CrackVerbal's GMAT SC Handbook

7/30/2019 CrackVerbal's GMAT SC Handbook

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Sentence Correction Basics

For The GMAT:A 5-Day Handbook


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On CrackVerbal


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Nouns

Pronouns

Adjectives

Contents of SC Pre-Read

Day 1:

Verbs

Adverbs

Propositions

Conjunctions

Interjections

Day 2:


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Subjects, Objects and Predicates

Phrases and Clauses

Verbals

Punctuations

Day 3:

Subject Verb Agreement

Pronouns

Modifiers

Day 4:

Comparisons

Tenses

Idioms

Day 5:

Contents of SC Pre-Read (contd.)


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This 5-Day Handbook will help you brush-up your

basic grammar, especially that required to ace the

Sentence Correction section on the GMAT.

This is a required pre-read for our Sentence

Correction course.

Introduction


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In this guide, we will discuss concepts as elementary as parts of speech, parts ofsentences, tenses, idioms etc, but they will all be dealt with from a GMAT

perspective.

You need not memorize numerous grammatical terms and rules toscore 700+ on the GMAT. These are mentioned here only to help you

understand concepts. You simply need to understand how to apply

grammatical concepts to crack SC problems!

You need not go through the entire deck in one sitting. This materialhas been organized day-wise rather than section-wise on purpose. Every day,

spend time reading and digesting only the pertinent section and nothing

more.

Expectations


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The 7 Concepts Tested On GMAT SC

1. Subject Verb Agreement

2. Pronouns

3. Modifiers

4. Parallelism

5. Tenses

6. Comparison

7. Idioms

Heres the good news GMAT Sentence Correction tests you on only 7 grammarconcepts, namely:


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Day 1


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Parts Of Speech

The English language consists of just 8 basic Parts of Speech.Some words portray the name of a person or place. Some describe actions.Some join two or more words and others describe the quality of an object.

Let us look at this sentence:

Wow! Sophia and her little sister sang beautifully at the party.

This sentence is composed of all the 8 parts of speech:

Nouns: Sophia, sister, party Adverb: beautifullyPronoun: her Preposition: atAdjective: little Conjunction: andVerb: sang Interjection: Wow!


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#1: Nouns

A noun is a naming word. It is used to name an object, place, person,animal, trait or action.

Examples:

Names of objects and thingsbook, door, curtain, glass, bag

Names of places, people or animals Eva, boy, Indian, house, Sweden,sister, tiger, sparrow

Names of actionssleeping, eating, sailing, watching Names of traits/qualitiesloyalty, splendor, happiness, courage, coldness

By adding suffixes to words, we can make them nouns.

For example, prosper-prosperity, aspire-aspiration,exclaim-exclamationetc.

Common noun suffixes are - ness, -ity, -ure, andition


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A common noun refers to a class of person, place or thing.

Examples:mirror, table, woman, village, town, taxi, pencil

Proper Nouns & Common Nouns:

A proper noun refers to the name of aparticular person, place or thing.

An important characteristic of a proper noun

is that it always begins with a capital letter.

Examples: Australia, Carl, Taj Mahal,California, Cisco

WomanCommon

NounOprahProper

Noun


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Countable & Uncountable Nouns

A countable noun refers to nouns that can becounted. Therefore, it has both a singular and a pluralform.Examples:

Paul kept the bookunder the table. The computers are installed in the

last room.

An uncountable noun refers to nouns that cannot becounted. Therefore, it has only the singular form.Examples:

Susan prefers eating rice at home. She attended art and music classes daily.

As we can see, rice, art, music etc are not countable. More examples:furniture, air, oil, yogurt, news, water, liberty, money, power, cleverness, butter,

electricity and so on.


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Amusingly, the same noun can sometimes be countable anduncountable, leading to different meanings.

Examples:Light (countable): Can you switch off the lights?

Light (uncountable): Theres too much light in the room -please close the curtains.

Work(countable): Her most famous works were composed in this very room.Work(uncountable): Without any work, William felt bored.

Are you clear about countable and uncountable nouns?Test yourself with this mini exercise drill!

Countable & Uncountable Nouns
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-countable-uncountable-nouns.phphttp://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-countable-uncountable-nouns.php


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A collective noun refers to a group of things, animals, or persons. The individualelements of the group can be counted, but the group is treated as one single entity.

Examples: The army has played a significant role in the war. The company is ready to take up new projects.

The family is going on a long vacation to Paris.

More examplesAssociation, audience, class, club, college, committee, community, company, crowd,department, electorate, enemy, family, firm, generation, government, group, jury,orchestra, population, press, public, school, staff, team, university, and the names of

specific organizations such as the Royal Bank of Scotland, the AIR, Oracle, Maruti.

You can check out a huge list of Collective Nouns here!

Collective Nouns
http://www.englishleap.com/grammar/collective-nounshttp://www.englishleap.com/grammar/collective-nouns


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A possessive noun is used to illustrate that something belongs to somebody orsomething. We generally add ('s) to a singular noun and an apostrophe (') to aplural noun to make it a possessive.

