GMAT作为世界上最难的语法考试,对语法改错的考查早已超过语言知识本身,与其说它是在考察语言,不如说它是在考察能力,具有很强的综合性和很大的迷惑性。由于考查范 围广、出错点多、原则多样化,虽然语法改错部分看起来容易把握,但在实际解题过程中,考生经常顾此失彼,在几个选项间徘徊犹豫半天依然难以确定最终答案。很有可能几个选项都是错误的,我们 就需要找出一个错误相对来说比较轻微的选项来作为正确答案。下面我们通过几个例子深入体会一下这种思路。
1.Downzoning, zoning that typically results in the reduction of housing density, allows for more open space in areas where little water or services exist.
(A) little water or services exist
(B) little water or services exists
(C) few services and little water exists
(D) there is little water or services available
(E) there are few services and little available water
这是一道典型的难题,充分体现了GMAT语法相对正确性的原则。A选项中little这个词既修饰了water又修饰了services,但是little只能修饰不可数名词,所以它只能修饰 water而不能修饰services, 所以A选项语法是不对的,而这是个正确性的错误。同样B和D都犯了类似的错误。C选项中主语few services and little water是复数,而谓语却是单数,也错了。E选项其实 也有错,首先用了there be的句型,这在GMAT语法中一般是不允许的,其次又加了available这个词,把原文的意思也改变了,但这些错误从性质上来看只是有效性的错误,起码它语法是正确的,而A,B ,C,D语法都错了,所以答案选E。
我们再看一道非常类似的题目:
2.The commission acknowledged that no amount of money or staff members can ensure the safety of people who live in the vicinity of a nuclear plant, but it approved the installation because it believed that all reasonable precautions had been taken.
(A) no amount of money or staff members
(B) neither vast amounts of money nor staff members
(C) neither vast amounts of money nor numbers of staff members
(D) neither vast amounts of money nor a large staff
(E) no matter how large the staff or how vast the amount of money
这道题目和刚才那题非常类似,amount of 这个短语可以修饰不可数名词但不能修饰可数名词,而A和B选项中amount of同时修饰了money这个不可数名词和staff members这个 可数名词,所以都是错误选项。C选项中出现了numbers of,这是个错误的表达方式,表示某物的数量应该用the number of,所以也错了。E选项no matter how 罗嗦,首先用however会显得更为简洁, 而其实即使改用however还是错,因为这是个强烈语气表达,原文中没有使用正确答案就不能使用。答案选D,有些凭语感解题的同学会觉得D选项看上去很不顺眼,但解GMAT语法题千万不能凭语感,而要 靠扎扎实实的语法分析。A,B,C,E都存在着一定程度的错误,所以答案选D。