Foundations Of SC Flashcards
The data contained in the report by the outside auditor establish unequivocally that the CEO committed fraud; it is so damning that he has agreed to resign and repay the money immediately.
Correct/Incorrect
Incorrect.
Data is implied as plural by the word establish
“It” is singular but refers to the plural form of data.
The three types of pronouns that don’t need antecedents are?
- Indefinite pronouns
- You and One
- It (depends on scenario!)
If pronoun ends with -one, -thing, or -body, is it singular or plural?
Singular
Is “amount” countable?
NO
Amount of homework, which is not countable.
Is number countable?
Yes.
A great number of deadlines
Is less countable?
No
I have less stress this term than last
Is fewer countable?
Yes. 10 items or fewer
Is a blue, striped dress the same as a blue-striped dress
No
A dress that is blue and has stripes of some unspecified color
A dress that has blue stripes
What is an absolute adj?
They are adjectives that are not capable of being intensified
Four example dead, square, essential, universal, immortal ,absolute, and fatal
How would you compare an absolute adj?
Using relativity
“More NEARLY circular”
“More LIKELY fatal”
Is “is” a verb?
Yes!
Main verb = helping verb. Help other words to become complete compound verbs.
He is planning to attend
A conjugated form of to be.
Or
Linking verb: link subject to a noun or adjective.
Otto is a miniature bulldog
How can -ing words be used as three different parts of speech?
I am boxing - am boxing is verb
I love boxing - boxing is a noun
I am a boxing coach - boxing is a participle
Are infinitives ever verbs?
No!
The infinitive form is the base form before you conjugate the verb.
Examples of infinitives
To run
To defeat
To go
The doctor told me that I had a heart attack.
Correct/incorrect
Incorrect
The doctor told me I had had a heart attack.
Had had = had suffered
What to do if you have a word that does not end in -Lu that is modifying a verb and you want to see whether it is correct?
Ask yourself, would this word make sense with -ly on the end?
Ex: the boxer hit his opponent hard.
Try: the boxer hit his opponent hardly…?
Is “lively” an adjective or adverb?
Adjective!
The performer danced lively
Correct/incorrect
Incorrect!
The performer danced in a lively manner.
I feel bad
Or
I feel badly
I feel bad
Feel is the linking verb between I and bad. Bad is the adjective describing how I feel
I feel badly means you are unskilled at the act of feeling. Badly is the adverb that describes feel.
I feel bad for doing the job so badly
Correct/incorrect
Correct.
Badly is the adverb that described doing.
Timely - adj/adv?
Adj
Friendly - adj/adv?
Adj
Lovely - adj/adv?
Adj
Lively - adj/adv?
Adj
Ugly - adj/adv?
Adj
“Popeye eats only spinach” and “Popeye only eats spinach” mean the same thing.
True/False
False.
Only spinach - only is adj
Only eats - only is adv
List the 6 most common preposition words
of, in, on, at, to, for
Prepositional Phrase consists of
a group of words with two major components: the preposition itself and the object attached to it.
The object is almost always a noun or something acting like a noun (pronoun, gerund, or even a clause).
You will NEVER find ____ and ____ in a prepositional phrase
subject and verb of the sentence.
when reading a GMAT sentence, you know a prepositional phrase is over when you hit a verb or the main subject of the sentence.
Why is it important to spot prepositional phrases?
So you can ignore them and identify the core sentence.
Is it OK to end a sentence with a preposition?
YES.
Both “That is the mat I do yoga on” and “That is the mat on which I do Yoga on” are fine.
Because the payment of interest is prohibited under Sharia law, some practicing Muslims in the U.K. and U.S. are able to obtain what is known in modern parlance as an “Islamic mortgage,” often an arrangement in which a bank purchases a home outright and rents it to a tenant who pays down principal as he or she accumulates ownership.
Identify the prepositions.
Is this sentence correct?
Because the payment [of interest] is prohibited [under Sharia law], some practicing Muslims [in the U.K. and U.S.] are able to obtain what is known [in modern parlance] as an “Islamic mortgage,” often an arrangement in which a bank purchases a home outright and rents it [to a tenant] who pays down principal as he or she accumulates ownership.
This sentence is correct.
What are the three types of conjunctions?
- Coordinating Conjunction - FANBOYS
- Correlative Conjunction - two parts
- Subordinating Conjunction - introduce dependent clause
FANBOYS stand for?
For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
How does the GMAT test you on conjunctions?
Whether the right conjunction is being used.
Many whale species are endangered, but they are overhunted.
