sat writing and language rules

subject-verb agreement

Plural subjects must have plural verbs. Singular subjects must have singular verbs name of books, tv shows, bands and movies are all singular subjects joined by "and" are always plural everybody, everything, every, anyone, anybody and no one are singular subjects each, neither, and either are singular. steps to determine: cross out prep phrases, relative phrases, and comma phrases then determine subject (main idea) and see if it's singular and plural and go from there. if the sentence has more than one verb split sentence into two and make sure it agrees. gerund and infinitives are NOT VERBS.

phrase

a group of words. either subject and verb. subject, adverb, and adjective Onesfor stared at the stack of postcards he had neglected to mail. stack of postcards is a phrase because it doesn't contain a subject and a verb.

dependent clauses

dependent and independent doesn't require a semicolon or conjunction

word choice

1. avoid high sounding, overly dramatic, or high sounding language example: The startup didn't become financially beneficial until it reached a critical mass of customers using the app on a daily basis. A) NO CHANGE B) profitable C) commercially rewarding D) worthy of great compensation The answer is B, the simplest choice. All the other choices are high-sounding ways of saying profitable. 2. avoid casual/informal language example: Tired from the 20 mile hike, Yasmine retired to her tent and snoozed. A) NO CHANGE B) hit the sack. C) slept. D) dozed off. The answer is C. The other answers are too informal. 3. avoid vague and wordy language vague words too look out for: people things something stuff matters aspects tons of( have to be precise and clear) example: In anticipation of Black Friday, store owners are making sure they have a wide variety of products in stock. A) NO CHANGE B) items for customers C) stuff to sell D) things that can be purchased The answer is A. The other answers are unnecessarily vague and wordy. last but not least be aware of commonly confused words (see second study set)

relevance and purpose

1. first answer yes or no 2. then think about why or why not something is relevant 3. if ur reasons don't line up with the remaining choices then reconsider the yes or no to spot irrelevance look before and after the sentence if not mentioned either in the previous or the next it's irrelevant. and sudden shift of topic is also irrelevant. tip: if ur answer is no it's most likely it blurs the paragraphs main focus or irrelevant info.

placement guidelines

1. this, that, those, these if it said any of these words in a sentence make sure you define it and find it in the surrounding context. 2. nouns or pronouns in need of clarification 3. chronological order 4. lead topic sentences basically sentence that leads you into the next thing being talked about. 5. supporting sentences this adds additional details and specific facts or examples in support of a more general statement that comes before it.

combining sentences

1. use a trailing phrase (commonly tested method) example 1: Before: To get the gun-control law passed, the President pointed out the numerous shootings that happen every year. He illustrated the dangers of having few restrictions. After: To get the gun-control law passed, the President pointed out the numerous shootings that happen every year, illustrating the dangers of having few restrictions.

clause

A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. I tripped over one of the hurdles, but I still finished the race in first place. but i still finished the race in first place this is a clause because it contains a subject and verb but it's also a dependent clause.

prepositional phrase

A group of words that begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun.

common punctuation misuses

Don't use punctuation before prepositional phrases (typically at, for, in, of, on, to, with). these questions are almost always wrong on the sat. example: She was waiting, at the train station. Correct: She was waiting at the train station. Don't use any punctuation after such as, like, or including. Don't use any punctuation before that. Don't put semicolons, dashes, or colons where commas should be used

dealing with contractions.

always read the sentence with the uncontracted version to see if it makes sense. for example: Wrong: The book has a cool picture on it's cover. Correct: The book has a cool picture on its cover. (the uncontracted phrase in this example doesn't make sense if u split the it's into its short form) need the possessive its. last example: Wrong: He is the actor whose most known for his role in Batman. Correct: He is the actor who's most known for his role in Batman. In this example, we mean to say who is and can do so using the contracted version, who's. (makes more sense, u can do so by reading it out loud)

fragments

an incomplete sentence has relative clauses (who,which,that and where) a dependent clause (although, while, and when ) and gerund phrases (being, walking, and singing, example: because my broken heart, which u have left hardly beating in my chest, is the reason for my endless suffering. wrong because is relative it's a fragment change that to my broken heart.

