Download Bias and Content Review Committee

REMEDIATING GUIDE
LANGUAGE SUBJECT-AREA TEST
ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
EXAM
ALABAMA STATE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION
Student Assessment
2004
In order to remediate students’ deficiencies on the language
subject-area test of the graduation exam effectively, teachers must
inform themselves about the content of the language subject-area
test and the rules which govern that content.
 The format of this document is to identify the standard
and the number of items for the standard.
 Then, each test objective is identified with much of the
eligible content from which many test questions are
written.
 Finally, the rules which govern much of the eligible
content of the language subject-area test and example(s)
are provided. These rules do not cover all of the content
that students should be taught and should master in
preparation for the graduation exam.
Teachers should provide direct, classroom instruction including these
rules and provide much practice and many examples for students so
that they may master the rules of grammar, usage, capitalization,
and punctuation.
NOTE: THE RULES OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR, USAGE, AND PUNCTUATION
OFTEN HAVE EXCEPTIONS; FOR THE GRADUATION EXAM, RULES
WHICH
ARE
MOST
OFTEN
USED
AND
ENGLISH ARE THE ONES TO BE MASTERED.
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CONSIDERED
STANDARD
Standard 1: Correct Grammar and Usage
45 test items with 5 test items for each of the 9 test objectives.
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Objective 1: Noun Forms
 Students must be able to recognize the correct or incorrect
formation of regular nouns and irregular nouns.
 Students must be able to recognize the correct or incorrect
formation of compound nouns.
Rules
 The regular way to form a plural noun is to add an s.
o dogs, horses
 The plural of some nouns is formed by adding an es.
o buses, foxes
 The plural of nouns ending in y preceded by a consonant is
formed by changing the y to i and adding es.
o flies, salaries
 The plural of nouns ending in y preceded by a vowel is formed
by adding an s.
o toys, monkeys
 The plural of most nouns ending in f or fe is formed by adding
an s.
o safes, kerchiefs
 The plural of some nouns ending in f or fe is formed by
changing the f to v and adding s or es.
o leaves, wives
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 The plural of some nouns ending in o preceded by a vowel is
formed by adding s; the plural of most nouns ending in o
preceded by a consonant is formed by adding es.
o studios, heroes
 EXCEPTIONS – pianos, silos
 Some nouns are the same in the singular and the plural.
o sheep, trout
 The plural of a few nouns is formed in irregular ways.
o woman - women, goose - geese
 The plural of compound nouns written as one word is formed by
adding s or es.
o cupfuls, strongboxes
 The plural of compound nouns consisting of a noun plus a
modifier is formed by making the modified noun plural.
o editors in chief, runners-up
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Objective 2: Verb Forms
 Students must be able to recognize the correct or incorrect
formation of regular verbs and irregular verbs.
 Students must be able to use verb tenses accurately.
Rules
 A regular verb is one that forms its past and past participle by
adding d or ed to the infinitive form.
o walk, walked; ease, eased
 An irregular verb is one that forms its past and past participle
in some way other than the regular verb.
o drink, drank, have drunk; catch, caught, have caught
 Avoid the use of would have in “if” clauses expressing the
earlier of two past actions. Use the past perfect tense – had +
verb.
o If she had run just a little faster, she would have won the
race.
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Objective 3: Subject-Verb Agreement
 Students must be able to match singular subjects with singular
verbs and plural subjects with plural verbs.
Rules
 A noun that refers to one is singular in number; a noun that
refers to more than one is plural in number.
 A verb must agree with its subject in number.
 The number of the subject is not changed by intervening
phrases or clauses
o Our math class, along with Mrs. Smith’s science class,
goes to lunch at 11:30.
 The following words are singular – each, either, neither, one,
everyone, no one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody,
everybody, much.
o Neither is in the classroom.
 The following words are plural – several, few, both, many,
others.
o Many are becoming endangered.
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 The words some, any, none, all, most may be either singular or
plural depending on the meaning of the sentence.
o Most of the nation is in agreement.
o Most of the countries are attending the conference.
