Idioms Flashcards
T or F: prohibit can only be used for an action or a person
T
E.g: The movement of the table to the other place was prohibited
Incorrect: The table was prohibited from being moved to the other place.
agree to ____
verb (ex: agree to do something)
regard with
To think of, consider, or look upon someone or something with a particular kind of mindset or attitude.
regard as
To think of, consider, or look upon someone or something as being a particular type of thing.
Ex: Mozart is regarded as a brilliant musician
credit with vs credit for
same meaning but the latter can only be used for passive voice
e.g: He got credit for my hard work
We use “credit with” as active verb
e.g: Pablo Picasso, the late Spanish painter, credited African art with having had a strong influence on his work.
progress in _______
noun/ Verb-ing
e.g: He shows progress in his muscular coordination
attempt ___
to + infinitive
e.g: He attempted to rob the bank in the broad daylight
on account of ___
noun
e.g: She was chosen as commencement speaker on account of the fact that she was an alumna of the school.
Synonym: on account of
Synonym: due to, because of, owing to
trouble/difficulty ____
Verb-ing
Ex: there’s trouble brewing downtown
Did you have any difficulty finding the theater?
aim at ____
1) Verb-ing: to intend to achieve an specific actions or results
e.g: The new program is aimed at helping struggling students get the tutoring they need to succeed in class.
2) noun (someone/something): to target at
What is the same expression that aim for/ aim to/ aim at idioms try to say?
express that you are trying to achieve a goal
Ex:The program aims to educate and prepare students for a challenging career.
He said he would aim for the 100 meter world record at the world championships in August.
What is the difference between “aim at” and “aim for”?
‘aim at’ is for an action that uses specific steps to achieve a specific result
‘aim for’ is for an action that is general to achieve something also general.
unfavorable ____
to something/ someone
e.g: I strongly disagree with the terms in the agreement, which are very unfavorable to my company
means of ___
noun/ verb-ing
e.g: Well, we’ll just have to find some other means of persuading her.
Television is an increasingly important means of communication.
of interest ____
to someone
interesting/exciting/engaging to someone
Ex: The film I saw last night might be of interest to you
distinguish __ A __ B
distinguish between A and B
distinguish A from B
ability ___
to + infinitive
require ____
direct object (noun) + infinitive
Someone + to infinitive
that someone/ST + ‘be + infinitive’
allow _____
to do ST
somebody to do ST
for noun
allow for ___
noun
permits the existence of
1) The total distance, allowing for detours, is about 10 miles.
2) The design of the system allows for easy upgrades.
3) The demolition of the old building allows for new construction
seem ____
to infinitive
that + clause ( for It seems that)
as if + clause (for It seems AS IF )
differ with/on/over
to disagree with someone about a subject
aim at something/somebody
to direct something at specific group or person
e.g: This product is aimed at wealthy customers and institutional investors.
How does “aim to” differ from “aim for”?
aim to Verb vs aim for someone/something (noun)
How does “aim to” differ from “aim at” ?
aim to Verb vs aim at Verb-ing or aim at someone/something
aim to _____
Infinitive
to intend, plan or mean to do something
e.g: I didn’t aim to offend him, but judging by the look on his face, I must have.
Instead of ____
noun/ Verb-ing
the extent to which ____
+ full independent clause
e.g: The extent to which safety measures are followed varies from place to place.
“so as to” meaning:
in order to (same meaning as “so that”)
e.g: We took off our shoes so as to avoid scratching the newly finished floors.
T or F: “so as to” same meaning as “so [adj] as to [verb]”
F.
so as to = purpose/goal
so [adj] as to [verb] = the degree
T or F: excepting for is a right idiom
F.
except for/ except/ except that
accompanied by
to occur at the same time as or along with
e.g: a thunderstorm accompanied by high winds
suggest/ recommend ___
suggest/recommend that ______
suggest/recommend + noun
Suggest/recommend + pronoun/person + be INFINITIVE
e.g: Finds of lead coffins suggested a cemetery north of the river
responsible _____
+ FOR + someone/something
+ doing something
T or F: Just as…..so….. correct idiom
T
research ____
research + direct object (noun) - no preposition
e.g: A professor at the university has taken a sabbatical to research the books James Baldwin wrote while he lived in France
forbid ____
forbid someone to do ST
forbid + noun
e.g: Environmental laws forbid alteration of the coast
break with ____
someone/something
to end a relationship, connection, or agreement with (someone or something)
e.g: Camus broke with Sartre in a bitter dispute over the nature of Stalinism.
reputation _____
of Verb-ing
e.g: He had a reputation of being late to class every Wednesday.
for NOUN
e.g: He had a reputation for procrastination
expect ____
someone to + Infinitive form
Expect that ___
e.g: I expect him to respect me
No one expected the press to be fair
likelihood ___
likelihood of NOUN
e.g: The likelihood of infection is minimal.
likelihood that
e.g: the deliberate and even brutal aggression integral to some forms of competitive athletics increase the likelihood that imitative violence will erupt among crowds of spectators dominated by young adult males.
propose
1) Verb-ing: to intend to do ST
e.g: How do you propose tackling this problem?
