SAT Writing and Language
Subject and Verb Agreement #1
1. A verb must always agree with its subject in number. Ex: The books best FEATURE IS its beautiful drawings. (Feature is the subject and singular, and "is" is singular as well. The verb will always follow the subject.)
Pronoun Rules: Rule #45
A pronoun refers to a noun in the sentence.
Punctuation: Rule #31 (Semicolons)
A semicolon is meant to separate two clauses that, by themselves, could function as sentences.
Punctuation: Rule #25 (Commas)
Commas may go between elements in a list. Ex: The child ate cotton candy, fried cookies, and ice cream at the fair.
Punctuation: Rule #22 (Commas)
Commas may go between independent clauses, but ONLY when paired with a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS). Ex: The dog raced after the car, BUT he was left in the dust.
Modifier Placement: Rule #9
Dangling modifiers don't actually modify anything in the sentence. (Hence, it is "dangling," or not attached to anything. Usually, the modified clause is in passive voice.) Examples: ✓ Typing furiously, she finished her essay. ✗ Typing furiously, the essay was finished.
Fragments: Rule 1
Each sentence needs a noun, a verb, and to express a full thought. Ex: He was tired. Because he was tired. 1st one is a sentence. The 2nd is a fragment. A clause is a phrase that contains a subject and a verb. It may or may not be a sentence. So what's the point of a clause? Breaking up long sentences into clauses helps us to better understand what each part of the sentence is doing. This will also help you be able to tell if you are dealing with an actual sentence, or if you are dealing with a fragment or a run-on. (Hint: This is what the SAT is really testing you on when it mentions clauses.)
Punctuation: Rule #21 (Commas)
Every comma should serve a purpose, so never place one without a reason.
Punctuation: Rule #39 (dashes)
Like commas and parentheses, dashes set off non-essential elements in sentences. They can be used in pairs, to set off phrases in the middle of sentences, or alone, to set off phrases at the end of sentences. Dashes provide even more emphasis than parentheses, and they do a great job of catching readers' eyes and drawing attention to certain parts of a sentence. Ex: My friends — Megan, John, and Ricky — offered to help me move. Ex: His face revealed a mix of emotions — confused, yet happy.
Verbs: Rule #14 (Verb tenses)
Make sure the times given in the sentence are consistent and logical. *Any time you see a verb underlined, you should check that the tense given feels natural with the times that the rest of the sentence presents.* Example: - Ernest Hemingway's short stories, including the favorite "Indian Camp," continue to be highly influential pieces of fiction despite the fact that they have been written over fifty years ago. (The time "over fifty years ago" sounds pretty strange when put next to "have been written." You don't need to know why; you just need to know it's wrong). All you have to do on the SAT is make sure the times given in the sentence are consistent and logical.
Logical Comparisons: Rule #51
Note the word "than." It almost always signals that we're making a comparison, so you know to check for a problem there. After noticing the "than," we should look for the adjective or verb that it's being paired with, e.g. "enjoy more than" or "is easier than." In the sentence below, our adjective is tougher. Ex: Oranges' skins are tougher than lemons'.
Rules About Items in a Series: Rule #55 (//ism)
Words in a sentence, or sentences in a paragraph, should ALL BE ALIKE in structure. Parallelism involves making sure words in a sentence, or sentences in a paragraph, are all alike in structure. You'll see this most frequently with a list of verbs.
Parallel Structure: Rule #6 (Creating // structure)
Remember that if you CANNOT physically count a noun, use the words "less," "much," and "amount." I had LESS strength after running the marathon.
Punctuation: Rule #37 (apostrophes)
Be careful! Several contractions are homophones for possessive pronouns, which do NOT use apostrophes. For example, it's means it is, while its is a possessive pronoun.
