Sentence Correction Flashcards
Economic vs Economical
Economic - monetary, dealing with the economy
Economical - efficient
When can you use co-conjunctions (FANBOYS) versus other conjunctions (however, therefore, in addition)
FANBOYS: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so
Both are used to connect independent clauses.
Comma + FANBOYS to connect independent clauses.
(otherwise, it would be a comma splice).
> this includes COMMA AND
e.g., I went to the movies, and I had a great time.
However, Therefore, and In addition are used for connecting two independent clauses with a SEMI-COLON or PERIOD
* some exceptions though
Adjectives vs Adverbs that are related
Supposed / Supposedly
“Max’s great-grandmother is his supposed(ly) Irish ancestor”
Supposed modifies a noun, ancestor (which doesn’t make sense)
Supposedly modifies an adjective, Irish
Noun versus Adverbial Modifiers
In general, modifiers can modify:
> nouns
> Verbs
> actions / prepositional phrases, entire clauses
Noun modifiers are ADJECTIVES that modify NOUNS
- e.g., rare, corresponding, frequent, significant
- typically placed CLOSE TO THE NOUN (usually right next to it)
- typically noun modifiers are essential (no commas)
Adverbial modifiers modify everything else (verbs, adjectives, PREPOSITIONAL phrases, entire clauses)
- can be placed anywhere in the sentence
*If the modifier is changing in the answer choices, figure out what they are trying to modify and whether the MEANING is logical.
**IF the final options are very similar and only differ by the placement of modifier –> make sure modifier is CLOSE to what it is modifying
Prep phrases can be noun or adverbial modifiers.
-ing modifiers can be noun or adverbial modifiers.
(e.g., The engineer RUNNING this meeting fixed the problem. She fixed the problem, EARNING herself a promotion).
> -ing words can also be verbs (if preceded by another verb) and nouns (if not verbs and not separated by a comma).
-ed modifiers can be noun or adverbial modifiers.
(e.g., The candidate INTERVIEWED last week accepted the job. EXCITED by the new opportunity, she accepted the job.)
Essential versus Nonessential Modifiers
Essential Modifiers are necessary in the core sentence - removing it will change the meaning of the sentence.
- usually NO COMMAS
- e.g., Turn left on Mayberry Street, and stop at the first house THAT IS RED
Nonessential Modifiers are not necessary in the core sentence
- usually preceded by commas
- e.g., Turn left on Mayberry Street, and stop at the first house, WHICH IS RED
comma “WHICH” versus comma “-ING” modifiers
“Which” modifies a NOUN (closest to “which”, otherwise known as the “touch rule” —> can reach behind prep phrases like “-of”)
(same with - who, whose, whom - “w”s)
- Who/Whom specifically modify PEOPLE
“-ing” modifies an action
- Adverbial modifier
- e.g., Crime has recently decreased in our neighbourhood, LEADING to a RISE in property values.
“Where” modifier
Can be noun or adverbial modifiers.
> should be placed right after LOCATION (physical place)
e.g., Having lived for several years in Tahiti, WHERE life was slow and relaxed, Paul Gauguin had difficulty readjusting to the hectic pace of Paris upon his return.
WHERE cannot modify conditions, situations, cases, circumstances, or arrangements (metaphorical places).
- Use “in which” instead.
In which can be used to modify both locations and metaphorical places
e.g., We had an arrangement IN WHICH he cooked and I cleaned
The bees lived in a society IN WHICH …
“When” modifier
Can modify a noun (time or event), such as period, age, 1987, decade
When = in which = during which
e.g., The three-century span of the Renaissance, a period DURING WHICH artists such as Leonardo da Vinci thrived, marked the European transition from the middle ages to modern times.
“The departmental director addressed the team’s recent success in the memo”
WRONG - incorrect prep phrase placement causes ambiguity
“in the memo” …
Should be: “IN THE MEMO, the departmental director …”
Subordinate clauses - are they modifiers? What type?
What is the difference between subordinate clauses and opening modifiers (e.g., -ing and -ed ones)
Yes they are modifiers -> adverbial modifiers
include:
- although
- while
- after
- unless
- until
- before
- if
- since
- when
- THAT **
- Because
(can put a comma before or after).
Difference:
- Sub clauses have their own SUBJECTS
e.g., Although the economy is strong, …
versus e.g., Exhausted by the stress, …
Which modifier (less or fewer) do you use when referring to the underlying quantity of uncountable nouns (e.g., money, volume)?
I have ___ than twenty dollars.
LESS (uncountable modifier) because you are referring to the underlying QUANTITY or value of MONEY
- This is true even though “dollars” is countable
- e.g., four million pounds of something
- e.g., population, cost, temperature (some number comparison)
> is the answer to “how much” instead of “how many”
If you were counting the actual pieces of paper, use fewer (fewer than twenty dollar bills).
