SAT Writing : Identifying Phrase, Clause, and Sentence Errors
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Example Questions
Example Question #131 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
The young girl struggled in school growing up, having trouble with adding, spelling, and the ability to read.
with adding, spelling, and reading.
with adding spelling and the ability to read.
with adding, spelling and the ability to read.
with adding, spelling, and the ability to read.
in adding, spelling, and the ability to read.
with adding, spelling, and reading.
The series placed in the underlined portion of the sentence suffers from the problem of not having a parallel structure. All components in such a list need to take the same format. Therefore, "with adding, spelling, and reading" is the correct answer.
Example Question #131 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
We could swear Bessie the cow was always happy she always had a smile on her face whenever we saw her. No error
could swear
we saw
on her face
No error
happy she
happy she
The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore, there needs to be a semicolon between "happy" and "she" to properly denote the beginning of the second independent clause.
Example Question #133 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The scientists grappled with the theoretical physics problem all night they emerged exhausted from the lab in the morning without an answer. No error
without
from the lab
grappled with
night they
No error
night they
The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore we need to include a semicolon between "night" and "they" in order to properly separate the two independent clauses.
Example Question #132 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Jessica threw the flying disc over to Daniel and he spun around in a big circle before throwing it back over Jessica's head. No error
over Jessica's head
throwing
in a big circle
Daniel and
No error
Daniel and
The above sentence is a compound sentence, and therefore needs a comma in between "Daniel" and "and" to properly separate the two independent clauses of the sentence.
Example Question #81 : Identifying Other Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
After her brother ate her sandwich, Andrea was angry. And frustrated. No error
After
No error
sandwich,
frustrated.
angry. And
angry. And
"And frustrated" is a sentence fragment because it does not contain a subject. Since "and" is not being used as a coordinating conjunction in this instance no punctuation, not even a comma, is needed between "angry and frustrated."
Example Question #133 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Although jaguars and leopards are similar in appearance, the jaguar is the larger animal and the leopard is the fastest. No error
the fastest
the larger
Although
are similar
No error
the fastest
When comparing only two things, in this case, the jaguar and the leopard, the suffix “-er” should be used instead of the suffix “-est.” The sentence should end “the faster,” not “the fastest.”
Example Question #136 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
Many of the students who dislike Ms. Simmons would likely learn a lot less if they were to have a more relaxed teacher. No error
would
a more
they were
No error
who dislike
No error
Every aspect of this sentence is grammatically correct and there is no error. "Who" is correctly used, rather than whom, in this instance; "would" is the correct verb in the correct case.
Example Question #134 : Identifying Phrase, Clause, And Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The old, faded rug ran the course of the entire empty room, it having been left untouched for fifty years. No error
No error
old, faded
ran
it having been
untouched for
it having been
This sentence has some unnecessary words thrown in it. “It having been” is clunky and not needed. The corrected sentence reads: The old, faded rug ran the course of the entire empty room, left untouched for fifty years.
Example Question #811 : Identifying Sentence Errors
Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.
The freedom continually trumpeted by the Greeks as the defining characteristic of their society is juxtaposed from the overwhelming lack of individual freedom exhibited by Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, and Iphigenia; the Greeks’ portrayal of the Eastern foreigners as barbaric, incontinent rapists is meanwhile paralleled with the often equally violent and impulsive behavior of Greek men and, in particular, of the Greek army. No error
paralleled with
No error
Iphigenia; the Greeks' portrayal
juxtaposed from
continually
juxtaposed from
“Continually” means “repeated regularly,” which fits the meaning of this sentence. The semicolon after “Iphigenia” correctly links two complete sentences. “Paralleled with” demonstrates the correct use of a preposition. “Juxtaposed from,” however, uses the wrong preposition. “Juxtaposed,” which means placed with or beside something in order to emphasize the contrast between the two things should be followed by the preposition “with,” as the two terms are being contrasted with each other.
Example Question #135 : Identifying 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. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Logan's high school puts on more plays than his sister.
than his sister's school
than his sister
than does his sister
as opposed to his sister's school
compared to what his sister's school does
than his sister's school
This question is looking for a logical comparision between one school (Logan's) and another (his sister's) rather than a comparison between a school (Logan's) and a person (his sister). Although "as opposed to his sister's school" and "than does his sister's school" both express this concept, they are unnecessarily wordy, leaving "than his sister's school" as the correct answer.
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