Idioms are the bane of GMAT prep for many students; the only way to know them is to memorize them, because objectively speaking, they don’t always make sense to non-native speakers, and there’s no real grammatical justification for some of the constructions aside from the idea that “that’s just how we say it.” However, by reviewing those idioms deemed worthy of testing by the GMAC, you can get a jump-start on your GMAT Sentence Correction Practice.
Here for your edification we provide a list of idioms derived from the Official Guide for GMAT Review (12th Edition), the Official Guide for GMAT Review (11th Edition), and the Official Guide for GMAT Verbal Review. Make some flashcards, commit these to memory, and you should start to see an improvement in your sentence correction skills! The question number, page number, and source text for each idiom is provided, so you can reference the original question for explanation of the context in which the idiom is used.
Y is more than Z (Question 4, pg. 686, Official Guide 12th Edition)
unlike Y, Z (Question 20, pg. 694, Official Guide 12th Edition)
in contrast with Y, Z (Question 20, pg. 694, Official Guide 12th Edition)
in contrast to Y, Z (Question 20, pg. 694, Official Guide 12th Edition)
estimate to be (Question 27, pg. 698, Official Guide 12th Edition)
the same to Y as to Z (Question 32, pg. 700, Official Guide 12th Edition)
depends on whether Y Question 34 , pg. 701, Official Guide 12th Edition)
so Y that Z (Question 37, pg. 702, Official Guide 12th Edition)
targeted … at (Question 40, pg. 704, Official Guide 12th Edition)
rivalry between Y and Z (Question 44, pg. 706, Official Guide 12th Edition)
expended on (Question 46, pgs. 706-707, Official Guide 12th Edition)
the ability … to (Question 51, pg. 710, Official Guide 12th Edition)
Y is to Z what B is to C (Question 58, pg. 714, Official Guide 12th Edition)
amount of Y (Question 74, pg. 722, Official Guide 12th Edition)
attributes Y to Z (Question 79, pg. 724, Official Guide 12th Edition)
not just because of Y, but because of Z (Question 83 pgs.726-727, Official Guide 12th Edition)
distinctions between Y and Z (Question 96, pg. 733, Official Guide 12th Edition)
either Y or Z (Question 109, pgs. 740-741, Official Guide 12th Edition)
to consider Y Z (Question 117, pg. 745, Official Guide 12th Edition)
less successful than (Question 123, pg. 748, Official Guide 12th Edition)
so Y that Z (Question 124 pgs. 748-749, Official Guide 12th Edition)
Y is dated at z years old (Question 140, pg. 756, Official Guide 12th Edition)
Y is more than Z (Question 2, pg. 662, Official Guide 11th Edition)
in contrast with Y, Z (Question 16, pg. 669, Official Guide 11th Edition)
estimated to be (Question 21, pg. 671, Official Guide 11th Edition)
in danger of (Question 27, pg. 673, Official Guide 11th Edition)
seem + infinitive (Question 29, pg. 674, Official Guide 11th Edition)
as much as (Question 30, pg. 674, Official Guide 11th Edition)
to credit Y with (Question 31, pg. 674, Official Guide 11th Edition)
as many … as (Question 37, pg. 676-677, Official Guide 11th Edition)
between Y and Z (Question40, pg. 678, Official Guide 11th Edition)
require Y to do Z (Question 53, pg. 684, Official Guide 11th Edition)
restrictions on Y (Question 54, pg. 684-685, Official Guide 11th Edition)
not only Y … but also Z (Question 55, pg. 685, Official Guide 11th Edition)
there is no doubt that (Question 58, pg. 687, Official Guide 11th Edition)
as a means to (Question 60, pg. 688, Official Guide 11th Edition)
attribute Y to Z (Question 67, pg. 691, Official Guide 11th Edition)
as many as (Question 76, pg. 695, Official Guide 11th Edition)
used Y as Z (Question 79, pg. 696, Official Guide 11th Edition)
not Y, but rather Z (Question 87, pg. 700, Official Guide 11th Edition)
order Y to be Z (Question 92, pg. 702, Official Guide 11th Edition)
just as Y, so Z (Question 99, pg. 706, Official Guide 11th Edition)
distinguish between Y and Z (Question 107, pg. 711, Official Guide 11th Edition)
both Y and Z (Question 112, pg. 713, Official Guide 11th Edition)
so Y that Z (Question 118, pg. 716, Official Guide 11th Edition)
not…but (Question 4, pg. 256, Verbal Review)
the rising cost (Question 8, pg. 258, Verbal Review)
range from Y to Z (Question 9, pg. 258 Verbal Review)
except for + noun (Question 13, 260, Verbal Review)
between Y and Z (Question 14, pg. 260, Verbal Review)
to mistake Y for Z (Question 17, pgs. 261-262, Verbal Review)
to think of Y as Z (Question 20, pgs. 262-263, Verbal Review)
aimed at Y (Question 25, pgs. 264-265, Verbal Review)
not only Y … but also Z (Question 46, pg. 274, Verbal Review)
prohibit Y from doing Z (Question 48, pg. 275, Verbal Review)
more Y than Z (Question 50, pg. 276, Verbal Review)
not only Y … but also Z (Question 52, pg. 277, Verbal Review)
so Y that Z (Question 58, pg. 280, Verbal Review)
not Y, but rather Z (Question 60, pg. 281, Verbal Review)
not only … but also (Question 66, pgs. 283-284, Verbal Review)
in order to Y (Question 69, pg. 285, Verbal Review)
as Y as (Question 75, pg. 288, Verbal Review)
worried about (Question 81, pg. 291, Verbal Review)
either Y or Z (Question 84, pg. 292, Verbal Review)
better served by Y than by Z (Question 89, pg. 295, Verbal Review)
ordered Y to do Z (Question 90, pg. 295, Verbal Review)
both Y and Z (Question 93, pg. 297, Verbal Review)
Y rose almost as fast as Z (Question 94, pg. 297, Verbal Review)
between Y and Z (Question 95, pg. 298, Verbal Review)
more Y than Z (Question 98, pg. 299, Verbal Review)
Y rather than Z (Question 99, pg. 300, Verbal Review)
isolated from (Question 106, pg. 303, Verbal Review)
not only Y … but also Z (Question 108, pg. 304, Verbal Review)
as a result of (Question 113, pg. 307, Verbal Review)