Sat Grammar Essay Sample

The verb is the most of import portion of a sentence. but verbs aren’t ever easy to descry. See the word swim in the sentences The ducks swim in the pool and The ducks love to swim. In the ?rst sentence. swim is the verb. In the 2nd sentence. swim is portion of a noun phrase. ( To swim is the thing that the ducks love. ) So how do we descry verbs? A verb is what conveys the indispensable significance of a clause ( a twine of words that convey an thought ) . Every thought requires a verb. The sentence The ducks swim in the pool says that Something swims someplace. so the verb is swim. The sentence The ducks love to swim says that Something loves something. so the verb is love. Every verb requires a topic. that is. what does the verb. In both sentences. the topic is ducks. A verb may besides necessitate an object. that is. what receives the verb. In The ducks love to swim. the object is to swim. because that is the thing that is loved. Examples: When David approached 3rd base. the manager waved him place. This sentence contains two related thoughts. so it contains two clauses. and hence two verbs: Clause 1: When David approached 3rd base Verb: approached Capable: David Object: 3rd base Clause 2: the manager waved him place Verb: waved Capable: the manager Object: him “third individual singular” form—as in he spends—but people is plural. so the phrase should be people spend.

Slippery Plurals and Singulars
These regulations will assist you to look into whether a verb agrees in “number” with its topic: Phrases like Sam and Bob are plural. but phrases like Sam. in add-on to Bob. are remarkable. Phrases that start every bit good as. . . . together with. . . . along with. . . . or in add-on to. . . are interrupters. which are non portion of the chief topic.

These words are remarkable: each. anyone. anybody. anything. another. neither. either. every. everyone. person. no 1. person. everything. small. and much. To look into for SVD. you can replace any of them with it.

These words are plural: phenomena ( remarkable: phenomenon ) . media ( remarkable: medium ) . informations ( remarkable: data point ) . and standards ( remarkable: standard ) . To look into for SVD. you can replace any of them with they.

All of the followers can be either remarkable or plural. harmonizing to the noun that follows the of: none ( of ) . any ( of ) . some ( of ) . most ( of ) . more ( of ) . and all ( of ) .

Subject-Verb Disagreement ( SVD )
Every verb must hold in figure ( remarkable or plural ) with its capable. Subject-verb dissension is one of the most common mistakes tested for on the SAT. If you are a native talker of English. the best manner to look into for subject-verb dissension is to ?nd the topic and verb ( disregarding all the intervening words ) and state them together. Example: The people. who are easy persuaded by corporatesponsored media. spends really small clip analysing issues. The topic of the verb spends is people. But people spends sounds incorrect. because spends is the Verbs that follow topics of the signifier either A or B and neither A nor B must hold with B. the noun closer to the verb.

Inverted Sentences
Normally the topic comes before the verb. but upside-down clauses have the topic after the verb. For case. sentences that start There is. . . or There are. . . are inverted. To look into subject-verb understanding in these sentences. ?rst “uninvert” them. Example: There are many ?ies in the barn. ( inverted ) V S Many ?ies are in the barn. ( uninverted ) S V

Chapter 15 / ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR SKILLS

Concept Review 1: Subject-Verb Disagreement
Following to each noun or noun phrase. compose “S” if it is remarkable or “P” if it is plural. 1. Neither rain nor snow 2. Crowd of bully fans 3. Media 4. Standard 5. One or two 6. Everything 7. Either of the campaigners 8. Phenomena __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________

Circle the topic in each sentence. and take the correct verb. 9. Neither of the autos ( is/are ) equipped with antilock brakes. 10. The ?ock of geese ( was/were ) startled by the scattergun blast. 11. The information on my computing machine ( was/were ) wholly erased when the power failed. 12. Mathematicss and history ( is/are ) my favourite topics. 13. None of the joint ( was/were ) eaten. 14. All of the games ( was/were ) played on existent grass ?elds. 15. Pride and Prejudice ( is/are ) my favourite Jane Austen novel. 16. Neither of the twins ( is/are ) allergic to penicillin. 17. Much of what I hear in those talks ( goes/go ) in one ear and out the other. 18. Amy. along with Jamie and Jen. ( is/are ) using to Mount Holyoke. 19. None of the books ( was/were ) considered ?t for public ingestion. 20. All of the aubergine ( was/were ) used to do the sauce. 21. Amid the lilies and wild?owers ( was/were ) one solitary rose. 22. Either Ben or his brothers ( is/are ) in charge of conveying the drinks. 23. There ( is/are ) barely even a pinpoint of soil left on the rug. 24. “Stop right at that place! ” ( shouts/shout ) the Bailey brothers. who are standing in forepart of me. 25. Either the Donovans or Dave ( is/are ) traveling to convey the home bases. 26. There ( is/are ) at least a 100 people here. “Uninvert” the undermentioned sentences so that the verb follows the topic. so take the right verb signifier. 27. There ( is/are ) . in my sentiment. far excessively many tobacco users in this eating house. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 28. Over that hill ( is/are ) 1000s of bison. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 29. Riding on the coach among the kids ( was/were ) over a twelve commuters. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ 30. Never before ( has/have ) at that place been such voices heard here. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 31. Absent from the article ( was/were ) any reference of the director’s old Broadway failures. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

