GMAT Toughies and learnings - Collection from web

Possessive Apostrophe

2009-08-22T15:08:00.001-07:00

I just replied to a post in BTG and so thought of putting the concept of possessive apostrophe here.

The sentence in contention was:

A survey by the National Council of Churches showed that in 1986 there were 20,736 female ministers, almost 9 percent of the nation's clergy, twice as much as 1977.

A. twice as much as 1977
B. twice as many as 1977
C. double what it was in 1977
D. double the figure for 1977
E. a number double that of 1977's

and the question was why option E is wrong.

You can read my post : http://www.beatthegmat.com/national-council-of-churches-t34863.html#183448

The apostrophe (’) is one of the most used and misused English punctuation marks. No one is ever quite sure where to put it. You can use it when things are left out (contractions), but it’s the possessiveness that causes the most trouble.

The apostrophe is all about making a statement of ownership. You belong to me. This belongs to that. In grammar speak, the apostrophe shows the possessive of nouns.

There are four ways to use the apostrophe to show ownership or belonging.

1. Add apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun that does not end in s:

the manager’s room

2. Add apostrophe s to the end of a singular noun, even if it ends in s (this practice may vary in some places):

Doris’s scarf

3. Add apostrophe s to the end of a plural noun that doesn’t end in s

the children’s bag

4. If the plural noun ends in s, just add the apostrophe

my friends’ car

Notice that possessive pronouns like yours, his, hers, ours, its and theirs are not followed by the apostrophe.

Finally, if you want to play around with it, Wikipedia has a list of four phrases illustrating how the apostrophe can literally change the meaning of sentences.

my sister’s friend’s investments (I have one sister and she has one friend.)

my sisters’ friends’ investments (I have many sisters and they have many friends.)

my sisters’ friend’s investments (I have many sisters and they have one friend.)

my sister’s friends’ investments (I have one sister and she has many friends.)

Source: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-possessive-apostrophe/

Hellllo Frens..

2009-08-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

Hi there..

As you must have noticed that I have already taken my exam and so I am not updating this blog anymore. But I am receiving quite a few requests on posting on this blog actively.

I would be more than glad to be of any help to anyone. I would request that if you could send me an email on a specific question or topic on dumb.doofus@gmail.com, then I shall definitely respond to it. If the concept is not already covered in this blog, then I'll post new material/concept for sure.

Sincerely wishing all the best for all of you.

Lucky.

When "being" is correct to use.. in GMATLand

2009-07-23T21:24:00.000-07:00

There are at least two different situations in which being is often the right answer.

Here is the first example of when being is correct:

When the grammar requires it.

Yes, I'm trying to simplify things here, but the idea is this--many ideas can be expressed in more than one way. For example, I can say:

I'm afraid of being late.

I'm afraid that I'll be late.

Each has its own emphasis, but the point is that these two structures exist.

Whether we can express ideas in one or more structures is really related to the word used; in other words, it is idiomatic.

But some idioms allow only one structure. For example:

In addition to being one of the first restaurants to combine Mediterranean and American tastes, Chez Panisse in Berkeley is also one of the Bay Area's most established restaurants.

The idiomatic structure in addition to does not have a counterpart that uses a subject and a verb, so our only option here is to use being, which is grammatically a noun, but is derived from a verb.

The second example of when being is correct is shown in this example:

There are many reasons to get an MBA, with increased career prospects being the most important for many MBA applicants.

Technically this part here:

with increased career prospects being the most important for many MBA applicants

is an absolute phrase, but I think it's also helpful just to memorize the pattern:

with + NOUN + being + NOUN COMPLEMENT

Simply a word or phrase that could logically and grammatically complete this pattern:

NOUN + LINKING VERB + NOUN COMPLEMENT

For example, we could have:

She is a friend.

so "friend" is a noun complement. In this case, we can see that a noun can be a noun complement.

Credit: Erin from Testmagic forum

Source: http://www.sentencecorrection.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=323

Ex: Some surveys on the use of graphics in business presentation indicate that proposals incorporating graphics stand a twenty percent better chance of being approved than proposals without graphics.

A. a twenty percent better chance of being approved than proposals
B. a twenty percent better chance of approval in comparison with those
C. a likelihood they will be approved twenty percent greater than those
D. a twenty percent greater likelihood of approval as compared to proposals
E. twenty percent more likelihood of being approved than do those

Ans A

Participle Modifier (w/ and w/o comma)

2009-07-18T14:37:00.000-07:00

If the comma is not there, the participial modifier must modify whatever noun directly precedes it. If the comma is there, then the participial modifier is taken to modify the preceding clause as a whole (or particularly the verb of that clause).

to wit:
tom received the court order [NO COMMA] restricting his movements outside the city --> the court order itself restricts tom's movements. we can infer that tom's movements are already restricted by the court order, regardless of whether he has received it.
tom received the court order, restricting his movements outside the city --> tom's movements were not restricted until he received the order.

by the way, the second of these sentences isn't that great: tom is the subject of that sentence, so the modifier implies that tom restricted his own movements by receiving the order. to convey the meaning more precisely, you'd say something like tom received the court order, thus activating orbringing into effect restrictions on...'

Ex: One of Ronald Reagan’s first acts as President was to rescind President Carter’s directivethat any chemical banned on medical grounds in the United States be prohibited from sale to other countries.

(A) that any chemical banned on medical grounds in the United States be prohibited from sale to other countries
(B) that any chemical be prohibited from sale to other countries that was banned on medical grounds in the United States
(C) prohibiting the sale to other countries of any chemical banned on medical grounds in the United States
(D) prohibiting that any chemical banned on medical grounds in the United States is sold to other countries
(E) that any chemical banned in the United States on medical grounds is prohibited from being sold to other countries

Ans C

Credit: Ron Purewal, MGMAT instructor

Though vs Although vs Even Though

2009-07-12T09:54:00.001-07:00

Though, although and even though are used to show a contrast between two clauses:

Our new neighbours are quite nice (this is good) though their two dogs bark all day long. (this isn’t good)

We can use though or although with no difference in meaning. But, some differences are:

Though is more common than although in conversation or writing.

Though (but not although) can come at the end of a sentence:

My new bike is really fast. I don’t like the colour, though.

Though (but not although) can be used as an adverb:

I’m not good at maths but I can help you with your geography, though, if you want.

The meaning of though is similar to however, but though is much more common than however in conversation.

Even though can be used to make the contrast between two clauses stronger:

Dad got back from work really late, even though he had promised to take mum to the cinema.

Source: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-definitions-conjunctions.htm#though

Because vs As vs Since

2009-07-12T09:50:00.001-07:00

Because, as and since are used to answer the question: ‘Why?’. They join two clauses in the same sentence:

Joe resigned because he wanted to spend more time with his family.

AND because, as and since show the relationship between the ideas in two clauses:

A: Why did you resign from such a well-paid job, Joe?

B: Because I wanted to spend more time with my family.

Because is more common than as and since when the ‘reason’ is the most important thing. The because-clause usually comes after the main clause:

I went to Cyprus for a holiday last October because I knew it would be warm and sunny every day I was there.

As and since are used when the reason is already well-known and/or less important. The as or since-clause often comes at the beginning of the sentence and is separated from the main clause by a comma:

As my family had finished dinner when I got home, I went to this really good burger bar.

( I’m telling you about the burger bar. It’s not so important ‘why’ I went there).

Since it’s your birthday, I’ll make you breakfast in bed (I’m going to make you breakfast.

(I know, and you know, it’s your birthday)

Note! In conversation, so is often used instead of since and as. Theso-clause comes after the main clause.

My family had finished dinner when I got home, so I went to this really good burger bar.

Source: http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-definitions-conjunctions.htm#because

Ex: Prospecting for gold during the California gold rush was a relatively easy task, because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach for anybody with a pan or shovel.

A. because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach for
B. because of erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, and putting gold literally within reach of
C. owing to erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that had thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, and putting gold literally within reach of
D. since erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and volcanic activity that thrust ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds to the surface, putting gold literally within reach for
E. since erosion, prehistoric glacier movement, and ancient, gold-bearing riverbeds thrust to the surface by volcanic activity put gold literally within reach of

Ans E

Misplaced, Dangling and Squinted Modifiers

2009-07-12T09:27:00.000-07:00

Modifiers are just what they sound like—words or phrases that modify something else. Misplaced modifiers are modifiers that modify something you didn't intend them to modify. For example, the word onlyis a modifier that's easy to misplace.

These two sentences mean different things:

I ate only vegetables.

I only ate vegetables.

The first sentence (I ate only vegetables) means that I ate nothing but vegetables—no fruit, no meat, just vegetables.

The second sentence (I only ate vegetables) means that all I did with vegetables was eat them. I didn't plant, harvest, wash, or cook them. I only ate them.

It's easiest to get modifiers right when you keep them as close as possible to the thing they are modifying. When you're working with one-word modifiers, for example, they usually go right before the word they modify.

Here's another example of two sentences with very different meanings:

I almost failed every art class I took.

I failed almost every art class I took.

The first sentence (I almost failed every art class I took) means that although it was close, I passed all those classes.

The second sentence (I failed almost every art class I took) means that I passed only a few art classes.

Note again that the modifier, almost, acts on what directly follows it—almost failed versus almost every class. In either case, I'm probably not going to make a living as a painter, but these two sentences mean different things.

A similar rule applies when you have a short phrase at the beginning of a sentence: whatever the phrase refers to should immediately follow the comma. Here's an example:

Rolling down the hill, Squiggly was frightened that the rocks would land on the campsite.

In that sentence, it's Squiggly, not the rocks, rolling down the hill because the word Squiggly is what comes immediately after the modifying phrase, rolling down the hill.

To fix that sentence, I could write, “Rolling down the hill, the rocks threatened the campsite and frightened Squiggly.” Or I could write, “Squiggly was frightened that the rocks, which were rolling down the hill, would land on the campsite.”

Here's another funny sentence:

Covered in wildflowers, Aardvark pondered the hillside's beauty.

In that sentence, Aardvark—not the hillside—is covered with wildflowers because the word Aardvark is what comes directly after the modifying phrase, covered in wildflowers.

If I want Aardvark to ponder a wildflower-covered hillside, I need to write something like, “Covered in wildflowers, the hillside struck Aardvark with its beauty.”

Here, the words the hillside immediately follow the modifying phrase,covered in wildflowers.

Or better yet, I could write, “Aardvark pondered the beauty of the wildflowers that covered the hillside.”

Modifiers are so funny! In addition to misplacing them, you can dangle them and make them squint!

A dangling modifier describes something that isn't even in your sentence. Usually you are implying the subject and taking for granted that your reader will know what you mean—not a good strategy. Here's an example:

Hiking the trail, the birds chirped loudly.

The way the sentence is written, the birds are hiking the trail because they are the only subject present in the sentence. If that's not what you mean, you need to rewrite the sentence to something like, “Hiking the trail, Squiggly and Aardvark heard birds chirping loudly.”

And how do you make a modifier squint? By placing it between two things that it could reasonably modify, meaning the reader has no idea which one to choose.

For example:

Children who laugh rarely are shy.

As written, that sentence could mean two different things: children who rarely laugh are shy, or children who laugh are rarely shy.

In the original sentence (Children who laugh rarely are shy) the wordrarely is squinting between the words laugh and are shy. These are called squinting modifiers (or sometimes they are also called two-way modifiers).

Source: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/misplaced-modifiers.aspx

When to use "that"

2009-07-11T22:59:00.001-07:00

After a verb of attribution (said, stated, announced, disclosed), the word “that” often can be omitted with no loss of meaning:

He said (that) he was tired. No need for "that." Better to omit.

But if the words that follow “said” (or any verb of attribution) might be mistaken as objects of the verb, omitting “that” might lead the reader down a false trail:

The governor announced his new tax plan would be introduced soon.

Here “that” is needed after "announced. Without it, the reader's first impression is that the plan itself has been put forth. Remember that even momentary confusion provides readers with a handy place to stop — and that's not good. A reader should never have to pause to understand what the writer (or speaker) is trying to convey. If that happens too often (and once may be once too often), a reader stops reading.

