TACHS: Sentence insertion: find the gap where every clue fits
Place a new sentence by matching its clue words to the sentences around it, so it comes after what it refers to and before what it must precede.
How do I decide where a new sentence belongs in a paragraph?
Short answer
Circle the clues in the new sentence: words that point back, time words, and anything that must already be introduced. The right gap comes after everything it refers to and before any action it must come first.
Know first: Pronouns such as *it, they* and *this*, Time words such as *before* and *then*
Step 1 of 5
Clue words set the limits
A new sentence has to connect to the sentence before it and the sentence after it. Most added sentences carry clues that tell you where they fit.
These questions show a short numbered paragraph and a new sentence. The choices are positions, such as Between sentences 2 and 3. Only one position makes every clue work.
| Clue | What it tells you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Pointing word: he, it, they, this, the | Comes after the thing it refers to | The jar needs a jar already mentioned. |
| Before an action | Comes ahead of the sentence with that action | Before baking goes ahead of the baking. |
| Then, after, finally | Comes after an earlier step | Then she rinsed it follows the first step. |
| An explanation | Comes right after what it explains | That trick saved an hour follows the trick. |
Step 2 of 5
Find the earliest and latest spot
Worked example: A cedar birdhouse
Where should the writer insert this sentence? Before cutting, he measured each piece twice and marked it with a pencil.
(1) Owen decided to build a birdhouse for his backyard.
(2) He cut six pieces of cedar from a long board.
(3) He nailed the pieces together to form the walls, floor and roof.
(4) Finally, he hung the birdhouse from a low branch of the maple tree.
- ABefore sentence 1
- BBetween sentences 1 and 2
- CBetween sentences 2 and 3
- DAfter sentence 4
- 1
Circle the clues
He needs Owen, and before cutting must come ahead of the cutting.
- 2
Find the walls
Owen appears in sentence 1, so the earliest spot is after sentence 1. The cutting is sentence 2, so the latest spot is before sentence 2.
- 3
Pick the gap
Only Between sentences 1 and 2 fits both walls. That is B.
- 4
See why the other choices are there
A puts he before anyone is named. C and D put the measuring after the wood was already cut.
Answer
B. Between sentences 1 and 2
Find the wrong step
A student places She then poured the batter into two round pans. in this paragraph:
(1) Ava wanted to bake a cake for her brother's birthday.
(2) She mixed flour, sugar, eggs and butter into a smooth batter.
(3) The pans baked for thirty minutes.
(4) When the cakes had cooled, she stacked them with frosting between the layers.
- 1
Circles then and the batter.
- 2
Notes that the batter first appears in sentence 2, so the new sentence goes after sentence 2.
- 3
Places it after sentence 3, because sentence 3 is where the pans appear.
What went wrong
The pans bake in sentence 3, and the batter must be in them before that. Sentence 3 also says the pans, which needs the pans introduced first.
The fix
Put it between sentences 2 and 3: the batter is mixed, poured into the pans, and then the pans bake.
Step 3 of 5
Check both walls before choosing
Check yourself · Question 1
Where should the writer insert this sentence? Before the sale day, they sorted the books by subject and wrote a price on each cover.
(1) The seventh graders planned a used-book sale to raise money for their class trip.
(2) They collected donated books from families for two weeks.
(3) Volunteers set up tables in the front hall on Saturday morning.
(4) By noon, they had sold nearly every book.
Answer: B
The books must be collected (sentence 2) before they can be sorted, and before the sale day puts the sorting ahead of Saturday's setup (sentence 3).
Trap answer: Between sentences 3 and 4
Right topic, wrong time
- Why it looks right
- Sorting and pricing books sounds like part of setting up tables.
- Why it's wrong
- Before the sale day means the sorting happened before Saturday morning, and sentence 3 is Saturday morning.
- The right answer
- Between sentences 2 and 3, after the books arrive and before the sale day.
Check yourself · Question 2
Where should the writer insert this sentence? Its tall red letters had been dark for almost ten years.
(1) Our town's old movie theater closed for repairs last year.
(2) Workers replaced the torn seats and repainted the ceiling.
(3) They also restored the sign above the entrance.
(4) The theater reopened in May with a free showing for the neighborhood.
Answer: C
The tall red letters belong to the sign, which first appears in sentence 3. The explanation goes right after it.
Common mistake
Choosing Before sentence 1 for any new sentence that starts with Before.
- Why it's tempting
- Before sounds like it belongs at the very beginning.
- Do this instead
- Before points to a specific action. Find that action's sentence and place the new one just ahead of it.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Circle pointing words, time words and anything that must already be introduced.
- The earliest spot is after what the sentence refers to. The latest is before the action it must precede.
- Read the sentence before, the new sentence and the sentence after together.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
Try another one
In your own words
In the practice question, which sentence first introduced the tool in the new sentence, and which action did the new sentence have to come before?