IDENTIFYING-SENTENICE-ERROR QUESTIONS 157

a high score on the SAT II, d on’t depend exclusively D elivery (singular subject) of today’s new spapers
on what the chart shows. U s? it as a guide but not as and m agazines have been (plural verb) delayed.
the ultimate secret for success on the exam . To be sit­ The prepositional phrase o f today ’s new spapers
ting pretty on test day, study and m aster this part, ^nd * and m agazines m e'relationship between subject
devote quality tim e to the problem s m ost likely to and verb. The plural noun m agazines m isleads the . |
appear on the exam . Study also the m aterial pertain- f i ' Waiter into using a plural verb.: W ith singular S ubject
ing to questions you m issed on the D iagnostic T est in and verb properly matched, the sentence reads:
Part II of-this boo k and on Practice T ests A -E in Part
V. If you com plete the exercises and tests without D elivery of today’s new spapers and m agazines
making errors, pat yourself on the back, toss this has been delayed. •
book aw ay and take a w alk. O r b etter yet, help a Or with matched plural subject and verb:
friend who is still sw eating over the in la n d outs o f
Deliveries of today’s new spapers and m aga­
English usage.
zines have been delayed. . i l
A sim ilar problem occurs when the verb pre­
Level 5 sentence errors cedes the subject. | }. .
Sentences containing these kinds o f errors have Here com es (singular verb) my brother a nd sister
shown up consistently in the past; often three or y (plural subject). '
more tim es on the same test.
W hen subject and verb are matched: . .
Agreement o f subject and verb, below '
Verb forms, page 162 Here com e (plural verb) my brother and sister
Verb tense, page 164 (plural subject). ' •*
Use of com parisons, page 168 • A third problem in agreem ent occurs w h e n th e
Diction (w ord choice), page 172 w riter is not sure w hether the subject noun is singular
or plural.
N either (singular subject) of the children h ave (plu­
ral verb) enough money for lunch.
N either (singular subject) of the children has (sin­
gular verb) enough money for lunch. "
Ag r e e m e n t of S u b ie c t and V erb
In order to locate errors in subject-verb agree­
m ent on the SA T II, it helps to becom e fam iliar w ith
The subject o f a sentence and its verb m ust m ake a the language constructions m ost apt to'cause prob­
match, like a nu t an d a bolt. A m ism atch in n u m b e r
lems: t v •' A 'i S n l H f l l
occurs when a w riter tries to use a singular subject
with a plural verb, o r vice versa. T hat’s w hy the
books w as and th e b ook w ere are nonstandard us­ 1. Intervening Words Between
ages. A m ism atch in p e rso n is less often a problem Subject and Verb
because it applies o n ly w hen the verb is a form o f to
a. y e rb s m ust agree w ith the subject noun or pro*;-
be. It occurs w h en th e subject is >a pronoun and the
noun, not with words m istakenly thought to be the sub-
writer uses a verb o f a different person, as in he are,
fecL ~
you is, they am .
Few nativ e E n g lish speakers have a problem (Her understanding of the arrangem ent^ is that
making a p ro p er m atch w h en the subject im m edi­ the bride will carry red roses.
ately p reced es,th e verb. B u t m any ag reem en t errors (T he^T oS /em s^reated by the budget defici^a re
occur w hen a clau se o r p h rase in terv en es betw een the incom prehensible b v th e av erag e citizen.
subject and verb , cau sin g th e w riter instinctively to (The 1996 Olympic Games ) regardless of the op­
match the verb w ith the closest noun o r pronoun. - v . position, are scheduled to be in Atlanta.
 158 SAT II: WRITING/MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS , -J| |

* '•
.

(The decision}wh'\ch has been under discussion Neither Meredith nor you are expected to|jJ
all day,/s expected soon. the job.
b.V erf.sm usta^w iththesubjectandareno.in- Erther he or /a m pfenning*, wo* fete
fluenced by intervening phrases beginning with in ad- y‘
dition to, along with, as w ell as, o t other similar (%) f. When the (subject is singidajarid
phrases. (fiourHs^pIu^ or vice versa, the number of they?
One of his paintings, in addition to several photo- determined by the subject,
graphs, is on display in the library. The bulk of Wilkinson’s work is two novels ami
. Her parents, as well as Helen, make the collection of travelogues,
decision. Two novels and a travelogue are the bulkof
Wilkinson’s work.

2. Subjects C om posed o f M ore Than 3 . Subject W ords That M ay B e |

O ne Noun or Pronoun Singular or Plural
a. Nouns, both singular and plural, when joined by Collective nouns sound singular but may be plunl
are calledfcompound subject^ and(jee<fplurat) depending on how they are used. ft family] for ex&
pie, is singular. But if you are thinking of all dt
The picture and text go inside this box. separate individuals, fam ily takes a plural verb. ?!
(th e graphi^)and(fHe^hotos^are surrounded by The family (members) are arriving for the wed­
a thick double line. ding at different times.
tgiyeral locust tree§)and(a oreethmailbox stand
outside the house. Other collective nouns include [grou^jcnm
jtear%, (juryjjo ^fea^
b. Compound subjects thought of as a unit need
singular verbs. Other words and expressions governed by the samel
Green eggs and ham is Reggie’s favorite break­ rule are units of time, money, weight, measurement]
fast. ' and all fractions.
Their pride and joy, Samantha, was bom on The jury is going to decide today.
Christmas Day. The jury are returning to their homes tomorrow.
The majority favors a formal senior prom.
The majority have their tickets for the boatride.I
^ A Coke or a Pepsijg what I thirst for.
v"* Neither m y history teacher nor m y economics 4. Subject W ords That A re Singular but j
teacher plans to discuss the*crisis. Sound Plural
d. When a subject consists of afsingular noun\and a, ‘ The names of books, countries, organizations* certain
(plural nouri) joined by or or noh the number of the verb diseases, course titles, and other singular nouns may
is determined bvrtfienoun closer to t&gyerfp sound like plurals, because they end in s, but they
^ Either a pineapple or som e oranges are on the usually require a singular verb.
table. Killings is a fascinating book by Calvin Trillin.
Neither the linemen nor the quarterback was The United States is the only country not to rat­
aware of the tricky play; ify the treaty.
e. When a subject contains a pronoun that differs The Daughters of the American Revolution is
in person from a noun or another pronoun, the verb sponsoring an essay contest.
must agree with the closer subject word. M easles is going around the school.
 IDENTIFYING-SENTENCE-ERPiOR Q U E S TIO N S 159

Com puter Sciences is th e fastest-growing under­ A n y of the guides a m able to an sw er your q u e s-

graduate major in th e university. tion. (Each guid&is considered to be(ah individuaJ^
N o ne of the sparkplugs is defective.
N o ne of the people am going to remain behind.
A ll of the spaghetti is gone.
5. Subjects Consisting o f Indefinite
A llo t the students a m writing their term p ap ers
G^DOUllS
.this weekend.
Subjects consisting o f indefinite pronouns like every-
ope, both and any pose a special problem . Some in­
6. When Subjects Follow Verbs
definite pronouns m ust be m atched w ith singular
verbs* some w ith plural verbs, and som e w ith one or ■When, the subject o f the sentence follows the verb,
the other, depending on the sense o f the sentence. the verb takes its number from the subject, as usual.
There's no getting around the fact that you'need to Behind the building w as an alley.
know which num ber applies to w hich pronoun, al­
Behind the building wem an a lle y a n d a vacant
though an ear attuned to the soupd o f English will be
to t ■ . ' ‘ '- •<*
a big help.
T here is only one can of p eas left.
16 ) a. These words, although they sound plural, get Here a m the book an d the per) I prom ised to
singular vefbs; each, either, neither, the •‘ones ’1(any- lertf you.
me, no one, everyone, som eone) and the “ bodies"
fanbody. everybody, nobody, som ebody). F in d in g th e S u b ject o f th e S entence
. M istakes in subject-verb agreement frequently occur
Each herb in the garden is different.
when the writer or speaker loses track o f the subject
Each m an and wom an in the ro o m g e ts only o f the sentence, but once the subject is nailed dow n,
one vote. everything else, including the verb, usually falls* into
Erther lake in th o se m ountains is good for place. Every sentence *has a stated subject except
swimming. those that give a com m and or make a request, in
Neither of th ese parks belongs to the hom eless which case the subject is understood to. be you.
people.
(You) G et over to the gym on the double!
Everyone who works hard is definitely going to
(You) P lease lend m e your English homework.
earn an “A."
b. These words get plural verbs: both, m any, few , The ‘ ‘bare bones ’* approach. - >
several
T o find the subject o f long sentences, reduce the sen­
In spite of rumors to the contrary, both am on tence to its “ bare bones.” That is, strip away every­
the verge of bankruptcy. thing but its subject (a noun or pronoun) and its verb.
jSevera/ in the band am not going of the trip to Easier said than done, true, but not form idable if you
Boston. . rem em ber that y o u 'll never find the subject in < 1) a
prepositional phrase, (2) a dependent clause, o r (3) a
c. These w ords get singular verbs in som e in­
phrase that interrupts the flow o f the sentence.
stances and plural verbs in others: arty, none, som e, all,'
wort. Notice that all these pronouns im ply a quantity or
1. L ook first for prepositional phrases, w h ich
in amount: (all die people, som e m en, m ost women). If
are com posed o f a preposition and the nam e o f so m e­
theamnmyt is deem ed/a unit^j consider the words to be
one o r som ething: u p the w all, o ver the counter, a n d
. jn m lir. bu t if the am ount consists oflindividual unitsi
around the tow n. C ross out all the p rep o sitio n al
jhiakof the words as pluraL .v -
phrases in these exam ples:

of the bracelets in th e collection is suitable.

. (The collection of bracelets is considered to be a In the middle of th e night, P en n y stu d ied .
Most of the s e n te n c e s a re in th e book.
 160 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

O ne of Franks friends is in need of help. Susan, an optimist from the day she was bom,
/ worried.
% O n c e y o u ’v e d o n e th at, y o u ’re left w ith o nly the
* Examples, if nothing else, help.
b a re bo n es— th e su b ject and verb o f each sentence:
Willie, who got a ticket fordoingfiO in a 3Q MPH
C o m p lete S en ten ce Bare Bones zone, paid the fine. (

In the m iddle o f die night. Penny studied. Penny studied

After you’ve crossed out the^words that interrupt'
M ost o f the sentences are in the book. Most are the main thought, only the bare bones remain: ■
O ne o f Frank’s friends is in need of help. One is
Complete Sentence Bare Bones

2. L o o k fo r d e p e n d e n t clau ses, those portions •o fSusan, an optim ist from the day she
a se n ten ce th at contain a noun and a verb but are n ot was bom , worried. Susan worried
Examples, if nothing else, help. Examples help
corrfplete sentences because they, often begin w ith
Willie, who got a ticket for doing 60
w o rd s an d ph rases such as a lth o u g h , as, a s though, b e­ in a 30 M PH zone, paid the fine. W illie paid the fine
ca u se, b efo re, even though, if, in sp ite of, reg a rd less of,
sin c e , so dust, unless, w hich, w henever, w hether, w h ile, If you hadn’t crossed out the interrupting words, I
and w h o se. * you might not have identified the subjeqfcahd verb.
C ro ss o u t th e d ep e n d e n t clau ses in th e se ex am ­ The bare bones o f a sentence are sometimes
p le s : (H in t. A co m m a freq u e n tly separates th e de- scured by any number o f assorted phrases and i
. p e n d e n t c lau se fro m th e m ain clause.) clauses. But i f you carefully peel aw ay those sen­
After Laurie finished the exam, she celebrated. tence parts that cannot contain the subject and verb,
you’re likely to find just what y o u ’re looking for. j
W hen you’ve done a tew sentences, it becomes
easy. Here is an example o f how to dissect a sentence: J

| ' Andy helps out whenever he has the time. Whenever you su cceed in making a subject and ;
a verb agree, not always an e a sy task for a
O n c e y o u ’v e e lim in a te d a ll d e p en d en t clau ses, writer, especially in a long and complicated sen­
y o u 'r e le ft w ith th e m ain c la u se , w h ich co n tain s the tence, the writing sounds literate.
b a re b o n es o f th e sentence:
' First, locate and underline ail the nouns and pro-
nouns.
C o m p le te S e n te n c e B are Bones
Whenever you su cceed in making a subject and j
A fter L aurie finished the exam , a verb agree, not always an e a sy task for a
she cheered. she cheered. writer, especially in a long and complicated s e m i
W hen-you’ve done a few sentences,
ten ce. the writing sounds literate. ,
it beepm es easy. it becomes easy
A n d y helps out w henever he
One o f the underlined words m ust be the subject, j
h a s m e time. Andy helps out
but w hich one? The first three underlined words, yM
I f you hadn’t crossed out the dependent,clauses, subject, and verb, are in a dependent clause starting
you jriay have searched for the subject and verb o f with whenever, so they are disqualified. The next !
the sentence in the wrong place. nouns, task and writer, are in a phrase that .interrupt**
the flow o f the sentence. R eject them . The next one-
3 . Look for interrupters, portions ofUhe sentence sentence, is in a prepositional phrase. Count it out
that impede the smooth flow o f the main idea. They too. Y o u ’re left with one noun, writing, which is the;
comeinjTiany forms, from one word (however, never­ subject o f the sentence. Since the only, verb that goes
theless) to dozens. Usually they are set o ff by commas. with tlie subject is so u n d s, y o u ’ve found the i
Cross out those portions o f each sentence that in­ bones o f the sentence, writing sounds literate. The j
terrupt the flow o f the main idea: subject agrees with the verb, as it should.
 IDENT1FYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 161

practice EXERCISE IN SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT u) E ither the D em ocrats o r th e R e p u b lic a n s is g o ­

In some of the following sentences the subject does ing to w in the election.
not agree with the verb. Using the “ bare bones” ap­
proach, locate the .subject and the verb in each sen­
tence, and write them correctly in the space provided. \ jj| F or further inform ation o n th e n e w tr a in s c h e d ­
Some sentences may be correct. . ule, contact the statio n m aster.

1. Tucker ’-s talent in chess and in w eight lifting,

one of our school's most popular sports, prove 12 Politics h ave alw ays b e e n o n e o f D a v e ’s pas-:
his mental and physical strength. sions.

2. The book that told stories o f thirteen young m en j3

C harles Darw in, alo n g w ith h is c o n te m p o r a ry
who died fighting forest fires w ere gripping to
A braham L incoln, are am o n g th e m o s t im p r e s ­
read.
sive figures in n in eteen th c e n tu ry h is to r y .

3. At the end of the season, the team , regardless o f

K ate G reen, on e o f th e h o tte st ja z z p ia n is ts in
whether they win the cham pionship, are split­
to w n an d know n fo r so m e th in g c a lle d ‘ ‘th r e e -
ting up.
dim ensional p lay in g ,” and h e r a c c o m p a n is t,
L enny, is planning a to u r o f thfe M id w e s t d u r in g
S eptem ber.
4. Either Don or you is going to lead the class dis­
cussion on Tuesday.

N ancy, along w ith h e r frie n d S lu g g o , a p p e a r t o

b e co m in g d o w n th e escalato r. .
S. Jane and Mark, who began their yard cleanup
business last spring, have.decided to hire tw o
new helpers.
B E T _____________,_____________________ i6 . T h e fa c t th at m o st citiz e n s se e m to t h i n k t h a t
C o n g ress is terrib le b u t th a t th e ir o w n r e p r e ­
6. There are many levels on w hich a reader can sen tativ es are g o o d m a k e th e o u tc o m e o f th e
identify and connect with this bo o k electio n s p red ictab le.

7. Admission proceeds from the concert is going 17 . H e re ’s th e tw o sta tu te s to w h ic h th e t h e d e f e n s e

» > , -I
toward rebuilding the gazebo, w h ich was la w y e r re ie rre d d u rin g th e h e a r in g .
burned down by vandals during the sum m er.

18. E ith e r D a n o r h is p a rtn e rs in th e g r o u p is g o in g

8. Tomorrow, a rescue team are expected to arrive
to sh o w u p at th e g ig o n S a tu rd a y n ig h t.
af the site of the crash.

^ Before they were laid o ff by the com pany, n ei­ 19. T h e p a v e d p arts o f T o d d R o a d , w h i c h r u n s f o u r
ther the assistant m anagers n o r M r. M cC allum m iles e a s t fro m h e re , is o n ly a b o u t t h r e e h u n ­
were told that their jo b s w ere in danger. d re d y a rd s lo n g .
 168 S A T II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

20. G erry ’s teacher, as well as the program coordi­ Present Present Participle
nato r en d die dean, are going to make the deci­ scream (is) scream ing
sion. shout m ) shouting
stam pede (is), stam peding

21. N o r o e in the drum corps, in spite o f how they

all feel about the issue, want to participate in 2. Past
the rally. I shouted, you scream ed, they stampeded:, Jack S
shouted, it shouted, and so cm.
The past is form ed by adding -d or -ed to the pre.
22. H appy memories o f the days on the river, not sent form o f re g u la r verbs. Many verbs are irregu- |
loyalty to the school, is what brought the crew lar, however. Their past is* form ed in other various
back for a reunion. ways: sleep -slep t, ride—rode, sw im -sw am , is-was,
are-w ere, go-w ent, catch-caught, and so on. Be- |
cause irregular verbs follow no consistent patten,
23. A shipm ent o f twenty terns o f rice and eight tons they m ust be mem orized. N ative speakers of English
o f beans were loaded onto the freighter. learn m ost irregular verb form s as they Ieanrto talk,
although some verbs like lie -la y (to recline) and lie-
laid (to place) rem ain a lifelong mystery for many 1
2 4. A b o u t a m illion and a h alf dollars has been people.
sp en t o n repairing the road to Chatham. '
3. Past Participle
25. T h e recession that w e are experiencing at pre­ I have shouted, you have shouted, they have shouted:,
sent, despite contrary indications, are going to Jack has shouted, it has shouted, and so on.
e n d b y next summer. The past participle form o f regular verbs presents |
no problem . Just add have o r has to the past form of
A n sw e rs'o n p a g e 254. the verb. (The sam e applies w hen had is added.)
W hen verbs are irregular, though,- past participle
form s follow no consistent pattern: choose-havi:
chosen, cam e-have com e, sw am -have sw um , rose-
-V erb Fo r m s have risen, and many others. J
F or your reference, here is a list o f the principal
parts o f the m any frequently used irregular verbSr jji
O f all the parts o f speech in the English language,
verbs are the most apt to be used incorrectly, a fact
that explains why sentences containing verb errors LIST CMP IRREGULAR VERBS
regularly appear on standard Englishgtsage tests. The Present Past Past participle j i
root o f many errors lies in verb forms. Most verbs (Add have, has, or hul)
have three principal forms: (1) present, (2) past and awake awoke awakened 1
(3) past participle. bear tjore borne
beat beat beaten
begin began begun
bid (to command) bade bidden
1. Present bite bit bitten
bieak broke broken
I shout, you scream, they stampede: Jack shouts, it tonight tonight
bring
screams , and so on. Using the present form of verbs burn burnt or burned burnt or burned
is easy, as is forming the present participle o f a burst b unt burst
verb, formed by adding -ing to the present form. catch caught caugirt
 IDENT! FYING-SENTENCE-ERROR Q U ESTIO N S 163

B e c a u se the past ten se o f bring is b rou gh t , th e

LIST O F IR R E G U L A R VER BS sentence contains a usage error.
pjcsent Past *v Past participle
(AddAive, has, or h a d ) D a ve lit the fire after the sun h a d nose.
*

