The rules that solve most questions
- Find the true subject. Cross out phrases like "of the students" or "along with its neighbors"; they don't change the subject.
- Each, every, neither and either are singular.
- With neither … nor or either … or, the verb agrees with the closer subject.
- A pronoun must clearly refer to one noun and match it in number.
- An opening descriptive phrase must be followed by the thing it describes (otherwise it's a dangling modifier).
- Items in a list or comparison take the same grammatical form (parallel structure).
Traps the wrong answers are built on
- Making the verb agree with the nearest noun instead of the subject.
- Choosing a tense that clashes with time words like "last year" or "by the time."
Worked example
The collection of fossils discovered in the quarry ______ several species that had never been described before.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. includes
- B. include
- C. are including
- D. have included
Answer: A. The subject is "collection," which is singular; "of fossils discovered in the quarry" only describes it. A singular subject takes "includes."
Practice set
Answer each question to see whether you're right and why.
0 of 10 answered · 0 correct
- Question 1Medium
The collection of fossils discovered in the quarry ______ several species that had never been described before.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The subject is "collection," which is singular; "of fossils discovered in the quarry" only describes it. A singular subject takes "includes."
- B: "include" agrees with "fossils," not the true subject.
- C: "are including" is plural and an awkward tense.
- D: "have included" is plural.
- Question 2Medium
Each of the volunteers who cleaned the beach last weekend ______ a certificate of thanks from the city.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
"Each" is singular, and "last weekend" places the action in the past, so the singular past "received" is correct.
- A: "receive" is plural and present tense, which clashes with "last weekend."
- B: "have received" is plural.
- C: "were receiving" is plural.
- Question 3Medium
When the river flooded in the spring, the farmers moved their equipment to higher ground so that ______ would not be damaged.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The pronoun refers to "equipment," a singular, uncountable noun, so "it" is correct.
- A: "she" has no antecedent.
- B: "this" is vague; it could refer to the whole situation.
- D: "they" would refer to the farmers, which changes the meaning.
- Question 4Medium
By the time the expedition reached the summit, the team ______ for nearly nine hours.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
The climbing happened before another past event (reaching the summit), so the past perfect progressive "had been climbing" is correct.
- A: "has been climbing" is present perfect and doesn't fit a past narrative.
- C: "will have climbed" is future.
- D: "climbs" is present tense.
- Question 5Medium
Neither the coach nor the players ______ expecting the match to be postponed.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
With "neither … nor," the verb agrees with the nearer subject, "players," which is plural: "were."
- B: "was" agrees with "coach," the farther subject.
- C: "is" is singular and present tense.
- D: "has been" is singular.
- Question 6Medium
Walking through the museum's new wing, ______
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
The opening phrase describes whoever is walking, so the subject right after the comma must be the walkers: "the students."
- A: This also leaves the opening phrase without a logical subject.
- B: This makes "the dinosaur skeletons" the walkers.
- C: This makes "the size" the one walking through the museum, a dangling modifier.
- Question 7Medium
The researchers compared the two methods and found that the newer one was faster, cheaper and ______
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Items in a list should share the same form. "faster, cheaper and more accurate" keeps three comparative adjectives parallel.
- A: "it was more accurate" adds a new clause into the list.
- B: "accuracy was better" also breaks the parallel structure.
- D: "had more accuracy" breaks the pattern with a verb phrase.
- Question 8Medium
The city's oldest bridge, along with two of its newer ones, ______ scheduled for repairs next year.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
"along with two of its newer ones" is an add-on phrase that doesn't change the subject. The subject is "bridge," singular, and "next year" calls for the present "is scheduled."
- A: "are" treats the phrase as part of the subject.
- C: "have been" is plural.
- D: "were" is plural and past.
- Question 9Medium
Hummingbirds beat their wings so quickly that the movement ______ a humming sound, which is how the birds got their name.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The clause after "so quickly that" needs a main verb that agrees with "the movement," which is singular: "produces."
- B: "produce" is plural.
- C: "producing" is not a main verb, which leaves the clause incomplete.
- D: "to produce" is also not a main verb.
- Question 10Medium
The novel was so popular that the publisher printed a second edition only three weeks after the first one ______
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The first edition sold out before the second edition was printed, both in the past, so the past perfect "had sold out" correctly shows the earlier event.
- B: "sells out" is present tense.
- C: "will sell out" is future.
- D: "is selling out" is present progressive.
More Standard English Conventions practice
Questions people ask
Is this form, structure and sense (grammar) practice like the real SAT?
The questions follow the format of the digital SAT's Standard English Conventions domain: a short text with one blank or question and four choices. They are written for this site; they are not official College Board questions.
Where is the domain on the test?
Standard English Conventions is one of the four content domains of the SAT Reading and Writing section, alongside Information and Ideas, Craft and Structure, Expression of Ideas.