The number of cats in the house is ___ than 20!
(greater or more)
Greater
- use “greater than” when making a comparison with the word “number”
What do adverbs modify?
Anything OTHER than a stand-alone noun
e.g., spectacularly stained-glass windows is WRONG
The more ____, the _____
the more –> comparative adjective phrase statement
the ___ (e.g., greater, less) –> comparative adjective phrase
“greater” is preferred to “more” when there isn’t necessarily a substantial difference in quantity (e.g., %)
Is the opening modifier clear here?
By skimming along the top of the atmosphere, a proposed new style of aircraft could fly between most points on Earth in under two hours, according to its proponents
yes –> “style of aircraft” is the main subject
- “of aircraft” modifies style (noun)
Which is better and why?
I talked to the Boston soldier
I talked to the soldier from Boston
Extra: What is the rule of thumb for Noun + of + adjective statements?
2 –> first one’s concision is too much (makes it sound like a TYPE of soldier, not where the soldier is from.
RULE OF THUMB: Noun + of + adjective can be made concise –> adjective + noun
e.g., wall of stone —> stone wall
Exception: Time period, quantity
e.g., Canada Day week (wrong)
The week OF Canada Day (right).
The oxygen amount (wrong)
The amount OF oxygen (right)
The honeybee population’s density (wrong)
The density OF the honeybee population.
Is this right?
The face I see in ads every day is a famous actor.
WRONG –> missing “that of”
> the face cannot be an actor
> instead, the face is OF a famous actor.
The face I see in ads every day is THAT OF a famous actor.
CONCEPT:
> if you spot a “that of” split –> see if it makes sense to remove “that of” (what is the resulting comparison?)
Is this right?
The fields I most enjoy studying are those of physics and chemistry.
wrong - could be less wordy (those of)
Makes perfect sense to remove “those of”:
The fields I most enjoy studying are physics and chemistry.
RULE OF THUMB: Decide whether to keep “that of” or “those of”
What do you do if you have two subjects conjoined by “or”, “nor”, “neither/nor” and the nouns disagree in number? Should the working verb be singular or plural?
e.g., Either the manager or the employees (take/takes) a break.
Verb should agree with the closest noun.
Either the manager or the employees TAKE a break.
How do you use colons : ?
1) The sentence before the colon should be COMPLETE.
e.g., I loved listening to many kinds of music: namely, classical, rock, rap, and pop.
2) The clause after the colon can be incomplete or complete, as long as it EXPLAINS the preceding clause.
3) The stuff that is explains should be placed very close to the colon.
e.g., The rate of a reaction is affected by THREE FACTORS: A, B, and C.
How do you use dashes (–)?
Flexible punctuation used as an emphatic comma, semicolon, or colon.
- often used to make a sentence less ambiguous.
e.g., my three friends - Danny, Enrico, and Joey - and I went skiing.
Subgroup modifiers (“some”, “each”, “any”, “many” etc.)
Which is right?
A) This model explains all known particles, some of which only recently discovered.
B) This model explains all known particles, some of which were only recently discovered.
B!
Memorize these correct forms of subgroup modifiers:
, some of which WERE only …
> “which” modifies the noun directly before it
, some only …
, some of THEM only ..
“part” can be:
> SANAM or Quantity word (many, few, one, each, either, neither, BOTH, half, one)
What are absolute phrases?
Comprised of: Noun + Noun Modifier
e.g., His head (noun) held high (noun modifier), he walked out of the store.
e.g., Scientists have found high levels of iridium around the world, results (noun) THAT suggest high impact of something millions of years ago (noun modifier).
e.g., Tom Bradley was mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993, an era (noun) DURING WHICH the city was transformed from x to y.
Remember - don’t use “which” to tack on a second thought! (Which refers to the main noun closest to “which”).
Noun modifiers placement (e.g. “who”) - dealing with a very short sentences/phrases
e.g., Kelp is a natural fertilizer that has become popular among growers of heirloom tomatoes, who generally are willing to pay a premium for organic products.
“of heirloom tomatoes” is quite short, and “who” refers to growers.
You are allowed to position the relative clause a few words away from growers.
Is this correct?
She will likely fire some members of the sales and marketing teams.
Parallelism - Yes
(sales) and (marketing) teams
Teams is the root word. Sales and marketing both modify teams.
Correct or not?
The blizzard deposited more than a foot of snow on the train tracks, which prompted the transit authority to shut down service temporarily and caused discontent among commuters who were left stranded for hours.
WHICH is wrong –> comma “which” modifies the closest noun (in this case, “train tracks”)
> does not make sense
> CORRECT would be “prompting”
> Also change “caused” to “causing” to maintain parallelism
Comma who / whose/ whom / that
Whose - modifies things
that - modifies things
Who/Whom - modifies people
Both modify NOUNS right before it.
e.g., The Diary of Anne Frank tells the true story of a young girl and her parents WHO were hidden during…
Correct or not?
