These sixteen terms appear in English First Language lessons and feedback. Each entry gives a plain meaning, a short original example, the term it is usually confused with, and where to learn the skill. The English, Malay and Chinese concept bridge shows the same ideas in all three languages.
The examples use small made-up sentences about a fictional market stall, so nothing here comes from an exam paper.
Reading terms
Inference
Meaning: a conclusion the text supports without stating it directly. Example: “Nadia counted the trays twice and frowned” supports the inference that she is anxious. Confused with: speculation, which adds facts the text never gives, such as “her grandmother is ill”. Learn it in: separate inference from speculation.
Implication
Meaning: what a word or sentence suggests beyond its literal statement. Example: “The banner glowed above the lanterns” implies the banner dominates. Confused with: inference. An implication belongs to the text, and an inference is the reader’s conclusion from it. Learn it in: explain an implied attitude.
Evidence
Meaning: the specific words or details from the text that support a claim. Example: for the claim “she is careful”, the evidence is “counted the trays twice”. Confused with: a long quotation. Precise evidence is usually a few words, not a block. Learn it in: select precise evidence for an interpretation.
Denotation and connotation
Meaning: denotation is the dictionary meaning. Connotation is the feeling or association a word carries. Example: “house” and “home” both name a building, but “home” connotes belonging. Confused with: each other, and with “definition” in general. Learn it in: explain a phrase in its actual context.
Literal and figurative meaning
Meaning: literal means exactly what the words say. Figurative means a meaning carried through comparison or image. Example: “The lane was a river of people” is figurative. The lane is not water. Confused with: exaggeration. Figurative language can be quiet and accurate. Learn it in: distinguish literal and figurative meanings.
Writer’s craft terms
Imagery
Meaning: language that creates a sensory picture or association. Example: “smell of charcoal and pandan drifting” asks you to smell the scene. Confused with: simile and metaphor, which are two specific ways to make imagery. Learn it in: explain imagery through its associations.
Simile and metaphor
Meaning: a simile says one thing is like another. A metaphor says one thing is another. Example: “the banner was like a moon” is a simile. “The banner was a moon” is a metaphor. Confused with: personification, which gives human qualities to something that is not human. Learn it in: identify a deliberate language choice.
Effect
Meaning: what a choice does to the reader’s understanding or attitude, explained specifically. Example: “glowed” makes the banner seem warm and inviting, which makes the small stall feel overshadowed. Confused with: “it makes the reader feel something”, which is too general to count as an explanation. Learn it in: replace generic reader-feels claims with a specific explanation.
Tone
Meaning: the writer’s attitude towards the subject, heard in the choice of words. Example: “a cheerful, slightly teasing tone” towards a nervous stall owner. Confused with: mood, which is the atmosphere a reader feels. Learn it in: test a paraphrase against the original tone.
Summary and synthesis terms
Paraphrase
Meaning: restating an idea in your own words while keeping its meaning and qualifications. Example: “The supermarket banner outshone the lanterns” paraphrases “brighter than every lantern”. Confused with: copying with a few words changed. Learn it in: paraphrase while preserving qualifications.
Synthesis
Meaning: combining related points into one clear idea. Example: joining “cups fill the bins” and “students will not carry bottles” into one cause. Confused with: repetition, which lists each point again in similar words. Learn it in: combine repeated ideas without losing meaning.
Relevant point and interesting detail
Meaning: a relevant point answers the task focus. An interesting detail is vivid but not needed. Example: for “why is Nadia nervous?”, the crooked lantern is interesting but not relevant. Confused with: each other, which is how summaries grow too long. Learn it in: separate a relevant point from an interesting detail.
Writing terms
Audience and purpose
Meaning: audience is who will read the text. Purpose is what the text is meant to do. Example: a letter to a market committee has a formal audience and a purpose of asking for action. Confused with: topic. Two texts on one topic can differ in audience and purpose. Learn it in: adapt the same idea for peers and adults.
Register
Meaning: the level of formality and choice of words that fit a situation. Example: “Could the lighting be repaired?” suits a committee. “Fix the lights” suits a friend. Confused with: tone. Register is about fit, tone is about attitude. Learn it in: choose a register for a letter to an institution.
Stance
Meaning: the position you take on an issue in your own writing. Example: “The market should keep evening hours” is a stance with room for support. Confused with: opinion without support. A stance is developed with reasons. Learn it in: develop an appropriate stance from given material.
Cohesion and coherence
Meaning: cohesion is the linking of sentences through pronouns and connectives. Coherence is whether the whole text makes sense in order. Example: a paragraph can use “however” correctly and still jump between ideas. Confused with: each other. Good linking words cannot rescue a disordered argument. Learn it in: use transitions that express the actual relationship.
Using this page
Return to a term when feedback uses it, and read the example aloud. Then try the skill in the original practice sets. The learning guide shows how the skills fit together.
When a term has different shades for different tasks, it helps to see it in your own sentences. That is part of what a teacher does in online one-to-one English First Language tuition.