Sentence Correction Flashcards
What are indefinite pronouns?
pronouns end in -one, -thing, -body
quantifiers (any, many, more, most, much, few, some, several, none, one, each)
all, another, both, either, neither, other
What are indefinite pronouns that can use singular or plural verbs? How does the rule apply?
SANAM (some, any, none, all, most)
singular or plural verbs depend on whether subject is plural or singular
Absolute adjective
adjective that can not be intensified
what are adjective can be intensified?
tall (taller), big (bigger)
What are the examples of absolute adjective?
perfect, square, circular, dead, essential, immortal, universal (can’t be more more dead/ perfect)
How do we write correct ways for “more circular” or “more fatal” ?
more nearly circular (closer to being a perfect circle than something else)
more likely fatal
When do we use present perfect tense verbs (have/has verb)?
indicate the action started in the past and is either still true or still happening.
what does ‘past perfect tense’ sentence describe?
the past of the past
T or F. Please do it quick
F. Please do it quickly
T or F. The performer dances lively, delighting the children.
F.
lively is adjective and thus can’t attach to verb.
The performer’s lively dance delights the children
Do you use semicolon for “but” , “and”
for GMAT: usually it is a suspect
but to make your sentence structure clearer, you can use it
e.g: Self compassion is made of mindfulness, the ability to manage thoughts and emotions without being carried away or repressing them; common humanity, an empathy with the sufferings of others; and self-kindness, a recognition of your own suffering and a commitment to solving the problem
T or F. The part of a sentence before a colon must be an independent clause
T
T o F. We are concerned about the forests, also the oceans
F. We are concerned about the forests and the oceans
T or F. We work all night, and we sleep all day.
Parallelism is correct, given “and” an appropriate conjunction
What are the meaning of “as” in a sentence?
during, because/ since
in the same way, in the role of
in the stage of being
T or F. As a part of the arrangement, he received severance.
F. As part of the arrangement, he received severance
T or F. As being a child, I delivered newspapers
F. As a child, I delivered newspapers
T or F. As we did last year, we will win this year.
T (as = just as= in the same way)
T or F. We have as many apples than you
F. We have as many apples as you.
T or F. We have three times as many more pears as you.
F. 1) We have three times as many pears as you.
2) We have three times more pears than you
T or F. His knowledges springs as much from experience as from schooling.
T.
T or F. We have 10 apples, about equivalent to what we picked yesterday.
F. We have 10 apples, about as many as we picked yesterday
T or F. She was interested both in plants and animals.
F.
1) She was interested both in plants and in animals or
2) She was interested in both plants and animals
T or F. She was interested both in plants as well as in animals
F.
correct idiom: both…and
T or F. I study effectively although taking frequent naps.
F.
although = subordianting conjunction: requires full clause
T or F. The judge considers the law as illegal
F. The judge considers the law illegal
T or F. It is expected that the price will fall
Grammatically Correct but Avoid if Possible on GMAT
Fix: The price is expected to fall
T or F. There is an expectation of the price falling.
Grammatically Correct but Avoid if Possible on GMAT
T or F. It is expected that the price should fall
F. (expect means the action in future)
T or F. The price rose from 3 euros up to 10 euros
F.
The price rose from 3 euros to 10 euros
T or F. She drank coffee for staying awake.
F.
Fix: She drank coffee to stay awake (“to” = purpose/goal)
T or F. Matt drives fast cars LIKE his sister’s
T. (both drive similar cars - fast cars)
T or F. Matt drives fast cars like his sister does.
F.
Like can’t be used for action comparison, only noun
Fix: Matt drives fast cars as his sister [drives fast cars]
T or F. She did not eat mangoes but liked other kinds of fruit and later began to like kiwis, too
T.
T or F. We wore not only boots and also sandals
F.
‘Not only’ …. ‘but/but also’
T or F. We wore not only boots but, as well sandals.
F.
‘Not only’ …. ‘but/but also’
T or F. We wore boots and also sandals
Grammatically Correct but Avoid if Possible on GMAT
T or F. He wrote with pencils, but not pen.
Grammatically Correct but Avoid if Possible on GMAT
T or F. He wrote with pencils instead of with pens.
F - “instead of” + V-ing
Fix: He wrote with pencils instead of writing with pens
T or F. She requires of her friend to do work
F.
require someone + to infinitive form
T or F. This result seems like it demonstrates the new theory
F.
