Sentence Correction – Tips And Tricks To Solve Questions In Cat Exam

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Sentence Correction is a high-scoring but difficult section of the Verbal Ability section. What do you think the point of this topic is? It basically tests your grammar skills. In other words, you must determine whether the sentence is grammatically correct or whether a portion of it must be replaced. So, what information do you require? A few fundamental rules of grammar and word usage!

In such questions, a part of or the entire sentence may be bolded or underlined, and you must find the correct phrase to replace it. Essentially, you must determine the grammatical error in that specific part of a sentence with the help of best online teachers for CAT preparation. Most of the time, one of the options will repeat the same phrase while the others will rewrite it in different ways. So it's up to you to decide whether or not the given phrase is correct.

We all learned the fundamental grammar rules in school. Now, let's go over some key rules and mistakes in order to tackle sentence correction questions.

1. Subject-verb agreement
As the name implies, the verb in the sentence should correspond to the subject. ...
... Both should be singular or plural at the same time.
E.g. The girl was reading. (Singular)
The girls were reading. (Plural)
Let us go over some of the fundamental rules of subject-verb agreement.
In case of collective nouns (like police, army, herd, etc.), the verb used is singular.
Similarly, plural verbs are used for subjects connected by 'and'/'or'.
A singular verb is used if the sentence begins with each/anyone/everyone.
If both subjects are singular, the verb used in sentences with 'either/or' and 'neither/nor' pairs will be singular. The plural verb is used when one or both subjects are plural.
The words 'I' and'me' are frequently used interchangeably. Consider the following examples:
Mary and I joined the sports club. (Here, ‘Mary’ and ‘I’ are the subjects of the sentence.)
John took Mary and me to the sports club. (Here, ‘Mary’ and ‘me’ are the objects of the sentence.)
Similarly, 'I' is used with the other subject when comparing. E.g. He is taller than I am.
Another important point to note here is the correct use of pronouns according to the subject and object.
Long sentences are sometimes given without the required verb. That necessitates an answer option that includes the required missing verb.

2. Repetition
The sentence contains redundancy at times. To put it another way, the same thing is written twice in a single statement. Most of the time, such errors are easily detectable. Example:
I returned back from Goa. (Incorrect)
I came back from Goa. (Correct)

3. Error in modifiers
Modifiers, as the name implies, modify the subject. So, where do you think the modifiers should go? Yes, they must be placed next to the subject they modify. Example:
Sitting in the garden, a scorpion stung her. (Here, you can’t figure out who is sitting in the garden- the scorpion or the girl. This is an incorrect way. )
The correct way would be: Sitting in the garden, she was stung by a scorpion.

4. Parallelism
What exactly is sentence parallelism? It has to do with the sentence structure. In other words, different phrases/words that perform the same function should be used in the same format. Example:
Sonia likes to dance, sing and cook. (Correct)
Sonia likes dancing, singing and cooking. (Correct)
Sonia likes to dance, sing and cooking. (Incorrect)

5. Error in diction
A diction error is defined as an error in word choice by best home tutors for CAT preparation. Other times, even idioms are used incorrectly in sentences. The following are some examples of common diction errors:
affect v/s effect (E.g. the effect of the decision, ..affect the outcome)
adapt v/s adopt
argue against v/s argue with
later v/s latter
lay v/s lie
few v/s less (E.g. less water left.., ..few students in class)

6. Wrong comparisons
Comparisons are sometimes made between dissimilar things or in an incorrect manner. Example:
John is wiser than all men. (Incorrect way)
John is wiser than all other men. (Correct way- John needs to be excluded from the rest of the same category.)
The comparative degree is used in the preceding example. In the case of a superlative degree, however, the person or thing being compared is included in the rest of the class. For example, John is the strongest man alive.
Overall, you must ensure that the various parts of speech (adjectives, adverbs, nouns, pronouns, conjunctions, interjections, verbs, and so on) are used correctly and in the correct order in the sentence.
You are now aware of the errors that may occur in sentence correction questions. The next step should be to devise a strategy for providing accurate and timely answers to these questions. When answering a sentence correction question, keep the following points in mind:

Identify the concept
The very reason the aforementioned rules were discussed! In most cases, one or two rules are applied incorrectly in such questions. As a result, the first task is to identify the specific type of error/s.
Maintain an eye on the timers. This will make it easier to identify verb tense errors. In some instances, the entire sentence must be rewritten.
Once you've identified the type of error or errors, try to correct them without consulting the options.

Similar answer choices
Sometimes the given answer options are very similar and show very little difference. As a result, you must be extra cautious when evaluating such options. Before selecting an answer, read the entire statement. Also, just because there are three similar answer options doesn't mean one of them is correct. The correct answer may be completely different.

Treat all options equally
While reviewing the answer options, you may believe the first option is correct and disregard the others. It is recommended that you consider all of your options before making a decision.

Pay attention to the non-underlined part
It is common practice to disregard the non-underlined portion of a sentence. However, this section may contain crucial hints about the type of error as well as the required answer.

Choose the shorter answer
If you have to choose between two options, go with the shorter one. Long sentences are frequently included in the options to confuse the candidates. This is also useful if you are unsure about the concept being tested. It is always a good idea to start with the shorter options before moving on to the longer ones.

Substitute the selected answer
It is a good idea to read the sentence along with the answer option before marking your chosen answer. In fact, it would be fantastic if you read it again after the correct insertion. Furthermore, errors are sometimes caused by an exceptional rule rather than the usual standard rules. As a result, ensure that the sentence makes sense.
Listen to the sentence if it still seems too complicated. In other words, say the sentence aloud and select the option that sounds best to your ears.

Elimination technique
Multiple errors in a sentence and similar answer choices - add to the confusion! The elimination strategy comes in handy here. This technique works for any type of question. Some options change the meaning of the sentence, while others make it grammatically incorrect. In such cases, the elimination technique will assist you in arriving at the correct answer.
Don't rule out options with idioms or pronoun ambiguity right away. These only cause problems when the meaning of the sentence is changed.
The options with the 'ing' form are mostly incorrect and should be avoided.
In some cases, the word pair (just as...so, not only...but also, etc.) is used incorrectly or is missing entirely.
Finally, if an answer choice appears to be confusing to you, do not get stuck with it. Go through the rest and start with the obvious ones.
So, you now have a solid understanding of key rules and a strategy for dealing with sentence correction questions. The most effective way to remember the rules is to practice as much as possible. Mock tests and previous year papers will get you used to the type of sentence correction questions that appear in the CAT. In addition, to understand the meaning of sentences given in such questions, you must have a strong vocabulary. Gaining expertise in this area can significantly boost your CAT Verbal Ability score.
Finally, try to answer these questions in the allotted time.