Time element: When a time element is linked to the verb of attribution, the conjunction “that” must be used. For example:

The mayor announced June1 the fund would be exhausted.

The reader needs to know if the time applies to the material that precedes or follows it. Did he make the announcement June1? (“...announced June 1 that...”) Or did he say the fund then would be exhausted? (“...announced that June 1...”) In either case, the need for “that” should be obvious. The need remains when the time element is not a date but a day of the week (Monday, Tuesday, today, yesterday, etc.).

“Thats” that travel in pairs

Often a sentence with two parallel clauses requires the expression “and that” to introduce the second clause and link it to the antecedent common to both clauses:

The senator said he might run again and, if he did, Myra Henry would be his campaign manager.

A “that” is needed after “and” to make it clear for the reader. Therefore, a “that” must be inserted after “said” because of a rule called parallelism — if you've got one “that” referring to the same antecedent, you need another. The “that” after “said” is required even though none would be required had the sentence ended after “again.”

The senator said that he might run again and that, if he did, Myra Henry would be his campaign manager.

So, just remember. If you need one “that” for clarity, make sure you put in another “that” in any compound sentence.

To use “that” or not to use “that”? That is the question.

The decisio nto use or omit “that” is not always a simple one. Sometimes it's a judgment call. But don't let your desire to lop off unnecessary words lead you into bad judgment.
As a rule of thumb in questionable cases, remember: Using “that” is never really wrong, though it may be unnecessary; omitting “that” in some cases indeed may be wrong.

Source: http://web.ku.edu/~edit/that.html

Using the past perfect

2009-07-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

The past perfect is used to show you which of two events happened first. Imagine that two things happened in the past:

I went to see the movie.

We discussed the movie in class.

Here, we don't know which order the events happened in. That may be important -- perhaps I went to see the movie after the discussion, or maybe I saw the movie before the discussion. There are many ways to make this sequence clear, and the past perfect is one of them. This is how we do it:

I went to see the movie. We had discussed it in class.

Here, we KNOW that the discussion took place FIRST -- even though the sentence describing it comes afterwards. We discussed the movie, and THEN I went to see it. This can be very useful when you are telling a story or relating a sequence of events. At any point in your story, you can jump BACK to a previous event, and your reader will not be confused, because the past perfect will make it clear that the event happened previously. Here is another example:

I wanted to live in a foreign country, so I applied for a job in Japan. Judy lived in Japan, so I called her to find out more about the culture and lifestyle there.

(Judy was probably still living in Japan when I called her.)

I wanted to live in a foreign country, so I applied for a job in Japan. Judy had lived in Japan, so I called her to find out more about the culture and lifestyle there.

(Judy no longer lived in Japan -- she returned from there before I applied for the job.)

Source: http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/StudyZone/410/grammar/pastpf.htm

USE 1 Completed Action Before Something in the Past

The Past Perfect expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past.

Examples:

I had never seen such a beautiful beach before I went to Kauai.
I did not have any money because I had lost my wallet.
Tony knew Istanbul so well because he had visited the city several times.
Had Susan ever studied Thai before she moved to Thailand?
She only understood the movie because she had read the book.
Kristine had never been to an opera before last night.
We were not able to get a hotel room because we had not booked in advance.
A: Had you ever visited the U.S. before your trip in 2006?
B: Yes, I had been to the U.S. once before.

USE 2 Duration Before Something in the Past (Non-Continuous Verbs)

With Non-Continuous Verbs and some non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, we use the Past Perfect to show that something started in the past and continued up until another action in the past.

Examples:

We had had that car for ten years before it broke down.
By the time Alex finished his studies, he had been in London for over eight years.
They felt bad about selling the house because they had owned it for more than forty years.

Although the above use of Past Perfect is normally limited to Non-Continuous Verbs and non-continuous uses of Mixed Verbs, the words "live," "work," "teach," and "study" are sometimes used in this way even though they are NOT Non-Continuous Verbs.

IMPORTANT Specific Times with the Past Perfect

Unlike with the Present Perfect, it is possible to use specific time words or phrases with the Past Perfect. Although this is possible, it is usually not necessary.

Example:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

MOREOVER

If the Past Perfect action did occur at a specific time, the Simple Past can be used instead of the Past Perfect when "before" or "after" is used in the sentence. The words "before" and "after" actually tell you what happens first, so the Past Perfect is optional. For this reason, both sentences below are correct.

Examples:

She had visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.
She visited her Japanese relatives once in 1993 before she moved in with them in 1996.

HOWEVER

If the Past Perfect is not referring to an action at a specific time, Past Perfect is not optional. Compare the examples below. Here Past Perfect is referring to a lack of experience rather than an action at a specific time. For this reason, Simple Past cannot be used.

Examples:

She never saw a bear before she moved to Alaska. Not Correct
She had never seen a bear before she moved to Alaska. Correct

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You had previously studied English before you moved to New York.
Had you previously studied English before you moved to New York?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

George had repaired many cars before he received his mechanic's license. Active
Many cars had been repaired by George before he received his mechanic's license. Passive

Source: http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/pastperfect.html

Resumptive Modifiers

2009-07-09T18:45:00.000-07:00

By adding modifying phrases to the end of a sentence, a writer can take the reader in new, sometimes unexpected directions. A resumptive modifier picks up a word or phrase from a sentence that seems to be finished and then adds information and takes the reader into new territory of thought. Because resumptive modifiers are, by nature, repetitive, they tend also to add a sense of rhythm to a sentence.

Ex: The Swiss watchmakers' failure to capitalize on the invention of the digital timepiece was both astonishing and alarming — astonishing in that the Swiss had, since the beginnings of the industrial revolution in Europe, been among the first to capitalize on technical innovations, alarming in that a tremendous industrial potential had been lost to their chief competitors, the watchmakers of Japan.

Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/sentences.htm

1. Since the 1930's aircraft manufacturers have tried to build airplanes with frictionless wings, shaped so smoothly and perfectly that the air passing over them would not become turbulent.

(A) wings, shaped so smoothly and perfectly
(B) wings, wings so smooth and so perfectly shaped
(C) wings that are shaped so smooth and perfect
(D) wings, shaped in such a smooth and perfect manner
(E) wings, having been shaped smoothly and perfectly so

Ans B

2. In a crowded, acquisitive world, the disapperance of lifestyles such as those once followed by southern Africa's Bushmen and Australia's aborigines, requiring vast wild spaces and permitting little accumulation of goods, seem inevitably doomed.

(B) requiring vast wild spaces and permitting little accumulation of goods, seems to be inevitably doomed
(C) which require vast wild spaces and permit little accumulation of goods, seems to be inevitably doomed
(D) life-styles that require vast wild spaces and permit little accumulation of goods, seem inevitable
(E) life-styles requiring vast wild spaces and permitting little accumulation of goods, seems inevitable

Ans E

Inverse of an Argument

2009-07-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Source: http://regentsprep.org/regents/math/relcond/Linvers.htm

Converse of an Argument

2009-07-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Source: http://regentsprep.org/regents/math/relcond/Lconvers.htm

Contrapositive Arguments - Important

2009-07-08T22:34:00.000-07:00

The contrapositive of a conditional statement is formed bynegating both the hypothesis and the conclusion, and then interchangingthe resulting negations.
In other words, the contrapositive negates and switches the parts of the sentence. It does BOTH the jobs of the INVERSE and the CONVERSE.

Example:

Conditional:
"If 9 is an odd number, then 9 is divisible by 2."
(true) (false)

Contrapositive:
"If 9 is not divisible by 2, then 9 is not an odd number."
(true) (false)

An important fact to remember about the contrapositive, is that it always has the SAME truth value as the original conditional statement.

**If the original statement is TRUE, the contrapositive is TRUE.
If the original statement is FALSE, the contrapositive is FALSE.
They are said to be logically equivalent.

		Conditional	Contrapositive

Source: http://regentsprep.org/regents/math/relcond/Lcontrap.htm

Example:

If A, then B.

If B, then C.

If C, then D.

If all of the statements above are true, which of the following must also be true?

(A) If D, then A.

(B) If not B, then not C.

(D) If D, then E.（C）

(E) If not A, then not D.

Ans: C

Totally Killer CRs

2009-07-08T00:07:00.000-07:00

1. http://www.beatthegmat.com/gmatprep-volume-of-cigarettes-and-sales-tax-t37931.html#167185

2. Odysseus answered well when the priests showed him a picture of those who had honored the gods and then escaped shipwreck, and asked him whether he did not now acknowledge the power of the gods—"Yes," he asked, "but where are those pictured who were drowned after their prayers?" And such is the way of all superstitions; wherein humans, having a delight in such vanities, mark the events where they are fulfilled, but where they fail, though this happens much oftener, neglect and pass them by.

Which one of the following contains the error of reasoning described by the author in the passage?

(A) I have discovered that Friday the 13th really is a day of misfortune. Just this past Friday, the 13th, I locked myself out of the house.

(B) Although Napoleon and Alexander the Great were short, Abraham Lincoln and Charles de Gaulle were tall. So short people seek leadership in order to overcome feelings of inferiority.

(C) Every semester for the past 15 years, an average of 10 percent of Ms. Elliot's history students have dropped her course before the exam. So, it seems likely that we can expect 10 percent to drop out this year.

(D) No reliable observer has ever actually seen a yeti. The strongest evidence seems to be some suspicious tracks. So I think this search for a yeti is probably a wild-goose chase.

(E) I cannot trust my lucky shirt any longer. I wore it to the game today and our team lost.

Ans: We know if A => B and not B => not A (contrapositive).

The logic in the stem -- if A leads to B, then B must lead to A.

If all the people survived have prayed, then praying must be sure to make you survive. This is logically WRONG. In fact, B (praying) may or may not lead to A (survive). It is the same with choice A. Friday the thirteen may or may not leads to unlucky events even if one unlucky event happened on Friday the thirteenth.

Source: http://gmatcriticalreasoning.blogspot.com/2007_02_01_archive.html

2. Press Secretary: Our critics claim that the President ' s recent highway project cancellations demonstrate a vindictive desire to punish legislative districts controlled by opposition parties. They offer as evidence the fact that 90 percent of the projects canceled were in such districts. But all of the canceled projects had been identified as wasteful in a report written by respected nonpartisan auditors. So the President ' s choice was clearly motivated by sound budgetary policy, not partisan politics.

Which of the following is an assumption on which the press secretary ' s argument depends?

A. Canceling highway projects was not the only way for the President to punish legislative districts controlled by opposition parties.
B. The scheduled highway projects identified as wasteful in the report were not mostly projects in districts controlled by the President ' s party.
C. The number of projects canceled was a significant proportion of all the highway projects that were to be undertaken by the government in the near future.
D. The highway projects canceled in districts controlled by the President ' s party were not generally more expensive than the projects canceled in districts controlled by opposition parties.
E. Reports by nonpartisan auditors are not generally regarded by the opposition parties as a source of objective assessments of government projects.

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/1-cr-question-what-do-you-think-is-the-answer-t7924.html

Killer SCs

2009-07-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

1. Trying to learn some of the basics of programming is the same as to tinker with a car when one is a teenager: some people end up going to engineering school, and others, twenty years later, remember nothing of the experience.
(A) the same as to tinker with a car when one is a teenager
(B) similar to a teenager tinkering with a car
(C) like tinkering with a car as a teenager
(D) the same as a teenager tinkering with a car
(E) like the teenager’s tinkering with a car

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/66basics-of-programming-t39982.html

2. The Western world’s love affair with chocolate is well-documented: few people have been known to have tasted it for the first time without requesting more.

(A) few people have been known to have tasted it
(B) few having been known to taste it
(C) it has been tasted by few people
(D) few people have been known to taste it
(E) few people having tasted it

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/63-western-world-s-love-affair-t39979.html

3. Rivaling the pyramids of Egypt or even the ancient cities of the Maya as an achievement, the army of terra-cotta warriors created to protect Qin Shi Huang, China’s first emperor, in his afterlife is more than 2,000 years old and took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them.

