im going to go take my GED test again tomorrow, i only have to do the writting part and social studies. When i write any kind of paper, i write as if i was talking to the person face to face. i dont mean to but i guess a cant grasp that i have to make it sound “pro.”

Sounding like a pro can be hard, especially if you spend a lot of time reading stuff on the internet. There’s so many blogs and journal posts out there, and they’re all written pretty informally. Most of the time, when I’m writing something myself, it’s a letter to my kids or a journal entry that’s meant for my friends or something. I don’t think too much about sounding formal. So, just like with math, it’s difficult to do something you’re not practicing all the time.

First of all, why should you sound professional when writing an essay? Is it just ’cause the GED judges are snobs? I don’t think so. It’s more about making sure people can understand you. I mean, that’s what writing and talking is about in the first place, letting people know what you think, right? Sounding professional just means getting your ideas across in the best possible way by using a straight version of English that everyone can understand.

Here’s my list of a few things to avoid in order to make your writing sound a little better:

Avoid Slang

You shouldn’t use slang when writing a formal essay. Even words like, cool or lame are slang.

“I think that snowboards are sick ’cause you can tear up the mountain like a maniac.”

This could be something you’d say to your friends, but is it going to make sense to everyone? Maybe you could write more like this.

“I think that snowboards are great because you can slide down mountains at neck-breaking speeds.”

Keep to Traditional Contractions

The internet has created a lot of new contractions that seem normal, but might not be appropriate for an essay. Words like gonna, ’cause, I’mma, and shoulda don’t seem wrong ’cause you see them online a lot. In fact, the first three words in that list didn’t even come up as “wrong” in my spell check! But they might not be the best choice for an essay. Stick with traditional contractions like it’s, you’re, don’t, and I’ll. If you’re not certain what’s “official” and what’s not, just don’t use the contraction. You’re not gonna be docked points for saying “I will” instead of “I’ll.”

Leave out Filler Words

When you talk, you use a lot of filler words. You say things like so, like, well, and anyway. These words just fill an essay up with fluff and can usually be left out all together. If you want to join two thoughts together, it’s ok to put words like, “however” or “therefor” when the ideas connect to each other. However, saying, “anyway” is more like you got off the topic and are trying to get back to it, which doesn’t make for a very well constructed essay in the first place.

Write with Certainty!

Writing prompts often ask you what you think about something. Formal writing should sound certain about its answer. Starting an essay with, “I think that snowboards are great…” is immediately less certain than just saying, “Snowboards are great.” Leave out words like maybe, and possibly.

Avoid the Second Person

What’s the “second person?” It’s one of the “points of view.” The “first person” is I, the “second person” is you, and the “third person” is he, she, or it. When you’re writing a formal essay, the word “you” kinda makes it informal ’cause you’re suddenly talking directly to the person who’s reading it. I’ve found that using “we” is a good substitute. For instance:

“If you find it difficult to sleep at night, you can take a sleeping pill to help.”

This is kind of like getting into the private life of the reader. It’s making assumptions about the reader’s sleeping habits. If you just replace you with we then it immediately takes a step back and makes it feel a little more formal.

“If we find it difficult to sleep at night, we can take sleeping pills to help.”

Just remember that “we” is plural while “you” isn’t, so make sure to make any changes necessary, like how I changes “pill” to “pills.” After all, we all can’t take one pill between us!

Here’s a prompt and answer from CanTeach:

What is a good neighbour?

I think a good neighbour is someone who’s friendly, but not overly friendly, you know? Like, it’s ok if a neighbour comes over for a cup of sugar or something, but if the neighbour’s coming over all the time and using up all your sugar, then that’s way too friendly. A good neighbour has to be like a yin-yang. They have to keep to their space, but also not only keep to their space. ‘Cause then they’re just a recluse, and not really a neighbour at all. And if you’re like, “Hi neighbour!” and they just ignore you, then that’s just rude!

So, how could you fix this paragraph? I’ll see if I can clean it up myself in my next blog. Good luck with your GED! And keep writing!

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

Thanks for giving me chance to contact with you. i appeared ged exam for two times. But i can’t make it. i don’t know why i couldn’t pass essay part. my grammar part is fine. Now i decide to appear again. Will you suggest me, how i can get better number in essay part.

Okay, the essay part can be hard. Here are a couple of tips… brainstorm beforehand about ideas, people, and events that are important to you. You won’t know what the test is going to ask about, but it’ll get the ideas flowing. Then, when you take the test:

(1) Make sure you understand what the question’s asking, and really respond to the prompt. That’s a big deal. Spend some time reading the prompt and thinking about it, so you’ll be able to answer the question, otherwise, you’ll be “off-topic,” and that’s not passing!

(2) Write enough detail. Don’t just write a couple of sentences or be really general. Think of real-life examples…. things that happened to you, something you saw on the news, what your son did… having details is important to passing! If you’re too general, that’s not going to pass!

