👋 Overview: Standard English Conventions

The SAT Writing section can be tough, however, once you understand each topic on the test, it'll be a piece of cake. 🍰 Standard English Grammar conventions is a key topic in the writing portion of the SAT. Understanding it will bring you one step closer to acing your test! Let's get started with an overview of the topics in this section. ⬇️

✨ Three Elements of Standard English Grammar Conventions

Standard English Grammar Conventions is a section that focuses on sentence structure, punctuation, and another other grammatical rules that could apply to a sentence. We could outline this section with three main categories:

1. • ✏️ Sentence structure
2. • 📓 Conventions of usage
3. • ⁉️ Conventions of punctuation In this guide, we’ll go over the grammar convention section of the SAT writing portion including some sample questions! 

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✏️Sentence Structure 

Questions under the sentence structure category will ask you to identify features of sentence structure, and to adjust the sentence to maintain or correct these features. 

Some examples of sentence features the SAT focuses on are: 

• • Completion of a sentence: making sure a sentence has an appropriate length: it should not be a sentence fragment, nor should it be a run-on sentence.
• • Parallel structure: identifying when the format of a sentence is intentionally repeated to create a certain effect.
• • Placement of adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, and other modifiers: making sure that modifiers are appropriate and used properly in a sentence.
• • Changing verb tense: making sure that the verb tenses in a sentence (future, past, present) are consistent.
• • Changing pronouns: making sure that the pronouns in a sentence are consistent. Although many of these features may be straightforward, there are a few that could be unfamiliar. Let's take a closer look at parallel structure and modifier placement before we continue. 🔎

🔄 Parallel Structure 

Parallel structure means using a similar word order or format in a sentence. It is often used to improve flow or put emphasis on a certain section of the sentence. 

Let's look at a few examples of parallel structure. 

Mina likes jogging, biking, and hiking around her neighborhood.  Here, the parallel structure is in the three verbs used to describe Mina's activities. All of the verbs are in the gerund form, or in other words, all three verbs end in 'ing'. This helps keep the flow of the sentence. 

If the sentence had been written like this: 

Mina likes jogging, to bike, and hiking around her neighborhood.  Then the sentence would not have the same flow. In this case, 'to bike' makes the sentence clunkier and stands out as different from 'jogging' and 'hiking'. 

**Parallel structure can often be found in lists, especially those that include verbs and actions. If you see a list format used in a writing passage, be on the lookout for a question that could target parallel structure! **

📚 Modifier Placement 

Modifiers are words that modify or change another part of the sentence. Some common examples of modifiers are adverbs and adjectives, however, there are modifiers beyond these. 

Knowing every type of modifier is not necessary for the SAT, however is it is important to be able to identify modifiers in a sentence and identify which placement best clarifies the sentence. 

As a general rule, modifiers should be kept as close as possible to the noun or phrase they modify. 

Let's look at an example!

Writing quickly, Cooper tried to finish his test before his time ran out.  Writing quickly, before time ran out, Cooper tried to finish his test.  Here, the first sentence is clearer and more concise. In this case 'writing quickly' is the modifier. The noun that it modifies is 'Cooper', describing him as writing quickly. The first sentence keeps the modifier closest to the noun and enhances the clarity of the sentence. The second sentence has a muddier meaning and is a more cluttered sentence. Since there are more phrases separating the modifier and noun, the meaning of the sentence gets harder to discern. 

Image Courtesy of Grammar Monster

❄️ So, what are some strategies we can use to answer sentence structure questions? 

We can use ICE to remember some key strategies:

• • 👁 Identify the modifier, parallel structure, verb tense, sentence format, pronouns, etc. used in the sentence. This will help you narrow your focus to a smaller part of the sentence or passage when tackling the question.
• • ✅ Check how different answer choices could fit in the sentence. Try reading the sentence with different formats to pick the answer choice with the best overall flow and grammar.
• • 🔍 Examine the rest of the text for patterns that could help you choose the right answer. For example, considering the verb tense or pronouns surrounding the section the question is focused on.

📝 Sentence Structure: Practice Questions

Let's apply our knowledge and take a look at some practice questions!

Sentence Structure Question 1

Image and Question Courtesy of Khan Academy

Answer: D) their

We can first identify 👁 that this is a pronoun consistency question, so we mainly have to focus on the pronouns in the sentence. First, we can see that the pronoun we are trying to change or keep is "it's". 

Next, let's examine 🔍 the rest of the sentence to see what this pronoun should refer to. We can see that here, ice and snow are not able to reflect the Sun's rays due to soot. 

