Writing Center Crash Course

SAT Writing Grammar

Adapted from: http://ultimatesatverbal.blogspot.com/p/complete-sat-grammar-rules.html

To access this PowerPoint online, visit:

http://tinyurl.com/writingcentersatgrammar
The types of errors you will
encounter...
1) Subject-Verb 9) Comparatives vs.
Agreement Superlatives
2) Verb Tense 10) Double
3) Pronoun Case negatives/Double
4) Antecedent Pronoun positives
(Pronoun Agreement) 11) Word Pairs
5) Adjective vs. Adverb 12) Noun Agreement
6) Parallelism 13) Relative Pronouns
7) Prepositions 14) Coordinating
Conjunctions
8) Faulty Comparisons
 Subject-Verb Agreement
A. Subject – Parenthetical clause – Verb
Ex: Galaxies, far from being randomly scattered throughout the galaxy, appears
(appear) to be distributed in bubble-shaped patterns.
B. Subject – Prepositional phrase – Verb
Ex: Changes in the balance of trade seems (seem) remote from everyday concerns,
but they can drastically affect how we spend our money.
C. Prepositional Phrase –Verb – Subject
Ex: Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends (extend) many lakes, parks, and trails
owned and operated by the Loup power district.
D. There is/There are & There has/There have
There is/has = Singular noun
There are/have = Plural noun
Ex: There has (have) been many questions raised about the handling of the
company’s finances.
E. Neither/Nor + Verb
Neither (Singular Noun) Nor (Singular Noun) = Singular Verb
Ex: Neither the book nor the pencil is sitting on the table. -- NOT Neither the book nor
 Verb Tense
A. Tense Consistency
Ex: Since serious drama unaccompanied by music was forbidden in all but two London theatres during the
eighteenth century, Queen’s theatre quickly becoming (became) an opera house.
B. Present Perfect vs. Simple Past
Ex: During the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens has become (became) one of the most famous British
novelists.
C. Would vs. Will
Ex: William Shakespeare, who will (would) become the greatest English dramatist, was born in 1564.
D. Gerunds vs. Infinitives
Infinitive replaced with gerund: Though she was one of the few women of her time gaining (to gain)
international prominence, Clara Barton would not have described herself as a proponent of women's rights.
Gerund replaced with infinitive: Laryngitis causes the vocal cords and surrounding tissue to swell, thus
preventing the vocal cords to move (from moving) freely.
E. Past Participle vs. Simple Past
Ex: My little brother has grew (grown) two inches during the past year.
F. Past Perfect
Ex: By the time it adjourned, the committee made (had made) several important decisions.
G. The Subjunctive
Indicative (normal): He arrives home at 5pm.
Subjunctive: It is necessary that he arrive home at 5pm.
Pronoun Case
● Ex: After two weeks, the teacher finally gave Robert and
I (me) back our report.
● Trick: What goes for singular, goes for plural
● Would you say, ‘The teacher gave I back my report?’
Obviously not. So you wouldn’t say ‘the teacher gave
Robert and I back our report’ either.
● Subject Pronouns tested on the SAT: I, He/She, We ,
They
● Object Pronouns tested on the SAT: Me, Him/Her, Us,
Them
● Any pronoun that follows a preposition must be an
object pronoun
● Important: Between you and me, NOT Between you and
I
 Antecedent-Pronoun
An antecedent is a noun that a pronoun refers to. In the sentence, “Jamie picked up the ball and threw it,”
the ball is the antecedent and it is the pronoun.
One and You
Ex: If one wants to avoid insect invasions, you (one) should refrain from leaving crumbs lying on your floor.
Singular vs. Plural
Any singular noun referring to a person: He or She/His or Her
Any singular noun referring to a thing: It/Its
Any plural noun referring to person or thing: They/Their
Ex: A person who wishes to become an Olympic-caliber athlete must devote virtually all of their (his or her)
time to training.
Ex: People who wish to become an Olympic-caliber athlete must devote virtually all of their time to training.
Missing Antecedent
Ex: Because of extreme weather conditions, starvation exists in some countries where they (people) must
struggle to stay alive.
Ambiguous Antecedent
Ex: Afraid that they would be late to the party, Jenny and Kate decided to take her (Kate’s) car rather than
walk.
IT = BAD (most likely). If the word “it” is underlined, it’s most likely wrong. Check its antecedent immediately.
Adjective vs. Adverb
● Adjectives modify nouns (The good boy; The loud noise,
etc.)
● Adverbs modify verbs and adjectives and usually end in
–ly: He speaks slowly; She runs quickly, etc.
● On the SAT, adverbs and adjectives are switched only
with one another. If an adjective is underlined, stick in
the adverb; if an adverb is underlined, stick in the
adjective.
● Ex: The patient recovered quick (quickly), although he
had been very ill earlier in the week.
● Ex: Because the man’s clothing seemed oddly (odd), he
attracted a number of stares.
Parallelism
A. Lists
● In any given list, each item should be in the exact same format. Either
noun, noun, noun, verb, verb, verb, or gerund, gerund, gerund. Any
deviation is incorrect.
● Ex: Susan likes to run, swim, and going (go) horseback riding.
B. Binary (Two-Part) Parallelism
● This kind of parallel structure more common on Fixing Sentences, but
(somewhat easier) versions of it do show up on Error-IDs pretty regularly.
● The construction on one side of a conjunction must match the construction
on the other side of the conjunction as closely as possible. If one side
contains noun + of + noun, the other must contain noun + of + noun; if one
side contains a gerund, the other must contain a gerund, etc.
● Very often these kinds of questions also double as word pair questions
(see list below).
● Ex: The researchers called for strict enforcement of existing tobacco
regulations as well as investigating (an investigation of) teenagers’
motivations for smoking.
Prepositions/Idioms
● Certain expressions always require certain prepositions.
For example, one has a familiarity with something, not a
familiarity in something. Because they are idiomatic,
reposition questions must be done by ear; there is no
way to anticipate what preposition will appear on a
given test.