 Subjects joined by and generally take a plural verb.
o EXCEPTION – Apple pie and ice cream is my favorite
dessert.
 Singular subjects joined by or or nor generally take a singular
verb.
o Neither the snow nor the ice keeps the postal carrier at
home.
 When a singular subject and a plural subject are joined by or or
nor, the verb agrees in number with the subject nearer to the
verb.
o Neither Sam nor his brothers regret the incident.
 With inverted word order, be careful to find the subject and
make sure that the verb agrees in number.
o Here is your key.
o Here are your keys.
 Expressions of amount are generally singular.
o Fifty dollars is a reasonable amount.
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Objective 4: Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
 Students must be able to select correct pronouns to agree with
antecedents.
Rules
 A pronoun agrees with its antecedent in number and gender.
o Martha has completed her task.
o The teachers left their umbrellas at home.
 The words each, either, neither, one, everyone, everybody, no
one, nobody, anyone, anybody, someone, and somebody are
referred to by singular pronouns.
o Nobody should mistake his meaning.
 Two or more singular antecedents joined by and should be
referred to by a plural pronoun.
o If Sue and Bill call, please tell them that I am ill.
 Two or more singular antecedents joined by or or nor should be
referred to by a singular pronoun.
o Neither the doll nor the bike won its approval as a
certified safe toy.
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Objective 5: Identify Incorrect Shifts in Tense
 Students must be able to identify inappropriate shifts in verb
tense.
Rules
 In a compound or a complex sentence, follow the principle of
sequence of tense.
o The gate opened and the horses ran inside. (both verbs
past tense)
o The gate opens and the horses run inside. (both verbs
present tense)
o Since the trainer took over the stable, his horse has won
all of its races. (second verb present perfect tense)
o Sam was now playing on the varsity, but he had been
playing on the junior varsity earlier in the season. (second
verb past perfect tense)
 In a paragraph, follow the principle of sequence of tense.
o Sally opened the gift. It was a new dress. She will wear it
to the dance.
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Objective 6: Pronoun Case
 Students must use pronoun case appropriately.
Rules
 The subject of a verb is in the nominative case.
o Sally and I will lead the discussion.
 The object of a verb is in the objective case.
o They trusted us to find the missing diamond.
 The object of a preposition is in the objective case.
o Who will ride with Thomas and me?
 The pronoun who is the nominative case.
o Who is it? (subject of is)
 The pronoun whom is the objective case.
o To whom are you referring? (object of preposition to)
 Do not use reflexive or intensive pronouns instead of personal
pronouns.
o Tammy and myself were studying. (incorrect usage)
o Tammy and I were studying. (correct usage)
o He repaired the car himself. (correct use of reflexive
pronoun)
 Use the possessive case of a noun or pronoun before a gerund.
o I was surprised by our winning the game so easily.
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Objective 7: Effective Use of Voice
 Students must distinguish between active and passive voice.
Rules
 When a verb expresses an action performed by its subject, the
verb is in active voice.
o We gave the child many presents. (active voice)
 When a verb expresses an action performed upon its subject or
when the subject is the result of an action, the verb is in the
passive voice.
o Many presents were given to the child. (passive voice)
o The child was given many presents. (passive voice)
o The wreck was caused by carelessness. (passive voice)
 Use the passive voice sparingly; avoid the use of weak and
awkward passives.
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Objective 8: Correct Placement of Modifiers
 Students must determine the appropriate placement of
modifiers.
Rules
 For clarity, place adjectives and adverbs as near as possible to
the word they modify.
o He only sliced one apple. (incorrect)
o He sliced only one apple. (correct)
 A modifying phrase or clause must clearly and sensibly modify a
word in the sentence. When there is no word that the phrase
or clause can modify, the modifier is said to dangle.
o Eating my dinner quietly, the explosion made me jump.
(dangling participle)
o Eating my dinner quietly, I jumped when I heard the
explosion. (correct)
 Usually an adjective precedes the noun that it modifies.
o nine boxes
large animals
brown eyes
 The adverb is most commonly used to modify a verb; an adverb
may modify an adjective or another adverb.
o sang daily
unusually clever
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very rapidly
Objective 9: Correct Usage of Commonly Confused Words
 Students must determine the appropriate use of commonly
confused words.
