Idiom List

a critic of

complain about

find out

necessary to

absent from

composed of

finished with

need for

according to

comprise (no

fond of

notion that

fondness for

object to

accustomed to

preposition)

responsibility for
[something]
responsibility to
[person]

acquainted with

concept of

grasp of

obtain from

responsible for

advocate (no

concern for

great deal of

opposed to

result in

concerned about

grow up

opposition to

reversal of

afflicted with

conform to

guilty of

originate in

satisfied with

afraid of

confusion about

happy about

originating in

scene of

agreed to

connected to

hatred of

participate in

see as

apologize for

conscious of

height of

particular about

separate from

approval of

consist of

hint at

partake of [adj.]

similar to

argue with

consistent with

hope for

pay for

sorry for

arise from

contest (no

impressed with

plan to

stare at

in a world where

planning to

stop from

preposition)

ask about

preposition)

ask for

contrast with

in connection with

popular with

study for

attributed to

contribution to

in search of

preoccupied with

succeed in

aware of

conviction that

incompatible with

prepare for

success in

awareness of

debate(n.) over

inconsistent with

proclaimed as

suffer from

basis of

debate(v.) about

indebted to

prohibit from

superior to

belief in

dedicated to

indifference to

protest (no

surprising that

believe in

define as

insight into

belong to

depict as

insist on/upon

protest against

tamper with

blame for

desire for

interested in

provide for

thank for

blame on

difference between

involved in

qualify for

think about

bring up

different from

irritating to

react to

think of

buy from

distinguish from

jealous of

reason for

threat of

came into use

divergent from

lead to

recover from

tired of

capable of

emphasis on

limited to

regarded as

transition from

care for

encourage by

look for

related to

trust in

careless about

endeavor to

look up

require to be

understanding of

cater to

escape from

love of

required to

upset with

center on

estimated to be

made of

rescue from

vote for/against

characteristic of

evolved from

make up

resort to

went about

committed to

far from

named (no

respect for

work for

compare to

fascination with

respond to

worried about

preposition)

preposition)

sympathize with

Common SAT Grammatical Mistakes

Compiled by Dr. Edgar Huang for SAT English Enhancement Class (SEEC)
Legend: Italic:
italic bold:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.
8.

9.

Wrong
Correct

Dangling modifiera modifier that cant modify the modified.

a. Wrong: Carefully reading the manuscript, numerous grammatical errors were detected by the editor.
b. Correct: Carefully reading the manuscript, the editor detected numerous grammatical errors.
c. Wrong: By painting them this afternoon, the walls would be completely dry by tomorrow evening.
d. Correct: Were they to be painted this afternoon, the walls would be completely dry by tomorrow evening.
Misplaced modifiera modifier that is too far from the modified. As a result, the modifier modifies something else.
a. Wrong: Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address while riding on a train on the back of an envelope.
b. Correct: Lincoln wrote the Gettysburg Address on the back of an envelope while riding on a train.
c. Wrong: The chair of the school board announced a plan to build two new elementary schools during an interview.
d. Correct: During an interview, the chair of the school board announced a plan to build two new elementary schools.
e. Wrong: I have nearly written all the chapters.
f. Correct: I have written nearly all the chapters.
Comma-spliced sentenceA comma connects two independent clauses.
a. Wrong: Illiteracy is an enormous problem, it affects millions of people worldwide.
b. Correct:
i. Illiteracy is an enormous problem. It affects millions of people worldwide.
ii. Illiteracy is an enormous problem because it affects millions of people worldwide.
iii. Illiteracy is an enormous problem; it affects millions of people worldwide.
iv. Illiteracy is an enormous problem, and it affects millions of people worldwide.
Wrong form of verb used in subjunctive mood Pay attention to the verb consistency. Watch out for those special words that
mandate the subjunctive mood, such as as if, If I were, require, insist, It is important that It is imperative that When these verbs
are used, the verb in the subordinate clause must follow accordingly.
a. Wrong: It is important that Joshua will be present.
b. Correct: It is important that Joshua be present.
c. Wrong: The election law requires that he will get 10,000 signatures before he can get his name on the ballot.
d. Correct: The election law requires that he get 10,000 signatures before he can get his name on the ballot.
e. Wrong: She sang with a carrot in hand as if she was a pro.
f. Correct: She sang with a carrot in hand as if she were a pro.
g. Wrong: If you are John, you will have great potential.
h. Correct: If you were John, you would have great potential.
Subject replaced by objectUse the written English style.
a. Wrong: My sister is much prettier than me.
b. Correct: My sister is much prettier than I.
c. Wrong: Me and my friends hang out often.
d. Correct: My friends and I hang out often.
e. Wrong: Us young people should stand up.
f. Correct: We young people should stand up.
Incorrect complement with a linking verbVerbs pertaining to five senses are linking verbs, and are almost always followed by
an adjective, not an adverb.
a. Wrong: The backstage area smells horribly.
b. Correct: The backstage are smells horrible.
c. Correct: I am feeling good. (Feeling good is a mental status.) I am feeling well. (Feeling well is a physical status.)
A preposition followed by a subjectUse an object in such an occasion.
a. Wrong: Between you and I, there is no leeway for negotiation.
b. Correct: Between you and me, there is no leeway for negotiation.
To as a preposition mistaken as infinitiveRemember the most common scenarios in which to is used as a preposition.
a. Wrong: The governor objected to relinquish the power.
b. Correct: The governor objected to relinquishing the power.
c. Wrong: Crews remove the piano that a teen confessed to have placed on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay, Florida.
d. Correct: Crews remove the piano that a teen confessed to placing on a sandbar in Biscayne Bay, Florida.
Pronoun they or their not referring to anyone in particularThe pronoun is often used to refer to a collective noun.
a. Wrong: You seldom see anyone in Europe spitting in public nowadays, mainly because they had a successful campaign
against this health hazard in the post war years.
b. Correct: You seldom see anyone in Europe spitting in public nowadays, mainly because EU had a successful campaign
against this health hazard in the post war years.
c. Wrong: The union insisted on an increase in their members starting pay.
d. Correct: The union insisted on an increase in its members starting pay.

