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===Prepositional phrases===   
=== Prepositions / Prepositional Phrases quick start guide ===
*'''prepositions'''
**include ''about, by, from, near, of, on'' , etc.
*prepositions create a relationship between nouns
**the nouns or other words that follow the preposition are called a "prepositional phrase" ("about something I once knew")
*prepositional phrases establish a relationship with a noun or as part of a subject-verb clause:
**ex. adding information to a noun (like an adjective):
***''The ideas '''of the professor''' are hardly novel''.
***''The keys '''on the desk''' are just sitting there.''
***''The path '''up the hill''' is steep''
**ex. adding information to a subject noun (like a subject complement adjective):
***''The keys are '''on the desk'''''
***''Those tired ideas are '''from that professor'''''
***''The path goes '''up the hill'''''
**ex. adding information to a verb (like an adverb):  
***''The professor was educated '''at Yale'''''.
***''I left the keys '''on the desk'''''
***''He ran '''up the hill'''''
 
* the noun in prepositional phrases are '''NEVER the subject of a sentence'''
**i.e., for subject-verb matching, the preposition/ prepositional phrase is NOT the subject 
***ex. ''Books about sailing '''are''' fun'' and note ''Books about sailing '''is''' fun''
****"about" = a preposition, so "sailing" is not the subject and the verb is therefore matched to the plural "books"


*identify prepositional phrases (see [[SAT Writing section techniques, strategies & approaches#prepositional%20phrase|SAT Writing section #prepositional phrase]] for more)
* Strategies:
*the noun that follows the preposition is its object
** identify prepositional phrases
*the noun that precedes the preposition is modified by the prepositional phrase
*** identify the noun in the prepositional phrase  
**''I left the keys <u>on the desk</u>'' 
**identify the noun or verb that the preposition modifies
***the noun (object) "keys" is modified by the prepositional phrase "on the desk"
**recognize that prepositional phrases are modifiers that add information to a sentence core but are not the core of the sentence
**or, if separated by a verb, the noun is the subject and the prepositional phrase serves as the subject or verb complement (like an adverb) 
***''The keys are <u>on the desk</u>''
****"on" is the preposition and "desk" is its object
**** the prepositional phrase "on the desk" is the subject complement of "keys" (connected by the linking verb "are")
*** ''He ran <u>up the hill</u>''
**** "up the hill" is an adverbial prepositional phrase that modifies the verb "ran"


* The SAT will try to confuse students between the subject of a clause and the object of a preposition  
* the SAT will try to confuse students between the subject of a clause and the object of a preposition  
**note that the object of a preposition <u>is never the subject of a clause</u>
**note that the object of a preposition <u>is never the subject of a clause</u>
*A prepositional phrase may come before the verb, while the subject of the verb is after it
**example from April 2018 paper test Writing question 20 (slightly modified here):
20. Finally, traditional methods of storage
[ requires ] heat to compress the air, which can
lower the energy efficiency of the process.
A) NO CHANGE
B) had required
C) does require
D) require
 
*
 
*the question is trying to trick the student into thinking that the object of the preposition, "of" is the subject of the sentence:
**"''of storage''"
***whereas, the object of a preposition is never the subject of a sentence!
*thus the elimination:
**'''A) requires''' < incorrect because the subject of the verb is the plural "methods" and not the singular "storage" (which is the object of the preposition)
**'''B) had required''' < incorrect because the sentence is in the present tense ("can lower") and "had required" is past perfect tense
**'''C) does require''' << incorrect because the modal verb "does" is singular (''it does require'' v. ''they do require'') and the subject of the sentence is the plural "methods"
**'''D) require''' << correct because the plural "require" matches the plural subject, "methods"
*Note that a prepositional phrase may come before the verb, while the subject of the verb is after it
**see Digital SAT Practice [https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-practice-test-3-digital.pdf Test 3, Module 2, question 24]
**see Digital SAT Practice [https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-practice-test-3-digital.pdf Test 3, Module 2, question 24]
'''24.''' The Progressive Era in the United States witnessed
the rise of numerous Black women’s clubs, local
organizations that advocated for racial and gender
equality. Among the clubs’ leaders ______ Josephine
St. Pierre Ruffin, founder of the Women’s Era Club
of Boston.
A) was
B) were
C) are
D) have been
*the correct answer is '''A)''' was because "among the club's leaders" is a prepositional phrase
**so the plural "leaders" is the object of the preposition and not the subject of the sentence
**the subject, "Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin" follows the verb, as the sentence is in the passive voice
*the sentence can be seen better by inverting the prepositional phrase and the subject, giving us:
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, founder of the Women’s Era Club of Boston, was among the clubs’ leaders.
* or, eliminating the parenthetical attributive noun phrase:
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was among the clubs’ leaders.
*see [[SAT Writing section techniques, strategies & approaches#prepositional%20phrase|SAT Writing section #prepositional phrase]] for more


===Participle phrases===
===Participle phrases===
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***i.e., going from ''Eight graders take Algebra. Ninth graders then have to take Geometry.''   
***i.e., going from ''Eight graders take Algebra. Ninth graders then have to take Geometry.''   
****to "''After taking Algebra in eighth grade, ninth graders take Geometry''
****to "''After taking Algebra in eighth grade, ninth graders take Geometry''
=== Prepositions / Prepositional Phrases quick start guide ===
*'''prepositions'''
**include ''about, by, from, near, of, on'' , etc.
*prepositions create a relationship between nouns
**the nouns or other words that follow the preposition are called a "prepositional phrase" ("about something I once knew")
*prepositional phrases establish a relationship with a noun or as part of a subject-verb clause:
**ex. adding information to a subject noun: "The ideas of the professor are novel."
**ex. adding information to a subject-verb: "The professor was educated at Yale."
*for the SAT, only prepositions that come before the verb matter
*the noun in prepositional phrases are '''NEVER the subject of a sentence'''
**elimination:
***for subject-verb matching, the preposition/ prepositional phrase is NOT the subject 
****ex. ''Books about sailing are fun'' and not ''Books about sailing is fun''
*****"about" = a preposition, so "sailing" is not the subject and the verb is therefore matched to the plural "books"


==Conjunctions quick start guide==
==Conjunctions quick start guide==
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