Please note that the
following rules have been derived from an extensive study of numerous College
Board tests, not just the ones in the Blue Book. Some of them may therefore be
difficult to apply if you are using a commercially produced prep book (e.g. Kaplan,
Princeton Review) whose tests are designed as approximations of the real thing
and sometimes do not contain errors in exactly the same format as those created
by the College Board. I can guarantee, however, that the following represents a
summary of virtually every type of error that appears on the actual Writing section of
the SAT.
If you'd like more
in-depth explanations of these rules, along with extensive exercises, please
consider ordering a copy of The Ultimate Guide to SAT
Grammar.
Error-Identification
Categories
1) Subject-Verb
Agreement
2) Verb Tense
3) Pronoun Case
4) Antecedent Pronoun
(Pronoun Agreement)
5) Adjective vs. Adverb
6) Parallelism
7) Prepositions
8) Faulty Comparisons
9) Comparatives vs.
Superlatives
10) Double
negatives/Double positives
11) Word Pairs
12) Noun Agreement
13) Relative Pronouns
14) Coordinating
Conjunctions
15) Usage
16) Redundancy
Note: while other kinds
of errors (e.g. misplaced modifiers) may occasionally appear, they are
extremely rare and are therefore not covered here. Although you can expect to
find errors from a number of categories included in each section, the first
four categories (Verb and Pronoun Errors) generally appear most frequently. It
is therefore recommended that you take some time to familiarize yourself with
the kinds of sentence structures in which they appear. The remaining categories
are listed in approximate order frequency.
In the examples
below, the correct answers are given in parentheses.
Although some of the
examples below are taken from College Board-created questions, the majority are
simplified versions intended to illustrate particular grammatical principles.
1) 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.
Whenever you encounter a
parenthetical clause (a clause set off by commas that can be removed without
affecting the fundamental meaning of the sentence), cross it out and check
subject-verb agreement
B. Subject –
Prepositional phrase – Verb
A prepositional phrase
is, quite simply, a phrase that begins with a preposition (in the box, under
the table, over the hill, etc.). Very often these will be inserted between
subjects and verbs to distract from subject-verb disagreements. Prepositional
phrases always end when you get to the verb.
Ex: Changes in the
balance of trade seems (seem) remote from everyday concerns, but they can
drastically affect how we spend our money.
If you don’t see an
error the first time you read a sentence, try crossing out prepositional
phrases and checking for subject-verb agreement ("Changes...seems remote from everyday concerns..." is much easier to spot).
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.
When prepositional phrase is placed first, make sure you identify the complete subject: very often compound subjects (two singular nouns joined by "and") will be used in this construction, which often appears at the end of the Error-Identification section. In such cases, a singular verb will incorrectly replace a plural verb.
Ex: Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends (extend) a park and lake owned an operated by the Loup power district.
When prepositional phrase is placed first, make sure you identify the complete subject: very often compound subjects (two singular nouns joined by "and") will be used in this construction, which often appears at the end of the Error-Identification section. In such cases, a singular verb will incorrectly replace a plural verb.
Ex: Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends (extend) a park and lake owned an 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 the pencil are sitting on the table.
On the SAT, singular
nouns connected by neither/nor are only incorrectly paired with plural verbs;
plural nouns connected by neither/nor are not tested.
Important:
-“Group” nouns (e.g.
company, school, city, country, committee, jury, etc.) = singular.
-Each & Every = Singular
-A number (of) = Plural BUT The number = Singular
-Gerunds when used as
subjects (e.g. Constructing new skyscrapers often takes many
months) = Singular.
-It is also permissible to use both what and whether as subjects (e.g. "Whether dogs are capable of experiencing complex emotions is a subject of much debate among experts."); both are singular.
-It is also permissible to use both what and whether as subjects (e.g. "Whether dogs are capable of experiencing complex emotions is a subject of much debate among experts."); both are singular.
