We use essential cookies to sign you in and remember your settings. With your permission we also use analytics cookies to understand how the site is used. See our privacy policy or fine-tune this anytime at cookie settings.

SubjectFree lesson

English Language JSS3 First Term - Grammar: Phrases and Clauses, Comprehension, Speech Work, Consonant Contrast

ClassNotes Team 11 MIN READUPDATED 7 JUL 2026

English Language JSS3 First Term

WEEK 2

English Language JSS3 First Term - Grammar: Phrases and Clauses, Comprehension, Speech Work, Consonant Contrast

Performance Objectives

  1. Grammar: Phrases and Clauses
  2. Comprehension: Transportation
  3. English – Comprehension: Transportation
  4. Writing: Descriptive Composition
  5. Speech Work: Consonant Contrast /ð/ /d/ /z/ /s/
  6. English 1st term - Consonant Contrast

 

Content

Topic 1: Grammar: Phrases and Clauses

What is a Clause?

A clause is a group of words containing a finite verb. The verb in it expresses the action, idea, or meaning. A clause itself expresses a complete idea or meaning. We have two types of clauses.

  1. Main or independent Clause
  2. Dependent or Subordinate Clause

Main/Independent Clause:

Main Clause is the type of clause that can stand alone to express a complete idea.

Subordinate Clause/Dependent Clause

A subordinate clause cannot stand alone to make a complete sentence because it lacks a subject.

e.g.

Independent Clause

Subordinate Clause

We bought the book

The football match was postponed

which he recommended 

because the field was too wet

Subordinate Clauses can be divided into four types

  1. Noun Clauses
  2. Adjectival Clauses
  3. Adverbial Clauses
  4. Prepositional Clauses

Noun Clause:

A noun clause is a subordinate clause that performs the functions of a noun.

A. As subject of a verb

i. Truth is bitter. (Truth is the subject of the verb “is”).
ii. The story that you heard spread like harmattan fire. (The story that you heard is the subject of the verb “spread”)

B. As object of a Verb

i. Some people believe that others are fools. (object of the verb “believe”)
ii. The student ate the food the cooks prepared. (object of the verb “ate”)

C. As subject complement

i. Honesty is good (“good” is the complement of the subject “honesty”
ii. Bola is a beauty (“beauty” is the complement of the subject Bola)

D. As object complement 

i. We call him Ibrahim (“Ibrahim” is object complement of him)
ii. She made him scapegoat (“Scapegoat” is the object complement of “him)

E. As complement of preposition

i. The price will go to Bolu (“Bolu” is the complement of the preposition “to”)
ii. She surprised her teacher by what she did (“what she did” is the complement of the preposition “by”)

Adverbial Clause

An Adverbial clause performs the function of an adverb, such as telling us how, where, why, to what extent or what condition the action of the verb is performed. 

Examples:

(i) She can be found where the man lives

(ii) She sings as if she was happy

Adjectival Clause

An adjectival clause performs the functions of an adjective, it describes a noun or a pronoun.

Examples:

i. It was he who slapped me
ii. The man whose car was stolen is crying.  

What is a Phrase?

A phrase is a group of words without a finite verb so it does not have a full meaning.

Types of Phrases

There are five types of phrases. They function as:

A. Noun Phrase

A noun phrase must have either a noun or pronoun as the head word.

Example:

i. The one-eyed man

ii. The man

iii. Some fishermen

iv. I need to see

Noun Phrase can function as:

i. As the subject of sentence
a. The one-eyed man is fallen

ii. As the object of sentence
b. The headmaster punished the student

iii. As subject complement
c. My mother is a nurse

iv. As object complement
d. My school appointed me a food prefect

v. As complement of a preposition
e. Mr. Kelven kept the cat under his pillow
f. The car will go to the principal

So, a noun with any sort of modifier (even it’s just “a” or “the”) is a noun phrase.

B. Verb Phrase

The verb phrase is usually made up of a main verb and one or more auxillary verbs.

Examples:

a. Dike has done the work (one auxiliary + main verb)
b. Henry has been running the race (two auxiliary verbs and one main verb)
c. Chuks may come with me if she likes (one auxiliary and one main verb

Verb Phrase functions as

i. The Future Tense:
a. I shall travel to Canada next year

ii.The Conditional 
b. I should travel to Ibadan if I have enough money

iiiThe Perfective (Completed action)
c. I have washed my uniform before coming to school.

iv. The Progressive (Continuous Tense)
d. She was watching television when I entered the room.

v. Passive Voice
e. The rice was eaten by him

C. Prepositional Phrase

A word used to show connection with a noun or pronoun. 

Examples:

  • The plates are on the table
  • The cat jumped over the fence

D. Adverbial Phrase

Is a group of words which does the work of an adverb.

Example:

i. She spoke to him in a rude manner
ii. Put the food far away

E. Adjectival Phrase

Adjectival phrase qualifies a noun or pronoun in a sentence.

Examples:

i. The man with a red cap
ii. The house near the bridge is mine

 

Topic 2: Comprehension: Transportation
 

Title: Transportation

Text: New Concept English Book 3 Page 5 – 6 by F. Ademola et al.

Transportation

Transportation, like currency, was important if traders were to move their goods from one place to another Transportation was by water or by land. The first, water transport, was restricted to places where there were rivers, big streams, lagoons, and the ocean. Water transport had two advantages: it was cheaper than land transport and it was easier to convey bulky goods on water than on land.

A number of ways were used to cross swamps, streams, small rivers, and shallow rivers. People could wade through them or walk on a trunk put across the water. Both were, at times, dangerous and often resulted in the loss of goods to water. Traders were also ferried across water by professional ferrymen who were stationed on the banks of rivers.

