SAT Prep | Word Choice Errors and Faulty Parallelism
Word Choice ErrorsIn a sense, all grammatical errors are the result of choosing the wrong word or phrase. But in the grammatical mistakes we’ve considered so far, the errors in word choice have been logical errors. Treating a plural noun as though it’s singular, or grammatically comparing unequal things, is simply illogical. The category “Word Choice Errors” concerns violations of accepted idioms and definitions. Nonnative speakers of English have particular difficulty identifying these kinds of errors.
Try to “hear” improperly used words and expressions in the following:
| 11. After three hours | of | negotiations, the Trade Union insisted that management agree | on | its |
| A | B | C |
| demands for a reduced work week and improved | working | conditions. |
| D |
| 12. Despite of | the bad weather, | Mark | and Heather's garage sale went | well, | earning the couple a |
| A | B | C |
| tidy | sum. |
| D |
| 13. Even | at an early age, Picasso displayed signs | of | imaginary | genius that would fuel | ground-breaking |
| A | B | C | D |
| artwork. |
11. B
Like many verbs, “agree” combines with several prepositions to form new concepts. To “agree with” someone is to share his or her opinion; to “agree to” something is to concede to a demand or request. A trade union usually doesn’t care if management agrees with its philosophy, so long as it agrees to (concedes to) to the union’s demands.
12. A
“In spite of” and “despite” have virtually the same meaning and sound alike. Consequently, characteristics of each are sometimes erroneously blended, as in sentence 12.
13. C
Imaginary and imaginative are adjectives derived from the same root word. Nevertheless, they have very different meanings. “Imaginative” means “gifted with imagination”— which Picasso was; “imaginary” means “illusory.”
Faulty Parallelism
Consider the following sentence:
Jim likes hiking, skiing, and to snowboard.
Clearly, the third element in the series of things Jim likes should be “snowboarding,” not “to snowboard.” Whenever possible, elements catalogued or linked with conjunctions should be grammatically equal. This rule of “parallelism”—think “equal”—is more typically violated when the sentence is more complex than the preceding one. See if you can identify the faulty parallelisms below.
| 14. A | low-calorie | diet, most nutritionists | agree, | is the best | way | to reduce cholesterol and |
| A | B | C |
| the achievement | of weight loss. |
| D |
| 15. When | one | takes a high-stakes test, | it's | perfectly natural | to be | a little nervous, irritable, | sweaty palms. |
| A | B | C | D |
Answers
14. D
In naming the two things that a low-calorie diet helps the dieter to achieve, the writer begins with an infinitival phrase: “to reduce” Disobeying the rule of parallelism, the writer describes the second benefit of dieting as “the achievement of weight loss”—a noun phrase. Clearly, following the first infinitival phrase with another to create “to lower cholesterol and to achieve weight loss” sounds better and improves clarity.
15. D
“Nervous” and “irritable” are adjectives. “Sweaty” is also an adjective, but, because it is followed by “palms,” the third element in this catalogue is a noun phrase modified by an adjective. Parallelism could be achieved simply by removing “palms.”
