#act grammar

[preppedandpolished]

Episode #226, Three Grammar Mistakes Students Often Make on The SAT and ACT

Aaron of Prepped and Polished shows you three common errors students make on the SAT and ACT and how to avoid them. What was your biggest takeaway from this podcast about Three Grammar Mistakes Students Often Make on The SAT and ACT?

Aaron of Prepped and Polished shows you three common errors students make on the SAT and ACT and how to avoid them. What was your biggest takeaway from this podcast about Three Grammar Mistakes Students Often Make on The SAT and ACT?

[leannedodge]

When two choices are equivalent

In the grammar section of the SAT and ACT, sometimes two of the answer choices will function similarly in a sentence. Since only one answer choice can be correct, two choices that work exactly the same way thus must both be incorrect. Most frequently, if a sentence works with a period, it will also work with a semicolon (and conversely, if a sentence does not work with a period, it will not work with a semicolon). If you get both options as answer choices, neither can be correct. For example:

After my cat looked at me and meowed. He jumped onto the windowsill.

After my cat looked at me and meowed; he jumped onto the windowsill.

The only difference in those two sentences is swapping a period for a semicolon (and changing capitalization accordingly). Since a period and a semicolon function the same way, both choices must be incorrect and you can cross out both choices.