Sentence Correction -- GMAT
EX: Being a brat is what Emma is doing right now
Being is usually wrong in a GMAT sentence when it is used as a participle. In part, that's because there is usually a more concise way to word the sentence. For example, here we could say... Emma is acting like a brat right now
Avoid wordy, redundant constructions
Correct: We could not come to the meeting because of a conflict Incorrect: The reason we could not come to the meeting is because of a conflict
Present Participles
End in -ing
X as a means of Y
This indicates that X is a type of Y.
Comparative Adjectives
This is typically formed by adding -er to the base form, is used to compare two objects. For example, when you say "faster car" you are comparing the speeds of two, and only two, cars.
Their
This plural pronoun needs to point to a plural noun
idiom combination...
of
idioms native(noun)...
of EX: Mel Gibson is a native of Australia
idioms option...
of EX: which suggests that physicians may soon have the option of prescribing common antibiotics to combat
idiom an account...
of a noun EX: The second book is a general account of cloth manufacture. not account about*
List of prepositions
of mice in Zambia to the store For milk with her on their orders by 1800 at that level from the office
"at some time" versus "some time"
put an actual time instead of some time to try and understand better. at 5:00 PM something happened
idioms more...
than EX: The chimpanzee is much more intelligent than the orangutan
idiom proof...
that
idiom to be of the conviction...
that
idioms so....
that EX: he was so late that he missed the main course
idioms Hypothesis...
that EX: the hypothesis that aspartame causes brain tumors has not been proven yet
idiom Such X....
that Y
idiom so x....
that y...
The placement of only matters ....
think about who did what
idiom persuade...
to
idioms permit...
to EX: I dont permit my children to play with knives in the living room
idioms forbid...
to EX: I forbid you to call me before noon
idioms native(adjective)...
to EX: The kangaroo is native to Australia
Countable
1. Fewer 2. Number 3. Many
Uncountable
1. Less 2. amount or quantity 3. much
The pronoun When
This can be used to modify a noun event or time, such as period, age, 1987, or decade. In these circumstances, you can also use "in which" instead of when
Adjective
Modifies only a noun or a pronoun
She plays classical instruments like the cello and the oboe
We are not supposed to list examples using the word like. A fix could be: She plays classical instruments such as cello and oboe
when you see a pronoun...
find the noun
idioms Believe...
to be EX: his friends do not believe the ring he bought at the auction to be Jackie O's
Modify Markers ...that...
what does it modify? The previous noun
idioms credit...
with EX: many people credit Christopher Columbus with the discovery of America, but Native Americans were here first
idioms associate...
with EX: most politicians prefer not be associated with the Mafia
Parallelism Rules Verbs
working verb with working verb: EX: ran and played Infinitive with infinitive:to run and to play
Idiom for "About"
worry...about EX: IF you worry too much about the GMAT, you'll develop an ulcer
Modify Markers .....,where
what does it modify? a preceding place is alway going to be about a place
Modify Markers ....,which
what does it modify? a preceding thing which is never going to be about a person
Modify Markers ....,when
what does it modify? a preceding time
Modify Markers Opening modifier,
what does it modify? the main noun that follows the comma
Dependent clauses
which begin with connecting words such as "who" or "because" cannot stand alone as sentences. Nor are they apart of the main subject or main verb; rather, they are always attached to independent clauses. If a dependent clause is stripped out of a sentence, what remains is still a complete sentence.
idioms contrast...
with EX: My father likes to contrast my grades with my brother's
Misplaced Modifier
A misplaced modifier is created when a modifier is not adjacent to the things it's intended to modify Misplaced modifiers on the GMAT most often appear in sentences that begin with an introductory phrase. Consider the following example: EX: Excommunicated by the Roman Church in 1521, the Protestant Reformation was led by Martin Luther. The sentence begins with the modifying phrase "Excommunicated by the Roman Church in 1521." Since the noun that immediately follows the phrase "is the protestant reformation," The sentence implies that the Reformation was excommunicated. To correct the misplaced modifier, we need to rewrite the sentence. EX: Excommunicated by the Roman Church in 1521, Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation. Note that the sentence tells us that Martin Luther was excommunicated, and the misplaced modifier has been corrected.
Word combinations such as "not only...but also" should be followed by an element of the same grammatical type
Correct: I have called not only to thank her but also to tell her about the next morning. Incorrect: I have called not only to thank her but also I told her about the next meeting.
"Between...and" is the correct form to designate a choice
Correct: We had to choose between Chocolate and Vanilla Incorrect: We had to choose between chocolate or vanilla
Uncountable Modifiers
MUCH patience LITTLE merchandise LESS money LEAST greed AMOUNT of furniture GREAT courage do not use the word less with countable items. be careful with unit nouns, such as "dollar or gallons". Use less with unit nouns, when you really want to indicate something about the underlying quantity
Parallelism rules participles
Participle with Participle: EX: jumping and yelling consulted and advised
Verb forms as nouns
The -ing form of a verb (also known as the present participle) can be sued as a noun, and in such cases it is called a gerund. When the to form of a verb acts like a noun, we call it an infinitive noun. EX: Walking is great exercise EX: To err is human; to forgive is divine
Prepositions
The noun that follows a preposition is the object of that preposition. It can sometimes be important to remember that nouns can only play one role in a sentence. For example, a noun that follows a preposition is the object of that preposition, so that noun cannot also be the subject of the sentence.
idiom paws are to dogs...feet are to people
paws are to dogs what feet are to people
noun modifier
put it AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO WHAT ITS MODIFYING may not be right next to it
Pronouns "which" or "whom"
sometimes follow prepositions: Ex: "The canal through which water flows; the Senator for whom we worked"
Such x Like Y
the word like means "similar to"
The pronouns "Who" and "whom"
these must modify people. On the other hand
idioms try...
to EX: Try to stay awake during the essay section of the test
"so as to" means...
"in order to"
Idiom Estimated...
To be x...
(--) an em dash
This typically is used to elaborate on something said just before the em dash.
both...
...and
idiom.... at the same time...
...as
define x...
...as y
not only...
...but also
neither...
...nor
either...
...or
idiom ability...
...to
If the antecedent is a possessive noun....
...use a possessive noun EX: Mary's car is in HER garage
If the antecedent is a possessive noun...
...use a possessive pronoun.
idiom allow...
...x
idiom allow....
...x
idiom x was dated...
..at y
How long to spend on sentence correction:
1 minute 20 seconds
idioms distinguish between...
and EX: I can distinguish between black and white
idioms both...
and EX: When given the choice, I choose both ice cream and cake
When you see a pronoun
- find the noun -check for mismatches
Like vs such as
--Like is used to say that something is similar to something else EX: I'm a big fan of sports like baseball (this means you enjoy sports that are similar to baseball like cricket, wiffleball, softball, etc. --Such As comes before a list of examples EX: This means you just like sports, and you're giving an example of one of them
idiom unlike x.....
....y The second element can come after a comma that follows a modifier EX: unlike peas, which i love, carrots are yucky
Comparing two things
1. -er 2. more 3. between
Comparing three or more things
1. -est 2. most 3. among
Possessive pronouns
1. my 2. your 3. his/hers/its 4. our 5. their 6. whose
These pronouns are singular and take singular verbs
1. no one 2. someone 3. everyone 4. anyone 5. none 6. nobody 7. somebody 8. everybody 9. anybody 10. each 11. nothing 12. something 13. everything 14. anything
Dependent Clause I
Cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. A dependent clause does not express a complete thought, even though it has a subject and a verb. A dependent clauses functions as a noun, an adjective or an adverb.
Collective Nouns
Collective nouns name a group of things, animals or people. The group has individual members, but its a single entity. EX: The committee votes on the budget this week EX: The school of fish swims around the reef EX: The family that just moved in next door is nice
Noun modifier Markers: Relative Pronouns
Noun modifiers are often introduced by relative pronouns such as the following: Which That Who Whose Whom Where When The words above always signal noun modifiers with the exception of the word "That" which can sometimes signal other structures. A noun followed immediately after the word that signal a noun modifier. A verb followed immediately by the word THAT signals the more complex sentence structure subject- verb -THAT - subject - verb - object
A recent study suggests that an explosion in the sun some 100 million years ago may have caused changes in the Earth's atmospheric conditions, the onset of cyclic seasons, "splitting apart complex molecules", and alterations in the Earth's seismic zones. A.) splitting apart complex molecules B.) split apart complex molecules C.) the splitting apart of complex molecules D.) complex molecules split apart E.) complex molecules that were split apart
Since the sentence appears to contain a list: changes, the onset, alterations, you want to see if all the noun forms maintain parallel construction with the underlined word splitting. The underlined verb splitting is not parallel to the noun forms. Eliminate Choice A and inspect the remaining answers. Splitting can be transformed into a noun by adding the article the. The splitting is a gerund, or noun form, and is parallel to the other nouns in the list. Any answer choices without the noun form of splitting are wrong. In Choice B, the verb split is not parallel to the noun forms: changes, the onset, alterations. So you can eliminate Choice B. You can quickly eliminate Choices D and E because the phrases starting with complex molecules are not parallel to the other noun phrases. The correct answer is Choice C. If you were unsure about how to proceed, you could have also looked for changes in the answer choices. You have a 2/3 split at the end. Choices A, B and C end with complex molecules while the remaining answers all end with split apart. That difference indicates that you should check for parallel constructions of the noun forms. You can now distinguish between the verb split and the noun the splitting. Choice C has parallel noun forms and is correct. Choice A: The verb splitting is not parallel to the noun forms: changes, the onset, alterations. Parallel Construction. Choice B: The verb split is not parallel to the noun forms: changes, the onset, alterations. Parallel Construction. Choice C: Correct Choice D: The verb split is not parallel to the noun forms: changes, the onset, alterations. Also, the phrase starting with complex molecules is not parallel to the other noun phrases. Parallel Construction. Choice E: The verb split is not parallel to the noun forms: changes, the onset, alterations. Also, the phrase starting with complex molecules is not parallel to the other noun phrases. Parallel Construction. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Parallel Construction TPR Strategies: 2/3 Split End
Although and subordinating conjunctions
Subordinating conjunctions requires a clause (its own subject and verb). Ex: she likes milk ALTHOUGH she never drinks it it has a subject after the word although, so it is okay but if it does not have a clause after although, you cannot use it.
idioms Dispute over
The men had a dispute over money
Being
When used correctly, "being" most often indicates either an ongoing action in the passive voice or a characteristic of something
GMAT makes sentences complicated by adding sentences between the subject and the verb or put multiple subject verb pairs in the sentence. use compound subject and verbs forget the verb entirely.
a
Gerund
a form that is derived from a verb but that functions as a noun
Subordinating Conjunctions
after how till ( or 'til) although if unless as inasmuch until as if in order that when as long as lest whenever as much as now that where as soon as provided (that) wherever as though since while because so that before than even if that even though though
idioms As...
as
idioms See...
as
idioms The same...
as
idioms define...
as
idioms not so...
as
idioms regard...
as
idioms thing of...
as
idioms think of...
as
idioms so...
as to be
idioms not only...
but also EX: she is not only beautiful, but also smart
Idiom
commonly used phrase where the literal meaning differs greatly from the figurative meaning For example: I'm down literally: speaker is in a position lower than that of the listener Actual: I am willing to do something
when you see the phrase "more than doubled" or"more than double" you need to think of a ....
comparison
The pronoun Where
can be used to modify a noun, place, such as area, site, country, or Nevada. Where cannot modify a "metaphorical" place such as condition, situation, case, circumstances, or arrangement. In these cases, use "in which" rather than "where"
Pronoun " Whose"
can modify either people or things: Ex: "The two whose water supply was contaminated"
Adverbial Modifiers
can modify verbs, entire clauses or other modifiers They can be further away from what they are modifying
Semicolon ";"
can only be used if the part before is a complete sentence and the part after is a complete sentence
Pronoun "which"
cannot modify people
Parallelism Rules Clauses
clause with clause I work and she plays
Correlative Conjunctions
either...or neither...nor both...and not only...but also For the purpose of GMAT sentence correction items, you can think of these pairings as both conjunctions and as idioms. As conjunctions, these pairings require parallel construction. In answer choices, however, an error is sometimes created by using one part of the pairing without the other. For example, an answer choice may use "not only" but follow that with "and also." Whether you want to think of this error as an idiom error or a conjunction error doesn't really matter. One way or the other, you can eliminate the answer choices.
Due to X
due to x modifies a noun. Ex: His success was due to hard work. In this sentence "due to hard work" modifies success. Meaning that his hard work resulted in success
idioms responsible...
for EX: you are responsible for the child
idioms distinguish...
from EX: I can't distinguish day from night
which
is a noun modifier, which refers to the closest main noun it precedes
The rule about .... , which is that
it is going to refer to the first noun before the comma that it can possibly refer to.
On The GMAT, commonly tested pronouns are 3rd person:
it/its they/them/their he/him/his she/her/hers
Modify Markers , -ing
what does it modify? -a verb, a clause or other modifier -cannot modify a noun -must follow logically from what it modifies -we need the modifier to relate to what its modifying -usually we want some cause and effect relationship (the -ing modifier should follow logically from what is modified.)
