INTRODUCTION

- Basic Understanding of GMAT

• Computer Adaptive Test

• You can select the sequence of the sections at the
beginning.

- Sections ( Score dependent)

•Verbal
•Quant
- Sections ( Score independent)

•Integrated Reasoning
•Analytical Writing Assessment
- GMAT Verbal Sections

• Sentence Correction [SC]

• Critical Reasoning [CR]
• Reading Comprehension [RC]

- Average No of questions from Each Section ( Score

Dependent )

•SC 12-13 Questions

•CR 9-10 Questions
•RC 4 Passages || 12-13 questions
SENTENCE CORRECTION
 • No of Questions: 36
• Time given : 65 minutes
- Why to focus on Sentence Correction ?

• Key to GMAT Verbal.

•Most Scoring Part.
•Takes less time.
•Chances of marking a wrong answer is also less.
- Further division of Sentence Correction

• Six Major Parts

- Subject Verb Agreement
- Pronoun Agreement
- Verb Tense
- Modifier
 - Parallelism
- Idioms

• Four Minor Parts

- Comma Splice
- Diction
- Subjunctives
- Redundancy

CRITICAL REASONING (9- 10 Questions)

- In CR again there are 9 types of questions which are

• Assumption
• Inference
• Strengthen
 • Weakening
• Flaw
• Reasoning
• Evaluate
• Resolve & Explain

READING COMPREHENSION ( 4 passages || 13-14 questions)

- Types of Passages in RC
• Small Passages ( 1-2 paragraph)
• Large Passages ( 3-4 paragraph)
- Types of Questions in both paragraphs
• Primary Purpose Questions
• Main Theme Questions
• Highlighted Phrase Questions
• Author’s View Questions
• Inference Questions

- Prerequisites for Reading Comprehension

•Start Reading an article daily to develop reading and
comprehending skills.
 STRUCTURE OF THIS COURSE

READ LESS , REVISE MORE AND PRACTICE MOST

• Focus on revisions and Practice Sets

• 10 questions after every Session.
• Before starting the fresh session , previous questions will be
discussed .
• Revision of previous lesson in every class.
- Mandatory before Starting this course

• A pre assessment is very much required .

• Can take a mock anywhere online .
• Number of computer adaptive free mocks are available in the
market .
• Write down your score.
 SENTENCE CORRECTION

INTRODUCTION TO SENTENCE CORRECTION

6 major and 4 minor sections/ question types

Major Minor
Subject Verb Comma Splice
Pronoun Diction
Verb Tense Subjunctives
Modifiers Redundancy
Parallelism
Idioms

How a Sentence Correction Question Looks ?

• A statement ( some part underlined).
• 5 options.
• Only need to find out error in underlined portion of the sentence.
• Use process of Elimination to get the answer quickly.

Basic Understanding :

1. Noun : Concrete/ Abstract

Singular /Plural
Countable/ Uncountable

2. Pronouns

3. Verb :
 • Verb + ing ( Adj/Noun)
• Verb + ed ( Past Tense / Adjective)
Ex: The frightened thief ran very fast.
• To + Verb ( Sense of intention)
• is/am/are/was/were + Verb + ing ( Verb)

SUBJECT VERB

• What is a subject ?
• What is a Verb ?
1. Subject and Verb should make sense .
Ex: After shut down, the production plant resulted in
loss.

Shut down of production plant resulted in loss.

2. Subject Verb Should agree in number

3. Subjects which are always Singular

• Pronoun
• Each
• Phrases and Clauses
• Collective Nouns
Always Singular Pronouns

Pronouns that ends in

- Thing
- Body
- One
- Ever
Each as Subject

- When acts as a Subject

Ex : Each of the students is going in the class
- When each appears after subject
EX: Liza and Fiza each take milk.
Phrases and Clauses

Phrase :
Eating healthy foods is good for health.

Clause :
That every citizen abides by the traffic rules is important.

Collective Nouns

Ex : Army , Crowd , Class, Jury , Family etc.

4. Words that change number of subject
• Change Singular to Plural
• Change Plural to Singular

Change Singular to Plural : And , A number

Change Plural to Singular :

- Each , every before the subject .

