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SubjectFree lesson

COMPREHENSION

ClassNotes Team 12 MIN READUPDATED 13 JUN 2026

ENGLISH LANGUAGE SS2 FIRST TERM

WEEK TWO

THEME: SPEECH

COMPREHENSION

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Listen attentively  to the speeches for comprehension and also plan their speeches before delivery.

CONTENT

Read the following text about Information Technology (IT) . Then, answer the comprehension questions below

Information Technology

What is Information Technology

Information Technology (IT) is the application of computers and internet to store, retrieve, transmit, and manipulate information, often in the context of a business or other enterprise. IT is considered a subset of information and communications technology (ICT) and has evolved according to the needs.

 

Computers

It is worthwhile noting that the term IT is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television and telephones. Several industries are associated with information technology, including computer hardware, software, electronics, semiconductors, internet, telecom equipment, engineering, healthcare, e-commerce, and computer services.

Thanks to the continuous development of computers, the original computing systems became minicomputers and later personal computers took the lead. Nowadays, mobile phones are dethroning the personal computer and computing is evolving faster to become disembodied more like a cloud, becoming accessible more easily whenever needed. Information technology has transformed people and companies and has allowed digital technology to influence society and economy alike. It has, in this sense, shaped societies and adapted itself to people's needs.

History

If you want a brief history of Information Technology, here is one. Humans were the first "computers". Then, machines were invented to carry out the computational tasks. Now these machines have given way to new form of information technology. Information has become disembodied accessible from anywhere through cloud technology. Recent advances in IT is the consequence of the development in computing systems.

Humans have been storing, retrieving, manipulating, and communicating information since the Sumerians in Mesopotamia developed writing in about 3000 BC, but the term information technology in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review; authors Harold J. Leavitt and Thomas L. Whisler commented that "the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it information technology (IT)." Their definition consists of three categories: techniques for processing, the application of statistical and mathematical methods to decision-making, and the simulation of higher-order thinking through computer programs.

 

Source: Wikipedia

 

Comprehension

  1. Information technology is changing principally because of:
    1. the changing needs
    2. new technological advances
  2. According to the author the first computers were:
    1. calculators
    2. humans
  3. Development of information technology is the result of:
    1. advances in computing systems
    2. development of machinery in general
  4. Computing systems are taking the form of clouds means:
    1. computers have become smaller
    2. computing power are becoming disembodied.

 

 

THEME: GRAMMAR

VOCABULARY

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Mention words associated with health and use these words freely

CONTENT

Words related to health

  • HEALTH, noun. The state of being free from physical or psychological disease, illness, or malfunction; wellness. [from 11th c.]
  • HEALTH, noun. A state of well-being or balance, often physical but sometimes also mental and social; the overall level of function of an organism from the cellular (micro) level to the social (macro) level.
  • HEALTH, noun. Physical condition.
  • HEALTH, noun. (obsolete) Cure, remedy. [11th-16th c.]
  • HEALTH, noun. (countable) A toast to prosperity. [from 17th c.]
  • HEALTH AND FITNESS AGE, noun. (AU) a health indicator age in comparison to a person's true age, based on a survey of diet, exercise, and other factors.
  • HEALTH CARE, noun. The prevention, treatment, and management of illness or the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions.
  • HEALTH CENTRE, noun. A clinic staffed by a group of general practitioners and nurses
  • HEALTH CLUB, noun. A facility with exercise equipment, and sometimes instructors, open to the public or those on some membership list.
  • HEALTH CLUBS, noun. Plural of health club
  • HEALTH FOOD, noun. Any food that is especially beneficial to health.
  • HEALTH FOODS, noun. Plural of health food
  • HEALTH FUND, noun. A not-for-profit or a public health insurance company, usually found in health care systems in Central Europe, such as Germany.
  • HEALTH INSURANCE, noun. Insurance against incurring medical expenses among individuals
  • HEALTH TOURISM, noun. Synonym of medical tourism.
  • HEALTH WARNING, noun. An official edict that a particular substance or activity is dangerous.
  • HEALTH WARNING, noun. (colloquial) An indication or admission that an opinion might be biased.
  • HEALTH WARNINGS, noun. Plural of health warning

 

THEME: STRUCTURE

PRONOUNS - RELATIVE AND DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Identify relative and demonstrative pronouns and use them freely in sentence

CONTENT

 What is a relative pronoun?

