Sentence Structure questions on the SAT challenge students to evaluate how effectively sentences are constructed within a passage. These questions often require a keen eye for grammatical correctness, logical flow, and rhetorical style. They can feel challenging because they combine grammar knowledge with the ability to assess clarity and emphasis. We will discuss both of these aspects in this module, but the primary emphasis will be on the grammar knowledge necessary for Sentence Structure questions.
In 1911, Harriet Quimby became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license. A year later, she made headlines by flying across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Hardelot, France. Quimby’s accomplishment was overshadowed by another ______ the Titanic sank on the same day.
Which text completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. event however
B. event, however,
C. event; however
D. event, however;
Because Sentence Structure questions are as much about punctuation as they are about the makeup of a sentence, you will see some overlap between this lesson and the Punctuation lesson. For this lesson, the Clause Test (see below) will be particularly useful. Let’s ask the relevant question about the sentence in which the “blank” is found: Are there two independent clauses or just one? (An independent clause is a structure with a main verb that could stand on its own as a sentence.)
To make this determination, though, we have to discern whether the “however” belongs in the first or the second clause in the sentence. How do we know? Since “however” is a word of contrast, it behooves us to dig into the paragraph’s meaning and ask where the contrast is found. The paragraph’s central contrast is between the notoriety gained by Quimby (second sentence) and the fact that this notoriety was limited (third sentence). The contrast is not found within the third sentence. For these reasons, the “however” must be part of the first half of the third sentence, so that it can point back to the second sentence. With all this in mind, we can conclude that the first clause of the sentence ends with “however” and the second clause begins with “the Titanic”.
We may now analyze the clauses to determine whether they are both independent or whether one is dependent. The first part has a recognizable subject, “accomplished”, and verb, “was overshadowed”; it could stand on its own and is therefore an independent clause. The second clause also shows itself to be independent due to the subject-and-verb pairing, “the Titanic sank”.
We can now follow the rules of the Clause Test. Two independent clauses require some punctuation between them (so not choice A), but that punctuation may not be only a comma (so not choice B). To distinguish between the remaining choices, we can note two things: 1) we have already determined that “however” is part of the first clause, so it should precede the major punctuation; 2) even if choice C had the semicolon in the right place, it would be missing the comma after “however”. Therefore, since we don’t have the option of a period or a conjunction + FANBOYS conjunction (the other two options offered by the Clause Test), we must pick the choice that uses the semicolon correctly. The answer is D.
One further note: you may have found yourself wanting to place a colon after “however” in this sentence, only to find that no answer choice offers that option. You are not wrong to do so! The part about the Titanic does explain how Quimby’s flight was overshadowed in the news, so a colon could be appropriate here. It just happens that a semicolon, the other appropriate option, was used instead.
Understand the nature and building blocks of a sentence.
The Subject, Verb, and Object (SVO) are the building blocks of any complete sentence (also known as an independent clause), and they follow essential rules:
Example: You can’t, the teacher warned, have it all.
You can have multiple subjects, verbs, or objects in a clause (S, S, S V, V, V O, O, O), but you can never put a punctuation mark between an S and V or a V and O. That’s a comma splice (see discussion of the Clause Test below).
Example: Tonya, Ryder, and Jared swam, biked, and hiked in the lake, on the trails, and in the mountains.
Verb imposters (usually gerunds ending in -ing) do not constitute a complete sentence.
Incorrect example: Being that Elizabeth comes late to every meeting.
Correct example: Being that Elizabeth comes late to every meeting, we provided her with a start time 30 minutes in advance of the actual meeting.
The parts cannot be separated by a single punctuation mark. Double is okay.
Although not all sentences have an object and some even lack a subject, you cannot have a true sentence without a verb. An owner saying to a dog, “Sit!” is constructing just about the shortest possible legitimate sentence. The shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept,” but even that one has both a subject and a verb!
The heart of the compound sentence: the Clause Test.
The Clause Test is our way of equipping you to assess the punctuation between two clauses (remember that a clause is a grammatical unit containing the subject-verb-object structure already discussed). Clauses can be independent, meaning that they could stand on their own as a complete sentence, or dependent, meaning they could not stand on their own as a complete sentence.
The Clause Test works like this: when asked about the punctuation between two clauses, ask yourself: are there 1) two independent clauses or 2) one independent and one dependent clause? If the former is true, your options for punctuation are a period, a semicolon, or a FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) conjunction (or, occasionally, a colon). If a dependent clause is present, you must use a comma (or possibly a colon). Here is a summary of the thought process in a table:
| Two Independent Clauses | One Independent, One Dependent |
| Period (with new sentence starting) | Comma |
| Semicolon (;) | |
| Comma + FANBOYS (for/and/nor/but/or/yet/so) | |
| Colon (:) | Colon (:) |
Incorrect Example: Rolling down the street and covered in cheese, I spotted a meatball.
Correct Example: I spotted a meatball rolling down the street and covered in cheese.
Of the varieties of Sentence Structure questions, those involving misplaced modifiers tend to trip students up the most. Make sure to carefully review the description immediately above!
Answer this: What does the letter I in the QUICKER method stand for?
IDENTIFY the kind of information you see.
Lichens are composite organisms formed from fungi and algae living together. Because they can survive in harsh environments, lichens often grow on rocks and tree bark. Their ability to persist in extreme conditions ______ why they are commonly used to study pollution levels.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. suggests,
B. suggests:
C. suggests;
D. suggests
The answer is D. A helpful principle regarding the use of commas is, “When in doubt, take it out!” In other words, all other things being equal, choose the answer with the least commas. This strategy works because student writers, and perhaps writers in general, tend to overuse commas. For this reason, tests like the SAT will err on the side of using them less.
