SAT

GRAMMAR IN
A NUTSHELL
A detailed walk-through of the
SAT Grammar

Compiled by
TRẦN VŨ MẠNH ĐỨC
Ronan Hansel SAT Writing & Language
(Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức)

Table of content
Table of content 1
Part 1: Punctuations 2
Apostrophes 3
Commas 4
Semicolons & Periods 9

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Colons 10
Dashes 10

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Part 2: Grammar Rules 11
Wordiness 12
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Parallel Structure 12
Subject-Verb Agreement 14
Pronoun Agreement 15
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Verb Tense 16
Word Pairs 18
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Who, which, whom 20

Direct vs indirect quoting 20
Modal verbs & that 20
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Modification 20
Idioms and Diction 22
Transitions 22
Extra resources 24
Ronan Hansel SAT Writing & Language
(Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức)

Part 1: Punctuations

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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Apostrophes
Usage
Apostrophe [‘] is a punctuation serving two main purposes in SAT English:
• To indicate possessive (joint or individual ownership)
• Concatenate to-be verbs (am, is, are)

Tips

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Try to replace [‘s] with is/are to see if the sentence makes sense. If it doesn’t then
that is possessive case of the apostrophe.
e.g.

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He’s a smart person → He is a smart person
Louis’ carf is 3 feet long → Louis’s scarf is 3 feet long
Both players’s jerseys → Both players’ jerseys were soaked with seat
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She ate all the childrens’ ice cream → She ate all the children’s ice cream

Notes
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Pronouns + no apos = possessive (e.g., his, hers, theirs, its, whose, etc.)
e.g.
His pen—The pen belongs to him.
Their trophy—The trophy belongs to them.
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Individual possession: When the object following the apostrophe belongs to one
person or one person at a time.
e.g.
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Harper Lee’s book—that book belongs to Harper Lee.

Robert’s and Will’s cars—there are two different cars, and each person
has one.
Joint possession (for two or more subjects): When the object following the
apostrophe belongs to two or more people.
e.g.
Harry and Megan’s house—the house belongs to both Harry and Megan.
“who”, “whose” can be used for both people and things, places.
e.g.
London is a city whose many museums, palaces, and monuments make it a
popular tourist destination.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Commas
Usage
Commas should be used when
1. Before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) to join two full sentences.
“And” and “but” are the two most popular conjunctions; “so” and “yet” appear
rarely, and “or” and “nor” almost never do.
e.g.
London is a very old city, but some parts of it are extremely modern.

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London is a very old city, and it is very appealing to tourists as a result.

2. Between a dependent clause and an independent clause.

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Dependent clauses are clauses that cannot stand on their own as full sentences. They
begin with subordinating conjunctions such as because, when, until, unless, since,
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before, and after.

A dependent clause can be placed either before or after an independent clause to

form a complete sentence.
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e.g.
Dependent Clauses:
Because I went home early, I did not get wet
After we returned from the movie, we saw a train
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London was founded around 50 A.D. when the Romans settled on the banks
of the Tiber.
3. Around non-essential words and phrases.
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A non-essential clause is simply a clause that can be removed from a sentence

without affecting its essential meaning. When the information between the commas
is crossed out, the sentence still makes grammatical sense. Non-essential clauses are
always surrounded by commas.

London which is a very old city, has some extremely modern parts.
A) NO CHANGE
B) London which is a very old city
C) London, which is a very old city
D) London, which is a very old city,
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

The same goes for single words:

London is a very old city. It does however, have some very modern parts.
A) NO CHANGE
B) It does; however, have
C) It does, however, have
D) It does however

Names and titles with commas around them should be treated like any other non-
essential clause. Simply cross out the name or title and see whether the

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sentence makes sense in context without the name or title.
4. To separate items in a list.
The comma before the word and is optional. As a result, you will not be tested on

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this usage.
e.g.
Hiking, skiing, and white-water rafting have always been some of my
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favourite activities.
Hiking, skiing and white-water rafting have always been some of my favourite
activities.
5. To separate adjectives whose order could be reversed
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e.g.
The groaning, rumbling train finally pulled into the station
The rumbling, groaning train finally pulled into the station
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Commas should also be used after introductory words or phrases (however, in the
beginning, as a result), but this usage is not normally tested. Questions involving
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these words/phrases normally test meaning rather than grammar and include the
commas.
Commas should NOT be used when
1. Between two full sentences (independent clauses.)
Tip-off: comma + pronoun (it, they, she/he, one, you, I)
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

London is a very old city, it has some extremely modern parts.

