GMAT (Fach) / Verbal - Sentence Correction (Lektion)

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• Sentence Correction Process 1. Read original sentence carefully and UNDERSTAND IT: know what the author wants to say vs. what he actually says 2. Scan the coices vertically for splits: Grammar rule?, Meaning? including/like those/that will/ - at the end 3. Choose an easy split to start and make your first decision 4. Write down ABCDE and cross out the choices 5. Eliminated until you only have one answer left 6. Put the final answer back in the sentence 
• Prominent examples for Cousin world aggravate (worsen)  - aggravating (irritating) know as (named)  - know to be (achnowledge as) loss of  - loss in (verlust) mandate (command) - have mandate (authority of voters) native of (person from) - native to (specied to) economical (efficient) - economic (financial)  range of (variety) - ranging (varying)  rate of (speed of) - rates for (prices) rise (increase) - raise (salary increase) try to do - try doing (ausprobieren)
• Parallelism categories Nouns:  Concrete nouns vs. Action nouns (bouqet, rock, continent, election, week, region and gift vs. giving of love, change, withdraw, pollution...) Action nouns vs. gerunds (the release vs. releasing) Simple gerung vs.complex gerunds (enjoyed drinking water and tasting the wine) Other: Working verbs (exceeded and ran) Infinitives (critical to suspend and to notify) Adjectives & Participles (carcas, thawed only once and still fresh) Clauses (carcas, which has been thawed only once and which is still fresh)
• Concision Patterns V - A - N Patterns = Verb > Adverb/Adjective > Noun Van Pattern 1: Verb > Action Nouns they revolted against > the revolution was against  they apply to, they conceived money, they cost, she decided VAN Pattern 2: Verb > Adjective  the artist was influenced by the movement, aggravates, can vs. able, indicates, inspired, suggests VAN Pattern 3: Adjective > Noun school funds for school construction are abundant > there is an abundance of funds VAN Pattern 4: Adjective > Clause TO BE Marcos is an admirable professor >Marcos is a professor who is admirable  VAN Pattern 5: Adverb > Prepositional Phrase fallen significantly / comparably > fallen to comparable extent, to a significant degree  Consision Patterns: THAT-clauses > series of noun-phrases the hypothesis THAT the universe is largely composed of / idea THAT, noun, suggestion THAT, hypothesis THAT, belief THAT, evidence THAT..  Children should play withour fear < it is without fear that children should plan WATCH OUT FOR FALSE CONCISION!  too short  Keep Those and That AFTER REPORTING VERB 
• VAN-Patterns: False Concision too short:               <             better    +       NEVER COLLAPSE OF: Time, quantity, measure Agean Sea Salt       <     salt from the Aegan sea Ural mountain ore   <  ore FROM THE Ural mountains river acces               <  access TO the river population chance of honeybees < changes IN THE POPULATION   memorial day week  < the week of memorial day merger year              < the year of the merger the oxygen amount   < the amount of oxygen             
• False Concision: keep THOSE and THAT after reporting verbs the study indicates THAT the problem has vanished agree claim contend declare find indicate reveal show assert observe proclaim + THAT Exception: say
• Punctuation for connection Comma: JUST essential modifiers do not have a comma! BUT: "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" Semicolon: Two closely related statements, each one needs to stand alone independantly OR seperate many items with a comma  ;therefore, we ... Earl walked to schoo; he later are his lunch Colon: The sentence before needs to stand alone as a sentence i love listening to many kinds of music: rock, pop, jazz, rap + main clause after colon Dash: the phrase after the dash explains the word far ahead My 3 best friends - Danny, Jimmy, Jil - and I went skiing
• Pronouns: it/itself, one another/themselves, such/another, there 1. Reflexive pronouns: it vs. itself after the agreement, the commission dissolved it after the agreement, the commission dissolved itself 2. Reciprocal pronouns: One another vs. themselves => INTERACTION  the guest interacted with one another  3. Such vs. other / another  decided to subject any such contracts to debate in the future =  decided to subject any other contracts to debate in the future = additional 4. Do so vs. do it Quinn did not eat the dinner quickly, but Dilan did so  => ENTIRE ACTION Quinn failed to do the homework, but Dilan did it => THINGS 5. There vs. noun Oil in Antarctica may be worth lots, if well can dug there  vs. (Antarctic oil....,if well can dug there)
• Placeholder IT: legal on the GMAT Postpone INFINITVE subjects: it is futile to resist temptation (vs. to resist temptation is futile) Postpone THAT clause subjects: it gave us courage that we scored (vs. that we scored gave us courage..) Postpone INFINITIVE OR THAT clause objects: She made possible our attendance at the marke OR She made it possible that we attend the market
