English Language: Grammar, Comprehension, Summary and Composition
The Cameroon GCE Ordinary Level English Language domain tests accurate and appropriate use of English in reading and writing. It brings together grammar and usage, vocabulary in context, comprehension, summary, and continuous and functional writing. Marks are lost not only for what you do not know but also for imprecise expression, weak paragraphing, and failure to follow the task.
Core rules and concepts
- Concord: a verb agrees with its subject in number and person. With neither ... nor and either ... or, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Collective nouns usually take a singular verb when the group acts as one unit.
- Tense and reported speech: keep a consistent time frame; backshift tenses in reported speech when the reporting verb is past, and adjust pronouns and time words.
- Punctuation: use the comma to separate items and introductory elements, not to join two independent clauses. Use the apostrophe for possession and contraction.
- Vocabulary in context: choose the word that fits both meaning and collocation; do not rely on sound-alike words.
- Comprehension: answer the question asked, in your own words where required, and support inference with evidence from the passage.
- Summary: select main ideas, compress them, omit examples and repetition, and keep to the word limit without copying long stretches.
- Writing: plan before drafting; use a clear thesis or purpose, topic sentences, coherent links, and a conclusion that answers the prompt. Functional writing also requires correct format and register.
Worked example
Question: Neither the prefect nor the students ___ ready when the bell rang. Options: A was, B were, C is, D has been. Reasoning: the correlative conjunction neither ... nor makes the verb agree with the nearer subject, students, which is plural. The past tense rang rules out present-tense C and present-perfect D. The answer is B were.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing a narrative when the prompt asks for argument, or an informal letter when the task requires formal register.
- Lifting whole sentences into a summary, adding personal opinion, or exceeding the word limit.
- Comma splices and run-on sentences; missing apostrophes in possessives.
- Confusing affect/effect, advice/advise, practice/practise, and other homophones or word classes.
- In comprehension, giving two alternative answers or copying the passage instead of explaining.