SC Flashcards
Aggravate v aggravating
Worsen
Irritating
Known as vs known to be
Named
Acknowledge as
Loss of vs loss in
No longer in possession
Decline in value
Mandate vs have a mandate
Command
Have authority from voters
Native of vs native to
Person from
Species originated in
Range of vs ranging
Variety of
Varying
Rate of vs rates for
Speed or frequency
Prices for
Rise vs raise
General increase
Bet or salary increase
Try to do vs try doing
Seek to accomplish
Experiment w
Parallelism flags
Both phrases must be ||
- X as well as Y
- X but also Y
- X but Y
- X rather than Y
Comparison trick
look at the 2nd part (after “than”) and see if you can find the || part in the 1st
**Parallelism - words after
don’t have to be identical
- WHO speak English and WHOSE parents don’t
- IN the box AND ON the table (prepositions can vary)
||- not X,
1) not X, but rather Y
* * rather alone IS WRONG (correct: not X or Y, RATHER C)
2) not X or Y is fine
* * not X, Y is wrong
||- not only X,
but also Y (the poison is not only for Joffrey, BUT ALSO for Cersei)
but Y (the poison is not only for Joffrey, BUT for Cersei)
also Y (not only is the poison for Joffrey, ALSO / it is ALSO for Cersei)
X must be || to Y
||- Between X
and Y
X must be || to Y
||- Consider X,
Y
X must be || to Y
||- in contrast to X,
Y
X must be || to Y
||- Estimate X
to be Y
X must be || to Y
||- Mistake X
for Y
X must be || to Y
||- Think of X
||- View X
as Y
X must be || to Y
||- Whether X
or Y
X must be || to Y
**Linking verbs: ex: xxxx “is” xxxx
Must be ||
Correct: the nomination of this politician IS a step forward (the event is the step forward, not a person)
Wrong: this politician IS a step forward (politician isn’t || to step forward)
Who whom which whose - when to use what
Who whom - people
Which - things
Whose - both
W’s modifies the closest noun / pronoun (theater, who modifies theater)
Where vs in which
Where - place, generally MUST be a PHYSICAL location
In which - condition, circumstance , arrangement
When vs in which
Both for periods of time
(countable) Many vs much
Many is countable much isn’t
(countable) Few vs little
Few is countable little isn’t
(countable) Numerous vs great
Numerous is countable great isn’t
(countable) Number v amount
Number is countable
It’s numbers are greater than / more than
$20 less than / fewer than
Greater than
Less than
When you see -ly, it’s a ____ and can modify ____
-ly is an adverb. Adv can modify everything except noun
so…such that
WRONG
so.. that is fine
…such that… is fine
so new for xxxx
a person, not an object
Ex: so new for me
Wrong: so new for a place
“from which” - how to test ex: the table from which the dog stole food
the dog stole food FROM the table
lots of prepositional phrases - trick
remove them so you can find core
the number of WHICH (which must refer to what?)
a noun that’s explicitly stated
WRONG: the wolves’ population, the number of which (wolves isn’t explicitly stated)
Pronoun errors - check for
1) singular / plural: While Connie went riding, they found (wrong)
2) if a noun exists
* * rarely have to find the correct noun (rarely an ambiguous error)
seldom more than a small peep, xxx is a 200 lb giant
BUT
found xxxx
to be
DECREASE (type of word?) in size
verb
goal of vs goal to doing
goal of (working out)
more slowly vs slower
more slowly - adverb so modify anything but a noun
slower - adj so modify noun
must be || to the correct adv / adj.
dated xxx
AT, not “to be”
evidence for vs evidence that
evidence for + noun
evidence that + longer clause
more…over (instead of than)
WRONG
indicate xxx + [phrase]
THAT is needed before a phrase
ability of vs ability to
to
if X were, …
would Y
Ex: if he were to eat breakfast, he would poop
Essential+—
FOR, not in
proportion of women IS or ARE
The number of women
A number of women
are
is
are
% of something is singular or plural
depends
Ex: 25% of chocolate bar IS eaten
25% of the boxes ARE here
whether
whether or not
both are fine!
Sanam is singular or plural?
Both! Depends Some All None Any More most
Pong is a game from which has / have descended many current games
have
Trick: many current games HAVE descended from pong
Of which needs a ——
Of them needs a —-
Ex: all particles, some of which/them xxx discovered
Of which - needs a verb. Some of which were discovered
Of them - no verb. Some of them discovered
Nasene singular or plural
always singular!
