Sentence Correction Flashcards
What is the plural of “number”
“a number”
I.e. a number of us are going to the mall.
Collectives are grammatically…..
Singular
Give a proper example of a collective sentence?
The team thought IT would win the game
What do you do with “of phrases” ?
Mentally eliminate them
What are some examples of “of phrases”
Of From By To For
What is the special property of”and”
It os the only word that can join two singular objects together to make a plural subject
I.e. Jack and Jill Are my friends
Opposed to the incorrect version
Jack, in addition to Jane, are my friends
What is important to remember about Either/Or and Neither/Nor
The verb agrees w the subject that follows Or or Nor
I.e. Neither Johns friends, nor John Is Home.
Whats the difference between each and all
Each is singular and refers to every individual member of a group
All is plural and refers to the entire group
If each follows a plural subject …
It will be plural
I.e. john and jill each have a mother
NOT: john and jill each has a mother
A word that ends in
- thing
- one
- body
- ever
Is …?
Singular
If “every” appears before a subject , the subject will be
Singular
I.e. every boy and girl has a mother (has= singular)
Describe number agreement for pronouns
A plural noun demands a plural plural pronoun
A singular noun demands a singular pronoun
I.e. the company thought that IT would have a better quarter
What are examples of pronouns
He She It They Them Him Her
Every pronoun used in a GMAT sentence must refer to something stated explicitly within that sentence
Incorrect example: they say alcohol is bad. ( who are they )
Pronouns should clearly refer to one subject
There can be no ambiguity
What are the subject pronouns ?
I He She We They Who
What are the object pronouns?
Me Him Her Us Them Whom
What are possessive pronouns ?
Her
His
Their
What are some possessive nouns ?
John’s
City’s
Possessive pronouns agree with?
Possessive nouns
Subject / object pronouns cant agree w?
Possessive nouns
Modifiers always…?
Cuddle and describe the noun that they stand immediately next to
What are some GMAT modifiers ?
-ED phrase
-ING phrase
WHO clause
WHICH clause
THAT clause
with commas
Describe the which clause
It must have a comma before it ( ,which)
It is not critical to the meaning of a sentence
Describe the THAT clause
It should not have a comma before THAT
The meaning of the clause Is essential to the meaning of the sentence
If deciding between that or which and the sentence doesnt have a comma use ?
That
Between THAT and WHICH
What is essential to a sentence?
That
How do you test whether or not you use a that or which clause?
Delete the THAT or WHICH clause and see if the meaning of the sentence changes.
Meaning remains the same use WHICH
Meaning changes use THAT
What do you use the WHO clause for?
People
I.e. Jane beat the child who wouldn’t shut up
Modifiers that refer to an entire clause cannot be used to refer back to a preceding clause
I.e. John aced his exam, which means he’s going to Harvard (INCORRECT)
“Which” touches exam meaning his exam is allowing him to go to Harvard not the fact that he passed his exam
Whats so powerful about -ING modifiers?
They can describe the noun they touch
They can refer back to an entire clause that preeceds them or the subject of that clause
I.e. John aced his exam, meaning he’s going to Harvard
That and Which can refer to plural or singular nouns. provide an example of a plural sentence
John picked up the balls that WERE on the lawn
Incorrect = john picked up the balls that WAS on the lawn
Adjectives always describe….
The nearest noun
Adverbs always describe
The nearest non noun
describe adverbs
Typically end in -ly
Describe non-nouns; adjectives, other adverbs, verbs
Describe parallel structure
Any items that are compared, grouped in a list, or connected by words such as “EITHER, AND, BOTH or OR must have parallel structure
Repeat the little words
The words AND/OR always signal…
Parallel Structure
Watch for false parallelisms
Describe what a false parallelism is
Ideas or phrases that are grammatically parallel should also be logically parallel.
