What you'll learn
Trait 3, Clarity and Command of Standard English, is worth 2 of the essay's 6 points. Graders look for:
- sentence variety: a mix of short and long sentences, with different openings;
- sentence structure: complete, fluent sentences with no fragments, run-ons or needless wordiness, and clauses joined with the right connecting words (although, however, therefore);
- command of conventions: grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation;
- clarity: errors, if any, never block meaning.
You do not need a perfect essay. Graders know you wrote it in 45 minutes, so a few small slips are fine. What lowers the score is a pattern of errors or sentences that confuse the reader.
| Score | What the essay does (Trait 3) |
|---|---|
| 2 | Mostly correct, varied, fluent sentences; general command of conventions; some errors, but none that block meaning |
| 1 | Uneven sentences (some choppy, rambling or awkward); inconsistent control of conventions; frequent errors that sometimes get in the way of meaning |
| 0 | Sentence structure so flawed that meaning is unclear; frequent, severe errors; or too little writing to judge |
Note: precise word choice and a formal style and tone are scored under Trait 2 (Development of Ideas and Organizational Structure), not Trait 3. This lesson still practices them, because you build them sentence by sentence.
In this lesson you will learn how to vary sentences, choose formal words, avoid the most common errors, and follow a 5-minute proofreading checklist. You will also practice multiple-choice questions that ask you to revise sentences from a student's draft, like those on the Language part of the RLA test.
Key terms
- formal style — the careful, respectful language of reports and essays (no slang, no texting shortcuts).
- sentence variety — mixing simple, compound and complex sentences and changing how they begin.
- simple sentence — one complete thought ("Text 1 cites a study.").
- compound sentence — two complete thoughts joined by a comma + and/but/so, or by a semicolon.
- complex sentence — a complete thought plus a dependent clause ("Although Text 2 is passionate, it offers little evidence.").
- fragment — an incomplete sentence ("Which shows the plan worked.").
- run-on / comma splice — two complete sentences joined with no punctuation or with only a comma.
- subject-verb agreement — singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs ("the results are").
- dangling modifier — an opening phrase that describes the wrong noun ("Rushing to class, the bell rang").
- wordiness — using more words than needed ("due to the fact that" → "because").
- proofreading — checking a finished draft for errors.
Sentence variety: sound like a skilled writer
An essay made of only short sentences sounds choppy. One made of only long sentences is hard to follow. Mix them.
Four ways to vary sentences:
| Technique | Example |
|---|---|
| Combine with a describing clause | Text 2 cites a study that followed students in many districts. |
| Start with a dependent clause | Although Text 1 is passionate, it offers no data. |
| Start with a phrase | According to official crash records, teen drivers are overrepresented. |
| Use a short sentence for emphasis | ...it never proves this prediction. The difference is clear. |
Combining choppy sentences:
- Choppy: "Text 1 cites a survey. The survey was of teachers. It found students were more focused."
- Combined: "Text 1 cites a teacher survey that found students were more focused."
Keep every fact, cut repeated words, and do not change the meaning. "a survey that caused students to focus" would be wrong.
Vary your signal phrases so every sentence does not start with "Text 1 says": reports, argues, claims, notes, points out, admits, insists, warns. Each verb has a slightly different meaning. Admits suggests a concession; insists suggests stubbornness. Choose the one that fits.
Precise, formal word choice
Precise words and a formal style are scored under Trait 2; cutting wordiness (at the end of this section) helps your Trait 3 score.
Formal does not mean fancy. It means clear, exact and respectful.
| Avoid (informal or vague) | Use instead |
|---|---|
| stuff, things | evidence, points, concerns, details |
| a lot, alot | many, much, a great deal of |
| good / bad | convincing / weak, reliable / unsupported |
| kids, guy | children, students, the author |
| I think, I feel, in my opinion | (state the claim directly) |
| totally, really, super | (delete, or use clearly, strongly) |
| gonna, wanna, kinda | going to, want to, somewhat |
| can't, don't, it's | cannot, do not, it is (contractions are acceptable, but full forms sound more formal) |
Name the author respectfully: "the author," "Dr. Ellison," "the council member." Avoid "this guy" and first names.
Precise verbs make analysis sharper:
- Vague: "Text 2 talks about safety."
- Precise: "Text 2 warns that phones are needed in emergencies but offers no evidence that school office phones have failed."
