english
imply / infer
* imply: to suggest indirectly. (يعني) *infer: conclude or deduce (استنتج)
fanboys
***independent clause,(fanboys)independent *****independemt(fanboys)dependent
better/ best worse/ worst
**better/worse: compare two things *best/worst: compare more than two things
less / fewer
*less: (sing) to refer to quantity (can't be counted) *fewer: (plural) to refer to number (can be counted)
like / as
*like: before nouns and pronouns *as: before phrases and clauses
more / most
*more: compare two things *most: compare more than two things
if a question asks you for an answer that would further describe something, look for an answer that has description in it
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if the sentence presents an independent clause followed by a descriptive afterthought the two are separated by comma
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lax منحل - مهلهل indifferent غير مبال
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make sure that the answer is related to the passage
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make sure that the sentence has a verb
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make sure when you see a modifying phrase that the word that the phrase modifies come immediately after the comma.
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parenthetical phrase must begin and end with the same punctuation mark.
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read grammar question aloud.
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read the entire passage
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show ..... that
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the commas in a date go AFTER THE DAY and AFTER THE YEAR.
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there is no such word as : acception
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when there are two independent clauses and there is a conjunction between them use "," instead of ";"
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effect / affect
*effect = noun *affect = verb
amount/ number
*amount: to describe sing nouns *number: to describe plural nouns
The best choice will always be:
-Correct (Grammatically) -Concise (Short and sweet) -Relevant (Makes sense with the rest of the passage)
*verb to have
Dayman b3daha p.p
It's
It is It has
Besides
would be used to introduce additional but less important information.
Relative clause errors: -A sentence that contains a relative clause must always contain a main verb that corresponds to the subject. -Relative clauses can be either (essential/non-essential)
Non-essential relative clauses with which or who(se). Fragment --The construction comma + who suggests that a non-essential clause is beginning, but there is never a second comma. -The fastest and easiest way to turn this fragment into a sentence is to remove the comma and the relative pronoun. There by eliminating the relative clause and making the entire sentence into a single main clause. -The easiest way to attack sentences like this is to see if there is a verb immediately following a non-essential clause. If there is NOT the sentence is virtually always incorrect. -Occasionally you will be asked to fix the beginning of a non-essential clause rather than the end. -In this case, the second comma followed by a verb is your clue that a non-essential clause needs to be created in order to correct the sentence.
Sentence and fragments* -Every sentence must contain (a subject - verb that correspond to it.) -Fixing sentences answer choices that contain fragments are always incorrect.
*In fixing sentences, there are two general types of fragments: Gerund replace verbs. Relative clause error. Gerund replace verbs: -They look like verbs but act like noun. -That mean, if a clause containing only a gerund cannot be a sentence, instead, it is a fragment. -To turn a fragment containing a gerund into a sentence, simply replace the ground with a conjugated verb. *Being is the most frequently tested gerund on the SAT. The conjugated forum of it are as follows: Present: is/are Past: was/were
lay / lie
*LAY: (laid, has laid, is laying) to mean the act of putting or placing and to refer to what hens do. require an object *LIE: (lay, has lain, is lying) to mean that act of reclining or state of resting or reclining has no object
many / much
*MANY: refer to number *much: refer to quantity
adverbs of frequency and other time expressions
*WITH VERB TO BE: adverbs of frequency come AFTER BE * WITH ALL OTHER VERBS AND VERB TENSES: adverbs of frequency normally come before the main verb or between the auxiliary and main verb in a statement *LONGER TIME EXPRESS WITH ALL VERBS: usually come at the beginning or end of sentence. *EVER WITH QUESTIONS AND NEGATIVE: ever and adverbs of frequency come after the subject in a question.
among / between
*among: for comparing three or more things or persons *between: for comparing two things or persons
I / ME
*ask "who" to know which word will be last word. ** when the comparison word "AS" "THAN" are used, the pronouns become reversible. The same pronoun form that works at the beginning of a sentence works at the end.
