I bet this would be one of the best SAT Writing questions ever.

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Find the error: I looked up and saw a person stealing my burrito!</p>

<p>I know, its from Silverturtle's guide, but its amazing how so many people don't know that ''stealing'' is a gerund, and that gerund's have to be treated as if they are nouns. </p>

<p>I bet this stumps about 90% of the people who see it. I posted this as my status on another website, and only one person got it, out of five who replied. Haha! </p>

<p>Amazing, right? Why do so many people lack grammar skills these days?</p>

2

<p>Yeah, No.</p>

<p>What IS amazing is how you reached the conclusion that 90% of people who see it wouldn’t understand it, when only 4 out of 5 people who saw it were stumped. Care to explain how 5 people are suddenly representative of everyone in the U.S? </p>

<p>What IS amazing how 4 people who were “stumped” suddenly make “So many people lack grammar skills.” Very interesting conclusion.</p>

3

<p>Well, I don’t literally mean 1 out of 5 got it right. Only from a lot of my friends =P</p>

4

<p>THIS sentence will NEVER come on the SAT because it is WAY too controversial.</p>

5

<p>@realityisadream: LOL. Hope not!</p>

6

<p>stealing is a present participle in that sentence.</p>

7

<p>some would argue that stealing is a gerund>>>possessive case:: a person’s stealing my burrito!</p>

8

<p>You can argue for or against that sentence. It wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) be on a real SAT test.</p>

9

<p>That sentence isn’t necessarily wrong, as has been said.</p>

<p>I looked up and saw a person!
I looked up and saw a person stealing my burrito!</p>

<p>As someone said, stealing can be a present participle modifying the noun person.</p>

10

<p>I think I’ve seen sentences like the one above before on PSATs. </p>

<p>I appreciate you standing by me. Wrong</p>

<p>I appreciate your standing by me. Correct</p>

11

<p>^ This can come but the first one cant(stealing sentence).</p>

<p>You dont appreciate anyone standing by you(otherwise, you will be appreciating the whole world).</p>

12

<p>“Amazing, right? Why do so many people lack grammar skills these days?”</p>

<p>You make an uneducated guess and then ask a rhetorical question as if you said something that was true.</p>

<p>Gerunds make up a small part of grammar rules so don’t make these condescending statements like you are one of the rare few who “Doesn’t lack grammar skill these days.”</p>

<p>I am pretty sure most of the people that actually try to study for the SAT writing easily surpass 700. I got a 45 on my Writing PSAT last year and went through Silverturtle’s/Baron’s Guides and within a week I was never scoring lower than 750.</p>

13

<p>^^Dont know why, but your statment kinda reminds of Dark Knight(My fav buddy).</p>

14

<p>i think i have got it!!!looked is past of the past so we should say:
i had looked up and saw…
what do you think about it???</p>

15

<p>Oh, and not to sound like a total jerk or anything :), but</p>

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<p>your gleeful crowing about people sucking at grammar looks slightly embarrassing next to your plural/possessive confusion. /fail.</p>

<p>Ah, I kid if that was mean. But seriously. Grammar, yo.</p>