TWE readers will judge your essay based on your ability to organize ideas around the question and your ability to use good grammar. It is important to point out that readers generally will grade down your essay if the grammar significantly obscures meaning, but your essay doesn’t have to have perfect grammar in order to score a 4.0 or higher. Consider the following two paragraphs: the first one having some minor grammatical problems, the second one having significant grammatical problems which obscure meaning.

Minor grammar problems:

Politeness is very important in relationship. You have to be polite and respect whomever you have the relation with or whomever you meet. First example, a student has to be polite to his/her instructor. Using titles of respect, he/she has to respect him in whatever situation, because if she/he doesn’t, he/she can catch an F or zero on a test or assignment. At the very least, the student may create a bad impression of himself in front of his instructor. Furthermore, an impolite student has to leave the school and go away.

Written by a student who scored a 4.0 on the TWE, this essay has minor problems with the plural "s" ending (i.e., relationships), parallel structure (i.e., to respect), and sentence variety. However, none of these errors is overly distracting from the ideas expressed in the essay.

Problems which obscure meaning:

People should always be polite no matter what the situation. Yes, They must have polite to another people to respect him, if They are not polite nobody gonn respect him and They are miss behavior. If you have polite every body They will respect you and They will know youi have eduction and you must have soft with people to like you and respect you, when you have The polite, everybody They knows you are polite and edcution. but The polite is very important in the life, it is experment in you life.

Written by a student who scored a 1.0 on the TWE, this essay has major problems with the basic sentence structure and grammar. Consequently, these errors distract the reader from the ideas expressed in the essay.

Sentence Combining to Avoid a Choppy Sentence Style

Good basic sentence structure requires that you avoid a choppy sentence style, which means using too many consecutive short simple sentences. Instead, it is important to use a variety of sentences, both long and short, in your writing. Generally, writers uses longer sentences to combine ideas which are not important enough to stand alone. They use short sentences to emphasize important ideas that can stand alone.

Choppy sentence style: The house is 2150 square feet. It has a pool and spa. There are four bedrooms in the house.

Revised: The house which has a pool and spa is 2150 square feet and has four bedrooms in the house.

"Multiple Choice Exercises Involving Sentence Combining"

To avoid a choppy sentence style, it is important that you get used to different ways of combining sentences using noun clauses, adjective clauses, and adverb clauses. It also important to reduce these types of clauses whenever possible. The following exercises simulate the kinds of TOEFL grammar questions that you might be asked regarding these three kinds of dependent clauses. Additionally, these exercises exemplify sentence combining that you should use when writing a TWE. For each question, choose which answer best completes the sentence. You have successfully completed this exercise after achieving a 90% accuracy on a noun, adjective, and adverb clause quiz.

Noun clauses/infinitives (100 questions) http://buckhoff.topcities.com/noun_clauses.htm

Adjective clauses/phrases (80 questions) http://buckhoff.topcities.com/adjective_clauses.htm

Adverb clauses/phrases (120 questions) http://buckhoff.topcities.com/adverbclauses.htm

Looking for Comma Splices, Run-on Sentences, and Fragments

Good basic sentence structure requires that you use appropriate punctuation, have clear sentence boundaries, and write in complete ideas. Therefore, when you are writing your TWE, you need to avoid comma splices, run-on sentences, and fragments, all of which are common sentence structure errors in writing for both native and nonnative speakers of English. A comma splice is when you join two independent clauses together with a comma.

Comma splice: Jake is washing his car, he is getting ready for a long vacation.

Revised: Jake is washing his car because he is getting ready for a long vacation.

Jake is washing his car; he is getting ready for a long vacation.

Jake is washing his car. He is getting ready for a long vacation.

A run-on sentence is when you combine two independent clauses together with no punctuation.

Run-on sentence: Sociology is the study of social groups it teaches students about human nature.

Revised: Sociology is the study of social groups. It teaches students about human nature.

A fragment is when you have an incomplete idea (i.e., dependent clause or phrase) as its own sentence.

Fragment: Fighting against violence can be accomplished. If the government spends enough money in educating the public.

Revised: Fighting against violence can be accomplished if the government spends enough money in educating the public.

