Reference Guide
Exam Concepts
Core topics tested on every MEXT English exam. Each section covers the pattern, examples, and the memory hook that makes it stick. Use this alongside the practice exams.
Vocabulary & Idiomatic Usage
A phrasal verb's meaning is rarely the sum of its parts — the particle (up, down, out, off…) shifts the whole meaning. In MEXT exams, distractor options often use the literal verb with a plausible alternative particle. Learn them as fixed chunks, not word-by-word.
come down with catch an illness
"She came down with the flu."
catch up with reach the same level/position
"He finally caught up with the rest."
put up with tolerate
"I can't put up with this noise."
look into investigate
"Police are looking into the case."
bring about cause to happen
"The law brought about major changes."
run out of exhaust the supply of
"We've run out of time."
take after resemble (parent/relative)
"She really takes after her mother."
give up stop trying; abandon
"Don't give up — keep practising."
turn down refuse; lower volume
"He turned down the job offer."
get over recover from
"She got over her disappointment quickly."
account for explain; make up a portion
"How do you account for the difference?"
call off cancel
"The match was called off due to rain."
Memory hook: Group phrasal verbs by the particle: all "up" verbs often imply completion or increase (use up, save up, build up); all "out" verbs often imply exhaustion or emergence (run out, find out, break out).
Synonyms are rarely interchangeable. Two words may share a core meaning but differ in register (formal vs. informal), collocation (what other words they pair with), or intensity. The MEXT exam tests all three.
Strong vs Powerful vs Intense
"Strong" + coffee/wind/smell. "Powerful" + engine/argument. "Intense" + heat/emotion. These cannot be swapped.
Intensity gradients
Some synonyms form a scale. Choose based on context strength: content < pleased < delighted < ecstatic. Picking the wrong intensity is a common error in MEXT reading options.
Memory hook: When two options seem equally correct, ask: "What comes right before/after it in the sentence?" Collocational fit eliminates wrong choices faster than meaning alone.
MEXT questions frequently require converting between noun / adjective / adverb / verb forms. The suffix tells you the word class; the prefix changes meaning.
Common Suffixes
| Suffix | Class | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -tion / -sion | noun | decide → decision |
| -ness / -ity | noun | happy → happiness |
| -ment | noun | develop → development |
| -ous / -ful | adjective | fame → famous |
| -less | adjective | care → careless |
| -ic / -al | adjective | economy → economic |
| -ly | adverb | quick → quickly |
| -ize / -ify | verb | modern → modernize |
Common Prefixes
| Prefix | Meaning & Example |
|---|---|
| un- | not — unhappy, unclear |
| dis- | not/reverse — disagree, disconnect |
| mis- | wrongly — misunderstand, misspell |
| re- | again — rewrite, reconsider |
| over- | too much — overestimate, overwhelm |
| under- | too little — underestimate, underpay |
| pre- | before — preview, prerequisite |
| post- | after — postpone, postgraduate |
Irregular Transformations (high-frequency)
easy
→
ease
strong
→
strength
wide
→
width
long
→
length
deep
→
depth
high
→
height
warm
→
warmth
grow
→
growth
Memory hook: After a preposition, you always need a noun. After a linking verb (be, seem, become), you need an adjective. After a verb or adjective, you need an adverb (-ly). Ask: "what grammatical slot am I filling?"
Grammar & Syntax
| Type | Structure | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zero | If + present, present | Facts / universal truths | If you heat water to 100°C, it boils. |
| First | If + present, will + inf | Real / likely future | If it rains, we will cancel the trip. |
| Second | If + past simple, would + inf | Hypothetical / unlikely | If I had more time, I would study harder. |
| Third | If + past perfect, would have + past p. | Counterfactual past | If he had studied, he would have passed. |
| Mixed | If + past perfect, would + inf | Past cause → present effect | If I had taken notes, I would know the answer now. |
Formal Inversions (tested in MEXT)
Memory hook: Inversion moves the auxiliary to the front and drops "if". If + had → Had · If + should → Should · If + were → Were. The rest of the clause stays the same.
