Kyoto Entrance English key terms

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than stated directly. Kyoto reading items often ask what the author implies, so you must combine clues and eliminate answers the passage never supports.

The central claim a paragraph or whole passage is built to support. Distinguish it from supporting details and from an over-broad topic; exam distractors often restate one detail as if it were the whole point.

The job a specific paragraph does in the argument, such as introducing a counterargument, giving an example, or qualifying an earlier claim. Questions phrased 'why does the author mention X' test this.

The author's attitude toward the subject, for example skeptical, approving, or ironic. Tone is signaled by word choice and hedging rather than stated outright, so watch adjectives and modal verbs.

Acknowledging a point that favors the opposing side before answering it. Markers include 'admittedly', 'granted', and 'it is true that'; missing a concession often leads you to reverse the author's position.

An objection to the author's thesis that the passage raises and then responds to. Identifying it helps you see the structure of argumentative prose and avoid choosing an answer that stops at the objection.

The part of an argument that explains why a counterargument fails or is limited. It usually follows a concession and is introduced by 'however', 'yet', or 'but the evidence suggests'.

Language that softens a claim, such as 'may', 'tend to', 'arguably', or 'in most cases'. Hedged statements are usually safer answer choices than absolute ones containing 'always' or 'never'.

A word or phrase that limits the scope of a claim, for example 'in urban areas' or 'for most learners'. Answer choices that drop the qualifier often become false even when the original sentence is true.

The way a pronoun or phrase such as 'this' or 'such a view' points back to earlier content. In long expository passages, resolving these links is essential before you can translate or paraphrase the sentence.

The linking of sentences through connectors, pronouns, and repeated key words so a passage reads as one argument. Cohesive devices tell you whether the next sentence supports, contrasts with, or exemplifies the previous one.

A connector that signals logical relations, such as 'nevertheless', 'moreover', 'thus', or 'by contrast'. Correctly reading these markers is often the fastest route to the right answer in structure questions.

The Japanese practice of reading English by parsing structure and meaning rather than word-by-word substitution. It requires identifying the subject and main verb, then placing modifiers correctly before rendering the sense in natural Japanese.

Grouping words into meaningful units before translating, for example separating a long noun phrase from its verb. Chunking prevents the fragmented, unnatural Japanese produced by translating each English word in order.

In Japanese, modifiers precede the word they modify, while English often places them after. Reordering participial and relative clauses into prenominal position is a core skill in English-to-Japanese translation.

A clause introduced by who, which, or that that describes a noun. Japanese renders it as a clause before the noun, so long English relative clauses must be split or reordered to stay readable.

A verb form used as an adjective or to build a reduced clause, as in 'the evidence gathered' or 'facing criticism'. Recognizing whether it modifies the subject or an earlier noun is crucial for accurate translation.

A modifier whose intended subject is missing or mismatched, as in 'Walking home, the rain began'. Rewriting such sentences is a common task in Japanese-to-English structural questions.

The rule that a verb matches its subject in number, even when a long phrase sits between them. In rewriting tasks, locate the true head noun before deciding between singular and plural forms.

Balancing items in a list or comparison in the same grammatical form, as in 'to plan, to draft, and to revise'. Faulty parallelism is a frequent target in sentence-level rewriting questions.

Turning a verb or adjective into a noun, as in 'the decision to postpone'. Japanese-to-English tasks often require converting a Japanese noun phrase back into an English verb clause for natural style.

A construction where the grammatical subject receives the action, as in 'the policy was criticized'. Japanese often uses passive or intransitive forms where English prefers active, so choose voice deliberately when translating.

A single sentence stating the essay's central claim and often its reasons. A clear thesis near the end of the introduction guides both the writer and the examiner through the body paragraphs.

The sentence that announces the focus of a body paragraph, usually placed first. It should connect back to the thesis so each paragraph advances the argument instead of merely listing facts.

A brief plan listing the thesis, main points, and supporting evidence before drafting. In timed essay exams, a two-minute outline usually saves time by preventing repetition and off-topic digressions.

A word, phrase, or sentence that links one paragraph to the next and shows how ideas relate. Effective transitions signal addition, contrast, or cause, making the essay's logic visible to a reader.

A habitual word partnership such as 'make a decision' or 'heavy rain'. Vocabulary items in context often test collocations, because a synonym that fits the meaning may still sound wrong in the phrase.

A verb combined with a particle that changes its meaning, such as 'carry out' or 'account for'. These are frequent in expository prose and are easily misread if you interpret the parts literally.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from its individual words, such as 'bear in mind'. Idiom questions reward recognition of the whole phrase rather than literal translation.

The level of formality suited to a situation, ranging from academic prose to casual speech. In translation and composition, choosing the wrong register makes otherwise correct English sound unnatural.

Spoken phrases that announce structure in a lecture, such as 'first', 'turning now to', or 'to sum up'. Noticing them in listening sections helps you predict where key information will appear.

Recording key points, names, and numbers in abbreviated form while listening. Effective notes capture relationships and signposts rather than full sentences, since questions usually test gist and detail together.

Grasping the overall point of a spoken passage before attending to details. Because audio plays once, forming a quick summary of each segment prevents you from losing the thread when a detail is missed.

Restating content in different words while preserving meaning. Both listening options and summary tasks rely on paraphrase, so match ideas rather than identical wording when choosing answers.

A condensed restatement of a passage's main points in your own words, omitting examples and repetition. A good summary preserves the author's stance and the logical links between claims.

Combining information from two or more passages to show agreement, conflict, or complementarity. Synthesis questions require citing both sources and explaining the relationship, not summarizing each one separately.

A table or diagram used to sort points from multiple passages by theme or by stance. Filling one in during reading makes it easier to spot where sources agree and where they contradict each other.