Essential Grammar Skills For The GED

This guide covers GED® test writing tips and strategies that will help you be successful on exam day. You'll learn to recognize and correct errors in sentence structure, usage, mechanics, and organization, as well as identify the purpose of various parts of an essay. A. you've seen in previous chapters, the GED® Reasoning through Language Arts exam tests both reading and writing skills. Don't let that get you worried—the good news is that preparing for one part helps you to prepare for the other. And of course, the more you practice, the better your score will likely be.

GED® Test Strategies
In this guide, we focus on basic grammar and writing skills. The topics covered include:
- sentence structure
- usage
- mechanics
- organization

In addition, we also go over some GED® test tips and strategies. Together with the information provided in previous guides, these proven tools for exam success will help you prepare for and excel on test day.

Sentence Structure
Sentence structure basically refers to the order and use of words in sentences. The simple sentence He eats a burger is written with good structure; all the words are in order and the sentence makes sense. The sentence A he burger eats contains the same words, but does not display good structure.
Sentence structure questions on the GED® test will be a little more difficult than the previous example, but they will be based on the same idea: that there are rules in English which govern where words should be placed in a sentence and how they are used. It's important for you to know what these rules are.

Subjects and Predicates
The subject is who or what is doing the action in the sentence; the predicate is the verb and everything that comes after it. For example, consider the following sentence:
Only geeks like tests.
In this sentence, geeks is the subject and like tests is the predicate.

Independent/Dependent Clauses
A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a predicate. For example, the phrase when I go to lunch is a clause because it contains a subject (I) and a predicate (go to lunch). The phrase to lunch contains no subject and no verb, so it is not a clause.
There are two different kinds of clauses: independent and dependent. An independent clause is a complete sentence, whereas a dependent clause cannot stand alone as a sentence.
The phrase when I go to lunch is a dependent clause because it does not express a complete thought. Whatever the rest of the thought is, it's definitely necessary to make when I go to lunch a complete sentence.
Because people often speak in incomplete sentences, it can be difficult to tell the difference between a dependent clause and an independent clause. Fortunately, there are a number of clue words that generally come at the beginning of a phrase and tip us off that it's a dependent clause. (The technical name for these clue words is subordinating conjunctions.)
Here are some examples of clue words, or subordinating conjunctions:


Memorize a few of these clue words each day, and by the time you take the test you should be able to recognize a dependent clause pretty easily.

Fragments and Run-ons
A fragment is a part of a sentence, or an incomplete sentence. A run-on is two or more sentences stuck together without proper punctuation. On the GED® test, fragments will often be dependent clauses, as in the previous example, and you'll be able to recognize them using clue words. At other times they will simply be groups of words lacking either a subject or a predicate. Look for a subject and a predicate in each sentence. If you can't find one, it's a fragment.
On the GED® test, a run-on often shows up in the form of two independent clauses joined by a comma, instead of separated by a period. For example, you might see a sentence like this:
She agreed to marry him, that made him happy.
There are two complete thoughts here: she agreed to marry him, and that made him happy. They should be two separate sentences, as follows:
She agreed to marry him. That made him happy. BE CAREFUL
Anytime you see two phrases joined by a comma in a GED® test question, check to see whether they should be separated into two complete sentences.
People commonly mistake a number of words for coordinating conjunctions, but they actually require a separate sentence. If you come across any of these words on a GED® test question, it's a good chance that you're looking at a run-on:



Active and Passive Voice
Active and passive voice refers to the way you write about the subject and verb. If the subject is known and is doing the action, it's an active voice. If the subject is unknown or is not doing the action, it's a passive voice.
This concept is much easier to understand with an example. Look at the following sentence:
Barry hit the ball.
Barry is the subject and he's the one doing the action. That means the sentence is written in an active voice. What if we write the following:
The ball was hit by Barry.
Now the ball is the subject, but it's not doing anything; something is being done to it. The subject is no longer active, so the sentence is written in a passive voice.

Generally speaking, you should use the active voice, rather than the passive voice, when you write. The GED® test will likely include some questions that test your ability to identify the passive voice and to change it to an active voice.

