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GMAT Sentence Correction Categories with Examples
With some 16 or more questions, Sentence Correction is a critical module that impacts a
test-taker’s performance. If one can not get at least 12 to 13 questions correct in SC, he
can not expect to cross 600. Very often the SC questions occupy a good space in the early
phase of the Verbal section and there is no need to stress the importance of the early
questions in a computer adaptive test.
GMAT Sentence Correction questions are of various categories, the important of which
are given below.
COMPARISONS
Comparisons are a special kind of parallel structures, where in two things or more than
two things are compared. In comparisons, the physical form and logic play important
roles.
The essence of comparison is that it compares two equal things or concepts or attributes.
Obviously one can not compare apples with oranges.
Some old GMAT examples
1. Even though Béla Bartók’s music has proved less popular than Igor Stravinsky’s and
less influential than Arnold Schonberg’s, it is no less important.
(A) Stravinsky’s and less influential than Arnold Schonberg’s, it
(B) Stravinsky’s and less influential than Arnold Schonberg’s, he
(C) Stravinsky’s is and less influential than Arnold Schonberg’s is, it
(D) Stravinsky and not as influential as Arnold Schonberg, he
(E) Stravinsky and not as influential as Arnold Schonberg, it
2 In Japan elderly people are treated with far greater respect than most Western countries.
(A) most Western countries
(B) most Western countries do
(C) most Western countries are
(D) they do in most Western countries
(E) they are in most Western countries
3. The distribution of mass within the core of the Earth, like the mantle that surrounds the
core, has been deduced from the orbital behavior of the Earth and the motions of
satellites controlled by the gravity of the Earth.
(A) the mantle that surrounds the core
(B) that within the mantle surrounding the core
(C) that of the mantle surrounding the core
(D) the mantle the core surrounds
(E) the distribution of mass within the mantle that surrounds the core
Ans: 1A 2E. 3B.
PRONOUN
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns and antecedents
should agree in person, number and gender.
A pronoun should refer clearly to its antecedent, the noun or pronoun it replaces.
A pronoun should not be used without an antecedent noun.
There should be consistency in the use of the indefinite pronoun “one” in a
sentence.
Use relative pronoun who to refer to people
Use of relative pronoun which to refer to things and non-humans
Use of relative pronoun that for people and things, but in a restrictive sense
Use relative pronoun when to refer to time
Use relative pronoun where to refer to place only
Some old GMAT examples
1. Certain shipwrecks have a particular fascination for those people which have a belief
in finding the treasure in them.
(A) which have a belief in finding the treasure in them
(B) that belief there is treasure to be found in them
(C) who believe they hold treasure and that they can find it
(D) who believe that there is treasure to be found in them
(E) who believe about treasure to be found in them
2. Aging is a property of all animals that reach a fixed size at maturity, and the
variations in life spans among different species are far greater as that among
individuals from the same species: a fruit fly is ancient at 40 days, a mouse at 3
years, a horse at 30, a man at 100, and some tortoises at 150.
(A) among different species are far greater as that among individuals from
(B) among different species are far greater than that among individuals from
(C) among different species are far greater than those among individuals of
(D) between different species are far more than that between individuals of
(E) between different species are greater by far than is that between individuals from
3. Although Napoleon’s army entered Russia with far more supplies than they had in
their previous campaigns, it had provisions for only twenty-four days.
(A) they had in their previous campaigns
(B) their previous campaigns had had
(C) they had for any previous campaign
(D) in their previous campaigns
(E) for any previous campaign
1D. 2C. 3E
TENSE
Simple Present Forms
Repeated Actions
Simple Present tense is used to denote a repeated action day in day out or a
universal truth, or something that happens as a matter of regularity
Present Continuous Forms
Present Continuous is used to emphasize the fact that something is happening at the very
moment
Simple Past
Simple Past is used to express something that started and ended in the past. The past stint
may a day before or a year before or a millennium before.