odds and ends

choose active over passive example: eye contact with raging bull was avoided by me. change: i avoided eye contact with the raging bull. beware of double main verbs example: the dire warning serves as reminders of our purpose in life is survival. change add colon after life and delete is. shift in point of view keep the same throughout example: if one does not believe, you will not succeed. (change you to one) defining phrases if both use the same preposition it does not need to be repeated. for example: taken in and abide needs another in. disregard and distaste for both has for so don't need to repeat again. defining phrases (modifiers) needs to describe the phrase it's defining

relative clauses

clauses starting with the relative pronouns who*, that, which, whose, where, when. They are most often used to define or identify the noun that precedes them.

semi-colon usage

connect two independent clauses don't use semicolon and conjunction.

Run-ons

don't put semi colons and conjunctions and conjunctions with dependent clauses. Jerry ran away last summer; and I haven't seen him since. Even though the coffee in Rome is amazing, but I still like Starbucks coffee more. to prevent a run one use a period after two complete sentences. use a semi colon after two complete sentences use and to join verbs use a comma comes before a conjunction.if it's not from fanboys it's a RUNON ! (transitions)

few pronouns the better (combining sentences)

especially this,these,they and it example 14: The arctic owl's coat of snow-white feathers acts as camouflage. It keeps the owl hidden by blending the animal in with its surroundings. A) NO CHANGE B) camouflage, and it keeps C) camouflage; it keeps D) camouflage, keeping Answer D is the best because it avoids using the unnecessary pronoun it.

link two verbs with and

example 10: Before: The people sitting in front of me on the train were talking throughout the ride. They would not turn their cell phones off even after being told to do so. After: The people sitting in front of me on the train were talking throughout the ride and would not turn their cell phones off even after being told to do so.

use a relative clause (combining sentences)

example 12: Before: Every car is powered by an engine. The engine converts fuel and heat into mechanical motion. After: Every car is powered by an engine, which converts fuel and heat into mechanical motion.

use an infinitive for purpose (combining sentences)

example 13: Before: The little boy happily ran home. He would tell his mom he had found the last golden ticket. After: The little boy happily ran home to tell his mom he had found the last golden ticket.

use appropriate punctuations (dash,comma, or semicolon) (combining sentences)

example 14: before: the fighter defended his title by taking his opponent to the ground-the same strategy he used in his last championship match. (used dashed because of imcomplete and complete sentence)

keep the intended meaning (combining sentences)

example 15: Chinese families get ready for Mid-Autumn Festival by doing several things. They light lanterns, prepare mooncakes, and arrange flowers. A) NO CHANGE B) Chinese families get ready for Mid-Autumn Festival to light lanterns, prepare mooncakes, and arrange flowers. C) Chinese families get ready for Mid-Autumn Festival by lighting lanterns, preparing mooncakes, and arranging flowers. D) Chinese families get ready for Mid-Autumn Festival for lighting lanterns, preparing mooncakes, and arranging flowers. Notice how answers B and D change the intended meaning. Chinese families don't get ready for the Festival in order to light lanterns, prepare mooncakes, and arrange flowers. That would be backwards. They get ready for the Festival by lighting lanterns, preparing mooncakes, and arranging flowers. Those activities are HOW they get ready, not WHY they get ready. The answer is C.

avoid repeated words (combining sentences)

example 16: The restaurant was highly recommended by the food critics. These critics stayed there for four hours to savor every dish. A) NO CHANGE B) critics, who C) critics, and these critics D) critics after the critics The answer is B because it doesn't repeat critics.