A relative pronoun is one which is used to refer to nouns mentioned previously, whether they are people, places, things, animals, or ideas. Relative pronouns can be used to join two sentences.

There are only a few relative pronouns in the English language. The most common are which, that, whose, whoever, whomever, who, and whom. In some situations, the words what, when, and where can also function as relative pronouns. Because there are only a few of them, there are also just a few rules for using relative pronouns. Keep them in mind as you write.

Relative clauses are typically introduced by relative pronouns, and that the relative pronoun can function as a possessive pronoun, an object, or a subject.

When relative pronouns introduce restrictive relative clauses, no comma is used to separate the restrictive clause from the main clause.

In American English, the relative pronoun whom is used rarely. You may notice this in conversations, but it is best to use the term when writing to ensure that your work is grammatically correct.

Relative Pronouns Examples

The following sentences contain examples of relative pronouns. The relative pronoun in each example is italicized.

  • The cyclist who won the race trained hard.
  • The pants that I bought yesterday are already stained.
  • The four team leaders, whoever the committee selects, will be at tomorrow’s meeting.
  • Spaghetti, which we eat at least twice a week, is one of my family’s favorite meals.
  • Where did you buy the dress that you wore last week?
  • The book, when it was finally returned, was torn and stained.
  • The store on the corner, where we usually buy all of our art supplies, burned to the ground.

Relative Pronouns Exercises

The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how relative pronouns work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

 

  1. The festival, ___________ lasted all day, ended with a banquet.
    1. That
    2. Who
    3. Which
    4. What
  2. I am looking for someone __________ can watch my dog while I go on vacation.
    1. Which
    2. Who
    3. Whom
    4. Whoever
  3. The police needed details _____________ could help identify the robber.
    1.  Who
    2. Whatever
    3. That
    4. What
  4. I’d like to take you to a café _______________ serves excellent coffee.
    1. What
    2. Whatever
    3. Which
    4. Whichever
  5. The clubhouse, in __________ the dance was held, housed about 200 people.
    1. Which
    2. Where
    3. That
    4. Whom

Demonstrative Pronouns

What is a Demonstrative Pronoun?

A demonstrative pronoun is a pronoun that is used to point to something specific within a sentence. These pronouns can indicate items in space or time, and they can be either singular or plural.

When used to represent a thing or things, demonstrative pronouns can be either near or far in distance or time:

Near in time or distance: this, these

Far in time or distance: that, those

Because there are only a few demonstrative pronouns in the English language, there are just three simple rules for using them correctly. Remember them and you will have no difficulty using these surprisingly interesting parts of speech.

Demonstrative pronouns always identify nouns, whether those nouns are named specifically or not. For example: “I can’t believe this.” We have no idea what “this” is, but it’s definitely something the writer cannot believe. It exists, even though we don’t know what it is.

Demonstrative pronouns are usually used to describe animals, places, or things, however they can be used to describe people when the person is identified, i.e., This sounds like Mary singing.

Do not confuse demonstrative adjectives with demonstrative pronouns. The words are identical, but demonstrative adjectives qualify nouns, whereas demonstrative pronouns stand alone.

Demonstrative pronouns can be used in place of a noun, so long as the noun being replaced can be understood from the pronoun’s context. Although this concept might seem a bit confusing at first, the following examples of demonstrative pronouns will add clarity.

