Grade: Grade 11 Subject: English Language Arts Unit: SAT/ACT R&W Mastery Lesson: 5 of 6 SAT: Standard English Conventions ACT: Conventions of Standard English

Editing Workshop: Standard English Conventions

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Standard English Conventions questions test your knowledge of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Unlike Expression of Ideas questions, these have objectively correct answers based on established rules.

The Big Five: Most Frequently Tested Concepts

1. Subject-Verb Agreement

The verb must match its subject in number, even when other words come between them.

  • Tricky case - prepositional phrases: "The collection of rare stamps is valuable." (Subject is "collection," not "stamps")
  • Tricky case - inverted order: "Among the ruins was a golden artifact." (Subject is "artifact")
  • Tricky case - compound subjects: "Neither the manager nor the employees were aware." (Verb matches nearest subject)

2. Pronoun Clarity and Agreement

Pronouns must clearly refer to a specific noun and match in number.

  • Ambiguous reference: "When the scientist met the journalist, she was nervous." (Who was nervous?)
  • Number agreement: "Each student must bring their own calculator" is now widely accepted, but SAT/ACT may prefer "his or her"
  • Case errors: "Between you and me" (not "I") - object of preposition

3. Punctuation: Commas, Semicolons, Colons, Dashes

  • Comma + FANBOYS: Use between independent clauses: "I studied hard, and I passed the exam."
  • Semicolon: Joins independent clauses without a conjunction: "I studied hard; I passed the exam."
  • Colon: Introduces a list, explanation, or elaboration after a complete sentence
  • Dashes: Set off parenthetical information with emphasis (always in pairs unless at end of sentence)

4. Sentence Structure: Fragments, Run-ons, Modifiers

  • Fragment: Lacks a subject or verb, or is a dependent clause alone: "Because she studied." (incomplete)
  • Run-on/comma splice: Two sentences joined incorrectly: "She studied, she passed." (needs semicolon, conjunction, or period)
  • Dangling modifier: "Walking to school, the rain started." (The rain wasn't walking)
  • Misplaced modifier: "I saw a dog running down the street in my pajamas." (The dog wore pajamas?)

5. Parallel Structure

Items in a list or comparison must have the same grammatical form.

  • Wrong: "She likes hiking, swimming, and to run."
  • Right: "She likes hiking, swimming, and running."
  • Wrong: "The job requires creativity, dedication, and being punctual."
  • Right: "The job requires creativity, dedication, and punctuality."

Quick Recognition Strategy

When you see an underlined portion, quickly identify what's being tested:

  1. Verb underlined? Check subject-verb agreement and tense
  2. Pronoun underlined? Check reference clarity and agreement
  3. Punctuation underlined? Identify what's on each side and apply the appropriate rule
  4. Beginning of sentence underlined? Check for modifier errors
  5. List or comparison? Check parallel structure

Examples

Example 1: Subject-Verb Agreement

Sentence: "The group of scientists who studies climate change have published new findings."

Analysis:

  • "who studies" - The relative pronoun "who" refers to "scientists" (plural), so it should be "who study"
  • "have published" - The subject is "group" (singular), so it should be "has published"

Corrected: "The group of scientists who study climate change has published new findings."

Example 2: Punctuation

Question: Choose the correct punctuation:

"The museum houses three types of exhibits: paintings, sculptures, and photographs."

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. exhibits; paintings
  3. exhibits, paintings
  4. exhibits-paintings

Analysis: A is correct. A colon is appropriate here because it follows a complete sentence and introduces a list. A semicolon (B) joins independent clauses, not lists. A comma (C) creates a run-on. A single dash (D) is unconventional for introducing a list.

Example 3: Dangling Modifier

Sentence: "Having finished the experiment, the results were analyzed by the researchers."

Problem: "Having finished the experiment" describes the researchers, but the subject of the main clause is "results." Results didn't finish an experiment.

Corrected: "Having finished the experiment, the researchers analyzed the results."

Practice

Complete these 12 practice items covering the most tested conventions.

1. The committee have reached a unanimous decision.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. has
  3. are having
  4. were having

2. Neither the professor nor her students was prepared for the fire drill.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. her students were
  3. her students is
  4. her student were

3. The new policy affects whomever works in the marketing department.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. whoever
  3. whom
  4. whichever

4. The orchestra performed beautiful during the evening concert.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. beautifully
  3. more beautiful
  4. beauty

5. Hoping to finish early, the project was completed by the team ahead of schedule.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Hoping to finish early, the team completed the project ahead of schedule.
  3. The project, hoping to finish early, was completed by the team ahead of schedule.
  4. The project was completed by the team, hoping to finish early, ahead of schedule.

6. The study examined three factors; cost, availability, and consumer preference.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. factors:
  3. factors,
  4. factors

7. My brother is taller than me.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. I
  3. myself
  4. I am

8. The candidates discussed the economy, healthcare, and how to improve education.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. and education improvement
  3. and education
  4. and improving education

9. The company announced their new sustainability initiative last week.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. its
  3. it's
  4. they're

10. The museum, which houses thousands of artifacts are open every day except Monday.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. artifacts, are
  3. artifacts, is
  4. artifacts is

11. Having been elected president, the first order of business was addressing the budget crisis.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. Having been elected president, she made addressing the budget crisis her first order of business.
  3. She, having been elected president, the first order of business was the budget crisis.
  4. The first order of business, having been elected president, was the budget crisis.

12. The research team's findings suggests that the treatment is effective.

  1. NO CHANGE
  2. suggest
  3. is suggesting
  4. has suggested

Check Your Understanding

Verify you've mastered these conventions:

  • Can you quickly identify the subject of a sentence, even when modifying phrases intervene?
  • Do you know when to use who/whom, whoever/whomever?
  • Can you distinguish between colon, semicolon, comma, and dash usage?
  • Can you spot and fix dangling and misplaced modifiers?
  • Can you ensure all items in a list have parallel grammatical structure?

Practice Answer Key

1. B | 2. B | 3. B | 4. B | 5. B | 6. B | 7. D | 8. C | 9. B | 10. C | 11. B | 12. B

Next Steps

  • Create flashcards for the grammar rules you find most challenging
  • Practice identifying the type of error before looking at answer choices
  • Proceed to the Unit Checkpoint to test your mastery of all R&W domains