OUC 301 Select the most logical place to add a sentence in a paragraph.

The ACT The ACT English test often asks us where a sentence should be added to a paragraph or an essay. There are a few things we should take in to consideration before deciding whether or not a sentence should be added. There are also a few tricks to use to try to determine the correct placement of a sentence.

Irrelevant (Unnecessary) Information Redundant (Repetitive) Material Contradictory (Opposite) Information Look to Transitions (First, Then, After, Following, etc.) as Clues Look for a Hint

Irrelevant (Unnecessary) Information We need to be careful not to add or allow irrelevant information to remain in a paragraph. Make sure when you are prompted to add a sentence to a paragraph that the sentence is similar to the topic of the paragraph. Remember—the ACT often asks whether or not a sentence should be added.

Redundant (Repetitive) Material Redundant material—we need to make sure that a paragraph does not have two statements that say the same thing. We have figured out how to delete wordiness in terms of words and phrases, but we also need to make sure that sentences do not say the same thing.

Contradictory Information Contradictory (the opposite) Information We need to make sure that a sentence that is going to be added to a paragraph is not contradictory to what the paragraph is saying. It is important to make sure that a sentence does not say the opposite of what an already present sentence says. For example, if a paragraph is talking about the importance of growing vegetables organically without pesticides, and the ACT asks you if you should add the following sentence to the final paragraph:  “Using pesticides in farming is an important part of the process.” You should answer: “No, because the sentence contradicts the message of the essay regarding farming without pesticides.”

Look to Transitions as Clues Look for transitions to use as clues. If a paragraph is telling us the story or the history of HOW something happened or providing chronologic details, there may be transitions present to help us identify the order in which sentences should be arranged in a paragraph. Look for transition words like First, Next, Then, Finally, Following, Next, etc.)

Look for a Hint Look for terms mentioned in the sentence in the paragraph—see if the sentence will fit before or after Try to find what or who the sentence is talking about in the paragraph For instance, if the ACT is asking you to add a sentence about canning tomatoes to a paragraph, look for mention of tomatoes in the paragraph. If the entire paragraph is about canning tomatoes, then look deeper for more specifics.