1 If the books have been cataloged last week, why hadn't they been placed on the shelf?

1
1 If the books have been cataloged last week, why
hadn't they been placed on the shelf?
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 1

• A. NO CHANGE B. would have been cataloged C.
  was cataloged D. were cataloged

This is a VERB TENSE error. The past perfect (had
been placed) is used when you want to indicate
that one past action or state (were cataloged)
was completed by the time another past action or
state occurred.
2
2 Jessica Mitford wrote The American Way of
Death, that led eventually to an official
investigation of the funeral industry.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 2

• A. NO CHANGE B. that had led eventually C.
  that eventually led D. which led eventually

That introduces essential clauses while which
introduces nonessential clauses. Hint If there
is a comma before that, change that to which.
3
3 In studying an assignment, it is wise to read
it over quickly at first, than see the major
points, and finally outline the material.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 3

• A. NO CHANGE B. first then C. first-then D.
  first, then

Than and then are two commonly confused words.
Than is used in a comparison. Then means
afterward or at that time.
4
4 We spent Sunday afternoon wandering aimless in
the park.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 4

• A. NO CHANGE B. wandering aimlessly C.
  wandering without purpose D. wandering in an
  aimless manner

This is an error in ADJECTIVE/ADVERB USAGE. Since
aimless describes how they wandered, that adverb
form aimlessly is the correct form.
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5 The private lives of politicians, generals, and
other notables fascinates the reading public.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 5

• A. NO CHANGE B. has fascinated the reading C.
  fascinate the reading
• D. fascinating the reading

This is a SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT error. The
subject of the sentence (lives) is separated from
the verb (fascinate). Make sure the verb agrees
with the simple subject and not with another noun
that falls in between.
6
6 The Paleolithic period is the early period of
human development, as well as the longest.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 6

• A. NO CHANGE B. period is the earlier C.
  period is the  D. period is the earliest

The superlative form earliest is required to keep
this word PARALLEL in form with longest.
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7 Since these acts required little to no verbal
communication or speaking, many of the new
immigrants did not need to speak English to join
in the fun.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 7

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. verbal communication,
• C. verbal communication, or speaking
• D. verbal communication or speech,

This is an error in REDUNDANCY. Verbal
communication and speaking mean the same thing,
so one of them can be deleted.
8
8 As the dancers step to the music, they are also
stepping in time to a sound that embodies their
own history and the influence of outside cultures.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 8

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. theyre
• C. its
• D. its

This is a double error question. First, the
choice between their and its is a PRONOUN
AGREEMENT situation. Their refers back to the
plural they and the dancers. The choices between
their and theyre and its and its are COMMONLY
CONFUSED WORDS situations. Their is the
possessive form whereas, theyre is a
contraction for they are. Its is the possessive
form, and its is a contraction for it is.
9
It is a social music that performed at weddings,
birthday parties, and feasts.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 9

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. music in which it is performed
• C. music, performing
• D. music performed

This is an error in SENTENCE STRUCTURE. The
original sentence is a sentence fragment. Choice
B is nonsensical and too wordy. Choice C also
doesnt make sense it doesnt make sense to
think of social music as performing.
10
10 His challenge initiated a review, of student
rights and administrative responsibility in
public education.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 10

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. review, of student rights,
• C. review of student rights
• D. review of student rights

This is an error in COMMA USE. No comma is
necessary, even between rights and and, as in D.
A comma before and would only be necessary if and
preceded an independent clause.
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11 Around this time the polka music and button
accordion played by German immigrant railroad
workers left their mark on waila.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 11
Hint There is not a capitalization error.

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. workers
• C. workers
• D. workers,

This is an error in PUNCTUATION. No punctuation
is the best choice.
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12 Fritz had just began to toast Lydias
marshmallows when the rabbits stampeded.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 12

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. had just began toasting
• C. had just begun to toast
• D. toasting

This is an error in VERB FORMS. Begin (begin,
began, begun) is an irregular verb form. The past
perfect had requires begun.
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13 I dont know how the college dorm staff
matched Portia and I as roommates.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 13

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. me as for
• C. me as
• D. I were

This is an error in PRONOUN CASE. Me is used as a
direct object, so the objective form (me) is used
instead of the subjective form (I).
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14 His courage, as much as his skill, in meeting
an emergency, enabled him. To save a life and
enter medical history.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 14

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. meeting an emergency enabled
• him to
• C. meeting an emergency. Enabled
• him to,
• D. meeting, an emergency, enabled
• him to

This is an error in SENTENCE STRUCTURE. The 2nd
sentence in the original is a fragment. Choice C
does not correct the fragment, and choice D
contains comma errors.
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15 Despite advances in cleanliness, most doctors
were still afraid to perform chest surgery in
spite of the risk of infection.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 15

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. due so greatly to
• C. because of
• D. because

This is an error in WORD CHOICE. In spite of does
not make sense in the original sentence. The
risk of infection would be why they were afraid
to perform surgery. Choice B is too wordy. Choice
D is a non-idiomatic usage.
16
16 Williams graduated from Chicago Medical
College in 1883, being a revolutionary time in
medicine.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 16

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. 1883,
• C. 1883, it was
• D. 1883. Which was

This is an error in CONCISENESS. If you can say
it without filler words, do it! Get rid of the
fluff! This is a good tip to follow in your own
writing. Dont let your writing read like this
clip sounds.
17
17 Williams faced a stark choice. Should he let a
man die or attempt an operation on his heart.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 17

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. choice either let a man die, or
• C. choice, either let a man die? Or
• D. choice either let a man die or

