GMAT Sentence Correction – Don’t Blink

GMAT Sentence Correction – Don’t Blink main image

In the Sentence Correction section of the GMAT each question consists of a sentence with an underlined portion. This underlined portion may contain an error in grammar or word function. Following the sentence are 5 answer choices, the first of which will always be an exact replica of the underlined segment. It is your job to decide whether the underlined segment of each sentence accurately and effectively expresses an idea or relationship, or whether the sentence could be enhanced by replacing the underlined text with one of the multiple choice alternatives. A correct sentence will be both grammatically and structurally sound. It will be clear and concise while conforming to all the rules of standard written English.

Sentence Correction Practice Question

Now try your luck at a question.

Although the term “psychopath” is popularly applied to an especially brutal criminal, in psychology it is someone who is apparently incapable of feeling compassion or pangs of conscience.

(A) it is someone who is

(B) it is a person

(C) they are people who are

(D) it refers to someone who is

(E) it is in reference to people

Choices B and C have the same fundamental glitch as the underlined segment because they both claim the term is a person/are people, when it is in fact describing one. Choice C is also faulty because the plural pronoun, people disagrees with the singular noun, term. Compared to the original wording, option D is preferred because refers to clearly links the psychopath to a specific type of person. Sure, it is in reference to in answer E also connects the pronouns with a specific link. But D is preferred because the alignment of pronouns and antecedents are both logical and grammatical. Whereas, people in option E is plural as oppose to an especially brutal criminal, which it seeks to describe.

Did you get the sample question right on your first try? For native English speakers choosing a sentence may seem to require more intuition than skill. But when rushing over a page it is easy to look over minor idiomatic and usage mistakes.

GMAT Idiom and Usage Traps

For example, did you notice the two major glitches in my solution explanation? I hope so because they are two common traps on the sentence correction section.

The first common trap is compared to versus compared with. Compared to is used when things are being likened. Compared with is used when the comparison is more specific and implies differences. Therefore despite the fact the compared to sounds fine, the sentence should have been written: Compared with the original wording, option D sounds better because refers to clearly links the psychopath to a specific type of person.

GMAT Sentence Agreement Traps

The second common trap centers around the agreement between the subject of a sentence and the verb. The subject and verb must agree in number, that is, a plural verb must have a plural subject and a singular verb must have a singular subject. Are in the final sentence is referring to the alignment of two things, but not two types of alignments. Thus the sentence should read: But D is preferred because the alignment of pronouns and antecedents is both logical and grammatical.

The moral of this blog post is that in order to identify a correct sentence you must review the ins and outs of the English language. Tricks and time saving techniques will not salvage your score unless you have a firm understanding of misplaced modifiers, dangling participles, tense, faulty parallelism, pronoun agreement, and idioms.

About Heather Simon

Heather Simon graduated from Skidmore College, a top liberal-arts institution in Saratoga Springs, with a degree in Studio Art and a minor in English. She works as an academic director at Manhattan Elite Prep, all-the-while pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and Literary Translation. At MEP, like all of her colleagues, she wears a number of hats and spends her days in front of multiple computer screens. Some of her responsibilities include coordinating test prep courses and tailoring private tutoring packages for individual students; designing course material; and social media and marketing.