{"id":59509,"date":"2020-08-06T23:00:19","date_gmt":"2020-08-06T23:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/?p=59509"},"modified":"2026-09-21T10:47:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T14:47:02","slug":"act-and-sat-grammar-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-and-sat-grammar-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Complete Guide to the 13 ACT and SAT Grammar Rules"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The 13 ACT and SAT Grammar Rules You Need to Know<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Bonus Material: <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"1f432aef-1c8a-4b51-b479-a31111030ce6\">PrepMaven\u2019s ACT and SAT Grammar Workbook ( 100+ Practice Questions )&nbsp;<\/a><\/span>&nbsp;<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both the ACT and the SAT are interested in your ability to apply certain English grammar rules.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The good news, however, is that these exams only test 13 foundational rules.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, you&#8217;ll find these <\/span><b>13 grammar rules<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tested regularly on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing. We explain these rules as simply as possible, and without grammar jargon.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, we include <\/span><b>links to other detailed posts<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that elaborate on individual concepts, provide strategies for approaching certain questions, and walk you through guided examples from official practice tests.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll also be able to download free <\/span><b>practice worksheets<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for every single grammar rule, which include practice questions, additional guided examples, and answers and explanations.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want all of these worksheets in one place, simply grab our ACT and SAT Grammar Workbook below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"1f432aef-1c8a-4b51-b479-a31111030ce6\"><button class=\"btn\" style=\"background-color: orange;\">Download ACT\/SAT Grammar Workbook<\/button><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s what we cover in this post:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#nutshell\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">ACT and SAT Grammar In a Nutshell<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#rules\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The 13 Rules You Need to Know<\/span><\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#punctuation\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">7 Punctuation Rules<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#verbs\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">2 Verbs Rules<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#pronouns\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">1 Pronouns Rule<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#rare\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3 Rarely Tested Grammar Rules (<em>that you still need to know<\/em>)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#next\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Bonus:<\/strong> PrepMaven&#8217;s ACT and SAT Grammar Workbook (100+ Practice Questions)<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"nutshell\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">ACT and SAT Grammar in a Nutshell<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First things first: let&#8217;s talk about what you can expect from the ACT and the SAT in terms of grammar questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Where Will I See Grammar Questions on the ACT\/SAT?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students can expect to&nbsp;<em>directly&nbsp;<\/em>apply their knowledge of English grammar on the following 2 sections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">ACT English<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">SAT Reading and Writing<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ACT English is the first section of the ACT exam and contains 75 questions to be completed in 45 minutes. The new Digital SAT&#8217;s Reading and Writing section is split into two 32-minute &#8220;modules,&#8221; each with 27 questions. Roughly one-quarter of all the questions on these modules are specifically on the rules of English grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">How Many Grammar Questions Will I Encounter?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all questions on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing concern grammar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both tests include questions that we like to call Expression of Ideas questions, which test students&#8217; understanding of context, vocabulary, logical connection of ideas, and the expression of an author&#8217;s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These can take a little more time than basic grammar questions and can be more challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;ve analyzed officially released ACT and SAT practice tests to come up with an approximation of how many rote grammar questions you&#8217;ll see on each test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Grammar Questions on the ACT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Grammar Questions on the SAT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">~36-40 (out of 75 total questions)<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">~11-15 (out of 54 total questions)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice how grammar questions account for&nbsp;<em>approximately&nbsp;<\/em>50% of the questions on ACT English and 25% of SAT Reading and Writing (give or take a few percentage points).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What does this mean? Students need more than proficiency in English grammar to earn a competitive score on both sections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\">How Will I Know If It&#8217;s a Grammar Question?<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most important things SAT and ACT test-takers can do on&nbsp;<em>any&nbsp;<\/em>section of the test is to identify the type of question in front of them. This can be vital for applying strategies and sidestepping typical SAT and ACT tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing, you know you&#8217;re navigating a grammar question if you see any of the following <em>changing&nbsp;<\/em>in the answer choices:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Punctuation (including type and placement)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verb tense and form<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Pronouns<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prepositions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Idiomatic phrases and words<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, check out this excerpt from a Writing and Language passage on the old, paper SAT:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-65484 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"778\" src=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SAT-Writing-question-types-1024x778.png\" alt=\"SAT Writing &amp; Language example\" class=\"wp-image-65484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SAT-Writing-question-types-1024x778.png 1024w, https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SAT-Writing-question-types-300x228.png 300w, https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SAT-Writing-question-types-768x584.png 768w, https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SAT-Writing-question-types.png 1392w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">from SAT Official Practice Test #1<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Question #36 presents us with four different forms of the verb &#8220;to teach.&#8221; This is definitely a grammar question!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next, take a look at question #37.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Did you notice that this has a full question in front of it? And that this question is asking students to consider the choice that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most effectively sets up the information that follows<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">?