1st Term s3 English Language

FIRST TERM E-LEARNING NOTE
SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS: SS3
SCHEME OF WORK
WEEK TOPIC
1 Revision of Last Term’s Examination:
Spelling: British and American English
Basic Differences as Reflected in Common Words.
2 Comprehension: Prostration, Page 22
Vocabulary Development, Festivals, Page 24
Structure: Review of Noun Phrases and Noun Clauses,
Adjectival Phrases and Adjectival Clauses.
Writing: Review of Narrative and Descriptive Essays
3 Speech Work: Review of Sentence Intonation Patterns.
Writing: Argumentative Essay: “The Home Is Responsible for the Unruly
Behaviour of Teenagers in the Society”
Comprehension: Government, Page 37
Summary: Party Systems, Page 38
4 Comprehension: Business, Page 86
Vocabulary Development: Business, Page 88
Structure: Nominalization
Speech Work: Monophthongs and Diphthongs
5 Essay Writing: Formal and Informal Letters.
Summary: Novel Extract, Page 53
Structure: Adverbs and Adverbials
6 Comprehension: Irrigation, Page 111
Vocabulary Development: Page 113
Structure: Sequence of Tenses.
Speech Work: Clusters of Two Consonants Which Occur Initially and Finally.
7 Comprehension: Novel Extract, Page 48
Vocabulary Development: Page 50
Writing, Article: “The Good Effects of Accountability and Transparency”
Figures of Speech
8 Comprehension: Law Enforcement, Page 63
Vocabulary Development: Justice Delayed, Page 64
Structure: Lexical and Auxiliary Verbs
MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

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Speech Work: More on Consonants
9 Comprehension: Law and Order, Page 78
Vocabulary Development: Justice, Page 77
Structure: More on Modals
Writing: More on Report Writing
10 Comprehension: Addition, Page 98
Vocabulary Development: Addition, Page 100
Speech Work: Stress in Words of Seven Syllables and in Compound Words.
11 Revision
12 Examination.
REFERENCES
 Effective English for Senior Secondary
 Schools, Book 3 by Montgomery, et al
 Countdown to English by Ogunsanwo, et al
 Oral English for Schools and colleges by Sam Onuigbo
 Advanced Learners Dictionary
 Past Questions in English Language
WEEK ONE
SPELLING: BRITISH AND AMERICAN ENGLISH
Some American spellings are quite different from the British spellings. Americans believe that a
word should be spelt as it is pronounced. These differences are notable in the following
examples:
BRITISH AMERICA
A ‘s’ ‘z’
specialisation specialization
colonise colonize
summarise summarize
organise organize
mechanise mechanize
economise economize
pressurise pressurize
centralise centralize
B ‘our’ ‘or’
habour habor
honour honor
labour labor
neighbour neighbor
favour favor
vapour vapor
odour odor
C ‘re’ ‘er’
centre center
metre meter
kilometre kilometer

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D. ‘amme’ ‘am’
gramme gram
kilogramme kilogram
programme program
E. ‘ogue’ ‘og’
dialogue dialog
catalogue catalog
F. In verbs which end in ‘l’ and are not stressed on the final syllable, the ‘l’ is not doubled
in the – ing form and the past participle.
British American
travelling traveling
equalled equaled
cancelling canceling
G. There is also the usual practice to replace ‘ae’ or ‘oe’ in words by ‘e’ (Words of Greek
and Latin origin). The original spelling is however retained by the British.
British American
Haemoglobin hemoglobin
Diaerrhoea diarrhea
Encyclopaedia encyclopedia
EVALUATION
Give ten words that have different spellings in the British and American spellings.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Phrases and Clauses.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Comprehension
Death and the King’s Horseman
1. In three short sentences, summarise the play extract.
2. List the four main points on which Elesin contradicts Pilkings.
3. In what two ways has Pilkings interfered with Elesin’s life?
Structure
4. Use the information provided on page of your Effective English to write a sentence each
with hardly, scarcely or barely.
Essay
5. Write an article to illustrate this saying, “A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed”
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Revision and Tests Part 1, Page 33, Effective English.
WEEK TWO
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: PROSTRATION

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The passage centres on the childhood of Wole Soyinka. It is an extract from his book titled
‘Ake’. In this passage, Wole Soyinka is faced with the challenge of respecting tradition in the
aspect of prostration.
The passage reveals Soyinka’s view about the act of prostration as a young child. He detected the
act in itself when he was ordered to do so by an elder at the Kabiyesi’s palace.
EVALUATION
Questions 1 – 6, Page 24
Topic: Vocabulary Development: Festivals

