Lexis and Structure Tips: Idioms, Concord and Tenses Made Simple

Lexis and structure questions are among the most gettable marks in English. Unlike a long essay, each question tests a single point: a word, an idiom, a verb form. If you know the rule and have seen the pattern, you can answer in seconds. The challenge is that there are many small rules, and you need a system to learn them.

Before you start, check the current syllabus and format for your exam on the official body's website. The categories below are common in objective English papers, but the proportions can change.

What "lexis" and "structure" cover

Part 1: Vocabulary and idioms

Build a vocabulary notebook

Each new word gets a line:

Learn five words a day, and test yourself on previous words weekly. Use word parts to guess meaning: un- (not), dis- (opposite), -less (without), -ful (full of), bene- (good), mal- (bad).

Learn idioms by theme

Learning 100 random idioms is hard; learning them by theme is easier.

Use each idiom in a sentence you invent. For example, "Tolu jumped the gun and announced the results before the teacher had confirmed them."

Phrasal verbs

The meaning often differs from the verb alone.

Learn them in groups by main verb (look, take, put, turn, give, get).

Collocations

English has natural pairs: "heavy rain" (not "strong rain"), "make a mistake", "take a decision" or "make a decision", "do homework". Pay attention to such pairs as you read.

Part 2: Structure

Concord (subject-verb agreement)

The verb must agree with the true subject, not the word closest to it.

Tenses

Know the form and use of the main tenses.

Some verbs are not normally used in the continuous form: know, understand, like, want, see (meaning perceive). "I am knowing" is wrong; "I know" is correct.

Tip for time words: "since" and "for" go with the present perfect ("since 2019", "for three years"), and "yesterday" or "last week" goes with the simple past.

Prepositions

Prepositions often have to be memorised in pairs.

Sentence construction

• Use connectors correctly: "although" and "but" should not be used together in the same sentence ("Although he was tired, he continued", not "Although he was tired, but he continued").
• Keep parallel structure: "She likes dancing, singing and swimming" (not "...and to swim").
• Place modifiers close to what they describe: "Walking down the road, I saw a snake" means the walker is "I".

How to answer lexis and structure questions in the exam

1. Read the full sentence before looking at the options.
2. Predict the answer if you can, then find it among the options.
3. Eliminate options that break a grammar rule.
4. Say it in your head. Often the correct form sounds right, if you have read enough good English.
5. Check tense clues such as "yesterday", "since", "by the time".
6. Do not spend more than a minute on a single item. Our CBT exam tips cover time management.

A weekly study routine

Keep an error log of every question you miss, with the rule behind it. Many students find that they repeat the same five or six errors. Fixing those gives quick gains.

Link with the other skills

Grammar and vocabulary improve everything else. Better lexis makes your essays more precise, helps you answer comprehension vocabulary questions and makes summaries cleaner. For spoken English and sound patterns, read oral English tips. For the full subject strategy, see how to pass JAMB English.

Mistakes to avoid

• Relying on "it sounds correct" without knowing the rule
• Learning idioms only from lists and never using them in a sentence
• Skipping tenses because they seem easy
• Ignoring the error log

Start today

Pick one weak area, perhaps prepositions or concord, and do 15 questions on it. ExamPadi's English practice lets you practise by topic with explanations. Free to start, it covers 46,182 questions across JAMB, WAEC, NECO and NABTEB, so you can keep going until the patterns feel familiar.