A) NO CHANGE
B) old city. It has
C) old city—it has
D) old city; has

2. Between two clauses with the same subject when the subject is not repeated.

London is a very old city, but has many modern buildings.

A) NO CHANGE

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B) London is a very old city but has many modern buildings.

You can also think of it this way: because “comma + and/but” = “period”, plug in a
period in place of the “comma + and/but.” If you have two sentences, the comma is

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fine. If you don’t have two sentences, the comma should be removed. For example,
the incorrect version above could be rewritten as follows: London is a very old city.
Has many modern buildings. That is not correct, so no comma is necessary.
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3. Between Subjects and Verbs.
No comma should be used even when the subject is very long.
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The oldest surviving bridge in London, is Richmond Bridge, which was

completed in 1777.
A) NO CHANGE
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B) London is Richmond Bridge,

C) London, is Richmond Bridge
D) London; is Richmond Bridge
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4. Between Compound Elements (Nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. linked by and.)

Many tourists travel to London and Paris to visit museums, and monuments.
A) NO CHANGE
B) museums and monuments.
C) museums; and monuments.
D) museums: and monuments.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Using the already-mentioned rule “comma + and” = “period”, you can test out to be
sure. e.g. “Many tourists visit London and Paris to visit museums. Monuments.”
Clearly, these are not two sentences, so no comma is needed.
5. Before or After a Preposition.

Frida Kahlo is among the most famous artists, of Latin American origin.
A) NO CHANGE
B) artists of, Latin
C) artists of Latin
D) artists, of, Latin

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6. Before or after the word “that”

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London is a city, that has many old buildings and monuments.
A) NO CHANGE
B) London is a city that has many old buildings and monuments.
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No “that” = no “comma”: A comma should also not be used when that is optional
and does not appear.
e.g.
C

Correct: The snow (that) is used to build an igloo must have enough strength
to be cut and stacked correctly.
Incorrect: The snow, used to build an igloo must have enough strength to be
cut and stacked correctly.
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8. Between two adjectives whose order cannot be reversed.

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The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s most stunning, coral reefs.
A) NO CHANGE
B) The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s most stunning coral reefs.

(You wouldn’t say, “The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s
most coral, stunning reefs.”)
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

9. Between adjectives and nouns.

The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s most stunning coral, reefs.
A) NO CHANGE
B) The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s most stunning coral reefs.

10. Before an open parenthesis.

The Caribbean Sea contains some of the world’s most stunning coral reefs,
(which are home to thousands of species of marine life), but many of them are

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in danger because of overfishing and pollution.
A) NO CHANGE
B) reefs (which are home to thousands of species of marine life), but

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Tips
Some of these comma rules are very intuitive, and you are not expected to remember
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every single one of them (it would be great if you did so, though unnecessary). Read
through and understand every single one of them. You should come back to this
sheet when fixing your errors or understanding your mistakes (for example, why this
comma should or shouldn’t be here). Generally, it would be a better idea to
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remember an overall rule about some punctuations in the SAT, which would appear
every so often throughout the practicing process. Keep note.

Notes
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Remember common subjects that are tested within the SAT:

• Comma splice, run on sentences
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• Matching punctuation: the opening punctuation must match the closing

• Essential and non-essential clauses
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Semicolons & Periods

Usage
Semicolon = Period in the SAT.
Semicolons and periods are used:
1. Between two complete sentences.
e.g.
London is an old city; it has many new buildings.

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2. Before conjunctive adverbs such as however and moreover when they are
used to begin a clause.
e.g.

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London is an old city; however, it has many new buildings.
London is an old city; therefore, it has buildings from many different eras.

Tips
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You will need to distinguish conjunctive adverbs and coordinating conjunctions:
• Conjunctive adverbs are the adverbs that join two independent clauses
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together to form a complex sentence with a clear meaning.

• Coordinating conjunctions are the FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet,
So) conjunctions, remember this clearly.
To know if you should use semicolons & periods or not, try to look at the clause
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before and after: if both are independent clauses, then it is semicolon & period.

He wears a flannel, she doesn’t like it.

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A) flannel: she
B) flannel — she
C) flannel; she
D) (flannel) she

Notes
Understand and memorise the table of Common Transition Words, understand each
use case.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Colons
Usage
1. To set up a list
e.g.
On our trip to London, we visited these tourist attractions: museums, palaces,
and monuments.

