropriate
to discuss and develop fully various aspects to each of the types of composition you
of a given topic. Hence, a broad topic is one mentioned.
which can be considered only in terms of one
interesting aspect. It is normally specific and Summary question
easy to discuss and develop fully because it is
only a narrow area of a wider topic that is being In five sentences, one for each, write five steps
examined. Topics are derived from human that must be taken to write a good composition.
experience.
Reminder
Comprehension questions In summary writing, brevity should be the
watchword. You should not jumble up ideas.
a) What is composition?
Instead, you should pinpoint the facts and
b) Why is the knowledge of composition skill
not expect the reader to search through your
necessary?
wordiness or irrelevances to select the relevant
c) List three types of composition.
facts for you. Note that teachers, and indeed
d) What does the expression ‘All these forms’
examiners, do not think for students.
refer to?
e) List some of the things a student needs to
write a composition.
Pair work
f) ‘The less important ideas…’
i) What grammatical name is given Tell your partner some of the problems you
to this expression as it is used in the usually encounter in writing compositions.
passage? Listen to your partner’s problems in writing
ii) What is its function? composition. Discuss and suggest those things
g For each of the following words, find you feel you could both do to overcome the
another word or phrase that means the problems.
same and can replace it as it is used in the
passage: Drawing conclusions
i) required Read the comprehension passage again and
ii) outline indicate which expressions below are true (T)
iii) relevant or false (F).
iv) examined 1 Writing skills prepare you for academic
v) reorganised life.
vi) composition 2 A person who cannot write a good
vii) restricted composition cannot do well in the
university.
Re ect and discuss 3 All subjects and courses require the ability
1 How many types of composition do you to write a good composition.
know? 4 Paragraphs in a composition are related.
2 What are they? 5 The less important ideas are written first
3 What can you say about each of them? and the more important ones are used to
build on them.
93
Exercise sentences.
Examples
You have been asked to write to support the
argument ‘Living in the rural area is better a red car
than living in the city’. Write an outline for this a dark horse
composition. a black man
a green snake
ifficult words a white hat
se the dictionary to find the meaning of the a blue scarf
following words as used in the passage. a Nigerian man
careers nature construction Some words are used to modify colours, smell,
composition series requirements taste, etc. Look at the following examples.
award credit project Colour
implies generation specific The reddish-brown lipstick made the
constitute coherent aspects beauty queen radiant.
considered derived broad She put on a dark green evening dress.
The creamy milk is better than the pink.
Use ten of the words above in sentences of There is a ruddy sky this evening.
your own. The men wore khaki uniforms.
Retesting grammatical structure Smell
a) What grammatical name is given to each Grandpa always smells of the pungent
of the following expressions as used in the odour of garlic.
passage? The unsavoury smell of the dunghill keeps
b) What is the function of each expression? the people away.
1 ‘… that constitute the supporting ideas …’ The delicious smells from the kitchen
2 ‘… which the writer later develops into a reminded us of home.
series of related paragraphs.’ An acid smell is strong and unpleasant.
3 ‘… since a composition is normally The gardener was asked to wash his
restricted in terms of time and space, …’ smelly boots before coming into the room.
4 ‘… because it is only a narrow area of a
topic…’ Taste
5 ‘… during our school and external We had delicious meals at Learn Africa’s
examinations’ guest house.
We were served sweet tea.
Vocabulary Beer usually has a bitter taste as you drink
it slowly.
Word modifiers Tony usually prepares mouth-watering
Word modifiers are used to describe accurately food.
the different aspects of things, actions, events Let us help ourselves to a tasty meal.
or experiences by means of using appropriate
words. Nouns, adjectives, adverbs can all work
as word modifiers, depending on their use in
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So smell can be fragrant, odorous, pungent, 5 Read the following passages, underline
nauseating, repelling, unsavoury, sharp, acrid, the modifiers and state what they modify.
etc. Colour can be reddish, greenish, bright,
a) European pears may be yellow, green,
dim, shady, silvery, pinky, yellowish, darkish,
red or brownish. Asian pears are round
glowing, etc. Taste can be appetising, delicious,
and have a crispier texture than European
bitter, sweet, peppery, salty, hot, crispy, sour,
pears. They taste mildly sweet to slightly
fruity, raw, spicy, etc.
tart. The skin of Asian pears is yellow or
brownish with a rough texture.
Exercises b) The pungent and burning taste of some
peppers comes from a substance called
1 Draw a table to group the words in the
capsaicin. The fruits, when ripe, range in
box under the headings Smell, Colour and
colour from yellow to deep red. Peppers
Taste.
can be mild or hot. Certain forms of mild
aromatic pinkish sour acidic pepper have a distinctive flavour but lack
sea blue putrid acrid piquant pungency.
lovely turquoise foul sugary c) Garlic has a powerful, onion-like aroma
jet black horrible nasty red and a strong taste.
terrible golden brown navy blue
insipid salty noisome aroma 6 se the dictionary to find the meaning
rank reek scent musty and usage of the words in the box. Use
sweet delicious incense rancid them in sentences of your own.
2 Write five sentences to describe the colours peppery bland crispy beige
you can identify in your classroom. luscious vinegary buttery
3 How would you describe these smells? luxuriant azure anaemic
a) locust bean
b) bakery
c) stew in the kitchen Grammar
d) fast food joint
Active and passive voice
e) beer parlour
In your junior classes and senior secondary 1,
f) an untreated wound
you studied verbs in various forms, using many
g) a dead animal
sentence examples. You will still recall that the
h) a rotten egg
verb is a very important element in a sentence
i) raw onion
because of its role; it tells you more about the
g) boiled goat meat
actions, events, doings and states of being of a
4 How would you describe these tastes?
subject. The doer is the subject and the object
a) raw tomato
is regarded as the receiver.
b) garlic
c) lemon/orange
d) iced coke
e) Tomtom sweets
f) unripe banana
95
Exercise 1 The passive voice tells us about the action or
what has happened to the object. Therefore,
Identify the verb, the subject and the object in the subject is not active in the passive sentence
the following sentences. Follow the example below.
below.
Mrs Martha brought some pens. Dimeji collected the letter on Monday. (active)
subject verb object subject active object

(verb )
1 The treasurer kept the money. The letter was collected by Dimeji on Monday.
2 Bingo did not pick the bone. (passive)
3 Shola sits on the floor. object verb subject
4 I ate two plates of rice.
5 Maria enjoys calypso music. Can you explain what has happened to the
first sentence to make it passive? You will
You will need your knowledge of the functions have noticed that the subject and object have
of the verb, subject and object to discuss the changed places, and the subject in the second
active and passive voices in English because sentence has been made less active. The
voice denotes the relationship between the verb object becomes the subjects now receiving the
and the subject or the object in a sentence. actions. A sentence without an object cannot
The active voice is seen in a sentence be changed to the passive. This means that
where the subject does what the verb expresses. only transitive sentences can be passivised.
Notice the pattern subject + verb + object in the Intransitive sentences cannot. Do you know
examples below. what we mean by transitive and intransitive
sentences? Write a note on each, giving not less
Dimeji collected the letter. than five examples in each case.
subject (doer) action object (receiver) Exercise 3

(verb)
Change the order of the following sentences to
Ekanem took a text book. make them passive.
1 Ronke slapped Shade.
subject (doer) action object 2 Nigerians love Russians.
(verb) 3 Seidu stood on the rooftop.
4 Bisi did not drive the truck.
Exercise 2 5 I mistakenly broke the China plate.
Indicate the subject and the action in the You will also have noticed the verb to be is
following sentences. added to make the passive. Recall that to be
1 Birds spread diseases. includes am, are, is, was, were, being and been.
2 Yusuf did not invite Bilal to his party. Examples
3 My mother wrote the petition.
4 Dupe kicked Uche in the stomach. He threw the ball. (active)
5 My dad bought a new television set. The ball was thrown by him. (passive)
96
Helen washes the dishes. (active) The preposition ‘by’ is also often added in front
The dishes are washed by Helen. (passive) of the original subject when it is moved into the
object position.
To make the passive, the simple present and
Bob shot the thief. (active)
past forms are changed to the past participle
(perfect) forms. Recall that the past participle
subject verb object
forms of verbs are the verbs in the third column
below. They are used with auxiliary be and have The thief was shot by Bob. (passive)
verbs.
subject past form preposition object
Simple Simple Past
present past participle
We can also ask questions in the passive.
call called called Instead of saying ‘How do you operate the
buy bought bought computer?’ in the active voice, we can say
sing sang sung ‘How is the computer operated?’ in the passive
drive drove driven voice. Note that in the passive, the word you is
forgive forgave forgiven omitted, because it represents anybody.
In the passive sentence with the auxiliary verb Exercise 5

to be, you will have the following:
1 Write each of the following as a question
wrote was written (from simple past form in the passive voice and in the given
singular to past tense. The first one has been done for you:
participle) 1 Africa/discovered (past)
calls is called (from present singular to Example:
past participle) How was Africa discovered?
Exercise 4 past form
Give the past participle of each of the following 2 Computer/invented (past)

verbs. Use the appropriate part of the verb to 3 Marriage ceremony/done (present)
be (is, are, was, were). 4 Scores/awarded in physics (present)
5 Room/arranged (past)
1 fly
6 Spaghetti/eaten (present)
2 drew
3 rings
2 Change the following active sentences
4 blows
to passive forms.
5 broke
1 Michael took the box home.
6 wakes
2 I closed the gate.
7 show
3 Jamiu installed the item.
8 invite
4 Did Comfort wash the clothes?
9 knew
5 Pero sang the first verse of the hymn.
10 take
6 My best friend ironed some of my clothes.
97
7 Uchenna chose the cheese. Writing
8 Ado painted the fence.
9 Why did Jite tear the book? Features of an essay
10 I know the celebrity well. The following are features of an essay: content,
organisation, expression and mechanical
3 Identify whether the following sentences
accuracy (mechanics). Your teacher bears these
are in the active or passive voice.
in mind when marking your essay. Study
1 The rat was killed by the cat. ________
each of them very well to have a clear focus
2 Tayo played the flute.
whenever you are writing an essay.
3 The boy was hit by a car. __________
4 She brushed the carpet. __________ Content
5 The baby was helped by his mother. This includes the points or ideas developed
__________ in the paragraphs. If your essay is filled with
relevant points, it means that it contains
4 Change the following passive sentences more information than one with few points.
to active sentences. You should therefore ensure that your essay
1 I wasn’t seen by the Principal. contains relevant points on the issue you are
2 This book was not stolen by Dauda. writing about.
3 Was your sister nominated for the dance
by the troupe leader? Organisation
4 My diary was not read by anyone. This means how your essay is presented.
5 The cup was used by only two students. The major feature here is the paragraph. A
paragraph has these features.
5 In the short text below, underline the All paragraphs after the first one should
passive sentences and change them to active be indented from the margin.
sentences. The first one has been done for you. A paragraph must start on a new line.
It must develop or contain just one main
The police were told by the witnesses what idea.
was seen. The scene was well narrated by There must be unity and coherence. Your
an old man because he was also attacked by paragraph shows unity when it develops
the armed robbers. The robbers’ faces were one idea or point. It shows coherence
described by the old man and one of the when one sentence leads to another in
policemen remembered that two of the armed explaining or referring to the only idea in
robbers had been arrested by some military the paragraph. Your sentences should not
men the previous week and questioned by the be disjointed.
Commissioner of Police.
Expression
Example: Your choice of words is very important for
The witnesses told the police what they saw. effective writing. So is the correct observation
of syntactic rules, which govern the way
words are arranged to make sentences. You
should also use a variety of different types of
98
sentences. Do not always use one type, but vary Correct tense usage is also very important here.
your writing to include simple, compound and You should use past tenses for past actions and
complex sentences to please your reader. Look present tenses for habitual action.
at the following sentences. Proper use of concord, i.e. subject-verb
agreement, is also necessary.
Examination malpractice is a can-
kerworm.
Mechanics
Examination malpractice has eaten deep
Here you should observe the use of
into our education system.
good handwriting, correct spelling, correct
Examination malpractice is practised
punctuation and correct use of capital letters.
mainly in special centres.
You should avoid using capital letters in the
The use of only simple sentences make the middle of a sentence or small letters where you
above expressions jerky and uninteresting. We should use capital letters.
can recast them thus. Below is a visual representation of the
features of an essay. Study it carefully, taking
Examination malpractice, which is a note of the major points.
cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabrics
of our education system, is practised mainly in Remember
special centres.
Sentence varieties add spices to your writing.
Mechanics Expression
good handwriting choice of words
correct spelling sentence variation
punctuation correct tense usage
capitalisation proper use of concord
good grammar
Features of an essay
Contents and
Organisation
relevant points
well-written paragraphs
unity
coherence
99
Exercise 1
List and explain the features of an essay with
clear examples.
Group work
Get an essay written by a member of the class.
Analyse it in your group and find out where
there are lapses in mechanical accuracy.
Exercise 2
Give a visual representation of the features of

an essay in your own way.
100
Unit 9 Uduefe the rubber thief
Oral English
The troublesome vowel /ɜː/

her /hɜː/ nurse /nɜːs/
service / sɜːvɪs/ burst /bɜːst/
verb /vɜːb/ purse /pɜːs/
serve /sɜːv / bird /bɜːd/
thirst / ɜːst/ dirt /dɜːt/
occur kɜː first fɜːst/
hurl /hɜːl/ curb /kɜːb/
blur /blɜː/ myrtle /mɜːt l

purpose /pɜːp s disturb d stɜːb/
third / ɜːd/ furniture /fɜːnɪt
The position of the tongue when pronouncing the
skirt /skɜːt/ work /wɜːk/
/ɜː/ sound
birth /bɜː / yearn /jɜːn/
This vowel sound /ɜː/ poses a problem to thirty / ɜːtɪ/ learn /lɜːn/
learners of English as a second language in
Nigeria. This is because it does not exist in most
of our local languages. We shall, in this unit,
learn more about it. It is the sound we have in Class work
the following words: burn /bɜːn/, fern /fɜːn/, Write out ten words that contain the /ɜː/
herb /hɜːb/. sound. Check your dictionary for the correct
pronunciation. Do not use any of those listed
above.
Word drill
Listen carefully as your teacher pronounces the Sentence drill
following words. Imitate him properly. Read the following sentences carefully paying
close attention to the words with the /ɜː/
girl / ɜːl/ termite /tɜːmaɪt/ sound.
mercy / mɜːsɪ/ irk /ɜːk/ 1 The nurses served the girls in turns.
herd /hɜːd/ sir /sɜː/ 2 During the church service, a bird perched
perch /pɜːt / church /t ɜːt / on the altar.
101
3 Julia burst out laughing when she saw her note of the /ɜː/ sound.
sister’s dirty skirt. Pearl: Mercy dear, where’s Jenny’s purse?
4 The president urged the boys in the Mercy: I’ve given it to her.
Urban City Secondary School to curb Pearl: When?
examination malpractice. Mercy: After service yesterday.
5 Pearl imbibed the virtues of courtesy from Pearl: Where is she now?
her mother for the purpose of upholding Mercy: She now serves as an auxiliary
the family name. nurse at the Teaching Hospital.
6 The colonel hurled the goods violently on Pearl: Oh! She deserves it. I’ll definitely
the hard surface. see her tomorrow.
Paragraph drill Pair work

Read the following paragraph carefully and
observe the words with the /ɜː/ sound. In pairs, write out a dialogue containing words
with the /ɜː/ sound. Present it to the whole
Mercy, a very pretty girl, has some amiable class.
qualities worthy of emulation. In her school,
Urban Secondary School, the Bursar, Mr Akim, Exercise
who is also the Chemistry teacher, always
warns them to curb examination malpractice. Write 20 words of your own, each of which
This advice Mercy keeps to the letter. As the possesses the /ɜː/ sound. Indicate the
senior prefect, she served the school with pronunciation symbols for each of the words,
humility, always showing courtesy. She always as we have always done. You may wish to use
urged her fellow students to work hard and your dictionary.
endeavour to burn the midnight oil, for a
resounding success. Her outstanding qualities Reading
earned her the name, ‘The school Pearl’, from
Reading for critical evaluation 1
both staff and students. Mercy eventually
One of the skills that are tested in comprehension
gained admission into the university and
questions is your ability to read the passage for
graduated with a first class honours degree.
critical evaluation. This is your ability to make
All her peers in the neighbourhood yearned
careful judgements about how good or bad
to be like her.
a person, a situation, a law, etc. is. Reading
for critical evaluation is about your ability to
Group work detect facts, opinions, logicality/consistency,
illogicality/inconsistency in the writing. It is
In groups, write a paragraph with words that
the ability to assess the argument or proposition
contain the/ɜː/ sound. Read your paragraph
and to be able to determine its appropriateness.
to the class, making sure you pronounce your
For example, as you read, you need to examine
words accurately. Your teacher will guide you.
the three factors that are involved in a reading
exercise: the writer, the writing and the reader.
Dialogue practice The writing is the topic, the subject matter.
Read the following dialogue carefully and take
This will be judged on its own merits as the
102
reader takes a look at the content. Consider this It wasn’t that if I had looked around the
short text for example: ‘In 1984 when Nigeria town for people with guts – at least guts enough
had her independence, the Americans did not for the kind of job I wanted done – I could not
know that Nigeria would be a fertile nation have found them. Add a little money into the
economically. Otherwise, they would have bargain, and you’ll get a man ready to stand
delayed the independence in order to exploit up and tell the chairman of the tribunal to his
and plunder our resources more.’ face where his father’s father was born. Now
The question is: Did Nigeria gain look what this wretch has gone to do before the
independence in 1984? Or you ask: What tribunal. What bothers me is not so much that
was America’s connection with Nigerian he went up there to expose himself to ridicule
independence? This is reading for critical as that he seems to have made nonsense of the
evaluation. whole case. For what the chairman has done
As the reader, you need to understand amounts to practically telling him that his
the purpose for which you are reading. What evidence is useless and cannot be upheld. Now
are your expectations in this writing? Can you was I expected to go there by myself and put
find them Are the facts or points satisfactory forward convincing and well-argued points in
You need to look closely at the writing to get the way in which any sensible man ought to
what you want. have done? It’s a curse to be a small man.
Who could have been better qualified than
Comprehension Omonigho Rukeme to argue a case against
Mukoro Oshevire, knowing full well that this
Uduefe the rubber thief was his best and indeed only good chance to
I have always known it. Small men must always avenge the disgrace brought upon his father by
think small and act small, whatever happens. Oshevire?
You give a man good money to go down to Iddu It wasn’t long before the war came to
and argue a case, and even furnish him with this state. Everybody remembers the incident.
sound, convincing arguments to bear up the Oshevire had long known from reports brought
to him by his tappers that someone was stealing
the latex from his rubber plantation. It was also
known that Uduefe Rukeme’s was the next
plantation to Oshevire’s and it was also known
that Rukeme was in the habit of going to his
farm much earlier than anybody else did. And
of course being a poor wretched farmer, with
only a very small plantation, he either went
alone to his farm or took a son along. There
aren’t many people like me who can afford to
pay labourers to do the job. So one day a trap
was laid, and it caught! Rukeme was cornered
case: yet let the judge merely open his mouth practically emptying the latex from the cup on
to yawn, and your little scoundrel loses no time one of Oshevire’s trees into the bucket. Well,
in collapsing on his rump. he tried all he could to browbeat the labourer
103
who caught him, but the man made the report against Mukoro Oshevire…’
to Oshevire, who went straight to the Otota and i) What figure of speech is contained
was barely restrained from taking the case to in the expression above?
court. When the case was brought before the ii) What is its meaning?
Council, what didn’t the wily old fox do to g) ‘… Uduefe Rukeme’s was the next
disengage himself? He swore by the grey hairs plantation to Oshevire’s.’
of his head and penis, by his long-deceased i) What grammatical name is given
grandfather, even by the cunt of his own mother to this expression as it is used in
– may he not live to hear the next cock crow, if the passage?
he ever so much as stepped close to Oshevire’s ii) What is its function?
latex! Of course everybody knew that Uduefe h) For each of the following words, find
Rukeme was a thief. But the Council gave him another word or phrase that means the
the benefit of his oath and of the vigour and same and can replace it as it is used in the
conviction with which it had been sworn. We passage.
even found ourselves blaming it all on the i) furnish
visual error of the labourer, asking the man, ii) scoundrel
on Rukeme’s invitation, to produce concrete iii) bothers
evidence of the theft! iv) ridicule
Yet for the people at large, Rukeme’s v) browbeat
past record alone was enough to determine a vi) restrained
verdict; before the week was out a song had vii) disengage
already been composed and popularised, about
ten aging but slick little fingers sticky with Re ect and discuss
rubber! 1 Have you ever seen a student who stole
(From The Last Duty by Isidore Okpewho pages something in the school? What did he/
118–120) she steal? How did the thief look? What
was the defence?
2 Do women steal? What kind of things do
Comprehension questions they steal? What do men steal?
3 How does a thief react when caught?
a) i) Where was the trap laid? 4 Is it possible that a thief can argue and
ii) What did the trap catch? deny an allegation of stealing?
b) With what five things did duefe Rukeme 5 What courts and councils can try a thief?
swear to prove his innocence? Is the same punishment given to a poor
c) i) Did the people believe Uduefe? thief and a rich thief?
ii) How do you know?
d) Which bargain did the writer want a little Summary questions
money added to?
e) Why did the writer say that it’s a curse to 1 In two sentences, one for each, summarise
be a small man? the reasons why Uduefe was not
f) ‘Who could have been better qualified prosecuted.
than Omonigho Rukeme to argue a case 2 In two sentences, summarise the reasons
104
why the writer was unhappy about the convincing merely yawn
way the case was handled. rump guts tribunal
3 In one sentence, summarise the reason wretch upheld sensible
why it was necessary for Omonigho avenge incident tappers
Rukeme to handle the case better. latex plantation habit
practically barely wily
Reminder fox deceased conviction
verdict slick sticky
A summary is a shorter account of the points,
reasons, causes, factors, etc. put forward by the
writer. The summary is brief and straight to
your own.
the point. It is written in expressions simpler
and different from the original. The answers
are written in simple but complete sentences. A
Retesting figures of speech
What figure of speech is contained in each of
preamble, which is a short introduction to the
the following expressions?
answers, when used, should link appropriately
1 ‘… and tell the chairman of the
to the sentences and form a complete sentence.
tribunal to his face where his
father’s father was born.’
2 ‘It wasn’t long before the war came
Pair work
to this state.’
Tell your partner about:
1 a thief that was caught Retesting grammatical structure
2 a thief that escaped a) What grammatical name is given to each
3 a burglary incident in your locality. of the following expressions as used in the
passage?
Drawing conclusions b) What is the function of each expression?
Read the comprehension passage again and 1 ‘What bothers me…’
then indicate whether the sentences below are 2 ‘... who can afford to pay labour-
true (T) or false (F). ers…’
1 Small men are not good lawyers. 3 ‘… practically emptying the latex
2 The writer wanted to abuse the tribunal’s from the cup…’
chairman. 4 ‘… who caught him, …’
3 Mukoro Oshevire is a lawyer. 5 ‘… who went straight to the
4 Uduefe was free because there was no Otota…’
evidence against him.
5 The labourer defended Uduefe. Reading tips
ifficult words The following tips will help you improve your
se the dictionary to find the meaning of these conversation skills.
words from the passage. 1 Read an article with a partner and discuss
it together.
2 Read an article with a partner. Then write
105
five questions each on the article. Answer more specific. sing adverbs and adjectives
the questions that your partner wrote. as modifiers simply means using appropriate
3 Without the teacher, organise a class words as we write to describe persons, places or
debate, choosing the moderator. Give things. Take a look at the following expressions.
all interested parties the opportunity to
a man
participate in the debate.
an old man
4 With a partner, continue the conversation
a dirty old man
in a drama book you have read. Just
a dirty poor old man
imagine how the conversation might
a dirty poor old man under the bridge
continue.
5 Write out questions to which you want All the underlined words are describing
answers from your partner. Then set up (modifying) the word man.
an interview session with your friend. Modifiers can be pre modifiers (placed
before the head word) or post-modifier (placed
after the head word). Thus we can have:
Vocabulary development clever boy
pretty girl
Word modifiers long nails
A modifier is an optional element in a phrase warm water
structure or a clause structure. The removal of president elect
the modifier does not affect the grammatical the boy inside
correctness of the structure. In all the phrases, one word acts as
Adverbs and adjectives are modifiers in the main word. It is this main word that is
English, although they have other functions. modified – by an adjective, an adverb, a noun,
They are used to convey the exact description, a determiner, etc. The main word is called the
and to make what we say and write vivid or head word.
odifier Head word odifier

He likes cooked meat.
We danced to popular music on the radio.
There is frightening news in the dailies.
The new red car in the garage was stolen.
The president elect is a woman.
I like black dresses.
106
All the head words are nouns. They are pre- Exercise 2
modified by articles and adjectives. These
modifiers (articles, demonstratives, adjectives) se the modifiers in the box to form sentences.
give more information about the head word.
its our her that these
Exercise 1 roasted cooked two red many
Underline the modifiers in the following Now look at the parts of speech that can be
sentences. modified by adverbs.
1 The students confronted the assailants of
their headmaster. Adverbs modify verbs
2 The assailant quickly withdrew from the
irate students. The sick man slept soundly.
3 The newly crowned beauty queen He returned home.
gracefully swayed through her teeming Serious students study regularly.
supporters. The man was killed yesterday.
4 I like this yellow car. The criminal hardly smiles.
5 The primary job of an adverb is to modify Adverbs modify adjectives
the verb in the sentence.
The weather is very threatening.
Now study how different parts of speech are The politician is passionately concerned.
used as modifiers in the examples below. The killing was absolutely unnecessary.
Articles as modifiers Her argument was totally irrelevant.
You are quite right.
a man of honour
an eye for an eye Adverbs modify other adverbs
the armed robber He spoke quite rudely to the old man.
Ad ecti es as modifiers They moved rather sluggishly towards
the scene.
dirty old man
The music was played too loudly in the
young rich fool
hospital.
bright students
Mikel Obi plays football very well.
emonstrati es as modifiers
these girls Grammar
that book
those men Active and passive voices
this classroom In the previous unit, you learned that English
verbs have two voice types: the active voice
Possessi es as modifiers and the passive voice.
our school Remember that the active voice is used
their house in sentences in which the subject performs
his bag the action and the passive voice is used when
her book attention is shifted to the action and its impact
107
on the object. 4 If the listener or the audience already
Examples knows the doer, e.g.
Isong killed a rat. (active)
Emediani was arrested yesterday.
(The listener knows those who ar-
verb
rested Emedian.)
subject (action) object
The children are well trained.
Exercise 1
A rat was killed by Isong. (passive)
Write the correct passive sentence for each of
subject action
the pictures below, omitting the doer . The first
one has been done for you.
In the passive sentence above, the focus is on
Example:
the effect of the action on the ‘rat’ (object).
1
You may be wondering why we need to
use verbs in the passive form when we should
be able to say all we want to say using active
sentences. It is often not possible or desirable to
have a long text, passage or an essay featuring
only active sentences. We need passive
sentences for different reasons. In the contexts
of the examples below, the doer is omitted.
1 When the speaker wants to focus on the
action, e.g. baby in Lagos
The baby was born in Lagos.
The kettle was stolen.
2
What was important to this speaker was
the fact that a kettle was stolen not who
stole it.
2 If the speaker does not know the doer, e.g.
This letter was tampered with.
My car window was broken.
3 When the speaker wants to shield the
identity of the doer, e.g.
I was told that you took the pen.
The manager was directed to write
the letter dismissing the man. award in front of an audience
108
3 Other passive expressions need to include
the doer because that fact is important. For
example, in the following sentences, the doer
is needed.
The class was arranged by Tom. (We may
need to praise Tom.)
Your dictionary was borrowed by Adam.
(we need to know who has it.)
build in 2010 Passive expressions are used mainly in

academic writing, in official letters and by
4 journalists extensively.
The following text represents the kinds
you see in newspapers. Here, journalists do not
want to identify their informers.
We were informed that the President is to be

flown to Canada next Saturday. It was also
gathered that he was invited to speak on
draw wall some issues and therefore, his speech is being
prepared at the moment.
5
The reporter has hidden the following
information. (doers)
Who informed them?
Who will fly the President to Canada
Who told them of the invitation?
Who invited him to speak on these issues?
Who is preparing his speech?
Note, however, that you cannot have five or six
grow in Abuja sentences like we have seen in the newspaper
report in sequence without soon adding some
6 active sentences. Writing is usually made
up of active and passive sentences, long and
short sentences, and variations in choice of
words. Otherwise, it would be like talking in
monotone.
Group work
In your group, prepare a six–line report on one
tear clothes of the following using the passive voice.
109
A discovery (gold, coal, crude oil, etc.) Object 1 indicates the item and object 2 tells us
A car accident the receiver (answering the question: For
An award ceremony whom? or To whom?) . Only one of the objects
A school project (remodelling, or can be
constructions) brought to the subject position when the sen
tence is changed to the passive. The other one
Another context in which we need the passive will still be the object.
and where we do not need to indicate the Examples
doer is when a general reference is used. Such A book was bought for me by my uncle
references include – they, someone, and people.
Examples subject verb object 1 object 2
1 They sent us out of the school. (active)
We were sent out of school. (passive) I was bought a book by my uncle.
2 Someone threw it. (active)
It was thrown. (passive) subject verb object 1 object 2
3 People believe that the leader is corrupt.
(active)
It is believed that the leader is corrupt. Exercise 3
(passive)
Change each of the following into two passive
4 Somebody took it from the window.
sentences as above.
(active)
1 A good Samaritan gave us the direction.
It was taken from the window. (passive)
a) ______________________________
5 They know him well. (active)
b) ______________________________
He is well known. (passive)
2 Our maid gave you a bowl of custard.
a) ______________________________
Exercise 2 b) ______________________________
Write a passive sentence for each of the active 3 Mrs Eto gave the students some advice.
sentences below. a) ______________________________
b) ______________________________
1 Someone saw us.
4 They did not give Munaf his certificate.
2 How do people ride bicycles?
a) ______________________________
3 Somebody slapped Zehan.
b) ______________________________
4 They nominated 20 prefects.
5 Maria sent us a postcard.
5 Someone sends Joy money.
a) ______________________________
Passive voice with two objects b) ______________________________
In the following sentence, the verb has two
objects. Listening comprehension
Listen to these poems as they are read to you.
My uncle bought a book for me
They are ‘Songs of sorrow’ written by George
Awoonor Williams. Pay careful attention to
subject verb object 1 object 2
the language and the content. Then answer the
110
questions on them. e) To what two things were the death of Agosu
a) Why did the writer say that he/she is ‘on likened?
the world’s extreme coner’? f) Why did the poet say ‘Tell ...that they have
b) What is the tone of these poems? done us evil’?
c) Mention two themes contained in the g) What type of poem are the two poems?
poems. h) What is the fear of the poer about his death?
d) What expression suggests ruin in the i) Give an example of a simile in the poem.
poems? j) What is the hope of the poet in spite of all
that has happened?
Narrate the story below using five passive expressions. The first sentence has been written for you.
Example: A woman was hit by a car.
111
Writing verbs and precise adjectives – to help
readers share your excitement, sorrow or
Narrative essays anger.
A narrative essay is an essay that tells an 5 Build a conclusion that expresses your
imaginative or true-life story. An imagined tale thoughts and feelings about your
is a fictitious story that the writer creates out of experience and tell what it means to you.
his imagination.
Elements of a narrative
Characteristics of a narrative essay Study the elements that make up a narrative.
• In a narrative essay, events are arranged It will guide you in writing your own essay.
chronologically, that is, in the order in
which they happened. Plot
• The plot (the storyline) serves as the The plot is the story’s action and events. Most
framework for the story. plots focus on a problem faced by the main
• The actions in a narrative essay consist character.
of a succession of steps, each presenting
a minor obstacle or problem. Character
• There is usually a climax, which is the The characters of a story are the people or ani-
highest point of interest in the essay. mals involved in the plot.
• The conclusion follows the climax.
Setting
Some topics for narrative writing The setting is the time and place in which the
• The happiest day of my life events of a story happen.
• A day I will never forget The setting can create a mood or atmosphere.
• The wedding ceremony I attended
• My journey to the nited States Point of view
• An accident I witnessed The point of view is the particular vantage point
• The new yam festival in my town from which the story is told. It could be a first-
• The salt merchant and his ass person or third-person point of view.
Guidelines for writing a personal nar- Point of view in narrative

rative
First-person narrative
1 Pre-writing: Here, you should list events
Here, the writer tells the story from his/
chronologically, that is in the order in
her own point of view using the first-person
which they occurred.
pronouns, I and me. This point of view allows
2 Maintain a first-person point of view using
readers to know the narrator better and share
the pronoun I if it is a personal narrative
his/her feelings.
or he, she or it if it is a third-person limited
or omniscient point of view. Third-person limited narrative
3 Enliven your narrative with specific facts A third-person limited narrative tells the story
and details. from one character’s point of view. Through
4 Use language – concrete nouns, vivid this person, the reader learns more about other
characters.
112
Third-person omniscient narrative Listen to the poems ‘Songs of Sorrow I’ and
A third-person omniscient narrator knows ‘Songs of Sorrow II’ as they are read to you.
everything about all the characters. This also They were written by George Awoonor–
affects the way the reader views the characters. Williams. Pay careful attention to the language
and the content. Then answer the questions on
them.
Class work
Questions
1 Write the five characteristics of a narrative
essay.
1 Why did the writer say that he/she is ‘on
2 ist and explain five guidelines for writing
the world’s extreme corner’?
a narrative essay.
2 What is the tone of these poems?
3 Mention two themes contained in the
Listening comprehension poems.
4 What expression suggests ruin in the
Tips
poems?
Listening involves: 5 To what two things are the death of Agosu
• speech perception likened?
• word recognition 6 Why does the poet say ‘Tell… that they
• sentence processing have done us evil’?
• holding information 7 What type of poem are the two poems?
• recognising cohesive devices 8 What is the fear of the poet about his /her
• inferring the implied meaning death?
• predicting what is to be said 9 Give an example of a simile in the poem.
• deciding how to respond. 10 What is the hope of the poet in spite of all
that has happened?
113
Unit 10 The joy of victory
Oral English
he troublesome owel calculator k lkj le t injure / nd

furniture fɜːn t actor kt
The vowel is generally known as the
mother m plumber pl m
schwa. It is one of the difficult vowel sounds
for learners of English in Nigeria. is the
shortest vowel in the English language. Many
Class work
learners mistake it for aː and sounds.
The schwa sound can occur at the initial, Write ten words that contain the schwa sound
medial and final positions of words. at their initial positions. Do the same for
Examples at the medial and final positions. ou may
again (initial) use your dictionary, but do not write any of the
wonderful (medial) words already used as examples in this unit.
teacher (final)
entence drill
Word drills The following sentences contain words with the
at the initial position schwa sound. isten carefully as your teacher
reads them. Pay attention to the schwa sound.
above b v attack t k
1 Madam Titi bought some vegetables.
offend fend obsess bses
2 The baker and the butcher are ondoners.
oblige bla d / about ba t
3 The teacher gave us extra calculators.
4 The grandeur of the mother ’s picture
at the medial position
could be seen very clearly.
success s kses wonderful w nd fl 5 Peter measured two glasses of liquor for
commit k mt coloured k l d his brother.
cupboard k b d method me d
vegetable ved t bl comfortable k mft bl
E ercise
at the final position
Write ten sentences with words that contains
after aːft sister s st
the schwa sound. Read your sentences, trying
centre sent treasure tre
to pronounce the words correctly.
picture p kt liquor /lɪk
londoner l nd n labour /le b
114
ialogue practice transitions or implied meanings
What are the purposes of the writer What
is he she driving at or what does he she
want me to know What message is he
she passing across
Is the writer appealing, arguing, giving
facts, expressing opinion, supporting a
view, explaining a process, etc.
Is the writer capable of treating the subject
matter Has he she the knowledge or the
Read the following dialogue in pairs. Ensure
fact
you pronounce the words correctly, particularly
Is the writer biased Does he she tilt
those with the schwa.
towards a particular view or faction
Sam: Hello Walter, thanks for the calcula-
tor.
The essence of reading for critical evaluation is
Walter: h It’s a pleasure.
to have questions in mind to probe the writer,
Sam: Have you submitted your own
the writing and yourself, and to try to provide
assignment to the Maths teacher?
answers to all the questions asked above. The
Walter: Not yet. I want to take my time to
questions are good preparation for reading
write it so that I’ll score better than
for critical evaluation. our assessment, your
any other student.
analysis and your comprehension will improve
Sam: Do you think the teacher will be
if you have a questioning mind as you read.
comfortable with the late submis-
sion
omprehension
Walter: Well, I don’t think so, but I’ll ask
him to accept it because my success
is my concern.
Sam: I wish you good luck.
Walter: Thank you, my brother.
Reading
Reading for critical e aluation
ou need to read with questions in mind. Ask
yourself: he oy of ictory
Are there understatements or At the top of the hill we stopped for a moment
exaggerations to rest our horses. We turned and looked at the
Are the facts correct battle beneath us. The fierce rays of the sinking
Does the writer mix facts and opinions sun coloured the whole scene red we could see
Are there illogicalities or inconsistencies the countless flashes of red from swords and
Is any information left out spears and yet it seemed like a toy battle, faint
Are you able to grasp connections, and far, for the great hills around and the wide
115
plain beyond made it seem small. So small seem beyond.
the deeds of us men in the calm eyes of God, n, never pausing, through the perfect
watching them from the arching sky above. quiet of the night that was set like a song to
‘We win the day, Macuma ahn’ said the falling music of our horses’ feet on, past
mslopogaas, taking in the whole battle with deserted villages, where only some forgotten
one look of his practised eye. ‘ ook, the ady of dog howled a sad welcome on, past empty
the Night’s army is giving way on every side dwellings on through the white moonlight that
there is no stiffness left in it it bends like hot lay coldly upon the wide breast of the earth, on,
iron, and the men are fighting with but half a knee to knee, for hour after hour
heart. ut I fear the battle will not be finished, (From Allan Quatermain by Sir H. Rider Hag
for the darkness is gathering and our men will gard, pages 10 –110)
not be able to follow and slay.’
He shook his head sadly then he added,
I do not think that the enemy will fight again.
They have enough. Ah It is well to have lived to omprehension uestions
see this. I have seen a fight worth seeing – and
I have seen many fights.’ y this time we were a) What type of sentence is ‘They have
on our way again and as we went side by side enough’
I told him what we had to do and explained b) i) How would you describe the two
that if we failed, all the lives that had been lost people in this passage
that day, would have been lost uselessly. ii) What offence did Agon commit
‘Ah ’ he said, ‘nearly a hundred miles c) What weapons were used in the battle
and no horses but these, and we must be there d) Was the battle conclusive How do you
before the dawn. Well – away Away Man can know
but try, Macuma ahn and perhaps we shall be e) i) What expression shows that mslo-
there in time to break open that old Agon’s head pogaas was happy to be part of the
for him. nce he wanted to burn us, did he war
Good So sure as my name is mslopogaas, so ii) What were his fears
surely will this axe cut his beard,’ and he shook f) ‘ the men are fighting with but half a
the axe as he rode onward. heart’
y now the darkness was closing in, but i) What figure of speech is contained
fortunately there would be a moon later, and in the expression above
the road was good. ii) What does it mean
n we went through the dim light the g) ‘The fierce rays of the sinking sun ’
two splendid horses were moving along at a i) What grammatical name is given to
steady speed that neither failed nor changed for this expression as it is used in the
mile upon mile. Down the slopes we rode, and passage
across wide valleys that stretched to the foot of ii) What is its function
far-off hills. Nearer and nearer grew the blue h) For each of the following words, find
hills. Now we were travelling up their sides and another word or phrase that means the
now we were over and passing towards other same and which can replace it as it is used
hills that sprang up in the far, faint distance in the passage.
116
i) beneath marks. our opinions are not required as you
ii) countless are expected to limit the answers to the contents
iii) practised of the passage alone.
iv) stiffness
v) splendid
vi) deserted Pair work
vii) dwellings
The following weapons are used in wars. Pick
these in turn and explain them to your partner.
Re ect and discuss
1 Do you know that in the pre-colonial submarine plane tank grenade
pre-independence Nigeria, many great bomb dynamite rifle poison
political, religious and ethnic battles were gas machine gun artillery
fought mortar chemical weapons knives
2 Do you know what the Nigeria– iafra war bayonets pistols revolvers armoured
was It went on for 30 months between vehicles
196 and 19 0. Nigeria was led by General
akubu Gowon and iafra was led by the
late t. Col. Chukwuemeka dumegwu rawing conclusions
jukwu. What other things do you know Read the comprehension passage again, then
about the war indicate whether the sentences below are true
3 ist five areas in the world where war is (T) or false (F).
going on. 1 The war was won in the night.
4 Think about wars in the past and the 2 The war was their first experience.
weapons of warfare. How much do you 3 They set out on a retaliatory mission.
think that the wars in the past differed 4 The two men were the only survivors of
significantly from those in the present the war.
5 What do you think causes wars 5 The battle was fought with simple modern
weapons.
ummary writing ifficult words

