Sentence Correction – MBA – CUET PG – Notes & Practice Questions

Notes

Sentence Correction mainly checks how clearly and correctly a sentence expresses an idea. Most errors come from grammar, logic, or awkward phrasing. Below are the areas that matter most.

Subject–Verb Agreement

A verb must match its subject in number.

• Singular subject → singular verb

• Plural subject → plural verb

Words like along with, as well as, including do not change the subject.
Example: The teacher, along with the students, was present.

When using either…or / neither…nor, the verb agrees with the noun closest to it.
Example: Either the students or the teacher is responsible.

Pronouns

Pronouns should clearly refer to the noun they replace, and they must agree in number.

Example: Each student must bring his or her book.
Avoid unclear pronouns like they, it, this unless the reference is obvious.

Verb Tenses

Use tenses consistently unless the time frame clearly changes.

• Present Perfect for actions that started in the past and continue:
  She has worked here for five years.

• Past Perfect for the earlier of two past events:
  He had left before she arrived.

Some verbs naturally take gerunds (-ing) and others take the infinitive (to + verb).
Example: She enjoys reading. / He wants to go.

Modifiers

Modifiers should be placed close to the words they describe.

Misplaced modifiers cause confusion:

• Wrong: Walking down the street, the rain started.

• Correct: Walking down the street, I felt the rain start.

Dangling modifiers lack a subject to attach to.
Example: To win the prize, you must practice.

Parallelism

Items in a list or comparison must follow the same grammatical pattern.

Examples:

• He likes running, swimming, and cycling.

• She is smarter than he is.

• Not only smart but also kind.

Parallel structure improves clarity and rhythm.

Idioms and Expressions

Some phrases follow fixed patterns. These need to be memorized because they often don’t follow strict logic.

Examples:

• capable of

• interested in

• as…as

• in contrast to

Using the wrong preposition or structure can make a sentence sound incorrect.

Wordiness and Redundancy

Good sentences are clear and concise. Avoid repeating ideas.

• Wordy: Due to the fact that

• Better: Because

• Wordy: He returned back to the office.

• Correct: He returned to the office.

Comparison Errors

Comparisons must be logical and complete.

Wrong: The salary of a teacher is lower than a doctor.
Correct: The salary of a teacher is lower than that of a doctor.

Avoid comparing unlike things.

Logical Meaning

A grammatically correct sentence can still be illogical or unclear.
Always check whether the sentence actually makes sense.

Example:

• Wrong: The car hit the tree that was speeding.