PSAT Writing : Identifying Phrase, Clause, and Sentence Errors
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Example Questions
Example Question #31 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Having my uncle over for dinner is never much fun; he talks loudly, makes rude comments, and, although the food is always delicious, complaining is constant about the quality of what we eat. No error
complaining is constant
what we eat
talks loudly
Having
No error
complaining is constant
The clause "although the food is always delicious" might distract some people into missing the paralellism used, because it is set apart by commas. Considering "talks" and "makes," we see the present form of some verbs used in succession. For the best sentence structure, the final action should also follow the normal present verb form, like "talks" and "makes." "Complaining is constant" does not follow this, and so (C) contains the error. It would be best to say "complains constantly" or something similar.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
It will rain tomorrow, so I will jog in the park, practice soccer, and playing baseball in my backyard today. No error
I
will rain tomorrow
No error
playing
will
playing
This is a parallelism error. The verbs "jog" and "practice" begin the parallel elements in the sentence, and they are each in present tense. The verb "playing" should also be in present tense so that it matches "jog" and "practice." So, "playing" should be "play."
Example Question #43 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
There are two things Jean knows how to do well: how to cook and mountain-climbing. No error
are
mountain-climbing
how to
No error
knows
mountain-climbing
The sentence needs to remain parallel. If it had said "cooking," "mountain-climbing" would be ok.
Example Question #31 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
At the deli, the sandwiches are very similar to the cafeteria, except they are slightly larger and contain less fat. No error
No error
slightly larger
except
similar to the cafeteria
less fat
similar to the cafeteria
This is a faulty comparison. "Sandwiches" cannot be compared to a cafeteria. Use "similar to those at the cafeteria" or something like that instead to correct the sentence's error.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I must admit that your mom's chocolate chip cookies are quite tasty, but they are not as good as my grandmother—hers are the best! No error
as my grandmother
No error
as good
must admit
at the mall
as my grandmother
When making comparisons you must be careful to compare like things. In this case, the sentence as written makes a comparison between "cookies" and "my grandmother." You want to compare cookies to cookies. You can fix this error by making "grandmother" into a possessive, singular noun, "grandmother's." This way, it is inferred that the subject being spoken about is the speaker's grandmother's cookies, not the speaker's grandmother herself.
Example Question #32 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The woman slowly became fascinated by the aliens’ strange culture, their intelligence, and their telling of hilarious jokes. No error
No error
became fascinated by
strange
telling of hilarious jokes
slowly
telling of hilarious jokes
This sentence lacks parallel structure between the elements in the list. Items in a list should be formatted in the same way grammatically. The corrected sentence reads, "The woman slowly became fascinated by the aliens’ strange culture, their intelligence, and their hilarious jokes."
Example Question #38 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
My apartment is on a higher floor than my boss. No error
higher
is
No error
boss
my
boss
Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to "that of my boss" or my "boss'."
Example Question #41 : Identifying Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Napa Valley is known for having amazing food, high quality wine, and attracts a wealthy clientele. No error
attracts
No error
for
is
having
attracts
It is important for a sentence to use correct parallelism, which means that listed items should take on the same grammatical form. Here, the first two listed items are nouns ("amazing food" and "high quality wine"). Therefore, the third item should also be a noun; however, “attracts” is a verb, and therefore is incorrect. To fix the sentence, one might omit the word "attracts," leaving simply "amazing food, high quality wine, and a wealthy clientele," three nouns.
Example Question #1 : Identifying Conjunction Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
My library normally only allows patrons to check out three books at a time, and when I explained that I needed to check out more than that because I was working on a term paper, they allowed me to do so. No error
time, and
when I explained that I needed to check out more than that
My library normally only allows
they allowed me to do so
No error
time, and
This sentence's error is one that has to do with the logic of conjunctions. The conjunction "and" is used to join two sentences that do not contradict each other. This is not the case with these two sentences: based on the first sentence, you would think that the speaker would only be allowed to check out three books, but this is not the case. So, "and" is not the correct conjunction to use; changing "and" to "but" would correct the sentence's error.
Example Question #1 : Identifying Conjunction Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
I would bake more cookies, and every time I do, my oven burns them. No error
every time I do, my oven
No error
and
would
them
and
This sentence begins with "I would bake more cookies" but then the speaker gives a reason why he or she does not bake more cookies, "every time [he or she] tries to bake cookies, [his or her] oven burns them." So, "and" is not the correct conjunction to use in this sentence. A conjunction like "but" is needed to contrast the two parts of the sentence and convey why the speaker does not bake more cookies even though he or she "would."
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