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Writing &
Grammar.

Stop trusting your ear. Start knowing the rules.
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SAT grammar isn't a feeling. It's a small set of rules you can check.

Hi, I'm Victor.

Your Instructor
  • Founder of High Performance Tutoring (est. 2011)
  • Chief architect of HPT's SAT program
  • 23 years teaching & tutoring math, science & test prep
  • PhD candidate in mathematics
  • Helped hundreds of students raise their SAT score
  • Helped thousands of students improve their grades
The habit that changes everything

Don't trust
your ear.

Sounds fine, doesn't it?
The long list of rare ingredients are on the counter.
Your ear hears "ingredients are." But the subject is "list," so it should be "is."

The SAT baits your ear. The fix: read the four choices, see what's changing, then apply the rule.

01
Verb Agreement

Make the verb
agree.

A verb matches its subject in number, no matter how many words sit in between.

It all comes down to number.

One thing, or more than one? The subject and the verb have to agree.

Singular subject (one)
  • the cat
  • a student
  • the city
  • it, she
Singular verb
  • is
  • was
  • has
  • does
  • goes
  • runs
  • speaks
  • wants
Plural subject (more than one)
  • the cats
  • students
  • the cities
  • they
Plural verb
  • are
  • were
  • have
  • do
  • go
  • run
  • speak
  • want
Notice the flip: one cat speaks, two cats speak. The “s” jumps from the verb to the noun.

Special subject words.

Always singular
  • each
  • every
  • any
  • either / or
  • neither / nor
Always plural
  • all
  • some
  • both
See them in real sentences
Everyone in this room is hungry.
Each apple costs 25 cents.
Neither answer is correct.
Some of the cars have no tires.
Both of the twins play soccer.
All of the cookies are gone.

The subject can hide.

A phrase between the subject and its verb can fool your ear either way. Cross it out.

Looks plural, but singular
Looks singular, but plural
The view of the stars (is / are) breathtaking.
The flowers in the garden (is / are) blooming.
The list of ingredients (is / are) on the counter.
The players on the team (is / are) exhausted.
The box of old letters (is / are) heavy.
The keys to the front door (is / are) missing.
Either way, cross out the middle phrase and the real subject is obvious.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
A collection of rare seventeenth-century coins ______ displayed in the museum’s east wing, where visitors can examine each piece under magnification.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Aareplural
Bwereplural
Cis✓ singular
Dhave beenplural
THE RULE
The subject is “collection” (one set), not “coins.” Cross out “of… coins” and match: collection is.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
The economist noted a striking pattern: the prices of a single commodity ______ sharply from one regional market to another, even within the same week.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Avary✓ plural
Bvariessingular
Chas variedsingular
Dwas varyingsingular
THE RULE
The subject is “prices” (plural); “commodity” is a decoy. Cross out “of a single commodity” and match: prices vary.
02
Modifiers

Describing the
right subject.

The subject is after the comma.

Modifier , The subject Rest of the sentence .
The Modifier Rule
A modifier describes the subject right after the comma.
✓Circling above the canyon, the hawk rode the updrafts.
×Circling above the canyon, the updrafts carried the hawk.
✓While driving the car, I kept my dog on my lap.
×While driving the car, my dog sat on my lap.
✓Frosted with sugar, the cookies looked delicious.
×Frosted with sugar, the children ate the cookies.
✓Racing to catch the bus, Maria dropped her keys.
×Racing to catch the bus, the keys slipped away.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
Frozen solid for most of the year, ______
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Athe lake thaws for only a few weeks each summer.✓ the lake is what’s frozen
Bvisitors can reach the lake only by snowmobile.visitors aren’t frozen
Cthe short summer thaw draws thousands of visitors.the thaw isn’t frozen
Dit is dangerous to cross the lake on foot.no clear subject
THE RULE
“Frozen solid” has to describe the next subject. Only the lake can be frozen, so “the lake” comes right after the comma.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
Determined to document a language that fewer than a dozen elders still spoke fluently, ______
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Athe recordings the linguist made now fill a small archive.recordings aren’t determined
Byears of fieldwork lay ahead for the linguist.years aren’t determined
Cit took the linguist nearly a decade to finish the dictionary.no clear subject
Dthe linguist spent a decade recording their stories and songs.✓ the linguist is determined
THE RULE
“Determined to document” describes a person. The linguist is the one determined, so “the linguist” comes right after the comma.
03
Transitions

Identify the
relationship.

Decide how the two sentences are related and select the appropriate transition.

Three types of transitions.

Sentence A . Transition , Sentence B
Contradict
The two ideas clash.
however · but · in contrast
instead · nevertheless
Cause & Effect
The first causes the second.
therefore · thus · so
as a result · consequently
Continue
Same direction, more of it.
also · moreover · first
for example · in fact
The forecast called for sun. However, it rained all day.
The bridge was closed. Therefore, we took the long way.
The café has great coffee. Moreover, the pastries are fresh.

“Continue” has a few flavors.

Only zoom in here once you have ruled out Contradict and Cause & Effect.

Add
moreover · also · in addition
The trail is scenic. Moreover, it’s easy to hike.
Example
for example · for instance
She loves fruit. For instance, she eats mangoes.
Emphasize
in fact · indeed
The test was hard. In fact, it was brutal.
Compare
similarly · likewise
Dogs need walks. Likewise, cats need play.
Sequence
first · then · next · finally
Chop the onions. Next, sauté them.
Conclude
in short · in conclusion
It’s cheap and fast. In short, it’s a great deal.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
Researchers expected fish under constant light to grow faster. ______ the fish in constant light grew more slowly than fish on a day-night cycle.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
AAccordingly,Cause & Effect
BInstead,✓ Contradict
CSimilarly,Continue
DIn particular,Continue
THE LOGIC
They expected faster, but got slower. The ideas clash, so the type is Contradict. Only “Instead” fits.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
In March 2021, the ship Ever Given ran aground and blocked the Suez Canal for six days. ______ hundreds of other ships were forced to wait until the vessel was freed.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
AHowever,Contradict
BSimilarly,Continue
CFor example,Continue
DConsequently,✓ Cause & Effect
THE LOGIC
The blockage caused the ships to wait. One thing produces the other, so the type is Cause & Effect.

Try it on a real SAT question.

Sentence
Certain metals react violently the moment they touch water. ______ a piece of potassium dropped into water races across the surface, releasing hydrogen gas that bursts into a lilac flame.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical transition?
AFor example,✓ Continue: example
BHowever,Contradict
CTherefore,Cause & Effect
DAfterward,Continue: time
THE LOGIC
The potassium is one example of metals reacting. Same direction, so the type is Continue, and the flavor is an example, not a time step.
What we covered

Three moves for
SAT grammar.

Verb agreement
Find the true subject; ignore the words in between.
Modifiers
The noun after the comma must do the action.
Transitions
Name the bucket: contradict, cause, or continue.

Your grammar checklist.

✓Verbs: match the true subject, not the nearest noun (“each / every” are singular)
✓Modifiers: the noun right after the comma must be the one doing the action
✓Transitions: name the bucket first, contradict / cause & effect / continue, then choose
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