SAT Writing Workshop

Essay Review

• How much time do you get to write the essay?• How many points is the essay worth in the

overall Writing score?• How many paragraphs should you write?• What are the three most important aspects of

your essay?

Brainstorm (pg. 279 of Essay Workshop Packet)

Some believe that attitude is a determining factor in the quality of a person’s life. Former First Lady and reformer Eleanor Roosevelt wrote, “People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built” (My Day). A generation earlier, William James (1842-1910) wrote, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.”

Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that the things people do are not as important as the way they choose to do them? In an essay, support your position by discussing an example (or examples) from literature, the arts, science and technology, history, current events, or your own experience or observation.

Brainstorm (pg. 281 of Essay Workshop Packet)

In 1964, U.S. Senator James William Fullbright spoke on the need to view issues from many perspectives: “We must dare to think ‘unthinkable’ thoughts. We must learn to explore all the options and possibilities that confront us in a complex and rapidly changing world. We must learn to welcome and not fear the voices of dissent.” Even Mahatma Gandhi, renowned advocate for peace, once pronounced: “Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress.”

Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that disagreement leads to progress? In an essay, support your position by discussing an example (or examples) from literature, the arts, science and technology, history, current events, or your own experience or observation.

Brainstorm (pg. 283 of Essay Workshop Packet)

During the Great Depression, American President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself” (First Inaugural Address). From another viewpoint, seventeenth-century Frenchman Francois Fenelon wrote, “True courage consists in fear and retreat, in retreat without deliberation, and without looking back” (Telemachus, Book II).

Assignment: What is your opinion of the claim that to proceed in spite of fear is noble, but to feel no fear at all is foolish? In an essay, support your position by discussing an example (or examples) from literature, the arts, science and technology, history, current events, or your own experience or observation.

Error IDs and Improving Sentences/Paragraphs

• Subsection 1 : the essay

• Subsection 2: 11 Improving Sentences, 18 Error IDs, 6 Improving Paragraphs

• Subsection 3: 14 Improving Sentences

• There is no level of difficulty (no 1/3rd rule)

Error ID

1. Doug is so fond of chocolate that he eats at A B Cleast 3 candy bars a day or more. No error

D E

Error ID Approach

1. Follow all grammar rules2. Don’t trust your ear. (We hear English

incorrectly)3. 1/5 of the questions will be E

Improving Sentences

5. After Nixon spent months trying to counter bad press and pressure from his own party, resignation was chosen by him instead of facing the impeachment process.(A) resignation was chosen by him instead of facing the

impeachment process(B) resignation was chosen instead of impeachment(C) resignation was the choice made by him rather than

facing the impeachment process(D) he chose to resign rather than face impeachment(E) he chose resignation rather than being impeached

Improving Sentences Approach

1. Follow all grammar rules2. Listen to sentence (unlike Error ID, if it

sounds funny, there’s a mistake). Don’t plug in all the answer choices. Mark the error in the sentence.

3. 1/5 of the questions will be A.

Supplemental Steps for Improving Sentences

1. Avoid “having” and “being”2. Avoid other “-ing” verbs3. Avoid ambiguous pronouns (it, them, they)4. K.I.S.S. (Keep it short & simple)5. Avoid the passive voice

Grammar Rules: VerbsI. Subject-Verb AgreementA. A collective noun may seem plural; however,

whenever we talk about people as a single group the noun is singular.

8. Japan performed well in the 1980’s becauseA B

they were able to export the high quality C D

technology demanded by consumers. No error.E

B. Subjects and verbs separated by a bunch of words Trim the fat: cross out any extra words between the subject and verb

9. The statistics released by the state A

department makes the economic situation look B

bleaker than it already is. No error C D E

C. Nouns joined by conjunctions-two singular nouns joined by “and” = plural-subjects joined by “or” or “nor,” use the last subject in the list to determine the verb

12. Neither my father nor his parents, though A B

descendants of Celtic clans originating in C

Scotland, has visited the United Kingdom. No D E

error

D. Pronoun Subjects: can be either singular or plural depending on the nouns they replace

• If the noun can be counted (books, cars, people, etc.) then the pronoun is plural.

• If the noun cannot be counted (air, water, time, etc.) then the pronoun is singular.

