Multiple Choice & Essay

 Essay- first draft response to a given prompt; the goal is to assess your ability to develop and express ideas.  Develop a point of view, presents ideas logically and clearly, and uses precise language.  Multiple-choice- recognize sentence errors, choose best version of writing, improve paragraphs

 49 questions on grammar and usage.  DON’T ask you to define or use grammatical terms.  DON’T test spelling or capitalization.  DO have you choose the best answer based on clarity, correct grammar

 Goal: to write with clarity and thought out ideas  To write better you have to write more.  To write better you have to read more.  When you read challenging material, to more you’ll be exposed to interesting and provocative ideas and to varied use of language.

 Characteristics:  Consistency ◦ Sequence of tenses (After he broke his arm, he is home for two weeks.) ◦ Shift of pronoun (If you are tense, one should try to relax.) ◦ Parallelism (The carpenter showed us how to sink the nails, how to varnish the wood, and getting a smooth surface was also demonstrated.) ◦ Subject-verb agreement (There is eight people on shore.)

 Logical expression of ideas: ◦ Coordination and subordination (Nancy has a rash, and she is probably allergic to something.) ◦ Logical comparison (Harry grew more vegetables than his neighbor’s garden.) ◦ Modification and word order (Barking loudly, the tree had the dog’s leash wrapped around it.)

 Clarity and Precision: ◦ Ambiguous and vague pronouns (In the newspaper they say that few people voted.) ◦ Diction (He circumvented the globe on his trip.) ◦ Wordiness (There are many problems in the contemporary world in which we live.) ◦ Missing subject (If your car is parked here while not eating in the restaurant, it will be towed away.) ◦ Weak passive verbs (When you bake a cake, the oven should be preheated.)

 Appropriate Use of Conventions: ◦ Adjective and adverb confusion (His friends agree that he drives reckless.) ◦ Pronoun case (He sat between you and I at the stadium.) ◦ Idiom (Natalie had a different opinion towards her.) ◦ Comparison of modifiers (Of the 16 executives, Meg makes more money.) ◦ Sentence fragment (Whether or not the answer seems correct.) ◦ Comma splice or fused sentence (Shawna enjoys puzzles, she works on one everyday.)

 Read each sentence quickly and carefully.  Read aloud during practice at home.  Look for the most common mistakes people make in grammar: subject/verb agreement, adjective/adverb confusion.  Look for errors in an idiom (words or phrases that are particular to our language because of what they mean when used together) Ex/talk behind someone’s back; not on someone’s back

 Verb forms that function as adjectives.  In the present tense, participles always end in –ing (laughing, falling, gusting). Present participles  In the past tense, participles often end in –ed, -en, or –t (cooked, broken, spent, lost); some are irregular (bought, wrung)  Ex/Raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked ones.

 Group of words that begins with a participle.  The entire phrase is an adjective used to modify a noun.  Fix this: Tourists see statues of many famous patriots walking along Boston’s Freedom Trail.  What appears to be walking?  Tourists walking along Boston’s Freedom Trail see statues of many famous patriots.

 1. I thought I heard a strange rattle driving my car.  2. Strumming on his guitar, we suddenly remembered where we had seen this folk singer before.  3. I turned the corner and bumped into an elderly man paying no attention to where I was going.  4. The caterer served refreshments to the guests wearing a frilly white apron.

 5. Orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, research astronomers discovered a new group of asteroids.  6. I saw a long line of traffic looking both ways before I tried to cross the street.  7. Raised in an open field without any pesticides, I prefer vegetables and fruits.  8. Cooked too long, she thought the pasta did not taste good anymore.  9. Spiced with Italian herbs, I had never tasted anything quite like Imelda’s salad.  10. Wrapped in brightly colored paper, Matt tore open the birthday present.

 Careful and close reading is key!  Focus: the ability to recognize and write clear, effective, accurate sentences.  Many questions deal with compound or complex sentences.  Compound sentence- has two or more independent clauses but no subordinate clause. Shelley was born in England, but he died in Italy.  Complex sentence- contains one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses.  Although sailors encountered Shelley’s boat in a storm, Shelley refused their offer to go on board.

 Using similar structures in a series. Creates balance in a sentence.  Ex/ Hawaii is famous for its beautiful beaches, and Montana is well known for its majestic mountains.  Hawaii, Montana are the subjects.  Both described with adjectives – famous/well known  Both have a prepositional phrase that tells us for what they are famous/well known.

 Sharon wanted to have the party at her house on Saturday night rather than in a restaurant on Sunday afternoon.  How is this balanced?  Always try to balance a word with a word, a phrase with a phrase, a clause with a clause.

 1. On a hot day, I like swimming or to sit in the shade.  2. The message was short, quiet, and what I couldn’t understand.  3. I want to know when you are going to be home, where you will be if I need to call you, and the kind of transportation you are going to use to get there.  4. A teacher needs patience and to be aware.  5. I decided to buy the gift whether the store took credit cards or even making me pay cash.

 6. The legislature should approve the budget and can lower taxes if possible.  7. The movie was not entertaining or a pleasant experience.  8. She is hoping for a career in medicine, law, or to be an engineer.  9. I try to be honest, hardworking, and to pay attention to my friends.  10. The produce in that store is fresh, well displayed, and costs too much.