<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The differences in the answer choices don\u2019t boil down to mere grammar rules. They boil down to ideas, and a student\u2019s capacity to figure out which is \u201crelevant\u201d in context, given the author\u2019s ideas. This is an Expression of Ideas question.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, consider question #38. This one doesn&#8217;t start with a full question like #37 \u2014 but when we look at it more closely, we notice that we&#8217;re comparing four different transition words or phrases. We have to think about how to connect the ideas present in this paragraph. This is also an Expression of Ideas question, not a grammar question!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> even though <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/collegereadiness.collegeboard.org\/sat\/inside-the-test\/writing-language\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the CollegeBoard<\/a><\/span> describes the SAT Reading and Writing section as a test that assesses your ability to fix mistakes, plenty of grammar questions are correct as they appear in the passage! The same goes for ACT English. That &#8220;NO CHANGE&#8221; option is just as viable an answer choice as all the others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We discuss the 13 ACT and SAT grammar rules you&#8217;ll need to know to succeed on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"rules\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">The 13 ACT and SAT Grammar Rules You Need to Know<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we mentioned earlier, students&nbsp;<em>don&#8217;t&nbsp;<\/em>need to memorize every single English grammar rule to feel confident on ACT English or SAT Reading and Writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These tests are only interested in a finite list of grammar concepts. What&#8217;s more, these grammar concepts are tested in very predictable, limited ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s why we won&#8217;t elaborate everything there is to know about Verbs, for example, or the nuanced difference between a colon and a semicolon in this guide. While interesting and useful, such details aren&#8217;t necessarily relevant for the purposes of the ACT and SAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rules as we present them here are simplified and efficient, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>designed to give you the information you need to know to answer an ACT or SAT grammar question correctly.<\/strong><\/span> We discuss each concept in-depth in individual blog posts, linked throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Complete-Guide-to-ACT-and-SAT-Grammar-Rules_PrepMaven-1.png\" alt=\"Complete Guide to ACT and SAT Grammar Rules_PrepMaven (1)\" class=\"wp-image-59558\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.2666666666666666;width:680px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Complete-Guide-to-ACT-and-SAT-Grammar-Rules_PrepMaven-1.png 680w, https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Complete-Guide-to-ACT-and-SAT-Grammar-Rules_PrepMaven-1-300x132.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, without further ado, let&#8217;s get started. We begin with the most heavily tested grammar concepts and work our way down from there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"punctuation\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000080;\">ACT and SAT Grammar Rules: Punctuation<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Punctuation is by far the most common English grammar concept that appears on both the ACT and the SAT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Based on our analysis of officially released ACT and SAT practice tests, we&#8217;ve crafted a breakdown of the number of punctuation questions students can expect on either test:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Punctuation Questions on the ACT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Punctuation Questions on the SAT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">12-16<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5-7<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most punctuation questions on SAT Reading and Writing and ACT English actually test something more foundational than your knowledge of punctuation rules: your capacity to correctly <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-punctuation-complete-incomplete-sentences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">identify incomplete and complete sentences<\/span><\/a>. We&#8217;ve written an entire post on this\u2014that&#8217;s how important this skill is for SAT and ACT test-takers!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can also&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"181bb3e2-d530-4af8-b89f-39ed28f693b0\">download this free worksheet <\/a><\/span>for additional practice in identifying incomplete\/complete sentences. We&#8217;ll reference complete and incomplete ideas often in the following 7 punctuation rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, here&#8217;s a general breakdown of the difference between the 2 sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Complete Sentences<\/mark><\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Incomplete Sentences<\/mark><\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Have:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">subject<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">verb<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">full expression of an idea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>Don&#8217;t have<\/em>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">subject<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">verb<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">and\/or full expression of an idea<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your knowledge of this difference will be vital for the majority of the following rules. Let&#8217;s dive into those 7 punctuation rules you need to know for the SAT and ACT now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #1<\/span>: You can only join 2 complete sentences with a period, a semicolon, or a comma + FANBOYS conjunction.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let&#8217;s say that you&#8217;ve identified two complete sentences in an ACT or SAT punctuation question, as in this example here:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not that people are disinterested <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">climate&nbsp;<strong>12<\/strong> <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">change, many<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> would <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">argue that<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">citizens are very interested in <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">planet\u2019s gradual warming.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A) NO CHANGE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B) change; many<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C) change many<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D) change<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;It&#8217;s not that people are disinterested in climate change&#8221; is a complete sentence (it has a subject, a verb, and the full expression of an idea); the same goes for &#8220;many would argue that citizens are very interested in the planet&#8217;s gradual warming,&#8221; for the same reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At this point, it&#8217;s time to choose the punctuation that is appropriate for combining 2 complete sentences: a semicolon, period, or a comma + FANBOYS conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the SAT or ACT, you will never have to choose <em>between<\/em> one of these three options (i.e., a semicolon versus a period). In fact, if you see a semicolon and a period in the answer choices\u2014and nothing else differs between those options\u2014you can automatically cross those choices off, as you <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can&#8217;t have two right answers<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the example above, the only permissible answer choice is B, which uses a semicolon to join 2 complete ideas. With this choice, this is how the new sentence would read:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not that people are disinterested in climate change; many would argue that citizens are very interested in the planet\u2019s gradual warming.