Link of the Day
Did you watch the State of the Union Address? If you missed President Obama’s speech,
here is a text version. This could be
one of your current events, but it is a long speech, so it might be better to
look up a couple of the issues that the President wants to bring before the
country. One of the things the President
mentions is preschool. Read this article
and think about how many different themes are mentioned. Then check the list of previously released
essay topics (online or in your Knowsys book on page 229) and imagine how you
could use this issue as an excellent example for any of these
topics. It directly relates to many of
the SAT questions!
Writing: Identifying Sentence Errors
The following sentence
contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an
error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence
correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.
Read
the entire original sentence to yourself, listening for errors. Then quickly check each underlined portion
against the Big 8 Grammar Rules. Mark
any error you find, but be sure to check all of the answer choices.
Formerly called manacles or shackles, handcuffs consist of two metal rings joined by a short chain; once fastened shut, it requires a key to open. No error
(A) Formerly is an adverb
modifying the word “called.” It is in
the correct format with an “–ly” on the end and is as close as possible to the
word it modifies. If you want to be sure
that it is correct, substitute a synonym such as “previously” and read the
sentence. The meaning is clear and
precise, so there is no error here.
(B) When a verb is underlined make sure that it
is in the correct tense and that it matches the subject in number. Handcuffs still exist, so it is correct to
shift from past to present tense in this sentence. The word “handcuffs” is plural, so the verb “consist”
is correct. You would not say “handcuffs
consists.” The preposition “of” is also
idiomatically correct after “consist;” check the frequently-tested idioms list
on page 172 of your Knowsys book to confirm this.
(C) This might be a
tempting answer because it has an “–ed” ending. The tense of a sentence supposed to be as consistent as
possible, right? Think about it this way: if a
pair of handcuffs exists now, it was made in the past. You also cannot change it to any other form,
such as “joining,” without changing the meaning of the sentence. There is no problem with the phrase “joined
by.”
(D) When a pronoun like the
word “it” is underlined, you must identify its antecedent. The “it” is supposed to take the place of the
noun “handcuffs,” but there is a problem.
“Handcuffs” is plural while “it” is singular. You need the word “they” instead of the word “it.” Mark this error.
(E) This answer choice is
not correct because you already marked an error.
On sat.collegeboard.org,
54% of the responses were correct.
For more help with SAT writing, visit www.myknowsys.com!
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