Standard English Conventions Cram Sheet

What You Need to Know

Standard English Conventions on the SAT (Writing & Language) tests whether you can recognize and fix errors in:

• Sentence structure (complete sentences, run-ons, fragments, coordination/subordination)
• Conventions of usage (grammar: agreement, pronouns, modifiers, parallelism, comparisons)
• Punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes, quotation marks)

Your job is usually to pick the option that makes the sentence grammatically correct, clear, and consistent—without changing the intended meaning.

Key mindset: Most right answers are the simplest grammatically correct choice. If two answers “sound fine,” test them with a rule.

Core idea (the rule behind most questions)

Every choice must produce:

1. A complete sentence when needed (independent clauses handled correctly)
2. Correct relationships between ideas (coordination vs subordination)
3. Correct and consistent grammar (agreement, tense, pronoun clarity)
4. Correct punctuation (especially around clauses and introductory/interrupting elements)

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Use this fast routine on any Standard English Conventions question:

1. Find the “decision zone.”

   • Look at the underlined portion and the words right before/after it. Many errors are determined by nearby structure.

2. Check sentence boundaries first (highest yield).

   • Ask: “Do I have one independent clause or two?”
   • If you see two independent clauses, you must use:
     • Period (split sentences)
     • Semicolon
     • Comma + coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS)
     • Colon (if the second clause explains or lists)
   • Otherwise you risk comma splices and run-ons.

3. Identify clause type: essential vs nonessential.

   • If the information is required to identify the noun → no commas (restrictive/essential).
   • If it’s extra “by the way” info → set it off with two commas, two dashes, or parentheses.

4. Check core grammar next (agreement, tense, pronouns).

   • Subject–verb agreement: find the true subject (ignore prepositional phrases).
   • Pronouns: agreement (number/person), case (subject vs object), and clarity (no ambiguous “this/it/they”).
   • Verb tense: keep consistent unless time clearly changes.

5. Check parallelism and comparisons.

   • Lists, paired structures, and comparisons often hide errors.
   • Make sure compared things are logically comparable and grammatically matched.

6. Finally: punctuation finesse (commas/colons/dashes/apostrophes).

   • Choose punctuation based on structure, not “pause.”

Micro-examples (what you should do in your head)

• Two complete thoughts?
  • “The team practiced daily, they improved.” → comma splice → fix with ; or , and or a period.
• Extra info?
  • “My brother who lives in Texas is visiting.” (Essential: which brother?) → no commas.
  • “My brother, who lives in Texas, is visiting.” (Nonessential: you have one brother) → commas.

Key Formulas, Rules & Facts

Sentence Boundaries (Independent vs Dependent Clauses)

FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so.

Warning: Words like however, therefore, moreover are not FANBOYS. They can’t join two independent clauses with just a comma.

Commas (the SAT’s favorite punctuation)

Essential vs nonessential quick test:

• If you can remove the phrase and the sentence still identifies the noun clearly, it’s likely nonessential → use commas.

Semicolons vs Colons vs Dashes

Rules you can trust:

• Semicolon = period (both sides must be independent clauses).
• Colon: left side must be a complete sentence; right side must explain/illustrate it.
• Dashes: use two for an interruption in the middle; one can function like a colon at the end.

Conjunctive Adverbs (However, Therefore, etc.)

Correct patterns:

• IC; however, IC.
• IC. However, IC.
• IC; therefore, IC.

Incorrect pattern to avoid:

• IC, however, IC (comma splice).

Apostrophes (Possession vs Plurals)

Agreement (Subject–Verb + Pronoun)

Subject–verb agreement

Rules:

• The verb agrees with the subject, not with words in between.
  • “The bouquet of roses smells…” (subject = bouquet)
• With either/or and neither/nor, the verb agrees with the nearest subject.
  • “Neither the students nor the teacher is…”
  • “Neither the teacher nor the students are…”
• Collective nouns (team, committee) are usually singular on the SAT unless context clearly emphasizes individuals.

Pronoun agreement + clarity

Rules:

• Pronouns must match number and person.
  • “Each student must bring his or her (or their, depending on test style) notebook.”
• Avoid vague pronouns (“this,” “that,” “which,” “it,” “they”) unless the antecedent is crystal clear.

SAT favorite: “This shows…” is weak unless “this” clearly names a specific idea. Often better: “This trend shows…”

Pronoun Case (I/me, who/whom)

Who/whom shortcut:

• If you can replace with he/she/they → who.
• If you can replace with him/her/them → whom.