To master these editing skills go to the hyperlink below:

"Correcting Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments" Exercises

Having Good Sentence Variety

Part of being a good writer is using a variety of sentence structures in your writing. Too many of the same sounding sentences can be monotonous. Consider the following paragraph:

No Sentence Variety:

I paced the room. I waited for my drama team to join me. I smiled as the events of the past four days flashed through my mind. We had arrived a day ahead of the other students attending Junior/ Senior Bible Camp. We arrived along with the student praise band and the family group leaders. We were the elite. We were student leaders. We were hand picked from the various church schools to guide others into worship. I had grown quite close to these strangers over the last few days. I had become incredibly fond of my drama companions. I absolutely loved drama. I never hesitated at the chance to illustrate God’s love through presentation. There was something about our team that made our talents blend like a tropical smoothie. We were good. The drama ministry had been a bountiful blessing to the retreat. It was a blessing for those in the audience. It was a blessing for us on stage. We had all bonded through the experience. The exercises, the endless practices, the late nights practicing until the drama sketches were immaculate. It was like the intimate fellowship that helps build that irreplaceable bond which develops between people when extreme pressure is put on them to accomplish a task. Indeed, we were under immense pressure. My daydream was suddenly interrupted as a white light refracted by the snow rolled in from the opened door. They were here.

This paragraph has too many sentences with the simple sentence subject verb pattern.

Sentence Variety:

Pacing the room, waiting for my drama team to join me, I smiled as the events of the past four days flashed through my mind. We had arrived a day ahead of the other students attending Junior/ Senior Bible Camp–that is we, along with the student praise band and the family group leaders. We were the elite, student leaders hand picked from the various church schools to guide others into worship. I had grown quite close to these strangers over the last few days but had become incredibly fond of my drama companions. Never having loved drama more, I didn’t hesitate at the chance to illustrate God’s love through presentation. There was something about our team that made our talents blend like a tropical smoothie. We were good, and the drama ministry had been a bountiful blessing to the retreat, not only for those in the audience, but for us on stage as well. We had all bonded through the experience. The exercises, the endless practices, the late nights practicing until the drama sketches were immaculate as well as the intimate fellowship that helps build that irreplaceable bond which develops between people when extreme pressure is put on them to accomplish a task. Indeed, we were under immense pressure. My daydream was suddenly interrupted as a white light refracted by the snow rolled in from the opened door. They were here.

In contrast to the previous paragraph, this paragraph uses a variety of sentence structures.

To understand sentence variety requires that you understand four types of sentence structures and reasons for their respective uses.

1. Simple Sentence: Consists of an independent clause, which has one subject and one verb.

Example: We had all bonded through the experience.

Use: To emphasize important information.

2. Compound: Consists of two independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (i.e., and, or, yet, so, for, but).

Example: I had grown quite close to these strangers over the last few days, but I had become incredibly fond of my drama companions.

Use: To join two equally important ideas that are not important enough to stand as their own separate sentences.

3. Complex: Consists of an independent clause and a dependent clause (i.e., adjective , adverb, or noun clause).

Example: We were the elite, the student leaders who were hand picked from the various church schools to guide others into worship.

Use: To join an independent idea (i.e., "the elite") with a supporting idea that isn’t important enough to stand as its own sentence (i.e., "who were handpicked...").

4. Compound-complex: Consists of a compound and a complex sentence combination.

Example: I saw the man who was riding the bicycle, and he told me that his watch had been stolen.

Use: To join two equally important ideas (i.e., "I saw the man, he told me..." that are not important enough to stand as their own separate sentences with a supporting idea (i.e., "who was riding...") that isn’t important enough to stand as its own sentence.

This is a list of common dependent clause connectors that you can use in your writing. Go back to the "Multiple Choice Exercises Involving Sentence Combining (i.e., http://buckhoff.topcities.com/noun_clauses.htm , http://buckhoff.topcities.com/adjective_clauses.htm, and http://buckhoff.topcities.com/adverbclauses.htm " if you want to more practice using these connectors.

Dependent Clause Connectors

Noun Clauses

Adjective Clauses

how

how many

that

what

when

where

whether

which

who

whom

whose

why

that

when

where

whereby

which

whom

whose

Adverb Clauses Connectors

Cause (expected result)

Condition

Contrast (unexpected result)

Manner

Place

Time

because

inasmuch as

now that

since

in case

provided

providing

unless

whether

although

even though

though

whereas

while

in that

where

wherever

after

as long as

as soon as

before

by the time

once

since

until

when

whenever

while

To further understand sentence variety requires that you understand subject-verb inversions (i.e., prepositional phrases of location, adverbs of negation and time, and adverb clauses when "if" has been omitted). It is also important to understand how to use fronted present and past participle phrases.

