About the ged writing exam10 docx

Editing, on the other hand, deals with grammar correct sentences, mechanics correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation, and usage correct use of words and idioms.. Editing is very

the same paragraph, revised to show variety in sentence

structure:

She is a teacher and lives on a ranch in Montana

with her cat and dog Because she has family in

California, she travels there frequently.

Notice how much more interesting this paragraph is

now The seven sentences have been combined into two,

and only one sentence starts with she Many of the short

sentences have been turned into modifiers that make for

more varied sentence patterns

Sentence structure and punctuation can also be used

to manipulate emphasis The best place to put sentence

elements that you want to emphasize is at the end (the

“save the best for last” approach) What comes last is

what lingers longest in the readers’ ears

He is tall, dark, and handsome [The emphasis is

on handsome If tall is the most important

char-acteristic, then that should come last.]

She is smart, reliable, and experienced [The

emphasis is on experienced; if smart is the most

important characteristic, then that should be

last in the list.]

You can also use an em dash to set off part of a

sen-tence for emphasis:

He is tall, dark, handsome—and married.

Here, the stress on the last element is heightened by

the dash, which emphasizes the sense of disappointment

in the sentence

Don’t Repeat Repeat Yourself

On the sentence level, in general, less is more

The fewer words you use to get your point

across, the better Redundancy is the

unneces-sary repetition of ideas Wordiness is the use of

several words when a few can express the

same idea more clearly and concisely Avoid

both of these as you write your essay

Wordiness and redundancy typically result from three causes:

➧The use of unnecessary words or phrases

Redundant: Turn left at the green-colored

house

Correct: Turn left at the green house.

➧Unnecessary repetition of nouns or pronouns

Redundant: Riva she couldn’t believe her

ears

Correct: Riva couldn’t believe her ears.

➧The use of wordy phrases instead of adverbs

Wordy: She spoke in a very convincing

manner

Concise: She spoke very convincingly.

Don’t skimp on details, but try not to waste words

Step 6: Proofread Carefully

In the three-step writing process, the third step is to revise and edit What exactly is the difference between

revising and editing, anyway?

To revise means to carefully read over your essay and

make changes to improve it Revising focuses on

improv-ing the content (what you say) and style (how you say it).

In other words, when you revise, you concentrate on the

“big picture”: your ideas and how you organize and pres-ent them in your essay Editing, on the other hand, deals

with grammar (correct sentences), mechanics (correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation), and usage

(correct use of words and idioms)

Editing is very important; your writing should be as clear and correct as possible But as a general rule, it doesn’t make much sense to carefully proofread each sentence, only to realize that you need to rewrite several paragraphs

However—and this is a big “however”—the guide-lines are a little different on a timed essay exam, espe-cially when the time is so short Because your time is so

limited, revising should actually take place before you

write, while you are outlining your essay As you outline,

– W R I T I N G A N E F F E C T I V E E S S AY –

make sure you have a clear thesis that addresses the

writ-ing prompt, sufficient and relevant support, and logical

organization You probably won’t have time to rewrite

paragraphs or add new ones That’s why it’s crucial to

outline so carefully But you will probably have a few

minutes to change word order, adjust word choice, and

correct grammatical and mechanical mistakes And this

final “polishing” step can help make your ideas come

across much more clearly for your readers

 S a m p l e E s s a y

You have seen the brainstorming and outline for the

good neighbor prompt Now, here is a complete essay

This essay would score a “4” on the GED exam

No matter where you live, you have neighbors

The kind of neighbors you have can make a big

difference in how happy you are I’m lucky to

have wonderful neighbors The people who live

next to me are friendly, they are helpful, and

they respect boundaries

Friendly neighbors help make it nice to live

where you do Grumpy, unpleasant neighbors

don’t usually do you any harm, but they don’t

make you feel good, either A friendly neighbor

makes you feel welcome For example, our

neighbors, Mr and Mrs Ulerio and their

chil-dren, are very friendly Whenever we see them,

they say a cheerful hello and ask how we’re

doing Mr and Mrs Ulerio often chat with my

parents, and every Christmas, Mrs Ulerio and

her daughter Jessica bring us homemade

cook-ies They make us feel like they’re glad to have us

next door

Good neighbors aren’t just friendly, they’re also helpful If we run out of sugar while baking

