Duolingo English Test key terms

To examine something by breaking it into parts and explaining how those parts work together, so that a conclusion rests on the details rather than on a quick impression.

Facts, examples, numbers, or quotations that support a claim and make it more believable to a reader who does not already accept it.

To judge how strong, useful, or trustworthy something is by weighing strengths and weaknesses against clear standards, rather than simply accepting or rejecting it.

To state the most important points of a text or talk in a much shorter form, using your own words and leaving out minor details and examples.

Expressed in as few words as needed to be clear; short and direct, with no repeated ideas, empty phrases, or unnecessary decoration.

Having more than one possible meaning, so that a reader or listener cannot tell which interpretation was intended and may misunderstand the message.

Believable and trustworthy, usually because the source is knowledgeable, up to date, and unbiased, and because its claims can be checked against evidence.

A slant or preference that unfairly favours one side, person, or idea over another, often without the writer noticing, which makes information less balanced.

A word that carries a very similar meaning to another word, though the two may differ in tone, strength, or the situations where they are used.

The grammatical shape a word takes as noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, such as decide, decision, decisive, and decisively, which a sentence must match.

The central point a text or talk is built around, which the other sentences explain, support, or illustrate, and which a good summary must include.

A conclusion a reader draws from clues in a text plus general knowledge, even though the writer never states that conclusion directly in words.

A word, phrase, or example near an unknown word that helps a reader guess its meaning without using a dictionary.

Stated clearly and directly in the text, so the reader does not have to guess or reason to find the information.

Suggested rather than stated; the meaning is carried by hints, word choice, or situation, so the reader must work it out.

The overall sense of what a passage or recording is about, understood quickly and roughly before the listener works through the details.

Reading quickly over a text looking only for specific information, such as a name, date, or number, while ignoring everything else.

The attitude a writer or speaker shows towards the subject, conveyed through word choice and phrasing, for example humorous, critical, or neutral.

A link between two events in which one makes the other happen; recognizing it means noticing why something occurred and what resulted from it.

A way of showing how two or more things differ, often signalled by words such as however, whereas, unlike, or on the other hand.

The unspoken pattern by which speakers in a conversation know when to speak, pause, or hand the floor to someone else, so nobody talks over another.

An explanation or question that makes something easier to understand, used when a listener has not fully followed and needs the point repeated or simplified.

A further question asked after an answer in order to get more detail, check understanding, or keep a conversation going naturally.

Describing something with several simpler words when the exact word is unknown, allowing a speaker to keep communicating instead of stopping.

A short sound or word such as 'um' or 'well' used to hold the floor while thinking; too many make speech sound hesitant, though a few sound natural.

The rise and fall of the voice across a sentence, which signals questions, lists, emphasis, and the speaker's mood or attitude.

The level of formality in language, ranging from casual chat with friends to formal speech in an interview, chosen to suit the situation and listener.

Light, polite conversation about harmless everyday topics such as weather or travel, used to fill silence and put people at ease before serious business.

The ability to speak or write at a steady, comfortable pace with few long pauses, so the message flows even if small errors occur.

The way sentences are linked by referring words, repeated key terms, and connectors so that a text holds together as one clear piece.

The quality of being logically organized, so ideas follow in an order a reader can easily track and every part relates to the main point.

The sentence near the start of a paragraph that announces its main point and controls what the rest of the paragraph will discuss.

An example, reason, statistic, or explanation that backs up a general statement and makes it convincing rather than just an empty assertion.

A word, phrase, or sentence that moves a reader smoothly from one idea to the next, showing whether the new point adds, contrasts, or concludes.

A pairing of words that native speakers commonly use together, such as 'make a decision' rather than 'do a decision', which learners memorize as chunks.

A short plan listing the main points and their order before writing or speaking at length, used to keep the finished text organized.

To express someone else's idea in your own words and sentence structure while keeping the meaning, often in a shorter form than the original.