Identifying Conjunction Errors - SAT Writing

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Choosing between the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting or the marble cake with chocolate ganache was an agonizing decision. No error

Answer

This sentence does not follow conventions regarding the use of phrase “between X and Y.” The conjunction “and,” not “or,” should always be used when setting up a sentence using "between" to describe a choice or a comparison. The corrected sentence reads, "Choosing between the carrot cake with cream cheese frosting and the marble cake with chocolate ganache was an agonizing decision."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither the dog or the cat could climb the trees outside the house, for the trees were too tall. No error

Answer

The proper conjunction here would be "nor," as it agrees with "neither."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Because it is not a holiday, neither the church or the bank is closed early. No error

Answer

"Neither" always takes "nor," never "or." It may be tempting to choose "is." Neither may use plural or singular verbs, depending on the plural or singular quality of the subjects it refers to.

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither the aliens who were invading or the people who were being invaded really understood what was happening. No error

Answer

This sentence has a problem with coordinators. If “neither” is used, it triggers the use of “nor.” The corrected sentence reads: Neither the aliens who were invading nor the people who were being invaded really understood what was happening.

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither the teachers or the students were told that the famous actor and actress would be visiting the school until the day before the visit; it was hard to tell which group was the more excited one when everyone found out. No error

Answer

When using the word "neither" to introduce one of two things in a negative fashion, one needs to introduce the other thing using the word "nor," not "or." So, the correct answer is, "Neither the teachers nor the students were told that the famous actor and actress would be visiting the school until the day before the visit; it was hard to tell which group was the more excited one when everyone found out."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

John enjoys foods from many different culinary backgrounds, so it will be difficult for him to choose which dish he likes better between the Japanese sushi rolls or the Thai curry. No error

Answer

Given that John is choosing between two different options and the sentence uses the word "between" to describe his choosing between these options, "and" should be used to describe his selection of options, not "or."

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Question

Select the underlined word that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Daniel eventually realized that neither money or fame made him as happy as he was when he was married to Diane. No error

Answer

The sentence features a correlative conjunction error: when the word "neither" is used to introduce one of two nouns in a negative manner, one must always use the word "nor" to introduce the second noun.

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Question

Select the underlined word that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

When Daisy had to choose between singing in glee club or pursuing her black belt in jiujitsu, she made a chart that listed the pros and cons of each activity. No error

Answer

When setting up a comparison using the word "between," we must always use the convention "between A and B," where A and B are the things we are comparing. Therefore, the word "or" should be replaced with "and" in this sentence.

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

While planning our summer vacation trip, we had a hard time choosing between going to Barcelona or going to Costa Rica; both seemed like great destinations. No error

Answer

The error in this sentence is the incorrect structure of the comparison "between (Option 1) and (Option 2)." The conjunction "and" should always be used in this type of comparison, and in this sentence the writer has incorrectly used the conjunction "or."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither Timothy or Jocelyn had any doubt that they would get a perfect score on the SAT, since they had been studying almost nonstop for months. No error

Answer

The error in this sentence is the use of the conjunction "or." The writer should have used the conjunction "nor," as this is the conjunction that must be paired with "neither" when using the formulation "neither X nor Y."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

You can either tell him the truth and try to hide your mistake, but you should consider the consequences carefully; if you make the wrong decision, you may lose a friend. No error

Answer

The correlative conjunction “either” must be paired with “or,” not “and.” The sentence is punctuated correctly, with commas separating dependent clauses from independent clauses and a semicolon separating the two independent clauses.

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Yesterday, I had to decide between the high-paying marketing job or the low-paying freelance gig; I hope I didn’t make a mistake when I turned down the high salary. No error

Answer

The correct conjunction to use with the word “between” is “and,” not “or.” You choose between a first option "and" a second option; you don’t choose between a first option "or" a second option.

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

As the rain poured down, the campers knew that they had to choose between bailing out their tents or packing up and going home. No error

Answer

The correlative conjunction pair "between...and" is used to describe a choice or comparison. In this case, the choice is between "bailing out their tents and packing up," making the error in the sentence as it is written "or."

The full, correct version of this sentence would read: "As the rain poured down, the campers knew they had to choose between bailing out their tents and packing up and going home."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

The girls could never make up their minds about which movie to see; either the showing was too late and the theater was too far. No error

Answer

The correlative conjunction pair "either . . . or" is used to show two contrasting options. Either option could be true, but only one can be true at a time. In this case, the word "and" should be replaced by the word "or" to complete the correlative conjunction pair.

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Question

Select the underlined portion of the sentence below that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

You either need to start working harder, nor accept the consequences of your laziness. NO ERROR

Answer

Whenever you see the conjunction "either," it must always be followed by the correlative conjunction "or." As such, the "nor" in the sentence above should be changed to "or."

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Question

Select the underlined portion of the sentence below that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither China nor America is doing enough to fight global warming. NO ERROR

Answer

Whenever you see the conjunction "neither," it must always be followed by the correlative conjunction "nor." As such, the sentence above is correct as it is written.

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Question

Select the underlined portion of the sentence below that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Not only is Chicago a great city for restaurants, and it has great live music as well. NO ERROR

Answer

Whenever you see the conjunction "not only," it must always be followed by the correlative conjunction "but also." As such, the "and" in the sentence above should be changed to "but also."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

Neither fame or passion drove Kelly to pursue a career in music; she got into the industry solely for the money. No error

Answer

"Or" is the problematic word here - it should be "nor." "Neither... nor" is the correct pairing, not "Neither... or." "Either... nor" is also incorrect. In all cases it must be "either...or" and "neither...nor."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

By the time her mother came home from work, Cecilia had not only cleaned her room, also taken out the trash and walked the dog. No error

Answer

This question is checking for understanding of the correlative conjunction "not only . . . but also." The mistake in the sentence is the missing "but" in "but also." When using this construction, sometimes the "also" can be taken out but the "but" can never be since it changes the meaning. A corrected sentence reads "By the time her mother came home from work, Cecilia had not only cleaned her room, but also taken out the trash and walked the dog."

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Question

Select the underlined word or phrase that needs to be changed to make the sentence correct. Some sentences contain no error at all.

After she came home exhausted from the soccer match, Tabatha had to decide whether she wanted to go to Sarah's birthday party nor just stay home. No error

Answer

This question is checking for an understanding of the correlative conjunction "whether . . . or." The trick is that the error—"nor"—brings up another correlative conjunction: "neither . . . nor." The difference between the two is that "whether . . . or" presents an option between two choices (staying home and going to the birthday party), whereas "neither . . . nor" rejects both of the things referenced. The corrected sentence would read "After she came home exhausted from the soccer match, Tabatha had to decide whether she wanted to go to Sarah's birthday party or just stay home."

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