SAT Writing: Introductory Phrases
January 14, 2008 by Adam
Filed under SAT Unlocked, Writing, Writing Multiple Choice
About three times per test, an SAT Improving Sentences question will test “Introductory Phrases”.
Whenever you see an introductory phrase beginning a sentence, whatever immediately follows the comma must be exactly who or what the introductory phrase describes.
Incorrect:After throwing for hours, Jake’s dog finally learned to catch a Frisbee.
Problem: The Introductory Phrase here is: “After throwing for hours,”. The problem is that “Jake’s dog” did not throw for hours. “Jake” did.
Correct:
After throwing for hours, Jake finally taught his dog to catch a Frisbee.
Tip:
Watch out for possessives (“Jake’s dog”) that look like the person or thing the introductory phrase describes (“Jake”).
Adapted from SAT Unlocked, which also includes a complete list of the practice questions in The Official SAT Study Guide that test this SAT Writing rule.
