GMAT Verbal › Correcting Noun-Noun Agreement Errors
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
There is a multitude of interesting company in the world.
of interesting companies in the world.
of interesting company in the world.
of interesting companys in the world.
of interesting company's in the world.
of interestings company in the world.
This sentence contains a noun-noun agreement error. The word "multitude" is the antecedent of the word "company," but the former word indicates that the word that follows should be in the plural form, which "company" is not. Instead, it should be replaced with "companies." The correct choice is, "of interesting companies in the world."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
After months of organizing the gala, several of the party planners are beginning to wish they worked as a waiter or bartender instead.
several of the party planners are beginning to wish they worked as waiters or bartenders instead.
several of the party planners are beginning to wish they worked as a waiter or bartender instead.
several of the party planners are beginning to wish they worked as waiter or bartender instead.
several of the party planners is beginning to wish they worked as a waiter or as a bartender instead.
several of the party planners is beginning to wish they worked as waiters or bartenders instead.
Because there are several party planners longing for different jobs, the jobs themselves must be plural; three or four people can’t work as a single waiter or bartender. And because “party planners” is plural, the correct verb conjugation is “are.”
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
We decided resolutely to pin all of our hopes and dream on the team's victory.
pin all of our hopes and dreams
pin all of our hopes and dream
pinning all of our hoping and dreams
pin all of our hope and dreams
pin all of hopes and dream
There is a disagreement here between the nouns "hopes" and "dream" when they follow the phrase "all of our." Both nouns should be plural, and therefore the correct answer is "resolutely pin all of our hopes and dreams."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Although they were on time, the students had their pencil sharpened or their drawing pad out at the beginning of class.
the students did not have their pencils sharpened or their drawing pads out at the beginning of class.
the students did not have their pencil sharpened or their drawing pads out at the beginning of class.
the students had their pencil sharpened and their drawing pad out at the beginning of class.
the students were not having their pencils sharpened or their drawing pads out at the beginning of class.
the students were having their pencils sharpened or their drawing pads out at the beginning of class.
Because the subject of the sentence is the plural “students,” we have to assume that each student would have his or her own pencil and drawing pad. Therefore, the correct sentence has “pencils” and “drawing pads.” Also, “had sharpened” is more concise and correct than “were having sharpened” or “were having sharpening.”
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
Favoring handmade suits and buying Italian leather shoes, the young man’s ability to spend on fashion items was unparalleled among his friends.
Favoring handmade suits and Italian leather shoes
Favoring handmade suits and buying Italian leather shoes
Favored handmade suits and buying Italian leather shoes
Favoring handmade suits and bought Italian leather shoes
Favoring handmade suits, buying Italian leather shoes
The use of both "favoring" and "buying" in the opening phrase is awkward and ruins the parallelism between the suits and the shoes. Tying the two items to the same verb streamlines the phrase and makes the sentence more gramatically correct. " Favoring handmade suits and Italian leather shoes" is the only answer choice that makes the appropriate correction to the sentence.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
At the sound of the gun, all of the racers gripped their bicycle and set off for the finish line.
gripped their bicycles and set off for the finish line
gripped their bicycles and setting off for the finish line
gripped their bicycle and set off toward the finish line
gripped their bicycle and set off towards the finish line
gripped their bicycle and set off for the finish line
Since we’re talking about multiple racers, we must assume that they have “bicycles” (plural). Otherwise, the sentence implies that they are all using the same bicycle (singular).
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
All children are taught at an early age never to run while holding their pencil.
while holding their pencils
while holding their pencil
while holding his pencil
while holding her pencil
while holding our pencil
The noun "pencil" needs to be pluralize to reflect the fact that the subject of the sentence is "All children," who presumably each have a pencil and do not share a single pencil.
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
All students in my program hope to become a rich, famous author, but statistics indicate that none of us will.
All students in my program hope to become rich, famous authors, but statistics indicate that none of us will.
All students in my program hope to become some rich famous authors, but statistics indicate that none of us will.
All students in my program hope to become a rich, famous author, but statistics indicate that not any of us will.
All students in my program hope to become rich, famous authors, but statistics indicate that none of them will.
All students in my program hope to become rich, famous authors, but statistics indicate that we will.
In this sentence, "all students" establishes the subject as plural. Therefore the "rich, famous author" must be changed to be plural: "All students in my program wish to become rich, famous authors."
Because the writer is included in "all students in my program," the most correct version of this sentence would include the author in the assertion that "none of us will."
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English.
The mother and her daughters bravely defended herself against the accusations the clearly unstable store-clerk flung at them.
The mother and her daughters bravely defended themselves against the accusations
The mother and her daughters bravely defended themselfs against the accusations
The mother and her daughters bravely defended herself and her daughters against the accusations
The mother and her daughters bravely defended everybody against the accusations
The mother and her daughters bravely defended themself against the accusations
The pronoun "themselves" agrees with the compound subject "the mother and her daughters". The other answer choices are either gross errors in which the pronoun (herself) does not agree with the compound subject or words that simply don't exist (themself, themselfs).
Replace the underlined portion with the answer choice that results in a sentence that is clear, precise, and meets the requirements of standard written English. One of the answer choices reproduces the underlined portion as it is written in the sentence.
Even if everyone I invited is free, there’s still no guarantee that they will come to my party.
Even if everyone I invited is free, there’s still no guarantee that people will come to my party.
Even if everyone I invited is free, there’s still no guarantee that they will come to my party.
Even if everyone I invited are free, there’s still no guarantee that they will come to my party.
Even if everyone I invited are free, there’s still no guarantee that people will come to my party.
Even if everyone I invited is free, there are still no guarantee that they will come to my party.
“Everyone” is an indefinite pronoun that’s treated as singular. Therefore, the correct verb conjugation is “is.” Because “everyone” is indefinite, we can’t use the definite pronoun “they” at the end of the sentence to refer back to “everyone,” so we must use “people” instead. Because “guarantee” is singular, “there’s” is correct and “there are” is incorrect.