Idioms Flashcards
Ability
CORRECT:
* ability to do
WRONG:
* ability of doing
* ability for doing
* ability for A to do
Allow
CORRECT:
* allow A to do (action)
* allow for N (existence)
WRONG:
* allow for A to do
* allow for doing by A
* allow A the action of doing
* allow that … (can) be done
Although
And
SUSPECT:
* and also
WRONG:
* also (replacing “and” completely)
As
CORRECT:
* as part of
* apprenticeship as (in the role of)
* during, because, since
* in the state / phase of being
* in the same way (also “just as”)
SUSPECT:
* as a part of
WRONG:
* apprenticeship of
* as / while being
* as / while in
As … as
CORRECT:
* as … as
* at least as many … as
* about as many as
* not so much … as
* as much … so … as
SUSPECT:
* as many … as or more… than
* as many … as there
WRONG:
* so … as
* not so … as
* so … that
* as … that
* as many … than
* so many … as
* as many or more … than
* as many more … as
* about equivalent to
* not … as
Because
CORRECT:
* for = because (formal)
* by doing something
SUSPECT:
* because of A, which does
* in that (wordy)
* is explained by the fact that (wordy)
WRONG:
* as a result of doing
* on account of doing
* because … is the reason
* is explained because / because of
* being that
* the ability of A to do … is because …
Being
Often wordy, awkward, and wrong; can still be used correctly as a gerund or as a participle.
Believe
CORRECT:
* believe that A is right
* believe A to be right
SUSPECT:
* A is believed by B to be right
Both … and
WRONG:
* both … as well as …
* both … but also …
But
CORRECT:
* yet, although
* despite doing
SUSPECT:
* despite the fact that
* although N (usually a clause)
WRONG:
* although doing
* although … yet
* although … and
* despite … yet
Can
CORRECT:
* can cause
* capable of doing
SUSPECT:
* possible for .. to cause
* possibly cause
WRONG:
* has the capability / ability of doing
* has the possibility of causing
Consider
SUSPECT:
* consider … to be …
WRONG:
* consider … as / as being
* consider .. should be
* consider .. as if it were
Either … or
WRONG:
* either … and
Expect
CORRECT:
* expect to
* expect that A will
* expectation that
SUSPECT:
* expectation A will
* expectation of A doing
WRONG:
* A is expected for it to do
* expect that … should do
From … to
WRONG:
* from … down to
* from … up to
In order to
SUSPECT:
* in order that / so that … might
* so as to do
WRONG:
* for doing
Indicate
SUSPECT:
* indicative of
WRONG:
* missing “that” to connect a clause
* indicative that
* indicate … as
* indicate … to
Like
CORRECT:
* similar to
* examples
WRONG:
* like … so
* like with
Not only … but (also)
SUSPECT:
* not only … but … as well
* and also
WRONG:
* not only … and also
* not only … but, as well, …
Rather than
SUSPECT:
* but not
WRONG:
* instead of with
So … as to
SUSPECT:
* so … as to
WRONG:
* such … as to
* so much … as to
so … that
CORRECT:
* … enough for A to do
SUSPECT:
* so (missing “that” completely)
* of such … that
* such … that
WRONG:
* so much … that
* of such …
* to such a degree as to allow
so that
SUSPECT:
* , so (result; missing “that”)
WRONG:
* so (result without comma)
such as
WRONG:
* such as by
* such as to
Than
WRONG:
* more … as
* more … rather than
* more … instead of
* no less … as
* none the less … than
* as much as
* as many as or more than
* higher … over a period
Whether
SUSPECT:
* whether or not
WRONG:
* if (requires a consequence)
Whether … or
WRONG:
* whether … or also
Research
CORRECT:
* to research (verb)
* research about (noun)
WRONG:
*
Explain
CORRECT:
* explained by (is due to)
* explained as (equate two things)
Despite
CORRECT:
* in spite of
WRONG:
* in despite of
