List of common idiomatic expressions for the GMAT

Last updated: 12 Apr 2009

We cannot give you all of the idiomatic expressions in English, but here are some that consistently appear on GMAT tests.

The ones marked with the asterix (*) often appear on the GMAT - please take note of them, and memorize them. They are very important.

The correct idiomatic expression is given on the LEFT, while a sentence demonstrating how the expression is used can be found on the RIGHT.

Remember to add any other idiomatic expressions to this list if you find them in the GMAT questions you take in practice.

If you have any questions about idiomatic expressions on the GMAT exam that are not covered here then please contact us.

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P R S T U W
A
able + infinitive	Tom is able to play the guitar with his toes.
access to	Steve never has access to his dad's bank account.
act as	Tom acts as a scout for GQ here in South America.
agree on + noun	We agreed on the plan.
agree on + gerund	We agreed on going to town.
agree to	We agreed to go away.
aid + person/thing	The magnifying glass aided his search.
allows for	Your schedule does not allow for much time.
appeal to	He wants to appeal to my good sense.
*as....as	She is as tired as I am.
ask + infinitive	He asked to go home.
ask + person + infinitive	He asked me to go home.
*associate with	We never associate with Steve - he is far too tacky!
*attribute to	His tackiness can be attributed to too many comic books as a child.
B
*base on	I think that the movie Star Wars is based on a true story.
begin + infinitive	It soon began to rain.
boom in	There was a boom in the sale of yellow polka-dot bikinis as soon as Natalia Paris tried one on.
built by	The Avro Arrow was built by proud Canadians.
C
care about	Who cares about that?
care for	I don't care for your tone.
centers on + person/thing	The story centers on the struggle for meaning in a chaotic universe.
choose + infinitive	I do it because I choose to do it.
to be + composed of + thing	The atom is composed of various parts.
consistent with	Your story is not consistent with Joel's story.
contend that	Joel contends that you are lying.
*consider + person/thing	I consider you a friend.
continue + infinitive	If you continue to do that we will not be friends.
contrast A with B	If you contrast Bill with Bob, you find....
convert to	The new device will convert matter to energy.
*compare A to B	Caliban is compared to a beast in Shakespeare's The Tempest. (compare to stresses similarities).
*compare A with B	Compared with you, I cannot sing well at all. (compare with stresses differences).
*count on + person/thing	I count on you for the correct answers.
to credit with	Columbus is credited with discovering the Americas.
give credit for	I have to give you credit for working so hard.
D
are in danger of + gerund	The robber was in danger of being captured.
decide + infinitive	We decided to leave the party early.
decide on + thing/person	We decided on the all-meat pizza.
delighted by	Steve was delighted by the new findings.
depend on	Steve depends on Joel for financial support.
*different from	Canadians are very different from Americans.
difficult + infinitive	Steve finds it difficult to dance to Latin music.
disclose to + person/organization	Joel decided to disclose to the world the truth about Steve's crazy ideas.
*distinguish between X and Y	I want to distinguish between London and Paris.
*distinguish X from Y	If you distinguish London from Paris....
draw on (take out)	Unlike Felix, Steve can draw on funds from Joel's bank account.
draw + thing	The tattoo artist drew a lovely flower on Joel's left bicep.
to be drawn to + thing/person	Women are drawn to Steve's bulging muscles.
*dream of/about	Natalia Paris often dreams about Steve.
dwindle from	Mr. Bolton's bank account dwindled from one thousand dollars to less than half that in less than a week.
E
easy to	It's easy to see why Mark is so popular.
elect to	Mark will be elected to the Congress in 2016.
elect + person	We elected Steve as our office "gopher".
emerges from	The snail emerges from its shell.
*enable + person + infinitive	My job enables me to travel.
*encourage + person + infinitive	We encouraged him to paint.
escape from	Steve wishes to escape from grinding poverty.
to be + essential to + person/thing	Coffee is essential to me, especially in the morning.
except for + person/thing	Everyone is here except for the teacher.
except for + gerund	Except for being handsome, he wasn't very special.
explain to	Juan explained to Steve the difference between salsa and merengue.
