Strategy

Tips

Trap

Rather than/Instead of

Should

Subordinators

Subject-Verb

Parallelism

Pronouns

Modifiers

- Antecendent is present

- Number agreement

- Relative pronoun matches

antecendent (who-people, where -

place)

- Pronoun is in right role (subject:

who, Object: whom, possessive:

whose)

- Placement of modifier (noun

modifier touches noun)

- Parallelism and modifier

antecendent

- Adverb, Adjective (adjective

modifies noun/pronoun, linking verb)

- Dangling Present participle

(Thinking it would be right, he did

it)

- Essential vs non-essential (comma

= non-essential)

9 such categories: Parallelism, Modifiers, Comparisons, Idioms, Verb

Tense/Voice/Mood, Subject-Verb agreement, Pronouns, Meaning/Concision,

Odds & Ends

Raise is a verb that always takes a direct object: The Fed

(subject) raised the interest rate (object) in March. Rise is used only in

contexts where there is no direct

object: Interest rates (subject) rose in March

Test-takers focus far too quickly and broadly on concision. As a result, the

GMAT often makes the

right answer less concise than an attractive wrong answer. Never consider

concision except as a last

resort if you are down to two choices and you cannot make up your mind

any other way.The "of" in "instead of" is a preposition, and the object of a preposition must

be a noun.

In contrast, "rather than" can compare nouns or verbsOn the GMAT, should almost always means moral obligation,

not likelihood. In everyday speech, you can say The train should arrive now

to mean that the train is

likely to arrive now, but the GMAT doesnt agree with this usage.Subordinators: after although as, as if, as long as, as soon as, as though,

because, even if, even though, if,

in case, since, so that, that, though, till, until, unless, whatever when

whenever

where wherever whether which while who/whom whoever/whomever why

When you see a sentence that begins with one of these subordinators, BE

CAREFUL These words appear at the beginning of subordinate clauses, and

subordinate clauses cannot stand by themselves -they are not complete

sentences. Make sure that all your subordinate clauses are attached to

independent clauses.

Note that not one is always singular: Not one of my friends IS here this

weekend. MSC45

AND is plural

Additive phrases (including, along with, as well) are modifiers and thus do

not change the subject (so is subject is singular then verb should be so too).

Or, Either..Or, Neither..Nor -> find the noun nearest to the verb, and make

sure that the verb agrees in number

with this noun.

Collective nouns (citrus, baggage, agency) are almost always singular. -one, -

body, -thing, each, every, are singular

{note the term 'almost always', when the emphasis is on the individuals, then

use plural form.A collective noun, such as crowd takes a singular noun if the

group is acting in unison:

"The crowd was singing along with the band."

It takes a plural verb when the group is acting individually:

"The crowd were looting stores and vandalizing property.}

This sentence is correct as it maintains parallelism between clauses even

though the tense on each is different. The point is to note the marker 'More X

than Y' and ensure X and Y are parallel.

The students did poorly on the test more because they hadn't studied than

because they didn't understand the material.

You don't need to make every word in the entire phrase or clause parallel -

you just need to make the main word in the phrase or clause parallel. This is

often (but not always) the first word.

The basic idiom above is "more X than Y" and "because" introduces each

clause: more because than because .

When relative clauses (clauses starting with Which, Where etc.) are parallel,

they should start with the same relative pronoun. India is where people are

united and where technology meets spirituality.

Every it and its must refer to the same singular antecedent. Every they, them

and their must refer to the same plural antecedent. Pronouns must agree

with their antecedant in both number (singular or plural) and person (1st,

2nd, 3rd, etc.). Definite Pronouns - Has antecedents.

Indefinite Pronouns - Has no antecedents.

The pronouns don't need to be next to the antecedents, they should just

unambiguously point to one. Therefore dont apply pronoun ambiguity unless

you are backed into a corner.

There are three types of pronouns: subject (for example, he); object (him); or

possessive (his). Understand what role is pronouns playing and chose the

right one accordingly.

Incorrect: It's me at the door. (we need a subject-pronoun here but 'me' is

object-pronoun).

Correct: It's I at the door. (you can also answer most of the pronoun question

by putting 'who' at the start of sentence and turning into question like 'Who

is at the door?' - I am at the door.

Reflective pronouns indicate that the subject of a sentence is both giving and

receiving the action of the verb. They are normally located after the verb. The

bird bathed itself in the water hole.

A NOUN and its MODIFIER should TOUCH each other. Unlike a noun modifier,

a verb modifier does not have to touch the subject.

