Modeled after ...
descendant of
acclaimed as
So ___ as to ___ is So+[adj]+as to+[verb].
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable ....
Grounds for .....
Showing posts with label NOTES. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NOTES. Show all posts
Saturday, 2 May 2009
NOTES : IF THEN Construct ...
PRESENT WILL+VERB BASE
If she wins today , she will give half of her money to charity.
PAST WOULD / COULD + BASE VERB
If she won today, she would give half of her money to charity.
PAST PERFECT WOULD / COULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
If she had won today, she would have given half of her money to charity.
Examples
Friday, 1 May 2009
NOTES : Mind the ONLY/FIRST ....
The "only" position shift changes the meaning of the original setences.
"The following sentences should make the meaning differences clear:
Only Linda ate the pizza today. (Nobody else; only Linda.)
Linda only ate the pizza today. (Linda didn't cook it or buy it; she only ate it.)
Linda ate only the pizza today. (Linda didn't eat anything else today; only pizza.)
"The following sentences should make the meaning differences clear:
Only Linda ate the pizza today. (Nobody else; only Linda.)
Linda only ate the pizza today. (Linda didn't cook it or buy it; she only ate it.)
Linda ate only the pizza today. (Linda didn't eat anything else today; only pizza.)
Linda ate the only pizza today. (There was only one pizza, and Linda ate it.)
Linda ate the pizza only today. (Linda didn't eat the pizza yesterday or before;
Example:
example-quetzalcoatlus
Linda ate the pizza only today. (Linda didn't eat the pizza yesterday or before;
only today; OR, Linda didn't eat the pizza until today.)
Linda ate the pizza today only. (Linda didn't eat the pizza yesterday or before; only today.)
Linda ate the pizza today only. (Linda didn't eat the pizza yesterday or before; only today.)
The rule of thumb is this: put only as close as possible to the word it should modify.
Look out for very words like ONLY, FIRST, etc. They can contribute to change in meaning in a subtle way.
Example:
example-quetzalcoatlus
Sunday, 26 April 2009
NOTES : Like VS Such As
What's the difference between like and such as?
Common mistake we make in there use -
Can you buy me some fruit like apples or pomegranate?
Why the above sentence is wrong?
Use of like in the above sentence mistakenly suggests that the speaker does not wants apples or pomegranate, but rather some other fruit that is similar to apples or watermelon.
In GMAT, like means similar to, and such as means for example.
e.g
Can you buy me some fruit like apples or watermelon?
In GMAT, this sentence implies that the speaker does NOT want apples or watermelon; instead, he prefers some fruit similar to apples and watermelon.
Correct - Can you buy me some fruit such as apples or watermelon?
apples and watermelon are examples of the type of fruit we want.
Common mistake we make in there use -
Can you buy me some fruit like apples or pomegranate?
Why the above sentence is wrong?
Use of like in the above sentence mistakenly suggests that the speaker does not wants apples or pomegranate, but rather some other fruit that is similar to apples or watermelon.
In GMAT, like means similar to, and such as means for example.
e.g
Can you buy me some fruit like apples or watermelon?
In GMAT, this sentence implies that the speaker does NOT want apples or watermelon; instead, he prefers some fruit similar to apples and watermelon.
Correct - Can you buy me some fruit such as apples or watermelon?
apples and watermelon are examples of the type of fruit we want.
Important:
I would like you to buy such fruit as apples and watermelon for me.
This is simply a variation -- notice how such and as are separated.
I would like you to buy such fruit as apples and watermelon for me.
This is simply a variation -- notice how such and as are separated.
Ex:
Saturday, 25 April 2009
NOTES : Nouns for phrase modifying the sentense.
Jim bought Tom , a cat , from pet shop, naming it Tom from Tom-and-Jerry series.
Subject => Jim
Phrase "naming ....." matches the action of the Noun ( Jim ).
Incorrect :
Tom , a cat , was purchased by Jim from pet shop, naming it Tom from Tom-and-Jerry series.
Subject => Tom
Phrase "naming ....." does NOT matches the action of the Noun ( Tom ).
