1.

GMAT SC Question 1 : In the U.S., German luxury brands have succeeded in getting
people who might have once thought the cars were out of their league in buying and
leasing some snazzy rides.
A.

have succeeded in getting people who might have once thought the cars were out
of their league in buying and leasing some snazzy rides

B. have succeeded in getting people who might have once thought the cars were out
of their league to buy and lease some snazzy rides
C. have succeeded in getting people who once might have thought the cars were out
of their league to buy and lease some snazzy rides
D. has succeeded in getting people who might have once thought the cars were out of
their league to buy and lease some snazzy rides
E.

has succeeded in getting people who might have once thought the cars were out of
their league in buying and leasing some snazzy rides

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

It is idiomatic to say in getting x... to do y. in getting people... in buying is not idiomatic.

Choice (A) is therefore, incorrect.

B. CORRECT. The correct idiom is used.

C. Once is misplaced: it is not placed before the verb it is modifying. Once thought is the
correct construction.
D. German luxury brands is plural. Therefore, the use of has creates a Noun-Verb
disagreement and is incorrect.
E.

has creates a noun-verb disagreement. Moreover, in getting x... to do y is idiomatic.

2.

GMAT SC Question 2 : Reporting a 90 percent drop in net income during the second
quarter, dragged down by restructuring charges and weak sales, the earnings guidance for
the year was withdrawn by Best Buy Co.
A.

Reporting a 90 percent drop in net income during the second quarter, dragged
down by restructuring charges and weak sales, the earnings guidance for the year
was withdrawn by Best Buy Co.

B. Best Buy Co. is reporting a 90 percent drop in net income during the second
quarter, dragged down by restructuring charges and weak sales; the company also
withdrew its earnings guidance for the year.

C. Reporting a 90 percent drop in net income during the second quarter dragged
down by restructuring charges and weak sales, Best Buy Co. withdrew the earnings
guidance for the year.
D. Best Buy Co. has reported a 90 percent drop in net income during the second
quarter, dragged down by restructuring charges and weak sales; the company has
also withdrawn its earnings guidance for the year.
E.

Best Buy Co. is reporting a 90 percent drop in net income during the second
quarter, dragged down by restructuring charges and weak sales; the company has
also withdrawn its earnings guidance for the year.

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

Reporting ... and dragged down. are modifiers that correspond to Best Buy Co. and not
earnings guidance..

B. is reporting... would imply that the action is currently in progress. Different Tense (simple
past) in the run-on sentence.
C. Two separate causes and hence there should be an and between 90 percent drop.... and
dragged down.
D. CORRECT. No modifier error. Has reported indicates a concluded event in the recent past.
The run-on sentence construction adds clarity. Tense uniformity in the run-on sentence.
E.

is reporting. would imply that the action is currently in progress. Different Tense (present
perfect) in the run-on sentence.

3.

GMAT SC Question 3 : Thieves steal Hondas and Toyotas from the 1990s more than other
models because they can chop them up and sell them for parts that are worth more than
the car.
A.

more than other models because they can chop them up and sell them for parts
that are worth more than the car

B. more than they steal other models because they can chop them up and sell them
for parts that are worth more than the car
C. more than they do other models because they can dismantle the cars and sell the
parts that are worth more than the car
D. more than other models because they can chop the cars up and sell them for parts
that are worth more than the car
E.

more than other models because they can dismantle them up and sell them for
parts that are worth more than the car

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

Comparison error. Requires more than they steal.... to complete the comparison. Also the
pronoun them is ambiguous. It can refer to Hondas, Toyotas, or other models.

B. Takes care of comparison error, but the pronoun error still stands.
C. CORRECT. Dummy verb do takes care of comparison error. Pronoun error stands corrected.
Also, the phrase dismantle the cars is better than chop the cars.
D. While pronoun ambiguity is corrected, comparison is incomplete.
E.

Comparison is incomplete. Pronoun them is ambiguous. Dismantle up is incorrect.

4.

GMAT SC Question 4 : Hopes that the European Central Bank will reach a deal to
help Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates has nudged financial markets higher.
A.

Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates has nudged financial markets higher

B. Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates have nudged financial markets to higher
levels
C. Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates has nudged financial markets to higher
levels
D. Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates nudged financial markets to higher levels
E.

Spain and Italy borrow at cheaper rates nudged financial markets higher

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

The subject for the verb nudged is Hopes. The correct verb is have nudged..... to higher X is
required because financial markets are measured in index levels.

B. CORRECT. have nudged..... is the correct verb for Hopes. to higher levels is required.
C. has nudged is incorrect.
D. Original sentence has the present perfect auxilliary has...... It is required in the sentence.
E.

Original sentence has the present perfect auxilliary has...... It is required in the
sentence. to higher X is required because financial markets are measured in index levels.

5.

GMAT SC Question 5 : Fought on 22 August 1485, the Lancastrians won The Battle of
Bosworth Field, the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between
the House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of
the 15th century.
A.

Fought on 22 August 1485, the Lancastrians won The Battle of Bosworth Field, the
last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of
Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the
15th century

B. Fought on 22 August 1485, The Battle of Bosworth Field- the last significant battle
of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of Lancaster and the
House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the 15th century- was
won by the Lancastrians
C. Fought on 22 August 1485, the Lancastrians won The Battle of Bosworth Field- the
last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses- the civil war between the House of
Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the
15th century
D. The Lancastrians won The Battle of Bosworth Field, fought on 22 August 1485, the
last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, the civil war between the House of
Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter half of the
15th century
E.

The Lancastrians won The Battle of Bosworth Field fought on 22 August 1485; it
was the last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses- the civil war between the
House of Lancaster and the House of York that raged across England in the latter
half of the 15th century

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

Fought on.....is a modifier that refers to The Battle......and not the Lancastrians.

B. The Battle of......was won by the Lancastrians is an awkward fragment. The modifier error
has been corrected but the sentence is convoluted and in Passive voice.
C. Modifier error - fought on.......the Lancastrians.
D. Active voice construction, but the predication is still convoluted.
E.

Correct. Modifier error corrected. Sentence is in Active voice. The run on sentence
simplifies the predication. The hyphenated part highlights the description of theWars of the
Roses.

6.

GMAT SC Question 6 :Unlike Ancient Greek art which saw the veneration of the animal
form and the development of equivalent skills to show musculature, poise, beauty and

anatomically correct proportions, Ancient Roman art depicted gods as idealized humans,
shown with characteristic distinguishing features.
A.

Unlike Ancient Greek art which saw the veneration of the animal form and the
development of equivalent skills to show musculature

B. Ancient Greek art saw the veneration of the animal form and the development of
equivalent skills to show musculature
C. While Ancient Greek art saw the veneration of the animal form and developed
equivalent skills to show musculature
D. While Ancient Greek art venerated the animal form and developed equivalent skills
to show musculature
E.

Unlike Ancient Greek art which venerated the animal form and the development of
equivalent skills to show musculature

Answer & Explanation

Explanatory Answer
A.

The two art forms are not complete contrasts. Hence use of unlike is incorrect. This is a
mere difference, hence while should be used. Also the correct part of the sentence uses
Ancient Roman art depictedso the first part should also be parallely constructed.

B. The sentence is cumbersome because of the repetitive use of the comma. Also lacks
parallel construction.

C. While.... takes care of the difference highlighted in the sentence. The original sentence
talks of both venerationand developmentas predicates of the verb saw; here developed
is constructed in parallel with saw thus changing the intent of the sentence.

D. Correct. Use of while is required. Venerated..... and developed.... are parallely constructed
and conform to depicted

E.

Use of unlike..... is incorrect. Greek Art did not venerate the development of.....

First, a hard Sentence Correct for practice.

