SC Tips.....

[huskers]

I want to start a thread which contains tips for cracking SC's. Please feel free to contribute.

1) Answer choices in which the word "being" is a verb are rarely correct. Pay special attention to where and how "being" is used at the end of the answer choices. This is a Kaplan takeaway strategy

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.

6)“after when” is WRONG

7) From x to Y - CORRECT, From x up to Y - INCORRECT

8) Rates for - CORRECT, Rates of – INCORRECT

9) If “who” is present it should refer to one before the comma.

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!!!

16) Disinterested vs Uninterested

Disinterested: neutral, unbiased
Ex: The best judges are disinterested.

Uninterested: bored, not interested
Ex: Uninterested in his homework, Martin nodded off.

17) Who vs Whom

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 replaced who/whom with him, her, or them, then "whom" is correct.

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.

Ex: If I were principal, I would let everyone leave at eleven a.m.

Note that it’s never correct to say if . . . was . . . were.

The title of the song “If I Were a Rich Man” is an excellent way to remember the use of were with the conditional.

[huskers]

Like vs As

'Like' is used to compare people or things (nouns)
Ex: Jack and Jull, like Humpty Dumpty, are extremely stupid.

'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.

Each other vs One another

Each other - used when two persons are involved
Ex: Ross and Rachel love each other.

One another - used when there are more than 2 people
Ex: The three brothers love one another.

As Long As vs So Long As

As long as - deals with physical comparision
Ex: The baseball bat was as long as the club

So long as - deals with a condition
Ex: So long as you maintain your cool, the meeting should be fine.

Equal vs Equivalent

Equal should be used only in its strict sense.
Ex: 4+3 is equal to 5+2

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.

[score800]

Instead of coming up with a "Great" or a "Thanks", please come up with thy respective points. Think that is what Huskers had in his mind.

Tip of the day - 0823

Use of semicolons

Semi Colons are used to seperate different clauses in a statemet. This is something we are all aware of in GMATland.

Another use and eg. of semi colon.

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.

(Confusing. Semicolons needed to make clear distinctions.)

Correct: We visited Erie, Pennsylvania; Buffalo, New York; and Toronto, Ontario.





Tip of the day - 0824

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.



Tip of the day – 0825

“So as” is never correct in GMAT land.

Some usages:

Incorrect: He runs everyday so as to build his stamina.

Correct: He runs everyday in an effort to build his stamina

Correct: Her debts are so extreme as to threaten the future of the company



Tip of the day – 0826

“Compared to” is used when unlike things are compared and is used to stress the resemblance

Eg. Caliban is compared to a beast in Shakespeare's The Tempest.



“Compared with” is used when like or similar things are compared and is used to stress the resemblance or difference (usually difference)

Eg. Compared with you, I cannot sing well at all.



Tip of the Day – 0827



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.







Tip of the day – 0828



“During” used with time period without an intermediate mention of the timing of the period is wrong.



Wrong: During two hours, I felt sleepy



Right: During the last two hours, I felt sleepy



Tip of the day – 0829



“Broadcast” is plural

“Decided to stage the work himself” is an idiomatic expression





Tip of the day – 0830



“Native To”

Penguins are native to the Antarctic.

“A native of”

Steve is a native of Canada.



Tip of the day – 0831

“Save For”



Save for that inconvenience, the trip was a success.



Tip of the day – 0901



“Being” is usually wrong in GMAT land, except in two kinds of SCs

• In addition to being one of the finest restaurants…
• There are many reasons to get an MBA, with increased career prospects being the most important..

[huskers]

Thanks score800. That's what I had in mind. A collection of everyone's tips and techniques for cracking SC.

Such as vs Like

Such as is used to indicate examples
Like is used to indicate similarities

• Can you buy me some fruit like oranges or grapefruit?

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.

• Can you buy me some fruit such as oranges or grapefruit?

Yes, this is what we're supposed to say in GMATLand -- oranges and grapefruit are examples of the type of fruit we want.

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.

The word ‘if’ does not always signal a conditional sentence.

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

If Clause ; Then Clause
Present Tense ; Will + Base Verb
Past Tense ; Would/Could + Base Verb
Past Perfect Tense ; Would/Could + Have + Past Participle

[kindergartenkid]

awesome start. Erin can we have this as a sticky?

Here's my input

Subjunctive Mood

In GMATland, subjunctive mood can be seen in two types of sentences.
1) IF clauses, when the IF clause expresses a condition contrary to reality.
E.g. If i were a rich man, i would have bought some horses. (in reality, i am not a rich man)
2) When Hopes, proposals, desires, and requests are followed by "that".
The government requires that every man be prepared for the onslaught of the hurricane. (notice the basic verb form "be" without the "to" in infinitive.)

I also wanted to add to Score800's last point on passive voice.
In Gmatland, whenever the emphasis is not on the "doer" of the action, passive voice form is correct. For example, The victim was carried to a nearby hospital. (Here "who" carried the victim is not important)

Possesive + participle
It is a strict NO NO. Never choose a choice that has this formation. For example, "Organization's trying" is wrong.

[msinh]

Avoid following Redundancy in sentences:

Where By/under a provision
since/From then on
Cause/attribute
Result/Consequences
Try/Attempt
Rising/Soaring
Decade/10 Years
Annual/Year
Can/Potential
Likely/Would occur/may be
And/Also
And/too
And/in addition
And/as well
Although/But
Same/Like
Like/Also
As/in the same way
Raised/increased
Never/Again
Amount/Sum
Claimed/alleged
Innovation/New
Rates/Times
Increased/twice
grow/up
if/would
although/where as
reason/because/being
because/so
so/enough
substitute/in place of
damaged/impared
caused/result
whether/not
rivals/against
fell/down
rectagular/in shape
collection/its contents
more/compared
better/compared
more/superior
residents/people
different/compared
undergoing/being
presence/when it is there
payments/to be paid
determined/because
determined/as a result of

I hope this will help many of us to avoid such trap in SC(s).

[piggylum]

My Contribution

The number of VS. A number of

When you use the number of , use a singular verb.

The number of excuses grows every time the he tells the story.

When you use a number of , use plural verb.

A number of survivors of the plane crash swim to shore.

[730]

today's tips...

1) to prohibit s.o. from doing sth.
2) to forbid s.o. to do sth.
3) to distinguish between X and Y
4) X is believed to be Y
5) X is estimated to be...
6) range from A to B
7) increase by more than twice = wrong! >> twice cannot be an object

[mitul_mehta007]

Yes,lets contribute whatever we can.


Raise,set and lay are transitive verbs;they are followed by ab object.

Rise,sit and lie are intransitive;they are not followed by an object.

a)Tom raised his hand
b)I will set the book on the desk.

In a) and b),they are followed by objects like hand,and the book.

c)The sun rises in the east.
d)I sit in the front row.

No objects are followed.

[silvergator]

Admin edit: See for Erin's lesson on that vs. which.

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.

GMAT seems to like to create sentences like:

The periodical written by Oliver Twist, which took me days to read, was boring.

In this case the which is referring to the periodical. Sorry it is such a lame example but you get the point!