FORMAT
OF THE GMAT GRAMMAR TEST SECTION
The
field of grammar is huge and complex--tomes have been
written on the subject. This complexity should be no surprise
since grammar deals with the process of communication.
GMAT
grammar tests only a small part of standard written English.
Grammar can be divided into two parts: Mechanics and Usage.
Mechanics
concerns punctuation, capitalization, etc. It is not tested
on the GMAT nearly as often as is usage. So don't spend
too much time worrying whether the comma is in the right
place or whether a particular word should be capitalized.
Usage
concerns how we choose our words and how we express our
thoughts: in other words, are the connections between
the words in a sentence logically sound, and are they
expressed in a way that conforms to standard idiom? This
is the part of grammar that the GMAT concentrates on.
Six major categories of usage are tested:
Pronoun
Errors
Subject-Verb Agreement
Misplaced Modifiers
Faulty Parallelism
Faulty Verb Tense
Faulty Idiom
PRONOUN
ERRORS
A
pronoun is a word that stands for a noun, known as the
antecedent of the pronoun. The key point for the use of
pronouns is this: pronouns must agree with their antecedents
in both number (singular or plural) and person (first,
second, or third).
Example:
Steve has yet to receive his degree.
Here,
the pronoun his refers to the noun Steve.
Following
is a list of the most common pronouns:
PRONOUNS
| Singular |
Plural |
Both
Singular and Plural |
| I,
me |
we,
us |
any |
| she,
her |
they |
none |
| he,
him |
them |
all |
| it |
these |
most |
| anyone |
those |
more |
| either |
some |
who |
| each |
that |
which |
| many
a |
both |
what |
| nothing |
ourselves |
you |
| one |
any |
|
| another |
many |
|
| everything |
few |
|
| mine |
several |
|
| his,
hers |
others |
|
| this |
|
|
| that |
|
|
Reference
•
A pronoun should be plural when it refers to two nouns
joined by and.
Example:
Jane and Katarina believe they passed the final
exam.
The
plural pronoun they refers to the compound subject
Jane and Katarina.
•
A pronoun should be singular when it refers to two nouns
joined by or or nor.
Faulty
Usage
Neither
Jane nor Katarina believes they passed the
final.
Correct:
Neither Jane nor Katarina believes she passed
the final.
•
A pronoun should refer to one and only one noun or compound
noun.
This
is probably the most common error on the GMAT. If a pronoun
follows two nouns, it is often unclear which of the nouns
the pronoun refers to.
Faulty
Usage
The
breakup of the Soviet Union has left nuclear weapons
in the hands of unstable, nascent countries. It
is imperative to world security that they be destroyed.
Although
one is unlikely to take the sentence to mean that the
countries must be destroyed, that interpretation is possible
from the structure of the sentence. It is easily corrected:
The
breakup of the Soviet Union has left nuclear weapons
in the hands of unstable, nascent countries. It
is imperative to world security that these weapons
be destroyed.
Faulty
Usage
In
Somalia, they have become jaded by the constant
warfare.
This
construction is faulty because they does not have
an antecedent. The sentence can be corrected by replacing
they with people:
In
Somalia, people have become jaded by the constant
warfare.
Better:
The people of Somalia have become jaded by the constant
warfare.
•
In addition to agreeing with its antecedent in number,
a pronoun must agree with its antecedent in person.
Faulty
Usage
One
enters this world with no responsibilities. Then comes
school, then work, then marriage and family. No wonder,
you l ook longingly to retirement.
In
this sentence, the subject has changed from one
(third person) to you (second person). To correct
the sentence either replace one with you
or vice versa:
You
enter this world with no responsibilities. Then comes
school, then work, then marriage and family. No wonder,
you look longingly to retirement.
One
enters this world with no responsibilities. Then comes
school, then work, then marriage and family. No wonder,
one looks longingly to retirement.
Example:
In
the following sentence, part or all of the sentence is
underlined. The answer-choices offer five ways of phrasing
the underlined part. If you think the sentence as written
is better than the alternatives, choose A, which merely
repeats the underlined part; otherwise choose one of the
alternatives.
Had
the President's Administration not lost the vote on the
budget reduction package, his first year in office would
have been rated an A.
(A)
Had the President's Administration not lost the vote on
the budget reduction package, his first year in office
would have been rated an A.
(B) If the Administration had not lost the vote on the
budget reduction package, his first year in office would
have been rated an A.
(C) Had the President's Administration not lost the vote
on the budget reduction package, it would have been rated
an A.