The passage is an extract from The Guardian Newspaper. It focuses on the celebration of Sallah
in Sokoto State.
EVALUATION
Vocabulary, page 24
Topic: Noun Phrases and Noun Clauses.
A NOUN PHRASE: The noun phrase is a phrase in which the main word or the head is a noun or
pronoun.
Examples: the big ugly girl
a fat bank account
the man outside
the man from the moon.
Functions of the Noun Phrase
1. As subject of a sentence
The big girl is quarrelsome
The poor suffer a lot
2. As object of a verb.
The officer praised the students
I bought my friend a present
3. As subject complement
Our lecturer may become a commissioner
His wife is a nurse.
4. As object complement
The grateful boy called his friend a saviour.
5. As complement of a preposition.
The governor thought of the brilliant lawyer when choosing his cabinet.
The thief hid the gun under his bed.
B. NOUN CLAUSE: A noun clause is a subordinate clause that performs the functions of a
noun.
Functions of the Noun Clause
1. Subject of a sentence

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What he said is bitter
That he was insulted pained him a great deal.
2. Object of a verb.
The cook gave us what we should eat.
He told us that he would come.
3. Complement of subject
Honesty is what we want.
The important thing is that he has arrived.
4. Complement of object
We call him what he likes
5. Complement of a preposition.
The prize will go to whoever wins.
EVALUATION
Exercise V, Page 182
Exercise No 1, Page 225. Countdown to English.
Topic: Adjectival Phrases and Adjectival Clauses.

A. ADJECTIVAL PHRASE: An adjectival phrase is a phrase which modifies a noun or
pronoun.
Functions of an Adjectival phrase
1. Attributive adjectives.
Fat men seldom run fast.
The slim lady is my wife
2. Predicate adjectives.
Those questions are tough
The man looks stupid
3. Post -modifiers
The boy with a brown cap is my class-mate.
The fund available will not be enough for the project.
4. As nouns
The rich are usually unmindful of the poor.
The government should cater for the needy
B. ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE: An adjectival clause is a subordinate clause that performs the

function of an adjective.
The following conjunctions are usually used to introduce adjectival clauses: who, whom,
whose, that, which, where, when, e.t.c.
Examples of Adjectival clauses
The man who came here is a teacher.
The house which has been renovated, looks very new.

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It was he who slapped me.
The lady whose car was stolen is crying.
That is the goat that ate our yam.
Here is the man about whom I was talking to you.
EVALUATION
Exercise, No 2, Page 211 Exercise, No 2, Page 225, Countdown to English.
Topic: Narrative and Descriptive Essays.
A. NARRATIVE ESSAY: A narrative essay is one that requires you to relate an event or
incident as an eyewitness would. This is the art of story-telling, and a wide experience in
the reading of short stories, novels, and so on, is required.
Your essay must be interesting and convincing; the reader should enjoy reading it and be
led to believe that what he is reading is true. The narrative should follow the order in
which the event took place, gradually moving the reader to the climax of your story. You
only have to state the facts as they were.
Examples of topics on Narrative Essay includes

The Longest Journey That I Have Ever Made.
The Day I Will Never Forget.
How I Spent My Last Holiday
Had I known Always Comes Last.
An Interesting Film I Have Watched.
B. DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY: A descriptive essay is one that requires you to write a description
of, for example, an object, a person, an animal, an incident or a scene. If you choose a descriptive
essay in the examination, you should have a very clear picture in your mind of what you want to
describe. The clearer the picture you have, the better will be your description. Descriptive essays
are usually popular with examination candidates .
To score a high mark, candidates will be expected to give very clear, interesting and informative
description. Examples of topics on Descriptive Essay.
A Market Day In My Town
My Favourite Teacher.
A Wedding I Attended Recently.
My School.
My Ideal House.
EVALUATION
Write an essay on any of the earlier mentioned topics
READING ASSIGNMENT
Sentence Intonation Patterns.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Structure
1. Define and state the types of clauses we have.
Mention the grammatical functions of the underlined noun clauses;
2. What I want for my birthday is a pair of trouser.

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3. The mechanic didn’t know what the problem was.
4. A man of principle is all we ask for.
Essay
5. As the new senior prefect of your school, write a farewell speech meant to be delivered at
the graduation ceremony of the outgoing SS3 students.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Revision and Tests Part 2, Page 33. Effective English
Practice 1, Nos 1- 5, Page 29, Effective English.
WEEK THREE
TOPIC: SPEECH WORK: SENTENCE INTONATION PATTERNS.
Intonation and stress are very important in spoken English. The meaning of an utterance is
affected, not only by stress, but also by the variations in the pitch of a voice.
When one speaks the voice or pitch changes; becomes high or low depending on the meaning the
speaker intends.
The sentence intonation patterns are
1. Falling Tune: The falling tune is usually used in declarative sentences, commands,
exclamations and wh-questions.
a. Statements
Joy works hard in school.
Emeka has given the book to her.
b. Commands
Keep the books on my table
Stand under the tree.
c. Wh – question
Why are your very late?
Who gave you the information?
d. Exclamations
What a good result!
How pretty she is!
2. Rising Tune: The rising tune is used in

a. Polar Questions (questions which demand only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as answer)
Is the wine sweet?
Will Monday be good for it?
Did you eat last night?
b. Utterances showing indifference
You can do what you want
I think that’s right.
c. Listing items.
One, two, three and four.
We need some rice, beans, fish and meat.

