BSEH SS OSS English flashcards

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

Main idea

The central claim that the entire passage supports. It must cover all paragraphs; an option that is true but addresses only one paragraph is a detail, not the main idea.

Inference question

An item asking what the passage implies rather than states. The correct answer follows necessarily from the text; real-world plausibility without textual support is a trap.

Tone versus purpose

Tone is the author's attitude (critical, admiring, neutral). Purpose is the reason for writing (to persuade, to inform, to compare). They are separate question types.

EXCEPT question logic

Three options are supported by the passage and one is not. Read the stem carefully, then verify each option against a specific line before eliminating.

Vocabulary in context

A word's meaning is fixed by its sentence, not by its most common dictionary sense. Substitute each option into the sentence and check that the logic survives.

Reference chains

Pronouns and phrases like this trend or such measures point back to an earlier noun phrase. Find the nearest phrase that fits grammatically and semantically.

Contrast connectors

Words such as however, whereas, and nevertheless signal a shift. The sentence after a contrast connector often carries the author's real position or the passage's turning point.

Subject-verb agreement

The verb matches the head noun of the subject, ignoring prepositional phrases in between. In neither...nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Third conditional form

If + past perfect, then would have + past participle. It describes an unreal past situation and its imagined result, which did not actually happen.

Reported speech backshift

When the reporting verb is past, shift present to past, will to would, can to could, and adjust time words such as now to then.

Passive voice formation

Be plus past participle, with tense carried by be (is written, was written, has been written). The agent appears only with by and is usually omitted.

Defining relative clauses

Clauses without commas that identify which person or thing is meant. They accept that or which for things and who for people.

Non-defining relative clauses

Clauses set off by commas that add extra information. They never take that, and removing them leaves the sentence's core meaning intact.

Fewer versus less

Fewer pairs with countable plurals (fewer cars); less pairs with uncountable quantities (less traffic). Misuse is a common exam error.

Collocation

A fixed word partnership native users expect, such as make a decision, do research, or heavy rain. Meaning alone does not predict the correct partner.

Dangling modifier

An introductory participle phrase must describe the subject of the main clause. In Walking home, the rain began, the rain is wrongly doing the walking.

Topic sentence

The first sentence of a body paragraph. It states the paragraph's single claim and connects it to the essay thesis, so readers know what the paragraph proves.

Thesis statement

A one-sentence arguable claim placed at the end of the introduction. It must be debatable, not a restatement of the prompt or a statement of fact.

Cohesion devices

Reference words, substitution, and connectors that link sentences. Varying them keeps the text connected; repeating one connector makes writing mechanical.

Comma splice

Joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Fix it with a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction such as but or so.

Formal register markers

Features of formal writing: no contractions, no slang, no second-person you, and impersonal phrasing such as it is argued that or the evidence suggests.

Editing pass order

Revise content and organization first, then grammar, then spelling and punctuation. Surface editing before structural revision wastes work on text likely to be cut.

Formal email structure

Greeting, purpose in the first sentence, body paragraphs, closing formula, and signature. Use Yours sincerely with a named recipient, Yours faithfully with Dear Sir or Madam.

Sentence variety

Mixing simple, compound, and complex sentences. Uniform short sentences sound choppy; uniform long sentences bury the main clause and lose the reader.

Prediction before listening

Reading the question stem first tells you which information type to capture, such as a number, a reason, or a name, so you listen selectively.

Self-correction distractor

Speakers often revise what they say, as in at three, sorry, half past three. The later version is the answer; the first mention is a trap.

Word limit rule

Note-completion tasks state a maximum word count. Answers exceeding it score zero even when the content is correct, so copy only the essential words.

Signpost phrases

Expressions such as first, moving on, however, and to sum up that announce structure. The answer to a question usually follows such a marker.

Teen versus ten

Numbers ending in -teen carry stress on the final syllable; -ty numbers stress the first. Mishearing thirteen as thirty changes the recorded answer.

Part 2 long turn

A talk of one to two minutes from a cue card. Use preparation time for keywords per bullet and structure the answer as past, present, and future.

Fluency markers

Phrases such as that is an interesting question or let me think that fill planning time naturally. They preserve flow better than silent gaps.

Paraphrase strategy

When a word is missing, describe the concept instead of switching languages, for example the thing you use to open a bottle for bottle opener.