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 ur 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!

[RCfobia]

My little contribution:

 

 

Angry about -- (an event, idea, etc.) Bob is angry about the demonstration

 

Angry at --- (a person) Wanda is angry at me

 

Angry with -- (a person; more confrontational than angry at) Max is angry with me

 

Dispute over

 

Lavish on

 

Acquiesce in - The director refused to acquiesce in the face of opposition.

 

Credit with ( followed by verb)

 

credit for X .... Y

 

credit to (noun)

 

result from (when result is a verb) Bad temper results from lack of sleep.

 

result in ( when result is a verb) Lack of sleep results in a bad temper

 

result of (when result is a noun) Bad temper is a result of lack of sleep.

 

 

NO PREPOSITIONS:

 

Consider

 

Continue

 

Equally

 

Inside

 

Meet

 

Name

 

Off

 

Tend

 

Visit

 

 

Commonly Misused:

 

accept/except

 

affect/effect

 

a lot ( not alot)

 

amount/number

 

capital/capitol

 

compliment/complement

 

continual/continuous

 

disinterested/uninterested

 

drank/drunk

 

farther/further

 

formar/latter

 

formally/formerly

 

goes == means travel , never means to say it mean

 

illusion/allusion

 

imply/infer

 

its/it's ( it's = it is and its == The car is old:its exterior need a coat of paint)

 

irregardless == no such word !!

 

lay/lie = lay something else down == you lie yourself down

 

so fun == Never "The party last night was so fun!"

The party last night was so much fun!

 

Than/then

 

weather/whether

 

you/you're

 

differ/vary

[Erin]

Since this thread is sticky (for now, anyway), I think it should contain only tips and rules, but NOT questions. I've split off a good many posts that contain questions to GMAT Sentence Correction Grammar Doubts.

 

If you don't mind, please post your doubts there, and if you're so inclinded, post the answer or resolution here. :)

[pre_2006]

Hi all,

 

Im a new member here

 

A small addition to the redundant words list

 

both/as well as

[ramyagupta]

able to, ability to, accede to, according to, account for, accuse of , acquaint with, agree with, allow for, amount to, appear to, apply to, argue over, as __ as, associate with, assure that, at a disadvantage, attempt to, attend to, attention to, attest to, attribute to, available to, afflicted with, argue with, averse to, ask of, agree to, angry at

 

based on, because of, believe to be, between [a] and , call for, craving for, choice of, choose from, choose to, claim to, collaborate with, conclude that, consequence of, consider, consistent with, continue to, contrast with, contribute to, convert to, cost to/of, credit with, comply with, conform to, consider to be, composed of, compare with/to, consist in, consist with, consist of, correspond to, correspond with

 

date from, deal with, debate over, decide to, defend against, define as, delighted by, demonstrate that, depend on, depict as, descend from, different from, difficult to, distinguish [a] from , draw on, due to, desirous of, divergent from, decide on, [in an] effort to, either…or, enamored with, encourage to, estimate to be, expose to, extend to, extent of, equal, equal to, fear that, fluctuations in, forbid to, force to, frequency of, from [a] to , fail in

 

hypothesize that, in contrast to, in danger of, in order to, in violation of, inclined to, infected with, instead of, introduce to, isolate from, intent to, in search of, inside, just as…so too, less than, likely to, liken to

 

mistake for, model after, more than, move away from, meet with, meet, [a] native of, native to, neither…nor, not [a] but , not only…but also, not so much…as, necessity of, necessity for, name, on account of, opportunity for, opportunity to, opposed to, opposite of, ought to, off

 

prejudiced against, permit to, persuade to, predisposed to, pressure to, prevent from, prized by, prohibit from, protect against, provide with, preferable to, prior to, partake of, practice for, practice to, practice of, question whether, range from [a] to , rather than, regard as, replace with, require to, required of, [the] responsibility to, responsible for, result from, result in, rule that, result of

 

[the] same as, see as, send to, sense of so…that, spend on, subject to, substitute [a] for , suffer from, superior to, supplant by, suspicious of, sympathy for, sympathize with, separate from, target at, think of…as, threaten to, train to, transit to, try to, type of, tamper with, tie to, try to, tend, tend to, use as, [the] use of, view as, vote for, visit, willing to, worry about

[deamMBA]

[bounce] Hi friends,

From my side:

 

Targeted at is the correct idiom

Targeted to is WRONG

modeled after is correct idiom

Hopefully is almost always wrong on GMAT

Prefer being

preposition is always followed by a noun

Six of these prepositions can also be subordinating conjunctions.

In other words, they can be followed by a noun or by a sentence, depending on the meaning. These are:

After

as

before

for

since

until

:tup:

[abhiforever]

I have been reading on the forums that MGMAT SC book 'IS' the book to have for SC prep... is that case?

