LA Skills & Strategies Vocabulary

Skill #15 / 16 — Subject / Verb Agreement

• Core idea: Every finite verb must “agree” with its grammatical subject in both number (singular vs. plural) and tense (present, past, future).
  • Significance: A mismatched subject-verb pair undermines clarity and is one of the most heavily tested ACT–SAT grammar points.
• Procedure
  • Identify the true subject of the clause; it may be separated from the verb by prepositional phrases or descriptive clauses.
  • Decide whether that subject is singular or plural.
  • Conjugate the verb so its ending (or helping verb) matches the subject.
  • Maintain consistent tense by looking at the surrounding verbs.
    • Example: “The collection of rare coins \textbf{was} sold.” (Not were.)
  • Remember that is / are, was / were, has / have act as main (linking or helping) verbs and must also agree.

Skill #17 — Pronoun Clarity & Case

• Purpose: Replace nouns without introducing ambiguity.
• Pronoun types & correct cases
  • Subject pronouns: I,\, you,\, he,\, she,\, it,\, we,\, they
  • Object pronouns: me,\, you,\, him,\, her,\, us,\, them
  • Interrogative / relative pronouns:
    • who = subject (he/they)
    • whom = object (him/them)
    • whose = possessive
    • which = thing, never a person
• Strategy
  • Make sure the pronoun clearly refers to one antecedent.
  • Pick the right case by asking: “Would I answer with he or him?”

Skill #18 — Logical Transitions

• Transition categories tested: Contrast, Cause-and-Effect, Continuation (same thought), Example/Illustration.
• 3-Step Method
  1. Label each answer choice by its category; physically write them down to avoid confusion.
  2. Summarize the sentence before and the sentence after the transition.
  3. Decide what relationship those summaries share, then choose the transition whose category matches.
• Tip: Context is always more important than “sounds right.”

Skill #19 — Parallel Pattern in a Listing (Parallelism)

• Definition: Items in a list of three or more must follow the same grammatical pattern (same part of speech, same verb tense, etc.).
• How to solve
  1. Confirm that the sentence truly contains a list.
  2. Underline the pattern already established (e.g., “running, jumping, and swimming”).
  3. Force the underlined or answer-choice portion to replicate that pattern.

Skill #20 — Faulty Comparison

• Clue words: “than,” “as … as,” “similar to,” “different from.”
• Rule: Compare items from the same category only.
  • Wrong: “The salary of a teacher is lower than a doctor.”
  • Correct: “The salary of a teacher is lower than that of a doctor.”
• Watch for missing comparative words or illogical pairings.

Skill #21 — Comma Rules (8 Total — Memorize Daily!)

1. Between items in a simple series.
2. Between coordinate adjectives.
3. Before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) joining two independent clauses.
4. After an introductory word, phrase, or clause.
5. Around non-essential (non-restrictive) clauses/phrases.
6. Before and after transitional / parenthetical words.
7. To separate contrasted coordinate elements or tag questions.
8. For clarity with dates, addresses, and quoted material.

Skill #22 — Possession vs. Contraction

• Possessives (no apostrophe in ‘its’):
  • its,\, their,\, whose
• Contractions (apostrophe shows missing letters):
  • it\'s = it\ is,\ they\'re = they\ are
• Remember: “there” is strictly a place or an expletive subject.

Skill #23 — Prepositions (Direction / Position / Time)

• Test writers love incorrect prepositions.
• Prep bank: 68 common words (above, across, amid … without). Memorize by daily review.
• Strategy
  1. Spot prepositions offered in answer choices.
  2. Ask, “What location, direction, or time does the context require?”
  3. Insert the preposition that logically fits:
     • “sitting on a board of directors”
     • “entering into the classroom”

Skill #24 — “I” vs. “Me” (Subject vs. Object in Compound Phrases)

• Quick test: Remove the other noun and read the sentence aloud.
  • “Rob and I are going …” ✓
  • “Rob and me are going …” ✗
• Ethics / Practicality: Using the correct form projects professionalism in résumés, emails, and interviews.

Skill #25 — Additional Punctuation Rules

• Semicolon (2 rules):
  1. Join two closely related independent clauses: IC ; IC
  2. Separate complex list items already containing commas.
• Colon (2 rules):
  1. After an independent clause to introduce a list / explanation.
  2. Between title and subtitle or in business salutation.
• Apostrophe (2 rules):
  1. Show possession: James\'s, students\'.
  2. Form contractions.
• Dash (2 rules):
  1. Abrupt break or emphasis—like parentheses.
  2. Mark off an appositive containing internal punctuation.

Skill #26 — Redundancy

• Answer-choice pattern: Typically 3 longer repetitive options, 1 concise option.
• Rule of thumb: The shortest grammatically correct choice that conveys the idea once is best.

Skill #27 — Misplaced / Dangling Phrases & Modifiers

• Identify the underlined full-sentence segment.
• Make sure introductory or modifying phrase sits immediately next to the noun it modifies.
• When combining sentences, begin with the subject for clarity.

Skill #28 — Vocabulary in Context

• Context is king. Is the word describing tone, quantity, or comparison?
• Homonym traps
  • than (comparison) vs. then (time).
  • effect (noun) vs. affect (verb).
• Ethical relevance: Word misuse can distort intended meaning, impacting reader trust.

Skills #29 – 35 — Conceptual / Rhetorical Questions

• Format shift: A direct question precedes the answer choices (unlike purely underlined-text items).
• Sub-types & Strategies
  1. Sentence Introduction / Conclusion
     • Task: “Find the introduction to the following sentence.”
     → Summarize the target sentence (subject + action) and pick the option that previews it.
  2. Sentence Placement
     • Summarize sentence A, then look for logical thread with sentences B (before) and C (after).
     Example: If sentence A begins “At that depth, …,” the preceding sentence must mention a depth.
  3. Add / Delete
     • Summarize the sentence in question.
     • Read the paragraph’s first sentence (main idea). Does the proposed sentence support it?
     → Answer YES + reason, or NO + reason.
• Universal tactics
  • Start testing choices with the shortest; if it works, select it and move on.
  • When answers invert phrases, jot them down in standard order first, then test for clarity.
  • Match any inserted sentence to both the one before and after in the passage.

Overall Mandatory Rule

• The word “\textbf{being}” is almost always wrong on standardized-test answer choices. Treat it as a red flag.

Meta-Connections & Real-World Relevance

• Mastery of these 25 + 10 skills (pages 1-2) forms a comprehensive toolkit for college essays, professional emails, and public speaking.
• Ethical & philosophical angle: Precise grammar conveys respect for readers and prevents misunderstandings that could influence legal or academic outcomes.
• Practical implication: Each skill is heavily represented on ACT, SAT, and many state exit exams, making them high-value study targets.

Daily Study Plan (Suggested)

• Day-to-day rotation:
  • Monday: Subject-Verb & Pronoun drills.
  • Tuesday: Transitions and Parallelism sets.
  • Wednesday: Comma and Punctuation flashcards.
  • Thursday: Prepositions list (all 68) + Misplaced Modifiers.
  • Friday: Full mixed practice with redundancy and conceptual questions.
• Warm-up ritual: Recite the 8 comma rules and the “\textbf{being} is wrong” mantra.

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet (Keep Handy)

• Comma rules – 8 lines.
• FANBOYS list.
• Pronoun cases table.
• Transition categories chart.
• Commonly misused word pairs.

These bullet-point notes consolidate every explicit tip, rule, and strategy from the two-page transcript while adding clarifying explanations, examples, and real-world context so you can replace the original document for exam prep.