Grammar and Writing Study Guide for the CLT

General Information

The Grammar and Writing section of the CLT combines assessments of word use, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and overall passage structure. The questions are all multiple-choice, so you won’t need to write any content. Instead, you will be evaluating existing texts to determine whether they can be improved. To do this, you’ll need to have a firm grasp on good writing techniques you would use if you were writing.

The 40 questions in this section are not presented in isolation, but use the content of a passage as their basis. You will have 35 minutes to complete them. There will be ten questions each about four passages, one of each of the following:

• Philosophy/Religion—This passage may be from one of a number of time frames and perspectives. Topics may include references to truth, ethics, or reasoning and may be from modern or classic sources.

• Science—The science passage could feature topics such as genetics, biology, physics, chemistry, or astronomy. If appropriate, the content may include references to implications of a social, moral, or ethical nature.

• Historical Profile—This passage will be a short biographical piece about a figure in history.

• Modern Influential Thinkers/Issues—This passage will come from more modern sources, but is similar in nature to the passage in the philosophy/religion category. The issues discussed are also more modern in terms of relevance to modern society.

The questions will ask you to make judgments about improving a part of the passage. It may be better to leave it as written and “NO CHANGE” will always be an answer choice. Questions will include the following writing strategies:

• word choice (diction)
• punctuation
• sentence structure (syntax)
• flow of a sentence, paragraph, or entire passage
• coherence and logic of the writing
• subject-verb agreement
• pronoun-antecedent agreement
• adding or subtracting sentences for rhetorical effect

Some questions will ask you to do a very specific thing, but most just present a word, sentence, or sentence part from the passage and four answer choices. Then, you must choose the best replacement for that sentence, word, or sentence part, or indicate that it is best as is by choosing “NO CHANGE.”

The information below outlines the most important skills needed to do well on this section of the CLT.

Grammar: Punctuation

Questions about grammar on the CLT mostly revolve around typical editing skills rather than major revisions. They may concern punctuation, sentence structure, or agreement between subject and verb or between pronoun and antecedent.

As you know, punctuation refers to the marks used in writing to indicate how a text should be read. Punctuation tells the reader when to pause, when to stop, when to question, when there is strong emotion, and so on. Different punctuation marks serve different purposes. The following are the punctuation marks you are most likely to encounter and be expected to correctly use in a piece of writing.

Period (.)

A period usually ends a declarative or imperative sentence and indicates a full stop. But periods may also be used in abbreviations, and knowing where to put them when using quotation marks or parentheses can be a challenge. Here are some things to remember about using a period.

If the period is used after an abbreviation at the end of a sentence, there’s no second period added.

We will meet at 3:00 p.m.

He worked for 20 years at Acme Co.

When a sentence ends with another form of punctuation (e.g., a question mark or exclamation point), then a period is unnecessary. This includes sentences that end with quoted material that already includes a question mark or exclamation point.

Her favorite children’s book is What Do People Do All Day?

At 5:00 on Friday, Sarah announced, “I quit!”

Using periods with quotation marks can be especially tricky. If a sentence ends with a quotation that isn’t already punctuated with a question mark or exclamation point, then the period goes inside the quotation marks.

Growing up, people always referred to her as “special.”

My favorite quote from President Kennedy is, “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”

The exception to this in MLA style is if there is a parenthetical citation after the quotation, in which case the period goes after the citation.

According to Smith’s essay, mankind must toil “with a dedicated purpose in mind” (Smith 44).

If a sentence ends with a parenthetical, the period goes outside of the parentheses.

For New Year’s Eve, I am going to visit my aunt (my mom’s sister).

If an entire sentence is in parentheses, then the period goes inside the parentheses.

He is his parents’ favorite child. (He is also their only child.)

Question Mark (?)

Question marks indicate sentences where a question is being posed. They may appear at the end of an interrogative sentence or within a declarative or imperative sentence that ends with a period.

Do you know what time practice is?

”Would he be late for their date?” she worried.

”What can I have for a snack?” Billy asked his mom.

Exclamation Point (!)