Examples
 already/all
ready;
ascent/assent;
altar/alter;
born/borne;
clothes/cloths;
altogether/all
brake/break;
coarse/course;
council/counsel;
together;
capital/capitol;
complement/compliment;
desert/dessert;
formally/formerly;
ingenious/ingenuous; its/it’s; later/latter; lead/led; loose/lose;
miner/minor; moral/morale; peace/piece; personal/personnel;
plane/plain;
principal/principle;
quiet/quite;
stationary/stationery;
straight/strait;
there/their/they’re;
to/too/two;
weather/whether;
who’s/whose;
route/rout;
than/then;
waist/waste;
your/you’re
NOTE: THIS LIST OF WORDS IS NOT COMPREHENSIVE AND
DOES NOT INCLUDE ALL COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS.
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Standard 2: Appropriate Word Choice
10 test items with 5 test items for each of the 2 test objectives.
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Objective 1: Words that Create Clarity, Precision, and Vivid
Description
 Students must select language that is clear, vivid, and/or
precise.
Rules
 Avoid redundancy in sentences.
o The architect plans to build a gymnasium to be
constructed at the high school. (to build and to be
constructed are repetitive)
o The architect plans to build a gymnasium at the high
school.
(more precise language)
 Use specific and precise references.
o We caught a lot of fish. (vague reference)
o We caught 8 trout. (precise reference)
 Use vivid language to create an image.
o The bird flew in the air. (general, vague language)
o The red hawk soared through the midnight sky. (vivid
imagery)
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Objective 2: Use Formal and Informal Language Appropriately
 Students must distinguish the appropriate use of language
based on situation – both formal and informal.
Rules
 Formal language does not include the use of slang, contractions,
second person pronouns, and/or jargon.
o You should not prepare the meal while watching the tube.
(informal language because of the use of you, a second
person pronoun; and the use of tube, slang for television)
 Formal language is used in reports, textbooks, research papers,
and course catalogs.
 Informal language allows for the use of slang, contractions,
second person pronouns, and/or jargon.
o We didn’t realize how close to the edge he had gotten.
o You never know when it might happen.
 Informal language is used in conversations with friends and in
friendly letters.
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Standard 3: Correct Sentence Structure
10 test items with 5 test items for each of the 2 test objectives.
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Objective 1: Correct Run-on Sentences, Fragments, and Comma
Splices
 Students
must
identify
correct
sentence
structure
by
recognizing run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and comma
splices.
Rules
 When two sentences are not separated at all, the result is
called a run-on sentence.
o The meeting lasted for hours nothing was accomplished.
 A sentence fragment is a part of a sentence; it does not
express a complete thought with a subject and verb.
o Flying high the silver plane swooping toward the horizon
(no verb)
o Called him a clumsy dancer (no subject)
 When two sentences are separated by a comma, the result is
called a comma splice.
o The meeting lasted for hours, nothing was accomplished.
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Objective 2: Use Internal Parallelism
 Students must recognize the use of parallel terms, phrases,
clauses, and grammatical forms of words.
Rules
 Express parallel ideas by using the same grammatical form.
o I like skiing and to skate. (not parallel)
 I like skiing and skating.
OR
I like to ski and to
skate.
 Place correlative conjunctions immediately before the parallel
terms.
o A President of the United States must represent not only
his political party but also the American people.
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Standard 4: Correct Capitalization and Punctuation
25 test items with 5 test items for each of the 5 test objectives.
21
Objective 1: Correct Use of Capitalization
 Students must recognize correct or incorrect capitalization.
Rules
 Capitalize proper nouns and proper adjectives.
o Capitalize names of individuals; geographical names;
definite sections of the country or world; all important
words
in
the
government
names
bodies,
of
organizations,
business
firms,
institutions,
brand
names,
buildings, ships, planes, trains, special events, historical
events and periods, races, religions, tribes, nationalities.
