SAT Grammar Rules Lecture Notes

Rule 1: Periods and Semicolons

• Periods are equal to semicolons.
• Example: Two independent clauses (e.g., "Rishabh is a great guy" and "He has 100,000 subscribers") can be joined by a period or a semicolon.
• Use a semicolon or period before conjunctive adverbs like "however," "therefore."

Tricky Sentence Boundaries

• Important to separate sentences correctly to maintain clarity.
• Example provided to illustrate correct sentence boundary.

Rule 2: Colons and Dashes

• Colons are equal to dashes.
• Used before a list.
• Incorrect usage includes placing a colon without completing the description first.
• Can be used before explanations.

Rule 3: Comma and FANBOYS

• FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.
• Always place a comma before these conjunctions.

Rule 4: Commas with Dependent Clauses

• Dependent clauses do not stand alone.
• Example: "Because London is very old, it has buildings from many different eras."

Rule 5: Transition Words and Phrases

• Transition words like "however," "nevertheless" are used to connect or contrast ideas.
• Choose the transition word that maintains the logical flow of the sentence.

Rule 6: Non-Essential Information

• Non-essential information can be omitted without changing the sentence meaning.
• Use comma-comma or dash-dash to set off non-essential information.

SAT Practice Tips

• Read passages aloud before the test.
• Use tech tools like Aisley for practice.
• Take full-length practice tests.

Rule 7: Additional Comma Uses

• Separate items in a list with commas.
• Use commas to separate adjectives whose order can be reversed.

Rule 8: Apostrophes and Common Confusions

• Its/It’s: "It’s" = It is. "Its" is possessive.
• Their/They’re/There: "They’re" = They are. "Their" is possessive.
• Whose/Who’s: "Who’s" = Who is. "Whose" is possessive.

Rule 9: Compound Subjects

• Sound them out to determine correctness.

Rule 10: Verb Tenses

• Maintain tense consistency within a sentence.
• Special rule: Use "have been" with "for" or "since."

Rule 11: Passive Voice

• Avoid using passive voice; prefer active voice for clarity.

Rule 12: Parallel Structure

• Maintain the same grammatical structure in lists or series.

Rule 13: Dangling Modifiers

• Ensure modifiers refer directly to the word they modify.

Rule 14: Faulty Comparisons

• Compare similar types of items correctly.

Rule 15: Quantity Words

• Use "number/many/fewer" for plural; "amount/much/less" for singular.

Rule 16: Subscribe

• Encouragement to subscribe to quality content.

Final Tips

• Use Aisley tool for preparation.
• Practice using grammar rules PDF available for download.
• Avoid excessive YouTube consumption for SAT prep.