Modify Markers ,who
what does it modify? the preceding noun
idioms target...
at EX: the commercials were obviously targeted at teenage boys
Object pronouns
1. me 2. you 3. him/her/it 4. us 5. them 6. whom
Like and As
Like is used to compare nouns
which
Modifies or describes the word right before it.
Modify Markers ...,whose
what does it modify? a preceding noun whose can be about people, things, etc
Their
The plural pronoun needs to point to a plural noun
Dependent clause at the beginning?
Use a comma. EX: Because he is color blind, my supervisor has trouble coordinating his clothes
As vs like
As is used to compare actions Like is used to compare nouns EX: He did not vote for the libertarian party, as I did EX: Her coat is just like mine
Modifiers - "at some time" versus "some time"
"at some time" refers to some particular (but unspecified) moment in time; this construction is a modifier. "some time" if the preposition "at" is not placed before some time, then the time is a noun, not a modifier. If you're confused, just insert a specific time like "5:00 o clock" to see how it works in a sentence.
idioms consider...
(nothing) EX: art historians consider he mona lisa one of the greatest works of art
idiom time required...
+ infinitive or "the time required to" do something
idiom establish restrictions...
....on (the amount of usage of something)
Subject pronouns
1. I 2. You 3. He/she/it 4. we 5. they 6. who
Sentence Correction Process
1. Take a first glance 2. Read for meaning 3. Find a starting point 4. Eliminate (everything you can) 5. Repeat ( until you have eliminated all wrong answers)
Pay attention to three things during your first glance: 1. Is the underline very long? Very Short? 2. What is the first underlined word? What is the word right before? 3. What are the differences among the first word or two of each answer?
1. Very long underlines often signal issues with sentence structure, meaning, modifiers, and parallelism Very short underlines (less than 5 words) may lead you to compare the answers in full before reading the original sentence. 2. The nature of the first underlined word (or the word just before) can give you ca clue about one of the issues tested in the sentence. For example, if the word HAS is the first underlined word, the sentence is likely testing either subject-verb agreements or verb tense, since has is a verb 3. There will always be at least one difference at the beginning of the answers (as well as one at the end). It's easy to glance down the first word or two of each answer, so do so. If the first word switches between has and have, for example, then you know the sentence is testing singular vs plural. Now you can actively look for the relevant subject when you read the original sentence.
Simple future
As you would expect, describes an action that will take place in the future. This tense requires the use of the helper verb "will" EX: I will clean my room tomorrow
Noun clause
A noun clause usually comes after the verb, unless its the subject of the sentence. Noun clauses can also be the object f the verb or of a preposition. Noun clauses are typically introduced by "that, what, which, whom, where, when, whoever, or whatever" "He decided that he would ask his friend to join him in Vegas" What did he decide? That he would ask his friend to join him in Vegas. So, this whole phrase acts as the object of the verb "decide"
Endured, endure, enduring
A person can endure some kind of trial; for example, a person endured a serious illness. Traditions (or people) cannot endure a time period, though. Rather, something "endures for" a period of time.
Phrases
A phrase is a group of words that acts as a part of speech, specifically as either a modifying phrase or a noun phrase. Some phrases have verbs but you don't know who performs the action specified by that verb. Other phrases, such as the prepositional phrases discussed above, do not include a verb.
Cellular phones and fax machines are to today's business world "just as dictation and a stenographer was" to a former time. A.) just as dictation and a stenographer was B.) as dictation and stenographers have been C.) what dictation and stenographers were D.) what dictation and a stenographer is E.) just like dictation and stenographers are
A. No. Idiom: "a is to b what y was to z." Also, subject-verb agreement ("dictation and a stenographer" should go with "were" not was). B. No. Idiom: "a is to b what y was to z." Also, tense. You should use the simple past because the "former time" is over. C. Yes. The correct idiom is: "a is to b what y was to z." D. No. Subject-verb agreement ("dictation and a stenographer" should go with "are" not "is," except the correct tense would be "were"). E. No. Idiom: "a is to b what y was to z." Also, tense: this should be in the past tense. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Idiom
Began vs. Begun
Began = Conjugated verb ( I began, They began to study yesterday) Begun = Past Participle (Use this in more complex verb forms like "they have begun" or
A noted psychoanalyst claims that the causes of mental illness are mainly environmental—extreme poverty, lack of adequate parenting, and sexual abuse—"and chemical imbalances rarely." A.) and chemical imbalances rarely B.) and chemical imbalance being rare C.) with chemical imbalance as rare D.) chemical imbalances a rarity E.) with chemical imbalance as a rarity
A. No. Parallel construction: you need a noun ("a rarity"). B. No. "Being" is almost always wrong on the GMAT. C. No. "As rare" as what? D. No. Missing a connector word. Also, "imbalances" does not parallel the previous singular nouns. E. Yes. Awful as it sounds, this is the correct choice. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Parallel Construction
The corporation's regulations require that "managers order a discharged employee to clean out their desk" immediately and turn in all company identification. A.) managers order a discharged employee to clean out their desk B.) a manager order discharged employees to clean out their desks C.) managers order discharged employees that they should clean out their desks D.) managers order a discharged employee that they should clean out their desks E.) a manager order discharged employees to clean out his desk
A. No. Pronoun ("employee" does not equal "their"). B. Yes. This choice corrects the pronoun problem by referring to "employees" as "their." C. No. Idiom ("order...to"). D. No. Pronoun ("employee" does not equal "they"). E. No. Pronoun ("employees" does not equal "his"). Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Pronoun Agreement
The editorial revisions and the new, highly technical foreword "has helped make this edition superior to" previous ones. A.) has helped make this edition superior to B.) has helped make this edition superior to those of C.) has helped to make this edition more superior than D.) have helped to make this edition superior over the E.) have helped make this edition superior to
A. No. Subject/Verb Agreement. Because there are two subjects, revisions and foreword, you need a plural verb, not "has helped" which is singular. B. No. Subject/Verb Agreement. Because there are two subjects, revisions and foreword, you need a plural verb, not "has helped" which is singular. C. No. Subject/Verb Agreement. Because there are two subjects, revisions and foreword, you need a plural verb, not "has helped" which is singular. D. No. Idiom. The correct idiom is "superior to" not "superior over." E. Yes. This sentence demonstrates proper subject/verb agreement (revisions and foreword with have helped) and uses the idiom "superior to" correctly. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Subject Verb Agreement TPR Strategies: 2/3 Split Beginning
Forcing children who show a preference for their left hand to use their right hand may not only result in speech "difficulties, creating behavioral problems." A.) difficulties, creating behavioral problems B.) difficulties but also creating behavioral problems C.) difficulties but may also create behavioral problems D.) difficulties; it also creates behavioral problems E.) difficulties; behavioral problems themselves are also created by it
A. No. The idiom should be "not only ... but also." B. No. Since the verb in the first part of the "not only ... but also" idiom is "may result", the verb in the second part must have the same form. "May creating" is incorrect. C. Yes. The idiom should be "not only ... but also." D. No. The pronoun "it" is ambiguous, since it could refer to "preference" or to "hand." E. No. The pronoun "it" is ambiguous, since it could refer to "preference" or to "hand." Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Idiom, Pronoun Ambiguity
Each of the participants in the seminar on linguistics needs to register by March 1, "send final payment no later than April 12, and order their textbooks at least two weeks before classes begin." A.) send final payment no later than April 12, and order their textbooks at least two weeks before classes begin. B.) send final payment no later than April 12, and order her textbooks at least two weeks before classes begin. C.)send their final payment no later than April 12, and order textbooks at least two weeks before classes begin. D.) send final payment and order textbooks no later than April 12, at least two weeks before classes begin. E.) send final payment before April 12, and have ordered her textbooks at least two weeks before classes begin.
A. No. The subject of the sentence is "each." The pronoun in this answer choice is "their." A singular pronoun needs to replace a singular subject. The correct answer choice is B. B. Yes. The subject of the sentence, "each," is singular, and the pronoun replacing it is also singular. The correct answer choice is B. C. No. The placement of the pronoun within the sentence is not the issue. The subject of the sentence is "each." The pronoun in this answer choice is "their." A singular pronoun needs to replace a singular subject. The correct answer choice is B. D. No. The plural pronoun is eliminated, but combining the parts of the sentence in this way changes the meaning of the sentence. The correct answer choice is B. E. No. This choice correctly changes "their" to "her", but it introduces a new error by unnecessarily changing the verb tense. The correct answer choice is B. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Pronoun Agreement
From tons of steel and miles of twisted cables, J.A. Roebling and his son W.A. Roebling constructed the Brooklyn Bridge, which has since withstood over one hundred years of damaging "weather so sturdy" that engineers expect it to last at least another hundred years. A.) weather so sturdy B.) weather being so sturdy C.) weather, yet its sturdiness is such D.) weather, and of such sturdiness E.) weather, and is so sturdy
A. No. This changes the meaning of the sentence. "The weather" isn't sturdy, the bridge is. B. No. Avoid "being." C. No. Avoid noun forms that replace perfectly good verb forms. "Its sturdiness is such" is wordy and awkward. D. No. Avoid noun forms that replace perfectly good verb forms. "Of such sturdiness" is wordy and awkward. E. Yes. This is clear. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Clauses and Connectors
"At first sight, Elsinor Castle, with its glass windows and sophisticated casements, was" disappointingly modern, but as one walks through the portal one begins to feel the presence of history. A.) At first sight, Elsinor Castle, with its glass windows and sophisticated casements, was B.) At first sight, Elsinor Castle, which has glass windows and sophisticated casements, was C.) At first sight, Elsinor Castle, with its glass windows and sophisticated casements, is D.) Elsinor Castle, with its glass windows and sophisticated casements at first sight is E.) Elsinor Castle, at first sight, with its glass windows and sophisticated casements, are
A. No. Verb Tense. Because the two verbs in the non-underlined portion of the sentence, walks and begins, are in the present tense, the verb in the underlined portion, was, should also be in the present tense. Remember: Read the entire sentence when looking for errors. B. No. Verb Tense. Because the two verbs in the non-underlined portion of the sentence, walks and begins, are in the present tense, the verb in the underlined portion, was, should also be in the present tense. Remember: Read the entire sentence when looking for errors. C. Yes. The verb in the underlined portion of the sentence (is) is in the present tense as are the verbs in the non-underlined portion of the sentence (walks and begins). D. No. Misplaced Modifier. A modifier should be next to the thing it modifies, right? So, the phrase at first sight should be next to Elsinor Castle, not casements. E. No. Subject/Verb Agreement. While the verb are is correctly in the present tense, it should be singular (is) to agree with its subject Elsinor Castle. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Parallel Construction
Some epidemiologists believe that the Ebola virus originally "has emerged from an animal host in less populated regions of Africa where there is more frequent contact" between humans and wild animals. A.) has emerged from an animal host in less populated regions of Africa where there is more frequent contact B.) was emerging from an animal host in a sparsely populated region of Africa where there is contact more frequent C.) emerged from an animal host where there is more frequent contact in a sparsely populated region of Africa D.) emerged from an animal host in less populated regions of Africa where there is more frequent contact E.) was emerging in a sparsely populated region of Africa from an animal host where there is more frequent contact
A. No. Verb tense: "has" signals an unfinished action, but "originally" tells us that the action must have been finished in the past. Thus, we need a simple past tense. B. No. Verb tense: "was emerging" means that the virus was in the process of emerging when something else in the past happened. However, there is no other simple past event occurring simultaneously in our sentence, so this tense must be incorrect. Also, this sentence contains a word order error: "contact more frequent" should be "more frequent contact." C. No. Idiom: "an animal host" is not a location, so it can't be followed by "where" ("where" is used for location only). The rest of the sentence is also awkward and unclear. D. Yes. The stem's Verb tense problem has been fixed by the use of the simple past "emerged." E. No. Verb tense: "was emerging" means that the virus was in the process of emerging when something else in the past happened. However, there is no other simple past event occurring simultaneously in our sentence, so this tense must be incorrect. Also, "an animal host" is not a location, so it can't be followed by "where." Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Verb Tense - Present Perfect
Ski season in the continents of the Southern Hemisphere lasts from June to August "because these months consistently have the coldest temperatures." A.) because these months consistently have the coldest temperatures B.) since the coldest temperatures are consistent C.) since they consistently have the coldest temperatures D.) which consistently have the coldest temperatures E.) these consistently have the coldest temperature
A. Yes. Clear and concise. B. No. Meaning. This indicates that the cold is constant, and there is no reason for mentioning July and August specifically. C. No. Pronoun. "They" is ambiguous; does it mean the months or the "continents?" D. No. Pronoun. "Which" is ambiguous; does it mean the months or the "continents?" E. No. Pronoun. "These" is ambiguous; does it mean the months or the "continents?" Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Pronoun Ambiguity
"From 1990 to 1996 the processing capacity of personal computers increased between 25 and 30 percent annually." A. From 1990 to 1996 the processing capacity of personal computers increased between 25 and 30 percent annually. B. Twenty-five to thirty percent is the annual increase in the processing capacity of personal computers in the years 1990 to 1996. C. The processing capacity of personal computers has increased annually 25 and 30 percent in the years 1982 to 1987. D. Annually an increase from 25 to 30 percent has occurred between 1990 and 1996 in the processing capacity of personal computers. E. Occurring from 1990 to 1996 was an annual increase of 25 to 30 percent in the processing capacity of personal computers
A. Yes. This is direct and to the point. B. No. Verb tense: we are dealing with the past, so the increase "was" 25-30%, not "is." C. No. Verb tense: we are dealing with an event completed in the past, so it's incorrect to say that the capacity "has" increased. Also, Idiom: the increase should be expressed as "between 25 and 30 percent" or as "25 to 30 percent." D. No. Verb tense: we are dealing with an event completed in the past, so it's incorrect to say that the increase "has" occurred. E. No. It is too awkward to make the increase the subject of the sentence. The subject should be "capacity" and increase should be what happened to the capacity. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Verb Tense - Present Perfect
Among/ Between
Among-- Among is used to refer to refer to relationships involving more than two objects. Between-- Between is used to refer to relationships involving only two objects.
