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Overview of Language Arts Writing Test

The Language Arts Writing Test consists of two parts. Part I assesses the student’s ability to revise and edit written material in four specific areas. Part II of the Language Arts Writing Test requires the student to write an expository essay.

Overview of Part I

Part I assesses the student’s knowledge of the conventions of written English.

• This multiple-choice portion represents about 60% of the total score. • The test has 50 items. Each item requires students to revise and edit documents. • There are 3 types of documents used:

o Informational documents such as position papers and critical reviews o How-to texts on topics such as getting a job or writing a resume o Workplace and community documents such as letters, memos, or reports

• Each passage consists of 200-300 words in 12-22 sentences. • All paragraphs are lettered. • All sentences are numbered. • There are three question formats:

o Correction 45% o Revision 35% o Construction shift 20%

• The content areas for multiple-choice items are: o Organization 15%

o Sentence structure 30% o Usage 30%

o Mechanics 25% • Candidates have up to 75 minutes to complete this part of the test.

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Overview of Part II: The Essay The Language Arts Writing Test Part II requires students to generate an essay using many of the same skills as in Part I.

• Students write an expository essay on a specified topic that asks them to present a point of view or an explanation.

• The essay represents about 40% of the Language Arts Writing score. • Students have 45 minutes to write on the assigned topic. They can also use any time

remaining from Part 1 on the essay portion. • No specific length is required for the essay. However, the essay must fit on the two lined

pages provided in the GED answer booklet. • The essay is scored for its overall effectiveness based on well-focused main points, clear

organization, development and detail, control of Edited American English, and appropriate word choice.

• The essay is scored holistically, based on a 4-point rubric:

o 4 – Effective o 3 – Adequate o 2 – Marginal o 1 – Inadequate

• Candidates receive a combined score for Parts I and II. However, a candidate must pass the essay with a score of 2 or higher in order to pass the Language Arts Writing Test. If a candidate does not receive a 2 or higher on the essay, no score is reported for the Writing Test. The candidate must repeat both Parts I and II.

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The Three Types of Questions on Part I

1. Correction

Approximately 45% of the questions on Part I require the student to make corrections in the areas of organization, sentence structure, usage, and mechanics. Correction items can involve one sentence, several sentences, or the entire passage. The student is given a series of correction choices and asked to choose the best one. Example of a correction question: Sentence 10: Ideally, a variety of review courses for the GED are offered at different times and days. What correction should be made to sentence 10?

(1) are offered (2) is offered (3) have offered (4) are offering (5) no correction is necessary

Correct answer: (2) change are offered to is offered

2. Revision Approximately 35% of the questions require the student to make revisions in the areas of sentence structure, usage, and mechanics. The part of the sentence to be revised will be underlined. The first answer is always the same as the original sentence. The student must sometimes recognize that no revision is required. Example of a revision question: Sentence 4: A high school with a below 60% graduation rate may still contain groups of highly successful students but retention would still be considered to be their number one problem.

Which of the following is the best way to rewrite the underlined words in this sentence? (1) successful students but retention (2) students however retention (3) students needing retention (4) students, retention (5) students, but retention

Correct answer: (5) This sentence assesses a student’s ability to recognize and punctuate correctly compound sentences.

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3. Construction Shift Approximately 29% of the questions are in the construction shift format. Some construction shift items require the student to completely rewrite a sentence or pair of sentences. Other items that assess a student’s organization skills may require the student to combine or separate paragraphs or insert a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph. Example of a construction shift question: Sentence 12: The amount of work that parenting brings and the amount of joy that parenting garners is what makes life worthwhile. The most effective shift in the rewriting of sentence 12 would begin with which group of words?

(1) The work and joy, in regard to parenting (2) Parenting with work and joy (3) What makes life worthwhile is the (4) This, work and joy of parenting, (5) The many joys of parenting and all the

Correct answer: (3) This item assesses the student’s ability to restructure a wordy sentence while retaining the initial meaning. The student is provided with part of the new sentence and must test the choices by mentally rewriting it.

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Language Arts Writing GED Test Content Part I

1. Mechanics About 25 percent of Part I of the Writing Test will test knowledge of sentence mechanics. Mechanics concepts tested include capitalization, punctuation and certain spelling rules. Capitalization Rules Be sure to capitalize:

• The first word of a sentence and “I” when it’s used to replace one’s name o Peter and I went out last night.

• Proper nouns and adjectives-- words that name or describe specific person, places, groups, things or ideas

o The Asian Delight Restaurant serves Korean, Japanese and Thai food. • Titles that come directly before a person’s name

o We are all writing letters to Governor Ted Jackson this week. • Holidays, days of the week, and months of the year

o Does Easter Sunday ever occur before the first day of spring? (Note: The names of the seasons are not capitalized.)

Comma Rules Use commas in the following situations:

• In a series—a list of three or more words or phrases o The company provides coffee, tea, sugar, and creamer free for employees. (Note:

A comma before the final and in a series is optional.) • In a compound sentence—two complete sentences joined by the conjunctions and,

but, or, nor, for, yet, so o The classic cars show runs all day, but I have to leave after lunch.

• After introductory elements to separate them from the rest of the sentence o After I get my GED certificate, I will enroll in the community college.

• To set off a non-essential appositive from the rest of the sentence, use a comma before and after the group of words. (Note: If the sentence makes sense without the phrase, then commas are not needed)

o Paolo Rossi, my father-in-law, emigrated from Italy alone at age 12. o The man who won the lottery bought a racehorse.