Like is used to compare NOUN and not CLAUSE
T or F. The book was of such shortness that I could read it.
F.
T or F. She gave money so the school could offer scholarship
F.
1) She gave money so that the school could offer scholarship (“so that” = purpose)
2) She gave money, so the school could offer scholarship (“,so…” = effect/result)
T or F. Matt enjoys driving such cars as Ferraris.
T.
T or F. Matt enjoys intense activities, such as to drive fast cars.
F. (such as driving fast car)
T or F. His books are more impressive as those of other writers.
F. (more impressive than)
T or F. The paper cost 50 cents as much as that one.
F.
cents are countable
T or F. Sales are higher this year over last year.
F.
Higher + Than (Comparison Structure)
those of last year/ last year’s - Parallelism
T or F. She is expected to be appointed as chairperson.
F. She is expected to be appointed chairperson
T or F. We have one chance in a million of winning the World Cup
T.
T or F. iPhone users download two to four times as many more games, video, and other Web data as other smartphone users.
F.
as many as or more _____ than
So [adjective] as to [verb] meaning:
“very” or “really”
i.e: Ex: We aren’t so stupid as to believe anything he said.
T or F. I respectfully ask that he be allowed
T.
subjunctive mood: hope, proposal, desire and request + ‘that’ + infinitive form [without ‘to’]
Two independent Clauses should be separated by?
comma + conjunction or semicolon/colon
T or F. The reason John went to the bank is because he wanted to open an account.
False.
Reason…..because = redundant
It should be “The reason John went to the bank is that he wanted to open an account.”
However much
Despite how much/ Regardless
What does structure of ‘and thus + main verb’ mean in sentence?
What comes after “and thus”?
synonym of “and thus”
In this way
parallelism or an independent clause
“and hence”
e.g: The dog ran circles around the yard and thus was exhausted from her escapades.
What is an alternative to ‘thus’ in ‘thus’ verb-ing structure? (for more formal)
What requires before “thus V-ing”?
” , thereby”
comma
What does structure of ‘thus + verb-ing’ do in sentence?
introduce the result of an action within a single sentence.
Ex: Improvements in environmental impact are achieved by utilizing nanostructure particulates in coatings, thus eliminating the requirement for toxic solvents.
“In 1623 Wilhelm Schickard built the first mechanical calculator and thus became the father of the computing era.” What does thus mean in this sentence?
in this way
T or F. Social researchers have calculated that the annual cost of alcohol abuse to Ukraine is approximately $70 million per year in foregone personal income
F. “annual cost” …. “per year” = redundant
T or F. A weak currency prompts companies that export to country X to raise prices, making it more difficult for country X consumers to afford products imported from Asian and European, where regions that rely heavily on exports as engines of economic growth.
F. “where” … “region” = redundant
synonym of “but not”
What does it go after “but not”
except of
a noun
What is the main difference between using like and as?
Like: Can only be used to compare nouns
As: Can be used to compare clauses
What is the correct form of using “just as”
“Just as + Clause……..so + Clause”
T or F. Danica Patrick is a notable racer on the Indy circuit, showing once again that women can compete with men.
F - due to Logical Predication. How Danica being a notable racer shows that women can compete with men?
It would be True if “Danica won a notable race on the Indy circuit, showing…”
T or F. “All of” is singular
False. “All of” can be either singular or plural, depending on the nouns after it.
Ex: all of them are vs all of the water is
T or F. Nouns must go after “Just as” vs Clause must go after “Like”
F. It reverses
mislead - past simple and past participate form
mislead, misled (past simple) and misled (past participate)
Difference between “due to” and “because of”
present reasons for a noun vs present a reasons for an action.
Ex:
1) His frustration was due to the mucked up windscreen
2) I missed the class because of the rain
T or F. You can use “due to” and “because of” interchangeably
False.
When in doubt of use “due to”, what trick you can use?
Usage of ‘due to’ is correct if the sentence makes sense when ‘due to’ is replaced with ’caused by’.
more so
(such as an attribute or quality) to a greater degree or extent
Ex: The play was impressive—(all) the more so because the students had written it themselves.