Run-On Sentences: Rule #3
"And" alone is not enough Although using a comma and "and" together to join sentences is correct, "and" alone doesn't finish the job. Instead, it leaves you with the same problem that using a comma alone created: a run-on sentence. The same is true for "but," "or," and "so"—all of them need commas to combine sentences. ✓ I can't hear you, so can you please use the megaphone? ✗ I can't hear you and can you please use the megaphone? Of course, all of those words also have other jobs. "And," "but," and "or" can just combine lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives, and then they don't need commas. ✓ I bought glow-in-the-dark sunscreen and went to the beach last night. ✗ I bought glow-in-the-dark sunscreen and I went to the beach last night. (Because there's no "I" in the second half of that corrected sentence, the "and" is just combining "bought" and "went" into a short list, and that's okay).
Verbs: Rule #19 (imperative mood)
"Command words," or words such as "request that," "order that," "require that" are followed by "be + verb participle." Examples: 1. The teacher demanded that the hyperactive BE SEATED the entire class. 2. He requested that she BE PRESENT at the meeting.
Possessive Determinant Rules: Rule #49
's = singular possessive. s' - plural possessive. Next, we have agreement in number. By number I mean either singular or plural. For instance, in the previous sentence, the subject is marathon, so the pronoun needs to be singular. We want to use "it's," not "they are" or "they're." Had the subject been marathons, the pronoun would be "they are" or "they're."
Punctuation: Rule #29 (Commas)
Commas are used when addressing a person by name. Ex: Peter, would you pass the pepper?
Punctuation: Rule #28 (Commas)
Commas go before or after quotes. Ex: He asked, "Why?" "Because it just makes sense," she replied.
Subject and Verb Agreement #2
2. Generally ignore prepositional phrases or other words that modify subjects. Ex: The list of books IS on the table. ("Of books" is a prepositional phrase, and is considered a modifier because it is modifying the "the list". Even though it is plural, you have to pretend it is not there. Therefore, you will know that the subject is "list" and the verb will follow "list".)
Subject and Verb Agreement #3
3. Certain pronouns are singular or plural Singular - each, every, everyone, either, neither, someone, no one, anybody, nobody Plural - many, few, several Ex: 1. EVERY student IS at the party. 2. SEVERAL people WERE sleeping.
Subject and Verb Agreement #4
4. Some pronouns depend on the prepositional phrase for agreement Dependent - some, any, all, some, most, remainder, plenty, majority, rest, abundance, fractions (two-thirds, etc.) Ex: 1. _Some_ of the _pie_ IS missing. 2. _Some_ of the _apples_ ARE fresh. *The words will always follow the object of a preposition, so you have be aware of these words beforehand.
Subordinate Clauses
A dependent clause, because it "depends" on another clause. Otherwise, it's just a sentence fragment. Similarly, a clause that is a complete sentence is called an independent clause. It's independent; it doesn't need to rely on any other clauses to be a sentence.
Punctuation: Rule #24 (Commas)
Commas may be surrounding non-essential phrases, such as appositives. Ex: Betsy, a lovely woman, offered to knit us socks.
Punctuation: Rule #23 (Commas)
Commas may go after dependent clauses, prepositional phrases, or other descriptive phrases at the beginning of sentences. Ex: On the other hand, the fortune teller had been correct.
Pronoun Rules: Rule #46
A pronoun can either take the subjective or objective form depending on its role in the sentence. - Singular Subject Pronoun - I (1st), you (2nd), and he/she (3rd) - Singular Object Pronoun - me (1st), you (2nd), him/her (3rd) - Plural Subject Pronoun - we (1st), you (2nd), they (3rd) - Plural Object Pronoun - us (1st), you (2nd), them (3rd) He called me. Subject: he (thing or person committing the action) Object: me Mary lent her book to Tom. She told him to return it to her soon. For Mary, she is the subject pronoun and her is the object pronoun. Notice how in the second sentence, the recipient of the action is Mary, which means the pronoun must be in the object case. So we use her. The second sentence does not use he but rather him. If we are talking about the subject of the sentence and we are referring to Tom, then we want to use he. If Tom is the object of the sentence, then we want to substitute him.
Punctuation: Rule #26 (Commas)
Commas may go between two adjectives that describe the same noun AND are interchangeable. Ex: My nephew made me a funny, cute card.
Punctuation: Rule #27 (Commas)
Commas may separate transitional words/phrases from the rest of the sentence. EX: However, the judge disagreed.
