Pallavi Salunkhe Grammar

IN ACTION ANSWER KEY

T1'1E 3 COS SOlUTIONS

Chaptr.r I

(Claril)} KNO""'n. UNK~OWllo:1k rn"1SCd ~ is nv;ordy than Ibc onginal __ tml:e. but 11 al!lO ':linnnates the wm:I may nils chanan the rncanaa of the oogmol 5Cl'Itml:e from I.

lIO!llcthutg IJII«T1aIn 10 .omrillng <:aWn (Cond,i<:ln) REDt;:\llANCV: The rev;>ed fragment maka; the opening of tbe wonly, Hllwever. it is redundanl to indudc both the words dropped and d«naiC, 2.

sentcnce les'

J, (CoDcisMHt) WOItDINESS: Use of tile passh'e \'Olce makes thI: &n§\ll'tf cboice ",,'Ordltf lIIId slightly awkward.

(CIarit}) Mut.TIPU: "'[.A ~ISCS: The ang'na1 SGIIft>tt moles dearlhll the fllrnlln''' UJIget at \be thoughl: of"" ..Jhbor·s Jl'IllI ro-mmg arouod 1I1ibrrty. ~~. rqlbana dle pnr.,c .. ....ler be Upt in Iltrir pnIl1mh the pbrue f . - IbeD on be free muddles the 1TlCIlIlIII& of the original iClll.:oce by allowing lhe ~1Jili'y that (he Iartnc:r IS angry !hal his Dc1gIIbot' ...,ll ... langerdwge ItlOIK')' for b~ pigs (pcrhap:!. both farmen ~I
(Clarll)) nURD PI.ACt:l\IENT: Changing tbe pllCClDml of 1M 10 !he smlenl:c: Impl>c; that .be ....\CO more than tier own ID p1anl$lIIId llowcD, Ind~ plants IDd f\uoNrr!llhat '"' IlOI ~

3.

6.

rr.

(CHritiettj "ORDl''l:SS: The ongmal sa....ICC: IS......-dier " - til

!he new pomon

only maka; il "'1Inbcr By tqIIaclng!lad tlllly npraftl "'"Ith ....d Ilad lite t... np«bDp, ..... anly add rnon: ......... and make !be ~ needleDly con~ A bm~ choice fDiAht be b-.:l f.lI} npK'lftI ill0 ba.... 'b .. eff«t.

1. (Collcisiea.) IUWL-:-iDANCY: The revised mgment oom:clly remo~e6lbc word had from the original lOCll\Cnce. Howevcr, the original "lnlcnce also contam. a redundatlCy error that the tlCw portion doe~ not rC"J"lir. The corrocted >C1ltCtlCC sbould iocludc cl/It~r the won! bt>turc or tile wont .. hn. but both Ire IlOI necessary and an: even confusing. A better cboice mIght be: o~IIn1llle door ..bell c.'h')'one )'e1loed. 8

(Clarify) K'OWN .... Ul'>K:"OWN: Tbt rn-.l

~ t c:urru:cly

repba:. the -.:l ....n 111:1 ougIn IXt. 'I ..

.,;u, !be wonIllad. ~-er. by rq>Iacma '" ........ w• •ilh .. IllooqIil. tbc gao that thc finl meetltl& bet...·eat ltIc ~ and his .nfc ..... hypolbomcal (",hen. actual ~cnI~ A bcIIerdlooce migbl be· I~ W " . "'-MII Ibe, rlnl: tnd.

(CoAd,ion) "I)MDL"ESS: The origmal sentence is wordy. but .... It the revised fno~. The phruc h,., inK bfl:n .dded 10 il IS .'cry ftwkward. A belle' choice nllght be I" ..'hid wood pantlln~ and thc .rt..-"rl< "f Knral ""Iable American paJnlers had l>ee" .ddnl.

9.

-suell '\sw

~ .. ~I.IKr.·, The ~ fragmcm i. teo. wordy than the or,&'IIlJ ........ 10 JUbMtluling the wonlllkt fer the: as. the teYised m.gtnl.'1I1 lOIlnl the IDleDI of thc OIigmallCllteno:c s.c.. al IS utcd '" !pvc al"",1cI. ...-hereM " " .. InCd 10 make I com~ n.e __ IIDpIic:s tI.- $IUlImt sporu., and the _ an: SlIIti. . '" ntlXUrricua. acIl\'''JC:S, .. lIN !bey actually an: ex.arnpb ofl:X~_VJIJeL A bcuo:r dtooce

10, fenCc

(Cllrily)

Howev~.

"'''''''ICC

pImase...,. ""'fiUI"M,

""gi"

bot: an, of a ,'aMy.r ntrle1l....w:.lIr Kthiries..,11 a. iI_delll p.·ern __ l, 5pHU, alld lb. ans.

WanliattanGMATPrep tile ..... otanrd

"

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT STRATEGY

Chapter 2

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT Every sentence has a subject and a verb which must agree in number.

Asingular subject requires a singular verb form: The dog runs out of the house.

,

'.

A plural subject requires a plural verb fonn:

The dogs run out of the house.

Singular and plural verb forms are second nature to you-you use them so often that there is nothing to memorize. Unfortunately, the writers of the GMAT know that your ear is close to perfect when it comes to matching a singular verb fonn to a singular subject and matching a plural verb fonn to a plural subject. Therefore, the GMAT tries to confuse you before you make that subject-verb match.

To tiDd !he SImple sub)oct. diminale any

modifiers.

How? The GMAT tries to make the subject of each sentence as confusing as possible,

so that you do not know whether the subject is singular or plural! If you do not know the number of the subject, then you will not be able to select a verb form that agrees with iL The key, then, to making subjects and verbs agree in GMAT sentences is to FIRST detennine whether the subject of eaeh sentence (or clause) is singular or plural.

