by Erica L. Meltzer | Apr 26, 2026 | ACT English/SAT Writing, Blog, Grammar (SAT & ACT)
One of the most important principles of effective teaching is to keep students focused on whatever it is you want them to learn. When you see that statement written out so directly, it seems so intuitive and obvious that it hardly bears consideration; however, it can be surprisingly challenging to put into practice, particularly when it comes to standardized tests, whose passages and questions contain both relevant and irrelevant information—and sometimes a good deal more of the latter than the former. As a test-prep tutor, you are responsible for helping students learn to identify what is relevant information and, just as importantly, ignore what it is not.
Both SAT and ACT questions may appear to be testing one thing when in fact they are testing something else; alternatively, they may appear to test multiple concepts when in fact they are really focused on only one. Students are, of course, routinely coached on how to spot “distractor” answers, but from a teaching perspective, it is just as crucial not to bog students down with explanations and concepts that are only tangential to what’s being tested. (more…)
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 21, 2026 | Blog
Accepted for immigration by both the Canadian and Australian governments, the CELPIP (Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program) focuses on practical language used in everyday situations and offers an alternative to the more academically oriented IELTS. The forthcoming guide covers key grammar and vocabulary concepts in the context of specific IELTS Writing and Speaking tasks, with an emphasis on moving beyond “textbook” English to a more natural and idiomatic communication style.
Includes sections on:
- Formal vs. informal language
- Transitional words and phrases
- Commonly misused and confused words
- Key letter (email)-writing vocabulary
Throughout the book, dozens of exercises provide extensive opportunity to practice applying skills.
This book is intended for CELPIP candidates who already possess a high-intermediate to advanced level of English (B2 or higher) and who are aiming for scores of Band 9 and above.
The book (print version only) is projected to be available on Amazon and The Critical Reader website during the first week of April.
by Erica L. Meltzer | May 16, 2025 | Blog, CELPIP, ESL, IELTS
Of all the many tenses in English, the future is perhaps the most poorly taught (although the present perfect is a strong contender for that non-honor as well). In fact, the way it is generally presented is not just overly confusing but also has very little relationship to how people actually speak. I’ve been looking around the web, and I really haven’t found a single solid explanation. So if you’ve been experiencing some confusion about how native English speakers refer to future events in everyday, informal speech, this guide is for you.
To be clear, I do not cover every possible usage here; rather, the goal is for you to understand the most common, real-life uses of these constructions, as opposed to what the average textbook says. (more…)
by Erica L. Meltzer | Jan 11, 2025 | Blog, Books
Update, 2/28/25: In order to account for material in the four College Board practice exams released at the beginning of February, release of the books has unfortunately been delayed further. The grammar and reading books are currently being checked and should be available in the next week or two; the vocabulary book requires more extensive proofing and may not be available until mid-late month. My apologies for the delays.
As a result of the holiday season, the release of the updated SAT grammar, reading, and vocabulary books has unfortunately been delayed by several weeks. While the release date has not yet been finalized, it is likely to be around February 15th.
If you are planning to take the March SAT, then you should plan to use the current set of books; however, if you intend to sign up for the exam later in the spring of 2025 or after, and do not need to begin studying urgently, you may want to wait.
The alterations to the grammar book are very minor and involve only a section of a single chapter; the updated reading book includes about a dozen new pages involving material that was not included on the first four official digital practice tests, on which the fifth edition was based.
Please note that the reading book will be released as a new, sixth edition, whereas the grammar books will retain its current edition number (six). I am aware that the mismatch in edition numbers has led to some confusion over the years, but going forward, the edition numbers of the most up-to-date grammar and reading books will finally be the same!
The changes to new (third) edition of the vocabulary book are significantly more substantial than those to the grammar and reading books. It has been completely reorganized, and includes more than five new chapters, with detailed definitions of more than 250 College Board favorite words, plus many new exercises to practice applying vocabulary to test-style contexts. Reworking this book has been a massive project, and I hope you’ll think it’s worth the wait!
by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 19, 2024 | Blog, Books
Over the next few months, updated versions of several Critical Reader guides are projected to be released.
Late October 2024:
- The Complete Guide to ACT® Reading, 2nd Edition
The book will be aligned with the 2024-25 Official Guide and will also include, for the first time, an index of Official Guide Reading questions, grouped by category.
Early January 2025 (exact date TBD):
- SAT® Vocabulary: A New Approach
This will be the 3rd edition and will include detailed definitions/discussions of all 250+ words as well as additional exercises. It will also place a stronger emphasis on learning high-frequency words in terms of categories/topics and in relation to one another, as opposed to memorizing straight-up definitions.
- The Ultimate Guide to SAT® Grammar & The Critical Reader: The Complete Guide to SAT® Reading
Indexes of Official College Board Reading and Writing questions will be added to the respective guides (currently available for download via the Books page).
The reading book will feature about a dozen pages of new material; in the grammar book, some material will be reworked slightly in order to be more precisely aligned with dSAT.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Aug 4, 2024 | Blog
For a while, the notion of “grit” was all the rage in edu-land, but recently it seems to have taken a backseat in the collective consciousness.
Nevertheless, it’s been in mind recently for a couple of reasons: first, because I happened to pick up UPenn psychology professor Angela Duckworth’s eponymous 2016 best-seller while browsing in a bookstore not too long ago, but also because I’ve been thinking about the idea of fixed vs. malleable (alterable) traits.
In the book, Duckworth distinguishes between “fixed” mindset, in which talents and other abilities are held to be innate and unchangeable; and “growth” mindset, in which those capabilities can be learned and developed through practice. The author identifies grit, or a combination of persistence, as the key factor that distinguishes the performance of the highest achievers in a variety of fields (sports, music, etc.) from those at a lower level. (more…)