Examples:

The girls dress (one girl)

The girls dresses (two or more girls)

Watch this short interactive presentation to learn more about

Possessive Nouns!

Possessive Nouns
http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=wcn1601http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=wcn1601


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Compound nouns are constructed from two or more words. They may bewritten as a single word or joined with a hyphen.

Examples:

Try out this mini-drill to see how well you have understoodCompound Nouns!

Compound Nouns

newspaper, toothpaste, father-in-law,dry-cleaner, underpass, whiteboard,paper-clip, check-in, eyeball, moonlight,rainbow, bodyguard, houseboat, joystick,well-being, and so on
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5247http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=5247


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Concrete nouns can be experience with at least one of the five senses. Thesenouns can be touched, seen, heard, felt or smelled.

Examples:

This perfume has a captivating fragrance. Learn how to eat with a knife and fork.

The teacher shouted at the students.

More examples:sugar, wall, window, plate, rainbow, fire, curtains, computers, employees, cat,butterfly, noise and so on.

Concrete Nouns


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Abstract nouns are conceptual in nature. These nouns cannot be heard, seen,felt, tasted or smelled. Abstract nouns display philosophies, concepts, and ideasthat are intangible in nature.

Examples:

Love conquers the world! He was awarded for his bravery. Her dedication towards her work got her the Best

Employee Award.

Abstract Nouns

More examples:independence, power, trust, happiness, intelligence,sympathy, anger, hatred, compassion, beauty, skill,integrity, misery, beliefs, pain, knowledge, and so on.


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On the GMAT, one of the most vital noun-related questions includes thedifferences between singular and plural nouns.

A Singular noun refers to one entity only. For e.g. a pen, a dog, the moon,a girl, etc.

Plural nouns refer to more than one entity. For e.g. flowers, dresses,tables, hands, lamps, etc.

Usually, plural nouns end in s or esbut this is not a thumb rule. Not allnouns ending with s or esare plural nounsFor e.g. Thomas Gates.

Read more about Singular and Plural Nouns here!

Singular & Plural Nouns
https://sites.google.com/site/englishgrammarguide/Home/singular-and-plural-nounshttps://sites.google.com/site/englishgrammarguide/Home/singular-and-plural-nouns


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#2: Pronouns

A pronoun works as a substitute for a noun. It is used to replace a noun oranother pronoun and thus avoid awkward repetition of words.

Example:Instead of writingSamis my best friend. Samis an only child.

Sams father is a doctor. I likeSama lot.

We can use pronouns to write:Sam is my best friend. Heis an only child.Hisfather is a doctor. I likehima lot.

More examples of pronouns: I, my, us, she, we, you, thou, these, those, this, that,they, it, everyone, each, all, both, such, who, your, his, her, our, their, somebody,everybody, etc.


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Subject & Object Pronouns

1. Subject PronounsSubject pronouns refer to those pronouns that are used as a subject.

Examples: They will reach the party hall in half an hour. She is a teacher.

2. Object PronounsObject pronouns refer to those pronouns that are used as an object.

Examples: The politician lied to all ofus. Please return the book to me in two days.

Test your knowledge of Subject and Object Pronounshere and here!
http://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/subjectobjectpronouns.htmlhttp://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/subjectobjectpronouns2.htmlhttp://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/subjectobjectpronouns2.htmlhttp://www.learnenglish-online.com/grammar/tests/subjectobjectpronouns.html


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3. Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns refer to those pronouns that replace possessive nouns.For e.g. my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, our, ours, its, their, theirs, whose.

Examples:

Your dress is very pretty. Our team will win this match.

4. Singular Pronouns

Singular pronouns are those pronouns that appear to be plural, but are really

not. In fact, only singular verbs are used after these pronouns.

Examples: Each of these students was involved in the prank. Nobodyhas submitted the assignment.

A few more examples: any, anybody, everybody, everyone, anything.

Possessive & Singular Pronouns

Take a mini-test onPossessive Pronouns!
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-possessive-pronouns.phphttp://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-possessive-pronouns.php


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5. Relative Pronouns

Relative pronouns refer to those pronouns that connect one phrase or clause toanother phrase or clause. As their name suggests, they relate to the word thatthey modify.

Relative Pronouns

RelativePronoun

Modifies

Which Things, Situations

That Things, Situations

Whose People

Who People

Whom People

Where Place

When Time


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Examples:

The judges that passed the sentence

This sentence is incorrect as judges are people and therefore, that cannotmodifyjudges.

The garden where his mother was buried...

This sentence is correct becausewherecan modify garden, a place.

Inwhichis typically used to describe situations or circumstances.

Example: My friend and I had an argument yesterday in which she nearly lost her

temper.

Relative Pronouns (Contd.)

Test yourself on Relative Pronouns!
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronouns/relative_pronouns2.htmhttp://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/pronouns/relative_pronouns2.htm


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6. Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns refer to those pronouns that do not pertain to any particularperson or place or thing. They replace nouns without specifying which noun theyare replacing.