(D) Had the President's Administration not lost the vote
on its budget reduction package, his first year in office
would have been rated an A.
(E) If the President had not lost the vote on the budget
reduction package, the Administration's first year in
office would have been rated an A.
Choice
(A) is incorrect because his appears to refer to
the President, but the subject of the subordinate
clause is the President's Administration, not the
President.
Choice
(B) changes the structure of the sentence, but retains
the same flawed reference.
In
choice (C), it can refer to either the President's
Administration or the budget reduction package.
Thus, the reference is ambiguous.
Choice
(D) adds another pronoun, its, but still retains
the same flawed reference.
Choice
(E) corrects the flawed reference by removing all pronouns.
The answer is (E).
SUBJECT-VERB
AGREEMENT
Within
a sentence there are certain requirements for the relationship
between the subject and the verb.
•
The subject and verb must agree both in number and person.
Example:
We have surpassed our sales goal of one million dollars.
Here,
the first person plural verb have agrees with its
first person plural subject we.
Note,
ironically, third person singular verbs often end
in s or es:
He
seems to be fair.
•
Intervening phrases and clauses have no effect on subject-verb
agreement.
Example:
Only one of the President's nominees was confirmed.
Here,
the singular verb was agrees with its singular
subject one. The intervening prepositional phrase
of the President's nominees has no effect on the
number or person of the verb.
•
When the subject and verb are reversed, they still must
agree in both number and person.
Example:
Attached are copies of the contract.
Here,
the plural verb are attached agrees with its plural
subject copies. The sentence could be rewritten
as
Copies
of the contract are attached.
Example:
The rise in negative attitudes toward foreigners indicate
that the country is becoming less tolerant, and therefore
that the opportunities are ripe for extremist groups
to exploit the illegal immigration problem.
(A)
indicate that the country is becoming less tolerant, and
therefore that
(B) indicates that the country is becoming less tolerant,
and therefore
(C) indicates that the country is becoming less tolerant,
and therefore that
(D) indicates that the country is being less tolerant,
and therefore (E) indicates that the country is becoming
less tolerant of and therefore that
Choice
(A) has two flaws. First, the subject of the sentence
the rise is singular, and therefore the verb indicate
should not be plural. Second, the comma indicates that
the sentence is made up of two independent clauses, but
the relative pronoun that immediately following
therefore forms a subordinate clause.
Choice
(C) corrects the number of the verb, but retains the subordinating
relative pronoun that.
Choice
(D) corrects the number of the verb and eliminates the
subordinating relative pronoun that. However, the
verb being is less descriptive than the verb becoming:
As negative attitudes toward foreigners increase, the
country becomes correspondingly less tolerant. Being
does not capture this notion of change.
Choice
(E) corrects the verb's number, and by dropping the comma
makes the subordination allowable. However, it introduces
the preposition of which does not have an object:
less tolerant of what?
Choice
(B) both corrects the verb's number and removes the subordinating
relative pronoun that. The answer is (B).
MISPLACED
MODIFIERS
•
As a general rule, a modifier should be placed as close
as possible to what it modifies.
Example:
Following are some useful tips for protecting your person
and property from the FBI.
As
written, the sentence implies that the FBI is a threat
to your person and property. To correct the sentence put
the modifier from the FBI next to the word it modifies,
tips:
Following
are some useful tips from the FBI for protecting your
person and property.
•
When a phrase begins a sentence, make sure that it modifies
the subject of the sentence.
Example:
Coming around the corner, a few moments passed before
I could recognize my old home.
As
worded, the sentence implies that the moments were coming
around the corner. The sentence can be corrected as follows:
As
I came around the corner, a few moments passed before
I could recognize my old home.
or
Coming
around the corner, I paused a few moments before I could
recognize my old home.
Example:
By focusing on poverty, the other causes of crime--such
as the breakup of the nuclear family, changing morals,
the loss of community, etc.--have been overlooked by sociologists.
(A)
the other causes of crime--such as the breakup of the
nuclear family, changing morals, the loss of community,
etc.--have been overlooked by sociologists.
(B) the other causes of crime have been overlooked by
sociologists--such as the breakup of the nuclear family,
changing morals, the loss of community, etc.
(C) there are other causes of crime that have been overlooked
by sociologists--such as the breakup of the nuclear family,
changing morals, the loss of community, etc.
(D) crimes--such as the breakup of the nuclear family,
changing morals, the loss of community, etc.--have been
overlooked by sociologists.
