In academic writing, however, errors are not solely generated by punctuation. Today, we will learn about Form, Structure, and Sense, whose questions focus on these conventions:
- Subject-Verb Agreement
- Subject-Pronoun/Noun Agreement
- Verb Form
- Plural & Possessive
- Subject-Modifier Placement
Let’s dive right into it.
Subject-Verb Agreement
Subject-verb agreement is a fundamental aspect of grammar, in which the verb used in a sentence must correspond in number with its subject.
Subject-Verb Agreement questions can be simplified into the question “singular or plural?”
Singular verbs must go with singular subjects, and plural verbs must go with plural subjects.
Incorrect:
The birds positions themselves to fly just behind and to the side of the bird in front, timing their wing beats to catch the uplifting eddies.
Correct:
The birds position themselves to fly just behind and to the side of the bird in front, timing their wing beats to catch the uplifting eddies.
The subject is “the birds”, a plural noun. Therefore, the verb must also be plural.
Unfortunately, these questions won't make the disagreement so obvious—subjects and verbs are unlikely to appear next to each other. To address these types of questions effectively, you should solely focus on the subject and the verb, effectively ignoring all of the complex structure that might be employed to distract you.
Note: some of these questions might appear to be simultaneously testing verb form and agreement knowledge. However, that is most often not the case.
There are a few ways the examiners can hide the disagreement:
Additional Information Between Subjects and Verbs
Distancing subject and verb by a dependent clause is the most common strategy that the test will use to confuse you.
Subject-Verb Agreement Example: Dependent Clause
The recent study, conducted by esteemed researchers from various institutions and focusing on a wide range of factors, ______ the potential implications of environmental changes on wildlife populations.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
If you know that the clause in the commas (“conducted by esteemed researchers from various institutions and focusing on a wide range of factors”) is non-essential and “the recent study” is the noun, (C), the correct answer, will become quite obvious.
Another trick commonly used by examiners is to use a long noun phrase as the subject.
Subject-Verb Agreement Example: Long Noun Phrase
When a fire burns red or green or blue, the color of its flames ______ the chemical composition of the combustible material.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
A lot of students will just look at the word “flames” and think it is the subject noun. However, the actual subject is “the color of its flames”, a singular noun. Looking at the answers, (B) is the only singular verb. (C) and (D) might make you think this is also about verb forms, but as we have clarified, it is not.
Putting the Subject Behind the Verb
The use of this awkward construction often confuses test takers because some might think it is wrong.
However, when you encounter it, just know that the construction is correct, and you are only being tested on agreement.
Subject-Verb Agreement Example: Inverted Subject
Among the vast array of microbial communities ______ a unique and previously undiscovered bacterium, distinguished by its remarkable ability to metabolize complex hydrocarbons, a finding that could revolutionize the field of bioremediation and environmental science.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
Here, “a unique and previously undiscovered bacterium” is the noun, not “microbial communities”. Therefore, the verb must be singular. (B) is the correct answer.
Compound Nouns
A compound noun consists of two or more individual nouns joined together by a coordinating conjunction to make a bigger noun. By definition, they are always plural.
Subject-Verb Agreement Example: Compound Noun
Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee ______ that impressive advances in computer technology are largely behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
While “Erik Brynjolfsson” and “Andrew McAfee” are 2 singular nouns, when joined together by the word and, they become a compound noun (“Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee”). Only (C) correctly uses a plural verb.
Noun Phrases
Noun phrases are groups of words centered around a noun, often with modifiers like adjectives or determiners. They can confuse subject-verb agreement when modifiers in the phrase lead to mismatched agreement with the verb, causing grammatical errors in sentences.
However, there are simple ways to look for the actual subject noun.
First of all, a gerund (V-ing) is always singular:
Incorrect:
Researching new data analysis methods are the key to make significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.
Correct:
Researching new data analysis methods is the key to make significant advancements in the field of artificial intelligence.
Students can be confused as a plural noun (“methods”) is placed near the verb. However, it is only part of the subject modifier. The real subject noun here is “researching”.
Similarly, “The fact that” (“that”) and “Whether” are always singular:
Incorrect:
(The fact) That robots, automation, and software can replace people seem obvious to anyone who's worked in automotive manufacturing.
Correct:
(The fact) That robots, automation, and software can replace people seems obvious to anyone who's worked in automotive manufacturing.
