The Score, Issue #18: Closing the Grammar Gap
Why ACT and SAT Success Hinges on Grammar—and How to Master It.
Greetings, Quiz Hackers! Welcome to another issue of The Score.
Today we tackle a persistent issue confronting many of my ACT and SAT test prep students: the crucial role of English grammar in elevating ACT and SAT scores.
The State of Grammar Education Today
The truth is, many schools today neglect traditional grammar instruction. Educational focus has shifted toward promoting “critical thinking” and applied knowledge, often sidelining grammar as an outdated, rule-based subject. While there may be merits to this modern approach, it frequently serves as a significant barrier to effective ACT and SAT preparation.
The Pivotal Role of Grammar in SAT and ACT Performance
In my experience as a long-time ACT and SAT tutor, it's clear that a lack of basic grammar knowledge severely impacts students' performance—especially on the ACT English and SAT Writing sections.
This deficiency manifests in two distinct ways:
Intuition Isn't Enough
Many students, including those from prestigious private schools, are simply unfamiliar with essential grammatical concepts such as pronoun-antecedent agreement, subject-verb agreement, and modifier errors. As a result, they often rely on their intuitive sense of language. Be warned: test designers are aware of this and craft misleading answer choices that may sound “natural” but are grammatically incorrect.
The Challenge of Rethinking English
The holistic approach to language that students have ingrained often acts as a hindrance when they try to learn grammar. Coming to grips with the structured, rule-based nature of English grammar goes against their foundational understanding of the language.
A Focused Solution: The ACT and SAT Grammar Crash Course
To effectively tackle these challenges, I've designed a specialized Grammar Crash Course tailored specifically for ACT and SAT test preparation. This is a no-nonsense course—free from fluff and jargon—focusing solely on the grammar essentials test takers need to know. The course is structured into multiple modules:
Part 1:
Essential parts of speech, such as pronouns, participles, and prepositions, along with corresponding drill sets.
Part 2:
Key sentence components and their relevance to typical ACT and SAT questions.
Part 3:
Scheduled for publication soon, this module will offer deeper insight into English sentence structures and their relevance to achieving high scores on the SAT and ACT.
What sets this course apart is its direct applicability. Every grammatical concept covered is tied to question types you are certain to encounter on the ACT and SAT. From subject-verb agreement to comma usage, everything you learn will have a direct impact on your test performance.
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Until next time, remember to Prep Smarter!
~ Dave
P.S. For more comprehensive guidance on acing your ACT or SAT, delve into my full archive of tactics and exercises by subscribing to Quiz Hacker, your ultimate guide to test prep success!