Neither Anyone — not any Someone — not some Each No one — not none Everyone —not all
These end in one or is selective that’s why singular
so…as
WRONG
that vs those
that is singular so has to modify singular noun
those is plural
without X, —- Y
or
NOT “nor” - it’s “neither…nor”
growing up is what kind of word
adj
Ex: Growing up, I was…
Ron’s SC method
Step 1: understand meaning like if you’re reading a sign
Step 2 - When in doubt, check ||**, modifier, SV, Pron
** dilligently read vertically, check EVERY WORD
Ron’s || method
Step 1: read for meaning
2: look for || markers like “and”, but, as and check mechanical || (n), and whether it should be || (s) and if structure is right (f)
Pronoun signals
it, they, this, those,
Found fossils from what appear(s)—-(singular or plural?)
appearS bc the subject is “what”
Find / found + xxx
to be
NOT as
this is proof + xxx
of or that
NOT for
ways ….do something
ways TO do something
ways OF doing something
NOT ways + “that, so that, thus”
not…but instead - correct or wrong
correct
fail + xxx
to [verb]
the likelihood …
of verb-ing
equally likely … as
OR as likely as
as….as
Correct: person A is as likely as person B to do
Correct: 2 people are equally likely to do something
convince that + xxx
phrase - subject and verb
convinced of + xxx
noun
argue for vs argue that
argue for [noun]
argue that [phrase]
energy expended …
for / on both work
they suffered an event FROM/BY which their numbers were reduced
their numbers were reduced BY an event they suffered (passive tense)
appear to be / as something
Both are fine
Appear AS is used when you equate something to describe the subject. Connie appears as a doll – Connie = doll
earliest OF the people on Earth
correct
conceived X…Y
AS, not TO BE
Rather can’t be used as a
conjunction like “and or but”, can’t be used btwn 2 separate clauses
(rather than - fine because it’s like more than)
results in making
results in +ing is not a thing, use resulting in being …
BY is most often used in passive tense
If you see “by” used elsewhere, beware, eliminate if you’re guessing
Correct: He was eaten by the dragon (passive)
Wrong:
due to + xxx - trick
Check “due to” is correct by subbing “caused by”
xxx= must be a noun
comma ing is impossible to have xxx
xxx = a change in time
Wrong: …, later+ing, then, previously
Incorrect: 720 in ‘18, Neuroscientists have amassed, now drawing conclusions (now is wrong because the 2nd phrase is automatically present perf)
Exception - now can sometimes be fine if the main clause is also talking about now
comma with + ing, with is used
Ex; , with consumers racing
when you describe a component of the prior statement
Correct: Apple had record sales, with consumers racing to buy last minute gifts → consumers buying gifts is a component of the record sales
Incorrect: Thule artifacts are similar, with one explanation being → the explanation isn’t a component of the artifacts being similar
Church is to Christianity what / just as / like temple is to Buddhism
WHAT
Wrong: Just as / like bc those 2 modifiers need a complete sentence before them
(hint: look at other choices)
pronoun: “its” can refer to the noun?
Ex: despite its covering, the crust
Yes
when you see BUT, think what type of issue
think || issues
when you see AS, think what type of issue
think comparison issues
when you see BUT WHICH
Ex: he conceived of the radio as a sub for the phone, a tool for private convo, BUT WHICH is…
WHICH no longer modifies the noun before BUT, think || and “which…” must be || to the phrase before. Those 2 phrases modify the noun before.
Ex: WHICH is… should be || to “a tool for private convo” and they both modify phone
If you see in SC phrases being switched around, check
for other concrete errors before going to meaning
- it costs the same to build a nice condo as other types of houses
- the cost of building a nice condo is the same as for other types of houses
- it costs the same to build a nice condo as for other types
What’s the error?
correct: condo <> other types
correct: the cost OF building <> (the cost) FOR (building) other types
WRONG: costs TO BUILD <> (the cost) FOR (building) other types
to catch verb tense issues, remember to look
around the underline for hints
tense issues
- meaning must make sense
2. look for consistent tense usage, unless there’s a time marker
When you have a modifier, the tense follows
the tense of the main verb that it’s attached
Ex: the econ is unstable, the result of a crash occurring 10 years ago (WRONG - occurring follows the present tense, but it happened 10 years ago so need occurred)
with verb timeframe issues, if something is meant to persist / exist into perpetuity, present tense is fine
Ex: Her letters outnumber her letters to anyone else (even though she is dead)
“Early humans appear as equipped” is wrong because
appear - fine since we NOW realize this appearance
as - wrong because equipped should happen in the past, so you need “to have been”
+ed modifier, timeframe matters?
tense is more flexible, it can reflect the past tense
Ex: She holds these titles, earnED last year
Refiners pay vs are paying
pay is used for more permanent situations
are paying - temporary, so if it’s just this year
SC - special: preposition + noun + modifier
Ex: the possibility OF EARTH GETTING WARMER
there’s no possibility of Earth. Earth exists.