A. took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete them
B. took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete it
C. took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years to complete
D. 700,000 artisans took more than 36 years to complete
E. to complete them took 700,000 artisans more than 36 years

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/try-if-u-can-t40121.html

4. Minivans carry as many as seven passengers and, compared with most sport utility vehicles, cost less, get better gas mileage, allow passengers to get in and out more easily, and have a smoother ride.

A. Minivans carry as many as seven passengers and, compared with most sport utility vehicles, cost less,
B. Minivans, which carry as many as seven passengers, compared with most sport utility vehicles, they cost less,
C. Minivans carry as many as seven passengers, in comparison with most sport utility vehicles, and have a lower cost, they
D. Minivans, carrying as many as seven passengers, compared with most sport utility vehicles, cost less,
E. Minivans, which carry as many as seven passengers, compared with most sport utility vehicles the cost is lower, and they

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/comma-following-and-t39394.html

5. After the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate, life expectancy improved for children, but as late as the nineteenth century about one child in three died before reaching the age of six.

(A) After the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate, life expectancy improved for children, but
(B) Even though children’s life expectancy, which improved over the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate,
(C) Although life expectancy for children improved after the Colonial period, during which the mortality rate was 50 percent,
(D) While there was an improvement in life expectancy for children after the 50 percent mortality rate of the Colonial period, still
(E) Despite children’s life expectancy improvement from the Colonial period’s 50 percent mortality rate,

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/1000sc-68-t40248.html

6. The Olympic Games helped to keep peace among the pugnacious states of the Greek world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival’s month.
(A) world in that a sacred truce was proclaimed during the festival’s month
(B) world, proclaiming a sacred truce during the festival’s month
(C) world when they proclaimed a sacred truce for the festival month
(D) world, for a sacred truce was proclaimed during the month of the festival
(E) world by proclamation of a sacred truce that was for the month of the festival

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/olympic-games-t12944.html

7. The voluminous personal papers of Thomas Alva Edison reveal that his inventions typically sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly from previous works.
(A) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(B) sprang to life not in a flash of inspiration but were slowly evolved
(C) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but evolved slowly
(D) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but had slowly evolved
(E) did not spring to life in a flash of inspiration but they were slowly evolved

Ans: http://www.beatthegmat.com/62-voluminous-personal-papers-t39978.html

8. Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also caused erosion and very quickly deforested whole regions.

A. Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also

B. Not only did the systematic clearing of forests in the United States create farmland (especially in the Northeast), which gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but also

C. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States, creating farmland (especially in the Northeast) and giving consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but also

D. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States created farmland
(especially in the Northeast) and gave consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it also

E. The systematic clearing of forests in the United States not only created farmland (especially in the Northeast), giving consumers relatively inexpensive houses and furniture, but it

Ans: D

9. It may be another fifteen years before spacecraft from Earth again venture to Mars, a planet now known to be cold, dry, and probably lifeless.

(A) again venture to Mars, a planet now known to be

(B) venture to Mars again, a planet now known for being

(D) venture again to Mars, a planet that is known now to be

(E) will again venture to Mars, a planet known now as being

Ans. A http://www.beatthegmat.com/33-mars-t39946.html#168986

10.

Cooperative apartment houses have the peculiar distinction of being dwellings that must also operate as businesses.

(A) of being dwellings that must also operate as businesses

(B) of dwellings that must also operate like business

(D) that, as dwellings, they must also operate like businesses

(E) to be a dwelling that must also operate as a business

Ans A

11. One of Ronald Reagan’s first acts as President was to rescind President Carter’s directivethat any chemical banned on medical grounds in the United States be prohibited from sale to other countries.

http://www.beatthegmat.com/one-of-ronald-reagan-s-t40689.html

Distinguishing one thing out of many

2009-07-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

Jamieson's proposal was rejected for several reasons, the chief among which was cost.
(a) same
(b) among which the chief was its cost
(c) the main one was cost
(d) the chief reason of which was its cost
(e) the chief of which was cost

When you want to point out to one particular thing out of a group of things, use "of" to distinguish.

Ans E

Conjunctions

2009-07-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:

I ate the pizza and the pasta.

Call the movers when you are ready.

Co-ordinating Conjunctions

You use a co-ordinating conjunction ("and," "but," "or," "nor," "for," "so," or "yet") to join individual words, phrases, and independent clauses. Note that you can also use the conjunctions "but" and "for" as prepositions.

In the following sentences, each of the highlighted words is a co-ordinating conjunction:

Lilacs and violets are usually purple.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two nouns.

This movie is particularly interesting to feminist film theorists,for the screenplay was written by Mae West.

In this example, the co-ordinating conjunction "for" is used to link two independent clauses.

Daniel's uncle claimed that he spent most of his youth dancing on rooftops and swallowing goldfish.

Here the co-ordinating conjunction "and" links two participle phrases("dancing on rooftops" and "swallowing goldfish") which act as adverbsdescribing the verb "spends."

Subordinating Conjunctions

A subordinating conjunction introduces a dependent clause and indicates the nature of the relationship among the independent clause(s) and the dependent clause(s).

The most common subordinating conjunctions are "after," "although," "as," "because," "before," "how," "if," "once," "since," "than," "that," "though," "till," "until," "when," "where," "whether," and "while."

Each of the highlighted words in the following sentences is a subordinating conjunction:

After she had learned to drive, Alice felt more independent.

The subordinating conjunction "after" introduces the dependent clause "After she had learned to drive."

If the paperwork arrives on time, your cheque will be mailed on Tuesday.

Similarly, the subordinating conjunction "if" introduces the dependent clause "If the paperwork arrives on time."

Gerald had to begin his thesis over again when his computer crashed.

The subordinating conjunction "when" introduces the dependent clause "when his computer crashed."

Midwifery advocates argue that home births are safer becausethe mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs.

In this sentence, the dependent clause "because the mother and baby are exposed to fewer people and fewer germs" is introduced by the subordinating conjunction "because."

Correlative Conjunctions

Correlative conjunctions always appear in pairs -- you use them to link equivalent sentence elements. The most common correlative conjunctions are "both...and," "either...or," "neither...nor,", "not only...but also," "so...as," and "whether...or." (Technically correlative conjunctions consist simply of a co-ordinating conjunction linked to anadjective or adverb.)

The highlighted words in the following sentences are correlative conjunctions:

Both my grandfather and my father worked in the steel plant.

In this sentence, the correlative conjunction "both...and" is used to link the two noun phrases that act as the compound subject of the sentence: "my grandfather" and "my father".

Bring either a Jello salad or a potato scallop.

Here the correlative conjunction "either...or" links two noun phrases: "a Jello salad" and "a potato scallop."

Corinne is trying to decide whether to go to medical school orto go to law school.

Similarly, the correlative conjunction "whether ... or" links the twoinfinitive phrases "to go to medical school" and "to go to law school."

The explosion destroyed not only the school but also the neighbouring pub.

In this example the correlative conjunction "not only ... but also" links the two noun phrases ("the school" and "neighbouring pub") which act as direct objects.

Note: some words which appear as conjunctions can also appear as prepositions or as adverbs.

Source: http://www.uottawa.ca/academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar/conjunct.html

Ex: Despite no proof that the consumption of any particular foods reverse hardening of the arteries, studies indicate that refraining from eating certain foods could help reverse blockage of coronary arteries, the blood vessels that feed the heart.

(A) Despite no proof that the consumption of any particular foods reverse hardening of the arteries, studies indicate that refraining from eating certain foods could
(B) Despite no foods having been proved to reverse hardening of the arteries when consumed, studies indicate that refraining from eating certain foods can
(C) Although the consumption of no particular foods have been proved to reverse hardening of the arteries, studies indicate that to refrain from eating certain foods could
(D) Although not proved that the consumption of any foods reverse hardening of the arteries, studies indicate that refraining from eating certain foods can
(E) Although it has not been proved that the consumption of any particular food will reverse hardening of the arteries, studies indicate that refraining from eating certain foods can

Ans: E

Very important concept - Singular vs Plural construction

2009-07-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Minnesota is the only one of the contiguous forty-eight states that still has a sizable wolf population. and
where this predator remains the archenemy of cattle and sheep.
(A) that still has a sizable wolf population, and where
(B) that still has a sizable wolf population, where
(C) that still has a sizable population of wolves, and where
(D) where the population of wolves is still sizable;
(E) where there is still a sizable population of wolves and where

Ans E

Ron Purewal explained as follows the concept:

Ex 1: Punjab is the only one of the 33 contiguous states that still has a sizeable wheat production.

Ex 2: A higher interest rate is only one of the factors, albeit an important one, that keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control, like it did earlier in the decade.

Ron's Explanation: you're missing the crucial difference between these two examples - namely, the presence or absence of the word the. that makes all the difference.

remember, if you're going to consider a prepositional phrase disposable, then the sentence WITHOUT the prepositional phrase has to make sense. let's try that with the first one:
a higher interest rate is only one ... that keeps the housing market from spiraling out of control.
that doesn't make grammatical sense without the before 'only one'. therefore, we MUST consider all those words at the end to be part of the prepositional phrase starting with 'of the factors', so that 'factors' is the subject of the verb 'keep'.
now let's try it with the second one:
punjab is the only one ... that still has a sizable wheat production.
ok, that works - perfectly logical, even if we eliminate the prepositional phrase. therefore, 'only one' is the subject of 'has'.

so, as you can see, the presence/absence of 'the' makes all the difference in the world.

Stacey Koprince's Explanation for Ex 1: You're right - Punjab is the sole subject for "has" so it should be singular. "of the 33 continuous states" is a prepositional phrase, and prep. phrases generally don't contain the subject (there are some rare exceptions, but this isn't one of them).

Think logically about it too - are you saying they all have a sizeable wolf population? Nope, you're only saying that about Punjab. So the verb should match - singular. And that's the general rule for a sentence with this structure.

Jonathan Schneider's Explanation: I'll try to put this in the context of our SC strategy guide, namely the chapter on Modifiers. The prepositional phrase "of the 33 states" is a modifier - describing the word "one." But the relative cluase "that still ..." is ALSO a modifier - ALSO describing the word "one." Now, isn't the rule that noun modifiers have to touch the nouns they modify? In that sense, doesn't the clause beginning with "that" have to modify "states"? And if so, doesn't the verb have to be plural? The answer is NO. When we have multiple modifiers modifying the same noun, we obviously cannot put them all right next to the noun. As a result, we simply list the modifiers in order, and it is understood that they refer back to the same noun. Thus, in this case, the "that" clause connects back to the word "one." As a result, Stacey's explanation is correct: the prepositional phrase is just in the way. And Ron's explanation is also correct: the sentence would make sense without that prepositional phrase. This is because the "that" clause is modifying "one."

The second example (interest rates) is different: here, the "that" clause is modifying "factors," which is the object of the preposition. AKA, you've got a modifier modifying a modifier. The question is, as Ron says, about the meaning: what is each modifier meant to modify? I recommend that for practice you highlight the modifiers in a few SC sentences (in the right answers) to see when modifiers modify the core and when they modify other modifiers.

Another question using the same concept:

With its plan to develop seven and a half acres of shore land, Cleveland is but one of a large number of communities on the Great Lakes that is looking to its waterfront as a way to improve the quality of urban life and attract new businesses.

(A) is looking to its waterfront as a way to improve the quality of urban life and attract
(B) is looking at its waterfront to improve the quality of urban life and attract
(C) are looking to their waterfronts to improve the quality of urban life and attract
(D) are looking to its waterfront as a way of improving the quality of urban life and attracting
(E) are looking at their waterfronts as a way they can improve the quality of urban life and attract

Ans: C

Who vs whom

2009-07-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

The words who and whom are both pronouns. I'll have a quick and dirty trick for you later, but first I want you to actually understand the right way to use these words.

First, to know whether to use who or whom, we need to talk about the difference between subjects and objects because you use who when you are referring to the subject of a clause and whom when you are referring to the object of a clause.

