Articles published in Verbal

GMAT Grammar: Changing the Subject

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Grammar: Changing the Subject by Emily Madan

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Subject-verb agreement is fundamental to correct sentence construction. It’s commonly tested on the GMAT, but is overlooked far too often. Today, we’re going to focus on the subject of the sentence in GMAT grammar.

The subject is the actor of the sentence. It performs the action described by the verb. For simplicity’s sake, I’m going to use “subject” to mean the main subject of the sentence, used in an independent clause, though, of course, a sentence can contain multiple actors/subjects. For example: Read more

GMAT Sentence Correction: Spot the Trap! (Part 2)

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Sentence Correction: Spot the Trap! (Part 2) by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Last time, we talked about how to read for meaning and spot redundancy traps on GMAT Sentence Correction.

I’ve got another trappy SC for you; this one is from the GMATPrep® free exams. Go for it! Read more

GMAT Grammar: Pronoun Rules

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Grammar: Pronoun Rules by Emily Madan

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Possessive Pronouns

Pronouns are nifty little tools for consolidating your writing. Instead of repeating a noun over and over within the same sentence, you can simply replace it with a pronoun. The meaning stays clear and the message is concise. Compare the following sentences: Read more

What NOT to read on Reading Comprehension passages

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gmat reading compIt’s kind of ironic that, in order to do a great job on RC, we actually have to learn what NOT to read. You may already have read an earlier article of mine on this same topic; I want to revisit the issue not only because so many people struggle with it but also because we used an MGMAT example last time. This time, we’re going to use an example from OG13 “ that is, the real thing.

Required Preparation

You need to do a little prep before you can get the most out of this article. 🙂 First, read the introduction entitled How To Read A Reading Comp Passage. (Hint: take some notes! You’re going to be trying this out on a real passage in a few minutes!)

Next, you are going to need OG13 in order to do this exercise “ I can’t reproduce the entire passage here for copyright reasons. We’re looking for the second-to-last passage; it’s on page 414 and begins All the cells in a particular plant

Here’s what to do: set a timer for 3 minutes, read, and take whatever notes you like. If the timer buzzers before you’re done, take note. You can then go ahead and finish the passage “ I just want you to notice how much extra time you need. Then come back here.

Okay, are you ready? Let’s do this!

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GMAT Sentence Correction: Spot the Trap! (Part 1)

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Sentence Correction: Spot the Trap! (Part 1) by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


If you’re a non-native English speaker, you know that you’ll need to be extra careful with idioms and other constructions that native speakers just “know.” If you’re a native speaker, though, don’t think that you have a huge advantage! The GMAT test writers know the kinds of common errors that have crept into spoken language, and they’re going to try to trap you, too!

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4 GMAT Myths Busted

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - 4 GMAT Myths Busted by Chelsey Cooley

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


There’s a lot of well-meaning advice for GMAT test takers out there. Unfortunately, some of the most reasonable-sounding and frequently-repeated claims are actually false. In this article, we’ll look at four of the most common GMAT myths, and what you should do instead. Read more

The Last Two Weeks before Your GMAT, Part 2: Review

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - The Last Two Weeks Before Your GMAT, Part 2: Review by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


As we discussed in the first half of this series, Building Your Game Plan, during the last one to two weeks before your GMAT, your entire study focus changes. In this article, we’re going to discuss the second half of this process: how to review. (If you haven’t already read the first half, do so before you continue with this part.) Read more

GMATPrep Reading Comp: Tackling a Tough Passage (part 5)

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMATPrep Reading Comp: Tackling a Tough Passage - Part 4 by Stacey KoprinceDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Welcome to the final installment of our series on tackling a tough reading comp passage from the GMATPrep® free exams! If you’re just joining us now, go all the way back to the first installment and work your way through to this one. Read more

GMAT Critical Reasoning: Infer like a Master

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - GMAT Prep Critical Reading: Infer Like a Master by Stacey Koprince

Did you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


Inference questions can appear in GMAT Critical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, and Integrated Reasoning, so it’s crucial to master what the test is—and is not—asking you to do. The good news? Your goal is the same, regardless of the question type. Read more

You’ve Just Taken Your First Practice GMAT. Now What?

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Manhattan Prep GMAT Blog - You've Just Taken Your First Practice GMAT - Now What? by Chelsey CooleyDid you know that you can attend the first session of any of our online or in-person GMAT courses absolutely free? We’re not kidding! Check out our upcoming courses here.


So, you’ve just finished your first practice GMAT, and you’ve reviewed your assessment report. (If you haven’t generated an assessment report yet, do it now, before you keep reading!) If you’re like many of my students, you may have more questions now than you did beforehand. In this article, I’ll share some of the most common questions raised by the first practice GMAT, and how to answer them. Read more