Standard English Conventions - Tips and tricks

• English
• Secondary Education

Standard English Conventions - Tips and tricks

Punctuation

Periods = Semicolon       . = ;

- Between two independent clauses. 

Ex. She loves painting her artwork is displayed in galleries.

 -Before conjunctive adjectives 

Ex. The team worked hard to meet the deadline however they still needed an extension.

In the following sentences (if needed )where do we put a semicolon or period. I went to the library
- yesterday I borrowed three books.
- Because the rain was so heavy we decided to cancel the picnic.
- The movie was entertaining it was far too long.

Rewrite the sentences and put the correct punctuation where needed:

- The weather is sunny today nevertheless, it might rain later.
-I love reading mysteries for example, Agatha Christie’s novels are my favorite.
-The cake burned in the oven meanwhile, I was busy decorating the living room.

Punctuation

Colons = dashes.           : = -

- we don't put a colon after an unfinished sentence when giving lists. 

- We use a colon or a dash before an explanation (reason given)

Rewrite the sentences and use the correct punctuation.
- We went to the store and bought apples, oranges, and bananas.
- She had one clear goal to become the fastest runner on the team.
- My brother is learning three new languages Spanish, French, and Japanese.
- The problem is simple we ran out of time.

Comma + FANBOY

- We use a comma in front of FANBOYS

(For, and, not, but, or, yet, so) 

- Dependent clauses need a comma to connect them to an independent clause. They usually begin with subordinate conjunctions: although, because, when, until, while 

Which sentence places the comma correctly?

1. After the meeting we went to lunch.
2. After the meeting, we went to lunch.
3. After, the meeting we went to lunch.
4. After the meeting we went, to lunch.

Which sentence places the comma correctly?

1. The new movie which everyone is talking about is amazing.
2. The new movie, which everyone is talking about is amazing.
3. The new movie which everyone is talking about, is amazing.
4. The new movie, which everyone is talking about, is amazing.

Where should the comma be placed?
: Before we start let’s review the rules.

1. After "start"
2. After "before"
3. After "let’s"
4. No commas needed

SAT Questions 

Standard English conventions 

Archaeologist Laila Nehmé recently traveled to Hegra to study its ancient _______ into the rocky outcrops of a vast desert, these burial chambers seem to blend seamlessly with nature.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. tombs. Built
2. tombs, built
3. tombs and built
4. tombs built

A study published by Rice University geoscientist Ming Tang in 2019 offers a new explanation for the origin of Earth’s _______ structures called arcs, towering ridges that form when a dense oceanic plate subducts under a less dense continental plate, melts in the mantle below, and then rises and bursts through the continental crust above.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. continents geological
2. continents: geological
3. continents; geological
4. continents. Geological

In crafting her fantasy fiction, Nigerian-born British author Helen Oyeyemi has drawn inspiration from the classic nineteenth-century fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm. Her 2014 novel Boy, Snow, Bird, for instance, is a complex retelling of the story of Snow White, while her 2019 novel _______ offers a delicious twist on the classic tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. Gingerbread—
2. Gingerbread,
3. Gingerbread
4. Gingerbread:

Learn the tenses! 

Present simple.                Past perfect 

present continuous       Future simple 

present perfect               going to future 

Past simple                        

past continuous 

Bengali author Toru Dutt’s A Sheaf Gleaned in French Fields (1876), a volume of English translations of French poems, _______ scholars’ understanding of the transnational and multilingual contexts in which Dutt lived and worked.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. has enhanced
2. are enhancing
3. have enhanced
4. enhance

How is a sentence in the present simple (+) structured?

1. Subject + base from of a verb (s/es)
2. Subject + past participle
3. Subject + verb (ed)
4. Subject + Gerund

Subject+ Base form of a verb (s/es)

- The dog barks every morning at 10. 

- I work from home. 

- They listen to the lesson quietly. 

What would the structure be for negative sentences and questions?

When do we use the present simple? 

 

- The students love school. (facts)

- I wake up every day at 7 in the morning.  ( routines)

Which of the following sentences is written in the present simple

1. She is reading a book.
2. She reads a book every evening.
3. She read a book last night.
4. She will read a book tomorrow.

