SAT Reading & Writing

The syllabus

Taught in this order. Nothing is locked: you can open any part of the course from your first day, whether or not you have finished what comes before it.

1. 00

   R0 — Start Here & Resources

   How the section is built, the tools you get, and the method that works on every question type.

   • · How R&W works: 54 questions, 2 modules, 32 minutes each, one short passage per question
   • · The four domains and their weights; how questions are grouped and ordered
   • · The interface: annotation, eliminator, mark for review, the navigator
   • · The universal method: read the question first, predict, then match
   • · How to eliminate: extreme / too narrow / half-right / true-but-irrelevant
   • · Diagnostic (R&W)
2. 01

   R1 — Grammar Foundations

   The parts of a sentence you need to name before any rule makes sense. Skippable via the diagnostic.

   • · Parts of speech you actually need: nouns, verbs, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions
   • · Drill It
   • · Finding the subject and the verb in any sentence
   • · Drill It
   • · Independent vs dependent clauses; recognising subordinators
   • · Drill It
   • · Phrases: prepositional, participial, appositive
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
3. 02

   R2 — Sentence Boundaries

   The five legal joins, and the one test that settles most punctuation questions.

   • · The five legal ways to join two independent clauses
   • · Drill It
   • · Comma splices and run-ons
   • · Drill It
   • · Fragments, including the -ing trap
   • · Drill It
   • · Dependent-first vs dependent-second comma rules
   • · Drill It
   • · The method: cover the punctuation, ask "is each side a complete sentence?"
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
4. 03

   R3 — Commas

   Where a comma is required, where it is forbidden, and the pair rule.

   • · Never a comma between subject and verb, or verb and object
   • · Drill It
   • · Essential vs nonessential: the pair-of-commas rule
   • · Drill It (1 of 2)
   • · Drill It (2 of 2)
   • · Appositives
   • · Drill It
   • · Introductory elements
   • · Drill It
   • · Lists, series and the serial comma
   • · Drill It
   • · Coordinate vs cumulative adjectives
   • · Drill It
   • · Comma + FANBOYS vs compound predicate (no comma)
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
5. 04

   R4 — Semicolons, Colons & Dashes

   Three marks, one question each: what has to be on the left of it.

   • · The semicolon equals a period
   • · Drill It
   • · Semicolons in complex lists
   • · Drill It
   • · The colon must follow a complete sentence
   • · Drill It
   • · Single dash vs paired dashes; never mix a dash with a comma
   • · Drill It
   • · Strategy card: if two choices are grammatically identical in function, both are wrong
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
6. 05

   R5 — Apostrophes, Possessives & Plurals

   One distinction, four choices built on it, and no other content.

   • · Singular vs plural vs plural possessive
   • · Drill It
   • · its / it's, their / there / they're, whose / who's, your / you're
   • · Drill It
   • · Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes
   • · Drill It
   • · Reading a four-choice set built entirely on this one distinction
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
7. 06

   R6 — Subject-Verb Agreement

   Finding the real subject when the sentence is built to hide it.

   • · Finding the true subject past prepositional phrases
   • · Drill It
   • · Interrupting nonessential clauses
   • · Drill It
   • · Inverted sentences: There is / There are
   • · Drill It
   • · Compound subjects; or / nor and the nearest subject
   • · Drill It
   • · Indefinite pronouns: each, every, either, neither, none
   • · Drill It
   • · Collective nouns; the number of vs a number of
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
8. 07

   R7 — Pronouns

   Agreement, clear reference, and case.

   • · Antecedent agreement in number
   • · Drill It
   • · Ambiguous pronoun reference
   • · Drill It
   • · Case: subject vs object; the "remove the other person" test
   • · Drill It
   • · Who vs whom
   • · Drill It
   • · Reflexives; this/that vs these/those
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
9. 08

   R8 — Verbs: Tense, Aspect & Mood

   Letting the context choose the tense, and the past perfect rule.

   • · Tense consistency and using context clues to choose
   • · Drill It
   • · Past perfect for the earlier of two past events
   • · Drill It
   • · Present perfect vs simple past
   • · Drill It
   • · Irregular participles
   • · Drill It
   • · Conditionals, including "If I were" and never "would have" in the if-clause
   • · Drill It
   • · Module cheat sheet
   • · Module quiz
10. 09

    R9 — Modifiers

    The opening-phrase rule, which decides the answer on its own.

    • · Dangling and misplaced modifiers — the opening-phrase rule
    • · Drill It (1 of 2)
    • · Drill It (2 of 2)
    • · Limiting modifiers: only, just, almost, nearly
    • · Drill It
    • · That vs which; who, where, when
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
11. 10

    R10 — Parallelism & Comparisons

    Matching forms in a list, and comparing things that can actually be compared.

    • · Parallel structure in lists and pairs
    • · Drill It
    • · Correlative pairs: not only…but also, either…or, neither…nor, both…and
    • · Drill It
    • · Logical comparison — comparing like things
    • · Drill It
    • · Fewer/less, number/amount, many/much
    • · Drill It
    • · Comparative vs superlative
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
12. 11

    R11 — Conventions: Idiom, Diction & Redundancy

    The remaining conventions, and why the shortest correct choice usually wins.

