SAT English: Boundaries

Astronomical seasons are based on the position of the sun, but meteorological seasons are based on temperature and weather.

How are the two independent clauses linked?

• End of sentence punctuation

• Coordination (FANBOY)

• Subordination

• Semicolons

Answer explanation

Coordination involves the linking of two independent clauses within a single sentence. To coordinate independent clauses, we must use two things:

1. a comma (,)

2. a coordinating conjunction

The only coordinating conjunctions in English are known as the FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so).

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

Which one is NOT a subordinating conjunction?

• while

• although

• but

• when

Answer explanation

Subordinating conjunctions are words that turn an independent clause into a dependent clause. There are many subordinating conjunctions, but some examples include although, since, because, while, when, and after.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

CCSS.L.11-12.3

Which one is grammatically correct?

• I went to the store because I ran out of peanut butter

• Because I ran out of butter, I went to the store.

• Both

Answer explanation

Some subordinating conjunctions can link clauses without a comma, but only if the dependent clause comes second.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

What question types are included in Boundaries questions?

• Linking clauses

• Subject-verb agreement

• Supplements

• Punctuation

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.3

Which is correct?

• Though broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi may seem like very different vegetables, they are all cultivars of the same plant species.

• Broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi may seem like very different vegetables, they are all cultivars of the same plant species.

Answer explanation

By adding the subordinating conjunction "though", the first clause is made dependent. It can then be linked to the second clause with just a comma.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

CCSS.L.11-12.2

Semicolons can be used to link two ______ clauses without any conjunction.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

CCSS.L.11-12.2

How do you identify a linking clauses question?

• if the choices add or remove commas and FANBOYS

• if the choices add or remove end punctuation like periods or question marks

• if any choice contains a semicolon

• all of the above

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.2

CCSS.W.11-12.1C

CCSS.W.11-12.2C

Detroit natives Timothy Paule and Nicole Lindsey have combined their two passions, Detroit and beekeeping, to improve the health of their city’s flowers and other vegetation. In 2017, the couple converted a vacant lot in the city into an ______ in the years that followed they acquired nine additional lots and established more than 35 hives.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• apiary

• apiary,

• apiary, and

• apiary and

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

CCSS.L.11-12.2

It is tempting to glamorize the hunt for dinosaur ______ majority of fieldwork is characterized by a daily routine of heat, insects, and tedious labor.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

• fossils but the

• fossils, the

• fossils but

• fossils, but the

Answer explanation

The coordinating conjunction "but" grammatically links the two independent clauses while logically indicating the contrast between them.

Tags

CCSS.L.11-12.1

CCSS.L.11-12.2

Which one includes an essential element?

• In a basketball game, the team that scores the most points will win.

• The basketball team, which won the state championship last year, got on the bus.

Answer explanation

Essential elements are necessary for the sentence to function and don't require punctuation.

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.2