Sentence control, grammar, punctuation and spelling
Sentence control, grammar, punctuation and spelling
This domain tests clarity at sentence level. The co-requisite does not demand fancy sentences; it demands control. A reader should not have to repair your grammar to understand your meaning.
Core rules
- Write complete sentences: every sentence needs a subject and a finite verb, except deliberate fragments used for effect.
- Keep subject and verb agreeing, and keep tense consistent unless a time shift is signalled.
- Use commas for lists, introductory phrases and non-essential clauses; do not join two full sentences with a comma alone.
- Use apostrophes for possession and contractions, and check plural possessives: “students’ work”, “the student’s work”.
- Use quotation marks for direct speech and quoted text; place the full stop according to the quotation structure.
- Use semicolons between closely related main clauses and colons to introduce an explanation or list.
- Proofread for homophones: their/there/they’re, affect/effect, practice/practise.
Worked example
Original: “The teams performance was strong, they trained every day.” Reasoning: “teams” needs an apostrophe because the performance belongs to the team; “strong, they” is a comma splice joining two independent clauses. Revised: “The team’s performance was strong; they trained every day.” The semicolon correctly links the related clauses, and the possessive apostrophe is in place.
Traps
- Run-on sentences held together by commas.
- Sentence fragments introduced by “because” or “which”.
- Apostrophes used for plurals (“two dog’s”).
- Inconsistent tense within a paragraph.
- Missing capitals for proper nouns and sentence starts.