Key GMAT Sentence Correction Concepts Diction

Key GMAT Sentence Correction Concepts Diction GMAT MBA Admissions Blog As we wrote in our recent article on how an understanding of common subject-verb agreement traps can help you improve your GMAT verbal score, the GMAT Sentence Correction section is the only part of the GMAT Verbal section where you can quickly and clearly acquire new skills and knowledge to improve your score. Unlike Critical Reasoning and Reading Comprehension, where performance is in large part a function of your long term commitment to reading and writing critically, GMAT sentence correction offers ample opportunity for quick acquisition of new knowledge that directly helps you answer more questions correctly. As we discussed last time, in this section, you’ll be given a sentence to read, and part of it will be underlined. Your task is to determine whether and how to change the underlined section so that the sentence is written correctly. As discussed last time, three ideas must be kept in mind as you answer these questions: Grammar, Meaning, and Style. In our last article we addressed subject-verb agreement, which is a matter of grammar, but can impact meaning, too. Today, we’ll address diction, which is more directly a matter of meaning, since it refers to word choice. Diction As Wikipedia will tell you, diction is about word choice, and how those choices impact the meaning, clarity, and style of a piece of writing. On the GMAT, you will often see passages underlined, and it will be clear that either of two choices is correct. But, which choice is best? Here are some typical pairs of words that are often used interchangeable, but which have distinctly different meanings. 1.) Among/Between a. Among is used when there are more than two things: Among, X, Y, and Z, I prefer Z. b. Between is used when there are only two things: You must choose between the GRE and the GMAT. 2.) As/Like a. “As” = “in the capacity of.” For example: Joseph Soandso serves as the appellate judge in the umpteenth district of Narnia. b. “Like” = “similar to.” For example: The GMAT is not like any other test you have ever taken. 3.) Like/Such as a. “Like” = “similar to.” So, Joe likes sports like hockey, basketball, and soccer means that Joe likes sports that are similar to hockey, basketball, and soccer. b. “Such as” = “for example.” Joe like sports such as hockey, basketball, and soccer means that Joe likes hockey, basketball, and soccer. 4.) Their/His or her a. Substituting “their” for his or her is a common mistake that is becoming part of day to day English. i.Incorrect: Does everyone have their copy of the 13th OG? ii.Correct: Does everyone have his or her copy of the 13th OG? 5.) That/Which a. “That” introduces a restrictive clause â€" a clause that is essential to the meaning of a sentence. b.Example: The car that has voice activated ignition is the Chrysler on the far side of the parking lot. c. “Which” introduces a non-respective clause â€" a clause that is not essential to the meaning of a sentence. In this case the non-restrictive clause is surrounded by commas. d.Example: The car on the far side of the parking lot, which is a Chrysler, has voice activated ignition. 6.) Who/Whom a. “Who” is a subject pronoun, so it will perform the action of the verb. It serves the same function as “he” or “she” b.Example:Who gave you this book? He gave me this book. c. “Whom” is an object pronoun, so it will receive the action of the verb. It serves the same function as “him” or “her.” d.Example: To whom did you give the book? I gave the book to her. Of course, the above is not an exhaustive list of scenarios on the GMAT that involve diction. However, it’s helpful to keep in mind the concept of proper diction, and as you read for pleasure, work, school, or specifically for GMAT preparation, notice when proper diction plays a role in the meaning of a particular piece of writing. In our next article, we’ll address how the principles of logic can be applied to improving your GMAT verbal score on the sentence correction portion of the GMAT. About the Authors This article was written by MyGuru founder Mark Skoskiewicz, a 2010 graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. However, it pulls very heavily from materials developed for MyGuru’s small group GMAT prep class. These materials were written by John Easter, one of MyGuru’s senior GMAT tutors in Chicago, the instructor for this class, and the founder of Jedi Prep. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(215486, '6baac2ae-05a3-4610-9d1f-265c8cbd809f', {});

10 More TOEFl Preparation Tips

10 More TOEFl Preparation Tips More than any section of the TOEFL exam, the listening part requires practice, tactics  and a clear head!The TOEFL listening test contains 6 parts and 34 questions. There will be 5 to 6 questions on each part of the listening test.You can expect two conversations, two lectures, and two discussions on academic topics.Here are some tips to prepare you for the test.Click here to take a TOEFL Prep class with a native English Teacher via Skype1. Listen To Different Accents A great way to prepare for TOEFL listening exam is to familiarize your ear with as many accents as possible. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) for standard English accents and New York Times for standard American accents are great  websites to start.2. Learn To Differenciate  Emotions When we are sad, happy, excited or nervous we use different vocabulary and expressions. Try to familiarize yourself with how native English speakers express their various emotions.3. Develop Your Knowledge of Connector Words and I diomatic Expressions Connector words (e.g. so, actually, therefore) are often used in spoken English as are idiomatic expressions (like a fish out of water, go off the deep end etc). Try to build up a collection of these on a wide a range of topics as possible.4. Learn How To Take Notes Effectively Take old TOEFL tests and also listen to news reports and use them to learn to pick out the key information like who is talking to whom, where, when etc.5. Get On Top Of Numbers Make yourself listen to native English speakers saying numbers and write them down. Years like 1890 and 1960 can be tricky for even the best English students as well as high digit numbers like 23,678 and 345,009. However, these can be practiced beforehand.6. Get to Know Placenames Would you know how to write Leicester (England) or Wisconsin (US) if you heard them? Have a look at maps of Anglophone countries and familiarize yourself with important towns and cities.7. Identify How Ideas Are Developed How are ideas de veloped? This generally happens in a cause/effect (as a result, therefore, consequently)  and comparisons/contrasts (as, like/but, on the other hand) relationship. Try and find examples of this in written texts and familiarize yourself with the words used.8. Try Not to Anticipate What The Speaker Will Say It’s a good idea not to try to anticipate what the speaker will say next. There might be a twist in the tale and you could be wrong. Await the information before answering questions.9. Stay Focused Don’t drift during the listening section. You are likely to miss important information. Try and find a strategy to help you stay focused. Taking notes in the margins helps.10. Turn Off Subtitles Even in your down-time, you can still prepare for the TOEFL listening exam. When you are watching your favorite US or British television shows turn off the subtitles to test your comprehension. Close your eyes if that helps you understand it better!Did you find this blog helpful? Feel free to share it on Facebook and Twitter.