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In enumeration, the final item in the list is usually said on a falling tune.
Although the falling and rising intonation patterns are the two basic pitch patterns, the
two
Pitch movements can be combined in long sentences.
3. Rise and fall pattern.

While the boys were working, the girls were playing.
When the rain comes, I‘ll plant my seed yams.
4. Fall and rise pattern

The students are happy, aren’t they?
You can do it, can’t you?
EVALUATION
Exercise 1, Question A, Page 99, Oral English for Schools and Colleges.
Topic: Argumentative Essay: “The Home Is Responsible for the Unruly Behaviour of Teenagers
in the Society.”
An argumentative essay is one that requires you to present a subject with a view to persuading
your reader to agree with your own point of view against another one. The essence of this type of
essay is argument and its subject covers all forms of debate.
An argument may be developed to:
i. prove a point
ii. present a view point
iii. balance the two sides of an issue.
For examination purposes, it is important that the candidate should realize that all debates are
argumentative essays but not all argumentative essays are debates. Debates are framed in such a
way that the writer should know the topic to be discussed, the people that would be around and
possibly where the debate is taking place.
On the other hand, there are topics that merely require your view point. In this type of essay, you
should write out the topic, underline it and start writing your views without addressing anybody.
Example: Write an essay presenting your points for or against the topic, ‘Day student perform
better than boarding students in examinations’.
The above is a good example of an ordinary argumentative essay. No audience is indicated and
no greeting is necessary. All you need to do here is to write the topic and start your essay.
EVALUATION
Write an essay on the topic.
‘The Home Is responsible for the Unruly Behaviour of Teenagers in the Society’.
Topic: Comprehension: Government

The passage is part of a speech delivered by President Babangida to introduce one of the
country’s efforts at devising a constitution for civilian rule.
Babangida urged the citizens to arise to the task of taking the country to a greater height by
searching for a new political order which would launch the country into a new Nigeria. But this
new political order should not be an imitation of the foreign political models because the

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political history and culture of Nigeria are not in anyway the same with that of the foreign
countries.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 36.
Topic: Summary: Party Systems.

The passage centres on the types of party systems. One party system of government has only one
political party which forms the government of the country. The demerit of this party is that it
tends to become too powerful since there is no other party to check it.
A two-party system of government has two major parties. One of the parties rules while the other
watches and keeps in check the ruling party.
A multi-party system allows having as many parties as the electorate wishes. It is difficult for a
party to emerge with an overall majority in an election.
EVALUATION
Question, Page 39.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Nominalization
GENERAL EVALUATION
Structure
1. Write at least five Latin expression used in English Language and explain their meanings.
2. Define direct and indirect speech.
3. Give two examples of direct speech.
4. Give two examples of indirect speech.
5. List three features each for direct and indirect.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Exercise 1, Question B, Page 99 – 100, Oral English for Schools and Colleges.
WEEK FOUR
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION : BUSINESS
The passage centres on the establishment of PZ Cussons and its gradual growth in the nineteenth
century. It was formerly known as PZ until 1975 when it acquired Cussons. Thus, in 2002, it was
renamed PZ Cussons in order to underline its core product range.
Today, PZ Cussions is a leading public company with interests worldwide.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 87
Topic: Vocabulary Development: Business

The passage consist two passages on business. Some of the words used in them include trade,
entrepreneurs, enterprises, factories, industries, apprentices, labourers, warehouse, stock,
manager, export, retail, merchant, e.t.c

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EVALUATION
Vocabulary, Page 88.
Topic: Nominalization.
Nouns formed from adjectives
Adjectives Nouns
able Ability
holy Holiness
lazy laziness
clean cleanliness
bitter bitterness
dark darkness
warm warmth
wise wisdom
young youth
strong strength
poor poverty
ill illness
heavy heaviness
equal equality
Nouns formed from verbs.

Verbs Nouns
repeat repetition
mix mixture
injure injury
enjoy enjoyment
bond bondage
choose choice
accuse accusation
enter entrance
differ difference
hate hatred
govern government
endure endurance
satisfy satisfaction
think thought
EVALUATION
Write the nouns of the following words:
(i) lose (ii) obey (iii) lend (iv) omit (v) give (vi) long (vii) true (viii) deep (ix) hard (x) fertile
TOPIC: Monophthongs and Diphthongs

The vowels in English are classified into two main groups pure vowels (monophthongs) and
diphthongs
A. Monophthongs: The monophthongs are sub-classified into short vowels and long vowels.