• To set off parenthetical expressions from the rest of the sentence. Parenthetical expressions add nothing essential to the meaning of the sentence; however, they often signal transitions. Some common parenthetical expressions are for example, incidentally, of course, however, on the other hand.

o Karen, on the other hand, is planning to go to Europe on vacation. • Avoid overuse of commas. To be safe, try to recall the rule that makes the comma

necessary when proofreading your own writing or choosing a GED Writing Test item. Only use commas when there is a rule for its use.

o Sometimes, people, put extra commas in sentences, by mistake. Understand spelling in the formation of possessives, contractions and homonyms

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• Use apostrophes to form the possessive form of nouns

o Add s to show the possessive for a singular noun and for a plural noun that does not end in –s

All of John’s brothers work for the town. The children’s toys are in the garage. Jess’s job is very easy.

o Add only an apostrophe to show the possessive of a plural noun ending in –s Both boys’ rooms were on the second floor. You could hear two babies’ cries all over the store.

o Don’t use apostrophes with the possessive pronouns his, hers, its, ours yours, theirs and whose.

That blue car is ours. • Use an apostrophe to take the place of missing letters in a contraction. Contractions

are two words written together as one. o She’d better look out for his van.

• Use the right form of the word in the case of homonyms, words that sound alike but have different meanings (i.e. bored, board)

o There are no rules for the use of the right homonym—learning them is key.

2. Sentence Structure

About 35% of the Part I of the Writing Test deals with sentence structure. Areas covered include sentence fragments, run-on sentences, comma splices, improper subordination, modification, and parallelism.

Sentence Fragments All sentences should contain a subject and a verb and express a complete thought.

• Fragment: Running down the street • Complete: I saw a bull moose running down the street.

Run-on Sentences A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses run together without linking words or punctuation.

• Run-on: Tom has poison ivy he is coming to the party anyway. • Correction: Tom has poison ivy; he is coming to the party anyway.

or Tom has poison ivy, but he is coming to the party anyway.

or Tom has poison ivy. He is coming to the party anyway.

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Comma Splices Comma splices have two independent clauses joined only with a comma; they lack coordinate conjunctions or the proper punctuation.

• Splice: Learning English is hard I’ll never get the hang of it. • Correction: Learning English is hard. I’ll never get the hang of it. Or

Learning English is hard; I’ll never get the hang of it. (Note: Run-on sentences and comma splices are basically the same thing.) Improper Subordination Subordination combines clauses to show the relationship between them. Subordinate clauses appear in complex sentences which contain an independent clause that can stand alone and a dependent clause which must be joined with the independent clause to complete the thought of the sentence.

• Unclear: Joan could not go out Friday. She was late for curfew. • Improper: Because she was late for curfew. Joan could not go out Friday. • Correction: Because she was late for curfew, Joan could not go out Friday.

(The two clauses are related; they should be joined together with the appropriate conjunction and punctuation.) Dangling Modifiers When a modifier or descriptive phrase is improperly placed in a sentence or allowed to “dangle” (not clearly refer to something), it can be confusing to the reader and often creates a totally different impression from what was intended. Modifiers should always be placed as close as possible to what they are modifying.

• Dangler: Growling ferociously, we encountered a huge, black bear. (Who is doing the growling?)

• Correction: We encountered a huge, black bear growling ferociously. Parallelism Compound (more than one) elements should always be expressed in the same grammatical form.

• Not parallel: I like to watch TV, listen to music, and taking walks. • Correction: I like to watch TV, listen to music and take walks.

End Punctuation Always be sure to use the proper end punctuation for the type of sentence you are using.

• Statement: Presidential elections are held every four years. (Period) • Question: When do we elect the President? (Question mark) • Exclamation: Oh no! I forgot to vote! (Exclamation Point)

Semi-colons

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Use a semi-colon to separate two or more complete thoughts that would otherwise be separated by a coordinate conjunction (and, but, or, nor, etc.).

• Conjunction: The policeman chased the speeder, and he finally caught him. • Semi-colon: The policeman chased the speeder; he finally caught him.

Use a semi-colon before long conjunctions and connecting phrases (therefore, moreover, as a matter of fact, etc.).

• Conjunction: John was late; however, he was allowed to participate anyway. • Phrase: Working conditions had become intolerable; as a result, a

general strike was called.

3. Usage Usage questions are an important part of the Writing Test. About 30% of the multiple choice questions will be on usage. Mastery of these concepts will help a student produce effective pieces of writing. Usage concepts include subject-verb agreement, verb forms and tenses, and pronoun use and agreement. Subject-verb Agreement Agreement simply means that both the subject and the verb must be either singular or plural.

• In the present tense, singular third-person subjects take verbs that end in –s.

Incorrect: David Ortiz practice his batting style every day. Correction : David Ortiz practices his batting style every day.

• Interrupting phrases separate the subject from the verb by a word or phrase. Decide on the subject first by asking who or what the sentence is about and then make the verb agree. Incorrect: Directions to the summer festival is very complicated. Correction: Directions to the summer festival are very complicated.

• Inverted order sentences and questions can be tricky. In questions and sentences that start with here and there, be very careful in locating the subject which is located in the second half of the sentence.

Incorrect: There is maps showing several mountain ranges in the east. Correction: There are maps showing several mountain ranges in the east.

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Verb Tenses

• Verb tense is used to show the approximate time that an action takes place. Verbs have four principal forms that show tense: present, present participle, past and past participle. Correct tenses are important not only in individual sentences but also in the essay or document as a whole. Tense Error: Jane is going to the mall and bought some shoes, a skirt and gift cards. Correction: Jane went to the mall and bought some shoes, a skirt and gift cards.

• Irregular verb form errors do not follow the usual pattern for past tense and past participle information. These forms must be studied, used, and memorized. Form error: She seen that movie before. Correction: She has seen that movie before. Pronouns

• Use a subject pronoun as the subject of the sentence and following a form of the verb to be. Use an object pronoun as object of a verb or a preposition.

Incorrect pronoun: Sheila and me work in the TANF-GED program. Correction: Sheila and I work in the TANF-GED program. Incorrect pronoun: Between you and I, I think this teacher is the best. Correction: Between you and me, I think this teacher is the best.

