UPMSP Intermediate English flashcards

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

Main idea question

A comprehension item asking what the passage is mostly about. The answer covers the whole text, so options that fit only one paragraph or one example are wrong.

Inference in reading

A conclusion drawn from textual evidence plus reasoning rather than stated directly. The correct answer is always supported by specific words in the passage, never by outside knowledge.

Vocabulary in context

A question type where a word's meaning is fixed by its sentence. Substitute each option into the original sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's sense.

Author's tone

The attitude revealed through word choice and punctuation, described with adjectives such as ironic, nostalgic, critical, or objective. Neutral presentation of both sides signals a balanced tone.

Formal letter layout

Sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject, salutation, body, complimentary close, signature. The subject line appears only in formal letters, never in informal ones.

Yours faithfully vs sincerely

Use 'Yours faithfully' when the salutation is 'Dear Sir/Madam' because the name is unknown. Use 'Yours sincerely' when the reader is addressed by name.

Notice format

Institution name, the word NOTICE, date, heading, body of about fifty words, then writer's name and designation. It carries no salutation, no address, and no complimentary close.

Report writing features

Written in past tense and third person, opening with a headline and a place-and-date lead. Direct speech is converted to reported speech and first-person pronouns are removed.

Essay paragraph structure

Each body paragraph carries one controlling idea, stated in a topic sentence, then supported by explanation or example, then closed with a link to the thesis.

Advertisement copy devices

Imperative verbs, elliptical sentences, and superlatives create urgency. Effective copy states the product, one feature, its benefit, and price or contact detail.

Subject-verb agreement rule

In 'one of the + plural noun', the verb is singular because the subject is 'one'. 'Each', 'every', 'either', and 'neither' as subject also take singular verbs.

Article by sound

Choose 'a' or 'an' by the first sound, not the first letter: 'an hour', 'an M.A.', but 'a university' and 'a European', because those begin with consonant sounds.

Third conditional form

Expresses an unreal past situation: if plus past perfect in the condition clause, 'would have' plus past participle in the result. Example pattern: If he had asked, I would have helped.

Passive voice transformation

Move the object to subject position, use the correct form of 'be' in the original tense, then the past participle. The original tense must be preserved exactly.

Preposition after comprise

'Comprise' takes a direct object with no preposition: 'The committee comprises ten members.' Use 'consist of' or 'be composed of' when a preposition is needed.

One-word substitution

Replacing a phrase with a single word: polyglot for one who speaks many languages, illiterate for one who cannot read, democracy for government by the people.

Modals of obligation

'Must' states obligation, 'should' gives advice, 'need not' states absence of obligation, and 'must not' states prohibition. The last two are not interchangeable.

Character trait with evidence

A prose answer format: name the quality in one word, then cite the specific incident or line that demonstrates it. Trait alone earns partial credit only.

Narrative point of view

First-person narration restricts the reader to the narrator's knowledge and may be unreliable. Third-person omniscient narration reports characters' thoughts beyond any single perspective.

Author, narrator, protagonist

The author writes the work, the narrator tells the story, the protagonist is the central character. In autobiography the three may coincide, but the exam often tests the distinction.

Symbol in prose

A recurring object or image that carries the lesson's central idea rather than decorative detail. Answers must name the object and state what it represents.

Quotation-based prose question

Answer in three parts: who speaks the line, to whom and in what situation, then what the line reveals about theme or character.

Simile versus metaphor

A simile compares using 'like' or 'as'; a metaphor identifies one thing directly as another without a comparison word. Personification gives human qualities to non-human things.

Rhyme scheme notation

Lines sharing a sound get the same letter: aa is a couplet, abab is alternate rhyme. Check the final stanza separately because patterns often change there.

Iambic pentameter

Five metrical feet per line, each foot an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one, giving ten syllables. An iamb is the unstressed-stressed unit itself.

Alliteration and onomatopoeia

Alliteration repeats initial consonant sounds across nearby words. Onomatopoeia uses words that imitate the sound they describe, such as buzz, hiss, or crash.

Poetic tone signals

Exclamation marks and imperatives signal urgency or command; questions signal doubt or reflection; dashes and ellipses signal hesitation or interruption in the speaker's thought.

Refrain function

A repeated line or phrase. Repetition produces emphasis, structures the poem like a song, or shifts meaning as context changes between repetitions.

Five elements of a story

Plot, character, setting, conflict, and theme. Identifying each before answering keeps responses focused on analysis rather than simple retelling of events.

Types of conflict

Person against person, society, nature, or self. The way the conflict is resolved reveals the story's theme, so name both conflict and resolution.

Climax and falling action

The climax is the point of highest tension where the conflict is decided. Events after it form falling action and resolution, tying up remaining threads.

Three kinds of irony

Verbal irony says the opposite of the intended meaning; situational irony reverses expectation; dramatic irony gives the reader knowledge that a character lacks.