The Method:

Oftentimes, even a grammatically correct sentence may sound awkward, leading

many to mark this "awkward phrase" as the error. In other cases, a phrase may
"sound good", but it's not. Sometimes, the awkward phrase is indeed incorrectly
written or the "good-sounding" phrase may indeed be right.
Parts of Speech:
The test is almost all about the parts of speech and your ability to recognize when
they match and when they dont'. It's like a puzzle, in which only certain
combinations work. We all know a noun can't modify an adjective. There's no way,
but an adjective can certainly modify a noun. Understanding which "combinations" of
the parts of speech work is the key to success on SAT grammar.
So, how do I do it?
The best way to handle the grammar portion IMO is to read like a machine. lol now i
know that sounds kind of weird, but let me explain.
When you read a grammar question, forget all meaning of the sentence. As you read
each word, read the word for what it is (noun, adjective, adverb, etc), not for what
it means or connotes.
Example: When my doctor suggested I buy new medicine pills, I gasped at the
ridiculously high prices of the ones he showed me.
As you read this question, what went through your mind? A doctor? A patient?
Medicine Pills? High Prices? Of course you did, because that's what the sentence is
about. But for the SAT Writing grammar portion, you must read differently.
When I said you must read like a machine, what I meant is you must analyze each
word for what it is, not for what it means. Do not interpret the meaning of the
sentence.
Don't think about the fact that there is a doctor or anything else. Focus on WHAT the
words are (almost to the point where you don't know what the sentence itself is
saying).
Of course, reading this way will make your reading speed decline, as you have to
match every word with its part of speech. But the time limits shouldn't be a problem
once you get the hang of "grammar reading".
When we read, the actual meanings of the words tend to create images in our mind
of the event or situation the sentence describes. Whether or not you realize it, this
distracts you from the main purpose of the question: to find the grammatical error.
Most words have distracting connotations, tones, etc that will only hinder us. For
tests such AP Lang. and AP Lit., paying attention to these are important. For SAT
Writing, it's useless.
As you read each word, phrase, and clause, keep alert for idiom errors, subject-verb
disagreements, misplaced modifiers, etc. Of course, you must study these
beforehand. This guide is meant to help those who have already studied all the
material and feel they know what there is to know, but they still miss questions.

How to confidently know you have the right answer:

Sometimes, what the SAT test will do is have a grammatically correct sentence, but
an illogical event, often created by the use of the wrong word. Grammatically, the
sentence structure and every phrase is correct, but inconsistency between the logic
of the sentence exists. This may be caused by word choice (e.g. affect v. effect) or
just simply a word that doesn't work (e.g., using "enervated" to describe someone
being excited)
List of key things to study for SAT grammar (in no particular order):
Subject-verb agreement
Misplaced Modifier
Misused idioms
Tense error
Double negatives
Word choice (e.g., affect v. effect or compliment v. complement)
Dangling Participle
Run-ons
Fragments
Parallelism
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------16 Most common errors in "Identifying Sentence Errors" (Writing)

1. Subject-verb agreement when subject follows verb (Despite an intensive campaign

to encourage conversation, there is many Americans who have not accepted
recycling as a way of life.)
2. Subject-verb agreement when subject and verb are separated. (The collection of
paintings entitled "Clammy Clam clams" are one of the most widely traveled exhibits
in recent years.)
3. Subjet-verb agreement when the subject seems plural. (Poor pitching, along with
injuries and defensive lapses, are among the problems that plague last year's
championship team) Keep in mind that the subject is pitching, not injuries/lapses.
4. Confusion of simple and past participles. (Several passerby seen the bank robber
leaving the scene of his crime.) swam and had swum, sang and had sung, shrank
and had shrunk, etc. Remember stuff like that.
5. Confusion of infinitive and gerund. (Team officials heralded Cap Day as an
attempt at attracting a larger tunrout of fans). The answer would be 'to attract',
idiom and your ability to 'hear' the error plays a role here.
6. Non-Idiomatic Preposition After Verb (City Council members frequently meet until
the early morning hours in order to work in their stalemates). The answer would be
'work out' or 'work through'.
7. Wrong word (affect/effect, emigrate/immigrate, eminent/imminent)
8. Wrong Tense (Over the last half-century, the building of passenger airlinershad