1. P.P. of location: Consists of a preposition and a noun, a verb, and a subject.

Example: Beside the dead man was a suicidal note explaining his plight.

Use: Emphasis.

2. Adverbs of negations and frequency:

Consists of an adverb of frequency, an auxiliary verb, a subject, and a main verb.

Example: Seldom does the student come to class late.

Use: Emphasis.

Common lists of adverbs that cause subject verb inversions

Frequency

Negation

Hardly ever

No sooner

Not since

Not until

Not often

Rarely

Scarcely ever

Seldom

At no time

In no way

In no case

Little (implied negation)

Neither

Never

Nor

Not for all the money in the world

Not once

Not for anything

Not once

Not only

Nowhere

On no account

Only then

Under no circumstances

3. Conditional clauses: Consists of a verb, a subject, a comma, a main subject, and a main verb or consists of a main subject, a main verb, a verb, and a subject.

Example: Were I not tired, I would go swimming right now.

If I were not tired, I would go swimming right now.

I would go swimming right now were I not tired.

I would go swimming right now if I were not tired.

Use: Variety, conciseness.

4. Participles: Consists of a verb + ed, en (i.e., passive meaning) or a verb +ing (i.e., active meaning), a comma, a subject, and a verb.

Example: Standing next to the professor’s office, the student anxiously awaited his grade.

Example: Worn from many years of reading, the book had sentimental value.

Use: Variety, conciseness.

To master these editing skills go to the hyperlink below:

"Sentence Variety" Exercises

Avoid Wordy sentences

In writing, it is important to be as concise as possible, which means you should eliminate any redundancies, avoid unnecessary repetition of words, eliminate empty or inflated phrases, and reduce clauses to phrases and phrases to single words.

Eliminate any redundances:

Since there is no need to say something twice, it is important to get rid of any redundancies.

Redundant: John was employed and now works for the company Levis Strauss.

Revised: John now works for the company Levis Strauss. ("Now works for" implies that he was hired)

Redundant: Helen is a smart and intelligent woman.

Revised: Helen is a smart woman. ("Smart" and "intelligent" have the same meaning)

Avoid Unnecessary Repetition of Words

Repeating something twice may bore and seem awkward to a reader. Only in special cases of emphasis should a word be repeated again. If there is a more concise way to express the idea, choose it:

Repetitious: Our student is a physically ill student today.

Revised: Our student is physically ill today.

Repetitious: Teachers have a responsibility to help students achieve better grades academically.

Revised: Teachers should help students improve academically.

Get Rid of Empty or Inflated Phrases:

Many phrases can be taken out with little or no loss of meaning. This is especially true with introductory word groups:

Empty phrase: It is my opinion that abortion should be outlawed.

Revised: Abortion should be outlawed.

Inflated phrase: In the event that there is an earthquake, you should hide underneath your desk until the shaking stops.

Revised: If there is an earthquake, you should hide underneath your desk until the shaking stops.

Checklist of wordy phrases Wordy phrase Concise form
a period of a week	a week
a large number of	many
adequate enough	adequate
along the lines of	like
approximately	about
area of, field of	[omit]
arrive at an agreement, conclude an agreement	agree
as you are already aware	as you know
as a result of	because
as a matter of fact	in fact
as far as...is concerned	about
as to whether	whether
at this point in time	now, currently
at a later moment	after, later
at an earlier point in time	before, earlier
at the present time	now, currently
at all times	always
because of the fact that	because
by means of	by
due to the fact that	because
for the purpose of	for
for the reason that	because
have the ability to	can, be able to
in the event that	if
in the nature of	like
in spite of the fact that	although, though
in order to	to
in the neighborhood	about
in the final analysis	finally
join together	join
kind of, sort of, type of	[omit]
large in size, large-sized	large
lend assistance	assist, aid, help
members of the opposition	opponents
merge together	merge
numerous	many
on the occasion of	on
on a daily basis	daily
other alternatives	alternatives
past experience, past history	experience, history
persons of the female gender	women
plan ahead for the future	plan
prior to	before
put an end to, terminate	end
rarely ever, seldom ever	rarely, seldom
refer to the name of	call, name
refer back to	refer to
remarks of a humorous nature	humorous remarks
repeat again	repeat
resemble in appearance	look like
respective, respectively	[omit]
returning back	returning
similar to	like
strongly urge	urge
subsequent to	after
subsequently	later, then
sufficient amount of	enough
sufficient number	enough
the reason why	the reason
true facts	facts, truth
until such time as	until
until such time	until
utilize, make use of	use
very	[omit]
way in which	way
whether or not	whether

Reduce Clauses to Phrases, and Phrases to Single Words:

To reduce wordiness, it is good to remember the following advice:

Do not use a dependent clause if a phrase will do.