1 The term Immaculate Conception, a doctrine that the Roman Catholic Church
formally proclaimed in 1854, not referring to the conception of Jesus, which,
according to Christianity, occurred miraculously despite his mother Mary being a

virgin, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, Anne, despite the
fact that they believe this conception occurred with ordinary procreative means.
1.

that the Roman Catholic Church formally proclaimed in 1854, not referring to
the conception of Jesus, which, according to Christianity, occurred miraculously
despite his mother Mary being a virgin, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of
her mother, Anne, despite the fact that they believe this conception occurred with

2.

that the Roman Catholic Church formally proclaimed in 1854, did not refer to
the conception of Jesus, that, as Christianity says, occurred miraculously even
though his mother Mary was a virgin, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of
her mother, Anne, despite the fact that this conception is believed to be occurring by

3.

of the Roman Catholic Church formally proclaimed in 1854, referring not to

the conception of Jesus, that in Christianity occurred miraculously with his mother
Mary being a virgin, and to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, Anne,
despite the fact that this conception is believed to have occurred in

4.

of the Roman Catholic Church formally proclaimed in 1854, refers not to the
conception of Jesus, which, according to Christianity, occurred miraculously even
though his mother Mary was a virgin, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of
her mother, Anne, despite the fact that this conception is believed to have occurred
by

5.

of the Roman Catholic Church formally proclaimed in 1854, referred not to

the conception of Jesus, that, as Christianity says, occurred miraculously when his
mother Mary was a virgin, and to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother,
Anne, despite the fact that they believe this conception occurred by
I will draw on this sentence for examples, and give a full discussion at the end of
this post.

Tip #1: You DONT need to know grammar

vocabulary
The analysis of grammar has a whole boatload of fancy terms and fine distinctions:
adjectival phrases, gerunds, subjunctive, appositive phrases, the past perfect
progressive, etc. etc. You dont need to know any of these terms for the GMAT.
You need to be comfortable with the grammar itself, but you do not need to know
the words used to describe the grammatical forms.
We who teach this grammar need to use these terms to discuss the grammar.

You

may find it helpful to remember these terms only to make sense of our discussions.
When we say such-and-such is a prepositional phrase, or such-and-such is a gerund,
its helpful to be familiar enough to follow our discussion and recognize whether
something is correct or incorrect.

The GMAT will NOT ask you about these grammatical terms. Your only job is to
recognize which forms are correct and which are incorrect, and beyond that, you
have absolutely no need for the terms.

Tip #2: Clauses vs. phrases

A clause is the fundamental building block of a sentence. A clause contains a noun
+ a verb. Every sentence has at least one main clause it may have to or more
joined by a conjunction such as and, or, but. Another word for a main clause is
an independent clause: it can stand independently as its own sentence.
A dependent clause begins with a subordinate conjunction and, following that
opening word, also has a full noun & verb structure. Folks like to remember the
subordinate conjunctions in English according to the ON A WHITE BUS mnemonic:
O = only if
N = now that
A = although, after, as
WH = while, when, whereas, whenever, wherever, whether
I = if, in case
T = though
E = even though, even if
B = because, before
U = until, unless
S = since, so (that)
The words following the subordinate conjunction must be a full clause, and if you
removed the subordinate conjunction, that clause could also stand on its own as a
complete sentence. Many dependent clauses are modifiers, but substantive
clauses are dependent clause that act as a noun and could, therefore, serve as the
main subject of the sentence.
A phrase is any structure that is not a clause. Phrases come in a bewildering
variety: infinitive phrases, participial phrase, gerund phrases, prepositional

phrases, appositive phrases, etc. Most phrases are modifiers. The only time a
phrase will play a vital role in the structure of a sentence is when a gerund phrase,
which acts as a noun, is the subject or direct object of the main sentence

