SAT Digital Reading and Writing Test quick start guide: Difference between revisions

# separate grammatically correct and complete thoughts that are distinct sentences

<u>periods</u>:   

*periods separate grammatically correct and complete thoughts that are distinct sentences

* <span style="margin-left:15px" ;>a semicolon may also be used -- uncommonly -- as a "super comma" in order to emphasize separate elements in a list of common examples, usually following a colon:</span>

<u>semicolons</u>:   

*can also create a list of IC's (IC; IC; IC; IC.)  

*elimination:   

**must have IC or complete sentences & thoughts on both sides of the semicolon

***i.e., if the two clauses on either side of the semicolon would not stand on their own as grammatically complete sentences and thoughts, the semicolon is incorrect

**if a period and a semicolon are both possible answers, they are both wrong

* as in, ''IC: this; that; the other thing.''   

**ex. "''On our trip, we will visit tons of places: in Africa, Egypt & Morocco; in Europe, Greece and Italy; and in Asia, Turkey"''

**the "super comma" does not have to follow a colon, so we could write:   

***''On our trip, we will visit tons of places, including in Africa, Egypt & Morocco; in Europe, Greece and Italy; and in Asia, Turkey.''

* *the "super comma" is rarely used in practice and on the SAT test (as on the May SAT QAS 2022 paper test Writing section question no. 35):

   35. Critics lauded the film’s predominantly Black  

  The work of Kiowa painter T.C. Cannon derives its power in part from the tension among his ______ influences<span style="background:yellow>''':''' </span>classic European portraiture, with its realistic treatment of face<span style="background:yellow>'''s;''' </span>the American pop art movement, with its vivid colors<span style="background:yellow>''';''' </span>and flatstyle, the intertribal painting style that rejects the effect of depth typically achieved through shading and perspective.  

* create pauses

*commas do '''FIVE''' things:

****= a single comma between the subject "Joey" and its verb "jumped" because the comma creates a list and not a grammatical separation of the subject and verb

*distinguish additional information following an IC, usually a list, explanation, or example to clarify or extend the idea presented in the IC

*colons = do '''ONE''' thing:  

*****(a comma separating the IC and DC is okay)

** have multiple colons in a sentence

<u>colons</u>:   

#extend or provide examples following an IC

***but do not eliminate the dash yet, because it does two things, 1) act like a colon; 2) act like parentheses)

*separate ideas within a sentence, either parenthetically or like a colon

*dashes do '''TWO''' things:

#act like a colon

# act like parentheses (...) = -...-

<u>dashes</u>:   

# act like a colon     

**if there is NOT another dash in the sentence, then the dash is NOT acting parenthetically (...)

*'''apostrophes''' do two things:

**create contractions ("it's" from "it is" or "can't" from "can not")