SAT English Rules Flashcards
Adding/Deleting Sentences
When a question asks if you should Add or Delete a certain sentence, what should you do?
Figure out the main idea of the paragraph first and see if the sentence is in line with it or off-topic.
Colon
What is the rule for a colon on the SAT?
1st Part is an Independent Clause.
2nd Part is anything that describes the 1st part.
Commas
What are 6 Reasons for Commas on the SAT?
- For Modifiers (My friend Tim, who is really funny, lives in Minnesota.)
- Dependent Clause followed by an Independent Clause (Since he got a dog, John needed dog food.)
- Separating 2 Independent Clauses with a Comma + FANBOYS Conjunction (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So)
John went to the mall, and Bill stayed home.
- For a list of 3 or more things (I like apples, oranges, and bananas.)
- For quotations (John said, “I hate when it rains.”)
**you don’t put a comma when the quoted part is not a new, full sentence (John said he hates his “dumbo ears.”
- 2 Irreversible Adjectives (They entered the dark, gloomy house./They entered the gloomy, dark house.)
Effectively Combining
What are the 4 things to consider on Effectively Combining questions? (“Which of the following most effectively combines the sentences at the underlined portion?”)
- Read Fast for Flow
- Good Transitions (Words or Punctuation)
- Good Word Order
- Avoid Restarting/Restating (this one is the most common)
Long Dash
What are the 2 uses of a Long Dash on the SAT?
1 Long Dash = A colon
2 Long Dashes = A set of parentheses
Lebron James Rule
What do you need to know about a sentence that begins with a Modifier with no subject?
The Lebron James Rule: when a sentence starts with a modifier that’s missing the subject, then the subject must lead the 2nd part of the sentence.
After leading the Miami Heat to two championships, Lebron moved back to Cleveland.
Modifiers
What is a modifier and how does it work?
Semi-Colon
What is a semi-colon for on the SAT?
It separates 2 Independent Clauses
Sentence Placement
When a question asks where you should place a certain sentence in the paragraph, what should you do? (“What is the best location for Sentence 1?”)
Look within and imagine
The sentence itself has some special clues that tell you where in the story it would have to go…spend an extra moment on that sentence to ponder those clues.
*occassionally, look out for married sentences
String of Nouns
When you have a String of Nouns Joined by Prepositions, what should you do?
A string of nouns joined by prepositionsA preposition tells you the relationship between nouns
keys above/below/in/that own/that belong to/on the table
The keys on the table of my cousins in college for agricultural sciences in Canada are/is gold.
The rule: judge singularity/plurality by the first noun in the string
Transition Words
What should you do on Transition Word questions?
Invent your own based on the sentence before and after.
This forces you to really read it.
Occassionally, be aware when you are in the conclusion.
Verb Tense
What should you do when a question is testing Verb Tense?
Wordiness vs Conciseness
If all else is equal, is a wordier or more concise answer choice going to be right?
A more concise one.
For example:
He jumped high. good
He was able to jump high that day. bad
The red flag of this question type: one answer choice is shorter than the rest.
Look out for the decoy ‘conciseness’ question.