Eliminate the Middleman The most common way the GMAT confuses the number of the subject is to split up the subject and the verb by inserting a phrase in between. You must learn to eliminate the intervening phrase-the middleman~sothat the true subject becomes clear. For example: The houses of that rich man (contain/contains) very expensive furniture. What is the subject of this senlence: houses or man? Eliminate the middleman-the modifying phrase thal separates the subject from the verb. The houses 8£ thllt .ieh MilA (contain/contains) very expensive furniture. Now it is clear that the plural subject houses requires the plural verb fonn contain. The houses of that rich man CONTAIN very expensive furniture.

9rlannattanGMAT'Prep the new standard

21

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT STRATEGY

Chapter 2

"And" vs. Additive The word and can unite two or more singular subjects, forming a compound plural subject. For example:

Joe and his friends ARE going to the heach. Mathematics, history, and science ARE required high-school subie<:ls.

Notice that these compound subjects take a plural verb form (are). There are other words or phrases besides and that can add to a subject. These are called additive phrases. Some examples include:

along with, in addition to, as well as, accompanied by, together with, including Unlike the word and, lhese additive phrases do not fann compound subjects. Therefore, the number of the subject does not change as a result of the additive phrase. For example:

An additive phrase

is just another Mmiddleman.-

Joe, along with his friends, IS going to the beach. Mathematics, in addition to history and science, IS a required subject. Notice mat the singular subjects (Joe and Mathematics) remain singular despite the additive phrases (along with and in addition to). Therefore, they require the singular verb form (Is). REMEMBER: Only the word AND can change a singular subject into a plural one. Singular subjects followed by additive phrases remain singular subjects.

"0 r, ""E'ith er... 0 f, "& "Nelt . h er...N or" Some subjects contain disjunctive phrases such as "or," "either ... or," & "neither ... nor." In these senlences, there are two subjects. If one of the subjects is singular and the other subject is pluml, what verb fonn should be used? The answer is simple: find the subject that is NEAREST to the verb and make sure that the verb agrees in number with this subject. For example: Neither Joe nor his friends ARE going to the beach. Neither his friends nor Joe IS going to the beach. Notice that in both of these senlences, there are two subjects (Joe and friends) joined by a disjunctive phrase (neither ... nor). In the first example, the plural subject friends is nearest to the verb, so the verb takes the plural fonn are. Ln the second example, the singular subject Joe is nearest to the verb, so the verb takes the singular form is. (Note that when the words either or neither are in a sentence alone (without or/nor), they are not considered to be part of a disjunctive phrase. In these cases, they are considered singular and take only singular verbs.)

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"

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT STRATEGY

Chapter 2

Collective Nouns are Singular A collective noun is a noun that looks singular (it usually does not end with an "5") but refers to a group of people. Some examples include:

administration, army, audjence, class, crowd, faculty, orthestra, team Collective nouns are always considered singular and therefore require singular verb foons. For example:

To lktcmunc subJCd~'erb

.gnement,

The crowd IS cheering as the home team TAKES the field. Our army IS attacking the enemy.

)'(lU

fil"Sl decide: wbclbcr the 5Ubjcd

Each collective noun (crowd, team, & army) takes a singular verb fann.

mll$l

IS

SIngular (W phll'1l!.

Indefinite Pronouns: Usually Singular Pronouns are words that replace other nouns or pronouns. An indefinite pronoun is one that is not specific about the thing to which it refers. Anyone is an example of an indefinite pronoun. The following indefinite pronouns are considered singular subjects and therefore require singular verb forms. Note that all the pronouns that end in -(lne. -body, or -thing fall into this category,

Someone, Somebody, Something Anyone, Anybody, Anything Everyone, Everybody, Everything No one, Nobody, Nothing Whatever, Whoever Each, Every Either·, Neither· (Either and neither may require a plural verb form when paired with or/nor.)

There are, however, 5 indefinite pronouns which can be either singular or plural depending on the context of the sentence, You can remember these 5 by the word SANAM, which is composed of the first initial of each word, THE SANAM PRONOUNS: Some, Any, None, All, Most How can you tell if these pronouns are singular or plural? Look at the "of' construction which usually follows the pronoun. You may recall thal you are generally supposed to ignore "of' constructions (as they are misleading middlemen). The SANAM pronouns are the exceptions to this rule: you sbould look at the object of the "of' construction to " determine the number of the subject. Some of the money WAS stolen from my wa.llet. (money is singular)

Some orlbe documents WERE stolen rrom the bank. (documents is plural)

'ManfiattanGMATPrep 30

the new standard

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT STRATEGY

Chapter 2

"Each" and "Every": Singular Sensations You just learned that when each or every is the subject of a sentence, it requires a singular verb form. The same is true for any subject preceded by the word each or every: Every dog HAS paws.

Every dog and cat HAS paws. Each of these shirts IS pretty.

·f

One may mistake the subject of the second and third sentences to be plural. However, because the subject is preceded by each or every, it is considered singular and therefore requires a singular verb form. Note, however, that when each or every follows a subject, it has no bearing on the verb form. For example:

They each ARE great tennis players.

The numbers of is neither singular nor plural. It is simply incorrect. Never select an answer choice containing thc phrase the numbel1J of.

Here, the plural subject they requires the plural verb form are.

Numerical Words and Phrases The phrase the number of always takes a singular verb fonn. The phrase a number of always takes a plural verb fonn. The number of hardworking students in this class IS quite large. A number of students in this class ARE hard workers. Notice that both sentences focus on the word students. Yet in the first sentence the subject is singular, while in the second sentence the subject is plural. Other numcrical words-majority, minority, plurality-can be either singular or plural depending on their context. If one means the many individual parts of the totality, then use a plural verb fonn: The majority of the students in this class ARE hard workers. If one means the totality itself, then use a singular verb fonn: The student majority IS opposed to the death penalty.

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31

VERB TENSE, MOOD, & VOICE STRATEGY

Chapter 3

The Perfect Tenses: An Introduction Some sentences with morc than one action do require you to switch verb tenses within a sentence. Sometimes this involves a simple and logical switch between the simple tenses. For example: He IS thin now because he SPENT the last six months on an, intensive diet.

