Sentence Correction Flashcards
idiom
X was dated…
at Y
meaning - word placement
ONLY
What is the meaning of each:
A) I sleep only on Thursday
B) I only sleep on Thursday
(who - did what)
A) I sleep on a single day of the week, and that day is Thursday (I - sleep)
B) The single activity I do on Thursday is sleep (I - only sleep)
strategy
Sentence Correction Process
1 - Take a FIRST GLANCE
2 - READ for Meaning
3 - Find a STARTING POINT (can I tackle this? - yes or no)
4 - ELIMINATE all incorrect choices - if not done, find another starting point for the remaining options
when I see…
AND
I will think…
I’ll think…
PARALLELISM: X and Y -or- X,Y, and Z
Could be a list, modifier, compound subject or verb, two independent clauses.
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Unaccompanied v Not accompanied
unaccompanied = alone for a purpose
not accompanies = happens to be alone
modifier structure
[Opening Modifier] , …
…[Noun that is being modified]
idiom
Apprenticeship X
as
ex. I had an apprenticeship as a baker
meaning
WITH
what does it mean and when to use
Means: One noun is with another noun.
Use: Only use for the above meaning. DO NOT use to replace “despite” or other more descriptive terms.
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Aggravate vs. Aggravating
aggravate = worsen aggravating = irritating
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Known as vs. Known to be
known = named
known to be = acknowledged as
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Loss of vs. Loss in
loss of = no longer in possession of
loss in = decline in value
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Mandate vs. Have a mandate
mandate = command
have a mandate = have authority from voters
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Native of vs. Native to
native of = person from
native to = species that originated in
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Range of vs. Ranging
range of = variety of
ranging = varying
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Rate of vs. Rates for
rate of = speed or frequency of
rates for = prices for
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Rise vs. Raise
rise = general increase raise = a bet or salary increase
meaning - “cousin” words/expressions
Try to do vs. Try doing
try to do = seek to accomplish
try doing = experiment with
strategy - subject-verb agreement
When identifying the Subject and Verb. what does “Eliminate the Middleman” and “Skip the Warmup” mean? What are common middlemen and warmups?
1) Eliminate the Middleman: GMAT will add words between subject and verb to hide the subject. Learn to identify the middlemen in order to ignore them.
2) Skip the Warmup: GMAT will add words in front of the subject you want. Learn to identify them in order to ignore them and ID the subject you want
Common middlemen and warmups
1) Prepositional Phrases: a group of words headed by a preposition (of, in, to , for, with, on, by, at, from). You can generally eliminate these to find the subject (exceptions: SANAM indefinite pronouns, idiomatic phrases designating quantities or parts).
2) Subordinate Clauses: clauses that begin with connecting words (e.g. who, which) and cannot stand alone.
3) Other Modifiers: other words that modify or describe other portions of the sentence such as Present Participles (-ing forms derived from verbs) and Past Participles (-ed, and -en forms derived from verbs). Commas are also helpful signs.
ref. Chapter 3 Sentence Correction strategy guide
strategy - subject-verb agreement
How can you use structure to find the subject of the verb?
To avoid falling for tempting nouns thrown in by GMAT, use the structure of the sentence to identify the correct verb.
If there is a PREPOSITIONAL PHRASE know that, with some idiomatic exceptions, the noun cannot be the subject of the sentence.
If there is a MAIN CLAUSE and a SUBORDINATE CLAUSE, match up the main clause subject with the main clause verb, then match up the subordinate clause subject with the subordinate clause verb.
ref. Chapter 3 Sentence Correction strategy guide
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
A singular subject linked to other nouns by an additive phrase.
Singular
ex. Joe, accompanied by Jessica and Shawn, IS
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
Subjects joined by ‘and’
Plural
ex. Jessica and Shawn ARE going to the beach
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
Subjects joined by or or nor
Depends - should match the subject closes to the verb
(ex. Neither the coach nor the players ARE
Neither the players nor the coach IS)
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
Collective Nouns (a noun that refers to a group of people or objects)
Almost always Singular (unless you want to emphasize the individual actors)
The crowd in the stands IS cheering
The army or a hundred IS attacking
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
Indefinite Pronouns (pronouns that are not specific about the thing to which it refers)
Most indefinite pronouns (such as those ending in -one, -body, -thing) are usually Singular
There are 5 indefinite pronouns that can be either, the SANAM pronouns. Some Any None All More/Most
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
SANAM Pronouns (what are they?)
Some Any None All More/Most
Depends - you can usually look at the noun in the Of- phrase that follows
but be careful
None of and Any of followed by a plural noun can be singular
NOTE: not one is always singular
tips - subject-verb agreement
SINGULAR OR PLURAL?
Subjects preceded by ‘each’ or ‘every’
Singular
(ex. Every dog HAS paws
Each of them IS pretty)
