SAT writing: standard english conventions

what are sentence fragments?

Incomplete ideas (no S + V)

what are sentence fragment usually caused by?

- subordinating conjunctions

- unnecessary relative pronouns

- no subject and/or no main verb

what are subordinating conjunctions?

subordinating conjunctions signal relationships of time/place.
ex) once, while, when, whenever, where, wherever, before, and after

how would you correct this sentence, and if this does not need to be corrected, why?

Limestone is considered a sedimentary rock. Since it is formed out of independent particles that have cemented over time.

hint: subordinating conjunction = since

correct:

Limestone is considered a sedimentary rock since it is formed out of independent particles that have cemented over time.

or

Limestone is considered a sedimentary rock. It is formed out of independent particles that have cemented over time.

how would you correct this sentence, and if this does not need to be corrected, why?

In 1902, Orville Gibson who started the Gibson Guitar Company, one of the world's best-known guitar manufacturers.

hint: "who" is the unnecessary pronoun that creates an unclear clause that doesn't make sense on its own. To fix this sentence fragment, we should eliminate the unnecessary pronoun.

correct:

In 1902, Orville Gibson started the Gibson Guitar Company, one of the world's best-known guitar manufacturers.

how would you correct this sentence, and if this does not need to be corrected, why?

"Periodical" is an umbrella term used to refer to various publications released on a regular schedule. Including magazines, academic journals, and yearbooks.

explanation: "Including . . . yearbooks" contains neither a subject/functional verb, so it can't stand on its own. To fix this fragment, we need to link it to an independent clause.

correct:

"Periodical" is an umbrella term used to refer to various publications released on a regular schedule, including magazines, academic journals, and yearbooks.

what are strategies you can use to approach long clauses to determine whether or not it contains all the necessary elements to stand alone as a sentence? (to identify sentence fragments)

- read around nonessential phrases by removing comma-bound phrases
- -ing verbs need help (participles, or verb forms that need helping verbs like "is" or "has been")

example of reading around nonessential phrases by removing comma-bound phrases

- Bill Peet, an animator at Walt Disney Studios from 1937-1964, who is largely credited with shaping Disney's visual style during that period.

now we read it as: Bill Peet who is largely credited with shaping Disney's visual style during that period.

explanation: now, we know to get rid of the unnecessary pronoun: who

example of identifying subject lead directly into -ing verb form
- Each student accepting his or her diploma and crossing the stage to shake hands with the dean.

Each student accepting his or her diploma and crossing the stage to shake hands with the dean.

correct:

Each student accepted his or her diploma and crossed the stage to shake hands with the dean.

or

Each student is accepting his or her diploma and crossing the stage to shake hands with the dean.

explanation: On their own, "accepting" and "crossing" aren't functional verbs, so the sentence can't stand on its own. To fix this sentence fragment, we could replace the -ING verbs with functional verbs that match the tense of other nearby verbs in the passage

what is verb tense?

Verb tense, or how a verb is conjugated, tells us when that action occurs.
ex) past, present, future

what is verb mood?

Verb mood, another element of verb formation, tells us even more about the action being completed.

ex) indicative mood tells us about a factual action, while the conditional mood tells us about a possible action.

what are strategies you can use to determine if an action happens in the past, present, or future?

rely on context clues**
- match nearby verbs
- place general facts in the simple present

what are modifiers?

words/phrases that describe something

where do we place modifiers?

directly next to the nouns they logically describe.

what is pronoun clarity?

the idea that a pronoun must correctly refer to a logical antecedent. (an antecedent is the noun that a pronoun replaces)

- ex) mary --> her... john --> his

what is an important question to ask yourself when looking for pronoun clarity?

what noun is this pronoun logically replacing?

what relative pronouns apply to people?
what relative pronouns apply to things?

"who" and "whom" apply to people
"which" and "that" apply to things

what does pronoun-antecedent agreement mean?

pronouns should be similar in number to the nouns (antecedents) they represent

what is the best strategy to use when reading contractions, and determining whether to use: "it's" or "they're" or "its"

first, identify the antecedent, then read out the contraction. (ex. it's = it is)

what is noun agreement?

the requirement that a noun agree in number with the meaning of the sentence

what is parallel structure?

the idea that when two or more words, phrases, or clauses are linked, they should share the same structure.

what is the best tip for revising the underlined portion of a sentence to find the most parallel choice?

match what you can change to what you can't, and try to avoid redundancy.

what is logical comparison?

the idea that comparisons must be made between two things of the same type.

when are the only times to use commas?

- separate list items

- separate nonessential elements from the sentence

- link dependent clauses to independent clauses

- link independent clauses with help from a coordinating (FANBOYS) conjunction

what are nonessential elements in a sentence?

descriptive words, phrases, or clauses that aren't necessary for the sentence to make sense

What is an independent clause?

a complete thought like a sentence and can stand alone (S & V)

What is a dependent clause?

clause that cannot stand alone
(also known as a subordinating clause).

what is a coordinating conjunction?

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

what are some strategies for figuring out when to NOT use commas?

- don't split S + V

- no commas before prepositions

- no commas w/ lists of two

- comma cannot be used to link two independent clauses w/o a coordinating conjunction

when are the only times to use semi colons?

- link independent clauses w/o a conjunction (can be used in place of a conjunction)

- separate list items that already contain commas

what are some strategies for figuring out whether or not to use semi colons?

- anytime you use a semi colon to link 2 independent clauses, be sure that EACH clause can stand on its own

- look out for comma splice errors!

what is a comma splice error?

when a comma links two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction (comma is being used incorrectly)

how do you fix a comma splice error?

use a coordinating conjunction or a semi colon!

what are the rules for using colons?

to introduce:
- explanations & extra info
- lists

what are some strategies to use to figure out whether or not to use colons?

- make sure the clause before the colon is independent (it can stand alone)

- don't introduce ideas twice with verbs/prepositions AND a colon (one or the other is needed)

what is a major difference between colons & semi colons?

- a colon needs an independent clause before it
- a semi colon needs an independent clause both before & after it

what are the rules for appropriately punctuating a list of items?

- use commas for simple lists
- use semi colons when list items already contain commas
- punctuation comes before the "and"/"or"

what are some strategies to use when punctuating a list of items?

- be consistent! (never use commas between some items and semicolons between others in the same list)
- no colons/dashes within a list

how do you appropriately punctuate a non essential element?

separate them from the rest of the sentence with commas, parentheses, or dashes

- At the beginning or end of a sentence, punctuation is only needed on one side of a nonessential element

- In the middle of a sentence, punctuation is needed on both sides of a nonessential element

what are clauses and how are they linked?

A clause is a series of words that contains a subject (usually) and a conjugated verb (always).

what are the 2 main types of clauses?

An independent clause can stand on its own as a complete sentence.

A dependent clause must be linked to an independent clause.

what are some strategies to use when linking clauses?

- look out for comma splice errors
- pick logical conjunctions
- avoid double-linking clauses
- test semi-colons using the "before and after test" (make sure there is an independent clause before & after)