US Citizenship Writing Test — Holidays and Months Sentences

Correct: 'Adams was the second President.' This sentence uses key vocabulary that may appear on the writing test. KEY SPELLING POINTS: (1) ADAMS — last name capitalized: 'A-d-a-m-s' (note 's' at the end; this is JOHN ADAMS, the second President's last name, spelled with the plural-style 's'); (2) SECOND — the number adjective spelled 'S-E-C-O-N-D' (not 'secund' or 'sekond'); (3) PRESIDENT — capitalized when used as a title: 'P-r-e-s-i-d-e-n-t.' Numbers and ordinals are useful vocabulary: 1 (one, first), 2 (two, second), 3 (three, third), 4 (four, fourth), 50 (fifty), 100 (one hundred). On the writing test, you may need to write number words OR numerals depending on the sentence. Common ordinal numbers: FIRST (1st), SECOND (2nd), THIRD (3rd), FOURTH (4th), FIFTH (5th), SIXTH (6th), SEVENTH (7th), EIGHTH (8th), NINTH (9th), TENTH (10th). Be careful with 'fourth' vs 'forth' — they're different words: FOURTH = 4th; FORTH = forward. PRESIDENTS in early U.S. history (for context): WASHINGTON (1st, 1789-1797); JOHN ADAMS (2nd, 1797-1801); JEFFERSON (3rd, 1801-1809); MADISON (4th, 1809-1817); MONROE (5th, 1817-1825). Lincoln was the 16th. Names of recent presidents change with elections — current is updated by USCIS regularly.

CALIFORNIA is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under PLACES. Correct spelling: 'C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A.' This is one of the more difficult place names to spell. Note: (1) starts with CALI- (not CALE- or CALID-); (2) F-O-R-N-I-A in the middle; (3) ends with -IA. Common dictation sentences using state names: 'Alaska is in the United States.' 'California is in the United States.' 'New York City is in New York.' 'Delaware is the first state.' PLACES VOCABULARY on the USCIS writing list: ALASKA (A-L-A-S-K-A); CALIFORNIA (C-A-L-I-F-O-R-N-I-A); CANADA (C-A-N-A-D-A); DELAWARE (D-E-L-A-W-A-R-E); MEXICO (M-E-X-I-C-O); NEW YORK CITY (with capitals on each word); UNITED STATES (U-N-I-T-E-D S-T-A-T-E-S); WASHINGTON (W-A-S-H-I-N-G-T-O-N); WASHINGTON, D.C. (with comma and periods). Tips: (1) Capitalize place names; (2) Watch for tricky letter combinations like 'rni' in California; (3) Practice each name separately; (4) Use 'New York City' as three words; (5) 'United States' is two words, both capitalized. ALASKA and HAWAII (Hawaii isn't on the writing vocabulary but is on the reading list) joined as the 49th and 50th states in 1959. The first 13 colonies/states included DELAWARE (became 1st state, December 7, 1787), PENNSYLVANIA, NEW JERSEY, GEORGIA, CONNECTICUT, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, SOUTH CAROLINA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, VIRGINIA, NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, RHODE ISLAND (became 13th state, May 29, 1790).

CONGRESS is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under CIVICS. Correct spelling: 'C-O-N-G-R-E-S-S' (note TWO 'S's at the end). Common dictation sentences: 'Congress meets in Washington.' 'Congress meets in Washington, D.C.' 'Senators are in Congress.' 'We elect Congress.' Capitalize 'Congress' as a specific reference to the U.S. legislative branch (the Senate and House of Representatives). The word comes from Latin meaning 'a coming together.' The U.S. Congress: meets in the U.S. CAPITOL building (note: CAPITOL = building, CAPITAL = city); consists of the SENATE (100 members) and HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (435 voting members); is the legislative branch that makes federal laws. Vocabulary connections: CONGRESS and SENATORS often appear in the same sentence; SENATE (where Senators meet); WASHINGTON, D.C. (where Congress meets). Spelling tip: think of 'progress' or 'success' — both end with double 'ss.' CONGRESS, PROGRESS, SUCCESS all share this pattern. RELATED LEGAL VOCABULARY (for context, not necessarily on writing list): Bill (a proposed law), law (the final legislation), vote (process of deciding). Congress votes on bills; the President signs them into law.

