<p>From Barron’s PSAT, </p>
<p>The legendary Mark McGwire has established an enviable record <em>, and it</em> probably will not be broken during the next fifty years. </p>
<p>The answer is <em>___</em> --meaning that it is wrong </p>
<p>The book says that it should read </p>
<p>“record that.”</p>
<p>I don’t understand why this is wrong </p>
<p>In the English sections for the PSAT, SAT, and ACT, the test emphasizes the elimination of wordiness. Sometimes, the answer isn’t necessarily wrong but it’s just not the right one. </p>
<p>“The legendary Mark McGwire has established an enviable record that probably will not be broken during the next fifty years”</p>
<p>not only rolls off the tongue but also clearly shows that the dependent clause is referring to ‘the record’. Anything that interrupts the natural flow of the sentence and causes unnecessary stopping usually is an incorrect answer on these standardized exams. </p>
<p>These errors can be difficult to spot immediately but with practice, it can become second nature. </p>
<p>Is a general rule of thumb that the sentence should be grammatically correct AND sound good to our ears to be considered correct?</p>