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Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
Disclaimer: The rules contained herein encompass the most common ones you’re likely to see on the SAT
Writing portion. This guide is in no way meant to be a comprehensive tome detailing the myriad nuances
of the English language. If you’re yearning to examine such a book, Warriner’s English Grammar is a
scintillating read. ☺
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Here’s what you can expect to see in this section...
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Table of Contents
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Rule/Concept
Page #
Subject-Verb Agreement
2-3
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
4
Verb Tense
5-6
Double Negatives
7
Pronoun Case
8
Idioms
9
Parallel Construction
10
Modifiers
11
Comparisons
12-13
Conjunctions
14
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Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Subject-Verb Agreement
!
The subject of a sentence must agree with the verb. Namely, if there is a singular subject, the verb must be singular.
If there is a plural subject, the verb must be plural.
!That’s the easy part. The hard part, though, comes in two parts.
!Part One: You must decide what the subject is
!This may sound easy, but ETS likes to keep the subject as far from the verb as possible. How can they do that?
Simple. They can add distracting filler words and prepositional phrases to throw you off. Cross them out and you’ll
be amazed at how clear the answer becomes. Let’s take a gander at this in action:
!The number of dollars necessary to buy groceries for the average group of ten people are in excess of two hundred.
!This may seem confusing, but hunt around. Cross off prepositional phrases before the verb and the sentence
becomes:
!
are in excess of two hundred.
!Now, it’s much simpler to decipher thatThethenumber
subject “the number” and the verb “are” do not agree. Remember that
nouns that are part of a prepositional phrase CANNOT be considered the subject of the sentence.
!Part Two: You must figure out if the subject is singular or plural
!This also may sound easy, but it’s not. ETS loves to test you with nouns (especially indefinite pronouns) that sound
plural but are really singular. Here’s a chart breaking down indefinite pronouns into three categories:
!
ALWAYS SINGULAR
ALWAYS
PLURAL
anybody, anyone, anything, each, either, everybody,
everyone, everything, neither, nobody, nothing,
no one, one, somebody, someone, something
both
few
many
several
SWITCHEROOS (look @ prep. phrase to
determine verb)
all
any
more
most
none
some
!!
are some examples of this principle in action. Circle the correct verb:
!1.Here
Neither of the girls is/are going to make the team.
2. Several of the boys in the Nerds-R-Us Club has/have pocket protectors.
3. All of the team is/are upset about the loss.
4. All of the cookies is/are burned beyond recognition. Yum!
!An easy way to figure out if the verb is right is to substitute “it” for a singular subject and “they” for a plural
subject. Then the verb is easy to match up…you would obviously never say “it are” or “they is,” unless you were a
rapper or a country bumpkin. Yee-haw!
!!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!Collective nouns are also singular. Here’s a partial list of tricky singular collective nouns:
! The number
The amount
The audience
The group
The XYZ Corporation
America (or any city, state, or country)
!Also, linking two subjects with “and” makes the subject plural; linking with “or” makes it singular.
!Examples: “Mary and I are going to the show.”
“Paul or Jim is going to the show.”
!Watch out for subjects
are linked by “and” but are really expressing one thing.
!Examples: “Gin andthattonic
is what my aunt drinks.”
“Rock and roll is here to stay.”
“Peanut butter and jelly is my favorite lunch.”
!How Do I Recognize Subject-Verb Errors?
!
First, bracket all prepositional phrases that stand between the subject and the verb. They are distractors, and
reading the sentence without them will help you focus.
!Second, watch out for any sentence in which you see the indefinite pronouns or collective nouns that are listed
above. Chances are, you’re going to be tested on subject-verb agreement. Keep clear and focused; find the subject,
and decide if it’s singular or plural.
!Subject-Verb Drill
1. None of us is/are going to the concert.
2. Either Linkin Park or Muse are/is a great choice for the dance.
3. One of the kids from the new school are/is going to win the championship.
4. This group of people is/are friendly once you get to know them.
5. Mary Jo and Beth, two of the members of the team, is/are the best ones to ask.
6. Neither my mother nor my father know/knows anything about that.
7. Either Mark or Pete, two of the nicest guys I know, was/were winning the debate.
8. Everyone in the senior class want/wants to have that song for the prom theme.
9. Either Madonna or Britney Spears are/is the highest-paid performer around.
10. Supply and demand are/is taught in economics classes around the world.
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement
!
What’s wrong with this sentence?
!
“Anyone who goes to college knows they are in for the best four years of their life.”
!Sounds good, doesn’t it?