Do not use a phrase if a word will do.

By finding opportunities to reduce clauses to phrases and phrases to single words, you will make your sentences more concise:

Wordy: We visited Washington D.C., which is the capital of the United States.

Concise: We visited Washington D.C., the capital of the United States. (Adjective clause has been reduced to an appositive phrase.)

Wordy: John’s stylish boots, made of crocodile skin, cost him an arm and a leg.

Concise: John’s stylish crocodile skin boots cost him an arm and a leg. (Participle phrase has been reduced to two words.)

Using Active Verbs:

In some cases, using a "be" verb is important in introducing an adjective or noun at the end of the sentence:

John was responsible for soliciting donations to the Chemistry Club.

Mark Jones is a History professor at the University of Southern California.

In other cases, using the "be" makes the sentence dull or wordy. In these cases, it is better if you use a more active verb which more descriptively states the action of the subject:

Wordy: Not listening to my father’s pleas to attend class, I was rebellious.

Concise: Not listening to my father’s pleas to attend class, I rebelled.

Wordy: The football game was electrifying to the spectators.

Concise: The football game electrified the spectators.

To master these editing skills go to the hyperlink below:

"Making Sentences More Concise" Exercises

Appropriate Word Choice

You should use appropriate words in formal writing. Be careful not to confuse words (i.e., accept and except) and do not use nonstandard words (i.e., hisself, might of, alot). In this exercise, you will see a list of commonly confused words. Afterwards, you will complete some word choice practice exercises.

