<p>I've read the Silverturtle's guide, and guides that talk about most of the common errors that occurs on the SATs. My problem is recognizing the errors in a long, complex sentence, and seemingly awkward sentences. I also have trouble detecting the "no error" ones! I went through all the collegeboard's practice tests that I could find...and still get around 7-8 wrong on EVERY SINGLE test. Will it be helpful to learn the part of speech like on this website? Daily</a> Grammar Lessons Archive - Comprehensive Archive of Grammar Lessons or should I just take more practice tests?
If there are any helpful books, websites that you know of, please let me know.</p>
<p>do you mean to tell us that Silverturtle’s guide was not enough? Why, that’s almost blasphemous around here.</p>
<p>post some examples of the types of questions that you struggle with and I’ll see what I can do.</p>
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<p>LOL :).</p>
<p>ruvuitton, I think the grammar rules on the link you posted are a little excessive. The grammar rules in the silverturtle guide are more than enough for any SAT writing problem that you may encounter— in fact, I thought even that guide went overboard with its level of detail. There are only about eight (or was it ten?) types of error total on the SAT, all of which are listed in the blue book. The trick is to pinpoint the type of error being tested in each question.</p>
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<p>Can’t win! :)</p>
<p>^Hahahaha, well, you can’t go around pleasing everyone :].</p>
<p>But wait, those statements are not necessarily contradictory though: ruvuitton criticized your guide for its lack of breadth while I’m pointing out its excess depth… :p! You didn’t include all the common errors in your million-page guide? Ugh, fail :).</p>
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<p>See? More failing.</p>
<p>In seriousness, though, I can’t imagine that that Web site will be able to help you more.</p>
<p>lol, no I never said his guide wasn’t enough–that would be blasphemous, indeed, considering how comprehensive his guide was. In fact, his guide helped me reduce my mistakes by half. It’s just that I’ve failed to apply it to its full extent a to get a good score. 
Antonioray, I’m guessing you’re already all done with the SATs? You seem to know a lot…really a lot. 
Here are the ones I’ve gotten wrong. </p>
<p>Like I’ve said before, I think my main problem is detecting the errors in the sentence… The explanations totally make sense; it’s just hard to recognize what I’ve read when the sentence gets a bit complicated. Help meh please???</p>
<p>1.) The owners of stadiums that bear the names of now bankrupt companies have a problem* what to do about the names.<a href=“A”>/I</a> what to do about the names<br>
(B) what they should do about the names<br>
(C) deciding what to do about those names<br>
(D) to decide as to whether the names should stay (I picked this; I couldn’t find a grammar error, so I chose what sounded the best)
(E) should they change those names or not
2.)* Only by tapping *their last reserves of energy *were *the team members able *to salvage *what was beginning to look like a lost cause. No error </p>
<p>I picked D because it said “*were *the team members able”, which triggers past action. So I thought, “what was beginning to look like” had to be “what had begun to look like” It just sounded like the team members tapped after seeing what had begun to look like a lost cause…</p>
<p>3.) *In *English literature James Boswell is the prime example of a biographer who, *by ensuring *the immortality *of another *author, has achieved immortality for himself. No error </p>
<p>I picked B because it said “has achieved”, so I thought “by ensuring” had to be “by having ensured” to indicate past… This was confusing because it also has “is prime example” which is present tense. I think one of my biggest problem is choosing the proper verb tense. :/</p>
<p>4.)Having millions of gallons of freshwater underground, Florida environmentalists work to educate the public on the dangers of ground pollution.</p>
<p>(A) Having millions of gallons of freshwater<br>
(B) Because millions of gallons of freshwater are<br>
(C) Because of freshwater in the millions of gallons<br>
(D) By considering that there are millions of gallons of freshwater<br>
(E) Awareness of the millions of gallons of freshwater </p>
<p>I picked D, because right after the comma, it says “florida envrionmentalist” so I looked for a prepositional phrase that looked like a description of something humans would do.</p>
<p>5.) The candidate *called for *medical insurance reform, but to me he seemed less interested in the plight of uninsured citizens *than in *whether *enough is **registered *to vote. </p>
<p>I picked No error for this one. After I had read the explanation, it totally made sense that the answer had to be C because “is” should be “are” since citizens are plural. But these are the types of sentences that tricks me!! Especially because idk what “enough” exactly functions as in this sentence… usually if “enough” were to be pronouns, I would’ve quickly recognized the answer as C. :(</p>
<p>6.) *Because *his experience in the naval medical corps had been rewarding, Bob *applied *to medical school after he *was discharged *from the navy. No error </p>
<p>I picked C because since applying came after he was discharged, I thought it had to be “had discharged” instead. Why would this sentence be correct as it stands? Cuz of the word “after”? </p>
<p>7.) *Those who *defend sequoia trees from loggers *justified *doing so on the grounds that such trees are irreplaceable. No error </p>
<p>Again, another verb tense problem!!! Should I always be looking at other verbs and matching them with the underlined?? Cause it seems like I can never spot the verb tense errors correctly, especially if there are several different tenses in a sentence…T_T</p>
