1. GMAT grammar adheres to the rules of “Standard Written English.”
“Standard Written English” refers to formal writing that follows the rules that you find in grammar books. Since proper written English often differs from spoken English, the correct answer will not always be the one that sounds the best to you. You cannot rely on your ear alone; you must become familiar with the grammar rules of written English.
2. The GMAT tests a limited number of grammar rules.
English grammar contains hundreds of very specific rules. The GMAT tests only a few of these, so devote your energy to mastering the most common rules which we’ve laid out in this chapter.
3. Grammar is key – but style is important, too.
The best answer must be clear and grammatically correct, but without redundancy, and with proper punctuation. Idioms must be used correctly. Look for grammatical errors first; then check for errors in style.
4. Sentences may contain more than one error.
Sentence Correction questions contain discrete, identifiable errors. Be on the lookout for sentences containing two or three errors. Just because an answer choice corrects one error in the sentence doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the right choice. The best answer will correct all errors in the original sentence.
5. Incorrect answer choices are incorrect.
Sentence Correction answer choices are variations of the correct answer. Incorrect answers will almost always be identifiable as such. Even if an answer choice sounds strange, don’t rush to eliminate it unless you can find a definite error.
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