Tamil Nadu HSE Second Year Communicative English cheat sheet

Skimming = fast pass for gist, main idea, overall tone; scanning = targeted search for a name, date, number, or keyword.

Question stems decide strategy: 'mainly about' or 'best title' → whole-passage gist; 'according to the passage' → locate the exact line and read one sentence before and after.

Inference answers must be supported by textual evidence; an option that is true in real life but not stated or implied in the passage is wrong.

Vocabulary-in-context items: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the surrounding logic, not the dictionary's first meaning.

Pronoun/reference items (it, they, this, the former) are resolved by tracking the nearest grammatically agreeing noun phrase, then checking sense.

Tone and attitude words: positive (appreciative, optimistic), neutral (informative, objective), negative (critical, sarcastic, sceptical); extreme options like 'hostile' rarely fit factual prose.

Sequence and cause-effect items: mark connectives (first, then, because, as a result, however) - they carry the logical skeleton of the passage.

True/False and matching items are scored per statement; verify each against a specific line rather than judging the passage as a whole.

Synonyms share meaning but not always register: 'begin' (neutral), 'commence' (formal), 'kick off' (informal).

Antonyms are formed by prefixes: un-, in-/im-/il-/ir-, dis-, non-, mis- (misunderstand = understand wrongly, not 'not understand').

Common roots fix meaning: bene- good, mal- bad, chron- time, bio- life, graph- write, phon- sound, tele- far, auto- self, micro- small, mega- large.

Suffixes signal word class: -tion/-ment/-ness/-ity = noun; -ous/-ful/-ive/-able = adjective; -ise/-ify/-en = verb; -ly = adverb.

Homophones to distinguish by spelling: affect/effect, principal/principle, stationary/stationery, complement/compliment, advice/advise.

Collocation is fixed partnership, not free choice: 'make a decision', 'do homework', 'heavy rain', 'strong tea', 'commit a mistake' is wrong - 'make a mistake'.

Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: give up (quit), give in (surrender), give away (donate/reveal), give out (distribute/fail).

One-word substitution and idioms are tested as single units: 'a person who speaks many languages' = polyglot; 'once in a blue moon' = very rarely.

Tense agreement: after 'since/for' with a present result use present perfect (has worked here since 2019); a finished past time marker (yesterday, in 2010) forces simple past.

Subject-verb agreement traps: 'One of the boys is', 'Each/Every/Neither of + singular noun takes singular verb', 'The number of students is' vs 'A number of students are'.

Conditionals: Type 1 if + present, will + base; Type 2 if + past, would + base; Type 3 if + had + past participle, would have + past participle.

Reported speech backshift: present → past, past → past perfect, will → would; pronouns and time words shift (now → then, tomorrow → the next day).

Passive formation = correct form of 'be' + past participle; only transitive verbs passivise, and the by-agent is dropped when unknown or unimportant.

Relative clauses: 'who' for people, 'which' for things, 'whose' for possession, 'where' for place; non-defining clauses take commas and never 'that'.

Articles: 'a/an' for first mention or one of a class, 'the' for already-known or unique referents, zero article for uncountable general reference (Water boils at 100°C).

Question tags mirror the auxiliary and reverse polarity: 'She hasn't come, has she?'; imperatives take 'will you?'.

Prepositions are fixed with certain verbs and adjectives: depend on, listen to, capable of, interested in, married to, arrive at/in (not 'arrive to').

Formal letter skeleton: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), body, subscription (Yours faithfully / Yours sincerely), signature.

'Yours faithfully' pairs with Dear Sir/Madam (name unknown); 'Yours sincerely' pairs with Dear Mr Rao (name known) - mismatching loses marks.

Letter types by purpose: enquiry (ask for details), complaint (state problem, evidence, remedy sought), order (items, quantity, terms), application (post, qualifications, enclosure).

Notice format: name of institution at top, the word NOTICE, date, bold heading, body of 50 words or fewer in third person, name and designation of signatory at the bottom.

Report format: title, reporter's name/designation, date, place; past tense and third person; sequence = what happened, when/where, who was involved, action taken.

Paragraph unity: one controlling idea per paragraph, stated in a topic sentence, supported by examples, closed by a link to the next idea.

Cohesion devices to use deliberately: however, therefore, moreover, in addition, on the other hand, as a result, finally.

Word-limit discipline: exceeding the prescribed limit by more than a few words is penalised; count before writing the fair copy.

Avoid contraction, slang, and abbreviation in formal writing; write full forms (I am, cannot, do not) throughout.

Poetry analysis order: title and paraphrase → speaker and situation → form (stanza pattern, rhyme scheme, metre) → figures of speech → theme and tone.

Figures of speech: simile uses like/as; metaphor states identity; personification gives human traits to non-human things; hyperbole exaggerates; oxymoron joins opposites; alliteration repeats initial consonants.

Sound devices carry mood: alliteration, assonance (vowel repetition), onomatopoeia (word imitates sound), and refrain (repeated line) usually signal emphasis.

Prose answers need three moves: state the point, cite or paraphrase textual evidence, then explain how the evidence supports the point.

Character questions require trait + incident: name the quality (loyal, impulsive, idealistic) and the specific action in the text that proves it.

Theme statements must be general claims about life, not plot summaries; support them with two separate moments from the text.

Supplementary reader questions often test values and decisions: identify the choice made, the motive, and the consequence shown in the story.

Tone vocabulary for literature: nostalgic, ironic, melancholic, defiant, reverent, satirical - select the word that fits the dominant feeling, not a single line.

Listening sequence: predict from context → listen for gist → note keywords and numbers → verify against the question; do not stop at an unknown word.

Note-taking shorthand: symbols and abbreviations (↑ increase, ↓ decrease, → leads to, w/ with, approx. approximately, ∴ therefore) save time without losing meaning.

Functions map to fixed exponents: requesting (Could you…?), offering (Shall I…?), suggesting (Why don't we…?), apologising (I'm afraid…), inviting (Would you like to…?).

Telephone English: 'May I speak to…?', 'Hold on, please', 'Could I take a message?', 'I'm afraid he's not available' - avoid 'Who are you?' on the line.

Introducing and turn-taking: 'Let me introduce…', 'Excuse me, may I add something?', 'Sorry to interrupt, but…' - interruptions should be signalled, not abrupt.

Group discussion roles: initiator, contributor, clarifier, summariser; scoring rewards relevant content, clarity, and letting others speak.

Presentation structure: greeting → purpose statement → two or three main points with signposts (firstly, moving on, to sum up) → thanks and invitation for questions.

Functional writing (email, message, announcement) keeps the register markers: subject line, greeting, short paragraphs, closing formula, no slang in formal contexts.