Tip #3: fluff vs. deep structure

If I give you the sentence Mike walks to work, chances are very good you can
follow the grammatical structure of that sentence: subject = Mike, verb = walks,
prepositional phrase = to work. Obviously, you will never see a four-word
sentence on the GMAT Sentence Correction.
The GMAT Sentence Correction sentences are long and wordy, like the practice
sentence above. In order to analyze these, you will need to remove fluff that is
to say, the decorative modifying phrases, which add useful information but are not
essential to the grammatical structure. Only the core noun + verb units of the main
clauses are core, and then within each dependent clause, we also need a noun +
verb structure. Heres an example of getting rid of fluff. Start with the Sentence
Correction problem above:
The term Immaculate Conception, a doctrine that the Roman Catholic Church
formally proclaimed in 1854, not referring to the conception of Jesus, which,
according to Christianity, occurred miraculously despite his mother Mary being a
virgin, but to the conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, Anne, despite the
fact that they believe this conception occurred with ordinary procreative means.
First, lets just put parenthesis around every prepositional phrase:
The term Immaculate Conception, a doctrine that the Roman Catholic Church
formally proclaimed in 1854, not referring (to the conception) (of Jesus), which,
according (to Christianity), occurred miraculously (despite his mother Mary being a
virgin), but (to the conception) (of Mary) (in the womb) (of her mother), Anne,
(despite the fact) that they believe this conception occurred (with ordinary
procreative means).
The phrase a doctrine that . is an appositive phrase modifying Immaculate
Conception, and Anne is an appositive modifying mother put both of those in
parenthesis:
The term Immaculate Conception, (a doctrine that the Roman Catholic Church
formally proclaimed in 1854), not referring (to the conception) (of Jesus), which,
according (to Christianity), occurred miraculously (despite his mother Mary being a
virgin), but (to the conception) (of Mary) (in the womb) (of her mother), (Anne),

(despite the fact) that they believe this conception occurred (with ordinary
procreative means).
Lets drop all this fluff and see where we are:
The term Immaculate Conception, not referring . which, according . occurred
miraculously but that they believe this conception occurred
Notice that some the dependent clauses have some full noun + verb structures
(noun = which, verb = occurred; noun = they, verb = occurred), but and
this is BIG the main subject the term Immaculate Conception' has NO VERB.
The word referring is a participle, and we need a bonafide verb there.
By removing fluff, we can see the deep structure where is the main noun? where
is the main verb? is either AWOL? Here, removing the fluff reveals that we simply
dont have a main verb thats a HUGE problem with answer choice (A).
Technically, answer choice (A) is not a complete sentence.

Tip #4: Verbs vs verb forms

Verbs, the action words, are the most important words of almost any sentence.
First of all, when different answer choices give the action of the sentence both as a
verb ( decided to ) and as a noun (a decision to ), almost always the verbform of action will be correct.
Verbs, as legitimate verbs, have several forms. They have difference tenses,
including not only the simple past & present & future, but also the progressive
tenses and the perfect tenses. They also have three moods: ordinary descriptive
language (known as the indicative mood); commands (known as the imperative
mood), and the subjunctive mood. In all of these forms, verbs are still acting as
verbs, and therefore can play the role of the main verb of a sentence or the main
verb within a subordinate clause.
There are some verb forms, though, that take on other grammatical roles.
A participle acts most often as an adjective. A gerund acts as a noun. Both of
these can take direct objects and other modifiers, but neither of these can act as the
main verb of a sentence. they are verb forms, but they are not acting as verbs.
Particularly tricky are the -ing forms of verbs, which at times can act as verbs (My
roommate is dancing) and at times can be a participle (My dancing roommate )
or a gerund (Dancing is my roommates favorite pastime.) Its always crucially
important to determine: which verb forms are actually acting as verbs, and which
verb forms are playing some other role?

Tip #5: solve SC with splits

Do not read all five answer choices word for word. The way to solve GMAT Sentence
Correction is to read the original sentence, then scan the answers choices looking
for splits. Look for individual words and phrases are that flip-flop between two or
three choices among the answers, and use those to eliminate answers. I will
demonstrate this in the solution below.

Tip #6: READ!

This is the tip that no one likes, because its not a quick fix.

The best way to

integrate an understanding of grammar is to read high level material regularly. If

English is not your native language, you must practice reading every day, and
continually push yourself to advance to harder and harder material. If English is
your native language, do not rely on your ear alone. There is far too much
atrociously bad grammar in the world: many forms that are 100% wrong on the
GMAT Sentence Correction appear regularly in commercials and in the entertainment
media. The Economist magazine, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal,
the New Yorker, and the Atlantic Monthly are all excellent sources of high level
English.

That is the level to which you ear must become accustomed.

