Shivani Sat Writing Notes

SHIVANI’S OFFICIAL SAT REVIEW SHEET I. WRITING SECTION A. GRAMMER RULES 1. SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT - the subject and verb must completely agree EX – THE BOYS LIKE THE NEW CAR. CORRECT Plural EX – MATHEW CANNOT STAND THE NEW NEIGHBOR. INNCORECT Singular Plural *TRICKS THAT MIGHT BE USED THE SUBJECT IS VERY COMPLEX/CONVOLUTED EX – THE MEN, SEEING THE TANK, RUNS AWAY INNCORECT Plural Singular SEEMS SINGULAR BUT PLURAL OR VISEVERSA EX – EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE AGREE THAT THE…. INNCORRECT Singular Plural COMPOUND SUBJECTS {2 things combined with AND is plural} EX – BOB AND JOHN LIKE TO GO TO THE BEACH. CORRECT Plural SEPARATE SUBJECTS {Subj is separated by or/nor, subj = closest to verb} EX – NEITHER JUAN NOR BOB IS AVAILABLE. CORRECT Singular

2. PRONOUN/ANTECEDENT AGREEMENT & AMBIGUITY - pronoun should match its antecedent in plurality, case and antecedent EX – THE MAN WAS WORRIED THAT HE WOULD BE LATE MATCHES EX – WATCHING FOR HIS BOSS, THE MAN WAS WORRIED HE WOULD BE LATE. CONFUSION => who does the he refer to boss or man *TRICKS THAT MIGHT BE USED SUBJECTS THAT SOUND PLURAL BUT ARE SINGULAR EX – EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN OPINION CONFUSION => their doesn’t match everyone it should be his or her PRONOUN CASE ERRORS EX – TELL ME TO WHO YOU GAVE THE PAPERS. CONFUSION =>The pronoun “who” is a subject, but the pronoun you need should be a direct object. So, it should be “to whom.” We know that is a bit confusing, so here is a strange sentence to help you remember your case pronouns: I asked him to give it to whoever needs it the most, and so she told me to whom he gave the papers. COMPARISONS EX – I AM SMARTER THAN HER. CONFUSION => Her should be she. Since you are comparing two subjects, you need to use the subjective case “she.” An easy test: Add the word “is” after the comparison: “I am smarter than her is” sounds wrong; “I am smarter than she is” sounds right. 3. TENSE AND CONJUGATION ERRORS - verb must be correctly conjugated EX – I GOES TO THE POOL INCORRECT DUE TO SUBJECT/VERB AGGREEMENT

~TRICKY VERBS TABLE~ Present Past Tense Past Participle Tense arise arose arisen awake awoke awoken am / is / are was, were been bring brought brought build built built burned, burn burned, burnt burnt come came come cost cost cost dive dived, dove dived do did done drink drank drunk eat ate eaten fall fell fallen flee fled fled fling flung flung fly flew flown forbid forbade forbidden forgotten, forget forgot forgot forgive forgave forgiven freeze froze frozen get got gotten, got go went gone have had had know knew known lay (put or laid laid rest) lead led led leave left left let let let lie (recline) lay lain light lighted, lit lighted, lit lose lost lost

mean meant meant put put put ride rode ridden ring rang rung run ran run saw sawed sawn say said said see saw seen seek sought sought sell sold sold set set set shoe shod shod swim swam swum understand understood Understood

*TRICKS THAT MIGHT BE USED CONDITION FORMATION EX – IF I WAS RICH, I’D THROW A PARTY. INCORRECT => WAS = WERE; I’D = I WOULD PERFECT TENSES EX – LAST WEEK, I WILL HAVE EARNED $40. INCORRECT => WILL HAVE = HAD 4. ADJECTIVE AND MODIFIER ERRORS - MODIFIERS MUST MATCH EX – THE RED CAT IS NICE. MATCHES. *TRICKS THAT MIGHT BE USED INCORRECT COMPARISONS EX – BETWEEN MIKE AND I, MIKE IS THE FASTEST. INCORRECT => FASTEST = FASTER {2 PPL COMPRD} ADVERB CONFUSION EX –YOU BETTER GET THEIR QUICK. INCORRECT => QUICK = QUICKLY {quick” is an adjective, but you need to describe “getting there,” which is a verb. So, you will the adverbial form “quickly”}

