Idioms Flashcards
Capable_?
Capable of not Capable for
Between X_Y
Paralle
Distinguish X_Y
Paralle
Neither X_Y
Paralle
Consider X_Y
Paralle
In contrast to X_Y
Paralle
Estimate X_Y
Paralle
Mistake X_Y
Paralle
View X_Y
Paralle
Whether X_Y
Paralle
Comparison idioms: such
X such as / such X as
Deliver
X (delivers) such Y that Z (occurs)
The Z and X elements can be the same thing, but Y and Z cannot be the same thing.
i.e. The bite of the king cobra delivers such strong neurotoxins that they can kill an Asian elephant.
X: bit of the king cobra
Y: strong nuerotoxins
Z: “they” refer to nuerotoxins
Z & Y are the same elements, which are not allowed
Appear
Appear to be X = Appear X
Try
Try to do not Try doing
Succeed
Succeed in doing not Succeed to do
Allow
Allow to do
Allow for (permits the existence of) i.e. The demolition of the old building allows for new construction
As
During: As I walked, I became more nervous.
Because/Since: As I had already paid, I was unconcerned
In the same way: As we did last year, we will win this year.
In the same way: Just as we did last year, we will win this year.
In the role of: As the president of the company, she works hard.
In the role of: My first job was an apprenticeship as a sketch artist.
In the stage of being: As a child, I delivered newspapers.
As part of the arrangement, he received severance.
as…as
as adj. as: Cheese is as great as people say
not as adj. as: Cheese is not as great as people say.
as many noun as: We have as many apples as need to be cooked
xx times as many noun as: We’ve three times as many apples as you.
at least as many noun as: We have at least as many apples as you.
about as many as: We have 10 apples, about as many as we picked yesterday.
as much…as: His knowledge springs as much from experiences as much from schooling.
not so much…as: His knowledge springs not so much from experiences as from schooling.
What are the traps GMAT set for idioms: “as…as”
- Using so to replace as: Cheese is so great as people say.
- Using than to replace as in “as many…as”: We have as many apples than you
- As many or more…than: We’ve as many or more apples than you.
- About equivalent to vs. About as many as
What’s the wrong usage GMAT use when “can” is tested?
i.e. Plant can cause damage.
The manager can run the plant.
Wrong: Has the ability of
Wrong: Has the capability of
Wrong: Has the possibility of causing
Consider
Consider her a friend
Consider her intelligent
Consider adj. (long objects) i.e. I consider illegal the law passed last week by the new regime.
Consider…as is ambiguous
Indicate
Correct: indicate…that… i.e. A report indicates that unique bacteria live on our skin.
Suspect: indicate…of.. i.e. A new report is indicative of the presence of unique bacteria on our skin.
Wrong: A report indicates unique bacteria live on our skin. ⇐ THAT is needed.
indicate…as..: A report indicates unique bacteria as present on our skin.
indicate…to…: A report indicates unique bacteria to live on our skin.
not only…but also…
Correct: We wore not only boots but also sandals.
Correct: We wore not only boots, but also sandals.
Correct: We wore not only boots but sandals.
Correct: We wore not just boots but also sandals.
not only…but also…
We wore not only boots but also sandals.
We wore not only boots, but also sandals.
We wore not only boots but sandals.
We wore not just boots but also sandals.
such as
Matt drives fast cars, such as Ferraris. (introducing examples)
Matt enjoys driving such cars as Ferraris.
Use of “Than”
More than
Less than
No less than
Higher than
Whether vs. if
I don’t know whether I’ll go.
If requires a consequence
whether…or…
whether…or….(requires paralleism)
adept
adept at doing sth.
increase_what
increase in not increase of
ability
ability to do ⇒ introduces the ability that is being discussed
ability of ⇒ refers to someone’s ability
authority
authority on
better
X is a better poet than Y
X is the better poet
WRONG: X is the better poet than Y
idiomatic expression introduced by is (are) to…
x is to y what a is to be
Adam Smith wrote two major books that are to democratic capitalism what Marx’s Das Kapital is to socialism
not only…but also
vs.
not only…but…
Not only…But also… requires parallelism
For instance, not only . . . but also . . . should follow the verb was, making both purposes predicate nominatives.