grown into a multi-billion dollar industry). The answer would be has grown, watch
out for when a time indicator, such as Middle Ages, is involved in the sentence.
9. Number Agreement Problems (The advertisement in the newspaper requested that
only persons with a high school diploma apply for the position). Here, it is assumed
that all persons share a single diploma. The correct answer would be 'with high
school diplomas' here.
10. Pronoun in the wrong number (Most infants, even unusually quiet ones, will cry
with greater intensity when it begins teething).
11. Pronoun in the wrong case in compound noun prhases (Him and the rest of the
team stopped by the malt shop for milkshapes after the game). Just separate the
rest of the clause by taking out 'and the rest of the team' to see if it would make
sense. Him stopped by the malt shop for milkshakes after the game . . . doesn't
make sense. It should be 'he'.
12. Pronoun Shift (One cannot sleep soundlyi f you exercise vigorously before
retiring to bed.)
13. Pronoun with Ambiguous references (After the dreailment last month, theyare
inspecting trains for safety more often than ever before.) Who is 'they'?
14. Faulty comparison (To lash back at one's adcversaries is a less courageous course
than attempting to bring about reconciliation with them.) In order to keep this
comparison parallel it should be 'to attempt'.
15. Misuse of adjective or adverb (The critics who reviewed both of David Eggers's
novels like the second one best). Only two are compared, it should be 'better'. (The
applicants for low-interest loans hoped to buy decent built houses for their families.)
'Decently' would be the proper word.
16. Double negative (James easily passed the biology exam without hardlystudying
his lab notes). Hardly and without both describe a scarcity/lack, only one is
necessary. 'Don't not' would be a more basic example. Don't use no double negatives
on the Writing Section.

Sample Essay Template

Length

Purpose
The Introduction

Thesis Statement

1 sentence

Describe your argument clearly and concisely.

Essay Summary

3 sentences Lay out the three examples you will use to support your thesis
statement.
Example Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence

Example Development

1 sentence

Describe your example and fit it into the context of your overall
thesis statement.

34 sentences Use specific facts to show how your example supports your
argument. Be as specific as possible.
Example Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence

Example Development

1 sentence

Describe your example and fit it into the context of your overall
thesis. Provide a transition from the previous example paragraph.

34 sentences Use specific facts to show how your example supports your
argument. Be as specific as possible.
Example Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence

Example Development

1 sentence

Describe your example and fit it into the context of your overall
thesis. Provide a transition from the previous paragraph.

34 sentences Use specific facts to show how your example supports your
argument. Be as specific as possible.
The Conclusion

Recap

1 sentence

Summarize your argument and examples, and link the examples to

broader things like politics, history, art, or business.

Broaden Your Argument 23 sentences Expand your position by contemplating what would happen in the
world if people (or nations, or businesses) followed the argument
you make in your essay.

Five Steps to a 6

Step 1

Understand the topic and take a position.

1 minute

Step 2

Brainstorm examples.

23 minutes

Step 3

Create an outline.

34 minutes

Step 4

Write the essay.

15 minutes

Step 5

Proof the essay.

2 minutes

Step 1: Understand the topic and take a position. (1 minute)

The first thing you must do before you can even think about your essay is read the
topic very carefully. Heres the sample topic we use throughout this section:
Consider the following statement and assignment. Then write an essay as directed.
Theres no success like failure.
Assignment :
Write an essay in which you agree or disagree with the statement above. Remember to back up
your position with specific examples from personal experience, current events, history, literature,
or any other discipline. Your essay should be specific.