Punctuation: Rule #35 (apostrophes)
Contractions use apostrophes to stand in for letters that have been removed. Ex: You shouldn't poke the cat, so don't do it. Apostrophes are also essential for indicating possession.
Semicolons
Can be an excellent alternative to a period between independent clauses.
Modifier Placement: Rule #12
Change a modifier problem in one of two ways: figure out either where to place the modifier, or how to correct the subject. Example: Sonia was "waiting for her book to come in the mail eagerly." (In the same example sentence above, figure out where to place the modifier "eagerly," or how to correct the subject (if it should go before or after "waiting"). Scan for the answer choice that matches your prediction). A lot of times-not always, but a lot of times-the corrected modifier or subject should be at the BEGINNING of the correct answer! If you find that to be the case and you only see one answer choice that matches, you already know the right answer without reading through the choices. Pick it and move on! (And don't be afraid to pick "NO CHANGE" if you think that's the case!)
Punctuation: Rule #33 (Colons )
Colons can also appear between independent clauses, but should really only be used when the second clause clarifies, or paraphrases the first. Ex: The platypus is a strange animal: it lays eggs and has a bill, but is still considered a mammal. The other way you can use a colon is after an independent clause that is followed by a list. Ex: We will need the following for our camping trip: a tent, sleeping bags, and hiking boots.
Adverb Placement: Rule #13
Determine if there are any words modifying a verb or adverb, and verify that they are also adverbs. *An adverb is a word that modifies a verb or adjective. It usually answers any of the following questions: How much, how often, and where?* Few people use adverbs properly in everyday speech. And when there is a disconnect between the way people speak and the proper way to speak, you can bet the College Board is waiting for a grammar question to snare you. Examples: 1. Mary yelled to Tina, "Drive safe - it's wet out there." The verb is "drive." The word that modifies "drive" is "safe." "Safe" is an adjective, and you cannot modify a verb with an adjective—you need an adverb. To make "safe" an adverb simply add -ly: Drive safely. 2. The new PC was the most clever designed computer the market had seen in years. We need an adverb to describe how a computer is designed. "Clever" is an adjective. So by adding -ly, we now have an adverb: most cleverly designed computer.
Run-On Sentences: Rule #2
Don't combine whole sentences with a comma. Using a comma in place of a period is called a "comma splice," and it's one of the most common writing errors that people make. (So be sure to keep these SAT grammar rules in mind!) ✓ I can't hear you. Can you please use the megaphone? ✗ I can't hear you, can you please use the megaphone? A well-constructed sentence is made of one independent clause and one dependent clause. A run-on sentence is when there are too many independent clauses. There are four main ways to remedy a run-on: 1. Transform one of the excess independent clauses into a dependent one. 2. Split the two independent clauses into two separate sentences. 3. Use a semicolon between the two independent clauses. 4. Use a comma and then a conjunction to make a compound sentence.
Verbs: Rule #17 (Past perfect)
Had + Participle = describes an action/event in the past that happened before another action in the past. Whenever you are dealing with two events in the past, one of which started or happened before the other, you must use the past perfect tense to describe the event that started first. Example: Before I moved to California, I had walked Bucky in the mornings, not at nights.
Effective Language Use: Rule #43 (Style and tone)
Hard to understand = bad! Look out for over-formality, wordiness, and passive voice in SAT writing and essays. If you think a sentence sounds academic (and therefore good) because it's hard to follow, then think twice. Why is it tough? Is it because of the structure or the meaning? Unnecessarily complicated sentence structures are not a good thing. So make it clear. Every sentence in English includes a verb to describe an action. But there are basically two different kinds of verbs: connecting verbs and acting verbs. Connecting verbs don't carry a whole lot of meaning. Instead, they just join the pieces of the sentence. "Be" is by far the most important connecting verb. There's no action, really. It's just a kind of glue. Some examples of sentences with connecting verbs: My hobby is collecting other people's receipts. I have a stash of thousands of them under my bed. Not many people do as much digging through trash as I do. These kinds of verbs are important—we couldn't form sentences without them—but they're inherently weak. They're just not very descriptive. If you use the action for the verb, you'll usually have a stronger sentence. It'll generally be more concise, too. Notice how each of the acting verbs below were already included in the first set of sentences, but in different forms. I collect other people's receipts. I've stashed thousands of them under my bed. Not many people dig through trash as much as I do. Yes, you should write formally for your SAT essay. But you have to be natural. Students often go too far, and while trying to sound more academic, they throw in crazy constructions. And more often than not, those clunky sentences have a connecting verb in the middle and an action verb transformed into some other part of the sentence. Fix them by finding the action and making it the main verb. ✗ The theory has many people who disagree with it. ✓ Many people disagree with the theory. ✗ Students who do a lot of reading tend to have better writing. ✓ Students who read a lot tend to write better. ✗ The crime which he was found guilty of was shaving the school mascot's costume. ✓ He was found guilty of having the school mascot's costume.
