Gr

Pronoun Errors

-Most pronoun errors- two categories- reference and agreement- a pronoun should clearly refer to a specific noun (its antecedent) -Must agree in number with antecedents (either singular or plural) Reference error: Ex. Green and Holmes played, and he scored a touchdown. Corrected: Green and Holmes played, and Holmes scored a touchdown. Agreement error: The average mother expects unconditional love from her child, and they are rarely disappointed. Correct: The average mother expects unconditional love from her child, and she is rarely disappointed Case error: Management will give the award to whomever produces the best prototype. Management will give the award to whoever produces the best prototype. Note: Whoever is the subject of "produces" and the entire clause ("whoever produces the best prototype") is object of the preposition "to"

Verb Form Errors

-Several verbs in one sentence -Answer choices that provide different versions of a particular verb -Verb tense most common -Should all agree and match the timeline -With sequential events, ask yourself about their proper order - then determine if the verb choice is appropriate Ex. He already sent the email when it occurred to him that he wasn't able to retrieve it later. Corrected: He had already sent the email when it occurred to him that he wouldn't be able to retrieve it later

Subjunctive Mood

-Should be used to express a "wish" or a "contrary to fact" condition. Sentences should include words such as if, had, were, and should. -If the sentence uses a regular verb tense (past, present, future, etc.) to express a "wish" or "contrary to fact" condition, then it is grammatically incorrect. Ex. If the college lowers its tuition, I would probably enroll. Correct: Should the college lower its tuition, I would probably enroll.

Agreement strategy

-Slash and burn: -Ignore descriptive terms - adjectives, adverbs, and modifying phrases that are not part of a modifier error -clauses irrelevant to the underlined portion (notably those which introduce subordinate clauses that contain the underlined portion)

Dangling Modifier

A modifier that doesn't refer to any particular word(s) in the sentence. The best way to correct a dangling modifier is to reconstruct the sentence. Dangling: Set by an arsonist, firefighters were unable to save the burning building. (This sentence makes no reference to whatever was set by an arsonist) Better: Firefighters were unable to save the burning building from the fire set by an arsonist.

Modifiers

A word or phrase that describes, restricts, or qualifies another word or phrase. Modifying phrases are typically set off with commas, and many such phrases begin with a relative pronoun (which, who, that, whose, and whom) -Should be placed as close as possible to the words they modify Ex. Nearly dead, the police finally found the victim Better: The police finally found the victim, who was nearly dead. The modifiers almost, nearly, hardly, just and only should immediately precede the word(s) they modify.

Verb

A word that expresses action, existence, or occurrence Ex. The librarian found the book and forwarded it. (found, forwarded)

Noun

A word that is used to name a person, place, thing, quality, or action and can function as the subject or object of a verb, or as the object of a preposition Ex. The librarian found the book and forwarded it (librarian, book) "Who?" or "what?" - noun or pronoun

Conjunction

A word that links words, phrases, or clauses Proper techniques and practice are both important for GMAT preparation. (and)

Adjective

A word that modifies a noun or pronoun. Adjectives are distinguished chiefly by their suffixes, such as -able, -ous, and -er, or by their position directly preceding a noun or noun phrase. Adjectives answer the questions "which?" or "what kind?" Ex. The brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. (brown, lazy) "Which?" or "what kind?" - adjective (which can only modify a noun or pronoun)

Adverb

A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, another adverb, or an entire clause. Adverbs are often identified by the suffix -ly. Adverbs answer the questions "how?" "when?" "where?" "why?" or "how much?" Ex. The brown fox jumps quickly over the lazy dog. (quickly)

Pronoun

A word that takes the place of a noun (its antecedent or referent) Ex. The librarian found the book and forwarded it. (It) Always ask what noun the pronoun referst to.

