Choose the most appropriate way to express ideas in a piece of writing

People have cared about clear writing for thousands of years. In ancient Greece and Rome, students studied rhetoric (the art of using language effectively). They learned that how you say something matters just as much as what you say. Over time, writers and teachers kept improving the rules for good writing.

So here is the big question: when you have several ways to write the same idea, how do you pick the best one? That is exactly what this lesson will teach you.

Good writing follows a few key rules. When you understand these rules, choosing the best way to express an idea becomes much easier. Let's look at the four big principles.

When you face a question asking you to choose the best way to express an idea, follow this flowchart. It walks you through the key questions to ask yourself every time.

Start at the top. Read every answer choice. Then check each one against the four steps. If a choice is confusing, cross it out. If it uses too many words, cross it out. Keep going until you find the choice that passes all four checks.

On the TACHS, you will see a short passage with an underlined sentence or phrase. Below it, you will find several answer choices. Your job is to pick the option that expresses the idea in the clearest, most effective way. Let's look at the common traps the test uses.

Common Traps to Watch For

• Wordiness — Extra words that do not add meaning. Example: "at this point in time" instead of "now."
• Redundancy — Saying the same thing twice. Example: "free gift" (all gifts are free).
• Vague language — Words that are too general. Example: "stuff" instead of "supplies" or "equipment."
• Wrong tone — Language that does not match the passage. Using slang in a formal essay, or stiff language in a friendly letter.
• Awkward phrasing — Sentences that sound unnatural when you read them aloud. If you stumble over it, it is probably wrong.

There are several common ways a sentence can be improved. The diagram below shows five types of revisions you will see on the test. Understanding each type helps you spot the best answer faster.

When you read the answer choices on the TACHS, ask yourself which type of improvement each option is trying to make. Often, only one choice fixes the problem without creating a new one.

Let's walk through a TACHS-style question step by step. Here is a sentence from a student essay:

Which of the following is the best way to rewrite this sentence?

• (A) Many students enjoy reading because stories let them use their imaginations.
• (B) The reason for many students enjoying reading books is because stories allow them to imagine things.
• (C) Students enjoy reading books because of the fact that stories make them imagine.
• (D) Many students, they like reading books because the stories, they let them imagine stuff.

The table below puts weak and strong expressions side by side. Study the patterns. Notice that the strong version is almost always shorter and uses stronger verbs.

Choosing the best expression is not just a test skill. You will use it every time you write an email, a school report, or even a text message. The table below shows how this skill grows as you move into high school and beyond.

The skills you practice now are building blocks. Every time you pick the clearest, most concise answer on the TACHS, you are training your brain to write better in the future.

Try these five problems on your own. For each one, pick the answer that expresses the idea in the clearest, most effective way. Then check your answer.