Subject: English Language | Level: JHS (Basic 7 – 9) | Type: Summary Notes / Revision Guide | Purpose: BECE Preparation
These summary notes cover the most important English Language rules, formats, and key points for BECE revision. Use them alongside the full lesson notes.
GRAMMAR QUICK REFERENCE
Subject-Verb Agreement (Concord) – Key Rules
- Singular subject + singular verb: “The boy runs to school.”
- Plural subject + plural verb: “The boys run to school.”
- “And” joins two subjects = plural verb: “Kofi and Ama are here.”
- “Or / Neither…nor / Either…or” = verb agrees with the NEAREST subject: “Neither the teacher nor the students were ready.”
- Collective nouns acting as a unit = singular: “The team has won.” / “The class is quiet.”
- Everyone / Nobody / Someone / Each = singular: “Everyone was present.”
- News / Mathematics / Physics = singular: “Mathematics is my favourite subject.”
Common Tenses Summary
| Tense | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Present | verb (+ s/es) | She eats rice. |
| Present Continuous | am/is/are + -ing | She is eating rice. |
| Present Perfect | have/has + past participle | She has eaten rice. |
| Simple Past | verb + -ed (regular) | She ate rice. |
| Past Continuous | was/were + -ing | She was eating rice. |
| Past Perfect | had + past participle | She had eaten rice. |
| Simple Future | will + base verb | She will eat rice. |
Active vs Passive Voice
Active: Subject does the action. “The teacher marked the scripts.”
Passive: Subject receives the action. “The scripts were marked by the teacher.”
Passive formula: Object + [to be] + past participle + (by + agent)
Parts of Speech at a Glance
- Noun: names a person, place, thing, or idea (teacher, Accra, love)
- Pronoun: replaces a noun (he, she, they, it)
- Verb: action or state of being (run, is, seem)
- Adjective: describes a noun (beautiful, three, Ghanaian)
- Adverb: modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb (quickly, very, always)
- Preposition: shows relationship (in, on, at, under, between)
- Conjunction: joins words/clauses (and, but, because, although)
- Interjection: expresses emotion (Oh! Wow! Congratulations!)
Types of Sentences
- Simple: one independent clause – “The girl studied hard.”
- Compound: two independent clauses joined by coordinating conjunction – “She studied hard, and she passed the exam.”
- Complex: one main clause + one subordinate clause – “Although she was tired, she studied hard.”
COMPREHENSION – KEY TIPS
- Read the passage at least twice before answering
- Vocabulary questions: use context (surrounding sentences) to determine meaning
- Inferential questions: “read between the lines” – don’t just repeat what is written
- Answer in complete sentences unless specifically told otherwise
- Use your own words wherever possible
SUMMARY WRITING – KEY RULES
- Only include MAIN POINTS – no examples, no repetition, no personal opinion
- Write in your own words – do not copy from the passage
- Respect the word or sentence limit strictly
- Connect ideas with: also, furthermore, in addition, however, finally
- Do NOT begin with “The passage says…” or “The author mentions…”
COMPOSITION – FORMAT REMINDERS
Informal Letter
- Your address + date (top right)
- “Dear [First Name],”
- Relaxed, friendly tone
- “Yours sincerely” or “Your friend”
- Sign with first name only
Formal Letter
- Your address + date (top right)
- Recipient’s name, title, and address (left)
- “Dear Sir/Madam” or “Dear Mr./Mrs. [Surname]”
- Subject line (underlined)
- Formal, polite, professional tone
- “Dear Sir/Madam” → “Yours faithfully”
- “Dear Mr./Mrs. [Name]” → “Yours sincerely”
- Full name at end
Narrative Essay Structure
- Introduction: set the scene, introduce character and setting
- Body (3 paragraphs): develop events in chronological order
- Conclusion: resolution and reflection or lesson learned
Descriptive Essay
- Use all five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste
- Use specific vocabulary: instead of “nice” say “welcoming” or “elegant”
- Use figures of speech: simile (like/as), metaphor, personification
ORAL ENGLISH – KEY TERMS
- Stress: the emphasis placed on a syllable or word
- Intonation: the rise and fall of the voice in speech
- Rhyme: words that share the same ending sounds (cat/bat, moon/soon)
- Minimal pairs: words that differ by only one sound (ship/sheep, bed/bad)
- Vowel sounds in English: /ɪ/ (bit), /iː/ (beat), /æ/ (cat), /ɑː/ (car), /ʌ/ (but), /uː/ (boot)
VOCABULARY – COMMONLY TESTED WORDS
Synonyms (words with similar meaning)
- Diligent = hardworking, industrious
- Benevolent = kind, generous, charitable
- Articulate = clear, eloquent, well-spoken
- Apprehensive = nervous, anxious, worried
- Magnanimous = generous, noble, forgiving
- Tedious = boring, monotonous, dull
Antonyms (words with opposite meaning)
- Diligent ↔ Lazy
- Benevolent ↔ Cruel/Malevolent
- Articulate ↔ Inarticulate
- Courageous ↔ Cowardly
Common Idioms
- “Bite the bullet” = endure a painful situation with courage
- “Turn over a new leaf” = start behaving better
- “Beat around the bush” = avoid getting to the main point
- “The ball is in your court” = it is now your decision or responsibility
- “Hit the nail on the head” = say exactly the right thing
These are revision notes prepared by Education Always. Use them for quick review before examinations, not as a replacement for full study of the lesson notes.