Collective nouns are nouns that refer to a group of people (i.e. team, group, class). Despite this, for the purpose of the dSAT, they are always considered singular.
Incorrect:
The committee agree that people are misusing their cell phones, so its verdict is that phones must not be used during working hours.
Correct:
The committee agrees that people are misusing their cell phones, so its verdict is that phones must not be used during working hours.
Another type of subject we need to pay attention to is indefinite pronouns. These are words used to indicate amounts. They can take either singular or plural verbs.
| Singular | Plural | Singular or Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Few | Some |
| Each | Both | Most |
| Every | Many | Either…or… |
| The number | Others | Neither…nor… |
| None | A number | |
| Another |
Some pronouns can only go with a singular verb:
Example:
Periods of quiet, during which everyone works independently, are broken up occasionally with lively conversation.
When stuck between an answer choice that appears to have the right agreement but the wrong verb form vs. an answer choice that has the wrong agreement but the right verb form, the former is virtually always the correct choice.
Subject-Verb Agreement Example: Agreement Over Tense
During the 1820s, self-taught painter Thomas Doughty relied heavily on techniques used in European landscapes, such as the application of autumnal color palettes, when creating American scenes during his travels. One of his paintings in the 1830s, “In the Catskills”, ______ a representation of his solemn and poetic painting qualities, showcasing nature's grandeur.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
The noun is “One of his paintings”, a singular noun. Out of the answer choices, only (C) matches. Therefore, it must be the correct answer, even though the context of the passage is in the past.
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Subject-Pronoun-Noun Agreement
Similar to subject-verb agreement, the pronoun/noun must agree with the subject that it is referring to.
Just like with subject-verb agreement questions, to address these types of questions effectively, you should solely focus on finding the original subject that the noun/pronoun is replacing.
The ways the test might hide the agreement will also be similar:
- Distancing the subject and the noun/pronoun.
- Putting the pronoun before the subject.
Let's look at some examples:
Pronoun Agreement Example: Distant Antecedent
The violins handmade in the seventeenth century by Italian craftsman Antonio Stradivari have been celebrated as some of the finest in the world. In close collaboration with musicians, Stradivari introduced changes to the shape of a traditional violin, flattening some of the instrument's curves and making ______ lighter overall.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
Here, the subject being referred to is “a traditional violin”. That leads to (D).
Here's another one:
Pronoun Agreement Example: Pronoun Before Subject
Known for ______ innovative technology and visionary leadership, the groundbreaking startup EcoTech Solutions has captured the attention of investors and environmentalists alike, revolutionizing the way we perceive sustainable living in the 21st century.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
The subject here is “the groundbreaking startup EcoTech Solutions”, which is singular. Hence the correct answer is (B).
Noun
Similar to subject-verb agreement, nouns must also agree in number with the subject. Singular nouns must agree with singular subjects and plural nouns must agree with plural subjects.
Example:
Mark Royer, a shark biologist affiliated with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, was inspired when he observed the remarkable diving behavior of scalloped hammerheads during a previous research endeavor.
Pronoun
A pronoun must agree with the subject/noun it is referring to (a.k.a. its antecedent). Singular pronouns must agree with singular nouns. Plural pronouns must agree with plural nouns.
Example:
Mark Royer, a shark biologist affiliated with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, was inspired when he observed the remarkable diving behavior of scalloped hammerheads during a previous research endeavor.
The packages, which have been engineered to detach from the sharks after a few weeks, emit a satellite signal to indicate that they are ready for retrieval from the ocean waters.
Additionally, some pronouns can only refer to people, some only to things, and some can refer to both.
Incorrect:
William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" has become a widely studied and celebrated piece of literature. He revolves around a group of British schoolboys who find themselves stranded on a remote and uninhabited island.
Correct:
William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" has become a widely studied and celebrated piece of literature. It revolves around a group of British schoolboys who find themselves stranded on a remote and uninhabited island.
Moreover, some pronouns can only refer to males, while some can only refer to females. However, this is not the focus of the dSAT.
Sometimes, the pronoun will refer to a person of unknown gender. While “they” is widely used in everyday writing, only “he or she” is acceptable on the dSAT.
Incorrect:
When a person is facing a difficult situation, they may experience a range of emotions and responses.
Correct:
When a person is facing a difficult situation, he or she may experience a range of emotions and responses.
