PSAT 8/9 Prep with 2 practice tests - Princeton Review 2020
Chapter 7 Punctuation
Part III PSAT 8/9 Prep
WHAT, ARE, COMMAS, FOR, ANYWAY?
The writers of the PSAT 8/9 want you to know how to use commas and a few other types of weird punctuation as well. In this chapter, we’re going to talk about the varieties of punctuation that the PSAT wants you to know how to use. Learn these few simple rules, and you’ll be all set on the punctuation questions.
First and foremost, remember how you can spot a question that’s asking about punctuation. Start by asking,
What’s changing in the answer choices?
If you see punctuation marks—commas, periods, apostrophes, semicolons, colons—changing, then the question is testing punctuation. Then, as you work the problem, make sure to ask the big question:
Does this punctuation need to be here?
The particular punctuation mark you are using—no matter what it is—must have a specific role within the sentence. You wouldn’t use a question mark without a question, would you? Nope! Well, all punctuation works that way, and in what follows, we’ll give you some basic instances in which you would use some type of punctuation. Otherwise, let the words do their thing unobstructed!
COMPLETE AND INCOMPLETE IDEAS
In order to decide what type of punctuation is needed to connect ideas in a sentence, you must be able to identify whether the ideas being connected are complete or incomplete. A complete idea can stand on its own. It might be its own sentence, or it might be part of a longer sentence, but it’s allowed to be by itself. Here are some examples.
The view is beautiful.
Look at that sunset!
How high is the summit?
I gazed at the majestic mountains before me.
As you can see, commands and questions can be complete ideas. However, they are rarely tested on the PSAT 8/9. Most complete ideas on the PSAT 8/9 will be statements. In general, a complete idea must have a subject and a verb. Sometimes it needs more than that. Consider the following idea:
The tour guide told us we will need
This idea has a subject (tour guide) and a verb (told), but it’s missing the rest of the idea—what we will need. Therefore, this idea is incomplete. An incomplete idea could also be missing the subject, verb, or both, as in the examples below, all of which are incomplete ideas.
Bought hiking boots
To get to the top of the mountain
The people in our group
In addition, some transition words and conjunctions can make an idea incomplete even when it has a subject and a verb. Consider the following statement.
We began to descend into the canyon
The idea above is complete. It has a subject (we) and a verb (began). However, look what happens when we add some transition words.
Because we began to descend into the canyon
When we began to descend into the canyon
Though we began to descend into the canyon
As we began to descend into the canyon
All of the ideas above are incomplete. Even though each has a subject and a verb, the transition word at the beginning makes each idea incomplete.
Now that we have established the difference between complete and incomplete ideas, let’s take a look at the different types of punctuation that can connect two ideas.
STOP, GO, AND THE VERTICAL LINE TEST
Let’s get the weird ones out of the way first. Everyone knows that a period ends a sentence, but even particularly nerdy grammarians can get lost when things get more complicated. Because of this confusion, we’ve come up with a basic chart that summarizes the different times you might use what the PSAT calls “end-of-sentence” and “middle-of-sentence” punctuation.
STOP
· Period (.)
· Semicolon (;)
· Comma + FANBOYS
· Question mark (?)
· Exclamation mark (!)
HALF-STOP
· Colon (:)
· Long dash (—)
GO
· Comma (,)
· No punctuation
FANBOYS
stands for For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So.
STOP punctuation can link only complete ideas.
HALF-STOP punctuation must be preceded by a complete idea.
GO punctuation can link anything except two complete ideas.
Let’s see how these work. Here is a complete idea:
Samantha studied for the PSAT.
Notice that we’ve already used one form of STOP punctuation at the end of this sentence: a period.
Now, if we want to add a second complete idea, we’ll keep the period.
Samantha studied for the PSAT. She ended up doing really well on the test.
In this case, the period is linking these two complete ideas. But the nice thing about STOP punctuation is that you can really use any of the punctuation in the list to do the same thing, so we could also say this:
Samantha studied for the PSAT; she ended up doing really well on the test.
What the list of STOP punctuation shows us is that essentially, a period and a semicolon are the same thing. We could say the same for the use of a comma plus one of the FANBOYS words.
Samantha studied for the PSAT, and she ended up doing really well on the test.
You can also use HALF-STOP punctuation to separate two complete ideas, so you could say
Samantha studied for the PSAT: she ended up doing really well on the test.
Or
Samantha studied for the PSAT—she ended up doing really well on the test.
There’s a subtle difference, however, between STOP and HALF-STOP punctuation: for STOP, both ideas have to be complete, but for HALF-STOP, only the first one does.
