Sentence Correction Flashcards
What does a COLON do? What must precede a colon?
1) A colon always connects a sentence to EXAMPLES or a FURTHER EXPLANATION 2) A colon must always be preceded by an INDEPENDENT CLAUSE RIGHT - I love listening to many kinds of music: namely, classical, rock, rap and pop. KEY: whatever needs explanation should be placed as close as possible to the colon. RIGHT - The rate of a reaction is affected by three factors: time, money, and resources.
What should you avoid when modifying a measurement (ie. year, density, etc.)
1) avoid modifying a measurement with a Noun-Adjective WRONG - the merger year RIGHT - the year of the merger 2) avoid possessives when modifying a measurement WRONG - the honeybee population’s density RIGHT - the density OF the honeybee population
MOST indefinite pronouns (IE. Anyone, Anything, Everyone, Nobody, Someone) are singular. Which indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural?
SANAM PRONOUNS: Some, Any, None, All, More / Most
RIGHT: Some of the money was stolen. (Singular)
RIGHT: Some of the documents were stolen. (Plural)
RIGHT: Any of these women is a suitable candidate. (Singular)
What should you think when you see “not only X…“ in SC?
1) IDIOM: Not only X, but Y
2) Parallelism! (Is the comparison NOT parallel? It should be smooth / not funky)
Which one of the below sentences is correct?
1) The orca, a relative of the blue whale’s, is found throughout the globe.
2) The orca, a relative of the blue whale, is found throughout the globe.
2 is correct!!
1) Do not use Y of X’s to indicate that Y belongs to X. Use Y of X or X’s Y.
Which one of the below sentences is correct?
1) Certain humans’ parasites have been shown to provide bacterial resistance and protection against auto-immune disorders.
2) Certain parasites in humans have been shown to provide bacterial resistance and protection against auto-immune disorders.
2 is correct!!
1) As a general rule of thumb, avoid plural possessives on the GMAT (the humans’ parasites)
2) There is no ambiguity in #2 as to what “certain” modifies (it’s clearly “certain parasites”)
What should you do with your hands when you see the words “either” or “or” or “and” in SC?
Put your hands on that word and try and track the comparison!
Is it a comparison?
Is it a plural subject?
What must be true about “comma and” in SC?
,and
- *, and** must be:
1) A list
2) An independent clause
What is the guessing strategy with opening modifiers?
If there is a sentence with an opening modifier, guess it in SC!
Which one of the below is a better sentence?
1) A new CEO who will transform the company and make changes has been hired.
2) A new CEO has been hired who will transform the company and make changes.
1 is better!
Usually, you want a Noun Modifier (who will transform…) to be as close to the Noun as possible, but in this case it makes for an AWKWARD sentence (it’s long, wordy, etc.). SO this is an exception.
Which of the below sentences is correct?
1) This model explains all known subatomic particles, some of them only recently discovered.
2) This model explains all known subatomic particles, some of them which were only recently discovered.
1!!
When you want to describe a part of a larger group with a modifier, you would ONLY use either:
1) some of which were only recently discovered
2) some of them only recently discovered
What is “which” modifying here?
Scientists have found high levels of iridium in certain geological formations around the world, which suggests the cataclysmic impact of a meteor millions of years ago.
The WORLD. This is incorrect.
1) “Which” must refer to the noun CLOSEST TO IT (in this case world). However, this is trying to modify the high levels of iridium found, which does not work.
When “hunting for the core” of a sentence, which types of the following modifiers should you lookout for?
Noun/Adverbial Modifiers:
Noun Modifiers:
Noun/Adverbial Modifiers: Prepositional Phrases, IE:
- In the beginning
- Before the fall
- On the wooden table
Noun Modifiers: Relatibe Pronouns (IE. “that” or “which”)