expose to	Steve is exposed to intense ridicule every day of his life.
F
fail to	We fail to see the humor in these sentences.
flee from	Steve fled from their sharp criticisms.
*forbid to	We forbid you to go.
force + thing/person + infinitive	This mishap forces me to plan ahead.
focus on + thing/person	I want to focus on our mutual problem.
G
get credit for/give credit for	I have to give you credit for your good work.
grow from	Joel predicts that PrepForTests will grow from a small company to a major multinational within five years.
grow out of	Steve grew out of his overalls just last year.
H
help + thing/person + infinitive	Music helps me to think.
I
indicate that	Studies indicate that people with gray hair are smarter than the majority.
indicate to + person	Steve's constant worrying over his gray hair indicates to me a serious self-esteem problem.
inherit from	Steve inherits his gray hair from his mother's family.
invest in	Steve should invest in hair dye.
L
leads to	Lack of exercise leads to obesity.
likelihood that	In the likelihood that he comes to town...
localized in	The pain is localized in my left foot.
M
manage to	You've managed to screw this up again, Steve.
*make + thing/person + verb (simple form)	Chocolate makes me think of Switzerland.
*mistake + thing/person + for	I'm sorry. I mistook you for someone else.
N
*native to	Penguins are native to the Antarctic.
*a native of	Steve is a native of Canada.
need to	Steve needs to think of some better sentences.
to be + necessary + infinitive	It is necessary to be creative.
not only...but also	Derek is not only an old age pensioner but also a DJ.
O
originate in	Liberalism, as we know it, originated in 17th century England.
P
*permit + thing/person + infinitive	Money permits us to live a comfortable life.
prized as	Stephen is prized as a teacher in Bogota.
prized for	Stephen is prized for his ability to dance the salsa.
*prohibit from + gerund	In school, we were prohibited from fighting.
promise of + thing	The promise of success drove us to the mountain's peak.
promise to	I promise to tell the truth more often - I swear.
published by	Sabih's first novel 'Love and the GMAT' is published by Penguin.
published in	Steve's first novel will be published in March.
R
*range from X to Y	His clients range from multinationals to the smallest businesses.
refer to	I wish to refer to the latest work by Foucault....
*regard as	She is regarded as an expert.
require + thing/person + infinitive	My work requires me to travel.
required of + thing/person	The GMAT is required of most students applying for admission to an MBA program.
resemble + thing/person	Steve resembles a young Charles Atlas.
results in	Rough play often results in injuries.
results from	Injuries often result from rough play.
rivalry between X and Y	The rivalry between Joel and Enrique Iglesias is legendary.
*the rivals X and Y	The rivals Enrique and Joel quarreled often.
S
save for	Save for that inconvenience, the trip was a success.
save from	They saved me from another boring party.
seek + infinitive	He seeks to save your soul.
seek + thing/person	I seek the truth.
seem + infinitive	You seem to be sleepy today.
sleep with	I can sleep with whoever I want!
speak to + person	I spoke to my secretary about the report I wanted.
speak with + person	I spoke with my colleague about the upcoming report.
T
take advantage of	Steve loves to take advantage of those around him.
teach + person + infinitive	She taught Jim to dance.
teach + person + thing	She taught Jim the lambada.
tell + person	She told him that he was a terrible dancer.
tie to	The rope is tied to the chair.
transmit to	We transmitted the e-mail to him.
U
use + person/thing + infinitive	I use a light to read.
used + infinitive	Years ago, he used to walk every day to work.
to be + used to + gerund	He is used to walking to work.
W
to be + willing + infinitive	Fortunately, he was willing to help us.
will try to	Cindy will try to improve next year.

The bare minimum that you should do is make sure that you are familiar with all those marked with an asterix (*).

You should also make sure you know the idioms used in comparisons.

We have also made this list available as a PDF to make it is easy for you to print out and have to hand when you are practising GMAT questions.

Remember to add any other idiomatic expressions, you did not know, to the list. If you have any questions about idiomatic expressions on the GMAT exam that are not covered here then please contact us.

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