Solution to the practice question

1) Split #1: the prompt, (A), has no main verb. This is the missing verb mistake.
In all five choices, the main subject is the term Immaculate Conception.'
Both (A) and (C) have a participle, referring, rather than a full verb as required,
so both are incorrect. Choices (B) and (D) and (E) each have a full verb, although
the past tense of did not refer or referred is funny here we are talking about
the meaning of the term in the present time, so we suspect that (D) is the only
correct choice.
Split #2: choices (A) & (E) have the mystery pronoun they in the phrase the
fact that they believe . This pronoun has no proper antecedent, an unforgiveable
sin on GMAT Sentence Correction, so these two choices must be wrong.
Choices (B) & (C) & (D) have the passive construction .the fact that this
conception is believed In this sentence, its not important who believes this
what is important for the logic of the sentence is simply that this is a belief.

This is

a rare instance on the GMAT Sentence Correction on which a passive construction is

perfectly acceptable.
Split #3: the correct idiom is by such-and-such means. When we are discussing
the means that brought about a particular result, the correct preposition to use is
by. (A) & (C) use with and in, respectively, both incorrect.
Only (B) & (D) & (E) have the correct preposition.
Split #4: four choices have occurred correctly in the past tense, but (B) has
occurring a present progressive form, which is incorrect: the conception of Mary in
the womb of Anne is not a current event, so (B) is completely wrong.
Split #5: we need a strong contrast between conception of Jesus and Mary was a
virgin. In (A), the preposition despite is a strong contrast word, but then this
followed by a structure of the form: [preposition][noun][participle]. On the GMAT,
this is incorrect. The GMAT doesnt like that much action packed into a prepositional
phrase: action should properly have its own clause. Choices (A) and (C) both make
this mistake, so both are incorrect. Choice (E) has the word when, which is not
quite logically correct, and which certainly do not provide strong enough contrast, so
this is not correct. Only (B) and (D) have the strong contrasting subordinate
conjunction even though, followed by a correct clause.
For all these reasons, (D) is the best answer.

Practice Question
First, give these two SC questions a try.
1) Why the various Generals of the Army of the Potomac before Ulysses S. Grant
were so singularly unsuccessful against Robert E Lee are debated about in no less
than five hundred historically oriented journals.
1.

are debated about in no less than

2.
3.

are debated in no less than

is debated about in no fewer than

4.
5.

is debated in no fewer than

is debated in no less than
2) That the Fifth Lateran Council (1512 1517), had it addressed the growing
concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church rather than simply shoring up its
own political prerogatives with respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, could
have avoided the series of events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still
causes regret among modern Western Christian thinkers.

1.

had it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic

Church rather than simply shoring up its own political prerogatives with respect to
the monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led
to the Protestant Reformation still causes

2.

if it addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic Church

rather than simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to the
monarchies of Western Europe, could have avoided the series of events that led to
the Protestant Reformation still cause

3.

if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic

Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to
the monarchies of Western Europe, they might have avoided the series of events
that led to the Protestant Reformation still cause

4.

if they addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic

Church instead of simply shoring up their own political prerogatives with respect to
the monarchies of Western Europe, they could have avoided the series of events that
led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause of

5.

if it had addressed the growing concerns of reformers within the Catholic

Church rather than simply having shored up its own political prerogatives with
respect to the monarchies of Western Europe, it might have avoided the series of
events that led to the Protestant Reformation, still a cause of
You may well be wondering: what on earth are the subjects of these sentences?

Subordinate Clauses
First, a bit of review. Every sentence has at least one independent clause a
main noun subject plus a main verb. (Subject in purple, verb in green).

A coordinating conjunction (e.g. and, or, but, yet, etc.) can join (i.e.
coordinate) two different independent clauses, each with its own main subject and
main verb. Each one is independent, and could be a stand-by-itself full sentence.
This is grammatically legal way of having two full sentences glued together.

In addition to one or more independent clause, a sentence can also have

a dependent or subordinate clause. These typically begin with a subordinating
conjunction (see the on a white bus rule in this post.) The dependent clause has
its own subject & verb inside it: its like a mini-sentence within the sentence. The

subordinate clause can play many roles in the sentence. It often acts as
an adjective or an adverb (see those two posts for example sentences).

