The Directions
Below are the official directions for Identifying Sentence
Error questions. Remember to read these directions several times
before the day of the test. You don’t want to waste time on test
day reading directions that never, ever change.
Directions:
The following sentences test your knowledge of grammar, usage, diction
(choice of words), and idiom.
Some sentences are correct.
No sentence contains more than one error.
You will find that the error, if there
is one, is underlined and lettered. Elements of the sentence that
are not underlined will not be changed. In choosing answers, follow
the requirements of standard written English.
If there is an error, select the one
underlined part that must be changed to make the sentence
correct and fill in the corresponding oval on your answer sheet.
If there is no error, fill in answer oval
e. |
In addition to describing the questions you will encounter,
these directions tell you two very important things. First, when
ETS says follow the requirements of standard written English,
they mean you must use the rules that govern formal writing, rather
than the rules that govern the way we talk. Second, the directions
inform you that some of the questions are actually correct. In fact,
about 1/5 of
the Identifying Sentence Error questions on the test will be grammatically
impeccable. In essence, the instructions are telling you that you need
the ability to “hear” bad grammar when it comes up.