To apply the principle in this case, ask yourself, Is there any reason I would need a comma here? More specifically, is there a reason for a comma before or after the main verb in the sentence (“suggests”)? The answer is that, unless a phrase or subordinate clause interrupts the clause, we do not break up a sentence with a comma at the spot where the main verb is found. From the subject (“ability”) to the verb (“suggests”) to the predicate of the sentence (everything after “suggests”), there is logical flow in the sentence, and no need to interrupt that flow.
The Moai statues of Easter Island are iconic representations of ancient Polynesian craftsmanship. Their immense size and weight have long made their transportation a mystery to archaeologists; ______ recent studies suggest a sophisticated use of ropes and coordinated movement.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. nonetheless
B. nonetheless,
C. nonetheless;
D. nonetheless.
The answer is B. Unlike the Approach Question, where the semicolon needed to be supplied in between two independent clauses, the sentence containing the “blank” here is already divided appropriately by a semicolon. This means that we can drill down more specifically on the second half of the sentence. The presence of “recent studies suggest …” reveals an intact subject and verb, with the rest of the sentence functioning as the object of what the studies suggest. In this context, “nonetheless” functions as an adverb creating a contrast with what came before. That is, even though there has been a longstanding mystery, an answer to that mystery has recently been proposed.
We can rule out choices C and D because both of them would enclose “nonetheless” completely with punctuation; certainly, this one word by itself is not an independent clause! But is a comma required? Keep in mind that nonetheless is providing a transition and is fundamentally separate from the clause that follows, so a comma is appropriate. Another way to confirm this is to read that part of the sentence out loud (unfortunately, you’ll have to read it silently in your head on test day, since other students will be around!). Try it now. Did you pause naturally after “nonetheless”? If so, you naturally recognized how a small pause is appropriate in this case.
Bees communicate with one another through a unique movement known as the “waggle dance,” which conveys the direction and distance of food sources. Because this dance is observed in many species across continents, scientists believe it evolved early in bee evolution. The dance does more than convey _______ it builds communal behavior by strengthening hive cooperation.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. information, though;
B. information, though,
C. information though,
D. information; though
The answer is A. This question is similar to the Approach question in that two independent clauses are found in the same sentence. “The dance does more than convey information” is a clause that could stand on its own as a sentence. The same is true for “it builds communal behavior by strengthening hive cooperation.” Thus, of the options given, a semicolon is appropriate. But as with the Approach Question, we have to determine whether the linking adverb “though” should precede or follow the semicolon. Because the “though” points back to the dance doing more than conveying information, and ultimately points to a contrast with the previous sentence, the “though” is essentially part of the first clause, not the second. That means that the semicolon, since it divides the two clauses, needs to come after the “though”.
If you have any doubt, re-read the sentence in light of choice A, making a longer pause after the semicolon. This rereading can help make it clear that the “though” belongs with what goes before it and that the final clause, starting with “it builds …” stands on its own.
The Voynich Manuscript, an illustrated codex written in an unknown script, has puzzled scholars for over a century. Suspicions that it’s an elaborate hoax have always been present; other scholars maintain it encodes a real language, _______ linguists remain divided, recent statistical analysis suggests the text’s patterns are not random.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. however while
B. however, while
C. however; while
D. however. While
The answer is D. Sentence Structure questions, as they get more difficult, tend to contain longer and more complicated sentences. To untangle the many clauses combined beginning with the word “Suspicions” here, remember that it’s important to avoid a “run-on” sentence in which more than two clauses are joined without proper separation. The sentence beginning with “Suspicious” already contains two clauses joined by a semicolon; another semicolon is highly unlikely unless we have an extended list of coordinating clauses. So choice C doesn’t seem to work. At the same time, a comma won’t do; this is the dreaded “comma splice,” which happens when we try to join two independent clauses with only a comma. Choice B is out–and surely choice A is as well, as we definitely need some punctuation between these complete clauses.
That leaves choice D. If you read the punctuation provided by choice D back into the sentence, it may become clearer that the best way to avoid a “run-on” here was to separate the two sentences, each of which has two clauses. The SAT frequently uses a period in just this way: to divide up extended sentences that would otherwise be awkwardly combined. Look out for this as you continue to practice!
In 2022, marine ecologist Dr. Priya Menon discovered a new coral reef system beneath the murky waters off the South Pacific. The reef, rich in biodiversity and remarkably well preserved, offers a rare glimpse into an untouched ecosystem. According to Menon, protecting such sites requires international cooperation. But not just any guidelines will ______ regulations must be both science-based and enforceable.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
A. do
B. do, so
C. do,
D. do:
The answer is D. If you have been waiting for a question to use the colon, wait no longer! You will see the colon presented in greater detail in the Punctuation lesson, but for now it suffices to explain that colons are not just for lists. Often, a colon will be used to introduce information that explains, or elaborates upon, what came before. Another way to say this is that a colon is akin to saying, “Here it is!” and providing information that fulfills a sort of promise made earlier in the sentence.
We have just that sort of implicit promise in that clause, “But not just any guidelines will do.” This kind of expression leaves the reader wanting more–wanting to understand that, if not just any guidelines will suffice, exactly what sort of guidelines will do the trick? The clause defining the appropriate “regulations” gives us exactly that information. So a colon is appropriate in this case.
By way of elimination, notice that we once again have two complete clauses, so the Clause Test requires not only some sort of punctuation (so choice A is out) but also more punctuation than a comma (so choices B and C are eliminated as well).
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