Commonly Confused Words Word Part of Speech Meaning Sentence
accept	verb	to receive	Since marrying Sheila, I have been accepted as part of her family.
except	verb	to exclude	Could you except that player from being a part of the team?
a	determiner	use before singular count nouns beginning with a consonant sound	She has a bicycle.
an	determiner	use before singular count nouns beginning with a vowel sound	She ate an apple.
alike	adverb adjective	in the same manner possessing the same or almost the same characteristics	They did their homework alike. John and Steve are alike.
unlike	preposition	not characteristic of or similar to	John is unlike Steve.
unlikely	adjective	improbable	In the unlikely event that there is an earthquake, you should get underneath your desk.
another	determiner	another + singular count noun	I want to read another book.
others	pronoun		There are others at the school who feel the same way you do.
the others	pronoun	the rest of the people of a particular group	You can go with Tom, Jane, and Mark. I will go to the party with the others.
other	adjective	being an addition	Are their other students who are also failing this class?
make	verb	create, construct	I made dinner yesterday.
do	verb	complete, perform	I have to do my homework today before going to the movies.
come	verb	to have as one’s home or place of origin	A son who lives in the United States calls his mother in Japan and says, "I am coming home."
go	verb	to proceed to move away from a place	A friend who lives in the United States says to another friend who lives in the United States: " I am going to Japan."
because	adverb clause connector	by reason of	Because I am hungry, I am going to the store.
because of	preposition	by reason of	Because of my hunger, I am going to the store.
due to	preposition	by reason of	Due to my hunger, I am going to the store.
say	intransitive verb	to put into words	What did you say to your friend?
tell	transitive verb	to put into words	I will tell you how to lose weight over a five week period.
speak	intransitive verb	to express oneself in speech	I spoke to John on the phone yesterday.
too	adverb	to a degree that is unreasonable and inappropriate	The music is too loud.
enough	adverb adjective	in or to a sufficient degree being what is needed without being in excess	It is cold enough outside to snow. There is enough snow on the slopes to ski.
so	adverb	in the manner or to the degree indicated	It is so hot today.
many	adjective + plural count noun	consisting of a large, indefinite number	There were many car accidents after it rained.
much	adjective + uncount noun	consisting of a large, indefinite number	Psychology class gives much homework each week.
few	adjective + plural count noun	a small number of persons or things	Few students were sick from class today.
little	adjective + uncount noun	small in amount or size	There is little pollution in coastal cities.
able	adjective	having the ability to perform well	Helen is a very able doctor.
enable	verb	to give the means, ability, or opportunity to do something; to give authority to	The commander enabled his soldiers to fire at the enemy.
separate	verb	to set apart (one kind or type) from others	Inside this bag, you will find a lot of change. Could you separate the coins in terms of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters?
apart	adverb	into separate parts or pieces	John stands apart from other students since he got a perfect score on the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT).
alive	adjective	having existence or life	The animals were still alive after the forest fire.
lively	adjective	possessing, exerting, or displaying energy	She is a lively person.
live	adjective	marked by or exhibiting life	It was a live deer even though it had been shot.
what	noun clause connector		I know what he said to Sally.
somewhat	adverb	to a considerable extent	She is somewhat lazy when it comes to turning in her writing assignments.
person	noun	a member of the human race (singular)	Only one person was absent from class last week.
people	noun	persons as an organized body	The people in the company want raises next month.
number	number (used with count nouns)	quantity	A number of businesses are shutting down due to the worsening economy
amount	noun (used with uncount nouns)	a number of quantity obtained as a result of addition	The amount of pollution in the air is staggering.
quantity	noun ( used with uncount nouns)	an indefinite amount or extent	The quality is more important than the quantity of your writing.
aside	adverb	on to or to one side	Please put your bag aside for a moment. We need to check it for security precautions.
beside	preposition	at the side of	The book was placed beside the table.
besides	preposition	except for	Besides Tom, no one can eat the ice cream in the refrigerator.
bad	adjective	not pleasant or agreeable	They felt bad about their business going bankrupt.
badly	adverb	in an unexpected or undesirable fashion	Her head hurt badly after bumping it against the door.
between	preposition	used with two entities	The pizza was divided between the two students.
among	preposition	used with three or more entities	The pizza as divided among the students.
bring	verb	to transport an object toward you	Could you bring me a glass of water?
take	verb	to move an object away from you	Please take these financial reports to Mrs. Smith’s desk.
can	verb	ability	Can you ride a unicycle?
may	verb	permission	May I borrow your motorcycle?
cite	verb	to quote as an authority or example	You should cite at least five articles to support ideas in your research paper.
site	noun	a particular place	There are many ESL Web Sites on the Internet.
climactic	adjective	of or constituting a climax, the point of greatest intensity in a series or progression of events	The climactic 1960s were defined by the assassinations of two great leaders: John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.
climatic	adjective	referring to climate; meteorological conditions	The mountaineers suffered severe climatic conditions as they attempted to summit Mount Everest.
compare to	verb phrase	to represent as similar	She compared him to a wild tiger.
compare with	verb phrase	to examine how two things are similar	The study compared students learning English in the classroom with students learning English in a conversational setting.
council	noun	a deliberative body	The tribal council met yesterday.
counsel	noun	advice	Offering counsel to his client, the lawyer recommended that they plea bargain the case.
different from	adjective phrase	not characteristic of or similar to (use this form usually)	Your sense of humor is vastly different from Susan’s.
different than	adjective phrase	not characteristic of or similar to (use this form to avoid an awkward construction)	Please let me know if your educational goals are different than (to avoid using from what) they were last year.
effect	noun	result	The earthquake had devastating effects on Kobe, Japan.
affect	verb	to influence	That John had the flu affected his ability to compete in the tennis match.
everyone	indefinite pronoun	each and every person of a group	Everyone has finished the race.
every one	adjective and pronoun	each individual or thing in a particular group	Every one of the stolen backpacks was found.
farther	adverb	to a considerable extent; usually used to describe distances	His house is located a little farther down this street.
further	adverb	suggests quantity or degree	The professor extended the exam time further than he should have.
good	adjective	having pleasant, desirable qualities	He felt good about his soccer game last night.
well	adverb	in a manner appropriate to expectation or custom	She did well on her TOEFL test this morning.
hanged	verb	having been executed	Convicted of three murders, he was hanged until he was dead.
hung	verb	having fastened or suspended something	She hung her clothes out to dry.
imply	verb	to convey an idea by indirect, subtle means	Through his frowns and crossed arms, Steven implied that he was upset about something.
infer	verb	to draw a conclusion from evidence or reasoning	Susan inferred that Steven was upset because of his frowns and crossed arms.
lead	noun	a type of metal	A lead baseball bat would be too heavy to swing.
led	verb	past tense form of the verb lead: to show the way	She led them on an expedition up the mountain.
learn	verb	to gain knowledge or mastery of by study	Finally, I learned how to speak English.
teach	verb	to impart knowledge and skill to	The instructor taught the students how to speak English.
leave	verb	to exit	Leave the building immediately.
let	verb	to permit	Let me drive you to the airport.
lie (lie, lay, lain)	intransitive verb	to rest by sleeping, lying quietly, or the like	Because I am so tired, I will lie down for a nap.
lay (lay, laid, laid)	transitive verb	to put or place	You can lay your jacket on the sofa.
like	preposition	similar to	Like Tom, Susan is from New Jersey.
maybe	adverb	possibly	Maybe I will pass the TOEFL test next week.
may be	verb phrase	of a possible but not certain occurrence	Next week may be the time we go on vacation.
passed	past tense of the verb pass	to move along a particular course	She passed her friend’s house on her way to work.
past	preposition	on or to the farther or opposite side of	I live past the church on the right side of Pemberton Avenue.
precede	verb	to come before	My brother preceded me in getting his Bachelor’s Degree at Syracuse University.
proceed	verb	to go in a forward direction	We proceeded up the trail head until we saw Whitney Portal campground.
principal	noun	head of a school or a large sum of money	The George Washington Elementary School principal has hired three more teachers.
principle	noun	basic truth or law	I have one principle by which I live my life: honesty.
raise	transitive verb	to move or cause to move upward	I raised the blinds in the living room.
rise	intransitive verb	to go up	Heat rises.
real	adjective	having actual reality	That was a real machine gun I just shot.
really	adverb	to a high degree	It was really hot when I went to Death Valley.
relation	noun	a connection between things	There is a relation between eating sugary foods and becoming fat.
relationship	noun	a connection between people	I have always had a good relationship with a father.
respectfully	adverb	with kindly regard and deference for others	Tommy always acts respectfully to his parents.
respectively	adverb	each in the order given	Susan and Bob are doctors, and Pat and Tom are lawyers, respectively.
set	transitive verb set, set, and set	to put or to place	She set the flowers on the table.
sit	intransitive verb sit, sat, and sat	to be seated	Please sit down.
than	conjunction used with comparisons	comparison	He is taller than his friend.
then	adverb	time	We laughed at first, and then we cried.
wait for	verb phrase	to be in readiness for or await	We are waiting for Jake to finish his shift, so we can all go to the movies together.
wait on	verb phrase	to serve	Currently, the waitress has three tables she is waiting on.
who	adjective clause connector	people	The man who is at the game used to play professional baseball.
which	adjective clause connector (often used in nonrestrictive clauses)	things	The Hewlett Packard computer, which is not working anymore, is still under warranty.
that	adjective clause connector (often used in restrictive clauses)	refers to things or a group or a class of people	I finally found the book that I lost last week.
who’s	contraction	who is	Who’s going to the party?
whose	possessive pronoun	possession	Whose bike is that?
your	possessive pronoun	possession	Are you going to wash your car?
you’re	contraction	you are	You’re going to get sick if they do not cook your meat throughly.

