BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

Idiom correctness - sgjg1

This topic has expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:29 pm

Idiom correctness - sgjg1

by sgjg » Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:52 pm
The new contract [u]forbids a strike by the transportation union[/u]
A) forbids a strike by the transportation union
B) forbids the transportation union from striking
C) forbids that there be a strike by the transportation union
D) will forbid the transportation union from striking
E) will forbid that the transportation union strikes

please explain the answer.
Top
Source: — Sentence Correction |
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 682
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:40 am
Thanked: 32 times
Followed by:1 members

Re: Idiom correctness - sgjg1

by Vemuri » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:04 pm
sgjg wrote:The new contract forbids a strike by the transportation union
A) forbids a strike by the transportation union
B) forbids the transportation union from striking
C) forbids that there be a strike by the transportation union
D) will forbid the transportation union from striking
E) will forbid that the transportation union strikes

please explain the answer.
The answer should be D.

I narrowed down to B & D while growing through the answer choices.
the correct idiom is "forbid x from y". Both B & D follow this idiom.

I chose D as the answer because the "new contract" will forbid in the future & so requires 'will' & does not already forbid (forbids --> indicates the action has been happening).
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:27 pm
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:1 members

by awesomeusername » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:17 pm
IMO (A)

forbids from is idiomatically incorrect.
(B) and (D) are wrong.

(C) is unnecessarily wordy

"will forbid" is wrong. We want simple present tense "forbids".
Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
-Lucretius
Top
User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 682
Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:40 am
Thanked: 32 times
Followed by:1 members

by Vemuri » Sat Feb 21, 2009 6:26 pm
awesomeusername wrote:IMO (A)

forbids from is idiomatically incorrect.
(B) and (D) are wrong.

(C) is unnecessarily wordy

"will forbid" is wrong. We want simple present tense "forbids".
Thanks for correcting :-) I guess I need to brush up my idioms again. The general spoken english is killing me :cry:
Top
User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 226
Joined: Tue Jan 13, 2009 1:27 pm
Thanked: 23 times
Followed by:1 members

by awesomeusername » Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:06 pm
Spoken English is hard for native speakers too :)
Constant dripping hollows out a stone.
-Lucretius
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:29 pm

by sgjg » Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:33 pm
A wins
Top
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:29 pm

by sgjg » Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:36 pm
But I think had it been prohibit instead of forbid....then B is my choice.
Any other opinion.
Top
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:54 pm
Thanked: 7 times

by jeevan.Gk » Sun Feb 22, 2009 9:57 am
"prohibit X from Y " is one most used idiom.

Never confuse this with FORBID
Top
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:34 pm

by Shivani Varma » Thu Feb 26, 2009 2:50 am
The correct idiom is
X forbids y to do z
Top
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1