GMAT (Subject) / Economist Prep - Verbal (Lesson)

<3

This lesson was created by Janaw55.

Learn lesson

This lesson is not released for learning.

back  |  next 2 / 2

• The Stop Sign to look out for is: Not only A but also B (A) Both phrases must appear together. If there's a not only, there must also be a but also, and vice versa. Example: Incorrect: John not only watches birds, he also donates money to a bird-welfare foundation. Incorrect: John watches birds, but also donates money to a bird-welfare foundation. Correct: John not only watches birds, but also donates money to a bird-welfare foundation. (B) Make sure that A and B are of the same part of speech. Example: Incorrect: Strawberries are not only tasty but also strengthen your health. Correct: Strawberries are not only tasty but also healthy. (C) Make sure that A and B are logically parallel.
• Be on the lookout for this Stop Sign: (n)either A (n)or B Whenever you see this Stop Sign in a sentence, work according to the following rules: (A) Do not mix either with nor and neither with or. Example: Incorrect: John likes neither Lisa or Tina.  Incorrect: John likes either Lisa nor Tina.  Correct: John likes either Lisa or Tina.  Correct: John likes neither Lisa nor Tina.  (B) A and B must be of the same part of speech. Example: Incorrect: Jane would like to either drink wine or champagne. Correct: Jane would like to drink either wine or champagne.
• Stop Sign: A is/means B Whenever you come across a sentence containing this structure, make sure that: (A) A and B are grammatically parallel (i.e., of the same part of speech). Example: Incorrect: In reality, to recycle is showing love to the environment. Correct:    In reality, to recycle is to show love to the environment. (B) A and B are logically parallel.
• Comparisons John is taller than Jane. Jane drinks faster than John. However, in the GMAT, it is considered stylistically preferable to include a conjugated verb in the second part of the comparison. This verb may appear anywhere in the second part of the comparison: John is taller than Jane is.Jane drinks faster than John does.Jane drinks faster than does John. Remember, this is a stylistic preference, which means the correct answer might not include this extra verb. An answer choice that does include the verb is preferable, provided that it does not make other logic/grammar mistakes.
• Stop Sign for Comparative questions is: Like, unlike, than, as It is possible for a sentence to include these words without comparing. For example, "John is more than happy to serve his country" includes than, but nothing is actually being compared. Therefore, whenever you see these words in a Sentence Correction question, take the following steps: (1) Check whether the sentence actually compares two things. If it does, identify the comparison and see that: (2) It uses either equality or inequality words - not mixed(3) The things under comparison are logically comparable(4) The comparison is preferably a full one - includes both items of comparison and a conjugated verbin the second part of the comparison.
• Stop Sign: A list of 3 items or more, separated by commas and and/or before the last item. Parallelism Basic Stop Sign   a list of two or more items, e.g., Jane owns a dog, a cat, and a hamster. The following rules apply to lists: 1. All items on the list must belong to the same part of speech (noun, adjective, adverb); 2. If the list items are verbs, all verbs should be conjugated or unconjugated; 3. If the verbs are unconjugated, they must be of the same type (to verb, verb+ing, or V3). In addition, the structure of the list must be correct, i.e., ideas must be properly grouped. The last item on the list must be preceded by ", and": Incorrect: Jane likes skiing, watching movies, reading books, magazines, and dictionaries.Correct: Jane likes skiing, watching movies, and reading books, magazines, and dictionaries. Try to slot the controlling part before each member of the parallel construction. Incorrect: John will go to Paris, Rome, and to England in the summer. Correct: John will go to Paris, Rome, and England in the summer. Correct: John will go to Paris, to Rome, and to England in the summer.
• Concision The judge declared the defendant guilty. // The judge declared that the defendant was guilty.  The woman wished her husband well. // The woman wished that her husband be well. The boss promised Jane a vacation. // The boss promised to Jane that she would have a vacation.  Notice that in the more concise phrasing in the left-hand column, the  verbs take two objects simultaneously - defendant/guilty; husband/well; Jane/a vacation.