Exclamation points bring energy and emotion to a sentence. They are used to indicate the end of an exclamatory sentence. To avoid feeling like the writer is yelling or attacking the reader, it is best to limit the use of exclamation points. They are an effective way to indicate significance or emphasize but can be easily overused and lose their efficacy.

As with question marks, exclamation points can end a sentence or be used within a sentence.

”Leave me alone!” Courtney screamed.

His debut song, “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!” failed to make the charts.

I’ll beat you all to the ice cream shop!

Comma (,)

Perhaps the most used (and misused) punctuation mark out there, the comma serves a variety of purposes. Commas indicate a slight pause in a text and you’ve likely seen them separating items in a list, after an introductory phrase, joining two independent clauses (with the help of a coordinating conjunction, of course!), and leading into quoted material. They can also be used to set apart appositives or nonrestrictive clauses, in dates, or to separate locations, like city and state. Here are some examples of commas at work:

listing items:

Don’t forget to pack your swimsuit, sandals, sunscreen, and hat for our trip!

Notice in the list above the use of the Oxford comma. Also known as a “serial comma,” it is the last comma in a list of three or more things, coming right before the conjunction. Its use is optional and different style guides have different rules about its use. If you are going to use an Oxford comma, however, make sure that you use it consistently throughout your writing.

after an introductory word or phrase:

Sarah, hand me my purse please.

No, you may not throw your sticky waffle at your little brother.

During the movie, Matt silenced his phone.

Looking in the mirror, Dan gave himself a pep talk before his big interview.

joining two independent clauses:

The store closes at 10:00, so we need to hurry!

Sasha goes to bed early, but her brother stays up past midnight.

Peter explained why he was late, yet his mother was not buying his excuses.

leading into (and sometimes out of) quoted material:

As Ben Franklin famously advised, “remember that time is money.”

”Dad,” Lance whispered, “Where are the car keys?”

setting apart appositives or nonrestrictive clauses:

The seasoned detective, who had been on the force for 34 years, cracked the case in 24 hours.

Mark’s uncle, an attorney, has a house in Miami.

in dates:

They married on June 12, 2012.

The test will be on Thursday, March 14.

separating locations:

We visited Toronto, Ontario, Canada last summer.

The headquarters are in Dallas, Texas.

Have you ever been to Paris, France?

Her address is 1234 Mockingbird Lane, Missoula, Montana.

Despite all of the things commas can do, there are some things they cannot do. For example, commas cannot be used on their own to combine two independent clauses—they require a coordinating conjunction to help with that, otherwise it’s known as a comma splice. Note the inclusion of a coordinating conjunction in each of the samples above joining two independent clauses. The following sentences show examples of incorrect comma usage, resulting in comma splices:

Karla finished her test, she felt exhausted.

Gio finished writing his essay, he has not submitted it.

Colon (:)

As a form of punctuation, a colon used at the end of an independent clause signals to the reader that some important piece of information, a specific example, description, or list is about to follow. Colons can also be used for emphasis. Look at these examples:

Dana is terrible at doing the laundry: her white colored clothes always come out pink.

The syllabus outlined the four required assignments for the semester: two lab reports, the mid-term, and the final exam.

It took the jury only two hours to return the verdict: not guilty.

Semicolon (;)

Halfway between a comma and a period (in both looks and function) lies the semicolon. A semicolon serves several important purposes:

It can join independent clauses without the need for a coordinating conjunction (making it stronger than a comma):

He walked down the sidewalk; he stepped off the curb.

It can link independent clauses that include a transitional expression:

Their flight landed 45 minutes late; nevertheless, they made their connecting flight.

It can help separate items in a list that also has internal commas in use. Here are some examples of semicolons at work. Note how difficult it would be to try to differentiate between the commas separating the cities and countries or state and the commas separating each location:

The concert tour was scheduled to have stops in Melbourne, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Mexico City, Mexico; and Austin, Texas.

Hyphen (-)

Hyphens should not be confused or used interchangeably with dashes. The purpose of a hyphen is to form compound words. Hyphens should not be used to do the heavy lifting of a dash.

