PART 3 PRACTICE: COMMON GRAMMAR ERRORS

For questions 1-3, rewrite the sentences by joining fragments or splitting run-ons.

1. The dentist was a true perfectionist. Cleaning each tooth with equal care.
2. Derek went to the baseball game, my dad watched my ballet recital.
3. Sometimes we celebrate birthdays in the office, how many paper plates are left?

For questions 4-7, choose the correct form for the verb in each sentence.

4. Either of the costumes is/are appropriate.

5. The mammals, including the zebras and the elephant, requires/require more food.
6. The director or the actors is/are planning the cast party.
7. The first of the finishers wins/win a special prize.

For questions 8-11, choose the correct form for the pronoun in each sentence.

8. Even though I will likely win this debate, which involves writing, reading, and
acting skills, I am still anxious about it/them.
9. Each of the designers has his or her/their own logo.
10. At summer camp, one/you will choose your own meals.
11. The plane, which was the size of two football fields and had its/their wing
remodeled, just took off.

For questions 12-16, choose the correct form of the verb in each sentence.

12. Just after Julie had finished the test, she plans/planned/will plan her vacation.
13. If she trains/trained her dog, she would have a cleaner house.
14. When the bridge closed last week, our commute was/had been/will be disrupted.
15. Because we had already eaten breakfast, Charlie was/is being/will be forced to eat
alone.
16. I would have come sooner if I knew/had known.

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 ANSWER KEY: COMMON GRAMMAR ERRORS
Here are some possible solutions, although other options may be correct:

1. The dentist was a true perfectionist, cleaning each tooth with equal care.
2. Derek went to the baseball game. My dad watched my ballet recital.
(or) Derek went to the baseball game, while my dad watched my ballet recital.
3. Sometimes we celebrate birthdays in the office. How many paper plates are left?
4. Either of the costumes is appropriate.
5. The mammals, including the zebras and the elephant, require more food.
6. The director or the actors are planning the cast party.
7. The first of the finishers wins a special prize.
8. Even though I will likely win this debate, which involves writing, reading, and
acting skills, I am still anxious about it.
9. Each of the designers has his or her own logo.
10. At summer camp, you will choose your own meals.
11. The plane, which was the size of two football fields and had its wing remodeled,
just took off.
12. Just after Julie had finished the test, she planned her vacation.
13. If she trained her dog, she would have a cleaner house.
14. When the bridge closed last week, our commute was disrupted.
15. Because we had already eaten breakfast, Charlie was forced to eat alone.
16. I would have come sooner if I had known.

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HARDER GRAMMAR ERRORS
PART 4

The errors discussed in this part may be a little more difficult for you to spot. In fact, some
of them may not sound wrong when you read through them in your head! Nevertheless, our
tips will help you detect and correct these errors when you see them on the SAT.

PARALLEL STRUCTURE
Some sentences in the Writing and Language Test passages will be missing parallel
structure. Parallel structure is a way of constructing a sentence so that different parts of
the sentence all have the same grammatical structure. Parallel structure makes long
sentences easy to read and gives them a natural flow. On SAT questions, you will sometimes
be asked to change a part of a sentence to fix a broken parallel structure. Let’s take a look
at some examples.

EXAMPLE

 After a long day, I like listening to music, reading, and talking with friends.

This sentence has three elements listed in a series: “listening to music,” “reading,” and
“talking with friends.” Each of these elements is an “-ing” form of a verb: “listening,”
“reading,” and “talking.” Because they are all in the same form, this sentence has parallel
structure. Here is the same sentence with its parallel structure broken:

 After a long day, I like listening to music, reading, and to talk with friends.

Now the three elements in the list are in different forms. “Listening” and “reading” are in
“-ing” forms, but “to talk” is not. To answer parallel structure questions, you will need to
identify the odd man out and find the multiple choice option that puts all the elements in the
same form. Let’s look at another example:

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 EXAMPLE

 Whether you fight with Ron or giving him the silent treatment, you’re going to
have to resolve the argument eventually.

This example is a little less obvious than the last one we looked at. What elements are being
listed here? If you’re not sure, try looking for key words like “and” or “or” that suggest that
things are being put together or compared. Here, we find that our options for how to deal
with Ron are being contrasted: we can “fight” or “giving him the silent treatment.” You
may already see the problem: “fight” is a present-tense verb, while “giving” is an “-ing”
form. To fix this sentence, let’s bring them in line with each other.

