1.  WRITING MUST BE CONSISTENT  SUBJECT MUST AGREE WITH THE VERB  PRONOUNS MUST AGREE WITH THE NOUNS THEY REPLACE  ALL ELEMENTS OF A LIST MUST BE THE SAME

2.  SIMPLE RULE: SINGULAR SUBJECTS GET SINGULAR VERBS; PLURAL SUBJECTS GET PLURAL VERBS  THE SAT WILL WRITE SENTENCES THAT ARE DESIGNED TO TRICK YOU.

3.  SENTENCES MAY CONTAIN AN INTERVENING CLAUSE  AN INTERVENING CLAUSE IS A GROUP OF WORDS THAT COMES BETWEEN THE SUBJECT AND THE VERB OF THE SENTENCE. THIS CLAUSE IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT.

4.  EXAMPLES:  THE CAT, BUT NOT THE DOGS, IS DRIVING ME UP THE WALL.  PERRY AND ALEC, EACH NEW TO HIS JOB, WERE NERVOUS ABOUT GIVING THE PRESENTATION.

5.  SENTENCES MAY USE PREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AS SUBJECTS.  PRESIDENT OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL  SUBJECT PREP OBJECT  IN MOST CASES VERBS AND PRONOUNS SHOULD AGREE WITH THE SUBJECT OF THE PREPOSTION.

6.  THE ATTORNEYS FOR THE DEFENDANT WERE TROUBLED BY THE RULING  THE NUMBER OF SENIOR CITIZENS IS GROWING EVERY YEAR.

7.  THE ONE EXCEPTION IS WHEN THE PREPOSITION REFERS TO PART OF SOMETHING.  HALF, MOST, SOME, ALL, PERCENT, ETC.  VERBS AND PRONOUNS MUST AGREE WITH THE OBJECT OF THE PREPOSITION

8.  EXAMPLES:  DUE TO THE COLD ONLY HALF OF THE FOOD STANDS ARE OPEN ON THE BOARDWALK.  MOST OF THE CAR IS TOTALED, BUT THE STEERING WHEEL LOOKS NICE.

9.  ELEMENTS OF A LIST SHOULD LOOK AND SOUND SIMILAR. THEY SHOULD BE THE SAME PART OF SPEECH, VERBS SHOULD BE IN THE SAME TENSE, AND CONSTRUCTION SHOULD BE SIMILAR.

10.  EXAMPLES:  MARILYN LIKED TO STAY ACTIVE BY JOGGING, SWIMMING, AND HIKING.  WHEN THE COWBOYS LOST THEIR FANS CRIED, CURSED, AND BURNED THEIR JERSEYS.  HIKING IS A FUN ACTIVITY IN THE SPRING, IN THE SUMMER, AND IN THE FALL.