Keywords are like little signs that help you solve math word problems. They guide you to the right math operations when you turn words into equations. Here’s how they work:

1. Finding Operations

• Addition: Look for words like “together,” “more,” or “increased by.” These tell you to add.

• Subtraction: Words like “less than,” “fewer,” or “decreased by” signal that you need to subtract.

• Multiplication: Terms like “product,” “times,” or “of” suggest that it’s time to multiply.

• Division: Phrases such as “per,” “out of,” or “ratio” mean you’ll be dividing.

2. Understanding Relationships

• Keywords also help you see how numbers relate to each other. For example, if you read “twice a number,” it tells you to multiply that number by 2. So if you let $x$ be your number, you would write it as $2x$.

3. Creating Equations

• Once you spot the keywords and operations, making your equation gets easier. For example, if the problem says, “The sum of a number and 5 is 12,” you can turn that into the equation $x + 5 = 12$.

4. Solving the Problem

• After writing down the equation, you can use your algebra skills to solve it step by step. This gives you a clear way to find the answer.

From what I've seen, learning these keywords is super important. They help you break down problems . This really boosts your confidence and helps you do better on tests!