Akita Entrance English cheat sheet

Numbers, times, and prices are usually stated once; write digits immediately as you hear them rather than waiting for the full sentence.

Dates in English are read month-then-day in Akita-style school tests: "April fifth" = 4/5, not 5/4.

Spelling tasks: names and places are spelled letter by letter; record each letter as a capital and check for doubled letters (e.g., -ll-, -tt-).

Signal words introduce the answer: "but", "however", "actually" and "on second thought" typically precede a correction of the first-stated option.

Direction or map items: the route is described from the listener's starting point; left/right reverses if the speaker says "on your right" while facing you.

Part-number distractors: all four options are mentioned in the monologue, but only one matches the question word (who/what/when/why).

For "choose the picture" items, note the distinguishing feature first (colour, size, position) before listening, so you can match quickly.

If a speaker self-corrects ("Sorry, I mean..."), the second statement is the answer; the first is a distractor.

Question order follows passage order in most Eiken/Akita-style tests: answer Q1 before Q2 and locate the answer paragraph by paragraph.

Main-idea answer must cover the whole passage; an option that is true but covers only one paragraph is a detail distractor.

For "not stated" items, the correct option is absent from the passage; the other three are paraphrases that can be located.

Vocabulary-in-context: replace the target word with each option and check whether the sentence still makes sense with the surrounding sentences.

Pronoun reference (it/they/this/these): the antecedent is usually the nearest preceding noun phrase that agrees in number.

Author's purpose items: look for the sentence pattern "The purpose of this passage is to..." - inform, persuade, or explain - and match the verb.

Inference answers must be supported by the text; an option that requires outside knowledge is wrong even if factually true.

Time management: 1 minute per question; if an item takes longer, mark it, move on, and return after the passage is finished.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) pairs with for + duration and since + starting point: "for three years", "since 2020".

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past events: "When I arrived, the train had already left."

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

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and changes pronouns/time words: now→then, today→that day, tomorrow→the next day.

Relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, whose for possession, where for places; that can replace who/which in defining clauses.

Subjunctive after suggest/demand/insist/recommend: "She suggested that he (should) go" - base verb, no -s.

Collocations are fixed pairs: make a decision, do homework, take a photo, have breakfast, pay attention to, depend on, be interested in.

Gerund vs infinitive: enjoy/avoid/finish/look forward to + -ing; decide/hope/want/plan + to + base.

Respond to "How are you?" with a state, not a fact: "Fine, thanks" or "Not bad" - never "I am 16" or "I am a student".

Offers ("Would you like...?") accept with "Yes, please" / "I'd love to" and refuse with "No, thank you" / "I'm afraid I can't".

Requests: "Could you...?" is answered with an action ("Sure" / "Of course") - not with "Yes, I could".

Apologies: "I'm sorry" is answered with "That's all right" / "No problem" / "Never mind" - not "You're welcome".

Thanks: "Thank you" is answered with "You're welcome" / "Not at all" / "My pleasure".

Invitations: accept with "I'd be glad to"; decline politely with a reason plus "maybe next time".

Shop/restaurant scripts: "Can I help you?" → "I'm looking for..." / "I'd like..."; "Anything else?" → "That's all, thanks".

Telephone scripts: "May I speak to...?" → "Speaking" / "Hold on, please"; "Who's calling?" → "This is [name]."

Reorder rule: find the subject and finite verb first; the remaining chunks fill the pattern S + V + O/C + adverbial.

Time and place adverbials go in the order manner–place–time: "She sang well at the concert last night."

Questions invert subject and auxiliary: "Where did you buy it?" - the main verb stays in the base form after did.

Negative inversion after "Never / Hardly / Not only" at the start of a sentence: "Never have I seen such a view."

Transformation with "too ... to": "He is too young to drive" = "He is so young that he cannot drive" = "He is not old enough to drive".

Passive transformation: object → subject, be + past participle, agent with by; keep tense and number.

"It is ... that" cleft for emphasis: "Tom broke the window" → "It was Tom that broke the window."

Indirect question word order stays statement order: "Do you know where he lives?" - never "where does he live".

Paragraph structure: topic sentence → supporting sentences (reasons/examples) → concluding sentence; one idea per paragraph.

Linking words by function: addition (moreover, in addition), contrast (however, on the other hand), cause (because, since), result (therefore, as a result), example (for instance).

Word-count rules: count every word including articles; contractions count as one word; do not pad - under-length costs more than slightly over.

Opinion essay frame: state position → two reasons with examples → restate position; avoid new arguments in the conclusion.

Email/letter format: greeting (Dear Mr. Brown,), opening line stating purpose, body, closing (Best regards,), signature.

Tense consistency: choose present for general facts, past for a narrative event, and keep the same tense within a paragraph unless time changes.

Common deductions: sentence fragments (no verb), run-ons (two main clauses without a connector), and missing articles before singular count nouns.

Paraphrase the prompt rather than copying it; copied prompt text earns no credit for language.

Chart/table items: read the axis labels and units first (yen, %, people); the answer must use the same unit as the question.

Transfer tasks require the exact form: name in capitals, date as month + day, time with a.m./p.m., and numbers in digits.

Cross-check two sources: the passage gives the reason, the table gives the figure - the answer often needs both.

Superlative questions ("the most/least") require comparing all rows, not just the first two.

If the table total disagrees with the passage total, the passage figure is the stated fact; note the discrepancy rather than guessing.

Note-taking shorthand: use arrows for change, +/− for increase/decrease, and abbreviations for repeated words to keep pace with audio.

Schedule/notice items: the answer is the time or place that satisfies all stated conditions (day, deadline, eligibility) - check each condition.

When filling gaps, match the grammar of the gap: a noun after an article, an adjective before a noun, a verb form after a modal.