'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.
   

'Shall' v/s 'Will'

Though I've rarely seen the GMAT test students on the usage of 'shall' and 'will', on the off-chance that they do decide to do so, remember the following basic rule:

Rule: Use 'shall' when speaking in the first person and 'will' when speaking in the second or third person.

In case you've forgotten your 'persons', here's a ready reckoner:

First Person - I
Second Person - You
Third Person - He, She, etc.

So,

I shall win the championship BUT You/We will win the championship.

'Agree to' v/s 'Agree with'

While there can be a fairly lengthy explanation of when to use 'agree with' and 'agree to', the following simplified rule should suffice for the GMAT:

Rule: You agree 'with' a noun and you agree 'to' a verb.

Examples:

1. John agrees with his brother. ('brother' is a noun so agree 'with')
   
   
2. John agreed to run an extra mile. ('run' is a verb so agree 'to')
   
   
3. The manager agreed with the proposal. ('proposal' is a noun so agree 'with')
   
   
4. The manager agreed to open the office on Sundays. ('open' is a verb so agree 'to')

In short you agree 'with' something but you agree 'to' do something.

'Less' v/s 'Fewer'

If you want to be less confused and make fewer mistakes then go through this post.

Rule - 'Less' is used with uncountable nouns. Eg - less water, less happiness, less money, etc.

'Fewer' is used with countable nouns. Eg. - fewer rupees, fewer people, fewer companies, etc.

Sounds simple enough. So which of the next two sentences is correct?

1. My class has fewer intelligent students.
   
   
2. My class has less intelligent students.

You are probably thinking that since people can be counted, Sentence 1 should be correct BUT in fact both the sentences are correct and are actually saying two different things:

In Sentence 1 'fewer' is modifying 'intelligent students' and is basically saying that I have fewer number of intelligent students in my class (say 3 out of 10 students)

In Sentence 2 'less' is only modifying the adjective 'intelligent' and is basically saying that students in my class have a lower intelligence level in general.

So before you mark an answer make sure you understand the correct meaning of the sentence.

To Sum it Up

1. Use 'less' to modify uncountable nouns
   
   
2. You can also use 'less' to modify adverbs and adjectives
   
   
3. Use 'fewer' to only modify countable nouns.
   
   
4. Remember, if a noun can be preceded by a number (one student, five cats, four of us, nineteen questions, etc.), it should be modified with fewer; otherwise, less is best.

'Due to' v/s 'Because of'

Is this sentence correct?

The physical test was postponed due to the bad weather.

Even though this might sound correct to you it's actually incorrect; the correct sentence will read:

The physical test was postponed because of the bad weather.

Rule - On the GMAT 'due to' will NEVER be used to replace 'because of'; it can only replace 'caused by'.

Now, in the above sentence, if you were to replace 'because of' with 'caused by' the sentence will read:

The physical test was postponed caused by the bad weather.

This obviously does not make any sense, hence we cannot use 'due to' in this sentence.

However the following sentence makes sense:

The postponement of the physical test was caused by the bad weather.

In the above sentence since 'caused by' makes sense we can replace it with 'due to':

The postponement of the physical test was due to the bad weather.

To Sum it Up:

1. On the GMAT, 'due to' cannot be used to replace 'because of'
   
   
2. 'Due to' can only be used to replace 'caused by'

When should I take the GMAT

Before saying anything on the subject please remember that you always 'TAKE' the GMAT (or any other test) and never 'GIVE' the GMAT.

It's just that I find it really irritating when even some teachers use the term 'give the test'.

Anyway, having got that out of the way here's a common scenario that I see every year in the months of August-September:

At most B-schools in the US the 1st round of admission starts in September-October so a month before that I see a mad rush of students coming in to take GMAT classes while simultaneously also working on their applications and all this while also trying to meet the demands of their respective jobs.

The result: most of them usually end up botching all three of these elements.

The reason GMAT scores are valid for 5 years is to precisely avoid this type of a situation but nobody seems to be aware of that.

According to me the best time to take the GMAT is either when you are in your final year at college or at the most within 1 year of your passing out of college. I say this for the following reasons:

1. You are still in the study mode and haven't forgotten your squares and cubes. A lot of students find it very difficult to get back into study mode once they've been working for 3-4 years.
   
   
2. You have time on your hands. It's very difficult to juggle GMAT preparation along with your usual workload; the longer you've been working the more difficult. Also research has shown that the longer you spend preparing for the GMAT the greater your chances of scoring high.
   