Examples:

Each player was given a second chance. Many people will attend this seminar.

Examples of Singular Indefinite pronouns : each, every, everyone, anyone,

someone, nobody, etc

Examples of Plural Indefinite pronouns: few, many, others, several, etc

Examples of Indefinite pronouns that can be both Singular and Plural: Most, Any,None, All, Some (MANAS).

Indefinite Pronouns


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For the MANAS indefinite pronouns, examine theofphrase following the pronounto determine whether it is singular or plural:

Most of the boys are unwell.Boys is the word that follows the of phrase and therefore, we need theplural verbare.

Any kind ofmusic goes.Musicis singular and therefore, we use the singular verbgoes.

All of the money was stolen.Moneyis singular and requires the verbwas.

None of the ships have returned.Shipsis plural and therefore, we usehave.

MANAS Indefinite Pronouns


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7. Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to commence or establish interrogative sentences.For e.g. who, whom, whose, what, and which etc.Though they are similar to relative pronouns, they are used differently.

Examples:

What is the capital of Sweden? Who was the first President of the

United States?

Interrogative Pronouns


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8. Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns or emphatic pronouns end withselforselvesand highlight anoun or another pronoun.

Intensive Pronouns

Examples:

She finished solving thequestion paper herself.(herselfemphasizesshe)

The driverhimselfcarried theluggage at the counter.(himself emphasizes driver)

Other examples include myself,yourself, himself, herself, itself,oneself, ourselves etc.


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Adjectives aredescribingwordsthat qualify a noun/noun phrase, and give moreinformation about it.

Examples:

He looks handsome in formals. Sandra is a short girl. It was a pleasure seeing a skilled artist

at work The green leaves swayed in the breeze.

#3: Adjectives


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Comparative & Superlative Adjectives

1. Comparative adjectives help us compare two things. They usually end with-er.

Examples: Peanuts are cheaper than cashews.

Pebbles are smaller than rocks.

2. Superlative adjectives illustrate the extreme orhighest degree of a quality of one thing in a group ofthree or more things. They typically end with-est.

Examples: Peter is the richest guy in his locality. Antarctica is one of the coldest places on earth.


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Demonstrative Adjectives

3. Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives are used to demonstrate or indicate specific things. Fore.g. this, that, these, those etc.

Examples:

Please pass me that book, I need to note down something important. If you feed this dog, he will stay by your side always!

Test yourself onDemonstrativeAdjectives!
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-39218.phphttp://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-39218.phphttp://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-39218.phphttp://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-39218.php


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Indefinite Adjectives

4. Indefinite Adjective

Indefinite adjectives do not point out specific things.

They are formed from indefinite pronouns such as no, any, many, few,several etc.

Examples:

Many offices will be closed on next Friday. Very few people will agree to this.


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When one noun is used to describe another, the former acts as an adjective (a

describing word). For e.g. tennis ball, race horse, dress exhibition, school shoes,chocolate box, etc.

Examples: This love story has a happy ending. Please go to the bicycle shop.

What kind of story?A love story.Which shop?A bicycle shop.

In some cases, you may even comeacross multiple nouns acting as adjectives.

Example: American airways traffic investigation centre

The nouns American,airways,trafficand investigationare describing the nouncentre.

Nouns As Adjectives


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Day 2


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Verbs depict action, existence or happening. The verb is possibly the mostsignificant part of speech. It is extremely difficult to make a meaningful sentencewithout a verb in it. Even the shortest sentences comprise a verb.For instance,Shoot!,Go!

Examples: The children will play in the evening. She visits the hospital twice a week.

Some verbs describe the idea of existence instead of expressing an action.For e.g. be, exist, belong, seem etc.

Examples: Henry seems very happy. Let it be here.

#4: Verbs


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1. Main verbs

Main verbs have a proper meaning of their own. They express something concrete.

Examples: Michael sings. Dogs bark.

2. Helping verbsHelping verbs have no meaning on their own; howeverthey are vital for the correct grammatical structure of thesentence. These verbs do not convey much when used

alone. Helping verbs are generally used together withmain verbs.

Examples: He must take care of himself. The shop will close by 7 PM.

Main & Helping Verbs

Try out this funexercise on Helping

Verbs!
http://wps.ablongman.com/long_fowler_lbh_10/47/12266/3140307.cw/index.htmlhttp://wps.ablongman.com/long_fowler_lbh_10/47/12266/3140307.cw/index.htmlhttp://wps.ablongman.com/long_fowler_lbh_10/47/12266/3140307.cw/index.htmlhttp://wps.ablongman.com/long_fowler_lbh_10/47/12266/3140307.cw/index.html


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3. Transitive Verbs

A transitive verb needs an object to receive the action displayed and make itmeaningful.

Examples:

She wants to buy the pink dress. He wrote the essayin one hour.

4. Intransitive Verbs

An intransitive verb is complete in itself or is completed by other words without the

need for an object.

Examples: James arrived at the airport half an hour early. Clara went for her daily aerobic classes.