Make sure you understand the topic thoroughly by making it your own. To do that, use the
two strategies we discussed in the Ingredients section:
Rephrase the Prompt. Failure can lead to success by teaching important lessons
that help us avoid repeating mistakes in the future.
Choose Your Position. (In our example, we agree with the topic.)

Step 2: Brainstorm examples. (23 minutes)

Your position is that you agree with the statement that failure can lead to success by
teaching important lessons that help us avoid repeating mistakes in the future. Terrific.
Brainstorming, or thinking up examples to support your position, is the crucial next step.
Plenty of SAT-takers will succumb to the temptation to plunge straight from Step 1 into
writing the essay (Step 4). Skipping the brainstorming session will leave you with an opinion
on the topic but with no clearly thought-out examples to prove your point. Youll write the
first thing that comes to mind, and your essay will probably derail. So even though you feel
the time pressure, dont skip brainstorming.
Brainstorming seems simple. You just close your eyes and scrunch up your face and THINK
REALLY HARD until you come up with some examples. But, in practice, brainstorming while
staring at a blank page under time pressure can be intimidating and frustrating. To make
brainstorming less daunting and more productive, weve got two strategies to suggest:

BRAINSTORM BY CATEGORY

The best examples you can generate to support your SAT essay topic will come from a
variety of sources such as science, history, politics, art, literature, business, and personal
experience. So, brainstorm a list split up by category. Heres the list we brainstormed for the
topic, Theres no success like failure.
Current Events Failure of 9/11 security led to the creation of Homeland Security.
Science

Babies learn to walk only after trying and failing time and again.

History

Cant think of one.

Politics

The US Constitution was written only after the failure of the Articles of
Confederation.

Art

Cant think of one.

Literature

James Joyce became a writer only after failing as a singer.

Personal
Experience

Rod Johnson (your uncle) realized the need for a placement agency in
South Carolina after getting laid off.

Business

Google watched the failures of its competitors and learned to improve

its Internet business model and technology.

Lets say you took three minutes and came up with a list of eight categories like ours, and you
got examples for five of them. Thats still great. That means your next step is to choose the
top three of your five potential examples.

PREPARE AHEAD OF TIME

If you want to put in the time, you could also do some brainstorming ahead of time.
Brainstorming ahead of time can be a great method, because it gives you time to do more
than just brainstorm. You can actually prepare examples for each of the seven categories
weve brainstormed above in our chart. You could, for instance, read up about various
scientists, learning about their successes, their failures, the impact of their discoveries
(positive and negative), and memorize dates, events, and other facts.
The risk inherent in planning ahead is that you can get stuck with a topic on the SAT in which
all your knowledge about scientists just isnt applicable. But while this is somewhat of a risk,
since the SAT essay topics are so broad, you can often massage your examples to fit.
Preparing ahead of time will pay off if you develop a few examples that you know a lot about
for the essay. But it could backfire if it winds up that you absolutely cannot use the examples
you prepared. Then youll have to resort to thinking up examples on the spot. If you dont
want to risk wasting time preparing ahead of time, dont. Its up to you.

CHOOSE YOUR TOP THREE

When you go through your brainstormed and pre-prepared examples to decide which three
you should actually use, you need to keep three things in mind:
1. Which examples can you be most specific about?
2. Which examples will give your essay the broadest range?
3. Which examples are not controversial?
The first two reasons are pretty straightforward: Specificity and variety in your examples will
help you write the strongest essay. The point about controversy is a bit more subtle. Staying
away from very controversial examples ensures that you wont accidentally offend or annoy
your grader, who might then be more inclined to lower your grade. For instance, the 9/11
example from our brainstormed list should be cut. The event just is too full of unresolved
issues to serve as a suitable essay topic (the last thing you want to do is upset your grader).
Heres another example. Lets say that youre not so certain if that story about James Joyce
being a singer is even really true, and that you think lots of people might go for the babies
walking example. That would mean you decide to keep the examples about the Constitution,
Google, and the story of Rod Johnson. What if instead of referring to Rod Johnson as your
enterprising uncle, you portray him as a businessman you read about in an esteemed
publication recently? Transform your personal experience and make it seem like an actual
example from current events. The SAT essay graders care much more about how well you
write and how intelligently you can use examples to back up your position than they care
about the truth of what you say in examples drawn from personal experience.

