SAT Writing : Correcting Grammatical Errors in a Sentence Fragment
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Example Questions
Example Question #611 : Improving Paragraphs
Are you trying to stick to a budget? Using coupons for purchases, also known as “couponing” is a great way to save money on groceries. Coupons are a little piece of paper that can give you a discount on what you buy. You will be amazed at the great bargains and amazing savings you can get!
It’s easy to get started. When you open up your daily newspaper, one might find a glossy insert full of coupons. Some of the coupons will be for things you don’t buy, some will be for things you buy all the time. Go through the coupons and chop out the ones you can use.
The key to successful couponing is getting multiple copies of coupon circulars. Ask your friends, your neighbors, and family if they have any extras. Some coupon users even go through the recycling at their office to find more coupons! Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life! Completely devoted, these circulars help coupon users to get even more savings.
Couponing might sound like hard work, but for many people, it’s also a hobby. Not only does it help them save hundreds of dollars per year, but also it gives them a fun challenge every time they do their shopping.Â
How should the underlined section be corrected?
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life...
NO CHANGE
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life.
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life;
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life?
Have you ever heard of such a thing in your life?
This question asks you about the grammatically correct use of an exclamation point. Generally, exclamation points should be used to give emphasis to an interjection or to express a strong feeling. An interjection like this could end with an exclamation point if it were a statement, but since it begins with the interrogative form "Have you," we know that it is a question. Even when it is an interjection, a question should always end with a question mark, not an exclamation point.
Example Question #181 : Rewriting A Sentence Fragment
1 The Moluccas is a chain, or archetype, of islands belonging to Indonesia. 2 Historically, these islands were known as the Spice Islands for their abundance of nutmeg, cloves, mace, and pepper, this profundity of spices eventually drew colonial attention. 3 Spices such as cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, anise, and pepper were particularly popular during the medieval times. 4 In the 1600s, the Spice Wars arose as a result of competing Portuguese and Dutch interest’s in the Spice Islands. 5 The bloody conflict ended in the deaths of many native Moluccans as well as European traders, wherefore both Portugal and the Netherlands gained and lost territories ranging from Africa and South America. 6 For this day, strife occasionally breaks out on the islands although it is now motivated by religious and not colonial disagreements.7 It is located just west of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean, and its more than 1,000 islands are home to more than 2 million people today.
How should the underlined portion of Sentence 5 be rewritten?
territories ranging from Africa and South America (no change)
territories including from Africa and South America
territories ranging from Africa to South America
territories ranging in Africa and South America
territories ranging in Africa to South America
territories ranging from Africa to South America
The proper grammatical construction is always “ranging from __________ to __________.”
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