The appointmenht sat 3

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5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 202 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – We see them. Incorrect: Whom lives in this house? subject object Correct: Who lives in this house? (He lives in this house.) They see us. subject object Incorrect: To who shall I address this letter? Correct: To whom shall I address this let- Pronoun questions on the SAT will often pur- ter? (Address the letter to him.) posefully confuse the subjective and objective cases, as Idiom in the following example: Idioms are expressions that are characteristic of a par- Incorrect: I am taller than him. ticular language, and they are often the most difﬁcult aspect of a language to learn. But they are essential to This is a very common mistake. Whenever a pro- clear and effective communication, and you can expect noun follows than, it should be in the subjective case, at least one question about idioms on the Writing sec- because in the than + (pro)noun construction the verb tion of the exam. is understood, even if that verb is not articulated: Most of the time, the idioms that are tested are (1) prepositional idioms (e.g., take care of, according to) Correct: I am taller than he [is]. and (2) idiomatic use of inﬁnitives and gerunds (e.g., want to meet, practice swimming). And most of the Though we usually cut off the verb, the pronoun time, by listening carefully to the sentence as you read must still act as if it is there. Thus, use the subjective it, you will be able to hear this kind of mistake. Listen case with than constructions. to the following sentences as you read them, and you The other common pronoun error is to have the should be able to hear the errors: subjective case in a prepositional phrase: Incorrect: His behavior gets under my Incorrect: We will split the proﬁts evenly nerves. between her and I. Correct: His behavior gets on my nerves. Nouns and pronouns in prepositional phrases In this case, the correct idiom uses the preposition are always objects, so the sentence requires the objec- on. An idiom similar in meaning, gets under my skin, tive pronoun: uses the preposition under. Idioms with inﬁnitives (to + verb: to water) and Correct: We will split the proﬁts evenly gerunds (verb + ing: watering) are equally likely to between her and me. appear on the exam. Here’s an example: And ﬁnally, the often-confused who and whom Incorrect: Experts suggest to water your gar- errors fall into this category. Who is the subjective form, den late in the day when the sun is whom the objective. (A memory trick: Whom and him less intense. are both objects and both end in m.) 202
5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 203 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – While there are some general guidelines for when Both less and then are misused here. The cor- to use inﬁnitives and gerunds, there are no hard and fast rected sentence would read: rules, and the best guide is your ear. It simply sounds wrong to say suggest to water. Indeed, suggest should Correct: There are fewer students enrolled always be followed by a gerund: than last year. Correct: Experts suggest watering your In addition, remember to keep your pronouns garden late in the day when the straight. The possessive pronouns its, your, their, and sun is less intense. whose are often confused with the contractions it’s (it is), you’re (you are), they’re (they are), and who’s (who Word Choice is), as in the following example: Affect or effect? Whether or weather? Fewer or less? Com- monly confused words are another question topic you Incorrect: The debate ended and the dele- are likely to see on the SAT Writing section. gates placed they’re votes. Here’s a short list of some of the most frequently- tested word pairs: The votes belong to the delegates, so the posses- sive their is the correct word for this sentence: accept/except adapt/adept Correct: The debate ended and the dele- affect/effect gates placed their votes. allusion/illusion Confusing Adjectives and Adverbs emigration/immigration eminent/imminent Because adjectives and adverbs serve similar func- fewer/less tions—they both modify or describe—they are often lay/lie confused and therefore make good candidates for SAT leave/let questions. Remember that adjectives modify nouns or number/amount pronouns while adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and raise/rise other adverbs. If a descriptive word is underlined in a sit/set sentence, and you haven’t found another error, double- than/then check to make sure the descriptive word is in its proper form. If one of the underlined words or phrases in the Sentence Errors questions contains a commonly con- Incorrect: The path dropped steep after we fused word, check to be sure the right one is being rounded the turn. used. Chances are that’s where the error lies. Here’s an example: Steep modiﬁes the verb drop, so it needs to be in the adverb form: Incorrect: There are less students enrolled then last year. Correct: The path dropped steeply after we rounded the turn. 203
