Verbal Flashcards
WHICH
Always test that which refers to the closest preceding main NOUN, and not the whole clause or verb.
WRONG: Crime has recently decreased in our neighborhood, WHICH has led to a rise in property values.
RIGHT: Crime has recently decreased in our neighborhood, leading to a rise in property values.
Fewer v. Less
Countable vs. non-countable modifiers and nouns
Items that are countable use FEWER, not less.
Example:
WRONG: there were less kings than emperors.
RIGHT: there were fewer kings than emperors. (You can count kings, one king, two king)
Example: (dollars cannot be counted, one money, two money, etc)
WRONG: we have fewer than twenty dollars.
RIGHT: we have less than twenty dollars.
Between v. Among
Use between only with two things or people. Use among when talking about three or more things or people.
“Numbers”
When making a comparison with the word “numbers”, use GREATER THAN, not MORE THAN.
Right: the griffin is not extinct; its numbers are now suspected to be much greater than before.
Increase/decrease v. Greater/less
Increase/decrease - change over time
Greater/less - comparison between two things
Examples:
The price of silver increased by ten dollars.
The price of silver is greater than the price of copper.
QUALIFY
“Qualify the claim or the statement”
To restrict or to limit
Idioms:
Began with
Began as
Began with: something began by using a certain item or process (ex: we began our meal with salads and ate ice cream for dessert)
Began as: began a certain way and later changed
(Ex: she began her career as a teacher but later became a dentist)
