Frequently used IDIOM's in GMAT



Idiom
Example
A debate over
A debate over the election results ensued.
A means to
This job is only a means to an end for him.
A responsibility to
The teacher has a responsibility to keep the children safe.
A result of
The consequence is a result of your behavior.
Ability to
He doesn't have the ability to make better choices right now.
Act as
While Dr. Martinez was at a conference, Dr. Johnson acted as the interim head surgeon.
Act like
Stop acting like a child.
Agree on
The team agreed on a solution.
Agree to
When the police arrived, he agreed to a search.
Agree with
He agreed with the sergeant's findings.
Aid in
The village needed aid in harvesting the season's crops.
Allow for
My work schedule doesn't allow for many breaks.
Appeal to
The contract appealed to my sense of order.
Are in danger of
If Maria doesn't pass the class, she is in danger of being placed on academic probation.
As/as
I am as successful as he is.
Ask for
My committee asked for my dissertation paperwork.
Associate with
I associate the smell of cinnamon with the holiday season.
Attend to (someone)
He attended to his sick wife.
Attribute x to y/x is attributed to y
He attributes his depression to a death in the family.

Type 2 diabetes is sometimes attributed to obesity.
Base on
We based our conclusions on the results of three peer-reviewed studies.
Believe x to be y
The judge did not believe the evidence to be sufficient.
Between…and
For her major, she has to choose between biology and chemistry.
Both x and y
Both my advisor and my professor will be at the meeting.
Centers on
The discussion centered on the film that we watched together.
Composed of
The organization is composed of elected officials.
Concerned with
Jason doesn't concern himself with this matter.
Conform to
He refuses to conform to social norms.
Consider x y (no "to be")
RIGHT: I consider Mark my friend.

WRONG: I consider Mark to be my friend.
Contend with
My love for my daughter doesn't content with my love for my son.
Created with
The playwright wrote the play with the help of community members.
Credit to
I credit my success to my mentors.
Decide on
It's difficult to decide on a course schedule when there are so many classes available.
Delighted to
He told us that he would be delighted to assist us.
Depends on whether x
The success of the contract depends on whether we are able to compromise or not.
Depicted as
In the media, she was depicted as a villain.
Different from
He is very different from his siblings.
Disclose to
He disclosed his complicated history to the counselor.
Distinguish x from y
It's sometimes difficult to distinguish temporary grief from clinical depression.
Distinguish between x and y
Toddlers start to learn to distinguish between right and wrong.
Doubt that
I doubt that he'll actually call back today.
Dwindle away
We watched as our time dwindled away to nothing.
Either/or, neither/nor
Either Dr. Smith or Dr. Cortes will lead the discussion.

Neither an apology nor a letter will be sufficient.
Elect as
She was elected as the club's vice president.
Elect to
The voters elected him to office.
Enable to
My health insurance enables me to choose the proper specialist.
Essential to
Water is essential to life.
Estimate to be
The average lifespan of a black lab is estimated to be 14 years.
Fascinated by
My daughter was fascinated by the butterfly garden.
Further (for degree); Farther (for distance)
She ran farther than I did.

We tried to contain the spill to avoid further destruction.
In contrast to
In contrast to her earlier self, Mary is now outgoing and exuberant.
In contrast with x, y
In contrast with Annie, David waits until the last minute to start writing his papers.
In the (morning, afternoon, evening)
The plane is leaving in the morning.
Independent from
Teenagers want to be independent from their parents.
Independent of
That's my personal opinion, independent of any media influence.
Indicate that
The results indicated that our hypothesis was correct.
Indicate to
My boss indicated to me that he was displeased.
Indifferent towards
No matter how hard I try, I can't be indifferent towards her.
Invest in
They were both invested in the relationship, so they got married.
Invest with
The judge is invested with the authority to approve of the will.
Just as…so too
Just as exercise can lead to weight loss, so too can a healthy diet.
Modeled after
We modeled the curriculum after Montessori educational materials.
Native of
She is a native of Spain.
Native to
This animal is native to Australia.
Necessary to
CPS deemed it necessary to remove the child from the home.
Not only/but also
The exam is not only difficult but is also lengthy.
Not so much/as
I was not sleepy so much as exasperated.
Originate from
The ritual originates from an ancient Nordic tradition.
Originate in
The cancer originated in her lungs.
Originate with
The idea originated with my brainstorming group.
Potential to
Though he is struggling, he has the potential to improve.
Prefer x to y
I prefer classic literature to contemporary works.
Prohibit x from y
The school cannot prohibit the student from writing a controversial paper.
Range from x to y
The kids range in age from 10 to 17.
Refer to
I was referred to a specialist after my appointment.
Regard as
We regard him as part of the family.
Require that x be y
The group requires that participants be attentive.
Required from
Our HR department doesn't require that documentation from employees.
Required to
He is required to submit to a drug test as a condition of his parole.
Responsible for
He is not responsible for the child's welfare.
Resulting in
Our collective stress ultimately resulted in a family fight.
Rival in
The massive tome rivaled War and Peace in length.
Sacrifice for
Don't sacrifice your personal life for your career.
Sacrifice to
I sacrificed a great deal of time and energy to that demanding job.
Sequence of
The sequence of events that unfolded shocked all of us.
So x as to be y
He was so quiet as to be nearly unintelligible.
So x that y
It was so cold that school was cancelled.
Speak about
We need to speak about the incident.
Speak from
I speak from experience when I say that you should hire an attorney when filing a claim.
Subscribe to
I don't subscribe to that theory.
Targeted…at
All of our criticism was targeted at the committee head.
To sacrifice x for y
We weren't willing to sacrifice family time for church.
Unlike x, y
Unlike the flu, allergies are not contagious.
X expected to y
Taxes for the rich are expected to decrease next season

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