(E) sociologists have overlooked the other causes of crime--such
as the breakup of the nuclear family, changing morals,
the loss of community, etc.
Choice
(A) is incorrect since it implies that the other causes
of crime are doing the focusing.
Choice
(B) has the same flaw.
Choice
(C) is incorrect. The phrase by focusing on poverty
must modify the subject of the sentence, but there
cannot be the subject since the construction there
are is used to introduce a subject.
Choice
(D) implies that crimes are focusing on poverty.
Choice
(E) puts the subject of the sentence sociologists
immediately next to its modifying phrase by focusing
on poverty. The answer is (E).
FAULTY
PARALLELISM
•
For a sentence to be parallel, similar elements must be
expressed in similar form.
•
When two adjectives modify the same noun, they should
have similar forms.
Example:
The topology course was both rigorous and a
challenge.
Since
both rigorous and a challenge are modifying
course, they should have the same form:
The
topology course was both rigorous and challenging.
•
When a series of clauses is listed, the verbs in each
clause must have the same form.
Example:
During his trip to Europe, the President will discuss
ways to stimulate trade, offer economic aid, and
trying to forge a new coalition with moderate forces
in Russia.
In
this example, the first two verbs, discuss and
offer, are active. But the third verb in the series,
trying, is passive. The form of the verb should
be active:
During
his trip to Europe, the President will discuss
ways to stimulate trade, offer economic aid, and
try to forge a new coalition with moderate forces
in Russia.
•
When the first half of a sentence has a certain structure,
the second half should preserve that structure.
Example:
To acknowledge that one is an alcoholic is taking
the first and hardest step to recovery.
The
first half of the above sentence has an infinitive structure,
to acknowledge, so the second half must have a
similar structure:
To
acknowledge that one is an alcoholic is to take
the first and hardest step to recovery.
Example:
This century began with war brewing in Europe, the
industrial revolution well-established, and a nascent
communication age.
(A)
war brewing in Europe, the industrial revolution well-established,
and a nascent communication age.
(B) war brewing in Europe, the industrial revolution surging,
and a nascent communication age.
(C) war in Europe, the industrial revolution well-established,
and a nascent communication age.
(D) war brewing in Europe, the industrial revolution well-established,
and the communication age beginning.
(E) war brewing in Europe, the industrial revolution well-established,
and saw the birth of the communication age.
Choice
(A) is incorrect. Although the first two phrases, war
brewing in Europe and the industrial revolution
well-established, have different structures, the thoughts
are parallel. However, the third phrase, and a nascent
communication age, is not parallel to the first two.
Choice
(B) does not make the third phrase parallel to the first
two.
Choice
(C) changes the meaning of the sentence: the new formulation
states that war already existed in Europe while the original
sentence states that war was only developing.
Choice
(E) is not parallel since the first two phrases in the
series are noun phrases, but saw the birth of the communication
age is a verb phrase. When a word introduces a series,
each element of the series must agree with the introductory
word. You can test the correctness of a phrase in a series
by dropping the other phrases and checking whether the
remaining phrase agrees with the introductory word. In
this series, each phrase must be the object of the preposition
with:
This
century began with war brewing in Europe
This
century began with the industrial revolution
well-established
This
century began with saw the birth of the communication
age
In
this form, it is clear the verb saw cannot be the
object of the preposition with.
Choice
(D) offers three phrases in parallel form. The answer
is (D).
FAULTY
VERB TENSE
A
verb has four principal parts:
1.
Present Tense
a.
Used to express present tense.
He
studies hard.
b.
Used to express general truths.
During
a recession, people are cautious about taking on more
debt.
c.
Used with will or shall to express future
time.
He
will take the GMAT next year.
2.
Past Tense
a.
Used to express past tense.
He
took the GMAT last year.
3.
Past Participle
a.
Used to form the present perfect tense, which indicates
that an action was started in the past and its effects
are continuing in the present. It is formed using have
or has and the past participle of the verb.
He
has prepared thoroughly for the GMAT.
b.
Used to form the past perfect tense, which indicates
that an action was completed before another past action.
It is formed using had and the past participle
of the verb.
He
had prepared thoroughly before taking the GMAT.
c.
Used to form the future perfect tense, which indicates
that an action will be completed before another future
action. It is formed using will have or shall
have and the past participle of the verb.
He
will have prepared thoroughly before taking the GMAT.
4.
Present Participle (-ing form of the verb)
a.
Used to form the present progressive tense, which
indicates that an action is ongoing. It is formed using
is, am, or are and the present participle
of the verb.
