| Exemplary Prose: |
| Essential Writing Skills in Context |
Recognize and correct
sentences which do not make sense in English; apply sentence sense.
I believe one develops sentence sense simply by exposing oneself to writing and reading. Like any other sense, it needs to be developed and nurtured and, over time, one will develop an innate ability to recognize right from wrong, even if you don't know why. Sentences will simply "sound" right, and more often than not, you will be correct.
A sentence is defined as a set of words complete in itself as the expression of a thought, containing or implying a subject and a predicate, and conveying a statement, question, exclamation, or command. Of course, not all sentences follow this definition. Wow! Can you believe that there are exceptions to the rules of English? I apologize for being facetious but the inconsistency of the English language has has been the root cause of my hair turning gray (or is it grey?).
For purposes of the HSGQE, it would be in your best interest to utilize the four different kinds of sentences that are available to you. By utilizing all four, your writing will show variety, and variety is always good. The four different kinds of sentences are:
1. Declarative sentence
A declarative sentence makes a statement or tells something. It ends with a period.
The rain is really ruining our plans.
2. Interrogative sentence
An interrogative sentence asks a question. It ends with a question mark.
Will this rain ever end?
3. Imperative sentence
An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request. It ends with a period.
Be sure to bring your raincoats, it's wet out there.
4. Exclamatory sentence
An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feeling or surprise. It ends with an exclamation point.
The rain has finally stopped and here comes the sun!
Another tip I can pass your way concerns sentence length. Again, I can't stress variety enough. You should consciously try to vary the length of your sentences in your writing. Don't force it so that your writing is disjointed and lacking flow, but keep it in mind as you continually strive to construct the perfect essay. The proper use of colons and semicolons helps to showcase your mastery of the language, and complex sentences exhibit your capacity for deep thought.
Below are 11 questions from the writing portion of the HSGQE practice test that test your sentence sense. Give them a try and check your answers using the interactive links.
1. A student wrote a paragraph about a trip to the video store. There are some mistakes that need correcting.
After school, we went to the video store. Looking at all the new releases. We stayed in the store for a whole hour, but we still weren't able to decide on a movie we would all like. We decided to play a game instead.
Choose the best way to write the italicized sentence.
A. My friend looking at all the new releases.
B. We were looking at all the new releases.
C. Having to look at all the new releases.
D. Best as it is: Looking at all the new releases.
2. Planes
Most people in the United States are familiar with traveling on large jet planes, but very
few have ever traveled in small propeller driven aircraft. In Alaska, many people have
experienced such flight. Traveling to cabins for hunting and fishing. In fact,
small planes is necessary to move people and goods to villages around our vast state.
Choose the best way to write the italicized sentence.
A. To travel to cabins or to hunt and fish.
B. Planes are often the quickest way to travel to cabins for hunting and fishing.
C. Planes take people to cabins for hunting or to fish.
D. Best as it is: Traveling to cabins for hunting and fishing.
Find answer and explanation here.
3. Directions: Here is another sentence sense question from the Planes paragraph.
Which is the best way to write the underlined sentence?
A. Small planes, in fact, is necessary to move people and goods to villages around our vast state.
B. In fact, small planes are necessary to move people and goods to villages around our vast state.
C. In fact, small planes will be necessary to move people and goods to villages around our vast state.
D. Small planes, in fact, is being necessary to move people and goods to villages around our vast state.
Find explanation and answer here.
4. Trisha's friend Steve wrote his paper about cars. Choose the sentence that is complete and written correctly.
The answer, along with an explanation, can be found here.
5. Choose the sentence below that is written correctly.
A. I plan to get my license when I turn sixteen.
B. They're thinking of rising the age to seventeen.
C. Them two boys in my English class got their licenses last week.
D. My desire to get my license has raised each year.
6. Choose the best way to write Sentence 8.
A) It requires more skill and physical conditioning, the Falls creek Trail lays just off the Seward Highway beyond McHugh Creek.
