Grammar: Tenses, Concord and Articles

Grammar: Tenses, Concord and Articles

🟢 Lite — Quick Review (1h–1d)

Rapid summary for last-minute revision before your exam.

Tenses mark when an action happens: Simple Present (He writes), Simple Past (She wrote), Simple Future (They will write). Perfect tenses use has/have/had + V3 (He has written); Continuous tenses use be + V-ing (She is writing). Concord is the match between subject and verb in number: a singular subject takes a singular verb (“The boy runs”); a plural subject takes a plural verb (“The boys run”). Articles are a (before consonant sounds: a dog), an (before vowel sounds: an apple), and the (for specific nouns and superlatives: the tallest boy). Time markers — yesterday, ago → Past; now, always → Present; tomorrow, next → Future — help select the right form. In NECO Paper II (Objective), three to four items routinely test these.

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🟡 Standard — Regular Study (2d–2mo)

Standard content for students with a few days to months.

The 12 English Tenses

English has three time frames (Present, Past, Future), each with four aspects: Simple, Continuous/Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Continuous. Their structure and a sample follow:

Aspect	Structure	Example
Simple Present	S + V1 / V-s	She writes letters.
Present Continuous	am/is/are + V-ing	She is writing a letter.
Present Perfect	has/have + V3	She has written a letter.
Present Perfect Continuous	has/have been + V-ing	She has been writing since morning.
Simple Past	V2 / was-were	She wrote a letter.
Past Continuous	was/were + V-ing	She was writing when I called.
Past Perfect	had + V3	She had written before I arrived.
Future Simple	will + V1	She will write tomorrow.

Time markers guide selection: always, often, every day → Simple Present; now, at the moment → Present Continuous; already, yet, since, for → Present Perfect.

Subject–Verb Concord

The verb must agree with its true subject, not the noun closest to it.

• The box of apples is on the table. (Subject: box, singular)
• Each of the students has a book. (Indefinite pronoun each is singular)
• Neither the teacher nor the students were late. (Verb agrees with the nearer subject)
• Collective nouns take a singular verb in formal NECO writing: The committee has decided.
• Relative pronouns agree with their antecedent: He is one of the boys who deserve praise.

Articles

• A / An — indefinite, for first mention or singular countable nouns: a man, an hour (sound-based, not spelling-based).
• The — definite, for a specific noun already known, superlatives, and unique items: the President, the longest river, the sun.
• Zero article — used with proper nouns (Lagos, Nigeria), plural generics (Dogs are loyal), and uncountable abstracts (Honesty is virtue).

Common NECO Traps

1. Tense shift inside one sentence (When I arrived, she greets me → should be greeted).
2. Confusing was/were: If I were you (subjunctive).
3. Choosing a or an by spelling rather than sound: a university (consonant /j/ sound).

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🔴 Extended — Deep Study (3mo+)

Comprehensive coverage for students on a longer study timeline.

Sequence of Tenses in Reported Speech

When a reporting verb is in the past, the reported verb shifts one step back: Present → Past, Past → Past Perfect, Present Perfect → Past Perfect, Future → Conditional. “I am tired,” she said → She said she was tired. “He finished the work,” she said → She said he had finished the work. Truth-tellers (said, told, informed) usually keep back-shift; timeless facts (the sun rises) keep their tense.

Edge Cases in Concord

• Intervening phrases: The quality of the essays is poor. — ignore the plural essays.
• Subjects joined by and take plural verbs (Tom and Jerry are friends); subjects joined by or/nor agree with the last subject (Neither the girls nor the boy is here).
• Indefinite pronouns like each, either, neither, everyone, somebody, nobody are strictly singular. Pronouns like both, few, many, several are plural.
• Plural-looking singulars: Mathematics is difficult; news is bad.
• Amounts and measurements: singular when treated as a unit (Five thousand naira was paid); plural when referring to individuals (Five students were absent).

Article Edge Cases

• Use the with musical instruments (play the piano), diseases in advanced contexts (the flu), and superlatives (the best).
• Use the with geographical features (the Niger, the Atlantic) but zero article with most cities and countries (Abuja, Ghana).
• Abstract nouns take the when particularised (the honesty of the man) and no article in general statements (Honesty is the best policy).
• Avoid double articles: the the reason is clear.

Common Mistakes to Eliminate

1. “The informations are useful” → The information is useful (uncountable).
2. “He don’t know” → He doesn’t know (third-person singular).
3. “I have went” → I have gone (V3 form).
4. “a apple” → an apple (vowel sound).

Practice Prompts (NECO Paper II style)

1. Fill in: By the time we arrived, the match ___ (start). — had started.
2. Choose the correct option: Each of the contestants ___ a certificate. (receive / receives) — receives.
3. Insert the correct article: He is ___ honest man who lives in ___ Lagos. — an, — (zero article).

Mastery of these three pillars — tense timing, subject–verb harmony, and article selection — clears roughly 8–10 objective items and earns solid marks in the essay and comprehension cloze passages.

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