At least 30 ft and more
NO –> redundancy
- it is redundant to say both “at least” and “more”
Correct or not?
Heating oil and natural gas futures rose sharply yesterday, as long-term forecasts for much colder temperatures in key heating regions raised fears [of insufficient supplies that are unable to meet] the demand this winter.
WRONG - tenses
- Future concerns should not be paired with present tense, “are”
BETTER:
that supplies would be insufficient to meet
How to deal with inverted sentences (verb + subject)
e.g., Near those buildings sit a lonely house, inhabited by squatters.
e.g., Making things even more difficult has been general market inactivity lately, if not paralysis, which has provided little in the way of pricing guidance
Both are WRONG:
It is helpful to reorder/flip the subject in the form of: Subject + verb
e.g., [A lonely house], inhabited by squatters, [sitS] [near those buildings]
e.g., [General market activity] [has been] making things even more difficult lately
Is this correct?
The rebels demanded the withdrawal of government forces from disputed regions, significant reductions in the overall troop levels, raising the rebel flag on holidays, and a general pardon.
Parallelism
“raising the rebel flag” is incorrect –> this is a Simple Gerund
Only COMPLEX GERUNDS (“THE raising OF the rebel flag”) can be parallel to action nouns (like A/THE withdrawal, reductions, and pardon).
e.g.,
He received a medal for [the sinking of an enemy ship] and [the capture of its crew].
In brief there are 3 categories of nouns:
1) Concrete nouns (e.g., rock, week, holiday)
2) Action nouns and Complex Gerunds
3) Simple gerunds
Is this correct?
A mastodon carcass, thawed only once and still fresh, is on display.
Yes! Parallelism
- “thawed” is a past participle and “fresh” is an adjective
- BOTH function as adjectives that modify the noun, “carcass”, so it is allowed.
Is this correct?
Only a few feet wide but spanning a continent, the railroad changed history.
Yes! Parallelism
- “wide” and “spanning” both describe/modify the noun, “railroad”.
Another example:
Lina’s sunbird, a four-and-a-half-inch animal found in the Philippines and resembling a hummingbird, has shimmering metallic colors on its head
“Like” - what is it used for?
“Like” is used to modify NOUNS OR VERBS, specifically, to make a COMPARISON (similarity)
*Only NOUNS or PRONOUNS can come after “like”
(If a CLAUSE, Subject + VERB, is being compared, then use “AS”)
e.g., She RAN LIKE the wind (like modifies a verb)
e.g., Like her friend, Jenny is a great dancer (modifies a noun).
Wrong:
Like her brother DID, Ava aced the test.
Also: “such as” is used to introduce EXAMPLES (because “like” suggests only similarity)
Is this correct?
I want to coach divers like Greg Louganis
No - ambiguous!
- Is Greg a diver or coach?
*Be careful with using “like” at the end of a sentence
Resolve using a comma or reposition:
I want to coach divers, like Greg Louganis.
Like Greg Louganis, I want to coach divers.
In this case, “like” is appropriate to indicate similarity (not equality)
“As” - what can it function as?
DEPEND ON CONTEXT:
A) Conjunction
- 1. Duration
> e.g., AS I walked in, I waved
e.g., He looked down at his phone AS he crossed the street.
- 2. Causation (e.g., I will not tell you, AS you already know) –> “AS” = Since, because
- 3. Comparison
> e.g., You should walk AS she wants you to walk). —> AS + Clause (verb)
> “As X as” –> Indian food is AS SPICY AS Mexican food.
B) Preposition (does not mean “similar to”)
- AS your leader, I am in charge (AS = in the role of)
- Equation (e.g., I think of you AS my friend).
- e.g., I will jump up AS a clown
Can turn preposition into a comparison by using a clause containing a verb
- I will jump up AS a clown MIGHT
Comparison Idiom:
The man is five times (as old as/older than) his grandson
“times” … “as __ as”
- “times” is for RELATING quantities by multiplication.
NOT “x times MORE than”
But “the NUMBER is x times GREATER THAN” is okay ===> same as * (e.g., a is 3 times greater than b means a = 3b)
Comparison Idiom:
I am ten years (older than/as old as) you
more than
less than
older than
- For RELATING quantities by addition or subtraction.
Higher/Lower versus More/Less
More Than and Less Than are flexible - can be Nouns, Adjectives, or Adverbs
- Noun: I spent MORE THAN I should
- ADJ: I own MORE SHIRTS than I should
- ADV: I SLEPT MORE than I should.
Higher/Lower can only be used as ADJECTIVES
- Her grades are HIGHER than his.
Is this right?