or need one more egg for a recipe, we know we can run over to the Ulerios’ or our other neigh-bors, the Zurowskis’ Mr Zurowski is particu-larly helpful to my dad My dad doesn’t have a lot of tools, but Mr Zurowski does, and he’s always willing to lend them to my dad He also helps my dad with projects once in a while, like fixing the roof on the dog house There have also been plenty of times when we stayed with Mrs Ulerio while our parents were out

Perhaps the most important aspect of being a good neighbor is respecting boundaries I think most of us could live with neighbors who are unfriendly or never offer a helping hand But few of us will tolerate neighbors who don’t respect our property and our privacy Our old neighbors, for example, used to come and take toys and lawn equipment from our shed with-out asking Sometimes, we’d have to go to their house and ask for our things back because they didn’t return them Even worse, my Uncle Andy’s neighbors were extremely nosy and gos-sipy They got involved in Uncle Andy’s divorce and made the experience more complicated and painful for everyone

Good neighbors like mine are hard to find I hope I will always have neighbors like the Ule-rios and Zurowskis They are kind, they know when to help, and they respect our property and privacy

– W R I T I N G A N E F F E C T I V E E S S AY –

One of the myths about writing is that either you have writing talent, or you don’t True, some

people have a special gift for effective writing But good writing is a skill, and like other skills, it

is something that everyone can learn.

Throughout this chapter, you will review the structure of the writing exam and specific tips you can use to improve your score on the test Read this chapter carefully, and then review your notes from the whole Language Arts, Writing section When you are ready, move on to the practice questions that follow

 T h e G E D L a n g u a g e A r t s , W r i t i n g Te s t i n a N u t s h e l l

The GED Language Arts, Writing Test consists of two parts Part I (75 minutes) will ask you 50 questions about sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and organization These questions will be drawn from informational pas-sages, business documents such as memos, and how-to texts You will be asked the best way to correct or revise sentences or paragraphs

Part II (45 minutes) will ask you to write an essay of about 250 words (four to five paragraphs) Your essay prompts may ask you to write a narrative essay (tell a story), a persuasive essay (argue a point of view), or expos-itory essay (explain or describe your response to a question) Essays are scored holistically, taking into account

C H A P T E R

Tips and Strategies for the GED

Language Arts, Writing Exam

YOU HAVE reviewed what you need to know for the Language

Arts, Writing Exam Now you will learn some specific tips and strate-gies to use on the writing exam

11

 S e n t e n c e S t r u c t u r e

Sentence structure refers to the way we put words

together in sentences Chapter 6 reviewed the building

blocks of sentences: subjects, predicates, and objects;

independent and dependent clauses; sentence

bound-aries; parts of speech; and parallel structure

Approximately one-third of the questions on the GED

writing test will be about sentence structure Here are

some tips for tackling questions about sentence structure:

■ Look for words that signal relationships and

make connections: subordinating conjunctions,

coordinating conjunctions, and conjunctive

adverbs These words help describe the

relation-ship between ideas and determine sentence

boundaries and punctuation

■ Look carefully at word order Are modifiers close

to the things they modify?

■ Look for grammatical patterns Is there—or

should there be—parallel structure at work in the

sentence?

■ Could sentences be combined effectively?

■ If you suspect a sentence fragment, isolate that

sentence and see if it makes sense on its own If

not, it probably needs to be combined with

another sentence or revised to be complete

■ If you suspect a run-on sentence, look at each

clause Is it independent? If so, is there strong

enough punctuation or connecting words

between the clauses?

