AP SSC Special English (Second Language) flashcards

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

Skimming

Reading quickly for the general idea by focusing on titles, topic sentences, and first and last lines of paragraphs, without reading every word.

Scanning

Moving the eyes rapidly over a text to locate specific information such as a name, date, number, or keyword, ignoring unrelated content.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the passage rather than stated directly; the answer must be supported by clues in the text, not by outside knowledge.

Pronoun reference

The noun phrase that a pronoun such as it, they, or this stands for; identify it by checking number agreement and whether substitution makes sense.

Subject-verb agreement

The rule that a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb, ignoring phrases between them and treating indefinite pronouns as singular.

Present perfect tense

Formed with has/have plus the past participle; it describes a past action with present relevance or an action continuing up to now, often with since or for.

Reported speech

Indirect quotation of someone's words; tense usually shifts one step back, and pronouns and time or place words change, as in now to then and here to there.

Passive voice

A construction in which the object of an action becomes the subject, formed with a form of be plus the past participle, e.g., The letter was written by her.

Third conditional

A sentence pattern for unreal past situations: if plus past perfect in the condition clause, and would have plus past participle in the result clause.

Double negative

The use of two negative words in one clause, such as never did nothing; standard English treats this as an error and requires only one negative.

Prefix

A letter group added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, such as un- meaning not, re- meaning again, or pre- meaning before.

Suffix

A letter group added to the end of a word to change its word class, such as -tion forming nouns, -ful forming adjectives, or -ly forming adverbs.

Homophone

One of two or more words that sound the same but differ in spelling and meaning, such as their, there, and they're, or its and it's.

Collocation

The habitual pairing of words in a language, such as make a decision, heavy rain, or take a photograph; an unnatural pairing is a common error.

Phrasal verb

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition to create a new meaning, such as give up meaning stop or put off meaning postpone.

One-word substitution

A single word that replaces a longer phrase, such as philanthropist for a lover of mankind or inaudible for cannot be heard.

Antonym

A word opposite in meaning to another word in the same sense, such as heavy as the opposite of light when referring to weight.

Formal letter format

Includes sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, salutation, subject line, three-paragraph body, Yours faithfully, and signature.

Notice format

Includes institution name, the word NOTICE, date, a heading in capitals, a body answering what, when, where, who, and why, and the issuer's name.

Register

The level of formality in writing; formal letters avoid contractions and slang, while informal letters may use them and include personal remarks.

Cohesive devices

Linking words and phrases such as however, therefore, moreover, and on the other hand that connect ideas and show relationships between sentences.

Topic sentence

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states the main idea of that paragraph and controls the content that follows.

Narrative structure

The organisation of a story into orientation, complication, climax, and resolution, usually written in past tenses and advanced by dialogue and action.

Show, don't tell

A technique in descriptive writing that conveys emotion through behaviour, dialogue, and sensory detail rather than naming the emotion directly.

Simile

A comparison between two unlike things using like or as, such as her voice was as soft as silk; it differs from metaphor, which omits the comparison word.

Argumentative composition

A piece that states a position, supports it with reasons and evidence, acknowledges and refutes one counter-argument, and ends with a conclusion.

Sentence variety

The deliberate mixing of simple, compound, and complex sentences and of different openings to avoid monotony and improve readability.

Editing checklist

A final review of tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, articles, spelling of homophones, and punctuation before a composition is submitted.

Guide words

The first and last entry words printed at the top of a dictionary page; a word belongs on that page if it falls alphabetically between them.

Note-making

Condensing information using headings, bullet points, abbreviations, and symbols in your own words, omitting examples and repetition while preserving key ideas.

Summarising

Reducing a text to its main ideas in continuous prose, deleting examples and details, combining sentences, and keeping the original proportion of ideas without adding opinion.

Thesaurus

A reference book that lists synonyms and sometimes antonyms; entries must be checked for part of speech and context before substitution.