FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

SAT WRITING

PUNCTUATION
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES

Questions focus on how phrases, clauses, and sentences

are linked together in written English.

A clause is a series of words that contains a subject and a

conjugated verb.

There are two main types of clauses:

An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete
sentence.
Dolores went to the grocery store.

A dependent clause must be linked to an independent

clause.
Where she bought milk and eggs
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
The SAT focuses on how clauses can be linked together (or kept
apart).
Linking clauses
There are several ways to link clauses. The SAT focuses on end of
sentence punctuation, coordination, subordination, and semicolons.

End of sentence punctuation

Using end punctuation (like a period or question mark) is the simplest
way to separate clauses.
The punctuation mark must match the function of the sentence it
follows.
Incorrect:
I've often wondered how are birds able to navigate?
Correct:
I've often wondered how birds are able to navigate.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
End of sentence punctuation
End punctuation can only be used to separate two independent
clauses.

Incorrect:
After sliced bread was introduced to the market in 1928. It quickly
eclipsed the popularity of unsliced bread.

Correct:
After sliced bread was introduced to the market in 1928, it quickly
eclipsed the popularity of unsliced bread.
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BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Coordination
Coordination involves the linking of two independent clauses
within a single sentence. To coordinate independent clauses, we
must use two things:
• a comma (,)
• a coordinating conjunction

The only coordinating conjunctions in English are known as the

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Example: We had a lot to do, so we started off early.

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BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Coordination: Common errors
Comma splice error: Two independent clauses are joined with a comma
Incorrect: Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the sun,
meteorological seasons are based on temperature and weather.

Run-on sentence error: Two independent clauses are joined with a

coordinating conjunction, but the comma is missing.
Incorrect: Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the sun
but meteorological seasons are based on temperature and weather.

Correct:
Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the sun,
but meteorological seasons are based on temperature and weather.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Subordination

Subordination involves linking two clauses by making one of the

clauses dependent. To subordinate an independent clause, we must
use two things:
• a subordinating conjunction
• a comma (,)

Subordinating conjunctions are words that turn an independent

clause into a dependent clause.
Some common subordinating conjunctions are after, although, as, as
if, as long as, because, before, despite, even if, even though, if, in
order that, rather than, since, so that, that, though, unless, until,
when, where, whereas, whether, and while.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Subordination
Incorrect:
Broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi may seem like very
different vegetables, they are all cultivars of the same plant
species.

Correct:
Though broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi may seem like very
different vegetables, they are all cultivars of the same plant
species.

Note: Some subordinating conjunctions can link clauses

without a comma, but only if the dependent clause comes
second.
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BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Semicolons
Semicolons can be used to link two independent clauses without any
conjunction.
If the clauses before and after the semicolon can't both stand on their
own as sentences, a semicolon can't be used.

The Green Zebra tomato ripens without turning red; which makes it
difficult to know when one is ready to eat.

The Green Zebra tomato ripens without turning red; and this makes it
difficult to know when one is ready to eat.

Correct:
The Green Zebra tomato ripens without turning red; this makes it
difficult to know when one is ready to eat.
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BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Semicolons
Incorrect:
Though they have been portrayed in popular culture as bitter
rivals; Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Mozart were more likely friends
and respected colleagues.

Correct:
Though they have been portrayed in popular culture as bitter
rivals, Antonio Salieri and Wolfgang Mozart were more likely friends
and respected colleagues.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Likely errors in linking clauses :
• the choices add or remove commas and FANBOYS
conjunctions
• the choices add or remove end punctuation like periods
or question marks
• any choice contains a semicolon
Tip: We only need to link clauses once, so we should avoid using
multiple conjunctions or using a conjunction alongside a semicolon.

Incorrect:
While the violin and mandolin are tuned in the same way, but only the
mandolin has frets on its fingerboard.
Correct:
The violin and mandolin are tuned in the same way, but only the
mandolin has frets on its fingerboard.
While the violin and mandolin are tuned in the same way, only the
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Linking Clauses
Detroit natives Timothy Paule and Nicole Lindsey have combined their two passions, Detroit and
beekeeping, to improve the health of their city’s flowers and other vegetation. In 2017, the couple
converted a vacant lot in the city into an ______ in the years that followed they acquired nine
additional lots and established more than 35 hives.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
1. apiary
2. apiary,
3. apiary and
4. apiary, and

It is tempting to glamorize the hunt for dinosaur ______ majority of fieldwork is characterized by a
daily routine of heat, insects, and tedious labor.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
1. fossils, the
2. fossils but the
3. fossils, but the
4. fossils the

Though Paul Revere is best known today for his "midnight ride" during the American _____ was
famous in his own day as a prosperous silversmith and businessman.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
1. Revolution; he
2. Revolution, but Revere
3. Revolution, he
4. Revolution he
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BOUNDARIES
Supplements
Supplements are
words, phrases, and relative clauses that add extra information to a
sentence,
are used for the purpose of description or elaboration.

