What You'll Learn This Hour
- ‣ Identify and eliminate wordiness using the GMAT's concision rules — cut bloated phrases without losing meaning.
- ‣ Master the Top 20 GMAT idioms so you can instantly recognize correct and incorrect idiomatic usage.
- ‣ Detect meaning-change traps: answer choices that are grammatically acceptable but alter what the sentence says.
- ‣ Apply diction rules (fewer vs. less, between vs. among) and build a systematic three-filter elimination strategy.
📚 Core Concepts
1 Concision: Eliminate Wordiness
The GMAT rewards the shortest grammatically correct and meaningful answer. Wordy constructions are almost always wrong. Look for these bloat patterns:
Wordy (Wrong)
- due to the fact that
- in spite of the fact that
- at this point in time
- the reason why is because
- made a decision to
- has the ability to
- is aware of the fact that
Concise (Correct)
- because
- although / even though
- now
- the reason is that / because
- decided to
- can
- knows that
2 Rhetorical Construction: Logical Sentence Flow
GMAT sentences must be logically coherent. Watch for these rhetorical issues:
- ▶Faulty comparisons: Compare like with like. "The population of India is larger than China" should be "...than that of China."
- ▶Illogical causation: Connectors like "therefore" and "consequently" must reflect a true cause-effect relationship.
- ▶Awkward passive voice: Active voice is usually preferred unless the actor is unknown or unimportant.
3 Meaning Changes: Preserve Intent
The correct answer must preserve the original sentence's intended meaning. Common traps that alter meaning:
- ▶Modifier placement: Moving a modifier changes what is being modified. "Only she told him the truth" vs. "She told only him the truth."
- ▶Pronoun reference: Changing which noun a pronoun refers to changes the meaning entirely.
- ▶Tense shifts: Altering verb tense can imply a different timeline or sequence of events.
4 Top 20 GMAT Idioms
These idioms appear frequently. Memorize the correct preposition or structure:
5 Diction: Fewer vs. Less, Between vs. Among
Fewer vs. Less
Fewer: countable nouns (things you can count individually)
Fewer students, fewer errors, fewer hours
Less: uncountable/mass nouns (quantities measured as a whole)
Less water, less time, less money
Between vs. Among
Between: two distinct entities (or any number with distinct relationships)
Between the CEO and the board; between the three nations
Among: three or more entities considered as a group
Among the students, among the five candidates
📈 The Elimination Funnel
Apply three sequential filters to eliminate wrong answers systematically.
✍ Worked Examples
Scientists now regard the discovery as being one of the most significant of the century, transforming our understanding of cellular biology.
A. regard the discovery as being
B. are regarding the discovery to be
C. regard the discovery as
D. consider the discovery as being
E. are regarding the discovery as
Solution — Answer C
Step 1 (Grammar): Eliminate B and E — progressive "are regarding" is wrong for a general scientific truth (use simple present).
Step 2 (Idiom): The idiom is "regard X as Y," not "regard X as being Y." "Being" is redundant and almost always wrong on the GMAT. Eliminate A and D.
Step 3 (Concision): C — "regard the discovery as" — is the clean, correct idiomatic form. No "being," simple present tense, meaning preserved.
The committee postponed the vote due to the fact that several key members were absent from the proceedings.
A. due to the fact that
B. on account of the reason that
C. because
D. due to
E. in light of the fact that
Solution — Answer C
Step 1 (Concision): A, B, and E are all wordy phrases meaning the same thing as "because." They inflate the sentence with no added meaning.
Step 2 (Idiom/Grammar): D — "due to" — modifies nouns, not verbs. "Postponed due to members" is incorrect because "due to" would need to follow a noun ("The postponement was due to...").
Step 3 (Correct): C — "because" — is a subordinating conjunction correctly linking the main clause to its cause. Shortest, cleanest, correct.
The new regulation requires manufacturers to disclose all of the ingredients that they use, being those that are potentially harmful to consumers.
A. all of the ingredients that they use, being those
B. all ingredients used, especially those
C. all ingredients they use, particularly those
D. every ingredient used as being those
E. all the ingredients, being those of them
Solution — Answer C
Step 1 (Grammar): Eliminate A, D, and E — all use "being" as a modifier, which is almost always wrong. "Being those" is an awkward and redundant participial construction here.
Step 2 (Meaning): B says "especially those" — "especially" implies the manufacturer only needs to pay special attention to harmful ones. C says "particularly those" — same meaning but check the full context. Both B and C are close. B drops "they use" making the subject ambiguous.
Step 3 (Concision + Clarity): C retains "they use" to clarify the agent, and "particularly" accurately signals that harmful ones are the most notable subset. C is the most precise and clear answer.
⚠ GMAT Traps to Avoid
"Being" Is Almost Always Wrong
When "being" appears as the main verb form in a modifier or as a connector, it almost always signals a wrong answer. Only use "being" when it means "the act of existing" or in passive constructions where it's unavoidable.
Wrong: "The problem being that costs rose..." / Right: "The problem was that costs rose..."