Verbs: Rule #16 (Present perfect)
Has/Have + Participle = describes an action/event that happened in the past and continues in the present. 1) Last night, I walked my dog. 2) I have walked Bucky every night for the last two years. In the first sentence, I am doing the action, "walk," only once. This is the SIMPLE PAST. In the second sentence, I am describing something that has taken place on a number of occasions in the past and continues on till today (meaning tonight I will most likely walk Bucky). This is the PRESENT PERFECT.
Punctuation: Rule #34 (Hyphens)
Hyphens appear not just within sentences, but within words themselves. Adjectives can be formed of two or more words connected by hyphens, but these adjectives may only appear before the noun they describe. Ex: The hand-made necklace was made of local turquoise. Compound numbers written as words must also use hyphens. Ex: He has answered sixty-three math questions so far. Some of the most common places to see hyphens are after certain prefixes, between prefixes and proper nouns, after single-letter prefixes, and with the suffix -elect. Ex: The all-cotton T-shirt depicted the president-elect.
Subordinating Conjunctions
If I take a simple sentence like "he studied" and add a subordinating conjunction in front of it, what was a sentence is no longer a sentence; it is now a subordinate clause. Subordinating conjunctions include because, although, even though, since, nevertheless, whereas, while. There are more, but a good shortcut to identifying whether a word is a subordinating conjunction is to ask yourself the following: Does it provide a reason, contrast, or condition for the main clause? Unless you finish all of your broccoli, you can't have any ice cream. = Condition Sarah was a star athlete, whereas her sister, Maggie, would rather not get up off the couch. = Contrast
Punctuation: Rule #36 (apostrophes)
If a noun is singular or is plural but doesn't end with an s, add 's. If it is plural and ends with an s, just add an apostrophe. Ex: Our architect used the PTA members' ideas in the design for the children's playground.
Redundancy
If a sentence expresses the same bit of information two or more times, it's considered redundant. Pick the best way of stating the necessary fact and delete the repetition.
Verbs: Rule #15 (verb tenses)
If there's a sequence of events, make sure their tenses put them in the right logical order. This one is about making sure words in the sentence all match up, by watching out for when events happened. In the past, or in the present? ✓ Having just been swimming, Maria smelled like chlorine. ✗ Having just been swimming, Maria had smelled like chlorine. Each English verb has a few basic forms (ex: do/did/done, eat/ate/eaten). Here are irregular verbs: - Swim/swam/swum - Ring/rang/rung - Forget/forgot/forgotten - Forgive/forgave/forgiven - Lay/laid/laid - Rise/rose/risen - Swing/swung/swung *Some of them might have you making things up in conversation (e.g., "I would've swang if I'd known he was going to keep throwing strikes.") that just don't fit SAT grammar rules.*
Punctuation: Rule #32 (Semicolons)
If two sentences are talking about the same topic, a semicolon placed between them may improve the flow of ideas from one to the other. (Also, if you are writing a list and the items within the list include commas, separating the items with semicolons prevents confusion between all the commas.) Ex: That supermarket is my favorite; it carries all my favorite foods for reasonable prices. Ex: On our trip, we visited Washington, D.C.; Chicago, Illinois; and New York, New York.