- Either , Neither before the subject.
- One of the , The Number
EX:
1. Each of the students is going inside the class.
2. Neither of the lights is working.
3. One of the oranges from the bucket has rotten.

5. Additive Phrases ( X element)

- Together With
- In addition to
- As well as
- Along with
- Accompanied by

Ex: Ram along with his friends is going for a party.

6 . Either or || Neither Nor ( Y element )

Ex: Neither Ram nor his friends are going for a party.

7. Quantity Propositional Phrases ( Verb acc to original subject)

Ex:
- Some of the books.
- Most of the classrooms.
- Two of the five swimmers.
 Revision :
• What is a subject ?
• What is a Verb ?
• How a sentence correction Question looks ?
• What should be our first move to solve an SC question ?
• Process of Elimination Strategy .
• What is Noun , Pronoun , Verb .
• How can GMAT tweak a verb ?
• Verb+ ing ( Adj / Noun)
• Verb + ed ( Past Tense / Adjective)
• To + verb ( Sense of Intention)
• Form of be + Verb + ing ( Verb)

All Thumb Rules to Subject Verb at one place -

1. Always Singular :- Pronouns ending with one, body, thing and ever .
2. The Number
3. Each and Every
 4. Collective Nouns
5. Abstract Nouns
6. Either or Neither nor
7. Either /Neither
8. Additive Phrases
9. Subject and Verb should make sense
10. Subject and Verb should agree in number
11. Phrases and Clauses

Sample Question to get the strategy :

Question Statement -

Edward Abbey’s books, especially Dessert Solitaire, in which Abbey recounts

his adventures in Utah dessert, employs wit to convey its author’s love of the
American west

Options -

A. employs wit to converts author’s love of the American west.

B. employs wit conveying their author’s love for the American west.

C. employs wit to convey the love of the American west by the

author.

D. employ wit to convey their author’s love of the amber can west.
 E. employ wit to convey its author’s love of the American west.

Subject Verb Make Sense

Q 1 : Posting of videos of the 61 -year-old Swedish doctor

and medical professor who harnesses statistics to illustrate
dramatically how economic progress has made the world
better have drawn well over 1 million views on Youtube.

Select the incorrect version for underlined portion.

A. Posting of videos
B. Once posted, the videos
C. The posted videos

Q 2 : Pioneering of blended battery packs by Indy Power

Systems produce energy for as little as one-tenth the cost
of lithium batteries while controlling the wear and tear
weight.

Select the correct version for underlined portion.

A. Pioneering of blended battery packs by Indy Power

Systems
B. Pioneered by Indy Power Systems, blended battery
packs
C. Indy Power Systems pioneering of blended battery
packs

Q 3 : The manufacturer guarantees that the silky red

dress with an exquisite broach of gold petals will not
corrode.

Select the correct choice for underlined part.

A. Silky red dress with an exquisite broach of gold petals.

B. Exquisite broach of gold petals on the silky red dress
Words that change Number

Q 4: The S & P 500 as well as the Nasdaq have dropped

by more than 2 % because of a jump in the dollar that
helped to knock down commodities prices .

Select the correct answer.

A. Have
B. Has
Q 5 : The underlined verb in the sentence below must
agree with which subject?

Because of housing slump and recession , neither Home

Depot nor Lowe’s have seen any increase in the same
store sales since last three years ;however , the stocks of
both the stores have rallied recently, indicating that the
housing bottom may be close .

A. Housing slump and recession = Thus PLURAL

B. Home Depot = Thus SINGULAR
C. Lowe’s = Thus SINGULAR
D. Home Dept and Lowe’s = Thus PLURAL
E. Lowe’s = Thus PLURAL
 PRONOUN

Pronouns are the words that are used in place of noun

Or

Noun referred to by Pronoun is antecedent

Rules :
1. Pronoun must refer to a noun
2. Pronoun -Noun pair must agree in number
3. Pronouns cannot refer to Actions/Adjectives
 Pronoun must refer to a noun

• Pronoun must refer to only one Noun

• Pronoun and Noun pair must make sense
• Sentence should convey the intended meaning
without any ambiguity

Ex 1 : Liza called Fiza several times while she was in

Peru.