/^ d io o s c chose chosen B e ca u se the past participle o f rise is risen f th e

cam e com e sentence contains a usage error.
COP**
dive dived o r dove dived
dream dreamt o r dreamed dream t o r dreamed
drink drank drunk PRACTICE EXERCISE IN VERB FORMS
drown drowned drowned W rite the correct verb form in each o f the fo llo w in g
dwell dwelt o r dwelled dwelt o r dwelled sentences. If in doubt, ch eck the L ist o f Irregular
fight fought fought Verbs above.
. flee fled fled
H I fling.- (Ju n jD (flung) 1. eat They haven’t * ou t jjj
^ fre e z e (froze!) (frozen) • months.
get got got o r gotten
hang (a thing) hung
2. caught The umpire said that R eg g ie had
hung
bang (a person) hanged hanged the ball before it
lay laid laid touched the ground.
lead led led 3 . sw im T h e y ____________ across the b ay in
lend lent lent less than an hour,
lie (to recline) lay lain 4. drink A ll the soda had been
lie (to tell an untruth) lied lied
put by the end o f the dance,
put put
ring rang rung 5. g o Charlotte had already ^
rise rose . risen home by the tim e Peter arrived,
set set set 6. lay After the burial, his w id o w
shine (intransitive) shone shone (to place) ____________a wreath on the gravesite.
shrink shrank o r shrunk shrunk o r shrunken
7. shine The sun all day.
shut • shut shut
sing sang sung 8. shrink W hen he put on the sw eatshirt,
sink sank sunk he noticed that it had /* W * * i£ - .
sit sat sat 9. sing The four o f them have already
slay slew slain /stjL iit7 tw o son gs.
speak spoke spoken In the story the king w as relieved w h e n .
10. slay
spit spit o r spat spit o r spat
T h eseu s___________ . the M inotaur.
. spring sprang sprung
sting stung 11. steal They concluded that the com puter had
stung
strive '{'strove o r strivedS (striven o r strived) been t d e over the w eek en d .
swear swore sworn 12. strive A ll summer the crew 4 vt,_
swim swam swum to finish the jo b in tim e.
swing swung swung The sound o f the sm ok e alarm
13. aw ake
tear tore torn
had ^tAj#/ce, the w h o le fam ily.
tread trod trod o r trodden
wake woke o r waked waked o r woken 14. wear B y Sunday the visitor had
wear wore worn t- out h is w e lco m e .
write • wrote written 15. break D aw n had ju st V r t e l ^ . and
the floor w as co ld under m y f e e t
Usage questions on the S A T n ignore regular 16. dive N o sooner had the subm arine
verbs, which are too e a sy for students on their w ay to c l i& it c than the destroyer
college. Rather, they tests you r k n o w led g e o f irregu­ appeared on the horizon.
lar verb form s, m ost o f w h ic h you probbbly know 17. creep Last night the cat burglars
without thinking. C■* QLbi cA u p the f i r e escap e.
18. flin g After flunking the test, h e _____________
The pilot was pleased w hen the flight attendant
his book out the w in d ow .
brang her a cup of coffee.
 »

164 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

19. sw ear Although th e y __________ _ to language offers a speaker or writer six diffCrent
secrecy, som eone leaked the tenses with w hich to indicate the relative dine that^
news to the press. action took place:
20. lead John W esley P o w e ll______ _ P resent: I eat spaghetti every day.
his expedition down the Green
P ast: She ate spaghetti every day.
River in 1869.
F uture : Phil w ill eat spaghetti every day.
A n s w e r s o n p a g e 2 54.
P resent P erfect: Monica has eaten spaghetti every
day.
Past P erfect: R o se h a d eaten spaghetti every day j
T h e S u b ju n c tiv e M o o d
F uture P erfect: They all will have eaten spaghetti
T echnically, the subjunctive is not a separate verb every day.
form, but because veFbs change when sentences are
A ll the tenses also have a p ro g r e s siv e form, ere-1
cast in the subjunctive mood, you should know the
ated by adding -in g , so that you can say things like:
uses o f the subjunctive.
T he subjunctive expresses a condition contrary They are swimming, (present progressive)
to fact and usually appears in clauses with if. a s if, or S h e was swim m ing, (past progressive)
a s th o u g h . In almost every instance, the verb w a s is The dog will be swim m ing . (future progressive)
changed to w e re.
I have been swimming, (present perfect)
If I were (not was) rich, I'd buy myself a sailboat. Charles had been swimming, (past perfect) J -
(The sentence is contrary to fact because I am not
They will have been swimming, (future perfect)
rich.)
Each o f the tenses permits you to indicate time
Hal ate the ice cream as though he were (not sequence very precisely. Som eone not attuned to the
w as) not on a diet. (This sentence is contrary to fact
different meaning that each tense conveys may say
because Hal is cm a diet)
something like this:
The subjunctive is also used to convey a sense o f When her little brother Johnny was bom, Sarah f
dou bt was toilet trained for six months.
If only the bus were (notvay) to arrive on time,
Perhaps the meaning o f the sentence is clear,
w e might see the launch. (This sentence implies
enough, blit i f precision is important, the sentence
that the bus may not arrive on tune.)
should read:
Finally, the subjunctive is used to make a recom­
When .fcer little brother Johnny was bom, Sarah
mendation, a request or a demand. had been toilet trained for six months. ; j
* T h e speaker moved that the motion be (not
The revised version, using the past perfect verb
sh o u ld be) tabled.
h a d b e e n , indicates that the action (Sarah’s toilet ,
T h e lawyer insisted that her client be (not should
training) had taken place prior to Johnny’s birth. The
be) released on bail.
original sentence actually says that Johnny’s birth
and Sarah’s toilet training took place at the same
time— a physical impossibility, since potty training
usually takes weeks or even months.
V erb T ense Notice also the difference in meaning between
these two sentences:
Verbs describe action (or the Lack o f it), and by their
There was a condo where the the park was.
tense, convey the relative time when an action oc­
There was a condo where the park had been.
curred. h a n g in g the tense o f verbs involves chang­
ing verb endings and adding words and phrases— Again, the meaning o f the first sentence may be
has, have, will, should have, will have—called clear* but it says that the condo and the park were in
helping or auxiliary verbs. Altogether, the English the same place at the same time. The revised version
 IDENTIFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 165

^orc accurately co n v ey s the m eaning: T he condo re­ B. ] S hift : In Night, Elie W eisel w rites
placed the park. (present) about the Holocaust and
These are s u b tle d if f e r e n c e s . P e r h a p s t h a t ’s th e d e s c r ib e d (past) his experience in
reason w hy s e n te n c e s c o n ta in in g v e r b te n s e e r ro r s the death camps.
a# ordinarily i n c lu d e d o n u s a g e te s ts lik e th e S A T II. C o n sisten t : In N ig h t, Elie Weisel w rite s
Such item s h e lp to s e p a r a te s tu d e n ts w h o u s e E n g lis h (present) about the Holocaust
precisely fro m th o s e w h o d o n ’t. *
and d e s c r ib e s (present) his
Notice th e d is tin c tio n s in m e a n in g in th e fo llo w ­ experience in the death cam ps.
ing pairs o f se n te n c e s:
C o n s is te n c y d o e s n ’t m e a n th a t e v e r y v e r b in a
1. a. B e n n y w a s in th e a rm y for tw o y e a r s . s e n te n c e m u s t b e in th e s a m e te n s e . F a r f ro m it. V e rb
(Benny is no longer in the arm y.) te n s e s m e re ly in d ic a te th e re la tiv e tim e w h e n e v e n ts
b. B e n n y h a s b e e n in th e a rm y for tw o y e a r s o c c u rre d .
y e a r s . (Benny is still in the arm y.)
C. S hift: S u s ie h a d g o n e (past perfect) to th e
2. a. D in n er h a d b e e n o n th e ta b le for tw o m o v ies a n d t h e n re a liz e (present)
h o u rs. (Dinner is n o longer on the table.) th a t s h e fo rg o t (past) h e r w allet a t
b. D in n er h a s b e e n o n th e ta b le for tw o hom e.
h o u rs. (Dinner is still on the table.)
C onsistent : S u s ie w e n t (past) to th e m o v ie s
3. a. A m o n u m e n t will b e e r e c te d a t th e site of " a n d th e n re a lize d (past) th a t s h e
th e b attle w h e n t h e g e n e r a l retu rn s. h a d fo rg o tte n (past p erfect) h e r
(After the general gets back the monum ent
w allet a t h o m e .
'y' | will be built.) ..
Or S u s ie h a d g o n e (past perfect)
b. A m o n u m e n t will h a v e b e e n e r e c te d a t to th e m o v ies a n d th e n re a lize d
th e site of th e b a th e w h e n th e g e n e ra l
(past) th a t s h e h a d fo rg o tte n
retu rn s. (A m onum ent will already have
(past perfect) h e r w allet a t h o m e .
been built by the tim e the general gets back.)
S e n te n c e C co n ta in s tw o d iffe re n t te n s e s b e c a u s e
4. a. S h e h a s h a d n o luck in finding h e r
d a u g h te r. (She is still trying to find her se p a ra te a c tio n s o c c u rre d a t d if fe r e n t tim e s . S u sie
daughter.) f o rg o t h e r w a lle t b efo re sh e le ft h o m e . S h e r e a liz e d
o n ly la te r th a t th e w a lle t w a s m is s in g . T h e c h a n g e s in
b. S h e h a d n o Suck in finding h e r d au g h ter.
(In the past her search was futile, but whether v e rb te n s e are p ro p e r b e c a u s e th e y in d ic a te w h ic h a c ­
she’s still looking is uncertain.) tio n o c c u rre d first, w hich se co n d , a n d so forth.
K n o w in g th e d iffe re n c e s in m e a n in g c o n v e y e d
5. a. J e n n y h a d d riv en a delivery truck on
w e e k e n d s. (Jenny used to drive a truck.)* b y e a c h te n s e w ill h e lp y o u fin d v e rb te n s e e rro rs o n
th e S A T II. S en ten ces en tire ly in th e s im p le p re se n t,
b. Je n n y h a s b e e n driving a delivery truck on
p a st, o r fu tu re ten se o ffe r n o d iffic u ltie s, b u t w h e n
w e e k e n d s. (Jenny still drives a truck.)
s e n te n c e s a lso co n ta in p e rfe c t fo rm s o f a v e rb , y o u ’ll
O n the S A T II y o u w o n ’t b e askecf to m a k e su c h n eed to w d teh for in co n sisten cies.
obvious d istin c tio n s in m e a n in g . R a th e r, y o u w ill b e 1. V erb s in the p re se n t te n se r e fe r to ac tio n s cu r­
asked to id en tify s e n te n c e s , e a c h c o n ta in in g m o re ren tly in p rogress; verbs in th e p re se n t p e rfe c t r e fe r to
than one v erb , in w h ic h th e te n s e o f th e v erb s is in ­ a ctio n s o ccu rrin g at no p a rtic u la r tim e in th e p ast, ac­
consistent. T h at is, th e v e rb te n se shifts im properly. tio n s w h ic h m ay o r m ay n o t still b e in p ro g ress.
A. S hift : B e c a u s e th e d a y w a s (past tense) A dam h a s b e e n (present perfect) c a p ta in of th e
windy, m a n y le a v e s fall w restling te a m fo rtw o y e a rs.
(present tense) to th e ground. Affirmative action h a s c a u s e d (present perfect)
C onsistent : B e c a u s e th e d a y w a s (past co n tro v ersy in college a d m iss io n s offices.
tense) w indy,-m any le a v e s fell All th e b u s h e s h a v e b e e n tra n sp la n te d (present
(past tense) to th e ground. perfect).
 w
166 SAT II: WRITING'/ MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

2. Verbs in the past tense refer to actions com­ Ye s: If Linda had driven (past perfect)"
pleted in the past; verbs in the past perfect refer to ac­ more slowly, she would have ma^
tions completed prior to some specific time or moment the curve easily.
in the past Hie past perfect is needed to indicate which No: The ceremony would have been
action occured first. better, if Kirk would have been the
When Oscar called (past), Dorothy had already speaker.
gone (past perfect). Yes: The ceremony would have been
Lenny had killed (past perfect) the rabbit before better, if Kirk had been (past
George arrived (past). perfect) the speaker.
3. Verbs in the Juture tense refer to actions that 4. The tense of infinitives (verbs preceded by to
will occur in the future; verbs in the future perfect tense as in /o eat, to snow; to have eaten, to have snowed, etc.)
refer to actions that will be completed at some time in must be governed by the tense of the main verb and by
the future but prior to some' other future action or event the meaning of the sentence.
That precinct will support (future) the Democratic Ellen was (main verb in past tense) happy fo ac­
candidate. cept (present infinitive) the invitation. (The present
By the time Eilie gets to San Francisfco, Dave infinitive is used because Ellen accepted the invita-
will have been gone (future perfect) for two tion after she felt happy about.receiving it.)
weeks. S h e had hoped (main verb in past perfedt tense) to
Familiarity with the following conventions gov­ attend (present infinitive) the wedding with
erning verb tenses Will also help you identify usage Barrett. (Again, the present infinitive is used
because it refers to a time after the action described 1
errors on the SAT II:
in the main verb.)
1. A statement that is true is expressed in present When the infinitive refers to a time before the
tense regardless of the tense of other verbs in the sen­ action described in the main verb, the perfect infini­
tence. tive form must be used.
Christmas is (present) on December 25. . Ellen is (main verb) happy to have accepted (per­
Sheila had been taught (past perfect) that trian­ fect infinitive form) the invitation.
gles contain (present) 180 degrees. She knows (main verb) that not to have been in­
vited (perfect infinitive form) is insulting.
2. In a complex sentence, the verb tense of the de­
pendent clause must be in sequence with the tense of 5. Participles must be adjusted according to the
the main verb. tense of the main verb. (Many participles end in -ing.)
They had gone (past perfect) out for six months When the participle describes an action occurring be­
before they, told (past) their parents. (Because their fore the action of the main verb, add having and then
going out preceded telling their parents, the past per­ adjust the participle.
fect tense—not the past tease—is needed to show die
sequence of events.) O riginal Working (participle) hard on the
Your teacher believes (preseat) that you will do - essay, Joan hated to reduce the number of
(future) well on the SAT II. words. (Because Joan worked on the essay
before cutting it, the participle needs to be
Henry predicted (past) ttiat Jenny will be ac­
changed.)
cepted by (future) Boston University.
R evision: Having worked hard on the essay,
3. In an z/clause, don’t use w ould have to express Joan hated to reduce the number of words.
the earlier o f two actions. Instead, use the past perfect. ’ O riginal: Walking (participle) in the woods, Jan
No: If Linda w ould have effiven more spotted a deer. (Because Jan was walking in the
slowly, sh e would have made the woods at the same time as she saw a deer, no
curve e a ^ change is needed.)
 IDENTIFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 1«7

PRACTICE EX ER C ISE IN VERB TENSE 11. As they drove to Verm ont they had stopped for
In these sentences, many of the underlined verbs axe lunch at Burger King.
incorrect- Cross out the incorrect verb and write the
correct one in the spaces provided. Some sentences
contain no error.
12. The trooper pulls him over and gave him a
speeding ticket
1. Theyhiked to die top o f die mountain and then
come back down in time to eat lunch.
13. Working all year to improve her writing
style, Debbie g o ta story published in the
2. The garage mechanic thinks that Mrs. Murphy
paper.
has brought her car in last nig h t

14. Matilda took an SAT course for six months

3. For anyone with enough brains to have thought
before she teams how to solve that kind of
shout i t now is the time to work out the solu­
problem.
tion.

4. Don tells the class repeatedly that at one time 15. That night at the show we met many people we
New Y ork was the capital o f the United States. £ saw that afternoon.

S. If the wagon train w ould have reached Salt 16. If I was to have a dream like th a t 1 think P d
C reek in time, the massacre would have been die!
prevented.

17. Reading W ar and P eace, 1 know that Pierre falls

6. The aircraft controller expects to have spotted in love with Natasha.
the plane on rada; before dusk last night.

18. After the drought hit eastern Africa, the

7. The fam ily already finished dinner when the Somalis began to*suffer.
doorbell rang.

19. Thinking long and hard about what to do,

8. First h e built a fire, then dragged a log over to Ted decided to apply to the Naval
use as a seat, and finally collected enough Academy.
w ood to bu m all night.

20. Greta does so w ell in her practice runs that she

9. Rose kept the prom ise she has given to Charles had decided to train for the New Y ork
last y ear in India. M arathon.

10. When he talks with Horatio, Hamlet began to

suspect foul play in the kingdom. Answers on page 254.
 168 S A T II: W R ITIN G / M U LTIP LE-C H O ICE Q U E S TIO N S

U se of C omparisons Positive Comparative Superlative |

tall taller tallesr*^
dark darker darkest
B e c a u s e y o u a r e ta k in g th e tim e to read th e se w ords,
handsome handsom er o r handsomest^ 1
y o u p r o b a b ly a g re e th a t it m a k e s m o re se n se to p re ­ friore handsome most handsome
p a r e f o r th e S A T IT th a n to ta k e the te s t w ith o u t cool cooler coolest. 1|
p r e p a r a t io n . S tu d e n ts w h o stu d y fo r the test are far graceful more graceful most graceful
m o r e lik e ly to e a rn h ig h sc o re th an stu d e n ts w ho able l abler o r more able ablest or most able
d o n ’t M o s t e d u c a to r s a g re e th a t a lo n g -te rm study prepared less prepared least prepare}?!
happily more happily most happily
p l a n w i l l p a y o f f m o r e h a n d s o m e ly th an a cra m m in g
soon sooner' soonestjjffl
s e s s io n th e w e e k b e fo re . B u t e v e n a stu d y b litz the
n i g h t b e f o r e is b e tte r th a n n o th in g . T h e list sh o w s th a t a d je c tiv e s in the comparative
S t o p ! H a v e y o u n o tic e d s o m e th in g u n u su a l a b o u t d e g ree a re fo rm e d w ith th e en d in g -e r o r by placing
t h e o p e n i n g p a r a g r a p h o f th is s e c tio n ? E v e ry se n ­ m o re (o r le s s ) in f ro n t o f th e p o sitiv e form ; Similarly,
t e n c e m a k e s a c o m p a r is o n . T h e f irs t th re e se n te n c e s a d je c tiv e s in the su p e rla tiv e d e g re e are form ed with
u s e a c o m m o n w o r d o r d e r p a tte r n f o r c o m p a riso n s : th e e n d in g -e s o r b y p u ttin g m o st or lea st in front of
m o r e . . . th a n . T h e la s t s e n te n c e u s e s b e tte r . . . th a n . the p o sitiv e form .
I f y o u f a i l e d t o n o tic e th a t th e f irs t p a r a g r a p h c o n ­ A s alw ay s, h o w e v e r, so m e w o rd s d ev iate fronp
t a i n s f o u r c o m p a r is o n s , i t ’s o n ly b e c a u s e c o m p a ri­ the p attern:
s o n s a r e c o m m o n i n w r itin g a n d sp e a k in g . W e m a k e
P ositive C o m p arativ e Superlative!
t h e m a l l t h e tim e . A ll o u r s ta te d p r e fe re n c e s an d
c h o i c e s a r e b a s e d o n c o m p a ris o n s : * good better best
- J : A is a better answer than B. well better best
bad - worse worst j
Pd rather have chickeh than hamburger today, little less least J
s o Pll take som e Kentucky Fried. m uch more m ost J
H e thinks fhat the United States is a kinder, gen­ m any ' more m ost A
tler nation than it w as in the ’60s. • .
In order to recognize errors in comparative de­
C a n c u n is the best place to go for spring break.
gree oh the SA X II* acquaint yourself with the perti­
Som te se n te n c es on the S A T U m ay test your un­ nent guidelines:
d e r sta n d in g o f the rules govern in g the use o f com ­
a. To form the comparative and superlative de­
p a r is o n s . In add ition to k n ow in g about com parative
grees o f one-syllable words, add -er or -est to the posi­
d e g r e e s , y o u n e e d k n o w that standard E nglish usage
tive form (brave, braver, bravest; late, later, latest), J
r e q u ir e s c o m p a r iso n s (1 ) to be com p lete, (2) to be
s ta te d in p a r a lle l form , and (3 ) to com pare tw o things .b. T o form the comparative and superlative de­
th a t m a y lo g ic a lly be com pared. The S A T U is lik ely grees o f m ost two-syllable words, use more or most, or
t o g i v e y o u se n te n c es that ign ore on e or m ore o f less or least, (more famous, most nauseous, less skilful,
th e s e req uirem en ts. least jagged). Som e tw o-syllable words follow the
guidelines for'words o f one syllable (pretty, prettier;
1. Comparative Degrees prettiest), although you w ouldn’t err by applying the
rule for tw o-syllable words (more pretty, most pretty).
• M o s t c o m p a r iso n s are m ade by using different forms
o f a d je c tiv e s o r adverbs. The degree o f com parison is c. T o form the comparative and superlative de­
in d ic a te d b y the en d in g (u su ally -er and -est) or by gree o f three-syllable words and o f all words ending in
th e u s e o f m e re o r m o st (or less and least). The E ng­ -ly , use more and most, or less and least (beautiful
l is h lan gu age o ffer s three d egrees o f com parison: more beautiful, most beautiful; gladly, more gladl)j,
p o s i ti v e , c o m p a ra tive , and superlative. ■most gladly).
 f- * IDENTIFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR Q U ESTIO NS 169

d. Use th e co m p arativ e d eg ree to com pare tw o 6 . Hamlet is perform ed the m ost often o f any o f
'dungs. Shakespeare’s plays.
Jh is test was harder than that one. (Two tests are
being compared)
j My younger sister takes dancing lessons; (The 7. Jim couldn’t tell w ho is m ost stubborn— h is sis­
speaker has two sisters) te r o r his brother.

e. U se th e su p e rlativ e d eg ree to com pare three or

1 more things.
8 . B o th situations w ere terrible, b u t R o n first tried
This is the hardest test we've had all year. to fix the w orst o f the two.
(They’ve had at least three tests)
My youngest sister takes dancing lessons. (The
speaker has at least three sisters) 9. T h e clim bers w ould be sm art to take the less
f. N e v e r c re a te a d o u b le co m p ariso n by putting h ard er route up to the sum m it.
words like more, most, less , an d least in th e sam e
| phrase w ith w o rd s in th e c o m p arativ e o r superlative
degrees. F o r ex a m p le , a v o id more friendlier, less 10. A fter w eighing the three fish he caught; P hil d e­
I prouder, most sweetest, least safest. S uch usages are cid ed to throw the lightest one back.
both u n g ram m atical a n d red u n d an t. Instead, use adjec­
tives and ad v e rb s in th e p o sitiv e degree: morefriendly,
lessproud; more sweet, least safe. 11. L y n n e ’s victory w as m ore sw eeter because her
o p p o n en t had beaten h e r last year. t
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN COMPARATIVE DEGREE
Find the errors in comparative degree in the follow­
ing sentences. Write the correct usage in the spaces 12. B ill’s idea was profounder than Al's.
provided. Som e sentences are correct.

