Form, Structure, and Sense Questions

Understanding Form, Structure, and Sense

These questions test your ability to identify and correct errors in:

You'll typically see questions like: "Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?"

Key Concepts to Master

Subject-Verb Agreement

Verbs must agree with their subjects in number

The list of items are long.
The list of items is long.

Verb Tense Consistency

Maintain consistent verb tenses within a sentence

She studies hard and got good grades.
She studied hard and got good grades.

Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement

Pronouns must agree with their antecedents

Each student must bring their book.
Each student must bring his or her book.

Parallel Structure

Items in a list or comparison should be parallel

She likes hiking, swimming, and to bike.
She likes hiking, swimming, and biking.

How to Approach Form, Structure, and Sense Questions

  1. Read the entire sentence: Context matters for many grammar rules.
  2. Identify the error type: Is it verb tense, agreement, parallelism, etc.?
  3. Predict the correction: Before looking at options, think how you'd fix it.
  4. Evaluate each choice: Eliminate clearly wrong options first.
  5. Check for new errors: Some "corrected" versions introduce new mistakes.
  6. Choose the most concise option: When multiple options seem correct, pick the most direct one.

Common Error Types

Error Type What to Look For Example
Subject-Verb Agreement Singular subjects with plural verbs or vice versa "The team are winning" → "The team is winning"
Verb Tense Inconsistent or illogical verb tenses "She will go to the store and bought milk" → "bought" should be "buys"
Pronoun Reference Unclear or missing antecedents "When the phone rang, they answered" → Who is "they"?
Parallelism Non-parallel structures in lists/comparisons "To run, swimming, and biking" → "Running, swimming, and biking"
Modifier Placement Misplaced or dangling modifiers "Running down the street, the dog chased me" → "Running down the street, I was chased by the dog"

Example Question

The committee members, after much deliberation and reviewing all the applications, ________ to award the scholarship to the student who demonstrated both academic excellence and community involvement.

Medium
Form, Structure, and Sense
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

Detailed Explanation

Correct answer: B (have decided)

Analysis: The subject is "committee members," which is plural, so it requires a plural verb.

Why other options are incorrect:

  • A (has decided): "Has" is singular, but the subject is plural
  • C (deciding): Creates an incomplete verb phrase
  • D (was decided): Changes to passive voice unnecessarily and doesn't agree with the plural subject

Key takeaway: Watch for interrupting phrases between subjects and verbs. The core subject is "members," not "committee."

Practice Strategies

  1. Isolate the subject and verb: Cross out prepositional phrases to find the true subject.
  2. Listen for errors: Read sentences aloud to catch awkward constructions.
  3. Master common idioms: Some correct forms just "sound right" (e.g., "different from" not "different than").
  4. Watch for tricky singulars: Words like "everyone," "nobody," and "each" are singular.
  5. Practice with full passages: Many errors become clearer in context.

Common Pitfalls