Before you begin
This page is about writing complete, clear sentences: what a sentence needs, how to join two ideas, how to fix the mistakes the test looks for, and how to keep a sentence saying what you mean.
It follows your Kaplan book, Unit 1, Chapter 4, “Writing Effective Sentences,” Lessons 1 to 6, one part for each lesson and in the same order. Each part builds on the one before it, so take them in order.
You do not need anything to start except a pencil and paper. Allow two or three sittings. Each part ends with a few practice questions; press Check and the page explains the answer, and why the wrong answers tempt. At the end, Check yourself mixes all six parts.
Part 1 · Kaplan Lesson 1
What a sentence needs
A sentence needs three things: someone or something to talk about, what that someone or something does or is, and a complete thought.
The someone or something is called the subject. What it does or is, is called the verb.
- ✓Dolores waits.Subject: Dolores. Verb: waits.
- ✓The Q train was late again.Subject: train. Verb: was.
- ✓My brother and I work the night shift.Two people, one subject. Verb: work.
A subject and a verb traveling together are called a clause. Every sentence has at least one.
How to find them
Find the verb first. Ask: what happens, or what is? Then ask: who or what does it? That is the subject.
One kind of sentence has no written subject: a command. Sign the form. The subject is you, the person being told. Commands are complete sentences.
The rule
A sentence has a subject, a verb, and a complete thought. If any one of the three is missing, it is not a sentence. It is a fragment: a piece of a sentence with a period at the end.
Three kinds of fragments you will meet
1. No subject. Went to the clinic after work. Who went? Fix: Keisha went to the clinic after work.
2. No complete verb. The man at the bus stop with the heavy bag. What about him? Nothing happens. Fix: The man at the bus stop carried a heavy bag. A word ending in -ing is not a complete verb by itself: Dolores waiting for the train. Fix: Dolores was waiting for the train.
3. A clause that depends on something more. Because the rent went up. This has a subject (rent) and a verb (went), but the word because leaves the thought unfinished. This is the fragment the test uses most, because it looks like a sentence. Fix: join it to a complete sentence. We moved because the rent went up.
People speak in fragments all the time, and so do texts: Running late. Be there soon. Everyone understands. Fragments are only a problem in formal writing, like the test, a cover letter, or a notice. Knowing when to use which kind of English is a skill in itself.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 1, “Simple Sentences.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.01 Find the subject and the verb · VI.02 Sentence or fragment? · VI.03 Fix the fragment. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
One video, if you want it: Sentence Fragments & How to Fix Them (Sparkle English, 12 minutes).
Practice: complete sentence or fragment?
1. Is this a complete sentence? Waiting on the platform for the Q train.
It has an -ing word, which looks like a verb. But an -ing word alone is not a complete verb, and there is no subject.
A command tells someone to do something: Wait on the platform. This does not.
Length has nothing to do with it. Dolores waited. is short and complete.
Why: Ask: who is waiting? The words do not say. And “waiting” needs a helper, such as “is” or “was,” to be a complete verb. Fix: Dolores was waiting on the platform for the Q train.
2. Is this a complete sentence? Because the laundromat closes at ten.
It does have a subject and a verb. That is exactly why this kind of fragment is hard to catch. The word because is the problem.
Closes is the verb.
Say it aloud. Your listener is still waiting for the rest.
Why: It has a subject and a verb, but because leaves the reader waiting: because it closes at ten, what? Fix: We went early because the laundromat closes at ten.
3. Is this a complete sentence? Sign the form at the front desk.
The subject is there, just not written: you. Commands work that way.
There is no place a comma belongs.
Sign is the verb.
Why: A command has no written subject. The subject is you, the person being told. (You) sign the form. Commands are complete sentences.
4. Which of these fixes the fragment correctly? The new schedule starts Monday. Which means earlier trains.
A semicolon joins two complete sentences. Which means earlier trains is not one.
This makes a new fragment: The new schedule. has no verb.
Adding a comma inside a fragment does not make it complete. It is still a fragment.
Why: Which means earlier trains cannot stand alone. Joined to the sentence before it with a comma, it becomes part of a complete sentence.
Part 2 · Kaplan Lesson 2
Two kinds of clauses, and four kinds of sentences
Part 1 said a clause is a subject and a verb traveling together. There are two kinds.
An independent clause can stand alone as a sentence: The store closes at nine.
