Language
The Language domain checks how words and sentences work. Questions ask you to choose the correct pronoun, verb tense, or word order; fix fragments and run-ons; apply punctuation and capitalization; use context clues, affixes, and reference tools; and interpret figurative language.
Grammar and sentence control
- Relative pronouns: who and whom for people, which for things, that for people or things. Use whose for possession.
- Progressive tenses show ongoing action: is jumping, was jumping, will be jumping. Modal auxiliaries such as can, may, and must change meaning.
- Adjectives usually follow opinion-size-age-shape-color-origin-material-purpose order.
- A fragment is missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought; a run-on joins two complete sentences without correct punctuation.
Punctuation and word meaning
Use commas in compound sentences and after introductory phrases; use quotation marks around a speaker's exact words; capitalize proper nouns and the first word of a sentence. For vocabulary, read the sentence around the word, break off prefixes and suffixes, and check the dictionary entry that matches the part of speech. Figurative language goes beyond literal meaning: a simile compares with like or as, a metaphor states one thing is another, and an idiom means something different from its words.
Worked example
Choose the correct sentence: A The team of players were running late. B The team of players was running late. C The team of players is run late. D The team of players been late. The subject is team, a singular collective noun; of players is a prepositional phrase, so it does not change the verb. B uses was correctly. A has a subject-verb agreement error, C uses the wrong verb form, and D is incomplete.
Traps that cost marks
Matching the verb to the nearest noun instead of the subject; joining sentences with only a comma; putting quotation marks around only part of a speaker's words; choosing a familiar meaning when context points elsewhere; taking an idiom literally.