Standard English Conventions Cram Sheet

What You Need to Know (and What PSAT Tests)

Standard English Conventions = the grammar + punctuation + sentence structure rules that make writing clear and “standard.” On PSAT 10 Writing-style questions, you’re usually choosing the option that is:

• grammatically correct
• punctuated correctly
• clear and consistent (tense, pronouns, style)
• concise (no redundancy or wordiness)

Big idea: Most questions boil down to sentence boundaries, agreement, modifiers, and punctuation.

If an answer choice creates a run-on, comma splice, fragment, or unclear pronoun, it’s almost always wrong.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Use this quick routine for nearly every Standard English Conventions question:

1. Read the whole sentence (not just the underlined part).

   • Many errors depend on what comes before/after the underline.

2. Identify the “type” of issue. Ask:

   • Boundary? (Is this one complete sentence or two?)
   • Verb? (Tense, agreement, form)
   • Pronoun? (clear reference, case, agreement)
   • Modifier? (is the description next to what it describes?)
   • Punctuation? (comma, semicolon, colon, dash, apostrophe)
   • Parallelism/Comparison? (same structure, logical comparison)

3. If you see two independent clauses, test your connectors.

   • Valid fixes: semicolon; period; comma + FANBOYS; subordinator (because/although/while/etc.).
   • Invalid fix: comma alone (comma splice).

4. For punctuation choices, check what follows the punctuation.

   • Colon must introduce a list/explanation and must follow an independent clause.
   • Semicolon must connect two independent clauses.
   • Comma is for separation (items, introductory clauses, nonessential info), not for gluing full sentences.

5. Prefer the simplest correct option.

   • If two choices are grammatically correct, PSAT usually prefers more concise and more conventional.

Mini worked check (boundary + punctuation)

Sentence: “The lab recorded the results, the team published them later.”

• That’s two independent clauses.
• Correct fixes:
  • “The lab recorded the results; the team published them later.”
  • “The lab recorded the results, and the team published them later.”
  • “The lab recorded the results. The team published them later.”
• Wrong fix:
  • “The lab recorded the results, the team published them later.” (comma splice)

Key Formulas, Rules & Facts

Sentence boundaries & clause connectors

Comma splice = comma joining two independent clauses without FANBOYS.

Comma rules (the high-yield set)

Do NOT use commas for:

• separating subject and verb (“The results, were surprising.” ❌)
• separating verb and object (“She bought, a notebook.” ❌)
• joining two sentences without a conjunction (“…results, they…” ❌)

Semicolons, colons, dashes (don’t mix them up)

Essential vs nonessential (restrictive vs nonrestrictive)

• Essential (restrictive): no commas
  • “Students who studied passed.” (Only those students.)
• Nonessential (nonrestrictive): use commas
  • “My brother, who lives in Texas, is visiting.” (I have one brother, extra info.)

Who/which:

• who = people
• which = things
• that = things (and sometimes people in restrictive clauses), usually no commas in restrictive use

Apostrophes (possession vs plural)

High-frequency trap:

• its (possessive) vs it’s (it is)
• whose (possessive) vs who’s (who is)
• their / there / they’re

Verb rules (tense, agreement, form)

Agreement tips:

• Prepositional phrase doesn’t change the subject: “The bouquet of roses smells…”
• Either/Neither/Each/Every are usually singular: “Each of the players is…”
• Collective nouns (team, committee) are usually singular on PSAT: “The team is…”

Pronouns (case, agreement, clarity)

On PSAT, the safest move is usually the option that makes the pronoun’s antecedent obvious.

Modifiers (placement is everything)

• Modifier must touch what it modifies.
  • Wrong idea: “Walking down the street, the trees looked tall.” (Trees aren’t walking.)
  • Fix: “Walking down the street, I noticed the trees looked tall.”