Here, the first verb is in the present tense (is), while the second verb is in the past tense (spent). This is a logical switch given the content of the sentence. Sometimes, however, actions in a sentence involve more complex time sequences. These actions can be expressed using the PERFECT tenses: Present Perfect & Past Perfect. You must understand these to do well on the GMAT.

Usc the present perfect tense for an actioll that begall in the past and continues into the

present.

Present Perfect: Still Going ... THE ACTION

A moment in the past

• The present moment

Ifan event started in the past but continues into (or remains true in) the present, you must use the present perfect tense. The present perfect tense is formed as follows:

Present Perfect - HAVEIHAS + Past Participle The past participle of a regular verb (to walk, to dance, and to jump) is simply the verb with an -cd ending, such as walked, danced, and jumped. Irregular verbs (to go, to throw, and to be) have unique past participles, such as gone, thrown, and been. Here are some examples of actions in the present perfect tense: We HAVE LIVED in a little hut for three days. Our country HAS ENFORCED strict immigration laws for thirty years. They HAVE KNOWN each other for the longest time. Each example involves an action that began in the past and continues into the present. We lived in a little hut for three days and slilllive there today. Our country enforced strict immigration laws in the past and still enforces them today. They knew each other in the past and still know each other today. Therefore, each sentence employs the present perfect tense. The first two examples involve regular verbs (that have regular past participles~lived,enforced), while the third example involves an irregular verb (with an irregular past participle-known).

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Chapter 3

VERB TENSE, MOOD, & VOICE STRATEGY

Past Perfect: The Earlier Action The EARLIER Action

•

The LATER Action

An earlier

A later past moment

past moment When fomung the past perl"ect Tense, 1\ doe~ Dot maller which verb

I Past Perfect ~ HAD + Past Participle I

tence. only which vcTb first

In

The present moment

Irmore than one action in a sentence occurred at different times in the past, you must use the past perfect lense for the earlier action and the simple past for the later action. The past perfect tense is formed as follows:

comes first in the senCOIJICI!I

•

tune.

Recall that the past participle of a regular verb (such as to walk, to dance, and to jump) is simply the verb with an -cd ending, such as walked, danced, and jumped. Irreb'lliar verbs (such as to go, to lhrow, and to be) have uniqut: paSt paniciples, :!ouch as gone,

thrown, and been.

Here are some examples of sentences that employ the past perfect lense. The film HAD STARTED by the time we ARRIVED at the theater. The teacher THOUGHT that Jimmy HAD CHEATED on the exam.

Both examples involve two actions that occurred in the past. The earlier past action (had started, had cheated) is in the past perfect tense, while the later past action is in the simple past tense (arrived, thought), Note that the past perfect lense is the most important and most commonly used of the perfect tenses on the GMAT.

Perfect Tenses: Only When Necessary Do not usc the perfect tenses when the simple tenses will do. Remember that the GMAT prefers simplicity! In the following example, the past perfect (had believed) is unnecessary because the sentence involves only one action in the past tense. The simple past (believed) is correct.

Incorrect: I think that ancient peoples HAD BELIEVED in many gods. Correct: I think that ancient peoples BELiEVED in many gods. "

..

You should only ,use the perfect tenses when you can justify them with the rules described in this section. I f an action began in the past and continues into the prescnt, use the present ~rfect tense. If an action precedes an earlier past action, use the past perfect tense. Otherwise, stick to the simple tenses.

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VERB TENSE, MOOD, & VOICE STRATEGY

Chapter 3

IF ... THEN Tense Constructions Sentences that use the word TF to describe hypothetical conditions require a conditional verb construction. These sentences have two pans: the IF clause & the THEN clause. If you study diJigenUy, (then) you will score highly. OR You will score highly if you study diligently.

Note thal the actual word THE

is frequently omillcd. Note also that the IF clause does

not have to appear first in the sentence.

Usc IlK simpk past. pnsc:nl. aod future to:nxs IlllIesJ you have

II-(IU..... PRESENT If she wins the lonery, If you study.

IIU,\CI\I"" \VLLL + BASE VERB she will give half the money to charity. you "ill score highly.

PAST If she won the lottery, lfyou studied,

WOULD/COULD + BASE VERB she ",'ould give half me money (0 charity. you ",'ould score highly.

PAST PERFECT If she had won me lonery, If you had studied,

WOULD/COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE she would have given half the money to charity. you would have scored highly.

• good I'CtiOIl not 10

When analyzing an IF...THEN sentence, perfonn the following steps: I) Find the IF clause and label it. 2) Analyze the verb construction in the IF clause. Note that there are only 3 options (as shown in the chan above). Note also that the conditional words would and could NEVER appear in the IF clause. 3) Find the THEN clause and label it. 4) Analyze the verb construction in the THEN clause. Make sure that the verb construction follows appropriately from the IF clause.

"If" or "Whether" Note that the word IF does not always signal a conditional sentence.

I don't know IF I will go to the dance.

The IF clause here is not followed by a THEN clause, so this is not a conditional sen-

,.

tence. In this sentence, the word if carries the meaning of whether. In such cases, the GMAT prefers that you use the word whether instead of if. Incorrect: I don't know IF I will go to the dance. Correct: I don't know WHETHER I will go to the dance.

..

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• VERB TENSE, MOOD, & VOICE STRATEGY

Chapter 3

The Subjunctive Mood In English, we do not often use the subjunctive. Most sentences are written in the

indicative mood, used to express facts, or the imperative mood, used to express commands. You can expect to sec the subjunctive mood in two types of sentences: (1) IF clauses, when the IF clause expresses a condition contrary to reality.

.'

(2) Hopes, proposals, desires, and requests fonned with the word that.

If I WERE a Rich Man... The subjunctive case is used to express a degree ofuncertarnty or unreality. The IF clauses in both of the sentences below express a condition thai is untrue. In the flfSt sentence, the speaker actually is NOT rich. In the second sentence, the man in question actually is NOT tall. Incorrect: If I WAS rich, I would donate money to rebuild myoid school. Correct: if I WERE rich, I would donale money to rebuild myoid school.