Let’s see what this looks like. If we want to link a complete idea and an incomplete idea, we can use HALF-STOP punctuation as long as the complete idea is first. For example,
Samantha studied for the PSAT: all three sections of it.
Or
Samantha studied for the PSAT: the silliest test in all the land.
When you use HALF-STOP, there has to be a complete idea before the punctuation, so these examples wouldn’t be correct:
Samantha studied for: the PSAT, the SAT, and every AP test in between.
The PSAT—Samantha studied for it and was glad she did.
When you are not linking two complete ideas, you can use GO punctuation. So you could say, for instance,
Having studied for the PSAT, Samantha was confident going into the test.
Or
Samantha studied for the PSAT, all three sections of it.
These are the three types of mid-sentence or end-of-sentence punctuation: STOP, HALF-STOP, and GO. You’ll notice that there is a bit of overlap between the concepts, but the writers of the PSAT couldn’t possibly make you get into the minutiae of choosing between, say, a period and a semicolon. If you can figure out which of the big three (STOP, HALF-STOP, and GO) categories you’ll need, that’s generally all you need to be able to do.
In the following exercise, choose the type of punctuation that will correctly work in the blank.
Some questions have more than one answer! Check your answers on the next page.
The PSAT 8/9 actually does not expect you to know when to use a semicolon. While you will see semicolons appear in the answer choices, most likely they won’t be correct. However, we’ve included all the types of punctuation here because you’ll need to know them later on for the more advanced versions of the PSAT and the SAT. When it comes to punctuation on the PSAT 8/9, you will be most commonly tested on commas in lists and sentences that don’t need punctuation at all. The examples you see in this chapter will give you a good idea of what you can expect from punctuation questions on the PSAT 8/9.
Let’s see what this will look like on the PSAT 8/9.
One day Stormie decided she wanted to go on an 1 adventure; while her human companion was at work.
1. A)NO CHANGE
B)adventure. While
C)adventure while
D)adventure, this was while
Here’s How to Crack It
As always, check what’s changing in the answer choices. In this case, most of the words stay the same. All that changes in three of the answers is the punctuation, and notice the types of punctuation that are changing: STOP and GO.
When you see STOP punctuation changing in the answer choices, you can use a technique that we like to call the Vertical Line Test.
Draw a line where you see the punctuation changing—in this case, between the words adventure and while. Then, read up to the vertical line and identify the idea as complete or incomplete: One day Stormie decided she wanted to go on an adventure. That’s Complete. Now, read after the vertical line: while her human companion was at work. That’s Incomplete.
By the time you’re done, your page should look like this:
So, let’s think: we have a complete idea and an incomplete idea. What kind of punctuation do we need in order to connect these two ideas? According to the STOP/GO punctuation rules, we need either GO or HALF-STOP. While either of these will work to connect the two ideas in the question, notice that the answer choices contain only GO punctuation. Eliminate (A) and (B) because both choices contain STOP punctuation, which cannot connect a complete idea to an incomplete idea.
Both (C) and (D) have GO punctuation, but notice that the words change in (D). Read the second part of the sentence in (D): this was while her human companion was at work. That’s a complete idea, so with (D) the sentence contains two complete ideas. A comma cannot be used to connect two complete ideas, since it is GO punctuation, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (C). No punctuation is needed at all. Notice that we needed to repeat part of the Vertical Line Test test when new words were added to the sentence; the same would be true if words had been removed from the sentence.
Let’s try another.
She wanted to search for her favorite 2 toy. A bumpy blue bone made of nylon.
2. A)NO CHANGE
B)toy, and a
C)toy—a
D)toy a
Here’s How to Crack It
Check the answer choices. What’s changing? Punctuation is changing, and some of that punctuation is STOP or HALF-STOP. Let’s use the Vertical Line Test. Draw a vertical line where you see the punctuation: between toy and A in the underlined portion.
What’s before the vertical line? She wanted to search for her favorite toy is complete. Next, a bumpy blue bone made of nylon is incomplete. Therefore, because we have a complete idea followed by an incomplete idea, we can’t use STOP punctuation, thus eliminating (A) and (B) because both a period and a comma + and are forms of STOP punctuation.
