by Erica L. Meltzer | Feb 26, 2013 | Blog, SAT Grammar (Old Test)
Ah yes… Option (E), aka “No error,” aka the bane of most people’s existence on Error-Identification.
First, an overview:
One of the most important things to understand about “No error” questions is that, for the most part, they are actually testing the exact same rules that questions that do contain errors are testing — it’s just that the constructions happen to be used correctly. That means if a verb is underlined but agrees with its subject and is used in the proper tense, there’s already a decent chance that the answer is (E).
Likewise, if “it(s)” or “they/their” is underlined and agrees in number with its antecedent, there’s also a pretty good chance that the answer is (E). If a collective noun (country, city, jury, team, agency) is involved and checks out agreement-wise, there’s an even better chance that the answer is (E) — at least on everything up to about #27; on the last few questions, all bets tend to be off.
Beyond that, however, there are a couple of other “clues” that tend to signal that the answer is (E). I do mention them in The Ultimate Guide to SAT® Grammar, but what I didn’t realize when I wrote the book was that not only are those particular constructions correct, but their presence also suggests that the entire sentence in which they appear is correct.
I happened to mention these “rules” when I was tutoring tonight and (horror of horrors!) realized that I had never posted them online. Now, I couldn’t possibly give one of my own students that little advantage without offering it to everyone else as well, so here goes, along with my standard disclaimer that these are *general* patterns and that, as always, the College Board is free to break its own “rules” as it so pleases.
1) Long since
As I wrote about in a post long since archived in my Study Guides section, this is a favorite “trick phrase” that ETS likes to employ. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, but it sounds vaguely odd, as if there could or should be something wrong with it, and so a lot of people tend to think it’s an actual error.
2) Preposition + which
Again, this is another construction that lots of people tend to think sounds somewhat “off.”
For example: Because apricots and spinach are two of the most common foods in which large doses of iron are found, they are often recommended to patients who suffer from vitamin deficiencies.
Even though the above sentence might strike you as a bit awkward, there is nothing wrong with it. If you encounter the bolded construction or a similar one (by which, for which, from which, etc.) on the SAT, not only is it virtually guaranteed to be correct, but the entire sentence is also probably correct as well.
3) “That” used as part of a subject
This is another constructions that a lot of peopl find strange, but it’s actually just a reduced form of “the fact that,” and it’s fine.
It always takes a singular verb.
For example: That union members and labor leaders must come together and find an effective solution for ending the strike is beyond dispute.
(For the record, this construction was used in a question that contained an actual error elsewhere in the sentence on the January (?) 2012 test, but it was also the last question of the section. If it shows up earlier, the sentence is likely to be ok.)
There is, of course, no guarantee that you’ll these constructions, but if you do happen to spot one of them, you’ll at least know not to make yourself crazy looking for an error in the rest of the sentence — especially if there’s nothing too obviously wrong.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Apr 3, 2012 | SAT Grammar (Old Test)
Comma + Because = Wrong
Any answer on the SAT that includes a comma before the word “because” is incorrect. Incidentally, the College Board has been known to ignore this rule in other situations, but it’s always true for Fixing Sentences — the only place it’s directly tested.
In case you’re interested, here’s the rule:
The word “because” is what’s known as a subordinating conjunction, which means any clause that begins with it cannot function as a stand-alone sentence; instead that clause must be joined to an independent clause (a complete, stand-alone sentence).
The need for a comma in a sentence that contains both a dependent and an independent clause is determined by the order of the clauses.
When the independent clause comes first, no comma is usually required. (There are exceptions, but they are not tested.)
Independent clause first: Because it contains buildings from so many different periods, London is a very interesting city to explore. When the dependent clause comes first, a comma is required.
Dependent clause first: London is a very interesting city to explore because it contains buildings from many different periods.
BUT NOT:
Incorrect: London is a very interesting city to explore, because it contains buildings from so many different periods.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 27, 2012 | SAT Grammar (Old Test)
Here are some examples of how to work through Error-Identification questions.
Example #1:
In 1965, Betty Friedan’s publication of The Feminine
Mystique has marked a turning point that resulted in
improved labor rights and working conditions for
women. No error
Strategy:
The big “clue” in this question is the date 1965, which tells us that this is probably a tense question. So that means we’re going to start by checking the tenses of any underlined verbs, which in this case means choice (B), “has marked.”
Now, any finished event or action in the past (e.g. the publication of The Feminine Mystique, which occurred once) must be referred to by a verb in the simple past: “marked,” not “has marked.”
So the answer is (B). Notice that working from the clue made it unnecessary to even check any of the other answers.
Example #2
The findings of an astronomy team overseen by
researchers at Stanford University has confirmed many
of Einstein’s strangest predictions about the nature
of gravity. No error
Strategy:
Since there’s no obvious clue in this sentence, we’re going to start by looking for the option most likely to be incorrect. In this case it’s choice (B). it could either be a subject-verb agreement question (because you can say either “has confirmed” or “have confirmed”) OR a tense question.
Since there’s no date or time period, however, we know right away that tense probably isn’t the issue. So we’re going to check the subject. It’s “findings,” which is plural; “has” is singular, so right there you have your answer.