Plural of moose
moose
The number of ___ is (singular/ plural)
A number of ___ is (singular/ plural)
singular since it is used as a subject
Ex: The number of people lined up for tickets was four hundred
plural since it is used as a subject modifier
Ex: There are a number of important announcements in the bulletin.
means (n)
a method or way of doing something
money
a man/woman of means
a means to an end
a rich man/woman
something that you do because it will help you to achieve something else
Ex: For me, going to college is just a means to an end, a way to get a better job.
T or F. We can use “like” to quote examples.
T.
Like/such as is not a factor to pick an answer choice on GMAT for quoting
What is the plural form of fish?
fish
past tense and past participle of “cast”
cast -> cast (not casted)
T or F. In ‘or, either/or, neither/nor’ sentence, main verb agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.
T
Ex: Pokémon Go, has piqued consumer interest in augmented reality, a technology that neither Apple nor Apple’s competitors have been able to incorporate into a successful product, application, or service till now.
How is preposition placed in ‘both… and’ ?
both preposition ___ and preposition ___
preposition both ___ and ____
Ex: She was interested in both plants and animals
T or F. Corporations need to rethink both about where they focus their philanthropy and about how they go about their giving.
T.
What is the rule for prepositional phrases that are used in a parallel series, prepositions (with, to, of, over, under, by, etc.)
proposition should be repeated with every element of the series unless all elements use the same preposition.
Ex: The baby flung spaghetti strands on the walls, on the counters, and under the table.
What are the proper nouns?
Nouns that are spelled in capitalized letters (i.e: Tuesday, USA, Harvard University..)
What are the compound nouns?
a noun that contains more than one word (either separate or hyphenated)
Ex: landlord, bookkeeper, attorney-at-law, nail-bitter,…)
T or F. In compound nouns, the second noun is modifying the first noun.
False.
The first noun becomes an adjective, modifying the second noun
Ex: kitchen sink, dog collar, love poem..
What is the singular form of species?
species
What are the quantifiers for countable nouns?
many, few, a number of, a large number of, a great number of,
What are the quantifier for uncountable nouns?
much, a little, a bit of,
a large amount of
a great deal of
What are the quantifiers for all types of noun?
SPANNALS (several, plenty of, any, no, none, a lot of, lots of, some)
What kind of attitude, does a few and a little indicate?
positive attitude: Implying that although the speaker may not have much, he has enough.
What is the speaker implying?
“I’ve got a little money.”
“I’ve got a few friends.”
I have enough money
I have enough friends.
What kind of attitude, does few and little imply?
negative attitude: Indicating a total lack of the noun, but speaker is more polite than saying so directly.
What is the speaker implying?
“Few people visited him in hospital.”
“I have little time for TV”
He had almost no visitors, or perhaps no visitors at all.
Almost no time, or perhaps no time at all
What are the comparative and superlative grade quantifier for countable nouns?
more, fewer
most, fewest
What are the comparative grade quantifier for uncountable nouns?
more, less
most, least
T or F. Enough can only be used for uncountable nouns?
F - It can be used for both countable and uncountable nouns
What are subject pronouns?
What are object pronouns?
What are possessive pronouns?
What are the reflexive pronouns?
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
me, you, him, her, it, them, us
mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself,..
What are the interrogative pronouns?
who, whom, which, whose
What are the demonstrative pronouns?
this, that, those, these
What is an antecedent?
the word or group of words that a pronoun refers to
Find antecedent in this sentence: “The company was forced to cut staff so that it could avoid going out of business entirely”
the company = the antecedent
it = pronoun
Find antecedent in this sentence: It is hoped that taxpayers will use these refund checks to stimulate the company
No antecedent in this example.
Why do we need antecedents?
So there is no ambiguous meaning of pronouns that refer to
Ex: they say that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. (who are they!?)
T or F. The number of hardworking students in this class are quite large
F.
Since ‘the number’ acts as the subject, singular verb is required
What are the additive phrases?
What is the verb/subject agreement rule for additive phrases?
along with, in addition to,
accompanied by, as well as,
including, together with,
not to mention
Verb agrees with the 1st subject in the sentence
T or F. Teachers along with the principal is going to the camp.
F.
Since teachers are plural, verb must be plural “are”
T or F. Mathematics, in addition to history and science, is a required subject
T - Mathematics is singular.
T or F. Either John or his friends is coming for dinner.
F.
