Writing 5723

Praxis Writing Exam Overview

Purpose:

Assess proficiency in language, grammar, and clear writing.

Sections:

Essay:
- Use personal experience and observations for examples/generalizations.
- No prior subject knowledge needed.
Multiple-Choice:
- Spot and correct mistakes in phrases and sentences.
- Questions may include diverse topics beyond traditional perspectives.

Multiple-Choice Question Types

Usage:
- Identify errors in:
  - Word choice
  - Punctuation
  - Capitalization
  - Parallelism
  - Coordination/subordination
  - Correlation
  - Negation
  - Comparison
Sentence Correction:
- Choose the most effective phrasing based on:
  - Mechanics
  - Grammar
  - Word choice
  - Sentence structure

Strategy 1: Apostrophes

Apostrophes are used to form contractions or to show possession. Watch for these common apostrophe errors. Correct usage is shown in brackets.

Possessive Nouns

Singular possessive nouns: Add ’s to indicate possession for singular nouns.
Example: the defendant’s motion.
This rule applies even if the singular noun ends with an “s” (e.g., Charles’s costume), although some writers choose to add only the apostrophe (e.g., Charles’ shoes).
Plural possessive nouns not ending in “s”: Add ’s to show possession.
Example: the children’s toy.
Plural possessive nouns ending in “s”: Add only an apostrophe after the final “s.”
Example: the boys’ game.
Non-possessive nouns: Do not use an apostrophe if the noun is not showing possession.
Examples: the teachers (not teacher’s or teachers’) have made claims; the Joneses (not Jones’ or Jones’s) did not attend.

Possessive Personal Pronouns vs. Contractions
Since possessive personal pronouns show ownership and apostrophes often mark possession, apostrophe mistakes with these pronouns are common. Also, contractions and possessive pronouns are often mixed up. Follow these key rules:

Possessive personal pronouns never take an apostrophe.
Examples: the problem is hers (not her’s); the corporation must reveal its (not it’s) assets.
Contractions always use an apostrophe.
Examples: it’s time to go; you’re the one.

Be especially careful with “it’s” and “its.” Remember, “it’s” means “it is” while “its” shows possession. Mixing these two is the most frequent apostrophe error.

Strategy 2: Common Comma Mistakes

Commas often cause confusion. Watch out for these typical situations:

Use a comma to separate two independent clauses when they are joined by a coordinating conjunction (such as and, or, but, nor, so, for).
Example: The child agreed, but the parent objected.
When two independent clauses are not joined by a coordinating conjunction, use a semicolon or a period—not a comma.
Example: The child agreed; however, the parent objected.
Note: Words like however, therefore, moreover, consequently, for example, and thus are conjunctive adverbs, not conjunctions.

Because of this, two independent clauses on either side of these words should never be joined by a comma alone.

Incorrect: The citizens must be able to bear the additional tax burden, but the city must raise its tax base.
Correct: The citizens must be able to bear the additional tax burden, but the city must expand its tax base.

Conjunctive adverbs clarify the relationship between ideas in different parts of a sentence. When a sentence starts with one or when it appears in the middle, set it off with commas.
Examples:
Moreover, the defendant has not yet established a proper foundation for this testimony.
The student, moreover, has not yet submitted an acceptable project to meet his assignment requirements.
Use commas around the year when the day is also mentioned:
The birth of Norma Kelly on June 2, 1974, brought…
But if the day isn’t given, do not use commas:
The birth of Norma Kelly in June 1974 brought…
When listing three or more simple items, use commas to separate them. If the items are long or complicated, use semicolons instead.
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction connecting two independent clauses—unless the clauses are short and simple.
Examples:
The sunlight helped the flowers grow, but they need frequent watering to survive.
Yours is timely and mine is late.

Strategy 3: Issues With References

A word or phrase that refers back to another word (called the antecedent) is known as a referent. Problems with references can cause confusion or even unintended humor. These issues usually happen in two ways: (1) when there are several possible antecedents in a sentence—often because the referent is too far from its intended antecedent—or (2) when the antecedent is only implied, not clearly stated. Here are some examples of reference problems:

Multiple possible antecedents:

They had major issues, the doctors informed their patients. [Who had the issues—the doctors or the patients?]
Some parents soak their thumbs in Tabasco sauce to stop their kids from thumb-sucking. [Are the parents soaking their own thumbs or the kids?]
The corporate officers’ ownership of multiple T&J suppliers caused conflicts of interest, which they failed to disclose. For them, the possibility of bankruptcy was disastrous. [Is “them” referring to the officers, suppliers, or the conflicts?]

