Pattern 1: that parallelism
Example: Agree
that there is waste...and
that the government spends
Pattern 2: Donot seperate has and been with words in between, its wrong
Example: such
has the abundance of capital
been forcommercial real estate that
Pattern 3: Usage of "or" for subjectivity
Example:
damaged or slowed growth of forests subject is growth, damage or slower refer to growth
damaging or slowing the growth of forests damaging and slowing refer to forests growth
Pattern 4: While in is unidiomatic
Pattern 5: When something is ongoing try to use an ing form instead of past ones. (lack and becomes)
Example: are so lacking in math skills that it will be difficult to absorb them into a city economy becoming
Pattern 6: Annual and year cannot make in one sentence, it would be redundant. If you see annual, look for year and remove that choice.
Pattern 7: application of commercial fertilizer by earlier high-yielding varieties, this means that high yielding varieties applied commercial fertilizer 
Pattern 8: Economical vs Economic; Economical means pertaining to economy.
Pattern 9: Both X and Y is correct, Both X as well as Y is incorrect
Pattern 10: Using "and also" to link a noun and a past participle is Incorrect in GMAT
Example: He was a mystic and also guided in both public as well as private life
In this case mystic is noun and guided is past participle.
Pattern 11: Adverbial Clauses of Purpose
Adverb clauses of purpose answer the question
Why? This question is usually answered by a phrase or clause, rather than by a single-word adverb. In the following examples, the adverb phrases and clauses of purpose are underlined.
Adverb phrases and clauses of purpose usually occupy the end position of a clause, and follow any other adverbs, or adverb phrases or clauses.
I went to the store yesterday
to buy a coat.
In 1527 King Henry VIII sought to have his marriage to Queen Catherine annulled so that he could marry Anne Boleyn
Pattern 12: Negation of ideas can be taken off
Even their most ardent champions concede that no less than a technical or scientific breakthrough is necessary before solar cells can meet the goal of providing one percent of the nation's energy needs.A. that no less than a technical or scientific breakthrough is necessaryB. that nothing other than a technical or scientificbreakthrough is neededC. that a technical or scientific breakthrough isnecessaryChoices A and B needlessly lengthen the statement by expressing the idea through negation: no less than and nothing other than could be dropped without loss of meaning
Pattern 13: "that is a pronoun" and you need to check its referrent clearly in a sentence.
Bluegrass musician Bill Monroe, whose repertory, views on musical collaboration, and vocal style were influential on generations of bluegrass artists, was also an inspiration to many musicians, that included Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music differed significantly from his own.In the above
that included Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia, whose music
In A, that included Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia improperly modifies many musicians
Subject-Verb-Patterns
Pattern 1
A rough equivalence between the area of colorado and the area over seen by
companies.
Since 1981, when the farm depression began, the number of acres overseen by
professional farm management companies has grown from 48 million to nearly 59
million, an area about the size of Colorado
Pattern 2
The phrase beginning with about must modify a noun such as area which is
logically equivalent to the number of acres given.
Incorrect : about the size of Colorado
Correct : an area about the size of Colorado
Pattern 3: Parallel with by
by visible equipment...by unobtrusive equipment
Pattern 4: Estimated at vs Estimated to be
Estimated to be is idiomatic not Estimated at.
Pattern 5: Women is plural
Never use was, when women is the subject
Pattern 6: rise" is singular
Incorrect: the rise suggest that
correct: the rise suggests that
Pattern 7: Into the coming months is wrong, In the coming months is correct
pattern 8: that appearing after but creates a subordinate clause where an
indepedent caluse is needed for the new subject, mixed performance
Incorrect : The rise in the Commerce Department's index of leading economic
indicators suggest that the economy should continue its expansion into the
coming months, but that the mixed performance of the index's individual
components indicates that economic growth will proceed at a more moderate pace
than in the first quarter of this year.
Correct: The rise in the Commerce Department's index of leading economic
indicators suggests that the economy will continue to expand in the coming
months, but the mixed performance of the index's individual components
indicates that economic growth will proceed at a more moderate pace than in the
first quarter of this year.
Pattern 9: Displays is plural.
Pattern 10: Enough to is better than Enough that
Incorrect: to affect X, induce Y
cORRECT: to affect X and [to] Induce Y (to optional)
Pattern 10: Because makes the clause subordinate rather than independent.
