Agreement: idioms - Spotting and fixing errors: sentence structure, punctuation, and agreement - PSAT Reading

PSAT/NMSQT Prep 2022 - Eggert M.D., Strelka A. 2022

Agreement: idioms
Spotting and fixing errors: sentence structure, punctuation, and agreement
PSAT Reading

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After this lesson, you will be able to:

· Identify and correct expressions that deviate from idiomatic English

· Determine the appropriate word in frequently confused pairs

To answer a question like this:

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) is studying the distribution and flight patterns of birds and bats that migrate at night. Researchers analyze weather surveillance radar data 37 not only to assess the responses of migrant birds to prominent landforms but also to generate a broad overview of spring and fall migration through the Appalachians.

37.

A. NO CHANGE

B.not to assess the responses of migrant birds to prominent landforms but also to generate

C.not only to assess the responses of migrant birds to prominent landforms but to generate

D. to not only assess the responses of migrant birds to prominent landforms but also to generate

You need to know this:

An idiom is a combination of words that must be used together to convey either a figurative or literal meaning. Idioms are tested in three ways:

1. Proper preposition use in context: The preposition must reflect the writer’s intended meaning

She waits on customers.

She waits for the bus.

She waits with her friends.

2. Idiomatic expressions: Some words or phrases must be used together to be correct

Simone will either bike or run to the park.

Neither the principal nor the teachers will tolerate tardiness.

This fall, Shari is playing not only soccer but also field hockey.

3. Implicit double negatives: Some words imply a negative and therefore cannot be paired with an explicit negative. The words “barely,” “hardly,” and “scarcely” fall into this category

Correct: Janie can hardly wait for vacation.

Incorrect: Janie can’t hardly wait for vacation.

Frequently Tested Prepositions

Idiomatic Expressions

Words That Can’t Pair with Negative Words

at

by

for

from

of

on

to

with

as... as

between... and

both... and

either... or

neither... nor

just as... so too

not only... but also

prefer... to

barely

hardly

scarcely

Commonly Confused Words

English contains many pairs of words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings, such as accept (to take or receive something that is offered) and except (with the exclusion of).

Other words, such as among (in a group of, or surrounded by, multiple things or people) and between (distinguishing one thing from one other thing), do not sound alike but have similar meanings that are often confused.

You’ll want to familiarize yourself with the following list of commonly misused words so you can spot them on test day.

Accept: to take or receive something that is offered

My niece accepted her pile of birthday gifts with great enthusiasm.

Except: with the exclusion of

All of the presents are toys except for a box containing a popular book series.

Affect: to act on, to have influence on something

The dreary, rainy weather negatively affected Rahul’s mood.

Effect: something that is produced by a cause; a consequence

A recent study explored the effects of weather on mental well-being.

Lay: to put or place something

My boss asked me to lay the report on her desk before I left for the day.

Lie: to rest or recline

After a long day of work, I just want to lie down on the couch.

Raise: to build or lift up something; to support the growth of someone

Many books are dedicated to the topic of raising children.

Rise: to get up

Ted likes to rise early in the morning to exercise before his children wake up.

Whose: a possessive pronoun

Whose uniform shirt is this?

Who’s: a contraction meaning “who is”

Who’s responsible for ordering new uniforms?

Their: a possessive pronoun for a plural noun or pronoun

The college students plan to travel internationally after their graduation.

They’re: a contraction for “they are”

They’re going to visit several countries in East Asia.

There: at a certain point or place

The students are excited to experience the foods andcultures there .

There’s: a contraction for “there is”

There’s a tour of an ancient palace that they’re looking forward to seeing.

Among: in a group of, or surrounded by, multiple things or people

Navya was among many doctoral candidates who visited the university.

Between: distinguishing one thing from one other thing

Navya had to decide between her top two doctoral program choices.

Amount: sum or quantity of multiple things that cannot be counted

The amount of pollution in the ocean is affecting dolphin populations.

Number: sum or quantity of a finite collection that can be counted

Scientists report that the number of dolphins has decreased significantly.

Less: a smaller extent or amount of things that cannot be counted

The bathroom sink holds less water than the kitchen sink.

Fewer: of a smaller number, referring to things that can be counted

The bathroom sink holds fewer gallons of water than the kitchen sink.

Much: great in quantity, referring to things that cannot be counted

My sister has much more patience than I have.

Many: great in quantity, referring to things that can be counted

Many of her friends admire her ability to stay calm in difficult situations.

Good: satisfactory in quality, quantity, or degree; adjective

Dakota considered both the good and bad effects of wind energy before composing her essay.