Substantive Clauses
In a complex sentence, a subordinate clause can act as an adjective or an adverb or as a noun! When a subordinate clause acts as a noun, it is called either a noun
clause or a substantive clause (as I will call it) or a nominal clause. A
substantive clause typically begins with a relative pronoun or relative adverb who,
what, where, when, why, how, whoever, whatever however, wherever, whether, that
the familiar interrogative set plus a few more. The substantive clause acts as a
noun and can take the place of any noun-role in a sentence: it can be a subject, a
direct object, an indirect object, the object of a preposition, the subject of
an infinitive phrase, etc. etc. This can be confusing, because the substantive clause,
like any clause, has a noun & verb inside of it, but the entire clause is acting as a
noun in the larger sentence. Heres an example of a substantive clause as the
subject of the sentence. The substantive clause is in blue.

That entire blue part is the subject in the main clause of the sentence. The main
verb does not seem, is singular. As a general guideline, a substantive clause,
regardless of content, typically counts as a singular noun, and thus takes a singular
verb. Thats the rough-and-ready rule for noun clauses and subject/verb
agreement. (Exceptions will be discussed below.) Inside the substantive clause,
the clause has its own subject (Freds wife) and own verb (approves).
A substantive clause can also act as a direct object:

The main clause has a subject (you) and a verb (do understand), and the
direct object of that verb is the substantive clause. Of course, within the substantive
clause is its own subject (Hamlet) and verb (treated).
Similarly, a substantive clause can be an indirect object (#7), the object of a
preposition (#8), or the subject of an infinitive (#9).

In each of these, the entire substantive clause acts as a noun and fulfills some noun
role in the main sentence; furthermore, inside each substantive clause is the
clauses own subject and verb. (The relative pronouns whoever and whatever
are the subjects of the substantive clauses in #7 and #9, respectively.)

Substantive clauses and subject-verb

agreement
Above, I cited the rough-and-ready rule when a substantive clause is the subject
of a sentence, it is generally construed as singular and takes a singular verb. Its
unlikely you will see substantive clause used as subject at all on the real GMAT, and
if even you do, you probably could just ignore the exception, choose the singular
verb automatically, and you would be right 99% of the time. Yes, there is an
exception the grand clarification of noun clauses and subject-verb agreement and yes, I will discuss this, but first of all be aware: it is exceedingly unlike that a SC
question on a live GMAT would ever stray into this territory. For all intents and
purposes, the discussion of this exception is grammar beyond the GMAT.
Heres the exception. If the substantive clause begins with a relative pronoun
- who, whom, what, where, whoever, whomever, whatever, wherever then
whether the clause is singular or plural depends on whether the relative pronoun
itself is understood as singular or plural.
10) What annoys me is all the noise during the movie.
11) What annoy me are all the people who talk during the movie.
In #10, the relative pronoun is understood as singular, and thus the entire
substantive clause is construed as singular: thats why both verbs (annoys, is)
are singular. In #11, the relative pronoun is understood as plural, and thus the
entire substantive clause is construed as plural: thats why both verbs (annoy,
are) are plural.
12) Whoever broke into your house in broad daylight ____ incredibly brazen.

Should this question have the singular was or the plural were? That depends on
whether we think one person or multiple people participated in this daylight breakin. There absolutely no clue in the sentence that would help us to determine this
(hence, this absolutely could not be a GMAT SC question!) We would have to know
or infer from context in order to determine the correct verb to use.
Once again, this exception, while fascinating in and of itself, is far beyond anything
you are even remotely likely to see on the GMAT.

Summary
You dont need to remember the terminology, such as substantive clause, but you
do need to recognize the grammar and sort it out on GMAT Sentence Correction.
Having read this article, take another look at those two practice questions before
reading the solutions below.

