SAT Writing: Adverbs

About once per test, an SAT Error ID question will leave the ‘ly’ off the end of an adverb. An adverb is a word, usually ending in ‘ly’ (like ‘clearly’, ‘mostly’ or ‘faithfully’), that helps describe (or modify) an adjective, a verb, or another adverb.

Incorrect:
Researchers examined the constant changing river bed for signs of invasive species.

Problem: The adverb ‘constant’ is missing ‘ly’.
(The river bed can not both be ‘constant’ and ‘changing’ at the same time.)

Correct:
Researchers examined the constantly changing river bed for signs of invasive species.

Tip: The phrase ‘constant changing’ is an SAT favorite when testing adverbs.

From SAT Unlocked, which includes a complete list of the practice questions in The Official SAT Study Guide that test this SAT Writing rule.