Preposition

A word, such as in or to, or a group of words, such as in regard to, that is placed before a noun or pronoun and indicates a grammatical relation to another word in the sentence. Prepositional phrases typically function as adjectives or adverbs; the preposition established the relation of the prepositional phrase to the rest of the sentence. Ex. Proper techniques and practice are both important for GMAT preparation. (for)

Adjective endings -er and -ier vs. -est and -iest

Adjectives ending in -er and -ier should be used to compare two things, while adjectives ending in -est and -iest should be used when dealing with three or more things. Incorrect: Frank is less intelligent than the other four students Correct: Frank is the least intelligent among the five students

Most Effective Answers in Sentence Correction

Answers should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical errors

Comparison Idiomatic Error

As many/much as denotes equality between items So many/much that denotes a critical mass leading to a consequence More/Less than denotes inequality between items When a comparison is used, remember acronym LIP: Logical: Ensure the comparison is logical (not comparing apples and oranges) Idiomatic: Ensure the wording of the comparison is idiomatically correct ("as many as",not "as many than") Parallel: Ensure the two sides of the comparison are grammatically parallel (for example, compare clause with clause or noun with noun, not clause with noun).

Perfect continuous tense

Describe actions that occurred before another event and are ongoing. For example: "By the end of the month, I will have been studying for twelve weeks"

Function questions

Function questions ask you why: why an author included certain evidence or wording, or why she arranged the evidence in a particular way. Answering these questions depend on understanding the Organization. Look back at the portion of the passage to find the answer using STOP to find the paragraph. Ex: "The author mentions X in order to..." "One function of the second paragraph is to..." "The discussion of X is meant to..." "The author quotes X primarily in order to..."

Future perfect

Future perfect ("I will have studied") describes a future event that will come before another event. The present perfect ("I have studied") simply describes an event that happened before the present (a present event doesn't have to be specified)

Equivalent Elements Errors

Equivalent elements must be parallel- they should be constructed in the same grammatical form Ex. To imitate someone's success is not the same as duplicating it. Correct: Imitating someone's success is not the same as duplicating it. Clues: A series of actions or related items (ex. reading, practicing, and correcting) The use of correlated pairs such as from...to (n)either...(n)or, not only...but also sentences that make comparisons (such as "Like X, Y"; "X is greater than Y", etc.

Modifier Errors

Error occurs when the modifier does not modify what it is supposed to modify. Ex. Leaving her home to go to work, the traffic surprised Lissette. Correct: Leaving her home to go to work, Lissette was surprised by the traffic If the modifiers act as an adjective, check to see if the modifying phrase appears as close as possible to what it modifies. Clues: -Modifying phrase to start or complete a sentence

Roles of portions in boldface

Focus - The argument's logic, and specifically the roles of portions in boldface. Answer - Descriptions of roles in the argument Solving tips - Before reading the stimulus, scan the answer choices to note repeated or easily recognized role classifications. Deconstruct the argument: isolate the conclusion, identify the premises, evaluate the logic. Be wary of fallacies such as confusing necessary and sufficient conditions. Select the answer which accurately describes the roles of both boldface portions.

FUSION

Function Universal Specific Inference Other Critical Reasoning Next Step STOP and FUSION work together. Use STOP to read the passage. When you get to the questions, you can use FUSION to classify them.

Idiomatic Errors

Idiomatic errors occur when the sentence violates the established way to say something. Ex. It's hard to choose between so many appetizing desserts Correct It's hard to choose among so many appetizing desserts Clue: Sentences that don't look right but also don't violate any other rule

Organization of a passage

Keep focus on the Organization to prevent losing focus and missing the main purpose by overlooking the direction of the author's argument. After reading each paragraph, stop briefly to ask yourself the point of that paragraph in the passage overall. Take note of wording that signals Organization; signal wording can help you understand not only the Scope but also the direction and perspective of the author's argument.

