PELLETB study guide

A modifying phrase should sit beside the word it describes. Read the literal relationship, even if you can guess what the writer intended.

1. Find the phrase describing an action, location or quality.
2. Identify the person or thing that actually has that description.
3. Choose the sentence that connects them without an unintended reading.

Common mistake: Mentally repairing the unclear option instead of evaluating the words actually printed.

Practice tip: Ask “Who is doing this?” after every opening phrase before comparing the rest of the sentence.

Readers should not have to guess who a pronoun refers to. Repeating a name can improve clarity when two possible people have just been mentioned.

1. Find pronouns such as he, she, it, they and this.
2. List the nearby nouns each pronoun could reasonably refer to.
3. Prefer the version that identifies one intended person or thing.

Common mistake: Assuming that a pronoun always refers to the nearest name.

Practice tip: Replace an ambiguous pronoun with a name, then check whether the revised sentence preserves the intended fact.

Concise writing keeps the necessary information and removes repetition. A shorter sentence is useful only if it preserves who did what and any important condition.

1. Identify the actor, action, time and any restriction in the sentence.
2. Remove repeated words or replace a wordy phrase with a direct verb.
3. Check that the revision preserves every fact, especially words such as only, all and must.

Common mistake: Choosing the shortest option even when it drops a condition or changes the meaning.

Practice tip: Edit a sentence, then compare the original and revision for actors, actions, time and restrictions.

A familiar word can have more than one meaning. The surrounding sentence determines which meaning fits this use.

1. Read beyond the target word to locate a definition, contrast or example.
2. Predict a plain-language meaning before looking closely at the options.
3. Substitute the best option and check that the meaning stays the same.

Common mistake: Selecting a meaning you have seen elsewhere without testing it in this sentence.

Practice tip: When reading, record unfamiliar words with the full sentence rather than with a definition alone.

Two options may concern the same topic but differ in certainty, degree or attitude. Choose the closest meaning, not merely a related idea.

1. Decide whether the target expresses certainty, possibility, intensity or evaluation.
2. Compare the strongest remaining options word by word.
3. Choose the substitute that adds or removes the least meaning.

Common mistake: Choosing an option associated with the situation rather than the target word’s meaning.

Practice tip: Compare pairs such as possible/probable and temporary/permanent. Write a sentence that makes their difference matter.

A familiar prefix, root or suffix can suggest a meaning. Check the clue against the sentence before committing to it.

1. Separate any recognizable prefix, root and suffix.
2. Use those parts to form a tentative meaning.
3. Test that meaning in context and eliminate contradictions.

Common mistake: Treating a guessed root as proof, even when the sentence points to another meaning.

Practice tip: Use word parts to narrow the choices, then use the sentence to make the final decision.

Similar-looking options can tempt you to read the word you expect. Compare their letters deliberately before choosing.

1. Read the sentence to identify the intended word.
2. Find the exact letter or letter group that differs among the options.
3. Check that difference against a spelling you know, then read the whole word once more.

Common mistake: Recognizing the overall shape and overlooking a missing or transposed letter.

Practice tip: Keep a short personal error list. Cover each word, write it from memory and check the exact part you missed.

A prefix joins the beginning of a word; a suffix joins the end. Identify that boundary before deciding which spelling changes are needed.

1. Identify the base word and any prefix or suffix.
2. A prefix usually preserves the base: mis + spell gives misspell. For a suffix, check whether the base loses e, changes y to i or doubles a consonant.
3. Confirm the resulting word fits the sentence. Learn exceptions as complete words.

Common mistake: Applying a spelling rule to every word without checking its pattern or an exception.

Practice tip: Study the joins in word families: spell/misspell and permit/permitted/permitting. Check which letters belong to each part.

Pronunciation does not reliably reveal every consonant. Some common words need a precise visual memory.

1. Read the sentence to identify the intended word.
2. Check each consonant separately, including letters that are silent or doubled.
3. Eliminate options only after locating the specific spelling error.

Common mistake: Assuming that a doubled consonant can always be detected by sound.

Practice tip: When a word defeats a rule, use it in a sentence and practice recalling the complete spelling.

A detail question may restate the passage using different words. Match the whole claim, including any condition or exception.

1. Identify the exact fact the question asks for.
2. Return to the relevant sentence and read its surrounding context.
3. Eliminate choices that change the person, time, requirement or exception.

Common mistake: Remembering a general policy while overlooking the exception that applies to this question.

Practice tip: Underline conditions mentally: before, after, only, unless and at least often control the answer.

An account may combine direct observations, reported statements and unanswered questions. Track who supplied each fact before drawing a conclusion.

1. Identify who observed or reported each event.
2. Put the stated events in order and mark what remains unknown.
3. Choose the conclusion supported by the account without adding a cause, motive or guarantee.

Common mistake: Treating a plausible cause as an observed fact.

Practice tip: For each conclusion, identify the sentence or pair of sentences that supplies the evidence.

A main-idea answer should represent the passage as a whole. A true detail can still be too narrow.

1. Summarize each paragraph in a short phrase.
2. Find the point connecting those phrases.
3. Choose the option that covers the central message without adding a broader claim.

Common mistake: Selecting a memorable supporting detail as though it were the passage’s main point.

Practice tip: Write a one-sentence summary after reading a short article, then check that each major paragraph fits it.