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gmat idioms examples
http://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-idioms-comprehensive-gmat-idiom-lists-80342.html
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| able to <ability to> | No one has been able to prove that the person who wrote Shakespeare's plays was named Shakespeare. |
| Account for: | We had to account for all the missing money. |
| 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. |
| at least as..............as | The Eiffel Tower is at least as tall as the Statue of Liberty. |
| attribute to | The poor first quarter results are attributed to the restructuring. |
| a lot | |
| a debate over | |
| 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. |
| 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. " |
| Both.....and... | He is both an artist and a rogue. |
| 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. |
| connection between | I saw little connection between her words and her deeds. |
| consequence of | One consequence of the Supreme Court decision was increased public distrust in the judicial system |
| contend that | He contends that the GMAT has a cultural bias. |
| consider + noun | How important do you consider the test? Consider as is incorrect |
| 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. " |
| credit with | James Joyce is often credited with the invention of the literary form called stream of consciousness. |
| decide to | We decided to continue. |
| decide on | We decided on the new format. |
| define as | My dictionary defines a clause as group of words containing a subject and verb. |
| 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. |
| dispute over | This idiom applies only when dispute is used as a noun 2. The dispute over how to read the punch cards was never properly resolved. |
| 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. |
| 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 " |
| Either....or... | Today I will either look for a job or watch the Boston marathon on TV. |
| .-er than | Winston Churchill was a better dancer than Neville Chamberlain ever was. |
| extent to which | You should appreciate the extent to which the same idioms repeatedly appear on the GMAT. |
| estimate to be | "The oldest cave paintings known to exist are estimated to be over 50,000 years old." |
| flee from | The convict fled from the country. |
| forbid to | I was forbidden to discuss politics at the dinner table |
| From...to... | "From the Redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me." |
| 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. " |
| help + noun + to | Their direct business model helped them to grow rapidly. |
| 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. |
| in danger of | Conservationists fear that the West Indian manatee is in danger of becoming extinct |
| just as....so too | "Just as sand flows through an hourglass, so too flow the days of our lives" |
| 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 |
| 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. |
| 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.....but<rather. Merely>..... | It's not a bother but rather an honor to serve you. |
| not only...but also | "Stanford not only has the highest GMAT average, but also the highest GPA. " |
| not so....as | It's not so bad as it seems |
| .not so much......as | The company's recent success is due not so much to better management as to an improved economy |
| number | "Also note that on the GMAT “the number of"" will always be singular, while ""a number of will"" always be plural." The number of stars in our galaxy is huge A number of guests are waiting in the foyer |
| Odds with | |
| opposition to | There has been far less opposition in the United States than in Europe to the use of genetically modified foods. |
| perceive as | I didn't mean for my comments to be perceived as criticism. |
| 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. " |
| 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. |
| resistance to | Stress can lower one's resistance to cold and flu viruses |
| responsible for | The manager is responsible for seven entry level employees. |
| retroactive to | The tax policy change is retroactive to last year. |
| same as | I got the same score as he did. |
| save for | "Save for William, no one else passed the exam. " |
| save from | Many people use business school to save them from dull jobs. |
| seem to | He seemed to be at a loss for words |
| 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. |
| superior to | Superman's powers are clearly superior to those of Batman. |
| target at | I sometimes suspect that beer ads are targeted at morons |
| tie to | The contract should be tied to concessions. |
| to sacrifice X for Y | |
| to contrast X with Y | |
| the same to X as to Y | |
| the -er.....the-er | "The bigger they come,the harder they fall,or so I have heard." |
| transmit to | The communications system will transmit to anyone within range. |
| try to | Try to write a short story based on your travel experiences |
| 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. " |
| .use as | "Lacking cooking implements, we used one of the car's hubcaps as a makeshift pan. " |