Usage
Usage refers to conventional ways of speaking that help us to understand each other. These conventions are referred to as usage. On the GED® test, usage questions commonly test the following concepts:
- verb conjugation
- verb tense
- subject-verb agreement

Verb Conjugation
To conjugate a verb means to change its form so that it matches its subject correctly. For example, if your subject is the dinosaur and the verb is want, you would change the verb to wants to make it match the subject in the sentence, as in The dinosaur wants to eat fruit.
Although it may seem pretty easy to catch the error in the sentence, The dinosaur want to eat fruit, sentences that test your knowledge of verb tenses on the GED® test can be a little trickier. They will often contain multiple verbs separated by other words, like this:
The children are hungry and, thanks to their mom, is about to have a snack.
The verb is is incorrectly conjugated; the subject, children, is plural, and therefore the verb should be plural, too. The verb are matches the plural subject. The corrected sentence is:
The children are hungry and, thanks to their mom, are about to have a snack.

Verb Tense
Verb tense refers to the time in which an action occurs: past, present, or future. Most verbs have a different form for each tense. For example, the verb drink looks different if you're referring to the past, drank, than if you're referring to the future, will drink.
The GED® test is mostly concerned with your ability to keep tenses consistent. In other words, if you start a sentence with a verb in past tense, you should probably continue to use the past tense throughout.

Subject-Verb Agreement

As previously mentioned, a subject and verb are said to agree when they are either both plural or both singular. Usually, to make a noun plural you add an -s, and to make a verb plural you take an -s away. For example:
The dog growls.
or
The dogs growl.

On the GED® test, you're likely to see questions that will test common errors in subject-verb agreement. Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for:
- doesn't/don't. Incorrect: He don't want to go. Correct: He doesn't want to go.
- wasn't/weren't. Incorrect: The pens wasn't in the drawer when I looked. Correct: The pens weren't in the drawer when I looked.
- there's/there are. Incorrect: There's a lot of people here. Correct: There are a lot of people here.
- here's/here are. Incorrect: Here's the instructions. Correct: Here are the instructions.

Mechanics
In reference to writing, the term mechanics refers to the little things that make your writing look like it should: capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Using correct mechanics may not change the substance of your writing; that is, a word may mean the same thing whether it's capitalized or not. Correct mechanics will change how your writing is perceived.

Capitalization
You probably remember that in English, all proper nouns are capitalized. But you may sometimes have trouble remembering what a proper noun is. The following list includes many common nouns that should always be capitalized.
- People's first, middle, and last names and initials: Bob Jones, T. Davis, Jay Lynn Jackson
- Names of specific places: Austin, Mississippi, Afghanistan, Rohnert Park
- Brand names: Band-Aid, Starbucks, McDonald's
- Days of the week and holidays: Sunday, Monday, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day
- Months of the year: August, September, October
- Titles of books, movies, TV shows, etc., with the exception of short prepositions or articles that are not the first word: War and Peace, Desperate Housewives, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Proper Nouns
With proper nouns, a good rule to remember is proper = property. If someone owns the name (like Wal-Mart, for example), it probably has to be capitalized.
Most nouns in English are not capitalized, so it would be next to impossible to write a list of all types of nouns that shouldn't be capitalized. There are, however, several types of nouns that are commonly capitalized by mistake. Here are a few to remember:
- Words that refer to people's titles (doctor, secretary, president), unless they immediately precede the person's name: my doctor, Doctor Jones, Secretary of State Roberts, the president, President Obama
- Names of general places: our city, the next town, seven continents, a park
- General product names: bandage, coffee, fast food
- Seasons of the year: fall, winter, spring, summer
The general rule here is that unless you're referring to a specific person, place, or thing, the noun should not be capitalized.

Spelling
There is no fixed set of rules that you can memorize in order to know how to spell every word in the English language. Fortunately, the GED® test tends to test the same words over and over again—short, common words that people misspell all the time. Here's a list of some you should definitely know how to use:



Punctuation
Much more than spelling, punctuation in English tends to follow a fixed set of rules. The problem is that the list of rules is half a mile long. Fortunately, for the purposes of the GED® test you will only need to know what each punctuation mark means and a few basic rules for how it is used.
- A comma (,) indicates a brief pause. Example: Jackie, my oldest sister, got a job yesterday.
- A semicolon (;) is used to divide two complete sentences with a pause shorter than a period. Example: Jackie is my oldest sister; I don't get along with her.
- A colon (:) introduces a list or an explanation. Example: I have three sisters: Jackie, Celia, and Amber.
- A dash (—) is used to indicate a long break for emphasis. Example: My oldest sister and I used to fight—a lot.
- A period (.) stops a sentence at the end of a complete thought. Example: Jackie is my oldest sister.
- An exclamation point (!) stops a sentence with emphasis. Example: I'm sick of fighting!
- A question mark (?) is used to indicate a question. Example: Do you fight with your sisters?