• Pronoun Agreement with Antecedents The noun that the pronoun stands for is its antecedent. If the noun this pro- noun refers to is plural, the pronoun must also be plural. Incorrect agreement: There’s a message for Mrs. Nelson. Bring them to Room 3. Correction: There’s a message for Mrs. Nelson. Bring it to Room 3.

• A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person also. Incorrect agreement: My kids and I went swimming. They had fun. Correction: My kids and I went swimming. We had fun.

• A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in gender. Incorrect agreement: The doe broke his leg. Correction: The doe broke her leg.

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4. Organization Skills In order to communicate effectively with a reader, writers need to create well-organized essays and other multi-paragraph texts. 15 % of the questions on Part I of the Writing Test will assess the student’s knowledge of the organizational skills necessary to write an effective paragraph. The following concepts are included: effective paragraph divisions, topic sentences, and unity and coherence in writing. Effective Paragraph Divisions Items focusing on effective paragraph divisions ask students to identify:

• where a paragraph should be divided into two paragraphs

o Advertising is a way to get information to people. It increases sales, which creates more jobs for people. Advertising also pays for all the great articles we have in print and shows we see on TV. (A second thought begins here. It should start another paragraph.) However, think about how great things would be without all those people telling us what to wear, what to eat and where to go. The time and space advertising consumes could be used for longer shows and better things to read.

• where two paragraphs should be combined into one.

o People smoke for different reasons. The first is they are addicted; they can’t

break the habit. o Research shows that the nicotine in cigarettes is addictive. That is why quitting

smoking is not always an easy thing to do. (Both paragraphs deal with addiction. They should be combined into one paragraph.)

Topic Sentences The topic sentence serves as an introduction to the paragraph. It should clearly state the main topic of the paragraph and the point that the author is making about that topic:

• Many people don’t vote in elections because they don’t think the government is effective. The topic sentence is often the first sentence in a paragraph, but sometimes it can be placed in the middle and sometimes at the end of a paragraph.

• Every morning, Will walks into the office a half hour late. He uses his work time to phone his current girlfriend. He often slips away from work ten to fifteen minutes early. It is obvious that Will is slacking off at work.

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Unity and Coherence in Writing All paragraphs within an essay should be unified so that all sentences in a paragraph clearly relate to the main idea:

• A good exercise program improves the fitness of all parts of the body. Sit-ups firm stomach muscles. Leg lifts tone the thighs and hips. Push ups build arm strength. Running on place strengthens legs.

Paragraphs should also be coherent – the reader should be able to follow the flow of ideas and details in the paragraph easily.

• Sharon is not a safe driver. She constantly tailgates the car in front of her. She runs red lights, narrowly missing other cars or pedestrians in the intersection. She’s always late for work. Sharon also drives at least fifteen miles above the speed limit. She challenges other drivers to race her.

• A sample question on this type of paragraph might be, “Which sentence should be

removed from the paragraph?” Answer: “She’s always late for work.”

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LA-WRITING CURRICULUM PART I

MECHANICS

The student will apply the basic rules of mechanics to different types of texts including instructional or “how to” documents, workplace communications, and informational documents. (25%)

• Capitalization • Commas • Contractions • Possessives • Homonyms and other commonly confused words

Find capitalization, comma, and possessive rules on pages 5 & 6. Find a list of common homonyms in the Helpful Extras section.

Teaching Recommendations & Applications for Mechanics

• Rather than giving students a list of capitalization rules, have them brainstorm when to use capitals and list on the board. Have students write sentences demonstrating the correct use of capitalization. Have them correct each other’s work. Do the same for comma rules.

• Have students practice their capitalization skills by providing as many practice GED type

questions as possible on that topic. There are a variety of different level practice books available. Do the same for commas, contractions, possessives, and homonyms. (See Recommended Materials & Websites Section)

• Bring in ready made sentences for your students to edit that contain capitalization errors.

Include their names, familiar places, dates, or holidays that they may find interesting. Encourage students to do the same. Do the same for commas.

• Bring “real life” newspapers, signs, and documents with errors into class for students to

edit.

• Be sure that students know that apostrophes are only used in two ways, to form contractions and in possessives.

• Use “fun” worksheets to help teach and practice mechanics skills. Relying on GED books

only may be frustrating for students.

• Have students write interesting sentences using contractions and possessives. A keyword could be given that students all use in their sentences. Million, voting, parent, or polar bears are examples. Ask volunteers to read their sentences aloud. Have students edit sentences.

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• Do daily sentence editing together as a class. Sentences could already be written on the board when students arrive.

• When working on editing worksheets, let students know how many errors they should find.

Have them compare answers before correcting together. This is a helpful practice and seems to motivate students.

• Have students answer questions in complete written sentences to demonstrate and practice

skills. For example, What are five of your favorite foods? (commas) Where and when were you born? (capitalization and commas)

• Be sure that students have a list of common homonyms. (find one in Helpful Extras

Section) Write sentences that demonstrate how each is used. Have students write a sentence using two homonyms in one sentence.

• When correcting student writing, focus on one skill at a time (focused correction) if needed

to make the exercise less frustrating.

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Name:_______________________ Date:_____________________

Mechanics Errors Assessment Understanding the rules of capitalization Directions: In each sentence below correct all errors on capitalization, whether it’s an omitted capital or a capital letter that does not belong. Make the correction directly above the error. 1. Jamie and i went out for dinner on Saturday night. 2. We couldn’t decide whether to get chinese, italian or american so we went to the red apple buffet. 3. We couldn’t believe that former president Bill Clinton was eating there with senator Judd Gregg. 4. I didn’t think we’d see such famous people on a saturday night in october, but it is New Hampshire! Understanding comma rules Directions: In each sentence below correct all examples that use commas incorrectly. Make the correction directly above the error. 5. It was amazing to see lasagna egg rolls pork chops mashed potatoes hamburgers and fries all on one buffet. 6. Some people loaded their plates with a huge mountain of food but I didn’t want to eat that much so I took a small portion. 7. Even though I didn’t think I took a lot I ate far too much. 8. But one famous person whom I will not name had an enormous portion. 9. Jamie being a polite person told me not to stare. 10. But I don’t know, if I enjoyed the food, or the celebrities, who were in the restaurant that evening.