Present Perfect
The present perfect is used to denote something that was started in the past and
just ended or is still continuing
Past perfect
The past perfect is used to indicate from the two past events under issue, the one that
happened markedly earlier while the other occurred distinctly later.
Some old GMAT examples
1. At a recent session, the French government has decided that Paris needs a second,
larger opera house to complement the famous Paris Opera.
(A) has decided that Paris needs
(B) decided that Paris needs
(C) has decided that Paris will need
(D) decided that Paris has a need of
(E) has decided that Paris needed
2. A recent study has found that within the past few years, many doctors had elected
early retirement rather than face the threats of lawsuits and the rising costs of
malpractice insurance.
(A) had elected early retirement rather than face
(B) had elected early retirement instead of facing
(C) have elected retiring early instead of facing
(D) have elected to retire early rather than facing
(E) have elected to retire early rather than face
3.A study commissioned by the Department of Agriculture showed that if calves
exercise and associated with other calves, they will require less medication and gain
weight quicker than do those raised in confinement.
(A) associated with other calves, they will require less medication and gain weight
quicker than do
(B) associated with other calves, they require less medication and gain weight
quicker than
(C) associate with other calves, they required less medication and will gain weight
quicker than do
(D) associate with other calves, they have required less medication and will gain
weight more quickly than do
(E) associate with other calves, they will require less medication and gain weight
more quickly than
1B 2E. 3B.
SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD
Subjunctive mood sentences are special types of sentences, which violate the normal
rules that are applied to subject verb agreement in number and tense but are still
considered grammatical.
1. Judicial rules in many states require that the identities of all prosecution witnesses are made
known to defendants so they can attempt to rebut the testimony, but the Constitution explicitly
requires only that the defendant have the opportunity to confront an accuser in court.
(A) that the identities of all prosecution witnesses are made known to defendants so they can
attempt to rebut
(B) that the identities of all prosecution witnesses be made known to defendants so that they can
attempt to rebut
(C) that the defendants should know the identities of all prosecution witnesses so they can
attempt a rebuttal of
(D) the identities of all prosecution witnesses should be made known to defendants so they can
attempt rebutting
(E) making known to defendants the identities of all prosecution witnesses so that they can
attempt to rebut
2. In one of the most stunning reversals in the history of marketing, the Coca-Cola company in
July 1985 yielded to thousands of irate consumers demanding that it should bring back the
original Coke formula.
(A) demanding that it should
(B) demanding it to
(C) and their demand to
(D) who demanded that it
(E) who demanded it to
3. Most state constitutions now mandate that the state budget be balanced each year.
(A) mandate that the state budget be balanced
(B) mandate the state budget to be balanced
(C) mandate that the state budget will be balanced
(D) have a mandate for a balanced state budget
(E) have a mandate to balance the state budget
1B 2D 3A
MODIFICATION
A modifier describes, clarifies, or gives more detail about a concept. They are built
around descriptive words such as adjectives and adverbs
Modification errors are basically two types: the misplaced modifier and the dangling
modifier.
Misplaced modifier
A misplaced modifier sits at a place different from where it should be actually sitting,
tagging on to a wrong noun or adjective or verb. This error may alter the intent of the
meaning of the sentence.
Dangling modifier
A dangling modifier is a word or phrase that hangs loosely like an orphan without
something to modify in a sentence.
Some old GMAT examples
1. Although aspirin irritates the stomach, it can be avoided if the aspirin tablet is given a
coating that will not dissolve until the tablet reaches the intestine.
(A) Although aspirin irritates the stomach, it
(B) The irritation of the stomach caused by aspirin
(C) The fact that aspirin causes irritation of the stomach
(D) Aspirin causes stomach irritation, although it
(E) Aspirin irritates the stomach, which
2. Although partially destroyed, the archaeologists were able to infer from what
remained of the inscription that the priest Zonainos was buried in the crypt.
