In this prep, you have a PSAT-like question that will challenge your understanding of subordinating clauses beginning with a relative pronoun. Remember that the PSAT is a timed test and that you will have less than sixty seconds to answer the language questions. Being able to identity the type of sentence you are being tested on and the correct way to write it will greatly improve your chances of coming to the correct answer. Before attempting this prep, you might review the previous lesson so you have a clear understanding of how to approach this type of question.
PSAT prep 7
Chose the correct answer for the highlighted word:
Eighth-grade students at Lowrey Middle School are teenagers they keep weekly reading logs.
- no change
- :who
- whom
- who
The first choice, a. no change, is incorrect because the words in question are two independent clauses: “Eighth-grade students at Lowrey Middle School are teenagers” and “they keep weekly reading logs.” They are independent clauses because each has a subject and verb and can stand alone: “students are” and “they keep.” For a. to be correct, appropriate punctuation would have to be placed between the clauses: a period, a colon, a semi-colon, a dash, or a comma and (,and). The second choice, b. :who, is incorrect because the semicolon separates the dependent clause, “who keep weekly reading logs” from the independent clause “Eighth-grade students at Lowrey Middle School are teenagers.” The third choice, c. whom, is incorrect because the clause needs a subject and “whom” is used as an object: for example, “Whom did the class choose as president?”–”Whom” being the object of choose. The fourth choice is the correct answer because “Who” is the subject form of the relative pronoun, and it is the subject of the subordinate clause “who keep weekly reading logs.”
Now, put in your own words your understanding of the above example question. You might have to refer to previous lessons to understand this lesson. When you feel that some of this makes sense, come up with at least five examples to show your understanding. Do not be discouraged by the lengthy explanations. Once you start recognizing subjects and verbs, your understanding of sentences should improve and should substantially help you on the PSAT. Good Luck!