Examples:• Most of the pie is gone.• Most of the cookies are gone.• All of the students are looking hungrily at the pie.

all, most, some, more, any, less, none

Some pronouns are always singular:

Some pronouns are always plural

Example: • Each runs a lap.• Several run in less than 2 minutes.

each, either, neither everybody, everything, everywhere, nothing, much

Few, may, both, several

II. ParallelismA. Lists: make sure all are in the same form

14. The Halloween party was a great success: A

the children enjoyed bobbing for apples, playing B C

party games, and to wear costumes. No error. D E

B. Comparisons: look for sentences that use than, like, or as.

15. According to my friend Ann, being right is not always as desirable as being happy.(A) being right is not always as desirable(B) having rightness is not always as desirable(C) there is not always more desirability in being

right(D) rightness has not always as much desirability(E) To have rightness is not always more desirable

III. TenseA. Perfect Tenses• Past Perfect: event happened before another

past event– I had fixed the roof before the storm hit.

• Present Perfect: event began in the past and may be done or still continuing now– I have fixed the roof.

• Future Perfect: event will occur in the future before another event– I will have fixed the roof before the storm hits.

17. Michelle recently discovered the works of Martin Heidegger, and she is reading philosophy since then.(A) and she is reading philosophy since then(B) since she is reading philosophy since that time(C) yet philosophy being read by her since that time(D) and she has been reading philosophy ever since.(E) and she had been reading philosophy ever since.

PronounsI. Agreement: must agree in number with the

noun it replaces

20. Everyone on the cheerleading squad A

debated whether to take both of their pom B C

poms to the football game. No error.D E

II. Ambiguity: a pronoun must clearly replace only one noun

23. Many economists feel that taxpayers A

should pay less, on the theory that they will B C

spend more and boost the economy. No error. D E

III. Case: use pronouns for the subject or object of a sentence

SUBJECT PRONOUNS OBJECT PRONOUNSI mehe, she him, herwe usthey them

who whom

25. An ongoing argument rages between

Akil and I as we have such wildly different ideasA B C

about which we cannot agree. No error. C D

IV. Nouns: if two nouns refer to each other, they should match in number.

28. As elections approach, campaign managers A

pay more attention to swing voters, who don’t B

make their decisions until the day of the C D

election. No error.E

Etc.• I. Adjectives and Adverbs: check that they

function correctly; check for counting errors and comparison errors

• Function example:29. The thief, hoping to evade the police,

A B ran quickly into the alley after taking the jewels.

C DNo error. E

Counting errors• With things you can count, use fewer, many,

and number of.• With things you cannot count, use less, much,

and amount of.

30. Less students are choosing off-campus A B

apartments because the cost of a college C

education is prohibitive. No error. D E

Comparison rules:• When comparing 2 things, use more, between,

and –er form of adjectives.• When comparing 3+, use most, among, and –

est form of adjectives

31. Between all the former classmates at the A B

reunion, Julia was the most excited to see her C D

old friends. No error.E

II. Prepositions: idioms (use the right combination pg. 319)—once you spot an underlined preposition, look for the verb that comes before it and check if the combination is correct

Despite the poor weather, I was planning A B Con attending the festival with my sister.

DNo error. E

Try1. I am indebted ____ you.2. The coach considered her ____ the best athlete in

the school.3. I am different ____ you.4. The women had a dispute ____ politics.5. In our secret club, a majority is defined ____ two-

thirds or more.6. You have a responsibility ____ take care of your pet.7. You are responsible ____ your pet.8. Lindsay’s books fell off ____ the wall.9. I am planning ____ get my driver’s license soon.10.Lindsay will try ____ attend Morgan’s party.

III. Misplaced modifiers: watch out for descriptive phrases that come at the beginning of a sentence and followed by a comma. Whatever noun follows must be the subject that phrase describes.

34. Returning home for a visit, the backyard seemed much smaller to Richard than he remembered.(A) Returning home for a visit the backyard seemed

much smaller to Richard(B) Returning home for a visit, it seemed a much smaller

backyard to RIchard(C) Returning to it for a visit, the backyard seemed

smaller to Richard(D) Richard returned home for a visit, and the backyard

seemed to him much smaller(E) When Richard returned home, the backyard seemed

much smaller

IV. Avoid Redundancy• most unique• in the year 1965• period of time• The reason…is because…

V. Diction• compliment/complement: praise/complete• affect/effect: verb/noun• Illusion/allusion: magician does/reference• immigrate/emigrate: come in/leave• stationary/stationery: stand still/paper• principle/principal: values/school• Illicit/elicit: illegal/verb (to get)• irritate/aggravate: person/situation