Lesson: General Sentence Correction Tips

Comment on General Sentence Correction Tips

A token of gratitude to Brent for providing such smooth lectures which are easy to understand and that too at no cost! Great job!

Thank you and stay blessed!

Cheers!
gmat-admin's picture

Thanks, Sadhvi!

Thanks to your lucid and elegant explanation of grammar.you are doing a great job and with this free videos you have made learning and teaching reach its true purpose.Kudos to your good work Mr.Brent.

Dear Brent, I would like to express my gratitude regarding these lessons. They are great; so clear, to the point and with examples. Brilliantly done! Just know that your work is valued!

Cheers,

A future gmat alumni from Amsterdam
gmat-admin's picture

Thanks for taking the time to say that!

Dear, I agree with all these good comments. After several years learning english at school, thanks to you, I understood a lot of grammar keys. I'm now more confident on my GMAT way ! Thank you.

Hi Brent can you please explain what emphatic construction in a sentence means with examples and when to use it?
gmat-admin's picture

Emphatic constructions are incredibly rare on the GMAT, and I haven't seen an official question in which the correct answer choice depended solely on this concept.

Here's an example: Although countless observations suggest otherwise, Joe DOES believe that the Earth of flat."

In this example, the word DOES plays no role other than to emphasize Joe's believe that the Earth is flat.

EDIT: In your follow-up email to me, you mentioned that question #749 in the 2017 Official Guide mentions emphatic constructions. In that case, we have "it is the fixed costs that makes..." Notice that the "it is" part doesn't play a role. We could just as easily written "the fixed costs make..." Having said all of that, there's a much bigger issue with that answer choice (answer choice A) than using the emphatic construction. In answer choice A, we have "...the fixes COSTS...MAKES it more..." This is a subject-verb mismatch, since we are using the singular verb MAKES with the plural subject COSTS.

I think it's very unlikely, that an official question would ever have a correct answer that depends solely on the concept of emphatic construction. Instead, there will be other (bigger) problems with the sentence.

This module is awesome brent! coming from a French/Arabic native speaker.
gmat-admin's picture

Thanks for that!

Brent,

I must say that those videos are by far the best GMAT available resources. please let me know where I can add general comments to advocate for the website.

it's well deserved.
YT
gmat-admin's picture

Thanks for saying that!

I don't have a general comment section for that purpose, but I always appreciate it when someone takes the time to spread the word about the course on the various GMAT forums.

This is the first time I've binge watched any lecture series, especially on grammar. :-)
gmat-admin's picture

Good to hear!!

Hi Brent, could you help me with this question below?


Contemporary accounts of the life of Charlemagne, crowned emperor by the Pope in 800, show that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature and the arts was himself an illiterate driven by his desire for a civilized state to reform education in his kingdom.

that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature and the arts was himself an illiterate driven by his desire
that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature as well as in the arts was himself an illiterate and also driven by his desire
that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature and the arts was himself an illiterate and that he was driven by his desire
that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature as well as in the arts was himself an illiterate and that he was driven by his desire
that the founder of the Carolingian renaissance in literature and the arts was himself an illiterate and that his desire drove him
gmat-admin's picture

Hi Jalaj,

I suggest that you stick to answering Official Sentence Correction questions only. Given then the many grammatical nuances possible, it's best to stick with the resource that matters most: the official test-makers.

If you use GMAT Club's question filter (https://gmatclub.com/forum/search.php?view=search_tags), you'll find hundreds and hundreds of official SC questions.

Cheers,
Brent

Prospecting for gold during the California gold rush was a relatively easy task, because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach for anybody with a pan or shovel.

-because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach for

-because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, and putting gold literally within reach of

-owing to erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that had thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, and putting gold literally within reach of

-since erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, putting gold literally within reach for

-since erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach of

The ans is E but it doesnt sound correct. Can you please explain?
gmat-admin's picture

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/prospecting-for-gold-during-the-california-go...

There are 3 things (nouns) that PUT gold within reach of miners.
Those 3 things are:
1) erosion
2) prehistoric glacier movement
3) gold-bearing riverbeds (that were thrust to the surface by volcanic activity)

So, we can rewrite the sentence as:
Prospecting was an easy task, since thing A, thing B, and thing C put gold within easy reach of miners.

Does that help?

