Irregular Verbs, Wrong Words, and Flags Flashcards

Gain direct knowledge of verb forms, wrong word pairs and test hints. These cards enable you to recognize errors quickly and confidently during your initial scan of each sentence.

1
Q

What should you study directly to prepare for the sentence correction questions on the SAT?

A

Build direct knowledge in these areas for SAT sentence correction:

  • irregular verbs
  • verb-prepostion idioms
  • mistaken words
  • flags for other errors
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2
Q

Which common error in SAT writing involves misuse of a verb form?

A

A common verb form error involves confusion of past participle for a simple past form.

I swum the hundred meters in record time.
Should be: I swam…
Only use “swum” with “have”, “has” or “had”.

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3
Q

Find the verb error in this sentence?

It just so happened that Carrie didn’t recognize the bank robber until she seen him in profile.

A

“Seen” is an incorrect form here. It should read…

…until she saw him in profile.

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4
Q

What are the three forms of verbs called in English?

A

Three verb forms in English:

  • present
  • past
  • past participle
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5
Q

How is the past participle form different from the present and the past forms in the way it is used as a verb?

Don’t worry about him; he has fallen asleep already. (present perfect)

Your boss told you just last week that he had had enough of your insolence. (past perfect)

A

Past participles are always paired with helping verbs and are used to form present perfect and past perfect tenses.

The other two forms stand alone without helping verbs.
He falls in love a lot.
She has a few first-rate qualities.
The baby fell asleep.
Your boss had enough of your insolence, so he fired you.

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6
Q

How can participle forms be used in non-verb phrases in a sentence?

She’s a rising star.

Jumping out of the window, Count Olaf and his henchman escape the lumbermill.

A

Participle forms can be used as adjectives or in modifying phrases.

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7
Q

Where is a participle being used as an adjective here?

Before she had heard of her father’s disgrace, she had always worn his army watch, even though it was broken.

A

“Broken” is a participle form describing the condition of the wrist watch.

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8
Q

Find the participle in this sentence that is not used as a verb.

Visibly shaken by the horrific battlefield scene, Laura sobbed uncontrollably for over three hours.

A

“Shaken” is used in a participle phrase to detail Laura’s appearance that conveys a state of agitation.

Usually present participles are used in this function, but past participles are still correct.

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9
Q

Why is understanding the participle important to doing well on the SAT writing section?

A

Understanding the participle makes checking for common structural errors MUCH easier.

Participles are the main way the SAT confuses students about run-ons, fragments, and modifying phrases.

(This issue will be addressed in another deck in greater detail.)

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10
Q

What’s the first step to being able to handle irregular verb form errors on the SAT?

A

Start by memorizing the irregular verb forms in this deck.

Most of these you will know, but treat each one of them as a flag to remind you check for the confusion of past with past participle error. It does appear frequently on the SAT.

In fact, students usually misread, correcting the form without noticing, so this is also an attention to detail type error. Stay on your toes!

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11
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • get
  • fall
  • ride
  • eat
  • give
A

past / past participle

  • got / gotten
  • fell / fallen
  • rode / ridden
  • ate / eaten
  • gave / given
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12
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • ring
  • take
  • shake
  • sing
  • sink
A

past / past participle

  • rang / rung
  • took / taken
  • shook / shaken
  • sang / sung
  • sank / sunk
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13
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • drink
  • begin
  • swim
  • run
  • come
A

past / past participle

  • drank / drunk
  • began / begun
  • swam / swum
  • ran / run
  • came / come
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14
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • do
  • go
  • blow
  • grow
  • know
A

past / past participle

  • did / done
  • went / gone
  • blew / blown
  • grew / grown
  • knew / known
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15
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • throw
  • fly
  • draw
  • awake
  • bear
A

past / past participle

  • threw / thrown
  • flew / flown
  • drew / drawn
  • awoke / awoken
  • bore / born
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16
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • break
  • speak
  • freeze
  • forget
  • rise
A

past / past participle

  • broke / broken
  • speak / spoken
  • froze / frozen
  • forgot / forgotten
  • rose / risen
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17
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • drive
  • write
  • see
  • shrink
  • become
A

past / past participle

  • drove / driven
  • wrote / written
  • saw / seen
  • shrank / shrunk
  • became / become
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18
Q

What are the other two verb forms for these five verbs?

