a). She doesn’t like singing , but I do.
b). You saw Ram, didn’t you?
c). Emil thinks there’s something wrong with Ann, and so do I.

NOTE -

An auxiliary verb combines with another verb to help form the tense, mood, voice, or condition of the verb it combines with.
The verbs to have, to be, to do, will, shall, would, should, can, may, might, and could are the common auxiliary verbs in English.
Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called helping verbs.

Ellipsis – We often leave out words to avoid repetition, or in other cases when the meaning can be understood without them. This is called ellipsis.

a). He smokes more than he used to – American english
He smokes more than he used to do.- British English

b). Do you think Phil will come? ~ He might.- American english
Do you think Phil will come? ~ He might do.- British English

2. Do – when we talk about work and jobs. e.g

a). I’m not going to do any work today.
b). It’s time to do the accounts.
c). I would’t like to do your job.

3. We use do…… ing structure to talk about activities that take a certain time, or are repeated. Usually there is a determiner (e.g the, my, some ) before the -ing form. Verb after do cannot have object in this structure.But do can be used with a compound noun that includes verb + object. e.g

a). During the holidays I’m going to do some walking and a lot of reading.
b). I’m going to watch some TV.
c). I want to do some bird-watching this weekend.

4. Make – we use make to talk about constructing, building, creating etc.e.g

a). My father and I once made a boat.
b). Let’s make a plan.

5. Common fixed expressions

do good, harm, business, one’s best, a favour, sport, exercise, one’s hair, one’s teeth, one’s duty.

make a journey, an offer, arrangements, a suggestion, a decision, an attempt, an effort, an excuse, an exception, a mistake, a noise, a phone call, money, a profit, a fortune, peace, love, war, bed, a fire, progress.

6. After make + object, we use the infinitive without to. e.g

I made her cry. (not – I made her to cry. or I made her crying)

The infinitive must follow the object. e.g

I can’t make the television work. ( not – I can’t make work the television)

In passive constructions the infinitive with to is used. e.g

Ram was made to repeat the whole story.

7. In some cases make can be followed by myself, yourself etc and a past participle. This structure is common with understood and heard. e.g

She had to shout to make herself heard.

8. We can talk about an effect or change with make + object + adjective/noun . e.g

The rain made the grass wet. ( not – The rain made wet the grass).

We do not use make … be in this structure.

You have made me a happy man. ( not – You have made me be a happy man).

2). When more is used in the comparative form of an adjective (more difficult) or adverb (more likely), it is followed by than.

3). They or it should not be used without definite antecedents. It must always be able to replace a noun.

e.g — In that store they make a customer feel stupid.— they is referring to whom? Here use of they is incorrect as there is no antecedent for they in this sentence so instead of they a proper noun should be used.

Note:In expressions of time and weather antecedent of it is not given.

e.g — It is too hot today.

4). Subject form of pronoun always comes after ‘than’ or ‘as’.

e.g — Peggy is smaller than I (am).

5). Because of is not same as caused by. An adverbial phrase beginning with because of answers the question “why” ?

e.g — He is distrusted because of his deviousness. Here because of his deviousness is an adverbial phrase.

Why is he distrusted ? because of his deviousness.

6). Due to means caused by – Use due to only if it can be substituted by caused by.

7). Even if is used in conditional sentences to mean ‘it doesn’t matter if’.

e.g — I will go on a tour of Europe next year even if none of you want to come with me.

8). We use a singular verb with the phrase the number of.

e.g — The number of club members has increased this year.

9). We use a plural verb with the phrase a number of.

e.g — A number of students were absent today.

10). Use of IN

i). IN + year / month / season

e.g — in 1988 ; in september ; in winter ; in 21st century

ii). IN + a week or more

e.g — in the easter holiday ; in the summer term

iii). IN + part of day

e.g — in the morning ; in the evening

11). Use of ON

i). ON + day / date

e.g — on wednesday ; on 15 April ; on that day

ii). ON + a single day

e.g — on Easter monday ; on Christmas Day

iii). ON + day + part of day

e.g — on Friday morning ; on Tuesday evening

12). Use of AT

i). AT + clock time / meal time

e.g — at three o’clock ; at lunch (- time) ; at that time ; at the moment

ii). AT + two or three days

e.g — at Easter / Christmas ; at the weekend (US : on the weekend)

Note – Exceptions – I woke up in the night (= in the middle of the night) ; It happened on Monday night ; I can’t sleep at night (= when it is night)

13). We do not use in, on, or at before every, last, next, this, tomorrow and yesterday.

14). In time means ‘early enough’

15). On time means at the right time , on schedule

I will keep updating this post .