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Understanding the spelling on the formation of possessives, contractions and homonyms Directions: In each sentence below correct all examples that have errors using apostrophes or homonyms incorrectly. Make the correction directly above the error. 11. The restaurants unusual buffet selection appeals to Jamies dad and uncles too. 12. The three uncle’s appetites are hearty, so its a good deal for them. 13. A motto of their’s that they love to see is “All you can eat.” 14. Youd think theyd be large men, but theyre all rail thin. 15. Their just plane lucky since it doesn’t seem fare that they eight all that food and didn’t gain a pound.

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Mechanics Errors Assessment Answers

Understanding the rules of capitalization 1. Jamie and I went out for dinner on Saturday night. 2. We couldn’t decide whether to get Chinese, Italian or American so we went to the Red Apple Buffet. 3. We couldn’t believe that former president Bill Clinton was eating there with Senator Judd Gregg. 4. I didn’t think we’d see such famous people on a Saturday night in October, but it is New Hampshire! Understanding comma rules 5. It was amazing to see lasagna, egg rolls, pork chops, mashed potatoes, hamburgers, and fries all on one buffet. 6. Some people loaded their plates with a huge mountain of food, but I didn’t want to eat that much so I took a small portion. 7. Even though I didn’t think I took a lot, I ate far too much. 8. But one famous person, whom I will not name, had an enormous portion. 9. Jamie, being a polite person, told me not to stare. 10. But I don’t know if I enjoyed the food or the celebrities who were in the restaurant that evening. Understanding the spelling on the formation of possessives, contractions and homonyms 11. The restaurant’s unusual buffet selection appeals to Jamies’s dad and uncles too. 12. The three uncles’ appetites are hearty, so it’s a good deal for them. 13. A motto of theirs that they love to see is “All you can eat.” 14. You’d think they’d be large men, but they’re all rail thin. 15. They’re just plain lucky since it doesn’t seem fair that they ate all that food and didn’t gain a pound.

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LA-WRITING CURRICULUM PART I

SENTENCE STRUCTURE

The student will apply the basic rules of sentence structure (the way sentences are put together) to different types of texts including instructional or “how to” documents, workplace communications, and informational documents. (30%)

• Sentences and Sentence Fragments • Run-on Sentences • Combining Sentences • Comma Splice • Misplaced & Dangling Modifiers • Parallel Structure

Teaching Recommendations & Applications for Sentence Structure

• The four most common errors related to sentence structure are:

the sentence fragment the run-on sentence lack of parallel construction faulty modification

Sentence Fragments and Complete Sentences

• Students need to have a clear understanding of what constitutes a sentence. Start by standing before the class and saying phrases like:

The young girl in the witch costume Found the cost of a new car out of his price range The newly elected President of the United States Threw the gross carcass as far away as he could Ask them what they learned from each group of words and if they have any questions. Have them suggest words to complete the thoughts so they make sense. Take each sentence apart and explain what was missing. Then proceed to the criteria for a group of words to become a sentence.

To qualify as a sentence, a group of words must meet the following criteria:

o It must contain a subject. (the who or what the sentence is talking about) e.g. The latest best seller by Stephen King….

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o It must contain a predicate. (what the sentence is saying about the subject) e.g. is his most scary yet.

o It must express a complete thought. e.g. The latest best seller by Stephen King is his most scary yet.

Give students a list of subjects and have them add a predicate, then a list of predicates and have them supply the subjects. When sentences have been completed, have them name the complete subject and the complete predicate so they understand that often the subject or predicate is not a single word. However, some complete sentences can be made up of very few words and sometimes only one.

• About those short sentences: In the case of exclamations and imperatives, a complete sentence may consist of very few words.. In these sentences, the verb or predicate is the visible part; the subject (you) is understood.. For example: Stop! The speaker is really saying You stop! (You) Help me! (You) Leave me alone!

(You) Go team!

• For review, give students a list containing some fragments and some complete sentences. Have them labeled (s) or (f) and justify their answers. Note: In these early stages, avoid using dependent clauses because they could muddy the waters.

Once they have mastered the concept of simple sentences, you can move on to compound and complex sentences.

• Compound Sentences

A simple sentence is made up of one complete thought. It can also be called an independent clause because it has meaning by itself. If you combine two or more related independent clauses into one sentence you have a compound sentence. Ex. Susan did not feel ready. She refused to take the test. Susan did not feel ready, so she refused to take the test. Combining simple sentences into compound ones give writers the opportunity to vary their writing style and make their work more interesting to read.

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There are three ways to structure a compound sentence:

o Use coordinating conjunctions like “and,” “but, “yet,” “for,” “so,” or “nor” preceded by a comma as in the example above.

o Use a semicolon to join the two independent clauses. Susan did not feel ready; she refused to take the test.

o Use a semicolon and a conjunctive adverb that shows the relationship

between the two clauses. Ex. however, moreover, nevertheless, therefore Susan did not feel ready; therefore, she refused to take the test.

Note: It is important that students understand the meaning and function of connecting words. See the chart on connecting words in the appendix.

Provide students with plenty of practice by giving them groups of independent clauses and the connecting words chart and have them create their own compound sentences. Give them pairs of independent clauses and have them insert the proper connecting words,

• Complex Sentences

Not all clauses are independent, able to stand on their own as a complete sentence. There is another group of clauses called subordinate clauses. These cannot stand alone because they do not express a complete thought. Consider the following:

o After I got home from work o Since he moved into the country o While Jane was washing her hair

These clauses leave the reader with lots of questions about what is going on. They need something to lean on. That something is an independent clause.

o After I got home from work, I took a nap. o Since he moved into the country, he did not see his friends very often. o While Jane was washing her hair, she missed an important phone call.

