Duolingo English Test (DET) English Language Foundations Syllabus

What is a collocation? Give an example.

A pair or group of words that habitually occur together, e.g., 'make a decision' (not 'do a decision') or 'heavy rain' (not 'strong rain').

What is a phrasal verb, and what makes it tricky for learners?

A verb plus a particle (preposition/adverb) whose meaning is often idiomatic, e.g., 'give up' = quit. The combined meaning differs from the literal words.

Distinguish 'look up', 'look after', and 'look forward to'.

'Look up' = search for information; 'look after' = take care of; 'look forward to' = anticipate with pleasure.

What is the difference between formal and informal register? Give a paired example.

Formal register is used in academic/professional contexts with elevated vocabulary; informal in casual speech. E.g., formal 'request' vs. informal 'ask for'; 'children' vs. 'kids'.

What is the difference between a synonym and an antonym?

A synonym has a similar meaning (happy/glad); an antonym has the opposite meaning (happy/sad).

Are synonyms always interchangeable? Why or why not?

No — synonyms differ in connotation, register, and collocation. E.g., 'slim' and 'skinny' both mean thin but differ in positive vs. negative tone.

What is an affix, and what are its two main types?

A morpheme added to a base word. Prefixes attach to the front (un-, re-); suffixes attach to the end (-tion, -ness).

What does the prefix 'un-' typically mean, and the suffix '-able'?

'un-' means 'not' or reversal (unhappy, undo); '-able' means 'capable of being' (readable = able to be read).

Which suffixes typically form nouns from verbs?

-tion/-sion (act → action), -ment (govern → government), -er/-or (teach → teacher), -ance/-ence (perform → performance).

What suffix commonly turns an adjective into an adverb, and give an example with a spelling change?

'-ly' (quick → quickly). With adjectives ending in -y, change y to i: 'happy' → 'happily'.

What is the 'i before e' spelling rule and its main exception?

'i before e except after c' (believe, receive). Exceptions include words sounding like 'ay' (neighbor, weigh) and words like 'seize', 'weird'.

When do you double the final consonant before adding a suffix like -ing or -ed?

When a one-syllable word ends in a single vowel + single consonant (stop → stopping), or a stressed final syllable (begin → beginning).

What is the rule for dropping silent 'e' before a suffix?

Drop the silent 'e' before a suffix beginning with a vowel (make → making, hope → hoping), but keep it before a consonant suffix (hope → hopeful).

How do you form plurals of nouns ending in a consonant + y?

Change 'y' to 'i' and add -es: 'city' → 'cities', 'baby' → 'babies'. (Keep -y after a vowel: 'boy' → 'boys'.)

When should a comma be used before a coordinating conjunction?

When it joins two independent clauses, e.g., 'I was tired, so I slept.' No comma is needed if the second part isn't an independent clause.

What is the function of a semicolon?

It joins two closely related independent clauses without a conjunction ('It was late; we left'), or separates list items that contain commas.

What is the difference between an apostrophe for possession vs. contraction?

Possession shows ownership ('the dog's bone'); contraction marks omitted letters ('don't' = do not). 'Its' = possessive; 'it's' = it is.

Which words are always capitalized in English?

The first word of a sentence, the pronoun 'I', and proper nouns (names of people, places, days, months, languages, nationalities).

What is the difference between 'their', 'there', and 'they're'?

'Their' = possessive (their house); 'there' = place/existence (over there); 'they're' = they are.

Distinguish 'your' and 'you're'.

'Your' = possessive (your book); 'you're' = contraction of 'you are' (you're late).

Distinguish 'affect' and 'effect'.

'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence (It affects me); 'effect' is usually a noun meaning result (a positive effect).

Distinguish 'then' and 'than'.

'Then' relates to time or sequence (then we left); 'than' is used in comparisons (bigger than).

What is a phoneme?

The smallest unit of sound that can distinguish meaning in a language, e.g., /p/ and /b/ distinguish 'pat' from 'bat'.

Approximately how many phonemes does English have, and how are they divided?

About 44 phonemes (varies by accent): roughly 24 consonant sounds and 20 vowel sounds (including diphthongs).

What is a minimal pair? Give an example.

Two words differing by only one phoneme, used to show a sound contrast, e.g., 'ship' /ʃ/ vs. 'sip' /s/, or 'bit' vs. 'bet'.

What is a diphthong?

A vowel sound that glides from one quality to another within the same syllable, e.g., the /aɪ/ in 'price' or /aʊ/ in 'house'.

How can word stress change a word's part of speech? Give an example.

Stress shifts meaning/class in noun–verb pairs: 'REcord' (noun) vs. 'reCORD' (verb); 'PREsent' (noun) vs. 'preSENT' (verb).

What is the general stress rule for two-syllable nouns versus verbs?

Most two-syllable nouns stress the first syllable (TAble, OBject), while many two-syllable verbs stress the second (reLAX, obJECT).

In a typical English sentence, which words receive sentence stress?

Content words (nouns, main verbs, adjectives, adverbs) are stressed; function words (articles, prepositions, auxiliaries, pronouns) are usually unstressed.

What does rising versus falling intonation typically signal in English?

Rising intonation often signals yes/no questions or uncertainty; falling intonation signals statements, commands, and wh-questions (a sense of completion).