Verbal Flashcards
Countable phrases
fewer, many
Not countable phrases
Less, much, amount
Indicate +
Need - indicate THAT
During which
indicative time span
-ing modifier
when subject is doing the action (walking around, he…)
-ed modifier
when action done on subject (aggravated, he went… the exhausted man…)
Adj modifier
-modify noun
- placement matters
- “which” only refer to noun before, never a CLAUSE
Ex: confiscated a car, a loss that…
Ex: his SUPPOSED Irish ancestor
Adv modifier
- phrase, verb, other adj
- placement doesn’t matter
Ex: confiscated his car, LEAVING HIM…
Ex: grandma is SUPPOSEDLY his Irish ancestor
Ex: add -ly
“due to”
Due to versus because of
replace with caused by and see how it sounds
Due to noun (DTN), Because of verb (BOV) Due to - modifies noun Ex: failure was due to poor study habits B/c of - answer why, modify verb Ex: plants grow bc of the sun shining
Hopefully will
could possibly
Can’t hope then know it will happen….SC must make sense
Participle
Verbs that function as an adj -present participle: were differing "ing" -past participle: were differed "ed" Auxiliary verb + participle (was, has, should have)
-ly (rarely vs rare)
-ly words are adverbs
“rare” is adj (rare find)
- supposedly vs supposed (adv / adj)
- usually / usual (adv / adj)
it’s impt that the chromosomes of a pop to be tested for chemically induced damage be compared with those of a control pop
identify: demand+that+subjunctive
- impt that …be compared …
that vs which
- find what it / they refer to (look at main subject / noun, usually not ambiguous)
Which - refers to noun preceding it (if , which then that’s nonessential modifier and you better be able to remove the clause)
That - doesn’t modify people, drop “that” if clause modifies modified noun
Pronoun - if not specific, it’s singular (anyone, everyone, whatever…)
SANAM - plural or singular, look at noun after it (some, all, none, any, more/ most)
Tense
Spot: look at key words like “yesterday”, multiple tenses/actions
- Past:
1. past perfect “had done” - don’t use often bc easy to insert unnec “had”
2. simple past - Present:
1. start in past, still going on
2. have / has + ___ed (or gone / seen) - Subjunctive
1. If i were…; as though, as if
S/V
find verb, check w subject
collective noun (army) - singular or plural?
singular
The number of students…(is or are)
is
A number of students…(is or are)
are
Modifiers (prepositional phrases) don’t need
subject and verb
+ along with
does not make noun plural
concision
- use noun + adjective rather adj + noun
- don’t add word that adds no meaning
Ex: I might (possibly) go - delete possibly –> GMAT likes to add multiple words
–> passive active language not tested
As vs than
As = equating Than = differentiating
Comparison steps
- check idiom (as vs than)
- check branches - right comparison
- elim modifier
if see that, those, if, they
- point to exact noun in phrase
Verb Abbreviation
Do, am, are, will, was (helping verbs)
- say the full verb, after abbrev
Ex: A writes as much as he does [write]
Noun Abbreviation
- That, those - replace noun SIMILAR not identical to comparison
Ex: air in my room is better than that in my car - It, they - refer to SAME noun
Ex: students enjoy summer more than they do study
Wrong: subway in NY is better than it is in UK
“That” as Request
Subj 1 + demand verb + THAT + subj 2 + subjunctive
“That” as Full clause
Subj + verb + that + subject 2+ verb (not always subjunctive)
“That” as Subject
That he left or that he does this… is great
That doesn’t modify people
Common logical flaws - 1
Argue x is causing Y bc group x has more Y than non x group
- you must control all other possible variables to say that x=y
Ex: expand highway will lower congestion (if people don’t take rail but still drive, then expand highway won’t lower congestion)
Common logical flaws - 2
Self selection bias - if experimental group chose to be in that group - NOT RANDOM. may be fundamentally diff groups
(Ex: ppl drive red sports cars get more tix, driving red sports car makes you speed. no if sample of ppl are ppl who generally tend to speed)
Common logical flaws - 3
% increase - check both numerator and denom
Finding the assumption
- Valid assumptions still assumptions - blood loss is bad
- Disprove concl w counter to find assumption (blue pleases eye, please means happy, sky makes you happy. what if sky is not blue)
- out of scope isn’t wrong (may just be an alternative way to prove concl)
- if answers weaken, should DESTROY concl and logic of evidence
–>if answer strengthen / assump, ask if choice weren’t true so you can find opposite and see if concl is DESTROYED
Ex: if people don’t even read, then making pamplets won’t even work
RC - author’s main point
Check 1. accuracy 2. in scope**
- accuracy - check EVERY WORD, trick you w 1 word
- In scope - obvious if choices are sub-ideas, choose one that’s most impt; look for author’s opinion
RC steps
- Determine scope