Redundancy

Look for words and phrases that express the same idea twice Ex: The reason that we stopped for the night was because we were sleepy. Better: We stopped for the night because we were sleepy. Most likely: -Words establishing cause and effect (because, since, if, then, therefore) -References to time (age, years, hours, days) -Words used as conjunctions (both, as well, too also)

Rudimentary Sentence Errors

Occurs when a sentence lacks the basic structure of a subject-predicate, or when these basic structures are connected improperly. Result in sentence fragments, run-on sentences, or improperly connected clauses Ex. The canoe, being so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids. Correct: The canoe was so light that a person could easily portage it around impeding rapids. Clues: -Sentence fragment or run-on sentence -Multiple clauses that are not properly integrated with each other Ex. The sale applies not only to used cars, but on new vehicles Correct: The sale applies not only to used cars, but also to new vehicles The construction "not only...but also" occurs often on the GMAT, and the above sentence also required the construction applies...to.

Perfect tense

Perfect tense is used to indicate an event that happened before an event in the simple tense. Never use the past perfect ("I had studied") when you are talking simply about a single event in the past; always use the past simple ("I studied"). Also use the past simple with two events that happened at the same time in the past: Jo discovered Leslie's lie As Mary shook hands with Mr. Morgan, she recognized him

Agreement of Subject/Verb Errors

Plural subjects should have plural verbs and singular subjects should have singular verbs -A subject followed by a prepositional phrase -A subject followed by any long modifying phrase -A verb before the subject (an inverted sentence) -Compound subjects or predicates -A compound or complex sentence (a sentence with multiple clauses) -Use of either/or; neither/nor -A noun (such as crowd) that appears to be plural, but may in fact be singular. Note: The verb should agree with whatever follows nor, so is is preferable to are. Cover up the text between the subject and the verb to make it easier to check if they agree. Match up the subject and verb of each and every clause Watch out for special cases such as either/or pairs and tricky nouns like crowd. Ex: Arturo told his friends that neither investment banking nor management consulting are attractive to him. Corrected: Arturo told his friends that neither investment banking nor management consulting is attractive to him.

SWIMMER Technique

S - Strengthen/support/assumption/premise W - Weaken/Undermine/Challenge/Flaw/Error/Refute I - Inference/Conclusion/Deduction/Must be true M - Method of reasoning M - Mimi the reasoning E - Explain the paradox R - Roles of bold face portions Read the question stem first.

STOP - Reading Comprehension

Scope, Tone, Organization, and Purpose

Accuracy

Sentences should be clear and avoid ambiguity. Should not describe illogical scenarios Ex of accuracy error: With proper sunlight and water, sunflower seeds develop themselves into full-grown plants. Correct: With proper sunlight and water, sunflower seeds develop into full-grown plants.

Fluency

Sentences should not be awkward. Should fit the parameters for natural written English. Ex. The treaty impacted the number of soldiers allowed for recruiting by the nation. Correct: The treaty impacted the number of soldiers that the nation was allowed to recruit.

Brevity

Should not be overly wordy. Should deliver the essential content in as direct a fashion as possible Ex of a brevity error: Black support for democrats at the state and local levels developed only after when civil rights legislation was supported by Harry Truman Correct: Black support for Democrats at the state and local levels developed only after Harry Truman's support of civil rights legislation

Common Pronouns

Singular Subject Object Possesive I Me My you you your he him his she her her it it its who whom whose which which of which that that Plural we us our you you your they them their who whom whose which which of which that that

Specific

Specific questions ask about the details of a passage. Your task here is to locate the pertinent portion of the passage. Specific questions are logically identical to inference questions from critical reasoning: the answer must be true according to the passage. Usually a simple paraphrase of part of the passage. Be sure to answer the question asked. Ex. "According to the passage..." "The passage warns of which of the following dangers?" "The author of the passage mentions which of the following as an example of X?" "The author cites each of the following as influences on X Except..."

Subjunctive Mood - The Use of "That"

The subjunctive mood is also used in clauses of recommendation, request, suggestion, or demand. These clauses should include "that". Ex.Ann suggested we should go to the Chinese restaurant. Correct: Ann suggested that we should go to the Chinese restaurant.