Now, what’s different between the last two choices? Choice (C) contains HALF-STOP punctuation, and (D) contains GO punctuation. Both can work to connect a Complete idea to an Incomplete idea, so consider whether there is a reason to use either type of punctuation. A long dash (and HALF-STOP punctuation, in general) is used to create a small separation between or to slow down ideas. The second part of the sentence provides an explanation or definition of a concept in the first part; the two ideas should have separation between them so they don’t sound like one continuous thought, so there is a reason to use a dash (a colon could also be used). Keep (C). Choice (D) doesn’t include a punctuation mark that indicates a separation, or pause, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (C). By the way, a comma could have worked here as well, but it wasn’t an option (other than the comma + FANBOYS in (B)—which is STOP punctuation). Always use POE with the options that are provided, instead of trying to fix the sentence on your own.
Let’s see one more.
Stormie had a few toys nearby, 3 including; a stuffed monkey, a tennis ball, and a rope.
3. A)NO CHANGE
B)including—
C)including:
D)including
Here’s How to Crack It
First, ask what’s changing in the answer choices. Punctuation is changing, and some choices contain STOP and HALF-STOP punctuation, so let’s use the Vertical Line Test. Put the line between including and a. The first idea, Stormie had a few toys nearby, including, is incomplete, and the second idea, a stuffed monkey, a tennis ball, and a rope, is also incomplete. Therefore, STOP and HALF-STOP can’t be used—only GO punctuation can connect two incomplete ideas. Eliminate (A), (B), and (C) because they are all either STOP or HALF-STOP punctuation. The correct answer is (D).
A SLIGHT PAUSE FOR COMMAS
Commas can be a little tricky. You may recall that GO punctuation sometimes includes a comma and sometimes does not. You can think of that comma as signaling a pause or a shift in ideas. What are some other reasons to use a comma? Take a look at the list below.
If you can’t cite a reason to use a comma, don’t use one.
On the PSAT, there are only four reasons to use a comma:
· in STOP punctuation, with one of the FANBOYS
· in GO punctuation, to separate incomplete ideas from complete ideas
· in a list of three or more things
· in a sentence containing unnecessary information
We’ve already seen the first two concepts, so let’s look at the third and fourth.
Try this one.
However, she wasn’t satisfied with any of those toys. Unfortunately, she was trapped in a hallway by two closed 4 doors; a gate with wooden bars and a wall.
4. A)NO CHANGE
B)doors, a gate with wooden bars, and
C)doors, a gate with wooden bars, and,
D)doors, a gate with wooden bars; and
Here’s How to Crack It
First, check what’s changing in the answer choices. The original underlined portion has STOP punctuation, so use the Vertical Line Test and draw the line between doors and a. The first idea, Unfortunately, she was trapped in a hallway by two closed doors is a complete idea, but a gate with wooden bars and a wall is incomplete. Therefore, STOP punctuation can’t be used. Eliminate (A). Choice (D) also has STOP punctuation, but in a different spot, so draw a line between bars and and. The second part of the sentence, and a wall, is incomplete, so the semicolon (STOP punctuation) can’t work. Eliminate (D). Notice that (B) and (C) only have commas changing, and the items in the underlined portion are part of a list of three things: 1) doors, 2) a gate with wooden bars, and 3) a wall. There should be a comma after each item before the word and, but there shouldn’t be a comma after and, so eliminate (C). The correct answer is (B).
On the PSAT, there should be a comma after every item in a series. Think of it this way. There’s a potential misunderstanding in this sentence:
I went to the park with my parents, my cat Violet and my dog Stuart.
Without a comma after Violet, it sure sounds like this person has some interesting parents. If there’s no comma, how do we know that this sentence isn’t supposed to say that the parents are my cat Violet and my dog Stuart? The only way to remove the ambiguity is to add a comma, like this:
I went to the park with my parents, my cat Violet, and my dog Stuart.
Let’s try another.
The gate, intended to block off doorways for 5 babies, made a scary rattling noise anytime Stormie touched it.
5. A)NO CHANGE
B)babies
C)babies;
D)babies—
Here’s How to Crack It
First, check what’s changing in the answer choices. Some of the choices contain STOP and HALF-STOP punctuation, so draw the vertical line between babies and made. The first part of the sentence, The gate, intended to block off doorways for babies, is incomplete. Neither STOP nor HALF-STOP can be used because both require the first part to be complete. Eliminate (C) and (D). Now consider whether a comma should be used.
The comma in (A) comes after the phrase intended to block off doorways. This phrase also has a comma before it, which indicates that the phrase is unnecessary. You can also try reading the sentence without the phrase: The gate made a scary rattling noise anytime Stormie touched it. This still makes sense and has the same meaning as the original sentence, so the phrase is unnecessary and needs commas both before and after it. (Note that these commas work similarly to two parentheses. Two dashes can also be used in the same way.)
