ARTICLE ON CAUSES OF MASS FAILURE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS

LIGOM ROSELINE

KUW/U14/MCM/2005

ARTICLE ON CAUSES OF MASS FAILURE AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC EXAMINATIONS

          English language as the name suggests is the language by England, which today is spoken by all countries colonized by great Britain, including Nigeria. English language as a subject of study in schools is aimed at teaching students how to write and speak it correctly. English language has however remained the subject mostly failed by learners especially at the secondary school level during  the junior and senior secondary school certificate examinations, why do students perform poorly in these examinations? Are there any reminders? Below are some reasons and remedies first is false mentality by students that English language is every day language used as a medium of expression by virtually all. Thus it is a common feeling among student that it does not end to be studied so much or revised before examinations. If English language is so simple and not worth killing oneself for why then do students continue to fail it? This no doubt accounts for mass failure in the subject pay about on have shown that students pay about on the eve of English language examination because as they claim there is nothing to revise about.

          Another reason is the wrong use of homonyms which are words that sound alike students are known to misuse some words that sounds alike in essay or letter writing for in place of hole just to mention a few student should therefore take time to study these homonyms and their usage to these costly mistakes. Wrong use of tenses is common among student; most students do not know the past participle present continuous or past continuous tenses of verbs. Coupled with this is the lack of knowledge of regular verbs like settle decide believe play e.t.c which have the same past participle go see eat” hit cut e.t.c these don’t follow the pattern of regular verbs, which past and past participles are got by adding “d”

Or “ed” thus students make such statement as emeka hitted his friend thrice (hit) I would have cutted the rope (cut) students should therefore take time to study verbs and their different tense forms Student’s lack of interest in reading instructions also account for their mass failure students are known to ignore such instructions as the number of words to write in essays and poor spelling and wrong use of articles that such words like compel should carry. Another I have written in past or present continuous. E.g. compelled compelling likewise the use of articles a and an make students lose mark in essays they use a for historic house e. t.c this is wrong too the general rule is that ‘a’ should be used for words beginning with consonant sounds while ‘an’ is for words beginning with vowel sounds.

Thus a should not be used for house because although house begins with ‘h’ (consonant sound in pronunciation the ‘h’ sound is silent and and the pronunciation begins with a not ‘h’) the same goes for historic which pronunciation begins with I not ‘h’ thus the correct thing to say is an house an historic likewise European should not used with an since in pronunciation it begins with ‘y’ (a consonant sound) the correct things is a European student should therefore study with their teachers the use of ‘a’ and ‘an ‘as well as learn not to ignore instructions the next factor accounting for mass failure in English language is the mixture of both British and American spellings by student in their essays the British use our in words  like can dour honors while Americans use or’ (candor honor) also British use re in centre and litre while Americans. Use’ (realize)students are known to use both terms at the same time while they are only allowed to use just one of them all through last students make  the mistake of abbreviating some words while writing formal letters . They should use such abbreviations as isn’t hasn’t I’m they re only in informal letters.

Coupled with this is student’s wrong use of high –sounding words just for prestige student should rather use simple words which meanings they are sure of use of short simple sentence is en courage too. Student are therefore advise to use simple words with which they are familiar and to write not –too long sentence if student take note of the above causes of failure in English language and their remedied no doubt the mass failure in the subject in public in public examination. Will become a thing of the past.