SC Mistakes / Slow / Review Flashcards
A) (Fewer / Less) than half as many
B) (Fewer / Less) than half the amount
A) Fewer. Use fewer, many for countable
B) Less. Use less, amount for uncountable
- However much United States voters may agree that there is waste in government and that the government as a whole spends beyond its means, it is difficult to find broad support for a movement toward a minimal state.
(A) However much United States voters may agree that
(B) Despite the agreement among United States voters to the fact
(C) Although United States voters agree
(D) Even though United States voters may agree
(E) There is agreement among United States voters that
A
Agree THAT X and THAT Y
Need THAT –> eliminate B, C, D.
E is run-on –> the part before the comma stands alone as a sentence.
Ability (of / to)
to
Ok?
Unlike their competitors in the tech industry, Computer Universe is not profitable.
No. “their” should be “its”
People can speak this way, but a company is singular.
Idioms of comparison:
AS ____
MORE _____
AS ____ AS _____
MORE THAN
The media (have / has) focused on the high costs and low ethics of campaign finance, but they have generally overlooked the cost of actually administering elections.
have
If not sure whether it’s singular or plural, look elsewhere in the sentence for a clue.
”, but THEY”
Ok?
Their bones are different from that of a dog.
THOSE of a dog
compare plural Bones with Bones.
How must “, verb-ing” modifier be used?
- Modifies the action of the preceding clause (main subject and verb)
- The main SUBJECT should be the agent of the -ING action
- the “,-verb-ing” part is inseparable from whatever is described in the main clause
-
A or B?
A) Tom found a yellow cardinal, disproving the notion that all cardinals are red.
B) Tom found a yellow cardinal and disproved the notion that all cardinals are red.
A
A. Use “,verb-ing” for inseparable events, where “,verb-ing” describes the result:
When tom found the yellow cardinal, that very finding WAS the ‘disproof’
B. “x and y” implies that these are two separate events… but they aren’t.
A or B?
A) Tom found a yellow cardinal, posting photos online to rebut the notion that all cardinals are red.
B) Tom found a yellow cardinal and posted photos online to rebut the notion that all cardinals are red
B
two separate actions: {i} finding the cardinal, (ii) posting the photos- –> Can’t use “, verb-ing”
A) They decided to run.
B) The decision to run was made.
A.
Preference for active verbs, vs. noun form of word.