When you combine a subordinate clause with an independent clause, you have created a complex sentence. The subordinate clause is introduced by a subordinate conjunction for example, words like after, before, since, until, when, although. When the subordinate clause is placed at the beginning of a sentence, it is followed by a comma. If the independent clause introduces the complex sentence, it is not generally followed by a comma.

o Paul was almost at work when he realized it was his day off.

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o Robert’s assistant did not complete the report before he had to go to the meeting. Some practice activities: Give students some newspaper or magazine articles to read. Have them work in pairs and locate complex sentences, name the two clauses and identify the connecting word. After reviewing all three types of sentences, give them lists of sentences and have them identify the type and explain their choice. Have them write a short essay or story in which they incorporate at least two of each type of sentence.

The Run-on Sentence

A run-on sentence is usually the result of one of two types of errors:

• Joining two independent clauses with no punctuation or only a comma instead of separating them with a period or joining them with a semicolon or a connecting word preceded by the appropriate punctuation.

Incorrect: The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive we decided to see it anyway.

The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive, we decided to see it anyway.

Options: The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive. We decided to see it anyway. The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive; we decided to see it anyway.

The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive, but we decided to see it anyway.

The reviews of the remake of “Gone with the Wind” were not very positive; however, we decided to see it anyway.

Note that words like “and,” “but,” or “so,” are preceded by a comma while words like “however,” “moreover,” “nevertheless,” or “therefore” are preceded by a semicolon and followed by a comma.

• Using too many connecting words in one sentence:

Incorrect: It was dark and we were tired so Jane and I decided to call home and ask Joe to pick us up and we had a lot of trouble getting through but we finally did and everything turned out all right.

Improved: It was dark and we were tired, so Jane and I decided to call home and ask Joe to pick us up. (Note that very short independent clauses do not need any punctuation between them.) After some difficulty, we finally got through, and everything turned out all right.

• Because run-on sentences tend to be very prevalent in student writings, sufficient

review is needed to help them identify and correct them. Start by having them look at

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lists of sentences. Have them pick out the run-on sentences and name the different ways they can be corrected.

Any good PreGED or GED text book such as Steck-Vaughn can provide you with many of this type of exercise. You can also create your own exercises by making lists of simple sentences and having students write a second simple sentence related to the first. Students can try various ways to joining them.

Lack of Parallel Structure

In any situation in which a list of two or more words, phrases, clauses, etc. is used in a sentence, all items in the list must be in the same grammatical form or in what is called parallel structure. An alert ear can readily spot any errors in parallel construction by reading the text aloud.

• Keep items in a list in the same part of speech.

Incorrect: I like to run and skiing and bike riding. Correct: I like running, skiing and bike riding.

Or I like to run, ski and bike ride.

• Do not mix phrases and single words.

Incorrect: Be sure to check under the bed, behind the door and the drawers. Correct: Be sure to check under the bed, behind the door and in the drawers.

• Do not combine clauses with words or phrases.

Incorrect: When looking for an apartment, check for cleanliness, security, and if

there is a lease. Correct: When looking for an apartment, check for cleanliness, security and a

lease agreement. Faulty Modification

Modifiers are words or groups of words that describe another word. In order for them to do their job, they must be carefully placed within the sentence. Not to do so can cause confusion for the reader or change the intended meaning of the sentence.

There are two types of faulty modification: misplaced modifiers and dangling modifiers.

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Misplaced modifiers: Modifiers should always be placed as closely as possible to the word they are describing. Otherwise, they are misplaced.

Misplaced: With open jaws showing huge teeth, we saw a crocodile swimming down the river towards our canoe. (Whose jaws?) Correct: We saw a crocodile with open jaws showing huge teeth swimming down the river towards our canoe.

Misplaced: “If you have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, please only answer question 1 and skip question 2.” Correct: “If you have ever been diagnosed with breast cancer, please answer only question 1 and skip question 2.” The word only is one of the most commonly used misplaced modifiers.

Dangling Modifiers: A modifier is dangling when the sentence is missing the subject that the modifier should be describing.

Dangling: Racing down the street, my shoe fell off. (Who is racing?) Correct: Racing down the street, I lost my shoe.

Correct: While I was racing down the street, my shoe fell off.

Students can have a lot of fun learning the concept of faulty modifications by coming up with their own examples to share with their classmates. Artistic students can use their skill to take some of the incorrect sentences and create drawings depicting what is happening in the sentence.

Any number of the recommended texts can give you many exercises to practice

recognizing and correcting these errors in sentence structure and applying correct forms to their writing.

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Name: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________

Sentence Structure Assessment Mark each group of words with an (f) if it is a sentence fragment and a (c) if it is a complete sentence:

1. _____ Arriving at the store.

2. _____ Before the clock struck noon.

3. _____ Into the forest ran the furry creature.

4. _____ Nobody would believe that Uncle Lester had won the lottery.

5. _____ Wishing that she could take back everything she had said during the argument.

6. _____ Stop thief!

7. _____ Who said that?

8. _____ The huge gorilla, gesturing angrily at the crowd outside his cage.

9. _____ Winded but extremely proud, Tim finished his first marathon. Find the error in each of the following sentences and put a circle around it: 1. Cher was having a bad day so she refused to go on stage for her concert. 2. The snake buried itself in the sand he waited for his prey. 3. Tawnya won the title of Miss Winoka Fair moreover she brought home a blue ribbon for her prize sow. 4. Mary was miserable after losing her cat and she knew things would get better. 5. The big truck pulled up in front of the house, the family wondered why. Rewrite the following sentences to correct the error: 1. Irma tripped over the big yellow chair walking into the room.