word that sound the same
*beside besides *feat عمل بطولي / عمل فذ feet *idle خامل / كسول idol *incite حرض / حث insight *rite شعيرة /طقس right *discreet حذر /حكيم discrete منفصل / متفرد *illusion وهم / خيال allusion إشارة /تلميح *elicit استخرج / استنبط illicit غير مشروع / محظور
present simple
*describe: habits, routine, events that happen regularly express opinions, make general statement of fact *adverbs of frequency often appear with tense (always, everyday, in general, never, often, usually)
er / est
*er: to compare exactly two things *est: to compare more than two things
farther / further
*farther: refer to distance *further: refer to time or quantity
separating words (comma) in a list or series
*if you say the word AND between the adjectives that modify a noun, then you need A COMMA... if you can't omit the comma. *another way, REVERSE THE ORDER OF ADJECTIVES. if the new combination still makes sense, then you need a comma.
less / least
*less: compare two things *least: compare more than two things
non-essential clauses
*make sure that there are 2 commas around the non essential clause. **two commas do not always signal the start of non-essential clause.
non-essential clause
*sometimes, the error will appear within the non-essential clause, so if you have crossed out and can't find another problem in the sentence.. go back and check *you will encounter a non-essential clause followed by the word AND. this construction is always wrong because if you cross out non-essential clause, you are left with non sense
adj and adverbs
*they are typically placed BEFORE the nouns or pronouns they modify. they can also be used with verbs of being (to be, to become, to seem/ appear ), in which case they appear AFER verbs. *nouns can also refer to abstract concepts like "idea" or "effort" or "impact" very often, these nouns end in -tion or -ment (notion, deliberation, agreement) if you have difficulty recognizing when a word is a noun, you can use the following rule: a noun is a word that can follow A or THE *when the act asks you where a single word belongs, that word is virtually always either an adj or an adverb. to test it out, pick a common noun and verb, and put the word next to it. *adverbs can only go before adj and before a noun.
be aware of NOT/LEAST acceptable questions:
- these questions ask you to find the INCORRECT answer. -underline the not/least to remind yourself to choose the incorrect answer.
Fixing Sentences
---> Rules for choosing answers: 1) Shorter is better: -Always check answers in order of length, starting with the shortest one. -When you are faced with two grammatically correct answers, that express the same essential information, the shorter one will always be right. 2)Gerund, especially being = bad -Gerund create sentence fragments and awkwardness -In the vast majority of cases that require you to choose between a conjugated verb and a gerund, the conjugated verb will be correct. -> In general, you should only choose a gerund in the following cases: -It is necessary to preserve parallel structure -It is required by a standard usage -It is required to create the cleanest, clearest and most concise version of a sentence. 3)Passive voice = bad -you should automatically eliminate any answer containing this construction, unless the sentences does not make sense without it.
*Commas with names and titles. -"where to place a comma"
--> When a name or a title appears at the end of a sentence, the name or title can follow either a comma or no comma. *Both constructions are grammatically correct, but they have different meaning and should be used in different circumstances. --> When a name or title appears in the middle of a sentence, it can either be used with no comma at all OR with a comma both before and after. **It is incorrect to place only one comma before a name or title
Commas and Names
-->no commas should be placed around a name or title to emphasize that it is one of many people or things. Commas Should placed around a name or title to emphasize the focus on one particular person or thing. (one specific person). *Take care if it is essential or non-essential
Essential relative clause with "That" Clauses beginning with the relative pronoun "that" function exactly like those beginning with which or who Even though they are essential Do not require commas to be placed around them
-A sentence can contain multiple non-essential clauses and seem wrong "X" awkward, but it is correct. -Also some sentences contain short non-essential clauses or phrase in unexpected places but also it is correct.
--> Dashes:
-Dashes have three major uses: 1) Set off a non-essential clause. 2 dashes = 2 commas 2) Introduce a list or explanation = colon 3) Create a deliberate pause. 1-** The only rule is that dashes must go with dashes and commas with commas. 2-**When used this way, a dash is the exact equivalent of a colon and must come after a full, stand-alone statement.
*Noun as adj. before a name:
-One of the acts favorite tricks is to take words that normally act like nouns (often professions eg: author, architect, scientists) and use them as adj.
