English Language Zone
English Language Zone
Are You in the 'Zone'? - By: Mariam Khaled - Grade: 10E
There are
plenty of SAT topics. Along with examples and explanation, five SAT topics are
discussed here.
I. Dangling Modifier:
If your
sentence begins with any of those five, make sure, right after the comma, the
modifier (subject) appears. To get the right answer, you should ask yourself:
"Who is the doer of the phrase before the comma?"
1) Gerund (Verb+ing) Examples:
-a-
WRONG: Approaching the summit of Cayuse, mixed hail and
snow pelted us.
-a-
RIGHT: Approaching the summit of Cayuse, we were pelted
by mixed hail and snow.
-b-WRONG: Walking down the river, a big boat appeared to
Sally.
-b-RIGHT: Walking down the river, Sally saw a big boat.
2) Infinitive (To+verb) Examples:
-a- WRONG: To fill out the application form, a pen was
needed.
-a- RIGHT: To fill out the application form, Rob needs a
pen.
-b- WRONG: To finish the assignment, the
resource must be
cited.
-b- RIGHT: To finish the assignment, Lina must
cite the resource.
3) Past Participle (Published, established, etc.) Examples:
-a-
WRONG: Tired of all of the
nights in hotels, the boss told Mitch that he didn't have to travel
anymore.
-a-
RIGHT: Tired of all of the
nights in hotels, Mitch was delighted when his boss said he didn't have
to travel anymore.
-b-
WRONG: Covered in
wildflowers, the hillside's beauty was pondered by Aardvark.
-b-
RIGHT: Covered in
wildflowers, Aardvark pondered the hillside's beauty.
4) Preposition (in, to, before, etc.) Examples:
-a- WRONG: At the age of seven, my mother gave birth to my brother Rick.
-a- RIGHT: At the age of seven, I saw my
mother giving birth to my brother Rick.
-b- WRONG: After cleaning my room, my dog wanted to take a walk.
-b- RIGHT: After cleaning my room, I took my
dog for a walk
5) A/An Examples:
-a-
WRONG: A freelance editor
and proofreader, many writers, who struggle with misplaced and dangling
modifiers, were noticed by John Smith.
-a-
RIGHT: A freelance editor
and proofreader, John Smith noticed that many writers struggle with
misplaced and dangling modifiers.
-b-
WRONG: A Swiss with fame, the
prize was won by Adam.
-b-RIGHT: A Swiss with fame, Adam won the
prize.
Sneaky Tip: NEVER take the following subjects in a misplaced modifier
sentence:
1)
Subject's
2)
Illogical subject
3)
Ambiguous subject (except: I, we, you)
II. Faulty Comparison:
Tips and
Tricks:
1. In order
to have a clear, an understandable, and a logical comparison, two similar items are an obligatory.
2. Ways to
compare two things include the following four things:Let’s use this sentence that has a faulty comparison as an example.
“Reading the books of John Adair is more interesting than Jane Sam.”
a) than reading the books of Jane Sam. (best way)
b) than the books of Jane Sam.
c) than those of Jan Sam. (use that if singular)
d) than Jane Sam’s.
Key words for Comparison:
- More than
- Less than
- Similar to
- Different from
- Compare to
- Like
- Unlike
- As
Examples:
1) You cannot compare the weather to all of "Mexico".
WRONG: The weather in Canada is colder than Mexico.
RIGHT: The weather in Canada is colder than the weather in Mexico.
WRONG: The weather in Canada is colder than Mexico.
RIGHT: The weather in Canada is colder than the weather in Mexico.
2) In this example, the comparison is incomplete.
WRONG: We are less likely to go to see Star Wars today
RIGHT: We are less likely than Johann is to go see Star Wars today.
WRONG: We are less likely to go to see Star Wars today
RIGHT: We are less likely than Johann is to go see Star Wars today.
3) Compare the verb to another verb rather than a verb to a noun.
WRONG: John Smith likes his dog better than his wife.
RIGHT: John Smith likes his dog better than his wife does.
WRONG: John Smith likes his dog better than his wife.
RIGHT: John Smith likes his dog better than his wife does.
4) Use the same noun. It's wrong because you can't compare the blouse's color to Shana.
WRONG: The color of my new blouse is better for me than Shana.
RIGHT: The color of my new blouse is better for me than that of Shana.
WRONG: The color of my new blouse is better for me than Shana.
RIGHT: The color of my new blouse is better for me than that of Shana.
5) Here, there is incomplete comparison.
WRONG: Dean Bradley’s poetry is richer in image.
RIGHT: Dean Bradley’s poetry is richer in image than Brad Cooper’s.
WRONG: Dean Bradley’s poetry is richer in image.
RIGHT: Dean Bradley’s poetry is richer in image than Brad Cooper’s.
6) Comparison has to be between two singular or plural things rather than comparing one to many other things.
