WEST NIGERIA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE & SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL STUDIES

Mile 7 Ajebo Road, P.O. Box 1630 Sapon, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
Email: wncc_abeokuta@hotmail.com Website: www.wncc.org.ng

GST 117 – Basic English Grammar

Instructor: Emmanuel Olumuji, PhD.

builderemma1@gmail.com

Course Description
Adequate treatment is given to the parts of speech, transitive and intransitive verbs, sentence
structure, kinds of sentences, word order and all aspect of grammar.

Course Objectives
At the end of this course, students should be able to:
 develop competence in the use of English through knowledge of the basic principles of
grammar;
 apprise students with the basic of concord and correct usage of verbs;
 understand the basic unit of every writing process;
 learn the parts and type of sentences;
 gain the ability to process information to be disseminated, consciously or/and
unconsciously into sentences that are acceptable; and
 clarify challenging areas for second language learners and users of English language.
Course Outline
General introduction and familiarization
I. General Introduction
English alphabets, word, phrase, clause and articles

II. The Nominal Group I

a. Proper and common nouns
b. Countable and uncountable nouns
c. Collective noun
d. Abstract and concrete nouns
e. Singular and plural nouns
f. Gerund.

III. The Nominal Group II

a. The pronoun.
b. Persons and positions.

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 c. Singular and plural pronouns
d. Personal, possessive and reflexive pronouns.
e. Demonstrative, interrogative and relative pronouns.
f. Indefinite pronoun.

IV. Verbal Group

a. Transitive and intransitive verbs
b. Main and auxiliary verbs
c. Singular and plural
d. Present, past and future verbs
e. Linking verbs
f. Concord and rules of concord.

V. Adverbial Group
a. Meaning
b. Formation (ly)
c. Adverb of frequency, manner, time and place
d. Comparison of adverbs

VI. Adjectival Group

a. Meaning
b. Types of adjective
c. Ordering of adjective
d. Comparison of adjective

VII. Preposition
a. Meaning and types
b. Between and among
c. Prepositional phrase
d. Phrasal verb

VIII. Conjunction
a. Subordinating conjunction
b. Coordinating conjunction
c. Correlative conjunction

IX. Interjection
a. Strong emotion
b. Command
c. Use of punctuation

X. Phrases and Clauses

a. Meaning
b. Noun phrase and clause

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 c. Adjectival Phrase and clause
d. Adverbial phrase and clause

XI. Sentence
a. Sentence structure
b. Simple sentence
c. Compound sentence
d. Complex sentence

XII. Question Tag

a. Question makers
b. Positive and negative statements
c. Positive and negative tags
XIII. Punctuation Mechanics
a. End punctuation
b. Internal punctuation
c. Word punctuation
d. Capitalisation
XIV. Common Errors in the Use of English
a. Introduction
b. Sources of error
c. Types of error

XV. Practice Questions

Required Readings
Akeredolu-Ale, B., Bodunde, H., Sotiloye, B., Aduradola, R., Olaifa, T., and Adebiyi, A.
(2014). Studies in English Language and Literature. Ogun State, Nigeria:
Jacob and Lydia Publishers. (pp 141-166)

Latilo, T. and Beckley, T. (2012). Essential English Language. Lagos State, Nigeria: Tonad
Publishers.

Layo, O. E. (2014). Punctuation mechanics. In L. Dairo, T. Balogun, S. Dare, S. Omosule & O.

Olayemi (Eds.), Communication in English (pp. 53-67). Ogun State, Nigeria: Directorate
of General and Entrepreneurial Studies.

Onuigbo, Sam. (2014). Oral English for Schools and Colleges. Onitsha, Nigeria: Africana First
Publishers.

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General Texts
Dictionary
New Oxford Advance Learners Dictionary, 9th Edition.

Books
Akinwalere, I. and Olumuji, E. (2018). Hate Speech and Public Communication in Nigeria. Mass
Communication: Education and Practice in Nigeria. In Y. Ozohu-Suleiman & S.
Mohammed (Eds.), 1(1), Mass Communication Education and Practice in Nigeria (pp.
340-355). Zaria, Kaduna State: Ahmadu Bello University Press Ltd.

Daramola, I. (2012). Introduction to Mass Communication. Lagos: Rothan Press Limited.

Greenwald, H. P. (2008). Organizations: Management Without Control. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

James, S., Ode, I. and Soola. O. (2007). Introduction to Communication for Business and
Organization. Ibadan: Spectrum Books Limited.

Miller, K. (2012). Organizational communication: Approaches and |Processes (6th ed.). Boston,
MA: Wasdworth-Cengage.

MacDougall, C.D. (1982). Interpretative Reporting. New York: Macmillan Pub. Co. Inc.

Newson and Wollert (1988). Media Writing: Preparing Information for the Mass Media. New
York: Wadsworth Inc.

Payne, J. (1999). Applications, Communication; for Personal and Professional Context. USA:
Clark Publishing.

Journals
Turkalj, Z. and Fosić, I. (2006). Organizational Communication as an Important Factor of
Organizational Behaviour. Interdisciplinary Management Research, 5(1): 33-43.

Olumuji, E., Bodunde, H. and Sotiloye, B. (2020). Readership Pattern of Selected Print and
Electronic Newspaper in Lagos State, Nigeria. ELTT Journal. (In Press).

Conference Paper
Olupe, O. and Olumuji, E. (2017). “A Comparative Study of Transitive Verbs in English and
Yoruba”. 13th National Association of Teachers and Researchers in English as a Second
Language (NATRESL) Conference and Workshop held at Federal University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta.
Deadline for Submission of Assignments
Due date for all assignment is a week

Course Requirement
Class Assignments, Tests, Presentations, Readings, Quizzes, Reflection Papers - 10%

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Mid-Semester Examination - 20%
Term Paper - 30%
Final Examination – 40%
At least 70% attendance is required for a student to be eligible to write the final exam.

Grading
A = 70 -100
B = 60 – 69
C = 50 – 59
D = 45 – 49
F = 0 – 44