GMAT考试语法惯用语大全

The List of Common Idiomatic Expressions for the GMAT
by Stephen Bolton

We cannot give you all of the idiomatic expressions in English, but here are some that consistently appear on GMAT tests. The ones marked with the asterix (*) often appear on the GMAT - please take note of them, and memorize them. They are very important. The correct idiomatic expression is given on the LEFT, while a sentence demonstrating how the expression is used can be found on the RIGHT. Remember to add any other idiomatic expressions to this list if you find them in the GMAT questions. If you have any questions about Idiomatic Expressions on the GMAT exam that are not covered here then pleae visit our Idiomatic Expressions Clinic.

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U W
A
able + infinitive Tom is able to play the guitar with his toes.
access to Steve never has access to his dad's bank account.
as    Tom acts as a scout for GQ here in South America.
agree on + noun    We agreed on the plan.
agree on + gerund We agreed on going to town.
agree to          We agreed to go away.
aid + person/thing  The magnifying glass aided his search.
allows for       Your schedule does not allow for much time.
appeal to       He wants to appeal to my good sense.
*as....as       She is as tired as I am.
ask + infinitive He asked to go home.
ask + person + infinitive He asked me to go home.
*associate with    We never associate with Steve – he is far too tacky!
*attribute to    His tackiness can be attributed to too many comic books as a child.

B
*base on I think that the movie Star Wars is based on a true story.
begin + infinitive It soon began to rain.
boom in    There was a boom in the sale of yellow polka-dot bikinis as soon
         as Natalia Paris tried one on.
built by    The Avro Arrow was built by proud Canadians.

C
care about Who cares about that?
care for    I don't care for your tone.
centers on + person/thing The story centers on the struggle for meaning in a
                           chaotic universe.
choose + infinitive    I do it because I choose to do it.
to be + composed of + thing The atom is composed of various parts.
consistent with    Your story is not consistent with Joel's story.
contend that       Joel contends that you are lying.
*consider + person/thing    I consider you a friend.
continue + infinitive    If you continue to do that we will not be friends.
contrast A with B    If you contrast Bill with you Bob, you find....
convert to    The new device will convert matter to energy.
*compare A to B Caliban is compared to a beast in Shakespeare's The Tempest.
(compare to stresses similarities).
*compare A with B    Compared with you, I cannot sing well at all.
(compare with stresses differences).
*count on + person/thing I count on you for the correct answers.
to credit with    Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas.
give credit for    I have to give you credit for working so hard.

D
are in danger of + gerund The robber was in danger of being captured.
decide + infinitive    We decided to leave the party early.
decide on + thing/person We decided on the all-meat pizza.
delighted by       Steve was delighted by the new findings.
depend on       Steve depends on Joel for financial support.
*different from Canadians are very different from Americans.
difficult + infinitive Steve finds it difficult to dance to Latin music.
disclose to + person/organization Joel decided to disclose to the world the
            truth about Steve's crazy ideas.
*distinguish between X and Y I want to distinguish between London and Paris.
*distinguish X from Y    If you distinguish London from Paris....
draw on (take out)    Unlike Felix, Steve can draw on funds from Joel's bank
                     account.
draw + thing The tattoo artist drew a lovely flower on Joel's left bicep.
to be drawn to + thing/person Women are drawn to Steve's bulging muscles.
*dream of/about    Natalia Paris often dreams about Steve.
dwindle from Mr. Bolton's bank account dwindled from one thousand dollars to less than half that in less than a week.

E
easy to It's easy to see why Mark is so popular.
elect to Mark will be elected to the Congress in 2016.
elect + person We elected Steve as our office "gopher".
emerges from The snail emerges from its shell.
*enable + person + infinitive My job enables me to travel.
*encourage + person + infinitive We encouraged him to paint.
escape from Steve wishes to escape from grinding poverty.
to be + essential to + person/thing Coffee is essential to me, especially in
                                    the morning.
except for + person/thing Everyone is here except for the teacher.
except for + gerund Except for being handsome, he wasn't very special.
explain to Juan explained to Steve the difference between salsa and merengue.
expose to Steve is exposed to intense ridicule every day of his life.

F
fail to We fail to see the humor in these sentences.
flee from Steve fled from their sharp criticisms.
*forbid to We forbid you to go.
force + thing/person + infinitive This mishap forces me to plan ahead.
focus on + thing/person I want to focus on our mutual problem.

G
get credit for/give credit for I have to give you credit for your good work.
grow from Joel predicts that Test Tutor will grow from a small company to a
         major multinational within five years.
grow out of Steve grew out of his overalls just last year.

H
help + thing/person + infinitive Music helps me to think.

I
indicate that Studies indicate that people with gray hair are smarter than the  majority.
indicate to + person Steve's constant worrying over his gray hair indicates to me a serious self-esteem problem.
inherit from Steve inherits his gray hair from his mother's family.
invest in Steve should invest in hair dye.

L
leads to Lack of exercise leads to obesity.
likelihood that In the likelihood that he comes to town...
localized in The pain is localized in my left foot.

M
manage to You've managed to screw this up again, Steve.
*make + thing/person + verb (simple form) Chocolate makes me think of Switzerland.
*mistake + thing/person + for I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else.

N
*native to Penguins are native to the Antarctic.
*a native of Steve is a native of Canada.
need to Steve needs to think of some better sentences.
to be + necessary + infinitive It is necessary to be creative.

O
originate in Liberalism, as we know it, originated in 17th century England.

P
*permit + thing/person + infinitive Money permits us to live a comfortable life.
prized as Stephen is prized as a teacher in Bogota.
prized for Stephen is prized for his ability to dance the salsa.
*prohibit from + gerund In school, we were prohibited from fighting.
promise of + thing The promise of success drove us to the mountain's peak.
promise to I promise to tell the truth more often – I swear.
published by Joel's first novel Love and the GMAT is published by ETS.
published in Steve's first novel will be published in March.

R
*range from X to Y His clients range from multinationals to the smallest businesses.
refer to I wish to refer to the latest work by Foucault....
*regard as She is regarded as an expert.
require + thing/person + infinitive My work requires me to travel.
resemble + thing/person Steve resembles a young Charles Atlas.
results in Rough play often results in injuries.
results from Injuries often result from rough play.
rivalry between X and Y The rivalry between Joel and Enrique Iglesias is legendary.
*the rivals X and Y The rivals Enrique and Joel quarreled often.

S
save for Save for that inconvenience, the trip was a success.
save from They saved me from another boring party.
seek + infinitive He seeks to save your soul.
seek + thing/person I seek the truth.
seem + infinitive You seem to be sleepy today.
sleep with I can sleep with whoever I want!
speak to + person I spoke to my secretary about the report I wanted.
speak with + person I spoke with my colleague about the upcoming report.

T
take advantage of Steve loves to take advantage of those around him.
teach + person + infinitive She taught Jim to dance.
teach + person + thing She taught Jim the lambada.
tell + person She told him that he was a terrible dancer.
tie to The rope is tied to the chair.
transmit to We transmitted the e-mail to him.

U
use + person/thing + infinitive I use a light to read.
used + infinitive Years ago, he used to walk every day to work.
to be + used to + gerund He is used to walking to work.

W
to be + willing + infinitive Fortunately, he was willing to help us.

The bare minimum that you should do is make sure that you are familiar with all those marked with *. This page would certainly be worth printing out to have to hand when you are practising GMAT questions. Remember to add any other idiomatic expressions, you did not know, to the list.

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