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2) "there" constructions are rarely correct. if you see "there" with a comma before it, it's probably
wrong
3) if you see "which" without a comma before it, it's probably wrong.
4) consider, regard....as, think of......as: there is no as after consider, while both regard and think
of need the as.
5) to be/being: in general, avoid the construction to be/being because they are usually passive. to
be/being are commonly used in junk answer choices.
10) “so much.....as” is preferred if it is preceded by a negative. ex: she left not so much as a
trace.
11) have + verb (-ed) + present participle (-ing) is wrong ex: “have elected retiring” should be
“have elected to retire”
12) a relative pronoun (which, that or who) refers to the word preceding it. if the meaning is
unclear, the pronoun is in the wrong position. the word "which" introduces non-essential clauses
and "that" introduces essential clauses. "who" refers to individuals; "that" refers to a group of
persons, class, type, or species.
wrong: the line at the bank was very slow, which made me late.
right: i was late because of the line at the bank or the line at the bank made me late.
13) “less” and “amount” refer to non-countable things and answer: “how much?” [soup].
14) "fewer" and "number" refer to countable things and answer: "how many?" [people].
15) "if" vs. "whether" vs "whether or not". if these are being tested in one sentence choose
"whether" almost 100% of the time!!
if you can’t get who and whom straight, try this trick: rephrase the sentence to get rid of who or
whom.
if you find you’ve replaced who/whom with he, she, or they, then "who" is correct.
if you find you’ve ., who/whom with him, her, or them, then "whom" is correct.
who is used when it refers to a subject. whom is used when it refers to an object.
whoever vs whomever
imp eg. the speech was directed toward whoever was present. (whomever in this case is wrong,
whoever is subject of the verb was)
18) conditional
the conditional might trip you up or give you pause, but it’s actually a wonderfully simple verb
form to get right.
the formula always goes: if.....were.....would. that’s it! there’s nothing else to memorize.
the title of the song “if i were a rich man” is an excellent way to remember the use of were with
the conditional.
like vs as
'as' is used to compare clauses. a clause is any phrase that includes a verb
ex: just as jogging is a good exercise, swimming is a great way to burn calories.
use like whe you want to focus on twp nouns, use as when you want to focus on two nouns doing
actions
eg. my siamese cat moves just like lion staking its prey. ( here cat is compared to lion and not
cats movement compared to lions movement)
my siamese cat moves just as a lion staking its prey moves. (here cats movement is compared to
lions movement)
like and such as? the short answer is that we use like for comparisons and such as for examples.
want to know more? please click the link.", "style=\"border: 1px dashed #000;background:
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href="http://www.sentencecorrection.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=60" target=""such as vs
like
in gmatland, this sentence would mean that you do not want oranges or grapefruit; instead, you'd
prefer some fruit similar to oranges and grapefruit. for example, you may want pomelo, lemons, or
limes. yes, i know this sounds a little crazy, but our goal is to understand what gmat is looking for,
not what is "correct" english.
yes, this is what we're supposed to say in gmatland -- oranges and grapefruit are examples of the
type of fruit we want.
shall vs will
shall is used in first person(i,we) and will is used in second or third person (you,he,she,it, they)
eg. shall we depart now? will you be able to find your way?
eg. i shall do no such thing. you shall not be permitted in. they shall not pass.
should vs would
eg. i should repait the hole that i made in the fabric. (obligation)
was vs were
use were always (for any person) if the sentence is used to express conditions contrary to fact
and to epress wishes, suppositions or doubts.
if she insists on paying the bill, it will be alright with me. (here the condition is not contrary to the
fact, so use insists and no insist)
if the theater were near my house, i would have gone there daily.
i recommend that he take a trip abroad. ( here takes is not used, instead 'take' should be used)
the judge ordered that widows and orphans be protected. (here 'be' is used instead of 'are' since
it is a demand)
3) wishes:
singular subject should have singular verb and plural subject should have plural verb.
eg. the skater has fallen through the ice. ( singular subject skater, singular verb has fallen)
the skaters have fallen through the ice. ( plural subject skaters, plural verb have fallen)
(to get get singular verb substitue subject with he, she, it. to get plural verb substitute subject
with they.)
in many sentences containing a singular subject, plural words may intervene betwene subject and
verb. in such cases remember that the subject is singular and must have a singular verb.
the importance of men, ammunition, and food supplies was not overlooked by the general.
( subject importance is singular so the verb is singular 'was overlooked' and not 'were
overlooked')
her brother alongwith her parents is staying here. (here the subject is singular, and 'is' is correct)
very good eg. the set of propositions which were discussed by the panel has been published in
the society journal.