A dependent clause also has a subject and a verb, but it begins with a word that makes it lean on another clause: because the store closes at nine. Read it aloud and you can hear it waiting for more. The words that do this include because, although, when, if, while, before, after, until, since, unless, and also who, which and that.
The four kinds of sentences
| Simple | one independent clause | The store closes at nine. |
|---|---|---|
| Compound | two independent clauses, joined | The store closes at nine, but the pharmacy stays open. |
| Complex | one independent clause and at least one dependent clause | Because the store closes at nine, I shop on my lunch break. |
| Compound-complex | two independent clauses and at least one dependent clause | Because the store closes at nine, I shop on my lunch break, and my sister picks up the kids. |
How to join two independent clauses
There are two correct ways, and you will use both on the test.
A comma and a joining word. There are seven joining words. People remember them with the made-up word FANBOYS, from their first letters: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Each one says something different:
- and adds: I cooked, and she washed the dishes.
- but and yet contrast: I studied, but the test was still hard.
- so gives a result: The bus was late, so I walked.
- for gives a reason (it sounds old-fashioned, but the test uses it): She left early, for she had a class.
- or gives a choice: Call before five, or the office will be closed.
- nor adds a second “not”: He did not call, nor did he write.
A semicolon. A semicolon (;) can join two independent clauses that are closely related, with no joining word: The store closes at nine; the pharmacy stays open.
The rules
Two independent clauses: join them with a comma before one of the seven joining words (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), or with a semicolon.
A dependent clause first: put a comma where it ends. When the bus came, I got on.
A dependent clause second: usually no comma. I got on when the bus came.
FANBOYS is only a memory aid for seven words. It does not tell you which one to choose; the meaning does. And other words that seem to join, like however, then and therefore, are not on the list. Part 3 shows why that matters.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 2, “Compound and Complex Sentences.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.04 Independent or dependent clause? · VI.05 Name the sentence type · VI.06 Join with a comma and the right conjunction. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
One video, if you want it: Independent vs. Dependent Clauses (Sparkle English, 11 minutes).
Practice: kinds of sentences, and the comma
5. What kind of sentence is this? The bus was late, so I walked.
A simple sentence has one clause. Count the subject-verb pairs: bus was, I walked. Two.
A complex sentence has a dependent clause, one that starts with a word like because or when. Both clauses here can stand alone.
It has subjects, verbs and a complete thought.
Why: Two independent clauses, the bus was late and I walked, joined by a comma and so. That is compound.
6. What kind of sentence is this? When the bus came, I was already halfway there.
There are two clauses: bus came and I was.
A compound sentence joins two clauses that could each stand alone. When the bus came cannot.
The independent clause completes the thought.
Why: When the bus came is a dependent clause: it cannot stand alone. I was already halfway there is independent. One of each makes a complex sentence.
7. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
The comma is on the wrong side of and. It goes before the joining word, not after it.
A comma alone cannot join two sentences. That is a comma splice, the subject of Part 3.
The comma cuts the verb finished off from what was finished.
Why: When and, but or so joins two independent clauses, the comma goes before the joining word.
8. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Never put a comma right after because.
When the because clause comes second, there is usually no comma, and never one right after because.
The reader needs the comma to know where the because clause ends and the main clause begins.
Why: When a sentence starts with a dependent clause, put a comma where that clause ends.
Part 3 · Kaplan Lesson 3
Run-ons and comma splices
A fragment is too little: a piece posing as a sentence. A run-on is the opposite: two or more sentences crammed together as if they were one.
A run-on (sometimes called a fused sentence) is two independent clauses with nothing between them:
- ✗The rent went up we had to move.
A comma splice is two independent clauses with only a comma between them:
- ✗The rent went up, we had to move.
A comma can do many jobs, but it cannot hold two sentences together by itself.
How to spot one
Count the independent clauses. If there are two, look at what stands between them. A period, a semicolon, or a comma with one of the seven joining words is correct. Nothing, or a comma alone, is not.
A run-on is not the same as a long sentence. It broke I fixed it is a run-on in five words. A sentence of forty words can be perfectly correct.
The five repairs
- A period. Make two sentences. The rent went up. We had to move.
- A comma and a joining word (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). The rent went up, so we had to move.
- A semicolon. The rent went up; we had to move.
- Make one clause dependent with a word like because or when. Because the rent went up, we had to move. (Part 4 is about this.)
- A semicolon, a word like however or therefore, and a comma. The rent went up; therefore, we had to move.
