Revising for Clarity - ISEE Upper Level: Essay

Correct: "Each of the students has a locker.". 'Each' is a singular subject, requiring the singular verb 'has' for agreement.

Correct: "Every runner should tie his or her shoes.". 'Every runner' is singular, so the pronoun must agree in number with 'his or her' instead of plural 'their'.

Correct: "Walking to school, I broke my backpack strap.". Repositioning the modifier to modify 'I' corrects the illogical suggestion that the backpack was walking.

Two independent clauses joined without proper punctuation or a conjunction. It improperly connects multiple complete thoughts, causing confusion without appropriate separation or linking.

Correct: "I studied all night, but I still felt unprepared.". Adding a comma and contrasting conjunction 'but' properly connects the two independent clauses.

Therefore. It indicates a logical conclusion or result stemming from the prior cause.

Correct: "Because the library was closed, we went home.". Adding an independent clause completes the thought initiated by the subordinate clause.

A semicolon. It links closely related independent clauses without requiring a coordinating conjunction.

Correct: "Her essay is better than any other student’s in the class.". Adding 'other' and possessive 'student’s' ensures logical comparison between essays, excluding her own.

Replace inflated phrases with precise words and remove unnecessary words. This method streamlines sentences by favoring conciseness and precision without losing essential meaning.

Correct: "I think the rule is unfair.". Removing 'In my personal opinion' eliminates repetition since 'I think' already conveys personal viewpoint.

Correct: "The results were somewhat surprising.". Replacing informal 'kinda' with 'somewhat' elevates the language to a more formal level.

Correct: "The dog’s tail wagged.". The apostrophe in 'dog’s' correctly indicates possession of the tail by the dog.

To reinforce the main idea and provide closure. It summarizes key points and gives the paragraph a sense of completion.

Correct: "I practiced daily; as a result, I improved.". Inserting 'as a result' clarifies the causal relationship, improving logical flow between sentences.

Ideas follow a logical order with clear connections between sentences and paragraphs. Coherent writing ensures logical progression and smooth transitions for better reader understanding.

Correct: "He walked to class and grabbed a seat.". Shifting 'walks' to past tense 'walked' aligns it with 'grabbed' for tense consistency.

However. It introduces an opposing or contrasting idea to the one previously stated.

A sentence that states the paragraph’s main idea. It introduces the central focus that unifies and guides the supporting details in the paragraph.

Correct: "When Sarah met Maya, Sarah was nervous.". Replacing the ambiguous pronoun 'she' with the specific name 'Sarah' clarifies who was nervous in the sentence.

Correct: "She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.". Converting all items to gerunds ensures consistent grammatical structure in the list.

Using the same grammatical form for items in a series or comparison. It maintains consistency in grammatical form for balanced and clear lists or comparisons.

Correct: "The test was difficult; I finished on time.". The semicolon connects the two related independent clauses appropriately without a conjunction.

A group of words punctuated as a sentence but lacking a subject or a verb. It fails to form a complete thought, often missing a subject, verb, or independent clause.