5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 204 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Other frequently tested issues with adjectives and asked to choose which of the ﬁve sentence choices is the adverbs include comparisons. Remember that the com- smoothest and clearest. Thus, Improving Sentences parative form (-er) is for comparisons between two questions test another level of your writing skills. things. The superlative (-est) is for comparisons among Improving Sentences questions cover a wide three or more things. Instead of -er or -est endings, range of issues, including grammar and usage, sentence some two-syllable modiﬁers and all modiﬁers with structure and logic, and style. This section describes the three or more syllables form the comparative degree question format, provides strategies for answering these with more and the superlative degree with most. questions, and reviews the writing issues you are most likely to see in Improving Sentences. Comparative: Tony’s Pizza is better than Zach’s. Question Structure Superlative: Tony’s Pizza is the tastiest in In each Improving Sentences question, part or all of the town. sentence will be underlined. Choice a will repeat the original underlined text. Approximately one in ﬁve Comparative: Maria’s Italian Ices are more times, choice a is the correct answer because the orig- delicious than Pete’s. inal version is the best (most clear, concise, and correct) Superlative: Maria’s Italian Ices are the most version of the sentence. Answer choices b–e will offer delicious in town. different versions of the underlined (portion of the) sentence. Your task is to determine which choice offers Double comparisons—formed when both an -er the best version of the sentence. or -est ending and more or most are added to a modi- Some answer choices will correct or improve the ﬁer—and double negatives, formed when two negative original problem, if there is one. Some will continue to words are used, may appear on the SAT as well. make the same mistake and/or introduce new ones. Only one choice will be both grammatically correct Incorrect: This is the most longest I’ve ever and the most clear and concise way to express the idea. waited for a pizza. If it sounds like Improving Sentences questions Correct: This is the longest I’ve ever are a little more complex than identifying errors, you waited for a pizza. are right. Instead of focusing on individual words or phrases to determine the error, you need to look at Incorrect: This isn’t hardly the best pizza in larger structural and stylistic issues within the sentence town. to determine the correct answer. Finding that answer Correct: This isn’t the best pizza in town. requires two distinct steps: Remember, good is an adjective (good dog) and 1. Determining what, if anything, is wrong with the well is an adverb (he is well trained). underlined portion of the sentence. 2. Determining which of the answer choices ﬁxes that mistake and does not introduce a new mistake. P art 2: Improving Sentences Improving Sentence Questions are the most The Improving Sentences multiple-choice questions numerous in this section (approximately 25 of 49). test exactly what their name suggests. These items test But there are several strategies you can use to narrow more than your grammar skills; many times, you are down your choices and select the best answer. 204
5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 205 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Sample Improving Sentences Question 3. Eliminate all choices with the original error. If you identify an error, eliminate choice a (don’t even bother reading it; it only repeats the original Jackson Pollock, a twentieth-century American prompt). Eliminate any other choices that make painter, is well known and renowned for creating that same mistake. abstract paintings by dripping paint on canvas. 4. Eliminate all choices that make other errors. a. a twentieth-century American painter, is well From the remaining choices, eliminate any ver- known and renowned for creating sions that introduce a different error, even if they b. an American painter who lived and painted in correct the error in the original item. This the twentieth century, is well known for the includes any versions that are grammatically cor- creation of rect but are unnecessarily wordy, ambiguous, or c. he is an American painter famous and use unnecessarily complicated sentence structure. renowned for creating 5. Let the choices guide you. If you are unable to d. a twentieth-century American painter, is identify the error in the original (assuming there famous for creating is one), use the answer choices as your guide. e. a twentieth-century American painter, is well Scan each version to see what aspect of the origi- known and prominent for creating nal sentence is changed and how. The way the original is rewritten will often reveal the nature Choice d is the correct answer—it is the only one that of the error in the original prompt. is not repetitive or wordy. In the original item (choice 6. Look for the most commonly tested errors. There a), well known and renowned mean the same thing; as are seven kinds of mistakes that appear most often does famous and renowned in choice c; and well known in Improving Sentences on the SAT. If you are hav- and prominent in choice e. Choice b is incorrect because ing trouble ﬁnding an error, do a quick check for it is wordy and awkward; clearly, if an artist painted in the common errors described in this section. the twentieth century, he also lived in the twentieth cen- 7. Remember the “No error”option. Approximately tury. There is no need to state both points. one in ﬁve sentences will be correct as written. Strategies for Improper Coordination or Subordination Improving Sentences Within sentences, clauses (groups of words with a sub- Though more challenging than Sentence Errors, ject and verb) are often connected by coordination Improving Sentences are still quite manageable. Here (when two independent ideas are of equal importance) are some speciﬁc strategies you can use to tackle them or subordination (when the idea in the subordinate with conﬁdence. clause is less important than the one in the main clause and cannot form a complete sentence on its own): 1. Use the 3 C’s. Your job is to ﬁnd the version that most effectively expresses the meaning of the sentence. Find Coordination: We are going to dinner and the answer that is correct (no grammar or usage then we are going to a movie. errors or lapses in logic), clear (no ambiguity or tan- Subordination: After we go to dinner, we are gled sentence structure), and concise (no wordiness). going to a movie. 2. Pinpoint the error. Try to determine the error as Before we go to a movie, we are you read. What’s wrong with the underlined por- going to dinner. tion? Is it faulty parallelism, or unnecessary wordiness? (The most common errors are cov- ered in the next section.) 205