Well: to perform an action in a satisfactory manner; adverb

Dakota wrote her essay so well that her professor used it as an example of excellent persuasive writing.

You need to do this:

· If the underlined portion includes a preposition, a conjunction, or barely/hardly/scarcely, look for a common idiom error.

· If the underlined segment includes a commonly misused word, check the context to determine whether it is used properly.

Explanation:

The underlined phrase contains the idiomatic expression not only... but also, so make sure it is correctly structured. (B) and (C) both omit part of the expression: (B) is missing “not only” and (C) is missing “but also.” (A) and (D) both use the correct wording, so analyze what the difference is between them. (D) places the word “to” before the beginning of the idiomatic phrase: “to not only.” However, the second part of the expression in (D) places the word “to” after the idiomatic phrase: “but also to.” Either placement would be acceptable, but the phrase must be structured consistently, so (D) is incorrect. (A) correctly structures the idiomatic expression: “not only to... but also to.”

If idioms give you trouble, study the information in this section and try these Drill questions before completing the Try on Your Own questions that follow. Edit each sentence to correct the idiom issue. Answers to the Drill can be found on the next page.

Drill

a. My book club meets at every third Sunday of the month.

b. Greyson made the gingerbread house by gumdrops, icing, candy buttons, and, of course, gingerbread.

c. The cheetah’s anatomy allows for extremely quick running speed not only due to its especially flexible spine but due to its unusually short skull.

d. After accidentally getting sunburned, I couldn’t hardly stand how itchy my skin felt.

e. Since she collected less pairs then her opponent, Candace lost the matching game.

Try on Your Own

Directions: Take as much time as you need on these questions. Work carefully and methodically. There will be an opportunity for timed practice at the end of the chapter.

Questions 38—44 refer to the following passage.

Hudson River School

38 Excepted by art historians as the first truly American art movement, the Hudson River School movement began in the early nineteenth century. The first works in this style were created by landscape painters Thomas Cole, Thomas Doughty, and Asher Durand, a trio of painters who worked during the 1820s in the Hudson River Valley and surrounding locations. Heavily influenced 39 by European romanticism, these painters set out to convey the remoteness and splendor of the American wilderness. The strongly nationalistic tone of their paintings caught the spirit of the times, and within a generation, the movement had mushroomed to include landscape painters from all over the United States.

One factor contributing to the success of the Hudson River School was the rapid growth of American nationalism in the early nineteenth century. One 40 affect of the War of 1812 was that it instilled Americans with a new sense of pride in their identity, and as the nation continued to grow, a desire grew to compete with Europe on both economic and cultural grounds. The vast panoramas of the Hudson River School fit the bill perfectly 41 to providing a new movement in 42 art, which was unmistakably American. The Hudson River School also arrived at a time when writers in the United States were turning their attention to the wilderness as a unique aspect of their nationality. The Hudson River School painters profited from this nostalgia because they effectively represented Americans’ perceptions of early America.43 Hardly not anyone questioned the view that the American character was formed by the frontier experience, and many writers wrote about their concerns regarding an increasingly urbanized country.

In keeping with this nationalistic spirit, even the painting style of the Hudson River School exhibited a strong sense of American identity. Unlike European painters, who brought to their canvases the styles and techniques of centuries past, the Hudson River School painters 44 sought neither to embellish nor to idealize their scenes, but rather to portray nature with the objectivity and attention to detail of naturalists.

38.

A. NO CHANGE

B.Accepted

C.Excepting

D. Accepting

39.

A. NO CHANGE

B.with

C.in

D. due to

40.

A. NO CHANGE

B.effect

C.affecting

D. effecting

41.

A. NO CHANGE

B.by providing

C.in providing

D. only providing

42.

A. NO CHANGE

B.art, and

C.art that

D. art, so

43.

A. NO CHANGE

B.Not hardly anyone

C.Not anyone hardly

D. Hardly anyone

44.

A. NO CHANGE

B.sought to neither embellish nor to idealize their scenes

C.sought neither to embellish or to idealize their scenes

D. sought to neither embellish or to idealize their scenes

Drill answers from previous page:

Note: These are not the only ways to correct the sentences; your answers may differ.

a. My book club meets on every third Sunday of the month.

b. Greyson made the gingerbread house from gumdrops, icing, candy buttons, and, of course, gingerbread.

c. The cheetah’s anatomy allows for extremely quick running speed not only due to its especially flexible spine but also due to its unusually short skull.

d. After accidentally getting sunburned, I could hardly stand how itchy my skin felt.

e. Since she collected fewer pairs than her opponent, Candace lost the matching game.