<p>8.)Bertha Lamme received her engineering degree in 1893, which she then specialized professionally in the design of motors and generators.</p>
<p>(A) 1893, which she then specialized professionally<br>
(B) 1893, specializing as her profession (picked this one because the comma indicates the 2nd clause has to be dependent)
(C) 1893 and, as a professional, specialized<br>
(D) 1893, then, for a profession, specializes<br>
(E) 1893, she has specialized as a professional </p>
<p>9.) *Only *by the afterglow of the sunset *could *the hikers find *their *path to the campsite at *so late *an hour. No error </p>
<p>I picked B because I thought “could” had to be “did”…why would it be correct as it stands?</p>
<p>10.) Those enrolled in the leadership training courses have evolved into dynamic, confident managers from an inexperienced and uncertain newcomer just a month ago.</p>
<p>(A) from an inexperienced and uncertain newcomer<br>
(B) from the inexperienced and uncertain newcomers they were (anwer, but I thought “they were” was a bit redundant…)
(C) from being inexperienced and uncertain newcomers (picked this cuz it sounded the best; I didn’t recognize any grammar errors)
(D) instead of the inexperienced and uncertain newcomers of<br>
(E) after being an inexperienced and uncertain newcomer </p>
<p>11.)* Slanting through *the trees, yesterday’s late afternoon sun *cast **more deeper *shadows *on *the bedroom wall. No error </p>
<p>Picked B cuz sun is singular so it had to be “casts”…</p>
<p>12.) Persistent use of antibacterial soaps in homes* both kills **many innocuous *bacteria and encourages harmful ones to develop even more resistant strains.<br>
I picked D because it sounded so awkard… even more resistan strains? It would soud better if it just said, “harmful ones to develop even more resistant…” but what is strains doing in this sentence?</p>
<p>13.)First run in 1867 and still taking place every summer, the Belmont Stakes, a horse race for thoroughbred three-year-olds, was one of the oldest races in the United States.</p>
<p>(A) was<br>
(B) is<br>
(C) were<br>
(D) are<br>
(E) has been (chose this because it is a past action that is still ongoing today) </p>
<p>14.)Willie Dixon’s *upbeat blues *compositions helped usher in the Chicago blues sound during the 1950’s and *have become *standard numbers for the many young rock groups trying to achieve popularity *during *the 1960’s. No error </p>
<p>I picked C because I thought “trying to” had to be"that tried to" since the sentence was talking about the 1960’s…</p>
<p>15.)Although the precise date and place of the origin of baseball are hotly debated, it is* beyond dispute *that the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn *play *an important role in *its *early development. No error</p>
<p>I thought hotly sounded weird, so I picked A. The answer is C because it’s supposed to be in past tense… But why? it makes perfect sense to say “play”… and I don’t see any other past tense verbs… is “early development” the trigger for past?</p>
<p>This is it. Phew! I’m apologize if I have bombarded you with so many questions… But I really want to at least get the writing section down solidly! I believe it is the easiest section for me to improve with the amount of time I have left.</p>
<p>So, what do you think my study plan should be? I’m taking the October one. Would it be necessary to learn the names/parts of speech and what exactly each function as?</p>
<p>Or should I just take as many practice tests as I can? I have like 6 more collegeboard tests left to take… Would it be misleading to take McGrawhill’s, Kaplans, and etc?</p>
<p>Tell me what you think!</p>
<p>Ok, so I see. So, it’s just pinpointing those grammar errors as opposed to knowing everything about grammar. Thanks for your opinions</p>
<p>Silverturtle, your guide was excessive (in a good way) in most parts, including the explanations, examples, and the types of errors you’ve listed.</p>
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–and I’m sorry if I had implied that Silverturtle’s guide was lacking in any parts or wasn’t enough, but I only stated that I had read it—nothing else. I admit, it was my own shortcomings to not score high enough, given his guide. I was not criticizing anyone for any matter.</p>
<p>Anyways, if you have any more suggestions as to the writing section, feel free to post them please. :)</p>
<p>I know enough to get by, and whether I’m done remains to be seen.</p>
<p>I didn’t see an error in 1 either. Problem is a noun, what is a relative pronoun that can introduce an adjective phrase, so I think A is correct as it stands.</p>
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It’s “what had begun” because that particular clause needed to be in the past perfect (don’t ask), as the team members’ main action is “were” (plural simple past of to be). “…was beginning…” is used with simultaneous past actions; the lost cause had begun to look like one before the team members can tap their last reserves…</p>
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<p>“is prime example” isn’t an action, so it can’t take a tense. “is” is merely functioning as a linking verb connecting the subject (Boswell) to its predicate nominative (prime example). You were right: “has achieved” is in the present perfect because it’s a past action happening @ an unspecified past time; the replacement for “by ensuring” can be “having ensured” without the “by.” Yea verb tenses are a real pain in the butt. </p>
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<p>Just because the subjects are found after a comma does not mean that the subordinate clause preceding the comma needs to be an adjective clause describing the environmentalists (humans). I would have chosen B, “Because millions of gallons of freshwater are,” because the “because” functions as a conjunctive adverb (that begins the subordinate clause) by telling us why the environmentalists are at work educating the public.</p>