2) to + infinitive form: to suggest or state (a possible plan or action) for consideration
e.g: She proposed to keep the schools open all summer.
look to something
to consider something and think about how to make it better
e.g: This community is looking to its waterfronts to improve the quality of urban life and attract new businesses
T or F: The adverse change in climate is probably very difficult for analysis
F.
Trick: Try to reverse the sentence to see it make more sense.
Fix: The adverse change in climate is probably very difficult to analyze
compensate ___
1) noun
Ex: Her virtues compensate her faults.
2) for + noun
Ex: his enthusiasm compensates for his lack of skill
prohibit
1) someone from doing something
2) +nouns (direct action)
e.g: President Carter prohibits the sale to other countries of any chemical banned in the USA
T or F: For a list of more than two items: P,Q as well as R
F
1) P and Q, as well as R
2) P, Q, and R
T or F: Immanuel Kant’s writings are characterized by sentences so dense and convoluted that they pose a significant hurdle for many readers interested in his works.
F - 1) they can ambiguously refer to writings or sentences
2) when we use so [adj]…we need a clarifying structure to avoid ambiguity with the main subject (p.829 - #899 OG 2021)
Fix: 1) …by sentences that are so dense and convoluted that they (sentences) pose a significant…
2) ….by sentences so dense and convoluted as to pose a significant…(also sentences)
T or F. My first job was an apprenticeship of a sketch artist
F. My first job was an apprenticeship as a sketch artist
Find the errors: The study indicates more men are working in education, traditionally considered as a “female profession”
considered (not as)
T or F. What these scores tell us is that some schools lack of rigor.
F.
If lack is used as a verb form for active subject, it should be written as “lack for” or ‘are lack of’ for passive
T or F. She is credited for solving numerous cases.
F. Since credit acts as verb in this case, we use “credit with” instead of credit for. We can say, however, she receives credit for solving numerous case
compare something to something
to point out difference/ similarity between objects of a different order
Ex: He compared children to young trees, both still growing and able to be shaped.
To compare with
to point out differences/similarities between objects of the same order.
Ex: His achievements do not compare with those of A. J. Ayer.
concerned for vs concerned with
worried/ anxious
Her family was very concerned for her safety
interested in/ about
The memo is chiefly concerned with hiring policies.
T or F. Her aid to walk the dog was appreciated
F.
Her aid in walking the dog was appreciated
‘so that’ vs ‘so’
so that = purpose/ goal
Ex: We take some blankets so that we can keep warm
so = result/ effect
Ex: We take some blankets, so we aren’t cold
what kind of verbs come after ‘so that’ ?
modal verbs: could, can, might, may, would, will
X is to Y ___ A is to B
X is to Y what A is to B
i.e: Bob Ross hosted instructional television programs that did for oil painting what Julia Child’s programs did for french cooking.
estimate ____
1) how much/many
i.e: We should be able to estimate how many customers we will have each month.
2) estimate that sth
i.e: Some analysts estimate that about a quarter of career-track hires in recent years have been women
3) estimate sth to be sth
i.e: OPEC estimates oil companies to be more conservative in setting exploration targets than they have been in the past
4) estimate sth at sth
i.e: Global oil reserves were estimated at 1,000 billion barrels.
We estimated his wealth at $500 million.
How do you write the bold part with “so…that” structure?
Jane Austin created in her title character a young lady so outspoken as to repel any readers expecting the sweet-natured heroine typical of English novels.
..a young lady that is so outspoken that she repels any readers..
Note: Full clause in “so…that”
T or F: not so much X than Y
F
not so much X as Y
Pick correct one
In contrast ___ to/with?
In contrast to (require parallelism structure)
overlap ___
____ with something
___ between
i.e:
be the principal mechanism
to refer to something that is responsible for a certain process or action
i.e: Technology has become the principal mechanism for connecting people around the world
___ accord (n) ___
in accord with = in complete agreement with (someone or something)
give way (v)
to break, especially when under pressure from strong forces
Syn: cave, yield
render something (as something)
render something (into something)
to express something in a different language
Syn: translate
i.e: The Italian phrase can be rendered as ‘I did my best’.
It’s a concept that is difficult to render into English.
indicative ____ (adj)
OF noun
indicating, suggestive of
i.e: Your symptoms are indicative of the common cold
induce ____ (v)
someone TO __verb__
- succeed in persuading or influencing (someone) to do something
i.e: The advertisement is meant to induce people to eat more fruit.
go the way of _____
noun
to follow the pattern seen with something else
i.e: You keep smoking like that and you’ll soon go the way of the dodo.