• Avoiding pronouns altogether Finding a generic synonym for the antecedent is much better FALSE: After roasting the deer, the hunter searched for a tree to hang it from BETTER: After roasting the deer, the hunter searched for a tree to hang the deer from BEST: After roasting the deer, the hunter searched for a tree to hang the meat from - new nano papers -> these materials - land-use agreements -> such contract
• Antecedent Eligibility Filters Number- Sg, Pl Gender- He/His, She/her/hers, it/its/they/them Repeats- reference Proximity- "close" in meaning! Check the case for parallelism
• Exceptions to the touch rule Mission Critical: he had a way of ding somethin that...  His way of doing something impressed Very short predicate falls between: (a new Ceo, who w.....LONG, has been hired) A new CEO has been hired who will transform the company SHORT Set off by comma: Favor states, such as Delawaye, that by population..  Part of series of parallel modifiers: A color emblem emblazed on a coat of arms and labeled with a french word
• Possessive Nuances 1. Y of X vs. X's Y The orca, a relative of the whale 2. AVOID plural possessive -s'  Certain humans' parasites have been shown to provide bacterial resistance and protection  BETTER: Certains parasites IN HUMANS have been shown.. . 3. Subgroup modifiers:  The model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF WHICH were only recently discovered SOME OF THEM only recently discovered SOME ONLY RECENTLY discovered  4. MEANING: Relative clauses vs. Participles I see the man cleaning the stairs I saw a man cleaning the stairs I see a man who cleaned the stairs yesterday 
• Absolute phrases: GMAT NEVER ASKS 2 sentences: NEVER USE WHICH, THIS; THAT for these sentences  His head held high, the walked out of the store ....., results that suggest the cataly.. of meteors Better:  ...., suggesting the cataclysmic impact of a meteor millions of years ago
• The Command subjonctive 1.)   BOSSY WORD + THAT + SUBJECT + COMMAND SUBJONCTIVE COMMAND SUBJONCTIVE Bare form: No -s and always BE BOSSY WORDS:  demand dictate propose recommend request require (either form)  suggest stipulate is essential  THAT HE BE  His demand that he be paid full insurance was met.  It is essential that G be called before noon 
• Relate two things together COMPARE: compare between 2 things => between compare among 3 things => among - mediate among x,y and z. TIMES: 5 times as old as his grandpa ( NOT 5 times older than his grandpa) the cost is 12, 6 times the cost 6 years ago /twice the previous price MORE: I spend more than I should, My bills are lower, I spend less, We even have more engines than before, We even have engines more efficient than before EXCEED: x exceeds y, the incidence of disease exceeds the incidence IN ADDITION: In addition to taxes, death is inevitable
• A number of … THE NUMBER OF dogs IS greater THE NUMBER OF dogs IS increasing A NUMBER OF dogs ARE chasing ITS NUMBERS ARE greater than before 
• LIKE and AS LIKE = similar to - modify a noun / verb / comparison I want to coast like GL I want to coach, like GL  UNLIKE = parallelism AS = with a clause Duration AS: As i strolled to the store, I smelledCausation AS: I won’t tell you, as you know already, Just as trains were late yesterday, so too are they late today. Comparison AS: You should walk as she walks - As in the previous case, the judge took an early break, I will jump as a clown might, I will jump as clowns do, They are as hungry as you are Preposition AS: As a leader, I am in charge, I think of you as my friend, As a child, I thought Fast food, such as hamburgers
• Uncountable modifiers - continuous numbers much patience little patience less patience least patience amount of patience less than a certain amount of patience great patience  greater patience => money, quantity, volume, dollars
• Countable modifiers - absolute numbers many hats few hats fewer hats fewest hats  number of hats  numerous hats  more numerous hats dollar bills => PIECES OF PAPER
• SC: Even though Clovis points, spear points with longitudinal grooves chipped onto their faces, have been found all over North America, they are named for the New Mexico site where they were first discovered in 1932. Verb form; Rhetorical construction; Logical predication  Even though, although, and while introduce clauses that appear to be logically incompatible but in fact are not. In this sentence, the apparent incompatibility that must be clearly expressed is that although the spear points are named for a particular place in New Mexico, they are in fact found throughout North America. Because their discovery took place in 1932 and is not ongoing, the correct verb tense is simple past, not present perfect => The even though clause expresses clearly that the seeming incompatibility is between where the spear points have been found (all over North America) and the naming of the spear points for a single site in New Mexico.