His friends are plural, and verb agree with the closest subject in neither/either, we need “are” not “is”
T or F. None of the books is compelling
F -None of the books are compelling
What is verb form rule for “percentage, fraction of subject” ?
percentage, fraction of subject is singular/plural depend on whether subject is singular or plural.
T or F. A high percentage of the people is voting for the new school
F.
A high percentage is a modifier for people, which is the main subject - -are voting
T or F. A high percentage of the population is voting for the new school
T - the population is singular
When is a compound adjectives not hyphenated?
when it stands on it owns
Ex: I am broken hearted
She is a broken-hearted JB fan.
When is a compound adjectives hyphenated?
To make the meaning more clear
Ex: smelly cheese salesperson (who sells regular cheese but doesn’t shower or who sells smelly cheese)
Less ambiguous: smelly-cheese salesperson
How does economic differ from economical?
economic refers to economy/ broad financial matters
economical refers to the act of using money efficiently or operating efficiently.
Data is plural or singular?
data can be either singular or plural
what are some adjectives that end in -ly but are not adverbs?
How do you use these to modify a verb?
friendly, timely, lovely, lively, ugly, silly, holy
in a friendly manner/ way.
in lively way.
T or F. You look lovely
F - You are lovely
what are prepositions used for?
for constructing modifier
What usually follow a preposition?
a noun, pronoun, or gerund.
T or F. I want to walk. In this case, ‘to’ is a preposition
F.
What are ‘but, as, for, by, beside before, despite, until, of, off, without’ called?
but, for can be eitherprepositions and conjunction
the rest is preposition
T or F. ‘Or’ and ‘now’ are preposition
‘or’ can also be a conjunction
‘now’ is adverb
What are the purposes of conjunctions?
to link words, phrases or clauses, allowing us to connect or contrast
what are the three types of conjunctions?
coordinating
correlative
subordinating
What are the coordinating conjunctions?
FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
What are the subordinating conjunctions?
although, because, since, as, while, unless, if, until….
what are correlative conjunctions?
neither..or, either…or
whether…or
both/and
not only/ but also
when do we use semicolon?
to connect two independent clauses that must also be closely related in meaning
when do we use colon?
to convey explanations, rules, lists, or examples
Ex: Bill was tormented: the Packers lost again
T or F. The protest was effective, but not without cost: 16 people died
T.
First and Second clauses are both complete sentences.
Correct parallel struture: not…. but
not (verb) but (verb)
not (noun) but (noun)
Ex: She did not eat mangoes but ate other kinds of fruit
What has to follow by quantifiers such as ‘fewer, less, more’
THAN
Idiom: account for something
constitute or make up
to give a reason or explanation
to think about (something) before doing = to take (something) into consideration
Ex: social security accounts for about a third of total public spending
The researchers failed to account for the fact that most of the students were poor.
T or F. On GMAT, we can use ‘not only…but’ instead of ‘not only… but also’
T.
not only… but means two objects in the same order/ category
T or F. The machines have each been inspected
T.
in this predicate position, each modifies the entire plural collection
T or F. A small percentage of our profits is reinvested
T.
This is an exception of ‘quantifying phrase - percentage of’
In this case, subject is a small percentage
T or F. In planning your trip to the five destinations, consider the distances between cities.
T
‘between’ in this case is correct where the relationship holds, independently btw each member of the group.
T or F. Stock prices dropped abruptly today to an all-time high.
F.
drop from/in/into (not drop to)
T or F. The house was on fire and the list of historically significant buildings
F.
‘On’ functions so differently in the two phrases that it makes no sense to subsume both the fire and the list under a single occurrence of the preposition.
When a sentence begins with a NEGATIVE – not, never, seldom, what precedes before the subject?
a helping verb (does, do, did) + Subject + Infinitive form
a helping verb (have, has) + Subject+ Participle Verbs
Ex: Not only does speech enable man to handle and pass on more complicated ideas, it also enables him to accumulate them.
T or F. The pronoun ‘‘it’’ can be used to describe an action/event
False.
T or F. An indefinite pronoun such as anyone will not have an antecedent
True.
T or F. One must be careful to account for all sources of income on your tax return
F - one and your are not parallel.
Despite or Despite of?
Despite
e.g: Despite the rough weather they still set sail.
