SAT GRAMMAR RULES

Periods

Equal to semicolons and can separate independent clauses.

Independent Clauses

Can stand alone as sentences.

Semicolons

Interchangeable with periods when separating independent clauses.

Conjunctive Adverbs

Transition words like "however" and "therefore" that can follow semicolons or periods.

Sentence Boundary Questions

Involve determining correct placement of periods to separate independent clauses.

Reading Aloud

A technique to assess fluency and clarity for identifying sentence boundaries.

Sentence Boundary Error

Importance of separating clauses that are not logically connected.

Colons and Dashes

Grammatically equivalent and can be used interchangeably before lists or explanations.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Require a comma before the conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Dependent Clauses

Cannot stand alone and rely on independent clauses for context.

Transition Words

Connect ideas and sentences, with appropriate choice depending on intended meaning.

Non-Essential Information

Can be removed without changing meaning and should be set off by commas or dashes.

SAT Practice Tips

Download a free PDF handout of grammar rules for practice.

Reading Passages Aloud

Helps with enunciation and improves reading comprehension on test day.

Compound Subjects

Subject-verb agreement can be determined by sounding out the sentence.

Memorizing Grammar Rules

Considered time-consuming for compound subjects; verbal testing is more efficient.

Verb Tenses

Should remain consistent throughout a sentence.

"For" or "Since"

Use "have been" for ongoing actions that began in the past.

Single Past Action

Use a single word in the past tense (e.g., "published").

Parallel Structure

Means using the same grammatical structure for a series of words, phrases, or clauses.

Clarity and Grammatical Correctness

Ensured by maintaining parallel structure.

Dangling Modifier

Occurs when a descriptive phrase lacks a clear connection to the noun it modifies.

Grammatical Correctness

Requires the modified noun to follow immediately after the modifying phrase.

Faulty Comparisons

Happen when comparing dissimilar things; ensure logical similarity.

Quantity Words

Plural nouns with "number," "many," and "fewer"; singular nouns with "amount," "much," and "less."