Tip: cut off the modifier and see if the noun itself makes sense
**“that” is not a preposition
SC - special: personal immersion - need the subject or noun version (instead of -ing)
Ex: the greater was coronary disease likely (the greater likelihood that SHE was going to get coronary disease)
Ex: they recycled materials in constructing the building (in the construction)
Tip: ask who’s doing something
SC - special: passive voice
- only if active voice is in another choice and is efficiently written
- only if the active construction is the main point
Tip: find the subject and active / passive verb
Ex: the output is trimmed by < nations were trimming output by
Ex: emergence of life forms is not an issue here bc no verb
SC - special: extra words
extra subjects
Ex: intensifying expectations of something, THAT it more than double
SC - structure, look for
run on or fragments
Both…
And…
Wrong: “as well as”, “nor”
**“HAD” (by itself) is what tense?
past tense
Ex: I had plans yesterday
Don’t get confused with HAD+ [verb]
when you see “this” in SC, pronoun wise,
1) refers to an idea, not a subject / noun. Use it/they.
2) “this” can’t refer to a noun in the same clause, need a semicolon or period
Ex: sloth was the earliest mammal, making IT (not this)
Ex: hurricanes travel east to west, bc THAT is the direction (that refers to “east to west”, an idea)
consider xxx a better person
consider xx better
to be
Ex: considered to be a better person, considered better
wrong: as
|| - Unlike X,
Y
X must be || to Y
Ex: Unlike catching cod, catching haddock…
If you catch yourself lost in SC,
look for 1 topic - || first
trick to deciding if it’s a modifier or 2 sep clauses
Europa has been cold and has frozen water
or
Europa has been cold, with frozen water
The house is conical in shape and is banked in dirt
The house is conical in shape, with poles constructed from branches and banked in dirt
Think PPT bullets (are the 2 ideas supposed to be on the same slide?) - is cold - has frozen water or - is cold with frozen water (yes)
- is conical in shape
- is banked in dirt
2 sep ideas so shouldn’t be || together
Besides X, Y should be
But if you have “besides dancing, I also play piano”
||
Difficult to have VERBing in the Y component, so “besides dancing, I also play piano” is fine
As (former) Miss USA, she was the most beautiful woman
because WAS is past tense, you don’t need former.
As the former Miss USA, she IS a famous actress.
Modifier for nouns
, which
+ing (no comma)
that
who, whose, in which, all the w’s, etc.
between / among X on the one hand and Y and Z on the other hand
between - on the one hand, the other hand are the 2 components (Y and Z are considered 1)
A 2000 study showed that everyone [is/had been/has been] fat since 1890
present perfect: has been
Perspective is in 2000, since 1890, everyone HAS been fat
To “check SC”,
check tense!
If stuck in SC, go word by word and look for another split. Then just pick 1 and move on quickly!
For SC, if you crossed out a choice
avoid revisiting it - second guessing yourself just confuses you!
Cersei OR Jamie survive / survives
survives! OR makes it singular
its can refer to a possessive noun, its?
yes, lives in the parasite’s hosts for part of ITS lifecycle
while - flag for
not parallelism!
But, often you should check for || unless it’s part of a modifier
Ex: they struggled, (while) neglecting
combination of X and of Y
WRONG. it’s not the combo of X and the combo of Y
He was heavy, but except in the water, he was light.