When the subject is missing or ambiguous, it is necessary to name the specific subject. As a result, when you are given the choice between a noun and a pronoun, the noun will virtually always be correct.
For example:
Pronoun Agreement Example: Ambiguous Subject
Renowned for their bold architectural visions, Zaha Hadid and Bjarke Ingels are recognized as major figures in architecture. Specifically, ______ after designing two housing complexes in Ørestad: VM Houses and Mountain Dwellings.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
Out of the 2 architects, we can't know which one the blank is referring to. Therefore, the name of the person is required. That makes (D) the correct answer.
Emphatic Pronoun
Emphatic pronouns (-self words) must also agree with their antecedent.
Pronoun Agreement Example: Emphatic Pronoun
While some marine creatures drift with ocean currents, others actively swim to hunt for prey. Sharks from the Lamnidae family, commonly known as mackerel sharks, propel ______ forward with their powerful tails, hunting down their elusive targets with incredible precision and speed.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
The noun is “Sharks from the Lamnidae family”, a plural noun. Therefore, (D), a plural pronoun, must be used to replace it.
Generic Pronoun
Generic pronouns, which consist of “one”, “you”, and “we”, can be used to refer to people in general.
However, they must remain consistent throughout the passage.
Pronoun Agreement Example: Generic Pronoun
We often think of reading as a cerebral activity concerned with the abstract—with thoughts and ideas, tone and themes, metaphors and motifs. As far as our brains are concerned, however, text is a tangible part of the physical world ______.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
To answer this question, you must pay attention to the surrounding text. The passage already used “we” and “our” to refer to people in general.
Consequently, the blank must be consistent with them. (A) is the correct answer.
Verb Form
Another error frequently encountered in academic writing is the misuse of verb forms. Consequently, the dSAT will also test your knowledge of this.
Verb Tenses and Aspects
Verb tenses are changes to the verb to answer the question “When?”: they show when the action took place. The 3 main verb tenses are Past, Present, and Future.
- The present represents actions happening now.
Example:
Magazines are now useless and impossible to understand, for digital natives.
- The past represents actions that happened earlier.
Example:
Before 1992, most studies concluded that people read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screens than on paper.
- The future describes actions that will happen later.
Example:
In the future, discrepancies in reading comprehension between paper and screens will shrink as people's attitudes continue to change.
Additionally, verb tenses can have grammatical aspects that provide additional information about the duration or timing of an action and offer more details about how the action unfolds over time. There are 4 grammatical aspects: Simple, Progressive, Perfect, and Perfect Progressive.
- As the name suggests, the Simple aspect is the base grammatical aspect. It doesn't add anything special.
- The Progressive (Continuous) aspect depicts actions or events that are ongoing, in progress, or temporary. It emphasizes the duration or the fact that an action is happening at a specific time. To form the progressive, use the structure to be + V-ing.
Example:
Researchers are investigating the effects of social media on students' learning outcomes and overall academic performance.
- The Perfect aspect indicates that an action was completed before a certain point in time. It emphasizes the result or the effect of the action. To form the perfect, use the appropriate tense of the verb have and the past participle form of the main verb. “For” and “since” are often a tip-off for this aspect.
Example:
Since 1992, most studies have concluded that people read slower, less accurately and less comprehensively on screens than on paper.
- The Perfect Progressive aspect expresses actions that were ongoing in the past or continue up to a specific point in time. It combines the elements of both the perfect and continuous aspects. To form the perfect progressive, use the appropriate tense of the verb “have” with “been” and the progressive (-ing) form of the main verb.
Example:
Over the past decade, scholars have been investigating the implications of climate change on biodiversity.
Combining the 3 tenses with the 4 aspects, we end up with 12 verb tenses.
In this guide, we won't delve into exhaustive details about every tense: attempting to cover them all comprehensively will overwhelm you.
Furthermore, a verb can have many forms, ranging from tenses, passive, infinitive, gerund, conditional, auxiliary, etc. Addressing every single form of a verb here would be too boring and tiresome for you as well as unnecessary.
Moreover, if you already have a decent English proficiency, you can most likely naturally detect mistakes just by ear without memorizing specific conjugations and rules.
With that being said, here are a few tips to address these questions:
- Oftentimes, the answer is the most straightforward choice. Complicated constructions like “would have been V-ing” or “will have” are often incorrect.
- Correct answers to these questions are primarily based on context. Therefore, make sure to read the surrounding sentences.
