The Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) Use of English section consistently tests core topics year after year, with emphasis on grammar, vocabulary, comprehension, and oral English as outlined in the official JAMB syllabus. Key recurring areas include concord (subject-verb agreement), where the verb must match the subject in number, particularly in complex structures involving "neither," "either," or "as well as." Question tags are another frequent focus, following the rule that a positive statement takes a negative tag and vice versa, using auxiliary verbs like "isn't" or "doesn't." Phrasal verbs, such as "turn down" meaning "to reject," regularly appear and require understanding beyond literal interpretations. Synonyms and antonyms test vocabulary depth, with candidates expected to identify words like "intelligent" as similar to "brilliant" or "abundant" as opposite to "scarce." Idiomatic expressions also feature prominently, demanding knowledge of non-literal phrases commonly used in English.
Students must prioritise mastering subject-verb agreement rules, especially in sentences with compound subjects linked by "neither" or "either," as these appear consistently in past UTME exams. Focus study time on practising question tags, phrasal verbs, and high-frequency idioms listed in the JAMB syllabus to directly align with recurring exam content.
💡 NaijaBuzz is an AI-assisted news aggregator. This content is curated from third-party sources — NaijaBuzz is not the original publisher and is not responsible for the accuracy of source reporting. The NaijaBuzz Take is AI-assisted editorial opinion only, not established fact. All persons mentioned are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. NaijaBuzz does not endorse the views expressed in source articles.