This is a classic subject — prepositional phrase — verb question. It’s tricky, and so it would probably show up close to the end of a section.
Example #3
The snakehead fish, a rapidly reproducing predator, has so
voracious an appetite that it can wipe out entire schools of
fish and destroy entire ecosystems when placed outside
its native habitat. No error
Strategy: Again, here, there’s no obvious error, so we’re going to check in order of what’s most likely to be wrong.
The first thing we notice is the word “its.” That’s usually a very dangerous word in this section, so we’re going to start with it. In this case, it refers to “the snakehead fish,” which is also singular, so “it” actually checks out.
When a word that is commonly wrong turns out to be right, that’s a hint the answer might be “No error.” But we have to check out everything else just to be sure.
We’re going to check choice (D) next because it’s a verb in the present tense and is therefore also a top error candidate.
Choice (D): there’s nothing to suggest that “destroy” is in the wrong tense; it’s also parallel to “wipe out” (it can wipe out…it can destroy), which means there’s no problem.
Now we move to the other options.
Choice (A): “rapidly” is adverb, so we stick in the adjective: “a rapid reproducing predator.” No — an adverb is necessary to modify “reproducing,” which functions as an adjective.
Choice (B): “so” might sound a little funny, but it’s half of a word pair, and here is correctly paired with “that.” It’s fine.
Which means that we’ve demonstrated the answer must be (E).
by Erica L. Meltzer | Mar 26, 2012 | SAT Grammar (Old Test)
Every time I hear someone advise SAT-takers to “just try to hear the error” on Error-ID questions, I get the overwhelming urge to smack them. This kind of thinking overlooks one exceedingly important fact: many Error-ID sentences are precisely constructed so that you won’t hear the error!
Sure, you can use your ear on a lot of the essay questions and on some of the medium ones, but on the hard ones… you’ll get trampled on. If you want a score above the 500s, you have to actually know what you’re looking for (unless, of course, you’re a 99th percentile outlier, in which case you probably don’t have to be reading this).
If you don’t immediately pick up on an error, you must work from the underlined words and phrases themselves. Particular types of underlined words often suggest particular types of errors, and if everything does indeed check out, you can pick option E with something resembling confidence.
While I’m not going to go through the entire list of everything that could possibly be wrong with Error-ID questions (you can find that list here, along with examples), I am going to cover only the most frequently occurring errors. So here goes. In order of what you should check:
1) Underlined Verbs
An underlined verb can have two possible errors: subject-verb agreement and tense.
If a verb is in the present tense, start by checking the subject. Make sure you cross out any potential distractions such as non-essential clauses and prepositional phrases, and make sure you identify the entire subject. If you don’t take the time to do this, you risk missing the fact that you’re dealing with a compound subject (two singular nouns joined by and).
If the agreement is ok, see if the tense works. Although there could theoretically be a lot of different errors involving tense, there really aren’t most of the time. The main thing to remember is that verb tenses and forms should remain consistent (or parallel) throughout a sentence unless there’s good reason for them to change.
The inclusion of a date or time period often indicates a tense question, so if you see one, check tenses first. Remember: any finished event that occurred in the past (e.g. the Civil War) must be talked about in the simple past (“it happened,” not “it has happened”).
Gerunds and infinitives (e.g. “to go” and “going”) get switched, and “would” and “will” get switched, so if one of those is underlined, plug in the other one and see if it works better.
2) Pronouns
Next to verb errors, pronoun errors are most likely to occur. If a pronoun is underlined, check to make sure that it “matches” the noun it refers to.
Singular pronouns (like “it” or “its”) must refer to singular nouns, and plural pronouns (“they” or “their”) must go with plural nouns.
If the word “it” appears, check it first because it’s most likely wrong.
“One” goes with “one”
“You” goes with “you”
Any singular person goes with “he or she,” never “they”
Keep in mind that about 1/3 of all grammar questions deal with either verbs or pronouns, so if there’s no problem with either of these things, there’s already a decent chance the answer will be E.
If a collective noun (jury, team, agency, city, school, country, etc.) appear, chances are that’s what the question is testing: collective nouns are singular, so check both subject-verb and pronoun agreement.
3) Lists
All of the items in a list must be the same: noun, noun noun; verb, verb, verb, etc. If a sentence includes a list, there’s a good chance there’s an error in it.
3) Adjective and Adverbs
Adjectives and adverbs are switched only with one another. If an adjective is underlined, stick in the adverb (e.g. if “calm” is underlined, stick in “calmly”). Adverbs themselves are almost never wrong.
4) Faulty Comparison
Compare people to people and things to things (e.g. The novels of Jane Austen are more widely read than those of Charlotte Bronte, NOT: The novels of Jane Austen are more widely read thanCharlotte Bronte)
Always be on the lookout for expressions such as “more less/less than” that indicate things that are being compared, especially toward the ends of sections.
Also look out for a mention of artists and authors. They tend to be included in faulty comparisons.
5) Word Pairs
“Either…or,” “Neither…nor,” “As…as” and “Not only…but also” are the most common words pairs on Error-IDs. They tend to only be included when there’s something wrong with them, at least on easy-medium questions.