   
3. In case you don't do well on the test you have time to retake it, and contrary to the popular view most business schools these days encourage you to take the test more than once. (For more on this Click here)
   
   
4. It also shows how focussed you are about pursuing an MBA (again you don't 'do' an MBA, you 'pursue' it), since you took the GMAT 2 to 3 years before you are actually applying.
   

So the point of saying all this is please do not wait for the last moment to complete everything. Plan things out well in advance; after all planning is the hallmark of an MBA. (BTW any idea why it is called 'an' MBA even though 'M' is a consonant and not a vowel?)

'Compare to' v/s 'Compare with'

How do you define the term 'Comparison'?

It basically refers to pointing out the similarities as well as differences between any two things.

In this sense 'Compare with' actually refers to 'Comparison' as defined above whereas 'Compare to' is only used to state that one thing is similar to the other (usually to emphasize that particular thing or person).

Hence,

'Compare to' is used to point out the similarity between two unrelated things. More than a comparison, it's actually just a statement stating that one thing is similar to another to emphasize that particular thing.

For example:

John compared his wife's face to the moon.

In the above sentence John is not actually pointing out the similarities and differences between his wife's face and the moon, but is rather empahisizing his wife's beauty by comparing her to the moon.

'Compare with' is used to actually compare two things by pointing out the similairites as well as differences between them.

For example:

Jerry is comparing a Toyota with a Honda.

In the above sentence Jerry is actually comparing the similarities & differences between the two brands so as to be able to decide which one is better.


To Sum it Up:

1. Use 'Compare to' to show how two things are similar and to emphasize one of them.
   
   
2. Use 'Compare with' to actually compare the similarities & differences between two things.
   
   
3. Usually if the two things are similar go with 'compare with' and if they are dissimilar go with 'compare to'.
   

Inference Questions - Do's & Dont's

Inference questions require you to infer or conclude something from the argument. Here are some Do's and Dont's for these questions:

1. Don't Infer too much
   
   A common mistake students make is to infer too much from the argument, either by making far-fetched assumptions or by using their extra knowledge of the subject. Remember you are required to go only half a step ahead of the argument and not ten steps ahead.
   
   
   
2. Avoid Extreme Answers
   
   Avoid extreme or strongly worded answers and go with more middle-path answers. For example, avoid options containing words such as must, always, only, never, etc. and go with options with words such as usually, might, sometimes, etc.
   
   
   
3. Stay within the Scope of the Argument
   
   A common trap that students fall in is to infer something that is beyond the scope of the argument. For example, if the argument talks about the automobile industry in India then an option that talks about the electronics industry in India will be out of scope as will an option talking about the automobile industry in China.
   

'Like' v/s 'Such As'

Is this sentence correct?

I want to eat something sweet like a chocolate or a pastry.

Even though we speak like this in our everyday conversations (BTW is it 'everyday' conversations or 'every day' conversations? Click here to know the difference), what this sentence is implying is that I don't want to eat a chocolate or a pastry but something similar to a chocolate or a pastry.

Here's the rule - On the GMAT 'like' means 'similar to' and 'such as' means 'for example'

So the correct sentence will read:

I want to eat something sweet such as a chocolate or a pastry.

Important: Even if 'such' and 'as' are separated in a sentence, the sentence is still correct.

For example:

I want to eat some such sweet as a chocolate or a pastry.

In the above sentence even though 'such' and 'as' are separated by the word 'sweet' the sentence is absolutely correct and 'chocolate' and 'pastry' are examples of sweets that I want to eat.


To Sum it Up:

1. On the GMAT, use 'like' to imply 'similar to'.
   
   
2. Use 'such as' to imply 'for example'
   
   
3. If confused, go with 'such as'.
   

'Like' v/s 'As'

The rule is very simple - Since 'Like' is a preposition and 'As' is a conjunction.(click here to read what are Prepositions & Conjunctions), use 'like' to compare nouns and 'as' to compare clauses (click here to read what is a Clause).

Examples:

1. John & Jacob, as/like their father Mark, are excellent players of cricket.
   
   In this sentence John & Jacob are nouns that are being compared with another noun Mark. Hence the correct word here is 'like'.
   
   
2. Just as/like reading is good for the mind, running is good for the body.
   
   In this sentence two clauses 'reading is good for the mind' and 'running is good for the body' are being compared; so the correct word is 'as'.
   