To master these editing skills go to the hyperlink below:

Word Choice Quizzes

Recognizing Common Errors in Writing

As you edit your TWE, there are some grammatical problems that may interfere in the reader being able to understand your ideas, some of which are subject-verb agreement, pronouns, differentiating between adjectives and adverbs, and verb tenses. It is important to give yourself some time to look for these errors in your TWE.

Subject-verb agreement:

Rule: The verb agrees with the subject, not the object of the sentence.

Incorrect: Each of the girls are going to the movies.

Revised: Each of the girls is going to the movies.

Rule: There are a few isolated cases where the verb agrees with the object. This occurs after expressions of quantity (i.e., all, most, some, half, and part.)

Incorrect: All of the book are interesting to me.

Revised: All of the book is interesting to me.

Incorrect: Some of the students is sick today.

Revised: Some of the students are sick today.

Rule: After question words, comparisons, negative expressions, place expressions, and conditions without "if," the verb agrees with the subject, which may come after the verb.

Incorrect: On the table is the ungraded final exams.

Revised: On the table are the ungraded final exams.

Rule: Verbs are singular after certain kinds of words:

All of the these words or expressions are singular. Consequently, they require singular verbs.
anybody	everybody	nobody	somebody
anyone	everyone	no one	someone
anything	everything	nothing	something
	each + noun every + noun

Problems with Pronouns:

Rule: Do not shift from I, you, he, we, or they unnecessarily. Use one point of view consistently without distracting shifts.