• Superlatives So remember, whenever you encounter a superlative, make sure it (a) begins with the (b) continues with most + adjective or adjective+est (c) includes a definition of the group whose members/items are being compared, either before or after the superlative A superlative must always define the group which is under comparison: Incorrect: John is the fastest man. Correct: John is the fastest man on earth. Notice how two people or things do not constitute a group for that purpose. If we discuss two people or things, the structure we use should be the comparative form. Incorrect: Out of John and Jane, John is the strongest. Correct: John is stronger than Jane. (Comparative, not Superlative)
• Passive sentences Passive sentences are sentences in which the subject is passive and the action is performed by the object, e.g., the steak was eaten by John. Identification: "be"+V3 Active: John took the GMAT. Passive: The GMAT was taken by John. Active: John is taking the GMAT. Passive: The GMAT is being taken by John. Passive sentences are considered stylistically inferior on the GMAT; you should prefer active answer choice to passive ones, but the correct answer choice may be a passive sentence.
• Double Comparative Double Comparative is a form of comparative which follows these structure and rules: The <comparative form> ..., the <comparative form>. Both parts begin with the The two parts must be separated by a commaExamples: The older John gets, the wiser he becomes. The more intelligent a woman is, the more attractive John finds he
• Stop Sign: Like, as, unlike A comparative section beginning with like (or unlike) should never include a verb: Incorrect: Like John is, Jane is a freedom-fighter. Correct: Like John, Jane is a freedom-fighter. Conversely, a comparative section beginning with as should always include a verb: Incorrect: Jane fights for freedom as John. Correct: Jane fights for freedom as does John. When using as, the verb must be conjugated, though it may be in another tense: Correct: Jane fights for freedom as John did in his younger days.
• Conditionals Conditionals are sentences which describe a condition and a result, which will occur in case this condition is fulfilled (or not fulfilled). If/Unless condition, result Result if/unless condition If indicates a condition that should be met for the result to come true. Example: If John prepares for the GMAT well, he will have greater chances of scoring high on it Unless is the equivalent of if not: it indicates a condition that must not be met for the result to come true. Example:  Unless John cancels his date, he will have no time to study. If John does not cancel his date, he will have no time to study. When the condition precedes the result, as in the above examples, the two parts of the sentence are separated by a comma. When the result appears first in the sentence, no comma is needed: Example: John will have no time to study unless he cancels his date. There are three types of conditionals, which will be reviewed later on.
• Stop Sign: Conditionals The Conditionals Stop Sign is: if/unless Any Sentence Correction question in which one of these words appears should be checked for three common mistakes: 1. If or unless are followed by will or would 2. Was is used instead of were 3. Incorrect use of tenses within the conditional (the correct tenses for each of the three conditionals will be reviewed later on)  If/Unless condition, result Result if/unless condition
• Conditional 1 Conditional 1 sentences are: 1. They deal with future situations.2. The result is realistic or possible. If John asks for a raise, he will probably get one.John will probably get a raise if he asks for one.
• The structure of a Conditional 2 sentence is as follows: If/Unless condition in past simple tense,result in future past tense. Result in future past tense if/unless condition in past simple tense. The two main characteristics of Conditional 2 sentences are: 1. They deal with hypothetical present situations with conditions that are unlikely or even impossible to be met. 2. The result is unrealistic or impossible. The structure of a Conditional 2 sentence is as follows: If John had more time, he would exercise after work. John would exercise after work if he had more time.
• The third conditional The two main characteristics of Conditional 3 sentences are: 1. They deal with hypothetical situations from the past that did not occur. 2. The result is always unrealistic because the moment has passed or, in other words, "it's too late." If John had prepared for the GMAT better, he would have scored much higher. John would have scored much higher if he had prepared for the GMAT better. NOTE 1: In Conditional 3 sentences, if may be omitted. In such cases, the condition part will begin with the word had. NOTE 2: In Conditional 3 sentences, would can be replaced by could/should/may/might.