However, therefore, then, also, meanwhile, besides. They feel like joining words, and they connect ideas, but they cannot join two sentences with a comma. Before one of them, between two complete sentences, use a period or a semicolon. We were tired, then we went home is a comma splice. We were tired, and then we went home is correct.
I’m on the train, be there soon is how the whole city texts, and everyone understands it. The comma splice is a rule of formal writing. On the test, in a letter to a landlord, and on a job application, follow it.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 3, “Run-Ons and Comma Splices.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.07 Correct, run-on, or comma splice? · VI.08 Fix it: choose the correct repair. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
One video, if you want it: Comma Splices and How to Fix Them (Sparkle English, 14 minutes).
Practice: run-ons and comma splices
9. What is wrong with this sentence? The elevator is broken again, we took the stairs.
Each half is complete. The problem is the opposite of a fragment: too much, not too little.
A comma there would split the subject from its verb.
Count the independent clauses: two. Look at what is between them: only a comma. That is a comma splice.
Why: Two independent clauses, the elevator is broken again and we took the stairs, with only a comma between them.
10. What is wrong with this sentence? My shift starts at six I leave the house at five.
It is not long at all. A run-on is about structure, not length. A thirty-word sentence can be correct, and a six-word one can be a run-on.
Where does the first thought end? The reader has to guess.
Both halves are complete.
Why: Two independent clauses, my shift starts at six and I leave the house at five, run together with no punctuation or joining word.
11. Which is a correct way to fix this comma splice? The clinic was full, I made an appointment for Tuesday.
However is not one of the seven joining words. This is still a comma splice.
Taking the comma out makes it a run-on.
The comma is in the wrong place, and there is none before so.
Why: A comma and one of the seven joining words (here so, which gives the result) is one of the five repairs.
12. Which sentence uses however correctly?
A comma before however is not enough. However is not one of the seven joining words, so this is a comma splice. This is the most common mistake with however.
The two clauses still have no real join between them.
No punctuation at all: a run-on.
Why: When however comes between two independent clauses, put a semicolon before it and a comma after it. (Or start a new sentence: I applied. However, I never heard back.)
Part 4 · Kaplan Lesson 4
Joining ideas that are not equal
Part 2 showed how to join two ideas of equal weight. Often, though, one idea is the main point and the other gives the time, the reason, the condition, or a contrast. The word that tells how the two ideas are related goes at the start of the less important one, and makes it a dependent clause. The dependent clause is called a subordinate clause; subordinate means lower in rank.
Choose the word by what it means
| Time | when, whenever, while, before, after, until, since, as soon as | After the meeting ended, we cleaned up. |
|---|---|---|
| Reason | because, since | Because the rent went up, we moved. |
| Contrast | although, though, even though, while | Although she was tired, she finished the shift. |
| Condition | if, unless, as long as | If the heat goes off, call the super. |
Three more words do this quietly: who (for people), which and that (for things). They tuck one sentence inside another. My neighbor fixes bicycles. She lives upstairs. becomes My neighbor, who lives upstairs, fixes bicycles.
The rule
When you combine sentences, choose the joining word that tells the truth about how the ideas are related: time, reason, contrast, or condition. A sentence can be correct grammar and still say the wrong thing.
That last point is where the test sets its traps. It often asks which version “most effectively combines” two sentences, and gives you two or three that are correct grammar. Only one says what the original sentences meant.
- ✓Because the oven broke, we closed early.The oven caused the early closing.
- ✗Although the oven broke, we closed early.Although promises a surprise, and there is none.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 4, “Subordinate Ideas.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.09 Choose the subordinating word that fits the meaning · VI.10 Comma or no comma with a dependent clause · VI.11 Combine two sentences. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
One video, if you want it: FANBOYS and Coordinating Conjunctions (Sparkle English, 11 minutes).
That video is about the seven joining words from Part 2. It is the closest one in the playlist; there is no Sparkle English video on subordinating words.
Practice: choosing the joining word
13. Which word best joins these ideas? ___ she was tired, she finished the whole shift.
If sets a condition. She was tired; that is a fact, not a condition.
Until is about time, and does not fit: “until she was tired, she finished” makes no sense.
Because says the tiredness caused her to finish. It did not; she finished in spite of it.
Why: Being tired would lead you to expect she stopped. She did not. When the second idea is the opposite of what the first would lead you to expect, use a contrast word: although.
14. Which word best joins these ideas? Call the super ___ the heat goes off again.
Although is for contrast. There is none here.
So would mean you call the super in order to make the heat go off, the opposite of what you want.