  • bite
  • choose
  • forego
  • forbid
  • hide
A

past / past participle

  • bit / bitten
  • chose / chosen
  • forewent / foregone
  • forbade / forbidden
  • hid / hidden
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19
Q

What should you do to confidently indentify wrong word errors in SAT sentence correction?

A

Study wrong word pairings in this deck.

The better you recognize these as flags to check for wrong word, the quicker you will identify them on the test.

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20
Q

What is the best process for catching wrong word errors on SAT sentence correction?

A

Process for wrong word errors:

  • As you read the sentence identify words from the study list.
  • Recall the wrong word pair.
  • Check the context carefully.
  • Select the error, or eliminate the distractor and keeping looking.
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21
Q

affect or effect

Which is correct here?

Teaching a class in which a sizeable portion has already mastered the subject has the ( affect, effect ) of distorting the teacher’s self assessment.

A

effect

Almost always, “affect” is a verb and “effect” is a noun. They have similar meanings: “to have an impact on or influence something” and “an impact or an influence.”

affect - effect

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22
Q

emigrate or immigrate

Which word is correct here?

Refugees from Bosnia hoped to ( emigrate, immigrate ) to Italy, France, the U. K., the U. S. A, or Canada.

A

immigrate

Both words are about immigration, but the direction is opposite. One immigrates into a country and emigrates out.

Refugees from Bosnia hoped to immigrate to Italy, France, the U. K., the U. S. A….

emigrate - immigrate

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23
Q

allusion or illusion

Which is correct here?

(a) The actor’s ( allusion, illusion ) to the medieval time period in which the play was set by wearing a long velvet cape and carrying a sword.
(b) Without his medication, the ( hallucination, illusion ) returned to haunt him.

A

(a) allusion** **

“Allusion” means a “hint or a reference”, so to allude to is to hint at something.
“Illusion” means “a deceptive vision”.

(b) hallucination

“Hallucination” means “seeing something not there”.
“Delusion” means “seeing a different reality”.

allusion/illusion, illusion/delusion, illusion/hallucination

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24
Q

allude or elude

Which is correct here?

The baserunner failed to ( allude, elude ) the tag at the plate, and her team lost by one run.

A

elude

“Elude” means “get away from, avoid capture or contact”.
“Allude” (like “allusion”) means “refer to [something] usually well-known or historic”.

The baserunner failed to elude the tag at…

allude - elude

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25
Q

lay or lie

Which is correct here?

The hidden battalions ( lay, lie ) in wait to ambush the armored column.

A

lie

“Lay” requires an object: “He lay down his weapon”.
“Lie” takes no object: “stretch yourself horizontally onto on a surface.” or “say someething false”.

Watch out for other forms of these words which further the confusion.

Lay, laid, have/has/had laid, laying

Lie, layed, have/has/had lain, lying

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26
Q

leave or let

Which is correct here?

You need to ( leave, let ) us have more time to research the author.

A

let

“Let” means “to allow”.
“Leave” means “to part [someone’s company] or depart [a location].

leave - let

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27
Q

raise or rise

Which is correct here?

The team captain ( raised, rised ) the standards set for admission to Division I for swimming in sophomore year.

A

raise

“Raise” means to lift (something).
“Rise” means to get up.

raise - rise

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28
Q

set or sit

Which is correct here?

Paul staggered around the room in a near complete stupor, looking vainly for a place to ( set, sit ) his drink.

A

set

“Set” means “put, place, or arrange”.
You know what “sit” means.

set - sit

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29
Q

eminent or imminent

Which is correct here?

He rushed to rescue the dog from the ( eminent, imminent ) collapse of the house in the earthquake.

A

imminent

“Imminent” means “expected in the near future”.
“Eminent” means “a top person in the field”.

“Pre-eminent” may also be confused, since “pre” can mean before like “predict”, but it means “THE top person”

eminent - imminent

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30
Q

adverse or averse

Which words are correct here?

(a) He was ( adverse, averse ) to hanging out with her when she was drinking.
(b) The ( adverse, averse ) weather present an extra challenge to the team used to dome conditions.

A

(a) averse
(b) adverse

“Averse” means “having a strong disgust for”.
“Adverse” means “unfavorable”.

adverse - averse

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31
Q

appraise or apprise

Which is correct here?

The Secretary of State needed to ( appraise, apprise ) the President of the contents of the communication from Israel, immediately.

A

apprise

“Appraise” is to “assess the value of”.
“Apprise” means to “make [someone] aware of [something]”

The Secretary of State needed to apprise the President of the contents…

appraise - apprise

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32
Q

assure or insure

Which word is correct here?

