Kagawa Entrance English cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim that every paragraph supports; a correct main-idea option cannot be true of only one paragraph.

Detail questions are answered by locating a paraphrase, not an exact string: the passage restates the idea in different words.

Inference is licensed only when the passage plus general knowledge forces the conclusion; reject options that merely could be true.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's logic and tone.

Pronoun and reference questions: the referent must agree in number and make sense in the sentence; nearest noun is often a trap.

Author's purpose verbs: inform, persuade, compare, criticize, narrate - match the verb to the overall rhetorical mode, not to one sentence.

Negative factual questions (EXCEPT/NOT) require checking all options against the text; three are explicitly supported, one is not.

Ordering and paragraph-insertion items: look for discourse markers (however, therefore, for example) that link the inserted sentence to its neighbors.

Timing rule: skim the questions first, then read; answer line-reference items by reading one sentence before and after the cited line.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with a prepositional phrase (The list of items is long).

Neither/either/each/everyone/everything take singular verbs; both, few, many, several take plural verbs.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past to present; use with since, for, already, yet, ever, never.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past events; simple past marks the later one.

Conditionals: If + present, will; If + past, would; If + had + past participle, would have + past participle.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and adjusts time/place words (now → then, tomorrow → the next day).

Articles: a/an for first mention or one of many; the for unique or previously mentioned referents; zero article for generic plurals.

Comparatives: -er/more for two items, -est/most for three or more; never double-mark (more better is wrong).

Prepositions of time: in + month/year/season, on + day/date, at + clock time.

Prefix meanings: un-/in-/im-/dis- = not; re- = again; pre- = before; post- = after; sub- = under; over- = too much.

Suffixes signal part of speech: -tion/-ment/-ness = noun; -ive/-ous/-ful/-able = adjective; -ize/-ify/-en = verb; -ly = adverb.

Collocation rule: choose the partner word that native usage fixes (make a decision, take a risk, do homework, pay attention).

Word families: derive the target form from the root before choosing (success → successful → successfully → succeed).

False friends and near-synonyms differ in register or transitivity; verify the word fits the grammatical slot, not just the meaning.

Context clue types: definition (that is), contrast (unlike, whereas), example (such as), cause-effect (because, therefore).

Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: give up (quit), give in (surrender), give away (donate), give out (distribute).

Confusable pairs: affect (verb) / effect (noun); lend (give) / borrow (receive); raise (needs object) / rise (no object).

A clause needs a subject and a finite verb; a phrase does not, so a phrase alone cannot be a sentence.

Run-on/fused sentence: two independent clauses joined by no punctuation; fix with a period, semicolon, or comma + conjunction.

Comma splice: two independent clauses joined only by a comma; same three fixes apply.

Fragment test: if the group begins with a subordinator (because, although, when) and has no main clause, it is incomplete.

Parallelism: items joined by and/or/but must share grammatical form (to swim, to cycle, and to run).

Dangling modifier: the introductory participle must describe the subject of the main clause.

Relative clauses: who/that for people, which/that for things; non-defining clauses take commas and cannot use that.

Misplaced modifier: place only, almost, nearly, and even immediately before the word they limit.

Punctuation: semicolon joins related independent clauses; colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list or explanation.

Paragraph architecture: topic sentence (claim) → supporting sentences (reason/example) → concluding sentence (restatement or link).

Thesis placement: end of the introduction; it must be arguable and must forecast the body paragraphs' order.

Cohesion devices: pronouns, synonyms, and transitions (first, moreover, in contrast, as a result) must match the logical relation.

Transition selection rule: addition (moreover), contrast (however), cause (therefore), example (for instance), concession (nevertheless).

Sentence variety: alternate simple, compound, and complex sentences; avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same subject.

Formal register: avoid contractions, slang, and second-person you in academic writing; prefer precise verbs over get/do.

Email and letter format: greeting, purpose statement in the first line, body, closing request, sign-off; keep one purpose per message.

Editing pass order: content and organization first, then sentence structure, then spelling and punctuation last.

Predict from the question stem before audio plays: identify whether the item asks for a number, a reason, a place, or a speaker's attitude.

Numbers and dates are usually corrected or revised mid-conversation; the last stated figure is normally the answer.

Signal words announce answers: however, actually, the thing is, but, so, that's why introduce the key information.

Distractor pattern: an option repeats a word heard in the audio but answers a different question - match meaning, not sound.

Function questions (Why does the speaker say X?) require the pragmatic intent: apology, request, complaint, suggestion, warning.

Attitude is carried by intonation and hedges (I suppose, maybe, not really), not only by explicit adjectives.

Note-taking: record nouns, verbs, and numbers only; do not transcribe full sentences or you will miss the next item.

Inference items: the answer is implied by the speakers' decision or reaction, not stated in a single sentence.

Discourse markers signal text structure: addition, contrast, cause-effect, sequence, concession, and conclusion.

Coherence = logical ordering of ideas; cohesion = surface links (pronouns, repetition, conjunctions); both are required.

Paragraph-insertion items: test the candidate sentence against the pronoun and connector chain on both sides.

Summary rule: retain the main claim and key support; delete examples, repetition, and illustrative detail.

Paraphrase test: meaning is preserved when the claim and its scope (all/some, always/sometimes) are unchanged.

Register consistency: a formal passage must not switch to slang or contractions without a stated reason.

Reference chains: track what each it/this/they points to across sentences; ambiguous reference is a common error type.

Integrated tasks: read the passage for claims, listen for the speaker's stance, then write only the relation between them.

