SAT Grammar Study Guide 2.0

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SAT Grammar Study Guide 2.0 Begin with the Grammar Diagnostic Test. Use the test to direct you to the videos that target your weaknesses in content and/or application. This study guide is for use with the SAT SAT Grammar Bootcamp video series series & the introduction videos of the SAT Grammar Tactics series. You can find these videos in the Writing section of reasonprep.com.

tested on the SAT. Check the lines after you SAT Grammar Bootcamp Covers the CONTENT tested watch the video. ___ #1 Noun Basics

___ #16 Clauses & Phrases

___ #2 Collective Nouns

___ #17 Run-ons & Comma Splices

___ #3 Noun Agreement

___ #18 Conjunctions & Coordination

___ #4 Verb Basics

___ #19 Fragments

___ #5 Subject-Verb Agreement

___ #20 Dependent Clauses

___ #6 Tense

___ #21 Parallelism

___ #7 Prepositions

___ #22 Dangling Participles/Modifiers

___ #8 Idioms

___ #23 Comparisons

___ #9 Pronouns

___ #24 Word Pairs

___ #10 Possessives

___ #25 Comparative & Superlative

___ #11 Case

___ #26 Gerunds, Participles, Infinitives

___ #12 Relative, Indefinite, and Reflexive Pronouns

___ #27 Appositives

___ #13 Pronoun Agreement ___ #14 Ambiguous Pronouns ___ #15 Adjectives & Adverbs

___ #28 Active & Passive Voice ___ #29 Auxiliary & Linking Verbs ___ #30 Wordiness


#1 - Noun Basics (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Noun Agreement videos)

Noun: Person, place, thing, or idea.

Proper noun: specific noun, capitalized. Bob, France, Madison Square Garden.

Common noun: tiger, person, freedom

Nouns as subjects: "Doer" or "be-er" of an action in a sentence (most of the time)

John loves Mary.

The president of the university is brilliant.

Nouns as objects: "Receiver" or beneficiary of an action. --> direct object: John hits the ball.

--> indirect object: John gave Bob the letter. (Or: John gave the letter to Bob.)

Nouns are generally correct on the SAT except for "noun agreement errors," though identifying subjects of sentences, pronoun antecedents, and verbs acting as nouns (gerunds) is crucial for identifying other grammar errors.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#2 - Collective Nouns (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Noun Agreement videos)

jury

family

team

bunch

class

group

committee

pack

The team loses/lose the game. The family is/are rich.

(While collective nouns generally take singular verbs and pronouns on the SAT, they can also be plural when members of the group are acting individually.)

#3 - Noun Agreement (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: No un Agreement videos)

Agreement: words and structures of a sentence have to agree with other word s/structures of the sentence. Includes verb agreement, pronoun agreement, etc.

John and Mary want to become an astronaut.

Different kinds of elements have a different atomic mass.

Through the championship run of 1994, Mark Messier and Brian Leetch carried the team during the season with their stellar offensive play and became the leader of the hockey club.

The campers, wary of the tales of beasts lurking in the forest, turned their head toward the east after hearing the howls.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#4 - Verb Basics

Verb: the doing or being of a sentence; the action; what is happening.

Sentence =

Transitive verb: Must take direct object. John carried the box to the store. Intransitive verb: Doesn't take direct object. John runs to the store. Both: John walks. John walks his dog.

Finite verb: main verb of a sentence; conjugated singular or plural with tense. Ex: walks, are, bought, had.

Non-finite verb: can't stand as main verbs; also known as "verbals." Ex: gerunds, infinitives, participles.

Finite verbs (main verbs) are conjugated - they have endings depending on whether the subject is singular/plural and the tense of the action.

This leads into Subject-Verb Agreement...


#5 - Subject-Verb Agreement (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Subject-Verb Agreement)

Subject-Verb Agreement: A subject and verb must agree in number (singular or plural) in the present tense. Remember that singular verbs end in -s, and plural verbs do not end in -s. Plural nouns, however, end in -s, while singular nouns do not end in -s. Example: The boy s talk. The boy talk s.