BUT EXCEPT is fine. You need “but” or else it’s a run-on
he – vegan AFTER watching a documentary
he – vegan SINCE watching a documentary
what tense of “turn”
turned –> past follows AFTER (there was a point in time when he made the switch)
has turned –> present perf follows SINCE (implies it’s still happening)
he should be held in confinement and hard labor
WRONG - || implies he should be held in hard labor, makes no sense (watch out for || meaning, read around the phrase)
regard as vs to be
regard AS
the rest is / are hungry
are - rest is typically more than 1
either…or (beware when you see what?)
lists of 3!
it was decided by - error
it’s not pronoun error, passive tense
it [had not been] announced UNTIL 1968
No, need past tense. Announced on 1968 so point in time. Didn’t persist up until 1968
“as a result of” vs “by”
Ex: the energy prevented from dissipating by / as a result of boundaries in the ocean
as a result implies it indirectly caused something
by implies direct causation
|| tricks
Don’t forget to read before and after underline to check
- and/but, not while
Modifier tricks
- Remove prepositional phrases to check
- p: don’t forget the 1 word “only”
- p: When you see “in…” ask “where?” and see if the placement of “in…” makes sense
- c: watch out for comma ing / ing is used correctly
SV tricks
Remove prepositional phrases to check
Structure tricks
Large part of sentence is underlined and choices change quite a bit
SC steps
- Read for meaning (reread if you DON’T know what author is trying to say)
- 5 Read choices quickly and eliminate instinctively
- Find differences and go topic by topic
- if you’re really stuck, likely you can’t find an error in A, guess A
there was / were 50% of women working here
WERE (50% of women WERE working here)
not only A, but (also) B, and C
Yes! you can have a 3rd one added with “and” but A || B || C
A also B, can “also” be used in place of and?
yes
that vs which - what’s needed
which only refers to nouns right before it, not clause. Unless there’s some prepositional phrase
That modifies a noun OR phrase next to it
*wrong to use comma that (unlike comma which)
2018 to WHAT would be the best year of my life
be wary of redundancy when you see “what”
What is a subject so you don’t need 2018 or what together
TO make it vs itself
TO + verb needs a reflexive pronoun (itself)
Ex: I want to make myself flexible
WITH the aim of working out vs WITH the aim to work out vs aim at working out
Correct: WITH the aim of working out
Correct: the aim to work out
Correct: aim at working out
in 1900, they killed / had killed some fish, but by 1920, they had killed / killed all the fish. When do you use perfect?
In 1900 - killed
BY 1920 - had killed
Meaning tricks
Think redundancy, and wrong connectors
- always ask yourself, is this NONSENSE? Ex: that of poor ppl (if that refers to expectations, does that really make sense)
when you see “had” / “have” (perfect tense)
Can’t mix - unless one event happened before the other
Correct: By 1800s, he had killed everyone but so had she. (Same tense bc same timeframe)
Correct: They had installed lighting by the 1800s, but electricity WAS in <1% of homes (installed happened BEFORE electricity was in 1% of homes).
Wrong: They had installed lighting by the 1800s, but there HAD BEEN electricity in 1% of homes (change in timeframe, so you can’t use past perfect again)
When do you HAVE to use past perfect tense?
1) ‘earlier’ action that persisted up to OR was completed by the time of the ‘later’ action
2) has a clear, direct, obvious relation to the ‘later’ action
Ex: We HAD BEEN WAITING for Dr. Smith when he finally arrived –. waiting relates to D arriving
Otherwise, past tense is fine
past tense errors errors
use your ear
typically, the error is incorrectly using past perfect. If you see both past, and it sounds fine, can be correct
If one were to .., it xxx…, which yyy
If one is …, it xxx…, which yyy
would be ….would be
has… is
Ex: if one were to count, it would be the largest, which would be bigger than…
Tense tricks
Watch out for comma / no comma ing modifiers - does tense make sense to follow the main action it modifies?
students who majored
nonsense meaning - who majored sounds like they already finished. If they graduated, they shouldn’t be students
* pay attention to meaning of tenses
Which
vs comma ing vs ing vs that
WHICH modifies noun only right before, never a clause / phrase (unless there’s a prep phrase)
**MUST HAVE COMMA WHICH (except for which, in which, each of which, any prep + which)
comma Ing modifier must meet 2 criteria
- Must modify the main SUBJECT (doesn’t have to be the closest noun) and the phrase / whole idea of sentence and make sense
- check TENSE, since it takes on the main verb, must make sense
Ex: Ryan was slapped by a girl on the playground, angering his father. (angering modifies Ryan was slapped, his dad was angry at RYAN)
Ex: Caspian is the largest lake, covering more than 4x (YAS: “, covering…” modifies CASPIAN is largest lake)
Ex: the largest lake is Caspian, covering more than 4x (WRONG: “,covering …” isn’t spse to modify largest lake is Caspian
ing (no comma)
vs which vs comma ing vs that
ing modifies the noun next to it
that
vs comma ing vs ing vs which
that modifies the noun or phrase next to it
**CANNOT use comma
by ___ calls for what type of tense
past perfect
By today, I should have finished my studying
Weakness / skip questions that…
- really long and the whole thing is underlined (time consuming and typically modifier / meaning issues)
S/V - single box of crayons that is or are?
either is fine! BC verb is part of THAT PHRASE
Wrong: single box of crayons ARE (you need is bc there’s no “that”)
the kind of intercolony struggles that limit / limits
struggles –> LIMIT (can’t ignore “of” prep phrase bc the verb is tied to the modifier of intercolony!)
