Most Important SAT Grammar Rules You Should Follow

For effective writing, sat grammar rules have their importance. Using grammar correctly makes your writing more readable and engaging. If you are preparing for the SAT, you must be familiar with the SAT Writing and Language Test which checks your grammar, editing skills, and writing style. So, if you are worried about grammar rules and want to make your writing more engaging, we have brought you a complete guide to SAT grammar rules that help you take your writing and grammar knowledge to the next level. 

 Through this article, you will learn the most essential SAT grammar rules and will be able to apply them when you sit for the SAT Writing and Language Test.  

Let’s Get Started with SAT Grammar Rules

The Use of Correct Words 

There are two categories of word choice problems on the SAT: homophones and related terms. Words with similar sounds but different meanings are referred to as homophones. Cite/site/sight, fair/fair, there/their/they’re, then/then, etc. are a few homophone examples. 

For better use of these words, you must have an understanding and know the meaning of these words. Related words, also called synonyms, are the second type of word choice question in the SAT Test where a word will be underlined, and the answer choices will be related words. You will have to choose the one correct word to complete the meaning of the given sentence. 

Subject-Verb Agreement 

This SAT grammar rules deals with the number aspect where subjects and verbs must agree in number. It means if the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. For instance, He, She, It, and They are singular subjects, and there will always be singular verbs. Let’s say, for example, He writes poems. (He is a singular subject and writes as a singular verb).

The verb is plural when they are used. Let’s imagine they participate in volleyball, for instance. There should always be a plural verb if the subject has more than one or is plural. David and John, for instance, perform a song. (Sing is a plural verb, and David and John are plural subjects.) One of the SAT grammar rules that are most frequently examined in the SAT Writing Section is subject-verb agreement, and you can get better at it by practicing a lot.

The Use of Punctuation 

Some of the most common punctuation marks used to make sense of a sentence are apostrophes, commas, colons, semicolons, periods, and dashes. We use apostrophes to make nouns possessive. For instance, The cat’s food (the food belongs to the cat), Jack’s book (The book belongs to Jack), and Sara’s dress (The dress belongs to Sara).

You must remember that when you use singular nouns, always add apostrophe + s. Conversely, we add an s + apostrophe when using plural nouns. Let’s say, for example, The cats’ food, The boys’ book, and The girls’ dress. In case the plural form of a noun does not end with “s” (children, feet, etc.), always add apostrophe + s—for instance, Children’s books. 

Commas are used to separate a list of similar words or phrases. For example, Joseph traveled through New York, London, and Poland. Commas are also used before and in a similar term or sentence – Children took bread, cheese, and fruit with them. In non-essential words and phrases (such as which), between a dependent clause and an independent clause, and to separate adjectives whose order could be reversed, commas are mainly used. 

When we introduce lists, we frequently use colons. For instance, infrastructure, socioeconomic development, research, and technology are some of the key factors in a nation’s development. 

Colons are used to indicate a subtitle or a subdivision of a topic or between sentences when the second sentence describes or advocates the first sentence. Semicolons are used in place of full stops to separate two main clauses.   

 In informal writing, dashes are more common. We can use dashes in similar ways to commas or semicolons. They are also used to define non-essential statements within a sentence as well as used before a list, an explanation, or to create a deliberate pause in a sentence. 

Do not Use a Comma to Combine Whole Sentences  

To make writing more effective and readable, it is essential to break sentences into different pieces instead of combining them with a comma. For example, I can’t understand what you said, can you please repeat it? This is not correct as it combines whole sentences with a comma. And this is why many students make a mistake.

Using a comma instead of a period can affect your writing and make it monotonous. Instead, you can use, I can’t understand what you said. Can you please repeat it? In this case, you use a period between two sentences. 

Do not use the Redundant Words 

 In SAT, you can face complex sentences with redundant and wordy words. For example, Every year, George goes on a London trip annually. The sentence involves the word “every year” and “annually” too, which is unnecessary. Both words carry similar meanings. So, why don’t you use one word? 

The Correct Use of Idiomatic Expressions 

Idiomatic expressions refer to groups of words with an established meaning contrary to the meanings of the individual words. Questions related to idioms can be challenging as they don’t follow specific rules. You have to use your knowledge of specific phrases and standard English conventions to correctly answer these questions.

When you take the SAT and solve idiom questions, you will be asked to use the correct preposition in a given sentence. You can only solve such types of questions through focus. An idiom is also called an expression and can be very interesting as it creates a ‘picture’ in your mind. 

Modifiers must Make Sense of What They are Modifying 

A modifier simply alters, filters, qualifies, or restricts a particular word in a sentence to add emphasis, explanation, or detail. Modifiers tend to be descriptive words, such as adjectives and adverbs. The common rule of a modifier is that it must make sense of what it is modifying. In SAT, the most common type of modifier error is a dangling modifier. It generally is a word or phrase that doesn’t modify the word it is intended to modify. 

The Wrap Up 

These are some of the common SAT grammar rules you must use during your SAT Writing and Language Test. If you follow these rules and apply them to your test review, you can improve your target score for the SAT Writing and Language Test.