Among all punctuation marks in the English language, the comma interests the GED® test developers most. They want to know that you can use a comma when it's needed and leave it out when it's not. The following is a list of common comma uses:
- when you're combining two complete sentences with a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, etc.)
Example: I don't like grammar, but I have to learn it for the test.
- when you're writing a list of three or more related words
Example: The president is focused on the economy, health care, and the war in Afghanistan.
- when you're using a quotation
Example: Who originally said, 'All that glitters is not gold'?
- when you're giving the reader extra information that's unnecessary to the sentence
Example: Jackie, my oldest sister, got a job yesterday.
- when you're writing a date
Example: Today is November 14, 2009.

Commas
Believe it or not, entire books are written on how to use commas correctly. Check out Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!

Organization
Organization refers to placing sentences and paragraphs in order so that the reader can best understand what you're trying to say in your writing. An organized paragraph typically includes one topic sentence, placed either at the beginning or at the end of the paragraph, and a few supporting sentences. An organized essay includes an introduction with a strong thesis statement, two or more body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
There are several common ways of organizing supporting sentences and paragraphs in an essay. Three of the most common are:
1. chronological order
2. order of importance
3. cause and effect

Chronological Order
Chronological order is the order in which things happen in time; in other words, what happens first, next, and last. If you were telling a story, giving instructions, or relating an event in your essay, you would probably do well to write in chronological order.
A common mistake made by beginning writers is to skip around in time. For example, when telling about a football game, one might write:
Our team got a touchdown! The running back got the ball at the 48 yard line and ran it all the way to the end zone. The coach told the quarterback to go long, but instead he handed it off to the running back. A. you can see, this is not the order in which things actually happened; that is, it's not written in chronological order and may be confusing to some. A more organized way to write the paragraph would be as follows:
The coach told the quarterback to go long, but instead he handed it off to the running back at the 48 yard line. Then the running back ran the ball all the way to the end zone. At last our team got a touchdown!
Telling what happens first, next, and last—in that order—helps the reader keep track of what you're writing about.

Transition Words
Transition words help readers know the direction you're going in your writing. Common transition words for chronological order include: first, to begin, next, then, afterward, last, and finally.

Order of Importance
To organize your writing based on order of importance means to put sentences or paragraphs in order from most to least important, or from least to most important. For example, let's say you're telling a coworker about your rotten weekend. Three terrible things happened to you: you lost your hat, you stubbed your toe, and you were very ill. Assuming that your illness is the most important event and losing your hat is the second most important event, you might tell the story like this:
This was a terrible weekend. I stubbed my toe so badly that now I can hardly walk. Even worse, on Saturday night I lost my hat. Worst of all, when I came home Saturday night I got violently ill!

On the GED® test, you'll be expected to know when sentences or paragraphs are in the wrong order. Look for key words like more/most, worse/worst and better/best to determine what order things should be in.

Cause and Effect
Cause and effect is an organizational style that either puts the entire cause of an event first, and then the effect, or vice versa. The key to this method is to be sure that the two are entirely separated and clear. For example, let's say you got in a car wreck because a deer ran out in front of you. You might write something like this:
(1) Last week, I had to get my front bumper replaced. (2) I also had to get my windshield replaced and the front tires realigned. (3) All this trouble came into my life because I ran into a deer last Monday. A. you can see, the two sentences describing the effect are together at the beginning of the paragraph, while the sentence describing the cause is at the end. The paragraph would not be as well organized if you moved sentence (3) in front of sentence (2), thereby interrupting the organizational flow.