 

People who have it pls let me know you opinions...

 

As of now I am working of - Kaplan, Kaplan 800, PR and OG...

 

what say?

 

much appreciated.

[chillpill]

Hopeful is an adjective, hopefully is an adverb - to be hopeful.

 

Hopefully, I will get the promotion -- wrong

I am hopeful that I will get a promotion -- correct

I hope that I will get a promotion -- correct

We waited hopefully for the lottery results -- correct

 

So you see, 'hopefully' is not always wrong on the GMAT. Just figure out if it used correctly as an adverb only.:p

[koumudhi]

i heard everybody discussing abt Spideys notes , could someone help me please... from where can i download this?

[sharadgupta83]

Hi,

The tips i posted seem to be very useful. I have just started preparing for my GMAT.

 

Thanks

Sharad.

[gmatlove]

• A

• access to

• The company has access to large capital reserves.

• act as

• The poison pill in the contract acts as a preventative measure against hostile takeovers.

• allows for

• The design of the robot arm allows for great flexibility.

• as....as

• Chocolate tastes as good as ice cream.

• associate with

• He associates beer with potato chips.

• attribute to

• The poor first quarter results are attributed to the restructuring.

• a responsibility to

• The CEO has a fiduciary responsibility to all shareholders.

• a result of

• The recent Nasdaq decline is a result of higher interest rates.

• a sequence of

• The Sumerian text was a sequence of incomprehensible symbols.

• agree with

• The Teamsters do not agree with the Republicans on many issues.

• among

• Used when discussing more than two items. He was the finest policeman among the hundreds of rookies.

• as good as/or better than

• The new software is as good as or better than anything on the market

• as great as

• The new house looks as great as I had hoped.

• attend to (someone)

• The emergency room doctor attended to the injured victim.

• attribute X to Y/X

• We attribute the results to the new management.

• attributed to Y

• The extinction of the dinosaurs has been attributed to an asteroid collision.

• B

• based on

• The results are based on a comprehensive ten year study.

• begin to

• He will begin to study twelve hours before the test.

• believe X to be Y

• After seeing the flying saucer, I believe UFOs to be a real phenomenon.

• between

• Used when discussing two things (if there are more than two, then use among instead). He could not decide between Corn Flakes and Raisin Bran.

• C

• care about

• How much do business schools care about your score?

• centers on + noun

• The GMAT centers on the knowledge of basic math and writing/reading skills.

• choose to

• The number of students who choose to go to business school has increased in the last ten years.

• consistent with

• Your grades are not consistent with your abysmal GMAT scores.

• contend that

• He contends that the GMAT has a cultural bias.

• consider + noun

• How important do you consider the test?

• continue + to

• If you continue to study, you will succeed.

• contrast A with B

• If you contrast A with B, you can see the difference.

• convert to

• You may convert muscle to fat if you study too much.

• compare A to B

• (compare to stresses similarities). The music critic favorably compared him to Bob Dylan.

• compare A with B

• (compare with stresses differences). Broccoli is good for you compared with ice cream.

• count on + noun

• He counts on management support.

• concerned with

• They are concerned with investor relations more than actual profitability.

• conform to

• When you work at a new company, you should try to conform to its corporate culture.

• D

• decide to

• We decided to continue.

• decide on

• We decided on the new format.

• depend on

• The global economy depends on improving productivity.

• different from

• The CAT is very different from the paper and pencil GMAT.

• difficult to

• Many students find the CAT difficult to take.

• distinguish between X and Y

• Distinguish between domestic and international production.

• distinguish X from Y

• Juries must attempt to distinguish truth from falsehood.

• depends on whether

• Our place in the playoffs depends on whether we win tonight.

• E

• to be + essential to + noun

• Speed is essential to success in the Internet marketplace.

• except for

• He did well on the GMAT, except for the sentence correction questions.

• F

• flee from

• The convict fled from the country.

• G

• grow from

• Dell Computer grew from a start- up to a Fortune 500 company in less than fifteen years.

• grow out of

• Needless to say, they quickly grew out of their first office.

• H

• help + noun + to

• Their direct business model helped them to grow rapidly.

• I

• indicate that

• Dell's recent stock trouble may indicate that their growth will not continue to be as rapid.

• invest in

• He is too risk-averse to invest in the stock market

• identical with

• His DNA is identical with his twin's.

• in contrast to

• The candidate claims to support tax cuts, in contrast to his prior statements.

• independent from

• The Federal Reserve Board is supposed to be independent from political considerations.

• indifferent towards

• Some countries are indifferent towards human rights.

• L

• leads to

• Rapid growth often leads to problems.

