The gmat writing skill 6 potx

Make sure your thesis takes a clear position on the issue or argument.. Revise your outline before you begin writing to make sure you have sufficient sup-port and specific examples and t

cite (v.) to quote or mention as an example

sight (n.) something seen or visible; the faculty of seeing

site (n.) location; (v.) to locate

desert (n.) dry area; (v.) to abandon

dessert (n.) sweet course at the end of a meal

every day (adv.) each day

everyday (adj.) ordinary, daily

fair (adj.) light in color; favorable; just, unbiased; (n) gathering or exhibition

for sale of goods, shows, and entertainment fare (n.) price charged for a passenger to travel; food provided; (v) to

progress (we fared well on our journey)

hear (v.) to perceive with the ears

here (adv.) in this place

know (v.) to understand, be aware of

no (adj./adv.) negative—opposite of yes

loose (adj.) not tight, not confined

lose (v.) to misplace; to fail to win

may be (v.) might be (possibility)

morning (n.) the first part of the day

mourning (n.) grieving

passed (v.) past tense of pass (to go by)

past (adv.) beyond; (n.) events that have already occurred

patience (n.) quality of being patient, able to wait

patients (n.) people under medical care

personal (adj.) private or pertaining to the individual

personnel (n.) employees

presence (n.) condition of being

presents (n.) gifts

principal (adj.) most important; (n.) head of a school

principle (n.) fundamental truth

right (adj.) correct; (adv.) opposite of left

write (v.) produce words on a surface

scene (n.) setting or view

seen (v) past participle of see

than (conj.) used to compare (he is taller than I)

then (adv.) at that time, therefore (first this, then that; if you think it’s good,

then I’ll do it)

their (pn.) possessive form of they

there (adv.) location; in that place

through (prep.) in one side and out the other; by means of

threw (v past tense of throw

to (prep.) in the direction of

too (adv.) in addition, excessive

waist (n.) part of the body

waste (v.) to squander; (n.) trash

weather (n.) climatic conditions

whether (conj.) introducing a choice

which (adj./pn.) what, that

witch (n.) woman with supernatural powers

Unfortunately, the only thing you can do to master homonyms is to memorize the correct meanings and spellings Try using mnemonic devices to remember which word is which For example,

stationary versus stationery: Remember that “stationery” is the one to write on because it is spelled with an “er” like the letter you are writing.

(See page 25 in Chapter 2 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 http://www.edhelper.com/language/Homonyms.htm

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abundance

accidentally

accommodate

acknowledgment

acquaintance

aggravate

alibi

alleged

ambiguous

analysis

annual

argument

awkward

basically

boundary

bulletin

calendar

canceled

cannot

cemetery

coincidence

collegiate

committee

comparative

completely

condemn

congratulations

conscientious

consistent

convenient

correspondence

deceive

definitely

dependent

depot

development dilemma discrepancy eighth eligible embarrass equivalent euphoria existence exuberance feasible February fifth forcibly forfeit formerly fourth fulfill grateful grievance guarantee guidance harass hindrance ideally implement independence indispensable inoculate insufficient interference interrupt jealousy jewelry judgment leisure

liaison lieutenant lightning loophole losing maintenance maneuver mathematics millennium minuscule miscellaneous misspell negotiable ninth occasionally occurred omission opportunity outrageous pamphlet parallel perceive permanent perseverance personnel possess potato precede preferred prejudice prevalent privilege procedure proceed prominent pronunciation

 1 5 0 M o s t C o m m o n l y M i s s p e l l e d Wo r d s

receive

recommend

reference

referred

regardless

relevant

religious

remembrance

reservoir

responsible

restaurant

rhythm ridiculous roommate scary scissors secretary separate souvenir specifically sufficient supersede temperament

temperature truly twelfth ubiquitous unanimous usually usurp vacuum vengeance visible Wednesday wherever

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The following section offers specific tips and strategies to use on the AWA during the exam Practice these strategies as you complete the sample essay prompts that follow

 G e n e r a l W r i t i n g S t r a t e g i e s

■ Remember the general guideline for dividing your time on an essay exam: use about one-fourth of the time to plan, one-half of the time to write, and one-fourth of the time to revise and edit

■ Look for key words in the essay prompt to be sure you address all aspects of the assignment

■ The key to brainstorming is to avoid censoring yourself Keep an open mind and write down whatever ideas come to you You do not have to use everything in your essay

■ Remember that your brainstorming and outline are for your eyes only Use whatever brainstorming and outlining techniques you find most useful

■ On an essay exam, every minute counts Don’t wait around for ideas to come to you If you are having

Tips and Strategies for the AWA

16

■ A good thesis makes an assertion about the topic; it does not just repeat the topic or ask a question Make sure your thesis takes a clear position on the issue or argument

■ Your planning time is probably the most crucial part of an essay exam Create a detailed outline to organize your ideas Revise your outline before you begin writing to make sure you have sufficient sup-port and specific examples and that you have addressed all of the elements in the prompt

■ Make sure you have at least two or three supporting ideas for your thesis If no other organizational pattern makes sense, put them in order of importance, with your most important idea last

■ Remember, it’s important to get going and keep moving If you can’t think of the exact word or phrase you are looking for, approximate You can come back to fix it later if you have time For now, writing something that is close enough must be good enough so you can get the rest of your ideas down

■ Remember to keep it simple Your time is limited, and your readers will be looking for basic structural and organizational elements Don’t worry about impressing your readers with sophisticated organiza-tion or style; you don’t need anything out of the ordinary to impress your readers A formulaic but clear essay will do better than one that is overly complex

■ Remember that first impressions are important, but it’s more important to finish your essay Don’t get hung up trying to write a perfect introduction Simply summarize the argument or issue and state your thesis If you have time later, you can come back and write a catchier introduction

■ Signpost, signpost, signpost Use strong transitions throughout your essay to make the relationships between ideas clear Remember that both your human reader and E-rater® will be looking for these guides

■ A specific fact or detail has more power than a general statement Include specific examples whenever possible

■ In general, unless you have less than five minutes left, revise first and then edit Save your grammar and spelling check until after you have made “big picture” changes to your essay If you are nearly out of time, read through your essay quickly and make any revisions or editorial changes

■ If a sentence seems unclear to you, it may be that you are trying to do too much in one sentence Try breaking it up into two simpler sentences that are more clear

■ Remember the guidelines for effective style: be precise, be concise, use the active voice, vary the sen-tence structure, and avoid jargon and pretentious language Make sure you use an appropriate level of formality and a serious, respectful tone throughout your essay

■ Correct punctuation is important, but don’t get hung up on trying to determine whether you need a comma or a semicolon Make your choice quickly and move on to the next issue

■ If you are unsure about capitalization, ask yourself whether the word in question is something specific

or general If it is a specific person, place, or thing, then it probably should be capitalized Remember, in this regard, specific means particular 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 (individual or particular) dog.

■ If you have the time, read your essay backward line by line This will enable you to spot errors that you

might miss reading straight through

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