# SAT Form, Structure, and Sense: Grammar Rules | topin

SAT guidesForm, Structure, and Sense

Section

Reading and Writing, Standard English Conventions domain

Count

Mixed with Boundaries: about 11–15 grammar items in the test

Rules tested

Agreement, pronouns, verb tense and form, plurals and possessives, modifiers

Format

A sentence with a blank, four forms of a word or phrase

Time

Aim for 30–45 seconds each

## How it works

The four choices are different forms of the same word or phrase, such as is, are, were and have been, or its, it's, their and they're. You pick the one that fits the grammar of the sentence. Harder items put a long phrase between the subject and verb, use a collective noun, or start with a modifier that must be followed by the thing it describes.

## Worked example

The collection of letters written by the expedition's crew members during the long polar winter \_\_\_\_\_\_ now on display at the city museum. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. Aare
2. Bis
3. Cwere
4. Dhave been
Show the answer

B: is

The subject is "collection", which is singular. Everything from "of letters" to "winter" describes it, so remove it: "The collection … is now on display." A, C and D are plural forms that agree with the nearest nouns, letters and members, rather than the subject. "Now" also rules out the past tense in C.

## A method for Form, Structure, and Sense

1. 1  
### Find the true subject  
Cross out phrases beginning with of, with, by, along with and which. What is left before the verb is the subject, and the verb must agree with it.
2. 2  
### Check pronouns against their nouns  
A pronoun must match the number of the noun it replaces, even if that noun is far back in the sentence. It and its are singular; they and their are plural.
3. 3  
### Keep tenses consistent  
Look for time words such as now, in 1850 or by next year, and for the tense of other verbs in the passage.
4. 4  
### Plural or possessive  
Add an apostrophe only when something belongs to someone: the scientists' results, the scientist's result. Its is possessive; it's means it is.
5. 5  
### Fix dangling modifiers  
When a sentence opens with a descriptive phrase and a comma, the noun straight after the comma must be what it describes.

## Traps to avoid

* Agreeing the verb with the nearest noun instead of the subject.
* Treating a collective noun such as team, committee or collection as plural.
* Confusing its and it's, or their, there and they're.
* An opening modifier followed by the wrong noun, such as 'Walking home, the rain began'.

## Form, Structure, and Sense FAQs

What grammar rules are on the digital SAT?

Subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement, verb tense and form, plurals and possessives, and modifier placement, plus the punctuation rules tested in Boundaries.

Is 'collection' singular or plural on the SAT?

Singular. Nouns for a group, such as collection, team, committee and series, take a singular verb on the SAT.

How can I get faster at SAT grammar questions?

Learn each rule once with examples, then drill mixed sets so you recognise which rule a question tests from its choices. Grammar questions should become your quickest points.

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