We have even more efficient engines than before
Ambiguous –> “More” comes before an Adjective and Noun
Reposition to make it less ambiguous:
- We have even more engines that are efficient than before.
- We have engines that are even more efficient than before.
Exceeds or Surpass comparisons
Is this right?
The incidence of the disease among men exceeds women.
NO - not parallel —> X exceeds Y
- “incidence” cannot logically exceed women.
Fix:
- The incidence of the disease among men exceeds THE INCIDENCE among women.
- The incidence of the disease among men exceeds THAT among women.
Example of a complex gerund
Example of simple gerund
Example of action noun
Complex Gerund - THE raising OF prices
Simple Gerund - Raising the prices / detecting new viruses
Action Noun - THE withdrawal of the police / A call for nonviolent resistance.
What are the comparison markers?
Comparison markers indicate a comparison of two t:
things:
Like/Unlike:
> X, like Y,
> Unlike X, Y
> X is nothing like Y
As:
> X is ___, as is Y
As__As:
> X is AS likely AS Y ___
Regard X As Y (not regard X to be Y)
Than:
> X is __ than Y
> More likely ___ than ___
> Less __ than __
> More __ than __
> Higher ___ than __
> Greater ___ than __
Different from/Similar to
In contrast to/with
**Look out for key word “OTHER” as well to distinguish two compared objects
e.g., some x, OTHERs. any OTHER
e.g., growth for one thing exceeds the growth for any OTHER thing (cannot exceed itself)
Is this correct?
John’s hair, like his mother, is red and fiery.
WRONG –> nonsensical comparison between “hair” and “mother”
FIX BY:
John’s hair, like THAT OF his mother, is red and fiery.
John’s hair, like his MOTHER’S, is red and fiery.
Is this correct?
I walk faster than Brian.
Comparison - Correct
Concept: Permitted omitted words (as long as there is NO AMBIGUITY)
> Units (e.g., Where I drink two glasses of milk a day, my friend drinks three [glasses of milk a day])
> Verbs (e.g., I walk faster than Brian [walks])
> Whole clauses (e.g., I walk as fast now as [I walked] when I was younger)
> nouns (e.g., My car is bigger than Brian’s [car])
Is this correct?
I like cheese more than Yvette.
No - ambiguous
> Do you like cheese more than Yvette likes cheese?
Or do you like cheese more than you like Yvette?
Fix by including omitted verbs or appropriate helping verbs (be, do have)
e.g., I like cheese more than Yvette DOES.
I like cheese more than I DO Yvette.
Apples are more healthy to eat than caramels ARE.
When do you use “as” versus “like” as comparisons?
1) Only nouns/pronouns can come after “like”
Clauses (subject + verb) can come after “as”).
e.g., AS her brother DID, Ava aced the test.
2) Like indicates similarity, whereas As indicates equality
e.g., “regard slavery as the sole cause”
e.g., “most Americans perceived the USSR AS a constant threat” versus “like a constant threat” —–> the USSR was in fact a constant threat.
Idiom - “So as to”
e.g., He made up an excuse so as to avoid suspicion.
in order to ____
When do you use -er when comparing things? (Comparative form of an adj or adverb)
e.g., better, shorter, longer
Used when comparing TWO things
e.g., Her score is BETTER than his.
e.g., He works HARDER than ANYONE else in his class.
When do you use -est when comparing things?
(Superlative form of an adj or adverb)
e.g., best, worst, fastest, greatest, highest, most
Used when comparing 2+ things.
e.g., Her score is the HIGHEST in her class.
Is this correct?
He runs quicker than Jacob.
WRONG!!
CONCEPT: Don’t convert an -ly adverb into a comparison by forcing an -er ending. Instead, ADD “MORE” to the -ly adverb.
He runs MORE QUICKLY than Jacob.
Special rules regarding “than” in comparisons
- It is incorrect to drop the “than”
–> correct: With winter coming, I will have HIGHER energy bills THAN last year. - Beware of cases where the GMAT incorrectly pairs comparative words with words besides “than”
e.g., He is MORE LIKELY (than/as) his brother to run a marathon
e.g., His grade is HIGHER (than/over) his brother’s.
e.g., He has LESS money (than/compared to) his brother.
Is this correct?
The rapid development of India in the twenty-first century is like England in the eighteenth century.
Wrong –> incorrectly comparing “rapid development of India” to “ England”
Fix:
The rapid development of India in the twenty-first century is like THAT OF England in the eighteenth century.
Not trusting themselves to choose wisely among the wide array of investment opportunities on the market, [stockbrokers are helping many people who turn to them to buy stocks that could be easily bought directly]
A many people are turning to stockbrokers for help to buy stocks that easily could have been
B many people are turning to stockbrokers for help in buying stocks that could easily be
Ans B
First error –> subject after the opening modifier should be “many people”, not stockbrokers
Second error / split –> to buy versus in buying
> “to buy” is not idiomatic in this context
> Also tense should be present (“could easily be bought” - action has NOT yet happened yet)
Is this correct?