Ex 2 : In an accident , the car hit the tree , but it was

not damaged .
Ex 3 : In an accident , the car hit the tree, but its
engine was not damaged .

Pronoun- Noun pair must agree in Number

• Singular Noun should pair with singular pronoun.

• Plural noun should pair with plural pronoun.

Ex 1 : Liza loves exercising , so she goes to gym.

Ex 2 : Children love swimming , so they swim daily.

Ex 3 : The biggest economic advancement that US and
south korea have attempted - a free trade agreement
signed in April 2007 - hasn’t been completed because
it awaits ratification by its respective lawmakers.

Pronoun cannot refer to action /adjectives

Ex 1 : The gardener is able to reduce the insects and

the family is very happy with him for doing it.
Ex 2 : The growth of Belgium coffee continued on an
upward trend In 2008, highlighting the strong coffee
culture that exists there.
 BASIC VERB TENSES

Types of Tenses :
1. Present
2. Past
3. Future

Subdivision of Tenses :
Present Tense :
- Simple Present
- Present Continous
- Present Perfect
Past Tense
- Simple Past
- Past Continous
- Past perfect

Future Tense
- Simple future
- Future Continous
- Future Perfect
 Simple Present
• Verb + ‘ s /es’
• Describes the facts which are valid in present time
frame.

Ex : He lives in this house .

Present Continous

• Is + Verb + ing
• Describes the facts that are happening now.

Ex : She is studying for her exams.

 Present Perfect

• Keywords : Since and Within

• Has /have + Verb + ed

1. Continuing Action
• Describes Actions started in past and continue in the
current time.
• Ex : I have practiced yoga for two years now.

2. Continuing Effect
• Describes action started in past and effect of action is
continue in current time.
• Ex : The maid has cleaned the kitchen very thoroughly
3. Indefinite Time
• Describes the actions that occurred at indefinite time in
the past.
• Ex : He has seen entire London.

Simple Past
• Verb + ‘ed’
• Describes the facts which happened in the past and not
valid in current time frame.

Ex : He lived in this house last year .

Past Continous
• Was/were + verb +ing
• Describes the actions which were happening in the
past .

Ex : She was studying when the phone rang.

Past Perfect

• Used when two related events took place at different

times in past .
- Earlier Event : Past Perfect
- Latter Event : Simple Past
Ex: She had slept when the phone rang.
 Simple Future

• will/can/may/shall + Verb
• Describes the facts that will happen in future.

Ex : He will live in this house next year.

Future Continous

• Will be + verb +ing

• The ongoing action which will happen in future when
some other action occurs.
Ex : I will be studying in the class when her concert
begins.

• The currently ongoing action which will continue in

future .
Ex : The teachers will be taking the classes throughout the
summer.

Future Perfect

• Used when two events will take place at different times

in future.
- Earlier Event : Future Perfect
- Latter event : Simple Present/ Simple Future
Ex : By the time Liza Turns three , she will have started
going to school.

DAY 6

BASICS OF MODIFIERS
4. Modifiers in a sentence provides additional information about
- Noun
- Verb
- Main Clause

2. Modifiers in a sentence can be

- Word
• Word modifiers that modifies Noun : Adjectives
Ex : The Fat mouse ran from the cat
• Word modifiers that modifies Verb : Adverbs
Ex : The mouse ran swiftly from the cat.

- Phrase
• Phrase that modifies Noun
 Ex : The mouse ran from the cat with the bell .
• Phrase that modifies Verb
Ex : The mouse ran towards the garden when it saw the cat .

- Clause
• Clauses that modifies Noun
Ex : The mouse ran from the cat that has the bell.
• Clauses that modifies Verb
Ex : The mouse ran towards the garden when it saw the cat.
 PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING MODIFIERS

1. Spot the modifier

2. Check what is being modified by the modifier
3. Is the modifier placed correctly
4. Is the modifier worded correctly
5. Modifier must make sense with the modified entity

Modifiers that modifies Noun

Ex 1: The black bookcase contains all the books that Ram likes to
read, an avid reader.

• Black : Bookcase
• That Ram likes to read : Books
• An Avid Reader : Read : Ram

Type of Error : Misplaced Modifier

Corrected Sentence : The black bookcase contains all the books that
Ram, an avid reader, likes to read.

