WBBSE Madhyamik English First Language flashcards

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

Topic sentence

The first sentence of a paragraph that states its central idea and controls what the following sentences must support; everything else in the paragraph should relate to it.

Cohesive devices

Words and structures such as pronouns, conjunctions, and repeated or synonymous nouns that link sentences and make a paragraph read as a unified whole rather than a list.

Report byline

The line naming the reporter and designation, placed immediately below the report heading; it signals that the account is factual and attributed rather than personal opinion.

Impersonal report style

Writing in third person with passive constructions and past tense for completed events, avoiding 'I think' or direct address, so that the report reads as objective information.

Formal letter salutation

The greeting in a formal letter, usually 'Dear Sir' or 'Dear Madam' when the name is unknown; it pairs with 'Yours faithfully', while a named recipient pairs with 'Yours sincerely'.

Subject line

A short noun phrase placed after the salutation in a formal letter that states the letter's purpose in five to ten words, allowing the reader to grasp the matter at a glance.

Letter to the editor

A formal letter to a newspaper that draws public attention to an issue, usually opening with a request to publish and closing with a polite appeal to the authorities.

Notice format

The word NOTICE, institution name, a short heading, date, a 40-50 word body covering what, when, where, who, and contact, then the issuer's name and designation.

Classified advertisement

A brief, paid newspaper advertisement of about 25-50 words, often without articles or pronouns, grouped under a heading such as 'To Let' or 'Situations Vacant'.

Story climax

The point of highest tension in a story where the central complication is confronted and the outcome becomes inevitable; it is followed by a short resolution.

Narrative point of view

The perspective from which a story is told, such as first person ('I') or third person ('he/she'); it must remain consistent throughout unless a deliberate shift is signalled.

Simile

A figure of speech comparing two unlike things using 'like' or 'as', for example 'her voice was like a bell'; it makes the description vivid and concrete.

Metaphor

A figure of speech that identifies one thing with another without using 'like' or 'as', such as 'the classroom was a zoo'; it transfers qualities directly.

Personification

A figure of speech giving human qualities or actions to non-human things, as in 'the wind whispered through the trees'; it creates atmosphere and emotional resonance.

Alliteration

The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words, such as 'sweet silver song'; it draws attention to a phrase and can create rhythm or mood.

Rhyme scheme

The pattern of end rhymes in a poem, labelled with letters (abab, aabb, abba); a break in the pattern often marks a shift in thought or tone.

Oxymoron

A figure of speech joining two contradictory words, such as 'bitter sweet' or 'living death'; it forces the reader to hold opposing ideas together and reveals complexity.

Tone in poetry

The speaker's attitude towards the subject, conveyed through diction, rhythm, and imagery; it is described with adjectives such as nostalgic, defiant, ironic, or melancholic.

Inference question

A comprehension question whose answer is not stated directly but must be derived from clues in the passage; the correct option is supported by textual evidence, not outside knowledge.

Main idea

The central point that the whole passage develops, broader than any single paragraph or example; a correct main-idea option must account for all sections of the text.

Vocabulary in context

Determining the meaning of a word from its surrounding sentence rather than its dictionary sense; test each option by substituting it into the original sentence for fit.

Author's purpose

The function a detail serves in a passage, such as to illustrate, contrast, or support a claim; questions asking why the author mentions X require a function, not a restatement.

Tone and attitude clues

Adjectives, adverbs, and punctuation marks such as dashes or rhetorical questions that reveal the writer's feelings; list several before choosing a tone label.

Reported speech tense shift

After a past-tense reporting verb, the reported clause usually moves one step back: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would.

Passive voice formation

Formed with the correct tense of 'be' plus the past participle; the active object becomes the subject and the original subject moves to a by-phrase or is omitted.

Narration pronoun change

In reported speech, first-person pronouns change to match the speaker, second-person to the listener, and third-person remain unchanged; time and place words also shift.

Too … to transformation

The pattern 'too + adjective + to + verb' rewrites as 'so + adjective + that + subject + cannot/could not + verb', preserving the sense of impossibility.

Unless transformation

'Unless' means 'if … not'; when rewriting, remove the negative from the main clause and keep the condition, as in 'Unless you work, you will fail' to 'If you do not work, you will fail'.

Subject-verb agreement rule

Indefinite pronouns such as everyone, each, and neither take singular verbs; with 'either … or' and 'neither … nor', the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Phrasal verb give up

To stop doing or surrender something, as in 'He gave up smoking'; the particle changes meaning, so give in means yield and give away means donate.

Idiom: blessing in disguise

An apparent misfortune that turns out to be beneficial; the meaning is non-literal, so it cannot be worked out from the individual words alone.

Word formation suffixes

Endings that change a word's class: -ment, -ness, -tion form nouns; -ful, -less, -ous form adjectives; -ise/-ize, -ify, -en form verbs.