T or F. You aren’t required to use the past perfect when you have two events that took place at different times in the past.
T
Ex: After she earned her degree, she spent a year serving with the Peace Corps in Guatemala
What do these words: fast, only, late, hard, high, monthly have in common?
They can be both adjectives and adverbs
T or F. Adverbs can only modify verbs
False.They can modify adjectives and other adverbs
Ex: The contestant danced (quite) awkwardly.
Linking Verbs
Verbs that link the subject to a noun or adjective.
Ex: He seems nice
I feel bad/smart/pretty
Examples of linking verbs
are, is, was, become, seem, feel, appear
What should come after the opening modifiers?
relevant subject
Ex: Hiking through the wood, I had my backpack stolen by the bear.
T or F. The judge considers the law AS IF IT WERE illegal
F.
T or F. The plant POSSIBLY CAUSES damage
Expressions that the GMAT seems to avoid if possible.
Correct: The plant CAN CAUSE damage
T or F. UNLIKE WITH the spiny anteater, the aardvark is docile
F - Unlike X, Y
T or F. Six dollars ARE a high price for that
F.
Quantities can be construed as singular
T or F. Quantifying phrases can only be construed as singular.
F. They can be either singular or plural so focus on the Logical Predication
Ex: A small percentage of our profits is reinvested
A large proportion of the trees are blooming
T or F. Each is always singular
F. It can be either singular or plural
Ex: The machines have each been inspected
What are plurals that have same forms as singulars?
sheep, deer, moose, species, fish
T or F. We considered it imperative that the researcher suspend further testing
T.
the subjunctive mood has ‘infinitive form’ after THAT
T or F. A modifying phrase should not be separated from the noun that it modifies
T.
Kendra, like Katy, is happy to be on leave
Like Katy, Kendra is happy to be on leave
adverbial phrase
a phrase that modifies the word which is not a noun.
Ex: The running back {ran} towards the end zone, {faster and harder than he had ever run before.}
T or F. The adverbial phrase needs to touch the word being modified.
F.
Ex: The attacker ran toward the net, faster and harder than he ever have had.
T or F. Never use ‘should’ along with verbs such as ‘recommend’, ‘suggest’
T.
Ex: I recommend that you come on time
T or F. There were [no] goals [nor] corners in the match.
F.
A double negative is an absolute no-no on the GMAT.
T or F. Jack greets his dog when arriving home.
T.
‘when arriving home’ intends to modify Jack.
What follows after ‘despite’ ?
a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun
T or F. Scientists believe that X—[in other words,] that Y.
T.
Correct parallelism form
greater vs more
more can be used for both countable and uncountable
greater can be used for only countable or number
T or F. Despite Japan’s relative isolation from world trade at the time during the Tokugawa shogunate, ……
F.
at the time + during = redundant
Correct: at the time / during
What should be the object of ‘decline to’ ?
a word or phrase naming a number or estimated number
Ex: wolves have declined to an estimated 200,000 in 57 countries
T or F. Wolves have declined to an estimate of 200,000 in 57 countries
F.
declined to an estimated 200,000
rather than _____ conjunction
verbs/nouns/adj/adv/ must be parallel
When used to coordinate verbs, it indicates that something is done in place of something else
Ex: For exercise, I walk rather than run.
Form and Function of rather than as Preposition Modifier
rather than + Verb-ing (like instead of + V-ing)
The verbs in the sentence are not parallel.
Ex: Rather than using dried herbs, he picked fresh ones from the garden.
T or F.
1) Don’t use a comma before while when you mean “during the same time.”
2) Do use a comma before while when you mean “whereas” or “although.”
T
T or F. If there is no indicator that the event happened at another time, stick with the simple tense.
T
T or F. Aid to victims is available.
F.
Aid for victims is available
T or F. Just like you practice, so shall you play
F.
Just as you practice, so shall you play
T or F. I declared the referendum invalid
T
T or F. They demanded the store to be closed
F.
They demanded THAT the store be closed or
They demanded the store be closed
Is “news” singular or plural?
Singular
E.g: The news is being broadcast by all major TV stations.
Some examples of nouns that are themselves numbers are:
Do we use “more” or “greater” with these nouns?
Do we use “less” or “fewer” with these nouns?
VIN( volume, interest rate, number) PAC(population, area, cost)
PDP (price, distance, percentage)
We use “greater”
e.g: The area of Georgia is greater than that of Pennsylvania.
