Valencian Community PAU Foreign Language II - English (Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés) flashcards

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

Thesis position in argumentative texts

The writer's main claim usually appears at the end of the opening paragraph or immediately after a contrast marker such as however or in fact.

Main-idea distractor: too narrow

An option that is accurate but covers only one paragraph or detail of the text; it cannot express the global idea because it excludes the rest.

Paragraph-function mapping

Labelling each paragraph as claim, evidence, counter-argument, concession, example or conclusion; the main idea is the claim, while evidence only supports it.

Detail questions follow text order

Specific-detail items normally appear in the same sequence as the information in the passage, so scan forward from the previous answer rather than rereading from the start.

Absolute quantifiers as wrong options

Options containing all, always, never, only or completely are false unless the passage itself states the absolute; the text usually uses softer quantifiers.

Resolving the former and the latter

These refer to the two most recently mentioned entities in order of appearance: the former is the first named, the latter the second named.

Valid inference versus outside knowledge

A correct inference is logically entailed by the text alone; if answering requires information the passage never supplies, the option is invalid.

Collocation pairs: make and do

English fixes these partnerships: make a decision, make progress, make an effort, but do research, do homework, do harm and do business.

Noun suffixes by meaning

-tion, -ment, -ance, -ness and -ity form nouns from verbs or adjectives, as in decision, arrangement, performance, happiness and activity.

Prefix meanings in word formation

mis- means wrongly, over- too much, under- too little, re- again, pre- before, and dis- expresses negation or reversal of an action.

False friend: actual and eventually

Actual means real or genuine, not current; eventually means finally or in the end, not occasionally. Both are frequent traps for Spanish speakers.

Phrasal verbs with give

Give up means quit, give in means surrender, give out means distribute or stop working, and give away means reveal or donate something.

Present perfect versus past simple

Use past simple with finished time expressions such as yesterday or in 2019; use present perfect with unfinished time markers such as so far, since, yet or recently.

Past perfect for the earlier event

When two past actions are both mentioned, the earlier one takes had plus past participle; if before or after already fixes the order, past simple suffices.

Stative verbs and the continuous

Verbs of state such as know, own, belong and contain normally reject the continuous form; I think states an opinion while I am thinking means considering.

Third conditional structure

If plus past perfect in the condition, then would have plus past participle in the result: If they had left earlier, they would have caught the train.

Passive keeps tense and aspect

To transform to passive, move the object to subject position and use the matching form of be plus past participle, preserving the original tense.

Modal verbs by function

Must marks obligation or strong deduction, should gives advice, might and may express possibility, can't expresses negative deduction, and needn't marks absent necessity.

Defining versus non-defining relatives

Defining clauses take no commas and allow that; non-defining clauses are set off by commas, never use that, and add extra rather than essential information.

Word-count tolerance in compositions

Examiners penalise both under-length and over-length scripts; staying within roughly ten per cent of the stated limit protects the task-achievement mark.

Formal letter closing conventions

Dear Sir or Madam pairs with Yours faithfully, while Dear Mr Smith pairs with Yours sincerely; British convention uses no comma after the salutation.

Body paragraph structure

Each body paragraph carries one controlling idea, stated in a topic sentence and developed with explanation or example, before moving to the next point.

Covering every prompt element

Each bullet or instruction in the task must be answered by an identifiable sentence or short paragraph; an unaddressed element limits task achievement.

Register decision before drafting

Decide whether the task demands formal or informal language first, because that choice governs contractions, phrasal verbs, direct address and vocabulary throughout.

Demonstrating syntactic range

Including at least one conditional, one passive, one relative clause and one modal construction in a composition shows control of varied structures to the examiner.

Precise verbs over rare words

Lexical range is shown by accurate collocations such as carry out a study or pose a threat, not by unusual words used with the wrong meaning.

Article use: general plurals

General statements about plural or abstract nouns take no article: Researchers disagree, not The researchers disagree, when speaking generally rather than about specific ones.

L1 transfer errors to correct

Spanish-influenced errors include people is, I have eighteen years, depend of and explain me; correct forms are people are, I am eighteen, depend on and explain to me.

Inverted pyramid in news reports

News writing places the most important fact in the opening sentence and adds progressively less essential detail, so the text can be cut from the bottom.

Cohesion through substitution and ellipsis

Substitution replaces a phrase with one or do so, and ellipsis omits predictable words; both avoid repetition while keeping the text connected.

Hedging marks academic register

Devices such as may, tend to, it seems and arguably soften claims and signal caution, which is typical of academic and scientific writing.

Preserving modality in mediation

When reformulating, may cause must not become causes and some studies suggest must not become it is proven; hedging carries meaning and cannot be dropped.