Noun modifiers are often introduced by Relative Pronouns such as the

following: Which That Who Whose Whom Where When

who and whom must modify people. Pronoun which must modify things (Use

WHICH only to refer to the noun immediately preceding itnever to refer to

an entire clause). Clauses led by the pronoun that cannot modify people.

Pronoun whose can modify either people or things. (Bordeaux is a French

region whose most famous export is

the wine, is correct, as Whose is modifying 'region')

The pronoun where can be used to modify a noun place, such as area, site,

country or Nevada. Where cannot modify a metaphorical place, such as

condition, situation, case, circumstances, or arrangement. In these cases, use

in which rather than where.

when can be used to modify a noun event or time, such as period, age, 1987

or decade. In these circumstances, you can also use in which instead of when.

Use WHICH (and commas) if the modifier is non-essential.

Use THAT (and no commas) if the modifier is essential.

who, can be used in essential or in non-essential modifiers.

use commas with non-essential uses of Which, but not with essential uses of

Which. Non-essential: This mansion. FOR WHICH I YEARN, is owned by the

Lees. Essential: The mansion FOR WHICH I YEARN is owned by the Lees.

9 errors most commonly tested on the GMAT: sentence structure errors,

subject-verb agreement errors, modifier errors, verb tense errors, pronoun

errors, parallelism errors, comparison errors, idiomatic errors, and style

errorsShe waters the more than 50 plants she has - is correct, the modifier 'more

than' is next to the the thing it modifies. (She waters the plants she has ->

modified to -> She waters the more than 50 plants she has. MSC33

Certain Helping Verbs, such as may, will, must, and

should, provide another way for the GMAT to test meaning.

These helping verbs express various levels of certainty, obligation, and reality.

Simply by swapping these

verbs, the GMAT can completely change the meaning of the sentence. Pay

attention to helping verbs!rather than shows a judgment. One choice is preferred over the other. It is

better somehow.

instead of merely expresses a replacement of one thing for another.

Subordinating or "dependent" clauses can occur at the beginning or end of a

sentence. When used at the beginning of a sentence, a comma is necessary

after the clause itself.

S + V although S + V

Although S + V , S + V

In English, the subordinator always comes before the subject and verb in a

clause.

(Incorrect) I went to the grocery store after, I stopped at the bank.

(Correct) After I went to the grocery store, I stopped at the bank.

Subordinators and coordinators should not be used in the same sentence to

introduce clauses. Choose one or the other, but do not use both together.

(Wrong) Although Nina won the prize, but she was not happy.

(Correct) Although Nina won the prize, she was not happy.

(Also correct) Nina won the prize, but she was not happy.

SANAM (indefinite pronouns) can be singular or plural.

The words majority, minority, and plurality are either singular or plural,

depending on their context

On the GMAT, collective nouns will often come paired with prepositional

phrases that make it seem as if they should agree with plural verbs, e.g. the

team of lawyers is here. Often, our natural instinct in this case is to make the

verb plural, since we hear the plural in the prepositional phrase of lawyers.

Get in the habit of crossing out the prepositional phrases attached to nouns

so that you avoid this mistake.

Non-Finite verb = Gerund (verb acting as noun), Infinitives (to+verb),

Participles (verb acting as adjective)

Fractions and percentages, like team and staff, can be either singular or plural

depending on the object of the preposition following. (Nearly 25% of people

in the world are Muslim. People is plural.) Correlative conjunctions are conjunctions used in pairs to join single words or

groups of words of equal weight in the sentence. The list or correlative

conjunctions includes:

Either or

Neither nor

Both and

Not only but also

Whether or

The most important aspect of correlative conjunctions is that the pairs or

groups of words linked together must be parallel.

Here is an example of the proper use of the correlative conjunction either

or (note the parallelism): He will go to either the movies this afternoon or

the store this evening.

The rule for correlative conjunctions is that any word or phrase placed prior

to the first word of the conjunction (in this case the word either) is shared

by both parallel phrases and does not need to be repeated. This means that

since the go to comes before the either it is automatically applied to both

parts. So it is not necessary to say go to the movies or go to the store

since we said go to either. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-

09/how-to-check-for-parallelism-in-sentence-correction

any New Copy that or those agree in number with the previous

version. If you must change number, repeat the noun.

(Our cat is cuter than those in the wild is incorrect, even though it modifies

the copy because 'those' is plural while 'cat' (original term) is singular)

It, Its, They, Them, There can be used in place of nouns.

