Grammar
56 cards
7 min read
Review these 56 cards — active recall, FSRS spaced repetition, and SAT-format quizzing.
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| Prompt | Answer |
|---|---|
| When can you use a colon? | Only after a complete sentence (independent clause); what follows can be a list, phrase, or clause. |
| When can you use a semicolon to join clauses? | Only between two independent clauses (it acts like a period), or to separate items in a complex list. |
| What is a comma splice? | Joining two independent clauses with only a comma and no conjunction — an error. |
| Name four correct ways to join two independent clauses. | Period; semicolon; comma + FANBOYS conjunction; or a colon/dash if the second clause explains or expands the first. |
| What is an independent clause? | A group of words with a subject and verb that can stand alone as a complete sentence. |
| What is a dependent clause? | A group of words with a subject and verb that cannot stand alone (often starts with a subordinating word like "because" or "although"). |
| Fix: "I love pizza, it is my favorite food." (SAT) | Comma splice — replace the comma with a period, semicolon, or comma + "and." |
| Can a single dash join two independent clauses? | Yes — like a colon, a single dash can follow a complete sentence to add emphasis or explain/expand on it. |
| What are paired dashes/commas/parentheses used for? | To set off a supplement (extra, removable info); the two marks in the pair must match (both dashes, both commas, or both parentheses). |
| Fix: "My sister—who lives in Ohio, is a doctor." (SAT) | Mismatched punctuation — use matching marks: "My sister—who lives in Ohio—is a doctor." |
| How do you find the true subject of a sentence for subject-verb agreement? | Cross out prepositional phrases and interrupters; the verb must agree with what's left. |
| Fix: "The list of ingredients were long." (SAT) | "was" — the subject is "list" (singular), not "ingredients." |
| Are collective nouns (team, jury, family, committee) singular or plural on the SAT? | Singular — they take singular verbs and singular pronouns ("its," not "their"). |
| Fix: "The team celebrated their victory." (SAT) | "its" — a team is singular on the SAT. |
| "The number of students" — singular or plural verb? | Singular ("The number of students is rising"). |
| "A number of students" — singular or plural verb? | Plural ("A number of students are absent"). |
| Subject-verb agreement with "and": singular or plural? | Plural — "and" combines subjects ("Tom and Jerry are friends"). |
| Subject-verb agreement with "or"/"nor": which subject controls the verb? | The subject closest to the verb ("Neither the coach nor the players were ready"). |
| "Each" and "every" + noun — singular or plural verb? | Singular, even when followed by "of the [plural noun]" ("Each of the boys is ready"). |
| What is the basic pronoun agreement rule? | A pronoun must match its antecedent in number (and gender, where relevant). |
| Is "Each student must bring their own laptop" acceptable on the digital SAT? | Yes — singular "they/their" is accepted for an unknown or generic singular antecedent. |
| "Everyone brought their books, but Maria forgot hers." — any error? | No error — "their" correctly refers to generic "everyone," and "hers" correctly refers to the specific "Maria." |
| Trigger words "for" and "since" (duration) pair with which verb tense? | Present perfect ("has/have + past participle") — e.g., "She has taught for ten years." |
| "By the time" + a past-tense clause pairs with which tense in the other clause? | Past perfect ("had + past participle") — e.g., "By the time we arrived, the show had ended." |
| What is the modifier placement rule? | A modifying phrase must sit next to the noun it logically describes; otherwise it's dangling or misplaced. |
| Fix: "Walking to school, the rain soaked Jake." (SAT) | "Walking to school, Jake was soaked by the rain." — the modifier must describe the person walking, not the rain. |
| What does apostrophe + s ('s) on a noun usually signal? | Possession (singular), not a plural — e.g., "the dog's bone." |
| How do you form the plural possessive of a regular noun? | Add s for the plural, then just an apostrophe — "the dogs' bones" (bones belonging to multiple dogs). |
| its vs it's | "its" = possessive ("the dog wagged its tail"); "it's" = "it is/it has." |
| their vs there vs they're | "their" = possessive; "there" = place/existence ("there is"); "they're" = "they are." |
| whose vs who's | "whose" = possessive ("whose book is this?"); "who's" = "who is/who has." |
| your vs you're | "your" = possessive; "you're" = "you are." |
| fewer vs less | "fewer" for countable nouns ("fewer apples"); "less" for uncountable/mass nouns ("less water"). |
| number vs amount | "number" for countable nouns ("a number of people"); "amount" for uncountable nouns ("an amount of money"). |
| then vs than | "then" = time/sequence ("first this, then that"); "than" = comparison ("bigger than"). |
| affect vs effect | "affect" is usually a verb meaning to influence; "effect" is usually a noun meaning a result. |
| What is parallelism (parallel structure)? | Items in a list or comparison must share the same grammatical form (all verbs, all nouns, all -ing forms, etc.). |
| Fix: "She likes hiking, to swim, and biking." (SAT) | "She likes hiking, swimming, and biking." — all items must match form. |
| that vs which — restrictive vs nonrestrictive | "that" introduces essential info with no comma; "which" introduces extra, nonessential info and needs a comma. |
| Fix: "The car, that I bought, is red." (SAT) | Remove the commas and keep "that" (restrictive), or keep the commas and switch to "which." |
| Can you join an independent clause and a dependent clause with just a comma? | Yes, when the dependent clause comes first or is a nonessential aside; a comma splice only applies to two independent clauses. |
| Fix: "Because it was raining. We stayed inside." (SAT) | Fragment — join with a comma: "Because it was raining, we stayed inside." |
| What is a sentence fragment? | A group of words punctuated as a sentence but missing an independent clause. |
| Fix: "The museum, which opened in 1990 has free admission on Sundays." (SAT) | Add a comma after "1990" — the nonrestrictive clause needs commas on both sides. |
| Can a colon follow a dependent clause or sentence fragment? | No — a colon must always follow a complete independent clause. |
| Fix: "My favorite subjects are: math, science, and art." (SAT) | Remove the colon — "My favorite subjects are" is not a complete independent clause without the list. |
| Fix: "There going to their, house over there." | "They're going to their house over there." |
| When can a semicolon separate items in a list? | When the list items themselves contain commas — e.g., "I visited Paris, France; Rome, Italy; and Cairo, Egypt." |
| Can you use a comma before a restrictive "which" clause? | No — restrictive clauses never take a comma; only nonrestrictive "which" clauses do. |
| Fix: "The report, that was released yesterday, sparked debate." (SAT) | Remove the commas and keep "that": "The report that was released yesterday sparked debate." |
| What punctuation can introduce a supplement mid-sentence, and what's the rule? | Commas, dashes, or parentheses — the pair must match (both commas, both dashes, or both parentheses). |
| Fix: "Every one of the players are required to attend." (SAT) | "is" — "Every one" is singular; "of the players" is a prepositional phrase, not the subject. |
| What is the verb tense consistency rule? | Keep verb tense consistent within a sentence or passage unless a time cue signals a shift. |
| Fix: "She was studying for hours and then goes to bed." (SAT) | "went" — keep past tense consistent throughout. |
| Fix: "Neither of the answers were correct." (SAT) | "was" — "neither" is singular. |
| How does a dash differ from a semicolon when joining two independent clauses? | Both work like a period grammatically; a dash also signals emphasis or explanation, while a semicolon is neutral. |
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