UEE English cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a detail that appears only in one paragraph is not the main idea.

Question stems signal task type: 'infer/suggest/imply' needs a supported conclusion, 'according to the passage' needs a stated fact.

EXCEPT/NOT questions: verify each option against a line in the text; the correct answer is the one with no textual support.

Pronoun and reference questions (it, this, they) resolve to the nearest preceding noun phrase that agrees in number and makes logical sense.

Tone and attitude answers must be defensible from word choice: neutral, critical, cautious, enthusiastic; extreme words (never, always) rarely fit an academic passage.

Passage order usually matches question order; use the previous answer's location as the starting point for the next question.

Distractor patterns: true-but-not-answering, half-true (one word changed), reversed causality, and overgeneralization from a single example.

Vocabulary-in-context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the paragraph's logic, not the most common dictionary sense.

Subject-verb agreement ignores prepositional phrases: the verb agrees with the head noun ('The list of items is'), and with the nearer subject in 'either...or' / 'neither...nor'.

Present perfect (have/has + past participle) links past to present and rejects finished past time markers (yesterday, in 1990); simple past requires them.

Past perfect marks the earlier of two past events; use it only when the sequence matters.

Conditionals: zero (present/present), first (present/will), second (past/would), third (had + participle/would have + participle); never 'would have' in the if-clause.

Relative clauses: 'that' is not used after a comma or preposition; 'which' for things, 'who' for people, 'whose' for possession.

Gerund vs infinitive: prepositions and most phrasal verbs take -ing; 'want, decide, hope, plan' take to + infinitive; 'stop doing' vs 'stop to do' differ in meaning.

Articles: 'a/an' for first mention and countable singulars; 'the' for unique, previously mentioned, or specified referents; no article for generic plurals and abstract nouns.

Modals of deduction: must (strong certainty), may/might/could (possibility), can't (impossibility); 'must have + participle' for past certainty.

Common suffix-to-class map: -tion/-ment/-ness/-ity = noun; -ive/-ous/-ful/-able = adjective; -ize/-ify/-en = verb; -ly = adverb.

Prefix meanings: un-/in-/im-/ir-/il- = not; re- = again; pre- = before; mis- = wrongly; over- = too much; under- = too little; dis- = reverse.

Spelling traps in derivation: double consonants (occurrence, beginning), dropped e before vowel suffix (argue → arguable but noticeable), y → i (happy → happiness).

Word-family answers must fit both grammar slot and meaning: a noun slot after 'the' needs a noun form, not an adjective.

Collocation decides between near-synonyms: 'make a decision', 'do research', 'heavy rain', 'strong argument', 'highly likely'.

Countability controls quantifiers: much/little/a great deal of with uncountables; many/few/number of with countables; 'information, advice, equipment' are uncountable.

False friends and confusables: affect (verb) vs effect (noun); economic (of the economy) vs economical (cheap); sensible (reasonable) vs sensitive (easily affected).

Formal register prefers Latinate verbs (purchase, require, assist) over phrasal verbs (buy, need, help) in academic writing.

Read the whole passage before filling any gap: the first sentence usually sets topic and tense, which constrains every later blank.

Use grammatical cues first (word class needed, agreement, article), then semantic cues (contrast, cause, addition) to choose among same-class options.

Discourse markers signal the logic: however/although = contrast; therefore/thus = result; moreover/furthermore = addition; for instance = example.

Reference chains: a gap filled with 'this' or 'such' must point to a previously stated idea, so check what precedes the sentence.

Eliminate options that are grammatically impossible before comparing meaning; this typically removes two of four choices.

In sentence-completion items, match the grammatical form of the prompt: a 'because' prompt expects a clause, an 'in spite of' prompt expects a noun phrase or -ing.

Tense consistency: a passage narrated in past tense keeps past forms unless a time marker or general truth justifies a shift.

Cohesion check: substitute the chosen word and re-read the sentence plus the following one; a correct answer never creates a contradiction with the next sentence.

An argument paragraph = topic sentence (claim) + evidence + explanation linking evidence to claim + closing sentence; one controlling idea per paragraph.

Thesis placement: end of the introduction; it must be arguable, not a statement of fact, and should preview the structure.

Cohesion devices: pronoun substitution, synonyms, and transitions (first, in contrast, as a result); avoid repeating the same noun in consecutive sentences.

Sentence variety rule: mix simple, compound, and complex sentences; a run-on (two independent clauses with only a comma) is a major error.

Formal academic register: avoid contractions, 'you', slang, and absolute claims; hedge with 'tends to', 'suggests that', 'in most cases'.

