Strategies: Writing

1. Strategies: Writing

2. Reading Strategies Review • How many did you answer correctly on the two reading sections last Monday? (raw score conversion) • Reading, Math, and Writing each count equally on the PSAT- 1/3 of your score for each (maximum of 80 points each) • Did you find any patterns among missed items? • What strategies helped you? • What other strategies do you use during the Critical Reading sections?

3. Section 5 of the PSAT: Writing • One 30 minute section • 14 Identifying Sentence Errors • 20 Improving Sentences • 5 Improving Paragraphs • These questions measure your ability to: • Identify effective expressions in standard written English; • Recognize faults in usage and structure; • Choose effective revisions in sentences and paragraphs- • Consistency, logical expression, clarity, precision. • Do not ask you to define grammatical terms, nor do they test spelling or capitalization.

4. Directions: • Read aloud from page 589. • Identifying Sentence Errors • Improving Sentences (We will discuss “Improving Paragraphs” later) This review will focus on the most common types of errors that you will see on the exam. Ask questions. Note the skills/concepts that you need to focus on for improvement because the Skills section of this book contains more information.

5. Common Grammatical Errors Subject- Verb Agreement#1 page 589 – simple SVA Watch for these SVA “tricks”: *Material inserted between subject and verb (#2-#7) Star performers in the movies or on television usually earns substantial income from royalties. *Inverted sentence structure (#8-#9) Jennifer must have been pleased that day, for watching her receive the award was her brother, her parents, and her boyfriend. *Use of compound subjects (“or” and pronouns) (#10-#12) Of the seven candidates, only John, Jim, and Bill was past office holders.

6. Common Grammatical Errors • Pronoun Usage- Rules antecedent= noun that the pronoun replaces/refers to • Pronoun must have an antecedent. (missing?) #13-14 • Pronoun must refer clearly to antecedent. (ambiguous?) #15 • Pronoun and antecedent must agree. (number? gender?) #16-#19 • Pronoun must have appropriate case. (subjective, objective, possessive, interrogative?) #20-#21

7. Pronouns • Pronoun must have an antecedent. (missing?) #13-14 Although Glen is president of the student body, he has not yet passed his English exam, and because of it, he will not graduate with the rest of his class. Hint: An antecedent must be a noun, not a thought or a phrase. Check by identifying the pronoun’s antecedent and then substituting the antecedent for the pronoun in the sentence. (except a few idiomatic expressions, e.g. “it is getting late”)

8. Pronouns • Pronoun must refer clearly to antecedent. (ambiguous?) #15 Edward’s father died before he reached his 20th birthday, so he never finished his education. In 1980, the University Council voted to rescind Provision 3, which make it easier for some students to graduate. Hint: The antecedent of a pronoun must be clearly identified by the structure of the sentence.

9. Pronouns • Pronoun and antecedent must agree. (number? gender?) #16-#19 Historically, the dean of a college was also a professor, but today, they are usually professional administrators. Hint: If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural; if the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must be singular.

10. Pronouns • Pronoun must have appropriate case. (subjective, objective, possessive, interrogative?) #20-#21 I thought he would like the gift we bought. The choice for the promotion is between Bob and me. Do you mind my using your computer? Who is the starting pitcher for the Cats today? Hint: Use “who” when you would use “he” or “she.” Use “whom” when you would use “him” or “her.” Watch for possessive form preceding gerunds. People are “who,” not “which.”

11. Adjectives vs. Adverbs • Adjectives modify nouns; adverbs modify verbs or adjectives. #22-#23 No matter how quick he played, Rich never beat Julie when playing “speed.” Mr. Jackson teaches well. He drives badly. Mr. Jackson is a good teacher. His brother is also a bad driver. Hint: Linking verbs (be, become, remain, feel, appear, smell, look, sound, seem, taste) are followed by adjectives, not adverbs, unless they act as an action verb. (He looked angry. He looked about the room angrily.)

12. Double Negatives I hadn’t hardly begun to understand Spanish when I had to move again. #24-#25 Hint: Watch for double negatives (“not barely” or “hardly nothing”)- they are always incorrect.

13. Nouns and Noun Clauses • Noun case- subjective, objective, possessive #26-#28 • Noun clause- a group of words that function as the subject of a sentence. “That” should be used to introduce noun clauses. The reason the saxophone is a popular jazz instrument is because the saxophone sounds more like a human voice. Why American car manufacturers did not reduce the size of their cars earlier than they did a mystery to most market experts. I saw in the bulletin where Mrs. Wagner’s retirement was announced. Hint: Noun clauses must be introduced by “that,” not “because” or “why.” Don’t use “where” for “that” in object clause. “Where” is used in reference to place- where something is.

14. Homework • Quiz I (16 items- 12 minutes) Check answers and bring questions for discussion. • Read/work any parts you need to review in the skills section pages 271-289. (common grammatical errors) • Read the section on pages 290-297 to review sentence structure. Work problems #29-#33 on page 593.