Sentence Correction

Sentence correction questions are designed to measure your knowledge of both grammar and effective style. Chances are you already know most of these rules and guidelines even if you don’t know how to articulate them. You can often tell when something sounds wrong, even if you don’t know exactly why it is wrong. That is good news because on the GMAT® exam you do not have to identify the grammar rule that has been bro- ken or what makes the writing ineffective. Rather, you will simply have to identify which sentence is free of errors and written most effectively. That said, you can still benefit a great deal from a review of the basic rules of grammar and guidelines for effective style, especially if you feel that grammar is not your strong suit. You may find some sections here more basic than you need, but give yourself the opportunity to review everything in this section.You may find that you have forgotten some rules and guidelines, and a review of the rules and terminology can give you more confidence on the exam. CHAPTER Sentence Correction 7 109 24 Rules for Grammar and Style Throughout this chapter, you will learn about and review each of these rules in depth. After you have completed the chapter, use the following list as a checklist as you review for the GMAT exam: 1. Follow the basic subject-predicate word order for sentences: subject, verb, indirect object, and direct object. 2. Make sure sentences have both a subject and a predicate and express a complete thought. 3. Respect sentence boundaries. Do not let two or more independent clauses run together. 4. Keep modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify. 5. Use parallel structure for any series of actions or items or the not only/but also construction. 6. Make sure verbs agree in number with their subjects. 7. Keep verb tenses consistent. 8. Use the correct subject or object form of personal pronouns. Determine whether a pronoun is function- ing as a subject or object in the sentence. 9. Use apostrophes with pronouns to show contraction only. Pronouns do not need apostrophes to show possession. 10. Use who for people, that for things, and which for nonessential clauses that do not refer to people. 11. Make sure pronouns agree in number and person with their antecedents. 12. Be consistent in pronoun point of view. 13. Use less (meaning a smaller amount) for singular nouns representing quantity or degree. Use fewer (meaning a smaller number) for plural nouns and countable items. 14. Use good and bad to modify nouns and pronouns; use well and badly to modify verbs. 15. In comparisons, add -er or -est to short modifiers. For longer words, use more/the most or less/the least before the modifier. 16. Do not use double comparisons. 17. Do not use double negatives. 18. Use idioms correctly. 19. Be concise. Avoid unnecessary repetition or wordiness. 20. Be precise. Use exact words. 21. Avoid ambiguity. Make sure word choice and pronoun references are clear and modifiers properly placed. 22. In general, use the active voice. 23. Use variety in sentence structure. 24. Avoid jargon and pretentious language. 110  Sentence Structure The best place to begin a grammar review is with the basics of sentence construction. Although you will not need to diagram a sentence on the GMAT exam, understanding the fundamentals of sentence structure can help you better remember the rules of grammar and style. Sentence structure refers to the way sentences are composed: how subjects, verbs, objects, and modi- fiers are strung together in clauses and phrases. Awkward or incorrect placement of phrases and clauses can result in sentences that are confusing, unclear, or say things that you do not mean. Indeed, many sentences on the GMAT exam will be wrong precisely because of misplaced sentence elements. Sentence structure is also important to style. If sentence structure is too simple or repetitive, the writing becomes monotonous for the reader. (Style will be addressed later in this section.) Subjects, Predicates, and Objects The sentence is the basic unit of written expression. It consists of two essential parts — a subject and a pred- icate — and it must express a complete thought. The subject of a sentence tells the reader who or what the sen- tence is about — who or what is performing the action of the sentence. The predicate tells the reader something about the subject — what the subject is or does. Consider the following sentence: The clock is ticking. The word clock is the subject. It tells you what the sentence is about — who or what performs the action of the sentence. The verb phrase is ticking is the predicate. It tells you the action performed by (or informa- tion about) the subject. The subject of a sentence can be singular or compound (plural): I slept all day. Kendrick and I worked all night. singular subject compound subject (two subjects performing the action) The predicate can also be singular or compound: I r eceived a bonus.I received a bonus and got a raise. singular predicate compound predicate (two actions performed by the subject) Subject-predicate is the fundamental word order of sentences. When this order is reversed, the result is an awkward and perhaps unclear sentence such as the following: A bonus I received. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 111 In such a short sentence, the meaning is often clear despite the awkward word order. However, in longer sentences, when the subject and predicate are reversed, the sentence can be quite confusing, as in the following sentence from the pretest: Creating a fundamental shift in American foreign policy and establishing a “policy of containment” that framed our foreign policy as a battle between the forces of good (America and other democratic soci- eties) and evil (the Soviet Union and other communist nations), was the 1947 Truman Doctrine. In many sentences, someone or something “receives” the action expressed in the predicate. This person or thing is called the direct object. In the following sentences, the subject and predicate are separated by a slash (/) and the direct object is underlined: I / bought a present. (The present receives the action of being bought.) Jane / loves ice cream. (Ice cream receives the action of being loved by Jane.) Sentences can also have an indirect object: a person or thing who “receives” the direct object. In the fol- lowing sentences, the direct object is underlined and the indirect object is in bold: I / gave Sunil a r aise. (Sunil receives the raise; the raise receives the action of being given.) The student / asked the professor a quest ion. (The professor receives the question; the question receives the action of being asked.) Rule #1: Follow the basic subject-predicate word order for sentences: subject, verb, indirect object, and direct object. Independent and Dependent Clauses A clause contains a subject and a predicate and may also have direct and indirect objects. An independent clause expresses a complete thought; it can stand on its own as a sentence. A dependent clause, on the other hand, cannot stand alone because it expresses an incomplete idea. When a dependent clause stands alone, it results in a sentence fragment. Independent clause: She was excited. Dependent clause: Because she was excited. Notice that the dependent clause is incomplete; it needs an additional thought to make a complete sentence: S he spoke very quickly because she was excited. The independent clause, however, can stand alone. It is a complete thought. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 112 S UBORDINATING C ONJUNCTIONS A subordinating conjunction such as the word because makes a dependent clause dependent. Subordinating conjunctions connect clauses and help show the relationship between those clauses. The following is a list of the most common subordinating conjunctions: after even though that when although if though where as, as if in order that unless wherever because once until while before since When a clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, it is dependent. It must be connected to an independent clause to become a complete thought: I never knew true happiness until I met you. independent clause dependent clause After Johnson quit, I had to work extra overtime. dependent clause independent clause C ONJUNCTIVE A DVERBS A very common grammar mistake is to think that words such as however and therefore are subordinating con- junctions. But however and therefore belong to a group of words called conjunctive adverbs, which also sig- nal relationships between parts of a sentence. When they are used with a semicolon, they can combine independent clauses. The following is a list of the most common conjunctive adverbs: also indeed now anyway instead otherwise besides likewise similarly certainly meanwhile still finally moreover then furthermore namely therefore however nevertheless thus incidentally next undoubtedly I did not go to the party; inst ead, I stayed home and watched a good film. Samantha is a fabulous cook; indee d, she may even be better than Jacque. I need to pay this bill immediately. Othe rwise, my phone service will be cut off. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 113 C OMPOUND S ENTENCES AND C OORDINATING C ONJUNCTIONS When two independent clauses are combined, the result is a compound sentence such as the following: He was late, so he lost the account. The most common way to join two independent clauses is with a comma and a coordinating con- junction: and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet. Independent clauses can also be joined with a semicolon if the ideas in the sentences are closely related: I am tall, and he is short. [IC, coordinating conjunction ϩ IC] I am tall; he is short. [IC; IC] I was late, yet I still got the account. [IC, coordinating conjunction ϩ IC] Sentence Boundaries Expressing complete ideas and clearly indicating where sentences begin and end are essential to effective writ- ing. Two of the most common grammatical errors with sentence boundaries are fragments and run-ons. I NCOMPLETE S ENTENCES (F RAGMENTS ) As stated earlier, a complete sentence must (1) have both a subject (who or what performs the action) and a verb (a state of being or an action) and (2) express a complete thought. If you don’t complete a thought, or if you are missing a subject or verb (or both), then you have an incomplete sentence (also called a sentence fragment). To correct a fragment, add the missing subject or verb or otherwise change the sentence to com- plete the thought. Incomplete: Which is simply not true. (No subject. Which is not a subject.) Complete: That is simply not true. Incomplete: For example, the French Revolution. (No verb.) Complete: The best example is the French Revolution. Incomplete: Even though the polar icecaps are melting. (Subject and verb, but not a complete thought.) Complete: Some people still do not believe in global warming even though the polar icecaps are melting. Rule #2: Make sure sentences have both a subject and a predicate and express a complete thought. Run-On Sentences A run-on sentence occurs when one sentence “runs” right into the next without proper punctuation between them. Usually, the sentence has no punctuation at all or it has just a comma between the two thoughts (called a comma splice). But commas alone are not strong enough to separate two complete ideas. See the examples of run-ons on the next page. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 114 Let us go it is getting late. I aced the interview, I should get the job. Whether or not you believe me it is true, I did not lie to you. You can correct run-on sentences in five ways: ■ with a period ■ with a comma and a coordinating conjunction: and, or, nor, for, so, but, or yet ■ with a semicolon ■ with a dash ■ with a subordinating conjunction to create a dependent clause: although, because, during, while, and so on The following is a run-on sentence corrected with each of the previous techniques: The debate is over, now it is time to vote. PUNCTUATION CORRECTED SENTENCE period The debate is over. Now it is time to vote. comma ؉ conjunction The debate is over, and now it is time to vote. semicolon The debate is over; now it is time to vote. dash The debate is over—now it is time to vote. subordinating conjunction Since the debate is over, it is time to vote. Rule #3: Respect sentence boundaries. Do not let two or more independent clauses run together. Phrases and Modifiers Sentences are often “filled out” by phrases and modifiers. Phrases are groups of words that do not have both a subject and predicate; they might have either a subject or a verb, but not both, and sometimes neither. Mod- ifiers are words and phrases that qualify or describe people, places, things, and actions. The most common phrases are prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition and a noun or pronoun (e.g., in the attic). Modifiers include adjectives (e.g., slow, blue, excellent) and adverbs (e.g., cheerfully, suspiciously). In the fol- lowing examples, the prepositional phrases are underlined and the modifiers are in bold: He was very late f or an important meeting with a new client. He brazenly looked thr ough her purse when she got up from the table to go to the ladies’ room. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 115 P LACEMENT OF M ODIFIERS As a general rule, words, phrases, or clauses that describe nouns and pronouns should be as close as possible to the words they describe. The relaxing music, for example, is better (clearer, more concise, and more pre- cise) than the music that is relaxing. In the first sentence, the modifier relaxing is right next to the word it mod- ifies (music). When modifiers are not next to the words they describe, you not only often use extra words, but you also might end up with a misplaced or dangling modifier and a sentence that means something other than what was intended. This is especially true of phrases and clauses that work as modifiers. Take a look at the following sentence: Whispering quietly, I heard the children stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Who was whispering quietly? Because the modifier whispering quietly is next to I, the sentence says that I was doing the whispering. But the context of the sentence indicates that it was the children who were doing the whispering. Here are three corrected versions. In the first version, the modifier is moved to its proper place, next to children. In the second and third versions, I is removed from the sentence to eliminate any confusion: I heard the children whispering quietly as they stole cookies from the cookie jar. The children, whispering quietly, stole cookies from the cookie jar. Whispering quietly, the children stole cookies from the cookie jar as I listened. Here’s another example: Worn and tattered, Uncle Joe took down the flag. It’s quite obvious that it was the flag, not Uncle Joe, that was worn and tattered. But because the mod- ifier (worn and tattered) isn’t right next to what it modifies (the flag), the sentence actually says that Uncle Joe was worn and tattered. Here are two corrected versions. The first simply puts the modifier in its proper place. The second moves the modifier and puts it in a restrictive clause (a which clause) that clarifies what is modified: Uncle Joe took down the worn and tattered flag. Uncle Joe took down the flag, which was worn and tattered. Rule #4: Keep modifiers as close as possible to the words they modify. – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 116 A word’s function and form is determined by its part of speech. The word calm, for example, can be either a verb (calm down) or an adjective (a calm afternoon); it changes to calmly when it is an adverb (they discussed the matter calmly). Be sure you know the different parts of speech and the job each part of speech performs in a sentence. The following table offers a quick reference guide for the main parts of speech. PART OF SPEECH FUNCTION EXAMPLES noun names a person, place, thing, water, Byron, telephone, Main Street, or concept tub, virtue pronoun takes the place of a noun so that I, you, he, she, us, they, this, that, noun does not have to be repeated themselves, somebody, who, which verb expresses an action, occurrence, wait, seem, be, visit, renew or state of being helping verb combines with other verbs (main forms of be, do and have; can, (also called auxiliary verb) verbs) to create verb phrases that could, may, might, must, shall, help indicate tenses should, will, would adjective modifies nouns and pronouns; can green, round, old, surprising; that also identify or quantify (e.g., that elephant); several (e.g., several elephants) adverb modifies verbs, adjectives, other dreamily, quickly, always, very, then adverbs, or entire clauses preposition expresses the relationship in time in, on, around, above, between, or space between words in a sentence underneath, beside, with, upon Prepositions are extremely important; they help us understand how objects relate to each other in space and time. Recognizing them can help you quickly check for subject-verb agreement and other grammar issues. The following is a list of the most common prepositions. See pages 127–128 for notes about the most common prepositional idioms. about above across after against around at before behind below beneath beside (continued) Parts of Speech: A Brief Review 117 Parts of Speech: A Brief Review besides between beyond by down during except for from in inside into like near of off on out outside over since through throughout till to toward under until up upon with without 118 Parallel Structure Parallel structure means that words and phrases in a sentence follow the same grammatical pattern. When- ever a sentence has a