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English Grammar and Composition Classes Nine and Ten - Topic Sentence (Paragraph Writing) - Vocabulary

SSC (Class 9-10) ¡ English ¡ 14 Aug 2026

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SSC (Class 9-10)English Grammar and Composition Classes Nine and Ten - Topic Sentence (Paragraph Writing) - Vocabulary

Chapter: Topic Sentence (Paragraph Writing)

📚 Vocabulary
English Grammar and Composition Classes Nine and Ten
⭐ Most Important Exam Words
topic sentencemain ideasupporting detaildeveloperterminatorunitycoherencedescriptive paragraphnarrative paragraphcause and effectlisting paragraphcomparison paragraphcontrast paragraphsensory detailchronological ordertopicfocusredundantvividmemorableincidentexperiencecauseeffectfactorsimilaritydifferencedistinctivemeritconclusion
📃 Word Formation Rules
â–ē Add the suffix '-tion' to verbs to form nouns: describe → description, compare → comparison, conclude → conclusion.
â–ē Add the suffix '-ment' to verbs to form nouns: develop → development, achieve → achievement.
â–ē Add the suffix '-ity' to adjectives to form nouns: similar → similarity, coherent → coherence is an exception in spelling.
â–ē Add the suffix '-ly' to adjectives to form adverbs: fortunate → fortunately, similar → similarly, chronological → chronologically.
â–ē Add the suffix '-ful' to nouns to form adjectives: meaning → meaningful, use → useful.
â–ē Add the prefix 'un-' to form opposites: necessary → unnecessary, memorable → unmemorable, fortunate → unfortunate.
â–ē Add the prefix 'in-' or 'im-' to form opposites: coherent → incoherent, possible → impossible.
â–ē Use '-er' for a person who performs an action: observe → observer, write → writer.
1. Topic Sentence and Main Idea (8 words)
topic[/ˈtɒpÉĒk/]noun
Meaning: āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ
Alt: āφāϞ⧋āϚāύāĻžāϰ āĻŽā§‚āϞ āĻ•ā§āώ⧇āĻ¤ā§āϰ
Example: The topic of the paragraph is rural life.
Syn: subject, themeAnt: conclusion
💡 Exam tip: A topic is the general subject of a paragraph.
sentence[/ˈsentəns/]noun
Meaning: āĻŦāĻžāĻ•ā§āϝ
Alt: āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ āĻĒā§āϰāĻ•āĻžāĻļāĻ•āĻžāϰ⧀ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻāϏāĻŽāĻˇā§āϟāĻŋ
Example: The first sentence introduces the main idea.
Syn: statement, clauseAnt: fragment
💡 Exam tip: A complete sentence must express a complete thought.
introduce[/ˌÉĒntrəˈdjuːs/]verb
Meaning: āĻĒāϰāĻŋāϚāϝāĻŧ āĻ•āϰāĻžāύ⧋
Alt: āφāϞ⧋āϚāύāĻžāϰ āϏ⧂āϚāύāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The topic sentence introduces the subject of the paragraph.
Syn: present, startAnt: conceal, exclude
💡 Exam tip: Use introduce when explaining the function of a topic sentence.
focus[/ˈfəʊkəs/]noun
Meaning: āϕ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āϰāĻŦāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āĻĻ⧁
Alt: āĻŽāύ⧋āϝ⧋āϗ⧇āϰ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ
Example: The paragraph focuses on the value of reading.
Syn: attention, concentrationAnt: distraction
💡 Exam tip: A good topic sentence limits the focus of a paragraph.
main[/meÉĒn/]adj
Meaning: āĻĒā§āϰāϧāĻžāύ
Alt: āϏāĻŦāĻšā§‡āϝāĻŧ⧇ āϗ⧁āϰ⧁āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ
Example: The main idea is stated in the topic sentence.
Syn: chief, principalAnt: minor, secondary
💡 Exam tip: Main idea means the central thought of the paragraph.
idea[/aÉĒˈdÉĒə/]noun
Meaning: āϧāĻžāϰāĻŖāĻž
Alt: āϚāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŦā§āϝ
Example: Every supporting sentence develops the central idea.
