SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) Reading and Writing: Standard English Conventions Syllabus

How do you punctuate two or more coordinate adjectives modifying the same noun?

Separate them with a comma if they can be reversed or joined by 'and' (e.g., 'a long, boring lecture').

What comma rule applies after an introductory word, phrase, or clause?

Place a comma after an introductory element before the main clause (e.g., 'In 1990, the law changed').

What is the main grammatical function of a semicolon?

To join two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction (e.g., 'It rained; the game was canceled').

When is a semicolon used within a list?

To separate list items that themselves contain commas (e.g., 'Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Bern, Switzerland').

What must come BEFORE a colon for it to be used correctly?

A complete independent clause; a colon cannot interrupt a sentence after a verb or preposition (e.g., correct: 'I bought three things:'; wrong: 'I bought: ...').

What is the primary use of a colon?

To introduce a list, explanation, example, or quotation that follows a complete independent clause.

What is the key difference between a semicolon and a colon when joining ideas?

A semicolon joins two equally weighted independent clauses; a colon introduces an explanation, list, or elaboration of the clause before it (and need not be followed by a full clause).

How do you form the possessive of a singular noun?

Add apostrophe + s (e.g., 'the dog's bone,' 'James's car').

How do you form the possessive of a plural noun that already ends in -s?

Add only an apostrophe after the s (e.g., 'the dogs' bones,' 'the students' grades').

How do you form the possessive of an irregular plural noun (not ending in -s)?

Add apostrophe + s (e.g., 'the children's toys,' 'the women's team').

What is the difference between 'its' and 'it's'?

'Its' is the possessive of 'it' (no apostrophe); 'it's' is the contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.'

Do possessive pronouns (its, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, whose) ever take an apostrophe?

No. Possessive pronouns never use an apostrophe.

What is the difference between 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're'?

'Their' = possessive; 'there' = location/existence; 'they're' = contraction of 'they are.'

How do you show joint possession versus individual possession for two owners?

Joint: add 's to the last name only ('Tom and Lia's house' = shared). Individual: add 's to each name ('Tom's and Lia's houses' = separate).

What are the three marks of end punctuation and their uses?

Period (statements/mild commands), question mark (direct questions), exclamation point (strong emotion/emphasis).

Does an indirect question take a question mark?

No. An indirect question is a statement and takes a period (e.g., 'She asked whether I was ready.').

What is the function of a pair of dashes in a sentence?

To set off a nonessential element with extra emphasis; like parentheses or paired commas, both dashes must be present unless the element ends the sentence (then one dash suffices).

How can a single dash be used?

To introduce an explanation, summary, or dramatic shift after an independent clause (similar to a colon), e.g., 'He had one goal—victory.'

State the basic rule of subject-verb agreement.

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

In subject-verb agreement, what do you do with a prepositional phrase between the subject and verb?

Ignore it; the verb agrees with the true subject, not the noun in the phrase (e.g., 'The box of tools IS heavy').

What number are subjects joined by 'and' versus 'or/nor'?

Subjects joined by 'and' are plural. With 'or/nor,' the verb agrees with the nearer subject (e.g., 'Neither the dogs nor the cat IS here').

Are indefinite pronouns like 'each,' 'everyone,' 'either,' 'neither,' and 'anybody' singular or plural?

Singular; they take singular verbs (e.g., 'Each of the players IS ready').

How does a verb agree with a collective noun (team, group, family) on the SAT?

Collective nouns are usually treated as singular, taking a singular verb (e.g., 'The team WINS').

In 'There is/are' sentences, what determines the verb's number?

The subject that follows the verb (e.g., 'There ARE three books'; 'There IS one book').

State the rule of pronoun-antecedent agreement.

A pronoun must agree with its antecedent in number, gender, and person (singular antecedent = singular pronoun).

What pronoun-agreement error occurs with singular indefinite antecedents like 'everyone' or 'a student'?

Wrongly using a plural pronoun ('they') for a singular antecedent; SAT expects singular agreement, e.g., 'Everyone must bring HIS OR HER ID.'

What is verb tense consistency?

Keeping verb tenses consistent within and across sentences so the time frame stays logical unless a shift in time is intended.

What does the perfect aspect (have/has/had + past participle) express?

An action completed before another point in time (e.g., past perfect 'had finished' = completed before another past action).

What is a dangling modifier, and how is it fixed?

A modifying phrase whose intended subject is missing from the sentence. Fix it by giving the main clause a subject the modifier can logically describe (e.g., 'Walking home, I saw the moon').

What is a misplaced modifier, and what is the placement rule?

A modifier positioned so it seems to describe the wrong word. Rule: place modifiers as close as possible to the word they modify (e.g., 'She almost drove for six hours' vs. 'She drove for almost six hours').