Sentence Correction Sheet

7/28/2019 Sentence Correction Sheet

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Verbs: Example 1

Now try an example question. Select the correct answer and then click Continue.

In the absence of appropriate medical care, ill individuals tend to be unduly influenced by consumer-oriented medicalinformation, such as pharmaceutical advertisements, that are better designed to increase market share rather than to

provide accurate health-related advice.

such as pharmaceutical advertisements, that are better designed to increase market share rather than to provideaccurate health-related advice

such as a pharmaceutical advertisement which is better designed to increase market share rather than to provide

accurate health-related advice

such as pharmaceutical advertisements, that are better at increasing market share than at providing accurate health-

related advice

such as pharmaceutical advertisements, that is better designed to increase market share than to provide accurate

health-related advice

such as pharmaceutical advertisements, which is better designed to increase market share rather to provide accuratehealth-related advice



Read

The phrase "such as pharmaceutical advertisements" separates the subject "information" from the verb "are", so at

first it may seem that this sentence is correct as is. However, "information" is a singular noun, and "are" is a pluralverb. We need to eliminate choices that duplicate this error, and hold on to answer choices that correct it. We may

eliminate (A).

Scan

We may also eliminate Choice (C).

Eliminate

Now let's go through each of the remaining choices.

Choice (B) omits the comma that separates the phrase "such…advertisement" from the verb "are". In doing so, thischoice changes the subject from "information" to "a pharmaceutical advertisement." The verb "is" that follows is

therefore correct. But how else does this choice differ from (D) and (E)? It is similar to (E) in that it uses the word

"which" instead of "that" to describe the effect of the advertisement. This is grammatically incorrect. The word

"that" must be used whenever what is being described is essential to the meaning of the sentence. In this sense

"that" is restrictive" whereas "which" is not. The following example will illustrate:

Correct: The car that is parked next to the hydrant will be ticketed.

Incorrect: The car which is parked next to the hydrant will be ticketed.

"That" must be used in the above example because the condition of being parked next to the hydrant to critical to

understanding why the car will be ticketed. Likewise, the fact that certain types of medical information aredesigned to increase market share rather than to aid ill individuals explains their negative impact.

Choice (D) is correct.

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Verbs: Separation Of Verb And Subject



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The most commonly tested verb issues in Sentence Correction are subject-verb agreement and verb tense.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject and verb must agree in number: singular subjects must have singular verbs, and plural subjects must have plural

verbs.

• Incorrect: Each of the five women take the train to work.

The subject is "each," which is singular. The verb is "take," which is plural.

• Correct: Each of the five women takes the train to work.

An object is the person or item that the action is performed upon. When the verb is a variant of "to be" ( is, are, am, was,etc.), the subject and the object are the same, so the two must agree.

• Incorrect: Everyone in the audience are fans.

The subject "everyone" is singular, so the verb "are" and the object "fans" must both be singular.

• Correct: Everyone in the audience is a fan.

Another classic agreement trap is a sentence in which the verb precedes the subject.• Incorrect: There is considerable risks associated with the plan.

The subject "risks" is plural, but the verb "is" is singular.



• Correct: Considerable risks are associated with the plan.

(Note that the correct sentence avoids a "there" construction altogether. Such constructions are rarely correct in Sentence

Correction, and should be avoided as much as possible in the Analytical Writing Assessment as well.) Now let's move on to Verb Tenses.

Among the safest of all perishable foods, pathogens cannot grow in yogurt because it is highly acidic .

Your Answer:

yogurt's high acidity prevents the growth of pathogens

Correct Answer: yogurt is highly acidic and does not support the growth of pathogens

Feedback: INCORRECT!

The sentence begins with a modifying phrase, "among the safest of all perishable foods," so the main clause of the sentence, the underlinedportion, has to begin with the noun that this introductory phrase modifies: yogurt. This leaves us only one choice: (C). Choice (B) is not a possibilitybecause a noun in the possessive form, like "yogurt's," cannot be the subject of a sentence, and cannot be modified by an introductory modifyingphrase.

Question 4 Multiple Choice 0 of 1 point(s)

The Republic of the Philippines encompasses more than seven thousand islands, two of them with two-thirds of its area.

Your Answer: two of them have two-thirds of itsarea

Correct Answer: two of them with two-thirds of its area

Feedback:

http://kaplan.blackboard.com/courses/1/GMAT-RP/content/_10607_1/dir_S5P.zip/S5P/S5Pp12.htm

http://kaplan.blackboard.com/courses/1/GMAT-RP/content/_10607_1/dir_S5P.zip/S5P/S5Pp10.htm



INCORRECT!

The underlined part of the sentence is a modifying phrase; what's modified is "islands." Choice (D) gives us a run-on sentence. Choices (B)and (E) use pronouns in a confusing way. Choice (C) is just plain awkward.

Of all the countries contiguous to China, the Soviet Union's borders were most strongly defended.

Your Answer:

the Soviet Union's were the most strongly defended borders

Correct Answer: the Soviet Union had the most strongly defended borders


This question contains a common type of recognizable error. "Of all the countries contiguous to China" can't modify "the Soviet Union's borders," "theSoviet Union's," or "the borders of the Soviet Union." It has to modify "the Soviet Union."

Proponents of the recent banking law changes assert that federal deregulation of investment procedures has neither exposed smaller banks to unfair competition nor increased corporate monopoly, and also has not compromised the government's basic long-term commitment to the free market.

Your Answer: neither exposed smaller banks to unfair competition nor increased corporate monopoly, and also hasnot

Correct Answer: not exposed smaller banks to unfair competition or increased corporate monopoly, nor has it


None of the answer choices here are particularly succinct, so you'll have to choose the best possible choice. Remember that "neither...nor" never occurswhen there are three subjects in a listing; furthermore, recall that "neither" can't occur without a "nor". This eliminates Choices (A), (B) and (E). Given a



choice between (C) and (D), both of which employ the word "nor" without "neither", Choice (C) is more concise and therefore the better formulation.



The institutional nature of the town meetings in many New England communities serves as a ready−made forum for discussion of topics ranging from local zoning ordinances to the Nuclear Freeze Campaign.

Your Answer: The institutional nature of the town meetings in many New England communities serves as

Correct Answer: The town meeting, an institution in many New England communities, serves as

Feedback:

Incorrect.

What is it that serves as a forum? Not the institutional nature of the town meeting or the institution of the town meetings, but simply the townmeeting .

The longer the underlined portion, the more possibilities there are for correcting it, and the harder it is to prephrase. Move on to the choices.

In this case, (C) uses the plural, meetings, incorrectly. Town meetings can't be a forum. In (E), serves to be is unidiomatic. To be is often usedunnecessarily in wrong answers.

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