Grammar help!!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Please and thank you :)</p>

<h2>I absolutely suck at grammar... so explanations would be greatly appreciated :D</h2>

<p>The left-handed can opener was a brilliant invention; the popularization of electric can openers made them obsolete, however.
(A) invention; the popularization of electric can openers made it obsolete, however.
(B) invention; but the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(C) invention, and the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(D) invention, however the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(E) invention, however obsolete it was made by the invention of the electric can opener.</p>

<p>For many academics, having the liberty to teach what they want is more important than having a good salary.
(A) having the liberty to teach what they want is more important
(B) the liberty of teaching what they want is more important
(C) there is more importance in being free to teach what they want
(D) to have the liberty to teach what they want is more important
(E) liberty to teach what they want has more importance</p>

<p>Many recent films are based around natural disasters, named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(A) films are based around natural disasters, named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(B) films, based around natural disasters, are named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(C) films are named in order to evoke fear in audiences, based on natural disasters.
(D) films having their names based on natural disasters are meant to evoke fear in audiences.
(E) films based around natural disasters are named in order to evoke fear in audiences.</p>

<p>Considering his tremendous donations to charity, the millionaire’s decision to close the school seems out of character.
(A) Considering his tremendous donations to charity
(B) In light of his tremendous donations to charity
(C) His tremendous donations to charity being considered
(D) With his tremendous donations to charity being taken into consideration
(E) His tremendous donations to charity are what make</p>

<p>Having been an avid fan of music for most of her life, the elderly woman found learning to play the piano very easy.
(A) life, the elderly woman found learning to play the piano very easy.
(B) life, learning to play the piano came very easily to the elderly woman.
(C) life; the elderly woman was able to learn to play the piano very easily.
(D) life, it was very easy for the elderly woman to learn to play the piano.
(E) life, and the elderly women found learning to play the piano very easy.</p>

<p>The boxing champion is almost as skillful leading with his left hand as he is leading with his right.
(A) almost as skillful leading with his left hand as he is leading with his right.
(B) as skillful leading with his left hand, almost as he is with his right.
(C) as skillful leading with his left hand as he is with his right almost.
(D) with his left hand almost as skillful as he is leading with his right.
(E) is leading almost as skillfully with his left as his is leading with his right.</p>

2

<p>you need to underline the part of the original sentence.</p>

3

<p>A
A
E
E
A
A</p>

<p>I won’t bother double-checking, but those answers are probably right. these questions all seem much harder than those on the SAT.</p>

4

<p>The left-handed can opener was a brilliant invention; the popularization of electric can openers made them obsolete, however.
(A) invention; the popularization of electric can openers made it obsolete, however.
(B) invention; but the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(C) invention, and the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(D) invention, however the popularization of the electric can opener made it obsolete.
(E) invention, however obsolete it was made by the invention of the electric can opener.</p>

<p>(A). A semi-colon connects two individual clauses which should be able to stand on their own and still make sense. Therefore B doesn’t work, and neither do D/E (which are run-ons). C is just the incorrect conjunction, because you’re describing something that was brilliant then obsolete- ‘and’ would be used for a similar, continuous idea; ‘but’ shows the contrast. </p>

<hr>

<p>For many academics, having the liberty to teach what they want is more important than having a good salary.
(A) having the liberty to teach what they want is more important
(B) the liberty of teaching what they want is more important
(C) there is more importance in being free to teach what they want
(D) to have the liberty to teach what they want is more important
(E) liberty to teach what they want has more importance</p>

<p>(A) Always make sure to have parallel structure. “Having the liberty” matches “having a good salary.” The same rule applies for things like “The girl likes to run, jump, and throwing parties is fun for her too.” You would need to have “run, jump and throw…” because the conjugations in the sentence should all match. You can’t have verbs and a noun (ie run, jump, and parties give her enjoyment too), just as you can’t have verbs in all different forms.</p>

<hr>

<p>Many recent films are based around natural disasters, named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(A) films are based around natural disasters, named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(B) films, based around natural disasters, are named in order to evoke fear in audiences.
(C) films are named in order to evoke fear in audiences, based on natural disasters.
(D) films having their names based on natural disasters are meant to evoke fear in audiences.
(E) films based around natural disasters are named in order to evoke fear in audiences.</p>

<p>(E). Right now, because “named in order to…” is after the term ‘natural disasters,’ it makes it look like the natural disasters are the things that are named to evoke fear, which isn’t what the sentence is trying to say. I forget the exact term for this, I want to say dangling modifier? Basically E makes the most logical order.</p>

<hr>

<p>Considering his tremendous donations to charity, the millionaire’s decision to close the school seems out of character.
(A) Considering his tremendous donations to charity
(B) In light of his tremendous donations to charity
(C) His tremendous donations to charity being considered
(D) With his tremendous donations to charity being taken into consideration
(E) His tremendous donations to charity are what make</p>

<p>(E). I don’t really have a detailed explanation for this one though…some of these just make sense. Keep in mind you’re looking for clear and concise sentences. Someone else can take over haha</p>

