Diagnostic Test for Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage
by Anne Enquist , Laurel Currie OatesDescription
This one-of-a kind online legal writing diagnostic test by Anne Enquist and Laurel Currie Oates assesses grammar and punctuation skills, identifying gaps in a student's background. A series of 88 grammar and punctuation questions are introduced in the context of a legal memorandum. The questions are representative of the kinds of grammar, punctuation, and usage problems that law students (and lawyers) typically face. Test takers do not have to be able to label the kinds of errors they spot; they simply choose between a correct and an incorrect answer.
The self-grading diagnostic test features a pattern of errors report that allows the professor and student alike to assess areas of weakness. Results of the test, often administered in the first weeks of the semester, can help guide the course planning and each student's individual learning. In addition, the test is keyed to Oates and Enquist's The Legal Writing Handbook and Just Writing, so if a student misses a question, he/she is referred to the appropriate section of the book.
