MATSEC IM English cheat sheet

Register decision rule: formal writing avoids contractions, slang, first-person anecdote and phrasal verbs where a single Latinate verb exists (get rid of → eliminate); informal writing permits contractions, direct address and short sentences.

Punctuation facts: a semicolon joins two independent clauses and replaces a full stop; a colon must follow a complete clause and introduces a list, explanation or quotation; a comma alone cannot join two independent clauses (comma splice).

Comma rules to apply: use commas for non-defining relative clauses (My brother, who lives in Rome, is a chef), after introductory subordinate clauses, and between items in a list; do not place a comma between subject and verb.

Defining vs non-defining relative clauses: defining clauses take no commas and allow 'that' (The book that I bought); non-defining clauses take commas and forbid 'that' (The book, which I bought, ...).

Article logic: 'a/an' introduces singular countable nouns mentioned first or classified (She is a teacher); 'the' marks shared or previously identified reference; zero article for generic plurals and abstract nouns (Cats are loyal; Honesty matters).

Tense contrast pairs tested in transformation items: present perfect (unfinished time, no past date) vs past simple (finished time with a date); 'used to + infinitive' for past habits vs 'be used to + -ing' for familiarity.

Reported speech backshift: present → past, past → past perfect, will → would, can → could; pronouns and time markers shift (now → then, tomorrow → the following day); no backshift when the reporting verb is present tense.

Conditionals: zero (if + present, present) for general truths; first (if + present, will) for real future; second (if + past, would) for unreal present; third (if + past perfect, would have) for unreal past; mixed conditionals combine past cause with present result.

Formal letter and essay conventions: state the purpose in the opening paragraph, develop one idea per paragraph with a topic sentence, link with however, therefore, in addition, and close with a summary or recommendation; word limits are penalised both under and over.

Common error set to check in own writing: its/it's (possessive vs contraction), their/there/they're, affect (verb) vs effect (noun), fewer with countable nouns vs less with uncountable, and 'would of' for 'would have'.

Subject-verb agreement traps: collective nouns (the team is/are depending on British or American convention, but must be consistent); 'each', 'everyone', 'neither' take singular verbs; 'news', 'mathematics' are singular.

Passive transformation rule: move the object to subject position, use the correct form of 'be' plus past participle, and add 'by + agent' only when the agent is informative; passive is preferred in formal reports where the doer is unknown or irrelevant.

Word-formation patterns: noun suffixes -tion, -ment, -ness, -ity; adjective suffixes -ous, -ive, -able, -ful; negative prefixes un-, in-, im-, il-, ir-, dis-, non-; the prefix chosen depends on the root (impossible, illegal, irregular).

Linking devices by function: addition (moreover, furthermore), contrast (nevertheless, whereas), cause (owing to, since), result (consequently, thus), concession (although, despite + noun/-ing), exemplification (for instance, namely).

Summary-writing procedure: identify the main claim of each paragraph, delete examples and repetition, convert lists into a single general statement, and paraphrase rather than copy; a summary retains the source's stance and contains no personal opinion.

Comprehension question types and what they demand: 'in your own words' forbids lifting the text; 'according to the passage' requires textual evidence only; inference items require a conclusion the text supports but does not state; vocabulary-in-context items require the meaning as used, not the dictionary's first sense.

Reading for writer's purpose: identify whether the tone is ironic, critical, neutral or persuasive by tracking evaluative adjectives, modal verbs (must, should, may) and hedges (apparently, arguably); these signal stance more reliably than topic alone.

Vocabulary in context strategy: substitute the candidate synonym into the original sentence and test whether grammar and collocation still hold; collocation (make a decision, take measures) overrides literal synonymy.

Spelling rules with reliable application: drop final -e before a vowel suffix (hope → hoping) but keep it before a consonant suffix (hopeful); double the final consonant when a one-syllable word ends consonant-vowel-consonant (stop → stopped); change -y to -i after a consonant (carry → carried) but not after a vowel (play → played).

British versus American spelling in MATSEC scripts: British forms are standard - -ise/-isation (organise), -our (colour), -re (centre), -ce for nouns (defence), doubled -l- before suffix (travelled). Consistency matters more than which variety is chosen.

Sentence variety for the composition mark: combine simple, compound (coordinating: and, but, so) and complex (subordinating: because, although, while) sentences; a script of only simple sentences loses marks for range.

Paragraph cohesion techniques: pronoun reference (this problem, such measures), lexical chains repeating key nouns, and adverbials of time and place; cohesion fails when a pronoun has no clear antecedent.

Direct speech punctuation: quotation marks enclose the exact words; the reporting clause is separated by a comma (She said, 'I am leaving.'); question marks and exclamation marks go inside the quotation marks when they belong to the quoted words.

Abbreviations and numbers in formal prose: write numbers under ten in words and figures for 10 and above; do not begin a sentence with a figure; write 'per cent' in running text and use % in tables only.

Modal meaning distinctions: 'must' (obligation or strong deduction), 'have to' (external obligation), 'should' (advice), 'might/could' (possibility), 'can't' (negative deduction); choosing the wrong modal changes the certainty of the claim.

Gerund vs infinitive after common verbs: enjoy, avoid, suggest, mind, look forward to take -ing; want, decide, hope, manage, afford take to + infinitive; stop, remember, forget change meaning depending on the form chosen.

Editing checklist applied in the final five minutes: verify every sentence has a finite verb, every pronoun a referent, every apostrophe a purpose, and every paragraph a topic sentence; check the word count against the task instruction.