Therefore, because the phrase does need a comma after it, eliminate (B). The correct answer is (A).
Let’s try a few more. Try to figure out whether the word or idea in italics is necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
1.A student who has prepared for the PSAT 8/9 will feel more confident.
2.Katie wants to go to Yale which has a really good theater program.
3.The team that scored five touchdowns won the game in a landslide.
4.The PSAT 8/9 which is administered by the College Board is not as common as the PSAT 11.
5.Rising senior Liam is hoping to ace the SAT.
Answers are on this page.
Let’s put this all together in this question.
This was the 6 barrier, that would determine whether Stormie would be able, to retrieve her blue bone.
6. A)NO CHANGE
B)barrier that would determine whether Stormie would be able,
C)barrier, that would determine whether Stormie would be able
D)barrier that would determine whether Stormie would be able
Here’s How to Crack It
Check what’s changing in the answer choices. There are varying numbers of commas in varying places. Remember, the rule of thumb with commas is that if you can’t cite a reason to use a comma, don’t use one.
It looks like the phrase that would determine whether Stormie would be able is being set off by commas. Let’s see whether this phrase is necessary or unnecessary information. Read the original sentence, and then read the sentence again without the phrase: This was the barrier to retrieve her blue bone. This changes the meaning of the sentence and doesn’t clearly indicate what the barrier’s role is. Therefore, the phrase in question is necessary to the meaning of the sentence, so it shouldn’t be surrounded by commas.
In the end, there aren’t reasons to put commas anywhere in this sentence. The correct answer is (D). Sometimes the PSAT 8/9 will test unnecessary punctuation explicitly, so make sure you have a good reason to use commas when you use them!
YOUR GOING TO BE TESTED ON APOSTROPHE’S (AND INTERNET SPELLING IS A TERRIBLE GUIDE!)
As with commas, apostrophes have only a very limited set of applications. Apostrophes are a little trickier, though, because you can’t really hear them in speech, so people misuse them all the time. Think about the header of this section. The apostrophes are wrong there. Here’s the correct way of punctuating it: You’re going to be tested on apostrophes. Can you hear the difference? Neither can we.
Therefore, as with commas:
If you can’t cite a reason to use an apostrophe, don’t use one.
On the PSAT 8/9, there are only two reasons to use an apostrophe:
· possessive nouns (NOT pronouns)
· contractions (shortened forms of two words, such as it’s instead of it is)
Here are some examples.
Annoyed by 7 humans method’s for keeping dogs from being free, Stormie vowed to somehow get past that fence.
7. A)NO CHANGE
B)humans methods’
C)human’s methods
D)humans’ methods
Here’s How to Crack It
Check what’s changing in the answer choices. In this case, the words are all the same, but apostrophes are changing. Remember, you must have a good reason to use an apostrophe.
Does anything belong to humans? Yes! The methods are used by humans, so the first word does need an apostrophe. Eliminate (A) and (B). No remaining answer has an apostrophe on methods—it doesn’t need one because it is simply plural, not possessive. Next consider the difference between human’s and humans’. The word human’s means “belonging to one human,” whereas humans’ means “belonging to more than one human.” In this case, a plural noun is needed, as Annoyed at human’s methods would not be a correct usage—you could say the human’s methods or a human’s methods, but it’s not correct to simply say human’s. Eliminate (C). The correct answer is (D).
Let’s have a look at another.
This was the day when all dogs would learn to revere 8 their queen, who would do the impossible.
8. A)NO CHANGE
B)they’re
C)they are
D)there
Here’s How to Crack It
Check what’s changing in the answer choices: different spellings of the pronoun their and the use of apostrophes. First, consider their versus they’re: they’re means “they are.” This actually means that neither (B) nor (C) could be correct because they are exactly the same. However, to be sure, try reading the sentence that way: This was the day when all dogs would learn to revere they are queen. This doesn’t work—the queen belongs to the dogs, so a possessive pronoun is needed, which doesn’t use apostrophes. Eliminate (B) and (C).
Now consider the meaning of there. It is used to refer to a particular place. No place is being referenced in this sentence, so eliminate (D). The correct answer is (A).
Phew! These apostrophes can get a little tricky, so let’s try a few more. On these (as on many parts of the PSAT 8/9), you’ll find that using your ear, sounding things out, doesn’t really help all that much.
Circle the option that works. The big question is this: apostrophes or no apostrophes?
1.Salims/Salim’s teacher said hes/he’s allowed to miss next Tuesdays/Tuesday’s exam.
