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chibapawan
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 19 Jun 2016, 03:16
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Guys

I have recently come across few posts on the forum wherein people have mentioned that the use of Idiom So X as Y is incorrect on the Gmat.

Could an expert please confirm this?

Thanks
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mikemcgarry
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 20 Jun 2016, 14:56
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chibapawan
Guys

I have recently come across few posts on the forum wherein people have mentioned that the use of Idiom So X as Y is incorrect on the Gmat.

Could an expert please confirm this?

Thanks
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Dear chibapawan,
I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, as a general rule, if you are asking about something said about an idiom, it's good to include some concrete examples.

The construction "so X as Y" sounds bad, and I can think of no instance in which this would be correct if X is an adjective and Y is a noun.

It is correct to say "as X as Y"
. . . as tall as a giraffe . . .
. . . as quick as lightning . . .
. . . as smart as Einstein . . .

It is correct to say "so X that." Here, the word "that" introduces a clause.
. . . so rich that he owns his own lake . . .
. . . so loud that you can hear him inside the building across the street . . .
. . . so hot that an egg would fry on the sidewalk . . .

In a variant of what you asked, it is also correct to say "so X as to," where "to" begins an infinitive.
. . . so buoyant as to drift off the ground without weights . . .
. . . so sick as to take the rest of the day off . . .
. . . so tired as to appear drunk . . .

See:
GMAT Idioms: Cause and Consequence

Is this last variant what you had in mind?
Mike :-)
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Mo2men
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 21 Jun 2016, 10:51
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mikemcgarry


Dear chibapawan,
I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, as a general rule, if you are asking about something said about an idiom, it's good to include some concrete examples.

The construction "so X as Y" sounds bad, and I can think of no instance in which this would be correct if X is an adjective and Y is a noun.

It is correct to say "as X as Y"
. . . as tall as a giraffe . . .
. . . as quick as lightning . . .
. . . as smart as Einstein . . .

It is correct to say "so X that." Here, the word "that" introduces a clause.
. . . so rich that he owns his own lake . . .
. . . so loud that you can hear him inside the building across the street . . .
. . . so hot that an egg would fry on the sidewalk . . .

In a variant of what you asked, it is also correct to say "so X as to," where "to" begins an infinitive.
. . . so buoyant as to drift off the ground without weights . . .
. . . so sick as to take the rest of the day off . . .
. . . so tired as to appear drunk . . .

See:
GMAT Idioms: Cause and Consequence

Is this last variant what you had in mind?
Mike :-)
Show more


Hi Mike,

I have came across SC #95 in OG13,

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

The correct answer is C. It seems that the GMAT accepts so X as Y. or does the construction differ here as it is 'so+adj+ preposition+as+ preposition'?


Thanks
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 21 Jun 2016, 16:19
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Mo2men
Hi Mike,

I have came across SC #95 in OG13,

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

The correct answer is C. It seems that the GMAT accepts so X as Y. or does the construction differ here as it is 'so+adj+ preposition+as+ preposition'?


Thanks
Show more
Dear Mo2men,
Aha! My friend, this is precisely why it is so important to provide an example!!

The construction so+[adjective]+as is not a legitimate one, but that is NOT what appears here. Here, "much" is an adverb, and in fact, "not so much X as Y" is an important parallel marker. The word "much" is one of those tricky short Anglo-Saxon words: it can be either an adjective or an adverb, depending on context. This structure is an important parallel marker: in this sentence, choice (C), we happen to have two prepositional phrases in parallel. Other examples:
Asia is not so much a physical continent as a politically defined region.
I do not enjoy mathematics itself so much as teaching math.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize not so much for what he had accomplished as for the change he represented.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 21 Jun 2016, 17:46
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Thanks Mike to the explanation. It is so tricky one that anyone can get confused.
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 26 Aug 2020, 07:28
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mikemcgarry
Mo2men
Hi Mike,

I have came across SC #95 in OG13,

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

The correct answer is C. It seems that the GMAT accepts so X as Y. or does the construction differ here as it is 'so+adj+ preposition+as+ preposition'?


Thanks
Dear Mo2men,
Aha! My friend, this is precisely why it is so important to provide an example!!

The construction so+[adjective]+as is not a legitimate one, but that is NOT what appears here. Here, "much" is an adverb, and in fact, "not so much X as Y" is an important parallel marker. The word "much" is one of those tricky short Anglo-Saxon words: it can be either an adjective or an adverb, depending on context. This structure is an important parallel marker: in this sentence, choice (C), we happen to have two prepositional phrases in parallel. Other examples:
Asia is not so much a physical continent as a politically defined region.
I do not enjoy mathematics itself so much as teaching math.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize not so much for what he had accomplished as for the change he represented.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
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Hi Mike, I picked C as the correct answer, but I don't know why E is wrong. Can you please explain? Thanks!!!
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Idiom Use - So X as Y 24 Oct 2020, 10:37
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mikemcgarry
Mo2men
Hi Mike,

I have came across SC #95 in OG13,

One of the primary distinctions between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but in our ability to extend knowledge gained in one context to new and different ones.

A. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lay not so much in any specific skill but
B. between our intelligence with that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill but instead
C. between our intelligence and that of other primates may lie not so much in any specific skill as
D. our intelligence has from that of other primates may lie not in any specific skill as
E. of our intelligence to that of other primates may lay not in any specific skill but

The correct answer is C. It seems that the GMAT accepts so X as Y. or does the construction differ here as it is 'so+adj+ preposition+as+ preposition'?


Thanks
Dear Mo2men,
Aha! My friend, this is precisely why it is so important to provide an example!!

The construction so+[adjective]+as is not a legitimate one, but that is NOT what appears here. Here, "much" is an adverb, and in fact, "not so much X as Y" is an important parallel marker. The word "much" is one of those tricky short Anglo-Saxon words: it can be either an adjective or an adverb, depending on context. This structure is an important parallel marker: in this sentence, choice (C), we happen to have two prepositional phrases in parallel. Other examples:
Asia is not so much a physical continent as a politically defined region.
I do not enjoy mathematics itself so much as teaching math.
Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize not so much for what he had accomplished as for the change he represented.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)



Hi Mike, I picked C as the correct answer, but I don't know why E is wrong. Can you please explain? Thanks!!!
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Hi!

I think Option E is grammatically correct but the intended meaning of the original statement is different than that of Option E. Hence, Option E can't be the answer.