Nagasaki Public High School Entrance Examination - English cheat sheet

Predict the topic from the question stem before the audio plays: who speaks, where, and what the question asks (time, place, reason, feeling, or next action).

Numbers, prices, and times are usually stated once and then corrected: the second number spoken is normally the answer, not the first.

Distractors are built from words heard in the audio but attached to the wrong person, place, or time; match the entity, not the keyword.

Signal words that introduce the answer: "actually", "instead", "but", "so", "the thing is", "in the end", "to be honest".

For "What will the man do next?" questions, the answer is the action that follows the last line, not the action already agreed on.

Japanese school listening tasks often ask about the reason: listen for "because", "since", "that's why", and "so that".

When the speaker's tone rises or hesitates ("Well...", "Hmm"), the following statement usually reverses the earlier plan.

If two options seem true, choose the one that answers the exact question word (when/where/who/why/how), not the general topic.

Main-idea questions: the answer covers the whole passage; an option that is true but covers only one paragraph is a detail, not the main idea.

Order of events: locate time markers (first, then, after that, finally, in 1990, since then) and build a timeline before checking options.

Pronoun reference (it, they, this, that, one): the antecedent is normally the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and makes sense.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option back into the sentence; the correct choice keeps the sentence's logic and tone.

Inference items: the answer must be supported by the text; a statement that is merely plausible in real life but unstated is wrong.

True/False or matching items: verify each option against one specific line, and mark the line number so unsupported options can be eliminated.

Passages with charts, notices, or e-mail threads: the answer often requires combining two sources, such as a date in the message and a rule in the notice.

Author's purpose wording: "to explain", "to persuade", "to inform", "to warn", "to invite" - match the verb to the overall function, not to a single sentence.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) pairs with since + point in time and for + length of time; simple past pairs with a finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2019).

Passive voice: be + past participle; the agent takes by. Tense of be follows the original tense (is written / was written / has been written).

Relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, that for both in defining clauses, whose for possession, where for places.

Infinitives after want, hope, decide, plan, try, need; gerunds after enjoy, finish, stop, mind, practice, look forward to.

Participles after perception verbs: see/hear/watch + object + -ing (in progress) or + past participle (completed passive).

Comparatives: as ... as (equal), not as ... as (less), the + comparative, the + comparative (the more, the better); much/far + comparative, never very + comparative.

Conditionals: If + present, will + verb (real future); If + past, would + verb (unreal present).

Countable vs uncountable: much/little/a few with uncountables vs many/few/a few with countables; information, advice, news, furniture take no -s.

Build the English sentence in the fixed order subject → verb → object → place → time; Japanese word order cannot be carried over.

Question formation: move the auxiliary or be before the subject; with no auxiliary, insert do/does/did and use the base verb.

Indirect questions keep statement order: Do you know where he lives? (not where does he live).

Transformation to passive: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + past participle, subject becomes by + agent, and tense is preserved.

Two clauses joined by a relative pronoun: place the relative clause immediately after the noun it modifies.

So/such, too/enough conversions: too + adjective + to do = so + adjective + that ... cannot; adjective + enough + to do.

Reported speech: shift tense back one step, change pronouns to the reporter's viewpoint, and adjust time/place words (today → that day, here → there).

Check the finished sentence for agreement, tense consistency, and a single main verb before finalizing the order.

Answer every prompt point explicitly; a typical Nagasaki-style prompt gives two or three conditions (for example, state your opinion, give two reasons, add a closing sentence).

Structure: topic sentence stating the opinion → two supporting sentences with reasons or examples → concluding sentence.

Use linking words to mark structure: First, Second, Also, For example, However, Therefore, In conclusion.

Keep sentences short and grammatical; one clear simple or compound sentence scores better than a long sentence with a broken clause.

Reason sentences follow "... because + subject + verb" or "For example, + concrete situation"; avoid repeating the opinion as the reason.

Word-count tasks: count words after drafting and add one supporting detail if under the limit; do not pad with repeated phrases.

Spelling and third-person -s, plural -s, and past-tense -ed are the most common point losses; proofread those three endings last.

Write in the requested format (e-mail, speech, letter, essay) and include the required greeting or closing if the prompt specifies it.

Respond to the function, not the words: an offer (Would you like ...?) takes acceptance or refusal, not a fact about yourself.

Accepting: Yes, please. / That sounds good. / I'd love to. Refusing politely: No, thank you. / I'm afraid I can't, but thanks.

Requests with Could you ...? / Would you mind -ing? are answered with Sure. / Of course. / I'm sorry, I can't right now.

Apologies take an acceptance reply: That's all right. / No problem. / Don't worry about it. - not "You're welcome."

Thanks is answered with You're welcome. / Not at all. / My pleasure.; an apology is never answered with You're welcome.

Asking for repetition or clarification: Pardon? / Could you say that again? / What do you mean by ...? - appropriate when you did not catch the information.

At a shop or station: May I help you? is answered with what you want (I'm looking for ..., Two tickets to ..., please), not yes/no alone.

Invitations: accept with a plan (Sure, what time?) or decline with a reason plus an alternative (Sorry, I'm busy then. How about Sunday?).