Grammar - SAT Reading & Writing

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.'

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

tallest. Superlative form for comparing three or more items.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.'

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

tallest. Superlative form for comparing three or more items.

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