Modifiers

Rules:

• Modifiers should sit next to what they modify.
• Introductory modifiers must be followed by the noun doing the action.
  • Wrong: “Walking to school, the rain soaked my backpack.”
  • Right: “Walking to school, I got soaked…”

Parallelism

Keep grammar consistent in:

• Lists: “to read, to write, and to revise” (all infinitives)
• Comparisons: “more efficient than effective” (same form)
• Paired words:
  • not only X but also Y
  • either X or Y
  • neither X nor Y

Verb Tense + Consistency

Rules:

• Keep tense consistent unless there’s a clear time shift.
• Watch for:
  • present perfect (has/have done) for actions continuing to present
  • past for completed actions
  • future for predictions

Comparisons (Logical + Grammatically Correct)

Rules:

• Compare like with like.
  • Wrong: “Her salary is higher than her coworker.”
  • Right: “Her salary is higher than her coworker’s salary.”
• Use than for comparisons; avoid illogical comparisons.

Commonly Tested Usage (High-yield)

Examples & Applications

Example 1: Fixing a run-on (sentence boundary)

Sentence: “The museum expanded its exhibits, it also added new interactive displays.”

• You have IC (“The museum expanded…”) + IC (“it also added…”) → comma splice.
• Correct fixes include:
  • “The museum expanded its exhibits; it also added…”
  • “The museum expanded its exhibits, and it also added…”
  • “The museum expanded its exhibits. It also added…”

Key insight: If both sides can stand alone, comma alone is never enough.

Example 2: Essential vs nonessential clause

Sentence: “The students, who arrive early, usually get the best seats.”

• With commas, this implies all students arrive early (extra info).
• If only some students arrive early, you want essential meaning:
  • “The students who arrive early usually get the best seats.”

Key insight: Commas change meaning—don’t treat them as optional.

Example 3: Pronoun clarity + agreement

Sentence: “When the engineers met with the managers, they presented the final proposal.”

• Who presented? Engineers or managers? Ambiguous.
• Fix by naming the actor:
  • “When the engineers met with the managers, the engineers presented…”

Key insight: If “they/it/this” could refer to more than one noun, expect the SAT to punish it.

Example 4: Colon vs semicolon

Sentence: “She had one goal: to finish the marathon.”

• Before the colon is an IC (“She had one goal”) and after it is an explanation.
• A semicolon would be wrong if the right side isn’t an IC.

Key insight: Colon introduces; semicolon connects two sentences.

Common Mistakes & Traps

1. Comma Splice (IC, IC)

   • Wrong: Joining two complete sentences with just a comma.
   • Why wrong: A comma can’t do a period/semicolon’s job alone.
   • Avoid: If you see IC + IC, use ; or . or , + FANBOYS.

2. Using “however” like a conjunction

   • Wrong: “I studied, however I was tired.”
   • Why wrong: “However” is a conjunctive adverb, not FANBOYS.
   • Avoid: Use “I studied; however, I was tired.”

3. One-comma error with nonessential info

   • Wrong: “My cousin, a doctor works nights.”
   • Why wrong: Nonessential interruptions require two commas (or two dashes).
   • Avoid: Either add the second comma or remove both.

4. Misidentifying the subject for agreement

   • Wrong: “The list of items are on the desk.”
   • Why wrong: Subject is “list” (singular), not “items.”
   • Avoid: Mentally cross out prepositional phrases (“of items”).

5. Dangling modifier at the start

   • Wrong: “Running late, the bus was missed.”
   • Why wrong: The bus isn’t running late; a person is.
   • Avoid: Make the noun after the comma the doer: “Running late, I missed the bus.”

6. Broken parallelism in lists/pairs

   • Wrong: “She likes hiking, swimming, and to bike.”
   • Why wrong: Two gerunds + one infinitive.
   • Avoid: Match forms: “hiking, swimming, and biking.”

7. Apostrophes used to make plurals

   • Wrong: “apple’s for sale.”
   • Why wrong: Apostrophes aren’t for simple plurals.
   • Avoid: Use apostrophes only for possession or contractions.

8. Illogical comparisons

   • Wrong: “Her research is better than her lab partner.”
   • Why wrong: Research compared to a person.
   • Avoid: Compare to the same type: “better than her lab partner’s.”

Memory Aids & Quick Tricks

Quick Review Checklist

• Sentence boundaries: If you have two independent clauses, fix with . ; , + FANBOYS (or : if explanation).
• Commas:
  • After intro clauses/phrases
  • Around nonessential info (two commas)
  • Before FANBOYS only when joining IC + IC
• Semicolons: both sides must be independent clauses.
• Colons: left side must be an IC; right side explains/lists.
• “However/therefore” rule: use ; however, or start a new sentence.
• Agreement: match verb to the real subject; pronouns match antecedents.
• Pronouns: clear antecedent, correct case (I/me; who/whom).
• Modifiers: place next to what they describe; no dangling intros.
• Parallelism: keep list items and paired structures in the same form.
• Apostrophes: possession vs contraction; don’t make plurals.

You don’t need to “feel” the right answer—apply the structure rules and the correct choice usually becomes obvious.