Transitive & Intransitive Verbs

Test your understandingof Transitive &

Intransitive Verbshere!
http://www.towson.edu/ows/exerciseTransIntransVbs.htmhttp://www.towson.edu/ows/exerciseTransIntransVbs.htm


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5. Auxiliary VerbsThe English language consists of 4 auxiliary verbs: Be, Have, Will and Do. Theseare used to add meaning, tense, voice, emphasis etc. Thesecannot exist on their own, but need a main verb.

Examples:

Please be seated. (beis the auxiliary verb;seatedis the main verb) Do you like coffee? (dois the auxiliary verb;likeis the main verb)

6. Lexical VerbsLexical verbs or full/main verbs, unlike auxiliary verbs, express a concrete idea and

are independent of other verbs.

Examples:

She played very well. The child crawled out of the room.

Auxiliary & Lexical Verbs

Take a short quiz onAuxiliary & Lexical verbs

here!
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/verbs/ex4.htmhttp://www.ucl.ac.uk/internet-grammar/verbs/ex4.htm


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Adverbs modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, phrase or clause. They depict

time, place, manner, cause or degree and answer questions such as where, when,how, how much etc. Some adverbs are characterized by the suffixes like lyandily. For e.g. easily, softly, eagerly, slowly, more, fast, willingly and so on.

Examples:

Robin finished his homeworkquickly in order to watch TV. She was eagerly waiting for her results to be published.

The main difference between adjectives and adverbs is that adjectives describenounsand adverbs describeverbs. An adverb can be placed

just before or just after a verb.

Examples:

She answered all the questions confidently. (afteranswered) We found her peacefully asleep. (beforeasleep)

#5: Adverbs


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1. Adverbs of Manner answer the question How? These aregenerally placed after the direct object or if there is no direct object,after the verb itself.

Examples:She shouted angrily.

Ramesh shut the door noisily.

2. Adverbs of Time answer the question When? These aregenerally placed either at the beginning of the sentenceor at the end.

Examples:We meet him at the parkfrequently.Yesterday, we went to the movies.

Adverbs Of Manner & Time


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3. Adverbs of Place answer the question Where?These are generally placedafter the object or the verb.

Examples:Theyre playing cricket indoors.Please take the dead rat elsewhere.

4. Adverbs of Degree answer the question To What Extent? These aregenerally placed before the word they modify.

Examples:After the long trek, I was nearly dead from exhaustion.

5. Adverbs of Frequency answer the question How many times?These aregenerally placed after the verb.

Examples:We meet at the caf weekly.

Adverbs Of Place, Degree & Frequency


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Prepositions connect nouns and pronouns to other words in a sentence. Thus,

they depict a chronological, logical or spatial relationship. For e.g. on, at, by, over,above, against, in, from and so on.

In the following examples we will see how prepositions can alter the position ofthe same object.

Examples:

The pen is kept on the table. Please keep this pen near the book. I couldnt find my pen inside the box.

Please write your answers with this pen. She hid my pen under the desk.

In each of these sentences, a preposition positions the nounpen.

#6: Prepositions


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Prepositional Phrase

A prepositional phrase is composed of thepreposition, its object and any associatedadjectives or adverbs.

It can act as an adjective. For e.g.

The stains on the table have turned darkbrown. (Which stains? The ones on thetable.)

It can also act as an adverb. For e.g.

With spry jingles of the bell on herhandlebars, a woman sped by in a crimsonsmock and a witchy black hat. (How did shespeed by? With spry jingles)

#6: Prepositions (Contd.)


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Conjunctions help to link words, clauses, phrases, or sentences. For e.g. but, and,because, as, yet, or and so on. Interestingly, some conjunctions such asbutandforcan also be used as prepositions.

Examples:

My favorite holiday destinations are London and Paris. Give me a call when you reach your office.

David wanted to eat, but there was no food left. He couldnt attend the party because he had to work.

#7: Conjunctions


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1. Coordinating Conjunctions

Coordinating conjunctions join individual words, phrases, and independent clausesthat are grammatically equal. For e.g. but, because, or, nor, yet, so, for.

Examples:

She came home late because it was raining heavily. George and Harris went to play tennis.

In the first sentence, the coordinating conjunctionbecauseis used to connect two independent clauses.And in the second sentence, the coordinating conjunctionandconnects two nouns.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Read more about Coordinating Conjunctionshere!
http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/coordinatingconjunction.htmhttp://www.chompchomp.com/terms/coordinatingconjunction.htm


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2. Subordinating Conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction connects a subordinate (dependent) clause to a main(independent) clause. For e.g. although, before, how, after, since, when, where,while, whether, though, till, until, than etc.

Examples: Ifyou eat nutritious diet, you will get well soon. After he graduated from college, he received lucrative job offers.

In the first sentence, the subordinating conjunction if is establishing adependent clause if you eat nutritious diet and in the second sentence, the

subordinating conjunction is establishing a dependent clauseafter he graduatedfrom college.