Common modifier types tested:

• Intro participial phrases (“Running late, …”)
• Adverbs (“only,” “nearly,” “almost”) — place them right next to the word they limit

Parallelism & comparisons

Examples of parallel:

• Correct: “She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.”
• Not parallel: “She likes hiking, swimming, and to bike.”

Concision & word choice (still “conventions” on many questions)

Prefer:

• fewer words with same meaning
• no redundancy
• no unnecessary “being,” “that,” “in order to,” “due to the fact that,” etc.

High-yield replacements:

• “in order to” → “to”
• “due to the fact that” → “because”
• “has the ability to” → “can”

Examples & Applications

Example 1: Comma + FANBOYS vs comma splice

Sentence: “The museum expanded its hours, visitors arrived earlier.”

• Two independent clauses.
• Best fix options:
  • “The museum expanded its hours, so visitors arrived earlier.”
  • “The museum expanded its hours; visitors arrived earlier.”
• Wrong: keep comma alone.

Example 2: Essential vs nonessential clause

Sentence: “The cars, that have hybrid engines, qualify for the discount.”

• If the meaning is only the hybrid cars qualify, the clause is essential.
• Correct: “The cars that have hybrid engines qualify for the discount.” (no commas)
• If all the cars have hybrid engines (extra info), then:
  • “The cars, which have hybrid engines, qualify for the discount.”

Example 3: Pronoun clarity

Sentence: “Maya told Elena that her project won the award.”

• Her is ambiguous (Maya’s or Elena’s?).
• Best fix: name the person: “Maya told Elena that Elena’s project won…”

Example 4: Modifier placement

Sentence: “She nearly drove for three hours.”

• This suggests she almost drove, but didn’t.
• If you mean duration, place “nearly” by “three hours”:
  • “She drove for nearly three hours.”

Common Mistakes & Traps

1. Comma Splice

   • Wrong: using a comma to join two complete sentences.
   • Why wrong: comma alone can’t join independent clauses.
   • Fix: add FANBOYS, use semicolon, or split into two sentences.

2. Run-on via Missing Punctuation

   • Wrong: “IC IC” with no connector.
   • Fix: period/semicolon/comma+FANBOYS/subordinator.

3. Fragment after Colon or Semicolon

   • Wrong: “The reason is: because…” (colon after fragment)
   • Fix: make the part before the colon a full sentence, or delete colon.

4. Comma Between Subject and Verb

   • Wrong: “The effect of the changes, was immediate.”
   • Why: subject = “effect,” not “changes.”
   • Fix: remove the comma.

5. Misplaced/Dangling Modifier

   • Wrong: intro phrase describes the wrong noun.
   • Fix: rewrite so the subject immediately follows the modifier and is the doer.

6. Pronoun-Antencedent Mismatch or Ambiguity

   • Wrong: “Each student brought their…” (sometimes debated) or unclear “this/that/it.”
   • Fix: make number match and antecedent obvious (“Each student brought his or her…” or rewrite plural: “All students brought their…”).

7. Nonparallel Lists

   • Wrong: mixing forms (“to run, biking, and swims”).
   • Fix: align forms (all infinitives, all gerunds, all nouns).

8. Apostrophe Confusion (its/it’s, plural vs possessive)

   • Wrong: “The dog wagged it’s tail.”
   • Fix: “its tail.” Save it’s only for “it is.”

Memory Aids & Quick Tricks

Quick Review Checklist

• Can you spot independent clauses quickly?
• If you have IC + IC, did you use period / semicolon / comma + FANBOYS / subordinator (not comma alone)?
• Did you avoid commas between subject–verb and verb–object?
• Do commas match essential vs nonessential meaning?
• Are verbs consistent in tense and matching their subjects?
• Are pronouns clear, matching in number, and in the right case?
• Are modifiers placed next to what they describe (no dangling “Walking…, the trees…”) ?
• Are lists/comparisons parallel and logically comparable?
• Apostrophes: possession vs contraction (especially its/it’s).

You’ve got this—aim for the cleanest, most standard, least “fancy” correct option.