GCE O/L English Language cheat sheet

Skim the passage once for topic and purpose, then read each question before returning to the text for the exact line that answers it.

Question stems decide answer scope: 'state' needs a short fact, 'explain' needs a cause or reason, 'suggest' needs an inference supported by wording in the text.

Answer in your own words unless the question says 'quote'; lifting long phrases verbatim usually loses marks.

Distinguish literal meaning (stated) from inference (implied); mark inference answers with the evidence phrase they rest on.

Pronoun reference questions: trace the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number and makes sense in context, not the nearest word.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep only the one that preserves the passage's tone.

For 'effect on the reader' questions, name the technique (word choice, contrast, repetition) and the feeling or attitude it creates.

Track connectives (however, therefore, although, despite) because they signal contrast, cause, and concession that questions target.

When asked for two reasons, give two distinct points; a restated single point scores once.

A summary must be continuous prose in your own words; note form, bullet points, and lifted sentences lose credit.

Match the summary to the focus in the question (e.g. 'benefits to farmers'), omitting background, examples, and anecdote.

Select only the number of points requested; extra points that are wrong can cancel credit under a penalty rule.

Compress by deleting examples, adjectives, and repetition, then join remaining points with connectives such as 'and', 'because', 'which'.

Keep the original meaning: do not add opinions, conclusions, or facts not present in the source.

Word-limit tasks: count every word including articles; being over the limit can void the whole answer.

Information transfer grids require exact transcription of names, numbers, and dates; check spelling against the source.

Do not copy the opening sentence of the passage as your summary opening; it usually carries no content point.

For 'note-making then summary' tasks, list points first in rough, then draft the paragraph once from the list.

Narrative structure: orientation (who, where, when), complication, climax, resolution; a story without a turning point reads as description.

Descriptive writing needs sensory detail across at least three senses plus one dominant mood sustained to the end.

Argumentative essays state a thesis in the introduction, give one idea per paragraph with evidence, and answer the counter-argument.

Expository writing explains a process or idea with sequence markers (first, subsequently, as a result) and no personal anecdote unless asked.

Paragraph unity rule: every sentence must relate to the topic sentence; a new idea starts a new paragraph.

Vary sentence length and opening: a short sentence after two long ones creates emphasis; avoid starting three sentences with 'I'.

Show, don't tell: replace 'she was nervous' with physical detail such as trembling hands or a dry throat.

Plan for two minutes: a five-paragraph skeleton (introduction, three body, conclusion) prevents mid-essay collapse.

Register must stay consistent; slang and chat abbreviations are unacceptable in formal composition.

Format carries marks: formal letter needs sender address, date, recipient address, salutation, body paragraphs, and 'Yours faithfully' with surname unknown.

Informal letter uses 'Dear + first name' and 'Yours sincerely' or 'Best wishes'; contractions are acceptable there but not in formal letters.

Report structure: title, recipient, terms of reference, procedure, findings, conclusions, recommendations, signature and date.

Speech openings address the audience directly ('Good morning, fellow students') and use rhetorical questions and direct address to hold attention.

Article needs a headline, a by-line, an engaging opening paragraph, subheadings where useful, and a concluding comment.

Notice answers the five Ws in under about 50 words, with the word NOTICE centred at the top and a signature or contact line.

Audience and purpose determine tone: a letter of complaint is firm and factual, a letter of application is courteous and confident.

Use the bullet points given in the question as paragraph prompts; omitting one loses content marks even if the writing is fluent.

Do not invent a fictitious address when the question supplies one; reuse the given names and details exactly.

Present perfect (have + past participle) links past to present; simple past is used with a finished time marker such as 'yesterday'.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not the nearest noun ('The box of pens is').

Neither/either/each/everyone take a singular verb; 'neither ... nor' agrees with the nearer subject.

Reported speech shifts tense back one step and changes pronouns and time words (today becomes that day).

Conditionals: first (if + present, will), second (if + past, would), third (if + past perfect, would have).

Passive voice: object becomes subject, verb becomes be + past participle, and the agent is introduced with 'by'.

Relative clauses: use 'who' for people, 'which' for things, 'whose' for possession, and 'where' for places.

Modals of obligation: must (strong), should (advice), have to (external rule), need not (absence of obligation).

Comparative rules: one-syllable adjectives add -er/-est; longer adjectives use more/most; never combine both ('more better').

Register levels: formal (no contractions, Latinate vocabulary), neutral, informal (phrasal verbs, contractions); keep one level per text.

Collocation is fixed partnership, not synonym choice: 'make a decision', 'do homework', 'heavy rain', 'strong tea'.

Idioms are non-literal and fixed in form: 'a blessing in disguise', 'once in a blue moon', 'to break the ice'.

Prepositional partnership must be learned with the word: 'depend on', 'consist of', 'interested in', 'good at'.

Prefix meanings: un-/in-/im-/dis- (not), re- (again), pre- (before), mis- (wrongly), over- (too much).

Suffixes change word class: -ness/-ity make nouns, -ful/-ous make adjectives, -ise/-ify make verbs, -ly makes adverbs.

False friends and confusables: affect (verb) versus effect (noun); practice (noun) versus practise (verb); advice versus advise.

Synonyms differ in strength and connotation: 'thin' is neutral, 'skinny' critical, 'slim' approving; choose for tone.

Phrasal verbs change meaning with the particle: 'put off' postpones, 'put up with' tolerates, 'put out' extinguishes.

Poetry analysis covers form (stanza, line length), sound (rhyme, alliteration, onomatopoeia), imagery, and tone.

Name the technique, quote it briefly, then state its effect: technique + quotation + effect is the standard three-step response.

Simile uses like/as; metaphor states one thing is another; personification gives human qualities to non-human things.

Tone words to deploy precisely: nostalgic, defiant, wistful, mocking, urgent, resigned, celebratory.

Prose extract: comment on narrative viewpoint (first or third person), character revealed through speech and action, and setting as mood.

Media text: identify purpose (persuade, inform, entertain), audience, headline technique, and use of emotive or loaded language.

An advertisement's persuasive devices include superlatives, direct address, statistics, and appeals to fear or aspiration.

Never retell the plot when asked to analyse; response marks come from comment on effect, not summary.

Link the ending back to the opening to comment on structure and overall effect.

Proofread backwards sentence by sentence to catch spelling and punctuation errors that fluency hides.

Comma rules: no comma between subject and verb; use commas for lists, after introductory phrases, and around non-defining clauses.

Apostrophes mark possession (the girl's book) or contraction (it's = it is); 'its' without apostrophe is possessive.

Avoid the comma splice: two main clauses need a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction, not a comma alone.

Sentence fragment lacks a main verb or subject; run-on joins clauses without punctuation or conjunction.

Common misspellings: necessary, separate, definitely, receive (i before e except after c), accommodation, occurred.

Capitalise proper nouns, days, months, languages, and the first word of a direct quotation.

Direct speech punctuation: comma before the opening quotation mark, capital letter for the first spoken word, punctuation inside the closing mark.

Parallel structure: items in a list must share grammatical form ('reading, writing and to listen' is wrong).