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Read for clarity and active Voice: If the sentence is expressed in passive voice, is there an option to make it active voice? If so, the active voice choice will be most correct.
- Thought process is to understand why answer is not clear:
- Is it in passive voice?
- Are there other answer choices that are in the active voice form?
- Does the sentence have unclear grouping?
- Is part of the sentence expressed as an afterthought?
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Active voice looks like (item #1) along with (item #2) contributed to...
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Identify if it is a case of comparing apples and oranges:
Thought process identify this case by key words, like "than" -[more than] [better than], [more frequently than], [less often than], [as much as]...
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You know you are comparing two things, now are you comparing two of the same things? Select the answer choice which compares two like items, costs, or acts.
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Correct comparisons of apples to apples look like this:
- My sister is more likely than I to plan on studying. (not in planning to study).
- My weight is more than that of his.
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Identify this sentence structure: descriptive phrase on one side, main sentence on the other (or vice-versa).
Thought process:
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They are seperated by a comma, main sentence would sound fine on its' own, descriptive phrase follows or preceeds it.
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From a structure perspective, the descriptive phrase will be describing the subject of the main sentence. This is usually the noun closest to the comma. Locate that subject noun.
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Sentence Correction #5, Framework 5.
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Do they match? If not, adjust them so they do. The meaning of the main sentence should describe the noun closest to the comma.
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The only exception to this is -ing verbs, which will always describe the subject, regardless of sentence structure [having], [knowing], [seeing], [fighting].
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Identify if the sentence is in a split sentence with a phrase in the structure.
Thought process: you shoud be able to cut out the middle phrase, still read the sentence, and have it make sense.
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Solve by:
- Look for a sentence with at least 2 commas.
- Identify which part is the description (fluff).
- Blocking this fluff out and read the sentence (And making it still make sense.)
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Idioms: Look for Linking Verbs
Linking Verbs - Thought process:
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Words that lead to another verb, should be in the form "to + verb."
Although "I want her studying," is ok, "I want her to study," is simpler and therefore preferred.
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Idioms: Deciding upon If vs. Whether
If vs. Whether - Thought process:
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If you are chosing between choices, whether is preferred. This is because "if" introduces a condition, and "whether" introduces a choice. The words "or not" are not needed because they are slang.
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Idioms: Many vs. Much
Many vs. Much - Thought process:
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If you can put a number on it, use [many], or [fewer]. ex: dollars
If it wouldn't make sense to put a number on it, use [much], or [less]. ex: money
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The interesting thing is that there is no distinction to make when using [more].
For example, you could say more money, or more dollars!
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Solve by:
- Finding the key word.
- Asking yourself, "Can I count it?"
- And then attaching [many or fewer] if you can, or else [much or less] if its uncountable.
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Idioms: Who or Whom
Who or Whom - Thought process:
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"Him or Her or Them" go with [whom]. (a tip to remember is that that both [him] and [whom] end with an [m].
In contrast, you would use the word [who] to refer to "he or she or they".
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Solve by:
When you read the sentence, you should re-phrase replacing the noun with a pronoun.
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Sentence Correction #5, Framework 5.
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