There are two main types of supplements:

1. Essential elements are necessary for the sentence to function and

don't require punctuation.
E.g. In a basketball game, the team that scores the most
points will win.

2. Nonessential elements are not necessary for the sentence to

function. They must be separated from the main sentence by
punctuation.
E.g. The basketball team, which won the state championship
last year, got on the bus.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Supplements
Factors that govern how supplements should be treated within a sentence:

Essential or nonessential
Try reading the sentence without the supplemental information.

Position in the sentence

If the supplement begins or ends the sentence, it only requires one
punctuation mark (between the supplement and the rest of the sentence).

Eg.
A striker with 62 goals in international play, Megan Rapinoe is known for her
activism in addition to her soccer stardom.

If the supplement comes in the middle of the sentence, it requires punctuation

on both sides.
Eg.
Megan Rapinoe, a striker with 62 goals in international play, is known for her
activism in addition to her soccer stardom.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Supplements
Type of punctuation to be used to separate non essential elements

Commas (,)
Parentheses ()
Dashes (—)
The same type of punctuation must appear before and after a
nonessential element.
Incorrect:
The male chaffinch—with its bluish cap and rusty red feathering, is
more colorful than its female counterpart.

Correct:
The male chaffinch—with its bluish cap and rusty red feathering—is
more colorful than its female counterpart.
The male chaffinch, with its bluish cap and rusty red feathering, is
more colorful than its female counterpart.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Supplements
Identifying supplements questions
• the choices add or remove commas, but not conjunctions

• the choices include multiple types of punctuation, like commas and

dashes
Tips:

Be consistent!
The same punctuation mark should be used on both sides!

Don't worry about the difference between commas, parentheses, and

dashes
SAT won't test you on these differences.

Don't pair semicolons or colons!

Commas, parentheses, and dashes are the only options when
separating a nonessential element from the rest of the sentence.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Supplements
Luci Tapahonso is the inaugural poet laureate of the Navajo Nation. Her
book Sáanii Dahataal/The Women Are Singing—a combination of
fiction and memoir, poetry and ______ serves as a testament to her
versatility as a writer.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions
of Standard English?
A. prose—
B. prose
C. prose,
D. prose;

The sandhill ______ to North America, has the longest fossil history of
any extant bird at ten million years.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions
of Standard English?

crane a large bird native

crane—a large bird native
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BOUNDARIES
Supplements

Saint Lucia—a sovereign island in the ______ the only country in the
world named after a historical woman.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions
of Standard English?

A. Caribbean, is
B. Caribbean—is
C. Caribbean is
D. Caribbean; is
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BOUNDARIES
Commas
Commas ( , ) should only be used to...
• Separate list items
Incorrect:
Crafting a chessboard requires a table saw a sander and lots of glue.
Correct:
Crafting a chessboard requires a table saw, a sander, and lots of glue.

• Separate nonessential elements from the sentence

Incorrect:
The Bay of Fundy a body of water between Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick experiences the world's highest tidal range.
Correct:
The Bay of Fundy, a body of water between Nova Scotia and New
Brunswick, experiences the world's highest tidal range.
A body of water between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, the Bay of
Fundy experiences the world's highest tidal range.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Commas
Commas ( , ) should only be used to...

• Link dependent clauses to independent clauses

Incorrect:
While they were once endangered by commercial whaling humpback
whale populations have recently grown at a rapid rate.
Correct:
While they were once endangered by commercial whaling,
humpback whale populations have recently grown at a rapid rate.

• Link independent clauses with help from a coordinating (FANBOYS)

conjunction
Incorrect:
Almonds are the world's most consumed tree nut but walnuts are a
close second.
Almonds are the world's most consumed tree nut, walnuts are a close
second.
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BOUNDARIES
Commas
Use of commas to introduce quotations:
• A comma is usually used when introducing a quote or dialogue.
For example, "The president said, 'There is no smoking gun.'"

• A comma is not required if the quote is integrated into the structure of the
sentence without an introductory phrase.
For example, "The president said that there is no smoking gun."

• A comma is not required if the quote is introduced by a conjunction like

"that," "whether," or "if."
For example, "The president is constantly reminding people that 'winter is
coming.'"

• A colon can also be used to introduce a quotation.

For example, "Daenerys often speaks one frightening word: 'Dracarys.'"

• A comma is required if a quote is coming before a dialogue.

 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Commas
Tips:
• Don't split subjects and verbs
Incorrect:
Mountain goats, are very nimble.
Correct:
Mountain goats are very nimble.
Mountain goats, which are only distantly related to domestic
goats, are very nimble.

