Grammar, Summary, Vocabulary Development – SS3 English Lesson Note (First Term)

This note covers four areas of English for SS3: consonant clusters at the end of words, listening for the main points of a speech, verbs and verb phrases, and the differences between British and American spelling. A consonant cluster is a group of consonants in a word with no vowel separating them.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Identify consonant clusters at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of words.
2. Identify the main points of a speech, irrelevant points, and points of secondary importance.
3. Discuss important aspects of other people’s religious belief.
4. Identify a speaker’s mood, tone and purpose in oral speech.
5. Identify finite, non-finite, transitive and intransitive verbs, and state the functions of verb phrases.
6. Give the British and American spellings of common words.

What is a consonant cluster?

A consonant cluster (/kɒnsənənt klʌstə/) is a group of consonants in a word with no vowel separating them. Very common in English, this feature is particularly difficult for speakers of languages such as Spanish, Arabic and Japanese, where vowels and consonants 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.

Note: Do not 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.

Initial consonant clusters

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

• screw
• split
• spring
• strange
• street
• stream

Examples with two consonants at the beginning: clumps, swell, pray, through.

Middle consonant clusters

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)

Final consonant clusters

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

• attempts /mpts/
• glimpsed /mpst/
• sixths /ksθs/
• twelfths /lfθs/
• thousandths /ndθs/

Other examples of words ending in a consonant cluster: prompt, gold, exist, task, told.

How do you listen for the main points and ideas in a speech?

• The main points or ideas in any given passage are usually the essential contents and the topic sentence. They summarise 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 to follow class discussions profitably. On the other hand, poor listening skills often result in misunderstanding and wrong responses.

What are verbs and verb phrases?

A verb is 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 an auxiliary verb, also known as a helping verb, and a main verb.

Types of verb phrases

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

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

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

   An intransitive verb needs no object to complete its meaning. It is complete in itself. Examples: She sleeps; She lies down.

   Linking verbs join the subject to a word that describes it, and they take no object. Example: God is love. Other linking verbs are appear, feel, grow, look, prove, smell, sound, taste, turn and seem.

Functions of verb phrases

1. To show complete action (perfect aspect). Examples:
   • I have eaten the yam (present perfect).
   • She had eaten the yam (past perfect).
2. To show a continuous action (continuous or progressive aspect). Example:
   • I am writing (present continuous).
3. To indicate the future. Examples:
   • She will go to school tomorrow.
   • He shall wake up at 9 a.m.
4. To indicate the conditional sentence. Examples:
   • John would sing if you gave him ten naira.
   • He would buy a new bag if he had enough money.
5. To show emphasis in a sentence. Examples:
   • My mother did visit the girls.
   • I did read the novel.
   • I did eat the food.
6. To indicate a negative sentence. Example:
   • My father did not visit the hospital.
7. To indicate the passive voice. Examples:
   • The food was eaten by Ogo.
   • The junior girls were beaten by the senior girls.

What are the differences between British and American spelling?

Some American spellings are quite different from the British spellings. Americans believe that a word should be spelt as it is pronounced. The differences are shown in the following groups of examples.

British ‘s’ and American ‘z’

British ‘our’ and American ‘or’

British ‘re’ and American ‘er’

British ‘amme’ and American ‘am’

British ‘ogue’ and American ‘og’

Verbs ending in ‘l’

In American English, verbs which end in ‘l’ and are not stressed on the final syllable do not double the ‘l’ in the -ing form and the past participle.

Words with ‘ae’ or ‘oe’

Americans usually replace ‘ae’ or ‘oe’ in words of Greek and Latin origin with ‘e’. The British retain the original spelling.

Evaluation

Listening

1. What are the main ideas or points in a speech?

Spelling

1. Give ten words that are spelt differently in British and American English.

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”.

Assignment

1. 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.
2. Reading assignment: Phrases and Clauses.