SAT Grammar Rules

Parts of Speech:
Noun- person, place, thing, or idea Examples: tutor, ACT, SAT, paper, thoughts
Verb- showing the form to be (is, was, were, am) and action, ending in –ing, -ed, etc. Examples: whispering, writing, explaining
Adjective- a word used to describe a noun Examples: annoying, stubborn, intelligent
Adverb- a word used to describe an adjective or a verb, usually end in -ly Examples: lovely, quietly,

Example:
The dead rose bush was a horrific saddening sight. It continued to shed more leaves and lifeless petals.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Horrified
C. Horrible
D. Horribly

Step 1: Analyze the parts of speech of each answer choice

A. Adjective Same type of part of speech as C Both Answers can’t be correct, so A gets eliminated
B. Verb Can’t be because the verb “was” was already used
C. Adjective Same type of part of speech as A Both Answers can’t be correct, so C gets eliminated
D. Adverb Adverbs are used to describe adjectives and horribly would be describing the saddening

Deciding When to Place a Comma, Semicolon, Period, Colon, or Dash

How do you decipher when there are the following cases in ACT Grammar Questions:
1. Two Complete Sentences C]C
2. Two Incomplete Sentences I]I
3. A complete sentence and an incomplete sentence or an incomplete sentence from a complete sentence I]C or C]I
A. First you need to place a bracket “]” wherever there is punctuation included in the sentence.
B. Then you must decide if the phrase to the left of the sentence is incomplete or complete
C. Then you must decide if the phrase to the right of the sentence is incomplete or complete
D. If you have difficulty deciphering whether a sentence is complete or incomplete place I realize in front of the clause

C]C
If you have a complete sentence (C) and another complete sentence (C), then you separate the two complete sentences by using 1
out of the three choices below:
A. . Period
B. ; Semicolon
C. ,FANBOYS ,For ,And ,Nor ,But ,Or ,Yet ,So

Eliminating confusion about ,FANBOYS: A comma can only be placed in front of the FANBOY when both phrases are C]C
C C
Example 1: Amuni was late to the session,] but she trained the tutor. Both phrases are complete so ,but works
C I
Example 2: Amuni was late] but trained the tutor. One phrase is complete and the other is incomplete. No comma in front of but

I]C or C]I
If you have an incomplete sentence (I) followed by a complete sentence (C), or a complete sentence followed by an incomplete
sentence (I), then the phrases can be separated by a comma.

I C
Example 1: On trips to other hostels,] I’ve made more friends. A comma can be placed to separate the I]C
C I
Example 2: Hostels can cost as little as $7 a night ]in rural areas and just over $30 in some of the largest cities. No Comma

Even though you have a complete sentence and an incomplete sentence, which allows you to insert a comma to separate the two
clauses, you can not insert a comma between night in rural areas because it is key to the sentence that the reader understand that the
$7 a night is rural areas and not $7 in other areas of the world. It is not an added detail, but it is a necessary detail for the sentence.

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I]I
If you have two incomplete sentences- No Punctuation is placed
I I I C
Example: When the session] started the students were quiet. Corrected: When the session started,] the students were quiet.

If you have two complete sentences, but the answer choices do not provide any of the three choices to separate them, then one of
the complete sentences must be turned into an incomplete sentence.

Example:
C C
“Megan there’s Orion’s belts,” Dad said, ] he kneeled so I could spot the unmistakable row of three stars.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Kneeling
C. Started to kneel
D. And having kneeled
None of the answer choices have the 1 out of the 3 ways to separate a Complete sentence from another Complete sentence.

The only answer choice that makes sense with a Complete and Incomplete is Answer Choice B.
C I
Megan there’s Orion’s belts,” Dad said,] kneeling so I could spot the unmistakable row of three stars. ü Complete, Incomplete

Commas
Appositive: a noun or a phrase that redefines the noun right beside it.
It provides added detail. If you were to remove the appositive from the sentence the sentence should still be complete.
You must remove the comma because if not the sentence does not make sense.

Example: Daniel, [the FIU biomedical engineering student], likes to play.