RULE 1 : Always PLACE the modifier CLOSE to the NOUN that

it modifies.

Ex 2 : The western European countries , which the recession seems to

be worsening , have huge financial problems.

• Western European : Countries

• Which the recession seems to be worsening : Countries :Financial
problems
• Huge : financial problems

Type of Error : Misplaced Modifier

Corrected Sentence : The western European countries have huge

financial problems, which the recession seems to be worsening.

Modifiers that modifies VERBS

Ex 3 : Two weeks after he met with an accident yesterday , he

suffered from stroke.

• Two weeks after : met

• Yesterday : Met : Suffered

Type of Error : Misplaced Modifier

Corrected Sentence : Two weeks after he met with an accident , he

suffered from stroke yesterday.

RULE 2 : Modifiers that modifies verb , may be placed away

from the modified verb provided the sentence makes sense.

UPCOMING TOPICS IN MODIFIERS :

• Verb Ing Modifiers
• Verb Ed Modifiers
 Verb-ing Modifiers Modifying nouns

Ex 1 : Wearing a black shirt , Joe played with a puppy

Ex 2 : Joe ,wearing a black shirt, played with a puppy
Ex 3 : Joe played with the puppy wearing a black collar

RULE : If a modifier is placed after the modified entity , it should not be separated
with comma.

Verb-Ing Modifiers modifying Verbs / ACTIONS:

• Generic
• How
• Actions
Generic :
Ex 1 : Amy skipped the school , giving the excuse of stomach ache.

Ex 2 : The start up closed all its operations, citing political instability as the
primary reason

Structure : Subject + Verb + Object , Verb-ing modifier

* * * To remember : One doer , 2 actions * * *

HOW :
• How verb -ing modifier modifies the verb gives us the How aspect of the action.

Ex 1: Arranging flowers in a symmetric pattern , Lisa made a beautiful bouquet.

Ex 2 : Singing a beautiful song , Fiza mesmerised everyone present in the room.

RESULT :


Ex 1 : Lisa made a beautiful bouquet , winning accolades from everyone.

Ex 2 : BP corporation drilled deep sea oil wells , destroying the coral reefs

*** Best Practice : Cause comes first and the result comes after ***
*** a comma + verb-ing modifier always modifies the preceding action***

NOTE : IN Verb-ING modifier sentence construction if the modifier is placed

before the modified entity , it can modify either verb /action or noun
 Different types of Actions

• Verb-ing modifier modifies “to- verb “ action ( depending on sentence context)

Ex : Lisa’s father wants Lisa to become a doctor , making a difference in

people’s lives.

DOER of the modified action is not the same as the doer of the modifier as the
verbs are different here

Ex 1:
Wrong : Joe became the CFO of the company , increasing his pay significantly-
wrong as doers are not same

Correct : Joe became the CFO of the company , a move that increased his pay
significantly
Ex 2 :

Wrong :Oliver won the best writer award , making him famous in no time.

Correct : Oliver won the best writer award , a win that made him famous in no
time .

VERB - Ed Modifiers

• Verb-ed words can be used as a Verb or as a modifier depending upon the

meaning of the sentence.

• If the entity preceded by the verb-ed word is doer then the word is a Verb
otherwise it is a modifier .

Ex 1 :
- Marie decorated the poster with yellow stars. Verb
- The poster was decorated with yellow stars by Marie Verb
- Marie has a poster decorated with yellow stars . Modifier

Ex 2 :
- The building constructed in less than 2 weeks has fallen Modifier
- A new construction company constructed a new building in less than 2 weeks.
Verb
***Always focus on the meaning of the sentence, to verify what is the role played
by the verb-ed word. ***

How to correct sentences on GMAT SC

Ex :

Wrong : Pizza was developed in Naples in late 18th century, eaten by people of all
ages
Corrected : Pizza was developed in Naples in late 18th century and is eaten by
people of all ages .

Relative Pronoun Modifier (People Vs Things)

• Begins with
- Who
- Which
- That
- Whose

Ex :
1. The investigator who solved the case will be interviewed by CBI.
2. The knife which/that was used in the murder case is a part of evidence kit.