514

MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT

Worksheet 1: Subject-Verb Disagreement
Label each verb in the undermentioned sentences with a “V” and each topic with an “S. ” If any verbs are wrong. traverse them out and compose the right signifier in the space. 1. We were horri?ed to detect that there was more than three mice populating in the Attic. 2. Either the president or one of her Plutos are traveling to organize the undertaking. 3. There is about ever two or three guards posted at each entryway. 4. Every participant on both the Falcons and the Rockets were at the party after the game. 5. There has been a theatre and a plaything shop in the promenade of all time since it opened. 6. Either Eric or his brother is hosting the party this twelvemonth. 7. There is no fewer than six crayons in this box. 8. The therapy can restart as planned because neither of the twins are allergic to penicillin. 9. The returns from the sale of every auctioned point goes to charity. 10. Economicss. peculiarly with its dependance on the behaviour of consumers and manufacturers. has ever struck me as more of a human scientific discipline than a mathematical one. 11.

There is more than three old ages staying on her contract. 12. Neither of the misss were frightened by the wild animate beings that scurried endlessly past their collapsible shelter. 13. The engineering behind high-de?nition telecasting. DVDs. and Cadmiums have transformed about every facet of the place amusement industry. 14. Every participant on both squads were concerned about the goalie’s hurt. 15. The company’s sponsorship of charitable foundations and mentorship plans have garnered many citations from philanthropic organisations. 16. Neither the kids nor their parents utters a word when Mrs. Denny tells her narratives. 17. How of import is your strength preparation and your diet to your day-to-day regimen? _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________

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Answer Key 1: Subject-Verb Disagreement
Concept Review 1
1. S 2. S 3. P 4. S 5. P 6. S 7. S 8. P 9. s: neither. V: is 10. s: ?ock. V: was 11. s: informations. V: were ( informations is plural ) 12. s: mathematics and history. V: are 13. s: none ( joint ) . V: was 14. s: all ( games ) . V: were 15. s: Pride and Prejudice. V: is 16. s: neither. V: is 17. s: much. V: goes 18. s: Amy. V: is 19. s: none ( books ) . V: were 20. s: all ( eggplant ) . V: was 21. s: rose. V: was 22. s: brothers. V: are 23. s: pinpoint. V: is 24. s: Bailey brothers. V: cry 25. s: Dave. V: is 26. s: people. V: are 27. Far excessively many tobacco users. in my sentiment. are in this eating house. 28. Thousands of bison are over that hill. 29. Among the kids. over a twelve commuters were siting on the coach. 30. Such voices have ne’er earlier been heard here. 31. Any reference of the director’s old Broadway failures was absent from the article.

Worksheet 1
1. s: we. Vs: were ( right ) ; s: mice. V: was ( alteration to were ) 2. s: 1. V: are ( alteration to is ) 3. s: guards. V: is ( alteration to are ) 4. s: every participant. V: were ( alteration to was ) 5. s: a theatre and a plaything shop. V: has been ( alteration to hold been ) 6. s: his brother. V: is ( right ) 7. s: crayons. V: is ( alteration to are ) 8. s: therapy. V: can restart ( correct ) ; s: neither. V: are ( alteration to is ) 9. s: returns. V: goes ( alteration to travel ) 10. s: economic sciences. V: has struck ( right ) 11. s: old ages. V: is ( alteration to are ) 12. s: neither. V: were ( alteration to was ) 13. s: engineering. V: have transformed ( alteration to has transformed ) 14. s: every participant. V: were ( alteration to was ) 15. s: sponsorship. V: have garnered ( alteration to has garnered ) 16. s: their parents. V: utters ( alteration to utter ) ; s: Mrs. Denny. V: Tells 17. s: your strength preparation and your diet. V: is ( alteration to are )

516

MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT

Lesson 2: Trimming Sentences
Why Trim?
Descrying SVD mistakes is frequently easier when you “trim” the sentence. that is. extinguish incidental modi?ers to go forth the “core” of the sentence. What remains after you “trim” a sentence should still be a grammatically right and complete sentence. Modi?ers are adjectives and adverbs. every bit good as modifying phrases like participial phrases ( see Lesson 7 ) . Most modi?ers are non indispensable to a sentence. but some are. Use your best judgement. One sort of indispensable adjective is a predicate adjective. that is. an adjectival that is linked to the topic by a linking verb. as in Martha is smart. Paring a sentence helps you to descry SVD more easy. Original: My head concern with this budget and the other proposals on the tabular array are the cuts in school financess. My concern are the cuts. My concern is the cuts.

