{"id":13543,"date":"2017-05-22T06:00:02","date_gmt":"2017-05-22T11:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grockit.com\/blog\/gmat\/?p=1810"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:42:18","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:42:18","slug":"sentence-correction-5-most-commonly-tested-errors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/gmat\/sentence-correction-5-most-commonly-tested-errors\/","title":{"rendered":"GMAT Sentence Correction: 8 Most Commonly Tested Errors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The GMAT Verbal section will test your knowledge of grammar with sentence correction questions. These questions will require you to correct punctuation usage, subject-verb agreement, structure, and more. Here are the 8 most common errors that you will see on GMAT sentence correction questions on test day.<br \/>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n<div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >1. Idioms<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested<\/em>: Idioms are expressions native to the English language. There are two part Idioms such as \u201cneither\u2026nor\u201d and\u201d between\u2026and\u201d as well as prepositional idioms like \u201cinterested IN\u201d and \u201cafraid OF.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>How to Study<\/em>: Keep a study sheet for Idioms and add to it every time you encounter a new one. Make flashcards with the first part of the Idiom on the front and the second part on the back.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >2. Subject-Verb<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How it\u2019s tested<\/em>: SCs love to give long sentences where the main subject and the verb are separated by many words or clauses. You must identify the subject of each sentence and make sure the verb matches it in number: a plural subject takes a plural verb, and a singular subject takes a singular verb.<br \/>\n<em>How to Study<\/em>:\u00a0Practice identifying subjects and verbs whenever you read and in every Sentence Correction question you do. Don\u2019t be confused by other nouns or pronouns in the sentence. Find the noun(s) or pronoun(s) that is doing the action of the verb\u2014that&#8217;s the subject.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >3. Pronouns<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested<\/em>: The most common error associated with pronouns is pronoun-antecedent agreement. The antecedent is the word the pronoun is replacing. A pronoun <em>must<\/em> have a clear antecedent in the sentence; the lack of an antecedent is itself an error. \u00a0The antecedent may often be present, but will disagree with the pronoun in number.<br \/>\n<em>How to Study<\/em>: Learn the difference between subject pronouns and object pronouns, and how they are used in sentences. Make sure to match any pronoun in a Sentence Correction back to its logical antecedent.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >4. Parallelism<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How it\u2019s tested<\/em>: Parallelism is tested on the GMAT in a series of phrases or items in a list. In parallel construction, the phrases or items must be in the same form. This can be tested with a number of parts of speech: nouns, verbs, prepositions, etc.<br \/>\n<em>How to Study<\/em>: Read as many examples of parallelism as you can. Understand the difference between the infinitive and participle verb forms. Look for commas between phrases as a clue that the sentence may be testing parallelism. Ask yourself: are these phrases part of a list?<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >5. Modifiers<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested<\/em>: Modifiers are words and phrases that describe nouns. Adjectives, adverbs and modifying clauses will be incorrectly placed, or in the wrong form.\u00a0Adjectives can only modify nouns, while adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. Be on the lookout for suspicious adverb-noun and adjective-verb pairings. Also be aware that many sentences will begin with a modifying phrase and a comma. The subject after the comma must be the person or thing doing the action of the modifying phrase.<br \/>\n<em>How to Study<\/em>: You will need to review adjective and adverb usage from a good English grammar book, and learn the common forms of each (for example, most adverbs end in \u2013ly). This is worth doing even if you are a native English speaker, as we frequently interchange adverbs and adjectives in everyday speech. What \u201csounds\u201d correct may not in fact be so!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >6. Compound Subjects<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested:\u00a0<\/em>Compound subjects, as the name implies, are subjects that are put together with a conjunction such as \u201cand.\u201d The key to identifying compound subjects is to notice that the conjunction \u201cand\u201d renders the subject plural.<br \/>\nHow to Study:<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Circle the \u201cand\u201d to remind yourself that the subject is plural. Look at this\u00a0simple example:\u00a0<strong>John, Susan, and I<\/strong>, despite our shared taste for Indian cuisine, <strong>are<\/strong> still intimidated by extremely spicy foods.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >7. Collective Nouns<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested<\/em>: Collective nouns represent entities made up of many parts, but they are always treated as singular units, and so they agree with <em>singular <\/em>verbs. Some popular collective nouns include \u201cteam,\u201d \u201cgroup,\u201d \u201caudience,\u201d \u201ccommittee,\u201d \u201ccorporation,\u201d \u201ccompany,\u201d \u201cfamily,\u201d and \u201cjury.\u201d Notice that all of these nouns incorporate many parts but they agree with singular verbs, e.g. \u201cmy family <em>is <\/em>here,\u201d \u201cthe jury <em>has <\/em>spoken,\u201d etc.\u201d<br \/>\n<em>How to Study:<\/em> Eliminate Prepositional Phrases. 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 <strong>of lawyers<\/strong> is here. Often, our natural instinct in this case is to make the verb plural, since we hear the plural in the prepositional phrase \u201cof lawyers.\u201d Get in the habit of crossing out the prepositional phrases attached to nouns so that you avoid this mistake.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >8. Indefinite Pronouns<\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p><em>How they are tested<\/em>: Indefinite pronouns are words the replace nouns; here is a table of some indefinite pronouns, organized by those that are always singular, always plural, and singular or plural (contingent upon prepositional phrase attached).<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><strong>Singular<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><strong>Plural<\/strong><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><strong>Singular or Plural<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Another<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Both<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">All<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Anybody<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Few<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Any<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Each<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Many<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">More<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Everybody<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Others<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Most<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Much<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Several<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">None<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Nobody<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Some<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\">Somebody<\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><\/td>\n<td valign=\"top\" width=\"213\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The singular indefinite pronouns far outnumber the plural and \u201csingular or plural\u201d indefinite pronouns (the list, in fact, is far from complete). For the GMAT, worry about singular and \u201csingular or plural\u201d indefinite pronouns since we rarely make mistakes with plural indefinite pronouns.<br \/>\n<em>How to Study:\u00a0<\/em>For\u00a0Singular Indefinite Pronouns, cross out prepositional phrases and watch out for pronouns that refer to indefinite pronouns. Here are two examples:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Each of my friends <em>is<\/em> going to business school. (Cross out the prepositional phrase to realize that \u201ceach\u201d agrees with a singular verb).<\/li>\n<li><em>Everybody<\/em> knows that<em> his or her <\/em>grade will improve on the test. (Watch out for pronouns that refer to singular indefinite pronouns; while many of us would say \u201ctheir\u201d instead of \u201chis or her,\u201d we must remember that \u201ceverybody\u201d is a singular pronoun).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>For \u201cSingular or Plural\u201d Indefinite Pronouns,<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>let the prepositional phrase do the talking. With these pronouns, the noun after the prepositional phrase is the one that determines the verb.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>All of <strong>my friends are<\/strong> at the party<\/li>\n<li>None of <strong>my training was<\/strong> utilized.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The GMAT Verbal section will test your knowledge of grammar with sentence correction questions. These questions will require you to correct punctuation usage, subject-verb agreement, structure, and more. Here are the 8 most common errors that you will see on GMAT sentence correction questions on test day. &nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[55],"tags":[56,84],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13543"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13543"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35899,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13543\/revisions\/35899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}