This is an error in SENTENCE STRUCTURE and
PUNCTUATION. In the original example, the second
sentence is a fragment. Choice C creates a
fragment in a third sentence. Choice D creates a
run-on sentence. Choice B uses a colon correctly
- to join 2 independent clauses when you wish to
emphasize the second clause.
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18 Williams decided to operate. When he opened
the chest cavity, he finds a cut in the
pericardium.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 18

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. is able to find
• C. discovers
• D. found

This is an error in VERB USAGE (VERB TENSE
SHIFT). In the original example, finds is in the
present tense, but all other verbs are in past
tense (decided and opened). Choices B and C do
not correct the tense shift.
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19 Williams stitched up the cut and then began
the vigil to see if his patient would survive.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 19

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. begun
• C. had began
• D. had begun

Began is a form of begin, a commonly misused
IRREGULAR VERB (begin, began, begun). Began is
the proper past tense form to keep the tense
consistent with stitched.
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20 Given to the limitations of medicine in 1893,
his success seemed amazing.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 20

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. Given,
• C. Given
• D. Giving

KEEP IT SIMPLE STUDENTS!
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21 Without modern advances, he repaired a beating
heart and led surgery into a new era.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 21

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. led a new era into surgery and repaired a
  beating heart.
• C. led surgery into a beating heart and repaired
  a new era.
• D. repaired a beating heart surgery and led into
  a new era.

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22 Sumerian society had become so increasing in
size and complexity that a new tracking system
became necessary.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 23

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. so increased in size and complexity
• C. become so excessively monolithic and
• circumfused by societal intricacies
• whose implications dictated
• D. became so large and real hard to figure
• out

23
23 TI is the Sumerian word for arrow the sign
for an arrow could represent both the object and
the sound TI.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 24

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. arrow! The
• C. arrow! And the
• D. arrow and the,

24
24 A drawing of an ox followed by two dots meant
oxen. Scribes soon realized they could also stand
for sounds.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 25

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. that they
• C. these stylized pictures
• D. that using them they

25
25 It was adopted by the Akkadians, Hittites,
Persians, and others, and used for over 3,000
years.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 26

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. using it
• C. useful
• D. that was used

The use of It is not the error in context of
the full article from which this was pulled.
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26 Sumerians scribes, created and regularly used
at least 800 different cuneiform signs.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 27

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. Sumerians scribes
• C. Sumerian scribes
• D. Sumerian scribes ,

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27 The survey asked if you smoke, if you play
music after midnight and if you are very tidy, a
little tidy, or an out-and-out slob.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 28

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. smoke, then
• C. smoke if
• D. smoke, do

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28 I would of liked playing music after midnight.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 29

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. have liked playing
• C. like to of played
• D. of liked to play

29
29 I had a Southern accent but to Portias
distress, little interest in the Civil War.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 30

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. accent but, to Portias distress,
• C. accent but, to Portias distress
• D. accent, but to Portias distress

30
30 Her side, with pairs of shoes lined up neatly
on the windowsill, looked like my grandmothers
apartment.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 31

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. side with pairs of shoes,
• C. side, with pairs of shoes,
• D. side with pairs of shoes

31
31 My grandfather is not known for embracing
technological change. He still drives his 59
Chevy Impala.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 31

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. change he still drives
• C. change still driving,
• D. change, and still driving

The best answer is A because it provides
punctuation that appropriately separates these
two complete thoughts or statements My
grandfather is not known for embracing
technological change and He still drives his
59 Chevy Impala. B creates a run-on, or fused,
sentence. C would need to have the comma in front
of still to work. D is incorrect because the
conjunction and that connects the phrase to the
main clause creates confusion by linking words
that are not grammatically parallel.
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32 He says, he cant imagine needing frivolous
options like automatic transmission or power
steering.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 32

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. says
• C. says, that
• D. says, that,

The best answer is B because it correctly
punctuates this sentence, which is actually a
fairly simple subject-verb-direct object sentence
except that the direct object is a noun clause.
The sentence could be written with that
introducing the clause, but no comma(s) would be
needed.
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33 He says that the button that mutes the sound
lets him cut them off in midsentence.(Previous
sentence was about his wife.)
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 33

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. advertisers
• C. it
• D. its function

This is a pronoun-antecedent situation!
34
34 Unbricking a kiln after a firing is like a
person uncovering buried treasure.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 34

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. someone
• C. a potter
• D. OMIT the underlined portion.

This sentence deals with parallelism! unbricking
a kiln uncovering buried treasure
35
35 The process of creating ceramics begins in a
studio. My friend Ellen is typical of many more
potters in that she uses a wheel and works from
slabs.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 36

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. of many
• C. mostly of
• D. for most

36
36 Over many weeks, as time goes by, her
collection slowly grows.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 36

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. with the passing of time,
• C. gradually,
• D. OMIT the underlined portion

37
37 She then carries the pieces to the kiln, it is
a brick structure for baking pottery.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 37

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. the brick structure is
• C. a brick structure
• D. brick

38
38 She carefully arranges the pieces inside.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 38

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. stoops to carefully
• C. bends over to arrange with care
• D. carefully stoops over to arrange

39
39 The next morning, using twigs, for kindling
she starts a small blaze.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 39

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. morning, using twigs for kindling,
• C. morning, using twigs for kindling
• D. morning using twigs, for kindling,

40
40 Having died down, she bricks up the firebox as
well.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 40

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. Finally it dies
• C. With a blaze that dies
• D. Once the blaze dies

41
41 Last week, he told me he had to go on a
business trip in connection with his work.
DAILY SENTENCE CORRECTIONS 41

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. having something to do with his job
• C. that involved traveling to another city
• D. OMIT the underlined portion.

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