Punctuation: Rule #30 (Commas)
If you see a comma or an "and" underlined in a writing multiple choice question (but not used together), ask yourself whether they can be replaced by a period. If they can, then there's the problem.
Conventional Expression Rules: Rule #54
If you see an underlined preposition, find the words before and/or after that should get paired with it. Pretty often, you'll find the verb or adjective that came before the preposition, like in the "disagree" vs. "object" example above, but sometimes it's about the words after the preposition, instead. In the sentence "I'm on my classmate's phone," you'd note the word "phone," and ask whether "on" and "phone" link well together, which they do. Similarly, an actor might appear in a movie, on TV, or at a restaurant. Whether it's the word before or after the preposition, you have to find that related word. Then, it's all about your ear.
Possessive Determinant Rules: Rule #48
Its = possessive. It's = it is. Ex: A marathon is a challenging race. It's a combination of endurance, grit, and focus.
Reading tip #1
Keep on asking yourself "what is the POINT of the paragraph?" "What is the author trying to tell me?" On a Writing and Language Test passage, go back to the title of the passage, and re-read the first paragraph to anchor yourself in the POINT of the passage. On a Reading Test Passage, try re-reading the first and last sentences of all the paragraphs you have read so far. They almost always include the paragraph's main POINT. Usually, the stuff in the middle of a paragraph is evidence supporting and developing the claim made in the first sentence.
Diction Rules (Frequently Confused Words): Rule #50
Know that diction questions will appear, and always be on guard if you can't seem to find a mistake in the question. It's the old switcheroo, where one word that sounds an awful lot like another word is incorrectly used in a sentence. Ex: The scientists, once they discovered that each had tackled a similar line of stem-cell research, realized that they would both benefit if they corroborated in their research. - The word should be "collaborated," and not "corroborated," which means to confirm or give support to evidence. Ex: The first two years are the most formidable—it is during this time that many of our enduring personality traits form. - The word should be "formative," not "formidable," which describes something that is so big or amazing that it commands respect (think of Lebron James's skills on the basketball court). So what to do? Carefully, look to see if the correct word is being used. Below is a list of some of the most common diction errors. 1. Affect vs. Effect 2. Conscientious vs. Conscious vs. Conscience 3. Could of vs. Could have vs. Could've (hint: "could of" is always wrong!) 4. Crutch vs. Crux 5. Elicit vs. Illicit 6. Empathetic vs. Emphatic 7. Flaunt vs. Flout 8. Imitated vs. Intimated 9. Ingenuous vs. Ingenious 10. Irregardless - no such word
Modifier Placement: Rule #8
Misplaced modifiers don't modify the correct part of the sentence. A modifier is an OPTIONAL ADVERB, adjective, or phrase that changes—or MODIFIES—THE MEANING of a sentence. For example: - "I play the flute" is an independent clause that totally makes sense by itself. Now let's look at the sentence with a modifier (bolded): "I play the flute, A WOODWIND INSTRUMENT". Example: - "Having played composers such as Beethoven and Mozart at a very young age", Alicia Keys' songs have many elements of classical music. Do you spot the error here? The sentence seems to be implying that Alicia Keys' songs played Beethoven and Mozart at a very young age rather than Alicia Keys, which is silly. A better way to correct the non-modifier part of the sentence is: "Having played composers such as Beethoven and Mozart at a very young age", Alicia Keys has many elements of classical music in her songs.
Punctuation: Rule #38 (parentheses)
Parentheses surround non-essential elements within sentences. Commas do the same, but parentheses are a bit more eye-catching, so they provide some extra emphasis for the phrases they surround. *Remember that parentheses always come in pairs.* Ex: The road trip (which was all my brother's idea) was ruined when the car broke down.
Punctuation: Rule #40 (quotation marks)
Quotation marks always appear in pairs and closing quotation marks must be placed outside a sentence's end-punctuation. As their name suggests, quotation marks surround direct quotes. They can be used around an entire sentence or within sentences. Ex: "I hope to see you again." Ex: "Four score and seven years ago," began Lincoln.
Parallel Structure: Rule #7 (Creating // structure)
Remember that if you CAN physically count a noun, use the words "fewer," "many," and "number." I had FEWER apples than I thought because my dad ate some.