I.e john saved the game with an amazing catch and celebrated with a dance
Incorrect= john saved the game with an amazing catch and with a celebratory dance
(John cant save the game with a dance)
,and
Means…
There should be parallel structure because it is a list
Sentences in the format x, y and z mean that y and z will modify x (they are not list)
Give an example
John prepared diligently everyday, studying every morning and reviewing grammar every evening
What must be true for a sentence to compare two or more objects?
Those objects must be logically comparable and grammatically parallel
I.e. the works of Jane Austin ate better than those of Emily Bronte
(Compares works to works)
Incorrect=the works of Jane Austen are better than Emily Bronte
(Compares author to works)
What are the comparison words
Like
Unlike
Than
As
Describe the difference between like and as
Like compares nouns
Like does not need a comma
As compares verbs (ie. Clauses)
As needs a comma
Unless you are saying ( in the form of something)
I.e. i work as a dog (I behave like a dog when i work)
Describe like vs. such as
LIKE should not be used to introduce examples
SUCH AS should be used instead.
I.e. I drink tea such as green tea and black tea.
As x As compares…
Quantities that are equal
I.e. John is as tall as Jim.
Than compares ?
Quantities that are different
I.e. John is taller than Jim.
Do not use so x as use …. instead
AS x AS
I.e. if you eat As much As one cookie, I will kill you.
Whats the difference between COMPARE TO vs. COMPARE WITH
COMPARE TO should be used to compare things that are different
COMPARE WITH should be used to compare things that are similar
I.e. compared to a goat, John smells pretty good (compares human to a goat)
Compared with his friends, John smells like a goat (compares a human WITH other humans)
What is the rule regarding
AS x AS or X-er THAN
You say as twice w x-er than
I.e. John is As tall As or taller than Bill
What is a superlative
Words that compare a group of three or more
They end in -EST
They are always introduced by the word THE
I.e. of the three of us, John is the tallest
What are comparitives?
Words used to compare a group of TWO
End in-ER
I.e. of the two of us, John is talker.
What are the two ways to mention time.
Someone is X YEARS OLDER THAN someone else.
Someone is X TIMES AS OLD AS someone else
Give an example of redundancy
Past experience …
Extremely furious
Allow…. to be able to
Describe the difference between “Between and Among”
BETWEEN should be used for TWO people or items
AMONG should be used for three or more people or items
How do you know whether or not to use a countable or non countable word
See if the noun can be pluralized .
If a noun can be pluralized, it is countable
If a noun cannot be pluralized, it is not countable
I.e. john ate so many hot dogs (hot dogs=plural=countable)
John ate so much food ( food cannot be pluralized=not countable)
What are the countable words
Many Fewer A number Numerous Few
What are non countable words
Much Less An amount Great Little
Whats the difference between economic and economical
Economic=relating to the economy
Economical=thrifty
Whats the difference between Farther and Further
Farther= distance
Further=non-distance (i.e. degree)
Interested…
In
Preoccupied…
With
Danger…
Of
Credited…
With
What is a clause
A mini sentence that is embedded w/in the context of a larger sentence
What is a conjunction used for
To fuse two clauses into a more complex sentence
What are some conjunction words
And But Although Since If Because
What is a fragment?
A clause w/o a verb
An incomplete sentence
What is a comma splice?
Two clauses joined by a comma (i.e. w/o a conjunction)
I.e. i cant go to the movies, i ate too much chili.
What kind of conjunction is and
AND is used to join concepts that logically belong together
What kind of conjunction is although
ALTHOUGH is used for two clauses that offer an unexpected relationship
Conjunctions must …. in a sentence
Make sense
Describe how semi colons are used
They take the place of conjunctions
Do not use a conjunction w a semi colon it is redundant
Make sure there are no fragments on either side of a semi colon
What conjunctions can be used with semi colons?
Conjunctive adverbs
Therefore
However
In addition
I.e. i ate too much chili; however , i can still go to the movies
Describe colons
Equate two parts of a sentence (usually a whole ti its parts)
Only the part of the sentence before the colon needs to be a complete sentence
The portion after the colon can be a fragment
Used to introduce an explanatory clause after a main clause
I.e. i love three things: chicken, beer, and broccoli .
