NES EAS Writing (NT002) cheat sheet

Subject-verb agreement: locate the true subject, ignoring prepositional phrases between subject and verb ("The box of nails is heavy," not "are").

Compound subjects joined by "and" take plural verbs; joined by "or/nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject ("Neither the players nor the coach was ready").

Indefinite pronouns: each, either, neither, everyone, nobody, anybody are singular; both, few, many, several are plural; some, all, most, none are singular or plural by context.

Collective nouns (team, jury, committee) take singular verbs when acting as a unit, plural verbs when members act individually.

Pronoun case: use subject forms (I, he, she, they, who) for subjects and predicate nominatives; object forms (me, him, her, them, whom) after prepositions and as objects.

Who vs. whom: substitute he/she for who and him/her for whom; "who" is subject, "whom" is object ("Whom did you call?").

Possessive before gerund: use possessive pronoun or noun ("his running," "the team's winning") when a gerund is the object of a verb or preposition.

Modifiers: place "only," "almost," and "nearly" immediately before the word they limit; misplaced placement changes meaning.

A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma; fix by adding a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or a period.

A fused (run-on) sentence joins two independent clauses with no punctuation; separate with period, semicolon, or comma plus conjunction.

Coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS); a comma precedes one only when it joins two independent clauses.

A semicolon joins two independent clauses or separates items in a series that already contain commas; it never follows a comma or precedes a conjunction in a compound sentence.

A colon follows an independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation; the clause before the colon must be complete.

Nonessential (nonrestrictive) elements take commas or dashes; essential (restrictive) elements take no commas ("The book that I read was good," not "The book, that I read, was good").

An introductory dependent clause or long introductory phrase is followed by a comma; a short adverb phrase may omit it.

Apostrophes show possession: singular add 's ("the child's toy"); plural ending in s add only the apostrophe ("the teachers' lounge"); plural not ending in s add 's.

Revision order: address organization and content first, then sentence-level clarity, then grammar and mechanics last.

Conciseness: cut redundant pairs ("each and every," "final outcome"), empty phrases ("due to the fact that" → "because"), and repeated ideas.

Active voice clarifies the doer ("The committee approved the plan"); passive is appropriate when the actor is unknown or unimportant.

Parallel structure: items in a series, paired comparisons, and lists must share grammatical form ("hiking, swimming, and biking," not "hiking, swimming, and to bike").

Dangling modifier: an introductory modifier must logically describe the subject of the main clause ("Walking home, I saw the sign," not "Walking home, the sign appeared").

Word choice: prefer specific nouns and strong verbs over vague ones; avoid jargon, clichés, and inflated diction in formal prose.

Verb tense consistency: maintain one tense within a passage unless a shift signals a genuine time change.

Proofreading targets: pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb agreement, comma use, spelling of homophones (their/there/they're, its/it's).

A strong thesis states the essay's central claim in one sentence, is debatable, and previews the supporting points.

Topic sentences state the paragraph's main idea and connect it to the thesis; every supporting sentence should serve that idea.

Paragraph unity: one controlling idea per paragraph; unrelated sentences should be moved or cut.

Coherence: use transitions (however, therefore, in addition, consequently) and consistent pronoun reference to link ideas.

Essay structure: introduction ends with the thesis; body paragraphs each develop one point with evidence and commentary; conclusion restates the thesis and draws implications without new evidence.

Paragraph development methods: examples, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, definition, process, and classification.

Adequate development: each body paragraph needs evidence (fact, example, statistic, quotation) plus analysis explaining its relevance to the claim.

Introduction funnel: begin with a broad context, narrow to the specific issue, end with the thesis; avoid opening with a dictionary definition or a cliché.

Read the prompt for the task verb (analyze, argue, explain, compare) and the required content before drafting; address every part.

Use a brief prewriting step (outline or list) to select a defensible position and two to three supporting reasons.

Thesis placement: put the central claim in the introduction and echo it in the conclusion; do not bury it in the final paragraph.

Body paragraph formula: topic sentence, evidence, explanation linking evidence to the claim, then a transition to the next point.

Use specific, relevant evidence (examples, scenarios, reasoning) rather than vague generalities; explain why each example supports the claim.

Address the counterargument or alternative view when the prompt asks for argument; concede a point and rebut it to strengthen the position.

Conclusion: restate the thesis in fresh words, summarize key points, and state a broader implication; do not introduce new evidence.

Timed response control: budget time for planning, drafting, and a final proofread for agreement, sentence boundaries, and punctuation.

