Grammar - Licensurehub

Parts of speech are categories into which words are grouped based on the function they perform in a sentence. In English grammar, understanding parts of speech is fundamental because it helps learners:

construct correct sentences,
identify grammatical errors,
understand meaning in context

Module 1.1: Overview of Parts of Speech

1. NOUNS

Definition:
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality.

Types of Nouns

Common Nouns – general names of people or things.
- Examples: teacher, city, book
Proper Nouns – specific names and always begin with capital letters.
- Examples: Ama, Accra, Ghana
Concrete Nouns – things that can be seen, touched, heard, smelled, or tasted.
- Examples: chair, water, bell
Abstract Nouns – ideas, feelings, or qualities that cannot be touched.
- Examples: honesty, bravery, happiness
Collective Nouns – names of groups of people or things.
- Examples: team, class, committee
Countable Nouns – nouns that can be counted.
- Examples: pen/pens, book/books
Uncountable Nouns – nouns that cannot be counted individually.
- Examples: rice, information, furniture

Functions of Nouns in Sentences

Subject: The teacher arrived early.
Object: She met the teacher.
Complement: He is a teacher.

GTLE Tip: Many questions test whether you can identify the function of a noun, not just name it.

2. PRONOUNS

Definition:
A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition.

Types of Pronouns

Personal Pronouns – refer to specific people or things.
- Subject: I, we, he, she, they
- Object: me, us, him, her, them
Possessive Pronouns – show ownership.
- Examples: mine, yours, ours
Reflexive Pronouns – refer back to the subject.
- Examples: myself, themselves
Demonstrative Pronouns – point to specific things.
- Examples: this, that, these, those
Relative Pronouns – introduce relative clauses.
- Examples: who, whom, which, that
Indefinite Pronouns – refer to non-specific persons or things.
- Examples: someone, everyone, many

Example: Ama lost her book because she was careless.

3. VERBS

Definition:
A verb is a word that shows an action, an occurrence, or a state of being.

Types of Verbs

Action Verbs – show physical or mental actions.
- Examples: run, think, write
Linking Verbs – connect the subject to a complement.
- Examples: is, seem, become
Auxiliary (Helping) Verbs – help the main verb express tense, mood, or voice.
- Examples: have, is, will

Example: She has finished her work.

4. ADJECTIVES

Definition:
An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun by giving more information about it.

Adjectives answer questions such as:

What kind?
Which one?
How many?

Example: a beautiful dress, three students

5. ADVERBS

Definition:
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Functions of Adverbs

Manner: how an action is done (quickly)
Time: when (yesterday)
Place: where (here)
Degree: to what extent (very)

Example: She spoke very softly.

6. PREPOSITIONS

Definition:
A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship with another word in the sentence.

Common Prepositions: in, on, at, under, beside, between

Example: The book is on the table.

7. CONJUNCTIONS

Definition:
A conjunction is a word used to join words, phrases, or clauses.

Types of Conjunctions

Coordinating Conjunctions – join equal elements.
- and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so
Subordinating Conjunctions – join a dependent clause to an independent clause.
- because, although, if, when
Correlative Conjunctions – used in pairs.
- either…or, neither…nor

8. INTERJECTIONS

Definition:
An interjection is a word or expression that shows sudden emotion or feeling.

Examples: oh!, wow!, alas!

Module 1.2: Usage of Prepositions and Conjunctions

Prepositions of Time (Explained)

at – specific time (at 6pm)
on – days and dates (on Monday)
in – months, years, long periods (in July)

Prepositions of Place

in – inside something
on – on a surface
under – below

Prepositions of Direction

to – movement toward
into – movement inside
towards – direction

Conjunctions in Use

Coordinating: Ama came and Kofi left.
Subordinating: I stayed because it was raining.
Correlative: Either you come or you stay.

GTLE Focus: Learners must choose the correct conjunction based on meaning, not memorization.

2. Pronouns

Definition: A pronoun is a word used in place of a noun to avoid repetition.

Types of Pronouns:

Personal (I, we, him)
Possessive (my, ours)
Reflexive (myself, themselves)
Demonstrative (this, those)
Relative (who, which)
Indefinite (someone, everyone)

Example: Ama lost her book.

3. Verbs

Definition: A verb is a word that shows an action, occurrence, or state of being.