Practice question explanations

1) The entire first part of the sentence Why the various . against Robert E. Lee is
a giant substantive clause. This clause is the subject of the sentence, and as such,
requires a singular verb - is instead of are. (A) & (B) are out right away. The
phrase debated about is awkward and not idiomatic, so (C) is wrong. This comes
down to a less vs. fewer distinction - one of my favorites! We are talking
about historically oriented journals, and journals are discrete countable items. One
can count how many journals one is reading, or how many feature this ongoing Civil
War debate. We would say how many journals using how much instead of
how many would clearly be wrong. For countable nouns, nouns for which we
would ask how many? instead of how much?, we have to use fewer. The
phrase no fewer than five hundred historically oriented journals is perfectly
correct, and the phrase no less than five hundred historically oriented journals,
while it may sound correct, is dead wrong. The answer must be (D).
2) This is a complicated sentence! There are at least three different layers of
grammar of which to keep track here. First of all, there is a gargantuan substantive
clause, That the Fifth Lateran Council the Protestant Reformation: this is the
subject of the whole sentence, and requires singular verb, the main verb of the
entire sentence.

Within this monstrosity of a substantive clause, theres a main subject of the clause
(the Fifth Lateran Council), a main verb of the clause (could have avoided), and
two subordinate clauses nested within it.
The first subordinate clause nested inside the substantive clause is the large
hypothetical clause (had it addressed . Western Europe). The second
subordinate clause is a relatively short adjectival clause (that led to the Protestant
Reformation), a restrictive clause, modifying the noun events.
First of all, in the overall sentence, the enormous substantive clause is the subject
and requires singular verb. Only (A) has the singular verb causes - (B) & (C)
have the plural verb cause, and in (D) & (E) theres actually no verb at all in the
main sentence.
Furthermore, within the hypothetical clause beginning with had or if, the subject
is a pronoun. The antecedent of the pronoun is the Fifth Lateral Council, which is
singular. This needs to take singular pronouns: it and its. This is a mistake the
GMAT loves using plural pronouns (they, their) for a singular collective noun.
Yes, there were many people participating in the Fifth Lateral Council, but the entity
itself, the Fifth Lateral Council, was a singular event. GMAT loves to bait test-takers
with this mistake. (B) & (C) & (D) make this mistake.
Also, within the epic substantive clause, the main subject of the clause is the Fifth
Lateral Council, followed by a long if clause, followed by the main verb of the
clause. Answer choices (C) & (D) & (E) all make another classic GMAT mistake, a
pattern of the form:

The main subject of the clause (the Fifth Lateral Council) is directly the subject of
the main verb of the clause (could have avoided) we dont need the extra
pronoun (they or it) in front of that verb. The GMAT loves to stick a large
modifying clause between the subject and the verb because, with so many words
intervening, people not reading carefully will not see the connection between the
subject and the verb, and will mistakenly think the verb needs a pronoun subject
directly in front of it. Beware of this common GMAT SC mistake.
For a variety of reason, (B) & (C) & (D) & (E) are all wrong. Answer = (A).

Not all modifiers are created equal!

All noun modifiers, by definition, give additional information about the noun they
modify. BUT, the importance of that additional information can vary significantly.
Consider the following two sentences, both with modifiers underlined.

1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral, which is considered the principal
exemplar of Gothic architecture.
2) The man who lives next door to me has three large dogs.

Both have a relative clause modifiers, and both provide information about the noun
they modify. Now, consider these sentences, with those modifiers removed.

1) Last year, I visited the Chartres Cathedral.

2) The man has three large dogs.

The first sentence is still perfectly clear: it leaves absolutely no doubt where I went
last year (because there is only one Chartres Cathedral in the entire world!) By
contrast, the second sentence leaves us in the dark. The natural question evoked by
that sentence is what man? About whom are we talking? There is something
essential now missing from this second sentence.
These two exemplify the different between an ordinary modifier and a vital
modifier. A vital modifier is essential to establish the identity of the noun in
question, and omitting it leaves a huge question unanswered. A non-vital, ordinary
modifier may add interesting information, but it is not necessarily to establish the
identity of the noun.

Restriction
The post on restrictive clauses already explored an aspect of this topic. A restrictive
clause is always a vital modifier. A non-restrictive clause is always a non-vital
modifier. That post also made another important distinction: non vital modifiers

should be set off with commas from the rest of the sentence, but vital modifiers
should not have commas. (Notice that #1 above has a comma, and #2 doesnt).

