Silverturtle's Guide to SAT and Admissions Success

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<p>According to the College Board’s use of the term “idiomatic,” yes. But not according to its general use: the phrase is wrong simply because the definition of “follow” renders it so. For example, I can’t say “Eat onto a sandwich” instead of “Eat a sandwich”; you’re just adding a preposition where one does not make sense.</p>

<p>“idiomatic” is usually used to mean that a phrase departs from general linguistic rules and does not mean the sum of its parts, such as “kick the bucket.” For some reason, the College Board uses “idiomatic” whenever they don’t want to give a more detailed explanation.</p>

<p>Mediators were standing by, prepared to intervene in the labor dispute even though both sides had refused earlier offers for (D) assistance.</p>

<p>Why is “earlier offers for assistance” incorrect? I know it can be “of”, but “for” seems the same to me. Thanks.</p>

<p>What other alternative correct answers would there be for that question? </p>

<p>I still don’t understand it… :&lt;/p>

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<p>This one gets asked quite often. Crazybandit gave what I consider to be a successful explanation awhile back:</p>

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<p>There are dozens of other possibilities. You don’t have to correct the phrases; you just have to know when they’re wrong.</p>

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<p>One follows clues; he or she does not follow down clues. Read a couple of the relevant senses of the word “follow” to see why:</p>

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<p>One does not go in pursuit of down clues or go after down clues. The clause is logical without “down.”</p>

<p>What kind of error would my sentence fall under?</p>

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<p>It’s difficult to categorize. The College Board would just call it an idiomatic error. You could also label it a prepositional error. I would say that it’s a diction error because the ungrammaticality of the phrase is due merely to follow’s definition.</p>

<p>Hello again! I was wondering if you had any recommendations for a comprehensive guide to the usage of the comma (preferably one found online). Thanks!</p>

<p>^ I haven’t read through this page specifically, but I have found the Web site in general to be very helpful:</p>

<p>[Rules</a> for Comma Usage](<a href=“http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm]Rules”>http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/commas.htm)</p>

<p>So, can you say the phrase “offers for” or does “offers of” pretty much cover it? I get why “offers of” is correct, I just don’t get why “offers for” is incorrect? Is it just an idiom?</p>

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<p>In that and similar contexts, “offers for” is incorrect. It’s not idiomatic, though: “for” does not function in that way.</p>

<p>Hey Silverturtle, I read your approach to the critical reading section and found it very helpful, the problem is that I have the Princeton Review 2010 Edition book and the Barrons SAT 2009 book but these books seem to have lots of questions without line references and basically I cant really take your approach very well.</p>

<p>For example, questions such as: </p>

<p>" In treaty cuncils before 1870, most Indians did not ask for their own interpreters because: "
" According to Passage 2, when the gold and silver ran out, the miners switched to: "
" According to the passage, Elizabeth Bennet presently: "
" The author of Passage 2 believes that the defining even in history of the West was: " </p>

<p>Anybody else notice this? Following your approach, Im leaving this questions for the end but to answer them you dont really have to read the whole passage because most of the times the answer lies in a sentence only and the questions are mostly organized in order, I dont know if Im mistaken so youll be the judge of that :P, here I have so examples of some questions like this:</p>

<p>" According to Passage 2, when the gold and silver ran out, the miners switched to: "</p>

<p>was the first question in the section the answer would most likely be in the first paragraph and notice it DOESNT have line references at all. </p>

<p>I hope im expressing myself lucidly as I find the critical reading sections in college board practice tests to be much easier because most questions have line references which makes it a lot easier to follow in a more systematic approach.</p>

<p>I cant really order the blue book because it would take too long to arrive for the test im taking in october,</p>

<p>Question 1.
It’s difficult to imagine how one can contrive of vivid, picturesque details about an exotic and distant place that he has never once visited. </p>

<p>The answer is Contrive –> Conceive. But is “he” used appropriately in the above sentence? Or should it be he —> one, or he—>he/she.</p>

<p>Question 2.
Large, lush geraniums in sunny reds and bright corals cascade down from the third-floor balcony, reaching three and four feet toward the earth.</p>

<p>Answer is ‘No Error’. But isnt’ “toward” incorrect. Toward—>Towards?</p>

<p>Question 3.
Likewise it should not construct an image of perfection: daily routines that are perfectly planned, neartly wrapped, prepackaged, and leisurely waiting its flawless execution.
A. As it is now.
B. And, all the while, leisurely awaiting their flawless execution.
C. And leisurely waiting execution, flawlessly.
D. And leisurely waiting their flawless execution
E. And, with leisure, awaiting its flawless execution.</p>

<p>Answer is ‘D’. But shouldn’t the correct term be “awaiting” or “waiting for”?</p>

<p>Question. 4
According to their recollections, the seaside resort offered leisurely summer days to take in natural beauty, to eat fresh food, and to escape the responsibilities of everyday life.</p>

<p>The answer ‘Their’ —> Lacks an antecedent. Do you think this is a valid error? I mean, it’s a sentence. It could be picked up right from a paragraph. Unless it doesn’t have an ambiguous pronoun, which it doesn’t, I don’t think that ‘lacking an antecedent’ is a warranted error. Or is it?</p>

<p>One more little question :P</p>

<p>“It was she.” or “It was her.”?</p>

<p>“It was she.” is correct.</p>

<p>Remind you, “It is I.” Sounds weird but grammatically correct. :)</p>

<p>Thanks! :)</p>

<p>So by that logic, “Me too.” is grammatically incorrect? Omg.</p>

<p>Hey silverturtle, is this sentence correct?</p>

<p>Do you get too much email?</p>

<p>It is on an ad for Gmail’s new “Priority Inbox” feature.</p>

<p>i don’t know if you know this silverturtle, but the 2011 edition of Direct Hits referenced you and this topic for one of its words!</p>