John walk to the store.

John and Mary walks to the store.

John or the boys steal___ the money. John or the boy steal___ the money.

Neither the boys nor John steal___ the money.

The theory is exciting.

The theory about the birth and death of stars ___ exciting.

The team win___ the game.

Everybody like___ to eat.

There ______ three kinds of people.

My baby brother, who always got bad grades, ____ in detention today.


#6 - Tense (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Tense videos)

Tense errors are a kind of agreement error: All the tenses in a sentence should match or be consistent. Ex.

When John was ill, he eats rice.

Three years ago, John leaves for Spain. Past I swam. He swam. I walked. He walked.

Present I swim. He swims. I walk. He walked.

Future I will swim. I am going to walk.

Continuous

I was eating when the phone rang.

I am eating when John calls me.

I will be eating when the movie starts.

Perfect

I realized that I had forgotten to turn off the toaster. I had spoken German before I visited Germany.

I have visited Germany I will have made three three times. sales by the time the I have studied hour is up. chemistry for three months.

Perfect Continuous

I had been walking when the rain began.

I have been waiting for I will have been the promotion for driving for five hours three years. when we make our first stop.

Simple

Will - future tense. "He will become President of the USA." Would - future in the past. "Charles was born bo rn in 1903 and would become the first circus performer."


#7 - Prepositions (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Idioms videos)

Prepositions: words that show time/space relationships between nouns or tell us the conditions under which something happens. about to

before

after

until

without

at

down of

on

beside underneath

Prepositional Phrases: must be followed by nouns; will not contain main verbs. I walked under the ladder near the side of the house.

Sawyer took a shower after the basketball game.

He bought the house with his lottery winnings.

Martha is at home.

Prepositions as Subordinators: can start a dependent clause (contains main verb).

After John left the house, he ran into his buddy Gregory.

Since the fall of the King, war has ravaged the land.

Mario saved the Princess before he saved Luigi.


#8 - Idioms (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Idioms, Verb Form videos)

"Kick the bucket" "Spill the beans"

Idioms on the SAT: certain word combinations, constructions, etc. are "idiomatic" while others are not.

Prepositional idioms (most common)   

listen to preoccupied with capable of

Verb Forms  

decided to compete suggested building (not "to build")

Word Pairs (Correlative conjunctions)  

not only...but also neither...nor

There are no rules or reasons why an idiom is the way it is. They are expressions and phrasings that come along with the English language and simply must be learned as you speak, read, write, and listen. Most native speakers know the proper idioms as long as they don't "overthink"; non-native speakers might benefit from looking at idiom word lists (only to a point). You could Google "SAT idioms" and an d find lists, but caution: Don't spend a lot of time on them because it's unlikely the College Board will repeat old errors. Instead, train yourself to be on the lookout for idiom errors. When you see a preposition, pay attention!


#9 - Pronouns (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Pronoun Agreement videos)

Pronoun: a word that refers to another noun (or noun phrase) in the sentence. ( SAT's SAT's Usage )

Bob bought Bob's sister the sweater that Bob and Bob's sister saw at the mall on Tuesday.

Personal Pronouns: replace noun with a specific grammatical person: first, second, or third person singular or plural. Can take "subject" or "object" form.

Antecedent: the noun that the pronoun refers to. According to the SAT's standards, the pronoun must agree with its antecedent. Indeed, third person pronouns must have a clear, unambiguous antecedent in the sentence itself; antecedents inferred from context alone are not acceptable.

The worker was angry with their supervisor, super visor, but he agreed with his decision.

After the party, we spent four hours cleaning the house.

It is unclear whether the chicken or the egg came first.


#10 - Possessives

To indicate possession:

Possession is not directly tested on the SAT, e.g. no it's v. its dilemma. However...

Possessive pronouns:

Those glasses are mine.

Possessive adjectives:

Possessive adjectives must have a clear antecedent: Ex. The boys ate their dinner.