Practice
Now that you've had a chance to review the writing skills needed to do well on the GED® test, give the following questions a try. Read each question, and then choose the one best answer for each.
1. Sentence (1): Every time my brother takes a shower, he leave a huge mess.
Which revision should be made to sentence (1)? a. replace Every with All b. change takes to take c. change leave to leaves d. replace mess with messy
2. (1) I used to enjoy going out to dance. (2) When I was younger.
Which revision should be made to sentence (2)? a. delete sentence (2) and add a sentence about dancing b. move sentence (2) in front of sentence (1) and add the word However c. add for example to the beginning of sentence (2) and instead of at the end of sentence (1) d. connect the sentences by removing the period at the end of sentence (1) and set When in lowercase
3. (1) She ate the cake. (2) Which the king had poisoned. a. delete the word which b. change the word Which to That c. connect sentences with a comma instead of a period and set Which in lowercase d. add the word And to the beginning of the sentence
4. Sentence (1): Three of us began the race, however, only two of us finished it. a. move Three of us began the race to the end of the sentence b. change the first comma to a period and capitalize however c. delete however and replace with because d. change however to nevertheless
5. Sentence (1): The car was smashed by a cement mixer. a. delete was b. place a period after smashed c. move cement mixer in front of car d. change the order to A cement mixer smashed the car
6. Sentence (1): The last time I went to see my friend in Dallas, he's living on the south side.
Which of the following revisions should be made to sentence (1)? a. delete The b. change the comma to a period and capitalize he's c. change he's to he was d. move he's living on the south side to the beginning of the sentence
7. Read the sentences and then choose the best answer.
(1) Last week I had too get my front bumper replaced. (2) I also has to get my windshield replaced and the front tires realigned. (3) All this trouble came into my life, because I ran into a deer last Monday. a. move Last week to the end of the sentence b. change too to to c. delete the word front d. change has to had
8. Sentence (2): I also has to get my windshield replaced and the front tires realigned.
Which of the following revisions should be made to sentence (2)? a. delete also b. change has to had c. add a comma after replaced d. add a semicolon after and 9. Sentence (3): All this trouble came into my life, because I ran into a deer last Monday.
Which of the following revisions should be made to sentence (3)? a. delete the comma after life b. move because I ran into a deer last Monday to the beginning of the sentence c. add a comma after deer d. change Monday to monday
10. Which of the following should a good introduction do? a. summarize the essay b. develop the argument c. get the reader's attention d. leave the reader with a sense of closure

Answers:
1. c. The subject and verb must agree. The singular subject, he, requires a singular verb.
2. d. By itself, sentence (2) is a fragment. Connecting it to sentence (1) makes it a dependent clause of a complete sentence.
3. c. By itself, sentence (2) is a fragment. Connecting it to sentence (1) makes it part of a complete sentence.
4. b. When the word however is used between two clauses, you can either place a period or a semicolon at the end of the first clause.
5. d. It is preferable that sentences use an active voice rather than a passive voice. By changing the order of the words, the subject is the thing doing the action.
6. c. The beginning of the sentence is written in the past tense, so the end of the sentence must also be in past tense. He's, which is a contraction for he is, is present tense.
7. b. Too and to are homonyms. Too means also, and is not the correct word in this sentence.
8. b. The verb has does not agree with the subject I, and also shifts the passage from past to present tense. Replacing has with had corrects these issues.
9. a. A comma is not needed in this sentence.
10. c. The purpose of an introduction is to introduce the topic and catch the reader's attention. This is your chance to make the reader want to continue reading your essay.

Sentence structure refers to the way words are put together to create sentences. It includes the following concepts:
- Subjects and predicates. A subject is who or what the sentence is about; a predicate is the verb and everything that comes after it. Every complete sentence has a subject and a predicate.
- Independent and dependent clauses. A clause is a group of words that includes a subject and a predicate. An independent clause is a complete sentence; a dependent clause is not complete on its own.
- Fragments and run-ons. A fragment is an incomplete sentence; a run-on is two complete sentences joined together with a comma or no punctuation at all.
- Active and passive voice. In an active voice, the subject of a sentence is doing the action. In a passive voice, the action is being done to the subject.

Usage refers to the rules that determine how words should be used in sentences. It includes the following concepts:
- Verb conjugation. A verb's form sometimes changes depending on who's doing the action. For example, we say I want and he wants.
- Verb tense. A verb's form changes depending on when it takes place; in the past, present, or future.
- Subject-verb agreement. A verb should be made singular or plural to match its subject.

Mechanics are the nuts and bolts of writing, including punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. In regard to punctuation, one of the most important things to study is comma rules. In regard to spelling, you'll need to learn how to use homonyms correctly.

Organization refers to the way sentences and paragraphs are placed in order. There are three major types of organization:
- Chronological order. Events are written in the order in which they occurred in time.
- Order of importance. Sentences and paragraphs are written in order from least to most important, or vice versa.
- Cause and effect. Everything having to do with the cause is written separately from everything having to do with the effect.
On the GED® test, you'll be expected to know when sentences or paragraphs are in the wrong order.