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could also write this sentence using a <strong>period<\/strong> or a <strong>comma + FANBOYS conjunction<\/strong>, as in these two examples:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s not that people are disinterested in climate change. Many would argue that citizens are very interested in the planet\u2019s <\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">gradual warming.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">It\u2019s not that people are disinterested in climate change, for many would argue that citizens are very interested in the planet\u2019s gradual warming.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #2<\/span>: Use a single comma to join 1 complete sentence with 1 incomplete sentence.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is only one option for combining a complete sentence and incomplete sentence: a single comma.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, if the incomplete sentence is in fact just a phrase (as opposed to a clause, which has a subject and a verb), this could mean we&#8217;re in the territory of either comma rules or colon rules, which we discuss later on in this post. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, if your incomplete sentence is a transition phrase, like &#8220;on the other hand,&#8221; chances are, it&#8217;s time to apply some comma rules!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The following example asks us to combine an incomplete sentence with a complete one:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In light of the fact that women are still<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">earning less than men in the workplace,&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>31 <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for example: equity<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consulting <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">companies<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are likely to prove their value in <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">years to<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">come.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A) NO CHANGE<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B) for example; equity<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C) for example, equity<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D) for example. Equity<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;In light of the fact that women are still earning less than men in the workplace, for example&#8221; is an incomplete sentence.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Equity consulting companies are likely to prove their value in years to come&#8221; is a complete sentence.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We can only use a single comma to join 1 incomplete sentence to 1 complete sentence. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The only answer choice that has a single comma as a solution is C. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The corrected sentence would thus read as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In light of the fact that women are still earning less than men in the workplace, for example, equity consulting companies are likely to prove their value in years to come.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more practice with combining sentences on the SAT or ACT, check out our<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/preparing\/act-sat-punctuation-combining-sentences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Combining Sentences blog post<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">or download this <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"2fcbd6c3-bbef-4c5b-8bd0-1b9deecf4534\">free Combining Sentences worksheet<\/a><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">for practice questions, guided examples, and more.<\/span>&nbsp;<\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #3<\/span>: Use 2 commas or 2 long dashes to separate non-essential, additional information from the rest of a sentence.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just as we use parentheses to separate additional information from the rest of a sentence, we can use 2 commas <em>or&nbsp;<\/em>2 long dashes to accomplish the same goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is &#8220;additional&#8221; or &#8220;non-essential&#8221; information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This includes anything that is not essential for making a sentence complete (i.e., a subject, verb, or words that contribute to the full expression of an idea), such as descriptive phrases and transition words. Essentially, if you get rid of this information, you&#8217;ll still have a complete sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at this example:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greg and Kevin, the co-founders of PrepMaven, emphasize the importance of character when it comes to college applications.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Can you spot the non-essential information in this sentence? If you guessed \u201cthe co-founders of PrepMaven,\u201d you\u2019re absolutely right!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe co-founders of PrepMaven\u201d is a descriptive phrase that provides more information about the sentence\u2019s subject, \u201cGreg and Kevin.\u201d It is not needed to make the sentence complete. In fact, we could get rid of it and still have a complete sentence!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greg and Kevin emphasize the importance of character when it comes to college applications.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s why we can separate &#8220;the co-founders of PrepMaven&#8221; with either 2 commas or 2 long dashes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greg and Kevin, the co-founders of PrepMaven, emphasize the importance of character when it comes to college applications.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Greg and Kevin\u2014the co-founders of PrepMaven<\/span><\/i><em>\u2014<\/em><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">emphasize the importance of character when it comes to college applications.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #4<\/span>: Place a comma after a transition word or introductory phrase.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A \u201cphrase\u201d is simply a group of words. Phrases are different from clauses, which contain a subject-verb pair (and can be complete or incomplete).<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An introductory phrase begins a sentence, often providing context, time or location cues, or transitions, as in the following examples:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1938<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beneath the sofa&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you start a sentence with an introductory phrase or transition word, you need to place a comma after it. That&#8217;s all there is to it!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 1938, historians were only just starting to comprehend the impact of the changing times.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the other hand, such precautionary measures are ones we should be taking on a daily basis, not merely in times of crisis.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beneath the sofa, Lucy found a panoply of forgotten items, including a keyring, dog toy, and grocery receipt.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #5<\/span>: Separate items in a list with commas.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tends to be the simplest comma rule for students to remember.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When listing out items, use a comma to separate each item. On the SAT and ACT, you\u2019ll also need a comma before the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that finishes the list, as in this example here:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before I leave for the holidays, I need to find a babysitter, submit that annual report, and RSVP for the Christmas party.