Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Strategies for
the GMAT
by Sandeep Gupta (Ivy-GMAT,
Koramangala Bangalore)
sandeepgupta01@gmail.com
9739561394
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
Further Resources:
1. Preparation for SC (by Sandeep Gupta (Ivy-GMAT))
2. Sandeep SC Notes (by Sandeep Gupta (Ivy-GMAT))
3. Manhattan GMAT SC Guide – 4th Edition
4. 700-800 SC Questions – a set of 150 GMAT SC Questions (by
Sandeep Gupta (Ivy-GMAT)) – Must Solve
5. GMAT latest SC questions – a set of 277 GMAT SC Questions (by
Sandeep Gupta (Ivy-GMAT)) – Must Solve
6. OG 12, 11, 10, OG Verbal Review 1st and 2nd Editions
7. Platinumgmat.com (for Idiom review)
8. GMAT-Prep Verbal Forum Questions from ManhattanGMAT.com
9. 1000 SC (not necessary, though)
• LOCATION of Errors:
– Most of the errors on GMAT-SC occur at four potential places
AVOID USE
• Ability • Able
• Capability • Can
• As a result of • Result from
• One time • Once
• 4 times • Quadruple
• Economical • Economic
• Try and • Try to
• Liable • Likely
• Ought to • Should
• But • Although
• “Which” after the comma • Avoid “which” after the comma
– Here one has to write “to” either only once or in all the parts.
16. Ken traveled around the world, visiting historic sites, eating native
foods, and learning about new cultures.
17. The rain continued to fall, providing water for the thirsty plants but
flooding the streets as well.
18. They danced through life, loving one another and enjoying their
adventures.
• AND (X … AND … Y)
• BUT
• AS WELL AS
• OR
• YET
• ALTHOUGH
39. WRONG: The doctors have been and will continue to conduct
tests on the sick patient.
The DOG with the gray ears RUNS out of the house.
In this sentence, the words was named make up the full working
verb.
These are also known as Subordinators, because they turn the clauses they are
attached to into Subordinate Clauses, which cannot stand by themselves. To fix this
sort of fragment, you either need to attach it to a main clause or drop the
connecting word (and if necessary add some words, as in the second case:
The plan will be approved tomorrow).
We want to say that the hydrogen car itself will be able to travel.
Make sure that the subject and the verb actually have a sensible
meaning together!
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
Subject and Verb Must Agree In Number
What is the subject, discovery or new medicines? If you ask yourself "What
is vital to the company's growth?" you may be able to talk yourself into
either choice.
To find the subject, you must ignore all the words that are not the
subject.
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
And vs. Additive Phrases
The word and can unite two or more singular subjects, forming a
compound plural subject.
Many other words and phrases besides and can "add" to a subject.
In such cases, find the noun nearest to the verb, and make sure that the
verb agrees in number with this noun.
Neither the coach nor the players ARE going to the beach.
Neither the players nor the coach IS going to the beach.
In the first example, the plural subject players is nearest to the verb, so
the verb takes the plural form are. In the second example, the singular
subject coach is nearest to the verb, so the verb takes the singular form is.
CAUTION: Note that when the words EITHER or NEITHER are in a
sentence alone (without OR or NOR), they are considered singular and
take only singular verbs.
You should look at the noun object of the Of-phrase to determine the
number of the subject.
Some of the money WAS stolen from my wallet. (MONEY is singular)
Some of the documents WERE stolen from the bank. (DOCUMENTS is
plural)
Technically, none of + plural noun can take either a singular or a plural
verb form.
© Sandeep Gupta – Ivy-GMAT, Koramangala Bangalore. sandeepgupta01@gmail.com, 9739561394
Each and Every: Singular
The subject of a sentence, ‘EACH' or ‘EVERY’ requires a singular verb form.
The same is true for any subject preceded by the word each or every:
Right: Every dog HAS paws.
Right: Every dog and cat HAS paws.
Right: Each of these shirts IS pretty.
You may think that the subjects of the second and third sentences are
plural. However, in each case, the subject is preceded by each or every.
Therefore, the subject is considered singular.
Note that each following a subject has no bearing on the verb
form:
They each ARE great tennis players.
Here, the plural subject THEY requires the plural verb form ARE.
2. This is one of those (book / books) that (was / were) published last year.
3. Either a slice of toast or eggs (is/are) what I will eat for breakfast.
4. Neither the driver nor the passengers (was/were) aware of the seat belt
law.
Ordered
to advise
Mandatory
to ask
to command Ruled
to demand Authorized
to desire Condition
to insist Imperative
to propose
Important
to recommend
to request Required
to suggest Proposed
to urge Necessary
demand
• To show a trend:
– Use Present simple
36. These days, Indian cricketers spend a lot of their
time endorsing products. NOT “ARE
SPENDING”.
– Possessive Pronouns
– Pronoun Case
– Pronoun Position
• Ohhh, nooo!
17. If the baby does not thrive on fresh milk, it should be boiled.
18. Mother told Ann that her skirt is too short.
19. At Ivy-GMAT, they provide a great deal of practice on
computer.
20. The team's poor sportsmanship made all of them look like
whiners.
21. The parents tried to explain the risks involved in hitch hiking,
but it was useless.
22. After interviewing several nurses, I realised that it was not
the career for me.
30. The storm lasted all weekend long, which made us feel
depressed.
31. You didn’t return any of his calls. This made him feel
that you don’t care.
53. Jane’s first novel was so well received that her bank balance
soared.
54. Jane’s first novel was so well received that the publisher thought
of giving her an additional royalty of 10%, lending credence to the
fact that her subsequent writings could be even more passionate.
55. Jane’s first novel was so well received that her skeptical husband
also started appreciating her writing style.
64. At the end of the day, the chaperones took the fourth
graders back to school, who were exhausted from
running after the children.
11. Three times more students attended the prom this year than last
year.
12. Covering the floors with tiles costs twice as much as linoleum.
27. Like I mentioned earlier, the test date has been moved up.
30. As with other children in her neighborhood who were home-schooled, Joan
sometimes missed being in a classroom with her peers.
34. Owning a car is still Dan’s goal, like that of his parents when they were his
age.
38. It was not long after the 1930s commenced that baritone
singers like Bing Crosby and Russ Columbo contributed to the
popularization of a type of romantic, soothing singing that came
to be called “crooning.”
• Idioms / Prepositions
• Quantity (Numerical) Expressions
• Adjective V/s Adverb
• Punctuation
• Concision (shortest possible sentence)
• Meaning Clarity
• A good collection.
• Run quickly (not quick).
• Extremely beautiful.
• Truly succinctly expressed.
V/s
CONCISION