MSCE English cheat sheet

Main idea = the claim the whole passage supports; a supporting detail appears in one or two sentences only.

Theme is a general statement about life or human nature; subject is what the text is about. Theme must be stated as a full sentence, never one word.

Tone is the author's attitude (revealed by diction and syntax); mood is the feeling created in the reader (revealed by setting and imagery).

Inference rule: the answer must be forced by textual evidence; if two choices are plausible, the one requiring fewer outside assumptions wins.

First-person point of view limits knowledge to the narrator; third-person omniscient reports multiple characters' unspoken thoughts; third-person limited stays with one character.

Verbal irony: words contradict intended meaning. Situational irony: outcome contradicts expectation. Dramatic irony: audience knows what a character does not.

A symbol is a concrete object that carries abstract meaning and recurs; an allegory sustains that mapping across the whole work.

Structural markers: turning point, shift in tense or setting, and repeated image usually signal where an author places emphasis.

Paired-passage questions ask for agreement or disagreement; locate the specific claim in each passage before judging the relationship.

A clause has a subject and a finite verb; a phrase does not. Two independent clauses joined by only a comma form a comma splice.

Fix comma splices three ways: period, semicolon, or comma plus coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

A conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover) joining two clauses needs a semicolon before it and a comma after it.

Restrictive clauses take no commas and are essential to meaning (the book that I lost); nonrestrictive clauses take commas and are removable.

Pronoun case: subject pronouns (I, he, she, they, who) for subjects and predicate nominatives; object pronouns (me, him, her, them, whom) after prepositions and verbs.

Subject-verb agreement ignores prepositional phrases: the box of ornaments is heavy. Compound subjects joined by and are plural unless the pair is a single unit.

Collective nouns (team, jury, committee) take a singular verb when acting as one body, plural when members act individually.

Modifiers must sit next to what they modify; a dangling modifier's implied subject is missing from the main clause.

Semicolons separate independent clauses and items in a list already containing commas; colons follow a complete clause and introduce lists, explanations, or quotations.

Context clues: definition (is, means), restatement (in other words), contrast (but, unlike), example (such as), and cause-effect (because, therefore).

Denotation is the dictionary meaning; connotation is the emotional charge. Thin is neutral, slender positive, scrawny negative.

Morphemes: prefix (before root), root (core meaning), suffix (after root, often changes part of speech).

Common roots: bene good, mal bad, cred believe, dict say, duc/duct lead, ject throw, mit/miss send, spec look, voc voice, chron time.

Common prefixes: anti- against, circum- around, hyper- over, hypo- under, intra- within, inter- between, ob- against, sub- under, trans- across.

Common suffixes: -tion/-ment/-ness form nouns; -ous/-ive/-al form adjectives; -fy/-ize form verbs; -ly forms adverbs.

Analogy relationships: synonym, antonym, part-to-whole, cause-effect, function, degree, and category-to-member. State the relationship in a sentence before choosing.

Euphemism softens (passed away); dysphemism sharpens; jargon is group-specific; colloquialism is informal speech; cliché is a worn expression.

Thesis rule: a defensible claim, not a fact, that can be supported with evidence and previews the essay's structure.

Paragraph structure: topic sentence, evidence, explanation linking evidence to claim, and a closing transition.

Revision addresses ideas, organization, and evidence; editing addresses grammar, usage, and mechanics; proofreading is the final surface check.

Coherence comes from transitions and repeated key terms; cohesion comes from pronoun reference and parallel structure.

Outlines move from general to specific: thesis, main points, supporting evidence.

Revision checklist: cut redundancy, replace vague words (thing, very, a lot), vary sentence length, and confirm every paragraph supports the thesis.

Narrative writing uses sensory detail and consistent point of view; expository writing explains; persuasive writing argues; descriptive writing paints.

Ethos = credibility of the speaker; pathos = appeal to emotion and values; logos = appeal to logic and evidence.

Claim, evidence, warrant: the warrant is the unstated assumption linking evidence to claim and is the most common target of attack.

Logical fallacies: ad hominem (attacks person), straw man (misrepresents), false dilemma (only two options), slippery slope (unchecked chain), post hoc (sequence implies cause), bandwagon (popularity), hasty generalization (small sample).

Rhetorical question, parallelism, repetition, and antithesis are stylistic devices that build emphasis and rhythm.

Concession and rebuttal strengthen an argument: acknowledge a valid opposing point, then refute it with evidence.

A strong argument uses relevant, sufficient, and credible evidence; anecdote alone is insufficient for a general claim.

Counterargument should be stated fairly, then answered with evidence, not dismissed.

Primary sources are original artifacts (letters, data, interviews); secondary sources interpret them (textbooks, reviews, analyses).

Source evaluation criteria: authority, accuracy, currency, objectivity, and purpose (the CRAAP test).

Peer-reviewed journal articles are the strongest evidence for academic claims; commercial websites and wikis are weak unless corroborated.

Plagiarism includes copying without quotation marks, paraphrasing without citation, and self-plagiarism of prior work.

Paraphrase rule: restate the idea in your own words and sentence structure, then cite the source.

Citation formats: MLA (author-page) for humanities; APA (author-date) for social sciences; Chicago (notes and bibliography) for history.

Search strategy: use Boolean operators (AND narrows, OR broadens, NOT excludes), quotation marks for exact phrases, and subject-specific databases.

Active listening: attend, paraphrase the speaker's point, ask clarifying questions, and summarize before responding.

Discussion roles: facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper, and presenter; each keeps the group on task and accountable.

Formal presentation structure: attention-getter, thesis, preview, body with signposts, summary, and call to action.

Delivery: control pace and volume, use purposeful eye contact, limit filler words, and pause at transitions.

Audience analysis: adjust vocabulary, examples, and detail level to the listeners' prior knowledge.

Constructive feedback names a specific behavior and its effect, then offers an alternative; avoid personal judgments.

Group discussion norms: take turns, build on prior points, disagree with ideas rather than speakers, and cite evidence.