What the question looks like
This is the second skill in Standard English Conventions. College Board says it asks you to edit text to conform to conventional usage, such as agreement and verb tense. The stem is the same as for punctuation: Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? The choices are usually different forms of one word: is / are, its / their, predicted / predicting.
The six things College Board tests
| Rule | Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject-verb agreement | The list of names are long. | The list of names is long. | The subject is list, singular. Of names is a phrase in between. |
| Pronoun-antecedent agreement | The museum opened their doors at noon. | The museum opened its doors at noon. | Museum is one thing, so the pronoun must be singular: its. |
| Verb finiteness | The scientist, after years of study, predicting the eruption. | The scientist, after years of study, predicted the eruption. | Every sentence needs a main verb that is finished. Predicting and to predict cannot be the main verb. |
| Verb tense and aspect | In 1969, Apollo 11 lands on the Moon. | In 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. | A past date calls for past tense. Match the timeline set by the other verbs. |
| Subject-modifier placement | Built in 1883, millions of people have crossed the bridge. | Built in 1883, the bridge has carried millions of people. | The opening phrase describes whatever comes right after the comma. People were not built in 1883. |
| Genitives and plurals | The team won it's first game. | The team won its first game. | Its shows ownership; it's means it is. Plurals (teams) take no apostrophe; possessives (team's, teams') do. |
Worked examples
Example 1: find the real subject
Problem The collection of letters that the two sisters wrote to each other during the war ______ now kept in a library in Boston. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English? Choices: is / are / were / have been
- Cross out the phrases between the subject and the blank: of letters, that the two sisters wrote to each other during the war.
- What is left: The collection ______ now kept. Collection is singular, so the verb must be singular.
- Are, were and have been are all plural. Is is singular and fits now.
Answer is
Example 2: a dangling modifier
Problem Built in the 1880s by workers who had no modern machines, ______ Choices: the bridge still carries thousands of cars every day. / workers' skill has kept the bridge standing. / engineers today still admire the bridge. / there are still thousands of cars crossing the bridge.
- Ask: what was built in the 1880s? The bridge.
- So the first words after the comma must be the bridge.
- The other choices put workers' skill, engineers or there right after the comma, which says those things were built in the 1880s.
Answer the bridge still carries thousands of cars every day.
Example 3: the sentence needs a main verb
Problem The geologist, who had spent ten years studying the volcano, ______ the eruption two days before it happened. Choices: predicted / predicting / to predict / having predicted
- Remove the extra information between commas: The geologist ______ the eruption two days before it happened.
- The sentence has a subject (geologist) but no main verb yet. The blank must supply one.
- Only predicted is a finished verb. Predicting, to predict and having predicted cannot be the main verb of a sentence.
Answer predicted
Common mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Making the verb agree with the nearest noun | Cross out of..., with... and that... phrases, then match the verb to what is left. |
| Missing a plural subject that comes after the verb | In There are... and Among the finds were..., the subject follows the verb. Flip the sentence to check. |
| Choosing it's for ownership | Read it as it is. If that sounds wrong, use its. |
| Picking an -ing word because it sounds smooth | Check that the sentence still has a real main verb. |
| Changing tense for no reason | Look at the other verbs and any dates. Keep the timeline consistent unless the meaning changes time. |
Practice
Five Form, Structure, and Sense questions
Both of the old libraries were built a century ago, and ______ reading rooms are still lit by the original brass lamps. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- their
- its
- it's
- they're
Show answer
Answer: their
The pronoun stands for libraries, which is plural, so it must be their. Its is singular, it's means it is, and they're means they are.
The research team spent six summers digging in the Gobi Desert. The ______ biggest find was a nearly complete dinosaur skull. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- teams
- team's
- teams'
- team
Show answer
Answer: team's
The find belongs to one team, so use the singular possessive team's. Teams is a plain plural, teams' means more than one team owns it, and team without the apostrophe does not show ownership.
In July 1969, the Apollo 11 lunar module ______ on the Moon, and Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on its surface. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- lands
- will land
- landed
- has landed
Show answer
Answer: landed
The date is in the past and the other verb, became, is simple past. Landed keeps the timeline. Present, future and present perfect do not fit a single finished event in 1969.
Each of the paintings in the exhibit ______ a scene from the artist's childhood. Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- shows
- show
- are showing
- have shown
Show answer
Answer: shows
The subject is Each, which is singular. Of the paintings is a phrase in between. Only shows is a singular verb; the others are plural.
Having studied the night sky for decades, ______ Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- the astronomer's notebook recorded the faint new comet right away.
- the faint new comet was noticed right away by the astronomer.
- noticing the faint new comet right away was easy for the astronomer.
- the astronomer noticed the faint new comet right away.
Show answer
Answer: the astronomer noticed the faint new comet right away.
The person who studied the sky is the astronomer, so the astronomer must come right after the comma. The other choices place the comet, noticing or the notebook there, which says those things studied the sky.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the subject quickly?
Cross out prepositional phrases (of the paintings, in the box) and anything set off by commas. Then ask who or what is doing the verb. Words like each, every, one and either are singular even when a plural noun follows them.
Are these the same rules as on the grammar pages?
Yes. The SAT uses standard rules, so the grammar guides go deeper on each one: subject-verb agreement, modifiers and verb tense. This page shows how the rules look in SAT question form.
Do I need to know grammar terms like finite verb or antecedent?
No. The test never asks you to name a rule. You only need to spot the problem: a verb that does not match its subject, a sentence with no real main verb, a pronoun that does not match its noun. Learning the terms just makes explanations easier to follow.
Sources
- College Board, Assessment Framework for the Digital SAT Suite, version 3.01 (August 2024), accessed October 1, 2026
- Purdue OWL, Subject/Verb Agreement, accessed October 1, 2026
- Purdue OWL, Apostrophe Introduction, accessed October 1, 2026