Incorrect: I think that it is important for you to study every day. Additionally, we should consider asking the teacher for help when you do not understand. I have done this numerous times as an undergraduate student.

Revised: Daily studying is important. Additionally, we should consider asking the teacher for help when we do not understand. I have done this numerous times as an undergraduate student.

Differentiating between Adjectives and Adverbs

An adjective is a word that limits the meaning of a noun or pronoun. Adjectives have only one form, which is used with singular and plural nouns. With the exception of 'this'/'these', 'that'/those', adjectives have no singular or plural form.

Common Endings for Adjectives

Adjective + er/est º taller, tallest

More/most + adjective º more studious

Adjectives can take the following suffixes:

-al -ial -ical -ant -ate -en

-ese -ful -ian -ic -ing -y

-ed -er -able -ile -ish -ive

-ative -itive -less -like -ly -ous

-eous -ious

Word Order for Adjectives

Determiner + adjective + noun º the big house

Linking verb + adjective º is true

Adverb + adjective º very tall

Subject + linking verb + adjective º She is intelligent.

Linking verbs: appear, be, become, feel, look, prove, seem, smell, and taste

Subject + linking verb + adverb + adjective º She is very intelligent.

"Ly" Words Which Are Both Adjectives and Adverbs

costly likely daily quarterly northerly

early lively hourly weekly easterly

friendly lonely monthly yearly southerly

kindly manly nightly lovely westerly

Example: I pay my taxes quarterly. (adverb )

Example: I pay quarterly taxes. (adjective)

An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. Adverbs may indicate manner (hurriedly), place/direction (outside), time (quickly), and frequency (seldom).

Common Endings for Adverbs

Adjective+ ly ºrelatively

Other possible suffixes: -ward and -wise

Word Order for Adverbs

Adverb + adjective º extremely hot

Adverb + verb or verb phrase ºslowly ambled

Auxiliary verb + adverb + main verb º is anxiously studying

Adverb + adverb ºquite fast

Subject + regular verb + adverb ºShe acts intelligently.

Subject + linking verb + adverb + adjective º She is very intelligent.

Adverbs can be used in many positions in the sentence.

Frequently I eat out. I frequently eat out. I eat out frequently.

Words Which Are Both Adjectives and Adverbs

deep hard late

low early high leisurely

much far kindly little near fast

Example: He runs fast. (adverb)

Example: He is a fast runner. (adjective)

Verb Tenses

Rule: Do not randomly shift verb tenses in writing.

Incorrect: Jerry nodded, and the clerk looked at me with a sorrowful face. I smiled. Having arrived at the bus station only a few minutes prior to departure, we quickly begin to say our good byes. Jerry walks me to my car. Looking deep into one another’s eyes, we hold our last conversation before he left.

Revised: Jerry nodded, and the clerk looked at me with a sorrowful face. I smiled. Having arrived at the bus station only a few minutes prior to departure, we quickly began to say our good byes. Jerry walked me to my car. Looking deep into one another’s eyes, we held our last conversation before he left.

Rule: In some cases, it is possible to use the present with the past.

I know that she went to the concert last week.

Rule: When using "by + time phrase," use a past perfect or future perfect tense.

Incorrect: By 1990, she graduated from college.

Revised: By 1990, she had graduated from college.

Incorrect: By next week, I will finish my research paper.

Revised: By next week, I will have finished my research paper.

Rule: When using "since," or "for + time," use present perfect tense.

Incorrect: Since I was a child, I lived in this city.

Revised: Since I was a child, I have lived in this city.

Example: I have lived in this city for seven years. (Speaker still lives in the city.)

Example: I lived in this city for seven years. (Speaker no longer lives in the city.

Rule: When using "in + time," use simple past.

Incorrect: In 2000, Tom graduate from college.

Revised: In 2000, Tom graduated from college.

To master these editing skills go to the hyperlink below:

"Recognizing Common Errors in Writing" Exercises

Recognizing Other Common Errors in Writing

In addition to problems with subject-verb agreement, pronouns, differentiating between adjectives and adverbs, and verb tenses, you should eliminate any problems with articles, auxiliary and main verb usage, using modals, and have + past participle (i,e., ed, en, or irregular forms). Thus, your TWE essay will have a high level of polish.

Articles

Rule: Indefinite articles "a" and "an" and the definite article "the" signal that a noun is a about to appear. The noun may follow the article immediately, or modifiers may come in between.

