7.4 Sentence Correction, Sentence Completion & Punctuation
Key Takeaways
Edutest's Reading Comprehension test measures passage reading and the ability to correct, complete and punctuate sentences.
In subject-verb agreement items, ignore the prepositional phrase: 'The list of winners was read aloud' takes a singular verb.
Connectives signal the relationship in completion items: consequently shows an effect, although shows contrast and furthermore adds a point.
An apostrophe goes after the owner's whole word: the boy's bike (one boy), the boys' bikes (several boys), the children's toys.
Australian English uses practice as the noun and practise as the verb, and licence as the noun and license as the verb.
Sentence Correction, Sentence Completion & Punctuation
Core Insight: Edutest's description of Reading Comprehension covers two skills: interpreting written passages, and the ability to "correct, complete and punctuate sentences". Sentence-level items are usually quicker than passage items, so accurate grammar and punctuation knowledge banks time for the longer passages.
Edutest does not publish the exact layout of these items. Scholarship tests commonly present them as a sentence with an error to identify, a sentence with a gap to fill, or a sentence to punctuate correctly. The skills are the same in every layout: find the grammatical rule, test each option against it, and choose the only option that is correct in standard Australian English.
Part 1: Correcting Sentences
Most correction items test a small set of rules. Check them in this order:
| Rule | Error example | Corrected version | How to spot it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject-verb agreement | The list of winners were read aloud. | The list of winners was read aloud. | Cross out the prepositional phrase ("of winners") and find the true subject ("list") |
| Tense consistency | She opened the gate and walks inside. | She opened the gate and walked inside. | Verbs describing one sequence of events should share a tense |
| Pronoun case | Mum drove Ella and I to training. | Mum drove Ella and me to training. | Remove the other person: "Mum drove me" sounds right; "Mum drove I" does not |
| Pronoun agreement | The dogs wagged its tails. | The dogs wagged their tails. | A plural noun needs a plural pronoun |
| Commonly confused words | The storm had a huge affect on the crops. | The storm had a huge effect on the crops. | Effect is usually the noun; affect is usually the verb |
| Comparatives | Of the two routes, this one is the shortest. | Of the two routes, this one is the shorter. | Use -er for two items and -est for three or more |
| Double negatives | We didn't see nothing. | We didn't see anything. | Two negatives cancel or confuse; keep one |
| Who / which / that | The girl which won the prize... | The girl who won the prize... | Use who for people and which or that for things |
Commonly confused words worth memorising
| Pair | Quick rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| its / it's | it's = it is or it has | It's raining, and the dog wants its blanket. |
| their / there / they're | they're = they are | They're leaving their bags over there. |
| practice / practise | In Australian English, practice is the noun and practise is the verb | Netball practice starts at four, so I practise at lunch. |
| licence / license | licence is the noun; license is the verb | A driver's licence; the council will license the café. |
| fewer / less | fewer for countable items; less for amounts | fewer apples, less sugar |
| lose / loose | lose = misplace or fail to win; loose = not tight | Don't lose that loose button. |
| principal / principle | principal = head or main; principle = a rule or belief | The principal explained the principle of fairness. |
Worked example: "Neither the coach nor the players was ready for the storm." With neither ... nor, the verb agrees with the nearer subject. "Players" is plural, so the correct verb is were: "Neither the coach nor the players were ready."
Part 2: Completing Sentences
Completion items give a sentence with one or two gaps. Two kinds of clue decide the answer.
1. Grammar clues
The missing word must fit the sentence grammatically. If the gap follows "an", the answer must begin with a vowel sound. If it follows "the", it is likely to be a noun or adjective. If it follows "to", it may be a verb.
2. Meaning clues: connectives
Connectives show how two ideas relate. Identify the relationship before looking at the options.
| Relationship | Connectives | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Contrast | however, although, whereas, yet, despite | Although the trail was steep, the walkers reached the summit by noon. |
| Cause and effect | because, therefore, consequently, as a result | The bridge was flooded; consequently, the bus took the long route. |
| Addition | furthermore, moreover, in addition, also | The plan saves money. Furthermore, it reduces waste. |
| Example | for instance, such as, for example | Many marsupials, such as wombats, are nocturnal. |
| Time | meanwhile, subsequently, until, before | She studied until the bell rang. |
Worked example: "The ancient bridge was ____ ; engineers warned that heavy trucks could cause it to collapse."
- The second clause describes danger, so the gap needs a word meaning weak or unsafe.
- Options might include robust, precarious, ornate and recent. Only precarious fits the meaning.
Two-gap tip: With two gaps, test the easier gap first. If only one option has a correct first word, you may not need to check the second.
Part 3: Punctuating Sentences
| Mark | Main uses | Correct example | Common error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Comma | After an introductory clause; between list items; around extra information | After the match, the team celebrated. | Joining two full sentences with only a comma (a comma splice) |
| Apostrophe | Possession; contractions | the girl's hat (one girl); the girls' hats (more than one girl) | Using an apostrophe for a simple plural ("apple's for sale") |
| Semicolon | Joining two closely related complete sentences; separating list items that already contain commas | The rain stopped; the game resumed. | Using a semicolon before an incomplete clause |
| Colon | Introducing a list, explanation or example after a complete sentence | She packed three things: a torch, a map and water. | Placing a colon after "such as" or "including" |
| Quotation marks | Direct speech and quotations | "Wait here," said Dad. | Leaving the comma outside the closing quotation mark |
| Capital letters | Sentence starts, proper nouns, titles | We visited Uluru in July. | Capitalising common nouns such as "summer" or "river" without a reason |
Apostrophes of possession: a two-step method
- Write the owner first: one boy, several boys, the children.
- Add the apostrophe after the owner's whole word, then add s if the owner does not already end in s: the boy's bike, the boys' bikes, the children's toys.
Commas that change meaning
"Let's eat, Grandma!" invites Grandma to eat. "Let's eat Grandma!" does not. Commas around extra information also change meaning:
- "My sister, who lives in Perth, is visiting." The extra detail is non-essential; the writer has one sister.
- "My sister who lives in Perth is visiting." Without commas, the clause identifies which sister, implying more than one.
Test-Day Method for Sentence Items
- Read the whole sentence first. Many errors only appear when the end of the sentence is read (for example, a plural subject that appears after the verb).
- Name the rule. Ask: agreement, tense, pronoun, word choice, connective or punctuation?
- Test every option. A distractor may fix one error but introduce another.
- Prefer standard Australian English. Use Australian spellings such as colour, organise and practise (verb).
- Move on quickly. If two options still look possible after 30 seconds, choose the one that obeys the rule you named, and keep the time for passage questions.
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
The box of old photographs were stored in the attic.
Mum asked Liam and I to set the table.
Each of the puppies has its own blanket.
Of the three runners, Ava was the faster.
Choose the word that best completes the sentence:
Lena trained every morning for months; ______, she finished the marathon well inside her goal time.
nevertheless
consequently
meanwhile
for instance
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
The three girl's bikes were chained to the rack, the boys bikes were not.
The three girls bikes were chained to the rack; the boy's bikes were not.
The three girls' bike's were chained to the rack: the boys' bikes were not.
The three girls' bikes were chained to the rack; the boys' bikes were not.
Read the sentence:
Although the storm had passed, the river was still rising; and the road to the farm was closed.
Which change corrects the punctuation?
Replace the semicolon with a comma.
Remove the comma after 'passed'.
Add a colon after 'Although'.
Add an apostrophe to 'farm'.
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.