'Advice' or 'Advise'

Take a look at this sentence:

I advice/advise you to stop procrastinating.

What is the correct word here - 'advice' or advise'?

Rule: Advice" is a noun and it means a recommendation about behavior of some kind. It's last consonant sound is "sss."

"Advise" is a verb and it means the act of giving a recommendation. It's last consonant sound is "zzz."

So the correct word in the sentence above will be 'advise' since you are giving a recommendation.

Here are some more examples:

1. John did not listen to my advice.
   
   
2. The Board advised the CEO to resign.
   
   
3. The disciple went to the priest for advice.
   

Is 'Hopefully' correct?

Look at this sentence:

To travel hopefully is to travel in peace.

Now this sentence can have two meanings:

Meaning 1 - 'Hopefully' is used as an adverb to modify the verb 'travel'. Thus the sentence is saying that to travel filled with hope is to travel in peace.

Meaning 2 - Another usage of 'Hopefully' can be to modify the entire sentence. Thus the sentence could also be saying that it is hoped that to travel is to travel in peace.

Technically the first meaning is correct and the second meaning is wrong, though we mostly use it like that.

For example :

1. Hopefully, India will win the world cup.
   
   
2. I will top the exam hopefully.
   

Both the above sentences are incorrect because 'hopefully' is modifying the entire sentence.


To Sum it Up:

1. 'Hopefully' should always mean 'full of hope' and NEVER 'it is hoped' or 'I hope'.
   
   
2. The use of 'Hopefully' is almost always incorrect on the GMAT so if confused avoid it.
   

'Rather than' v/s 'Instead of'

It is extremely unlikely that the GMAT will ask you to chose between two choices only on the basis of 'rather than' and 'instead of'. Usually there will be some other error as well in one of the options.

Still you should know the difference between the two:

'Rather than' is used to express preference of one thing over another whereas 'instead of' is used to replace one thing with another.

I will have tea rather than coffee.

What you are saying is that you would prefer tea but if tea is not available you will be ok with coffee as well.

I will have tea instead of coffee.

Here you are not just expressing preference but rather you are replacing one option with another; so no coffee, only tea.

Also remember that technically, 'rather than' is a conjunction so it can be followed by anything - noun, phrase, clause - whereas 'instead of' is a preposition so it can be followed only by nouns.

Example

1. I went in the house instead of in the garden.
   
   
2. I went in the house instead of the garden.

In Sentence 1 above, 'instead of' is incorrect because it is followed by the phrase 'in the garden'. Here the correct usage would be 'rather than'

In Sentence 2 'instead of' is correct since it is followed by the noun 'garden'. Note that 'rather than' can also be used in this sentence to replace 'instead of'.


To Sum it Up:

1. Use 'rather than' to show preference or as a conjunction to link nouns, phrases and clauses.
   
   
2. Use 'instead of' to replace one thing with another or as a preposition before nouns.
   
   
3. If confused go with 'rather than'.
   

'Differ with' v/s 'Differ from'

Is this sentence correct?

John differs from his boss on the usefulness of the business restructuring strategy.

A lot of you might think that the sentence sounds correct, specially those of you who think 'differ from' is the correct idiom; the sentence is in fact wrong as the correct idiom here would be 'differ with' and not 'differ from'.

Rule: Use 'differ from' to imply 'unlike' (as in one thing differing from the other) and 'differ with' to imply 'disagreement' (as in differing with a point of view).

Examples:

1. No one can tell how the two cars differ from one another.
   
   
2. The two political parties differ with each other's ideologies.
   
   
3. How is the book different from the movie?
   
   
4. The director differs with the producer.

'Farther' v/s 'Further'

Is this sentence correct?

John can run further than Jerry.

It's actually incorrect because of the improper usage of the word 'further'. The correct word in this case would be 'farther'.

Rule: 'Farther' refers to actual measurable distance whereas 'Further' refers to degree, quantity, time, or some such other quality that cannot or is not being precisely measured.

Examples:

1. John promised his boss that there would be no further delays
   
   
2. The map says the city is farther than we expected.
   
   
3. The students discussed further after the teacher left.
   
   
4. He is running farther everyday.
   

'Between' v/s 'Among'

The simplest of choices but, surprisingly, a large number of students seem to be unaware of the correct usage of 'between' and 'among'.

Rule: Use 'between' while evaluating two options and 'among' while evaluating more than two options.

Examples:

1. John can't decide between a bike and a scooter.
   
   
2. John can't decide among a bike, a scooter and a moped.

Important: Remember 'between' and 'among' will ALWAYS take 'and' and not 'or'. To say that 'John can't decide between a bike or a scooter' will be INCORRECT.

The 'Subjunctive' Mood

For knowledge's sake remember that there are three primary moods in English grammar - Indicative mood, Imperative mood and Subjunctive mood.

The GMAT will, in all probability, only test you on the use of the Subjunctive mood so we'll restrict the scope of this post to the same.

The subjunctive mood is primarily used in the following two situations:

Situation 1: To indicate a hypothetical situation, a wish, or a circumstance contrary-to-fact.

Situation 2: To make a suggestion, demand, desire, etc.


The following rules apply to each of the above two situations respectively:

Situation 1 - When contemplating hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations, always use 'were' and 'would'.

Important - Please note that even if the subject is singular you will still use 'were' and not 'was'.

Examples:

1. If I were rich I would buy a BMW.
   
   
2. If petrol were cheaper I would use my car everyday.
   
   
3. If I were you, I would contest the elections.

Situation 2 - Verbs like order, suggest, demand, etc. must be followed by 'that' and the infinitive form of the verb being ordered or suggested.

Examples:

1. The teacher recommended that Jerry be expelled from the class.
   
   
2. The manager demanded that John show up for work on time.
   

So how do you figure out whether a question is testing you on the use of the Subjunctive mood? Here are a couple of tips:

1. Check for words such as 'if', 'wish', etc. Though these can also be used in the other moods, they are most commonly tested on the subjunctive mood.
   
   
2. Ask yourself if the sentence is talking about an uncertainty, a wish, a suggestion, a demand, etc. If it is then you are dealing with the subjunctive mood.
   

To Sum it Up

1. If a sentence talks about hypothetical or contrary-to-fact situations use 'were' (not 'was') and 'would'
   
   
2. With verbs such as 'demand', 'suggest', 'insist', etc. what follows should be 'that' and the infinitive form of the verb being ordered.