How to Answer Questions in a SAT Punctuation Guide for ESL Students
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Plurals and Possessives SAT Practice Questions
1. Though Pablo Picasso is best known for his Cubist paintings, he actually experimented with a wide variety of style’s and medium’s over the course of his long artistic career.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B styles and mediums
- C styles and medium’s
- D style’s and mediums
2 Elon Musk’s first spacecrafts name was Dragon, named after the 1963 song Puff, the Magic Dragon.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B Elon Musk’s first spacecraft’s
- C Elon Musk’s first spacecrafts’
- D Elon Musks first spacecraft’s
3. At the Gargantua Circus, all of the lion’s mane’s were groomed to look like stars for the final performance of Starry Night Over the Sahara.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B lions manes
- C lions’ mane’s
- D lions’ manes
4 A mangrove forests tangled roots provide good hiding places for aquatic organisms.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B forest’s tangled roots
- C forests’ tangled roots
- D forest’s tangled root’s
5 Renovations planned for New York City’s Delecorte Theater include updating the space for people with disabilities and revitalizing the theater’s exterior, a project expected to take years.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B theater exteriors’
- C theater’s exterior’s
- D theaters’ exterior
6. When a bear invades a campsite, it will often open camper’s coolers and feast on their food.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B campers coolers
- C campers’ coolers
- D campers’ cooler’s
7 Any U.S. Bankruptcy Advisor talent’s for liquidating assets will gain that person acclaim from both sides of the aisle.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B Advisor’s talent’s
- C Advisor’s talents
- D Advisors talents
8 The Forbes family’s great wealth can be traced back to trade and investments that occurred in the 19th century.
Choose 1 answer:
- A NO CHANGE
- B Forbes families’
- C Forbes’ families
- D Forbeses family’s
LESSON 6
Digital SAT Grammar
9 steps to go from starter to understanding the digital SAT questions, improving your knowledge, skills and ability to do your best in the SAT text.
The latest SAT grammar lesson focused on apostrophes used in possessive nouns and inside sentence punctuation.
SAT Possessives Practice Test Answers
1
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This sentence incorrectly uses the singular possessive case with “style’s” and “medium’s”. Since nothing belongs to the styles or mediums, they should both be simple plurals: “styles and mediums”.
- (Choice B, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses the simple plurals: “styles and mediums”. Since nothing belongs to the styles or mediums, neither one should be possessive.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This sentence incorrectly uses the singular possessive case with “medium’s”. Since nothing belongs to the styles or mediums, they should both be simple plurals: “styles and mediums”.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This sentence incorrectly uses the singular possessive case with “style’s”. Since nothing belongs to the styles or mediums, they should both be simple plurals: “styles and mediums”.
2
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement. Currently, this sentence wrongly implies that there are multiple spacecraft. The apostrophe should be placed between the “t” and the “s”: “Elon Musk’s first spacecraft’s name”.
- (Choice B, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly places its apostrophes to indicate that the “name” belonged to the “spacecraft” and that spacecraft belonged to Elon Musk.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement. Currently, this sentence wrongly implies that there are multiple spacecraft. The apostrophe should be placed between the “t” and the “s”: “Elon Musk’s first spacecraft’s name”.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice is missing an apostrophe between the “k” and “s” in “Musks”, and doesn’t demonstrate the possessive relationship between Elon Musk and his spacecraft.
3
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This choice misplaces the apostrophe, thus inappropriately punctuating the possessive noun “lions”. It also contains an unnecessary apostrophe that inappropriately suggests that “mane” is possessive.
- (Choice B, Incorrect) This choice is missing an apostrophe after “lions”. Without it, the sentence doesn’t indicate any possessive relationship.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This choice contains an unnecessary apostrophe that inappropriately suggests that “mane” is possessive, leading to an illogical sentence.
- (Choice D, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly pluralizes “lions”, and places an apostrophe after the “s” to indicate the possessive relationship between the lions and their manes.
4
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This choice is missing an apostrophe between “forest” and “s”. Without the apostrophe, “forests” doesn’t demonstrate possession.
- (Choice B, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses an apostrophe and an “s” to establish that the “roots” belong to the forest.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement. Currently, this sentence wrongly implies that there are multiple forests, which doesn’t agree with the singular indefinite article “a”.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice creates an error by making “root’s” singular and possessive. The sentence is talking about multiple roots, and nothing in the sentence belongs to the roots. So “roots” should be plural and not possessive.
5
- (Choice A, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses an apostrophe and an “s” to establish that the “exterior” belonged to the theater.
- (Choice B, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement, wrongly making “exteriors” a plural possessive noun, though a theater only has one exterior, and nothing appears to belong to it.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement, wrongly making “exterior” a possessive noun, though nothing appears to belong to it.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement. Currently, this sentence wrongly implies that there are multiple theaters but only one exterior.
6
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This choice contains an error in apostrophe placement. Currently, this sentence wrongly implies that there is only one camper (while the plural pronoun “their” tells us there are many). To show plural possession, the apostrophe should be placed after the “s” in “campers”.
- (Choice B, Incorrect) This choice is missing an apostrophe after the “s” in “campers”. Without the apostrophe, “campers” doesn’t indicate possession.