Implied antecedents:

The corporate officers neglected to reveal the conflict of interest caused by the potential bankruptcy of T&J’s main supplier. The officers suffered a disaster as a result. [Is the disaster the failure to disclose, the conflict, or the bankruptcy?]

Notice how using “this” without a clear noun can create confusion. It’s better to use “this” followed immediately by a noun to clarify meaning. For example:

The possible bankruptcy of T&J’s main supplier caused a serious conflict of interest that the company’s officers failed to disclose. For the officers, this failure was disastrous.

You can fix reference problems in three main ways:

Repeat the antecedent (like in the example above).
Rearrange the sentence so the referent is closer to its antecedent.
Rewrite the sentence to remove the need for the referent altogether.

For instance, the earlier problem can be solved by:

The corporate officers were devastated by the threat of bankruptcy. They owned several T&J suppliers, which created conflicts of interest they had not disclosed.

Strategy 4: Common Agreement Mistakes

Here are frequent issues related to agreement errors:

Certain indefinite pronouns are always singular and require a singular verb:

anyone: Anyone is allowed.
each: Each performs well.
either: Either supports the claim.
everyone: Everyone faces challenges.
neither: Neither sings well.

Even when these pronouns are followed by a prepositional phrase containing a plural noun, the verb remains singular:

Each of these options was overlooked.
Either of the twins is available.

On the other hand, some indefinite pronouns can be singular or plural, depending on what they refer to:

all, any, none, some
For example:
All singers are allowed.
All of the money is counted.
None of them are satisfied.
None of the royalty was present.

Collective nouns like the court are singular and take singular pronouns:

The court rejected the previous ruling. It decided that…

The same error can happen when mentioning an institution or company:

He thanked St. Catherine’s Hospital. They treated him well.
This usually happens because the writer wants to avoid using “it” for something human-like. The fix is to name the people involved:
He expressed gratitude to the staff at St. Catherine’s Hospital. They were courteous.

Be careful with verb and pronoun agreement when a singular subject is followed by a phrase containing plural nouns:

The confidence of many families was gained.
Each of the teams agrees to cooperate.
Every student who completed both courses is exempt.

Use a possessive pronoun before a gerund (a verb ending in -ing used as a noun):

Running benefits health.
Coming late to work can lead to discipline.
Because gerunds act as nouns, they should be preceded by possessive pronouns:
We’ll go to their house instead of their coming to ours.

Strategy 5: Lack of Parallelism

When possible, related ideas should be expressed using the same grammatical form and pattern. Using parallel structure helps make writing clearer and easier to follow. It also cuts down on unnecessary words and improves the flow of sentences.

Example of parallel structure:
Parallelism improves readability and clarity. Notice that “improves readability” and “clarity” follow a consistent pattern.

Example of non-parallel structure:
Problems occur when the company hides crucial files or overwhelms auditors with unrelated paperwork.

In this non-parallel example, the two situations are described differently, causing a disruption in flow. A parallel version could be:
Issues happen when the company conceals important files or floods auditors with irrelevant papers.

Once the structure is parallel, the sentence can be tightened:
Problems arise when the company hides important files or overwhelms auditors with unrelated paperwork.

Maintaining parallelism is especially important in lists.
For instance, the new commander issued orders immediately upon arrival, stating that leniency would not be allowed and leaves would not be granted.

Strategy 6: Various Common Errors

Use the subject form of a pronoun when it acts as the subject of an implied verb. The subject form includes pronouns like “I,” “we,” and “they.” For example, consider these sentences:

The corporation’s president worked harder than me.
The corporation’s president worked harder than I.

Which is correct? The second sentence is proper because “I” is the subject of the hidden verb “worked.” Essentially, the full sentence is “The corporation’s president worked harder than I worked.” Because the correct form may sound unusual, this mistake is easy to make. To fix this, you can either rewrite the sentence or include the missing verb.

Use the subject form of a pronoun when it serves as a complement that renames the subject. A pronoun is a subject complement when it refers back to the subject. For example:

She was the least nervous after the test.
She was the one who felt the least nervous after the test.

