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20 Tips for Improving Your Writing and Language Score for the SAT

Strive Academics
Not sure where to start studying for the Writing and Language section of the SAT? There are many rules to learn, but some pop up repeatedly. Start here.

Even though you may understand English well, you may not understand all of the intricacies of English grammar and how punctuation is used. This throws many students for a loop when taking the SAT. This section of the test challenges you to understand how words, sentences, and punctuation function in English to deliver a message as clearly as possible. It may seem like a daunting task, but there are a few concepts that surface again and again. Here are some tips on how to approach this section of the SAT.

  1. You have 35 minutes to answer 44 questions on this section. That’s about:
    1. 8 minute 45 seconds per passage
    2. 47 seconds per question
  1.  
  2. No change is a valid choice. The test is not trying to trick you. Pay close attention to the sentence, though, and the other tips in this section.
  3. Read out loud to yourself. Read the words how you would say it to someone else. This will help you get a better feel for where the punctuation goes and how the sentences work grammatically. If it seems odd, it may be incorrect.
  4. Pay close attention to what the question is asking you to do.
  5. The New SAT has a much greater emphasis on words in context. It is no longer good enough to know vocabulary words. Instead, you must be able to understand the meaning of words based on how it is used in the passage. Read the sentences before and after (at least!) the target sentence with the key word. Ask yourself: what emotion does this word convey? Is it positive or negative? What is happening when this word is used? What word would I substitute in its place that would make sense?
  6. Use commas where a breath is needed or to separate extra information from the rest of the sentence. To identify what is extra information, draw a light line through everything but the subject, it’s verb, and any object of the verb.
  7. Use semicolons to separate two related complete sentences.
  8. Use a colon when the information following it explains the information before it.
  9. Use a dash to separate an interruption in the sentence.
  10. Avoid wordiness. The correct answer should contain relevant information and shouldn’t repeat information within the same sentence.
  1. Pay attention to the tense of the verbs in the rest of the paragraph. The correct answer will likely be in the same tense.
  2. Pay attention to the form of the verbs in the rest of the sentence. The correct answer likely has the verb in the same form (e.g. Talking…walking/ NOT talking….to walk/walked/he walked, etc.)
  3. Remember the 4 Cs of writing. Good writing is:
    1. Clear
    2. Concise
    3. Consistent
    4. Has Complete Sentences
  4. Commonly mistaken words
    1. Accept/Except: Accept means “to receive (She accepted the award for her hard work).” Except means “excluding (He liked all the options except the last one).”
    2. Affect/Effect: Affect is a verb: The neighbor’s loud music affected Chuck’s ability to study. Effect is a noun: Kate’s good grades were the effect of much studying. Try substituting the word “alter” or “result.” If alter fits, use “affect.” If result fits, use “effect.”
    3. Allude/Elude: Allude means “to refer to (Tina alluded to her favorite TV show in her speech).” Elude means “to escape from (Ron eluded his mother’s questions for another day).”
    4. Among/Between: Among indicates a loose relationship between many things (Jake walked among the crowd on his way to class). Between expresses a relationship between one thing and one or more things (While walking, Jake exchanged text messages between him and his friends).
    5. Complement/Compliment: Complement means “to complete (Many people agree that peanut butter complements jelly).” Compliment means “to flatter (Ross smiled when the boss complimented his work).”
    6. Either…or/Neither…nor: Use either…or when describing two options (The students decided that they would either go to a museum or a farm for their field trip). Use neither…nor when describing options that are not possible (Neither Bob nor Cindy were able to come out to karaoke tonight).
    7. Elicit/Illicit: Elicit means “to draw out/evoke (Beth’s sculpture elicited many puzzled looks from the crowd).” Illicit means “illegal (The government considers many substances to be illicit).”
    8. Farther/Further: Farther indicates a physical distance (The car could not drive any farther as it was out of gas). Further indicates a metaphorical distance (Naomi wondered how much further it would be to complete the project).