    • · Noun agreement
    • · Drill It
    • · Idiomatic prepositions: interested in, different from, result in/from
    • · Drill It
    • · Commonly confused words: affect/effect, then/than, lie/lay, principal/principle
    • · Drill It
    • · Redundancy and wordiness — why the shortest correct option usually wins
    • · Drill It
    • · Timed mixed conventions set — all of R2–R11 (15 q / 12 min)
    • · Full conventions cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
13. 12

    R12 — Transitions

    Name the relationship before you look at the choices.

    • · The method: cover the transition, name the relationship, then match
    • · Drill It
    • · The ten families: addition, contrast, cause, effect, example, emphasis, concession, sequence, restatement, summary
    • · Drill It
    • · Contrast transitions in depth: however / nevertheless / conversely / still
    • · Drill It
    • · Cause-and-effect transitions: therefore / thus / consequently / as a result
    • · Drill It
    • · Trap card: two choices from the same family are both wrong
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
14. 13

    R13 — Rhetorical Synthesis

    The goal is the question. Read it literally, then serve it.

    • · Read the goal first and read it literally
    • · Drill It
    • · Two-part goals need two-part sentences
    • · Drill It
    • · Eliminating choices that are accurate but off-goal
    • · Drill It
    • · Spotting distortions: invented comparisons, causes and evaluations
    • · Drill It
    • · Worked example: one note set, four goals, four different correct answers
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
15. 14

    R14 — Words in Context

    Predict your own word first — the choices are designed to look reasonable.

    • · Predict your own word before reading the choices
    • · Drill It (1 of 2)
    • · Drill It (2 of 2)
    • · Using the clause after a colon, semicolon or contrast marker as the definition
    • · Drill It
    • · Connotation and charge as a first-pass filter
    • · Drill It
    • · Second meanings of common words: qualify, sustain, novel, yield, arrest
    • · Drill It
    • · Roots, prefixes and suffixes for unfamiliar words
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
16. 15

    R15 — Text Structure & Purpose

    What a sentence does, not what it says.

    • · Function vs content: what the sentence does, not what it says
    • · Drill It
    • · The common structural moves: introduce, define, illustrate, counter, qualify, conclude
    • · Drill It
    • · Matching abstract answer choices to concrete text
    • · Drill It
    • · Overall passage structures: problem-solution, claim-evidence, general-specific
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
17. 16

    R16 — Cross-Text Connections

    State both claims in one sentence each before you look at anything.

    • · State each author's claim and stance in one sentence before looking at choices
    • · Drill It
    • · Agreement, disagreement and qualified agreement
    • · Drill It
    • · Locating the precise point of contact between two texts
    • · Drill It
    • · Disagreement about facts vs about interpretation
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
18. 17

    R17 — Central Ideas & Details

    The main idea is what the whole text supports, not the most striking line.

    • · Main idea = what the whole text supports, not the most interesting sentence
    • · Drill It
    • · Too broad / too narrow elimination
    • · Drill It
    • · Detail questions: find and match, never recall
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
19. 18

    R18 — Command of Evidence: Textual

    Restate the claim precisely, then ask what a supporting fact would have to do.

    • · Restating the claim precisely before evaluating choices
    • · Drill It
    • · Support questions: what would a supporting fact have to do?
    • · Drill It
    • · Weaken questions: less likely, not merely negative
    • · Drill It
    • · Illustrate and exemplify questions
    • · Drill It
    • · Trap card: on-topic but logically irrelevant
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
20. 19

    R19 — Command of Evidence: Quantitative

    Read the axes before the choices, and match the data to the specific claim.

    • · Read the title, axes, units and legend before the choices
    • · Drill It
    • · Matching the data to the specific claim, not just to the graph
    • · Drill It
    • · The three failure modes: misread data / correct data but no support / goes beyond the data
    • · Drill It
    • · Traps: units, scale, truncated axes
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
21. 20

    R20 — Inferences

    The blank has a direction. The transition before it tells you which.

    • · Complete-the-text items: predicting from the logical direction
    • · Drill It (1 of 2)
    • · Drill It (2 of 2)
    • · The transition before the blank tells you the direction
    • · Drill It
    • · Eliminating outside knowledge and absolute overstatement
    • · Drill It
    • · The right answer is usually a modest restatement, not a new idea
    • · Drill It
    • · Module cheat sheet
    • · Module quiz
22. 21

    R21 — Strategy, Pacing & Annotation

    Bank time on grammar so you can spend it on evidence.

    • · Pacing: about 71 s per question; bank time on grammar to spend on evidence
    • · Pacing set
    • · Annotation discipline: highlight the claim, the contrast, the answer line — nothing else
    • · Drill It
    • · Passage subject areas and handling unfamiliar science or literature
    • · Drill It
    • · When to mark and move; guessing policy
    • · Module 1 strategy under adaptive routing
23. 22

    R22 — Full-Length Practice & Review Cycle

    Simulations at real pace, and a review method that produces a to-do list.

    • · R&W Module 1 simulation (27 q / 32 min)
    • · R&W Module 2 — lower tier
    • · R&W Module 2 — upper tier
    • · Reviewing an R&W section: categorising every miss by domain and by error type
    • · Building your error log

Curriculum is a draft under review. Teaching outlines and checkpoint questions are written; the videos are not filmed.