1.在从句中,对以下连接词和引导词要保持高度警惕: (1)which(或代词it)绝对不可指代前面的整个句子; (2)because不可引导名词性从句; (3)宾语从句中引导词that一般不能省略; (4)if绝不可以引导名词性从句,如要表示“是否”,只能用whether引导; (5)对不作为介词宾语的事物作限定性修饰,只用that而不用which。而which仅用于引导 对 介宾进行修饰的限定性从句和引导非限定性从句。 2.在require、demand等表“建议、命令”意义的词之后的that从句,要求用虚拟语气动 词 ,即动词原形,不加should。 3.绝对不可以单独使用that指代前面的单数或不可数名词,而一般是用that of+n.结构 指代 或换用其他表达方式。 4.绝不可以单独使用this、these来指代前面出现的单数或复数名词,而绝对要通过换用其他人称代词,或重复前面出现的名词或者改变句子结构来避免这样非正式且模糊的指代。如 sth. of this kind, like this /these等模糊表达均要用such+n.(n.即重复this、these所 指代的对象)来取代,意为“这些……”。另外,在“such……that”结构中,such只修饰具体名词,而不修饰抽象名词(如 rapidity、severity等)。
5.在我们通常使用的there be句型中,以下表达必错: (1)there could be done sth.; (2)there be sth. done; (3)there being+名词词组 (4)there was sth.(抽象的表动作的名词),如说there was a transmisscion万万不可。呈 般来说,GMAT中there be 仅用于“某处有某物”,而此物是指一具体名词,如knife,star ,wolf等,而非抽象名词conversion, relation等。
6.表示某人有某种能力做某事,最佳答案的选择依据是can do >be able to do >has (have) ability to do>has(have) a capability of doing…在选择时,有can do 就不用含be able to do 的选项,依次类推。 7.当我们需要举例时,一律用such as结构,而不用like。 8.在GMAT改错题中,ETS倾向于用主动语态而非被动语态,当用主动或被动语态的选项在语法和句意上都无错误时,选择用主动语态表达的选项,即“主动优先原则”。 9.在GMAT中,关于being的以下使用必错: (1)being+n.(2)being+adj.(3)as being+n./adj./v.-ving.;
GMAT认为在以上表达中,being完全多余。
10.当我们对一动宾结构进行替代时,不用do it, 一律用do so.; 11.介词短语:on account of, because of, despite(in spite of ), as a result of之后只跟简单的各词短语。若其后跟的是动名词或名词所有格+动名词短语,或名词短语之后 用一复杂的现在分词来修饰时,应改为与其相同意义的连词because, although等引导的从 句形式。
12.几种简单的表达方式: (1)n. that is (are) adj. 必然要换为ad.+n.的名词短语结构,如a man who is poor 的选项必错,而应选含有a poor man的选项。 (2)当表示谓语部分,尤其是表示实义动词的含义时,就直接用其动词形式表示,而不要用名词形式或形容词形式,如:be a cause就一定会被cause(动词)替代;be suggestive of 一定会被 suggest替代。 (3)一些常见词的替换方式:not any 一定会被no替代;that which一定会被what替代; hav ing been done会被 done(限定词)所替代。
13.平行结构的最后一个成立之前必定有一个连词 and, or, neither, nor或as well as, 否则嘴并列结构必存在问题。如:to do A. do B, do 的表达就必死无疑,正确表达应该是 to do A, do B, and do C 或 to do A, to do B, and to do C。;
Make a checklist of errors to look for when u read a SC question. The most common are: 1. Pron. If a sentence contains a pron., check to see whether it clearly refers to the n. it is replacing; also check to see whether the pron. agrees in number with the n. to which it refers.
2. Misplaced modifiers: if the sentence begins with a modifying phrase, check to make sure that the noun it modifies comes directly after the modifying phrase
3. Parallel construction: If a sentence contains a list of things, or actions, or is broken up into two halves, check to make sure the parts of the sentence are parallel
4. Tense: If the answer choices contain diferent verb tenses, make sure that the tense of the verb or verbs tense should be consistent throughtout a sentence.