Types of Verbs:

Action verbs: run, write
Linking verbs: is, seem
Auxiliary verbs: have, is, will

Example: She is reading a book.

4. Adjectives

Definition: An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun.

Example: a beautiful dress

5. Adverbs

Definition: An adverb modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb.

Functions:

Manner: quickly
Time: yesterday
Place: here
Degree: very

Example: She ran quickly.

6. Prepositions

Definition: A preposition shows the relationship between a noun/pronoun and another word in the sentence.

Examples: in, on, at, under

Example: The book is on the table.

7. Conjunctions

Definition: A conjunction is a word used to join words, phrases, or clauses.

Types:

Coordinating: and, but, or
Subordinating: because, although
Correlative: either…or

8. Interjections

Definition: An interjection is a word or expression that shows emotion.

Examples: oh!, wow!, alas!

Module 1.2: Usage of Prepositions and Conjunctions

Prepositions of Time

at (at 6pm)
on (on Monday)
in (in July)

Prepositions of Place

in, on, under, beside

Prepositions of Direction

to, into, towards

Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions: join equal elements (and, but, or)

Subordinating conjunctions: introduce dependent clauses (because, although, if)

Correlative conjunctions: work in pairs (either…or, neither…nor)

UNIT 2: GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES & AGREEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Grammatical structures refer to the way words are arranged to form meaningful sentences, while agreement (concord) refers to the grammatical harmony between sentence elements, especially the subject and the verb.

In the Ghana Teacher Licensure Examination (GTLE), this unit is highly tested, especially through:

sentence correction questions,
identification of grammatical errors,
choosing the correct option to complete sentences.

Module 2.1: Order of Adjectives

Definition

The order of adjectives refers to the fixed sequence in which adjectives are placed before a noun in English. When more than one adjective is used to describe a noun, they must follow a recognized order to sound natural and grammatically correct.

Standard Order of Adjectives

The accepted order is:

Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun

Explanation of Each Category

Opinion – expresses personal judgment.
- Examples: beautiful, ugly, interesting
Size – shows how big or small something is.
- Examples: big, small, tall
Age – indicates how old or new something is.
- Examples: old, young, new
Shape – describes form.
- Examples: round, square
Colour – describes appearance.
- Examples: red, black
Origin – shows where something comes from.
- Examples: Ghanaian, African
Material – shows what something is made of.
- Examples: wooden, plastic
Purpose – tells what something is used for.
- Examples: sleeping (as in sleeping bag)

Example (Correct Usage)

a beautiful small old round brown Ghanaian wooden table

Common Errors

❌ a wooden old Ghanaian table

✔️ an old Ghanaian wooden table

GTLE Tip: When unsure, identify the type of adjective before placing it.

Module 2.2: Concord (Subject–Verb Agreement)

Definition

Concord (also called subject–verb agreement) refers to the grammatical rule that the verb in a sentence must agree with its subject in number and person.

Basic Rule

Singular subject → singular verb
Plural subject → plural verb

Example:

The boy runs fast.
The boys run fast.

Concord with Collective Nouns

Definition: A collective noun refers to a group of people or things considered as one unit.

Examples: team, committee, family, class

When the group acts as one unit, use a singular verb.
- The team is winning.
When individuals act separately, use a plural verb.
- The team are arguing among themselves.

Concord with Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns do not refer to a specific person or thing.

Singular Indefinite Pronouns

everyone, someone, each, nobody

Example: Everyone is happy.

Plural Indefinite Pronouns

many, few, several

Example: Many are absent.

Notional Agreement

Definition: Notional agreement occurs when the verb agrees with the meaning of the subject rather than its grammatical form.

Example:

A number of students are absent.
The number of students is high.

Module 2.3: Articles and Determiners

Articles

Definition

An article is a word used before a noun to show whether the noun is specific or general.

Types of Articles

Definite Article – “the”
Used to refer to a specific noun known to the speaker and listener.

Example: The book on the table is mine.

Indefinite Articles – “a” and “an”
Used to refer to non-specific nouns.

“a” is used before consonant sounds.
“an” is used before vowel sounds.

Example: a book, an apple

Determiners

Definition

A determiner is a word placed before a noun to limit or clarify its meaning.