Adjectival Clause
An adjectival clause MUST come right after the noun it modifies. These clauses typically begin with one of the relative pronouns "who, whom, whose, which, or that" consider this example: " She is the woman who was wearing the leopard skin coat" The woman was what? "wearing the leopard skin coat." As you an see, this clause modifies the woman. The clause provides us with additional information about the woman in the same way that using an adjective such as "tall" to say "the tall woman" does.
Adverbial Clause
An adverbial clause needs to cuddle up right next to the independent clause it's modifying. Adverbial clauses, like all adverbs, answer questions such as: How? When? Where? and Why? So, look for words such as when, before after, until, since, while, where, as, as if, although, if, unless, so, and so that to introduce an adverbial clause. "He hid the box so that she wouldn't know he had bought her a gift." Why did he hide the box? "so that she wouldn't know that he had bought her a gift" Because this phrase answers the question why, it acts as an adverbial clause in the sentence.
Dangling modifier
Basically it means that a sentence is starting a sentence by referring to something and then what is after the comma is not what its referring to, this is wrong. After the comma needs to be something it is modifying Ex: Although covering the entire planet, Earth has a crust that is not seamless or stationary, but Wrong Ex: Although it covers the entire planet, Earth's crust is neither seamless nor is it stationary, but rather Correct
Idioms with built in parallel structure
Between X and Y Consider X Y In contrast to X, Y Distinguish X from Y Estimate X to be Y Mistake X for Y Think of X as Y View X as Y Whether X or Y
Pronouns
By and large, the GMAT creates errors by using personal pronouns improperly. Personal pronouns are the pronoun that can be used as either the subject or the object of a sentence or clause. For example, in the sentence "he travels great distances" "he" is a person pronoun that acts as the subject of the sentence. Other examples of a personal pronouns include "I, you, it and they."
Participles
Can be present or past: Verb Present Participle Past Participle To play Playing Played To Manage Managing Managed To begin Beginning Begun present particles always end in --ing. Past participles most commonly end in --ed, but there are a number of irregular verb forms. These particles can function as verbs, nouns or various types of modifiers. For example: 1. She is playing soccer....."is playing"= Verb form 2. Playing soccer is fun......"playing"= subject (noun) 3. The girl playing soccer is my sister..."Playing soccer"= noun modifier 4. She stayed all day, playing soccer until she was the only one left on the field...."playing soccer"=adverbial modifier Any --ing word functioning as part of the verb form will have another verb immediately before it, as in the "is playing" example. If no prior verb exists, then the --ing word is not acting as a verb. Any --ing word that are not verbs and not separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma will either be a noun, as in "playing soccer is fun", or modify another noun, as in "the girl playing soccer is my sister" Finally, any "comma-ing" structures are adverbial modifiers; you'll learn more about these later in the chapter. Past participles, or --ed words, are not tested as frequently as --ing words, but follow the same general rules, except that a past participle can be a verb all by itself but it cannot function as a noun. 1. She played the lottery yesterday..."played" =verb 2. She accidentally bought an expired lottery ticket..."expired" = noun modifier 3. Exhausted from her job, she bought a lottery ticket with hopes of winning big..."exhausted...job" = adverbial modifier. You could also think of "exhausted from her job" as a noun modifier of "she." who was exhausted? She was. However, the context of the rest of the sentence matters. A sentence such as "exhausted from her job, she has red hair." would not be acceptable on the GMAT. As a result, it is better to think of this modifier as applicable to the whole main clause. Because she was "exhausted, she bought a lottery ticket?"
Comparisons
Comparisons follow the same general rules as parallelism, with one twist: it isn't enough to pair nouns and nouns. The two elements have to be the same kind of thing: people to people, plans to plans and so on
"confidence in" vs "confidence that"
Confidence in- Someone has "confidence in" a noun: she has confidence in your ability. Confidence that- Someone has confidence that something more complex will occur: She has confidence that you will get a good score on the GMAT.
"due to x" modifies a noun
Consider this example: His success was due to hard work. In this sentence, "due to hard work" modifies "success," meaning that his hard work resulted in success.
Parallelism
Constructing a sentence that is parallel in structure depends on making sure that the different elements in the sentence balance each other; this is a little bit like making sure that the two sides of a mathematical equation are balanced. To make sure that a sentence is gramattically correct, check to see that phrases, clauses, verbs, and other sentence elements parallel each other. Correct: I took a bath, went to sleep, and woke up refreshed. Incorrect: I took a bath, sleeping and waking up refreshed. Correct: The only way to know is to take the plunge Incorrect: The only way to know is taking the plunge.
Correct and incorrect version of as
Correct: While Noble Sissle may be best known for his collaboration with Eubie Blake, as both a Vandeville performer and a lyricist for songs and broadway musicals Correct: While Noble Sissle may be best known for his collaboration with Eubie Blake, both as a Vaudeville performer and as a lyricist for songs and broadway musicals. Incorrect: While Noble Sissle may be best known for his collaboration with Eubie Blake, as both a vaudeville performer and as a lyricist for songs and broadway musicals
idioms responsibility to
EX: You have a responsibility to take care of the child
idioms for "AS"
Define...as EX: My GMAT teacher defines the conclusion as the main point of the argument Regard...as EX: Art historians regard the Mona Lisa as one of the greatest works of art Not so...as EX: He is not so much smart as cunning So...as to be EX: She is so beautiful as to be exquisite Think of...as EX: Think of it more as a promise than a threat See...as EX: Many people see euthanasia as an escape from pain The same...as EX: Mom and Dad gave the same punishment to me as to you As...as EX: Memorizing idioms is not as fun as playing bingo
Examples of comparisons
EX: Between you and me, I am taller EX: Among the four of us, I am the tallest
Examples of the proper use of quantity words
EX: If there were fewer cars on the road, there would be less traffic EX: The number of cars on the road contributes to the amount of traffic EX: Theres too much traffic on this road because there are too many cars.
you can have a back to back "which" in a sentence.
EX: In the event century B.C., the Roman Alphabet was adapted from the Etruscan alphabet, which in turn had been adapted in the previous century from a western Greek alphabet, which itself had been adapted earlier in the same century from the phoenician alphabet.
With subjunctive, this is a part of grammar that we use with certain verbs. Verbs: advise, ask, command, recommend, desire, insist, etc. These verbs when you use them, when you want to talk about urgency or something that needs to be done, they are followed by a certain structure. Commonly used for advise. You need a subject, the person who mentions whatever the information is, then the verb (advice, importance or helpful) verb That is optional Then you have the person who received the message of urgency, and then you have the verb. (very important) WHICH IS ALWAYS IN THE SIMPLE FORM! Even with third person subjects.
EX: She suggested (that) I leave early EX: I recommend (that) you study hard EX: It's important (that) he come on time -- all third person verbs in the present simple require an "s" now in the subjunctive where you are talking about advice or emphasing importance, you don't use an "s" you use a simple verb. EX: I propose (that) we not go there -- if you want to make subjunctive negative, just add a not before the verb
If one sentence uses the same pronoun to refer to two different things, the sentence is considered ambiguous and therefore wrong.
EX: Starfish, with anywhere from five to eight arms, have a strong regenerative ability, and if one arm is lost it quickly replaces it, sometimes by the animal overcompensating and growing an extra one or two.
If you are going to use a -ing word to modify the word in front of it, there is not going to be a comma there. When there is a comma there the ing word will modify something else in the sentence.
EX: as the killer whale, growing Comma creates a separation between the whale and the growing, and it makes it seem as if the whale is not doing the growing.
Economic vs Economical
Economic refers to the economy, economic determinants is a synonym for business factors. Economical, on the other hand, can relate to the economy to the economy but more commonly means "in a frugal or cost effective manner."
Abstract Nouns
Examples of abstract nouns include truth, justice, and knowledge. You can't touch any of these items. Abstract nouns are considered singular.
Countable vs Uncountable Nouns
Examples of countable nouns include chickens, cars and trees. In each case, you can line the items up and count them. Examples of nouns that are not countable include Jell-0, traffic, and foliage. Each of the countable nouns on our list ahas a singular and a plural form. For example, tree is singular and trees is plural. Nouns that are not countable are singular. For example, you could say "Jell 0 is my favorite dessert." or, "the traffic in Delhi is unreal"
Simple present
Expreses a habitual action, a fact or something that is happening now. EX: Beth runs three miles every morning EX: Both baseball games are on television right now
Farther vs further
Farther -- refers to distance Further -- refers to degree Correct: I ran farther than John, but he took his weight training further than I did. Incorrect: I ran further than John, but he took his weight training farther than I did.
Fewer vs Less than
Fewer-- refers to a specific number less than-- refers to a continuous quantity. Correct: There were fewer children in my class this year. Incorrect: There were less children in my class this year. Correct: There was less devastation than I was told Incorrect: There was fewer devastation than I was told
Rhetorical Construction
Good sentence structure avoids constructions that are awkward, wordy, redundant, imprecise, or unclear, even when they are free of grammatical errors. Correct: Before we left on vacation, we watered the plants, checked to see that the stove was off, and set the burglar alarm. Incorrect: Before we left to go on vacation, we watered, checked to be sure that the stove had been turned off and set it.
Personal Pronouns
Have four properties: number, case, person and gender. These properties provide a convenient way to categorize personal pronouns. In the context of preparing for the GMAT, these properties allow us to quickly focus on the pronouns in a sentence that need to be checked for errors.
Gender only applies to third person pronouns.
He and him are masculine while she and her are feminine. Note that the third person singular pronoun "it" is neutral and is used to refer to things which have no gender.
Past
I studied, I had studied, I was studying
Present
I study, I am studying, I have studied
Future
I will study, I will be studying, I will have studied
Prepositional Phrases
IF a preposition immediately follows a noun, then the prepositional phrase modifies that noun. For example: The executive DIRECTOR of the company resigned three days ago
a is to b what y was to z.
Idiom
Parallelism rules Nouns
Noun with noun: EX: cat and dog Action noun with action noun:EX: eruption and destruction Gerund with gerund:EX: the rising and the running Gerund with action noun: EX: the uprising and the escape
The word NUMBERS
If you wish to make a comparison using the word NUMBERS, use "greater than" not "more than" (which might imply that the quantity of numbers is larger, not the numbers themselves)
Pronoun Ambiguity
In addition to agreeing with the noun it replaces, a pronoun must clearly refer to only one noun. If the pronoun could conceivably refer to more than one noun, you face the problem of pronoun ambiguity. Pronouns must unambiguously refer to a single noun Look at the following example: Lisa Marie was supposed to meet Jen at the museum at eleven, but she was late. It is unclear to whom "she" refers, Lisa Mara or Jen. The sentence should be rewritten to clear up the confusion. If Jen were the one who arrived late, the corrected sentence would read: "Lisa Marie was supposed to meet Jen at the museum at eleven, but Jen was late."
Verb Form
In addition to watching for problems of agreement or parallelism, make sure that verbs are used in the correct tense. Be alert to whether a verb should reflect past, present or future tense. Correct: I went to school yesterday. Correct: I go to school every weekday Correct: I will go to school tomorrow
Adverbs
In most cases, the easiest way to determine whether a word in a sentence is an adverb is to ask "how" In the first sample sentence above, you can ask how Oliver edited the documents and get back the answer "quickly"
Some adjectives do not form their comparative and superlative forms by adding -er and -est to the base form.
In some cases, you need to add the word more or most to the base form to make the comparative or superlative. For example, the comparative form of debatable is more dateable. There are also some adjectives that form their comparative and superlative forms in idisyncratic ways. For example, the comparative of good is better and the superlative is best.
Case describes the role that a pronoun uses in a sentence.
In some languages, different forms of nouns are used depending on the role that the noun plays in the sentence. One form may be sued for the subjects, another for the object, and still a third to show possession. Pronouns such as he and she are used as subjects while pronouns such as him and her are used as objects. For example, in the sentence "she assigned the project to him," She is used as the subject while "him" is the object.
