SAT Writing › Separating, Combining, or Moving Sentences
1 You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet. 2 Hopkins led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866. 3 Born in 1844 the poet was excellent at sketching from an early age and attended the University of Oxford from 1863 to 1867, where he met poets Christina Rossetti, Robert Bridges, and others. 4 According to his personal diaries, Hopkins frequently struggled to repress homoerotic urges, adopting an ascetic lifestyle, many believing that this contributed to his writing. 5 His work itself is characterized by an escarpment of conventional poetic meter, the use of sprung rhythm, frequent vivid imagery, and a careful and creative use of language.6 Sprung rhythm is a particular poetic rhythm that is intended to mimic natural speech and is distinguished by its irregular patterns although it is distinct from free verse.
7 Hopkins died when he was only in his forties, but his contributions to poetry – particularly his experimentation and his use of sprung rhythm – continue to obscure today.
How should Sentences 1 and 2 be combined?
Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet who led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet, and he, Hopkins, led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet; Hopkins led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
As you may not know, Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet, leading a complicated life as a Jesuit priest and converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, a famous English poet, was leading a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866
These sentences can be combined with only a few changes for concision.
1 The tornado, a dreaded meteorological phenomena and a verifiable force of nature. 2 But what is it really? 3 Also known as a twister or a cyclone, tornadoes are rapidly rotating funnels of air linked between a cloud and either the surface of the earth or water. 4 They are caused by the creation of strong thunderstorms by rotating columns of air, resultantly increased rainfall causes increased downward air movement. 5 Rather than the Richter scale measures the strength of hurricanes the Fujita scale measures the strength of a tornado. 6 This natural disasters’ destructive mite is commemorated in such classic films as the 1996, movie, Twister. 7 And the 2014 “Into the Storm” and even the 2013 sparse “Sharknado.” 8 The Fujita scale, also called the F-scale, was named after an employee at the University of Chicago and originally had 13 different levels. 9 The thirteenth level of the scale is used to describe only the most awe inspiring of tornadoes.
What change should be made to Sentence 8?
It should be deleted
It should not be moved, deleted, or altered in any way.
It should be moved after Sentence 5
It should be rewritten to correct grammatical errors
It should be moved before Sentence 5
While grammatically correct, Sentence 8 is not relevant to the passage as a whole. It may be tempting to move it after the sentence in which the Fujita scale is first discussed, but this decision would interfere with the flow of the text and would preserve irrelevant, unnecessary information.
1 The tornado, a dreaded meteorological phenomena and a verifiable force of nature. 2 But what is it really? 3 Also known as a twister or a cyclone, tornadoes are rapidly rotating funnels of air linked between a cloud and either the surface of the earth or water. 4 They are caused by the creation of strong thunderstorms by rotating columns of air, resultantly increased rainfall causes increased downward air movement. 5 Rather than the Richter scale measures the strength of hurricanes the Fujita scale measures the strength of a tornado. 6 This natural disasters’ destructive mite is commemorated in such classic films as the 1996, movie, Twister. 7 And the 2014 “Into the Storm” and even the 2013 sparse “Sharknado.” 8 The Fujita scale, also called the F-scale, was named after an employee at the University of Chicago and originally had 13 different levels. 9 The thirteenth level of the scale is used to describe only the most awe inspiring of tornadoes.
What change should be made to Sentence 8?
It should be deleted
It should not be moved, deleted, or altered in any way.
It should be moved after Sentence 5
It should be rewritten to correct grammatical errors
It should be moved before Sentence 5
While grammatically correct, Sentence 8 is not relevant to the passage as a whole. It may be tempting to move it after the sentence in which the Fujita scale is first discussed, but this decision would interfere with the flow of the text and would preserve irrelevant, unnecessary information.
1 Have you ever heard of the Arts and Crafts movement? 2 The Arts and Crafts movement was an artistic revival of traditional craftsmanship that occurred in the late 1800s and early 1900s in the British Isles, Europe, and North America. 3 Scholars contempt that the movement was predicted on the assumption that medieval and folk art was superior to contemporary arts and decorations. 4 As such the movement deemed to correct the debasement of the decorative arts and promote beauty and fine craftsmanship.5 It was also a reaction to the increased industrialization of the Victorian age. 6 Some key figures in the movement’s inception were writer, John Ruskin, artist, William Morris, and, architect and designer, A. W. N. Pugin. 7 The movement extended to visual art, interior decorating, architecture, landscaping, and textile design, a widespread influence until it was eventually upstaged by Modernism.