*Gerunds Vs. Present participles (-ing)
-Present participles end in "ing" (playing) and are identical in appearance to gerunds. But they have different functions: Gerunds: are verbs that act as noun Participles: are verbs that act as adj. *present participles are typically used in two ways: -immediately before a noun -to begin a participial phrase
Modification errors:
-Sentences the include dangling modifies are characterized by an introductory clause that describes the subject but does not name it. This clause is always set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma. -Whenever a sentence contains such an introductory clause, the subject must appear immediately after the comma. If the subject does not appear there, The modifier is paid to be dangling and the sentence is incorrect. *One very common SAT tricks is to put possessive ('s) version of the subject immediately after the introductory clause. Any possessive noun placed immediately after an introductory clause will be incorrect. ***The presence of a participle, particularly present participle, at the beginning of a sentence often signals a dangling modifies -Present participle "ing" -Past 4 In Addition: it is acceptable to begin the main clause with an adj. or adjs. describing the subject because the description is considered part of the complete subject.
*When is it okay to use a gerund?
-When standard usage requires one. -To preserve parallel structure. -To indicate method or mean.
*Essential clauses with or without "that"
-clauses beginning with which are non-essential and should always be set off by commas. -Clauses beginning with that are always essential to the meaning of the sentence and should never be set off by commas. - Although it is perfectly acceptable to write the sentence either with or without that, it is always incorrect to insert comma in place of the word that.
--> Colons:
-colons have two major uses: -introduce a list. - introduce an explanation ** A colon must follow a full sentence that can stand on its own as a complete thought, A colon does not, however, have to be followed by a complete sentence. ** When a colon precedes an explanation, a complete sentence typically follows the colon.
dash
-complete sentence/non-essential clause- *dashes can also be use when placing a list within a sentence .
learn when to add a phrase or a sentence:
-do not add a new phrase or sentence without reading the previous sentence and the sentence that follows. -one of those sentences often contains a clue that help you determine when to add the suggested sentence.
answering ILLUSTRATE/SUPPORT questions:
-if a question asks which answer best illustrates or supports, pick the choice that gives the most SPECIFIC DETAILS/EXAMPLES.
put a COMMA when you see a verbal phrase at the end of a sentence,, especially one that contains a verb+ing, and the verbal phrase in question seems to refer to the entire sentence not just the word right before it.
-mr.spare offered rewards to students TRYING to improve their test score (NO COMMA , trying refer to students) -mr spare offered award to students, trying to improve test scores. (COMMA, trying refer to the entire sentence)
be careful with two-part questions
-once you decide whether the essay would or would not fulfill the writer's goal, you need to decide which reason or explanation provides the most appropriate support for the answer and is most accurate in terms of the essay. -sometimes , the supporting reason does not accurately reflect the essay or the reason might logically support the question but that reason overstates the focus of the essay .
Reasons to choose omit/delete an answer choices, use it when
-the underlined portion is redundant -the underlined portion explains something that the reader already knows -the underlined portion gives an unnecessary definition for a common word
pronoun rules
-use SUBJECTIVE FORM when a pronoun is the SUBJECT of a clause -use SUBJECTIVE FORM in compound subjects -use OBJECTIVE FORM for pronouns that serve as objects -use REFLEXIVE pronouns only when the RECEIVER and the DOER of an action are the same
eliminating redundancy and wordiness
-using PASSIVE rather than ACTIVE voice makes a sentence weak and wordy. -REPETITIVE language adds unnecessary words.
assume you're facing a question about imprecision or redundancy when:
-you don't see anything grammatically wrong in or around the underlined section. - you sense that there are too many words, phrases or clauses in the underlined section. -you see answer choices that reward the same idea -you see the word omit in the answer choices
* "the fact that" : phrase btege kolaha 3ala b3daha
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* I'd CAN BE " I had"
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*too much louder & too loudly (both are correct)
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*use the process of elimination, eliminate wrong answers.
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- I grabbed the dictionary down the shell is completely incorrect
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Band --> Singular
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Colon: Two independent clauses, the second of which answers the first
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Commas are necessary after the city and country
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Deceptive: خادع
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Do not join two incomplete sentences with a comma
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Don't forget "no change" choice.
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Drive ---> p.p : driven
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Even though is the same as although.
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Good: adj. well: adv. -One exception: well can also be an adj when it means "healthy"
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HOWEVER should appear in the middle of an independent clause, set off by two commas.