The way to correct it is to add a Relative Pronoun to correct it:
Tom , a cat , was purchased from pet shop by Jim , who named it Tom from Tom-and-Jerry series.
Examples:
og-12-vr-1-glass-house-mountains ...
Subject => Jim
Phrase "naming ....." matches the action of the Noun ( Jim ).
Incorrect :
Tom , a cat , was purchased by Jim from pet shop, naming it Tom from Tom-and-Jerry series.
Subject => Tom
Phrase "naming ....." does NOT matches the action of the Noun ( Tom ).
The way to correct it is to add a Relative Pronoun to correct it:
Tom , a cat , was purchased from pet shop by Jim , who named it Tom from Tom-and-Jerry series.
Examples:
og-12-vr-1-glass-house-mountains ...
NOTES : Since VS Becuase ...
Yes, we often use "since" and "because" almost interchangeably nowadays. And, yes, this is wrong on the GMAT.
As you noted, "since" is specifically used as an indication of time. "Since 1996, the Internet has grown from X users to Y users."
"Because she was hungry, she ate all the pie."
It's not okay to say "Since she was hungry..." (at least, not on the GMAT). So if you see a split between "since" and "because" and it appears that they could both work, use "because." (You probably wouldn't make the mistake in the other direction - "Because 1996, the Internet has grown...")
As you noted, "since" is specifically used as an indication of time. "Since 1996, the Internet has grown from X users to Y users."
"Because she was hungry, she ate all the pie."
It's not okay to say "Since she was hungry..." (at least, not on the GMAT). So if you see a split between "since" and "because" and it appears that they could both work, use "because." (You probably wouldn't make the mistake in the other direction - "Because 1996, the Internet has grown...")
Tuesday, 14 April 2009
NOTES : EACH before/after plural nouns
three channels each broadcast ......
NOTES : It VS THAT
If "it" and "that" are used as a pronoun, how do I choose between them? For example,
The dictionary is very helpful; without it, I don't know what the word means at all.
The dictionary is very helpful; without that, I don't know what the word means at all.
On the gmat, and in formal written english in general, you can't use the so-called 'pointing words.' those are the four words 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those', used by themselves as pronouns. big fat no-no. the second one of these two sentences is, therefore, incorrect. -- the above is of course not meant to say that those four words are forbidden in general. you can, of course, use 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those' as adjectives (these people, that book, etc.), or in specialized constructions wherein parallelism lends them meaning (such as 'beethoven's symphonies were more revolutionary than were those of bach').
Examples:
example-quetzalcoatlus
example-living-in-freestanding-house
The dictionary is very helpful; without it, I don't know what the word means at all.
The dictionary is very helpful; without that, I don't know what the word means at all.
On the gmat, and in formal written english in general, you can't use the so-called 'pointing words.' those are the four words 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those', used by themselves as pronouns. big fat no-no. the second one of these two sentences is, therefore, incorrect. -- the above is of course not meant to say that those four words are forbidden in general. you can, of course, use 'this', 'that', 'these', and 'those' as adjectives (these people, that book, etc.), or in specialized constructions wherein parallelism lends them meaning (such as 'beethoven's symphonies were more revolutionary than were those of bach').
Examples:
example-quetzalcoatlus
example-living-in-freestanding-house
NOTES : Infinitives as second verb.
The GMAT fanatically prefers the second verb in a set to be in infinitive form.
Before the Civil War, Harriet Tubman, herself an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland to guide other slaves along the Underground Railroad to freedom.
(A) herself an escaped slave, returned again and again to Maryland to guide
(C) an escaped slave herself, returned again and again to Maryland for guiding
So, on the GMAT, you should always pick "returned to guide" over "returned for guiding".
NOTES : Participle as modifiers
S+V+O+verb-ed+blah... [ Main Clause + Present Particle + ... ]
S+V+O+verb-ing+blah...[ Main Clause + Past Particle + ... ]
If there's NO COMMA before a participle, then the participle creates an adjective phrase that modifies the noun immediately preceding.
If there's a COMMA before a participle, then the participle creates an adverb phrase that modifies the action of the preceding clause.