Citation and paraphrase: restate the idea in new structure and vocabulary and attribute it; verbatim strings without quotation marks count as plagiarism.

Editing checklist: subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, articles, comma after introductory phrase, and no sentence fragments.

Word-count and task response: answer every part of the prompt; an off-topic or half-answered essay loses more than grammar errors do.

Countable/uncountable errors ('many informations', 'less people') and double comparatives ('more easier') are the highest-frequency corrections.

Parallel structure: items joined by and/or/but must share grammatical form ('reading, writing, and to listen' → 'listening').

Dangling modifiers: an introductory participle must describe the subject of the main clause ('Walking home, I saw...', not 'Walking home, the rain...').

Register shift markers: contractions, phrasal verbs, 'stuff/things', and exclamation marks signal informal style in an academic text.

Redundancy: 'return back', 'repeat again', 'very unique', 'in my personal opinion' - delete the redundant element rather than rephrase the sentence.

Preposition and dependent-preposition errors: 'discuss about', 'married with', 'depend of', 'consist in' vs 'consist of'.

Punctuation register: semicolons join related independent clauses; colons introduce lists or explanations; commas never join two full clauses alone.

Passive-to-active correction: an agentless passive that hides the doer is a style fault; restore the subject when the agent is known.

Preview the questions before the audio starts: the question words (who, why, how much) tell you which detail to capture.

Signposting language predicts structure: 'first', 'on the other hand', 'to sum up' announce the next move in a lecture.

Distractors are spoken aloud: a number or name may be mentioned then corrected ('actually, make that Tuesday'), so wait for the final version.

Numbers, dates, and spellings are tested literally; note digits and letters as heard rather than converting units mid-audio.

Inference items ask what the speaker implies, not what is stated; tone words (hesitation, sarcasm) carry the answer.

Note-taking should record content words and abbreviations only; writing full sentences causes you to miss the next point.

In conversation tasks, the answer often comes from the second speaker's response, not the first speaker's question.

If a word is missed, abandon it and rejoin at the next signpost; a single gap does not affect later answers.

Skimming yields gist in 1–2 minutes: read title, first sentence of each paragraph, and the conclusion before answering.

Scanning targets a specific form (capital letter, number, date); move the eyes fast and stop only on the matching shape.

Inference must be one logical step from the text; a two-step chain or outside knowledge makes the option wrong.

Author's purpose options: to inform, to persuade, to compare, to criticize; check whether the passage presents evidence or argues a position.

Paragraph-function questions ('why does the author mention X?') answer with rhetorical role: example, counterargument, concession, or evidence.

Negative wording in stems (least, not, except) inverts the task; underline it before reading the options.

Summary options that are too broad, too narrow, or partly wrong are distractors; the correct summary covers all paragraphs proportionally.

Time budget: allocate roughly one minute per question and leave flagged items for a second pass rather than stalling.

Comparative and superlative forms: one-syllable adjectives take -er/-est; multi-syllable take more/most; irregulars include good-better-best, bad-worse-worst, far-further-furthest.

Reported speech backshifts tense (present → past) and adjusts time and place words (now → then, here → there) unless the reporting verb is present.

Question formation: auxiliary before subject ('Where did he go?'); embedded questions keep statement order ('I asked where he had gone').

Passive voice = be + past participle; only transitive verbs passivize, and the by-phrase is omitted when the agent is unknown or unimportant.

Inversion after negative adverbials: 'Never have I seen', 'Hardly had he left when...'; the auxiliary moves before the subject.

Countable singular nouns need a determiner; 'each, every, either' take singular verbs despite plural meaning.

'Used to' + infinitive marks a past habit; 'be used to' + -ing marks familiarity; 'be used to' + infinitive means purpose.

Punctuation of clauses: a non-defining relative clause takes commas and cannot use 'that'; a defining clause takes no commas.

Nominalization turns verbs/adjectives into nouns (decide → decision, able → ability) and is the standard way to fill a noun gap in formal text.

Adjective-forming suffixes attach predictably: -able (can be done), -ful (full of), -less (without), -ic (relating to), -al (relating to).

Negative prefixes are not interchangeable: 'in-' before most consonants, 'im-' before m/p/b, 'ir-' before r, 'il-' before l.

Compound nouns stress the first element (BLACKbird, a species) while adjective + noun stresses the second (black BIRD); meaning can differ.

Academic word families recur: analyse/analysis/analytical, hypothesise/hypothesis/hypothetical, significance/significant/signify.

Synonyms differ in strength and formality: 'huge' (informal) vs 'substantial' (formal); 'ask' vs 'request' vs 'demand' (escalating force).