 Whether you fight with Ron or give him the silent treatment, you’re going to
have to resolve the argument eventually.

This is better! Now both elements being compared are present-tense verbs. Let’s try out one
more example:

 Discipline is necessary for anyone who wants to train for a marathon; being
motivated is also a requirement.

Where’s the parallelism here? This sentence probably doesn’t sound obviously wrong at
first. Let’s look more closely at this sentence’s structure. The sentence is made up of two
independent clauses joined by a semicolon. The first clause is “discipline is necessary.” This
has the structure “[noun] is [adjective].” The second clause is “being motivated is also a
requirement.” This has the structure “[-ing form] is [noun].” We need to put these clauses
in the same form.

 Discipline is necessary for anyone who wants to train for a marathon; motivation
is also required.

WRITING 316
That’s more like it. Now both clauses are in the form “[noun] is [adjective].” There are other
ways you could fix this parallelism, but this one is probably the best and most concise.

MISPLACED MODIFIERS
The SAT will also ask you to move or revise misplaced modifiers. Misplaced modifiers
are phrases or clauses that are separated from the words they are meant to describe, creating
ambiguities or mistaken meanings. Let’s take a look at an example:

EXAMPLE

 While biking to work this morning, an odd thought struck Alanna.

What this sentence means to say is that Alanna was the one biking to work, but the
misplaced modifier “While biking to work this morning” creates the impression that the
“odd thought” was actually biking. We know this can’t be true, so it must be a misplaced
modifier!

We have a couple of options for how to fix misplaced modifiers. The general rule is that we
need to reorder the sentence so that the modifier is as close as possible to the word it’s meant
to modify.

 While biking to work this morning, Alanna was struck by an odd thought.
 An odd thought struck Alanna while she was biking to work this morning.

In either case, we’ve put the modifier as close as possible to “Alanna,” the noun it modifies.
You’ll notice that for these types of questions, you’ll often need to change more than just a
word or two. Often, entire clauses or the sentence as a whole will need to be reorganized or
rewritten.

Usually, these modifying phrases will contain verbs in their “-ing” or “-ed” forms. Here’s
an example of a misplaced modifier sentence with an “-ed” form verb:

WRITING 317
  Seasoned with many spices, Sam’s mouth burned when he ate a bite of the curry.

This sentence makes it sound like Sam’s mouth was seasoned with many spices, which is
not too likely. The modifier is meant to refer to the hot curry, so we’ll need to rearrange the
sentence to reflect that.

 Sam’s mouth burned when he ate a bite of the curry, which was seasoned with
many spices.
 Seasoned with many spices, the curry burned Sam’s mouth when he ate a bite
of it.

You have multiple options when fixing a misplaced modifier, depending on how much you
want to change the sentence. Some multiple-choice options on the SAT will make relatively
minor changes, whereas others will overhaul the sentence. Make sure that the answer you
choose doesn’t introduce any new mistakes.

LOGICAL COMPARISON ERRORS

Errors in logical comparison can be some of the trickiest mistakes to spot on the SAT.
Logical comparison errors occur when two unlike elements of a sentence are compared.

EXAMPLE

 Picasso’s paintings are even stranger than Dali.

Though it seems like this sentence is just comparing two artists, it actually compares two
unlike things: “Picasso’s paintings” (the artworks) and “Dali” (the person). While the
artwork might indeed be stranger than the person, we need to compare paintings to paintings.

 Picasso’s paintings are even stranger than Dali’s paintings.

WRITING 318
We can also write this more concisely:

 Picasso’s paintings are even stranger than Dali’s.

EXAMPLE
Let’s take a look at another example:

 France’s poets challenged artistic conventions, unlike writing anywhere else.

This sentence also compares two unlike things: “France’s poets” (the people) and “writing”
(the activity). This mistake can also be corrected with a minor change.

 France’s poets challenged artistic conventions, unlike those writing anywhere

else.

The pronoun “those” indicates that we are comparing France’s poets to poets elsewhere.
This makes the comparison logical.

