Papgust's GMAT SENTENCE CORRECTION FLASHCARDS directory

Past Perfect: ("Earlier Action...")





If, Earlier Action ==> Then, use PAST PERFECT
If, Later Action ==> Then, use SIMPLE PAST


Past Perfect = HAD + Past Participle


Examples:
She only understood the movie because she had read the book. -- Earlier and Later Actions
You had studied English before you moved to New York. -- Earlier and Later Actions

If-Then Clause Rules:




Examples:
If John arrives, we will start -- Present (If Clause). WILL + Base Verb (Then Clause).
If John arrived, we would start -- Past (If Clause). Would + Base Verb (Then Clause).
If John had arrived, we would have started -- Past Perfect (If Clause). Would + HAVE + Past Participle (Then Clause).


Key Points to Remember:

1. "Would" and "Could NEVER appear in the IF Clause.
2. The verb "was" NEVER appears in the IF Clause because of subjunctive mood.

Possessive Pronouns:

Possessive Pronouns can refer back to ONLY Possessive nouns.

Subject and Object Pronouns can refer back to ONLY Subject and Objects nouns respectively. (NOT Possessive Nouns)


Example:
Jose's room is so messy that his mother calls him a pig -- WRONG! "Him" (Object Pronoun) refers to Jose's (Possessive Noun).

Jose's room is so messy that his mother calls Jose a pig -- RIGHT!

The pronoun governing a gerund should be put in the possessive case.

Examples:
Please excuse my being late. -- It must be the possessive case "my" and NOT "me".
It is of no use your saying so. -- "your" and NOT "you"

Relative Pronouns:

Modifying phrases are often introduced by relative pronouns such as "which", "that", "where", "who", "whom", "whose".


"Which"
1. Introduce NON-ESSENTIAL modifiers.
2. Introduce phrases that modify things.


"That"
1. Introduce ESSENTIAL modifiers.
2. Modify either people OR things.


"Who"
1. Introduce either ESSENTIAL or NON-ESSENTIAL modifiers.
2. Modify a person or a group of people.

Pronoun WHICH:

"Which" is used as a relative pronoun ONLY to refer to the NOUN immediately preceding it.

In other words, "Which", by default, refers to the noun that is closest to the left of the comma.

WHAT TO DO if "Which" seems to refer to the action of the preceding clause??

Do one of the following,
(i) Link "which" properly to an antecedent NOUN.
(ii) Rework the sentence to avoid its use entirely.

"Compare to" Vs "Compare with":

"Compare to" is to suggest resemblances between things that have essentially DIFFERENT natures.

"Compare with" is to suggest resemblances between things that have essentially SIMILAR natures.


Examples:
In appearance, ripples in ocean water can be compared to frosting spread on a cake. -- Both sides of the comparison are totally different.
Despite their different capacities, RAM can be compared with ROM in that both involve memory storage. -- Both sides of the comparison belong to a similar category

"Due to":


"Due to" means "caused by".

"Due to" does not mean the same thing as "because of". "Due to" should only be used if it can be substituted by "caused by".

"Agree with" Vs "Agree to":

The difference is very simple.

"Agree with" -- A person

"Agree to" -- An inanimate thing

"During" + Time Period is WRONG in construction.


Examples:
During two hours, I felt sleepy -- WRONG!
During the last two hours, I felt sleepy -- CORRECT!

-- IMPORTANT --

Myth of "One of.."


1. One of the X's that/who <plural>
2. One of the X's <singular>
3. Only one of the X's <singular>
4. Only one of the X's that/who <plural>
5. The only one of the X's that/who <singular>


Courtesy: Ron Purewal, GMAT Expert.

Double Object ERROR:


"... the ball, which I am hoping to hit" -- CORRECT!

"... the ball, which I am hoping to hit it" -- WRONG! You cannot have a double object - 'ball' and 'it'.


Courtesy: Ron Purewal, GMAT Expert.

"Degree to which"
"Extent of"

are IDIOMATIC.

-- MOST IMPORTANT --

Before starting modifiers, just a short note of what are concrete nouns and abstract nouns (For folks who are not aware).

Concrete Nouns are something physical. They can be touched, felt, smelt, taste, or be heard.

Abstract Nouns are anything that one cannot see, hear, touch, smell, or taste.


---


"Misty" Modifiers:


1. Modifer (COMMA + ABSTRACT NOUN) can be used to refer back to the whole idea of the preceding clause.

E.g: "Recent studies have shown that X is 60 percent of Y, a finding that shocked many." -- "Finding" is an ABSTRACT noun that refers back to the idea of the preceding clause. "Which" is INAPPROPRIATE here because it will directly modify only Y.



2. Modifier (COMMA + -ING) is an adverbial modifier that modifies the entire clause to which it's attached and is attributed to the subject of that clause.

In other words, if the modifier answers the question "How?" about a verb, then it is an adverbial modifier.

Adverbial Modifiers need not touch the word being modified.

E.g: "The British policymakers raised interest rates, making it more expensive for businesses and consumers to borrow"



3. Modifier (COMMA + CONCRETE NOUN) is normally used to refer to the preceding noun (Very similar to "which").

E.g: "James went for dinner with Mr. Easton, a consultant from the west end" -- "consultant" is a concrete noun referring "Mr. Easton".


Courtesy: Ron Purewal, GMAT Expert.