VCE Karen cheat sheet

Text-type rule: opening formulas, speaker roles, and setting words identify a conversation, announcement, interview, or narrative before detail questions are answered.

Tense fact: Karen verbs are not inflected for tense; time is carried by adverbs and particles, so every time word heard must be recorded.

Question-force rule: final particles and pitch contour distinguish a statement from a question or request; answer according to the force actually used.

Why-question rule: a 'why' prompt requires a reason clause or cause connector, not a restated fact or a description of the result.

Inference rule: an attitude answer must combine an explicit fact with an evaluative word, hesitation, or tone cue; unsupported guesses are wrong.

Number rule: record numbers, dates, prices, and classifiers exactly; a changed classifier can change the noun being counted.

Summary rule: a listening summary contains the main idea plus at least two supporting details, with repetitions and asides removed.

Sequence rule: chronological connectors and verb order establish event order; verify the order against the setting and outcome.

Gist-first rule: title, headings, and first/last sentences establish topic, purpose, and audience before detail questions are attempted.

Script fact: Sgaw Karen is written in Myanmar script with tone marks and vowel diacritics; these marks are part of the word and cannot be ignored.

Classifier rule: a number expression often requires a classifier whose category matches the noun; the classifier can identify an otherwise unclear noun.

Reference rule: a pronoun is resolved by number, honorific level, and the nearest preceding noun that fits the clause; if two nouns fit, the sentence is ambiguous.

Connector rule: contrast, cause, sequence, and addition connectors determine the required relationship in an answer; matching the connector is more reliable than matching a single word.

Context-vocabulary rule: an unknown word's meaning is inferred from its word class, surrounding clause, and parallel structure, then checked against the whole sentence.

Voice rule: narrator text and quoted character speech can use different pronouns and particles; opinions must be attributed to the correct voice.

Evidence rule: an answer citing a specific word, phrase, or line must show how that evidence supports the claim, not merely quote it.

Text-type rule: message, email, article, speech, diary, and story each require a recognizable opening, body, and closing; the chosen type controls layout and register.

Register rule: honorific and kinship address terms for elders or formal readers; plain pronouns for peers; mixing levels creates unintended rudeness or distance.

Tense fact: Karen verbs do not change for tense, so time adverbs or particles must anchor every event; a narrative without them becomes chronologically vague.

Classifier rule: number + noun constructions require the appropriate classifier; formal writing should not omit it even when speech sometimes does.

Politeness rule: final particles and indirect phrasing soften requests; the strength of the particle must match the reader's status and the size of the request.

Paragraph rule: one main idea per paragraph, supported by relevant detail and closed with a linking sentence that signals the next idea.

Connector rule: cause, contrast, sequence, and addition markers must match the logical relationship; a wrong connector changes the argument.

Editing rule: final check covers tone marks, vowel diacritics, pronoun consistency, classifier use, connector logic, and word count.