Language Proficiency Testing Tips and Strategies

• Fumble Rules of Grammar

  Incorrect grammar rules and their corrected versions
• Incorrect grammar rules


  • Avoid run-on sentences
  • Don't use no double negatives
  • Verbs has to agree with their subjects
  • No sentence fragments
  • Proofread carefully to see if you any words out
  • A writer must not shift your point of view
  • Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents
  • Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing
  • Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have sneaked into the language
  • Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided
• Corrected grammar rules


  • Avoid run-on sentences. They are hard to read.
  • Don't use double negatives.
  • Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
  • Do not write sentence fragments.
  • Proofread carefully to see if you left any words out.
  • A writer must not shift his point of view.
  • Place pronouns as close as possible to their antecedents, especially in sentences of 10 or more words.
  • Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in his or her writing.
  • Steer clear of incorrect forms of verbs that have snuck in the language.
  • Dangling participles must be avoided.
• Fumble Rules of Style and Diction


  Incorrect style and diction rules and their corrected versions
• Incorrect style and diction rules

  • Do not put statements in the negative form
  • If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing
  • If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, resist hyperbole
  • Also, avoid awkward or affected alliteration
  • Don't string too many prepositional phrases together unless you are walking through the valley of the shadow of death
  • Always pick on the correct idiom
  • Eschew dialect, irregardless
  • It is incumbent on us to avoid archaisms
  • Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors
  • Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky
  • Never, ever use repetitive redundancies
• Corrected style and diction rules

  • Write statements in the positive form.
  • By rereading and editing, one can eliminate repetition in his or her writing.
  • Do not over-exaggerate your writing.
  • Do not overuse alliteration (using multiple words in the same sentence that begin with the same letter).
  • Do not overuse prepositional phrases (phrases that explain the location of the subject).
  • Always use the correct idiom (an expression that cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements).
  • Do not use dialect (writing the way people talk); use proper English.
  • Do not use archaisms (words that people no longer use).
  • Avoid mixed metaphors (a succession of comparisons that do not make sense together).
  • Do not use popular locution (slang word) just because it's popular.
  • Do not be redundant (repetitious) in your writing.
• Fumble Rules of Punctuation

  Incorrect punctuation rules and their corrected versions
• Incorrect punctuation rules


  • Use the semicolon properly, always use it where it is appropriate; and never where it isn't.
  • Reserve the apostrophe for it's proper use and omit it when its not needed.
  • Avoid commas, that are not necessary.
  • Avoid overuse of "quotation "marks."
  • Avoid overuse of exclamation marks!!!
  • Hyphenate bet-ween syllables and avoid un-necessary hyphens.
• Corrected punctuation rules


  • Use the semicolon properly; always use it where it is appropriate, and never when it isn't.
  • Reserve the apostrophe for its proper use and omit it when it's not needed.
  • Avoid commas that are not necessary.
  • Avoid overuse of quotation marks.
  • Avoid overuse of exclamation marks!
  • Hyphenate between syllables and avoid unnecessary hyphens.
• Transitions


  Logical connections between sentences, paragraphs, and sections to help the reader understand the relationships between ideas
• Types of transitions


  • Single word
  • Phrase
  • Sentence
  • Paragraph
• Purposes of transitions


  • Summarize preceding content
  • Help reader anticipate or comprehend new information
• Transitional devices


  • Conjunctions
  • Conjunctive adverbs
  • Adverbial conjunctions
• Kinds of transitions


  • Transitions of logic
  • Transitions of thought
• Transitions to add information


  • Too
  • Also
  • Additionally
  • (And) another thing
  • As well (as)
  • Besides
  • Furthermore
  • In addition
  • In any case
  • Moreover
  • On top of (that)
  • What's more
• Transitions to contrast


  • But
  • Although
  • Though
  • Even though
  • Even so
  • However
  • Nevertheless
  • Mind you
  • Still
  • Yet
  • In spite of this
  • Despite
• Coordinating conjunctions


  • For
  • And
  • Nor
  • But
  • Or
  • Yet
  • So
• Coordinating conjunctions join parts of a sentence that are grammatically equal or similar
• Coordinating conjunctions always come between the words or clauses that they join
• When a coordinating conjunction joins independent clauses, it is always correct to place a comma before the conjunction
• Beginning a sentence with a conjunction can add a refreshing dash and speed the narrative flow, though it should not be overused
• Sentence Completion Strategies


  • Simplify the sentence by removing prepositional phrases
  • Determine the sentence structure needed
  • Read the sentence again to check it makes sense
• Testing points for sentence completion

  • Noun phrase
  • Word order
  • Subject + verb
  • Verb/verb phrase
  • Adjective phrase/clause
  • Conjunction
  • Parallel construction
  • Adverb phrase/clause
  • Infinitive/gerund
  • Preposition/prepositional phrase
  • Superlative
  • Negative
  • Comparison
  • Conditional
  • Pronoun
• Simplifying


  Taking the leaves off a tree so you can see the trunk clearly
• Simplifying a sentence


  • You can see the testing point more clearly
  • You save time, since you don't waste time trying to figure out the meanings of words that you may not need to find the answer
• Steps for sentence completion questions

  1. Determine the sentence structure

  2. Decide what kind of structure the sentence needs

  3. Use the testing points to help decide what is needed

  4. Read the sentence again to see if it makes sense and sounds correct
• Testing Points for Sentence Completion Questions

  • Noun Phrase
  • Word Order
  • Subject + Verb
  • Verb/Verb Phrase
  • Adjective Phrase/Clause
  • Conjunction
  • Parallel Construction
  • Adverb Phrase/Clause
  • Comparison
  • Infinitive/Gerund
  • Preposition/Prepositional Phrase
  • Superlative
  • Negative
  • Conditional
• A noun phrase or a single noun is a common testing point
• In a word order testing point, all four answer choices contain the same words, but in different order
• In a subject + verb testing point, the subject and the verb are in the answer choices
• In a verb/verb phrase testing point, you need to check the answer choices to be sure the verb is in the right tense, agrees with the subject, and is in the right voice
• In an adjective phrase/clause testing point, the testing point might be a relative pronoun, a relative clause, or an adjective participle
• Common conjunctions are and, or, but, for, both...and..., either...or..., neither..., nor
• In a parallel construction testing point, words or phrases used in series should be the same part of speech
• In an adverb phrase/clause testing point, the words often answer the question how, when, where, or why
• In a comparison testing point, you will often see the phrases the more..., the more; is more than; is... rather than; or... is the same as...
• Some verbs must be followed by an infinitive, others must be followed by a gerund, and others can be followed by either an infinitive or a gerund
• In a preposition/prepositional phrase testing point, the testing points might be the preposition, the noun, or the article
• In a superlative testing point, the phrase "one of the xxxxx" is a clue that you need a superlative construction
• Common negative words are no, not, none, nothing, and nobody