Cheers,
Brent

Rivaling the pyramids of Egypt or even the ancient cities of the Maya as an achievement, the army of terra-cotta warriors created to protect Qin Shi Huang, China's first emperor, in his afterlife is more than 2,000 years old and took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them.

took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them

took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete it

took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete

700,000 artisans took more than 36 years to complete

to complete them took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years

Ths ans is C but is it complete without using the pronoun them?
gmat-admin's picture

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/rivaling-the-pyramids-of-egypt-or-even-the-an...

Let's eliminate some fluff to get: The army is more than 2,000 years old and took ....

So, answer choice C becomes: The army is more than 2,000 years old and took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete.
In other words, The ARMY took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete.

If we were to add IT to the end of the sentence (as in answer choice B), then the pronoun IT refers to the ARMY.
So, answer choice B is saying: The ARMY took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete THE ARMY.
That makes no sense.

Answer choice A uses the plural THEM to represent the singular ARMY. So, that's already incorrect.

Answer choice C may seem awkward, but the structure is no different from these examples:
- The Great Pyramid took a long time to complete
- The enormous piano took 8 people to carry.

Does that help?

Cheers,
Brent

Finally done with this lecture. Time to practice & i have to binge some lessons again.Such as- FLUFF
gmat-admin's picture

Good stuff!

Hello sir,
I have a little bit thought.
As you listed levelwise 250 various level of SC linked to the gmat club; do you give explanation for each one?
I surprisingly didn’t find yours both gmat club as well as beat the gmat.

Why i am saying this? Because yours are easy to digest after learning from lessons.
gmat-admin's picture

I've answered some SC questions, but certainly not all.
That said, there are some fantastic SC experts (e.g., GMATNinja) who have provided some outstanding explanations on GMAT Club.

Hi Brent, in Q 717 of 2019 OG - SC04798, "Outlining his strategy for nursing the troubled conglomerate....."

How is D the correct answer? The sentence has a part "EXECUTIVE ANNOUNCED PLANS WEDNESDAY". Shouldn't it be "on Wednesday"? Is there a misprint in my book??
How is this answer better than B?
gmat-admin's picture

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/outlining-his-strategy-for-nursing-the-troubl...

Good question.
When it comes to days of the week, the GMAT is okay with omitting the word ON.

So, writing "I went to school Monday" is the same as writing "I went to school ON Monday"

Cheers,
Brent

Analysts blamed May's sluggish retail sales on unexciting merchandise as well as the weather, colder and wetter than was usual in some regions, which slowed sales of barbecue grills and lawn furniture.


(A) colder and wetter than was usual in some regions, which slowed

(B) which was colder and wetter than usual in some regions, slowing

(C) since it was colder and wetter than usually in some regions, which slowed

(D) being colder and wetter than usually in some regions, slowing

(E) having been colder and wetter than was usual in some regions and slowed

Why 'slowing' & not 'which slowed'?
gmat-admin's picture

Question link: https://gmatclub.com/forum/analysts-blamed-may-s-sluggish-retail-sales-o...

The sentence COULD be reworded so that WHICH SLOWED is correct.

Note: The word before WHICH would have to be the noun that actually caused the decreased sales. For example, answer choice C (regions, which slowed...) suggests that REGIONS slowed sales, when in actuality, the CHANGE (in weather) slowed sales.

In California, a lack of genetic variation in the Argentine ant has allowed the species to spread widely; due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits the spread of this species in its native Argentina.

(A) due to their being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits

(B) due to its being so genetically similar the ant considers all its fellows to be a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit

(C) because it is so genetically similar, the ant considers all its fellows to be a close relative and thus does not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits

(D) because they are so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be close relatives and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limit

(E) because of being so genetically similar to one another, the ants consider all their fellows to be a close relative and thus do not engage in the kind of fierce intercolony struggles that limits
gmat-admin's picture

We can solve this by focusing on singular and plural nouns.

(A) ...ants consider all their FELLOWS (plural) to be A CLOSE RELATIVE (singular) and thus...ELIMINATE
(B) ...ant considers all its FELLOWS (plural) to be A CLOSE RELATIVE (singular) and thus...ELIMINATE
(C) ...ant considers all its FELLOWS (plural) to be A CLOSE RELATIVE (singular) and thus...ELIMINATE
(D) ...ants consider all their FELLOWS (plural) to be CLOSE RELATIVES (plural) and thus...KEEP
(E) ...ants consider all their FELLOWS (plural) to be A CLOSE RELATIVE (singular) and thus...ELIMINATE

Answer: D

Thanks Brent for such a simple lucious videos, really super understandable.
gmat-admin's picture

Thanks! I'm happy to hear you like them!