 U s a g e

Another third of the questions on Part I will be about

usage: the rules that govern the form of the words we use

and how we put those words together in sentences

Chapter 7 reviewed the usage rules you should know for

the exam Here are some specific tips for questions about

usage

Verbs

Because verbs are the driving force in every sentence, and

because verbs can take so many different forms, you can

be sure that many usage questions will be about verbs

Here are five tips to help you prepare for those questions:

1 Memorize irregular and troublesome verb forms.

2 Remember that verbs should be consistent in

tense.

3 Make sure that verbs agree with their subjects.

4 Make sure the correct helping verbs are used to

convey the intended meaning

5 Use infinitives and gerunds correctly.

Indefinite Pronouns

To remember singular indefinite pronouns, note that

someone, anyone, everyone, and no one all contain the

word one One, of course, is singular Indefinite pronouns beginning with some, any, every and no are all singular.

Agreement

When it comes to agreement, think of sentences as a scale with subjects on one side and verbs on the other, or with antecedents on one side and pronouns on the other The subjects and verbs need to agree in order for the scale to

be balanced Likewise, the pronouns need to agree with their antecedents to balance the scale

Pronouns

It’s so easy to make a mistake with pronouns and con-tractions because we show possession of nouns with an

apostrophe (Ralph’s car) With pronouns, however,

pos-session does not require an apostrophe If you get con-fused, think of a possessive pronoun that doesn’t get

confused with contractions, like my or our These do not

have apostrophes; other possessive pronouns shouldn’t, either

And here’s one way to remember to use that when referring to things: both words begin with the letter t.

Prepositional Idioms

If prepositional idioms tend to give you problems, try writing sentences with the idioms to give yourself extra practice Create a worksheet for yourself or someone else who may also need extra idiom review

 M e c h a n i c s

About one-fourth of the questions on Part I will be about mechanics: the rules that govern punctuation, capitalization, and spelling Chapter 8 reviewed punctu-ation guidelines, rules for correct capitalizpunctu-ation, and

– T I P S A N D S T R AT E G I E S F O R T H E G E D L A N G U A G E A R T S , W R I T I N G E X A M –

spelling for contractions and possessive pronouns as well

as homonyms Here are some specific tips for handling

questions about mechanics

Punctuation

Remember that punctuation marks are used to separate

sentences, show the relationships between ideas, reveal

tone, and clarify meaning Each punctuation mark has a

specific function and should only be used in specific

sit-uations Take the time to memorize the uses for each

punctuation mark Here are some tips to help you learn

them:

■ Pay attention to how punctuation is used as you

read Now that you know the rules, the more you

see them in action, the easier it will be to

remem-ber them

■ Write your own sentences with each punctuation

mark and each comma rule Notice how

punctua-tion can change the impact and meaning of

sentences

■ Teach the punctuation rules to someone else

Capitalization

When capitalization is the issue, ask yourself whether the

word in question is specific or general If it is a specific

person, place, or thing, then it probably should be

capi-talized Remember, in this regard, specific means

partic-ular or individual, not detailed For example, a poodle is

a specific type of dog, but it is not capitalized because it

doesn’t refer to a specific (individual or particular) dog

Rover, however, should be capitalized because Rover is a

specific (particular, individual) dog

Contractions

Whenever you come across a question with a

contrac-tion, read it as two words If it doesn’t make sense, then

you need a possessive pronoun, not a contraction

Elim-inate the apostrophe

Homonyms

Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to prepare for

questions about homonyms is to memorize the correct

meanings and spellings Try using mnemonic devices to

remember which word is which

For example:

stationary vs stationery: Remember that

“stationery” is the one to write on because it’s spelled with an “er” like the letter you are

writing

(See page 22 for more about mnemonic devices.) For a list of over 700 pairs of homonyms, visit www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html You can also find homonym quizzes and worksheets at www.edhelper com/language/Homonyms.htm

 O r g a n i z a t i o n

Finally, a smaller portion of the questions on Part I will

be about organization: how writers arrange their ideas Chapter 9 reviewed essay structure and organizational patterns, effective paragraphs, and transitions When you encounter a GED question about organization, these guidelines can help you identify the correct answer

1 Identify the organizational pattern How are the

ideas in the passage or paragraph organized? Then consider: Does any sentence or paragraph seem to be out of place in the pattern?