!There’s only one problem…it’s not correct. “Anyone” is singular (remember?), so when you replace it in a
sentence, you must replace it with a singular pronoun. This is one of the most common mistakes in written English
because the choices are so strange sounding: “he or she,” or “he” or “she.” None really sounds quite right. So
“they” and “their” become great cop-outs for correct form. “They are” is fine when you talk to your friends, but
with ETS, watch out for those singular subjects.
!How Do I Spot A Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Error?
!Keep an eye on those pronouns that come up later in the sentence. Ask yourself what noun or pronoun they might
be referring to. Be especially cautious when you see “one,” because often ETS will throw a bunch of prepositional
phrases and extra information after it to make you forget how the sentence started.
!Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Drill
For each of the following, decide which pronoun is appropriate.
! 1. Each of the women fought for their/her rights.
2. When one has to go to school, one/you should be prepared.
3. If the guidance department tells you to do that, they/it must be crazy.
4. When the school newspaper staff writes an editorial, it is/they are always right on the mark.
5. If Jeannie and Kathryn go, she/they will certainly win the best-dressed prize.
6. Anyone who goes to Montreal will feel as if he is/they are visiting Europe.
7. One thing everyone knows about television news is that they’re/it’s biased.
8. The jury was sequestered until they/it reached a verdict.
9. Nobody who goes to that store thinks they/she is getting a bargain.
10. The program has assisted the students in achieving his/their potential.
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Verb Tense
One of the most-tested concepts on the writing portion of the SAT is verb tense. It is not necessary to write
sentences solely in one tense. Action in one sentence can shift from the past, to the present, to the future.
!For example: “He was a great man; he is remembered for what he would have become.”
!See, lots of tenses in one coherent sentence.
!What does need to happen is that tenses must shift correctly from one to the other.
!For most purposes, you need to recognize three types of past tense:
! 1. The plain (a.k.a. “simple”) old past. As in: “She took the test.”
2. The past that took place recently and over a period of time. Example: “Over the past year, she has been
taking tests.”
3. The past that took place before another event in the past (a.k.a. past perfect). It uses “had” to describe the
past of the past, and is always used with the simple past. For example: “Before she took the SAT last year,
she had never taken any tests.”
!
HOW TO SPOT A TENSE ERROR
!Look at the verbs in the sentence and make sure they match the message being conveyed. If the entire sentence
should be in present tense, then all the verbs should follow suit. Watch out for sentences that describe more than
two events from the past--ETS is likely testing your knowledge of the past perfect form. For instance:
!
When her little brother Andy was born, Angela was toilet-trained for six months. BAD!
When her little brother Andy was born, Angela had been toilet-trained for six months. GOOD!
!Also, watch out for everyone’s favorite verbs, lie and lay. To lie means to lie down (usually a person or animal).
To lay means to put or to place (an inanimate object).
!BUT, the past tense of “to lie” is “lay.” So…“I am going to lie down, because yesterday I lay down for a nap at the
same time.”
!Another thing to remember: A statement that is true is expressed in present tense regardless of the tense of other
verbs in the sentence. For instance, “Marie had been taught [past perfect] that triangles contain [present] 180
degrees.”
!The last thing to remember is the conditional form. That’s the verb form you’d use to express a wish or something
that is conditional on something else happening. It usually takes the form “if something were true, it would be
wonderful.” For example: “If I were class president, I would put coke in the drinking fountains.”
!Remember also that in an “if” clause, you shouldn’t use “would have” to express the earlier of two actions.
Instead, you should use past perfect. So…
!
If Shana would have driven more slowly, she would have made the curve easily. BAD!
If Shana had driven more slowly, she would have made the curve easily. GOOD!
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!Tense Drill #1
Try the following drill. Circle the correct form of the verb in italics.
!1. Today, I will lay/lie in the sun
2. Yesterday, I lay/lie in the sun.
3. If I was/were going with you, I’d be happy.
4. If you had come home, you had/would have found the message.
5. Last year, he would have spoken/would speak if you had asked.
6. If I was/were a rich man, I would learn to speak better English.
7. Before she ran the marathon, she trained/had trained for six months.
!
Tense Drill #2
This time, find the verb tense error, circle it, and correct it.
!1. The cop pulls him over and gave him a speeding ticket.
2. Reading War and Peace, I know that Pierre falls in love with Natasha.
3. If I was to have a dream like that, I think I’d die!
4. The family already finished dinner when the doorbell rang.
5. In Night, Elie Weisel writes about the Holocaust and described his experience in the death camps.
!!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Double Negatives
!