1. Ross, is a lot more rich than his 13. Both 1-95 and the parkway w ill take you to New
brother. Haven, but the latter is the fastest route.

2. Although both Stephen King and Tom Cl&ncy . 14. Because more policemen have been assigned to
write thrilling books, K ing is the best story the beat, the people, feel securer.
teller.

15. That w as the most unkindest remark I ever

3. Because there were tw o topics to write on. Bill heard.
chose the easiest one.

16. Trust became a bigger issue than either taxes or

4. This is by far the greater dinner that I have ever
crime in the election campaign-
eaten.

S. Sarah is about the forgetfulest person I’ve ever 17. It w as obvious to everyone that Frankie’s team
m et w as m om superior to Johnny's.
 f

170 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

18. Because she felt unsure about her performance, or that boys like marshmallows more than girls
the result was all the more nicer. do.)
C omplete : Boys like marshmallows more than
girts do.
19. Which is longest—the Mississippi River or the • b. Comparisons using“ a s”: A comparison using
Colorado? as usually requires a repetition of the word: as good os
gold, as fast as a plane flies, as high a price or I’ve ever
seen, and so on. In colloquial speech, however, the sec­
20. hi the autumn Vermont has prettier colors than ond as is often omitted.
most other states.
Incomplete: On the exam Nicole expects to do
a s well if not better than the first time.
C omplete : On the exam Nicole expects to do as
' Answers on page 254.
well as, if not better, than the first time.
Stylistically, the complete version may sound
2 . In co m p lete C om parisons somewhat stiff, but it follows standard usage, which
In everyday speech people give emphasis to their is what the SAT II is all about
opinions by saying things like “ We had the best
time,” and ‘T h at was the worst!” Technically, these c. Comparing one thing tq a group o f which it is a
are incomplete comparisons and in standard English part: Standard usage calls for the use of other or else
would probably have to be finished in some way. when making comparisons like these:
We had the best time in Chicago (compared to the Incomplete : Lieutenant Henry was braver than
time we had in New York and in Philadelphia.) any pilot in the squadron. (This suggests that
That was the worst accident (compared to the oth­ . Henry was not a member of the squadron. If he
belonged to the squadron, however, add other to
ers that have occurred at the same intersection.)
*. complete the comparison.)
An incomplete comparison made colloquially C omplete : Lieutenant Henry was braver
m ay suffer no loss o f meaning, but standard written than any other pilot in the squadron.
usage calls for unmistakable clarity. Incomplete : Diana-talks more nonsense than
anyone in the class. (This suggests that
a. Incom plete comparisons that cause ambiguity:
Diana is not a member of the class. If she is in the
On the SAT Q you may find sentences that lack all the
class, however, add else for complete accuracy.)
words needed to make a comparison clear.
C o m p lete Diana .talks more nonsense than ;
Incomplete: Mark visited his aged aunt longer anyone el$e in the class. ;
than Cathy. (This could mean either that Mark
spent a longer time with his aunt than Cathy did,
or that Made spent more time with his aunt than he
spent with Cathy. To eliminate the ambiguity,
simply complete the comparison.)
3. Parallelism in Comparisons
C omplete: Mark visited his aged aunt Use the same grammatical forms when comparing
longer than Cathy did. parallel ideas. Com pare an idea expressed in a
Mark visited his aged aunt longer than he visited. phrase, for example, with another idea also expressed
Cathy. in a phrase. Ideas in clauses should be compared to
other ideas in clauses, and so forth.
Additional words, are also needed to com plete
this comparison: Not P arallel: T o g o skateboarding is no longer
as popular as rollerblading.
Incomplete: Boys like marshmallows more
than girts. (This may mean that boys prefer In this sentence, the popularity of skateboarding
marshmallows to girls—an unlikely proposition— . is com pared to the popularity o f rollerblading. The
 . IDENTIFYING^SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS j3H

phrase to go skateboarding is a verbal. But roller- L Jane is more efficient than any member of the
blading is a noun. Because'tw o different grammatical committee.
forms are used, the comparison is not parallel.
* Parallel: To go skateboarding is no longer as
popular a s to go roi/erblad/ng. (The compari­
son, made with verbs, is in parallel foira)
or P arallel: Skateboarding is no longer a s. 2. Adam looks more like his father than his
popular as' rolterbiadihg. (The comparison, . brother:
made with nouns, is in parallel form.)
Not P arallel: As a poet, O gden Nash was
adm ired m ore for his hum or than for what his
poerrHs had to say. {Humor i s a noun, what his
poems had to say is a clause.)
Parallel: A s a poet, O gden Nash was admired 3. When I went to see Streetcar, I disliked Stanley
m ore for his humorVhan for his ideas. *as much as Mitch.

4. Illogical Comparisons
Logic breaks dow n w hen tw o o r more unlike things
are com pared. 4. Phil works faster than George on most jobs.
Illogical : B oston's harboris reported to be
m ore polluted th an any city in the country.
(This sentence is meant to compare pollution in
the Boston harbor with pollution in the harbors o f .
other cities, but it fails to achieve its goal. Instead,
it illogically compares Boston’s harbor with a . S. Oscar was a? tired if not more tired than Pete.
- city.)
Logical: B o sto n 's harbor is reported to be more
polluted th an the harbor of any other city in
th e country.
Illogical : Unlike m o st cars on the street, Ellie 6. To do the research for my paper, l had1to read
h a s h e r T o y o ta w a sh e d alm ost every week. more than telephoning. '
(The sentence is intended to compare Ellie’s car
with the other cars on die street But it manages
only to compare Ellie to die other cars, an illogical
comparison.)
Logical: Eliie's Toyota , unlike m ost cars on the
stre et, is w a s h e d a lm o st every week. 7. Although she’s younger, Lillian jooks as old if
Illogical: T h e accountantfoulS d that business nty older than Dorothy. ‘j •
w a s b a d during th e third quarter, just like
To ny. (Instead o f comparing the accountant's find­
ings to Tony’s findings, this sentence claims that
both T ony and business were bad.)
Logical: Like To n y, the accountant found that
business was bed during the third quarter. 8. They talked more about Chekhov’s stories than
his plays.
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN COMPARISONS
Find the errors in comparison in the following sen*
tences. Write a correct version of the sentence in the
space provided. Some sentences may be correct
 172 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

9. A llyn’s canoe was destroyed in the rapids, just 1?. Which is cheaper—flying to Washington or to
like his partner. take the train?

10. I read Fitzgerald’s The G reat G atsby, an author 18. The lawyer insisted that her jo b took more hours
I have come to love more than any other. than a teacher. ‘ *

i 1: I am m ore interested in hiking than Peter. 19. Wearing baseball caps is more popular now
than W alkmans.

12. B iology is more popular than any science.

20. Cindy, has applied to as many colleges if not
more than Joanne.

13. It’s been said that walking is better for you than
to jo g the sam e distance.
A nsw ers on page 254.

14. T he students respect Mr. Phillip's teaching style

m ore than M r. Green. D iction

Diction simply means word choice. Faulty diction

generally,occurs when ( I) a word is used that means
something other than what is intended (e.gMeminent
15. His ears were bigger than Dumbo. instead of im m inent, o r sensory in place of sensual,
( 2) an inappropriate word is used (e.g., a colloquial"
expression like frea ked out or you guys in a formal
context), or (3) a grammatically incorrect word is
used (e.g., good instead o f w ell after a certain verb,
or where instead o f when, as in “ the time where he
16. It took Kim longer to reach Trenton than Camden.
took the train"). ...
The usage section o f the SAT II tests your ability
to recognize all three kinds o f diction errors, but the
vast majority will probably be the third kind, for
 IDENTIFYING-SENTcNCE-ERROR QUESTIONS ' 173

which, a m o n g o t h e r t h in g s , y o u n e e d t o k n o w p a r ­ tr a te th e k in d s o f d is tin c tio n s th a t y o u s h o u l d b e p r e ­

ticularly w h e n to u s e a n a d j e c t i v e a n d w h e n t o u s e a n p a re d to m a k e :
adverb-
ailu sion/illusion /deliisfon
1. C on fu se d W o r d s T h e a u th o r of th e s to ry m a d e a n a llu s io n to the
th r e e w itc h e s in M a c b e th .
The p o te n tia l f o r w r ite r s t o u s e o n e w o r d w h e n th e y
(allusion = a reference to)
mean a n o th e r h a s n o b o u n d s . S o m e w o r d s a re o u t­
right m a la p r o p is m s — “ th e c r u tc h o f th e p ro b le m ” T h e c o lo re d lights c r e a te d th e illu s io n th a t t h e
instead o f “ th e c r u x o f th e p r o b le m ” — w o rd s c o n ­ g y m w a s a beautiful d a n c e hall.
fused b e c a u s e th e y s o u n d s o m e w h a t a lik e . B u t o n th e (illusion = an unreal or m isleading im age)
SAT I I y o u ’r e f a r m o r e lik e ly to b e a s k e d to d istin ­ C o n v in c e d th a t h e w a s a rein carn atio n of th e
guish b e tw e e n w o r d s w ith s u b tle s h a d e s o f m e a n in g ' King of S p a in , T om lived in a d e lu s io n .
and w o rd s th a t a r e fre q u e n d y m is u s e d . (d elusion = false belief)

A cro w d o f a n g r y s t u d e n ts a g g r e g a t e d o u tsid e altem ate/altern ative '

th e p rin cip al’s office.
B e c a u s e th e ro ad w a s u n d e r co n stru ctio n , th e y
T h e m e a n in g o f th is s e n te n c e is c le a r en o u g h . to o k a n a lte rn a te ro u te to Cairo.
The w r ite r c e r ta in ly in te n d e d t o s a y th a t stu d e n ts (alternate = a substitute)
con g reg ated, o r g a th e r e d to g e th e r , o u ts id e th e p rin c i­ Hitchhiking into tow n w a s a n a lte rn a tive th a t
pal* s o ffic e . A lth o u g h th e w o r d a g g re g a te d m e a n s H arry h a d n ’t c o n sid ered .
“ c o lle c te d ,” o r “ g a th e r e d to g e th e r ,” in sta n d a rd u s­ (alternative = choice betw een tw o o r m ore things o r
age it o r d in a r ily r e f e r s to in a n im a te m a te ria l. C o n ­ co u rses o f action) | . i v r - 5 'V:
crete, f o r in s ta n c e , is a n a g g r e g a te o f sa n d , ce m e n t,
and g ra v e l. T h e re f o r e , u s in g a g g r e g a te d t o r e fe r to a appraise/apprise ' ^ ^
group o f p e o p le is a n e x a m p le o f f a u lty d ictio n . T o accu rately a p p ra is e th e v alu e of a h o u s e
E x cep t fo r A nd y , e v e r y o n e in th e c la s s w a s d isin ­ ta k e s tim e a n d know ledge of the m arket.
te re s te d in listiening to c h a m b e r m u sic. (appraise = set a value on ) ^
W hen th e ferry g e ts in, p le a s e a p p ris e m e of its
A g a in th e m e a n in g o f th e s e n te n c e is ap p aren t.
n ew sc h e d u le . ;
The w o rd d is in te r e s te d is u s e d a s a sy n o n y m fo r u n ­
(apprise = to advise, to inform )
in terested . I n -s ta n d a r d u s a g e , h o w e v e r , d isin te re ste d
really m e a n s “ im p a r tia l o r u n b ia s e d ,” A d isin ter­ eminent/inuninent
ested b a s e b a ll fa n , f o r e x a m p le , m ig h t b e fa sc in a te d
S ev eral e m in e n t p eo p le m arch ed in th e p a ra d e .
by w h at h a p p e n s a t th e 'b a llp a rk , b u t d o e s n 't care
(em inent = w ell-know n, im portant)
which te a m w in s th e g a m e . B e c a u s e d isin te re ste d
has co m e to m e a n u n in te re ste d in c o llo q u ia l usage, T he darkening sky s u g g e ste d that a th u n d e r­
the tw o w o rd s a re o n th e v e r g e o f b e in g acc e p te d as storm w a s im m in e n t
synonym s. In s ta n d a rd u s a g e , h o w e v e r, d isin te re ste d (im m inent = on the verge o f happening)
may n o t b e a su b s titu te f o r u n in te re ste d . famous/infamous
B e c a u se th e n u m b e r o f c o n f u s e d w o rd s stretch es
far and w id e in to th e E n g lis h la n g u a g e , it w o u ld be After h e left prison, h e b e c a m e a fa m o u s su r­
g eo n . v. . >Ja
im p racticable to list a ll o f th e m h e re . M a n y o b v io u s
and freq u e n tly m is u s e d w o rd s a p p e a r o n th e list in (fam ous = w ell-know n)
Fart IV , p a g e s 2 0 3 —2 0 6 . B e y o n d th o se , y o u ’ll need H e m asterm in d ed th e infam o us jew el h eist a t
to d epend o n y o u r v o c a b u la ry a n d y o u r se n sitiv ity to th e W aldorf.
the m ean in g s o f w o rd s to id e n tify n o n sta n d a rd us­ (infam ous = w ell-know n but for a negative reason;
ages o n th e S A T II. T h e fo llo w in g se n te n c e s illu s­ notorious)
174 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

nauseated/nauseous
the President and President-elect hung out with
After the bumpy ride. S u sa n felt nauseated. the Chief Justice on the inaugural platform.
(nauseated = sick)
High officials may meet, talk, confer, joke, an<|
T h e spoiled meat left a nauseous odor in the re*
laugh together, but they don’t hang out ■
fngerator.
Although you should be aware o f various forms
(nauseous a sickening, disgusting)
o f nonstandard diction, such as slang and the trendy
regardless/lrregardless words and expressions o f everyday, informal
speed*— bummer, cool, stoned, dissed, and so on—
Th e y will go to work regardless (not
irregardless) Of the Strike. you’re not likely to be faced with such obvious viola­
tions o f standard usage on the exam. Rather, you’ll
(regardless a in spite of; irregaidless a nonstandard
synonym for regardless) be given words and phrases that are used widely in
colloquial, everyday speech and writing but have not
s e n s o ry /s e n s u o u s /s e n s u a l earned a place in the formal speed* and writing of
- Walking through that rose garden was a sensory - most literate people.
delight.
His thermometer is different than mine. Use
(sensory a pertaining to one or more of the five differentfrom rather than different than.
senses) *
Try and come to the rally. Use try to instead of try
A vase with a sensuous shape stood on the win­ and. I
dowsill.
A lot of the buildings are run-down. Use many
(sensuous a gratifying to the senses) instead of a for.
It was clearly a mistake to print that sensual ad­ Where Is the pen a t ? Don’t use a t after where.
vertisement in M y Weekly Reader.
..You may also find common words and phrases
(sensual a pertaining to the pleasures of the senses, es­
that are considered too colloquial (O.K., guy, a lot), !
pecially fleshly pleasures) -V
redundant (new beginning, repeat again, meet to­
t o r tu r o u s /to r tu o u s gether), illogical (most unique, free gift), and just A
Running a mile was a torturous experience for plain improper (anywheres, hisself) to be considerfed
Millie. standard usage.
(torturous a agonizing, painful)
Meredith and Ellen followed a tortuous trail, to List o f D ictio n Errorg • . J§
the summit. v
No list o f diction errors can ever be complete b e - j
(tortuous a winding, full Of curves) cause any time someone speaks or writes, a new er-
ror may be bom. The; items on this list, however, are
2. In a p p ro p ria te W o rt) C hoice . worth studying because they represent the usage mis­
takes that you’re apt to encounter on the SAT II.* In *
S tan d ard u sag e usually dictate*.that sentences be addition, they may heighten your awareness o f faulty ,
co n sisten t in th e ir style and tone, Serious, form al dictipn in the language you read and hear every day.
w ritin g d em an d s fo rm al , diction,' ju st as colloquial Finally, knowing some usages to avoid may help you
w ritin g c alls fo r m o re inform al, everyday diction. to improve your own. writing,
• T h e lin es b etw een colloquial and standard and be­
a lo t/lo tso f ..V* . . ^
tw een in fo rm al an d form al usage arcirfurry and con­
sta n tly in flux. O n th e S A T II you w on’r encounter C olloquial: Debbie likes her job a for. :v§*9
w o rd s th a t p ro v o k e debate am ong linguists and S tandard: Debbie likes her job very much. i
g ram m arian s. T h e problem s y ou’ll face wUl be clear C olloquial: Lots of children watch cartoons on ,
an d u n iv ersally aclqiow ledged violations o f standard Saturday mornings.
practice. F o r ex am p le, you m ay find a sentence in S tandard: Many children watch cartoons on
w h ich a w o rd o r expression is out o f place. Saturday mornings.
176 S A T II: W R ITIN G I M U LTIPLE-C H O IC E Q U E S TIO N S

