This year my 16-year-old son takes the SAT test. Because I’m an overactive a supportive parent, I combed the web for free test prep sites before spending all my retirement savings on expensive CDs and courses. Naturally, I couldn’t resist the torture temptation of trying to solving a few (okay, hundreds) of test questions in a feeble attempt to prove that I was as smart as my highschooler. Boy those questions seemed harder than I remember them being more than 25 years ago. I swear that some underhanded test question writers English linguists have invented new ways to use punctuation just to trip me up.
Of course there exists the teacher or editor for whom every comma is a cause. And journalists mentored by disciplined teachers and editors are lucky and well-trained in their use of grammar.
The SAT test questions can be a wake-up call to some writers who’ve leaned heavily on editors, or to those of us who may have slacked off a bit or developed bad habits over the course of writing punchy but grammatically “creative” ad and publicity copy.
If you enjoy humiliating yourself a challenge, try honing your skills with some of the test preparation questions at the sites below. Pass the SAT, and you’re ready for Newsroom101.com “which offers more than 2,000 free, self-instructional exercises for journalists, writers, editors, students and others who want to review (or learn) journalistic language, as governed by the Associated Press Stylebook.”
Knock yourself out at these SAT test preparation and vocabulary building sites. If you’re very brave, you’ll buck the “writers are not numbers people” stereotype and try a few math questions (algebra is not recommended).
Grammar and style practice for journalists:
Good luck getting a perfect score!
We know there are hundreds of grammar and copyediting sites out there. If you know of a good site with practice exercises, drop us a note or comment.
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