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Course: Digital SAT Reading and Writing > Unit 3
Lesson 10: Form, Structure, and SenseForm, Structure, and Sense | Overview
A guide to "form, structure, and sense" questions on the digital SAT
What are "form, structure, and sense" questions?
On the SAT Reading and Writing Test, some questions will present you with a short passage that contains a blank. The question will then ask you to complete
the text in a way that conforms to the conventions of Standard English.
On the SAT, these Standard English conventions are broken down into two categories:
- Form, structure, and sense
- Boundaries
Form, structure, and sense questions focus on the rules surrounding various parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.) and their usage.
Which Standard English conventions will be tested in form, structure, and sense questions?
Form, structure, and sense questions focus on these Standard English conventions:
To learn more about these conventions, check out the grammar guides, lesson videos, and exercises in the grammar practice unit!
How to approach form, structure, and sense questions
Because each question will focus on a specific convention of Standard English, it's a great first step to identify which grammar rule is being tested.
Here's one way to do that:
Step 1: Investigate the blank
Read the text closely. What's missing that the blank needs to provide? A noun phrase? A verb phrase? Something else?
Compare the choices. What changes from choice to choice? Are verbs conjugated differently? Are different pronouns used?
Any patterns we can identify will be useful in the next step.
Step 2: Find the focus
Based on our observations in the previous step, we should be able to identify which Standard English convention(s) is being tested.
For example, if the main difference between the choices is verb conjugation, we should be focused on avoid errors in verb forms and in subject-verb agreement.
If we can narrow our focus to just the convention(s) being tested, we'll have less to think about. This can save us both time and brainpower.
Step 3: Eliminate the obvious errors
Now it's time to take a closer look at the choices!
Plug each choice into the blank, and read the passage through. Keeping in mind the focus grammar rules, eliminate any choice that creates an obvious error.
Once we eliminate choices that create errors, we'll be left with only one remaining choice. We can select it with confidence!
Learn more:
Want to sharpen your skills on form, structure and sense questions? Keep practicing, and check out our lessons for each of the grammar conventions below.
Want to join the conversation?
What an ironic sentence lol “[…] we should be focused on avoid errors in verb forms and in subject-verb agreement”(84 votes)
haha, the irony is real(2 votes)
- How do Sat's Work?(2 votes)
Oh, SATs? They're just magical tests that have the power to determine your entire future with a few multiple-choice questions. It's like a mystical ritual where you sit in a room for hours, bubbling in answers while your brain slowly turns to mush. Don't worry, though, because your entire intelligence and worth as a person can be neatly summarized by a three-digit number. It's a foolproof system, really. wink(60 votes)
Hey, will there be any mini platforms for the new SAT just like in the old SAT, where students could control their progress in the sections of Maths and English, take tests, work on specific topics?(14 votes)- Yes. The SAT will eventually go full digital, so I'm surmising the old platform will be adapted to the new format. Not sure when that will happen, though.(13 votes)
- I still do not understand why we do this(9 votes)
- Oh, SATs? They're just magical tests that have the power to determine your entire future with a few multiple-choice questions. It's like a mystical ritual where you sit in a room for hours, bubbling in answers while your brain slowly turns to mush. Don't worry, though, because your entire intelligence and worth as a person can be neatly summarized by a three-digit number. It's a foolproof system, really. wink(6 votes)
Why isn't this stuff taught more in our English class to prepare to take this test?(3 votes)
because our school isnt made to only teach the SAT. But i totally see what you are saying these skills are not taught as much anymore.(7 votes)
- i don't like
it(5 votes) 
This whole section will be the end of me :')(4 votes)
Personal Gain. As you probably guessed, this motivation centers on money. You have your eye on the financial prize, and if working crazy hours is what it takes to pad your bank account, you're in. You don't have time to eat out, shop, or make it to the gym; but hey, you can afford all of the above.
Here are a few factors that make the SAT a difficult test for many students. These include time pressure, challenging math concepts, difficult reading passages, and a high-stress environment.
Maybe you need to spend more time on your writing skills or work with a tutor to get a handle on difficult math concepts. Academic topics aren't the only SAT weakness you may have. You probably need to improve your test-taking skills. For example, you must have excellent time management to test well.(3 votes)
- Hello everyone! can anyone tell me if we have any full-length online tests other than the Bluebook app?(1 vote)