Some people believe that the benefits of a healthy diet outweigh those of regular exercise.
CORRECT –> “those” instead of “that” (singular antecedent)
Antecedent = the benefits
How would you test a pronoun?
e.g., Television writer Aaron Sorkin is known for writing dialogue that is wittier than that in most real-world interactions
Replace the pronoun with its antecedent
e.g., Television writer Aaron Sorkin is known for writing dialogue that is wittier than dialogue in most real-world interactions
General Rule of thumb for ____ tense
= HAVE/HAS + past participle
e.g., She has lived in the house for almost 5 years.
PRESENT PERFECT
Action happened in the past but the action or its effect CONTINUES into the present.
e.g., the child HAS drawn a cat in the sand.
Often paired with “since”
General Rule of thumb for _____ verb tense
= HAD + past participle
e.g., The teacher thought that Jimmy HAD cheated on the exam.
PAST PERFECT
Action is an earlier action
> normally refers to a time PRECEDING/BEFORE a past time mentioned in the sentence,
e.g., the following sentence is ILLOGICAL
Although observed by graduate student Jocelyn Bell in the summer of 1967, the discovery of the first sighted pulsar, or rapidly spinning collapsed star, had not been announced before February 1968
> Illogically states that the announcement did not occur before 1968 or 1967 (the year of the actual observation)
Instead, the announcement should occur AFTER the discovery.
Conditional Mood
Would versus Will verb tense ?
“Would” - conditional mood (talking about the future in the PAST or hypothetical conditional / unreal / possible actions)
“Will” - Future actions
Forms:
> Present verb + Will
e.g., Scientists BELEIVE that the machine WILL be wonderful.
e.g., Scientists ARE convinced that the machine WILL be wonderful
> Past verb + Would
e.g., Scientists BELEIVED that the machine WOULD be wonderful.
Is this correct?
It has been decided by Jason that he will not attend college next fall.
Yes - Passive voice is acceptable if the sentence is properly constructed
Recall: Passive voice is where the SUBJECT has an action PERFORMED ON IT by something or someone else.
Additionally, there does not need to be parallel voice throughout a sentence.
(but could be a reason to make an answer wrong)
> When there are only two answers left and both are grammatically correct, active voice is preferred to passive voice
Is this correct?
The local government has built the school that was destroyed by the earthquake.
NO - should be “built” or “had built”
Why?
> The original building no longer exists, so we cannot use present perfect tense (which indicates an action is still in progress).
> aka, the government built a new school, rather than building the original school that was destroyed.
Is this correct?
Last Monday, Mary realized that she will have to spend all of that night rewriting her application because she did not back up her files
WRONG in two areas due to incorrect tenses
1) “Mary realized that she WOULD HAVE to” –> realized is past tense and must be paired with conditional tense, WOULD, instead of WILL –> subjunctive verb form
> same with “If something WERE to happen, the result WOULD be X”
2) “Because she HAD NOT BACKED UP her files” –> Mary realized something because of an action that happened EARLIER.
Which one is correct?
A - Water [freezes if it were] cooled to zero degrees Celsius.
B - Water [would freeze if it was] cooled to zero degrees Celsius
C - Water [freezes if] cooled to zero degrees Celsius.
C
Tip: Reorder the sequence of the verbs to an if-then order
> While the statement looks like it is phrased as a conditional/hypothetical, the sentence should imply a GENERAL TRUTH (in which case, simple present tense “freezes” should work)
–> “If water is cooled, water freezes”
> A is incorrect –> hypothetical (were cooled)
> B is incorrect. Reordered - “If it WAS cooled, water would freeze” —> this is NOT a hypothetical! (statement said if water WAS COOLED)
Which one is correct?
[Famed for his masterful use of irony, many of Guy de Maupassant’s short stories have become classics due to the author slowly revealing at the end of each piece a tragic twist of fate]
A - Famed for his masterful use of irony, many of Guy de Maupassant’s short stories have become classics due to the author slowly revealing at the end of each piece a tragic twist of fate.
B - Many of Guy de Maupassant’s short stories have become classics because of the author’s famed and masterful use of irony, evidenced in the slow revelation of a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece.
C - Many of Guy de Maupassant’s short stories have become classics because of how he famously and masterfully uses irony, evident in the slow revelation of a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece.
B
First error - the subject following the opening modifier should be the short stories, not “many” (eliminates A)
Second error - the subject of the sentence should be “short stories”. Guy de Maupassant modifies “short stories”. Therefore, “he” cannot refer to “short stories”.
Is this correct?
Teachers in this country have generally been trained either to approach mathematics like a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles without truly understanding how to apply them.
