Kochi Entrance English flashcards

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

Main idea

The central claim that the entire passage supports. It is broader than any single detail and is usually stated or strongly implied in the introduction or conclusion.

Inference question

A question asking what the text implies without stating it directly. The correct answer must follow logically from the passage and require no outside knowledge.

Antecedent tracking

The method of resolving a pronoun by finding the nearest preceding noun phrase that agrees in number and gender and makes logical sense in context.

Contrast marker

A word such as however, yet, although, or nevertheless that signals a shift in argument. The author's real position often appears immediately after it.

Tone versus topic

Topic is what a passage discusses; tone is the author's attitude toward it. Tone is judged from word choice and punctuation, not from subject matter alone.

Collocation

A word partnership fixed by habitual usage rather than logic, such as make a decision, take responsibility, or pay attention. Wrong partners sound unnatural to native speakers.

Affect versus effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence; effect is usually a noun meaning a result. The verb to effect means to bring about, as in effect change.

Phrasal verb particle shift

Changing the particle changes the meaning entirely: give up means quit, give in means surrender, give out means distribute or fail, give away means donate or reveal.

Countable versus uncountable quantifiers

Count nouns take many, few, and a number of; uncount nouns take much, little, and an amount of. Mixing them, as in many information, is an error.

Register

The level of formality suited to a situation. Formal writing favors Latinate verbs such as commence and obtain over phrasal verbs such as start and get.

Subject-verb agreement rule

The verb agrees with the head noun of the subject, not with the nearest noun. In the list of items is long, the singular head noun list controls the verb.

Third conditional form

If plus past perfect in the condition clause, and would have plus past participle in the result: If she had studied, she would have passed.

Non-defining relative clause

A clause adding extra information about a noun, set off by commas. It uses who or which but never that, and it can be removed without changing the main meaning.

Passive transformation

Formed with be plus past participle. The active object becomes the passive subject, and the original agent appears in a by-phrase or is omitted.

Reported speech backshift

When the reporting verb is past, the reported tense moves one step back, and time and place words shift: now to then, today to that day, here to there.

Dangling modifier

An introductory participle phrase that fails to describe the subject of the main clause, as in Walking home, the rain started, where rain is not walking.

Comma splice

Two independent clauses joined by only a comma. Correct it with a period, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction such as but or so.

Thesis statement

A single sentence in the introduction that states the essay's central position and previews the reasoning. Every body paragraph must support it directly.

Cohesion devices

Pronouns, synonyms, and transitions such as furthermore, consequently, and in contrast that link sentences and prevent repetitive noun use across a paragraph.

Sentence variety

Mixing simple, compound, and complex sentences. Uniform sentence length makes prose either choppy or hard to follow, so variation signals control.

Counterargument and rebuttal

Acknowledging an opposing view and then answering it with evidence. This structure strengthens an argument by showing the writer considered alternatives.

Concluding paragraph function

To restate the thesis in fresh words and summarize the main support. It should not introduce new arguments or evidence that belongs in the body.

Discourse signal words

Words such as first, another reason, on the other hand, and to sum up that reveal a speaker's outline and mark where key points begin.

Hedge and correction markers

Expressions such as actually, I mean, and not exactly that signal the speaker is revising an earlier statement. The revised version overrides the original.

Intonation and meaning

Rising pitch often marks a question or uncertainty, while falling pitch marks completion or certainty. Intonation can reverse the apparent meaning of words.

Reported opinion versus speaker stance

A speaker may describe others' views before giving their own. The stance usually follows a contrast marker such as but I think.

Paraphrase definition

Restating a source's meaning with different vocabulary and sentence structure while keeping the same information. Adding or removing content makes it a summary, not a paraphrase.

Nominalization in paraphrase

Converting a verb or adjective into a noun to restructure a sentence, as when he decided quickly becomes his decision was quick, preserving the meaning.

Idiom translation strategy

Render figurative expressions with an equivalent idiom in the target language. A literal word-for-word rendering usually produces meaningless output.

Back-translation check

Translating the finished output back into the source language to verify that the original meaning survives. Divergence reveals a mistranslation.

Japanese subject omission

Japanese often drops the subject when context makes it clear. English requires an explicit pronoun, so the translator must supply the correct one.

Integrated task synthesis

A response that combines reading and listening sources, attributes each claim correctly, and reports conflicting positions rather than silently choosing one.

Summary versus quotation

A summary condenses main claims and drops examples; a quotation reproduces exact wording inside quotation marks. Paraphrase sits between them in closeness.