Standard English Conventions - Detailed Syllabus
Mastering Standard English Conventions on the Digital SAT
A Comprehensive Guide to Form, Structure, and Sense
The Standard English Conventions domain on the Digital SAT assesses your command of the building blocks of well-written English. It goes beyond simple grammar rules, focusing on how to construct sentences and paragraphs that are clear, concise, and grammatically correct.
Key Concepts and Strategies
- Form: Correct verb tense, pronoun case, and subject-verb agreement.
- Structure: Proper sentence construction, avoiding fragments, run-on sentences, and misplaced modifiers.
- Sense: Using words and phrases that create clear and logical meaning.
Advanced Examples
Example 1: Form and Structure
- Sentence: "Energy access and gender are deeply entwined components of the global development agenda. The transformative effect on women of access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy ___ well established by countless research studies."
- Correct Answer: (C) has been (Present perfect tense to indicate an action that began in the past and continues to the present)
Example 2: Sense and Structure
- Sentence: "In a 2022 paper written by Kyle Rupp and ___, the researchers explore the complex mechanisms behind the automatic ability that most people have to recognize features of the human voice, even to the point of distinguishing subtleties of emotion and intention."
- Correct Answer: (A) associates (Creates a clear and concise prepositional phrase)
Example 3: Form and Sense
- Sentence: "Although many people feel that the court system is too complicated and takes too long to bring a criminal to justice, it is an essential part of a democratic government. Imagine a world in which a ___ guilty person is condemned to death without a trial or any method of recourse."
- Correct Answer: (A) presumed (Accurate adjective to modify "person")
Strategies for Success
- Know Your Grammar Rules: Review subject-verb agreement, pronoun usage, verb tenses, and punctuation rules.
- Read for Structure and Clarity: Analyze sentence construction and avoid ambiguity.
- Practice with Official SAT Materials: Use authentic SAT questions to familiarize yourself with the format and types of questions.
- Focus on the Underlined Portion: Carefully consider the function of underlined words or phrases within the sentence.
By understanding these concepts and practicing regularly, you can effectively tackle the Standard English Conventions domain on the Digital SAT