Syn: thought, notionAnt: disbelief
💡 Exam tip: Do not introduce unrelated ideas in one paragraph.
limit[/ˈlÉĒmÉĒt/]verb
Meaning: āϏ⧀āĻŽāĻžāĻŦāĻĻā§āϧ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āĻĒāϰāĻŋāϧāĻŋ āύāĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The topic sentence limits the discussion to rural transport.
Syn: restrict, confineAnt: expand, extend
💡 Exam tip: A focused topic is easier to develop in a single paragraph.
redundant[/rÉĒˈdƌndənt/]adj
Meaning: āĻ…āĻĒā§āϰāϝāĻŧā§‹āϜāύ⧀āϝāĻŧ
Alt: āĻ…āϤāĻŋāϰāĻŋāĻ•ā§āϤ āĻŦāĻž āĻĒ⧁āύāϰāĻžāĻŦ⧃āĻ¤ā§āϤ
Example: Unrelated details are redundant in a unified paragraph.
Syn: unnecessary, repetitiveAnt: necessary, essential
💡 Exam tip: Avoid redundant sentences that do not support the topic sentence.
2. Paragraph Structure and Development (8 words)
paragraph[/ˈpÃĻrəɡrɑːf/]noun
Meaning: āĻ…āύ⧁āĻšā§āϛ⧇āĻĻ
Alt: āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āϕ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āϰ⧀āϝāĻŧ āĻ­āĻžāĻŦāϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ¨ā§āύ āϞ⧇āĻ–āĻž
Example: A well-organized paragraph has unity and coherence.
Syn: section, passageAnt: fragment
💡 Exam tip: A paragraph normally contains a topic sentence, developers and a conclusion.
support[/səˈpɔːt/]verb
Meaning: āϏāĻŽāĻ°ā§āĻĨāύ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āϝ⧁āĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āϤāĻĨā§āϝ āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻĒā§āϰāĻŽāĻžāĻŖ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The examples support the topic sentence.
Syn: justify, reinforceAnt: oppose, refute
💡 Exam tip: All supporting details must directly support the main idea.
detail[/ˈdiːteÉĒl/]noun
Meaning: āĻŦāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āϤāĻžāϰāĻŋāϤ āϤāĻĨā§āϝ
Alt: āĻ•ā§āώ⧁āĻĻā§āϰ āĻ•āĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϤ⧁ āϗ⧁āϰ⧁āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āϤāĻĨā§āϝ
Example: Sensory details make a descriptive paragraph vivid.
Syn: particular, informationAnt: generality
💡 Exam tip: Add relevant details to make the paragraph complete.
develop[/dÉĒˈveləp/]verb
Meaning: āĻŦāĻŋāĻ•āĻļāĻŋāϤ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻ¸ā§āϤāĻžāϰāĻŋāϤāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āĻĒā§āϰāĻ•āĻžāĻļ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The following sentences develop the main idea.
Syn: expand, elaborateAnt: reduce, neglect
💡 Exam tip: Developers explain, describe or prove the topic sentence.
unity[/ˈjuːnəti/]noun
Meaning: āϐāĻ•ā§āϝ
Alt: āĻāĻ•āϟāĻŋ āϕ⧇āĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āϰ⧀āϝāĻŧ āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇āϰ āϏāĻ™ā§āϗ⧇ āϏāĻžāĻŽāĻžā§āϜāĻ¸ā§āϝ
Example: Unity is achieved when every sentence relates to one idea.
Syn: harmony, cohesionAnt: disunity, inconsistency
💡 Exam tip: Unity is a key quality of an effective paragraph.
coherence[/kəʊˈhÉĒərəns/]noun
Meaning: āϏāĻ‚āϞāĻ—ā§āύāϤāĻž
Alt: āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇āϰ āϝ⧌āĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋāĻ• āĻ“ āϏ⧁āϏāĻ‚āĻŦāĻĻā§āϧ āĻŦāĻŋāĻ¨ā§āϝāĻžāϏ
Example: Transitional words improve coherence in writing.