se the dictionary to find the meanings of these
In five sentences, one for each, summarise the words from the passage.
activities in the passage.
scene flashes plain slay
Reminder dawn beard onward fortunately
dim steady stretched sprang
A summary is short and brief. It is not a story-
faint howled fierce howl
telling. Read the passage thoroughly and get
the details to be able to sift out the salient ideas.
se ten of these words in sentences of your
Always remember that summary answers are
own. Compare your answers with your
written in complete sentences or you will lose
classmates.
117
Retesting figures of speech E ercise
se your dictionary to find the meaning of
the following expressions
the eleven words below. Write them in your
1 ‘It bends like a hot iron’
vocabulary notebook and make two sentences
2 ‘ and passing towards other hills
for each.
that sprang up in the far, ’
3 through the perfect quiet of the Word Origin
night ’
1 Cardigan name of a person
4 ‘... that was set like a song to the fall-
2 Newspeak literature
ing music of our horses’ feet’
3 dyssey mythology
5 ‘the white moonlight that lay coldly
4 Tangerine Tangier, town in Morocco
upon the wide breast of the earth’
5 lit krieg historical event (German)
6 Google coinage (was formed)
Pasteurise from ouis Pasteur (French
chemist)
8 Scrooge from Ebene er Scrooge
passage
(character in A Christmas Carol
b) What is the function of each expression
by Charles Dickens)
1 ‘ the countless flashes of red from
9 ovial from ove (another name for
swords and spears ’
upiter, the Roman god.)
2 ‘ for the darkness is gathering ’
10 Cantaloupe from Cantalupo (place in
3 ‘ that the enemy will fight
Italy)
again.’
11 xford from xford (city in
4 ‘At the top of the hill ’
England)
5 ‘ the ady of the Night’s
army ’
E ercise
Vocabulary
Now test your word power. Match the words
Words origins
in column A with the correct meanings in
Today the English language is still growing.
column .
Words are added, words become obsolete
and, through use, words change in form
1 vibrant extremely hungry
and meaning. nowing a word’s origin and
2 core not trained in a particular
meaning can often help you understand its
subject or type of work
current meaning. The origin of a word or the
3 captive full of activity or energy
history of that word is its etymology. English
in a way that is exciting
words you use today come from atin, Spanish,
and attractive
French, German, Dutch, Italian, Chinese, etc.
4 anecdote causing harm
Words can come from any source and have
5 acumen a lot of noise or excite-
unusual origins.
ment
6 fallible the most important or
118
central part of something that its essential characteristic is economic 2
famished the ability to do a thing .The producer is free to produce whatever
quickly and make good goods he 3 but the 4 is equally free to buy
decisions what he wants. There is a market mechanism
8 harmful a short interesting story under this system, which brings the producer
about a particular person and consumer together and tends to equate
or event the supplies of the one to the demands of
9 hullabaloo someone who is kept as the other, and 5 the whims and caprices
a prisoner, especially in of both. It is this same _ 6 mechanism that
a war determines what prices the consumers pay
10 layman able to make a mistake to the producers, as well as what share of
the total , in cash or kind, goes to each of
the four recognised 8 of production – land,
E ercise labour, capital and organisation. It is further
claimed for this system that every person is
From the options A–D, choose the option that
capable of watching his her own interest, and
best fits each of the gaps 1–10 below.
that whatever injustice is done by the 9 of
Capitalism is an economic system that is
the market mechanism, this mechanism tends
founded on the principle of free enterprise and
to bring about a state of 10 between the
private ownership of the means of production
producers and the consumers.
and distribution. The 1 of capitalism claim
A B C D
1 determiners attorneys protagonists antagonists

2 manipulation freedom exploitation manoeuvring
3 fancies sells manufacturers buys
4 marketer controller consumer customer
5 harmonise settle decide neutralise
6 production market controlling operational
interest dividends profit output
8 methods factors agents managers
9 operations managers buyers and sellers pricing
10 opprobrium conflict equidistance equilibrium
119
Grammar been completed but still has some relevance
in the present. Have/has also denote an action
Acti e and passi e oice or activity that began in the past and continues
In the last two units, we have looked at the into the present.
transformations that active sentences undergo In the present tense, have is used with:
to become passive sentences with or without Examples
the subject. However, we have shown only First-person singular pronoun
passive sentences in which the verb to be and I have been waiting.
past participle (perfect) verbs have been used.
In this unit, we will discuss passive sentences First-person plural pronoun
using other verb tenses. We have seen the man.
ontinuous forms Second-person singular pronoun

The continuous form expresses an action that ou have broken the rule.
is or was not completed.
Examples Second-person plural pronoun
Present continuous ou have scared him away.
The footballers are clearing the field.
(active) Third-person plural pronoun
The field is being cleared by the footballers. They have gone home.
(passive) Titi and isi have revealed the secret.
Past continuous The students have accepted the offer.
Najim was fixing our window. (active)
ur window was being fixed by Najim. In the present tense, has is used with:
(passive) Examples
Note that be has been used in the -ing form while Third-person singular pronoun
the verbs that were in the -ing continuous form He has left home.
clearing, and fi n have become past participle She has swept the floor.
verbs. It has fallen again.
Write a passive sentence from each of the active Ade has told me.
sentences below, using the correct verbs. The principal has been transferred.
Examples
1 hadya is drawing a picture. Romoke has written a petition to the
2 ames was writing the letter. government.
3 The kids were shaking the tree. A petition has been written to the
4 ada is flying a new kite. government (by Romoke).
5 What are you doing to that baby Parents have donated many pri es.
Many pri es have been donated by
Present perfect parents.
The present perfect have and has are auxiliary
verbs used with past participle forms. Each
of them is used to express an action that has
120
E ercise May also expresses possibility and permission.
Write a passive sentence from each of the active akri may compete in the game.
sentences below, using have or has correctly. (possibility)
1 My dad has given me the money. Should is used to express obligation or
2 Abanika has broken the glass. expectation.
3 My brothers have carried the boxes.
ou should not flout the school
4 The company has employed Rimi.
rules. (obligation)
5 Why have the police not arrested
the thief
Ought to is used for suggestions, offering
choices and advising.
Past perfect
The past perfect had is used to indicate an ou ought to apologise to the man.
action that has been completed. Write a passive (suggestion)
sentence from each of the active sentences
below. The first one has been done for you. Will is used to express a future action or
activity.
1 Ekanem and his sister had swept We will go there next week. (future
the floor. activity)
Passive: The floor had been swept by
In passive sentences, modal auxiliary verbs
Ekanem and his sister.
occur with either the auxiliary be or have and
2 Seyi had locked the door.
with the past participle (perfect) verbs.
3 The co-pilot had not flown the plane.
Examples
4 We had received the items.
5 ukola had revealed the secret. Gbolu can write the essay. (active)
Modal auxiliary verbs modal verb main verb

These auxiliary verbs occur with the main The essay can be written by Gbolu. (passive)
verbs, but they express a speaker’s attitude to
the situation the main verb is expressing. et past participle
us quickly revise some of them and what they
express. The children must see the headteacher.
(active)
an I can jump. (ability) modal main
Dare can be there tomorrow. verb verb
(possibility)
Can ane sit down (permission) The headteacher must be seen by the
children. (passive)
Could past tense of can past participle
Could you pass the drink E ercise

(politeness)
121
E ercise happened, the person(s) or animal(s) involved
is very important. ou are the narrator,
Change the active sentences to passive narrating the story. ou should tell it from the
sentences. beginning to the end.
1 The workman may complete the job.
Sample essay
Read this narrative essay, then do the
modal verb main verb
exercises that follow.
2 The caterers ought to provide fruits.
3 ou should not reveal the door lock he last o ing ay
combination. n the 26th of December, the day after
4 Can Illiad paint the fence Christmas, I had a hunch that morning that
5 The waiters will not serve alcoholic something great was going to happen. I was on
drinks. my bed thinking of what was going to happen,
when I heard a knock on the door. I opened
E ercise it, only to be greeted with a surprise package
sent to me by my cousin. It was a beautiful box
2 Change the following to passive expres-
wrapped in a pink cover. Then I remembered
sions, using the correct verb form.
it was oxing Day – a day when loved ones,
1 Tayo will offer the prayer.
friends and relatives give and receive gifts that
2 The dog scattered the oranges.
special day when my bijou house gets full of
3 Memuna writes the names of noise makers.
various gifts.
4 The boy can collect the fees.
I collected the box with a warm smile
5 Did Sulaiman write this letter
and a big ‘Thank you’. I went back to my bed
6 My friend has not done the assignment.
wondering what was in the box. As usual, I
Has Ada cleaned the room
looked at the time the gift was sent for record
8 The soldier beat the criminal.
purposes it was 11.4 a.m. I had woken up late,
9 The Chemistry teacher gave us the
because I went to sleep late the previous night
formula.
after attending to the many guests that came
10 My cousin gave our dog a new name.
to celebrate Christmas with us. nlike other
oxing Days, when I had counted more than
Writing
five boxes, I only had one that day. I would have
Narrative essays been unhappy but, because I had a hunch, I was
ou are now familiar with the writing of still expecting more.
narrative essays following your extensive study I examined the box closely and tried to
on it in SS 1 and the previous unit. Remember imagine what was in it. I placed it on the bed in
that a narrative essay deals with narration, that front of me. I placed my hands on it and took a
is storytelling narrating a particular event or deep breath. Whatever it was, we would see it.
happening that happened in the past. Since the Slowly but firmly, I loosened the ribbon on it,
narrative essay deals with past happenings, then I opened the wrapping. Inside was a box.
the sentences used are usually written in the A brown wooden box. It was not like the boxes
past tenses, e.g. I saw, he arrived, they played, he I usually receive on oxing Day. Those boxes
cried, she asked. Describing where and when it were usually colourful plastic with beautiful
122
flowers on them. ut this one was unusual, Homework
quite unique. I wanted to put it aside, but I
remembered the feeling I had had that morning. 1 isit a museum, a cybercaf or a motor
I positioned the box in front of me as if park. Write a story about your visit or,
it was a bomb experiment ready to explode at alternatively, about your last birthday.
any moment. pening the box ‘ h no’, I saw 2 Write your own story on your experience
another white box inside. I sighed, wishing to on the last oxing Day. Make your story
put it away. an interesting one.
Suddenly the white box opened gradually.
A band emerged. The band was made up of Literature
two beautiful dolls looking like Cinderella
with microphones in their hands and lovely Media: he nternet
smiles on their faces. ehind them were Earlier in this book, we discussed the
instrumentalists. I waited and watched. In a significance of radio and how it is transmitted
minute, they began to sing a birthday song. and received by the public.
Ah es It was my birthday Every 26th of In this unit, we will be looking at one of
December is my special day. the new electronic media we have – the Internet
I told you I had a hunch and my hunches (also known as ‘the Net’). e prepared to name
are usually right. about five things you can gain from using the
Internet.
Some of you will have wondered how
Class work the Internet makes it possible for its users to
send mail or documents to any part of the
1 Give the story another title. world in seconds. Did you know that you could
2 Why is 26 December usually called oxing also read a whole book on the Internet What
Day about finding the answers to many different
3 If you were to give the writer a gift, what questions Some of the answers might take you
would that be days or weeks to find without the internet
4 Find the meanings of the following words. The pictures below show some of the
a) bijou things available for you on the Internet. Can
b) hunch you explain what each represents
c) band
d) wrapping
e) instrumentalist
Group work
Discuss the last examination. ot down the
points gathered from your discussion. Develop
the points into an essay on the topic: ‘The last
examination in my school’.
123
The Internet can be found in almost all Currently, Facebook is the most popular social
businesses in the world. ou can also use it in networking service, with about 800 million
business centres or cyber caf s, paying for the users.
facility, depending on the time you have used. As you can see in the picture, it will include
The good news now is that many private your personal profile and some information
homes are connected to the Internet even some about your friends. Facebook enables you to
mobile phones enable their owners to gain form user groups with schoolmates, colleagues
access to the Internet. in a particular organisation, members of
What exactly is the Internet. The Internet an ethnic group, etc. It even allows you to
is a network of many computers connected remember your friends’ birthdays, chat with
to one another. These include computers in your friends and play different games.
businesses, government networks, private Can you explain what other things you
homes, and other domestic places and websites. can do or that you have been able to do on
Facebook
ocial networks
In our spare time, many of us use the social
networks the Internet has provided.
A social network service is a website
where users share information or network with
people they may not even have met.
e prepared to explain what you can do
on the following:
Facebook
eek
inked in (for professionals)
Google Plus
Instagram
Whatsapp.
Twitter is another social networking system. n
Twitter, you can indulge yourself and answer
private questions. The following interaction is
typical of Twitter.
uestions
What are you doing
Why In the morning
Answers
I am eating biscuits.
Can you imagine
es. I was at this
party yesterday and
I ate a lot of ‘ ak’
124
stuff. I don’t have C Does erry like football
the appetite to eat D Does erry hate football
a proper meal yet. Answer: A because it gives the correct answer
These messages you exchange with your to the emphatic stress.
friends or ‘followers’ are called tweets. Many 1 It rained HEA I last night.
users, especially the youth, see this as a relief A For how long did it rain yesterday
from email and a way to share information with Did it dri le last night
people that are not on email. C Was everywhere dry last night
Do you use Twitter How many times D Did it rain all day last week
in a week Engage in a discussion on some 2 The three boys arrived by AIR.
disadvantages of these social networks such A Did the three boys leave by air
as identify theft, cyberbullying, obsenities How did the three boys arrive
disguised sometimes as ‘selfie’ and many C How many boys arrived by air
others. D Did the three girls arrive by air
Ask your partner this questions: How 3 The DRI ER has taken ohn away.
social is social networking A Whom did the driver take away
Who took ohn away
Homework C What did the driver do
D Where did the driver take ohn to
1 Find out how many websites there are on
4 The old man is a MESSENGER.
Nigerian cultures.
A Who is the messenger
2 Find out about the person who invented
Is the young man a messenger
Facebook and how to register on it.
C Is the old woman a messenger
3 ist the different crimes committed on
D Is the old man a typist
Facebook.
5 emi’s watch is made of G D.
4 What is the difference between Twitter
A Is isi’s watch made of gold
and Twitterfox
Is emi’s necklace made of gold
5 Which social network do you prefer or
C Is emi’s watch plated with gold
any of your friends (who uses both) Do
D Is emi’s watch made of silver
you prefer – Facebook to Twitter Why
From the words lettered A–D, choose the word

Re ision
that has the same vowel sound as the one
1 our school is preparing a send-off party represented by the underlined letter(s).
for SS 3 students as soon as they have 6 teacher
finished their final exams. Prepare a A peer alone
farewell speech that you will deliver on C herd D more
that day as the senior prefect of the school. girl
2 From the options A – D, choose the one A part earth
that would prompt the given statement. C ear D hat
Example: erry I ES his friend. 8 reason
A Does erry hate his friend A risen head
Does erry like his friend C people D bear
125
9 would 19 negotiate
A wound crown A ne-go-ti-ATE
C put D cold ne-G -ti-ate
10 hate C ne-go-TI-ate
A plague eight D NE-go-ti-ate
C bite D hat 20 manipulate
From the words lettered A–D, choose the word A ma-ni-pu- ATE
that has the same consonant sound (s) as that MA-ni-pu-late
represented by the underlined letter(s) . C ma-ni-P -late
11 bomb D ma-NI-pu-late
A barber bubble
C rub D rum Mid-term test
12 ring 1 ist and explain ten figures of speech
A hinge king known to you. Give a sentence example
C huge D raise for each.
13 listen 2 Write a descriptive essay on the topic ‘My
A sugar late father’s garden’.
C hiss D rising
14 slept End of term e amination
A dogged begged 1 our pen-friend has written to you that
C walked D calmed some of his graduate friends would like
15 those to come and teach in your country and he
A breath breathe would like to know the recent educational
C breadth D bree e developments. Write to him, telling
him about the system, its problems and
In the following options lettered A–D, all advantages.
the words except one have the same stress 2 The following advertisement appeared
pattern. Identify the one with the different in one of your national newspapers:
stress pattern. Wanted: An industrious young man to
16 A de-ci-sion in-cur-sion serve as a sales manager in Niger Motors
C con-fess D fi-an-c e imited. Applicants must hold ND in
1 A car-go ca-ter Marketing. Apply immediately to the
C co-ver D canoe General Manager, Niger Motors imited,
Sapele, before 18 ctober 2012. Write a
From the words lettered A–D, choose the letter, applying for the post.
word that has same stress pattern as the word 3 A youth club is organising its annual
presented gathering. As a part of the activities
18 pedestrian marking the celebration, you have been
A PE-des-tri-an asked to give a talk on ‘The dangers of
pe-des-TRI-an drug abuse’. Write out your speech.
C pe-DES-tri-an 4 Write for or against the following motion:
D pe-des-tri-AN Mother tongue should be used as a
126
medium of instruction in junior secondary
schools.
5 Write a descriptive essay on the topic ‘My
village primary school’.
127
Unit 11 War on honest men
Oral English
Problem consonants /θ/ and /ð/ Sentence drill

The following sentences contain words with
/ / is the sound we have in the words thief / / and /ð/ sounds. Read them aloud, taking
/ iːf/ and month m n / while /ð/ occurs note of the words. ou may use your diction-
in this /ð s/ and the . oth are consonant ary to confirm the particular sound, where you
sounds in English. nfortunately, some learn- have some doubts.
ers mistake them for t , such as in tin /t n/ 1 My mother, father, and brothers visited
and /d/ as in den den . me during our pri e-giving day.
elow are some more examples of words 2 I forgot three important things at home.
that contain / / and /ð/ sounds. 3 That man is really very thin.
4 The weather became brighter on the
Word drill fourth day.
/θ/ /ð/
thrust / r st this s/
Class work
thought / ːt / that /ðæt/ Make ten correct sentences using words that
thorn / ːn/ then /ðen/ contain /q and sounds, five for each.
thin / n/ these /ðiːz/
thunder / nd though / Multiple-choice questions
From the words lettered A–D, choose the one
author ː either a that has the same vowel sound as the one rep-
birthday bɜː de mother m resented by the underlined letters.
method /me d father faː 1 cloth 2 mother
wealthy wel ɪ weather we A tin A task
something s m together t ge hen weather
C cell C hallow
health /hel clothe kl ð/ D moth D mine
cloth /kl / bathe /be ð/ 3 three 4 these
growth / r / smooth /smuːð/ A try A faith
birth /bɜː / soothe /suːð/ happy attach
tooth /tuː / breathe /briːð/ C thing C length
D egg D gather
128
5 thorn 6 father words, ten of which contain / and ten oth-
A thick A faith ers with .
then path
C they C breathe Reminder
D though D thorn
Always make sure you do not pronounce
7 think 8 smooth
as /d/ and / as t where they are used in
A health A weather
English words. ou will speak English more
weather truck
correctly if you avoid these errors.
C there C crash
D those D smart
Reading
9 method 10 though
A either A tooth Making notes when reading
birth that Making notes is the same as summarising in
C drop C treat the sense that in both brevity is the watchword.
D end D flask As brief as the note is, it contains important
points and it has a clear organisational pattern.
Paragraph drill Most importantly, you always need to note the
Read this paragraph aloud taking particular source of information – the book, the author(s),
care with words that contain /q/ and /ð/ the date of publication and the publisher. our
sounds. notes should be easy to understand by anyone
who looks at them.
In the olden days, there were no cars or ex-
pressways. nly paths existed. People went Strategies
to the market through the bush paths. Those eave out unimportant words. Mostly, ex-
who owned bicycles, especially fathers, did not amples and illustrations are not included
bother about wearing leather shoes due to the in note-taking.
rough nature of the paths and harsh weather. Notes do not need to be written in com-
They simply tied their goods firmly on the car- plete words. Abbreviations and symbols
rier, mounted their bicycles and pedalled to the will help you to save time and space.
market. The mothers, for their own part, carried Remember how you write your text mes-
their goods on their heads for the journey with sages. This can work wonders, but be
the help of their leather shoes. Though very careful not to do this to your essays and
stressful, they sometimes enjoyed it because compositions.
they moved in the company of other women. rganise your notes well. Arrange your
Those bush paths were found in the Northern, ideas in order. Do not jumble up ideas.
Southern, Eastern and Western parts of the Don’t forget that notes can become an
country. Today, through civilisation, there are essay or a composition later.
now sophisticated motorways throughout the our notes will be more effective if they
country. are recorded clearly and neatly. Even
though your notes are personal, a good
Exercise layout will help you to recall and use
material more readily.
With the help of your dictionary, find out 20
129
Comprehension For myself, I’d rather die than turn against my
duty –‘
Suddenly there was a noise in the distance.
I had found one of the honest men here – Tom.
The distant noise told me about another. Far
away over the low land, it was a sound like a
cry of anger, and then one terrible long-drawn
cry.
Tom had jumped when he heard it, but
Silver had not moved. He stood where he was,
watching his companion, like a beast about to
spring.
‘ ohn,’ said the sailor, ‘in heaven’s name,
War on honest men tell me, what was that ’
I was so pleased at having slipped away from ‘That ’ replied Silver, smiling, but more
ong ohn, that I began to enjoy myself and careful than ever, one eye a mere pinpoint in
look around me, interested in the strange is- his big face. ‘That h, I think that’ll be Alan.’
land. I came to a wood of oak-like trees with And then poor Tom’s anger flashed out.
branches which grew low along the sand, the ‘Alan ’ he cried. ‘A loyal and true seaman ohn
leaves thick, like a roof. Silver, you have been a friend of mine, but
Soon I heard the distant sound of a human you’re a friend of mine no more. If I die like a
voice, which grew steadily louder and nearer. dog, I’ll die doing my duty. ou’ve killed Alan,
I crept under cover of the nearest tree, and hid have you ill me too, if you can.’
there, listening, as silent as a mouse. And this brave fellow turned his back
At last the speakers seemed to have on the cook, and started walking towards the
stopped they were not coming nearer. Creep- beach. ut he did not go far. As quick as light-
ing on my hands and knees, I moved slowly ning, ohn sei ed the branch of a tree, took
towards them till at last, through an opening the heavy crutch from under his arm and sent
among the leaves, I could see down into a little it flying through the air. It struck poor Tom,
green hollow, where ong ohn Silver and an- with its point, right between the shoulders in
other of the crew stood face to face. the middle of his back. His hands flew up. He
Silver was saying, ‘It’s because I’m your gave a cry, and fell.
friend that I’m warning you. It’s to save your He had no time to recover. Silver, quick as
neck that I’m speaking, and if one of the wild a monkey, even without leg or crutch, was on
fellows knew it, where would I be, Tom – now, top of him in a moment and had twice driven
tell me, where would I be ’ his knife in that helpless body. From my hiding
‘Silver,’ said the other man – he was red in place, I could hear his breath as he struck the
the face, and his voice shook – ‘you’re old, and blows.
men say you’re honest and you’ve got money, I did not faint, but for the next few mo-
too, which lots of poor seamen haven’t and ments the whole world swam away from me
you’re brave, I know. And will you let yourself in a mist.
be led away with that crowd of beasts Not you When I recovered, the devil was stand-
130
ing up, his crutch under his arm. ust in front h For each of the following words, find
of him, Tom lay lifeless on the grass, but the another word or phrase that means the
murderer was not looking at him. He put his same and can replace it as it is used in the
hand into his pocket, brought out a whistle and passage.
blew it. I could not be sure what that was for, i) slipped
of course, but it immediately awoke my fears. ii) distant
More men would be coming. They might find iii) fellows
me. They had already killed two of the honest iv) terrible
men: after Tom and Alan, might I be next v) brave
I began to creep away, as quickly and vi) lifeless
silently as I could, towards higher ground. As vii) companions
I did so, I could hear shouts coming and going
between the old pirate and his companions, and Re ect and discuss
this sound of danger drove me on. As soon as I 1 Why do you think the ‘wild fellows’ must
was clear of the bushes I ran as I had never run not see Silver and Tom discuss
before, not caring about my direction, except 2 Why do you think the writer hid him-
that it must be away from the murderers. self
As I ran, I had drawn near to a little hill 3 Why do you think Silver blew the whistle
And here a fresh alarm made me stop. 4 The writer said that a fresh alarm made
(From Treasure Island by R. Stevenson pages him stop. What could that be Do you
45–48) think that he was safe
5 Do you think a war is going on here
What kind of war could it be
Comprehension questions
Summary writing
a) Who are the ‘crowd of beasts’
b) Why had Silver engaged Tom in the dis- 1 In four sentences, one for each, sum-
cussion marise the reasons why Tom felt Silver
c) What did the ‘ ne terrible long-drawn should not associate with the ‘crowd of beats’.
cry’ suggest 2 In two sentences, one for each, summarise
d) How would you describe ohn Silver how Silver got rid of Tom.
e) Why do you think Tom was killed
f) ‘ listening, as silent as a mouse.’ Drawing conclusions
i) What figure of speech is contained Read the comprehension passage again and
in the expression above then indicate whether the sentences below are
ii) Why do you think that true (T) or false (F).
g) ‘ which grew low along the sand, ’ 1 Silver is defending his country.
i) What grammatical name is given 2 Alan is a rebel.
to this expression as it is used in the 3 The characters are on an island.
passage 4 Tom was a coward.
ii) What is its function 5 The story is a tragedy.
131
ifficult words as modifiers. These are included in the senior
se the dictionary to find the meaning of these secondary school final examinations.
Adverbs, adverbial phrases and adverbial
pleased strange steadily creeping
clauses are modifiers. They modify the verb in
seamen beasts companion spring
the sentence.
flashed out fellow beach lightning
Examples
crutch blows faint recovered
Mrs . . Awopetu speaks French
murderer pirate pinpoint hollow
fluently.
se ten of the words in the box in sentences of (modifies ‘speaks’)
your own. She learnt French some years ago.
(modifies ‘learned’)
Retesting figures of speech I couldn’t sleep well last night.
What figure of speech is contained in each of (modifies ‘couldn’t sleep’)
the following expressions Alhaji Sadiq sold the old car because it
1 ‘now, tell me, where would I be ’ was too small.
2 ‘... like a beast about to spring...’ (modifies ‘sold’)
3 ‘... as quick as lightning...’ As he had no one to help him, the poor
4 ‘... Silver, quick as a monkey,...’ man started early to struggle.
5 ‘...the whole world swam away from (modifies ‘started’)
me in a mist...’
Exercise 1
Retesting grammatical structure nderline the adverbials.
a) What grammatical name is given to each 1 He saw the dog in the garden.
of the following expressions as used in 2 She cried because her car was stolen.
the passage 3 While I was trying to sleep, Sarah came
b) What is the function of each expression in.
i) ‘... which grew steadily louder and 4 Alabaru was poor because he was la y.
nearer...’ 5 Hajia araba came after the show.
ii) ‘... creeping on my hands and knees...’
iii) ‘... if I die like a dog...’ Exercise 2
iv) ‘... even without leg or crutch...’
In each sentence below:
v) ‘... When I recovered...’
a) write the grammatical name of the un-
derlined expressions
Vocabulary
b) state the function of the expression as it is
used in the sentence.
Word modifiers
1 While he was dictating these words,
In nit 9, we looked at various ways in which
the Russians had encircled erlin and
adverbs modify other words in the sentence.
the chancellery was being bombarded by
In this unit, we will simply look at how lon-
Russian guns at close range. (WASSCE,
ger expressions (phrases and clauses) serve
November December 1990)
132
2 Had a stray dog not given them away Grammar
later in the afternoon, they would have
escaped with their booty. (WASSCE, Sequence of tenses
November December 1990) In your previous classes, you were taught the
3 If the road accident results in a fire, then use of verbs and their different forms in sen-
this can be disastrous as the fire will tence examples. ou were taken through the
prevent rescuers from coming near, thus active and passive forms of verbs and their uses
resulting in the quick demise of the vic- in different contexts.
tims from burns. (SSCE, May une 199 ) erbs, as you already know, are very
4 The careering bus hit the parked vehicle, important in sentences and everyone needs to
swerved wildly across the road and master their use to reduce or totally overcome
plunged into a ditch. (SSCE, May une errors.
2005) In this unit, we are going to look at the
5 ut because she was so plump, when sequence of tenses. This term refers to the
she sat on the stick, it went deep into the use of verbs in long expressions (e.g. complex
ground and she couldn’t pull it out. (SSCE, sentences) and the harmony that should exist
May une 200 ) between the verbs used. What do you think is
6 The staff were already there and when wrong with the following paragraph
he entered the building, he found his
secretary and the clerical staff appar- I saw Ade when he is eating some unripe
ently immersed in their assignment, mangoes. I asked him why he is eating and he
with an air of dutifulness. (NEC SSCE, said that he is hungry. I tried to stop him from
May une 200 ) eating the last two mangoes but he continue
Right there in the examination hall, and I left him.
while his pen is dancing furiously on ou will have noticed that the writer of this
the paper, the candidate may remember passage has mixed the tenses – there is no
a beautiful tune as if his mind is saying: consistency because the past tense appears in
‘Forget this task, enjoy some music’. some places and the present tense in others. The
(WAEC SSCE, 1998) past tense form of the verbs should have been
8 When this has been done, some of them maintained because the passage is reporting a
run ig ag at a tremendous speed to past event.
alert the others on the route. (WAEC
e prepared to correct the sentences in
SSCE, May une 1999)
turns by using the correct verb forms.
9 efore I could say anything else, to mother
In your junior classes, you have come
and son, the theatre doors were flung
across complex sentences and have been made
open and the stretcher was wheeled in.
to appreciate their significance. ou cannot
(WAEC SSCE, May une 2000)
write only short simple sentences in an essay
10 When he arrived in agos it was almost
or any writing of a considerable length. More
dark. (SSCE, 2004)
often than not, you will have sentences in which
two or three different ideas have been joined.
et us quickly review those types of sentences.
133
emi went to agos. (simple) clauses cannot stand on their own.
olade went with him. (simple)
emi went to agos and olade went with
him. (compound) Exercise 1
I love to eat rice. (simple) Read the same complex sentences again below.
My best friend loves beans. (simple) nderline each of the verbs. The first one has
I love to eat rice but my friend loves beans. been done for you.
(compound) 1 The students were punished because they
jumped the fence.
ou may sit on the stool. (simple)
2 I knew the man who stole your phone.
ou may sit at the dinner table. (simple)
3 He knew that he lied.
ou may sit on the stool or (sit) at the
4 When Ameen came into the room, he saw
dinner table. (compound)
that his wardrobe was open.
5 She tiptoed into the room after Grandma
Compound sentences
had left.
A compound sentence is a sentence where two
ou will have noticed that the verb form in the
ideas of equal status have been joined together
main clause is maintained in the subordinate
by coordinators such as and, but, or, yet, either…
clause. This is how verb tense forms are used
or, both… and.
in a sequence in the English language. When
the verb in the main clause is in the past tense
Complex sentences
form, the verb in the subordinate clause should
ou will also recall that a complex sentence
also be in the past tense form.
features a complete simple sentence and an in-
complete one. The complete sentence, i.e. the main
clause, is joined to the one expression that cannot
Exercise 2
stand on its own (the subordinate clause) with Complete the following using the correct tense
the aid of subordinators. These include when, if, form of the verbs in the brackets.
since, because, until, after, so, what, that, who, which. 1 ecause Somorin did his homework,
Examples (the subordinators are underlined) his teacher . (reward him)
The students were punished because they 2 I was on my way when I
jumped the fence. (hear) the news.
I know the man who stole your phone. 3 She did not cook for him until he
He knew that he lied. . (apologise)
4 Hadi a was paid a lot of money after
When Ameen came into the room, he
she (win) the lottery.
saw that his wardrobe was open.
5 elechukwu promised to send the bags
She tiptoed into the room after Grandma
if they (return) his Maths
had left.
set.
In the sentences above, the main clauses (com- 6 He understood what he .
plete sentences) have been underlined the (say)
subordinate clauses introduced by the subor-
ou also need to maintain the appropriate verb
dinators were not underlined. The subordinate
tense form when you are talking about events
134
that require the present tense form. Exercise 4
isted below are some of the contexts
where you may use the present tense form of Rewrite the following text with the appropriate
verbs. use of tenses in sequence.
1 When you are talking about habitual
activities After Fisayo left Aliu’s house, she goes home
Example and found her cousin sleeping in her room. She
wake up early because I need to get did not wake her up because she knows that
to school on time. she was tired.
2 When commenting on an ongoing event, ater, her cousin wake up and apologised
e.g. football but Fisayo said she understands that she was
Example tired and she desperately want a place to sleep
ohn falls on the field as he grabs the ball when she came back from school.
and he passes it on to Amodu.
3 A future schedule/event
Example Writing
The buses stop at different points so
that passengers get on them easily and
sit comfortably.
4 When giving instructions or directions
Example
When the rice boils, put some of the
ingredients in before you stir and taste
it for salt.
Exercise 3
Complete each of the following sentences using
any verb in the correct form. An example has
been done for you. Speeches
I always play tennis because I enjoy the game. Writing a speech is a simple task, just like other
essays. It is not a hapha ard kind of writing.
1 ou need to take some bottles of water
Speech-writing is an art that has to be well
as you
planned and organised in a pattern that is
2 Laraba believes her brother because
acceptable and ready for oral presentation. It
he ____________ ____________
must be written in well-organised paragraphs.
3 ou come in only if you
____________
Features of speech–writing
4 Ronaldo is upset because the referee
A well-written speech must possess a title, an
_____________ ____________
introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
5 After you get to that corner,
____________ ____________
135
The title friendly. e able to lead the audience towards
There should be a title for the speech you are what you are going to talk about.
to deliver. When choosing a title, you should The body
consider the following points. This is the stage that carries the actual message
• Decide on your audience: our audience meant for the audience. Start by giving your
are the beneficiaries of your speech. Con- main points. Then support each main point
sidering them before choosing your topic with relevant details, expert quotes, a story,
is very important. When you decide on the comparisons and contrasts, etc., explaining
people that will constitute your audience, who, what, where, when, why and how. The ideas in
the subsequent steps will be easier and your speech must be stated in good, clear sentences.
faster. The message you will give to them
and the language of your information will The conclusion
also be clearer. When you round off the body of the speech,
• Decide on your purpose: It is also very the next thing is the conclusion. The expectation
important to decide on the purpose of your is that you should summarise your main points.
speech before choosing a topic. Why do you It is also important to end in a memorable way.
want to speak to the audience What To achieve this, you may decide to use any of
message do you want to deliver to them the following:
What do you want them to do, think or • make a shocking statement
know after listening to your speech • tell a short story anecdote scenario
Reflecting and finding answers to these • make a forceful statement
questions will go a long way to making • quote someone else
writing easier. Decide whether your • refer to something you said in your
purpose is to inform, entertain, persuade introduction.
or demonstrate. The ability to determine ou may also consider urging your audience to
your purpose fully can help to improve follow a certain line of action or thought. Since
your speech. the conclusion is the climax of your speech, you
must endeavour to end in an interesting, captivat-
The introduction ing or emphatic manner.
In writing the introduction, the following tips
are relevant: Note
1 Identify with your audience and catch Ensure your speech goes with an interesting
their attention. title. Ensure also that you like the subject mat-
2 Give your audience a preview of what you ter of your speech and that it will be of interest
are speaking about. Consider the following: to your audience. More importantly, note that
i) making a shocking statement no matter how wonderful your written speech
ii) giving a startling fact or opinion is, the presentation is what matters more. This
iii) telling a short story anecdote is because it is what the audience remembers
scenario most easily. ou should therefore spend time
iv) quoting someone else on effective practice, including how to say what
v) asking a question you want to say. se pronunciation, gestures,
our target here is to arouse the interest of your eye contact, etc., all in a bid to make your deliv-
audience. Make your introduction lively and
136
ery very interesting to your audience. Actions victims have been exposed to the streets very
speak louder than words early in life.
Child labour is evil and should be con-
Sample speech demned in its entirety. ur dear parents, I be-
The following speech was written on the topic lieve the perpetrators of this evil are not among
of child labour, to be delivered during the oc- you, because such people do not have a value
casion of the induction of SS 1 students. or regard for education. I urge you all to carry
. this message of change to them. ut if there
is anyone here who in one way or another is
Child labour involved in child labour, he should retrace his
The Parent-Teacher Association, the School steps.
Management, Members of the Staff, Students nce more, I urge you all to join hands
of this great institution, Ladies and Gentle- and give the children a better future. If a seed is
men. planted, watered and given enough manure, it
It is a singular honour to stand here today will yield a great harvest. Such is the case with
to deliver this speech on child labour during children. Whatever seed you sow in them today
this period of induction of SS 1 students, the is what you will definitely reap tomorrow. Give
future leaders. This topic is chosen specifically them a good foundation today and make our
because the parents and guardians who take world a better and safer place tomorrow.
care of children are all present. adies and gentlemen, distinguished
efore I go any further, let us look at what guests, thank you for honouring this invitation.
child labour means. Child labour is the act of Enjoy the remaining part of the programme and
using children to do menial jobs – such jobs as have a pleasant journey back to your different
housekeeping and hawking. It should be noted destinations.
here that child labour is different from child
discipline. There are other ways of teaching a
child to be industrious beside subjecting the Class work
child to hard labour. Such ways are sending
them to school where they can learn and be ist and explain the procedures you should
useful to themselves and society, advising and adopt for effective speech-writing.
guiding them on moral acts, etc.
There are negative effects of child labour Homework
on the child and society. Children hawking on
the streets are prone to motor accidents, kidnap- Write a speech on the topic, ‘Cleanliness’.
ping and rape, among other dangers. It is sad
to note that cultism has left its hideouts on the
street among teenagers who brag about it with
impunity. These teenagers are being deceived
into indulging in various immoral acts such as
unhealthy sexual behaviour (illicit sex), smok-
ing, taking drugs and robbery, to mention but a
few. This behaviour occurs because most of the
137
Unit 12 Stanley meets Mutesa
Oral English
Words with silent letters subtle s tl
There are many words of the English language debt /det/
that possess silent letters in their pronunciation. comb k m/
When a letter is silent in the pronunciation of gnat /næt/
a word, it means that the letter should not be heir e
sounded. In a word like plumber pl m , for honesty / n sti
instance, the letter b is silent. Therefore, plumber handsome h ns m
should not be pronounced as ‘pl mba’, as many reigned /re nd/
Nigerians do. castle /kaːs l
listen /l sn/
Word drill hour /a
Listen carefully as your teacher pronounces owner n
the following words. Take note of the under-
lined silent letters. Class work
receipt /r siːt/ Write ten words that have silent letters.
psychology /sa k l d ɪ/ Pronounce the words, observing the silent
pneumonia /njuːm nia/ letters. Compare your words with those of your
marijuana m r waːn classmates.
cupboard k b d
psyche /sa ki/ Sentence drill
corps k ː/ The following sentences contain words with
physics /f z ks/ silent letters. Listen carefully as your teacher
knot /n t/ pronounces them. Repeat after him.
psalm /saːm/ 1 He listened carefully to the instructions
sign /sa n/ and fastened his seat belt.
lamb /læm/ 2 The handsome debtor who suffers pneu-
Christmas /kr sm s monia claimed to be dumb.
damn /dæm/ 3 The corps climbed the wall and threw
fasten /f ːsn/ a bomb into the camp.
coup /kuː/ 4 The subtle-minded boy wrestled with
Amalinze the cat.
138
5 She was known for her honesty. Reading
6 After signing the necessary documents,
he became the rightful owner of the Reading to paraphrase poems
castle. In paraphrasing poems, you do not need to find
synonyms for every word used. You construct
Exercise each sentence (not each line) using your own
English expressions. You must take note of the
Write ten correct sentences that contain the tense and the person in the original work as
following words with silent letters. these must be maintained in the paraphrase.
When you are asked to paraphrase, you
Word Wrong Right have not been asked to summarise. A summary
pronunciation pronunciation exercise restricts students to a number of
debt /debt/ /det/ sentences. A paraphrase exercise expects the
debtor debt det general ideas contained in the poem. In actual
climb /kla mb/ /kla m/ fact, it is a test of your skill at writing a good
thumb /q mb m composition. In this, you are able to exhibit
bomb /b mb/ /b m/ your knowledge in recognising the points,
castle /kastl/ /kæsl/ arranging these ideas, using your own English
subtle /s bt s tl expressions and vocabulary. Finally, you need
fasten /fasten/ /faːs n to show how strong you are in grammar.
heir her e Obviously, grammatical errors take away
whistle /wistl/ /wisl/ marks in examinations. Equally important is
the ability to use reported clauses.
Pair work Exercise