(a) Boris tried in vain to ( assure, ensure ) Victoria that the names of women on his other cell phone were important business contacts.
(b) Uncle Gob needed to ( ensure, insure ) the boat for its full value.

A

(a) assure
(b) insure

“Assure” means “give [someone] confidence”.
“Insure” means “obtaining an insurance policy”.

“Ensure” means “make certain of”.

assure - ensure - insure

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33
Q

complementary or complimentary

Which is correct here?

Since they worked as a team, it was important that their skills were ( complementary, complimentary ).

A

complementary

“Complimentary” means “saying nice things” or refers to “getting something as a bonus or gift”.
“Complementary” refers to “things that go well together”.

One letter difference, so attention to detail is key with wrong words, as well as knowing the list before you begin.

complementary - complimentary

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34
Q

defuse or diffuse

Which is correct here?

Given the sheer number of IEDs in Afganistan, keeping casualities low hinged on the ability to ( defuse, diffuse ) bombs.

A

defuse

“Defuse” means “render a bomb incapable of exploding”.
“Diffuse” means “to scatter, disperse, or distribute in a random and spread out way”.

defuse - diffuse

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35
Q

all ready or already

Which is correct here?

We were ( already, all ready ) to go to the ballgame, when the phone rang about grandpa’s heart attack.

A

all ready

“Already” is an adverb meaning “prior to” or “before”.
“All ready” refers to everyone being prepared to go or do something.

all ready - already

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36
Q

disinterested or uninterested

Which is correct here?

Because he was ( disinterested, uninterested ), both sides agreed to allow him to arbitrate the dispute.

A

disinterested

“Uninterested” means “not willing to pay attention to” or “seeing no advantage to”.
“Disinterested” means “unbiased or impartial, or having no personal gain to make inappropriate as a judge.”

disinterested - uninterested

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37
Q

flounder or founder

Which is correct here?

The ocean liner could easily ( flounder, founder ) in a typhoon this severe.

A

founder

“Founder” means “to fill with water and sink (as a ship or boat).
“Flounder” means to be “clumsy, confused, indecisive, or to flop around”.

flounder or founder

38
Q

flaunt or flout

Which is correct here?

By wearing short pants to the club, Reginald cearly intented to ( flaunt, flout ) the conventions of that austere body.

A

flout

“Flaunt” means “showing off”.
“Flout” means “ignoring a rule, law or an authority in a very public and disrespectful way”.

flaunt - flout

39
Q

imply or infer

Which is correct here?

Horace was piqued at the way Lorraine could ( imply, infer ) so much from one-half of one of his cell phone calls with his sister.

A

infer

“Infer” is a conclusion taken from something heard or read.
“Imply” is to “intend a second and indirectly expressed meaning.”

imply - infer

40
Q

discreet or discrete

Which word is correct here?

His mother, Dolores, liked everything about Cindy, except that, being the member of a private family, Dolly wanted her to be a little more ( discreet, discrete ) with personal details.

A

discrete

“Discrete” means “circumspect, or showing good judgement about what to say and what not to say”.
“Discreet” means “having distinct and separate parts”.

discreet - discrete

41
Q

disburse or disperse

Which is correct here?

Mr. Anderson, Roy Riley’s faithful accountant, had to ( disburse, disperse ) money to all of the disguntled mistresses of that millionaire’s son.

A

disburse

“Disperse” means to “scatter”.
“Disburse” refers to “make payments or allocate money”.

disburse - disperse

42
Q

loathe or loth

Which word is correct here?

Hilda’s mild dislike for her roommate’s foibles steadily increased, until she began to ( loath, loathe ) them.

A

loathe

“Loathe” means “intensely dislike”.
“Loth” which has a variant spelling, “loath” means “unwilling or reluctant to do something”.

loathe - (loath) loth

43
Q

respectfully or respectively

Which is correct here?

Each parcel, carefully labelled and containing a valuable stamp collection, some tasteful jewelry, and personal items, was distributed to his son, daughter, and wife ( respectfully, respectively ).

A

respectively

“Respectively” means “coordinated according to a given order.”

“Respectfully” means “in a manner full of respect.”

respectfully - respectively

44
Q

aggravate or mitigate

Which is correct here?

Since he was a minor from a broken family, the defendent, in his attorney’s opinion, might be able to count on those factors to ( aggravate, mitigate ) the severity of the crime.