S+V+O+verb-ing+blah...[ Main Clause + Past Particle + ... ]
I will, however, point out one thing of enormous importance that you haven't addressed here at all, which is the presence/absence of a COMMA after the main clause (the thing you've written s+v+o).
If there's NO COMMA before a participle, then the participle creates an adjective phrase that modifies the noun immediately preceding.
If there's a COMMA before a participle, then the participle creates an adverb phrase that modifies the action of the preceding clause.
examples:
Joe picked the fruit hanging from the tree.
Joe picked the fruit hanging from the tree.
joe, who was probably on solid ground, picked the fruit that was hanging from the tree.
Joe picked the fruit, hanging from the tree.
joe was hanging from the tree while he picked the fruit. for instance
I think that the following sentence is perfectly fine: the pedestrian was hit by a car, sustaining multiple major injuries
although it would probably be better written as
the pedestrian was hit by a car and sustained multiple major injuries
i think that, as long as the 'verb-ing adverb phrase' refers properly to the action in the main clause (whether that action is in the active or the passive), you're fine.
the pedestrian was hit by a car and sustained multiple major injuries
i think that, as long as the 'verb-ing adverb phrase' refers properly to the action in the main clause (whether that action is in the active or the passive), you're fine.
NOTES : Gerunds VS Infinitve
Some verbs require both infinitive and gerund and the meaning is often almost the same like:
- The boys started to throw stones at the thief.
- The boys started throwing stones at the thief.
- They began to shout after him.
- They began shouting after him.
- They continued to swear.
- They continued swearing.
But be careful, it is not always like this. Sometimes they have different meanings. Once again,
“It all depends...”
So let me show you an amazing little thing about the use of infinitive and gerund after some verbs:
Now can you tell me the difference - if there's any – between?
- Leila likes to eat couscous.
- Leila likes eating couscous.
Depending on intention, we can infer that
- Leila likes to eat couscous (now).
- Leila likes eating couscous. (habit)
The action with the GERUND form is mostly a long lasting one.
Now see if you can decipher the meaning from these two statements:
1. The man stopped smoking.
2. The man stopped to smoke.
1 --> The first one says that the man quitted or gave up smoking. He used to smoke, but now he
no longer does.
2 --> The second sentence however says the ma was walking when he stopped to light a cigarette.
Now if you did it right, try to explain these two other sentences:
1. I forgot to send them a letter of invitation.
2. I forgot sending them a letter of invitation.
Which sentence says that I have already sent the letter?
Obviously it’s number 2 because it says that I had sent them the letter of invitation but I only forgot doing so.
The first says that I still don’t send them the Invitation because I forgot to do.
It is the same for:
1. I remembered to give him the money I owed him.
2. I remembered giving him the money I owed him.
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Examples
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Monday, 13 April 2009
NOTES :Countable Vs Non-Countable ...
As quantitative expressions, equivalent and equal
often modify nouns referring to uncountable things,
as in
"an equivalent amount of resistance" or
"a volume of water equal to Lake Michigan."
To establish numerical comparability between
groups with countable members, the phrase
as many as is preferable.
often modify nouns referring to uncountable things,
as in
"an equivalent amount of resistance" or
"a volume of water equal to Lake Michigan."
To establish numerical comparability between
groups with countable members, the phrase
as many as is preferable.
Examples
NOTES :Transitive Verb And Direct Object - Split Infinitive
With transitive verbs (taking an object), adverbs may come after the object, but never between verb and object.
"He told the story rapidly." [Correct]
"He slowly told the story."[Correct]
"He told rapidly the story ." [Incorrect]
"He told slowly the story."[Incorrect]
Split Infinitive
to run quickly [OK]
to quickly run [ NOK - adverb is between the to and verb : Split case ]
"He told the story rapidly." [Correct]
"He slowly told the story."[Correct]
"He told rapidly the story ." [Incorrect]
"He told slowly the story."[Incorrect]
Split Infinitive
to run quickly [OK]
to quickly run [ NOK - adverb is between the to and verb : Split case ]
Example ...
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