Write ten words that have silent letters and Read the poem below and write your paraphrase
compare your list with your partner’s. of it.
Africa
Homework By R.E.G. Armattoe
1 Write ten sentences each containing I once saw a maiden, dark and comely,
words with silent letters. Sitting by the wayside, sad and lonely,
2 Indicate the pronunciation symbols of Oh! pretty maiden, so dark and comely,
each of the words. Why sit by the wayside, sad and lonely?
3 se your dictionary to confirm that your ‘I am neither sad nor lonely,’ she said,
answers are correct. ‘But living, sir, among the deaf and dumb;
Relentlessly watching these shameless dead,
Makes my warm heart grow very cold and
numb.’
139
Comprehension Then came the afternoon of a hungry
march,
A hot and hungry march it was;
The Nile and the Nyanza
30 Lay like two twins
Azure across the green countryside.
The march leapt on chanting
Like young gazelles to a waterhole.
Hearts beat faster,
35 Loads felt lighter
As the cool water lapped their sore
Stanley meets Mutesa by David Rubadiri soft feet
No more the dread of hungry hyenas
Such a time of it they had; But only tales of valour when
The heat of the day, At Mutesa’s court fires are lit.
The chill of the night
And the mosquitoes that followed. 40 No more the burning heat of the day
5 Such was the time and But song, laughter and dance.
They, bound for a kingdom. The village looks on behind banana
The thin weary line of carriers groves,
With tattered dirty rags to cover their Children peer behind reed fences.
backs; Such was the welcome.
The battered bulky chests 45 No singing women to chant a welcome
10 That kept on falling off their shaven heads. Or drums to greet the white ambassador;
Their tempers high and hot, Only a few silent nods from aged faces
The sun fierce and scorching – And one rumbling drum roll
With it rose their spirits, To summon Mutesa’s court to parley
With its fall their hopes 50 For the country was not sure.
15 As each day sweated their bodies dry and
Flies clung in clumps on their sweat- The gate of reeds is flung open,
scented backs. There is silence
Such was the march But only a moment’s silence
And the hot season just breaking. A silence of assessment.
55 The tall black king steps forward,
Each day a weary pony dropped, He towers over the thin bearded white
20 Left for the vultures on the plains; man
Each afternoon a human skeleton Then grabbing his lean white hand
collapsed, Manages to whisper
Left for the Masai on the plains; ‘Mtu Mweupe kari’bu’
But the march trudged on 60 White man you are welcome.
Its khaki leader in front; The gate of polished reed closes behind
25 He the spirit that inspired. them
He the light of hope. And the west is let in.
140
Comprehension questions were getting close to their destination?
5 Why do you think the children peered
a) Mention three physical differences behind reed fences?
between the king and the white man.
b) What is suggested by the last line of Summary writing
the poem?
1 In three sentences, one for each, sum-
c) List three hardships the travellers
marise the fears of the village people.
encountered.
2 In two sentences, mention two from the
d) Mention two signs of poverty in the
journey that could not complete it and
train.
what happened to them.
e) What made their loads feel lighter?
f) ‘He the spirit that inspired.
Reminder
He the light of hope.’
i) What figure of speech is contained A summary is the main gist, the exact points,
in the expression above? the reduction of a long story. In answering
ii) What does it mean? summary questions, you are expected to be
g) ‘That kept on falling off their shaven precise and direct to the point. You must leave
heads.’ out any material that would not add positively
i) What grammatical name is given to to the answer. Irrelevance is called wordiness –
this expression as it is used in the too many words! It reduces your mark.
passage?
h) For each of the following words, find Pair work
another word or phrase that means the 1 Discuss what you know about the
same and can replace it as it is used in the scramble for and the partition of Africa.
passage. 2 Mention at least three nations that
a) weary colonised Africa.
b) tattered 3 Do you know what a stanza is? How
c) trudged many are in the comprehension poem?
d) dread 4 Discuss the rhyming of the poem with
e) valour your partner.
f) summon 5 Why do you think the white people
g) assessment came to Africa? Discuss this with your
partner.
Re ect and discuss
1 What time of the year do you think these Drawing conclusions
people embarked on the journey? Read the poem again to indicate whether the
2 What do you think made the people sentences below are true (T) or false (F).
wear tattered dirty rags to cover their 1 The people eagerly awaited their guests.
backs? 2 Many of the travellers died before getting
3 What could have made the men sweat? to their destination.
4 How do you think they felt when they
141
3 The villagers hid themselves because collapsed’ – line 21
they were shy. 4 ‘Then came the afternoon of a hungry
4 The weather was unfriendly to the march’ – line 2
travellers. 5 ‘Children peer behind reed fences’
5 The white man was frail. – line 43
ifficult words Vocabulary

words from the passage. Prefi es
Prefixes are word extensions. A prefix is
chill battered bulky something placed before a word to modify its
fierce scorching pony meaning. A prefix added to a word usually does
plains countryside chanting, not change the word class (part of speech) of
groves rumbling parley the word. Prefixes are word parts, one to six
reeds towers peer letters long. Adding a prefix does not affect the
way the word is spelt. nowing what a prefix
Use ten of the words in sentences of your own. means, however, will allow you to understand
the word to which the prefix is added. For
Retesting figures of speech example:
What figure of speech is contained in each of Prefi eaning Prefi eaning
anti- against de- from, down
1 ‘Each day a weary pony dropped’
arch- chief, highest co- with, together
– line 19
bi- two, twice un- not
2 ‘Then came the afternoon of a hungry
mono- one re- back
march’ – line 2
3 ‘The Nile and the Nyanza Lay like
twins’ – line 29 30 Exercise 1
4 ‘Like young gazelles to a waterhole’
nderline the prefixes in the following words.
– line 33
5 ‘Or drums to greet the white antisocial coherence
ambassador’ – line 46 archangel antidote
bicycle ascend
Retesting grammatical structure cooperate unfair
a) What grammatical name is given to each descend outcast
of the following expressions as used in the deregulate international
passage? monotone income
1 ‘The mosquitoes that followed’ – line 4 Exercise 2
2 ‘As each day sweated their bodies
dry’ – line 15 1 Put the prefixes below in alphabetical
3 ‘Each afternoon a human skeleton order. Find words in which these prefixes
are used in the English dictionary.
142
a-, an-, ab-, abs-, ant-, anti-, be-, bi-, bin-, by-, Prefi es showing negation
circum-, co-, con-, contra-, de-, dia-, dis-, dys-,
em-, en-, ex-, extra-, for-, fore-, hemi-, hyper-, Prefi eaning E amples
hypo-, il-, ir-, im-, in-, inter-, intra-, intro-, mal-,
dis- apart, away disappear, disagree,
meta-, mis-, miso-, mono-, multi-, neo-, non-,
disown, disaffiliate
oct-, over-, para-, penta-, per-, peri-, poly-, post-,
il- not illogical, illegal,
pre-, pro-, pseudo-, quad-, quint-, re-, retro-, se-,
illiterate
self-, semi-, sex-, sest-, sub-, syn-, trans-, tri-,
im- not immodest, impossible,
utra-, un-, vice-, under-, super-, out-, counter-,
immobile, imperfect
arch-, mini-, ante-, uni-, di-, hetero-, auto-, patri-,
in- not, opposite, inaudible, inability,
profo-, pan-
lack of inactive, insensitive
non- not non-verbal, non-profit,
non-standard
Roots
un- not unhappy, unfair, un-
The root of a word is the original word to which
certainty, unlock,
a prefix is attached. It is sometimes called the
undo
base of word. For instance:
anti- against antisocial, antibiotic,
Prefi Root antidote, antithesis
im- material
trans- atlantic
untie
multi- purpose Exercise 4
misbehave Decide on the meaning of the underlined words
The root, therefore, is the basic form of the in the following sentences.
word. It is a word that has its own sense and can 1 The University of Ukedeze has disaffili-
very often stand on its own. It is to this word ated from Kongo Federal University to
(the base) that we attach the prefix. which it was attached.
2 It was an illiterate letter written by an
uneducated person.
Exercise 3 3 We felt it was immodest to ask for
Underline the root in the following words. payment before delivering the job.
4 They claimed to be a non-profitmaking
understand misinform correctly organisation with a focus on charity
existence invisible untouchable work.
disagree unwanted supplier 5 The priest unlocked the secrets of the
impersonal detract represent ailment when he discovered the man
had been poisoned.
143
Grammar Context
The context always determines how verb
Sequence of tenses: Exceptions tense forms will be used in sequence. For
ou were told in the last unit the significance example, each of the sentences below indicates
of tenses in sequence. We have also provided a relationship between a past action and the
sentence examples where you have been present, especially after the use of than.
consistent in your use of verb tense forms in past tense
complex sentences.
1 In this unit, you will go through the • Shola’s salary was higher than what
exceptions to the practices we discussed in the anybody else receives.
previous unit. Recall that we said that verbs
in sequence should be in the same tense form present tense
(present or past).
past tense
Example
• Mandy loved the former driver more than

Mr Macaulay knew that he needed some
she loves John, the new driver.
money and some clothes when he heard
that the organisers of the conference he
present tense
wanted to attend provided only a few
things for them.
• The vase you bought last week is on the
shelf.
nfiniti es
past tense present tense
The infinitive is not affected by time. For
example, to go in, He needed to go (not to Note also that there are situations in which the
went). past tense form of verbs can be mixed with the
progressive form, e.g.
Widely accepted facts progressive tense
If a fact that is widely accepted (by everyone)
is being expressed, we do not need to change • Mandy has been attending the seminary
its present tense form, even if we are referring since he completed his Bible study.
to a past event.
Examples past tense
• The sun sets in the west.
• He claimed that the sun sets in the west. We can also have the future tense and the past
• Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. tense together in sequence, e.g.
• We later knew that water boils at 100
degrees Celsius. future tense
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Mr Smith showed that honesty is the best • The man who is going to teach Art came
policy. here in the morning.
past tense
144
In addition, when we use the adverbial clauses Examples
of time (e.g. when), we use the present tense, e.g. • If my uncle comes earlier today, we will go
to the beach.
future tense
present tense future tense
• My friend will travel to Enugu when she future tense
receives the invitation.
• My mother will make pounded yam in
present tense adverbial clause of time the evening if she is not too tired.
Exercise 1 present tense
Fill in the gaps in the sentences below with the

verb in the correct form, as shown in brackets.
Unreal conditional
1 Shandy __________ (past tense) us that
Unreal conditionals express an unreal or
light __________ (present tense) faster
impossible situation. We use this kind of
than sound.
sentence to convey wishes or hopes. We use
2 I ____________ (past tense) the item that
the simple past tense for unreal conditionals.
was more expensive than the one Audu
Examples
__________ (present tense).
• If I were a bird, I would fly over the seas.
3 My dad __________ (past tense) last
night’s meal more than he __________
past tense past tense
(present tense) rice.
4 All the books he __________ (past tense) past tense
at the trade fair __________ (present tense)
in my room. • If we had enough volunteers, we could go
5 The Bantu __________ (continuous form) on an excursion.
money, I _________ (past tense) him some. past tense (of can)
• If Debo were a girl, she would be pretty.
Conditional forms
A conditional sentence will have two clauses. past tense past tense (of will)
In such a sentence, we see that two situations
are expressed: one of the situations must occur Note that the first verb in each sentence is were
in order to make a particular result or situation and the second one is would or could.
occur. Most of the time, one of the clauses will
begin with if. Exercise 2
In such a sentence, there should be some
harmony between the verbs in sequence. Complete the following sentences with the
correct verb forms.
Future conditional 1 If you _____________ more careful,
Here, we mix the future conditional and the there no fight between
simple present tense. Dauda and Haruna.
2 If Mrs Ladi _____________ your mother,
145
you _____________ happy. Exercise 3
3 My Physics teacher ____________
(annoy) if I _____________ my homework. Complete the following sentences using the
4 The rice ______________ more delicious correct verb forms.
if it ____________ some spice. 1 If you had done your homework
5 If Bantu ______________ no money, I ___________________________________.
______________ (give) him some. 2 Had Aunty Ayi spoken to the policeman,
6 If I ______________ (steal) an aeroplane, she _______________________________.
what ______________ the government do? 3 The girls would not have worked so
If you early tomorrow, much if ___________________________.
we ______________ travel by road. 4 Would Dauda have heard our secret if
8 If men ______________ God, they __________________________________?
______________ terrible things. 5 If the room had been cleaned on time
9 If elil (come), I ___________________________________.
_____________ amazed.
10 You ______________ excel in all your Writing
subjects if you __________ (study) hard.
Speeches
Past conditional As this topic is so important, we have again
The past conditional indicates what would chosen to offer you more advice on the
have happened if something had been done. techniques required for effective speech-
In this tense, the if clause is followed by had writing. Writing a speech that pulls in and
and the past participle (e.g. seen, done, o n, wins a crowd is an art that should be studied
spoken, written). and learned. Expert speech writers have some
Examples secrets that make them succeed. Learn from
had + past participle them. The following are their tips.
Use only your major ideas
If I had known, I would have gone with As you write your speech, do not try to put
my friends. in too many ideas into your writing. Research
past tense present perfect confirms that people remember only very little
past tense present perfect from speeches. So just pick out and develop
a few ideas in accordance with the time
Michael would not have been punished, stipulated for your speech.
if he had not mocked the new coach. Write as you talk
Let your speech-writing flow in the same
had + past participle pattern as when you talk. Remember what
Slot 1(past tense of will + have) Slot 2 you are writing is a speech. It is not an essay.
(had + past participle) People are going to hear it, not read it. The
more conversational you can make your speech
sound, the better. Your audience will enjoy your
speech if they hear it in a natural conversational
146
pattern. The following hints may help you. if you have your facts correct.
Avoid long sentences. Use short ones in- You can get enough facts to support your
stead. It is much better to write two simple points from research. Substantiate your points
sentences than one long complicated sen- with enough facts. Convince your audience.
tence in a speech. Enjoy the sweetness of your success. Your
Use contractions as we do in informal situ- speech will sound real and strong if you have
ations. Instead of I am, say I’m. Use we’re the facts to back it up.
instead of we are, I’ve instead of I have, etc.
Let your speech re ect your personality
Avoid the use of high-sounding words. Use
If you have the chance to choose the topic of
only the normal words you use when
your speech, decide on an issue you are very
talking to someone.
passionate about. If you have strong feelings
You must not follow all the rules of writ-
about a topic, you definitely will speak well
ten English grammar. This is because
on it. Therefore, look inside yourself. Find out
people do not always talk in complete
what captures your interest more. What do you
sentences with verbs and nouns in place.
feel very deeply about et your speech reflect
Therefore, try to write your speech as
the answer. Capture your topic in such a way
people talk, not as they write. It makes it
that you find yourself reflecting who you are
sound natural.
and talking on what you care so much about.
Form the habit of reading your speech aloud
while you are doing the writing. This will e persuasi e
make you hear immediately whether you If your speech demands that you should
are sounding well or not. Don’t speak as if persuade your audience, use what we call
you are reading from a book. classic structure. Classic structure here means
problem–solution. This means that in the first
Use concrete details and matching part of your speech you should identify the
examples problems, identify why things are so terrible
When you use concrete details, you keep your
the way they are. This will help people know
audience interested. Look at the two sentences
you share their feelings. Then, in the second
below and see which is more effective.
part of your speech, offer what you consider
A Open play spaces for children’s sports are
the appropriate solutions to the problems. You
in short supply.
can use statistics and facts to support your
B We need more baseball and soccer fields
claims. People are often convinced by such
for our kids.
facts. Besides, quoting someone else whom the
Notice that sentence A sounds vague. We do
audience likes and respects adds to the success
not speak like that in normal speech. Sentence
of your persuasion.
B is concrete and gives the pattern we use in
our day-to-day conversations. Learn to write Let your speech be simple
your speech in a similar pattern to sentence B. Simplicity in your speech is achieved by cutting
out some words from those you have written
Get your facts together down. After writing your first draft, go back to
As a speaker, it is a thing of joy to see people
it, re-read it from beginning, searching for words
believing that you know what you are saying.
you can cut out. The more words you cut, the
People will believe what you are saying only
clearer your speech will be. Therefore, learn to
147
simplify your speech. Always remember to cut Examples
out words that are not relevant to the meaning Gbenro is as tall as a pole.
so as not to lose the message. The fewer your
words, the clearer your prints.
Class work
List and explain six tips that you should bear in
mind when writing an effective speech.
Homework
Your Principal retired from service and your
school is organising a send-off party. As the
senior prefect of your school, write a farewell
speech you will deliver on that day.
Literature Mr Kaka’s car sounds like a trumpet.

Metaphor
Figures of speech A metaphor is another form of comparison in
Novelists (authors), speech writers and poets which the attributes of one thing or person are
especially, use special language devices called placed on another. You say that the thing or
figures of speech to make their writing rich person is that object, e.g.
and interesting. They also want to challenge Gbenro is a pole.
the readers’ understanding. Mr Kaka’s car reminds me of a trumpet.
In poems, you see a lot of these devices Mr Kaka’s car is the trumpet of the street.
– this is why most poems are difficult to
understand until you have read them about
four or five times. Exercise 1
In this unit, we will look at simile, metaphor,
Change the following similes into metaphors.
hyperbole and personification in detail.
1 My love is like a jar of honey.
2 The world is like a market place.
Simile
3 David is as sluggish as a couch potato.
A simile is expressed in a statement in which
4 My friend’s younger sister is as wild as
two things that are different in many ways
a cat.
have one or two similarities. This comparison
5 Laraba howled like a banshee.
is made using the word: as or like.
Exercise 2
Complete the following by indicating what you
think is the correct comparison. The first one
1 My brother’s friend phones his girlfriend all
148
the time. He is now a Romeo. statues because they did not render any
2 Shuaib did the school proud in the assistance. It was still raining, so the weather
debate. He is the ____________ of our was quite unfriendly. Tolu wondered what
school. would happen in a few hours – the flood might
3 Mandy jumps the queue all the time and swallow the whole city if this rain continued.
steps on people’s toes. She is a _______
______________.
Exercise 4
4 Right now, Mrs Jones is your typical
_______________; you cannot appeal to Decide what each of the pictures represents:
her. s i m i l e , m e t a p h o r, p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n o r
5 This is a week of ___________________ hyperbole.
because we will be having four tests. 1
Hyperbole
You have used hyperbole when you make
something or an event bigger or less than what
it is or how it happened, e.g.
Dorcas was so hungry when she came
back from school that she ate ten loaves
Represents the use of
of bread.
__________________
My guest was attacked by a mosquito in the
size of a vulture.
2
Personification
When a writer gives human qualities to an
abstract idea, object, plant or animal, he has
personified it (made it a person), e.g.
Fiyin’s shoes have been laughing since
Monday. (His shoes need to be repaired.)
Represents the use of
The wind rushed past the trees and
__________________
slapped some of the birds.
3
Exercise 3
Identify any of the figures of speech we have
discussed in the following paragraph.
The road was flooded and cars were

driving nose to tail – It was like a beehive of
cars. Tolu was so upset that she did not even
remember her own name. She had been in this
traffic for some hours, and the few policemen Represents the use of
around, as far as she was concerned, were __________________
149
Unit 13 If women go unclad...
Oral English
Sentence stress
In our study of word stress, we saw that stress
was placed on a particular syllable of a given
word.
In sentence stress, stress appears not on
a whole sentence but on a certain word in the
sentence. The words normally stressed in a
sentence are called content words. They are
called content words because they are the main
words of the English language. They are nouns,
verbs, adverbs and adjectives. 7 MUSA LIVES in LAGOS and WORKS
The grammatical words are pronouns, with LEARN AFRICA.
prepositions, articles, conjunctions and 8 The BIG BOX was KEPT at the BACK
auxiliary verbs. They are not usually stressed of the WARDROBE.
in a sentence. Observe the following example: 9 The HARDWORKING TEACHER WON
He BOUGHT a TIN of MILK from the the PRIZE.
SHOP. 10 My MOTHER GAVE me some MONEY
Only the content words (bought, tin, milk and in the MORNING.
shop) are stressed. The remaining words are
grammatical words and so are unstressed. Class work
Sentence drill Write ten sentences and stress the content
Read the following sentences and observe words.
the content words that are stressed. Sometimes, the speaker determines the words
1 KEEP the BOOK under the TABLE. that should be stressed. This depends on the
2 I SAW the VISITORS this MORNING. meaning that the speaker wishes to emphasise.
3 ADE is an INTELLIGENT STUDENT. This shows that even a grammatical word may
4 MOTHER BOUGHT some ORANGES be emphasised, if a special message is intended.
from the MARKET YESTERDAY. When this is done, the content words, which
5 THIEVES BROKE the STALL and STOLE under normal circumstances are stressed, may
all the GOODS. remain unstressed.
6 UCHE COMES EARLY to SCHOOL.
150
Consider the two sentences below. Reading
A: She KEPT the BAG on the TABLE.
B: She kept the bag ON the table. Reading to paraphrase dramatic works
Drama is one of the three major genres of
In the first sentence, only the normal content literature. Apart from action and movement,
words are stressed. But in the second sentence, drama makes use of conversation. The
the stress falls only on the preposition on. The conversations are always in direct speech.
reason is that the speaker wishes to emphasise Anyone who wants to paraphrase any
that the bag was kept on the table, not under or dramatic work should be able to make use of
beside it. When the stress shifts from one word reported clauses (indirect speech). Obeying
to another, it automatically changes the shape the following rules will give acceptable
and meaning of the utterance. grammatical presentation.
Look at the following examples: 1 All words that denote nearness become
MY elder brother lives in London. those of corresponding remoteness, e.g.
My ELDER brother lives in London.
In the first sentence, stress is on my because the Near Remote
speaker wants to emphasise that it was his/her here there
own brother and not another person’s brother now then
that lived in London. this that
In the second sentence, the stress is on today that day
elder showing that it was not the younger but
the elder brother that lived in London. 2 All present tense become past tense, e.g.
‘The man is a thief,' he said.
Exercise He said that the man was a thief.
3 All past tense, past participle forms
Interpret the meaning of the stress in the become past participle forms, e.g.
following sentences. ‘This house has been ruined’, the
1 My BROTHER bought the books for me. landlord complained.
2 The farmer is IN the garden. The landlord complained that the
3 The yellow pen belongs to MUSA. house had been ruined.
4 Our teacher kept his books in the BLUE Particular attention is paid, therefore,
basket. to every word that should be changed
5 Learn Africa Plc gave her an AWARD as as we paraphrase dramatic works.
the best candidate in English. You can choose any dramatic work
6 Nigeria is the GIANT of Africa. and retell it in your own words, e.g.
7 My mother is the BEST cook in the world. Wole Soyinka, The Lion and the Jewel
8 Chris is a SLOW writer. Ola Rotimi, The Gods Are Not to Blame
9 The writing materials are UNDER the William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet.
table. Note, however, that you need the present
10 AUDU treks with his cattle as far as the tense to discuss a dramatic work as in
Sahara Desert. ‘Romeo decides to visit Juliet’.
present tense
151
Comprehension If we let them see what we are hiding, I suppose
they’ll lose the taste. Well, that’s what I think. I
If women go unclad , men will stop have a feeling it will work if we try it.
staring So, here is how to solve the problem
Some years ago, while walking somewhere on the with Naija men who cannot get out of their
streets of Lagos, some young jobless men shouted heads that sometimes women dress scantily
at a woman walking past, ‘Sister, cover your because the weather is hot: let all women wear
bosoms!’ She wasn’t unclad, really, just wearing something scanty, especially when the weather
a low neckline blouse which I thought was not demands it. We need to – I know a lot of folks
inappropriate for a very hot Lagos weather. are not going to like this – do away with the
Well, I turned round and responded to mystique of a covered-up body because there
those guys: ‘Why should she cover them when is really none. When men find out that behind
you can take your dirty eyes away?’ all those long skirts are legs made of flesh and
For effect, I stuck out my tongue at them bones when they find that cleavage is just a
and walked away. I didn’t wait to see if the girl mass of flesh, they’ll look for other idleness
involved appreciated my unpaid solicitation because there’ll be so many of those things that
or not. I did it more for myself than for her. they won’t even care to stare.
Sometimes a woman needs some air on her (The punch)
body and I don’t think she should always factor
some yeye guys into the equation.
Anyway, in the past few days, I have spent
some time vacationing in New York City. The
weather is warm, not as hot as Nigeria, but for
a) Why did the writer not see the lady’s
people who probably live in perpetual cold
dress as inappropriate?
weather, it seems a big deal. One thing I noticed
b) ‘I did it more for myself rather than for
is that everybody is wearing something short
her’. Why did the writer say this?
and with a low neckline. Young, old, fat, thin,
c) How did the writer know that the young
obese, voluptuous; everybody seems to want
men are jobless?
to get some heat on their skin. Sometimes, I
d) What happens in other places when
am walking on the street and wondering if I
people dress in the fashion described
could cut my jeans into pieces too just to prove
in the passage?
a point.
e) What reason does the writer say makes
I also noticed that even though the women
men rape?
are exposed, their men are not staring! Unlike
f) ‘If women go unclad, men will stop star-
Naija men who hiss when they see a woman in
ing.’ What literary device is contained
bum shorts even though all sorts of thoughts
in this expression?
are running in their minds, the guys here are not
g) ‘… while walking somewhere on the
even looking twice. When you are surrounded
streets of Lagos…’
by too much flesh, it is not likely to move you
i) What grammatical name is given to
much, I guess.
this expression as it is used in the
As an aside, I think Nigerian men molest in
passage?
the first place because the women are too covered.
152
ii) What is its function? are not asked to mention or list. Your answers,
h) For each of the following words, find therefore, must be in complete sentences rather
another word or phrase that means the than phrases or sentence fragments. Do you
same and can replace it as it is used in the know what a complete sentence is? That is
passage. what is required!
i) bosoms
ii) unclad
iii) inappropriate Pair work
iv) responded
Tell your partner:
v) stuck
1 about a woman you feel dresses in-
vi) vacationing
decently and explain why you feel so.
vii) perpetual
Ask your partner whether your reasons
viii) cleavage
are strong enough.
ix) idleness
2 about an occasion on which some people
x) stare
passed some uncomplimentary remarks
about the way a woman was dressed.
Re ect and discuss
Explain what happened on that occasion.
1 Why do men stare at women?
3 about how men also dress inappropriately.
2 Do women also stare?
3 In your own opinion, what would happen
Drawing conclusions
if women decide to go about naked?
4 How do women assaulted like the one
indicate whether the following sentences are
in the passage feel? Why?
true (T) or false (F).
5 Are there men strippers? How do women
1 The writer wants women to walk on the
feel looking at them?
streets naked.
2 Women walk naked in New York City.
Summary writing 3 The men in New York city do not stare
because they are tired of staring.
1 In one sentence, summarise why the
4 Men rape because women go about naked.
woman in the passage need not cover
5 Women in Lagos walk naked because
her breasts.
they want to copy New Yorkers.
2 In three sentences, one for each, sum-
marise the reasons why the writer feels
ifficult words
that the assault was unnecessary.
The following words are found in the passage.
Do you truly understand them? If you do
Reminder not, make use of the dictionary to find their
The points are in the passage. So you do not meanings.
need to invent your own. If you give answers
appreciated solicitation factor
you feel are correct but which are not stated in
neckline voluptuous staring
this passage, it is an exercise in futility. You will
bum aside scantily
not earn any mark for it. Remember that you
folks mystique mass
153
Use ten of the words above in sentences of your Prefi es showing negation
own. In the last unit, you studied prefixes that show
negation, or disapproval. Here are some more
Retesting grammatical structure examples.
Prefi eaning E amples
anti- against antiparty, antidote,
passage?
opposed to antibiotic, anticlerical
anti-fungal, anti-Semite
1 ‘... in the past few days...’
2 ‘... a big deal...’ counter- against counterfeit, counter-
3 ‘... that even though the women are productive, counteract,
exposed...’ counter-culture, coun-
4 ‘... because the women are too ter-measure
covered...’
ill- badly, not illogical, illegible,
5 ‘... who cannot get it out of their
enough illegal, illegitimate,
heads...’
illicit
mal- badly malfunction, maltreat,
Vocabulary malnourished, mal-
Prefi es odorous, malpractice
Exercise 1 mis- incorrect misrepresentation,

misinform, misquote
1 What is a prefix misname, misplace
2 Write five words, each using one of the
following prefixes: pseudo- false, pseudonym, pseudo-
a) non- not real bulb, pseudocarp,
b) dis- pseudoclassic, pseu-
c) anti- domonad, pseudocy-
d) super- esis, pseudogene
e) mal-
3 What functions do the prefixes perform in
the following words? Exercise 2
a) outnumber What do these words mean? You can use the
b) decode dictionary if necessary.
c) malfunction 1 anti-semite
d) misplace 2 counterfeit
e) subdivide 3 illiberal
f) international 4 malodorous
g) hypertension 5 pseudocyesis
h) undergraduate
i) transpose
j) counteract
154
Prefi es showing number miscalculate, misdirect, misdeed,
Look up any words below that you do not know misbehave
in the dictionary. ill– illegal, illogical, illegitimate,
Prefi eaning E amples illiterate, illimitable, illegible
uni– one unicorn, unilateral in– indecision, inaudible, inactive,

mono– one monopoly, monotone, indecent, inefficient, inaccessible,
monologue incoherent, inadequate, inequality,
bi– two bilateral, biplane inappropriate, inhuman
di– two diphthong, dissect im– improper, impossible, immoral,
tri– three tricycle, tripod, triplet, impolite, immature, immodest,
triangle immovable
homo– same homophone, homonym,
homogeneous
poly– many polysyllabic, polytechnic, Exercise 3
polygamy
multi– many multi-task, multilingual se the appropriate prefix to form the antonyms
quint– five quintal, quintessence, of the following root words.
quintet relevant regular sense merit
hetero– different heterosexual, fire credit loyal own
heterogeneous religious reparable significant do
oct– eight octave, octagon, mask wanted judge apply
octahendron, octal manage repentant agree advantage
hemi– half hemicolectomy, hemicycle, cast grade please orderly
hemisphere, hemistich
penta– five pentagon, pentad,
pentaprism, pentameter
Exercise 4
quad– four quadruplet, quadrate, Generate two sentences using the following
quadrangle, quadrennial root words and their antonyms. The first one has
sex– six sexagesimal, sexagenarian, been done for you.
sexennial, Example
sest– six sestina, sestet To err is human.
It is inhuman to reveal a friend’s secret.
Prefi es that generate antonyms
1 human 2 regular
Prefi E amples
3 wanted 4 polite
un– unhealthy, untainted, uninformed, 5 decent 6 agree
unserious, unaided, unfair, 7 grace 8 manage
unprotected, untie, undress, unused, 9 sense 10 cast
unnatural
mis– mislead, misinform, misquote,
misspell, misunderstand,
155
Prefi es showing attitude Grammar
Look up any words below that you do not know
in the dictionary. Sequence of tenses: Reported speech
In this unit, we will discuss the sequence of
Prefi eaning E amples tenses in reported speech.
pro for, in favour, pro-democracy, First, let us recall what direct speech is.
supporting pro-war, pro-choice, When we repeat a person’s expression word for
pro-military, pro- word, and we use quotation marks, we have
government presented direct speech.
Example
anti against, anti-aircraft, first-person simple present
opposed to antiarrhythmic, pronoun tense
anti-art, antiballistic,
antichrist, anticlerical Banke said, ‘I always wake up at 6 a.m.
co together with co-tenant, co-channel, because I am in SS 2.’
co-edition, coelomate,
co-equally, coessential, first-person present first-person
coeternity, co-opt, pronoun tense be pronoun
coordinate, coexist,
coextensive, However, in English, we also have the choice
cooperative of reporting what someone has said and when
we do this, we make some changes.
(past) pronoun (past)
Exercise 5
Look at the table below. Banke said that she always woke up at
a) Write the meaning of each prefix. 6 a.m. because she was in SS 2.
b) Write five words that start with each
prefix. pronoun (past)
Prefi eaning E amples

First-person pronouns are I, (singular)
1 out- greater outdo, outrun, and we (plural). Second-person is ‘you’
better outwit, outlive,
outnumber singular or plural. Third-person pronouns
2 extra- are he, she, it.
3 post-
4 fore-
5 micro- In reported speech, because we are recalling
6 super- what was said in the past, we use verbs in the
7 vice-
8 semi- past tense form and add that (you may omit
9 mini- that).
10 over-
156
Examples Amara said that ________ father ________
Tajudeen said, ‘We need some proof that a new job.
the man is innocent before we release him.’ 3 The guest said, ‘I prefer tea to coffee.’
(direct speech) The guest said that ________ ________
tea to coffee.
past tense pronoun past tense
4 Kola said, ‘I have some homework to
complete, but I feel ill.’
Tajudeen said (that) they needed some
Kola said that ________ ________ some
proof that the man was innocent before
homework to complete but ________
they released him. (reported speech)
________ ill.
5 The Vice-principal said, ‘The students
pronoun past past tense
are not going home early because they still
tense
need to serve their punishment.’
The Vice-principal said that the students
________ not going home early because
they still ________ to serve their punish-
ment.
Apart from pronouns and verb tenses forms,
words about place and time will change. For
example:
ago changes to before