WRONG
“like a creative activity” is incorrect
> Even though it is a noun, there could be hidden words that have been omitted.
> “approach mathematics as [you approach] a creative activity”
> Also, “like a creative activity” sounds off –> “Teachers have been trained to approach math like a creative activity” versus “Teachers have been trained to approach math as a creative activity”
> “Like” is used for SIMILARITY, whereas “As” is used for EQUALITY
Should be: “To approach mathematics AS a creative activity
Is this correct?
Though Saturn’s main rings may appear smooth and continuous when viewed from a distance, they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets when viewed up close.
How do you compare “If”, “when”, and “when…appear”
What about:
Saturn’s main rings, when viewed from a distance, may appear to be smooth and continuous, though when viewed up close they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets.
What about:
When viewed from a distance, Saturn’s main rings may appear smooth and continuous, but closer viewing reveals them to be composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets.
WRONG –> this is not a parallelism question.
First Error: MEANING ISSUE
“they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets when viewed up close” –> The fact is, irrespective of your viewing, Saturn’s rings are always composed of icy ringlets
- ‘if’ you view them up close, they are composed of thousands of icy ringlets
- ‘when’ you view them up close, they are composed of thousands of icy ringlets
- ‘when’ you view them up close, they appear to be composed of thousands of icy ringlets.
Second paragraph has the same meaning error.
Should be:
When viewed from a distance, Saturn’s main rings may appear smooth and continuous, but closer viewing reals them to be composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets.
The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one
What is wrong with this?
“being one”
> seems to modify “the invention” rather than “cotton gin”
“an affordable one” is also awkward.
Which is better?
Levels of atmospheric carbon monoxide increased sufficiently during the 20th century to begin trapping heat radiating from the Earth
Carbon monoxide levels in the atmosphere increased by enough of a percentage during the 20th century that they began to trap heat radiating from the Earth.
First one –> “Increased sufficiently”
Second one is not idiomatic
> “increased ENOUGH TO”
Which is better?
Having lived in Tahiti for several years, where life was slow and relaxed, Paul Gauguin had difficulty readjusting to the hectic pace of Paris upon his return.
Having lived for several years in Tahiti, where life was slow and relaxed, Paul Gauguin had difficulty readjusting to the hectic pace of Paris upon his return.
Placement of “where” is the split
Second one –> “Tahiti, where” is better (where modifies Tahiti)
Which is better?
An economic recession can result from [falling employment rates triggered by a drop in investment, causing cutbacks in consumer spending and starting a cycle of layoffs that lead to even lower employment rates]
An economic recession can result from [falling employment rates triggered by a drop in investment, which cause cutbacks in consumer spending, starting a cycle of layoffs that lead to even lower employment rates]
Second one
> first one has “causing” and “starting” modifying “economic recession” (meaning issue)
Congress has enacted legislation forbidding state and local governments from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet for the next three years.
(A) forbidding state and local governments from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet for the next three years.
(B) that forbids state and local governments for the next three years from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet.
(C) that for the next three years forbids state and local governments to raise taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet.
(D) forbidding for the next three years to state and local governments the raising of taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet.
(E) that forbids for the next three years state and local governments from raising taxes on connections that link consumers to the Internet.
Idiom -> “forbid __ TO” (not from)
e.g., You are forbidden to eat that fruit.
I forbid you to leave this place.
NOT A –> “from”
Should be C
Is “own” necessary here?
At age four, Mozart began accompanying his father on tours of the capitals of Europe, to demonstrate his own musical talents.
vs.
At age four, Mozart began accompanying his father on tours of Europe’s capitals, to demonstrate his musical talents.
Own is NECESSARY (and even more preferred to the conciseness of Europe’s capitals)
Otherwise, it is AMBIGUOUS who possesses the musical talents.
Is this correct?
The dinosaurs appeared as smart
NO - not idiomatic
Should be “dinosaurs APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN smart”
Are these the same?
Her mom donated money so that Alex could win a scholarship.
Her mom donated money so Alex could win a scholarship.
NO - First one is correct (need “that”) - idiom
SO THAT
Which is correct?
In the borders of a country
Within the borders of a country
Inside the borders of a country
Second one - idiom WITHIN THE BORDERS
Though formerly considered ill-formed and primitive, Henri Rousseau has become an iconic figure of Post-Impressionism for his dream-like canvases painted like he was naive.
A) Henri Rousseau has become an iconic figure of Post-Impressionism for his dream-like canvases painted like he was naive.
B) Henri Rousseau’s canvases, painted in a naive, dream-like style, later established the artist as an icon of Post-Impressionism.
C) Henri Rousseau painted canvases in a naive, dream-like style that has become an icon of Post-Impressionism.
D) Henri Rousseau’s canvases were painted in a naive, dream-like style that was later iconic of Post-Impressionism.
