Grammar Rules for SAT/ACT

Knowledge of grammar rules is vital for both the SAT and the ACT. Grammar questions are included in the Writing and Language (WLT) section of the SAT and the English section of the ACT. WLT comprises 1/3rd of the SAT. English comprises 1/4th of the ACT. Grammar is the cornerstone of both these sections. Clearly then, grammar is crucial for a high score on both the tests. 

Here are some of the most important grammar rules:

1. Each complete sentence must have a subject, a verb, and a complete meaning. 

Example:

He is preparing for the SAT/ACT.

He - Subject

is preparing - helping verb + main verb

Further, this sentence definitely has a complete meaning. 

Because he is preparing for the SAT/ACT.

He - Subject

is preparing - helping verb + main verb

However, this sentence doesn't have a complete meaning. 

2. Commas alone cannot combine two complete sentences.

Example:

He is preparing for the SAT, he will score well on the test.

INCORRECT.

Using just a comma results in a comma splice - one of the most common errors. So, what should you do?

Use a comma with one of the FANBOYS.

F - for

A - and

N - nor

B - but

O - or

Y - yet

S - so

He is preparing for the SAT, so he will score well on the test.

CORRECT.

3. If more than one noun, verb, adjective, or adverb appear in a sentence, then keep them parallel.

Example:

Jerry can’t seem to decide if he should go walking, jogging, or for a sprint.

‘walking’ and ‘jogging’ are not parallel with ‘for a sprint’.

Jerry can’t seem to decide if he should go walking, jogging, or sprinting. 

Or 

Jerry can’t seem to decide if he should go for a walk, for a jog, or for a sprint.

Or

Jerry can’t seem to decide if he should go for a walk, a jog, or a sprint.

4. Countable vs Uncountable words

I have less water than him but he has fewer water bottles than I have.

Notice, how the sentence above uses ‘less’ for ‘water’ but ‘fewer’ for ‘water bottles.’ ‘Water’ cannot be counted but ‘water bottles’ can be counted.

Use ‘less,’ ‘much,’ or ‘amount’ for uncountable words and ‘fewer,’ ‘many,’ or ‘number’ for countable words. 

5. Misplaced modifiers don’t modify the correct part of the sentence.

Modifiers describe and provide a more accurate description to another element in a sentence. 

Only John can eat the pizza.

John can eat the only pizza. 

Notice, how the use of the word only in two different places in the same sentence changes the meaning of the sentence completely.  So, you must be careful about what the modifier is modifying in the sentence.

6. Dangling modifiers are just hanging in there.

These are the errors where you have to add some more words to the original sentence to make the meaning clearer. 

Using a stethoscope, heartbeats can be detected.

Who is using the stethoscope? No idea. Hence, ‘using a stethoscope’ is a dangling modifier. 

The correct sentence will read as:

Using a stethoscope, a doctor can detect heartbeats.

7. Make sure that the times given in the sentence are correct and logical.

While it’s important to make sure that verbs always agree with their subject in number, it is also important to check to make sure that the verb tense makes logical sense in the context of the sentence. 

Verb tense errors have to do with when the sentence takes place. If the action of the sentence is happening in the present, a verb in present tense is required. If the sentence describes something that has not yet taken place, it requires the future tense.

Don’t worry if you can’t remember the names of the tenses themselves. The SAT/ACT won’t even use phrases like “past participle” or “perfect tense.” You’ll only need to know which tense is correct in context; as an English speaker, you already possess this skill! To spot these verb tense errors remember to ask yourself: when does this sentence, or this part of the sentence, take place?

8. The subjunctive mood implies conditionality, in other words a hypothetical, i.e., something that isn’t and can’t be reality.

To show this, we change the verb “was” to “were.”

Example:

If I were president of the United States, I would make “taco Tuesdays” a national holiday.

Knowing these rules is just the beginning. You need to know many more of them. Excelling on the SAT/ACT grammar requires a lot of practice, so make sure you use a complete list of official and high-quality unofficial SAT questions to help you in your prep and help you improve your scores.