James said, ‘I am happy my sister has
here changes to there
passed her Common Entrance Examina-
now changes to then
tion.’ (direct speech)
today changes to that day
past tense pronoun past tense pronoun yesterday changes to the day before
(previous day)
James said (that) he was happy his sister tomorrow changes to the next day
had passed her Common Entrance Exami- last Sunday changes to the previous
nation. Sunday
past tense pronoun last night changes to the night before
the day after changes to in two day’s
Exercise 1 time
Change each of the following direct speech
examples to reported speech by adding a verb Exercise 2
in the correct tense and a pronoun. Rewrite the conversation below in the form of
1 Romy said, ‘I need my biology textbook reported speech. You may use replied, admitted,
because I have a test.’ etc instead of said. The first one has been done
Romy said that she ________ her biology for you.
textbook because ________ ________ a
ali I have been trying to see Mrs Johnson,
test.
but she is not around.
2 Amara said, ‘My father has a new job.’
157
Example: Mali told Maria that he had been Other modals, such as should, ought to and must,
trying to see Mrs Johnson, but she do not change forms.
was not around. Also note that verbs preceded by modal
aria I am not ready to see her yet. I have auxiliary verbs do not change forms as in could
not completed the homework she gave go, should stay.
us.
ali I have completed mine. I don’t want to Exercise 3
be punished.
Change the following expressions with modals
aria Actually, I still don’t understand the
to reported speech.
homework and I need someone to
1 Toluwani said, ‘I can write a good ar-
explain it to me.
ticle.’
ali Is tomorrow all right? I am busy right
2 The policeman said, ‘That road may
now.
have been closed.’
aria Yes, tomorrow is OK. Thank you. I am
3 The guests said, ‘We will honour your
very grateful.
invitation.’
4 Mr Panti asked Ngozi, ‘Can you assist
In addition, you need to note that modals are
the junior students?’
changed to their past tense forms in reported
5 Etteh said (in annoyance), ‘I will never
speech. Remember that modals, or modal
trust those traders again.’
auxiliary verbs, express a speaker’s attitude
by conveying possibility, ability, permission, Remember that if an expression or a claim is a
obligation, etc. general truth or something that cannot change,
we do not need to change the verb (in the
What it Present tense Past tense sequence of tenses) to its past tense form. The
expresses example example same rule can be applied in reported speech
Can examples.
Permission Can we go? Could you Sheffy said, ‘The earth is round.’ (direct
Ability I can jump. shut the door? speech)
Possibility Tom can be (also expresses past tense present tense
there early. politeness)
Will Sheffy said that the earth is round.
Willingness I will help Would you do (reported speech)
you now. that for me?
Futurity The boys will (also expresses Timaya said, ‘I live in Lagos.’ (direct
be here politeness) speech)
next week. past tense
ay
Possibility He may Might you Timaya said that he lives in Lagos.
come here. be kind enough (reported speech)
Permission May I sit here? to put this there? present tense
(also expresses (still lives there)
politeness)
158
Exercise 4 10 If Nasir becomes the captain of the team,
he ___________ perform well.
Choose the correct verb(s) to complete the a) will b) would c) would have.
following sentences.
1 Teresa had gone home. She said she Writing
___________ some work to do.
a) had b) have c) has Descriptive essays
2 The school bus driver said the student In our SS 1, you studied descriptive essays in
___________ to get permission before detail. Do you remember what it is?
he ___________ take them out of the A descriptive essay is an essay that
school. describes. To describe means to create, using
a) need/should b) needed/would words to form a picture of an object or a person
c) needed/can in the mind of a reader so well that the reader
3 If Frank were my cousin, I __________ identifies the object described.
not mince words because he needs to Examples of topics for descriptive essays
be told the truth. The village belle
a) would b) will c) would have My uncle’s new car
4 Had Shola known, she ___________ Romi, the dog
come earlier for the package. The Principal’s office
a) would b) will have c) would have
Sample essay
5 My neighbour wanted to know when
Read this example of a descriptive essay.
we ___________ come back so that he
___________ lock the gate as usual. The sacred place
a) will/could b) would/can There used to be a place in my village,
c) would/could Umudigwu, restricted to the males in the
6 After the clowns arrived, the hostess community. This is how I remember it. It is
___________ the party open. situated at the middle of the village close to
a) declared b) declare the village square with nothing guarding it.
c) has declared That place is called ‘the sacred place’. You may
7 The Physics professor insisted that the wonder why it is so called.
sun ___________ in the west. The sacred place is a tall building in a cone
a) set b) sets c) has set shape, painted black. It has a small roundish
8 The weekend was interesting because opening at the bottom, covered with an old mat,
some friends ___________ and we maybe to prevent onlookers from seeing what
___________ a nice time. is inside. Pieces of white and red cloth are tied
a) come/had b) came/had around a small bell hung few inches above the
c) came/have door. The bell dances freely with the movement
9 The film begun before we of the wind.
___________ at the Galleria. Inside the sacred place are mats placed on
a) have/arrived b) had/arrived the floor. n an elevated platform is a television
c) had/arrive set and a decoder, both placed on a black metal
table with four legs. One may wonder if this
159
‘sacred place’ is a cinema meant for men alone. Questions
1 What is the name of the representative?
Class work 2 Which telecommunications company
1 Why was the place being described does he work for?
called a sacred place? 3 What is the name of the subscriber?
2 With the description given about the Where is he calling from?
outer view of the sacred place, how 4 What did the representative try to find
would you describe the inside? out at the beginning of the conversation?
3 What is a cone? Describe it. Use drawings Why?
where necessary. 5 What was the caller’s request?
6 What particular request did he make?
Group work 7 Was the request granted? On what
In your group, visit the sickbay, refectory, condition?
chapel, the Principal or ice-principal’s office, 8 Was the caller pleased? How do you
the computer room, the Chemistry, Physics or know?
Home Economics’ lab, or some other important 9 Did you notice the manner of the con-
places in your school. You will need to pick versation? What did you like about it?
the place out of a hat to avoid repeating what 10 Was the representative polite? Explain
others have done. As you visit the place, jot your answer.
down important points. Then write a beautiful
descriptive essay about it.
Homework
1 Write a descriptive essay on ‘My village
church’ or ‘My village mosque’.
2 Your friend was permitted to travel home
for an important family meeting. You
forgot your assignment book at home.
Write a vivid description of your home so
that your friend will not have any dif-
ficulty locating the book when he goes to
collect it for you.
Listening comprehension
You will hear two people talk to each other.
One is a telecommunications company
representative, a public relations officer. The
second is a subscriber who needs assistance.
Listen to the two of them, then answer the
questions that follow.
160
Unit 14 Animals plan to overthrow Man
Oral English
Words difficult to pronounce suite /’swiːt/

You may have discovered that there are English vehicle /’viː kl/
words that pose some difficulties to you vulcanise ’v lk na z/
during pronunciation. Sometimes you know tomb /tuːm/
the spelling of those words but that does not marijuana m r waːn
guarantee that you know the pronunciation. extramural ekstr mj rl
This is why we always advise you to go to the oblige bla d /
dictionary, not only for the meaning of words wrath /r /
but also their pronunciation. sycophant /’s k fænt/
debtor ’det
Word drill lamb /læm/
Listen attentively as your teacher pronounces monsignor /’m n siːnj
the following words. Try to pronounce them excruciating / k skruː e t
as he does. ewe /juː/
bomb /b m/ E ercise
leopard ’lep d
market /’m ːk t/ Using your dictionary, write ten words that
village /’v l d / you find difficult to pronounce. Write also
women /’w m n/ their correct pronunciation symbols. Compare
student /’stjuːd nt your difficult words with those of your partner.
ewe /juː/ Practise the pronunciation of the words using
thistle /’ s l their symbols as guides. Your teacher will help
exemplary / empl rɪ/ you.
whore h ː/ entence drill
scimitar /’s m t Read the following sentences aloud and take
dumbfounded d m fa nd d/ note of the words that constitute problems
plumber ’pl m to you in pronunciation. Pronounce them
gnomic ’n m k/ correctly as your teacher drills you on them.
yacht /j t/ 1 Leonard was bitten by a leopard on his
diabetes /da biːtiːz/ way to the market.
gnaw n ː/ 2 Most Nigerian women live an exemplary
rheumatism /’ruːm t m life.
161
3 A new suite was built in their village. supporting ideas.
4 Most students find the pronunciation of As you read a book, you will notice that
the word ewe difficult. it is the topic sentence that forces the writer to
5 The vulcaniser experienced an excruci- control the writing of the paragraph by keeping
ating pain after the accident. it within the boundaries of the idea or topic that
is being discussed in the paragraph.
E ercise Topic sentences, put together, can be
developed into an essay or composition. They
Write ten sentences each using a word that
serve as points that could be used by another
poses problems to you in pronunciation. Make
person to develop a new essay.
sure you master the pronunciation of the words
very well. Use your dictionary to help you.
E ercise
Group work Identify four topic sentences in the following
comprehension passage and write these in your
In your group, write ten sentences, each
English notebook.
containing one or two words difficult to
pronounce. se your dictionary to find the omprehension
correct pronunciation of the difficult words.
Compare your work with other groups. Your
teacher will guide you.
Reading
dentifying topic sentences
You have studied topic sentences extensively.
Here, we will remind you of some of the points
you should already know.
A topic sentence reveals the writer ’s
direction. It tells the reader where the writer’s ‘All animals are comrades.’
thoughts are leading to. Though each paragraph
or chapter in a book links with another, a Animals plan to o erthrow an
paragraph is independent as it contains one ‘Is it not crystal clear, then, comrades, that all
idea of its own, fully developed within that the evils of this life of ours spring from the
segment. The topic sentence, therefore, is the tyranny of human beings? Only get rid of man,
nucleus, the focus of the paragraph. The topic and the produce of our labour would be our
sentence is usually, but not always, the first own. Almost overnight, we could become rich
sentence of the paragraph. and free. What then must we do? Why, work
Whenever a writer moves away from night and day, body and soul, for the overthrow
discussing the topic sentence, he simply moves of the human race! That is my message to you,
to another paragraph. So, one topic sentence comrades: Rebellion will come; it might be in
equals one main idea in a paragraph. Remember a week or in a hundred years, but I know, as
that other sentences in the paragraph are surely as I see this straw beneath my feet, that
supporting sentences and the ideas are sooner or later, justice will be done. Fix your
162
eyes on that, comrades, throughout the short animal must ever live in a house, or sleep in a
remainder of your lives! And above all, pass on bed, or wear clothes, or drink alcohol, or smoke
this message of mine to those who come after tobacco, or touch money, or engage in trade.
you, so that future generations shall carry on All the habits of man are evil. And, above all,
the struggle until it is victorious. no animal must ever tyrannise over his own
‘And remember, comrades, your resolution kind. Weak or strong, clever or simple, we are
must never falter. No argument must lead you all brothers. No animal must ever kill any other
astray. Never listen when they tell you that man animal. All animals are equal.
and the animals have a common interest, that ‘And now, comrades, I will tell you about
the prosperity of the one is the prosperity of the my dream of last night. I cannot describe that
other. It is all lies. Man serves the interests of no dream to you. It was a dream of the earth
creature except himself. And among us animals, as it will be when man has vanished. But it
let there be perfect unity, perfect comradeship reminded me of something that I had long
in the struggle. All men are enemies. All forgotten. Many years ago, when I was a little
animals are comrades.’ pig, my mother and the other sows used to sing
At this moment there was a tremendous an old song of which they knew only the tune
uproar. While Major was speaking, four large and the first three words. I had known that
rats had crept out of their holes and were tune in my infancy, but it had long since passed
sitting on their hindquarters, listening to him. out of my mind. Last night, however, it came
The dogs had suddenly caught sight of them, back to me in my dream. And what is more,
and it was only by a swift dash for their holes the words of the song also came back – words,
that the rats saved their lives. Major raised his I am certain, which were sung by the animals
trotter for silence. of long ago and have been lost to memory for
‘Comrades, ‘ he said, ‘here is a point that generations. I will sing you that song now,
must be settled. The wild creatures, such as comrades. I am old and my voice is hoarse,
rats and rabbits – are they our friends or our but, when I have taught you the tune, you can
enemies? Let us put it to the vote. I propose this sing it better for yourselves. It is called ‘Beasts
question to the meeting: Are rats comrades?’ of England.’
The vote was taken at once, and it was (From Animal Farm by George Orwell, pages
agreed by an overwhelming majority that 5–7)
rats were comrades. There were only four
dissentients, the three dogs and the cat, who
was afterwards discovered to have voted on omprehension uestions
both sides. Major continued.
‘I have little more to say. I merely repeat, a) What type of writing is this passage?
remember always your duty of enmity towards b) What is the message of the passage?
man and all his ways. Whatever goes upon two c) What word in the passage means evil?
legs is an enemy. Whatever goes upon four d) What happening temporarily disturbed
legs, or has wings, is a friend. And remember the meeting of the animals?
also that, in fighting against man, we must not e) What was Old Major’s dream about?
come to resemble him. Even when you have f) i) What figure of speech is contained
conquered him, do not adopt his vices. No in the first sentence of the passage.
163
ii) What does it mean? Reminder
g) ‘While Major was speaking …’
In looking for the summary answer, you might
find yourself in a web of answers – similar,
confusing, distractive or misleading. As an
passage?
example, the summary questions above focus
on advice, resolutions and human habits. You
h) For each of the following words, find
might tend to interchange one for another
unless you make careful efforts to differentiate
same and can replace it as it is used in the
the three. This kind of question shows the trap
passage.
that can occur in an examination. Try to sift one
i) tyranny
from another and restrict yourself to the focus
ii) surely
of the question.
iii) victorious
iv) falter
v) enmity
vi) conquered
Pair work
vii) discovered 1 Mention ten things the government of a
nation could do that could spark off
Re ect and discuss rebellion among the people. Mention
1 How do you think animals would be five each.
able to overthrow man? 2 Write 30 things human beings do that
2 Do you think that cats or dogs will animals cannot do. Exchange your
regard rats as comrades? writing with your partner. Then discuss
3 What is ironical in the dream of Old the results.
Major?
4 Why do you think Old Major spoke of rawing conclusions
‘the short remainder of your lives’? Read the comprehension passage again and
5 Why do you think the cat voted on both then indicate whether the sentences below are
sides? true (T) or false (F).
1 Old Major proposed to lead the
ummary writing rebellion.
1 In four sentences, one for each, sum- 2 Cats and rats would be living together.
marise the advice Old Major gave in the 3 Man can avert the rebellion if he tries
animals’ struggle to overthrow the hu- to be friendly with the animals.
man race. 4 One of the animals will use man’s guns
2 In three sentences, one for each, sum- and other weapons to overthrow him.
marise the resolutions that Old Major 5 The cat did not want to be a comrade to
made for the animals. the rat.
3 In six sentences, one for each, sum-
marise six things an animal must not
do, so they will not resemble man.
164
ifficult words Pronounce the following words.
se the dictionary to find the meaning of these rework /'riːwɜːk/– make
words from the passage. improvements to
crystal spring produce (n) something or
rebellion straw beneath update it
generations resolution astray re-examine /riː zæm n/ – look at something
prosperity tremendous uproar again in detail to
resemble hindquarters swift trotter find out more
wild dissentients vanished about it
reaffirm riː fɜːm – reconfirm, say
Use ten of the words above in sentences of again that
your own. something is true
Retesting grammatical structure reassure /riː ː/ – put somebody’s
a) What grammatical name is given to each mind at ease
of the following expressions as used in the (compare assure)
passage? reconsider /riːk n s d – think carefully
b) What is the function of each expression? about something
again
1 ‘… the produce of our labour…’ recount /riː’ka nt/ – repeat counting,
2 ‘… who come after you….’ count again.
3 ‘… when they tell you that man and recast /riː k ːst/ – form an object
the animals have a common interest again
…’ reform /r f ːm/ – improve
4 ‘Whatever goes upon two legs…’ something by
5 ‘Even when you have conquered him, …’ removing faults
Vocabulary re-elect /riː lekt/ – to elect for another
term in office
Preser ati e prefi es
A prefix is a linguistic element that is not
an independent word, but is attached to the
The preservative prefixes above using re-
beginning of a word to modify its meaning.
mean to preserve the present state, to prevent
For example, anti- is a prefix meaning ‘against’,
from decay, to improve on the current state,
il- means ‘not’ and mono means ‘one’.
to prevent something from getting spoilt, to
Note the adjective preservative means
remove faults in something to improve on it.
having the ability to keep or provide protection.
re- as used in preservative prefixes means again
The verb preserve means to keep something
or back as in reapply, reuse, readjust, reactivate,
protected from anything that would cause its
reinform, etc.
current quality or condition to change or fall
out of use.
Preser ati e prefi es, therefore, keep the
present quality or condition of a word from
changing.
165
E ercise E ercise
Look at the words in the box below. Use the What is the meaning of the underlined word
dictionary to: in each of the sentences below?
1 transcribe them (write them as sound 1 China launched a period of economic
symbols) reform in 1978.
2 find out their meanings. 2 It may be necessary for the government
to reconsider its decision not to deal
recollect recover recreate with its neighbours.
reform represent repress 3 It became necessary to re-examine the struc-
resign reassign resort ture of government agencies.
reabsorb recharge retreat 4 In order to reassure foreign investors, the
rebid rebound rebuild government enacted a law that protected
reclaim recapture recommence foreign investments.
reforestation 5 The foreign ministers met to reaffirm their
joint policy of neutrality.
E ercise E ercise
Use the following in sentences of your own.
Find a synonym in the puzzle below for each
of the underlined words in Exercise 1 above. 1 recall 5 restart 8 repossess
2 refresh 6 reconstruct 9 recoil
3 revisit 7 restore 10 renew
R E C O N S T R U C T R D R O
4 regain
A D E P O J U E O R L E R E B
R E C A L L U O W E A A E S L Grammar
E R A M I L R F A G R L A I I Phrasal erbs
S E E R O M E F O A N I D S G
You have studied verbs extensively in your
junior classes and earlier in this textbook. At
T N Y E I T F E E I M S J T A
this level, you are no longer in doubt about
A D I M T O R R P N E E U O T the use and importance of verbs in sentences.
R E P O S S E S S O E R S S I In this unit, we will be revisiting verbs by
looking at phrasal verbs. A phrasal erb is a
T O L D A W S M O P I N T I O
group of two or three words that begins with a
A L E E I K H R E T A I N N N verb and is followed by a particle. The particle
B I L L R E S T R U C T U R E can be an adverb or a preposition.
R E I N T R O D U C E B H B H
The participle is a preposition if it is
followed by a noun or a pronoun (object), e.g.
Send in the box.
preposition noun
166
The particle is an adverb if it is not
followed by a noun or noun phrase, e.g.
Look out!
adverb
The particle can be any of the following: in,
on, up, off, about, by, down, over, through, along,
forward, out, away, round. Therefore, you can
3 ___________________
have phrasal verbs such as: break up, come round,
see through, keep up, and turn on.
E ercise
Combining words from each of the boxes,
provide the correct phrasal verb to explain the
actions in the following pictures. The first one
A B
look put out away 4 ___________________
throw wake on up
switch fly off
5 ___________________
1 Fly away
2 ___________________
6 ___________________
167
Note that the meaning of a phrasal verb depends on the particle. Let us look at the changes in
meaning that different particles can give the verb put.
E ample
Phrasal erb eaning entence e ample

put away to return something Jumai must put away those books.
to its place
verb + particle
put in to add to something The chef has not put in enough salt.
verb + particle
Put on to wear, e.g. a dress, I love those shoes you put on last Sunday.
a cap, make-up
verb + particle
Put off to postpone The committee has put off the election
till next year.
verb + particle
Some phrasal verbs are not easy to interpret because their meanings are idiomatic. Here are some
examples of phrasal verbs, their meaning and usage.
E ample
Phrasal erb eaning entence e ample
account for to provide an explanation/ Mary could not account for the amount
reason she spent at the market.
aim at to point in the direction Mr Rasheed took his bow and arrow
of something and aimed at the bird.
apply for to make an official Sheriff has applied for a holiday job.
request
bail out to pay something (money) A stranger bailed out the boy when
to help someone out of he was arrested by the police.
a difficulty
back down to withdraw The government backed down on
their decision to subsidise school fees.
call back to return a phone call Toyin promised to call back tomorrow.
call off to stop something, e.g. The concert had to be called off because
an event, to cancel of the elections.
168
deal with to take care of something The crises became worse because the
coach could not deal with the situation.
figure out to understand something I figured out later why he behaved that
way – he was broke.
get away to escape The criminal got away by stealing
another car.
E ercise 9 David was bored as the guest’s speech

_______________ for hours.
Complete the following sentences with the 10 Mayaki was afraid to ______________
appropriate phrasal verbs from the box (use the teacher’s mistake.
past tense where necessary). Follow the
example below. Some phrasal verbs can be divided or split,
abide by end up iron out as we have shown in the following examples.
kick off back away allow for Joan will add your name to the list.
nod off even out carry on The widow’s sister will bring some of her
drag on point out children up.
The crowd tried to cheer the footballers
E ample The local government official up when they lost the match.
promised that the difference in the levy would Madam Nze gave the letter out last week.
be evened out to reduce complaints. The landlord handed the thief over to the
1 Cousin Kola always ______________ police.
during the weekly football game at the The boy’s parents were proud of him
stadium. because he did not let them down.
2 The rat did not _______________ when You may need to take your shoes off before
it saw the cat. entering the hall.
3 The annual conference will _________ The mother picked her baby up.
at 2 p.m. Tade’s friends quickly shut him up before
4 Jumoke ______________ dancing even he could say something rude.
after her friend had left the dance floor. Mr Jakpa has taken the car back.
5 My mum will find the time to
_______ the differences between my dad Note that some phrasal verbs cannot be
and his friend. separated. The verb and the particle must stay
6 Every student must ______________ together, such as in:
the school rules. They looked after the kids.
7 We were given some money to ______ Not
________ for any other expenses we They looked the kids after.
might encounter during the excursion.
8 If care is not taken, the thief will _____ Some of the inseparable phrasal verbs, unlike
__________ in jail. the example above, cannot take an object.
Inseparable phrasal verbs can therefore be
169
classified into those that take objects and those E ercise
that do not take objects. See the table below.
E amples with no ob ect In the text below, the wrong particles (on, by,
grow up – He grew up. to, from) have been added to the verbs. Use the
took off – The culprits took off. correct participles to make the meaning of the
break down (cry) – Shola broke down. text clearer.
run away – The boy ran away.
Professor Fasakin found in later that his
E amples with ob ect ‘anonymous’ caller was actually Edochie. He
was upset because somebody had carelessly
break into – They broke into the house. given in his phone number to strangers. Edochie
had been one of his students in class. He later
phrasal verb object figured away why Edochie had been making
break through–Jim broke through those ‘weird’ calls: he wanted to intimidate him
the barriers. and back in of his decision to send the names
of those involved in exam malpractices to the
object phrasal verb university authority. Professor Fasakin had
stick to – The man stuck to his decision. made down his mind; those students would
be dealt for.
object
run against – The men could not
run against the rangers. ultiple choice uestions
phrasal verb object Provide the phrasal verb that correctly replaces
each underlined verb.
1 Tobi collected the mail from the post
E ercise office.
Classify the following phrasal verbs into A danced in
those that can be separated and those that are B put through
inseparable. Note that phrasal verbs that do not C picked up
take objects are always inseparable. 2 The messenger was reimbursed after
1 care for showing the receipt.
2 live on A turned on
3 fill up B paid back
4 come by C sent through
5 find out 3 Kalil confessed that he broke the
6 disagree with glass.
7 throw away A owned up
8 put off B asked on
9 see through C called on
10 switch on
170
4 The centre did not omit any student’s 8 Simbi’s grandmother died on Sunday.
name. A put on
A take by B passed out
B leave out C passed on.
C bend through 9 The bystanders were able to extinguish
5 The old man will grip the door handle the fire.
for support. A put out
A hold on to B note down
B iron out C make up
C hit back
6 Mrs Dedeigbo may experience some Writing
discomfort at this season in Canada.
A hit bad on escripti e essays
B go through A good descriptive essay depends on the
C take to creation of vivid pictures with words and the
7 One of our neigbours will leave next organisation of those pictures into an effective
month. and meaningful pattern.Your ability to create
A move out a clear picture of what you are describing will
B nod off undoubtedly help your reader to understand
C make in you very well.
The chart below shows the guidelines you
must follow when writing a descriptive essay.
Write a topic sentence and decide

Use appropriate transitions to whether it will be more effective
make clear the organisation and when positioned at the beginning
relationships between ideas. or at the end of the paragraph.
escripti e essay
Gather vivid details that will Decide which kind of organisation

help you recreate a scene or an will be more appropriate for
experience for your reader. your spatial order or order of
importance.
171
For you to write a perfect descriptive essay, you classrooms for the six arms, which contain
must use those details which will give your charts and educational materials. To the west
reader a clear mental picture of the objects you of the school compound is a magnificent hostel
are describing. These would appeal to all the block that houses all the students. In front of the
senses. The description of a place, for instance, hostel are pine trees in ‘D’ form representing
should include details of location, placement the first letter of the school’s name. The school
of objects and the peculiarities of the place. It looks very peaceful following the chirping of
must be so detailed and unified that the reader birds on the pine trees accompanied by cool
is not left in doubt of what he/she is supposed breeze and glittering stars whenever the sun
to know. Again, when you describe a place or sets over the horizon. In front of the hostel
a person very well, the place or the person can is a sickbay where students go for medical
be easily identified. treatment. The purple hibiscus and other
flowering shrubs planted around it produce a
ample essay pleasant fragrance that facilitates the well-being
Read the detailed description of a school below. of sick students. Next to the sickbay are staff
quarters.
y school The gateman’s post is seen as one enters
My secondary school, which is the best in the school gate. Close to the gate is the Divine
Nigeria, is situated in a serene environment Mercy Chapel where the students go for
on the outskirts of Enugu. It is called Divine worship. The school is always as quiet as a
Secondary School. The school is well arranged graveyard, except when students go out for
and this enhances the smoothness of the recreation.
activities. The milk and peach colours used to paint
There is an administrative block, which all the buildings in school radiate its beauty
contains the Principal’s office, with the from outside and make it unique.
secretary receptionist’s office in front of it. My secondary school is indeed a home
Next to the Principal’s office is the ice- away from home.
principal’s office. There is a well-furnished
staffroom for teachers adjacent the Principal’s
office. pposite the ice-principal’s office is the E ercise
script room in which all the students’ scripts, You were among the lucky students that went
both old and new are packed. Close to the script for an excursion to Zuma Rock in Abuja, the
room is the Computer Room where the students Federal Capital Territory, which was organised
usually go for practicals. The Biology, Physics, by your Geography teacher. Write a descriptive
Chemistry and Home Economics laboratories essay about Zuma Rock and read it in class for
are directly opposite the Computer Room. the interest of the other students who could
Behind the laboratories is a big signboard not attend.
with an inscription ‘Noiseless zone. Readers
are leaders.’ A big arrow from the sign points Homework
to the largest and well-equipped library in the 1 Write a descriptive essay on the topic ‘The
Eastern zone. school kitchen’.
Beside the administrative block are 2 Write a vivid description of your hostel.
172
Unit 15 The unafraid lover
Oral English
Effective speech delivery back to yourself. You may adopt the use
The following are the major requirements of small cue cards if you think it is neces-
needed for effective speech delivery. sary. But ensure you do not depend on
1 Adequate knowledge of your speech your notes.
Knowing your speech is the essential
thing in successful speech delivery. You Practice makes perfect.
must give it priority. Research and find out
as much information as possible that can 3 Speak loudly and clearly
enrich your knowledge on the theme for Your speech will be successful if people
the speech. This may mean your going to can hear and understand what you are
libraries for further reading and research, saying. You must learn to speak loudly
and asking people questions if you think and clearly, fluently and convincingly,
they know more about the theme of the on any given topic, controversial or not.
speech. 4 Maintain good eye contact
In the course of delivering your speech,
Success in any speech delivery scan your audience. Appropriate use of
demands that you must have good eye contact will hold their interest.
more than average understanding Poor eye contact results in the audience
of the topic . Knowing your speech feeling left out and losing interest.
is not the same as memorising it. 5 Good use of gestures
Good use of gestures will add colour
2 ufficient practice to your speech. Use them appropriately.
ou must find time to practise your speech Small hand movements, where possible,
over and over again until you achieve can do the magic.
mastery of it. There are many ways to do 6 Enthusiasm
this practice. You may practise it in front Above all, success in your speech deliv-
of a small audience, such as friends or ery demands that you must be enthusiastic
your family members or even your teacher about your topic. Feel it and show it.
or classmates. You may also practise it It does the magic of stimulating an
in front of a mirror, observing yourself enthusiastic response in your audience.
as you speak. You may consider using a tape It is infectious.
recorder. Record your speech and play it
173
Exercise High School, Nnamdi Azikiwe University,
Awka by
List and explain the requirements for effective dentification
speech delivery. Miss Chisom Okonkwo, the Senior Prefect of
the School,
Features/format of a speech
The following constitute the features/format (Data)
of a speech. during the Teacher’s Send-Off Party at the School
1 Heading or type of speech Hall on 29 July 2011.
A speech could be an address of welcome, (Salutation)
a farewell speech, an appreciation, a The Principal, Vice-Principal, our ever-
request, etc. You should state what your cherished teacher, Mrs Nduka, respected
speech is all about in a topic sentence. members of staff and my fellow students.
2 dentification data
(Body)
This includes the name, official position,
Today is indeed a great day and a sad one in
event, venue, date and time of the
the history of this citadel of learning. Great
speech.
because this is the first time we are organising
3 Salutation
a send-off party of this nature in such a grand
Here, you should recognise the presence
style. It is a sad one because we shall miss Mrs
o f i m p o r t a n t d i g n i t a r i e s p re s e n t
Nduka, our affable and kind-hearted teacher.
at the occasion.
We all know that the six years of her stay
4 Body
in this school have really brought about a
This constitutes the speech itself which
great change in the teaching and learning of
must be written in paragraphs and in
English language and literature. Ever since she
good English.
took up the subjects, the students have always
5 Signature/full name/designation
developed ardent keenness in the two subjects
Here, the speech writer should put down
and thus studied them with relish. Apart from
his her signature, full name and official
her expertise in the language, she is a lover
position if available. If the writer is writing
of poetry and has aroused our interest in the
on behalf of other students/colleagues, he/
area. Almost all the students can recite the long
she must indicate it.
poem ‘Africa’ by David Diop by heart because
of her outstanding methodology. Mrs Nduka’s
Class work
hard work and dedicated service were always
Here is a farewell speech presented by the reflected in the annual results of her students,
senior prefect of a college to a teacher of English most of whom score alphas and credits in
who has just been transferred to another school. English language and literature in external
Read it carefully, paying attention to the above examinations. We are going to lose a diligent,
formal features. devoted, hard-working, versatile, indefatigable,
(Type of speech) kind-hearted and yet unassuming teacher.
A farewell address presented to Mrs Nduka, the The school has won numerous trophies in
senior English language teacher of UNIZIK external competitions ranging from debates,
174
quizzes, reading and writing exercises, all of welcome to be presented during the official
because of her incessant motivation and welcoming ceremony. Ensure that your writing
encouragement. contains the features we have indicated above.
Words are indeed inadequate to describe
the excellent qualities of our out-going teacher Reading
of English. As well as her personal way of
imparting knowledge, she has good human Identifying topic sentences
relationships. Her relationship with the A topic sentence is not an explanation; neither
Principal and other members of staff has is it an illustration. It is not an example, but
always been cordial. Even the non-tutorial staff rather the main point about which other as-
members like her so much because of her warm sertions are made in the paragraph. The topic
smiles whenever she talks to them. sentence is neither too broad to pin down nor
Our beloved Mrs Nduka, no number of too narrow to understand. Let us consider the
gifts can quantify your meritorious services to following topic sentences which can be devel-
this school and the impact you’ve made in our oped into full paragraphs. These are the main
lives. Accept this little plaque as a sign of our ideas we wish to develop about examination
promise to stick to your wonderful qualities of malpractice.
simplicity, modesty, uprightness and sincerity. Examination malpractice has been a topic
We promise you that we shall always abide by of discussion in recent times.
your words of advice. Your motto, ‘Hard work Examination malpractice can go on be-
is the only road to success’ shall for ever remain fore, during and after examinations.
our guiding principle. Students are involved in examination
As you journey to your new school in malpractice because they do not want
Akwa Ibom State, we wish you journey mercies, to pay for their laziness.
long life, good health, and God’s guidance and Parents provide money and the moral
protection. We implore you to visit us whenever support for examination malpractice.
you come to Anambra State. We shall be very Any examination officer that is involved in
glad to see you again. any malpractice is simply disloyal.
Thank you very immensely for all your No examination malpractice can take
love and care. place without the teacher.
(Signature) We have used the six sentences above to
summarise our perspective about examination
Full name
malpractice. We only need supporting sentences
Okonkwo, Chisom
to provide the reader with more specific or
Designation
concrete details about the topic.
Senior Prefect, for and on behalf of the students
Homework
A new principal has just been posted to your
school. As the senior prefect, write an address
175
Exercise ‘Greetings, my royal sister!’ answered
Nyleptha. ‘Draw near. Fear not; you shall not
1 Write four topic sentences, as above, on be harmed.’
the following topics. Sorais answered with a proud look, and
Road accidents in Nigeria came on up the hall till she stood in front of the
Insecurity in our nation throne. ‘Greetings, O Queen!’ she said again.
Corruption in Nigeria ‘I ask you one question and you shall give the
Why students fail English examinations answer to me and to the people of Zu–Vendis.
2 Identify four topic sentences in the Are you or are you not intending to take this
comprehension passage and write these foreign wolf as your husband and to share
in your English notebook. your throne?’ She pointed at Sir Henry with
her spear.
Curtis turned to Sorais and said in a loud
Comprehension voice, ‘Yesterday you had other names than
‘wolf’ to call me by, O Queen.’
The unafraid lover Nyleptha saw that the secret was out, and
The next day there was a meeting of the court. she answered the question in her own way.
Questions of money were to be talked about. Up she rose, and, descending from the
When we entered the hall, Nyleptha was throne, moved in all the glory of her royal grace
already on her throne and was proceeding to where her lover stood. There she stopped,
with business as usual. All around her were and took off the golden band that was around
noblemen, government officers, priests and an her arm. Then she told him to kneel, and taking
unusually strong guard. the golden band with both her hands she bent
It was easy to see from the excitement on it round his neck, and then she kissed him on
the faces of everybody present that no one was the forehead, and called him her ‘dear lord.’
thinking much of the business. All knew that
the country was on the edge of war. We went
to our places, and for a little time things went
on as usual. Then suddenly we heard a noise
outside and the shouting of a great crowd.
The curtains at the end of the hall were drawn
wide and through them entered the Lady of the
Agon, the High Priest, and on either side were
other priests. Behind them, a small company of
guards. One look at Sorais was enough to show
that she had not come there on any message of
peace, for, instead of her usually white garment, Then, turning, she said, ‘My sister, lords,
she wore a shining shirt of mail, and in her hand priests, and people who are gathered together,
she carried a silver spear. She stopped at the by this sign do I take him to be my husband,
great Black Stone and laid her hand on it. Then here in the face of you all. Am I not a Queen,
she cried out with a loud voice to Nyleptha on free to choose the man whom I will love? He
the throne, ‘Greetings, O Queen!’ has won my heart, and with it goes my hand
176
and my throne and all that I have. If he had ii) What does it mean?
been the poorest man in my kingdom, I would g) ‘If he had been the poorest man in my
have done the same; but he is a great lord, fairer kingdom,…’
and stronger than any here, and having more i) What grammatical name is given to
wisdom and knowledge of strange things. Why this expression as it is used in the
then should I not choose him?’ passage?
She took his hand and gazed proudly on ii) What is its function?
him, and holding it, stood there, boldly facing h) For each of the following words, find
the people. And such was her sweetness and another word or phrase that means the
the power of her beauty, so sure was she of him same and can replace it as it is used in the
and herself, so ready to risk all things and to passage.
suffer all things for him, that most of those who i) proceeding
saw the sight caught the fire from her eyes and ii) an unusually
shouted and cheered her wildly. iii) company
It was a bold stroke for her to make, but iv) enough
it touched the people’s hearts, for all the world v) cried
loves a lover and most of all a love which is vi) question
brave and unafraid. The people cheered till the vii) wildly
roof rang.
(From Allan Quatermain by Sir H. Rider Re ect and discuss
Haggard, pages 86–89) 1 Have you witnessed a marriage cer-
emony? Did you think the couple loved
each other?
Comprehension questions 2 What do you think are the advantages
of inter-ethnic marriage?
a) i) Who was Nyleptha? 3 What are the disadvantages?
ii) What was her relationship with Sorais? 4 Do you think your parents would allow
b) What evidence showed Sorais was you to marry a man/woman from a
posed for war? different ethnic group?
c) Why were people not thinking much
of the business of the day?
Summary writing
d) i) How did Nyleptha demonstrate her
acceptance of Curtis?
1 In four sentences, one for each, sum-
ii) How do you think Sorais would feel
marise the attributes of Curtis that en-
when the people cheered?
deared him to Nyleptha.
e) i) Why was Sorais against the union?
2 In two sentences, one for each, sum-
ii) What would Nyleptha give to the
marise what Nyleptha would give to
man she loved?
the man she loved.
f) ‘Am I not a Queen, free to choose the
man whom I will love?’
i) What figure of speech is contained
in the expression above?
177
Reminder 5 Nyleptha convinced her people about
her choice of husband.
Where a preamble taken with different answers
does not make a sentence, you will lose half
ifficult words
of the marks allotted. Marks could still be
deducted for poor grammar, poor expression
or irrelevant/extraneous ideas. The subject of
a summary may be familiar. For example, the throne business noblemen
passage may be on love, marriage, culture, excitement garment shining
war, politics, money, a ritual with which you mail royal harmed
are familiar. Endeavour not to use points you intending foreign wolf
know very well but which are not included descending golden band
in the passage. Restrict your answers to the lord ga ed fire
summary passage. cheered stroke risk

Pair work your own.
1 Find a partner, possibly a different one

from your partner in the previous units.
Tell your partner about a couple in which
each person belongs to a different ethnic
1 ‘Sorais answered with a proud look...’
group. Your partner should tell you about
2 ‘... to take this foreign wolf as your hus-
another such couple too.
band...’
2 Do you know of any marriage that was
3 ‘... caught the fire from her eyes...’
not sanctioned by the Father, the Mother or
4 ‘... most of all a love which is brave and
the rest of the family? What actually
unafraid...’
happened?
3 Tell your partner the points you would
advance if your parents, your brothers
or sisters disapproved of your relation-
ship with a person you dearly loved.
passage?
Drawing conclusions 1 ‘… that the country was on the edge
of war...’
then indicate whether the sentences below are
2 ‘… a shinning shirt of mail, …’
3 ‘… my hand and my throne and all
1 Sorais wants to protect the throne.
that I have.’
2 Nyleptha is ready to leave the throne
4 ‘… a bold stroke for her to make…’
for the sake of the man she loves.
5 ‘… which is brave and unafraid.’
3 Nyleptha is loved by her people.
4 People are usually jealous of a love that
is unafraid.
178
Vocabulary illegal -ly
irregular -ities
Word roots inter- nation -al
The word root or root word is the original word dis- appoint -ment
before any prefix or suffix is added. The root is abnormal -ity
called the base. It carries the most significant mis- manage -ment
aspects of meaning and cannot be reduced into in- conceive -able
a smaller unit. disobey -dence
Note
The examples above are word roots that can
The main difference between prefixes and
stand on their own and make meaning.
suffixes is that suffixes usually change the word
However, there is another type of root
class of the original word, e.g. from noun to
word that cannot stand on its own. These words
verb or adjective prefixes merely change the
do not stand alone in that the root is always
sense of the meaning, e.g. dis + obey = disobey
combined with additional word parts such as
Content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, prefixes or suffixes to be able to make a word.
adverbs) are the root words in English. These word root usually have meanings
Study the following word groups. that lead the user of the language to the
meaning of the whole word.
Prefi Root uffi
miscalculate -tion
un- predict -able
Consider the following examples.

