Written ByRituparna Nath Content Writer at Study Abroad Exams
GMAT Grammar Tips includes GMAT grammar concept building and rigorous practice. GMAT Grammar concepts are very important when answering questions from the GMAT verbal section that consists of subject-verb agreement, verb tenses, and noun-pronoun placement.
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In the GMAT exam, there will be no direct questions related to asking grammatical terms. But while picking the right answer your grammar needs to be strong as the questions include- choice on context, grammar, word choice, and sentence construction.
GMAT Grammar Rules with Examples
Knowing the proper GMAT grammar rules help you solve the GMAT verbal section. Let’s discuss the GMAT grammar rules that you must know:
1.GMAT Grammar-Sentences and Fragments
Every sentence generally contains a subject and the main verb. The sentences which lack the main verb are known as a fragment.
| Topics | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Missing Main Verb | 1.A verb that ends in –ING cannot act as a verb. A statement that contains only an –ING word cannot be a sentence. Example: After her retirement from international competition, tennis champion Maud Molesworth becoming one of the first women in Australia to coach tennis professionally. (Here became would be more appropriate) 2. A passive construction must contain a form of the verb to be. The GMAT is fond of omitting this verb to create errors in passive construction Example: Though the scientific method often presented as a fixed sequence of steps, it actually represents a set of general principles. (Here is often presented would be more appropriate) |
| Missing Independent Clauses | 1.Every sentence must contain a clause that can stand on its own as a sentence. Example: Retiring from international competition in 1937, and tennis champion Maud Molesworth became one of the first women in Australia to coach tennis professionally. Here 1937 is appropriate) 2. A phrase that begins with a subordinating conjunction (e.g. because, although, when, unless, until) is a clause, and an -ING word should not follow the conjunction. A subject + conjugated verb should be used instead. Example: The company has recently announced that it will soon accept only Visa for credit card purchases, although traditionally accepting both Visa and American Express. (Here although it has traditionally accepted would be more appropriate) |
| Comma Splices and Semicolons | A comma should never be placed between two independent clauses. Use a semicolon or comma + coordinating (FANBOYS) conjunction: for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so. Example: Many athletes at the Olympic Trials insist that they avoid all performance-enhancing substances, they do not share the same confidence about the competition they could soon face. (Here “substances; they “ would be more appropriate.) |
2.GMAT Grammar-Non-Essential Clauses
Non-essential clauses are used one before and one after by commas and, as their name suggests, are not essential to the meaning of a sentence.
Example: The body’s circadian rhythms, which are responsible for controlling sleep cycles and which function on a 24-hour clock, and they are more sensitive to light at night—even when a person’s eyes are closed.
The correct answer: The body’s circadian rhythms, which are responsible for controlling sleep cycles and which function on a 24-hour clock, are more sensitive to light at night—even when a person’s eyes are closed.
3.GMAT Grammar- Pronouns
| Topics | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Pronoun Agreement | The word to which a pronoun refers is known as its antecedent Example : Computers began as tools of business and research, designed to automate tasks such as math and information retrieval, but it is today a tool of personal communication, connecting us not only to information but to one another. |
| Missing/Ambiguous Referents | If there are multiple nouns that a pronoun should agree with, the sentence must be rewritten to specify which noun is the true referent. Example : Gecko lizards hail from all over the world, but most of the ones they sell in pet stores in the United States are bred in captivity. The correct answer: Gecko lizards hail from all over the world, but most of the ones sold in pet stores in the United States are bred in captivity. |
4.GMAT Grammar- Relative Pronouns
Relative pronouns are words like-
- Who(m) = people
- Which, that = things
- Whose = people + things
- Where = places
- When = times
- Preposition + which can be used as an alternative to where and when.
Example: The contemporary environmental movement began in 1962, the year where Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring revealed the dangers of pesticides.
The correct answer- The contemporary environmental movement began in 1962, the year when/in which Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring revealed the dangers of pesticides.
5.GMAT Grammar-Subject-Verb Agreement
Singular verbs end in –S; plural verbs do not end in –S, e.g. he speaks = singular, they speak = plural.
Example:
Most experimental results do not produce large changes in human understanding; improvements in theoretical scientific understanding is typically the result of a gradual process of development over time, sometimes across different domains of science.
