Transcript Many students suffer from a guilty conscience

SAT Test Prep
Lesson #4 – Writing
Source: AVID Coordinator’s Training on February 6, 2014 by Study Smart Tutors http://studysmarttutors.com/
“To succeed, we must first
believe that we can.”
-Michael Korda
Writing Quick Facts
• This section discusses error ID and
improving sentences and paragraphs
• All sections, except paragraph improvement,
increase in difficulty
• The grammar section has a lot of traps since
test takers usually respond based on what
“sounds good” and not what is actually
correct
• Grammar tests: 25 minutes, 35 minutes, 10
minutes
Error ID Questions
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There is never more than one error in a
sentence
One answer will be easy to eliminate
The non-underlined part is never wrong
“No Error” will occur about 20% of the time
Improving Sentences
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You must identify & correct the error
Answer (A) always repeats the question
If there is something wrong, eliminate (A)
There can be multiple errors in a sentence
(unlike error ID questions)
Shorter revisions are best
Using Answers as a Guide
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When questions are challenging, use the
answer choices for guidance.
Periods & Semicolons
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Periods should only be at the end of complete
sentences.
Semicolons (;) are used when two sentences
are closely related
Semicolons are also used with conjunctive
adverbs such as therefore and however
Semicolons can also be used in lists following a
colon
Semicolon Example #1
Question:
Answer:
Why does the
sentence “I’m going
to the grocery store; I
need to buy food for
the party” have a
semicolon?
The two statements “I’m
going to the grocery store”
and “I need to buy food for
the party” are related. They
are also two separate
independent clauses that
could otherwise be separated
by a period.
Semicolon Example #2
Question:
Answer:
Why does the
sentence “I wanted to
play golf today;
however, I have to go
to school” have a
semicolon?
The sentence uses the
conjunctive adverb, however.
Using a semicolon before the
adverb and a comma after
helps unite the two sentence
parts.
Semicolon Example #3
Question:
Answer:
Why does the
sentence “My road
trip will take me to
the following places:
Istanbul, Turkey;
Rome, Italy; and
Paris, France” have a
semicolon?
The sentence has a list of
places that relate to a single
trip. The places are
independent and therefore
separated by semicolons.
The Apostrophe
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Apostrophes are used to signal possession
Apostrophes can also be used to replace letters
that are removed in contractions
Apostrophes Example #1
Question:
Answer:
Jeff ’s hat is very
ugly. Sarah’s paper is
quite interesting.
Apostrophes are used to
show that Jeff owns the hat
and Sarah wrote the paper.
Apostrophes Example #2
Question:
Answer:
Don’t, let’s, wouldn’t,
couldn’t
Each word represents a
contraction between two
words, so an apostrophe is
used.
The Colon
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The colon is used in two situations. Both need
independent clauses, or complete sentences,
before the colon
Colons are used to 1.) introduce lists, 2.)
introduce an explanation or example
Colon Example #1
Question:
Answer:
After four days, the
jury made its
decision: the
defendant was guilty.
The colon separates a
complete sentence from a
single example decision.
Colon Example #2
Question:
Answer:
Why is the use of a
colon in the sentence
“My favorite places to
eat are: Burger Pit,
Pizza palace and at
home” incorrect?
The colon is used incorrectly
because the first half of the
sentence is not preceded by
a complete sentence.
Noun Agreement
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Nouns must agree with other nouns and verbs
in the sentence
Make sure the noun is consistently singular or
plural
Noun Agreement Example #1
Question:
Answer:
Many students suffer from a guilty
conscience immediately after
cheating on a difficult exam.
a) Many students suffer from a
guilty conscience
b) Many student suffer from a
guilty conscience
c) Many students suffer from guilty
conscious’
d) Many students suffer from guilty
consciences
e) Many students suffer from guilt
conscience’s
The correct answer is
letter d because if there
are many students, a
plural noun, they must
have many
consciences, another
plural term.
Noun Agreement Example #2
Question:
Answer:
High school students who play
sports are more likely to become a
successful college student.
a) Are more likely to become a
successful college student
b) Are more likely to become
successful college students
c) Is more likely to be a successful
college student
d) Is more likely to be successful
in college
e) Are more likely to succeed
when going to college
Letter b is correct
because there are
many students who
play many sports, both
are plural terms. The
result, all nouns must
be consistently plural,
so the final word
“student” must be
changed to be plural,
“students”
Subject/Verb Agreement
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Singular subjects must take singular verbs and
plural subjects must take plural verbs
Subject/Verb Agreement Example #1
Subject/Verb Agreement Example #2
And vs. Or
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Subjects joined by “and” are always plural
Subjects joined by “or” can be singular or
plural. If the last noun is singular, it takes a
singular verb. If the last noun is plural, it takes
the plural verb
And vs. Or Examples
Additional Practice
With any remaining class time, choose one or
more of the categories to practice online:
Improving Sentences
Identifying Sentence Errors
Improving Paragraphs