Types of Determiners

Demonstratives: this, that, these, those
Possessives: my, his, their
Quantifiers: some, many, much, few

Common Errors (GTLE Focus)

❌ She gave me informations.

✔️ She gave me some information.

Module 2.2: Concord (Subject–Verb Agreement)

Definition: Concord means agreement between the subject and the verb in number and person.

Rules:

Singular subject → singular verb
Plural subject → plural verb

Collective nouns: may take singular or plural verbs depending on meaning.

Indefinite pronouns:

Singular: everyone, each
Plural: many, few

Notional agreement: verb agrees with meaning rather than form.

Module 2.3: Articles and Determiners

Articles

Definite: the
Indefinite: a, an

Determiners

Words that limit nouns (this, that, some, many).

UNIT 3: TENSE, ASPECT & TIME RELATIONS

INTRODUCTION

Tense and aspect are grammatical concepts that help us understand when an action happens and how that action occurs in time. This unit is very important for the GTLE because many candidates lose marks due to tense inconsistency and wrong verb forms.

Module 3.1: Tense and Aspect

Definition of Tense

Tense refers to the form of the verb that shows the time an action takes place.

There are three main tenses in English:

Present Tense – action happening now or regularly
Past Tense – action that already happened
Future Tense – action that will happen

Definition of Aspect

Aspect shows the nature of the action, that is, whether the action is completed, ongoing, or repeated.

English has four aspects:

Simple
Continuous (Progressive)
Perfect
Perfect Continuous

Present Tense Forms (Explained)

Simple Present – habitual actions or general truths
- Example: She teaches English.
Present Continuous – action happening now
- Example: She is teaching English.
Present Perfect – action completed but relevant now
- Example: She has taught for ten years.
Present Perfect Continuous – action started in the past and still continuing
- Example: She has been teaching since 2015.

Past Tense Forms

Simple Past – completed action in the past
- Example: She taught yesterday.
Past Continuous – action ongoing at a specific time in the past
- Example: She was teaching when I arrived.
Past Perfect – action completed before another past action
- Example: She had taught before the exam started.
Past Perfect Continuous – action ongoing up to a past time
- Example: She had been teaching for hours.

Future Tense Forms

Will/Shall – future intention
- Example: She will teach tomorrow.
Going to – planned future action
- Example: She is going to teach tomorrow.

Module 3.2: Sequence of Tenses

Definition

Sequence of tenses refers to the rule that verbs in related clauses must be logically consistent in time.

Rule

If the main verb is in the past tense, the verb in the subordinate clause usually changes to a corresponding past form.

Example:

Direct: He said, “I am tired.”
Reported: He said that he was tired.

Common Errors (GTLE Focus)

❌ He said he is sick.
✔️ He said he was sick.

Module 3.3: Conditional Sentences

Definition

A conditional sentence expresses a condition and its result.

Types of Conditional Sentences

Zero Conditional – general truths
- Structure: If + present, present
- Example: If you heat ice, it melts.
First Conditional – real future possibility
- Structure: If + present, will + verb
- Example: If it rains, we will stay inside.
Second Conditional – unreal or unlikely present situations
- Structure: If + past, would + verb
- Example: If I were rich, I would travel.
Third Conditional – unreal past situations
- Structure: If + past perfect, would have + past participle
- Example: If I had studied, I would have passed.
Mixed Conditionals – time mismatch
- Example: If I had studied harder, I would be successful now.

GTLE Tip: Understand meaning before choosing the verb form.

UNIT 4: SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION & VOICE

INTRODUCTION

Sentence transformation involves changing the form of a sentence without changing its meaning. This unit tests understanding, not memorization.

Module 4.1: Reported Speech

Definition

Reported speech is used to report what someone said without using their exact words.

Changes in Reported Speech

Tense changes
Pronoun changes
Time and place word changes

Example:

Direct: She said, “I am tired.”
Reported: She said that she was tired.

Module 4.2: Voice (Active and Passive)

Definition of Voice

Voice shows whether the subject performs the action or receives it.

Active Voice: subject performs the action
Passive Voice: subject receives the action

Rules for Passive Voice

Object becomes subject
Verb changes form
Agent may be omitted

Example:
Active: The teacher marked the scripts.
Passive: The scripts were marked (by the teacher).

Module 4.3: Question Tags

Definition

A question tag is a short question added to a statement to seek confirmation.