#11 - Case (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Case videos)

Subject Case

Object Case

John and me walked to the store after school.

The old man heard my brother and I sneaking into his house.

Do me a favor and keep this between you and I.

He gave John and I the key.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #12 - Relative, Indefinite, and Reflexive Pronouns (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Pronoun Agreement, Modification & Subordination videos)

Demonstrative: this, that, these, those, such I want that. I want that car.

Not tested specifically, but watch for "dummy pronouns": Ex. Robin witnessed the 1980 Miracle on Ice, and this was responsible for his love of hockey.


Relative: used in relative clauses to refer back to a noun in the main clause. who, which, that, when, where

Essential v. Nonessential (aka Restrictive v. Nonrestrictive)

My brother who is in the Army came home yesterday. My brother, who is in the Army, came home yesterday.

The story that I read today was exciting. The story, which I read today, was exciting.

Indefinite: everybody, anybody, somebody, all, each, every, some, none, one

Reflexive: used when the subject of the sentence does some action to him/her/itself. myself, yourself, himself, herself, ourselves, themselves

I washed myself. He hit himself. We did this to ourselves.

Direct any inquiries to Bob or myself.

To avoid any further complications, Janet will talk to the clients herself.

No who v. whom v. whose!


#13 - Pronoun Agreement (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Pronoun Agreement, Pronoun Consistency videos)

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents - singular or plural.

A student might want to determine their major before starting college.

People who want to do well on the SAT must dedicate his or her time appropriately.

The town is well known for its hospitality; they always try to make visitors feel welcome.

Every student should bring their books to class.

Each of the great theories of physics are known for their complexity.

If you want to learn SAT grammar efficiently and effectively, one must learn what is actually tested.

Those who stand up for their political beliefs do it from a sense of patriotism, not sedition.

Martha became famous for her novel High Tides , a book that plucked herself from obscurity and made her famous.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#14 - Ambiguous Pronouns (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Ambiguous Pronouns videos)

Bob and Sally tried to find his lost dog.

Bob and Joe tried to find his lost dog.

After the recent natural disasters in multiple states, they have called for new regulations.

In the magazine article, it reported a huge budget deficit.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #15 - Adjectives Ad jectives & Adverbs (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Adjectives & Adverbs videos)

Adjectives: words that modify nouns. the tall, old tree the big red dog the crumbling mansion the cracked concrete The breakfast was delicious.

Adverbs: words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. Often end s in -ly. The man ran quickly. the constantly changing price The man ran really quickly.


#16 - Clauses & Phrases (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Coordination videos)

Clause: Any group of words that contains a subject and a main (finite) verb. I walk. The man is watching the birds. The growling, sinister troll under the bridge br idge near the Northern River growled at the brave yet wary travelers on the road. Which I described to my brother.

Phrase: Doesn't contain subject-verb relationship, but may contain verbals. Thinking over all his options. The mansion located on the outskirts of town. To improve your SAT skills.

Independent Clause: Clause that can stand by itself. John returned from Paris yesterday. I am running the marathon today.

Dependent (Subordinate) Clause: Clause that can't stand by itself. Before he left for Jessica's house. Even though Dexter covered his tracks. Because he was late. Who is known for his screenplays. That I found yesterday.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#17 - Run-ons and Comma Splices (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Comma Splice videos)

Run-on sentence: Two independent clauses (or more) just smashed together without any coordination.

John ate food he liked it.

John sat in the restaurant he loved as a child he cannot remember what he or dered though.

John sat in the restaurant he loved as a child, a restaurant that reminded him of days spent walking the streets of the great city with his pals, wondering if he would ever see outside its walls, but he said nothing to his companion as they ate their meals in silence, melting in a summer heat undiminished by the puny, ineffectual air conditioner hanging limply on the shabby wall across the room.

Comma Splice: Two independent clauses connected with only a comma. Very common!

One group thought that the scientists were correct, another group thought they were wrong.