- when you see “of”, ignore
- when you see “that”, pay attention
the number of guests that end / ends
guests –> END (can’t ignore “of” prep phrase bc the verb is tied to the modifier of guests!)
- when you see “of”, ignore
- when you see “that”, pay attention
a layer of needles protect / protects
layer –> PROTECTS (ignore “of” prep phrase)
- when you see “of”, ignore
- when you see “that”, pay attention
a single set of strings run / runs
EITHER
In this weird case, meaning wise, run can refer to set or strings
“That” can be flexible if the meaning permits
fossils of the arm of a sloth that was / were
fossils –> were
this one’s weird bc the meaning is that the fossils were dated at 34 mm years old. It wouldn’t make sense to say the sloth was dated at 34mm
emotional reactions in a person that create / creates psychological responses
reactions –> create (person doesn’t create the responses)
** pay attention to meaning
fixed costs that stem from building nuclear plants that make / makes it more expensive
costs –> make
meaning wise, the plants don’t make it more expensive, the fixed costs do
fears of / that
fear of NOUN
fear that [phrase]
the largest lake on Earth, which covers (is which ok?)
yes, prep phrase is removed, which modifies lake
artifacts BEING similar (is being ok?)
yes, it’s a signal for initial modifier
spending slowed, with unsold goods piling up (is with ok?)
yes, meaning wise, with goods is a component of why spending slowed. Always check meaning for “with”
As vs like
As in front of clause Ex: As did Ros, Tol did
Like in front of noun, never clause Ex: Like Ros, Tol
tariffs were WHAT the gvt depended on
WHAT can be followed by a noun
Incorrect: the decrease in unemployment to WHAT would be the lowest in two years
__ING modifiers (with/without comma) PRESERVE THE TIMEFRAME of xxx
the clause to which they’re ATTACHED - must have a verb, or else tense is absent which is bad
Ex: enough has been set aside, thus no longer having to do something in the future (2nd phrase is also in present perfect which makes no sense)
NOUN + having + _ed
Ex: the proliferation HAVING BLOCKED the migration
typically is wrong (*don’t get confused with just NOUN having, which is fine)
- Tense - the clause it modifies has no verb
- Fleeting /permanent - VERBing is temporary, but _ed means it finished in the past. So _ing + _ed makes no sense
PHRASE + _ing + _ed (or , PHRASE)
Ex: Having earned her degree, she applied to jobs
be careful
1. Tense - having earned takes on the past tense of applied. Yes, she finished her degree
verb based modifier (ie _ing or _ed) must modify
the main sentence (need a verb), and takes on that timeframe so these can only modify a clause, not a noun
have / having _ed is what tense
by itself, it’s past - completed action
Ex: having finished, having done, having built
Ex: having BEEN
_ing / are _ing (as a verb) is what tense
Ex: are blocking vs block
Immediate now (are blocking, is being) Can't pair with "regular" present (block)
Incorrect: as businesses GROW, students ARE BEING more successful - are being is immed now, grow is present Ex: 299
_ing (as a modifier) ex: people working vs work
People working in retail - temporary, just a job
People who work in retail - retail is your career
Ex: 299
“being” - trick
often incorrectly used Ways it's used: * is being - immediate NOW it's being * being ed - going on during the timeframe of the main sent it's modifying * initial modifier: being..., [subject]
to keep it from vs to keep from eating
to keep IT from - sounds like you’re keeping IT from eating, without it sounds like you’re keeping yourself from eating
SKIP these types of questions in Verbal
CR
- didn’t understand argument at all (lots of steps / detail)
- can’t find conclusion
RC
- “author agrees with which statement” (need to find ea st, LT)
||, when you see “the rate” and “more than half”
it’s || bc “more than half” is a rate!
minorities are 4 times as likely as other grads
minorities are 4 times more likely than other grads
both are fine
meaning wise, 4 times more likely sounds like 5 times or 6 times work too
whereas __
unlike__
whereas (clause)
unlike (noun)
