A comprehensive revising and editing practice focused on English 1 Texas EOC skills, featuring a student-centered personal narrative passage and exam-style questions.
The "Delete" Rule: When students see a revising question about "best way to combine," the shortest answer is often (but not always) correct as long as it preserves the meaning and grammar.
Collective Nouns: Remind students to look at the word *before* the "of" phrase (e.g., *Group* of students, *Box* of crackers) to determine subject-verb agreement.
Context Clues: For transitions, have students read the sentence before and after to determine the relationship (Addition? Contrast? Result? Time?).
Complement (completes) vs. Compliment (praise). Expanded contractions solve 90% of your/you're errors.
Spelling
Double-check words ending in -ly or -ment. Look for silent letters (definitely) and double consonants.
Trust your ear,
but verify with
the rules!
We had practiced this piece for months however; the pressure of the regional competition was making my fingers feel like blocks of wood.
3. What is the most effective way to revise sentence 6?
Everyone in the room held a collective breath.
A collective breath was being held by everyone who was in the room.
Everyone in the room, they held a collective breath.
Holding a collective breath was everyone in the room.
4. What change should be made in sentence 8?
Change complement to compliment
Change ensemble's to ensembles
Change focused to focusing
No change should be made in this sentence.
5. What is the most effective way to combine sentences 10 and 11?
My entrance was coming up quickly, and I prepared my bow and waited for the cue.
As my entrance came up quickly, I prepared my bow to wait for the cue.
Because my entrance was coming up quickly, I prepared my bow and waited for the cue.
Preparing my bow, I waited for the cue while my entrance was coming up quickly.
6. What change should be made in sentence 15?
Change along with to and
Change judges to Judges
Change were to was
Change visibly to visible
7. What change, if any, should be made in sentence 18?
Change realy to really and does to do
Change realy to really and does to done
Change realy to really
No change should be made.
8. Sentence 19 contains a dangling modifier. What is the correct way to rewrite this sentence?
Walking off the stage, my joy was full in my heart.
As I walked off the stage, my heart was full of joy.
Walking off the stage, joy filled my heart.
Walking off the stage, my heart, it was full of joy.
8. Correct Answer: B. In the original sentence, the phrase "Walking off the stage" modifies "my heart," but hearts don't walk. Option B fixes this by making "I" the subject of the clause or by clarifying the actor.
Level Up Strategy
Distraction Phrases: Teach students to "trash the fluff"—cross out prepositional phrases starting with *of, in, to, with* to find the true subject.
Contrasting Homophones: "Complement" (completes) has an 'e' like "complete." "Compliment" (praise) has an 'i' like "I like that."
Dangling Modifiers: If a sentence starts with an "-ing" phrase, the very next word *must* be the person or thing doing that action.
