Shimane Public High School Entrance Examination - English flashcards

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

since vs for

Use since with a starting point in time (since 2020, since Monday) and for with a length of time (for three years, for two hours). Both pair with the present perfect.

Present perfect with already/yet

Already appears in positive statements (I have already finished). Yet appears in negatives and questions (I haven't finished yet. Have you finished yet?).

Simple past time markers

Words like yesterday, last week, two days ago, and in 2019 name finished past time, so the verb must be simple past, not present perfect.

If-clause future rule

In a first conditional, the if-clause uses the present tense and the main clause uses will: If it rains, we will stay home. Never put will inside the if-clause.

Gerund after preposition

After a preposition the verb takes -ing, including in look forward to, be good at, and instead of, because to there is a preposition, not an infinitive marker.

Modal meanings

Must shows strong obligation, have to shows external obligation, should gives advice, may and might show possibility, and cannot shows strong impossibility or inability.

Countable vs uncountable quantifiers

Many, few, and a number of modify countable nouns; much, little, and an amount of modify uncountable nouns; a lot of works with both types.

Passive voice formation

Passive is be plus the past participle, with the doer after by. The tense is shown by be: is made, was made, has been made, will be made.

Indirect question word order

Inside a question like Do you know where he lives?, the embedded clause keeps statement order: subject before verb, with no do-support and no question mark inside.

Adverb of frequency position

Frequency adverbs such as always, usually, often, and never go before the main verb but after the verb be: She always walks. She is always late.

Place before time

In English the usual order at the end of a sentence is manner, then place, then time: He played tennis in the park yesterday.

Two-object verb patterns

Verbs like give, send, show, and tell take either person plus thing (give me the book) or thing plus to or for plus person (give the book to me).

Do-support in questions

When there is no be verb or auxiliary, questions use do, does, or did, and the main verb stays in base form: Where did you go?

Correlative conjunction pairs

Both A and B, either A or B, neither A nor B, and not only A but also B must join two items of the same grammatical form, such as two nouns or two clauses.

Relative clause placement

A relative clause follows the noun it describes immediately: the book that I bought yesterday. The object pronoun can be omitted, the subject pronoun cannot.

Answering Would you mind

Would you mind opening the window? is refused politely with Yes, I'm sorry, but agreed to with No, not at all, because mind means object to.

Responding to thanks

Standard replies to Thank you are You're welcome, Not at all, and My pleasure. Replies to an apology are That's all right, Never mind, and Don't worry.

Offering and accepting

Offers use Would you like ...? or Shall I ...? Accept with Yes, please or That would be nice; decline with No, thank you or I'm fine, thanks.

Asking permission

May I or Can I asks permission. Grant it with Sure, Go ahead, or Of course; refuse it with I'm afraid you can't or Sorry, but you can't.

Refusing an invitation politely

A polite refusal gives thanks, a clear no, a reason, and often an alternative: Sorry, I can't. I have a match. How about next Sunday?

So do I / Neither do I

These short responses mirror the auxiliary of the previous speaker to show agreement: So do I for positive statements, Neither do I for negative ones, with the matching auxiliary.

Listening: number pairs

Thirteen and thirty, fifteen and fifty, and fourteen and forty differ in stress on the second syllable for -teen. Prices, times, and ages often test these pairs.

Listening: correction signals

Words like actually, instead, I'm afraid not, and not A but B mean the first plan or number is cancelled, so the answer is the later information.

Listening: discount arithmetic

For a discount question, multiply the original price by the remaining rate: 20 percent off 80 becomes 80 times 0.8, which is 64, and change is amount paid minus 64.

Listening: direction vocabulary

Key location phrases are go straight, turn left at the second corner, next to, across from, between A and B, and on the corner of. Sketch a simple map while listening.

Practical text keyword scanning

For notices, timetables, and posters, find the keyword from the question in the text first, then read only the surrounding lines instead of the whole text.

Main idea vs detail

A main-idea answer covers the whole passage. An option that repeats one detail from the text is usually a distractor, not the main idea.

Pronoun reference check

A pronoun such as he, she, it, or they refers to the nearest earlier noun that matches in number and gender, so check both before choosing.

Sequence markers in passages

Order events by markers such as first, then, after that, before, finally, and by the time, not by the order sentences appear in the paragraph.

Composition skeleton

Write one topic sentence, one or two supporting sentences with a reason using because or for example, and one closing sentence, then count the words against the limit.

Japanese prompt keywords

Your opinion requires a stated view, and a reason also required requires an explicit because or so clause. Missing either element loses points even with correct English.

Chart answer units

Read axis labels and units before answering: people, percent, or times per week. The answer must use the same unit and the same singular or plural form as the chart.

Information transfer person shift

When moving facts from a passage into an email about someone else, change I to he or she, my to his or her, and shift verbs to third person singular.