SAT grammar is narrow, which is why 30 days is enough
Here's the good news: the Digital SAT tests grammar from a very limited list. You're not being tested on every rule in English — you're being tested on about a dozen recurring concepts. Once you know the list, every grammar question on the test is a pattern-match problem.
The bad news: most students have never been taught these rules explicitly. They guess by "what sounds right." On easy questions, that works. On medium and hard questions, it doesn't — the test writers specifically design wrong answers that sound right.
This 30-day plan cures the guessing. By day 30, you'll have a mental checklist you can run through on every grammar question, and you'll hit 90%+ on the grammar portion of the test.
The topics tested on the Digital SAT
Grammar questions appear in the Reading & Writing section (roughly 10–12 per test). The topics, in order of frequency:
- Punctuation (commas, semicolons, colons, dashes, apostrophes) — ~4–5 per test
- Subject-verb agreement and verb tense — ~2–3 per test
- Pronouns — ~1–2 per test
- Modifiers (misplaced, dangling) — ~1–2 per test
- Parallelism — ~1 per test
- Sentence boundaries (run-ons, fragments) — ~1–2 per test
- Transitions — ~2–3 per test
We'll cover each in turn, followed by a daily schedule.
Rules Cheatsheet
Punctuation
Comma — use with coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) joining two independent clauses. Use to separate items in a list of three or more. Use after introductory phrases. Do NOT use between a subject and its verb; do NOT use to splice two independent clauses without a conjunction.
Correct: "She studied hard, and she passed the test." Wrong: "She studied hard, she passed the test." (comma splice)
Semicolon — joins two independent clauses that are closely related. A semicolon is grammatically equivalent to a period.
Correct: "Maria loves biology; she plans to major in it."
Colon — introduces a list, explanation, or definition, but the words before the colon must form an independent clause.
Correct: "He packed three things: a book, a water bottle, and a pen." Wrong: "He packed: a book, a water bottle, and a pen." (words before colon aren't a complete sentence)
Em dash (—) — acts like a stronger comma or a flexible colon. Used for emphasis or to set off an interrupting phrase. Em dashes come in pairs (like parentheses) unless at the end of a sentence.
Correct: "The answer — finally — was revealed."
Apostrophe — shows possession or contraction. The most tested rule: its (possessive) vs it's (it is). "The dog wagged its tail." "It's going to rain."
Subject-Verb Agreement
Verbs must agree with their subject in number. The SAT makes this hard by putting a bunch of words between the subject and the verb.
The box of cookies is on the table. (subject = box, not cookies) The list of winners was posted. (subject = list) Each of the students has a book. (each is singular; takes singular verb)
Tricky subjects:
- Each, every, either, neither, one, nobody, everyone — all singular
- Both, few, many, several — all plural
- Some, any, all, most — depend on what they refer to (some of the water is gone; some of the students are here)
Verb Tense
Consistency matters. If the paragraph is in past tense, a sudden present-tense verb is wrong.
Watch for these traps:
- "Had gone" (past perfect) vs "went" (simple past) — past perfect is for actions completed before another past action
- "Will have gone" (future perfect) vs "will go" (simple future)
Pronouns
Three common errors:
1. Pronoun-antecedent agreement. Singular antecedents get singular pronouns.
Wrong: "Each student should bring their book." Acceptable on the SAT (now): "Each student should bring their book." (singular they is accepted) Safe classical form: "Each student should bring his or her book."
2. Ambiguous pronoun reference. If a pronoun could refer to more than one antecedent, it's wrong.
Ambiguous: "When Sara met Laura, she was nervous." (who was nervous?)
3. Case. Subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they, who) vs object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them, whom).
Correct: "Give it to him and me." Wrong: "Give it to he and I."
Modifiers
A modifier should be next to the thing it modifies. The test loves dangling modifiers — modifying phrases at the start of a sentence that don't match the subject that follows.
Wrong: "Walking down the street, the tree was beautiful." (the tree wasn't walking) Correct: "Walking down the street, I thought the tree was beautiful."
Parallelism
Items in a list or comparison must be in the same grammatical form.
Wrong: "She likes swimming, biking, and to run." Correct: "She likes swimming, biking, and running."
Wrong: "The report was thorough, detailed, and written well." Correct: "The report was thorough, detailed, and well-written."
Sentence Boundaries
An independent clause has a subject and a verb and expresses a complete thought.
Run-on: Two independent clauses joined with no punctuation or just a comma.
Fragment: A phrase that lacks a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.
Test ways to split two independent clauses:
- Period (.)
- Semicolon (;)
- Comma + FANBOYS conjunction (, and / , but / , so)
- Em dash (—)
Transitions
Transition words signal relationships between ideas. The test often swaps them to see if you notice.
| Relationship | Words |
|---|---|
| Addition | furthermore, moreover, in addition, also |
| Contrast | however, nevertheless, on the other hand, in contrast |
| Cause/effect | therefore, consequently, thus, as a result |
| Example | for example, for instance, specifically |
| Sequence | first, next, finally, subsequently |
| Emphasis | indeed, in fact, notably |
Trick: to pick the right transition, cover the word, read the sentence before and the sentence after, and decide the relationship. Then pick.