Step 3: Create an outline. (34 minutes)

So were here to encourage you to embrace the outline. Love the outline! Live the outline! At
the very least, write the outline. On fast food essays like the SAT essay, which rewards
standard conformity much more than it does creativity, organizing your ideas in outline form
and then sticking to that outline is crucial.
WRITING THE OUTLINE
Since your outline is a kind of bare-bones map of your essay, the outline should follow our
Universal SAT Essay Template. Heres a summary of the template:
PARAGRAPH

PURPOSE

WHAT IT SHOULD CONTAIN

Introduction

Thesis statement; state examples

Example 1

Topic sentence for example 1; explain example 1

Example 2

Topic sentence for example 2; explain example 2

Example 3

Topic sentence for example 3; explain example 3

Conclusion

Thesis rephrased in a broader way; a look into the future

As you write the outline, remember that conveying your ideas clearly matters at this
stage. Your outline need not be articulate or even comprehensible to anyone other than you.

Your outline must contain all the essential raw material that will become your thesis
statement, topic sentences, and concluding statement when you write your essay.
As you sketch out your outline, consider where you want each example to go. We
suggest that you put what you consider to be your strongest example first, followed by the
second strongest, and then the least strong. We suggest this because the essay is a timed
section, and if for some reason you run out of time and can only fit two example paragraphs
between your intro and conclusion, they might as well be your best two examples. Heres a
sample outline weve written based on the topic and examples we have already discussed.
Notice that weve placed our examples in strongest to weakest order starting in paragraph 2.

PARAGRAPH 1:
INTRODUCTION

Failure can lead to success teaching lessons, learning mistakes. Three

examples: (1) US Constitution and Articles failure, (2) failed dot-coms lead to
more successful online businesses, (3) guy who started successful recruiting
business after getting laid off.

PARAGRAPH 2:
US Constitution developed by studying the failures of previous document,
EXAMPLE 1 (BEST) Articles of Confederation. By studying failures US became true revolutionary
democracy.
PARAGRAPH 3:
Google studied competitors struggles, came up with better technological
EXAMPLE 2 (NEXT solution and better business model. Since failure is good teacher, intelligent
BEST)
companies look for failure everywhere, even in rivals, to learn and evolve.
PARAGRAPH 4:
Johnson founded job placement agency based on difficulties finding a new job
EXAMPLE 3 (NEXT after getting laid off. Studied his failure, found problems lay with system, not
BEST)
with him.
PARAGRAPH 5:
CONCLUSION

Failure often seen as embarrassing. People try to hide it. But if you or society
take responsibility for it, study it, history shows failure leads to success for
everyone.

Your outline does not have to be written in complete sentences. Notice how in the
example above we drop verbs and write in a note-taking style. Feel free to write just enough
to convey to yourself what you need to be able to follow during the actual writing of your
essay. Once you have the outline down on paper, writing the essay becomes more a job of
polishing language and ideas than creating them from scratch.

Step 4: Write the essay. (15 minutes)

