Placement/choice of conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs

Sentence A: Sergei chose to buy a house because of the increase in both the number of houses on the market and the number of his friends who owned their own homes.

Sentence B: Sergei chose to buy a house because of both the increase in the number of houses on the market and the number of his friends who owned their own homes.

Both sentences feature Sergei buying a house because of the number of houses on the market and the number of his friends who owned their own homes, but in Sentence A, both of those numbers are going up, while in Sentence B, only the number of houses is increasing. (I tried to come up with a sentence that had a more amusing shift in sense; I will envy you a little if you are able to come up with one.

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Note that the choice of conjunction can make a significant difference:

Phillip decided that for his birthday, he would eat macaroni, cheese, beans, rice, apple pie, and ice cream for dinner.

A. macaroni, cheese, beans, rice, apple pie, and ice cream

B. macaroni and cheese, beans and rice, or apple pie with ice cream

C. macaroni and cheese, beans and rice, and apple pie with ice cream

D. macaroni or cheese, beans or rice, or apple pie with ice cream

E. macaroni or cheese, beans or rice, apple pie, and ice cream

. . . as does the placement of some adverbs, such as the limiting adverb only:

It only seemed that the boxer touched his opponent’s chin when he scored the knockout punch.

A. only seemed that the boxer touched his opponent’s chin when he scored the

B. seemed that only the boxer touched his opponent’s chin when he scored the

C. seemed that the boxer only touched his opponent’s chin when he scored the

D. seemed that the boxer touched only his opponent’s chin when he scored the

E. seemed that the boxer touched his opponent’s chin when he scored the only

Answers next time!

Check out the other articles in this series:

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 1)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 2)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 3)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 4)

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In case you missed it or forgot, this was the question:

A group of well-regarded economists has recently published projected figures for the economy next year, which predict that if interest rates remain at their current level, lending should continue to increase as slowly as it has this year.

A. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending should continue to increase

B. when interest rates remain at their current level, lending can continue its increasing

C. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending continues to increase

D. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending will continue to increase

E. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending could continue to increase

I tried to make it a little tricky by having the sentence involve a study (since I had mentioned that statements of general truth with tense in present/present are often attached to studies), but this one is a straightforward prediction.

A. Incorrect. It is fine grammatically, but there is no reason to put a modal “should” in the second half of the condition. It’s already a prediction about the future, a prediction which may not come to pass; adding even more uncertainty to the “then” portion is not needed to convey that.

B. Incorrect. I suppose this was mean of me; by changing the beginning and end of one answer choice, I had an excuse to increase the length of the underlined portion and make you read more for every answer choice. This choice is technically correct as well, but I think it would only be a strange alternate universe where the GMAT wanted you to use phrases like “can continue its increasing.”

C. Incorrect. This one is the present/present tense trap that I mentioned, which is entirely grammatically correct and appropriate for studies. Here, though, the meaning is changed, claiming that WHENEVER interest rates remain at their current level, lending will increase at some (slow) rate. While a study could show that, it would not come in the form of a prediction.

D. Correct. Here we have a simple present for the static interest rates and a simple future for the predicted effect.

E. Incorrect. As with Choice A, the modal “could” is grammatically and even contextually plausible, but there is no reason to add this additional uncertainty to the prediction.

Next time: word placement!

Check out the other articles in this series:

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 1)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 2)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 3)

Conditional statements

If you are very hungry, you eat too much food.

If you are very hungry, you may eat too much food.

If you are very hungry, you will eat too much food.

If you are very hungry, you should eat too much food.

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Conditional statements in English have many different combinations of tenses and moods, which could be the subject of a whole series of blog posts on its own. Instead, I’ve chosen a subset of conditions here, each with a slightly different verb in the “then” clause.

If you are hungry, you eat too much food. This form is common enough, usually appearing in sentences announcing the result of a study or report (A recent Harvard Medical School study has conclusively shown that if you do not eat, you die). In English, when both parts of the condition are in the simple present tense, it refers to a statement of general truth; whenever the first thing happens, the second thing happens (When I get caught in the rain, I get wet).