What is the idiom to explain the current conditions that make the possible future event a reason for concern?
At a time when
Concern
Correct: Concern that… ⇐ subjunctive mood (could be damage) to describe concern about a potential problem
Wrong: Concern of…
not as…but as..
The idiomatic choice of words to express the negation of one clause and the affirmation of another is not as . . . but as. . ..
Should involve two clauses
What’s the idiom to express the negation of one clause and the affirmation of another?
Not as…but as..
Many experts regarded X not as a sign that Y but as a sign of Z.
Dated…
Expressing estimation of age
Dated at
have been dated at 3.47 billion years old
goal
Goal of is better than the Goal to
ability
ability to not ability for / not ability of
What’s the wrong version of “both…and…” always tested in GMAT?
both…as well as…
admiration_sb
admiration_sth
Admiration for someone
Admiration of something
not just because of X, but because of Y
Conditions for X and Y
What’s the wrong way mostly tested in GMAT?
X and Y should be parallel
not just because of X, but Y ⇐ Not parallel
Difference between plan to do… vs. plan for…
Plan to do: An action that is planned, i.e. a plan to divide the firm into five parts
Plan for: A plan or series of steps for implementing that action, i.e. a plan for dividing the firm into five parts
research as a noun / verb
The verb research requires a direct object, not a preposition followed by its object, i.e. research on…
The noun research requires a preposition, i.e. research on mamals
sometime vs.?
at some time
at some time vs.?
sometime
despite
Desipte is normally used as a preposition and must be followed by a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that it governs (as in despite that fact)
Despite that is incorrect! It’s not a subordinating conjunction ⇐ The correct way to express it would use the conjunction although
Similar to…
Words that express comparisons, such as similar, require either a plural object, with an optional expression of the entities being compared,
or,
a singular object, in which case this explicit comparison is required.
i.e. “its being so genetically similar” without an explicit comparison is incorrect.
Correct example: becuase they** are so genetically similar to **one another ⇐explict to one another
unlikely
unlikely for
Correct: unlikely for…to…
It’s unlikely for the company to survive this recession
Wrong: unlikely for…-ing (verb)
i.e. unlikley for the index continuing to go up
attribute
attribute to + noun phrase
not
the infiinitive to plus a verb (i.e. attribute…to be…)
insufficient
Correct: insufficient to
Wrong: insufficient for
arise
arise with (has to be followed by with)
Discover
Correct: Discover that…
WRONG: Discover as…
Comparison: probably not x…but…?
probably not x…but more than likely y
When more is used in the comparative form of an adjuctive (more difficult) or adverb (more likely), it is followed by than.
at such a adj. Noun = ?
so adj. noun
at such a young age = at so your an age
Clue_preposition?
Clues to rather than clues about or X’s clues
climate preposition North Pole
climate of X
climate at X
WRONG: climate for
What does “As opposed to x….y…” / “Unlike X, Y….” try to convey?
As opposed to x…y… would normally indicate that waht is said about Y is simply not true of X
pound for pound
Compared pound for pound with X
What does “from…and then to…” indicates?
Indicates indirectness
so long as
As long as and so long as are conjunctions.
We use as long as to refer to the intended duration of a plan or idea, most commonly referring to the future. We always use the present simple to refer to the future after as long as:
> We are very happy for you to stay at our house as long as you like.
> I’ll remember that film as long as I live.
> Not: … as long as I will live.As long as or so long as also means ‘provided that’, ‘providing that’ or ‘on condition that’:> You are allowed to go as long as you let us know when you arrive.So long as is a little more informal:> You can borrow the car so long as you don’t drive too fast.
conceived of…which preposition to use?
What’s the wrong one usually tested in GMAT?
conceived of….as
not
conceived of…to be
way…?
way to
way of
NOT Way For
helping producing vs. helping to produce
Helping Producing is an incorrect construction in English
Comparison word (less, fewer, more) to describe
Sunday papers & # of Sunday papers
i.e. the company sold an average of 81,000 fewer Sunday papers
the average number of Sunday papers sold by the company was 81,000 less than
Comparison word to describe weight & weigh
Less weight NOT lighter weight
weighs far lighter
How to compare how much one thing weighs with how much another thing?
less than
NOT
weigh ligher
What does X_“to determine” mean when compared with “for determingning, toward determining, or to help determine)?
