TACHS: Sentence deletion: cut the sentence with no job
Spot the one sentence that does not help a paragraph do its job, even when it mentions the same place, people or object.
How do I find the sentence that should be deleted from a paragraph?
Short answer
State the paragraph's purpose, give each sentence a job, and look for the one with no job tied to that purpose. Read the paragraph without it to confirm nothing is missing.
Know first: Finding the main idea of a paragraph
Step 1 of 5
Every sentence needs a job
A focused paragraph has one purpose, and every sentence helps with it. A sentence that drifts may still mention the same people, place or object, but it does not move the paragraph forward.
The sentence to cut is rarely silly. It usually sounds reasonable and shares a topic word, which is what makes it tricky.
| Job | Example in a paragraph about a science test |
|---|---|
| States the goal | Diego wanted to find out which design flew farthest. |
| Sets up a fair test | He used the same kind of paper for each one. |
| Gives a step | He threw each plane five times. |
| Reports a result | The narrow design flew the farthest. |
| No job | A fact or opinion that is nearby in topic but explains nothing. |
Step 2 of 5
Give every sentence a job
Worked example: Paper airplanes
Which sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the paragraph's focus?
(1) Diego wanted to find out which paper airplane design flew the farthest.
(2) He folded three designs from the same kind of paper.
(3) Paper was first made in China about two thousand years ago.
(4) He threw each plane five times from the same spot in the gym.
(5) He measured every flight with a tape measure and averaged the results.
- ASentence 1
- BSentence 2
- CSentence 3
- DSentence 5
- 1
State the purpose
How Diego tested which design flew farthest.
- 2
Give each sentence a job
1 states the goal, 2 sets up a fair test, 4 is the test, and 5 measures the result. Sentence 3 is a history fact about paper.
- 3
Test it
Without sentence 3, the steps run smoothly from 2 to 4. Nothing is lost.
- 4
See why the other choices are there
Sentence 1 has no action, but it states the goal. Sentence 2 can look like a minor detail, but using the same paper keeps the test fair.
Answer
Sentence 3
Find the wrong step
A student looks for the sentence to cut:
(1) Lily started a dog-walking service to save money for a bike.
(2) She made flyers and posted them at the community center.
(3) Three neighbors hired her to walk their dogs after school.
(4) Her favorite breed is the golden retriever.
(5) After two months, she had saved enough for the bike.
- 1
States the purpose: how Lily earned money for a bike.
- 2
Gives jobs to sentences 2, 3 and 5: advertising, getting customers, and the result.
- 3
Marks sentence 1 to cut, because no action happens in it.
What went wrong
Sentence 1 states the goal. Without it, the paragraph never says why Lily was walking dogs.
The fix
Cut sentence 4. Her favorite breed is about dogs, but it does nothing to explain how she earned the money.
Step 3 of 5
Find the sentence with no job
Check yourself · Question 1
Which sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the paragraph's focus?
(1) The school band held a car wash to pay for new music stands.
(2) Members made signs and waved them at the corner near the school.
(3) Parents brought buckets, sponges and hoses.
(4) By the end of the day, the band had raised enough for twelve stands.
(5) Some band members also play in the town orchestra.
Answer: D
The purpose is how the band raised money for stands. Sentence 5 is about the town orchestra and has no job in that story.
Check yourself · Question 2
Which sentence should be deleted because it interrupts the paragraph's focus?
(1) To make the hallway safer on rainy days, the custodian tried a new kind of floor mat.
(2) He placed rubber-backed mats inside each entrance.
(3) The tile floors in the hallway were installed when the school opened.
(4) The mats soaked up water from students' shoes before they reached the tile.
(5) That month, the nurse treated no one for a slip in the hallway.
Answer: C
The purpose is how the mats made the hallway safer. When the tile was installed has no job in that story.
Trap answer: Sentence 5
A result that looks off topic
- Why it looks right
- The nurse has not been mentioned before, so the sentence seems to wander away from mats and floors.
- Why it's wrong
- No slips that month is the payoff. It shows the mats worked, which is the point of the paragraph.
- The right answer
- Sentence 3. It mentions the tile but explains nothing about making the hallway safer.
Common mistake
Keeping a sentence because it mentions the same place or object as the rest of the paragraph.
- Why it's tempting
- Shared words, like tile or band, make a sentence look like it belongs.
- Do this instead
- Ask what job the sentence does for the purpose. A shared word is not a job.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- State the purpose of the paragraph in a few words.
- Give each sentence a job: goal, setup, step or result. The one with no job goes.
- Read the paragraph without your choice to confirm nothing is missing.
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, what was the paragraph's purpose, and what topic word made the sentence to delete look like it belonged?