(In the phrases anyone else and no one else, else is S tandaro: It took Vinny five years to
unnecessary.) from h\gh school.
S tandar d : Don't sit under the apple tree with
guy
anyone but me. C o llo q uia l : A guy on the train was sin;
flu n k , ■' ■ ■ y ' ■
top of his lungs.
C o l l o q u ia l Did Marian flunkthe quiz a s badly S tandar d: A man (person, passenger,
as I did? comm uter) w as singing at the top
S tandard : Did Marian fail the quiz a s badly as of his lungs.
I did? hteself/themself
form er/latter
N o nstandard : At ten months, he could walk
N onstand ar d : After visiting Colby, Bates, and by hisself.
Bowdoin, Joey chose the latter. At ten months, he could walk
S tandard :
(Both latter and former refer to two.) b y him self.
S tandar d : After visiting C o lb y, Bates, and N onstandard : Bodybuilders like to look at
B ow do in, Jo e y ch o se Bow doin. th e m se lf in the mirror.
After visiting Bates and Bow doin, S tandard : Bodybuilders like to look at
J o e y ch ose the latter. the m se lve s in the mirror.
After visiting Bow doin and C o lb y, A
J o e y chose the form er. in/into
free gift N onstandard : Hal w ent in the store to bu y a I
soda.
R edundant: U p o n opening a bank account,
custom ers will receive a free gift. (Avoid using in when you mean into. In means
“ within,” while into refers to the motion o f going
(Gifts, by definition, are free; otherwise they
from outside to inside. For example, after you go into
wouldn’t be gifts.)
the kitchen, you are in the kitchen.)
S tandard : U p o n opening a bank account,
ii S tandard : Hal w ent into the store to buy a
custom ers will receive a gift.
soda.
funny ‘#
is when/is w h e re » . '. .
C olloquial: Paul noticed a funny smell in the
C olloquial Snorkeling is w hen you swim under
garage.
water with a m ask and air tube.
{Funny means humorous, not strange or odd.)
(Don’t use is where or is when in writing a defini-
S tandaro : Paul noticed a strange smell in the
• tion.)
garage.
S tandard : Snorkeling is swim ming under
goes/went water with a m ask and air tube.
C olloquial: A fault in tennis is w here the serve
C olloquial: T h e n he goes, “G et out of the
m isses the box.
house, Helen!” T h e n she went,
“Not until I’ve done-the dishes.” S tandard : A fault in tennis occurs when the
serve m isses the box.
(The verbs to go and to say in all their forms are not
interchangeable in standard English.) k in d of/so rt o f
S tandard : T h e n he said, “G et out of the house,
C olloquial: D ou g w a s kind o f upset when he
Helen!" heard the news.
I
T h e n she said, “No, not until I've
. (Avoid using kind o f and sort o f when you mean very,
done tbe dishes.”
rather, or somewhat.)
S tandaro : Doug was som ew hat upset when he
graduate heard the news.
C olloquial: It took Vinny five years to graduate C olloquial: I heard a sort o f loud crash in the
high school. backyard.
 ID ENTIFYIN G-SEN TENCE-ERR O R Q U E S TIO N S 177

S ta n d a r d : I heard a very loud crash in the out loud ■"

backyard.
C olloquial: Norma he&rd her name called
Iflce/as out loud in the middle of the church
Nonstandard: Adam plans to write a letter of service.
complaint, just like Sandra does. S tandard: Nonna heard her name called
.(In standard E n g lish , like is n o t a n acceptable su b sti­ aloud in the middle of the church
tute for a s, a s if, o c a s th o u g h .) * service.
S tandard : Adam plans to write a letter of on account of
complaint, just as Sandra
does. C olloquial: O n account of the snow, hardly
anyone came to the meeting.
Nonstandard : T h e cat meowed like it wanted
to come in. S tandard : Because of the snow; hardly
anyone came to the meeting.
S tandard : T h e cat meowed as though it
wanted to come in. pfan ahead fdr the future
•> ■If f; ^
Hkc/maybe R edundant: Th e guidance department helps
students plan ahead for the future.
C olloquial: There were like twenty cars in the
parking lot. (Since one cannot plan backwards, ahead is
unnecessary.)
T h e suspect was m aybe twenty
years old. S tandard: Th e guidance department helps
students plan for the future.
(Avoid using like and m aybe in m aking estimates.
Use a p p ro xim a te ly , perhaps, or a b ou t.) plenty
S tandard : There were approxim ately twenty C olloquial: It must have been plenty cold
cars in the parking lot. because the pipes froze last night.
T h e suspect was about twenty (In standard usage, plenty is not a synonym for very.)
years old.
S tandard: It must have been very cold
m ean because the pipes froze last night.

C olloquial: Jill has never been m ean to her reason is because. . .

little brother, although he's a brat.
C olloquial: Th e reason for the delay is
S tandard : Jilt has never been cruel Xo her little because of mechanical trouble.
brother, although he's a brat.
S tandard: T h e reason for the delay is
more preferable mechanical trouble. (See
because.)
R edundant : T h e city is a m ore preferable place
rig h t V'V
to live. d

(Because preferable already im plies a com parison. C olloquial: Just before the holidays, the
m ore p re fera b le is redundant.) stores are right crowded.

S tandar d : T h e city is a preferable place to five. (In standard usage, right is not a synonym for very.)
S tandard : Just before the holidays, the stores
n a tu ra l in s tin c t are very crowded,
R eo un dan t : All living creatures possess a so
natural instinct for survival. C olloquial : Nikita thought that Maria was
(By definition, instincts are natural: therefore, n a tu ra l hungry, so he brought her a donut.
is un n ecessary . A lso, because dead creatures d o n 't (W hile not incorrect, the use of so as a synonym for
have the survival instinct, livin g creatures is redun­ therefore is extrem ely inform al and borders oh collo­
dant. too.) quial usage. Because inserting therefore in place o f so
S tan o a r d : All creatures posse96 an instinct will m ake the sentence a run-on, the sentence m ust be
for survival. recast.)
 178 SAT II: WRITING /JUfLUPUE-CHOlCE QUESTIONS .

S tandard: . Because he thought that she was' usual habit

hungry, Nikita brought Maria a , Reounoant Georges usual habit wasto fa
donut three miles daily.'
Colloquial: The third problem is so hard. (A habit, by definition, is something that is usual)
(In standard usage, so should not be used as a syno­ S tanoaro: George’s habit was to jog threa
nym for very)-' - - . . miles daily. ;
S tanoaro: The third problem is very hard.
where/that
spok en dialogue
Nonstandard: »Duka noticed where the room
R edundant Neil Simon's plays are crammed * • needed a piaint job. 1
With witty spoken dialogue. (Avoid where as a substitute for that.)
(Dialogue, by definition, is spoken.) S tandard: Duke noticed thatthe room
S tandard: Neil Simon’s plays are crammed needed a paint job:
with witty dialogue.
when/where
try a n d /try t o
- C olloquial: An overture is when a short piece
C olloquial* Please try andUx the leak in the of music precedes an opera or :'Vi
fau cet shqw.
S tanoaro: P lease ty tofix the teak in the (Avoid using when and where in writing definitions.) |
fau cet
S tandard: An overture is a short piece of - |
u n iq u e , .music that precedes an opera or
Show.,
Illogical: This is the most unique painting in
v the museum, C olloquial; The blitz was .where the Germans
' bombed London during WW If.
(Unique Hterally means “ one of si land;” therefore
m ost unique, a phrase that makes a comparison, is il­ S tandard: The blitz was the German bombing
logical.) . of London during WW II.
S tandard: This is the most uhusuai painting
in th e museum. PRACTICE EXERCISE IN DICTION . .* M
Find nonstandard, colloquial, and redundant usages
Illogical: H e h as a rather uniquejob, painting
th en u m b ers o n d ty b u ses. • in the following sentences; Write the standard words
or phrases in the- spaces provided. Some sentences
(Because unique means “ one of a land,” rather
may . be correct; some m ay contain more than one
unique is illogical.) < ' ^ : ‘ "
error.
S tandard: He h as a uniquejob, painting the
. num bers on crty buses.
r 1. A bale of hay dropped off the truck on the way
u n e x p ec te d s u rp n s e to Dover.
R edundant Martha found an unexpected
* surprise on the doorstep,
2. Bruno flunkedhis driving test three times be­
(A surprise, by definition, must be unexpected.)
fore he secured a license. ’ ■■’ *
S tandard: *Martha found a surprise on the
,4*' doorstep.
3, Mrs. Grant felt plenty scared to go into that cave
used to p
because of the snake.
N onstandard : Brian use to arrive iate to class
almost every d a y .*
■ (The phrase use to is never com et Use used to.) 4. Thil plate is an exactly identical replica of those
S tandard: Brian used to arrive late to class stored in the attic.
almost every day.
 IDENTtFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 179

5. At the reunion, a do zen people sat in a circle 16. W hen the true facts come out, the case wtU be
and told stories ab o u t each other. - settled in an instant.

6. Susan left W ashin g to n at about noon and ex- 17. Given the choice of Monday, Wednesday ami
. pects to arrive h o m e aro u nd six. Friday for her talk, Gwen chose the latter.

7. After L ee fell o f f th e d iv in g board, he goes, 18. All the mistakes in Brian's essfty make it seem
“ I*m n ot hurt. B eliev e m e, I ’m all right. as though he never learned the art proof­
reading.

8. T hat’s ju s t the so rt o f b elt I ’vm looking for. »

19. Because John plans to bring the newspaper
hom e, you needn’t bother.
9.. The scratching o n th e d o o r clearly indicated that
the c a t w anted in.
20. A t the end o f the evening there was no one else
but m e in the room.
10. A s therrecipient o f th e aw ard ; Ja ck graduated
_ high school wit^i stro n g e m o tio n al feelings
ab o u t h is teach ers. 21. T he coach waited on Calvin for half an hour be­
fore he told the bus driver to leave.

11. N o m ad w ill b e d e liv e re d o n F riday on account

o f th e h oliday. 22. Please be sure and clean up the mess you left
after lunch.*

12. A fter G eo rg e sto o d u p in th e row boat, M arry

pushed him in th e lak e. 23. T he reason she declined the invitation is be­
cau se her mother w as worried.

13. Seeking rev en g e, G e o rg e la te r p u sh e d H arry o ff

o f the dock. 24. T h o se uniform s are different than those worn
ja s t year..

14. T hat em p ty lo t is w h e re m y g ra n d m o th e r’s

bouse use to b e. 25. U p until her sixteenth birthday, Jen had never
gone to the m ovies aiorife.

15. A transliteration is w h e n th e te x t is translated

word fo r w o rd , irre g a rd le s s o f h o w it sounds.
Answers on page 255.
 ■

180 S A T II: WRITING / M ULTIPLE-CHOICE Q U ES TIO N S

3 . C h o o sin g Betw een Adjectives a n d While preparing for th e SA T II. don't try to
A d ve rb s memorize which words are adverbs, and which are
adjectives. Instead, study the principles that govern
A co m m o n e rro r in d iction occurs w hen an adjective their use. j
is u sed w h ere an a d v erb is requjred. T h e reverse-—
u sin g an ad v erb w h ere an adjective b elo n g s— also Adjectives ’’
o ccu rs, but less freq uently. E ither w ay. h o w ev er,
A d jectiv es are w o rd s th at d escrib e, o r m pdify. nouns
y o u r p rep aratio n fo r th e S A T II should in clu d e p ra c ­
an d pronouns.
tic e in p u ttin g ad jectiv es and ad v erb s in th e ir p ro p er
G o o d is an adjective. Like any adjective it can be j,
p lace.
used to describe a noun, as in g o o d apple, g o o d book
Toi b eg in , try to id en tify erro rs in th e se th re e sen-
and good night. That’s easy.
fences:
G o o d , along with som e other adjectives, some­
(a) Children who are addicted to television often times causes trouble when used after a verb. Good
behave violent in the classroom. should not be used after m ost verbs, so avoid talks
(b) Th e sun blazed down steady from morning g o o d , d riv e s g o o d , w rite s g o o d , and so'on.
until night. G o o d , as w ell as other adjectives, however, may
(c) I feel badly that Randy performed bad on be used after som e verbs (called lin k in g ve rb s), such
the test. a s lo o k , sm e ll, ta s te , fe e l, a p p e a r, sta y . seem , rem ain,
I f y o u re c o g n iz e d th e e r ro r in e a c h se n te n c e , g ro w , b e c o m e , and all forms o f to b e . Therefore, it’s
y o u 'r e o n th e rig h t tra c k , a n d i f y o u c o rre c te d th e e r ­ perfectly correct to say so u n d s g o o d , fe e ls goon/, and I
r o rs . y o u sh o u ld h a v e n o tro u b le w ith s im ila r ite m s is g o o d . I N otice that m any, but not all. linking veibs
o n th e e x a m . F u rth e r, i f y o u k n e w ex a c tly w h y vio­ refer to the senses.)
lent s h o u ld b e violently in s e n te n c e ( a j, w h y steady Som etim es linking verbs are used as active !
s h o u ld b e steadily in (b ). a n d w h y bad a n d badly verbs. L o o k , for exam ple, is a linking verb w hen re- 1
s h o u ld e x c h a n g e p la c e s in (c ). y o u p r o b a b ly h a v e a ferring to som eon e's health or to the appearance of :
. f irm g r a s p 6 f a d je c tiv e a n d a d v e r b u s a g e . B u t i f y o u things, as in T h e d a y lo o k s g o o d f o r fly in g . But it is {
d i d n 't n o tic e th e e r ro r s , th e fo llo w in g d is c u s s io n w ill an active verb w hen it refers to the act o f looking, as j
b e u se fu l:
in M a rg ie lo o k e d s a d ly a t h e r s ic k d o g . If you're not
M any adverbs end in -/v ( violently. steadily, sure whether a verb is used as a linking verb or as an
badly), but so. unfortunately, do m any adjectives active verb, substitute a form o f the verb to be in its
(friendly , lovely, elderly). A lso , several w ords are place. If the sentence retains its basic meaning, die
verb may w ell be a linking verb. For example: .
som etim es adjectives and som etim es adverbs, de­
pending on how they are used in a sentence. T h e juice tastes good. T h e juice is good.
Sh e will stay, asleep for a hundred years.
W ord U sed as Adverb Used as A djective
She will be asleep for a hundred years. . '-In
fast She runs fast. She lives in the
t R eplacin g the veFb in qu estion w ith a form of to
fast track.
straight Go straight for •Draw a straight line be pretty w ell m aintains the m eaning o f the sentence.
a change. T herefore, tastes and sta y m ust be linking verbs and
late They arrived late. It's too late to go. . m ay be fo llo w e d by an y ad jective you choose: sour,
hard She works hard. Have'some hard sweet, tart, spoiled: happy, satisfied. depressed,
candy. and so on .)
it'W The branch 1 hear a low hum
hung low. in the engine.
slow Go slow on He took a slow boat A dverbs
that road. to China.
Adverbs, often id en tified by their -/v endings, usu­
loud Don't talk so loud. A loud bang echded
ally d escrib e, or m o d ify a verb, an adjective, or an­
in the room. ♦
other adverb. M uch o f the tim e they supply answers
to such q u estion s as H ow ? W hen? How mucli’
 IDENTIFYWfe-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS lbl

Where? In what sequence? T o what extent? In what b. U se adjectives to m odify linking verbs
manner?
Minestrone soup tastes good. {G o tti is. an adjec­
How does R oge r run? R oge r runs well. (The ad­ tive; it describes the soup. Y ou can tell th at ta stes is a
verb w ell m odifies th e v erb ru n s.) linking verb because you can replace it v, ith is. a
How did the grass look? T h e grass looked form o f to be. without appreciably changing the
mostly b ro w n . (T he ad v erb m o stly m odifies the ad­ m eaning o f the sentence.)
jective brow n.) I f tastes were an active verb, the adverb w e ll
When should Mattie g o to school? Mattie should w o u ld b e needed. To*say that soup ta s te s w e ll is non­
go to school how . (T he ad v erb n o w m odifies the se n se, h ow ever. A fter all, soup gets tasted by people;
vetb go.) it d oesn 't itself have the capacity to taste anything.
How much did it rain last night? It rained enough
N o n sta n d a rd : Laurie felt anxiously prior to the
to flood the cellar. (T he a d v erb enough, m odifies the
interview.
verb rained.)
S tandard : Laurie felt anxious prior to the
Where did Carole sit? C a ro le sat dow n. (The ad­
interview.
verb dow n m odifies the v erb s a t)
N o n st a n d a r d : Milk will stay freshly in the
In what m anner did C aro le sit dow n? Carole sat
refrigerator. j*
down quickly. (T he ad v erb q u ic k ly m odifies jhe verb
sat.) , S tandard : Milk will stay fresh iff the refrigerator.
N o n st a n d a r d : Rover smelled badly after- ,
On the S A T II, w h en y o u n eed to ch o o se b e­
swimming in the swam p.
tween an adjective or an adverb, fo llo w this p roce­
S tandard : Rover smelled b a d after
dure: Find the verb and d eterm in e w h eth er it is a
swimming in the swam p.
linking verb. I f it is. u se the a d jectiv e. I f it isn 't, use
the adverb. (M ore o fte n than n o t. th e verb is lik ely to
be one o f th ose w h ic h acts so m e tim e s as an active
verb.) A lso, i f the w o rd m o d ifie s an ad jective or an­
[p! 5 ctTce exercise LN ADJECTIVE/ADVERB use
C h ec k each o f these sentences for faulty use o f ad-,
other adverb, rem em ber to u se the adverb. I f it m o d i­
je c tiv e s and adverbs. W rite the correct* w ord in the
fies a noun or pronoun, u se the adjective. t *
sp a ces provided. Som e sentences are correct. —
Unking Verbs vs. A c tiv e Verbs. M o st m istak es
involving a djective/ad verb u s a g e o c cu r w h en n o d is­
tinction is m ade b e tw e e n th e lin k in g verbs and active 1. T h e nurse felt bitterly that she had contracted
verbs being m o d ified . T h e fo llo w in g r ev iew w ill A ID S from a patient.
help you to tell o n e from th e other.

a. U se adverbs to m o d ify a c tiv e verbs

2. T here is sim ply no justification for the ju d g e's
, Th e kite spun crazily in the air. {Crazily is an ad­ ruling.
verb; it explains how the kite spun; therefore, crazily
modifies, or clarifies, the active verb spun.) ■

W hen the v erb is c le a r ly a c tiv e , it m ay be fo l­ 3. M ered ith’s bike is old , but it n d e s sm ooth .
lowed on ly b y an adverb, n e v e r b y an adjective.

Nonstanoard: Roger runs good.

4 . T h e soprano sang the aria b eautiful, in sp ite c f
S tandar d : Roger runs well.
her head cold .
Nonstanoard : Margie looked sad at her sick dog.
S tan d ar d : Margie looked sadly at her sick dog.
Nonstandard : The police responded quick to
5 . T h e b lack M erced es d rove slo w up th e gravel
the call.
d riv ew a y .
S tanoaro : The police responded quickly to
the call.
 182. SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

6. Castro looked doWri cynical on the people as­ ,18.. Johrv never feels shyly afxx^reading his poems
sembled in the plaza. in public.

7. Agnes played the part of the mother 19. Amy spoke sincere when she promised to repay
superficially. ~ the money.

20. Jill looked, mischievous at Jack as they secretly

8. N o other basketball team blends as smooth as
the Lakers.
walked up the hill ' ‘

A nsw ers on page 255.

