That *is* the kind of thing that makes you wish organizations
like this one could issue the equivalent of the medieval Church’s
Interdiction (can we make the head of ATI kneel in the snow for hours? Ok,
analogy taken too far…).
At any rate, for what it’s worth, I’d divide those
examples into two categories: the Needlessly Draconian, and the Hopelessly
Wrong (with (B) and (D) being hard to place):
ND: (A),
(F), and (E). (A) makes sense if (and only if) you’re writing for
publishing house whose style guide has already stipulated that you must adhere
to the Chicago-style recommendations for which and that.
(F) involves the kind of ambiguity that will only create comprehension problems
for people who will have trouble with reading the sentence in the first place,
or, for that matter, figuring out how wheels work. I actually do like their
suggested version, but there’s a very large difference between an “improvement”
and a “correction.” Although the original in (E) does sound clumsy,
if it occurred in a conversation about the cooking and laundry duties,
it could work.
HW: (C)
and (G). I particularly like the idea of an imperative modal. Perhaps, in an
alternate universe, Churchill commanded the troops into battle by shouting, “Shall
you fight them on the beaches….” (G) wins the Grammar Raspberry
award, though for the way it requires a writer to discard a viable option in
favor of bad punctuation.
On
those other two – This test is hardly alone in confusing “text
syllables” with “real syllables.” It’s sad, but
unsurprising. The fact that someone thought (D) was an example of excellent
English writing serves as a kind of summary comment on the test itself.
Bill
Spruiell
Dept.
of English
Central
Michigan University
From: Assembly for the
Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael
Kischner
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008 1:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: A Test of Essential Academic Skills
A
psychologist friend of mine now living in Idaho is coaching nurses for a test
they must pass in English skills. The test used by the state of Idaho for
this purpose is called the "Test of Essential Academic Skills" and is
published by "ATI" which stands for Assessment Technologies
Institute. In her coaching, my friend is using the official Pre-Test
Study Manual published by ATI.
She
has been so shocked by what she has found in the Test Study Manual that she
called to ask if I know of an official professional body that might pronounce
judgment on a company putting out shoddy, error-filled
material. I don't think ATEG is in the business of issuing
such pronouncements, but I wonder if people out there with what are now called
"creds" in English grammar and usage would be willing to express
themselves on the materials. Does anybody know to whom one might report
ATI?
These
examples are all from the ATI-published official Pre-Test Study Manual for the
Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). "ATI" stands for the
Assessment Technologies Institute.
Example
A: See Page 175, Item #19
Original:
The building which was a firetrap was torn down.
Corrected:
The building, which was a firetrap, was torn down.
Example
B: See Page 175, Item #23
Original:
We expect them moment
arily.
Corrected:
We expect them moment-
arily. [This is supposed
to be an example of correct syllabication.]
Example
C: See Page 175, Item #26
Original:
May I interrupt you for a moment?
Corrected:
May I interrupt you for a moment. [Reason given is that the imperative
requires a period rather than a question mark.]
Example
D: See Page 178, Example #1:
A
teacher's work (it has often been spoken), begins when the dismissal bell
rings. [This is offered as an example of good English usage. Note the
punctuation.]
Example
E: See Page 184, Item #12
Original:
On Saturdays, the cooking is done by me and the laundry is done by my sister.
Corrected:
Saturdays, I do the cooking and my sister does the laundry.
Example
F: See Page 190, Item #9
Original:
Mr. Thomas was fired from Washington High because so many students failed the
exam. This was unfortunate.
Corrected:
It is unfortunate Mr. Thomas was fired from Washington High because so many
students failed the exam. [Reason given is that the referent is ambiguous
for "This" in the second sentence of the original. Is the
corrected version much better, though?]
Example
G: See Page 191, Item #11
Original:
The meeting lasted all day, and nothing was accomplished.
Corrected:
The meeting lasted all day, however nothing was accomplished. [Reason
given is that in the first sentence two ideas of unequal importance were joined
by a coordinating conjunction. Can you believe the corrected version?]
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