KSEAB SSLC FL Tamil cheat sheet

Theme questions: state the central idea in one sentence, then support with two textual incidents; avoid plot summary.

Character questions: name the trait (e.g., aruḷ, tiyākam), cite one action and one dialogue that prove it.

Value-based questions: link the lesson's message to a universal Tamil value such as porumai, kaṭamai, or nērmai.

Comprehension answers: use the passage's own words for key phrases; paraphrase only to connect ideas.

Author-lesson matching: know the prescribed author for each prose lesson; questions may ask 'Who wrote...?'

Sequence questions: arrange events by the lesson's narrative order, not by importance.

Contrast questions: identify two characters or two situations and state one explicit difference with evidence.

Moral inference: if asked 'What do you learn?', answer with an abstract noun + one sentence of application.

Poetic devices: uvamai (simile) uses pōla/pōl; uruvakam (metaphor) equates without pōla; know both terms.

Alliteration (mōnai): repetition of the same initial consonant in adjacent words; identify by first letter, not meaning.

Rhyme (etukai): second letter repetition; (mōnai): first letter repetition. Do not confuse them.

Theme questions: name the poet's central emotion (e.g., tāy mīṭu anpu) and quote one line as proof.

Memorised verse: reproduce exactly, including sandhi splits; do not modernise spelling.

Appreciation questions: comment on word choice, rhythm (ōcai), and the feeling evoked, in that order.

Figure identification: if a line says 'X is Y', it is uruvakam; if 'X is like Y', it is uvamai.

Poet-period matching: know which prescribed poets belong to Sangam, Bhakti, or modern periods.

Character arc questions: trace a character's change from beginning to end with one turning point.

Event-order questions: use chapter sequence, not chronology within a character's life.

Theme questions: state the lesson's message and connect it to one incident from the text.

Who-said-what: match key dialogues to speakers; questions often test this directly.

Cause-effect: identify the immediate cause of a conflict, not the background condition.

Moral judgement: answer with a value term and one consequence shown in the story.

Comparison: when asked to compare two characters, give one similarity and one difference with evidence.

Title significance: explain how the title reflects the main event or theme in one sentence.

Sandhi (punarchi): vowel + vowel → one elides or glides; consonant + vowel → doubling or insertion per rules.

Case markers (vēṟṟumai): ai (accusative), āl (instrumental), ku/il (dative/locative), iṉ (genitive), il (ablative).

Tense: past (iṟandakālam), present (nikaḻkālam), future (etirkālam); identify by verb suffix, not context.

Parts of speech: peyar (noun), viṉai (verb), iṭai (particle), uricci (adjective/adverb) - four classes in Tamil.

Transformation: active → passive uses -paṭu-; direct → indirect changes pronouns and tense consistently.

Negative verb (etirmarai): formed with -ā- infix (e.g., varavillai); do not add separate 'not'.

Interrogative: yes/no uses -ā suffix; wh-questions use eṉṉa, yār, eṅkē, ēṉ, eppaṭi.

Sandhi decision rule: if the first word ends in -am and the next begins with a vowel, the -am usually becomes -m- or drops.

Synonyms (iṇaichol): match by register; literary synonyms may not fit formal prose.

Antonyms (etirchchol): test by substituting in a sentence; opposite must be grammatical in context.

Idioms (marabu toṭar): meaning is fixed; do not translate literally (e.g., 'kai niraya' = generously).

Proverbs (paḻamoḻi): state the lesson, then give a one-line context of use.

One-word substitution: replace a phrase with a single Tamil term; check number and case agreement.

Homophones: distinguish by context (e.g., 'kāl' leg vs 'kāl' time); read the full sentence first.

Prefix/suffix meaning: know common Tamil prefixes (a-, nēr-, il-) and suffixes (-mai, -tuvam).

Word formation: noun from verb uses -tal/-ttal; adjective from noun uses -āṉa/-iṉ.

Structure: introduction (2-3 sentences), body (2-3 paragraphs, one idea each), conclusion (2-3 sentences).

Word count: aim for 200-250 words for a standard SSLC essay; count before finalising.

Topic sentence: each paragraph opens with a clear claim, then gives example and explanation.

Connectors: use mēlum, āṉāl, eṉavē, mutalil, iṟutiyākā to signal logical flow.

Formal register: avoid colloquial contractions and spoken forms; use literary Tamil.

Quotations: one short proverb or poet line per essay, correctly attributed, strengthens the argument.

Conclusion: restate the thesis in new words and add one forward-looking sentence.

Common deduction: off-topic paragraphs, no examples, and spelling inconsistency in sandhi.

Formal letter: sender address, date, receiver address, subject line, salutation, body, closing, signature.

Informal letter: sender address, date, salutation (aṉpāṉa...), body, closing (aṉpōṭu), name.

Subject line (formal): one phrase, no full stop, placed after receiver address.

Salutation: formal uses 'aṉpāṉa aiyā' or 'aṉpāṉa ammāṉ'; informal uses relationship term.

Body: state purpose in first sentence; one idea per paragraph; keep formal letters under 150 words.

Closing: formal 'iṭam peṟukiṟēṉ' or 'vaṇakkam'; informal 'aṉpōṭu' or 'nāṇbāṉ'.

Date format: day-month-year in words or numerals; place at top right or left consistently.

Common error: mixing formal and informal salutations; choose one register and keep it throughout.

Tamil→English: translate meaning, not word order; Tamil is SOV, English is SVO.

English→Tamil: preserve tense and number; add case markers where English uses prepositions.

Idioms: translate by equivalent idiom, not literal words (e.g., 'break the ice' → 'peccai toṭaṅku').

Dialogue: keep turn-taking markers (eṉṟār, kaṭṭaḷai) and match register to relationship.

Précis: reduce to one-third length, keep main idea and key facts, write in third person, no examples.

Précis title: one short phrase capturing the passage's central claim.

Unseen comprehension: read questions first, then scan for keywords; answer in complete sentences.

Numbers and names: transliterate consistently; do not translate proper nouns unless a standard form exists.