the test is usually easy so that any test taker is expected to get every item
right given sufficient time.
see also power testspeed reading n
also rapid reading
techniques used to teach people to read more quickly and to achieve a greater
degree of understanding of what they read. Readers are usually trained to use
more effective eye movements when reading (see regressions), and to use
better ways of understanding words and meanings in written texts.
see also reading, tachistoscope
speed test n
see speeded test
spelling pronunciation n
a way of pronouncing a word which is based on its spelling and which may
differ from the way the word is generally pronounced. For example, a non-
native speaker of British English might pronounce yacht as /j∞kt / instead of
/j∞t /. Native speakers also sometimes use spelling pronunciations, and
some have become acceptable ways of pronouncing words, such as /c∞ftvn/
for often rather than /c∞fvn/.
spiral approach n
also cyclical approach
a syllabusin which items recur throughout the syllabus but are treated in
greater depth or in more detail when they recur. This may be contrasted
with a linear syllabus, in which syllabus items are dealt with once only.
spirant n
another term for fricative
split construction n
(in composition) a sentence in which the subject has been separated from
the verb, making it awkward to read. For example:
Teresa, after gathering together her clothes, books, and papers, left.
A less awkward sentence would be:
After gathering together her clothes, books and papers, Teresa left.
split-half reliability n
a measure of internal consistency reliability based on the correlation
coefficient between two halves of a test (e.g. between the odd- and even-
numbered items of the test or between the first and second half of the items
speed reading