Language Conventions and Vocabulary in Context
Language Conventions and Vocabulary in Context tests control of standard written English and your ability to infer word meaning from surrounding text. Questions may appear as isolated sentences or inside passages; in both cases, choose the option that makes the sentence clear and grammatically coherent, not merely the one that sounds formal.
Sentence boundaries and punctuation
An independent clause can stand alone. Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice; repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction. Use a colon after a complete clause to introduce a list or explanation. Apostrophes mark possession or contraction: 'its' is possessive, 'it's' means 'it is.' Commas set off introductory elements, nonessential clauses, and items in a series, and appear before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence.
Agreement and reference
Find the head noun before checking subject–verb agreement; prepositional phrases between subject and verb do not change number. Indefinite pronouns such as 'each,' 'everyone,' and 'neither' are singular. With 'neither … nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject. Pronouns need a single clear antecedent; if 'they' could refer to two nouns, revise.
Modifiers and parallelism
Place modifiers next to what they modify. In 'Walking to the store, the rain soaked my jacket,' the rain appears to walk; revise to 'Walking to the store, I was soaked by the rain.' Items in a list or comparison must be parallel: 'reading, writing, and to revise' becomes 'reading, writing, and revising.'
Vocabulary in context
Use syntax and nearby clues: contrast ('but,' 'unlike'), definition ('that is,' a colon), and example ('such as'). Distinguish denotation from connotation; 'cheap' and 'affordable' may share a denotation but not a tone. Roots and affixes help: bene- (good), mal- (bad), cred- (believe), spec- (look).
Worked example
Sentence: 'Neither the coach nor the players was satisfied with the call.' Reasoning: with 'neither … nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject, 'players,' so 'was' should be 'were.' The correction is 'Neither the coach nor the players were satisfied with the call.'
Traps that cost marks
- Fixing a comma splice by adding another comma.
- Letting a phrase between subject and verb distort agreement.
- Leaving a pronoun without a clear antecedent.
- Misplacing 'only' or a descriptive phrase.
- Choosing a word by dictionary meaning while ignoring its connotation.