Keystone Exams Review: English Composition

English Composition Key Concepts

• Active Voice: Subject performs the action of the verb (e.g., "The man kicked the can").
• Adjective Clause: Modifies a noun/pronoun, introduced by relative pronouns (e.g., "who," "that") as in "My aunt, who left her bag in the taxi, missed her flight."
• Adverb Clause: Functions as an adverb, providing context such as time or reason (e.g., "I saw a bear when I was hiking").
• Antecedent: The noun or phrase that a pronoun refers to (e.g., "The students gave their best performance").
• Appositive: A noun or phrase that renames or adds information about another noun (e.g., "My neighbor, Mr. Roberts, is very quiet").
• Argument/Position: A claim that is supported by evidence and may include counterarguments.
• Audience: The intended readers of a written piece, essential for tailoring content.
• Body: The main paragraphs that develop the theme of the writing.
• Cause/Effect: Structure analyzing reasons behind events and results.

Writing Structure and Techniques

• Claim: Opinion statement in persuasive writing.
• Clarity: Quality marked by clear word choice and sentence structure.
• Clause: Group of words with a subject and predicate; independent clauses can stand alone.
• Cohesiveness: Logical flow in writing, ensuring related ideas connect.
• Commonly Confused Words: Words often misused due to spelling or context (e.g., accept/except).
• Compare/Contrast: Structure highlighting similarities and differences.
• Conclusion: Final paragraph that reinforces main ideas and leaves a clear impression.
• Conjunction: Connecting words that link clauses or phrases (e.g., "and," "but").

Key Components of Writing

• Content/Meaning: Core ideas and information in a written text.
• Controlling Idea/Main Idea: Central thought guiding the writing.
• Conventions of Language: Rules for grammar, punctuation, and usage.
• Counterargument: An opposing viewpoint that enhances credibility.
• Dangling Modifier: A modifier not clearly linked to the word it modifies (e.g., "At the age of two, my father took me...").
• Edit: Revising grammar, mechanics, and word choice for clarity.
• Exposition/Expository: Writing that explains or clarifies information.
• Focus: Central point that all elements of writing support.

Grammar and Style

• Fragment: An incomplete sentence missing a subject or predicate.
• Gerund: -ing form of a verb used as a noun (e.g., "Running is fun").
• Grammar: System of language rules.
• Infinitive: Base form of a verb with "to" (e.g., "To run").
• Irregular Verb: Verbs that do not follow standard past tense rules (e.g., "go" becomes "went").
• Irrelevant Details: Non-essential information that distracts from the main topic.
• Misplaced Modifier: A modifier positioned awkwardly, causing confusion.
• Modal Auxiliary Verb: Verbs expressing ability or possibility (e.g., "can," "may").

Writing Organization and Purpose

• Organizational Strategies: Methods for arranging ideas (chronological, compare/contrast).
• Organizational Structure: Framework guiding the organization of text.
• Parallel Structure: Similar grammatical forms for clarity (e.g., "swimming, biking, and sleeping").
• Participle: Verb form acting as a noun or adjective, ends with -ing or -ed.
• Passive Voice: Subject receives action of the verb (e.g., "The man was struck by lightning").
• Persuasion: Writing aimed at convincing the audience of a viewpoint.
• Persuasive Strategies: Techniques used to influence the audience's opinions.
• Phrase: A group of words without a subject and predicate.

Enhancements and Revisions

• Precise Language: Specific vocabulary that clearly conveys ideas.
• Predicate: The part of a sentence that contains the verb and its modifiers.
• Prepositional Phrase: Phrase beginning with a preposition and containing a noun.
• Process Analysis: Writing explaining how something works in sequential steps.
• Problem/Solution: Presenting an issue and exploring potential resolutions.
• Pronoun Case: Function of a pronoun as subject, object, or possessive.
• Purpose: Writer's intent to inform, entertain, or persuade.
• Redundancy: Unnecessary repetition of language or ideas.

Advanced Concepts

• Relevant Detail: Essential information supporting the main idea.
• Revise: The process of making substantial changes to content or organization.
• Run-On Sentence: Two or more sentences incorrectly joined without punctuation.
• Sentence Structure: Arrangement of words, including various types (simple, complex).
• Sentence Types: Includes simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex.
• Sentence Variety: Use of multiple sentence formats for enhancing writing.
• Style: Personal choices in language and sentence structure by the writer.
• Stylistic Techniques: Methods distinguishing a piece to enhance effectiveness.
• Syntax: The arrangement of words and phrases in sentences.
• Subject-Verb Agreement: Ensures subjects match their verbs in number and tense.
• Task: Assigned writing influenced by purpose, audience, and structure.
• Thesis: The central argument or main idea of a written piece.
• Tone: Writer's attitude towards the subject and audience.
• Topic Sentence: Introduces the main idea of a paragraph.
• Transitional Words/Expressions: Cues indicating relationships between ideas.
• Unity: The cohesive quality of writing, where elements align effectively.
• Usage: Selecting appropriate words and phrases in writing.
• Verbal: Forms of verbs functioning as different parts of speech.
• Voice: Unique quality making the writing recognizable to the writer.
• Word Choice: Thoughtful selection of words for clarity and tone.
• Wordiness: Excessive use of words leading to vague expressions.