TSI ELAR Study Guide
Sentence Architecture
A sentence must do more than contain correctly spelled words and proper punctuation. Its parts must fit together to express a complete, clear, and grammatically sound idea.
Complete sentences and fragments
Fragment — an incomplete group of words incorrectly presented as a sentence.
Students is the subject, studied is the verb, and the sentence expresses a complete thought.
Dependent clause fragments
These words turn a complete thought into a dependent clause:
Complete
The roads were flooded.
Fragment
Because the roads were flooded.
The reader expects more: what happened because of it?
Phrase fragments
A fragment may also lack a complete subject-and-verb combination.
Fragment
Hoping to finish before sunset.
Who was hoping? What happened?
Complete
Hoping to finish before sunset, the hikers increased their pace.
Despite its length, this is a fragment. Although creates a dependent clause that is never completed.
Run-on sentences and comma splices
Run-on
The storm ended the players returned to the field.
Two independent clauses with nothing joining them.
Comma splice
The storm ended , the players returned to the field.
Joined with only a comma.
Both errors can be corrected four ways:
Period
The storm ended. The players returned to the field.
Semicolon
The storm ended; the players returned to the field.
Comma + coordinating conjunction
The storm ended, so the players returned to the field.
Make one clause dependent
After the storm ended, the players returned to the field.
When correcting a run-on
Consider both grammar and meaning. The best revision shows how the ideas relate — the dependent-clause version above makes the time sequence clear.
Parallel structure
Not parallel
Jordan enjoys hiking, swimming, and to ride his bicycle.
Parallel
Jordan enjoys hiking, swimming, and riding his bicycle.
Hiking and swimming are -ing forms, while to ride is an infinitive.
Not parallel
The internship taught Maya how to communicate professionally, manage her time, and the importance of teamwork.
Parallel
The internship taught Maya how to communicate professionally, how to manage her time, and how to work as part of a team.
Ask yourself
When I see a series of two or more similar ideas, do their structures match?
Combining sentences effectively
Some questions ask you to combine sentences while preserving their meaning.
↓ combined
All three ideas, no unnecessary repetition.
Show the correct relationship
Combining isn’t just about making a sentence shorter. The combined sentence should accurately show how the ideas relate.
cause and effect
Because the temperature dropped below freezing, the roads became icy.
contrast
Although the restaurant was crowded, we found a table immediately.
Before combining, ask
What relationship exists between these ideas?
Completing sentences correctly
Some questions provide an incomplete sentence and ask which phrase or clause best completes it. Pay attention to the entire sentence, not just the words around the blank.
The correct choice must:
The complete sentence has a dependent clause followed by an independent clause.
Test-day habit
Mentally insert each answer choice and read the whole sentence from beginning to end.
TSI strategy: find the sentence’s core
Long sentences look intimidating because of introductory phrases, descriptions, and other extras. Strip the sentence down to its essential structure.
↓ core
Once you see the core, it’s easier to tell whether the sentence is complete and correctly built.
Don’t rely only on how a sentence sounds. Break it into parts — subject, verb, clauses — and examine how they connect. Once you see the structure, fragments, run-ons, comma splices, and faulty parallelism are much easier to spot.