2) Verb Tense
A. Tense Consistency
Sentences that start in
the past should generally stay in the past; sentences that start in the present
should generally stay in the present.
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
These questions are
almost always recognizable by the inclusion of a date or a time period in the
sentence. Any sentence that includes a date in the past or mentions a
historical period should always contain a verb in the Simple Past (e.g., went,
drank, sang), NOT in the Present Perfect (has gone, has drunk, has sung).
Ex: During the
nineteenth century, Charles Dickens has become (became) one of the most famous British novelists.
However, sentences
containing ‘Since’ and ‘For’ require the Present Perfect (e.g., I have
gone to this school since 2005; I have gone to this school
for five years).
C. Would vs. Will
Will and Would get
switched with one another; if "will" is underlined, stick in
"would" and vice-versa
Ex: William Shakespeare,
who will (would) become the greatest English dramatist, was born in 1564.
-In general,
"would" should not be used in a sentence with present-tense verbs,
and "will" should not be used in a sentence with past-tense
verbs.
-Do NOT use would have in a clause that begins with if:
If he would have arrived (had arrived) at 5pm, I would have been very happy.
-Do NOT use would have in a clause that begins with if:
If he would have arrived (had arrived) at 5pm, I would have been very happy.
D. Gerunds vs.
Infinitives
Gerunds and Infinitives
are switched with one another
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
In these questions, the
simple past rather than the past participle will be incorrectly paired with a
form of the verb “To Have.”
Ex: My little brother
has grew (grown) two inches
during the past year.
F. Past Perfect
Past Perfect = Had +
Past Participle (e.g. I had seen, I had gone, He had thrown, etc.)
When a sentence contains
two actions or events that occurred in the past, the action that occurred first
should be in the past perfect
The phrase ‘by the time’
is usually a tip-off that the past perfect is required.
Ex: By the time it
adjourned, the committee made (had made) several important decisions.
Action #1: The committee
made several important decisions
Action #2: The committee
adjourned
G. The Subjunctive
The subjunctive is tested infrequently but does appear from time to time. It involves expressions of suggestion and necessity. The main change in the present subjunctive comes in the third person singular form of the verb:
Indicative (normal): He arrives home at 5pm.
Subjunctive: It is necessary that he arrive home at 5pm.
The past subjunctive involves hypothetical circumstances; it includes the verb were, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.
If he were to arrive at 5pm, I would be very happy.
G. The Subjunctive
The subjunctive is tested infrequently but does appear from time to time. It involves expressions of suggestion and necessity. The main change in the present subjunctive comes in the third person singular form of the verb:
Indicative (normal): He arrives home at 5pm.
Subjunctive: It is necessary that he arrive home at 5pm.
The past subjunctive involves hypothetical circumstances; it includes the verb were, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.
If he were to arrive at 5pm, I would be very happy.
3) 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
4)
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
You...You
One...One
Ex: If one wants to
avoid insect invasions, you (one) should refrain from leaving crumbs lying on
your floor.
Singular vs. Plural
Singular nouns are
referred to by singular pronouns; plural nouns are referred to by plural
pronouns.
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.
BUT: 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.
Ex: In the report
released by the committee, it stated that the significant budget cuts would be
necessary for the following year.
(The report released by
the committee stated that significant budget cuts would be necessary for the
following year).
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.
Antecedents = Nouns
or Gerunds Only
Do it = Wrong
Do so = Right
Ex: Activists who defend
endangered species from poaching do it (so) on the grounds that such animals,
once gone, are irreplaceable.
What does ‘it’ refer to
in this sentence? Defending endangered species. But since the word
‘defending’ doesn’t actually appear in the sentence, ‘it’ has no real
antecedent.
Important:
For both Subject-Verb
Agreement and Pronoun Agreement, be on the lookout for collective nouns such as
group, committee, company, jury, city, agency, team, etc. These nouns are
always considered singular, and it is not uncommon for the SAT to pair them with
plural verbs and pronouns. Whenever one of these words appears, you should
immediately be suspicious.
