Quirk of the day

1. Quirk of the day

2. SAT Writing

3. Be Careful • The questions in this section are NOT arranged in order of difficulty.

4. 3 sections in the grammar section • Error identification • Improving sentences • Improving paragraphs

5. Today’s focus: Error ID

6. Example of an error ID question 4. The union insisted on an increase in theirmembers’ starting pay, A B C and threatened to call a strike if the company refused to meet the D demand. No error. E A. B. C. D. E.

7. Error-Identification Categories • 1) Subject-Verb Agreement • 2) Verb Tense • 3) Pronoun Case • 4) Antecedent Pronoun (Pronoun Agreement) • 5) Adjective vs. Adverb • 6) Parallelism • 7) Prepositions • 8) Faulty Comparisons • 9) Comparatives vs. Superlatives • 10) Double negatives/Double positives • 11) Word Pairs • 12) Noun Agreement • 13) Relative Pronouns • 14) Coordinating Conjunctions • 15) Usage • 16) Redundancy

8. 1) Subject-Verb Agreement

9. A. Subject – Parenthetical clause – Verb Whenever you encounter a parenthetical clause (a clause set off by commas), look for and circle the subject-verb agreement • Galaxies, far from being randomly scattered throughout the galaxy, appears to be distributed in bubble-shaped patterns. Appear changes to appears

10. B. Subject – Prepositional phrase – Verb A prepositional phrase is a phrase that begins with a preposition (in the box, under the table, over the hill, etc.). Very often these will be inserted between subjects and verbs to distract from subject-verb disagreements. • Changes in the balance of trade seems remote from everyday concerns, but they can drastically affect how we spend our money. If you don’t see an error the first time you read a sentence, try circling the subject and verb to see if they match. Seems changes to seem

11. C. Prepositional Phrase –Verb – Subject When prepositional phrase is placed first, make sure you identify the complete subject: very often compound subjects (two singular nouns joined by "and") will be used in this construction, which often appears at the end of the Error-Identification section. • Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends many lakes, parks, and trails owned and operated by the Loup power district. • Along the Loup Canal in Nebraska extends a park and lake owned an operated by the Loup power district. Extend for both because the subject is plural

12. D. There is/There are & There has/There have There is/has = Singular noun There are/have = Plural noun • There has been many questions raised about the handling of the company’s finances. Has changes to had

13. E. Neither/Nor + Verb Neither (Singular Noun) Nor (Singular Noun) = Singular Verb • Good = Neither the book nor the pencil is sitting on the table. • Bad = Neither the book nor the pencil are sitting on the table.

14. F. Important Oddities • “Group” nouns (school, city, country, jury, etc.) = singular. • Each & Every = Singular • A number of = Plural The number of = Singular • Gerunds when used as subjects (Running is difficult) = Singular. • It is also permissible to use both what and whether as subjects; both are singular.  • "Whethercomputers are intelligent isa subject of much debate among experts.”

15. Practice time

16. Question #1 B C A E D The students in the back row of the amphitheater are much less likely to enjoy a panorama of the production.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

17. Question #2 A B C D Neither the Republican party nor the Democrat party are immune to error, rather both are prone to make mistakes based purely on the fact that they are comprised of humans.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of? E

18. Question #3 A B C D E Tomatoes, despite being mistaken for a vegetable, is one of the most prominent selling fruits of the decade. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

19. Question #4 A B E D C Television viewers claim that the number of scenes depicting alcohol consumptionhaveincreased dramatically over the last decade. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

20. Question #5 A C B E D The union insisted on an increase in theirmembers’ starting pay, and threatened to call a strike if the company refused to meet the demand. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

21. Question #6 B C A D E Electing candidates for president have been one of the greatest privileges of democracy in our nation. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

22. Question #7 A B C D E What most people perceive as offense are usually just miscommunication between two parties. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

23. Question #8 C B A D E A number of the congregation gather for meetings every Thursday in the chapel on the veranda.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

25. 2) Verb Tense

26. A. Tense Consistency Sentences that start in the past should generally stay in the past; sentences that start in the present should generally stay in the present. • Since serious drama unaccompanied by music was forbidden in all but two London theatres during the eighteenth century, Queen’s theatre quickly becoming  an opera house. Becoming changes to became

27. B. Present Perfect vs. Simple Past Any sentence that includes a date in the past or mentions a historical period should always contain a verb in the Simple Past (went, walk, etc), NOT in the Present Perfect (has gone, has walked, etc). • During the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens has become (became)one of the most famous British novelists. Has become ------ became However, sentences containing ‘Since’ and ‘For’ require the Present Perfect (e.g., I have gone to this school since 2005; I have gone to this school for five years).