If you are very hungry, you may eat too much food. By introducing the modal auxiliary verb may, we have added uncertainty, possibility, or permission to the sentence; eating too much food is something that you will not certainly do in all circumstances. It could either indicate one of several options (We may go to the festival tomorrow) or that permission has been granted (You may stay in my home for as long as you like).

If you are very hungry, you will eat too much food. In exchanging the present tense for the future tense in the “then” portion, we have changed our statement of general truth into a specific prediction about the future: if X is the case, Y will certainly happen (If it is raining right now, you will be soaked by the time you reach your car).

If you are very hungry, you should eat too much food. Finally, by putting in the modal auxiliary verb should, we have made overeating an obligation, something that is right or good (If you see your boss at lunch time, you should ask for some vacation time this summer).  Though it is beyond the scope of a test preparation blog, I would like to add that overeating is not right or good.

Here’s one for you to try:

A group of well-regarded economists has recently published projected figures for the economy next year, which predict that if interest rates remain at their current level, lending should continue to increase as slowly as it has this year.

A. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending should continue to increase

B. when interest rates remain at their current level, lending can continue their increasing

C. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending continues to increase

D. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending will continue to increase

E. if interest rates remain at their current level, lending could continue to increase

Answer next time!

Check out the other articles in this series:

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 1)

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 2)

Last time, I gave you this question:

On her way to the store, Priya decided to purchase a personal organizer, a new computer with a wireless network card, and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier, she decided.

A. and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier, she decided.

B. and a barking toy robot dog; that would make would make her life easier, she decided.

C. and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier; she decided.

D. and a barking toy robot dog making her life easier, she decided.

E. and, deciding that would make her life easier, a barking toy robot dog.

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A. Incorrect. While grammatically correct, the placement of that suggests that the barking toy would make her life easier, when it makes more sense for it to be either the whole purchase or just the non-toy portions.

B. Correct. By putting that into a new independent clause, it can make a stronger claim to modify the preceding clause. You can still argue that that refers back to the toy, but the connection is not as strong as it is in the other sentences.

C.  Incorrect. Though this one is technically grammatically correct, that modifies the toy again, and “she decided” is a very uninformative independent clause.

D.  Incorrect. Placing the present participle making directly next to the toy dog suggests it is the barking toy making her life easier, which isn’t likely (has anyone’s life ever been made easier by a barking toy dog?).

E. Incorrect. The placement of and before the deciding suggests they are part of the same unit: the final item in her list of purchases. This also suggests the toy will make her life easier.

I don’t believe you’ll see a question exactly like this on the GMAT; that’s not the point. The idea here is to show how the placement of punctuation can affect how you interpret certain parts of sentences. Next time, we’ll look at conditional statements!

Check out the other articles in this series:

More Than Just Grammar:  The Search for Meaning in the New SC (Part 1)

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Punctuation

Sentence A: Let’s eat, Grandma!

Sentence B: Let’s eat Grandma!

Sentence C: Every dog knows its master.

Sentence D: Every dog knows it’s master.

The ancient Romans wrote with little or no punctuation, and usually without even putting any spaces between the words. It is hard to imagine the confusion that could arise from that, when in English a simple mark (such as a comma or an apostrophe) can make such difference in the sense of the sentence. In the first pair, Sentence A conveys familial devotion, while B implies cannibalism; in the second pair, Sentence C features man’s best friend looking up to humans, while in Sentence D, the dog looks down on humans.

Of course, the GMAT is unlikely to feature something so simple (or potentially comical), but punctuation is often needed to reduce ambiguity or to change the meaning of a phrase or clause. Relative clauses – clauses starting with a relative pronoun like which, who, or that – are prime candidates for a change in meaning, especially ones starting with which or that. Semicolons and commas, because they separate clauses, can also change the meaning of a sentence by changing the point where one clause begins and another ends.

On her way to the store, Priya decided to purchase a personal organizer, a new computer with a wireless network card, and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier, she decided.