9. Mark always feels good after a long run and a
hot shower.

Level 4 usage problem s

10. Be sure the door is shut secure because it often . Errors of these kinds have appeared regularly,
swings open by itself.
with one or two instances On each test
Agreement of pronoun and antecedent, below *
J 1. He walked down the hall-completely oblivi­ Pronoun reference, page 185
ously to the trail of papers he left behind. Parallel construction, page 189
English idiom, page 191

' 12. Tim and Maria spoke frankly about their prob­
lem. 1
A greement of Pr o n o u n i ! “
and A ntecedent ' ' _
13. The coach talked slow about the team's decline
during the second half. ^ L & jS S Pronouns are convenient words that help to ^ream-
line the language. As stand-ins for nouns, pronouns
allow u$ to speak and write without repeating the
14. The audience remained calmly, even when the same nouns over and over.
• hall began to fill rapidly with smoke. W ithout P ronouns: Amy saw that Amy’s family's
- garbage was piling up. Amy
decided to bum Amy's family's
garbage in a steel drum
15. No problem; I can do both jobs easy.
• behind Amy’s family’s house.
Wrm P ronouns: Amy saw that her family’s
garbage was piling up.'She
16. When the phone rang, he picked it up, optimisd- decided to bum if in a steel
> caJly that it was Sheila calling. drum behind her house.
Indefinite pronouns (anyone, everybody) some­
times don't need antecedents, but others, often called
17. When they carried Terry off the the field, every­ personal pronouns, do. Antecedents are the word or
one thought he was hurt bad. words that would have to be repeated if the pronrun
did not exist. In the example shown, the pronouns
 lOENTlFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 183

her and she refer to A m y /A n ^ ls the antecedent of Errors o ftea ocdttr in sentences in which the fol­
the pronouns h er ahd s/iefT he pronoun it refers to lowing words and phrases serve -as antecedents to
garbage. G arbage is the antecedent of the pronoun it. pronouns: each, either, neither, the “ ones” (anyone,
On the SAT 0 , you may be asked to identify*er- no one, everyone, som eone ) and the “ bodies” (any­
rors that occur when pronouns and antecedents fail iq body, everyb o d y, nobody, som ebody), and a person.
agree with each other in number, gender, and person. With a few exceptions, these are singular words
should be followed by singular pronouns.
1. Agreement in Number Each of the boys is too busy to think about writ­
ing his practice essay.
If the antecedent is singular, the pronoun must be
Neither girt wants to be the first to deliver her
singular. If the antecedent is plural, die pronoun must
speech.
be plural. P roblem s w ith this simple rale occur when
antecedents are w ords like everyo n e, anybody, and Everybody in the class is looking for his folder.
each, words, that sound plural butrin standard usage In general, the rules governing agreement in
are considered singular. In informal speech, on the number between pronouns and antecedents resemble
other hand, th is distinction is observed mostly by the rules for agreement between subject and verb, ex­
those fo r w h o m standard usage is habitual. Because plained on pages 157-160;
you are beih g tested o n your knowledge of standard
a. Singular antecedents joined by or or nor require
English on the SA T U, you could do yourself a favor
singular pronouns.
by m aking* deliberate effort to abide by the rules of
standard E n glish in your own conversation, regard­ John Or Fred will wave his arms to signal the
less of bow unnatural it may sound at first start of the show.
Informal : Despite the evidence, everybody Neither Elite nor Sera wanted to attend her
■v - v*.. (singular) is sticking to their (plural) graduation ceremony. (If the antecedents are of
mixed sex—e.g.. Edit or Fred —the phrase furor
own side of thd story:
her could be used, although good writers sKunlhe
S tan d a r d : Despite the evidence, everybody phrase, preferring to alterthe structure of the sentence
(singular) is sticking to his (singular) in order to avoid using it.)
own side of the story.
Inform al : N obody (singular) on the team
b. Singular antecedents joined by and require plu­
thinks that th ey (plural) caused the ral pronouns. V \ -
~. defeat. "V •. * *\ M aryahne and her boyfriend took their seats in
* "S tanda rd ; N obody (singular) on the team the balcony . . ' •
thinks that sh e (singular) caused
c. Plural antecedents joined by and, or, or no r
th e defeat.
require plural pronouns. 5 .
The cow s and the horses were put back in their
stalls.
 184 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

2 . Agreement in Person; Shift in C o n s is t e n t : O n e c a n ’t p a ss b y the site of the

g roup h o m e w ithout feeling that
Pronoun Person h e did the right thing. .
Pronouns are categorized by p erso n : The revisedsentence could also have been writ­
• First person pronouns: /, we, tne, us, m y. m ine, ten in second person:
our, ou rs
Second person pronouns: you, your, yo u rs You can’t p a s s . . . etc.
Third person pronouns: she, he, it, one. they, Or, if one had wished to be very formal, the one
him , her, them , his, her, hers, its, their, . J one sequence might have been used:
th e irs, ours
O ne can't pass by the site of the group home,
Pronouns must be in the same person as their an­
without feeling that one did the right thing.
tecedents. Agreement in person is rarely a problem
except when a switch from one person to another oc­ Again, on the SAT II, look for consistency be­
curs in midsentence. Consistency is the key. tween pronouns and antecedents.
Inconsistent: When / (first person) walk m y
(first person) dog in that
neighborhood, yo u (second PRACTICE IN EXERCISE IN PRONOUN AGREEMENT
person) must follow a very strict
Some o f these sentences contain errors in* agreement
leash law.
between pronoun and antecedent or shifts in pronoyn
C onsistent: When y o u (second person)
person. Make corrections in the space provided.
walk yo u r (second person) dog
Some sentences are correct.
in that neighborhood, yo u
(second person) must follow a
very strict leash law. 1. The coach said that everyone on the football
team will be required to get their physicals by
The revised sentence could also have been re­ the start of Tuesday’s practice. #
written in first person: When / walk m y dog . . . /
i must follow ___
The need to be consistent applies also to the use of
2. When a person is laid off a job, ypu collect un­
indefinite pronouns, that is pronouns of indeterminate employment.
specificity;, such as all, any, anyone, each, none, noth-,
ing, one, several, many, and others. Indefinite pro­
nouns are u$paUy considered to be in the third person.
3. Each of the candidates for baseball’s Hall of
Fewfthird person) have ever served their (Hurd Fame told their stories to the reporters.
person) country with the fervor of Lieutenant
Green.
Somebody (third person) had his (third person) 4. Somebody on the girls’ volleyball team left
knapsack stolen last week. . their jacket in the locker room ..

Although masculine pronouns have long been

preferred, the custom is slowly dying. In an era when
sexual equivalence is a fact of life, the SAT II is not
likely to compel you to accede to the preference for
masculine pronouns, but you should know the cus­
tom anyway, and follow it if asked.

Inconsistent: One can't pass by the site of the

group home without feeling that
you did the right thing.
 IDENTIFYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 185

5. If you are prepared to deliver the speech to the P r o n o u n R e fe r e n c e

class, one can expect to take your turn on
. Monday.
Pronouns som etim es lead unwary w riters in to prob­
lem s o f clarity. Sentences in w hich a pronoun fa ils to
refer directly , to an antecedent, o ften c a lle d a f a u l t y
6. All o f his relatives have their ow n condos.
reference , may cause confusion and m a y , in fact,
convey a meaning that contradicts w hat the w riter a c ­
tually intended. Faults usually occur w h en th e refer­
7. Not one o f us likes to have their leg pulled. ence is either (1) am biguous, or (2) im plied.

, 1 A m b ig u o u s R e fe re n ce s
8. The trees were wearing its fall colors.
Som e references are am biguous b ecause the p ronou n
could refer to one.or more antecedents. -
9. I have a good time at parties because you get so T h e teacher told the student that it w a s tie r re­
much to eat. sp o n s ib le to hand out the books.

W h o is responsible? T he teacher or th e stu d en t?

B e ca u se the pronoun her m ay refer to e ith e r th e
10. Neither Mary nor Joanne has told their mother teacher or the student, the sen ten ce n e e d s to b e re­
the truth. written:
T h e teacher told the student that one of h e r re­
sponsibilities as teacher w a s to h a n d o u t b o o k s.
11.' If you want to get better at the piano, one really
needs to practice. A sen ten ce containing tw o or m o re p r o n o u n s ,
w ith am b igu ou s references can be p a rticu larly tro u ­
b le so m e and unclear:

12. All those w ho want to g o on the trip m ust bring * Mike becam e a good friend of M ark 's after h e
your m oney tomorrow. helped him repair his car. > .

W h o s e car n e e d e d fix in g ? W h o h e lp e d w h o m ?
T o a n sw e r th ese q u estio n s, the se n te n c e n e e d s t o b e
13. The library is again disp layin g their collection rewritten:.
o f rare books.
Mike and M ark becam e g o o d friends after M ark
helped Mike repair his car.

T h is v e rsio n is b etter, b u t it’s still u n c e r ta in w h o

14. In that class, our teacher h eld con feren ces w ith
o w n e d th e car. O n e w a y to s e t th e m e a n in g s tr a ig h t i s
us once a w eek.
to use m ore than o n e sentence:

W h e n M ark’s car n e ed ed repairs, M ik e helped

him d o the job. After that, M ike a n d M a tk b e ­
15. I find that I have to play every day in order to
c a m e g ood friends.
keep yourself in shape.
O n e c o m m o n w a y to r e v ise a s e n t e n c e c o n t a in ­
in g an a m b ig u o u s p ronou n r efe re n c e is to r e p la c e th e
p ro n o u n w ith a n o u n . I f that p r o v e s to b e s t y l i s t i c a l l y
Answers on page 255. a w k w a r d , th e se n te n c e m ay n e e d a th o r o u g h o v e r -
 186 SAT II: WRITING/MULTIPLE-CHOCE QUESTIONS

haul. In the usage section o f the SAT II, however, all l n .^ K e s e / s n p v e l . ( ^ H eiy O ver the ^
you need to do is recognize' the problem. ‘ Cuckoo's Nest, he describes life in a mental ,
ward.
A mbiguous: Amie showed his brother Ken
a copy of a photo'he had taken. ' The pronoun h e obviously refers to Kesey, but
i (Who took the picture?) *7 the word Kesey does not appear in the sentence, and
K esey’s, a possessive noun, is not an viable substi­
C lear : Amie showed a copy of a photo he
• ,, had taken to his brother Ken. tute. Therefore, tfie sentence must be rewritten.

A mbiguous : When Dave phoned his father, In the novel One Fle w O ve/ the Cuckoo's N e st,.
- w’ * he.:wasn’t feeling well the author, Ken Kesey, describes life in a mental
(Who felt ill?) ward.
C lear : Dave felt in when he phoned his Here are more sentences that illustrate the use of
father. pronouns without definite antecedents:
A mbiguous: Marie told her mother that Indefinite: In my school, you may leave the
she was working too harth building when you are not in class.
v ' (Who was woridng too hard?) ; . S tandard: In my school; students may leave
C lear: Marie said to her mother, "I’m the building when they are not in
woridng too hard." class.
On the SA T II, be vigilant any time you come Indefinite: The players’ antics surprised the
across a pronoun. Check carefully to see that it refers * fans because they had never
directlyand clearly to a specific noun or another pn>r been so silly before.
noun. If it doesn’t, you may have located a pronoun S tandard: B ecause their antics had never
reference error. been so silly, the players
» surprised the crowd.
Indefinite: During halftime, they sold >f. 1
cookies and soft drinks.
2 . Im p lie d Reference S tandard: During fire halftime, the pep squad
. members sold cookies and soft
An implied reference occurs when the idea to which ‘ - b rin k s. ' 1
the pronoun refers is not actually stated. Rather, it is
In standard usage, the pronoun it may sometimes
suggested by die sentence or inferred by the reader.
be used without a definite antecedent. It Is perfectly
Errors o f this kind frequently involve the pronouns it,
acceptable,.for instance, to use it as it appears at the
they, and you and the relative pronouns which, that,
beginning o f the sentence you are now reading. It
and this.
also may be employed in such expressions a s li's go­
In everyday speech, pronouns, are used freely,
ing to snow, it says here, it seems that, it is m orning,
despite imprecise references:
and others. On the SA T II, however, you should be
On the news last night, they said that unemploy­ as wary o f it as you arc o f all other pronouns. ■>r
ment is down again.
it says that a
Impued : On the front page,
Both the speaker and the listener know that they UFO w as sighted in Ohio.
refers to the newscaster. The message is clear. In (What is itl N o doubt the front page, but a
standard English, though, a pronoun needs a more proper antecedent may not be part o f a prepositional
definite antecedent or the pro n o u n n eed s to be re ­ phrase.) ^
placed with a noun: C lear: T h e front p a c e 0- the newspaper
says that a UFO was sighted in
On the news last night Pete^Jennings said that
Ohio.
unemployment is down again.
Impued: Robin Hood was an outlaw who
Pronouns are often mistakenly used to refer to a stole from the rich and gave it
possessive: to the poor.
 I0 E !^ TIF Y IN 6 -S E N T E N C S -P 3 R C R Q U E S TIO N S '<?'

(C ertainly it re fe rs to m o n e y , je w e lry , a n d o th e r Implied: T h e girls arrived u n p r e p a r e d for a

booty, b u t th e a n te c e d e n t is n o t stated .) long hike, w h ic h T e d th o u g h t was
u n a c c s o ta b le
C lear : Robin Hood w as an outlaw who
C lear : T e c tho u g n t t ^was u n a c c e p ta b le for
stole m oney from the rich and
th e girts to arrive u n p r e p a r e d for a
g ave it to the poor.
long hike.
Implied: A good listener n e e d s to be patient,
Im pued : H e did n ’t m e a n to b e disrespectful,
and Frank d o e s not have it
b u t th is did n ot im p ro v e th e situation.
(It probably m eans “ patience,” b ut the w ord is only
C lear : A lthough h is d is r e s p e c t w a s
implied; the verbal, to be p a tie n t, m ay not serve as an
j antecedent.) unintentional, th e situ atio n dicf n o t
im prove.
C lear : a good listener n e e d s patience, a
quality that Frank lacks. Occasionally, a pronoun refers to an antecedent »
too far removed in the sentence to make the relation­
A problem w ith the relative pronouns w h ich ,
ship clear, and at other times a pronoun may appear
\ that, and th is arises w h en writers try to establish a tie
to refer to the wrong antecedent.
’ j between the pronoun and several item s in a series
M is p l a c e d : H arry w o re h i s n e w h a t to th e
At Thanksgiving our family e a ts a big turkey din­
park , w h ic h is b lu e a n d h a s a big
ner, then view s a ta p e of last y ear’s celebration,
w hite “C ” o n th e front.
I and finally, sings s o n g s around th e piano, which
m akes Thanksgiving m y favorite holiday. (One C lear : Harry came to the park wearing
might wonder precisely what makes the holiday spe­ his new blue hat with a big white
“C ” on the front.
cial. Is it the turkey? The video? The singing? The
writer is probably implying that the spirit o f family to­ M ispl a c e d : W hen ! wanted to put the d o llh o u se
getherness makes Thanksgiving his favorite holiday. away in the closet, its door was
W but family unity is never stated. Therefore, the pro­ stuck.
s' noun which lacks a specific antecedent.) C lear : W hen I wanted to put the dollhouse
aw ay, I found the closet door
In lik e m ann er, w atch fo r rela tiv e pronouns that
stuck.
ate im properly u sed to refer to rather general or am-
1 1biguous id e a s in stea d o f to s p e c ific nou ns and pro- Because sentences containing misplaced pro­
I nouns. nouns are so obviously faulty, it is improbable that
you’ll find any on the SAT II, but you never can be
I Hom eless people a cc u s e the m ayor of indiffer­
ence to their plight, which h a s been disproved.
certain.
(What has been disproved? That an accusation was
I leveled at the mayor? That the mayor is indifferent?
The intended meaning is unclear because w hich has
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN PRONOUN REFERENCE
no distinct antecedent)
S om e o f the sentences tfcat follow contain faulty pro­
A good doctor m u st b e considerate and suppor­ noun references. W nteythe offen ding pronoun in the
tive, but that is not J o n e s ’s forte. (Th e antecedent
sp ace provided. .Som e sentences are correct.
of that is only implied. A more specific antecedent
would make the sentence clearer.)
1. M rs. Parker lo v es to knit and spends m ost o f her
Im p l ie d : S o m e students prefer H e m ing w ay
tim e d o in g it.;
to-The Hobbit, which m akes for
m o re interesting cla ss discussions.
C lear: S o m e stu d e n ts’ preference for
H e m in g w a y o v e r The Hobbit 2. I an sw ered th e test questions, c o llected m y pen­
m a ke s for m o re interesting class c ils and pens, and handed them in.
* d iscu ssion s.
 189 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

1 3. Peg told Harvey that she wanted only a short 14. Its economy is in disarray, but Russia will
wedding trip to Bermuda, which lies at the root, weather die crisis.
o f their problem. •

15. His father had taught him how to survive in the

. 4. In San Francisco they have many wonderful res- woods, which saved his life.
-taurants.

16. She's written a great deal o f fiction, but she Has

5 . I f the chairs are arranged in a circle, it will be never shown them to anyone.
m ore effective.
\ 1 \ ______ '_______________ ;_______ .
17. Karen smokes a pack a day, drives like a ma­
6. His father let him know that he had only an hour niac, and never does her schoolwerk, which
makes her father very angry. ,
to get to the airport

18. The Cossacks’ attitude toward women is hostile,

7. In the paper it says who won the swim meet
since they believe that women are like their per­
sonal slaves.

8. During Roosevelt's admininstration, be sent

troops to fight in the Pacific. 19. Sharon loves to ski and believes it to be the king
of all sports.

9. In some states you can get a driver’s license at

age 15. 20. After the interview, Mike told Tom that he j
thought Dartmouth was a good place to spend 1
four years.
10. Henry, an ambulance driver, disapproves of
war, but drives it to the front lines.
21. Frankie has been interested in playing major i
• league baseball, and he aspires to be one soms-
11. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, he writes day.
about the American Dream.

22. If they won’t sell anymore tickets, it means that

12. When teenagers loiter outside the theatef on Fri­ they are sold ou t
day night, they give you a hard time.

23. Sara is studying social work in college and

13. In the early ’80s, they hadn’t even heai4 of would like to become one when she graduates
AIDS. next year. : ,:
 IDENT1FVM3-SENTENCE-ERROB QUESTIONS 189

24. Rob has a part-time jo b at the boatyard and as gerunds, lymri* that sound like verbs because of
spends every sum m er on the water, which is at their -ing endings.)
the root o f his interest in going to Annapolis.
Alternatively, the sentence m ight have been con­
structed with verbs in parallel form:
v ■'
25. If someone buys an old used car, he had better I like to ski, hike, take pictures, and run.
be prepared to pay for repairs. To identify faulty parallelism on the S A T II, you
need to know the features o f parallel construction:

Answers on page 255. 1. Parallel ideas in a series should be expressed in

the same grammatical form. E ach-idea should be
equally important to the meaning and structure o f the
sentence. Parallel ideas are frequently joined by the
P arallel C o n s t r u c t io n conjunctions and, but,fo r, or, yet, so o r nor.

Her parents objected to the loud m usic she

Imagine driving along a road w hen all o f a sudden
i p la ye d and to the late hours she kept. (The paral­
c the parallel lines betw een the lanes start to spread, lel ideas are grammatically identical. Both are prepo­
| then converge, -overlap and turn into zigs and zags. sitional phrases, to the loud mbsic, and to the late
f Confusing, right? A nd dangerous, too. W hile it’s not hours, followed by a pronoun, she, and past tense of a
quite as perilous for phrases and clauses to lack par­ verb, played and kept)
allelism, like the road, a sentence containing unbal- After graduation sh e prom ised to turn the vol­
| anced ideas m ay be in need o f repair. Orderly con- um e dow n and fo com e hom e earlier. (The coor­
j struction in a sentence keeps the arrangement o f dinated ideas consist df infinitive forms of verbs, to
I parallel ideas set side* b y side in the same grammati- turn, to come, followed by a noun, volume and home.
1 cal form, f o r exam ple, a sentence describing the con- and an adverb, down and earlier.)
E tents of a school locker m ight read this w ay :
2, W hen used to com pare or contrast, parallel
The locker held a down jacket, sweat pants, ideas should be grammatical equivalents.
three sneakers, two left-handed gloves, an un- ,
used lunch, a broken ski pole, a hockey puck, G oing out to e at no longer thrills m e a s m uch a s
[ six used tissues, a cheap camera, and a hiking to co o k at home. (The gerund going out should not '
boot. be paired with the infinitive to cook)
' G o in g out to eat no longer thrills me a s much a s
Every item on this inventoiy is the name of an
co okin g at home.
1 object, each expressed in essentially the same gram-
They are worried more about public opinion than
I matical form— a noun preceded by one or two adjec-
for what the effect of the prop osal m ay be.
| tives. No problem. When the owner of the locker
| wrote a list o f favorite pastimes, however, the sen- (The prepositional phrase about public opinion
should not be paired with the clause what the effect o f
t tence lost its balance. *
\ the proposal may be.)
The contents of my locker reveal that I like ski­ They are worried more about public opinion than
ing, hiking, to take pictures, and running. about the effect of the proposal.
The message is clear, but the phrase “ to take pic-
3. Parallel ideas are often expressed with pair* rv'
! lures'' is but o f sync with the other items on the list. It
wojds like either/or, neither/nor, whether/or, oouv
is not parallel to the -ing words on the list. To bring
and, and not only/but also. Such pairs signal the pres­
1 ail the items into line, the sentence needs revision.
ence oi parallel construction in a sentence. Usage er­
* I like skiing, hiking, taking pictures, and running. rors occur when one or the other 9 f the pair is situated
(All the item s are stated as nouns— m ore specifically too far from the parallel ideas.

