11Option #2: Unknown Error or No Error
If you read the sentence and don’t catch an error right off, don’t just pick (E) No error! You must go through
every answer choice before you pick that (E)!
Let’s see this at play:
Neither Mr. Hutchinson nor Mr. Randall
A
thinks that playing as many video games as his
B C
daughter Veronica does will lead to anything
D
fruitful. No error
EMany students will read this sentence and not catch an error. But if you work through the answers one by one,
you are sure to spot it.
(A) “nor” is a preposition that tell us to check and make sure it is partnered with “neither.”
Yes it is!
(B) “thinks” is a simple present tense verb. We should check to make sure the verb agrees
in number with its subject. Ask: Who or what “thinks”? Neither. “Neither” is singular
and “thinks” is singular so that checks. The sentence is set in the present, so “thinks” is
the correct verb tense as well.
(C) “his” is a pronoun. The easiest rule to check for first is Pronoun Ambiguity. Who does
the “his” refer to? Hmmm....we have two men in the sentence: Mr. Hutchinson and Mr.
Randall, so we don’t know to whom the “his” belongs. Is Veronica Mr. Hutchinson’s
daughter, or Mr. Randall’s? We’ve caught our grammar rule! No need to go any
further.
Here’s what your test booklet should look like:
Neither Mr. Hutchinson nor Mr. Randall
A Mr. Hutchinson’s or Mr. Randall’s
thinks that playing as many video games as his
B C
daughter Veronica does will lead to anything
D
fruitful. No error
EPronoun Ambiguity