SAT Writing : SAT Writing

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #31 : Correcting Verb Tense Errors

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Tomorrow after I finish my last exam I have finished high school.

Possible Answers:

I have not

I would have had

I would have

I have

I will have

Correct answer:

I will have

Explanation:

Because the event happens "tomorrow," in the future, the future tense needs to be used. "I have" is present tense, so changing "I have" to "I will have" changes it to the correct future tense.

Example Question #32 : Correcting Verb Tense Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

I have no reason to suspect that Matt is lying to me, but I still could not shake the feeling that he is deceiving me. No error

Possible Answers:

could

me

reason

that

No error

Correct answer:

could

Explanation:

The sentence uses present tense verbs, so "could not" must be present tense as well— that is, "cannot." Remember to check that verb tenses coordinate in a sentence!

Example Question #1871 : Sat Writing

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.

Parents often name their children after relatives, but uncommon names become popular in recent years.

Possible Answers:

become popular

popular they have become

have become popular

popular have become

becoming popular

Correct answer:

have become popular

Explanation:

The underlined words make up an incomplete verb phrase, as the verb "become" is in the wrong form. They appropriate version of "become" is the perfect tense, which indicates what has already happened. "Have become popular" is the correct answer choice.

Example Question #751 : Sentence Correction

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.

Problematically, the soldier had backs himself into a corner from which he could not escape.

Possible Answers:

backed him

had backed himself

had back him

had backed him

had backs himself

Correct answer:

had backed himself

Explanation:

The sentence describes what the soldier had already done to his own body. The use of "himself" is correct and necessary to show who the action was done to, but the action occurred in the past, meaning the appropriate verb form is "backed." The correct answer choice is "had backed himself."

Example Question #1872 : Sat Writing

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.

The boys and their father eats the meal in silence.

Possible Answers:

eating

was eating

eaten

have been ate

eat

Correct answer:

eat

Explanation:

Although the verb is next to the singular noun "their father," the subject is actually compound, "The boys and their father," and therefore plural. The correct verb needs to be a plural form. "Eat" is the best choice among the answer choices.

Example Question #1873 : Sat Writing

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.

The arrangements prevent the groups from developing until they were changed three years ago.

Possible Answers:

The arrangements prevented the groups from developing

The arrangements prevents the groups from developing

The arrangements are preventing the groups from developing

The arrangements prevent the groups from developing

The arrangements preventing the groups from developing 

Correct answer:

The arrangements prevented the groups from developing

Explanation:

The phrase "until they were changed" contains a past tense verb and indicates that the use of the present tense verb "prevent" is incorrect. "Prevent" needs to be changed to the past-tense "prevented" to make the sentence grammatically correct. "The arrangements prevented the groups from developing" is the only answer choice that uses the correct verb tense.

Example Question #1204 : Correcting Grammatical Errors

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

We have always sing anthems that celebrate our nation.

Possible Answers:

sung always

always sung

always sing

sing always

always sang

Correct answer:

always sung

Explanation:

The use of "have," a past-tense helping (auxiliary) verb, makes the verb in the sentence past-tense and perfect. However, "sing," a present-tense verb, completes the signaled past perfect form incorrectly and introduces confusion about the sentence's tense. While we could change the verbs in the sentence in many ways to correct the error, only "always sing" is underlined. This means that we can't alter "have," so we need to change "sing" to "sung" to create a correct past perfect verb ("have . . . sung"). The answer choices "always sing" and "sing always" don't correct the sentence's error. "Always sang" may look potentially correct, but "to sing" is an irregular verb in which "sang" is the past tense and "sung" is used in the perfect tense (Example: "She sang the song yesterday, after she had sung the duet."). "Always sang" can't be the correct answer, then, because it incorrectly constructs the past perfect tense. While "always sung" and "sung always" may each look like a potentially correct answer, "sung always" introduces an awkward word order that "always sung" avoids, so "always sung" is the correct answer, making the corrected sentence, "We have always sung anthems that celebrate our nation."

 

Example Question #1543 : Act English

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

In the nineteenth century, the Transcendentalists are seeking to find solace in the wonders of nature.

Possible Answers:

sought to find

are seeking to have found

are seeking to find

seeking to find

sought to found

Correct answer:

sought to find

Explanation:

The sentence describes what Transcendentalists did "In the nineteenth century." This indicates the underlined portion of the sentence needs to make use of the past tense, because that part of the sentence is describing the actions that took place "In the nineteenth century." Only "seeking" needs to be changed, as the form "to find" is an infinitive, and does not change regardless of the tense of the verb that precedes it. "Sought to find" is the correct answer choice.

Example Question #1211 : Correcting Grammatical Errors

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

The spokesperson noted that over the past year, a new wave of technological advances have increased the company’s profitability.

Possible Answers:

will have increased the company’s profitability.

has increased the company’s profitability.

increased the company’s profitability.

had increased the company’s profitability.

have increased the company’s profitability.

Correct answer:

has increased the company’s profitability.

Explanation:

We know that the proper tense to describe an event that happened "over the course of past year" is the present perfect, which narrows down potentially correct answer choices to either "have increased the company's profitability" or "has increased the company's profitability." 

Since the subject of the increasing event is "wave," not "advances," we should go with the answer choice that uses the singular verb—"has increased the company's profitability."

Example Question #1874 : Sat Writing

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.

Previously, the candidates refuse to run any negative ads against their opponents.

Possible Answers:

refuse to be running

refusal to run

refusing to run

refused to run

refuse to run

Correct answer:

refused to run

Explanation:

The underlined portion describes what happened "Previously," which indicates the verb has to be in a tense showing what happened before. The correct answer must be in the past tense, and only "refused to run" has the correct tense among the answers.

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