S
 190 SAT II: WRITING/MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

■ Rumors to the contrary, peanut butter sandwiches

I either p Ian to invite my aunt or my uncle to go
and marriage are not equivalents.) <
with me to the movies. (The signaJ word-e ith e r is
too tar removed from the parallel phrases, my a u n t Before getting m arried on W ednesday, Marge
and mv u n c le . Its placement misleads the reader into ate a peanut butter sandw ich.
thinking that the verb p la n is one df the parallel ideas. or O n W ednesday, after eating a peanut butter
The sentence needs to be revised.) sandwich, M arge gof m arried. (Subordinating one
I plan to invite either my aunt or my uncle to go o f the ideas restores ttie logic, however bizarre.) £
with me to the movies.
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN PA R A LL EL CONSTRUCTION
Signal words need to b e p la c e d W here th e y
d early distinguish parallel ideas. L o o k for- fla w s ih p a ra lle l .c o n str u c tio n in the sen­
te n c e s b e lo w . W rite a c o r r e c te d v e r s io n o f the .of­
Po o r: Alice both started on the basketball fe n d in g w ord or p h ra s e in th e sp a c e provided. Some4
and the volleyball te a m s .
s e n te n c e s m a y be C orrect.
P roper : Alice started o n b o th th e basketball
and the volleyball te a m s . 1 M is . Taylof is interesting, humorous, and in- S
sp ir es her classes to do better.
4. W hen articles, p r e p o s itio n s , and c o n ju n c tio n s
appear before the first in a s e n e s o f p a ra llel w o r d s , th e y
m ay have to be repeated b e fo r e th e o th er s in th e s e r ie s 2. The announcer not only was accused of being a
as w ell. b ig o t but too stupid to continue working at the
Our mechanic did a better jpb on m y c a r th a n station.
his.
(It's u n clear w h eth er tw o m echanics w orked o n the
sam e c a r o r one m echanic w orked on tw o cars. T o 3. Since Jenny started taking AP Math, she has
c le a r up the confusion, the preposition on should be worked harder and fewer parties.
repeated.)
Our mechanic did a better job o n my car than on
his. 4. Her job consisted mostly of writing and typing
Sometimes repeating an article is necessary. letters, reports and various types ,of telephone 1
calls.
Before accepting the offer, Dick spoke with the
president and treasurer of the company. (It’s un­
clear w h eth er D ick spoke w ith tw o people o r with
5. Mike likes to go to bed early and getting up
o n e p erso n h o ld in g tw o jo b s. R e p eatin g th e clarifies
th e m ean in g .)
early to do his work. -Z m M

Before accepting th§ offer, Dick spoke with the

president and the treasurer of the company.
6. My eat Sylvia was short-haired, affectionate; in­
5. Parallel ideas should be logical equivalents. telligent, and disappeared for days at a time.
J im i s s ix feet tall, kind, and a New Yorker.
(Physical features, personality traits, and place of resi­
dence are not logically coordinated ideas.) 7. Maddie hasn’t vet decided whether to be an art
Jim, a six-foot tall New Yorker, is kind. (Still not historian or commercial art.
terribly logical, this sentence at least emphasizes onl>
one of Jim’s qualities—his kindness.)
On Wednesday, Marge not only ate a peanut 8. The audience at the graduation ceremony
butter sandwich but got married. both felt pnde and satisfaction when the
(This sentence is grammatically perfect, but unless its announcement was made.
purpose is to get a laugh, it flies in the face of logic.
 * IDENT1FYING-SENTENCE-ERR0R QUESTIONS 191

q The policem an w alked into the courtyard, got 20. I feel that Adam has the ability to wiu his
caught m a crossfire, and w as shot in the chest. match, he'll defeat Tommy in the sectionals,
and he’ll emerge eventually as the best wrestler
in the state.
10. Either way, N at expects to m ove to the country
bem use he loves nature and live sim ply because
he d o esn 't have m uch m oney. Answ ers on page 256.

11. The kids h ad not only scattered their books all

over the bus but also the sidew alk.

English Idiom
j2. His ideal house w ould be in a good location,
. with land around it, and w ith a view'. idiom, like diction, discussed earlier (pages 172-
178). is related to word choice. An idiom is a group
of words or an expression peculiar to the language
13. Joan's pencil was broken, yellow , and came that cannot be explained logically orgrammatic JJy.
from this box. It exists, as a custom of usage known to all who use
the standard tongue. Most native speakers of the lan­
guage have learned idioms as naturally as they
14. His training in design would, help him to know learned to w'alk.
how to furnish the house sim ply and decorating T h e hikers decided to walk to the mountain.
would be sim ple, loo. . / ' T h e hikers arrived at the mountain.
T h e hikers ca m ped on the mountain..

15. The landlady told him that he could not have a Any native speaker of English know s the differ­
hotplate in his room and showers after 11 :Q0 ences in meaning conveyed by the prepositional
o ’clock. phrases to the mountain, at the mountain, and on the
m ountain. For someone just learning to speak* Eng­
lish. however, *‘arrive to the mountain” would make
perfect .,ense. After all, since one goes to the store, to .
16. On the other hand, hearing no car horns and
• the subway and to the beach, why not arrive to .the '
buses and to be m iles from friends may cause
mountain as well? The answer is plain; it's not idi­
, him to be bored and restless. .
omatic English. J •v
Actually, the. English language is filled with
u ords. expressions, and phrases that defy rational ex­
17. Either the m ouse will find a quick w ay into the planation but are still considered standard usage. We
attic or w ill gnaw at d iv id in g for days. say “ three-Toot ruler” when we mean "three-feet."
A building “ bums dow n,'' a piece of paper “ bums
up. ■’and.stew in a pot just ‘‘bums. ’*Both flam m able
18. City living is exciting, convenient, and provides and inflammable mean the same thing—easily set on
plenty o f entertainm ent. fire. Why these and many other such quirks exist is .
anyone’s guess. We accept them without question
because thev are simply part ot’pur language.
19. Maybe after he wins the lottery', h e ’ll have an On the SAT II you may firid sentences contain­
apartment in town, a house in the country, and ing faulty idiom. To identify errors in idiom you
find a jo b in the suburbs. must follow your instincts and your ear for the lan-
guage./There are no specific guidelines to help you
 182 SAT U: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

u n ta n g le p r o b le m s in id io m . An* a w k w a r d s o u n d in g F aulty : Phil and George are ready for

w o r d o r p h r a s e m a y b e th e m o s t te llin g c lu e t o th e working at a moment’s notice.
(Faulty use o f verb)
p r e s e n c e o f fa u lty id io m .
S tandard : Phil and George are ready to work
The First Amendment is invoked in those times at a moment’s notice.
when journalists are asked to disclose their
sources; (T he phrase uuhose tim es is awkward. R e­ F aulty : The story is filled up with allusions toi
place in with at, w hich often refers to tune — a t four Norse mythology. (Unnecessary
o ’clock, a t the turn o f the Century—or, better, delete preposition added to verb)
the phrase altogether.) S tandard : The story is filled with allusions to 1
The First Amendment is invoked when journal­ Norse mythology. '
ists are asked to disclose their sources. (This re­ C olloquial : Susan can’t help but think that she
vised sentence is not only m ore graceful but m ore * lost her purse at the bus station, i
econ om ical than the o r ig in a l.). (G ram m atically correct, but non­
A knight wad faithful.to his king, to his church, standard. O n d ie S A T II, there-
and to his lady, and he would gladly die in the fore, this w o u ld b e an exam ple o f ;
nam e of them. (The phrase in the nam e o f them is faulty id io m .)
gram m atical but awkward.) S tandard : Susan can’t help thinking that she
A knight w as faithful to his king, to his church, lest her purse at the bus station.
' and to his lady, and he would gladly die in their C olloquial : When last seen, die man carried
name. a kind o f a knapsack. (Colloquially,
a ccep ta b le, but a nonstandard usage.) f
Each error in English idiom is unique. Although
S tandard : When last seen , the man carried d
m any errors involve the faulty use" o f prepositions,
’ a kind of knapsack. H
you m ay ju st as easily find liberties taken w ith verbs,
adverbs o r any other part o f speech. Faulty idiom
m ay .distort a com m on English Expression or be a PRACTICE EXERCISE IN ENGLISH IDIOM
colloquial usage that a Writer has tried to pass o ff as Identify the errors in English idiom in the following!
standard. T ' sentences. Write revised versions in the spaces pro­
F aulty : My parents are not exactly strict in vided. Some sentences m ay contain no error. W
when i should be home on
Saturday night. (Faulty u s e o f ... 1. It was an honor to die at battle for their religion.
p reposition)
S tandard : My parents a r e not exactly strict
about when I should be home on ^
Saturday night.
F aulty: In appreciation about her service to i. After the cerem ony, the new lyw eds ascended up
the shelter, she was given the the stairs.
Voiunteer-of-the-Month Award.
(Incorrect us$ of idiomatic phrase)
S tandard: In appreciation of her service to the
. shelter, she was given the
Volunteer-of-the-Month Award.
F aulty: There was no opposition in regards 3 . I hope that the admissions office w ill comply to
to the showing of the "R” rated film. my request for .an extension.
(Incorrect use of idiomatic phrase)
S tandard: There was no opposition with
regard to the showing of the “R”
rated film.
 IDENTIFY1NG-SENTENCE-ERR0R QUESTIONS 193

Unless the call comes soon, we will lose out on 12. Mary doubts if she’ll continue to nm the carai**1
a lucrative business venture. t&l next year.

5. When she returned, it felt as though she’d never 13. The fugitive was capable to do anything to
been away. avoid capture.

6. Please type up your paper and submit it tomorrow. Among other things, the Bill of Rights guar an­
tees freedom from religion and the press.

7. For the first time, Rita felt independent from her

9 to 5 schedule. 15. He was the type of a student who said little, in
class but wrote long papers.

The posse went in pursuit after the horse thieves.

16. No new plans were developed in respect to the
environment.

9. As a child he had a great interest for dinosaurs

and other prehistoric creatures. * 17 . The two agencies must cooperate in cases where
interstate commerce is concerned-

10. The two teachers walked down the corridor ar­

guing against each other about the plan. j g Columbus sailed west in search for a way to-the
•___________ :_________ _____ :--------- ' Indies. H I Im

11. When they looked closely at the wreck, they

couldn’t help to see that the car was traveling 19. The soldiei could not endurejhat kind of a pain'
too fast: without passing put.
 194 S ^ T II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

20. T h e Children are w aiting on the bus to arrive. the pronouns. If / seem s to fit, you ’re in Group l; if
m e fits better, use Group 2.
Elvis asked that (he. h im ) and (she, her) practice
handstands.

Insert m e in place o f one o f the pronouns. That i

A n sw e rs on p a g e 256. will give you:
Elvis asked that m e practice handstands. *V
Level 3 usage problems Since nobody would say that seriously, I must be j
S entences containing these errors have the word'that fits:
ap p eared o n m ost previous tests. EM s asked that /practice handstands.
P ro n o u n choice, below . • So the pronouns you need come from Group 1, |
I M odifiers, page 197 and the correct version of the original sentence ’
j D o u b le negatives, p ag e 199 would be: - s '.
Elvis asked that he and she practice handstands.

Now, if you can observe a few more rules, you

should be well-equipped to handle most of the pro-
P r o n o u n C h o ic e - noun errors that may appear on the SAT II.

E lev en co m m o n E nglish pronouns— I. m e. he. she, 1. Use Group 1 (nominative case) pronouns in the
h im , h er. th ey, them , w e, a s and yo u — cau se m ore subject of sentences and in the predicate nominative—^
co n fu sio n than alm o st an y o th er w ords in the lan­ i.e., words in the predicate that identify, define, or
g u ag e. M o st o f the tim e you c a n probably d ep en d o n mean the same as the subject. *
y o u r e a r to tell you w h a t’s rig h t and w h a t’s w rong.
F o r ex am p le, y o u ’d n ev er say. “ L et I o f f ! '' to the Then he and / went home, (he and I = subject)
b u s d riv er. B ut so m etim es y o u c a n ’t rely o n the When we went out for pizza, he and she fought
so u n d o f a sentence. T h en it helps to know- that th o se over the check, (he a n d she = subject) 19
e lev en tro u b leso m e p ro n o u n s fall into tw o g ro u p s: T h e person in the photo is /. (person = subject; 1 .
= predicate nominative—i.e., pronoun with same *h
C ro u p 1 C ro u p 2 meaning as subject)
Th e instructors in the course were he and Don­
I me
ald. (instructors - subject; he = predicate nominative)
he h im .
She % | her
th ey th e m 2. Use Group 2 (objective case) pronouns when
we us the pronoun shows up in a phrase with a preposition, as j
you you in: ■; -

In grammatical terms, the pronouns in the first B E T W E E N you and m e, T O Sherry and her,
A M O N G us women, A T us, F R O M her and him,
group are in the nominative case; pronouns in the
W IT H m e and you.
second group are in the objective case.
Remember that you mustn’t mix pronouns from _ 3. Use group 2 pronouns when the pronoun refers
different cases in the'same phrase. You m ay not, for ex­ to the person to whom something is being done.
ample, use such pairs as she and them or they and us. Terry invited him to to th e prom .
Any time you need a pair of pronouns and you
T he w aiter g a v e her a n d m e o ra n g e soda.
know that one of them is correct, you can easily pick
the other from the same, group. If you don't know 4. To find the correct pronoun in a comparison, a
either pronoun, though, substitute / or me for one of in “ Jackie runs faster than (her, she)," first complete
 ID E N T IF Y IN G -S E N T E N C E -E R R O R Q U E S T IO N S 195

tfje co m p a riso n w ith t h e v e r b th a t w o u ld fo llo w n atu - I h o p e y o u don’t mind m e intruding on your c o n ­

fall)'- T h at w ill te ll y o u w h ic h p r o n o u n to u se . v e rs a tio n . (Here intruding is a participle.)

Jackie runs faster*than sh e runs. W hether an -ing word is a gerund or a participle

My brother has bigger feet than / do. often depepds on em phasis. If the em phasis is on the
B e c a u s e y o u w o u ld n e v e r s a y “ J a c k ie r u n s fa s te r action, the word is a gerund, which requires a p o sse s­
,| than her r u n s ’ ’ n o r “ M y b r o th e r h a s b ig g e r f e e t th a n siv e pronoun. If the em phasis lies on the pronoun m ore
I ^ d o ,” th e c o r r e c t p r o n o u n s a r e she a n d / : than on the action, the word is a participle, w h ich re­
quires an objective pronoun. If thifc con fu ses yo u , take
Jackie runs faster than she .
heart. It’s reasonably safe to say that on the S A T II y o u
My brother has bigger feet than /. w o n ’t be tested on any principle as am biguous as this
A p p ly th e s a m e p r in c ip le t o c o m p a r is o n s u s in g as. one. N evertheless, the rule is worth know ing.

Carol is a s tough as h e is.

She is twice as fast as th e y are.
The department could u se a stronger leader
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN PRONOUN CHOICE
such as s h e is.
F in d th e p r o n o u n e rr o r s in the follow in g sen tences.
A w om an such as t am could solve the problem.
W r it e th e correct: p r o n o u n in th e space provided.
5. W h e n a p r o n o u n is s id e b y s id e w ith a n o u n (we S o m e s e n t e n c e s c o n t a in n o erro rs.
[ boys, us w o m e n ) . ’ e l i m i n a t e th e n o u n to d e te r m in e
! which p r o n o u n t o u s e . 1. T h e b i g g e s t d if f e r e n c e b e t w e e n h e r and I i s our

(W e. Us) seniors decided to take a da y off from v ie w o n ab ortion -.

school in late M a y. (B y d ro p p in g th e n o u n se n io rs,

you c a n easily tell w h ich p ro n o u n is co rrect. S ince no
one would say ‘ ' U s d e c id e d to ta k e .” w e is clearly
the correct choice ) 2. M y a u n t s e n t S a m a n d I a c a le n d a r f o r the n ew

v. This aw ard w a s p re sented to (we. u s) students .v e a r .

by the teachers. (D ro p th e n o u n stu d e n ts, an d the
proper c h o ic e o f p ro n o u n b e c o m e s c le a r.)

This aw ard w a s p re se nte d to u s b y the teachers.

3. W e re g o i n g t o a s k G retch en and h e to g o to the
6. Use possessive pronouns (my. our. your. his. m o v i e s o n Saturday.
her, their) before a gerund, a noun that looks like a verb
because o f its -ing ending.
H e r asking the que stion s h o w s that sh e is aiert. 4. Remember, t h is s e c r e t is s tr ic tly b e t w e e n y o u
c (Asking is a gerund.)
and I.
Mother w a s upset a bo ut y o u r o p e n in g the pre­
sents too so o n . ( O pening is a gerund.)
Th eir co m in g h o m e late u p se t the e v e n in g ’s
p la n s . (Coming is a g e r u n d .) 5. U s w o m e n .take se xu al harassm ent very seri­
o u s ly .
Not every word writh an -ing ending, is a gerund.
Sometimes it’s a participle that modifies the pronoun.
Such cases usually cal! for pronouns from the objective
case. 6 . A re y o u exp ectin g; Jon ath an and h e to c a ll to

night.
I hope you don’t mind my intruding on your con­
versation. (Here intruding is a gerund.)
 t
196 S A T II: W RITING / M ULTIPLE-CHOICE Q UESTIO NS

7. Y o u apparently m isu n d e rsto o d that m e s sa g e 20. T h e y k n o w it w a s h im w h o to o k th e k e y s .

that J o e a nd h im le ft b eh in d .

21. T h e o ff ic e had n 't b e e n to ld o f th e m c o m in g to

8. H im and I p la n to d r iv e to D an b u ry ton ight. p ic k up th e k e y s.

9. T h e m s in g in g at th e to p o f th eir lu n g s distu rb ed 22. T ru d y sa id that sh e h a s n ’t s e e n S a lly or him all |

th e q u iet n eig h b o rh o o d . ' day.

10. M a rie is g o in g to treat H o lly and m e to lu n ch On 23. T h e y r efu sed to le t u s b o y s in to th e b u ild in g

F rid ay.
a fter dark.

• 1 1 . T im is m o r e in ter e sted in a p p ly in g to C o lg a te
24. D id y o u h ear a b o u t h im f a llin g a n d breaking his
th a n her.
fo o t? aI

1 2 . D id y o u sta y a s lo n g a s th e m at th e d a n c e ?
25. H im a n d m e a lte m a te d d r iv in g th e car, despite
h is r e fu s in g fo r e n e w h is lic e n s e . - ^

13: T h e g r o u p a s k e d u s g u y s to p itc h in o n th e d r iv e
fo r c a n n e d g o o d s .
' 2 6 . N in a w a s o b v io u s ly f e e l i n g b e tte r th a n her after
th e a c c i d e n t / -
ft
14. The last match of the season was a tie between
the Tigers and they.
11 : 23 St 2 7 . S ix o f th e m v is it e d R o g e r a n d I a fte r th e
cerem on y.

15. The last time I saw him, he was as tall as me. if

not taller. ;
28. Since I had a test. I told them that Mark and hiir
could have the tickets.
a BBS '
16. The proceeds, we thifik, should be given equally
to my sister and I. ^ : ~ ~
29. I never sppke with them, neither she nor her
. sister. ' .H i
17. You questioning their authority really upset them.