He
is preparing thoroughly for the GMAT.
b.
Used to form the past progressive tense, which
indicates that an action was in progress in the past.
It is formed using was or were and the present
participle of the verb.
He
was preparing for the GMAT.
c.
Used to form the future progressive tense, which
indicates that an action will be in progress in the future.
It is formed using will be or shall be and
the present participle of the verb.
He
will be preparing thoroughly for the GMAT.
PASSIVE
VOICE
The
passive voice removes the subject from the sentence. It
is formed with the verb to be and the past participle
of the main verb.
Passive:
The bill was resubmitted.
Active:
The Senator has resubmitted the bill.
Unless
you want to de-emphasize the doer of an action, you should
favor the active voice.
Example:
In the past few years and to this day, many teachers of
math and science had chosen to return to the private
sector.
(A)
had chosen to return to the private sector.
(B) having chosen to return to the private sector.
(C) chose to return to the private sector.
(D) have chosen to return to the private sector.
(E) have chosen returning to the private sector.
Choice
(A) is incorrect because it uses the past perfect had
chosen, which describes an event that has been completed
before another event. But the sentence implies that teachers
have and are continuing to return to the private sector.
Hence, the present perfect tense should be used.
Choice
(B) is incorrect because it uses the present progressive
tense having chosen, which describes an
ongoing event. Although this is the case, it does not
capture the fact that the event began in the past.
Choice
(C) is incorrect because it uses the simple past chose,
which describes a past event. But again, the sentence
implies that the teachers are continuing to opt for the
private sector.
Choice
(D) is the correct answer because it uses the present
perfect have chosen to describe an event
that occurred in the past and is continuing into the present.
Choice
(E) is incorrect because it leaves the thought in the
sentence uncompleted.
IDIOM
& USAGE
Accept/Except:
Accept
means "to agree to" or "to receive." Except means
"to object to" or "to leave out."
We
will accept (receive) your manuscript for review.
No
parking is allowed, except (leave out) on holidays.
Account
for:
When
explaining something, the correct idiom is account
for:
We
had to account for all the missing money.
When
receiving blame or credit, the correct idiom is account
to:
You
will have to account to the state for your crimes.
Adapted
to/for/from
Adapted
to means "naturally suited for." Adapted for
means "created to be suited for." Adapted from
means "changed to be suited for."
The
polar bear is adapted to the subzero temperatures.
For
any "New Order" to be successful, it must be adapted
for the continually changing world power structure.
Lucas'
latest release is adapted from the 1950
B-movie "Attack of the Amazons."
Affect/Effect:
Effect
is a noun meaning "a result."
Increased
fighting will be the effect of the failed peace
conference.
Affect
is a verb meaning "to influence."
The
rain affected their plans for a picnic.
All
ready vs. Already
All
ready means "everything is ready."
Already
means "earlier."
Alot
vs. A lot
Alot
is nonstandard; a lot is the correct form.
Among/Between:
Between
should be used when referring to two things, and among
should be used when referring to more than two things.
The
young lady must choose between two suitors.
The
fault is spread evenly among the three defendants.
Being
that vs. Since:
Being
that is nonstandard and should be replaced by since.
(Faulty)
Being that darkness was fast approaching, we had
to abandon the search.
(Better)
Since darkness was fast approaching, we had to
abandon the search.
Beside/Besides:
Adding
an s to beside completely changes its meaning:
Beside means "next to." Besides means "in
addition."
We
sat beside (next to) the host.
Besides
(in addition), money was not even an issue in the contract
negotiations.
Center
on vs. Center around
Center
around is colloquial. It should not be used in formal
writing.
(Faulty)
The dispute centers around the effects of undocumented
workers.
(Correct)
The dispute centers on the effects of undocumented
workers.
Conform
to (not with):
Stewart's
writing does not conform to standard literary conventions.
Consensus
of opinion
Consensus
of opinion is redundant: consensus means "general
agreement."
Correspond
to/with:
Correspond
to means "in agreement with":
The
penalty does not correspond to the severity of
the crime.
Correspond
with means "to exchange letters":
He
corresponded with many of the top European leaders
of his time.
Different
from/Different than:
The
preferred form is different from. Only in rare
cases is different than acceptable.
The
new Cadillacs are very different from the imported
luxury cars.
Double
negatives:
(Faulty)
Scarcely nothing was learned during the seminar.
(Better)
Scarcely anything was learned during the seminar.