Hi Brent, that's a lot of rules. While the application looking at the rules individually seems easy, is there an effective way to get better SC? As we solve each question, do we need to consciously identify each error and the rules that are broken. Possibly a slow and steady approach. Just attempting the problems after the rules, I manage to get 70% right. What would be your suggestion to mastering them?

Thanks
Rahul
gmat-admin's picture

Good question!

Sentence Correction is tricky because each question typically tests anywhere from 4 to 10 different concept. So, for example, answer choice A might have issues regarding pronoun use and verb tense, while answer choice B may have an idiom problem as well as a subject-verb disagreement, and answer choice C.... etc. Math questions, on the other hand, typically deal with 1 (maybe 2) topics.

If possible, it's a good idea to consciously identify broken rules while practicing. Also, when you incorrectly answer a question, be sure to identify (and even record) the error in the answer choice you chose. If you find that you keep missing a certain type of grammatical error, go back and review the lesson on that specific topic.

Also, while reading the original sentence, be sure to identify and ignore any of the "fluff" (covered here: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat-sentence-correction/video/1158). This will give you a solid idea of the basic structure of the sentence,

I hope that helps.

hI Brent,

I'm not able to get my head around when to actually use the semicolon in a sentence. Could you help me understand it better please?
gmat-admin's picture

In the vast majority of cases on the GMAT, we use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses (more on clauses here: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/module/gmat-sentence-correction/video/1154)

In some rare occasions, we also use semicolons similar to the way we use commas, except we use the semicolons to separate LONG strings of text.

Example #1: Joe enjoys hot dogs, hamburgers and salad.
We're using commas here because the listed items are short (one word each).

Example #2: Joe enjoys ice fishing alone near his cabin on Tuesdays, the day after he gets paid; taking his childhood friend bowling at Splitsville Lanes on Wednesdays, when the bowling alley offers 25% discounts on all drinks; and playing baseball with his colleagues on Fridays.

Hi Brent,
Can you please explain why option B is wrong in this question?
https://gmatclub.com/forum/recent-indications-of-weakness-in-the-economy-have-lead-consumers-to-130649.html

We will still have to look at the fluff to see if it's grammatically correct right?
gmat-admin's picture

Yes, you must ensure the fluff is grammatically correct but ONLY WHEN that fluff is underlined.

Dear Sir,

After finishing your sentence correction module, I have noticed (on the real GMAT exam), I always am able to eliminate 3 answer choices easily (most of the time based on grammar rules). But the remaining 2 options have no grammatical errors are almost entirely same except for a few words. Take this GMAT Prep question for example:

Efforts to equalize the funds available to school districts, a major goal of education reformers and many states in the 1970’s, has not significantly reduced the gaps existing between the richest and poorest districts.

(A) has not significantly reduced the gaps existing
(B) has not been significant in reducing the gap that exists
(C) has not made a significant reduction in the gap that exists
(D) have not significantly reduced the gap that exists
(E) have not been significant in a reduction of the gaps existing

A, B and C are easily out because of SV mismatch. BUT, the last 2 are extremely similar. Now using the strategies mentioned, I cannot eliminate the wordy version E, also the original sentence says gaps, so I chose E since it also mentions Gaps (strategy of sticking as close to the original sentence as mentioned in the video). So how can going forward, I can fix this limitation of mine? (this is just a 500 level question)
gmat-admin's picture

It's very common for students to quickly eliminate 3 answer choices, and then be left with two seemingly similar options.

If you're totally stuck between 2 remaining options, I suggest you choose the option that has the fewest words. More here: https://www.gmatprepnow.com/articles/answer-choice-length-sentence-corre...

For this question, D is concise, and it uses the active voice (EFFORTS have not REDUCED).
Since I don't see anything wrong with D, answer choice E (the longer option) better have a compelling reason to choose it over D.

First, E uses the passive voice.
Second, the relationship between subject (EFFORTS) and REDUCTION is unclear, whereas it's 100% clear in D.
Choose D.

Thank you sir, will follow your advice.

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