Idioms are NOT idioms??

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isourabhwadhwa: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:23 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by isourabhwadhwa » Thu May 02, 2013 3:01 pm

Hi,

I read the definition of Idioms it says a expression which has two meanings. One literal and one implied.

but the "list of idioms(2nd thing)" floating everywhere include things like:

ability to -- correct
ability of/for -- incorrect

My question is what is this 2nd thing ??
and the thing floating around that GMAT asks less idiom questions now. They ask less ACTUAL IDIOM question or less "2nd thing" question ??

My quess is they ask less actual IDIOM questions ..

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Thu May 02, 2013 3:01 pm

isourabhwadhwa: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:23 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by isourabhwadhwa » Fri May 03, 2013 10:25 am

What I am trying to ask is when I read definition of Idioms on google I inferred IDIOMS are the phrases whose Implied meaning is different from literal meaning.

I said okay, cool .. this is exactly what I thought IDIOMS are. Then I started searching for IDIOMS list on google and came across various lists but all these lists contains things like:

word ability should be followed by to .. We can not use for/of after ability ..

Coming to second thing:

I've read that GMAT doesn't focus on IDIOMS now. Wherever I read this I think they meant the actual IDIOMS(the one with different implied and literal meaning).

my question is:

Should I learn things like ability to or not ??

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Fri May 03, 2013 11:33 am

"Idiom" can mean several things. The first definition that you're likely to encounter in the dictionary is the one you've described: a phrase that has a literal meaning that is separate from its colloquial meaning. Consider:
"take with a grain of salt" = be somewhat skeptical, don't trust 100%
"it takes two to tango" = both people share responsibility for a situation
etc.

The GMAT will not test you on this kind of "colorful language" idiom. The other definition of an idiom is simply "a characteristic of the usage of a particular language." The idioms that the GMAT will test are about general word usage. Most of the idioms tested are verb + preposition pairings, such as "ability to," "cognizant of," etc. It is certainly worthwhile to learn these.

Most SC strategy guides will have lists of idioms that appear on the GMAT, but a google search could also help you out there. Good luck!

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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isourabhwadhwa: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 8; Joined: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:23 pm; Thanked: 1 times

by isourabhwadhwa » Fri May 03, 2013 11:37 am

Thank you .. I downloaded a couple of IDIOM lists but when I read things "able to, based on, deal with" in a document which is titled "Idiom list", I couldn't stand it because it completely deny what I always though what IDIOMs are.

Do we have a name for these ? I read somewhere these are called "rections".

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Fri May 03, 2013 11:46 am

"Rection" isn't a word that I've heard before, and I can't find it listed in the dictionary. It's likely that most non-native speakers study these expressions under "preposition usage" rather than "idioms," but it doesn't matter much what they are called. It's just helpful to know which ones the GMAT tends to test.

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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