Doubt
that vs. Doubt whether
Doubt
whether is nonstandard.
(Faulty)
I doubt whether his new business will succeed.
(Correct)
I doubt that his new business will succeed.
Farther/Further:
Use
farther when referring to distance, and use further
when referring to degree.
They
went no further (degree) than necking.
He
threw the discs farther (distance) than the top
seated competitor.
Fewer/Less:
Use
fewer when referring to a number of items. Use
less when referring to a continuous quantity.
In
the past, we had fewer options.
The
impact was less than what was expected.
Identical
with (not to):
This
bid is identical with the one submitted by you.
In
contrast to (not of):
In
contrast to the conservative attitudes of her time,
Mae West was quite provocative.
Independent
of (not from):
The
judiciary is independent of the other branches
of government.
Not
only . . . but also:
In
this construction, but cannot be replaced with
and.
(Faulty)
Peterson is not only the top salesman in the department
and also the most proficient.
(Correct)
Peterson is not only the top salesman in the department
but also the most proficient.
On
account of vs. Because:
Because
is always better than the circumlocution on account
of.
(Poor)
On account of his poor behavior, he was expelled.
(Better)
Because he behaved poorly, he was expelled.
One
another/Each other:
Each
other should be used when referring to two things,
and one another should be used when referring to
more than two things.
The
members of the basketball team (more than two) congratulated
one another on their victory.
The
business partners (two) congratulated each other
on their successful first year.
Plus
vs. And:
Do
not use plus as a conjunction meaning and.
(Faulty)
His contributions to this community are considerable,
plus his character is beyond reproach.
(Correct)
His contributions to this community are considerable,
and his character is beyond reproach.
Note:
Plus can be used to mean and so long as
it is not being used as a conjunction.
(Acceptable)
His generous financial contribution plus his donated
time has made this project a success.
In
this sentence, plus is being used as a preposition.
Note, the verb has is singular because an intervening
prepositional phrase (plus his donated time) does
not affect subject verb agreement.
Regard
vs. Regards:
Unless
you are giving best wishes to someone, you should use
regard.
(Faulty)
In regards to your letter, we would be interested
in distributing your product.
(Correct)
In regard to your letter, we would be interested
in distributing your product.
Regardless
vs. Irregardless
Regardless
means "not withstanding." Hence, the "ir" in irregardless
is redundant. Regardless is the correct form.
Retroactive
to (not from):
The
correct idiom is retroactive to:
The
tax increase is retroactive to February.
Speak
to/with:
To
speak to someone is to tell them something:
We
spoke to Jennings about the alleged embezzlement.
To
speak with someone is to discuss something with
them:
Steve
spoke with his friend Dave for hours yesterday.
The
reason is because:
This
structure is redundant. Equally common and doubly redundant
is the structure the reason why is because.
(Poor)
The reason why I could not attend the party is
because I had to work.
(Better)
I could not attend the party because I had to work.
Whether
vs. As to whether
The
circumlocution as to whether should be replaced
by whether.
(Poor)
The United Nations has not decided as to whether to
authorize a trade embargo.
(Better)
The United Nations has not decided whether to authorize
a trade embargo.
Whether
vs. If
Whether
introduces a choice; if introduces a condition.
A common mistake is to use if to present a choice.
(Faulty)
He inquired if we had decided to keep the gift.
(Correct)
He inquired whether we had decided to keep the
gift.
Example:
The studio's retrospective art exhibit refers back
to a simpler time in American history.
(A)
The studio's retrospective art exhibit refers back to
(B) The studio's retrospective art exhibit harkens back
to
(C) The studio's retrospective art exhibit refers to
(D) The studio's retrospective art exhibit refers from
(E) The studio's retrospective art exhibit looks back
to
Choice
(A) is incorrect. Retrospective means looking back
on the past. Hence, in the phrase refers back,
the word back is redundant.
Choice
(B) is incorrect because harkens back is also redundant.
Choice
(C) is correct. Dropping the word back eliminates
the redundancy.
Choice
(D) is incorrect because the preposition from is
non-idiomatic.
Choice
(E) is incorrect because looks back is also redundant.
Note:
One could argue that the phrase American history
also makes the sentence redundant. However, it is not
underlined in the sentence. It is not at all uncommon
to find questionable structures in parts of the sentence
that are not underlined. In fact, you may even find questionable
structures in the underlined part of the sentence that
are not corrected by any of the answer choices because
the writers are testing a different mistake. Concern yourself
with correcting only the underlined part of the sentence.
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