GMAT Verbal : GMAT Verbal

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GMAT Verbal

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Example Questions

Example Question #1792 : Sat Writing

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices repeats the underlined portion as it is written.

John commented, “Our preference for the same foods leads me to believe that you and me have a great deal in common.”

Possible Answers:

to believe that you and I have a great deal in common." 

to believe that you and me have a great deal in common."

to believe that yourself and I have a great deal in common."

to believing that you and me have a great deal in common." 

to believing that you and I have a great deal in common."

 

Correct answer:

to believe that you and I have a great deal in common." 

Explanation:

“Believing” would constitute an incorrect gerund usage. “Me” must be changed to “I” because it is the nominative case pronoun.

Example Question #653 : Sentence Correction

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

The responsibility of scheduling the CEO's visit, including meal locations and transportation, was assigned entirely to Kathy and I.

Possible Answers:

was assigned entirely to Kathy and me.

was assigned entirely to Kathy and also to me.

was assigned entirely to both Kathy and I

was assigned entirely to Kathy and I.

were assigned entirely to Kathy and I.

Correct answer:

was assigned entirely to Kathy and me.

Explanation:

The first person pronoun in this sentence is the object of the preposition "to," and should therefore be in objective case. "Me" is the appropriate choice instead of "I." To simplify, you can remove Kathy momentarily (sorry, Kathy!) and see how the sentence would sound in a simpler form. "...was assigned to I" doesn't sound right, so "...was assigned to Kathy and I" shouldn't be right, either.

Example Question #207 : Correcting Usage Errors

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

The manager, clearly struggling to rationalize the decision that had come from farther up the chain of command, offered Will and I a half-hearted explanation for why we had to work late on Friday.

Possible Answers:

offered Will and I a half-hearted explanation for why it was that we had to work late on Friday.

offered Will and I each a half-hearted explanation for why we had to work late on Friday.

offered Will and I a half-hearted explanation for why we had to work late on Friday.

offered Will and I a half-hearted explanation as to why we had to work late on Friday.

offered Will and me a half-hearted explanation for why we had to work late on Friday.

Correct answer:

offered Will and me a half-hearted explanation for why we had to work late on Friday.

Explanation:

The first person pronoun should be the objective case "me" as opposed to the subjective "I." If we remove "Will" from the sentence and simplify by removing the modifier offset by commas, we get the super-simple: "The manager offered I a half-hearted explanation." This illustrates the benefit of the simplifying tip, which can point out sentence flaws that become shrouded as complexity increases.

Example Question #654 : Sentence Correction

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

The new boss, who everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment.

Possible Answers:

The new boss, who everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment.

The new boss who everyone liked made many changes that led to a better working environment.

The new boss, whom everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment.

The new boss who everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment.

The new boss whom everyone liked made many changes that led to a better working environment.

Correct answer:

The new boss, whom everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment.

Explanation:

The sentence misuses the word "who." "Who" is only used when it is the subject of a clause, but it is acting as the object the clause "everyone liked," so the appropriate choice is "whom." All other punctuation is already correct, so the best choice is, "The new boss, whom everyone liked, made many changes that led to a better working environment."

Example Question #661 : Sentence Correction

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

People whom give advice without prompt tend to annoy Jessica.

Possible Answers:

who

who's

whom

whose

which

Correct answer:

who

Explanation:

This sentence contains a misuse of the word "whom." "Whom" is only used when it functions as the object of a verb or preposition in a clause, but it is clear that whatever word should be in this position is acting as the subject of the clause in this sentence. The appropriate answer is "who" because the pronoun is acting as the subject of the clause and is referring to people. The correct answer is "who."

Example Question #662 : Sentence Correction

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Joshua, who we like so much, had difficulty studying for the test, so we decided to help him.

Possible Answers:

who's

whom

who

which

that

Correct answer:

whom

Explanation:

This sentence uses the wrong form of "who." It is clear that "that" and "which" are not appropriate, because Joshua is a human. The pronoun "who" is not the subject of the relative clause; however, the "who" is being liked, not doing the liking. When it is not the subject of the clause, the appropriate form is "whom." The correct choice is, "whom."

Example Question #63 : Correcting Pronoun Errors: Case

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

They gave gifts to he and I.

Possible Answers:

to he and me

to him and I

to he and I

to him and me

to me and him

Correct answer:

to him and me

Explanation:

This sentence uses the wrong case of "he" and "I." Think about it: if these pronouns were in separate sentences, you would not say "to he" or "to I." You give a gift "to him" or "to me." Furthermore, the first person pronoun (I/me) should always come after other pronouns in a group. The correct choice is, "to him and me."

Example Question #64 : Correcting Pronoun Errors: Case

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

My mother told we to play outside.

Possible Answers:

We were told by my mother to play outside.

My mother told use to play outside.

My mother told we to play outside.

My mother told us to play outside.

My mother said that we should play outside.

Correct answer:

My mother told us to play outside.

Explanation:

This sentence uses the wrong pronoun. "We" is always the subject of a clause; the correct form here is "us." The correct choice is "My mother told us to play outside" because it is the most concise option that fixes this issue. "We were told by my mother to play outside" is technically grammatically correct, but it is unnecessarily in the passive voice, and thus obviously a less concise choice than the correct answer option.

Example Question #65 : Correcting Pronoun Errors: Case

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

My friend and me went to the park.

Possible Answers:

My friend and we went

My friend and I went

My friend and us went

My friend and me went

My friend and he went

Correct answer:

My friend and I went

Explanation:

This sentence misuses the word "me." Rephrasing the sentence a bit, "Me went to the park" does not make much sense. "Me" is only used when it is the object of another word (verb, preposition, etc.). The correct form is "I;" the other choices make no sense because it changes the meaning of the sentence. The correct choice is, "My friend and I went."

Example Question #66 : Correcting Pronoun Errors: Case

Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.

Bethany, who I borrowed the movie from, will be back in town next week.

Possible Answers:

who I borrowed the movie

whom I borrowed the movie from

from who I borrowed the movie

who I borrowed the movie from

from whom I borrowed the movie

Correct answer:

from whom I borrowed the movie

Explanation:

This sentence contains two error: misuse of the pronoun "who" and a dangling preposition (from). First, the relative clause could be rephrased as "I borrowed the movie from her. The word "her" functions as the object in this phrase, so, likewise, "who" should function as the object in the relative clause. "Who," though, is always the subject of a sentence; the correct form is "whom." Furthermore, prepositions should never end a clause; it would be most appropriate for the from to appear before "whom." The correct choice is, "from whom I borrowed the movie."

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