Secondary 5 ESL Basic Programme Ministerial Exam flashcards

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

Gist listening

Listening for the overall purpose or main idea of a spoken text rather than for every detail. Identify who is speaking, to whom, and why before noting specific facts.

Turn-taking signal

A cue that shows a speaker is finishing or inviting a reply. Falling intonation and a pause usually end a turn; rising intonation or a tag question invites a response.

Repair phrase

An expression used to fix a breakdown in conversation, such as asking for repetition or checking understanding. Examples include "Sorry, could you repeat that?" and "Do you mean ...?".

Politeness modal

A modal verb that softens a request or suggestion. "Could you", "Would you mind" and "Might I" are more formal and less direct than "Can you" or "Give me".

Contrast signal in speech

A word such as but, however, or although that marks a change of direction. The speaker's real opinion often follows the contrast word, not the clause before it.

Note-taking for listening

Recording key information quickly while listening. Prioritize numbers, names, dates, negations and the speaker's conclusion, since these are the details most often tested.

Skimming

Reading quickly for the main idea by looking at titles, first sentences of paragraphs and the conclusion. It gives an overview before detailed reading begins.

Scanning

Moving the eyes rapidly through a text to locate one specific item, such as a date, name or number, without reading every word in order.

Inference question

A question that asks what the text suggests without stating it directly. The answer must be supported by evidence in the passage, not by personal opinion.

Pronoun reference

The noun or noun phrase that a pronoun points back to. Check number and meaning: "they" must refer to a plural noun, "it" to a singular one.

Vocabulary in context

Working out a word's meaning from surrounding clues such as examples, contrasts or causes. Test each option by replacing the word and checking whether the sentence still makes sense.

Not Given

An answer choice used when the passage neither confirms nor contradicts a statement. It differs from False, which requires the text to contradict the statement directly.

Author's attitude

The writer's feeling toward the topic, revealed through evaluative adjectives and adverbs. Words like fortunately, merely or remarkable show stance; plain verbs like states suggest neutrality.

Topic sentence

The sentence that states the main idea of a paragraph, usually placed first. Every other sentence in the paragraph should support or explain it.

Thesis statement

A sentence in the introduction that states the text's central claim or position. It controls the whole text and is usually restated in the conclusion.

Supporting sentence

A sentence that develops the topic sentence with a reason, example, statistic or explanation. Without supporting sentences, the topic sentence is an unsupported claim.

Sentence variety

Mixing short and long sentences and combining ideas with coordination and subordination. Varied structure keeps the reader engaged and shows control of grammar.

Formal register

Language suited to academic or official writing. It avoids contractions, slang, exclamation marks and "you" as a general subject, preferring "one", "people" or the passive voice.

Linking word functions

Connectors grouped by meaning: addition (furthermore), contrast (however), cause (because), result (therefore), example (for instance) and conclusion (to sum up).

Editing order

The sequence for revising a draft: content and organization first, then grammar at sentence level, then spelling and punctuation. Fixing surface errors first wastes limited time.

Subject-verb agreement

The rule that a verb matches its subject in number. Interrupting phrases do not change this, and indefinite pronouns such as everyone, each and nobody take singular verbs.

Present perfect use

A tense linking past action to the present, formed with have or has plus the past participle. It pairs with for plus a duration or since plus a starting point.

Second conditional

A structure for unreal or unlikely present situations: if plus simple past, then would plus base verb. Example: If I had time, I would travel.

Third conditional

A structure for unreal past situations: if plus had plus past participle, then would have plus past participle. It describes imagined alternatives to what actually happened.

Reported speech shift

The tense change used when reporting someone's words: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect. Time and place words also shift, as in now to then.

Comma splice

An error that joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

Apostrophe rules

Use apostrophe s for singular possessives and s apostrophe for plural possessives. Its is possessive; it's means it is. Plain plurals take no apostrophe.

Cohesion versus coherence

Cohesion is the surface linking of sentences by pronouns, repetition and connectors. Coherence is the logical order of ideas. A text can be cohesive yet incoherent if ideas are misplaced.

Given-new principle

A sentence opens with familiar information and ends with new, important information. This ordering helps the reader connect each sentence to the one before it.

Lexical chain

A series of related words, synonyms or repeated key terms that link sentences across a text. A broken chain forces the reader to guess the connection.

Transition placement

Where a connector sits in a sentence. At the start, it links to the previous sentence; inside the sentence, it links only the clauses within that sentence.

Effective conclusion

A closing paragraph that restates the thesis in new words, summarizes main points and offers an implication. It introduces no new evidence or new arguments.