Idiomatic expressions are phrases that are common in standard written English. There is no logic behind their usage. You either know them or not. You will have to use your ear most of the time. But its highly advised that you learn the list of common idioms on GMAT.
The parrot way
I am sorry to tell you this, but memorizing them is the only way you can do this. Start doing this early in your preparation. Initially it's okay to look up the idiom list while answering the questions. Watch out for the changing prepositions while doing a vertical scan of the answer choices, this would give you a hint that may be this is an Idiom error.
| a consequence of | Forbid to |
| A debate over | Forbid x to do y |
| A lot | Force + thing/person + infinitive |
| A native of | Get credit for/give credit for |
| A responsibility to | Give credit for |
| A result of | Grow from |
| A sequence of | Grow out of |
| Able + infinitive | Help + thing/person + infinitive |
| Access to | Identical with |
| Agree on + gerund | In contrast to |
| Agree on + noun | in danger of |
| Agree to | Independent from |
| Agree with | Indicate that |
| Aid + person/thing | Indicate to + person |
| Allows for | Indifferent towards |
| Appeal to | Inherit from |
| Are in danger of + gerund | insist that |
| As | interaction of |
| As an instance of | Invest in |
| As good as...or better than | just as X, so Y |
| As great as | Leads to |
| As much as | Localized in |
| as X as to Y | Make + thing/person + verb (simple form) |
| As....as | Manage to |
| Ask + infinitive | mandate that |
| Ask + person + infinitive | Mistake + thing/person + for |
| ask X to Y | mistake X for Y |
| Associate with | Modeled after |
| Attend to (someone) | (no) more...than/(no) less...than |
| Attribute to | More than ever |
| Attribute x to y/x is attributed to y | Native to |
| Base on | Need to |
| Based on | Neither...nor |
| Begin + infinitive | Not only...but also |
| Believe x to be y | not so much X as Y |
| better served by X than by Y | Not so much...as |
| Boom in | not X but rather Y |
| Both x and y | noted that |
| Built by | Originate in |
| Care about | Permit + thing/person + infinitive |
| Care for | Potential to |
| Centers on + person/thing | Prized as |
| Choose + infinitive | Prized for |
| Compare a to b | Prohibit from + gerund |
| Compare a with b | Prohibits x from doing y |
| compare to (similarities) | Promise of + thing |
| compare with (differences) | Promise to |
| Concerned with | Published by |
| Conform to | Published in |
| Consider + person/thing | Range from x to y |
| consider X Y (without 'to be') | rates for (not 'of') |
| Consistent with | Refer to |
| Contend that | Regard as |
| Continue + infinitive | Regardless |
| Contrast a with b | Require + thing/person + infinitive |
| Convert to | requiring that X Y |
| Count on + person/thing | requiring X to Y |
| Created with | Resemble + thing/person |
| credited with | Responsible for |
| Decide + infinitive | Resulting in |
| Decide on + thing/person | Results from |
| declare X Y | Results in |
| Defined as | Retroactive to |
| Delighted by | Rivalry between x and y |
| demand that | Save for |
| Depend on | Save from |
| Depends on whether | Seek + infinitive |
| Depicted as | Seek + thing/person |
| determined by | Seem + infinitive |
| differ from | Sleep with |
| Different from | So (adjective) that |
| Different from/differ from | so as not to be hindered by |
| Difficult + infinitive | So x as to be y |
| disagree with | so X as to constitute Y |
| Disclose to + person/organization | so X s to (be) Y |
| dispute whether | Speak to + person |
| Distinguish between x and y | Speak with + person |
| Distinguish from | Subscribe to |
| Distinguish x from y | Such...as |
| Distinguishes between x and y | Take advantage of |
| Doubt that | Teach + person + infinitive |
| Draw + thing | Teach + person + thing |
| Draw on (take out) | Tell + person |
| Dream of/about | the more X the greater Y |
| Dwindle from | The rivals x and y |
| Easy to | The same to x as to y |
| Either...or | Tie to |
| Elect + person | To be + composed of + thing |
| Elect to | To be + essential to + person/thing |
| Emerges from | To be + necessary + infinitive |
| Enable + person + infinitive | To be + used to + gerund |
| Enable to | To be + willing + infinitive |
| Encourage + person + infinitive | To be drawn to + thing/person |
| enough X that Y | To contrast x with y |
| Escape from | To credit with |
| except for | To mistake x for y |
| Except for + gerund | To result in |
| Except for + person/thing | To sacrifice x for y |
| Explain to | Transmit to |
| Expose to | Use + person/thing + infinitive |
| Fail to | Used + infinitive |
| Fascinated by | X enough to Y |
| Flee from | X out of Y (numbers) |
| Focus on + thing/person | X regarded as Y |
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