What to expect on the gmat 8 pps

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement Just as subjects both nouns and pronouns must agree with their verbs, pronouns must also agree with their antecedents—the words they replace.. Singular indef

Sam bought a suit to wear to his new job, which will begin on Monday.

Emily married Sonny, who has been in love with her since first grade.

Antoinette, who is a computer programmer, would be a good match for Daniel.

Rule #10: Use who for people, that for things, and which for nonessential clauses that do not refer to

people

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Just as subjects (both nouns and pronouns) must agree with their verbs, pronouns must also agree with their antecedents—the words they replace For example, consider the following sentence:

Children will often believe everything their parents tell them.

The word children is the antecedent and is replaced by their and them in the sentence Because children

is plural, the pronouns must also be plural

Indefinite pronouns can also be antecedents Singular indefinite pronouns require singular pronouns:

Everyone has his or her own reasons for coming.

Neither of the physicists could explain what she saw.

Plural indefinite pronouns, on the other hand, require plural pronouns, just like they require plural verbs:

Both of them have finished their work.

Only a few are still in their original cases.

Contraction Confusion

It is easy to make a mistake with pronouns and contractions because apostrophes are used to show

posses-sion of nouns (Ralph’s car) With pronouns, however, possesposses-sion does not require an apostrophe If you get con-fused, think of a possessive pronoun that doesn’t get confused with contractions, such as my or our These

do not have apostrophes; other possessive pronouns should not either

Here is one way to remember to use that when referring to things: both words begin with the letters th.

One of the most common mistakes people make when speaking and writing is an error of pronoun-antecedent agreement You may often say sentences such as the following:

Everyone will receive their scores within two weeks.

Most people make this mistake because it’s easier (shorter and faster) to say their—but it’s not correct When

the antecedent is singular, the pronouns must be singular, too:

Everyone will receive his or her scores within two weeks.

The students will receive their scores within two weeks.

Finally, those pronouns that can be either singular or plural, depending upon the noun or pronoun to which they refer, should take the pronoun that matches their referent If the antecedent is singular, the pro-noun and verb must also be singular If the antecedent is plural, they must be plural:

All of the chocolate is gone It was delicious!

All of the cookies are gone They were delicious!

None of the information is accurate; it’s all out of date.

None of the facts are accurate; they are all out of date.

Rule #11: Make sure pronouns agree in number and person with their antecedents.

Pronoun Consistency

Just as you need to be consistent in verb tense, you should also be consistent in your pronoun point of view

A passage that begins in the third-person plural should continue to use that third-person plural point of view

Incorrect: We have tested our hypothesis and the team believes it is correct.

Correct: We have tested our hypothesis and we believe it is correct.

Incorrect: If you prepare carefully, one can expect to pass the exam.

Correct: If you prepare carefully, you can expect to pass the exam.

If one prepares carefully, one can expect to pass the exam.

Rule #12: Be consistent in pronoun point of view.

Adjectives and Adverbs

Adjectives and adverbs help give our sentences color; they describe things and actions Adjectives describe

nouns and pronouns and tell us which one, what kind, and how many:

the other class steep expense multiple options

Adverbs, on the other hand, describe verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs They tell us where, when, how,

and to what extent:

flying south arrive early sings beautifully very talented

wait here meet tomorrow fight courageously severely compromised

Remember to keep modifiers as close as possible to what they modify

F EWER /L ESS , N UMBER /A MOUNT

As a rule, use the adjective fewer to modify plural nouns or things that can be counted Use less for singular nouns that represent a quantity or a degree Most nouns to which an -s can be added require the adjective fewer.

Use less salt this time Use fewer eggs this time.

I had less reason to go this time I had fewer reasons to go this time.

Rule #13: Use less (meaning a smaller amount) for singular nouns representing quantity or degree Use

fewer (meaning a smaller number) for plural nouns and countable items.

G OOD /B AD , W ELL /B ADLY

These pairs of words—good/well, bad/badly—are often confused The key to proper usage is to understand their function in the sentence Good and bad are adjectives; they should only be used to modify nouns and pronouns Well and badly are adverbs; they should be used to modify verbs:

I was surprised by how good Sebastian’s cake was.

Jennelle hasn’t been feeling well lately.

