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author: todd shively

todd shively
todd shively is an ancient graduate of purdue university, where he changed his mind so many times that he finished with a major in english and a minor in math. he has taught high school in three different states and currently teaches in scotland, where he lives with his family. in his spare time he bakes his own sourdough bread and tries to work those carbs off doing crossfit.

  • sat critical reading – vocabulary in context

    a very common question on the reading passages is the vocabulary-in-context question. students also tend to make a very common error on these question types: matching up the answer choice with the words in quotation marks. let me show you how this works. as it appears in the passage, the word “heralded” most nearly means…

  • sat essay – common questions

    can i “lie” on the sat essay? this is pretty controversial question. after all, how could a test—let alone one of the most well-known tests in the world—possibly advocate such a practice? so let’s back up a second and talk about what i mean by “lie”. a lie can be as small as a slight…

  • resourceful essay recycling

    tired from writing endless personal statements? check out accepted’s top tips for thoughtfully recycling and adapting your admissions essays. you’re applying to six different schools and each one requires 2-7 essays/personal statements which equals…a whole lot of writing. how can you draft so many essays and still maintain a fresh and original voice in each?…