Lesson 19—Idiom problems 1. What is an idiom? An idiom is a phrase, like pass the buck, pull your leg, or get your feet wet, that convention has given a meaning independent of the literal meaning of the individual words. An idiom only works with precisely the right phrasing. For instance, being concerned about something is different from being concerned with something. Similarly, you can say that a building is on fire, but people will look at you funny if you say the building is with fire. In an idiom, a tiny change can make a big difference. 2. Watch your prepositions On the SAT Writing, idiom errors will usually be “wrong preposition” errors. Remember that prepositions are words like to, from, of, for, by, in, before, with, beyond, and up that show relative position or direction. Certain idioms require specific prepositions. For instance, English idiom requires us to say that we are arguing with a person, but arguing against an idea. We were no longer satisfied at the level of service we were receiving. This sentence contains two idioms: satisfied with and level of service. Are the prepositions correct? The of in level of service is correct, but the at in satisfied at is not. The correct idiom is satisfied with. We were no longer satisfied with the level of service we were receiving. 3. Tip for improving your essay When we speak, we often insert extra prepositions to make our language sound less formal. In an essay, however, these prepositions are usually redundant and therefore unnecessary. Your writing will sound more polished if you eliminate any unnecessary prepositions. Notice that in phrases like the following the preposition is unnecessary. www.cracksat.net The pole did not extend far enough. Ever since I was injured, it hurts to climb the stairs. Although clearly angry, the students were not yet ready to fight We were unsuccessful in our attempt to extract the chemical from the venom. The illness can make one dizzy and prone to falling If you don’t hurry, you’ll miss the ruling. . all the fun! There were plenty of volunteers to help with the race. Before we prepare the steaks, we should fry Her speed and strength helped her to dominate some peppers. her opponents. 4. Tip for the multiple-choice questions When a preposition is underlined in an Identifying Sentence Errors or Improving Sentences question, think about whether it is part of an idiom. If it is, make sure that it is the correct preposition for that idiom. Although many students not to be interested Ken Burns’ documentary on the www.satpanda.com , many were . No error There are two prepositions underlined in this sentence: about and by. Notice that the word to in (D) is part of an infinitive, and therefore is not a preposition. The second idiom, inspired by, is correct, but the first, interested about, is not. It should be changed to interested in, so the correct answer is (B). Idiom practice Choose the correct preposition or phrase (if any) to complete each of the following sentences. If no word or phrase is required, circle the dash (−). 1. I prefer spaghetti (to/over/more than/−) linguine. 2. We all agreed (on/with/about/−) the decision to go skiing rather than hiking. 3. The defendant would not agree (to/on/with/about) the plea bargain. 4. We found dozens of old photographs hidden (in/−) between the pages. 5. Good study habits are necessary (to/for/in/−) academic success. 6. The new house color is not very different (from/than/to/−) the old one. 7. His girlfriend was angry (with/at/−) him for not calling sooner. 8. They were both angry (about/at/with) the boys’ behavior. 9. We will make sure that your contract complies (with/to/−) the laws of your state. Consider the idiom in each sentence and fill in the correct preposition, if one is required. 10. The interview provided insight _____ what great directors think about. 11. We were very angry _____ him for ignoring our phone calls. 12. We all agreed _____ the color scheme for the wedding. 13. Her tests include questions that seem very different _____ those that we see in the homework. 14. My mother preferred my singing _____ my practicing guitar. 15. When she arrived on campus, she felt truly independent _____ her parents for the first time. 16. We were very angry _____ the exorbitant price of gasoline at the corner gas station. 17. It was hard not to agree _____ her offer of a free movie ticket. 18. I arrived at the meeting too late to raise my objection _____ the proposal. 19. If we don’t act soon, we may miss _____ the opportunity to lock in the lowest rates. www.cracksat.net Answer Key Idiom practice 1. I prefer spaghetti to linguine. 2. We all agreed on the decision to go skiing rather than hiking. (You agree on mutual decisions or plans.) 3. The defendant would not agree to the plea bargain. (You agree to offers.) 4. We found dozens of old photographs hidden (none needed) between the pages. 5. Good study habits are necessary to (or sometimes for) academic success. 6. The new house color is not very different from the old one. (Only use than with comparatives like bigger; different is not a comparative.) 7. His girlfriend was angry with him for not calling sooner. (You get angry with people.) 8. They were both angry about the boys’ behavior. (You get angry about situations.) 9. We will make sure that your contract complies with the laws of your state. 10. The interview provided insight into what great directors think about. 11. We were very angry with him for ignoring our phone calls. 12. We all agreed on the color scheme for the wedding. 13. Her tests include questions that seem very different from those that we see in the homework. 14. My mother preferred my singing to my practicing guitar. 15. When she arrived on campus, she felt truly independent of her parents for the first time. www.satpanda.com 16. We were very angry about the exorbitant price of gasoline at the corner gas station. 17. It was hard not to agree to her offer of a free movie ticket. 18. I arrived at the meeting too late to raise my objection to the proposal. 19. 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