Where should Sentence 5 be moved in the passage?
Before Sentence 4
It should not be moved.
Before Sentence 3
Before Sentence 2
Before Sentence 1
Sentence 5 discusses a second contention that scholars make about Arts and Crafts; it also contains a pronoun (“It”) that refers directly to a noun (“the movement”) in Sentence 3. Therefore, it makes the most sense to move Sentence 5 before Sentence 4, which is itself a discussion of the implications of Sentences 3 and 4.
1 You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet. 2 Hopkins led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866. 3 Born in 1844 the poet was excellent at sketching from an early age and attended the University of Oxford from 1863 to 1867, where he met poets Christina Rossetti, Robert Bridges, and others. 4 According to his personal diaries, Hopkins frequently struggled to repress homoerotic urges, adopting an ascetic lifestyle, many believing that this contributed to his writing. 5 His work itself is characterized by an escarpment of conventional poetic meter, the use of sprung rhythm, frequent vivid imagery, and a careful and creative use of language.6 Sprung rhythm is a particular poetic rhythm that is intended to mimic natural speech and is distinguished by its irregular patterns although it is distinct from free verse.
7 Hopkins died when he was only in his forties, but his contributions to poetry – particularly his experimentation and his use of sprung rhythm – continue to obscure today.
How should Sentences 1 and 2 be combined?
Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet who led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet, and he, Hopkins, led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
You may not know Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet; Hopkins led a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
As you may not know, Gerard Manley Hopkins was a famous English poet, leading a complicated life as a Jesuit priest and converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866.
Gerard Manley Hopkins, a famous English poet, was leading a complicated life as a Jesuit priest, converting to Roman Catholicism in 1866
These sentences can be combined with only a few changes for concision.
1 Biographies exist in various specialized forms. 2 A hagiography is a biography that discusses a saint or other church leader. 3 Many hagiographies focus on a saint’s miracles, martyrdom, and divine connection. 4 They were especially common in the Middle Ages, often appearing as part of a larger collection or calendar of saints. 5 Historians today value these accounts not because the hagiographer is often too worshipful to be critical but also they include good insight into local history. 6 For example, the bestselling Golden Legend was a 13th century compensation of saint stories from more than a hundred different sources. 7 England, Ireland, and the Byzantine Empire were all fertile ground for medieval hagiographies and as such much is known about carnelian life there. 8 These hagiographies also changed focus over the years; shifting from heroic tales of holy warriors and sanctimonious moralistic lessons designed to instruct churchgoers. 9 And gradually fading in popularity.
How should Sentences 1 and 2 be combined?
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, and one such form is a hagiography, which discusses a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, and a hagiography is a biography discussing a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, one such form being a hagiography, or a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, including a biography of a saint or other church leader.
Biographies, or hagiographies, exist in various specialized forms, including that of a saint or other church leader.
A bit of rewriting is necessary to avoid redundancy and grammatical errors. Since hagiography is identified as a form of biography, making "biographies" the main subject of the first clause, and discussing hagiographies in a separate but connected second clause makes the most logical and grammtical sense.
1 One such example of regional cooking could be found in the American South. 2 Wherefore foods such as gumbo, barbecue, fried chicken, and watermelons can now be found all across the country, it was once specific to states south of the Mason-Dixon line. 3 And while Southern cuisine has been influenced by Native American tribes, Scottish immigrants, and Cajun settlers, one of the most significant culinary inspirations came from the South’s black population. 4 Dishes such as cornbread, succotash, collard or turnip greens, pimento cheese, crawfish, and sweet tea all hale from the South, as well. 5 For example, okra, black-eyed peas, and sorghum are all foods brought to America and cultivated by African slaves. 6 Soon, soul food (a sometimes contentious term among black chefs) began to be served in black-owned restaurants in the South. 7 Borne out of competing cultural influences and not-infrequent strife, it should be no surprise that Southern food remains a complex delicious cuisine to this day.