Her experience is good, but she didn’t do well in the interview.

Rule #14: Use good and bad to describe nouns and pronouns; use well and badly to describe verbs.

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C OMPARISONS

An important function of adjectives and adverbs is comparisons When you are comparing two things, use

the comparative form (-er) of the modifier If you are comparing more than two things, use the superlative form (-est) of the modifier.

To create the comparative form, either

■ add -er to the modifier.

■ place the word more or less before the modifier.

In general, add -er to short modifiers (one or two syllables) Use more or less with modifiers of more than

two syllables

cheaper less expensive

smarter more intelligent

To create the superlative form, either

■ add -est to the modifier.

■ place the word most or least before the modifier.

Again, as a general rule, add -est to short modifiers (one or two syllables) Use more, most, less, or least

with modifiers that are more than two syllables:

Wanda is more experienced than I, but I am the most familiar with the software.

Ahmed is clearly the smartest student in the class.

Rule #15: In comparisons, add -er or -est to short modifiers For longer words, use more/most or less/least

before the modifier

D OUBLE C OMPARISONS AND D OUBLE N EGATIVES

Be sure to avoid double comparisons Don’t use both -er/-est and more/less or most/least together.

Incorrect: She has the most longest hair I have ever seen.

Correct: She has the longest hair I have ever seen.

Incorrect: Minsun is more happier now.

Correct: Minsun is happier now.

Rule #16: Do not use double comparisons.

Likewise, be sure to avoid double negatives When a negative word such as no or not is added to a

state-ment that is already negative, it results in a double negative and potential confusion Hardly and barely are

also negative words Remember, one negative is all you need:

Incorrect: He doesn’t have no idea what she’s talking about.

Correct: He doesn’t have any idea what she’s talking about.

He has no idea what she’s talking about.

Incorrect: I can’t hardly wait to see you.

Correct: I can hardly wait to see you.

I can’t wait to see you.

Rule #17: Do not use double negatives.

Idioms

Every language has its share of idioms: those odd expressions that have a special meaning not consistent with

the literal meanings of the words For example, to say you are all ears certainly does not mean that you are

composed entirely of ears; rather, it means that you are listening attentively

Fluency in idiomatic expressions reflects a comfort with and command of the English language, and that

is why some sentence correction questions will test your knowledge of idioms For example, you might find

a sentence correction question such as the following:

I have been so busy because I have had to pick through a slack since Winston quit

a had to pick through a slack

b had to pick the slack

c had to pick up the slack

d slacked through the pick

e been unable to see through the slack

The correct answer is c, which correctly uses the idiom pick up the slack, meaning to do someone else’s

work, or fill in All of the other versions use incorrect forms of the idiom.

P REPOSITIONAL I DIOMS

Prepositional idioms are the specific word/preposition combinations that English speakers use, such as take care of and according to Unless English is your second language, most of these idioms should be part of your

everyday vocabulary, but a quick review of the list below may be helpful

according to afraid of anxious about apologize to (someone)

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Many websites offer extensive lists of English language idioms Try one of these sites for a helpful idiom review:

• Wayne Magnuson English Idioms: home.t-online.de/home/toni.goeller/idiom_wm/index.html

• The Idiom Connection: www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/6720

blame (someone) composed of concentrate on concerned with

for (something) conscious of consist of depend on/upon

congratulate on frown on/upon full of glance at (something)/glance equal to grateful for in accordance with through (something—e.g., from time to time (something) insist on/upon a book)

grateful to (someone) inferior to knowledge of incapable of

in conflict interested in opposite of in the habit of

Rule #18: Use idioms correctly.

 S t y l e

Style refers to the manner in which something is said or done In writing, style is largely controlled by two

elements: sentence structure and word choice Together, these two elements determine the tone, the level of

formality, and the level of detail, creating the overall feel of the text—smooth or choppy, formal or informal,

juvenile or sophisticated, friendly or sinister These two elements also exert a great deal of control over the readability and clarity of the text A sentence that is grammatically correct but that has problems with its style can still be difficult (even impossible) to understand

To keep sentences clear and effective, writers should follow these guidelines for effective style:

1 Be concise.

2 Be precise.

3 Avoid ambiguity.