Verbal Flashcards
Independent clause
Contains subject and finite verb
Can stand alone as a sentence
Every sentence on GMAT must have at least 1 independent clause
Absolute phrase
Phrase comprised of a noun and its modifiers that modifies an entire clause, adding info that is descriptive or explanatory
When comparing statistics, use “greater than”
The standard deviation of the test scores of the students in group A was greater than that of the test scores of the students in group B
Future tense
Used when discussing events that have not yet occurred but will occur in the future.
The little boy will go to kindergarten next year
The form “to be” + “going to” can be used to create future tense expressions. The future tense expressed in this way is generally used in sentences about future events that are planned or seem likely to occur
I am going to go to the beach later today
When “since” means “from the time of? or “from the time when”, the present perfect tense, or the past perfect tense, is strongly preferred
Since he went to that seminar last week, he has been much more motivated.
She has worked with a vocal coach ever since her early years as a singer
“THE number of…” vs “A number of…”
Subjects that begin with “THE number of take singular verbs”
Subjects that begin with “A number of take plural verbs”
What precedes the first part of a CC is understood to carry over
Carry over begins after the “but also” or whatever the second part of the CC is
Matt eats not only avocados but also bananas
She wrote him not only a love letter but also a poem
Elements that follow the first part like “not only” are not understood to carry over to after the “but also”
Verbs that are in different tenses can be parallel
The school opened to voters at 7AM and has been packed all day
Present Tense
Typically use present tense to describe things that happen routinely or to discuss facts and universal truths that dont change over time
Also used to discuss events in a literary book
The dogs enjoy running in the woods
In The Canterbury Tales, the Monk is a fat, gluttonous character
Nouns that name quantities of time, money, or weight are treated as uncountable nouns
Ten minutes is generally too much time to spend on one quant question when one is taking the GMAT.
Eight kilograms is not much more than the weight of an average sized cat
Other structures that demand parallelism
X rather than Y mistake X for Y prefer X to Y range from X to Y more X than Y (in certain contexts)
The team traveled by rail rather than flew to the tournament
In a 3 part list, when the third element is not parallel with the first 2, one way to fix the broken sentence is to take the 3rd element out of the list. If the 3rd element is no longer in the list, it need not be parallel to other items. Make it a nested list
Incorrect: Kelly is my best friend because she is smart, loyal, and keeps my secrets.
Correct: Kelly is my best friend because she is smart and loyal and keeps my secrets
Greater than vs more than
“greater than” is used to compare sizes, levels, degrees, magnitudes, or extents of things. It is synonymous with “larger than” or “higher than”
Sara has more space than Olivia has.
The amount of space that sara has is greater than the amount of space that olivia has
The word “like” is strictly a comparison word and cannot be used to introduce examples. To introduce examples, we can use “such as” or “including”
When traveling through the everglades, one may see animals, such as/including snakes, mammals, and alligators.
If a sentence is about the units of time, money, or weight, then the nouns are countable
How many minutes are left?
Many Euros have been spent on the repairs of the cathedral
Plural indefinite pronouns always take on plural verbs (4)
Both, few, many, several
Imperative mood
Used in giving commands and supplying directions
Future in the past
Used when sentences about past events refer to events that were in the future when past events occurred
Can be formed either via the use of the past tense (would) or via the use of a paste tense form of “to be” +going to (was going to)
At the rally, the candidate said that he would take campaign donations only from individuals.
The cast was going to have a party after the final show
It is acceptable to use simple future in the past if the prediction made in the past is about events expected to occur in a time period that is after the time in which the statement is made
The head of the organization said that they will be able to restore the wetland without using any public financial resources.
Abstract Appositives
Rather than rename and modify specific words or phrases, they rename and modify entire ideas presented in clauses
Lookout for something that is mistakenly compared with itself
Incorrect: Julie is more skilled at singing than any singer I’ve encountered
A list consists of 2 or more items in a series, often separated by commas. The items must be parallel
When a list is introduced, each of the elements must work logically with the part of the sentence that introduces the list.
Future perfect tense is used for indicating that a future event will have occurred by the time another event occurs.
The fear of many scientists is that, by the time the reductions are fully realized, a catastrophic rise will have already occurred.
The subjunctive form of the verb “to be” used in command sentences is always “be”. Additionally, certain expressions followed by “that” should be followed by command subjunctive
I demand that you be respectful.