Lastly, let's check ✅ which answer choice matches this. Since "ice and snow" are plural, they should be referred to with a plural pronoun. D is the only answer option with a plural pronoun spelt correctly, therefore it is the answer 

Sentence Structure Question 2 

Images Courtesy of Khan Academy

Answer: B 

Let's start by identifying 👁what type of question this is. We can see that this question is a verb tense question, where we have to make sure the verb tense is consistent in the sentence. By examining 🔍 the sentence, we can see that the other verb tense used in the sentence is the present tense. Following this, we can check ✅ the answer list to select the choice that is in the present tense. In this case, the answer should be B. 

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📓 Conventions of Usage 

This is a category that is kind of a 'catch-all' for any standard usage and grammar points. 

Let's look at some of the specifics covered under this category: 

• • Pronoun clarity: making sure it is clear which noun a pronoun refers to in a sentence.
• • Distinguishing between possessives: telling the difference between when to use possessive pronouns, as well as telling the difference between possessives and similar words. For example: distinguishing its, his, hers, theirs, and yours; telling the difference between there and their; and telling apart from contractions (you're vs your, they're vs their). If you have trouble distinguishing possessives, consider checking out this resource!
• • Agreement: making sure subjects and verbs agree, pronouns match the noun they refer to, and nouns agree with each other.
• • Distinguishing frequently-confused words: telling homophones apart in sentences, and making sure the word is being used correctly. For a list of commonly confused homophones, check this out.
• • Making sure comparisons are logical: checking that comparisons are made accurately and precisely.
• • Conventional expression: this is a category that covers correcting instances where 'standard grammar conventions' are not being followed without serving a stylistic purpose. Let's take a closer look at a few of of the concepts under this category! ⬇️

🧩 Pronoun Clarity 

Pronoun clarity is making sure that pronouns match the nouns they refer to. On the SAT, you may be asked to edit a sentence to make it clearer which noun a pronoun refers to. 

Let's look at some examples!

Omar, Rachel, and Chris always got along well-- Omar and Chris are cousins, and they are siblings.   ⛅️ In this sentence, it is unclear who or what the pronoun 'they' is referring to; it could be referring to Chris and Rachel or Omar and Rachel. In order to clarify the pronoun, we can replace it with more specific nouns. Let's look at an alternative. 

Omar, Rachel, and Chris always got along well-- Omar and Chris are cousins, and Rachel and Chris are siblings.  ☀️ This sentence reads much more clearly, and is easier to understand. This question included an example of a pronoun with multiple antecedents, or multiple possible nouns the pronoun could be referring to. 

Here's an example of a sentence with no antecedent!

On Nina's birthday, they threw her a huge surprise party.  ⛅️ Here, it is unclear what the pronoun 'they' is referring to. This should be replaced with a clearer noun. 

Check out an alternative. 

On Nina's birthday, her friends threw her a huge surprise party.  ☀️ In this sentence, the noun the pronoun was meant to refer to is clear. 

When answering these questions, first identify what noun the pronoun could be referring to. Then, pick the answer choice that makes the connection between pronoun and noun the most clear in the sentence. 

🔗 Agreement 

Agreement is a category that covers subject-verb, noun-noun, and pronoun-noun agreement. Let's see an example of each. 

Subject-Verb Agreement

Liza likes going to the beach. This is an example of a sentence where the subject and verb do agree! Since Liza is a third-person singular pronoun, the verb 'likes' is most appropriate. Now let's see an example where the subject and verb don't agree. 

Liza like going to the beach.  Here, the form of the verb does not match the subject, Liza. 

To answer these questions, identify the subject and verb in the sentence. Then remove other aspects of the sentence and focus on the subject and verb alone to see if they agree. 

Noun-Noun Agreement

Samar and Macy want to be athlete.  This is an example of a sentence where the nouns do not agree. Since Samar and Macy are two people, "athlete" should be plural as well. 

Samar and Macy want to be athletes. 

Pronoun-Noun Agreement 

 Kiersten and Ryan liked to decorate her shared room.  This is an example of a sentence where the pronoun and noun do not match. Since Kiersten and Ryan are two people, the pronoun referring to them should be 'they'. 

Kiersten and Ryan liked to decorate their shared room.  Although examples on the SAT may be more complex, as long as you can identify the subject noun and pronoun, you should be able to approach the question in a similar way. 

⚖️ Logical Comparison 

Logical comparison is a category that focuses on making sure a comparison is being drawn between two like things. 

Let's see an incorrect example. 

I prefer my grandma's food to my aunt.  In this sentence, a comparison is made between 'my grandma's food' and 'my aunt.' 

Instead, the comparison should be made between two similar things. Let's see some better versions of the sentence.

I prefer my grandma's food to my aunt's food.  I prefer my grandma's food to my aunt's.  In these examples, the comparison is made between the food made by the grandma and the aunt. Since these are two like things, this is a logical comparison. 

