Sentence Correction Traps

CAT Exam
Here are three simple mistakes that can fool even the best-trained ear. The CAT loves testing these rules on tough Sentence Correction problems, since the test writers know that we misuse them constantly in speech and in writing. Learn these rules by heart, and prevent avoidable mistakes when you take the CAT. ‘Which’ modifiers modify nouns, not ideas. Wrong: Laura kept kicking my chair during class, which is why I moved to a seat in the back row. When a modifier starts with a word like which, who, whose, where, and when, it’s always a noun modifier! It can only ever modify a specific noun (or noun phrase) that’s in the sentence verbatim. It also has to be completely obvious which noun is being modified. In the sentence above, the which phrase describes a consequence of ‘the fact that Laura kept kicking my chair’. ‘The fact that…’ isn’t a noun in the sentence; it’s the idea expressed by the entire first clause. That’s a common way to use which in casual speech and writing, but it’s technically wrong. Here’s a sentence that uses which correctly: Right: Laura spent the whole class kicking my chair, which finally collapsed to the floor. Which finally collapsed to the floor modifies one specific noun, chair. Since it’s clearly the chair that collapsed to the floor, this sentence uses which correctly. ‘Like’ means ‘similar to’, not ‘for example’. Wrong: Tovia eats a lot of healthy food, like kale and spinach. I’d feel comfortable saying or writing this, but on the CAT, it’s unacceptable. A good rule of thumb is that like means similar to, while such as means for example. Since kale and spinach aren’t similar to healthy food — they’re actually examples of healthy food — only such as is correct. Right: Tovia eats a lot of healthy food, such as kale and spinach. Right: Tovia’s spinach casserole was foul-tasting and chewy, like a piece of rubber. In the second sentence, like is correct because Tovia’s casserole wasn’t actually a piece of rubber. Unfortunately, it was similar to one. ‘Either/or’ needs good parallelism. Wrong: For an afternoon snack, Manoj either eats an avocado, or a whole head of broccoli. Whenever you see either and or in a Sentence Correction problem, check out the two things that are being compared. Mentally highlight everything that comes after either, and everything that comes after or: For an afternoon snack, Manoj either eats an avocado, or a whole head of broccoli. This sentence sounds good to my ear, but it’s technically wrong. It’s actually comparing the verb phrase ‘eats an avocado’ with the noun phrase ‘a whole head of broccoli’. Correct sentences always compare nouns to nouns, and verbs to verbs. Fix this sentence by moving the word either. Right: For an afternoon snack, Manoj eats either an avocado, or a whole head of broccoli. Here’s another correct sentence, this time comparing a verb phrase to a verb phrase: Right: After eating his snack, Manoj either goes back to work, or plays a round of foosball. In casual speech, we aren’t very careful about where we put the word either in either/or sentences! To avoid this error on the CAT, look for splits that move the word either around in the sentence. Some of the answer choices will probably have bad parallelism. These three grammar rules often fool test-takers who are otherwise great at Sentence Correction. The more you use your ear, the easier it is to pick a bad answer choice just because it sounds fine to you Also, consider keeping a list of other rules that have fooled your ear in the past. The more aware you are of the specific rules that trick you when you practice, the less likely it is that you’ll make the same mistakes on test day.

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