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16 Key SAT Grammar Rules
(Credit: Erica Meltzer from The Critical Reader)
1. Periods & Semicolons ● Periods and semicolons are used interchangeably on the SAT and ACT. ● Both are used to separate two complete sentences. ● They can precede conjunctive adverbs (e.g., however , therefore ) at the start of a clause. ○ Incorrect usage example: "Barbara McClintock...1983, she won the award." ○ Correct usage example: "Barbara McClintock...1983. She won the award." 2. Colons & Dashes ● Colons and dashes introduce lists and explanations and are treated the same on tests. ● They must follow a complete sentence that sets up the following information. ● They can be followed by either a full sentence or a fragment. ○ Incorrect example: "London is home to a variety of: museums, castles, and shops." ○ Correct example: "Visitors to London often spend their time in three main types of attractions: museums, castles, and shops." 3. Comma + FANBOYS ● Comma + FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) is equivalent to a period or semicolon. ● Common conjunctions: and , but (so and yet are less common; or and nor are rarely tested). ● Comma splices (e.g., "London is a very old city, it has some modern parts") are incorrect. ○ Correct alternatives for comma splices: use a period or semicolon. ○ When the subject is implied in the second clause, do not use a comma before FANBOYS (e.g., "London is a very old city but has many modern buildings"). 4. Commas & Dependent Clauses ● Dependent clauses (fragments) cannot stand alone as complete sentences. ● They begin with subordinating conjunctions (e.g., although , because , when , until , while , since , before , after ). ○ Example: "Because London is a very old city, it has buildings from many different eras."
○ When a dependent clause precedes an independent clause, a comma must follow the dependent clause. ■ Example: "Although London is a very old city, it has many modern buildings."
5. Transitional Words & Phrases ● Transitional words/phrases test meaning; the correct choice creates logical meaning. ● Types: Continuers (e.g., in addition , moreover ), cause-and-effect (e.g., therefore , consequently ), and contradictors (e.g., however , nevertheless ). ○ Example: "The obvious reason for the construction of the Great Wall of China was protection. However, China had no powerful enemies when the Wall began to be built." ○ Eliminate transitions with the same meaning (e.g., therefore/consequently ). ○ OMIT/DELETE options on the ACT or no-transition options are often correct. 6. Non-Essential Information ● Non-essential information can be removed without affecting the sentence meaning. ● Punctuated with 2 commas, 2 dashes, or 2 parentheses; mixed punctuation is incorrect. ○ Example with commas: "London, which is a very old city, has some extremely modern parts." ○ Dashes: "London—which is a very old city—has some modern parts." ○ Parentheses: "London (which is a very old city) has some modern parts." 7. Commas with Names & Titles ● Use commas around names/titles only if they are non-essential. ○ Essential names/titles: no commas (e.g., "engineering professor Vikram Iyer"). ○ Non-essential names/titles: two commas, one before and one after (e.g., "a University of Washington engineering professor, Vikram Iyer,"). ○ Incorrect: A single comma before a name/title in the middle of a sentence. ○ Determine necessity by checking if the sentence makes sense without the name/title. 8. Additional Comma Uses & Misuses ● Use commas to separate items in a list (e.g., "boost metabolism, aid weight loss, and increase endurance"). ● Use commas to separate adjectives whose order can be reversed (e.g., "active, warm-blooded animals"). ● Do not use commas before or after prepositions (e.g., "artists of the twentieth century"). ● Do not use commas between subjects and verbs (e.g., "The oldest surviving bridge in London is Richmond Bridge").
● Keep all items in a list parallel in structure (e.g., all nouns or all verbs ). ● For lists with only two items joined by "and" or "but," ensure parallelism ; repeat infinitives as needed. ● Certain word pairs must be used correctly and in parallel form (e.g., "either...or" and "not only...but also" ). ● Ensure the constructions following pairs match in structure. ● Maintain consistency in the use of word pairs and parallel structures throughout sentences.
14. Dangling Modifiers ● Ensure the noun described by a modifier is immediately after the descriptive phrase to avoid dangling modifiers. ● A dangling modifier occurs when the descriptive phrase does not clearly modify the intended noun. ○ Example of a dangling modifier: "Born in Mexico City in 1907, self-portraits were what Frida Kahlo was best known for." ○ Corrected version: "Born in Mexico City in 1907, Frida Kahlo was best known for her self-portraits." ● Misplaced modifiers occur when a descriptive phrase incorrectly modifies a different noun than intended. 15. Faulty Comparisons ● Comparisons must be made between equivalent items : people with people and things with things. ● Singular comparisons should compare the same type of singular items. ● Plural comparisons should compare the same type of plural items. ● Use "than" for comparisons, not "then." ● Modify plural nouns with "number," "many," "fewer," and singular nouns with **"amount," "much," "less."
- Question Marks** ● Use question marks only for direct questions , which are separate from the main sentence. ○ Example of correct usage: "Most of the experiments performed by cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke have been designed to test one main question: how much do babies and young children understand about the world around them?" ● Use a period for indirect questions integrated into a sentence. ○ Example of incorrect usage: "Most of the experiments performed by cognitive psychologist Elizabeth Spelke have been designed to test how much babies and young children understand about the world around them?"
