Nara Public High School Entrance Examination - English cheat sheet

Numbers, times, and prices are usually stated once; write digits immediately as you hear them, then check the question before the second reading.

Distinguish similar-sounding pairs: thirteen/thirty, fifteen/fifty, can/can't, walk/work, live/leave, ship/sheep.

Question words decide the target: who = person, when = time, where = place, why = reason, how = method or degree.

In Japanese school listening, the dialogue is typically read twice; use the first pass for the gist and the second to confirm the chosen option.

Direction and route language: turn left at the second corner, go straight for two blocks, across from, next to, between A and B.

Listen for contrast markers (but, however, actually, instead) - the correct answer often follows them, not the first stated plan.

When a speaker corrects himself ("No, wait-"), the corrected information overrides the earlier statement.

Scan for the question's keyword first, then read the sentence containing it plus the sentence before and after.

Short notices and emails: identify sender, receiver, purpose, and any date or deadline - these four elements answer most items.

Pronoun reference (it, they, this, that) points to the nearest preceding noun phrase that fits the meaning, not always the closest word.

True/false or matching items: eliminate options that add information not stated in the passage.

Signal words organize short texts: for example (illustration), however (contrast), therefore (result), in addition (listing).

A title or main-idea item must cover the whole passage, not just one detail from the first sentence.

Paragraph order in Japanese English tests often follows: topic sentence, supporting examples, then conclusion - the main idea is usually in the first or last paragraph.

For charts, read the title, the axis labels with units, and the legend before comparing any values.

Compare bars or lines by difference, not by height alone: state "A is twice B" or "A rose by 5 points" using the chart's units.

Cross-text items: find where the two passages agree and where they conflict; the answer often requires combining one fact from each.

Inference items must be supported by the text; an option that is merely plausible in real life but unstated is wrong.

Vocabulary-in-context items: substitute each option into the sentence and check that the surrounding logic still holds.

Cause and effect in longer passages is marked by because, so, as a result, lead to, result in - match the direction (cause vs. result) carefully.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) pairs with since + point in time and for + duration; simple past pairs with finished past times (yesterday, last year).

Third-person singular present adds -s: he goes, she watches, it flies (consonant + y → -ies).

Comparatives: short adjectives add -er/-est; long adjectives use more/most; irregulars are good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, many-more-most.

Gerund vs. infinitive: enjoy/finish/stop/mind + -ing; want/hope/decide/plan + to + verb.

Passive voice: be + past participle, with the object of the active sentence becoming the subject.

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

Countable vs. uncountable: many/few + countable plural; much/little + uncountable; a lot of works with both.

Preposition collocations to memorize as units: interested in, good at, afraid of, listen to, arrive at/in, depend on.

Respond to an offer ("Would you like…?") with acceptance (Yes, please / I'd love to) or refusal plus reason (No, thank you. I'm fine).

Requests: Could you…? / Would you mind -ing…? - a polite agreement to "Would you mind" is "Not at all" or "Of course not.".

Apology and reply pairs: I'm sorry. - That's all right / Never mind; Thank you. - You're welcome.

Asking for repetition: Pardon? / Could you say that again? / I'm sorry, I didn't catch that.

At a shop or restaurant: May I help you? / I'll have… / Could I get…? / Here you are. - Thank you.

Phone English: This is Ken speaking. / May I speak to…? / Hold on, please. / Can I take a message?

Declining an invitation politely requires a reason and often an alternative: I'd love to, but I have plans. How about Sunday?

Answer the prompt's exact question; a Japanese entrance-exam composition usually requires a stated opinion plus one or two supporting reasons.

Structure: topic sentence → reason 1 with example → reason 2 or detail → concluding sentence that restates the opinion.

Use linking words to show logic: first, also, for example, however, therefore, in conclusion.

Keep tense consistent within a paragraph; switch only when the time frame changes.

Free-writing items are scored on content and clarity; short correct sentences beat long sentences with broken grammar.

Check subject-verb agreement and plural -s on every sentence before finishing - these are the most frequent point losses.

Word-count items: aim slightly above the minimum; count only content words you actually wrote, and never pad with repeated sentences.

Silent letters: know the k in know/knee, the b in climb/comb, the w in write/wrong, the h in hour/honest, the l in walk/talk.

Short vs. long vowels change meaning: ship/sheep, full/fool, cut/coat - length and jaw position matter.

-ed pronunciation: /t/ after voiceless sounds (stopped, watched), /d/ after voiced sounds (played, opened), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted, needed).

Plural and third-person -s: /s/ after voiceless sounds (books), /z/ after voiced sounds (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, x (boxes).

Stress in two-syllable nouns often falls on the first syllable (REcord, PREsent) and in verbs on the second (reCORD, preSENT).

Content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) carry stress; function words (a, the, of, to) reduce to weak forms.

Consonant clusters at word ends (asked, texts, months) are pronounced, not simplified by inserting a vowel.

Integrated items combine a short text with a chart, email, or dialogue; answer only after locating the matching data in both sources.

Order-of-events items: build a timeline from time expressions (before, after, then, by the time) and check each option against it.

Email-reply items must address every question in the original message and match the register (formal vs. casual).

Fill-in-the-dialogue items: read the reply line first - it constrains what the missing line must mean.

Summary or paraphrase items: the correct option restates the passage without adding or dropping key information.

When a chart and text disagree in wording, the chart's labeled numbers are the data; the text supplies the interpretation.