B) Requiring more skill and physical conditioning, the Falls Creek Trail lies just off the Seward Highway beyond McHugh Creek.
C) The Falls Creek Trail requires more skill and physical conditioning because it lies just off the Seward Highway beyond McHugh Creek.
D) Best as it is: Requiring more skill and physical conditioning, the Falls Creek Trail lays just off the Seward Highway beyond McHugh Creek.
7. Directions: Choose the answer that is
written correctly and shows the correct capitalization and punctuation.
A) “What questions do we have to answer for homework,” Tiffany asked.
B) “Please turn in your papers to the basket on the front of the desk,” said Mrs. Miller, the Spanish teacher.
C) Tammy the girl in the front row asked, “How much is this worth?”
D) “There will be no spanish homework tonight,” the teacher said.
8. Look at the underlined part. Choose the answer that shows the best capitalization and punctuation for that part.
The huge tractor had blocked the highway it was moving a rock slide off the road.
A. Highway. It
B. highway, it
C. highway. It
D. Correct as it is
9. Maria wrote this report about skyscrapers. There are some mistakes that need corrections. Read the paragraph. Then answer the question.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century, American
cities were growing rapid. Because of the high price of land and limited
space, building vertically seemed practical. Due to the development of
sufficiently strong metal frameworks which were able to support many floors, the
giant buildings we know as skyscrapers emerged. The first metal-frame
skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago between the years
of 1884 and 1885. It was torn down about forty-five years later. In the
motion picture Godzilla, the giant
beast is perched upon the Empire State Building. The world’s tallest
skyscrapers are found in Chicago and New York City.
Choose the best way to write the italicized sentence.
A. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, growing rapidly American cities.
B. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, American cities were growing rapidly.
C. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, American cities were growing more rapid.
D. Best as it is: Towards the end of the nineteenth century, American cities were growing rapid.
10. Read the passage and look at the underlined part. Choose the answer that shows the best capitalization and punctuation.
Sparrow is the common name for various small, perching birds:
found throughout most of the world. There are approximately fifty species
who make their home in North America. The birds are about six inches long and
they usually have brown or gray coloration and short, cone-shaped bills.
Sparrows feed on grass, seeds, buds fruit, and insects. Their musical
song not only delights people. But it keeps the large flocks
together. Sparrows feed, dust-bathe, and roost in close communities.
A. Birds. Found
B. birds found
C. birds; found
D. Correct as it is
Answer: B We were looking at all the new releases. Return to 1.
Answer: The correct answer is B. You must recognize that sentence three is a run-on, as is answer A; therefore, it is inappropriate as is answer D. Sentence C is incorrect because it is not parallel. Return to 2.
Answer for 3: The correct answer is B. This question asks you to recognize a problem with subject-verb agreement. "Planes" is a plural word; therefore, your verb needs to be "are." Sentence C is not appropriate because "will be" is not present tense but future perfect tense. Return to 3.
Answer for 4: The correct answer is D. Answer A is incorrect because it contains a dangling modifier. Answer B is a run-on. Answer C is both a fragment and has tense problems. Return to 4.
Answer for 5: The correct answer is A. Answers B and D are not correct because the form of the verb "to rise" is incorrect. Answer C is incorrect because the pronoun "Them" should be "Those." Return to 5.
The correct answer is B. You must recognize that the original sentence uses an incorrect form of the verb "to lie." Answer B uses the correct form. Sentence A is a run-on. Sentence C implies that the reason the trail is difficult is because of the highway it is near and is, therefore, incorrect. Return to 6.
The correct answer for 7 is B. In sentence A, there should be a question mark before the final quotation marks rather than a comma. In sentence C, "the girl in the front row" is an appositive for "Tammy" and should be set off by commas. In sentence D, "spanish" should be capitalized as it is a proper noun. Return to 7.
The answer for 9 is B. Return to 9.