Verb form 5 pps

comparison the discovery of similarities between two or more items or ideascomplex sentence a sentence with at least one dependent and one independent clause compound sentence a sentence

comparison the discovery of similarities between two or more items or ideas

complex sentence a sentence with at least one dependent and one independent clause

compound sentence a sentence with at least two independent clauses

conclusion in critical reasoning, the main claim of an argument (the assertion it aims to prove)

conjunctive adverb a word or phrase that often works with a semicolon to connect two independent clauses

and show the relationship to one another (e.g., however, therefore, likewise)

contraction a word that uses an apostrophe to show that a letter or letters have been omitted (e.g., can’t)

contrast the discovery of differences between two or more items or ideas

coordinating conjunction one of seven words—and, but, for, nor, or, so, and yet—that serve to connect two

independent clauses

dependent clause a clause that has a subordinating conjunction and expresses an incomplete thought

diction word choice

direct object the person or thing that receives the action of the sentence

effect an event or change created by an action

fragment an incomplete sentence (it may or may not have a subject and predicate)

gerund the noun form of a verb, which is created by adding -ing to the verb base

helping verb (auxiliary verb) verbs that help indicate exactly when an action will take place, is taking place, did take place, should take place, might take place, and so on

independent clause a clause that expresses a complete thought and can stand on its own

indirect object the person or thing that receives the direct object

infinitive the base form of a verb plus the word to (e.g., to go)

intransitive verb a verb that does not take an object (the subject performs the action on his-/her-/itself)

logical reasonable, based upon reasoning and good common sense, not emotional

logical fallacy a flaw or error in reasoning

main idea the controlling idea of a passage

mechanics the rules governing punctuation, capitalization, and spelling

modifier a word or phrase that describes or qualifies a person, place, thing, or action

non sequitur a logical fallacy in which the connection between a premise and conclusion is unstated; jump-ing to conclusions

order of importance when ideas are arranged by rank, from most to least important or least to most important

paragraph one or more sentences about one main idea, set off by indenting the first line

participial phrase the adjective form of a verb, which is created by adding -ing to the verb base

passive voice when the subject of the sentence is being acted upon (passively receives the action)

past participle the verb form expressing what happened in the past, formed by a past-tense helping verb plus the simple past-tense form of the verb

phrase a group of words that do not contain both a subject and a predicate (e.g., in the box, will be going)

post hoc, ergo propter hoc a logical fallacy that assumes X caused Y just because X preceded Y

predicate the part of the sentence that tells us what the subject is or does

premise a claim given in support of a conclusion in an argument

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present participle the verb form expressing what is happening now, which is formed by a present-tense

helping verb and -ing form of the main verb

proper noun a noun that identifies a specific person, place, or thing (e.g., Elm Street)

qualifier a word or phrase that limits the scope of a claim (e.g., never, always)

red herring a logical fallacy in which the arguer brings in an irrelevant issue to divert the argument

redundancy the unnecessary repetition of words or ideas (e.g., Lana’s mentally out of her mind!)

run-on a sentence that has two or more independent clauses without the proper punctuation or

connect-ing words (e.g., subordinatconnect-ing conjunction) between them

slippery slope a logical fallacy that presents an if/then situation as an absolute

straw man a logical fallacy in which the opponent’s position is distorted, oversimplified, exaggerated, or otherwise misrepresented

style the manner in which something is done; in writing, the combination of a writer’s sentence structure and word choice

subject the person, place, or thing that performs the action of the sentence

subjunctive the verb form that indicates something that is wished for or contrary to fact

subordinating conjunction a word or phrase that introduces an adverb clause, making the clause

depend-ent and showing its relationship to another (usually independdepend-ent) clause (e.g., because, since, while)

superlative the adjective form showing the greatest degree in quality or quantity, which is formed by adding

-est (e.g., happiest), most (e.g., most boring), or least

thesis the main idea or theme of a passage

tone the mood or attitude conveyed by words or speech

topic sentence a sentence that expresses the main idea of a paragraph

transition a word or phrase used to move from one idea to the next and show the relationship between

those ideas (e.g., however, next, in contrast)

transitive verb a verb that takes an object (someone or something receives the action of the verb)

wordiness the use of several words when a few words can more clearly and concisely express the same idea

(e.g., the pen that belongs to Jill)

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P A R T

The GMAT Analytical Writing

Assessment

In the following chapters, you will learn all about the GMAT® Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) section: the kinds of topics you will be asked to write about, how you will be expected to write about those topics, and how your essays will be scored You will also review strategies for effective analytical writing and learn spe-cific tips and strategies that can be used on the exam

Before you begin the AWA review, take the following pretest Use this practice test to help you determine how much preparation you need for this section of the exam

 P r e t e s t

The following AWA pretest contains two essay prompts, one of each kind of prompt you will see on the actual exam This pretest is designed to give you a sense of what to expect and help you assess your strengths and weaknesses for this portion of the exam When you are finished, compare your results to the scoring guide and sample essays in the answer key Use the results to plan your study time effectively and determine the areas where you need the most careful review and practice

C H A P T E R

Analytical Writing

Assessment Pretest

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