We use “less”
e.g: The cost of a night at the opera is less than the total cost of a day at the ballgame.
what is the subjunctive mood?
the verb form that express a hypothetical situation or express a wish, demand or a suggestion
E.g: “If I were you” or “I demand he be present”
what are verbs that attract subjunctive mood?
COWS: command, order, wish, suggest
-RAID: request, ask, insist, demand
-PHD: propose, hope, desire
What is the right form for subjunctive mood (verb) in a sentence?
subjunctive mood + subjective pronouns (she/he/they/it/we) + Infinitive form
E.g: I propose he work full time
subjunctive mood + that subjective pronouns + Infinitive form
E.g: All we ask of a president is that he be likeable
T or F. ‘instead of’ is followed by an adverb and prepositional phrase
F.
noun or gerund
the extent to which
the degree to which something happens or is likely to happen
e.g: She had not realized the extent to which the children had been affected.
what does follow “the extent to which”?
full independent clause
e.g: It is difficult to overstate the extent to which this government is influenced by the theocratic agenda.
T or F: A recent and popular self-help book wryly notes that if adolescence was not so painful, it would have a droll comedic aspect, at least in retrospect.
F.
The subjunctive verb is incorrect - it should be “were” not “was”
e.g:
What does the comma + - ing/- ed as a adverbial modifier usually convey? How do we test its logical meaning?
cause-effect relationship (try to connect sentence with because)
e.g: Scientists discovered the vaccine, putting an end to the pandemic
Illogical meaning: Breaking her ankle, she slipped on the ice
T or F. The first authenticated mammal bones in amber could provide important clues to determine how and when mammals colonized the islands of the West Indies.
F.
“to” preposition is used to indicate purpose action of the subject.
In this case, since subject is an object instead of a person or an organization, provide important clues “for determining” is more appropriate.
How do you rephrase this sentence: “Making things even more difficult has been general market inactivity lately”
General market inactivity has been making things even more difficult lately
T or F: Linking arrangements between secondary schools and the workplace never evolved in the United States as in most other developed countries.
Grammar Correct but redundant - We could say “never evolved in both the USA and most other developed countries”
T or F. Linking arrangements between secondary schools and the workplace never evolved in the United States as they did in most other developed countries.
T.
We repeat “they did (evolved)” to convey the contrast meaning of “never evolved”
T or F: Mauritus was a British colony for almost 200 years, but except for the domains of administration and teaching, the English language was never really spoken on the island
F
If we reverse the sentence - The English language was never really spoken on the island “except for” the domains of administration and teaching - then “for” is not a right idiom for “domain”
Fix: “except in”
T or F: The production is expected that it will almost double by the end of the year
F
The production is expected to almost double by the end of the year
When an - ing/-ed mod is not set off by a comma, what type of a modifier is it?
it is a noun modifier and usually an essential modifier (but can also be non-essential)
e.g: The engineer running this meeting fixed the problem
When an - ing/-ed mod is set off by a comma, what type of a modifier is it?
it is an adverbial modifier and a nonessential modifier.
e.g: Excited by the new opportunity, the candidate has accepted the job
T or F: In no other historical sighting did Halley’s Comet cause such a worldwide sensation as its return did in 1910-1911
F.
1) The comparison is between adverbial phrases describing times when the comet was seen -> proper parallel structure : “in no other sighting” & “in its return in 1910-1911”
2) The added 2nd verb (did or had) violate parallelism, introducing comparison btw the comet itself & the comet’s return
When you see -ing/ -ed as a modifier, what should you do first?
Identify what does it actually try to modify - a noun or an action
T or F: When we use a comma before “such as” and after an example, that specific example is essential to the accuracy of a sentence?
F
It is non-essential
e.g:
What is other way to use “suggest” in “The complexity of tools 1.75 million years old were said to suggest a level of human development that was inconceivable without language” ?
The complexity of tools 1.75 million years old were said to suggest a level of human development inconceivable without language (elliptical structure)
T or F: “choosing one over another” has same meaning as “choosing one over the other”
F
choose among more than two choices vs choosing between two choices!
T or F: To maintain parallelism while comparing two subjects, it is essential to make sure they are similar plurality
T
e.g: Just as birds are free in the air, are fish free in the water.
