SAT Grammar Rules

What is an IC?

A group of words with a subject and verb, and can stand alone as a complete sentence.

What is a Dependent Clause?

A group of words with as subject and verb that cannot stand alone

What is the acronym for words that, if at the beginning of a sentence, lead to it being a DC?

Wasabi

While, after, since, although, because, if

What is the core rule of IC and DC?

You cannot join two independent clauses with just a comma, including IC, however, IC

What are the ways to correctly join two IC

Period, Semi Colon, Colon, Semicolon + adverb+ comma (however, therefore, moreover, etc), turning one clause into a DC with a subordinating conjunction (because, although, when)

What is the Colon/ Semicolon Rule

They can never follow a dependent clause/ fragment, IC must be before

What is a fragment?

A group of words punctuated as a sentence, but misses a subject, verb, or is an alone DC

What are the comma rules?

Coordinate adjectives: adjectives that could be reordered or join with and

• No comma for cumulative adjectives that have to stay in order.

Nonessential info: If info can be removed without changing the meaning, it must need comma on both sides

Essential Info: if removing it changes the meaning, no comma

Comma Before FANBOYS

• Only when joining two IC

Never separate subject from verb w comma

What do Semicolons do?

Join two Independent Clauses

Separate items in a complex list when items contain commas

• Paris, France; Rome, Italy

Semi colon is never followed by a DC or fragment

Colons

Must follow a complete IC, introduces a list, explanation, elaboration, or quotation

Dashes and Parenthesis

(—) Can function like commas or colons to set off nonessential info or introduce an explanation.

• If you open a nonessential phrase with a dash, you must close it with a dash, unless if end of the sentence

• Parenthesis also set off noness info, and mirrors comma rules for essential, noness info

When do you use were or was

Was: singular facts

Were: plural subjects, wises, or imaginary situations

When do you use I or Me?

I is when you are doing the action, and me is when something is happening to you. Trick, remove the other person to see which word works

Who vs Whom

Who is for a subject doing an action, and whom is for an object receiving an action/ following a preposition (shows direction, location, or time)

• if you can replace with he/she its who

• if you can replace with him/ her its whom

Affect vs Effect

Affect: to influence

Effect: a result

Then vs than

Then: time

Than: comparison

Accept vs except

Accept: to receive

Except: excluding

Lie vs Lay

Lie: to recline

Lay: to place something

Farther vs further

Farther: physical distance

Further: non-physical distance

Imply vs infer

Compliment vs complement

Principal vs principle

Allude vs elude

Elicit vs illicit

adverse vs averse

What is fanboys?

An acronym for the seven coordinating conjunctions: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, and so