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In this guide, I'll provide explanations and examples for the grammar rules that are tested most often on the digital SAT. Each of the practice questions comes from Khan Academy, which is a great resource to learn about different concepts tested on every section of the SAT.
Complete list of grammar and rhetoric rules/concepts tested on the multiple-choice writing section of the SAT and the English section of the ACT.
In this complete guide, we've compiled a comprehensive list of SAT grammar rules you need to know to ace the digital SAT Reading and Writing section. Unlike other guides, ours focuses on providing you with lots of examples to help you understand how the grammar rule will show up on the digital SAT. After all, you need to master the digital SAT ...
- Verb Forms
- Sentence Structure Rules
- Punctuation Rules
- Effective Language Use
- Subordination and Coordination Rules
- Parallel Structure Rules
- Modifier Placement Rules
- Verb Rules
- Agreement Rules
- Pronoun Rules
- Possessive Determinant Rules
Fragments
SAT Grammar Rule #1: Each sentence needs a noun, a verb, and to express a full thought. Which of the following two examples is nota sentence? He was tired. Because he was tired. Only the first one is a sentence. The second is a fragment. Both of these, however, are clauses. A clause is a phrase that contains a subject and a verb. It may or may not be a sentence. So what’s the point of a clause? Breaking up long sentences into clauses helps us to better understand what each part of the sentenc...
Run-on Sentences
SAT Grammar Rule #2: Don’t combine whole sentences with a comma. If you can put a period between two pieces of a sentence without making a fragment, then they can’t be put together without some kind of grammatical glue. Using a comma in place of a period is called a “comma splice,” and it’s one of the most common writing errors that high schoolers make. (So be sure to keep these SAT grammar rules in mind!) I can’t hear you. Can you please use the megaphone? I can’t hear you, can you please us...
Without punctuation, written language would become much more difficult to understand. Those tiny marks between and sometimes inside of words give us cues for reading emphasis, breaks, tone, and more. That’s why the SAT will likely test you on punctuation rules.
Redundancy
SAT Grammar Rule #24: Watch out for synonyms in the same sentence. Redundancy is simply repeating the same information over and over again, repeatedly, many times. (See what I did there?) In true SAT style, redundancies will sometimes be hidden in a sentence like, “Annually, my family goes to the beach every year.” We only need to include either annually or every year, since they mean the same thing.
Style and Tone
SAT Grammar Rule #25: Hard to understand = bad! Look out for over-formality, wordiness, and passive voice in SAT writing and essays. If you think a sentence sounds academic (and therefore good) because it’s hard to follow, then think twice. Why is it tough? Is it because of the structure or the meaning? Unnecessarily complicated sentence structures are not a good thing. So make it clear. Every sentence in English includes a verb to describe an action. But there are basically two different kin...
Voice
SAT Grammar Rule #26: You don’t want to say anything in a casual, lax way—or too formally, either. The SAT wants to make sure you know when to use the appropriate level of voice. That is, you don’t want to say something in a casual, lax way when writing an essay, or, in this case, editing an essay that the SAT has provided. In the sentence pairs below, one maintains a consistent tone whereas the other lapses into casual speak. 1a) The SAT places harsh demands on a student’s attention, forcing...
Conjunctions
SAT Grammar Rule #27: When we have independent clauses (sentences that can stand on their own), and want to join them, we can use a comma and either a coordinating or a subordinating conjunction. First, let’s deal with coordinating conjunctions: 1. F: For 2. A: And 3. N: Nor 4. B: But 5. O: Or 6. Y: Yet 7. S: So Known as FANBOYS, these seven conjunctions will help you remember the coordinating conjunctions. It is important that you know the difference between these conjunctions and that you u...
Creating Parallel Structure
SAT Grammar Rule #28: Whether it is with nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs you need to make sure the form is consistent. The girls at the sleepover said theywanted ice cream for dessert. The girls at the sleepover said shewanted ice cream for dessert. ✓ The dog is hyper, large, and smelly. ✗ The dog is hyper, large, and doesn’t smell good. SAT Grammar Rule #29: Remember that if you cannotphysically count a noun, use the words “less,” “much,” and “amount.” I had less strength after running...
