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Redundancy Redundancy questions involve removing unnecessary words. On the SAT, you'll encounter two types of re- dundancy: • Words that essentially repeat or unnecessarily define previous words (Examples 1 and 2) • Inflated and useless phrases that could be omitted or condensed into fewer words (Example 3 and 4) Example 1 Wrong: Our problem is that we're too self-aware of ourselves. Correct: Our problem is that we're too self-aware. Self-aware already implies ourselves, so we don't need of ourselves in the sentence. Example 2 Wrong: I once believed and had faith in the power of love. Correct: 1 once believed in the power of love. The phrase had faith in repeats the same meaning as believed. Example 3 Wrong: Joey bought a super-sized hamburger due to the fact that he was really hungry. Correct: Joey bought a super-sized hamburger because he was really hungry. Example 4 Wrong: The legal documents were reviewed in a way that was deemed thorough. Correct: The legal documents were reviewed thoroughly. Inflated phrases like due to the fact that and in a way that was deemed must be made concise.

Example 10 Wrong: The Black Friday deals attracted hordes of shoppers. These shoppers rampaged through the doors as the stores opened. Correct: The Black Friday deals attracted hordes of shoppers, who rampaged through the doors as the stores opened. Example 11 Wrong: The commander's charge into the opposing army was fearless, an act of bravery. Correct: The commander's charge into the opposing army was fearless, on-act of bravery. Example 12 Wrong: Generic drugs are usually cheaper than when buging name-brandones. Correct: Generic drugs are usually cheaper than when-buying name-brand ones. Exercise 1: Correct the redundancy errors (repeated meaning) in the following sentences. Answers are some- what flexible. Answers for this chapter start on page 222.

Parallelism - I Lists You probably know from math that parallel lines are two lines that go in the same direction. The concept is similar in English in the way we structure certain things together. I like flying planes, riding trains, and driving automobiles. Notice the same format for each of the things in the list: gerund (word ending in ing)-noun, gerund-noun, gerund-noun. It sounds nice and fluid when the sentence is put together that way. It would be awkward incorrect to say: I like flying planes, riding trains, and to drive automobiles. Here's another correct version: I like to fly planes, to ride trains, and to drive automobiles. (infinitive-noun pattern) It's also correct to leave out the to's because they're implied to carry over to all three items in the list: I like to fly planes, ride trains, and drive automobiles. But again, you must be consistent-it would be incorrect to write: I like to fly planes, ride trains, and to drive automobiles. The to is used again after being left out in the second item. Let's walk through some examples so you see what sentences need to be parallel on the SAT: Example 1 Wrong: In chess, remember these three goals: get your pieces to the center, capture the opposing pieces, and attacking the opposing king. Correct: In chess, remember these three goals: get your pieces to the center, capture the opposing pieces, and attack the opposing king.

Example 9 Wrong: . The school was designed to be a place where creativity would be celebrated and hard work was rewarded there. Correct: The school was designed to be a place where creativity would be celebrated and hard work (would be) rewarded. Note that would be can be left out because it's implied to carry over. Example 10 Wrong: The principal planned to improve teacher training and clearer rules for studént conduct should be established. Correct: The principal planned to improve teacher training and (to) establish clearer rules for stu- dent conduct. Example 11 Wrong: The people who ride the bus or have taken the train can't afford to drive to work. Correct: The people who ride the bus or take the train can't afford to drive to work. Example 12 Wrong: Traveling the world has given me the pleasure of meeting new people, to explore different ways of life Correct: Traveling the world has given me the pleasure of meeting new people, of exploring different ways of life.

Fragments A sentence fragment is a piece or part of a sentence. It's an incomplete sentence, one that's missing a subject or a verb. For example: Floating on the river. Of course, that one's easy to spot. The SAT will give you sentence fragments so long that by the time you've read to the end of them, you'll have forgotten where you started. You'll commonly see fragments in which the entire sentence is a relative clause (e.g. who, which, that, wkere), a dependent clause (e.g although, while, when), or a gerund phrase (e.g. being, walking, singing). If you read a sentence out loud and it lacks a sense of completion or the whole thing just sounds weird by the end, chances are it's a sentence fragment. Example 1 Wrong: People who have a sense of entitlement and feel absolutely no sympathy for those less for- tunate even when they take advantage of their services. Correct: People who have a sense of entitlement and feel absolutely no sympathy for those less for- tunate even when they take advantage of their services make me sick. Example 1 is a relative clause sentence fragment. Example 2 Wrong: Because my broken heart, which you have left hardly beating in my chest, is the reason for my endless suffering. Correct: My broken heart, which you have left hardly beating in my chest, is the reason for my endless suffering. Example 2 is a dependent clause sentence fragment. Example 3 Wrong: Russell Brand, the English comedian, being one of the funniest celebrities alive. Correct: Russell Brand, the English comedian, is one of the funniest celebrities alive. Example 3 is a gerund phrase sentence fragment.

There is no one absolute way to fix a sentence fragment. On the SAT, the simpler ones are easy to spot and fix. Often times, the trickier ones will involve removing words like who, which, although, because, since, and despite as in Example 2. Exercise 1: Turn the following sentence fragments into complete sentences. Answers are flexible. Answers for this chapter start on page 221.