Subordinating Conjunctions

Test yourselfon Subordinating Conjunctions!
http://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-subordinating-conjunctions2.htmlhttp://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-subordinating-conjunctions2.html


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Interjections refer to exclamations that do not have much grammatical

significance, though they are used quite often, especially in conversations. Theyexpress an emotion or sentiment. Interjections may or may not be followed by anexclamation mark (!) in written communication. They are usually positioned at thebeginning of sentences. However, these are not tested on the GMAT.

Examples:

Hi! Nice to see you here.Hmm, I think you are right.Well, what do you think about this project?Ouch! The injection is so painful.

Alas! Today is our last day in college.

Interjections such as um and er also fill in the gaps when people do not knowexactly what to say

#8: Interjections

Test yourselfon the various Parts of Speech!
http://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-parts-of-speech.phphttp://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-subordinating-conjunctions2.htmlhttp://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/english-subordinating-conjunctions2.htmlhttp://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/grammar-exercise-parts-of-speech.php


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Day 3


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Parts Of Sentences

This is a collection of phrases and clauses that link together to form sentences..

Consider the following sentences:

After it stopped raining

While he was sleeping

Until you reach home safely

Do you find anything ambiguous about these sentences? Are they complete bythemselves? Certainly not!

These aresentencefragmentsas they express unfinished ideas.


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Parts Of Sentences (Contd.)

Now, consider these sentences:

Jenny drove his car.

He wept.

Joseph ran.

These sentences are complete and make sense. Thus, these are not examples ofsentence fragments.

Remember:A sentence fragment is not necessarily short it is just incomplete.

Read more about Sentence Fragments here!
http://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/grammar-quiz.htmlhttp://www.english-grammar-revolution.com/grammar-quiz.html


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Subject, Object & Predicate

The 3 main parts of a sentence are Subject, Object and Predicate.

SubjectSubject refers to the person or a thing who or which performs the action of theverb. In simpler words, subject is thenounto which the sentence's verb refers.

Examples:

Julie is eating lobster.

Annie has written this poem.

In the first sentence, the verb or the actionis eating. This action is performed by

Julie, who is the subject of the sentence.

In the second sentence, Annie is thesubject who is performing the action ofwriting.


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Subject, Object & Predicate (Contd.)

ObjectObject refers to the person or a thing upon whom or upon which the action of theverb is performed. It showcases the subjects action.

In the first example, the action ofeatingis performed upon thelobster.

So,lobsteris the object of the sentence. And in the second example, the action ofwritingis performed upon the poem, sopoemis the object in this sentence.

A sentence may have indirect objects along with the direct ones.

Example: Please send me that email.

In this example,emailis the direct object andme

is the indirect object.


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Subject, Object & Predicate (Contd.)

Predicate

Predicate refers to what a person or a thing does or did or what happened to aperson or a thing. A predicate consists of a verb and other parts of speech.

Certain rules for predicates:

The predicate must agree in number with the subject

It must have the correct tense

It must be in the proper voice (active or passive)

In the sentenceJulie is eating breakfast, the phraseis eatingis the predicate.

In the sentenceAnnie has written the poem,has writtenis the predicate.

Thus, a predicate must have a verb. Sometimes, a verb by itself can also be apredicate. However, predicate and verb are NOT synonymous.


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Phrases & Clauses

Phrases

A phrase is a collection of words that makes some sense, but not complete sense.

Examples:

After lunch

The book Fredrick gave me

Clauses

A clause is a collection of words that consists ofboth a Subject and a Predicate. A clause may ormay not be able to stand independently andmake complete sense on its own.


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Types of Clauses

1. Independent ClauseCan stand on its own and make complete sense. It contains sufficient informationto construct a complete sentence.

Examples:

Betty didnt like the main course but she enjoyed dessert.

In the above sentence, we have two independent clauses "Betty didnt like themain course" and "she enjoyed dessert ", joined by a coordinating conjunction"but.

Each of these makes complete sense on its own.


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2. Dependent ClauseThis cannot stand by itself and does not make sense on its own. It is dependent onsome other clauses to form a meaningful sentence.

Examples:

If you lend me that book, I will be grateful to you.

When I was in New York, I worked for a law firm.

Phrases & Clauses (Contd.)

Phrases make up a clause and clauses make up a sentence.It is important to understand the differences in these, because the use of

punctuation depends on these.

Test your understanding of clauses here!
http://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/clause_quiz.htmhttp://www.csus.edu/owl/index/sent/clause_quiz.htm


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A verbal refers to a word formed from a verb but which works as a different part of

speech, such as a noun or an adjective. These words signify action in a generalway, without limiting the action to any time or subject.

There are 3 kinds of Verbals Gerunds, Participles & Infinitives

Gerunds

A gerund refers to a verbal that ends ining, andwhich functions as a noun.

Examples:

Dancing made him famous.

My favorite pastime activity is fishing.

In the above examples, words like dancingand fishingare used as nouns andnot as verbs, making them gerunds.