    9. I/Me: Use “I” as the subject (Josh and I will take the message to Sandra). Use “me” as the object of a verb or preposition (The boss gave a promotion to Julia and me).
    10. It’s/Its: Use “it’s” as a contraction for “it is (It’s my birthday today!).” Use “its” to show ownership (Kendrick wanted to buy an umbrella at the store, but he did not like its color).
    11. Lead/Led: Lead, when it rhymes with bed, refers to a type of metal (Lance wore a lead gown to protect himself from the x-rays). When lead rhymes with read (present tense), it means “to guide (The teacher leads the children through the hallways).” Led is the past tense of the verb lead, meaning “to guide (Mary led her friends to the best restaurant in town).”
    12. Less and Much/Fewer and Many: Use less and much when talking about things that cannot be counted (Allison had fewer errors on her assignment, so she spent less time doing corrections). Use Fewer and many when talking about things that can be counted (Steve felt much joy when he won many awards).
    13. Lie/Lay: Lie means “to tell a lie (Susie lies too much).” It can also mean “to recline (Jennifer loves to lie down on the beach during the summer).” Lay means “to place down (I lay down my phone for a short time).”
    14. Loose/Lose: Loose is usually an adjective meaning “free/released from attachment (The gate was open, so the farmer’s cattle were loose).” Lose is always a verb, meaning “to misplace” or “to not be victorious (Kelsey did not want to lose the race.”
    15. Than/Then: Use “than” when making a comparison (Apple is larger than most companies). Use “then” when referring to a cause and effect relationship or time (If Mike studies for one hour, then he will go to the concert).
    16. There/Their/They’re: Use “there” to indicate a place (Chris said that the store is there, at the corner of the street). Use “their” to show ownership (The ideals amazed the teacher). Use “they’re” as a contraction for “they are (They’re running for student government this year).”
    17. To/Too/Two: Use “to” to indicate direction (Brian walked to the grocery store) or form infinitives (He wanted to buy some juice). Use “too” when talking about quantities of things (While at the store, he decided to buy some candy too). Use “two” to indicate the number 2 (In all, Brian bought two items at the store).
    18. Who/Which: Use “who” to refer to people (The man who left his wallet returned shortly). Use “which” to refer to things that are not considered people (Which brand of computer do you prefer?).
    19. Which/That: Use “which” when referring to things that are not essential to the sentence or phrase (Frank bought a car, which had a zebra-stripe pattern, for his birthday). Use “that” when referring to things that are essential to the sentence or phrase (Michelle wanted a dog that could sit in her lap).
    20. Who/Whom: Use “who” as the subject (Who is the person that designed the poster?). Use “whom” as the object of a verb or preposition (To whom to I deliver the flowers?).
    21. Who’s/Whose: Use “who’s” as a contraction for “who is (Who’s in charge of this group?).” Use “whose” to show ownership (The journalist wanted to know whose story was more accurate).
    22. Your/You’re: Use “your” to show ownership (“How would you like your food prepared?” asked the waiter). Use “you’re” as a contraction for “you are (You’re the best candidate for the job).
  5. Pay attention to transition words.
    1. And – additional info
    2. But – what follows is different than expected
    3. Because – what follows is the reason the previous statement happened
    4. Yet – what follows is the opposite of what was expected
    5. For – what follows explains the previous statement
    6. Nor – what follows is one of many options not available
    7. Or – what follows is one of many options available
    8. So – what follows happened as a result of the previous statement
  6. Possession:
    1. 1 Boy’s parents
    2. 2+ Boys’ parents
  7. A complete sentence must have a subject and a verb.
  8. The choice that gets the important points across with the least words is often correct.
  9. Review these grammar rules:
    1. Subject-verb agreement
    2. Pronoun agreement
    3. Using adjectives and adverbs
    4. Comparative and superlative adjectives
    5. Punctuation: commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes
    6. Conjunctions (always have a comma before it if between two complete sentences):
      1. FANBOYS
        1. For
        2. And
        3. Nor
        4. But
        5. Or
        6. Yet
        7. So
  10. Pay attention to the answer choices. What is changing and what is staying the same?
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