the fewer words, the better (combining sentences )

example 17: The new hardware runs at a faster rate when compared to the old one. This increased speed reduces costs in our technology department, where we have the most overhead. A) NO CHANGE B) When compared to the old one, the new hardware runs at a faster rate, which reduces costs in our technology department, where we have the most overhead. C) The new hardware runs at a faster rate when compared to the old one, and this increased speed reduces costs in our technology department, where we have the most overhead. D) The new hardware runs at a faster rate when compared to the old one; by increasing the speed, we reduce costs in our technology department, where we have the most overhead. Answers A, C, and D are all wordy compared to answer B. The words increased speed are unnecessary and should be cut out. (this is the over arching guideline that all the above guidelines fall under-take it to heart. ) the answer well usually involve fewer words which means eliminating words not adding them.

use a preposition (combining sentences)

example 5: Before: Joseph finished his homework. His teacher helped him. After: Joseph finished his homework with the help of his teacher.

turn one of them into dependent clause or modifier (combining sentences)

example 7: Before: Jacob has decided to avoid snacks and soda. The reason for the diet is that he wants to lose weight. After: Because he wants to lose weight, Jacob has decided to avoid snacks and soda.

use a conjunction (combining sentences )

example 9: Before: On the surface, Seinfeld is most famous for its light-hearted dialogue. Included among the many episodes is an assortment of comments on racism, homosexuality, and death. After: On the surface, Seinfeld is most famous for its light-hearted dialogue, but included among the many episodes is an assortment of comments on racism, homosexuality, and death.

statements of facts or things that will always be true.

example: although the cheetah holds the record for fastest land animal, many other mammals outlasted it. change outlasted to outlast because this is a fact. and it'll always will be present tense.

singular plural noun inconsistency

example: the three boys want to become superhero. wrong change superhero to superheroes. three boys is plural make noun plural too. tip: singular with singular, plural with plural.

tenses

past tense must go with past tense. example: whenever we stopped by the market, my mom always tries to negotiate the prices. change stopped to stop. this sentence is not past tense. times, dates and historical events let u know past tense is needed. example: the end of world war two came when german forces surrender in berlin and italy. change surrender to surrendered. after winning wimbledon in 2012, federer regained the top ranking and declared himself the best in the world.

supporting evidence

figure out the claim and underline it. sumtimes it gives it in the question when that happens look for that answer that supports it. eliminate off topic answers. also ones that are on topic but don't support the point. with questions asking where in the passage to look for read that part only, don't go looking somewhere else. and pay attention to that part. also read before or after if necessary. if it doesn't state exactly where in the question. sometimes u can find the answer by just reading the underlined portion.

parallelism

gerund noun must be with gerund noun (ing). hunting u see the moonlight and to howl (no) hunting is gerund add howling too. needs to be the same. parallelism requires verb tenses to be the same. example: the baby crawled quickly, slept softly, and cried loudly. parallelism shows up in list or series. and with and/or. example: the fashion designer was praised for her creative, comfortable, and her having innovative clothing. delete her having. verbs with to needs to have another to with the other verb.

Helping Verbs forms of "to be"

has, was, is, and have example: the few ideas that i've come up with last night (has/have) given my team enough to work with. answer: have because main idea is few ideas and cross out all phrases and clauses.

would or would have

only are correct if the statement is hypothetical meaning having the word if in the beginning of the sentence example: if i were rich, i would buy a ferrari if she had done her homework, she would have an A this semester.

more run on examples

relative clause (who,which, that) use comma before these words a noun phrase set off by commas examples: yesterday, Russia deployed troops on the border, this is a clear violation of the peace agreement, correct: delete this. (extra) modifier: example: he is reflecting on the meaning of life, Henry tried to find philosophical answers to life's problems. correct one: delete he is.

pronoun reference

rule 1: pronoun must clearly stand for ONE and ONLY ONE other noun. rule 2: singular noun=singular pronoun. plural noun= plural pronoun. must be the same. words to familiarize: sub pronoun- he she it- they object pronoun- her him it- then possessive pronoun- hers his its- theirs possessive adj- her his its- their relative pronoun- this that which- these and those reflexive pronoun- himself herself and itself- themselves easiest way to fix reference errors involving this,that,these or those is to either add the noun right after or replace pronoun altogether with something else.

