Abitur English flashcards

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

Global listening

Listening mode aimed at overall meaning: topic, text type, speaker relationship and main message. Used on a first play before details are targeted.

Detail listening

Listening mode focused on specific information such as numbers, names, dates or reasons. Usually applied on the second play after the gist is clear.

Distractor in listening items

An answer option that repeats a word from the audio but contradicts the actual meaning. Correct options usually paraphrase rather than echo the recording.

Speaker attitude cues

Signals of stance beyond content words: intonation, hedges like 'probably' or 'hardly', discourse markers, and emphatic stress on evaluative adjectives.

Note-taking shorthand

Abbreviated symbols used while listening, such as arrows for cause and effect, plus and minus signs for pro and contra, and initials for recurring names.

Skimming

Fast reading for gist and text structure, used for heading-matching or theme-identification items. The reader ignores unknown vocabulary and tracks topic shifts.

Scanning

Targeted reading for specific information such as a figure, name or date. The eyes move quickly over the text until the relevant keyword area is located.

Narrative perspective

The viewpoint from which a story is told: first or third person, omniscient or limited, reliable or unreliable. It shapes what the reader can know.

Direct characterisation

Character traits stated explicitly by the narrator or another figure, for example through adjectives like ambitious or reserved, rather than inferred from behaviour.

Indirect characterisation

Traits revealed through behaviour, speech, thoughts, appearance or other characters' reactions. The reader must infer the quality rather than read it stated.

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses or sentences, often used to build emphasis or rhetorical momentum in speeches.

Antithesis

Juxtaposition of contrasting ideas in balanced phrasing, such as 'not by words but by deeds'. It sharpens a claim by setting opposites against each other.

Irony

A gap between what is said and what is meant, or between expectation and outcome. It signals criticism or distance and requires contextual reading.

Reported speech backshift

In indirect speech, present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would. Time and place references shift accordingly, e.g. now to then.

Third conditional

Structure for unreal past situations: if plus past perfect in the condition, would have plus past participle in the result. It expresses regret or hypothetical history.

Passive voice formation

Formed with a form of be plus past participle. Perfect passive is has been done; modal passive is must be done; report passive is is said to have done.

Gerund after prepositions

After a preposition, the verb takes the -ing form, as in 'before leaving' or 'interested in learning'. The same applies after enjoy, avoid and suggest.

False friends German-English

Word pairs that look alike but differ in meaning: actual means real, not current; become means werden; eventually means finally; sensible means reasonable.

Concessive connectors

Linking words that grant a counterpoint before the main claim, such as although, even though, whereas and nevertheless. They signal nuance and balanced argument.

Collocation

A conventional word partnership such as make a decision, take measures or draw a conclusion. Wrong partners sound unnatural even when grammatically correct.

Summary conventions

Present tense, third person, own words, no quotations and no personal evaluation. Length is typically a quarter to a third of the original text.

Comment structure

Thesis in the introduction, developed arguments with evidence, a counter-argument with rebuttal, and a conclusion restating the position without new claims.

Topic sentence

The first sentence of a paragraph, stating its central claim. It guides the reader and keeps the paragraph focused on one argumentative step.

Register in formal writing

The level of formality chosen for the audience. Formal register avoids contractions, slang and exclamation marks and prefers impersonal constructions and precise vocabulary.

Re-creative writing task

A task that transforms a literary text, for example a diary entry or interior monologue from a character's perspective. It must stay consistent with the source.

Letter to the editor

A formal public-response text with a salutation, a clear position on an issue, supporting arguments and a closing formula. It addresses the readership, not the editor personally.

Monologue structure in oral exam

Opening position statement, two or three supported points with examples, a brief counterpoint, and a signposted closing summary. Signposts guide the listener.

Paraphrasing strategy

Rephrasing a missing or unclear word with a description, such as 'the thing you use to…'. It keeps oral communication flowing without switching languages.

Turn-taking phrases

Expressions that manage conversation flow, for example 'Could I come back to that?' or 'Shall we move on?' They signal control and politeness in discussion.

Disagreeing politely

Formulas that acknowledge a point before opposing it, such as 'I see your point, but…' or 'That may be true up to a point; however…'. They sustain constructive dialogue.

Mediation task

Relaying content from one language to another in meaning-based form. The speaker summarises, adapts register and avoids word-for-word translation.

Analysing a visual stimulus

Three steps: describe what is visible, interpret the intended message and effect, then connect it to the broader issue and the candidate's own position.