5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 206 The Top Seven Errors in Improving Sentences The kinds of errors in Improving Sentences cover a wide range of writing issues, including grammar and usage, sentence structure and logic, and style. Fortunately, the ETS likes to focus on only a handful of spe- cific issues. You can expect to see these seven kinds of errors—some of them over and over—on test day: 1. improper coordination or subordination of ideas 2. fragments and run-ons 3. faulty comparisons 4. misplaced modifiers 5. wordiness 6. using passive instead of active voice 7. incorrect punctuation Of course, don’t forget about the eight most common errors covered in the Sentence Errors section. These mistakes may also appear in Improving Sentences questions. One of the most common issues found in Correct: The polar icecaps are melting at Improving Sentences addresses coordination and sub- an alarming rate, yet some people ordination, because it tests your ability to see logical still do not believe in global relationships between ideas. To tackle these questions, warming. you need to determine how the ideas in the clauses Correct: Although the polar icecaps are work together. Is one idea in addition to the other? In melting at an alarming rate, some contrast? Is there a progression in time or sequence? people still do not believe in How exactly does one idea relate to the other? For global warming. example, take a look at the following sentence: Here’s another example: Incorrect: The polar icecaps are melting at an alarming rate, and some peo- Incorrect: Esteban can do advanced math in ple still do not believe in global his head, for he does not need a warming. calculator. There are two distinct ideas here: (1) the polar ice- What’s the relationship between the two ideas? caps are melting at an alarming rate and (2) some peo- There’s a cause and effect situation here. The cause: ple still do not believe in global warming. But the Esteban can do math in his head. The result: He doesn’t relationship between these ideas isn’t correctly need a calculator. For does express cause and effect, but expressed by the coordinating conjunction and, which here, the cause and effect ideas are reversed. The wrong expresses the idea of addition. Instead, the conjunction clause is subordinated. So the conjunction needs to be (whether coordinating or subordinating) needs to changed or the sentence rearranged. Here are three express contrast: corrected versions: 206
5658 SAT2006[05](fin).qx 11/21/05 6:45 PM Page 207 – THE SAT WRITING SECTION – Correct: Because Esteban can do advanced Correct: Some people still do not believe in math in his head, he doesn’t need global warming even though the a calculator. polar icecaps are melting at an Correct: Esteban can do advanced math in alarming rate. his head, so he doesn’t need a Run-Ons calculator. Correct: Esteban doesn’t need a calculator, Incorrect: The polar icecaps are melting at for he can do advanced math in an alarming rate, some people his head. still do not believe in global warming. Incorrect: The American Revolution was Because there are often several conjunctions that modeled after the French Revolu- express the same idea, be careful that the version you tion, it was one of the most choose ﬁts the 3 C’s. There might be two versions that important events in the history of express the right relationship, but only one will be cor- Europe. rect, clear, and concise. Fragments and Run-Ons If you suspect a test item is a run-on sentence, try to determine if there are two independent ideas that can Two of the most common errors made in writing are stand alone. Check the answer choices for one of the sentence fragments and run-ons. Sentence fragments following ﬁxes for run-on sentences: are incomplete thoughts, while run-ons are two or more complete thoughts running together without proper punctuation. Here are some examples: 1. Separate the clauses with a period. We are here. You are not. Fragments 2. Connect the clauses with a comma and a coordi- nating conjunction (and, or, nor, for, but, so, Incorrect: Harper Lee, who wrote To Kill a yet). Make sure the coordinating conjunction Mockingbird. expresses the right relationship between the two Incorrect: Some people still do not believe in ideas. We are here, but you are not. global warming. Even though the 3. Connect the clauses with a semicolon (and pos- polar icecaps are melting at an sibly a conjunctive adverb such as however, there- alarming rate. fore, or otherwise, making sure it expresses the right relationship between the two ideas). We are If you suspect a group of words is a fragment, here; you are not. look for the version that expresses a complete thought. 4. Make one sentence dependent upon the other Correcting the fragment might require adding a sub- by using a subordinating conjunction such as ject or a verb, deleting a subordinating conjunction although, because, since, or while. Again, make (because, while), deleting a relative pronoun (who, that, sure the subordinating conjunction expresses which), or connecting a dependent clause to an inde- the right relationship between the two ideas. pendent clause. The fragments above can be corrected Although we are here, you are not. as follows: The best correction is best determined by context. Correct: Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. If a relationship between the clauses needs to be 207