Identifying SentenceErrors

- Grammar

SAT Prep

Ms. Amorin

What does the “IDENTIFYING ERRORS” Section of the

SAT consist of?

A sentence that has four words or phrases underlined and lettered.

There is usually something grammatically incorrect with one of the underlined words or phrases.

Students are to identify the error and select the letter answer choice of the error.

If the sentence is correct the way it is written, choose ‘E’- No Error (20%)

How is the “Identifying Errors” section formatted?

Common Grammatical Errors found in the Identifying Errors section-----

Sentence structure

Subject/verb agreement Pronoun Preposition Misplaced Modifier Parallelism

Strategy # 1 Carefully read straight through the sentence to

get a feel for how it sounds, what it is about, and if everything makes grammatical sense.

Do not just assume that “it sounds right” Think of proper grammar!!!

Strategy # 2 Go down the list of common errors because it

will most likely be one of them. Ask yourself, “Is the verb used correct?”…..

Sentence structure Subject/ verb agreement Pronoun Preposition Misplaced Modifier Parallelism

Strategy # 3- Eliminating Extras “Trim the fat” A sentence will often contain extraneous

phrases that can distract you from the “meat” of the sentence

Focus on the most important part: the subject and verb

Read the sentence matching the subjects to the verbs that are underlined (likely the error), then tackle the other answer choices

Example for “Eliminating Extras” and Focusing on the “Subject & Verb”

Math, developed over 2,000 years ago, have been a favorite of A B Cteachers and school children alike for generations. No error D E

Here’s how to crack it! Trim the fat. What’s the subject of the sentence? Math (no error with subject) Then look at the verb: developed and have been Math developed ….. Correct! Math have been……. Incorrect!

Math is singular so it needs a singular verb- Math has been… Therefore, ‘B’ is the answer choice

Subject- verb agreement

Simple rule: Singular subject with singular verb Plural subject with plural verb

If you are given a singular subject (he, she, it), then your verb must be singular (is, has, was)

The verb is the person or thing that is doing the action

Subject- verb agreement example: The answers given by the commission

A appears to contradict the earlier B C testimony of its members. No error D E

At first glance, the sentence appears correct.What is the subject of the sentence? Answers (a plural subject)What is the verb of the sentence? AppearsAnswers is plural, Appears is singularRead as (trimming the fat)---- The answers appears??? Wrong! Choice B

Subject- verb agreement (cont…)

Do all the nouns/ subjects agree with their verbs?

Some animals, such as the hedgehog,

A

appear quite timid but they can become

B C

fierce enemies when they perceive a threat

to their baby. No error

D E

What’s the subject?

Do the verbs match? Answer= D

Strategy # 4

Analyze the underlined words or phrases

What part of speech are they? Do they correctly coincide with the

rest of the sentence? Are they grammatically correct?

Pronoun Errors

*Object PRONOUNS* Singular Plural

Me Us

You You

Him Them

Her Them

It Them

Whom Whom

Pronoun Errors

*Subject PRONOUNS*

Singular Plural I We

You You He They

She They It They Who Who

Pronoun Errors example

The safety check of the new vehicle,

A

including an inspection of the brakes and

B

wheel alignment, was performed by he

C D

and the mechanic. No error

EAnswer = D (him)

Pronoun Errors example

Even with a calculator, you must have a

A

basic understanding of mathematics if

B

one expects to solve complex problems

C

correctly. No error

D E

Answer = C

Preposition errors

Prepositions are words that link noun, pronouns, and phrases to other words in a sentence.

PREPOSITIONS that are commonly misused in sentences are:

about, above, across, after, against, among, around, at before, beside, between, beyond, with, by, down, during, for, from, in, out, into, to, through, throughout, over, like

(Yankee Doodle song)

Preposition errors about, above, across, after, against, among, around,

at before, beside, between, beyond, with, by, down, during, for, from, in, out, into, to, through, throughout, over, like

I saw a good film in TV.

Dan was present in the wedding.

They arrived to Paris without any issues.

I went to Barcelona for visit a client.

I always gain weight at Christmas.

Preposition error example

After seeing Andy fall into the crocodile pit,

A B

his girlfriend admitted that she was

C

worried for him. No error

D E

Answer = D

Preposition example

Mary was excited for Paul who completed

A B

his goal of swimming across the English

C D

Channel last spring. No error

E

Answer = E

Misplaced Modifiers

A modifier is a descriptive word or phrase inserted in a sentence to add height to the thing it modifies.

Ex.) Because she was a talented poet, April could write great music.

Because she was a talented poet is modifying a phrase in the sentence

It describes a characteristic of April

Misplaced Modifiers errors Ex.) Every time he goes to the bathroom outside, John

praises his new puppy for being good.

Who’s going to the bathroom outside? It’s John?!?!? Noooo!! It’s supposed to be the puppy!!!

The descriptive phrase every time he goes outside needs to be near puppy for the sentence to say what it means.

Note: Be careful with sentences that begin with a descriptive phrase followed by a comma. Make sure what comes after the comma is the person or thing being modified.

Correct sentence: Every time he goes outside, the puppy is praised by John for being good.

Misplaced Modifiers example

As one of the most delicious

A

Italian restaurants in town, the

B

eggplant rollatini at Lorenzo’s

C D

is highly recommended. No error E

Answer = C

Parallelism In grammar, parallelism is a balance of two or

more similar words, phrases, or clauses. The application of parallelism in sentence

construction can sometimes improve writing style, clearness, and readability.

Basically, the wording of the sentence "flows" logically

Fix to make the sentence parallel! Ex.) For homework, the teacher assigned ten

multiple choice questions, one short essay, and students were to complete a crossword puzzle.

Parallelism Ex.) Not parallel- The new restaurant has fresh

food, reasonable prices, and service that is fast. Parallel- The new restaurant has fresh food,

reasonable prices, and fast service.

Not parallel- The children were arguing in the lobby, talked during the movie, and complained on the ride home.

Parallel- The children argued in the lobby, talked during the movie, and complained on the ride home.

Not parallel- Every morning, I have to feed the dog and bringing in the mail.

Parallel- Every morning, I have to feed the dog and bring in the mail.

Parallelism- Correct these sentences to make them parallel.

Our neighbors spend a lot of time shopping, visiting friends, and they go to the movies.

My aunt is selfish, impatient, and she is not a kind person.

Aimee is laughing, answering the telephone, and she works on the computer.

Laura usually either braids her hair or is putting it up in a French twist.

Parallelism exampleAs a new member of the secret

A

society, George was required to shine

B C

the senior members' shoes, to carry

their books, and never revealing the

D

identities of the other members. No error

E

PRACTICE!!! Identifying errors :)

It is likely that the opening of the

convention center, previously set for

A B

July 1, would be postponed because of

C D

the bricklayers' strike. No error

E