PEIC Level 5 (C2) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Skimming

A fast reading strategy for identifying the gist and overall structure of a text by rapidly moving the eyes over it without reading every word.

Scanning

A reading strategy in which the eyes move quickly over a text to locate specific information such as a name, date, number, or key term.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from evidence in the text rather than from an explicitly stated fact; the correct inference must be logically supported by the passage.

Cohesion

The grammatical and lexical links that hold a text together, including reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical chains.

Discourse marker

A word or phrase that signals the logical relationship between ideas, such as however for contrast or consequently for result.

Register

The variety of language appropriate to a particular social setting or purpose, ranging from formal academic prose to informal conversation.

Authorial stance

The writer's attitude toward the subject, conveyed through evaluative language, modality, and hedging rather than stated directly.

Thesis statement

A sentence that states the central argument of an essay and controls the content of the paragraphs that follow.

Hedging

Language that expresses caution or limits a claim, such as tends to, arguably, or it may be the case that.

Nominalisation

The conversion of verbs or adjectives into nouns, as in the implementation of rather than they implemented, increasing informational density in academic writing.

Topic sentence

The sentence that states the controlling idea of a paragraph and is developed by the sentences that follow it.

Cleft sentence

A sentence that divides information into two clauses for emphasis, typically beginning with It is or What, as in It was the manager who decided.

Cohesive device

A linguistic element such as a pronoun, conjunction, or lexical repetition that links sentences and paragraphs into a coherent whole.

Overgeneralisation

A claim stated too broadly, often using always or never, which weakens academic writing because it ignores exceptions.

Signposting language

Words and phrases such as firstly, moving on, or to sum up that indicate the structure of a spoken text and help listeners follow it.

Distractor

An incorrect answer option that may repeat words from the recording but misrepresents the relationship, time, or agent involved.

Elision

The omission of a sound in connected speech, as when next day is pronounced nex' day, which can make high-frequency words harder to recognise.

Assimilation

A connected speech process in which a sound changes to become more like a neighbouring sound, as in ten bikes pronounced tem bikes.

Weak forms

Reduced pronunciations of function words such as can, of, and to in connected speech, which can obscure them for listeners.

Paraphrase recognition

The ability to identify when an answer option expresses the same meaning as the recording using different words.

Note-taking

Recording content words and logical relationships rather than full sentences while listening, to support later recall and answer selection.

Inference in listening

Understanding meaning that is not stated directly by integrating tone, stress, and context, such as recognising uncertainty from rising intonation.

Fluency

Smooth, effortless speech with only natural pauses for thought; occasional self-correction is acceptable if it does not disrupt communication.

Discourse management

The ability to extend turns coherently with reasons, examples, and counter-arguments rather than giving brief one-sentence responses.

Lexical resource

The range and precision of vocabulary used, including idiomatic expressions and collocations, assessed in speaking and writing.

Grammatical range

The variety of complex structures used accurately, such as conditionals, passive voice, relative clauses, and modal perfects.

Intelligibility

The degree to which a listener can understand a speaker's pronunciation; it is the primary criterion for pronunciation assessment.

Interactive communication

The ability to initiate, maintain, and manage turn-taking and to respond appropriately to an interlocutor during a spoken exchange.

Circumlocution

A repair strategy in which a speaker describes or explains a word they cannot recall, rather than demonstrating lexical range.

Connected speech

The natural pronunciation of words in sequence, involving features such as elision, assimilation, and weak forms that affect listening comprehension.

Register consistency

Maintaining the same level of formality throughout a piece of writing or speech, avoiding mixing slang with academic language.

Connotation

The emotional or associative meaning of a word beyond its literal definition, which can affect the tone of a text.