Which version is accurate? The second one is correct because the pronoun in the predicate (“she”) refers to the same person as the subject. Think of the sentence like an equation: she equals the person least nervous after the test. The noun or pronoun in the predicate acts as the subject in sentences like this. Reversing the sentence clarifies the structure:

After the test, she was the one who felt the least nervous.

Again, since the correct form can sound odd, this is a common mistake. Spoken English often uses “It’s him” or “It’s me.” To avoid awkwardness, rewriting or rearranging the sentence is a good approach.

Use “try to” and “sure to” instead of “try and” or “sure and.”
Incorrect: Ms. Thompson wanted to try and finish the project by Friday.
Correct: Ms. Thompson wanted to try to finish the project by Friday.
Incorrect: Be sure and pick up the baby from daycare.
Correct: Be sure to pick up the baby from daycare.

This rule makes sense because “and” connects two separate actions. In the first sentence, “and” wrongly suggests two tasks rather than one. The same applies to the second sentence, where the task is singular.

“Hopefully” is an adverb describing how something is done, as in “She waited hopefully.” It is often misused when people say, “Hopefully, the storm will pass.” This use implies that the storm itself is full of hope, which is incorrect. The intended meaning is “I hope that the storm will pass.”
Be careful with the difference between “I feel bad” and “I feel badly.”

“I feel bad” means the speaker is experiencing a negative physical or emotional state, using “bad” as an adjective.
“I feel badly” would mean the speaker’s sense of touch is impaired (using “badly” as an adverb). Sometimes people use “badly” thinking it sounds more formal, but “bad” is the correct choice when describing feelings.

Avoid using “myself” incorrectly instead of “I” or “me.” “Myself” should be used either reflexively or for emphasis.
Correct: I injured myself. (reflexive)
Correct: I will complete the answers myself. (emphasis)

To check if “myself” is appropriate, see if “I” or “me” can replace it. If so, “myself” is misused.
Incorrect: Ms. Alpha and myself will meet you for lunch.
Incorrect: If you have questions, contact Mr. Jones or myself.

Writing an Essay

In the Praxis exam, the 30-minute Essay section evaluates your skill in crafting a strong and effective essay. When graders review your essay, they look for clear organization and thorough development. Each main idea should be clearly stated and supported with detailed explanations. Your writing should be free from errors and present a variety of arguments and examples to back up your claims.

Strategy 1: Planning Phase

Spend about five minutes planning your essay and jotting down quick notes. Decide on your position, select a few strong reasons to support it, gather relevant facts or examples, consider additional details to enhance your argument, and plan the order in which you will present your points.

Strategy 2: Following Your Plan

Allocate about twenty minutes to write your essay. Refer back to your outline, remembering that the prompt requires you to take a clear position or make a choice, and fully explain your reasoning. To convince your readers, be sure to address the criteria provided. Use language that clearly and effectively communicates your thoughts.

Strategy 3: Revising Your Plan

Take about five minutes to review your essay, making additions or removals as necessary, and editing to enhance clarity. Be sure to clearly express your viewpoint and the response you plan to present. Provide strong arguments supported by detailed explanations. Back up each reason with evidence such as examples, observations, or relevant data.

Strategy 4: Effective Brainstorming

Brainstorming means concentrating your thoughts to generate ideas. Many essay guides emphasize the importance of brainstorming because it’s proven to help writers organize their thoughts. However, writers may differ on the best brainstorming methods.

Here, a two-step brainstorming approach is recommended. First, create a list of possible topics for your essay. Decide on the main subject you want to focus on.

Example:
Prompt: “If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? Explain why.”

Level 1 Brainstorming: What topic should I pick?
Possible answers: Intelligence, appearance, personality, wealth, family, friends, time, fame, etc.

Your initial reaction might be to say you want to improve your looks, intelligence, or popularity. But keep in mind, your essay needs to be detailed and convincing. Simply stating a superficial answer like “to be more attractive” probably won’t impress the scorer.

Don’t just follow your first instinct. Essays that are well-developed earn higher scores than those that are only honest but shallow. For example, choosing “more intelligence” can be excellent if you add depth. Instead of just saying you want to get better grades, explain how greater intelligence would help you in advanced subjects like genetics and molecular biology, and how it could lead you to make discoveries that help cure diseases.

If you choose “more popularity,” you might discuss how you would use your influence to support humanitarian efforts and inspire others positively.

Once you pick your main topic, move on to the second brainstorming step: figure out what points, examples, and observations you want to include.

