PSAT Writing : Identifying Word Usage Errors

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #24 : Identifying Verb Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Sharleen, who knew and appreciated how much work her mother put into preparing supper each night, often misses dinners with friends because she insisted on eating at home with her family. No error

Possible Answers:

eating

No error

preparing

misses

who

Correct answer:

misses

Explanation:

This sentence has an issue of verb tense agreement. Because the given verbs are all in past tense—"knew," "appreciated," and "insisted"—the verb "misses" also needs to also be in the past tense. So, the corrected sentence reads, "Sharleen, who knew and appreciated how much work her mother put into preparing supper each night, often missed dinners with friends because she insisted on eating at home with her family."

Example Question #111 : Identifying Word Usage Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Earlier this morning, I was walking to the bus station, when I suddenly was realizing that I forgot my bus pass, so I had to go home to retrieve it. No error

Possible Answers:

was walking

had to go

was realizing

forgot

No error

Correct answer:

was realizing

Explanation:

"Was realizing" is grammatically incorrect and awkward. "Was realizing" implies a gradual process of realizing, when this is not the case; we can especially tell that this is true because of the sentence's use of "suddenly," which suggests a definite, one-time action in the past, not something that happened over time. So, to correct the sentence's error, the past progressive verb "was realizing" should be changed to the simple past tense verb "realized."

Example Question #291 : Psat Writing Skills

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Prior to accepting the post of head developer in London, Mrs. Reynolds has been spending time in France. No error

Possible Answers:

has been spending

Prior to

of

accepting

No error

Correct answer:

has been spending

Explanation:

The verb "has been spending" does not work with the timeline of the sentence because Mrs. Reynolds is no longer in France. The verb should be a past participle instead. Changing "has been spending" to "had been spending" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "Prior to accepting the post of head developer, Mrs. Reynolds had been spending time in France."

Example Question #111 : Identifying Usage Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Margaret carried her dog, which was often clad in a pink and white argyle sweater, everywhere she goesNo error

Possible Answers:

often

clad

she goes

pink and white argyle sweater

No error

Correct answer:

she goes

Explanation:

The first part of the sentence is in the past tense ("carried"), but the second is in the present ("goes"). These should be kept consistent. Changing "goes" to "went" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "Margaret carried her dog, which was often clad in a pink and white argyle sweater, everywhere she went."

Example Question #361 : Identifying 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.

The man peered around the corner, checked to see if the coast was clear. No error

Possible Answers:

if

corner, checked

No error

peered

was

Correct answer:

corner, checked

Explanation:

The verb "checked" is written in the simple past tense, and the following phrase is not coordinated correctly with the rest of the sentence. This can be fixed by turning it into a gerund: "The man peered around the corner, checking to see if the coast was clear."

Example Question #163 : Identifying Word Usage Errors

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

As he resigned himself to eating instant noodles for the rest of the month, Alex thinks longingly of prime rib. No error

Possible Answers:

himself

for the rest of 

thinks

No error

of

Correct answer:

thinks

Explanation:

This sentence switches tense from past ("as he resigned") to present ("thinks") in the middle of the sentence. In the logical timeline of events, these should both be in the past: "As he resigned himself to eating instant noodles for the rest of the month, Alex thought longingly of prime rib."

Example Question #362 : Identifying 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.

Jose did not understand howlecture on sea turtles is relevant to a course on the politics of the Middle East. No error

Possible Answers:

how

No error

lecture on

relevant to

is

Correct answer:

is

Explanation:

This sentence uses inconsistent verb tenses. It starts out in the past ("did not understand") and switches to the present ("is relevant"). Changing "is" to "was" corrects the sentence's error. The corrected sentence reads, "Jose did not understand how a lecture on sea turtles was relevant to a course on Middle-Eastern politics."

Example Question #363 : Identifying 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.

Testing the new model rocket would not be possible since it was being a rainy day. No error

Possible Answers:

Testing

was being

No error

since

would not

Correct answer:

was being

Explanation:

The second phrase of this sentence is needlessly in the progressive tense. It sounds clearer and more concise to put this in the simple past: "Testing the new model rocket would not be possible since it was a rainy day."

Example Question #364 : Identifying 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.

Despite his initial skepticism, Rory found the conference on urban chicken raising being fascinating, informative, and inspirationalNo error

Possible Answers:

Despite

being

the conference on

and inspirational

No error

Correct answer:

being

Explanation:

This sentence uses the wrong form of the verb “to be.” Since "being" follows another verb, "raising," it needs to be in the infintive form, "to be." The corrected sentence reads: "Despite his initial skepticism, Rory found the conference on urban chicken raising to be fascinating, informative, and inspirational."

Example Question #365 : Identifying 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.

After the canoe flipped over and the provisions were lost, the campers are declaring the trip a disaster. No error

Possible Answers:

the canoe

are declaring

lost

and

No error

Correct answer:

are declaring

Explanation:

This sentence has a problem with verb tense. Since the first part of the sentence, "After the canoe flipped over and the provisions were lost," uses two past-tense verbs ("flipped" and "were"), the rest of the sentence needs to be in past tense too, since it is describing events that took place at the same time as those described earlier in the sentence. "Are declaring" is in the present progressive tense, so it contains the sentence's error. You could correct the sentence by changing "are declaring" to "declared," yielding the sentence, "After the canoe flipped over and the provisions were lost, the campers declared the trip a disaster."

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