The paleontologists were stunned at their discovery, it meant that accepted theories were flawed.

It's too late, we need to go now.

He needs to buy a new car, this is due to the huge fire.

John put on his suit and tie, then he grabbed his briefcase and closed the door.


#18 - Conjunctions & Coordination (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Coordination videos)

I bought the computer, I need it for work.

1. Separate sentences with period. I bought the computer. I need it for work.

2. Use FANBOYs coordinating conjunction with comma.

I bought the computer, for I need it for work. The book weighs ten pounds, so I don't don 't want to carry it in my backpack. Grandma bought me a new table, and I don't need it. The salesman rang the doorbell and knocked on the door.

3. Use a semicolon; a "semicolon splice" is legal! I bought the computer; I need it for work. Grandma bought me a new table; however, I don't need it.

(Other conjunctive adverbs: moreover, in addition, thus, hence, finally, furthermore...)

4. Transform one independent clause into a subordinate clause or a phrase. I bought the computer even though Mom got me a new machine two months ago. I bought the computer because I need it for work. I bought the computer for work.


#19 - Fragments (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Fragments videos)

Fragment: A "sentence" that cannot stand by itself - either a phrase or dependent clause.

Thinking over all his options.

The mansion located on the outskirts of town.

To improve your SAT skills.

Roger baking the fresh bread.

In Japan during the war.

The violinist, who trained with the great masters, playing at the theater right now.

Steve Jobs, a visionary inventor and businessman, and placed many demands on his employees.

Even though he followed the rules and regulations to the letter.

Riding his bike through the wind and rain, the racer, who trained for months to win this race.

1. Always look for a subject-finite verb relationship. 2. Make sure that clause is independent and not dependent. 3. Look for frags in question and answer choices.


#20 - Dependent Clauses

Dependent/Subordinate Clause: Clause that can't stand by itself without creating a fragment. It "depends" on an independent clause.

Subordinate conjunction + subject + verb

Although, because, even though, if, once, since, that, unless, whenever, while After, before, until, since

Although I pretend otherwise, I love practicing for the SAT.

Because the company expanded too quickly, it is having cash flow problems.

The company is having cash flow problems because it expanded too quickly.

Relative pronoun (+ subject) + verb

The winger who scored the game-winning goal celebrated with his teammates.

The paper, which I read yesterday, blew my mind.

The forest fire was caused by an abandoned campfire, which burned down over 1000 acres of woodland.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#21 - Parallelism (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Parallelism videos)

Parallelism: different parts of a sentence that have the same functions or importance must share the same form or pattern.

I like swimming, running, and to play baseball.

After school Bobby will swim in the lake, talk to his friends, and he is going to play with his do g.

The new science textbook teaches experimental methods, theoretical concepts, and instructs students on proper technique.

He wants to meet Bill Gates, build a computer, and a new desk.

Janet claimed to not only know the answer but also understood how to explain it clearly.

The teacher told his students that they should study hard, that they should get a good night's sleep, and to eat a good breakfast.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#22 - Dangling Participles/Modifiers (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Dangling Modifiers videos)

After he barked at the postal worker, John scolded his puppy.

Wearing the uniform of a police officer, many people were tricked by the deceptive thief.

He found his wallet walking down the street.

Smiling knowingly at the stranger, the sky thundered ominously. NOTES & QUESTIONS:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #23 - Comparisons (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Comparisons videos)

I like John's cookies as much as Mary.

I think Google's strategy is better than Microsoft.

When my skills are compared to Bob, it's quite clear who will come out ahead.

J.K. Rowling's books are more popular than th an him.

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#24 - Word Pairs (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Word Pairs videos)

Correlative conjunctions: "Word pairs" that connect two parallel items, phrases, or clauses.

Vernon's dream is to either ride his bike cross country or circumn avigate the globe.

The administrator was neither amused nor pleased p leased that the department was over budget.

The diamond is not only the most valuable gem in the world but also the most beautiful.

His first novel was both a groundbreaking piece of literature and a mass-market blockbuster.

