Writing: Conventions, Sentence Combining, and Revision
What the questions test
The Writing section tests standard English conventions plus your ability to combine and revise sentences. You should be able to spot, quickly: subject–verb agreement, pronoun–antecedent agreement, verb tense consistency, and correct use of commas, apostrophes, semicolons, and quotation marks - along with clear pronoun reference.
Trap 1: interrupting phrases. In "The list of supplies, including three notebooks, (is/are) on the desk," the subject is list, not supplies. Cross out everything between subject and verb before deciding.
Trap 2: pronoun agreement. "Every student must bring their book" pairs a singular antecedent with a plural pronoun. Treat each, every, everyone, and everybody as singular on this exam.
Trap 3: comma splices. Two complete sentences joined only by a comma is an error. Repair it with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet).
Trap 4: apostrophes. Its is possessive; it's means "it is." Plural nouns take no apostrophe. "The teachers' lounge" is correct only if more than one teacher shares it.
Sentence combining: pick the option that preserves the meaning, uses the fewest words, and avoids dangling modifiers. An introductory phrase must describe the subject that follows it. "Walking to class, the bell rang" fails because the bell was not walking.
Worked example
"The students finished the project. They presented it on Friday." Best combination: "After the students finished the project, they presented it on Friday." The time order is kept and the opening phrase correctly describes the students.