GMAT Verbal Section - Sentence Correction

Sentence Correction Questions

Sentence Correction questions are sentences with a portion of the sentence underlined. The question will then ask whether the underlined portion is correct as is, or offer four choices of how to improve the sentence. The test taker must choose the answer that is not only the most correct, but the one that makes the sentence the most clear and concise. In other words, there may be more than one answer that is grammatically correct, but the right answer improves the overall clarity of the sentence. These can be tricky because the choices will all look very similar.

In terms of grammar, grammatical rules assessed include subject-verb agreement, pronoun consistency, pronoun case, verb tense sequence, and parallel construction. Also look out for dangling or misplaced modifiers. In terms of clarity, be wary of automatically choosing the shortest phrase. Weigh each option carefully and if there are two that are both correct, choose the one that makes the sentence the most clear and understandable. This might involve a having a bit of a feel for what's best, but with practice that can be developed. For those who struggle with this section, a brush-up on the basic rules of grammar will be helpful.