1. Daniel, [the FIU biomedical engineering student], likes to play.à Daniel likes to play. ü
Non-example: Police Officer, [Smith], told my brother to always listen to his teachers.
2. Police Officer, [Smith], told my brother to always listen to his teachers.
a. à Police Officer told my brother to always listen to his teachers. X

Example: You usually have access to a kitchen, which provides an alternative, to costly and expensive restaurant meals.
Step 1:
Strike out the appositive
You usually have access to a kitchen, which provides an alternative, to costly and expensive restaurant meals.

Step 2: Does the sentence make sense without the appositive: In this case no, therefore we must fix the sentence.
C I
Corrected: You usually have access to a kitchen, ]which provides an alternative to costly and expensive restaurant meals.

Title before name, no comma:

Example 1: U.S President Barack Obama, no comma!
Example 2: The play Romeo and Juliet
Example 3: The students Max and Giancarlos

Name, Title,
Example 1: Barack Obama, US President,
Example 2: Romeo and Juliet, the play written by Shakespeare,
Example 3: Max and Giancarlos, ACT students,

Dashes vs. Commas

A dash and a comma mean the same thing.
Dashes are mainly used for appositives and rarely used to separate an incomplete sentence from a complete sentence.
Even though dashes and commas mean the same thing, when you use first use a dash you must end the clause with a dash, if a dash
is not available you can use a comma

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Example 1: The MAST Academy students-all with various extracurricular activities- are scared they might not get into college.
Started with a dash ended with a dash ü
Example 2: The MAST Academy students-all with various extracurricular activities, are scared they might not get into college.
A comma can be used only if a dash is not provided in the answer choices.

Colon
Three Uses:

1. List three or more nouns or actions- Sentence cannot continue after the list is complete
Example 1: This morning Amuni trained the student in the following subjects: Grammar, math, and science.
Non-Example: Largely as a result, Rudolph no longer needed her: crutches, metal brace, or corrective shoes by the time she was a
teenager.
a. Does not end with the list so you remove the Colon from the sentence.

2. Replace the word “because”

Example 1: Daniel was sick because he ate moldy pretzels. Daniel was sick: he ate moldy pretzels.
a. Does not replace “because of”

3. Defines the noun right before it

Example 1: The communal nature of hosteling has given me the opportunity to meet people of all ages and nationalities who share
my philosophy: travel independently, live simply, and discover the world.

Trick: Never colon before the word such as with a list- always a comma before such as- unless it is emphasizing a definition
Example 1: Students such as Carrollton students- no comma
Example 2: The test rooms are filled with standardized tests materials, such as SAT/ACT books, pens, and pencils.

**When you see a colon in the answer choice, try all of three colon rules. If one works, circle it. If none works, eliminate.**

Grammar Quiz:
1. What are the three ways to separate two Complete sentences?
2. What is the way to separate and incomplete from a complete sentence?
3. What punctuation do you place in between two incomplete sentences?
4. What is an appositive?
5. When there are two complete sentences in the question but there is no punctuation to separate the two complete sentences,
what must you do to one of the sentences?
6. What are the three ways to use a colon?
7. Do you need to satisfy all three colon conditions only to use a colon?
8. When you begin an appositive with a comma you must end it with a ____________.
9. If you have an appositive that begins with a comma, but there is no comma to end the appositive, what other punctuation
can be used?
10. If you have an appositive that begins with a dash, but there is no dash to end the appositive, what other punctuations can be
used?
11. Does the phrase The Attorney General Maddox need a comma?
12. Does Carmen Cespedes the biologist need a comma?

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Questions in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 4, 11, 13, 15, 16, 24, 26, & 32

Apostrophe vs. Contraction

• Apostrophe is used to show possession, that one noun belongs to another
• Contraction is to replace a helping verb (is, was, were, are) when placed next to a pronoun (he, she, they)

Example of Apostrophe: Amuni’s lunch The lunch belongs to Amuni

Example of Contraction: She’s running the students’ lives with an SAT bootcamp.
She is running the students’ lives with an SAT bootcamp.

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Apostrophe Rules:
• Seeing an apostrophe in the answer choice tells us that there is a noun and then there is another noun.
• Sometimes there may be a description or adjective between the two nouns. Example: Rosie’s yellow brush
• If the answer choice, whether it’s the underlined portion or the answer choice themselves have an apostrophe, you must
check if the second noun, which is the object, belongs to the first noun.