If be' ..... is .1_)'$ wrong on the GMAT.

Incorrect: If he WAS tall, he would be able 10 play basketball better. Correct: If he WERE tall. he would be able to play basketball better. In this use of the subjunctive, the verb 10 be always appears as the word were, regard· less of the subject. It never appears as lhe word was.

Uncertainty: Hopes, proposals, desires, and requests The subjunctive is also used to express the desire of one person or body for another person or body to do something. There is a degree of uncertainty as to whether or not the second person or body will actually do what is asked. It Is urgent thai she SIGN the permission slip. I respectfully ask that he BE allowed to continue. My advice is thai he simply LOVE her for who she is. Note that this use of lhe subjunctive is formed with the word that oftbe verb (wilham the word 10).

+ Ihe infinitive form

This use of the subjunctive follows words and phrases such as advice, advisable, ask. arrange, better, demand, desire, desirable, direct, directive, essential, fitting, imperative, important, insist, instruct, instructions, intend, intentions. necessary, order, pray, prefer, preferable, plead, propose, recommend, request, require. suggest, suggestion, urge, urgent, and vital. Incorrect: The parolee knew it was imperative that he FOUND a job quickly. Correct: The parolee knew it was imperative that be FIND a job quickly.

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..

STRATEGY

--

,[ n.1I. --

-

I-

H- .. nbUU~

OB.JEC T

ronoun~

---- P()~~E"""'I' I l,r"I1IIUII~

n I.

nt m: , whit 111 pnmuUIl is

6il

PRONOUNS STRATEGY

Chapter ..

Possessive Poison Jow'. room .. $0

1QftS)

lhtl illS mown ails 111\.,

piz.

The possessi\'~ noun in this ... nl~ .. Jov'•. P"""",.i,... Pll)OOUM can ",fn ~k 10 poo.scssi,e '.....n•. Th"" the po•...,..,.e pronoun hrs ",f~nI back to J01t'~.. However, ,ubjeel ~nd objeet ).'fonou"" mBy NOT refer hack to pol!iiC,,,.e nouns. Thcrcfure, the <.>bject pronoun him ill "",d ;lICo""",Oy beeau"," it may no\ "'f.... back In JOlt's. Subject and nbj~t proooun, may only rcf.... back 10 subj~L;md object DOLIllS. Him would only be areurallt if it reiem:d back 10 lbe WOld Jov_

_I._If.. .

I.... ,.,.....,..

E......... lhough ol _ ob>iouoIlhal. 111m ref..... ro J ...... lho.: llnIlrDCe IJII$ ~ ~ In onIer for It 10 be grwnrnuw:ally curect 00 !he ffilAT W~ C&ll fiX "'" ~ by 1<...".. ing .... aro:I dll'ft_lmIllinI. Jose'."",,,, Is SO meny 'u' Ills mothrr cd' Jov' pi&.

The Deadly Four: It, Its, They, Their '"", """'I commO'l l'JO""un mililak~ 'n"",r." third person perwnal JIlOOOU1l$ tho.: singular It and Its f'lOSilCS,i.'e I~, Blld ,he pluml they and i" 1'O'..... ive Ihelr. Wht-ncver you sec one ofthf!IC four pronoun•• you should stop and mah lUre that il alO=il in number with it, anli><:edcnt. Their .1 !he ~i\~ form uf the plural pronoun lht)', SO lheir can only ~fcr Ill' pinral ~'d. Unfonunatdy. m everyday 6pCCCh lheir IS u.~ 11lOOITectIy ... lhe of "mvular ...bJeClll

1"""""'''''

lnoeuntt Wl... tll4' phWII ulk. bJ<e de Tllt:IR ;"fMa>lIiH. Cana, "hen lhe pe..- ....... lake it UlS l.r tieL OM ~ "hen Ille P"lple etlliah doooD TUI:IR Info tioa. lbe antecedent penoa IS singul:or, 50 it requj~ !he SlnguW pronoun hi. ur brr. not the plural pronoun lMir. ffOnt changes Ibe .nt<=denl 10 tbe: plural people. one can u.
n~d

THEIR O..-n pt'ndl.

Curre.::t: r.'·cr)'one her will need HIS 0"'" p-endl. The anlC>XdcM f\.rr)'OI>C il siogul:or (5« Sub:Jcct·Vrrb A~t).. lberefon::, II rcquira the >mgobr pronoun bi... not the plural plUDOWllllrir.

9rtanliattanG MAT Prep the ~ .. SlM>dord

------,,,

Chapter 5

MODIFIERS STRATEGY

Modifiers with Relative Pronouns ModIfy,ng pbrueo an: olWn 'ntroduced by rdat"c pronow1li SUlCh., ..Itica.. tlllIl.~. ""he. "'HM. ..-Ioom

Awl<ward: We IUI·drove a fwr hn'lnlo\ en~ine trouhle. Correct: We tut-drun a eWe TIIAT b"d nlline tr6utHr.

. --_......_. "................ ............

~_io_

......,.-

~-

A.-kwani: TIte Y."kfts. ....nr l:iki"llll &.e. pnlCrit:r ,""'cr, day. Coma: TH Ynl.;ra. WIIO HUT "lor til ..... p ~ ,""'"y da~'. 00 the G\iAT, II '~sornrU""", preferable to ,n~ w mO("Ii~T us,ng a ..,lative pronoon aTlll. simple verb len", Ihan u,ingju~. an -inW form ofa 'crb. NOI'~f thaI m lbc Ol'flleflCCOIloove. Lhe ""oros hvlnc and lilrllll: bowe bco;n rq>lIecd wilh tile word<; b.dand Iik

n.: prorlOlIII",'1M inlIodDoes pbl.-Ihat IIIOdIfy a ~ .... a &""'P ofpeDllle, while the pronoun "'bk.lllntrodu« pilralie Iha1 IDDd,fy Ihirlgs. The pronoun tbal can be used 10 mo,.hfy eithcf people Of' ~

R'iSCntial

\'S.