• No commas before prepositions

Commas shouldn't be placed in front of prepositional phrases,
unless a series of prepositions forms a list
Incorrect:
The chicken crossed, to the other side of the road.
The chicken crossed to the other side, of the road.
Correct:
The chicken crossed to the other side of the road.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Commas
Tips:
• Lists of two don't need commas
Incorrect:
Learning archery requires skill, and practice.
Correct:
Learning archery requires skill and practice.
Learning archery requires skill, practice, and the right equipment.

• Look for comma splice errors

Incorrect:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played professional basketball for
twenty seasons, he retired as the NBA's all-time leader in points
scored.
Correct:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played professional basketball for
twenty seasons, and he retired as the NBA's all-time leader in points
scored.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Commas
While market gardens, which often supply farm stands and farmers' markets,
may be smaller than typical commercial farms, they
tend _________________________
1. to produce a wider variety, of crops.
2. to produce, a wider variety of crops.
3. to produce, a wider variety, of crops.
4. to produce a wider variety of crops.

The blue hyacinth _________________________crushing the nuts' shells in its

powerful beak.
1. macaw, feeds on a diet of brazil nuts
2. macaw feeds, on a diet of brazil nuts
3. macaw feeds on a diet of brazil nuts,
4. macaw, feeds on a diet of brazil nuts,
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Semicolons
Semicolons ( ; ) should only be used to...
• Link independent clauses (without a conjunction)
Incorrect:
The Green Zebra tomato ripens without turning red, it's difficult to know when
one is ready to eat.
Correct:
The Green Zebra tomato ripens without turning red; it's difficult to know when
one is ready to eat.

• Separate list items that already contain commas

Incorrect:
While the United Nations is headquartered in New York City, it also has central
offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Geneva, Switzerland, and Vienna, Austria.
Correct:
While the United Nations is headquartered in New York City, it also has central
offices in Nairobi, Kenya; Geneva, Switzerland; and Vienna, Austria.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Semicolons

Incorrect:
Although Manhattan isn't the first place one might expect to discover
new animals; scientists identified a unique species of ant between 63rd and
76th streets in 2012.
Correct:
Although Manhattan isn't the first place one might expect to discover
new animals, scientists identified a unique species of ant between 63rd and
76th streets in 2012.

When he returned from the Galapagos islands in 1835, Charles Darwin brought
back a young tortoise named _________________________ would live over
170 years before passing away at the Australia Zoo in 2006.
• Harriet, she
• Harriet; who
• Harriet she
• Harriet; she
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Colons
Colons ( : ) are used to introduce
Explanations and extra information
Incorrect:
Many upstart tech companies fail for the same reason the lack of a market
need for their products.
Correct:
Many upstart tech companies fail for the same reason: the lack of a market
need for their products.

Lists
Incorrect:
The advent of cellular biology has led to the classification of organisms into
three distinct domains bacteria, archaea, and eukaryota.
The advent of cellular biology has led to the classification of organisms into
three distinct domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukaryota.

Correct:
The advent of cellular biology has led to the classification of organisms into
three distinct domains: bacteria, archaea, and eukaryota.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Colons
Tips:
Check the clause before the colon
Colons can only appear at the end of an independent clause.
Incorrect:
Mathematics, a variety of interrelated quantitative disciplines,
includes: algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and more.
Correct:
Mathematics includes a variety of interrelated quantitative
disciplines: algebra, calculus, trigonometry, and more.

Don't introduce ideas twice

Lists are often introduced by verbs or prepositions, but we shouldn't use
these in addition to a colon.
Incorrect:
Wide-spread vaccination can functionally eliminate the dangers of
many diseases: such as polio, measles, and tetanus.**
Correct:
Wide-spread vaccination can functionally eliminate the dangers of many
diseases, such as polio, measles, and tetanus.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Colons
Tips:
Colons vs. semicolons
A colon only needs an independent clause before it. A semicolon needs an
independent clause both before and after it.

Correct:
Rhode Island has the longest name of any state: its official title is the "State of
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations".
Rhode Island has the longest name of any state; its official title is the "State of
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations".

Since both a semicolon and a colon could work here, so the SAT won't ask you
to choose between them.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES
Dashes (—)
Dashes should only be used to separate nonessential elements from the rest
of the sentence.

There are three characters—the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly
Lion—that accompany Dorothy on her way to Oz.

There are three characters that accompany Dorothy on her way to Oz—the
Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion.
 FARIDAL LIGHTWALA

BOUNDARIES

Identifying punctuation questions

• the choices add or remove punctuation

• the choices offer a variety of punctuation marks

Top tips
Use the before/after test for semicolons
check to make sure you have an independent clause on either side.

Use the before test for colons

A colon can only appear at the end of an independent clause.

Double-check commas
If the comma is linking clauses, make sure it has the coordinating or
subordinating conjunction it needs to do so.
If the comma isn't linking clauses, make sure it serves a purpose and doesn't
unnecessarily interrupt some other function of the sentence.