sat语法知识点总结

sat语法知识点总结

Introduction

The SAT is an important test for high school students planning to attend college. One of the

sections of the SAT is the Writing and Language section, which tests students'

understanding of grammar, style, and punctuation. In this section, students are required to

identify errors, improve sentence structure, and revise passages to improve clarity and

effectiveness. Therefore, it is crucial for students to have a strong grasp of grammar and

syntax. In this article, we will provide an in-depth summary of the essential grammar rules

and concepts that students should know for the SAT Writing and Language section.

Subject-Verb Agreement

One of the fundamental principles of grammar is subject-verb agreement. This rule dictates

that a singular subject should have a singular verb, and a plural subject should have a plural

verb. For example, "The cat sits on the mat" uses a singular verb "sits" to agree with the

singular subject "cat." On the other hand, "The cats sit on the mat" uses a plural verb "sit" to

agree with the plural subject "cats."

However, subject-verb agreement can become tricky when dealing with compound subjects

and collective nouns. In the case of compound subjects joined by "and," the verb should be

plural. For example, "Mary and John are going to the party." However, if the compound

subject refers to a single entity or idea, the verb should be singular. For instance, "Bread and

butter is my favorite snack."

Additionally, collective nouns, which refer to a group of people or things as a single entity,

can be singular or plural depending on the context. For example, "The team is practicing for

the game" treats the team as a single unit, so the verb is singular. Conversely, "The team are

arguing among themselves" treats the team as individuals, so the verb is plural.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Another important concept in grammar is pronoun-antecedent agreement. A pronoun must

agree in number, gender, and person with its antecedent, the word to which the pronoun

refers. For example, "The student handed in her assignment" uses the feminine pronoun

"her" to agree with the feminine antecedent "student."

When dealing with indefinite pronouns such as "everyone," "anyone," and "someone," it is

essential to remember that they are singular and should take singular pronouns. For

instance, "Everyone should do his or her best" uses the singular pronouns "his or her" to

agree with the singular indefinite pronoun "everyone."

However, some indefinite pronouns, such as "both," "few," and "several," are plural and

should take plural pronouns. For example, "Both of the girls received their awards" uses the

plural pronoun "their" to agree with the plural indefinite pronoun "both." Modifiers

Modifiers are words or phrases that provide additional information about another element

in the sentence. It is crucial to place modifiers close to the word they modify to avoid

confusion or ambiguity. For example, "I only have three cookies" suggests that the speaker

possesses nothing except three cookies, whereas "I have only three cookies" indicates the

speaker's possession of three, and only three, cookies.

Furthermore, dangling modifiers occur when the word or phrase a modifier should logically

describe is missing from the sentence. For instance, "Running down the street, the mailbox

was knocked over" suggests that the mailbox was running, which is illogical. To fix this, the

sentence can be revised to "Running down the street, he knocked over the mailbox," where

the subject of the modifier is clear.

Parallelism

Parallelism refers to the use of grammatically similar elements to create balance and

rhythm in a sentence. In lists or series of items, each item should be in the same

grammatical form. For example, "She likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bike" is not

parallel, as "to ride a bike" should be "riding a bike" to match the other items in the list. The

corrected sentence is "She likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bike."

Moreover, parallel structure should be maintained in comparisons. For instance, "She is

more talented, smarter, and has a better attitude" lacks parallel structure, as "has" disrupts

the parallel form. The revised sentence is "She is more talented, smarter, and more positive

in attitude."

Sentence Structure

Understanding sentence structure is crucial for creating clear and effective writing. A

sentence should have a subject and a verb to express a complete thought. Fragments, which

lack a subject, a verb, or do not express a complete thought, should be avoided. For example,

"While waiting for the train" is a fragment that can be revised to "While waiting for the train,