Conventions of Language: Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation
What the conventions tests cover
This domain tests spelling in context, grammatical accuracy, and punctuation. Questions typically present a sentence with a marked word or a choice of words, and ask which is correct. The skill is not just knowing rules but applying them under time pressure.
Concepts to master
- Subject–verb agreement: find the true subject, ignoring interrupting phrases. The box of old photographs was in the attic. Collective nouns take singular verbs in Australian English (the team is ready).
- Pronoun agreement and case: a pronoun must match its noun in number and gender. Between you and me (object case after a preposition).
- Tense consistency: do not shift from past to present without reason. Reported speech shifts back (she said she was leaving).
- Apostrophes: possession (the dog's bowl, the dogs' bowls) and contraction (it's = it is). The possessive its has no apostrophe.
- Commas: separate items in a list, mark off non-essential clauses (My brother, who lives in Perth, is visiting), and follow introductory phrases. Never join two complete sentences with a comma alone.
- Spelling strategies: syllable breaking, common patterns (-tion, -sion, -ible, -able), and homophones (their/there/they're, practice noun / practise verb).
Traps
- Distraction by proximity: a plural noun next to the verb tempts the wrong agreement.
- Apostrophe overload: the 1990's (wrong for a decade) and CD's (wrong for a plural).
- Comma splices: two main clauses joined only by a comma. Use a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction.
- Sound-alike errors: could of for could have, should of for should have.
Rule of thumb
For any marked word, ask three questions in order: is it the right word, is it the right form, and is it punctuated correctly? Most errors are caught by the first two.