SAT Writing : Correcting Phrase, Clause, and Sentence Errors
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Example Question #51 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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 reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
No one has ever sailed through the treacherous waters was able to tell anyone about it afterward.
No one sailed
No one who sailing
No one has ever sailed
No one who will sail
No one who has ever sailed
No one who has ever sailed
Let's take a look at the parts from which this this sentence is composed: we have "No one," a subject, "has ever sailed," a verb, "through the treacherous waters," a prepositional phrase, and then "was able to tell anyone about it afterward," a predicate. This sentence has too many verbs. While there are numerous ways to make this sentence grammatically correct, one way is to make the underlined portion into a subject; that way, the sentence would consist of a subject, followed by a prepositional phrase describing that subject, followed by a predicate. The answer choice "No one who has ever sailed" adds in the subordinate conjunction "who" to make what was a verb ("has ever sailed") into a subordinate clause ("who has ever sailed"), making "No one who has ever sailed through the treacherous waters" one big subject and the sentence grammatically correct. While the other answer choices "No one who will sail" each function as a subject, it introduces the future verb tense that doesn't match the past-tense verb "was able" that appears later in the sentence.
Example Question #52 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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.
Public education, health care, and the constructing of new roadways are all areas that we desperately need to fund.
All areas are public education, health care, and new roadway construction
Public education, health care, and the constructing of new roadways are all areas
Public education, health care, and new roadway construction is all areas
Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas
Public education, health care, and constructing new roadways are all areas
Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas
This sentence's error is one of parallel structure. The first two items in its list, "Public education" and "health care," are nouns, but the third item, "the constructing of new roadways," begins with a gerund. All of the items in a list should be formatted in the same way. There are numerous ways in which we could change the sentence so that each of its items take on the same grammatical form, and several answer choices correctly fix this issue; only "Public education, health care, and constructing new roadways are all areas," which changes the gerund "constructing" to a present progressive verb by omitting the definite article "the," does not do this.
All but one of the answer choices that fix the parallel structure of the list introduce new errors. "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction is all areas" incorrectly uses the singular verb "is" to refer to the plural compound subject, so it is incorrect. "All areas are public education, health care, and new roadway construction" convolutes the sentence's word order and makes it confusing by making it seem as if "all areas"—all of the areas in total, not just the ones "that we desperately need to fund"—are the three listed. Only "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas" fixes the sentence's error without introducing new mistakes, making it the correct answer and the corrected sentence "Public education, health care, and new roadway construction are all areas that we desperately need to fund."
Example Question #61 : Correcting Parallel Structure Errors
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.
Scientists have determined that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
The answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" is correct because it contains appropriate parallelism—in this case, a list of three noun phrases.
The original text "include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress" and the answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress" contain faulty parallelism—the last item in the list includes the verb "having" whereas the first two items in the list do not employ verbs. These answers are therefore incorrect.
Answer choices "includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" and "tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" are incorrect because they both use singular predicates for the plural subject, "risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
Example Question #61 : Correcting Parallel Structure Errors
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.
In her time, Charlotte Bronte was the most revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant or complacent about her notoriety.
more revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety.
most revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant or complacent about her notoriety.
most revered of the three Bronte sisters, however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent with regards to her notoriety.
most revered of the three Bronte sisters, however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety.
most revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety.
most revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety.
The original text contains an incorrect use of correlative conjunctions. "Neither" must be followed somewhere later in the sentence by "nor."
The answer choices "most revered of the three Bronte sisters, however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety" and "most revered of the three Bronte sisters, however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent with regards to her notoriety" lead to run-on sentences and are therefore incorrect.
The answer choice "more revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety" incorrectly uses the comparative form "more" instead of the superlative form "most," which is appropriate when more than two entities are being compared, as in this sentence.
Only the answer choice "most revered of the three Bronte sisters; however, she was neither arrogant nor complacent about her notoriety" is correct because it uses "neither . . . nor," the superlative form "most," and does not lead to a run-on sentence.
Example Question #91 : Parallel Structure Errors
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 writing of Edgar Allan Poe is notably more stylized than his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe greatly admired.
his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe greatly admired.
his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the works of whom Poe has greatly admired.
that of his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe greatly admired.
his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe has greatly admired.
his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, the works of whom Poe greatly admired.
that of his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe greatly admired.
Answer choice "that of his contemporary, Nathaniel Hawthorne, whose works Poe greatly admired" is correct because it makes the appropriate comparison between the writing of Poe and the writing of Hawthorne.
All of the other answer choices compare Poe's writing to Hawthorne, the writer, and are therefore incorrect.
Example Question #62 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Many drug consumers feel that generic medicine can be as effective as, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective medicine, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective as, if not more effective than, some of the brand names.
as effective medicine, if not more effective, than some of the brand names.
as effective, if not more effective, as some of the brand names.
as effective, if not more effective, than some brand names.
as effective as, if not more effective than, some of the brand names.
The term, if not more effective, is an interrupter; therefore, the sentence should read correctly if those words are removed.
Example Question #91 : Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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 reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The people traveling to California in the gold rush typically did not find success in prospecting, mining, or even to make a new life.
in prospecting, mining, or even to make a new life.
in prospected, mining, or even to make a new life.
in prospecting, mining, or even making a new life.
in prospecting, mine work, or even to make a new life.
in prospecting, mining, or even in make a new life.
in prospecting, mining, or even making a new life.
The three elements of the list that ends the sentence are actually three different kinds of words: "prospecting" and "mining" are present-tense progressive verbs, but "to make a new life" is an infinitve phrase. Any such list needs to feature a parallel structure among the three items, so that the verb of the sentence can describe similar items. The answer choice that features an appropriate parallel structure is "in prospecting, mining, or even making a new life."
Example Question #61 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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 reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Hunters need an innate sense both of where their target has been and where it has gone.
and where going it has been.
and where it has gone before.
and where it is going.
and where it has been going.
and where it has gone.
and where it is going.
The use of "both...and" in the sentence indicates that the two verb forms are actually contrasted in the sentence and should not be parallel. Therefore, the verb in the underlined portion should indicate either what is taking place now or will take place in the future. "And where it is going," is the correct answer choice.
Example Question #62 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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 reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The woman was an active girl who liked playing with toys and to run in parks.
playing with toys, running in parks.
to play with toys and to run in parks.
playing with toys and to run in parks.
to play with toys and running in parks.
to playing with toys and to running in parks.
to play with toys and to run in parks.
The pairing of the two phrases indicate that they need to have a parrallel tense for each verb. Only two answer choices, "to play with toys and to run in parks," and "playing with toys, running in parks," are parrallel, and "playing with toys, running in parks," should be separated by a conjunction.
Example Question #62 : Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
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.
According to state regulations, all first aid kits should contain bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and an ointment.
bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and also a bottle of ointment.
some bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and an ointment.
bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and ointments.
bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and an ointment.
bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and a ointment.
bandages, alcohol swabs, pain relievers, and ointments.
The rule of parallel structure tells us that the sentence should be consistent in its pattern. Because the sentence refers to “all first aid kits,” all of the nouns—"bandages," "alcohol swabs," "pain relievers," and "an ointment"—should be plural. "An ointment" is the only noun in the list that isn't plural, so replacing it with "ointments" fixes the sentences error.
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