Non-cssential Modifiers

\\ bleh ... word to mlrollulCe "uot. "$(('ntiar rnodIrlCn. 1bo,.~ are elalAel:!hal JIl'O"Jdo;: In~ .boul a ...,.. l.IlM ;" _ ...., 1 foJ ioIknt,fylll& Ibat -... 110.. I\; usallO IDlmducl: McucnuaI~ modifier$. l'bese an: cJ.mo:s thai: prnvJde mfonnallOII about a noun 1Iw is nrces.sary for odco:Itil)lnll that DOUO Th,~

""'y souTlll

complic.I~-d,

but lo",k althc following cxwnples: To find my~. "'1lll: down the kfl gdr: of the iUftt WIlli you ~ lbc lIurd ' -• ..-Ilidt is ml To fmd my hooM. _'all: ........ the left ~ oflbr otrttl until you ....h 1M mini boose that IS ml

Do the Iwo Sl'nllmCt!l above lead yoo to the ,arne house? Not necessarily, The fil"'lt !lente'....., (lL'linglbc roon-es..rnlial cia""", "'hkll il n'd) al"",ysleads you lO rhe THIRD ........, OIl the kn side of lhl,: w-. 11ulI boo.~ h"l'J'Cl1S 10 be 1M. TIle second ...1U,lCC (1ISI"ll1br -rM"" clD$:: 110.1. iI rN) ~ you 10 the nun! RED ~ Olllhc kf\ side of1be Wttl ThIS may be the 1Iurd house 01\ the left side of the .llffI (,fthe firsllwp are.(jo 1M), or ir may bl; 1M eighth house un the len.ide oflhe (l< rhe tenlh ~"""'. ele

"""'I.

A IDDdificr introduced by the word '" hicb can hoc removed from the .... teoee ... itbool the sentence losinZ lily esstIllial meanllll. On tilt other hand. • modifier introduced by lht: wortltllal .. "$leniallO the meartlllg of the 1ll:ntenCe.

?r1anliattanG MAT"Prep the ne>o

st~odard

C"ap(~r 6

PARALLEUSM STRATEGY

Parallelism with Pronouns 0ftcD, pr<XIDUD'I sudl. "'IlIc:Il, thai, tb.-., .. bo, ftC.. - ...paI parallel ~umo. if one: ,tan mdudca a pronoun. tit, ona.lIpprUIIriaIe 10 ",dude ltIc $&me pronoun in paralld ilCml>. !'or aampIe.:

lnoolltu: I ,,",fer ,. Illre _ple)fft WHO .. en.. liard M ,"'- Tf(AT IiH'L C
----_.,011) -.et... _

11lOOlTt'ct; Ralpb llln'ect, Kalpb ll};ts a .-alitl) .f p<'Ople, inC'llOdi'"C THOSE \\ 110 are poptlbor alMlll10SE WIIO a .... noL

.-l1opcaR) .......,

Idioms with Built-In Parallel Structure IdiolIlli are a oopic in and of tl\crmcl".", which will be ~ated liter on. Ho....,"er. ,.,... la,n idioml arc dirc<:lly relaled 10 paralkhsm in IMI their IitrUl:lure deman~ ,t T~, chan shown below lim 50me ,d,omati, Slru't".....,; Ihat req,,~ paral1eh'm: I" all ofth""" ,xamplcs. X m".l be parallel 10 Y in both SlnJct"re and meanins. For example: l""o~:

I ddlnltelf p.... rer uIluK I•• r",am In lite ummerdme 10 1Ic>1 dO£'.

Correct: I dennilelf p"rt't" ntln¥ lre ...... m 10 nting Ilc>l d~ In 11l~ 'IImmonimr. l\0Ii0:c !hat rho: cona:l VCISJOn or lht' $I:Dlc::rICC m&llllam. paralJel .mucnare w,tton lbc Mhom. nlUl: ke r~.. ill 1"'fII11c:1 10 nll_, lIIoc dop.

1<1",,,,. ",ll' 1'.,.lId

MOf'I.' X Ituln Y The """" X the llJ"aICf Y ,,"0 Icu. .. u X than "'as Y AsXmY 1'<>1 only X but 100 Y ~<>1 X but rather Y X IR'iIelId ofY lbe """'" 10 X ., 10 Y Range r.... X III Y 80dl X andY r:uhl:r X ur Y X ... Y MlSIake X forY

"'.,Ibrr ~rrr

X

loy

X regarded iIIi Y To dunk of X ., Y tklie-.·e X 10 be Y

:ManliattanGMATPrep lI1e ""... stIInda'd

~l1("'Urc,

PARALLELISM STRATEGY

Chapt.,r 6

Superficial Parallelism vs. Actual Parallelism To ptl:SC"iC parallel stru~1u"" it is im!X'rtant to pay attention to which grammatical structure< -vern rh,.",...... nnun phrases. prepositional phrasc~. ad,'~rbial phnlse>. cte, ar~ logically parallcl ~forc a."uming that they must t>c structurally parallel, for e=ric: Ken Innlcd aroond Ihe ,,·orld. "Isltlng hisloric ,II... eating oati"e foods, and learning about new cullures. In til{: SCDtellce abo'e. the "erb phrases visilin!!: hi,toric .ite., eating native foods. and learniDI( ahour DeW eolto res arc parallel. The main clause, traveled around the world. is not rarallel to the"" verb phra,,,,. Thi. i, NOT incorrect. Traveled is the main verb. and the other ,'erb phm",. provi
,ml""''''' '" _""<>

•.;u, ".,.;oJiliffl m.l KIi<"",

Ken tra,-ded arouod the world, vi'ired hi.torlc sitt'S, ate natl ... foodjj, and learnl'd "ooUI lIew cultor.... Thi~ "",,,,ion gi,'es all the activities equal emphasis. instead of maling thc last th",. . acti"itie. subonlirulte to the main activity of traveling around the world.