'Who' v/s 'Whom'

In an earlier post I had discussed relative pronouns 'That' and 'Which'. (click here to read that post) Now let's look at two more relative pronouns that cause a lot of confusion on the GMAT - 'Who' and 'Whom'.

The difference between who and whom is exactly the same as the difference between I and me, he and him, she and her, etc. Who, like I, he, and she, is a subject - it is the person performing the action of the verb. Whom, like me, him, and her, is an object - it is the person to/about/for whom the action is being done. (To know more about Subjects & Objects click here)

Consider the following two examples:

1. Who is going for the movie?
   
   
2. Whom is this movie about?

In sentence 1 'who' is the subject performing the action 'going' on the object 'movie'.

In sentence 2 'movie' is the subject and 'whom' is referring to the object of the sentence.

As a tip remember that if the answer to Who/Whom is I, he, she, etc. then the correct word is 'Who' and if the answer is me, him, her, etc. then the the correct word is 'Whom'.

For example, in Sentence 1 discussed above the answer to the question is 'he is going for the movie' and not 'him is going for the movie.' Hence the correct word is 'Who'.

Similarly, in Sentence 2 the answer to the question is 'the movie is about him' and not 'the movie is about he'. Hence the correct word is 'Whom'


To Sum it Up:

1. Who refers to the subject of the sentence and Whom refers to the object of the sentence.
   
   
2. If the answer to the question is I, he, she, etc. the correct word is 'Who'.
   
   
3. If the answer to the question is me, her, him, etc. the correct word is 'Whom'.
   
   
4. Whom is also the correct choice after a preposition: with whom, one of whom, etc. and not with who, one of who, etc.
   

Phrase, Clause & Sentence

You must have come across these three terms while attempting SC questions but are you aware how the three are related?

A Phrase is a group of words, which makes sense, but not complete sense. It's a group of related words without a Subject or a Verb or both.

Examples (the words in italics are Phrases):

• I am reading a book.
• John is an actor of high caliber.
• Kevin has a black Siamese cat.
• The fire in the theater was not very severe.

A Clause is a group of words that contains both a Subject and an Object (to know more about 'Subjects' & 'Objects', click here), but may not be able to stand on its own. The most basic kind of sentence consists of a single clause; more complicated sentences may contain multiple clauses, including clauses contained within clauses.

Examples (the words in italics are Clauses):

• The dinner, which he made for us, was delicious.
• I can't believe that the cat ran out of the door.
• The girl is nice

Types of Clauses

1. If a clause can make complete sense on its own, it's called an Independent Clause. It does not need to be joined to any other clause because it contains all the information necessary to make a complete sentence.
   
   
   Examples:
   
   
   - The food is hot.
   - The street is wet.
   - She reads very fast.
   
   
   
   
2. Dependent Clauses cannot stand up on their own and depend on some other clause to make sense.
   
   Examples:
   
   - The student is going
   - The boy in the room
   - The book I am reading

To Sum it Up

1. Phrases are groups of words that do not contain a Subject or a Verb or both
   
   
2. Clauses are groups of words that contain both a Subject as well as a Verb
   
   
3. Independent Clauses are complete sentences and can make sense on their own.
   
   
4. Dependent Clauses are not complete sentences and need to be connected to other clauses to make sense.
   
   
5. Phrases make up a Clause and Clauses make up a Sentence.

Ending Sentences with a Preposition

Consider the following two sentences:

1. Don't tell me stories that I am already aware of.
   
   
2. Don't tell me stories of which I am already aware.

Which one would you go with on a SC question?

Most people would say Sentence 2 because Sentence 1 ends with 'of', a preposition, but actually sentence 1 sounds much better and would, in fact, be preferred on the GMAT.

Here's another couple of sentences; which one do you like more?

1. Among all the applicants, I haven't yet decided with whom I would like to meet.
   
   
2. Among all the applicants, I haven't yet decided who to meet with.

Obviously Sentence 2 (even though it ends with the preposition 'with) because it's shorter and conveys the meaning of the sentence in a much more direct manner than Sentence 1.

In a nutshell, remember that just because a sentence ends with a preposition does not mean that it is incorrect.

Measure your Reading Efficiency

Ever wondered what kind of a reader you are - an efficient or an inefficient one?

If you notice I am not using the terms 'fast' or 'slow' because I could glance through a 1000 word passage in 1 minute but it won't be of much use if I could not comprehend anything in that time.

