Brief Overview based on Paterson's Guide To GMAT

1. GMAT – VERBAL
SECTION
Mirela C. C. Ramacciotti
July 2013
Source: Peterson‟s Gmat Success

2. Sentence
 Fred said.
 Fred said hello.
 Which one is a sentence? Why?

3. A sentence ALWAYS expresses
a complete thought

4. Sentence
 May be an
independent clause
 Group of words with
a subject and
predicate (verb)
 Can be independent
(stands alone) or
dependent (does not
make sense by
itself)
Group of words = complete
thought Clause

5. Clauses
 I know how to clean
silver, I never
learned how to
clean copper.
 The author won the
Pulitzer prize on
account his book
was timely and
artistic.
independent dependent

6. Sentence Correction
 „A subordinate
clause must be
joined to the rest of
the sentence with a
subordinate
conjunction.‟
 The author won the
Pulitzer prize on
account his book
was timely and
artistic.
Illogical Subordination Sample

7. Sentence Correction
 „If we combine 2
sentences with different
subjects into 1
sentence with an
independent clause and
an adverb phrase, we
create an incorrect
sentence becuase the
phrase “dangles”,
having nothing in the
sentece to modify.‟
 To make sure his
research was
accurate, all
secondary sources
were checked twice.
Dangling Modifiers Sample

8. Sentence Correction
 „Elements within a
sentence of equal
importance should
have parallel
structure or similar
form.‟
 Sue anticipates
hearing from her
friends and to have
the opportunity to
see them again at
her home.
Faulty Parallelism Sample

9. Sentence Correction
 „When two events
take place
simultaneously, their
tenses should
match.‟
 When I saw Joanne
at the class reunion,
I realized that I
forgot how much I‟d
loved her.
Arbitrary Tense Shifts Sample

10. Sentence Correction
 „Parts of sentences
that are incorrectly
written with capitals
and punctuation of a
sentence.‟
 „Remember that
sentences must have
at least a subject and
a verb.‟
 The enrollment for
Theather 101 is
down this semester.
All suggesting that
the course is either
too hard or that the
instructor is
incompetent.
Sentence Fragments Sample

11. Sentence Correction
 „These are
sentences that are
linked incorrectly.‟
 Many reasons have
been suggested for
the decline in
literacy, the main
reason is the way
students are taught
history.
Run-on sentences Sample

12. Sentence Correction
 „Some nouns are
singular (everyone,
someone, sombody,
each, anyone, and
one). They must
always take a
singular pronoun.
 The libertarian
maintains that
everyone is an
individual in their
own right.
Noun-pronoun Agreement Sample

13. Sentence Correction
 „Verbs must agree in
number and person
with their subjects.
Singular verbs take
singular subjects;
plural verbs match
plural subjects.
 The group insists
that they have a
right to police the
airwaves.
Subject-verb Agreement Sample

14. Sentence Correction
 „Only like things
should be
compared.‟
 Your temper is as
bad as Bob.
Illogical Comparisons Sample

15. Sentence Correction
 Avoid Ambiguous Pronoun
Reference
 Avoid Clichés
 Avoid Redundancy
 Avoid Wordiness
 Avoid Vague words or
phrases
 Be articulate = use the
appropriate word or phrase
 Burt is a nice man. I don‟t know
why they insulted him.
 The math exam was as easy as
pie.
 Harry is a man who loves to
gamble.
 I am crying due to the fact that my
wife left me.
 The reality of the situation
necessitated action.
 Realizing how difficult it is to adopt
to the new ways, I chose among
two alternatives.
Idiomatic Usage Samples

16. Remember
 „Sentence Correction is a test of correctness
and effectiveness of expression. In choosing
answers, follow the requirements of standard
written English; that is, pay attention to:
1. Grammar;
2. Choice of words and
3. Sentence construction.‟