Transcript Document

Writing a Standardized Test
Essay: Characteristics of
Effective Writing
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Writing is a necessary skill that you will continue to
develop for the rest of your life.
• In college, whether you major in business,
•
science, or liberal arts, you will be required to
write papers about what you are studying.
Most jobs require some kind of writing, from
reports to correspondence.
The best way to improve your skill is to read more
and to practice writing.
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To write effectively, use your
creativity and your organization.
• Your creativity will inspire your ideas and help
you formulate an interesting point of view. It will
also help you find fun ways to use words, such
as with figurative language.
• Once you have developed your topic and
supporting details, use your organization to
maintain proper sentence consistency and
grammar.
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To write effectively, logically express your
ideas with clarity and precision.
Choose a writing style that is appropriate
for your topic:
persuasive, narrative, expository, or
comparative
If you are presenting your opinion or point of
view, then it cannot be wrong, as long as you
have expressed it in a reasonable way and
supported it convincingly.
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Writing Essays on a Standardized Test
• Due to time limits, your essay is graded as a first draft.
• To receive credit for your test essay, you must write
about the topic that has been provided.
• You can use some facts about the topic if you are sure
of them, but otherwise state your opinion(s).
• Try to use a few higher level vocabulary words, but
only where it is appropriate.
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Writing Essays on a Standardized Test
(Continued)
• Begin with a strong topic sentence that sums up
what you think or how you feel.
• Develop your idea by providing reasons to
support your statement.
oUse many specific examples to illustrate your points.
• Practice writing essays.
oSee if it helps to make a quick outline.
oTime yourself! For the SAT, you only have 25 minutes.
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Maintain a Balance of Abstract and Concrete
Abstract language expresses general ideas and is
good for beginning an essay with a broad perspective.
Concrete language is more specific and is good for
providing examples that depict abstract statements.
"My dad is very brave." is an abstract
statement. It can be effective if followed by a concrete
illustration such as, "In his 30 years as a
firefighter, he has saved 47 lives."
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Additional Features of Writing Include:
1) Consistency
2) Logical Expression of Ideas
3) Clarity and Precision
4) Appropriate Use of Conventions
The following illustrate examples of these.
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Examples of Ineffective Consistency
Common Error
Example
Noun-Number Agreement
The cat and dog eats their food.
change to: The cat and dog eat their food.
Subject-Verb Agreement
There is a cat and a mouse.
change to: There are a cat and a mouse.
Shift of Pronoun
Sequence of Tenses
Parallelism
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If she falls, try to catch them.
change to: If she falls, try to catch her.
I will slide and then running away.
change to: I will slide and then run away.
While I went back, forward you went.
change to: While I went back, you went forward.
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Improving the Logical Expression of Ideas
Common Error
Example
Coordination and
Subordination
The ride took longer, and there was lots of traffic.
change to: The ride took longer; there was lots of traffic.
Logical Comparison
Modification and
Word Order
Tautology
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She got more treats than her friend's bag.
change to: She got more treats than her friend did.
Tiptoeing out, the door closed behind her.
change to: Tiptoeing out, she closed the door behind
her.
The brilliant genius knew every answer.
change to: The genius knew every answer.
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Examples of Improving Clarity and
Precision
Common Error
The made cleaned the house.
change to: The maid cleaned the house.
Diction
Missing Subject
Weak Passive Verbs
Ambiguous and Vague
Pronouns
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Example
Went to her room.
change to: She went to her room.
Before you have dessert, lunch should be eaten.
change to: Before you have dessert, eat lunch.
In my class they said there wasn't homework.
change to: My classmates said there wasn't
homework.
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Appropriately Using Conventions
Common Error
Adjective and Adverb
Confusion
Pronoun Case
I clean the house slow.
change to: I clean the house slowly.
She wants to go with you and I.change to: She
wants to go with you and me.
This song is from Mozart.
change to: This song is by Mozart.
Idiom
Comparison of Modifiers
Sentence Fragment
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Example
Of all of my toys, I love my teddy more.
change to: Of all of my toys, I love my teddy most.
While I slept soundly in my bed.
change to: I slept soundly in my bed.
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As you write, ask yourself questions about
the structure and function of each sentence.
Does this sentence have:
proper word usage?
a logical ordering of words?
subject/verb agreement?
noun/number agreement?
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- Does this sentence have any unnecessary words
that I can eliminate?
- Is this sentence effective in expressing or
supporting my idea?
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As you write, ask yourself questions about
the structure of each paragraph as a whole.
Does the sequence of the sentences in this
paragraph follow a logical order?
Is each sentence related to the surrounding ones
in a way that the paragraph flows?
Does the concluding paragraph summarize my
points?
Good Luck!
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The end.
More free SAT WRITING resources:
choosing the better sentence
editing & revising paragraphs
improving sentences
writing the SAT essay - characteristics of
effective writing
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Eight-week WRITING courses:
elementary school
middle school
high school
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