TT Clerical Entrance flashcards

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

Subject-verb agreement rule

A singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb; with or/nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject.

Pronoun case after prepositions

Use object pronouns such as me, him, her, them, and us after prepositions and after transitive verbs, not subject pronouns like I or he.

Semicolon versus colon

A semicolon joins two independent clauses without a conjunction; a colon introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete clause.

Dangling modifier

A phrase that does not clearly modify the intended noun, often because the subject of the main clause is wrong; revise by naming the correct subject.

Parallel structure

Items in a list or comparison should use the same grammatical form, such as all nouns, all infinitives, or all gerunds, to read clearly.

It's versus its

It's is a contraction meaning it is or it has; its is a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to it, with no apostrophe.

I before E rule

Write i before e except after c or when the sound is long a, as in receive and weigh; common exceptions include seize and either.

Doubling final consonant

Double a final consonant before a suffix when the word ends in consonant-vowel-consonant and the final syllable is stressed, as in beginning.

Affect versus effect

Affect is usually a verb meaning to influence; effect is usually a noun meaning a result, though effect can mean to bring about.

Plural of words ending y

Change a final y to i and add es when a consonant precedes the y, as in city to cities; keep y after a vowel, as in days.

Context clue types

Definition, synonym, antonym, example, and cause-effect clues help infer an unfamiliar word's meaning from surrounding sentences without a dictionary.

Main idea location

The main idea is often stated in the first or last sentence of a paragraph, but it may be implied and require summarizing the supporting details.

Inference defined

An inference is a logical conclusion drawn from details in a passage plus general knowledge; it is supported by the text but not directly stated.

Fact versus opinion

A fact can be verified with evidence; an opinion expresses a belief, judgment, or feeling and often contains evaluative words such as best or should.

Tone in reading

Tone is the author's attitude toward the subject, revealed through word choice and details, such as humorous, critical, sympathetic, or objective.

Pronoun reference question

To identify what a pronoun refers to, replace it with each possible noun and check which choice fits the sentence's meaning and grammar.

Order of operations

Evaluate parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, then addition and subtraction from left to right.

Percent formula

Percent means per hundred; use part divided by whole equals percent divided by 100, then cross-multiply to solve for the unknown value.

Dividing fractions

To divide by a fraction, multiply by its reciprocal; for example, three-fourths divided by two-fifths equals three-fourths times five-halves.

Average formula

The arithmetic mean equals the sum of all values divided by the number of values; rearrange as sum equals mean times count.

Percent change formula

Percent change equals the amount of change divided by the original value, multiplied by 100; use a positive sign for increase and negative for decrease.

Simple interest formula

Simple interest equals principal times annual rate times time in years, written I equals P times r times t, with rate expressed as a decimal.

Alphabetical filing rule

Arrange entries letter by letter, ignoring spaces and punctuation; a shorter name that is identical up to its end comes before a longer name.

Indexing a personal name

For filing, place the last name first, then first name or initial, then middle initial, as in Smith, John A., not John A. Smith.

Numeric filing order

Arrange files by number from smallest to largest; treat numbers as whole values, so 9 comes before 10 and 100 comes before 101.

Checking character pairs

Compare two strings left to right, one character at a time, noting spaces, punctuation, and capitalization; stop at the first mismatch to identify the error.

Simple letter-number code

When letters map to numbers such as A equals 1 through Z equals 26, convert each letter to its position and reverse the rule to decode a number.

Business letter parts

A standard business letter includes heading, date, inside address, salutation, body, complimentary close, and signature; a memorandum instead uses To, From, Date, and Subject.

Memorandum headings

An office memorandum typically begins with four headings: To, From, Date, and Subject; it omits the salutation and complimentary close used in letters.

Four filing systems

Common office filing systems are alphabetic by name, numeric by number, geographic by location, and subject by topic; choose according to how records are requested.

Confidentiality in office

Office staff should share client or personnel information only with authorized persons and should store confidential records securely, following the organization's privacy policy.

Photocopier basic care

Keep the glass clean, remove paper jams carefully, use the correct paper size, and report persistent error codes to a supervisor or service technician.