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COMPREHENSION AND WRITING SKILLS
Introduction to Summary Writing
Table of Contents
Content
The Procedure
Useful Hints
The Test: The summary section seeks to test the candidate’s ability to extract or pick relevant information from a longer passage and present that information in clear, concise language.
The Procedure
Read over the passage once or twice for a thorough understanding
Read the questions based on the passage
Read the passage once again making notes or jotting down points that will help you to answer the questions.
Write out your answers.
Read over the questions and your answer to ensure there is no error.
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SPELLING: PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES
Prefixes are words or syllables placed before a root word to form another word; e.g. un, non, dis, mis, super, trans, ex e.t.c
| Prefixes | Root | New words |
| un | happy
faithful |
unhappy
unfaithful |
| dis | appear
respect |
disappear
disrespect |
| non | sense
existence |
non-sense
non-existence |
| mis | lead
direct |
mis-lead
mis-direct |
| mal | treat
practice |
maltreat
malpractice |
| out | wit
run |
outwit
outrun |
| trans | plant | transplant |
| inter | denominational
state |
interdenominational
interstate |
| post | war
independence |
post war
post independence |
SUFFIXES are words or syllables placed after a root word to form another word e.g. –ness, -ment, er, ship, -ation, ant, less, e.t.c.
| Suffixes | Root words | New-words |
| ness | happy | happiness |
| ment | punish | punishment |
| ship | apprentice
relation |
apprenticeship
relationship |
| ation | found
associate |
foundation
association |
| ant | inhabit
serve |
inhabitant
servant |
| hood | boy
child |
boyhood
childhood |
| less | child
guilt |
childless
guiltless |
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ADVERBIAL AND PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES
Adverbial Phrases
Prepositional Phrases
Adverbial Phrases: The main function of adverbs and adverbial phrases is to modify verbs, answering the following questions
How? When? Why? Where? To what extent?
They also modify adjectives, other adverbs, and prepositional phrases. Any group of words containing no verb and performing those functions is an adverbial phrase.
Types of Adverbial Phrases
Adverbial phrase of manner e.g.
He does the work with zeal/ very well.
Adverbial phrase of time e.g.
I saw him in the morning.
Adverbial phrase of place e.g.
I met him at the supermarket
Adverbial phrase of contrast
Despite her promise, she behaved differently.
In spite of the good advice, she did not change her behavior.
His strength notwithstanding, he lost the fight.
PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE
A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun phrase or pronoun e.g.
To him
For the man
At the bank
About what he did
Functions of a prepositional phrase:
The prepositional phrase is used
(i)As an adverbial phrase e.g.
The police caught the thief in the garden.
At a later date, we confronted him.
(ii)As an adjective:
The man with the hat is our teacher.
The news of his death shocked everyone
(iii)As a complement of a verb
We believe in what he says.
(iv)As a complement of an adjective
We are sure of his arrival.
Read also:
Reading Skills, Vocabulary Development & Emphatic Stress
Reading, Adjective, Adjectival Phrase & Argumentative Essay
Vocabulary, Noun Clause, Consonant Sounds & Narrative- Essay
Figures of Speech: Simile, Metaphor & Irony
Kinds of Sentences | Simple, Multiple, Compound & Complex