SAT Writing › Correcting Other Phrase, Clause, and Sentence Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
People spend a lifetime trying to finding happiness of life.
to find happiness.
to finding happiness of life.
to find happiness of life.
to finding happiness in life.
finding happiness of life
The underlined phrase is extremely awkwardly worded, and can be cleaned up quite easily. "To find happiness" is the cleanest expression of the sentiment of the phrase's meaning.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and to stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and he could also stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and also staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey traveling all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
This sentence contains an error in parallelism. The verbs "travel" and "stay" must be in the same form. In the sentence as it is presented, "to travel" and "staying" do not match. The correct answer makes both of these terms infinitives: "to travel" and "to stay."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Scientists have determined that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
The answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" is correct because it contains appropriate parallelism—in this case, a list of three noun phrases.
The original text "include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress" and the answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress" contain faulty parallelism—the last item in the list includes the verb "having" whereas the first two items in the list do not employ verbs. These answers are therefore incorrect.
Answer choices "includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" and "tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" are incorrect because they both use singular predicates for the plural subject, "risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Having already completed the necessary training, the instructor felt ready to begin her first class.
Having already completed the necessary training,
Having already completed the necessary training
Already completed the necessary training,
Despite that the necessary trying has been completed,
Being done with the completed necessary training,
Because the underlined portion of the sentence is an introductory phrase it must be followed by a comma. The incorrect answer choices omit the comma, change the meaning of the sentence, don't agree with the sentence, or are excessively wordy. Thus, because the given sentence separates the introductory phrase with a comma and is grammatically correct, no change is necessary.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Scientists have determined that the risk factors for cardiovascular disease include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress.
include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress.
The answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" is correct because it contains appropriate parallelism—in this case, a list of three noun phrases.
The original text "include family history, poor diet, and having an excess of stress" and the answer choice "include family history, poor diet, and having an excessive amount of stress" contain faulty parallelism—the last item in the list includes the verb "having" whereas the first two items in the list do not employ verbs. These answers are therefore incorrect.
Answer choices "includes family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" and "tends to include family history, poor diet, and excessive stress" are incorrect because they both use singular predicates for the plural subject, "risk factors for cardiovascular disease."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and to stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and he could also stay in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and also staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey traveling all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
The scholarship allowed Mickey to travel all the way to France and staying in a five-star hotel.
This sentence contains an error in parallelism. The verbs "travel" and "stay" must be in the same form. In the sentence as it is presented, "to travel" and "staying" do not match. The correct answer makes both of these terms infinitives: "to travel" and "to stay."
Religious texts often appear quite difficult to understand, being contradictions of themselves.
contradicting themselves.
being contradictions of themselves.
being contradictions of them.
contradicting them.
being contradicting them.
The underlined phrase in the sentence is awkwardly worded, which makes the sentence itself difficult to understand. The "religious texts" contain contradictions, a meaning not conveyed properly by the sentence. "Contradicting themselves" is the clearest, most appropriate choice among the answers.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
People spend a lifetime trying to finding happiness of life.
to find happiness.
to finding happiness of life.
to find happiness of life.
to finding happiness in life.
finding happiness of life
The underlined phrase is extremely awkwardly worded, and can be cleaned up quite easily. "To find happiness" is the cleanest expression of the sentiment of the phrase's meaning.
Religious texts often appear quite difficult to understand, being contradictions of themselves.
contradicting themselves.
being contradictions of themselves.
being contradictions of them.
contradicting them.
being contradicting them.
The underlined phrase in the sentence is awkwardly worded, which makes the sentence itself difficult to understand. The "religious texts" contain contradictions, a meaning not conveyed properly by the sentence. "Contradicting themselves" is the clearest, most appropriate choice among the answers.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Having already completed the necessary training, the instructor felt ready to begin her first class.
Having already completed the necessary training,
Having already completed the necessary training
Already completed the necessary training,
Despite that the necessary trying has been completed,
Being done with the completed necessary training,
Because the underlined portion of the sentence is an introductory phrase it must be followed by a comma. The incorrect answer choices omit the comma, change the meaning of the sentence, don't agree with the sentence, or are excessively wordy. Thus, because the given sentence separates the introductory phrase with a comma and is grammatically correct, no change is necessary.