Because would mean the heat has already gone off and that is the reason. The sentence is about what to do if it happens.
Why: Calling the super depends on something that may or may not happen. That is a condition: if.
15. Which sentence best combines these two sentences? My neighbor fixes bicycles. She lives on the second floor.
A comma splice.
Grammatical, but it says she fixes bicycles because of where she lives. That is not what the two sentences said. The joining word must tell the truth.
A fragment: the neighbor never does anything. There is no main verb.
Why: Who tucks the second fact inside the first sentence. The main clause keeps the main point: she fixes bicycles.
16. Which sentence best combines these two sentences? The train stopped between stations. We were late for the interview.
A comma splice.
Although signals a surprise, but being late is exactly what you would expect.
But signals a contrast. There is none: the second fact follows from the first.
Why: The stopped train caused the lateness. Because says so.
Part 5 · Kaplan Lesson 5
Modifiers: put the description next to what it describes
A modifier is a word or a group of words that describes something. In the woman in the red coat, the words in the red coat are a modifier; they describe the woman.
A reader connects a modifier to the words right next to it. When it lands next to the wrong words, the sentence says something the writer did not mean, and sometimes something ridiculous.
Misplaced modifiers
A misplaced modifier is in the wrong spot in the sentence.
- ✗I found a wallet on the train with no money in it.The train had no money in it?
- ✓On the train, I found a wallet with no money in it.Now with no money in it sits next to wallet.
Dangling modifiers
A dangling modifier usually comes at the start of a sentence and describes someone who is not in the sentence at all.
- ✗Walking up from the subway, the rain started.The rain was walking?
- ✓Walking up from the subway, I felt the rain start.Now the walker, I, comes right after the comma.
- ✓As I walked up from the subway, the rain started.Or give the opening part its own subject.
The rule
Put a describing word or phrase right next to the thing it describes. When a sentence begins with a describing phrase and a comma, the first words after the comma must name who or what that phrase describes.
How to check: read the sentence literally, the way a stranger would. If it says the rain was walking, fix it.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 5, “Modify Ideas.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.12 Find the misplaced modifier · VI.13 Fix the dangling modifier. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
There is no Sparkle English video on modifiers. Quiz 36 on this site teaches them.
Practice: modifiers
17. What is wrong with this sentence? Walking up from the subway, the rain started.
Read it literally: the rain was walking up from the subway. That is a dangling modifier.
There is only one independent clause, the rain started.
A semicolon joins two sentences. Walking up from the subway is not a sentence.
Why: The words right after the comma must be the person doing the walking. Fix: Walking up from the subway, I felt the rain start. Or: As I walked up from the subway, the rain started.
18. Which sentence is clear and correct?
This says the super was covered in snow. That could be true, but if the steps were snowy, the modifier is in the wrong place.
This says shoveling was covered in snow. The phrase has nothing sensible to describe.
Unclear: were the steps covered in snow, or was the super shoveling while covered in snow? Put the modifier next to what it describes.
Why: It is clear that the steps were covered in snow.
19. Which sentence has a misplaced modifier?
Here with no money in it sits right after wallet. Clear.
A little awkward, but the phrase with no money in it still follows wallet.
Clear and short.
Why: Read literally, it says the train had no money in it. The phrase with no money in it should sit next to wallet.
20. Which is the best way to fix this sentence? After finishing the application, the office was closed.
Taking out the comma does not change who finished the application.
It is no better than the office. Neither one finished the application.
Moving the phrase to the end does not give it a person to describe.
Why: The original says the office finished the application. Giving the opening part its own subject, I, fixes it.
Part 6 · Kaplan Lesson 6
Parallel structure: same job, same shape
When a sentence puts several things in a row, the reader expects them to be built the same way. That matching is called parallel structure.
- ✓The morning crew opens the store, fills the shelves, and counts the register.Three items, each a verb and the thing it acts on.
- ✗The morning crew opens the store, fills the shelves, and the register gets counted.The third item changes shape.
Where it matters
Lists. All plain verbs (open, fill, count), or all -ing words (opening, filling, counting), or all nouns (flour, salt, and yeast).
Pairs of words that work together. either … or, neither … nor, both … and, not only … but also. Whatever kind of words comes after the first half must come after the second. You can either pay online or mail a check.
Comparisons with than or as. Walking to work takes longer than taking the bus: an -ing word matched with an -ing word.
Bulleted lists in job postings, memos and instructions. If the first bullet starts with a verb, every bullet starts with a verb. The test uses exactly these documents.
