SYNONYM

Words which have similar meaning are called synonyms. They help to avoid some repetition of words,  thereby making a writing  piece rich with vocabulary. Examples of synonyms:

abundant plenty
powerful strong
Profit gain
arrive come
blank empty
aid                  help
buy                 purchase
weak feeble
broad wide
rapid quick

Exercise
Replace the underlined word with their synonyms
1. We assembled there last Saturday
2. The wide river is shallow
3The table is circular in shape
4. The man is so huge 
5. We talked till ten o’clock
6. There is no vacant seat here

The use of Figures of speech in English

Figures of speech are techniques that writers use to make their writings more interesting. They are used to create some special effects . Examples are

1. Simile : this is the comparison of two similar things using  "as"  or "like".  Example :  a. Ade is as dirty as a pig
b. Stop crawling like a snail
2. Metaphor : this is a direct comparison of two things,  but in this case "as"  or "like"  is not used,  as one thing is stated as another. Example:
 a.  Emeka is a Lion
 b.  My mother is an angel
3. Irony.  This is a statement or something that means the opposite. Example:
a.  She is so intelligent that she came first from  behind.
b. Thank you so much for getting me into trouble,  it was quite helpful
4. Euphemism. This is a nice way of saying unpleasant. Example :
a. Amaka has been put in the family way. This means that Amaka is pregnant
b. The old man killed the bucket yesterday. This means the old man died yesterday.
5. Hyperbole : This is an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis. Example:
a. Thanks a million
b. After the fight, John was swimming  in a pool of his  own blood

Exercise
Write a fourteen line poem,  and use at least three figures of speech to enrich your language.

Jss 1 English questions

Jss 1  English questions first term

 Grammar ( answer all questions in this section)

Fill the blank spaces with the suitable word from the options
1.  No news.......... been heard yet about the missing boy (a)  have (b) is (c)  has (d)  will (e) had
2. The cash prize is for Mary and.......... (a) I (b) she (c) me (d) he (e) he
3. Mr Johnson speaks........ (a) loud (b) loudly (c) louding (d) low (e) lowest
4........ Mary live in London (a) Do (b)  Have (c) Does (d) Have not (e) haven’nt
5.  Frank as well as his sister........ coming to the party  (a) is (b) were (c) are (d) aren’t (e)weren’t
6. Sue always...........   her flute in the afternoon (a) practice (b) practicing (c) practices (d) will practice (e) has  practiced
7. It......... Cloudy tomorrow (a)  will be (b) is (c) was (d) were (e) has been
8. My father______ to help people (a) love (b)  like (c)  loves (d) “is liking” (e) has liked
9.The  cake has gone half way,  because Ada ______ a part of it yesterday (a)  cutted (b) cut (c) share (d) give (e) has ate
10 . Usman’s father has a ______ of cars.  (a) fleet (b) Bunch (c) Pride (d) pack (e) team
11.  Last year, I ______ to study every night, because I wanted to pass my exams. (a) am having (b) had (c) have (d) has having (e) would have
12. She dedicated the novel _______ her aunt. (a) at (b) for (c) in (d) on (e) to
13. Mariam won the race because she ran ______ than Esther. (a) fast (b) faster (c) fastest (d) more fast (e) more fastly
14. Musa brought ______ of sand to the construction site. (a) bunches (b) grains (c) heaps (d) pieces (e) piles
15 .John  did not take part ______ the parade. (a) at (b) for (c) in (d) on (e) with

Speech work 
Which of the words in questions 26 and 27 have the same sound as the Phonetic Symbol below
 16. /ɜ: / (a) bud (b) chair (c) girl (d) met (e) pair
17./ʌ/  (a) bucket (b) future (c) journey (d) tailor (e) turn
18. Another name for Monophthongs is....... (a) diphthong (b) Triphthongs (c) Syllable (d) pure Vowels (e) intonation
19. There are........... Short Vowel sounds in English language (a)  10 (b) 7 (c) 8 (d) 3(e)4
20. There are.......... Long vowel sounds in English language (a) 5 (b) 7 (c) 2 (d) 9 (e)8

Section B : (answer 3 questions from this section,  one from Essay,  and all the questions in the Grammar and speech work section)

Essay
In less than 250 words write an Essay on any of these topic
1. My best friend
Or
2. A market place

Grammar
3. Identify the parts of speech that are underlined in the following sentences
 (a) Amaka is such a beautiful girl
  (b) That book belongs to her
  (c) Most people love to travel to America
  (d) I caught Ada hiding behind the door
  (e) She went towards the school
  (f) They couldn’t eat,  although they were hungry
What type of adjective is used in the sentences below (quality,  quantity,   colour,  number )
  (g) I have a golden brown dog
  (h) My mother is generous
  (i) I was given a pair of shoes as a gift
  (j) you need enough  water to quench church your thirst

Speech work 
4(a) another name for speech organs is..............
(b) give two example of sounds that are described as bilabial sounds
(c)  give two examples of labiodental sounds
(d) describe a Vowel sound
(e) Define a voiced consonant
Give two example each of words which  have the same sounds with the following Phonetic Symbols
(f) / ɑ:/ 
(g) /I:/ 
(h) / ɜ:/ 
(i) / æ/
(j) / ʌ/

THE ARTICLES: "A, AN, and THE"

Image credit: The guardian.com

Articles are words which are used to refer to nouns.

The adjectives “a” “an” and “the” are called articles .

The article “A” is used before words beginning with consonants or a long u sound, examples: A box, A cat, A untensil, A university.

The article “An” is used before words beginning with any of the vowel A E I O U, or a silent u. example:  An angel, An orange, An egg, An iroko tree, An hour, An honest man.
The articles “A” and “An’ are used before singular common nouns, or adjectives not already known. Example: A boy came here. I saw a dog. They saw an elephant.

The last article “The’ is used
 1. before nouns that are already known, example: The teacher is here. The bible.
 2. It is also used to refer to particular rivers, mountain, or sea, example: The Niger, The Nile, The Atlantic Ocean
3. It is used to refer to a whole class of something. Example: The blind cannot see. The Rich also cry.