WRONG: Serena is smarter than any other student in class.
RIGHT: Serena is smarter than her friend Diana.
WRONG: Serena is smarter than any other student in class.
RIGHT: Serena is smarter than her friend Diana.
7) Avoid double comparisons.
WRONG: The room is more smaller than the house is.
RIGHT: The room is smaller than the house is.
WRONG: The room is more smaller than the house is.
RIGHT: The room is smaller than the house is.
8) Memorize this rule: when "two" is used in a dangling modifier to compare two things, we use comparative case.
WRONG: Of the two girls sitting in the room, Jennifer is the tallest.
RIGHT: Of the two girls sitting in the room, Jennifer is the taller.
WRONG: Of the two girls sitting in the room, Jennifer is the tallest.
RIGHT: Of the two girls sitting in the room, Jennifer is the taller.
III. Subject-Verb
Agreement:
Basic rule:
singular subjects need singular verbs; conversely, plural subjects need plural
verbs. However, there are some rules to consider.
1) Indefinite Pronouns:
Case 1: “any--, everyone, everybody, someone, somebody,
no one, nobody, each” are always singular.
Examples:
- Everyone has done his or her homework.
- Somebody has left her purse.
Case 2: “all, none, some, most” can either be singular or plural, depending on the words that follow them.
Examples:
- Some of the
beads are misplaced.
- Some of the
water is gone.
- None of you claims liability for this event?
- None of the
students have done their homework.
2) Phrases Unlike “And” + Confusing
Modifiers:
The
following phrases make two subjects; the first subject determines the verb: in
addition to, along with, as long as, together with. In order to get the subject for
these phrases and the confusing modifiers, use this technique:
a) Look for the verb that is preceded by a comma.
a) Look for the verb that is preceded by a comma.
b) Drop one
portion or phrase.
c) The noun
before that portion is the subject.
Examples:
- The mayor, as well as his brothers, is going to prison.
- The teacher, along with the
students, goes to school five times a week.
- These bright, blue shirts, together with the
blouse, are expensive.
- The mayor, who not only has been
convicted along with his four brothers on four counts of various crimes but
also who also seems to have several political lives, is finally going to prison.
3) There and Here:
When there and here are present in sentences, the
subject follows them. It is called an inverted sentence.
Examples:
- There are several explanations for the Palestinian crisis.
- Suddenly,
here come Joe and his two
brothers.
4) Either +
Neither:
Case 1: When they appear without their sidekicks “or”
and “nor”, they are always singular.
Examples:
- Neither of the two engines is working.
- Either is fine with Ben.
Case 2: When they appear with their sidekicks, the subject closer to the verb determines the verb’s number.
Examples:
- Either my
father or my brothers are going to sell the house.
- Neither my
brothers nor my father is
going to sell the house.
- Not only the
boat but also several ships
have the engine.
- Is either my
mother or my sisters
responsible?
5) Special Cases of Plural and
Singular:
Examples:
- The number
of = singular
- a number of = plural
- economics/mathematics/statistics = plural
- all
collective nouns are singular, such as: audience, family, committee, etc.)
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It is basically an agreement in number between words in the same grammatical construction. For instance, we don’t have a life; we have lives.
Examples:
1) WRONG: They are a professional,
specialized doctor.
RIGHT: They are
professional, specialized doctors.
2) WRONG: Everyone
must be careful with their homework.
RIGHT: Everyone must be
careful with his or her homework.
3) WRONG: People
should be responsible for his or her belongings.
RIGHT: People should be responsible
for their belongings.
4) WRONG: A
delusional science fiction buff and a respected professor of cosmology
are an expert in writing about a comet.
RIGHT: A delusional
science fiction buff and a respected professor of cosmology are experts
in writing about a comet.
V. Double Negatives:
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Double
negatives occur when a sentence has two negative words, resulting in canceling
each other and having the opposite meaning. Double negatives make the sentence
confusing and unclear. For an improved sentence structure, use only one
negative word and avoid double negatives.
Using double negatives in one sentence gives the opposite meaning, yet it does the job awkwardly.
Negative Words:
 |
- No
- Not
- Nobody
- Nothing
- None
- Never
- Hardly
- Scarcely
- Barely
- Only
- Seldom
- Without
Remember:
ever and any are positive.
Examples:
1) WRONG: I went
to the club without some friends.
RIGHT: I went to the club without any friends.
2) WRONG: I don’t know nothing
about double negatives.
RIGHT: I don’t
know anything about double negatives.
3) WRONG: That attitude won't get
you nowhere.
RIGHT: That
attitude won’t get you anywhere.
4) WRONG: He can't hardly wait
for his present to arrive.
RIGHT: He can
hardly wait for his present to arrive.
 |
| ... and that's the reason why you will forever stay with horrible grammar. |
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