30. The superintendent promised to hold the

18. How could anyone enjoy them arguing the apartment for we girls.
whole time?

19. The job could never have been done without Answers on page 256.
him and I.
 ID E N T }F Y IN G -S E N T E N C E -E R R Q R Q U E S T IO N S 197

VVho and Whom 1f M odifiers

The ru les fo r p e r s o n a l p r o n o u n u s a g e a p p ly a ls o to
y/ho and t o whom. 4 W o r d s , p h r a s e s , a n d c la u s e s are o ft e n u s e d t o m o d ­
1. U s e who ( o r whoever) f o r a ll s u b je c ts . if y , th at is , to te ll s o m e th in g a b o u t o r to lim it a p a r ­
ticu la r w o r d o r s ta te m e n t.
E v e ry o n e who w a n ts p iz z a , s t e p fo rw ard ,
p le a s e . (The pronoun w h o is the subject o f the veib H arold c lo s e d th e r e d d o o r. (The adjective r e d tells
w ants.) som ething about the noun d o o r. Therefore, r e d
‘‘modifies** d o o r.) ' .
%. U s e whom ( o r whomever) w h e n it is a n o b je c t
o f the p r e p o s itio n . At th e s to r e , M a u d e b o u g h t a n e w th e r m o m e te r
th a t w a s g u a ra n te e d to b e a c c u ra te . (The clause
R e e d w a s a m a n in w h o m m a n y p e o p le p la c e d th a t w a s g u a ra n te e d to b e a ccu ra te modifies the
their tru st. (The pronoun w h o m com es after the noun th e rm o m e te r because it tells something about
preposition in .) the therm om eter.)
3. U $ e whom w h e n it r e fe r s t o th e p e r so n to w h o m
som eth in g i s b e in g d o n e . M isp laced M odifiers
T h e n e w s e c re ta ry , w h o m w e h ire d to d a y , looks
like c o m p e te n t p e r s o n . (The pronoun w h o m is the M o d ifie r s m u s t b e p la c e d s o that th e y m o d ify th e
object o f the verb Aired. .Consequently, w h o m and not 1 right w o r d s an d n o oth ers.
' w ho, is the correct choice.) Martini only lo v e s S h a ro n . (Here only modifies
, 4. Who a n d whom a re a ls o u s e d t o a s k q u e s tio n s. lo v e s,) and if M artin feels nothing but love for
Sharon—*io adm iration, awe, respect, or any other
As in ter r o g a tiv e p r o n o u n s , th e y f o ll o w th e s a m e ru les
emotion— then the modifier is aptly situated. If, how­
as person al p r o n o u n s .
ever, the sentence is intended to state that M artin has
W h o left h is s o c k s in t h e k itch en ? but one love, Sharon, then o n ly is misplaced. Prop­
erty placed, o n ly should come either before or after
(T h e p r o n o u n who is n e e d e d b e c a u s e it is th e
S h a ro n .)
s u b je c t o f th e v e r b left.)
M artin lo v e s o n ly S h aro n .
J o w h o m w a s th e le tte r a d d r e s s e d ? or
(T h e p r o n o u n whom is n e e d e d b e c a u s e it is the M artin lo v es S h a ro n o n ly.
o b j e c t o f th e p r e p o s itio n to.) Nicky d e c id e d w h e n s h e h a d fin ish e d th e jo b to
W h o m d o y o u tr u s t?
quit, (hi this sentence, the clause w hen sh e h o d fin -
ish ed is die modifier. But it's hard to tell w hetherit
(T h e p r o n o u n whom is n e e d e d b e c a u s e it i s the modifies d e c id e d o r q u it. If it modifies d ecid ed ,
o b je c t o f th e v e r b do trust. ) . Nicky m ade her decision to quit after she had com ­
A g o o d w a y t o t e ll w h ic h in te r r o g a tiv e p r o n o u n to* pleted the work. If it modifies q u it. Nicky probably
use is to su b stitu te he f o r who an d him fo r whom. I f th e made her decision to quit at some point before she fin­
substitution w o r k s , y o u w ill h a v e c h o s e n th e co rrect ished the w o rk .) .r
pronoun. * W h e n s h e h a d finished th e job, Nicky d e c id e d to
quit.
{W ho, W hom ) left h is s o c k s in th e k itch en ? {H e
Nicky d e c id e d to quit w h en s h e finished th e job.
left his socks in the kitchen. Since h e fits and Aim
(Now the m eaning o f both sentences is
does not, the correct pronoun is w h o .)
unambiguous.)
To {w ho, w h o m ) w a s th e-lette r a d d r e s s e d ? (It
was addressed to h im . Since h im fits and h e doesn't, S e n t e n c e s o n th e S A T II s o m e tim e s c o n ta in m is ­
the correct pronoun is w hom .) p la c e d m o d ifie r s th a t c lo u d th e m e a n in g . T o a v o id
(Who, W hom) d o y o u tru st ? (W e trust h im . Since a m b ig u ity , m o d if ie r s s h o u ld b e as c lo s e as p o s s i b le
Aim fits and h e doesn’t, the correct pronoun is w hom .) to th e w o r d s th e y m o d ify .
 536 S A T If: W RITING / M ULTIP LE-CHO ICE Q U ES TIO N S

^Misplaced: Philip d o n a te d h is old car to a charity W h ile J e n n y a n d D a v e p ic n ic k e d in the park,

that no longer ran Well. (The modifier that no a n ts in v ad ed th e Com ch ip s. (The clause While
m longer run w ell is too far from car. the u orcLit Jenny a n d .. . . salves the problem.) |
modifies.) D a n g l in g : A t th e a g e o f te n , m y family
C lear: Philip d o n a te d his old c a r that ho longer e m ig ra te d from P o lan d .
ran well to a charity. C lear : W h e n I W as te n , m y family
M isplaced: T h e bow ling alley le n d s out s h o e s to e m ig ra te d from P o lan d .
its c u s to m e rs of all sizes. (The modifier o f a ll D a n g l in g : W h ile ta lk in g o n th e p h o n e , the
sizes should bb closer to shoes, the word it m odi­ ste w b u rn e d jn th e pot.
fies.)
C lear : W h ile I ta lk e d o n th e p h o n e , the
C lear: T h e bow ling alley le n d s o u t s h o e s of all s te w b u r n e d in th e pot.
sizes to its c u s to m e rs .
D a n g l in g : S till s o u n d a s le e p a t no o n , m y
M isplaced: A b o n e \y a s giv en to th e d o g we m o th e r th o u g h t I m ight b e sick. *
didn’t want.
C lear : My m o th e r thought Ifm ight be sick
C lear: A b o n e we didn t want was given to th e b e c a u s e I w a s s till s o u n d asleep '•
v dog. at noon.
S o m e d a n g lin g p a r tic ip le s h a v e becom e accept­
a b le in a few c o m m o n u sa g e s:

D a n g lin g M od ifiers Generally speaking, n o o n e h a s th e right to inter­

fe re in th e c a s e .
A m o r e c o m m o n m o d ific a tio n err o r o h th e S A T If is
To m ake the m eaning d ea n th e participle . *
th e s e n t e n c e in w h ic h th e m o d ifie r h a s n o w o r d to
s h o u ld b e r e p la c e d .
m o d if y . T h is err o r is c a lle d a dangling m odifier or
dangling participle. N o o n e , in c lu d in g th e p e o p le w h o write SAT 111
eiXams, q u ib b le s a b o u t su c h id io m a tic usage's, though.
Climbing the ladder, Pete's head knocked over
the paint can.
Planning to stay indoors, my jacket was flung PR A C T IC E E X E R C ISE IN M IS PI A C TD AND
' into.the closet. D A N G L IN G M O D IFIE R S

While picnicking in the park, ants got into the R e w r it e a n y o f th e sentences below that eontaiijif!

co m chips. m is p la c e d o r d a n g lin g m o d if ie r . S o m e sentences may I

b e c o r r e c t e d b y s h ift in g th e- p la c e m e n t o f one or
The ludicrous meaning of these sentences may m o r e w o r d s . O th e r s m a y n e e d su b s ta n tia l revision,
not strike you immediately, but look again, ■and a n d s till o th e r s m a y b e c o r r e c t.
you’ll see a bizarre world in which heads climb lad­
ders, jackets make plans, and ants go on picnics. In
1. W hile w atching the gam e on T V ; lunch was |
each sentence the modifiers are participles, often
served b y N orm and Matt.
identifiable by -\ng endings. But the participles lack
something to modify. To correct the error, add at
least one noun or pronoun to be modified, or rewrite
the whole sentence using an adverbial clause.

C lim b in g the ladder, Pete knocked over the

2. After finishing the math homework, that pizza
paint can with his head. (A d d in g the nou n Pete
tasted great.
clears up the dangling participle.)
B e ca u s e I p la n n e d to s ta y indoors, m y jacket
was flung into the closet. (T o make the meaning
clear, the participle has fcjg^n replaced by a clause.)
 lOENTIFYING-SENTCNO Z QUESTIONS ) ¥ti

3. W hile E lle n w a s c l e a n i n g h e r r o o m , th e b ik e 11. A rep o rt w a s 3u f rn m e d a b d u t th e b a n k ro b b e ry

. was sto le n .
by th e p o lic e .

4. Bob left th e h a m b u r g e r o n th e ta b le th a t h a d
12. D r iv in g d o w n th e m o u n ta in r o a d , a r o c k h it ii >
been o v e rc o o k e d . •
w in d s h ie l d a n d s m a s h e d it.

5. A fter a q u ic k b r e a k f a s t, th e s c h o o lb u s p ic k e d
13. A lth o u g h a lm o s t a th o u s a n d y ear'- o ld , th e p a i n t ­
me up.
in g lo o k s a lm o s t n e w .

6. Being conceited and nobby. I cringe whenever

! 4 . C a n c e lin g th e m e e tin g w.as th e r ig h t th in g t o d o
•• I see Suzanne heading my way.
u n d e r th e c ir c u m s ta n c e s .

7. Totaled b e y o n d r e p a ir , A r c h ie k n e w th a t h e ’d 15. U sed all night long to illuminate the steps. I

have to b u y a n e w c a r. needed new batteries for the flashlight.

8. Stopping to rest after the hike, a grizzly bear A n sw e rs o n p a g e 2 5 6 .

stood in front o f m e.

D o u b l e N e g a t iv e s
9. T h e s to ry h a s f in a lly b e e n to ld a f te r 15 0 y e a rs o f
the D o n n e r P a r t y .
In som e languages, tw o negatives in the sam e sen ­
tence are thought to be a m eans for em phasizing a
point. In English, how ever, tw o negatives usually
mean nothing more than an error in standard usage.
T h e y didn’t do nothing wrong.
'0- Carlos, after arriving from H onduras, described
his ordeal in m y cla ss. D idn ’t is a negative term; so is nothing. O ne or
the other, but not both, is su fficien t to m ake the
point:
They, did nothing wrong.
200 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

o r T h e y didn't do anything wrong. S tandard: T h e y had scheduled but a few

days to complete the job.
In som e constructions, especially when not
m o d ifies all adjective with a negative prefix like un-t
in-, and im-, a double negative is acceptable because
the paired words actually make a positive statement:

- It w as not uncom m on for Lola to sleep late on PRACTICE EXERCISE IN DOUBLE NEGATIVES
weekend mornings. (Lola usually slept late on Sat­
Correct the double negatives in the following sen.
urday and Sunday mornings.)
fences by writing the correct version in the spaces
F or the bus to arrive on time is not impossible. provided. Som e sentences may contain no error. '■
(It is possible for the bus to arrive on time.)
T h e schedule was not at all incomplete. (The
1. They can’t hardly afford to pay the rent, much |
schedule was complete.)
less take a vacation.
O n the SA T II. however, you may be expected to
recogn ize double negatives that are improperly con­
structed. L ook for two variations o f the word no {no,
not, nothing, nobody, never), including contractions
lik e don't, can't, won't, hasn't, shouldn't, and so
2. The museum didn’t have no paintings by Pi-
forth, in the same sentence.
• casso.
It doesn't make no difference to him where his
daughter goes to college.
For at least a century there haven't been nothing
but rabbits in these hills.

B e particularly vigilant for w ords like hardiy and 3. I haven’t heard o f no reason to reject the offer,
scarcely. They, too, should be considered negative
words.

Y ou ca n ’t hardly tell one bird from another with­

out a guidebook.

Can't_is negative; sp is hardly. U se one or the 4. Such an experience as he went through is not un­
other, but not both, to make the point: heard of.

Y ou can hardly tell one bird from another without

a guidebook.
o r You can’t tell one bird from another without a
guidebook.
5. Pierre hadn’t but one last wish to make before
• W atch out, too, for negative words follow ed by
he died.
but and only, which are also regarded as negative.
Therefore, expressions like can't help but and ha­
ven 't only violate the rule against using double nega­
tives.

D ouble N egative: Ann can’t help but tell everyone

6 . For a farmer there are neither easy answers nor
what to do. 1
practical solutions.
S tandard: Ann can’t help telling everyone
what to do.
» D ouble N egative: They hadn’t but scheduled a
few days to complete the job.
 IDENT1FY1NG-SENTENCE-ERROR Q U E S TIO N S 2p1,

7. We didn't have no cause to stop at R eggie’s tom ary m arks o f punctuation. B u t y o u c a n ’t assu m e
place on the w ay over. that they know how to use th em . T h e c o m m a is e sp e ­
cially Abused. As often as a co m m a ap p ears w h e re it
h as n o business, it is left o u t o f p laces w h ere it o u g h t
to be. T h a t th e abuse of. co m m as is ra m p a n t m ay b e
partly explained by the flexibility o f ru les g o v ern in g
th eir use, m any o f w hich m ay b e b e h t fo r th e sake o f
3, In the vial th ere w a s n ’t scarcely a drop o f poison clarity. (A w riter m ay choose to in se rt a co m m ;1 fo r
-left for. Juliet.
exam ple, betw een the -next-to-last ite m in a se ries
and th e w o rd and , as in “ sugar, spice, an d e v ery th in g
nice.’’ T h e n again, the w riter m ay leav e it o u t, p ro ­
vided its exclusion doesn’t gum u p the in ten d ed
m ean in g .) W hen an SA T II sentence v io lates a law
9. She hasn’t b u t ajfew w eek s left before quitting o f punctuation, a m isused c o m m a o r se m ic o lo n w ill
her job. alm o st certainly b e responsible. T h e o th er m a rk s o f
p u n ctu atio n are generally ig n o red b y E n g lish u sa g e
tests. \ ‘

10. The fam ily h a s n ’t n e v e r ta k e n a v acatio n to ­ C o m m as

gether befo re no w . Approximately half a dozen rules govern comma us­
age:
1. Commas are often used to signal pauses be­
tween the clauses of a complex sentence.
W hile M am ie row ed th e b o a t sta rte d to sink.
A nsw ers o n p a g e 2 5 7 . v (This sentence contains two clauses, one subordinate
to the other. To avoid confusion, a com m a is needed
to separate the clauses.)
Level 2 usage problem s
■ W hile M a m ie row ed, th e b o a t s ta rte d to sink.
Usage errors o f these kinds have shown up oc- ‘
N ot every complex sentence requires a comma, how ­
casionaLIy on previous tests.
ever. Short clauses, say, up to five or six words, often
Punctuation, below. don’t need commas. Nor do sentences in which the '
Sentence fragments, run-ons and comma adverbial clause follow s the main clause.
splices, page 204
T h e boat started to sink while Mamie rowed.

2. Commas are used to set o ff nonessential words

that interrupt the flow of a sentence.
Allyn, however, w as left off the list. Janet, op
the other hand, w as included. (The interrupting
P U N C T U A T IpN word how ever and the phrase on the o ther harui are
bracketed by commas. You can tell whether siuh
words are nonessential interrupted simply by elimi­
Proper punctuation is worth something. For example,
nating them. If the sentence preserves its basic mean­
notice the difference betw een $500.00 and $50,000.
ing without them, they are probably jjonessenurl in­
Commas, periods, apostrophes, quotation marks, and
terrupters.)
exclamation points are cheap, but they are priceless
wfvn ir comes to accurate English usage, it’s reason­ In grammatical terms, nonessential information is
able to say that m ost literate people know the cus- called nonrestrichve\ essential inforiharion is called

s
'02 SAT ll. WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

restrictive. U se com m as for n o n restn cd v e m aterial; T h e com petition is the stiffest in m an y years, but i
d o n 't aseco m m as tor restrictive m aterial-.’ t . it w on’t keep Lauren from w inning the race.
It w as an em ergency, so I cam e w ithout my
A!! students /^no neec'to see the admissions rep
sh o e s.
from Tufts may leave the room at 10:00. (The in-
fom utu i; vuntamed in the clause who need to see the Philip had better call npy m other to tell her Til be
admissions rrp from Tufts is probably essential to the late, o r I’ll be in big trouble. ,
meaning it :!ie sentence If the information were non- D o n ’t bother the dog, and sh e w o n ’t bite you. (if
essential, its elimination wVuid not substantially alter both clauses are very short, a comma may be op­
the basic meaning ot the, sentence.,) tional, as in " l am sorry and Susan is ferry, too.” )
All students may leave the room at 10:00. (Be­
D o n o t u se— repeat: d o n o t use a co m m a to con-1
cause the sentence now means something quite differ­
n e c t tw o in d ep en d en t c lau ses th at are n o t jo ined by a ‘I
ent from the original, the clause is essential and, there­
fore. requires no commas.) c o n ju n c tio n {and, but, for. or, nor, o r so). W ere you
to d o so, you w ould have cre a te d a comma splice, a
M ore often than not, the context and intention o f firs t c o u sin to a run-on sen ten ce, d iscussed in the
.a sentence determ ine w h eth er the interrupting w ords n e x t section.
are essential or nonessential. It is also im p ro p er to use a se m ico lo n in place of
E s s e n tia l . Janet took her car to the m echanic a c o m m a , ex c e p t in a series in w h ic h the item s them­
w ho know s everything about Volvos. (The selv es contain com m as.
. clause who knows e\crvthing about Volvos is not
set off by a comma. Assume, therefore, that Janet O n h is college tour M ik e visited Portland, Maine;
had a choice of mechanics and picked the one who C am bridge, M assach u setts; Hartford, Connecti­
is a Volvo expert.) cut; an d Albany, N ew York. (W ith o u t sem icolons *
to separate item s in the series, a reader m ight think
N o n e s s e n t ia l : Janet took her car to the me­
that M ik e had g o n e to eigh t p la c es in stead o f only i
chanic, w ho know s everything about Volvos.
fo u r .)
(In this sentence the clause who knows everything
aboutyoivos is set off by a comma. Assume, 4. U se com m as in a series.
therefore, that the information in the clause is not
essential to establishing the mechanic's identity. M y friend’s car n e e d s new tires; a battery, a tail­
Rather, it is extra information, incidental to the pipe, and a tune-up.
point of the sentence.) A w ell-dressed, dapper gentiem an stepped out
E s s e n tia l : The m em bers of the band w ho went of the taxicab.
on the trip had a great time. (Not every band History, English, math, and scie n ce are my easi­
member went on the trip, but those who went had e st courses.
a ball.)
Y ou m ay skip the com m a before the last item in the
N o n e s s e n tia l : The m em bers of the band, w ho
went on the trip, had a great time. ‘{In this sen­ series if th e m eaning is clear w ithout it.
tence, the whole band enjoyed the trip,)
. 5. U se com m as to set o ff appositives. An apposi-
E ssential: The m an w ho robbed the conven­ tive is a noun or phrase that identifies another noun in
ience store w as arrested. th e sam e sentence.
N onessential: The man, w ho robbed the conven­
ience store, w as arrested. H al R ogers, my neighbor, went to Ireland last
sum m er. (The phrase my n e ig h b o r is an appositive. J
O n the SA T II you’ll never be obligated to d eter­ It is in apposition to H a l R o g e rs, the subject of the
m ine w hether material should be essential or nonessen­ sentence.)
tial. W hatever,m aterial appears in a sentence w ill
C alculus, the hardest math course offered in this
clearly be one or the other. school, enrolled sixty students for next year.
(The phrase the h ardest math course offered in
3. U se a com m a to separate tw o independendent th is sch o o l is set off by commas because it is in
clauses jo in ed by the conjunctions and, but, fo r , or, apposition to Calculus , the subject of the
nor, yet, or so. sentence.)

i
 IDENT1FYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 203

When an appositive contains inform ation that is 8 . The boat w as se v e n ty -fiv e fe et lo n g eigh teen fe e t
essential to the m eaning o f the sentence, no com m as w ide and it had a m ast about eigh ty feet high .
^ r e q u ir e d .
9 . T o a n y o n e in te r e s te d in f ly in g p la n e s h o ld e n d ­
My brother P e t e r is in la w school. (N o com m as set
off the appositive P eter. Y ou m ay assum e, therefore, less f a s c in a tio n .
that the speaker has m ore than one brother. By om it­
ting the co m m as y ou kn o w that it’s brother Peter— 10. J e f f a n d S te v e le ft a lo n e f o r th e w e e k e n d in v i t e d
not brother C laude— w h o g o es to law school. If com ­ a ll th e ir frie n d s to a p a r t y . - ,J
mas have been included, yo u m ay assum e that Peter
\ is the speaker’s o n ly b ro th er an d that h is nam e is non- 11. I n e e d s tre e t m a p s o f B o s to n ; a n d P o rtla n d ,
essential inform ation.) M a in e .