The candidate was as charismatic as he was shrewd.

Just as automobiles need the right fuel to run smoothly, so human bein gs need nutritious food to operate at peak condition.

Molly had to choose between starting a fight and being calm.

I think Abraham is more trustworthy than Peter.

He was so angry that he left sixteen messages.

It was not until the end of the war in 1945 that the troops returned home.

The film was at once offensive in its subject matter and amateurish in its execution.


#25 - Comparative & Superlative (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Comparisons videos)

Comparative: When comparing two things, use -er endings with adjectives or more + adj.

The Yankees are a good team.

The Yankees are a better team than the Mets.

Duncan is more intelligent than Sam.

Of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, Buffet is richer.

The mall was less crowded yesterday.

Payroll size is one of the differences between the Yankees and the Marlins.

Superlative: When comparing three or more things, use -est endings with adjectives or most + adj.

The New York Rangers are the fastest team.

Of Mario, Link, and Donkey Kong, Mario is the most beloved.

Among the seven books of the series, I find the last book to be the best.

Finding a new roommate is the least of my worries.


#26 - Gerunds, Participles, P articiples, Infinitives (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Verb Form videos)

Verbals: a nonfinite verb; words, derived from a verb, that carry activity or being but do not function as main verbs by themselves, e.g. to swim, walking, walked.

Gerunds: verbs acting as noun; ends in -ing



Swimming is really fun. I hate dancing.



He was found guilty of stealing the money.



Participles: verb acting as adjective or part of compound tenses. 





Present participle: ends in -ing. the dancing ballerina o o John has been singing all night. Past participle: ends in -ed or irregular forms of verb. the ruined painting o o John has visited France three times. o John visited France three times. No one has ever swum across the globe. o Barry got really sick because he had drunk a gallon of milk in less than an hour. o The cheering crowd called for the retired player to return for a curtain call.

Infinitive: to + root of verb. Can serve many different functions (noun, adjective, adverb).       

to swim to think To cure cancer and win the Nobel Prize are two of my goals. I love to swim. The best method to solve this question is to plug in your own answer . To avoid burning the cake, make sure to check the temperature every five minutes. John will talk to his teacher to ask for extra credit.

Watch for verb form/idiom errors! The man decided running the marathon.


#27 - Appositives

Appositive phrase: a phrase that renames a noun; must be placed in commas after the noun. Appositives must be nouns or noun phrases.

My boss, Roger, let me leave early.

The boy next door, a troublemaker at birth, broke into my house.

My favorite hobby, cooking at home, is relatively inexpensive.

My ultimate goal, to win the championship, suddenly became an impossibility.

The velociraptor, a skilled hunter that was featured in Jurassic Park, was actually quite a sm all dinosaur.

Appositives will rarely contain errors but often mask mask errors elsewhere in the sentence! sentence!

NOTES & QUESTIONS:


#28 - Active & Passive Voice (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Wordiness videos)

The subject of the sentence is not necessarily the agent, the doer or the be-er o f the action, in the sentence. Sometimes the subject is acted upon by another agent, which may be named or unnamed.

SUBJECT = AGENT = ACTIVE VOICE

Chris hit the ball.

SUBJECT = DIRECT OBJECT = PASSIVE VOICE

The ball was hit. The philosophy department is run by Billy Bob. The cities were destroyed in a series of bombing bomb ing raids.

To form passive voice: Noun + is/are/was/were + past p articiple

On the SAT:

Active or passive voice is not tested directly, though the SAT prefers active voice (often because active voice produces shorter sentences). Passive voice may produce "wordy" choices.

In Real Life:

"Mistakes were made." Active voice is generally preferred, but passive voice is preferable when style, clarity, or expediency dictates.


#29 - Auxiliary & Linking Verbs

Linking verbs: provide more information about the status of a noun. John is late. The movie theater was packed. The candy tastes sweet. Tom seems tired. The salesman seemed sketchy.