Rules

Positive statement → negative tag
Negative statement → positive tag

Example:
You are ready, aren’t you?

UNIT 5: VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT & LEXIS

INTRODUCTION

Vocabulary refers to words used in a language, while lexis refers to word choice in context.

Module 5.1: Synonyms and Antonyms

Synonyms

Definition: Words with similar meanings.

Example: big – large

Antonyms

Definition: Words with opposite meanings.

Example: hot – cold

GTLE Tip: Always consider context.

Module 5.2: Idioms

Definition

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words.

Example: spill the beans (reveal a secret)

Module 5.3: Phrasal Verbs

Definition

A phrasal verb consists of a verb plus a particle that creates a new meaning.

Example: give up (quit)

Module 5.4: Lexis and Structure

Lexis: choice of appropriate words
Structure: arrangement of words to form meaning

UNIT 6: PHRASES, CLAUSES & SENTENCE TYPES

Module 6.1: Phrases

Definition

A phrase is a group of words that does not contain a finite verb.

Types explained:

Noun Phrase: head noun + modifiers
Verb Phrase: main verb + auxiliaries
Adjective Phrase: adjective + modifiers
Adverbial Phrase: adverb + modifiers

Module 6.2: Clauses

Definition

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and a verb.

Independent Clause: expresses complete thought
Dependent Clause: incomplete meaning

Types of dependent clauses:

Noun clause
Adjective clause
Adverbial clause

Module 6.3: Sentence Types

Simple Sentence – one independent clause
Compound Sentence – two independent clauses
Complex Sentence – one independent + one dependent
Compound-Complex Sentence – two independent + one dependent

UNIT 7: SENTENCE USAGE & ERRORS

Module 7.1: Clausal Elements

Subject

The doer of the action.

Predicate

What is said about the subject.

Object

Receives the action.

Complement

Completes the meaning of the sentence.

Module 7.2: Common Sentence Errors

Faulty Parallelism

Lack of balance in sentence structure.

Example:
❌ She likes reading, to sing, and dancing.
✔️ She likes reading, singing, and dancing.

Run-on Sentences

Two sentences joined without punctuation.

Sentence Fragments

Incomplete sentences.

Dangling Modifiers

Modifiers with unclear reference.

GTLE Focus: Identify and correct errors accurately.

Below are additional sentence examples and clarifications for key areas often misunderstood by candidates.

ADDITIONAL SENTENCE EXAMPLES (HIGH-YIELD)

Nouns (Functions)

Honesty is important. (Abstract noun – subject)
We bought rice. (Uncountable noun – object)
The class is noisy. (Collective noun – unit)

Pronouns (Agreement)

Everyone forgot his or her book. (NOT their – GTLE trap)
The boys blamed themselves.

Verbs (Auxiliaries)

She has been studying all night.
They will have completed the work by Friday.

Adjectives vs Adverbs

She is a careful driver. (adjective – modifies noun)
She drives carefully. (adverb – modifies verb)

❌ She drives careful.
✔️ She drives carefully.

Prepositions (Common Errors)

❌ discuss about the issue
✔️ discuss the issue
❌ married with him
✔️ married to him

Conjunctions (Meaning Test)

I stayed at home because it was raining. (reason)
Although he studied, he failed. (contrast)

Concord (Exam Traps)

The police are investigating the case. (plural in meaning)
Each of the students has a book. (NOT have)

Articles

She is a university student. (sound, not spelling)
He is an honest man.

Tense Consistency

❌ When he came yesterday, I am sleeping.
✔️ When he came yesterday, I was sleeping.

Conditionals (Meaning-Based)

If you had listened, you would not have failed. (past regret)

Reported Speech

Direct: “We will come tomorrow.”
Reported: They said they would come the next day.

Passive Voice (When to Use)

Use passive when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Example:

My phone was stolen.

Question Tags (Intonation)

Falling intonation → speaker is sure.
Rising intonation → speaker is unsure.

Example:

You are a teacher, aren’t you?

Sentence Errors (GTLE Favourite)

Dangling Modifier
❌ Walking down the road, the bag fell.
✔️ Walking down the road, I dropped the bag.

FINAL TEACHER ADVICE

Teach meaning before rules.
Always ask: What is the function of this word in the sentence?
GTLE does not test theory alone — it tests application in context.