Verbs + infinitive with to or a gerund:

attempt
begin – e.g He began singing; He began to sing
can’t bear
continue
dread – e.g She dreaded taking the risk; She dreaded to think of the consequences of her actions
forget
go on
hate
intend
love – e.g She loves to dance; She loves dancing
mean
plan
prefer
propose
regret
remember
start
stop – e.g He stopped drinking; He stopped to rest for a few minutes
try

Verbs + object + infinitive with to or a gerund

admit
allow
consider
forbid
imagine
keep(in order to) – e.g The attackers kept hostages to prevent the police from entering; She kept talking.
need – e.g He need to call his boss; The house needs cleaning
permit
require

Compare to – is used to liken two things or to put them in the same category. You should use “compare to” when you intend to simply assert that two things are alike.Use “compared to” to illustrate that two things are similar

e.g -

1). The economy can be compared to a stallion charging at the gate.
2). I compare getting comments from students in class to pulling teeth.
3). She compared her work for women’s rights to Susan B. Anthony’s campaign for women’s suffrage.

Compare with – is used to place two things side by side for the purpose of examining their similarities or differences. Use “compared with” to illustrate the differences a comparison draws

e.g -

1). The American economy can be compared with the European economy to note how military history impacts future economics.
2). It would be interesting to compare Purdue with Ohio State.
3). Ann has a 3.5 GPA, compared with Jim’s 2.9.

Agree with someone/ something: get on, be good for, suit; to approve of it
Agree with a person, opinion or policy
e.g:
The copy agrees with the original.
I don’t agree with some of the issues they have raised in the rating rationale

Agree on something:To come to terms, as in the details of a transaction, reach agreement on, settle on
Agree on a matter for decision, to agree on an action that is jointly worked out; have similar feelings about a specific matter
e.g:
Democrat Obama and Republican McCain agree on a range of issues that have divided the parties under Bush
Major EU states agree on tighter regulation

e.g : We aim to please our customers, or She aims to fly to California.

Correct usage: aim to + verb

Aim at (idiom)

Meaning – Direct a missile or criticism at something or someone; to plan, intend or to have as one’s purpose

e.g: In his last speech the President took aim at the opposition leader.
He aims at finishing tomorrow.

Correct usage: aim at + noun

Different than — In US English, than is an alternative to from before a clause.

e.g — Sara’s appearance was very different than I’d expected.

NOTE : On GMAT different than is generally always wrong when comparing two nouns. Different than is only correct when a sentence compares a noun and a clause.

Hence if on GMAT sentence correction you come across a question comparing two nouns and choice with the word different then look for a choice without the phrase different than

Here are few more IDIOMS

able to do something
ability to do something
ability in something
absent from
acclaim to be
acclaim as
act as
accede to
accepted into + group
accepted to + college/ university
accepted at + college/ university
access to
accustom to
according to
account for
accuse of
acquaint with
adapt from
adapt to something
addicted to something
admit of something
advantage of something
afraid of
afflicted with
agree with
X agree on + doing something X (change to agree to do something)
agree on + something
agree to something
agree to do something
aid + somebody/ something
aid something + in + doing something
allow for
amount to
angry at/ with
appeal to somebody
appear to
apply to
approach (the noun, not the verb) to something
approve of
argue over
argue with
argue about something
argue for something
arrive at
as __ as
ask of
associate with
assure that
at a disadvantage
attempt to
attend to
attention to
attest to
attribute to
available to
averse to
aiming to
aim at
aware of
aversion to/ for/ toward something

based on
because of
believe to be
between [a] and [b]

call for
craving for
choice of
choose from
choose to
claim to
collaborate with
conclude that
consequence of
consider
consistent with
continue to
contrast with
contribute to
convert to
cost to/of
credit with
comply with
conform to
consider to be
composed of
compare with/to
consist in
consist with
consist of
correspond to
correspond with

date from
deal with
debate over
decide to
defend against
define as
delighted by
demonstrate that
depend on
depict as
descend from
different from
difficult to
distinguish [a] from [b]
draw on
due to
desirous of
divergent from
decide on

[in an] effort to
either…or
enamored with
encourage to
estimate to be
expose to
extend to
extent of
equal to
expected to

fear that
fluctuations in
forbid to
force to
frequency of
from [a] to [b]
fail in hypothesize that

in contrast to
in danger of
in order to
in violation of
inclined to
infected with
instead of
introduce to
isolate from
intent to
in search of
inside
increase in

just as…so too
just as…so

less than
likely to
liken to mistake for

model after
more than
move away from
meet with

[a] native of
native to
neither…nor
not [a] but [b]
not only…but also
not so much…as
necessity of
necessity for
name
negotiations with

on account of
opportunity for
opportunity to
opposed to
opposite of
ought to

prejudiced against
permit to
persuade to
predisposed to
pressure to
prevent from
prized by
prohibit from
protect against
provide with
preferable to
prior to
partake of
practice for
practice to
practice of

question whether

range from [a] to [b]
rather than
regard as
replace with
require to
required of
[the] responsibility to
responsible for
result from, result in
rule that
result of

[the] same as
see as, send to
sense of so…that
spend on
subject to
substitute [a] for [b]
suffer from
superior to
supplant by
suspicious of
sympathy for
sympathize with
separate from

target at
think of…as
threaten to
train to
transit to
try to
type of
tamper with
tie to
tend to
to seek support from

use as
[the] use of

view as
vote for

willing to
worry about