Keep these three facets of your essay in mind: Organization, Development and Clarity
As far as development goes, you should make sure that every sentence in the essay
serves the greater goal of proving your thesis statement as well as the more immediate
purpose of building on the supporting examples you present in the intro and in each example
paragraphs topic sentence. You should also make sure that you are specific with your
examples: give dates, describe events in detail, and so on. By clarity, we mean the simplicity
of the language that you use. That involves spelling and grammar, but it also means focusing
on varying sentence length and structure as well as including a few well-placed vocabulary
words that you definitely know how to use correctly. Do not break from your outline. Never
drop in a fact or detail thats not entirely relevant to your essays thesis statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------THE FINISHED ESSAY: OUR EXAMPLE
Its based strictly on the outline we built in step 3 of our Five Steps to a 6, with a focus on
clear simple language and the occasional drop of special sauce.
Learning the lessons taught by failure is a sure route to success. The United States of America can
be seen as a success that emerged from failure: by learning from the weaknesses of the Articles of
Confederation, the founding fathers were able to create the Constitution, the document on which
America is built. Google Inc., the popular Internet search engine, is another example of a success
that arose from learning from failure, though in this case Google learned from the failures of its
competitors. Another example that shows how success can arise from failure is the story of Rod
Johnson, who started a recruiting firm that arose from Johnsons personal experience of being laid
off.
The United States, the first great democracy of the modern world, is also one of the best
examples of a success achieved by studying and learning from earlier failures. After just five
years of living under the Articles of Confederation, which established the United States of
America as a single country for the first time, the states realized that they needed a new document
and a new, more powerful government. In 1786, the Annapolis convention was convened. The
result, three years later, was the Constitution, which created a more powerful central government
while also maintaining the integrity of the states. By learning from the failure of the Articles, the
founding fathers created the founding document of a country that has become both the most
powerful country in the world and a beacon of democracy.
Unlike the United States, which had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, the
Internet search engine company, Google, has suffered few setbacks since it went into business in
the late 1990s. Google has succeeded by studying the failures of other companies in order to help
it innovate its technology and business model. Google identified and solved the problem of
assessing the quality of search results by using the number of links pointing to a page as an
indicator of the number of people who find the page valuable. Suddenly, Googles search results
became far more accurate and reliable than those from other companies, and now Googles
dominance in the field of Internet search is almost absolute.
The example of Rod Johnsons success also shows how effective learning from mistakes and
failure can be. Rather than accept his failure after being laid off, Johnson decided to study it.
After a month of research, Johnson realized that his failure to find a new job resulted primarily
from the inefficiency of the local job placement agencies, not from his own deficiencies. A month
later, Johnson created Johnson Staffing to correct this weakness in the job placement sector.
Today Johnson Staffing is the largest job placement agency in South Carolina and is in the process
of expanding into a national corporation.
Failure is often seen as embarrassing, something to be denied and hidden. But as the examples
of the U.S. Constitution, Google, and Rod Johnson prove, if an individual, organization, or even a
nation is strong enough to face and study its failure, then that failure can become a powerful
teacher. The examples of history and business demonstrate that failure can be the best catalyst of
success, but only if people have the courage to face it head on.