Do not become a victim of superticial rarallc1ism by assuming thai ALL verbs in a S<.:m~nce must be pamlleL Only the structures that are logically parallel must be strucnually pamllel.

Watch Out for Verbs of Being A more subtle eJ of being is the verb to he, hut Ihere arc other being vcrl>. as well. Helow are two lists. The fi",t contains all the forms of the verb to be, ",-hi]e the second contain. other commo" vcrbs of l,,:ing::

I" B,

" .m

Other \.,h, of appear be~...,me

K,il1~

'" ( "n
Me

feci

wool

W~

'"'_

stay taste

W," b,,"

look r,""alO

1=

being

~anfiattanGMATPrep _

new .t.on
.

----

COMPARISONS STRATEGY

Ch. 16" 7

COMPARISONS Compwiolon. ~ I '-pr'CiaI f...-m of pllflIlld'sm thai de!lcr>-e ~Ja1 al1C'lltioa. C~ "1_),,, ~ at k::Ml rwo tItmp. Altbou&h!bey ma)' $CCm ' cuu....._ ..'Jlllln • oft"" uxII"Ic.. aDd .....k.

....,IMoc..,

In am.eking GMAT rocnpari_. you must first Ic.m to 'i"J'l them by leaming certain kcy words or p1Jl'a5C1l that "JP'IlIJ comparisons. Upon lind· ina • COnIpafI5OI'l, you ml$ idmtify Lbo.: 1"'0 lhwp being oompan:d and ~ ltw they an: IJUIy pwaIIel bod! ...ilb repni 10 ~ and

-'....

axlll_""·

VS.

•

WllIlec Iiken,nlt

llll

... .........

•

-,.... ~er'

• honer than

Ccru," .....onh and ~ t;t:na1 comparison •. The dan ,h""m I\l tho righl !isIS the lIlOSl imrx-'laDl of thdo.: .. JIIllls. ~ you !ott """ of tbrm. 5&Op and find the r40 ilans ~

"L'k I C..

like

diffe!'Cflt from·

...

(adj.) lUi a man)'.

_-_.... _..

ar

fey.

,. ...

"' mlldl., IOIIliok as

high llil u short Kl

liS

--

't><*'" ....
_

~tW"_

•

',-

..-;-.-'"

.-,n.'> .. _"

'Ibc words Ii],,;. and ., are 1"0 of the . - common COIIIpul>On Slan"hI. may S«fIl intefChangcablc. for !be pIlI'p(llIII5 of!he G.\tAT. !bey are not.

A1~

they

As should be used;n a comparison invlliving dau~. A clall'C is any ph...." thai ir>dude. a vem. Al can abo t>c u>al in comparisons lilaC Uloe ,he "onWuctiOfl at , .. n. llloCOfTl;<:t, lid'" aud ~

JII~ AS

their motber SIU)'. are ulremfly . ..,1.

8db. _lid Juw. LIKE d1rir IIIOlh« SCaty. art u'n'ftldy smart.

lnoonttt: JUu.n ~.IUrlM. Co~I: Just AS ,wlmml"lIl. l(ood t1t',."loe, sliJl"l( 10 a 11,.".1 WI)' tu burn calorin.

III \he fin! exampk, .. mpk oouns (1Sdb. lad J.1It &:: tMif' ~ Slxy) an: be... UA.,..,oo. so Id~ is n:qu,rcd. In !he J«ond ~ ~buw:J ...'i!h \he verllie be are bel", COIIlfW':d, '" ... 15 nlqu=d.

Not<:: Like is onen mi~uscd in mOOt"'" English, [)n f\Ol use like when yOIl mean for rumplr. 1"'1~..,J. u'"" I"" p/lrMr sucb .. (iCC puge 1M).

?1an1io.ttanGMATPrep the new stllnd.rd

"

Cba ter 7

COMPARISONS STRATEGY

Keeping Comparisons Parallel

be:-e

Aik yuunclf: W1w cwo Ihmp..:: UllI4*'td'! ~ 10 tlae IomlaOa: ail ....... 1m, thu.'. btlild IS Wi. . . od 10 III.. bntItn", ThIS is _ . Jop:al ~ Iwc-_ il doa; nul a...-e Slmi_ dwlp. Ia onk:r toCOlT\'C\ tIus ft'l'Of. _ can dllngc

bnnc

-"'- --".--....-...,. ...-,--.-._.......... ....-:

1tIe .......... ~ m one 0(:..'0 t-~aL

"'..ys.;

IIkr Ills brolhtr, b.. I b....d .Id .....,.Iar bsild. OR btlild.llb Ihl' "111.. bnNb..... io nrr.:m~) brolld IJKl.llwalar.

.·~u.·s

:

lbese revisions botb contam lo&lCII oomparisons.. The fIm COITlj!*Ics t'r:ank 10 Ilk 1Koth while!be....:ond rev,soon ~ .·~nk's build to lbal (Ibf blilld) or III .. bnNb . CompariSOflS ",...1 be ,'lrw'lO/rully ""mIll/. That is. tllty mu.t !lave I similar srammah· ell structure. I enjoy DylnK by pllne more thwn Iliko to drive In a olr. A~k yOl.lJ'SClf: An:

the object~ of compan~ grolffilIl,;ltieally pandlel? No. booause ~njoy by pl""~ does not hive the same structure '" lib 10 drh'f In ,. ear. In order to make the comparison structurally patllicl. wo em levi"" the sm~ Ib' follows:

f1)in~

I tr,joy Oy-inll: by planf mon lila.. dr;'laz by ear.

Here the p/nlie Oyinll: by pbne parallels the p/nlie driving by e.r.

Comparati\'e and Superlative Forms WhaI ~ dii two duDp. _Ibe lXld4'*.ti~ of

ronn

an lICIjcc(:vc or ad\-crb. \lr'hal cunpa 111& IIIUI"I: thlIn :_ tilln... "'" 1M supata·

"".... •• b~

form or aD adjCICtJ~e or

w_ Much. "MIly

,,'"

F.

CnmflUllli'·" Sk;' SilORTU~ 'h,..