Incorrect. “but” should be “because”, “since”, or “as”. These three are subordinating conjunctions
List the 5 most common correlative conjunctions
either/or neither/nor both/and whether/or not only/but also (not only/but)
Each correlative conjunction has two parts; after each part could be a ___, ___, or ___
a noun, a phrase, or an entire simple sentence.
How does GMAT test you on correlative conjunction?
The items after each of the two parts needs to be the same part of speech or type of phrase.
CORRECT: I like to eat not only steak but also ribs, pork chops, and chicken cutlets
INCORRECT: I like not only to eat steak but also rubs, pork chops, and chicken cutlets
The speaker is both entertaining and an inspiration
Correct/Incorrect
Incorrect.
entertaining –> adj
an inspiration –> noun
What do subordinating conjunctions do?
They introduce dependent clauses. Essentially, they are words that turn a clause into a dependent clause and joins it to an independent clause. They also give information about the relationship between the main clause and dependent clause.
I like to eat. I am fat. –> BECAUSE I like to eat, I am fat.
Some subordinating conjunctions can also serve as prepositions. How do you distinguish?
use the word UNTIL as example:
if UNTIL is followed by just a noun, pronoun, or gerund, it is a preposition. “I studied UNTIL midnight”
if UNTIL is followed by a clause, it’s a subordinating conjunction. “I intend to sleep UNTIL you wake me up.”
How does spotting subordinating conjunctions help you on the test?
- Lets you distinguish dependent clause from main clause –> lets you find the main verb
- you will still need to verify subject-verb agreement within the dependent clause.
the word “only” can be what part(s) of speech?
adv, adj
“fly-by-night” is what part(s) of speech?
adj
“without” is what part(s) of speech?
prep
“finally” is what part(s) of speech?
adv
Class attendance and participation are important, buy you cannot truly learn the material without reading primary sources, either in books or on the Internet.
What’re the PoS for “cannot” and “without”?
Cannot - Verb
Without - Preposition
is “everyone” singular or plural?
singular
Each of the children is going to sing a little song for your grandmother and myself.
Correct/Incorrect
Incorrect
myself –> me. There’s no reason to use the reflexive pronoun here.
Heavy commitment by an executive to a course of action, especially if it has worked well in the past, makes it likely to miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear.
What’s wrong with the sentence above?
“it”. Although the second “it” is a dummy pronoun and doesn’t refer to anything, it is still considered ambiguous due to the existence of the first it that refers to course of action.
An executive who is heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that worked well in the past, makes missing signs of incipient trouble or misinterpreting ones likely when they do appear.
What’s wrong with the sentence above?
“ones”. The ones should refer to “signs of ..”, but using “ones” creates a SEPARATE instance of “signs”.
For EX: Ava likes most cats, but she finds the ones owned by her next-door neighbor annoying
(Taken into the context that the original sentence talks about the same signs)
“likely when they do appear” now refers to the separate instance of signs.
…if they (starfish) lose one arm, (then) it is quickly replaced…
What’s wrong with the sentence above?
if X (then) Y. then is optional. This format requires parallelism between X and Y, and this sentence fails to do so.
A subject pronoun in the second clause should refer to the subject of the first clause.
…include the animal known as the killer whale, growing up to 30 feet long and being…
What’s wrong?
“growing”. This is an adverbial modifier which modifies “include”. We need a known modifier that modifies “killer whale” so use “which” instead.
…seems more likely to inflame debates on the origin of birds at this stage rather than..
…seems more likely at this stage to inflame debates over the origin of birds than to…
What’s the difference between the placements of “at this stage”
- modifies “origin of bird”
2. modifies “seems”
A law requiring X
A law to require X
What’s the difference?
- the law requires something to be done, but doesn’t comment on why or for what purpose
- implies that the purpose for the law is specifically to make X happen.
When estimating an age, which of the following idiom is the correct form?
- dated to be
- dated at
- dated as being
Dated at.
The dinosaurs have been dated at 3.47 billion years.
is “none” singular or plural?
depends!
none of the apple was eaten - Apple is singular
none of the guests are coming - guests is plural
There are 10 people waiting in the conference room.
ID subject and verb
subj - people
verb - are waiting
In a sentence that begins with “there” and a form of “to be” (is,are, were), the word “there” is NOT the subject.
The two rules for using semi-color (;)?
- two parts on either side must be independent clause (complete sentences)
- two parts on either side must be closely related in meaning
The volcano devastated the town; there was still hope.
What’s wrong?
This sentence violates “closely related in meaning” because it needs a contrast word such as however.
This rule is NOT specific to sentences that use semicolon. ANY sentence would require the contrast word.
CORRECT: The volcano devastated the town; However, there was still hope.
