SAT Reading & Writing

8. Rules Questions - Describing Phrases

Written by: Pranav I
Formatted by: Rithanya S

Labels that precede a person’s name, a book’s title, or any other potentially unfamiliar noun are never followed by a comma
- Astronaut Mae Jemison became interested in space in part because of Star Trek character Lieutenant Uhura ✅
Specifying Information come in different forms

🔥 Specifying Information Rules

Phrases that begin with “that” are always Specifying Information and never get commas around them.
Prepositional phrases are usually Specifying Information and don’t get commas unless they appear at the beginning of the sentence.

Preposition: A small, directional word (in, on, of, for, by, with, or to)
Prepositional Phrase: A phrase that begins with a preposition
- Squirrels were playing at the top of the tree. ✅
- Squirrels at the top of the tree were playing. ✅
- At the top of the tree, squirrels were playing. ✅
Prepositional phrases are usually followed by commas when they come at the beginning of the sentence as the sentence would be confusing without the comma (two nouns will be placed adjacent to each other)
These comma rules are reflected in how we speak (pauses in the place of commas)

If the label preceding or following a noun has the words “a” or “an”, it must be separated from the noun using commas (Extra Information)
- An astronaut, Mae Jemison became interested in space in part because of Star Trek Character Lieutenant Uhura ✅
These describing phrases are called Noun Phrases

🔥 Types of Describing Phrases

Noun Phrases
Phrases beginning with an -ing verb Eg: Having taken a bath, I was fresh again.
Phrases beginning with an -ed verb or an irregular past participle Eg: Located in Maryland, Baltimore has a rich history.
Phrases beginning with which, who, whom or whose or those that contain a preposition along with one of these words Eg: Summer, which is my favorite time of the year, is when I go to camp.
A clause with the “to be” verb removed Eg: Ella timidly blew into the trumpet, the sound barely audible.
A definition or alternative term starting with “or” Eg: The humerus, or funny bone, is an arm bone that runs from one’s shoulder to one’s elbow.

Transitions are followed by a comma if they come at the beginning of a sentence and they are surrounded by commas if they appear in the middle
The following rules can be applied while constructing describing phrases

✅ Extra Information Rules

Extra Information can come before or after the noun or pronoun it’s describing.
Extra Information can be removed and produce a sentence with the same meaning, just a little less detail. It’s not needed for specifying which person or thing you’re talking about.
Extra Information must always have commas, dashes, or parentheses both before and after the phrase.
If you’re not sure whether the information is Extra or Specifying, try removing it from the sentence. If it is Extra, its removal will not affect your understanding of who or what the sentence is about.