Created by Nishant Jain
about 7 years ago
|
||
Question | Answer |
Phrase AND Clause | Phrase - It is a collection of words that make some sense, but not complete sense. May contain S or V but not both. Clause - A group of words that contains both a subject & a predicate but which may NOT be able to stand on its own. It is a smallest grammatical unit that can express a complete idea. Predicate - Refer to what a person or a thing does or did or what happened to a person or a thing. |
Sentence Fragment | A sentence that does not have one or more of the necessary components of a sentence such as the subject and the main action verb. It cannot stand on its own. |
Run-On Sentence AND Comma Splice | Run-On Sentence: It connects >= 2 ICs without proper connectors (commas, semi-colons and/or conjunctions) Comma Splice: Type of run-on sentence in which 2 ICs are incorrectly connected by a comma. Either part can stand by itself. "Instead" cannot replace a conjunction or (;). Ex. During the past decade, the labor market in France has not been operating according to free market principles, INSTEAD it has been functioning in a stifled manner as a result of various government regulations that restrict the hiring and firing of workers. |
Verbals 1. Gerunds 2. Participles 3. Infinitives | 1. GERUND ends in -ing Functions as a NOUN 2. PARTICIPLE Functions as an ADJECTIVES. i. Present Participle Expresses 'what a thing does' Usually, ends in -ing ii. Past Participle Expresses 'what was done to a thing' Usually, ends in -ed, -en, -d, -t, or -n 3. INFINITIVE {to + verb} form Functions as a NOUN, ADJECTIVE or ADVERB |
S-V AGREEMENT (Subject Obfuscation) 1. Each / Every | Each / Every ALWAYS requires a SINGULAR verb |
S-V AGREEMENT (Subject Obfuscation) 2. Either.....or.....Y / Neither.....or.....Y | i. Both S - singular --> V - singular ii. Both S - plural --> V - plural iii. One S singular & other plural --> V agrees with closest S |
S-V AGREEMENT (Subject Obfuscation) 3. The number / A number of | The number --> Singular verb A number of --> Plural verb |
S-V AGREEMENT (Subject Obfuscation) 4. Countable / Uncountable Noun | Countable Noun --> Plural Verb Uncountable Noun --> Singular Verb |
S-V AGREEMENT (Subject Obfuscation) 5. Collective & Plural Nouns | Collective Noun --> Singular Verb Plural Noun --> Plural Verb |
S-V AGREEMENT (Additive Phrases) along with in addition to as well as accompanied by together with including and, etc. | Except 'and', all other additive phrases keep the subject singular. Hence, the verb should also be singular. |
S-V AGREEMENT One of Structure | |
Relative Pronouns | |
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS (IP) - 1 of n (Singular IP) WHATEVER SOMETHING each every everyone anyone someone no one nobody anybody whoever | Singular IP --> Singular Verb |
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS (IP) - 2 of n (Plural IP) Both Few | Plural IP --> Plural Verb |
INDEFINITE PRONOUNS (IP) - n of n (Exceptions) MANAS | Most, Any, None, All, and Some MANAS may be singular or plural depending on what they refer to. Examine the "of" phrase following the pronoun to determine whether the pronoun is singular or plural. |
it vs. so | Example: Alex has tried to fix the error several times but so far he has failed to do IT. The pronoun 'it' cannot refer to the act of 'failing to fix the error'. Hence, 'SO' is required. |
Modal Verbs | Could - Possibility, Suggestions Should - Strong suggestions, Instructions Must - Obligations Will - Future Certainty Would - Hypothetical Situation Might - Mild Probability |
Subjunctive Mood | Used to express uncertainty or wishful thinking. Always use 'WERE' and 'WOULD', irrespective of the subject / tense. Examples: i. If I WERE rich, I WOULD institute a scholarship at my alma mater. ii. If the restaurant WERE TO LIMIT its membership, it WOULD have to raise its membership fees. |
Command Subjunctive | Used to express a command for another person / entity to take a specific action. STRUCTURE: i. subject + command verb (any tense) + that + subject + verb in SIMPLE form ii. it + be (any tense) + command adjective + that + subject + verb in SIMPLE tense (infinitive form of the verb but WITHOUT "to") Ex. He demanded that the door be opened. https://gmatclub.com/forum/subjunctive-and-use-of-that-with-simple-verb-form-79606.html |
Possessive Pronouns - Possessive Nouns | Only possessive pronouns can be used to refer to possessive nouns |
TENSES Using Simple Future from PoV of the past | When the future is indicated from the point of view of the past, the simple future is not used. Instead, conditional is required. Ex. "The man said that he would buy a new car" is preferable to, "The man said that he will buy a new car." |
USAGE OF "THAT" "The man said that he would buy a new car and that he would drive it everywhere" OR "The man said that he would buy a new car and he would drive it everywhere." | 1st is preferable. Here, the pronoun "he" begins a new clause and thus requires repetition of "that" in order to make clear, using parallel structure, that this new clause is still something that the man said. |
COUNTABLE vs. UNCOUNTABLE - 1 of n Less, Much, Amount vs. Few / Fewer, Many, Number | LESS --> For uncountable --> Singular FEW / FEWER --> For countable --> Plural Exception: LESS can refer to plural --> When collection of single entity (time, money, distance) |
COUNTABLE vs. UNCOUNTABLE - 2 of n Uncountable | |
COUNTABLE vs. UNCOUNTABLE - n of n Both Countable & Uncountable | |
