Multiple Choice – Lexis & Structure (WAEC Paper 2)

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Lesson Overview

WAEC English Paper 2 tests students’ knowledge of vocabulary (lexis), idiomatic expressions, grammar, and structural rules through multiple-choice questions. Mastery ensures students can identify correct word usage, grammatical patterns, idioms, collocations, and figurative language, which are critical for accurate and effective communication in English.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:

  1. Identify and use vocabulary in everyday contexts (home, school, society).
  2. Understand and apply vocabulary in specialized areas (commerce, politics, science, religion, sports, etc.).
  3. Recognize and use idiomatic expressions correctly.
  4. Apply collocations and phrasal verbs accurately.
  5. Identify figurative language (similes, metaphors, hyperbole, personification).
  6. Apply grammatical structures including tenses, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and articles.
  7. Correctly identify sentence structure errors and patterns in multiple-choice questions.

Lesson Notes

1. Vocabulary (Lexis)

a) Everyday Vocabulary

  • Home: kitchen, bedroom, furniture, appliances.
  • School: classroom, timetable, library, curriculum.
  • Society: community, government, culture, tradition.

b) Specialized Vocabulary

  • Commerce & Finance: bank, investment, stock, interest, insurance.
  • Politics & Government: democracy, election, constitution, policy.
  • Science & Technology: experiment, hypothesis, solar, chemical.
  • Religion: worship, ritual, sermon, pilgrimage.
  • Sports & Entertainment: tournament, referee, performance, audience.

c) Idiomatic Expressions

  • Definition: Phrases with meanings that cannot be deduced literally.
  • Examples:
    • “Hook, line, and sinker” → completely deceived
    • “Every Tom, Dick, and Harry” → everyone, including ordinary people
    • “Bite the bullet” → endure pain bravely

d) Collocations & Phrasal Verbs

  • Collocations: Words that naturally go together.
    • Examples: make a decision, heavy rain, strong coffee
  • Phrasal Verbs: Verb + preposition/adverb, forming a new meaning.
    • Examples: look after (care for), run into (meet by chance), give up (quit)

e) Figurative Language

  • Simile: Comparison using like/as → as brave as a lion
  • Metaphor: Direct comparison → Life is a journey
  • Hyperbole: Exaggeration → I’m starving to death
  • Personification: Giving human traits → The sun smiled at us

2. Structural Elements of English

a) Tenses

  • Present Simple: I eat rice.
  • Present Continuous: I am eating rice.
  • Past Simple: I ate rice yesterday.
  • Future Simple: I will eat rice tomorrow.

b) Pronouns

  • Personal: I, you, he, she, it, we, they
  • Possessive: my, your, his, her, its, our, their
  • Reflexive: myself, yourself, himself

c) Prepositions

  • Show relationship of nouns/pronouns to other words.
  • Examples: in, on, at, under, over, between, among

d) Conjunctions

  • Coordinating: and, but, or, yet, for, so
  • Subordinating: because, although, if, when, while

e) Articles

  • Definite: the → specific noun
  • Indefinite: a, an → general noun

3. Figurative Usage

  • Identify when expressions are figurative rather than literal.
  • Example: The news hit me like a ton of bricks. → figurative, means shocked.

4. Common Errors in Structure

  1. Subject-verb agreement: He go → He goes
  2. Wrong tense usage: I will went → I will go
  3. Incorrect pronoun reference: Everyone must bring their book → his/her book
  4. Wrong preposition: She is good in maths → She is good at maths
  5. Misplaced modifiers: He almost drove his kids to school every day → He drove his kids to school almost every day

Practice Questions (30)

Section A – Vocabulary

  1. Choose the word closest in meaning: “Devastation”
  2. Choose the word opposite in meaning: “Increase”
  3. Everyday vocabulary: Kitchen item → _____ (Options: fork, pencil, globe)
  4. School vocabulary: _____ is where you borrow books.
  5. Society vocabulary: The local _____ passed a new law.
  6. Commerce: A _____ grows your money over time.

Section B – Idiomatic Expressions

  1. “Bite the bullet” means:
  2. “Hook, line, and sinker” means:
  3. “Every Tom, Dick, and Harry” refers to:
  4. “Break the ice” means:
  5. “Spill the beans” means:
  6. “Hit the sack” means:

Section C – Collocations & Phrasal Verbs

  1. Choose correct collocation: Make a _____ (decision/problem/idea)
  2. Choose correct phrasal verb: She decided to _____ smoking.
  3. Correct collocation: Heavy _____ (rain/coffee/milk)
  4. Identify phrasal verb: I ran _____ an old friend yesterday.
  5. Fill in collocation: Strong _____ (wind/decision/pen)
  6. Fill in phrasal verb: Look _____ your little brother while I am out.

Section D – Grammar & Structure

  1. Choose correct tense: I _____ (eat/ate/will eat) rice yesterday.
  2. Subject-verb agreement: The boys _____ (is/are) playing football.
  3. Correct pronoun: Everyone must bring _____ (his/her/their) notebook.
  4. Preposition: She is good _____ (in/at/on) maths.
  5. Conjunction: I studied hard, _____ I failed the exam.
  6. Article: I saw _____ eagle in the sky.

Section E – Figurative Language

  1. Identify the simile: He is as brave as a lion.
  2. Identify the metaphor: Time is money.
  3. Identify hyperbole: I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.
  4. Identify personification: The wind whispered through the trees.
  5. Is the phrase literal or figurative: The news hit me like a ton of bricks.
  6. Rewrite figurative: He has a heart of stone → meaning?

Answer Key / Guidelines

Section A – Vocabulary

  1. Destruction
  2. Decrease
  3. Fork
  4. Library
  5. Council
  6. Bank

Section B – Idiomatic Expressions

  1. Endure pain bravely
  2. Completely deceived
  3. Everyone, ordinary people
  4. To initiate conversation
  5. Reveal a secret
  6. Go to bed

Section C – Collocations & Phrasal Verbs

  1. Decision
  2. Give up
  3. Rain
  4. Into
  5. Coffee
  6. After

Section D – Grammar & Structure

  1. Ate
  2. Are
  3. His/her
  4. At
  5. But
  6. An

Section E – Figurative Language

  1. He is as brave as a lion
  2. Time is money
  3. I’m so hungry I could eat a horse
  4. The wind whispered
  5. Figurative
  6. Unfeeling, heartless

Chapter 10 Summary

  • WAEC Paper 2 requires mastery of vocabulary, grammar, idioms, collocations, phrasal verbs, and figurative language.
  • Practice reading, recognizing patterns, and applying rules in multiple-choice format.
  • Regular exercises improve speed, accuracy, and confidence for the exam.

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