How can you test colons usage
Insert “namely” after the colon
If it works the sentence is good if the sentence is messed up the colon is incorrect
Describe the use of dashes
They clarify info in which commas would create ambiguity
Can be used as emphatic commas, semi-colons, or colons
I.e john’s brothers - Ed, Fred, and Ted- are hilarious.
What is preferred
Did
Or
Was doing
Did
What is preferred
Does
Or
Is doing
Does
What is preferred
Will do
Or
Will be doing
Will do
What does a progressive tense imply?
On-going
What is the present perfect tense?
It indicates that an action started in the past but continues to happen or be relevant to the present
Has/have + verb
Was doing
Did
Is doing
Does
Will be doing
Will do
What does the past perfect tense indicate?
One action happened before another and that both actions happened in the past
A past perfect tense must have
Two past tense verbs
If either action occurs before the other, the earlier action must be in the past perfect tense
I.e. the company announced that second quarter profits rose more than had been expected
What words make the past perfect tense
HAD + verb
Describe THAT constructions ( words of the head)
Any sentence that begins with a verb or noun that implies a MENTAL PROCESS ( or simply a process that can be done with any part of the face such as eyes, ears, nose, or math) must supply a THAT if a second verb follows
I.e. i believe that i can fly
What is the subjunctive ?
The command tense of the English verb
What are some examples of subjunctives?
Go
Do
Eat
Sleep
What are some examples of the command subjunctive
Command
Demand
Order
Mandate
Suggest
Recommend
Beg
Plead
Hope
Pray
If a sentence contains a command verb ….
The command should be in the command tense
Describe the WAS vs WERE subjunctive rule
WERE is the subjunctive to WAS
WERE should be used in place of WAS if something is currently NOT TRUE
I.e. If John WERE here, he’d be angry
What is a gerund
A noun ending in ING
The GMAT doesnt favor gerunds
What tense is will?
Present
I.e. if you EAT that worm, you WILL be sick
What tense is would/could
Past
If you ATE that worm you WOULD/COULD be sick
What tense is WOULD HAVE/COULD HAVE?
Past perfect
I.e. if you HAD EATEN that worm, you WOULD/COULD HAVE been sick.
What are the two clauses for if statements
Hypothetical (something may happen)
Result (result of the hypothetical occurs).
If I go to work (hypothetical clause), I will kill my boss (result clause)
When should WHETHER be used?
When an action is in question
There is no result clause
How can you test if statements?
Flip the sentence .
I.e. if John likes ice cream, Mary will be happy.
Mary will be happy if John likes ice cream.
Whether or not is…
Redundant do not use this
What is the flow rule for the GMAT?
Wordiness is not favored.
Direct sentences are preferred
I.e.
Choppy: Benji, like all dogs, hates his owner.
Direct: Like all dogs, Benji hates his owner.
Someone is Cable..
Of
He had proof…
That
While is indicates what type of clause
Dependent
And it needs an independent clause to follow
More likely to…
X than to Y
“But only” is …
Redundant
Dont use this
Do not say
“Without nor”
Or
“Without …or with”
Its confusing
As X is To Y
…
Consider X Y
Not : Consider X to be Y
Contrast X with Y
…
Declare X Y
Not: Declare X to be Y
Different From
Not: Different Than
Enough X that Y
…
Estimate to Be
Not: Estimate At or Estimate As
Far away from
(Physics distance)
Far from
(Degree)
From X to Y
…
Identical With
(Not: identical To)
Independent of
=regardless
Independent from
= X is separate from Y
In Contrast To
(Not: in Contrast with)
Just as X …
So Y
Native…
To
A native of
…
No less X than
…Y
Not only x …
But also Y
Not so much X ..
As Y
Not X …
But Rather Y
Rate For
(Financial)
Rate of
(Not financial)
Regard as
( not: regard to be)
So As Not to Be
…
Try to …
Not : try and
