Basics
Grammar is a blueprint for the way words construct language.
In the Reasoning Through Language Arts module, some questions will require knowledge of the following building blocks of grammar:
Noun
A person, place, or thing.
Person: Bob ran.
Place: Arizona is hot.
Thing: The dogs barked.
Pronoun
A substitute for a noun.
Person Substitute: He ran.
Place Substitute: It is hot.
Thing Substitute: They barked.
Verb
A word that shows action or state of being.
State of Being verbs include:
is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been
Action: Bob ran.
State of Being: Arizona is hot.
Contraction
A shortened version of words, using an apostrophe.
Original: Bob is not working outside.
Contraction: Bob isn’t working outside.
Original: They are going to the game.
Contraction: They’re going to the game.
Adjective
A word that describes a noun or pronoun.
Describing a Noun: Arizona is hot.
Describing a Pronoun: It is hot.
Adverb
A word that describes a verb.
Bob ran slowly.
The dog barked loudly.
Conjunction
A connector.
Connectors include:
and, but, or, so, yet
Bob walked and ran.
Bob walked, and then he ran.
The dogs barked but did not bite.
The dogs barked, but they did not bite.
Preposition
A relater.
Prepositions include: about, after, along, as, at, because, before, by, concerning, despite, during, except, for, from, if, in, instead, into, of, off, on, onto, out, regarding, since, through, to, until, with, without
Bob ran to the curb.
With little exception, Arizona is hot.
Of all things, the dog chose to bark at the cat.
Prepositional Phrase
An expression that includes a preposition.
Bob ran to the curb.
With little exception, Arizona is hot.
Of all things, the dog chose to bark at the cat.
As a student in the process of taking and passing the new GED, I am grateful for the newly designed test. Having stated that, I would like to express my disappointment that the name of the test has not changed. GED means, General Education Diploma; while the “new” test prepares you for college and career readiness, the stigma surrounding the name does not introduce the test taker as career and college ready. A recent high school grad describes the GED as “General Education for Dummies”. Having passed the Social Studies block of the test, and preparing to take the RLA portion, I have experienced there is nothing “general” about the new test.
In my oponion, the name of the test should reflect the purpose for which the test was designed, which is college and career ready. One suggestion to the authors of the test is: change the name from GED to CCRD; College Career Ready Diploma.
The new name should be marketed to reflect the nature of the test, instill a sense of pride in the test taker, and to show the country how prepared the current test taker is to compete in todays fast pace society.
Thank you for allowing me to voice my opinion; the opinion of a student in the process of developing a new and exciting life!
Dorothy,
I hear what you are saying about naming and labeling. Anyone who passes the GED is no slouch.
Congratulations on passing the Social Studies module. Your ability to handle the reading passages in the Social Studies test bodes well for all the reading you will see in the RLA test.
Perhaps, someday, the name of the GED (which actually stands for General Educational Development) will change. But I suspect that you will have long since passed the entire GED by then.
Thanks Scott! I appreciate the correction on what GED actually stands for, and thanks for your words of encouragement.