Common errors

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Common Errors in GMAT sentence correction

4.1 Subject verb disagreement

In a given sentence the subject and verb should agree in number.

Illustration 1

Incorrect: When temperature increases, the ice caps melt and presumably, causes flood in summer.

Correct: When temperature increases, the ice caps melt and presumably, cause flood in summer.

Both melt and causes are verbs of the subject ice caps but causes a singular verb doesn’t agree with the plural noun ice caps.

4.2. Parallelism

In writing, parallelism means ‘similar, having close resemblance’. When two or more ideas in a sentence are alike in purpose, they should be expressed in the same grammatical form.

Parallel structure of a sentence means balancing

(1) a word with a word

(2) balancing of a phrase with a phrase

(3) balancing a clause with a clause

(4) balancing a sentence with a sentence

(5) balancing a noun with a noun, verb with a verb

Incorrect: Nick is young, clever and has talent.

Correct: Nick is young, clever and talented.

Incorrect: Nick likes reading and to write.

Correct: Nick likes reading and writing.

4.3 Idiomatic constructions

Every language has a set of idioms. Idioms convey appropriate meaning.

Illustration 1

Incorrect: Some of’ the biographers of Leonardo have actually expressed regret that such a man, endowed by divine artistic genius would waste precious years of his life on such a lowly pursuit like engineering.

Correct: Some of the biographers of Leonardo have actually expressed regret that such a man, endowed with divine artistic genius would waste precious years of his life on such a lowly pursuit as engineering.