A

mitigate

“Mitigage” means “to make less bad”.
“Aggravate” means “to make worse”.

aggravate - mitigate

45
Q

algorithm or logorithm

Which word is correct here?

The tutor searched for the right ( algorithm, logarithm ) to help his writing student follow a better process for doing his state writing standards.

A

algorithm

“Algorithm” means “a sequence of instructions, often used for calculation and processing data.”
“Logarithm” means “a mathematical function that indicates a specific relationship between numbers”.

algorithm - logorithm

46
Q

assume or presume

Which is correct here?

(a) Claudio ( assumes, presumes ) that since his girlfriend didn’t answer the phone, she must be with some other guy.
(b) I ( assume, presume ) that the pool will put off opening until next Saturday, since the weather looks so bad this weekend.

A

(a) presumes
(b) assumes

“Assume” means “suppose to be true, especially without proof”
“Presume” means “take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary.”

assume - presume

47
Q

cache or cachet

Which is correct here?

The archery equipment lay within a locked ( cache, cachet ) to the left of the range.

A

cache

“Cache” means “a storage place from which items may be quickly retrieved”.
“Cachet” means a “mark of excellence, distinction or superiority”.

cache - cachet

48
Q

contiguous or continuous

Which is correct here?

Not noticing that there were ( contiguous, continual, continuous ) seats available at the front of the plane, Julian and his friends sat in separate rows.

A

contiguous

“Contiguous” means “touching” or “adjoining in space”.
“Continual” means “repeated in rapid succession”.
“Continuous means “uninterrupted” (in time or space).

contiguous - continuous - continual

49
Q

contingency or contingent

Which is incorrect here?

International bidding begins well in advance for cities to host the Olympics; the decision is ( contingent, contingency ) on numerous factors.

A

contingent

“Contingent” means “a representative group”.
“Contingency” means “a possible event or situation”.

contingency - contingent

50
Q

disassemble or dissemble

Which is correct here?

After the prom, the seniors exaggerated their exploits to one another and ( dissembled, disassembled ) to their morally upright parents.

A

dissembled

“Disassemble means “to dismantle or take apart”.
“Dissemble” means “to tell lies”.

disassemble - dissemble

51
Q

economic - economical

Which is correct here?

Since the deadline approached, I appreciated both her prioritizing and her ( economic, economical ) use of time.

A

economical

“Economic” means “having to do with money”.
“Economical” means “financially prudent, frugal”.

economic - economical

52
Q

exacerbate or exasperate

Which is correct here?

During mom and dad’s argument, my little brother John tumbled off the sofa and cried wildly, which only ( exacerbated, exasperated ) their anger at each other.

A

exacerbate

“Exacerbate” means “to make worse”.
“Exasperate” means “to exhaust or wear down”.

exacerbate - exasperate

53
Q

hangar or hanger

Which is correct here?

William bent the ( hangar, hanger ) carefully, slipped it under the window, and unlocked the door for the woman.

A

hanger

“Hangar” means “a place for the storage and maintanence of airplanes”.
“Hanger” means “a wire or wooden triangular shaped tool for keeping coats off of surfaces”.

hangar - hanger

54
Q

historic or historical

Which is correct here?

Writing about such an obscure moment, the graduate student had difficulty keeping the ( historic, historical ) facts straight.

A

historical

“Historic” means “an event of such importance that it may shape history”.
“Historical” means “something that happened in the past”.

historic - historical

55
Q

inherent or inherit

Which is correct here?

The difficulty of keeping quality teachers on staff stem from two ( inherent, inherit ) problems: working conditions and poor salary.

A

inherent

“Inherent” means “something that is logically inseparable from something else.”
“Inherit” means to “have [things] pass down [things] from the previous generation”.

inherent - inherit

56
Q

levee or levy

Which word is correct here?

Throughout that night of heavy rain, the townspeople worried about the strain upon the old, earthen ( levee, levy ).

A

levee

“Levee means “a wall like structure designed to hold a river within its bounds.
“Levy” means “to impose a tax, fine or other assessment, or to institute a military draft”.

levee - levy

57
Q

loose or lose

Which word is correct here?

The Lady struggles to write her name round the prow, step into the boat, and ( lose, loose ) its chain, but she easily reclines and begins to sing her last song.

A

loose

“Lose” means “fail to win”, “misplace”, or “cease to be in possession”.
“Loose” means “slack”or “not pulled under tension”.

loose - lose

58
Q

passed or past

Which is correct here?