Pronoun selection
| who / whom | People — who (subject), whom (object) |
| which | Things, animals, entire clauses |
| that | People or things — defining clauses only |
| whose | Possession (people or things) |
| where | Places |
| when | Times |
| why | Reasons (after "the reason") |
Defining vs Non-defining
Defining (no commas)
"The student who passed the exam received a scholarship."
Identifies which student — removes ambiguity.
Non-defining (commas required)
"Maria, who passed the exam, received a scholarship."
Adds extra information — can be removed without changing core meaning. Never use "that".
Preposition + which (tested in MEXT Section III)
Memory hook: Find the main verb in the relative clause and ask: "What preposition does this verb require?" That preposition must appear before "which". It cannot disappear.
High-frequency tense contrasts
Simple past
"I finished the report."
Present perfect
"I have finished the report."
Past: action at a specific past time. Present perfect: action with present relevance.
Past simple
"She arrived when I left."
Past perfect
"She arrived when I had left."
Past perfect shows the earlier of two past events.
Present simple
"Water boils at 100°C."
Present continuous
"Water is boiling on the stove."
Simple = permanent truth; continuous = temporary, in progress now.
Active vs Passive voice
Pattern: be + past participle
When to use passive
- • Agent unknown: "The window was broken."
- • Agent unimportant: "It was discovered in 1928."
- • Formal / academic writing
- • Focus is on the object, not the doer
Memory hook: Look for time markers: yesterday / in 1990 / last year → simple past. since / for / already / just / ever / yet → present perfect. before / by the time / after (two past events) → past perfect for the earlier one.
Gerund only (-ing)
"I enjoy playing tennis."
Infinitive only (to + verb)
"She agreed to help."
Both — different meaning
stop
+ing: stop smoking (quit)
to: stop to smoke (pause and smoke)
remember
+ing: remember locking (recall)
to: remember to lock (don't forget)
try
+ing: try opening (experiment)
to: try to open (attempt)
forget
+ing: forget telling (can't recall)
to: forget to tell (fail to)
Memory hook — FAME verbs always take -ing: Finish · Avoid · Mind · Enjoy. Extended: keep, consider, practice, suggest, risk, imagine, miss, postpone.
Verb + preposition (collocations)
depend on result in consist of lead to cope with apply for insist on wait for participate in succeed in contribute to differ from prevent from recover from object to benefit from Subordinating conjunctions
Memory hook: "Although/However" confusion is very common. Although is a conjunction — joins two clauses. However is an adverb — starts a new sentence or clause after a semicolon. Never write "Although…, however…" — that's a double connector.
Error Identification
In Section III, a sentence is divided into four labeled segments (A B C D). Exactly one segment contains a grammatical error. The skill is systematic elimination — check each segment for each error type below, in order of frequency.
Error type priority checklist
Singular subject → has / is / does / was. Plural subject → have / are / do / were.
Find the TRUE subject — ignore phrases between subject and verb. "The number of [plural noun]" is singular.
Past participle for states/conditions. Gerund (-ing) for ongoing actions or after specific verbs.
Ask: is it a STATE (past participle) or an ACTION IN PROGRESS (present participle)?
After a preposition → noun. After a linking verb → adjective. Modifying a verb/adj → adverb.
Identify the grammatical slot first, then ask: "does the word form match that slot?"
Verbs and adjectives require specific prepositions. In relative clauses, the preposition cannot disappear.
Know your verb/adjective + preposition collocations. "Arrive at/in", "interested in", "responsible for".
so + adjective (alone). such + (a/an) + adjective + noun.
Check what follows: adjective alone → so. Adjective + noun → such (a).
Many fixed expressions require singular nouns with an article: "have a meal", "make a mistake", "take a break".
