Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics
Grammar, Usage, and Mechanics items test standard written English at the sentence level: verbals, voice, mood, agreement, pronoun case, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Expect questions that ask you to choose the version of a sentence that is grammatically correct, identify what is wrong with a sentence, or combine sentences without creating a fragment, run-on, or misplaced modifier.
Verbs
- Verbals look like verbs but act as other parts of speech. A gerund ends in -ing and acts as a noun ("Swimming is good exercise"). A participle acts as an adjective ("the barking dog," "a broken clock"). An infinitive is to plus a verb and can act as noun, adjective, or adverb ("She wanted to leave").
- Voice: active voice puts the doer first ("The committee approved the plan"); passive puts the receiver first ("The plan was approved"). Passive suits an unknown or unimportant doer, but overuse weakens writing.
- Mood: indicative states fact, imperative commands, interrogative asks, conditional states a condition ("If it rains, we will move inside"), subjunctive expresses a wish or contrary-to-fact ("If I were taller"; "I recommend that he be informed").
- Keep voice and tense consistent unless meaning requires a shift.
Agreement and case
Find the true subject past interrupting phrases: "The box of old letters was in the attic." Compound subjects joined by and take plural verbs; either/or and neither/nor agree with the nearer element. Pronouns agree in number and gender with their antecedents; everyone, each, and neither are singular. Use subject pronouns for subjects ("he and I went") and object pronouns after prepositions ("between you and me").
Punctuation
- Commas set off introductory elements, nonessential clauses, series items, and coordinate adjectives. Do not use a comma to join two independent clauses.
- Semicolons join related independent clauses or separate series items that already contain commas.
- Colons introduce a list or explanation after a complete clause.
- Dashes mark an abrupt break or emphatic aside; ellipses mark an omission.
Worked example
Sentence: "Walking to school this morning, the rain soaked my jacket."
Reasoning: The opening participial phrase modifies the nearest noun, "the rain" - implying the rain walked to school. That is a dangling modifier. Fix it by naming the walker as the subject: "Walking to school this morning, I was soaked by the rain."
Traps
- Matching a verb to the noun in a prepositional phrase instead of the subject.
- Placing a modifier next to the wrong noun.
- Using a comma splice where a semicolon or period is needed.
- Shifting voice mid-sentence in a way that confuses who did what.