Celebrity English | Test-Taking Tips

The multiple choice questions on the Writing sections of the SAT and PSAT require you to identify and correct grammatical errors and errors in diction. The grammatical errors are generally of certain predictable types; familiarizing yourself with these concepts will be to your advantage in taking this test. It may be a bit more challenging to prepare for the identification and correction of errors in diction because there are so many in standard American English. However, certain errors are more common than others and are more likely to appear on the test.

Review these grammatical errors and errors in diction to prepare for the Writing sections of the SAT and PSAT:

Grammatical Errors

1. Agreement Shifts
2. Dangling Participles
3. Faulty Comparisons
   
4. Fragments
5. Misplaced Modifiers
6. Modifier Confusion
7. Parallelism
8. Possessive Forms and Gerunds
9. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement
10. Run-on Sentences
11. Subject/Verb Agreement
12. Verb Tense Sequence
13. Passive Voice

Errors in Diction

1. any/any other
2. farther/further
3. former/first and latter/last
4. hanged/hung
5. imply/infer
6. its/it's
7. lay/lie
8. liable/likely
9. number/amount
10. one of/the only one of
11. all together/altogether; all ready/already; all right, but not alright
12. "being that"
13. "different than"
14. "kind of a"
15. "kind of" and "sort of"
16. "the reason… is because"
17. "very unique"
18. could of/should of/would of
19. adverse/averse
20. affect/effect
21. eminent/imminent