SAT Prep - Standard English Conventions (Grammar, Punctuation, Verb Tense, Pronoun Agreement)

SAT – Standard English Conventions (Grammar, Punctuation, Verb Tense, Pronoun Agreement)

SAT Standard English Conventions Study Guide

Topic: Grammar, Punctuation, Verb Tense, Pronoun Agreement

What This Is

Standard English Conventions (SEC) make up 20 of the 44 Writing & Language questions on the SAT. These questions test your ability to recognize and correct errors in grammar, punctuation, verb tense, and pronoun agreement—skills essential for clear, effective communication. For example, you might see a sentence like: "The team of researchers, who was conducting the experiment, were surprised by the results." Here, the SAT tests whether you can spot the subject-verb agreement error ("team" is singular, so it should be "was" and "was surprised"). Mastering SEC ensures you avoid common traps and write with precision.

Key Terms & Rules

Grammar & Usage

• Subject-Verb Agreement: A verb must agree in number (singular/plural) with its subject.
• Example: "The dog (singular) barks (singular), but the dogs (plural) bark (plural)."

• Tricky subjects: Collective nouns (team, group, family) are usually singular; indefinite pronouns (everyone, nobody) are always singular.

• Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement: A pronoun must agree in number and gender with its antecedent (the noun it replaces).

• Example: "Each of the students brought his or her (not their) lunch."

• Singular "they": The SAT accepts they/their as singular for gender-neutral antecedents (e.g., "A doctor must update their records").

• Verb Tense Consistency: Verbs in a sentence or paragraph should reflect the same time frame unless a shift is logically necessary.

• Example: "She ran (past) to the store and buys (? wrong) milk"-"She ran and bought milk."

• Parallel Structure: Items in a list or comparison must use the same grammatical form.

• Example: "She enjoys hiking, swimming, and biking (all -ing verbs)."

• Wrong: "She enjoys hiking, to swim, and biking."

• Modifier Placement: Descriptive phrases must be placed next to the word they modify.

• Example: "Covered in mud, the dog shook off the water" (not "Covered in mud, the water shook off the dog").

Punctuation

• Commas:
• Use to separate items in a list (apples, oranges, and bananas).
• Use after introductory phrases (After the game, we went home).
• Use to set off nonessential clauses (My brother, who lives in Boston, is visiting).

• No comma splice: Don’t join two independent clauses with just a comma (I ran, I fell-I ran, and I fell).

• Semicolons (;):

• Join two closely related independent clauses (I love coffee; it keeps me awake).

• Separate items in a complex list (I visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Madrid, Spain).

• Colons (:):

• Introduce a list, explanation, or quote (She had one goal: to win).

• Must follow a complete sentence (Wrong: Her goals were: to win, to travel-Right: She had two goals: to win and to travel).

• Dashes (—):

• Set off emphatic or abrupt information (The test—though difficult—was fair).

• Can replace commas or parentheses for dramatic effect.

• Apostrophes:

• Show possession (the dog’s bone = one dog; the dogs’ bones = multiple dogs).
• Contractions vs. plurals: It’s = it is; its = possessive (no apostrophe).

Step-by-Step / Process Flow

Follow this 3-step method for SEC questions:

1. Read the full sentence (or surrounding sentences).

2. Context matters! A verb tense error might only be clear after reading the next sentence.

3. Identify the error type (if any).

4. Ask: Is this about agreement, punctuation, modifiers, or tense?

5. Example: If the underlined word is a verb, check subject-verb agreement.

6. Eliminate answer choices that introduce new errors.

7. The SAT often includes distractors that fix one error but create another.

8. Example: If the original sentence has a comma splice, don’t pick an answer that fixes the comma but creates a fragment.

9. Check for conciseness and clarity.

10. The SAT prefers shorter, clearer phrasing when possible.

11. Example: "Due to the fact that"-"Because."

12. Plug in the remaining choices and pick the best one.

13. If stuck, read each option aloud to hear which sounds most natural.

Common Mistakes

Exam Insights

1. Most-Tested Concepts:
2. Subject-verb agreement (especially with tricky subjects like none, each, or collective nouns).
3. Pronoun-antecedent agreement (singular vs. plural, gender-neutral they).
4. Comma rules (nonessential clauses, introductory phrases, lists).

5. Verb tense consistency (past vs. present, perfect tenses).

6. Common Distractors:

7. Answer choices that fix one error but create another (e.g., fixing a comma splice but making the sentence a fragment).
8. Overly wordy or redundant phrasing (e.g., "in order to"-"to").

9. Incorrectly placed modifiers (e.g., "Covered in mud, the water splashed the dog"-modifier error).

10. Tricky Distinctions:

11. "Who" vs. "whom": Who = subject (does the action); whom = object (receives the action).
    • Example: "To whom did you give the book?" (Whom is the object of give).

12. "That" vs. "which": That = essential clause (no commas); which = nonessential (commas).

    • Example: "The book that I read was great" (essential) vs. "The book, which I read last week, was great" (nonessential).

13. Calculator/Strategy Tip:

14. No calculator is needed, but time management is critical. Spend ~30 seconds per SEC question—don’t overthink!
15. Flag and return to tough questions later.

Quick Check Questions

1. Question: The committee, which meets every Tuesday, is planning to announce their decision soon. A) NO CHANGE B) are C) were D) have been Answer: A) NO CHANGE Explanation: "Committee" is a singular collective noun, so the verb must be singular (is).

2. Question: Running down the street, the dog chased the mailman, who was carrying a package. A) NO CHANGE B) carrying a package. C) and he was carrying a package. D) with a package. Answer: A) NO CHANGE Explanation: The original sentence correctly uses a nonessential clause (who was carrying a package) with commas.

3. Question: Neither of the candidates have submitted their paperwork on time. A) NO CHANGE B) has C) are having D) were having Answer: B) has Explanation: "Neither" is singular, so the verb must be singular (has). The pronoun their is acceptable as singular here.

Last-Minute Cram Sheet

1. Subject-verb agreement: Singular subject = singular verb; plural subject = plural verb. Watch for collective nouns (team, group) and indefinite pronouns (everyone, each).
2. Pronoun-antecedent agreement: Match number (singular/plural) and gender. They/their can be singular for gender-neutral antecedents.
3. Comma rules: Use for lists, introductory phrases, and nonessential clauses. No comma splice (two independent clauses need a period, semicolon, or conjunction).
4. Semicolons (;): Join two related independent clauses or separate complex list items.
5. Colons (:): Introduce a list/explanation only after a complete sentence.
6. Dashes (—): Set off emphatic or abrupt information (can replace commas/parentheses).
7. Apostrophes: ’s = singular possession; s’ = plural possession. Its = possessive; it’s = it is.
8. Verb tense consistency: Keep tenses logical and consistent unless the time frame changes.
9. Parallel structure: Lists and comparisons must use the same grammatical form.
10. Modifier placement: Descriptive phrases must be next to the word they modify. "Running late, the bus was missed" = wrong (modifier error).