1. Writing: Grammar and Usage

2. Comparison Old SAT Writing ACT English 2 sections (25, 10 minutes)
3 types of subsections:
Improving sentences (#1-11, 1- 14)
Identifying sentence errors (#12-29)
Improving paragraphs (#30-35)
Raw score combined on matrix with required essay score gives scaled score
1 section (45 minutes)
5 passages
15 questions per section
Most are "best version" questions
Some "Writing strategy" questions within each passage
Scaled English score is part of composite
– English/Writing composite score reported separately

3. Comparison New SAT Writing ACT English 1 section (35 minutes)
4 passages
11 questions per section
Most are "best version" questions
Some "Writing strategy" questions within each passage
Essay score is reported separately
1 section (45 minutes)
5 passages
15 questions per section
Most are "best version" questions
Some "Writing strategy" questions within each passage
Scaled English score is part of composite
– English/Writing composite score reported separately

4. What’s covered? Both tests: NEITHER: UNIQUE TO SAT: - Graphs
Idiomatic expressions
Fragments and run-ons
Subject-verb agreement
Pronoun case and agreement
Verb tense
Modifiers (misplaced and dangling)
Parallel structure and comparisons
Wordiness
Diction
Transitions
Style, focus, organization
Punctuation
Spelling
Parts of Speech
UNIQUE TO SAT:
- Graphs

5. ACT
Passage and questions

6. ACT
Passage and questions

7. SAT
Passage and questions

8. SAT
Passage and questions

9. Your mistakes will come from:
Gaps or rustiness in your grammar/usage education:
When was the last time you had a grammar lesson?
Questions based on idiomatic usage:
Verb conjugation and pronoun use, for example, are easier because they follow generalizable rules.
Idiomatic usage, especially of prepositions, does not follow generalizable rules.
Especially problematic for non-native speakers.
Good writing and good editing are two distinct skills.

10. Read the following sentence out loud:
The quick brown fox jumps over the
the lazy dog.

11. Overall Strategies
Read enough of the passage to answer the next question.
Remember that you’re looking for errors more than reading for comprehension.
The quick brown fox…
Before looking at the choices, ask yourself: what’s wrong with this picture?
Is a pronoun underlined? Look for case and agreement.
Does the underline include more than one clause? Look for run-ons and comma splices.
Is a verb underlined? Look for tense and agreement.
Is the beginning of the sentence underlined? Look for misplaced and dangling modifiers.
Is there nothing wrong with the underlined section? Look for a shorter way to say it.
Remember that some of them will be “no change.”
The style/rhetoric questions will require you to understand the “big picture.”

12. Writing Skills Inventory
We’re goin’ back to grammar school…

13. How many of these terms can you define?
Independent clause
Comma splice
Subordinate/Dependent clause
Coordinating conjunction
Relative clause
Subordinating conjunction
Phrase
Direct object
Prepositional phrase
Predicate nominative
Subjective/Nominative case
Predicate adjective
Objective Case
Essential adjective
Possessive case
Oxford comma
Idiom
Fragment
Past/Present/Future perfect
Parenthetical commas
Predicate verb
Interrogative sentence
Run-on
Passive/Active voice
How many of these terms can you define?
These terms are not tested, but you need to know them in order to understand the tested concepts.

14. Can you diagram these sentences?
Diagramming sentences is stupid.
I do not believe that we have to make a diagram for this sentence.
Can you diagram these sentences?
Again, diagramming is not tested, but it does help in understanding sentence structure.

17. Is it a grammar question or a style question?
Usually, the answer is obvious.
However, some “best version” questions are actually about style, word choice (diction), or rhetoric.
Use the full context to understand what skills are being tested.

19. Grammar Strategy: Choose this one Choose NO CHANGE Start over
Does the sentence contain an error?
Is there a choice that fixes the error?
Does this choice create a new error?
Does this choice change the meaning?
Choose again
Is this choice the most concise, correct, and clear version?
Choose this one
Start over
Is there a shorter version that is still correct and retains original meaning?
Choose
NO CHANGE
Key: = YES
= NO

20. Run-ons Watch for these when: Comma splices are a favorite To fix:
The end of one independent clause and the beginning of the next is underlined
The whole sentence is underlined
Comma splices are a favorite
To fix:
Use a comma and a FANBOYS conjunction
Use a ;
Make one clause subordinate or a phrase

21. Fragments Less common in Improving Sentences, but still possible
Remember that fragments can be long enough to look like sentences
Check for lone present participles (-ing) in a predicate verb position without the necessary auxiliary verb (form of “to be”)

22. Parallel Structure Parallel Structure
Watch out for these when you see a list or a comparison
Remember that all items must be in the same grammatical form (verb phrase to verb phrase, etc.)
In a list of 3 items, the third item will contain the error, if there is one

23. Pronoun Agreement Pronoun Agreement
Singular pronouns go with singular antecedents, plurals with plurals
Watch for:
the indeterminate gender = plural pronoun error
Switching between “you” and “one”
These can be sneaky! Always match underlined pronouns with its antecedent

24. Pronoun Case
Subjective case is for pronouns used as the subject of a clause
Objective case is for pronouns used as objects of prepositions or verbs
Watch out for prepositions that often use compounds (esp. between and with)

25. Verb tense
Verb tense
Check the tense of underlined verbs with those in non-underlined sections; if they don’t match, there’s probably an error
Watch out for sentences with specific time references; they frequently contain verb tense problems

26. Subject-Verb Agreement
Watch for these when:
A verb is underlined
Remember:
The noun closest to a verb might not be its subject
The test makers like to insert prepositional phrases between the subject and the verb in order to cause confusion

27. Idioms
Idioms
Make sure that all prepositions in the underlined sections are being used correctly
Makes sure that both parts of idiomatic pairs are used correctly (neither…nor; not only…but also; just as…so, etc.)

28. Modifiers
Modifiers
Modifying phrases at the beginning of a sentence modify the subject; if this introductory modifier – subject pairing doesn’t make sense, it’s an error
Watch for intro phrases that start with participles (-ing or –ed verbs)

29. Wordiness
Wordiness
These can be tricky because wordiness, while a type of error, is not a grammar error, strictly speaking
Watch for extra clauses and redundant phrases
IC+PP > IC+SC > IC+IC
Simple > Complex > Compound

30. Punctuation
Review rules for commas (esp. introductory phrases and parentheticals), semicolons, colons, apostrophes, and dashes.
You will NOT be tested on quotation mark placement.
Aside from lists, there should never be a comma in the middle of a grammatical unit (S-V unit, prepositional phrase, etc.)

31. “Combos” “Combos” Some questions will involve more than one issue
This one, for example, combines sentence structure, pronoun case, and verb tense