The rule
Things that do the same job in a sentence should have the same shape.
In your Kaplan book: Unit 1, Chapter 4, Lesson 6, “Parallel Structure.”
Drills for this part, after the practice questions below: VI.14 Which item breaks the pattern? · VI.15 Choose the parallel version. All the drills are on the Language Arts Drills page.
There is no Sparkle English video on parallel structure. Quizzes 35 and 35a on this site teach it.
Practice: parallel structure
21. Which sentence has parallel structure?
Cleaning is an -ing word in a list of plain verbs.
Each item is a different kind of thing, and groceries has no verb at all.
The third item changes shape: I am shopping is a whole clause, while the first two are plain verbs.
Why: Three things in a row, all built the same way: do laundry, clean the kitchen, shop for groceries.
22. Choose the words that complete the sentence correctly. The job requires lifting boxes, working weekends, and ___.
To drive is a different form from lifting and working.
The other two items are actions. The forklift is a thing.
This adds a subject, you, that the other items do not have.
Why: The list is lifting, working, ... so the third item must be an -ing word too: driving.
23. Which sentence is correct?
Pay online is a verb; by mailing a check is a different shape.
After either comes a whole clause (you pay online), after or only a phrase (by check).
Online and mailing a check do not match.
Why: After either and after or, the same kind of words: pay online and mail a check, a verb and what it acts on each time.
24. A job posting lists duties. Which list has parallel structure?
A plain verb, an -ing word, and then a thing with no verb.
The first item starts with an -ing word, the others with plain verbs.
Three different shapes.
Why: Every item starts with a plain verb: greet, stock, run. A bulleted list is still a list, and its items should match.
To keep
The sentence card
Everything on this page, on one card. Print it and keep it beside you when you write.
A sentence = a subject + a verb + a complete thought. Missing one? It is a fragment.
Watch for fragments that start with because, although, when, if, which, who, or an -ing word.
The seven joining words (FANBOYS): for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Comma before the joining word.
Two sentences, only a comma between them = a comma splice. Nothing between them = a run-on.
The five repairs: 1. a period · 2. a comma + a joining word · 3. a semicolon · 4. make one clause dependent · 5. semicolon + however + comma.
Not joining words: however, therefore, then, also. Use a period or a semicolon before them.
Choose the joining word by meaning: time (when, after), reason (because), contrast (although), condition (if, unless).
A dependent clause first? Comma where it ends.
Modifiers: put the description next to what it describes. After an opening phrase and a comma, name who is doing it.
Parallel: same job, same shape.
Words to know
- subject
- who or what the sentence is about: the one who does the action, or is being described
- verb
- what the subject does or is: runs, works, is, was waiting
- clause
- a subject and a verb traveling together
- independent clause
- a clause that can stand alone as a sentence
- dependent clause, or subordinate clause
- a clause that cannot stand alone, because it begins with a word like because, although, when, if, who, which
- fragment
- a piece of a sentence written as if it were a whole one
- run-on (fused sentence)
- two independent clauses with nothing between them
- comma splice
- two independent clauses joined by only a comma
- joining words (coordinating conjunctions)
- the seven words that can join two independent clauses with a comma: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS)
- subordinating words (subordinating conjunctions)
- words like because, although, when, if that make a clause dependent and show how two ideas are related
- simple, compound, complex, compound-complex
- the four kinds of sentences, by how many clauses of each kind they have
- modifier
- a word or phrase that describes something
- misplaced modifier
- a describing word or phrase in the wrong place in the sentence
- dangling modifier
- a describing phrase, usually at the start, with nothing in the sentence for it to describe
- parallel structure
- giving things that do the same job in a sentence the same grammatical shape
At the end
Check yourself
Twelve questions from all six parts, mixed together, the way the test mixes them. Press Check after each one.
25. Which of these is a complete sentence?
Although leaves the thought unfinished.
Open here is not a complete verb. It needs is or stays.
No subject, and an -ing word alone is not a complete verb.
Why: Subject (store), complete verb (stays), complete thought.
26. Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
The comma before so is missing. When so joins two independent clauses, it needs one.
A comma splice.
The comma is on the wrong side of so.
Why: Two independent clauses joined by so: the comma goes before so.
27. What kind of sentence is this? If the landlord calls, tell him I will be home after six, and ask him about the leak.
There are three clauses.
It has two independent clauses, but also a dependent one, which makes it more than compound.
It has a dependent clause, but two independent ones, not one.