<hr>

<p>Having been an avid fan of music for most of her life, the elderly woman found learning to play the piano very easy.
(A) life, the elderly woman found learning to play the piano very easy.
(B) life, learning to play the piano came very easily to the elderly woman.
(C) life; the elderly woman was able to learn to play the piano very easily.
(D) life, it was very easy for the elderly woman to learn to play the piano.
(E) life, and the elderly women found learning to play the piano very easy.</p>

<p>(A). When you have a verb like that starting off the sentence, the first thing after the comma ALWAYS has to be the subject or the thing it’s meant to describe. This type of mistake comes up so often on the SAT that you should definitely keep it mind. Any kind of opening phrase like that works similarly, not necessarily always withi a gerund. Ie. “An avid comic book fan, John couldn’t wait to read Buffy.” </p>

<hr>

<p>The boxing champion is almost as skillful leading with his left hand as he is leading with his right.
(A) almost as skillful leading with his left hand as he is leading with his right.
(B) as skillful leading with his left hand, almost as he is with his right.
(C) as skillful leading with his left hand as he is with his right almost.
(D) with his left hand almost as skillful as he is leading with his right.
(E) is leading almost as skillfully with his left as his is leading with his right. </p>

<p>(A). Remember, again, to have parallel structure. Almost as ___ as ___ is the best, and you want to fill in the same type of conjugated verb (‘leading with his left’ matches ‘leading with his right’). ‘Almost’ doesn’t go at the end of the sentence as seen in C, and ‘with his left hand’ describes how the boxing champion leads, so you have to watch the order and make sure that ‘with his left hand’ comes after (it doesn’t in D).</p>

5

<p>These questions are not an accurate depiction of what you will see on the SAT. It is likely not particularly helpful to study these questions. These questions are not “harder.” They are just poorly put together. Stick to the blue book (The Official SAT Study Guide), or other exams and materials from the College Board.</p>

<hr>

<p>That being said, here is my comment on one of the questions:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>None of these answer choices are correct because the subject of the sentence is “millionaire’s decision.” If the pronoun (“his”) does not refer directly to the subject in this case, it is not desirable. What if the subject was “the millionaire’s son”? What would “his” refer to, then? If it is incorrect or ambiguous in some cases, it is incorrect in all cases.</p>

<p>However, (B) is likely the intended answer, not (E), because “in light of” means “due to.” The millionaire’s decision to close the school seems out of character DUE TO, or because of his tremendous donations to charity. In fact, it means the same as “considering…” (as in the original sentence), but avoids the incoherent modifier (who is doing the considering?).</p>

<p>Keep in mind that the SAT rarely tests idioms. It is very unlikely that a phrase like “in light of” would be tested.</p>

6

<p>Good point by crazybandit about the use of “his.” The SAT does test indefinite pronoun references, but I’ve observed that they are fairly forgiving about issues like this–so B would be considered correct by the SAT writers. Some English teachers are sticklers on this point. I feel as though I read about a case quite similar to this, where students challenged a question that had “No error” as an option, and the SAT writers thought “No error” was correct. The students challenged the indefinite reference. Not sure whether they won.</p>

<p>On the first question, I’m going to go with (B) invention; but . . .
“But” is a coordinating conjunction, and hence it can be used to join two clauses of equal weight in a sentence; and two clauses of equal weight can be joined by a semi-colon. I don’t think the SAT writers are going to go for a sentence that ends in " . . ., however." What’s the listed answer?</p>

7

<p>In this case, and in general, a coordinating conjunction is used with a comma, not a semicolon.</p>

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</p>

<p>You used the semicolon wrong. If the “and” is omitted, a semicolon would be necessary.</p>

<p>For the first question, (B) is incorrect because it implies that “but…” is an independent clause, which it isn’t.</p>

<p>“however” can be placed before or after the clause. It requires a semicolon because it is not coordinating. Independent clauses stay independent with the addition of “however.”</p>

<p>INCORRECT: Paul decided to go to Kenya, however Steve went to Dorset.
CORRECT: Paul decided to go to Kenya; however, Steve went to Dorset.
CORRECT: Paul decided to go to Kenya. However, Steve went to Dorset.
(source: <a href=“http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_27.htm[/url]”>http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/exercises/grammar/grammar_tutorial/page_27.htm&lt;/a&gt;)</p>

<p>None of these questions would appear on the SAT. They are very inaccurate.</p>

8

<p>kaitlin01, what’s the listed answer for the first question? I don’t think the SAT writers are going to like “however” set off at the end of the sentence, and (A) and (B) are the only conceivable answers.</p>

9

<p>It’s not (B)… “but” doesn’t go after the semi-colon like that</p>

10

<p>I understand your argument; but I often use “but” following a semicolon, though usually in cases where one of the two clauses has another comma in it. Sorry to repeat this, but the “however” at the end of the sentence just strikes me as awkward–though maybe SAT approves. What was the source of these items, and what is the answer given?</p>