We ate lunch at a dog-friendly restaurant and sat on the patio with our Chihuahuas, Fluffy and Freida.

The new state-of-the-art science building is set to open next fall.

Derek comes across as a know-it-all, but he’s my brother-in-law, so I have to put up with him.

Dash (—)

There are actually two kinds of dashes, and each serves its own purpose.

An en dash is a little bit longer than a hyphen and is most commonly used to show a span or range of numbers, indicate conflict or connection, and divide two scores or results of a contest.

Our homework is to read pages 35–95 by Thursday.

The East Coast–West Coast hip hop battle began in the 1980s and continues today.

To win the 2024 World Series, the Dodgers beat the Yankees 7–6 in Game 5.

An em dash is a little bit longer than an en dash and is most commonly used to replace commas, parentheses, or colons. They can increase emphasis in a sentence but they also decrease the formality.

After several customer complaints—especially around the holidays—the florist shop extended its hours so customers could pick up their orders after work.

Do you know—or maybe I should ask Dan—why Marty is so upset?

Cinnamon raisin, orange cranberry, rosemary and sea salt, spinach parmesan—the bagel choices at the new bakery are quite extensive!

Parentheses [( )]

Sometimes writers want to add extra, non-essential information to a sentence, in which case they may use parentheses to set that information apart from the rest of the sentence. Parentheses can be used to separate a word, phrase, or entire sentence from another sentence. Parentheses can also be used to enclose numbers or letters, such as those included in a list, area codes, and time zone abbreviations.

It is important to remember that the sentence must make grammatical sense without the parenthetical addition. If the information in the parentheses is necessary to make sense of the sentence as a whole, it cannot go in parentheses. While commas can serve the same purpose of separating non-essential information in a sentence, parentheses are easily seen and can help avoid confusion in a sentence with other commas. However, they are not considered as formal as commas in separating ideas in a sentence.

The dog (abandoned in the shelter for 444 days) was finally adopted to his furever family last week.

Marty’s graduating class (1998) made the largest donation to the school in its 60-year history.

The call will be at 4:00pm (GMT).

Apostrophe (’)

An apostrophe can serve several purposes.

The apostrophe’s main job is to indicate possession. When an ’s is added to the end of a noun, it shows that what comes after belongs to that named noun.

Spot’s food dish is empty.

Do you know where Finley’s racket is?

Note that when the noun ends in an “s” already, the possessive apostrophe may be added after it without requiring another “s”—however, some style guides require the apostrophe to always be followed by an “s.”

The girls’ basketball team went 8–2 in the regular season.

The Jones’s pool overflowed after all of the rain we got.

The exception to the possessive apostrophe rule is its. To show possession for it, simply add the s—adding ’s can only create a contraction for it is: it’s.

The snake coiled warmly in its den.

It’s cold outside!

When two words are joined together to form a contraction, the apostrophe replaces the missing letter(s), such as in this case:

The words do not become don’t with the apostrophe taking the place of the missing o.

Here are some more contractions in use:

Lara can’t go to the party because she’s grounded.

We would’ve walked to the library, but it was snowing.

Aren’t the holiday lights beautiful?

An apostrophe can sometimes be used to help create plurals, but only in the cases of lowercase letters and, sometimes, numerals, such as in the following sentence. This use is to prevent the lowercase letter or numeral from appearing to be part of a word.

All of the 2’s in the document were followed by a’s.”

Quotation Mark (”)

As the name suggests, quotation marks are used around material that is spoken or that has been taken word for word from a specific source. They might also be used around song titles, poem titles, translated material, and nicknames. Here are some examples:

”Well,” Sid sighed, “I guess I’ll call it a day.”

According to the report, “38% of middle school students have reported vaping at school.”

Have you ever read the poem “Still I Rise,” by Maya Angelou?

Michael “Air” Jordan had a very successful basketball career.

Using quotations within a quotation requires the use of single quotation marks within the larger quotation.

In his Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx notes that the bourgeoisie “has pitilessly torn asunder the motley feudal ties that bound man to his ‘natural superiors,’ and has left remaining no other nexus between man and man than naked self-interest, than callous ‘cash payment.’”

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