Here is a checklist of things students should know in order to do well on this college placement test.

• Function of nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs.
• Subject-Verb agreement.

Ex.

I have time.

He has time.

• Question Formation and use of auxiliary verbs.

Ex.	Do you have time?	Does he have time?
	Are you from Mexico?	Is he from Mexico?
	Have you eaten?	Has she eaten?

• All the tenses including present, past, future, perfects, continuous, passive voice, conditionals, and subjective.

Ex.	In December I will have been here five years.
	It’s important that students always be on time for class.

• Negatives in all the tenses and knowing the difference between aren’t, isn’t, don’t, doesn’t, haven’t, hadn’t, won’t, wouldn’t, etc.
• Prepositions especially with the use of “on, in, to, at, of, and for”.
  Prepositions of time – “in, at, on”
  Ex.  In September…..On September 25th.
• Sentence Combining Techniques.

Ex.  Compound sentences – My name is Olga, and I’m from Russia. Use of coordinating conjunctions – “after, before, since, although, so that, because, until, if, while, and unless” Compound complex sentences – Although I don’t have much money, I am a happy person, and I enjoy my life very much.

• Know the difference in meaning between words like “interesting and interested, boring and bored, confusing and confused, exciting and excited”.
• Verbs + infinitives (require “to”), Verbs + gerunds, Verbs that take both

Ex.	I have to go	I enjoy hiking.	She likes traveling.
	I hope to leave soon.	I quit smoking.	He likes to travel.

• Modals in sentences and in forming questions in present and past tenses.

  Ex. 
I can find a job…..NOT…..I can to find a job.
I could a job…..NOT….I could to find a job.
Can you find a job?    Could you find a job?

• Difference between “to tell” and “to say”.

Verb + Person + Infinitive
I told him to do it…..NOT….I told him that he did it.
I asked her to give me a ride….NOT…..I asked her that she gave me a ride.

• Adjective + Preposition + Gerund



Ex.	We are interested in taking a class.
	He’s good at speaking English.
	They are responsible for taking care of the children.

• Passives with Get.
  Ex. I get tired. He is getting old. It got cold.
• Adverbs of Frequency including “always, usually, generally, sometimes, seldom, rarely, never”.
• Difference between some and any in questions and answers.

	Ex.	Do you have any paper?    Yes, I have some paper
		No, I don’t have any paper
		Do you know anyone who is bilingual?  Yes, I know someone
		No, I don’t know anyone

• Noun / Pronoun agreement

Ex.	The pens are on the table. They are blue….NOT….It is blue.
	I have a book and a pencil. They are in the office...NOT...It is in the office.



• Possessive Pronouns – Knowing the difference between “my, your, his, her, our, their” and “mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs”.

• All pronouns including subject, direct object, relative, demonstrative, singular and plural forms.

• Two Word Verbs – Verbs with a Preposition
  Ex. Take off, take up, take down, take after / Get off, get on, get in, get along, etc.

Note: Although the Intensive English Programs at the community colleges require the CELSA at even the beginning levels, the Transition Program prefers to use the test at the intermediate and advanced levels. There is a limit to the number of times a student may take the CELSA—twice in a year, and once in the following year. Teachers should understand that the test can be administered to their students only for purposes of placement in a college ESL class.

Also: Grammar study takes place at home as well as at school. Do you have a copy of Betty Azar’s Understanding and Using English Grammar Third Edition?