- (Choice C, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses an apostrophe after the “s” in “campers” to establish plural possession: the coolers belong to campers.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice creates an error by making “cooler’s” singular and possessive. The sentence is talking about multiple coolers, and nothing in the sentence belongs to the coolers. So “coolers” should be plural and not possessive.
7
- (Choice A, Incorrect) This choice mistakes the plural noun “talents” for a possessive noun, when “advisor” is the noun that needs to show possession.
- (Choice B, Incorrect) This choice mistakes the plural noun “talents” for a possessive noun.
- (Choice C, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses an apostrophe and an “s” to establish that the “talents” are traits of the Advisor.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice mistakenly makes “Advisors” plural, when the sentence later says “that person”, indicating only one individual.
8
- (Choice A, Checked, Correct) This choice correctly uses an apostrophe and an “s” to establish that the “great wealth” belongs to the “Forbes family”.
- (Choice B, Incorrect) This choice uses the plural form of “family” when the singular form is necessary.
- (Choice C, Incorrect) This choice mistakes the plural form of family for the possessive noun “family’s.” It also incorrectly places an apostrophe in the Forbes surname.
- (Choice D, Incorrect) This choice inappropriately pluralizes the Forbes’ surname.
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FAQ SAT Punctuation Rules: Commas, Colons and Dashes
Q: What is the comma rule on the SAT?
A: The main comma rule is to separate items in a list, after introductory words or phrases, and before coordinating conjunctions in compound sentences. Use commas to clarify meaning and avoid confusion.
Q: Should you use a period or colon on the SAT?
A: Use a period to end a sentence; use a colon to introduce a list, explanation, or elaboration after a complete thought. Choose based on the relationship between parts of the sentence.
Q: When should you NOT use a comma in SAT sentences?
A: Do not use a comma to separate the subject and verb, between a preposition and its object, or before essential elements that define the subject. Avoid overusing commas, which can disrupt the sentence flow.
Q: How can I improve my understanding of punctuation rules for the SAT?
A: Practice with real SAT questions, review grammar explanations, and learn the specific punctuation functions. Use practice tests and focus on questions that challenge your punctuation skills.
Q: Are there exceptions to punctuation rules on the SAT?
A: Yes, some rules have exceptions based on style or context. For instance, rules about comma usage can vary, but understanding the general guidelines helps improve accuracy. Always read questions carefully.
Q: What are some common punctuation errors to watch out for in the SAT?
A: Common errors include comma splices, run-on sentences, incorrect use of semicolons or colons, and missing commas after introductory phrases.
Q: How do I decide whether to use a colon or a dash in a sentence?
A: Use a colon to introduce a list or explanation; use a dash to add sudden emphasis or an interruption in thought.
Q: Do I need to capitalize after a colon in SAT answers?
A: Usually, capitalize the first word after a colon only if it’s a complete sentence or proper noun. Otherwise, keep it lowercase.
SAT Reading and Writing: Punctuation Marks Between Clauses
Proper punctuation between clauses is essential for achieving a high SAT score on both the SAT reading and writing sections. The College Board tests your ability to use punctuation correctly when connecting two independent clauses or two complete sentences. Understanding these SAT grammar rules will boost your writing skills and improve your performance on both the SAT and ACT. This punctuation practice guide covers the rules you need to know for the SAT® exam and college admissions success.
Connecting Independent Clauses: FANBOYS and Grammar Rules
When joining two independent clauses, you must use proper punctuation. The FANBOYS conjunction method (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) requires a comma before the coordinating conjunction. For example: “The student studied hard, but she still felt nervous about the test.” Without FANBOYS, you can connect two complete sentences using a semicolon or period. SAT prep materials emphasize that simply placing a comma between independent clauses creates a comma splice error. The grammatically correct approach follows specific punctuation rules you need to know for strong SAT English performance.
Non-Essential Information: Commas, Semicolons & Dashes
Non-essential modifiers require punctuation to separate them from the main clause. You can use commas to separate non-essential information, like commas around “who lives next door” in “My neighbor, who lives next door, is a teacher.” Alternatively, use parentheses for the same purpose: “My neighbor (who lives next door) is a teacher.” Em dashes are used similarly and create emphasis: “My neighbor—who lives next door—is a teacher.” The SAT reading and writing sections test whether you can identify when information is non-essential and apply the correct punctuation. These commas or parentheses must appear in pairs around the modifier.
Series and Lists: Comma Usage in Academic Writing
Use commas to separate three or more items in a series, including the Oxford comma before the final conjunction. For example: “Students need pencils, calculators, and identification for the test.” This grammatical rule appears frequently in SAT writing section questions. When items in a series contain internal punctuation, use semicolons instead of commas for clarity, e.g., “The test covers grammar, including punctuation rules; reading comprehension; and mathematical reasoning.” Understanding proper comma usage in series helps demonstrate strong writing skills essential for college admissions success.
Practice Questions: Common Punctuation in Sentences
Practice Question 1: The library closes at midnight (,) students often stay until the last minute. This connects two independent clauses incorrectly. Add a semicolon or use “and” with a comma: “The library closes at midnight; students often stay until the last minute.”
Practice Question 2: My favorite teacher (,) Mr. Johnson (,) always encourages creative thinking. The modifier “Mr. Johnson” is non-essential, so it needs commas around it like commas surrounding any non-essential element.
These punctuation practice examples reflect what’s tested on the SAT® and help you master the grammar and punctuation rules essential for high performance in the writing section.