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2. Every day, Joe looked at ads, checked the Internet and was begging for an apartment. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 3. Hilda makes sure before going to school that her children have their homework and lunches. ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. All the dog wants is to eat his food, a good run in the yard and a warm place sleep. 5. For her interview, Nora wore clothes that were simple, neat, and looked professional. _______________________________________________________________________ Choose a connecting word from the list and join the two clauses in each of the following sentences. Be sure to use correct punctuation. Use each word only once.

after but since nor although while as ______________ she had some misgivings, Melissa accepted an invitation to go to the movies with Derek. She did not enjoy the movie _______________ was she very interested in her date. She wasn’t too keen on going for coffee _______________ the movie ended either. _________________ Derek went to get the car, Melissa tried to come up with an excuse to go right home. ______________ she didn’t have much time, she had to come up with something quickly. ___________________ as Derek approached the front door of the theater, she thought of the perfect excuse. “Derek,” she said. “I would love to have coffee with you __________________ I promised my boyfriend I would be home by ten.”

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Sentence Structure Assessment Answers

Mark each group of words with an (f) if it is a sentence fragment and a (c) if it is a complete sentence:

1. __f___ Arriving at the store.

2. __f__ Before the clock struck noon.

3. __c___ Into the forest ran the furry creature.

4. __c___ Nobody would believe that Uncle Lester had won the lottery.

5. __f___ Wishing that she could take back everything she had said during the argument.

6. __c__ Stop thief!

7. __c___ Who said that?

8. __f___ The huge gorilla, gesturing angrily at the crowd outside his cage.

9. __c___ Winded but extremely proud, Tim finished his first marathon. Find the error in each of the following sentences and put a circle around it: 1. Cher was having a bad day, so she refused to go on stage for her concert. 2. The snake buried itself in the sand; he waited for his prey. 3. Tawnya won the title of Miss Winoka Fair; moreover, she brought home a blue ribbon for her prize sow. 4. Mary was miserable after losing her cat and (but,)she knew things would get better. 5. The big truck pulled up in front of the house; the family wondered why. Rewrite the following sentences to correct the error: 1. Irma tripped over the big, yellow chair walking into the room. Walking into the room, Irma tripped over the big, yellow chair. 2. Every day, Joe looked at ads, checked the Internet and was begging for an apartment. Every day, Joe looked at ads, checked the Internet, and begged for an apartment.

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3. Hilda makes sure before going to school that her children have their homework and lunches.

Hilda makes sure that her children have their homework and lunches before going to school.

4. All the dog wants is to eat his food, a good run in the yard and a warm place to sleep. All the dog wants is food, a good run in the yard and a warm place to sleep. 5. For her interview, Nora wore clothes that were simple, neat, and looked professional. For her interview, Nora wore clothes that were simple, neat, and professional. Choose a connecting word from the list and join the two clauses in each of the following sentences. Be sure to use correct punctuation. Use each word only once.

after but since nor although while as . Although she had some misgivings, Melissa accepted an invitation to go to the movies with Derek. She did not enjoy the movie, nor was she very interested in her date. She wasn’t too keen on going for coffee after the movie ended either. While Derek went to get the car, Melissa tried to come up with an excuse to go right home. Since she didn’t have much time, she had to come up with something quickly. As Derek approached the front door of the theater, she thought of the perfect excuse. “Derek,” she said. “I would love to have coffee with you, but I promised my boyfriend I would be home by ten.” .

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LA-WRITING CURRICULUM PART 1 GRAMMAR USAGE

The student will apply the basic rules of GRAMMAR USAGE to different types of texts including instructional or “how to” documents, workplace communications, and informational documents. (30%)

• Subject-Verb Agreement • Verb Tenses • Irregular Verbs • Pronouns

Teaching Recommendations and Applications for Grammar Usage

• Students will not be asked to identify parts of speech on the GED, but they will need to know these concepts and grammar terminology to make correct choices.

• Some students may never have had exposure to this kind of grammar instruction in their

previous educational experience.

• Students need a lot of oral practice with grammar, so they can train or retrain themselves to the sound of correct grammar usage since there is such a wide gulf between informal, every day usage and formal standard English.

• In general, a singular subject does not end in “s” whereas, a singular present tense verb

ends in an “s”. Ex. Their mother attends school meetings regularly. (Note: There are many singular nouns or subjects that end in “s” such as the words “boss,” “glass,” and “bus”.)

• Conversely, many plural subjects end in “s” whereas plural present tense verbs do not

end in “s” Ex. Many mothers attend school meetings regularly. • Subject-verb agreement can be especially confusing when there is a phrase between the

subject and the verb. Ex. The mother of the boys is going to the school meeting tonight. • Compound subjects can also be troublesome. As an activity to acquaint students with

compound subjects, create a list of compound subjects and ask students to create the predicate. Later, change some of the subjects to pronouns and have students complete the predicates. If additional practice is needed, list sentence predicates and have students generate compound subjects.

• Determining whether an indefinite pronoun is singular or plural is a matter of practice

and memorization. (find an indefinite pronoun chart in the Helpful Extras section.) Many

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indefinite pronouns are used incorrectly in everyday usage. Here’s an example of such an error: Everybody does their best on the GED.

• Stress practice exercises with varied usage errors rather than practicing with only one type of error per practice worksheet. Mixed practice gives students an opportunity to demonstrate their overall understanding of this complex material.

• To teach verb tenses, create a verb tense timeline. (Find a verb tense timeline in Helpful

Extras section) ESOL students need much more practice with this. But caution students not to get stuck in “perfect tense land.” They need to be familiar with perfect tenses, but they do not have to be experts in their use for the GED.

• To practice making correct verb tense choices, have students learn lists of time clue

words such as “yesterday,” “before,” etc. Create worksheets in which students will underline time clues and name the verb tense.

• Create worksheets where the student must fill in the proper verb tense in a paragraph

where verbs have been left out. You could use the same paper for practice with the present, past, and future tense.

• Ask students to write their own sentences, paragraphs or other writing assignments, such

as letters of complaint, personal narratives, or “quick writes” using various verb tenses.

• Students have difficulty with shifts in verb tenses. Practice correcting paragraphs with shifts in tense errors.

