Verbs

Identifying Sentence Errors

The following sentence contains either a single error or no error at all. If the sentence contains an error, select the one underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence correct. If the sentence contains no error, select choice E.

Remember to check all the answer choices against the grammar rules you know, and don't just select an option that sounds strange to you--sometimes, things sound strange that are actually grammatically correct because they are rarely used.

Among the Aearliest telescopes Bwere Galilean telescopes, modeled after the simple instruments Cbuilt by Galileo, the first person Dhaving used telescopes to study the stars and planets. ENo error



Check first to see if anything sounds strange--even if it's actually correct, it gives you a starting point to check the answer choices. C sounds odd to me, but at a closer look it is grammatically correct. "built by" is passive voice, so it is slightly awkward in terms of style, but it is acceptable.

Next, look at A. "Earliest" is an adjective, so it must follow the rules for modifiers. It is located right next to the noun "telescopes" it modifies, and it agrees in gender and number, so it is grammatically correct.

B is a verb, so check for subject-verb agreement and correct tense. "Were" is simple past tense, which makes sense when discussing the invention of telescopes; it is also plural, so it agrees with the plural subject "telescopes."

D is also a verb, but "having used" is a participle, which means it functions as an adjective here. Without a verb in the main clause, this sentence is really a fragment. D is the error, so it is the correct answer.

On sat.collegeboard.org, 67% of responses were correct.



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