A decade after the demise of early entrants such as Webvan, each of the successful competitors in the online home-delivery industry ""have either developed new world-class supply-chain capabilities or already have"" existing strengths in logistics for traditional "bricks and mortar" stores. a. have either developed new world-class supply-chain capabilities or already have b. either have developed new world-class supply-chain capabilities or already have c. has developed either new world-class supply-chain capabilities or already d. either has developed new world-class supply-chain capabilities or already has e. has either developed new world-class supply-chain capabilities or has already
In the original sentence, the subject is each, which is singular. Therefore, we must use singular verbs as well: has developed and has. However, the sentence uses plural verbs: have developed and have. In addition, there is a parallelism problem. If we say have either developed... or have..., then the first have connects to both parts. In other words, this sentence is saving have developed... have have! We must put the either outside the have developed. (A) This choice is incorrect, as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice fixes the parallelism problem, but the verbs are still plural. (C) This choice switches correctly to a singular verb, but changes the meaning unacceptably by omitting the second verb entirely and moving the either marker after the first verb. This choice states that each competitor has developed EITHER new... capabilities OR already existing strengths... However, the original intent is not to say that each competitor has developed already existing strengths; the proper meaning is that each competitor already has existing strengths. (D) CORRECT. This choice fixes both the subject-verb agreement problem and the parallelism problem. (E) This choice fixes the subject-verb disagreement, but keeps the parallelism problem. The correct answer is D.
Modification Problems -- Watch out for words that detract from the logical argument
Modifiers should be positioned so it is clear what word or words they are meant to modify. If modifiers are not positioned clearly, they can cause illogical references or comparisons, or distort the meaning of the statement.
Adverbial modifiers
Modify verbs and adverbs. They can also modify adjectives, prepositional phrases, clauses...anything that isn't just a plain noun. These modifiers also answer questions, such as how, when, where, or why an action occurred, but this time, the answer will point to something other than a plain noun. Adverbial modifiers do not have the same placement constraints as noun modifiers. A sentence typically contains only one or two main clauses, so adverbial modifiers can be placed more feely without creating meaning issues in the sentence. As long as the adverbial modifier clearly points to one particular verb or clause, the placement is acceptable.
British historians have sometimes cited financial concerns as the primary cause of the American Revolution, but in ""doing so, the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment are not given their due."" a. doing so, the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment are not given their due b. doing it, the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment are not given their due c. doing so, the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment have not been given their due d. doing so, they do not give the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment their due e. doing so, they do not give the due of their ideals to the French Enlightenment of the 18th century
In the split, "doing so" versus "doing it," only "doing so" is correct, as "it" cannot refer back to the verb "cited." The original also implies that the ideals themselves (rather than the historians) are "doing so." (Because the comma before "but" begins a new independent clause, the prepositional phrase "in doing so" refers to the subject of that clause, the "ideals"). (A) This choice incorrectly indicates that the ideals (rather than the historians) are "doing so." (B) "Doing it" is incorrect, as "it" cannot refer back to a verb. This choice also incorrectly indicates that the ideals (rather than the historians) are "doing so." (C) This choice incorrectly indicates that the ideals (rather than the historians) are "doing so." (D) CORRECT. Both problems detailed above are corrected. (E) The placement of "they" after "doing so" corrects one major problem with the original, but "give the due of their ideals to..." is unidiomatic and substantially changes the meaning from "give the ideals of the 18th century French Enlightenment their due." One can only give someone his or her due, give something its due, or give some things their due. The correct answer is D.
X as a means to Y
Indicates that X is used in order to make Y happen or to achieve Y result.
Clause
Is a group of words that has a subject and a verb. Clauses can also act as subjects, objects, or modifiers.
Adjective and Adverbial phrases
Modifying phrases take on the role of adjective or adverb. Consider this sentence: "taking in every word, the girl actually believed his story." The girl is what? "Taking in every word." Girl is a noun and "taking in every word" is thus acting as an adjective for that noun How about this one? "Michael bought a new suit with his credit card." How did Michael buy the suit? "With his credit card" Sine the phrase describes how Michael did something, it's acting as an adverb.
Like vs. As
Like and As are two very comparison signals Like is used to compare nouns, pronouns, or noun phrases. Never put a clause or a prepositional phrase after like! (remember a clause contains a working verb, one that can be the main verb in a sentence) Consider the following example: Like her brother, Ava ace the test. Here, like is followed by the noun phrase her brother. The whole phrase like her brother indicates a comparison between Ana and her brother (two nouns). Note that like can be followed by gerunds (-ing forms used as nouns): like swimming, skiing is great exercise On the other hand, as can be used to compare two clauses: Wrong EX: Like her brother DID, Ava aced the test Right: As her brother DID, ava aced the test The words HER BROTHER DID form a clause (did is a working verb). Therefore, use AS to make the comparison between the two clauses AVA ACED THE TEST and HER BROTHER DID, TOO According to the GMAT, there is no difference in meaning between LIKE HER BROTHER, AVA ACED THE TEST and AS HER BROTHER DID, AVA ACED THE TEST. You can compare AVA and HER BROTHER directly, or you can compare what they did, as long as you follow the appropriate grammar rules when writing the sentence.
Comparison Markers
Like: 1. Like the CAT, the DOG is friendly 2. the CAT, like the the DOG, is friendly Unlike: 1. Unlike her PARENTS, SHE has green eyes 2. In CALIFORNIA, unlike FLORIDA, the humidity is moderate As: 1. DIVYA is smart, as is ABBY Than: 1. YOU HAVE EARNED a better score than I HAVE 2. CISCOS REVENUES are considerably higher than STARBUCKS'. As(adjective) as: 1. MIRA is as likely as SAM to win the promotion Different from: 1. My current JOB is quite different from my last ONE. (pronoun one refers to job) In contrast to/ with: 1. Canada's HOUSING MARKET did not suffer many difficulties during the economic downturn, in contrast to the HOUSING MARKET in the United States
When you see a verb-tense split:
Look around for clues about tense: -Another Verb -Time Marker
Countable modifiers
MANY hats FEW stores FEWER children FEWEST shoes NUMBER of chairs NUMEROUS books
Antecedent
Noun that is replaced
Nouns that end in -s
Most of the time, a noun that ends in -s is plural, but some singular nouns end in -s. If you're unsure whether a noun is singular or plural, ask yourself whether it represents one thing or several things. HINT: Country names are always singular. EX:That species has a number of interesting habits EX: Economics is one of my favorite subjects EX: The Netherlands is a country in Europe
When the gmat serves you a description between commas, you can pretend those commas are parentheses, and pretty much ignore all of that
My cat, which has fleas, is big
Myself
Myself should not be used as a substitute for I or me Examples: Correct: Mom and I had to go to the store Incorrect: Mom and myself had to go to the store Correct: He gave the present to Dad and me. Incorrect: He gave the present to Dad and myself
Whats wrong and why? The processing capacity of personal computers has increased annually 25 and 30 percent in the years 1982 to 1987. Annually an increase from 25 to 30 percent has occurred between 1990 and 1996 in the processing capacity of personal computers.
No. Verb tense: we are dealing with an event completed in the past, so it's incorrect to say that the capacity "has" increased. Also, Idiom: the increase should be expressed as "between 25 and 30 percent" or as "25 to 30 percent." D. No. Verb tense: we are dealing with an event completed in the past, so it's incorrect to say that the increase "has" occurred.
Noun Phrases
Noun phrases can be the subject or object of a sentence, as illustrated by these examples: "preparing for the GMAT, requires hard work" what requires hard work? Preparing for the GMAT In this case, the phrase, "preparing for the GMAT," is the subject of the sentence. "Allen wanted to leave." What did Allen want? To leave So the infinitive phrase, to leave, is the object of the sentence.
Passive vs Active Voice
Passive Voice: A mistake was made by me Active Voice: I made a mistake 1st is passive because the subject receives the action 2nd is in active voice because subject performs the action The passive voice is NOT an error. It's just that the active voice is stylistically preferred. This means that under no circumstances should you eliminate an answer choice just because it's in the passive voice. The only time you should even think about active voice vs passive voice is after you've exhausted all other opportunities to eliminate answer choices, including all other grammatical rules and the intended meaning of the sentence . If, after all those efforts, you're still left with two grammatically correct answer choices that don't change the intended meaning of the sentence, one is active and one is passive, choose the one in the active voice. In general, the GMAT favors sentences that are concise, and sentences in the active voice are typically more concise.
Past Participles
Past participles of some verbs end in -ed but many verbs have irregular past participles. For example, eaten is the past participle of eat. Participles have two main jobs. 1st: Participles combine with auxiliary verbs( to be, to have; are two examples) to form perfect and progressive tenses. For example, for the verb "had worked" which is in the past perfect tense, "worked" is a past participle. Participles can also be used to create modifying phrases. For example, consider the sentence "working nonstop for weeks on end, John finally finished the project." In this sentence, the phrase "working nonstop for weeks on end" starts with the present participle "working" and modifies "John". This latter use of participles is very important for the GMAT, so we will discuss this usage in more detail when we discuss misplaced modifiers.
Idiom Paws are to dogs...feet are to people.
Paws are to dogs what feet are to people
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns include my, mine, our, ours, its, his, her, hers, their, theirs, your and yours - all words that demonstrate ownership. The kids are yours and mine. The house is theirs and its paint is flaking. The money was really theirs for the taking. We shall finally have what is rightfully ours. Their mother gets along well with yours. What's mine is yours, my friend. The dog is mine. The cat is yours. The ring is hers. The bag is theirs.
Pronouns
Pronouns are words used in place of nouns, and they are usually used to avoid repetition. In the previous sentence, the word "they" replaces the word "pronouns." Some pronouns function as subjects, while others function as objects. Another set of pronouns indicate possession. Just as subjects and verbs must agree, pronouns must agree in number with the nouns they replace. The noun a pronoun replaces is called the "antecedent"
Number refers to singular or plural
Pronouns such as I and It are singular, while pronouns such as we and they are plural. Note that you can be either singular or plural depending on the sentence. Person refers to first, second or third speaker. First person pronouns, such as I and we, are used when you are the speaker. Second person pronouns, such as you, are used to address someone. Third person pronouns, such as she and they, are used to describe the actions of another person.
They and Their
Replace plural nouns
Parallelism Rules You can pair working verbs in different tenses, as longs the meaning of the sentence supports the different tenses. For example
She eats apples all the time AND drank some apple juice yesterday
Equipped with hundreds of rifles and pikes and leading a band of twenty-one men, John Brown, the most famous revolutionary of the U.S. abolitionist movement, instigated a raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in "1859, was captured on the third day of the attack and ultimately had been defeated, being unable" to gain the support of the local slave population. A.) 1859, was captured on the third day of the attack and ultimately had been defeated, being unable B.) 1859, was captured on the third day of the attack, while ultimately being defeated because he had failed C.) 1859, was captured on the third day of the attack, and was ultimately defeated because he had failed D.) 1859, captured on the third day of the attack, and was ultimately defeated because he failed E. ) 1859, having been captured on the third day of the attack and ultimately defeated, being unable
Since there are three verbs that share the same subject, check for parallel construction. Instigated and was captured are in past tense, but had been defeated is in past perfect tense. Eliminate A and look for other parallel construction errors. In Choice B being is not parallel with the other verbs, so eliminate Choice B. Now compare the remaining answers. Choice D takes away the helping verb that accompanies captured in the original sentence, changing the verb from passive to active. This change alters the meaning of the sentence. John Brown was captured; he did not do the capturing. Eliminate Choice D. Choice E changes two of the main verbs to a modifying phrase and thereby also changes the meaning of the sentence. Choice E makes it sound as though John Brown instigated the raid after he was captured and defeated. Eliminate Choice E. In Choice C all three verbs are parallel, and the sentence makes sense. If you were unsure of the grammar rule being tested, you could also look for changes in the answer choices. The fact that the verb forms are changing is a clue that there may be a parallel construction error. Choice A: The verbs in the list instigated...was captured...and ultimately defeated are not parallel. Parallel Construction. Choice B: Being is not parallel with instigated and was captured. Parallel Construction. Choice C: Correct. Choice D: Changing captured from passive to active voice alters the meaning of the sentence. Changes the meaning. Choice E: The phrase having been captured on the third day of the attack and ultimately defeated is not parallel with the non-underlined verb and changes the meaning of the sentence. Parallel Construction.
What is has helped
Singular
Abstract Nouns II
Some nouns describe a quality, idea or state of being. These abstract nouns, such as "sadness, truth, laughter, poverty and knowledge" represent a single thing EX: Justice always prevails Ex: Wealth is nice, but happiness is better
Singular pronouns
Some singular pronouns, such as "everybody" or "no one," are easy to mistake for plural pronouns. Even though hew often treat these as plural words in everyday speech, the GMAT writers use more formal rules and define them as singular. EX: Each of the witnesses was questioned by police EX: Everyone in the senior class is sick with the flu EX: Either of the restaurants is fine with me. In the first example, the subject is "each" not "witnesses. Witnesses is the object of the preposition. Similarily, "Either" is the subject of the third example, not "restaurants." When the subject of a sentence is a pronoun followed by a prepositional phrase, the pronoun is the main subject. Make sure the pronoun, not the object of the prepositions, agrees with the verb. "Either" and "neither" are singular when they serve as the subject of a sentence.
1. yield evidence for vs. 2. yield evidence of vs. 3. yield evidence that
Something "can yield evidence for" a noun, for example: her poor performance yielded damning evidence for her boss. It's also possible to "yield evidence of" a noun: Her poor performance yielded evidence of incompetence. If, though, the intention is to talk about a more complex result presented in the form of a clause, then the proper structure is "yield evidence that": Her poor performance yielded damning evidence that she was not qualified to do the job.