CONFUSED WORDS AND IDIOMS

It is well known that English is a difficult language to master. In fact, many English words
are confused even by native speakers. Sometimes this is because two words that sound or
are spelled the same have different meanings. Other times, two similar sounding words are
simply misused.

WRITING 319
 The table below shows commonly misused words:

Definition Correct Usage

Accept – to receive or take as payment We accept credit cards for

Accept vs.
Except Except – with the exclusion of
Affect (verb) – to influence or change;
the object is the thing that is changed.
Affect vs. Affect (noun) – emotion or feeling
Effect Effect (noun) – a result
Effect (verb) – to cause a change; the
object is the change.
purchases except those under
five dollars.
The rain did not affect our crop
yield. This was not the expected
effect.
Bill sought to effect changes in
environmental policy.
Laura claimed indifference, but
displayed an excited affect.

Allude – reference something In The Aeneid, Vergil alludes to

Allude vs. indirectly. events in Roman history. In it,
Elude Aeneas eludes the Cyclops.
Elude – to escape.
Complement Complement – to complete, make The red sash complements the
vs. perfect rest of my outfit. I got many
Compliment Compliment – to give praise compliments on it today.

Counsel (verb) – to advise The council meets every day.

Counsel vs. Their job is to counsel the king
Counsel (noun) – advice
Council on matters of the State.
Council – an assembly or meeting

Elicit – to bring out We elicited a confession quickly.

Elicit vs.
He was very open about his illicit
Illicit Illicit – not allowed by law behavior.
Emigrate – to leave and move to Programs are available for skilled
Emigrate vs. another place workers to emigrate from Asia.
Immigrate Immigrate – to come to a country to Many have thus immigrated to
live there the U.S.

Eminent vs. Eminent – standing out, prominent Dark, eminent clouds filled the
Imminent Imminent – about to take place sky. A storm was imminent.

Gracious – pleasantly kind, courteous Molly was a gracious host at the

Gracious vs. party, even when a guest began
Gratuitous Gratuitous – without reason or
payment yelling gratuitous insults.

Infirmary – a place for care of the sick The infirmities she was suffering
Infirmary vs.
from only increased as she aged
Infirmity Infirmity – disability or weakness in the infirmary.
Lose vs. Lose – become unable to find, misplace I will lose my keys if they are
Loose Loose – free, not bound together tied on with a loose knot.

Precede – to come before A loud noise preceded the

Precede vs.
fireworks. The officers told us to
Proceed Proceed – to move forward proceed with caution.

WRITING 320
 Principle – a rule or fact
Principle vs.
Principal (noun) – chief official
Principal
Principal (adjective) – most important
Reluctant vs. Reluctant – feeling hesitation
Reticent Reticent – reserved, silent
Respectful Respectful – showing respect or
vs. admiration for
Respective Respective – relating separately
Than – a conjunction used to compare
Than vs.
Then Then – next or soon after
Too – in addition, also, or excessively
Too vs. To To – a preposition used to show
direction toward a point
Weather – temperature and conditions
Weather vs.
Whether Whether – which of the two
There are also some words that are commonly confused but have specific grammatical rules
that you can try to remember:
Rule
Use between only for relationships
Among vs.
of two. Use among for
Between
relationships of more than two.
Use fewer for people or things you
Less vs. can count. Use less for things that
Fewer can’t be counted or don’t have a
plural.
Its is the possessive form of “it.”
Its vs. It’s
It’s means “it is.”
Their vs. Their is the possessive form of
They’re “they.” They’re means “they are.”
Whose vs. Whose is the possessive form of
Who’s “who.” Who’s means “who is.”
Always use the principle: “Ask
before taking.” This is the
principal way we keep track of
items.
A reticent person, Jonah was
reluctant to speak in public.
The guests were respectful of
the rules she had set. They stayed
at their respective tables.
I told her I liked peas more than
candy. Then she really thought I
was lying!
Please drive to the market this
afternoon. Make sure you bring
the coupons, too: you don’t want
to spend too much.
I can’t decide whether to go to
the park or the gym. I suppose it
depends on the weather.
Correct Usage
It was hard to choose between the
red and pink scarves. Among the four
gloves, the white ones were best.
Fewer people are opening their own
businesses these days. Unfortunately,
this means less money is being spent
locally.
It’s hard to tell when the baby will
start crying. Its arched brows make it
always appear upset!
The team practiced all year, and their
hard work paid off. They’re going to
the championship.
Who’s going to the store with me?
Judy is. Now whose car should we
take?
WRITING 321
 Your vs. Your is the possessive form of
You’re “you.” You’re means “you are.”
Who and whom both refer to
Who vs. people; who is used as subject
Whom vs. pronoun, and whom is used as an
Which object pronoun. Which refers to
things or groups.
You’re too talented to give up acting.
Plus, your voice is incredible!
Who brought the salad? To whom
should I return the bowl? The bowl,
which has a beautiful pattern on the
inside, looks like it might be
expensive.