Example 1: Student’s book = one book belongs to one student

Example 2: Students’ book = one book belongs to many students
Example 3: Student’s books = many books belong to one student
Example 4: Students’ books = many books belong to many students

Contraction: It’s, Its, and Its’

• To decide whether to substitute the answer choice of It’s and Its convert it’s into “it is”
• If the sentence makes sense when it is substituted into the blank of the sentence that is the correct answer
• If the sentence does not make sense when substituting it is into the blank then the answer is its, which is for possession
• In non-pronouns, example: car’s, this does not mean car is, this means that the car belongs to someone or something.
• On the exam its’ does not exist, the only form of that is their

Example That incorporates Contractions and Adding correct Punctuation:

I C
These days, with athletes winning up to eight gold medals in one year’s Olympic games] ; it’s easy to forget that at one time
winning multiple gold medals was rare.
• A semicolon can not be used to separate an incomplete from a complete sentence so the ; should be replaced with a comma

I C
These days, with athletes winning up to eight gold medals in one year’s Olympic games], it’s easy to forget that at one time
winning multiple gold medals was rare.

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Questions in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 19 & 41

Who vs. Whom

Convert the sentence into a question
• If you answer the question:
- He/she/they- who
- Him/her/them- whom
o Ex. The students find it to be important to read books.
§ Reading is important to them.
• Check by replacing the word in question with “he/she/they,” if this works, then use “who.”
- If not, replace word with “him/her/them,” and if this works, use “whom.”

Example: Most people have heard of physical therapy, in which trained therapists help rehabilitate patients who have a physical
difficulty.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Whom have
C. Who has
D. Whom has
Step 1: Convert the sentence into a question: Who has heard of physical therapy?
Step 2: Answer the question: They have heard of physical therapy.
Step 3: They can be appropriately used to answer the question; therefore, we use who and have because the noun (patients) is plural

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 30

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Subject- Verb Agreement/Verb Tense
Confirming that the Subject and Verb in the sentence agree with each other along with the Verb Tense in the paragraph

Verb Tense: The student must go back to the beginning of the paragraph and identify the tense which is past, present, or future in
order to make the correct choice.

Subject Verb Agreement: when answer choices are verbs, circle the subject in the sentence to ensure the proper agreement
A. Plural nouns must have singular action verbs
a. “Elephants eats” X
b. “Elephants eat” ✓
B. Singular nouns require a plural action verb
a. “Erica eats” ✓
b. “Eat eat” X
C. Nouns with a helping verb must follow a plural noun with a plural helping vreb
a. “Elephants are fat” and “Isa is beautiful”

Example: Then came the Plaeiades, a tight cluster of stars that created a bold smudge of light.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Will create
C. Creates
D. Created
Step 1: Analyze the tense that this sentence is in Past tense.
Answer Choice A refers to create in the past tense.
Answer Choice B refers to create in the future tense.
Answer Choice C refers to create in the present tense.
Answer Choice D is missing the pronoun needed to identify the object being observed, which is the tight cluster of stars

Example 2: They weren’t her basketball skills, though, that would impress one of the country’s best coaches.
A. NO CHANGE
B. These weren’t
C. It wasn’t
D. That wasn’t
Step 1: Analyze the subject of the sentence
The subject is her basketball skills
Step 2: Analyze if her basketball skills are plural or singular
Singular because only she has her basketball skills
That eliminates Answer Choices A and B which are plural (They and These)
The only pronoun that will correlate with her basketball skills is Answer Choice C It wasn’t

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 3, 8, 18, 23, 36, & 40

Pronoun Placement
He Him His
She Her Hers
They Their Our
It Its Me

When you see any answer choices-then the SAT is requesting that you provide the proper Subject-Pronoun agreement
You must first identify the subject in the sentence, and then choose from the answer choices which correlates with the subject.

Example: Though some people don’t like hosteling because of the lack of privacy, I consider this characteristic to be their main
advantage.
A. NO CHANGE
B. My
C. Its
D. Your
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What is the subject of the sentence- lack of privacy- which is singular- therefore Answer Choice A is incorrect.
The only answer choice that correlates with a singular object is C-its.