Pattern 11: Costs is plural; cost is singular.
Incorrect: The rising of costs
Correct: The rising cost
Incorrect: Widely Ranging
Correct: A wide range of
Pattern 12: DOnot use present perfect tense for ongoing actions.
have suggested and has signified.
Though the term "graphic design" may have suggested corporate brochure and
annualreport layout, it has signified a wide range of, from package designs and
company logotypes to signs, book jackets, computer graphics, and film titles
Correct:
Though the term "graphic design" may suggest laying out corporate brochures and
annual reports, it has come to signify a wide range of, from package designs
and company logotypes to signs, book jackets, computer graphics, and film
titles
Pattern 13:
Market is singular, uses a singular verb
Market that is bringing is correct
Market that bring is incorrect (Bring is plural)
Look for the tense of the sentence, an ongoing one needs an ing form
Out of America's fascination with all things antique have grown a market for
bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that are bringing back the chaise
lounge, the overstuffed sofa, and the claw-footed bathtub.
(incorrect)
things antique has grown a market for bygonestyles of furniture and fixtures
that is bringing (correct)
Pattern 14: Construction "One X for every 10 Y"
Incorrect: Every 10 pupils now have one micro computer
Correct: One microcomputer for every 10 pupils.
Pattern 15: X out of every Y
Incorrect: Out of every four, three own bicycles
Correct: Three out of every four automobile owners own a bicyle
Neanderthals had a vocal tract that resembled those of the apes and so were
probably without language, a shortcoming that may explain why they were
supplanted by our own species.
Pattern 16: "that" vs "as"
The relative pronoun that is used to introduce a clause "the
adventures..published" to make a relative clause modifying year. As is
incorrectly used as a relative clause
A letter by Mark Twain, written in the sameyear of publication as The
Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn, reveals that Twain provided financial assistance
to one of the first Black students at Yale Law School.
A letter by Mark Twain, written in the sameyear that The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finnwas published, reveals that Twain provided financial assistance
to one of the first Black students at Yale Law School.(correct)
Pattern 17:
Army is singular, no matter what, take off words, they their that point to
that.
Also, Supplies are gathered for an upcoming campaign
Not supplies are gathered in an upcoming campaign.
Incorrect: Although Napoleon's army entered Russia with far more supplies than
they had in their previous campaigns
Correct: Although Napoleon's army entered Russia with far more supplies than
for any previous campaign.
Pattern 18: Pattern of Patterns
Patterns is plural, pattern is singular.
Pattern 19:
Look for subject carefully, It comes later or before the argument. Example
The period when the great painted caves at Lascaux and Altamira were occupied
by Upper Paleolithic people has been established by carbon-14 dating, but what
is much more difficult to determine are the reason for their decoration
(Incorrect)
The period when the great painted caves at Lascaux and Altamira were occupied
by Upper Paleolithic people has been established by carbon-14 dating, but what
is much more difficult to determine is the reason for their decoration
(Correct)
look the verb is which points to reason not the caves.
Pattern 20: Cost vs Costs
Costs plural
Cost Singular (Please By-Heart or else I will get heart attack
Pattern 21:
X are believed to be the Y.
Quasars are believed to be the Cores of the galaxies.
are not to be expected shift the action to future.
The bank holds $3 billion in loans that are seriously delinquent or in such
trouble that payments are not to be expected to be paid when due.
The bank holds $3 billion in loans that are seriously delinquent or in such
trouble that it does not expect payments to be madewhen they are due.
Pattern 22
Compared with -compared to
Compared to: Comparing dissimilar items (Compare Reserve Bank to Automobile)
Compared with: Comparing similar items. (Compare shark with a fish)
VERB Patterns
Pattern 1
If a sentence describes a situation that continues into the present, then had been usage is incorrect
Example:
A recent study has found that within the past few years, many doctors had elected early retirement rather than face the threats of lawsuits and the rising costs of malpractice insurance.
A recent study has found that within the past few years, many doctors have elected to retire early rather than face the threats of lawsuits and the rising costs of malpractice insurance.
