During my struggle with GMAT SC, I realized that I was ignorant of many of the GMAT's grammar rules! I started scanning english articles of some reputable magazines and newspapers out there, and to my shock, I realized that they almost consistently violate GMAT's english rules! here are some examples.
NY timesQuote:
It’s a gift for moviegoers to have this much freedom, and exhilarating.
A concrete noun is made parallel to an action noun.
Quote:
All movies demand interpretation, but Mr. Carax doesn’t seem interested in your solving his puzzle, which allows you to solve it as you like. About all that’s clear is that Mr. Oscar works for an entity, perhaps God, which also makes this a movie about filmmaking and the ecstasy of creation.
bolded which modifies a whole phrase; a major sin from GMAT's point of view. "your solving" might also be considered awkward.
Quote:
That world is full of laughter, horror, rapture and eddies and swells of despair. It’s an episodic work of great visual invention — from scene to scene, you never see what’s coming — that reminds you just how drearily conventional many movies are.
that after the dash is not followed by a noun and vaguely refers the whole clause before it.
Quote:
At a rally on Friday morning in Fairfax, Va., Mr. Obama found a way to encapsulate his campaign’s attack on Mr. Romney’s attempts to moderate some of his more conservative positions.
Possessive poison rule, his refers to a noun, Mr. Romney, although the noun is mentioned only in a possessive form.
Foreign policyQuote:
Alarmists about Afghanistan's future paint two likely scenarios: civil war, or the forceful return of the Taliban. Neither of these scenarios ring true.
Neither is a singular indefinite pronoun, ring is a plural verb!
Quote:
But the Gallup polling firm apparently believes it's tracked down 80 politically uncommitted Long Islanders to compose the audience at tonight's town hall-style presidential debate, which will touch on a mix of foreign and domestic policy issues. All this raises the question: What's the foreign policy of undecided voters?
"this" is not followed by a noun, and vaguely refers to a whole sentence.
Quote:
Morsy's dangerous embrace of Iran is leading a surprising shift in favor support for Tehran, which has for decades been seen by Egyptians as their top threat, as well as for their work on nuclear weapons.
their, a plural pronoun, is supposed to refer to Tehran, a singular.
Quote:
McDonald's franchises and makeup counters, online education and the superrich who got us into this mess in the first place, might not seem like obvious beneficiaries of the crash, but at a time when the future still seems dangerously uncertain, these are the closest things out there to sure bets.
These is not followed by a noun. (this one is too common!)
Quote:
McDonald's understands the wellsprings of its success, which is why it has seen its stock rise more than 500 percent in the past decade.
which refers to whole clause.
There are countless examples, giving me some relief that I am not alone in my utter ignorance; however, such mistakes are too common to be just careless mistakes by such professional editors. I'd like to ask the experts of this forum if there is any advanced, comprehensive reference for english grammar that I can use as a tie breaker here, as I'd like to go more in depth into this subject.
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