(3) Get your writing organized. Have A MAIN IDEA, and tell what it is in the beginning. In the middle, give details that support or give reasons for your MAIN IDEA. In the end, make a conclusion about what you wrote. What’s it all mean? Why’s it important?

If you do those three things, and the readers can understand what you wrote, then you’ll pass!

Well Good advice. But still unable to get Idea or moving to start to write essay I am worried to take my test on January 15th . and I need to start or just giving up. I did try reading every day for one month and copying others. Or, what was the other word for copying statements making it your own?
Still having hard time to come up with an idea to write!

Okay, Vic, here’s some more advice! Hopefully we can get you going:

You’ve worked from some other people’s essays… now it’s time to start one on your own. Take some GED essay topics (see below) and try starting from scratch. Sit down with one of them and think about how it relates to your life, what you think about it, what it makes you think of. Seriously, don’t worry at all about what exactly you should write, just start getting ideas out there. That’s what all the freewriting and word webs come down to… getting SOME ideas down on paper, whatever they are.

Once you have some ideas to work on, then you can start to organize them into an essay, pick the ones you like, don’t use the ones you don’t like. It might take you some time to think of things at first. Don’t worry about the time right away. Just start with ANY ideas, even if you don’t think they’re very good. It doesn’t have to be perfect… and getting started is more important than making it perfect or even great.

So, work all the way through writing one, no matter how long it takes. Then, practice with other topics, and try to bring your time down. Here’s a list of topics to work with:

Topic 1
What are three qualities you value in a friend?
In your essay, describe those qualities and explain why they are important to you. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 2
Many American children watch 3 or more hours of television a day.
Is watching television a good or bad influence on children? Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 3
What would your perfect job be?
In your essay, identify your perfect job and explain why that job would be perfect for you. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 4
Why do you want to get your GED certificate?
In your essay, explain what you hope to gain by passing the GED. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 5
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Think of a time when a picture or image was important in communicating to you. Tell about that time and explain how the picture or image was important. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 6
Would you rather own a truck or a passenger car?
In your essay, explain why one vehicle would be better for you. Explain advantages and disadvantages of each kind. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 7
How has the invention of the Internet affected everyday life?
In your essay, explain how the Internet has affected you and the world around you. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 8
What is the most important invention?
Choose an invention that has affected your life and explain why you think it’s the most important invention. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 9
What is the greatest problem facing our country today?
Explain what issue you believe is most important to our country and why it is important to deal with this issue. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Topic 10
Two-thirds of US adults are overweight or obese.
In your essay, explain what factors cause American adults to become and stay overweight. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

Im takeing my test next week,and I have a question about,how I start out an essay.Im also a little nervouse about,when they give you a topic,you have to write about it,my brain kinda freezes up.what if I can’t think of anything?How do I go about this? Please help!

Hi, Tanya! I know the essay can be a little intimidating. Here are some things to help…

1)Try to think of some things in advance, that you might use on your essay. You don’t know what the question will be, but you can think of some things that might help, like:
–Who are some people you admire, and why?
–What’s important to you in life? What are your goals?
–What are some important events that happened to you, that really made you think or taught you something?
–What’s an important world event that has a special meaning or memory for you?

Thinking about these kinds of questions gets your juices going… you  might find that you can use them in your essay, or else it’s just good practice!

Also, here are some techniques you can use to brainstorm while you’re in the test. Practice these before the test on some of the questions above, or other practice GED prompts…

1) Freewriting… write down the question and just write for 3-4 minutes, whatever comes into your head. Don’t even worry if it’s a good idea!

2) Listing… write a list of as many things related to the idea as you can think of.

3) Word Web… write the main idea in the center. Then, draw 3-4 lines from the center, connecting to 3-4 related ideas. Write 3 details or new ideas about each related idea.

4) Questioning… write 3-4 questions about the topic, and then try to answer them.

5) Try answering these questions about the topic (and add more if you can think of them!):
–What’s my feeling or opinion about this topic?
–Who’s a person I know who taught me something about this topic?
–What’s a memory I have about this topic?
–How is this topic related to my life?

That will give you some ideas to start organizing into an essay. Some techniques work better for some people, so try these out to see what works best for you. Practicing beforehand really helps, so you’ll have your essay-writing muscles all flexed and ready to go!

Also, it’s really important to try to relax. That means, eat a good breakfast. Get plenty of sleep the night before. Bring some good snacks and water along. Wear comfortable clothes. And don’t worry! Just concentrate on your essay.

Good luck!
Liz

I am going to take the Ged test,and i really need help for my essay because im not good at writting essays.so it would be a pleasure if you guys help me out with it!

So, I thought it would be a good idea to give some suggestions for the GED essay today! The GED essay isn’t too hard, but it’s important to know what they expect.