Pattern 2:
Alternatives presented in the expressions X rather than Y, and X instead of Y should be parallel in form
Had Elected Early Retirement instead of facing ; Had elected early retirement rather than facing
The above two sentences donot form a parallel. since X and Y donot match.
have elected to retire early rather than face would be correct sentence that match X and Y
Pattern 3: Check for passive voice constructions in the main question. Hints to Passive voice are the usage of "by"
In astronomy the term "red shift" denotes the extent to which light from a distant galaxy has been shifted toward the red, or long-wave, end of the light spectrum by the rapid motion of the galaxy away from the Earth
In the above sentence the usage of "by" --"by the rapid motion", indicates it is a passive voice, hence has+{be} +past+participle
so has been shifted is correct. Wrong answer would look like this.
to which light from a distant galaxy has shifted
Pattern 4: Sentence Fragment
Often visible as smog,ozone, formed in the atmosphere when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, two major pollutants emitted by automobiles, react with sunlight.
ozone, formed in the atmosphere when is a sentence fragment.
Often visible as smog, ozone is formed in the atmosphere when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, two major pollutants emitted by automobiles, react with sunlight.
we need is to form a good sentence.
Pattern 5: Adverb such as twice cannot act as an object of the preposition by.
The number of undergraduate degrees in engineering awarded by colleges and universities in the United States increased by more than twice from 1978 to 1985 .
Increased by more than twice (Incorrect)
more than doubled is correct
Also,
Increased more than two times, means, that the increase has happened on two distinct ocassions.
Was more than doubled, means , that some unnamed agent increased the number of degrees.
Pattern 6: If X happens Y will happen.
Pattern 7:
Salt deposits and moisture threaten to destroy the Mohenjo-Daro excavation in Pakistan, the site of an ancient civilization that flourished at the same time as the civilizations in the Nile delta and the river valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Use the simple past tense flourished to describe civilizations existing simulataneously in the past. Usage of past perfect tense would be wrong here, since both the civilizations are existing parallely at the same time
Pattern 8:
Depends on whether (Correct)
Depends on if (Incorrect)
WHETHER is preferable in presenting the situation as possible rather than conditional or hypothetical.
Pattern 9:
The clause beginning Since 1986 indicates that the practice described in the second clause continued for some period of time
after it began. a present perfect tense is needed. Please make sure that the second clause is continued. Dont generalize that
when since is used you need a present perfect.
Pattern 10:
Allow...to be based on (Correct)
In a less X ...In a more Y
Ex: in a less regulated jurisdiction to be transferred to a branch in a more regulated one.
Pattern 11:
Based on how the funds they manage perform (Incorrect)
Based on the performance of the funds they manage (Correct)
Pattern 12:
The Investment officers' fees.....they manage(Incorrect)
Fees of investment officers........they manage (Correct)
In the former one they has no referrent, since possessive officers' modifies fees. So subject was fees there not officers.
In the second one it is clear that investment officers is modified by they.
Pattern 13:
So many...that (Incorrect)
As Many ...as (Better)
Pattern 14:
When we are talking about a particular time in past, Past perfect is not needed
Never before had taxpayers confronted so many changes at once as they had in the Tax Reform Act of 1986. (I.C)
In this sentence we are talking about a particular time in past. So we donot need past perfect had there.
as many changes at once as they confronted in(C)
Pattern: 15
Prepositional Phrase containing this participle(with...it) is unidiomatic.
Except for a concert performance with thecomposer himself staging it (I.C)
Except for a concert performance that the composer himself staged (C)
Pattern : 16
"After when" is unidiomatic
One word or the other can be used to establish temporal sequence, but not both together.
Black support for Democrats at the state and local levels developed only after when civil rights legislation was supported by
Harry Truman (I.C)
Black support for Democrats at the state and local levels developed only after Harry Truman's supportof civil rights
legislation
Pattern 17:
Mandate that X be balanced.
Pattern 18:
Between X and Y
pATTERN 19:
Adjective should appear infront of its noun . It shouldnt be after.
Apparent connection (Correct)
connection apparent or connection that is apparent. (Incorrect)
Pattern 20:
Sentences starting with "if", make sure the rules are applied
Pattern 21:
Gerund vs Infinitive(ing vs to+)
Use an infinitive when the action is not completed yet and abstract.
Use a Gerund when the action is completed.
Pattern 22:
company’s earnings.........or their divisions.
companies’ earnings ......or their divisions.
Their plural, needed a plural possessive pronoun (Companies' earnings)
Pattern 23:
timber wolf density (The wolves are not dense) their population is dense.