Verb tenses

Time frame Perfect? Continuous? Example Present - - I study Present Perfect - I have studied Present - Continuous I am studying Present Perfect Continuous I have been studying Past - - I studied Past Perfect - I had studied Past - Continuous I was studying Past Perfect Continuous I had been studying Future - - I will study Future Perfect - I will have studied Future - Continuous I will be studying Future Perfect Continuous I will have been studying

Scope of a passage

To identify the authors primary Purpose, understand the Scope of the passage. Scope gives boundaries to the passage. Ex. Topic: Business Education Subtopic: Entrepreneurship programs Score: The YES program, its recent criticisms and need for change

Method of reasoning

Trigger phrases: Agrumentative technique, reasoning, proceeds by Focus - Author's logic or arumentative technique Answer - A description of the author's logic Solving tips - Focus on the argumentative approach, not the subject matter. Find the answer that is an accurate description of the logic. Eliminate answer choices that are inconsistent with the stimulus.

Mimic the reasoning

Trigger phrases: Parallels, logical structure, most similar to, pattern of reasoning Focus - Logic pattern of the stimulus Answer - An argument (just like the stimulus) Solving tips - Focus on the pattern of reasoning, not the subject matter. Find the answer that precisely matches the logic structure of the stimulus. If the stimulus contains flawed logic, eliminate any answers that are logically sound. If the stimulus is logically sound, eliminate any answers that contain flawed logic.

Explain the paradox

Trigger words: Explain, paradox, resolve, apparent discrepancy, reconcile Focus - Specific of the paradox Answer - Premise Solving tips - Clearly identify the points that seem to contradict each other. Select the answer that explains how the seemingly contradictory positions are both true. Be sure to choose an answer that allows both parts of the stimulus to survive (do not contradict a premise) (Paradox- a self-contradictory and false proposition)

Inference

Trigger words: Inferred, deduced, gathered, concluded, is supported by, must be true Focus - Premises presented in the stimulus Answer - A deductive conclusion Solving tips - Find the answer that must be true based on the stimulus (evidence). Eliminate any answer choices that are not necessarily true. Note: If/then diagrams may be helpful. Incorrect answers are not necessarily true (could be true)

Weaken

Trigger words: Weaken, undermine, cast doubt, call into question, jeapordize, challenge, err, refute Focus: Author's conclusion - and a gap in logic Answer: A premise Solving tips: After reading the stimulus, relfect on the gap in logic before looking at the answers: If you were to write a letter to the editor, what would your topic be? Look for the answer choice which expresses the gap in logic. Find a missing assumption - perhaps an alternative explanation. Select an answer that supplies new information relevant to the conclusion. Remeber that you need not disprove the author's conclusion, just weaken it.

Strengthen

Trigger words: Strengthen Justify/support Assumption Premise Presupposition - to assume beforehand Focus - Author's conclusion - and key assumptions (unstated premises) Answer - A premise Solving tips - Select an answer that supplies new information relevant to the conclusion. Find the answer that supplies the missing premise (a key assumption). Remember that you do not need to prove the author's conclusion, just strengthen it.

Universal

Universal questions ask you to characterize the passage as a whole. If using STOP, you won't even need to look back at the passage. Ex. "The passage is most relevant to which of the following areas of study?" "The author of the passage is primarily concerned with..." "Which of the following best describes the organization of the passage?" "The primary purpose of the passage is to do which of the following?"

When to use "Which"?

Use "which" to refer to things

When to use "who" or "that"?

Use either "who" or "that" to refer to people

Continuous Tenses

Used to indicate actions that are, were, or will be ongoing, often in comparison with another discrete event indicated by the simple form. For example: "I was studying in the library when the fire alarm sounded"

VAMPIRES

Verb form Agreement - between subject and verb Modifier Pronoun Idiom Rudimentary sentence Equivalent elements Second tier Focous on recognizing the concepts. Roughly 20% contain no error

Purpose of a passage

Will be sure to see: The primary purpose of the passage is: The purpose is similar to a thesis statement from a term paper. Can be hard to find, but once you do it will be helpful.

Tone of a passage

You need to have a clear sense of the author's tone before you move to the first question.