Modifiers, Parallelism, Comparison

Question 1

What are modifiers

Answer 1

A modifier describes or modifies something else in the sentence

Question 2

What are warmups?

Answer 2

It is a phrase in the sentence that begins a sentence but doesn’t have a subject, rather they end with a comma and what immediately follows is a subject

Question 3

What is wrong with the below?

Full of one million tons of trash, the mayor suggested that a new landfill be built.

Hiking through the woods, my backpack was stolen by bears

Answer 3

The first sentence, “full of one million tons of trash” is a warmup that introduces the mayor as a subject but the sentence is funny because it signifies that the mayor is full of trash

The second sentence has the warmup as “hiking through the woods” that introduces my backpack as the subject signifying backup is trekking through the woods

The correct way to rephrase statement 1 would be Full of one million tons of trash, the landfill was cited by the mayor as in need of expansion

The correct way to rephrase statement 2 would be Hiking through the woods, I had my backpack stolen by bears

Question 4

Using that/which; when and where

Answer 4

Don’t use that or which with people only use who

Use when only for times and where only for places

Question 5

What is wrong with the below sentence?

Young professionals that go to business school hope to increase their salary prospects

Answer 5

Usage of that is invalid since we are talking about people use ‘who’ instead

Question 6

What is wrong with the below sentence?

First-degree murder is when the killing was premeditated

Answer 6

Usage of when is invalid since first-degree murder is not a time

Question 7

What is wrong with the below sentence?

Algebra II is where I learned to factor

Answer 7

Usage of where is invalid since Algebra II is not a place

Question 8

Is the below sentence valid or invalid?

Although Balaji managed to eat 75 hot dogs with incredible speed, the hot-dog eating contest trophy ultimately went to another competitor

Answer 8

Correct, the sentence consists of a warm-up but it also introduces a subject who managed to eat those hotdogs i.e. Balaji

Question 9

What is wrong with the below sentence?

The charges against him include financial crimes, human rights abuses, and that he murdered aid workers

Answer 9

The list before and contain nouns i.e. ‘financial crimes’, ‘human rights abuses’ while the word after and contains an entire clause ‘that he murdered’

Clearly, both of them are not parallel to each other so we have to make updates such that both are logically similar

The charges against him include financial crimes, human rights abuses, and the murders of international aid workers

Question 10

What is wrong with the below sentence?

The college cut expenses by laying off staff and it stopped work on a new library.

Answer 10

Items being compared

1. by laying off
2. it stopped work

What the fuck is ‘it’ doing after and, we already know that college is what is performing these actions so drop it, also laying off stopped doesn’t work together. The correct sentence would then be

The college cut expenses by laying off staff and stopping work on a new library

Question 11

What is wrong with the below sentence?

You can purchase tickets by phone or on the web

Answer 11

Items being compared

1. by phone
2. on the web

Both are prepositional phrases and are similar, so the sentence is correct, one key thing to note here is prepositional phrase doesn’t have to be same in order for the sentence to be comparable

Question 12

What is wrong with the below sentence?

Stuyvesant’s math team beat Bronx Science

Answer 12

Both Stuyvesant and Bronx Science is a noun, but it does not make sense to compare math team with the entire school, the intended purpose is to imply that they beat their science team, so correct version of the sentence could be any of the following

1. Stuyvesant’s math team beat Bronx Science’s math team
2. Stuyvesant’s math team beat Bronx Science’s
3. Stuyvesant’s math team beat that of Bronx Science

Question 13

True or False: It is not parallel to put singular nouns and plural nouns in the same list, or to
compare them with one another

Answer 13

False, the only rule of comparison is that item being compared should be of the same type so you can compare singular nouns and plural nouns e.g.

I’m going to the store to buy rice, vegetables,
and a carton of milk.

Question 14

What is wrong with the below sentence?

I hate having to work late even more than to have to do what my horrible boss demands

Answer 14

Items being compared

1. Having to work late
2. to have to do

The above are not similar, the correct form of the sentence would be

I hate having to work late even more than having to do what my horrible boss demands

Question 15

What is wrong with the below sentence?

I liked the birthday cake you made me better than when you called me names.

Answer 15

Even though the sentence sounds silly that’s not the issue here, we are comparing two items

1. the birthday cake
2. when you called me names

It is wrong to compare cake(a noun) with a period of time(when). To correct you can eliminate when or use when for both parts of the sentence

I liked the birthday cake you made me better than the name-calling

I liked when you made me a birthday cake better than when you called me names

Question 16

What is wrong with the below sentence?

Cell-phone customers are much more likely to become incensed over additional charges they view as punitive than when obscure service fees are
added to their monthly bills

Answer 16

Items being compared in this sentence

1. Additional charges they view as punitive
2. when obscure service fees are added to their monthly bills

Once again you cannot compare a thing(charges) with a period of time(when)