3. The phone whose battery died is of no use.

4. The girl whose purse was stolen is upset

WHO VS WHOM [only for people]

• Who is used as subject

• Whom is used as Object

Ex 1 :Lisa will offer employment to the Girl whom she interviewed last Friday

Ex 2 : Lisa will offer employment to the girl who works in other organisation
 Parallelism

• List of similar kind

• All elements in a list must talk about the common topic

Laws of Parallelism

1. A parallel list always contains a marker.

2. The list must contain appropriate marker to convey the intended meaning
3. The entities in the list are grammatically as well as logically parallel.
 How to identify lists?

Help of Marker words :

Single word
Dual words

Single word Markers : And , Or , But

Ex
1 . Joe never steps out of the house without his wallet , watch and umbrella.
2 . Lisa needs a pen, pencil or a marker to highlight

Dual word markers : either..or , Neither..nor , not..but , Rather than , from..to ,

Both..and
Ex : The external genes of the new strain of swine flu known as H3N that has
resulted in one human death so far jumped from humans to pigs in the 1990’s and
circulated in them separately from the seasonal human H3N

Why markers are important

• It helps in identifying the correct intended list in the sentence.

• It helps in making all the entities in the list grammatically as well as logically
parallel.

How to make list parallel

• Key is consistency
• All elements in a sentence should play the same role ( noun, verb, modifier )
 Errors Pertaining to Parallelism markers

1. Using incorrect Marker to distort the intended meaning communicated by the

list.
Ex: Lisa needs a pen, pencil and a marker to highlight

2. Using dual word marker to list more than two entities

Ex :

Incorrect : Hundreds of species of fish generate and discharge electric current , in

bursts or as a steady electric fields around their bodies , using their power either to
find and attack prey , to defend themselves, or also for communicating and
navigating
Correct : Hundreds of species of fish generate and discharge electric current , in
bursts or as a steady electric fields around their bodies , using their power to find
and attack prey , to defend themselves, or to communicate and navigate

3. Using incorrect word in dual word marker pair

Ex : from… to



 Some Examples to Practice

Ex 1: Lisa’s capability to keep patient in mind may come from her experiences not
only as a physician but also since she was a patient.

Markers : not only..but also

Elements of list : as a physician , since she was a patien
Are the elements of lists talking about common topic ?
Do all elements in the list maintain the same structure?

Corrected Statement :
Lisa’s capability to keep patient in mind may come from her experiences not only
as a physician but also as a patient

E x 2.1: Even if the recession plays out as expected , the troubled investments will
continue to sour , eroding bank’s profits and hampering their ability to lend.
Markers : and
Elements of list : eroding bank’s profits , hampering their ability to lend
Are the elements of lists talking about common topic ?
Do all elements in the list maintain the same structure?

E x 2.2 : Even if the recession plays out as expected , the troubled investments
will continue to sour , eroding bank’s profits and hampering their ability to lend.

Markers : and
Elements of list : will continue to sour, eroding bank’s profits , hampering their
ability to lend
Are the elements of lists talking about common topic ?
Do all elements in the list maintain the same structure?
Ex 3
John prepared for Hurricane Sandy in advance, storing enough food and water,
purchased flashlights and candles for possible power outages, and charging his
cellphone to reach out to authorities in case of emergency.

A. storing enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible
power outages, and charging
B. storing enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible
power outages, had charged
C. storing enough food and water, purchasing flashlights and candles for possible
power outages, and charging
D. stored enough food and water, purchased flashlights and candles for possible
power outages, and charged
E. stored enough food and water, and purchased flashlights and candles for
possible power outages, being charged
Ex 4
Among lower paid workers union members are less likely than non-union
members to be enrolled in lower end insurance plans imposing stricter limits on
medical services and requiring doctors to see more patients and spend less time
with each.

