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

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

idiom - native

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Legendary Member
Posts: 544
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:10 amFollowed by: 2 members
Thanked: 45 times

by sameerballani » Mon May 23, 2011 4:40 pm
confuse mind wrote:can someone please explain me the difference in the usage of 'native to' and 'native of'

Thanks,
Confused
Native of: is used for human beings.
Eg: He is a native of Brazil

Native to: is used for plants and animal species.
Eg: The Tiger is native to the India.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:08 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 10 times

by confuse mind » Mon May 23, 2011 6:41 pm
which one is correct ?

Aborigines are native to Australia
or
Aborigines are a native of Australia.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 544
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:10 amFollowed by: 2 members
Thanked: 45 times

by sameerballani » Mon May 23, 2011 6:48 pm
confuse mind wrote:which one is correct ?

Aborigines are native to Australia
or
Aborigines are a native of Australia.
I feel "Aborigines are native of Australia." should be correct.
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 462
Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:08 pmFollowed by: 4 members
Thanked: 10 times

by confuse mind » Sun May 29, 2011 11:02 pm
sameerballani wrote:
confuse mind wrote:which one is correct ?

Aborigines are native to Australia
or
Aborigines are a native of Australia.
I feel "Aborigines are native of Australia." should be correct.
I feel otherwise :)
Aborigines are native to Australia. // since we taking about a specie or a class or group
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Tue May 31, 2011 5:59 pm
"a native of" is used for people. It has to do with location of birth/childhood.

EX: She is a native of Philadelphia.

"native to" is used for categories. It can be used in a variety of contexts.

EX: The komodo dragon is native to the Galapagos Islands.

Since "aborigines" is plural, it would be wrong to use the article "a" to describe them. We would say "Aborigines are native to Australia" since we are talking about "the aborigines" like a category, a tribe of people. Just like we would say, "Salamanders are native to the desert."

@sameerballani We would say "The Tiger is native to India." We would omit the "the."
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles

Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"! :-)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Legendary Member
Posts: 544
Joined: Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:10 amFollowed by: 2 members
Thanked: 45 times

by sameerballani » Wed Jun 01, 2011 12:23 am
VivianKerr wrote:"a native of" is used for people. It has to do with location of birth/childhood.

EX: She is a native of Philadelphia.

"native to" is used for categories. It can be used in a variety of contexts.

EX: The komodo dragon is native to the Galapagos Islands.

Since "aborigines" is plural, it would be wrong to use the article "a" to describe them. We would say "Aborigines are native to Australia" since we are talking about "the aborigines" like a category, a tribe of people. Just like we would say, "Salamanders are native to the desert."

@sameerballani We would say "The Tiger is native to India." We would omit the "the."
Hi vivian,
Just to clarify, We will omit "the" for the same reason as for omitting 'a' in the previous case.?

Also, to conclude: For animal, or for special category/class of something we use native to. Am i correct?

Thanks
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 1035
Joined: Fri Dec 17, 2010 11:13 amFollowed by: 365 members
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Thanked: 474 times

by VivianKerr » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:34 am
We omit the "the" before "India" because in English countries don't usually need articles.

EX: I am studying in Italy. (Incorrect: I am studying in the Italy.")

For animals and special categories (even if the category is a group of people), we use "native to", correct!
Vivian Kerr
GMAT Rockstar, Tutor
https://www.GMATrockstar.com
https://www.yelp.com/biz/gmat-rockstar-los-angeles

Former Kaplan and Grockit instructor, freelance GMAT content creator, now offering affordable, effective, Skype-tutoring for the GMAT at $150/hr. Contact: [email protected]

Thank you for all the "thanks" and "follows"! :-)
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1