The 30-Day Plan
Week 1: Punctuation (the biggest category)
Day 1 — Commas with FANBOYS. 20 practice questions focusing only on comma + conjunction rule. Write 5 of your own correct sentences.
Day 2 — Commas in lists and after introductory phrases. 20 practice questions.
Day 3 — Semicolons. Drill the rule: both sides must be independent clauses. 15 questions.
Day 4 — Colons. Drill: words before must be an independent clause. 15 questions.
Day 5 — Em dashes. Single and paired. 15 questions.
Day 6 — Apostrophes: its/it's, possessives, contractions. 15 questions.
Day 7 — Mixed punctuation quiz. 30 questions pulling from all rules. Score yourself. Review every error.
Week 2: Verbs and Pronouns
Day 8 — Subject-verb agreement: subjects separated by prepositional phrases. 20 questions.
Day 9 — Tricky subjects: each, every, neither, either, both. 20 questions.
Day 10 — Verb tense: past vs past perfect. 15 questions.
Day 11 — Verb tense: present perfect vs simple past. 15 questions.
Day 12 — Pronoun-antecedent agreement. 15 questions.
Day 13 — Pronoun case: I/me, he/him, who/whom. 15 questions.
Day 14 — Mixed verb and pronoun quiz. 30 questions.
Week 3: Modifiers, Parallelism, and Boundaries
Day 15 — Misplaced modifiers. 15 questions, focus on reading the sentence out loud.
Day 16 — Dangling modifiers. 15 questions. Key: check what the first phrase is modifying.
Day 17 — Parallelism in lists. 15 questions.
Day 18 — Parallelism in comparisons. 10 questions.
Day 19 — Fragments: identify and fix. 15 questions.
Day 20 — Run-ons and comma splices. 15 questions.
Day 21 — Mixed quiz on modifiers, parallelism, and boundaries. 30 questions.
Week 4: Transitions and Timed Practice
Day 22 — Transitions: contrast. 15 questions.
Day 23 — Transitions: cause/effect and addition. 15 questions.
Day 24 — Transitions: example, sequence, emphasis. 15 questions.
Day 25 — Full R&W module (32 min). Review only grammar questions after.
Day 26 — Error-log review from Week 4 tests. Re-solve anything you got wrong.
Day 27 — Full R&W module. Grammar-only review.
Day 28 — Final grammar-only test. 25 questions across all topics. Target: 22+ correct.
Day 29 — Review day. Re-solve the two questions you missed on Day 28 and any lingering entries in your error log.
Day 30 — Light practice. A handful of questions. Rest. You're ready.
Sample questions with explanations
1. "The study, which was conducted over three years, ___ that students who slept eight hours performed better on exams."
A) concludes B) conclude C) concluding D) concluded
Analysis: The subject is study (singular). "Which was conducted over three years" is a parenthetical clause — ignore it when finding the verb. The rest of the paragraph is probably in past tense. Answer: D (concluded).
2. "The team finished first ___ however, their victory was overshadowed by controversy."
A) no punctuation B) , C) ; D) —
Analysis: "The team finished first" is an independent clause. "Their victory was overshadowed by controversy" is an independent clause. A semicolon + however + comma is the classic pattern for linking two independent clauses with a contrasting transition. Answer: C (semicolon).
3. "___ the results were inconclusive, the researchers decided to repeat the experiment."
A) Although B) Because C) Since D) Therefore
Analysis: The relationship between the two clauses is contrast (inconclusive results vs deciding to repeat). "Therefore" is cause/effect in the wrong direction. "Because/since" both imply causation. Answer: A (Although).
Common mistakes
"It sounds right, so it must be right." Wrong. The SAT is designed to exploit this. Wrong answers often sound smoother than correct ones because native speakers make these errors constantly.
Forgetting to check the subject when the subject is far from the verb. Always find the subject first. Strip away prepositional phrases.
Picking the longer answer. Concision is a virtue on the SAT. If a shorter option says the same thing, it's almost always correct.
Confusing semicolons with commas. A semicolon acts like a period. If you couldn't use a period there, you can't use a semicolon.
Ignoring the surrounding paragraph. Verb tense and transition questions often require context. Read the sentence before and the sentence after.
Key takeaways
- SAT grammar is a narrow, memorizable set of rules
- Punctuation is the biggest category — master commas, semicolons, colons, and dashes
- Subject-verb agreement errors hide behind prepositional phrases
- Semicolons need independent clauses on both sides
- For transitions, determine the relationship between ideas first, then pick
- 30 days of focused daily practice gets most students to 90%+ on grammar
Next steps
Drill SAT grammar with instant explanations on UnlimitedTests. Every question tells you which rule it's testing, so you build the rule-recognition instinct with every correct answer. Our Grammar drill set is organized by the exact topic categories in this post.