(A) Although partially destroyed, the archaeologists were able to infer
(B) Although partially destroyed, the archaeologists had inferred
(C) Although it had been partially destroyed, the archaeologists were able to infer
(D) Partially destroyed though it had been, the archaeologists had been able to infer
(E) Destroyed partially, the archaeologists were able to infer
3 Using a Doppler ultrasound device, fetal heartbeats can be detected by the
twelfth week of pregnancy.
(A) Using a Doppler ultrasound device，fetal heart-beats can be detected by the
twelfth week of pregnancy,
(B) Fetal heartbeats can be detected by the twelfth week of pregnancy, using a
Doppler ultrasound device,
(C) Detecting fetal heartbeats by the twelfth week of pregnancy, a physician can
use a Doppler ultrasound device,
(D) By the twelfth week of pregnancy, fetal heartbeats can be detected using a
Doppler ultrasound device by a physician,
(E) Using a Doppler ultrasound device，a physician can detect fetal heartbeats
by the twelfth week of pregnancy,
1B 2C 3E
PARALLELISM
Parallelism is maintenance of the balance between or among the arms of a sentence. It
mostly revolves around using appropriate and same part of speech at the required
junctures such as in a list or series, while using correlative conjunctions or while
comparing things
1. The revolt against Victorianism was perhaps even more marked in poetry than either
fiction or drama.
(A) either fiction or drama
(B) either fiction or in drama
(C) either in fiction or drama
(D) in either fiction or drama
(E) in either fiction or in drama
2. After the Vietnam war Bettye Granther, a U.S. Army nurse, continued her efforts on
behalf of injured Vietnamese children, providing medical care, helping to reunite
estranged families, and the establishment of a fund for the children’s future education.
(A) the establishment of a fund for the children’s future education
(B) the establishing of a fund for the future education of children
(C) establishing a fund for the children’s future education
(D) establishing a fund for the childrens’ future education
(E) the establishment of a fund for the childrens’ future educationad maintained that she
has
3. Among the reasons for the decline of New England agriculture in the last three decades
were the high cost of land, the pressure of housing and commercial development, and
basing a marketing and distribution system on importing produce from Florida and
California.
(A) basing a marketing and distribution system on importing produce from Florida
and California
(B) basing a marketing and distribution system on the imported produce of Florida
and California
(C) basing a system of marketing and distribution on the import of produce from
Florida and California
(D) a marketing and distribution system based on importing produce from Florida
and California
(E) a marketing and distribution system importing produce from Florida and
California as its base
1D 2C 3D
IDIOM ERRORS
In GMAT, Idiom errors are mostly about using the right prepositions to go along with
verbs or use of template syntax such as x claims to do y , or x is attributed to y or x is
regarded as y etc,
1. Although schistosomiasis is not often fatal, it is so debilitating that it has become an
economic drain on many developing countries.
(A) it is so debilitating that it has become an economic
(B) it is of such debilitation, it has become an economical
(C) so debilitating is it as to become an economic
(D) such is its debilitation, it becomes an economical
(E) there is so much debilitation that it has become an economical
2. As rare as something becomes, be it a baseball card or a musical recording or a
postage stamp, the more avidly it is sought by collectors.
(A) As rare as something becomes, be it
(B) As rare as something becomes, whether it is
(C) As something becomes rarer and rarer, like
(D) The rarer something becomes, like
(E) The rarer something becomes, whether it is
3. Automation has undermined the traditional position of labor as much by robbing
workers of the special Skills that were once their most important strength than by
the elimination of jobs.
(A) than by the elimination of jobs
(B) rather than by the elimination of a job
(C) than by eliminating jobs
(D) as by the elimination of a job
(E) as by eliminating jobs
1A 2E 3E
SUBJECT – VERB NUMBER AGREEMENT
Subjects such as each, everyone, nobody, and someone entail singular verb.
Correlative conjunctions such as either-or, and neither or take the verbal form that suits
the subject closest to the verb per se.
Ignore the unnecessary intruders between the subject and verb while deciding the verb
Non-countable nouns such volume, abstract emotions are generally regarded as singular
subjects and hence entail singular verbs.