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 44

Prepositions
Words that allow you to relate things to space
Always keep parallel structure
a. On i. Over
b. Behind j. Down
c. After k. Up
d. With l. From
e. Through m. Since
f. By n. At
g. In o. Off
h. Under p. To
For these questions, you should always Whisper, as it is easier to hear the proper mechanics.

Example: When Gibbs quit the show, McCreary took over the composing duties. Which of the following alternative to the
underlined portion would NOT be acceptable?
A. Charge of
B. Out
C. Up
D. On
Step 1: Analyze the answer choices and how they relate to space and the sentence
Answer Choice A: Taking over and taking charge of are the same thing. They imply the same thing as Over
Answer Choice B: Took out is to remove something instead of taking on They don’t imply the same thing as Over
Answer Choice C: Took up is obtain just like taking over They imply the same thing as Over
Answer Choice D: Took on is also obtaining just like take over They imply the same thing as Over
The Answer Choice that does not belong is B

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 7, 17, 25, 43

Transitions
Must be specific to their purpose. They allow the reader to understand how one sentence is related to another. Below are a list
of common ACT Transitions
1. Cause and Effect: Therefore, in conclusion, consequently, thus, hence, so
2. Exceptions: Even if
3. Contradicting: Whereas, nevertheless, still, however, but, yet
4. Example: For instance, for example
5. In addition: And, similarly, indeed, in other words, furthermore, moreover
6. Occurring at the same time: Meanwhile, while, simultaneously

If you wish to use a transition between two complete sentences, then you must utilize a semicolon before the transition
and a comma after.
A. SAT TRICK Example: [Ana walks to the beach all the time]; however, yesterday, [she decided to ride her bike].

Example: Looking at the sword he showed me, I nodded in the dark as the winter sky reoriented itself forever in my mind
meanwhile this celestial marker, Orion.
A. NO CHANGE
B. Therefore
C. During
D. Around
Step 1: Analyze the definition of each answer choice in relation to the sentence.

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Answer Choices A and C have the same definition, which are something occur at the same time as another.
Since they both mean the same thing and you can’t have two answer choices those are automatically eliminated.
Answer Choice B: Is the fact that the person nodded in the dark the reason that the celestial marker is in her mind. No
Answer Choice D: Is the remaining and it makes sense that winter sky would reorient itself around Orion

Example 2: I absorbed the information he shared: the order of the planets in our solar systems, the shape of the galaxies,
theories about how the universe began. For example, all that space and distance fascinated me.
A. NO CHANGE
B. In contrast, all
C. If so, all
D. All
Step 1: Analyze the definition of each answer choice in relation to the sentence.
Answer Choice A: Is the fact that space and distance fascinate her an example of the information the person shared No
Answer Choice B: Is her fascination with space and distance contradicting the person’s information No
Answer Choice C: Is the information he shared questionable No
Answer Choice D: Does not link but draw a conclusion ü

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 9, 14, 27, 34, 38

Simplification
Eliminate the redundancies, the repetition.
On the SAT the phrase is usually very long and the answer choice is either very short or one word
Delete the underline portion answer choice: if underlined portion is redundant then choose that choice automatically unless it
changes the meaning of the sentence.
Example- People that wrongfully enter a property
Answer- trespassers Obviously trespassers take or enter property that does not belong to them
Example: You usually have access to a kitchen, which provides an alternative to costly and expensive restaurant meals.
A. NO CHANGE
B. And high-priced
C. And pricey
D. Delete the underline portion
Expensive and Costly mean the same thing so you can delete the underlined portion because deleting expensive does not
change the meaning of the sentence

Example 2: He pointed out Orion to me, the first constellation I would know, the first commencement of a beginning of a
lifelong enchantment with the stars.
A. NO CHANGE
B. The
C. The initial
D. Delete the underline portion
First delete the underline portion to see if that answer choice works
He pointed out Orion to me, the first constellation I would know of a beginning of a lifelong enchantment with the stars.
The underline portion does not make sense
So eliminate Answer Choice D
Answer Choice A and C both are repetitive mentioning the commencement and the initial which are the same as the first
from the phrase first constellation
Answer Choice B He pointed out Orion to me, the first constellation I would know, the beginning of a lifelong
enchantment with the stars. ü

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 21, 35, & 39

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Relevant/Keep/Add/Lose Details
Whisper the paragraph.
Without looking at the answer choices, decide whether the phrase or sentence is relevant to the paragraph
Still without looking at the answer choices, provide your logical reason as to why it should be Kept, Added, or Deleted.
Then look for your conclusion in the answer choice.