Verbals : Gerunds

Read more about Gerunds here!
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/01/http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/01/


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Participles

A participle refers to a verbal that usually ends in ing or ed and is used as anadjective. Since participles function as adjectives, they can modify only nouns orpronouns.

Examples:

The night sky was dotted with shooting stars.

Her cheeks were stained with drying tears.

Verbals: Participles

Read more about Participles here!
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/02/http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/02/


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1. Present participles

Present participles express what a thing does and usually end in ing. E.g.talking, loving, hurting, weeping, shouting etc.

Examples:

Have you heard the story of the sleeping beauty?

The dancing dolphins captured the attention of the tourists.

In these sentences, words such assleepinganddancingexpress something moreabout beauty and dolphins respectively, thus forming present participles .

Verbals: Types of participles


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2. Past Participles

Past participles denote a past or completed action or time and generally expresswhat was done to a thing. They usually end in ed, -en, -d, -t, or n. E.g.cracked, lost, repaired, required, arisen, beaten, anchored, and so on.

Examples:

Are you still looking for the lost watch?

Please throw away the cracked mirror.

In these sentences, words such aslostandcrackedareused as adjectives to modify the nounswatchand

mirrorrespectively, thus forming past participles.

Verbals: Types of participles


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Infinitives

An infinitive comprises the wordtoand a verb (in its simplest form) and functionsas a noun, adjective, or adverb. Infinitive uses the base form of the verb: to eat,to be, to say, to play, to deliver, to eat and so on.

Examples:

Please help him to packlunch. Do not pretend to be someone you arent.

Types of infinitives:

The perfect infinitive (to have + past participle)

The continuous infinitive (to be + present participle)The perfect continuous infinitive (to have been + present participle)

The passive infinitive (to be + past participle)

Verbals: Infinitives

Read more about Infinitives here!
http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_6/owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/03/http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_6/owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/03/


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Punctuation marks enable us to structure our sentences more accurately. Fore.g. period/full-stop(.), comma (,), question mark (?), exclamation mark (!),colon (:), semi-colon (;), apostrophe (&), brackets (()), quote (), hyphen (-) etc.

Punctuation

The colon (:) and semi-colon (;) are tested on the GMAT.

Colon(:)

The colon is used in 2 situations:

While introducing a list:

Beth is planning to buy a few vegetables: capsicum,

ladyfinger, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower and snake gourd.

While introducing an explanation or an example:

There was only one possible explanation: the flight hadnever arrived.


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Semicolon(;)

Semicolons are used to split sentences that are grammatically independent butstill have closely linked meaning.

Example:

Annie is fond of ice creams; Joseph prefers chocolates.

Sometimes, conjunctions can be used in place of semicolons.

Example:

Annie is fond of ice creams but Joseph prefers chocolates.

We cannot use a comma in place of a semicolon this would result in what isknown as arun-on sentence.

Example:

Annie is fond of ice creams, Joseph prefers chocolates.

Punctuation (Contd.)


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Day 4


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The golden rule of Subject Verb Agreement is this:

A singular subject always takes a singular verb and a plural subjectalways takes a plural verb.

Examples: The strangerhas stolen the ladys purse. The children are having a lot of fun!

In the first sentence, the singular subjectstrangerisaccompanied by a singular verbhasstolen.

In the second sentence, the plural subjectchildrenis accompanied by a plural verbarehaving.

Any mismatch of singular and plural concept will render the sentences incorrect.



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Additive Phrases

Example:

Nick, along with his brother, are going to attend the seminar.

The above sentence is incorrect, because Nick is a singular subject and thus,requires a singular verbis. The correct sentence is:

Nick, along with his brother, is going to attend the seminar.

Exceptand, all other additive phrases keep the subject singular.

For e.g.

The king, together with his courtiers, was an honored guest atthe artisans home.

Subject Verb Agreement (Contd.)


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Eitheror / Neithernor

Thumb rules: If both subjects are singular, the verb takes the singular form. If both subjects are plural, the verb takes the plural form. If one subject is singular and one is plural, the verb takes the form of the

subject closer to it.

Example:

Either Mona or her cousins is organizing the party.

This sentence is incorrect, since the subject closest to the verb (organizing) isplural (hercousins). So, the correct sentence will be:

Either Mona or her cousins are organizing the party.



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Each and Every always singular!

Consider the following sentences: Each of the students are participating in the annual sports day. Every person in the country are working for a better life.

The above two sentences are incorrect as words each and every cannot befollowed by plural verbs. In English grammar, a singular verb is always used witheach and every. The correct form is:


Each of the students is participating inthe annual sports day.

Every person in the country is workingfor a better life.


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Collective Nouns


The team is going to play the matchtomorrow.

This sentence is correct because the

team of 11 players is not seen as acollection of individuals but as a singlesubject, requiring a singular verbis.

The herd of cattle is moving up themountain slope.

This sentence is also correct because weare looking at the herd as a singleentity.


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Plural Nouns

Some nouns are inherently plural and take a plural verb. For e.g. belongings,congratulations, earnings, goods, outskirts, particulars (= information), premises(= building), riches, savings, stairs, surroundings, thanks etc.