 Germany
General Electric
Chrysler Building
the North
 Capitalize titles.
o Capitalize a person’s title if it precedes the name.
 Dr. Walker
o Capitalize the first word, last word, and all important
words in the titles of books, magazines, newspapers,
articles, historical documents, laws, works of art, movies,
and television programs.
 Newsweek
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o A direct quotation begins with a capital letter.
 Mrs. Smith said, “The test was fair.”
o When a quoted sentence is divided into two parts with an
interrupting expression such as, “she said,” begin the
second part with a lower-case letter.
 “In less than an hour,” he said, “we will leave for our
trip.”
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Objective 2: Correct Use of Commas
 Students must demonstrate knowledge of comma rules.
Rules
 Use commas to separate items in a series.
o We ordered muffins, juice, and coffee.
 Words used in direct address are set off by commas.
o Sam, where did you go?
 Use a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, yet when they join
independent clauses.
o We spent thirty minutes planning for the trip, and the
rest of the time we argued over where to go for supper.
 Use commas to set off nonessential clauses and nonessential
participial phrases.
o Listening intently, we learned much about travel in South
America.
 Use commas with direct quotations.
o He answered, “I am looking forward to the summer
vacation.”
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Objective 3: Correct Use of Semicolon and Colon
 Students must demonstrate correct use of semicolon and colon
rules.
Rules
 Use a semicolon between independent clauses not joined by and,
but, for, or, nor, yet.
o I was willing to compromise; he was not.
 Use a semicolon between independent clauses joined by
conjunctive
adverbs
such
as
accordingly,
also,
besides,
consequently, furthermore, hence, however, indeed, instead,
moreover, nevertheless, otherwise, similarly, still, therefore,
thus, for example, for instance, that is, in fact.
o We enjoyed the play; in fact, it was the best production
this year.
 Use a semicolon between items in a series if the items contain
commas.
o He traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; and
Dallas, Texas during the two-week vacation.
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 Use a colon before a list of items; when the list immediately
follows a verb or a preposition, do not use a colon.
o Don’t miss these items that will be on sale in January:
sheets, towels, bedspreads, and rugs.
o She needed a flashlight, pliers, a hammer, and hooks.
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Objective 4: Correct Use of Quotation Marks and Underlining
 Students must demonstrate appropriate use of quotation marks
and underlining.
Rules
 Us quotation marks to enclose a direct quotation – a person’s
exact words.
o Mr. Hayes shouted, “Look out!”
 Use quotation marks to enclose titles of chapters, articles,
other parts of books or magazines, short poems, short stories,
and songs.
o Have you read the poem “Ozymandius?”
 Use underlining for titles of books, periodicals, newspapers,
works of art, and ships.
o Life was an interesting magazine.
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Objective 5: Correct Use of Apostrophes
 Students must demonstrate knowledge of apostrophe rules.
Rules
 To form the possessive case of a singular noun, add an
apostrophe and an s.
o Helen’s dress
boy’s cap
 To form the possessive case of a plural noun, add only the
apostrophe.
o girls’ hats
marines’ uniforms
EXCEPTION – FOR SOME PLURAL FORMS, ADD AN APOSTROPHE AND S.
men’s hats
children’s stories
 Use an apostrophe to show where letters have been omitted in
a contraction.
o we’ve
they’re
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Standard 5: Appropriate Organizational Skills for
Writing/Revising
10
test
items
for
the
29
1
test
objective.
Objective 1: Logical Progression and Completeness of Paragraphs
 Students
must
demonstrate
organizational
skills
for
writing/revising.
Rules
 An introduction should capture the reader’s interest and get
the paragraph moving.
 The conclusion should “round out” the treatment of the topic.
 Some transitional words link similar ideas; some link dissimilar
or contradictory ideas; some indicate cause, purpose, or result;
and others indicate time or position. Select transitional words
appropriately.
o furthermore, likewise, similarly, also, another (similar
ideas)
o conversely, nevertheless, otherwise, on the other hand
(dissimilar)
o consequently, therefore, so, because (cause, purpose,
result)
o above, afterward, eventually, next (time or position)
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