Sat Grammar
CHAPTER 15
ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR SKILLS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Subject-Verb Disagreement Trimming Sentences Parallelism Comparison Problems Pronoun-Antecedent Disagreement Pronoun Case Dangling and Misplaced Participles Other Misplaced Modifiers Tricky Tenses Idiom Errors Diction Errors Other Modifier Problems Irregular Verbs The Subjunctive Mood Coordinating Ideas
511
512
McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Lesson 1: Subject-Verb Disagreement
Finding Verbs
The verb is the most important part of a sentence, but verbs aren’t always easy to spot. Consider the word swim in the sentences The ducks swim in the pond and The ducks love to swim. In the first sentence, swim is the verb. In the second sentence, swim is part of a noun phrase. (To swim is the thing that the ducks love.) So how do we spot verbs? A verb is what conveys the essential meaning of a clause (a string of words that convey an idea). Every idea requires a verb. The sentence The ducks swim in the pond says that Something swims somewhere, 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 subject, that is, what does the verb. In both sentences, the subject is ducks. A verb may also require 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. Example: When David approached third base, the coach waved him home. This sentence contains two related ideas, so it contains two clauses, and therefore two verbs: Clause 1: When David approached third base Verb: approached Subject: David Object: third base Clause 2: the coach waved him home Verb: waved Subject: the coach Object: him “third person singular” form—as in he spends—but people is plural, so the phrase should be people spend.
Tricky Plurals and Singulars
These rules will help you to check whether a verb agrees in “number” with its subject: Phrases like Sam and Bob
ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR SKILLS
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Subject-Verb Disagreement Trimming Sentences Parallelism Comparison Problems Pronoun-Antecedent Disagreement Pronoun Case Dangling and Misplaced Participles Other Misplaced Modifiers Tricky Tenses Idiom Errors Diction Errors Other Modifier Problems Irregular Verbs The Subjunctive Mood Coordinating Ideas
511
512
McGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Lesson 1: Subject-Verb Disagreement
Finding Verbs
The verb is the most important part of a sentence, but verbs aren’t always easy to spot. Consider the word swim in the sentences The ducks swim in the pond and The ducks love to swim. In the first sentence, swim is the verb. In the second sentence, swim is part of a noun phrase. (To swim is the thing that the ducks love.) So how do we spot verbs? A verb is what conveys the essential meaning of a clause (a string of words that convey an idea). Every idea requires a verb. The sentence The ducks swim in the pond says that Something swims somewhere, 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 subject, that is, what does the verb. In both sentences, the subject is ducks. A verb may also require 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. Example: When David approached third base, the coach waved him home. This sentence contains two related ideas, so it contains two clauses, and therefore two verbs: Clause 1: When David approached third base Verb: approached Subject: David Object: third base Clause 2: the coach waved him home Verb: waved Subject: the coach Object: him “third person singular” form—as in he spends—but people is plural, so the phrase should be people spend.
Tricky Plurals and Singulars
These rules will help you to check whether a verb agrees in “number” with its subject: Phrases like Sam and Bob