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 VISE-
VERSA
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
 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 narrow-
minded 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.
 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.”