I insist that he respect me at dinner tonight
The general requires you be at your command post
Correlative Conjunctions
Both...and not only...but also not only...but...as well not...but either...or neither...nor
Both parts must appear in a sentence in which the CC is used. Do not accept correct sentences that partially use CC’s
Must always be on the lookout for errors in parallel structures
When connecting a word or phrase such as “once”, “as soon as”, “as long as”, “until”, “when”, “after”, or “before” is used to connect a present tense clause to a future tense clause, the present tense clause is understood to be about a condition that will exist in the future, and the future clause is about an even related to that condition
As soon as the bride arrives, the procession will start.
The team will keep working until the problem is solved.
Our hope is that the archeologists will be able to retrieve the artifacts before they are destroyed by the elements
Items must be logically compared. Locate the items compared and make sure it is logical to compare these items
Incorrect: The cost of summer camp is much higher than summer school
Abstract Appositives
Rather than rename and modify specific words or phrases, they rename and modify entire ideas presented in clauses
Relative clauses “that” vs “which”
“That” introduces restrictive clauses. It somehow restricts the meaning of the noun
“Which” introduces nonrestrictive clauses. It does not restrict the meaning of the noun
To determine the right one, eliminate it from the sentence. If it can be eliminated without the meaning of the sentence changing, it will be nonrestrictive (which).
Non restrictive clauses must always be set off by a comma and followed by a comma or period
Relative clauses
Clauses that relate or connect parts of a sentence to each other and begin with relative pronouns
Common RP’s-that, which, who, whom, whose
That and which refer to nouns that represent things other than people. Who and whom are used only to refer to people. Entities like groups or teams are considered things and use “that” and “which”
Sometimes, in order for a sentence including a list to clearly convey a logical meaning, it’s necessary to repeat the word “that” by placing it before every item
Breck said that John will be the new class president and that Peter will be the new secretary.
A subject that begins with “THE percent of…”
Always takes on singular verb
Relative clause (7)
That, which, who, whom, whose, where, when
Unable to stand alone as a sentence
Relative pronoun acting as a subject + finite verb
Relative pronoun non acting as subject + subject + finite verb
Relative clauses “who” vs “whom”
The subject pronoun “who” performs the action in a clause. The object pronoun “whom” is acted upon.
Who is a subject and whom is used as an object
Another form of the subjunctive that can appear is formed via the combination of “were” and an infinitive
You act as if getting off were the end of the world
If Sheri were to arrive early, the surprise would be ruined
Bankruptcy could be avoided if the city were to manage its finances better
If the owner were to decide to fix it up, the entire neighborhood would benefit
Noun clause vs relative clause
A clause that follows a noun and modifies that noun is a relative clause
A clause that acts as a noun is a noun clause
Appositives restrict vs nonrestrict
To determine, remove from the sentence to see if sentence still works. If it still works, it is nonrestrictive and requires to be set off by a comma
Logical comparisons can be created via the substitution of “does” or “do” for repeated present tense verbs and “did” for past tense
FDR held the office of president for longer than Teddy Roosevelt did (did is substituted for held the office)
Past perfect tense can be used to indicate that an event occurred before a specific date or time period in the past
By this time, something had occurred
If a sentence in the past is not about an action or event completed by a time in the past, it can use another tense
If a sentence makes clear the time sequence of past events without the use of past perfect, the use of past perfect is not necessary
Plural indefinite pronouns always take on plural verb (4)
Both, few, many, several
Squinting modifiers
modifiers between 2 words or phrases, either of which the modifier could modify
People who train consistently achieve score increases
Singular indefinite pronouns always take on singular verbs (16)
anybody, anyone, anything, each
everybody, everyone, everything
neither, nobody, no one, nothing, one
somebody, someone, something, whoever
Participle phrases that modify specific nouns generally modify these nouns restrictively, meaning the phrases somehow further define the noun
The flowers growing in the field are violets
Limiting adverb
Frequently appear in misplaced modifiers
Only, just, even, almost, merely, simply, exactly, nearly, hardly
Generally, the best placement of a limiting adverb is immediately before the word or phrase its meant to modify
Simple past tense
Used to describe events that occurred and ended in the past.
He finished his paper just before his deadline (the action has ended)
Number vs amount
“Number” works with countable nouns and “amount” works with uncountable nouns
The number of species worldwide is declining
The amount of enthusiasm on display at the candidate’s rally was shocking
Sometimes, in order for a sentence including a list to clearly convey a logical meaning, it’s necessary to repeat a preposition by placing the preposition before every item in the list
For the expedition, we need bags for our supplies, for the cameras, and for the laptops
The verb in a clause or sentence containing “either…or” or “neither…nor” must agree with the subject noun to which it is closest
Neither the bread nor potatoes look appealing
A conditional sentence about a condition and a consequence that may be actual in the present or future uses the indicative mood in both the dependent clause about the condition and the main clause about the consequence
If the boat is repaired, it will be seaworthy.