2.Its/It’s really not going to hurt my feelings if you don’t want to go to they’re/their party with me.
3.Whatever the justification’s/justifications for your/you’re attitude, there/they’re is no reason to be so obnoxious about it.
4.Were/We’re going to get back to them as soon as their application’s/applications are processed.
5.They’re/Their they’re/their nachos, but they wont/won’t share any unless its/it’s absolutely necessary or we share ours/our’s.
Answers are on this page.
CONCLUSION
In sum, we’ve looked at all the punctuation you’d ever need on the PSAT 8/9. It’s really not so much, and you probably knew a lot of it already. In general, checking what’s changing in the answer choices can help reveal mistakes that you may not have heard, and POE can help you narrow those answers down.
Punctuation rules are easy to learn, as is the biggest rule of all about punctuation.
Know why you are using punctuation, whether that punctuation is STOP, HALF-STOP, GO, commas, or apostrophes. If you can’t cite reasons to use these punctuation marks, don’t use them!
In the last few pages of this chapter, try out these skills on a drill.
Answers to Questions on this page:
1.NECESSARY to the meaning of the sentence (no commas). If you remove the italicized part, the sentence is not adequately specific.
2.UNNECESSARY to the meaning of the sentence (commas). If you remove the italicized part, the sentence is still complete and does not change meaning.
3.NECESSARY to the meaning of the sentence (no commas). If you remove the italicized part, the sentence is not adequately specific.
4.UNNECESSARY to the meaning of the sentence (commas). If you remove the italicized part, the sentence is still complete and does not change meaning.
5.NECESSARY to the meaning of the sentence (no commas). If you remove the italicized part, the sentence is no longer complete.
Answers to Questions on this page:
1.Salim’s, he’s, Tuesday’s
2.It’s, their
3.justifications, your, there
4.We’re, applications
5.They’re, their, won’t, it’s, ours
Writing & Language Drill 2
Time: 5—6 minutes. Check your answers in Part IV.
Marie Van Brittan Brown: Staying Safe
In the 1960s, a woman named Marie Van Brittan Brown 1 lived in Queens, New York, where she worked as a nurse. Both she and her husband Albert, an electrician, often worked odd hours. Their neighborhood had a high crime rate, and since they often had to come and go during the night, the two were concerned about safety. They were not always both there during the night to protect each 2 other; their home, and their two children. Furthermore, Brown had noticed that local 3 residents calls’ to the police did not always receive a quick response. With these concerns in mind, Brown wondered whether 4 there was a way to see who was at her door from any room in the house and quickly contact the authorities.
1. A)NO CHANGE
B)lived, in
C)lived, in,
D)lived: in
2. A)NO CHANGE
B)other,
C)other:
D)other
3. A)NO CHANGE
B)residents call’s
C)resident’s calls
D)residents’ calls
4. A)NO CHANGE
B)they’re
C)they are
D)their
At that time, if someone 5 knocked on your door you might have to look out a window (potentially allowing an intruder to see who you were) or a small peephole. A potential intruder could also be standing right outside the door, and if he or she did not make a noise, you would have no way to know that someone was there, preparing to break in. If the person did try to break in, you would have to run to the phone and call the 6 police this could use up precious time in the days when most homes had only one phone, with a cord.
5. A)NO CHANGE
B)knocked, on your door,
C)knocked on your door,
D)knocked, on your door
6. A)NO CHANGE
B)police, which
C)police, this
D)police. Which
In 1966, Brown, along with 7 Albert; filed a patent for the first home security system. In Brown’s invention, a door would have several peepholes with a camera looking outside. The video would be transmitted to a monitor that could be 8 placed, it was in any room in the house. This would allow residents to see who was outside their door without having to constantly look out. In addition, Brown’s patent included a set of microphones to allow the resident to talk to the person outside. A remote control could lock or unlock the door from a distance, and the invention included an additional 9 feature, and a panic button that would call the police immediately.
Brown’s patent application was approved in 1969, and she later won an award from the National Scientists Committee. Her idea formed the basis for many security systems in place today in 10 homes, offices, and outdoor spaces. In fact, it’s estimated that over 100 million security cameras are now in place, utilizing Brown’s innovative idea.
7. A)NO CHANGE
B)Albert
C)Albert—
D)Albert,
8. A)NO CHANGE
B)placed in
C)placed; in
D)placed. In
9. A)NO CHANGE
B)feature. A
C)feature—a
D)feature a
10. A)NO CHANGE
B)homes, offices and,
C)homes offices and
D)homes offices, and