In the first post of our What to Memorize for the GMAT Verbal\u201d series, we covered the business and logic vocabulary you should know for the test.<\/p>\n
Next up: grammar rules.<\/strong><\/p>\n Like the SAT and other standardized tests, the GMAT includes a \"sentence correction\" section. Unlike the SAT, the sentences are more complex and the errors not as easily recognizable. However, there are certain concepts that the GMAT loves to target. Here are a list of five rules to memorize that will help you master even the trickiest grammar situations.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n On the GMAT, it is important to recognize that the \u2013ing form of a word, without a helper verb like \u201cis,\u201d \u201cwas,\u201d or \u201cam,\u201d does not act as a verb. Without one of these helper verbs, the \u2013ing form of a word, called a verbal, acts as a noun or as a modifier. If a subject corresponds to a verbal and not a verb, the sentence is a fragment.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cJohnny making a sandwich\u201d is not correct, because \u201cmaking\u201d is a verbal, not a verb.<\/p>\n By adding a helper verb or changing the verbal into a verb, you can correct the sentence:<\/p>\n \u201cJohnny is making a sandwich\u201d and \u201cJohnny makes a sandwich\u201d are correct.<\/p>\n GMAT Sentence:<\/strong> \u201cHer disguise as a magician\u2019s assistant obscuring her true occupation, which was that of a detective, investigating a murder\u201d (incorrect).<\/p>\n Should be: <\/strong>\u201cHer disguise as a magician\u2019s assistant obscured her true occupation, which was that of a detective investigating a murder.\u201d<\/p>\n In grammatically correct sentences, a verb is in the same clause as its subject. A sentence that does not contain the subject and its verb in the same clause is called a fragment. The words \u201cthat,\u201d \u201cwhich,\u201d \u201cwho,\u201d \u201cwhose,\u201d and \u201cwhom\u201d begin new clauses, and a verb in one of these clauses cannot correspond to a subject.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cThe building, which was built last year and was a total waste of taxpayer money\u201d is a fragment because all verbs are in a clause beginning with \u201cwhich.\u201d<\/p>\n To fix the fragment, you need to put at least one verb outside of the adjective clause:<\/p>\n \u201cThe building, which was built last year, was a total waste of taxpayer money.\u201d<\/p>\n The next time you recognize a fragment, take a second to understand precisely why it is not a full sentence.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n GMAT Sentence:<\/strong> \u201cThe administration\u2019s proposal, which was discussed last year and determined unfeasible and will be up for review at the third meeting this semester\u201d (incorrect).<\/p>\n Should be: <\/strong>\u201cThe administration\u2019s proposal, which was discussed last year and determined unfeasible, will be up for review at the third meeting this semester.\u201d<\/p>\n Conjunctions like \u201cbecause,\u201d \u201calthough,\u201d and \u201csince\u201d can begin a sentence or connect clauses, but neither the main subject nor the main verb can be in a clause beginning with one of these words. Clauses beginning with these words are called dependent clauses, because they cannot stand on their own. These clauses depend<\/em> on another clause. For example:<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Monique, the girl next door, prefers French cheeses, tolerates cheddar\u201d is a fragment because the subject \u201cMonique\u201d is in a dependent clause. To fix the fragment, make sure that there is a subject and verb pair outside of one of these clauses.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough Monique, the girl next door, prefers French cheeses, she tolerates cheddar\u201d is a complete sentence because \u201cshe tolerates\u201d is a subject-verb pair outside of the dependent clause.<\/p>\n GMAT Sentence:<\/strong> \u201cDepending on what we consider to be the purpose of the amendment, which was instituted in last year\u2019s cycle\" (incorrect).<\/p>\n Should be:<\/strong> \"Depending on what we consider to be the purpose of the amendment, which was instituted in last year's cycle, ______. (Example: \"Depending on what we consider to be the purpose of the amendment, which was instituted in last year's cycle, the committee may decide it is ineffective and decide to veto it.\")<\/p>\n Any clause that can stand on its own as a complete sentence is called an independent clause. In order for a sentence to contain two independent clauses, the clauses must be separated by a semi-colon (;) or by a comma paired with a conjunction. Otherwise, the sentence is called a run-on and is considered incorrect on the SAT.<\/p>\n For example: \u201cThe girls completed many chores they each received an allowance for their hard work\u201d is a run-on sentence, because \u201cThe girls completed many chores\u201d and \u201cthey each received an allowance for their hard work\u201d are both independent clauses.<\/p>\n There are three ways to fix a run-on:<\/p>\n (1) by separating the clauses with a semi-colon, as in: \u201cThe girls completed many chores; they each received an allowance for their hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n (2) by separating the clauses with the correct FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So) conjunction, as in: \u201cThe girls completed many chores, and they each received an allowance for their hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n (3) by making one of the clauses dependent with a conjunction like \u201calthough,\u201d \u201cbecause,\u201d \u201cwhen,\u201d or \u201csince,\u201d as in: \u201cBecause the girls completed many chores, they each received an allowance for their hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n GMAT Sentence:<\/strong> \u201cOssification is the synthesis of bone from cartilage, this synthesis may occur through intramembranous ossification, endochondral ossification, or a fusion of both processes\" (incorrect).<\/p>\n Should be: <\/strong>\u201cOssification is the synthesis of bone from cartilage; this synthesis may occur through intramembranous ossification, endochondral ossification, or a fusion of both processes.\u201d<\/p>\n Many sentences on the SAT begin with a descriptive phrase called a \u201cmodifier.\u201d This phrase does not contain a subject-verb pair and is set off from the rest of the sentence by a comma.<\/p>\n Often, but not always, this phrase begins with a participle, the \u2013ing form of a verb or the \u2013ed form of a verb. The modifying phrase at the beginning of a sentence must logically describe the first noun that comes after the comma; otherwise, the sentence is said to contain a \u201cmisplaced modifier.\u201d<\/p>\n For example: \u201cVisiting the restaurant for the first time in three years, the prime rib did not satisfy Jennifer as much as it used to\u201d contains a misplaced modifier, because the prime rib did not visit the restaurant for the first time in three years.<\/p>\n The misplaced modifier can be corrected by placing the logical noun after the comma, as in:<\/p>\n \u201cVisiting the restaurant for the first time in three years, Jennifer was not as satisfied by the prime rib as she used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n GMAT Sentence:<\/strong> \u201cAs they develop into osteocytes, the matrix or the calcified part of the bone holds these osteoblasts\u201d (incorrect).<\/p>\n Should be:<\/strong> \u201cAs they develop into osteocyctes, these osteoblasts are located in the matrix or the calcified part of the bone.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the first post of our What to Memorize for the GMAT Verbal\u201d series, we covered the business and logic vocabulary you should know for the test. Next up: grammar…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":104,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,243,719,735],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat","category-blog","category-sentence-correction-gmat","category-verbal-gmat-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/104"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7519"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16516,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7519\/revisions\/16516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Rule 1. Verbals are not verbs.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Rule 2. Fragments occur when the subject does not correspond to a verb.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Rule 3. Dependent clauses cannot stand on their own.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Rule 4. Run-on sentences occur when clauses are not connected correctly.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Rule 5. A describing phrase at the beginning of the sentence must describe the noun after the comma.<\/strong><\/h3>\n