1 6 . C o m m a s a r e u s e d t o s e p a ra te p a r ts o f a d ­ 12. S o m e o f th e o rie s d e a lt w ith th e p o litic a l s o c ia l

dresses, d a te s , a n d g e o g r a p h ic a l n a m e s , a n d a re a ls o a n d re lig io u s id e a s o f th e tim e . •
used in d ia lo g u e . E v e n th o u g h th e r e is v irtu a lly n o
chance th at th e S A T II w ill g iv e y o u a q u e s tio n in v o lv ­ 13. S tu d e n ts, w h o w a n t to try o u t f o r th e c h o ru s ,
ing these u se s o f a c o m m a , y o u s h o u ld k n o w th e m , a n y ­ h a v e b e e n a s k e d to re p o rt to r o o m 3 3 0 .
way.
14. D oilg fo r ex a m p le is b o th a sc h o lar an d a n ath lete.
The p o s tc a rd s a id , “A s of S e p te m b e r 3 0 ,1 9 9 4 ,
Mary H ard in g , c u rre n tly o f 11 D e n b y L a n e ,
15. M o n ic a re fu s e d to g o , u n le s s P h il w e n t w ith h e r.
S h aftsb u ry , V e rm o n t, will b e living a t 2 0 0 2 C o m ­
m o n w ealth A v e n u e , B o s to n , M a s s a c h u s e tts ." 16. T h e a u th o r P e te r J e n k in s w a lk e d five th o u sa n d
“How n ic e ,” s a id S ylvia. “M ary will h o w b e ju st m ile s a c ro s s th e U n ite d S ta te s.
five m in u te s a w a y .”
“Well,” re p lie d G e r a r d ,” I think it’s m o re like te n ." . 17. A fte r a ll sh e d id f o r h im w h a t sh e co u ld .

18. S ta rtin g in M in n e so ta th e M ississip p i ru n s a ll

PRACTICE E X E R C I S E I N P U N C T U A T I O N the w a y to th e G u lf o f M e x ic o .
In the se n te n c e s b e lo w in s e rt c o m m a s w h e re th e y are
19. H a ro ld W a tk in s w h o c o m e s fro m C h ic a g o w o n
needed, re m o v e th e m w h e r e 'th e y a re n o t. A lso , b e ­
a full tu itio n s c h o la rs h ip to C o lu m b ia.
ware o f e rro rs in th e u s e o f se m ic o lo n s . S o m e se n ­
tences m a y c o n ta in n o e rro r. 2 0. A lth o u g h th e c h a ra c te rs in th e b o o k are s te re o ­
ty p e s th e y w ere in te re stin g to re a d about.
. 1. W hile B ill w a s r id in g h is b ik e g o t a fla t tire.

2. T he m a ilm a n d id n o t le a v e th e p a c k a g e fo r J e ff 21. Y o -Y o M a th e fa m o u s c e llis t w ill p e rfo rm a re -

cital o n S a tu rd a y n ig h t.
w as n o t a t h o m e .

3. A fter d o in g h e r h o m e w o r k M illie a s y o u m ig h t 2 2 . T h is te s t c o v e rs S p a n is h lite ra tu re c u ltu re an d

ex p ect ta lk e d o n th e p h o n e fo r a n h our. h isto ry ; a n d it la s ts fo r th re e h o u rs.

4. His w o rk c ritic iz e d m a n y c o m m o n ly h eld .b e- 2 3. M ic h elle is p re tty ta ll a n d d a rk b u t h e r o ld e r sis­

liefs h o w e v e r a n d it w a s stric tly cen so re d . ter N o rm a is p re tty s h o rt a n d light.

5. The car, w h ic h ra n in to m in e , w a s a B uick. 24. S e a n th e tw in b ro th e r o f Ia n w a s stru c k b y a c a r

w h ile c ro ss in g th e stre e t.
6. D ad w e n t to th e a irp o rt t o p ic k u p D a v e an d E l-
lie w en t to th e t r a in sta tio n to m e e t D eb b ie. 2 5. Irv in g th e w in d o w w a s h e r d ro p p e d b y la s t
e v en in g .
7. The p eo p le w h o liv e b y th e w a te r m u st b e p re- *
pared fo r o c c a s io n a l flo o d in g . A n sw e rs o n p a g e 2 57.
 r

204 SAT II: W R IT IN G / M U L T I P L E -C H O IC E QUESTIONS

2. Fragm ents som etim es begin w ith participles.

Sentence Fra gm en ts,
R u n -o n s , a n d C o m m a S p l ic e s Having no place to go but into the railroad sta­
tion. (This fragment begins with a participial phrase.
Occasionally, a fragment, run-on, or comma splice To complete the thought, add a comma and an inde­
pendent clause.)
may find its way into the sentence-improvement sec­
tion o f the SAT II. * Having no place to go but into the railroad sta­
tion, the hom eless man lay down on the jfhrk
bench.
S e n te n c e Fragm ents
3. Fragments sometimes begin with prepositional
As its name suggests, a sentence fragment is an in­ phrases.
complete sentence. It may look complete, but it isn’t.
O n the terrace near the flagpole. (To complete the
It is often a phrase or a clause that starts with a capi- -
thought, add a verb and the grammatical subject of 5
tal letter and ends with a period. It may contain a the sentence.)
noun that appears to be the grammatical subject, as
On the terrace near the flagpole stood Molly and
well as a verb that looks as though it describes action
Tom, waiting to have their picture taken.
or a state of being, but as a unit of language it is still
not a complete sentence. 4. Fragm ents sometimes are m ade up o f nouns in
Search for the telltale signs that often indicate apposition.
the possible presence o f a sentence fragment. Look T he ingredients for making the lasagna—pasta,
for clauses that'begin with subordinating conjunc­ tom ato sau ce, ground m eat and spices. (The se­
tions and phrases that begin with participles, preposi­ ries of ingredients is in apposition to the noun ingredi­
tions, and appositives. ents. To complete the sentence.add a verb and a
predicate.)
1. Fragments often begin with a subordinating
The ingredients for making the lasagna—pasta,
conjunction, a word like although, because, before, tom ato sau ce, ground m eat and spices—-stood 4
even though, while, unless, If, when, w hile, or one of on the kitchen counter.
many others. Such a word signals the presence o f a de­
pendent clause. By itself, a dependent clause is a frag­
ment. Paired with ap independent clause, it becomes
part o f a complete sentence. In other words, it “ de­
Run-on S entences an d C om m a Splices
pends *’ on another clause for completeness^
| Unlike-sentence fragm ents, rnn-on sentences express I
Because the Supreme Court begins to hear
com plete thoughts, but they do so by improperly I
cases on the first Monday in October. (This is a
. dependent clause beginning with the subordinating -joining tw o independent sentences into one. Com­
conjunction because. It is a sentence fragment be­ pound sentences, w hich are also m ade up of two or, j
cause it is not paired with ah independent clause.) m ore com plete sentences, use conjunctions like and, ■ !
Because the Suprem e Court begins to hear but, fo r , so , ye t, o r and n o r to show w here one sen- I
cases on the first Monday in October, the build­ tence ends and another begins. Run-ons contain no |
ing will be closed at the end of the sum m er. . m arkers at all to show the juncture betw een sentences.
(Now the dependent clause is part of a complete sen­ T he rain flooded our cellar th ere w ere three
tence.) inches of w ater to pum p out. (This run:on consists
While the crowd cheered wildly for the hom e of two sentences. The first: The rain flooded our cel-
team. (This is a dependent clause beginning with the lar. The second: There w^re three inches of water to
subordinating conj unction while.) pump out. Properly punctuated with a period and a
capital letter, there would be no mistaking where the
The visitors ran aw ay with the g am e while the
break between sentences occurs.)
crowd cheered wildly for the hom e team . (The
addition of an independent clause completes the W hen, a run -o n is jo in e d by a c o m m a instead of
sentence.) the p ro p e r p u n c tu a tio n , th e e rro r is know n as a
com m a sp lic e . T h a t is, a c o m m a h as b een improperly
 ,0ENTIFY!NG-SENTENCE^RROR q u e s t io n s 205

used to join, or to splice, tw o in d ep en d en t sentences. 1. James finished writing the paper at 2:00 am
Comma splices are v ariations o f ru n -o n sentences then he went to bed and slept through the
jjid occur with g reater frequency th an run-ons w ith- class the next morning.
0ut punctuation.
Tracy worked hard on the project, sh e should
have earned a higher grade. (This sentence con­
tains a comma splice. Replace the comma with a pe­
riod and start a new sentence with She.)
2. Open the door for the cat she's been out all
Tracy worked hard on the project. S he should night.
have earned a higher grade.

Semicolon
Asemicolon may be substituted for a period when
twosentences are so closely related that to pause be­ 3. Although she know s that she’s stressed out
tween them would unnecessarily break the continuity about the S A T II.
ofthought between them.
Melissa adores Cheerios; s h e e a ts them every
morning.
The book had been left out in the rain; it w as
.. ruined.
4. H aving no m ore to do w ith the adm inistration,
Remember, how ever, th at a sem icolon is not a despite 20 years of loyal service and several
substitute for a com m a ex cep t w h en used to separate prestigious aw ards for his research.
items in a series w hen one o r m ore o f the item s con­
tains a comma.
Last summer h e read A la s, B a b yld n ; Lo o k
Homeward, A n g e l; and A h , W ild erness!
In the basket w ere two b u n ch es of g rap es, one 5. In fact, I noticed h is piercing laugh above the
green and one red: red ap p les; an d a yellow noise o f d ie crow d. '
squash.
Although rare, a sem ico lo n can also b e used to
separate coordinate clau ses in a c o m p o u n d sentence
joined by and, but, fo r , o r, so o r n o r w h en o n e or
bothof the clauses con tain s co m m as. '
• 6 . W h ich th e o th er m em bers o f the class w ere
She was acce p te d a t B erkeley, W isconsin, and unable to fin d in the library.
Michigan; an d N orthw estern p ut h e r on the wait­
ing list.

PRACTICEEXERCISE IN SENTENCE FRAGMENTS,

RCN'-ONS, a n d c o m m a s p l i c e s
Some of the follow ing are se n ten ce fragm ents; others 7. R ose is a go o d friend, w h en she m ak es a
1 ^run-ons, arid still o th ers c o n ta in c o m m a splices, prom ise she k e e p s it.
j ^ the spaces p ro v id ed , w rite w h a te v e r is needed to
I^ them co m plete an d p ro p e r se n ten ces. C onsider
^ng semicolons an d conjunctions w h ere appropri-
| Some items may be correct.
 206 SAT fl: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTION?

8. Though shoveling ail the snow from the walk 15. In spite of her bossy nature, her ego, and her
and the driveway took two hours. mean streak, her students love her as a
teacher.

9. W hen she laughs, I laugh when laugh, she

laughs. 16. First try to do this exercise without looking
\ in the book, if you can’t do it, refer to
page 56.

10. A fter the rain, the smell in the garden, as fresh

as dew.
17. A good idea, don’t you think, to talk over the
problem with his mother, father, and guidance
counselor.

11. M y grandm other is 83 years old therefore she

w alks very slowly.

18. At the end o f the course there is a test, it

consists o f three essays.

12. M ark and C athy went- to San Diego fo r C hrist­

m as, they cam e back for N ew Y ear’s, however.

, __________ _________ _______ . ________ ; 19. Huge redwood trees that had been alive for
nearly 2,000 years.

13. T o n y is th e o n ly freshm an on the team yet he

w as ch o sen as the m ost valuable player.

20. She asked the teacher for an extension on the

assignm ent, the teacher agreed.

14. Ross edited the magazine for decades he was

follow ed by Shawn.

Answers on page 257.

 IDENTIFflNG-SENTENCE^RROR Q U E S TIO N S 207

PRACTICE EXERCISE IN POSSESSIVES

L evel 1 u sag e p ro b le m s In the spaces provided w rite th e c o lle c t p o s s e s s iv e
Sentences w ith th ese erro rs are not likely to form o f the italicized w ords. S o m e ite m s m a y b e c o r­
show up on the test, b u t th ey cannot be ruled rect.
out
possessives, below 1. P auls reason w as p ersonal. <
Capitalization, page 208

2. T he future o f A m ericas foreign p o licy is b e in g

debated.

P o s s e s s iv e s 3. T eam s from all over the country gathered in

W ashington.
Knowing how to ind icate possession is little more
than knowing w here to p u t apostrophes. Except in
contractions, w here one o r m ore letters o r digits'have
4^ L ouise isn t at all interested in j o in in g th e
been om itted— as in c a n 't, w o u ld ’ve, '90s, and
w om ens basketball team .
where’s— apostrophes alw ay s indicate possession.

1. A n apo stro p h e is u se d in possessive n o u n s /

When the noun en d s in an y letter b ut s, put the apostro­ 5. T he g irls locker room is dow n here, b u t th e b o ys
phe at the en d o f the w o rd an d ad d s, as in A lic e 's res­ is on the other side.
taurant, w o m en ’s rig h ts, an d S a m ’s m oustache.
2. W hen th e n o u n (sin g u lar o r plural) ends in s,
put the ap ostrophe after th e s, as in le a v e s’ color, 6. W e are invited to the A ndersons house fo r N ew
classes ’ a ttitu d e, th e S m ith s' h o u se, h o rses ’ sta b le and Y ears E ve.
oceans’ cu rren ts. W n e n a sin g u lar n o u n ends in -s o r -
ss (scissors, S ila s, g la ss, b o ss), ad d the apostrophe to
indicate possessio n , b u t th en a d d ano th er s only if you 7 . A ll o f th e R o sses are going o ut to e a t
pionounceit.
The boss’s (pronounced b o ss-es) desk is clean.
(Add s following the apostrophe.) 8. H av e y o u seen M o rris pipe, w hich h e le ft here
' The glass’s (pronounced g loss-e? ) color is red. y esterday?
(Add s following the apostrophe.)
. The scissors’ (pronounced sc isso rs) handle is
green. (Do not add s after the apostrophe.) 9. Both of the co m p u ters keyboards need to be re- .
The Jones' house is all lit up. (No s is added un­ paired.
less you say Jones-es.)

On the SAT II usage section an error in posses-

lives may occasionally make an appearance. More 10. H e ’ll b e b a c k in tw o m o n th s tim e .
likely, though, your understanding of possessives
will be checked by the sentence correction portion of
the exam. 1
Answers on page 258.
\
 208 SAT II: WRITING / MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS

pendence D ay, G ood Friday, 440 A.D ., the Renfa,

C apitalization
sance.
6. The seasons o f the year, but only when they
Errors in capitalization rarely appear on the SAT II personified: O ld M an W inter, directions on a compass
usage seen on. Yet the rules of capitalization are but only when they refer to the place: the West, fa
worth knowing in case you are tempted during the N ortheast.
test to identify as an error a word that you think 7. Abbreviations o f proper names: U S ,. AIDS,
should be capitalized, or vice-versa.
NAACP, A F o fL
In june over two hundred seniors will graduate 8. The abbreviations o f academ ic degrees: AL4„ I
from this high school. (You probably know that Ph.D ., M .B.A.
June —and all the other months—are capitalized, but 9. People’s titles When the title precedes the
~ what about high school? Although the temptation name: P rincess D iana, P ope John. Judge Thomas,
may be great-to capitalize high school, don't do it un­ Coach M artin, F ather G uido.
less it is the name o f a particular high school..)
10. People’s titles follow ing the name—som^:,!|
In Ju n e over two hundred seniors will graduate times, yes, sometimes, no. T o show respect, the title
from Mount Anthony High School. should be capitalized: R uth B ader G insburg, Justice cf
Here, for ready reference, is a sum m ary o f the the Suprem e C ourt; R ichard M ills, Comm issioner <M
capitalization rules o f standard English. E ducation; Tina B row n, E d ito r-in -C h ief ,;If, on the i
Capitals are used as the first letter of: other hand, the title is used m ore to identify a person
than to reveal stature, capitals are optional: Norma
1. Sentences, and partial sentences, direct quotes,
A dam s, superintendent o f schools; Sam , manager cf
and the'firstlines o f traditional poetry.
the A B C bow ling alley; Joan C lark, director o fper­
Capitalization is a barrel of fun, isn’t it? S o far, sonnel.
so good. This book says, “Most capitalization
rules are easy to follow.” - is M 1
PRACTICE EXERCISE IN CAPITALIZATION'
2. A sentence following a colon:
*Add capital letters w here they are needed in the fol­
The rule is simple: W hat you se e is what you get. low ing sentences. .
* Capitals are also used for: 1. after the pilgrim s crossed the ocean, they
H Proper nouns— nam es o f people, places, or­ landed at plym outh rock. '■' r | | 9
ganizations, businesses, nations, races, religions,
2 . the n ex t president o f the united states will ^
courses, and more: N ancy, C entral P ark, the R ed
probably be a w esterner, o r he m ight come from
C ross, A m erican A irlines, F rance, A frican-A m erican,
the south.
C atholics, the O ld W est, C olum bia U niversity, A rt H is­
tory, M other, L akeview H igh School (B ut w ords that 3. yellow stone national p ark is located in the
are not actual nam es are n ot capitalized, as in m y w estern p art o f the state o f W yom ing.
m other, ou r high school, y o u r dad, the tra ck team , a
h isto ry course, a n a rt sem inar.) 4 . fo r Christmas he g o t a b lack a n d decker orbital
2. W ords derived from proper nouns: F ren ch s a n d e r fr o m th e s e a rs s to re n e x t to th e old bed-

Shakespearean, D em ocratic, M arxist. f o r d courthouse.

3. The im portant w ords in the titles o f books, 5. th e au th o r o f the b rie f o n capital punishm ent in
m ovies, plays, paintings: T he B ib le, G one W ith th e m isso u ri is ju stice an d rew ryan, Chief judge of
W ind, D eath o f dSalesm an, The B oating P arty.
th e e p u rt o f appeals in th e ninth d is tr ic t
4. The nam e o f the deity and pronouns for the de­
ity: G od, Lord, th e A lm ighty, H im , His. 6 . o n la b o r d a y th e b e n n in g to n c o u n ty fire depart­
5. D ays o f th e w eek, m onths, holidays, and som e­ m e n t p la n s to h o ld a tu rk e y s h o o t o n th e field at
tim es periods o f history: M onday, O ctober, In d e­ m ille r ’s p o n d .
 IDENTIPYING-SENTENCE-ERROR QUESTIONS 209

i / • \v

7, the medieval period is called the dark ages in mi- 10. according to edith nickerson, the principal o f
chael craw ford’s textbook. parsons high school, parsons attracts students
from the whole west coast., at parsons students
g. we expect to celebrate new y ear’s eve again this • may m ajor in drawing and painting, design,
year by'renting a m ovie o f an old broadw ay mu­ I graphics, or sculpture, ms.'nickerson said,
sical and by settling dow n in front o f the televi­ ' ‘i attended a similar high school in n e w ,
sion set with som e Canada dry ginger ale and a england just after the second world war.* ’
boxoforeos.

9. the judge gave d istrict attorney lederm an a book

entitled g rea t cases in co n tra ct law and told her
A nsw ers on page 258.
to take it w ith her on her european tour next
summer.