2. To set up an explanation

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e.g.
When the Manchus took control in China 1644, the Great Wall ceased to have
military significance: the empire now extended well north of the wall, and

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China’s new enemies came from a different direction — across the sea.

Notes
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A colon must always follow a full sentence that makes sense as a complete thought
that logically sets up the information that follows. For example, I think is a complete
sentence, but it cannot stand by itself. In contrast, I like to think about many things is
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a statement that logically introduces an explanation of what those things are.

Unlike a semicolon, a colon can be followed by either a full sentence or a fragment.
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Dashes
Usage
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1. To indicate non-essential statements within a sentence:

e.g.
London – which is a very old city – has many new buildings.
2. Before a list, an explanation, or to create a deliberate pause in a sentence:
e.g.
London has many tourist attractions – museums, palaces, and monuments.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Part 2: Grammar Rules

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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Wordiness
Shorter is better. When multiple answers are grammatically correct and express the
same essential information, the shortest one will virtually always be correct. Note
that many questions can be answered visually — you can start with the assumption
that the shortest answer will be correct, then check it out to be safe.

The construction of the Great Wall of China was an enormous undertaking

that occurred on a very large scale and required over 3,000 workers.

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A) NO CHANGE
B) an enormously huge undertaking on a large scale
C) an enormous undertaking, which occurred on a very large scale
D) an enormous undertaking

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To POE out wordy options, just look for repetitions.
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The woman has a beautiful daughter, she also is a kind-hearted person.

This would be wordy.

C

The woman has a beautiful daughter, who is also a kind-hearted person.

This wouldn’t. Let’s see some more examples!

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//TODO: Examples

Parallel Structure
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Keep all lists in the same format: noun, noun, noun; -ING, -ING, -ING; verb, verb,
verb.

Deception expert Pamela Meyer has collaborated with a team of researchers

to survey and analyse existing research on lying from academics, law
enforcement officers, and working as psychologists.
A) NO CHANGE
B) academics, law enforcement officers, and working as psychologists.
C) academics, law enforcement officers, and to work as psychologists.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

D) academics, law enforcement officers, and psychologists.

The same is true when there are only two items joined by “and” or “but”. Note that
when parallel structure involves infinitives (“to + verb”), it is not necessary to repeat
the “to” after the first verb.

Deception expert Pamela Meyer has collaborated with a team of researchers

to survey and analysing existing research on lying from academics, law
enforcement officers, and psychologists.
A) NO CHANGE
B) surveying and to analyse

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C) for surveying and analyse
D) to survey and analyse

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Parallel structure is also an important part in comparison: when you compare two
things, you have to make sure they are comparable to one another.

My brother’s score is higher than me.

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This is incorrect as you can’t directly compare a “score” with a person, “me.”
Instead, you’ll have to turn it into the equivalence of “brother’s score” like “mine”
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or “my score.” A correct example would look something like this:

My brother’s score is higher than mine.

My brother’s score is higher than my score.
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You can find that most people would speak like this colloquially but in writing, it
would be a common mistake. Also, you should be aware of possessive structure in
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comparison. The above example can be rewritten as

My brother’s score is higher than that of mine.

When using parallel structure like this, remember its plurality (that of / those of).

My brother’s scores are higher than those of mine.

Parallel styles: When asked about stylistic similarity, you would have to match the
structures of the element in question and other elements in a list.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

The room is simple but spacious, with a small sink and counter along one wall,
a cast-iron wood stove and some hanging pots and pans against another wall,
and 19 a small table under a window of the third wall.

Which choice most closely matches the stylistic pattern established earlier in
the sentence?

A) NO CHANGE
B) a small table is under the third wall’s window.
C) the third wall has a window and small table.
D) the third wall has a small table against it and a window.

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Subject-Verb Agreement

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• Singular verbs end in -s (she walks.)
• Plural verbs do NOT end in -s (they walk.)
Most common irregular verb is to be. You must know the singular/plural forms of
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this verb in both the present (is/are) and the past (was/were.)
The most common way that the SAT distracts from subject-verb disagreements is to
place a prepositional phrase between the subject and the verb.
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Illegal logging in Mexican forests have resulted in the destruction of the

monarch butterfly’s habitat.
A) NO CHANGE
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B) has
C) had
D) had had
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Also be on the lookout for compound subjects — two singular subjects connected
by “and.”

