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When to use 'so as to'(1000SC)

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by its_me07 » Wed Feb 20, 2008 1:29 pm
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them


OA is A
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by khurram » Wed Feb 20, 2008 2:04 pm
Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them

The key is proper sentence construction for so as to

X are so Y as to be

Ans is A Only one which fits the rules. Please correct me, this SC is my weakest link in verbal.
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by lunarpower » Fri Mar 07, 2008 2:04 am
khurram wrote: The key is proper sentence construction for so as to

X are so Y as to be

Ans is A Only one which fits the rules. Please correct me, this SC is my weakest link in verbal.
correct, but your advice should be generalized a bit: there's no reason that the infinitive has to be 'to be'. it can be just about any verb that makes sense in context. for instance:
that restaurant usually uses sauces that are so spicy as to obliterate the taste of the dishes themselves.
here the verb in the 'so as to...' construction is obliterate, not be - but that's perfectly ok.
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Usage of "So as to"

by Mani_mba » Sun Jul 27, 2008 10:02 am
I came across a couple of OG SC questions, where it clearly states "The construction so x as to y is not a correct idiom" and also in some other tutorial i read that "So as to" construction is never correct in GMAT.

And So, C appeared best to me for the above question.

If my understanding is wrong, please help me.
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by iwill » Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:51 am
So+[adj]+as to+[verb] I thought this is the general form, when we use so as to..
So, Can it be So gradual as to distinguish .. ? Though there is nno choice like this.
and I have read "So as" id never correct on GMAT..

Please clarify.
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by eshahid » Mon Jul 28, 2008 2:23 am
iwill wrote:So+[adj]+as to+[verb] I thought this is the general form, when we use so as to..
So, Can it be So gradual as to distinguish .. ? Though there is nno choice like this.
and I have read "So as" id never correct on GMAT..

Please clarify.
You are right. The correct construction for So ___ as to ___ is
So+[adj]+as to+[verb]. The original sentence follows this construction, which makes option 'A' the correct answer.
Please note that be is also a verb form.
Shahid E

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by iwill » Mon Jul 28, 2008 3:21 am
Thanks Shahid.. Nw I got it .. :)
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by thegmatbeater » Sat Aug 02, 2008 10:50 am
what's wrong with C?
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by rajibgmat » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:26 pm
thegmatbeater wrote:what's wrong with C?
Don't u think C is awkward and wordy ?
I am gonna get u my love(GMAT)
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by logitech » Fri Dec 19, 2008 8:52 pm
rajibgmat wrote:
thegmatbeater wrote:what's wrong with C?
Don't u think C is awkward and wordy ?
arent you be trying to get your love as I type this ? December 20!

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by [email protected] » Thu Feb 25, 2010 11:43 am
can some moderator explain me what is the difference between the

"so X as to Y" and "so as to".

here "so that" is chosen above "so as to"

but earlier in some other questions "so X as to Y" was chosen above "so that"
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by prinit » Thu Feb 25, 2010 12:02 pm
its_me07 wrote:Climatic shifts are so gradual as to be indistinguishable at first from ordinary fluctuations in the weather.
(A) so gradual as to be indistinguishable
(B) so gradual they can be indistinguishable
(C) so gradual that they are unable to be distinguished
(D) gradual enough not to be distinguishable
(E) gradual enough so that one cannot distinguish them


OA is A
My pick is A.
A- so X as to .. indistinguishable from ...correct Idiom usage
B - they is ambiguous and unnecessary ..who?
C - same error with that clause....tempting
D - wrong and awkward
E - wordy and ambiguous them.
I'm here to BTG :)
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by EducationAisle » Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:16 am
While this is an old post, but for the sake of readers going forward, so X as to Y is not an acceptable idiom in GMAT.
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by kvcpk » Tue Oct 19, 2010 2:42 am
EducationAisle wrote:While this is an old post, but for the sake of readers going forward, so X as to Y is not an acceptable idiom in GMAT.
Can you share the reasoning behind your claim??
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by selango » Tue Oct 19, 2010 4:19 am
EducationAisle wrote:While this is an old post, but for the sake of readers going forward, so X as to Y is not an acceptable idiom in GMAT.
I think "So X as to Y" is correct.This idiom is used to denote cause and effect.

In OG 12 Question no:37 this idiom is referred.

Although schistosomiasis is not often fatal, it is so debilitating that it has become an economic drain on many developing countries.


(A) it is so debilitating that it has become an economic
(B) it is of such debilitation, it has become an economical
(C) so debilitating is it as to become an economic
(D) such is its debilitation, it becomes an economical
(E) there is so much debilitation that it has become an economical

In option C the idiom "So X as to Y" is not in correct format.Tats y its wrong.

Please correct me if I am wrong.
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