Thus Reading Efficiency = Reading Speed (wpm) x Comprehension Rate

For example, if your reading speed is 300 words per minute (wpm) and your comprehension rate is 70% than your overall Reading Efficiency is = 300 x 70/100 = 210 efficient words per minute.

To find out what is your Reading Efficiency click here.

I have discussed some tips to improve Reading speed in this post.

Prepositions and Conjunctions

You might have come across the terms 'Prepositions' & 'Conjunctions' while reviewing SC problems and while you don't really need to know them in detail, here's a basic explanations of the two.

Even though inherently both Prepositions as well as Conjunctions are connectors, Prepositions are used to connect a noun element to a sentence whereas Conjunctions have the ability to connect two verbs together which means they can actually connect two sentences to each other.

Examples of Prepositions - on, over, to, from, about, for, against, with, between, but, etc.

Examples of Conjunctions - and, nor, but, or, then, for, since, etc.

As you might have noticed words such as 'for' and 'but' can act as both Preposition as well as Conjunction; then how do you figure out when it's being used as what?

Try this rule - divide the sentence into two parts (1 part before the preposition/conjunction and the other part after that). Now if the two parts make sense on their own then they are two different sentences and we can only use conjunctions to join two sentences so the word in questions is a Conjunction, else it is a Preposition.

Consider the following examples:

1. I have been living in New York since last year.
   
   
2. I have been living in New York since I passed my exams.

Now in the sentences above, the word in question is 'since'.

If you break up sentence 1 across 'since', the two parts are 'I have been living in New York' and 'last year'. Now while the first part 'I have been living in New York' makes sense the second part 'last year' makes no sense. Thus 'since' is acting as a preposition here connecting the noun 'last year' to the rest of the sentence.

Now doing the same thing with sentence 2 we get 'I have been living in New York' and 'I passed my exams', both of which make perfect sense on their own. Thus 'since' is acting as a conjunction here joining two sentences.

To Sum it Up

1. Prepositions are used to connect a noun to a sentence.
   
   
2. Conjunctions are used to connect two verbs or sentences.
   
   
3. The same word can be used as both conjunction as well as preposition, depending on the context.

'Active Voice' v/s 'Passive Voice'

You will have coaches/guide books telling you that the Passive voice is almost always incorect on the GMAT and that you should always go with the Active voice.

While this advice is absolutely spot on, do you actually know the difference between active and Passive voice?

The Active Voice

This the normal voice that we speak in most of the time. In this voice the object receives the action of the verb performed by the subject (Click here to know what are 'Subjects' and 'Objects'). Sounds complicated?

Look at this simple example:

Dogs eat bones.

Here the subject 'dogs' is performing an action 'eat' on the object 'bones'. Hence this sentence is in the Active voice.

The Passive Voice

The Passive voice is less usual. In this voice the subject receives the action of the verb being performed by the object.

Lets modify the earlier example a little:

Bones are eaten by dogs.

Here the subject 'bones' has an action 'eaten' being performed on it by the object 'dogs'. Hence this sentence is in the Passive voice.

Usually the Active voice has the construction 'Who does What' (I read a book), while the Passive voice has the construction 'What was done by Whom' (The book was read by me).

As you can see, sentences in the Passive voice tend to be longer and more awkward than sentences in the Active voice. Hence the active voice is preferred on the GMAT.

To Sum it Up:

1. Active Voice - Subject performs the action on the Object
   
   
2. Passive Voice - Object performs the action on the Subject
   
   
3. On the GMAT, always go with the Active Voice

'Subject' and 'Object'

A lot of the explanations in English grammar start with the terms 'subject' and 'object' of a sentence, so it's very important that you be very clear as to what these two terms refer to.

The Subject is the noun to which the sentence's verb refers to whereas the Object is someone or something that is involved in the subjects' performance of the verb/action.

For example:

Jacob is reading a book.

In this sentence the verb is 'reading'. Now who is reading? Jacob. So the verb 'reading' is referring to the noun 'Jacob' who, therefore, is the subject of the sentence. Now what is being read? A book. So the book is involved in the subjects' (Jacob's) performance of the verb (reading) and hence is the Object.

While there are several different types of subjects and objects, you don't need to go into such depth to answer questions on the GMAT.

To Sum it Up:

1. The Subject is who/what does the action.
   
   
2. The Object has the action done upon it.

'Alright' and 'Alot' are not all Right

Just think of the number of times you have used the words 'alright' and 'alot' in essays/articles right from your school days till now.

