Subject: English Language | Level: JHS (Basic 7 – 9) | Topic: Grammar – Tenses, Concord, Parts of Speech | Difficulty: Beginner to Intermediate
Introduction
Grammar is the set of rules that governs how words are combined to make correct sentences. A strong knowledge of English grammar helps you write clearly, speak confidently, and answer questions correctly in your BECE examination. This lesson covers the three most tested grammar areas in JHS English: tenses, subject-verb agreement (concord), and parts of speech.
1. Parts of Speech
Every word in the English language belongs to one of eight parts of speech. Understanding these helps you construct correct sentences.
Nouns
A noun names a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Common noun: teacher, market, book, city
- Proper noun: Accra, Kofi, Ghana, Christmas (always capitalized)
- Abstract noun: love, freedom, honesty, peace
- Collective noun: a flock of birds, a group of students, a bunch of bananas
Pronouns
A pronoun replaces a noun. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, them.
Example: Instead of “Ama went to the market and Ama bought tomatoes,” we say “Ama went to the market and she bought tomatoes.”
Verbs
A verb shows action or a state of being. Examples: run, eat, is, seem, become, have.
- Action verbs: jump, write, cook, play
- Linking verbs: am, is, are, was, were, seem, appear, become
- Auxiliary (helping) verbs: have, has, had, do, does, did, will, would, can, could, should, must
Adjectives
An adjective describes or modifies a noun. Examples: tall, beautiful, intelligent, three, Ghanaian.
Example: “The young student passed the difficult examination.”
Adverbs
An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb. Many adverbs end in -ly.
Examples: quickly, very, always, yesterday, here, carefully.
Prepositions
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun and another word. Examples: in, on, at, under, over, between, beside, through, during.
Example: “The book is on the table.” / “He arrived at school after the bell rang.”
Conjunctions
A conjunction joins words, phrases, or clauses. There are two main types:
- Coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS)
- Subordinating conjunctions: although, because, while, if, since, when, before, after, unless
Interjections
An interjection expresses strong emotion and is usually followed by an exclamation mark. Examples: Oh! Wow! Ouch! Congratulations! Alas!
2. Tenses
Tenses show when an action takes place: in the past, the present, or the future.
Present Tenses
- Simple Present: I eat rice. She eats rice. (habitual actions, facts)
- Present Continuous: I am eating rice. She is eating rice. (action happening now)
- Present Perfect: I have eaten rice. She has eaten rice. (action completed with a connection to now)
- Present Perfect Continuous: I have been eating rice for an hour. (action that started in the past and is still continuing)
Past Tenses
- Simple Past: I ate rice. She ate rice. (completed action in the past)
- Past Continuous: I was eating rice when she arrived. (action in progress when another occurred)
- Past Perfect: I had eaten rice before she arrived. (the earlier of two past actions)
Future Tenses
- Simple Future: I will eat rice tomorrow. (action that will happen)
- Future Continuous: I will be eating rice at noon. (action that will be in progress at a future time)
Common Errors in Tenses
- Wrong: “She have gone to the market.” → Correct: “She has gone to the market.”
- Wrong: “He go to school everyday.” → Correct: “He goes to school every day.”
- Wrong: “They was playing football.” → Correct: “They were playing football.”
3. Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord)
Concord means that the verb must agree with the subject in number (singular or plural).
Basic Rules of Concord
Rule 1: A singular subject takes a singular verb.
The boy runs to school. (Not “run”)
Rule 2: A plural subject takes a plural verb.
The boys run to school. (Not “runs”)
Rule 3: When subjects are joined by “and,” use a plural verb.
Kofi and Ama are my friends.
Rule 4: When subjects are joined by “or,” “either…or,” or “neither…nor,” the verb agrees with the subject that is closest to it.
Either the teacher or the students are responsible. (closest subject = students = plural)
Neither the students nor the teacher is wrong. (closest subject = teacher = singular)
Rule 5: Collective nouns (group, class, team, jury) take a singular verb when acting as a unit.
The class is ready for the examination.
Rule 6: Indefinite pronouns like “everyone,” “someone,” “nobody,” “each,” and “anyone” take a singular verb.
Everyone was present at the assembly. (Not “were”)
Rule 7: Some nouns that look plural are actually singular.
Mathematics is my favourite subject. (Not “are”)
The news is shocking. (Not “are”)
4. Active and Passive Voice
In the active voice, the subject performs the action: “The teacher marked the scripts.”
In the passive voice, the subject receives the action: “The scripts were marked by the teacher.”
How to Convert Active to Passive
Active: Subject + Verb + Object → Passive: Object + “to be” + Past Participle + “by” + Subject
Active: “Kofi ate the mangoes.” → Passive: “The mangoes were eaten by Kofi.”
Summary
- The eight parts of speech are nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections.
- Tenses show when an action happens: past, present, or future.
- Subject-verb agreement (concord) means the verb must match the subject in number.
- Active voice has the subject doing the action; passive voice has the subject receiving the action.
Practice Questions
- Identify the parts of speech of the underlined words: “The clever student answered quickly.”
- Choose the correct verb: “Neither John nor his brothers ______ (was/were) at home.”
- Change to passive voice: “The government has built a new hospital in Kumasi.”
- Correct the error: “Every student have submitted their assignment.”
- Write the past perfect tense of: “She finishes her homework before dinner.”
Answers: (1) clever = adjective; quickly = adverb (2) were (3) A new hospital has been built in Kumasi by the government. (4) Every student has submitted their assignment. (5) She had finished her homework before dinner.
Next Lesson: JHS English Language – Comprehension Skills and Summary Writing