Part 1 - Periods, Semicolons, Colons, & Dashes
1. Periods & Semicolons: are equivalent for the SAT & have 2 main
uses.
a. Use #1 : Between two independent clauses.
i. Ex. John went to the park ( . OR ; ) He had a good time.
b. Use #2 : Before conjunctive adverbs.
i. Ex. I told him ( . OR ; ) Thus he knows.
2. Colons & Dashes: are equivalent for the SAT & have 2 main
uses.
a. Use #1 : Before a dependent list.
i. Ex. I have three sisters ( : OR - ) Mary, Susan, and Beth.
b. Use #2: Before a dependent explanation.
i. Ex. There was only one thing left to do ( : OR - ) apologize.
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Part 2 - Commas
1. Commas: have three main uses.
a. Use #1 : Comma + FANBOY between two independent
clauses.
i. Ex. I went to the store, but I forgot to buy apples.
b. Use #2 : Comma + dependent clause starting with
subordinating conjunction.
i. Ex. Although he passed the test, he still felt like a failure.
c. Use #3 : Separating listed items.
i. Ex. He likes apples, bananas, and kiwis.
d. Use #3.5 : Separating listed adjectives.
i. Use the “And Test” to figure out if you need a comma
between adjectives- if you can say the word “and” in
between them, add a comma.
1. Ex. She wore a bright, colorful dress. (“bright AND
colorful dress” makes sense)
2. Ex. I went on a long summer vacation. (“long AND
summer vacation” doesn’t make sense)
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Part 3 - Transitions, Tense, & Structure
1. Transitions: need to make grammatical & logical sense.
a. Think about whether the previous sentence is being
supported, added on to, contrasted, exemplified, or something
else.
2. Nonessential Information: can be ignored while reading.
a. Can be inserted with double commas, dashes, or parenthesis.
i. Ex. His dog, a golden retriever, had a silky mane.
3. Tense: needs to remain consistent.
a. If something is happening in the past, present, or future tense,
you need to use the appropriate tense: “he walked yesterday,”
“he walks today,” “he will walk tomorrow.”
b. If you’re not sure, check other verbs in the passage and just
match them.
4. Structure: needs to remain consistent.
a. When listing items, make them all the same thing (nouns,
verbs, etc.)
b. Keep verbs in the same structure (-ing VS -ed, etc.)
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Part 4 - Apostrophes + Misc.
1. Apostrophes: are generally used to show ownership.
a. Ex. John’s dog, the people’s rights, the house’s front door.
2. Special Cases: there are some special cases.
a. Its VS It’s: Its is possessive, it’s can be split into it + is.
b. They’re VS Their VS There: They’re can be split into they + are,
their is possessive, there refers to location.
c. Whose VS Who’s: Whose is possessive, who’s can be split into
who + is.
d. When a word ends in “s,” you just add an apostrophe.
i. Ex. Louis’ hand was sore.
3. Passive Voice: should be avoided.
a. Ex. He answered the question. (correct) VS The question was
answered by him. (incorrect)
4. Dangling Modifiers: the first word after a modifier should be
whatever was being described.
a. Ex. Creeping toward the horizon, the sun began to set.
5. Faulty Comparison: only compare things that can be compared.
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