SAT Reading and Writing Flashcards: Grammar

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on Grammar, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for SAT Reading and Writing.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: Choose the correct form: "the (teachers'/teacher's) lounge" (lounge for many).

Answer: teachers'. For the plural 'teachers,' the possessive is formed by adding an apostrophe after the s.

Flashcard 2: What is the correct use of 'its' and 'it's'?

Answer: 'Its' is possessive; 'it's' means 'it is.'. No apostrophe for possession; apostrophe only for contractions.

Flashcard 3: Which word correctly completes: 'She is taller   her brother.'?

Answer: than. 'Than' is used for comparisons, not 'then'.

Flashcard 4: Choose the correct pronoun: "Between you and (I/me), the plan failed."

Answer: me. 'Me' is the objective case pronoun required as the object of the preposition 'between.'

Flashcard 5: Choose the correct punctuation: "She had one goal: to win the scholarship."

Answer: Colon. A colon is appropriate after the independent clause to introduce the explanatory infinitive phrase.

Flashcard 6: Identify the correct preposition in: 'He is interested   science.'

Answer: in. 'Interested in' is the correct prepositional phrase.

Flashcard 7: Choose the correct word: 'This is the book   I was talking about.'

Answer: that. 'That' introduces restrictive relative clauses about things.

Flashcard 8: What is the standard use of a colon in a sentence?

Answer: Introduce an explanation, list, or example after an independent clause. A colon follows an independent clause to introduce related material like explanations, lists, or examples.

Flashcard 9: Which is the correct comparative form: 'more easy' or 'easier'?

Answer: easier. One-syllable adjectives add '-er' for comparative form.

Flashcard 10: Find and correct the error: 'The team are winning their game.'

Answer: Correct: 'The team is winning its game.'. 'Team' is singular here, so it takes singular verb and pronoun.

Flashcard 11: Choose the correct word: "The report contains (fewer/less) errors."

Answer: fewer. 'Errors' are countable, so 'fewer' is the appropriate modifier for quantity.

Flashcard 12: Identify the subject-verb agreement error: 'Each of the students have a book.'

Answer: Correct: 'Each of the students has a book.'. 'Each' is singular and requires 'has'.

Flashcard 13: Choose the correct punctuation: "Students who study regularly earn higher scores."

Answer: No commas (restrictive clause). The clause 'who study regularly' is essential to define which students, so no commas are used.

Flashcard 14: Identify the error: 'Each of the students have a book.'

Answer: Correct: 'Each of the students has a book.'. 'Each' is singular, so it requires the singular verb 'has.'

Flashcard 15: What is the correct conjunction in: 'She will go,   she is tired.'?

Answer: even if. 'Even if' expresses a hypothetical condition.

Flashcard 16: Which pronoun correctly completes: 'Everyone should bring   own lunch.'?

Answer: his or her. 'Everyone' is singular, requiring singular pronoun forms.

Flashcard 17: Find and correct the misplaced modifier: "Walking to school, the rain soaked my jacket."

Answer: Walking to school, I was soaked as the rain drenched my jacket. Rephrasing places the modifier 'Walking to school' next to 'I,' clarifying who is walking.

Flashcard 18: Choose the correct form: 'None of the information was/were correct.'

Answer: 'Was correct.'. 'None' can be singular or plural; here 'information' suggests singular.

Flashcard 19: Choose the correct pronoun: "(Who/Whom) is responsible for this error?"

Answer: Who. 'Who' serves as the subject of the clause, necessitating the subjective case.

Flashcard 20: What is parallel structure?

Answer: Items in a list or comparison must have the same grammatical form. Parallel structure ensures consistency in grammatical form for items in series or comparisons, enhancing clarity.

Flashcard 21: What is the past tense of 'swim'?

Answer: swam. Irregular past tense: swim → swam → swum.

Flashcard 22: What is the correct use of apostrophes for possessive nouns?

Answer: Singular: add 's; plural ending in s: add ' only. Apostrophes form possessives: 's for singular nouns and ' for plurals ending in s.

Flashcard 23: What is the rule for pronoun–antecedent agreement in number?

Answer: A pronoun must match its antecedent in number (singular/plural). Pronouns must agree in number with their antecedents to maintain grammatical consistency and clarity.

Flashcard 24: What is subject–verb agreement in a clause with a singular subject?