I know: subject and object sound pretty abstract, but it's easy. If we think about people, the subject of the sentence is the person doing something, and the object of the sentence is having something done to them. If I step on Squiggly, then I am the subject and Squiggly is the object.

Still having a hard time remembering? Here's my favorite mnemonic: If I say, "I love you," you are the object of my affection, and you is also the object of the sentence (because I am loving you, making me the subject and you the object). How's that? I love you. You are the object of my affection and my sentence. It's like a Valentine's Day card and grammar mnemonic all rolled into one.

OK. So you all asked about who versus whom, but what I think you really want to know is just when to use whom, because most people don't go around throwing unneeded whoms into their sentences. So remember, you use whom when you are referring to the object of a sentence. Use whom when you are referring to the object of a sentence.

For example, it is "Whom did you step on?" if you are trying to figure out that I had squished Squiggly. Similarly, it would be "Whom do I love?" because you are asking about the object -- the target of my love. I know, it's shocking, but the Rolling Stones were being grammatically incorrect when they belted out the song "Who Do You Love?" which I think was originally written by Bo Diddley.

So when is it OK to use who? If you were asking about the subject of these sentences, then you would use who. For example, "Who loves you?" and "Who stepped on Squiggly?" In both these cases the one you are asking about is the subject -- the one taking action, not the one being acted upon.

Still too hard to remember? OK, here's the quick and dirty tip. Likewhom, the pronoun him ends with m. When you're trying to decide whether to use who or whom, ask yourself if the answer to the question would be he or him. That's the trick: if you can answer the question being asked with him, then use whom, and it's easy to remember because they both end with m. For example, if you're trying to ask, "Who (or whom) do you love?" The answer would be "I love him." Him ends with an m, so you know to use whom. But if you are trying to ask, "Who (or whom) stepped on Squiggly?" the answer would be "He stepped on Squiggly." There's no m, so you know to use who. So that's the quick and dirty trick: if you can't remember that you use whom when you are referring to the object of the sentence, just remember that him equals whom.

Source: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/who-versus-whom.aspx

Use of "in which"

2009-07-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

In the face of widespread concern about environmental waste, compact disc manufacturers are attempting to find a replacement for the disposable plastic box in which they package their product.
(A) the disposable plastic box in which they
(B) the disposable plastic box where they
(C) a disposable plastic box in which to
(D) disposable plastic boxes inside which they
(E) the disposable plastic boxes in which to

Ans A

Remember: If “where” or “in which” is to be used in a sentence, then you must be sure to use a complete stand alone sentence following “where” or “in which”. Also, be sure to use a “that” in other cases to introduce an independent noun clause.

More on Collective nouns

2009-07-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

There are, further, so called collective nouns, which are singular when we think of them as groups and plural when we think of the individuals acting within the whole (which happens sometimes, but not often).

audience
band
class
committee
crowd
dozen
family
flock
group
heap
herd
jury
kind
lot
[the] number
public
staff
team

Thus, if we're talking about eggs, we could say "A dozen is probably not enough." But if we're talking partying with our friends, we could say, "A dozen are coming over this afternoon." The jury delivers its verdict. [But] The jury came in and took theirseats. We could say the Tokyo String Quartet is one of the best string ensembles in the world, but we could say the Beatles were some of the most famous singers in history. Generally, band names and musical groups take singular or plural verbs depending on the form of their names: "The Mamas and the Papas were one of the best groups of the 70s" and "Metallica is my favorite band."

Note that "the number" is a singular collective noun. "The number of applicants is steadily increasing." "A number," on the other hand, is a plural form: "There are several students in the lobby. A number are here to see the president."

Collective nouns are count nouns which means they, themselves, can be pluralized: a university has several athletic teams and classes. And the immigrant families kept watch over their herds and flocks.

The word following the phrase one of the (as an object of the preposition of) will always be plural.

One of the reasons we do this is that it rains a lot in spring.
One of the students in this room is responsible.

Notice, though, that the verb ("is") agrees with one, which is singular, and not with the object of the preposition, which is always plural.

When a family name (a proper noun) is pluralized, we almost always simply add an "s." So we go to visit the Smiths, the Kennedys, the Grays, etc.When a family name ends in s, x, ch, sh, or z, however, we form the plural by added -es, as in the Marches, the Joneses, the Maddoxes, the Bushes, the Rodriguezes. Do not form a family name plural by using an apostrophe; that device is reserved for creating possessive forms.

When a proper noun ends in an "s" with a hard "z" sound, we don't add any ending to form the plural: "The Chambers are coming to dinner" (not the Chamberses); "The Hodges used to live here" (not the Hodgeses). There are exceptions even to this: we say "The Joneses are coming over," and we'd probably write "The Stevenses are coming, too." A modest proposal: women whose last names end in "s" (pronounced "z") should marry and take the names of men whose last names do not end with that sound, and eventually this problem will disappear.

The names of companies and other organizations are usually regarded as singular, regardless of their ending: "General Motors has announced its fall lineup of new vehicles." Try to avoid the inconsistency that is almost inevitable when you think of corporate entities as a group of individuals: "General Motors has announced their fall lineup of new vehicles." But note that some inconsistency is acceptable in all but the most formal writing: "Ford has announced its breakup with Firestone Tires. Their cars will no longer use tires built by Firestone." Some writers will use a plural verb when a plural construction such as "Associates" is part of the company's title or when the title consists of a series of names: "Upton, Vernon, and Gridley are moving to new law offices next week" or "Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego & Associates have won all their cases this year." Singular verbs and pronouns would be correct in those sentences, also.

The names of sports teams, on the other hand, are treated as plurals, regardless of the form of that name. We would write that "The Yankees have signed a new third baseman" and "The Yankees are a great organization" (even if we're Red Sox fans) and that "For two years in a row, the Utah Jazz have attempted to draft a big man." When we refer to a team by the city in which it resides, however, we use the singular, as in "Dallas has attempted to secure the services of two assistant coaches that Green Bayhopes to keep." (This is decidedly not a British practice. In the UK, the city or country names by which British newspapers refer to soccer teams, for example, are used as plurals — a practice that seems odd and inconsistent to American ears: "A minute's silence will precede the game at Le Stadium today, when Toulouse play Munster, and tomorrow at Lansdowne Road, when Leinster attempt to reach their first European final by beating Perpignan" [report in the online London Times].)

Source: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/plurals.htm#problems

Few Exceptions - Collective nouns

2009-07-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

Nouns such as Police, Cattle, people.. are usually treated as plural..

Correct: The police have significantly reduced violent crime and are pleased with themselves from doing so.

Incorrect: The police has significantly reduced violent crime and is pleased with itself from doing so.

Excerpt from RonPurewal's post in MGMAT

Collective nouns can be subtle, because you have to tap into the MEANING of the sentence. Specifically,
* if the sentence stresses the uniformity or 'togetherness' of the group, then use the singular;
* if the sentence stresses individual actions (perhaps grouped together, but still regarded as clearly individual), then go with the plural.
* WHEN IN DOUBT, GO SINGULAR (this won't work 100% of the time, of course, but we find that most of these things - especially on the GMAT - are slanted toward the singular.)

Examples:
The faculty always votes for tuition hikes at the annual meetings. (singular, because the faculty is portrayed as voting AS A BLOC or UNIT)
The faculty commute very long distances from their homes to the campus. (plural, because, although all the faculty members commute, there is still an obvious individualism to their commuting)

Placement of that and which.. dilemma

2009-07-01T15:40:00.001-07:00

Great explanations by RonPurewal for both questions. Issue is same in both the questions

http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/og-116-t1374.html

Because vs In that

2009-07-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

First, using pure strategy, when ETS puts both because and in that, the answer is most likely in that. Second, because is used to express a simple causal relationship whereas in that qualifies the previous statement.

Confused? Look at these examples:

Cause and effect relationship: I went to sleep because I was tired. ==> Being tired caused me to go to sleep.

Qualification: Going to college is a sacrifice in that doing so requires several years of forgoing the income that students could have earned had they not attended college. ==> Going to college is a sacrifice, BUT NOT IN EVERY WAY; there are many ways in which going to college is NOT a sacrifice, but in this sentence, I want to express one way in which going to college IS a sacrifice.

Source: http://www.urch.com/forums/faqs/580-gmat-sc-because-vs.html

Ex:

1. Teratomas are unusual forms of cancer because they are composed of tissues such as tooth and bone not normally found in the organ in which the tumor appears.

A.
B. because they are composed of tissues like tooth and bone that are
C. because they are composed of tissues, like tooth and bone, tissues
D. in that their composition , tissues such as tooth and bone, is
E. in that they are composed of tissues such as tooth and bone, tissues

2. Unlike most warbler species, the male and female blue-winged warbler are very difficult to tell apart.

(A) Unlike most warbler species, the male and female blue-winged warbler are very difficult to tell apart.
(B) Unlike most warbler species, the gender of the blue-winged warbler is very difficult to distinguish.
(C) Unlike those in most warbler species, the male and female blue-winged warblers are very difficult to distinguish.
(D) It is very difficult, unlike in most warbler species, to tell the male and female blue-winged warbler apart.
(E) Blue-winged warblers are unlike most species of warbler in that it is very difficult to tell the male and female apart .

OA for both is E

SC - Republic of Phillipines

2009-06-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Open for discussion and comments

The republic of Philippines encompasses more than seven thousand islands, two of them with two thirds of its area.

A) two of them with two thirds of its area
B) two thirds of their area being in two of them
C) and its area is two thirds in two islands
D) two of them have two thirds of its area
E) which have two thirds of its area in two of them

and the right answer is....

Parallelism Examples

2009-06-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

931). While some propose to combat widespread illegal copying of computer programs by attempting to change people's attitudes toward pirating, othersby suggesting reducing software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others by calling for the prosecution of those who copy software illegally.

(A) by suggesting reducing software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others by calling

(B) by suggesting the reduction of software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others call

(C) suggest the reduction of software prices for decreasing the incentive for pirating, and still others call

(D) suggest the reduction of software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others by calling

(E) suggest reducing software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others are calling

E is the best choice - maintains parallelism - While some propose to combat widespread illegal copying of computer programs by attempting to change people's attitudes toward pirating, others suggest reducing software prices to decrease the incentive for pirating, and still others are calling for the prosecution of those who copy software illegally.
A, B - lack parallelism - ...some propose....others by suggesting
C - incorrect - unidiomatic - for decreasing - correct idiom to decrease
D - incorrect - lack parallelism - ...some propose...others suggest.....others bycalling
Source: http://gmatsentencecorrection.blogspot.com/search/label/Like%20vs%20such%20as

Less Vs Fewer

2009-06-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Very Well Explained - *****

Count Nouns Versus Mass Nouns

Now I'm worried that I've scared you off, but it's easy to remember the difference between mass nouns and count nouns.

A count noun is just something you can count. I'm looking at my desk and I see books, pens, and M&M's. I can count all those things, so they are count nouns and the right word to use is fewer. I should eat fewer M&M's.

Mass nouns are just things that you can't count individually. Again, on my desk I see tape and clutter. These things can't be counted individually, so the right word to use is less. If I had less clutter, my desk would be cleaner. Another clue is that you don't make mass nouns plural: I would never say I have clutters on my desk or that I need more tapes to hold my book covers together.

Sometimes it isn't obvious if something is a mass noun or a count noun because some words can be used in different ways. For example, coffeecan refer to either a mass of liquid or a cup of liquid. If you're responsible for filling the coffee decanter at a wedding, and you're getting carried away, your boss might ask you to make less coffee. But if you're a waiter serving cups of coffee to the tables, and the crowd is waning, your boss might tell you to bring out fewer coffees next time. She means cups of coffee, but it's common to hear that shortened to just coffee as in “Bring me a coffee, please.” Remember that I said mass nouns (like coffee) can't be made plural? In this example, I've made a mass noun plural, but in the process I transformed it into a count noun. So the rule still holds.

Furniture is another tricky word; it isn't immediately obvious whether it is a mass noun or a count noun. If I think of a furniture store, I think of lots of individual pieces of furniture, but furniture is a collective name for a mass of stuff. You could say, “Look at all those couches,” but you would never say, “Look at all those furnitures.” Furniture is a mass noun. Therefore, you'd say, “We need less furniture in this dance hall. Can we have fewer chairs?”

