I’ll be honest with you – when I first flipped through Ayo Bamgbose’s Lexis and Structure PDF, I wasn’t expecting much. Another English textbook, right? But then I looked at that table of contents. Really looked at it.

Here’s what caught my eye immediately:

The way it’s organized feels… intentional. Almost like someone sat down and thought, “What do students actually struggle with?” You start with the basics – Similar and Opposite Meanings on page 41. Then it builds. Idioms at 44. Word Association at 54. There’s this logical flow that makes sense when you’re actually trying to learn, not just cram.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

The structure section? It doesn’t mess around. Spelling starts at page 62, then moves into Forming Words at 78. And those chapters on Counting Nouns and Qualifying Nouns? They tackle the stuff that trips up even confident speakers. I mean, when was the last time you second-guessed yourself on noun-verb agreement? Chapter Ten has you covered.

What really strikes me is Chapter Twelve – Which Preposition? Just three words, but they capture one of the most frustrating aspects of English. Because let’s face it, prepositions are where logic goes to die. You don’t in a car; you’re in a car. You don’t get in the bus; you get on the bus. It’s maddening until someone breaks it down properly.

The Phrasal Verbs chapter starting at 132? That’s where things get real. These aren’t just academic exercises. These are the phrases that make English sound… well, English. Native speakers use them without thinking. The rest of us? We need help.

Now, here’s what I find fascinating about exam prep.

This book isn’t just theory. It’s built for SSCE exams – WAEC, JAMB, NECO, and GCE. The questions aren’t just random. They’re drawn from actual past papers with what the author calls “remixed explanations.”

That phrase stuck with me. Remixed explanations.

It suggests something beyond just copying answers. It’s about understanding patterns. Recognizing why certain options work and others don’t. Building that intuitive sense that helps during those high-pressure exam moments.

The comparison everyone’s making these days is between this book and Dele Ashade’s Invisible Teacher. And honestly? It’s not really fair to either book. They serve different purposes.

Bamgbose’s approach feels like having a patient teacher physically present. Someone who breaks down the complications step by step. Ashade’s work goes deeper into analytical structures – it’s more about developing that internal grammar sense.

If you’re struggling with prepositions specifically, Bamgbose has your back. The Ministry of Education recommends it. It’s included in the JAMB syllabus. These aren’t accidents.

The topics it covers – concord, prepositions and adverbials, phrasal verbs – these are the building blocks. The fundamentals that everything else rests on.

Those seven tests at the end (A through G)? They’re not afterthoughts. They’re your reality check. Your way of knowing whether you’ve actually absorbed the material or just read through it.

And having the answers right there? Sometimes you need immediate feedback. Sometimes you can’t wait for a teacher to grade your work.

Looking for more resources? You might want to explore our recommended textbooks for WAEC and JAMB, or check out additional NECO materials to round out your preparation.

Questions? I get it. Choosing the right study materials can feel overwhelming. Click here to send us a message on WhatsApp – we’re here to help you figure out what works best for your learning style.