年代AT Writing : Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代tudy concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

They'rereally excitedthattheirare so many flavorstochoose from for the birthday cake.No error

Possible Answers:

to

that

their

No error

They're

Correct answer:

their

Explanation:

"Their" is a possessive pronoun that means "belonging to them," but nothing is being possessed by anyone here; the flavors do not belong to anyone in this sentence. "There" would be more appropriate.

Example Question #12 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Randy warnedhis气ldren thatthey’refamily would stand outoncethey moved to Tokyo, simply because ofhowdifferent they would look compared to many other people in Japan.No error

Possible Answers:

No error

they're

how

his

once

Correct answer:

they're

Explanation:

“They’re” is used to abbreviate the phrase “they are,” while “their” is used to show possession. Since possession is being shown, “their” should be used, not “they’re.”

Example Question #13 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Eventhough年代arah knewthatgoing to the basketball gameinstead ofstudying was whatleadto her bad grade on her math test, she felt it was worth it.No error

Possible Answers:

though

lead

instead of

that

No error

Correct answer:

lead

Explanation:

“Lead” is the present tense form of the verb “to lead” for a plural noun. However, the appropriate form of the verb for the singular subject (Sarah) in the past tense is “led.”

Example Question #14 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Overexposure to ultraviolet rayshas been linkedto types of skin cancer,soifyourstaying outside for a long time, apply sunscreenregularly.No error

Possible Answers:

No error

regularly

so

your

has been linked

Correct answer:

your

Explanation:

"Your" is a possessive pronoun. It should be replaced in the sentence with the contraction for "you are," which is "you're."

Example Question #15 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Weather or not you like stormy whether,I enjoylistening to the thunder, watching the lightning, and hearing the rainplunkingagainstmy house's tin roof.No error

Possible Answers:

listening to the thunder, watching the lightning, and hearing the rain

against

No error

Weather or not your like stormy whether,

my house's tin roof

Correct answer:

Weather or not your like stormy whether,

Explanation:

"Weather or not you like stormy whether" contains the sentence's errors. "Weather" is a noun that meansatmospheric phenomena like rain, snow, orsleet, and "whether" is a conjunction that presents two options, as in the sentence, "I couldn't decide whether or not to wear my heavy coat that day, because the weather was supposed to start off freezing warm up drastically." So, to correct this sentence's errors, "weather" and "whether" should be switched around, resulting in the sentence, "Whetheror not you like stormy weather,I enjoylistening to the thunder, watching the lightning, and hearing the rainplunkingagainstmy house's tin roof."

Example Question #16 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

My father came homefromaparticularlygrueling day at work anddecidedto watch the baseball game on television ratherthengo for his nightly walk.No error

Possible Answers:

then

decided

No error

from

particularly

Correct answer:

then

Explanation:

To answer this question correctly, you must understand the distinction between the homonyms "then" and "than." "Then" refers to an event that happens after something, as in the sentence, "He came home from work and thenwatched television.""Than" compares two words or phrases, as in the sentence, "I like chocolate chip cookies more than peanut butter cookies." So, "than" is the correct word to use in this situation, and "then" should be changed to "than" to correct the sentence's error.

Example Question #17 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

That is ahotlycontested issue in American politics, and politicians oftenexacerbatethe debate withthereinflammatoryspeeches.No error

Possible Answers:

there

hotly

No error

inflammatory

exacerbate

Correct answer:

there

Explanation:

The sentence uses "there" incorrectly. This is an easy mistake to look over since "there," "their," and "they're" are all homonyms—words that sound the same but have different meanings. The speeches politicians make about the issue belong to the politicians, so the proper form is "their," the possessive pronoun.

Example Question #18 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Yourmother'ssignature cookie recipe is incredibly delicious, and I'm incredibly jealous thatyourlucky enoughtoenjoy those sweet treatswheneveryou want them!No error

Possible Answers:

your

to

No error

mother's

whenever

Correct answer:

your

Explanation:

The key here is to distinguish between the homonyms "your" and "you're."

"Your" is a possessive pronoun identifying something that belongs to you. The first usage here is correct because "your mother" refers to the mother that belongs to you.

"You're"is a contraction that combines "you" and "are," and this would be the correct choice for the second usage, making the corrected sentence "Your mother's signature cookie recipe is incredibly delicious, and I'm incredibly jealous that you're lucky enough to enjoy those sweet treats whenever you want them!"

Example Question #19 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Even thoughitsonly February, I amalreadyexcited for summer break andwarmerweather.No error

Possible Answers:

No error

only February

already

its

warmer

Correct answer:

its

Explanation:

This is an incorrect form of the word "its." Here, the sentence uses the possessive pronoun form of "its," but there is nothing being possessed here. Instead, this sentence needs to use "it's," the contracted form of "it is," to be grammatically correct. The corrected sentence reads, "Even though it's only February, I am already excited for summer break and warmer weather."

Example Question #20 :Identifying Errors Involving Commonly Confused Words

年代elect the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

It was sogreattoherefrom youlast weekend;we need to makethese luncheshappen more often!No error

Possible Answers:

so great

No error

here

last weekend

these lunches

Correct answer:

here

Explanation:

"Here" is an adverb that meansin this current location, but the sentence is using it as if it were the verb "hear," which meansrecognize sounds fromorlisten to.

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