"Would Have" for Hypotheticals Only
"Would have" should describe hypothetical past events (unrealized conditions), not actual past events. For completed past actions, use simple past.
Wrong: "If she studied, she would have passed." (mixing tenses) / Right: "If she had studied, she would have passed."
"Due to" vs. "Because of"
"Due to" is adjectival — it modifies nouns. "Because of" is adverbial — it modifies verbs or clauses.
Wrong: "He left early due to the storm." / Right: "He left early because of the storm." / Right: "His early departure was due to the storm."
Shortest Answer Is Not Always Correct
Concision is a tiebreaker, not a primary rule. A shorter answer that introduces a grammar error, changes meaning, or creates an idiom violation is still wrong. Always check grammar and meaning first.
The GMAT uses short wrong answers as traps precisely because students chase length reduction.
📝 Practice Questions
12 GMAT-style SC questions. Click "Show Answer" to reveal the full explanation.
The board credited the turnaround to the new CEO's aggressive restructuring plan and cost-cutting measures.
A. credited the turnaround to
B. gave credit of the turnaround to
C. credited the turnaround for
D. credited the turnaround as due to
E. was crediting the turnaround to
Show Answer
The new policy is intended to prohibit employees to use personal devices during working hours.
A. prohibit employees to use
B. prohibit employees from using
C. prohibit the use by employees of
D. make employees prohibited from using
E. prohibit employees' use of
Show Answer
Economists consider the policy as one of the most effective tools for controlling inflation in emerging markets.
A. consider the policy as
B. consider the policy to be
C. consider the policy
D. regard the policy as being
E. view the policy as being
Show Answer
The report distinguishes between the effects of short-term and long-term exposure to the chemical compound.
A. distinguishes between the effects of short-term and
B. distinguishes the effects of short-term from
C. makes a distinction between the effects of short-term and
D. distinguishes between the effects of short-term exposure from
E. is distinguishing between the effects of short-term and
Show Answer
The reason the merger failed was because of the fact that the two companies had irreconcilable cultural differences.
A. because of the fact that
B. due to the reason that
C. that
D. because
E. on account of
Show Answer
The company made the decision to halt production at its three largest facilities pending a safety review.
A. made the decision to halt
B. made a decision about halting
C. decided to halt
D. reached a decision to halt
E. arrived at the decision of halting
Show Answer
The auditors found that the firm has the ability to recover the losses within a single fiscal quarter.
A. has the ability to recover
B. is able to recover
C. can recover
D. has the capability of recovering
E. possesses the ability for recovering
Show Answer
The village, which had been abandoned during the war, has been restored and is now a thriving tourist destination.
A. which had been
B. abandoned
C. that was
D. having been
E. once being
Show Answer
Only after the investigation concluded did executives learn that the fraud had been ongoing for nearly a decade.
A. did executives learn
B. executives learned
C. executives had learned
D. would executives learn
E. executives did learn
Show Answer
The study found that participants who exercised regularly had lower rates of depression than those who remained sedentary throughout the trial period.
A. had lower rates of depression than
B. had lower rates of depression compared to
C. had less rates of depression than
D. showed lower depression rates unlike
E. experienced lower depression rates as opposed to
Show Answer
The new manufacturing process uses less raw materials and less energy than the method it replaced.
A. less raw materials and less energy
B. fewer raw materials and less energy
C. fewer raw materials and fewer energy
D. less raw materials and fewer energy
E. fewer raw materials than and less energy than
Show Answer
The prize money will be divided between the five finalists based on their individual scores.
A. between
B. among
C. in between
D. amongst all of
E. across
Show Answer
⚡ Quick Reference Card
# Hour 15 — SC Style, Idioms & Meaning: Key Rules
## CONCISION SUBSTITUTIONS
due to the fact that → because
in spite of the fact → although
made a decision to → decided to
has the ability to → can
at this point in time → now
the reason is because → the reason is that
## IDIOM PATTERNS (memorize)
regard X as Y (NOT regard X as being Y)
consider X Y (NO "as" or "to be")
prohibit X from Y-ing (NOT prohibit X to Y)
credit X with Y (NOT credit X for Y when attributing)
distinguish X from Y (when contrasting pairs)
attribute X to Y (NOT attribute X as Y)
result in (NOT result to)
## DICTION RULES
fewer → countable nouns (fewer students, fewer errors)
less → mass nouns (less water, less time, less money)
between → 2 entities OR distinct pairwise relationships
among → 3+ entities treated as a group
## TRAPS (almost always WRONG)
"being" as a connector modifier → eliminate
"would have" for actual past → use simple past
"due to" modifying a verb → use "because of"
Shortest answer without checking → check grammar first
## THREE-FILTER METHOD
1. Grammar → eliminate ~2 choices
2. Meaning → eliminate ~1 choice
3. Concision → eliminate final wrong choice
Target: < 90 seconds per SC question
Hour 15 of 24 • GMAT 24-Hour Crash Course • Verbal Section
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