Whether influenced by the ambitious head coach, or moved by the content of the final paper, the teacher ( passed, past ) him for the term.

A

passed

“Past” means “the time before the present”’.
“Psssed”, means “go by” or “give approving marks”.

passed - past

59
Q

perspicacity or perspicuity

Which is correct here?

With customer returns due to failure to assemble at less than one percent, the ( perspicuity, perspicacity ) of the instructions needs to be noted and the person responsible rewarded.

A

perspicuity

“Perspicuity” means “easy to understand” or “obvious”.
“Perspicacity” means “a quality that shows a person is quick to understand or has good insight”.

perspicacity - perspicuity

60
Q

photogenic or photographic

Which is correct here?

The fashion model was not always so ( photogenic, photographic ); in her early teens, she considered herself “funny looking”.

A

photogenic

“Photogenic” means “likely to look good in a photograph”.
“Photographic” means “having to do with pictures taken by sampling light”.

photogenic - photographic

61
Q

prescribe or proscribe

Which is correct here?

The directors of FBI, through their Terrorism Watch Lists for the past 11 years, ( prescribe, proscribe ) dealing with groups known to have commited violent acts.

A

proscribe

“Proscribe” means “outlaw”.
“Prescribe” means “to order or recommend a medicine or solution”.

prescribe - proscribe

prescription - proscription

62
Q

prodigy or progeny

Which is correct here?

Mozart was celebrated as a ( progeny, prodigy ) in musical performance and composition.

A

prodigy

“Prodigy” means “someone who shows expert skill at an early age” or a “marvel; genius”.
“Progeny” means “offspring; children of”.

prodigy - progeny

63
Q

acute or chronic

Which is correct here?

He had to abort the marathon, because of ( acute, chronic ) pains in his lower back.

A

acute

“Acute” means “sharp” with medical conditions it refers to “rapid onset”.
“Chronic” means “a lasting or lingering condition” which may be severe.

acute - chronic

64
Q

regimen or regiment

Which word is correct here?

General Lee regretted the loss of such a fine ( regimen, regiment ) of men.

A

regiment

“Regiment” means “a group of soldiers” usually commanded by a colonel.
“Regimen” means “a systematic order” as of medication or diet.

regimen - regiment

65
Q

reign or rein

Which word is correct here?

He cinched the saddle and tightened the ( reign, rein ) in the bridle.

A

rein

“Rein” means “the leather strap” used to control horse.
“Reign” means “the rule of a king”.

reign - rein

66
Q

shirk or shrink

Which is correct here?

George was not the type of hero to ( shirk, shrink ) from danger.

A

shrink (from)

“Shrink from” means “to hesitate or show reluctance toward”. There are other meanings of shrink, but this is the most easily confusable with “Shirk.”
“Shirk” means “constantly avoid or neglect” as of a responsibility.

shirk - shrink

67
Q

venal or venial

Which is correct here?

In that area, they had only to find some ( venal, venial ) official to take “a bon-bon” and they were in business.

A

venal

“Venal” means “corrupt”, “able to be bribed”, or “for sale”.
“Venial” means “pardonable, not serious”.

venal - venial

68
Q

How should you use the knowledge of wrong words, irregular verbs, and special idiom forms in your process to identify errors?

A

Treat them as flags that trigger you to narrow your focus to those particular errors.

69
Q

What words in the following sentence do you recognize from the study lists that lead you to check for certain errors?

If one wants their progeny to do well in life, then one should do everything to raise and nurture them well.

A
  • progeny
  • raise
  • one

“Progeny” and “raise” are on this list, but “one” comes from pronoun errors. These should each trigger a direct check of “progeny vs. prodigy”, “raise vs. rise”, and “one”- check for shift error, which is the case here.

70
Q

When you see any of these words, what error is likely present?

barely, hardly, scarcely

A

Double negative

Double Negative: “He hardly never eats veggies.”
Correct: “He hardly ever eats veggies.”

71
Q

When you see an adjective with either of these endings, what do you check?

-er, -est
(like stronger, strongest)

A

Check the number of things compared.

For 2, use -er;
for 3 or more, use -est.

He is stronger than I.
Wilbur is the best pig in Iowa.

72
Q

When you see any of these phrases, what should you check?

As well as, along with, in addition to

A

Subject / verb agreement

These make a singular subject appear plural.

Cloud cover along with high winds and dropping temperatures bring delays to the launch schedule.

