Tokushima Public High School Entrance Examination - English cheat sheet

Price and number items: when a speaker revises a figure with 'Actually' or 'I mean,' the second figure is the answer and the first is a distractor.

Weekday and date items require counting: from Wednesday, 'the day after tomorrow' is Friday; from Friday, 'next Monday' is three days later.

Sequence questions are decided by markers (first, next, then, after that, before, finally); match one action to each marker.

Track the subject of each verb: in 'Ken asked Emi to help him,' Ken asks and Emi helps, so a question about the helper takes Emi.

Reversal patterns 'not A but B' and 'I'd rather B than A' make B the correct choice.

The question word fixes what to catch: how long = duration, how often = frequency, how far = distance, why = reason, and reasons usually come last.

Map and direction items turn on prepositions: 'turn left at the second corner,' 'across from,' 'between A and B,' 'next to.'

Spelling and dictation items test junior-high core vocabulary; write the whole word and check doubled consonants and silent letters in words such as 'library,' 'Wednesday,' 'restaurant.'

Pronoun reference: it, they, and this must agree in number with the earlier noun; a singular 'it' cannot refer to a plural noun phrase.

Transition words predict the next sentence: however/but = contrast, therefore/so = result, for example = illustration, in addition = more of the same.

In short English expository paragraphs the topic sentence usually comes first and is restated at the end; the middle supplies examples.

Detail questions on notices, timetables, and flyers are answered by scanning the heading, then numbers, dates, and prices; no inference is needed.

A choice is correct only when the passage supports it; a statement that is true in general but absent from the text is wrong.

Vocabulary-in-context: fix the word's part of speech first, then substitute each option and keep the one that fits the sentence logic.

Past perfect (had + past participle) marks the earlier of two past events: 'When I arrived, she had left' means she left first.

Relative clauses with who, which, or that attach to the noun immediately before them; find that noun to identify the person or thing.

Questions asking what the writer will do next are answered from the intention stated in the final paragraph, not from middle details.

Frequency adverbs (always, usually, often, never) go before a main verb and after be: 'She usually walks,' 'She is usually busy.'

Present perfect 'have been to' expresses experience at an unspecified time; 'went' requires a stated past time such as last year.

Gerunds follow enjoy, finish, stop (= quit), and practice; 'stop to do' instead means pausing in order to do something.

Indirect questions use statement order: 'Do you know where he lives?' not 'where does he live.'

Relative pronouns: who for people, which for things, that for both in defining clauses; the pronoun is dropped when it is the object of its clause.

Comparison: as + adjective + as for equality, -er/more ... than for difference, the -est/most for the superlative within a group.

Passive voice = be + past participle; choose it when the doer is unknown or unimportant: 'English is spoken in many countries.'

Real conditionals: if + present tense in the condition, will in the main clause; never put will inside the if-clause.

Word-order items follow subject + verb + object + place + time; a time adverb may move to the front of the sentence.

Task form: a situation is given and you write two or three English sentences (often 25 words or more) answering the question stated in the prompt.

Structure: sentence 1 answers the question directly, sentence 2 gives a reason with because, sentence 3 adds an example or detail.

Include every content point named in the prompt; omitting one point costs more than a small grammar slip.

Count words after drafting; if the total is short, add a reason or an example instead of repeating the same idea.

Use patterns you control: I think (that) ..., because ..., I want to ..., It is ... for me to ....

Do not copy the prompt sentence word for word; change the subject or verb so the examiner sees you can produce the pattern.

Mechanics: capital letter at the start of every sentence, period at the end, capital I, and a comma before but or so joining two full clauses.

Avoid katakana-made words such as 'my boom' or 'salary man'; write 'hobby,' 'office worker,' 'part-time job.'

Invitations: accept with 'I'd love to' or 'Sure'; decline with 'I'm sorry, but I have to ...' plus a stated reason.

Offers with 'Shall I ...?' or 'Would you like ...?' take 'Yes, please' or 'No, thank you,' never 'Yes, I do.'

Thanks and apologies are answered with 'You're welcome,' 'That's all right,' or 'Don't worry about it.'

Clarification phrases - 'Could you say that again?', 'How do you spell that?', 'Pardon?' - are used instead of guessing an answer.

Telephone: 'This is Ken speaking' for yourself, 'Is that Emi?' for the other person, 'May I speak to ...?' to request someone.

Shop and restaurant exchanges: 'May I help you?' → 'I'm looking for ...' or 'I'll have ...'; payment takes 'in cash' or 'by card.'

Dialogue blanks: match the function first (question→answer, offer→accept/decline), then check pronoun, tense, and number agreement.

Asking the way: 'How can I get to ...?' is answered with 'Go along this street and turn right at the second corner.'