To approach these questions, first identify 👁 the topics being compared, as well as what quality they are being compared on. In this instance, the grandma and aunt's food are being compared, and the trait being compared is the quality of their food. 

Next, we can read the options to see which sentence structure best matches this comparison ⚖️. 

🍀 What are some strategies we can use to answer questions in this category? 

Before the exam...

• • 👀 Review some common grammar rules and concepts that may appear on the SAT, such as subject-verb agreement, distinguishing commonly confused homophones, etc. Don't feel overwhelmed feeling like you have to review all the grammar concepts that could appear on the SAT—instead, try to focus on any concepts you find more challenging as you're preparing for the exam!
• • 😉 Consider developing personal acronyms, mnemonics, or other memory strategies to help you recall any concepts you find yourself tripping over often.
• • 💭 Practice doing questions that target the grammar concept you are having trouble with. During the exam...
• • 🤔 Try to read through sentences or phrases in your head, substituting different answer choices, to see which 'feels' or sounds better.
• • ✍🏼 If there is a quick memory strategy you have for remembering a common grammar concept, consider jotting it down on your paper right when the test starts. This way, you can get it off your brain and still come back to it if you need to.

📝 Conventions of Usage: Practice Questions

Conventions of Usage Question 1

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy

First, we can identify what kind of question this is. In this case, this is a logical comparison ⚖️ question. In the example sentence, the quality being compared is the 'safety for consumption' of organically and conventionally grown crops. 

Once we have identified the comparison being made, we can compare the answer choices to see which sentence would make the comparison the most clear. In this instance, deleting any mention of the purchase of conventionally grown crops would help to make the comparison clearer. Therefore the answer is D. 

Conventions of Usage Question 2

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy.

Let's start by reading the entire sentence to ourselves and determining if the current set-up 'feels' right. 

In this instance, the use of 'to be' sticks out as a bit awkward in the sentence, even though it is grammatically correct. You can continue reading the sentence switching out different answer choices until you find the most 'correct-sounding' choice. 

For a more concrete strategy, we can focus on the closest verb in the sentence. In this case, the verb is 'serves'. Next, we can think about what preposition or phrase often goes along with 'serves', which is usually 'as'. 

Therefore, the correct answer choice is B. 

**This kind of question can be tricky since it is a conventional expression question. Every answer choice could be technically correct, but you must choose the answer choice that "sounds" or "feels" the most correct. **

Conventions of Usage Question 3 

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy.

In this question, we can again start by reading through the sentence surrounding the question, and focus in on the section closest to the underlined portion. Next, let's identify what the topic of the sentence is. In this case, the sentence is talking about a scientist using software to search through social media for specific phrases. We can then clarify what the words around this section should refer to: 

• • the word after 'social media should refer to a website
• • the phrase "in search..." typically ends with the preposition "of" This can help us choose the most accurate answer choice. In this case, the only answer that meets both of these requirements is B, "site in search of" 

Therefore, the correct answer choice is B. 

** Reviewing common homophones before taking the exam can help you better answer questions like these! 🤗**

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⁉️ Conventions of Punctuation 

Conventions of punctuation is a subcategory that has a pretty straightforward subject—punctuation! This category includes all questions asking you to address or correct punctuation in a sentence. 

☂ Let's see some topics covered under this umbrella : 

• • Ending punctuation: making sure the correct punctuation is used to end a sentence. (think full-stops, exclamation points, question marks, etc.)
• •  Mid-sentence punctuation: accurately using punctuation in the middle of a sentence. (Ex. em-dashes, colons, and semi-colons.)
• • Apostrophes for possessives: distinguishing between using an apostrophe for a possessive and omitting an apostrophe for plural nouns.
• • Lists and series: using the right punctuation to separate items in a list or series.
• • Extra info: using correct punctuation to add extra information that is not essential to the sentence (think of commas, em-dashes, and parenthesis (like this!)). This category also includes making sure essential information is not formatted like non-essential information.
• • Eliminating the unnecessary- getting rid of any extra or misplaced punctuation in a sentence. Let's look a little closer at three of these topics! 

⏸ Mid-Sentence Punctuation 

Mid-sentence punctuation is any punctuation that can be found in the middle of a sentence. Let's see some of the most common examples and their usages:

• • Commas: can be used with FANBOYS conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)- - Are placed after introduction phrases- - Separate two adjectives for the same noun- - Create appositive phrases
• • Em-dashes: emphasize the following part of the sentence- - Set aside examples or non-essential information in a sentence
• • Colons: can be used before an example or list
• • Semi-colons: connect independent clauses- - Can be used in a list (see more in Lists and Series)
• • Ellipses: replace part of a quote- - creates a pause in dialogue

🗒 Lists and Series 

Lists and series are typically lists of items or concepts in a sentence. What punctuation is used for lists? 