Idiomatic verb + particle meaning changes with the particle: give up (quit), give in (surrender), give out (distribute), give away (reveal).

Spelling rule for -ing/-ed: double the final consonant when the word ends consonant-vowel-consonant and is stressed on the last syllable (admit → admitted).

Fixed phrases and idioms are tested verbatim: 'in terms of', 'regardless of', 'as a result of', 'on the grounds that' - the preposition is part of the answer.

If two options are grammatically identical, the discriminator is collocation or logic, not form.

Transition pairs to memorize: although/despite (concession), unless/otherwise (condition), whereas/while (contrast), hence/thus (consequence).

Quantifier gaps depend on countability and polarity: 'few' (negative, countable), 'a few' (positive), 'little' (negative, uncountable), 'a little' (positive).

A blank after a preposition takes a noun, pronoun, or gerund; a blank after a modal takes a bare infinitive.

Verb-form blanks in a narrative follow the surrounding tense; check the nearest finite verb before choosing.

Pronoun gaps must agree with the antecedent in number and person; 'one' vs 'ones' depends on whether the noun is singular.

When a sentence-completion prompt contains 'not only', the continuation requires 'but also' with parallel structure.

Essay structure for timed exams: introduction with thesis, two or three body paragraphs with one claim each, conclusion restating the position without new evidence.

Cohesion vs coherence: cohesion is surface linking (transitions, pronouns); coherence is logical order of ideas - both are scored separately.

Topic sentence placement is usually first, but a short context sentence may precede it; the claim must be identifiable.

Data description language: 'rose sharply', 'peaked at', 'plateaued', 'declined steadily', 'remained constant' - pair verb with the direction and rate.

Hedging scale: 'may' < 'can' < 'is likely to' < 'will'; choose according to the strength of evidence.

Common band-limiting errors: sentence fragments, missing articles, inconsistent tense, and overuse of the same transition.

Paraphrasing technique: change word class (verb → noun), change voice (active → passive), and swap synonyms while preserving technical terms.

Conclusion must not introduce a new argument; it should synthesize and state the implication of the evidence already given.

Agreement traps to scan for: 'one of the + plural noun + singular verb', 'the number of + singular', 'a number of + plural'.

Tense-shift errors appear inside reported speech and in sentences with 'since' or 'for', which require present perfect for ongoing states.

Word-order errors: adverb of frequency before the main verb but after 'be' ('always works', 'is always'); adjective before noun, not after.

Article errors: 'the' with superlatives and ordinals; no article with names of most countries, languages, and meals.

Formal register substitutions: 'a lot of' → 'numerous', 'get' → 'obtain', 'but' → 'however' (with punctuation), 'so' → 'therefore'.

Punctuation register faults: comma splice, missing apostrophe in possessives, and hyphenation of compound modifiers before a noun ('well-known author').

Misplaced modifiers: 'only', 'almost', 'nearly' change meaning by position; place them immediately before the word they limit.

Correction items often hide one error only; fix the single fault and leave the rest of the sentence unchanged.

Lecture structure markers: 'today we'll look at', 'there are three reasons', 'to conclude' - these frame where answers appear.

Numbers in listening are frequently tested with a correction or a calculation ('two of the four groups'), so record both figures.

Names and places are spelled out when unfamiliar; write letters as given, not the phonetic guess.

Attitude questions key on intonation and qualifiers: 'I suppose so', 'not necessarily', 'that's debatable' signal reservation.

Matching tasks: the order of options on the page rarely matches audio order, so label each option as you hear it.

Multiple-choice distractors repeat words from the audio; the correct option usually paraphrases rather than echoes.

Note the speaker's purpose in asides ('just to digress') - digressions are usually not tested but mark the return to topic.

Map or diagram tasks require directional language: 'opposite', 'adjacent to', 'at the far end', 'just past'.

Identify the passage's organization (problem–solution, cause–effect, compare–contrast, claim–evidence) to predict where a detail sits.

For 'according to the passage' items, the answer is a paraphrase of a stated sentence; exact wording matches are often traps.

Scope words matter: 'all', 'most', 'some' - an option that widens the passage's claim is incorrect.

Chronology questions: track time markers (before, subsequently, by 1900) rather than paragraph position.

Attitude of the author toward a cited study is often signaled by reporting verbs: 'claims' (skeptical) vs 'demonstrates' (accepting).

Two-pass strategy: answer explicit-detail questions first, then return to inference and main-idea items with the whole passage in mind.

When two options seem right, the difference is usually scope or certainty; choose the one the text supports without added assumptions.

Vocabulary items in reading reward context over dictionary meaning; the tested sense is often the less common one.