Exceptions

There are exceptions to these rules; for example, it is customary to use the word less to describe time, money, and distance (2, 3). For example, you could say, “That wedding reception lasted less than two hours. I hope they paid the band less than $400.” So keep in mind that time, money, and distance are different, but if you stick with the quick and dirty tip that less is for mass nouns and fewer is for count nouns, you'll be right most of the time.

Memory Tricks

There are two ways that I remember when to use less and when to usefewer.

First, I think of the classic example of the grocery store express lane. Most of the signs for these lanes read, “10 items or less,” and that's just wrong. The signs should read, “10 items or fewer,” because items are individual, countable things. Between hearing people complain about the signs and seeing the signs every week or so, it sticks in my head that it should be fewer items. And when I stand in line and count the 15 items that belong to the person in front of me in the 10-items-or-fewer lane, I'm strongly reinforcing the idea that items are countable.

Second, I have a memory trick, and I've even had a cartoon drawn up so that you can see into my imagination. I think of Aardvark sitting by a lake. He's fishing. The water is low in the lake this year, so there is less water in the lake. Less and lake both begin with the letter l. There is less water in the lake. Squiggly is worried about dinner. Aardvark usually catches four fish, but what if there are only three? “We'll have fewer fish for dinner,” Squiggly thinks to himself fretfully. Fewer and fish both start with the letter f, and Squiggly is counting fish in his head. We'll have fewer fish for dinner.

Source: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/less-versus-fewer.aspx

Participle

2009-06-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

A participle is a verbal (verb form) which is used as an adjective.

There are three participles that are commonly used as adjective: the present participle(active voice); the past participle (passive voice) and the perfect participle (active voice).

* The present participle always ends in ing
* The past participle usually ends in ed, d, t, n, or en.The past participle of some of the verbs do not have distinctive endings: swum, gone, sung etc.
*The perfect participle is always formed by prefixing the word having to the past participle: having sung, having driven, having seen etc

Consider an example from GMAT Prep SC:

First discovered more than 30 years ago, Lina's sunbird, a four-and-a-half-inch animal found in the Phillippines and that resembles hummingbird, has shimmering metallic colors on its head; a brilliant orange patch, bordered with red tufts, in the center of its breast; and a red eye.

A. found in the Phillippines and that resembles
B. found in the Phillippines and that, resembling
C. found in the Phillippines and resembling
D. that is found in the Phillippines and it resembles
E. that is found in the Phillippines and that, resembling

OA : C

As we know :

Past participle ---- represents
1) a past condition, or
2) the passive voice or
3) a condition done onto the subject

Present participle ---- represents
1) a present condition, or
2) the active voice or
3) a condition performed by the subject

In the given sentence, we can clearly see that for the 1st participial phrase, the action of "found" happened in the past because Lina's sunbird was found more than 30 years ago. Further Lina's sunbird did not do any finding instead they were found by X not mentioned in the sentence so passive voice is right.

The second participial phrase starting with "resembling" implies that the "Lina's sunbird" is still resembling in the present(a present condition), so the use of present participle is better. We cannot say that the Lina's sunbird "resembled" because then this would illogically mean that they no longer resemble the humming bird.

The present and past participles are used to describe the "Lina's sunbird", they act as adjectives..

Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2007/12/participles.html

Aim to vs Aim at

2009-06-26T01:08:00.000-07:00

I personally don't find this very convincing..

Aim to (idiom)

Meaning - Try or intend to do something.

e.g : We aim to please our customers, or She aims to fly to California.

Correct usage: aim to + verb

Aim at (idiom)

Meaning - Direct a missile or criticism at something or someone; to plan, intend or to have as one's purpose

e.g: In his last speech the President took aim at the opposition leader.
He aims at finishing tomorrow.

Correct usage: aim at + noun

Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2007/04/aim-to-vs-aim-at.html

Appositive

2009-06-26T00:52:00.000-07:00

Recognize an appositive when you see one.

An appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames another noun right beside it. The appositive can be a short or long combination of words. Look at these examples:

The insect, a cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large cockroach with hairy legs, is crawling across the kitchen table.

The insect, a large, hairy-legged cockroach that has spied my bowl of oatmeal, is crawling across the kitchen table.

Here are more examples:

During the dinner conversation, Clifford, the messiest eater at the table, spewed mashed potatoes like an erupting volcano.

My 286 computer, a modern-day dinosaur, chews floppy disks as noisily as my brother does peanut brittle.

Genette's bedroom desk, the biggest disaster area in the house, is a collection of overdue library books, dirty plates, computer components, old mail, cat hair, and empty potato chip bags.

Reliable, Diane's eleven-year-old beagle, chews holes in the living room carpeting as if he were still a puppy.

Punctuate the appositive correctly.

The important point to remember is that a nonessential appositive is always separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s).

When the appositive begins the sentence, it looks like this:

A hot-tempered tennis player, Robbie charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

When the appositive interrupts the sentence, it looks like this:

Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player, charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

And when the appositive ends the sentence, it looks like this:

Upset by the bad call, the crowd cheered Robbie, a hot-tempered tennis player who charged the umpire and tried to crack the poor man's skull with a racket.

Source: http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/appositive.htm

Example: Possessive and Object pronoun

2009-06-08T14:08:00.000-07:00

Agatha Christie's travels with her archaeologist husband inspired her to write several mystery novels; travelers to Egypt can still stay at the Old Cataract Hotel, the model for the hotel in one of Christie's most famous books.

1. Agatha Christie's travels with her archaeologist husband inspired her to write several mystery novels
2. Agatha Christie used her travels with her archaeologist husband to inspire several mystery novels
3. Because her husband was an archaeologist, Agatha Christie was able to use their travels as inspiration for several of her mystery novels
4. Together with her archaeologist husband, Agatha Christie was inspired to incorporate their travel into several of her mystery novels
5. Agatha Christie's travels with her archaeologist husband served as inspiration for several of her mystery novels

Answer:

This sentence has a pronoun agreement error. Subject and object pronouns cannot refer back to possessive nouns; they must refer only to subject and object nouns. The subject in this sentence is "Agatha Christie's travels," not Agatha Christie herself. The first instance of "her" is correct because this pronoun is used as a possessive: "her [Agatha Christie's] archaeologist husband." However, the second instance of "her," an object pronoun, is incorrect: "inspired her [Agatha Christie, who is not an object in this sentence] to write..."

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) This choice illogically states that the travels inspired the novels themselves, rather than inspiring Christie to write the novels.

(C) This choice introduces a false cause-effect statement. The original meaning indicates that Christie traveled because her husband was an archaeologist. According to this choice, however, Christie used their travels as inspiration because her husband was an archaeologist, which is clearly illogical.

(D) This choice seems to indicate that Christie and her husband were inspired to write the novels together. This cannot be the case because this choice also clearly states that they are "her mystery novels," not both of theirs.

(E) CORRECT. This choice corrects the original pronoun agreement error by moving the second instance of "her" in front of "mystery novels," which changes it from an object pronoun to a possessive pronoun: "Agatha Christie's travels...her [Agatha Christie's] mystery novels..."

Pronouns

2009-06-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Definition. - A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun. Pronouns can be in one of three cases: Subject, Object, or Possessive.

Rule 1.	Subject pronouns are used when the pronoun is the subject of the sentence. You can remember subject pronouns easily by filling in the blank subject space for a simple sentence.
	Example:	______ did the job. I, you, he, she, it, we, and they all fit into the blank and are, therefore, subject pronouns.

Rule 2.	Subject pronouns are also used if they rename the subject. They follow to be verbs such as is, are, was, were, am, and will be.
	Examples:	It is he.
		This is she speaking.
		It is we who are responsible for the decision to downsize.
	NOTE: In spoken English, most people tend to follow to be verbs with object pronouns. Many English teachers support (or at least have given in to) this distinction between written and spoken English.
	Example:	It could have been them.
	Better:	It could have been they.
	*Example:*	It is just me at the door.
	*Better:*	It is just I at the door.

Rule 3.	Object pronouns are used everywhere else (direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition). Object pronouns are me, you, him, her, it, us, and them.
	*Examples:*	Jean talked to him.
		Are you talking to me?

To be able to choose pronouns correctly, you must learn to identify clauses. A clause is a group of words containing a verb and subject.

Rule 4a.	A strong clause can stand on its own.
	*Examples:*	She is hungry.
		I am feeling well today.

Rule 4b.	A weak clause begins with words such as although, since, if, when, and because. Weak clauses cannot stand on their own.
	*Examples:*	Although she is hungry...
		If she is hungry...
		Since I am feeling well...

Rule 4c.	If a sentence contains more than one clause, isolate the clauses so that you can decide which pronoun is correct.
	*Examples:*	Weak	Strong
		[Although she is hungry,]	[she will give him some of her food.]
		[Although this gift is for him,]	[I would like you to have it too.]

Rule 5.	To decide whether to use the subject or object pronoun after the words than or as, mentally complete the sentence.
	*Examples:*	Tranh is as smart as she/her. If we mentally complete the sentence, we would say, "Tranh is as smart as she is." Therefore, she is the correct answer.
		Zoe is taller than I/me. Mentally completing the sentence, we have, "Zoe is taller than I am."
		Daniel would rather talk to her than I/me. We can mentally complete this sentence in two ways: "Daniel would rather talk to her than to me." OR "Daniel would rather talk to her than I would." As you can see, the meaning will change depending on the pronoun you choose.

Rule 6.	Possessive pronouns show ownership and never need apostrophes. Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs
	NOTE	The only time it's has an apostrophe is when it is a contraction for it is or it has.
	*Examples:*	It's a cold morning.
		The thermometer reached its highest reading.

Rule 7.	Reflexive pronouns - myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves- should be used only when they refer back to another word in the sentence.
	*Correct:*	I worked myself to the bone.
	*Incorrect:*	My brother and myself did it. The word myself does not refer back to another word.
	*Correct:*	My brother and I did it.
	Incorrect:	Please give it to John or myself.
	Correct:	Please give it to John or me.

Source: http://www.grammarbook.com/grammar/pronoun.asp

Rule 5 example:

777). The man was always aware, sometimes proudly and sometimes resentfully, that he was a small-town Midwesterner who was thrust into a world that was dominated by wealthier, better-educated, and more polished people than him.

(A) who was thrust into a world that was dominated by wealthier, better-educated, and more polished people than him

(B) who had been thrust into a world that was dominated by more wealthy, educated, and polished people than him

(C) who had been thrust into a world dominated by wealthier, better-educated, and people more polished than he was

(D) thrust into a world dominated by more wealthy, educated, and polished people than him

(E) thrust into a world dominated by wealthier, better-educated, and more polished people than he

Answer: E

Me vs I

2009-05-27T23:49:00.000-07:00

Mistakes made with these two English pronouns have been increasing exponentially for years. The difference is actually very simple - let me explain it to you.

I is the first person singular subject pronoun, which means that it refers to the person performing the action of a verb.

I want to go.

This is the one I like.

You and I need to get ready.

Tom and I are going to the movies.

Me is an object pronoun, which means that it refers to the person that the action of a verb is being done to, or to which a preposition refers.

David told me to leave.

He gave me ten dollars.

Between you and me, this is a bad idea.

She needs to talk to Joe or me.

The Bottom Line

This confusion usually occurs when you have I/me connected to another pronoun or name with "and" or "or." I believe that the confusion begins when someone says something like "John and me are ready" and that is corrected to "John and I are ready." The speaker then thinks, "Oh, the word 'and' means that I should always use I." This is not the case. "And" has nothing to do with it; the reason you say "John and I" in that sentence is that "John and I" are the subject. If they were the object, you'd use me: "He told John and me to get ready."

If you are not good with grammar concepts like subject and objects, there is still a very easy way to decide whether to use I or me: try out the sentence with just I or me (or if you need a plural, we or us - "we" is equivalent to "I" and "us" is equivalent to "me."):

He told Tom and (I or me?) to get ready.

