Identifying Sentence Errors
1. The correct answer is C. We are only visiting one girl, so “friends” should be “friend.” The sentence should read: “We went on a trip out in the country to visit our friend, a girl I had known for many years.”
2. The correct answer is C. The patient is not necessarily “you.” “You” should be changed to “he or she.” The sentence should read: “Directions for the medication are written for the patient and state that he or she should not take more than four pills in twenty-four hours.”
3. The correct answer is B. As written, this statement is not a sentence. The word “which” indicates that a verb should complete the sentence at the end. Remove “which,” and the sentence will read: “Cats, dogs and guinea pigs, interesting animals, make wonderful pets and add enjoyment to the lives of most families.”
4. The correct answer is B. Ask yourself if the old car was sneezing. Probably it was not. The sentence should reflect the fact that Julie, not the car, was sneezing. Trade the phrase beginning “the old car” with the phrase beginning “Julie kept her foot.” The sentence should read, “Sneezing because of the dust on the road, Julie kept her foot on the accelerator; the old car labored up the hill.”
5. The correct answer is C. The subject of the sentence is “presence,” not “people,” so the sentence should read “The presence of so many people in the chapel was a sign…”
6. The correct answer is C. The subject of this phrase is plural, “pools.” The verb phrase must also be plural, “there were” instead of “there was.” The sentence should read: “Champion swimmer, Maria Nogales, came from Bolivia, where there were not many pools available to her for practice.
7. The correct answer is D. There are no errors in this sentence.
Sentence Correction
8. The correct answer is D. The error is in the word “bounces,” which should be in the past tense, “bounced.” Answers A, B, C, and E all contain this error.
9. The correct answer is C. This is a question of parallel structure. Since Rosemary is driving, she should also be having.
10. The correct answer is B. Parallel structure is also the problem in this sentence. “The manipulative person will maneuver” calls for the other verb to be “discuss” rather than “discussing.”