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this example sentence, the \u201citems in a list\u201d are actually phrases: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">find a babysitter, submit that annual report, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> RSVP for the Christmas party. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We use commas to separate them, including before the \u201cand.\u201d&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more practice with comma rules on the SAT or ACT, check out our<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/comma-rules-sat-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"> <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Comma Rules blog post<\/span> <\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">or download this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"dac336d5-ff1a-4516-b031-11b8dda71c42\">free Comma Rules worksheet<\/a><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">for practice questions, guided examples, and more.<\/span>&nbsp;<\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #6<\/span>: A complete sentence must precede a single long dash or colon.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to using a colon or single long dash properly, it&#8217;s particularly important to know what makes up a complete sentence. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&#8217;s because of this one important rule: t<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">he sentence that precedes a colon or single long dash <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>must be complete<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn&#8217;t matter what comes after a colon or single long dash, really\u2014incomplete sentence, complete sentence, a phrase, a single word. All that matters is that the sentence that comes before the colon or single long dash is complete. That&#8217;s it!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s an example sentence, written with a colon and a single long dash respectively, that shows this rule in action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eighteenth-century female painters were, to no one&#8217;s surprise, forbidden from painting many &#8220;scandalous subjects:&#8221; chief among these subjects was the male figure.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eighteenth-century female painters were, to no one&#8217;s surprise, forbidden from painting many &#8220;scandalous subjects&#8221;\u2014chief among these subjects was the male figure.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Eighteen-century female painters were, to no one&#8217;s surprise, forbidden from painting many &#8220;scandalous objects&#8221;&#8221; is a complete sentence. Remember: it doesn&#8217;t matter what comes&nbsp;<em>after&nbsp;<\/em>the colon or single long dash, as long as that first sentence is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>You will never have to choose between a semicolon, period, colon, or single long dash if all are used correctly.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more practice with colon and long dashes on the SAT or ACT, check out our<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/sat-act-punctuation-colons-long-dashes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Colons and Long Dashes blog post<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">or download this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"facd9063-ad67-4a6f-a00b-a34339fda259\">free Colons and Long Dashes worksheet<\/a><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">for practice questions, guided examples, and more.&nbsp;<\/span><\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #7<\/span>: Use apostrophes to show possession with plural and\/or singular nouns, and be careful with contractions.<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We use apostrophes to show possession and contraction. When it comes to possession rules, keep the following in mind:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Add an &#8216;s to singular nouns showing ownership<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Add a single apostrophe to plural nouns showing ownership<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out these examples of singular noun possession:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dmitri&#8217;s dreams<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The cat&#8217;s favorite window sill<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Earth&#8217;s curvature<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How can you tell if a noun is singular? There should be only <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of that particular noun. For example, there is only one Dmitri, one cat, and one Earth in the sample phrases above.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some examples of plural noun possession:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The books&#8217; covers<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sidewalks&#8217; cracks<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">My teachers&#8217; curriculum<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Besides the fact that these plural nouns end in &#8220;s,&#8221; you can tell that they are plural because there is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">more than one of each<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. From the examples, we know that we are discussing more than one book, sidewalk, and teacher.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What about singular nouns that end in &#8220;s,&#8221; including proper nouns like Chris? You <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">still <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">follow the rule of adding an &#8216;s to these nouns. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s what that would look like:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chris&#8217;s classes<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The iris&#8217;s stamens<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The sea bass&#8217;s flavor<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We know it feels awkward, but that&#8217;s the rule! The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">only <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">exception to this is with proper nouns that have historical and\/or biblical associations, like &#8220;Moses&#8221; or &#8220;Jesus.&#8221; In these instances, all you need to do is add an apostrophe to the end:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moses&#8217; leadership<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Jesus&#8217; teachings<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can have a plural noun that doesn&#8217;t end in &#8220;s&#8221;. What happens if you want to show possession with one of these nouns? All you need to do is treat it like a singular noun: add an &#8216;s to the end. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out these examples:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The children&#8217;s games<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People&#8217;s voting habits<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women&#8217;s rights<\/span><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, although contractions appear relatively infrequently on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing, it&#8217;s important to know the difference between the following <em>pronouns&nbsp;<\/em>and similar&nbsp;<em>contractions<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>its vs. it&#8217;s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>their vs. they&#8217;re<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>your vs. you&#8217;re<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>whose vs. who&#8217;s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b><span style=\"color: #000000;\">For more practice with apostrophe rules on the SAT or ACT, check out our<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/apostrophe-rules-sat-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Apostrophes blog post<\/span><\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">or download this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"1f270fd6-ea78-4551-ab95-fb1672f608ad\">free Apostrophes worksheet<\/a><\/span><\/span> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">for practice questions, guided examples, and more.