Ishikawa Entrance English cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim that every paragraph supports; it is broader than any single detail and narrower than the whole topic (e.g., topic 'volcanoes', main idea 'volcanic soil rebuilds farmland quickly').

Question stems decide the reading mode: 'according to the passage' = locate and match text; 'infer' or 'suggest' = combine two stated facts into an unstated conclusion; 'author's purpose' = classify as inform, persuade, or entertain.

Scan for proper nouns, numbers, dates, and capitalized terms first; these are the fastest anchors for locating an answer inside a long passage.

Order-of-events questions: map each event to its paragraph, then check transition words (before, after, once, by the time) because chronological order rarely matches paragraph order.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option back into the sentence and keep only the choice that preserves the sentence's logic; the dictionary's most common meaning is often wrong.

Pronoun reference: the antecedent must agree in number and gender and must make sense in the sentence; 'it' after a plural noun phrase usually points elsewhere.

Tone and attitude are signaled by adjectives and adverbs, not by topic: a passage can describe war while being neutral or admiring.

Answer choices containing absolutes (always, never, all, only, must) are usually wrong unless the passage states that absolute explicitly.

For 'EXCEPT' and 'NOT' questions, verify three options against the text and eliminate them; the remaining option is the answer even if it is unappealing.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not the nearest noun - 'The list of items is long'; with 'each, every, everyone, neither, either' use singular; with 'both, few, many, several' use plural.

Collective nouns (team, family, committee) take a singular verb when acting as one unit and a plural verb when members act individually.

Tense sequence: a past-tense main clause normally takes a past or past-perfect subordinate clause; present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past action to present relevance and never pairs with a finished past time marker like 'yesterday'.

Conditionals: zero = present + present (general truth); first = present + will; second = past + would; third = had + past participle + would have + past participle.

Subjunctive after wish, if only, and demand/insist/suggest that: 'I wish I were taller'; 'She insisted that he be present'.

Articles: 'a/an' introduces a singular countable noun new to the reader; 'the' marks something already identified or unique; no article with plural or uncountable nouns in general statements.

Relative pronouns: 'who' for people, 'which' for things, 'whose' for possession, 'that' for restrictive clauses only; a non-restrictive clause is set off by commas and never takes 'that'.

Comparatives: one-syllable adjectives add -er/-est; longer adjectives take more/most; never double them ('more better' is wrong); 'than' compares, 'then' sequences time.

Preposition and gerund pairs to memorize as units: interested in, capable of, despite + noun, look forward to + -ing, used to + base verb (past habit) versus be used to + -ing (accustomed).

Prefixes that reverse or negate: un-, in-/im-/il-/ir-, dis-, non-, mis- (wrongly), anti- (against); in- assimilates to im- before p/b/m, il- before l, ir- before r.

Prefixes of degree and direction: over- (excess), under- (insufficient), sub- (below), super- (above), pre- (before), post- (after), inter- (between), intra- (within), trans- (across).

Common roots as meaning keys: -spect- (look), -dict- (say), -port- (carry), -scrib-/-script- (write), -cred- (believe), -duc-/-duct- (lead), -ject- (throw), -form- (shape), -log-/-logue- (word, study).

Suffixes set part of speech: -tion/-ment/-ness/-ity make nouns; -ive/-ous/-al/-able make adjectives; -ize/-ify/-en make verbs; -ly usually makes adverbs but not always (friendly, lovely are adjectives).

Context-clue types: definition (signaled by 'that is', dashes, or appositives), contrast (but, unlike, whereas), cause-effect (therefore, because), and example (such as, including).

Confusable pairs: affect (verb, influence) / effect (noun, result); principal (main, or school head) / principle (rule); complement (complete) / compliment (praise); stationary (still) / stationery (paper).

Collocation decides correctness where meaning does not: 'make a decision', 'do homework', 'take a risk', 'heavy rain', 'strong tea' - memorize noun-verb partners, not isolated words.

Register matters: 'kids', 'stuff', 'a lot of' are informal; 'children', 'material', 'numerous' suit formal writing; exam prose usually requires the formal member of the pair.

False friends and near-synonyms differ in connotation: 'famous' is neutral, 'notorious' negative, 'renowned' positive; 'childish' negative versus 'childlike' positive.

Predict from the question stems before audio starts: who is speaking, where, and what decision is being made narrows what to listen for.

Signpost words carry the logic: however, actually, on the other hand signal reversal; so, therefore, as a result signal consequence; for example signals an illustration that rarely holds the answer.

Numbers, times, and prices are usually corrected mid-conversation - the second figure spoken is typically the final one; note both and apply the correction.

Negatives and hedges change meaning: 'not unlikely' = likely; 'I'm not sure I'd say that' = disagreement; 'That's one way to look at it' = polite doubt.

In dialogue questions, the answer is often implied by the second speaker's response, not stated by the first; track who holds which opinion.

Listen for paraphrase, not exact words: the correct option restates the audio with synonyms; an option repeating the audio verbatim is often a distractor.

Distinguish stated fact from speaker attitude: 'It's supposed to rain' (hearsay) versus 'It's going to rain' (prediction) versus 'It might rain' (possibility).

In lecture tasks, note the structure signals: 'first', 'next', 'finally' mark main points; 'by the way' and 'incidentally' mark digressions that are rarely tested.

If a detail is missed, keep listening: later context often resolves it, and abandoning the stream to reconstruct one word loses the next answer.

A thesis statement must be arguable and specific: it names the topic and the stance, and avoids vague evaluators like 'interesting' or 'very important'.

Paragraph unity: every sentence must serve the paragraph's topic sentence; a sentence that introduces a new idea belongs in a new paragraph.

Evidence then explanation: after a quotation, fact, or example, add one or two sentences stating what it shows and how it supports the claim - evidence alone does not argue.

Cohesion devices: repeat key nouns, use pronouns with clear antecedents, and vary transitions (furthermore, in contrast, consequently) so the logical link is explicit.

Formal essay register: avoid contractions, slang, first-person anecdotes unless the prompt invites them, and rhetorical questions in academic argument.

Counterargument strengthens a persuasive essay: state the opposing view fairly, then rebut it with evidence rather than dismissing it.

Introductions move from general context to the specific thesis; conclusions restate the thesis in new words and state the significance, never introduce new evidence.

Timed essays: allocate roughly 10 percent of time to planning, 70 percent to drafting, 20 percent to revision; check subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and comma splices last.

Paraphrase rather than quote when the exact wording is not itself the point, and always integrate quotations into your own sentence grammar.

A complete sentence needs a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought; an imperative sentence has an implied subject ('Close the door').

Comma splice = two independent clauses joined only by a comma; repair with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Run-on (fused sentence) = two independent clauses with no punctuation at all; same three repairs apply.

A fragment lacks a subject, a verb, or completeness - a subordinate clause starting with because, although, when, or which cannot stand alone.

Complex sentence = independent clause plus at least one dependent clause; compound = two or more independent clauses; compound-complex = both.

Non-restrictive elements (appositives, relative clauses, introductory phrases) are set off by commas; restrictive elements are not, because the comma would change the meaning.

Parallelism: items in a list, and structures after correlatives (either...or, not only...but also), must share grammatical form - 'hiking, swimming, and to fish' is faulty.

Modifier placement: a modifier must sit next to what it describes; a dangling modifier's implied subject must match the main clause subject ('Walking home, I saw...' not 'Walking home, the rain began').

Paragraph order follows a plan: chronological, spatial, general-to-specific, or problem-solution; topic sentence first or last, supporting sentences in the middle, and each sentence linked to the previous by a transition or repeated key term.