FY12CE English flashcards

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

Capital letter rule

Use a capital letter at the start of every sentence, for the pronoun I, and for proper nouns such as names, days, months, and places.

End punctuation marks

A full stop ends a statement, a question mark ends a question, and an exclamation mark shows strong feeling or emphasis.

What makes a sentence

A sentence needs a subject (who or what) and a verb (the action or state), and it must express a complete idea.

Vowels and consonants

The five vowels are a, e, i, o, u; the other twenty-one letters of the alphabet are consonants.

Plural -es rule

Add -es rather than -s to nouns ending in s, x, ch, sh or o, giving boxes, dishes, buses and tomatoes.

Reading a simple form

Match each printed label to one item of information, such as name, address, date of birth, and sign in the marked box.

Possessive apostrophe

Add -'s to a singular noun to show ownership, as in Sam's bag; for a plural already ending in s, put the apostrophe after it.

Apostrophe in contractions

The apostrophe replaces omitted letters: do not becomes don't, I am becomes I'm, and they are becomes they're.

Regular past tense

Most regular verbs form the past tense by adding -ed, as in walk to walked, play to played, and start to started.

Irregular past tense

Some verbs do not add -ed for the past tense; they change form, for example go to went, buy to bought, see to saw.

A or an

Use a before a consonant sound, as in a book, and an before a vowel sound, as in an apple or an hour.

Alphabetical order

Words are arranged by their first letter; if first letters match, compare the second letter, then the third, and so on.

Commas in a list

Commas separate three or more items in a list, replacing the word and between them except before the final item.

Paragraph rule

Start a new paragraph when the topic, time, place, or speaker changes; each paragraph should develop one main idea.

Direct speech punctuation

Put inverted commas around the exact spoken words and place the comma, full stop, or question mark inside the closing inverted comma.

Colon and semicolon

A colon introduces a list or explanation; a semicolon joins two complete, closely related statements in place of a full stop.

Common homophones

Homophones sound alike but differ in meaning and spelling, such as their, there and they're, or your and you're.

Skimming versus scanning

Skimming reads quickly for the general gist of a text; scanning searches quickly for one specific detail such as a date or price.

Prefix and suffix

A prefix added to the start changes meaning (unhappy, rewrite); a suffix added to the end changes word class (hopeless, quickly).

Subject-verb agreement

A singular subject takes a singular verb (the list is) and a plural subject takes a plural verb (the lists are).

Subordinate clause

A clause that cannot stand alone as a sentence and depends on a main clause, often introduced by because, although, while, or if.

Its versus it's

Its shows possession, as in the dog and its bone; it's is a contraction meaning it is or it has.

Active versus passive voice

Active voice puts the doer first (the manager signed it); passive voice puts the action first (it was signed by the manager).

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be checked and proven; an opinion is a judgement or belief, often signalled by should, best, or I think.

Making an inference

Inference means working out meaning that is not directly stated, by combining clues in the text with your own knowledge.

Cohesive devices

Words and phrases that link ideas across a text, including pronouns such as it and they, and connectives such as however and therefore.

Formal letter layout

A formal letter contains the sender's address, date, recipient's address, salutation, body paragraphs, a sign-off, and the sender's name.

Dangling modifier

A modifier whose intended subject is missing from the main clause, as in walking home, the rain started, where rain cannot walk.

Formal register features

Formal writing uses full sentences, passive and modal hedging, and nominalisation, while avoiding contractions, slang, and direct colloquial address.

Persuasive techniques

Common persuasive devices include the rule of three, rhetorical questions, emotive language, statistics, anecdote, and direct address to the reader.

Detecting bias

Check who is quoted, what is left out, which adjectives carry judgement, and whether opposing views are acknowledged or ignored.

Summarising a text

A summary keeps only the main points and the writer's stance, removing examples, repetition, and minor detail while staying accurate.

Semicolons in complex lists

When list items already contain commas, introduce the list with a colon and separate the items with semicolons to avoid confusion.