1. Many of the instruments used in early operations of the United States Army Signal
Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, particularly that of
the heliograph.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Corps were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians, particularly
that of the heliograph
Corps, there were adaptations of equipment used by the Plains Indians,
particularly the heliograph
Corps, and in particular the heliograph, was an adaptation of equipment used by
the Plains Indians
Corps, and in particular the heliograph, were adaptations of equipment used by
the Plains Indians
Corps being adaptations, the heliograph in particular, of those used by Plains
Indians
2. Although the bite of brown recluse spiders is rarely fatal, they cause chronic flesh
wounds, posing the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly
vulnerable to its poison.
(A) brown recluse spiders are rarely fatal, they cause chronic flesh wounds, posing
the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to
its
(B) brown recluse spiders are rarely fatal, they cause chronic flesh wounds and pose
the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to
their
(C) the brown recluse spider is rarely fatal, it causes chronic flesh wounds, posing
the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to
their
(D) the brown recluse spider is rarely fatal, it causes chronic flesh wounds and poses
the greatest danger to infants and the elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to
its
(E) the brown recluse spider is rarely fatal, they cause chronic flesh wounds, posing
the greatest danger to the infant and elderly, who are particularly vulnerable to
its
3.. Among the emotions on display in the negotiating room were anger for repeatedly
raising the issue over and over again and preventing the raw wounds from earlier
battles from ever beginning to heal.
(A) were anger for repeatedly raising the issue over and over again and preventing
the raw wounds from earlier battles from ever beginning to heal
(B) was anger for repeatedly raising the issue and preventing the raw wounds from
earlier battles from ever beginning to heal
(C) were anger over repeatedly raising the issue and preventing the raw wounds
from earlier battles to begin healing
(D) was anger about the issue, which was raised over and over, and preventing the
wounds from earlier battles, still raw, to begin healing
(E) were anger about the issue, which was raised repeatedly, and preventing the raw
wounds from earlier battles to begin to heal
1D 2D 3B
SC STYLE ERRORS
SC style errors basically are of the following types.
1. Improper punctuations leading to run-on and fragmented sentences
2. Redundancy
3. Improper word usage( improper diction)
4. Use of wrong word order
1. One of the most common types of mistakes that inexperienced physicians make is
misreading symptoms, another that occurs about as frequently is recommending
inappropriate treatment.
A. symptoms, another that occurs
B. symptoms; another one that occurs
C. symptoms, the other, and it occurs
D. symptoms; another one which is occurring
E,
symptoms and also occurring
2. Scenes from the everyday lives of African Americans, which are realistically depicted
in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E)
Scenes from the everyday lives of African Americans, which are realistically
depicted in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.
Scenes from the everyday lives of African Americans being realistically
depicted in the paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner.
The paintings of Henry Ossawa Tanner realistically depict scenes from the
everyday lives of African Americans.
Henry Ossawa Tanner, in his realistic paintings, depicting scenes from the
everyday lives of African Americans.
Henry Ossawa Tanner, whose paintings realistically depict scenes from the
everyday lives of African Americans.
3.Several studies have found that the coronary patients who exercise most actively have
half or less than half the chance of dying of a heart attack as those who are sedentary.
(A) have half or less than half the chance of dying of a heart attack as those who are
sedentary
(B) have half the chance, or less, of dying of a heart attack than those who are
sedentary do
(C) have half the chance that they will die of a heart attack, or less, than those who
are sedentary do
(D) are at least fifty percent less likely to die of a heart attack as those who are
sedentary
(E) are at least fifty percent less likely than those who are sedentary to die of a heart
attack
1B 2C 3E
Well! The above pamphlet marks just the beginning of Sentence Correction drill in
GMAT. One has to practice no less than 300 to 400 such examples, which form the basic
course materials in SC..
Narendran
The author is an online verbal faculty for GRE/GMAT/IELTS/TOEFL & SAT