The best method of river transportation was by canoes. The canoe took more loads (especially bulky ones) than human beings or pack animals. It was capable of carrying many tons of goods at a time. It was also a more convenient mode of communication as traders could sit down in the row with merchandise. Passengers could also sleep and prepare their meals onboard. The use of canoes in large numbers and for commercial purposes was predominant in the estuaries and lagoons along the coast, the Niger and the Benue rivers, and on Lake Chad.

Evaluation: Summary questions on Page 6

Reference: New Concept English JSS 3 by F. Ademola et al.

Contemporary English Grammar by Murthy. J.D.

Reading Assignment: New Concept English Book 3 Page 6 – 7 by F. Ademola et al.

 

Review Questions

1. Which of the following can be concluded from the passage?

  1. Walking on trunks is the best method of water transportation
  2. Currency trading was more important than water transportation.
  3. Water transportation carried heavier goods that other types of transportation
  4. Only one method was needed to travel on water

 

2. Which of the following is not an advantage of transportation by canoes?

  1. Traders can prepare meals on board
  2. Passengers can sleep on board
  3. Only one ton of goods can be carried at a time
  4. Traders can sit with their goods on board

 

3. Which of the following represents the best paraphrase of: “A number of ways were used to cross swamps…” in the second paragraph.

  1. Many methods and crafts were used for water travels
  2. Several techniques and crafts were used for water transportation
  3. Some ways and craft were employed in water travel
  4. Techniques and crafts were used for water transportation

4. Which of the following is the topic sentence of paragraph 3?

  1. The use of canoes in large numbers ……Lake Chad
  2. The canoe took more loads…..pack animals
  3. Passengers could also sleep and prepare the meals on board
  4. The best method of river transportation was by canoes

5. An alternative title for this passage is ______________

  1. Water travel
  2. River travel
  3. Water transportation
  4. Advantages of canoes transportation

 

Topic 3: Writing: Descriptive Composition

What is a Descriptive Composition?

A Descriptive composition is a process of providing a clear and adequate details of what is being described. E.g. person, event or place, object.

Features of a Descriptive Composition

  1. Heading/Title e.g. My Home Town
  2. It requires major features/fuller description of the object or person describing
  3. It requires the right choice of words/tenses
  4. The description must be lively
  5. It must be orderly and logical

My best teacher – Descriptive Composition Sample

My best teacher is mrs Johnson. She is my English Studies Teacher and she teaches her subjects with zeal and passion.

She is tall, slim, and of average height. She s fair in complexion and has an oval-shaped face with big, round and sparkling eyes. Her hair is dark and long and she usually ties it with ribbons or hair accessories that are usually a perfect match for her clothes. She wears light make-up that brightens her beautiful face. Mrs. Johnson is happily married with five children whom she loves very much.

My admirable teacher teaches us very well and she makes sure everyone understands her lessons. She made all in the class develop a strong love for English Studies. Everyone in class understands English Studies because of the way she teaches it. Even the most technical aspects like grammar and test of orals are now interesting to me and many others in the class. Her Literature class is very interesting as well. She encourages us to dramatise some of the things she teaches us in literature.

Mrs. Johnson is a highly dedicated and disciplined teacher. She does not miss her lessons except when she is sick or on official assignments. She always tells us to work hard for a good grade. In fact, her usual saying is ‘It pays to work hard’ and she usually tells us stories of great people who achieved greatness through hard work. She encourages us to always keep our class and keep our surroundings clean and orderly. She also encourages us to dress properly and keep our clothes neat all the time and to always speak good English.

Like any other human being, Mrs. Johnson has her likes and dislikes. She does not like laziness. Children who are lazy and do not do their homework know that with her, they have nowhere to hide. They must work. Also, she does not like noisemakers and believes that children who make much noise do not concentrate on their studies. However, she likes children who are intelligent and hardworking but she encourages the weak ones by giving them more attention during her spare time.

Mrs. Johnson is my best teacher because she is caring, dedicated, and fashionable. She is the only teacher that has made a great impact on my life.

Evaluation: 

Write a composition on the topic; My Best Teacher

Reference: 

New Concept English Book 3, Page 56 by F. Ademola Adeoye et al.

Reading Assignment: 

Guided Composition Page 81. New Concept English by F. Ademola Adeoye et al.

 

Topic 4: Speech Work: Consonant Contrast /ð/ /d/ /z/ /s/

Listening Practice

/ð/

/d/

those

dose

thus

does

these

dense

loathe

load

with

weed

wreath

read

writhe

ride

bathe

bade

 

/z/

/s/

zeal

seal

whiz

hiss

zion

sign

zinc

sin

breeze

bliss

was

is

 

Evaluation: With the aid of your dictionary write and transcribe ten words under each of the following sounds. /ð/ /d/ /z/ /s/

Reference: 

Test of Oral for Schools and Colleges Page 30 by Sola Aregbe.

Weekend Assignment: 

New Concept English Book 3 Page 49. Ex II (1 – 10) and Ex III (1 – 9) by F. Ademola Adeoye et al.

Assessment

1. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. thick
  2. that
  3. this
  4. these

2. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. bass
  2. close
  3. was
  4. zeal

3. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. avail
  2. vast
  3. have
  4. half

4. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. basic
  2. sick
  3. his
  4. assume

5. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. fuse
  2. choose
  3. purse
  4. lose

6. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. pulse
  2. cruise
  3. course
  4. lapse

7. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. leather
  2. mother
  3. weather
  4. broader

8. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. zinc
  2. was
  3. his
  4. is

9. Select the word with the different consonant sound

  1. bought
  2. tough
  3. rough
  4. cough