A. and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier, she decided.

B. and a barking toy robot dog; that would make would make her life easier, she decided.

C. and a barking toy robot dog that would make her life easier; she decided.

D. and a barking toy robot dog making her life easier, she decided.

E. and, deciding that would make her life easier, a barking toy robot dog.

Answer next time, and after that, a brief look at conditional statements!

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1. It’s/Its. “Its” is the possessive form of the pronoun it. This is unique because usually an apostrophe is needed to show possession. Its’ is never correct. It’s is the contraction for “it is” or “it has.”

2. Whose/Who’s. “Who’s” is a contraction of “who is” or “who has.” “Whose” is the possessive form of the pronoun “who.” If “who’s” cannot logically replace “who is” or “who has.”
3. Among/Between. “Among” is used when dealing with a group of three or more. “Between” can only be used for a group of two.
4. Amount/Number. “Amount” can only refer to an uncountable noun. We can use “number” to refer to a countable noun.
5. Fewer/Less. “Less” refers to an uncountable noun, whereas “fewer” refers to a countable noun. Remember that some words can change from countable/uncountable depending on whether they are plural or singular. For example, “stone” is uncountable, but “stones” are countable.
6. Over/More Than. “Over” refers to location only and is a preposition. “More than” is only used to refer to a number or a quantity.
7. Much/Many. “Much” refers to an uncountable noun. “Many” refers to a countable one. Check out this practice GMAT question from Grockit’s database:

Records from the latter half of the 19th century show that in 1876 in Westbridge County there were 1,200 landowners, nearly 12 percent of the state landowner population, three times as many as 1852.

A   three times as many as 1852

B   three times as much as 1852

C   triple what it was in 1852

D   triple the figure for 1852

E   thrice the number that was recorded in 1852

We know that it can be three times as MANY as something countable, but “1852” is not countable, so A and B can be eliminated quickly. Ideally, we’d want an answer to say “three times as many as in 1852” but we aren’t given that option. In option C, we have an ambiguous pronoun. D and E have the same meaning, but D it much more concise and therefore correct.

8. Better/Best. This concept tests the comparative/superlative forms. Comparative forms like “better”, “more”, etc. are only used when two things are being compared. Superlative forms like “best”, “most”, etc. are used to compare three or more things.

For another great post on English proficiency for the GMAT check out this article.

(Using a relative clause): The employee who is surveying the land is a good friend of mine.

(Using a present participle): The employee surveying the land is a good friend of mine.

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We generally consider these two versions of the same sentence to be interchangeable. The “who” can be used or not, yielding the same meaning. There are cases, however, when you cannot consider the relative clause and present participle interchangeable. Consider these two versions of the same sentence:

(Using a present participle) 1. The price of produce is rapidly increasing, a trend eventually culminating in a consumer’s revolution.

(Using a relative clause) 2. The price of produce is rapidly increasing, a trend that will eventually culminate in a consumer’s revolution.

Here, we have two sentences that use what was thought to be an interchangeable form, but one version does not quite make sense logically. The first sentence is technically incorrect because the verb “culminate,” when paired with the adverb “eventually,” must happen in the future. Using the present participle of the verb culminate (culminating) suggests that the verb occurs in the present, and so contradicts the adverb “eventually.” But the important question is this: how do we know that, in the first sentence, “culminating” happens in the present? In other words, what determines the tense of the present participle modifier? The reason “culminating” in this sentence is present is that the modifier is directly linked to the main verb of the sentence: is rapidly increasing. It is the main verb of the sentence that determines the tense of the present participle modifier:

Past: I observed my neighbor washing his car. (the washing takes place in the past)

Present: I observe my neighbor washing his car. (the washing takes place now)

Future: I will see my neighbor washing his car. (the washing will take place in the future)

So, what’s the lesson to take away from all this? Because the tense of the present participle modifier is contingent upon the tense main verb, using this form is much more limited than using the relative clause. So, if you want to express freedom of tense, use the relative clause.

Incorrect: I see the employee cleaning the office yesterday.

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Incorrect: Jake dancing is the result of weeks of practice.

