Matura English key terms

A pair or group of words that habitually occur together, such as 'heavy rain' or 'make a decision'. In the exam, recognising and using correct collocations is tested in all parts of the language use section.

A verb combined with an adverb or preposition (or both) that creates a new meaning, e.g. 'give up' (quit) or 'look after' (care for). Candidates must understand and produce these in context.

A verb followed by a specific preposition that is required to complete its meaning, such as 'depend on' or 'apologise for'. The choice of preposition is often tested in gap-fill tasks.

A preposition that must follow a particular adjective, noun, or verb, e.g. 'interested in', 'reason for', 'succeed in'. Using the wrong preposition is a common error in open cloze and transformations.

A phrase whose wording is set and cannot be changed without altering the meaning, such as 'in the long run' or 'on the whole'. These are often tested in multiple-choice and gap-fill items.

An expression whose meaning is not deducible from the individual words, e.g. 'break the ice' or 'hit the books'. Recognising idioms is important for reading and listening comprehension.

The process of creating new words by adding prefixes or suffixes, e.g. 'happy' → 'unhappiness'. Exam tasks may require changing the form of a given word to fit a sentence.

A word formed from another word by adding an affix, such as 'kindness' from 'kind' or 'impossible' from 'possible'. Candidates must identify the correct derivative in word-formation exercises.

A letter or group of letters added to the beginning of a word to change its meaning, e.g. 'un-' in 'unfair' or 're-' in 'rewrite'. Knowing common prefixes helps in word formation and guessing meaning.

A letter or group of letters added to the end of a word to change its grammatical function or meaning, e.g. '-ment' in 'development' or '-less' in 'careless'. Suffixes are frequently tested in word-formation tasks.

A verb form that indicates the time of an action or state (past, present, future) and sometimes aspect (simple, continuous, perfect). Correct tense usage is fundamental in grammar tasks and writing.

The property of a verb that shows whether an action is viewed as completed, ongoing, or repeated, e.g. perfect vs. continuous. In English, aspect combines with tense to form verb phrases like 'has been working'.

A grammatical construction where the subject receives the action, formed with 'be' + past participle, e.g. 'The report was written by the manager'. It is often tested in transformation exercises.

A verb form indicating that someone causes another to do something, typically 'have/get something done' or 'make/let someone do'. These structures are common in grammar transformation tasks.

A sentence structure expressing a condition and its result, often using 'if'. Types include first, second, third, and mixed conditionals, which are regularly tested in grammar exercises.

A verb form used to express wishes, suggestions, or hypothetical situations, e.g. 'I suggest that he go' or 'If I were you'. It appears in formal writing and some fixed phrases.

A helping verb like 'can', 'must', 'should', or 'might' that expresses ability, obligation, possibility, or permission. Modals are frequently tested for meaning and form in context.

A verb used with a main verb to form tenses, questions, negatives, or passive voice, e.g. 'be', 'have', 'do', or modals. Recognising auxiliaries is key to forming correct verb phrases.

The structure that follows a particular verb, such as infinitive ('want to go'), gerund ('enjoy swimming'), or that-clause ('suggest that...'). Choosing the right pattern is essential in grammar tasks.

The -ing form of a verb when it functions as a noun, e.g. 'Swimming is fun' or 'I enjoy reading'. Gerunds often follow certain verbs and prepositions, and are tested in verb pattern exercises.

The base form of a verb, with or without 'to', e.g. 'to run' or 'run'. Infinitives follow certain verbs and adjectives and are tested in patterns like 'make someone do' or 'want to do'.

The way of conveying what someone said without quoting them directly, often requiring changes in tense, pronouns, and time expressions, e.g. 'She said she was tired'. This is a common transformation task.

The exact words spoken by someone, enclosed in quotation marks, e.g. 'I am tired,' she said. Understanding the difference from reported speech is necessary for transformation exercises.

The change of verb tense that occurs when converting direct speech to reported speech, typically moving one tense back, e.g. present to past. This is a key concept in reported speech tasks.

To express the same meaning using different words, often for clarity or to avoid repetition. In exams, paraphrasing is tested in transformation tasks and in summarising written or spoken texts.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word, e.g. 'big' and 'large'. Recognising synonyms is crucial for matching exercises and for understanding paraphrased ideas in reading.

A word that has the opposite meaning to another word, e.g. 'hot' and 'cold'. Antonyms are often tested in vocabulary exercises and can help deduce meaning from context.

Information in the surrounding text that helps infer the meaning of an unknown word or phrase. Using context clues is a key strategy for both reading and listening comprehension tasks.

The main idea or general meaning of a text or spoken passage, as opposed to specific details. Listening and reading tasks often ask candidates to identify the gist of what they hear or read.

Specific pieces of information in a text or recording, such as names, numbers, or facts. Many exam questions require locating and understanding details rather than just the general idea.

A conclusion drawn from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements. In reading and listening, candidates must often infer the speaker's attitude or the writer's purpose.

Something suggested indirectly rather than stated openly. Understanding implications is tested in listening and reading tasks that ask what the speaker or writer really means.

The speaker's or writer's feelings or opinion about a topic, often conveyed through tone and word choice. Questions may ask you to identify whether the attitude is positive, negative, or neutral.

The overall mood or feeling of a text or utterance, such as humorous, serious, or critical. Recognising tone helps in answering questions about the speaker's purpose or attitude.

The level of formality in language use, ranging from informal to formal, depending on the context and audience. In writing tasks, using an appropriate register is part of the assessment criteria.

A reading strategy where you look quickly through a text for specific information, such as a date or a name, without reading every word. It is useful for answering detail questions efficiently.

A reading strategy where you read quickly to get the general idea or gist of a text. It helps in tasks that ask about the main idea or the purpose of a passage.

The most important point that a paragraph or text is about. Identifying the main idea is essential for summarising and for answering comprehension questions about the overall message.

A sentence, usually at the beginning of a paragraph, that states the main idea of that paragraph. Recognising topic sentences helps in understanding the structure of a text.

A word or phrase that links ideas between sentences or paragraphs, such as 'however', 'therefore', or 'in addition'. Connectors show logical relationships and are important in both reading and writing.

The way sentences and paragraphs are linked together to create a unified text, often through connectors, pronouns, and repetition. Cohesion is a criterion in writing assessment.

The quality of being logical and consistent, so that ideas flow clearly from one to the next. In writing, coherence ensures that the reader can easily follow the argument or narrative.

A formal piece of writing that presents an argument or discussion on a topic, usually with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Matura writing tasks often include an essay.

A sentence that expresses the main argument or claim of an essay, typically found in the introduction. A clear thesis statement guides the structure of the whole piece.

A distinct section of a piece of writing, usually dealing with one main idea and starting on a new line. Good paragraphing improves the organisation and readability of a text.

A letter written in a polite, official style to someone you do not know well, such as a complaint or application. It requires specific conventions like a salutation and a closing.

A letter written in a relaxed, personal style to a friend or family member. It uses colloquial language and contractions, and is a common task in writing exams.

A piece of writing that gives an opinion about a book, film, product, or event, often including a recommendation. Reviews are a typical writing task and require descriptive and evaluative language.

A piece of writing intended for publication, often expressing a viewpoint or providing information on a topic. It usually has a headline and an engaging style.

A brief statement of the main points of a text or talk, omitting details and examples. Summarising is tested in reading and listening tasks and is a useful study skill.

An incorrect option in a multiple-choice question that is designed to seem plausible. Recognising distractors helps avoid choosing wrong answers based on superficial matching.