Part 1: Grammar — Tenses (Simple Present and Simple Past)

A tense is the form a verb takes to show the time an action happened—whether in the past, the present, or the future. Mastering tenses ensures your sentences make sense to the reader.

1. The Simple Present Tense

The Simple Present Tense is used to talk about actions that happen regularly, habits, or things that are generally and universally true.

Rules for Formulating the Simple Present Tense:

The form of the verb changes depending on whether the subject is singular or plural.

• Rule A: Singular Subjects (He, She, It, the student, the teacher):

  We must add -s, -es, or -ies to the base form of the verb.

  • Walk $\rightarrow$ Walks: He walks to school every morning.

  • Catch $\rightarrow$ Catches: The prefect catches latecomers at the gate.

  • Study $\rightarrow$ Studies: Chidi studies his English notes daily.

• Rule B: Plural Subjects (We, They, You) and the pronoun “I”:

  We use the plain base form of the verb without adding anything to the end.

  • Walk: They walk to school every morning.

  • Catch: The prefects catch latecomers at the gate.

  • Study: I study my English notes daily.

When to use the Simple Present Tense:

1. Habits or Regular Routines: Actions that repeat over time.

   • Example: Our form teacher takes the attendance register every morning.

2. General Facts or Universal Truths: Things that are permanently true and cannot be changed.

   • Example: The sun rises in the East.

   • Example: Water boils at 100°C.

2. The Simple Past Tense

The Simple Past Tense is used to express actions that started and were completely finished at a specific time in the past.

Formulating the Simple Past Tense:

Verbs are divided into two main categories based on how they change into the past tense:

                    ┌─────────────── Verbs in the Past ───────────────┐
                    │                                                 │
         ┌──────────┴──────────┐                           ┌──────────┴──────────┐
         │    Regular Verbs    │                           │   Irregular Verbs   │
         └─────────────────────┘                           └─────────────────────┘
         Follow the rule: Add -ed/d                        Do NOT follow rules.
         • clean  → cleaned                                • go   → went
         • sweep  → swept                                  • write → wrote
         • change → changed                                • buy  → bought

• A. Regular Verbs: These verbs follow a strict rule. You simply add -ed or -d to the base form.

  • Play $\rightarrow$ Played: We played football yesterday after school hours.

  • Clean $\rightarrow$ Cleaned: The students cleaned the classroom premises last Friday.

• B. Irregular Verbs: These verbs do not follow the “-ed” rule. Instead, they completely change their internal spelling or form. They must be memorized through reading and practice.

  • Go $\rightarrow$ Went: The class went to the laboratory for a science experiment.

  • Write $\rightarrow$ Wrote: The teacher wrote the comprehension questions on the board.

  • Speak $\rightarrow$ Spoke: The principal spoke to the JSS 1 students during assembly.

Part 2: Reading Strategies — Skimming and Scanning

In secondary school, you will read a lot of textbooks, passages, and novels. To manage your time well, you need to use two fast-reading techniques: Skimming and Scanning.

1. Skimming (Reading for the Gist/Main Idea)

Skimming means running your eyes over a reading passage very quickly to understand the overall topic or main idea. You are not looking for tiny details; you just want a general overview.

• How to Skim a Text:

  1. Read the main title and any subheadings.

  2. Read the entire introductory paragraph.

  3. Read only the first sentence (the topic sentence) of the middle paragraphs.

  4. Read the concluding paragraph.

• When to use Skimming:

  • When browsing a textbook chapter quickly to see if it matches your study topic.

  • When previewing a comprehension passage before reading it in detail.

2. Scanning (Reading for Specific Information)

Scanning means searching through a text quickly to locate one specific piece of information, such as a name, a date, a number, a place, or a keyword. You ignore everything else until you see the exact detail you want.

• How to Scan a Text:

  1. Know exactly what keyword or number you are looking for before you start.

  2. Move your eyes quickly in a Z-shape pattern down the page.

  3. Do not read sentences word-for-word; just let your eyes slide across the text until the target word “pops out” at you.

• When to use Scanning:

  • Looking up a word in the dictionary.

  • Finding a friend’s phone number on a list.

  • Searching for a specific year in a history note to answer an examination question.

Part 3: Class Evaluation & Exercises

Exercise A: Tense Identification and Application

Rewrite the following sentences by putting the verb in brackets into the correct tense (Simple Present or Simple Past):

1. Every evening, my mother __________ (prepare) delicious food for the whole family.

2. Two days ago, the bursar __________ (give) me my school fees clearance slip.

3. Light __________ (travel) faster than sound.

4. Last term, my brother __________ (win) the junior secondary spelling competition.

5. They always __________ (listen) when the form teacher gives out instructions.

Exercise B: Strategy Match

Read the following student scenarios and write down whether the student should use Skimming or Scanning:

1. Ekomobong needs to find the exact page number where “Pronouns” is taught in his English textbook. Strategy: __________

2. Andikan opens a storybook and wants to see if the general storyline is interesting enough to read later. Strategy: __________

3. A teacher looks through the class register to find out if Amina is present today. Strategy: __________

4. A student wants to look through an environment essay quickly to get a general idea of the writer’s opinion. Strategy: __________