Main idea = the claim every paragraph supports; a correct main-idea option cannot be true of only one paragraph.

Detail questions are answered by locating a paraphrase, not an exact string: the passage restates the idea in different words.

Inference is licensed only when the passage plus general knowledge forces the conclusion; reject options that merely could be true.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's logic and tone.

Pronoun and reference questions: the referent must agree in number and make sense in the sentence; nearest noun is often a trap.

Author's purpose verbs: inform, persuade, compare, criticize, narrate - match the verb to the overall rhetorical mode, not to one sentence.

Negative factual questions (EXCEPT/NOT) require checking all options against the text; three are explicitly supported, one is not.

Ordering and paragraph-insertion items: look for discourse markers (however, therefore, for example) that link the inserted sentence to its neighbors.

Timing rule: skim the questions first, then read; answer line-reference items by reading one sentence before and after the cited line.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with a prepositional phrase (The list of items is long).

Neither/either/each/everyone/everything take singular verbs; both, few, many, several take plural verbs.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past to present; use with since, for, already, yet, ever, never.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past events; simple past marks the later one.

Conditionals: If + present, will; If + past, would; If + had + past participle, would have + past participle.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and adjusts time/place words (now → then, tomorrow → the next day).

Articles: a/an for first mention or one of many; the for unique or previously mentioned referents; zero article for generic plurals.

Comparatives: -er/more for two items, -est/most for three or more; never double-mark (more better is wrong).

Prepositions of time: in + month/year/season, on + day/date, at + clock time.

Prefix meanings: un-/in-/im-/dis- = not; re- = again; pre- = before; post- = after; sub- = under; over- = too much.

Suffixes signal part of speech: -tion/-ment/-ness = noun; -ive/-ous/-ful/-able = adjective; -ize/-ify/-en = verb; -ly = adverb.

Collocation rule: choose the partner word that native usage fixes (make a decision, take a risk, do homework, pay attention).

Word families: derive the target form from the root before choosing (success → successful → successfully → succeed).

False friends and near-synonyms differ in register or transitivity; verify the word fits the grammatical slot, not just the meaning.

Context clue types: definition (that is), contrast (unlike, whereas), example (such as), cause-effect (because, therefore).

Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: give up (quit), give in (surrender), give away (donate), give out (distribute).

Confusable pairs: affect (verb) / effect (noun); lend (give) / borrow (receive); raise (needs object) / rise (no object).

A clause needs a subject and a finite verb; a phrase does not, so a phrase alone cannot be a sentence.

Run-on/fused sentence: two independent clauses joined by no punctuation; fix with a period, semicolon, or comma + conjunction.

Comma splice: two independent clauses joined only by a comma; same three fixes apply.

Fragment test: if the group begins with a subordinator (because, although, when) and has no main clause, it is incomplete.

Parallelism: items joined by and/or/but must share grammatical form (to swim, to cycle, and to run).

Dangling modifier: the introductory participle must describe the subject of the main clause.

Relative clauses: who/that for people, which/that for things; non-defining clauses take commas and cannot use that.

Misplaced modifier: place only, almost, nearly, and even immediately before the word they limit.

Punctuation: semicolon joins related independent clauses; colon follows a complete clause and introduces a list or explanation.

Paragraph architecture: topic sentence (claim) → supporting sentences (reason/example) → concluding sentence (restatement or link).

Thesis placement: end of the introduction; it must be arguable and must forecast the body paragraphs' order.

Cohesion devices: pronouns, synonyms, and transitions (first, moreover, in contrast, as a result) must match the logical relation.

Transition selection rule: addition (moreover), contrast (however), cause (therefore), example (for instance), concession (nevertheless).

Sentence variety: alternate simple, compound, and complex sentences; avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same subject.

Formal register: avoid contractions, slang, and second-person you in academic writing; prefer precise verbs over get/do.

Email and letter format: greeting, purpose statement in the first line, body, closing request, sign-off; keep one purpose per message.

Editing pass order: content and organization first, then sentence structure, then spelling and punctuation last.

Predict from the question stem before audio plays: identify whether the item asks for a number, a reason, a place, or a speaker's attitude.

Numbers and dates are usually corrected or revised mid-conversation; the last stated figure is normally the answer.

Signal words announce answers: however, actually, the thing is, but, so, that's why introduce the key information.

Distractor pattern: an option repeats a word heard in the audio but answers a different question - match meaning, not sound.

Function questions (Why does the speaker say X?) require the pragmatic intent: apology, request, complaint, suggestion, warning.

Attitude is carried by intonation and hedges (I suppose, maybe, not really), not only by explicit adjectives.

Note-taking: record nouns, verbs, and numbers only; do not transcribe full sentences or you will miss the next item.

Inference items: the answer is implied by the speakers' decision or reaction, not stated in a single sentence.

Discourse markers signal text structure: addition, contrast, cause-effect, sequence, concession, and conclusion.

Coherence = logical ordering of ideas; cohesion = surface links (pronouns, repetition, conjunctions); both are required.

Paragraph-insertion items: test the candidate sentence against the pronoun and connector chain on both sides.

Summary rule: retain the main claim and key support; delete examples, repetition, and illustrative detail.

Paraphrase test: meaning is preserved when the claim and its scope (all/some, always/sometimes) are unchanged.

Register consistency: a formal passage must not switch to slang or contractions without a stated reason.

Reference chains: track what each it/this/they points to across sentences; ambiguous reference is a common error type.

Integrated tasks: read the passage for claims, listen for the speaker's stance, then write only the relation between them.