This and These should not be used as nouns (though be vary of their use as

Adjectives like These books are good.)

That or those indicating a New Copy or copies must be modified. In other

words, you have to add a

description to indicate how the new copy is different from the previous

version.

On the GMAT, do not use this or these in place of nouns. A sentence such as

This is great is unacceptably

vague to the GMAT. Also, do not use that or those in place of nouns, unless

you modify that

or those to make them New Copies. Instead, use it, they, or them.

Wrong: Her products are unusual; many consider THESE unique.

Right: Her products are unusual; many consider THEM unique.

Amy is feeling GOOD. {Good is an adjective that modifies the noun Amy.)

Amy is feeling WELL. {Well is an adjective that modifies the noun Amy.)

Adjectives modify noun and pronouns, adverb modifies everything else BUT

Be aware of linking verbs like Feel, represent. Note that

adjectives, not adverbs, follow linking verbs such as feel.

Adjectives that have been observed alternating with their corresponding

adverbs (in -ly) in released

GMAT problems include corresponding, frequent, independent, rare, recent,

seeming, separate, significant,

supposed, and usual. It is easy to miss an -ly added in some of the answer

choices; be sure not to miss this

difference.

A squinting modifier is also sometimes called a two-way modifier. This

modifier error occurs when a modifier is placed between two words and

could modifier either one. In other words, the modifier is squinting--looking

two directions--to see which word it is supposed to modify.

Students who miss classes frequently fail the course.

We can't tell which part of the sentence the word frequently is supposed to

modify.

Reading right to left helps in parallelism and also sometimes in finding the

right subject (when it's after the verb or in passive voice).

Be aware of redundancy e.g. In the past experience, he is good in academic

schoolwork, after this he subsequently, MSC35

None of and any of followed by a plural noun can be singular MSC45

In gmat rather than used between two verbs(actions, phrases), instead of

used between two nouns. this is what in gmat i have seen so far.

Testing for Linking Verbs

Since these verbs can function as either action verbs or copular verbs, how do

you make the distinction? A common test is to replace the verb you suspect

in the sentence with an appropriate form of a true linking verb.

If it makes sense, it is linking.

If it isn't logical with the substitution, it's an action verb.

For example, take these two sentences:

"The flowers looked wilted."

"She looked for wildflowers"

Substitute the copular verb "are" for the word "looked" in both sentences. In

the first sentence, it makes sense: "The flowers are wilted." In the second

sentence, however, it doesn't make sense: "She are for wildflowers."

"The spaghetti sauce tasted delicious."

"She tasted the delicious spaghetti sauce."

The sentence: "The spaghetti sauce is delicious" works, but "She is the

delicious spaghetti sauce" is illogical. The verb in the first sentence is copular,

and in the second sentence it is not.

Parallelism is a rule of English grammar that demands consistency in a

sentence's structure. Any lists of ideas, places, activities, or descriptions that

have the same level of importance whether they be words, phrases, or

clauses - must be written in the same grammatical form. Some examples:

activities: running, biking, and hiking

places: the store, the museum, and the restaurant

ideas: how to read, how to write, and how to learn

descriptions: quickly, quietly, and happily

Note the grammatical consistency in each list: the 'activities' all end in ing;

the 'places' are all singular nouns; the 'ideas' all begin with 'how to'; the

'descriptions' all end in ly. In each list, whatever grammatical form is applied

to one item is applied to all items. On the GMAT, this rule what applies to

one must apply to all is pretty much all you need to remember.

Indefinite pronouns are words the replace nouns

Singular: Another, Anybody, Each, Everybody, Much, Nobody, Somebody

Plural: Both, Fem, Many, others, several

Singular/Plural: All. Any, More, Most, None, Some

How to Nail Singular Indefinite Pronouns: Cross out prepositional phrases

and watch out for pronouns that refer to indefinite pronouns.

1. Each of my friends is going to business school. (Cross out the

prepositional phrase to realize that each agrees with a singular verb).

How to Nail Singular or Plural Indefinite Pronouns: Let the prepositional

phrase do the talking; with these pronouns, the noun after the prepositional

phrase is the one that determines the verb.

1. All of my friends are at the party

2. All of the building is destroyed

3. None of my friends are at the party

http://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-sentence-correction-indefinite-

pronouns-and-logic/

A present participle (ring form) at the beginning of a sentence is often made

to be dangling. Although

these forms are technically Verb Modifiers, they still need a noun subject that

makes sense.