Example:

His savings were not enough to tide him over hard times.

Savingsis a plural noun and therefore, requiresthe plural verb formwere.



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On the GMAT, there are only two pronoun concepts you need to remember:

1. Pronouns must agree in number with the nouns they replace.Example:The plight of the animals after it was chased out of the forest was piteous.

Pluralanimalsrequires plural pronountheyand plural verbwere.The plight of the animals after they were chased out of the forest, waspiteous.

2. Pronouns must have unambiguous antecedents. i.e. it must be clear what nouneach pronoun refers to.

Example:The tourists are afraid of the leeches as they suck their blood.

theyandtheirhave ambiguous antecedents who is sucking whose blood?

Pronouns


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A modifier is a non-compulsory constituent in a phrase or a clause. It changes the

meaning of another element in the sentence, on which it is dependent. A modifiercan be long or short. On the GMAT, modifiers can be pretty long.

Basic Rules for Modifiers:

1. The modifier should be placed as close as possible to what it modifies;

otherwise the entire meaning of the sentence gets altered drastically.

Examples:

Possessing fifteen legs, Shyam had never seen such a creature in his life.

Who has fifteen legs? Shyam or the creature?The creature, of course!

Thus, the modifier Possessing fifteen legsshould be placed close to creatureand notShyam.

Possessing fifteen legs, the creature was unlike anything Shyam had ever seen inhis life.

Modifiers


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2. An adjective can modify only a noun or a pronoun; adverbs can modify

almost anything except a noun or a pronoun.

Examples:

Adjective modifying nouns and pronouns:

This is a fascinating book.

(the adjectivefascinatingmodifies the nounbook)

Adverbs modifying verbs:

Her sister danced gracefully.

(the adverbgracefullymodifies the verbdanced)

Adverbs modifying adjectives:

Jim is extremely rich.

(the adverbextremelymodifies the adjectiverich)

Modifiers (Contd.)


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Adverbs modifying other adverbs:She decorated the house most beautifully. (the adverbmostmodifies another

adverbbeautifully)

Adverbs modifying clauses:

Certainly, his presence was disturbing to the gathered audience. (the adverbcertainlymodifies the clausehis presence was disturbing)

Adverbs modifying whole sentences:

Tomorrow, we will announce the winner. (the adverb tomorrowmodifies theentire sentence)

Modifiers (Contd.)


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A modifying phrase can appear not only at the start of a sentence, but also in inthe middle or at the end.

Examples:

Mrs. DSouza, the tall lady, teaches us English.

He fell to the floor, his limbs flailing helplessly.

Modifiers (Contd.)

Modifiers are tested very often in GMAT Sentence Correction. Soremember this golden rule: whenever a sentence begins with a

modifier, make sure that the noun or pronoun following the comma iswhat the phrase is referring to.


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Example:

To come first in the race, regular work-outs

were done by the athlete.

In this sentence, to come first in the race is modifying a subject which is notmentioned within the phrase. The subject of the sentence is the person who isaiming to come first. i.e. the athlete.

As the modifier should be as close as possible to what it modifies, the abovesentence is incorrect. Thus, the correct sentence is:

To come first in the race, the athlete worked out regularly..

Misplaced Modifiers


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Example:

Using the graphical charts, the concept was explained to

the students.

Though this sentence seems to be correct at first glance,

according to the rule of modifiers, the person using the graphical

charts must be mentioned after the comma.

Thus, this sentence fails to indicate who is using the graphical charts, this is anexample ofdangling modifier. We need to add some more words to make thissentence correct.

Using the graphical charts, the teacher explained the concept to the students.

Dangling Modifiers


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On the GMAT, you will come across quite a few modifiers that are linked to the

rest of the sentence using that or which. Many test-takers get confusedbetweenthatandwhichand make mistakes.

Use of comma:

Generallywhichis preceded by a comma whereasthatis not.

Examples:

The bookthat lay on the table had a red cover.

The book, which lay on the table, had a red cover.

That is used for an essential modifier its removal will change the meaning ofthe sentence. Which is used for a non-essential modifier its removal will notaffect the meaning of the sentence.

"That" versus "Which


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Day 5


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Compared items must be logically similar.

Example: The doctors of City hospital are more dedicated than other hospitals.

This sentence is incorrect because it is comparing doctors with hospitals, which is

illogical.

The correct sentence is:

The doctors of City hospital are more dedicatedthan those of other hospitals.

Comparisons


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Compared items must be grammatically similar.

It means that nouns should be compared with nouns, verbs with verbs, etc. It isgrammatically wrong to compare a noun with an adverb or an adjective with apronoun.

Example:

Paul likes eating yogurt more than to drink buttermilk.

This sentence is incorrect because it is comparing eating(gerund) with to drink (infinitive). This is grammatically incorrect.

The correct sentence is:

Paul likes eating yogurt more than drinking buttermilk.

Comparison (Contd.)