The following chart is a list of common non markers used to identify or quantify nouns

Common Noun Markers

Articles Possessives Demonstratives Numbers Poss. adj Quantifiers Specifiers Prepositions

the

John's, my son's

this

that these those

one

two three...

your

his

her

its

our

their whose

all

few some many much any enough fewer more most

less

each every either neither

about above across after against along among around before behind below beneath between beyond but (except) by concerning

down during for

from

into

near

off

onto

out

over

past regarding since through through

out

till

to toward under underneath

until

with within without

Rule: Normally, an article is not used with possessive nouns, demonstrative pronouns, numbers, possessive pronouns, quantifiers, and specifiers

Incorrect: I saw the this student at the bookstore yesterday.

Revised: I saw the student at the bookstore yesterday.

Rule: In cases of "a few," "the most," and "all the," an article can be used with another noun marker.

Example: A few students turned in their research papers early.

Example: The most important goal she has set is to complete her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration.

Example: All the books left in the classroom are historical in nature.

Rule: Use "a" (an) with a singular count noun whose specific identity is not known to the reader.

Incorrect: Mary arrived in the car.

Revised: Mary arrived in a car.

Rule: Do not a (an) with non count nouns.

Incorrect: I will go buy a milk.

Revised: I will go buy some milk.

Rule: Use "the" with most nouns whose specific identity is known to the reader.

Incorrect: All of the boxes were loaded into a truck. A truck was driven to the supermarket.

Revised: All of the boxes were loaded into a truck. The truck was driven to the supermarket.

Rule: Do not use "the" with plural or noncount nouns meaning "all" or "in general;" do not use "the" with most singular proper nouns.

Incorrect: In many parts of the world, the rice is a main staple in most people’s diet.

Revised: In many parts of the world, rice is a main staple in most people’s diet.

Incorrect: During part of my vacation, I went to the Japan.

Revised: During part of my vacation, I went to Japan.

Auxiliary + main verb usage

Rule: Auxiliary verbs usually appear before main verbs.

Example: Do you want to ride to the store?

Common list of auxiliary verbs

have, has, had, having

be, is, are, am, was, were, been, being

can, could, will, would, shall, should

may, might, must, ought to

do does, did

Rule: After modals can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must, and ought to, use the base form of the verb.

Incorrect: I could talked to my friend yesterday.

Revised: I could have talked to my friend yesterday.

Rule: After do, use a base form of the verb.

Incorrect: She does likes to study at the library with her friends.

Revised: She does like to study at the library with her friends.

Rule: Use have, has, or had with the past participle form of the verb.

Incorrect: He may have offer to purchase the automobile if he had been given a better deal.

Revised: He may have offered to purchase the automobile if he had been given a better deal.

Rule: Use a form of the verb "be" with the present participle form of the verb.

Incorrect: John is study in his house today.

Revised: John is studying in his house today.

Incorrect: Susan is studied with her friends tonight.

Revised: Susan is studying with her friends tonight.

Rule: When using passive voice, the subject receives the action instead of doing it.

To change a sentence from the active voice to the passive voice, there are three steps:

1. The object becomes the subject of the sentence.

2. Use a form of the verb "be" with the past participle from of the verb.

Use the preposition "by" with the subject.

Rule: When using passive voice, use a form of the verb "be" with the past participle from of the verb.

Active : John purchased a sweater.

Passive: The sweater was purchased by John.

Active: The students played soccer at the stadium.

Passive: At the stadium, soccer was played by the students.

Incorrect: The Sound and the Fury wrote by William Faulkner.

Revised: The Sound and the Fury was written by William Faulkner.

Incorrect: The music was play by the orchestra.

Revised: The music was played by the orchestra.

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Editing Instruction/Practice Exercises for the TWE

"Multiple Choice Exercises Involving Sentence Combining"

"Correcting Comma Splices, Run-ons, and Fragments" Exercises

"Sentence Variety" Exercises

Eliminate any redundances:

Avoid Unnecessary Repetition of Words

Get Rid of Empty or Inflated Phrases:

Reduce Clauses to Phrases, and Phrases to Single Words:

Using Active Verbs:

More problems with pronouns ; problems with possessive adjectives:

Common Endings for Adjectives

Word Order for Adjectives

"Ly" Words Which Are Both Adjectives and Adverbs

Common Endings for Adverbs

Word Order for Adverbs

Words Which Are Both Adjectives and Adverbs

Recognizing Other Common Errors in Writing