EXERCISE: PRONOUNS

Underline all the pronouns in the following sentences. Double underline the antecedent, if there is one, of each pronoun.
If you notice any pronoun errors in a sentence, correct the sentence by altering the pronoun(s). Explain what rules are
violated by the incorrect sentences. If a sentence is correct, mark it with the word CORRECT.

1. Meg left all her class notes at school because she decided that she could do her homework without it.

2. She took her laptop and her books with her on the airplane because she thought she could use these to get some

work done.

3. Jim may not be elected CEO by the board because he does not meet their standards.

4. When the guests finished their soup they were brought plates of salad.

5. Everyone here needs their own copy of the textbook in order to take the class.

6. The players' helmets need to be repainted before they are used in Sunday's game.

7. A few Shakespearean scholars maintain that he borrowed some of his most memorable lines from Christopher

Marlowe.

8. Oil traders have profited handsomely from the recent rise in its price.

9. A careful analysis of the students' test scores reveals that some of them must have cheated.

10. The Smiths avoid the Browns because they dislike their children.

11. Caroline receives e-mail from friends who she knows well, from acquaintances who's names are only vaguely familiar,

and from strangers about who she knows nothing at all.

12. The rapid development of India in the twenty-first century is like England in the eighteenth century.

13. Some people believe that the benefits of a healthy diet outweigh that of regular exercise.

14. Our cat is cuter than those in the shelter.

15. We finally chose the coffee table towards the back of the store, which we thought would complement our living room

furniture.
EXERCISE: PRONOUNS
Each of the following sentences contains a highlighted pronoun. Decide whether it is used correctly. If it is not, make the
necessary corrections. If a sentence is correct, mark it with the word CORRECT.

1. On Tupac Shakur’s single “Hit ’Em Up,” he sampled the melody and tone used by the very artists he believed conspired

to shoot him.

2. During the Cabbage Patch Kids craze, collectors were buying them for almost 100 times the retail price.

3. John played football with Holmes, and he scored a touchdown.

4. Mitt Romney did not mention the attacks on him for the tax return controversy during his recent campaign stop, but

he did bring it up in an ABC interview last night.

5. The House of Representatives consists of 435 congressmen and congresswomen; its main purpose is to pass legislation

that affects the entire country.

6. The campaign has to decide whether it should be more open about his past improprieties or simply avoid discussing

them.

7. UCLA’s football team was winning by 20 points, and its fans were celebrating in the stands.

8. By the time they won their 5th Grammy award, U2 was already considered the most popular band in the world by

most critics.

9. Water rights on the Colorado River can be incredibly valuable; it is often worth more than the land itself.

10. Incredible homes line the Malibu coast, each more spectacular than its neighbor.
EXERCISE: MODIFIERS
Each of the following sentences contains one or more underlined modifiers. For each of these modifiers, (1) identify the
word or words, if any, that it modifies, and (2) indicate whether the modifier is correct. If the modifier is incorrect, suggest
a way to correct the error.

1. Although the ballerina seems healthily, she feels very unwell and is unlikely to dance well at tonight's performance.

2. A recent formed militia, consisting of lightly armed peasants and a few retired army officers, is fighting a bitterly civil

war against government forces.

3. Upon setting foot in the Gothic cathedral, the spectacularly stained-glass windows amazed the camera-wielding

tourists.

4. The patient's rare disease was treated using novel techniques developed at the medical school.

5. Based on the recent decline in enrollment, the admissions office decided to reevaluate its recruitment strategies.

6. Unaccustomed to the rigors of college life, James's grades dropped.

7. Last night our air conditioner broke, which caused great consternation.

8. Regina returned the dress to the store, which was torn at one of the seams.

9. Of all the earthquakes in European history, the earthquake, which destroyed Lisbon in 1755, is perhaps the most

famous.

10. The tallest mountain on Earth is Mount Everest that is on the border between Nepal and Tibet.

11. People that are well-informed know that Bordeaux is a French region whose most famous export is the wine which

bears its name.

12. The acquaintances who we like most are those that flatter us best.

13. People, who talk loudly on their cell phones in crowded trains, show little respect for other passengers.

14. Mary buys cookies made with SugarFree, an artificial sweetener, which tastes as sweet as the corn syrup that her

brother loves but where there are fewer calories than in an equivalent amount of corn syrup.

15. Angola, which was ravaged by civil war for many years after it gained independence from Portugal, which is now one

of Africa's success stories, has an economy that grew by 21 % last year, where parliamentary elections are to be held

later this week.

EXERCISE: MODIFIERS
Each of the following sentences contains a highlighted modifier. Decide whether it is used correctly. If it is not, make the
necessary corrections. If a sentence is correct, mark it with the word CORRECT.

1. John held parties for his kids that featured clowns, numerous exotic animals, and lots of food.

2. John held parties in his house that featured clowns, numerous exotic animals, and lots of food.

3. Bill Smith, the party’s organizer, chose a variety of beautiful songs to end the night’s series of events, all written and

performed by a local musician.

4. In 1994, independent candidate Angus King won the gubernatorial election in Maine, bringing to eight the number of

successful independent bids for governor of a U.S. state.

5. Unlike water, which is complimentary, all passengers need to pay cash for beverages such as wine and beer on the

transoceanic flight.