Auxiliary verbs: used to form compound tenses or show possibility, necessity, or ability ("modal" verbs). The team is playing. I was waiting for Victor when I got the call. I have been waiting for this moment since freshman year. John can play piano and sing at the same time. You should visit your grandmother when you travel through Boston. The city will be holding a three-day celebration of its 100th anniversary.


#30 - Wordiness (for practice problems, see SAT Grammar Tactics: Wordiness videos)

The subject is being hard to study.

I wrote the essay with my purpose to be the releasing of the prisoners.

I want to begin in the participation of the league.

During the battle, the rebels blew up the dam, and this confused the government.

The men walking to their barracks, they decided to disobey the orders.

I quit my job due to the fact that I hated my boss.

The new school club was founded by me.

We can't decide between the two business plans because each plan is different in its different target market.

Because the governor vetoed the bill, the result will be the further eroding of the public safety net.

The painter is always busy considering that th at his paintings combine both beautiful aesthetics and a long-lasting nature.


of SAT content to real SAT problems. SAT Grammar Tactics Covers the APPLICATION of Videos #1-7 are located on reasonprep.com for free. The rest o f the videos, listed in this table of contents, are in the Members Area. Learn more about the Members Area at reasonprep.com/enroll/ ___ #1 Introduction ___ #2 Grammar Section Basics ___ #3 Pacing & Guessing ___ #4 The Big Mistake ___ #5 The Major Error Type ___ #6 Improving Sentences - Core Strategy ___ #7 Error IDs - Core Strategy Str ategy

___ Subject-Verb Agreement ___ In Error IDs ___ In Improving Sentences ___ Or - Singular or Plural? ___ Inverted Word Order ___ Fragments ___ Need Main Verb ___ Watch for "Being" ___ In Error IDs ___ Pronoun Agreement ___ Pronouns Must Agree in Number ___ Relative Pronouns ___ Reflexive Pronouns ___ Dangling Modifiers ___ Move Noun to Front ___ Rearrange Sentence

___ Tense ___ Past vs. Present ___ Present Perfect with Since ___ Compound Tenses ___ Parallelism ___ List of Three Items ___ Pairs of Items ___ Word Pairs ___ Compound Predicates ___ Don't Overcorrect ___ Comma Splice ___ Idioms ___ Prepositional Idioms ___ Wordiness ___ Comparisons ___ Wordiness ___ Find the Concise Choice ___ The SAT Loves "Because" ___ Passivity ___ Don't Overcorrect ___ Being ___ Modification & Subordination ___ Relative Clauses ___ Improper Modification ___ Misplaced Modifier


___ Coordination ___ Proper Mechanics ___ Logics ___ Semicolons ___ In Error Ids ___ Word Pairs ___ Ambiguous Pronouns ___ Dummy Pronouns - It & They ___ Dummy Pronouns - This & That Th at ___ Truly Ambiguous Pronouns ___ Noun Agreement ___ Adjectives & Adverbs ___ Verb Form ___ Gerunds vs. Infinitives ___ Idioms ___ Case ___ Pronoun Case ___ Don't Overcorrect!

___ Redundancy ___ Pronoun Consistency ___ Miscellaneous ___ Subjunctive ___ Diction ___ No Change ___ No Error ___ "It Sounds Wrong..." ___ Look for the Traps ___ Improving Paragraphs ___ Improving Paragraphs Basics ___ Core Strategy ___ 2005 Practice ___ 2007-2008 Practice ___ 2009-2010 Practice ___ 2012-2013 Practice


#1 - Introduction, SAT Grammar Tactics

SAT Grammar Bootcamp

SAT Grammar Tactics

How SAT Grammar Tactics is Set Up:

1) Questions organized by error and in order of importance 2) Errors can & do overlap! 3) Some kinds of errors appear in answer choices too. 4) Focuses mostly on grammar but also addresses improving paragraphs in final videos 5) All questions come from real practice SATs (test and section indicated for each problem) 6) For more about the essay, check out the SAT Essay Bootcamp

How to Use the Videos

1) Take notes (use the study guide!) 2) Do practice problems before I do 3) Rewatch videos as necessary

How to Practice

1) untimed questions 2) untimed sections 3) timed sections 4) full tests


#2 - Grammar Section Basics, SAT Grammar Tactics

35 Q, 25 min

14 Q, 10 min


The writing section is EASIEST to improve, but it's not as important as Math and Critical Reading.


