GED Language Arts Study Guide: Writing Effectively

The content we’ll cover in this section applies to any kind of writing, not just your GED RLA extended response. Here, you’ll learn the basics of sentence structure, hallmarks of strong writing, common syntactical errors, and how to connect ideas.

Practice Quiz

Simple, Compound, and Complex Sentences

Even if you’ve never heard these terms before, you’ve certainly written simple, compound, and complex sentences. Before we review what each one is, there are two terms you need to know.

• Independent Clause: A group of words containing a subject and a verb that makes a complete thought. It can stand on its own as a complete sentence.
  • Example: He [subject] went [verb] to the store.
• Dependent Clause: A group of words that also contains a subject and a verb but does not make a complete thought. It can’t stand on its own as a sentence.
  • Example: Although he went to the store.

Do you see how the second example contains “although”? “Although” is a subordinating conjunction, making the phrase dependent on what comes next. Just by looking at the phrase, you know something is missing.

Here are some other words that typically start dependent clauses:

• When
  • When I grow up …
• If
  • If I get a raise …
• While
  • While you were sleeping …

Now that you know a little bit about independent and dependent clauses, let’s dive into the three main sentence types.

Avoiding Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

Run-on sentences are more than just really long sentences; they typically forget essential punctuation and coordinating conjunctions. These omissions can make the sentence very difficult to understand.

Here’s an example. You may need to read it twice to understand the meaning.

I want to buy a new car everything is so expensive I can’t seem to save any money.

The best way to fix a run-on sentence is to break it up into multiple sentences and use appropriate subordinating and coordinating conjunctions.

• Example: I want to buy a new car. Unfortunately [subordinating conjunction], everything is so expensive, and [coordinating conjunction] I can’t seem to save any money.

Tip
When you see run-on sentence questions on the GED RLA test, look for the answer that uses conjunctions correctly and preserves the sentence’s original meaning.

A comma splice is when a writer accidentally uses a comma instead of a semicolon to connect two independent clauses. Semicolons are used to connect two independent clauses about the same subject without a coordinating conjunction.

• Comma splice: Jeff is a great chef, he’s been studying cooking for a decade.
• Fixed: Jeff is a great chef; he’s been studying cooking for a decade.

Note
Pay close attention whenever you see a semicolon. Make sure an independent clause exists to its left and right.

Parallelism

Parallelism, or parallel structure, is an important feature of good writing. It refers to using the same grammatical constructions throughout a sentence. Compare the following sentences:

• Parallel: Naomi loves swimming, dancing, and cooking!
• Not Parallel: Naomi loves to swim, dancing, and cooking!

See how the first verb in the not-parallel example doesn’t end with “-ing”? That makes the sentence grammatically incorrect. If the writer wanted the sentence to use the “to” construction, they would need to write, “Naomi loves to swim, dance, and cook.”

Connecting Ideas

In a text of any length, writers must connect their ideas using specific words and phrases. They must also structure their text in a way that promotes readers’ understanding.

Organization and Logical Order

You’ve likely read at least one recipe in your life. Think about how it looked. It probably had the following format:

An introduction about the dish (just a few sentences)

• Ingredient #1
• Ingredient #2

Etc.

• Step #1
• Step #2

Etc.

Nearly all recipes follow this tried and true format because it helps readers easily understand what ingredients they need and how to turn those ingredients into a tasty dish.

When you read a passage on the GED RLA test and write an extended response, you need to consider the organization that best fits the situation. There are a few ways to organize ideas logically in a piece of writing, including:

• Problem/solution: You discuss a problem and propose a solution.
• Order of importance: You discuss related ideas beginning with the one you believe is most important.

Also, take a moment to review the nonfiction text structure we covered earlier in this guide. Those are also ways that writers can logically organize their thoughts.

Transitions

Connecting ideas also involves transitions, or words and phrases that let the reader know how different ideas relate. The table below explains the most common transition words and phrases.

Now that you know how to identify and craft effective writing, take the section quiz below to test your skills.

Writing Effectively Review Quiz