If coconut oil becomes warm, it melts
The archaeological experts may be able to tell us the purpose of this building if they have seen one like it before
A structure built around the FANBOYS must be parallel
Having walked miles almost daily for months, the trekkers were tired, but they would soon be home.
In order to succeed at this company, team members must be empathetic and open minded
Dependent clause
Cannot constitute a sentence on their own
Fulfill specific functions within sentences and serve to enhance or modify the meaning
Past participle
Usually end in -ed or -en
Ruined castle, laminated copy, swollen foot
Subjunctive mood
Used in statements that describe hypothetical or conditional situations, dreams, wishes, desires, or doubts. It is also used in specific command situations, such as making a request of suggestion
Hypothetical situations take “were”
If I were a millionaire, I would buy my dream house.
“If” clauses that describe hypothetical situations must use the subjunctive mood. The past subjunctive form of the verb “to be” is “were” and “were” is often used in sentences about hypothetical situations.
Carrying over
Refers to the concept that certain elements of a structure involving a list are understood to be repeated, although these elements are not explicitly rewritten.
Members post their comments, complaints, and suggestions on the appropriate message boards.
Whatever is connected to or introduces a list is understood to carry over to each of the elements in the list. Thus, each of the elements in the list must work logically with the structure that introduces the list.
Present perfect tense can also be used in sentences that include a proposition such as “in”, “within”, “for”, “during”, or “over” immediately followed by the phrase “the past [x amount of time]
Over the past year, Lydia has visited Mexico, Thailand, and Cuba.
Within the past few days, the sales of the book have reached an all time, and the book has climbed to the top of the Amazon bestseller list
Participle
Verb that functions as a modifier.
The noun associated with a participle can be either:
- Agent- agent doing the action of the participple
- Receiver- receiver of the effect of the participle
A participle can never function as the main (finite) verb.
Fewer vs less
“Fewer” modifies a countable noun and “less” modifies an uncountable noun
You have fewer apples than John has.
You have less juice than John has.
Additive phrases do not create plural verbs (6)
Along with, as well as, in addition to, as well as, includes, accompanied by
Past Perfect tense
“had” + past participle of a verb. Used to describe a past action that occurred before another past action
The tour guide directed the boat toward a location where the whales had surfaced
She skipped the popcorn at the movies because she had eaten a big dinner
Semicolon
When a semicolon is used as a sub for a comma and coordinating conjunction, an independent clause must be found on both sides
When the subject of a clause performs the action, the corresponding verb is in the active voice
The dog caught the ball
Continuous tenses
Used in discussing events that are continuous, or are, were, or will be in progress.
The children are playing outside.
The children were playing outside yesterday.
The children will be playing outside tomorrow
Use the simple present rather than the present continuous in stating events that occur, if the point of the sentence is not to express that events are ongoing at the present time
Adjectives can modify only nouns or pronouns. Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs
The most common use of an adverb is to modify an adverb. It provides more information about a verb in a sentence. A word ending in “-ly” will not modify a noun
Past participle phrase
Used in 2 ways
- Used to restrictively modify nouns, in which cases the phrases are placed directly before or after the nouns that they modify and are not separated from the nouns by a comma
- Used to non-restrictively modify nouns, in which cases the phrases may appear directly before or after the noun that they modify and are separated from the nouns and other sentence elements by a comma
Present perfect tense
Used in describing an event that began in the past and continues into the present, or one that happened in the past and continues to affect the present
I have lived here for 5 years.
Since 1904, the club has served as a meeting point and unifying force for explorers and scientists worldwide.
Subjects that begin with “half”, “one-fourth”, or that use “percent of”
Can take on singular or plural depending on what the fraction is a fraction of
When the subject of a sentence has an action being done to it, the corresponding verb is in the passive voice
The ball was caught by the dog
Compound sentence structure
Independent clause + , + coordinating conjunction + Independent clause
Comma is required
When we see a comparison that employs “unlike”, the rules governing such a comparison are fairly strict and that the two elements related by “unlike” have to be rather similar.
Unlike Stacy, Jovan enjoys photography.
Incorrect: Unlike computers made today, using a computer made fifty years ago required a fair amount of technical knowledge
Present participle phrase
Used to restrictively modify specific nouns. PPP’s that appear at the beginning of or in the middle of clauses are non-restrictive, and can be treated as noun modifiers.
