Edit sentences: agreement, pronouns, modifiers, run-ons and commas

Why this matters on the test

Part of the GED® language arts test is editing. You read a work email, a letter or a short article. Some sentences have a drop-down menu, and you pick the choice that makes the sentence correct and clear.

A simple method: read the whole sentence, try each choice in the blank, and pick the one that is correct and clear with no extra words. The rules below cover the errors that come up most.

1. Make the verb match its subject

Find the real subject first. Ignore phrases that sit between the subject and the verb. "The box of gloves is on the shelf." The subject is box, not gloves, so the verb is is.

Words like each, every, everyone, someone and nobody are singular: "Everyone on the night crew gets a break."

Two subjects joined by and are plural: "Maria and Dev work Saturdays." With or or nor, match the verb to the nearer subject: "Neither the manager nor the cashiers know the code."

2. Use clear pronouns in the right form

A pronoun must match the noun it stands for. "The drivers turned in their keys." Drivers is plural, so use their.

A pronoun must point to one clear noun. "When Ana called Rosa, she was upset." Who was upset? Fix it: "Rosa was upset when Ana called her."

Use I, he, she, we and they as subjects. Use me, him, her, us and them as objects. Quick check: cover the other person. "Tom and I will cover Saturday" (I will cover). "The trainer called Tom and me" (called me). Use who for a subject (who called?) and whom for an object (to whom?).

3. Words that sound alike

their = belongs to them; there = a place; they're = they are.

its = belongs to it; it's = it is. your = belongs to you; you're = you are.

than compares (taller than); then tells time (first this, then that).

affect is usually the action (the rain affects traffic); effect is usually the result (the rain had an effect).

Test trick: say the long form. If "it is" or "they are" fits, use the short form with the apostrophe.

4. Put describing words in the right place, and keep lists the same shape

A describing phrase at the start must describe the next noun. Wrong: "Running to the bus, my phone fell." The phone was not running. Right: "Running to the bus, I dropped my phone."

Put words like only and almost next to what they describe. "She drove her kids to school almost every day" means most days. "She almost drove her kids to school every day" means something else.

Items in a list should have the same form. Wrong: "The job needs someone to lift boxes, answering phones, and driving." Right: "The job needs someone to lift boxes, answer phones and drive."

5. Fix run-ons, comma splices and fragments

A run-on joins two complete sentences with nothing between them. A comma splice joins them with only a comma. "The store closes at nine, we still have time" is a comma splice.

There are four fixes. Use a period: "The store closes at nine. We still have time." Use a semicolon: "The store closes at nine; we still have time." Use a comma plus and, but, so, or or yet: "The store closes at nine, so we still have time." Or use a joining word: "Because the store closes at nine, we still have time."

A fragment is not a complete sentence. "Because the shift ran late." Attach it: "I missed the bus because the shift ran late."

Pick transition words by meaning. As a result and therefore show a result. However and in contrast show a change in direction. For example adds an example.

6. Commas, apostrophes and capital letters

Put a comma after an opening part: "After the meeting, we cleaned up." Put commas around extra information that the sentence does not need: "Ms. Ruiz, our manager, signed it." Do not put a comma between a subject and its verb.

Apostrophes show ownership: one driver's route (one driver), the drivers' lounge (many drivers). A plain plural needs no apostrophe: three boxes, not three box's.

Capitalize the first word of a sentence and the names of specific people, places, groups, days and months: Denver, Monday, March. Do not capitalize seasons (summer) or general words (the city, our office).

Where this comes from

GED Testing Service's Assessment Guide for Educators: Reasoning Through Language Arts lists language targets L.1.1 to L.1.9 and L.2.1 to L.2.4. They cover confused words, subject-verb agreement, pronouns, modifiers, parallelism, wordiness, transitions, capitalization, run-ons and fragments, apostrophes and punctuation. The guide describes drop-down items placed inside passages. We checked the guide on October 28, 2026.

All example sentences and questions are original FinishHigh practice, not GED® test questions. GED® is a registered trademark of the American Council on Education. FinishHigh is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by it. This lesson teaches a few skills. It is not a full course or an official readiness result.

Next, try the questions below. Then take one email you wrote this week and check it for these six rules.

Trusted sources and further study

Sources guide the topics and factual information. The lesson wording, examples, and questions are original FinishHigh material.

• Language arts: GED Testing Service assessment targets for educators ↗GED Testing Service · checked 2026-10-20

Another small step

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