TAKS Grade 7 Writing
Objective 2
To write well, students must be able to apply the conventions of the English language. This means that
students must have the following skills. First, when students write a composition, they must have the
ability to follow the rules of correct capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, usage, and sentence
structure. Second, they must have the ability to write effective sentences and use words and phrases that
enhance the reader’s understanding of their ideas. Although students are not expected to produce errorfree writing on the test, they are expected to write as clearly and correctly as possible. The stronger the
writing conventions are, the more likely it is that students will be able to produce an effective
composition.
Tips, Hints and Reminders:
- spelling, capitalization, and punctuation all count
- be especially careful to check for those words WE KNOW you should know how to spell
and that make it obvious that you were being careless or did not edit: they're, their, there
- vary sentence length: some long (complex), some short (simple)
- use conjunctions correctly (comma and, comma but - etc.)
- it will be obvious if you do not edit and revise...and that is part of what they are looking
for!
- double check that you are using verb tenses correctly throughout (not flip-flopping from past, to
present,
etc.)
Finding and fixing fragments does not have to be all that hard! Follow the steps I gave you for finding
the subject and verb in a sentence: 1. Read the sentence. 2. subject = ask "Who (or what) am I talking
about?" 3. verb = ask "What are they doing?" - Another trick you might try is to use every word in
the sentence and turn it into a "yes" or "no" question. If you can use every word and come up with a
"yes" or "no" question that makes sense - you've got a complete sentence! For example, take this
sentence: "When Leon scored the winning touchdown." Turn it into this question " Did Leon score the
winning touchdown? - Makes sense right? But one problem! We left out the word "when" - if you trying
using all the words - you'll see it's impossible to come up with a "yes" or "no" question. You've got a
fragment!! Try this sentence: The crowd cheered wildly. Question: Did the crowd cheer wildly? - See
how it works? This is a complete sentence. Try some more: As the whole family loaded into the car. My
sister and I down the river. While my mom and sister pitched the tent. We headed back to the camp at
sunset.
For capitalization and punctuation, it would be best to review the handbook the night before the test just to remind yourself of the rules and see some examples!
For spelling, choose the "misspelled word" answer choice ONLY if you are absolutely certain and ONLY
after you've ruled out all other answer choices.
Using conjunctions correctly is important! Here are some reminders of what they do and how they
should "look": A sentence (also called an independent clause) has a subject and a verb. For example: It
was raining. A complex sentence contains two independent clauses (two complete sentences joined
together). For example: It was raining, so I took my umbrella. Using the "right" conjunction is
important! AND joins two similar ideas or equal ideas together: He lives in Austin, and he studies at UT.
BUT joins two contrasting ideas together: John is Canadian, but Sally is English. SO shows the second
idea is the result of the first (because...): She was sick, so she went to the doctor. OR joins two alternative
(or choices) together: I could cook some supper, or we could order pizza! Look at the following
CORRECT examples for creating complex sentences:
I like this class. It is very interesting.
I like this class; it is very interesting.
I like this class, and it is very interesting.
I like this class because it is very interesting.
Because it is very interesting, I like this class.
Notice the "dependent" clause: because it is very interesting. It cannot stand alone (or it becomes a
fragment) - when it comes at the beginning of the sentence, it is set off by a comma: Whenever I see that
monkey, I think of my counselor at camp. When it comes at the end of a sentence, it is not: I think of my
counselor at camp whenever I see that monkey.
Keep subject-verb agreement in mind. I run, am running, was running, do run, did run, etc. You run, are
running, were running, do run, did run, etc. He runs, is running, was running, does run, did run, etc.
Check for things like: We has never been here before. (So you can correct it to: We have never been here
before). Watch for things like: Either my dog or I am responsible for this accident. Because of the word
EITHER we are saying ONE or the other (not both) and there need the verb to be: AM rather than ARE
(we are). Sentences like these can be tricky: All of his allowance WAS spent on junk. All of his clothes
WERE in the laundry.'
Using pronouns correctly is actually not that difficult! A pronoun takes the place of a noun in a
sentence. For example, it's easier for us to say: Jack took the test, but he said he failed it...rather than
saying: Jack took the test, but Jack said Jack failed it. Problems occur when we don't use a pronoun
correctly because it doesn't agree with its "antecedent" (in this case the name Jack) in either person,
number or gender. Here are some problem examples and ways to fix them:
WRONG: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, you have to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If you want to succeed in corporate life, you have to know the rules of the game.
(flipping from third person to second person - person agreement)
WRONG: If anybody wants to succeed in corporate life, they have to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If anybody wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If people want to succeed in life, they have to know the rules of the game.
(anybody means ONE person, but they is MORE THAN ONE person - number agreement)
WRONG: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he has to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If a person wants to succeed in corporate life, he or she has to know the rules of the game.
CORRECT: If people want to succeed in corporate life, they have to know the rules of the game.
(PERSON is not gender specific, but he is gender specific - gender agreement)
Do I use "I" or "me" in the sentence: My brother and (I, me) went to the pet store.
Take out all the other words and ask yourself, would I say: I went to the pet store. OR Me went to the pet
store. So: My brother and I went to the pet store. Another example: The principal saw Tamika and (I, me).
Would you say: The principal saw I. OR The principal saw me. So: The principal saw Tamika and me.
Do I use "who" or "whom" in the sentence: That is the boy (who, whom) is moving to Ohio.
Instead of WHO say HE and instead of WHOM say HIM. So try it both ways: He is moving. Him is
moving. Obviously you'd want to say: That is the boy who is moving to Ohio. Another example: The boy
(who, whom) we chose class president moved to Ohio. Try it both ways: We chose he. We chose him.
Obviously you'd want to say: The boy whom we chose class president moved to Ohio.
Watch for adjectives used in comparisons, for example:
short, shorter, shortest
close, closer, closest
often, less often, least often
bad, worse, worst
far, farther or further, farthest or furthest
good, better, best
much, more, most
easy, easier, easiest
jealous, more jealous, most jealous
powerful, more powerful, most powerful
Watch for correct verb tenses and be careful not to switch from past to present and back again.
Present tense means now: I ride my bike every day.
Past tense means in the past: I rode my horse the day before yesterday.
Future tense means not yet (but any time now): I will ride my skateboard to school this morning.
Present perfect tense means started in the past and just recently finished or still going on: I have
ridden my bike around the park three times (and I'm still riding it).
Past perfect tense means finished before some other past action: I had ridden my bike for a mile before
I fell off.
Future perfect tense means the action will be started and finished in the future: I will have ridden my
bike for hours before I get there.