Answer: Use a singular verb form (often ends in -s in present tense). Singular subjects require singular verbs to ensure grammatical agreement, typically adding -s in present tense for third-person subjects.

Flashcard 25: What is the rule for using 'who' versus 'whom'?

Answer: 'Who' is for subjects; 'whom' is for objects. Think 'he/who' for subjects and 'him/whom' for objects.

Flashcard 26: What punctuation correctly joins two independent clauses without a conjunction?

Answer: A semicolon. A semicolon connects two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.

Flashcard 27: What is the correct verb form in: 'Neither the coach nor the players   ready'?

Answer: are. With 'neither...nor', the verb agrees with the closest subject (players).

Flashcard 28: Identify the proper adjective form in: 'She is the   of the three sisters.'

Answer: tallest. Superlative form for comparing three or more items.

Flashcard 29: What is the agreement rule for "either/or" and "neither/nor" subjects?

Answer: Verb agrees with the subject closest to the verb. In correlative constructions like 'either/or' or 'neither/nor,' the verb matches the number of the nearest subject for proper agreement.

Flashcard 30: Find and correct the tense shift: "She enters the lab and measured the sample."

Answer: She entered the lab and measured the sample. Changing 'enters' to 'entered' ensures both verbs are in the past tense for consistency.

Flashcard 31: Which verb is correct: "Either the teachers or the principal (approve/approves)"?

Answer: approves. The verb agrees with the closest subject 'principal,' which is singular, requiring 'approves.'

Flashcard 32: Which form is correct: 'less' or 'fewer' for countable nouns?

Answer: 'Fewer' is used for countable nouns. You can count individual items, unlike uncountable nouns that use 'less.'

Flashcard 33: Which verb is correct: "The list of items (is/are) on the table"?

Answer: is. The singular subject 'list' requires the singular verb 'is,' despite the plural 'items' in the prepositional phrase.

Flashcard 34: Find and correct the error: 'The committee have finished their meeting.'

Answer: Correct: 'The committee has finished its meeting.'. Collective nouns like 'committee' are singular when acting as one unit.

Flashcard 35: Which verb form should follow 'neither/nor'?

Answer: Verb agrees with the noun closest to it. In 'neither A nor B,' the verb matches B's number.

Flashcard 36: What is the correct form of 'lay' in: 'I will   the book on the table.'?

Answer: lay. 'Lay' requires a direct object (transitive verb).

Flashcard 37: Which is the correct form: 'less' or 'fewer' in: '  students attended.'?

Answer: fewer. 'Fewer' is used with countable nouns like students.

Flashcard 38: Choose the correct punctuation: "My sister, who lives in Rome, is visiting."

Answer: Commas are correct (nonrestrictive clause). The clause 'who lives in Rome' is nonessential, providing extra information about the sister, so it needs commas.

Flashcard 39: Choose the correct pronoun: 'Neither of the options is that good, is it/they?'

Answer: 'Is it?'. 'Neither' is singular, so the tag question uses singular 'it.'

Flashcard 40: What is the pronoun case used for a subject pronoun?

Answer: Subjective case: I, he, she, we, they, who. Subject pronouns use the subjective (nominative) case to function as the subject of a verb or clause.

Flashcard 41: Which verb is correct: "Neither of the answers (is/are) correct"?

Answer: is. 'Neither' functions as a singular subject, so it pairs with the singular verb 'is' for proper agreement.

Flashcard 42: Which choice correctly completes: 'Neither cat nor dog   here.'?

Answer: is. With 'neither...nor', verb agrees with the closest subject (dog).

Flashcard 43: What is the rule for commas with introductory phrases and clauses?

Answer: Use a comma after an introductory element before the main clause. Introductory phrases or clauses are separated from the main clause by a comma to improve readability and structure.

Flashcard 44: Identify the error: 'She is one of those who is going.'

Answer: Correct: 'She is one of those who are going.'. The verb agrees with 'those,' not 'one,' so plural 'are' is correct.

Flashcard 45: Find and correct the comma splice: "I finished early, I left."

Answer: I finished early, so I left. Adding the conjunction 'so' after the comma corrects the splice by properly linking the clauses.

Flashcard 46: What is the rule for subject-verb agreement with collective nouns?

Answer: Use singular verb if the group acts as one; plural if members act individually. Depends on whether the group is seen as unified or as separate individuals.

Flashcard 47: Which verb is correct: "The number of students (was/were) surprising"?