To determine (instead of for determining, toward determining, or to help determine) suggests that X would be used as a sufficient basis for determining the information needed.
That makes it rhetorically somewhat at odds with the standard meaning of clues; clues are normally thought of as incomplete bits of evidence.
Cluse_determine/determining
Clues for determining
Clues toward determining
Clues to help determine
NOT
WRONG: Clues to determine
“to one another” singular or prural?
prural
Examination_?
Examination of
NOT
Examination about / Examination with
as big as
Idiomatically incorrect expression of the comparison
What’s the difference between “when compared to” and “X compared with Y”
“When compared to” emphasize that is, at the time it is compared
What should follow the word “ability”
ability must be followed by an infinitive, to develop, not a phrase like ability of doing..
What’s the standard formal, written word to express a quantity just short of everything?
almost not most all of
play as good as or play as well as
as well as is the correct form
What’s the more idiomatic preposition followed by determined?
determined_?
Determined by
rather than
detiermined through
What’s the correct idiom to contrast prices with the norm?
Higher than usual - not usually
What’s the correct idiom to indicate the span of time from the present to the end of the year?
Through the end of the year
not
throughout
bombarded…
Which perposition? What’s the wrong way usually tested in GMAT?
bombarded by…
NOT
bombarded for…
What’s the way to emphasize the special prominence of just three specific companies, as opposed to all other companies?
vs.
Or just to indicate that these three were merely among a number of highly prominent ones?
Thre were more prominent than any others: the three most prominent companies
It needs to be preceded by a denifnite article: THE
To indicate that these companies were merely among a number of highly prominent ones, it should say three of the most prominent companies
incentive…which preposition?
incentive to
better than
incentive for
“able” suggests what? Can’t be used with what?
Able suggests agency, which is not appropriate with subject such as “methods”
Agency should be paired with subject such as human beings
A direct link…(?) X (?) Y
Which preposition?
A direct link betwen X and Y
What’s the prepoisiton to introduce examples?
What’s the wrong way usually tested in GMAT?
such as…(as to introduce examples)
NOT
like….
introduce….(preposition)…
Which preposition? What’s the wrong one usually tested in GMAT?
introduce…to…
NOT
introduce…for…
What’s the idiomatice way to use the word “spread”?
Spreads from a place** or **an entity
WRONG: spread from their original use
what should followed by dcline to…?
The object of decline to should be a word or phrase naming a number or estimated number (e.g., a phrase such as an estimated 200,000), not the phrase an estimate.
Use of “help”
What’s the wrong way usaully tested in GMAT?
help to do sth.
NOT
help doing sth.
Help with the production of…
NOT
Help the producing of…
What’s preposition requied for depend and dependent when two ideas are linked?
ON
depend on…
dependent on…
What’s the charateristic of “appear”? How to use it?
What’s a wrong way usually tested in GMAT?
“Appear” is intransitive and is most efficiently followed by the infinitive form*** ***to
appear to…
WRONG: appear that it has…
What’s the proposition used with “contrast”
When contrast functions as a noun**, i.e. in contrast….it pairs with **to
In contrast to…
When contrast functions as a verb
Contrast with…
Legacy _ which preposition?
What’s the wrong one usually tested in GMAT?
legacy to
NOT
legacy for
Around 1900, fishermen in the Chesapeake Bay area landed more than seventeen million pounds of shad in a single year, but by 1920, overfishing and the proliferation of milldams and culverts that blocked shad from migrating up their spawning streams had reduced landings to _ than four million pounds.
Fewer or Less?
Less.
Less is more appropriate than fewer for the comparison.
The fishermen landed different amounts of fish; they did not land the number of pounds in terms of which those amounts are measured.
Two prepositions paired with a period of time?
during a period of time
at the time of a period of time
Without the presence of X
vs.
Without X
Which is better?
Whitout X
Without the presence of is wordy
What’s the idiom to describe comparison of miultiple times (likely to happen)?
four times as likely as
What usually follows one group is mroe likely than another group to___?
One group might be more likely than another group to do something.
But it’s odd to say that one group is more likely than another group simply to be.