The Monarch and the Red Admiral is among the most common butterfly
species in North America.
A) NO CHANGE
B) am
C) are
D) be
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Non-essential clauses can also be placed between subjects and verbs to distract from
errors.

The cochineal, a small insect “discovered” by Hernán Cortés in present-day

Mexico in 1519, were commonly used as a colorant in painting, sculpture,
furniture, and textiles from the mid 16th through the mid-19th century.
A) NO CHANGE
B) was
C) be
D) is

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Other subject-verb agreement errors to know.

Collective nouns (group, country, school, team, board, government,

etc.) are singular. Each, every, and neither are singular. The number = singular; a

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number = plural. Normal word order can be flipped so that the subject comes after
the verb, making disagreements difficult to catch (e.g., Beyond the valley lies a
house and lake).
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Tips
If you’re not sure where the subject is, look at the beginning of the sentence. If the
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sentence is long and contains multiple clauses, check the first noun of the clause in
which the verb appears.
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Pronoun Agreement
Singular = it, its, itself
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Plural = they, them, their, themselves

Singular nouns must take singular pronouns; plural nouns must take plural pronouns.
The noun to which a pronoun refers (its antecedent or referent) will not always
appear in the same sentence; you may need to look at the sentence before.

Painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was best known for her portraits. It
was strongly influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, as revealed by her use
of bright colours and dramatic symbolism.
A) NO CHANGE
B) It is
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

C) Its
D) They were

Verb Tense
1. Tense Consistency
Always keep verb tense consistent with that of other verbs in the paragraph.
Paragraphs in the present should stay in the present; paragraphs in the past should
stay in the past. Always start by checking the tense of the verbs in the sentence in
question, as well as the surrounding sentences (before/after). The underlined verb

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must match the other verbs.

Painter Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was best known for her

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portraits. She is strongly influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, as
revealed by her use of bright colours and dramatic symbolism. In her
paintings, she combined elements of the classic Mexican tradition with
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surrealist techniques.
A) NO CHANGE
B) She was strongly influenced
C) She will be strongly influenced
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D) She had been strongly influenced

2. Present perfect and Past perfect

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You should also have some basic familiarity with two additional tenses.
Present perfect – has/have + verb. Describes an action that began in the past and that
continues into the present. Signalled by “for” and “since.”
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Italy and France are tourist attractions for hundreds of years since the
eighteenth century.
A) NO CHANGE
B) Italy and France have been tourist attractions
C) Italy and France will be tourist attractions
D) Italy and France were tourist attractions

Past perfect – had + verb. When a sentence describes two completed actions in the
past, the past perfect can be used to describe the action that came first.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Most of the time, either the simple past or the past perfect can be used, e.g. “Before
Mae Jemison became an astronaut, she studied/had studied science for many years.”
When this is the case, you will not be asked to choose between the simple past and
past perfect.
When the phrase “by the time” appears, however, the past perfect must be used.

By the time Mae Jemison became an astronaut, she studied science for many
years.
A) NO CHANGE
B) became an astronaut, she has studied
C) becomes an astronaut, she will study

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D) became an astronaut, she had studied

Tips

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Correct answers to most verb questions are in either the simple past (was, did, ran)
or the present. Answers that include more complicated tenses (would have done, will
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have gone) are virtually always wrong.
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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Word Pairs
Words pairs are fixed terms, which means that if one word appears, the other in the
pair must also appear to complete the term.
Common pairs:
• either/or
• neither/nor
• not only/but also
• both/and
• between/and

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• at once/and
• as/as
• more/than
• less/than

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• no sooner/than
• so/that
• such/that
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• from/to
• just as/so
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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Not only did the girl cheated on her exam and she lied about it
A) NO CHANGE
B) Not only did the girl cheated on her exam
C) Not only did the girl cheated on her exam that
D) Not only did the girl cheated on her exam but also

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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Who, which, whom

1. Who, whom = people, which = things.
e.g.
Frida Kahlo was an artist which who gained renown for her portraits
2. “Whom” before a verb = wrong.
e.g.
Frida Kahlo was an artist whom who earned renown for her portraits.
3. “Whom”: after a preposition.
e.g.
Frida Kahlo is a painter to whom many artists owe their inspiration.