Another challenging aspect of mastering English grammar is the use of idioms. Idioms are
groups of words that have a meaning other than their literal meaning depending on their
usage. For example, “put up with” and “do a favor” are idioms.

Idioms, or common expressions, are especially tough to approach because often they don’t
fit with the rules of our usual grammar. Some idioms involve using different prepositions
with the same verb. For example, you would:

 Agree on a plan
 Agree with a person
 Agree to a proposal

Incorrect idioms can appear on the SAT Writing and Language Test. In order to correct
them, you should get comfortable with the correct usage of some common idioms with
prepositions:

Some Common Idioms

Able to Conscious of Escape from Opposed to
Believe in Consists of Excuse for Preoccupied with
Blamed for Depends on Hope for Protect from
Capable of Differ from Identical to Recover from
Compared to Discriminate against Method of Relevant to
Comply with Equivalent to Object to Succeed in

WRITING 322
PART 4 PRACTICE: HARDER GRAMMAR ERRORS
For questions 1-5, choose the portion of the sentence that contains an error, and re-write the
sentence to correct the error.

1. Whether he was running the bases or swam in the pool, Mark was always the fastest
athlete on the team.
2. Margie’s cookies are better than Ted.
3. At Advanced Learning, we look for students who are bright, dedicated, and have
motivation.
4. One requirement of the job is being a team player. Another is resilience.
5. She found France’s food healthier than Portugal.

For questions 6-8, rewrite the sentence to correct misplaced modifiers.

6. Having searched through every aisle, the milk could not be found.
7. Running through the woods, the rock tripped Liza.
8. After attending one session, all future sessions were cancelled.

For questions 9-15, choose the correct form for the word in each sentence.

9. In the game show, contestants choose between/among three doors.

10. There were too many balloons for such a small party. Their presence seemed
gracious/gratuitous.
11. When I called the company, the message said their/they’re representatives were
all on hold.
12. The bright red door was one of the principle/principal reasons we selected this
house.
13. Pasta differs with/from rice in both its consistency and taste.
14. Luckily we were not affected/effected by the power outages caused by the storm.
15. The pirate promised them great suffering if they did not comply to/with his
demands.

WRITING 323
 ANSWER KEY: HARDER GRAMMAR ERRORS

1. Whether he was running the bases or swam swimming in the pool, Mark was
always the fastest athlete on the team. (Parallel Structure)
2. Margie’s cookies are better than Ted Ted’s cookies. (Logical Comparison)
3. At Advanced Learning, we look for students who are bright, dedicated, and have
motivation motivated. (Parallel Structure)
4. One requirement of the job is being a team player. Another is resilience being
resilient. (Parallel Structure)
5. She found France’s food healthier than Portugal Portugal’s food. (Logical
Comparison)

Questions 6-8 have many possible solutions. Here are some possibilities:

6. Having searched through every aisle, I/he/she could not find the milk.
7. Running through the woods, Liza tripped on a rock.
8. After attending one session, I/he/she cancelled all future sessions.

Here are the correct forms for words in problems 9-15:

9. In the game show, contestants choose among three doors.

10. There were too many balloons for such a small party. Their presence seemed
gratuitous.
11. When I called the company, the message said their representatives were all on hold.
12. The bright red door was one of the principal reasons we selected this house.
13. Pasta differs from rice in both its consistency and taste.
14. Luckily we were not affected by the power outages caused by the storm.
15. The pirate promised them great suffering if they did not comply with his demands.

WRITING 324