2 Identify the main idea of the paragraph or

pas-sage What thought holds the paragraph or passage together? Is there a topic sentence expressing that thought? Then consider: Is there any sentence (or portion of a sentence) that doesn’t fit under the controlling idea?

3 Look for transitions in the paragraph or passage.

Are there strong transitions leading you from one idea to the next? Would the paragraph or passage be more effective if more (or more appropriate) transitions were added?

 P a r t I I : T h e E s s a y

Chapter 10 described the steps you should take to write well on an essay exam You learned that when you must

write under pressure, good planning and time

manage-ment are the keys to success.

– T I P S A N D S T R AT E G I E S F O R T H E G E D L A N G U A G E A R T S , W R I T I N G E X A M –

At test time, remember this guideline for using your time

on the exam:

14time (10–15 minutes): planning

12time (20–25 minutes): writing

14time (10–15 minutes): revising and editing

Six Steps for Essay Exam Writing

When you are writing for an exam, follow these

six steps:

Step 1: Understand the writing prompt

Step 2: Formulate a clear thesis

Step 3: Brainstorm support for your thesis

Step 4: Create a detailed outline

Step 5: Write the essay

Step 6: Proofread carefully

The following 11 tips can help you write a successful

essay for the GED:

1 Make sure you understand the prompt What

kind of essay are you being asked to write?

2 Make sure you directly answer the prompt.

Remember, you will receive a score of 1 or 0 if

you do not write on the assigned topic

3 Remember that you only have 45 minutes, so it’s

important not to waste any time If you are stuck

and can’t seem to get started, try freewriting or

another brainstorming technique This will help

you get some ideas down on paper and get your

thoughts flowing

4 Remember that in a brainstorm, there’s no such

thing as a stupid idea; write down anything that

comes to mind When you’re ready to outline,

you can eliminate ideas that don’t fit

5 On the GED, it’s important to write for a general

audience That means two things:

a You must provide context for your readers.

Don’t assume that your readers know what you

know For example, if you are writing about

your favorite film, you must provide some

essential information about that film for your

readers, including the basic plot and characters

b You must use an appropriate level of

formal-ity Avoid jargon (technical or specialized

lan-guage) and slang Don’t try to use big words just to sound more intelligent Often, the more simple words are the most clear and effective Besides, you may end up misusing vocabulary and saying things you don’t mean

6 Make sure you have a clear purpose Know what

you want to accomplish in your essay What is your goal? Before you begin to write, draft a the-sis statement Remember that a thethe-sis must say

something about the subject.

7 Remember that first impressions count Get your

reader’s attention and state your thesis clearly in your introduction

8 Remember that writing is a process, and effective

planning is perhaps the most important part of

that process Plan your essay carefully Use your outline to organize your ideas and make sure you have provided strong and sufficient support If you don’t have at least two supporting ideas, you should rethink your essay If you are making an argument, use order of importance (least-to-most important) to organize your ideas

9 Make sure to provide strong transitions

through-out your essay Use transitional words and phrases to connect sentences and ideas

10 Remember that style is important When you

revise:

a Try to make a few word choice changes so

that your writing has more impact Use pre-cise, vivid verbs and nouns

b Check for wordiness and redundancy Don’t

repeat yourself or use bulky constructions

such as in this day and age (today is more

concise and appropriate)

c Be sure you have some variety in sentence

structure If your essay has a sing-songy or monotonous rhythm, combine sentences and add introductory phrases so that your sen-tence patterns are more diverse

11 Even if you have only a few minutes left at the

end of the exam, take the time to review what you have written If you make only one or two minor corrections, you have still made an improvement in your essay

– T I P S A N D S T R AT E G I E S F O R T H E G E D L A N G U A G E A R T S , W R I T I N G E X A M –