Part 1: Grammar — Introduction to Conjunctions

1. Definition of a Conjunction

A conjunction is a part of speech used to connect words, phrases, or clauses within a sentence. Think of conjunctions as the “glue” or “bridges” of the English language—without them, our writing would feel choppy, disjointed, and repetitive.

• Without Conjunctions: Emeka likes football. Emeka likes basketball. He does not like volleyball. (Choppy)

• With Conjunctions: Emeka likes football and basketball, but he does not like volleyball. (Smooth)

2. Basic Coordinating Conjunctions (FANBOYS)

While there are many types of conjunctions, at this level, we focus on the three most common Coordinating Conjunctions: and, but, and or. Coordinating conjunctions join words or groups of words that have equal grammatical importance.

                    ┌────────────── Coordinating Conjunctions ──────────────┐
                    │                                                       │
         ┌──────────┴──────────┐         ┌──────────┴──────────┐         ┌──────────┴──────────┐
         │         And         │         │         But         │         │         Or          │
         └─────────────────────┘         └─────────────────────┘         └─────────────────────┘
          Adds things together            Shows a contrast or            Presents a choice or
          (Addition)                      exception (Opposition)         alternative (Option)

A. And (Addition)

Used to join words, ideas, or sentences that are similar or add information to each other.

• Usage: Connecting two positive or related ideas.

• Sentence: The student picked up a pen and an exercise book.

B. But (Contrast / Opposition)

Used to connect two opposing ideas, showing a change, surprise, or an exception to a rule.

• Usage: Connecting a positive idea to a negative one, or vice-versa.

• Sentence: She studied very hard for the test, but she still felt nervous.

C. Or (Choice / Alternative)

Used to introduce a choice or an alternative between two or more options.

• Usage: Presenting possibilities where only one option can be picked.

• Sentence: Will you travel by road or go by air?

Part 2: Sentence Structure — The Simple Sentence

1. What is a Simple Sentence?

A simple sentence is a sentence that contains exactly one independent clause. An independent clause means it expresses a single, complete thought and can stand completely on its own as a sentence.

Every grammatically correct simple sentence must contain at least a Subject and a Predicate (Verb).

2. Golden Rules for Writing Correct Simple Sentences

To ensure your sentences are grammatically flawless, memorize these three rules:

1. The Capitalization Rule: A sentence must always start with a capital letter.

2. The Punctuation Rule: A sentence must end with a terminal punctuation mark—usually a full stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).

3. Subject-Verb Agreement (SVA): A singular subject must take a singular verb, while a plural subject must take a plural verb.

   • Correct: The bus arrives at the terminal. (Singular)

   • Correct: The buses arrive at the terminal. (Plural)

3. Common Structural Patterns

Simple sentences do not have to be short; they can include adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions, as long as they maintain only one main action/verb path.

• Pattern 1: Subject + Verb (S-V)

  • Example: The pilot landed.

• Pattern 2: Subject + Verb + Object (S-V-O)

  • Example: The commuter paid the transport fare.

• Pattern 3: Subject + Verb + Adverbial (S-V-A)

  • Example: The train arrived very early.

Part 3: Speech Work — Nasal Consonants (/m/, /n/, /ŋ/)

In English phonetics, Nasal Consonants are unique because they are produced by completely blocking air from escaping through your mouth, dropping your soft palate (velum), and forcing the air to escape entirely through your nose.

If you pinch your nostrils shut, you cannot pronounce these three sounds properly! All three nasal sounds are voiced, meaning your throat vibrates when you say them.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                              NASAL CONSONANTS                               │
├───────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────┬─────────────────────┤
│       Sound       │        How it is Formed           │    Word Examples    │
├───────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────┤
│       /m/         │  Blowing air through closed lips  │  man, camp, summer  │
│       /n/         │  Tongue touching the teeth ridge   │  net, pond, runner  │
│       /ŋ/         │  Back of tongue touching the roof  │  sing, bank, long   │
└───────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────┴─────────────────────┘

1. The Bilabial Nasal: /m/

• Production: Formed by pressing your upper and lower lips tightly together while vocalizing from the throat.

• Spelling Patterns: Usually spelled with ‘m‘ or ‘mm‘.

• Word Examples: mother, commuter, hammer, swim.

2. The Alveolar Nasal: /n/

• Production: Formed by pressing the tip of your tongue firmly against the roof of your mouth just behind your upper teeth (alveolar ridge). Your lips stay open.

• Spelling Patterns: Usually spelled with ‘n‘ or ‘nn‘. Note that ‘k’ is silent in words starting with ‘kn’.

• Word Examples: new, knife, pendestrian, planner.

3. The Velar Nasal: /ŋ/

• Production: Formed by pressing the back of your tongue against the soft palate at the back roof of your mouth.

• Spelling Patterns: Usually spelled as ‘ng‘ or as an ‘n‘ sitting right before a ‘k‘ or ‘g‘ sound.

• Word Examples: sing, long, bank, think, ring.

• ⚠️ Correction Warning: Be careful not to add a hard “g” sound to the end of your /ŋ/ words. Say sing /sɪŋ/, not sing-g /sɪŋg/.

Part 4: Class Evaluation & Exercises

Exercise A: Conjunction Connector Drills

Fill in the blanks with the most appropriate coordinating conjunction (and, but, or or):

1. Chidi wants to buy a blue school bag __________ a matching water flask.

2. We ran as fast as we could to the station, __________ we still missed the morning train.

3. You can choose to write your essay with a blue pen __________ a black pen.

4. The weather was extremely hot, __________ the classroom remained cool.

5. Our principal loves reading books __________ writing poetry.

Exercise B: Sentence Correction Clinic

The simple sentences below are broken or grammatically incorrect. Rewrite them correctly using the structural rules learned in Part 2:

1. the diligent student study his books everyday

2. walked across the wide pedestrian intersection safely.

3. Three clinical nurses works at the school clinic?

Exercise C: Phonetics Sound Separation

Listen to the underlined sounds in the words below. Group them into three distinct columns according to their exact nasal phonetic sound (/m/, /n/, or /ŋ/):

Morning, Finger, Tank, Member, Banner, Climb, King, Net