F. imposing stricter limits on medical services and requiring doctors to see more
patients, and spend
G. imposing stricter limits on medical services, requiring doctors to see more
patients, and spending
H. that impose stricter limits on medical services, require doctors to see more
patients, and spend
I. that impose stricter limits on medical services and require doctors to see more
patients, spending- corre
J. that impose stricter limits on medical services, requiring doctors to see more
patients and spending
 COMPARISION

Comparision and Parallelism are connected because a sentence that states

comparison or contrast must meet two requirements from parallelism
• Elements grammatically parallel
• Elememt logically parallel

Ex Taste of juice can not be compared with the size of apple

COMPARISION MARKERS

• Like , As, Than, compared to , different from

LIKE

• Used to show similarities between two entities

• Comparison should be logical
• Conveys the intended meaning
• Followed by noun/pronoun

Ex 1 : Like other smartphones , palm made pre which cannot handle the full
power adobe flash video used on sites such as abc.com

Ex 1 : Like other smartphones , Pre, made by palm , cannot handle the full power
adobe flash video used on sites such as abc.com
 Ex 2 : Unlike the dry cleaning fluids that evaporate very easily , vaporisation of
lubrication oils is not possible at ambient temperatures.

Ex 2 : Unlike the dry cleaning fluids that evaporate very easily , lubrication oils do
not vaporise at ambient temperatures.

Ex 3 : Because of their lack of negotiating clouts , tiny outfits Pay up to 18 %

more per worker than paid by larger employers for the same health insurance.

Ex 3 : Because of their lack of negotiating clouts , tiny outfits Pay up to 18 %

more per worker than larger employers for the same health insurance.

Ex 4 : Amy takes care of the children in daycare like a mother

Ex 5 : Like a honeybee, a humming bird collects nectar from flowers

 INCORRET USAGE OF LIKE

• Like can never followed by a clause

• Like cannot be used to present examples

Ex 1 : Amy takes care of the children in a daycare like a mother does.

Ex 2 : The modern world is coping with numerous examples like global warming,
economic crisis and terrorism.

Ex 2 : The modern world is coping with numerous examples such as global

warming, economic crisis and terrorism.
AS

• Used to show comparisons

• Show comparision between two actions
• Can be used to convey simultaneous actions
• Used to present reasons
• To present role/function of person or a thing[ always followed by a noun]

Ex 1 : Amy takes care of the children in a daycare as a mother does.

Ex 2 : As I was travelling in the subway , I noticed unattended bags under the seat.

Ex 3 : While I was travelling in the subway , I noticed unattended bags under the
seat.
Ex 4 : During my travel in the subway , I noticed unattended bags under the seat.

Ex 5 : Why has Lisa substituted Green Team with coffee ?

Ans : Lisa substituted , green tea for coffee as she wants to cut down her caffeine
consumption.
Ans : Lisa substituted , green tea for coffee since she wants to cut down her
caffeine consumption.
Ans : Lisa substituted , green tea for coffee because she wants to cut down her
caffeine consumption.

Ex 6 : John has joined the organisation as a researcher

Ex 7 :As an elder sister , Lisa takes care of her siblings very well.
THAN

Some markers : Less than , More than Smaller than , Better than

Ex : She is taller than other girls in the class .

COMPARISION/ CONTRAST

Format —> In + Comparision/Contrast + with /to

Ex :
The economic assessment stands in stark contrast with Mr Obama’s popularity
with the public.
DISTINGUISH / DISTINCTION

Format —> Distinguish/Distinction between x and y

How can we see the ambiguity ( Ellipses)

Ex 1 : John Has More Love For Money Than His Wife.

Ex 1 : John has more love for money than for his wife.

Ex 2 : John Is Scared Of Ghosts More Than His Wife. 

Ex 2 : John is scared of ghosts more than is his wife.

Ex 3 : John Cooks Better Pizza Than His Wife.

AS

Usage 1: as X as
Ex : Life can be as fun as you want.

Usage 2 : As much X as Y / Not so much X as Y

Ex : Sam is depressed as much because he is away from his family as because he
is not doing well in his job.
Ex: He is not so much smart as cunning

Usage 3 : As long as
Ex : Lisa will go on this cruise as long as it is not too expensive.

Usage 4 : As X so Y
Ex : As you sow , so shall you reap.
Ex : Just as you sow , so shall you reap.

SO

Usage 1: So X that Y
Ex : The test was so difficult that I could not even complete it.

Usage 2 : So that
Ex : He spoke slowly so that the assistant could write everything down.