Root eaning E amples and definitions
a,an not, without abyss – without bottom
achromatic – without colour
anhydrous – without water
ac, ad to, toward, accelerate – to increase speed
near accessible – easily entered, approached
admittance – allowing entry into
act do activity – something that a person does
react – to do something in response
agri field, farming agriculture – management of the land
agrarian – relating to agriculture
ambi both, on both ambiguous – having more than one meaning
ambivalence – conflicting or opposite feelings
towards a person or thing
bene good, well benefactor – a person who gives money to a cause
179
beneficial – producing good effect
benevolent – showing kindness or goodwill
biblio book bibliography – a list of books used as sources
bibliophile – a person who loves books
bio life, living biology – the science of life
matter biosphere – Earth’s surface inhabited by living
things
capt take captivating – taking hold of
ceive perceive – to take notice of something
cept intercept – to stop or interrupt
cede to yield recede – to go back
ceed exceed – go beyond the limits
circum around, about circumnavigate – to sail around
circumscribe – to draw around
circumspect – looking around
dec/a ten decade – ten years
decathlon – athletic contest with ten disciplines
dem/o people democracy – government of the people
demographic – the study of people
epidemic – spreading among people in a region
en, in inside, envision – to picture in the mind
inwards enclose – lock inside
inwards – towards the inside
ethno race, people ethnic – pertaining to defined group of people
eu good, well euphemism – replacing an offensive term with
an inoffensive one
euphoria – feeling of well-being
flect bend deflect – to bend course
inflection – a bending of the voice tone or pitch
flexible – easily bending
fore in front of, forebear – ancestor
previous, forebode – to give an advance warning of
earlier something bad
forecast – a preview of events to be
ger old age geriatrics – medicine pertaining to the elderly
gerontocracy – the rule of the elders
180
gram letter, written diagram – a simple drawing
telegram – a message sent by telegraph
grat pleasing gratify – to please someone
grateful – feeling thankful
hebi grass, plant herbicide – chemical used to kill unwanted plants
herbivorous – plant eating
herbal – relating to plants
juven young juvenile – youthful or childish
rejuvenate – to bring back to youthful strength
or appearance
lab work collaborate – to work with a person
elaborate – to work out the details
medi middle medieval – pertaining to the Middle Ages in
European history
medium – in the middle
phil/o love, friend philanthropist – one who loves humanity
philology – the love of words
philosophy – the love of wisdom
tort twist distort – to alter the shape or position
retort – replying in a manner that changes the
effect of something said
Exercise 1
Locate the meaning of each word in column A from column B by paying attention to the meaning
of the root.
Root Meaning A B
1 ex from excavate someone who gives something out
2 dys bad, dyslexia of the same time period as others
abnormal
3 don give donor the inability to read
4 cumul mass cumulative to dig out
5 con with, contemporary very restless
jointly
6 ego self egomania inability to handle words
7 hepa liver hepatitis the correct way of writing
8 hyper over, hyperactive inflammation of the liver
beyond
181
9 lex word, law, alexia excessive preoccupation with
reading oneself
10 ortho straight orthography gradually building up
Exercise 2 3 bio
Place each word in the box next to the most 4 pend

appropriate explanation below. 5 mono
6 astro
geology invisible vocation
7 dict
autograph cardiac orthodox
dictation manuscript pending 8 hydro
biography 9 port
10 spec
1 ______________ relating to the heart
2 ______________ account of somebody’s
life
3 ______________ study of rocks and Grammar
minerals
4 ______________ following traditional Phrasal verbs with more than one par-
doctrine ticle
5 ______________ hidden from view In the previous unit, we looked at phrasal verbs,
6 ____________ a type of work demand- their uses and how a change in the particle
ing special commitment resulted in a change in meaning.
7 ______________ author’s original text Remember that take out is different from
8 ______________ somebody’s signature take on or take over and that some phrasal verbs
9 _____________ a test of language com- cannot be split.
prehension Examples:
10 ______________ about to happen • The boy has grown suddenly up. (wrong)
• The boy has grown up suddenly. (correct)
Exercise 3 In this unit, we will be going through the three-

word phrasal verbs. These phrasal verbs take
Write three words that can be formed from
more than one particle. They are not separable.
each of the roots below. An example has been
Let us look at some of them and their meanings.
done for you.
Example:
bene benefactor, beneficial, benevolent
1 mal
2 gene
182
Phrasal verb Meaning Sentence examples
break up with to end a friendship Umoha has broken up with Banti.
or affair
bear down on to lean on or bully The supervisor does not bear down on
someone the technicians.
catch up with to cover the distance The youth could not catch up with
between a person/a the old man because he was not
thing and oneself fit enough.
cut in on to disrupt or Ahmad cut in on Sulaiman and
interrupt an event Gbenga when they were talking.
or conversation
drop in on make a casual visit My aunt drops in on us whenever she
comes to Lagos.
face up to accept or acknowledge The man was urged to face up to
a situation the challenge involved in the game.
get out of to leave a confined We managed to get out of the
place, e.g. a car elevator before the fire outbreak.
get ahead of to defeat or John is studying hard so that he
surpass a person can get ahead of Tami this year.
fall out with to quarrel with Fatima has fallen out with Biliqis.
someone
fill in for replace or be a The chairman will not be able to
substitute for attend the ceremony. His secretary
someone will fill in for him.
look down on to regard oneself The winner of the competition now
as better than or looks down on his friends.
superior to someone
look forward to expect something Everyone was looking forward to
to or be eager about the end of term.
something that will
happen
play up to to compliment My brother is still playing up to Mum
somebody in order and Dad so that he can travel
to win favour to Suleja.
stand up for to support Rale stood up for her sister at the
trial.
183
read up on research or look for Our science teacher asked us to
information on read up on HIV/AIDS.
something
Exercise 1 4 It looks as if Shade is going to fall

________ ________ her friend.
Complete the following sentences by combining 5 I could not concentrate in the examina-
the verbs provided with the correct particles in tion hall, with Mrs James bearing _______
boxes ‘A’ and ‘B’. You may use some particles ________ everyone.
more than once. An example has been done 6 My brother hurried out of the house,
for you. hoping to catch ________ ________ his
A B classmate who had passed by five min-
up in with for to utes earlier.
out away from for 7 The manager is looking forward
up down on _________________ hearing from you.
8 Fikayo has been advised to brush
Example: Sometimes you need to stand up for ________ ________ her French.
what you believe is right. 9 The boy was lucky because he quickly
1 Younous, the President’s son, is every- ran ________ ________ the hoodlums.
body’s friend. He does not want to look 10 My teacher is not around, so I have to
________ ________ anyone. fill ________ _______ her till she comes
2 Medina did not vote for Hakeem even back.
though he played __________ ________ Let us look at how the meanings of the three-
her for weeks. word phrasal verbs also depend on the actual
3 We could drop __________ __________ particles used.
grandma on our way from the beach.
Come Meaning Sentence examples

come out with to say or produce something Royis Nigeria Limited has come out
with a new brand of milk.
come along with to accompany someone You may come along with us on our
journey to Yola.
come up against to face an opponent or Our school will come up against
a contender Glaxo High School in the volley
ball competition.
come down with to become ill The baby came down with malaria last
week.
184
Keep Meaning Sentence examples
keep up with to be at the same level The producers of the school
or speed with something bags could not keep up with
or someone the demand for the bags.
keep away from to avoid or abstain from Tunji has decided to keep
away from acts of vandalism.
keep hold of to hold tightly You need to keep hold of the
trinket box.
keep out of not to become involved in The students that were not
something punished were the ones that
kept out of trouble.
Get
get through to to be able to influence or Sheyi was happy because
placate she got through to her
father at last.
get away to escape being caught or Kingsley got away with all he did.
with punished No one remembered to punish him.
get on with to make progress or continue The labourers got on with the
to do something construction in spite of the
challenges they faced.
get rid of to eliminate something I helped my uncle to get rid of
old newspapers.
get out of to escape or avoid something The people got out of the
tunnel in an orderly manner.
Look
look out for to care for someone or search Tinu will always look out for
for something or someone her younger brother in school.
look in on to visit briefly Will you look in on Winifred in the
hospital?
look up to to respect or admire Many students look up to Mrs Eto
because of her high standards.
look forward to to expect something with The children look forward to the day
excitement of the concert.
185
Go
go back on to renege on or not fulfil a The ambassador may go back on
promise his plans.
go in for to show interest in something Jules has decided to go in for the
or to participate in something catering competition.
go round to be friendly with someone Tomiwa is now responsible. He goes
with round with serious students.
go on at to nag or criticise someone I did my homework before my older
continuously sister came back from the office.
I don’t want her to go on at me.
go on with to continue to do something We must go on with the rehearsal.
Put
put down for to add someone’s name to Kaya was put down for the role of
a list for a duty Romeo in the play.
put in for to apply for a post/or seek Dan just put in for a loan.
permission
put through to connect someone to another I asked the secretary to put me

to person through to the manager, but she refused.
put up with to bear something unpleasant He resigned because he could not
or to tolerate someone put up with his immediate boss.
put up to to persuade someone to do I will try to put Murayo up to
something apologising to her uncle.
Exercise 2 3 Put
Provide your own sentences with the following a) through to _____________________
phrasal verbs.
1 Come b) up with ________________________
a) in for __________________________ 4 Keep
a) hold of ________________________
b) down with ______________________
b) up with _____________________
c) up for __________________________ 5 Get
2 Stand
a) rid of _________________________
a) up against ______________________
b) on with _________________________
b) in for __________________________
186
Exercise 3 creative writing is by constant practice. This
is because no one has ever been born with a
Replace each of the following with the correct brain ready to create stories, poems, songs, etc.
phrasal verbs. If you want to be proficient in creative writing,
1 Kanur’s parents were happy because he the best time to start your practice is now. Pick
read up to the history of Benin. your pen. Nurse no fear. Allow your pen to flow
2 The Principal has been looking forward your thoughts onto paper. You can make songs
for the school’s results. of your own, poems of your own or stories of
3 The motivational speaker inspired the your own.
members of the audience to face up from Do not forget that extensive reading is a
the obstacles they might encounter. powerful advantage. Form the habit of reading
4 The union’s leaders were able to stand any written document that comes your way.
up off their rights. Reading is to the mind what exercise is to
5 Edet was fit. He was able to catch up the body. Make reading your hobby. You will
through other contestants on the field. never regret doing so. It fuels your brain. It
6 Uket’s father did not disturb him. He nourishes your thoughts, thereby strengthening
asked Uket to get on by his reading. the power of your pen. Extensive reading is a
7 The chickens need to be kept away up prerequisite to excellent writing. Your ability to
the road. move the world with the power of your pen is
8 Chief Davis was my role model. I used dependent upon how much you enjoy reading
to look forward to him. today.
9 The girls were advised to put in with Things to read abound in every corner
the competition. of your home, classroom, church, mosque,
10 The applicant was unhappy because he etc. Pick them up! Read! Read novels; read
could not get through beside the newspapers, magazines, textbooks, prayer
manager. books, cookery books, etc. Read any written
thing, but make sure you avoid any that can
Writing lure you into immoral acts. Your reading must
be positively focused.
Creative writing
In your previous class, SS 1, we studied creative Group work
writing, its meaning and the procedures
adopted in such writing. In your group, share ideas on how to develop
Your power to imagine and create is the the following sentence into an interesting story:
key. You can create a whole lot of things, such as One good turn deserves another.
a play (drama), a poem or prose (a story) using
your imagination. Your ability to play with the Tips
words of the English language in manipulative
patterns cannot be neglected. It helps you in the How creative can you be? Write a story (or poem
construction of sentences and paragraphs that or play) of your own. It is easy – just pick your
generate an interesting piece of work. pen and paper and begin to write from your own
The only way to achieve success in imaginative thoughts.
187
1 Consider the art of writing a story. Questions
2 Decide on the theme of your story.
3 Start the draft today.
1 Is the interviewee a professional teach-
4 Continue to build on your draft, de-
er? How do you know?
veloping your story until it runs into 2 Who did the interviewer say are not pro-
many pages. fessional teachers?
5 Discuss your draft with different 3 What reason did the Principal give to
people.
support her argument that the standard
6 Revisit your draft following people’s of education had fallen in Nigeria? What
suggestions. Rewrite every part of it, makes today’s students different from those
this time trying to make it better.
in the past?
7 You can rewrite, the pages you consider
4 Children today are not interested in
need re-writing again and again. You can education. What makes them different from
pull in more ideas in-between sentences the students in the past?
and paragraphs. It does not matter how 5 According to the passage, mention three
many times you do this.
types of persons involved in examina-
8 Submit your final neat draft to different
tion malpractice.
people to help you proofread and edit it.
6 In which of the propositions is this
9 Rewrite the very last version, putting expression from the passage relevant?
people’s suggestions and corrections ‘If you want to pay the teachers peanuts,
to good use. you will have monkeys as teachers.’
10 There may still be need for more re- 7 According to this interview, how much
writing, adding or removing some infor-
should a fresh graduate in the teaching
mation. Then keep your manuscript
profession receive as salary?
ready for publishing.
8 Apart from salary, in which other way
can the teachers be motivated?
9 Mention three things the interviewee would
Project want to change should she be made the
Commissioner for Education.
Try writing a novel using the method explained 10 Mention three things she said the Lagos
in the Tips box. State government had done to improve
education.
Listen to an interview with Mrs Elizabeth
Oyekunle Adepoju, a seasoned educator. It
is an interview touching on different issues
concerning education. Pay special attention to
the questions raised, the answers given and
the arguments put forward. Then answer the
questions below.
188
Unit 16 The treasure
Oral English
Speaking to persuade informative speech. It is important that we

Speaking to persuade is also known as study the differences between these two. Study
persuasive speech. This means a speech the table at the bottom of this page.
specially designed to change or reinforce the Persuasive speech is a complex and
beliefs or actions of an audience. The target here challenging type of speech. It is necessary in
is to make the listener(s) or the audience decide a situation where there is disagreement. It is
to do something by giving them satisfactory usually not easy to change the mind of persons
reasons why they should do it. The indication on a given idea. The speaker has to indulge in
here is that the audience may not really want a psychological process of winning the minds
to perform the action. As a result, the need for of the listeners, while the listeners assess the
your speech arises to convince them, giving speaker’s integrity and credibility, the manner
them the whys and wherefores of the action. of delivery, supporting details, etc. in order to
Persuasive speech is different from the decide whether or not to believe the speaker
other type of speech we have studied, which and thus change their minds, or to remain
is mainly designed to inform, and is called neutral or opposed.
Informative speech Persuasive speech
Speaker’s intention To increase knowledge To change minds or actions

Purpose of the To define, describe, To shape, reinforce or
message explain, compare change the audience’s
response
Effect on listeners To know more than To feel or think differently,
before or advance what to behave or act differently
is already known
Audience’s choice To willingly learn new To choose to change
knowledge behaviour
189
Exercise 1 Question of policy
This is the question about whether or not a
1 What do you understand by persuasive
specific course of action should be taken. The
speech?
speaker here tries to convince the audience
2 Why is persuasive speech necessary?
that a given policy is desirable, necessary and
3 Show the differences between persua-
practical, thereby motivating the listeners to
sive and informative speech.
take action in support of the policy.
4 Which of the two types of speech do you
consider more difficult and why
Instances where persuasive speeches
5 What kind of audience do you expect
can be used
to have for persuasive speech?
We can use persuasive speech, for example,
Target audience 1 to persuade an audience to volunteer as
By the target audience we mean the particular participants in the school manual labour
audience the persuasive speaker wishes mostly exercise
to address; those whom he/she would want 2 to persuade an audience to vote in the
the message to reach. We can group them as next election.
the uncommitted audience, those inclined to
agree and those inclined to disagree, but who Persuasive speech technique
are open to persuasion. We must also, however, Most persuasive speakers often employ the
expect other listeners of different opinions as problem-cause-solution technique in their bid
part of the audience. to succeed. The steps are:
In persuasive speech, we deal with three 1 establish the existence of a problem
different types questions. They are: 2 analyse the cause of the problem
questions of fact 3 present the solution to the problem
questions of value
questions of policy. Exercise 2
Using the steps above, write a persuasive
Questions of fact speech on topic 1 above. The following outline
These are questions directed at the truth or may guide you.
falsity of an assertion. Questions of fact are Existing problems because there is no
structured to make audience believe in the manual labour organised e.g. poor/
speaker’s view of facts about the matter for dirty environment
persuasion. Poor attitude towards manual labour
Effects of the problems, such as ill health,
Question of value
etc. Anyone can be a victim
The question of value is directed to the worth,
Solutions
rightness, morality, etc. of an idea or action.
Reasons for the solution
The speaker, under the question, makes a
judgement, right or wrong, good or bad,
Below is a sample of a persuasive speech. Read
moral or immoral, ethical or unethical. The
it carefully and take note of the salient features.
speaker justifies the position in line with clear
Mr Ade, a Geography teacher, gave the SS 2
standards.
190
students mass punishment because they made his busy schedule.
so much noise. Because of that, the students Ever since he was put in charge of the SS
branded him a very wicked man and planned 2 block, he has organised meetings every last
to mob him after school. Friday of the month during which he tries to
find out our problems and suggest ways of
Sample speech solving them. This, I believe, has never been
The speech was written by the class prefect done by any other teacher since the school was
to call the students to order and convince them founded.
that Mr Ade meant no harm. Mr Ade is dedicated to his duty. He is
cheerful and trustworthy. Though firm, he is
Good day, my fellow students. I stand here kind, and always willing to assist any student
this morning to speak to you on the incident with difficulties. His firmness, I believe, is a
that took place today. I know quite well that way of instilling discipline. You will agree with
your spirits are high, ready for action as you me that whenever he punishes any student, he
have already planned. Mr Ade, our Geography still calls that person back to give some words
teacher, really dealt with us today. We all of advice. This shows that he has our interests
look so tired and worn out as a result of the at heart.
punishment he gave us. Why then would we want to mob a
I want to assure you that our teacher teacher who has been a father, a friend and
meant no harm. We were actually making noise a mentor, a teacher whose motivation and
and disturbing the peace of the whole school. encouragement have contributed so much to
The only way he could call us to order was by our academic excellence?
the punishment. More importantly, remember that we still
You will have noticed, as I have, that ever depend on this same Mr Ade for our extramural
since he gave us the punishment, there has lessons next year, in our SS 3. If we mob him
been absolute calmness and tranquillity in the today, will he still offer us such a kind gesture?
whole school. Just two days ago, I overhead the Of course, he would not. I suppose our leaving
Principal reprimanding Mr Ade and warning this school with excellent results for our future
him that he was giving him time to bring us to should be more important to us than whatever
order. If after one week such noise continued we are thinking about now.
from our block, he said he would give us one I’d rather urge us to go back to our classes
week suspension while Mr Ade would answer and devote our time to our studies. This is our
a query since he is the teacher in charge of the fifth year now in this school. We have barely
SS 2 block. It was in response to this warning one year before we leave. We should not
that Mr Ade chose to punish us after giving us indulge in any act that may attract negative
a number of warnings. attention to us. Such act/attention can mar our
Mr Ade, as we all know, is always eager to last days here and that may affect our future.
help anybody that has academic problems. You Let us think twice and retrace our steps.
can all remember very well that he organised
extramural lessons for SS 3 students during
the external examinations. He answers our
questions anywhere and at any time despite
191
Homework The criminal has been apprehended.
Have you done the assignment?
Your brothers are planning to deal with the son Stop staring at me.
of your neighbour who snatched your younger
brother’s bucket at the tap and beat him up. Exercise
Write a persuasive speech you’ll present to
them during your family meeting. Tear out a page from a newspaper and copy
20 simple sentences from it in your English
Reading notebook. Give it the title ‘Simple sentences’.
Identifying structural patterns Comprehension

All languages have structures. The structure
of modern English divides the sentence into
subject, verb, object and adverb. The English
sentence may be declarative, exclamatory,
imperative or interrogative. The English
sentence may be simple, compound or complex.
In SS 1, you were introduced to these sentence
types and purposes. In SS 2, it is expected that
you are able to identify all these as you read
as well as when you write your essays and
compositions. The treasure
The next morning we began work early because
Simple sentences moving this great mass of gold nearly a mile
You were told that clauses can be main or by land to the beach, and three miles by boat
subordinate. A clause is a group of words that to the Hispaniola, was a huge task for so small
has both a subject and a predicate. Main clauses a number of workmen. The three fellows still
(also called independent clauses) are much like wandering about on the island did not greatly
simple sentences and can stand alone. As you trouble us; a single watcher on the hill was
read, you come across sentences such as: enough to guard against any sudden attack.
It was a strange collection of money. Gray and Ben Gunn rowed the boat to
This work went on. and from the ship, while the rest carried the
That was not all. treasure to the beach. As I was not big enough
There was silence. to carry heavy loads, I was kept busy all day in
the cave, packing the money into bread bags.
All the above are examples of clauses as well
It was a strange collection of money –
as simple sentences. A simple sentence will
English, French, Spanish, Portuguese – and on
usually make a single statement containing
the pieces were all the kings of Europe for the
only one idea. A simple sentence contains
last hundred years. There were strange pieces
only one independent clause and can function
from the East, round pieces, square pieces, and
as a statement, a question or a command. For
pieces with holes through them as if to wear
instance, the following are examples of simple
round your neck. Every kind of money in the
sentences.
192
world must, I think, have found a place. And in All of us had a good share of the treasure
number they were like autumn leaves, so that and used it wisely or foolishly, according to our
my back was weary of bending and my fingers natures. Captain Smollett is now retired from
with picking them up. the sea. Gray is now captain and part-owner of
Day after day, this work went on. At last–I a fine ship. en Gunn got a thousand pounds,
think it was on the third night – the doctor which he spent or lost in three weeks or, to be
and I were walking on the hill, when the wind more exact, in nineteen days – he was back,
brought us a noise of singing. Then there was begging, on the twentieth. Then Mr Trelawney
silence. made him a gatekeeper – just as he had feared
‘Heaven forgive them,’ said the doctor, on the island. He is also a great singer in the
‘It’s the pirates!’ village church.
‘All drunk, Sir,’ came the voice of Silver Of Long John Silver we have heard no
from behind us. more.
That evening we discussed what we Nothing would make me go back again to
should do with them, and decided that we that cursed island, and the worst dreams that
must leave them on the island. We left a good I ever have are when I hear the waves beating
supply of powder and shot, food and clothes. on its coasts, or leap up in bed, with the sharp
After seeing to this, we went on board and set voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears:
sail. ‘Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!’
We had so few men that everyone on (From Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson, pages
board had to help. The captain lay on a bed 121–123)
giving his orders. We sailed to the nearest port
in South America because we could not risk the
voyage home without more men. Comprehension questions
It was sundown when we sailed into the
harbour. The doctor and Mr Trelawney took a) Why was it difficult to move the gold
me on shore with them. When we came back to b) What did the writer mean by ‘a strange
the Hispaniola, we found Ben Gunn on board collection of money’?
alone. Silver had gone. c) ‘… who had sailed returned with her.’
But that was not all. The sea cook had Who or what is referred to as her in
not gone empty-handed. He had cut through the passage?
into the place where the treasure lay and had d) ‘Heaven forgive them.’ Who were
removed one of the bags of money worth, prayed for here?
perhaps, three or four hundred pounds, to help e) What reason did Silver cite for the sing-
him on his further wanderings. ing?
I think we were all pleased to get rid of f) ‘… they were like autumn leaves,…’
him at the price. i) What figure of speech is contained
Well, to make a long story short, we got in the expression above?
some men on board and made a good voyage ii) Why do you think so?
home. nly five men of those who had sailed g) ‘When we came back to the Hispaniola,
returned with her. ‘Drink and the devil had …’
done for the rest.’ i) What grammatical name is given to
193
this expression as it is used in the Reminder
passage?
A question of this sort requires that you read
the passage thoroughly to get the gist and the
h) For each of the following words, find
important details. If you restrict yourself to
one part of the passage, you will miss the gist
same and can replace it as it is used
in another. A detailed reading will afford you
in the passage.
the opportunity of assessing salient points.
i) task
Answering the summary question will then
ii) attack
be easy.
iii) weary
iv) orders
v) shore
Pair work
vi) wanderings Do you know that some maids do run away
vii) natures from their mistresses and some apprentices
from their masters? Do you know of any
Re ect and discuss case like this? Discuss with your partner, the
1 The characters in the passage work on following quotation from the comprehension
the sea. What do you think this means? passage: ‘… we found Ben Gunn on board,
What does it take to travel on the sea? alone. Silver had gone.’
2 Discuss the different modes of trans-
portation with your partner. In how many Drawing conclusions
of these have you travelled? Read the comprehension passage again and
3 Have you ever travelled in a ship or a indicate whether the sentences below are true
boat? Or do you know someone who (T) or false (F).
has? What experiences can you relay 1 The people in the passage had enemies
to your partner? around them.
4 Do you know that the following words all 2 Silver was a cook.
have one thing in common? 3 The writer hated his experience on the
island.
canoe boat ship vessel
4 The writer was restricted to the cave.
Can you explain the differences? 5 The passage is on bank robberies.
5 Reflect on a journey you made in the
last four years. Tell your partner about it. ifficult words
Summary writing words from the passage.
mass beach fellows
In five sentences, summarise the experience of
island treasure strange
the narrator in this passage.
collection pirates supply
board sail port
voyage harbour cursed
194
Use ten of the words in sentences of your own. When you are reading and you come
across a word you do not understand,
Retesting grammatical structures first try to understand it, based on the context.
a) What grammatical name is given to each Focus on prefixes and suffixes and find
of the following expressions as used in the examples in a text you are reading.
passage? Underline them and try to understand
b) What is the function of each expression? the words, based on the prefixes or suffixes.
1 ‘… because moving this great mass Try to come up with the antonyms.
of gold… was a huge task…’ Examples are: regular – irregular, loyal
2 ‘As I was not big enough to carry – disloyal; normal – abnormal.
heavy loads,…’
3 ‘… while the rest carried the treasure Vocabulary
to the beach...’ uffi es
4 ‘… strange pieces from the East…’ Suffixes are the opposite of prefixes. Suffixes
5 ‘Every kind of money in the world…’ are added at the end of words to form other
words. In actual fact, many of the words we use
Reading tips are formed from other words, either by adding
Here are some methods that could help you prefixes or suffixes. Suffixes, like prefixes, are
improve your vocabulary. two to six letters long. If you are able to add a
Photocopy a page of a newspaper ar- suffix to a word, it becomes easier to identify
ticle and underline all the words you the word classes (parts of speech). Nouns,
do not understand. Write these in your adjectives, adverbs are easily identifiable in
vocabulary book and use the dictionary words bearing suffixes.
to find the meanings. Then, use these Find below a list of suffixes, their meanings
words in your own English sentences. and word examples.
uffi eaning E amples

–able able, likely laughable, washable
–ence, –ance state of existence, repentance, conveyance
–age act of bondage, wastage, drainage, mileage, dosage
–ation state organisation, specialisation, victimisation
–ant one who assistant, servant, aspirant, dependant
assists, etc.
–en made to loosen, deaden, tighten, weaken, quicken, widen
–ese a native of Lebanese, Japanese, Chinese, Togolese, Senegalese
–ess female proprietress, conductress, lioness, actress
–esque in the style of statuesque, picturesque, picaresque
–ette a small one novelette, kitchenette, cigarette
–full full of mouthful, spoonful, sorrowful, careful, hopeful
–fy make deify, personify, simplify, solidify, magnify
195
–hood order, brotherhood, adulthood, womanhood
condition
–ics nature of poetic, Arabic, electronics, genetics, politics
–ine belonging to canine, divine, feline
–ish origin, nature boyish, girlish, childish
–ity state of brutality, sanity, purity
–ive causing causative, active, conclusive, restorative
–ise make specialize, specialise, sympathise, dramatise, popularise
–less without careless, useless, harmless, hopeless
–ly like happily, totally, boldly, royally, sharply, tightly
–ment act of government, merriment, advertisement,
–ness state of boldness, illness, nearness, newness
–ology study biology, geology, technology
–ous full of prosperous, poisonous, ambitious, courteous, courageous
–ship office leadership, friendship, hardship
–ure state of literature, rapture, legislature
–ward direction of homeward, seaward, outward
Exercise 1 Grammatical structure

nderline the suffixes in the following words. Adjuncts
1 inhabitant 11 remittance An adjunct is a word or a group of words that
2 organisation 12 brewery forms a part of the meaning of the sentence.
3 sailor 13 representative However, if an adjunct is removed from the
4 acquiescent 14 pretentiousness sentence, we will still have a meaningful
5 falsehood 15 contemptuous sentence.
6 youngster 16 informant Let us look at the adjuncts we have
7 greedy 17 laughter underlined in the following sentences.
8 motherly 18 dereliction Julia slapped Kikelomo in the gallery.
9 fruition 19 liquefaction My sister travelled to Abuja on Monday.
10 moralise 20 harassment Fortunately, Bantu did very well in
Geography.
Exercise 2 We washed all the clothes when we got
Generate ten words that can be formed from home.
the following suffixes. In the sentence examples, you will have noticed
1 -ous 6 -fy that the adjuncts could be removed and each of
2 -ness 7 -ment the sentences will still convey some meaningful
3 -ology 8 -dom information or idea.
4 -ful 9 -ee Let us now compare those sentences with
5 -fic 10 -less the following.
John went upstairs.
Should I put the kettle on a table?
196
3 Anorexics eat terribly 4 She did her homework hurriedly.
4 Oluchi meant well. 5 I need to darn my socks tomorrow.
In each of the sentences above, the underlined
expressions are adverbials. You could see
Exercise 2
that if we had removed the expressions Provide correct adjuncts to complete the
underlined, the sentence would have much paragraph.
less meaning. You would have expressions A man was caught stealing stationery_________.
such as ‘Oluchi meant…’ You would have Many students gathered _____________ to
been asking questions. What did he mean? know who the thief was. _____________, he
What about ‘Should I put the kettle…’? The was a stranger. He was later handed over to
sentences needed the adverbial phrases. the police who responded _____________ to
However, adjuncts, as important as they are, the call made by the storekeeper. The thief was
can be omitted without doing any damage to detained _____________ for a long time.
the sentences.
Adjuncts can be formed in different ways.
Let us look more closely at what adjuncts do in
The noun phrase can serve as the adjunct in a
sentences.
sentence.
Adjuncts tell you how an activity or event
happened, e.g. I will bring your clothes tomorrow.
My brother danced gracefully.
Immediately, the students jumped up noun
when they heard the school siren.
noun phrase
Adjuncts also indicate when an event occurred,
Next year, Tim will travel to Canada.
e.g.
I collected my textbooks on Friday.
modifier noun
Yesterday, we went to the museum.
noun phrase
Adjuncts also indicate where something We resolved the conflict between
happened, e.g. Mauzurah and Halimah last month.
Tolu is sleeping upstairs.
Abdul did his homework in the library. modifier noun
Identify the adjuncts in the following sentences. Create five sentences using the following
1 Now, we will be representing the school adjuncts. Recall that when you omit (or remove) an
in sports. adjunct, the sentence must still be meaningful.
2 Kate pulled the young boy from the
chair.
last week, today, next month,
3 My friend has hidden the plaque in the
the day after tomorrow, yesterday.
closet.
197
Adverbial phrases (some of which we have they are playing the role of adjunct, they convey
used earlier) also function as adjuncts. Adverbs time, manner, place, purpose and condition.
functioning as adjuncts. Examples
Examples
Uncle Buhari could not come for the meeting
The choir sang the songs tunefully.
because his car broke down on the way.
Steve tiptoed out of the room very slowly.
marker subject verb
Exercise 4
She studied very hard in order to qualify
Now use the following adverbs as adjuncts. for the scholarship
marker verb
roughly, very quickly, suddenly,
so gracefully, rather stupidly (The subject in the subordinate clause is
implied.)
Prepositional phrases can also function as
adjuncts. Recall that prepositional phrases The maid fed the baby as if he was an
begin with prepositions. animal.
Examples marker subject verb
preposition marker of
time verb
My aunt promised to call back on Sun-
day. While he was getting ready for school,
prepositional Emeka tripped and fell.
phrase subject
preposition
She kept the ring where no one would
find t.
Before assembly, I will discuss the mat-
marker subject verb
ter with Mrs Aliu.
of place
prepositional
phrase
Complete the following with the correct adjunct
Use these adjuncts in sentence examples.
of what has been indicated.
In January, after elections, throughout the 1 _____________ (time) he did the house
week, on the shelf, from school chores.
2 Senmi could not participate in sports
Subordinate clauses can also perform the
_____________. (reason)
function of adjuncts. Recall that a subordinate
3 The carpenter could not find his nails
clause or a dependent clause cannot stand on its
_____________ (place)
own, though it has a subject and a verb. When
198
4 ____________________ (purpose) Kumi Poetry
brought extra books. Poetry is a composition in verse form. It puts
5 _________________, (time) I saw Yemi’s human feelings and aspirations into words.
driver smoking a cigarette. Poetry expresses powerful emotions as it
permeates all aspects of human knowledge.
Exercise 7 In poetry, we see the noble thoughts of Man
State whether the underlined word or phrase and the serious questions he often asks about
in each of the following sentences is an adjunct himself and the environment of his existence.
or an adverbial phrase. Poetry is arranged in stanzas and lines.
1 They mocked him all the time. Drama
2 Why did he put my scissors on the floor? Drama is the branch of literature where people
3 Someone stuck chewing gum on the wall. take on characters and act in imitation of real-
4 More often than not, Birikis is well life situations. Drama is designed to be acted
behaved. on stage by actors and actresses, before an
5 We will leave early on Friday. audience, with the sole purpose of teaching a
6 The baby dipped his finger in the honey jar. particular experience or the serious lessons of
7 The car was driven towards the beach. life. Drama is arranged in acts and scenes.
8 Yola escaped immediately. Some other terms inherent in creative
9 The hunter aimed his gun at his target. writing which you should also know are plot,
10 Bosede is expected to take her cousin to setting, theme, character, characterisation, mood,
the dentist. tone, diction, fi es of s eec . Knowledge of these
will help you, not only in your appreciation of
Writing literature but also in your dealings with issues
relating to creative writing. You have learned
Creative writing about a good number of them from your studies
It is important that you acquaint yourself with of literature. We shall, however, handle them
some basic issues relevant to such writing. Your in a few sentences to familiarise you with their
creative writing can be in any of the following positions in creative writing. We refer to them
areas: prose, poetry or drama. These are known as the elements of literature.
as the three main branches of literature. Let us
briefly recall what they are. Elements of literature
Plot
Branches of literature In creative writing, the plot is the pattern or the
structure of the literary work. Put differently,
Prose
it is the arrangement of the events of the
Prose is any writing or composition that is not
literary work to develop the theme. Therefore,
in verse form but in a direct, straightforward
when you start your creative writing, all your
arrangement, usually in paragraphs and
carefully thought out plans for showcasing the
chapters with the aim of telling a story. As a
actions and reactions of the people in your story
result, the main purpose of prose is to tell a
are the plot of your work.
story to relate a particular experience to us,
using different characters.
199
Setting subject. In your creative writing, the mood is
The setting of your creative work is the revealed partly through the words you choose
environment and the conditions against to express your ideas and the selection of your
which the characters in a story live and move. details. Tone in creative writing corresponds
It involves the geographical location, the to the tone of the voice of a speaker. This may
occupation and daily manner of living of the be pleasant, apologetic, angry, sorrowful,
characters, as well as the period during which humorous, etc.
the action occurs. Diction
Theme Diction is used to refer to a writer’s careful and
The theme of your creative writing is its subject correct use of words. As a creative writer, you
matter, the central message you want to deliver have good diction if you can select the words
to your readers. In other words, we ask such you need for your writing accurately and
questions as: carefully with a view to portraying the exact
What do you, as a creative writer, want meaning you want your readers to understand.
your reader to understand from your writ- Figure of speech
ing? This is another element of literature. It is used
What message do you want to deliver? in creative writing to make clear and vivid
What is the subject matter of your story? descriptions so that they seem like real life.
The answer to these questions gives us the Figures of speech, when properly used, help
theme of your writing. the creative writer to present ideas in concrete
Character form. esides, the adequate use of figures of
A character in creative writing means a being speech adds beauty and dignity to writing,
who participates in the action of the story, as thereby making it appear graceful to readers
created by the author. Note that this could who feel the intensity of its effects.
be a human being, an animal, etc. that the Generally, a figure of speech is used
author created for the purpose of delivering deliberately by a speaker or writer to effect a
the message of the story. Take note of Lakunle change in the use of words, phrases or sentences
in Wole Soyinka’s The Lion and the Jewel and to achieve strong feelings or thoughts from the
Brother Jero in The Trials of Brother Jero. listeners or readers that ordinarily could not
have been obtained through the ordinary use of
Characterisation
words. There are many figures of speech, most
Characterisation is the manner of exposing
of which you have learned about from your
the imaginary beings created in your writing
literature classes. We shall study these briefly
so that they appear to your readers as if they
in the next unit.
really exist.
ood tone Exercise 1
While mood refers to the way one feels (good,
What do you understand by the following
bad, etc.), tone refers to the way one’s voice
branches of literature: prose, poetry and
sounds. Mood is the feeling, but tone expresses
drama? Write a brief note on each.
the feeling. Mood is the expression of the
emotional attitude of the author towards the
200
Exercise 2 A tercet is a set of three lines of poetry that
form a unit. Look at these lines from Dennis
Show the differences between the following: Brutus’ poem ‘A common hate enriched our
a) Plot and setting love and us’.
b) Character and characterisation
c) Theme and tone. and sharper than our strain, the passion
against our land’s disfigurement and tension
Literature: Poetry hate gouged out deeper levels for our passion
What is a poem?
You have come across different poems, some of Exercise 1
them you have studied in your junior classes.
What is the difference between a poem and The following three lines have words at the
your comprehension passages, short stories or end that do not rhyme. Change the last words
articles in the newspaper? to those that sound the same to make a tercet.
In the poems you have come across, you
would have noticed that deep feelings on Faces with smiles await me
different issues were expressed by the writer Strange foreign land behind now
or poet. Simple matters that can be discussed Mountains, streams and, of course,
in poems include the beauty of flowers, the laughter everywhere.
activities of insects and the importance of
colours. Serious matters such as hunger, death, A quatrain is a four-line verse. In some
war and love are some other themes in poems. poems, the quatrain will have lines that rhyme
You would also have noticed that alternately: line 1 will rhyme with line 3 and
poems are not as easy to understand as your lines 2 and four 4 will also end in words that
comprehension passages because poets use sound the same. The following quatrain is
specific expressions in calculated (also called a part of Lenrie Peters’ poem ‘It is time for
metrical) lines: You can find a particular reckoning in Africa’.
number of syllables in every line in some
poems. In most poems all the divisions, referred It is time for reckoning in Africa
to as stanzas, have the same number of lines. time for taking stock
Let us look at some examples of divisions. Never mind New York, America –
It’s ours; is here, and running short.
Structure of poems
The word couplet is used to refer to two lines You will have come across poems that have
of verse in sequence. These lines form a single this division. Can you provide the title? If you
unit because the last word in each line has the can still remember the poem, you can recite it
same sound (rhyme). Here is an example of a to the whole class. Some songs or hymns have
couplet in ‘Sonnet III’ by William Shakespeare: this structure.
Can you sing any one you can remember?
But if thou live, remember’d not to be,
Die single and thine image dies with thee.
201
Exercise 2
1 Name two poets you know.
2 Find out about enjambement. Bring an
example to class.
3 Prepare an explanation on the subject
matter of the poem.
202
Unit 17 Chimere in search of her roots
Oral English
Persuasive speech constructed his speech very well. You can write
Remember that when persuasive speech is equally stirring speeches.
properly written and adequately presented, it Remember that for a good persuasive
can change the opinions of an audience, thereby speech, you must understand your audience
persuading them to agree with your point of and consider their positions. You must also
view. Its purpose is to persuade, to convince. understand and consider the reasons for your
Have you read one of the Shakespearean speech. These will help you in your choice of
plays called Julius Caesar. If not, find it and words and in your manner of presentation.
read it. In this play, Mark Anthony, the great The chart below presents some pointers
orator, was able to stir the Roman crowds to to effective speech. Study it and take note of
rioting against Caesar’s murderers because he the salient points.
Aspects of speaking Tips
Length: How much time is You should be time conscious. Do not rush
allotted to your your speech. Be calm and deliver your
speech? points one after another. Don’t be nervous.
Have you had
enough practice?
Audience: Who are your Knowing so much about your audience
audience? will help you to create a good rapport with
What are their mood, them during your speech. You can apply
background and humour to win over your listeners, but you
attitudes? should be cautious to avoid turning the
venue into a playground.
Tone: Is your speech You should choose suitable language to
casual, emotional suit the tone of your speech. You may use
or serious? slang in an informal speech but avoid
it in a formal or very serious speech.
203
Rhythm: Does your speech In order to make your speech memorable
need a rhythmic and interesting, you can repeat some words
pattern? or phrases. For example, Martin Luther King
Junior’s repetition of ‘I have a dream’ made
his speech outstanding.
Exercise 1 Guidelines for persuasive writing