Wrong: Using the latest technology, the problem was identified.

Wrong: The problem was identified, using the latest technology.

Errors such as these are common in speech. The modifier using the latest

technology needs to refer to someone who actually used the technology.

Verb Modifiers modify verbs. These modifiers answer questions about the

verb, such as how, when, where, why, etc.

Subordinators include words such as because, although, if, unless, while, so

that, while, and so on. These

words begin subordinate clauses, which cannot stand alone as sentences, but

rather are attached to main

clauses.

Non-essential appositives must be set off from the rest of the sentence by

some form of punctuation: commas, dashes, or a colon. Essential appositives

are not set off from the rest of the sentence by commas.

- Choice A can very well be the answer.

- If all choices except one have a clear error then no matter how awkward the

remaining choice be, it must be the answer

- GMAT checks common sense too, so in a complex sentence where meaning

is not clear, go with what makes sense (This was done by X and Y, who

became king later. We know only one person can be king, so the modifier is

'intended' for Y - it may be placed incorrectly here but at least we should

derive the right meaning

GMAT has a strong, strong preference towards "rather than" on SC.

With infinitives, a very simple rule applies: the word "to" must either go only

before the first verb in the list, or before every verb in the list. For example:

Correct: He likes to swim, to sail, and to dance.

Correct: He likes to swim, sail, and dance.

http://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-parallelism-once-outside-or-twice-

inside/

Watch out for nouns used as adjectives! They cannot be antecedents of

pronouns. Like in the word 'Park rangers'.

Be careful with their, which is often used in everyday speech to refer to

singular subjects.

Wrong: Whenever a student calls, take down THEIR information.

Right: Whenever a student calls, take down HIS or HER information.

Do not use the pronouns "they" or "their" when referring to a collective

noun or an indefinite pronoun. Collective nouns include the terms "all,"

"everyone," and "everybody." They are collective because they refer to

groups of people. Indefinite pronouns such as "each" and "someone," like

collective nouns, do not indicate a specific gender. Do not substitute the

pronoun "they" for a collective noun or an indefinite pronoun. Instead, try to

avoid the need for the pronoun if possible. One way to avoid the pronoun

problem is to substitute the word "the" or "a." Use "he or she" or "his or her"

as an alternative only if absolutely necessary; this option almost always can

be avoided by rewriting the sentence. (See the section of this guide on gender-

neutral language for more advice.)

Incorrect: Everyone will be required to submit their memorandum at 9:00

a.m.

Better: Everyone will be required to submit his or her memorandum at 9:00

a.m.Exception: WHICH only to refer to the noun immediately preceding it BUT an

appositive (a noun that modifies another noun) can be placed between a

relative clause (clause that starts with pronouns like WHICH) and the

modified noun. example: Mary buys cookies made with SugarFree, an

artificial sweetener, which tastes as sweet as the corn. 'An Artificial sweetner'

is appositive between noun (SugarFree) and the relative Clause (which

tastes...) but it is still correct.

Mary buys cookies made with SugarFree, an artificial sweetener, which tastes

as sweet as the corn syrup that her brother loves but which contains fewer

calories than does an equivalent amount of corn syrup. If 2 or more clauses

are parallel, then the modifier (WHICH) modifies the same noun (SugarFree)

and not the immediately preceeding noun/clause. Parallel marker here is

BUT. Conclusion: Modifer agreement should be checked keeping parallelism

in mind.

we CAN use which to talk about places when the place is the subject of the

clause, but we can never use where as the subject of the clause because it

actually means in which .

correct: Sydney is the city which hosted the 2000 Olympic Games

Links

http://www.dominatethegmat.com/2011/02/who-vs-whom-on-gmat-

sentence-corrections/

http://gmatclub.com/forum/pronouns-yellow-96229-this-post-is-a-

part-of-gmat-grammar-96822.html

http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp

http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2006/05/pronoun-errors.html

http://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/modifiers-on-the-gmat-sentence-

correction/

Possessive adjectives are pronouns which are used as adjectives and are

located directly before another noun. They do not replace a noun, but modify

it. Carol is reading her book.

In that store they make a customer feel stupid.---Here use of they is incorrect

as there is no antecedent for "they" in this sentence so instead of they a

proper noun should be used. ('that' in 'that store' is adjective, it's not doer or

the object, so an antecedent is not required)

Note:In expressions of time and weather antecedent of it is not given.

e.g It is too hot today.

http://magoosh.com/gmat/2013/gmat-pronoun-traps/