CHP Officer key terms

A conclusion you reach by combining information stated in a passage with your own knowledge and logic, rather than by finding the answer written out word for word.

The central point a passage is built around. It is the one statement that the other sentences explain, support, or illustrate, and it is often stated in the opening or closing paragraph.

A specific fact, example, statistic, or reason that explains or proves the main idea of a passage. Removing it would weaken the writer's case but would not change the overall topic.

The reason a writer creates a text, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain a process. Recognizing it helps a reader judge which details matter most.

The attitude a writer expresses toward the subject, revealed through word choice and sentence style. It may be serious, humorous, critical, urgent, or neutral, and it differs from the reader's own mood.

A word, phrase, or sentence pattern near an unfamiliar term that hints at its meaning. Common types include definitions, examples, contrasts, and restatements, and they let you keep reading without a dictionary.

To restate a passage's meaning in your own words while keeping roughly the original length and level of detail. Unlike a summary, it does not condense or omit the supporting points.

To state the main idea and only the most important supporting points of a text in a short, condensed form, leaving out examples, repetition, and minor details.

The arrangement of events in the order they happened, from earliest to latest. Signal words such as first, next, then, and finally usually mark this structure in a passage.

A text structure that explains why something happened and what resulted from it. The cause is the reason or trigger; the effect is the outcome that follows from it.

A word that carries nearly the same meaning as another word, such as begin and start. Exact duplicates are rare, so synonyms often differ in shade of meaning or level of formality.

A word with a meaning opposite to another word, such as guilty and innocent. Antonyms often appear as contrast clues in a sentence and can help you work out an unfamiliar word.

The feelings and associations a word carries beyond its dictionary meaning. For example, thrifty sounds approving while stingy sounds critical, even though both describe careful spending.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, apart from any emotional associations it may carry. It is the neutral core that remains when connotation is stripped away.

A word part attached to the front of a root or base word that changes its meaning, as re- in recheck means again and un- in unsafe means not.

A word part added to the end of a root or base word that changes its meaning or its part of speech, as -ness turns the adjective kind into a noun.

An expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from the individual words, such as under the weather for feeling ill. Idioms must be learned as whole units.

One of two or more words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as their, there, and they're. Choosing the correct one is a frequent spelling item.

A spelling rule in which the final consonant of a short word is written twice before a suffix beginning with a vowel, as in hop becoming hopped or big becoming bigger.

A letter written in a word but not pronounced, as the k in knife, the b in debt, or the gh in night. Silent letters usually reflect the word's history or origin.

The set of rules for making a noun mean more than one, usually by adding -s or -es, with special patterns for words ending in y, f, and o and for irregular forms such as child and children.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb, regardless of phrases in between.

The rule that a pronoun must match the noun it refers to in number and gender, so a singular antecedent takes a singular pronoun such as he, she, or it.

A descriptive word or phrase placed so far from the word it describes that readers connect it to the wrong one, often producing an unintended or ridiculous meaning.

Two or more complete sentences joined with no punctuation or with only a comma, when a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction is needed to separate them.

An error in which two complete sentences are joined by a comma alone, with no coordinating conjunction such as and, but, or so between them.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a list or for paired parts of a sentence, so that all elements match as nouns, verbs, or phrases.

A group of words containing both a subject and a verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause cannot.

A comparison of two quantities by division, often written as 3 to 4, 3:4, or 3/4. It tells how many of one thing there are for each of another.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 2/3 = 8/12. Cross multiplication is the standard method for solving a proportion with a missing value.

A ratio that compares a number to 100, written with the percent sign. Fifteen percent means 15 out of every 100, or 0.15 when written as a decimal.

The arithmetic average, found by adding all the values in a set and dividing the total by the number of values. It is pulled up or down by unusually high or low figures.

The middle value in a set of numbers arranged from least to greatest. If the set has an even count, the median is the average of the two middle values.

A rate expressed for a single unit of one quantity, such as miles per one hour or dollars per one pound. It is found by dividing so that the second number equals one.

The agreed sequence for evaluating an expression: first parentheses and other grouping symbols, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

The number of square units needed to cover a flat surface, found by multiplying length by width for a rectangle. It is measured in square inches, square feet, and similar units.