Grammar, Summary, Vocabulary Development SS3 English Studies Lesson Note

SUMMARY

Summary is the contraction into a few sentences the main point and essence of an essay, the discourse of any formal document.

To summarise is to describe in your own words a shortened version of the passage you have read, stating the main points and leaving out every other thing that is not essential. This is more than a retelling, it involves analysing information, distinguishing important from unimportant elements, and translating a lot of information into a few words or sentences. The summary allows you to reinforce the learning of major points. Therefore, when reading to summarise, you need to;

1. Pull out the key details and points.
2. Focus on the main points or key details.
3. Use the keywords and phrases.
4. Break down large ideas.
5. Take succinct but complete notes, you should not;

• Copy word for word. 
• Get scanty in ideas. 
• Write too much. 
• Write an incomplete sentence.
• Write down almost everything in the passage.
• Write ideas that are not expressed in the passage.

It is also important to note that;

1. Only the main point and some subordinate points are required.
2. The main point can be stated directly or implied.
3. All extraneous materials should be left out. Use a few quotations. 

WORDS WITH A CLUSTER OF TWO CONSONANTS OCCURRING IN THE FINAL POSITION

There are many more combinations of consonant sounds possible at the end of English words than at the beginning. There can be up to four consonant sounds in a final consonant cluster

Some final clusters with three or four consonants can be difficult to pronounce even for native English speakers, so in some words, these are commonly simplified. For example, the middle consonant of the clusters /kts/, /mps/, /mpt/, /nts/, /ndz/ and /skt/ is hardly heard or sometimes even left out.

Leaving final consonants out of consonant clusters at the end of words can cause misunderstanding, and you should avoid this. For example, say:
product (not: product)       jump (not: jump)     hand (not: hand)

In particular, avoid leaving out /z/ or /s/ in plurals and third person singular verb forms, and /t/ or /d/ in –ed verbs and adjectives:
jobs (not: jobs)         sleeps (not: sleep)
laughed (not: laughed)      curved (not: curved)

Don’t be tempted to add vowels to consonant clusters to make them easier to say, as this can also cause misunderstanding. You should –

• avoid adding an extra vowel (usually /ɪ/ or /ə/) between consonants:
  watched (not: watchɪd) health (not: healəth ) dogs (not: dogəs)
• avoid adding an extra vowel (usually /ə/ or /u:/ ) at the end of the word:
  last (not: lastə) announce (not: announceə) attempts (not: attempts:)
• avoid adding an extra vowel at the end of an adjective, as this can sound like a comparative form:
  fast (not: fastə because it sounds like ‘faster’)
  damp (not: dampə because it sounds like ‘damper’)

Exercises

1. How many final consonant sounds – 1, 2, 3, or 4 – do the words in the box have when they are spoken slowly and carefully? (Note that the number of consonant sounds may be different from the number of consonant letters.) 
2. Put the words in the appropriate row: accents     against     aspects     attempts     axe     catch     contexts diamonds     ears     earth     grasped     laughed     ledge      next     risked     sculpts     stamps      tempts     touched

1 final consonant sound: ____________________________
2 final consonant sounds: ____________________________
3 final consonant sounds: accents /nts/____________________________
4 final consonant sounds: attempts /mpts/____________________________

Check your answers by listening and saying the words.
Answers

2. 2. Listen to some of the words from the same exercise used in conversation. Some final clusters are simplified. Underline the words which are simplified and show which sound is left out or reduced.

EXAMPLES
It was a long jump, but he risked it. – k (the /k/ sound is left out)
He helped us a lot. (no simplification)

1. It’s my turn next.
2. It’s a recording of regional accents.
3. Don’t forget to buy some stamps.
4. I’ve always been against it.
5. The question has several aspects.
6. She loved diamonds.
7. It was taken out of context.
8. They grasped it easily.

Answers
Exercise 2

1. next (no simplification)
2. accents t
3. stamps (no simplification)
4. against (no simplification
5. aspects t
6. diamonds d
7. context (no simplification)
8. rasped (no simplification)

WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH MOTOR VEHICLES

A vehicle is defined as a thing used for transporting people or goods, especially, on land. Eg car, lorry, or cart.

Types of Vehicles

1. Sports Car
2. Truck
3. Motorcycle
4. Bus
5. Van
6. SUV etc.

Words Associated with Motor/Vehicle

Horseless Carriage, Bus, Convertible, cars, auto, automobile, truck, motorised, jeep, taxi, minivan Mercedes, wheelers, car wheel, cab, gearbox, traffic, spare tire, odometer, mileage, scooter, headlights, radiator, glove compartment, alternative, seatbelt, wagon, carburetor, cab, etc. 

REVISION OF PRONOUNS AND THEIR USES

A pronoun is a word used instead of a noun. The major function of pronouns is to avoid repetition which makes a statement or write-up clumsy. 

Note: that Pronouns must not be used to start an essay or a story without their antecedent. E.g. Mary has just gone home. She said she was ill.

                              ↑                                  ↑

                     Antecedent                   Pronoun

TYPES OF PRONOUNS

There are eight (8) types of pronouns namely:

1. Personal Pronoun: This is the pronoun that deals with persons.
2. Possessive Pronoun: This is a pronoun that shows ownership. Note: They don’t take apostrophes. Examples are my, our, your, their, etc.
3. Demonstrative Pronoun: This is a pronoun that points to a person or a thing. It shows how far or near an object is. In English, there are only four (4) demonstrative pronouns, namely:

• This
• That
• These 
• Those. 

4.     Reflexive Pronoun: This is a pronoun that deals with “self or selves”. It is used to refer to the subject as the doer of the action of the verb.
5. Reciprocal Pronoun: This is a pronoun that involves mutual parties. Examples of such pronouns are each other and one another. We use each other when the action is shared by two people or things. Then one another is used when the action is shared by more than two people or things.
6. Indefinite Pronouns/Universal Pronouns: These refer to general concepts of persons. This means that it lacks specification. Examples – some, any, all, none, few, somebody, anybody, everybody, nobody, each, someone, anyone, everyone, no one, one, something, anything, everything, nothing, several. Note that whenever indefinite pronouns are used a singular verb must follow.

Note also that, at times you will see distributive pronouns some of which are inclusive in the indefinite pronouns. Examples –  all, either, many, each, few.

7. Relative Pronoun:  This connects two ideas in a sentence. they refer especially to the noun which is usually the subject or the thing talked about. They introduce a subordinate clause. Examples –  who, whose, that, what, which, whom, how, where, when.

8. Interrogative Pronouns: These are used for asking or introducing questions. The sentences in which they are used always end with a question mark (?). Examples – who, whom, what, which, whose, how, where, why, when.

ASSIGNMENT: Make sentences three sentences with personal pronouns and distribute them in a tabular form as we did.

REFERENCE BOOKS:

• J. Eyesi et al. New Concept English for SS3.
• Ayo et al Macmillan Mastering Series English Language for Senior Secondary Schools.