Okay, I sincerely hope you know by now that it’s wrong to say “They didn’t do nothing wrong.” That’s a glaring
double negative error. But there are a couple of double negatives that are a little harder to spot.
!Be on the lookout for words like “hardly” and “scarcely.” They should be considered negative words. So it’s a
double negative to say “I can’t hardly wait for dinner to be served” or “He couldn’t scarcely read your illegible
writing.”
!Watch out, too, for negative words followed by but and only, which are also regarded as negative. Therefore,
expressions like “can’t help but” and “haven’t only” violate the rule against using double negatives.
!
Ms. D. can’t help but tell everyone about her love for Lost. BAD!
Ms. D. can’t help telling everyone about her love for Lost. GOOD!
He hadn’t but scheduled twenty minutes to finish his homework. BAD…in more ways than one!
He had scheduled only twenty minutes to finish his homework. GOOD grammar, BAD study skills! ☺
!Double Negative Drill
Read this sentence and change it so it’s easy to understand:
!
I can’t deny that I don’t not like you.☺
!!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Pronoun Case
!Pronoun case refers to the form of the pronoun you need in a sentence. When do you use I and when do you use
me? For instance, is this sentence copacetic? “He brought the book to Martha and I.”
!A good way to check this is to cross out “Martha and” and end up with “He brought the book to I.”
Of course, that sounds terrible.
!The pronouns I, he, she, we, they, you, and who are nominative (or subjective) pronouns. You use them to perform
the action in the sentence. The recipient of the actions, however, is going to be an objective pronoun such as me,
him, her, us, them, and whom.
!Another place where you may find pronouns used incorrectly is when you are comparing two things:
!
“Bruno is nicer than her.”
“Bruno is nicer than she.”
!Which is correct? Believe it or not, it is the second: “Bruno is nicer than she.” Why? When you are making a
comparison, you are implying the verb is: “Bruno is nicer than she is.” Strange, but true.
!Also, be sure to use objective case pronouns when the pronoun shows up in a phrase with a preposition, as in
BETWEEN you and me, TO me and her, AMONG us ladies, WITH me and you.
!The last thing to watch out for is a possessive pronoun. For instance, which is correct here?
!
“My mother is happy about me going to college.”
mother is happy about my going to college.”
!Again, the second one is correct. “My
My mother is not really happy about me. What she’s happy about is the fact that
I’m going to college or “my going to college.”
!How Do I Spot A Pronoun Case Error?
!By now you should be catching on to the idea that it would probably behoove (benefit) you to check pronouns in all
sentences. Pronouns=PROBLEMS. Remember some of the most common traps, and you’ll be way ahead of the
game.
!Pronoun Case Drill
! 1. I want to give the present to Tammy and he/him.
2. The speaker, about who/whom we were so excited, never showed up.
3. After going to the city, Mary and she/her wanted to live there.
4. Paulette says she is worried about me/my gaining weight.
5. This dedication is for whom/who?
6. Jocelyn is better than her/she at painting.
7. Among we/us men, football is the most popular sport.
8. Martin is better than I/me at this particular game.
9. If you and I/me take this test, we’ll both do well.
10. Just between you and I/me, I want to go to the dance.
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Idioms
!What are idioms? They are the way we put words together by convention—rather than any real rule. For example,
you would say “I am different from you” rather than “I am different about you.” Here, and only here, you must
rely on your ear to pick up an expression that doesn’t sound right. If a preposition or prepositional phrase is
underlined, that’s a good place to start looking for errors.
!How Do I Spot an Idiom Error?
!Usually, it’s the last resort when a sentence “sounds” wrong, but you can’t put your finger on it. Check the
prepositional phrase. If you’re still not sure, then pull the phrase out of the sentence and try it on its own. Often,
without the rest of the confused rambling sentence around it, it becomes clear what the problem is.
!Remember that each error in English idiom is unique. Although many errors involve the faulty use of prepositions,
you may just as easily find liberties taken with verbs, adverbs, or any other part of speech. Faulty idiom may
distort a common English expression or be a colloquial usage that a writer has tried to pass off as standard.
!
Idiom Drill
Circle the error in idiom in the following sentences. Then change it to its correct form.
!