Level 2 Brainstorming: Say you pick “having more free time.” Now think of reasons to support this choice. For instance, you could enjoy hobbies, write a novel, start a business, adopt children, volunteer at a homeless shelter, or spend more quality time with family and friends.

It’s important to balance your time spent brainstorming. Don’t spend too long on the first step or you might not have enough time to choose your examples in the second step. But if you rush through the first step, you might miss selecting a strong essay topic. Practice this two-level brainstorming method regularly until you can quickly generate plenty of good ideas.

Strategy 5: Narrowing Down Your Ideas

Once you finish your level 2 brainstorming, take time to review the examples and supporting points you’ve gathered. Look over these ideas carefully and decide which ones are the strongest and most convincing. Which examples will give you the clearest arguments and best support your chosen essay topic? Also, consider which ideas you feel most comfortable writing about in detail.

Since your body paragraphs will be built around the supporting points from level 2 brainstorming, make a mental note of which ones you plan to include.

Your goal is to focus on the strongest points. Choose only three to five solid ideas to develop in your essay. Trying to cover too many minor topics can make your writing scattered and less effective.

Strategy 6: Write the Introduction Last

Many writers try to fit their essays into the required format by starting with the introduction and outlining their main points right away. However, this approach can limit creativity since the best ideas often come while actually writing the essay.

Instead of beginning with the opening paragraph, start by developing your body paragraphs first. Use the supporting ideas you brainstormed and expand on them in detail.

As you write the body, you might discover new ideas worth including. Since you haven’t written your introduction yet, you can easily add these fresh thoughts to your body paragraphs without needing to revise an earlier introduction.

Once your body paragraphs are complete—each focusing on at least one main supporting idea—return to write your introductory paragraph. Make sure the introduction clearly presents your essay’s main topic and connects well with the points you made in the body.

Also, avoid the common mistake of making your introduction too long or detailed. Don’t explain your arguments in the opening paragraph; just briefly introduce the topic. Keep your introduction concise and save the detailed reasoning for the body of your essay.

Strategy 7: Maintaining Consistency

Many writers start by drafting their introduction, then move on to the body paragraphs, and finish with the conclusion. This can cause problems because the focus of the essay might shift during writing. As a result, the conclusion might not match the introduction, and the body paragraphs may seem disjointed or confusing, leading readers through a changing, unclear path.

It’s essential that the body paragraphs support the introduction and conclusion, and that the opening and closing sections align with each other. Your essay should be clear and unified from start to finish.

Writing your introduction last—after completing the body paragraphs—and then finishing with your conclusion can help maintain this consistency. Still, once your essay is complete, take time to review it carefully to ensure that it stays focused and coherent throughout.

Strategy 8: Ensuring Smooth Transitions

One effective way to keep your essay coherent is by using transition words properly as you write. Incorporating these connecting words helps maintain a natural flow throughout your essay. Words and phrases like first, second, third, finally, additionally, in conclusion, in summary, and furthermore guide the reader through your ideas and show how each paragraph relates to the next.

For example:
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: First, …
Paragraph 3: Second, …
Paragraph 4: Finally, …
Paragraph 5: In summary, …

Strategy 9: Supporting Your Arguments

Always include concrete examples from your personal experience or observations to strengthen the claims you make in your essay. Avoid leaving your points unsupported; instead, back them up with clear and convincing evidence. For example, if you write, “Renovating older downtown areas can be expensive, but the benefits make it worthwhile,” don’t just assume readers will accept this without proof.

To illustrate, consider this example: My hometown created a decade-long plan to restore its downtown area. To fund the $1 million renovation, a temporary sales tax increase was implemented. Once the project was finished, the sales tax was removed, and the revitalized downtown—now home to many antique shops—attracts visitors and collectors from far and wide. This area has become a steady source of pride and additional tax revenue, making it fully self-sustaining.

Strategy 10: Applying Correct Grammar

Remember, your essay is a chance to present yourself as thoughtful and knowledgeable, not to demonstrate perfect grammar skills. You don’t need to prove mastery of every grammatical rule. If you’re uncertain about whether a sentence needs a comma or other punctuation, it’s better to rephrase the sentence until you’re confident it’s correct, rather than risking a mistake.