E) the canvases of Henri Rousseau are icons of Post-Impressionism due to being painted in a naive, dream-like style.
B
> first error, “canvases” should be the subject of the opening modifier, not “Henri Rousseau” (eliminates A, C)
second is meaning issue
–> though considered ill-formed and primitive before, these canvases were painted in a specific way that later made Henri an icon of Post-Impressionism
D is wrong
> “that was later iconic of Post-Impressionism” modifies STYLE, rather than Henry Rousseau or the artist
> “Iconic of” is also unidiomatic
E is unidiomatic too (“due to being” is wrong)
Only seven people this century have been killed by the great white shark, the man-eater of the [movies—less than those] killed by bee stings.
B movies—fewer than have been
C movies, which is less than those
D movies, a number lower than the people
E movies, fewer than the ones
Concept - dash –> modifies SEVEN people
“the man-eater of the movies” modifies the “great white shark”
“Fewer” is correct for countable things like people.
B is correct
– fewer [people] than [the number of people that] have been
D actually doesn’t make sense
> says that “seven (number)” is lower than the people killed by bee stings??
Is “because of” automatically unidiomatic?
Since February, the Federal Reserve has raised its short-term interest rate target five times, and [because of the economy’s continued strength, analysts have been predicting for weeks that the target will] be raised again in November.
NO
This sentence is correct on its own
> “predicted” (simple past tense) is incorrect (meaning issue)
[As the former] chair of the planning board for 18 consecutive years and a board member for 28 years, Joan Philkill attended more than 400 meetings and reviewed more than 700 rezoning applications.
[As the] chair of the planning board for 18 consecutive years and a board member for 28 years, Joan Philkill attended more than 400 meetings and reviewed more than 700 rezoning applications.
Second one is correct
- cannot attend meetings and review applications as the FORMER chair
- also cannot be the former chair of the board for 18 years
Because of [differences in the human body’s internal pressure and the ocean’s, it is essential that a diver returning to the surface ascends slowly or they] will suffer a painful condition known as the “bends.”
[the difference in the human body’s internal pressure and that of the ocean, it is essential that a diver returning to the surface ascends slowly or he]
[the difference between the internal pressure of the human body and that of the ocean, it is essential that a diver returning to the surface ascend slowly or he]
Last one is correct
1st error - subject/pronoun must agree in number
> “a diver” (singular) = “he” (NOT THEY - LGBTQ+ pronouns are not grammatically correct in the GMAT)
2nd error - “in” should be “between”
3rd error - avoid possessive form. “ocean’s” should be “that of the ocean”
> “that” needs to have an ANTECEDENT, used in parallelism too
4th error - “ascends” should be “ascend” (subjunctive form)
> It is essential that a diver ASCEND slowly or he will suffer…
> Re-jig such that “a diver must ascend slowly”
5th error - parallelism - BETWEEN X AND Y
> should be “difference between the internal pressure of the human body and that of the ocean”
> not “difference between the human body’s internal pressure and that of the ocean”
Because of versus Due to
e.g., The number of acres destroyed by wildfires, which have become an ongoing threat [due to/because of] drought and booming population density, has increased dramatically over the past several years, prompting major concern among local politicians.
“Due to” is a phrase that must describe a NOUN.
e.g., “The fire was due to drought” is correct, but “There was a fire due to drought” is not.
> Sometimes can Test by replacing “due to” with “CAUSED BY”
> usually preceded by some form of “to be” (was, is, are due to…)
When describing a VERB phrase, “because of” is preferable: “There was a fire because of drought.”
or “wildfires have become an ongoing threat BECAUSE OF drought”
Can versus Could
Could – hypothetical thing that does not currently exist
Can - right now exists
In the wake of several serious cases of mercury poisoning caused by tainted fish, the state government ordered that [all lakes and streams should be tested for mercury levels.]
What is wrong with this?
Meaning problem –> you cannot test “lakes and streams” for “mercury levels” - suggests that you want to know whether lakes and streams have MERCURY LEVELS (you want to see if they have MERCURY)
Instead: …the mercury levels of all lakes and streams be tested
Subjunctive form –> ordered THAT ___ BE tested
(to be)
What is “subjunctive mood” or verb form
Present subjunctive mood typically follow VERBS expressing a DEMAND or DESIRE
> e.g., “ordered THAT”, “demand THAT”, “vital THAT”, “necessary THAT”, “on condition THAT”
> Tense of the verb - BASE form with no -s on the third person singular
The state ordered that the mercury levels of all lakes and streams BE tested. (base verb: to be)
I demand that you WORK until midnight (base verb: to work)
Is it necessary that he CEASE his studies? (base verb: to CEASE)
**the main verb could be in -ing form too
e.g., She scandalized many of her most ardent supporters by SUGGESTING that drunkedness BE made sufficient cause for divorce
According to the National Science Foundation, in 2003 there were 198,113 female science and engineering graduate students, almost 42% of the graduate students in those fields, [twice as much as 1981.]
