Iwate Entrance 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 reading item asking for the passage's overall point. The correct choice summarizes every paragraph; choices that are accurate but narrow describe only one part and are distractors.

Pronoun reference resolution

To find what it, they, or this refers to, substitute each candidate into the sentence. The referent must match in number and produce a grammatical, sensible sentence.

Contrast signal words

Words such as however, but, although, and instead announce that the following information reverses or limits the previous claim. Answers to inference items often sit right after them.

Inference item wording

Items using suggest, imply, or most likely ask for a conclusion supported by stated evidence. An option that is merely true in real life but unsupported by the text is wrong.

Detail versus main idea

Detail items ask what the text says about one named thing and are answered by locating that keyword. Main idea items require the whole passage, so a single true sentence is not enough.

Present perfect with since

Since or for plus a duration requires have/has plus past participle: She has lived here since 2015. A past-time adverb like yesterday instead requires simple past.

Subject-verb agreement with quantifiers

The number of takes a singular verb; a number of takes a plural verb. Phrases between subject and verb, such as of students, do not change the verb form.

Gerund after enjoy and avoid

Verbs including enjoy, finish, avoid, mind, and look forward to take an -ing form. Verbs including want, hope, decide, and plan take a to-infinitive.

Much versus many

Much, little, and less modify uncountable nouns such as money and time. Many, few, and fewer modify countable plural nouns such as books and students.

Relative pronoun selection

Use who for people, which for things, whose for possession, and where for places. The relative pronoun may be omitted only when it is the object of the clause.

Must have past participle

The structure must have plus past participle expresses a strong inference about the past, as in She must have forgotten. It does not express obligation about the past.

Preposition collocations

Fixed pairs must be memorized as units: depend on, interested in, good at, afraid of, arrive at or in. Arrive to is always incorrect in standard English.

Free writing paragraph structure

State the position in the introduction, develop one reason with a concrete example per body paragraph, then restate the position in new words in the conclusion.

Word count safety margin

Write ten to fifteen percent above the required minimum. Editing removes words, so a text exactly at the limit risks falling below it and losing points.

Cohesion device limits

Use connectors such as however, therefore, and for example at most once per sentence boundary. Overuse reads as mechanical and can obscure the logical link.

Japanese-L1 article omission

Japanese has no articles, so writers often drop a and the. Every singular countable noun in English needs a determiner unless it is a proper noun.

Editing pass order

Check in this sequence: verb tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, articles and plurals, spelling, then word count. Fixing grammar first prevents rewriting later.

Accuracy over complexity

A correctly formed simple sentence earns more than a broken complex one. Use only structures you can control under time pressure, then vary length deliberately.

SOV to SVO conversion

Japanese places the verb last; English places it after the subject. Find the sentence-final verb first, then assign subject and objects to build the English order.

Particle wa versus ga

Wa marks the topic, often rendered as the subject or as for. Ga marks new or emphasized information, typically the subject that answers a question.

Supplying omitted subjects

Japanese omits subjects when understood. In English, insert I, you, they, or it from context and keep the same referent consistent throughout the passage.

Teshimau translation

The auxiliary verb teshimau adds regret or completion. Render it as end up doing, unfortunately did, or completely did, depending on the tone of the sentence.

Causative and passive forms

Japanese reru and rareru and saseru must be made explicit in English as passive (was done by) or causative (made or let someone do).

Literal calque avoidance

Translate meaning, not words. Suki desu becomes I like it, not it is liked, and ninki ga aru becomes it is popular, not it has popularity.

Correcting numbers in listening

Numbers are the most common listening detail. A later correction such as actually, make it 3:30 overrides the first value, so record the final figure.

Listening contrast markers

But, however, actually, and instead signal that the following information overrides what came before. The answer to detail items usually follows these markers.

Paraphrased correct options

In listening items, distractors repeat exact words from the audio, while the correct choice paraphrases them, as when It costs too much becomes It is too expensive.

Auxiliary matching in responses

Answer a question with the same auxiliary and tense: Did you go becomes Yes, I did. Matching only the topic word produces a grammatically wrong response.

Shorthand note policy

Write only proper nouns, numbers, and negation marks while listening. Full sentences make you miss the next line, and later context often resolves a missed word.

Adjective order rule

English adjectives follow opinion, size, age, shape, color, origin, material, then noun: a beautiful small old round brown Italian wooden table.

Indirect question word order

A question inside a statement uses statement order with no auxiliary: Do you know where he lives, never where does he live.

Separable phrasal verb placement

With separable phrasal verbs, a noun object may follow the particle, but a pronoun object must go between verb and particle: turn off the light, turn it off.