The GED essay should be fairly short, about4-5 paragraphs. Don’t make your essay too short, because it has to be an essay. The readers want to see that you can give what you’re writing a structure, and that you can think through what you want to say, not just write something off the top of your head.

Your essay needs a beginning, a middle, and an ending, and it needs to completely answer the GED essay prompt. That’s important. Let’s look at an example. Here’s a GED essay prompt:

Often, important goals require sacrifice.
What is a time when you gave up something to get something else that was important to you? Was what you gained worth the sacrifice? Why or why not? Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support your essay.

This is an easier prompt, if you ask me, because it’s about your own life. But all the GED prompts ask you to use your own personal observations, experience, and knowledge. That means, you use what you know in your essay. You’ve got to show that you can communicate what you think.

The first step, is to figure out what you want to say. That means reading the prompt carefully, and then thinking about your life… think about what you know, what you’ve seen, and what you’ve done. Think of a story in your life that can help you answer the question.

This prompt asks for a story, something you’ve sacrificed. But let’s say it asked your opinion of making sacrifices. You can still think of a story in your own life about someone who made a sacrifice, or about when you made a sacrifice.

Like, a lot of GED students sacrifice time with their children to get their GED. Or, a lot of GED students sacrificed their high school education to help out their families. Your life is full of stories, and you need to think of the stories that will help you answer the question.

Okay… then it’s time to write. You need three parts to your essay.

1) The Beginning: Start out by saying something interesting! Give an overview of what you’re going to write, but don’t just repeat the question. I might write something like this:

When I was in high school, I met the man I thought would be the love of my life. I quit school to marry him. I didn’t think of it as a sacrifice at the time. Now, my marriage is gone, and I fully understand what I sacrificed by not finishing school. Still, I don’t regret the choice I’ve made.

I give an idea about what I’m going to write… and I  talk specifically about my life. I’m talking about something that I know, so it’s easier. And, I’m answering the question: The reader knows what I sacrificed, and that I don’t regret it. I’ve left out why I don’t regret it…. I’ll save that for the middle.

2) The Middle: This is the part that should contain most details. The GED asks you to include good specifics in your essay. That’s easiest if you’re writing about stories in your life. You know the details, because you lived them! Don’t be too general. Say what you mean, and stay on topic. The middle should be about 2-4 paragraphs (3 is a good number). You can either tell a story or write about 2-4 different points you want to make. Here’s what I’d write for this essay:

One day, my son came home from high school with math homework that was giving him trouble. I didn’t understand it at all. It made me realize clearly for the first time that my children were passing me in education. I knew that, without a high school diploma, I wasn’t qualified for many jobs, and I missed high school memories of dances, classes, and graduation night. But realizing that I couldn’t help my son anymore made me feel, for the first time, the cost of quitting school.

Still, I know I’ve gained a lot from my marriage, even though it ended several years ago. I remember another day, when my son got accepted into college. He came into the kitchen waving the letter and jumping up and down. I would have sacrificed anything to give him that.

I’ve got two middle paragraphs. The first one talks about what I missed out on… and the second one talks about why I don’t regret the sacrifice. I added details by telling stories, being specific about the moment that I realized I regretted quitting school and another moment that made me happy to be a mother. Thinking of specific moments and things that have happened in your life makes your writing better.

3) The End. Try to say something new in the last paragraph of your essay, instead of repeating what you’ve already said! Comment on what the issue means to you, and expand that into a bigger picture. If you have something new to say in your conclusion, that will leave a good impression on the reader. Here’s my ending:

Part of me will always regret giving up my high school days to get married, but I gained a lot from my sacrifice. I gained two wonderful sons. Now that I’m older, I am more dedicated to learning, too. I may have gotten a late start, but I’m ready to make new sacrifices to get my education and become a success.

On the GED test, you’ll have scratch paper to use. Use it to come up with your ideas and organize them before you write. After you write, go back and look over your essay. Ask yourself:

1. Did I answer the question completely?

2. Is my essay organized?

3. Did I use details and expand on what I mean?

4. Did I choose the best words to say what I mean?

5. Did I make any grammar and spelling errors?

Make any corrections that you can before the time is up. I recomment practicing writing timed GED essays before the test, and reviewing them by asking those five questions. Show your essay to other people, to get their opinion and see how you can improve.

That’s my best GED essay advice! Good luck on the test, everyone!

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

One thing Mr. Williams taught me is that good writing sounds natural. It doesn’t sound formal or forced… so whenever I feel like I’m just getting caught up in a bunch of words, I sit back and ask myself… what do I really mean? What am I trying to say? Then I try to say it like I think it, as simply as possible.

Here’s an example of something I wrote when I got all caught up in the words…

The most important thing to me now that my children are all grown up is to have good relationships with my children, who are away in several places far from me.

It’s just too long, isn’t it? Or something. I have to think about what I really mean, and then rewrite it. How would you rewrite it? I’ll let you know what I did next week.