How can you make a test of written English?

Answer 1

First, decide what exactly you want to test. Some example areas could be:

• identification of Proper Nouns
• identification of common nouns
• identification of active verbs
• identification of helping verbs
• identification of adverbs
• identification of clauses
• sentence fragments
• paraphrasing
• etc.

You can use tests such as having students:

• Underline specific parts of speech
• change passive verbs in sentences to active -- requires rewriting
• misuse of clauses - rewrite sentences
• read a short passage and paraphrase

You could also ask students to write:

1. 5 unrelated sentences with students using their favorite words
2. a 5 sentence paragraph about a person, place, or thing
3. a 5 paragraph essay on one topic
4. a short story, like "Who I Admire the Most"; "This Artist's Music Is The Best"; "My Class Without Cellphones"

You could use reading materials in your test, such as:

1. paragraph from a newspaper
2. passage from a book
3. students pick text from any Social Media Site and then, have them pick out errors they find in punctuation, spelling, grammar
4. a short piece of script from a popular TV show or movie

Again, it really depends on what aspects you want to test.

Note: Many websites offer free test materials. Check under Homeschooling for the age and grade level you want.