- Tone - describe vs argue (look for opinion words)
- Structure*** - role of ea paragraph, watch for new ideas
Logical opposites
Watch out for some, all, most
Concl can’t be ALL if evidence shows some
CR - Find the assumption
- Identify assumption
2. Strengthen / Support arg
CR - Contradict assump
Weaken, undermine, dispute, must DESTROY conclusion
CR - Inference / conclusion
- Info must be given to conclude
* if hypothetical situation makes inference, then it’s false (process of elim)
CR - Bolded
figure out concl, and figure out role (support or no)
*wary of inaccurate words bc ea wrong answer has >1
WHICH
- “which” only refer to noun PRECEDING, never a CLAUSE
+ “that” + subjunctive
demand, recommend, propose, mandate (not mandate for), ask, REQUIRE
+ “that” + NO subjunctive
declare, discovery, find, heard, hold, indicate, rule, reveal, recognize, hold, heard, don’t doubt, believe, convinced, contend, confident (have confidence that), claim, agree, appears
+ “that” + subjunctive / NO (dep on meaning)
Suggest, show,
Doubt
+whether / if (for positive doubt)
+that (for don’t doubt)
— + from
prohibit, isolate, exclude, differ
As vs like
As compares clauses
Like compares nouns
As phrases
- Just as A, B
- Just as A so B
- Just as A, so too B
- A just as B
A as B
as A, B
A is as ___ as B
A not so much as B
not so much A as B
times as old as
Like phrases
Like A, B
A like B
Unlike A, B
Wrong use of as
Need uniform - as..as, not as that, so as, as than,
As well as
2 things only (and is for >2)
Comparison - common error
repeat verb (if you take out the 1st comparison) *impt to plug each branch separately to check
Mistake+
Mistake A for B
No “as” needed
Consider A, B
Declare A, B
Make A, B
Compared+
Compared to A, B
NOTE: X compared TO A, X compared WITH A both are fine
In contrast +
In contrast to /with A, B
A develops+
A develops into B
A differs+
A differs from B
Estimate A+
Estimate A to be B (no estimate as)
Discount+
Discount to
Because of+
Because of noun
Due to
Check using caused by (modify NOUN not verb)
Ex: Due to his illness, due to the fact that
— A as B
Define A as B
Identify, understand, interpret, take, regard, use
Comparison - common error (wrong comparison
Tech co are as likely as THE AVG COMPANY to fail
v.
tech co are as likely as THE INDUSTRY AVG to fail
(comparing tech co and avg co, not tech CO and industry AVG
Can
the mger can run the plant WORDIER - able to run - capable of running - has the ability / capability to run - possibly causes
Although+
clause
Both..and
- Be careful of parallel
Ex: both IN plants and IN animals, not both IN plants and animals or vice versa - Can’t switch up both…as well as or but also
Believe
believe that, believe to be
Wrong:
Believe by her to be right
Being
can be right, but only pick if other choices are wrong for clear grammar errors
Ex: Being infected doesn’t make you sick
Ex: (?) Being an advocate of reform, I would…
Because
Plants grow bc the sun shines
Plants grow, for the sun shines
Wrong: B/c of as a result of Bc .. is the reason Being that.. Explained bc of...
As
Use “as” to describe during, because/since, in the same way, in the role of, in the stage of being
Ex: as I walked, I became nervous (during)
as I had paid, I was ok (b/c)
as we did last year, we will win this year (same way)
as the president (role)
aggravate vs aggravating
aggravate - to make worse
aggravating - annoying
WRONG: he was aggravating to the problem–> he aggravated the problem
after vs following
After (not following) the gold rush, the town collapsed - following implies directly after and that’s not true, town could collapse a bit after the gold rush
Affect vs effect
Meaning is different -
Cause an AFFECT (will affect, case an affect…)
have an EFFECT (have an effect on…)
Act
Use “Act” to describe function, behave in similar way
Ex: acted as a funnel
acted like a fool
consider
like “Declare”
consider + noun (her) a friend, consider illegal
consider A, B
WRONG
consider the law - as / should be / as if it were - illegal
consider + to be
Allow+
allow + — + to
Ex: holiday allows Maria to watch the movie
was allowed to
allows for new construction (allows for + noun)
WRONG allows for her to watch
Contrast+
Contrast with, contrast to +noun
Cost +
cost us billions IN $, cost OF
WRONG
cost us billions BC OF pollution (wrong definition)
Conceive+
conceive of architecture as a dialogue
Think of …
connection+
connection between
compared+
compared to or compared with (both are fine)
WRONG
zebras are MORE (delete) viscious compared to
comparable
costs are rising, but incomes have not increased comparably (not to a comparable extent)
claim+
claim that
claim to be able to
chance +
chance in 1000 OF winning
borders+
borders within
between vs among
between - 2
among >2 people
begin+
mvt began as / with
ban–+
ban prohibiting us FROM
WRONG
ban that we can’t do this…
aware+
aware of
aware that danger was near
attribute+
attribute to
WRONG
attribute as
