SAT Writing : Identifying Sentence Errors
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing
All SAT Writing Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #74 : Identifying No Errors Or Other Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The penguins failed to understand that the trainer wanted them to twirl around in circles, so they continued to swim around their tank as usual. No error
failed to understand
No error
as usual
around
them
No error
This sentence is correct as written.
Example Question #75 : Identifying No Errors Or Other Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed in order to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Karen, who had been quiet for the entire meeting, suddenly perked up when someone mentioned the idea of bringing puppies into the office for a stress relief day. No error
No error
when someone mentioned
who
meeting,
of bringing
No error
There is no error in this sentence. The verbs are in appropriate forms, the prepositions are correct, and the punctuation is appropriate and logical.
Example Question #76 : Identifying No Errors Or Other Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed in order to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
With their star player injured for the rest of the season, the team was despondent; nobody was willing to step up into the vacant leadership role. No error
despondent;
their
with
No error
nobody
No error
This sentence contains no error. There are no word usage errors, and the semicolon and comma use is appropriate. Note that, in this case, the two independent clauses could stand on their own as sentences, but since the content of these sentences is so clearly connected a semicolon or a comma with a conjunction are both better choices than a period stylistically.
Example Question #77 : Identifying No Errors Or Other Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
For as long as David has gone to school, he should be smarter than I. No error
than I
should be
has gone
For
No error
No error
Everything in the sentence is correct. The verbs agree, "For" introduces the sentences, and "than I" is correct instead of "than me" because it really translates as "than I am smart," but the "I am smart" is understood.
Example Question #78 : Identifying No Errors Or Other Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Persistent as its efforts were, the team's hopes had been crushed by the devastating performance of the opposing team's pitcher. No error
team's hopes had been crushed
No error
opposing team's
were
its
No error
"Its" is proper because it refers to the singular team, "were" is proper because it is the verb of the subject "efforts," and "team's hopes" and "team's pitcher" both use "team" as a possessive properly. Thus, this sentence contains no error. "Its" is the correct possessive singular; "it's" is a contraction of "it is."
Example Question #921 : Identifying Sentence Errors
1 The purpose of this agricultural practice is to produce large amounts of meat, milk, eggs, and textiles, such as wool and leather, at low costs. 2 It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. 3 Factory farming, sometimes known euphonically as intensive animal farming, or industrial farming, is the practice of raising livestock at very high densities in order to decrease the costs of production. 4 On most factory farms, animals are reduced to commodities: bred unnaturally, confined in uncomfortably small cages, and dosed with high strength antibiotics to reduce concomitant infections. 5 Although, the livestock suffers considerately, drug-resistant bacteria become more common, and significant environmental hazards arise from the high quantities of animal waste. 6 Does the phrase manure lagoons sound familiar? 7 As a light of this issue, many people choose to become vegetarian or join anti-factory farming campaigns. 8 What will you do?
How should the underlined portion of Sentence 4 be rewritten?
animals are reducing to commodities:
animals are reducing to commodities;
animals are reduced to commodities,
animals are reduced to commodities: (no change)
animals are reduced to commodities;
animals are reduced to commodities: (no change)
Here, a colon is correctly used to introduce a list that is preceded by an independent clause. The sentence is correct as written.
Example Question #2721 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
As we climbed up and over the rocky, sere, cheerless hilltop, the wind rose to a howling pitch; I almost lost my hat. No error
sere,
pitch;
No error
up and
rose
No error
The sentence contains no errors as written. It is correct to use commas to separate the sequential adjectives in the description of the hill, but it would be incorrect to insert one between "up" and "and" (since "As we climbed up" is not an independent clause). "Rose" is the correct past tense use of "rise," and since "I almost lost my hat" could function as a sentence by itself, the semicolon after "pitch" is appropriate.
Example Question #2722 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the following sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," she said softly, lowering her face, "but I just haven't been able to bring myself to hurt you like that." No error
like
face, "but
softly,
been meaning
No error
No error
There are no errors in the sentence as written. The divided quotation is clearly a single sentence, and it is appropriately set off from the dialogue tag by the commas after "you" and "face." Note that if the dialogue were inserted between two separate sentences in the quotation, you would need to use a period after "face" and a capital letter for the first word in the second quoted sentence.
Example Question #2723 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no errors at all.
Georgina thought that she and Helen had both had a good time, but she was worried in her heart that the other woman despised her. No error
thought
had both had
but
despised
No error
No error
There are no errors in this sentence. Although it may look at a glance like an ambiguous pronoun reference, Georgina is clearly the subject of the sentence (indicated by the clear subject-verb pairing "Georgina thought"), so the "she" in the second clause continues to refer to her rather than to Helen.
Example Question #2724 : Sat Writing
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Paul was at the end of his rope; he wasn't sure if he was going to make it through the conference. No error
wasn't sure
Paul was at
going to make
No error
rope;
No error
This sentence contains no errors. The two independent clauses making up this compound sentence are correctly connected using a semicolon. The rest of the sentence is also correct. Note that a comma followed by a coordinating conjunction could also have been used to connect these two sentences.
Certified Tutor
All SAT Writing Resources