Noun modifiers
Such as adjectives, modify only a noun or a pronoun For example: The smart student works quickly Here the adjective smart modifies the noun student, while the adverb quickly modifies the verb works. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.
Adverbial Modifiers
Such as adverbs, can modify verbs, adjectives, prepositional phrases, even entire clauses, but they do not modify plain nouns. Here the adjective smart modifies the noun student, while the adverb quickly modifies the verb works. Many adverbs are formed by adding -ly to the adjective.
Prepositional phrases I
The GMAT mostly uses prepositional phrases to distract your attention from other errors in the sentence. So, its often a good idea to try reading a sentence without the prepositional phrases when looking for errors.
Parallelism Rules Though not common on the GMAT, you can also pair present and past participles. For example,
The cat slept in the sun, fatigued by play and dreaming of the mouse that got away.
Ending sentence with a preposition
The customary way to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition is to use the preposition that would end the sentence and follow it with the word "which." The GMAT generally observes the convention that it is improper to end a sentence with a preposition. That means that the construction prepositon followed by the word "which" is generally correct. The GMAt avoids ending sentences with prepositions even in the case of phrasal verbs.
Anytime you see the past perfect:
We should ask ourselves do we have a past tense verb or marker that necessitates this?
Rust can deteriorate a steel pipe to such an extent that it "will snap easily, as though it was a twig." a. will snap easily, as though it was a twig b. will snap easily, like a twig does c. will snap easily, as though it is a twig d. might snap easily, as though it was a twig e. will snap easily, as though it were a twig
The expression "as though" introduces a supposition that is contrary to fact (the pipe is not a twig). Such suppositions must be expressed in the subjunctive mood. For example, in the phrase "I wish I were rich," the verb "were" is in the subjunctive because the phrase expresses a desire contrary to fact. The appropriate singular form of the verb "to be" in the subjunctive mood is "were." (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) "Like" should not be used to introduce the comparative clause "a twig does." The word "as" should be used instead. "Like" is used to compare nouns only. (C) The verb "is" is not appropriate for the subjunctive mood. The appropriate singular form of the verb "to be" in the subjunctive mood is "were." (D) The verb "was" is not appropriate for the subjunctive mood. The appropriate singular form of the verb "to be" in the subjunctive mood is "were." In addition, this choice changes the meaning of the sentence. While the original sentence asserts that it is possible for rust to deteriorate a steel pipe to the point where it will snap easily, this choice asserts only that it is possible for rust to deteriorate the pipe to a point where it might snap, i.e., it implies a somewhat lesser degree of possible deterioration. (E) CORRECT. This choice correctly uses the subjunctive "were."
While the United States Constitution specifies ""that a person cannot be elected President more than twice, it did not specify if someone who has already been elected President twice"" would still be eligible to run for Vice President. a. that a person cannot be elected President more than twice, it did not specify if someone who has already been elected President twice b. that a person cannot be elected President more than two times, it does not specify if a former President who was elected twice c. that a person cannot be elected President more than twice, it does not specify whether someone who has already been elected President twice d. a person not to be elected President more than two times, it does not specify whether a twice-elected President e. a person not to be elected President more than twice, it does not specify if someone who has already been elected President twice
The first main verb ( specifies) is in present tense, but the second main verb ( did not specify) is in past tense. We should not change the tense unless the meaning of the sentence dictates such a change; in this case, there is no reason to change to past tense, so the correct sentence should maintain the original, non-underlined tense: present. The original sentence also uses the word if to introduce the clause someone who has already... Vice President. If is used to introduce "if-then" type statements, but this statement does not have a "then" counterpart. Rather, this statement is discussing whether one of two things would be true: either someone is still eligible or someone is not still eligible. The correct idiom to introduce this clause is whether. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The choice repeats the original idiom error using if; the word whether is the correct idiom to introduce the final clause. (C) CORRECT. This choice corrects the original tense error by changing did not specify to does not specify. The choice also corrects the original idiom error by substituting the word whether for the word if. (D) The verb specify should not be followed by an object ( a person), then an infinitive ( to be). One cannot specify a person not to be elected; one must specify that a person cannot be elected. (E) The verb specify should not be followed by an object ( a person), then an infinitive ( to be). One cannot specify a person not to be elected; one must specify that a person cannot be elected. Finally, the choice repeats the original idiom error using "if"; the word "whether" is the correct idiom to introduce the final clause. The correct answer is C.
Had flourished (Past perfect)
We use this tense we need an action that occurred before another past tense action. There are a couple of ways this could happen. EX: I had taken twelve practice tests by the time I took the GMAT. (One action occurred before another action) EX: By 2011, Steven had taken the GMAT three times (time marker: By 2011 is a time marker, we know that our action happened before that past tense time.
Named for the capital of Belgium, Brussels sprouts, which at "its fullest growth scarcely exceeds a large walnut" in size, are immature buds shaped like tiny cabbages. a. its fullest growth scarcely exceeds a large walnut in b. its fullest growth scarcely exceed a large walnut in c. their fullest growth scarcely exceeds a large walnut in d. their fullest growth scarcely exceed a walnut's large e. their fullest growth scarcely exceed a large walnut in
The modifier "which at its fullest growth scarcely exceeds . . ." contains two words--the singular pronoun "its" and the singular verb "exceeds"--that suggest that the subject of the modifier is singular. Both of these words are incorrect, since the subject of this modifier is actually the plural noun "Brussels sprouts." (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice incorrectly uses the singular pronoun "its" to refer to the plural noun "Brussels sprouts." (C) In this choice, the singular verb "exceeds" does not agree with the plural pronoun "their" (which refers to the plural subject "Brussels sprouts"). (D) The plural pronoun "their" and the plural verb "exceed" correctly refer to the plural noun "Brussels sprouts." However, the use of the phrase "scarcely exceed a walnut's large size" distorts the meaning of the original phrase "scarcely exceeds a large walnut in size." In the original, it is clear that the comparison is between the size of a Brussels Sprout and the size of a large walnut. In this choice, the comparison is changed to one between the size of a Brussels sprout and the size of any walnut, all of which, according to this choice, are large. (E) CORRECT. This choice correctly uses the plural pronoun "their" and the plural verb "exceed" to refer to the plural noun "Brussels sprouts."
""Eyestrain, in addition to reading small print and staring at a computer screen, can result from"" a faulty or obsolete corrective lens prescription. a. Eyestrain, in addition to reading small print or staring at a computer screen, can result from b. Eyestrain can result from reading small print, from staring at a computer screen, or from using c. Eyestrain can result not only from reading small print and staring at a computer screen, but also d. Eyestrain can result from reading small print, staring at a computer screen, as well as e. Eyestrain may result in reading small print, staring at a computer screen, or in the use of
The only reasonable interpretation of this sentence is that any of three different actions -- reading small print, staring at a computer screen, or using a faulty or obsolete lens prescription -- can cause eyestrain. The original sentence, however, is not written in this way; instead, it illogically groups eyestrain (the consequence of the three activities mentioned) with reading small print and staring at a computer screen. The sentence must be restructured so that the elements that actually should be parallel -- the three activities that cause eyestrain -- are placed in parallel. (A) Although grammatically correct, this choice is illogical; it groups eyestrain with reading small print and staring at a computer screen, suggesting that all three can result from a faulty or obsolete lens prescription. This is not the intended meaning of the sentence. Rather, eyestrain is the result of all three activities: reading small print, staring at a screen, and wearing the wrong lens prescription. (B) CORRECT. This choice correctly places the three activities that can cause eyestrain in parallel. In addition, these activities are written in properly parallel forms (from reading small print, from staring at a computer screen, and from using...). (C) The use of and in the first clause is illogical; it suggests that the combination of both activities (reading small print and staring at a computer screen) is necessary to cause eyestrain. The sentence is intended to state that any of the three activities, individually, can cause eyestrain. In addition, the sentence is not properly parallel: not only is followed by a prepositional phrase (from reading...), but but also is followed only by a noun phrase (a faulty or obsolete ... prescription). (D) This choice is unidiomatic: X, Y, as well as Z is not a valid way to form a series of three items. This type of construction can only be used with and (X, Y, and Z) or or (X, Y, or Z). In addition, the sentence has improper parallelism: the first two elements are activities (reading... and staring...), but the third is a concrete object, not an action (a faulty ... prescription). (E) This choice has the wrong meaning. The idiom X results in Y means that X is what brings about the result Y. Eyestrain does not cause people to read small print, stare at computer screens, or use bad optical prescriptions, so this sentence is illogical. In addition, the sentence is not properly parallel: the second element of the series is a gerund phrase (staring...), but the final element is a prepositional phrase (in the use ...). The correct answer is B.
""Blamed for ocean pollution and harming small animals, plastic bags require less energy to have to manufacture, ship, and recycle than paper bags but take far"" longer to decompose naturally. a. Blamed for ocean pollution and harming small animals, plastic bags require less energy to have to manufacture, ship, and recycle than paper bags but take far b. Paper bags require more energy to manufacture, ship, and recycle than plastic bags, which are blamed for ocean pollution and harming small animals, but they take far c. Paper bags require more energy to manufacture, ship, and recycle than plastic bags, which are blamed for polluting the ocean and harming small animals, but they take much d. Blamed for ocean pollution and the harm of small animals, plastic bags require less energy to have to manufacture, ship, and recycle than paper bags, but take much e. Blamed for polluting the ocean and harming small animals, plastic bags require less energy to manufacture, ship, and recycle than paper bags but take far
The opening modifier ( blamed for ocean pollution and harming small animals) correctly modifies plastic bags. The word and, however, signals that parallelism is required. Pollution... and harming is not parallel; correct parallelism might be polluting... and harming or pollution... and harm. Later, the sentence uses the incorrect idiom require X to have to Y (in this case, require less energy to have to manufacture) The proper form is require X to Y. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice correctly uses the idiom require X to Y but does not fix the parallelism error in the modifier ( pollution... and harming). A new error is also introduced: according to the original sentence, plastic bags take far longer to decompose, but in this choice, the use of the subject pronoun they indicates a comparison to the subject of the main clause, paper bags. This changes the original meaning of the sentence in an unacceptable way. (C) This choice correctly uses the idiom require X to Y and also fixes the parallelism error by using polluting and harming. A new error is introduced, however: according to the original sentence, plastic bags take far longer to decompose, but in this choice, the use of the subject pronoun they indicates a structural comparison to the subject of the main clause, paper bags. This changes the original meaning of the sentence in an unacceptable way. The substitution of the word much for the word far (in the original sentence) is a red herring: either option is acceptable. (D) This choice corrects the original parallelism error by using pollution and harm (although the harm of small animals is a bit awkward), but repeats the require X to have to Y idiom error. The substitution of the word much for the word far (in the original sentence) is a red herring: either option is acceptable. (E) CORRECT. This choice corrects the original parallelism error by using the -ing form for both polluting and harming. It also correctly uses the idiom require X to Y. The correct answer is E.
""Famed for his masterful use of irony, many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics due to the author slowly revealing at the end of each piece a tragic twist of fate."" a. Famed for his masterful use of irony, many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics due to the author slowly revealing at the end of each piece a tragic twist of fate. b. Many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics because of how he famously and masterfully uses irony, evident in the slow revelation of a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece. c. Famed for using irony in a masterful way, many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics because of the author slowly revealing a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece. d. Many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics because of the author's famed and masterful use of irony, evidenced in the slow revelation of a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece. e. Many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories have become classics because he slowly revealed a tragic twist of fate at the end of each piece, demonstrating his famed and masterful use of irony.
The original sentence begins with the modifier "Famed for his masterful use of irony," which requires a person as its subject. However, in the original sentence, "many of Guy de Maupassant's short stories" is the subject. Moreover, the phrase "due to the author slowly revealing" is awkward. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The pronoun "he" must have a person as its antecedent, yet there is no person in the sentence. Remember that "he" cannot refer to "Guy de Maupassant" here, since the name is part of a possessive phrase: "Guy de Maupassant's short stories". The author himself is not grammatically present in the sentence. (C) The opening modifier "famed for using irony in a masterful way" incorrectly modifies "short stories" instead of Guy de Maupassant himself. It also contains the awkward phrase "because of the author slowly revealing." (D) CORRECT. This choice remedies the flawed modifier by rewriting the sentence to avoid it. This choice also replaces the awkward phrase "due to the author's revealing" with "evidenced in the slow revelation." (E) This choice incorrectly uses the pronoun "he" without a grammatical antecedent in the sentence.
""Though now eaten in large quantities around the world and harmless, the tomato is a member of the generally toxic nightshade family, including belladonna, and was once thought to be poisonous itself as a result."" a. Though now eaten in large quantities around the world and harmless, the tomato is a member of the generally toxic nightshade family, including belladonna, and was once thought to be poisonous itself as a result. b. The tomato, though now eaten in large quantities around the world and harmless, is a member of the generally toxic nightshade family, which includes belladonna, and it was therefore once thought to be poisonous itself. c. Once thought to be poisonous itself, the tomato is harmless and now eaten in large quantities around the world, and is a member of the generally toxic nightshade family, including belladonna. d. Though now eaten in large quantities around the world and known to be harmless, the tomato was once considered poisonous because it is a member of the generally toxic nightshade family, which includes belladonna. e. A member of the generally toxic nightshade family, including belladonna, the tomato was once considered poisonous even though it is harmless and now eaten in large quantities around the world.
