Study guides

Every verbal skill, explained.

What each GRE, SAT, and ACT verbal skill tests, how to approach it, and the traps to avoid — free, no sign-in needed.

GRE Verbal

Vocabulary

Text Completion and Sentence Equivalence hinge on the precise meaning, connotation, and register of sophisticated words.

Approach

Find the sentence's 'clue' — the word or phrase that tells you what the blank must mean — before looking at the choices.
Predict your own word for the blank first, then match it to the closest choice.
Use roots, prefixes, and connotation (positive/negative) to narrow unfamiliar words.
For Sentence Equivalence, the two answers must be near-synonyms AND both fit — pick the meaning first, then the pair.

Common traps

A word whose common meaning fits but whose precise sense contradicts the sentence's logic.
A tempting second synonym pair that doesn't actually match the sentence's meaning.

Sentence Structure

Reading the logic of complex sentences — how clauses, pivots, and qualifiers determine what a blank or answer must be.

Approach

Spot the pivot words (however, thus, despite, because) — they set contrast, cause, or agreement.
Strip the sentence to its core subject–verb to see what it's really claiming.
Decide whether the blank must agree with or oppose the clue, then choose accordingly.

Common traps

Multiple clauses or double negatives that hide the real logical direction.
Choosing a word that fits one clause but breaks the sentence as a whole.

Logic & Inference

Drawing conclusions that must follow from the passage — inference, assumption, and 'what the author implies'.

Approach

The answer must be forced by the text, not merely consistent with it.
Separate what is stated from what is implied; the question tells you which it wants.
Watch the logical connectors that link evidence to conclusion.

Common traps

Choices that are true in the real world but not supported by this passage.
Over-reaching inferences that go one step further than the text allows.

Main Idea

Identifying the central point or primary purpose of a passage.

Approach

Read the first and last sentences closely — the thesis usually lives there.
Ask 'why did the author write this?' rather than 'what does it say?'.
The main idea covers the whole passage, not one paragraph.

Common traps

Choices that are too narrow (a supporting detail) or too broad (beyond the passage).
A true statement about a sub-point mistaken for the overall point.

Supporting Detail

Locating and correctly interpreting specific facts stated in the passage.

Approach

Go back to the exact text — never answer detail questions from memory.
Paraphrase the relevant sentence, then match it to a choice.

Common traps

Choices that subtly distort the stated detail (change a number, scope, or actor).
Plausible statements that simply aren't in the passage.

Tone & Attitude

Judging the author's stance, tone, or attitude toward the subject.

Approach

Hunt for evaluative or emotional words that reveal a stance.
GRE tones are usually moderate (measured, skeptical, appreciative) — extremes are rare.
Separate the author's view from views the author merely reports.

Common traps

Extreme-tone choices (contemptuous, euphoric) that overshoot a measured author.
Attributing a cited critic's opinion to the author.

SAT Reading & Writing

Full SAT Reading & Writing guide →

Information & Ideas

Comprehension, inference, and command of evidence — including questions where a table or graph supports a claim.

Approach

Base every answer strictly on the passage or the data — no outside knowledge.
For command-of-evidence, match the specific claim to the exact data point that proves it.
For inference, the answer must be directly supported, not just possible.

Common traps

Data misreads: the wrong row/column, a reversed trend, or an unsupported comparison.
'Could be true' choices when the question needs 'must be true'.

Craft & Structure

Words in context, the purpose/structure of text, and connections across two passages.

Approach

For words-in-context, plug each choice back in and test the sentence's logic — ignore the word's most common meaning.
Ask what a sentence or paragraph is doing (introduce, contrast, illustrate), not just what it says.
For paired texts, pin down each author's point before comparing them.

Common traps

Picking a word's everyday definition instead of the meaning the context demands.
Confusing a text's structure/purpose with its content.

Expression of Ideas

Rhetorical synthesis (using notes to meet a goal) and choosing the most logical transition.