Now what if I were to tell you that there is no such word as 'alot' in the English language and 'alright', though recognized by some dictionaries of late, is also almost always considered incorrect.

The correct words are:

• 'a lot' and not 'alot'
  
  
• 'all right' and not 'alright'
  
  

Unlikely that the GMAT will test these errors on Sentence Correction but do keep these in mind while typing your essays in the AWA section.

'Everyday' vs 'Every day'

Is this sentence correct?

I go to the church once everyday.

It might sound correct to you but it's actually incorrect. The correct sentence will read:

I go to the church once every day.

So what's the difference between 'everyday' and 'every day'?

'Everyday' is an adjective meaning 'ordinary' or 'commonplace'. An adjective, in case you've forgotten, is a word that modifies a noun. Eg. 'everyday occurrence', 'everyday people', etc.

'Every day' is an adverbial phrase that tells us how often something takes place. An adverb is a word or phrase that modifies a verb (most of the time).

To Sum it Up

1. Use 'Everyday' if you are implying 'ordinary' or 'commonplace'.
   
   
2. Use 'Every day' if you are implying that 'something happens every day'.

'Whether' or 'If'

'If' is used to introduce a conditional idea or an idea that has just one possibility whereas 'Whether' is used to introduce alternative possibilities, usually with 'or not' implied or explicitly stated in the sentence.

Consider the following example:

If you study hard you will surely do well on the GMAT.

In the above sentence 'If' is introducing a single condition (if you study hard) that can lead to the desired goal; we can't replace it with 'Whether' because that would totally distort the meaning of the sentence.

Now look at this one:

I can't decide whether to study or go out with my friends.

Here 'Whether' is introducing two alternatives and we cannot be replace it with 'If'.

To make it clearer here is a sentence in which I've used both 'If' and 'Whether' together:

You need to decide whether you will be able to control your temper if he asks you to get out of his office.

To Sum it Up:

1. 'If' is used to introduce 1 condition whereas 'Whether' is used to introduce several possibilities.

   
   
2. If you are still confused on a question, go with 'Whether' since it's preferred on the GMAT.

Each & Every

Whenever you see the words 'Each' or 'Every' in a Sentence Correction question, immediately check the sentence for subject-verb agreement since students at times tend to get confused on such questions.

Consider this example:

Each of the students in my class and in other classes have got a free laptop.

Does the sentence sound correct? I sure hope not because the subject is the singular 'each student' and not the plural 'all students', so the verb also has to be the singular 'has' and not the plural 'have'.

To Sum it Up

1. Whenever you see 'Each' or 'Everyone' in a sentence check for Subject-verb agreement
   
   
2. The verb/pronoun used in such sentences will always be singular

The Collective Noun Conundrum

Collective nouns are words that refer to a group of subjects (could be people or objects) but are not necessarily considered plural; in fact, on the GMAT, they mostly take singular verbs.

Examples:

• Army
• Family
• Committee
• Wealth
• Police, etc.

As you might have noticed collective nouns, more often than not, refer to a group of people, a fact that gives rise to a unique problem:

Because people can sometimes behave as a group and sometimes as individuals, collective nouns can be either singular or plural, depending on the context in which they are being used. This can create a lot of confusion with regards to subject-verb agreement.

Look at the following sentence for example:

The hockey team follows its coach wherever he goes.

In the above sentence the entire team is doing the same thing in unison (i.e. following the coach), hence the collective noun 'team' is considered singular and so takes the singular verb 'follows' and the singular pronoun 'its'.

Now, let's modify this sentence a little:

After the match is over, the hockey team shower, change their clothes and go back to their hotel rooms.

Here each player is bathing individually, changing into different clothes, and going to a different hotel room. If you say 'the team is going back to its hotel room' it means that they are all going to the same room which is not the case. So the collective noun cannot be considered singular and takes the plural verb 'shower' and plural pronoun 'their'.

To Sum it Up:

1. Collective Nouns can be either singular or plural depending on the context
2. The key is to first understand the meaning of the sentence to figure out whether the group is acting like one entity or different individual entities. (Single entity - Singular / Individual entities - Plural)
3. In case you are confused go with the Singular verb as the GMAT favors these over plural verbs.

I'll leave you with an interesting collective noun that I bet you didn't know about:

"a murder of crows"

Yes that's what a group of crows is called!