Sentence Correction Flashcards
Reasons why pronouns can be wrong (2 always, 1 maybe)
ALWAYS
1) Pronoun has no possible antecedent
2) The only possible antecedent is illogical
SOMETIMES
1) There are 2+ possible antecedents (only incorrect if the correct antecedent is CLEARLY ambiguous.) The GMAT doesn’t require pronouns to refer to the nearest antecedent; there is room for logic
Find the issue: “Amber’s husband eats so much that she calls him a pig.”
AMBER’S and SHE
Pronouns (she) cannot refer back to a possessive noun (Amber’s)
“That” uses -
1) As a modifier: The “that” must modify the noun that immediately precedes it (see what happened in the previous sentence?)
1a) Tricky exception: Incorrect if a “double modifier” - can cause confusion. Example: “the son of a gun that” (technically, “of” modifies “son” and “that” modifies “gun”
2) A pronoun, to create a new copy of the antecedent
3) Subordination of a clause (I believe that Santa Claus is real.) MUST be made parallel across multiple clauses.
How to progress through testing of answers
DON’T start with meaning. The GMAT likes to make technically correct answers sound weird to throw you off the scent.
Instead, start with structure - quicker & easier to get eliminations - and then worry about meaning later
How to approach parallelism questions: 2 points
1) Parallelism rules must have a specific trigger word (and, or, etc.) If no trigger word, then parallelism isn’t relevant
2) The list of parallel items must make sense with the stem word - isolate each item in the list and read it individually with the stem.
DON’T USE YOUR EAR, use techniques and grammar!
That’s it. That’s the flashcard
Verb tenses to know, but not obsess over (it’s more important to be good at verbal reasoning than be super mechanistic about these.) (10)
- Simple Present
- Simple Past
- Present Perfect
- Simple Future
- Past Perfect
- Past Perfect Progressive
- Future Perfect
- Future Perfect Progressive
- Past Progressive
- Present Perfect Progressive
Verb tense: Simple Present (example & description)
“I eat breakfast.”
EAT
Simple present is NOT something that is occuring right now - it’s a general characteristic.
Verb tense: Present Perfect (example & description)
“Since 1996, I have eaten breakfast daily.”
HAVE EATEN
Present perfect - 2 possibilities:
- an action that occurred in the past, but continues into the present
- an action that happened in the past, but the impact of it is still felt in the present (“she has drawn a line in the sand”)
Verb tense: Past Perfect (example, description & exceptions)
“I had been a real jerk until I ate second breakfast.”
HAD + past participle
Description: It happened in the past, but it happened before another time marker that is also in the past.
“The first of two or more past actions”
Exception 1: If there is other information provided in the sentence (dates, etc) that make it clear that one action occurred before the other, then the past perfect tense may be considered redundant and could lead to an incorrect answer choice.
Exception 2: Conditional words can sometimes be used in place of “had” - “Should I have known; Were I the president, I would…” etc.
When I see “had” + a verb, I will
recognize that this is the past perfect tense. It should be quickly followed by another action that also happened in the past, but more recently
The “Missing Verb” trap
EVERY CLAUSE NEEDS A VERB, whether dependent or independent. Any clause without one is definitely wrong
When I’m unsure of the correct verb tense, I will
look for clues elsewhere in the non-underlined text of the question. The GMAT will generally give a hint as to which verb they want to be used: “Since 1989….” “of our time”…. etc
When I notice that two verb tenses in an answer DON’T match, I will
NOT eliminate the option on this basis alone. There are legitimate reasons why verb tenses may not match - re-read the whole question to make sure
When I notice that two verb tenses in an answer DO match, I will
check to make sure that the two actions happened at roughly the same time. If not, there’s a problem
Comparisons: guidelines to follow (4)
1) Interpret the sentence literally. If it doesn’t make sense LITERALLY then it’s wrong
2) Watch out for triggers: “like,” “as,” “in comparison with”
3) “that of”/”those of:” treat “that” like any other pronoun. There needs to be a singular antecedent that makes sense (and for “those,” a plural antecedent)
4) Modal verbs, like “do” - they can function as verbs to act as a placeholder for another verb. Find the referent (the verb it refers back to)
When I see a split in the answer choices, I will
acknowledge it, save it for later, but don’t automatically cross off one side of the split unless you’re sure it’s incorrect.
Sentence Correction Process
1) Take a First Glance - find early clues at beginning and MAYBE end of underline
2) Take first pass of options. Eliminate answers that are DEFINITELY wrong
3) Repeat step 2. PRIORITIZE MEANING at this point. If you can’t choose between 2 options, focus on meaning/clarity as a tiebreaker.