• If d is an integer, is d>= 0.5? 1) rounded to the next tenth digit, the result is 0.5 2) rounded to the next integer, the result is 1 Arithmetic: Rounding; Estimating  answer 2 is sufficient! 
• SC: Among the objects found in the excavated temple were small terra-cotta effigies left by supplicants who were either asking the goddess Bona Dea’s aid in healing physical and mental ills or thanking her for such help. aid in healing physical and mental ills or thanking her for such help. or: to heal physical and mental ills or to thank her for such help Parallelism; Idiom  This correct sentence uses parallel structure to explain that supplicants were either asking . . . or thanking. The correlative pair either/or is correctly used since each element is followed by the same part of speech: either asking . . . or thanking. The pair of correlative conjunctions either . . . or always work together; either may only be followed by or. The noun aid is correctly followed by in healing rather than by the infinitive to heal.
• Being heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. => Heavy commitment by an executive to a course of action, especially if it has worked well in the past, makes it likely to miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. Being heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. Rhetorical construction; Logical predication : SUBJECT  This sentence explains that an executive who is blindly committed... The sentence needs to make clear who may misinterpret these indicators. The grammatical structure of this sentence and the appropriate placement of modifiers expresses the meaning clearly and concisely.
• SC: Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sublanguages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand. Nobody knows exactly how many languages there are in the world, partly because of the difficulty of distinguishing between a language and the sublanguages or dialects within it, but those who have tried to count typically have found about five thousand. Agreement; Idiom  This sentence first introduces a condition that makes it difficult to count languages and then, with the conjunction but, introduces the topic of those who defy these difficulties and try to count the world’s languages anyway. The pronoun it agrees in number to its singular antecedent, and but indicates that the idea expressed in the final clause defies expectations.
• SC: Fossils of the arm of a sloth, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, have been dated at 34 million years old, making the sloth the earliest known mammal on the Greater Antilles Islands. Fossils of the arm of a sloth, found in Puerto Rico in 1991, have been dated at 34 million years old, making the sloth the earliest known mammal on the Greater Antilles Islands. Logical predication  The subject of the sentence is the plural fossils, not sloth, and therefore requires a plural verb. It therefore does not have a singular antecedent. To clarify the identification of the oldest known mammal, the noun the sloth must be explicitly identified. The plural verb agrees with its plural subject, and the sloth is explicitly identified as the earliest known mammal.
• The largest of all the planets, Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system. The largest of all the planets, Jupiter not only is three times as massive as Saturn, the next largest, but also possesses four of the largest satellites, or moons, in our solar system. Diction; Idiom This sentence begins with a phrase, [t]he largest . . ., describing the main subject Jupiter. The remainder of the sentence describes Jupiter’s size and possession of moons, using the idiom not only x but y to introduce parallel adjective phrases.  In this version of the sentence so massive as Saturn violates the parallelism established by the idiom as + adjective + as + noun. For the sake of clarity, the noun described by the opening adjectival phrase should immediately follow that phrase. The phrase next larger is unidiomatic and unclear. The superlative (largest) is appropriate in this consideration of all the planets.
• Principle of Concision Redundancy means repetition of linguistic information, excessive wordiness, or repetition in expression. Example: An example of redundancy is using both and and also in the same sentence. Redundant means characterized by similarity or repetition. Example: The use of the phrase rare occurrence with the phrase does not happen very often creates redundancy Concise means expressing or covering much in few words. It is the opposite of redundant. A concise sentence is a sentence that contains no unnecessary words and expresses the maximum meaning with the minimum number of words. BUT Example:  1. John loves Jane with all his heart.2. John loves Jane.3. John loves Jane wholeheartedly.  Sentence 2 is shorter than sentence 1 is, but it is not more concise than sentence 1 is because sentence 2 losessome of the meaning expressed by sentence 1. Sentence 3, on the other hand, is both shorter and more concise than sentence 1 is as it expresses the samemeaning in fewer words.    The same goes for redundancy. Not every long answer choice is  redundant. An answer choice is redundantonly if we can express the exact same meaning in fewer words. 