Introduce your topic: Here, you should
Write and explain some aspects of persuasive
describe your topic clearly and supply
speech and the necessary tips.
all the background information needed
A good persuasive speech must appeal to for your readers to understand it.
reason and emotions. You should use facts, State your opinion: You should take
statistics, expert opinions and examples to your stand in a clear, concise and direct
appeal to the audience’s reason. For their sentence.
emotions, you should use words that generate Support your position: Present your
a very strong positive or negative response. All evidence, facts and opinions or, and
these will win the consent of your audience or respond to opposing view points. You
stir them to action. should state your facts and opinions
Persuasive speech very strongly to persuade your audience
to agree with your own point of view.
Draw your conclusion: End your speech
Audience by summarising your ideas, and if ap-
propriate, giving a clear call to action.
Appeal to Appeal to Your ability to conclude your speech
reason emotions very well will undoubtedly win your
audience to your side.
When you finish writing your speech, you
Use facts, statistics, Use words that should analyse it to ensure that it is done
expert opinions and generate strong properly.
examples. positive or negative
responses. Exercise 2
You are the senior prefect of your school and
Group work your fellow students are organising a riot
during which they will destroy your school
In your group, prepare a persuasive speech
property.
meant for a particular audience such as parents,
Arrange for a meeting with all the
young children, teachers, students or workers.
students. Write a speech you will deliver on
Present your completed speech to the class and
the occasion. Ensure your speech is persuasive
ask them to identify the intended audience.
enough to convince the students into changing
their opinions.
204
Reading Exercise
Making use of the comprehension passages in
Identifying structural patterns this book, write ten compound sentences in
Compound sentences your English notebook. The title is ‘Compound
A compound sentence has two or more
sentences’.
independent clauses. These clauses are linked
by coordinators – and, but, or. Each clause is
Comprehension
equal to the other in a compound sentence. The
number of clauses determines the number of
Chimere in search of her roots
ideas contained in the sentence. Take a look at
these statements.
I came to your house. (simple sentence)
You were not at home. (simple sentence)
I came to your house but you were not at
home. (compound sentence)
Mr Bala has no money. (simple sentence)
His wife left him. (simple sentence)
Mr Bala has no money and his wife left him.
(compound sentence)
By six o’clock the next morning, which was
The two ideas contained in each compound
Sunday, Chimere left the campus for Umeze.
sentence are linked by a coordinating
First, she took a taxi cab back to Enugu from
conjunction.
where she boarded a bus for Umeze. She chose
Remember that all clauses have a sentence
a seat beside the driver so that she could
and a predicate. A simple sentence does not
have a good view of the places they would
have a dependent or a subordinate clause.
pass through. The driver was tall and thin
A compound sentence is the combination of
but looked kind. Next to Chimere sat a young
independent (main) clauses. Coordinating
girl of about fifteen. As the bus sped along the
conjunctions used to link clauses are: for and,
road to Umeze, Chimere became tormented by
nor, but, or, yet, so.
doubts about her mission, but she soon realised
The compound sentence equation that it was too late to reconsider or to go back
-One independent clause on it. They were now passing through towns
+one independent clause (or more) whose names she had never heard at home or
a compound sentence in school.
Examples: After they had travelled for about an hour
He prayed for the repose of his soul and and a half in a direction southeast of Enugu, the
asked for strength for the Aderinlokun driver of the bus turned to Chimere and asked:
family. ‘Which part of Umeze?’ ‘Anywhere,’ she said
She went to the station that night but at last.
was not allowed to see him. ‘Anywhere?’ The driver was surprised at
the vague answer.
205
‘ es, anywhere in the town,’ she affirmed. A few minutes later, the bus came to a
‘Umeze is a very large town,’ the driver halt in front of the church premises. Chimere
explained. ‘If I drop you at one end of the town alighted and thanked the driver. Standing by
and you’re going to the other end, you’ll need the roadside, she watched the bus disappear
another bus to take you there. But if you tell me round the bend and then walked into the
exactly which part of the town you’re going to, church premises, poised to begin her quest.
I’ll drop you where it will be most convenient (From Chimere by Ifeoma Okoye, pages 105–
for you.’ 107)
Chimere thought for a while. Then she
told the driver to drop her at the church down
the road. It was a leap in the dark as she was Comprehension questions
not sure there was a church along the road.
‘Which church?’ asked the driver. ‘There a) What was the mission of Chimere at
are three of them along this road. It seems you Umeze?
don’t know the town very well.’ He changed b) Why did Chimere sit next to the driver?
gear as they were approaching a hill. c) Did she consider her decision as wise?
‘I don’t really know the town much,’ Quote an expression in the passage to
Chimere admitted at last. support your answer.
The driver frowned. ‘You should have d) Why do you think Chimeree did not
told me that long ago. We have been passing disclose her ignorance to the driver?
through Umeze for some time now. Which Was she right?
village are you going to? Certainly you must e) Chimere had told the driver that she
know that! I hope we haven’t passed it already.’ was going to Umeze. Why did the driver
‘So this is Umeze, my home town,’ ask to which village she was going?
Chimere said to herself, and to the driver she f) ‘… her heart sank…’
said: ‘I’ll tell you where to stop.’ A wave of i) What literary device is contained in this
feeling she could not express in words passed expression?
through her and she began to take more interest ii) What does it mean?
in the scenery as she imagined to herself g) ‘… so that she could have a good view
frequent visits to the town after she must have of the places they would pass through.’
traced her father. Then, suddenly, her heart i) What grammatical name is given to this
sank; suppose she did not succeed in tracing expression as it is used in the passage?
him? ii) What is its function?
They were now on top of the hill, and h) For each of the following words, find
Chimere could spot a church building down another word or phrase that means the
the road. Its tower shot into the sky, and there same and can replace it as it is used in the
were cars parked on the premises. She made a passage.
quick decision to stop at the church and make i) tormented
inquiries from there as she saw no other option ii) realised
left for her. iii) exactly
‘I’ll get down when we get to that church iv) convenient
down the road,’ she told the driver positively. v) admitted
206
vi) option the chairman of your local government
vii) quest the governor of your state
the king of your town or village.
How many of these facts do you know?
Re ect and discuss
Find out the other facts from your parents or
1 Would you ever try to travel to a place
guardians.
you do not know?
2 What do you think would happen if Drawing conclusions
Chimere had nowhere to stay? Read the comprehension passage again and
3 Can you guess how long it took Chimere then indicate whether the sentences below are
to travel from the campus to Umeze? true (T) or false (F).
4 When last do you think Chimere trav- 1 Chimere is going to her parents at
elled to Umeze? Christmas.
5 What kind of a person do you think the 2 She couldn’t find her way because it
driver is? was dark.
3 The driver did not help her.
Summary writing 4 Chimere slept in the church.
5 Chimere is an orphan.
In three sentences, one for each, summarise
three things Chimere did that showed she was ifficult words
not a careful person. se the dictionary to find the meaning of these
boarded view mission
Reminder reconsider vague affirmed
This is not a story-telling event. Summary leap wave scenery
demands you give the facts and the facts suppose inquiries halt
alone. Any details given that do not contribute alighted poised premises
meaningfully to the required answer are
considered extraneous or irrelevant. Such Use ten of the above words in sentences of your
details attract the deduction of one mark from own.
your total. If the story gets longer to the point
of expecting the marker to look for the answer
himself, he will not do that. He will simply give Retesting grammatical structure/literary
you zero. But you must not allow this. Begin devices
now to study the art of summary writing, if you a) What grammatical name is given to each
truly desire success in your examinations. of the following expressions as used in
the passage?
Pair work b) What is the function of each expression?
1 ‘Chimere became tormented by doubts.’
Tell your partner or the person next to you:
2 ‘… which was Sunday.’
the name of your town
the local government
the state
207
3 ‘ a young girl of about fifteen.’ princess, hostess, empress.
4 ‘… whose names she had never heard.’ 5 They mark progressive/continuous
5 ‘... there was a church along the road.’ tenses, e.g. going, showing, writing.
6 ‘... a church building down the road.’ 6 They mark the past participle, e.g. done,
written, shown.
7 They show the comparative of adjec-
Pair work
tives, e.g. hotter, faster, quicker.
With your partner, list and explain ten figures 8 They mark the superlative of adjec-
of speech known to you. Give five examples tives, e.g. tallest, thinnest, fastest.
for each. 9 Inflectional suffixes show negatives, e.g.
doesn’t, wasn’t, aren’t.
Vocabulary 10 They indicate possessives, e.g. girl’s,
girls’, boy’s, boys’.
uffi es
Suffixes are word parts that are added to the Exercise
end of another word to form a new word. 1 Write five sentences each containing the
Suffixes can be inflectional or derivational. past participle form of the verb. Under-
n ectional suffi es line the suffix in the past participle.
Inflectional suffixes carry grammatical 2 Write five sentences and underline the
information. suffix marking the past tense of the verb.
1 They mark the plural of nouns, e.g. cars, 3 Write five simple sentences showing the
dogs, boys. plural nouns in the sentences.
2 They mark the third-person singular 4 Write five adjectives showing the com-
(present tense), e.g. parative and superlative forms.
A lion roars 5 Write five words each showing gender
the man says and five showing the continuous tense.
he does not
3 Inflectional suffixes mark the past eri ational suffi es
tense, e.g. This type of suffix often changes the class of
opened the door the word. However, some will not change the
They stopped him word class but express a state or quality. Let us
4 Inflectional suffixes mark gender, e.g. look at some of these in the table below.
A
Word Word class uffi ew word ew word a state
friend noun –ship friendship noun
steward noun –ship stewardship noun
boy noun –hood boyhood noun
adult noun –hood adulthood noun
fraud noun –ster fraudster noun
racket noun –eer racketeer noun
208
parent noun –age parentage noun
ethnic noun –ity ethnicity noun
B
teach verb –er teacher noun
conduct verb –or conductor noun
inhabit verb –ant inhabitant noun
organise verb –ation organisation noun
punish verb –ment punishment noun
conclude verb –sion conclusion noun
marry verb –age marriage noun
perform verb –ance performance noun
occur verb –ence occurrence noun
happy adjective –ness happiness noun
useful adjective –ness usefulness noun
barren adjective –ness barrenness noun
important adjective –ce importance noun
diligent adjective –ce diligence noun
expectant adjective –cy expectancy noun
patriotic adjective –ism patriotism noun
final adjective –ist finalist noun
weak adjective –ling weakling noun
modest adjective –y modesty noun
punctual adjective –ity punctuality noun
grace noun –ous gracious adjective
fruit noun –ful fruitful adjective
fool noun –ish foolish adjective
child noun –less childless adjective
gold noun –en golden adjective
sense noun –itive sensitive adjective
poison noun –ous poisonous adjective
comfort noun –able comfortable adjective
beauty noun –ify beautify verb
public noun –ise publicise verb
woman noun –ise womanise verb
terror noun –ise terrorise verb
pure adjective –ify purify verb
simple adjective –ify simplify verb
act noun –ivate activate verb
hospital noun –ise hospitalise verb
popular adjective –ise popularise verb
sharp adjective –en sharpen verb
broad adjective –en broaden verb
209
Grammar Example
main clause + subordinator
Complex sentences
In the English language, there are different Tunde got home early because, there
sentence structures of varying lengths. In long were a lot of chores to be done.
or continuous writing or speech, we need to
use a mixture of these sentence categories so + subordinate clause
that our writing (or speech) can be interesting
and explanatory enough for our audience Did you notice more than one verb in the
to understand. Recall that you reviewed example above? Sometimes complex sentences
compound sentences briefly on page 205. can have more than one finite verb.
Let us quickly revise the sentence A finite verb is the verb that will change
categories in more detail. for tense, number and person.
1 The simple sentence has only one clause.
Recall that a clause has a subject and a In this unit, we will be looking in more detail
verb/group of verbs. at complex sentences and the dependent or
Example subordinate clauses and their functions.
First, let us look at the elements and the
Tola worked hard.(One clause) nature of the simple sentence to understand its
role in complex sentence structures.
subject verb adverb A sentence is a group of words that
conveys an idea, a happening or a description.
2 The compound sentence contains two It expresses a complete thought. A simple
main clauses of equal status, joined with sentence in English displays some boundaries;
a coordinator. Each of the clauses can it will start with a capital letter and end with
stand on its own as a simple sentence. the full stop (or period), question mark or
Example exclamation point. It is also regarded as an
simple sentence + independent clause.
The example below explains the structure
Tunde got home early, but his mum of the simple sentence.
had gone out.
coordinator + simple Melinda likes Dele.
sentence
3 The complex sentence has two clauses. The subject The verb The object is the
However, one of the clauses is not able to can be a describes receiver of
stand on its own. In other words, a com- noun or a the action the action.
plex sentence has a main clause and one pronoun of the
or more dependent(or subordinate) as the doer subject.
clauses. of the action.
The predicate is everything
that follows the subject.
210
Now, indicate the function of the word Underline the direct objects in the short text
underlined in each of the following sentences. below.
The first one has been done for you. Dare was about to sleep when he heard
1 I went to the market. the object his friend’s voice in the sitting room. He
2 The girls finished the food. _________ remembered that his friend had given him
3 Will you dance? _____________ some notes to keep. He packed the notes and
4 Bayo, Chukwu and Dauda paid some handed them to Tim. Tim was so grateful that
money. _____________ Dare had given him the notes that he gave him
5 The school play attracted a large crowd. a hug. ‘Thank God,’ Dare said because he had
_____________ almost given those notes to Sheila who would
6 Biola sat on the chair. _____________ have travelled to Calabar with them.
ote that an expression such as The complex sentence in the English language
Sit there is a sentence because consists of a complete expression, otherwise
the subject is implied. The subject called the independent clause and an
could be You, John, that lady, etc. additional, incomplete expression regarded as
the dependent or subordinate clause.
There are two different kinds of object: the
Each of these expressions is called a clause,
direct object and the indirect object as shown
because a clause is a part of a sentence that
in the following sentence.
contains both a subject and a verb.
Mustapha gave me some novels.
Exercise 3
subject verb indirect direct object
Identify the subordinate, or dependent, clauses
object
below.
Note that the indirect object is always the noun 1 When I got home
or pronoun that answers the question to whom 2 Jimmy saw a box
or for whom the action has been directed. It 3 Take this pen
usually comes before the direct object. 4 If you decide to go
The direct object completes the expression 5 Because of their actions
and answers the question ‘what’ or ‘whom.’ You will have seen that some of the expressions
above need to be attached to another expression
to complete the sense.
Exercise 4
Combine the expressions in column A with those in column B to make complex sentences.
Clauses Dependent/Subordinate clauses
1 Moyin was not nominated unless we leave early.
2 We went straight home whose pen you took.
211
3 We won’t see the manager today after we left the party.
4 Helen is the lady because she was not responsible.
5 I was able to persuade Jinadu when I saw him at the conference.
In general, if a subordinate clause appears Relative clauses are introduced by:

after the independent clause, no comma is relative pronouns – who, whom, which,
needed. that and whose
Example relative adverbs – when, why.
independent clause +
Relative pronouns
Moyin was not nominated because she Refer to people Who and whom. Who is used to
was not responsible. modify the subject in the main clause.
Example
subordinating + dependent The driver who had an accident was not
conjunction clause injured.
subordinate clause
noun phrase relative pronoun
Note that a subordinate clause can begin a
modifying the driver
complex sentence, but there must be a comma
at the end of that clause before the addition of Whom modifies the object (receiver of
the main clause. action) in in the main clause.
Example Example
subordinating + dependent + That is the girl whom we saw yesterday.
conjunction clause
object of relative subject verb
Because she was not responsible, Moyin the verb pronoun
was not nominated. in the
main clause
comma + independent
clause Exercise 5
Join each pair of sentences to make a complex
Other subordinators are although, so that,
sentence. Use who and whom correctly. The first
whom, that, which, whichever, until and when.
one has been done for you.
We can classify subordinate or dependent
1 Shola is the only student.
clauses into different kinds according to their
We can trust only her.
function as shown on the following pages.
Shola is the only student whom we can
trust.
Adjectival or relative clauses 2 Her mother is the only one.
This type of clause modifies a noun or a noun
She loves her.
phrase in the main clause. Recall that adjectives
3 I have seen the person.
describe or modify nouns, and this is what
He took my phone.
relative (adjectival) clauses do.
212
4 The woman is my aunt. Whose is used to indicate possession in a
She is standing there. person or a thing.
5 Was that the driver? Example
We chose him to take us to Lagos. The boy, whose uncle was awarded an
6 Imabong did not remember the per- honorary degree, has travelled to New
son. York.
He borrowed her English textbook.
Exercise 7
Reminder Combine the following sentences using whose.
1 Bisola has just shown me the cat.
The subject (doer of an action) takes who. Whom
Its owner has been arrested.
is the receiver of the action.
2 That is the baby.
Her food was eaten by James.
Which is used to modify ideas, qualities and
3 We have to go to the place.
things.
We have discussed its history in class.
Example
4 The girl’s name is Banke.
subject (a thing)
Her bag was thrown out of the bus.
5 I know the man.
The pen which you just bought has
His picture was displayed by the po-
broken.
lice.
relative pronoun
Relative adverbs
Exercise 6
Relative adverbs when, where, and why also
Combine the following sentences using which. introduce relative clauses. When introduces a
1 The wall is looking new. relative clause and modifies the noun of time.
We just painted it. Example
__________________________________ noun of time
2 The town is known as Joyville.
Joy and Rosemary just visited it. We went there on Saturday when all the
__________________________________ shops would be open.
3 Is that the game? modifies
It is played by two people. Saturday
__________________________________
Where is used to modify a noun of place.
4 Follow the map.
noun of place
Jolomi drew it.
__________________________________
Bode lives in a village where many
5 That is the idea.
Europeans love to stay.
We will adopt it.
modifies village
__________________________________
213
Why modifies the noun of reason. other official this year.
Example 2 My dad bought an expensive wine which
noun phrase everyone liked.
3 Last week’s bad weather was the reason
olani’s parents did not know the reason why I did not come for the meeting.
why she refused to eat her dinner. 4 At the zoo, I saw peacocks that reminded
me of girls dressed up to go to parties.
modifies the 5 The sisters will travel to Calabar on
noun phrase Tuesday when the roads will be traffic-
free.
Exercise 8 6 I have not touched the box that Denise
brought inside the house.
In the following sentences, insert the correct
7 Where is the boy that Mike slapped?
relative adverb when, where and why.
8 My uncle was the one who saw the
1 I will like to have my party on Christmas
snake under the car.
Eve ________ everyone will be at home.
9 On Sunday, my friend and I will go to
2 Mrs Akiri is afraid to drive through
the theatre where historical films are
areas __________ there are hoodlums.
shown.
3 The prefect rang the bell ________ the
classes were still in progress.
4 Kilo’s best friend knows the reason
Writing
________________ he travelled to Jos.
5 You should not talk to Mr Jackson _____
Creative writing
In this unit, we are going to discuss in more
__________ his radio is on.
detail the terms we use in creative writing. Our
attention will be devoted to fi es of s eec . We
Note that we can have reduced adjectival
introduced you to figures of speech in nit 6.
clauses.
Go back to pages 76-77 and read about them
Examples
again. They are the same as those you learned
The people who live in glass houses should
in your literature class.
not throw stones.
We shall learn more of the meaning of
Those living in glass houses should
more figures of speech. We shall also see their
not throw stones.
examples in sentences.
He was among those who were making
a noise.
He was among those making a noise.
Exercise 9
Identify the adjectival clauses in the following
sentences and state each of the subordinators
(relative pronoun or adverb modifies).
1 I was talking with Shandy, who claimed
that she had worked harder than any
214
Figure of Meaning Examples
speech
Simile This is a figure of speech where Chris is as gentle as a dove.
a conscious and imaginative Mene is as wily as a fox.
comparison is made between Keke’s face was like a statue.
two things that are different Bode was like a lion on the field.
in nature but have a common
feature.
Metaphor This is a direct comparison Ike is a lion.
for the sake of emphasis. Yemi is a chameleon.
Personification This is a figure of speech in The weather is so
which human qualities and gloomy.
attributes are given to abstract The flowers are dancing in
or inanimate objects. the wind.
Apostrophe This is a speech or address Oh, Death, thou art so
directed to some person present wicked!
or absent as if they were Africa, tell me Africa, is this your
present. back that is bent? (David Diop)
Oxymoron This is placing together two The matter has finally
words or phrases of opposite become an open secret.
significance for the sake of It was a bitter sweet story.
effect.
Innuendo This is an unfavourable writing He is a very honest man but
that expresses the omission of not when money is involved.
something derogatory without
saying it in full suggesting Ibe is a saint, especially when
instead of stating openly what women are not involved.
is meant.
Rhetorical This is a question that is asked Who is like unto thee, O Lord?
question for its intended effect. It requires What on earth is sweeter than
no answer. honey?
Epigram This is a short witty saying Attack is the best form of
expressing an idea in a clever defence.
and amusing way. The more you look, the less you
see.
Irony This is a figure of speech in He has done a perfect job. (when
which one says the opposite he has done the work haphazardly)
of what one means. Irony is The food was delicious (when it was
215
satirical in nature. actually tasteless)
Synecdoche It is the figurative term used The poor woman has six
when a part is meant to hungry mouths to feed.
represent a whole. We have the best brains
in our class.
Euphemism This is a figurative device in The old man passed away
which pleasant or mild terms last night. (died)
are used to express an He has not been lucky in
unpleasant incident. his exams. (failed)
Metonymy This is a figure of speech The pen is mightier than the
applied when things are not sword.
called by their true names but The pulpit has a greater power.
by the names of attributes or
things closely associated with
them.
Hyperbole This is over-statement or He was so thirsty that he
exaggeration of a fact for the drank all the water in the
sake of emphasis or to create river.
a humorous effect. Jenny responded with
a thousand thanks.
Exercise Literature: Poetry

Answer the following questions. Structure of poems: Sonnets
1 A short witty saying expressing an idea The sonnet is a 14-line poem with ten syllables
in a clever and amusing way is called in each line. Not every poet can produce a
______________. sonnet because the poet should be able to use
2 What is irony? a strict rhyming scheme and give the poem
3 In literature, a direct comparison for rhythm (a song-like nature).
the sake of emphasis is known as There are two varieties of the sonnet:
______________. the petrachan (Italian) sonnet and the
4 Give five examples of rhetorical ques- Shakespearean (English) sonnet.
tions.
5 What is euphemism? Petrarchan or Italian sonnet: This type of
6 Give three examples of metonymy. sonnet is divided into eight lines (the octave)
7 Hyperbole refers to ______________. and six lines (the sestet). The division, like
8 What is synecdoche? paragraphs, shows how the ideas progress in
9 Give two examples of an epigram. the poem.
10 What does oxymoron mean? In this variety, the poet expresses a
216
thought or mood and if possible, sums them believed in the power of imagination, which
up skilfully in the last few lines. The rhyming they expressed in their poems.
scheme is abba, abba in the octave and cdc, cdc
or cde, cde in the sestet. Exercise
In this poem, some animals have been
The Shakespearean or English sonnet
mentioned with affection. State what each of
The rhyming scheme in this type of sonnet is
the animals do. The first one has been done
not as strict as in the Petrarchan. It will have
for you.
three sets of four lines followed by the final two
1 a) All the birds
(couplet). The rhyming scheme is often, but not
Answer: When they are faint, they rest in
always, abab, cdcd, efef and gg in the last two
the trees
lines. ike the Petrarchan, the final couplet wraps
b) the Grasshopper
up the main idea of the poem.
c) the Cricket
Read the following sonnet. Then answer
2 List the natural objects in the setting.
the questions that follow, one of which is asking
3 Explain what you think the poet is
which type of sonnet it represents.
talking about.
4 What kind of a sonnet is it?
5 The poet has mentioned summer and
‘On the Grasshopper and Cricket’ by winter. What seasons do we have here?
John Keats 6 What are the underlined figures of
speech?
The poetry of earth is never dead:
When all the birds are faint with the hot sun, Pair work
And hide in cooling trees, a voice will run
With your partner, write a four-line poem on one
From hedge to hedge about the new-mown
or two animals you admire.
mead;
That is the Grasshopper’s-he takes the lead
In summer luxury, – he has never done
Homework
With his delights; for when tired out with fun Add to your four-line poem to make it into a
He rests at ease beneath some pleasant weed. sonnet.
The poetry of earth is ceasing never:
On a lone winter evening, when the frost
Has wrought a silence, from the store there
shrills
The Cricket’s song, in warmth increasing ever,
And seems to one in drowsiness half lost,
The Grasshopper’s among some grassy hills.
John Keats was one of the English Romantic

poets. Romantic poets believed in nature and
the beauty of simple, natural things. Romantic
poets emphasised their deep feelings and
217
Unit 18 Nigerian history must transcend
the hegemonic view
Oral English
Making a toast about him will fuel your mind on what you are
If a friend is celebrating his birthday, an aunt going to say in your toast. Write them down. Do
is getting married, celebrating good health or not make the toast long. A good toast should be
some achievement, you may wish to propose short, sweet and personal. Your feelings about
a toast at the occasion. Usually, the purpose of your friend are simply personal. You may wish
making a toast is to thank someone, wish him to use a humorous quotation or a short story.
good luck or celebrate something. For your The target of your toast is to make your friend
friend’s birthday, for instance, you wish to and his guests happy. Therefore, make your
celebrate with him, show him how happy you toast tasteful.
are for him, and then wish him luck and many
more happy years. Below are the common steps 2 Making notes
to help you make your toast properly. Knowing You may decide to make notes on small cards.
these steps is important when you have not This idea is important, particularly where
made one before. Study the steps and adopt you are in doubt about your public speaking
them when the need for making a toast arises. abilities. ut where you are confident and trust
that you do not need notes, only practise your
written speech and feel comfortable. If you
choose to use notes, you must be careful not to
write your entire speech on the cards or read
entirely from the notes. This will look awkward.
Rather, note only some key words or phrases
that will guide your thoughts and help you to
remember what you want to say.
If you want to say something about the
Steps for making a toast first time you met your friend, how friendly you
have been with each other, what you share in
1 Write the toast common etc, you sould write short expressions
A birthday is an opportunity for you to honour like: first meeting, our friendship, our joy, etc.
your friend. Therefore, don’t wait until the The purpose of the note is to stimulate
night before the birthday to think of what you your memory. The actual wording should come
are going to say. ou should find time to reflect directly from your head. You need to glance at
on your relationship. Some good thoughts the notes again to recall the next point to talk
about.
218
3 Practice down. If your friend offers a response, remain
Practise your toast. Do not take this for granted. seated. There is no need to raise your glass.
You may do this in front of a mirror or facing Simply say, ‘Thank you’. Then smile and sip
a small group of people, such as your friends, your drink when he finishes speaking.
family members, classmates, etc.
Note
4 On the occasion, wait for your turn.
It is possible you are not the only one who
Remember that your toast must be very short.
wishes to propose a toast. Therefore, be patient,
A TV commercial lasts for only 30 seconds.
until you are called to do so.
Your toast should not be longer than this. If,
however, you are a confident speaker, you can
5 Stand up
take one and a half minutes, but not longer.
When your turn comes, stand up, with
Toast making is not an avenue to show
confidence.
off your talent for comedy. Avoid unnecessary
jokes.
6 Raise your glass
Do this to the person you are toasting. Then
say in a firm voice ‘I’d like to propose a toast.’
Sample toasts
7 Announce your relationship
Sample A
Say what your relationship with the celebrant,
There is nothing so precious as a faithful friend
your friend is.
and no scale can measure her existence. adies
and gentlemen, it gives me a great pleasure to
8 Propose your toast
propose a toast for my friend on this
You can now propose your toast. As you do
occasion. I met Ify the first day I entered this
this, look at the person whom you are toasting.
school. Since then, she’s been a close friend,
never wanting to leave my side in good and
9 End your toast on a positive note
difficult situations. In fact, Ify has been a friend
‘ et us now drink a toast to Tom and wish him
indeed. She has motivated me in so many ways.
many more happy years. To Tom, our good
I must say I’m glad she’s my friend. With this
friend!’
let us drink a toast for continual friendship,
When you say this, wave your glass to all,
academic excellence, long life and prosperity.
then tip it towards the person you are toasting.
You may clink his glass if you are close enough
to him. Then clink your glass also with people
Sample B
around you. Do this gently to avoid breaking a
Wonderful audience, nothing can ever
glass. You can now sip your drink. Do not gulp
be sweeter than success. I am indeed the
it. It is rude to do so.
happiest person here. Today my best friend
is celebrating her success in the 2012 nified
10 Sit down
Tertiary Matriculation Examination. It is a success
Having performed the toast, you can now sit
so well-deserved. Generally, we know that hard
work is like a goldfish. It has no hiding-place.
219
These long years of dedication and devotion to She danced as if she had been dancing
studies have not gone unnoticed or unrewarded. all her life.
This excellent result speaks volumes about my
friend’s brilliance. She is indeed a role model. The complex sentence equation
We’ve got to emulate her. The university One independent clause
doors are already open for her. To this end, let conjunction
us drink a toast to more success for her, more + subordinate clause =
open doors, more excellent performances, more a complex sentence
greatness for her joyful future
Nigerian historical scholarship clearly saw, to
its credit, the ways in which the interests and
Exercise ideology of the colonisers limited historical
knowledge and struggled against it, but it did
Prepare a toast you’ll propose at your friend’s not appear to have seen how, in the wake of the
birthday party. Compare your toast with those nationalist revolution to which it contributed
of your mates. in no small measure, the interests of the
indigenous bourgeoisie are limiting the chances
Reading of further scientific progress.
Reviewing structural patterns

Exercise
Complex sentences
A complex sentence contains one independent Although the text above is a single sentence,
clause and at least one dependent clause. it is not advisable that you write sentences as
Independent clauses contain complete thoughts long as this. Rewrite the sentence, bringing out
and can stand on their own. Dependent the main clauses and subordinate clauses. How
clauses are subordinate clauses. They cannot many can you find
stand on their own. Dependent clauses
add additional information. The dependent Comprehension
clause is introduced by either a subordinate
conjunction, such as although, while, or because, Nigerian history must transcend the
or a relative pronoun, such as who, whose, which. hegemonic view
Nigerian historians have demonstrated the
Examples relationship between conscious commitment
Whenever it rains, students are usually and the expansion of knowledge. It is to
late for the class. their credit that they were perhaps the first
He wrote his greatest novel while he disciplined group to fully recognise the
was studying in ondon. implications of colonisation on scholarship
Even if you dislike music, you will enjoy and scientific work. It is much to their credit
Marvin Gaye. that they moved to decolonise history. In
This is the house that my father built. doing so, their scholarly productivity grew
I sold the car because it was too small immensely both in quantity and in quality.
for the use of the family. They contributed greatly to the necessary
220
rehabilitation of our dignity in the wake of to see history from the perspective of Emirs,
colonialism and to the strengthening of our Sultans, Obas, leading politicians, colonial
nationalist struggles. Nigerian historians have governors, military leaders – that is, from the
demonstrated anew the poverty of the notion of point of view of members of the hegemonic
disinterested pursuit of knowledge; they have class. By studying history from this perspective,
shown that there is no contradiction between we implicitly posit the relative irrelevances
scholarship, science and commitment, that of the masses whose energy daily creates
commitment can stimulate scientific progress. and recreates civilisation. Needless to say,
It is unfortunate that Nigerian historians historical scholarship will yield very little, if
any, understanding of society in so far as it
confines its interest to a small part of society
and forgets the rest.
I ought to add that by concentrating on
the important individuals and small hegemonic
groups, we inevitably succumb to the danger
of psychologising history and neglecting
objective conditions. It is highly misleading to
represent society as though its development
is dictated simply by the will and actions of
leaders. Indeed, the role of will or volition in
the historical process is more limited than it
have largely been unable to press on along appears. As scientists, we must take account
these lines. The consciousness of Nigerian of human volition and action. But we must
historians appears to have become a serious go beyond human will to objective conditions
barrier to knowledge in their field. Nigerian if we are to understand society and its laws
historical scholarship clearly saw, to its credit, of motion. It is always necessary to balance
the ways in which the interests and ideology will against possibility, for the will invariably
of the colonisers limited historical knowledge confronts objective conditions in a contraction
and struggled against it, but did not appear to which is never fully resolved. The paradox
have seen how in the wake of the nationalist of freedom is that even as we exercise it and
revolution, to which it contributed in no recreate the world, we simultaneously limit
small measure, the interests of indigenous it by that very expression. Our creation, our
bourgeoisie are limiting the chances of further objectification of ourselves in externality,
scientific progress. It has grasped the national becomes a separate existence which also acts
question and missed the all-important class as a constraint on the expression of our will.
question. It would appear that it is not very In short, the world we create in turn recreates
interested in the fundamental contradictions of us and, up to a point, enslaves us. In the final
contemporary society which affect so decisively analysis it is the objective conditions which are
our chances of knowledge and progress. the decisive influence on what we can do, feel
For the most part, Nigerian history or think.
continues to be written with a class bias. (From Tarikh’s History and the Social Sciences,
Contemporary historical scholarship tends pages 25–26)
221
Comprehension questions 4 Calculate Nigeria’s post-independence
years. Divide these into military and
a) What is the central idea of this pas- civilian years.
sage 5 Mention 20 persons you know who are
b) What is a hegemonic class prominent in Nigeria today.
c) What does viewing Nigerian history
from hegemonic class suggest Summary writing
d) What does the writer mean by the follow-
ing expression 1 In three sentences, one for each, sum-
‘Nigerian history continues to be written marise the contributions of the Nigerian
with a class bias.’ historians to the Nigerian state.
e) Why did the writer say that the role of 2 In three sentences, one for each, sum-
will or volition is limited in the historical marise the shortcomings of the Nigerian
process historians.
f) ‘ the world we create in turn recreates
us ’ Reminder
g) ‘ which also acts as a constraint on the To write a successful summary, you need to first
expression of our will.’ of all understand the direction of the argument
i) What grammatical name is given to of the writer, paying attention to the main
this expression as it is used in the points and the supporting details. It is after the
passage discovery of the main points that you will write,
ii) What is its function using your own English expressions. Do you
h) For each of the following words, find know that you can only use some key words
another word or phrase that means the of the writer but not a whole sentence ifting
same and can replace it as it is used in the whole sentences attracts zero marks.
passage.
i) demonstrated
ii) conscious Pair work
iii) rehabilitation Tell your partner which history of Nigeria
iv) struggles you wish to know. Discuss this together.
v) perspective If it is possible, ask a person of a different
vi) confines ethnic group to tell you the history of
vii) succumb those people.
Tell the history of your own people in
Re ect and discuss return.
1 Do you know the year Nigeria was What part of the Nigerian historians’
colonised contributions do you value most
2 Can you name the governor-general of
Nigeria before independence Drawing conclusions
3 How many people have ruled Nigeria Read the comprehension passage again and
Can you name them then indicate whether the sentences below are
222
1 Only Nigerian historians recognise 5 ‘ whose energy daily creates and
scholarship and scientific work. recreates civilisation.’
2 Nigerian historians are blind to the inter-
ests of the indigenous bourgeoisie, which Vocabulary
limits chances of scientific progress.
3 The Emirs, Sultans and Obas, etc. are Using the dictionary
the ones that create Nigerian history. The dictionary should be one of the books
4 The role of will or volition is paramount most often used in your home.
in the history of Nigeria. Place the dictionary where you can find it
5 Creating Nigerian history is the collec- easily and use it often.
tive responsibility of everyone. Place the dictionary where you usually do
your reading. You cam aslo instal one on
ifficult words your computer
se the dictionary to find the meaning of these Do not postpone checking an unfamiliar
words from the passage. word.
Use a dictionary that is detailed enough
commitment discipline implications to contain more than just spellings. our
scholarship decolonise productivity dictionary should contain extensive defi-
immensely dignity nationalist nitions, word origins and notes on usage.
anew notion disinterested It is also a good idea to carry a pocket
pursuit stimulate contradiction dictionary with more concise definitions
consciousness ideology revolution wherever you go.
indigenous bourgeoisie fundamental Get used to the idea of turning to your
contemporary perspective implicitly dictionary often.
posit inevitably psychologising Crossword puzzles are an excellent way
volition invariably paradox to develop your vocabulary. Do the
objectification decisive simultaneously puzzles that appear in your local daily or
weekly newspapers using your dictionary.
Use ten of the above words in sentences of
your own. What a standard dictionary contains
alphabetical arrangement of words
Retesting grammatical structure spellings
a) What grammatical name is given to each syllable divisions
of the following expressions as used in the pronunciation
passage stress placement
b) What is the function of each expression word origin
1 ‘ that there is no contradiction ’ word class
2 ‘ a serious barrier to knowledge in meanings
their field.’ usages
3 ’ to which it contributed in no small synonyms
measure, ’ antonyms
4 ‘ the national question and missed ’ idioms and phrases
223
slang The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
abbreviations has 1,949 pages!
tenses
British vs American spellings
Exercise 1
numbers (singular/plural)
phonetic symbols Use your dictionary to copy all entries on the
pictures of instruments, implements, following words into your book.
objects, dresses, materials, fruits, auto-
mobiles, activities, occupations, sports, frosted importantly plantain
etc. rubber band assimilation
names of persons, places, parts of the
body, etc.
maps Exercise 2
notes on numbers, grammar, word for- Use the dictionary to explain the following
mation, irregular verbs, letter-writing, abbreviations.
CVs, emails 1 c, u _________________________________
collocations 2 Br E ________________________________
register 3 [T] _________________________________
language notes on articles, modal verbs, 4 adj
phrasal verbs, writing, choice of words. 5 sb __________________________________
6 prep _______________________________
Exercise 3
Complete the following table, using your dictionary. One example has been done for you.
Word Meaning Synonym Antonym
acrimony bitterness, especially in animosity friendliness

