Question

It is someone else’s car, and they will be back in a day or so. A. It is someone else’s car, and they will be back in a day or so. B. It is someone else car, and they will be back in a day or so’s time. C. It is someone elses car, and they will be back in a day or so time. D. It is someone elses’ car, and they will be back in a day or so’s time. E. It is someone elses car, and they will be back in a day or so.

Short answer

A

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Possessive Form

Identify the correct possessive form of 'someone else'. In English, the possessive form of a phrase like 'someone else' is 'someone else's'.

Evaluate Answer Choices for Possessive

Review each answer choice to check if 'someone else's' is used correctly. Eliminate the choices that do not use the correct possessive form.

Check For Other Errors

For the remaining options, check for other grammatical errors related to 'a day or so'. Answer choices B and D use 'a day or so’s time', which is incorrect.

Select the Correct Answer

The only option that uses 'someone else's' correctly and does not have any other grammatical issues is option A: 'It is someone else’s car, and they will be back in a day or so.'

Key concepts

GMAT Sentence Correction

For GMAT sentence correction questions, it's crucial to understand key grammatical rules and identify errors. This skill is essential because GMAT aims to test your precision in language usage, and your ability to discern and correct errors within complex sentences. The key strategies include:

• Identifying the core parts of the sentence. This includes the subject, verb, and object.
• Looking for issues related to subject-verb agreement.
• Checking for clarity and conciseness to ensure the sentence is clear and direct.
• Recognizing and correcting errors in modifiers and parallelism.

Mastering these strategies will help you excel in GMAT sentence correction questions.

English Possessive Forms

Understanding possessive forms in English is essential for writing and speaking both accurately and elegantly. Possessive forms demonstrate ownership or relationship between two entities. Let's break it down:
1. **Possessive of Singular Nouns**
To show possession with a singular noun, add an apostrophe followed by an 's' (e.g., *John's book*).
2. **Possessive of Plural Nouns Ending in 's'**
For plural nouns that already end in 's', add only an apostrophe (e.g., *the girls' toys*).
3. **Possessive of Plural Nouns Not Ending in 's'**
If the plural form of the noun does not end in 's', add an apostrophe followed by an 's' (e.g., *children's games*).
4. **Possessive Pronouns**
Pronouns also have possessive forms, which do not use apostles. Examples include *yours*, *mine*, *ours*, and *theirs*.
For the phrase 'someone else', the possessive form is 'someone else's'. This rule emphasizes that 'someone else' is treated as a single unit.

Grammar Rules

Grammar rules are foundational for mastering any language. They guide us in aligning our speech and writing with the standards of proper and effective communication. Let's focus on a few essential grammar rules:
1. **Subject-Verb Agreement**
The subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number (e.g., *She writes* vs. *They write*).
2. **Correct Usage of Tenses**
Maintain consistency in tenses throughout a sentence or paragraph (e.g., if you start in past tense, stay in past tense unless there's a logical reason to change).
3. **Proper Sentence Structure**
A sentence typically contains at least a subject and a predicate (e.g., *The dog barks*). Complex sentences may include dependent and independent clauses.
4. **Avoiding Run-On Sentences and Fragments**
Ensure each sentence is complete. Avoid connecting sentences with just a comma, and don't leave dependent clauses incomplete.
Knowing these rules will help you structure sentences more effectively and communicate your ideas clearly.