Grammar, Summary, Vocabulary Development SS3 English Studies Lesson Note

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

A consonant cluster (/kɒnsənənt klʌstə/) is a group of consonants in a word with no vowel(s) separating them. Very common in English, this phenomenon is particularly difficult for speakers of languages such as Spanish, Arabic, and Japanese, where vowel/consonant or consonant/vowel follow each other quite strictly.

Consonant clusters can occur at the beginning of a word, in the middle, and/or at the end. Linking further hinders understanding for students.

Contents

Examples of clusters

Initial consonant clusters

Note: Don’t confuse consonant sounds with consonant letters. For example, system /ˈsɪstəm/ begins with only one consonant and not 4, because “y” is a vowel in this case. See Decoding the letter Y.

BeginningEnglish words can have up to three consonants at the beginning of a word:

• screw; split; spring; strange; street; stream; clumps ; swell; pray; through.

Middle

English words can have four or even five consonants in the middle of a word. In these cases, they will be in different syllables.

• handspring /nd.spr/
• abstract /b.str/
• extra /k.str/
• explain /k.spl/
• instruct /n.str/
• sightscreen /t.skr/
• watch strap /tʃ.str/ (/tʃ/ counts as only one consonant)

Ending

Although not very frequent, English words can have up to four consonants at the end of a word:

• attempts /mpts/
• glimpsed /most/
• sixths /ksθs/
• twelfths /lfθs/
• thousandths /ndθs/
• prompt
• Gold
• Exist
• Task
• Told

LISTENING TO REPRODUCE MAIN POINTS AND IDEAS IN A SPEECH

Specific objective: by the end of the lesson, the students should be able to;

1. Identify the main points of the speech, irrelevant points, and points of secondary importance
2. Discuss important aspects of other people’s religious belief
3. Identify a speaker’s mood, tone, and purpose in oral speech

 ( Listening to grasp main points and ideas in a speech)

• The main points/ideas in any given passage are usually the essential contents and the topic sentence. It summarises what the passage is all about.
• Listening attentively is the foundation of all learning. It helps students to get maximum information from teachers and other students. It helps them to respond to statements and questions sensibly and follow class discussions with profitability. On the other hand, poor listening skills often result in misunderstanding and wrong responses.

Evaluation and Assignment

1. What are the main ideas/points in a speech?
2. Read the comprehension passage (listening comprehension passages) at appendix 4 (back page of the New Concept English Book 1) on the topic “Corruption in Nigeria: Causes and Solution and answer the questions on unit 1 page 16.

REVISION OF VERB AND VERB PHRASE

Verb and Verb phrase

A verb can be seen as a word or group of words that expresses action, existence, or occurrence, that is, what the subject of a sentence does, is, and what action the subject receives. A verb combines with a subject to make a statement, give a command, or ask a question. It is the most important part of speech, for it is the heart of the sentence. It gives meaning to the sentence.

A verb phrase is a combination of the auxiliary verb, also known as the helping verb, and a main verb.

 Types of Verb Phrases

1. Finite and non-finite: The finite verb shows a relationship with the subject of the sentence, that is, it’s limited to a particular number of persons. Eg. I am; We are; They are; He/She/It; David studied Law.

Non-finite verbs include the gerund(eating), participle (water), and the infinitive (to go). Eg. Dancing is good exercise; I want to eat et

1. Transitive and Intransitive verb: A transitive verb has a direct object. It needs an object to complete its meaning. Eg. She ate the rice.; She gave them the ball.

Intransitive verbs need no object to complete their meaning. It is complete in itself. Eg. She sleeps; She lays down; God is love. It is also called linking verbs examples; appear, feel, grow, lay, look, prove, smell, sound, taste, turn, seem, set etc.

Functions of Verb phrase

1. To show complete action(perfected aspect ). Eg

1. I have eaten the yam(present perfect).
2. She has eaten the yam(past perfect).

1. To show a continuous action(continuous/progressive aspect). Eg 

1. I am writing (present continuous).

1. To indicate the future. Eg.

1. She will go to school tomorrow.
2. He shall wake up at 9. am.  

1. To indicate the conditional sentence. Eg.

1. John would sing if you gave him ten naira.
2. He would buy a new bag if he had enough money.

1. To show emphasis in a sentence. Eg.

1. My mother did visit the girls.
2. I did read the novel.
3. I did eat the food.

1. To indicate a negative sentence. Eg.

1. My father did not visit the hospital.

1. To indicate passive voice. Eg.

1. The food was eaten by Ogo.
2. The junior girls were beaten by the senior girls. 

DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN BRITISH AND AMERICAN SPELLING OF COMMON WORDS

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’

        harbour                                habor

        honour                                honor

        labour                                 labor

        neighbour                          neighbor

        favour                                 favor

        vapour                                vapor

        odour                                  odor

C        ‘re’                                    ‘er’

        centre                                center

        metre                                 meter

        kilometre                            kilometer

 D      ‘amme’                                ‘am’

        gramme                              gram

        kilogramme                       kilogram

        programme                       program

E       ‘ogue’                                ‘og’

        dialogue                               dialog

        catalogue                            catalog

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

There is also the usual practice of replacing ‘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

    Diarrhoea                            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

1. Use the information provided on the page of your Effective English to write a sentence each with hardly, scarcely or barely.

Essay

1. Write an article to illustrate this saying, “A Friend in Need Is a Friend Indeed”