Cut wordiness:
- "due to the fact that" → because
- "in order to" → to
- "at this point in time" → now
- "the reason why is because" → because
The errors that matter most
1. Fragments. Every sentence needs a subject, a verb and a complete thought.
- Wrong: "Which shows that the policy worked."
- Right: "Referrals fell 28 percent, which shows that the policy worked."
2. Run-ons and comma splices. Two complete sentences need a period, a semicolon, or a comma + and/but/so/yet.
- Wrong: "Text 1 uses data, Text 2 uses stories."
- Right: "Text 1 uses data; Text 2 uses stories." / "Text 1 uses data, but Text 2 uses stories."
3. Subject-verb agreement. Find the true subject; ignore "of..." phrases.
- "Each of the authors offers..." (Each = singular)
- "The results of the study show..." (results = plural)
- "It doesn't prove..." (not "it don't")
4. Confused words. their/there/they're, its/it's, your/you're, than/then, affect/effect, accept/except.
- "The study and its results"; "It's clear that..." (it is).
5. Comparisons. Two things: better, stronger, more convincing. Never "more better." Use best only for three or more.
6. Dangling and misplaced modifiers. An opening phrase describes the noun right after the comma.
- Wrong: "Rushing to answer calls, instructions were missed."
- Right: "Rushing to answer calls, students missed instructions."
7. Pronouns. A pronoun must agree with the noun it replaces and point to it clearly.
- Wrong: "Both authors make its case with numbers." → Right: "Both authors make their case with numbers."
- Unclear: "Text 1 and Text 2 cite studies, but it is stronger." → Clear: "..., but Text 1's study is stronger."
8. Parallel structure. Items in a list use the same form.
- Wrong: "Text 1 uses data, cites experts and it explains its sources."
- Right: "Text 1 uses data, cites experts and explains its sources."
9. Quotations. Put a comma or "that" before a quote and quotation marks around the exact words: Text 2 warns that the library "will become a free-for-all."
The 5-minute proofreading checklist
Save the last 5 minutes. Read your essay slowly, ideally silently "out loud" in your head, and check:
- ☐ Every sentence is complete. Look hard at sentences starting with Which, Because, Although, Since, While.
- ☐ No comma splices. Where a comma joins two complete thoughts, add and/but/so or change it to a period.
- ☐ Subjects and verbs agree, especially after each, one of, the results of.
- ☐ Confused words are correct: their/there/they're, its/it's, than/then, affect/effect.
- ☐ Formal words only: no stuff, kids, a lot, totally, I feel.
- ☐ Names and titles are spelled correctly, exactly as they appear in the texts.
- ☐ Quotations match the text and have quotation marks.
- ☐ No missing or doubled words ("the the," "Text 1 better supported").
- ☐ Capital letters start sentences and names; I is capitalized.
- ☐ Each paragraph is separated by a blank line.
Shortcut: if you only have 2 minutes, check items 1, 2 and 8. Missing words and broken sentences hurt clarity most.
Spell-check is off on the GED, so slow down on words you often misspell. If you are unsure of a word, use a simpler one you know.
Example 1: Choose the most formal sentence
Question: Which sentence best fits a GED essay? (A) "Text 1's evidence is super solid, no doubt." (B) "Text 1's evidence is more reliable because it comes from official crash records." (C) "I feel like Text 1 is better, honestly." (D) "Text 1 > Text 2."
Think-aloud:
- A uses slang ("super solid," "no doubt").
- C is chatty and opinion-based ("I feel like," "honestly").
- D uses a symbol instead of words.
- Answer: B. It is formal and precise, and it gives a reason.
Example 2: Fix the run-on
Sentence: "Text 2 relies on one family's story, it never cites any data."
Question: Which revision is correct? (A) "...story it never cites..." (B) "...story, and it never cites any data." (C) "...story. Because it never cites any data." (D) "...story, it, never cites..."
Think-aloud:
- Both halves are complete sentences, so a comma alone is a comma splice.
- A removes the comma and creates a fused sentence. C creates a fragment. D adds a meaningless comma.
- Answer: B. A comma + and correctly joins two complete sentences.
Example 3: Subject-verb agreement in a draft
Sentence: "The results of the Lakeport experiment shows that people still return books."
Question: What is the error, and how do you fix it?
Think-aloud:
- Find the verb: shows. Ask "What shows?" The answer is the results, not experiment.
- Results is plural, so the verb must be plural: show.
- "of the Lakeport experiment" is a describing phrase that sits between the subject and the verb and tricks the ear.
- Answer: "The results of the Lakeport experiment show that people still return books."
