SAT Grammar Notes Review - Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key SAT grammar concepts and rules drawn from the provided notes.

Period

Punctuation used to end a sentence; can also separate two complete sentences when used to end the first and start the second.

Semicolon

Punctuation that connects two independent clauses or separates items in a complex list; used to join closely related ideas.

Comma before coordinating conjunction

Place a comma before and, but, or, nor, for, yet, so when joining two independent clauses.

Colon

Punctuation with several uses: introduces a list; introduces a single item; or separates two complete sentences.

Hyphen

Punctuation used to join words in a compound term or to split a word for clarity; also used in some list formats.

Dash (em dash)

Punctuation used to set off a part of a sentence for emphasis or to insert an appositive.

Subject

The noun that performs the action in a sentence.

Verb

The action word that the subject performs.

Adjective

Word that describes a noun.

Adverb

Word that describes a verb, an adjective, or another adverb; often ends in -ly.

Preposition

A small connecting word that shows relation between words (examples: above, below, in, on, of, outside, inside).

Object of the preposition

The noun that comes after a preposition.

Direct Object

Answers the question 'Who?' or 'What?' after a transitive verb; receives the action.

Indirect Object

Answers the question 'To whom?' or 'For whom?' the action is done; often a person.

Appositive

A noun or noun phrase that renames another noun; usually set off by commas.

Transition word

A word that connects one sentence to the next, signaling relationships between ideas.

Transition categories

Transition words fall into four groups: SAME (similar), OPPOSITE (contrast), CAUSE (reason/result), EXAMPLE (illustration).

Whereas

A transition word that indicates OPPOSITE/contrast between clauses.

Moreover

A transition word indicating SAME/addition; used to add information.

Even so

A transition word indicating CONTRAST between ideas.

As a result

A transition word indicating CAUSATION; one idea causes another.

Antecedent

The noun to which a pronoun refers.

Pronoun (subject vs object forms)

Subject forms (I, he, she, we, they) perform the action; object forms (me, him, her, us, them) receive the action.

Who vs whom

Who = subject; Whom = object; a memory aid: plug in he/him to decide.

That vs which

That introduces essential clauses; which introduces nonessential clauses and is set off by commas.

Whom vs who memory trick

If replacement by 'he' works, use who; if by 'him' works, use whom.

Noun vs possessive forms (dog, dog’s; bikes, bikes’)

Singular possessive adds ’s (dog → dog’s); plural ending in s adds only an apostrophe (bikes’); irregular plurals take ’s (oxen’s).

Not only… but also

A correlative pair; when using not only, also use the corresponding accompanying phrase (e.g., not only is he tall, but he is strong).

Gerund

A verb form acting as a noun (e.g., Swimming is fun).

Participle

A verb form acting as an adjective or adverb (e.g., a running joke; the book written by…).

Dependent clause

A clause that cannot stand alone as a complete sentence; it depends on an independent clause.

Independent clause

A clause that can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Appositive punctuation

Use commas to set off nonessential appositive phrases; may be enclosed in parentheses or dashes in some cases.

Parallel structure

In a list or sequence, ensure each item maintains the same grammatical form.

Active voice

Subject performs the action; generally preferred for clarity and directness.

Passive voice

Subject receives the action; often less direct but used for emphasis or variety.

Gerund vs Participle distinction

Gerund acts as a noun; participle acts as an adjective or adverb.

Subject-verb agreement tip

Identify the subject of the sentence and ensure the verb agrees in number; read the subject with the verb and skip words in between.

I vs me; He vs him; She vs her

I/he/she are subject forms; me/him/her are object forms; memorize through example substitutions.

Thesis location (in essays)

The central point or thesis is often found in the first or last sentence of the first paragraph.

Its vs it’s

Its = possessive pronoun; it’s = contraction of it is or it has.

Less vs fewer

Less = uncountable quantities; fewer = countable items (e.g., less money, fewer dollars).

Still vs nevertheless

Both express contrast; nevertheless is often used as a transition word at sentence boundaries.

Comma usage with quotation marks

Place a comma inside or outside quotation marks depending on style; the standard is before the closing quote in most cases.

Use of 'still' as a transition

Still is a contrastive transition word similar to nevertheless.

Difference between 'which' and 'that' in clauses

'Which' introduces nonessential (nonrestrictive) clauses; 'that' introduces essential (restrictive) clauses.

Indentation signaling a new paragraph

An indented section typically indicates a new paragraph.

Comma before 'such as'

A comma is often placed before 'such as' when introducing examples in a sentence.

Subject performing the verb rule (the trick to find subject)

Find the noun that performs the action and match it with the verb; ignore intervening words.

Correct form for verb tense differences in choices

Look for mismatches where the last word before the verb disagrees in number; identify the true subject performing the verb.

Two short sentences vs one long sentence (style)

In formal writing, one longer sentence is often preferred over two short sentences for flow.

Transition cues for cause-and-effect

If the first sentence provides a reason for the second, the relationship is causation.

Appositives in lists

You can separate appositives with dashes or commas; ensure parallel structure.