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Direct vs indirect quoting
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There are two ways in which you can use to integrate other people’s comments or
speech into a sentence.
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For direct quoting, you need to use the quotation marks.

The book was “indescribable, intriguing, and phenomenal,” as commented by

Mr. John Hamn.
C

For indirect quoting (or reported speech), you don’t use the quotation marks.
E

John Mayor said that he would play the song twice if we liked it.

There is not a specific rule for using one over the other, it is entirely dependent on
the intention of the author. The first way emphasizes on the fact that it was said by
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someone special, while the other gives the author more coherence.

Modal verbs & that

Modification
Always place modifiers as close as possible to the nouns they modify.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

1. When a descriptive phrase begins a sentence but does not contain a subject.
The subject must be placed immediately afterward. If the subject is placed elsewhere
in the sentence, a dangling modifier is created.

Born in Mexico City in 1907, self-portraits were what Frida Kahlo was best
known for.
A) NO CHANGE
B) her self-portraits were best known by the people.
C) Frida Kahlo was best known for her self-portraits.
D) Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits were best known.
(Who was born in Mexico City in 1907? Frida Kahlo)

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2. Misplaced modifiers can occur anywhere in a sentence

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The Great Wall of China was constructed by thousands of workers that
originally consisted of separated military fortifications.
A) NO CHANGE
O
B) The Great Wall of China, originally consisting of separated military
fortifications, was constructed by thousands of workers.
C

(B makes it clear that the Wall originally consisted of separated military

fortifications, not workers.)
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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Idioms and Diction

Could/should/would/might of have
Than – comparison,
Then – sequence of events.
More/less…than, NOT more/less…then
Other diction questions may test prepositions or verbs, but these can only be
answered by ear. There is no way to determine the answer by using a rule.
e.g.
The Great Wall of China might have been more effective with at keeping
people in than keeping invaders out.

E
Some people claim that The Great Wall of China was really built
to capture satisfy the Emperor’s love of grandiose projects.

Transitions
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O
Questions testing transitions are more about meaning than grammar. Answers may
be grammatically correct but still wrong. Whenever you encounter a transition
question, cross out the transition and state the relationship between the
sentences/clauses (similar ideas/contrasting ideas) before you look at the answer
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choices.

The obvious reason for the construction of the Great Wall of China
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was protection, since China had no powerful enemies at the time construction
first began.
A) NO CHANGE
B) protection, but
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C) protection, and
D) protection, so

The two halves of the sentence express opposing ideas, so a contradictor is needed.

Tips
If there is an OMIT/DELETE option, or an option without a transition, check it
FIRST because there’s a higher chance that it might be correct.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

When two transitions have the same meaning (e.g., but & yet) and are both
grammatically acceptable in context, both can automatically be eliminated because
no question can have more than one right answer.

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Extra resources

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Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Common Transition Words

Example Transition Similar Transitions
I love eating vanilla ice presents an opposing fortunately, on the other
cream. However, too point or balances a hand, conversely,
much of it makes me previous statement whereas, while, in
sick. contrast, on the
contrary, yet

Math trains you to adds new and in addition, also,

approach problems supporting information moreover,
more analytically. and, too, as well,
Furthermore, it helps additionally,

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you calculate the not to mention
minimum tip when you
eat out.

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Pandas are rapidly gives emphasis to a as a matter of fact,
becoming extinct. point by adding a indeed,
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In fact, some experts specific detail/case to illustrate, for
predict that pandas will instance,
die out in 50 years. for example
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The state is facing a flu shows cause and effect as a result, because,
epidemic. hence,
Consequently, all therefore, thus,
hospital rooms are accordingly, so,
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filled at the moment. for this reason

Granted, the SAT is a concedes a point to nevertheless, although,

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long and tedious exam, make way for your own regardless, despite, even
but it's necessary for point if, nonetheless, still,
college admissions. even so

Place the bread on an shows order or sequence subsequently,

ungreased baking sheet. previously,
Finally, bake in a afterwards, next, then,
preheated oven for 10 eventually, before
minutes.
Trần Vũ Mạnh Đức SAT Writing & Language

Social Security numbers shows similarity similarly, likewise,

uniquely identify by the same token
citizens. In the same
way, IP addresses
identify computers.

In conclusion, the world gives a summary or in summary, to sum up,

would be a happier restatement in short, in other words
place without nuclear
weapons.

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400 Advanced SAT vocab:

Pass: tranvumanhduc

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