SAT Writing : Identifying Other Phrase, Clause, and Sentence Errors

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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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.

At the student art showcase, Anna enjoyed seeing her friend Zoe's abstract paintings, which she thought were more creative than other artistsNo error

Possible Answers:

than other artists

paintings, which

were

Zoe's

No error

Correct answer:

than other artists

Explanation:

The correct answer is "than other artists."  As the sentence reads, it is saying that Anna thinks her friend's art is more creative than other artists, which is an incorrect comparison; she should be comparing her friend's art to the art of other artists, not to the artists themselves.

A correct phrasing would be "At the student art showcase, Anna enjoyed seeing her friend Zoe's abstract paintings, which she thought were more creative than the works of the other artists."

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.

On Saturday I am running, grocery shopping, cooking dinner, and will attend my friend's birthday party. No error

Possible Answers:

will attend

Saturday

No error

cooking dinner,

friend's

Correct answer:

will attend

Explanation:

The verb phrase "will attend" should be changed to "attending" because it is part of a list of "-ing" verbs, all of which need to be in the same form in order for the sentence to use proper parallel structure. Since "running," "shopping," and "cooking" are already conjugated in the same way, "will attend" should be conjugated in this way too, and therefore should be changed to "attending."

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 jokesNo error

Possible Answers:

telling of hilarious jokes

strange

No error

became fascinated by

slowly

Correct answer:

telling of hilarious jokes

Explanation:

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 #33 : 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 bossNo error

Possible Answers:

is

my

No error

higher

boss

Correct answer:

boss

Explanation:

Only like things can be compared. "My apartment" can be compared to "that of my boss" or my "boss'."

Example Question #41 : 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.

Napa Valley is known for having amazing food, high quality wine, and attracts a wealthy clientele. No error

Possible Answers:

is

attracts

No error

having

for

Correct answer:

attracts

Explanation:

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 #42 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors

I had expected to learn many essential survival skills at the workshop, but instead only how to open a can without a can opener.

Possible Answers:

but

had expected

only how to open

No error

essential

Correct answer:

only how to open

Explanation:

This sentence has a problem with parallelism. Since the first part contains a verb, the second part must as well. The corrected sentence reads: I had expected to learn many essential survival skills at the workshop, but instead I only learned how to open a can without a can opener.

Example Question #42 : Identifying Parallel Structure Errors

The young girl struggled in school growing up, having trouble with adding, spelling, and the ability to read.

Possible Answers:

in adding, spelling, and the ability to read.

with adding, spelling, and the ability to read.

with adding spelling and the ability to read.

with adding, spelling and the ability to read.

with adding, spelling, and reading.

Correct answer:

with adding, spelling, and reading.

Explanation:

The series placed in the underlined portion of the sentence suffers from the problem of not having a parallel structure. All components in such a list need to take the same format. Therefore, "with adding, spelling, and reading" is the correct answer.

Example Question #71 : 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. 

We could swear Bessie the cow was always happy she always had a smile on her face whenever we saw her. No error

Possible Answers:

we saw 

happy she

could swear

No error

on her face 

Correct answer:

happy she

Explanation:

The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore, there needs to be a semicolon between "happy" and "she" to properly denote the beginning of the second independent clause. 

Example Question #72 : 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. 

The scientists grappled with the theoretical physics problem all night they emerged exhausted from the lab in the morning without an answer. No error

Possible Answers:

No error

without

grappled with 

night they

from the lab

Correct answer:

night they

Explanation:

The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore we need to include a semicolon between "night" and "they" in order to properly separate the two independent clauses.

Example Question #73 : 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. 

Jessica threw the flying disc over to Daniel and he spun around in a big circle before throwing it back over Jessica's head. No error

Possible Answers:

Daniel and

in a big circle

throwing

over Jessica's head

No error

Correct answer:

Daniel and

Explanation:

The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore needs a comma in between "Daniel" and "and" to properly separate the two independent clauses of the sentence. 

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