SAT Writing Improving sentences

By: Carolyn Lyons Elle Durkac

& Nicole Dranoff

Improving SentencesChecks ability to edit sentencesIdentify the best choice for stating the underlined portion of the sentence

TIPS for how to approach

Read entire sentence› Not just underlined part

Cover choices until you familiarize yourself with the sentence› Read sentence to yourself

Focus you edit on underlined portion › You can only change what is underlined

If the sentence is correct, choose A› Trust yourself

TIPS for how to approach

Consider the best fix, then check the choices

Think of answer on your own before looking at your choices

Plug in your answer, and read carefully Avoid stupid mistakes

Keep a eye on parallel barsRemember parallel structure

Watch out for sentence fragmentsSubject and verb are needed

TIPS for how to approach

Avoid wordiness› Shorter is better

Semicolons, commas, and conjunctions› Study differences

Example!

Running and jumping in new sneakers, and kicking at an anthill to see what we could stir up.

a. sneakers, and kicking atb. sneakers and kicking atc. sneakers; and kicking atd. sneakers, we would kick ate. sneakers, and kick at

Example!

Set in the American Southwest, Tony Hillerman’s mystery novels offer the reader details about Navajo and Hopi culture as well as having suspenseful plots.

a. having suspenseful plotsb. the suspenseful plots they offerc. have suspenseful plots d. they offer suspenseful plotse. suspenseful plots

Example!

Cockroaches were the predominant insects 300 million years ago and are likely to survive into the next era of geologic time.

a. ago and are likely to survive b. ago; and they are more than likely to survivec. ago, and it is still likely they could survived. ago; still, they would be likely to survivee. ago, they will be likely to survive

Example!

In a recent year, more tourists from the United States visited museums in Great Britain than Canada.

a. Canada b. Canada did c. Compared to Canada’sd. Canadian ones e. in Canada