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In a list do not put a comma before "and"
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It is not a must to be a comma before who
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Never use apostrophes to make a pronoun possessive.
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Semicolon: Separate items in a serious or list if those items already include commas.
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The sentence before and after the semi colon should be complete independent sentence
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To look up in the dictionary
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Very favorite (Y) Correct Totally favorite (X) Incorrect
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When a sentence begins with a modifying clause, The verb should appear in its past participle form. (seen, begun, understood)
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When a word is already plural without an "s" like "children", so the apostrophe goes BEFORE the "s" when it is possessive.
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When the verb began is linked with a second verb, the second verb must be in its infinitive form.
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When you are attaching a phrase to a noun in order to specifically describe it, you do not need to use any punctuation.
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a movie is based on a book
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adj always come before noun
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afforded him an opportunity
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an independent clause does not follow "but"
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answer choices that contain -ing words, especially being, are always wrong
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better = the better (formal)
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point to
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use verb to be with IT to talk about WEATHER
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when you see "and" check that everything in parallel structure.
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when you try to figure out if the sentence is either dependent or independent. read it without EITHER
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--> Commas Should Not be used: -Between compound subjects and compound objects. -Between subjects and verbs -Before and after prepositions -Between adj. and nouns -Between two adj. separated by "But" or "Yet" -Before or around an Emphatic pronoun.
1- Between compound subjects and compound objects. -A compound subject simply consists of two or more nouns joined by the word and a comma should never be placed between the items in a compound subject. you can also think of it this way: Because comma+ and = Period, You can plug in a period in a place of comma + and, then check whether there are two sentences. 2-Between subjects and verbs: -unless a subject and verb are separated by a non-essential clause, no comma should be placed between them. -this rule holds true even when subjects are extremely long and complex. 3- Before or after prepositions. -prepositions are locations and time words such as: of, for, from, to, in, with, by, before, after. *** The only exception to this rule occurs when a preposition is used to begin a non-essential clause. 4-Between adj. and nouns 5-Between two adj. separated by "But" or "Yet" Ex. It is a strong yet elegant material. 6-Before or around an emphatic pronoun.* -Emphatic pronoun are used to emphasize that a particular person or people is being referred to . -Each object pronoun has an emphatic counterpart. Me --> Myself Her/Him --> Herself/Himself You --> Yourself Us --> Ourselves it --> Itself them --> Themselves one --> Oneself -Never put a comma before or after them. *Only, when a comma would normally be necessary (Before FANBOYS, or set off by non-essential clause). It is acceptable to place one after on emphatic pronoun.
**Commas should be used: 1) To separate items in a list. 2) To adj. whose order could be reversed. 3) After a close parenthesis where a comma would normally be necessary. 4) After introductory words and phrases.
1-To separate items in a list: -In any list of three or more items, each item must be followed by a comma. -The comma before and is optional. -No comma should be used after the word and. 2-To separate adj. whose order could be reversed: -When the order of the adj. doesn't matter, a comma should be used. -You can also try placing the word and between the adj.s; if they can be separated that way, then the comma is correct. 3-After a close - parenthesis where a would normally be necessary. ..... (.....) , ..... -the best way to approach such sentence is simply pretend the parenthesis don't exist. **No comma should be used before an open-parenthesis ** the reason is that the two commas indicate the non-essential information, but the parenthesis already serve that function. if we eliminate only the parenthesis and leave the rest of the sentence exactly the same ..........., (..........), ........... : if we leave paren. .........,,.......... (X) Wrong 4- After introductory words and phrases: -introductory words and phrases (in fact, essentially, moreover, as a result) Should be set off by commas
subject-verb agreement
1-ask yourself who or what the subject of the sentence? 2-what he or she doing?
3-step method for act english
1-does it belong here 2-does it make sense 3-does it sound like english
**Shorter is better: redundancy and wordiness -When all of the answer choices are grammatically acceptable and express the same essential information, the shortest option will usually be correct. -In fact, you should generally start by checking the shortest answer first and only look at the longer options if the shortest on is clearly incorrect.