Memorize fixed chunks: have a meal · make a decision · reach an agreement · take a look · give a speech.
Systematic approach for each sentence
- 1. Locate the main verb → check subject-verb agreement.
- 2. Check every verb form → past participle for states, gerund after FAME verbs.
- 3. Find all prepositions → do they match the required collocation?
- 4. Identify any adjective/adverb → is the word form correct for its slot?
- 5. Look for "so/such", "have a/make a" patterns.
- 6. The error is in exactly ONE of A, B, C, D — if you find it, stop.
Reading Comprehension
A cloze test embeds numbered blanks inside a continuous paragraph. You must satisfy two constraints simultaneously: local grammar (what word class fits syntactically) and global coherence (what fits the paragraph's argument or topic).
Step 1 — Local grammar check
- • What word class can go here? (noun/verb/adj/adv/conjunction)
- • Does it agree with the subject? (singular/plural)
- • What tense is required by context?
- • After a preposition → must be a noun or gerund
- • Eliminate any options that fail grammar first
Step 2 — Global coherence check
- • Read the whole sentence + surrounding sentences
- • Is the blank a connector? (contrast/cause/addition)
- • Does it fit the paragraph's overall tone and topic?
- • Watch for pronoun reference (it/they/this — what do they refer to?)
Key connector words tested in cloze
Addition
moreover
furthermore
in addition
besides
Contrast
however
nevertheless
on the other hand
yet
Result
therefore
thus
consequently
as a result
Example
for instance
for example
such as
namely
Concession
although
even though
despite
in spite of
Condition
provided
unless
as long as
on condition that
Memory hook: Always read one sentence ahead of the blank. Cloze connectors signal what relationship comes next: contrast (but, however) signals an opposing idea is coming; result (therefore, thus) signals a conclusion from what just happened.
Question types
Factual / literal
Answer is directly stated. Find the sentence, verify word-for-word.
Inferential
Answer is implied — not stated directly. Must be supported by the text, not your background knowledge.
Main idea / tone
What is the passage primarily about? What attitude does the author take?
Vocabulary in context
What does the underlined word mean in this specific passage? Use surrounding sentences.
Common wrong-answer traps
Scope shift
Passage says "some". Answer says "all". Always wrong.
Reverse
Passage says A caused B. Trap answer says B caused A.
True but not in text
Correct general knowledge, but not mentioned in this passage.
Too specific
Passage gives one example; trap says it's always/the only case.
Word reuse
Answer uses exact words from passage but changes key meaning.
4-step approach for any reading question
- 1. Read the question first — know what you're looking for before reading.
- 2. Locate the relevant sentence(s) in the passage — underline or mark the key phrase.
- 3. Eliminate the two obviously wrong options first (scope, reversal, not in text).
- 4. Between the remaining two, choose the one most directly supported by the passage text — not your inference.
True/False questions test precision — not whether a statement sounds right, but whether it exactly matches what the passage states. A statement is false if the passage says the opposite, or if the detail is not mentioned at all (in most MEXT formats).
High-risk word pairs
some
vs
all / every ✗
most
vs
all ✗
often
vs
always ✗
may / might
vs
will / must ✗
increased
vs
doubled ✗
before X
vs
after X ✗
A caused B
vs
B caused A ✗
one example
vs
the only case ✗
Mark TRUE only when:
- • Every factual claim matches the passage exactly
- • Numbers, dates, people, places all confirmed
- • The scope (all/some/most) is the same
- • The cause-effect direction is the same
Mark FALSE when:
- • Passage says the opposite of the statement
- • Statement changes a key qualifier (some → all)
- • Statement reverses cause and effect
- • Information is not mentioned anywhere in the passage
Memory hook: Treat every True/False statement like a contract clause. Find the exact sentence in the passage that supports or contradicts it. If you cannot point to a specific line, it is not "True" — it is either False or Not Given.
Put it into practice
Take a timed exam or review past mistakes to apply these patterns.