Why: Two independent clauses (two commands: tell him, ask him) plus a dependent clause (if the landlord calls).
28. Which sentence is correct?
There is still no correct join between the two clauses.
Commas on both sides of however still leave a comma splice.
A comma splice. However is not one of the seven joining words.
Why: Before however, between two complete sentences: a semicolon. After it: a comma.
29. Which is not a correct way to fix this run-on? The pharmacy was closed I went to the one on Tremont.
Correct: two sentences.
Correct: one clause made dependent.
Correct: a comma and a joining word.
Why: Adding only a comma turns the run-on into a comma splice. The other three are correct repairs.
30. Which word best completes the sentence? ___ the train was delayed, she still made it on time.
When is about time, and hides the surprise.
The train was delayed; that is a fact, not a condition.
The delay did not cause her to be on time.
Why: The delay would make you expect she was late. She was not. That is a contrast: even though.
31. Which sentence best combines these? The union hall is on 14th Street. It is open until nine.
A comma splice.
Correct grammar, wrong meaning: the address is not the reason for the hours.
Two fragments.
Why: Which tucks the location inside the sentence, and the main clause keeps the main fact.
32. What is wrong with this sentence? Tired after the double shift, the couch looked wonderful.
There is only one independent clause.
Read it literally: the couch worked a double shift.
It is complete. The problem is what it says.
Why: The words after the comma must be the tired person. Fix: Tired after the double shift, I thought the couch looked wonderful.
33. Which sentence is clear and correct?
This says the neighbor was in an envelope.
This puts she right after the phrase, so it sounds as if she was in the envelope.
The phrase interrupts and still sits beside the neighbor.
Why: The phrase in an envelope sits right after the keys, the thing that was in the envelope.
34. Which sentence has parallel structure?
To write breaks the pattern.
You learn math is a whole clause.
How to do math is a different shape from reading and writing.
Why: Three nouns in a row: reading, writing, math.
35. Choose the words that complete the sentence correctly. The new manager is not only fair ___.
After but also, a whole clause, while not only was followed by a single word.
Not only needs but also, not and.
Listening does not match fair.
Why: After not only comes a describing word (fair), so after but also comes something that describes her too: a good listener.
36. Which sentence is correct?
The comma separates called from what was called.
When the heat went off. is a fragment.
Never a comma right after when.
Why: A dependent clause first, then a comma, then the main clause.
Where to go next
The next page
Grammar: Start Here picks up where this page leaves off: subject-verb agreement, verb forms and tenses, pronouns, words that are often confused, and word choice.
After that, Punctuation: Start Here covers commas, semicolons and colons, apostrophes, capital letters, and transition words.
The drills
Each part of this page has its own short drills, sixteen in all, on the Language Arts Drills page. The last one, VI.16, mixes all six parts in short passages with drop-down choices, the way the test does.
The quizzes on this site, in the same order
- Quiz 31, clauses and sentence types: Parts 1 and 2
- Quiz 32, fragments: Part 1
- Quiz 33, run-ons and comma splices: Part 3
- Quiz 34, combining sentences: Parts 2 and 4
- Quiz 36, modifiers: Part 5
- Quiz 35 and Quiz 35a, parallel structure: Part 6
The quizzes teach each topic through a picture (a hand that grips, a weld that joins) and then test it, once plainly and once inside a real document. They are more practice after this page, not a replacement for it.
Check what you know
The Language Arts Diagnostic, Part Two, has language questions from this page and the pages still to come.
Videos
The Sparkle English playlist has 57 videos. These are the ones that match this page.
| Part 1 | Sentence Fragments & How to Fix Them (12 min) |
|---|---|
| Part 2 | Independent vs. Dependent Clauses (11 min); The Joining Comma (11 min) |
| Part 3 | Comma Splices and How to Fix Them (14 min); Run-ons in English Grammar (13 min) |
| Part 4 | FANBOYS and Coordinating Conjunctions (11 min), the closest one |
| Parts 5 and 6 | No Sparkle English video on these topics. |
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Answers
1 D · 2 B · 3 C · 4 A · 5 B · 6 C · 7 D · 8 A · 9 A · 10 B · 11 D · 12 C · 13 A · 14 B · 15 D · 16 C · 17 D · 18 B · 19 A · 20 C · 21 A · 22 B · 23 D · 24 C · 25 D · 26 C · 27 D · 28 A · 29 B · 30 A · 31 B · 32 C · 33 D · 34 A · 35 B · 36 C