A-Redundancy: --Never use two synonyms to describe something when you can use only one word. --You must sometimes look at the non-underlined portion of the sentence to identify the redundancy. While the original version may be acceptable by itself, it will not be acceptable in context of the sentence. B-Wordiness --When you have multiple answer choices that express the same information and differ only in length, the shortest answer is generally correct. --You should make sure to plug it back into the sentence to make sure that it doesn't eliminate important information. C-Passive voice
LIKE used to compare NOUN
AS used to compare ADJ
LOOK PLURAL, ACTS SING "EACH IS ONE BODY"
EACH: pronoun each is sing ONE, BODY: pronouns that end in ---one & ---body= sing verb
heighten رفع برز ازداد
EX: culture is heightened
nouns and pronouns can be the object of a verb or a preposition.
EX: the subjective case "I" changes to the objective case "me" .... "he hit me" -the one exception is that the verb (to be) does not require the objective case in pronouns,, that is why it is correct to say "this is he: or "this is she" instead of saying "this is him"
pronoun (of them) = sentence
In this usage, the pronoun simply acts as a subject and is used to replace a noun. It is often followed by the phrase of THEM, but it can be used by itself as well. many (of them) most (of them)
commas are necessary after:
Name of both the city and country.
*set off proper name with a pair of commas.
Put the name between commas if you can cross it out and the meaning doesn't change.
Few , both, several many (fb sm)
are always plural and require plural verb
each , every
are always sing and require sing verbs.
None of percent/ fraction/ part/ majority/ some/ all/ remainder
VERB is indicated to the word after OF
*Verb tenses:
When you notice an underlined verb, ask yourself these questions: -What is the subject of this verb? Does the underlined verb agree with its grammatical subject? -Does the tense agree with the passage? -Does this verb form the past tense? --> Circle the subject that goes with the underlined verb. Then read the subject and the verb without the words that appear between them.
*Gerund & wordiness -conjunctions such as: so, because and in order to will be unnecessarily re-written in an excessively wordy and awkward manner -Unnecessarily wordy versions of sentence, will often be signaled by an excessive use of gerund.
Wordy Concise -Being that Because -Because of (him/her) being Because she/he was -Despite (her/him) being In spite of (her/him) being Although she/he was -For the purpose of going To go In order to go *** Whenever possible, replace a gerund with a noun or pronoun + conjugated verb.
to form the possessive of a plural noun
add -ES+apostr
commas between adj modifying nouns:
adj of number (three), of age (young) and of nationality (English) do not require commas when they appear in a series
whom
after a preposition for object (recipient of the action)
plural + possessive question
ask two questions: sing or plural? possessive? *when there are two nouns (house's rooms), check each noun separately
who
before a verb for a subject
NO comma
before or after a preposition that
independent clause
can start with a pronoun (it, they, she, many, some) or a noun
consequently therefore
cause effect relationship
correct run on sentence
change one of the independent clauses to dependent clause by adding a word such as: although, because, despite, since
when you see a sentence with a list of any sort
check for the lack of parallelism items in a series may bs nouns, verbs, adj or entire clauses
plural sounding (but still sing)
civics news mathematics
comparative VS superlatives
comparative = --er or more+adj superlatives= --est or most+ =adj *an adj that takes -er or -est should never take more or most.
sing amount
dollars years decades
Then indicate one of two things
either -something is coming next -or something has occurred in the past.
Lie Vs. Lay
lie: is something a subject does "I'm going to lie down for a while" lay: is something a subject does to the object "I'm going to lay the book down. -A reliable way to test this is to replace the word with "put" -If you can, you can use lay -If you can't, you need lie.
non-essential clauses
look for keywords as: which, who, where, which OFTEN signal the start of non-essential clause.
singular pronouns
everyone everybody someone somebody no one nobody anyone anybody each
note the differences in the answer choices
examine each choice and note how it differs from the others.
collective nouns
group team committee class family
"in hopes of"
idiom
formal or informal
if the passage is FORMAL avoid all SLANG expressions. if the passage has an INFORMAL feel, SLANG might be appropriate
in regard to
in regards to XXXXXX
just like
introduces a comparison
Hardly
is -ve and often shows up in a trap double negative *hardly nothing XXXX *hardly anything (right)
double negative
is a +ve in english
- I wonder whether the weather will improve.
is a statement, not a question
"in fact"
is often used to introduce a statement that builds on the preceding statement.
to form plural
is the noun ends in -s add -ES
pronoun + "of which" OR "of whom" = fragment
it creates a DEPENDENT clause which can't stand alone as a full sentence.