M~

LIttle. D..1euer

FarUlcr. flD1ba-

h~r

w ..... (Add--er)

Superlam-e: ~ Is 1M SHORn:..orr.r her "\~ ~bli.ag... (Adcl-estl Cumpamivc: You .~ MOR.: INTERESTING Ib. . .h~. (Add the w«d~) Supn-lall~"': You .~ Ib~ MOST I~TERF.sTf'"'Gpoersoll bore. (Add the won:! mosl)

:ManliattanGMATPrep the new

51.rId.,..

Chapter 8

IDIOMS STRATEGY

X Enough to Y vs. So X As to Y life Illlm Idoomahe e_~pn:!lriom thai are .imilar to one 3DUIbeJ but thai do IlOI mean 1M ilIll"Ir tllIns. A classic example thai ."m,,"mes IIp(l<:lIn 011 the liMAT i~ 1M diffnmce brI,.'~ the two odiomalic cxpussi."...X ttliHi8h", Ymd SlI X 11$ III r

Ttltil'

The fin! CX~JOIl .. used "ben X i. the eruena by "'bicb an abihty w ac:hlC'o'C Y it

mrtiUl'Cd. For elampk:

--._.... '

--

__k

Bob 15 tall tno~lllo TaCh the 1Op!lbdt::

In this sem~ helpl is 1Ix: muna by which the ability to un:o,l The rOC\lS hrrt: i. Dob's "bil"y 10 nad< 1M lOp sItdf-

laC" !he

shelf i5 _

The: - . l ~ion is UIed _"hen tbt: dwaauistic X IS so Cltln:mt: ia tile pamcular <:a6C lhar. y ~IU. For aampe:

iJl dld -..oe, Bob's bc1aJIt IS so "u-..e !hat he arnalJy can lbt ix:ui lim: iii tbt:~o{&>bsa_lterglu.

".

lOp

2rfallliattanG MATPrep tile roe'" standar'd

~h the lOp wlf

IDIOMS STRATEGY

Chapter 8

Idiom List Review the following common idioms. This is not an exhaustive list, as there are thousands of idiomatic expressions in the English language. For native English speakers, it is unnecessary to spend time memorizing this list. You should spend most of your time perfecting the spot-exlract-replace method, which helps your ear find idiomatic errors.

.

~

IDIOM LIST a consequence of

demand that

neither X nor Y

a debate over a responsibility to

dependent on depends on whether

a sequence of able to X access to agree witb (person/idea) agree to (a plan or action) allows for appeal to approve/disapprove of an instance of

depicted as determined by differ from different from disagree with (person/idea) discourage from dispute wbetber distinguish between X and Y distinguisb X from Y doubt that either X or Y enable X to Y encourage X to Y enough X that Y

no less . .. than no less was X than was Y not only X but also Y

as a result of

as good as as great as as many ... as as much as

asXastoY askXtoY associate with attend to

attribute X to Y based on

be afraid of believe X to be Y better served by X than by Y better than both X and Y capable of centers on claim to be

compare to (similarities) compare with (differences) concemed with conform to connection between X and Y consider X Y (without 'to be') contend tbat contrast X witb Y credited with declare X Y declare Y X defined as

not so much X as Y not X but ratber Y noted that permit X to Y persuade X to Y prefer X to Y prohibit X fi-om Y potential to range from X to Y rates for (not 'of') regard as requiring that X Y requiring X to Y

estimated to be

responsible for

except for expect to fascinated by forbid X to Y identical with

resulting in retroactive to sacrifice X for Y seem to indicate similar to so as not to be hindered by soX as to (be)Y so X as to constitute Y so X that Y subscribe to such X as Y and Z targeted at the more X the greater Y the same to X as to Y to result in to think of X as Y used as view X as Y whether to worried about (not 'over') X enougb to Y X instead ofY X is attributed to Y X out ofY (numbers) X regarded as Y

in contrast to

in danger of independent fi-om indifferent towards insist that interaction of isolated from just as X, sO Y koow to do X less X tban Y likely to be mandate tbat mistake X for Y modeled after more . .. than ever more common among X than

amongY more X thao Y native to

a native of

The expression "consider to be" is considered wordy on the GMAT. Use the verb consider without "to be."

'ManfiattanGMATPrep the new standard

111

ODDS & ENDS STRATEGY

Chapter 9

ODDS & ENDS You now have llI/IDy thUlg'l to look for in aIIllI)'Zing a GMAT ..,nlC!>CC. On a 1Cf>.,.".1 level. look nut for the tb= C's "r ... nlen,,~ ,,,"""lion: Corrt<;tn,n. COIll'ision. llIld Clanly. On I lfl«ilic ]1!'\'cL male SUfC 10 cMck alCh SCDle'ncc for cmJr.I n:bt4"tl1O Ihc followlllll arammaticallO(lics· (l)So~.\'ftt>Agrecm ... (21 \'cfb Teuc, :\w..u.- &:. Vot«. (,)) ~ (4) \Iodif>en. (j) Panllel'...... (6) Corn~ and (7) l d _

The

'~l

maJOrity ofG\1AT gnunmllr errors rail into ooc oflhc: pn:ced,nll: calClIO"io:s.

~~. ho"-e'o"tt. a lew other ~ IIf erron ...hach lIIOI)' be found

I!l

O:»tAT

~,

If )IOU ha...: checked. oo:ntma: for atl \be InIJO' l~-pes of enon aDd )"llU an: mll undee"Jcd be\..«n 1"-" 'lmIml:l: ,"ft'S1()N., CUDlildcr rho: f<>lJo..,mg. odds &:. <:ndl;addnioo:ll gnmmar tOil'" wl1icll may ~Ip you identify the C~( ... nt~c:

n.._-.y __ I\eo ."..,_ .......

'-

\I.~_1\00

(I) (2) ()J

Quaulit)' ~

Wunb aod PuuaulIlD:l Thmg'l Th:u: are ,0.1_ Alway \\'1'OrIg

Quantity In "~i~ .....-..h aDd o~ of quanllly ...., ~ 10 i.Inl.1 pammlltical",k!;, lOl$ your knowledge of these Mq...... tity- rulell.