Let's try a few test-style examples:
Verb Form Example: Hidden Agreement
With a global food crisis predicted, a group of scientists ______ an innovative alternative to conventional farming that could radically transform the way that food is produced.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
This one is actually a trick question. To reiterate, a lot of questions will appear to be testing your knowledge of verb forms. In reality, things are much simpler: you just need to identify the disagreement in the text.
Here, you only need to know that a singular verb must be used to agree with the noun “a group of scientists”. (C) is the correct answer.
Verb Form Example: Past Tense
When Robert R. Provine began studying yawning in the 1960s, it ______ for him to convince research students of the merits of yawning science. Although it may appear quirky to some, Provine's decision to study yawning was a logical extension of his research in developmental neuroscience.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
The words “began”, “in the 1960s”, and “was” indicate that the verb in the blank must also be in the past tense. Therefore, (B) is the correct answer.
- (A) is in the present tense.
- (C) is in the present perfect tense.
- (D) is in the conditional perfect tense.
Verb Form Example: Statement of Fact
Expertise is the commitment of time, energy, and resources to a relatively narrow field of study and the creative energy necessary to generate new knowledge in that field. It ______ a considerable amount of time and regular exposure to a large number of cases to become an expert.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
The context clues in this question won't help you that much. Since this is just a statement of facts, the simple present used in (B) is sufficient. Don't overthink questions like this.
Infinitive vs. Gerund
Verb form questions might also require you to choose between an infinitive (to V) and a gerund (V-ing).
Some verbs can only be followed by infinitives.
Incorrect:
John Doe seeks examining the correlation between socioeconomic factors and academic achievement.
Correct:
John Doe seeks to examine the correlation between socioeconomic factors and academic achievement.
Some verbs can only be followed by gerunds.
Incorrect:
The new teacher spent time to develop a new teaching method aimed at improving students' problem-solving skills.
Correct:
The new teacher spent time developing a new teaching method aimed at improving students' problem-solving skills.
Others can be followed by both.
Example:
Lead researcher Asta started to investigate the long-term effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
Lead researcher Asta started investigating the long-term effects of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
Unfortunately, there is no pattern to know which one is which. The best approach to these questions is to have good language proficiency, at least enough to be able to find the right construction by ear.
Verb Form Example: Infinitive
The global population is expected ______ nine billion by 2050—up a third from today's level, and studies suggest that food production will have to go up by 70 per cent if we are to feed all of those new mouths.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
Because the verb “expect” can only be followed by infinitives, (B) is the correct answer.
Passive Voice
Another form of verb is the passive voice, where the subject and object are flipped.
Example:
Computers change the world.
The world has been changed by computers.
Based on the official practice tests, the passive voice is not a major concern of the dSAT.
However, on the paper SAT, the passive voice was likely to be incorrect. This is because the passive voice often leads to wordy and awkward constructions.
Plural & Possessive
Another type of common error in academic writing involves the use of plural and possessive forms, a.k.a. apostrophes.
These errors can occur due to the similarity in pronunciation and spelling between some plural and possessive forms, leading to confusion and misunderstandings.
| Singular | Plural (-s, -es) | Singular Possessive (-’s) | Plural Possessive (-s’) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientist | Scientists | Scientist’s | Scientists’ |
| Process | Processes | Process’s | Processes’ |
- To form the plural of a noun, add -s. When a singular noun ends in -s, however, add -es.
- To form the possessive of a singular noun, add -’s. Note: this construction is also used to create a contraction between a noun and the verb “is”, “was” or “has”.
- To form the possessive of a plural noun, add -s’ or -es’.
| Pronoun | Possessive | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| It | Its | It’s |
| They | Their | They’re |
For pronouns, apostrophes are used differently:
- For some pronouns, to form the possessive, add -s (its, his, hers).
- To form a contraction with the verb is or are, add -’s or -’re (it’s, they’re,…).
Tip: One way to get around this problem is to look out for nouns. If the word/phrase right after a noun is another noun, the 1st word must be possessive, since the only thing a noun can possess is another noun.
For example:
Plural & Possessive Example
Despommier is concerned about the harm which farming has done to ______ over a relatively short time span, particularly the elimination of hardwood forests.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
There are 2 nouns here: “world” and “landscapes”.
- Since the word right after it is a noun, “world” must be possessive. (B) can be eliminated.
