COM-FSM Placement cheat sheet

A sentence needs a subject, a finite verb, and a complete thought; a subordinate clause alone is a fragment.

Comma splice: two independent clauses joined only by a comma. Fix with a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction.

FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) are the coordinating conjunctions that may follow a comma between clauses.

Use a colon only after an independent clause; it introduces a list, explanation, or quotation.

Apostrophes mark possession (singular: 's; plural ending in -s: s') or contraction; 'its' is possessive, 'it's' means 'it is'.

Subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the head noun, not with a phrase between subject and verb.

Pronoun case: subjects use I/he/she/they; objects of verbs and prepositions use me/him/her/them.

Parallel structure: items in a list or comparison must share the same grammatical form (all nouns, all -ing forms, etc.).

Modifier placement: a descriptive phrase must sit next to the word it modifies; otherwise it is a dangling or misplaced modifier.

Main idea = the point the whole passage supports; a supporting detail answers who/what/when/where/how much.

Inference must be forced by the text: if two readings fit equally well, the choice is too strong or unsupported.

Tone and attitude questions hinge on word choice (connotation), not on the topic alone.

'According to the passage' means the answer is stated directly; 'implies/suggests' means it is unstated but logically required.

Chronological, cause-effect, comparison-contrast, and problem-solution are the common organizational patterns; identify the signal words (because, however, similarly, first).

Vocabulary in context: substitute each option into the sentence and keep the one that preserves the passage's logic and tone.

Scope check: eliminate answers that are true in general but outside the passage, or that overstate ('always', 'never', 'all').

Author's purpose is usually to inform, persuade, entertain, or explain; the verb in the question signals which to choose.

Order of operations: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division left to right, Addition/Subtraction left to right.

Fraction operations: add/subtract with a common denominator; multiply straight across; divide by multiplying by the reciprocal.

Percent: part = percent x whole; percent change = (new - old) / old x 100.

Slope = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1); slope-intercept form is y = mx + b.

Linear equation solving: perform the same operation on both sides to isolate the variable; check by substitution.

Area formulas: rectangle A = lw; triangle A = 1/2 bh; circle A = pi r^2, circumference C = 2 pi r.

Exponent rules: x^a * x^b = x^(a+b); x^a / x^b = x^(a-b); (x^a)^b = x^(ab); x^0 = 1 for x not 0.

Ratio and proportion: set up a/b = c/d and cross-multiply; keep units consistent on each side.

Mean = sum / count; median = middle value of an ordered list; mode = most frequent value.

Run-on (fused) sentence: two independent clauses with no punctuation; fix with a period, semicolon, or conjunction.

A semicolon joins two independent clauses; a comma alone cannot.

Verb tense consistency: keep tenses aligned within a sentence unless a time shift is clearly signaled.

Collective nouns (team, committee) take a singular verb when acting as one unit.

Indefinite pronouns each, everyone, nobody, either are singular and take singular verbs and pronouns.

Comparatives: use -er/more for two items and -est/most for three or more; never double them ('more better').

Diction pairs: affect (verb) vs. effect (noun); then (time) vs. than (comparison); their/there/they're; your/you're.

Active voice places the doer as subject; passive voice is 'be' + past participle and is used when the doer is unknown or unimportant.

Avoid wordiness: replace 'due to the fact that' with 'because', 'in the event that' with 'if'.