How to “Trim” a Sentence Step 1: Cross out all incidental prepositional phrases. e. g. . The bird in the coop began singing. A preposition is a word that shows comparative place or way. It can finish one of the undermentioned sentences: The squirrel ran _____ the tree. Democracy is authorities _____ the people. Examples include to. from. of. for. by. in. before. with. beyond. and up. A prepositional phrase is the preposition and the noun phrase that follows. including its modi?ers. e. g. . from sea to reflecting sea in the beginning with chapeau in manus

Trimmed: Revised:

Who Kicked Whom?
When you write. pare your sentences to play the “Who kicked whom? ” exercising. Look at the subject-verbobject ( “Who kicked whom? ” ) nucleus. and see if it clearly and forcefully conveys the idea you want to convey. Original: The deficiency of economic plans and no large country’s being ready to fall in it symbolized the jobs the League of Nations had in acquiring established. The deficiency and no country’s being ready symbolized the jobs.

Measure 2: Cross out all interrupting phrases.
e. g. . The commission. disregarding tradition. will O.K. the step. An interrupting phrase is a modifying phrase that interrupts the ?ow of the sentence. Interrupters are by and large separated from the chief sentence by commas or elans.

Trimmed:

Yikes! That doesn’t do a scintilla of sense ; rewrite it. Revised: Two jobs plagued the constitution of the League of Nations: its deficiency of feasible economic plans and its deficiency of support from the larger states.

Measure 3: Cross out all other incidental modi?ers and modifying phrases. e. g. . Having traveled so far. the baseball squad barely wanted to give up the title game.

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Concept Review 2: Trimming Sentences
1. What are the three types of words or phrases that can be eliminated when “trimming” a sentence? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Why is it sometimes helpful to “trim” a sentence? _________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Circle all of the prepositions in the list below. of beyond for and with the an without some along below

4. What is a prepositional phrase? __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Write four illustrations of prepositional phrases. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Write the cut version of each sentence on the line below it. rectifying any verb jobs. 6. The squad of advisers. geting in front of agenda. were met at the airdrome by the Assistant Prime Minister. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. The ?ock of birds that darted over the lake were all of a sudden an iridescent Ag. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Carmen. along with her three sisters. are improbable to be swayed by statements back uping David’s place. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ Write the cut version of each sentence on the line below it. so rewrite the sentence to do it clearer and more forceful. altering the topic and verb wholly. if necessary. 9. About necessarily.
promotions. or those being popularly regarded as such. have to make with modi?cations. non overhaul. Trimmed: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Revised: __________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. The development of the new country’s governmental system was affected in a negative respect by the rebels’ deficiency of coherence. Trimmed: ________________________________________________________________________________________ Revised: __________________________________________________________________________________________

518

MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT

Worksheet 2: Trimming Sentences
Write the “trimmed” version of each sentence. circling the verbs and topics and rectifying any understanding mistakes. 1. Juggling the demands of both school and my societal docket frequently seem excessively much to bear. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Others on the commission. like the president Amanda Sanders. is concerned about the deficiency of attending given to school safety. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. The waiters’ professional demeanor—particularly their acute cognition. their attending to detail. and their cordiality—are what makes dining there such a empyreal culinary experience. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4. The system by which campaigners for local political of?ces are selected is antediluvian and. many contend. unjust. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. The copiousness of companies that fail in their ?rst
twelvemonth of concern contribute to an intimidating economic clime. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. When scientists theorize about the traits that all worlds have come to portion. they must be keenly cognizant of the fact that these traits have evolved over 1000000s of coevalss. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 7. The full industry of baccy companies and distributers has firm maintained their place that baccy is non habit-forming and that smoke is an unalienable right of consumers. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 8. The challenge of Mount Everest. its vanquishers claim. is far more the deficiency of O at its rare?ed highs than even the unstable ice falls or hasty acclivities. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 9. One in every three Americans agree strongly with the statement: “Anyone who would run for political of?ce is non deserving voting for. ” __________________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. The fact that worlds have committed so many atrociousnesss have forced some historiographers to follow a misanthropic position on human nature. __________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Answer Key 2: Trimming Sentences
Concept Review 2
1. Prepositional phrases. disrupting phrases. and incidental modi?ers 2. Paring reveals subject-verb disagreement mistakes and reveals how clear and forceful the sentence is. 3. Prepositions: of. beyond. for. with. without. along. below. 4. A prepositional phrase is a preposition and the noun or noun phrase that follows it. 5. Examples might include in the tree. without vacillation. beyond catchs. and over two million hungry clients. 6. The squad were ( alteration to was ) met. 7. The ?ock were ( alteration to was ) Ag. 8. Carmen are ( alteration to is ) improbable to be swayed. 9. Trimmed: Promotions have to make with modi?cations. The verb ( have to make with ) is weak. vague. and inactive. and the topic ( promotions ) and object ( modi?cation ) are abstract and obscure. To better the sentence. believe about the intended significance of the sentence. and utilize stronger and less abstract footings. Here’s a good alteration: Typically. societies advancement by doing little modi?cations to their establishments. non by passing them wholly. 10. Trimmed: The development was affected. The verb ( was affected ) is weak. inactive. and obscure. Here’s a good alteration: The incohesiveness of the Rebels hindered the development of the new authorities.