SAT Grammar-1

SAT Grammar-1

Love is in the Air.........

I. Nouns

Error in subject-verb agreement

Error in noun agreement

These errors occur frequently in Identifying Sentence Errors question.

The subject is the noun that is “performing” the verb. The verb must agree with the subject in number.

Singular subjects take singular verbs, and plural subjects take plural verbs.

*Your cat bites me. (singular)

*Your cats bite me. (plural)

Sometimes multiple subjects perform the verb together.

This is called a compound subject.

A compound subject is joined together by the word ‘and’, and takes a plural verb.

*Tony and I went to the store.

*Peter Petrelli and Hiro Nakamura traveled together through time.

If the word ‘and’ is not present, you have a subject plus one or multiple tag-alongs. Tag-alongs often occur with the words and phrases of, in, as well as, with, along with, together with, in addition to, no less than, rather than, and like. These do not change the relationship between the true subject and the verb.

• The juice in those bottles has expired.

• The house-made of bricks and cement was built by my grandfather.

• Robert along with Hafeez, Michael, and John is going to see the new Judd Apatow movie.

• My mother, like your parents, enjoys gardening.

• The farmer together with the milkman has gone to visit my grandmother.

• Alice as well as Gregory enjoys mathematics.

In addition to subjects, any other corresponding nouns in the sentence must agree in number. 

• Parker and Hanley studied hard to become a great lawyer. (incorrect)

• Parker and Hanley studied hard to become great lawyers. (correct)

Collective nouns are singular

It's easy to miss subject-verb agreement errors when collective nouns are paired with a plural verb. But remember: Collective nouns (e.g., "family", "group", "bunch") are singular.

Incorrect:

Erica’s family own and operate a pet store.

Correct:

Erica’s family owns and operates a pet store.

Explanation: “Family” is a collective noun; so, while it refers to more than one person, “family” is singular. Therefore, the verbs “owns" and "operates” must also be singular.

Multiple Choice

A Neapolitan pizza made with San Marzano tomatoes are considered more traditional than one made with any other type of tomatoes.

• NO CHANGE

• have been

• is

• were

Multiple Choice

The sum of money one donates to registered nonprofit organizations represent a deduction that can be made from one's taxable income.

• NO CHANGE

• represents

• have represented

• are representing

Multiple Choice

Called an embouchure, the shape of a skilled trumpet player's lips allows for playing a wide range of notes with clear tone and without muscle strain.

• NO CHANGE

• allowing

• allow

• have allowed

Multiple Choice

The number of new bands from my hometown of Austin are astonishing when you consider that the city used to be much smaller than it is today.

• NO CHANGE

• were astonishing

• is astonishing

• astonish

Multiple Choice

Sitting on the couch and watching TV was the best ways that Eric knew how to pass the time; unfortunately, he couldn't pass 11th grade.

• Sitting on the couch, watching TV, were

• Sitting on the couch and watching TV were

• To sit on the couch and watching TV were

• NO CHANGE

Pronouns

Error in pronoun case

Error in pronoun-antecedent agreement

Error in pronoun-verb agreement

Error in pronoun consistency

These errors occur frequently in Identifying Sentence Errors questions. 

Pronouns are words that take the place of and refer back to previously mentioned antecedent nouns. Like their noun counterparts, pronouns can take a subject or object role in the sentence. Each personal pronoun has a nominative (subject) and objective (object) case.

She and I went to the store. (nominative)

Jerry took him and me to the dance. (objective)

If you’re unsure, test with a single pronoun

Who is a subject pronoun, and whom is an object pronoun.

*Who went to the store? (nominative)

*Whom did Jerry take to the dance? (objective) Pronouns that come after a preposition (by, of, for, after, with, between, except, without, etc.) are considered objects of the preposition and take the objective case.

*Everyone did well on the exam except him and her.

*Sarah left without John and me.

*Please keep this between you and me.

*By whom was this wonderful short story written?

Constructions with than: whenever a pronoun follows than, it should be in the subjective case. A following verb is always understood, if not always articulated.

I am taller than he (is).

Sarah is better at math than I (am).

Pronouns must agree in number with their antecedents. If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must be singular. If the antecedent is plural, the pronoun must be plural.

A student will catch their mistakes if they proofread. (incorrect)

A student will catch his or her mistakes if he or she proofreads. (correct)

Students will catch their mistakes if they proofread. (correct) 

Verbs must agree in number with subject pronouns. It is easy to make a mistake with some of the less basic pronouns. When in a subject position, some of these pronouns always take a singular verb and others always take a plural verb.

*Each of the apples you bought is bruised. *Everything that my uncle does turns out to be a success.

*Neither of the twins knows how to cook. *Nobody is at home.

*Many are cold, but few are frozen.

Exception! In neither … nor and either … or constructions, the verb agrees in number with the closest noun or pronoun.

*Neither the twins nor Laura was willing to take the blame.

*Either Mary or her parents are responsible for the flood. Keep pronouns consistent.

Don’t change between “we,” “you,” “they,” “he or she,” and “one” in a single sentence.

*If one doesn’t study, your grade will drop. (incorrect)

*If one doesn’t study, one’s grade will drop. (correct)

Multiple Choice

Before a jury trial begins, lawyers for each side interview potential jurors closely, asking him or her questions intended to reveal any biases.

• NO CHANGE

• asking them

• asking it

• to ask him or her

Multiple Choice

Thanks to its long legs, giraffes are very fast, running as quickly as 35 miles per hour in short bursts.

• NO CHANGE

• one's

• their

• his or her

Multiple Choice

In Shakespeare's classic play, Prince Hamlet is forced to confront his villainous uncle, which has murdered the king and stolen the throne.

• NO CHANGE

• what have

• he

• who has

Multiple Choice

The industrial processing of orange juice—which involves pasteurization and up to a year of storage—results in a product with very little flavor, so they add “flavor packs” just prior to bottling.

• NO CHANGE

• manufacturers

• they have to

• consumers

Multiple Choice

Though both typewriters and computers can be used for word processing, few people used them by the end of the 20th century.

• NO CHANGE

• one

• that

• typewrites