Pattern 24
As measured by the Commerce Department, corporate profits peaked in the fourth quarter of 1988 and have slipped since then,
as many companies have been unable to pass on higher costs
look at the word since then, it means present perfect, something still happening. So have slipped is right usage.
peaked....have slipped...since then
and slipped since then, many companiesbeing unable to pass on higher costs(Incorrect)
Pattern 25:
It is possible that Native Americans originally have migrated to the Western Hemisphere over a bridge of land that once
existed between Siberiaand Alaska.
here have migrated is wrong, since it resembles present perfect, something which is still happening, since its the past, we
need just migrated.
migrated to the Western Hemisphere over a bridge of land that once existed between Siberiaand Alaska.
Pattern 26:
Usage of Past Perfect
After the Civil War, contemporaries of Harriet Tubman's maintained that she has all of the qualities of a great leader:
coolness in the face of danger, an excellent sense of strategy, and an ability to plan in minute detail.
Tubman maintained that she had (Correct)
Pattern 27:
If the period of time covered began and ended in the past, the verb should be in the simple past tense.
From 1982 to 1987 sales of new small boats increased between five and ten percent annually.
Pattern 28:
Require that X be Y.
Pattern 29:
The idea of purpose can be expressed by "to see.... and to help"
Pattern 30:
Profits declined much less. not much fewer. its the decline, which is the verb, which is not countable.
Pattern 31: parallel construction that x and that y
Pattern 32: Use Would rather than will to refer to a promised but uncertain future event.
Pattern 33: ONE +OF+PLURAL NOUN +THAT/WHO +PLURAL VERB
I think I got the rule nailed out. Lets see. Shourya, Let me know if its correct, I got this from Sahil's Notes, I believe
ONE + OF + NOUN +THAT/WHO +PLURAL VERB.
In this the noun, is plural ALWAYS.
Dr. Mahesh is directing one of several clinical projects that seek funding
The exception to this rule is only,
She is the only one of those doctors sho makes house calls. (makes --singular)
Example:
With its abundance of noun inflections, Icelandic is one of several Germanic languages that
is compact when written but can lengthen considerably when translated into English.
(A) is compact when written but can lengthen considerably when translated into English
(B) are compact when they are written, but they can lengthen considerably when they are translated in English
(C) is compact when written but can lengthen considerably when being translated into English
(D) are compact when written but can lengthen considerably in English translation
1 . Make sure you check these three when you find a pronoun
1. Pronoun Antecedent
2. Pronoun Agreeement
3. Pronoun Case
Pronoun case, implies, that for personal, possessive form of pronoun the right pronoun is used
When a possessive noun is used a possessive pronoun is needed.
its and their are possessive forms of it and they subjective pronouns. Use its if the subject is a possessive pronoun.
Use their when the subject is possessive plural.
Janice and Me went to picnic together
Janice and I went to picnin together
here the subject is Janice and I so I is used instead of I, which is objective. Find the subject and see if the pronoun case of the subject is chosen.
Pattern 1
before there was australia, it was the antipodes
In this the it has no logical referrent, because the previous clauase describes a time when there was no australia
before australia was australia, it was the antipodes.
the land that now known as australia was once known as antipodes.
Pattern 2
Is better served by X than by Y
pattern 3:
these adapted spaces instead of by some of thebuildings actually designed for it
such adapted spaces than by some of the buildings actually designed for it
Such is preferable to these when for presenting examples or instances
Possessive poison
Pattern 4:
while inflation eased when it might have been expected for rise. (correct) its rise might have been expected
donot use its when the subject is in subjective, inflation, is subjective, if its inflation's then its is ok.
Pattern 5:
Whenever you think of demand, think of subjuntive. Immediately. demand that it bring
Pattern 6:
When a sentence ends with it, try to see the earlier sentence, dependent clause, maintains the proper referrent and agreement
A recording system was so secretly installed and operated in the Kennedy Oval Office that even Theodore C. Sorensen, the
White House counsel, did not know it existed.
So secret was a recording system installationand operation in the Kennedy Oval Office
(Incorrect)
Can is redundant. as in can potentially
who is used to refer to many people
many people who might once have died in childhood
many people that might at one time have died as children(Incorrect)
Presenters at the seminar, one of them who is blind
Presenters at the seminar, one of whom is blind
them is plural verb is singular, so wrong
Pattern 10
Although the term "psychopath" is popularly applied to an especially brutal criminal, in psychology it is someone who is
apparently incapable of feeling compassion or the pangs of conscience.
it is someone, here it refers to a psychopath which is not a person.