6. Last year John performed well on the GMAT, which gained him entry to both Harvard Business School and Stanford’s

Graduate School of Business.

7. Based on his experience in law school, John recommended that his friend take the GMAT instead of the LSAT.

8. On the basis of his high GMAT score, John has decided to apply to Harvard.

9. Best known for his role as Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jack Nicholson’s career has

spanned over five decades.

10. Politicians and philosophers, the ancient Greeks pioneered early forms of democratic government.
EXERCISE: SENTENCE STRUCTURE (PUNCTUATION, PARALLELISM, and QUANTIFIERS)
Fix the following 10 sentences if necessary. Look for grammar and mechanics issues, including connecting words,
connecting punctuation, and quantity words.

1. The music company was afraid of the accelerating decline of sales of compact disks would not be compensated by
increased internet revenue.
2. The petroleum distillates were so viscous, the engineers had to heat the pipe by nearly
3. 30 degrees.
4. The invitees to the fundraiser include: corporate sponsors, major individual donors, and important local leaders.
5. The municipality's back-to-work program has had notable success, nevertheless, it is not suitable for a state-wide
rollout for several reasons.
6. The negotiations between the company, the union, and the city government were initially contentious but ultimately
amicable.
7. Though canals have experienced a severe decline in barge traffic over the past several decades, yet with the rise in
fuel costs, "shipping" by actual ships may once again become an important means of transporting goods within the
country.
8. Historically, the Isle of Man had an economy based primarily on agriculture and fishing; now, one based on banking,
tourism, and film production.
9. The composer is regarded more for the quality than for the quantity of her work: in two decades, she has written less
than 20 complete works, including just 3 symphonies.
10. Despite advancing in an absolute sense, the productivity of Zel-Tech's workforce has fallen significantly behind that of
competitor workforces: by up to thousands of dollars per worker.
11. The Bentley trench, situated at more than a mile and a half below sea level and completely covered by Antarctic
glaciers, and it is the lowest point on the planet not under the oceans.

The following five sentences contain underlined portions. Correct any errors that you can find in these portions. Do not
change anything that is not underlined.

1. Harvey Dash, the remarkable sprinter, broken world records in: two Olympic events, the 100-meter, and 200-meter
runs.
2. Jim is trying to reduce the number of soda that he drinks, at last night’s party, although, his resolve to drink fewer
soda was sorely tested, he found himself quaffing many of sodas.
3. Orinoco.com, a major Internet retailer, announced mixed results for the second quarter, the numbers of people
shopping at Orinoco.com grew by a thirty-four percent rise but profit per customer fell sharply as consumers shifted
to lower-margin items in response to uncertain economic conditions.
4. Between 1998 and 2003, there was heavy fighting in Parthia between numerous armed factions yet this conflict, so
much more complicated than a conventional war between two states, involved no less than eight countries and
twenty-five militias.
5. Most legislators—including much in the governor’s own party—realize that the governor’s budget would imperil the
state’s finances, nonetheless, the budget is likely to be approved, because few legislators want to anger voters by
cutting spending or raising taxes.
EXERCISE: PARALLELISM (MANHATTAN)
Each of the following sentences contains an error of parallelism in the highlighted portion. For each sentence, begin by
writing a correct version of the sentence. Then, using your correct version of the sentence: (1) underline the parallelism
marker(s) and (2) double underline each set of parallel elements. In the solutions, key portions of the parallel elements
will be capitalized.

1. Most employers agree that how a candidate dresses for a job interview and even the way he positions himself in his

seat leave a lasting impression.

2. Dr. King's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is a condemning of racial injustice and a calling for nonviolent resistance

to that injustice.

3. The network security team is responsible for detecting new viruses and the creation of software patches to block

those viruses.

4. He received a medal for sinking an enemy ship and the capture of its crew.
EXERCISE: SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION (VERITAS)
Decide whether each of the following sentences follows parallelism rules. If it does not, make the necessary corrections.
If a sentence is correct, mark it with the word CORRECT

1. John recently moved from San Francisco to Los Angeles for a new job; a move that has made his children quite upset.

2. The recent rise in the stock market suggests that consumer confidence is improving and that the economy may finally

be recovering from one of the worst recessions in the last century, but the persistent levels of high unemployment

indicate that the situation may not be that rosy.

3. John works not only at the McDonald’s on Smith Street, but also works at the Wendy’s on Broad Street.

4. In New York City, vendors often sell merchandise illegally on the street, the subway, and in the parks.

5. The start-up is well funded, has two intelligent and forward-thinking founders, and a product that most experts think

will revolutionize the industry.

6. The U.S. economy has been hurt by record unemployment and a prolonged financial crisis in Europe and therefore

has struggled to recover as quickly as many experts predicted.

7. Most professional basketball players believe they are worth the exorbitant sums that they are paid and that the

revenue they create for the teams and the league justifies the amount.

8. The company is running the promotion both to create new customers and reward its current ones.

9. On the GMAT, interpreting the question properly is often much harder than to solve the underlying math.

10. The root systems of most redwoods either become too crowded, resulting in reduced growth, or extend too far,

causing structural weakness.

ANSWERS: SENTENCE STRUCTURE (PUNCTUATION, PARALLELISM, and QUANTIFIERS)