DZI English Language flashcards
DZI English Language · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Subject-verb agreement
- The verb agrees in number with the head noun of the subject, ignoring intervening prepositional phrases. Example: "The list of items is long," not "are long."
- Restrictive vs. nonrestrictive clause
- A restrictive clause is essential to the sentence's meaning and takes no commas. A nonrestrictive clause adds extra information and is set off by commas.
- Dangling modifier
- An introductory phrase that fails to attach logically to the sentence's subject. "Walking home, the rain began" wrongly makes rain the walker.
- Pronoun case
- Pronouns change form by function: I, he, she, they, who as subjects; me, him, her, them, whom as objects or after prepositions.
- Present perfect tense
- Formed with has or have plus a past participle. It connects a past action to the present, as in "She has finished the report."
- Denotation and connotation
- Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning. Connotation is the emotional association it carries, such as the positive tone of "thrifty" versus negative "stingy."
- Context clues
- Hints inside a sentence that reveal an unfamiliar word's meaning, including definitions, examples, contrasts, and surrounding logic.
- Affix meanings
- Prefixes and suffixes modify a root. Un- means not, re- means again, -able means capable of, and -less means without.
- Homophones
- Words that sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning, such as their, there, and they're, or affect and effect.
- Analogy relationships
- Word pairs can relate by synonym, antonym, part to whole, cause to effect, or category to member. Identify the relationship before choosing.
- Main idea
- The central point a passage makes about its topic. It is broader than any supporting detail and is often stated in the first or last sentence.
- Valid inference
- A conclusion logically required by the text plus common knowledge. If several readings remain possible, the inference is too weak to be correct.
- Author's purpose
- The reason a text was written, usually to inform or explain, to persuade or argue, or to entertain or narrate.
- Tone versus mood
- Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject; mood is the feeling the text creates in the reader. Both are signaled by diction and imagery.
- Cause-and-effect signals
- Words such as because, therefore, since, consequently, and as a result mark a causal relationship between ideas in a passage.
- Sentence fragment
- A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a finite verb, or a complete thought, as in "Because the bus was late."
- Run-on sentence
- Two independent clauses joined without correct punctuation or a conjunction. Fix it with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.
- Coordinating conjunctions
- The seven connectors for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so. They join words or clauses of equal grammatical rank.
- Parallel structure
- Items in a list or comparison share grammatical form. "Hiking, swimming, and biking" is parallel; "hiking, swimming, and to bike" is not.
- Complex sentence
- A sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause, such as "When the rain stopped, we left."
- Semicolon use
- A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction, or separates list items that already contain commas.
- Colon use
- A colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation. It never separates a verb from its object.
- Apostrophe rules
- An apostrophe marks possession or contraction, never a simple plural. Singular possessives add 's; plurals ending in s add only the apostrophe.
- Comma splice
- Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. Correct it with a period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction.
- Hyphenating compound modifiers
- Hyphenate a compound modifier placed before a noun, as in "a well-known author," but not after, as in "the author is well known."
- Thesis statement
- A single sentence stating the essay's central claim. It usually closes the introduction and controls every body paragraph that follows.
- Paragraph unity
- Each paragraph develops one controlling idea, supported by evidence and explanation, with no unrelated sentences.
- Transition words
- Connectors that signal relationships between ideas: addition (moreover), contrast (however), cause (therefore), example (for instance), and sequence (subsequently).
- Active versus passive voice
- Active voice makes the subject act: "The committee approved the plan." Passive voice makes the subject receive action: "The plan was approved."
- Revision versus proofreading
- Revision reshapes organization, clarity, and evidence. Proofreading corrects surface errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation after content is settled.
- Speaker's purpose
- The goal behind a spoken message, such as informing, persuading, requesting, apologizing, or narrating. Identifying it guides the listener's interpretation.
- Intonation cues
- Rising pitch often signals a question or uncertainty, while falling pitch suggests a statement or finality. Stress highlights key information.