● Ex: A familiarity in (with) Latin is useful for anyone who

wishes to pursue serious study of a modern romance
language.
Faulty Comparisons
● Compare things to things and people to people.
● When faulty comparison questions appear in Fixing
Sentences, they will typically be fixed with the phrases
that of (singular) or those of (plural)
● Ex: In ancient Greece, women were not allowed to vote
or hold property, their status differing from slaves (from
that of slaves) only in name.
● Ex: At the age of twenty-four, playwright Thornton
Wilder was balding and bespectacled, and his clothes
were like a much older man (like those of a much older
man).
Comparatives vs. Superlatives
(More vs. Most)
● More/-er form of adjective = 2 items being
compared
● Most/-est form of adjective = 3+ items being
compared
● Ex: Between the tiger and the lion, the tiger
is the faster animal, while the hippo is the
most ferocious (more ferocious).
● Ex: Hurricane Katrina was one of the more
(most) destructive storms of the last hundred
years.
Double Negatives, Double Positives

● Double Negative
● Ex: There is scarcely/hardly no (any)
milk left in the refrigerator.
● Double Positive
● Ex: Jane thought that Susan's blouse
was more prettier (prettier) than her
own.
Word Pairs
A. Either...Or
B. Neither...Nor
C. Not only...But Also
D. Both...And
E. Between…And (never "Between...Or")
E. As...As
F. More/Less…Than
G. So/Such…That
H. From…To
I. Just as…So (Rare)
J. At once...And (Rare, usually correct when it appears)
Noun Agreement
● Nouns must agree in number when joined by
a linking verb (usually to be or to become)
● Hint: Look for the phrase "as a + profession"
(actor, physicist, entomologist...)
● Ex: Jenny and Robert want to become a
scientist (scientists) when they grow up.
● Ex: The Wikipedia has joined the
Encyclopedia Britannica as favorite sources
(as a favorite source) for research.
Relative Pronouns
Who/That vs. Which
Who is for people, which/that is for things. In Error-IDs, which is typically used
incorrectly to refer to people; who is not used to refer to things.
Ex: Known for his many wives, King Henry VIII was a British monarch which
(who/that) ruled during the Tudor period.
-When "which" appears by itself, it is usually incorrect; preposition + which (e.g.
"in which") is usually correct.
-"Which" is always preceded by a comma; ‘That’ is never preceded by a comma
Correct: The movie that opened last Friday has earned rave reviews from
critics.
Correct: The movie, which opened last Friday, has earned rave reviews from
critics.
Very Important: Who vs. Whom is not actually tested on the SAT. "Who" is
only switched with "which." If "whom" is underlined, ignore it.
Other Relative Pronouns
When is for Time
Where is for Places (It is incorrect to say, "The story where....")
Coordinating Conjunctions (and vs. but)