The original sentence contains a lot of clauses in a confusing order. We need to find an answer choice that rephrases the sentence in a clear and concise manner. Also, the phrase "though now eaten in large quantities around the world and harmless" contains two elements that are not parallel. Moreover, "including belladonna" is incorrect left dangling. It should be "which includes belladonna." Finally, "itself" could refer either to "tomato" or to "belladonna". (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The pronoun "it" is ambiguous as it could refer either to "the nightshade family" or "belladonna" or "tomato." Additionally, the phrase "though now eaten in large quantities around the world and harmless" contains two elements that are not parallel. (C) The phrase "including belladonna" does not properly modify anything. (D) CORRECT. The opening phrase contains the two parallel elements "eaten in large quantities . . ." and "known to be harmless." The phrase "which includes belladonna" correctly modifies the "nightshade family." Finally, the pronoun "it" unambiguously refers to the tomato. (E) The phrase "including belladonna" does not properly modify anything.
Despite the sequel's poor critical reception,"" most people seeing it find the acting and cinematography at least as good or even better than the original."" A.most people seeing it find the acting and cinematography at least as good or even better than the original b. most people seeing it find the acting and cinematography at least as good or even better than the original's c. most people who see the film find the acting and cinematography at least as good as or even better than those in the original d. most people who see it find the acting and cinematography at least as good or even better than those in the original e. most people seeing the film find the acting and cinematography at least as good as or even better than those of the original's
The original sentence contains several errors. First, the pronoun "it" is used to refer to the film, but the film has not been mentioned in the sentence. Instead "the sequel's poor critical reception" has been mentioned. This is not the same as the film, so the pronoun "it" has no grammatical antecedent and must be changed. Second, the phrase "at least as good or even better than" is incomplete: there should be another "as" after "good". Third, the cinematography and acting are being compared to the "original". What is meant here is that the cinematography and acting in the sequel are as good as the cinematography and acting in the original. This must be changed. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The pronoun "it" has no grammatical antecedent and the phrase "at least as good or even better" is missing the second "as" after "good." (C) CORRECT. This choice replaces "it" with "film", adds the missing "as", and makes clear that the acting and cinematography in the sequel are compared to the acting and cinematography in the original. (D) The pronoun "it" has no grammatical antecedent and the phrase "at least as good or even better" is missing the second "as" after "good." (E) This choice introduces the possessive redundancy "those of the original's." One could say either "those of the original" or "the original's", but using both is redundant.
The invention of the cotton gin, ""being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that."" a. being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that b. having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously c. one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity d. one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly e. being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one
The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier "being one of the most significant developments . . ." Moreover, the past perfect verb "had turned" coupled with the simple past verb "was" reverses the chronological order of the events. The tenses run counter to the logic of the sentence by incorrectly suggesting that the invention of the cotton gin happened before the cotton cloth became expensive. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The words "having been" are unnecessary in the opening modifier. Moreover, the ending phrase "costly previously" is too concise; it fails to strike the contrast between the earlier and the later state of affairs. (C) This choice interrupts the connection between the adjective "affordable" and the noun "commodity," making the sentence hard to follow. Also, the use of "however" changes the meaning: "however costly" implies that the cotton gin would have made cotton cloth affordable no matter how costly it was previously. In contrast, the original sentence only states that cotton cloth had previously been costly. (D) CORRECT. The modifier "one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century" eliminates the unnecessary word "being." The simple past verb "turned" coupled with the past perfect "had previously been" correctly expresses the fact that cotton cloth "turned into an affordable commodity" after it "had previously been costly." The later past event uses the simple past tense, whereas the earlier past event uses the past perfect tense. Moreover, the conjunction "whereas" correctly expresses the neutral contrast between the earlier and the later state of affairs. The pronoun "it" refers unambiguously to the "cotton cloth." (E) The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier.
The ancient Inca city of Macchu Picchu, perched on a ridge in the Andes Mountains of Peru, ""had been built at a high enough altitude that it often makes modern-day tourists from lower elevations sick with oxygen deprivation."" a. had been built at a high enough altitude that it often makes modern-day tourists from lower elevations sick with oxygen deprivation b. had been built at so high of an altitude that it often makes modern-day tourists from lower elevations sick from oxygen deprivation c. was built at a high enough altitude that modern day tourists from lower elevations often become sick with oxygen deprivation when visiting the city d. was built at such a high altitude that modern-day tourists from lower elevations often become sick from oxygen deprivation when visiting the city e. was built at so high of an altitude that it often makes modern-day tourists from lower elevations sick from oxygen deprivation
The original sentence contains several flaws. First, the past perfect "had been" is unnecessary because there is only one past event, whereas the past perfect is used to distinguish one completed past event from another. Second, "high enough" illogically implies that the oxygen deprivation was a goal of the Incas. Third, "it" in this context is ambiguous: is it the altitude or the city that makes tourists sick? Finally, "sick with" is incorrect. The proper construction is "sick from." (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice incorrectly uses the past perfect "had been." Additionally, the pronoun "it" is ambiguous in this context and the phrase "so high of an altitude" is awkward. (C) This choice incorrectly uses the phrases "high enough altitude" and "sick with." (D) CORRECT. The simple past verb "was" correctly replaces the past perfect verb "had been." The phrase "such a high altitude" replaces "high enough altitude." The sentence is rewritten to avoid ambiguity by removing the pronoun "it." Finally, this choice uses the phrase "sick from" in place of the unidiomatic "sick with." (E) This choice incorrectly uses the awkward phrase "so high of an altitude." Additionally, the pronoun "it" in this context is ambiguous.
The invention of the elevator in the mid-nineteenth century was significant ""not only for the convenience it represented, also it ushered in a new era in architecture,"" allowing buildings to become increasingly tall. a. not only for the convenience it represented, also it ushered in a new era in architecture b. not only for the convenience it represented; it also ushered in a new era in architecture c. not only because it represented convenience, but also because it ushered in a new era in architecture d. not just for the convenience it represented, but also because it ushered in a new era in architecture e. for the convenience it represented not only in addition to ushering in a new era in architecture
The original sentence contains the idiom "not only" which must be paired with "but also" (not simply "also") in order to be idiomatic. Moreover, in the expression "not only X, but also Y", X and Y must be in parallel form. The two elements "for the convenience . . ." and "it ushered . . ." are not in parallel form. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice incorrectly uses a semicolon to separate a dependent clause and an independent clause. A semicolon can only be used to separate two independent clauses (i.e., clauses that can stand alone). Further, "not only" is unidiomatic when used without "but also." (C) CORRECT. This choice contains the proper idiom pairing "not only" with "but also." Both elements of the idiom are followed by the phrase "because it . .," thereby creating a parallel structure. (D) This choice contains the unidiomatic pairing of "not just" with "but also." Additionally, the two elements "for the convenience . . ." and "because it ushered . . ." are not in parallel form. (E) This choice contains the awkward and unidiomatic phrase "not only in addition," which obscures the meaning of the sentence.
""Poet laureates once served as courtiers to the royal family, composing odes to preserve memories of significant occasions like"" coronations, but now serve as ambassadors-at-large, charged with bringing poetry to the masses. a. Poet laureates once served as courtiers to the royal family, composing odes to preserve memories of significant occasions like b. Poet laureates once served as courtiers to the royal family, composing odes to preserve memories of such significant occasions as c. Royal family courtiers once served as poet laureates who composed odes to preserve memories of significant occasions such as d. Royal families once appointed poet laureates to serve as courtiers, composing odes to preserve memories of significant occasions such as e. Once royal families appointed poet laureates to serve as courtiers, composing odes to preserve memories of significant occasions like
The original sentence correctly uses the subject poet laureates with the verbs in the two main clauses: served (in the first main clause) and serve (in the second main clause, after but now). The poet laureates served the royal family, but now they ( the poet laureates) serve as ambassadors-at-large. Note that the second main verb is not underlined; as a result, poet laureates must be the subject of the correct answer in order to match with the clause now serve as ambassadors-at-large. The sentence incorrectly uses the comparison word like to introduce an example of a significant occasion ( coronations); such as should be used to introduce examples. (A) This choice is incorrect, as it repeats the original sentence. (B) CORRECT. The choice fixes the original error by using such as to introduce the example (it is acceptable to use such as in a split construction: such significant occasions as coronations). This choice also maintains the required subject: poet laureates. (C) This choice changes the original meaning of the sentence. It indicates that courtiers were chosen to serve as poet laureates. The original sentence told us only that those chosen to be poet laureates were then considered courtiers. This choice does correct the original error by using such as to introduce the example rather than like. (D) This choice changes the subject from poet laureates to royal families. This is incorrect because of the non-underlined second main clause: now serve as ambassadors-at-large. The subject must also be used for this second clause, but the royal family does not now serve as ambassadors-at-large. This choice does correct the original error by using such as to introduce the example rather than like. (E) This choice changes the subject from poet laureates to royal families. This is incorrect because of the non-underlined second main clause: now serve as ambassadors-at-large. The subject must also be used for this second clause, but the royal family does not now serve as ambassadors-at-large. This choice also repeats the original error by incorrectly using like to introduce an example. The correct answer is B.
Metals, pigments and other chemical substances used by ancient cultures were not always benign, as ""the use of toxic lead by ancient Romans in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—of both their aqueducts and their private homes demonstrate."" a. the use of toxic lead by ancient Romans in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—of both their aqueducts and their private homes demonstrate b. demonstrated by the use of toxic lead in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—both of their aqueducts and their private homes by ancient Romans c. demonstrated by the toxic lead that ancient Romans used in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—of both their aqueducts and their private homes d. toxic lead used by ancient Romans in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—both of their aqueducts and of their private homes demonstrate e. the use by ancient Romans of toxic lead in the plumbing—a word derived from the Latin word for "lead"—of both their aqueducts and private homes demonstrates
The original sentence incorrectly pairs a singular subject ( the use) with a plural verb ( demonstrate). Don't be misled by the distance between these two; everything between them is a modifier. In fact, the distance between use and demonstrate is so extreme that it's easy to forget that use needs a verb. The correct choice should avoid this problem. (A) This choice is incorrect, as it repeats the original sentence. (B) This choice fixes the subject-verb agreement problem (and the problem of distance) by changing the beginning to demonstrated by the use. However, it introduces two new problems. First, parallelism is broken in the phrase both of their aqueducts and their private homes. The first marker word ( both) is followed by of their, but the second marker word ( and) is followed directly by their. The proper form would be both of their... and of their... or of both their... and their.... Second, the prepositional phrase by the Romans is so far removed from the noun it goes with ( use) that we lose track of the meaning. (C) CORRECT. This answer choice fixes all grammatical problems. Verbs are placed close to their natural subjects ( demonstrated by the toxic lead, ancient Romans used). Also, the parallelism of the both... and... construction at the end of the sentence is proper. It could be argued that the meaning has shifted ever so slightly (this choice states that the toxic lead itself demonstrates the point, rather than the use of that toxic lead), but we are left with no other choice, and a meaning shift of this minute degree is tolerable. (D) This choice introduces a subject-verb disagreement: toxic lead... demonstrate. Moreover, these two (subject and verb) are still separated by an enormous distance, with many distracting elements in between. (E) This choice still has a parallelism issue in the both their aqueducts and private homes. If both is followed by their, then and should be followed by their, too. Also, the separation of the modifier of toxic lead from the use creates a meaning problem, because this modifier seems to attach to ancient Romans. The correct answer is C.
Increase and Decrease vs Greater and Less
The words "increase" and "decrease" are not the same as the words "greater"" and "less". Increase and decrease express the change of one thing over time. Greater and less signal a comparison between two thingss Ex: the price of silver INCREASED by 10 dollars Ex: the price of silver is five dollars GREATER than the price of copper
Teachers in this country have generally been trained either ""to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles"" without truly understanding how to apply them. a. to approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles b. to approach mathematics like a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles c. to approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles d. that they should approach mathematics as a creative activity or to force students to memorize rules and principles e. that they should approach mathematics like a creative activity or that they should force students to memorize rules and principles
The original sentence incorrectly pairs an infinitive ("to approach") with a clause ("that they should...") in the construction "either X or Y." Moreover, the use of "like" in the phrase "to approach mathematics like a creative activity" is incorrect. "Like" is used to compare two nouns. "As" can be used to compare two clauses, but it also serves other functions. This sentence is not comparing mathematics to a creative activity, as much as it is suggesting that math be approached in the manner that one would approach a creative activity. One of the functions of "as" is to idiomatically express the role/function/manner in which something is done (i.e. He works as a chef, he volunteered as my friend). You could also think of "approach X as Y" as an idiom. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) While this choice does contain proper parallel structure, it incorrectly uses "like" instead of "as" in the phrase "to approach mathematics like a creative activity". (C) CORRECT. The construction "either X or Y" requires parallelism between X and Y. In choice C, X and Y are parallel infinitive phrases ("to approach . . ." and "to force . . ."). (D) This choice incorrectly pairs a clause ("that they should...") with an infinitive ("to approach") in the construction "either X or Y." (E) While this choice does create a parallel construction, it awkwardly begins the parallel elements with the words "that they" instead of the infinitive "to." Moreover, this choice incorrectly uses "like" instead of "as" in the phrase "to approach mathematics like a creative activity".
""Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs"" that became anthems for a generation of antiwar activists. a. Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs b. Bob Dylan wrote songs like many of his contemporaries c. As did many of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs d. Like the songs of his contemporaries, Bob Dylan wrote songs e. As did many of Bob Dylan's contemporaries, he wrote songs
The original sentence incorrectly uses "Like" to compare two clauses: "Like many of his contemporaries did, Bob Dylan wrote songs." "Like" can be used to compare nouns, but not phrases containing verbs (clauses). (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) As used in this sentence, "like" seems to compare the noun "songs" with the noun "contemporaries," implying that Bob Dylan's "songs" were similar to his "contemporaries." This comparison is illogical, as songs cannot be compared with people. (C) CORRECT. "As" is correctly used to compare two phrases containing verbs. (D) The modifying phrase "Like the songs of his contemporaries" incorrectly modifies the adjacent noun "Bob Dylan," implying that Bob Dylan is similar to the songs of his contemporaries. Songs cannot be logically compared with people. (E) While "as" is correctly used to compare two phrases containing verbs, the subject pronoun "he" incorrectly refers back to the possessive noun "Bob Dylan's." Only possessive pronouns can be used to refer to possessive nouns.
""Though viewed from a distance, Saturn's main rings may appear to be smooth and continuous, they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets when viewed up close."" a. Though viewed from a distance, Saturn's main rings may appear to be smooth and continuous, they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets when viewed up close. b. Though Saturn's main rings may appear smooth and continuous when viewed from a distance, they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets when viewed up close. c. Saturn's main rings, when viewed from a distance, may appear to be smooth and continuous, though when viewed up close they are in fact composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets. d. When viewed from a distance, Saturn's main rings may appear smooth and continuous, but closer viewing reveals them to be composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets. e. Though composed of thousands of separate icy ringlets if viewed up close, the main rings of Saturn may appear smooth and continuous when they are viewed from a distance.
The original sentence introduces the main clause with "though viewed from a distance", which establishes the expectation of a contradiction that never materializes. For example, "Though sleepy, the child stayed awake" is correct, whereas "Though sleepy, the child may have eaten soup" is not. Also, "when viewed up close" is placed in such a way as to illogically suggest that the rings are composed of icy ringlets only when being viewed up close. Finally, the words "to be" in "appear to be" are redundant. (A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence. (B) The placement of "when viewed up close" illogically suggests that the rings are composed of icy ringlets as a result of being viewed up close. (C) This choice incorrectly uses the redundant phrase "appears to be." Additionally, the use and placement of the words "when viewed up close, they are . . ." illogically suggests that the rings are composed of icy ringlets as a result of being viewed up close. (D) CORRECT. This choice shortens "appear to be" to "appear." Further, its use of the phrase "closer viewing reveals" clearly indicates that the close viewing only reveals (not causes) the composition of the rings. (E) The placement of "if viewed up close" illogically suggests that the rings are composed of icy ringlets as a result of being viewed up close.
There are many ways for an author to find representation for his first novel, but the most common method has been "the writing of a query letter that concisely explains the novel, and, after adequately researching agents, the letter is sent" to agents who might be a good match. A.) the writing of a query letter that concisely explains the novel, and, after adequately researching agents, the letter is sent B.) writing a query letter that concisely explains the novel, and, after adequately researching agents, to send the letter C.) to write a query letter that concisely explains the novel, and, after adequately researching agents, to send the letter D.) having a query letter written that concisely explains the novel, and, after adequately researching agents, the letter was sent E.) that a query letter was written concisely explaining the novel, which, after adequately researching agents, was sent
The purpose of this sentence is to explain a common way for authors to find representation for a novel. The steps of the method should be parallel, but in the original sentence the writing of is not parallel to it is sent. The writing of functions as a noun, while it is sent is a subject/verb clause. You can eliminate Choice A. Choice B also has a similar problem, because writing and to send are not parallel. Choice C correctly uses the parallel forms of to write and to send, so don't eliminate it. Choice D has a parallel construction problem as well, with the phrases having a query letter written and the letter was sent. This answer choice also has a verb tense error. Was sent is past tense, but the letter was not sent before the agents were researched. Choice E doesn't have the letter mentioned again with the sent verb, so that answer choice makes it sound like the novel is the item being sent to the agents. This answer also sounds like the novel is adequately researching agents. You can eliminate Choice E. This leaves Choice C as the best answer. Choice A: The writing and it is sent are not parallel. Parallel Construction. Choice B: The writing and to send are not parallel. Parallel Construction. Choice C: Correct Choice D: Having a query letter written and the letter was sent are not parallel. Parallel Construction. Choice E: After adequately researching agents should modify the method of the writer, not the novel itself. Misplaced Modifier. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Parallel Construction TPR Strategies: No 2/3 Split
Simple Past
The simple past indicates a completed action or condition EX: I wrote my final paper over the weekend.
Humans are better adapted for running than are other primates; a narrow waist and a midsection that can turn ""allow us to swing our arms and prevent"" us from zigzagging on the trail. a. allow us to swing our arms and prevent b. allows us to swing our arms and prevent c. allows us to swing our arms and prevents d. is what allows us to swing our arms and prevents e. allow us to swing our arms and to prevent
The subject of the verb allow is the compound subject a narrow waist and a midsection that can turn. Thus, a plural verb (allow) is required, rather than the singular verb allows. The compound subject is also the subject of the verb prevent; the meaning of the sentence requires that prevent be parallel to allow, rather than to swing. (A) CORRECT. This choice repeats the original sentence, which is correctly phrased. (B) Allows does not match the plural subject a narrow waist and a midsection that can turn. The fact that allows and prevent do not match should also be a clue that one of them is wrong. (C) Allows and prevents do not match the plural subject a narrow waist and a midsection that can turn. (D) It is better to say allows than the wordy is what allows. The verb is is also simply incorrect here, because it does not match the plural subject a narrow waist and a midsection that can turn. (E) Allow is correct, but the form to prevent is falsely parallel to the form to swing. The verb prevent should be made parallel to allow. The correct answer is A.
The verb enable and to be enable
The verb "enable" means the same thing as the phrase "to be enable to" using both words is redundant
Superlative Adjectives
These are typically formed by adding -est to the base form, is used to compare more than three things. For example, when you say "fastest car," you are comparing the speed of more than two cars. So, all the forms of the adjective fast are "fast, faster and fastest"
3 or 4 item list
X, Y and Z EX: apples, pears, AND bananas X, Y, Z, and W EX: apples, pears, bananas, AND peaches Correct lists obey these templates. No right answer omits AND in a list just before the last item. Moreover, the GMAT always inserts a comma before the AND anytime a list has at least three items.
Prepositional phrases
They are there mostly to distract you. The words in those prep phrases are not going to be the subject for the verb
Independent clauses
They, at the very least, have a subject and a verb. Every correct sentence must have at least one independent clause.
Dependent Clause
This also contains a verb but cannot stand alone as a sentence.
Independent Clause
This can stand alone as a complete sentence. Conjunctions such as "and" "but" and "or" often link two independent clauses to create one sentence. "I went to the movies, and she went to the library" Notice that each of the clauses expresses a complete thought and could stand alone as a complete sentence.
Present Perfect
This describes an action that started at an indefinite time in the past and either continues into the present or has just been completed. This tense uses the helping verb "has or have" followed by the past participle. EX: Astrid has read a book a week since she was twelve EX: I have never been to Spain.
Parallelism
This is the requirement that list items in a sentence be in the same grammatical structure. Of course, those list items need to be in the same grammatical structure because they are joined by a coordinating conjunction. This is a frequent source of error on the GMAT
Explained as
This is used when you're trying to connect or equate two things. For example, compare these two sentences. A yawn can be explained as a generally involuntary reflex consisting of an intake of air accompanied by a release of pressure (or popping) in the eardrums. (This explains what a yawn is) The doctor's endless yawning can be explained by her lack of insufficient sleep the night before. (this explains why she's yawning)
In 2006, the university's Student Union was occupied for eighteen hours by protestors demanding ""that cafeteria workers must be permitted"" to unionize. a. that cafeteria workers must be permitted b. cafeteria workers are permitted c. that cafeteria workers should be permitted d. that cafeteria workers be permitted e. the permission of cafeteria workers
This question is about the "command subjunctive." The correct formulation of the command subjunctive is as follows: I suggest [bossy verb] that you be [the infinitive form of the verb to be, minus the to] on time. Omitting the word that, using any other verb tense, or adding a word such as should would all make the above incorrect. Note: the command subjunctive is used differently in British English. In American English, it is absolutely incorrect to say "I suggest that you should be on time." (To correct it, simply omit should). The original sentence incorrectly adds must to the command subjunctive. (A) This choice is incorrect, as it repeats the original sentence. (B) That is mandatory when you use the command subjunctive. Also, the verb are should be be (the command subjunctive). (C) The addition of should makes this choice incorrect. (D) CORRECT. This choice uses the command subjunctive precisely in the right way. (E) This choice is grammatically acceptable, but the meaning has changed. If you demand the permission of workers to unionize, then you are asking workers whether or not you can unionize! When you demand permission to do X, you are asking for permission for yourself to do X. The correct answer is D.
""The "blown film" technique—which inflates huge bubbles in high-temperature cylindrical masses of molten plastic in order to expand—has the capability to produce plastic sheets or tubes that are as large as the entire building"" in which the process occurs. a. The "blown film" technique—which inflates huge bubbles in high-temperature cylindrical masses of molten plastic in order to expand—has the capability to produce plastic sheets or tubes that are as large as the entire building b. By inflating a huge bubble in a cylindrical mass of molten plastic at high temperatures, thus expanding the plastic, the "blown film" technique has the ability to produce a plastic sheet or tubes the same size as the building c. In order to expand large masses of molten plastic, the "blown film" technique, in which a huge bubble is inflated in a high-temperature cylindrical mass of the plastic; this technique can produce plastic sheets or tubes equal to the entire building's size d. The "blown film" technique—in which a huge bubble is inflated in a cylindrical mass of molten plastic at a high temperature, causing the plastic to expand—can produce a plastic sheet or tube as large as the entire building e. Involving huge bubbles that are blown into cylindrical masses of molten plastic at high temperatures—thereby expanding the plastic—the "blown film" technique produces a plastic sheet or tube that is capable of having an entire building's size
This sentence gives two different types of information about the "blown film" manufacturing technique: how it works (a bubble is blown in a mass of molten plastic, causing the plastic to expand) and what it can produce (exceptionally large plastic sheets or tubes). The sentence should be phrased in a way that makes these relationships clear, with modifiers used appropriately. (A) The modifier which inflates... applies to the preceding subject, the "blown film" technique, thus illogically suggesting that the technique itself, rather than some machine or its operators, can inflate bubbles. The modifier in order to expand applies to the preceding clause (which inflates huge bubbles...), suggesting the nonsensical notion that the blown-film technique itself is trying to expand. has the capability to produce is not as concise as the phrase can produce. (B) The initial modifier By inflating... applies to the following subject, the "blown film" technique him, thus illogically suggesting that the technique itself, rather than some machine or its operators, can inflate bubbles. has the ability to produce is not as concise as can produce. (C) The portion of this choice before the semicolon is a sentence fragment; it consists only of a noun phrase (the "blown film" technique), preceded and followed by modifiers. Furthermore, as a result of the rearrangement of words at the end of this choice, the modifier in which the process occurs now illogically modifies the building's size rather than the building. (D) CORRECT. The modifier in which... is properly used to describe the blown-film technique. The passive is inflated is correctly used to describe the inflation of the bubble, as the actual mechanism that inflates the bubble is not mentioned (nor is it important) in the sentence. The modifier causing the plastic to expand correctly describes an immediate consequence of the action in the preceding clause. Overall, the core sentence states logically that The blown-film technique... can produce a plastic sheet or tube with the characteristics described. (E) The modifier Involving huge bubbles..., while grammatically valid, is unacceptably vague: it states only that the blown-film technique involves such bubbles (in some capacity). In other words, this sentence allows for the possibility that the blown-film technique uses bubbles produced arbitrarily in some other, unnamed, process, rather than that the generation of the bubbles is a fundamental aspect of the blown-film technique. The modifier that is capable of... modifies a plastic sheet or tube; while this modification is also grammatically acceptable, it doesn't make sense, as it implies that the plastic sheet or tube might change sizes (up to some maximal capability) once it has been produced. An entire building should be the entire building, as the sentence is meant to convey the idea that the plastic sheet or tube can have the size of the building in which it is produced; an entire building in which the process occurs instead refers, illogically, to an arbitrarily chosen building equipped for the blown-film process. Finally, as a result of the rearrangement of words at the end of this choice, the modifier in which the process occurs now illogically modifies building's size rather than building.