Syn: logicality, connectednessAnt: confusion, incoherence
💡 Exam tip: Use linking words to maintain coherence.
conclude[/kənˈkluːd/]verb
Meaning: āωāĻĒāϏāĻ‚āĻšāĻžāϰ āϟāĻžāύāĻž
Alt: āĻļ⧇āώ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The final sentence concludes the paragraph effectively.
Syn: finish, endAnt: begin, start
💡 Exam tip: A concluding sentence restates the main idea without copying it exactly.
terminator[/ˈtɜːmÉĒneÉĒtə/]noun
Meaning: āϏāĻŽāĻžāĻĒāύ⧀ āĻŦāĻžāĻ•ā§āϝ
Alt: āĻ…āύ⧁āĻšā§āϛ⧇āĻĻ⧇āϰ āĻļ⧇āώ āĻŦāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŦā§āϝ
Example: The terminator brings the paragraph to a logical end.
Syn: conclusion, endingAnt: introduction
💡 Exam tip: In textbook terminology, the concluding sentence may be called a terminator.
3. Descriptive Paragraph Vocabulary (8 words)
description[/dÉĒˈskrÉĒpʃən/]noun
Meaning: āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāύāĻž
Alt: āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻŦā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋ, āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁āϰ āϚāĻŋāĻ¤ā§āϰ āϤ⧁āϞ⧇ āϧāϰāĻž
Example: The description of the street appeals to the reader’s senses.
Syn: portrayal, accountAnt: omission
💡 Exam tip: A descriptive paragraph helps the reader imagine the subject.
observe[/əbˈzɜːv/]verb
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°ā§āϝāĻŦ⧇āĻ•ā§āώāĻŖ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āĻŽāύ⧋āϝ⧋āĻ— āĻĻāĻŋāϝāĻŧ⧇ āĻĻ⧇āĻ–āĻž
Example: We should observe a place carefully before describing it.
Syn: notice, watchAnt: ignore, overlook
💡 Exam tip: Careful observation produces accurate descriptive details.
vivid[/ˈvÉĒvÉĒd/]adj
Meaning: āĻĒā§āϰāĻžāĻŖāĻŦāĻ¨ā§āϤ
Alt: āĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻˇā§āϟ āĻ“ āĻœā§€āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āϤ
Example: The writer gives a vivid picture of a rainy evening.
Syn: lively, graphicAnt: dull, vague
💡 Exam tip: Use precise adjectives and sensory details for vivid writing.
sensory[/ˈsensəri/]adj
Meaning: āχāĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āϰāĻŋāϝāĻŧāϏāĻ‚āĻ•ā§āϰāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤ
Alt: āĻĻ⧃āĻˇā§āϟāĻŋ, āĻļā§āϰāĻŦāĻŖ, āĻ˜ā§āϰāĻžāĻŖ, āĻ¸ā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻļ āĻ“ āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāĻžāĻĻ⧇āϰ āϏāĻ™ā§āϗ⧇ āϏāĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ•āĻŋāϤ
Example: Sensory details make the scene more realistic.
Syn: perceptive, sensitiveAnt: insensitive
💡 Exam tip: Remember the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste.
serene[/səˈriːn/]adj
Meaning: āĻļāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤ
Alt: āύāĻŋāϰāĻŋāĻŦāĻŋāϞāĻŋ āĻ“ āĻĒā§āϰāĻļāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤ
Example: The early morning street had a serene appearance.
Syn: peaceful, calmAnt: agitated, noisy
💡 Exam tip: Serene is useful when describing a quiet natural scene.
intense[/ÉĒnˈtens/]adj
Meaning: āϤ⧀āĻŦā§āϰ
Alt: āĻ…āĻ¤ā§āϝāĻ¨ā§āϤ āĻļāĻ•ā§āϤāĻŋāĻļāĻžāϞ⧀
Example: The rainstorm became more intense at night.
Syn: extreme, strongAnt: mild, weak
💡 Exam tip: Use intense for strong rain, heat, emotion or sound.
roar[/rɔːr/]verb
Meaning: āĻ—āĻ°ā§āϜāύ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āĻœā§‹āϰ⧇ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: The wind roared outside the house.
