PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) Writing and Standard English Conventions Syllabus

Writing and Standard English Conventions syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Writing and Standard English Conventions in PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test), not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Sentence Structure and Boundaries

   4 topics

   • Complete Sentences vs. Fragments
     • Recognizing missing subjects or verbs
     • Fixing dependent-clause fragments
   • Run-Ons and Comma Splices
     • Joining independent clauses correctly
     • Using periods, semicolons, and conjunctions
   • Subordination and Coordination
     • Combining clauses with appropriate conjunctions
   • Modifier Placement
     • Correcting dangling and misplaced modifiers
2. 2

   Verbs, Agreement, and Pronouns

   4 topics

   • Subject-Verb Agreement
     • Agreement with intervening phrases
     • Collective and indefinite subjects
   • Verb Tense and Form
     • Consistency of tense within a passage
     • Correct use of irregular verbs
   • Pronoun Agreement and Clarity
     • Pronoun-antecedent agreement
     • Ambiguous and vague pronouns
   • Pronoun Case
     • Subjective, objective, and possessive forms
3. 3

   Punctuation

   4 topics

   • Commas
     • Items in a series and coordinate adjectives
     • Setting off nonessential elements
     • Avoiding unnecessary commas
   • Semicolons and Colons
     • Semicolons between independent clauses and in lists
     • Colons to introduce lists or explanations
   • Apostrophes
     • Possessives vs. plurals
     • Its vs. it's and other contractions
   • Dashes and Parentheses
     • Setting off supplementary information

Writing and Standard English Conventions flashcards for PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test)

19 of 51 cards from the Writing and Standard English Conventions deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What three elements must an independent clause (complete sentence) contain?

   A subject, a verb (predicate), and a complete thought that can stand alone.

2. What is a sentence fragment?

   A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought (e.g., a dependent clause standing alone).

3. Why is 'Because the experiment failed.' a fragment, and how can it be fixed?

   It is a dependent clause (starts with subordinator 'because') with no independent clause. Fix by attaching it to a main clause: 'Because the experiment failed, we revised the procedure.'

4. A phrase beginning with a present participle (-ing word) used alone as a sentence is what kind of error?

   A fragment (a participial/verbal phrase has no main subject-verb pair), e.g., 'Running down the hall.'

5. What is a run-on (fused) sentence?

   Two or more independent clauses joined with no punctuation or connecting word between them, e.g., 'I studied hard I passed.'

6. What is a comma splice?

   Two independent clauses joined by only a comma, with no coordinating conjunction, e.g., 'It rained, we stayed inside.'

7. Name four ways to correctly fix a comma splice or run-on between two independent clauses.

   1) Period (two sentences); 2) Semicolon; 3) Comma + coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS); 4) Make one clause subordinate with a subordinating conjunction.

8. What are the seven coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)?

   For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.

9. When you join two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, where does the comma go?

   Before the coordinating conjunction: 'The sky darkened, and the wind picked up.'

10. How do you punctuate two independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb such as 'however' or 'therefore'?

    Semicolon before and comma after: 'She trained daily; however, she lost the race.'

11. What is the difference between coordination and subordination?

    Coordination joins clauses of equal importance (with FANBOYS); subordination makes one clause dependent on another (with a subordinating conjunction), showing one idea is secondary.

12. List several common subordinating conjunctions.

    because, although, since, while, if, when, after, before, unless, though, whereas, as, until.

13. When a dependent (subordinate) clause begins a sentence, how is it punctuated?

    Follow it with a comma before the independent clause: 'Although it was late, we kept working.'

14. When a dependent clause comes after the independent clause, is a comma usually needed?

    Usually no comma: 'We kept working although it was late.'

15. What is a misplaced modifier?

    A descriptive word or phrase positioned so it appears to modify the wrong word, creating confusion, e.g., 'She almost drove her kids to school every day.'

16. What is a dangling modifier?

    A modifier (often an introductory phrase) whose intended subject is missing from the sentence, e.g., 'Walking to school, the rain started.'

17. What is the rule for placing an introductory modifying phrase correctly?

    The noun it describes must immediately follow the comma. 'Walking to school, I got caught in the rain.' (I, not the rain, was walking.)

18. On the PSAT, where should the word 'only' generally be placed?

    Directly before the word or phrase it limits, because moving 'only' changes the meaning: 'only she ate' vs. 'she ate only one.'

19. What is the core rule of subject-verb agreement?

    A verb must agree in number with its subject: singular subjects take singular verbs; plural subjects take plural verbs.

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