He told I to get ready? NO

He told me to get ready? YES

Therefore, He told Tom and me to get ready.

If John and (I or me?) get married, we'll have two kids.

If me get married? NO

If I get married? YES

Therefore, If John and I get married, we'll have two kids.

Just between you and (I or me?), this is a bad idea.

Because "between" needs to be followed by a plural, we'll use "we" and "us" to figure this out.

Just between we? NO

Just between us? YES

Just between you and me, this is a bad idea.

And whatever you do, please don't use a subject pronoun and object pronoun together.

He and I - correct: "He and I are going to town."

Him and me - correct: "She told him and me the truth."

Him and I - WRONG

He and me - WRONG

Source: http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/ime.html

Me vs Myself

2009-05-27T23:47:00.000-07:00

Me, myself, and I may refer to the same person, but they are not interchangeable. Myself should be the one you hear the least, but it's often used incorrectly in place of me.

Me is an object pronoun, which means that it refers to the person that the action of a verb is being done to, or to which a preposition refers.

They want me to study more.

Tell me a story.

Between you and me, he's right.

Carol wants to meet with John and me tomorrow.

The book was written entirely by me.

Please call Hillary or me with any questions.

Myself

Myself is a reflexive or stressed pronoun, which means that, generally speaking, it should be used in conjunction with the subject pronoun I, not instead of the object pronoun me.

I bought myself a car.

I myself started the company.

I did the laundry by myself.

I feel like myself again.

Tired of waiting, I just did it myself.

The Bottom Line

Myself can be used for stress, but most grammarians won't allow it to be used alone - they reject constructions like "Carol wants to meet with John and myself" (correct: with John and me") and "The book was written entirely by myself" (correct: by me personally).

Just remember that myself can be reflexive (I'm doing something to/for myself) or emphatic (I myself). Otherwise, you probably want to use me.

Source: http://www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/difficulties/memyself.html

Like vs. As/As If/As though

2009-05-22T00:24:00.000-07:00

Use like before a noun or pronoun. Use as before a clause, adverb or prepositional phrase. Use as if and as though before a clause. Like is generally used as a preposition in such a context. As is generally used as a conjunction of manner while sometimes serving as a preposition with the meaning of "in the capacity of". As you can tell, the focus of the comparison shifts from the noun when used with like to the verb when used with as, as if, or as though.

My mother's cheesecake tastes like glue.
I love frozen pizza because there is no other snack like it.
My mother's cheesecake tastes great, as a mother's cheesecake should.
There are times, as now, that learning grammar becomes important.
He golfed well again, as in the tournament last year.
He served as captain in the navy.
He often told half-truths, as any politician would.
He looks as if he knows me.
It looked as if a storm were on the way.
He yelled at me as though it were my fault.

The same rule applies when you use the expressions seem like and look like.

Correct:
He seemed like a nice guy at first.
That looks like a very tasty cake.

Wrong: It seemed like he liked me.
Correct: It seemed as if he liked me.
Here the comparison is with a clause, not a noun.

Source: http://asia.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3&ch_id=421&article_id=31552030&cat_id=3551

Like vs Such as

2009-05-22T00:21:00.000-07:00

Like is used to introduce similarity between two items or persons. This is an accepted usage in Sentence Correction on the GMAT. In other words, like cannot be used to introduce examples or a subset of a category, which should be used following such as.

Correct: I enjoy playing musical instruments such as piano and violin.
Wrong: I enjoy playing musical instruments like piano and violin.

In sum, on the GMAT, use like before a noun or pronoun when emphasizing similar characteristics between two persons, groups or things. Use such as before a noun or phrase when introducing examples.

Source: http://asia.vault.com/nr/newsmain.jsp?nr_page=3&ch_id=421&article_id=31552030&cat_id=3551

If... then construction

2009-05-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

Whenever you come across the If .. Then construction in the sentence -- Follow the rule below.

IF Clause Then Clause

Present will + Base Verb

If Ram wins... he will give ...........

Past would/could + Base verb

If Ram won... he would give........

Past Perfect would/could + have + Participle

If Ram had won... he would have given.....

Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2006/06/if-then-construction.html

Aim to vs Aim at

2009-05-21T23:44:00.000-07:00

Aim at + an object (noun, gerund, noun clause etc.);
Aim to + verbal infinitive.

We aim at an improvement, at a business target, an achievement;
we aim to do something, to reach a target, to finish a task (before leaving work), arrive somewhere at a given time.

Aim to (idiom) meaning - Try or intend to do something, as in We aim to please, or She aims to fly to California. This term derives from aim in the sense of "direct the course of something," such as an arrow or bullet.

Aim at (idiom) meaning - Direct a missile or criticism at something or someone. In his last speech the President took aim at the opposition leader.

Source: http://gmatsentencecorrection.blogspot.com/search/label/PARALLELISM?updated-max=2007-04-13T05:43:00-07:00&max-results=20 & http://www.proz.com/kudoz/english/business_commerce_general/1981366-aim_at_vs_aim_to.html

May vs Might

2009-05-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

The difference between may and might is subtle. They both indicate that something is possible, but something that may happen is more likely than something that might happen. So you may go to a party if Matt Damon invites you, but you might go to a party if your least favorite cousin invites you.

A Mighty Stretch

I remember the difference by thinking that I should use might when something is a mighty stretch. Imagine something you'd almost never do, and then imagine someone inviting you to do it. For me, it's white-water rafting. The idea terrifies me. So if someone (such as my former employer) asked me to go on a corporate bonding white-water rafting trip, it's unlikely I would go, but I could be convinced if I thought my job depended on it. But it would be a mighty stretch. So I'd say something like, "Yeah, I might go; and pigs might fly, too."

So imagine whatever it is you'd be reluctant to do but wouldn't completely rule out, and then imagine yourself saying in a nice, sarcastic voice, "Yeah, I might." And that should help you remember to use might when the outcome is uncertain or unlikely and to use may when something is more likely to happen, such as attending a nice, safe company lunch where helmets and life vests aren't required.

You might clean your room, but you may call your friend later. You might climb Mt. Everest someday, but you may go hiking in the foothills next weekend.

Might Is the Past Tense of May

There are two exceptions to this rule.

First, might is the past tense of may. So you have to use might when you are referring to the past. For example, even if it's likely that Squiggly went to a party last night, Aardvark shouldn't say, “Squiggly may have gone to the party’; he should say, “Squiggly might have gone to the party.”

The second exception is a gray area. When you're talking about something not happening, it can be better to use might because people could think you're talking about permission if you use may. This is clearer with an example. If you aren't sure whether you'll go to the party, and you say, "We may not go to the party," it can be misinterpreted to mean you don't have permission to go to the party, particularly in writing, where voice inflections don't help guide the meaning. But if you say, "We might not go to the party," then your meaning is clear. It's the safer bet.

So remember to use may when the outcome is likely and might when the outcome is less likely or uncertain. But also remember that you use might for everything in the past tense. Also, it's OK to use might when you're writing about negative outcomes, even if they're likely outcomes, if using may would make people think you were talking about having permission.

Ex:
823). The Rorschzch test is gaining new respect as a diagnostic tool because it takes only one hour to expose behavior and thought processes that may be unlikely to emerge in other procedures or weeks of ordinary interviewing

(A) that may be unlikely to emerge in other procedures or weeks of ordinary interviewing

(B) whose emergence is unlikely in other procedures or weeks of ordinary interviews

(C) that might not emerge in other procedures or in weeks of ordinary interviews

(D) that may not emerge under other procedures or weeks of ordinary interviews

(E) unlikely not to emerge during weeks of ordinary interviewing or in other procedures

Ans: C

Source: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/may-might.aspx
Question # 823 http://gmatsentencecorrection.blogspot.com/search/label/PARALLELISM?updated-max=2008-01-20T23:31:00-08:00&max-results=20

Especially vs specially

2009-05-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

To stress on the exceptional/ quality, use especial or especially. To stress on the distinctive purpose of something, use special or specially.
Examples:
This laboratory is built specially for research.
(A distinctive purpose)
He did especially well in national games.
(A noteworthy performance)

Ex:
Sulfur dioxide, a major contributor to acid rain, is an especially serious pollutant because it diminishes the respiratory system’s ability to deal with all other pollutants.

(A) an especially serious pollutant because it diminishes the respiratory system’s ability to deal

(B) an especially serious pollutant because of diminishing the respiratory system’s capability of dealing

(C) an especially serious pollutant because it diminishes the capability of the respiratory system in dealing

(D) a specially serious pollutant because it diminishes the capability of the respiratory system to deal

(E) a specially serious pollutant because of diminishing the respiratory system’s ability to deal

Answer: A

Rather than vs Instead of

2009-05-20T11:02:00.000-07:00

Rather than - shows preference. This expression is generally used in 'parallel' structures. e.g - with two nouns, adjectives, adverbs, infinitives or -ing forms.

e.g

1). We ought to invest in machinery rather than buildings.
2). I prefer starting early rather than leaving things to the last minute.

When the main clause has a to - infinitive, rather than is usually followed by an infinitive without to or -ing form.

e.g - I decided to write rather than phone/phoning.

Instead of - suggests that one person, thing or action replaces another. Instead is not used alone as a preposition; we use the two words instead of.
Instead of is not usually followed by an infinitive.

e.g

1). I'll have tea instead of coffee, please.
2). I stayed in bed all day instead of going to work.
3). Amit was invited to the reception, but he was ill, so Akash went instead of him.

Note - Instead (without of) is an adverb. It begins or ends a clause usually.

e.g - She didn't go to Greece after all. Instead , she went to America.

NOTE :
Usage --- instead of + noun phrase. Instead of is only a preposition and can introduce only a phrase i.e no verb
Usage --- rather than + verb (or) rather than + noun. Further rather than can act as a preposition and can introduce a prepositional phrase or can act as a conjunction and introduce a clause

To understand the use of the above concept view questions 22 and 23 by clicking on the link below.
http://gmatsentencecorrection.blogspot.com/

Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/search/label/Rather%20than%20vs%20Instead%20of

Compare to vs compare with

2009-05-20T10:53:00.000-07:00

Compare to - is used to liken two things or to put them in the same category. You should use "compare to" when you intend to simply assert that two things are alike.Use "compared to" to illustrate that two things are similar

e.g -

1). The economy can be compared to a stallion charging at the gate.
2). I compare getting comments from students in class topulling teeth.
3). She compared her work for women's rights to Susan B. Anthony's campaign for women's suffrage.

Compare with - is used to place two things side by side for the purpose of examining their similarities or differences.Use "compared with" to illustrate the differences a comparison draws

e.g -

1). The American economy can be compared with the European economy to note how military history impacts future economics.
2). It would be interesting to compare Purdue with Ohio State.
3). Ann has a 3.5 GPA, compared with Jim's 2.9.

Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2006/09/compare-to-vs-compare-with.html

Run on sentence

2009-05-10T14:33:00.001-07:00

A run-on sentence is a sentence in which two or more independent clauses (that is, complete sentences) are joined with no punctuation or conjunction. It is generally considered to be a grammatical error. Some grammarians also include a comma splice, in which two independent clauses are joined with a comma, as a type of run-on sentence,while others exclude comma splices from the definition of a run-on sentence.

A run-on sentence does not mean a sentence is too long; longer sentences are likely to be run-ons only when they contain more than one complete idea. A run-on sentence can be as short as four words—for instance: I drive she walks. In this case there are two complete ideas (independent clauses): two subjects paired with two (intransitive) verbs. So long as clauses are punctuated appropriately, a writer can assemble multiple independent clauses in a single sentence; in fact, a properly constructed sentence can be extended indefinitely.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-on_sentence

Forming and using verb tenses

2009-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

English speakers form many verb tenses by combining one of principal parts of the verb with one or more auxiliary verbs.

In order to form verb tenses you need a good grasp of the auxiliaries and the principal parts of the verb. There are four principal parts: the basic form, the present participle, the past form, and the past participle.