Reading tip #2
Spend no more and no less than 5 minutes reading a passage. If you spend more than 5 minutes, you're compromising time for answering questions. Less than 5 minutes and you're likely missing info.
Modifier Placement: Rule #10
Squinting modifiers logically make sense as modifiers for two subjects in the same sentence. (Therefore, it makes the sentence ambiguous in meaning. Squinting modifiers are the trickiest to identify because the sentence doesn't have any obvious errors). Examples: ✓ Students who don't practice often for the SAT score lower than they would like. ✗ Students who don't practice for the SAT often score lower than they would like.
Agreement Rules: Rule #44 (Subject-Verb agreement)
The SAT likes to put extra information between the subject and verb. If you cross out everything between the subject and the verb, the correct choice will be much more obvious. Subject-verb agreement is a basic building block of English language sentence structure. Because it is so normal in your speech and writing patterns, your eyes can glide right past well-hidden subject-verb agreement errors. Be sure to watch for underlined verbs, and clauses set off by commas or dashes. ✓The teachers, who loaded up their trays with pizza, cookies, and chocolate milk, stand at the back of the cafeteria. ✗ The teachers, who loaded up their trays with pizza, cookies, and chocolate milk, stands at the back of the cafeteria. When the SAT adds all that info, they will often make the word closest to the verb the opposite of the subject. If the subject is singular, the word in front of the verb might be plural, just to throw you off.
Verbs: Rule #20 (Subjunctive mood)
The subjunctive mood implies conditionality, in other words a hypothetical, i.e., something that isn't and can't be reality. To show this, we change the verb "was" to "were." Examples: 1. Were we space aliens, we could travel the cosmos. 2. Were she responsible for the break-in, she would not have an airtight alibi. 3. If I were president of the United States, I would make "taco Tuesdays" a national holiday. If the verb is already "were," then we just leave it. When something is possible, then you don't need to change the verb to "were." Notice how I didn't mention the "interrogative mood." That's because nothing changes with the verb; therefore, there's no easy way for the SAT to test that the interrogative mood is being used. In general, "mood" is so rare on the test that I think it showed up in one question of the four practice tests in the College Board book. So if you have to skip one section in your SAT grammar practice, this might be the one.
Effective Language Use: Rule #41 (Redundancy)
Watch out for synonyms in the same sentence. Redundancy is simply repeating the same information over and over again, repeatedly, many times. (See what I did there?) In true SAT style, redundancies will sometimes be hidden in a sentence like, "Annually, my family goes to the beach every year." We only need to include either annually or every year, since they mean the same thing.
Modifier Placement: Rule #11
When encountering a modifier problem, first identify the incorrectly-placed modifier. Example: Sonia was "waiting for her book to come in the mail eagerly". The portion in quotation marks is what you're supposed to change. First identify the incorrectly-placed modifier: "eagerly."
Conventional Expression Rules: Rule #53
When it's a preposition that's underlined, it's all about your ear. This might be the only time that I say to go with your gut about an error. Most times, you should be trying to find why something is wrong as it's written. The test-makers want to know if you can choose the right preposition to go with words which actually do carry the meaning they're expected to. For instance, you might disagree with an idea, but you can't object with it. Instead, you object to it. Both "disagree" and "object" mean exactly what we expect them to in those phrases. It's only the preposition that's weird.
Logical Comparisons: Rule #52
When making comparisons, find the nouns—where the problem might happen. Some of the most difficult SAT grammar questions deal with correct comparisons between nouns. There are two major reasons why they cause such a problem. The 1st is that we make these kinds of "mistakes" pretty often in conversation. To the untrained proofreader, they seem pretty natural. The 2nd is that they can often be fixed with a possessive. If you want to compare the color of Sam's and Brian's tongues, then the sentence "Sam's tongue is redder than Brian" is clearly weird, whereas "Sam's tongue is redder than Brian's" would be just fine. That's all well and good, but the SAT might not make it so easy for you. Instead, the two nouns may already be plural. ✗ Oranges' skins are tougher than lemons. ✓ Oranges' skins are tougher than lemons'.