1. It was an honor to die at battle for their religion.
2. After the ceremony, the newlyweds ascended up the stairs.
3. Unless he calls soon, we will lose out on a lucrative business venture.
4. Mickey, please type up your paper and submit it tomorrow.
5. As a child he had a great interest for dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.
6. No new plans were developed in respect to the environment.
7. He was the type of a student who said little in class but wrote long papers.
8. Among other things, the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom from religion and the press.
9. The two agencies must cooperate in cases where interstate commerce is concerned.
10. The posse went in pursuit after the nefarious flibbertigibbet.
!!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Parallel Construction
!Whenever you’re expressing a series of ideas or actions, you should make them parallel in form. That’s the rule.
What does this mean?
!
“The enclosed resume indicates that I am interested in writing, editing, and I like to read.”
!Good luck getting
the job with a deleterious error like that in your cover letter! The correct form should read:
!
“The enclosed resume indicates that I am interested in writing, editing, and reading.”
!You’re listing three
things you are good at; therefore, they must be in the same grammatical format.
!Watch out for sentences
that are crowded with lots of other information. Dig out the items or actions that are being
listed. Again, training your eye to cross out those extraneous details will help you zero in on the error in the
sentence.
!How Do I Spot a Parallel Construction Error?
!Just keep an eye out anytime there is a list of things in a sentence. Be especially careful when there are two or three
things that a person or group is trying to do and there are lots of distracting phrases tossed in between those actions.
Make sure they’re in the same form, and you’ll be all set.
!Parallelism Drill
Here, underline the part of the sentence that is not parallel in structure, and correct it.
! 1. The teacher listened intently and with compassion.
2. The class will cover the basics of good English: good writing, to comprehend what is written, and to learn
to discriminate between what is correct and incorrect.
3. To call Paris Hilton the best singer in the world is like calling Ms. D a math wizard.
4. I like to snowboard in the winter, jog in the spring, and going swimming in the summer.
5. Reading, writing, and needlepoint are my favorite activities.
!
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
Misplaced Modifiers
!
Modifiers
!
!Modifiers must be placed so that they modify the right words and no others. ETS will construct sentences that
contain misplaced modifiers that cloud the meaning of the sentence. To avoid ambiguity, modifiers should be as
close as possible to the words they modify. For example:
!
!
What’s wrong with this? Well, the car is what isn’t running well anymore. So the modifier “that no longer ran
Amos donated his old car to a charity that no longer ran well.
well” is too far from “car.” Change the sentence to read “Amos donated his old car that no longer ran well to a
charity.” Let’s take another look at a sentence with a misplaced modifier:
!
The bowling alley lends out shoes to its customers of all sizes.
!
Again, to avoid ambiguity, the modifier “of all sizes” needs to be moved closer to “shoes,” the word it modifies.
Thus, the sentence should read “The bowling alley lends out shoes of all sizes to its customers.”
!Dangling Modifiers (or Participles)
!A more common modification error is the sentence in which the modifier has no word to modify. This error is
called a dangling modifier or dangling participle. I, being the English nerd that I am, often find myself guffawing
when I read these. For instance:
!
Climbing the ladder, Pete’s head knocked over the paint can.
Dancing for four hours straight, Anne’s makeup began to melt.
!The ludicrous meaning of these sentences may not strike you immediately, but look again, and you’ll be carried
into a bizarre world in which heads climb ladders and makeup can dance. Trippy!
!So, the participles (identified by their -ing endings…anytime you see one of these at the start of a sentence, be on
the look out for a dangling participle error later) are not modifying what they should. To correct the error, a noun
must be added or the whole sentence should be rewritten. For instance:
!
Climbing the ladder, Pete knocked over the paint can with his head.
Dancing for four hours straight, Anne noticed her makeup had begun to melt off her face.
!Modifier Drill
the error and fix it!
!1.FindWhile
watching the game on TV, lunch was served by Barbara and Grace.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Bob left the hamburger on the table that had been overcooked.
After eating a quick breakfast, the school bus picked me up.
Being conceited and snobby, I cringe whenever I see Victoria heading my way.
A report was submitted about the bank robbery by the police.
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Comparisons
!Some sentences on the SAT may test your understanding of the rules governing the use of comparisons. In addition
to knowing about comparative degrees, you need to know that standard English usage requires comparisons (1) to
be complete, (2) to be stated in parallel form, and (3) to compare two things that may be logically compared. Those
diabolical ETS people are likely to give you sentences that ignore one or more of these requirements.
!Comparative Degree
Most comparisons are made by using different forms of adjectives or adverbs. The degree of comparison is
indicated by the ending (usually -er and -est) or by the use of more or most (or less and least). The English
language offers three degrees of comparison: positive, comparative, and superlative.
!Here’s a chart breaking down the use of REGULAR comparative degree:
!