Improving First Glance: 3 clues to look for
1) Length (long = sentence structure, modifiers, parallelism; short = compare in full before reading)
2) First word clues (has = subject/verb agreement)
3) First word difference clues (has vs. have = singular vs. plural)
Clause
a group of words with a subject and a “working” verb
WHO (or what) did WHAT?
“She applied for the job.”
** Can be DEPENDENT or INDEPENDENT
Modifier (+3 points)
Provides additional information in a sentence beyond the core subject & verb: who, what, when, where, why
** Can be ESSENTIAL or NON-ESSENTIAL
** Can be NOUN MODIFIERS (least flexible)
** Or ADVERBIAL (more flexible - for something other than a noun)
Sentence Core
The bare minimum for a coherent sentence: at least one independent clause, and essential modifiers.
Conjunctions: definition and common examples
words used to join words, phrases, or clauses
MUST be used to connect independent clauses. (just a comma isn’t enough, but a semicolon is)
Rember FANBOYS:
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
Three Common Meaning Issues
Matching (comparisons)
Redundancy (tricky with time/dates)
Placement
When I see a comma/semicolon split in answers, I will
check whether each half of the sentence can stand on its own
Yes = semicolon*
No = comma
*semicolons OK when separating a list of items that themselves contain commas
When I see varying placement of a modifier in answers, I will
Check which item is being modified and determined which is clearer in the context of the full sentence.
When I see a “which vs. that” split, I will
think about whether this modifier is non-essential (“, which”) or essential (“that” - should never set off by a comma)
How to tell if an “ing” or “ed” mod is adverbial
If they are set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma, they are adverbial (and non-essential)
Vice versa
”, which/whose” vs. “, -ing” modifiers (difference)
Which: Modifies VERY NEARBY nouns
“-ing”: Modifies actions
Noun Modifier Limitations: Which/Whose/Who/Whom
Who/Whom: Only modifies people
Whose: can modify people OR things
Which: Only modifies things
Adverbial Modifier Limitations: Where, When
Where: Cannot describe a metaphorical condition (use “which”)
When: Modifies nouns that are an event or period
Modifier Marker: -ing and -ed words
When separated by a comma, they are adverbial modifiers; when not, they are noun modifiers (or verbs)
subordinate clause vs. opening modifier
Sub: Could be its own sentence if not for the subordinator at the beginning. “Although the economy is strong”,
Opening: Couldn’t be its own sentence. “Although strong at the moment,”
For opening mods, the noun should come immediately after. For subs, not as strict.
Countable vs. Uncountable Modifiers
Countable: Many, Few, Number/Numerous
Uncountable: Much, Little/Less, Amount, Great*
Be careful with unit nouns: countable by nature, but actually represent uncountable quantities (money, weight, etc)
Relating two things vs. relating 3 or more things
2: Between, Better, Worse, More, Less
3: Among, Best, Worst, Most, Least
Quantity Rules (4)
- Some words can be used for countable things, others for uncountable quantities
- Different words for 2 items vs. 3 or more
- For the word “numbers”, use “greater than” not “more than”
- “Increase” is change of one thing over time, “greater” is comparison of two things
Open parallelism markers + structure (4)
Trickier than closed structure because the first element usually won’t have an element right before it.
1) And - Apples AND pears
2) Or - Happy OR sad
3) But - She stumbled BUT kept her balance
4) Rather than - Play tennis RATHER THAN climb a mountain
Closed parallelism markers + structure (5)
Two or more separate parts.
1) Both/And: BOTH men AND women
2) Either/Or: EITHER she works OR she plays
3) Not/But: NOT running BUT jogging
4) Not only/But also: NOT ONLY the manager BUT ALSO her team
5) From/To: FROM the house TO the end of the driveway
Types of Elements that must meet requirements of Parallelism (7)
1) Nouns
2) Adjectives
3) Working Verbs (cleaned, washed)
4) Infinite Verbs (to clean, to wash)
5) Participle Modifiers (cleaning, washing)
6) Prepositional Phrases* (in the drawer, on the table)
7) Subordinate Clauses (that the committee was biased; that it should not be disbanded)
- The specific prepositions used do not have to be the same.
Root Phrase of parallelism & example of wrong answer choice
The portion of the sentence that leads up to the first word of the parallelism marker.
THE SALES REP DETERMINED THAT SHE WOULD either have to increase the number of calls per hour or would have to earn more per customer interaction.
The second “would” is incorrect - it’s like saying “would” twice.
