GMAT Idioms Flashcards
able to
John was able to see the fireworks from his rooftop
ability to
Ants have the ability to lift anywhere from 20 to 100 times their weight
accompanied by
Children under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent at R-rated movies
afraid of
the little boy was afraid of the dark
Aid in
the tutor aided the student in preparing for the test
appear to
sam appeared to have it all together, but secretly he was panicked
as X as Y
the band hopes to one day be as popular as the beatles
attribute X to Y
I attribute my success to years of hard work
averse to
the school board is averse to years of hard work
based on
the updated recommendations are based on a meta-analysis of more than 100 studies
belief in
her belief in ghosts was ridiculed by her friends
believe in
many adults still believe in fairytales
believe that
some conspiracy theorists believe that the moon landing was staged
believe to be
believe X to be Y
the butler was believed to be the culprit
Fire department officials believed faulty wiring to be the cause of the explosion
better than
there is nothing better than a glass of iced tea on a hot summer day
between X and Y
the couple couldnt decide between a DJ and band for their wedding
both X and Y
Material from both the textbook and the class discussion will be covered on the test
capable of
studies show that humans are not capable of multitasking in an efficient way
center on
the discussion centered on fracking’s environmental impact
choose from
you can choose from dozens of toppings at the ice cream shop
choose to
this is your mission, should you choose to accept it
collide with
hopefully, the asteroid will not collide with earth
combine with
combine X with Y
olive oil combined with balsamic vinegar and fresh lemon makes a tasty salad dressing
For the salad dressing, simply combine olive oil with balsamic vinegar
Comment on
the police commissioner refused to comment on the active investigation
common to
meaning “shared by”
the desire for happiness is common to all people
in common with
Natasha has nothing in common with her coworkers
compare to (used for dissimilar things)
shall i compare thee to a summer’s day?
compare with (used for similar things)
comparing the new safety features with the old ones really highlights how far technology has advanced
Composed of
The city council was composed of residents of all ages and backgrounds
consider X Y
I consider it a huge honor to officiate your wedding
Consist of
The reading list consists of both novels and biographies
consistent with
the shattered window is consistent evidence of a break in
contrast X with Y
If you contrast his findings with those of previous studies, you will see that further research is necessary
in contrast to
the executive order stands in stark contrast to the presidents campaign promise
date at (meaning “determine the date to be”)
Archaeologists dated the vase at about 3,000 years old
Date from (meaning “originate from the time of”)
Labroratory analysis showed that the artifact dated from the 5th century
defend against
his publicist defended him against the media onslaught
define as
the law is not always clear about what it defines as self defense
delighted by
lena was delighted by her sister’s suggestion that they split the lottery winnings
depict as
the film depicted the soldiers as heroes
depend on (whether)
The success of the company depends on whether there is a demand for the product
descend from
all domesticated dogs descended from wolves
descendant of
my dog acts like a descendent of royalty
different/differ from
IQ tests are different different from other types of exams
discourage from
Sheila tried to discourage her son from watching TV all afternoon
distinguish between X and Y
from a very young age, children can distinguish between lying and telling the truth
due to (meaning “caused by”)
the traffic was due to an accident on the highway
Either X or Y
Neither X nor Y
You can either eat your vegetables or go to your room
Neither the search dogs nor the psychic could find the buried treasure.
embarrassed by
craig was embarrassed by his parents’ public displays of affection
estimate to be
the family fortune was estimated to be nearly a billion dollars
exchange X for Y
He exchanged the shoes for a more comfortable pair
Familiar with
Before he took the course in classical music, he wasnt even familiar with Beethoven’s Fifth
fascinated by
frannie is particularly fascinated by string theory
fascination with
Her fascination with physics isnt limited to controversial theories
focus on
you will be more productive if you focus on the task at hand and ignore any distractions
for every X, Y
for every ten dollars in sales, the company will donate one dollar to charity
forbid/forbidden to
the hunters were forbidden to enter private lands
from X to Y
the drive from new york to new jersey is a quick one
independent from
the three branches of the US government are independent from one another
Independent of
the supreme court is supposed to uphold the constitution, independent of personal politics
indifferent/indifference towards
his indifference towards the homeless makes his displays of wealth seem all the more tasteless
Just as X, so (too) Y
just as the president leads the US, so the prime minister leads Canada
known as
the serial killer known as jack the ripper was never identified or captured
mistake X for Y
Jane realized when she tried to open the car door that she had mistaken randalls keys for her own
modeled after
model x after y
the solar-powered concept car is modeled after the american muscle cars of the 1960’s
the little boy models his behavior after his father’s
move away from
the new party leaders are moving away from the more regressive policy proposals of the past
native of
monica is a native of france
native to
the arnica plan is native to siberia
necessary to
although you need to work hard, it is still necessary to prioritize your health
not X but Y
the loan came not from his parents but from his best friend
Not only X, but also Y
clint eastwood is not only an actor but also a director
not so much X as Y
Al gore is now famous not so much for serving as vice president as for raising awareness about climate change
originate in (meaning “start in”)
the christian celebration known as All Hallows Eve originated in eigth century europe
originate from (meaning “begin with”)
Halloween originated from an ancient pagan festival
perceive as
the strategy, while profitable, is perceived as unethical
potential to
Advancements in artificial intelligence have the potential to change the way humans view consciousness
prefer X to Y
I prefer reading books to watching television
prevent/prohibit from
The sign prohibited the group from hunting on the wildlife preserve
protect against
regular exercise helps protect against heart disease
provide X with Y
the venture capital provided the company with sufficient funding to expand operations
range from X to Y
topics in the media literacy course ranged from source evaluation to the influence of corporate advertisers
range of
the latest SUV models offers of range of pricey features
rather thhan
rather X than Y
why dont you run outdoors rather than use a treadmill
i would rather run outdoors than use a treadmill
regard as
she is regarded as one of the top surgeons in the country
replace X with Y
The baker replaced chocolate chips with carob chips in the vegan version of the cookies
same to X as to Y
scientists have yet to figure out whether dreams look the same to infants as to adults
save for (meaning “except from”)
Save for her best friend, Tina didn’t know anyone who attended her gallery exhibition
Separate from
you must separate the wheat from the chaff
similar to
research suggests that the intelligence of pigs is similar to that of dogs
so X as to Y
her victory was so decisive as to arouse suspicions that she was using performance enhancing drugs
so X that Y
the earthquake was so powerful that the windows shattered
substitute X for Y
You cannot substitute charm for good manners
Suffer from
After jackson claimed to suffer from numerous rare illnesses, the doctor diagnosed him as a hypochondriac
target at
the early morning advertisements are targeted at senior citizens
think of X as Y
If you think of mistakes as learning opportunities, you are most likely to succeed.
Thought to be
Thought X
the painting was thought to be one of Picasso’s early works but turned out to be a forgery
Everyone though him a fool, but he was actually a genius
Unlike X, Y
Unlike many butterflies, moths are generally not brightly colored
view as
viewing your setbacks as stepping stones is a very healthy attitude
worry about
the study found that students who worried excessively about fitting in with their peers performed worse in class
originate with (meaning “begin with”)
The ancient pagan festival that became halloween originated with the Celts
distinguish X from Y
Are you able to distinguish fantasy from reality?