Modification
it is acceptable to begin the main clause with a MODIFIER DESCRIBING THE SUBJECT because that description is considered part of the complete subject.
passive voice
it is used when the focus is on the action. it is not important or not known who or what is performing the action
some, any, most, all, none (SAMAN)
may be sing or plural, depending on the noun in the phrase that follows them
thus
means "in such a manner
age-old
means having been around for a long time
* more Vs. most
more: used to compare exactly two things. most: more than two things
modifiers
must be as close to the words they modify as possible
comma splice
never join two independent clauses by a comma
different from
not different than
always underline
not, least , except
reread the sentence using your selected answer
once you have selected the answer you feel is the best, reread the corresponding sentence or sentences in the essay.
semi colon before them but no comma after them
otherwise/ so
presence of PARTICIPLE
particularly a PRESENT PARTICIPLE, at the beginning of a sentence (introductory) often signals a dangling modifier. *present participle ---> (-ing) *past participle ---> (pp) or (-n) to form the past tense, we can use the present participle (having+past participle of the main verb) having originated
if you see bracketed numbers
pay attention to the main idea, purpose, tone & style of the passage.
transitions within/between sentences
physically cross out the original transition and determine the relationship (continue, contradict, emphasize) between the two sentences or halves of a sentence BEFORE you look at answer choices.
not only .. but also
place them in a parallel positions within a sentence.
Forms of the verb to be:
present tense he/she/it: is we/you/they: are I : am Past tense. he/she/it: was We/you/they: were I : was Future tense: he/she/it: has been we/you/they: have been I : have been Past tense: I/he/she/it/we/you/they: had been Future perfect: I/he/she/it/we/you/they: will have been
Sensory detail?
sense (feeling, smell) حواس
....... or ......
singular verb
styles
some of the essays will be anecdotes or narratives written from an informal, first-person point of view. others will be more formal essays, scholarly or informative in nature, often written in the third person.
important words
supposed to used to toward (towards XXXX) no one anyway couldn't careless intents and purposes going to (gonna XXX) supposedly
compound subject (...and..)
take plural verb
one
takes sing verb
that
the relative pronoun that should be used to connect an adjectival clause to a main clause not two main clauses.
APOSTROPHE: when two nouns possess the same item or idea
the second noun is given the punctuation, not the first.
non-essential clauses
they can also consist of single transition words and short phrases: ,however, in fact, moreover, on the other hand,
*Do not be tricked by suppose the writer's goal question:
this most common trick asks you whether the writer succeeded in addressing abroad the subject, when the passage is about a much more specific one. - the answer will be one of the no choices that gives this explanation -for example the question might ask for their the writer succeeded in writing about the entire history of classical music even though the passage was about only beethoven.
she is blue, today
to be sad or depressed
subject/verb agreement
to spot it in a complex sentence, focus on the main elements of the sentence BY crossing out words and phrases that aren't essential to th epoint
sand
uncountable noun
hopefully
use it only where you can plug "full of hope"
dangling modifier (possessive)
watch out for the possessive version of the subject placed immediately after the introductory clause (...'s goal), any possessive noun placed immediately after an introductory clause will be INCORRECT
NEVERTHELESS
when it is used to begin a clause, it should be preceded by a semicolon
semicolon = period = comma+fanboys
when more than one of these constructions appear as answer choices, you can eliminate all of them.
FANBOYS
when the subject is the same in both clauses and IS NOT repeated in the second clause, DO NOT USE A COMMA
Who Vs. whom
who: goes where he goes, when the answer is he. use who whom: goes where him goes, when the answer is him. use whom
in fact":
would be used to introduce a sentence that either corrects a misconception in the previous or one that that heightens or intensifies the previous point by resenting an even more striking example of the same general idea.
fixing dangling modifiers
you should IDENTIFY THE SUBJECT because when you look at the answer choices you are looking for an option that places the subject right after the introductory clause. If the subject is not placed there you can immediately eliminate the answer.
pronoun
you----> yours her---> hers him ---> his their ---> theirs
skepticism..... about
الشك