Common Errors of Usage - SC Grail Flashcards
How many moods are there in English
There are three moods in English Indicative, Subjunctive, and imperative
What are two situations in which subjunctive moods are used?
Situation 1 - To indicate a hypothetical situation, a wish, or a circumstance contrary to a fact
Situation 2 - To make a suggestion, demand, or recommendation
Examples of using subjunctive moods
a. When contemplating a hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situation, always use were and would. Even if the subject is singular you will use ‘were’ and not ‘was’
b. Verbs such as order, suggest demand, etc. must be followed by that and the infinitive form of the verb being ordered or suggested, without the to
a)
- If I were rich, i would buy a BMW
- If petrol were cheaper, I would use my car everyday
b)
- The teacher recommended that Jerry be expelled from the class
- The manager demanded that John show up for work on time
What are few tips to identify is subjunctive mood is used?
Check for words such as if, wish, etc. Though these can also be used in other moods, they are most commonly tested on the subjunctive mood
Ask yourself is sentence is talking about an uncertainty, a wish, a suggestion
What is wrong with the below statement?
Students without a valid hall ticket will not be allowed to sit for the exam
Given students is plural and hall ticket is singular, both of them do not go with one another. we should use hall tickets instead i.e.
Students without valid hall tickets will not be allowed to sit for the exam.
How is ‘where’ used in Sentence correction>
On the GMAT, where will always be used to refer to a specific location, for other cases use which e.g.
The company where I work has gone bankrupt (Incorrect, as where should be used only of place)
The company in which I work has gone bankrupt
Sentence correction is one topic where students face a lot of problems (incorrect use of where)
Sentence correction is one topic in which students face a lot of problems (correct)
What are rules for usage of For vs Since
For is used to convey duration and since is used to convey when a particular action started
I have been waiting here for two hours (Correct)
I have been waiting here since two hours (Incorrect)
I have been waiting here since 2’o clock (Correct)
I have been waiting here for 2’o clock (Incorrect)
Also for can be used in sort of tense while since is used mostly with the present perfect tense
I studied in Boston for two years (Simple past)
i had studied in Boston for a year before I moved to New York (Past perfect)
I study for two hours daily (Simple present)
I have lived in New York for a very long time (Present perfect)
I have been waiting here since 10 am(Present perfect)
I am waiting here since 10 am(In-correct)
What is the rule for the usage of Only
Only is usually correct in the sentence when it is used to modify adjectives, but when it is used to modify verb it is usually incorrect as in that case, it seems to mention that the action specified by the verb is the only thing which subject does or be
Usage of due to vs because
Due to will never be used to replace because of, due to can only replace caused by e.g.
The physical test was postponed due to the bad weather (Incorrect, given due to can be used to replace caused by, try it in the above sentence)
The physical test was postponed caused by the bad weather (Incorrect, correct usage would be because of)
Observe the below two sentences
My class has fewer intelligent students
vs
My class has less intelligent students
Both the sentence are correct and, both have different meanings
- it specifies that the no. of intelligent students in the class are fewer
- It specifies that the intelligence of students in the class is less
Usage of greater vs more
Greater is used with uncountable nouns while more is used with countable nouns, the only exception is when statistics are used use ‘greater’
My love for swimming is greater than my love for jogging (Correct)
My love for swimming is more than my love for jogging (Incorrect)
I have more horses than you do (Correct)
I have greater horses than you do (Incorrect)
The no. of cars in my garage is greater than 20 (Correct)
The no. of cars in my garage is more than 20 (Incorrect)
Between vs among
Always use between when comparing two things and among when comparing more than two things