&nbsp;<\/span><\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"verbs\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000080;\">ACT and SAT Grammar Rules: <\/span><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Verbs<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Verbs are the second most prominent English grammar concept on the ACT and SAT. It always surprises students when they find out that they will only have to apply 2 verbs rules to the SAT and ACT. Verbs are essential components of the English language, and we use them all the time!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, ACT English and SAT Reading and writing are only interested in your knowledge of two things:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Verb tense<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Subject-verb agreement<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That&#8217;s all! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, students can expect to encounter the following number of Verbs questions per test:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Verbs Questions on the ACT<\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Verbs Questions on the SAT<\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5-11<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2-6<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let&#8217;s dive into the 2 verbs usage rules you need to know now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #1<\/span>: <b>Verb tense must remain consistent<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Verb tense refers to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the &#8216;time zone&#8217; of a verb, indicating <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">when <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this action, occurrence, or state of being is happening.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In general, the tense of the verb in question must match the tense of the surrounding context. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The surrounding context might mean the sentence itself. It could also mean a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">part <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of a sentence or the paragraph as a whole. This is why it is so important to read carefully for context when encountering any Verbs question on ACT English or SAT Reading and Writing!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, if a sentence begins with the phrase &#8220;In 1989,&#8221; we can assume that the tense of that sentence will be in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">past<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, given that 1989 is a year that has already occurred.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a paragraph is discussing an ongoing condition, such as &#8220;modern businesses&#8217; efforts to maximize workplace efficiency,&#8221; we can assume that the tense of this paragraph will be, for the most part, in the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">present<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is to mine your context for clues that indicate what the tense standard is, and then ensure that your answer choice matches that tense. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some examples of common verb tense &#8220;clues&#8221; on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another verb in that tense in context (i.e., &#8220;studied,&#8221; &#8220;will walk,&#8221; or &#8220;breathes&#8221;)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A time clue (i.e., &#8220;In 1989,&#8221; &#8220;last year,&#8221; or &#8220;in the coming decade&#8221;)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A transition word or phrase (i.e., &#8220;meanwhile,&#8221; &#8220;lastly,&#8221; or &#8220;at first&#8221;)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #2<\/span>: Verbs must match their subjects<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the heart of subject-verb agreement: verbs must match their subjects!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what do we mean by &#8220;match&#8221;? Verbs must match their subjects in <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">form,&nbsp;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is different from&nbsp;<em>tense<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s what that generally breaks down to:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A plural noun must have a plural verb<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A singular noun must have a singular verb<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A plural noun is a noun that indicates more than <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of some thing, idea, or individual: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">horses, children, mosses.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A singular noun indicates that there is only <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of some thing, idea, or individual: <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">horse, child, moss<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, even though we don&#8217;t always think of verbs in terms of their singularity or plurality, a verb will change form depending on whether its noun is plural or singular.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a look at the following examples to see this in action:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>horses run<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across the field.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>horse runs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across the field.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These <\/span><b>mosses are<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hard to identify.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This <\/span><b>moss is<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hard to identify.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the first two examples, the plural noun (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">horses<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) matches the plural verb (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">run<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), while the singular noun (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">horse<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) matches the singular verb (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">runs<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Run <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">runs <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are different verb forms. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the second two examples, the plural noun (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mosses<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) matches the plural verb <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(are<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), while the singular noun (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">moss<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) matches the singular verb (<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">). <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are different verb forms.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, our ears are pretty good at &#8220;hearing&#8221; when subject-verb agreement is off. Notice, for example, how &#8220;wrong&#8221; these phrases sound when you read them out loud or in your head:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Horses runs across the field.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The moss stick to the tree.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mary deliver the book to her friend.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-contamination are common.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These all sound &#8220;wrong&#8221; to our ears because the agreement is incorrect. You can apply the same test to verb and subject combinations on the ACT or SAT, and eliminate those that clearly don&#8217;t sound &#8220;right.