When conjunctions are underlined, make sure

that they connect the two halves of the
sentences logically. Ideas that are being
continued need transitions like “and,” and ideas
that are being contradicted need transitions like
“but.”

Ex: People with a certain rare disease are

unable to feel physical pain, and (but) this does
not mean that they are unable to feel other
kinds of pain.
Fixing Sentences
1) Shorter is better:
Always start by looking at the shortest answer

2) -ING (esp. Being) is BAD

Gerunds create sentence fragments

3) Passive Voice is BAD

Active: I drink the water; Passive: the water is
drunk by me
The passive voice makes sentences wordy and
awkward.
Sentence Fragments
1) Gerund
Incorrect: The book being (was) banned from a
number of schools because it was so
controversial.
2) Missing main verb
Incorrect: The book, which was banned from a
number of schools because it was so
controversial.
Correct: The book was banned from a number
of schools because it was so controversial.
Commas and Semicolons
● FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
● Coordinating Conjunctions are used to join 2 complete
sentences (independent clauses). They must ALWAYS
be preceded by a comma:
● If a comma alone is used to join two Independent
Clauses, the result is what's known as a Comma Splice.
Comma splices are always incorrect.
● Comma Splice: It is very sunny today, it is also very
cold.
● Important: When two Independent Clauses that have
the same subject are joined with a Coordinating
Conjunction without repeating the second subject, no
comma is necessary before the Coordinating
Conjunction.
● Correct: It is very sunny today but also very cold.
Semicolons
● Semicolons essentially function like periods. They are
used to separate two full sentences when no
conjunction is present.
● Example: It is very sunny today; it is also very cold.
● A semicolon preceding a Coordinating Conjunction is
always incorrect.
● Incorrect: It is very sunny today; but it is also very cold.
● There are four transitions that should always be
preceded by a semicolon when they appear at the
beginning of a clause:
● 1) However 2) Therefore 3) Moreover 4) Consequently
● Correct: It is very sunny today; however, it is also very
cold.
● Incorrect: It is very sunny today, however, it is also very
Review: Ways to combine sentences
Sentence: 1: The book is very long.
Sentence 2: It is also very interesting.
1) The book is very long, but it is also very
interesting.
2) The book is very long; it is also very
interesting.
3) The book is very long; however, it is also
very interesting.
4) The book is very long but is also very
interesting
Dangling Modifiers
● Rule: Always place modifiers as close as possible to the
nouns they modify.
● Incorrect: Having resigned for personal reasons, the
ambassador's successor will probably be named
tomorrow
● Who resigned?
● The ambassador. So "The ambassador" is the subject.
● Therefore, the ambassador MUST be the first words
after the comma
● Correct: Having resigned for personal reasons, the
ambassador plans to name his successor tomorrow
Misplaced Modifiers
Incorrect: John found his keys running down
the street. (It sounds as if the keys are running
along the street)

Correct: While running down the street, John

found his keys.
Gerunds+Wordiness
Incorrect: The book was banned from a number
of schools because of it being so controversial.

Correct: The book was banned from a number

of schools because it was so controversial.