JAMB Use of English cheat sheet

Main idea: the central claim the passage defends; usually stated in the first or last paragraph, never in a supporting detail.

Tone words: critical, nostalgic, ironic, objective, satirical, resigned; match the author's attitude to the whole passage, not one sentence.

Inference rule: the answer must be logically forced by the text; if it needs outside knowledge, it is wrong.

Reference questions: trace pronouns (it, they, this) to the nearest grammatically compatible noun phrase that fits the sense.

Purpose questions: ask why the author includes a detail; answers often begin 'to illustrate', 'to contrast', 'to qualify'.

Exception questions ('all of the following except'): three options are directly supported; the odd one is either contradicted or unmentioned.

Paraphrase rule: the correct option restates the passage in different words; an option that copies long phrases verbatim is usually a trap.

Passage organisation: cause-effect, comparison-contrast, problem-solution, chronological; the pattern predicts where key claims sit.

Synonym questions: choose the word that fits the original sentence without changing its register or connotation.

Antonym questions: negate the target meaning; 'not' plus a synonym is not automatically an antonym (e.g., 'generous' vs 'stingy', not 'not generous').

Subject-verb agreement: singular subjects take singular verbs; ignore parenthetical phrases between subject and verb (The box of pens is...).

Parallel structure: items joined by and/or/but must share the same grammatical form (to read, to write, and to speak).

Dangling modifiers: the introductory participle must describe the subject of the main clause (Walking home, I saw... not Walking home, the rain...).

Tense sequence: past main verb usually takes past tense in reported clauses; present perfect links past action to present relevance.

Pronoun case: after prepositions and as subject complements use object/possessive forms correctly (between you and me; It was she).

Register: formal writing avoids contractions, slang, and first-person opinion unless the prompt allows it.

Vowel sounds: English has 12 pure vowels and 8 diphthongs; length and quality distinguish pairs like /iː/ sheep vs /ɪ/ ship.

Consonant pairs: voicing distinguishes /p/–/b/, /t/–/d/, /k/–/ɡ/, /f/–/v/, /s/–/z/, /ʃ/–/ʒ/, /tʃ/–/dʒ/.

Stress rule: two-syllable nouns usually stress the first syllable (PREsent); two-syllable verbs stress the second (preSENT).

Suffix stress: -tion, -sion, -ic, -ical, -ity attract stress to the syllable before the suffix (phoTOgraphy, ecoNOMic).

Intonation: falling tone marks statements, commands, and wh-questions; rising tone marks yes/no questions and lists (except the last item).

Rhyme: words rhyme when the stressed vowel and all following sounds match (cat/hat; nation/station); identical spelling is not required.

Minimal pairs test one phoneme at a time (ship/sheep, bit/beat, thin/tin); use them to identify contrastive sounds.

Syllable counting: count vowel sounds, not letters; 'queue' has one syllable, 'beautiful' has three.

Cloze strategy: read the whole passage first; the missing word is constrained by grammar and by the surrounding semantic field.

Collocation check: choose the word that naturally co-occurs with its neighbours (make a decision, do homework, heavy rain).

Part-of-speech slot: decide whether the gap needs a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, or conjunction before choosing meaning.

Cohesion markers: however, therefore, moreover, nevertheless signal contrast, result, addition, concession; the gap often tests these.

Summary rule: retain the main claim and key supporting points; discard examples, repetition, and figurative language.

Summary length: aim for about one-third of the original; use your own words and do not copy sentences verbatim.

Pronoun and article clues: 'a/an' vs 'the' and singular/plural forms narrow the missing word.

Distractor rule: an option that fits grammatically but changes the passage's logic is wrong; meaning and grammar must both fit.

Concord: the verb agrees with its subject in number and person; intervening phrases do not change the subject.

Collective nouns: singular when the group acts as one unit (The committee has decided); plural when members act individually (The committee have disagreed).

Indefinite pronouns: everyone, somebody, each, neither take singular verbs (Everyone is here; Neither of them was ready).

Either...or / neither...nor: the verb agrees with the nearer subject (Either the teacher or the students are...).

Plural-only nouns: news, mathematics, physics, measles take singular verbs; scissors, trousers, glasses take plural verbs.

Amounts and distances: sums of money, periods of time, and distances take singular verbs (Ten years is a long time).

Relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, that for defining clauses; the verb in the relative clause agrees with its antecedent.

Conditional sequence: if + present simple, will + base verb (first conditional); if + past simple, would + base verb (second conditional).

Idioms are fixed expressions; meaning is not the sum of the words (kick the bucket = die; spill the beans = reveal a secret).

Common exam idioms: a blessing in disguise (hidden benefit), bite the bullet (endure pain), once in a blue moon (rarely), hit the nail on the head (be exactly right).

Idiom vs literal: context decides; 'break the ice' means start a conversation, not shatter frozen water.

Prepositional idioms are fixed: depend on, insist on, consist of, comply with, abide by, look forward to + -ing.

Idiomatic pairs: by and large (generally), part and parcel (essential part), safe and sound (unharmed), odds and ends (miscellaneous items).

Body-part idioms: cost an arm and a leg (very expensive), keep an eye on (watch), give a hand (help), pull someone's leg (tease).

Animal idioms: let the cat out of the bag (reveal), a wild goose chase (futile search), raining cats and dogs (raining heavily).

Negative idioms: 'not my cup of tea' (not to my taste), 'out of the question' (impossible), 'in hot water' (in trouble).

Simile: explicit comparison using like or as (as brave as a lion); metaphor: implicit comparison without like/as (the world is a stage).

Personification: giving human qualities to non-human things (the wind whispered); hyperbole: deliberate exaggeration (I've told you a million times).

Oxymoron: contradictory terms joined (deafening silence); paradox: a statement that seems self-contradictory but reveals truth.

Metonymy: substitute a related term for the thing (the Crown = monarchy); synecdoche: part for whole (all hands on deck).

Irony: words mean the opposite of the intended meaning; sarcasm is mocking irony; euphemism softens harsh facts (passed away = died).

Phrasal verbs are verb + particle; meaning can be idiomatic (give up = quit; look after = care for; put off = postpone).

Separable phrasal verbs allow the object between verb and particle (turn the light off / turn off the light); inseparable ones do not (look after the baby, not look the baby after).

Transitive vs intransitive particles: 'break down' (intransitive, no object) vs 'break down the door' (transitive); check whether an object is required.