PPP’s that appear at the end of clauses usually, but not always, modify the preceding clause
PPP that appears at the beginning or in the middle of c clause and is set off from the rest of the clause by a comma can be treated as non-restrictive noun modifiers
Many vs much
“Many” is used with uncountable nouns and “much” is used with countable nouns.
She has much love in her heart.
There are many ways to get to Moscow from Seoul.
Subjects in the forms of infinitives (to swim), gerunds (swimming), noun phrases (what I want)
Always take on singular verbs
Subordinating Conjunction (16)
Since, although, because. after, before, until, once, while, although, whereas, if, unless, though, as much, just as, rather than
List of coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS)
For, and, nor, but, or, yes, so
Colon
When you have a colon, whatever precedes it must be able to stand alone as a complete sentence.
It can be followed by an independent clause or example or series of examples
Nested list
A list within a nest. The presence of more than one “and” is a hallmark of a nested list.
Please leave your name and your number and explain why you called
The managing partner instructed the traders to sell the financial stocks, purchase precious metal stocks and technology stocks, and determine the yield to maturity of ten year government bonds.
The sentence elements that carry over to items in a list must be the same for every one of the items in a list
Incorrect: Kelly is a good friend because she is smart, loyal, and keeps my secrets
Incorrect: The barista made two double espressos, three caramel macchiatos, and he made a soy cappuccino
Relative clauses “that” vs “which”
“That” introduces restrictive clauses. It somehow restricts the meaning of the noun
“Which” introduces nonrestrictive clauses. It does not restrict the meaning of the noun. On the GMAT, “which” generally will not refer to an entire preceding clause (as opposed to a specific noun) in a correct answer
To determine the right one, eliminate it from the sentence. If it can be eliminated without the meaning of the sentence changing, it will be nonrestrictive (which).
Non restrictive clauses must always be set off by a comma and followed by a comma or period
Present participle
Always ending in -ing. Modifies the noun
Jumping crickets, singing men, running dogs.
Noun clause (9)
That, which, how, who, whom, whose, whether, what, why
Clause that plays role of a noun
Subject of a sentence could be a noun clause
Can serve as direct object
When items appear in a series, verb voice can change from active to passive without violating the rules of parallelism, as long as each element in the list works logically with the essential elements that introduce the list
Having hit her GMAT target, Aisha applied to her choice school, was invited for an interview, and was accepted.
Future perfect tense
It is used to describe a future event that will be completed before another future event or before a specific time in the future
I will have worked for 35 years by the time I retire.
By Monday, he will have a week to complete the assignment.
Subordinate clause
When a subordinating conjunction is placed at the beginning of a sentence, is becomes a subordinate clause
“Like” can only be used in comparisons of nouns or pronouns. It cannot be used to connect verbs or clauses. In a comparison of clauses, “as” must be used
The teacher acts as though she were a drill sergeant.
The teacher acts like a drill sergeant
Misplaced modifiers
“On the tables at the event were nutritious trays of fruit”
“The farmer showed up at my house with a freshly-picked crate full of zucchini”
The word “like” is strictly a comparison word and cannot be used to introduce examples. To introduce examples, we can use “such as” or “including”
When traveling through the everglades, one may see animals, such as/including snakes, mammals, and alligators.
Stacked modifiers
2 modifiers one after the other. Sometimes convey a clear message but have to look out for a unclear meaning
Look out for incomplete comparisons
This tent is just as waterproof.
The project will cost less.
Dangling modifier
the noun that the modifier is supposed to describe is completely absent. Such a sentence is always incorrect
Coordinating Conjunction
Connect 2 independent clause
A repeating element that is essential to what introduces a list must either appear once before the first item in the lost, OR appear in every one of the items in the list. Such a repeating element cannot appear haphazardly in the list
Incorrect: The members of the committee decided to reduce marketing expenditures, increase headcount, and to change the schedule
A repeating element that is not essential to what introduces a list does not have to carry over to or appear before every item in the list
The groom was congratulated by his friends, by his parents, and by guests he was meeting for the first time,
Indicative mood
used in giving commands, stating facts, assertions, and observations
The flowers smell good
Tomorrow, we will go to the beach
Common comparison words
In the same way, similar to, than, correspondingly, at the same rate, much as, so, whereas, while, nevertheless, nonetheless, by the same token, similarly, just as, likewise, in a similar fashion, as…as
Look out for ambiguous comparisons.
Incorrect: Sara loves shark diving more than Scott.