• Students need practice with correct pronoun usage. Understanding the difference between

the use of subject, object, possessive and reflexive pronouns requires both thorough instruction and adequate practice. Create practice sheets so students can demonstrate their understanding of the proper use of pronouns. (Find a pronoun usage chart in the Helpful Extras section.) For an alternate to worksheets, pair students and ask them to match index cards with pronouns, their case, and their use.

• Some students will have an easier time if you color code each pronoun case. For

example, write subject pronouns on blue cards, object pronouns on yellow cards, etc. Then ask students to draw a pronoun card at random from a pile and use that pronoun correctly in a sentence of their own.

• Teach students the “Give it the Finger” method of proofreading. This catchy title captures

students’ attention, but gives them a very useful technique to slow proofreading speed by pointing at every word with the index finger while proofing their writing so students are less likely to miss omitted words, wrong word endings, incorrect word choices and misspellings. Like other parts of the writing process, proofreading skill improves with assiduous practice.

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Name______________________________________ Date_________________

Usage Assessment

Circle the correct form of the word in italics: 1. This apple (is, are) delicious. 2. Those birds (was, were) flying south. 3. One of our pets (is, are) missing. 4. Some of the soldiers (is, are) coming home. 5. Everybody in the class (was, were) on time. 6. Neither of the cars (is, are) registered. 7. All of the cookies (was, were) sold at the bake sale. 8. Most of the money (has, have) been spent. 9. July and August (was, were) rainy. 10. Neither Bob nor his friends (is, are) staying for dinner. 11. The orchestra (is, are) playing a hit song. 12. The jury (has, have) reached a verdict. 13. Five dollars (is, are) not too much to ask. 14. Mathematics (is, are) an easy subject for some people. 15. They (doesn’t, don’t) make movies like that anymore. 16. John and (I, me) were invited. 17. The boys and (we, us) are going.

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18. She is as smart as (I, me). 19. He is much stronger than (he, him). 20. She will share it between Bob and (she, her). 21. This is a secret between you and (I, me). 22. Was it (she, her) who called? 23. I don’t know if I am (he, him). 24. He is a man (who, whom) I respect. 25. To (who, whom) did you speak. 26. Do you like (our, us, we) singing. 27. We were undecided about (their, them) trying again.

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Usage Assessment Answers 1. This apple (is, are) delicious. 2. Those birds (was, were) flying south. 3. One of our pets (is, are) missing. 4. Some of the soldiers (is, are) coming home. 5. Everybody in the class (was, were) on time. 6. Neither of the cars (is, are) registered. 7. All of the cookies (was, were) sold at the bake sale. 8. Most of the money (has, have) been spent. 9. July and August (was, were) rainy. 10. Neither Bob nor his friends (is, are) staying for dinner. 11. The orchestra (is, are) playing a hit song. 12. The jury (has, have) reached a verdict. 13. Five dollars (is, are) not too much to ask. 14. Mathematics (is, are) an easy subject for some people. 15. They (doesn’t, don’t) make movies like that anymore. 16. John and (I, me) were invited. 17. The boys and (we, us) are going. 18. She is as smart as (I, me). 19. He is much stronger than (he, him). 20. She will share it between Bob and (she, her). 21. This is a secret between you and (I, me). 22. Was it (she, her) who called? 23. I don’t know if I am (he, him). 24. He is a man (who, whom) I respect. 25. To (who, whom) did you speak. 26. Do you like (our, us, we) singing. 27. We were undecided about (their, them) trying again.

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Name___________________________ Date______________ Usage/Grammar Assessment Directions: The following sentences have verb and pronoun usage errors. Read each sentence carefully, and correct each error by crossing it out and writing the correct form above the cross-out..

1. Because Jane always does laundry with very hot water, her slacks have shrank two inches in length.

2. Either my teacher or the other student will want these great reference books

for their own.

3. A smoke detector and a carbon monoxide alarm is a necessity for a safe home.

4. Seeing the exhaustion on John’s face, nobody doubted that he had rode the full twenty miles in the bike-a-thon.

5. The members of the dance team sashayed in on its toes.

6. The business in which Aida worked paid a decent salary, and they also

provided employees with health insurance.

7. Here is your coat and hat.

8. Sally shared her enormous Greek salad with Joe and I.

9. Why don’t the mayor work on ridding this city of street crime?

10. Theirs nothing unusual about being nervous when starting a new job.

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Answer Key to Usage/Grammar Assessment

1. have shrank is incorrect, should be have shrunk

2. their own should be his/her own (two singular subjects joined by the contraction or always take a singular verb and/or pronoun.)

3. is a necessity should be are a necessity (Two subjects joined by and always take a plural verb.)

4. had rode should be had ridden 5. its toes should be their toes (The pronoun refers to members, plural)

6. and they should be and it ( the pronoun refers to business which is its

correct antecedent)

7. here is should be here are (subject is coat and hat)

8. with Joe and I should be with Joe and me (me is the object of the pronoun with)

9. don’t should be doesn’t (the subject mayor is singular and takes the

singular verb does, not do. Hint: whenever you have a contraction, always take it apart to test the agreement between the subject and verb.)

10. Theirs should be there’s, contraction for there is. Theirs shows

ownership by a plural group.

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LA-WRITING CURRICULUM PART 1

ORGANIZATION

The student will apply the basic rules of organization to different types of texts including instructional or “how to” documents, workplace communications, and informational documents. (15%) The student will improve the organization of written materials.

• Topic Sentences • Text Divisions within paragraphs and documents • Clear Transitions • Unity and Coherence

Teaching Recommendations and Applications for Organization

• Cut up a sentence, word by word, and have students put them in order. Keep the slips in envelopes for quick usage.

• Cut up paragraphs and have students reorder the sentences. This is excellent practice for

finding a topic sentence.

• Provide students with a paragraph containing irrelevant information and sentences. Have the students identify and explain why certain information doesn’t belong in the paragraph.