Example 4: Fix the dangling modifier
Sentence: "After reading both texts, Text 1 seemed more convincing."
Question: Which revision is correct? (A) "After reading both texts, Text 1 seemed much more convincing." (B) "After reading both texts, I found Text 1 more convincing." (C) "After reading both texts Text 1 seemed more convincing." (D) "Text 1 seemed more convincing, after reading both texts."
Think-aloud:
- Who read both texts? A person, not Text 1. But "Text 1" follows the comma, so the sentence says Text 1 did the reading.
- A and C keep "Text 1" right after the phrase. D moves the phrase but still never says who read.
- Answer: B. Now "I," the reader, follows the phrase. Even better for an essay: "A close reading shows that Text 1 is more convincing."
Trait 3 traps
- Writing like you text (a Trait 2 style problem). Wrong: "Text 2 is kinda weak tbh." Right: "Text 2 is weaker because it offers no data."
- "Which" or "Because" fragments. Wrong: "Because the study was large." Right: attach the clause to a full sentence.
- Comma splices between two ideas. Wrong: "Text 1 has data, Text 2 does not." Right: "Text 1 has data, but Text 2 does not."
- "More better," "most strongest." Right: "better," "strongest."
- Using big words you are unsure of. A misused fancy word hurts clarity. Choose clear words you know.
- Skipping the proofread. Even strong writers leave out words when typing fast. Always save 5 minutes.
Test-day tactics
- Write clearly first, then polish. Get the ideas down in plain sentences, and revise for variety during your review.
- Aim for a mix: in each paragraph, include at least one sentence that starts with a phrase or a dependent clause (Although..., Because..., According to...).
- Copy names from the texts (authors, places, numbers) to avoid spelling errors.
- Use the checklist in the last 5 minutes, focusing on fragments, run-ons and missing words.
- For multiple-choice revision items, read every option fully. Wrong options often fix one error but create another.
- When two options both look correct, choose the one that is shorter and clearer without changing the meaning.
Check yourself
A student is writing a GED Extended Response. Which sentence uses the most appropriate style for the essay?
Hint
GED essays should sound like a careful report: no slang, no chatty phrases, no symbols in place of words.
Step-by-step solution
What the GED expects: Trait 2 rewards "a formal style and appropriate tone" and "specific, precise word choice," and Trait 3 expects "standard usage at an appropriately formal level." An essay is a formal piece of writing, so it should sound like a respectful, careful report, not a text message or a conversation.
Reasoning:
- Choice B uses formal, precise words ("weaker," "relies," "experience") and names exactly what is wrong with the argument.
- Choice A uses slang ("falls apart," "the guy," "goes on about") and refers to the author disrespectfully.
- Choice C is chatty and vague ("I feel like," "isn't that great," "if you ask me"). Phrases like "I feel" also make the claim sound like personal opinion rather than analysis.
- Choice D uses a symbol (=) and a sentence fragment, which are fine in notes but not in a finished essay.
Correct answer: B.
Tip: Read a sentence aloud and ask, "Would I say this to a judge or a job interviewer?" If not, choose more formal words.
Check yourself
Choose the options that correctly complete this sentence from a student's essay.
Each of the authors a different solution, but only one of arguments is backed by data.
Choose an answer from each menu.
Hint
Blank 1: the subject is "Each," not "authors." Blank 2: which word shows that the arguments belong to the authors?
Step-by-step solution
Rule 1: subject-verb agreement. In "Each of the authors," the subject is Each, which is singular. The phrase "of the authors" just describes it. A singular subject takes a singular verb: offers. Test it by dropping the phrase: "Each... offers a different solution."
Rule 2: confused words. The arguments belong to the authors, so you need the possessive pronoun their.
- there points to a place or begins a sentence ("There are two texts").
- they're means "they are" ("only one of they are arguments" makes no sense).
- its is singular, but the owners (the authors) are plural.
Correct answers: offers / their.
Tip: When a sentence starts with each, every, either, neither, one of, cross out the "of..." phrase to find the true subject before choosing the verb.
Key points
- Trait 3 rewards varied, fluent sentences and controlled conventions; a few small slips are fine.
- Combine choppy sentences with clauses, and vary openings with phrases and Although/Because/According to.
- Replace vague and casual words (stuff, a lot, kids, I feel) with exact, formal ones; precise words and a formal style count toward Trait 2.
- Watch the big errors: fragments, comma splices, agreement, confused words, "more better," dangling modifiers.
- Use the 5-minute proofreading checklist every time.