It is OK to use a semicolon BEFORE “and” or “but”.
True/False
FALSE.
DO NOT use a semicolon before and or but.
The part of a sentence before a colon must be a _____
independent clause
Is it OK to have only one item after a colon?
Yes
What is the colon used for?
The colon goes before a list, rules, or explanations
Many law school graduates are having serious trouble finding suitable employment _ law schools are being criticized for a lack of transparency in releasing information about the employment rates of previous year’s graduate.
: / ; / either / none
use ;
Because the second part is not an example, explanation or rule to the first part.
Don’t use “that” and “which” to modify _____
People, use “who” instead
Use “when” only to modify _____
Time
Use “where” only to modify _______
Places
“Who” is only for people, “Whose” is only for people too.
True/False?
False!
“Whose” can be used to modify objects.
I am going to fix all the tables whose legs are broken.
You can purchase tickets by phone or on the Web
Correct/Incorrect
Correct
- by phone - preposition phrase
- on the web - preposition phrase
It is not parallel to put singular nouns and plural nouns in the same list, or to compare them with one another
True/False
False!
As long as items in a list or comparison are all nouns, some can be singular and some plural.
Correct: “I’m going to the store to buy rice, vegetables, and a carton of milk”
Cell-phone customers are much more likely to become incensed over additional charges they view as punitive than when obscure service fees are added to their monthly bills.
What’s wrong with the sentence above?
“charges” is being compared to “when”
It is wrong to compare a thing with a period of time.
…additional charges they view as punitive than obscure service fees added to their monthly bills.
OR
—when additional charges they view as punitive than when obscure service fees added to their monthly bills.
Can I compare a phrase that starts with THAT to one that starts with WHEN, WHERE, WHICH, or WHO?
NO.
Do not compare a phrase that starts with that to one that starts with when, where, which, or who.
Needless to stay, to maintain parallelism, you would not compare when to where, or where to who, and etc.
Liechtenstein is the only European nation that still has a monarchy with real - rather than largely ceremonial or diplomatic - power, and where the power given to the sovereign has actually increased in the current millennium.
What’s wrong?
- THAT still has a monarchy…
cannot be compared to - WHERE the power given to the sovereign…
THAT has the correct meaning, so the sentence should be:
…., and THAT has actually increased the sovereign’s power in the current millennium.
Two broad types of modifiers:
Noun modifiers
Adverbial modifiers
What are the two “too short” (concision) pattern to be careful of on the GMAT?
- Keep the prepositional phrase if you need to
- wrong: I talked to the BOSTON SOLDIER
- right: I talked to the SOLDIER FROM BOSTON - Keep “that of” or “those of” if you need to
- wrong: The face I see in ads every day is a famous actor
- right: The face I see in ads every day is THAT OF a famous actor
[concision]
What three kinds of words as the first words of the prepositional word OF mandate you to keep the propositional word OF?
time period, quantity, or other measurement
the week OF MEMORIAL DAY
the year OF THE MERGER
the amount OF OXYGEN
[concision] - choose the right sentence
The fields I most enjoy studying are those of physics and chemistry
The fields I most enjoy studying are physics and chemistry
The fields I most enjoy studying are physics and chemistry.
Physics and chemistry are in fact fields of studying.
[compound subjects] - choose the right sentence
Either the employees or the manager take a break
Either the employees or the manager take a break
Either the employees or the manager takes a break
If the two nouns disagree in number (when using OR), use the noun closest to the verb to determine agreement.
This also applies for the construction EITHER..OR.., NOR, and NEITHER….NOR…
The five indefinite pronouns that can be singular or plural depending on the context of the sentence:
SANAM
Some, Any, None, All, More/Most
How to determine if SANAM is plural or singular
- Think about the meaning
- Use the noun object of the of-phrase that usually follows after SANAM.
- some of the MONEY was stolen from my wallet
- some of the DOCUMENTS were stolen from the bank
NONE and ANY don’t necessarily follow the rules above.
NOT ONE is always singular or plural?
NOT ONE of my friends is/are going tonight
singular.
NOT ONE of my friends is going tonight.
EVERY dog and cat has/have claws?
HAS - EVERY dog and cat has claws.
EACH or EVERY is always singular
What’s the difference between “the number of” and “a number of”?
THE NUMBER OF takes on a singular verb - The number of hardworking STUDENTS in this class IS quite large
A NUMBER OF takes on a plural verb - a number of STUDENTS in this class ARE hardworking.
A singular noun linked to other nouns by something other than AND is singular/plural?
SINGULAR
Three exceptions to the rule of placing noun modifiers as close to the noun being modified as possible
- A very short predicate falls between, shifting the large modifier back
- A new CEO has been hired who will transform the company.
