Liz’s World

One of the things that the GED essay is scored on is called “EAE” … that stands for Edited American English. Basically, EAE is the normal grammar, spelling, use of words, and sentence structure that is taught in classrooms around the U.S. The idea of having a “standard” language is to make sure that writers in English can communicate with each other. Here’s one thing I’ve learned about language… we all speak and write a little differently. We’ve all lived in different areas, with different people, and different groups of people use language in slightly different ways. That’s how slang starts.

I remember my kids, when they started going to high school… boy, sometimes it seemed like I couldn’t understand anything they’d say. They had a whole new language, with their friends. The same thing’s true with people I know now. Some of them use slang words I’ve never heard of. And try to talk to someone about their favorite hobby, if it’s something you don’t know anything about! They’ve got a whole lot of terms and ways of talking, particular to that hobby.

EAE is supposed to be the common ground… that’s why there’s rules for the “right” way to spell things and make sentences, because if everyone’s off doing their own thing, they can’t communicate. EAE is the type of language they teach in school… language that’s “correct” in the U.S.

What does it mean when you’re writing your essay? Avoid slang, online “shortcut” spellings (like “4″ instead of “for”), or confusing sentences. You should be as clear as possible, and have as few mistakes as possible.

If you have some gaps in your knowledge of English spelling, grammar, and punctuation, it can be difficult to avoid mistakes. The most important thing is to be clear, so that someone else can easily understand you. Here are some guidelines to help:

• Before you take the test, try to identify common mistakes that you make in your writing and learn how to correct them. Most people can improve their writing a lot by focusing on a few common errors that they personally make, instead of studying lots of errors that other people make. Having other people read your writing and let you know what mistakes make it harder to read is a good way to find the errors you need to study.
• Try to write in simple, complete sentences. Don’t try to write something complex. If your sentence is getting really long, maybe you can divide it up into shorter sentences. Make sure every sentence has a subject, a verb, and a complete thought.
• Read your essay to yourself. Try to hear the words in your head, as if they were spoken by someone else. Does it make sense to you? Would it make sense to a stranger who didn’t already know what you’re trying to say?
• Make sure you’re putting punctuation at the end of sentences, starting sentences with a capital letter, and capitalizing “I.” These are easy fixes to remember and improve your writing.

The most important thing is to be clearly understood on your GED essay. If you have difficulty with sentence structure, write in short, simple sentences. Avoid overcomplicating what you’re trying to say. And watch for the mistakes that you know are common in your own writing.

That’s about it! Remember, the GED won’t penalize you for a little error. But if you have a lot of errors that make your writing hard to understand, that’s when it might affect your GED essay grade.

For more information about the GED test or GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at http://www.passGED.com.