speech, attitude or tone
1 askance
2 Catholic
3 audacious
4 finesse
5 felicity
6 temperamental
7 prime
8 forlorn
9 alien
10 commotion
224
Grammar 2 That my father came for the jamboree
was a surprise.
Complex sentences 3 What you saw and what Titi saw were
In the previous unit, we discussed the structure two different things.
of the complex sentence. Recall that a sentence 4 Bilikis swore that she did not use pro-
that has only one independent clause (which fane words.
can stand on its own) and one or more 5 Irene was told that Deinde would not
dependent (or subordinate) clauses is referred come for the ceremony.
to as a complex sentence. We also looked at 6 The new junior student said that he had
one type of dependent clause – the relative not made friends yet.
(adjectival) clause. 7 We knew exactly what to say in front of
the disciplinary committee.
Noun clauses 8 What he did to change the coach’s mind
In this unit, we are going to look at another is still a mystery to us.
type of subordinate clause, the–noun clause. The 9 I did not appreciate what Ndidi drew
noun clause serves the functions of the noun or for me.
the noun phrase in a sentence. A noun clause 10 The boys were scared; they did not
can be reduced to the pronoun it or can be a know whom to trust.
noun phrase, e.g. the action, the thing.
Note that we can have double or multiple
The noun clause can be the subject of the verb. subjects or objects.
Remember that the subject is the doer or the In the examples above, you would have noticed
topic of discussion. that who and that were used as noun clause
Example indicators.
What we saw was amazing. That is in the subject and object position in
complex sentence examples. However , it can be
noun clause verb omitted in the object position without changing
as subject the meaning of the sentence.
Example
The noun clause can also be the object of a verb.
We knew (that) he came early today.
The object is the receiver of the action.
Example Who, and whoever, can also be used as a
I was told that John was brave. nominal clause indicators.
Example
noun clause as You may need to reveal who the thief
object was.
Whoever parks his car there is taking
Exercise 4 a risk.
Underline the noun clause and indicate whether He ignored whoever he saw on his
it is the subject or object in each of the complex way to school.
sentences below. The interrogative pronoun what can also be
1 We did not know that Kemi could dance. used.
225
Example Exercise 6
We did not hear what he said.
What he did was unpardonable. Connect the pairs of noun clauses below using
if or when. The first one has been done for you.
We can also use infinitives as noun clause 1 Tajudeen did not see What did Tom see
indicators. Answer: Tajudeen did not see what Tom
Example saw.
infinitive 2 Shali’s friends wondered + Where was
Shali
• isi would like to be praised. 3 I need to know + Where is the book-
• To be praised is desirable. shop
4 Mrs Makinson inquired + Could my son
infinitive go
5 Everybody saw What has she done
Exercise 5
Writing
Divide each of the noun clauses below into
two independent clauses (using ‘that’ as the echnical scientific writing
indicator). The first one has been done for you. Technical/scientific writing is the type of
1 I believe that we will all go for the excur- writing connected with practical knowledge
sion. and skills, especially in scientific works. The
I believe + We will all go for the excur- following should be borne in mind when
sion. writing a technical or scientific report:
2 Your mum knew that you were punished accuracy
at school. consistency
3 It was incredible that Fiona came for the clarity and
rehearsals. brevity
4 The teachers agreed that Wilson was hard-
working. Accuracy
5 et everyone know that we have a new This is very important. Any error committed in
Principal. this kind of writing may be dangerous or costly.
For instance, putting a decimal point in the
You can even turn a yes/no question into a noun wrong place in a manual written for computer
clause using if. engineers can lead to millions of dollars worth
Example of damage.
• Kunbi asked + Will you come to school
tomorrow ( ayo) Consistency
• unbi asked if ayo would come to You should maintain uniformity so that units
school the next day. of measurement are the same throughout. You
should also be consistent in the names you give
to objects and processes.
226
Clarity writing, you must understand the pro-
Here, the writer’s language is very important. cess you are describing very clearly.
It should be specific and devoid of any form More importantly, you must put yourself
of ambiguity. in the position of your readers so that
you will explain vividly what they need
Brevity to understand.
It is usually said that brevity is the soul of Planning is very important at this stage
wit. Technical scientific writings need short of scientific writing. Take time to plan the
sentences, bulleted or numbered lists, and brief procedures you will adopt.
paragraphs to convey information. Information
should be presented in charts, graphs, tables or Drafting
other graphic forms. State clearly to your readers the goal you
are setting out to achieve.
Brevity
ist all the tools apparatuses or speci-
mens necessary for the experiment.
Clarity Technical/ Consistency

Organising and revising
scientific
Write out each step to be taken and label
writing
the steps properly.
Write in clear and accurate sentences.
Accuracy
Editing and proofreading
Go back to the steps you mapped out and
trategies for technical scientific writing
check for errors of omission. Make sure all
Pre-writing the steps needed are carefully and judiciously
efore you embark on scientific technical represented.
ample scientific report
Date: 28 September 2011

Title: To show the product of photosynthesis
Aim: To test for the presence of starch in a leaf
Principle: The most important product of photosynthesis is starch. Its presence can
be tested with iodine with which it gives a blue-black colouration. This
is due to the formation of a starch–iodine complex.
Apparatus: Tripod stand, beaker, leaf, test tube
Reagents: Iodine solution, alcohol water
Method: A leaf was plucked after it had been exposed to sunlight for few hours.
Step 1: The leaf was placed in boiling water for half a minute.
Step 2: The leaf was decolourised by placing it in hot alcohol using a water bath.
Step 3: The decolourised leaf was dipped in hot water to soften it.
227
Step 4: The leaf was then placed on a tile and iodine solution was added to it.
Conclusion: The leaf became blue-black, showing that starch is present.
Control: A control experiment was conducted but the leaf was plucked before
sunrise. The same procedure was taken but the leaf was stained light brown,
showing that starch was absent.
Homework 6 How did the villagers react to the news

of the admission of Solomon to Boys
Write a scientific report on how you prepared Secondary School, bodo
the starch for washing clothes. 7 Explain the relevance of these two ex-
pressions to the admission of young
Project Solomon to Boys Secondary School.
a) ‘It is with the eyes that you know a
Write an experimental process to teach your corncob that is ripe.’
classmates that oxygen is given off during b) ‘It is said that you know the taste of
photosynthesis. faeces through the smell of a fart.’
Purpose: To show that oxygen is given 8 How were the men who visited Mazi
off during photosynthesis gbuefi entertained
Audience: Your teacher and your classmates 9 What two things did the women do in
ength: 2 – 4 pages gbuefi’s house
10 What were the children doing
Listening tips
isten to an extract from The Adventures of isten to a standard news programme
Solomon. Then answer the questions below. on the radio – FRCN, BBC, VOA.
Watch English TV programmes.
Call automated answering machines.
Questions Use Internet listening resources.
1 What type of essay/composition was
read to you
2 Why did Solomon smile involuntarily
at his own thoughts
3 What three things made Solomon see
himself as a big boy
4 What two things would Solomon need
at the hostel
5 How will the mother generate the money
to buy some basic items the boy would
need in the school
228
Unit 19 The end of the story
Oral English
Debate
Requirements of a good debate
In addition to the requirements of good speech
delivery, a good debate demands the following.
1 The debater should see the topic of the
debate as a case before the law court, see
him/herself as a prosecuting lawyer
whose duty is to argue the case beyond all
reasonable doubt and the listeners as
sceptical judges who may agree or dis-
agree, depending on the strength of the
Does your school have a debating society?
argument.
If not, write a letter to your Principal
2 The debater should be able to appeal
suggesting the need to establish a debating
to the listeners’ sense of reason instead
society. Request the Principal to grant you
of their emotions. The ability to use persua-
permission to tell your fellow students in
sive expressions packed with cogent
your morning assembly about the need for a
reasons would help to achieve this.
debating society.
3 Comportment and boldness and fluency
of speech in a logical presentation are
Requirements of good speech delivery
also essential.
Good voice
4 In addition to maintaining your self-
In your bid to deliver any speech to a group of
confidence, you should relax and smile,
people, ensure that your voice is good enough so
or frown at any point where there is need to
that everyone can hear it. Do not shout or talk
do so, as you deliver your speech. This
too softly. But use a moderate voice, speaking
would not only help your audience to
convincingly and with confidence.
develop confidence in you but will also
motivate their interests in wanting to
Do not rush your speech
learn from you.
Do not speak like a person in a hurry. Do not
5 Avoid reading your speech from A to
mumble. If you do, your audience may find
Z or page by page. It would bore your
it difficult to understand what you are saying.
audience.
Speaking too fast or too slowly is not good
6 Remember to give enough time to
speech delivery.
adequate preparation.
229
Exercise native languages?
It is obvious that some JSS subjects –
1 Write and explain six things a good Introductory technology, Integrated science,
debater should bear in mind. Mathematics, Computer, etc. – are technical
2 Below is a debate written by a student like in nature. Some of these subjects do not have
you. Read it carefully. The candidate is terms in the native languages. If the students
opposing the motion. Note the features are taught in their mother tongue, the teachers
of a debate and state your own view. will undoubtedly find it very difficult to explain
the terms for the students to understand.
Sample speech In October last year, Ifemeje Ifeyinwa,
Mother tongue should be used as a medium a JSS 3 student, represented our school in an
of instruction in junior secondary schools essay competition organised by the Federal
Good day, moderator, panel of judges, Ladies Government for all junior secondary schools
and Gentlemen. in the country and emerged the best. Tell me,
my opponent, could it have been possible if she
I stand to oppose the motion that the mother had been taught in her mother tongue?
tongue should be used as a medium of Mother tongue, if ever accepted as a
instruction in junior secondary schools. medium of instruction in junior secondary
First and foremost, there is no language schools, is sure to give room for noise-making
called mother tongue. But if, however, the topic and thus is tantamount to encouraging gross
means the language of our mother, then my indiscipline. This is because the students have
question is: Whose mother language will be an intuitive knowledge of their mother tongue
generally accepted? In our country, Nigeria, and can speak it with ease and ebullience.
there are three large language groups – Igbo, From the above mentioned points, it is
Hausa, Yoruba, and many smaller ones. obvious that the English language, which is
Breaking this down further, in these languages, our official language, is the only language that
for example, there are different dialects. The can fit in superbly as a medium of instruction
type spoken in one place is quite different from in junior secondary schools.
that spoken in all others. If the mother tongue I believe that with these points I have been
is accepted as a medium of instruction in junior able to convince you beyond any reasonable
secondary schools, whose dialect will then be doubt that mother tongue should not be used
adopted in teaching and learning? as a medium of instruction in junior secondary
On completion of their degree schools.
programmes, students are sent to different
parts of the country other than their home Homework
towns to serve their fatherland. The majority
of them are posted to secondary schools Write your own debate, proposing the motion.
situated in states whose language they don’t Reminder
understand. If students in JSS are taught in their
For every successful debate, your self-
mother tongue, how will the corps members
confidence is at the centre. ears wrinkles the
teach them since they don’t understand our
skin, but lack of self-confidence wrinkles the
mind.
230
Reading Exclamatory sentence
The exclamatory sentence demonstrates
Identifying sentence purpose strong feelings or emotions and ends with
As we round off this book, we wish to remind an exclamation mark (!). It refers to a sudden
you of grammatical structures to which you outburst of emotion or feeling, such as anger,
need to pay close attention. Note that you surprise, sadness or elation. Mostly, it begins
cannot ignore grammatical units, such as with what or
nouns, verb, adjectives, neither can you pay how.
less attention to phrases and clauses and their Example
functions as they are used in the sentences. What an interesting book!
The study of phrases and clauses has How time flies
exposed you to sentences. Now that you Stout! Not beer! Did I say I wanted to
know the differences, we will look at the four drink beer?
different purposes of the sentence: declarative,
interrogative, imperative and exclamatory. Exercise
Declarative sentence Indicate the types of sentences below. See the
This is a sentence which asserts something example.
or makes a statement that may be positive or Amaka is a student. Declarative sentence.
negative. It ends in a full stop and it is the most 1 Alas! You came a little late!
common type of sentence. 2 Please, get out of here.
Example 3 The sun is 92 million miles from Earth.
Biola is sick. 4 Do you know who Lord Lugard was?
She has gone to the hospital. 5 What a boring time we had!
She will come back to school tomorrow. 6 What are you thinking about?
7 Watch! Danger ahead!
Interrogative sentence
8 My name is Omoniyi Adeolu Babalola.
This is a sentence used in asking a question and
9 Can you please wash the car?
it must always have a question mark (?)
10 Tell me the truth.
Example
Are you a Nigerian?
Comprehension tips
Who is your father?
How many subjects do you offer? The following tips will help you when you
answer comprehension questions.
Imperative sentence
Make the answer short and direct to the
This type of sentence expresses a command,
point.
a request, a prayer or gives a piece of advice.
You do not need a full sentence for a
The subject in an imperative sentence is usually
comprehension answer.
omitted.
Avoid errors in grammar and expression.
Examples
Write your answers in the tenses in
Please close that door.
which the questions are asked.
Don’t forget to do the assignment.
Leave, now!
231
Comprehension his own religion came to pray beside him; but
he beat them off.
The end of the story Monday morning came, it was the last day
Fagin sat in prison. Looking at the ground, he of his life. He sat there on his bed. His red hair
tried to collect his thoughts. After a while he hung down upon his white face. His beard was
began to remember a few words of what the torn and twisted. His eyes shone with a terrible
judge had said to him. light.
Then two officers of the prison came to see
him. They were followed by Mr Brownlow and
Oliver.
‘Is the young gentleman to come in too?’
said one of the officers to Mr rownlow. ‘It’s
not a sight for children, sir.’
‘It is not indeed, my friend, ‘ answered
Mr Brownlow, ‘but my business with this man
has much to do with the child. Oliver has seen
this man in the evil days of his success. I think
‘To be hanged by the neck till he was
that, even at the price of some pain and fear, he
dead.’
ought to see him now.’
As it grew dark he began to think of all the
‘What do you want here?’ shouted Fagin.
men he had known who had died in this way.
‘You have some papers, ‘ said Mr
Some of them had died because of him. There
Brownlow. ‘A man called Monks gave you
were so many that he could hardly count them.
some papers. We want to know where they are.’
He had seen some of them die, and he laughed
‘It’s a lie!’ shouted Fagin. ‘I haven’t any
at them because they died with prayers on their
papers – not one!’
lips. And what a strange death! They dropped
‘For the love of God,’ said Mr Brownlow,
suddenly, and changed from strong and healthy
‘do not say that now. You are very near death.
men to hanging heaps of clothes!
You know that Sikes is dead and that Monks has
Some of them must have stayed here in
told me everything. Where are those papers?’
this prison. It was like being in a grave full of
‘Oliver!’ cried Fagin. ‘Here! Here! Let me
dead bodies. ‘Light! Light!’ He beat his hands
whisper to you.’
against the heavy door. ‘Light!’
‘I am not afraid,’ said Oliver in a low voice,
At last a man came with a candle.
as he let go of Mr Brownlow’s hand and went
The night passed in silence, broken only
up to Fagin.
by clocks striking. The sound of every iron bell
‘The papers,’ said the Jew, drawing him
brought him the message – Death.
towards him, ‘are in a canvas bag, in a hole, a
The day came. Day? There was no day: it
little way up the chimney in the top front room.
was gone as soon as it came. Night fell again:
I want to talk to you, my dear. I want to talk to
a night so long and yet so short – long in its
you.’
terrible silence and short in its hastening hours.
‘Yes, yes,’ said Oliver. ‘Let me say a prayer.
Once he shouted like a mad creature;
Do let me say one prayer. Say a prayer upon
another time he cried and tore his hair. Men of
your knees, with me.’
232
‘Outside! Outside!’ replied Fagin, pushing passage?
the boy to the door. ‘We’ll pray together outside, ii) What is its function?
my dear. Take me out of here first. ou can get h) For each of the following words, find
me out.’ another word or phrase that means the
‘God forgive this man!’ cried Oliver with same and can replace it as it is used in the
a burst of tears. passage.
The door of the prison opened. i) thoughts
The officers laid hands upon Fagin. He ii) prayers
fought like a mad beast and then sent up a cry iii) dropped
that rang out even beyond the prison walls. iv) terrible
Mr Brownlow and Oliver left the prison. v) twisted
Oliver nearly fainted after this terrible visit and
he was so weak that for an hour or more, he had Re ect and discuss
not the strength to walk. 1 Have you ever remained indoors for
ur story is nearly over. We can finish it several days? How did you feel?
in a few simple words. 2 How do you feel when you hear ‘prison’
After Fagin’s death, Master Charley Bates or ‘prisoner’?
decided that, after all, an honest life was best. 3 Do you know what capital punishment is?
He turned his back on the dark days of the past Explain it.
and began a new and happy life, working for a 4 Why do you think a condemned person
farmer. would laugh at others?
(From Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, pages 5 Do animals show any feelings/emotions
98–101) when they are to be slaughtered?
Summary writing
In five sentences, one for each, summarise
a) What were the words of the judge? Fagin’s actions that showed him as an
b) In which way had other men died? unrepentant criminal.
c) Why was the day gone as soon as it
came? Reminder
d) How did Fagin look on the last day of
The facts/points are scattered about in the
his life?
passage amidst a series of explanations that
e) Who was referred to as ‘the young
embellish the story. You cannot give the story
gentleman’ in the passage?
back to the examiner. Look for the facts that
f) ‘It was like being in a grave full of dead
are required. Put them together in your own
bodies.’
English expression. Write them in standard
What is the figurative expression used
sentences, five simple sentences. eave out
above?
points or ideas that are not relevant to your
g) ‘The sound of every iron bell…’
answer. Make the answers as brief as possible.
Always write legibly. Note that anything
the examiner cannot read is an error.
233
Pair work 3 ‘... some of them…’
1 Discuss with your partner an experience 4 ‘Men of his own religion…’
you had in which a pick-pocket, an
armed robber or a thief was attacked
and lynched. Vocabulary
2 Do you know where prisons are built in
Nigeria? Tell your partner. Improving your vocabulary
Improving your vocabulary can greatly
Drawing conclusions increase your IQ. In addition, improving your
Read the comprehension passage again and vocabulary from an early age will help you to
indicate whether the sentences below are true become well informed.
(T) or false (F). There are many ways by which you can
1 Fagin is a criminal. improve on your vocabulary. Learning the
2 Fagin is irreligious. meanings of new words becomes easy when:
3 Mr Brownlow wanted the young boy to you know the roots of the words
laugh at the criminal. you learn how prefixes and suffixes are
4 Fagin did not want to die. used to form new words;
5 Oliver cried because Fagin died. you make use of your dictionary regu-
larly
ifficult words you can use the Internet to get new
This passage is extremely simple. In case there ideas
is any word whose meaning you are not sure you use the words you come across in
of, consult your dictionary. sentences of your own
you learn the short form of long words.
What figures of speech are contained in each Exercise 1
of the following expressions?
1 ‘... hanging heaps of clothes...’ Play the dating game. It is a vocabulary quiz
2 ‘The sound of every iron bell brought on word relationships. The pairs of words
him the message – Death.’ below can be:
3 ‘The day came.’ • perfect partners, or meant for each other:
4 ‘He shouted like a mad creature.’ then they are synonymous (S)
5 ‘Monday morning came.’ • incompatible, so no dating is possible:
then they are antonymous (A)
Retesting grammatical structure • nothing to do with each other, so no rela-
a) What grammatical name is given to each tionship at all is possible (X).
of the following expressions as used in the Read the word pairs and write ‘S’, ‘A’ or ‘X’ in
passage? the relevant box. Good luck!
1 ‘After a while…’
2 ‘... because they died with prayers on
their lips.’
234
1 monopolise liberalise is not present
2 conceal divulge 4 bawl always wanting to fight
or argue
3 timid covetous
5 bedevil someone who robs
4 invigorating disgusting people, especially one
5 ecstatic mad of a group of people who
attack travellers
6 inspired bewitched
6 bellicose a small mark, espe-
7 tolerable fretful cially on someone’s
8 infer deduce skin or on the surface
9 plausible credible of an object, that spoils
its appearance
10 apostles proponents
7 belligerent unable to pay your
11 loath willing debts
12 recalcitrant stubborn 8 benefactor the quality of express-
ing something in a very
13 turn around improve
few words
14 commodious spacious 9 blemish very unfriendly and
15 essence importance unpleasant
16 conservative accurate 10 brevity to shout in a loud un-
pleasant voice
17 gullible astute
18 gregarious wild
19 painstaking careful Exercise 3
20 inordinate excessive
Match the word on the left with its opposite
on the right.
Exercise 2 Words Antonyms
Match each word below with the correct 1 pride crude
definition. 2 rural voluntary
3 refined prohibited
Words efinitions
4 preserve ecstasy
1 backbiting to cause a lot of prob- 5 compulsory existence
lems and difficulties 6 affluence humility
for someone or some- 7 permitted rejected
thing 8 agony destroy
2 bandit someone who gives 9 extinction urban
money for a good pur- 10 ratified poverty
pose
3 bankrupt unpleasant or cruel talk
about someone who
235
Exercise 4 C O M P L E M E N T A R Y T O S
C O I O N S F O E O S E L E L U
In the same manner, match the word on the left O O S P W U O M C M E S U D U P
with its synonym on the right. N I S U H P L O E O C O K D W P
S T P L I P A D S R R C E E A L
I A E A C O S E S R E C M L T E
Words Synonyms
D E L R H R A L A O T A A I O M
1 impeded poverty E R T E V T D E R W A S N B S E
2 dereliction burnt S U P P O S E D Y E R I R E I N
3 prevail upon absorbed N E C E S S I T Y R Y O A R N T
4 penury excessive S S S S U F F E R E D N S A T A
5 arduous withdraw A D E P O J U B H L A D E T E T
6 engrossed hindered O C C U R R E N C E A Q Q E M I
7 charred frequent T U N M I S E M O P I N R E I O
8 incessant persuade S U F F E R P O P U L A T I O N
9 recant strenuous
10 inordinate negligence
Grammar
Exercise 5 Complex sentences
In the previous unit, we were able to go through
Do you know that some words may be tricky to
complex sentences in which the subordinate
spell, although they sound simple? Locate the
clauses were seen to be serving the function of
words in the box in the puzzle below.
nouns and noun phrases.
In this unit, we will discuss subordinate
misspelt deliberate secretary
clauses that provide extra information about
occurrence tomorrow necessary
verbs in the main clauses of complex sentences
necessity occasion suffered
– the adverbial clauses.
support supposed suffer
opulation popular supplementation
Adverbial clauses
complementary
Recall that adverbs modify verbs by letting
us know more about the place, the time and
the manner of action. An adverbial clause,
therefore, modifies the verb in the main clause
by serving the functions of the adverb, which
include condition, purpose, contrast and
reason. Let us look at examples of dependent
adverbial clauses in the sentences below. Take
note of the subordinators and their functions.
236
subordinator subject
(time) 2 Adverbial clauses of place
where, wherever
a) Pam painted the fence after she had cleared everywhere
the kitchen. 3 Adverbial clauses of condition
verb verb unless, if, provided that
subordinator (contrast) 4 Adverbial clauses of purpose

so that, in order to, so as to
Though uncle Amadi came by taxi, he was late 5 Adverbial clauses of reason
for the meeting. because, as, due to the fact that though
subject Verb 6 Adverbial clauses of contrast
though, although, even
Note also that the adverbial clause in a

complex sentence is movable because it can
come before the main clause. In this position,
Pair work
it must be set off by a comma after the main
clause. Complete the following sentences by adding
the correct adverbial clauses as indicated.
Exercise 1 One of you reads out the main clause,
while the other provides the answer. Then
Identify the adverbial clauses in the following exchange roles.
complex sentences and use a comma where The first one has been done for you.
necessary. 1 Roli practised well (purpose) so as to
1 Because my brother is a wrestler I am
win the race.
no longer afraid.
2 Bosun took a bus to enjoy the scenery. 2 I cannot go to the beach tomorrow
3 She did not get a good grade in biology (reason) __________________.
though the questions were not dif- 3 (Time) ___________________, you will
ficult.
also see Kamil.
4 As long as you are busy you should
switch off your mobile phone. 4 Iyang refused to give Tony his textbook
5 Bassey was very tired by the time he got (condition) ________________.
to Enugu.
5 Put the items (place) _________________
The different subordinators below have been __________________.

classified according to their functions. 6 (reason) _________________, my parents
1 Adverbial clauses of time could not see the Mathematics teacher.
after, before, once, until, when 7 The concert had ended (time) _________
while, wherever, as soon as
________________.
237
8 Kunle’s sister gave him the money (con- Exercise 3
trast) ______________________.
9 He studied hard in the library (purpose) Underline the adverbial clauses in the following
paragraph. State what kind each of them is and
__________________________. what it is modifying. The first one has been
10 __________________, (condition) no one done for you.
will be allowed to join the Press Club. Answer: The underlined sentence is an
adverbial clause of time. It modifies the verb
Recall that we said earlier that adverbial phrases consider.
or adverbial clauses perform the functions of
adverbs. We are now going to see how we can Tiwa had many things to consider
change adverbial clauses to adverbs or adverb before she fixed the date for the meeting.
phrases, e.g. Many of her cousins had travelled be-
Dayo and Kamar went there when it cause it was Christmas time. Some of
was dark. them would come back whenever they
‘When it was dark’ can be changed to later or felt the situation in town (after the
the adverbial phrase in the night. riot) was better. Tiwa was sure she
She carried the box as if it was a delicate would schedule the family meeting if
item. some of our cousins would come. As
We can change the adverbial clause to carefully. the oldest of all, she must make sure that
the meeting took place because there
Exercise 2 were many family matters to tackle and
quarrels to settle.
Change the subordinate adverbial clauses in
the following sentences to adverbs or adverbial Exercise 4
phrases. Use the items provided in the box.
Indicate the subordinate clauses in the following
near late there slowly complex sentences by underlining them. The
at the end of the film first one has been done for you.
1 The man that came here earlier was Dr
1 The maid put her phone where the baby Peters.
could not reach it. 2 What she did to pass Biology is still a
2 When the week ended, the pupils were mystery.
interviewed. 3 Before we left the house, our grandma
3 The boy needs to stay where the philan- prayed for us.
thropist will see him. 4 The child whose mother was embarrassed
4 The child walked as if he was tired. at the PTA meeting refused to come to
5 The performing artists arrived after school.
everybody had gone. 5 The wall the labourers built is beginning
to crumble.
6 The farmers were told that they would
be given some money.
238
7 Although the armed robbers were ar- 5 Information stored can always be shared
rested, the bank did not get back the with others if need be.
stolen boxes. 6 For easy retrieval of information.
8 Many guests stood where there were
journalists. Exercise
9 We left home earlier so as to get to Mai-
1 Mention two ways of record-keeping.
duguri before noon.
2 What is the importance of keeping re-
10 That the Mathematics teacher apologised
cords?
to us is still a surprise.
3 Give examples of what records can be
kept.
Writing 4 What is a diary? Do you have one?
Record–keeping 5 Discuss with your colleagues the reason
Records contain information about something. for keeping records.
They are the information written down or
stored on a computer or any other device for Group work
future reference.
Record-keeping is the act of keeping Look at some class records, such as the
information in written form or stored on a class register, grade book, borrower’s book,
computer. timetable, etc. and make brief notes on each
Some of you have diaries where you of them.
write information about your daily activities
or events – that also is record-keeping. Project
What records do we keep?
Assuming you are asked to keep a record of
Generally speaking, we keep information to
certain events in the class, draft out a format
use it in future. Examples of information are:
for your records.
documents such as names, credentials,
receipts, diaries
performance in school, results, answer
Reminder
sheets, question papers. We keep information for future pur-
poses.
Why do we keep records?
We can keep our information in files,
For example, here are reasons for keeping
computers, films, etc.
records on school performance.
A record is information, written or
1 To plan school programmes and to prepare
stored.
on time
A diary is an example of record–keeping.
2 To organise school programmes, arranging
them in their order of importance
3 To help students to have access to their past Literature:
performances
4 For reference sake (When activities and Culture - Festivals
events are recorded, teachers and students Can you name any festival(s) that you have
can always go back to look for them.) actively participated?
239
What do you think a festival is? You Group work
will agree that festivals allow people to enjoy
themselves as they eat, dance, watch organised In your group, provide the following
performances and indulge in other merry- information about Eid el-Fitri, Eid-el-Kabir,
making activities. Easter/Christmas or the bazaar held in your
Festivals are organised to celebrate a church:
special occasion or to honour important people a) the origin/reason for the celebration
who have died. Some religious ceremonies or b) how it is celebrated (particular place)
festivals are staged to honour God or the gods. c) benefits of the celebration
In the past, the elders would use the
opportunity of a festival to educate the young Traditional festivals
ones on the beliefs and cultural practices of that Traditional festivals could be staged to
particular society. commemorate different cultural beliefs and
heritage and to honour legendary people.
In the Fulani culture, there is the Sharo
festival which allows single men (bachelors)
to prove their worthiness. The men, in pairs,
flog each other as the crowd cheers them and
the beautiful girls who have accompanied
them to the occasion watch and assess their
performances. The contestant who shows his
suffering or cries in pain may not get a lady, as
he is seen as a coward.
Festivals are organised in different parts

of the world at particular intervals.
Can you think of any festival celebrated
annually in your community?
Note that some festivals are seasonal
because they are organised to celebrate the
harvest of agricultural products, especially in
the rural areas. However, modern societies also
engage in these types of festival. In the United
States, harvest festival is organised to celebrate In Kebbi State, the Argungu fishing
crops, plants or flowers. festival is celebrated between February and
In Nigeria, harvest festivals (of agricultural March every year. Its grandeur, display of
products) come up after the harvest of these artefacts, performances and many interesting
products, not on a fixed date like some other events make it one of the biggest tourist
festivals. attractions in Africa. The fishing contest, the
regalia on water and other performances are
some of the aspects tourists do not want to miss.
Did you know that drummers do not just beat
240
their drums for entertainment? It is believed capable of taking care of these ladies. It is a
that they drum in a particular way to attract the colourful event in which wealth, status, beauty
fish to the surface so as to make it less difficult and brawn are showcased.
for the contestants.
Project
Find out about any of the following festivals:
the Durbar festival
the New Yam festival
the Osun festival
In Lagos State, the Eyo festival is the

biggest crowd-pulling festival. During the
occasion, many areas of Lagos are blocked
and vehicles are parked in specified areas. The
Eyo masqueraders who go in a procession are
so many that they will be in different parts of
Lagos Island. Tourists and spectators stand on
the sides of the roads to watch them perform
or walk past. It is not a yearly event: the Eyo
festival is organised to celebrate the passing of
an important personality. Sometimes, it could
be staged for a ritual cleansing of the streets to
eradicate problems such as illnesses, untimely
deaths and poverty. Brooms are literally used
to sweep the streets on such occasions. As a
spectator or a tourist, you are not allowed to put
on a cap, scarf or shoes during the ceremony or
unfold your umbrella!
In Benin, the end of the rainy season
and the gathering of the harvest is celebrated
every four years. It provides the opportunity
for single men and ladies to undergo a
match-making ceremony. These spinsters and
bachelors are from rich parents because of the
expensive nature of the ceremony. The girls
are adorned with costly and heavy ornaments
and beads on their bodies and in their hair.
The single men involved must be financially
241
Appendix 1 Holiday assignments
Part A Part B
Essay Comprehension
Answer one question only from this section. Answer all the questions in this section. You
All questions carry equal marks. Your answer are advised to spend about 50 minutes on this
should not be less than 450 words. section.
You are advised to spend about 50 6 Read the following passage carefully and
minutes on this section. answer the questions on it.
1 Your pen friend abroad has written a letter
asking you about the latest fashion and its It was a lovely, calm afternoon that
effects on the youth in your country. Write Valentine’s Day, though the heat of the sun
a reply. was rather oppressive. About noon, many
2 Since the introduction of video films gorgeously dressed youths started trooping
into your country, there has been a rise into osomefi Memorial Hospital, where I was
in juvenile delinquency. Write an article on admission, to express their Valentine Day’s
suitable for publication in a national love to their hospitalised sweethearts and give
newspaper on the need for government them presents. I was not left out, though I didn’t
to regulate the importation of these films. see my fianc e with three female course mates
3 Write a letter to the postmaster of your of mine who had come and left behind assorted
area expressing your dissatisfaction with gifts, at the time I was fast asleep. The nurses on
the operations of the post office, and duty must have persuaded them not to wake
suggesting three ways of improving the me up.
services. Quite frankly, I didn’t know for how long
4 You are a speaker in a debate on the I slept after the sedative injection I had been
motion: Democracy is the best system of given. But about 4.00 p.m., I was woken up by
government for Africa. Write your speech deafening screams outside. Curiosity besieged
for or against the motion. the patients and visitors in the ward. Some of
5 Write a story to illustrate the saying: Too them craned their necks to find out what was
many cooks spoil the broth. amiss, while others walked out for the same
(WASSCE) reason. It was learned that a young lady of
about 25 years who was involved in a ghastly
car accident was brought into the hospital.
She had multiple injuries and was drenched
in blood. Visitors and patients around couldn’t
242
control their tears as she was being laid on a e) What was the attitude of the nurses to the
stretcher to be wheeled to the casualty ward. accident victim?
As four hospital attendants were wheeling f) ‘… cried like a child…’
the accident victim into the casualty ward, one What figure of speech is contained in the
athletic-looking female nurse rushed to call Dr expression above?
Sabito, one of the two doctors on duty. But he g) ‘On searching the clothes of the dead
was too engrossed in a romantic conversation young lady…’
on the phone with his newly-found black i) What grammatical name is given to
American girlfriend to listen to the nurse. this expression as it is used in the
Their conversation centred on where, how passage?
and when they would celebrate Valentine’s ii) What is its function?
Day. The nurse desperately tried to get Dr h) For each of the following words or phrase,
Sabito’s attention but did not succeed. Rather find another word or phrase that means
he frowned at her screams since they were the same and can replace it as it is used in
making it difficult for him to make out what the passage.
his sweetheart was saying. In anger, he shouted i) calm
at the nurse ordering her to go for Dr Mensah, ii) oppressive
his colleague, who was then attending to other iii) ghastly
patients. With frustration written on her face, iv) make out
the nurse rushed to look for Dr Mensah. In no v) curious
time the doctor arrived at the casualty ward. vi) negligent
Scarcely had he begun to attend to the comatose (WASSCE)
victim when she gave up the ghost. 7 Read the following passage carefully and
On searching the clothes of the dead answer the questions on it.
young lady, the nurses found her I.D. card Is violence the frightful monster that we always
which bore the name ‘Mariam Ama Sabito.’ consider it to be? This is a very pertinent
There was anxiety as everyone in the casualty question to ask in the light of the fact that
ward was very curious to find out whether she violence is prevalent in various societies.
was in any way related to Dr Sabito. He arrived Nowadays, violence is the order of the day.
only to confirm in tears that Mariam, a final It is observable everywhere. Indeed, we can
year medical student, was his only child. He conclude that we are living in a world of
cried like a child and cursed himself for being violence. What do we mean by violence? It is
negligent. the act of using or showing strong physical
a) ‘I was not left out…’ force, especially unlawfully.
What did the writer mean by this Violence has many faces. Some people are
expression? naturally violent, but do not mean any harm
b) What actually aroused the curiosity of the and do not cause havoc. For example, there are
people in the writer’s ward? some husbands who speak to their wives or
c) Describe Mariam’s condition when she children in such a violent way that you would
was brought to the hospital. think that they are aggressive. But that is the
d) ‘With frustration written on her face…’ natural way they communicate with people
What was it that frustrated the nurse? and members of their families understand them
243
perfectly. The actions and behaviour of such c) What gives the impression that the only
people are often misconstrued by outsiders. language the authorities understand is
There is another form of violence that violence?
sets out to obtain justice. For instance students d) What is the attitude of the writer towards
of higher institutions usually go on the workers who demonstrate?
rampage when certain measures which are e) ‘Violence has many faces.’
detrimental to their well-being are introduced i) What figure of speech is contained
by the authorities of their institutions. Take, for in the expression above?
example, an increase in fees. Having noticed ii) What does it mean?
the way funds are squandered by people f) ‘… which are detrimental to their well-
in government, students may feel that the being…’
increase is unjustifiable and so they take to the i) What grammatical name is given
streets destroying and vandalising property to this expression as it is used in the
and equipment. At the end of the day, the passage?
authorities may accede to their demand. ii) What is its function?
Consider the case of workers who labour g) For each of the following words, find
for thirty days, or longer. Although funds are another word or phrase that means the
readily available, their employers refuse to pay same and can replace it as it is used in the
them. Such workers engage in demonstrations, passage.
and hold government officials hostage. Do i) prevalent
you blame them? A hungry man is an angry ii) havoc
man! Eventually, panicky solutions are found iii) misconstrued
to the problems after much harm has been iv) squandered
done and much time wasted. While one does v) eliminate
not support violence, one wonders why the vi) totally
relevant authorities give the impression that (WASSCE)
the only language they understand is violence.
There is also the violence that seeks to Part C
destroy for selfish reasons. There are cases
when the disciples of violence are paid to
Summary
You are advised to spend about 50 minutes on
eliminate political opponents or business
this section.
partners. Another category of violence is that
8 Read the following passage carefully and
perpetrated by armed robbers. This involves
answer the questions on it.
brutal and callous killing, and infliction of
injury. As there are two sides to a coin, so it is Economic growth and social development
in the case of violence. However, any form of create many problems which, together with
violence that seeks to destroy property, to inflict uncontrolled urbanisation and industrialisation,
injury, or to take human life is to be denounced often make the natural environment undergo
totally. many changes.
a) Why does the writer say that violence is Industrialisation, in particular, causes
the order of the day? great havoc. To acquire new land for various
b) Why do students or workers engage in purposes, industrialists clear forests to make
violence?
244
room for factories. The deforestation of whole and lung patients. It is known that air in such
areas takes place and concrete replaces the green. environments is impure; the people find it
Many animal and plant species, unable to adapt difficult to breathe and as a result suffer from
to the new artificial habitat, disappear with chesty coughs and asthma.
the vegetation and some are threatened with Transportation is equally a problem closely
extinction. Animals regulate the equilibrium related to industrialisation. Raw materials and
of nature and their disappearance can have finished products have to be moved from one
serious consequences on the delicate balance place to another in ships, trucks, aircraft and
of the ecosystem. Indiscriminate deforestation trains. In addition to the high cost involved,
leads to soil erosion and flood control becomes the likelihood of an accident should be paid
very expensive. attention to; an oil tanker on the high sea may
In many heavily-populated cities of run aground, cause damage to its hold and
industrial nations, the demand for water has spill the oil. Marine life can be destroyed over
become very difficult to satisfy. The decrease a large area and lovely beaches may be ruined.
in the quantity of water available sometimes And when traffic increases, lorries contribute
endangers the economic development of the to air pollution.
countries concerned. In their efforts to solve the Sadly enough, man has enabled
problem, industries nowadays exploit not only industrialisation to influence himself he has
rivers, streams and lakes but also underground allowed industrialisation to interfere with the
and sea water as well. Often, an industry makes hygienic and rational use of his free time. Often
use of good quality water from a river and then the environs of an industrial plant are so altered
dumps it back contaminated into the same river that no recreational activity is possible. Thus,
thus causing other industries downstream to man has become at once the victim of his own
spend huge sums of money to make the same actions.
water re-useable. Industrial waste also pollutes a) In two sentences, one for each, state the
surface water with toxic chemical products problems caused by industries in their use
rendering the water unsuitable for drinking. of water.
The water problem in many countries b) In two sentences, one for each, summarise
has become so acute nowadays that strenuous the environmental problems caused by
efforts are being made to find new sources of urbanisation.
water. Where they can afford it, some of these c) In two sentences, one for each, summarise
countries apply means of extracting salt from how the water problem can be solved.
sea water and regenerating used water. These (WASSCE)
are the most promising ways of increasing the
supply of water. Tips
Another result of the growth of industries
You are what you read, write and speak.
is the increase in the demand for fuel which
Throughout your studies in English, keep a log
causes the contamination of the atmosphere.
or journal of words that are unfamiliar to you.
The chimneys belch into the atmosphere
ook up the definitions and pronunciation.
industrial gases and fumes, which promote an
Write a sentence using the word correctly.
increase in the diseases of the chest and nose,
Review these words frequently and try to use
the most vulnerable victims of which are heart
them in daily conversations.
245
Part D 7 scratch
A secret B screen
Test of orals (70 marks) C street D skull
Time allowed 40 minutes 8 ring
This test of orals consists of 35 multiple-choice A song B cargo
questions designed to test your knowledge of C singe D fringe
oral English. 9 chain
A sachet B champagne
Section 1 C machine D cheap
From the words lettered A–D choose the word 10 book
that has the same consonant sound as the one A comb B climb
represented by the letter(s) underlined. An C stab D plumber
example is give below. 11 flame
A plane B pillar
Example C phlegm D philanthropist
keep 12 apt
A knee B knife A rapid B raped
C scold D scent C listen D programmed
The correct answer is C because only scold 13 scope
has the same consonant sound as the one A school B scene
represented by the letter underlined. C saint D cellist
14 aghast
Now answer the following questions. A gnash B high
1 tank C struggle D host
A fetch B thumb 15 oblige
C begged D later A journey B glory
2 cap C prestige D plague
A corpse B receipt 16 sword
C corps D phone A word B occasion
3 nice C boys D pass
A sing B column 17 boys
C condemn D sink A sick B voice
4 straight C zeal D shop
A trait B strong 18 laugh
C luster D centre A life B light
5 knowledge C ghost D cough
A burn B course 19 challenge
C kiss D mock A archive B machine
6 strict C match D chemistry
A invite B indict 20 grasp
C inflict D listen A grill B spirit
C crop D prank
246
Section 2 C herd D more
From the words lettered A–D, choose the word 37 seat A sit B cite
that has the same vowel sound(s) as the one C set D key
represented by the letter(s) underlined. 38 house A tough B mould
Example C would D how
bait A bat B bark 39 care A hear B sheer
C bake D back C char D heir
The correct answer is C because only bake has 40 say A afraid B high
the same vowel sound as the one underlined. C buy D says
Now answer the following questions. Section 3