• Concept of Unequivocal ambiguous means capable of being understood in two or more possible senses or ways. For example, the following sentence is ambiguous: John is playing with the boy because he wants to. It is unclear whether he refers to John or to the boy. The correct answer to a Sentence Correction question should be clear - not ambiguous. Ambiguity is one of the two stylistic GMAT mistakes (the other one is redundancy). Unequivocal means leaving no doubt, clear, unambiguous. Unequivocal is the opposite of the word ambiguous. Example: The language of the law should be plain and unequivocal.
• SC: The explosion was accidental, and because of its sheer strength, it left no survivors alive. CONCISION: No one survived the accidental explosion because of its sheer strength
• Work order in Sentence Correction: ROGer iS Mean & Fit Read and eliminate: the Original mistake, Grammatical errors \ illogical sentences, Stylistic flaws, change of Meaning, and answers that don't Fit. ROGer iS Mean & Fit 1. Read the ORIGINAL sentence and identify 0-2 mistakes in it. 2. Go over the 5 answer choices vertically, focusing only on the part(s) in which the original sentence is mistaken. Eliminate answer choices that repeat the original mistake(s).  3. GRAMATICAL MISTAKE : If you're left with more than one answer choice, eliminate all grammatically ILLOGICAL l answer choices. If you're left with one answer choice only - choose it. 4. If you're left with more than one answer choice, eliminate all STYLISTIC flawed answer choices (i.e., redundant and/or ambiguous ones). If you're left with one answer choice only - choose it. 5. If you're left with more than one answer choice, eliminate all answer choices that change the MEANing of the original sentence. If you're left with one answer choice only - choose it. 6. If you're left with more than one answer choice, eliminate all answer choices that do not FIT into the rest of the sentence (i.e., the part of the original sentence which is not underlined).
• In 1812, Dietrich Nikolaus Winkel invented the metronome, which is a device that produces a regulated audible pulse usually used to establish a steady tempo for the performance of musical compositions (A) which is a device that produces a regulated (B) which is a device that produces a regular (C) a device that produce a regulated (D) which is a device that produce a regulated (E) a device that produces a regulated We can eliminate answer choices (A) and (B) because the words which is are redundant. That leaves us with only one answer choice, (E), which is the correct answer. a device that produced a regulated
• Subject-Verb-Agreement In order to start solving Subject Verb Agreement questions, you need to go over the following: 1. Sentence structure 2. Identifying the subject 3. Subject Verb Agreement rule In 95% of GMAT sentences, the subject is what comes before the first verb, except what is separated from the verb by a comma. Example: In 1997, the GMAT changed from a pencil and paper test to a computer adaptive test. Note: if a part of the sentence is separated from the rest of the sentence by two commas, it can be ignored when looking for the subject. A single comma will NEVER separate the subject from the verb. Our first Stop Sign is: A long, complex subject or a great distance between subject and verb
• The man Jane loves and the man who loves Jane is not the same man. (A) the man who loves Jane is (B) a man who loves Jane is (C) the man who love Jane is (D) a man who loves Jane are (E) the man who loves Jane are The subject is plural: The man Jane loves and the man who loves Jane So how do we bypass this trap? Through the help of a Stop Sign, of course. Stop Sign: A plural subject made up of singular nouns that are connected by and Stop Sign, we know that the topic this question checks is Subject Verb Agreement and that we should make sure that the verb is plural. Only the word and makes the subject automatically plural.
• Singular / Plural word and / along with / as well as Only the word and makes the subject automatically plural. ARE Others workds, such as as well as or along with, connect the singular nouns that make up the subject, the subject is the first noun only. IS accompanied by together with including 1. John and Jane are lovers.2. John as well as Jane is  American.3. John along with Jane goes on vacation once a year. THE verb should agree with the noun that comes after or. 1. Many people or just John is...2. John or two women are...
• White blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma, which makes up 55% of the volume of normal blood, is the main component of blood. Two Stop Signs identify this question as a subject verb agreement question and help us detect the mistake: - A plural subject made up of singular nouns connected by and - A long complex subject / long distance between subject and verb White blood cells, red blood cells, platelets and plasma, which makes up 55% of the volume of normal blood, is the main component of blood.
