AHSGE Language Exam Definitions and Examples 1.

Identify correct noun forms Nouns name a person, place, thing, or idea. Plural nouns add an s or es. Collective nouns name a group. Proper nouns name specific things and are capitalized. Some nouns have alternate accepted forms. For example, the plural of index could be indexes or indices. 2. Identify correct verb forms Verbs show action or state of being. There are six main tenses: present, past, future, present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. Some past tense verbs add ed, while other irregular verbs change form. For example, the verb sing becomes sang or sung. Future tense verbs add the helping verb will. Present perfect verbs add the helping verb has or have. Past perfect verbs add the helping verb had, while future perfect verbs add the helping verbs will have. 3. Recognize subject-verb agreement Singular subjects go with singular verbs, while plural subjects go with plural verbs. The subject of the sentence determines the verb. Some singular verbs have an s ending (the opposite of nouns), while plural verbs do not. If the s is on the subject, it wont be on the verb, and if the s is on the verb, it wont be on the subject. 4. Recognize pronoun-antecedent agreement Pronouns take the place of a noun. The antecedent is the word the pronoun refers to. For example, in the sentence, The poor old man was all wrapped up, except for his face, his is the pronoun referring to man (the antecedent). 5. Identify incorrect shifts in verb tense Keep your verb tense consistent. For example, if the first verb in the sentence or paragraph is in past tense, the other verbs should be too. 6. Identify correct pronoun case There are three cases: nominative, objective, and possessive. Nominative pronouns come in the beginning of the sentence, such as I, you, he/she/it, we, and they. Objective pronouns are in the end of the sentence, such as me, you, him/her/it, us, and them. Possessive pronouns show ownership and do NOT have apostrophes: my, mine, your/yours, his/her/its, our/ours, and their/theirs. 7. Identify effective use of voice Active voice verbs show the subject performing the action. Active voice is preferred over passive. For example, in the sentence The boy threw the ball the boy is doing the throwing. Passive voice verbs have the action being performed on the subject. For example The ball was thrown by the boy the ball becomes the subject and the verb adds the words was and by. 8. Determine correct placement of modifiers Misplaced modifiers modify the wrong word or modify more than one word in a sentence. For example, in the sentence The campers slipped on the mossy rocks crossing the river it sounds as if the rocks are crossing the river, not the campers. Dangling modifiers do not seem to modify any word in the sentence. For example, there is no subject in the following sentence: Canoeing all day, a break was needed. It sounds as if the break was canoeing when, in fact, it was probably the campers from the previous example. 9. Identify correct usage of commonly confused words Some commonly confused words are: its/its, their/there/theyre, affect/effect, accept/except, wear/were/were/where, weather/whether, your/youre, whos/whose, lie/lay, sit/set. Consult a grammar book or the Internet for the meanings of these words. 10. Use words that create clarity, precision, and vivid description Do not use meaningless phrases that add nothing to the sentence and omit repetitive or redundant phrases. Dont use clichs or jargon. DO use descriptive language that focuses on the five senses: smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing. 11. Use formal and informal language appropriately Formal language is what you use in school and formal reports. Formal language should avoid slang, contractions, second person you, and jargon. Informal language is what you use when you talk with your friends. 12. Correct run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and comma splices A run-on sentence contains two or more complete sentences written as one. To correct a run-on, separate the main clauses with either an end mark, a semicolon (;), or a comma and a coordinating conjunction (, but). A sentence fragment is an incomplete sentence, which may be missing a subject, a verb, or both. A comma splice is when two complete sentences are joined with a comma instead of a semicolon, comma and coordinating conjunction, or an end mark. For example, There was a mistake on our bill, the server took care of it.

13. Correct sentences that lack internal parallelism Parallel structure means using like grammatical parts to emphasize a similarity between ideas. A sentence is NOT parallel if the words dont have the same grammatical structure. For example, Wordsworth likes reflecting on an event more than to experience it. To correct the sentence, change to experience to experiencing to match with reflecting. Some examples of correlative conjunctions are: bothand, eitheror, whetheror, neithernor, not onlybut also. The correlative is always placed immediately before the parallel item. For example, The image of Wordsworth as a dreamy poet chasing butterflies is not only silly but also erroneous. 14. Demonstrate correct use of capitalization Capitalize proper nouns and adjectives that name a specific person, place, thing or idea. Capitalize the first word in each sentence and in direct quotations. 15. Demonstrate correct use of commas Use commas between items in a series, with quotation marks, and after introductory adverbial clauses. For example, After the curtain fell, the actors bowed for the applause. 16. Demonstrate correct use of a semicolon and a colon Use a semicolon (;) to separate two complete sentences that are closely related in thought and are not joined by a conjunction. Use a semicolon between sentences joined by a conjunctive adverb such as however. Use a semicolon between items in a series if the items contain commas. For example, He gives Finkle information about Sophie, a widow; Lily, a high school teacher; and Ruth, an honors student. The colon (:) is a mark that means note what follows. Use it before a list of items, especially after expressions such as follows and the following. However, do not use a colon before a list that directly follows a verb or a preposition. For example, The author tells about the following women: Sophie, Lily, and Ruth. 17. Demonstrate correct use of quotation marks and underlining Use quotation marks in direct quotations (the exact words someone said) and to indicate titles of SHORT works such as poems, song titles, and short stories. For example, Willie said, I want some ice cream. Underline (or italicize) titles of LONG works such as books, movies, and television shows. 18. Demonstrate correct use of the apostrophe Use apostrophes in contractions such as Im for I am. Make singular nouns possessive by adding an apostrophe plus s (classs project). If a plural noun ends in s, add the apostrophe after the s (classes schedules). If a plural noun does not end in s, add s (childrens games). Possessive pronouns do NOT have an apostrophe (its, yours, ours, and theirs). Its is a contraction for it is. 19. Determine logical progression and completeness of paragraphs This includes introductory sentences, concluding sentences, sequence of events, transitional words, and irrelevant and/or redundant sentences. Each sentence in a paragraph should add details or explanation to the topic sentence or the main idea of a paragraph. Example: Choose the sentence that BEST fits the blank. John had to learn how to do his laundry when he went away to school. He learned to sort the white clothes from the dark. _______________________. He had no trouble with the dryer except remembering to hang up shirts and pants immediately so they wouldnt wrinkle. A. B. C. D. John was more careful not to buy clothes he had to iron. He washed clothes only once a week. Next he carefully followed the detergents instruction as to the amount to add. John still took his dirty clothes to his mother when he went home.

To find the sentence that fits best in the blank, read each choice and find the one that gives details about the topic sentence or additional explanation. The main idea of the paragraph is John learning to do his own laundry. Even though A is about clothes, it does not fit with learning how to do laundry. Answers B and D are details, but neither sentence gives details or explanation about the steps he follows when doing laundry. Answer C is the correct answer because it gives the step between sorting the clothes and drying them.