<p>A Google search turned up
<a href=“http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/semicolons_before_conjunctions.htm[/url]”>http://www.grammar-monster.com/lessons/semicolons_before_conjunctions.htm&lt;/a&gt;
as the top hit. This site oks coordinating conjunctions following semi-colons, even when the clauses themselves do not contain commas.</p>

11

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</p>

<p>I frequently use coordinating conjunctions after semicolons. Such a practice helps to clarify when another part of the sentence contains a comma.</p>

12

<p>I found the question/answer. Notice the part about (B), though I do see where you were coming from.</p>

<p>Explanation</p>

<p>Be alerted by the semicolon separating the two clauses in this sentence. Remember, a semicolon can only be used if the two halves of a sentence are independent and able to stand on their own. The first half of the sentence is the left-handed can opener was a brilliant invention; this is a complete sentence. The second half reads the popularization of electric can openers made it obsolete, however. This is also an independent clause. The word however does dangle on the end, but it does not violate any major rule of correct English usage. There is no error in this sentence, and choice A is the correct answer. Choice B is wrong because it includes the word but, which makes the second sentence a dependent clause. Recall that in order to use a semicolon, the two halves of a sentence must be independent of each other. Choice C introduces the word and. However, the two halves of the sentence are intended to show some contrast; while the left-handed can opener was a brilliant invention, electric can openers rendered that great invention obsolete. The word and does not adequately demonstrate this contrast. Choice D is problematic because it is not clear what the pronoun it refers to; a pronoun must have one clear antecedent. Choice E includes the wordy and awkward phrase however obsolete it was.</p>

<p>Edit- It came from <a href=“http://testprep.sparknotes.com/powertactics/writingmc/chapter11.epl[/url]”>http://testprep.sparknotes.com/powertactics/writingmc/chapter11.epl&lt;/a&gt; by the way</p>

13

<p>It makes no sense to use a semicolon with a coordinating conjunction like “but.” They both accomplish the same effect: binding two independent clauses together. It is almost redundant to use both a semicolon and “but.” You only use one when the other is not present. Using a semicolon with “but” implies that you can start a sentence with “but,” which may be permissible, but not in this context or case.</p>

14

<p>as my SAT instructors love to say, “it’s not about choosing the perfect answer; it’s about choosing the best answer.” while it might not make much sense to use a semicolon with “but,” it’s certainly not incorrect. I can see why one may want to do so (maybe in a complicated Huck Finn-type sentence), but you’re right, crazybandit: it seems a little off in this example.</p>

15

<p>Hmm, SparkNotes. I don’t actually believe that the second part is made into a dependent clause by the word “but.” It is a coordinating conjunction. Dependent clauses tend to be introduced by subordinating conjunctions or relative pronouns (maybe other forms).</p>

<p>I’d put this into the “can’t really tell” category of SAT practice examples. It would help if there were a closely related example from a real SAT or the SAT question service. In my experience, the SAT writers are absolute sticklers for the rules they observe. They are not very insistent on the rules they don’t personally observe, as the discussion of the use of “his” in crazybandit’s post #5 shows.</p>

<p>I believe that silverturtle and I would both say that you can get this one “wrong” (if A indeed is right) and still score an 800 on the writing section.</p>

16

<p>It’s incorrect. It’s not that the second part is made a dependent clause. It is that the semicolon divides two independent clauses. A single independent clause cannot contain a coordinating conjunction.</p>

17

<p>Take a look at the University of Wisconsin, Madison site with their Writing Center’s Style Guide:
[uw-madison</a> writing center writer’s handbook](<a href=“http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/Semicolons.html]uw-madison”>Using Semicolons – The Writing Center – UW–Madison)
It’s not really a big deal. But Strunk and White’s Elements of Style contains sentences starting with “But.”</p>

18

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</p>

<p>You can start a sentence with “but,” but the way you used it and the way the sentence in question uses it is not desirable. Why break off the natural flow of the sentence, establish a pause with the semicolon, and continue on with “but” when you can just use a comma? </p>

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</p>

<p>Like in the above example, you can use “but” with a semicolon, but there’s no reason for it. In this sentence, however, it is desirable because the clauses utilize multiple commas.</p>

<p>Yes, you can start a sentence off with “and” and “but,” but only in cases where it is desirable.</p>

19

<p>Here is my source: [Purdue</a> OWL](<a href=“Purdue OWL® - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University”>Purdue OWL® - Purdue OWL® - Purdue University)</p>

<p>None only does this usage conform more with reasoning, but it is also more common.</p>

20

<p>The other issue, though, is whether ending a sentence with “however” is acceptable or not. There seem to be different views on this issue. For example, on the Boston College site “Tips for Writing History Papers,” under the heading “III. Formal, Written English,” students are advised, “never end a sentence with ‘however.’” (This is item 8 on the list under III.)</p>

<p>[Tips</a> For Writing History Papers - Boston College](<a href=“http://www.bc.edu/schools/cas/history/resources/tips.html]Tips”>Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences | Boston College)</p>

<p>Could we agree that a better way to write the original sentence would be:
Clause A; however, Rest of Clause B?</p>

<p>I do agree that a comma before “but” would be the preferable usage. It’s just a question of which solecism is worse.</p>