• Give a topic sentence to a small group and write a paragraph together. This is a lot of fun

and provides “teachable moments.”

• Cut up an essay and have students order the paragraphs. This helps students understand introductions, supporting paragraphs and conclusions.

• Make a copy of an essay leaving out the paragraph divisions. Have students decide

where new paragraphs should begin and end.

• Read a short story with your students. Discuss the organization by asking such questions as how many paragraphs are in the story and what are the thoughts. You could have students rewrite or predict the ending for fun.

• Read some good essays together and discuss what makes them good.

• Have students read their sentences, paragraphs, and/or essays aloud. Be sure they read

what they have written. One way to do this is by having them follow along using their finger. Students will often read words that are not written.

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• Have students keep and use a writing journal.

• Practice brainstorming. Brainstorming is a very important part of the writing process. Demonstrate different ways to do this by using graphic organizers, clustering, or mapping.

• Practice brainstorming different topics with students. Model how to construct an essay

from brainstorming, clustering, mapping and/or graphic organizers.

• Teach different ways of organizing an essay such as compare & contrast.

• Teach transitional words.

Name___________________________ Date______________

ORGANIZATION ASSESSMENT

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Topic Sentences Underline the topic sentences in the paragraphs below: 1. The old-fashioned candy counter was brimming with treats from the past. You could find Halloween candy corn, a fall favorite first made in the 1880’s. There were Mary Janes, chewy peanut butter and molasses candy popular since 1914. My favorites were the Necco wafers. They were first made in 1847 and they still come in the same flavors, including orange, clove, lemon, and wintergreen. 2. The kitchen smelled sweet and gingery, but it looked like a cyclone had struck. The sink was full of dirty mixing bowls and rolling pins, and every surface seemed to be covered with dough. My jeans were dusty with flour, and Sharon had bits of frosting in her hair. We were hot and tired but proud. I will never forget the day my sister and I made ten dozen gingerbread men for the school bake sale. Division and combination of paragraphs Divide the selection below into two appropriate paragraphs: Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America. The southern end of the Eastern Highlands covers most of this tiny but rich country. This is good land for grazing, and Uruguay has large herds of cattle and sheep. Chile is long and skinny. It runs the length of half of the Pacific coast of South America for 2,650 miles. The northern third is in the Andes mountains, an area rich in minerals such as copper and iron ore. Chile also produces most of the world’s crude iodine. Rewrite these sentences in paragraph form. Show whether there should be one or two paragraphs. The sun is extremely important to the earth. It provides us with heat and light and makes life possible for us. We would not be able to survive on earth without the warmth of the sun. The sun is an average-sized star, but it is enormous compared to the earth. In fact, the sun accounts for more than 99 percent of the weight of the whole solar system. It is 1.3 million times larger than the earth and it weighs about 322,000 times as much.

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Unity Cross out the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph below. I am very concerned about the amount of trash along the roads in my town. It is a disgrace to see fast food wrappers and soda cans littering the sides of each road. It’s unpleasant for all of us who live here, and I know it makes a bad impression on tourists who visit, too. People would be healthier if they cooked their own meals at home. I am writing to you as a member of the board of selectmen to ask you to organize a clean-up day so we can improve the appearance of our town. Coherence Arrange these sentences in the best order to make a good paragraph. It could not, because there is not enough moisture in the air to make rain possible. These may be dust storms. Occasionally, patches of fog or haze are seen. Therefore, there are no oceans or other bodies of water. No rain or snow ever falls on Mars.

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ORGANIZATION ASSESSMENT—ANSWER KEY

Topic Sentences Underline the topic sentences in the paragraphs below: 1. The old-fashioned candy counter was brimming with treats from the past. You could find Halloween candy corn, a fall favorite first made in the 1880’s. There were Mary Janes, chewy peanut butter and molasses candy popular since 1914. My favorites were the Necco wafers. They were first made in 1847 and they still come in the same flavors, including orange, clove, lemon, and wintergreen. 2. The kitchen smelled sweet and gingery, but it looked like a cyclone had struck. The sink was full of dirty mixing bowls and rolling pins, and every surface seemed to be covered with dough. My jeans were dusty with flour, and Sharon had bits of frosting in her hair. We were hot and tired but proud. I will never forget the day my sister and I made ten dozen gingerbread men for the school bake sale. Division and combination of paragraphs Divide the selection below into two appropriate paragraphs:

Uruguay is one of the smallest countries in South America. The southern end of the Eastern

Highlands covers most of this tiny but rich country. This is good land for grazing, and Uruguay has large herds of cattle and sheep.

Chile is long and skinny. It runs the length of half of the Pacific coast of South America for 2,650 miles. The northern third is in the Andes Mountains, an area rich in minerals such as copper and iron ore. Chile also produces most of the world’s crude iodine. Rewrite these sentences in paragraph form. Show whether there should be one or two paragraphs.

The sun is extremely important to the earth. It provides us with heat and light and makes life possible for us. We would not be able to survive on earth without the warmth of the sun.

The sun is an average-sized star, but it is enormous compared to the earth. In fact, the sun accounts for more than 99 percent of the weight of the whole solar system. It is 1.3 million times larger than the earth and it weighs about 322,000 times as much. Unity Cross out the sentence that does not belong in the paragraph below.

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I am very concerned about the amount of trash along the roads in my town. It is a disgrace to see fast food wrappers and soda cans littering the sides of each road. It’s unpleasant for all of us who live here, and I know it makes a bad impression on tourists who visit, too. People would be healthier if they cooked their own meals at home. I am writing to you as a member of the board of selectmen to ask you to organize a clean-up day so we can improve the appearance of our town.

Coherence Arrange these sentences in the best order to make a good paragraph.

No rain or snow ever falls on Mars. It could not, because there is not enough moisture in the air to make rain possible. Therefore, there are no oceans or other bodies of water. Occasionally, patches of fog or haze are seen. These may be dust storms.