Download Common Improving Sentence Errors

Princeton Review SAT Book
PowerPoint #3 (Grade 9):
Part III: Writing
Section 3: Grammar
Introduction (pages 128-145)
Grammar SAT Section Overview
Grammar is part of the 25 minute Writing
Section AND the 10 minute Writing
section.
There are three types of grammar
questions: error identification, improving
sentences, and improving paragraphs.
Error Identification (page 128)
In these questions, an entire sentence is
given, with several underlined parts. If
one of the underlined parts is incorrect,
that is your answer; if the sentence is fine
as is, your answer is “No error.”
Approximately 20% of error identification
sentences are correct as is.
Improving Sentences (page 128)
In these questions, an entire sentence is
given, with ONE underlined part.
Choice A is always a reproduction of the
underlined part; if it is correct as is, this is
your choice. (This is true approximately
20% of the time.)
The other choices will show different
wording.
Common Grammatical Errors
PRONOUN ERRORS (page 129)
When you see a pronoun underlined, check
to see if it agrees with the noun it replaces.
The following pronouns are singular. Do you
see a pattern?
anybody
anything
somebody something
everybody everything nobody
nothing
anyone
everyone
either
neither
someone
no one
each
much
Common Grammatical Errors
PRONOUN ERRORS (page 129)
How many “bodies” and “things” are
indicated? Does “one” give us a clue?
anybody
anything
somebody something
everybody everything nobody
nothing
anyone
everyone
either
neither
someone
no one
each
much
Common Grammatical Errors
PRONOUN ERRORS (page 129)
Watch ambiguous pronouns; they’re a sign
of a badly written sentence. Who does the
“they” refer to in the following sentence?
Successful athletes pay attention to their
coaches because they know the value of
experience.
Common Grammatical Errors
PRONOUN ERRORS (page 129)
Watch ambiguous pronouns; they’re a sign
of a badly written sentence. Who does the
“they” refer to in the following sentence?
Successful athletes pay attention to their
coaches because they know the value of
experience.
Do athletes know the value of experience, or
do the coaches know? We don’t know!
Therefore, “they” is used incorrectly.
Verb Errors (page 130)
 Make sure underlined verbs agree with their
subject. If it’s a singular subject, it should be a
singular verb: She runs. If it’s a plural subject, it
should be a plural verb: They run.
 Make sure the tense is consistent throughout.
For example, don’t shift from present to past, as
in the following incorrect sentence: I run for two
minutes, then I ran for five minutes.
Quick Quiz #1 (page 130)
 Get out a piece of paper. Number it #1 through
4.
 Turn to page 130 of your book. Use a folder to
cover up the bottom half of the page with the
answers.
 Answer the 4 questions.
 When finished, close the book and wait for me to
call time. Do NOT check your answers.
 You have two minutes.
Answers to Quick Quiz #1 (page 130)
Answers:
1. B
2. C
3. C
4. C
 Read the explanations for any that you missed.
 How did you do?
 Any questions?
Quick Quiz #2 (page 131)
Number #1 through 3.
Turn to page 131 of your book. Use a
folder to cover up the bottom half of the
page with the answers.
Answer the 3 questions.
When finished, close the book and wait for
me to call time. Do NOT check your
answers.
You have two minutes.
Answers to Quick Quiz #2 (page 131)
Answers:
1. B
2. A
3. E
 Read the explanations for any that you
missed.
 How did you do?
 Any questions?
Other Minor Error Types
Look for idioms (commonly used word
combinations) and make sure they are
correctly using prepositions. “Responsible
for” is a correctly used idiom; “responsible
of” or “responsible to” are not. “I’m with
the band” makes sense; “I’m to the band”
and “I’m of the band” are awkward at best.
Diction errors are errors in word choice.
These are not very common on the SAT.
Common Improving Sentence Errors
MISPLACED MODIFIERS (page 132)
Watch sentence constructions that make it
unclear who is doing what:
Running down the street, a brick fell on my
head.
“Running down the street” is a modifier – but
what is it modifying? Did a brick run down
the street?? How might you correct it?