(A) improvements in theoretical scientific understanding is typically the result of
(B) improvements in theoretical scientific understanding typically results from
(C) improvements in theoretical scientific understanding, which typically result from
(D) improvements in theoretical scientific understanding are typically the result of
(E) improvements in theoretical scientific understanding has typically resulted from
The subject of the verb is (singular) is improvements (plural). The correct answer must therefore contain a plural verb. (A), (B), and (E) all contain singular verbs and can thus be eliminated immediately.
Of the remaining answers, (C) creates a fragment and can be eliminated, leaving (D).
6.GMAT Grammar-Verb Tense and Form
| Topics | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present perfect vs. simple past vs. past perfect | 1. Present perfect = has/have + past participle 2. Simple past = simple past form only (e.g. went, drank, chose), indicates a finished action in the past 3. Past perfect = had + past participle | 1.Example- The company, which accepted both American Express and Visa for credit card purchases since its founding, recently announced that it would soon accept only Visa. Correct: The company, which has accepted both American Express and Visa for credit card purchases since its founding, recently announced that it would soon accept only Visa. 2.Example- In 2012, the company has announced that it would sever its long standing relationship with American Express and accept Visa exclusively for credit card purchases at its stores. Correct In 2012, the company announced that it would sever its long standing relationship with American Express and accept Visa exclusively for credit card purchases at its stores. 3.Example- Recently, the company took the final step in severing its long standing relationship with American Express and had begun accepting Visa exclusively for credit card purchases at its stores. Correct: Recently, the company took the final step in severing its long standing relationship with American Express and began accepting Visa exclusively for credit card purchases at its stores. |
| Future | Use of the future (will + verb) is typically based on context, e.g. verbs such as predict, estimate, or hypothesize. | Example-Market experts predict that stocks fall over the next several months, having recently reached historic highs. Correct: Market experts predict that stocks will fall over the next several months, having recently reached historic highs. |
| Subjunctive | Used to indicate importance, necessity, demands, and suggestions. 1.Present: 2. Past: | 1.Example- Even in the Internet age, it is important that traditional copyright protections are not abolished because they uphold the idea that people should be rewarded for original work. Correct: Even in the Internet age, it is important that traditional copyright protections not be abolished because they uphold the idea that people should be rewarded for original work. 2. Example- If the traditional concept of copyright protection was abolished, then the idea that people should be rewarded for original work would be seriously jeopardized. Correct: If the traditional concept of copyright protection were abolished, then the idea that people should be rewarded for original work would be seriously jeopardized. |
| The sequence of tenses: | “if” (hypothetical) clauses vs. main clauses | If Clause If X happens/Should X happen If X happened/If X were to happen If X had happened/Had X happened Main Clause Y occurs, Y will occur Y would occur Y would have occurred |
7.GMAT Grammar-Faulty Comparisons
| Topic | Explanation |
|---|---|
| People vs. Things | Compare people to people and things to things. Note that correct answers often replace a noun in the comparison with the pronoun phrase that of (sing.) or those of (p.). Example-While Thackeray and Dickens were both renowned as authors during the nineteenth century, today the novels of Dickens are more widely read than Thackeray. Correct: While Thackeray and Dickens were both renowned as authors during the nineteenth century, today the novels of Dickens are more widely read than those of Thackeray |
| Non-Equivalent Things | Example-Unlike a train, the length of a tram is usually limited to one or two cars, which may run either on train tracks or directly on the street. Correct: Unlike a train, a tram is usually limited to one or two cars, which may run either on train tracks or directly on the street. |
| Comparative Phrases | Comparative phrases can also be formed awkwardly or un-idiomatically. Correct answers tend to include like and unlike, whereas incorrect answers tend to be much wordier. Example-Contrasting with Thackeray, who fell out of favor during the twentieth century, the novels of Dickens have enjoyed uninterrupted popularity since they first appeared. Correct: Unlike the novels of Thackeray, which fell out of favor during the twentieth century, the novels of Dickens have enjoyed uninterrupted popularity since they first appeared. |
| Like vs. As | Like = compare nouns: x is like y As = compare clauses (clause includes a subject + verb) Example-Health insurance, as other forms of insurance, allows people to collectively pool their risk of incurring medical expenses. Correct: Health insurance, like other forms of insurance, allows people to collectively pool their risk of incurring medical expenses. |
8.GMAT Grammar-Amounts: Countable vs. Uncountable
| Countable (with pl. nouns) | Uncountable (with sing. nouns) |
|---|---|
| Number More Fewer | Amount Much Less |
9.GMAT Grammar-Modification
GMAT dangling modifiers is tricky. Modifiers include clauses, words, or phrases which help in demonstrating other parts of a sentence. Dangling modifiers misplaces the modifying phrase, which makes it illogical:
For example,
A young blonde-haired girl, the president thought Rachel was extremely studious.