A 6 Essay

Learning the lessons taught by failure is a sure route to success. (THESIS STATEMENT) The
United States of America can be seen as a success that emerged from failure: by learning from the
weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the founding fathers were able to create
theConstitution, the document on which America is built. (BEST SUPPORTING EXAMPLE [1])
Google Inc., the popular Internet search engine, is another example of a success that arose from
learning from failure, though in this case Google learned from the failures of its competitors.
(NEXT BEST SUPPORTING EXAMPLE [2]) Another example that shows how success can arise
from failure is the story of Rod Johnson, who started a recruiting firm that arose from Johnsons
personal experience of being laid off. (NEXT BEST SUPPORTING EXAMPLE [3])
The United States, the first great democracy of the modern world, is also one of the best
examples of a success achieved by studying and learning from earlier failures. (TOPIC
SENTENCE FOR EXAMPLE 1) After just five years of living under the Articles of
Confederation, which established the United States of America as a single country for the first
time, the states realized that they needed a new document and a new more powerful government.
In 1786, the Annapolis convention was convened. The result, three years later, was
the Constitution, which created a more powerful central government while also maintaining the
integrity of the states. By learning from the failure of the Articles, the founding fathers created
the founding document of a country that has become both the most powerful country in the world
and a beacon of democracy. (FOUR DEVELOPMENT SENTENCES TO SUPPORT EXAMPLE 1)
Unlike the United States, which had its fair share of ups and downs over the years, the
Internet search engine company, Google Inc., has suffered few setbacks since it went into business
in the late 1990s. (TOPIC SENTENCE FOR EXAMPLE 2) Google has succeeded by studying the
failures of other companies in order to help it innovate its technology and business model. Google
identified and solved the problem of assessing the quality of search results by using the number of
links pointing to a page as an indicator of the number of people who find the page valuable.
Suddenly, Googles search results became far more accurate and reliable than those from other
companies, and now Googles dominance in the field of Internet search is almost absolute.
(THREE DEVELOPMENT SENTENCES TO SUPPORT EXAMPLE 2)
The example of Rod Johnsons success as an entrepreneur in the recruiting field also shows
how effective learning from mistakes and failure can be. (TOPIC SENTENCE FOR EXAMPLE 3)
Rather than accept his failure after being laid off, Johnson decided to study it. After a month of
research, Johnson realized that his failure to find a new job resulted primarily from the
inefficiency of the local job placement agencies, not from his own deficiencies. A month later,
Johnson created Johnson Staffing to correct this weakness in the job placement sector. Today
Johnson Staffing is the largest job placement agency in South Carolina, and is in the process of
expanding into a national corporation. (FOUR DEVELOPMENT SENTENCES TO SUPPORT
EXAMPLE 3)
Failure is often seen as embarrassing, something to be denied and hidden. But as the examples
of the U.S. Constitution , Google, and Rod Johnson prove, if an individual, organization, or even a
nation is strong enough to face and study its failure, then that failure can become a powerful
teacher. (THESIS STATEMENT REPHRASED IN BROADER WAY THAT PUSHES IT FURTHER)
The examples of history and business demonstrate that failure can be the best catalyst of success,
but only if people have the courage to face it head on.

Why This Essay Deserves a 6

First, we need to assess whether this essay contains the four essential ingredients of a great
SAT essay. Here they are, just to refresh your memory:
1. Positioning: The strength and clarity of the position on the given topic.
2. Examples: The relevance and development of the examples used to support your
argument.
3. Organization: The organization of each paragraph and of the essay overall.
4. Command of Language: Sentence construction, grammar, and word choice.
This essay serves up all four SAT essay ingredients. It takes a very strong and clear stance on
the topic in the first sentence and sticks to it from start to finish. It uses three examples from
a very diverse array of disciplinesfrom Internet technology to history and politics to a
profile of an entrepreneurand it never veers from using these examples to support the
thesis statements position. The organization of the essay follows our Universal SAT Essay

Template perfectly, both at the paragraph level (topic sentences and development sentences)
and at the overall essay level (intro, three meaty example paragraphs, a strong conclusion).
The command of language remains solid throughout. The writer does not take risks with
unfamiliar vocabulary but instead chooses a few out of the ordinary words like beacon,
deficiencies, and innovate that sprinkle just the right amount of special sauce throughout the
essay. Sentence structure varies often, making the entire essay more interesting and engaging
to the grader. No significant grammar errors disrupt the overall excellence of this SAT essay.
Heres a quick-reference chart that takes a closer look at this 6 essay based on the actual
SATs evaluation criteria for graders and based on our Universal SAT Essay Template.
SAT CRITERIA FOR 6 ESSAYS

YES OR NO?

Consistently excellent, with at most a few minor errors.

YES

Takes a clear position on the topic and uses insightful relevant examples to back it up.

YES

Shows strong overall organization and paragraph development.

YES

Demonstrates a superior command of language, as shown by varied sentence structure

and word choice.

YES

OUR UNIVERSAL SAT ESSAY TEMPLATE CRITERIA

YES OR NO?

Thesis statement in first sentence of paragraph 1.

YES

Three examples listed in paragraph 1 in order from best to worst.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 2.

YES

34 development sentences to support paragraph 2s example.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 3.

YES

34 development sentences to support paragraph 3s example.

YES

Topic sentence for example in paragraph 4.

YES

34 development sentences to support paragraph 4s example.

YES

Conclusion paragraph contains rephrased thesis statement.

YES

About 15 sentences total.

YES