Common Improving Sentence Errors
Running down the street, I felt a brick fall on
my head.
A brick fell on my head while I was running
down the street.
The first works (the correctly modified noun
is made clear and immediately follows the
modifier), but the second sentence is even
better and less awkward.
Common Improving Sentence Errors
PARALLEL CONSTRUCTION (page 132)
When making a list of items, make sure all
parts of the list are in the same form. The
following is incorrect:
Ricky wanted to finish his homework, take a
walk, and to be in bed by ten o’clock.
Not sure why it’s wrong? Make three
sentences.
Common Improving Sentence Errors
Ricky wanted to finish his homework.
Ricky wanted to take a walk.
Ricky wanted to to be in bed by ten o’clock.
Aha! Sentence #3 is wrong!
“Ricky wanted to to be in bed by ten
o’clock.”
Two to’s! Only on ballerinas. Otherwise, it
does not make sense. Let’s fix the original
sentence.
Common Improving Sentence Errors
Ricky wanted to finish his
homework, take a walk, and
be in bed by ten o’clock.
Much better!
Common Improving Sentence Errors
If you are making a comparison, make sure the
two things being compared are similar:
John’s drumming style is more explosive than
Keith.
We’re not comparing John to Keith; also, I doubt if
Keith is really explosive. We should be
comparing John’s drumming style to Keith’s
drumming style.
How would you fix it?
Common Improving Sentence Errors
John’s drumming style is more
explosive than Keith’s drumming
style.
John’s drumming style is more
explosive than Keith’s.
The first is accurate, but repetitive; the
second is accurate and more likely.
Eliminating Answers on Improving Sentences
Avoid answer choices that:
Contain the word “being”
Are wordy or redundant
Contain unnecessary or ambiguous
pronouns
Change the meaning of the sentence
Hint: these are also good tips for writing
well!
Quick Quiz #3 (page 133)
Number #1 and 2.
Turn to page 133 of your book.
Answer the 2 questions.
When finished, close the book and wait for
me to call time. Do NOT check your
answers.
You have one minute.
Answers to Quick Quiz #3 (page 134)
Answers:
1. B
2. D
 Read the explanations for any that you
missed.
 How did you do?
 Any questions?
Improving Paragraphs Questions (page 135)
For these kind of questions, you will look
at a rough draft of an essay.
Not only will you need to fix grammatical
errors, but you will also revise sentences,
add transitions, and add or delete
sentences.
Always go right to the questions first;
reading the entire essay is usually not
necessary, and is time consuming.
Improving Paragraphs Questions
REVISION QUESTIONS (page 136)
First make sure there are no grammatical
errors in the answers; if there are,
eliminate them.
Next, eliminate answers that change the
meaning of the sentence.
Always go right to the questions first;
reading the entire essay is usually not
necessary, and is time consuming.
Improving Paragraphs Questions
TRANSITION QUESTIONS (page 137)
Look at the sentences before AND after
the one you’re going to work with.
Determine what direction the sentences
are going in – is it the same flow of ideas
or does the topic change?
Do not add any new information.
Improving Paragraphs Questions
CONTENT QUESTIONS (page 137)
For these, you may need to rearrange
sentences or provide a title for the essay.
If rearranging, make sure sentences on
the same topic are kept together. Think
“flow.”
A title will require an understanding of an
overall main idea.
Problem Sets #1, 2 and 3
 Write down #1 through 6 on your paper.
 Turn to Problem Set #1, page 138. Complete
Problem Set #1, writing your answers on your
paper. Cover up the bottom of page 139 with
your folder.
 Write down #1 through 6 and complete Problem
Set #2 (pages 140-141), writing your answers on
your paper.
 Put a folder between pages 144 and 145.
 Write down #1 through 6 and complete Problem
Set #3 (pages 143-144), writing your answers on
your paper.
 You have 15 minutes.
Review Answers to Problem Sets
Check your answers.
Read over the explanations for any that
you missed.
How did you do?
Any questions?
This concludes today’s SAT Review!