73
Q

When you see these phrases, what error should you expect?

hitherto, up to [then], For [an amount of time], when, before, since [something happened]

(definite time indicators)

A

Error in verb tense

He only visited Berlin twice before the Berlin Wall fell.
He had only visited Berlin twice before the the Berlin Wall fell.

74
Q

When you see this form, for what should you check?

[verb]+ing acting as a noun

Acting like a fool can only upset your mother.

A

Gerund error

(try the same verb with “to” in front of it to check this error)

75
Q

What should you look for when you read to the end of a clause and find just a comma?

Gloria had a tendency to correct the grammar of all her friends, …

A

Run-on

…they found it annoying.

(check for subject and predicate on both sides of the comma without conjunctions)

76
Q

What error should you check as you read if you see a noun followed by a long prepositional phrase starting with “of”, “in”, or “at”?

The plan of both the mayor and city fathers…

A

verb agreement

(check “plan” with the verb)

77
Q

What error do you expect when you see a phrase like?

She prefers going to the movies, shopping for shoes, and..

A

parallelism error

finding friends to text with her

[verb]+ing [prep] [noun]
(predict)

…texting with friends.

78
Q

What error should you expect when a sentence begins with a name you don’t know?

Lord Baltimore, who…,

A

fragment

…continuing the legacy of religious tolerance.

Look at the verb on the other side of the “who, that or which” clause. It is usually for this error in the form of a gerund or participle.

79
Q

What error should you expect when you see either of these phrases?

There is…/There are…

A

verb agreement

…at least one American who never gives up in a time of crisis.

(inverted order: subject comes after verb)

80
Q

When you see any of these words or phrases in a sentence, for what error should you check?

  • Like, as, than, more than, less than, neither… nor, either…or*
  • He favored Emmy’s approach to raising children more than…*
A

comparison errors

…Uncle Lasker.

(compare apples to apples)

81
Q

When you see two adjectives stacked in front of a noun without a comma between them, which error can you verify?

extreme old man…

A

adjective used as adverb

extremely old man…

82
Q

When you see the word “one” in a sentence, for what error should you check?

When one is concerned for the well being of others,…

A

pronoun shift

…it permeates every aspect of their lives.

Check to see if a different pronoun is used for the same antecedent later in the sentence.

83
Q

When you see a participle phrase starting a sentence, for what error should you look?

Swinging the bat wildly in the on-deck circle,…

A

misplaced modifier

  • …the catcher was injured putting on his equipment by his teammate.*
  • “Swinging the bat”… is the participle here and it gives info about the teammate who injured the catcher.*
84
Q

When you see any of these words or phrases in a sentence, for what errors should you check?

Not only …but also, the more of…the more of, the less of…the less of …, both [this] and [that], If [this] …then [that]

A

comparison errors

parallel errors

The less negativity we have during practice, the more chance we have to get things done.

85
Q

When you see these phrases, for what errors should you check?

  • have + [verb], has + [verb], had + [verb]*
  • have shown, has cracked, had been*
A

tense error

agreement error

He had spoken to her sister before on the subject,..

Remember the strategy to skip checking for tense error until last, since other errors are easier to check.

86
Q

When you see this form is underlined, for what error should you check?

to [verb]

Like to play, to sing, to prohibit, etc.

A

These are infinitives. Check if an -ing (gerund) form works better for every infinitive you see.

Infinitives can sometimes be involved in parallel structure errors, too.

87
Q

When you see this kind of phrase in the sentence, for what error should you check?

…Uncle Thomas and me…

A

Pronoun case error

(check this by removing “Uncle Thomas and” rereading–the error becomes obvious)

For the inconvenience, the manager gave Uncle Thomas and me a free dessert.

Uncle Thomas and me watched the tragedy unfold on the news.

88
Q

When you see two men or women by name, for what error should you check?

When Aunt Matilde took Jennifer to the mall,..

A

pronoun ambiguous

Only when a sentence has two or more proper nouns can one be confused about whom or what the pronoun refers.

89
Q

When a sentence starts with a prepositional phrase, but that phrase isn’t closed with a comma, for what error should you check?

Somewhere deep within the caverns awaits Shelob for Frodo and his servant.

A

verb agreement

“Within the caverns” usually would have a comma [,] after “caverns”, and the subject “Shelob” would follow, but in this structure, the verb comes before the noun.

90
Q

When the underlined word is a noun, for what errors should you check?

A

faulty comparison

number agreement

wrong word