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Sentence Correction Strategy

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Sentence Correction Strategy

by screwdriver » Sat Jun 04, 2011 7:24 pm
Hi,

I am getting only 50% accuracy while solving OG SC questions. I read MGMAT SC but i am no where.
When i solve ques. I am not able to apply points learned from MGMAT SC, just using my ears to solve questions.

Please provide some suggestion as how to tackle SC.

Thanks !!
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by sivaelectric » Sat Jun 04, 2011 10:26 pm
MGMAT SC guide should help. Its been helping me actually. My accuracy rate was very low in the beginning but now it has improved. How have you been preparing for the SC?
If I am wrong correct me :), If my post helped let me know by clicking the Thanks button ;).

Chitra Sivasankar Arunagiri
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by screwdriver » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:03 am
Thanks for the reply sivaelectric.

I went through MGMAT SC and kept noted of major points. the problem is when i see a question i don't recall anything learnt just blank, just i see which options suits better.

I am not sure how to start with a question itself. For Rest of the GMAT part i am doing fine but this SC is keeping me on backfoot to take exam date.

I don't know what to do.

Thanks
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by sivaelectric » Sun Jun 05, 2011 12:06 am
Join the club buddy. Well I see a little bit of how I used to be in you. Read the rules again and again. I still find it difficult in many cases about which rule to use, but MGMAT guide has helped me improve to a greater extent. So don't worry. Make flash cards for the rules, keep revising them again and again. Thats what I am doing. It has helped me. :)
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by cans » Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:59 am
Do you have flash cards apart from BTG site???
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by sivaelectric » Sun Jun 05, 2011 2:36 am
Yep!I also use MGMAT and Kaplan Flash cards. They are awesome too. Kaplan also provide video explanations.
If I am wrong correct me :), If my post helped let me know by clicking the Thanks button ;).

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by cans » Sun Jun 05, 2011 5:04 am
Hard copy / Soft copy??
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by sivaelectric » Sun Jun 05, 2011 5:25 am
I am using iPod touch apps. I guess there is hard copies for MGMAT and BTG but not sure about the Kaplan Flashcards :) There is also Barrons but I am not sure how it is :)

MGMAT https://www.manhattangmat.com/gmat-flashcards.cfm
Barrons GMAT https://tinyurl.com/3j6yhdj
Kaplan https://tinyurl.com/3rxrk8p
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by wayofjungle » Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:32 am
My strategy for SC is to first read the sentence for meaning, and then find the error in the sentence. The process of reading for meaning starts my approach to the problem with a broader perspective that can be lost if I start by just looking at the details. This also allows me to use my 'ear' because if the author hasnt expressed his or her idea correctly I can quickly think how I would have done so. Sometimes this might actually be in the answer choice. Finding the error next is equally important because it prevents me from being tricked by my own ear, which doesn't always recognize the rules of grammar. Here is where you need to put in the work by spending more time with each problem to develop a list of common errors. If I cant find an error than it could be correct as written, but I will still skim the answer choices to see if one sounds better. Once you develop your own strategy your confidence will increase significantly.
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by wayofjungle » Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:15 pm
Another helpful tip is to notice the difference between choosing answers with preferred writing style vs ones that solve the actual errors. This is why learning and recognizing what the errors are is so critical. In each problem, pay attention to the error instead of the writing style so that you dont get tricked later on by choosing an answer with that style because you recognize the style. If you find yourself paying more attention to style, consciously stop yourself. You may have misunderstood a meaning or there may be no error (answer choice A).
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by screwdriver » Tue Jun 14, 2011 3:54 pm
Thanks a lot for your suggestions. I will try to incorporate them in my prep.
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by wayofjungle » Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:00 pm
Another strategy is to concentrate on construction so you can strip away the confusing aspects and judge correct answers based on meaning. An analogy for this is thinking that a car needs one engine, tires, and gas; if it is missing any part it cannot work correctly. So we can strip away all the confusing modifiers and complexities to see that these are in place; the oscar meyer weinermobile may look like a hot-dog but its obviously a car.

Here is an example (Q59, OG Verbal Review):

Certain pesticides can become ineffective if used repeatedly in the same place; one reason is suggested by the finding that there are much larger populations of pesticide-degrading microbes in soils with a relatively long history of pesticide use than in soils that are free of such chemicals.

This sentence is correctly written, but has a lot of complexities in its construction: a semi-colon, a gerund object, a comparison, and lots of modifiers that can be stripped away. When we breakdown the construction and test whether each piece is constructed correctly, we can check it off and look for errors elsewhere or determine there are none.

X can ___ (S-V agreement and meaning) if (condition); B is suggested by C (meaning) in J than K (parallel comparison).

Also in this example having a hierarchy of errors is a smart approach so that you know to look for a semicolon error first (incomplete ideas).
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