Sentence Correction for GMAT

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GMAT Sentence Correction

GMAT sentence correction questions make for 8-10 of the VA section questions. You need not rely only on your reading habit to solve these questions. Reading would help you make sense of the sentence without even understanding the associated grammatical rules but that is not what is required in an examination set up. You need to be sure of the correct answer and this has to be derived after following a process that ensures 100% accuracy.

Verbal Ability section of the General Management Aptitude Test has sentence correction questions that can be solved by keeping the following into account:

  1. Parallelism

In a sentence, with phrases and clauses, the tense remains the same throughout. Parallelism error is not evident to a layman in conversational English but that does not take away from the fact that it is an incorrect sentence. The sentence thus carefully needs to be checked for this error in case you get a GMAT sentence correction question.

Example:

Incorrect form: Mary likes hiking, swimming, and to ride a bicycle.

Correct form with Parallelism:  Mary likes hiking, swimming, and riding a bicycle.

  1. Misplaced Modifier

In a sentence, entities are often described by a set of words termed a modifier. Correct placement of this modifier in a sentence is essential to avoid change in meaning. This type of error can also make the error appear as a fragment where the entity is not described. It is termed as a hanging modifier. Modifiers are to be carefully placed. These are like an adjective that is not just a single word but a clause that works as an adjective.

Example:

Incorrect form: The couch was kind of ugly in the furniture store.

Correct form:  The couch in the furniture store was kind of ugly.

  1. Comparative analysis in sentences

This is an easy type of question. Apple to orange comparison is to be avoided. That is what this sentence correction is all about when comparison is made. When comparing two attributes of different entities, it is the attributes that need to be compared. The comparison should not be between an entity and an attribute. It has to be between two entities or two attributes.

Traditionally, this has been termed as ‘apple and oranges comparison’ which is not to be done. Such kind of an error inadvertently happens when people are not aware of correct rules. A lot of candidates get even these questions wrong which may come as a surprise but a careful look at the sentence can fetch you the correct answer.

 

Example:

Incorrect form: Mary is taller than Joan is smart.

Correct form: Mary is taller than Joan.

  1. Contextual usage

Meaning and context both are important. When blanks are to be filled in, homonyms (words that sound alike) may be used as options to confuse the test taker. Also, the same word can be used in multiple contexts. Apart from GMAT sentence correction, CAT particularly features such questions wherein a word’s usage in multiple sentences is to be assessed for correct usage.

It is not easy to correctly answer these because this requires not just a good vocabulary but also knowledge of multiple ways a word can be used in a sentence. Elimination of options works best in this case. The number of such questions can go up to 5. Such questions help you to improve your score with little effort and time.

Example:

Incorrect form:  I will except all the packages accept that one. Except is also a verb meaning to exclude.

Correct form: I will accept all the packages except that one.

Candidates generally take GMAT Reading Comprehension or Verbal Ability section as the one they can score in to reach a good total score but for getting admission for MBA and Ph.D. in the top 30 colleges abroad. That kind of score though cannot come only from either of two. Candidates need to work on Reading Comprehension as well as Verbal Ability. GMAT Sentence correction is a significant part of the Verbal Ability section. Regular classes can help but online products can also be enough for learning these concepts.

 

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