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Close Front Centre Back
l: u:
Half Close I u
e ε:
Half Open ə
æ л ‫כ‬:
Open a: ‫כ‬
Diagram showing the English vowel chart.
The monophthongs are listed below with examples of words where they occur.
1. / i: / - beat, seat
2. /i/ - bit, sit
3. /e/ - bed , hen
4. /æ/ - cart, part
5. /a:/ - cart, part
6. /‫כ‬/ - Pot, cork
7. /‫כ‬:/ - port, cork
8. /u / - put, foot
9. /u:/ - two, woo
10 /л/ - hut, cut
11. /3:/ - bird, herb
12. /ə/ akin, baker
B. Diphthongs: The diphthongs differ from the pure vowels (monophthongs) because their
articulation involves a glide from one vowel quality to the other. There are eight
diphthongs in English and their phonetic symbols indicate the initial and final vowels
represented in the articulation.
iə uə
əu
ei
eə
αi αu ‫כ‬i
Diagram showing the diphthongs in English.
The diphthongs are listed below with examples of words where they occur.
1. /ei/ - pay, again
2. / əu / - go, home
3. / αi/ - rice, kite

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4. / au / - cow, house
5. / ‫כ‬i/ - toy, voice
6. / iə / - ear, here
7. / eə / - air, hair
8. / uə / - poor, tour
EVALUATION
Exercise 1, Question C, Nos 1 – 10, Page 30. Exercise 2, Question B, Page 31 Oral English for
Schools and Colleges.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Adverbs and Adverbials
GENERAL EVALUATION
Comprehension
1. Meteors:- Summarise the passage in three short sentences.
Structure
State the grammatical functions of the underlined expressions;
2. Mr John who lost her sight a year ago was elected to the council last week.
3. She gave us direction to the restaurant where we are to meet for lunch.
4. What are the nouns formed from these verbs: lose, lend, do, omit, injure.
Letter Writing
5. Write a letter to your friend who is in another school about your annual inter-house sports
which you celebrated recently.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Exercise 2, Question C, Page 31, Oral English for Schools and Colleges
Revision and Tests, Part 2, Page 46 Effective English.
WEEK FIVE
TOPIC: FORMAL AND INFORMAL LETTERS
A Formal letters: Formal letters are letters we write to people in their official positions.
These people are normally those we do not know personally, who hold official positions in
establishments, schools, business houses, etc. Even when we know them personally, the rule
demands that we still write them impersonal or official letters.
Formal letters can be in the form of applications for admission or employment, requests for
casual leave by staff in offices, official queries and replies to them, letters by students to the
heads of their schools, letters to local government chairman asking for amenities for local
communities and other such topics.
Features of a formal letter
1. Writer’s address and date
2. Receiver’s address
3. Salutation
4. Heading or topic
5. Body of the letter
6. Complimentary close

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Format of a formal letter
3, Fredrick Close,
Martins Avenue
Lagos.
16th July, 2010
The Commissioner,
Ministry of Education,
Lagos
Dear Sir,
Expansion Programme for Baptist College
Body
Yours faithfully,
(Signature)
John Silas
EVALUATION
Write a letter to the Minister of works in your country complaining about the deplorable
condition of the roads in your area and the effects this has on the lives of your people.
B. Informal Letters: Informal letters are private or personal letters. They are letters we write to
people who are very familiar to us such as our parents, relatives, friends, classmates and other
people with whom we have close relationship.
Features of an Informal letter

1. Writer’s address and date.
2. Salutation
3. Introduction
4. Body of the letter
5. Complimentary close.
Format of an informal letter.

5, Biodun Street,
Alakuko,
Lagos,
16th July, 2010.
Dear Eunice,
Body
Yours sincerely,
Bukky.

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EVALUATION
‘You have been staying with your elder brother for sometime and a misunderstanding has
ensued. Write a letter to your father giving at least, three reasons why you feel you can no longer
live with your brother.
Topic: Summary : Novel Extract.

The summary passage is an extract from the novel titled ‘The victims’ by I. Okpewho. In the
passage, a woman named Nwabunor went to visit a soothsayer in order to overcome a challenge.
The soothsayer told her what the gods demanded but she pleaded for the items to be reduced. In
response, the soothsayer informed her that the dangers threatening her life and that of her son
were too great. She was likely to lose her son if she failed to provide what the gods asked for.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 54.
Topic: Adverbs and Adverbials

An adverb is used to describe the action of a verb such as how, where or when it is done.
Examples: He frowned angrily.
The eclipse will occur soon.
The main function of adverbs and adverbial phrases is to modify verbs. They also modify
adjectives, other adverbs and prepositional phrases.
Functions of Adverbs and Adverbials.

