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26 cardsUnified Tertiary Matriculation Examination

UTME JAMB Use of English Essentials

Grammar concord rules, oral forms, vowel contrasts, and common idioms for JAMB.

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Rule of Proximity with 'Neither/Nor' and 'Either/Or'
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1
Rule of Proximity with 'Neither/Nor' and 'Either/Or'
The verb agrees with the subject closest to it: Neither the boys nor the teacher was present.
2
Collective Nouns Concord
Takes a singular verb when acting as a unit (The committee has decided); plural verb when acting individually (The committee were divided in their opinions).
3
'One of the...' Concord Rule
Followed by a plural noun and a singular verb: One of the students is missing. BUT He is one of the students who are talented.
4
'As well as' / 'Together with' Concord
The verb agrees solely with the first subject, ignoring the parenthetical clause: The captain, as well as the players, is ready.
5
Subjunctive Mood with 'insist' / 'recommend'
Requires base form of verb without 's': The teacher insisted that he be quiet.
6
Vowel Contrast: /iː/ vs /ɪ/
/iː/ (long): seat, beat, sheep, receive. /ɪ/ (short): sit, bit, ship, village.
7
Vowel Contrast: /uː/ vs /ʊ/
/uː/ (long): pool, food, rude, blue. /ʊ/ (short): pull, foot, could, put.
8
Silent Letter in 'Subtle'
The letter 'b' is completely silent: /ˈsʌt.əl/.
9
Silent Letter in 'Pseudonym'
The initial 'p' is silent: /ˈsuː.də.nɪm/.
10
Stress in Two-Syllable Nouns vs. Verbs
Noun: stress on 1st syllable (RE-cord, PRO-ject). Verb: stress on 2nd syllable (re-CORD, pro-JECT).
11
Stress on Words Ending in '-tion' or '-sion'
Primary stress falls on the penultimate syllable (the syllable immediately before the suffix): e-du-CA-tion, de-CI-sion.
12
Idiom: 'At the eleventh hour'
At the latest possible moment before a deadline or crisis: They reached an agreement at the eleventh hour.
13
Idiom: 'A bone of contention'
A subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement: Border demarcation remained a bone of contention.
14
Idiom: 'Bite the bullet'
To face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and fortitude.
15
Figure of Speech: Hyperbole
Deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for dramatic effect: I have told you a million times.
16
Figure of Speech: Oxymoron
Juxtaposition of two contradictory terms in a single phrase: deafening silence, bitter sweet, living dead.
17
Figure of Speech: Metaphor
Direct comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as': Time is a thief.
18
Dependent Preposition: 'Conducive'
Conducive to (not with): A quiet environment is conducive to study.
19
Dependent Preposition: 'Congratulate'
Congratulate someone on (not for): I congratulate you on your graduation.
20
Dependent Preposition: 'Prefer'
Prefer X to Y (not than): I prefer tea to coffee.
21
Third Conditional Form
If + past perfect, would have + past participle: If she had studied, she would have passed.
22
Question Tag after 'I am'
I am right, aren't I? (not amn't I).
23
Question Tag after Negative Imperative
Don't be late, will you?
24
Spelling Rule: 'i before e except after c'
believe, retrieve, piece BUT receive, deceive, ceiling. Exceptions: weird, their, science.
25
Redundancy: Words to Avoid Combining
Avoid return back (use return), repeat again (use repeat), reverse back (use reverse).
26
Subject-Verb Agreement with Inverted Sentences
When a sentence begins with a prepositional phrase or adverb (e.g. Under the tree sat the old man), locate the true subject following the verb to ensure singular/plural concord.

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