{"id":13469,"date":"2017-02-15T06:55:30","date_gmt":"2017-02-15T11:55:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/gmat\/?p=511"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:42:25","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:42:25","slug":"gmat-sentence-correction-choosing-between-similar-words","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gmat\/gmat-sentence-correction-choosing-between-similar-words\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Sentence Correction: Choosing Between Similar Words"},"content":{"rendered":"

A common point of confusion among those studying for the GMAT\u2014as well as the general writing public\u2014is the difference between several sets of similar\u00a0but different words (that vs. which, if vs. whether, between vs. among, like vs. as).\u00a0Knowing which of these words to use in a given situation can often allow you to eliminate a couple of answer choices, speeding up your verbal test-taking and ultimately helping to improve your score.
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That vs. Which<\/h3>
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\nThe simplest way to remember the difference is by noting that \u201cwhich\u201d introduces information that isn\u2019t crucial to the meaning of the sentence, known as a non-restrictive or non-essential clause, while \u201cthat\u201d introduces a restrictive clause. For example,
\nI am going to wear the sweater that is blue.<\/em>
\nI am going to wear the sweater, which is blue.<\/em>
\nIn the former sentence, \u201cthat is blue\u201d functions to restrict the meaning; the implication is that there is more than one sweater, but only one blue one, and the blue one is the one I\u2019m going to wear. In the latter sentence, the phrase \u201cwhich is blue\u201d merely provides more information about the sweater. The sentence\u2019s meaning wouldn\u2019t change dramatically without the \u201cwhich is blue,\u201d because the information is non-essential.
\nAn example of this kind of sentence on GMAT Sentence Corrections might look like this:
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\nThanks to medical research, many diseases which might have been fatal at one time are now easily prevented by childhood vaccines<\/span>.
\nA.\u00a0 which might have been fatal at one time are now easily prevented by childhood vaccines
\nB.\u00a0 that might have been fatal at one time are now easily prevented for childhood vaccines
\nC.\u00a0 which might at one time have been fatal without childhood vaccines
\nD.\u00a0 that might have been fatal at one time are now easily prevented by childhood vaccines
\nE.\u00a0 which might, without the current prevention by childhood vaccines, have been fatal<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\nIn this sentence, the meaning should be restricted; the diseases to which the sentence refers are specifically those that might have been fatal at one time. Therefore, the correct answer choice will use \u201cthat\u201d instead of \u201cwhich.\u201d Choice A can therefore be eliminated, as can C and E. In addition, the structures of both C and E are sentence fragments; everything following \u201cwhich\u201d in those choices functions to describe \u201cdiseases,\u201d leaving the sentence without a central verb. Choices B and D both use \u201cthat,\u201d but choice B uses the wrong idiom: it says \u201cprevented for\u201d instead of \u201cprevented by,\u201d which changes the meaning of the sentence.
\nA second example might look like this:
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\nGlobal warming that has attracted a great deal of media coverage recently will be<\/span> a central issue in the upcoming campaign, since both candidates champion environmental causes.
\nA.\u00a0 Global warming that has attracted a great deal of media coverage recently will be
\nB.\u00a0 Global warming that will be attracting a great deal of media coverage recently will be
\nC.\u00a0 Global warming, which will be attracting a great deal of media coverage recently, will be
\nD.\u00a0 Global warming, which recently is being the subject of a great deal of media coverage will be
\nE.\u00a0 Global warming, which has attracted a great deal of media coverage recently, will be<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>
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\nHere, the adjective clause \u201chas attracted a great deal of media coverage recently\u201d should be non-restrictive. There is no indication that a specific kind of global warming will be a central issue. Instead, the sentence implies that global warming will be a central issue in the upcoming campaign, and \u201cglobal warming\u201d is further described as having \u201cattracted a great deal of media coverage recently\u201d. The meaning of the sentence would not be substantially changed by removing the information about media coverage. Therefore, \u201cwhich\u201d is appropriate in this sentence.\u00a0 A and B can be eliminated for this reason; in addition, B can be eliminated because the future tense \u201cwill be attracting\u201d is inconsistent with \u201crecently.\u201d Choice C has the same verb tense issue as choice B, and can therefore be eliminated. Choice D uses \u201cbeing,\u201d which is almost never correct on the GMAT, and also neglects to put the necessary comma after \u201ccoverage\u201d at the end of the adjective clause. The final choice, E, does everything right: the verb tenses are appropriate, punctuation is correct, and \u201cwhich\u201d is properly used.
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