10.
11.

12.

13.

14.

e. Wrong: Perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the African elephant is their amazingly versatile trunk.
f. Correct: Perhaps the most extraordinary feature of the African elephant is its amazingly versatile trunk.
Confusing pronounWhen there are two or more people of the same sex, be cautious when using a pronoun.
a. Wrong: The mother cares about her daughters safety very much when she has to walk through that street.
b. Correct: The mother cares about her daughters safety very much when the daughter has to walk through that street.
Lack of agreement between subject and verb
(1) Single out the subject in a long sentence to find out whether it is plural or singular.
a. Wrong: Professor Chandras pioneering work on rainwater harvesting and recharging of groundwater in drought prone
areas have been drawing media attention.
b. Correct: Professor Chandras pioneering work on rainwater harvesting and recharging of groundwater in drought prone
areas has been drawing media attention.
(2) The modifier must be close to the modified. Therefore, the modifier always modifies the closest modified.
c. Wrong: He is one of the survivors who was rescued by the crew.
d. Correct: He is one of the survivors who were rescued by the crew.
(3) None, Neither and Either are all singular when used alone.
e. Wrong: Neither of the sons are academically gifted.
f. Correct: Neither of the sons is academically gifted.
g. Wrong: Either of them work.
h. Correct: Either of them works.
i.
Wrong: None of my brothers are good at that.
j.
Correct: None of my brothers is good at that.
(4) When you have a Neither nor or Either or structure, whether the following verb is singular or plural depends on the noun
closest to the verb.
k. Wrong: Neither Nathan nor his friends likes the movie.
l.
Correct: Neither Nathan nor his friends like the movie.
m. Wrong: Either Sheila or her parents was present.
n. Correct: Either Sheila or her parents were present.
(4) When inverted order is used, the verb must follow the subject that is yet to come.
o. Wrong: Here is the answers to Sundays crossword.
p. Correct: Here are the answers to Sundays crossword.
q. Wrong: Among the many reasons for his defeat in the election was his arrogant assumption that his constituents were
incapable of understanding economic conditions and his unwarranted attack on his chief opponent.
r. Correct: Among the many reasons for his defeat in the election were his arrogant assumption that his constituents were
incapable of understanding economic conditions and his unwarranted attack on his chief opponent.
Comparing apple to orangeWatch out not to leave the counterpart out when making a comparison.
a. Wrong: The five richest men in the nation have assets worth more than the 80 percent of the people in the nation.
b. Correct: The five richest men in the nation have assets worth more than the combined assets of the 80 percent of the
people in the nation.
c. Wrong: The quality of FDRs presidency was on a par with or better than Wilson but not Lincolns.
d. Correct: The quality of FDRs presidency was on a par with or better than that of Wilsons but not of Lincolns.
Misuse of whom, who, which and that
(1) When a noun indicating that a person serves as the subject in a subordinate clause, who leads that subordinate clause.
a. Wrong: I have heard that Denzel Washington, whom is my favorite actor, will appear in a new movie.
b. Correct: I have heard that Denzel Washington, who is my favorite actor, will appear in a new movie.
(2) When a noun indicating that a person serves as the object in a subordinate clause, whom leads that subordinate clause.
c. Wrong: Edgar Snow, after who Dr. Edgar Huang was named, was highly respected by the Chinese communists.
d. Correct: Edgar Snow, after whom Dr. Edgar Huang was named, was highly respected by the Chinese communists.
(3) That is used to refer to non-human beings while who and whom are used to refer to a human being or human beings and an
animal with a name.
e. Wrong: The cat who was stuck up the tree is still there.
f. Correct: The cat that was stuck up the tree is still there.
g. Wrong: Shelley, which has been stuck up the tree for three days, is Mollys cat.
h. Correct: Shelley, who has been stuck up the tree for three days, is Mollys cat.
(4) That is used to lead a restrictive clause while which is used to lead a non-restrictive clause.
i.
Wrong: The Eiffel Tower that symbolizes France has had a long history.
j.
Correct: The Eiffel Tower, which symbolizes France, has had a long history.
(5) A restrictive clause uses no comma while a comma always precedes a non-restrictive clause.
k. Wrong: Do you happen to know Adams father who owns a Leica?
l.
Correct: Do you happen to know Adams father, who owns a Leica camera?
Which clause does not refer to anything in particular A which clause can only modify a noun, not a sentence, ahead of it.
a. Wrong: Mark scored poorly on the test, which is not surprising since he did not prepare adequately.
b. Correct: Mark scored poorly on the test. The fact is not surprising since he did not prepare adequately.
c. Wrong: The temperature dropped suddenly last night, which will mean that the shoots emerging from the soil will be
killed by the frost.

