AccelePrep for the ACT Test 2nd Edition Student Text

242 • S URGE TO S UCCESS ! W RITING T EST P REP

STEP 5: PROOFREAD

After you’ve written your essay, take a deep breath. Now all that’s left to do is look over your essay. You’ll want to spend a few minutes checking for any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Remember that one category on which your essay will be scored is language use and conventions. You ™‘ǯ– Šƒ˜‡ –‹‡ –‘ †‘ ƒ ƒŒ‘” ‘˜‡”Šƒ—Ž ‘ˆ ›‘—” ™Š‘Ž‡ ‡••ƒ›ǡ „—– ‰‡––‹‰ rid of small errors will help increase your score. Use the following good grammar principles to check your essay: 1. ƒ…Š •‡–‡…‡ —•– Šƒ˜‡ ƒ…‘Œ—‰ƒ–‡† ȋƒ‹Ȍ ˜‡”„ –Šƒ– ƒ‰”‡‡• ™‹–Š ‹–• •—„Œ‡…–Ǥ 2. Each pronoun must have a referent (antecedent) with which it agrees. 3. Similar elements in a sentence must appear in parallel form. 4. ‘†‹ϐ‹‡”• —•– ƒ‰”‡‡ ™‹–Š ™Šƒ– –Š‡› ‘†‹ˆ›Ǥ Š‡› —•– ƒŽ•‘ ƒ‡ sense. 5. Each sentence should use clear and concise language.

POWER TIP Here are a few extra tips to make your essay successful: • Use a pencil (not a pen). Using a pencil will let you easily correct anything you might want to change while writing. • Write clearly and legibly. Readers cannot grade something they cannot read. Taking a little extra time to write clearly will pay off. • Don’t skip lines. Doing so makes it seem like you’re trying to pad your essay to make it look longer.