Idioms

GMATing > GMAT > Verbal Ability > Sentence Correction > Idioms

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
  • A debate over
  • A lot
  • A native of
  • A responsibility to
  • A result of
  • A sequence of
  • Able + infinitive
  • Access to
  • Agree on + gerund
  • Agree on + noun
  • Agree to
  • Agree with
  • Aid + person/thing
  • Allows for
  • Appeal to
  • Are in danger of + gerund
  • As
  • As an instance of
  • As good as…or better than
  • As great as
  • As much as
  • as X as to Y
  • As….as
  • Ask + infinitive
  • Ask + person + infinitive
  • ask X to Y
  • Associate with
  • Attend to (someone)
  • Attribute to
  • Attribute x to y/x is attributed to y
  • Base on
  • Based on
  • Begin + infinitive
  • Believe x to be y
  • better served by X than by Y
  • Boom in
  • Both x and y
  • Built by
  • Care about
  • Care for
  • Centers on + person/thing
  • Choose + infinitive
  • Compare a to b
  • Compare a with b
  • compare to (similarities)
  • compare with (differences)
  • Concerned with
  • Conform to
  • Consider + person/thing
  • consider X Y (without ‘to be’)
  • Consistent with
  • Contend that
  • Continue + infinitive
  • Contrast a with b
  • Convert to
  • Count on + person/thing
  • Created with
  • credited with
  • Decide + infinitive
  • Decide on + thing/person
  • declare X Y
  • Defined as
  • Delighted by
  • demand that
  • Depend on
  • Depends on whether
  • Depicted as
  • determined by
  • differ from
  • Different from
  • Different from/differ from
  • Difficult + infinitive
  • disagree with
  • Disclose to + person/organization
  • dispute whether
  • Distinguish between x and y
  • Distinguish from
  • Distinguish x from y
  • Distinguishes between x and y
  • Doubt that
  • Draw + thing
  • Draw on (take out)
  • Dream of/about
  • Dwindle from
  • Easy to
  • Either…or
  • Elect + person
  • Elect to
  • Emerges from
  • Enable + person + infinitive
  • Enable to
  • Encourage + person + infinitive
  • enough X that Y
  • Escape from
  • except for
  • Except for + gerund
  • Except for + person/thing
  • Explain to
  • Expose to
  • Fail to
  • Fascinated by
  • Flee from
  • Focus on + thing/person
  • Forbid to
  • Forbid x to do y
  • Force + thing/person + infinitive
  • Get credit for/give credit for
  • Give credit for
  • Grow from
  • Grow out of
  • Help + thing/person + infinitive
  • Identical with
  • In contrast to
  • in danger of
  • Independent from
  • Indicate that
  • Indicate to + person
  • Indifferent towards
  • Inherit from
  • insist that
  • interaction of
  • Invest in
  • just as X, so Y
  • Leads to
  • Localized in
  • Make + thing/person + verb (simple form)
  • Manage to
  • mandate that
  • Mistake + thing/person + for
  • mistake X for Y
  • Modeled after
  • (no) more…than/(no) less…than
  • More than ever
  • Native to
  • Need to
  • Neither…nor
  • Not only…but also
  • not so much X as Y
  • Not so much…as
  • not X but rather Y
  • noted that
  • Originate in
  • Permit + thing/person + infinitive
  • Potential to
  • Prized as
  • Prized for
  • Prohibit from + gerund
  • Prohibits x from doing y
  • Promise of + thing
  • Promise to
  • Published by
  • Published in
  • Range from x to y
  • rates for (not ‘of’)
  • Refer to
  • Regard as
  • Regardless
  • Require + thing/person + infinitive
  • requiring that X Y
  • requiring X to Y
  • Resemble + thing/person
  • Responsible for
  • Resulting in
  • Results from
  • Results in
  • Retroactive to
  • Rivalry between x and y
  • Save for
  • Save from
  • Seek + infinitive
  • Seek + thing/person
  • Seem + infinitive
  • Sleep with
  • So (adjective) that
  • so as not to be hindered by
  • So x as to be y
  • so X as to constitute Y
  • so X s to (be) Y
  • Speak to + person
  • Speak with + person
  • Subscribe to
  • Such…as
  • Take advantage of
  • Teach + person + infinitive
  • Teach + person + thing
  • Tell + person
  • the more X the greater Y
  • The rivals x and y
  • The same to x as to y
  • Tie to
  • To be + composed of + thing
  • To be + essential to + person/thing
  • To be + necessary + infinitive
  • To be + used to + gerund
  • To be + willing + infinitive
  • To be drawn to + thing/person
  • To contrast x with y
  • To credit with
  • To mistake x for y
  • To result in
  • To sacrifice x for y
  • Transmit to
  • Use + person/thing + infinitive
  • Used + infinitive
  • X enough to Y
  • X out of Y (numbers)
  • X regarded as Y

Books I used for cracking Verbal

I recommend you getting the books right away. One good reason is motivation. New books help you stay motivated. I am not a big fan of xerox copies. They don’t smell good. The smell of a new book excites me and gives me another reason to start early with a zest. I get all my stuff from Amazon. (Yes it even ships books to India!) You get good deals and you can club your books to get in one shipment. Don’t think too much. I can vouch for the quality and effectiveness of the books I am recommending. Happy GMATing!!!

  • Quick Reference
  • Subject-Verb Agreement
  • Tenses
  • Style
  • Kshitij’s Kellogg B-School Success Story

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