What are the errors?
Which of the following is the best?
A twice as many as 1981
B double the figure for 1981
C double what it was in 1981
D a number double that of 1981’s
Modifier for “198,113 female science and engineering students”
“Much” should not be used for a COUNTABLE quantity (female students, percents)
“as __ as” - incorrect comparison, implying that the figures were 2 times the year 1981.
A - meaning issue for “as 1981”
B is correct
C - “it” is vague (no clear antecedent) and wordy
D - “that” is missing an antecedent, 1981’s is missing a noun to possess.
Similar question:
The number of people flying first class on domestic flights rose sharply in 1990, [doubling the increase of the previous year.]
NOT “twice as many as the increase in the previous year” (because the modifier is modifying a CLAUSE or action)
Which one is better?
“controversial education reform proposal”
“proposal on controversial reform in education”
Modifiers and Meaning!
Controversial should modify PROPOSAL
Is this correct?
Presenting a comprehensive introduction, the physicist Richard Feynman introduced modern physics in a two-year course designed for undergraduate students.
REDUNDANT –“introduction” and “introduce”
Other redundancies:
- “consistently remains”
- “could possibly” or “can possibly”
- “payments to be paid”
- “reasons” and “why”
- “Today” and “now” and “currently”
- “speculation” and “possibly”
- “began” and “first”
Which one is correct?
In 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to “free solo”—climb without the aid of any ropes—Yosemite’s 3,000-foot El Capitan in just under four hours, a feat that was once thought to be impossible.
In 2017, Alex Honnold became the first person to “free solo” Yosemite’s El Capitan—a feat once thought impossible—climbing the 3,000-foot wall without the aid of any ropes in just under four hours.
Split is where to put the dashes
first one incorrectly implies that Honnold became the first person to “free solo”. In fact, he was the first person to “free solo” El Capitan.
> AMBIGUOUS MEANING ISSUE!!
> Has El Capitan been free-soloed before, but just not under four hours?
Opening modifier: In order to
In order to _(convert)____, subject
Subject following “in order to” as an opening modifier must be DOING the action
In this case, the subject of the core sentence (beginning after the comma) needs to state whoever (or whatever) is PERFORMING the conversion. For example: In order to convert from analog to digital, the AUDIO ENGINEER must…
What is wrong with this sentence?
The Anasazi settlements at Chaco Canyon were built on a spectacular [scale, with more than 75 carefully engineered structures, of up to 600 rooms each, were] connected by a complex regional system of roads.
NONESSENTIAL MODIFIERS with COMMAS
“With more than 75 carefully engineered structures” is a adverbial modifier of “settlements”
“of up to 600 rooms each” modifies “structures” –> so SKIP THE MIDDLE MEN
You will notice that “were” is incorrectly placed.
Correct sentence:
The Anasazi settlements at Chaco Canyon were built on a spectacular [scale, with more than 75 carefully engineered structures, of up to 600 rooms each,] connected by a complex regional system of roads.
What does “succeeding” mean in this context?
Long overshadowed by the Maya and Aztec civilizations, the more ancient Olmec culture is now being explored by historians for its legacy to succeeding Mesoamerican societies
Adjective –> the Mesoamerican societies that are the SUCCESSORS of the Olmec culture
Also - “legacy TO” is idiomatic
Because of the sharp increases in the price of gold and silver, the value of Monica Taylor’s portfolio rose [as her daughter-in-law’s dropped.]
Because of the sharp increases in the price of gold and silver, the value of Monica Taylor’s portfolio rose [while that of her daughter-in-law’s dropped.]
Second one
- “that of” refers to VALUE —> FIND THE ANTECDENT
- It is illogical to say that her daughter-in-law’s PORTFOLIO dropped
Second one says:
… while [THE VALUE OF] her daughter-in-law’s [PORTFOLIO] dropped.
What is the error here?
Unlike the original National Museum of Science and Technology in Italy, where the models are encased in glass or operated only by staff members, the Virtual Leonardo Project, an online version of the museum, encourages visitors to “touch” each exhibit[, and it will activate] the animated functions of the piece.
“It” has no clear antecedent –> cannot be a verb (touch)
Meaning of “emancipation”
to free from restraint, control, or the power of another especially
e.g., the slaves were emancipated
When should “passive construction” be used?
e.g., Since the vine was introduced versus Since introducing the vine
Use passive construction (Y was introduced) when the subject doing the action is unknown.
Passive - Y was introduced
Active - X introduced Y
What is “until” used for?
“Until” is used to indicate TIME, NOT nouns
e.g., Until Disraeli in 1868 IS WRONG
Better - until 1868… or until Disraeli became prime minster in 1868