MISCELLANEOUS Grammar Points

You could see questions about the following on your SAT: Parallelism POV consistency Tense consistency Commonly confused words (like too, to, two or their, there, their) Plural vs. possessive Case (when to use we vs. us, they vs. them, etc.) *We’ve started to look at many of these already!

PARALLELISM This refers to the structure of a sentence’s parts/clauses; they need to follow the same format. PROBLEM: After school she often attends club meetings, is playing soccer, or tries to listen to music. FIXED: After school she often attends club meetings, plays soccer, or listens to music.

POINT of VIEW CONSISTENCY Once a POV—first person, 2nd person, 3rd person—is established, it must be maintained. PROBLEM: If you want to know the truth about the scandal, one should follow the money trail. FIXED: If you want to know the truth about the scandal, you should follow the money trail.

TENSE CONSISTENCY Once a tense—past, present, future—is established, it needs to be maintained. PROBLEM: At the party the guests are having a great time, but the staff members felt stressed. FIXED: At the party the guests are having a great time, but the staff members are feeling stressed.

COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS Too: indicates an additional person, thing, amount, etc. She is going to the prom, too. To: part of a verb phrase or part of a prepositional phrase Verb: I like to ski. Preposition: She is going to the movie. Two: number I ate two donuts for breakfast. There: Indicates placement/position Put the dessert over there. Their: Indicates possession Students worked hard; I can see their efforts in making paper revisions. They’re: contraction for “they are” I’m going to sleep, but they’re going to play Monopoly.

COMMONLY CONFUSED WORDS Its vs it’s Its: indicates ownership The baseball team lost its fan base after tanking every game. It’s: contraction for “it is” The school’s football team won every game, and it’s headed to play offs! Your vs. You’re Your: indicates ownership Your car is parked in the wrong spot. You’re: contraction for “you are” If you’re going to drive, then park in the right spot.

PLURAL vs. POSSESSIVE PLURAL: indicates more than 1 of something. The seniors are about to graduate. The juniors want to drive next year. POSSESIVE: indicates ownership The seniors’ graduation date is June 15. (many seniors own that date) The junior’s parking permit will be awarded. (one junior owns a permit) The juniors’ fee for a parking spot is high. (many juniors have a fee).

CASE Case (nominative, objective, etc. refers to forms words take based on its parts of speech/its function in a sentence. PROBLEM: The principal will sit in the auditorium in front of you and I. FIXED: The principal will sit in the auditorium in front of you and me. *Note that “of” starts a prepositional phrase, so “you and me” serve as the object of the preposition. Try re- writing: The principal will sit in front of I? NOPE! In front of ME. PROBLEM: Who is the coach considering for MVP? FIXED: Whom is the coach considering for MVP? *Note: Try re-writing to answer: The coach is considering him/he? The answer would be “him,” so “whom” is the answer, since it’s the same case.