IT = BAD (most likely).
If the word “it” is underlined, it’s most likely wrong. Check its antecedent
immediately.
5) 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.
6) 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).
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.
7) 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.
8) 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)
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).
9) 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.
10) 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.
11) Word Pairs
A. Either...Or
Either the politician or
his aide will speak to the media this afternoon.
B. Neither...Nor
Neither the politician
nor his aide will speak to the media this afternoon.
C. Not only...But
Also
Not only the politician
but also his aide will speak to the media this afternoon.
D. Both...And
Both the politician and
his aide will speak to the media this afternoon.
E. Between…And (never "Between...Or")
Between the politician
and his aide, the latter is far more interesting to listen to.
E. As...As
The aide is as
interesting a speaker as the politician.
F. More/Less…Than
The politician’s aid is
a more interesting speaker than the politician himself.
G. So/Such…That
The politician was such
a boring speaker that half the audience fell asleep.
H. From…To
The politician’s speech
covered topics ranging from the economy to the environment.
I. Just as…So (Rare)
Just as the politician’s
speech put half the audience to sleep, so did the commentator’s remarks cause
the other half to begin yawning.
J. At once...And
(Rare, usually correct when it appears)
The politician’s speech
was at once intriguing because of its content and dull because of the monotone
in which it was delivered.
12) 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...)
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.
13) 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.
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.
BUT
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....")
14) 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.
15) Usage (Rare, 1
per test maximum)
Ex: The tall buildings
were just barely visual (visible) from the outskirts of the city.
16) Redundancy (Rare,
1 per test maximum)
Ex: According to recent
reports, the collapse of the country’s government is imminent and could occur
in the future.
Fixing
Sentences
The following rules
provide a general set of guidelines for the Fixing Sentences portion of the
Writing section.
Rules for picking
answers:
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.
Major Issues Tested
Sentence Fragments
1) Gerund
Incorrect: The book being (was) banned from a number of schools because it was so controversial.
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
Coordinating (aka
FANBOYS) conjunction:
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:
Sentence 1: It is very
sunny today
Sentence 2: It is also
very cold
Joined: It is very sunny
today, but it is also very
cold.
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.
Incorrect: 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 cold.
So to sum up, in
order to be successful on the Fixing Sentences section, you must be absolutely
solid on the the four basic ways of combining independent clauses:
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 interestin
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 (Rare)
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.
Parenthetical
(Non-Essential) Clauses
Incorrect: The book,
which was banned from a number of schools, and it was highly controversial.
Correct: The book,
which was banned from a number of schools, was highly controversial.
Important: If a sentence contains a correctly used
parenthetical clause and does not contain another grammatical error, it is virtually always correct, no matter how odd it may sound (e.g. "A cure for some cancers,
scientists believe, may be found within the next decade").
Parallelism
Lists (Easy)
Incorrect: I like
biking, swimming, and to play soccer
Correct: I
like biking, swimming, and playing soccer
"Binary" or
Two-Part Parallelism (Hard - usually last question of section)
Incorrect: Jessye Norman
is an American opera singer who is known for the emotional impact of her
singing and her intellectual command of her music is impressive.
Correct: Jessye
Norman is an American opera singer who is known for both the emotional
impact of her
singing and for her impressive intellectual command of her music.
Look for classic "noun + of + noun" structure
Error-ID Categories
that often appear on Fixing Sentences:
-Subject-Verb Agreement
(Typically subject-prepositional-phrase verb)
-Antecedent Pronoun
(Watch out for It, Which, and This, which often lack antecedents)
-Verb Tense (esp. Tense
Consistency)
-Conjunctions (and vs.
but/however)
-Faulty Comparisons
(always fix with that of/those of)
-Word Pairs (esp. between...and,
so...that, just as...so, not only...but also)