• Conditionals Conditional 1 Present (Simple, Progressive or Perfect) + Future If John skips breakfast,  he will be hungry. Conditional 2 Past Simple + Future Past If John owned a dog,  it would be a Labrador. Conditional 3 Past Perfect + Future Past Perfect If John had prepared for the GMAT better, he would have scored much higher.
• Stop Sign: If and no Conditional Although commonly added in spoken English, the words or not following the word whether are considered redundant on the GMAT: Example: Incorrect: Jane is not sure if John is cooking dinner tonight. Correct: Jane is not sure whether John is cooking dinner tonight. Incorrect: Jane is not sure whether John is making dinner tonight or not. Incorrect: Jane is not sure whether or not John is making dinner tonight. Correct: Jane is not sure whether John is making dinner tonight.
• Stop Sign: Modifier 4. Stop Sign A modifier, characterized by all of the following: 1. Verb+ing or Verb in 3rd form  2. Separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma 3. Appears at the very beginning of the sentence Whenever you see this Stop Sign, focus on the modifier: check whether the noun right after the modifier is indeed the noun that the modifier describes. If it doesn't - you found your mistake.
• Detail Questions Explain what is stated in the passage concerning a specific detail. Specific. Locate the detail in the passage, using the Initial Reading to point to the paragraph in which the detail is most likely to be found. Stated. You are asked to describe what is explicitly said in the passage concerning this detail. Beware of (a) answer choices containing details that appear elsewhere in the passage; (b) distortions of the detail (replacing hill with mountain, etc.). Look for (a) synonyms (replacing die with perish); (b) different word order, same meaning. Common phrasing: 1. Which of the following is mentioned in the passage (about...)?2. According to the passage...3. Which statement about... is supported by information in the passage?
• Stop Sign: one of the + plural noun + who/which/that When a relative clause modifies the combination one of the + plural noun, it should be followed by a plural verb, because it is the noun that is modified and not the word one. Incorrect: Microsoft is one of the companies that is affected by software piracy.Correct: Microsoft is one of the companies that are affected by software piracy. Stop Sign: one of the + plural noun + who/which/that
• Investigation Questions 1. Which of the following investigations is most likely to yield significant information that would help evaluate the researcher's hypothesis? 2. Which of the following, if it could be carried out, would be most useful in an evaluation of...   3. Which of the following would be most important to know in determining whether... 4. Which of the following would it be most useful to establish in order to evaluate the argument? =>  include the words investigation, evaluation, or useful.
• Reason conjunctions [Golden Retrievers, Labradors, and German Shepherds are popular as guide dogs,] for / because / since / as [they have been bred to cooperate with humans] Note that the preposition for can also be used as a reason conjunction.  Example: John does not travel by air because he fears flying. John does not travel by air for he fears flying.
• Idioms: "credited with" vs. "given credit for" Credited with = given credit for = [someone who is] recognized for an action or an achievement. Incorrect:  credited for;  given credit with
• A Split Construction A Split Construction is a sequence of two verbs (verb A and/or verb B) followed by a common object.  Examples: John loves and respects Jane.    John drinks or sips wine.  In the first example, Jane is the object of both the verb loves and the verb respects. In the second example, wine is the object of both the verb drinks and the verb sips. In Sentence Correction Preposition questions, the easiest questions contain a Split Construction in which the first verb requires a preposition after it and the second verb does not require a preposition. The mistake is that the required preposition is missing. Incorrect: John cares and loves Jane.  Correcting this mistake is done by adding the missing preposition after the first verb: Correct: John cares for and loves Jane
• A split construction: Verb A + and/or + Verb B + object Stop Sign: A split construction: Verb A + and/or + Verb B + object Whenever we see this Stop Sign in a Sentence Correction question, we make sure that the first verb requires a preposition, and if it indeed does, we eliminate answer choice (A) and all other answer choices in which the required preposition is missing.   That's all. You now know everything you need to know in order to solve 100% of Split Construction GMAT questions. Good luck!

back  |  next 2 / 2