6) Prepositions and Idioms
This is the one place you do have to trust your ear. If a preposition sounds wrong to you (e.g. “She is familiar in the paintings of Marc Chagall), it probably is.
7) More vs. Most
If the word “more” is underlined, see how many things are being compared. If it’s two, you’re fine; if it’s more than two, you need “most.” (e.g. “Between the dog and the cat, the dog is more outgoing but the cat is more independent” BUT “the cat is the most independent of all domestic animals.”)
8) Noun Agreement
Plural subject = plural noun
Look for the phrase “as a + profession” (writer, director, entomologist…)
Steven Spielberg and James Cameron are recognized as the directors (not: the director) most responsible for producing hit action movies.
So no, this isn’t everything that could possibly show up, but if you don’t see one of these errors, don’t twist yourself into knots looking for something that probably isn’t there.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 24, 2011 | SAT Grammar (Old Test)
I’m aware that there’s a debate raging on College Confidential over the following question from the October SAT, and I’d like to weigh in:
Although New Zealand (had fostered) music for decades, it was not until the 1980s (when) musicians began (to reach) an international audience. (No Error)
First, the sentence should correctly read as follows:
Although New Zealand had fostered music for decades, it was not until the 1980s THAT musicians began to reach an international audience.
Before I start in on why “when” is wrong, I’d like to go through the other options being debated:
1) had fostered
In this case, the past perfect is correct because it describes an event in the past (fostering music) that clearly occurred before a second event (musicians began to reach an international audience). Now, the present perfect (has fostered) could also work, implying that New Zealand is *still* fostering music, but there’s nothing in the sentence that demands it rather than the past perfect. Remember: if two options are both grammatically acceptable, neither can be considered wrong. Style and personal preference don’t count.
2) to reach
To reach = infinitive. Infinitives get flipped with gerunds. “Began reaching” is also fine, but it isn’t inherently better than “to reach” (if anything, it’s a bit more awkward). Same issue: two acceptable options, both fine.
(Btw, I have no idea what the last option was — I’m going by the version of the question that was sent to me and that I found on CC.)
Ok, here goes for why “when” is wrong. It’s actually a question of standard usage more than anything else. The fixed construction is “it was not until x that y occurred” (the other variation of the phrase would be the inverted verb structure “not until x did y occur”).
What ETS has done to confuse everyone, however, is to insert a decoy relative pronoun, “when,” which looks and sounds as if it could be correct because it’s placed immediately after a date (1980s) — and everyone knows that “when” is supposed to refer to dates.
The problem is, however, is that the fixed construction “It was not until x that y occurred” trumps everything. It’s like a word pair (e.g. “not only…but also”): you just can’t separate the two parts (at least not in SAT land). That’s what’s actually being tested, even if it looks like something else.
(Side note: ETS often uses “when” to create incorrect logical relationships. It frequently replaces a stronger, clearer conjunction such as “however” or “because.”)
Now, to add a further level of complication, there is a situation in which “when” could be legitimately placed after the date, namely if a non-essential clause were to be inserted. For example:
Although New Zealand had fostered music for decades, it was not until the 1980s, when new forms of media technology became widespread, that musicians began to reach an international audience.
But note that this version still includes “that!”
To be fair, it’s a very hard question, as well as an unpredictable one by SAT standards, but there’s absolutely nothing unfair or subjective about it. Standard English usage requires “that,” not when, be used with “it was not until.” If someone were to write that sentence in a paper and use “when” rather than “that,” it would still be wrong. As a matter of fact, it’s the kind of error that college professors see in students’ writing all the time. And that’s exactly why it was on the test.
by Erica L. Meltzer | Oct 19, 2011 | SAT Grammar (Old Test)
I’m normally very cautious about not correcting people’s grammar in daily speech, for fear of coming off as an inveterate snob. As a matter of fact, it makes me very self-conscious when people not preparing for the SAT or the ACT make jibes about how they’d better watch their grammar around me. Unless explicitly asked to comment, I keep my mouth shut. That said, the one thing that truly makes me grimace when I hear it in public conversation is a statement along the lines of the following:
“Well, if we only would have known the store was going to close at 6, we would have come sooner.”
I confess, I practically have to physically restrain myself from commenting; it’s like nails screeching on a blackboard. I know that the construction is (unfortunately) common, but it’s still flat-out wrong.
Here’s the short version of the rule: a clause beginning with if should contain have, not would have. However, a different clause in the same sentence may contain would have.
The reason is that both would and if both signal the conditional — that is, they refer to events that could have happened but that did not actually happen. To include both of these terms in the same clause is therefore redundant.
Incorrect: If we would have known the store was going to closer, we would have come sooner.
The sentence can also be correctly written this way:
Correct: If we had known the store was going to closer, we would have come sooner.
Correct: Had we known the store was going to closer, we would have come sooner.
So If I would have, If you would have, If they would have…. All wrong. The correct phrases are, If I had, If you had, If she had, etc.
So the next time you start to say, “If I would have only known…” you might want to think twice.