Subject-verb agreement: locate the true subject, ignoring prepositional phrases between subject and verb ("The box of nails is heavy," not "are").

Compound subjects joined by "and" take plural verbs; joined by "or/nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject ("Neither the players nor the coach was ready").

Indefinite pronouns: each, either, neither, everyone, nobody, anybody are singular; both, few, many, several are plural; some, all, most, none are singular or plural by context.

Collective nouns (team, jury, committee) take singular verbs when acting as a unit, plural verbs when members act individually.

Pronoun case: use subject forms (I, he, she, they, who) for subjects and predicate nominatives; object forms (me, him, her, them, whom) after prepositions and as objects.

Who vs. whom: substitute he/she for who and him/her for whom; "who" is subject, "whom" is object ("Whom did you call?").

Possessive before gerund: use possessive pronoun or noun ("his running," "the team's winning") when a gerund is the object of a verb or preposition.

Modifiers: place "only," "almost," and "nearly" immediately before the word they limit; misplaced placement changes meaning.

A comma splice joins two independent clauses with only a comma; fix by adding a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or a period.

A fused (run-on) sentence joins two independent clauses with no punctuation; separate with period, semicolon, or comma plus conjunction.

Coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so (FANBOYS); a comma precedes one only when it joins two independent clauses.

A semicolon joins two independent clauses or separates items in a series that already contain commas; it never follows a comma or precedes a conjunction in a compound sentence.

A colon follows an independent clause and introduces a list, explanation, or quotation; the clause before the colon must be complete.

Nonessential (nonrestrictive) elements take commas or dashes; essential (restrictive) elements take no commas ("The book that I read was good," not "The book, that I read, was good").

An introductory dependent clause or long introductory phrase is followed by a comma; a short adverb phrase may omit it.

Apostrophes show possession: singular add 's ("the child's toy"); plural ending in s add only the apostrophe ("the teachers' lounge"); plural not ending in s add 's.

Revision order: address organization and content first, then sentence-level clarity, then grammar and mechanics last.

Conciseness: cut redundant pairs ("each and every," "final outcome"), empty phrases ("due to the fact that" → "because"), and repeated ideas.

Active voice clarifies the doer ("The committee approved the plan"); passive is appropriate when the actor is unknown or unimportant.

Parallel structure: items in a series, paired comparisons, and lists must share grammatical form ("hiking, swimming, and biking," not "hiking, swimming, and to bike").

Dangling modifier: an introductory modifier must logically describe the subject of the main clause ("Walking home, I saw the sign," not "Walking home, the sign appeared").

Word choice: prefer specific nouns and strong verbs over vague ones; avoid jargon, clichés, and inflated diction in formal prose.

Verb tense consistency: maintain one tense within a passage unless a shift signals a genuine time change.

Proofreading targets: pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb agreement, comma use, spelling of homophones (their/there/they're, its/it's).

A strong thesis states the essay's central claim in one sentence, is debatable, and previews the supporting points.

Topic sentences state the paragraph's main idea and connect it to the thesis; every supporting sentence should serve that idea.

Paragraph unity: one controlling idea per paragraph; unrelated sentences should be moved or cut.

Coherence: use transitions (however, therefore, in addition, consequently) and consistent pronoun reference to link ideas.

Essay structure: introduction ends with the thesis; body paragraphs each develop one point with evidence and commentary; conclusion restates the thesis and draws implications without new evidence.

Paragraph development methods: examples, comparison/contrast, cause/effect, definition, process, and classification.

Adequate development: each body paragraph needs evidence (fact, example, statistic, quotation) plus analysis explaining its relevance to the claim.

Introduction funnel: begin with a broad context, narrow to the specific issue, end with the thesis; avoid opening with a dictionary definition or a cliché.

Read the prompt for the task verb (analyze, argue, explain, compare) and the required content before drafting; address every part.

Use a brief prewriting step (outline or list) to select a defensible position and two to three supporting reasons.

Thesis placement: put the central claim in the introduction and echo it in the conclusion; do not bury it in the final paragraph.

Body paragraph formula: topic sentence, evidence, explanation linking evidence to the claim, then a transition to the next point.

Use specific, relevant evidence (examples, scenarios, reasoning) rather than vague generalities; explain why each example supports the claim.

Address the counterargument or alternative view when the prompt asks for argument; concede a point and rebut it to strengthen the position.

Conclusion: restate the thesis in fresh words, summarize key points, and state a broader implication; do not introduce new evidence.

Timed response control: budget time for planning, drafting, and a final proofread for agreement, sentence boundaries, and punctuation.