Conjunctions: Rule #4
When we have independent clauses (sentences that can stand on their own), and want to join them, we can use a comma and either a coordinating or a subordinating conjunction. Coordinating conjunctions - FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) Examples: 1. ✓ Kelly wanted to get straight A's, SO she studied every night and weekend. 2. ✗ Kelly wanted to get straight A's, AND she studied every night and weekend. (Kelly wants to achieve something, SO she does such-and-such). 3. ✓ Kelly was able to score at the top of the class, AND she was even considered for the position of valedictorian later on. 4. ✗ She was able to score at the top of the class, BUT she was even considered for the position of valedictorian later on. *"But" and "yet" are conjunctions that show contrast. "And" is a conjunction that shows that two independent clauses are related.*
Pronoun Rules: Rule #47
When you're listing other people as well as yourself, I or me should come last (Think of it as being polite and holding the door for the other names). When the names are the subject, use I. Examples: ✓ My pinkie toe and I have been through some hard times. ✗ The world is against my pinkie toe and I. ✗ A polar bear ate my pinkie toe and I. By the same token, don't start a sentence with "...and me." ✓ My pinkie toe and I fought off a polar bear. ✗ My pinkie toe and me fought off a polar bear. If the names are not the subject—a notable example being after prepositions like against—then use me, the object form. ✓ The world is against my pinkie toe and me. ✓ A polar bear ate my pinkie toe and me. If these SAT grammar rules are a bit unclear, then take out the other player (e.g. "my pinkie toe") and see how it sounds. Saying "A polar bear ate I" sounds good to approximately nobody, so don't write it—even if there's a pinkie toe that comes first. Also, you can roughly assume that I is more likely correct near the beginning of the sentence, while me is more common in the middle or end.
Verbs: Rule #18 (Past perfect)
Whenever we use the past perfect, we must also have another verb in the sentence that is in the simple past. Here's an example using the sentence above: 1st Event: I had walked Bucky in the morning = Past Perfect Construction 2nd Event: I moved to California = Simple Past Another way to think of the past perfect is with SPECIFIC DATES. Let's say I moved to California in 1984. I walked Bucky every morning from 1981 to 1984. The sentence implies that once I moved to California I no longer walked Bucky in the morning. That is, an event that happened repeatedly in the past stopped when another event happened. That interrupting event uses the simple past.
Parallel Structure: Rule #5 (Creating // structure)
Whether it is with nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs you need to make sure the form is consistent. Examples: ✓ THE GIRLS at the sleepover said THEY wanted ice cream for dessert. ✗ THE GIRLS at the sleepover said SHE wanted ice cream for dessert. ✓ The dog is hyper, large, and SMELLY. ✗ The dog is hyper, large, and DOESN'T SMELL GOOD.
Effective Language Use: Rule #42 (Voice)
You don't want to say anything in a casual, lax way—or too formally, either. The SAT wants to make sure you know when to use the appropriate level of voice. That is, you don't want to say something in a casual, lax way when writing an essay, or, in this case, editing an essay that the SAT has provided. In the sentence pairs below, one maintains a consistent tone whereas the other lapses into casual speak. 1a) The SAT places harsh demands on a student's attention, forcing them to be focused for almost four hours straight. 1b) The SAT is really hard because you have to keep your mind on the task for four straight hours. 2a) Working in groups can lead to high employee productivity while making people feel good about working with others in the office. 2b) Working in groups can lead to high employee productivity while fostering good will between colleagues. Language can also be too stilted, or formal. The SAT—and any manual of style!—will tell you to avoid overly formal language. Can you spot the offender below? 3a) The SAT is highly onerous on minds exhibiting a propensity for divagation. 3b) Students who are serious about SAT prep are more likely to seek outside help, and are thus more likely to see a score improvement. If you are not quite sure what 3a) is saying, you are not alone. It uses over-inflated, pompous language. *Remember, there is a major difference between choosing a particularly apt word and using words like "divagation" for the sake of sounding more intelligent. The latter will confuse your reader, and ultimately turn them off from what you have to say.