SAT (Digital) Unit 8 ReviewSAT Reading & Writing – Standard English Conventions

Key Grammar Concepts

• Parts of speech include nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections
• Clauses are groups of words that contain a subject and a predicate and function as a part of a sentence
  • Independent clauses express a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence
  • Dependent clauses do not express a complete thought and cannot stand alone as a sentence
• Phrases are groups of words that function as a single unit in a sentence but do not contain a subject-verb pair (prepositional phrases, participial phrases)
• Sentence fragments are incomplete sentences that lack a subject, a verb, or both
• Run-on sentences occur when two or more independent clauses are joined without proper punctuation or conjunctions
• Misplaced modifiers are words, phrases, or clauses that are placed too far from the word they modify, creating confusion

Common Sentence Structures

• Simple sentences contain one independent clause and no dependent clauses
• Compound sentences consist of two or more independent clauses joined by a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) or a semicolon
• Complex sentences have one independent clause and one or more dependent clauses connected by a subordinating conjunction (although, because, if, when, while)
• Compound-complex sentences combine the features of both compound and complex sentences, with at least two independent clauses and one or more dependent clauses
• Declarative sentences make a statement and end with a period
• Interrogative sentences ask a question and end with a question mark
• Imperative sentences give a command or make a request and typically end with a period
• Exclamatory sentences express strong emotion and end with an exclamation point

Punctuation Rules

• Commas are used to separate items in a series, set off introductory elements, and join independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction
  • Use a comma before the final "and" in a series (the Oxford comma) for clarity
• Semicolons are used to join closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction and to separate items in a series that already contain commas
• Colons introduce lists, explanations, or examples and are used after independent clauses
• Dashes can be used to set off parenthetical information or to create a dramatic pause
• Apostrophes show possession (singular nouns: 's, plural nouns ending in s: s', plural nouns not ending in s: 's) and indicate contractions
• Quotation marks are used to enclose direct quotations and titles of short works (articles, chapters, poems)
• Hyphens join compound modifiers before a noun and separate prefixes from proper nouns or adjectives

Subject-Verb Agreement

• Singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs
• Collective nouns (team, family, committee) can be singular or plural depending on the context
• Indefinite pronouns (everyone, anybody, each) typically take singular verbs
• Compound subjects joined by "and" take plural verbs; compound subjects joined by "or" or "nor" take a verb that agrees with the nearest subject
• In inverted sentences, the subject comes after the verb but still determines the verb form
• Titles, company names, and countries are usually treated as singular, regardless of their ending

Verb Tenses and Forms

• Present tense describes current actions, states, or habits
• Past tense describes completed actions or states in the past
• Future tense describes actions or states that will occur in the future
• Present perfect tense describes actions that began in the past and continue to the present or have just been completed (has/have + past participle)
• Past perfect tense describes an action completed before another past action (had + past participle)
• Future perfect tense describes an action that will be completed before a specific future time (will have + past participle)
• Progressive tenses describe ongoing actions (is/are/was/were + present participle)
• Consistent verb tense maintains the same tense within a sentence or paragraph unless a shift is necessary for clarity or to indicate a change in time

Modifiers and Parallelism

• Adjectives modify nouns and pronouns; adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
• Comparative modifiers (-er, more) compare two things; superlative modifiers (-est, most) compare three or more things
• Parallel structure maintains consistency in grammatical form within a sentence, particularly in lists, comparisons, and correlative constructions (both/and, either/or, neither/nor)
  • Example: "She likes hiking, swimming, and to ride her bike" (incorrect) vs. "She likes hiking, swimming, and riding her bike" (parallel gerunds)
• Dangling modifiers are phrases or clauses that do not clearly modify a specific word in the sentence, often because the intended subject is missing
• Squinting modifiers are placed in a position where they could modify either the preceding or following word or phrase, creating ambiguity

Error Identification Strategies

• Read the sentence carefully, paying attention to grammar, punctuation, and clarity
• Look for common errors such as subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, and misplaced modifiers
• Check for consistency in verb tense and parallel structure
• Ensure that the sentence is concise and does not contain redundant or unnecessary words
• Consider the context of the sentence within the paragraph and the overall passage
• Eliminate answer choices that are clearly incorrect or irrelevant to the error in the sentence
• Choose the most concise and grammatically correct answer that addresses the specific error and maintains the intended meaning of the sentence

Practice Questions and Tips

• Read the entire sentence or passage before answering the question to understand the context and intended meaning
• Identify the specific grammatical concept or rule being tested in each question
• Eliminate answer choices that are obviously incorrect or introduce new errors
• Choose the most concise and clear answer that correctly addresses the error and maintains the original meaning
• Practice regularly with a variety of questions covering different grammatical concepts and sentence structures
• Review explanations for both correct and incorrect answers to reinforce your understanding of the concepts and rules
• Keep track of your common mistakes and focus on improving in those areas
• Manage your time effectively during the test, spending more time on challenging questions but not getting stuck on any single question
• Trust your instincts and don't second-guess yourself too much; often, your first choice is correct