Approach

For transitions, name the relationship between the two ideas (contrast, cause, example) first, then pick the matching word.
For synthesis, re-read the stated GOAL and use only the given bullet notes.

Common traps

A transition that reads smoothly but signals the wrong logical relationship.
Synthesis choices that are accurate but don't accomplish the stated goal.

Standard English Conventions

Grammar, usage, and punctuation — sentence boundaries, agreement, and punctuating clauses and lists.

Approach

Check subject–verb and pronoun agreement, verb tense, and modifier placement.
Watch sentence boundaries: comma splices and run-ons are the most tested error.
Read the sentence with each option inserted — the correct one is grammatical, not just smooth.

Common traps

Choosing what 'sounds right' over what is grammatically correct.
A comma where a semicolon or period is required between independent clauses.

ACT (English & Reading)

Full ACT (English & Reading) guide →

Conventions of Standard English

Grammar, usage, and punctuation — sentence boundaries, agreement, verb tense, and punctuating clauses and lists.

Approach

Read the whole sentence (and the one before it) with each option in place — the fix must work in context, not in isolation.
When choices differ only in punctuation, decide what's being joined: two independent clauses need a period/semicolon (or comma + and/but), not a lone comma.
When options are all grammatical, the most concise one is usually right.
Verify subject–verb and pronoun–antecedent agreement, verb tense, and modifier placement.

Common traps

Choosing what 'sounds right' over what is grammatically correct.
A comma splice — two independent clauses joined by only a comma.

Production of Writing

Rhetorical skills: topic development, organization, and cohesion — whether a sentence belongs, where it goes, and whether it meets the writer's goal.

Approach

For add/delete questions, re-read the stated purpose and keep only what serves it — relevance beats 'interesting'.
For placement or ordering, follow the logical/chronological thread; transitions and pronouns point to what must come before.
For opening and closing sentences, match the paragraph's focus and the passage's overall goal.

Common traps

Keeping a sentence because it's true or interesting when it doesn't serve the stated goal.
An option that fits locally but breaks the paragraph's flow.

Knowledge of Language

Style and word choice: concision, precise diction, consistent tone, and avoiding redundancy.

Approach

Cut redundancy — if two words say the same thing, keep one.
Match the passage's tone and register; avoid options that are too casual or too ornate.
Prefer the precise, idiomatic word over a vague or wordy phrase.

Common traps

Wordy or redundant options that are grammatical but not concise.
A word that subtly shifts the tone or the intended meaning.

Key Ideas & Details

Central idea, summary, explicit details, and supported inferences drawn from the passage.

Approach

For main idea, ask what claim runs through the WHOLE passage, not just one paragraph.
For detail questions, return to the exact lines — answer from the text, not memory.
An inference must be forced by the passage; if it needs outside facts, it's wrong.

Common traps

Choices true in the real world but not stated or supported by the passage.
Over-broad or over-narrow statements mistaken for the central idea.

Craft & Structure

Word and phrase meaning in context, text structure, point of view, and an author's purpose or rhetorical choices.

Approach

For vocabulary-in-context, substitute each choice and test the sentence — ignore the word's most common meaning.
Ask what a sentence or paragraph DOES (introduce, contrast, illustrate), not only what it says.
Track shifts in point of view or tone that reveal the author's purpose.

Common traps

Picking a word's everyday definition instead of the meaning the context demands.
Confusing what the text says with what it's doing structurally.

Integration of Knowledge & Ideas

Analyzing arguments and evidence, how claims are supported, and comparing or synthesizing multiple texts.

Approach

Separate a claim from its evidence, then check whether the evidence actually supports the claim.
For paired passages, pin down each author's position before comparing agreement or conflict.
Weigh how a new piece of information would strengthen or weaken the argument.

Common traps

Treating a stated opinion as established fact (or vice versa).
Attributing one passage's view to the other in paired-text questions.

Ready to practice?

Start free →