Usage 3: So long as
Ex : Lisa will go on this cruise so long as it is not too expensive.
Usage 4 : So too
Ex : As google grows , so too do its antitrust issues.

AND

Usage 1 : Between X and Y

Ex: The competition is between Republicans and Democrats.

Usage 2 : Both…and
Ex: Both Liza and Fiza are cooking.


OR/NOR

Usage 1 : Either X or Y
Ex: Tonight I can wear either black dress or white dress.

Usage 2 : Neither X nor Y

Ex: Tonight I can wear neither black dress nor white dress.

Usage 3 : Whether X or Y
Ex: I have not decided whether I should wear black dress or I should wear white
dress
NOT

Usage 1: Not X but Y = Usage 3

Ex: He is not a permanent teacher but a temporary teacher.

Usage 2 : Not only X but also Y

Ex: Liza not only likes almonds but also like peanuts.
Ex: Liza likes not only almonds but also peanuts.

Usage 3 : Not X but rather Y = Usage 1

Ex: Tomato is not a vegetable but rather a fruit.
 X rather than Y

Ex: Liza likes sleeping late rather than waking up early in the morning

X instead of Y

Ex: Liza likes sleeping late instead of waking up early in the morning

From X to Y

Ex: The stock market rises from 1000 points to 800 points today.

Distinguish X from Y
Ex: I cannot distinguish day from night.
Distinguish between X and Y

Ex: I cannot distinguish between true and false.

Defines…As

Ex: My teacher defines earth as the best planet in the solar system.

Ability…To

Ex: If you read a book enough times , you might develop the ability to identify the
errors in the book.

Regard…As

Ex: Art historians regard the Mona Lisa as one of the greatest works of art.
 Consider

Ex: Art historians consider the Mona Lisa one of the greatest works of art.

Such As V/s Like

• Such as is used to give examples whereas Like is used to compare two nouns/
pronouns

Ex : There are many forms of exercise equipments such as treadmill, stepper and
elliptical.

Ex: The mule , like the donkey, is a close relative of the horse
 Affect V/s Effect

• Affect is always used as a Verb ( to have an influence on) whereas Effect is used
as a Noun( the result)

Ex: Hot weather affects my ability to enjoy outdoor activities.

Ex: Hot weather has a huge effect on my outdoor activities.

Ex: When the professional tensions start affecting your personal life , the effects
can be very damaging.
 Usage of Means ( Means + Preposition)

Usage 1: As a means of (X is a type of Y)

Ex: Walking is a means of exercise


Usage 2 : As a means to (X is a method to achieve Y )

Ex: Some people use walking as a means to stay fit.
 Due to V/s Because Of

• "Due to" is used to modify or present reason for nouns only whereas "Because
of" is used to modify or present reason for actions.

Ex: It is cold in arizona due to the westward storm coming from Pacific.
Ex: Arizona’s cold wave is due to the westward storm coming from Pacific.

• Usage of due to is correct if we can replace due to with caused by in any

sentence.
Ex: Arizona’s cold wave is caused by the westward storm coming from Pacific.

Ex: It is cold in Arizona because of the westward storm coming from Pacific.
 SUBJUNCTIVES

• Hypothetical Situations
• Orders/ Commands/ Requests

Ex 1 : If I were the president , I would change the law.

Cause :- If + were
Effect :- Would

If X were , Y would. Or Y would if X were.

Ex 2 : I request that all of you should stay back after class .

Ex 2 : I request that all of you stay back after class.

**Rule** When primary verb is followed by “that” , secondary verb should not
accompany with “should/would/to” .
 REDUNDANCY

• Similar words in same sentence creates redundancy.

Ex : Revert - Back
The reason - because
Annually - per annum

Slowly and slowly I walk up the hill

 Comma splice

• Comma ( ,) :- Divides the sentence into two dependent clauses .

• Semi colon ( ;) :- Divides the sentence into two standalone meaningful
sentences.
• Comma (,) + FANBOYS works as a Semicolon or full stop .
• Two independent clauses can be joined by Comma (,) + FANBOYS.

F : From
A: And
N : Nor
B : But
O : Or
Y : Yet
S : So
 DICTION

• Use of right words at right places.

Ex : Health is deteriorating.
Ex: Stairs are descending.