1. Modifier of verb
Mary solved the problem quickly.
John visited Musa at Kebbi
2. Modifier of adjective.
Peter is very tall
James is far more handsome than Silas.
3. Modifier of another adverb.
Bunmi runs extremely fast.
He works hard enough to pass his exams.
4. Modifier of prepositional phrase
The girl slapped Tom right in the face
We are quite on time for the party.
EVALUATION
Exercise, Question 1, Page 214
Countdown to English.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Consonant Clusters
GENERAL EVALUATION
Comprehension
The Dynasty of Ketu
1. What two sources of information about the names of kings of ketu are mentioned in the
text?

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2. What inducement was there for the herald to remember accurately and fluently the names
of past Alaketus?
Structure
State the grammatical functions of the underlined expressions.
3. He left the letter where it could be easily seen.
4. Because he was wrong, he apologised.
5. In order that he might secure a seat, he arrived at the stadium.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Exercise, Question 2, Page 214, Countdown to English.

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WEEK SIX
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: IRRIGATION
The passage is adapted from Small Scale Irrigation by Peter Stern. The sprinkler method of
irrigation is discussed at length.. The most common type of sprinkler used with portable systems
is the rotating head sprinler, consisting of a head, with one or two nozzles, which is rotated
slowly by the action of the water passing through it, and which waters a roughly circular piece of
land around the sprinkler.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 112
Topic: Vocabulary: Technical Words.

The words related to irrigation are equipment, fields, hydraulic, trench, regions, tropical, sub-
tropical, e.t.c.
EVALUATION
Vocabulary, Page 113
Topic: Sequence of Tenses.

In 1982, PZ’s Managing Director, Basil Sponddeas, who has spend/had spent/spends his entire
life working in the company, retired/has retired. He is succeeded/was succeeded/has succeeded
by George Loupos.
Where there is a choice of verbs in the above, select the appropriate one.
EVALUATION
Practice 1, Page 91.
Topic: Consonant Clusters.

The English Language permits some consonants to follow each other in a sequence without an
intervening vowel in a syllable. When two or more consonants come together, they form a
consonant cluster. This cluster can appear at the beginning of the syllable or at the end.
In some words, it is not easy to identify consonant clusters by merely looking at the written form
of the world. Such words manifest the clusters only when they are pronounce.
The following are examples.
Word Correct Pronunciation
new /nju:/
few /fju:/
cute /kju:t/
tune /tju:n/
view /vju:/
stew /stju:/
student /stju:dənt/
Clusters of two consonants at the initial position include

play /plei/
bright /brait/
drain /drein/

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threat /θret/
clan /klæn/
hew /hju:/
Clusters of two consonants at the final position include

Sacked /sækt/
Washed /w‫כ‬st/
Marks /ma:ks/
Maps /mæps/
Lanes /leinz/
Loaves /ləuvz/
EVALUATION
Write the symbol of the consonants in a cluster in the following of words.
Clean, frog, human, begs, talked, dwell, eighth, thrice, cast, shift.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Figures of Speech.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Comprehension
1. What are useful hints on answering comprehension questions?
2. Give useful hints on understanding comprehension passages.
Speech Work
3. Define consonant sounds.
4. What are word stress, emphatic stress, and rhymes.
Essay
5. Write an essay on ‘The day I will never forget’
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Revision and Tests, Part 1, Page 95, Effective English.
Exercise 2, Question b, Page 82, Oral English for Schools and Colleges.
WEEK SEVEN
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: NOVEL EXTRACT.
The passage is an extract from the Novel titled ‘A Good Man in Africa’ by William Boyd. A
woman, named Innocence, had been struck dead by thunder. All attempts by Morgan to get
Innocence’s body taken to the morgue was in vain. The belief that certain sacrifices need to be
carried out on anyone struck down by thunder prevented anyone, including the police, from
taking the corpse away. Morgan was surprised that even the “Christians” made reference to tribal
protocol.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 49.
Topic: Vocabulary Development: French Words

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French is one of the European languages that have developed out of Latin. Some French
expressions are used in English.
Examples include:
á la carte: refers to that part of a menu where each dish is listed with its price.
Á la mode: fashionable
Bourgeoisie: the middle class
Chef: senior cook
Communiqué: an official announcement
Déjà vu: seen before
Fiancé: a man who is engaged to be married.
Malaise: an uneasy feeling
Gauche: social clumsy or inept
Précis: a summary
RSVP: stands for repondez s’il vous plait. These letters are placed at the foot of a formal
invitation when a reply is needed. They mean ‘please reply’.
EVALUATION
Practice 1, Page 52
Topic: Writing: Articles

Articles are expository essays. An expository essay is one that requires you to explain a thing or
a process fully. The explanation will necessarily demand writing a great deal about what
distinguishes the subject of the essay from all other things.
It may also involve some description.
Sample outline on articles. There have been various articles in your national newspapers
discussing the rise in the prices of goods. Write your contribution to the discussion and suggest
ways to help curb the trend.
Paragraphs
1. Introduction; Your observation.
2. Explaining the problem.
3. First major result
4. Second major result
5. Conclusion: The need to solve the problem.
EVALUATION
Write an article for publication in one of your local newspapers on the good effects of
accountability and transparency.
Topic: Figures of Speech.