Misplaced Modifiers
SAT Grammar Rule #31: Misplaced modifiers don’t modify the correct part of the sentence. A modifier is an optional adverb, adjective, or phrasethat changes—or modifies—the meaning of a sentence. For example: I play the fluteis an independent clause that totally makes sense by itself. Now let’s look at the sentence with a modifier (bolded): I play the flute, a woodwind instrument. The thing about modifiers, though, is that they have to be placed in the right part of the sentence to make sense....
SAT Grammar Practice Exercise
SAT Grammar Rule #32: Dangling modifiers don’t actually modify anything in the sentence. Hence, it is “dangling,” or not attached to anything. Usually, the modified clause is in passive voice. Typing furiously, she finished her essay. Typing furiously, the essay was finished.
Adverb Placement
SAT Grammar Rule #36: Determine if there are any words modifying a verb or adverb, and verify that they are also adverbs. An adverb is a word that modifies a verb or adjective. It usually answers any of the following questions: How much, how often, and where? He frequently studied. study She was extremely displeased. (To what extent was she the adjective displeased?) He was known to run through the mountains. (Where did he do the verb run?) Few people use adverbs properly in everyday speech....
Verb Tenses
SAT Grammar Rule #37: Make sure the times given in the sentence are consistent and logical. Any time you see a verbunderlined, you should check that the tense given feels natural with the times that the rest of the sentence presents. Do you smell anything fishy in this SAT grammar example? Ernest Hemingway’s short stories, including the favorite “Indian Camp,” continue to be highly influential pieces of fiction despite the fact that they have been written over fifty years ago. If you do, then...
Present Perfect
SAT Grammar Rule #39: Has/Have + Participle = describes an action/event that happened in the past and continues in the present. To illustrate, let’s take a look at the following sentences: 1) Last night, I walked my dog. 2) I have walked Bucky every night for the last two years. In the first sentence, I am doing the action, “walk,” only once. This is the simple past. In the second sentence, I am describing something that has taken place on a number of occasions in the past and continues on ti...
Past Perfect
SAT Grammar Rule #40: Had + Participle = describes an action/event in the past that happened before another action in the past. Whenever you are dealing with two events in the past, one of which started or happened before the other, you must use the past perfect tense to describe the event that started first. Before I moved to California, I had walked Bucky in the mornings, not at nights. SAT Grammar Rule #41: Whenever we use the past perfect, we must also have another verb in the sentence th...
Subject-Verb Agreement
SAT Grammar Rule #44: The SAT likes to put extra information between the subject and verb. If you cross out everything between the subject and the verb, the correct choice will be much more obvious. Subject-verb agreement is a basic building block of English language sentence structure. Because it is so normal in your speech and writing patterns, your eyes can glide right past well-hidden subject-verb agreement errors. Be sure to watch for underlined verbs, and clauses set off by commas or da...
SAT Grammar Rule #45: A pronoun refers to a noun in the sentence. SAT Grammar Rule #46: A pronoun can either take the subjective or objective form depending on its role in the sentence. He called me. 1. 1.1. 1.1.1. Subject: he (thing or person committing the action) 1.1.2. Object: me I called him. 1. 1.1. 1.1.1. Subject: I 1.1.2. Object: him Mary l...
SAT Grammar Rule #48: Its = possessive. It’s = it is. The SAT is going to try to trip you up on a distinction that many—even seasoned writers—flub. Many assume that an apostrophe always means possessive. It doesn’t. It can also be a contraction, or a shortening. In this case, the shortening is of “it is.” A marathon is a challenging race. It’s a co...
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Jan 23, 2024 · The 12 SAT Grammar Rules you need to know. If you’re taking the digital SAT, you should know that the Reading and Writing section tests grammar concepts extensively. Without mastering the SAT Grammar Rules, it’s basically impossible to lock in a top SAT Reading and Writing score.
Mastering grammar rules is your key to unlocking a strong SAT score. Understanding concepts like subject-verb agreement, pronoun reference, and sentence structure will not only improve your writing clarity but also equip you to conquer tricky SAT questions.
Jan 23, 2024 · SAT Grammar Rules - Our cheat sheet offers a comprehensive list of SAT grammar tips that will help you ace the Reading portion of the exam.