Here, the president is definitely not regarded as the blonde-haired girl here.
The answer would be:
The president thought Rachel, a young blonde-haired girl, was extremely studious.
10.GMAT Grammar- Parallelism
Example can simplify this to understand:
Wrong: I want to retire to a place WHERE I can relax AND I pay low taxes.
Right: I want to retire to a place WHERE I can relax AND WHERE I pay low taxes.
Without the repetition of the subordinator where the first sentence could be read, I want to retire ... and I pay low taxes. Repeating the where eliminates ambiguity. The signal words do not have to be the same word.
To simplify parallelism questions, start by focusing on the first word of each item.
11.GMAT Grammar-GMAT Word Pairs
Word pairs (or correlative conjunctions) are pairs of words or phrases that must always be used together.
- Not only…but also
- As…as
- More/less…than
- Between…and
- So/such…that
- Just as…so
Note that only half of a word pair is likely to be included in the underlined portion of a sentence. To identify that a question is testing word pairs, you must often rely on information in the non-underlined section.
Incorrect: The Hale–Bopp comet received so much media coverage, becoming one of the most highly observed astronomical bodies in history.
Correct: The Hale–Bopp comet received so much media coverage that it became one of the most highly observed astronomical bodies in history.
12.GMAT Grammar-Redundancy
| Synonyms | Example- Radio stations were initially established for the first time by radio equipment manufacturers and retailers who offered programs in order to sell more radios to consumers. Correct: Radio stations were initially established by radio equipment manufacturers and retailers who offered programs in order to sell more radios to consumers. |
| Double Conjunctions | Two consecutive clauses should not both contain conjunctions. Example-Because it is always possible that new and potentially contradictory evidence will be discovered, so no scientific theory can ever be considered final. Correct: Because it is always possible that new and potentially contradictory evidence will be discovered, no scientific theory can ever be considered final. |
13.GMAT Grammar-Whether vs. If vs. That
Use whether to indicate uncertainty, or to indicate/imply the presence of alternatives.
With phrases involving “the question,” whether should always be used.
Incorrect: The Schengen accord on freedom of movement for members of the European Union has had limited success, raising the question of if the bloc’s frontiers should be policed by a European border control force.
Correct: The Schengen accord on freedom of movement for members of the European Union has had limited success, raising the question of whether the bloc’s frontiers should be policed by a European border control force.
Use that when only one possibility is presented.
14.GMAT Grammar- GMAT Idioms
Fixed phrases are known as idioms. There is no logical reason why these phrases evolved the way they did. As a result, you must answer them by ear.
| Types | Examples |
|---|---|
| Prepositions | Example: After a lengthy review, officials have decided to proceed with a broad investigation toward accusations that the hospital submitted hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. Correct: After a lengthy review, officials have decided to proceed with a broad investigation into accusations that the hospital submitted hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. |
| Commonly Confused Words | Example: Beads from beauty products and other microplastic debris are known to have a detrimental affect on fish and other creatures, and studies suggest that the chemicals can move up the food chain to humans. Correct: Beads from beauty products and other microplastic debris are known to have a detrimental effect on fish and other creatures, and studies suggest that the chemicals can move up the food chain to humans. |
| To vs. –ING | Example: Coral reefs are among the most important incubators of the ocean’s ecosystem, to provide food and shelter to more than a quarter of all marine life. Correct: Coral reefs are among the most important incubators of the ocean’s ecosystem, providing food and shelter to more than a quarter of all marine life. |
| Gerund Replaces Noun | Example: The using of rapid brush strokes to create a sense of immediacy was among the most prominent characteristics of the Impressionist school of painting. Correct: The use of rapid brush strokes to create a sense of immediacy was among the most prominent characteristics of the Impressionist school of painting. |
GMAT Grammar Books
GMAT grammar books are extremely helpful during your GMAT Preparation. Here are a few books for your help:
GMAT Grammar Practice Questions
Here is the pdf of GMAT sentence correction questions to strengthen your GMAT vocabulary and grammar.
*The article might have information for the previous academic years, which will be updated soon subject to the notification issued by the University/College.
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