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
tall
taller
tallest
dark
darker
darkest
handsome
handsomer or more handsome
handsomest or most handsome
able
abler or more able
ablest or most able
prepared
less prepared
least prepared
Positive
Comparative
Superlative
good
better
best
well
better
best
bad
worse
worst
little
less
least
much
more
most
many
more
most
!!
Here’s a chart breaking down the use of IRREGULAR comparative degree (in other words, these don’t follow a
neat formula like the ones above):
!
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!Also, be sure to use the comparative degree to compare TWO things, but superlative to compare THREE things.
For example:
!Incomplete Comparisons
This test was harder than that one.
This is the hardest test we’ve had all year.
In everyday speech people give emphasis to their opinions by saying things like “We had the best time,” and “That
was the worst!” As you know, though, spoken English is often quite faulty. These are incomplete comparisons and
in standard English need to be finished in some way.
!Incomplete comparisons can cause ambiguity, as in this example:
!
Mark visited his grandma longer than his sister Amy.
!
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!What’s the problem here? Well, we’re not sure if Mark spent a longer time with his dear grandma than Amy did, or
if Mark spent more time with grandmamma than he spent with Amy. To eliminate the ambiguity, simply complete
the comparison:
!
visited his grandma longer than Amy did.
!Comparisons using “as” can also beMark
tricky. A comparison using “as” usually requires a repetition of the word: “as
good as gold,” “as fast as a speeding bullet,” “as high as a plane.” Here’s how you might see it on the test:
!
On the exam Nicole expects to do as well if not better than she did the first time. BAD! ☹
On the exam Nicole expects to do as well as, if not better, than she did the first time. GOOD! ☺
!Parallel Comparisons
This is closely related to Parallel Construction of Sentences. Hence the use of the word parallel. Duh! People
don’t often realize they’re committing a grammatical error when they say something like:
!
To go skateboarding is not as fun as snowboarding.
!
Here, you’ve used two different grammatical forms (a verbal phrase and a noun) when one is needed. Instead, you
should say (or write):
!
!Illogical Comparisons
Skateboarding is not as fun as snowboarding.
I like to call this comparing apples with oranges. Logic breaks down when two or more unlike things are compared
(unintentionally). For example:
!
Unlike most cars on the street, Emma has her Jeep washed almost every week.
!
What’s wrong here? Well, the sentence is intended to compare Emma’s car with the other cars on the street. But it
manages only to compare Emma to the other cars, which is an illogical comparison. Instead, it makes more sense
to say:
!
!Comparison Drill Emma’s Jeep, unlike most cars on the street, is washed almost every week.
Find the errors and correct them!
!1. Although both Stephen King and Tom Clancy write thrilling books, King is the best storyteller.
2. Adam looks more like his father than his brother.
3. Oscar was as tired if not more tired than Pete.
4. Boys are more interested in hiking than girls.
5. Of the eight girls on the team, I’m not sure who is more talented.
6. The students respect Ms. D’s teaching style more than Mr. Snodgrass.
!
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page
Must-Know Grammar & Usage Rules for the SAT…and Life!
!
Conjunctions
!
Conjunctions are words that link parts of a sentence together. Some common conjunctions include:
!
for
that
and
nor
but
or
yet
so
because
which
who
!Problems arise when the wrong conjunction renders the sentence senseless.
!How Do I Spot a Conjunction Error?
!Conjunction errors are kind of like idiom errors. The sentence sounds kind of funny, but you can’t put your finger
on it. If there are any of the above-mentioned conjunctions in the sentence, just ask yourself if one of those is
linking parts of the sentence together in a funky way.
!Another tricky point ETS will try to catch you on is the use of that versus which. The rule of thumb is, if a comma
can be inserted, you should use which. If you’re shaky on the use of commas, just remember: a phrase using
“which” could be deleted from a sentence without changing its basic meaning; a phrase using “that” gives such
important information that its removal would alter the sentence (like the one you’ve just read!).
!
needs the book that he left on the table.”
!Here, Bill is asking for a particular“Bill
book. Therefore, we use “that.”
!
for his book, which he had left on the table.”
!The book in this sentence could“Billbe asked
one of many books, hence the use of “which.”
!!
Conjunction Drill
Circle what you think the proper conjunction should be.
! 1. The reason for his lateness was because/that he had a doctor’s appointment.
2. I am going to the play with my cousin and he is/who is coming from the suburbs.
3. I like bananas, that/which are high in potassium.
4. I followed the instructions perfectly, and/but I still got most of the questions wrong.
Ms. Dibble, ©2006 Page