Unnecessary Punctuation on the SAT
Stop Adding Commas and Start Earning Points
Master sentence structure, punctuation, and clarity with repeatable rules.
Guard the Sentence Core
Identify the subject and verb, then make sure punctuation does not split them or add extra ideas.
- Find the subject + verb first. That is the sentence core.
- Only add commas around extra information, never inside the core.
- Re-read the sentence without the modifier to test clarity.
Why Unnecessary Punctuation Matters on the SAT
Knowing when not to punctuate is one of the easiest ways to earn points on the SAT Reading and Writing section. Many students miss questions not because they forgot a rule, but because they placed a comma or semicolon where none was needed. The test frequently slips an extra comma between a subject and its verb, or wedges one into a perfectly good compound, and students who "go with their gut" often choose the cluttered option.
The good news? Unnecessary punctuation follows a small set of clear, learnable rules. Once you know where commas and semicolons are forbidden, you can spot these questions in seconds and move on with confidence. This post will walk you through every major pattern the SAT tests, then let you practice with realistic questions. Let's turn punctuation into free points.
A quick note: This post focuses on punctuation that should be removed, commas, dashes, and semicolons that break grammatical connections the SAT expects you to keep intact. If you're looking for guidance on when commas should appear around nonessential clauses and parenthetical phrases, head over to our Commas: Essential vs. Nonessential post, which covers that topic in detail.
What Is Unnecessary Punctuation?
Unnecessary punctuation is any comma, semicolon, colon, or other mark that interrupts a grammatical connection that should remain unbroken. In everyday writing, people sometimes sprinkle commas wherever they'd pause while speaking. But English grammar has specific rules about where punctuation can and cannot go, and the SAT tests those rules precisely.
The core principle is simple: don't break what belongs together. Certain parts of a sentence are grammatically bonded, and inserting punctuation between them creates an error. Here are the bonds you need to protect:
- Subject → Verb: The subject and its verb must stay connected.
Wrong: "The new policy, requires all employees to attend."
Right: "The new policy requires all employees to attend." - Verb → Object or Complement: A verb and whatever it acts on must stay
connected.
Wrong: "The committee approved, the revised budget."
Right: "The committee approved the revised budget." - Preposition → Object: A preposition and its object form a single unit.
Wrong: "She traveled to, Paris last summer."
Right: "She traveled to Paris last summer." - Compound elements with one conjunction: When two items are joined by "and,"
"or," or "but," no comma goes between them (unless it's a list of three or more).
Wrong: "He studied biology, and chemistry."
Right: "He studied biology and chemistry." - Restrictive (essential) elements: Clauses or phrases that are essential to
the meaning of the sentence should not be set off by commas.
Wrong: "Students, who score above 1400, qualify for the scholarship."
Right: "Students who score above 1400 qualify for the scholarship."
(Here, the clause tells us which students, it's essential, not extra.)
The Biggest Misconception: "I Pause, So I Comma"
This is the single most common reason students add unnecessary punctuation. They read a sentence aloud, feel a natural pause, and assume a comma belongs there. But the SAT doesn't test rhetorical pauses, it tests grammatical structure. A sentence can feel long or complex without needing any internal punctuation at all.
For example: "The professor who taught the advanced seminar on medieval literature assigned three essays during the first week of class." That's a mouthful, but it's one grammatically correct sentence with zero commas needed. Every element flows directly into the next without interruption.
SAT Strategy: The "Strip It Out" Test
When you see an SAT question where the answer choices differ only in punctuation placement, try this approach:
- Read the sentence without any optional punctuation. Does it make sense as a complete, grammatical thought? If yes, the least-punctuated option is likely correct.
- Check each comma against the rules above. Is it splitting a subject from its verb? A verb from its object? A preposition from its object? If so, it's wrong.
- Look for the "clean" answer choice. When two or three options add commas in different places and one option has fewer or no commas, test that clean option first. On the SAT, less punctuation is often more correct.
This approach saves time. Instead of agonizing over where a comma might go, you're checking where one can't go. That's a faster, more reliable process.
Practice Unnecessary Punctuation with SAT-Style Questions
Now let's put these rules to work. The following questions mirror what you'll see on the SAT Reading and Writing section. For each one, focus on whether the punctuation breaks a grammatical bond that should stay intact.
Which version of the underlined portion is correct?
Which version of the underlined portion is correct?
Which version of the underlined portion is correct?
Which version of the underlined portion is correct?
The writer wants to convey that only applicants with two years of experience get priority, not all applicants. Which version is correct?
Key Takeaways for Unnecessary Punctuation
- Protect grammatical bonds. Never place a comma between a subject and its verb, a verb and its object, or a preposition and its object. These are the most commonly tested patterns on the SAT.
- Compound ≠ comma. When one subject performs two actions joined by a single "and," no comma goes before the conjunction. A comma is only needed when two full independent clauses are joined.
- Essential clauses stay attached. If a "who," "which," or "that" clause is necessary to identify what you're talking about, don't set it off with commas. Commas would turn it into bonus information, changing the sentence's meaning.
- When in doubt, strip it out. Read the sentence without the punctuation in question. If it's grammatically complete and clear, the punctuation is unnecessary, remove it.
Conclusion: The Core Rule for Unnecessary Punctuation
Unnecessary punctuation questions are among the most predictable on the SAT Reading and Writing section. They test the same handful of rules again and again: don't split subjects from verbs, don't split verbs from objects, don't add commas to compound predicates, and don't punctuate restrictive clauses. Learn these patterns, practice them until they feel automatic, and you'll answer these questions quickly and correctly every time.
Remember: the best punctuation is often no punctuation at all. Trust the grammar, resist the urge to add a comma "just in case," and watch your score climb.