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:&nbsp;<\/strong>The SAT and ACT both love to cram in a bunch of words&nbsp;<em>between&nbsp;<\/em>a subject and its verb to confuse students. That&#8217;s why it&#8217;s so essential to practice identifying a sentence&#8217;s subject and its associated verb correctly, which we discuss in our Verbs blog post and worksheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b>For more practice with verbs on the SAT or ACT, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Verbs blog post<\/span><\/a> or download this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"ca66ff60-ed82-4124-9274-51e156348ebd\">free Verbs worksheet<\/a><\/span> for practice questions, guided examples, and more.&nbsp;<\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"pronouns\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000080;\">ACT and SAT Grammar Rules: <\/span><span style=\"color: #000080;\">Pronouns<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A pronoun is a <\/span><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><b>word that takes the place of a noun<\/b><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We use pronouns so that we don&#8217;t have to say the same noun over and over again in a sentence or paragraph. That&#8217;s what makes them so useful!<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Of course, there are several different types of pronouns, and for the purposes of ACT and SAT grammar, it will be important to know the basic difference between the most common types, outlined in the chart below.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Subject Pronoun<\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Object Pronoun<\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Possessive Adjective<\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Possessive Pronoun<\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Reflexive Pronoun<\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">I<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">me<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">my<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">mine<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">myself<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">you<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">you<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">your<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">yours<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">yourself \/ yourselves<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">we<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">us<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">our<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">ours<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">ourselves<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">they<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">them<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">their<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">theirs<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">themselves<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">she<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">her<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">her<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">hers<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">herself<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">he<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">him<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">his<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">his<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">himself<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">it<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">it<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">its<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">n\/a<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">itself<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pronoun questions do not appear as frequently as, say, punctuation questions on ACT English or SAT Reading and Writing. Take a look at the following estimate of Pronoun questions that appear on each test, based on our analysis of officially released practice tests:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Pronoun Questions on the ACT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><mark style=\"background-color:#ff6900\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Pronoun Questions on the SAT<\/mark><\/span><\/th><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2-5<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1-5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet knowledge of pronouns is still vital! Luckily, for the purposes of the ACT and SAT, pronoun usage essentially boils down to <em>just one rule<\/em>, which we discuss below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #1<\/span>: A pronoun must match its noun and stay consistent in context.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This might sound fairly obvious, but it holds a lot of meaning on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>A pronoun <i>must <\/i><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>match its noun in both type and form<\/strong><\/span>. For example, an object pronoun (me, you, us, them, her, him, it) <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">must <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">replace a noun that functions as a direct object. The same goes for subject pronouns, possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns, and reflexive pronouns.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here&#8217;s a list of pronouns and their nouns (called <\/span>antecedents) <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">that demonstrate this correlation:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><b><i>people&#8217;s<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> voices \u2014&gt; <\/span><b><i>their<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> voices<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Give the gift to <\/span><b><i>Roger<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp; \u2014&gt; Give the gift to <\/span><b><i>him<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I don&#8217;t know anything about <\/span><b><i>trigonometry<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014&gt; I don&#8217;t know anything about <\/span><b><i>it<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b><i>Ms. Lutz<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is teaching the class \u2014&gt; <\/span><b><i>she <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is teaching the class<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This book is <\/span><b><i>Susan&#8217;s<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014&gt; This book is <\/span><b><i>yours<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All of the pronouns in these examples match their nouns (antecedents) in type and form. We wouldn&#8217;t replace, for example, &#8220;people&#8217;s&#8221; with &#8220;hers&#8221; or &#8220;trigonometry&#8221; with &#8220;them.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the most common pronoun mistakes confuses object pronouns for subject pronouns, as in the following <\/span>incorrect sentences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><b>Her<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and I plan on traveling to Uruguay soon.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mr. Banks,<strong> whom <\/strong>is teaching the class, has a wide range of advanced degrees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In these sentences, the writer is erroneously using an <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">object pronoun <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in place of a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">subject pronoun<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If you ever are unsure about the difference, simply replace the pronoun with a noun to test it out:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Kate and I plan on traveling to Uruguay soon \u2014&gt; Kate = &#8220;she&#8221; \u2014&gt; <\/span><b>She<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and I plan on traveling to Uruguay soon.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mr. Banks is teaching the class. \u2014&gt; Mr. Banks = &#8220;who&#8221; \u2014&gt; Mr. Banks,&nbsp;<strong>who&nbsp;<\/strong>is teaching the class, has a wide range of advanced degrees.