- On the other hand, the word/phrase after “landscapes” (“over…”) is not a noun. Therefore, it can't be possessive. (C) and (D) can be eliminated.
- This leaves (A) as the correct answer.
A common motif the College Board used on the paper SAT is to ask you to differentiate between these similar-sounding pronouns that have very different meanings:
It’s vs. Its
It’s = It is, It was, It has
Example:
It's widely acknowledged that J. Robert Oppenheimer played a pivotal role in the development of the atomic bomb.
Its = Possessive form of it
Example:
When Oppenheimer created the atomic bomb, he did not know of its devastating impact on mankind.
The easiest way to know when to use which is to plug “it is” into the blank. If the sentence is correct, use “it’s”. If it is not, use “its”.
They’re vs. Their
They’re = They are, They were
Example:
As Barbie and Ken embark on exciting adventures together, they're not just creating cherished memories but also fostering creativity and friendship skills in young minds.
Their = Possessive form of they
Example:
Barbie and Ken, each with their unique personalities and aspirations, have captured the imaginations of children worldwide for decades.
Similarly, the easiest way to know when to use which is to plug “they are” or “they were” into the blank. If the sentence is correct, use “they’re”. If it is not, use “their”.
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Subject-Modifier Placement
Subject-modifier placement refers to the correct positioning of modifiers (adjectives, adverbs, phrases, or clauses) in a sentence to ensure that they modify the intended subject or word accurately.
As a rule, modifiers should be placed right next to the words or phrases they modify.
Correct:
Fritz Haber, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist, revolutionized agriculture through his pioneering work on synthetic fertilizers.
Errors in placing modifiers can lead to ambiguity or alter the meaning of the sentence, leading to sentences as absurd as this:
Incorrect:
Fritz Haber revolutionized agriculture through his pioneering work on synthetic fertilizer, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist.
Placing the modifier here would imply that synthetic fertilizer is a Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Obviously, this is not the case.
There are 2 potential types of modification errors:
- Dangling modifiers, whose intended subjects are missing from the sentence altogether.
Incorrect:
Distracted by the fascinating research article, the time quickly passed by.
In this sentence, it is unclear who was distracted by the research article (it's definitely not the time). To correct the sentence and avoid the dangling modifier, we need to clarify this.
Correct:
Distracted by the fascinating research article, John found that the time quickly passed by.
- Misplaced modifiers, which are too far away from the thing they are supposed to modify.
Incorrect:
Greek yogurt has grown enormously in popularity in the United States—a strained form of cultured yogurt—since it was first introduced in the country in the late 1980s.
Clearly, the United States is not a strained form of cultured yogurt. If you look around, Greek yogurt seems to suit this description the most.
Correct:
Greek yogurt—a strained form of cultured yogurt—has grown enormously in popularity in the United States since it was first introduced in the country in the late 1980s.
On the dSAT, answer choices for these questions are often extremely long. However, you only have to pay attention to the part closest to the modifier.
Modifier Placement Example: Dangling Modifier
Because it requires up to four times more milk to make than conventional yogurt does, Greek yogurt produces larger amounts of acid whey, which is difficult to dispose of. To address the problem of disposal, ______.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
For this question, you just need to pay attention to the first part of the answer choices. What can address the problem of disposal? Clearly, only the farmers can. Therefore, “farmers” must be placed right next to the modifier. (D) is the correct answer.
Sometimes, the question might trick you with the possessive form.
Modifier Placement Example: Possessive Trap
Long viewed by many as the stereotypical useless major, ______. Because philosophy teaches students not what to think but how to think, the age-old discipline offers consistently useful tools for academic and professional achievement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Select an answer to enable Submit
Again, what is long viewed by many as the stereotypical useless major? From the beginnings of the answer choices, only “philosophy” from (C) matches. However, be careful with (A): philosophy itself is the major, not philosophy’s impression.
Summary
In this guide, we have revised some foundational grammatical conventions of English: agreement among subject, verb, noun and pronoun; various verb forms; plural and possessive forms; and subject-modifier placement.
This is not a part you can rush through. To improve your grammar, the optimal method is to improve your overall English fluency by practicing a lot and exposing yourself to the language (listening to podcasts, reading articles, talking to foreigners,…).
This blog is part of a SAT Guide series. If you liked this one, you can join my email list, and I’ll make sure you will be the first one to know when the next post goes live.
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