The basic form (or root of the verb is the form listed in the dictionary and is usually identical to the first person singular form of the simple present tense (except in the case of the verb "to be"):

walk

paint

think

grow

sing

The infinitive form of the verb is a compound verb made up of the the preposition "to" and the basic form of the verb:

to walk

to paint

to think

to grow

to sing

To form the present participle, add "-ing" to the basic form of the verb:

walking

painting

thinking

growing

singing

Note that you cannot use the present participle as a predicate unless you use an auxiliary verb with it -- the word group "I walking to the store" is an incomplete and ungrammatical sentence, while word group "I am walking to the store" is a complete sentence. You will often use the present participle as a modifier.

The past form of verbs is a little trickier. If the verb is regular (or weak, you can create the past form by adding "-ed", "-d", or "-t" to the present form. When a basic form ends in "-y", you changed the "-y" to "-i-"; in many cases you should also double terminal consonants before adding "-ed" (see the section on Spelling words with Double Consonants).

walked

painted

thought

grew

sang

The past participle of regular verbs is usually identical to the past form, while the past participle of irregular verbs is often different:

walked

painted

thought

grown

sung

Irregular Verbs

Irregular verbs form the past participle and the past form without "-(e)d" or "-t", and frequently their past form and past participle are different. For example, the past form of the verb "break" is "broke" and the past participle is "broken."

This list contains the most common verbs that form their past tenses irregularly:

arise: arose, arise
awake: awoke or awaked, awaked or awoken
awaken: awakened, awakened
bear (to carry): bore, borne
bear (to give birth): bore
beat: beat, beaten or beat
be: was, been
become: became, become
begin: began, begun
bet: bet, bet
bid: bid, bid (to, offer)
bid (to order, invite): bade, bidden
bind: bound, bound
bite: bit, bitten
bleed: bled, bled
blow: blew, blown
break: broke, broken
breed: bred, bred
bring: brought, brought
burst: burst, burst
buy: bought, bought
cast: cast, cast
catch: caught, caught
choose: chose, chosen
cling: clung, clung
come: came, come
creep: crept, crept
cut: cut, cut
deal: dealt, dealt
dig: dug, dug
dive: dived or dove, dived
do: did, done
draw: drew, drawn
dream: dreamed or dreamt, dreamed or dreamt
drink: drank, drunk
drive: drove, driven
eat: ate, eaten
fall: fell, fallen
feed: fed, fed
feel: felt, felt
fight: fought, fought
find: found, found
flee: fled, fled
fly: flew, flown
forbid: forbade, forbidden
forget: forgot, forgotten
forgive: forgave, forgiven
forsake: forsook, forsaken
freeze: froze, frozen
get: got, got or gotten
give: gave, given
go: went, gone
grind: ground, ground
grow: grew, grown
hang (to suspend): hung, hung
hang (to execute): hanged, hanged
have: had, had
hear: heard, heard
hide: hid, hidden
hit: hit, hit
hold: held, held
hurt: hurt, hurt
keep: kept, kept
kneel: knelt or kneeled, knelt or kneeled
knit: knitted or knit, knitted or knit
know: knew, known
lay: laid, laid
lead: led, led
leap: leaped or leapt, leaped or leapt
leave: left, left
lend: lent, lent
let: let, let
lie: lay, lain
light: lighted or lit, lighted or lit
lose: lost, lost
make: made, made
mean: meant, meant
meet: met, met
mistake: mistook, mistaken
overcome: overcame, overcome
pay: paid, paid
prove: proved, proved or proven
put: put, put
quit: quit, quit
read: read, read
ride: rode, ridden
ring: rang, rung
rise: rose, risen
run: ran, run
say: said, said
see: saw, seen
seek: sought, sought
sell: sold, sold
send: sent, sent
set: set, set
shake: shook, shaken
shed: shed, shed
shoot: shot, shot
shrink: shrank or shrunk, shrunk
shut: shut, shut
sing: sang, sung
sink: sank, sunk
sit: sat, sat
slay: slew, slain
sleep: slept, slept
slide: slid, slide
sling: slung, slung
slink: slunk, slunk
speak: spoke, spoken
speed: sped or speeded, sped or speeded
spend: spent, spent
spin: spun, spun
spit: spit or spat, spit or spat
split: split, split
spread: spread, spread
spring: sprang or sprung, sprung
stand: stood, stood
steal: stole, stolen
stick: stuck, stuck
stink: stank or stunk, stunk
strew: strewed, strewn
stride: strode, stridden
strike: struck, struck
string: strung, strung
strive: stove or strived, striven or strived
swear: swore, sworn
sweep: swept, swept
swell: swelled, swelled or swollen
swim: swam, swum
swing: swung, swung
take: took, taken
teach: taught, taught
tear: tore, torn
tell: told, told
think: thought, though
thrive: throve or thrived, throve or thriven
throw: threw, thrown
thrust: thrust, thrust
wake: woke or waked, waked or woken
weep: wept, wept
win: won, won
wind: wound, wound
wring: wring, wrung
write: wrote, written
Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/tenses.html

Verbals

2009-05-10T13:46:00.000-07:00

A verbal is a noun or adjective formed from a verb. Writers sometimes make mistakes by using a verbal in place of a verb, and in very formal writing, by confusing different types of verbals. This section covers three different verbals: the participle (which acts as an adjective), the gerund (which acts as a noun), and the infinitive (which also acts as a noun).

The fundamental difference between verbals and other nouns and adjectives is that verbals can take their own objects, even though they are no longer verbs:

Gerund: Building a house is complicated.

In this example, the noun phrase "a house" is the direct object of the verbal "building", even though "building" is a noun rather than a verb.

The Participle

A participle is an adjective formed from a verb. To make a present participle, you add "-ing" to the verb, sometimes doubling the final consonant:

"think" becomes "thinking"

"fall" becomes "falling"

"run" becomes "running"

The second type of participle, the past participle, is a little more complicated, since not all verbs form the past tense regularly. The following are all past participles:

the sunken ship

a ruined city

a misspelled word

Note that only transitive verbs can use their past participles as adjectives, and that unlike other verbals, past participles do not take objects (unless they are part of a compound verb).

The Gerund

A gerund is a noun formed from a verb. To make a gerund, you add "-ing" to the verb, just as with a present participle. The fundamental difference is that a gerund is a noun, while a participle is an adjective:

gerund: I enjoy running. ("Running" is a noun acting as the direct object of the verb "enjoy.")
participle: Stay away from running water. ("Running" is an adjective modifying the noun "water.")

Using Verbals

There are two common problems that come up when writers use verbals. The first is that since verbals look like verbs, they sometimes cause students to write fragmentary sentences:

[WRONG] Oh, to find true love!

[WRONG] Jimmy, swimming the most important race of his life.

The second problem is a very fine point, which most editors and some teachers no longer enforce. Although they look the same, gerunds and present participles are different parts of speech, and need to be treated differently. For example, consider the following two sentences:

I admire the woman finishing the report.

I admire the woman's finishing the report.

In the first example, "finishing" is a participle modifying the noun "woman": in other words, the writer admires the woman, not what she is doing; in the second example, "finishing" is a participle, modified by the possessive noun "woman's": in other words, the writer admires not the woman herself but the fact that she is finishing the report.

Linking Verbs

2009-05-10T13:32:00.000-07:00

A linking verb connects a subject to a subject complement which identifies or describes the subject, as in the following sentences:

The play is Waiting for Godot.

In this sentence, the linking verb "is" links the noun phrase "the play" to the identifying phrase "Waiting for Godot," which is called a subject complement.

Some of us thought that the play was very good.

In this sentence, the verb "was" links the subject complement "very good" to subject "the play."

Others thought it became tedious after the first fifteen minutes.

In this sentence, the linking verb "became" links the subject "it" to the subject complement "tedious." The phrase "after the first fifteen minutes" functions as an adverb modifying the clause "it became tedious."

The cast appears disorganised and confused; perhaps Beckett intended this.

Here "appears" is functioning as a linking verb that connects the subject "the cast" to its subject complement "disorganised and confused."

The play seems absurd to me.

The subject "the play" is joined to its subject complement "absurd" by the linking verb "seems."

Linking verbs are either verbs of sensation ("feel," "look," "smell," "sound," "taste") or verbs of existence ("act," "appear," "be," "become," "continue," "grow," "prove," "remain," "seem," "sit," "strand," "turn").

Many linking verbs (with the significant exception of "be") can also be used as transitive or intransitive verbs. In the following pairs of sentences, the first sentence uses the highlighted verb as a linking verb and the second uses the same verb as either a transitive or an intransitive verb:

Linking: Griffin insists that the water in Winnipeg tastes terrible.

In this sentence, the adjective "terrible" is a subject complement that describes a quality of the water.

Transitive: I tasted the soup before adding more salt.

Here the noun phrase "the soup" identifies what "I tasted." "The soup" is the direct object of the verb "tasted."

Linking: My neighbour's singing voice sounds very squeaky despite several hours of daily practice.

In this example, the phrase "very squeaky" is a subject complement that describes or identities the nature of the "singing voice."

Transitive: Upon the approach of the enemy troops, the gate-keeper sounded his horn.

Here the verb "sounded" takes a direct object, the noun phrase "his horn."

Linking: Cynthia feels queasy whenever she listens to banjo music.

In this sentence, the adjective "queasy" is a subject complement that describes Cynthia.

Transitive: The customer carefully feels the fabric of the coat.

Here the noun phrase "the fabric of the coat" is the direct object of the verb "feels" and identifies what the customer feels.

Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/link.html

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

2009-05-10T13:31:00.000-07:00

Depending on the type of object they take, verbs may be transitive, intransitive, or linking.

The meaning of a transitive verb is incomplete without a direct object, as in the following examples:

INCOMPLETE: The shelf holds.
COMPLETE: The shelf holds three books and a vase of flowers.
INCOMPLETE: The committee named.
COMPLETE: The committee named a new chairperson.
INCOMPLETE: The child broke.
COMPLETE: The child broke the plate.

An intransitive verb, on the other hand, cannot take a direct object:

This plant has thrived on the south windowsill.

The compound verb "has thrived" is intransitive and takes no direct object in this sentence. The prepositional phrase "on the south windowsill" acts as an adverb describing where the plant thrives.

The sound of the choir carried through the cathedral.

The verb "carried" is used intransitively in this sentence and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase "through the cathedral" acts as an adverb describing where the sound carried.

The train from Montreal arrived four hours late.

The intransitive verb "arrived" takes no direct object, and the noun phrase "four hours late" acts as an adverb describing when the train arrived.

Since the company was pleasant and the coffee both plentiful and good, we lingered in the restaurant for several hours.

The verb "lingered" is used intransitively and takes no direct object. The prepositional phrase "in the restaurant for several hours" acts as an adverb modifying "lingered."

The painting was hung on the south wall of the reception room.

The compound verb "was hung" is used intransitively and the sentence has no direct object. The prepositional phrase "on the south wall of the reception room" acts as a adverb describing where the paint hung.

Many verbs can be either transitive or intransitive, depending on their context in the sentence. In the following pairs of sentences, the first sentence uses the verb transitively and the second uses the same verb intransitively:

transitive: According to the instructions, we must leave this goo in our hair for twenty minutes.

In this example, the verb "leave" takes a direct object, the noun phrase "this goo."

intransitive: We would like to stay longer, but we must leave.

In this example, the verb "leave" does not take a direct object.

transitive: The audience attentively watched the latest production of The Trojan Women.

In this example, the verb "watch" is used transitively and takes the noun phrase "the latest production of The Trojan Women" as a direct object.

intransitive: The cook watched while the new dishwasher surreptitiously picked up the fragments of the broken dish.

In this example, the verb "watched" is used intransitively and takes no direct object.

intransitive: The crowd moves across the field in an attempt to see the rock star get into her helicopter.

Here the verb "moves" is used as an intransitive verb and takes no direct object.

transitive: Every spring, William moves all boxes and trunks from one side of the attic to the other.

In this sentence "moves" is used as a transitive verb and takes the noun phrase "all the boxes and trunk" as a direct object.

Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/trnsintr.html

Auxilliary Verbs

2009-05-10T13:30:00.002-07:00

The most common auxiliary verbs are "be," "do," and "have", and you may also use these verbs on their own. You use "Will" and "shall" to express future time.

In each of the following examples, a verb commonly used as an auxiliary verb appears as a simple predicate:

She is the chief engineer.

The tea cups are in the china cabinet.

Garth does this kind of thing frequently.

My roommates and I do the laundry every second week.

I can't complete my assignment because he still has my notes.

They have several kinds of gelato in the display case.

Other common auxiliaries are "can," "could," "may," "might," "must," "ought," "should," "will," and "would." A verb like these is called a modal auxiliary and expresses necessity, obligation, or possibility.

The highlighted word in each of the following sentences is a modal auxiliary:

Zora was pleased to learn that she could take several days off.

The small freckled girl told her neighbours that she would walk their dog for an appropriate fee.

Henry told Eliza that she ought to have the hole in the bucket fixed.

The principal told the assembled students that the school board might introduce a dress code next autumn.

According to the instructions, we must leave this goo in our hair for twenty minutes.

Several words may intervene between the auxiliary and the verb which goes with it, as in the following sentences:

They have not delivered the documents on time.; The treasure chest was never discovered.; The health department has recently decided that all high school students should be immunised against meningitis.; Will you walk the dog tonight?; The ballet corps was rapidly and gracefully pirouetting about the stage.
Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/auxvb.html

Compound Verbs

2009-05-10T13:30:00.001-07:00

You construct a compound verb out of an auxiliary verb and another verb.

In particular, you may use an auxiliary verb (also known as a helping verb) with the verb in order to create the many of the tenses available in English.

In each of the following sentences, the compound verb appears highlighted:

Karl Creelman bicycled around the world in 1899, but his diaries and his bicycle were destroyed.

The compound verb in this sentence is made up of the auxiliary "were" and the past participle "destroyed."

The book Seema was looking for is under the sofa.

Here the compound verb is made up of the auxiliary verb "was" and the present participle "looking."

They will meet us at the newest café in the market.

In this example the compound verb is made up of the auxiliary verb "will" and the verb "meet."

That dog has been barking for three hours; I wonder if someone will call the owner.

In this sentence the first compound verb is made up of the two auxiliary verbs ("has" and "been") and a present participle ("barking"). The second compound verb is made up of the auxiliary verb "will" and the verb "call."

Using Verbs

2009-05-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject of the sentence and expresses actions, events, or states of being.

In each of the following sentences, the verb or compound verb appears highlighted:

Dracula bites his victims on the neck.

The verb "bites" describes the action Dracula takes.

In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.

Here the compound verb "will plant" describes an action that will take place in the future.

My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the janitor Mr. Weatherbee more vividly.

In this sentence, the verb "was" (the simple past tense of "is") identifies a particular person and the verb "remembered" describes a mental action.

Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/useverb.html

Participle Phrase Recognition

2009-05-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

Definition: A participle phrase consists of a participle and its accompanying words. The whole phrase will modify a noun or pronoun. The accompanying words can be: prepositional phrase(s), adverbs, and a direct object. If you need help with what a participle is, go to the sheet entitled: Participle Recognition Practice.

Examples:

Sitting in his office, the President called the Vice-president.

Sitting in his office is a participial phrase that modifies the noun, President. In his office is a prepositional phrase modifying the participle, sitting, and answers the question, "where sitting?". Thus, it is an adverb prepositional phrase.

Fearing failure, the student was very anxious about the test.

Fearing failure is the participial phrase modifying student. Failure is the direct object of the participle, fearing, and answers the question, "fearing what?"

Jen, waving good-bye, drove away.

Waving good-bye is the participial phrase modifying Jen. Good-bye is a direct object of the participle, waving.

Bill, steadily gaining confidence, was able to parallel park the car.

Steadily gaining confidence is the participial phrase modifying Bill. Steadily is an adverb, modifying the participle, gaining. Confidence is the direct object of the participle.

Original Source: http://members.cox.net/lenco1/grammarpractice/participle/phrase.htm

Participle Recognition

2009-05-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Definition: A participle is a verb form used as an adjective. The present participle and the past participle of the verb can be used. You learned these two when you studied the principal parts of a verb.

Example:
Verb - walk
Base - (to) walk
Present participle: (is) walking
Past: walked
Past participle: (have) walked

Now the present or past participle can be used as adjectives. Remember that adjectives answer the questions: what kind? how many? which one?. So, the participle will do the same thing.

Example:
The running track is covered with mud.
Running is the participle, describing the noun, track

A participle can come before or after the noun or pronoun it modifies. Remember, too, that the participle is a verb so you need to be careful that it is not part of a verb phrase in the sentence.

Example:
Are you running for president?
Are running is the verb in the sentence

Original Source: http://members.cox.net/lenco1/grammarpractice/participle/participle.htm

Clauses vs Phrases

2009-05-07T23:00:00.000-07:00

Both clauses and phrases are clusters of words.

Clauses contain a subject and verb. If they form complete thoughts, we call them independent clauses. If they form incomplete thoughts, we call them dependent or subordinate clauses.

example: While we collected the data _{dependent clause}, the temperature gradually increased_{independent clause}. The subject and verb combinations are we collected in the dependent clause and temperature increased in the independent clause.

Phrases are word clusters lacking subject and verb combinations.

example: While collecting data _phrase, we noted an increase in temperature.

IMP: Like is used to introduce a phrase, but as must be used to introduce a clause

#56 OG11

2009-05-07T22:49:00.000-07:00

In a plan to stop the erosion of East Coast beaches, the Army Corps of Engineers proposed building parallel to shore a breakwater of rocks that would rise six feet above the waterline and act as a buffer, so that it absorbs the energy of crashing waves and protecting the beaches.

A. act as a buffer, so that it absorbs
B. act like a buffer, so so as to absorbs
C. act as a buffer, absorbing
D. acting as a buffer, absorbing
E. acting like a buffer, absorb

Answer: The last part of the sentence describes the breakwater and should consist of two grammatically parallel phrases, absorbing... and protecting, in order to show two equal functions. Act is followed by like to mean to behave or comport oneself and describes the action of a person: He acted like a fool. Here, act as describes the function of a thing; the breakwater ... acts as a buffer. As an inanimate object, breakwater cannot "behave" itself; it must be performing some function.

Like vs As

2009-05-07T01:32:00.000-07:00

Conjunction 'as' may introduce a clause; the preposition 'like' must be used for a comparison of two nouns.

Use like as a preposition in front of a noun:

He ate like a pig. (like a pig is a prepositional phrase)
Like their data, ours supported the hypothesis. (Like their data is a prepositional phrase)

Use the conjunction as, not like, in front of an adverbial phrase or clause:

not We collected data like we did before.
but We collected data as we did before. (as introduces the subordinate clause)

not Like we predicted, competition eliminated one species.
but As we predicted, competition eliminated one species. (as introduces the subordinate clause)

not It appears like this experiment succeeded.
but It appears as if this experiment succeeded. (as introduces the subordinate clause)

According to Garner, like is adjectival and as is adverbial

Correlative Conjunctions

2009-05-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

A paired conjunction that links balanced words, phrases, and clauses. The correlative conjunctions include the following:
both . . . and
either . . . or
just as . . . so
neither . . . nor
not only . . . but also
whether . . . or.

Original source: http://grammar.about.com/od/c/g/correlaconhterm.htm

Whether vs If

2009-05-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

1). After Prepositions , we use only whether.

I haven't settled the question of whether I'll go back home.
There was a big argument about whether we should move to a new house.

2). Whether, but not if, is used before infinitives.

They can't decide whether to get married now or wait.

3). When a question-word clause is a subject or complement, whether is preferred.

Whether we can stay with my mother is another matter. - (Subject)
The question is whether the man can be trusted. - (Complement)

The question is if the man can be trusted. - Correct but less preferred.

4). If an indirect question is fronted , whether is used.

Whether I'll have time I'm not sure at the moment.

5). Whether is generally preferred in a two - part question with or.

The Directors have not decided whether they will recommend a dividend or reinvest the profits.

6). After verbs that are more common in a formal style, whether is preferred.

We discussed whether we should close the shop.

7). Whether and if both can introduce indirect questions.

I'm not sure whether / if I'll have time.

8). Yes / No questions are reported with if or whether.

I don't know if / whether I can help you.

It's good practice to distinguish between these words. Use if for a conditional idea, whether for an alternative or possibility. Thus, Let me know if you'll be coming means that I want to hear from you only if you're coming. But Let me know whether you'll be coming means that I want to hear from you about your plans one way or the other

Note - The word IF does not always signal a conditional sentence. In such cases, the GMAT prefers "whether" instead of "if"

I don't know if I will go to the dance. (Incorrect)
I don't know whether I will go to the dance. (Correct)

Original Source: http://gmat-grammar.blogspot.com/2006/07/whether-vs-if.html

Will vs Would

2009-05-06T20:43:00.000-07:00

We do use the subjunctive when we are trying to talk about something that is contrary to reality or won't actually happen. We use the future tense to talk about what will actually happen (or, at least, what we believe will actually happen).

So, let's say I bought a lottery ticket yesterday, and I didn't win anything. I might say, "If I had won the lottery yesterday, I would have quit my job and moved to Tahiti."

I'm using the subjunctive because I didn't actually win the lottery; therefore, I'm not actually quitting my job and moving to Tahiti - that's contrary to reality.

Let's say I plan to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow and I don't know yet whether I will win. I might say, "If I win the lottery tomorrow, I will quit my job and move to Tahiti."

In this case, I'm telling you what I actually plan to do, for real, if I do win the lottery. So I use future tense - this time, what I'm saying is not contrary to reality. I've described what I really will do if I win.

The subjunctive mood

2009-05-06T20:18:00.001-07:00

A verb is in the subjunctive mood when it expresses a condition which is doubtful or not factual. It is most often found in a clause beginning with the word if. It is also found in clauses following a verb that expresses a doubt, a wish, regret, request, demand, or proposal.

These are verbs typically followed by clauses that take the subjunctive:

ask, demand, determine, insist, move, order, pray, prefer, recommend, regret, request, require, suggest, and wish.

In English there is no difference between the subjunctive and normal, or indicative, form of the verb except for the present tense third person singular and for the verb to be.

The subjunctive for the present tense third person singular drops the -s or -es so that it looks and sounds like the present tense for everything else.

The subjunctive mood of the verb to be is be in the present tense and were in the past tense, regardless of what the subject is.

Incorrect: If I was you, I would run.
Correct: If I were you, I would run.
(The verb follows if and expresses a non-factual condition.)
Incorrect: I wish he was able to type faster.
Correct: I wish he were able to type faster.
(The second verb is in a clause following a verb expressing a wish. It also suggests a non-factual or doubtful condition.)
Incorrect: His requirement is that everyone is computer literate.
Correct: His requirement is that everyone be computer literate.
(Subordinate clause follows main clause with a demand.)
Incorrect: He recommended that each driver reports his tips.
Correct: He recommended that each driver report his tips.

Sometimes we may use the conditional auxiliary verbs of could, should, or would to express the same sense.

Subjunctive:I wish he were kinder to me.
Conditional: I wish he would be kinder to me.
Original Source: http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000031.htm

What is a preposition?

2009-05-06T01:45:00.001-07:00

A preposition links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in asentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

The book is on the table.

The book is beneath the table.

The book is leaning against the table.

The book is beside the table.

She held the book over the table.

She read the book during class.

In each of the preceding sentences, a preposition locates the noun "book" in space or in time.

A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. The most common prepositions are "about," "above," "across," "after," "against," "along," "among," "around," "at," "before," "behind," "below," "beneath," "beside," "between," "beyond," "but," "by," "despite," "down," "during," "except," "for," "from," "in," "inside," "into," "like," "near," "of," "off," "on," "onto," "out," "outside," "over," "past," "since," "through," "throughout," "till," "to," "toward," "under," "underneath," "until," "up," "upon," "with," "within," and "without."

Original Source: http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/writcent/hypergrammar/preposit.html