Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) English Flashcards

24 sample cards from the English deck

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

1. What is a 'rhetorical question'?

   A rhetorical question is one asked for effect or to make a point, not to get an answer, e.g. 'Who wouldn't want a cleaner planet?'

2. What is meant by 'transactional writing'?

   Transactional writing is practical writing addressed to a real audience to get something done, such as letters, emails, reports, articles, reviews and instructions.

3. What three features distinguish a formal letter from an informal one?

   A formal letter uses formal Standard English, set layout with addresses and date, and conventional openings/closings ('Dear Sir/Madam... Yours faithfully'), while an informal letter is chatty and personal ('Dear Sam... love from').

4. When writing instructions, which features should be used?

   Imperative (command) verbs, clear chronological/numbered steps, second person, and precise concise language.

5. What are the main stages of the writing process?

   Planning, drafting, revising/redrafting, editing and proofreading.

6. What is the purpose of planning before writing?

   To organise ideas, decide structure and order, identify audience and purpose, and ensure the piece is focused and coherent before drafting.

7. What is the difference between revising/redrafting and proofreading?

   Revising/redrafting improves content, structure and expression; proofreading is the final check for surface errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar.

8. What are the four sentence types by function?

   Declarative (statement), interrogative (question), imperative (command) and exclamatory (exclamation).

9. What is the difference between a simple, compound and complex sentence?

   A simple sentence has one main clause; a compound sentence joins two main clauses with a coordinating conjunction; a complex sentence joins a main clause with one or more subordinate clauses.

10. What is a clause, and how does it differ from a phrase?

    A clause contains a subject and a verb; a phrase is a group of words without a finite verb that does not express a complete idea.

11. What is a 'comma splice' and how is it corrected?

    A comma splice wrongly joins two independent clauses with only a comma; correct it with a full stop, a semicolon, or a coordinating conjunction (and/but/so).

12. List four main uses of the comma.

    To separate items in a list, to mark off a subordinate clause or phrase, to separate clauses joined by a conjunction, and to set off non-essential information.

13. What is the difference between a colon and a semicolon?

    A colon introduces a list, explanation or quotation; a semicolon links two closely related independent clauses or separates complex list items.

14. How is the apostrophe used for possession with singular and plural nouns?

    Add 's to singular nouns (the dog's bone) and to plural nouns not ending in s (children's); add just an apostrophe to plural nouns ending in s (the dogs' bones).

15. How are direct speech and speech marks punctuated?

    Enclose the spoken words in inverted commas, place a punctuation mark before the closing quote, and start a new paragraph for each new speaker, e.g. "Stop!" he shouted.

16. What is the spelling rule commonly stated as 'i before e'?

    'I before e except after c', when the sound is a long 'ee', e.g. 'believe', 'receive' (note exceptions such as 'seize' and 'weird').

17. Distinguish the homophones 'their', 'there' and 'they're'.

    'Their' shows possession (their house); 'there' refers to a place (over there); 'they're' is a contraction of 'they are'.

18. Distinguish 'your' from 'you're' and 'its' from 'it's'.

    'Your' is possessive and 'you're' means 'you are'; 'its' is possessive and 'it's' means 'it is' or 'it has'.

19. Name the eight parts of speech.

    Noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, conjunction and interjection (article/determiner is sometimes added).

20. What is subject-verb agreement?

    The rule that a verb must match its subject in number and person, e.g. a singular subject takes a singular verb ('she runs') and a plural subject a plural verb ('they run').

21. What is the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

    An adjective describes a noun or pronoun (a quick runner); an adverb modifies a verb, adjective or other adverb, often ending in -ly (he ran quickly).

22. When giving an individual talk or presentation, name four features of effective delivery.

    Clear audible voice with good pace, eye contact with the audience, varied tone and emphasis, and confident body language/posture (plus a clear structure).

23. In a group discussion, what skills show you are an effective participant?

    Listening actively, building on others' points, taking turns, disagreeing politely, asking questions and helping move the discussion forward.

24. When reading aloud or in role play, what should a speaker do to engage listeners?

    Use clear pronunciation and appropriate pace, vary pitch and volume for expression, pause at punctuation, and adopt suitable tone, emotion or character voice for the role.

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