Many English speakers would use this sentence without noticing the error, and probably many of us would not hear any error if we heard the sentence as it’s written. The problem with the sentence, though, is that the noun, Jake, as the agent of the action, dancing, must be in the possessive case. The simple reason is that Jake himself cannot be the result of weeks of practice. Rather, it is Jake’s dancing that is the result of weeks of practice.

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Correct: Jake’s dancing is the result of weeks of practice.

Now while this seems simple enough, there are still some nuances that have to be reviewed before we can safely decide when to use a noun in the possessive case when it precedes a gerund. The main rule we must remember is that the “ing” verb that comes after the noun does function as a noun; in other words, make sure the ‘ing’ verb is a gerund before you use the preceding noun in the possessive case. Notice the subtly different meanings created by sentences below:

Ambiguous: I like Jake dancing.

Apart from any given context, the sentence above is a bit ambiguous and odd, though not grammatically incorrect in the formal sense. What the sentence suggests is that I like Jake when he dances.

Clear: I like Jake’s dancing.

The above sentence is clear and unambiguous. It means simply that I like the dancing that Jake happens to be doing.

Clear: Jake dancing is quite a spectacle.

You may think that you should immediately  change Jake into Jake’s, but this sentence does make sense. Ask yourself, “can Jake himself be ‘quite a spectacle?”’ Yes. Thus, as it stands, the sentence means that Jake, while dancing, is a spectacle.

Clear: Jake’s dancing is quite a spectacle.

This sentence means almost exactly the same thing as the previous sentence, but notice the subtle difference: now I am specifically saying that the dancing itself is a spectacle.

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Verb Agreement – check the verb tense for logic and make sure it agrees with the subject in number

Parallelism – is there a list in the sentence or a series of clauses? Numerous commas and the word “and” is often a clue that parallelism is present.

Idioms – two-part idioms and prepositional idioms are very commonly tested; do you have any doubts about a certain phrase? Try putting it in a new sentence. Does it still make sense?

Modifiers – is an adjective used where an adverb is needed? Are there clauses that begin with  “which” or “that”?

Pronouns – They must have a clear antecedent and agree with their nouns. “Meaning” often comes into play with pronouns. A pronoun may not have a stated antecedent, but the meaning will make it clear what the intended antecedent is.

Sentence fragments/run-ons – run-ons and fragments; is there too much info in the sentence, or not enough?

Test your GMAT verbal skills with this practice sentence correction question.

You can find many in-depth articles on each of these in the BTG library. SC is really about knowing the dozen tested concepts. It’s really not logic-based like CR. You just have to practice, practice, practice, know your English grammar rules cold, and learn what the GMAT “prefers” stylistically. Good luck!

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Example: After meeting Dave and Bill at the airport, Steve dropped off some luggage at his house.

Here, we don’t know if “his house” refers to Dave’s house or Bill’s house, so the pronoun is ambiguous. You could fix the problem a number of ways. You could change “his” to “their,” so we know that Dave and Bill share the house that Bill is visiting, or we could replace the “his” with either “Dave” or “Bill” in order to clarify the ambiguity by eliminating the noun.

Test your GMAT skills with this sentence correction practice question.

There is, however, another alternative that the GMAT seems to favor. Because repeating the noun sounds repetitive and clunky, we can use a synonym for the antecedent that acts as a generic placeholder for a noun. The synonym should always be more general than, or should encompass, the antecedent.

Example: New state-of-the-art plastics use polymer compounds that give these materials unmatched durability.

Notice in the above sentence that the phrase “these materials” functions as a pronoun for “plastics,” which, as opposed to “polymer compounds,” can easily be described as “materials.” Using the pronoun “them” would result in a case of pronoun ambiguity, since we have two possible antecedents—plastics and polymer compounds.

Example 2: After the controversial policy agreement was ratified, the committee submitted a bill that would allow more for control over such contracts in the future.

The above sentence exemplifies the same case. “Such contracts” clearly refers to the “policy agreement” because only policy agreement can be described as a type of contract. The other possible antecedents, committee and bill (but really only “bill” because the “committee” is the subject of the verb), do not pose any problems for the sentence.

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