Syn: thunder, bellowAnt: whisper, murmur
💡 Exam tip: Roar is a strong sound verb used in narrative and descriptive paragraphs.
atmosphere[/ˈÃĻtməsfÉĒə/]noun
Meaning: āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŦ⧇āĻļ
Alt: āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāύ⧇āϰ āĻ…āύ⧁āĻ­ā§‚āϤāĻŋāĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āφāĻŦāĻš
Example: The soft lights created a pleasant atmosphere in the room.
Syn: ambience, environmentAnt: emptiness
💡 Exam tip: Atmosphere describes the overall mood or feeling of a place.
4. Narrative Paragraph Vocabulary (8 words)
narrate[/nəˈreÉĒt/]verb
Meaning: āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāύāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āϘāϟāύāĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ—āĻ˛ā§āĻĒ āĻŦāϞāĻž
Example: The writer narrates an unforgettable experience.
Syn: recount, tellAnt: conceal, suppress
💡 Exam tip: Narrative writing tells about past events or incidents.
incident[/ˈÉĒnsÉĒdənt/]noun
Meaning: āϘāϟāύāĻž
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ⧇āώ āĻŦāĻž āφāĻ•āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāĻŋāĻ• āϘāϟāύāĻž
Example: The incident changed the way I thought about safety.
Syn: event, occurrenceAnt: nonoccurrence
💡 Exam tip: Use incident for a particular event in a narrative paragraph.
experience[/ÉĒkˈspÉĒəriəns/]noun
Meaning: āĻ…āĻ­āĻŋāĻœā§āĻžāϤāĻž
Alt: āĻœā§€āĻŦāύ⧇ āϘāĻŸā§‡ āϝāĻžāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻž āϘāϟāύāĻž āĻŦāĻž āωāĻĒāϞāĻŦā§āϧāĻŋ
Example: My first day at school was a memorable experience.
Syn: adventure, encounterAnt: inexperience
💡 Exam tip: A personal experience is a common examination topic.
chronological[/ˌkrɒnəˈlɒdʒÉĒkəl/]adj
Meaning: āĻ•āĻžāϞāĻžāύ⧁āĻ•ā§āϰāĻŽāĻŋāĻ•
Alt: āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ⧇āϰ āϧāĻžāϰāĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋāĻ•āϤāĻž āĻ…āύ⧁āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧā§€
Example: The events are presented in chronological order.
Syn: sequential, successiveAnt: random, disordered
💡 Exam tip: Narrate actions in the order in which they happened.
happen[/ˈhÃĻpən/]verb
Meaning: āϘāϟāĻž
Alt: āϏāĻ‚āϘāϟāĻŋāϤ āĻšāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻž
Example: The accident happened on a busy road.
Syn: occur, take placeAnt: cease
💡 Exam tip: Use the past tense when narrating a past event.
rescue[/ˈreskjuː/]verb
Meaning: āωāĻĻā§āϧāĻžāϰ āĻ•āϰāĻž
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒāĻĻ āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇ āϰāĻ•ā§āώāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: A young man rescued the drowning boy.
Syn: save, recoverAnt: abandon, endanger
💡 Exam tip: Rescue is useful in paragraphs about accidents and emergencies.
fortunately[/ˈfɔːtʃənətli/]adv
Meaning: āϏ⧌āĻ­āĻžāĻ—ā§āϝāĻ•ā§āϰāĻŽā§‡
Alt: āĻ­āĻžāĻ—ā§āϝ āĻ­āĻžāϞ⧋ āϝ⧇
Example: Fortunately, the child was rescued in time.
Syn: luckily, happilyAnt: unfortunately
💡 Exam tip: Use adverbs such as first, then, finally and fortunately to connect events.
memorable[/ˈmemərəbəl/]adj
Meaning: āĻ¸ā§āĻŽāϰāĻŖā§€āϝāĻŧ
Alt: āϝāĻž āϏāĻšāĻœā§‡ āĻ­ā§‹āϞāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ āύāĻž
Example: It was a memorable day in my life.
Syn: remarkable, unforgettableAnt: forgettable, ordinary
💡 Exam tip: Memorable is a strong adjective for concluding a personal narrative.