• SC: Heart disease, cancer and stroke are the leading mortality causes This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the singular verb is to the plural verb are to match the plural subject Heart disease, cancer and stroke. Note that the change of wording causes of death -> mortality causes does not entail a change of meaning
• While all academic institutions in the country face financial difficulties, polytechnics and the Institute of Scientific Research are in serious danger of closing down. This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by replacing the singular verb is with the plural verb are.
• Jane, who works 80 hours a week, and John, who goes on business trips abroad almost every week, have hardly seen Jane, who works 80 hours a week, and John, who goes on business trips abroad almost every week, hardly sees the children. => have hardly seen "EVER" would change the meaning of ORIGINAL SENTENCE! 
• STOP SIGN: Pseudo Plural Subjects 1. Subject ends with -s The following words are considered singular subjects although they end with -s:news, thesis, hypothesis, crisis, analysis, politics, physics, mathematics, economics, ethics, athletics Example: The crisis was solved 2. 2. Collective Nouns Collective nouns are nouns which refer to more than one person/animal. They are considered singular subjects. audience, committee, congregation, family, flock, group, staff, team.Example: The team is playing really well tonight.
• News of John's IQ test results has quickly spread in the company for which John works The following Stop Signs help us identify this question as a Subject Verb Agreement question and identify the mistake: - A long complex subject / a long distance between the subject and the verb - A pseudo-plural singular subject
• Despite all attempts to curb the damages, the long-foreseen water and oil crisis is about to bring the country's economy to its knees. This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the singular subject crisis to the plural subject crises, to match the plural verb are.  Sometimes a mistake can be corrected by the substitution of a single letter (crisis - crises). Keep your eyes peeled for every small change! DOWN is redundant
• Singular/Plural: Singular Subject A subject noun in the form of an unconjugated verb - Verb+ing or to Verb - is considered a singular subject. Examples: 1. Preparing well for the GMAT is essential. 2. To take the GMAT without preparing well for it is not a smart move. Jane believes that to be right is not as important as to live peacefully with others around her, whereas John believes in justice above all, claiming that being right often transcends
• X of Y Sentence Forms If X is plural, then the entire subject is plural and the verb should be plural. Example: Three members of an organization Whenever you see a Sentence Correction question whose subject is in the form of X of Y, chances are that this is a Subject Verb Agreement question. This makes it a Stop Sign:  X of Y subject
• Some believe that the dictates of one's conscience need to be followed even if they involve breaking the law. This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the singular verb needs to the plural verb need, to match the plural subject dictates.
• Retirement planners typically begin by looking at a client's sources of income, which are a chief key for predicting future cash flows. This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the singular verb is to the plural verb are, to match the plural subject sources.
• The principles of political morality were the subject of a speech given by Maximilien Robespierre in February 1794. The principles of political morality is an X of Y subject. In such cases, the verb should agree with X (The principles), which is plural.  What helps us identify this question as a Subject Verb Agreement question as well as identify this mistake is the following Stop Sign: - The subject is in the form of X of Y 
• When John requested the assistance of a certain professor with his thesis, which is by no means related to mathematics, the professor replied that mathematics are essential in order to test John's main hypothesis This answer choice corrects the original Subject Verb Agreement mistake, by changing the plural verb are to the singular verb is, to match the singular (pseudo plural) subject mathematics. While this answer choice changes some of the wording of the original sentence, it retains the original meaning.
• To fly from New York to London via Italy makes little sense. NOT FLYING
• Verb precedes Subject Example: There is a boy in the playground. Normally, the subject is what comes BEFORE the verb, but in this case the subject is a boy, not "There". In order to further identify the problem, turn this sentence into plural: There are boys in the playground. Once the verb became plural, whatever else had to be changed to agree with it is the subject: the singular a boy became plural -  boys. There did not change. This further proves that "There" is not the subject of the sentence. Here is how it works with a few other examples: Beneath the tree sleeps a child --> Beneath the tree sleep children. In the shadows lurks a dangerous animal --> In the shadows lurk dangerous animals. Crucial to health is avoiding smoking ---> Crucial to health are avoiding smoking and exercising regularly.

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