Spending enormous amounts out of the French treasury, Catherine de Medici sponsored the construction of numerous edifices and statues during her reign, influenced by "the historic buildings of her native Italy and by her admiration for the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelled by a need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II." A.) the historic buildings of her native Italy and by her admiration for the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelled by a need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II B.) the historic buildings of her native Italy and admiring the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelling the need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II C.) the historic buildings of her native Italy, her admiration for the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelled by a need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II D.) the building of her historic native Italy and her admiration for the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelled by a need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II E.) the building of her historic native Italy and admiring the architectural patronage of her father-in-law, and propelling need to commemorate her deceased husband, Henry II
This sentence is correct as written. The sentence includes a list stating that the construction projects were influenced by and propelled by certain factors in Catherine de Medici's life. This list is parallel, because the verb forms are congruent. There is also a sub-list, following influenced by, consisting of the historic buildings and her admiration. This sub-list is also parallel, because the two items are both expressed as noun forms. Since there is no error in the original sentence, and the sentence contains lists, check the remaining answer choices to determine whether any contain errors of parallel construction. Choice B provides the phrase the historic buildings... and admiring. Here, one item in the sub-list has a noun form while the other has a verb form. Furthermore, the original propelled by has become propelling, which no longer matches influenced by. This choice is not parallel, so eliminate Choice B. Choice C violates parallelism by the omission of the word and in the sub-list. This omission erroneously merges the list expressed between the two verbs influenced by and propelled by with the sub-list expressed by the two noun forms the historic buildings and her admiration. The resulting sentence is not parallel and is confusing, so eliminate Choice C. Choice D and Choice E both replace the original phrase the historic buildings of her native Italy with the building of her historic native Italy, which confuses the sense of the sentence: shifting the meaning from talking about the buildings (individual structures) of Italy to the building (construction) of Italy. In addition, in Choice D the items in the list are no longer parallel. Choice E also repeats the error found in Choice B, changing propelled by to propelling. Eliminate Choice D and Choice E. Choice A: Correct. Choice B: The list the historic buildings...and admiring is not parallel, and propelling does not match inspired by. Parallel Construction - Verb Forms. Choice C: This answer erroneously merges the list expressed between the two verbs influenced by and propelled by with the sub-list expressed by the two noun forms the historic buildings and her admiration. Parallel Construction. Choice D: The original phrase the historic buildings of her native Italy is replaced with the building of her historic native Italy, which confuses the meaning and renders the items on the list no longer parallel. Parallel Construction. Choice E: The original phrase the historic buildings of her native Italy is replaced with the building of her historic native Italy which confuses the meaning. Additionally, propelling is not parallel with inspired by. Parallel Construction - Verb Forms. Subject Area: Sentence Correction Categories: Parallel Construction TPR Strategies: 2/3 Split Beginning, No Error
Sentence beginning with though
This signals a subordinate clause, such opening modifiers can either be complete sentences (though he studied all night, he still failed his test the next day) or non clause modifiers (though tired, she studied for another hour) cannot have: (though called a sea but it actually is the largest lake on earth) can have: (though it is called a sea, it is actually the largest lake on earth) or (though called a sea but actually the largest lake on earth)
Past Perfect
This verb form is used with HAD to show the order of two events that took place in the past Correct: By the time I left for school, the cake had been baked.
Nonessential modifiers
Two long nonessential modifiers in a row can lead to awkward or incorrect phrasing. Better to place one nonessential modifier before the noun and then another after the noun.
idioms either...
or EX: i must have either chocolate ice cream or carrot cake to complete a great meal
Past Progressive II
Use this to describe an action that was ongoing in the past. EX: We were sleeping when the fire alarm went off
Future Progressive III
Use this to describe an ongoing action that takes place in the future. The tense is formed by using the future form of the helping verb "to be" plus the -ing form of a verb EX: I will be cleaning my room when you arrive
Future Perfect III
Use this to indicate an action that will be completed by a specified time in the future EX: We will not have finished dinner by the time you arrive
Past Perfect III
Use this when you want to make it clear that one action in the past happened before another. This tense requires the helping verb "had" EX: Before she began college last fall, she had never been more than twenty miles from home In the example above, the past perfect action was cut off by an intervening event in the more recent past. The past perfect cannot stand alone as the only verb in a sentence.
Past Perfect Progressive
Used with "Had been", this verb form describes an action of some duration that was completed before another past action occurred Correct: Before the fire alarm rang, the student had been studying
Present Progressive
Used with "am, is, or are" this verb form describes an ongoing action that is happening now. Correct: I am studying for exams. Correct: The student is studying for exams Correct: We are studying for exams
Present Perfect
Used with "has or have", the present perfect tense describes an action that occurred at an indefinite time in the past or that began in the past and continues into the present. Correct: I have traveled all over the world (indefinite time) Correct: He has gone to school since he was five years old. (continues into the present)
Present Perfect Progressive
Used with "have been" or "has been", this verb form describes something that began in the past, continues into the present, and may continue into the future Correct: The student has been studying hard in the hope of acing the test.
Past Progressive
Used with "was" or "were", this verb form describes something that was happening when another action occurred Correct: The student was studying when the fire alarm rang. Correct: They were studying when the fire broke out
Future Progressive
Used with "will be" or "shall be", this verb tense describes an ongoing action that will continue into the future Correct: The students will be studying for exams throughout the month of December
Future Perfect Progressive
Used with "will have been", this verb form describes a future, ongoing action that will occur before a specified time. Correct: By the end of next year, the students will have been studying math for five years
Future Perfect
Used with WILL HAVE, this verb form describes an event in the future that will precede another event. Correct: By the end of the day, I will have studied for all my tests.
Parallel construction
When a sentence includes a list or comparison, each word or phrase in the list or comparison must have the same grammatical structure. The following examples illustrates parallel construction EX: A melody is a succession of single tones that vary in pitch, harmony and rhythm EX: By the time he was thirteen, Mozart had not only composed sonatas, but he had also performed before royalty EX: Walking briskly can be as aerobically beneficial as jogging EX: Her novel was praised as an exciting story, a social critique, and a philosophical inquiry.
Compound subjects
When a subject includes more than one noun, we call it a compound subject. EX: My best friend and her sister are very similar in personality. When "and" joins two subjects, you must use a plural verb. However, compound subjects joined by "or," "either...or," and "neither...nor" follow a different rule. In these cases, the verb agrees wit the noun closest to it. Ex: Neither the bride nor the groom was able to remember the names of all the guests. EX: Neither Joe nor his cousins were happy on the first day of school.
Comparative and Superlative Forms
When comparing two things, use the comparative form of an adjective or adverb. When comparing more than two things, use the superlative form of an adjective or adverb. Comparative: She is SHORTER than her sister Superlative: She is the SHORTEST of her five siblings Comparative: You are MORE INTERESTING than he. Superlative: You are the MOST INTERESTING person here. Do not compare an adverb that end in -ly by changing the ending to -er. This error is common in speech. Instead add MORE. Wrong: Adrian runs QUICKLY. He runs QUICKER than Jacob. Right: Adrian runs QUICKLY. He runs MORE QUICKLY than Jacob. However, some adverbs that do not end in -ly are made into comparatives by adding -er. Right: Adrian runs FAST. He runs FASTER than Jacob. Do not use a comparative adjective unless you have a THAN in the sentence. Wrong: With winter coming, I will have HIGHER energy bills. The sentence IMPLIES the comparison THAN NOW. On the GMAT, however, you must make the comparison explicit, using the word THAN. Right: I will have HIGHER bills THAN last year.
""""Weighing more than 300 pounds and standing over 2 meters tall, the flightless bird Titanis walleri, which lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey, is the most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds." """ a. Weighing more than 300 pounds and standing over 2 meters tall, the flightless bird Titanis walleri, which lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey, is the most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds." b. The most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds," the flightless bird Titanis walleri, which lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey, weighing more than 300 pounds and standing over 2 meters tall. c. The most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds," the flightless bird Titanis walleri weighed more than 300 pounds, stood over 2 meters tall, having lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey. d. Weighing more than 300 pounds and standing over 2 meters tall, the flightless bird Titanis walleri lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey, the most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds." e. The flightless bird Titanis walleri, which weighed more than 300 pounds and stood over 2 meters tall, lived in Florida about 2 million years ago and may have evolved opposable thumbs to subdue struggling prey, the most fearsome representative of the aptly named "terror birds."
When the sentence is completely underlined, it can be difficult to find splits in the answer choices. A better strategy might be to look in the original sentence and in choice B for errors, particularly of modifiers and parallelism (since these issues allow for wholesale rearrangement of sentence parts). After all, either A or B (or both) must be wrong. In fact, the original sentence has no errors! The subject of the sentence is the flightless bird Titanis walleri. This subject is surrounded by two big modifiers ( Weighing... tall and which... prey). Finally, the main verb of the sentence is is, which is followed by the rest of the predicate ( the most fearsome representative...). (A) CORRECT. (B) This choice is a sentence fragment: there is no main verb. The original predicate has been turned into an opening modifier ( The most fearsome representative...). The subject is followed by two modifiers, but weighing... does not qualify as a main verb. (C) This choice violates parallelism. The list in the middle of the sentence seems to be weighed..., stood..., having lived... and may have evolved. The third element ( having lived) is definitely not parallel to the first two past-tense verbs. (D) This choice has a poorly positioned modifier. At the very end of the sentence, the phrase the most fearsome representative... seems to be modifying struggling prey, rather than the Titanis bird. (E) This choice has the same problem as choice D: the modifier at the end of the sentence seems to be modifying the wrong noun. The correct answer is A.
Present Participle
When you see an -ing word used as an modifier. Participles don't have a tense, so whenever you see a participle you need to check out what the tense in sentence already is. Need to look for main verb in the sentence.
Present Progressive II
When you want to describe something that is in progress right now, use the present PROGRESSIVE tense. (its something called the present continuous tense.) Present progressive uses a form of "to be" followed by the -ing form of the verb (also known as the present participle) EX: The kids on the playground are laughing loudly.
Present Perfect A
You form it with the words has/have + the past participle. This tense is a little bit flexible but the general meaning is it is something that has started in the past with some kind of ongoing action. Example sentences: 1. I have been teaching the GMAT for five years ( I started teaching the GMAT five years ago, and I am still teaching it now) 2. A recent study has found that people prefer chocolate ice cream to strawberry. ( The study itself is over it is not ongoing but the thing that is ongoing is the result of the study.)
idioms controversy...
over
idioms not...
but EX: the review was not mean spirited but merely flippant
idioms prohibit...
from EX: he was prohibited from entering the public library after he accidentally set the dictionary on fire with a magnifying glass
idioms Different...
from EX: democrats are not so different than Republicans in the Untied States
so as to means...
in order to
like vs such as
like means similar to such as means for example EX: The mule, like the donkey, is a close relative of the horse EX: Many of my favorite ice cream flavors, such as chocolate chip and strawberry, are also available as frozen yogurt
Dependent clause at the end?
no comma necessary EX: My supervisor has trouble coordinating his clothes because he is color blind
idioms neither...
nor EX: Because Jenny was grounded, she could neither leave the house nor use the telephone
idiom capable...
of using NOT "to use"
idiom authority...
on EX: Barbara is an authority on textiles not account about*
Parallelism rules prepositions
preposition with preposition in the house and on the roof
idiom hopes...that
should be followed by a clause EX: she hopes that a reconciliation will occur
idiom Hopes....for
should be followed by a noun EX: she hopes for a reconciliation
idioms just as...
so too EX: Just as I crossed over to the dark side, so too will you my son.
idioms the more...
the -er EX: The more you ignore me, the closer I get
idiom the higher the x...
the longer the y...
idioms superior...
to EX: my pasta sauce is far superior to my mother in law's
idioms from...
to EX: scores on the GMAT range from 200 to 800
idioms ability...
to If you take the GMAT enough times, you might develop the ability to choose the credited responses without reading the quesitons
idioms attribute...
to EX: Many amusing quips are attributed to Dorothy Parker
idioms Estimate...
to be EX: the time he has spent impersonating Elvis is estimated to be longer than the time Elvis himself spent performing
Each vs All or both
use each when you want to emphasize the seperateness of the items Use both for two things or all for more than two things when you want to emphasize the togetherness of the items EX: each of the doctors had his own specialty EX: both of the women went to Bryn Mawr for their undergraduate degrees EX: All of the letters received before January 15 went into the drawing for the $10 million prize
Dependent clause in the middle?
use two commas EX: My supervisor, who is color blind, has trouble coordinating his clothes
Whether vs if
use whether when there are two possibilities use if in conditional statements EX: Eduardo wasn't sure whether he could make it to the party EX: If Eduardo comes to the party, he will bring a bottle of wine
Words that end with "ly"
usually are adverbs and modify Many adverbs end with "ly" since it is a quick way to turn an adjective into an adverb - "sad" becomes "sadly" and "perfect" becomes "perfectly." The "ly" suffix is also an excellent way to describe how something, or how often, something is done.
Verb Tenses
verb tense places an action in time, and the basic tense are past, present, and future. If a tense uses a helper verb, such as a form of "to be" or "to have," use the helper verb to determine the tense. For example, I was walking is in the past tense because "was" denotes the past. "I am walking" is in the present because "am" denotes the present.
