Study Guide

Grammar, Punctuation & Sentence Structure

This broad category covers subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, modifier placement, parallel structure, and punctuation rules.

Key Rules

Subject-verb agreement: singular subjects take singular verbs (he runs; the team runs).
Pronoun agreement: pronouns must match their antecedent in number and gender.
Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison must use the same grammatical form.
Dangling modifiers: the noun being modified must directly follow the modifying phrase.
Commas with non-restrictive clauses: use commas around information that can be removed without changing meaning.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Compound subjects with "and" take plural verbs, but "or/nor" takes the verb that matches the closest subject.
Collective nouns (team, committee, group) take singular verbs in American English.
Mixing infinitives and gerunds in a parallel list.
Placing a comma after every introductory word, even when not needed.

SAT Strategy Tips

→Find the main subject first — cross out prepositional phrases between subject and verb.
→Check that pronouns are clear: "it," "they," and "this" must have an obvious antecedent.
→For parallel structure, identify what form the first item uses and match the rest.
→With "not only...but also" and "either...or" constructions, both parts must match grammatically.

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