The SAT tests your ability to use commas, semicolons, and colons correctly.

The SAT tests your ability to use commas, semicolons, and colons correctly.

• Commas (,): Use commas to separate items in a list, to separate independent clauses joined by a FANBOYS conjunction (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So), and to set off introductory phrases or clauses.

  • Example: "She packed her suitcase, which contained clothes, books, and a laptop."

  • Incorrect: "She packed her suitcase which contained clothes and books." (No comma needed here.)

• Semicolons (;): Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning. The two clauses must be able to stand on their own as complete sentences.

  • Example: "The concert was sold out; fans had been waiting in line for hours."

• Colons (:): Use a colon to introduce a list, an explanation, or a quotation. The phrase before the colon must be a complete sentence.

  • Example: "The recipe requires three main ingredients: flour, sugar, and butter."

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Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb in a sentence must match its subject in number (singular or plural).

• Singular Subjects: Take a singular verb.

  • Example: "The dog barks loudly."

• Plural Subjects: Take a plural verb.

  • Example: "The dogs bark loudly."

• Common Traps: Don't be fooled by words or phrases that come between the subject and the verb.

  • Example: "The box of old books is sitting in the attic." (The subject is "box," not "books," so the verb must be singular.)

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Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

A pronoun (like he, she, it, they) must agree with the noun it refers to (its antecedent) in both number and gender.

• Singular Antecedents: Use a singular pronoun.

  • Example: "Each student must submit his or her assignment on time."

• Plural Antecedents: Use a plural pronoun.

  • Example: "The workers said they were going on strike."

• Ambiguous Pronouns: Be careful with "who," "which," and "that." "Who" refers to people, "which" refers to non-living things or animals, and "that" can refer to both.

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Sentence Structure

This topic tests your ability to identify and correct errors like fragments, run-ons, and comma splices.

• Sentence Fragments: An incomplete sentence missing a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.

  • Incorrect: "Because he was running late."

  • Correct: "He missed the bus because he was running late."

• Run-On Sentences: Two or more independent clauses joined without correct punctuation.

  • Incorrect: "The sun was bright we went to the beach."

  • Correct: "The sun was bright, so we went to the beach." (Using a comma and a conjunction)

• Comma Splices: Two independent clauses joined by only a comma.

  • Incorrect: "The sun was bright, we went to the beach."

  • Correct: "The sun was bright**;** we went to the beach." (Using a semicolon)

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Parallelism

Parallel structure means using the same grammatical form for items in a list or series. This rule applies to words, phrases, and clauses.

• Verbs: Make sure all verbs in a list have the same form.

  • Incorrect: "She likes to dance, to sing, and painting."

  • Correct: "She likes to dance, to sing, and to paint."

• Nouns/Phrases: The same rule applies to nouns and phrases.

  • Incorrect: "He found the movie to be boring, long, and a waste of time."

  • Correct: "He found the movie to be boring, long, and time-wasting."