The G.\IAT Huh; Jll'

\\.001> MKd (lIT countabk thlDl.!Ii yS. wools used

Tb: folklow'llg tiIarl

(01 WlCOllDtabk tbIDgs

dJ~1D­

be1 ...-cen words and cxpr~iom lhat mo;Iigul~

fy rounlablc i1UIl8l' and

thooIc!hal modIfy 1IDC
Mllny hat'

MUlCh pall",.e

A~

As WI ...'. pllli...-.ce a.< klI"JneM Unk!Ln.J pauerott ~ of !'"'l1efl(X:

"""'y !>au ~ lih'r1s F"'-iF......". ha~

'·......wrofbMJ

Countable Items mdudo,: dollan. h.lS. buildlngs.llI'Ili~. Uncountable Ihing:< i,.;1ude ~'.....1«...Tft.... fe. oncI p:l1iNtt. lfyoulrt........, ... !l) .. ~ _ _ thtng I. oounuble
-"".

ror doUal"l" I dollar. 2 doU.r" 3 dull.!'\, .nd so rMtb.

Th;~

wOlh; ooU.r is

for money: I DlOnt). Z ~.Ilop. T1lJIi dna DDt: ... ark; InOIHY IS uDCOUnl3ble.

5\tanliattanGMATPrep ~

...

new

SUI"d~n:l

----~'"

ODDS & ENDS STRATEGY

Chapter 9

Rille 1!2; Words used to relate twolhjnaS

ys

words Used to rdale tim,'\: Qt lOOn; thin¥'

To relate Iwo things, yoo mu,llIse different wonh from the words you lise betwc<:n X and Y 10 IChtc thr"" or mon: X is better lhan Y thing.. lbis chart highX has more than Y lights the mosl importanl X has less than Y words (I~ majority a", a review) tha! must k u.ed w~n relating dilf=nt

........-. "'" .......

--""

'"

""_'....-...01 .~

among X. Y, and Z X is \he t>t,.,t (among X. Y, and Z) X has the mosl (among X. Y, and Z) X has the leas! (among X. Y. and Z) numbers oflhing•.

Rule #); HI: Pumber or numbsr ofYS I numNr or tbe numltea or As yOll may T\.'\:all from the Subject-Verb Allf""men! =lion. th;: word nllmber i, tricly depending on tbe expres,i"n in which it i. used. 1lIere are !wo majOI point' to Icmem-

,,,"

FIRST. the numht'r i. singular. and

I

numbfr is plumL

Thc numbt=r of dog. IS !:""ater than the numNr of nts. A numlH'r of dogsARE rba.ing away the cal•• SECOND, Ihe numben of i. incorrect. Stick

10

the expres.ion the nllmlH'r of.

Incorrect: THE N UI\-l DF:RS OF dol:" in Monlana arc .teadily increasiog. Correct: THI' NUMDF.R OF dog. in Montana Is sleadlly Inercl$lng.

Rule #4; Irn:rease and dccn;a;;e yS. greater and leli/i 1lIe word, Ine""..e and decru... are NOT the same as the words greater and lnerea~ and dee""a... exl"\-"'" the change of ONE thing over time. Greater and Ie•• signal a oompariSOIl between TWO lhing5.

I.,.,

Tbe pr;.,., of .ilver lNCH..EASED hy ten doUar•. The price of .lIver ill G REATF:R tban Ihe price or copper. Watch out for r<:dundancy in sentence< wi!h the woal, Inc...,.... and decrease. Incorrect; The price or ';lvl:r reu b)' a more thin 35~. d"",.,,,e. COITect; The price or sil.'u dN,.,ued by 010..., tha" 35%.

Deere•.., already includes lbe notion offaJling or lowering, SO \he word reu is redundant Similarly. In'erease incluclcs the notion of rloln!: {lr ~ro,.lng. so those word. are "redundant as well'

'.M.anfiattanG MATPrep the

llCYr

SlIlr>d.rd

Chapter 9

ODDS & ENDS STRATEGY

Connecting Punctuation The two major punctuation marks that can connect sentence parts are the semicolon and the colon. The semicolon (;) is used to connect two closely related statements. BOTH statements must be able to stand alone as independent sentences. Incorrect: Andrew and Lisa are inseparable; doing everything together. Correct: Andrew and Lisa are inseparable; they do everything together.

A semicolon is used

In the first example, the second part of the sentence is incapable of standing on its own. Therefore, the two parts may NOT be connected by a semicolon. In the second example, the two sentence parts are both capable of standing alone. Therefore, they may be connected by a semicolon.

only to connect two related complete

sentences.

The colon (:) is used to equate two parts of a sentence. For example, it is often used to equate a list with its components. You should be able to insert the word namely after the colon. Only the statement that precedes the colon must be able to stand alone: Incorrect: I love listening to: classical, rock, and pop music. Correct: I love many kinds of music: [namely) classical, rock, and pop. In the first example, the statement preceding the colon- I love listening to-cannot stand alone. In the second example, the statement preceding the colon can stand alone, and one can insert the word namely into the phrase following the colon. Be sure not to confuse the semicolon (;) with the colon (:). The semicolon connects two independent clauses (each can stand on its own). The colon equates two parts of a sentence where the second part is dependent on the first part.

Things that are (Almost) Always Wrong Finally, be aware that there are some words and phrases that appear on the GMAT that either always or almost always indicate incorrect answer choices. You should learn this list and be able to use the words and phrases shown below to identify wrong answers.

She asked him several times to take out the garbage, but she wasn't sure whether he would do it.

She asked him several times to take out the garbage, but she wasn't sure whether he would do so.

The politicians were amazed at the numbers of anti-war protesters.

The politicians were amazed at the number of anti-war protesters.

He couldn't decide whether or not to apply to Stanford.

He couldn't decide whether to apply to Stanford.

'ManfiattanGMATPrep 124

the new standard