Demonstrative Pronouns Examples

In the following examples, demonstrative pronouns have been italicized for ease of identification.

This was my mother’s ring.

That looks like the car I used to drive.

These are nice shoes, but they look uncomfortable.

Those look like riper than the apples on my tree.

Such was her command over the English language.

None of these answers are correct.

Neither of the horses can be ridden.

 

Demonstrative Pronouns Exercises

The following exercises will help you gain greater understanding about how demonstrative pronouns work. Choose the best answer to complete each sentence.

 

  1. ____________ was such an interesting experience.
    1. That
    2. These
    3. Those
    4. Such
  2. Are ___________ your shoes?
    1. That
    2. Them
    3. Those
    4. This
  3. You’ll have to get your own pen. ______________ is mine.
    1. That
    2. Those
    3. Such
    4. This
  4. There is no end to ___________.
    1. Such
    2. Those
    3. This
    4. None
  5. Because of their bad behavior, ____________ of the children were given allowances.
    1. None
    2. That
    3. Those
    4. Them

THEME: CONTINOUS WRITING

EXPOSITORY ESSAY

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVE

Students should be able to;

  1. Discuss the style of expository essay and write expository essay

CONTENT

HIV/AIDS

The Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome otherwise called AIDS is undoubtedly a threatening disease in Nigeria inspite of the fact that some people will believe it is a myth meant to scare people from enjoying themselves. However, medical practitioners have confirmed that AIDS is actually present in Nigeria. There are still controversies about how AIDS developed and where it developed from.

For some racial reasons, the whites have claimed that AIDS developed in Africa through a sexual union between man and some other animals.

Of course, Africans have denied this and strongly maintained that AIDS did not and in fact could not have developed in Africa.

Their argument is based on the fact that its spread was initially more rampant in the western world.

However, the problem is no longer where AIDS developed from, but how to stop its harmful effects on the human race.

AIDS is caused by the HIV virus which destroys the immunity of the body against disease. This means that once a patient gets the virus, the virus destroys all antibodies. Medically, every human body contains white blood cells which protect the body against harmful diseases. However, once the virus is contracted, it destroys the body immunity provided by the white blood cells and renders the body helpless against infectious disease.

Medical research has further shown that the virus can be contracted through a number of ways. The most popular mode of contracting the infectious disease is through casual sex or having sex with somebody who already has the virus. Other means of contracting the virus is through the transfusion of infected blood, the use of unsterilized needles or any other sharp object which is itself infected. It is however not medically possible to contract the virus through body contact like handshake with an infected person. The virus can also not be contracted through food or water. In spite of the awareness programme of the government on the need to avoid this incurable disease, more cases of its infection are heard every day.

The patient infected with the virus does not die immediately. The virus in the patient continues to develop and destroy vital body immunity organs until it develops into a full blown AIDS when it has virtually destroy all body immunity. At this stage, the patient cannot resist any minor infection because his body immunity has been destroyed. This is when an AIDS patient dies although this may take up to eight years after the patient originally contracted the virus.

Despite frantic scientific researches, no cure has been found for AIDS. Claims and counter claims by researchers have proved that the cure for it still eludes man. As a result, the best way to minimize its effect is to abstain from contracting the disease. This can be done by keeping to only one sexual partner and refusing to accept blood transfusion until the blood has been certified safe. Also, patients going to the hospital for any medical problem should insist on the use of new or properly sterilized needles and equipment. This way, the spread of AIDS can be stopped. This is most important because if AIDS is allowed to continue it can kill faster than we imagine. It will drastically reduce the population of a country, especially that of the youth.

There’s no vaccine to prevent HIV infection and no cure for AIDS. But it’s possible to protect yourself and others from infection. That means educating yourself about HIV and avoiding any behavior that allows HIV-infected fluids — blood, semen, vaginal secretions and breast milk — into your body.

Everyone must cooperate to eradicate the acquired immune deficiency syndrome for the good of the society.