COMMAND SUBJUNCTIVE Trigger? | Watch out for the verbs that trigger the subjunctive mood. |
PRONOUN ANTECEDENT Proximity Rule: The pronoun should refer to the closest eligible antecedent. | According to a principle stated in Manhattan SC guide the pronoun should refer to the closest eligible antecedent. Nonetheless, the guide also makes it clear that this principle is "not absolute". Ex. A professor at the university has taken a sabbatical to research [/u] the books James Baldwin wrote while he lived in France [/u]. |
PARALLELISM - 1 of n Parallelism isn't just about are those elements / are those parts of speech parallel to one another (it is a prerequisite). They should also make sense (meaning wise) w.r.t. the stem. NEVER rely on 'sound right'. | Parallelism isn't just about are those elements / are those parts of speech parallel to one another (it is a prerequisite). They should also make sense (meaning wise) w.r.t. the stem. NEVER rely on 'sound right'. |
PARALLELISM - 2 of n Approach? | 1. Find the trigger 2. Find the list 3. Find the stem 4. Make sure individually the meaning makes sense |
PARALLELISM - 3 of n In compound sentences, which use connectors such as and, or, but, etc., if the subject of the 1st part is also the subject of the 2nd part, then we can omit the subject in the 2nd part | Ex. The normative model of strategic decision-making suggests that executives examine a firm’s external environment and internal [/u] conditions and, using the set of objective criteria derived from these analyses, decide [/u] on a strategy. |
so that vs. in that | These phrases modify some kind of action. Ex. He went to the store so that he could find Amy It was a bad move in that it resulted in him getting dumped by Amy. IN THAT The function of the clause following “in that” is to describe the “how” of the preceding clause. |
USAGE OF 'BEING' | It should be generally used to convey the 'state of existence'. Other example: BEING heavily committed to a course of action, especially one that has worked well in the past, is likely to make an executive miss signs of incipient trouble or misinterpret them when they do appear. Here, “Being” is used as a noun that has the correct verb. |
ELLIPSIS Whenever we combine 2 sentences, whatever is common we don’t repeat. | EXAMPLE 1 i. 1st sentence --> Yadav was interested in railways. ii. 2nd sentence --> Yadav was not very knowledgeable about railways. Yadav was interested in but not very knowledgeable about railways. EXAMPLE 2 Traffic safety officials predict that drivers will be [\u] as likely to exceed the proposed speed limit as they are [\u] the current one.. Here, words “likely to exceed” are elided. |
Auxiliary Verbs - 1 of n | may, can, will, might, could, should, would, etc. - don't change for number do/does, has/have - do reflect changes for number |
Auxiliary Verbs - n of n When a verb has an auxiliary verb, a helping verb, in front of it? | When a verb has an auxiliary verb, a helping verb, in front of it, the verb appears in the "infinitive form" (i.e. the dictionary form) for the present tense (and infinitive form or participle form for other tenses), and the auxiliary verb reflects the "number" of the verb (singular or plural). When there's a series of two or more auxiliary verbs, only the first in the series reflects the number of the verb, and the others follow fixed forms. Ex. Biologists working in Spain say that their discovery MAY not only broaden the search for life but also SHOW that a number of forms of microscopic life can adapt to conditions that scientists have long thought hostile to all but the hardiest bacteria. Notice 'show' instead of 'shows' |
PARALLELISM - n of n if a special noun form exists, use it. If not, use the -ing form. | The cottontail rabbit population in Orange County, California, has increased unchecked in recent [/u] years as a result of the REMOVAL [/u] OF the native fox population and the CLEARING OF surrounding woodlands. Ref. https://www.manhattanprep.com/gmat/forums/the-cottontail-rabbit-population-in-orange-county-t3012.html |
USAGE OF COMMA (in a list) Before or After the coordinating conjunction (and, or, not) | BEFORE Ex. My mother asked me to select a snare drum from a collection made of maple, birch, poplar and cedar and mahogany. OR My mother asked me to select a snare drum from a collection made of maple, birch, poplar and cedar, and mahogany. 2nd is clearer. |
S-V The 'to verb' phrase is NEVER a verb. In other words, any verb preceded by 'to' is NEVER the verb. | The 'to verb' phrase is NEVER a verb. In other words, any verb preceded by 'to' is NEVER the verb. (Source: Shraddha, e-GMAT) |
S-V A subject and its verb can NEVER be separated by a comma. | Ref. https://miqa.e-gmat.com/quiz/1032974/solution/all/1#collapseTwo |
S-V A subject CANNOT lie in a prepositional phrase. In other words, a subject can NEVER be preceded by a preposition. | Ex. The main discoveries of Michael Faraday, include the principles underlying electromagnetic induction, diamagnetism, and electrolysis. Here, Subject is 'main discoveries' not 'MF'. Ref. https://miqa.e-gmat.com/quiz/1032974/solution/all/3#collapseTwo |
PREPOSITIONS Prepositions are ALWAYS followed by a noun, and never a verb. | Ex. in the phrase "to increase", "to" is NOT a preposition. But in the phrase "to such a degree," "to" is a preposition. Ref. https://miqa.e-gmat.com/quiz/1033231/solution/all/1#collapseTwo |
Want to create your own Flashcards for free with GoConqr? Learn more.