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We talk further about the difference between subject and object pronouns, especially&nbsp;<strong>who vs. whom<\/strong>,&nbsp;in our <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-grammar-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Pronouns blog post<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What do we mean by a pronoun staying &#8220;consistent&#8221;? In general, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>if you start out with one pronoun in a sentence, you have to stick with it<\/strong><\/span>. This is especially important when using the pronouns <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">you <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, this is an example of pronoun inconsistency (which would be incorrect on the SAT or ACT):<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">If you keep walking for about five blocks, one will spy a curious sight<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Both &#8220;you&#8221; and &#8220;one&#8221; in this sentence technically refer to the same general individual, but we need to use one or the other (not both). Here is a correct version of this sentence that shows pronoun consistency:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i style=\"font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;\">If you keep walking for about five blocks, you will spy a curious sight<\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">One More Pronouns Tip<\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing love testing students&#8217; knowledge of the difference between contractions and possessive pronouns. Make sure you know these differences! <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some commonly confused contractions and possessive pronouns:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they&#8217;re vs. their vs. there<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">its vs. it&#8217;s<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">whose vs. who&#8217;s<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your vs. you\u2019re<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b>For more practice with pronouns on the SAT or ACT, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-grammar-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Pronouns blog post<\/span><\/a> or download this <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"aed202dd-c1b6-4117-a850-c5b2b21376f5\">free Pronouns worksheet<\/a><\/span> for practice questions, guided examples, and more.&nbsp;<\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"rare\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #000080;\">3 Rarely Tested ACT and SAT Grammar Rules<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do see some miscellaneous grammar topics tested on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing. While these are rarely tested, sometimes appearing in just one question per exam, they are still worth reviewing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These topics come down to just 3 grammar rules, outlined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #1<\/span>: Modifiers must be placed correctly.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A &#8220;modifier&#8221; refers to a word or group of words that provide more information about a certain subject. In most Modifier questions on the SAT or ACT, a modifier is a descriptive phrase that provides additional details about a subject, often appearing at the&nbsp;<em>start&nbsp;<\/em>of a sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some examples of modifying phrases that might offer further details about a specific subject:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>walking down the street<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>bespectacled and grimacing<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>associated with ancient tradition<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In general, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>modifiers and modifying phrases&nbsp;<em>must&nbsp;<\/em>be right next to whatever it is they are modifying<\/strong><\/span>! Take a look at these sample sentences that use the modifying phrases above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Walking down the street, my friend and I took in the gorgeous sunset.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Bespectacled and grimacing, the professor made his way to the lectern.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Associated with ancient tradition, the practice of ancestral worship appears in many cultures.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In all of these examples, the modifying phrases are placed directly next to the subject they are modifying. Misplaced modifiers are called &#8220;dangling modifiers,&#8221; and these incorrectly modify a subject. Here are the same examples written with dangling modifiers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>My friend and I took in the gorgeous sunset, walking down the street.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The professor made his way to the lectern, bespectacled and grimacing.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The practice of ancestral worship appears in many cultures, associated with ancient tradition.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Technically, due to the misplacement of modifiers, these sentences declare that it is the sunset that is &#8220;walking down the street,&#8221; the lectern that is &#8220;bespectacled and grimacing,&#8221; and the cultures that are &#8220;associated with ancient tradition.&#8221; In reality, the friends are walking down the street, the professor is bespectacled and grimacing, and the practice of ancestral worship is associated with ancient tradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Modifiers appear every so often on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing, and generally with higher frequency on the ACT.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #2<\/span>: Utilize the appropriate idiom, when applicable.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An &#8220;idiom&#8221; is a fixed component of a language. Idioms are often hard to translate into other languages, like the English phrase <em>it&#8217;s raining cats and dogs<\/em>. It can be equally difficult to learn an idiom in another language\u2014most language learners must simply memorize these turns of phrase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Idioms do appear on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing, but in very specific ways. Yes, these questions are often easier for native English speakers, but that doesn&#8217;t mean they aren&#8217;t fair game for all test-takers, regardless of English proficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s because Idiom questions on the ACT and SAT generally have to do with the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>prepositional phrases<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>homonyms<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Prepositions<\/strong> help show relationships between places, things, people, ideas, time, and more. Here&#8217;s a list of the most commonly used prepositions in the English language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">with<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">before<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">without<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">at<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">into<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">toward<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">behind<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">against<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">from<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">around<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><td>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Small, functional words, prepositions are easy to overlook. However, many prepositions are idiomatic, especially when associated with certain adjectives and verbs. Take a look at these phrases, for example, that <em>must&nbsp;<\/em>be connected with one specific preposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>accustomed <strong>to<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>protest <strong>against<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>associated <strong>with<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>curious <strong>about<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>necessary <strong>for<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>at<\/strong> last<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>in<\/strong> general<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><b><i>as <\/i><\/b><i>a means of<\/i><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>by<\/strong> all means<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><strong>from<\/strong> time to time<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are all fixed idiomatic phrases. We wouldn&#8217;t say, for example, &#8220;associated on&#8221; or &#8220;curious into.