(propositions were discussed (so plural verb) and set of propositions was printed so singular
verb)
when using neither....nor the verb should agree the subject following nor, same for either...or
either he was right or they were right (here they is plural so use 'were')
togrther with, alongwith forms singular noun
an infinitive is a verb with 'to` before it. (to swim, to play, to fight)
perfect infinitive : active: to have told, to have been telling passive: to have been told
the present infinitive is used if its action occurs at the same time or after the action of the main
verb.
he decided to reveal the whole truth. ( here the infinitive to reveal occurs after main verb decided)
the prefect infinitive is used if its action precedes that of the main verb
everyone agreed it was difficult to have prepared for such an examination. ( the infitive prepared
occurs before main verb agreed)
pronouns
compound structures: when you have a compound subject or object ignore the first noun or
pronoun and see which case fits the remaining pronoun.
eg. it was i.
it is`we.
eg. she resents his (not him) going to the basket ball game.
he did not like thier (not them) whining about the homework.
when pronouns are used as appositives (words that restate the noun), pronouns take the same
case as the renaming noun
eg. the two boys, larry and he are sleeping. ( here two boys is subject so he is used which is a
subject pronoun)
daisy saw the two boys, larry and him. (here two boys is object so him is used which is an object
pronoun)
using correct pronouns in comparisons: try extending the sentence and see which fits
she is funnier than (he/him).
eg. no one but him could have told them that the theif was i.
targeted at vs targeted to
ditinguish between
“compared to” is used when unlike things are compared and is used to stress the resemblance
“compared with” is used when like or similar things are compared and is used to stress the
resemblance or difference (usually difference)
whether vs. if
correct: her client didn't tell her whether he had sent his payment yet.
as long as vs so long as
equal vs equivalent
equivalent is preferable when we are saying that two thing s are not entirely identical, but are
almost equal.
ex: country x spent $xx on something, equivalent to the gdp of country y.
using due to
due to can only be used if it can be replaced by "caused by" it does not mean "because of"
using each
television can be superficial, as when 3 major networks each broadcast exactly the same...
so as to
it
in gmat 'it' at the end of the sentence should always replace noun and not a sentence.
my brother said i took his cookies, but i dint do it ( this is wrong here 'it' is replacing a sentence 'i
didn't take the cookies')
during + time period is wrong
same as
same as to x as to y
range from x to y
use - not x but rather y
always use credited with.
use among when 3 or more things are involved, do not use between.
than vs then
use than when doing comparisions eg. greater than, less than..
then is used in case of time...eg. i will go there and then i will eat.
when you have one of the factors in the sentence it is always plurall and not singular.
less, more, amount with non countable nouns, lower ,fewer, number and greater with countable
nouns.
use of semicolons
semi colons are used to seperate different clauses in a statemet. this is something we are all
aware of in gmatland.
when the items in a series themselves contain commas, separate the items with semicolons.
incorrect: we visited erie, pennsylvania, buffalo, new york, and toronto, ontario.
correct: we visited erie, pennsylvania; buffalo, new york; and toronto, ontario.
use of colons
colons appear rarely on gmat land, but there is no harm in equipping yourself with something
extra.
usages:
• colons with lists - use a colon before a list when the list is preceded by a complete
independent clause. eg. john has all the ingredients: minced clams, milk, potatoes, and
onions
• colons introduce quotations that are formal or lengthy. eg. dickens wrote: "it was the best
of times, it was the worst of times."
• colons may be used to separate independent clauses that are not separated by a
conjunction or any other connecting word or phrase. semi colons may also be used in
such cases. eg. grapes are not squeezed: the pulp is pressed.
note for 3 >> the second clause begins with a capital letter.
correct: her debts are so extreme as to threaten the future of the company
if two nouns are combined, a conjunction is required to make it plural. in the absence of a
conjunction, the two nouns take a singular form.
eg. two nouns combined with a conjunction
my father and myself are going to the market
two nouns combined, without a conjunction
the teacher together with the student is going to the market.
” used with time period without an intermediate mention of the timing of the period is wrong.
“native to”
penguins are native to the antarctic.
“a native of”
“save for”
• there are many reasons to get an mba, with increased career prospects being the most
important..
if…then construction
sentences that use the word ‘if’ to describe hypothetical conditions require a conditional verb
construction.
these sentences have two parts: if clause, and the then clause.
only when the sentence has a ‘then’ clause, then the sentence is considered a conditional
sentence.
also note would/could never appears in the ‘if’ clause.
the actual word then is frequently omitted
here's my input
subjunctive mood
possesive + participle
it is a strict no no. never choose a choice that has this formation. for example, "organization's
trying" is wrong.
the number of excuses grows every time the he tells the story.
example:
periodicals, which i hate to read, are a good study strategy for the gmat.
the second point on which and that may seem easy to the verbal guru's but one that always
nailed me when i began my days in gmat land.
which or that refers to the most recent noun.
in this case the which is referring to the periodical. sorry it is such a lame example but you get the
point!