MISPLACED MODIFIER EX –WALKING AROUND, THE ROCK WILL HIT ME IN THE HEAD UNEXPECTEDLY. INCORRECT => Obviously, “the rock” was not “running around.” The sentence should probably read “The rock hit me in the head unexpectedly as I was running around.” DANGLING MODIFIER EX –HOPEFULLY, HE WILL DO BETTER THIS TIME AROUND. INCORRECT =>This sentence could convey two meanings: He could be hopeful and therefore he will do better, or the speaker could hope that he does do better. At any rate, it is confusing and ambiguous. It is also incorrect. 5. PARALLELISM - when saying a list of things they must be parallel EX – I wanted to eat, sleep and drink water. MATCHES. *TRICKS THAT MIGHT BE USED VERBALS EX – HE LIKES TO RUN, SWIM AND ALSO HE CAN PLAY FOOTBALL. INCORRECT => SENTENCE SHOULD READ  HE LIKES TO RUN, SWIM AND PLAY FOOTBALL. SENTENCES EX – IF YOU BELIEVE IN HOPE, YOU BELIVE IN SOCIALISM. IF YOU BELIEVE IN PROGRESS, YOU BELIEVE IN SOCIALISM. SOCIALISM IS ALSO BELIEVED BY PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN GOD. INCORRECT => THE LAST SENTENCE SHOULD READ IF YOU BELIEVE IN GOD, YOU BELIEVE IN SOCIALISM. LISTS EX – HE PLAYS BASKETBALL, TENNIS, HOCKEY, AND ENJOYS TO PLAY VOLLEYBALL.

INCORRECT => THE SENTENCE SHOULD READ HE PLAYS BASKETBALL, TENNIS, HOCKEY AND VOLLEYBALL. B. GRAMMER TIPS 6. QUESTIONS WITH NUMBERS TO LOOK OUT FOR - The words “much,” “amount,” “less,” “lots,” “more” indicate non-countable sets. The words “many,” “fewer,” and “number” indicate countable sets. For example, “Many people attended the much-anticipated dinner.” 7. QUESTIONS WITH “EVEN THOUGH” TO LOOK OUT FOR - Even though” is always underlined as a potential error on ISE, but it is really not an error at all! Don’t pick “Even though.” More importantly, always have a good reason for choosing an error; do not just assume that an underlined phrase is wrong because it sounds a little bit strange. C. ESSAY 8. ESSAY CHECKLIST

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Read the question and thoroughly formulate a mental response: This means read the quote, figure out what the prompt is asking you to answer, and create an answer in your head that makes sense. Write an effective introduction. Don’t be afraid to use good introduction techniques, such as quotes, statistics, hyperbole/shock, personal experiences, etc. Do not simply restate the question or use a corny, cliché-style opening. Do not attempt to sound scholarly or overly formal, but do use the right register and diction. Form a thesis or motivating statement. In other words, answer the question with a strong perspective that can be supported with evidence. Do not be wishy-washy about your response. If the question is “Do you believe people are inherently good or evil?” answer that either A) all people are saints at heart or all people are sinners. Support your thesis or motivating statement using strong evidence. As we said in the writing guide, you should “write like a banshee.” Do not lift your pencil. Just write all of the facts and supporting details for your prompt. If necessary, take a bit of time before you begin to write your response to come up with some mental details to include Always include evidence using a C1/Evidence/C2 format. That is, first introduce the context of the evidence; second, indicate the evidence; and third, use the evidence and apply it to the point. For example: “(C1) People may sometimes do a few good things, but they are seldom from the heart. (E) A good friend of mine does a small amount of charity work yet never fails to include the work on his resume. (C2) This shows how shallow and narrowminded people can sometimes be.” Avoid grammar errors, but do not get hung up on one or two issues. It is not worth your time to go back and erase a few lines to correct one error. Keep writing and don’t make the same error again.

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When the clock ticks down to two or three minutes left, write a short conclusion that applies your thesis to a broader context. Do not simply restate your thesis. Bad: “So, my essay shows that all people are basically evil.” Good: “When we understand the inherent shortcomings of the human race, we can avoid making misjudgments or mistakes in the future.”