series of actions, a list of items, or a not only/but also construction, it should have par- allel structure. Parallelism makes ideas easier to follow and expresses ideas more gracefully. Notice how parallelism works in the following examples: Not parallel: We came, we saw, and it was conquered by us. (The first two clauses use the active we ϩ past tense verb construction; the third uses a passive structure with a prepositional phrase.) Parallel: We came, we saw, we conquered. (All three clauses start with we and use a past tense verb.) Not parallel: Please be sure to throw out your trash, place your silverware in the bin, and your tray should go on the counter. (Two verbs follow the to ϩ verb ϩ your ϩ noun pattern; the third puts the noun first and then the verb.) Parallel: Please be sure to throw out your trash, place your silverware in the pin, and put your tray on the counter. (All three items follow the to ϩ verb ϩ your ϩ noun ϩ prepositional phrase pattern.) The following are two more examples of sentences with correct parallel structure: Hermione’s nervousness was exacerbated not only by the large crowd but also by the bright lights. (Each phrase has a preposition, an adjective, and a noun.) Their idea was not only the most original; it was also the most practical. (Each phrase uses the superla- tive form of an adjective [see page 126 for more information on superlatives].) Rule #5: Use parallel structure for any series of actions or items or the not only/but also construction. [...]... voice Sentence Variety Although sentence correction passages are only one sentence long, issues of variety in sentence structure may come into play as you consider the various versions of the sentence Sentence variety means that a text uses a combination of sentence structures and patterns, an important element in keeping the writing interesting and effective When writers consciously repeat a specific sentence. .. keep sentences clear and effective, writers should follow these guidelines for effective style: 1 Be concise 2 Be precise 3 Avoid ambiguity 128 – SENTENCE CORRECTION – 4 Use the active voice 5 Use variety in sentence structure 6 Avoid jargon and pretentious language You will certainly see sentences that violate guidelines 1—4 on the GMAT sentence correction questions You will probably not see many sentences... The sentences have a certain rhythm, but instead of creating energy, it creates monotony Because the sentence structure has no variety—the sentences are all very simple (no compound or complex sentences) and all start with the subject—the paragraph’s rhythm is more like a drone than a conversation The same paragraph, revised to create sentence variety, is found on the next page 134 – SENTENCE CORRECTION. .. a general rule, however, sentences should be active whenever possible Using the active voice means making sure a sentence has a clear agent of action and a direct approach For example, compare the following sentences: Passive: The patient was given the wrong prescription Active: Someone gave the patient the wrong prescription 133 – SENTENCE CORRECTION – Notice how the active sentence gives readers an... that performs the action in the sentence In the passive sentence, you do not know who gave the patient the wrong prescription; you just know that somehow it happened The active sentence may not name the someone, but it is a much more direct sentence The active voice also makes a sentence sound more authoritative and powerful —someone is doing something In a passive sentence, someone or something has... that you are listening attentively Fluency in idiomatic expressions reflects a comfort with and command of the English language, and that is why some sentence correction questions will test your knowledge of idioms For example, you might find a sentence correction question such as the following: I have been so busy because I have had to pick through a slack since Winston quit a had to pick through a... verbs agree, you need to be clear about who or what is the subject of the sentence This can be tricky in sentences with indefinite pronouns and in inverted sentences Use the following guidelines for proper subject-verb agreement: ■ Remember that subjects are never found in prepositional phrases, so the subject must be elsewhere in the sentence Sometimes the subject is the antecedent of a noun found in a... waste of words Here is the sentence revised: The willow beetle is red and large (7 words) Here’s another example of unnecessary repetition: The Bill of Rights guarantees certain freedoms and liberties to all citizens, rights that cannot be taken away (18 words) 130 – SENTENCE CORRECTION – If it’s a guarantee, then those rights cannot be taken away—so the whole second half of the sentence repeats unnecessarily... He appears twice in this sentence and could be referring to three different people: Conrad, Kurtz, and Marlow Clearly, this sentence needs to be revised: In Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Kurtz tells Marlow his revelation right before he dies on the steamboat Here is another kind of unclear pronoun reference: It has been years since they tore down that old building 132 – SENTENCE CORRECTION – This is an... more syllables in your sentences makes you seem more intelligent Sometimes a big, multisyllabic word is the one that most clearly expresses the idea you want to convey, and that is 135 – SENTENCE CORRECTION – fine But too often, five-syllable words are misused and end up clouding meaning instead of clarifying it Clear writing makes a much bigger impression than big words In any case, sentences like the following . of sentences. When this order is reversed, the result is an awkward and perhaps unclear sentence such as the following: A bonus I received. – SENTENCE CORRECTION. #2: Make sure sentences have both a subject and a predicate and express a complete thought. Run-On Sentences A run-on sentence occurs when one sentence “runs”