parallelism (pairs)

same as the list. prefer goes with to, and between with and. example: it's so hard to decide between the cheaper price mean, and the higher higher quality one. another rule: in a pair construction, the two things being pared up should be parallel(same)

apostrophes

serves as possession and contraction. to show possession always add an 's unless noun is plural and ends in s, if it's the case add only the apostrophe. example: wrong: the cats hat is on the floor. right: the cat's hat is on the floor. another example: a giraffes' neck is quite long right: change giraffes' to giraffe's (noun isn't plural no s after apostrophe)

apostrophes in contractions

take place in missing words or letters. for example, it's is short for it is and can't is short for cannot. sat contractions need to know: it's vs. its it's (contraction for it is) — He told me that it's an alien from outer space. its (possessive) — The poster fell from its spot on the wall. (possessive meaning belonging to something) they're vs. their vs. there they're (contraction for they are) — They're going to meet us at the restaurant. their (possessive) — The students passed in their homework late. there (location) — Jacob put the water bottle over there. who's vs. whose who's (contraction for who is) — Who's that person sitting by himself? whose (possessive) — I have a friend whose mother is an accountant.

placement steps

the most important thing is to read sentences before and after insertion point. for example, if u want to consider inserting after sentence 5, make sure to read that sentence including 6. if they support the given sentence or clearly transition to it's the answer.

dash

to set off and emphasize interrupting phrases or in between thoughts, often for dramatic effects. rule 1: if sentence is essential=dashes, if not no dashes. use dashes to signal a list, restatement, or additional details. rule 2: a dash can only be paired up with a dash. a comma with a comma. parenthesis with a parenthesis. you cannot mix and match.

transitions, topic and conclusion

topic sentence: one that brings main elements together on either side leading from previous to next. transition sentences: topic sentence leads you from the previous if necessary, conclusion sentences lead u to the next one if necessary. when inserting two transitions btw two sentences look for this,that and these. these reference words must refer to other nouns or in surrounding contexts. note: don't base your answer on keywords that's not the focus. always make sure your answer meshes well with next/previous sentences. always read before and after or what the questions tells u to do.

parallelism (faulty comparisons)

u can use pronouns like those and that to avoid repetition and maintain parallelism. example: winters in boston are way colder than winters in los angeles (correct) another way: change winter to those.

redundancy

unnecessary repetition or define previous words our problem is that we're too self aware of ourselves. wrong our problem is that we're too self aware. ourselves is self aware meaning same thing. more clearer and more clear is same thing. unecessary to use both more and the er ending.

who vs whom

use whom after preposition (to,for, of...) use who for all cases. this rule will not always be correct but it's easier to memorize and it will get u through all sat questions related to this error. the best method for who and whom: substitute who for he and she see if it makes sense. substitute whom for him and her and see if it makes sense.

colon

used after an independent clause, direct attention to a list, noun phrase or another independent clause that summarizes the first (same as dashes). another rule: While a dash can often times replace a colon, a colon cannot always take the place of a dash. When dashes need to be paired up, for example, colons cannot be used. example: i want to buy three things: ham, cheese, and eggs.

tense related questions

usually answer choices will be the shortest ones. most passages are simple past or simple present. history simple past narrative simple present. present perfect tenses have since, for, or from in front of them. and is to show an action (has/have) started in past and continues in presentS past perfect (had and past participle) is used to specify order in which two past events happened.

commas

when dependent clause proceeds a independent clause rule: if subordinate clause occurs in first clause needs a comma. if it occurs in second doesn't need one but u can if u want to. use a comma after an intro clause, phrase, or modifier. example: although he is lactose intolerant, he likes to eat pizza for lunch. add a comma after intolerant. use a comma to separate three or more items in a series. (oxford comma is needed) what that means is comma between last two items. and things that are non essential and transitions and intervening phrases. non essential set off my comma essential no commas. that (no commas) which is (commas) if a sentence has i like, another word for that no commas. defining previous term: non essential. use a comma to set of transitions or intervening phrases.