28. C. Would vs. Will Will and Would get switched with one another; if "will" is underlined, stick in "would" and vice-versa Would = past tense Will = present & future tense • William Shakespeare, who will become the greatest English dramatist, was born in 1564. Will ------ would -Do NOT use would have in a clause that begins with if:  If he would have arrived (had arrived) at 5pm, I would have been very happy.

29. D. Gerunds vs. Infinitives Gerunds and Infinitives are switched with one another Infinitive replaced with gerund: Though she was one of the few women of her time gaininginternational prominence, Clara Barton would not have described herself as a proponent of women's rights. Gerund replaced with infinitive: Laryngitis causes the vocal cords and surrounding tissue to swell, thus preventing the vocal cords to move freely.

30. E. Past Participle vs. Simple Past In these questions, the simple past rather than the past participle will be incorrectly paired with a form of the verb “To Have.” • My little brother has grew  two inches during the past year. Grew ----- grown

31. F. Past Perfect Past Perfect = Had + Past Participle ex: I had seen When a sentence contains two actions or events that occurred in the past, the action that occurred first should be in the past perfect The phrase ‘by the time’ is usually a tip-off that the past perfect is required. • By the time it adjourned, the committee made several important decisions. 1st action: The committee made several important decisions 2nd action: The committee adjourned Made ---- had made

32. G. The Subjunctive Subject involves expressions of suggestion and necessity. The main change in the present subjunctiveis in from 3rd person singular form of the verb to a plural: Indicative (normal): He arrives home at 5pm. Subjunctive: It is necessary that he arrive home at 5pm. Thepast subjunctive involves hypothetical circumstances; it includes the verb were, regardless of whether the subject is singular or plural.  If he were to arrive at 5pm, I would be very happy.

33. Practice time

34. Question #1 C A B D E By the time we finished eating dinner the check was brought to the table. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

35. Question #2 A B C D E If the student was to study more, the teacher would be elated.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

36. Question #3 A B C D E The Olympic games were held in England this year, where athletes from all over the world come to compete. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

37. Question #4 B A C E D It is vital that everyone studies at least one hour a week in preparation for the SAT exam.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

38. Question #5 A B C E D When I asked the teacher for an explanation, she said she had already spoke with me about it.No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

39. Question #6 A B C D E Jayden Smith, son of the famous actor Will Smith, would probably be as great of an actor as his father in the years to come. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

40. Question #7 B C D A E When I first joined the church choir I was nervous because I had never sung in public before. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

41. Question #8 C D A B E In most cultures it is considered rude interrupting a teacher when they are giving a lecture. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

42. Question #9 A B C D E I loved the opera since I was a young girl but I have never seen one in person. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

43. Question #10 B C A D E In the 1800’s many people had relocated to cities due to the jobs provided by the industrial revolution. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

44. 3) Pronoun Case

45. Trick: What goes for singular, goes for plural • After two weeks, the teacher finally gave Robert and I back our report. I ---- me Would you say, ‘The teacher gave I back my report?’ Obviously not. So you wouldn’t say ‘the teacher gave Robert and I back our report’ either.

46. Pronouns Subject Pronouns tested on the SAT:  • I  • He/She • We  • They  Object Pronouns tested on the SAT: • Me • Him/Her • Us • Them  Any pronoun that follows a preposition must be an object pronoun  Important: Between you and me, NOT Between you and I 

47. Question #1 A B C D E After the game on Saturday me and John are going to the mall to buy shoes for him. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

48. Question #2 A B C D E Jane is going with Christina and I to the park this afternoon, but we were wanting to take her brother instead because he is less annoying. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

49. Question #3 A B C E D After we had decided to buy her a puppy it was discovered that she had already been given one by her mother. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?

50. Question #4 A B C E D I’d like to say, on behalf of the entire class and I, that we prefer not to have any homework for the rest of the year. No error. A. B. C. D. E. What is this an example of?