SAT · Reading and Writing
SAT grammar rules cheat sheet
22 rules across 5 groups: the punctuation, agreement, modifier, concision and rhetoric rules behind the Standard English Conventions and Expression of Ideas questions on the SAT Reading and Writing section. Each rule is one line, with the error to spot and the fix.
Learn them in order in the SAT Reading and Writing course and practise them in the grammar and punctuation drills, which explain every answer.
SAT Grammar Rules — Ascend Prep
Grammar rules by topic
The free full-length SAT practice test breaks Reading and Writing down by topic, so you can see which of these rules is actually costing you points.
SAT grammar questions, answered
How much of the SAT Reading and Writing section is grammar?
Roughly a quarter. Of the 54 Reading and Writing questions, the Standard English Conventions domain — punctuation, sentence boundaries, agreement and modifiers — is about 11 to 15 questions, and the Expression of Ideas domain, which covers transitions and concision, adds another 8 to 12. Together that is around 20 questions that a short list of rules answers directly.
What grammar rules does the SAT test most?
Sentence boundaries above everything: comma splices, run-ons, and where a semicolon, colon or period belongs. Then subject-verb agreement across an interrupting phrase, pronoun agreement, apostrophes, and the placement of a modifier next to the thing it describes. Transition words (however, therefore, moreover) are tested in nearly every module.
Is grammar the same on the SAT and the ACT?
The rules are identical; the packaging differs. The ACT tests them inside long passages with 75 questions in 45 minutes, so recognising a rule fast matters more. The SAT gives you one short passage per question and a little more time. This sheet is the same one linked from the ACT pages.
How do I practise SAT grammar?
Take the free practice test and look at the Reading and Writing breakdown by topic. Then work the SAT Reading and Writing course, which has a lesson on Standard English Conventions at each tier and a grammar drill-book, and the punctuation and grammar drills in the question bank, which explain every answer.