Exception to the Modifier Touch Rule!

This is a biggie! In general, a modifier should touch the noun it modifies. For
example, this sentence would be considered faulty on GMAT SC.

3) I am going to the show with my friend Kevin, who likes Elvis, the nicest person I
know.

This sentence is a trainwreck! The appositive phrase modifier the nicest person I
know is currently next to Elvis, so it implies (a) somehow I know Elvis, who has
been dead for 35 years!, and that (b) Elvis is the nicest person I know, contrary to
at least some appraisals of the man. Clearly, the modifier the nicest person I
know is supposed to modify Kevin, but because its placement violates the Modifier
Touch Rule, it creates a grammatically unacceptable sentence that would always be
wrong on GMAT SC.
By contrast, consider this sentence:

4) The workers at the envelope factory, having been on strike for seven weeks, were
finally close to a settlement with management.

The participial phrase having been on strike for seven weeks is a modifier. It cant
modify envelop factory - the building itself cant go on strike. It must modify
workers, so naively one might assume this construction also violates the Modifier
Touch Rule. Nevertheless, this sentence is 100% grammatically correct. The
prepositional phrase at the envelope factory is also a modifier, and it is a vital noun
modifier: without that phrase, we would have no idea which workers were being
discussed. A vital noun modifier can come between a noun and another nonvital modifier. This is the big exception to the Modifier Touch Rule. BTW, notice
vital modifier at the envelope factory has no commas separating it from the
workers, but non-vital modifier having been on strike for seven weeks is set off by
commas from the rest of the sentence.

If you understand the important distinction of vital vs. non-vital modifiers, you will
master one of the subtlest categories on GMAT Sentence Correction.

Points of Grammar:
An adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. We can
form a boatload of adverbs by taking adjectives and adding the suffix -ly (e.g.
joyously, readily, magnanimously, bouncingly etc.) Other common single
word adverbs include very, too, well, now, then, here, there etc.
A phrase can be either a prepositional phrase (preposition + noun-object) or a
participial phrase (participle form of a verb, with possible a direct object and/or
adverb). If it modifies a verb, an adjective, or adverb, then its an adverbial phrase.
The independent clause of the sentence main subject and main verb will not be
an adverbial clause. A dependent (a.k.a.subordinate) clause also has its own
subject and verb, and if it modifies a verb, an adjective, or adverb, then its an
adverbial clause.

Examples of Adverbial Phrases:

1) He drives like a maniac.
The prepositional phrase like a maniac is an adverbial phrase. It modifies the verb
drives it describes how he drives.

2) He walks dragging his left foot.

The participial phrase dragging his left foot is an adverbial phrase. It modifies the
verb walks it describes how he walks.

3) He is scornful with no mercy.

The prepositional phrase with no mercy is an adverbial phrase. It modifies the
adjective scornful it describes how scornful.

Examples of Adverbial Clauses:

4) She sings when she sees the Sun in the morning.
The dependent clause when she see the Sun in the morning is an adverbial
clause. It modifies the verb sings it describes when she sings.

5) She is so happy that she skips everywhere.

The dependent clause that she skips everywhere is an adverbial clause. It
modifies the adjective happy it describes how happy.

Doesnt Necessarily Contain an Adverb

Notice that sentences #1-4 contain phrases & clauses that act like adverbs, by they
themselves do not contain an adverb. The adverbial clause in sentence #5 happens
to contain the adverb everywhere. An adverbial phrase may or may not contain an
adverb itself.

Why Are These Important for the GMAT?

First of all, adverbial phrases are one of the marks of sophisticated writing. I
guarantee the GMAT Sentence Correction section you see will be littered with them,
so its good to be well acquainted with them beforehand. Also, the more
comfortable you are with adverbial phrase, the more likely you are to use them in
your own writing, including in the Analytical Writing Assessment of the GMAT; a wellchosen adverbial phrase will give that sentence a touch of sophistication, which can
only help your AWA performance.

For free, heres a practice GMAT SC question, involving these

ideas: http://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/1164