AILET English Language Flashcards

24 sample cards from the English Language deck

Sampled from the end of the deck, so these are different cards from the ones shown on the syllabus page.

1. Is the choice between 'a' and 'an' based on spelling or sound? Give an example.

   It is based on the initial sound, not spelling: 'an hour' (silent h, vowel sound) and 'a university' (begins with a 'yoo' consonant sound).

2. What is a preposition, and what does it express?

   A preposition is a word placed before a noun or pronoun to show its relationship (of place, time, direction, or manner) to another word, e.g., 'in', 'on', 'at', 'by', 'between', 'among'.

3. What is the rule for using 'between' versus 'among'?

   Use 'between' for two distinct items or parties; use 'among' for three or more considered as a group (e.g., 'between the plaintiff and defendant' vs 'among the jurors').

4. Distinguish the three types of conjunctions with one example each.

   Coordinating join equal elements ('and', 'but', 'or'); subordinating link a dependent clause to a main clause ('because', 'although', 'if'); correlative work in pairs ('either...or', 'not only...but also').

5. What is 'error detection' in grammar, and what categories of errors are usually tested?

   Error detection requires spotting the part of a sentence containing a mistake. Common categories: subject-verb agreement, tense, pronoun reference, articles, prepositions, modifiers, and parallelism.

6. What is a 'pronoun-antecedent agreement' error?

   It occurs when a pronoun does not match its antecedent in number, gender, or person (e.g., 'Every student must submit their form' where strict usage requires 'his or her form').

7. What is a 'run-on sentence' and how is it corrected?

   A run-on improperly joins two independent clauses without correct punctuation or a conjunction. Correct it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction.

8. What is a 'comma splice'?

   A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma. It is corrected with a semicolon, a full stop, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).

9. What does the mnemonic 'FANBOYS' represent?

   The seven coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.

10. What is the difference between 'affect' and 'effect'?

    'Affect' is usually a verb meaning to influence ('The ruling affected the case'); 'effect' is usually a noun meaning result ('The effect was immediate'). 'Effect' can be a verb meaning to bring about.

11. What is the difference between 'principal' and 'principle'?

    'Principal' means main or chief, or a head person/sum of money; 'principle' is a noun meaning a rule or fundamental truth (e.g., 'a principle of natural justice').

12. What is the difference between 'imply' and 'infer'?

    A speaker or writer 'implies' (suggests something indirectly); a listener or reader 'infers' (draws a conclusion from it).

13. What is the difference between 'stationary' and 'stationery'?

    'Stationary' (with an 'a') means not moving; 'stationery' (with an 'e') means writing materials such as paper and envelopes.

14. What is an 'idiom'?

    An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be deduced from the literal meanings of its individual words (e.g., 'kick the bucket' means to die).

15. What does the idiom 'a blessing in disguise' mean?

    Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but results in something good.

16. What does the idiom 'to beat about the bush' mean?

    To avoid coming to the main point; to speak evasively or indirectly.

17. What does the idiom 'to let the cat out of the bag' mean?

    To reveal a secret carelessly or by mistake.

18. What does the Latin legal expression 'prima facie' mean?

    'At first sight' or 'on the face of it' - evidence sufficient to establish a fact or case unless rebutted.

19. What does the legal phrase 'mens rea' mean, and what is its counterpart?

    'Mens rea' means the guilty mind or criminal intent. Its counterpart is 'actus reus', the guilty act; both are generally required to establish a crime.

20. What does the Latin maxim 'bona fide' mean?

    'In good faith' - done sincerely, genuinely, and without intent to deceive.

21. What does the legal expression 'habeas corpus' literally mean and what is its purpose?

    It literally means 'you shall have the body'; it is a writ requiring a detained person to be brought before a court to test the lawfulness of their detention.

22. In sentence-arrangement (para-jumble) questions, what should you identify first to order the sentences?

    Identify the opening sentence (introduces the topic, no back-reference) and the concluding sentence, then link the rest using connectors, pronoun references, and logical or chronological flow.

23. What is an 'analogy', and how do you solve a word-analogy question?

    An analogy expresses a relationship between two words. Solve it by determining the exact relationship in the given pair (e.g., synonym, antonym, part-to-whole, cause-effect) and applying the identical relationship to the answer pair.

24. What is a 'cloze test', and what is the key to filling each blank correctly?

    A cloze test is a passage with blanks to be filled with the most suitable words. The key is to maintain grammatical correctness and contextual/logical coherence with the surrounding text, using cohesion clues like connectors and tense.

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