A figure of speech is any departure from the literal (i.e ordinary) use of a word or phrase. Some
of the commonest figures of speech which cut across genres are simile, metaphor, irony,
paradox, euphemism, hyperbole, personification, litotes, oxymoron, allegory, alliteration, pun,
rhetorical question, etc.
1. Simile: This is a figure of speech in which two things of identical or similar qualities are
indirectly compared through the use of ‘like’ or ‘as’.
E.g. Peter is as cunny as a snake.
Jane is like an angel.

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2. Metaphor: This is a direct comparison of things without the use of ‘like’ or ‘as’.
E.g. Peter is a snake
Jane is an angel
3. Personification: This is a figure of speech in which the quality of living things is transferred to
non-living things.
E.g. The sun smiled at me.
The trees are dancing in the wind.
4. Euphemism: This involves the presentation of an unpleasant thing or experience in a palatable
way. In most cases, to remove the pain of sad or bad news.
E.g. The old man has kicked the bucket.
The king has joined his ancestors.
5. Irony: A figure of speech in which the ordinary or literal meaning of the word is more or less
the opposite of what the speaker intends.
E.g. What a pretty state of affairs!
He jokingly describes the midget as a ‘very tall’ person.
6. Paradox: A statement which initially appears to be absurd or contradictory but which, on
closer examination, contains an important truth.
E.g. Make haste slowly.
Attack is the best form of defence.
7. Pun: A play on words which have a similar sound but different meanings usually for
humorous effect.
E.g. The dead drunkard was laid on his bier. (pun on beer/bier)
The minister claims he is a soul administrator (sole/soul)
8. Onomatopoeia: The formation of words in imitation of the actual sound made.
E.g. The hiss of a snake
The splash of water.
EVALUATION
Give two examples each on the following: (l) simile (ll) metaphor (lll) irony (lv) personification
(v) pun
READING ASSIGNMENT
Lexical and Auxiliary verbs.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Theory
1. Write short notes on the following:
i. Alliteration
ii. Onomatopoeia
Speech Work
2. What are vowel sounds?
3. List out the twelve pure vowel sounds.
4. List out the eight diphthongs sounds.
5. With two examples each, write out ten consonant sounds.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

Page 20
WEEK EIGHT
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: LAW ENFORCEMENT AGREEMENT
The passage centres on the attempts by the Nigeria Government to curb drug trafficking in the
country. Nigeria’s geographical position gives it the unfortunate distinction of being the natural
hub for drug trafficking to and from the Americas, to Europe and across Africa. The United State
Government signed an executive agreement on procedures for mutual assistance in law
enforcement matters in November 1987. Some success have been recorded but much still
remains to b done.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 64
Topic: Vocabulary Development: Justice Delayed .

Some of the words related to law include investigation, punishment, plaintiff sentence, trial,
legal, judge etc.
EVALUATION
Topic: Lexical and Auxiliary Verbs.

A. Lexical Verbs: Lexical (or main) verbs are those that can stand done as the verb element of
the sentence.
E.g. Dike did the work yesterday.
We are students.
John cut down the tree today.
Where the verb element of a sentence consists of more than one verb, the lexical (main) verb
always appears last.
E.G. Dike has done the work
We are studying English
I have read the book.
B. Auxiliary verbs: Auxiliary verbs are those that help the main verbs perform their functions.
There are two kinds of auxiliary verbs: Primary and modal. A major difference between the two
kinds is that; while the primary auxiliaries can also be used as lexical verbs, the modal auxiliaries
cannot.
1. Primary Auxiliaries: be, do, have.
be - I am going to school
do – Charles did not attend class.
Have – I have done the work.
ll. Modal Auxiliaries:

can – Joy can go if she likes
could – John could run fast when he was young.
may – Obi may come with us.
might – It might rain this afternoon.
shall – I shall attend the party.
will - He will play for us today.

