BCS Written English flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Thesis statement

A single arguable sentence stating the essay's central claim. It must be specific and defensible, and it governs the content of every body paragraph that follows.

Topic sentence

The first sentence of a body paragraph that names the one controlling idea of that paragraph and links it to the overall thesis.

Cohesion versus coherence

Cohesion is surface linkage through transitions and pronoun reference; coherence is the logical unity of ideas. Strong essays need both, since cohesive markers cannot rescue unrelated content.

Concession paragraph

A body paragraph that acknowledges the strongest opposing view before rebutting it. It strengthens a one-sided argument by showing the writer has weighed alternatives.

Subject-verb agreement rule

The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, ignoring intervening phrases. In 'The box of pens is heavy', the singular 'box' governs 'is'.

Neither-nor agreement

With 'neither...nor' or 'either...or', the verb agrees with the subject nearer to it. 'Neither the boys nor the teacher was present' takes a singular verb.

Present perfect tense

Formed with has/have plus past participle. It reports a past action that retains present relevance or continues to the present, as in 'She has lived here since 2010'.

Third conditional

If plus past perfect in the condition, would have plus past participle in the result. It describes an unreal past situation, as in 'If he had studied, he would have passed'.

Dangling modifier

An introductory participial phrase whose implied subject does not match the main clause subject. 'Walking home, the rain began' is faulty; 'Walking home, I felt rain' is correct.

Précis length convention

A précis is conventionally about one-third the length of the original passage. The draft is counted and trimmed to the stated limit before submission.

Précis person and speech

A précis is written in the third person and reported speech. Direct quotation and first-person phrasing are excluded because they reproduce rather than compress the source.

Précis title rule

A title is supplied only when the question demands one. An unrequested title may be counted as added material and can attract a penalty.

Comprehension answering rule

Answers must be framed in the candidate's own words while preserving the passage's meaning. Lifting whole sentences verbatim is penalized.

Bengali word order

Bengali clauses follow subject-object-verb order, with the finite verb last. English SVO sentences must be reordered when translated into Bengali.

Sense-for-sense translation

Translation that reproduces the meaning and effect of the source rather than its word order. Idioms are rendered by equivalent idioms, not literal glosses.

Bengali honorific pronouns

Bengali distinguishes আপনি (respectful), তুমি (informal intimate), and সে (third person). The choice encodes the politeness level of the source text.

Article omission in Bengali

English a, an, and the generally have no overt Bengali equivalent. Translators avoid inserting demonstratives merely to mirror the English article.

Negative prefixes

Prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, and non- reverse meaning. The variant chosen depends on the following consonant, as in impossible and illegal.

Noun-forming suffixes

Endings such as -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity, and -ance convert verbs or adjectives into nouns, allowing word-class identification in vocabulary items.

Affect versus effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence; effect is usually a noun meaning result. 'The policy affected prices' and 'the effect was severe' illustrate the split.

Economic versus economical

Economic means relating to the economy; economical means thrifty or saving. The two adjectives are not interchangeable in formal writing.

To beat about the bush

An idiom meaning to avoid coming to the main point. The fixed form uses 'about', and the phrase describes deliberate evasion in speech or writing.

To take to task

An idiom meaning to reprimand or call someone to account for a fault. It is close in meaning to 'to bring to book'.

A bolt from the blue

An idiom describing a sudden, unexpected shock or event. It derives from a lightning strike out of a clear sky.

To make both ends meet

An idiom meaning to live within one's income, with expenditure not exceeding earnings. It describes financial sufficiency at a bare minimum.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by a comma alone. The fault is repaired with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus coordinating conjunction.

Restrictive clause punctuation

A restrictive relative clause identifies the noun and takes no commas. A non-restrictive clause adds extra information and is enclosed in paired commas.

Semicolon function

A semicolon joins closely related independent clauses and separates list items that already contain internal commas. It cannot follow a dependent clause alone.

Its versus it's

'Its' is the possessive form; 'it's' is the contraction of 'it is' or 'it has'. Confusing them is a standard punctuation and spelling error.

Consonant doubling rule

A final single consonant doubles before a vowel suffix when the word has one syllable, one vowel, and one final consonant, as in run to running.

I before E rule

Use -ei after c, as in receive and ceiling; otherwise use -ie, as in believe and achieve. Exceptions include seize, weird, and leisure.

Parallelism rule

Items joined by and, or, or but must share grammatical form. 'To read, to write, and to speak' is parallel; 'to read, writing, and speaking' is not.

British spelling conventions

British usage prefers -our (colour), -re (centre), -ise (organise), and doubled -l- in travelled. BCS scripts should apply one convention consistently.