• like

• Usually only used for direct comparison: He walks like Joe walks.

• localized in

• Most Internet venture capital is localized in a few areas of the world.

• M

• mistake + noun + for

• I mistook you for an old friend.

• modeled after

• The judicial building is modeled after the Parthenon.

• more than ever

• Companies demand MBA graduates now more than ever.

• N

• native to

• There is a unique business culture native to the U.S.

• a native of

• It infects those who are not even a native of America.

• need to

• Living in New York City is an experience everyone needs to try.

• to be + necessary + to

• It is necessary to get a high GMAT score to get into Stanford.

• neither...nor

• Neither Tom nor Sam has the necessary skills to finish the job.

• not only...but also

• Stanford not only has the highest GMAT average, but also the highest GPA.

• P

• prohibit from + gerund

• You are prohibited from using a calculator on test day.

• potential to

• A graduate of a top business school has the potential to make over $100,000.

• R

• range from X to Y

• The GMAT scores at top business schools will range from 650 to 750.

• refer to

• If you have any more questions, you should refer to a grammar book.

• regard as

• Wharton's finance program is regarded as the finest in the world.

• require + noun + to

• You require a GMAT score to go to most U.S. business schools.

• rivalry between X and Y

• The rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees is one of the most celebrated in professional sports.

• responsible for

• The manager is responsible for seven entry level employees.

• retroactive to

• The tax policy change is retroactive to last year.

• S

• save for

• Save for William, no one else passed the exam.

• save from

• Many people use business school to save them from dull jobs.

• so that

• So should not be used as an adjective: GMAT preparation is so... boring. Use it with "that." This guide is designed so that you may raise your score.

• subscribe to

• Business school students should subscribe to the Wall Street Journal.

• T

• tie to

• The contract should be tied to concessions.

• transmit to

• The communications system will transmit to anyone within range.

• U

• used + infinitive

• Japan used to be the model industrial economy.

• to be + used to + gerund

• After five practice tests, he was used to the GMAT CAT format.

[dgmspn2]

Hey can anybody tell me the link from where i can download sahil notes

[heeman]

Hi my name is Alon Cohen. I am from Uruguay and I have been preparing for 8 months for the GMAT because i want to get a 700. I am an engineer so i have already mastered mathematics, but believe it or not, i cannot get over a 50 percentile in verbal.

i practice, practice, and practice and cannot achieve my goal. I read your post and i hope you could help me in sentence correction. i was wondering if you have all the rules written down for me to memorize because i bought many books and they are very superficial and not very helpful. also, if you had some advice on how to get a good score on critical and reading without having read in english all my life.

thank you so much and waiting for your response,

alon

[amitx]

hi,

i need to understand 1 thing.....there are so many rules that its very easy to forget and get confused.

so,how to catch hold of these rules to get a SC correct?

mugging up all words will make me crazy.

Thanks

A

[Aaragorn]

hi heeman, its nice to know that you are doing good in quant, and for english well unfortunately it doesnt get any easier than this. Not that im trying to discourage you but believe me people with lesser verbal knowledge did very well in GMAT after they mastered verbal techinques like these. Here i'd like to repeat Princeton Verbal Workout to make things a bit easier.... it says there are 5 important things you need to look for when you're doing SCs, they are

1) Using Misplaced Modifiers

2) Using improper pronouns

3) Changing the verb tense unnecessarily

4) Parallelism

5) Comparing Apples and Oranges

 

these are some of the important points that one needs to master if one is looking forward to do well in SC. so i recommend u start with these and in no time im sure you'll find that u r able to answer most of the questions and then in due course u would be able to tackle the other aspects of verbal.

 

And for RC again - practice and practice. the best way is to do as many possible excercises from 1000 RC and 1000 SC and im sure u would do equally well in verbal as you are in quant.

all the best.

 

Hi Amit, well the best way to get a hold on all the SC rules is to first go thru the rules and get a basic understanding of what they're trying to tell. and the next step is to do as many practice questions as possible, because practicing many questions from say 1000 SC would necessitate the use of perhaps all the rules that are discussed above and that would help u understand and more importantly REMEMBER the question type and the rule involved.

 

hope this helps,

all the best for your prep

[pravin_ece]

I would like to add some comments on the differences between WHICH and THAT.

 

WHICH is used to introduce non-essential modifiers-- (not necessary to identify that noun.)

THAT is used to introduce essential modifiers-- (necessary for identifying that noun.)

For ex: (From Manhattan SC)

Non-essential: To find my house, walk down the left side of the street until you reach the third house, which is red.

Essential: To find my house, walk down the left side of the street until you reach the third house that is red.

 

The first sentence Non-essential, leads you to the third house where as the second house leads you to the third red house.