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Composition, Revising, and Editing

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How do you find and fix grammar and usage errors in a draft, the subject-verb agreement, pronoun, verb-tense, and modifier errors STAAR editing questions test?

Editing for grammar and usage: identifying and correcting the grammar and usage errors STAAR tests, subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and pronoun case, verb tense consistency, and misplaced or dangling modifiers, in a student draft and in your own writing.
How to edit for grammar and usage on STAAR English I: subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and case, verb-tense consistency, and misplaced or dangling modifiers. STAAR editing questions are multiple choice on a student draft, and the same conventions are scored on the ECR.
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How are revising and editing questions presented on STAAR, and how do you read the prompt to know whether it wants a meaning fix or a correctness fix?

The revising and editing question types: how STAAR presents revising and editing as multiple-choice questions on a student draft, how to read the prompt to tell a revising task (meaning, organization) from an editing task (grammar, mechanics), and how the new item formats apply to these questions.
How STAAR English I presents revising and editing questions: multiple choice on a student draft, telling a revising task (meaning, organization) from an editing task (grammar, mechanics) by reading the prompt, and how the redesigned item formats apply. Knowing the question type tells you which fix to make.
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How do you revise a draft to improve its clarity, development, and organization, and what do STAAR revising questions ask?

Revising for clarity and organization: improving a draft's meaning rather than its mechanics, adding or sharpening a supporting detail, reordering sentences for logical flow, choosing effective transitions, and deciding whether a sentence belongs, the focus of STAAR revising questions.
How to revise a draft on STAAR English I: improving clarity, development, and organization rather than mechanics, adding a supporting detail, reordering for flow, choosing transitions, and deciding whether a sentence belongs. STAAR revising questions are multiple choice on a student draft.
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How do you fix sentence-boundary errors (fragments, run-ons, comma splices) and use commas, semicolons, and apostrophes correctly?

Sentence boundaries and punctuation: recognizing and fixing fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, and applying the core punctuation rules STAAR tests, commas in compound sentences and lists, semicolons between independent clauses, and apostrophes for possession and contraction.
How to fix sentence-boundary errors and punctuation on STAAR English I: fragments, run-ons, and comma splices, plus commas in compound sentences and lists, semicolons between independent clauses, and apostrophes for possession and contraction. The same conventions are scored on the ECR.
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How do you choose the most precise and appropriate word, and fix vague, wordy, or commonly confused words in a draft?

Word choice and precision: choosing the most precise and appropriate word for the context, tightening vague or wordy phrasing, maintaining a consistent and appropriate tone, and correcting commonly confused words (their/there/they're, affect/effect, than/then) in a STAAR draft.
How to choose precise words on STAAR English I: selecting the most precise and appropriate word for the context, tightening vague or wordy phrasing, keeping a consistent tone, and correcting commonly confused words. STAAR tests word choice in revising questions, and precise diction strengthens the ECR.
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