Page 21
should – We should eat the food since it is safe.
would – If I had a car, I would travel often.
must - You must tell the truth
ought to – Every student ought to study hard.
use to - We used to fly kites when we were young
need – You need to leave now
dare – Nobody dare insult our leader.
EVALUATION
Make five sentences with the following. be, do, have, could, may.
Topic: Speech Work: Consonants

There are twenty –four consonants in speech in English. Three factors are usually considered in
the classification of consonants. These are ‘place of articulation’,
‘manner of articulation and ‘state of the glottis? This chart below shows the classification
according to these features.
Manner of articulationState of the Glottis Place of Articulation

Voiceless Voiced
p b Bilabial
STOP t d Alveolar
(PLOSIVE) k g Velar
FRICATIVE f v Labio-dental
θ Dental
s z Alveolar
S Palato-Alveolar
h Glottal
AFFRICATE ts d Plato-Alveolar
LATERAL l Alveolar
LIQUID r Alveolar
SEMI-VOWEL w Bilabial
j Palatal
m Bilabial
NASAL h Alveolar
ŋ Velar
Examples of words where the consonants occurs.

1. /p/ - pan, nap
2. /b/ - bud, rub
3. /t/ - tea, seat
4. /d/ - dip, hide
5. /k/ - come, pack
6. /g/ - get, rag
7. /f/ - fork, cough
8. /v/ - van, live
9. /θ / - think, both
10. / / - this, breathe
11. / s / - sip, place

Page 22
12. /z/ - zink, has
13. /s/ - ship, fish
14. /З/ - genre, garage
15. / h/ - hat, behave
16. / ts/ - cheap, teach
17. /dЗ/ - joy, page
18. /l/ - lock, sell
19. / r/ - rag, borrow
20. / w/ - win, rewind
21. / j/ - yes, new
22. /m/ - man, him
23. /n/ - net, rain
24. / ŋ/ - singer, bang
EVALUATION
Exercise 1, Question 9 Page 67, Oral English for Schools and Colleges.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Modal Auxiliaries.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Structure
Verb Tenses
Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms of the verbs in the brackets.
1. Amadi has never........... late to school. (come)
2. His mother, together with his sisters,...........in the bakery. (work)
3. He ........... a lot of reading everyday. (do)
4. My friend and confidant .......... in Lagos. (live)
5. Either his brother or his cousins ............ him advice.(give)
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Revision and Tests, Part 1 Page 73, Effective English

Page 23
WEEK NINE
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: LAW AND ORDER.
The passage is adapted from the Daily Sketch. It is a report of a court case. The case involved
five people including three women and a fifth form student of a Grammar School in Oyo. They
were accused of breaking into the shop of Sule Ajibade and Bosede Shittu and stealing various
articles. After the hearing, the case was adjourned till 12 March for hearing.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 79.
Topic: Vocabulary Development: Administration of Justice.

Words associated with law and order include lawyer, legal, court, defence, convicted, sentenced,
remanded, appeal, enforcement, charges, criminal, discharge, remand, etc.
EVALUATION
Topic: Modal Auxiliaries

There are thirteen modal auxiliaries. They are can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would,
must, ought to, used to, need and dare.
Uses
a. can/could
To express permission, possibility, ability or capacity.
E.g. Jane can go if she likes. (permission)
That river can be bridged. (possibility)
John could run fast when he was young.(ability)
b. may/might
To express permission or possibility.
E.g. Obi may come with us if he likes.(permission)
It might rain this afternoon.(possibility)
c. shall/will
To express simple futurity, determination, order or willingness to do something.
E.g. We shall attend the party.(futurity)
I will attend the ceremony.(determination)
d. should
To express obligation and logical necessity, condition.
E.g. He should attend the interview if he wants the job.(obligation)
If the boy should come, please inform me.(condition)
e. would
To express habitual action in the past, a request politely, a probability.
E.g. Every Sunday, we would attend the morning service in the church.(habitual action in the
past)
I would like to come with you.(request)

Page 24
f. must
To express obligation in the present and future, a logical necessity.
E.g. You must obey your elders.(obligation)
There must be a mistake in that calculation.(logical necessity)
g. ought to
To express obligation/the equivalent of should and to express a logical necessity or an
expectation.
E.g. Every student ought to study hard.(obligation)
You ought to have finished the work by now.(expectation)
h. used to
To express habitual action in the past
E.g. We used to fly kites when we were young.
i. need (in negative sentence, to express the absence of obligation)

E.g. You need to leave now.
j. dare (as auxiliary verb, and especially in negative sentences and questions.
E.g. Nobody dare insult our leader
You dare not eat that food.
EVALUATION
Construct one sentence each to illustrate the uses of the verbs shall, must, could, might, need.
Topic: Report Writing

A report is any kind of account given of any event that has taken place.
The approach to the writing of a report depends on the audience or readers for whom it is meant
and on whether there is a standard format for it.
The report becomes formal when it is presented as a formal document giving details of an event.
A formal report can be that of a robbery, an accident, the proceedings of a meeting, a work-camp
or a petition.
Sample of a formal report.
J. S. 3A
14th June, 2010.
The Principal
Queen of Apostles’ Secondary School,
Zaria.
Sir,
Report of the Robbery in Amina Hostel.
(Text of the Report)