"John ___ to school every day."

1. Go
2. Goes
3. Going
4. went

Which sentence describes a habit or routine?

1. They are working on a project.
2. They worked on a project yesterday.
3. They work on a project every week.
4. They will work on a project next month.

What is the sentence structure for a sentence in the present continuous

1. Subject + Past participle
2. Subject + Going to + verb in base form
3. Subject + Verb in base form (s/es)
4. Subject + to be + Gerund

Which sentence is written in the present continuous tense?

1. She cooks dinner every evening.
2. She is cooking dinner right now.
3. She cooked dinner last night.
4. She will cook dinner tomorrow.

"Look! The children ___ in the garden."

1. playing
2. plays
3. are playing
4. played

Which question is in the present continuous tense?

1. Do you watch tv?
2. Did you watch tv?
3. Are you watching tv?
4. Will you watch tv?

What is the sentence structure for a sentence in the present perfect

1. Subject + have/has + Past participle
2. Subject + was/were + verb in base form
3. Subject + Gerund
4. Subject + Have/has + gerund

What is the correct negative sentence in the present continuous tense?

1. He not running fast.
2. He does not running fast.
3. He is not running fast.
4. He don’t running fast.

Past tenses 

Past simple

past continuous 

past perfect 

Write the following sentence in the past simple past continuous and in the past perfect. " I work at night "

Structure

Past simple: Subject + past simple V 

Past continuous: Subject + Was/were + gerund 

Past perfect: Subject + had + past participle 

Irregular verbs!

Pronoun-antecedent agreement

Rewrite this paragraph:
John and Mary went to the park. John brought his frisbee, and Mary brought her dog. John threw the frisbee, and the dog chased it. John and Mary laughed and had a great time.

antecedent-pronoun agreement

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What: The Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement is a convention of Standard English that requires a Pronoun (a word that stands

in for another noun like he, she, it, etc.) and antecedent (the noun, pronoun standing in for) to agree in person and

number.

Find the error: Cranberries are both sour and bitter, so people rarely eat it unsweetened.

Recognise 

- one choice uses a singular pronoun (like "it") while

    another choice uses a plural pronoun (like "they")

-  a pronoun outside the blank refers to a noun contained

     within the choices

It is hard to live in Antarctica. The cold,
dry environment provides the continent’s soil-
dwelling microbes with few nutrients, little water,
and almost no sunlight. In a 2017 study of these
organisms, microbiologist Belinda Ferrari reported
that ______ able to survive on a diet of atmospheric
gases found in the soil.
Which choice completes the text so that it
conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

1. it is
2. this is
3. either is
4. they are

Be extra cautious when you notice any of the following:

Distance between pronoun and antecedent

Find the error: The record player largely fell out of style in the 1980s and 90s, but there has since been a revival in their

popularity.

Multiple nouns before the pronoun

Find the error: The cougar, the largest of all North American cats, has

lost most of their range in the eastern United States.

Pronoun before the antecedent

Find Error:

While it may not be widely associated with long life,

ocean clams have been known to live for over 500

years.

Now do exercises 1-10 

Pronoun Clarity

Pronoun Clarity is the idea that a pronoun must clearly refer to a logical antecedent.

An antecedent is a noun that a pronoun replaces.

Find Error:

One difference between apples and oranges is that they have a peel.

What's on the test?

On your official SAT, you're likely to see 1 question that requires you to identify and avoid a Pronoun Clarity error in the underlined portion of a sentence.

You'll need to identify when a pronoun has....

Multiple possible antecedents

If multiple nouns in the sentence agree with a pronoun in number, it may not be clear which noun the

pronoun refers to.

Find Error:

Alice and Mary couldn’t find her tennis racket.

You'll need to identify when a pronoun has....

No possible antecedents

If no nouns in a sentence could logically replace the pronoun, then the pronoun may be unclear.

Find Error:

When the school baseball team won, their parents threw a party to celebrate.

Now do exercises 11-16