T or F: If two options both appear correct, but one choice gives the option to place the noun and its modifier close together, go with that option
T
How does “adding almost 66 people” vs “almost adding 66 people” differ?
adding almost = nearly 66 new people added
almost adding= the city almost but not quite added people
Parallelism structure for: Not… But…
Not X But Y
e.g: Researchers now regard interferon not as a single substance, but as a biological family of complex molecules that……
what do we put before & after “consequently” when it acts as Conjunctive Adverb?
a semicolon & a comma
e.g: Half of the staff is sick; consequently, the meeting will cancel
What are the other conjunctive adverbs like “Consequently”?
therefore, however, nevertheless, furthermore, moreover
What is the conjunctive adverb function?
to link two independent clauses
e.g: I’m not all that fond of the colors of tiger lilies; moreover, they don’t smell very good.
T or F: We can only use “consequently” strictly under semicolon structure
F - it can pair with “and consequently” or “,and consequently”
e.g: 1) The words are often confused and are consequently misused (parallelism)
2) Flexible workers find themselves in great demand, and consequently they earn high salaries (two independent clause
synonym and same use as “despite”
in spite of
e.g: In spite of the fact that he studied very hard, he still didn’t pass the exam.
What follow “despite” or “in spite of”?
noun/noun phrase, pronoun or gerund (V-ing)
e.g: Despite having lived in Norway for ten years, he never got used to the cold.
Parallelism structure: for “compared with”
X compared with Y
e.g: An investment in home may underperform compared with other widely available classes of investments
T or F: the CEO defused a situation that was quite tense with her public statement that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
F.
“with her public statement” as preposition after quite tense is confusing.
Fix: The CEO defused a situation that was quite tense, by publicly stating that the debacle was not Smith’s fault
T or F: Of five hundred million different species of living creatures that have appeared on Earth, nearly 99 percent of them have vanished
F.
repeat “of them” is redundant when we have “Of” in the opening modifier.
T or F: At some time in the past, our ancestors suffered an event, greatly reducing their numbers and thus our genetic variation
F.
the adverbial modifier is confusing. More logically: “an event that reduces their number”
T or F: Sale this past November, even when comparing with sales in previous Novembers, accounted for a remarkably large share of total vehicle sales.
F
“when comparing” should be replace with “when compared” = “when being compared”
(when comparing imply an active subject as person/organization)
How to make this sentence less ambiguous?
“Their compliance with laws that require that turtle-excluder devices be on shrimp nets protects adult sea turtles”
Since sentence implies “that” modify “laws”, not “Their compliance”
Fix: Their compliance with laws [requiring the turtle-excluder devices be on shrimp nets]- noun modifier protects adult sea turtles
T or F: Slips of the tongue are the result from the competition between various processing mechanisms in the brain
F.
the result from is unidiomatic - should be either “are the result of” or “result from”
T or F: We kept walking until there was light
F
Illogical intended meaning: walking ended, light started
Fix: We kept walking as long as there was light
We kept walking until it got dark
T or F: when the two events referred occur together, use “as long as”.
T
e.g: The sales continue as long as the supply lasts
T or F: When one event ends and the other begins, use “until”.
T
e.g: We kept running until it started to rain.
T or F: the phrase “like [noun]” is a noun-modifying phrase
T - the sentence doesn’t intend to compare
e.g: This short story reads like a novel.
T or F: To X is to Y
T.
e.g: To speak habitually of the “truly needy” is gradually to instill the notion
What is the intended meaning of “The number of cars increased by more than four times.” ?
On at least four separate occasions, the number of cars increased
smooth vs smoothly - differences ?
smooth = having a continuous even surface
smoothly: easily and without interruption or difficulty:
T or F: Although he is tall and she is athletic, they never form a basketball team
T (rare case)
There is a parallelism following “Although” so the first clause is not a run-on sentence
Why is this sentence ambiguous on GMAT?
“The magicians like to create magic tricks and perform on stage”
T.
It can imply two different meanings:
1) magicians like and perform
2) magicians like to create and like to perform
T or F: There always needs a comma before “and” in parallel structure
F.
It may or may not, depending on how does the writer want to use comma to split the sentence
How does these structures differ from each other?