5. Cause, Effect and Listing Vocabulary (8 words)
cause[/kɔːz/]noun
Meaning: āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ
Alt: āϝ⧇ āĻ•āĻžāϰāϪ⧇ āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āϘāϟāύāĻž āϘāĻŸā§‡
Example: Careless driving is a major cause of road accidents.
Syn: reason, sourceAnt: effect, result
💡 Exam tip: A cause explains why something happens.
effect[/ÉĒˈfekt/]noun
Meaning: āĻĢāϞāĻžāĻĢāϞ
Alt: āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻ•āĻžāĻœā§‡āϰ āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŖāϤāĻŋ
Example: Pollution has a harmful effect on public health.
Syn: result, consequenceAnt: cause, origin
💡 Exam tip: An effect explains what happens because of a cause.
factor[/ˈfÃĻktə/]noun
Meaning: āωāĻĒāĻžāĻĻāĻžāύ
Alt: āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻĢāϞāĻžāĻĢāϞ⧇ āĻ…āĻŦāĻĻāĻžāύ āϰāĻžāĻ–āĻž āĻ•āĻžāϰāĻŖ
Example: Fatigue is an important factor in road accidents.
Syn: element, causeAnt: result
💡 Exam tip: Use factor when mentioning one of several causes.
pollution[/pəˈluːʃən/]noun
Meaning: āĻĻā§‚āώāĻŖ
Alt: āĻĒāϰāĻŋāĻŦ⧇āĻļ⧇āϰ āĻ•ā§āώāϤāĻŋāĻ•āϰ āύ⧋āĻ‚āϰāĻž āĻ…āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻž
Example: Air pollution causes serious health problems.
Syn: contamination, dirtAnt: purity, cleanliness
💡 Exam tip: Common causes include smoke, waste, chemicals and noise.
poverty[/ˈpɒvəti/]noun
Meaning: āĻĻāĻžāϰāĻŋāĻĻā§āĻ°ā§āϝ
Alt: āĻ…āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇āϰ āĻ…āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻž
Example: Poverty prevents many children from receiving education.
Syn: destitution, hardshipAnt: wealth, prosperity
💡 Exam tip: Discuss unemployment, illiteracy and population growth as causes of poverty.
listing[/ˈlÉĒstÉĒŋ/]noun
Meaning: āϤāĻžāϞāĻŋāĻ•āĻžāĻ•āϰāĻŖ
Alt: āĻāĻ•āĻžāϧāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ āϧāĻžāϰāĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻšāĻŋāĻ•āĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇ āωāĻĒāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻĒāύ
Example: The paragraph uses listing to present the stages of education.
Syn: enumeration, catalogueAnt: omission
💡 Exam tip: Use firstly, secondly, thirdly, finally and moreover in listing paragraphs.
source[/sɔːs/]noun
Meaning: āĻ‰ā§ŽāϏ
Alt: āϝ⧇āĻ–āĻžāύ āĻĨ⧇āϕ⧇ āĻ•āĻŋāϛ⧁ āĻĒāĻžāĻ“āϝāĻŧāĻž āϝāĻžāϝāĻŧ
Example: Books are an important source of knowledge.
Syn: origin, resourceAnt: result
💡 Exam tip: Source may refer to causes, supplies or places of information.
contribute[/kənˈtrÉĒbjuːt/]verb
Meaning: āĻ…āĻŦāĻĻāĻžāύ āϰāĻžāĻ–āĻž
Alt: āϕ⧋āύ⧋ āĻĢāϞāĻžāĻĢāϞ⧇ āϏāĻšāĻžāϝāĻŧāϤāĻž āĻ•āϰāĻž
Example: Education contributes to the development of a nation.
Syn: assist, helpAnt: hinder, obstruct
💡 Exam tip: Use contribute to, not contribute for.
6. Comparison and Contrast Vocabulary (8 words)
comparison[/kəmˈpÃĻrÉĒsən/]noun
Meaning: āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž
Alt: āĻĻ⧁āχ āĻŦāĻž āϤāϤ⧋āϧāĻŋāĻ• āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇āϰ āĻŽāĻŋāϞ āύāĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻŖāϝāĻŧ
Example: The comparison shows similarities between a paragraph and an essay.