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Patrick dislikes Sandra more than Julie.

This is an example of unclear comparisons because this sentence can beunderstood in two ways.

Patrick dislikes Sandra more than he dislikes Julie OR

Patrick dislikes Sandra more than Julie dislikes Sandra.

This confusion can be rectified by adding certain words:

Patrick dislikes Sandra more than he does Julie. Patrick dislikes Sandra more than Julie does.

Unclear Comparisons


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The flowers in this vase are much more beautiful than other vases. This sentence indicates an illogical comparison, as it is ridiculous to compareflowers with vases.

A logical comparison would be: The flowers in this vase are much more beautiful than the flowers in other

vases. The flowers in this vase are much more beautiful than those in other vases.

Illogical Comparisons


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Comparative forms are used when we compare two things, and superlative formsare used when we compare more than two things.

Examples: Between Charles and Stephen, Charles is smartest. Among all the students, Rene is more intelligent.

Both the above sentences are incorrect! In the first sentence, as the comparison isbetween two people, comparative form should be used. In the second sentence,as the comparison is between more than two people, superlative form should beused.

Between Emily and Kate, Kate is taller. Among all the students, Rene is the mostintelligent.

Comparative/Superlative forms

Read more about Comparative andSuperlative forms here!
http://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/adjcompsup.phphttp://www.eflnet.com/tutorials/adjcompsup.php


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In comparisons, certain word omissions are grammatically correct. For example:

Alans ideas are better than Ians (ideas).

He works harder than his brother (does).

My dress is prettier than Jessies (dress).

Martin received more marks in Physics than

(he received) in Chemistry.

Word Omissions

Physics Chemistry


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Tenses are verb forms used to indicate time in English language.

Basically there are three types of tenses: Past tense Present tense Future tense

There are four variations of each of thesethree tenses:

Simple Perfect

Continuous

Types Of Tenses


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Past Tense Used to talk about events/actions that happened in the past

Example:Harry sang in the class yesterday.

Present Tense Used to talk about general truths or events/actions/facts thatare true at present

Example:Harry sings in the class everyday.

Future Tense Used to talk about events/actions that willhappen sometime in the future

Example:Harry will sing in the class tomorrow.

Types Of Tenses


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Simple Past: The event/action took place in the past and is complete.

Example:Maria sang in the class.

Past Perfect: Used to show the sequence of events when

we discuss 2 events that happened in the past.It takes the (had+verb) form.

Example:The program had ended by the time we reached the hall.

Past Continuous: Used to depict an action/event that was ongoing till a certaintime in the past.

Example:Jerry was playing video games till 11 PM last night.

The Past Tense


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Simple Present: The event/action is true at present; nothing is known about its

state of completion

Example:Maria sings.

Present Perfect: The event/action happened at an unspecified

time before now or happened in the past, but has a result inthe present

Example:I have travelled to Europe and Africa many times.She has learned knitting.

Present Continuous: Used to depict an action/event that is happening now

Example:It is raining heavily.Sandra is crying her heart out.

The Present Tense


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Simple Future: The event/action will happen in future. Nothing is mentioned

about its state of completion.

Example:The sun will set.

Future Perfect: The event/action will happen in

future, before another event/action happens. Used to show sequence.

Example:Mr. Jones will have arrived by 8 PM.

Future Continuous: Used to depict an action/event that will

happen at some time in the future, and will not be complete at that particulartime.

Example:The family will be eating dinner at 9 PM.

The Future Tense

Learn more about Tenseshere!
http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.htmlhttp://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.html


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An idiom is a phrase or a group of words that has a figurative meaning differentfrom its literal meaning. The idioms tested on the GMAT, however, have more todo with the way certain phrases are framed. Idioms are not governed by logic orrules they are just the way they are!

Idioms

Examples:

The Great Himalayan Blue Monkey isnative to Himachal Pradesh.

The Board concurred with hissuggestions.

You are old enough to distinguishgood from bad.


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The best way to learn idioms is to create your own study list. Make sure thatyou learn only the rightversionsof the idioms if you try to learn what is

right and what is wrong, you may end up getting confused on test day!

On the bright side, the GMAT will never give you a Sentence Correctionquestion based solely on idioms. Every question will test you on multipleconcepts.

For GMAT test-takers whose first language is not English, idioms are a toughnut to crack, simply because there is no logic or rule to learn them.

You can find a list of idioms commonly tested on the GMAT inAppendices A and B of the CrackVerbal Sentence Correction Guide.

Idioms (Contd.)


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Thats all folks!

GMAT Sentence Correction is a lot

more than just the above definitionsand rules. This was just a primer

to prepare you for some more

rigorous SC ahead!


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CrackVerbals 12-Hour SC Course

Sentence Correction 101

Basic Grammar Review


Agenda For Day 1

Parallelism

Comparisons

Tenses

Idioms

Advanced concepts

Pronouns

Modifiers

Agenda For Day 2

Agenda For Day 3 Agenda For Day 4


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Stay Connected!

For the latest news from the GMAT and MBA world!


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