Eguria

Grammar: Agreement By Eguriase S. M. Okaka We are going to consider another important topic that you have studied previously. It is the agreement between subject and verb (also known as concord). Subject-verb agreement Remember that there are a number of rules that govern subject-verb agreement in English. If you have forgotten them, here is the chance to refresh your memory once again.  When the subject is singular, the verb is singular, Examples • He smokes. • She writes. • The man drives.  When the subject is plural, the verb is also plural. Examples • They smoke. • We write. • The men drive.  Words like each, every, none, anybody and nobody and expressions like each of, not one of and either of are always followed by a singular verb. Examples • Each of the girls has a napkin. • One of the clients are here. • Neither of the player was here. • Is either of the parents around? • Everyone of us understands the implication of his actions. • Not one of the pupils has pencil. • E...

Application for scholarship By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Letter of Application Remember that formal letters are official or business letters. They are letters written to persons who hold official post because of their official position and not for personal reasons. Unlike an informal letter, you may or you may know the person you are writing to. Examples of formal letters  A letter to the head of a government organization or institution, such as a Vice-Chancellor, rector, or Principal.  A letter to the head of a corporate organization such as Manager, or Director.  A letter to a newspaper / magazine editor.  A letter of application for a job.  A letter for a commercial transaction, purchase or sale of goods and services. Features of a letter of application for scholarship include the following: • Your personal particulars e.g., gender, family background, state of origin, hobbies etc. • Schools attended and educational qualifications, with date. • Any award or prizes won. • Work ...

Ethnic conflict in Nigeria By Eguriase S. M. Okaka An ethnic conflict is a serious disagreement which may or may not result in prolonged armed struggle between people of different cultural and language group. While the source of the conflict may be political, social or economic, the individuals or groups involved must expressly fight for their ethnic group’s position within the society. Ethnic conflict does not necessarily have to be violent. In a multi-ethnic society where freedom of speech is protected, ethnic conflict can be an everyday feature of plural democracies. For example, ethnic conflict might be a non-violent struggle for resources divided among the ethnic groups. The subject of the confrontation might be directly or symbolically connected to an ethnic group or their identity. In recent years, Nigeria had witnessed the outbreak of several ethnic conflicts which usually arise from the pursuit of divergent interests, while some old ones had been revived. Among the promin...

Oral English: Consonant cluster By Eguriase S. M. Okaka You already know that the majority of English words are made up of combination of vowels (V) and consonant (C) sounds. Examples: go (CV) odd, (VC), fat (CVC). However, a few words such as are, air, eye, or, I and ear consist of only one vowel sound each. Often when you speak, you have to say two or more consonant sounds occurring one after another is known as a consonant cluster. Consonant clusters may occur at the beginning or ending of a syllable or word. Many Nigerian languages do not have consonant cluster. Read the following words, paying careful attention to the underlined consonant clusters. Since many Nigerian languages do not have them, some Nigerian speakers of English are likely to have difficulty in pronouncing consonant cluster. The following drills will help you to improve your pronunciation. You should avoid pronouncing any intrusive (vowel) sounds between the consonants that follow one another or adding a soun...

Active and Passive Voice By Eguriase S. M. Okaka Previously, we have learned about sentences such as: • Jide locked the door. • The door was locked by Jide. The first sentence was an active sentence while the second one is a passive sentence. Remember that the passive sentence is formed first by making the object of the active sentence (the door) become the subject and that you use the be verb (was) with the past participle form of the verb locked. The following table shows sentences changed from active to passive in the major tenses. Note that the phrase (by Kate) is optional. Exercise Study the following tables and make at least ten sentences from them. The active sentences in Table A have been rewritten in the passive voice in Table B. Finally, study the following tables. Again, the active voice in Table A has been changed to the passive voice in Table B. Exercise 1 Change the following sentences from active to passive. • They make noodles in that factory. • You must ...