Sentence Correction

Question 1

Condition clause pairs

Answer 1

Use in normal situation: If + present - > will do something

Use in unlikely situation: If + past - > would do something

Use in past situation that didnt happen: If - had VERB -> would have done something

Question 2

What is an infinitive phrase?

Why do they matter?

Answer 2

E.g. To buy a house
To become full of hope
They can act as a noun and be the subject of a sentence.

Question 3

What is a participle and how is it used?

Answer 3

Present participle is Walking (past participle is have walked)

They can be a modifier of a noun (the setting sun; the spoken word - note how present participle is active, past participle is passive)

Question 4

What is the subject?

Answer 4

Something performing an action

The spinning BALL.

Question 5

What is an object

Answer 5

Something receiving the action

The Boy threw the BALL.

Question 6

What is an intransitive verb?

Answer 6

A verb that cannot take a direct object.

I am SITTING.
I am RUNNING.
I am WAITING.

Question 7

What is a transitive verb?

Answer 7

A type of verb that must have a direct object:

I am BUYING a house.
I am WATCHING tv.
I am will SCORE a goal.

Question 8

What can be modified?

Answer 8

Either a noun (e.g. The FALLING stone was cought.)

Or

A verb (e.g. The stone was cought by the boy, RIDING a horse).

Or a clause (e.g. The firm made a loss, causing its stock to plummet.)

Question 9

What is a perfect participle?

When do you use it?

Answer 9

A completed action

Having + past
Having seen
Having cought
Having lost

Use when you modify the subject.

Question 10

What is the tense of the participial phrase?

Give three examples

Answer 10

Always tense of main verb.

I had dinner with a laughing friend.

I am having dinner with a laughing friend.

I will have dinner with a laughing friend.

Question 11

Ehat is a gerund?

Answer 11

Its the present participle (ING form of verb) used as a noun.

I went SWIMMING RUNNING BIKING

Question 12

What is present participle and what can it be used for?

Answer 12

It is the ING form of a verb (e.g. Swimming)

Used for:

• progressive verb ( we are swimming together)
• modifier (the swimming squirrel died)
• gerund (I went swimming).

Question 13

What is active vs passive voice? How to use on GMaT?

Answer 13

Active: I ate the cate
Passive: The cake was eaten by me.

Be super suspicious about passive on the gmat, as it is usually wordier.

Question 14

Tense of verb describing past

Answer 14

Past of past - past perfect (david said he had sold the car a year ago)
Present of past - simple past (david said he sold the car that day)
Future of past - conditional (david said he would sell the car)

Question 15

Past perfect tense

Answer 15

Had happened

Question 16

What is subject verb agreement?

Key tricks?

Answer 16

The singular / plural nature of the subject must match.

Peter and Robert is a plural subject
Peter, as well as Robert, is a singular subject

Question 17

Subject verb agreement

If the subject are connected by OR (the president or the senators), then is the verb singular or plural?

Answer 17

Depends on the second subject the is closer to the verb

Question 18

When to use most vs many

Answer 18

Many when you can count it (how many?), most when you cannot count it

Question 19

When not to use a pronoun? (His, its, their etc)?

Answer 19

When it isnt clear who you refer to (E.g. The company gave all employyes a dish sets, but THEY were very fragile).

Question 20

What is the for both rule?

Answer 20

Either you say
For both x and y
Or
Both for x and for y.

Question 21

I will travel to china for visiting the daoist temples
Or
I will visit china to visit the daoist temples.

Answer 21

Always infinitive of purpose (to visit) and NEVER a gerund!

Question 22

Are two ING verbs in a row ok?

Answer 22

Usually not, watch out

Question 23

What to do when you see “which” in a sentence?

Answer 23

Its the start of a modifier, see what it modifies!

Question 24

When to use past perfect?

Answer 24

When you want to show a sequence in the past

Question 25

What is the problem with using “it” twice in a sentence?

Answer 25

It can refer to two different things, which is a problem.

Question 26

Double negations are problematic?

Answer 26

Yes, because they are not a negation in the end!

Question 27

When to use fewer?

When to use less?

Answer 27

Fewer when you can count

Less when you cant count

Question 28

How can you use “where”?

Answer 28

Only when referring to a physical place (never a conceptual place!)

Question 29

When can you use “due to”?

Answer 29

When you refer directly to a noun subject, and when you can replace it with “because of”

Question 30

What is the once outside, twice inside rule?

Answer 30

I cooked chicken with not only capers but also garlic.

I cooked chicken not only with capers but also with garlic.

Question 31

What is a split infinitive?

Answer 31

To strongly love

Splitting the infinitive like this is wrong on the gmat

Question 32

After a comma, should you use THAT or WHICH?

Answer 32

He said a faul word, WHICH is not good.

Use WHICH

Question 33

How to use the word lest?

Answer 33

Always follow by subjective:

“Lest I be”

Question 34

What to watch out for in comparisons?

Answer 34

Make sure you compare the same thing. People with people, symphony with symphony etc.

Question 35

What is a relative pronoun and how to use in paralellism?

Answer 35

It is who, that, which, whose.

Use with once twice inside rule because otherwise it would get confusing.

Question 36

When do you use “than that of”?

Answer 36

When you compare two things, and the original sentence has “of” in it.

Question 37

When do you “to do so”?

Answer 37

When you are replacing a verb in a paralellism.

I kicked the ball and Valeria did so too.

Question 38

When do you compare with like?

When with as?

Answer 38

Compare as when you’re comparing a clause.

Use like, when you’re directly comparing a noun.

Question 39

Key point about noun modifier plus example.

What are exceptions?

Answer 39

Noun modifier must be next to the noun.
E.g. The student, who is not very smart.

Exception: restating the noun (the student, peter, who….)
Essential modifier between noun and other modifier (The first book of Coelho, which is focused on)….
Short predicate (the mayor was arrested who diverted funds from official accounts).

Question 40

When can you use that, which or who, whose, whom?

Answer 40

Who is for a person. Whom is objective, whose is posessive.
Whose can be for thing or person.
That and which are for objects always.
That is a vital verb modifier, without commas.
Which is a non-vital modifier with commas

Question 41

Difference between lie and lay. Past tenses too

Answer 41

The worked laid bricks all day.
Lay
Laid
Has laid

Hungary lies in the Carpathian Basin.
Lie
Lay
Has lain

Question 42

When to use whether and when if

Answer 42

If - only when you can add in “then”

Whether if the answer is yes or no.

Whether or not is never correct on the gmat

Question 43

When to use because of

When to use due to

Answer 43

Because of modified verb, can be anywhere almost

Due to modifies a noun its right next to. Usually incorrect, also use in: “X due to Y”

Question 44

When yo use Like

When to use such as

Answer 44

Like = similar to

Such as = for example

Question 45

How to use the phrase “just as”

Answer 45

Use it with “just as “ “so”.

It always goes with the so!