Place sentences where they best support the surrounding ideas.
Core Idea
A sentence belongs beside the idea it develops. The best placement makes references clear and lets the new sentence feel necessary, not dropped in.
Understanding
Rule: A sentence belongs beside the idea it develops. The best placement makes references clear and lets the new sentence feel necessary, not dropped in.
- The sentence may introduce a problem before a solution, add context before a result, or give an example after a general statement.
- Read the sentence before and after each possible location.
- One spot will make the new sentence connect naturally to both sides.
Step by Step
- Decide whether the sentence adds context, evidence, explanation, or result.
- Check which nearby sentence it should connect back to.
- Check which sentence it should set up next.
- Choose the position where both connections are clear.
Misconceptions
- Choosing the earliest spot by default.
- Putting the sentence at the end because it contains new information.
- Ignoring reference words that show what the sentence should be near.
Worked Example
A student is revising a paragraph about after-school tutoring:
[1] Many students wanted to stay for extra math help after classes ended. [2] The district then added a 5:15 late bus on Tuesdays and Thursdays. [3] As a result, attendance at the tutoring sessions rose within a month.
For the sake of logic and coherence, where should the sentence "Before the late bus was added, students who relied on the regular 3:00 bus often had to leave tutoring early" be placed?
Select an answer to see the explanation