1. End-of-sentence punctuation
For the rst in our list of conventions of punctuations, this one is pretty obscure and not that likely to show up on the test. So if you skip this and don’t remember anything of it, it’s not that big of deal (make sure that you are paying attention to the rest of this list).
So here it is: when somebody asks an indirect question, you don’t want to end that sentence in a question mark.
What is an indirect question you ask? Take the following situation.
Mark: Is Patty going to the movies with us?
John: I don’t know. I’ll guess I’ll ask her when I see her next.
(Later that day)
John: Hey, Patty, Mark asked if you are going to the movies with us.
Patty: No, you guys are losers.
Notice that when John asks Patty whether she is going to the movies that sentence does not end in a question mark. And that’s it. Again, very unlikely you’ll see this on the test.
2. Within-sentence punctuation
Another way to think of this is, do you know when it is appropriate to use semicolons, colons, and em-dashes.
Yes, the dreaded semicolon—I had to get to it eventually. The good news is that the test is not asking you to use a semicolon in your writing; it’s asking you to recognize when a semicolon is appropriate (as it was in the middle of this sentence).
Below is a quick breakdown of each. And I promise, semicolons are not as bad as you probably think they are.
Semicolon
The bubonic plague, public speaking, not having your smartphone on a transatlantic trip—few things are as dreaded in life as the semicolon. But there is no reason to fear this oft-maligned punctuation mark, especially the way it is used on the SAT. It really is pretty straightforward:
It is used to separate two independent clauses.
That’s it. That is all you have to know. Sure, the essence of the semicolon is that the two independent clauses are closely connected, and so it wouldn’t make as much as sense to use a period. Of course that becomes a judgment call and is at least part of the reason that many feel uncomfortable using a semicolon. But the SAT is only going to ask you about whether or not a sentence correctly uses a semicolon; it is not going to ask you to write a sentence using a semicolon (Like how I dropped that semicolon in there?)
So let’s put you to the test. Which sentences correctly use a semicolon?
1) For my upcoming hike, I pack several things; a compass, a rst aid kit, a water heating contraption, and a pocketknife.
2) I visited several colleges during my senior year; none of which I liked.
3) I was hoping to work in the Peace Corps after graduating; I was hoping to make a di erence.
4) Most smartphone users operate under the assumption that smartphones will somehow make them smarter; yet because excessive cell phone use diminishes many basic cognitive abilities, such as working memory, this is not necessarily the case.
Answers and explanations:
1) Incorrect
This sentence requires a colon (see colon section), not a semicolon.
2) Incorrect
“none of which I liked” is not an independent clause/legitimate sentence.
3) Correct
The clauses to either side of the semicolon are both independent clauses.
4) Correct
This is a meaty sentence, about as complex as anything the SAT will throw at you. Though the clause
immediately following the semicolon starts with the words “yet because”, it is part of a complete sentence since it is linked by a comma with the independent clause “this is not necessarily the case”.
Colon
The colon has two main uses, one of which we learn in grade school. If you are going to describe a list of things you use a colon.
I want many things in life: a new at screen television, an exercise bike, a massage chair, a video game system, and year supply of Oreo cookies.
The SAT knows that most students are familiar with a basic list of things following a colon, so they’ll try to jazz things up by adding a list of complex clauses.
As soon as Sandra stepped outside the airport she knew she was in a foreign land: the smell of mangos wafted in the light breeze, the shouts of food cart vendors punctuated the humid air, and a language she recognized only from Rosetta Stone courses rang in her ears.
The colon can also be used to separate two clauses, the second of which elaborates on the rst. I am now going to illustrate this: here is a sentence that uses a colon. You can think of the rst part announcing that it is going to tell us something and the second clause is this thing.
She wanted only one thing in life: to become senior class president.
This use of the colon is good to know from a writer’s standpoint; I don’t think the SAT will explicitly test it, though.
But it is good to know just in case.
Em-dashes
When I rst mentioned em-dashes a minute ago and you were thinking I’m not worried about the semicolon, what the %$& is an em-dash, well, you’ve come to the right place.
If you see an em-dash mid-sentence, it has one of two functions.
1. A list of things mid-sentence
Usually, we see a list of things after a colon. But if a list comes mid-sentence, we want to set it o using em-dashes.
There are some punctuations marks—colons, semicolons, em-dashes—that scare the crap out of people.
Notice in the list, I did not use an “and” to connect the 2 nd and 3 rd noun, the way you usually would (“he hates using colons, semicolons, and em-dashes”). I don’t think the SAT is going to explicitly test you on this
convention, but it is good to keep in mind since you want to eliminate a correct answer using em-dashes just because there is no “and” between the last and the second-to-last item.
2. It emphasizes a parenthetical statement
Sentence #1 - She helped him as much as she could (she passed up going to see Taylor Swift in concert), and yet he made more demands on her time.
Sentence #2 - She helped Sylvester as much as she could—she passed up going to see Taylor Swift in concert—and yet he made more demands on her time.
The di erence between these two sentences and the reason that sentence #2 is probably what the writer is going for (though both are grammatically correct) is that sentence #2 emphasizes how much she gave up to help Sylvester—she missed the Taylor Swift concert. Were that not that big of a deal, just a passing thought the writer wanted to slip in there, then Sentence #1 would be ne.
Luckily, the test is not going to ask you to choose between em-dashes and parentheses. You just have to make sure that if an em-dash is used to emphasize a thought that it is set o by two em-dashes: one at the beginning of the phrase and one at the end.
Correct:
Harold consumed lots of food— four hot dogs, nine slices of pizza, a cheeseburger —before passing out.
Incorrect:
Harold consumed lots of food— four hot dogs, nine slices of pizza, a cheeseburger , before passing out.
Harold consumed lots of food— four hot dogs, nine slices of pizza, a cheeseburger ; before passing out.
Harold consumed lots of food; four hot dogs, nine slices of pizza, a cheeseburger —before passing out.
Harold consumed lots of food, four hot dogs, nine slices of pizza, a cheeseburger —before passing out.
The basic rule: if you start with an em-dash mid-sentence, make sure to use another em-dash mid-sentence.
3. Possessive nouns and pronouns