WHITE HOUSE is correctly written as TWO SEPARATE WORDS, BOTH CAPITALIZED: 'White House.' This is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under CIVICS. Correct: 'White House' (with space, capital W, capital H). INCORRECT versions: 'Whitehouse' (no, should be two words); 'White house' (no, both words should be capitalized as it's a proper name); 'white house' (no, must be capitalized). Common dictation sentences using 'White House': 'The President lives in the White House.' 'The White House is in Washington.' 'The White House is in Washington, D.C.' The White House is: located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.; the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States; a 132-room building; built starting in 1792 and first occupied in 1800 by President John Adams; rebuilt after British forces burned it in 1814 during the War of 1812; the symbol of the executive branch. Other CIVICS VOCABULARY similar to White House (two-word proper names that should be capitalized): WHITE HOUSE; FATHER OF OUR COUNTRY (a title for George Washington); CIVIL WAR; FLAG DAY; INDEPENDENCE DAY; etc. SPELLING TIP: 'White' is W-H-I-T-E (5 letters, color word); 'House' is H-O-U-S-E (5 letters). Together: 'White House.' Practice writing this as two words multiple times.

Correct: 'Memorial Day is in May.' Capitalization rules: (1) CAPITALIZE the first letter of the sentence: 'M' in Memorial; (2) CAPITALIZE proper nouns and proper adjectives — 'Memorial Day' (a holiday name, both words capitalized) and 'May' (a month, capitalized); (3) DO NOT capitalize: common words like 'is,' 'in,' 'the,' 'a,' etc. (in the middle of a sentence — they would only be capitalized at the start of a sentence). HOLIDAYS on the writing vocabulary list (all should be capitalized when written): COLUMBUS DAY; FATHERS DAY (or Father's Day with apostrophe); FLAG DAY; INDEPENDENCE DAY; LABOR DAY; MEMORIAL DAY; MOTHERS DAY (or Mother's Day with apostrophe); PRESIDENTS DAY (or President's Day); THANKSGIVING. MONTHS on the writing list (all capitalized): JANUARY through DECEMBER. SAMPLE SENTENCES — when you encounter these on the writing test, capitalize properly: 'Memorial Day is in May.' 'Labor Day is in September.' 'Columbus Day is in October.' 'Flag Day is in June.' 'Independence Day is in July.' 'Thanksgiving is in November.' 'Presidents Day is in February.' PERIOD AT END: every dictated sentence should end with a period (.) — or a question mark (?) if it's a question, though most USCIS writing sentences are statements. EXCLAMATION POINTS are not used on USCIS sentences.

INDEPENDENCE is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list. Correct spelling: 'I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E.' This is a commonly misspelled word. Pay attention: ends in '-ENCE' (not '-ANCE'). Pattern: in-de-pen-DENCE. Many English words end in -ence vs -ance — there's no perfect rule, but INDEPENDENCE is -ence. Other -ence words: difference, experience, presence, reference, conscience, evidence, intelligence, sentence. -ance words: assistance, importance, distance, balance. Common dictation sentence: 'Independence Day is in July.' Other forms of 'independent/independence': INDEPENDENT (the adjective form, also -ent); INDEPENDENCE (the noun form, -ence). Both have the 'e' pattern in the middle and at the end. Capitalize INDEPENDENCE DAY (both words) as a holiday name. The U.S. Independence Day is celebrated on JULY 4 each year, commemorating the adoption of the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE on July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence formally declared the thirteen American colonies' separation from Great Britain. Note: 'Independence' is part of multiple key phrases: INDEPENDENCE DAY (the holiday); DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (the founding document). The writing vocabulary includes both these phrases.

Correct: 'The flag is red, white, and blue.' Key spelling and grammar points: (1) FLAG — F-L-A-G (no 'e' at end); (2) RED — R-E-D (the color; not 'read' which is pronounced the same but means a different thing; READ is the past tense of the verb 'to read'); (3) WHITE — W-H-I-T-E; (4) BLUE — B-L-U-E; (5) COMMAS used to separate items in a series: 'red, white, and blue' (the comma before 'and' is called the OXFORD COMMA — typically used in formal American English but optional in some styles; USCIS likely accepts either with or without it). The AMERICAN FLAG's colors: RED stripes represent valor and bravery; WHITE represents purity and innocence; BLUE represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. The flag has: 13 STRIPES (7 red, 6 white) representing the original 13 colonies; 50 WHITE STARS on a BLUE background representing the 50 states. Sample dictation sentences using flag vocabulary: 'The flag is red, white, and blue.' 'The American flag has 50 stars.' 'The flag has 13 stripes.' 'We have a flag.' 'Flag Day is in June.' COLORS-VOCABULARY (basic English colors that might appear): RED, WHITE, BLUE, BLACK, BROWN, GREEN, YELLOW, ORANGE, PURPLE, GRAY/GREY, PINK. The USCIS writing list specifically includes red, white, and blue as they appear in flag-related sentences. The OXFORD COMMA before 'and' in 'red, white, and blue' is widely used; some style guides omit it (writing 'red, white and blue') — USCIS accepts both.