• • Commas are usually used to separate items in a list.- - Ex. I like chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream, and cherry soda.
• • Semicolons are used to separate items in a list when each item contains a comma.- - Ex. Each of my siblings has a career in healthcare: John, nurse; Lisa, doctor; and Alex, PA.- - Ex. Helen is planning a trip to cities across Asia. She wants to visit Seoul, South Korea; Kyoto, Japan; and Bangkok, Thailand.

**When answering these questions, remember that only semi-colons and commas will be used to separate items in a list—don't fall for answer choices containing any other punctuation separating list items! **

**Identify 👁 whether the list items already have a comma in them or not. This will clue you into whether you should use a comma or semi-colon to separate them. **

✚ Extra and Unnecessary Punctuation 

Any extra (or nonessential) information in a sentence needs to be separated from the rest of the sentence. Information is nonessential when the sentence still makes sense without it. 

Let's see use an example to see the difference between nonessential and essential information. 

Known for its food and history, Italy has had a worldwide cultural impact.  In this sentence, the beginning phrase is nonessential information. If we remove the portion of the sentence before the comma, the sentence still makes sense. 

Italy has had a worldwide cultural impact.  However, if we remove the second portion of the sentence, it is no longer a complete sentence. 

Known for its food and history. 

**To identify whether the information is essential ✅ or nonessential ❌, try reading the sentence with the portion removed. If the sentence is still complete, it is likely nonessential information. **

Now, let's see how to use punctuation to indicate nonessential information. 

• • If nonessential information is at the beginning or end of a sentence, only one separating punctuation mark is needed, often a comma.- - Ex. Although I do like cheese, I could not finish eating seventeen bowls of macaroni and cheese.- - Ex. Emma ended up failing her driving test**, despite having studied for hours.**
• • If nonessential information is in the middle of a sentence, two matching punctuation marks are needed.- - Ex. Vlad III**, also known as Vlad the Impaler,** was a ruler of Walachia in the 15th century.- - Ex. Mary I of England (nicknamed Bloody Mary) was Catholic.

💡 What are some strategies we can use to answer questions in this category? 

• • Before the exam, review punctuation usage that may appear on the SAT. Identify any specific punctuation you are having trouble with.- - Commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons in particular could be found on SAT writing questions.
• • During the exam, use the process of elimination to narrow down the correct option.
• • Try to read the sentence in context before reading answer choices.

🧠 Conventions of Punctuation Practice Questions

Conventions of Punctuation Question 1 

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy. 

1️⃣First, let's read through the sentence, and try to identify what kind of question this could be. Here, we can see that there is some nonessential information about Jason Box included in the sentence, and that the question is asking about proper punctuation. This is an "extra info" question. 

🌟 Remember that any extra information in the middle of a sentence requires two matching punctuation marks around it. If you remove the section contained in the punctuation, the sentence should read smoothly. 

2️⃣ We can read through the answer choices to see which correctly separates the nonessential information. In this case, C is the only answer that uses two punctuation marks, and separates all of the nonessential information. 

Therefore, C is the correct answer. 

Conventions of Punctuation Question 2 

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy. 

We can start by reading through the sentence and determining the meaning of the phrase in context. 

• • In this case the phrase "one of it's" doesn't make sense, since it reads "one of it is tiniest". Instead, we can see a possessive "its" should be used.- - This eliminates answer choices A and D.
• • Next, we can look at the end punctuation. We know that semi-colons are used to connect two independent clauses. Since "the Thorne Miniature Rooms" could not stand as a complete sentence, a semi colon cannot be used.
• • This leaves us with the answer, which is C.

**The process of elimination can be a useful strategy for these kinds of questions! **

Conventions of Punctuation Question 3 

Image Courtesy of Khan Academy. 

Let's start by reading through the sentence. 

• • Here we can see that we are being asked to pick the right punctuation to separate items a list.
• • We can remember that commas are used in a list-- as long as the items themselves don't include commas.- - In this case, none of the list items use a comma, so the correct punctuation should be a comma.- - This eliminates answer choices A and B.
• • Next, we can look at C and D. In D, "and" is treated separated off with two commas. However, only one comma before the conjunction should be used, so we can see that C is the correct answer.

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💥Conclusion

You've made it to the end of this guide on conventions for the SAT writing exam! 

Remember to always read through the questions, answer choices, and the passage. While taking the exam, the process of elimination is also a useful tool to keep in your back pocket! Learning a few quick grammar rules before the exam can go a long way, so try to review any concepts you're struggling with. 

Don't stress—you're gonna crush the SAT!! 🤛