- A short, non-essential phrase intervenes and is set off by commas
- Our system of presidential election favors state, such as Delaware, that by populations are over-represented in Electoral College
- The modifier is part of a series of parallel modifiers, one of which touches the noun
- In heraldry, the term “tincture” refers to a COLOR emblazoned on a coat of arms and labeled with a French word
[subgroup modifiers]
When you want to describe a part of a larger group with a modifier, use which three subgroup modifier construction?
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF WHICH WERE only recently discovered
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF THEM only recently discovered.
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME only recently discovered.
This model explains all known subatomic particles, of which some were only recently discovered
Right/Wrong?
WRONG.
OF WHICH SOME WERE is incorrect subgroup modifier
Choose the right one
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF THEM WHICH WERE only recently discovered
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF THEM only recently discovered
Correct - This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF THEM only recently discovered
SOME OF THEM
Choose the right one:
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF WHICH WERE only recently discovered
This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF WHICH only recently discovered.
Correct - This model explains all known subatomic particles, SOME OF WHICH WERE only recently discovered
SOME OF WHICH is the only subgroup modifier that has a working verb.
Choose the right one:
The man who is cleaning the steps is my uncle
The man cleaning the steps is my uncle
BOTH CORRECT!
In many cases, a relative clause and a present participle modifier are interchangeable
Choose the right one:
A. The rate of language extinction is accelerating, a tendency ultimately culminating in the survival of just a few language, according to some.
B. The rate of language extinction is acceleration, a tendency that will ultimately culminate in the survival of just a few language, according to some.
Correct - B
The adverb “ultimately” indicates that the action of culminate/culminating is meant to happen in the future
in A, “culminating” follows the tense of the main verb “is”, which is in the present tense.
Absolute Phrases are composed of? What do they modify?
Absolute Phrase = Noun + Noun modifier
They do not have to modify what they touch. They modify the main clause in some way.
Neither of my aunts…
NEITHER is singular/plural?
SINGULAR
NEITHER is always singular.
What’s the difference between “Who” and “Whom”?
Who - pronoun/modifier for the subject
Whom - pronoun/modifier for the object
Choose the correct one and explain why:
I enjoy swimming at night, but doing so is dangerous
I enjoy swimming at night, but doing this is dangerous
I enjoy swimming at night, but doing that is dangerous
I enjoy swimming at night, but doing so is dangerous
A verb phrase cannot be replaced by a pronoun such as “this” or “it”
What tense is “would”? Where in the time frame does it signify?
A future tense written from the point of view of the past.
What are two two primary scenarios that GMAT tests for subjunctive mood? How to construct a verb in subjunctive mood?
- Hypothetical statements (or statements contradictory to facts) that involve the pairing of the words WERE and WOULD:
- if I were 6 feet 5, I would have a shot at NBA - Demands or suggestions. Keep an eye out for verbs such as insist, recommend, demand, suggest, require, request, mandate, propose, etc. They require special construction.
- The contract mandates that the publisher respect Kim’s copyright.
The key here is that in order to put the second verb in the subjunctive mood we have to use the simplest base form of the verb. Think of it as the infinitive but without even using “to” at the beginning.
Do you have to make passive and active voice parallel in a sentence?
The shuttle launch took place flawlessly and was seen on the television. Correct/Incorrect?
NO.
CORRECT.
The man said that he will buy a new car.
What’s wrong?
“said” indicates past tense. Future reference from the past requires the use of conditional.
Correct - The man said that he would buy a new car.
The man said that he would buy a new car and he would drive it everywhere
What’s wrong?
missing the word “that” to maintain parallelism. “that” is required because the second clause re-introduces the subject “he” and needs its own “that”.
Correct - The man said that he would buy a new car and that he would drive it everywhere.
The rebels demanded the withdrawing of government forces from disputed regions and the releasing of certain political prisoners.
What’s wrong?
Avoid creating a complex gerund phrase for a particular verb that already exists in the dictionary.
Correct - the rebels demanded the withdrawal of government forces from disputed regions and the release of certain political prisoners.
A mastodon carcass, thawed only once and still fresh, is on display.
Yes/no?
Correct!
Thawed and fresh both describe carcass. In this case, “thawed” is a past participle that serves as an adj.
I want to coach divers like Greg Louganis.
What’s wrong?
Ambiguous.
Only which two parts of speech can follow “like”?
Nouns and pronouns.
We have seen more efficient engines than before
What’s wrong?
The placement of more makes the sentence ambiguous. Engines that are more efficient? More efficient engines?