d.

15.

16.
17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

Correct: The temperature dropped suddenly last night, and the resulting frost will kill the shoots that are emerging
from the soil.
e. Wrong: The people in Tunisia protested against the corrupt regime, which inspired the people in Egypt.
f. Correct: The people in Tunisia protested against the corrupt regime; the protest inspired the people in Egypt.
Lack of parallelismWhen repeated items are used, make sure they use the same grammatical structure.
a. Wrong: He was not merely expected to contribute funds to the project, but to work as hard as the other patrons.
b. Correct: He was expected not merely to contribute funds to the project, but to work as hard as the other patrons.
c. Wrong: Katz claimed that reading classic novels is more illuminating than to read autobiographies.
d. Correct: Katz claimed that reading classic novels is more illuminating than reading autobiographies.
e. Wrong: Suzanne recounted her improbable tale with enthusiasm and in a convincing manner.
f. Correct: Suzanne recounted her improbable tale with enthusiasm and conviction. or Suzanne recounted her
improbable tale enthusiastically and convincingly.
Awkward or wordy sentencesSuch mistakes usually occur in Sentence Correction or Editing in Context sub-sections.
a. Wrong: Anthony, coming alongside Cleopatra's ship, climbed aboard without seeing or being seen by her.
b. Correct: Anthony, coming alongside Cleopatra's ship, climbed aboard without seeing Cleopatra or being seen by her.
Less/few problem
(1) Less is for uncountable nouns while few/fewer is for countable nouns.
a. Wrong: Less people, less books
b. Correct: Few people, few books
c. Wrong: fewer money, fewer time
d. Correct: less money, less time
(2) When referring to time or money, less is normally used even with numbers.
e. Wrong: I have fewer than twenty dollars.
f. Correct: I have less than twenty dollars.
g. Wrong: I have only fewer than 20 hours to finish this article.
h. Correct: I have only less than 20 hours to finish this article.
(3) When not referring to specific amount of time or money, fewer is used.
i.
Wrong: He worked less hours than I did.
j.
Correct: He worked fewer hours than I did.
Any should be used while any other is used. Similarly, anyone should be used while anyone else is meant to be used.Be
sensitive to such low-level mistakes.
a. Wrong: Sherry prefers Jessica to any hairdressers.
b. Correct: Sherry prefers Jessica to any other hairdressers.
c. Wrong: The teacher likes Larry more than anyone in class.
d. Correct: The teacher likes Larry more than anyone else in class.
RedundantIn SAT, any redundancy in a sentence is regarded as wrong.
a. Wrong: The crane lowered the cat down from the second floor to the ground.
b. Correct: The crane lowered the cat from the second floor to the ground.
c. Wrong: a population of 5,000 people
d. Correct: a population of 5,000 or 5,000 people
e. Wrong: very unique
f. Correct: unique
g. Wrong: equally as good as
h. Correct: as good as
i.
Wrong: The reason you failed was because you didnt work hard.
j.
Correct: The reason you failed was you didnt work hard.
Missing prepositionWhen there are two parallel items and each is supposed to carry a preposition, make sure both
prepositions are present.
a. Wrong: The unfortunate accident that caused the explosion was extensively reported in all the local newspapers and
national television.
b. Correct: The unfortunate accident that caused the explosion was extensively reported in all the local newspapers and
on national television.
c. Wrong: I have no interest or time for such an endeavor.
d. Correct: I have no interest in or time for such an endeavor.
e. Wrong: If the gardener would sow the seeds in the greenhouse rather than the garden, he might get a better display of
flowers.
f. Correct: If the gardener would sow the seeds in the greenhouse rather than in the garden, he might get a better
display of flowers.
Misusing past perfect tensePast perfect tense can only be used when there is a point of reference from the past.
a. Wrong: Jonathan had run for five hours.
b. Correct: Jonathan had run for five hours before the sun set.