Answer: was. 'The number' is treated as a singular subject, necessitating the singular verb 'was' for agreement.

Flashcard 48: What is the correct use of "fewer" versus "less"?

Answer: Use fewer for count nouns; use less for mass nouns. 'Fewer' modifies countable nouns, while 'less' applies to uncountable or mass nouns.

Flashcard 49: Identify the correct verb form in: 'The news   been announced.'

Answer: has. 'News' is singular despite ending in 's'.

Flashcard 50: What is the error in: 'A number of issues is unresolved.'?

Answer: Correct: 'A number of issues are unresolved.'. 'A number of' takes plural verb because focus is on the items.

Flashcard 51: Find and correct the error: 'The team were happy with their win.'

Answer: Correct: 'The team was happy with its win.'. 'Team' is singular when acting as one unit.

Flashcard 52: Choose the correct pronoun: "(Who/Whom) did the committee appoint?"

Answer: Whom. 'Whom' functions as the object of the verb 'appoint,' requiring the objective case.

Flashcard 53: What is a comma splice?

Answer: Two independent clauses joined only by a comma. A comma splice occurs when a comma incorrectly joins two independent clauses without a conjunction or proper punctuation.

Flashcard 54: Which verb is correct: "Either the principal or the teachers (approve/approves)"?

Answer: approve. The verb matches the nearest subject 'teachers,' which is plural, so 'approve' is the correct form.

Flashcard 55: What is the rule for comparing two things using modifiers?

Answer: Use "between" for two; use comparative forms (e.g., better) for two. When comparing exactly two items, 'between' is used, and comparative adjectives like 'better' apply instead of superlatives.

Flashcard 56: Choose the correct word: "Among the two routes, this one is shorter."

Answer: Between. 'Between' is correct for comparing two items, whereas 'among' is used for three or more.

Flashcard 57: What is the rule for pronoun clarity?

Answer: A pronoun must refer to one specific, unmistakable antecedent. Pronouns need clear, unambiguous antecedents to avoid confusion in reference.

Flashcard 58: Choose the best punctuation: "The storm ended; the game resumed."

Answer: Semicolon. A semicolon properly joins the two independent clauses, indicating a close relationship between the ideas.

Flashcard 59: Find and correct the parallelism error: "She likes hiking, to swim, and biking."

Answer: She likes hiking, swimming, and biking. Changing 'to swim' to 'swimming' ensures all items in the list are gerunds, maintaining parallelism.

Flashcard 60: What is a misplaced modifier?

Answer: A modifier placed so it appears to describe the wrong word. Misplaced modifiers create ambiguity by seeming to modify an unintended word or phrase in the sentence.

Flashcard 61: Choose the best correction: "Each student must bring their laptop."

Answer: Each student must bring his or her laptop. 'Each' is singular, so the pronoun should be 'his or her' to match in number, avoiding singular 'their.'

Flashcard 62: Which verb is correct: "A number of students (was/were) absent"?

Answer: were. 'A number of' implies a plural quantity, requiring the plural verb 'were' to agree with the collective sense.

Flashcard 63: Choose the correct pronoun: 'Neither of them   going.'

Answer: is. 'Neither' is singular and takes singular verb forms.

Flashcard 64: Find and correct the pronoun reference: "When Jim met Bob, he was nervous."

Answer: When Jim met Bob, Jim was nervous. The pronoun 'he' is ambiguous, so replacing it with 'Jim' clarifies the intended referent.

Flashcard 65: Add punctuation: "After the meeting we reviewed the budget."

Answer: After the meeting, we reviewed the budget. The introductory prepositional phrase 'After the meeting' requires a comma to separate it from the main clause.

Flashcard 66: What is the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive information?

Answer: Restrictive is essential; nonrestrictive is extra and set off by commas. Restrictive clauses provide essential information without commas, while nonrestrictive ones add nonessential details and require commas.

Flashcard 67: What is the rule for verb tense consistency within a sentence or passage?

Answer: Maintain a consistent tense unless a time shift requires a change. Consistent verb tense maintains logical time relationships unless a shift is justified by context.

Flashcard 68: What is the correct form in: 'He feels   after the workout.'?

Answer: well. 'Well' is an adverb describing how he feels.

Flashcard 69: What is the error in: 'He gave the book to she and I.'?

Answer: Correct: 'He gave the book to her and me.'. Use object pronouns after prepositions ('to her and me').