Where should Sentence 4 be moved in the passage?
Before Sentence 3
Before Sentence 1
Before Sentence 5
Before Sentence 7
Before Sentence 6
Because both Sentences 2 and 4 discuss specific dishes common in Southern cuisine, they should appear next to each other.
1 Wedding customs range between families and social classes, but also between countries. 2 Since the dawn of time, human couples have been entering into long-term romantic commitments with each other. 3 In Ethiopia, for example, one of the groom’s friends sprays perfume inside the house of the groom’s future wife; while in Finland, engaged women go door-to-door with pillowcases to accept wedding gifts. 4 Certain celebratory traditions, such as eating special food and reciting some sort of vows or prayers, are so widely practiced today that they seem almost unilateral.
5 Recently, the very definition of marriage has shifted to include same-sex couples, both in popular culture and in certain nations’ and American states’ laws. 6 Dancing is an important part of many marriage ceremonies and celebrations, and festive wedding music can be found across a wide variety of cultures. 7 The presence of family members is also common to weddings in nearly every nation, although fathers do not always “give away” brides; sometimes mothers, grandparents, or even siblings play this role instead.
Where would Sentence 2 fit best?
Before Sentence 1
Before Sentence 4
Before Sentence 3 (no change)
Before Sentence 5
Before Sentence 6
Sentence 2 doesn’t belong between Sentences 1 and 3, since it’s splitting up two sentences that are both discussing marriage customs in various countries. Because Sentence 2 is a broad, introductory statement, it would work well at the very beginning of the passage.
1 The Moluccas is a chain, or archetype, of islands belonging to Indonesia. 2 Historically, these islands were known as the Spice Islands for their abundance of nutmeg, cloves, mace, and pepper, this profundity of spices eventually drew colonial attention. 3 Spices such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, anise, and pepper were particularly popular during the medieval times. 4 In the 1600s, the Spice Wars arose as a result of competing Portuguese and Dutch interest’s in the Spice Islands. 5 The bloody conflict ended in the deaths of many native Moluccans as well as European traders, wherefore both Portugal and the Netherlands gained and lost territories ranging from Africa and South America. 6 For this day, strife occasionally breaks out on the islands although it is now motivated by religious and not colonial disagreements.7 It is located just west of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean, and its more than 1,000 islands are home to more than 2 million people today.
Where should Sentence 7 be moved in the passage?
After Sentence 1
After Sentence 2
After Sentence 3
After Sentence 4
After Sentence 5
Sentence 7 presents basic introductory information, so it belongs closer to the beginning of the passage; however, since it begins with a pronoun (“It”) lacking a referent, it would make more sense to place the sentence immediately after a sentence in which the pronoun’s referent is introduced.
1 Biographies exist in various specialized forms. 2 A hagiography is a biography that discusses a saint or other church leader. 3 Many hagiographies focus on a saint’s miracles, martyrdom, and divine connection. 4 They were especially common in the Middle Ages, often appearing as part of a larger collection or calendar of saints. 5 Historians today value these accounts not because the hagiographer is often too worshipful to be critical but also they include good insight into local history. 6 For example, the bestselling Golden Legend was a 13th century compensation of saint stories from more than a hundred different sources. 7 England, Ireland, and the Byzantine Empire were all fertile ground for medieval hagiographies and as such much is known about carnelian life there. 8 These hagiographies also changed focus over the years; shifting from heroic tales of holy warriors and sanctimonious moralistic lessons designed to instruct churchgoers. 9 And gradually fading in popularity.
How should Sentences 1 and 2 be combined?
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, and one such form is a hagiography, which discusses a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, and a hagiography is a biography discussing a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, one such form being a hagiography, or a saint or other church leader.
Biographies exist in various specialized forms, including a biography of a saint or other church leader.
Biographies, or hagiographies, exist in various specialized forms, including that of a saint or other church leader.
A bit of rewriting is necessary to avoid redundancy and grammatical errors. Since hagiography is identified as a form of biography, making "biographies" the main subject of the first clause, and discussing hagiographies in a separate but connected second clause makes the most logical and grammtical sense.