KPG English key terms

A conclusion drawn from clues in a text or conversation rather than from a statement made outright. Listeners and readers use tone, context, and word choice to work out what the speaker actually means.

The central point or overall message of a spoken passage, captured without the supporting details. Questions about gist ask what the talk was mainly about rather than what specific facts were mentioned.

Words and phrases speakers use to signal structure, such as 'first', 'however', 'to sum up', or 'moving on'. Recognizing them helps a listener predict what comes next and follow the organization of a talk.

An answer option that sounds plausible because it reuses words from the recording but does not actually answer the question. Recognizing distractors means checking what was truly said, not just which words were heard.

A personal system of abbreviations, symbols, and spacing used to record key points quickly while listening. Effective shorthand captures content words and relationships rather than full sentences, so notes remain readable afterwards.

The way words blend in natural speech through linking, elision, and weak forms, so 'want to' becomes 'wanna' and final sounds merge. Learners who only know citation forms often fail to recognize familiar words in fast recordings.

The reduced pronunciation of a function word such as 'of', 'and', or 'can' when it carries no stress in a sentence. Weak forms are usually shortened to a schwa, which is why unstressed grammar words are hard to hear.

Two words that differ by only one sound, such as 'ship' and 'sheep' or 'light' and 'right'. Listening items often test whether a candidate can hear the distinction that changes meaning in context.

The single most important claim a passage makes, which all other sentences support. It is usually stated in a topic sentence or must be assembled from several paragraphs when the writer implies rather than states it.

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that announces what the paragraph will cover. Locating topic sentences speeds up skimming because each one previews the content that follows.

Reading quickly for the general sense of a text, often by looking at headings, first sentences, and conclusions. It is used to decide whether a passage is relevant or to answer questions about overall purpose.

Moving the eyes rapidly over a text to locate a specific piece of information, such as a date, name, or number. The reader ignores surrounding content and searches for a visual match to the target.

The way a pronoun or phrase points back or forward to another part of the text, as 'this decision' refers to something stated earlier. Tracking reference is essential for understanding long sentences with several nouns.

The surface links that hold a text together, including pronouns, conjunctions, and repeated or substituted words. A passage can be cohesive through grammar yet still lack clear logic, which is a separate quality called coherence.

The logical organization of ideas so that each part follows sensibly from the last. Coherence concerns meaning and order rather than grammatical links, and it is what makes a text easy to follow.

Restating the meaning of a sentence or passage in different words, often more concisely. Reading questions frequently match the correct option to a paraphrase of the text rather than to its exact wording.

The writer's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through word choice and sentence style. Tone may be critical, neutral, enthusiastic, or ironic, and it is often asked about in questions on purpose and attitude.

A habitual word partnership such as 'make a decision', 'heavy rain', or 'strong coffee'. Collocations are not fixed idioms but sound natural only in certain combinations, and grammar items often test them.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition that creates a new meaning, such as 'give up', 'look into', or 'put off'. Some are separable and some are not, which affects word order with object pronouns.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'break the ice' or 'under the weather'. Idioms are learned as whole units and rarely allow substitution of synonyms.

The emotional or evaluative association a word carries beyond its literal meaning. 'Thrifty' and 'stingy' describe similar behavior, but one connotes approval and the other disapproval, which affects word choice.

A word with a meaning close to another, such as 'begin' and 'commence'. True synonyms are rare because register, collocation, and connotation usually differ, so substitution requires care.

A word expressing the opposite of another, such as 'expand' and 'contract'. Antonyms may be gradable, like 'hot' and 'cold', or absolute, like 'alive' and 'dead', which affects how they are used.

A bound morpheme attached before a root to change meaning, as 'un-' in 'unfair' or 're-' in 'rewrite'. Knowing common prefixes such as 'mis-', 'over-', and 'pre-' helps candidates decode unfamiliar words.

A bound morpheme added after a root that usually changes word class, as '-ness' forms nouns and '-ize' forms verbs. Suffixes also carry grammatical information such as plural or past tense.

A group of words sharing a root but differing in form, such as 'decide', 'decision', 'decisive', and 'indecisively'. Grammar tasks often require choosing the member that fits the grammatical slot in a sentence.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, as in 'the list of items is long'. Intervening phrases, collective nouns, and inverted word order are common sources of error.

Maintaining a logical sequence of verb tenses within a sentence or paragraph, shifting only when the time frame changes. Unmotivated shifts, such as from past to present mid-narrative, are treated as errors.

A group of words containing a subject and a finite verb. An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence, while a dependent clause must attach to a main clause.

An incomplete sentence missing a subject, a verb, or the connection to a main clause, such as 'Because the train was late.' It is punctuated as a sentence but cannot stand alone grammatically.

Two independent clauses joined without adequate punctuation or a conjunction, as in 'The plan failed we tried again.' A comma splice is the specific case where only a comma separates them.

A single sentence that states the central argument of an essay and previews how it will be supported. It usually appears at the end of the introduction and governs the content of every body paragraph.

In an essay, the sentence that states the controlling idea of a body paragraph. Each topic sentence should connect to the thesis and be developed by the evidence that follows in that paragraph.

The quality of a paragraph in which every sentence supports its single controlling idea. Sentences that drift to a related but different point break unity and usually need to be cut or moved.

The level of formality appropriate to an audience and situation, ranging from casual to formal academic prose. Register affects vocabulary, contraction use, and sentence complexity, and mismatches are penalized in writing tasks.

A word, phrase, or sentence that links one idea to the next, showing addition, contrast, cause, or sequence. Effective transitions make the logic visible so the reader does not have to infer the connection.

Expressing a source's idea in your own words and sentence structure while retaining the meaning. Accurate paraphrase still requires citation because the idea, not just the wording, belongs to the original author.

Presenting another person's words or ideas as your own without attribution, whether copied directly or lightly reworded. It also covers reusing your own previously submitted work without disclosure in many academic settings.

A reference within a text or bibliography identifying the source of a fact, quotation, or idea. Formats such as APA and MLA differ in detail, but all require enough information for a reader to locate the source.

The ability to speak at a steady pace with few unnatural pauses, hesitations, or self-corrections. Fluency concerns smooth delivery rather than grammatical accuracy, though both are assessed separately in speaking tests.

The production of sounds, stress, and intonation in a way listeners can understand. Intelligibility matters more than accent removal, and errors in word stress can cause more confusion than individual sounds.

The emphasis placed on a syllable in a word or on a word in a sentence. Word stress can change meaning, as in the noun 'record' versus the verb 'record', and sentence stress signals key information.

A word or phrase that manages the flow of speech, such as 'well', 'actually', 'you know', or 'on the other hand'. Appropriate use signals a speaker's control of interaction and helps organize longer turns.

The conversational system by which speakers alternate, signal they are finished, or interrupt politely. In a speaking test, managing turns smoothly shows interactive competence rather than merely producing sentences.

A speaking task in which the candidate acts out a situation, such as asking for information or resolving a complaint. It tests functional language, register control, and the ability to respond to unexpected prompts.