Digital SAT Grammar Rules Lecture Notes

Introduction

• Instructor: Mr. Tuy, creator of SAT Crash Course series
• Guest Student: Melanie
• Purpose: Review digital SAT grammar rules for English verbal section (also applicable to digital PSAT)

Key Differences in SAT Formats

• Digital SAT (Spring 2024 onward): 6 grammar rules
• Paper SAT (Fall 2023): Older rules apply (more rules)

Grammar Rules Overview

Rule 1: Punctuation

1. Periods

   • Break up standalone statements.
   • Example: "I went to the store. I bought cookies."

2. Commas

   • Use when a brief pause is needed in a sentence.
   • Avoid using commas to connect standalone thoughts (period or semicolon should be used).
   • Example Correct: "I went to the store. I bought cookies."
   • Incorrect: "I went to the store, I bought cookies."
   • Commas should not surround full titles.
   • Example: "Spanish painter Pablo Picasso is my favorite artist."
   • Correct:
     • Spanish painter Pablo Picasso is my favorite artist.

3. Semicolons

   • Connect two related standalone thoughts.
   • Can also be used in lists with internal commas.
   • Example: "I visited Austin, Texas; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana."

4. Colons

   • Introduce explanations, descriptions, or lists (1-2-3 formula).
   • Example: "I bought the following items: butter, sugar, chocolate chips."
   • Example of description: "Chocolate chip cookies: my favorite treat."

5. M-Dashes

   • Used like colons to introduce lists or descriptions.
   • Single M-Dash for lists at the end of a sentence and double M-Dash for lists in the middle.
   • Example: "The director is responsible for all elements of a film—casting, acting, editing—effectively."

6. Question Marks

   • Use only for specific questions.
   • Example of incorrect usage: "He wondered if the garden survived the drought."
   • Correct: "Did the garden survive the drought?"

Rule 2: Possessives

• Placement of apostrophes indicates singular or plural possession.
  • Singular possessive: "the girl's sweater" (before the S)
  • Plural possessive: "the girls' sweater" (after the S)
• Commonly confused possessives without apostrophes: "its, their, your"
  • "It's" = "it is"
  • Example: "The dog ate its food."

Rule 3: Subject-Verb Agreement

• Match singular/plural subjects with corresponding verbs.
  • Singular subject → singular verb; plural subject → plural verb.
  • Example: "A pack of wolves is roaming."
  • Use pronouns "it" for singular and "they" for plural to test.

Rule 4: Parallel Structure

• Maintain patterns in sentence structure.
  • Example: "Running, climbing, and surfing are my favorites."

Rule 5: Misplaced Modifiers

• Descriptive phrases must be near the words they modify.
  • Incorrect: "Blazing through the night sky, humans have been fascinated by comets."
  • Correct: "Comets, blazing through the night sky, have fascinated humans."

Rule 6: Transition Words

• Identify relationships between two ideas and use appropriate transition words such as:
  • Similarity: furthermore, likewise, also
  • Contrast: however, although, nevertheless
  • Cause and Effect: therefore, thus, consequently
  • Examples: for example, for instance
  • Sequence: first, next, then

Rule 7: Trust Your Ear

• If unsure about a grammatical rule, trust your instincts and go with what sounds right.

Practice Questions

• Apply rules in practice tests to solidify understanding.
• Test various answer choices and eliminate incorrect ones based on rules discussed.

Conclusion

• Practice applying grammar rules through digital SAT practice tests.
• Encourage going over rules and taking the digital PSAT seriously.
• Thank you, Melanie, and good luck on the upcoming tests!