1) “With the patience of its customers and with its network strained to the breaking point”
2) “With the patience of its customers and its network strained to the breaking point””
The repeat “With” after “and” intends to separates the modifier of “strained to the breaking point” regarding “the patience of its customers”
what are the two infinitive tenses in English?
the present infinitive (TO + infinitive/past tense verb) and the perfect infinitive (TO + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE).
What does present infinitive express?
The present infinitive expresses CONTEMPORANEOUS action (an action happening AT THE SAME TIME as the main action):
Ex: John IS proud TO BE president.
Here, John IS proud (in the present) TO BE president (also in the present).
What does perfect infinitive express?
The perfect infinitive expresses PRIOR action (an action that happened PRIOR to the main action):
Ex: John IS proud TO HAVE BEEN president.
Here, John IS proud (in the present) TO HAVE BEEN president (in the past).
What are some verbs that express as true for all time?
appear, seem
Ex: Neanderthals appear to have been equipped to face any obstacles
He seems to have lost her number.
Evaluate the grammar & rhetoric style of this sentence:
The GMAT Verbal section challenges students and frustration is found in them
Grammar correct (parallelism w/ conjunction)
The rhetoric style is not preferred on GMAT
Fix: The GMAT Verbal challenges and frustrates students
1) ‘It is important that he eats high-calorie meals’ vs
2) ‘It is important that he eat high-calorie meal’
1) The former presupposes that the person actually does eat such meals, and it says that the fact that he does so is important
2) Using subjunctive form, the latter prescribes his eating high-calories meals but makes not commitment to whether he actually does so
T or F: 1) When we are talking about countable nouns (like ‘the number of people’ or even just ‘people’), we use a comparison word ending in -er, like lower or fewer.
2) When we refer to an uncountable noun or a statistic (like ‘the workforce’), we use the word less.
T
i.e: 1) The number of people in the workforce was 50% lower than the previous year.
2) The workforce is 50% less than that of the previous year.
This is a run-on sentence:
No longer do many cities in the United States have a river as the focal point of urban life, but in San Antonio the river winds through the middle of the business district, and the River Walk, or Paseo del Rio, is the city’s most popular attraction
F
it has two coordinating conjunction: “but” & “and”
T or F:
Harris tweed is now made only with fools that are imported, sometimes from the mainland and sometimes – as a result of a 1996 amendament to the Harris Tweed Act, from outside Scotland
F
Correct structure: sometimes “– ……. –” from outside Scotland
T or F:
To have the ability to express their views and perspectives is more important than being popular.
F- Lack of parallelism
Fix: Being able to express…than being popular
To have the ability…than to be popular
Choose between “whether” & “if”
Pick whether for choice: “yes” or “no” option
Pick “if” for choice of conditional statement
I.e: Assuming that the new drug is approved, it will remain to be seen whether it decreases post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans
T or F: The sentence contain fragment
Because nominees do nothing to advance the administration’s judicial goals unless confirmed, the president will not consider controversial candidates
F - the sentence is gramatically correct
i.e: “X will Y unless Z.” as long as there is no ambiguity
1) The ice cream will turn to liquid unless eaten quickly
2) I won’t let anyone in unless 21: Ambiguous -> –unless they are 21.
You can’t see out the window unless cleaned: Ambiguous -> –unless it is cleaned
How do these structure differ?
backed away from her plan vs backed away from her planning
1st one implies dropping part or all of her plan
2nd could mean something like disengaging herself from the activity of planning
T or F:
Nubia was the principal corridor for the transmitting of cultural influences
F: transmission is a rather a better word than transmitting
T or F: The court order’s requirement for each transit worker return to work was generally ignored.
F - It is grammatical incorrect to use return to work after object each transit worker
Fix: The court order’s requirement that each transit worker return to work was generally ignored (requirement = a fact/statement)
Do we always need will, would in “if-then” structure?
Not necessarily.
i.e: If that was a joke, it was a poor one.
If you are hungry, we can eat now.
T or F: Stella Adler was one of the most influential artists in the American theater, training several generations of actors including Marlon Brando and Robert De Niro.
F:
including modifies the whole phrase of “generations of actors” but the two actors name are meant for a subset of example.
- relative pronouns are more appropriate here than participle
T or F: The production is expected that it will double by the end of the year
F
Fix: 1) It is expected that the production will double..
2) The production is expected to double..