For example, if you write:
“Each of us must choose which path to take in life, whether to settle in to their surroundings or to strive for improvement,”
and you’re unsure if a colon or comma should follow “to take in life,” simply rework the sentence. You might say instead:
“There are two options: adapt to your surroundings or work toward improvement.”

Now, you can continue your essay confidently, knowing your punctuation is correct and won’t distract from your message.

Strategy 11: Choosing Your Vocabulary Carefully

Many essay writers feel they need to impress readers by using complex words. While using the right word at the right moment can make your essay sound more polished, it’s important to use advanced vocabulary sparingly. When a fancy word is used incorrectly or out of context, it can have the opposite effect and weaken your essay.

If you come across a word you don’t use often, only include it if you’re absolutely sure of its meaning and how to use it properly. In general, it’s safer to stick with words you know well and feel comfortable using.

Strategy 12: Avoid Narrow Focus

Remember, the goal of your essay is to cover the topic thoroughly and offer a well-rounded discussion that includes multiple viewpoints. Many writers fall into the trap of tunnel vision by concentrating on just one part of the subject because they think it’s the most important.

Essay depth means spending a lot of time on one particular perspective, while essay breadth refers to covering several different angles on the same topic. Your goal should be to have more breadth than depth. This essay isn’t a lengthy research paper focused on a very narrow issue; rather, your topic will be broad with many different viewpoints to explore.

You should try to include as many perspectives as possible while still providing evidence for each point. Avoid getting stuck focusing only on one idea throughout your essay. Make sure you give enough attention to each viewpoint you want to discuss and don’t spend the entire essay on a single angle.

For example, if you’re asked whether sports play an important role in schools today and you plan to argue that they do, your main point might be that athletics add variety and richness to education, which isn’t just about academics. But don’t stop there — also consider how sports build community ties that academic programs might not, and how they help raise funds supporting both sports and academics.

Always try to approach your topic from multiple perspectives and avoid getting trapped in a narrow viewpoint.

Strategy 13: Get Straight to the Point

Some writers begin their essays by restating the question or discussing different possibilities. Instead of explaining what you plan to do, simply do it.

Don’t use the introduction to share your thought process or inner dialogue. Your introduction should be short and clear.

Weak introduction example:
In this essay, I will discuss what I think is the most important personal trait. Choosing was hard because there are so many qualities to consider. Intelligence, character, and personality matter more than looks. I believe character is the most important because it shows who a person really is, defines them, and gives them courage to face difficulties.

Strong introduction example:
While all personal qualities matter, character stands out the most. It reveals a person’s true nature and defines them. Character also provides the strength needed to overcome challenges.

Notice how the second example is clear, to the point, and avoids unnecessary details about the writer’s decision-making process.

Strategy 14: The Conclusion Wraps It Up

In simple terms, the conclusion should wrap up your essay. It brings all your ideas together in one clear, concise paragraph. This isn’t the place to introduce new points or arguments.

Before you begin writing your conclusion, make sure you’ve addressed all the perspectives and ideas you wanted to include. Then, review your essay and connect everything by briefly summarizing the key topics you discussed.

Remember, the conclusion is not a place to express doubts or regrets about what you didn’t include. End your essay with a strong summary of your main points and a clear sense of purpose.

Strategy 15: Focus on Logic, Not Just Emotion

An essay filled with strong feelings but lacking clear reasoning won’t impress readers or graders. What they want is a well-organized essay that offers logical arguments backed by trustworthy examples and observations. Even if you feel passionate about your topic, be sure to balance your emotion with calm, clear reasoning.

For example, if you strongly oppose school uniforms, avoid writing, “School uniforms are a stupid idea, and they will never work.” Instead, try something like, “School uniforms have failed in all three attempts at implementation over the past decade.” The second statement shows passion but lacks logic, while the first offers a reasoned argument with supporting facts.

Strategy 16: Always Explain Why

It’s important to give reasons, but those reasons must directly relate to the question you’re answering. No matter how strong your logic or examples are, they won’t help if they don’t focus on the topic or support your main argument.

Take a moment to review your main ideas and supporting details to make sure they clearly respond to the essay prompt and don’t wander off into unrelated subjects.

For example, if the question asks why the most important lesson you learned in school was meaningful, your answer should explain how that lesson helped you grow. You might say that working on challenging projects and researching new topics expanded your understanding.

However, mentioning the exact number of hours spent on a research paper, while true, doesn’t really explain why that lesson was important. Make sure every example and reason you give directly supports your main point and the question asked.