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<p>Enough is acting as an adjective describing the citizens; sometimes, when the subject is the same for two or more clauses, the subject is omitted from all clauses except the first because the subject is understood. That sentence could’ve read:</p>
<p>“…he seemed less interested in the plight of the uninsured citizens than in whether enough [citizens] are registered to vote.”</p>
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<p>The past perfect can be replaced by the simple past when there are clear prepositions (or occasionally adverbs) signaling the time relationship between two or more events. In that sentence, “after” tells us that he applied after he was discharged.</p>
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<p>The error is in “justified”; there is no reason to shift to the past tense. “Defend” is in the present tense, so you should stick with the present tense unless absolutely necessary.</p>
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<p>In the original sentence, which is an unnecessary pronoun. B uses the present progressive when the first verb in the sentence, “recieved,” is clearly in the simple past. Therefore, you should use another verb in the simple past to match tenses. Choice C provides that verb in “specialized.”</p>
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<p>Well I can only tell you that it’s correct as it stands because there is no error, but “did” should not replace “could” because the original sentence did not see the campers actually finding their path; only that the afterglow of the sunset allowS, enableS, (and not allowed, enabled) the hikers to find their path. “Could” indicates ability while “did” indicates completed action. Do not change the meaning of the original sentence.</p>
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<p>“Those,” “have,” and “managers” all indicate that the subject is plural. It’s impossible for multiple current managers to have all evolved from a single “inexperienced and uncertain newcomer.” “They were” is not redundant because it says that they were once newcomers but are no longer.</p>
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<p>Well I can’t tell which ones were originally underlined but as it stands, “more deeper” is redundant because deeper is already in a higher-than-positive degree. However, for the shadows to be deeper, there had to be some lighter shadows to be contrasted with. I don’t like that question lol.</p>
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<p>Even more resistant what? Resistant is an adjective, so it must have a noun to modify. Strains is the noun (it’s not a verb in this sentence). It should be no error.</p>
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<p>I would’ve gone with “is one of the oldest…” because it’s just a fact about the Belmont Stakes, just as “taking place every summer” is a fact and “First run in 1867” is a fact.</p>
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<p>Hmm that’s a tough one. I would’ve replaced “have become” with “became” to maintain tense consistency with “helped.” I don’t see a need to adopt the present perfect all of a sudden. </p>
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<p>No early development doesn’t trigger the past tense by itself. I can say "John and Matt are playing important roles in their brother Chris’s early development. </p>
<p>I think the SAT wants you to be aware that you’re taking the test in the 21st century, so some events like the dinosaurs’ extinction and the invention of baseball obviously occured in the past. </p>
<p>It might be a good idea to review parts of speech. Adjectives must be accompanied by the noun or pronoun it refers to, and prepositions must take nouns or pronouns as objects.
You obviously know what nouns and verbs are. Study your verbs! Auxiliary verbs, modal verbs, linking verbs, and of course, tenses.</p>
<p>6 CB tests is a lot! do them before moving onto others.</p>
<p>Youuuuuu are so amaaaazziing! 8D. Thank you. You pretty much hit on all the points. If you’re not finished with the sats, then I wish u the best of luck— :D</p>
<p>As for number 1, answer is C.</p>
<p>For number 2, it’s actually no error. It’s such a bad question! Lol. It confuses u, but i guess that’s what collegeboard loves to do.
Likewise, for 11, it’s no error. Although I think cast should still be casts…</p>
<p>And yea, I’ll definitely work on tenses and those stinkin verbs!!
Btw, I’ll be Posting more questions as i take those remaining six tests. Hopefully, i won’t have as many. D;</p>
<p>I don’t see why number 1 would need “those” names.</p>
<p>Oh Ok I see what they mean with number 2. I don’t like it because all of the verbs are underlined so either they’re all right (no error) or if one is wrong, then you’re doomed.</p>
<p>I maintain my position on “more deeper” in 11.</p>
<p>oh just kidding… you’re right, the answer is C, “more deeper”, my bad.</p>
<p>For number 1, it says by using the participle “deciding”, it corrects the faulty sentence structure of the original sentence, indicating what the owners are doing:they’re having a problem. And “those”, specifically referring to the “names” to be changed.</p>
<p>“Well I can only tell you that it’s correct as it stands because there is no error, but “did” should not replace “could” because the original sentence did not see the campers actually finding their path; only that the afterglow of the sunset allowS, enableS, (and not allowed, enabled) the hikers to find their path. “Could” indicates ability while “did” indicates completed action. Do not change the meaning of the original sentence.”</p>
<p>but then why is the sentence not: only by the afterglow of the sunset [can] the hikers finds their path to the campsite at so late an hour?</p>