Writing: Conventions, Sentence Structure, and Revision
What the Writing section tests
Writing questions ask you to revise and edit sentences and short passages. You will handle grammar and usage, punctuation, sentence boundaries, agreement, verb tense, word choice, and organization. Many items present a sentence with a blank or an underlined portion, and you choose the best revision or decide that no change is needed.
Concepts to master
- Sentence boundaries: A complete sentence needs a subject and a working verb and expresses a complete thought. A comma alone cannot join two independent clauses (comma splice); use a period, semicolon, or conjunction.
- Fragments and run-ons: Check each clause for its own subject and verb.
- Subject-verb agreement: Find the true subject, ignoring interrupting phrases. Indefinite pronouns (everyone, each, neither) are usually singular.
- Pronoun clarity: Each pronoun needs one clear antecedent. "They" with two possible referents is ambiguous.
- Parallel structure: Items in a list or comparison should share grammatical form.
- Punctuation: Commas set off introductory phrases and nonessential clauses; do not separate subject and verb with a single comma. Apostrophes show possession or contraction, not plurals.
- Revision: Choose the option that is clearest and most concise while preserving meaning.
Traps to watch
- The shortest answer is not always right: Concision matters, but only if grammar and meaning survive.
- "No change" is a real option: Do not edit a correct sentence out of habit.
- Misplaced modifiers: An opening phrase must describe the subject that follows it.
Rule of thumb
Read the whole sentence, locate the subject and verb, and check the join between clauses. If two complete thoughts meet, confirm a period, semicolon, or conjunction is present. Then compare choices for clarity, not just length.