Example: Hosteling isn’t just friendly, it’s inexpensive. [6] Hostels can cost as little as $7 a night in rural areas and just over $30 in
some of the largest cities. Compare that to Portland hotels, where the cheapest rooms are $70!

[6] Should the writer make the addition of the following sentence? Some hostels enforce curfews in order to ensure the safety and
comfort of their guests.

What is the main idea of the paragraph?

The cost of the hostels and comparing the cost of the hostels to the cost of hotels in Portland.

Does the sentence the SAT would like to insert pertain to the main idea?
No, the paragraph discusses cost not curfew; therefore, the sentence should not be included.

Now look at answer choices: (Eliminate Answer Choices A and B. since they want to insert the sentence.)
E. Yes, because it supports the essay’s claim that hostels are safer than hotels.
F. Yes, because it portrays hostel rules as unnecessarily restrictive for their guests.
G. No, because it portrays hostel rules as unnecessarily restrictive for their guests. Is restriction the main idea? No
H. No, because it strays from the paragraph’s discussion of how much hostels cost. Correct

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 2, 6, 20, 28, 37, & 42

Jargon
The SAT provides 4 different answer choices that are similar in meaning but are utilized in different contexts.
First you must define each word into its most basic meaning or in the context it is utilized.

Examples:
1. Subscribe- used for mailing
2. Vow- used for marriage
3. Promise-commit to complete something
4. Swear-utilized to make a religious promise

Example: Modern LEDs can be made to produce any color, including white; can be manufactured to generate infrared or
ultraviolet light instead of visible light; and are able to yield a high light output.
A. NO CHANGE- Definition: Give off- in chemical equations reactants react to yield products
B. Relinquish- Definition: Give up voluntarily
C. Surrender- Definition: Give up in a military context
D. Cede- Definition: Give up but more in regard to power or territory
The only answer choice that would best fit the context would be A.

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 1, 10, & 33

Reorder the Paragraph

Whisper the Paragraph
Then look for key words in the sentence that is being asked to reorganize and the other sentences.
Then place the requested sentence either before or after a sentence that utilizes the word choice or context.

Example: [1] However, as the Greek astronomer Hipparchus discovered around 129 BC, the North Star, or polestar, is not eternally
fixed over the North Pole, as the mythmakers had supposed. [2] In the process of compiling an astronomical catalog, Hipparchus
noticed that the stars had seemingly shifted from positions noted in Babylonian records from many centuries earlier. [3] He
concluded that it was not the stars that were moving but rather the position from which they were being observed that varied. [4]

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Precision, in turn, is caused by the gravitational pull of the Sun and the Moon on the bulge at Earth’s equator. [5] A wobbling in
Earth’s axis of rotation, called precession, cause this variation in position.

For the sake of logic and coherence of this paragraph, Sentence 5 should be placed?
A. Where it is now- could be possible at it is near a sentence that mentions Precision- continue with answer choices
B. after Sentence 1 – in between Sentence 1 and 2 would be strange as they are speaking about Hipparchus process
C. after Sentence 2- in between Sentence 2 and 3 would also be strange as they continue speak about his results
D. after Sentence 3- In between sentence 3 and 4 would be better than it is now because we should define Precision before
introducing its effect.

Same instruction applies when SAT requests that you rearrange a whole paragraph in the passage

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 5, 22, & 31

Interpreting the Graph

Analyze the Graph- then look at the answer choices and choose the answer that best summarizes the entire graph.
Utilize process of elimination for each question.

Have the Student complete the following SAT Grammar Question in Practice Test 1:
Practice Test 1: 12 & 29