&#8221; Much like subject-verb agreement, our ears can often tell when an idiomatic phrase is incorrect, but it&#8217;s also vital to ensure your familiarity with some of these commonly tested idioms as they can be easy to breeze by!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The SAT and ACT are also interested in your capacity to distinguish between certain homonyms, words that sound the same but have key differences in meaning. Here are some very common homonyms that have appeared on official SAT and ACT tests. Notice how some of these have already appeared in our discussion of apostrophes and pronouns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>affect vs. effect<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>than vs. then<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>fair vs. fare<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>whose vs. who&#8217;s<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>its vs. it&#8217;s<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>their \/ there \/ they&#8217;re<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>your vs. you&#8217;re<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Rule #3<\/span>: Apply parallel structure for comparisons or items in a list.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parallelism isn&#8217;t just a concept that appears in math. It also concerns grammatical structure, especially with respect to comparisons or lists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To apply parallel structure, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>ensure that items in a comparison or list are in the same&nbsp;<em>form, category, <\/em>and\/or&nbsp;<em>number<\/em><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this next example, the verbs in the list all have the same form (-ing):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Desmond spends his days at the library photocopying, transcribing, and cataloguing articles.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, the nouns in the list are all singular, reflecting parallelism in number:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Someday I hope to invest in a car, a retirement account, and a rental property<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lastly, in this comparison, notice how the sentence compares nouns that are the same &#8220;category:&#8221; i.e., the &#8220;car enthusiasts of this show&#8221; and &#8220;those&#8221; of &#8220;past events.&#8221; This is parallel structure, too, as it&#8217;s technically grammatically incorrect to compare things that do not follow the same cateogry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The car enthusiasts at this road show, however, seemed far less interested than those of past events<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><b>For more practice with these 3 miscellaneous grammar rules on the SAT or ACT, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/rarely-tested-sat-act-grammar-rules\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">3 Rarely Tested Grammar Rules on the SAT and ACT blog post<\/span><\/a> or download this&nbsp;<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"69291bf7-74ad-4e62-a744-6bea2fe2c138\">free Rarely Tested Grammar Rules on the SAT and ACT worksheet<\/a><\/span> for practice questions, guided examples, and more.&nbsp;<\/b><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"next\"><\/a><span style=\"color: #ff9900;\">Now You Know These 13 ACT and SAT Grammar Rules&#8230;What Next?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;ve covered the 13 ACT and SAT grammar rules you need to know to succeed on ACT English and SAT Reading and Writing. What happens now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We strongly encourage students to spend time working through our individual blog posts for each grammar concept discussed here, as these delve even deeper into the nuances of these rules, especially as they appear on the SAT\/ACT:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-punctuation-complete-incomplete-sentences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Identifying Complete and Incomplete Sentences<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/preparing\/act-sat-punctuation-combining-sentences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Combining Sentences<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/comma-rules-sat-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Comma Rules<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/apostrophe-rules-sat-act\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Apostrophe Rules<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/sat-act-punctuation-colons-long-dashes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Colons and Long Dashes<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-grammar-pronouns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Pronouns<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/test-prep\/act-sat-verbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Verbs<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students can also download free worksheets for these topics, which include guided examples of official test questions, practice questions, explanations, and more. Find download links in this post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Otherwise, grab a copy of our ACT and SAT Grammar Workbook that includes all of these worksheets in <\/span><b>one single PDF<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" src=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/SAT-and-ACT-Grammar-Workbook-300x188.png\" alt=\"SAT and ACT Grammar Workbook\" class=\"wp-image-60256\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.597444089456869;width:500px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/SAT-and-ACT-Grammar-Workbook-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/SAT-and-ACT-Grammar-Workbook.png 718w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With this workbook, you\u2019ll be able to:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep these 13 grammar rules all in one place<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Work through additional guided examples for each question type<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice 10+ questions per grammar concept (that\u2019s 100+ total questions, all free!)<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check your performance with detailed answers and explanations<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #ffffff;\" data-sumome-listbuilder-id=\"1f432aef-1c8a-4b51-b479-a31111030ce6\"><button class=\"btn\" style=\"background-color: orange;\">Download ACT\/SAT Grammar Workbook<\/button><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<hr>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-57269 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/prepmaven.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/2R3A2936-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Kate_Princeton Tutoring_AuthorBio\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"> Kate<\/h3>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 170px;\">Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You don&#8217;t need to be a grammar whiz to succeed on ACT English or SAT Reading and Writing. You just need these test prep expert approved rules!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":59545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[92,93,100,152,159],"class_list":["post-59509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-test-prep","tag-sat","tag-test-prep","tag-act","tag-sat-strategy","tag-act-strategy"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The 13 ACT and SAT Grammar Rules You Need to Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You don&#039;t need to be a grammar whiz to succeed on ACT English or SAT Reading and Writing. 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