SHSAT · ELA practice

SHSAT ELA practice test: 10 grammar questions with explanations

By Trieu Ly · Updated

Try 10 SHSAT-style ELA questions on grammar, punctuation and usage. We wrote them for this site and reviewed each one before publishing, so they are not NYC’s questions. Each question shows a sentence in a box. When you check, you get the right answer and an explanation, plus why your choice was wrong if you missed it. This set has no reading passages.

SHSAT Practice Test is independent and not affiliated with NYC (where our facts come from).

SHSAT ELA practice questions

  1. Question 1 of 10 The bus was late so we waited under the awning.Where should a comma be added to correct this sentence?

    Explanation

    “The bus was late” and “we waited under the awning” are two complete thoughts joined by “so,” so the comma goes before the joining word. Many students put it after “so,” but the pause comes before the joiner.

  2. Question 2 of 10 Ms. Ortiz asked Dante and I to carry the folding chairs to the gym.Which edit should be made to correct this sentence?

    Explanation

    B is right: "Dante and I" is the object of "asked," so the object pronoun "me" is needed (test it: "asked me"). A and C create other errors or change nothing that is wrong. D uses "myself," which should only refer back to "I" already in the sentence.

  3. Question 3 of 10 The captain of the two relay teams were the first to arrive at the pool.Which edit should be made to correct this sentence?

    Explanation

    B is right: the subject is the singular noun “captain.” The phrase “of the two relay teams” only describes it, so the verb must be “was.” A changes a modifier and leaves the verb wrong. C swaps a correct adjective for an adverb. D makes the infinitive “to arrive” a past form, which creates a new error.

  4. Question 4 of 10 Before the bus left for the tournament, the team had ate lunch in the gym.Which edit should be made to correct this sentence?

    Explanation

    C is right: after the helping verb “had,” the past participle “eaten” is needed. A shifts “left” to the present and breaks the sequence. B leaves “ate” wrong (“have ate”). D changes a correct noun.

  5. Question 5 of 10 Rosa wanted to join the swim team. She practiced her breaststroke every morning.Which choice combines the two sentences into one clear, correct sentence?

    Explanation

    B is right: Rosa’s wish is the reason for her practice, and “Because …,” followed by a comma, joins the ideas correctly. A is a comma splice. C uses “but,” which suggests a contrast that is not there. D reverses cause and effect.

  6. Question 6 of 10 In my opinion, I think that the old oak tree in the park is the oldest tree in the whole entire park.Which version of the sentence is the clearest and least wordy?

    Explanation

    C is right: it keeps the meaning and drops the repeated ideas. A still says “In my opinion, I think,” which says the same thing twice. B adds “there is in the whole park.” D states the opinion twice, with “in my opinion” and “I believe.”

  7. Question 7 of 10 The ferry leaves the dock at noon it takes forty minutes to cross the bay.Which revision corrects the run-on sentence?

    Explanation

    A is right: a semicolon correctly joins two complete thoughts. B joins them with only a comma, which is a comma splice. C drops the subject of the second thought and leaves a missing conjunction. D moves the comma to a place that does not separate the two thoughts.

  8. Question 8 of 10 Wanting to catch the sunrise from the hilltop, the alarm clock was set for 4:30 a.m.Which revision best corrects the error in the sentence?

    Explanation

    Option B makes Lena the subject, so the phrase “Wanting to catch the sunrise” describes her, as intended. In the original sentence the phrase describes the alarm clock. A keeps the clock as the one who wants the sunrise; C makes Lena's alarm clock the one wanting it; D puts the phrase at the end, where it still attaches to the clock.

  9. Question 9 of 10 The blue backpack on the bench is her’s, not mine.Which edit should be made to correct the error in the sentence?

    Explanation

    Possessive pronouns such as hers, yours, and ours never take an apostrophe. The apostrophe in hers' is still wrong, and the other edits change the meaning or add an error.

  10. Question 10 of 10 My family drives to lake Placid every August to visit my aunt.Which edit should be made to correct the error in the sentence?

    Explanation

    Lake Placid is the name of a place, so both words are capitalized. August is a month and is already correct. Aunt is capitalized only inside a name (Aunt Rosa), and family is a common noun.

Take a full SHSAT ELA practice test

For a full SHSAT ELA practice test with reading passages, take Practice Test 1. It is a full-length test we wrote, and this button opens it on the 50-question ELA section. The whole test has 50 ELA and 50 math questions in 3 hours. It ends with an estimated score range and an explanation for every question, and you do not need to sign up.

Ready for all 50 ELA questions, reading passages included?

Start the SHSAT ELA practice test

How to use this set

The three parts of SHSAT ELA

The ELA section has 50 questions, and NYC splits them into three parts:

The three parts of SHSAT ELA and which one this set practices
PartWhat it asksIn this set?
Reading ComprehensionRead literary and informational texts, such as stories, poems and articles, and answer questions in sets. Answers come from the text only, not from what you already know.No. Use Practice Test 1.
Revising/Editing Part ARead a passage with numbered sentences and choose revisions that improve its development and organization.No.
Revising/Editing Part BRead a sentence, a list of sentences or a paragraph and fix errors in language conventions or punctuation.Yes, standalone questions.

NYC bases Part B on the grade 7 Language standards plus skills from earlier grades. For every question format, see the 2026 SHSAT on screen.

Sources: NYC’s SHSAT page and the NYC Guide to the SHSAT for 2027 Admissions (PDF, pages 7 and 8), checked November 2, 2026.

Grammar rules worth reviewing (our list)

This is our own list of common grade 7 Language skills that our questions practice. NYC does not name specific rules.

How to do well on SHSAT ELA reading

Read the whole passage before the first question, prove each answer with a line from the text, and check the whole set before you leave it. The 2026 test is computer adaptive, and you must answer every question to move on. Inside a passage set you can go back and change answers until you leave its last question. After that, you cannot return. That means the old tip to mark a hard question, guess and come back later no longer works.

Pacing ELA and math

The standard time is 180 minutes for both subjects together. You choose which subject comes first and how to split the time. You must finish your first subject before you start the second, and you cannot go back to it. NYC’s advice is to spend no more than a couple of minutes on any one question. A reading set has several questions on one passage, so check the clock after each set.

Next steps

Common questions

Are these NYC’s questions?

No. Our team wrote them for practice. They are not NYC test items.

Does this practice adapt like the real test?

No. Our sets do not change based on your answers. NYC’s practice tests do not adapt either: we opened all four on October 14, 2026, and each was a fixed list of 100 items. The real SHSAT does adapt, so the next question can get harder or easier.

Are SHSAT questions translated?

For English language learners, the directions and the ELA passage glosses are translated into 12 languages. The questions themselves are in English only.