Writing and Sentence Structure
Writing and Sentence Structure tests whether you can organize ideas clearly and control sentence boundaries. Expect paragraph order, topic sentences, linking words, register, punctuation, and correction of fragments, run-ons, and misplaced modifiers. A good answer answers the task precisely and reads coherently.
Core rules
- Start each paragraph with a topic sentence; support it with detail or example; end with a link forward.
- Use connectives for purpose: however for contrast, therefore for result, for instance for example.
- Avoid comma splices. Two independent clauses need a full stop, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction: The rain stopped; we continued.
- Keep parallel items in the same form: reading, writing, and speaking, not reading, writing, and to speak.
- Match register to the task: formal letters avoid contractions and slang.
- Place modifiers next to the word they describe.
Worked example
Original: “The bell rang. The students left.” Combined: “When the bell rang, the students left.” Reasoning: When turns the first clause into a subordinate time clause, showing the relationship and avoiding two choppy sentences. The main clause remains clear, and the comma correctly separates the opening subordinate clause.
Traps
- Writing a fragment: Because the bus was late.
- Shifting pronouns mid-sentence without a clear referent.
- Overusing memorized openers instead of answering the prompt.
- Ignoring punctuation around introductory phrases.
- Adding detail that is vivid but irrelevant to the task.