21 sick A spike B sake From the words lettered A–D, choose the word
C peak D women that rhymes with the given word written at the
22 birth A colonel B bath beginning.
C egg D colour Example
23 rude A room B rout detain A obtain B detail
C rum D role C claim D relay
24 tight A bait B bite The correct answer is A because only obtain
C bit D birth rhymes with detain.
25 act A ample B part Now answer the following questions.
C law D class 41 chair A there B fear
26 part A pack B hat C fiery D cheer
C watch D heart 42 corps A queue B corpse
27 sell A eel B ate C coup D core
C seal D wanted 43 sweet A kit B suite
28 toil A loud B stop C height D biscuit
C coast D ploy 44 waste A placed B burst
29 suck A match B rule C host D forged
C touch D lock 45 sun A horn B dune
30 voice A vocal B entice C son D shown
C joy D ice
31 bear A pair B pier Section 4
C ear D beat In each of the following questions, the main/
32 coat A no B knew primary stress is indicated by writing the
C gnaw D now syllable on which it occurs in capital letters.
33 put A lust B top From the words lettered A–D, choose the one
C hoot D book that has the correct stress.
34 hot A coat B toe Example
C how D lost democratic A DE-mo-cra-tic
35 port A word B card de-M -cra-tic
C pot D chord C de-mo-CRA-tic
36 better A peer B alone D de-mo-cra-TIC
247
The correct answer is C because the primary/ C money D report
main stress of the word democratic is de-mo- 53 A secret B elite
CRA-tic. C daylight D graphite
54 A opinion B conversion
Now answer the following questions.
C prevention D calculate
46 jubilation A ju-BI-la-tion
55 A August B country
B ju-bi-LA-tion
C shallow D august
C JU-bi-la-tion
D ju-bi-la-TION
Section 6
47 communicate A com-mu-ni-CATE In each of the following sentences, the word
B com-mu-NI-cate that receives the emphatic stress is written in
C com-M -ni-cate capital letters. From the questions lettered A–D,
D C M-mu-ni-cate choose the one to which the given sentence is
48 photography A PH -to-gra-phy the appropriate answer.
B pho-TO-gra-phy Example
C pho-to-GRA-phy MAR loves brown shoes.
D pho-to-gra-PH A What colour of shoes does Mary love
Does Mary hate brown shoes
49 community A com-M -ni-ty C Who loves brown shoes?
B com-mu-ni-TY D Does Mary love brown dresses
C com-mu-NI-ty The correct answer is C, because MAR loves
D C M-mu-ni-ty brown shoes answers the question: Who loves
50 remarkable A re-mar-KA-ble brown shoes?
B RE-mar-ka-ble
C re-MAR-ka-ble Now answer the following questions.
D re-mar-ka-BLE 56 It rained ALL day yesterday.
A For how long did it rain yesterday?
Section 5 B When did it rain all day?
In the following options lettered A–D, all the C Was it dry all yesterday?
words except one have the same stress pattern. D Did it rain all day last week?
Identify the one with a different stress pattern 57 The judge CAUTIONED the prosecution
and write down your answer in the usual way. witness.
Example A Who cautioned the prosecution
A away B apart C behind witness?
D river B Did the judge praise the prosecu-
Options A, B and C are all stressed on the tion witness?
second syllable, whereas D is stressed on the C Did the judge caution the defence
first syllable. Therefore, D is the correct answer. witness?
Now answer the following questions. D Did the judge caution the prosecu-
51 A commit B compare tion counsel?
C complete D column
58 The old man is a MESSENGER.
52 A leader B judgement
248
A Who is the messenger? 66 / A love B hole
B Is the young man a messenger? C born D burn
C Is the old man a messenger? 67 / / A them B den
D Is the old man a typist? C think D tank
59 Honesty is A WA S the best policy. 68 A close work
A Is honesty always the best legacy? C wise D danger
B Is honesty always the worst policy? 69 /d / A date B grace
C Is honesty seldom the best policy? C gauge D yam
D Is honesty the best legacy? 0 A hot blood
60 Nnenna loves her CHI DREN dearly. C lurk D verse
A Does Amina love her children
dearly? Grammar
B Does Nnenna hate her husband
vehemently? 1 The man sang during the concert. The
C Does Nnenna love her husband underlined phrase is an example of a
dearly? a) noun phrase as an object
D Does Nnenna love her sister’s chil- b) noun phrase as an appositive
dren dearly? c) noun phrase as prepositional
complement.
2 We named our sister ‘pippy’. The noun
Section 7 phrase in this expression is
From the words lettered A–D, choose the word a) an object complement
that contains the sound represented by the b) a direct object
given phonetic symbol. c) an appositive.
Example 3 The underlined expression is an example
/u:/ A full B pool of the noun phrase as what?
C flood D pull We could not see Keem at the market.
The correct answer is B because only pool a) object
contains the sound represented by the given b) adverbial
symbol. c) adjective
4 I am a hero. The underlined is an example
Now answer the following questions. of the noun phrase as
a) an appositive
61 /e/ A grateful B breakfast
b) a subject complement
C great D mete
c) an object.
62 /i/ A tea B dim 5 Complete the following sentences with
C shape D child the correct option.
63 /z/ A rice B twice Milk in Holland.
C boys D cross a) was produced
64 /k/ A ocean B scene b) has been produced
C charade D chaos c) is produced
65 A hat last 6 During the stampede at the stadium,
C sun D hot many people .
a) are injured
249
b) was injured c) had/would
c) were injured 16 If ola had come earlier, she
ou have to wait till the bell is met the special guest.
by the prefect in charge. a) would
a) ringing b) would have
b) rung c) will
c) rang 1 The drum sounded a lion
8 In the library, everybody is was roaring.
a) being watched a) as if
b) been watched b) because
c) been watch c) although
9 The boys have gone home. They 18 ast term Mr esufu taught us Ethics
to watch the game on television. Mrs ounas was not around.
a) have a) while
b) will have b) where
c) needed c) which
10 The guest promised to send the items 19 Did you hear the song the
when he back home. girl sang?
a) gets a) whose
b) got b) where
c) has got c) which
11 Mr Hakeem told us last week that the 20 pen is that
Earth around the sun. a) Who’s
a) is revolving b) Whom
b) revolved c) Whose
c) revolves 21 Much is expected from those to
12 He claimed that they much is given.
known each other for three years. a) where
a) had b) who
b) knew c) whom
c) have 22 We cheered the contestant
13 Were you also told that light won the competition.
the fastest entity on Earth? a) who
a) was b) whom
b) could be c) which
c) is 23 We cannot the meeting.
14 Though Kemi was tired yesterday, she a) put back
sleep. b) put away
a) cannot c) put off
b) could not 24 It is a shame that Yasmin and Yurina have
c) should not . They used to be such good
15 If I six eyes, I friends.
see many things at the same time. a) broken down
a) have/would b) broken away
b) had/would have c) broken up
250
25 Would you the volume of c) defend
that player? 34 The in Ekapong is
a) turn in noticeable.
b) turn around a) changing
c) turn down. b) change
26 Madam Sandra could not c) changes
Tolani’s attitude. 35 Akilu’s allowed the thieves
a) put up with to cart away many boxes of drinks.
b) see through to a) negligence
c) check back for b) negligent
2 The receptionist was reluctant to c) negligency
the accountant. 36 The forum enabled participants from
a) put John through by different schools to share ideas with
b) put John over to .
c) put John through to a) each other
28 Tofa would be held responsible for the b) themselves
of the wall clock. c) one another
a) loose 3 My mother was sure she
b) loses my Chemistry teacher before.
c) loss a) have met
29 The magistrate rejected the defendant’s b) had met
. c) had meet
a) appeal 38 The supervisor said he find
b) appellation a solution to the problem.
c) appease a) would
30 The woman’s was b) will
commended. c) will have
a) piousness
b) piousy
c) piety
31 Ada always displays a high degree of
.
a) modesty
b) modestation
c) modestor
32 The office assistant’s was
considered.
a) appliance
b) applying
c) application
33 No one came to Ahmadu’s
when he appeared before the disciplinary
committee.
a) defendance
b) defence
251
Appendix 2 Commonly misspelt words
aberration arthritis choreography delinquency exorcism illuminate

abbreviation assassination circumlocution demeanour extinguish illustrious
accentuate assertive circumstance denouement fallacious immigration
accessory assimilate collaborate deregulate feasible impermissible
accomplice assuage colloquium diaphragm flabbergast imperceptible
accomplishment astronomical colloquy diarrhoea flippant indecipherable
accountant auctioneer colonel dilapidate fragrance indigent
accustom augment commandant dimension fratricide inflammatory
acquaint authentic commemorate disappointment frequency influential
acquaintance bamboozle commercial discipline garrison irritation
acquisition behaviour commission discotheque garrulous instantaneous
acquittal beleaguer communication discountenance ghetto insubordinate
acupuncture boisterous comparison dissension gorgeous insufficient
addict bombardment confectioner distinguish governance invincible
advertise bouquet connoisseur dysentery grandiose irredeemable
aerobic bracelet conscience eccentric gruesome irretrievable
ambivalent breadth conscientious ecclesiastic gynaecology isosceles
amphibian brilliant conscious eclipse grotesque jamboree
annihilate buffet consequence effervescence guillotine jaundice
anniversary bureaucracy conservation effloresce habeas corpus jeopardise
announce butcher contour embarrassment haemoglobin juggernaut
announcement buttress cooperation endeavour hallucination kaleidoscope
annunciate camaraderie corollary entrepreneur haphazard kennel
anvil camouflage correspond environment harvest kleptomaniac
aphrodisiac carburettor correspondence ephemeral hermaphrodite knickers
apocalypse catalogue corrigendum equanimity hiccup kwashiorkor
appellation catarrh corrugated equilibrium hoax lacklustre
appetite catastrophe corruption essential homogeneous leukaemia
apprehend caterpillar counterfeit et cetera honourable liaison
appurtenance celebration crystallisation etiquette hullabaloo linguistics
aquarium challenge cunning eunuch hurly-burly lithography
arbiter champagne curriculum euphemism hypodermic loquacious
archipelago chartered Cyrillic euthanasia hypothesis manicure
Armageddon chieftaincy cyst exigency illegitimate masquerade
252
massacre pasteurise rhombus utterances
mausoleum pedagogue Sagittarius valedictory
Mediterranean pendulum savoury vernacular
megabyte penicillin saxophone versatile
memorandum penniless scavenger vertebrate
mermaid penultimate scenario veterinarian
metamorphosis peppermint schnapps vicarious
millimetre percussion septuagenarian vicissitude
mischievous perennial sepulchre vulnerable
missionary perfunctory sequel warrior
weather
monologue periscope seriousness
whether
monstrous permission silhouette
Montessori perpendicular sorcerer
moustache picturesque souvenir
myrrh pneumonia sovereign
mysterious portmanteau squeeze
naughty prerequisite strawberry
nautical presumptuous structures
necessary procrastinate subsequent
nephew pronouncement succinctly
nymphomania pronunciation succulent
occasion prospectus surreptitious
occupation prosperous surveillance
obnoxious psychedelic surreptitious
obscene quarantine suspicious
offence quarrelsome symmetrical
omnipotent questionnaire synchronise
onomatopoeia quintessential sycophant
oppression quizzical tarpaulin
oppressor reciprocal tautology
optimum reconnaissance terrorist
orchestra refinery tomorrow
orphan reminiscence tortoise
overzealous rendezvous tranquilliser
paparazzi referendum transparent
papyrus repercussion triangulation
parallel repertoire triumvirate
parliament reservoir tuberculosis
parochial retirement turbulent
parricide rhapsody turquoise
passenger rheumatism typhoon
passionate rhinoceros umbrella
253
Appendix 3 Listening texts
Unit 1 (page 13) down their vast hairy hoofs with great care lest
As soon as the light in the bedroom went out there should be some small animal concealed
there was a stirring and fluttering all through in the straw. Clover was a stout motherly mare
the farm buildings. Word had gone round approaching middle life, who had never quite
during the day that ld Major, the pri e Middle got her figure back after the fourth foal. oxer
White boar, had had a strange dream on the was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands
previous night and wished to communicate it to high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses
the other animals. It had been agreed that they put together. A white stripe down his nose
should all meet in the big barn as soon as Mr gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and
ones was safely out of the way. ld Major (so in fact he was not of first-rate intelligence, but
he was always called, though the name under he was universally respected for his steadiness
which he had been exhibited was Willingdon of character and tremendous powers of work.
Beauty) was so highly regarded on the farm After the horses came Muriel, the white
that everyone was quite ready to lose an hour’s goat, and Benjamin, the donkey. Benjamin
sleep in order to hear what he had to say. was the oldest animal on the farm, and the
At one end of the big barn, on a sort of worst-tempered. He seldom talked, and when
raised platform, Major was already ensconced he did it was usually to make some cynical
on his bed of straw, under a lantern which remark – for instance, he would say that God
hung from a beam. He was twelve years old had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but
and had lately grown rather stout, but he was that he would sooner have had no tail and no
still a majestic looking pig, with a wise and flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he
benevolent appearance in spite of the fact that never laughed – if asked why, he would say
his tushes had never been cut. Before long that he saw nothing to laugh at. Nevertheless,
the other animals began to arrive and make without openly admitting it, he was devoted
themselves comfortable after their different to Boxer; the two of them usually spent their
fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Sundays together in the small paddock beyond
Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who the orchard, grazing side by side and never
settled down in the straw immediately in front speaking.
of the platform. The hens perched themselves (From Animal Farm by George Orwell, pages
on the windowsills, the pigeons fluttered up 1–2)
to the rafters, the sheep and cows lay down
behind the pigs and began to chew the cud. Unit 7 (page 90)
The two cart-horses, Boxer and Clover, came ‘Comrades, you have heard already about the
in together, walking very slowly and settling strange dream that I had last night. But I will
254
come to the dream later. I have something else ‘Man is the only creature that consumes
to say first. I do not think, comrades, that I without producing. He does not give milk, he
shall be with you for many months longer, and does not lay eggs, he is too weak to pull the
before I die, I feel it is my duty to pass on to you plough, he cannot run fast enough to catch
such wisdom as I have acquired. I have had a rabbits. et he is lord of all the animals. He
long life, I have had much time for thought as I sets them to work, he gives back to them the
lay alone in my stall, and I think I may say that bare minimum that will prevent them from
I understand the nature of life on this earth as starving, and the rest he keeps for himself. Our
well as any animal now living. It is about this labour tills the soil, our dung fertilizes it, and
that I wish to speak to you. yet there is none of us that owns more than
‘Now, comrades, what is the nature of his bare skin. You cows that I see before me,
this life of ours? Let us face it: our lives are how many thousands of gallons of milk have
miserable, laborious, and short. We are born, you given during this last year? And what has
we are given just so much food as will keep happened to that milk which should have been
the breath in our bodies, and those of us who breeding up sturdy calves? Every drop of it has
are capable of it are forced to work to the last gone down the throats of your enemies. And
atom of our strength; and the very instant you hens, how many eggs have you laid in this
that our usefulness has come to an end we are last year, how many of those eggs ever hatched
slaughtered with hideous cruelty. No animal into chickens? The rest have all gone to market
in England knows the meaning of happiness to bring in money for Jones and his men. And
or leisure after he is a year old. No animal in you, Clover, where are those four foals you
England is free. The life of an animal is misery bore, who should have been the support and
and slavery: that is the plain truth. pleasure of your old age? Each was sold at a
‘But is this simply part of the order of year old – you will never see one of them again.
nature? Is it because this land of ours is so In return for your four confinements and all
poor that it cannot afford a decent life to those your labour in the fields, what have you ever
who dwell upon it? No, comrades, our climate had except your bare rations and a stall?
is good, it is capable of affording food in ‘And even the miserable lives we lead are
abundance to an enormously greater number not allowed to reach their natural span. For
of animals than now inhabit it. This single myself I do not grumble, for I am one of the
farm of ours would support a dozen, twenty lucky ones. I am twelve years old and have had
cows, hundreds of sheep – and all of them four hundred children. Such is the natural life
living in a comfort and a dignity that are now of a pig. But no animal escapes the cruel knife
almost beyond our imagining. Why then do we in the end. You young porkers who are sitting
continue in this miserable condition? Because in front of me, every one of you will scream
nearly the whole of the produce of our labour your lives out at the block within a year. To
is stolen from us by human beings. There, that horror we all must come – cows, pigs,
comrades, is the answer to all our problems. hens, sheep, everyone. Even the horses and the
It is summed up in a single word man. Man dogs have no better fate. You, Boxer, the very
is the only real enemy we have. Remove man day that those great muscles of yours lose their
from the scene, and the root cause of hunger power, Jones will sell you to the knacker, who
and overwork is abolished forever. will cut your throat and boil you down for the
255
foxhounds. As for the dogs, when they grow mouth
old and toothless, Jones ties a brick round their I have wandered on the wilderness
necks and drowns them in the nearest pond. The great wilderness men call life
(From Animal Farm by Gorge Orwell, pages 3–5) The rain has beaten me,
30 And the sharp stumps cut as keen as
Unit 9 (page 113) knives
I shall go beyond and rest.
Songs of sorrow I I have no kin and no brother,
by ofi Awoonor Death has made war upon our house;
Dzogbese Lisa has treated me thus And Kpeti’s great household is no more,
It has led me among the sharps of the Only the broken fence stands;
forest And those who dared not look in his
Returning is not possible face
And going forward is a great difficulty Have come out as men.
5 The affairs of this world are like the cha- How well their pride is with them.
meleon Let those gone before take note
Faeces into which I have stepped 40 They have treated their offspring badly.
When I clean it cannot go. What is the wailing for?
Somebody is dead. Agosii himself
I am on the world’s extreme corner, Alas! a snake has bitten me
I am not sitting in the row with the My right arm is broken,
eminent 45 And the tree on which I lean is fallen
10 But those who are lucky Agosu if you go tell them,
Sit in the middle and forget Tell Nyidevu, Kpeti, and Kove
I am on the world’s extreme corners That they have done us evil;
I can only go beyond and forget. Tell them their house is falling
My people, I have been somewhere 50 And the trees in the fence
15 If I turn the sun burns me Have been eaten by termites
The firewood of this world That the martels curse them.
Is for only those who can take heart Ask them why they idle there
That is why not all can gather it. While we suffer, and eat sand.
The world is not good for anybody. 55 And the crow and the vulture
20 But you are so happy with your fate; Hover always above our broken fences
Alas, the travellers are back And strangers walk over our portion.
All covered with debt.
Unit 13 (page 160)
Songs of Sorrow II Representative: Hello, my name is George.
by ofi Awoonor How may I help you
Something has happened to me Subscriber: Hello, good afternoon, sir.
The things so great that I cannot weep; Representative: Please, is your phone on
25 I have no sons to fire the gun when I die speaker?
And no daughters to wail when I close my Subscriber: No.
256
Representative: Are you using your ear Representative: All right?
piece? Subscriber: Yes.
Subscriber: Yes, sir. Representative: Please hold on.
Representative: Please remove your earpiece Subscriber: Okay.
so I can hear you clearly. Representative: Thank you for holding on.
Subscriber: Can you hear me now? Subscriber: Okay.
Representative: etter now. May I know Representative: ‘I believe I can fly’ by
your name, please? R–Kelly, the code is 10498.
Subscriber: My name is Pastor oung, Subscriber: 10498?
calling from Delta State. Representative: Yes, please.
Representative: Pastor? Subscriber: How will I send it now
Subscriber: Young. Representative: If you go to your text mes-
Representative: All right, Pastor Young, sage, write it like this. You
you may have to speak a bit know the word ‘TUNE’?
louder than this, please. Subscriber: Yes.
Subscriber: I want to change my caller’s Representative: ‘TUNE 10498’, write it
ring tune. Can I have any together, no space in be-
number that I can use to tween them.
activate it? Subscriber: Okay.
Representative: You want to change your Representative: Then, you sent it to 7728.
caller’s ring tune? Subscriber: Okay, TUNE 10498, sent to
Subscriber: Yes, sir. 7728.
Representative: May I have your phone Representative: Yes, you are okay with that?
number please? Subscriber: Thank you very much, sir.
Subscriber: 080755. Representative: Thank you from Glo mobile
Representative: Yes. and have a wonderful day.
Subscriber: 8496. Subscriber: I’m very grateful for Glo.
Representative: 558496. May I know the Representative: All right.
caller’s ring tune you have Subscriber: ‘Bye.
in mind?
Subscriber: ‘I believe I can fly’. Unit 15 (page 188)
Representative: ‘I believe I can fly’ by This is an extract from the interview with
R–Kelly? MrsAdepoju Eli abeth yefunke, a level-1
Subscriber: Yes. principal with the Lagos State government. She
Representative: Now, do you have up to a is the principal of Ojodu Junior High School
N100 in your account in Ikeja, Lagos State.
now?
Subscriber: I will load it now. Good afternoon, ma. Could you please tell us
Representative: All right, so I will just go brie y about your career as a teacher
ahead to give you the code I am Mrs Eli abeth yefunke Adepoju. I started
for that. teaching in 1984. This means that I have been
Subscriber: Okay. teaching for more than 27 years now. I started
257
with BA English but later went for a PGDE But teachers are mostly responsible for the
which makes me a professional teacher. malpractice.
I disagree. I may not want to totally exonerate
Thank you, ma. Then a professional teacher is
teachers but there are mercenaries who jump
not an HND engineer teaching Mathematics
into the class to do all sorts of things and
or a trained lawyer teaching English in the
when the teacher resists, he or she is harassed,
classroom.
molested, beaten or may even have acid poured
Ma, today, we talk of falling standards of
on them. The government needs to assist
education in Nigeria. As a teacher of English,
teachers to fight examination malpractice.
is the standard of education really falling
Definitely the standard has fallen. The first
How best do you think that teachers can be
thing I observe is that the students no longer
moti ated o go ernment wants to willingly
have the zeal. They are only in the school
pay the minimum wage of $18,000 unless the
because their parents want them to go. They
teachers go on strike.
don’t know what they are doing. In the past,
The nation needs to wake up, to put education
people who have learned one trade or the other
in its rightful position. If you want to pay the
willingly went back to school and did well.
teachers peanuts, you will have monkeys as
Many even stayed at home, studied, sat for GCE
teachers. The teachers should be well paid.
O- and A-levels and passed the examinations
Teaching should be made attractive. A fresh
to go to the university. Learners today do not
graduate in the teaching profession is like
have ambition.
a fresh graduate in the oil industry. If they
What then is responsible for the change in cannot earn the same, I think the disparity
the trend should be minimal. Teachers are building the
Our core values have changed. Students believe people, building the nation because the future
today that whether they study or not, they will of the economy rests on teachers. Promotion
find a way to making it in life. They feel they implementation should not be delayed.
can bribe their way to get anything they want.
If you were made a Commissioner for
All right. This leads us to the menace of Education in Lagos today, what are the things
examination malpractice. What can you say you would want to change in the education
about this system
Sincerely, until this problem is seriously The first thing I would love to change is the
tackled in Nigeria, we cannot make headway involvement of teachers in the formation of the
in education. More students get involved in curriculum. They are in the field. They should
examination malpractice because they see that tell us what the students need to learn and not
those who even study hard do not pass as well what some people outside the classroom feel
as those who cheat and those who cheat have they should learn.
the opportunities of admission first. Secondly, there must be a reading culture.
To curb malpractice, students should Not only reading in the school but at home as
be made to present school certificate attempt well. I would want to make jingles on the radio
before they can use GCE results. and television, sensitising parents to dedicate
particular hours of the day for the children to
258
be at the table to read. with distinction Had he not been awarded a
Thirdly, teachers must be motivated government scholarship to cover his secondary
through salaries, trainings. They should go education Moreover, had he not passed the
outside this country to interact with teachers common entrance examination? Yes, Solomon,
in other places. the boy known as ‘Akpuka,’ had now become
a big boy.
Finally, how would you rate the efforts of The new school year was due to begin
the present government towards improving the following week. Solomon’s parents had
education in Lagos tate made adequate preparations for him to enter
Lagos State is really doing well. The present the secondary school of his dream: Boys
state governor, Mr abatunde Raji Fasola, loves Secondary School, Obodo. With the government
education. He has the passion. He is concerned scholarship, his parents did not need to bother
about education or matters brought before about tuition and boarding fees. An industrious
him. He is sensitive to issues of education. boy, he had saved some money with the help
He is changing the face of education. See my of his master, Mr konkwo. His mother had
office as a principal. See how this is furnished relied on the savings to buy Solomon’s school
and accommodating. It is such a beautiful uniforms and some basic items that he would
place. Look at the buildings the students are require in the boarding house, such as two
occupying, look at their classrooms and the plastic buckets, a towel and a soap dish, among
furniture. See textbooks for all the students. others. His father had bought his books from
Look at the Lagos Eko project. The Lagos State his own savings, and had also set aside some
government has done a lot but how I wish amount of money as pocket money for his
the government will sensitise the parents to brilliant son.
complement the efforts of the government Solomon’s admission to secondary school
by monitoring the children at home. The generated much excitement, not only in his
government should go on air, tell the parents: home, but also in the whole village. Of all boys
ET R CHI DREN READ. in his age group, Solomon was the first to gain
admission to a secondary school. This great
Unit 18 (page 228) achievement made his parents very happy and
Solomon stood on the threshold of his father’s proud of their son.
house and gazed at the children playing at the As was usually the case when something
crossroads close by. Their laughter filled the good or evil happened in the village, people
air as they joyously called to one another and trooped to Ma i gbuefi’s compound, and in
played together. this circumstance, to congratulate them on the
Solomon’s mind went back to the years success of their son. They all had a word of
when he joined other boys of his age to play praise for Solomon who was well loved by the
some games which he now, assuming the air of villagers.
a grown-up, saw as childish play. Involuntarily, ‘Yes, I said it, I know that the boy’s Chi
he smiled at his own thoughts. Yes, he was now is alive,’ said Ma i gbu who on one occasion
a big boy and was ready to assume the roles gave Solomon a ride on his bicycle on his way
of a big boy. After all, had he not just passed to the secondary school at Obodo. On that
the first school leaving certificate examination occasion, Solomon had gone to take food to
259
his father who worked there. ‘It is with the
eyes that you know a corn-cob that is ripe.’ The
people in the room nodded in agreement with
Ma i gbu.
Turning to Ma i gbuefi, one of the men
said, ‘It is said that you know the taste of feaces
through the smell of a fart.’ The people burst
into laughter, knowing the obvious reference
was to Ma i gbuefi. ut the speaker was not
done yet. ‘For the boy, the sky is the limit as his
sun is only just rising.’
As the bantering continued, Ma i gbuefi
provided palmwine and kolanuts for the
friends who had gathered to rejoice with him.
As the men sat in the parlour discussing with
Solomon’s father, the women were chatting
with his mother in the backyard. From time to
time, the voice of a woman would ring out in
their native way of expressing happiness and
the other women would unanimously reply to
the salutation. Soon they burst into singing and
dancing.
As the women sang and danced, the
children from that compound and those from
neighbouring compounds gathered round to
watch them.
(From The Adventures of Solomon by Lizzy
Unamba, pages 1–3)
260
Index
Active and passive voice, 95-98, 107-110, 120- expressing surprise, 91-92
122 rising tone, 78-79
adjectives, 10-11 intonation patterns, 65-66
adjuncts, 196-199 letter writing, formal, 44-49, 59-62
comprehension, literature, 216, 239 (figures of speech)
listening, 13, 90, 113, 160, 188, 228 misspelt words, 252-253
passages, 4-5, 17-18, 27-28, 40-41, 53, nominalisation
67-68, 80, 92-93, 103-104, 115-116, 130-131, adjectives, 71-73
140, 152, 162-163, 176-177, 192-193, verbs, 85-88
205-206, 220-221, 232-233 noun phrase, 20-23
tips, 231 as an adverbial, 33
conditional forms, 145-146 as an appositive, 31
conjunctions, 11-12 as complement of an object, 22
consonant clusters, 14-15 as complement of a verb, 22
consonants, problematic, 128-129 as object of a preposition, 31
creative writing, 187-188, 199-201, 214-216 nouns, 8-9
debate (see also, essay argumentative), poetry structure, 201, 216-217
229-230 prefixes, 142-143
difficult words, 6, 19-20, 29, 42, 55, 69, 82, 94, preservative, 165
105, 117, 132, 142, 153, 165, 178, 194-195, 207, types of, 154-156
223, 234 pronouns, 44-45
essays demonstrative, 58-59
argumentative, 23-24, 34-36 (see also interrogative, 45
debate) personal, 44,
descriptive, 159, 171-172 possessive, 44
expository, 12-13 reciprocal, 45
features of, 98-100 relative, 56-58
narrative, 112-113, 122-123 radio, 3-4
examination reading
end-of-term, 126 for critical evaluation, 102-103, 115
holiday assignment, 242-251 for implied meaning, 79, 92
festival, 239-241 for main gist, 3-4
figures of speech, 36-3 , 3- , 148-149, identifying sentence purpose, 238
215-216 identifying structural pattern, 192, 205
intonation, 6 identifying topic sentences, 162, 175-176
261
making notes when reading, 40, 67, 129 word stress, 25-26, 38-39
reviewing structural pattern, 220 writing (see also essay, letter writing, speeches)
strategies, 16, 27 creative, 73-76, 187-188, 203-204
to paraphrase drama, 151 free, 73
to paraphrase poems, 52, 139 process, 88-90
reported speech, 156-159 record keeping, 239
sentences strategies, 227-228
complex, 210-212, 225-226, 236-239 technical scientific, 226-228
stress, 50-51, 150-151
silent letters, 138-139
speeches
delivery, 173
features of, 135-137
informative, 189
persuasive, 189-191, 203-204
writing, 135-137, 146-148
sample, 137
suffixes, 195-196, 208-209
summary questions, 5, 18, 29, 42, 54, 69, 81, 93,
104-105, 117, 131, 141, 153, 164, 177, 194, 207,
222, 233, 244-245
tenses
sequences of, 133-135, 144-146, 156-159
toast, making a, 218-220
verbs, 9-10
auxiliary, 10
phrasal, 166-170, 182-187
vocabulary, (study)
building construction, 70-71
dictionary, using 223-224
environment, 82-84
health and healthcare, 30, 42-43
human body, 6-7, 19-20
improving, 234-236
prefixes, 154-156
preservative prefixes, 165-166
soccer and other sports, 55-56
suffixes, 195-196, 208-209
word modifiers, 106-10 , 132
word origins, 118-119
word roots, 179-181
vowels, 101-102, 114-115
262

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© Learn Africa Plc 2012, 2014

First published 2012

ISBN 978 978 925 173 5

Preface iii Unit 12

Unit 11 Index 261

1 1 Consonant clusters Reading for the Human internal Rev

2 14 Consonant clusters Reading strategies Human internal No

3 25 Word stress Reading strategies Health and health care No

Revising the grammatical Expository Animal Farm

Noun phrases Argumentative

re Noun phrases as appositives Argumentative Figure of speech

4 38 Word stress Making notes when Health and Pro

5 50 Sentence stress Making notes when Soccer and other Pro

6 65 Intonation Making notes when Building No

Pronouns Formal letters

Pronouns Formal letters Radio

Nominalisation: Free writing Figures of speech

7 78 Intonation: Reading for Environment No

8 91 Intonation: Reading for implied Word modifiers Ac

9 101 The troublesome Reading for critical Word modifiers Ac

Nominalisation: Verbs The writing Animal farm

Active and Features of

Active and Narrative ‘Songs of Sorrow’ I and II

10 114 The troublesome Reading for Word origins Ac

11 128 Problem consonants Reading to Word modifiers Seq

12 138 Words with Reading to Prefixes Seq

13 150 Sentence stress Reading to Prefixes Seq

Active and Narrative The internet

Sequence of tenses Speeches

Sequence of tenses Speeches Figure of speech

Sequence of Descriptive ‘Telephone conversation’

Exercise Comprehension: Prefixes showing

14 161 Words difficult Identifying topic Preservative Ph

15 173 Effective Identifying topic Word roots Ph

16 189 Speaking to Identifying Suffixes Ad

Phrasal verbs Descriptive

Phrasal verbs Creative ‘An interview’

Adjuncts Creative Poetry

17 203 Persuasive speech Identifying Suffixes Co

18 218 Making a toast Identifying Using the Co

19 229 Debate Identifying Improving your Co

Complex Creative Poetry

Complex Technical/ ‘The Adventures

Complex Record– Festivals

Consonant clusters trade /treɪd/ pin /pɪn/

1 suite Class work

Three consonants at the initial position

spring/sprɪ / square/skweə/ spray/spreɪ/

Grammar Pair work

Word stress Reminder

Five-syllable words with stress on the

Sentence drill Homework

Pero hid under a table.

The sanitary inspector went round the house.

My English teacher called the names of noise makers.

preposition noun phrase