Page 25
Jumai Mohammed
Prefect (Amina Hostel).
EVALUATION
As the president of your club, write out a plan on your annual address which should be a review
of the past year, emphasizing the objectives of the club.
READING ASSIGNMENT
Word Stress.
GENERAL EVALUATION
Comprehension
The Victims
1. List the hardship in the woman’s life, including the one that has caused her to visit the
soothsayer from the play extract.
2. List the reasons given by the soothsayer for not making payment easier for the woman.
Structure
Say whether ‘as’ expresses time, reason or contrast in each of these sentences.
3. I didn’t stay long as I was in a hurry.
4. Tired as we were, we continued working.
5. As I was reading the book, an insect fell onto the page.
WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT
Revision and Tests Parts 1 and 2, Page 73, Effective English
WEEK TEN
TOPIC: COMPREHENSION: HELPING ADDICTS.
The passage is adapted from the Evening Standard. It centres on a psychotherapist named
Malcolm Scott and his attempt to help drug addicts. He puts them up in the lonely house where
he lives. He and his patients get to know each other pretty well during this time: there are few
distractions in the lonely house and the nearest bar is ten kilometers away.
EVALUATION
Questions, Page 99.
Topic: Vocabulary: Addiction.

Some words related to addiction are medicines, injections, trafficker, addict, cocaine, heroin,
drug, crave, illegal, etc.
EVALUATION
Addiction, Page 100.
Topic: Speech Work: Stress in words of seven syllables and in compound words.
Stress is an important feature of speech. It is to give extra force to a word or syllable when
saying it.
Words of seven syllables.

Page 26
In-de-fen-si-BIL-i-ty
In-di-spen-sa-BIL-i-ty
In-di-vis-i-BIL-i-ty
Im-pen-e-tra-BIL-i-ty
Im-per-me-a-BIL-i-ty
In-ad-miss-i-BIL-i-ty
In – a- ccess-i-BIL-i-ty
Compound Words
absent-MINDed
Action-packed
back-DOOR
blue-CHIP
Bottle-feed
FLY-by
EVALUATION
Identify the syllable with the stress in the following words.
i. incontestability
ii. Individualism
iii. Individualistic
iv. Intellectualism
v. irrefutability
vi. passer-by
vii. in-laws
viii. top-class
ix. vice-president
x. wide-eyed
GENERAL EVALUATION
1. Tell a story that ends with the words..... and l have had to live with this stigma for the rest
of my life.
2. There has been an outbreak of epidemic in your area, write an article for publication in a
health magazine stating the causes and effects, and suggesting what should be done in
order to check it
3. Recently there was a rainstorm which caused a lot of damage in your locality. Write an
article for publication in your school magazine, describing the rainstorm, the damage
caused and its effect on the people.
4. You had a quarrel with a very good friend of yours sometimes ago and since then both of
you have not been on speaking terms. Write a letter to him or her expressing your regret
at the break of the relationship and your desire for reconciliation.
5. Write a letter to the commissioner for education in your state deploring the low
level of food production in the state and suggesting measures in which the government
should take to ensure that there is sufficient food for all.

Page 27

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FIRST TERM E-LEARNING NOTE

SUBJECT: ENGLISH LANGUAGE CLASS: SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Vocabulary Development: Festivals

Topic: Noun Phrases and Noun Clauses.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Adjectival Phrases and Adjectival Clauses.

B. ADJECTIVAL CLAUSE: An adjectival clause is a subordinate clause that performs the

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Narrative and Descriptive Essays.

Examples of topics on Narrative Essay includes

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

2. Rising Tune: The rising tune is used in

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

3. Rise and fall pattern.

4. Fall and rise pattern

Topic: Comprehension: Government

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Summary: Party Systems.

Topic: Vocabulary Development: Business

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Nouns formed from verbs.

TOPIC: Monophthongs and Diphthongs

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Diagram showing the English vowel chart.

Diagram showing the diphthongs in English.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Expansion Programme for Baptist College

Features of an Informal letter

Format of an informal letter.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Summary : Novel Extract.

Topic: Adverbs and Adverbials

Functions of Adverbs and Adverbials.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Vocabulary: Technical Words.

Topic: Sequence of Tenses.

Topic: Consonant Clusters.

Clusters of two consonants at the initial position include

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Clusters of two consonants at the final position include

Topic: Vocabulary Development: French Words

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Writing: Articles

Topic: Figures of Speech.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Vocabulary Development: Justice Delayed .

Topic: Lexical and Auxiliary Verbs.

ll. Modal Auxiliaries:

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

Topic: Speech Work: Consonants

Manner of articulationState of the Glottis Place of Articulation

Examples of words where the consonants occurs.

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3

MR OSHO/1ST TERM/ENGLISH LANGUAGE/SS3