5. Subject-verb agreement: ETS sometimes puts extraneous prepositional phrases between the subject and the verb. Cover up these phrases so that u can see whether the subject and the verb of each clause in the sentence agree with each other.
6. Apples and Oranges: When a sentence makes a comparison, check to see whether the two things being compare are comparable.
7. Quantity words: Whenever u see a quantity word (countable vs. uncountable; two vs. three or more) check to see if its is being used correctly
8. Idiom: if a sentence contains an idiomatic expression that seems wrong to u, try taking the experience out of the sentence and creating a sentence of your own with the suspect expression.
These 8 points almost include all of the SC errors. From the very begining, u should go through the 8 points one by one on each choice, until u find some errors. Then, u can omit the checklist and find errors by yourself. Hope it is helpful.
第三部分:GMAT改错难点分析
难点一: 对一些基本语法知识的生疏。毋庸置疑,英语表达有一些固定的结构,比如:It is estimated (believed,thought)that;to do sth. is to do sth.;一些固定词组的搭配如accommodation to sth.,belief in,both. . .and 等,这些是我们学习英语表达的基础,掌握它们只能靠记忆。而很多准备GMAT的商业人士,因为长期不用而忘记这些用法,从而不可避免地影响GMAT改错的学习。
难点二: GMAT 语法规则与通常我们所学的,甚至一些专业语法书籍的规则不尽相同。所以如果我们用已有的语法知识去解按新规则设计的题目,不可避免地会产生一些困惑。在中学课本中,我们曾学过“which”可指代前面整个句子的用法,例如:He worked in this field for several years,which contributed to his later success.在此句中,which 指前面整个句子,但在GMAT看来,which不能指代前面整个句子,因而此句话是错误的。又比如:中学语法课本说过,that引导宾语从句时,that 可省可不省;而GMAT则认为,that一般不可省。诸如此类的问题还有很多。在碰到此类问题时,若你马上摒弃以前的旧思想,以GMAT的要求去调整你已有的语法规则,那么你可能不会有太大的困惑。而若你试图通过查阅更全、更厚的语法书去证明你原有的语法知识是错的,而GMAT是正确的话,你最后会发觉你的这些时间、精力的耗费都是徒劳的,因为往往查阅的结果只会使你确信,你原有的相关知识是对的。
难点三: 不能有效地把握句子的重心。在GMAT改错中,几乎所有的题干都是复合句。每一个复合句都有一个主要信息和一个或几个附属信息。在英语表达中,主要信息必定要用一个完整的句子来表达,而次要信息则会采用从句、分词短语或独立结构来表述。如:Watching news on television,we had our dinner. 在这个简单的复合句中,We had our dinner是句子的主要信息,而从属信息是Watching news on television(采用分词形式,表主句的伴随状况)。对于这样一个正确的句子,ETS经常会采用主次颠倒和主次不分的手法对此句进行修改,制造出两个干扰项:(B)Having our dinner,we watched news on television(C)We had our dinner and watched news on television. (B)为主次颠倒(C)为主次不分。由于我们母语汉语中并无类似现象,且由于中英文表达上的差异性,经常就会导致GMAT考生认为三个句子的意思都是一样的,从而面对不知该选哪一个的困惑。
难点四: 未能体会GMAT的改错真谛。准确地说,GMAT改错除了改正语法错误之外,更强调表达的有效性和简洁性。这一点既是GMAT与TOEFL的不同之处,又是GMAT语法大大难于TOEFL语法的关键之所在。因为ETS经常对同一句意用二道三个语法上正确,但表达上有差异的选项干扰你的思路。如:(A)He was absent because he was ill. (B)He was absent for the reason that he was ill. 这两种表达在语法上都正确,但为什么GMAT选A而不选B 呢?其原因就在于表达的简洁性和有效性上,because比for the reason that简洁,所以选A。对于此点的不充分理解部分来源于我们有一个先入为主的观念,认为改错就一定只是针对语法现象,类似于TOEFL。同时,也由于我们在英语学习中缺乏这样的训练造就的。因为,一般非英语专业的学生很少有writing 课。即使有,老师只会告诉你同一意思可以用几个句型来表达,但从来不会要求你去辨别哪个是最简洁的,表达上是最有效的。