"it refers to someone who is " is correct.
Pattern 11
Ms. Chambers is among the forecasters who predict that the rate of addition to arable lands will drop while <it rises for
loss >(Incorrect)
The rate of loss rises
it refers to the rate of addition. THe idiom is "the rate of addition"...will drop while the rate of loss rises.
Pattern 12
not only c But it also B
not only c but also b
no meddling it between butt
Pattern 13
its numbers are now...greater than
its numbers are now...more than
there are more birds but not more numbers.
pATTERN 14:
decrease...to the lowest level(correct)
decrease...to a two year low level (incorrect)
to a two year low level is unclear in meaning
Pattern 15
The adverbial so that can modify verbs, ex: decreased, but not nouns(e.g., the decrease)
Pattern 1
The only way to salvage..... is to process
Pattern 2.
organism's trying to
organim's attempt to(c)
trying is used as an object to organism
Pattern 3.
the production of enzymes that are the organism's attempt to
the sentence uses the linking verb "are" to equate enzymes and attempt
Pattern 4.
the more the children use both Spanish and English, their intellectual advantage is greater in skills underlying reading ability and non verbal logic.
the more the children use both Spanish and English, the greater their intellectual advantage in skills underlying reading ability and non verbal logic (c)
the more X the greater y
Pattern 5.
skills that underlay (IC); skills underlaying (IC)
skills underlying
Pattern 6. the parallelism
not in...but in; --correct
not in..but X is incorrect
Pattern 7.
In metalwork one advantage of adhesive-bonding over spot-welding is that the contact, and hence the bonding, is effected continuously over a broad surface <instead of> a series of regularly spaced points with no bonding in between.
here we are paralleling "over" something to at a place. its the place but not the series or surface we need to compare.
<rather than at>
Pattern 8. Worried about is preferable when describing a condition rather than an action. Worried over would be incorrect in such situations.
Pattern9. nouns- parallelism
One legacy of Madison Avenue's recent campaign to appeal to people fifty years old and over is the realization that as a
to realize that when a person ages, his or her(Incorrect)
the realization that as people age, theirs
here legacy is the noun; so it needs realization not an infinitive
Pattern 10. idiomatic
x and y can be crucial
how x and how y can be crucial
It is well known in the supermarket industry that how items are placed on shelves and the frequency of inventory turnovers can be crucial to profits.
how frequently is the inventory turned overare often(IC)
how frequently the inventory turns over can be(C)
The first one reverses the subject verb order of the main sentence. is the inventory
Pattern11. passive voice parallelism
were aired...were moved..
Although early soap operas were first aired on evening radio in the 1920's, they had moved to the daytime hours of the 1930's when the evening schedule became crowded with comedians and variety shows.
were first aired on evening radio in the 1920's,they were moved to the daytime hours in the1930's
Pattern 12. Persuaded X to [do] Y
You need to find the exact location of sentence flow, for parallelism, this way you will understand whether it needs a participle or a gerund or a verb. Look at the below example
Joan of Arc, a young Frenchwoman who claimed to be divinely inspired, turned the tide of English victories in her country by liberating the city of Orleans and she persuaded Charles VII of France to claim his throne.
here i HAVE assumed that, the split in the sentence is from by liberating an hence I chose the below answer from the choices
persuading that the throne be claimed byCharles VII of France
instead of
persuaded Charles VII of France to claim histhrone
if you see again, the choice you chose inturnly has couple of errors, like passive voice, be claimed by charles 7. sO when a choice is made make sure it doesnt have any other errors, as Pearson keeps atleast 2 errors in a wrong choice. A wrong choice always smells more bad.
Pattern 13. Usage of that;
I assumed that when somebody said something, use that to tell more about it when its needed. For this example
Judge Bonham denied a motion <to allow members of the jury to go home at the end of each day instead of to confine them> to a hotel.
here look at denied a motion, I thought using that would intensify and eliminated choices which donot fall into it, this way the correct answer was eliminated. Always, when eliminating, you need to have a clear rule from OG or SC, for removing it, dont go with the assumed ones are feel good one's. Remember low score the result, of such. be responsible
京公网安备11010202008513号 京ICP证101109号 京ICP备12012021号
发表于 2007-3-24 20:57:00
N=1
