Use Of English 2018 Jamb Examination

This question tests the order of adjectives in English. The standard order for multiple adjectives usually follows: Number, Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin (Nationality), Material, and Purpose. In this sentence, 'two' is a number, 'highly competent' is an opinion, 'young' is an age, and 'Nigerian' is an origin. Following the logical flow of English syntax, the number comes first, followed by the age/opinion (which can be linked by 'but' for contrast), and finally the nationality immediately preceding the noun 'accountants'. This makes 'two young but highly competent Nigerian' the most natural and grammatically correct sequence.

The first sentence uses a third conditional to describe a hypothetical past situation ('If it had rained...'). The second sentence clarifies the factual reality: 'It didn't rain'. Since the rain was a past event, the consequence of its absence—not having to postpone the concert—is also a past factual event. Therefore, we use the simple past tense 'didn't have to'. 'Won't have to' refers to the future, and 'wouldn't have to' is used for hypothetical present/future situations, neither of which fits a completed past event.

This question distinguishes between the structures 'used to + infinitive' (past habits) and 'be used to + -ing' (being accustomed to something). The sentence begins with 'I am used...', which indicates a current state of being accustomed to a situation. In English, the phrase 'be used to' must be followed by a gerund (verb ending in -ing) or a noun. Therefore, 'to eating' is the correct grammatical choice. 'To eat' would only be correct if the sentence was describing a past habit (e.g., 'I used to eat'), which is not the case here due to the presence of 'am'.

ability - /əˈbɪl.ə.ti/
registration - /ˌredʒ.ɪˈstreɪ.ʃən/
quadruplicate - /kwɒˈdruː.plɪ.keɪt/
revivalist - /rɪˈvaɪ.vəl.ɪst/
In 'ability', 'quadruplicate', and 'revivalist', the primary stress falls on the second syllable (a-BIL-ity, qua-DRU-plicate, re-VI-valist). However, in 'registration', the primary stress falls on the third syllable (reg-is-TRA-tion), which is common for English words ending in '-tion'. Because its primary stress is on the third syllable while the others are on the second, 'registration' is the odd one out.

competent - /ˈkɒm.pɪ.tənt/
represent - /ˌrep.rɪˈzent/
syllabus - /ˈsɪl.ə.bəs/
quality - /ˈkwɒl.ə.ti/
In the words 'competent', 'syllabus', and 'quality', the primary stress is placed on the first syllable (COM-petent, SYL-labus, QUA-lity). In contrast, the word 'represent' has its primary stress on the third syllable (rep-re-SENT). Since 'represent' does not follow the first-syllable stress pattern shared by the other three options, it is the correct answer.

thatch - /θætʃ/
clothing - /ˈkləʊ.ðɪŋ/
mother - /ˈmʌð.ə/
then - /ðen/
method - /ˈmeθ.əd/
The underlined 'th' in 'thatch' represents the voiceless dental fricative /θ/. In 'clothing', 'mother', and 'then', the 'th' represents the voiced dental fricative /ð/. The word 'method' is the only option where the 'th' also represents the voiceless /θ/ sound. Therefore, 'method' has the same consonant sound as 'thatch'.

chateau - /ˈʃæt.əʊ/
chart - /tʃɑːt/
church - /tʃɜːtʃ/
champagne - /ʃæmˈpeɪn/
chemical - /ˈkem.ɪ.kəl/
The 'ch' in 'chateau' (a word of French origin) is pronounced as the voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/, similar to the 'sh' in 'ship'. While 'chart' and 'church' use the affricate /tʃ/ and 'chemical' uses the plosive /k/, the word 'champagne' also uses the /ʃ/ sound for its 'ch'. Thus, 'champagne' is the correct match.

joint - /dʒɔɪnt/
dagger - /ˈdæɡ.ə/
advantage - /ədˈvɑːn.tɪdʒ/
guardian - /ˈɡɑː.di.ən/
mightier - /ˈmaɪ.ti.ə/
The letter 'j' in 'joint' represents the voiced postalveolar affricate sound /dʒ/. The 'g' in 'dagger' and 'guardian' represents the voiced velar plosive /ɡ/. In 'advantage', the 'g' is pronounced as /dʒ/, which is the same consonant sound found in 'joint'. Therefore, 'advantage' is the correct option.

In the context of a sports victory, 'narrow' means that the win was achieved by a very small margin (e.g., 1-0). A narrow victory implies that the competition was very close and hard-fought. The opposite of a victory won by a small, difficult margin is one won by a large, comfortable margin where the winner was clearly superior. 'Easy' is the most appropriate antonym here, as it describes a victory achieved without much difficulty or by a significant margin. While 'expected' and 'unexpected' refer to predictions, they do not address the margin of the win.

In this sentence, 'all' is used as an indefinite pronoun meaning 'everything'. When 'all' means 'everything' or refers to a singular concept of a situation, it takes a singular verb. Therefore, 'is' is the grammatically correct choice to complete the phrase 'all is well'. 'Are' would be used if 'all' referred to a plural count of people or items (e.g., 'All the students are here'). Since the context is about John's general well-being, the singular 'is' is required.