#3 - Pacing & Guessing, SAT Grammar Tactics

Pacing: how best to use your time to reach your score goal.

OMIT as few as possible (for ( for any score goal)

Why? ________________________________________________________ ______________________ __________________________________

When should you guess? ________________________________________ ___________________________________ _____

If time is an issue, focus on easies & mediums first before worrying about the hards.

Like Critical Reading: focus on eliminating choices, always check all five before bubbling in


#4 - The Big Mistake, SAT Grammar Tactics

That sounds right! That sounds wrong!

Don't trust your ear! Always back it up with your knowledge of the common errors & patterns.

#5 - The Major Error Type, SAT Grammar Tactics

AGREEMENT: _____________________________________________________ _________________________ _____________________________________________________ _________________________

_____________________________________________________ _________________________ _________________________________________________ _____________________

Examples:

The other major error category: _____________________________________________________ ______________________________________ _______________


#6 - Improving Sentences: Core Strategy, SAT Grammar Tactics

1. Read the sentence.

2. If you spot the error: eliminate choices that that make the same error, find the choice that corrects corrects it, eliminate all other choices.

3. If you don't spot the error: check each choice to see what it changes; find sentence that makes the best change.

4. If you still can't find an error and no choice improves the original sentence, pick A - NO CHANGE.

General Tips:

a) Support your "ear" with reasons and knowledge - don't just pick the choice that "sounds" better b) All things being equal, the shorter choice is preferred (less wordy) c) The correct answer generally makes only NECESSARY changes to the sentence (and preserves meaning) d) Harder questions may incorporate multiple errors e) Answer choices that correct the original error may introduce new errors f) Expect at least one "no change" (A) in hards and 2-3 overall g) Do NOT make changes in style - e.g. "I'd rather write it this way." ALWAYS CHECK ALL FIVE CHOICES!


#7 - Error IDs: Core Strategy, SAT Grammar Tactics

1. Read the sentence

2. If you spot the error: circle it and check rest of choices.

3. If you don't spot the error: check each choice as "part of speech" and look for error patterns for each.

4. If you can't find an error, select E "no error."

General Tips:

a) Do not select a choice just because you'd write it differently!

b) Most right answers require a change, not just an addition or deletion.

c) Don't just pick a choice because it "sounds wrong."

d) Expect at least one "no error" (E) in hards and 3-4 overall.

e) Again, ALWAYS check all choices!


SAT Essay Bootcamp How to write an SAT essay and earn your target score.

___ #1 - Introduction

___ #15 - How to Get a 6

___ #2 - The Essay & Writing Section

___ #16 - Core Strategy

___ #3 - Flaws of the SAT Essay

___ #17 - The Thesis or Argument

___ #4 - How the Essay is Scored

___ #18 - Selecting Two Examples

___ #5 - The SAT Essay Prompt

___ #19 - Make a Plan

___ #6 - SAT Essay Myths

___ #20 - Details...Be Specific

___ #7 - What Makes a Good Essay?

___ #21 - Flow, or Progression of Ideas

___ #8 - The 0 Essay

___ #22 - Varied Sentence Structure

___ #9 - The 1 Essay

___ #23 - Diction (Word Choice)

___ #10 - The 2 Essay

___ #24 - Writing the Introduction

___ #11 - The 3 Essay

___ #25 - Body Paragraphs

___ #12 - The 4 Essay

___ #26 - Writing the Conclusion

___ #13 - The 5 Essay

___ #27 - Sample Essay

___ #14 - The 6 Essay


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SAT Grammar Study Guide 2.0

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