Correct: 'Lincoln was the President during the Civil War.' Spelling: PRESIDENT = P-R-E-S-I-D-E-N-T (9 letters). Common mistake: writing 'Presidant' with 'a' instead of 'e' at the end. The correct spelling ends in '-IDENT' (i-d-e-n-t), not '-IDANT.' Memory aid: think of 'resident' which has the same '-ident' ending. CIVIL WAR is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under CIVICS. Correct spelling: 'C-I-V-I-L W-A-R' (two words, both capitalized as a specific historical event). The Civil War (1861-1865) was a war fought between the NORTHERN STATES (the Union) and SOUTHERN STATES (the Confederacy). The war began over the issue of SLAVERY and the seceding of Southern states. The UNION (North) won. Key outcomes: ABOLITION OF SLAVERY (13th Amendment, 1865); preservation of the Union; over 600,000 American deaths; massive economic and social changes. Sample dictation sentences: 'Lincoln was the President during the Civil War.' 'The Civil War was in the 1800s.' 'Lincoln was the President in the Civil War.' OTHER PEOPLE-RELATED VOCABULARY: George Washington (1st President); Abraham Lincoln (16th President, led during Civil War); Adams (refers to John Adams, 2nd President, sometimes appears as just 'Adams'). Capitalize PRESIDENT when it's used as a title attached to a specific person, or when referring to THE President of the United States. Use lowercase 'president' when referring to presidents in general or non-specific roles.

Correct: 'People in America have the right to vote.' Key elements: (1) FIRST WORD CAPITALIZED: 'People' starts with capital P; (2) AMERICA capitalized (proper noun, name of country); (3) Lowercase common words ('in,' 'have,' 'the,' 'to'); (4) RIGHT spelled 'r-i-g-h-t' (not 'rite' which has a different meaning, like a ceremony); (5) Period at the end. WORDS THAT SOUND ALIKE (homophones) but are SPELLED DIFFERENTLY: RIGHT (correct, or a freedom/privilege) vs WRITE (to put words on paper) vs RITE (a ceremony, like a religious rite); TO (preposition: to vote) vs TOO (also, very) vs TWO (the number 2); THERE (location) vs THEIR (possessive, belonging to them) vs THEY'RE (they are); YOUR vs YOU'RE; ITS vs IT'S. Pay attention to context — the sentence dictation will give you context to choose the correct word. RIGHT is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list — it refers to the political/civic concept of rights (freedom of speech, right to vote, etc.). Common dictation sentences using 'right': 'People have the right to vote.' 'The right to vote is important.' VOTE is on the USCIS WRITING VOCABULARY list under VERBS. Correct spelling: 'V-O-T-E.' Voting is both a RIGHT and a RESPONSIBILITY of citizens. Only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections; the voting age is 18 (26th Amendment, 1971).

Correct: 'The White House is in Washington, D.C.' This combines several writing rules and vocabulary items: (1) FIRST WORD CAPITALIZED: 'The' starts with capital T; (2) WHITE HOUSE — two words, both capitalized (proper name of the building); (3) IS — lowercase common verb; (4) IN — lowercase preposition; (5) WASHINGTON — capitalized place name; (6) D.C. — capital letters with periods: D-period-C-period (some accept DC without periods, but the standard is D.C.); (7) COMMA between 'Washington' and 'D.C.' (a comma typically separates a city from its state/district designation in American English); (8) PERIOD at the end of the sentence. USCIS WRITING TIPS — Final review: (1) Listen carefully to the dictated sentence; (2) If unsure, you may ask the officer to repeat the sentence; (3) Write neatly — print is generally easiest to read; (4) Capitalize: first word of sentence, proper nouns (names of people, places, holidays, months); (5) Lowercase: common nouns and most other words; (6) Punctuate: period at the end of a statement; question mark for questions; commas as appropriate within the sentence; (7) Don't rush — take your time to write clearly; (8) You'll write 3 sentences total; get 1 of 3 correct to pass the writing test. PRACTICE OFTEN: have a friend or family member dictate USCIS practice sentences (available on the USCIS website) and check your spelling and writing. The complete vocabulary list (about 70 words for writing, similar list for reading) is published by USCIS — review and practice regularly. Most applicants who study can pass.