Syn: analogy, correspondenceAnt: contrast
💡 Exam tip: A comparison paragraph mainly emphasizes similarities.
contrast[/ˈkɒntrɑːst/]noun
Meaning: āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻ•ā§āϝ
Alt: āĻĻ⧁āχ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇āϰ āĻ…āĻŽāĻŋāϞ
Example: The contrast between town life and rural life is clear.
Syn: difference, distinctionAnt: similarity, resemblance
💡 Exam tip: A contrast paragraph focuses on differences.
similarity[/ˌsÉĒməˈlÃĻrəti/]noun
Meaning: āϏāĻžāĻĻ⧃āĻļā§āϝ
Alt: āĻĻ⧁āχ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇āϰ āĻŽāĻŋāϞ
Example: There are several similarities between the two books.
Syn: likeness, resemblanceAnt: difference, variation
💡 Exam tip: Use similarly, both and alike to show similarities.
difference[/ˈdÉĒfərəns/]noun
Meaning: āĻĒāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨāĻ•ā§āϝ
Alt: āĻĻ⧁āχ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ⧇āϰ āĻ…āĻŽāĻŋāϞ
Example: The main difference is the purpose of each test.
Syn: distinction, disparityAnt: similarity, sameness
💡 Exam tip: Use whereas, unlike and on the other hand to show differences.
whereas[/ˌweərˈÃĻz/]adv
Meaning: āϝ⧇āĻ–āĻžāύ⧇; āĻĒāĻ•ā§āώāĻžāĻ¨ā§āϤāϰ⧇
Alt: āĻĻ⧁āϟāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒāϰ⧀āϤ āĻŦāĻŋāώāϝāĻŧ āϝ⧁āĻ•ā§āϤ āĻ•āϰāĻžāϰ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ
Example: Summer is hot, whereas winter is cold.
Syn: while, althoughAnt: similarly
💡 Exam tip: Whereas is commonly used to introduce a contrasting clause.
similarly[/ˈsÉĒmələli/]adv
Meaning: āĻ…āύ⧁āϰ⧂āĻĒāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇
Alt: āĻāĻ•āχāĻ­āĻžāĻŦ⧇
Example: Similarly, a novel also has characters and a plot.
Syn: likewise, comparablyAnt: differently
💡 Exam tip: Place similarly at the beginning of a sentence followed by a comma.
distinctive[/dÉĒˈstÉĒŋktÉĒv/]adj
Meaning: āĻ¸ā§āĻŦāϤāĻ¨ā§āĻ¤ā§āϰ
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻļ⧇āώ āĻŦ⧈āĻļāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻŸā§āϝāĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ
Example: The two seasons have distinctive characteristics.
Syn: unique, characteristicAnt: common, ordinary
💡 Exam tip: Distinctive means noticeably different from others.
merit[/ˈmerÉĒt/]noun
Meaning: āϗ⧁āĻŖ
Alt: āĻ­āĻžāϞ⧋ āĻŦāĻž āωāĻĒāĻ•āĻžāϰ⧀ āĻŦ⧈āĻļāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻŸā§āϝ
Example: Both objective and essay tests have their own merits.
Syn: advantage, virtueAnt: demerit, disadvantage
💡 Exam tip: Merit means advantage; demerit means disadvantage.
💡 Exam Tips
â€ĸ Write one clear topic sentence that states the subject and controlling idea.
â€ĸ Keep every supporting sentence related to the topic sentence.
â€ĸ Use specific examples, facts and explanations instead of vague statements.
â€ĸ For descriptive paragraphs, use details connected with the five senses.
â€ĸ For narrative paragraphs, use the past tense and arrange events chronologically.
â€ĸ Use transitional words such as first, next, then, however, therefore, finally and thus.
â€ĸ In cause-and-effect writing, clearly distinguish causes from effects.
â€ĸ In listing paragraphs, use firstly, secondly, thirdly, moreover and finally.
â€ĸ In comparison paragraphs, use both, similarly, likewise and in the same way.
â€ĸ In contrast paragraphs, use unlike, whereas, on the other hand, however and in contrast.
â€ĸ End the paragraph with a concluding sentence that restates the central idea.
â€ĸ Avoid irrelevant, repetitive or excessively broad points in a single paragraph.

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