TAKS Grade 7 Writing
Objective 5
To communicate clearly, the writer must also know how to apply the rules of standard grammar and
usage. Incorrect use of tense, lack of agreement between subjects and verbs, and unclear pronoun
referents can cause the reader to misunderstand the writer’s meaning. Objective 5 tests the student’s
ability to recognize and correct errors in grammar and usage in the context of peer-editing passages.
Tips, Hints and Reminders:
- be sure you have subject-verb agreement
- use the correct form of comparative adjectives ,etc.
- use the correct verb tense (past, present, future) and so consistently
- watch for misuse of homonyms such as: their, they're and there
- proofread and edit your paper
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.