If I spot an open parallelism marker, I will
try to identify the root phrase and the two elements. If these are ambiguous, the answer is likely incorrect.
Solving Parallelism Issues (3 steps)
- Identify the marker
- Identify the elements (all possible combinations)
- Identify the root phrase, and distribute it to each element.
Common Comparison Markers (6)
Like, Unlike As Than As (adjective) as Different from, similar to In contrast to/with
When I see “that of” or “those of,” I will
look for the comparison in the sentence and ensure that it makes sense
Comparisons with Omitted Words: general rule
Omitting words is OK as long as the meaning is still clear.
I walk faster than Brian [walks]. (OK)
I like cheese more than Yvette [does.] (Not ok - you like cheese more than you like Yvette?)
When I see “like” used as a comparison, I will
Think noun-to-noun comparison. The noun attached to ‘like’ should never have its own verb.
When I see “as” used as a comparison, I will
Think clause-to-clause comparison. Each element of the comparison needs its own verb.
Uses of the word “as” (4)
1) Comparisons (as X as)
2) Prep phase (she worked as a consultant)
3) Conjunction (looked both ways as he crossed the street)
4) Idioms (So as to; As vs. than; such X as)
Comparative/Superlative Adverb Trap
Don’t take an adverb ending in -ly and make it a comparison by changing the ending to ‘er.’
Adrian runs QUICKLY. He runs QUICKER than Jacob. (wrong)
Instead, use “more quickly”
When I see a pronoun that might be problematic, I will (2 steps)
1) immediately check the answers to see if there is a split (singular vs. plural, pronoun vs. regular noun)
2) Try replacing the pronoun with its antecedent and see if the sentence still makes sense.
If answers switch between singular and plural pronouns, I will
check the antecedent of the pronoun - see if it’s singular or plural
If answers switch between singular and plural nouns, I will
Check for one of two issues: number agreement with verbs OR pronouns
When I see one of the “deadly five” pronouns, I will
check the antecedent for viability.
It & Its (SINGULAR)
They, Them & Their (PLURAL)
Use of This, That, These, and Those
All can be used as adjectives in front of nouns:
“New NANO-PAPERS incorporate fibers that give THESE MATERIALS strength.”
“That” and “Those” can be used to signal a ‘new copy’ of the antecedent (same thing but different item):
“The MONEY spent by Cersei’s parents is less than THAT spent by her children.”
DO NOT use any of these words in place of nouns. Instead, use “it,” “they,” or “them”
When I see the word ‘since’ used as a time marker, I will
make sure the present perfect tense is used to indicate actions or effects that continue to a present time
“Since 1986, no one HAS BROKEN that world record.”
Determining tense of -ing verbs
They adopt the tense of the main working verb in the sentence.
PEERING out of the window, Bran WATCHED his direwolf frolic on the lawn.
Bran WAS peering while he WATCHED. (past tense)
Active & Passive Voice (+ parallelism rule)
Passive voice: Form of “to be” + the past participle. Sounds clunky, but is legitimate!
Passive: It HAS BEEN DECIDED by Jason that he will not attend college next fall.
Active: Jason HAS DECIDED not to attend college next fall.
- You don’t have to be consistent with active/passive voice to meet parallelism requirements
“The shuttle launch TOOK place flawlessly and WAS SEEN on television.” -> good
The “Big 7” SC issues
1) Modifiers
2) Parallelism
3) Structure
4) Pronouns
5) Comparisons
6) Verbs: tenses, subject/verb agreement
7) Meaning (arguably the biggest of all)
When I see a sentence with an opening modifier, I will
1) make sure it actually is an opening modifier (dependent clause); if not, rule 2 doesn’t apply
2) make sure that the subject of the modifier comes immediately after the comma
When I see an opening modifier that starts with a preposition and then an “-ing” word, I will
recognize that the modifier should describe something that the subject of the sentence is doing. Check to make sure the subject of the sentence is the one doing the action.
It’s not called grammar & reading, it’s called verbal reasoning!
Can you take the fundamentals of English, think logically about them and choose the best option?
Commas, Dashes and Colons - a note
These almost never determine a right or wrong answer. Low, low priority
Comma splice
Joining two independent clauses with a comma and nothing else. This is wrong, always
Determining “definitely wrong” vs. “iffy:” tips (3)
1) Don’t think about meaning or idioms first. You can lead yourself down the wrong path. Start with mechanical stuff
2) Don’t cross things off based on idioms unless you’re absolutely certain that the idiom used is wrong.
3) Remember to look outside the underlined sections - there may be a hint to an easy elimination out there.
