Last visit was: 14 Dec 2024, 15:25 It is currently 14 Dec 2024, 15:25
Home
GMAT
Messages
Tests
Schools
Reviews
Social
Chat
My Profile
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
sakshamgmat
avatar
Joined: 02 Nov 2016
Last visit: 18 Apr 2017
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
9
 []
Given Kudos: 9
Schools: ISB '18
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: ISB '18
Posts: 19
Kudos: 9
 []
Idioms SC 03 Mar 2017, 03:13
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.


The Original sentence contains an idiomatic error - 'Aim to" The correct idiom here would be 'Aim at' and not 'aim to'.

According to SC rules, infinitive form (verb + to) is used to express intent.
Clearly aim to expresses intent.
Then why is Aim to an incorrect idiom and aim at right ?
User avatar
mikemcgarry
User avatar
Magoosh GMAT Instructor
Joined: 28 Dec 2011
Last visit: 06 Aug 2018
Posts: 4,485
Own Kudos:
29,388
 []
Given Kudos: 130
Expert reply
Posts: 4,485
Kudos: 29,388
 []
Idioms SC 03 Mar 2017, 17:18
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sakshamgmat
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.


The Original sentence contains an idiomatic error - 'Aim to" The correct idiom here would be 'Aim at' and not 'aim to'.

According to SC rules, infinitive form (verb + to) is used to express intent.
Clearly aim to expresses intent.
Then why is Aim to an incorrect idiom and aim at right ?
Dear sakshamgmat,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, I don't know your source for what constitutes a right or wrong idiom, but I beg to differ.

The idiom "aim at" is used for a physical situation, as when "a shooter aims at a target." This is typically not used in more metaphorical contexts, say, in the discussion of goals.

If we are talking about the goal of an action, then we use "aim of" + [gerund]. I would say:
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increase customer loyalty.

The "aim" + [infinitive] structure used in the original sentence is suspect, not something that would be correct on the GMAT.

Here's a set of free GMAT idiom flashcards.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
avatar
sakshamgmat
avatar
Joined: 02 Nov 2016
Last visit: 18 Apr 2017
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
9
 []
Given Kudos: 9
Schools: ISB '18
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: ISB '18
Posts: 19
Kudos: 9
 []
Idioms SC 04 Mar 2017, 00:42
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
mikemcgarry
sakshamgmat
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.


The Original sentence contains an idiomatic error - 'Aim to" The correct idiom here would be 'Aim at' and not 'aim to'.

According to SC rules, infinitive form (verb + to) is used to express intent.
Clearly aim to expresses intent.
Then why is Aim to an incorrect idiom and aim at right ?
Dear sakshamgmat,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, I don't know your source for what constitutes a right or wrong idiom, but I beg to differ.

The idiom "aim at" is used for a physical situation, as when "a shooter aims at a target." This is typically not used in more metaphorical contexts, say, in the discussion of goals.

If we are talking about the goal of an action, then we use "aim of" + [gerund]. I would say:
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increase customer loyalty.

The "aim" + [infinitive] structure used in the original sentence is suspect, not something that would be correct on the GMAT.

Here's a set of free GMAT idiom flashcards.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)


Hi Mike,

I don't remember the source but here's what I had compiled from that source.

1. To express intent, use (to + infinitive) over (for + Gerund)
Eg:
and create a special nongovernment for taking ABC

and create a special nongovernment to take ABC (Correct)

Consider a sentence like.

I am working hard and regularly solving questions to get a high score on the GMAT (looks good as it expresses intent)

I am working hard and regularly solving questions for getting a high score on the GMAT (looks wrong)

With this logic I chose

To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.

again aim expresses intent.

I understand it may be an idiom rule but I want to know the perspective and explanation from an expert like you.

If we are talking about the goal of an action, then we use "aim of" + [gerund]. I would say:
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increase customer loyalty.

Here also To gain a competitive advantage is also the goal of an action.

So here why don't we use gerund here ?
User avatar
mikemcgarry
User avatar
Magoosh GMAT Instructor
Joined: 28 Dec 2011
Last visit: 06 Aug 2018
Posts: 4,485
Own Kudos:
29,388
 []
Given Kudos: 130
Expert reply
Posts: 4,485
Kudos: 29,388
 []
Idioms SC 04 Mar 2017, 13:26
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
sakshamgmat
Hi Mike,

I don't remember the source but here's what I had compiled from that source.

1. To express intent, use (to + infinitive) over (for + Gerund)
Eg:
and create a special nongovernment for taking ABC

and create a special nongovernment to take ABC (Correct)

Consider a sentence like.

I am working hard and regularly solving questions to get a high score on the GMAT (looks good as it expresses intent)

I am working hard and regularly solving questions for getting a high score on the GMAT (looks wrong)

With this logic I chose

To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.

again aim expresses intent.

I understand it may be an idiom rule but I want to know the perspective and explanation from an expert like you.

If we are talking about the goal of an action, then we use "aim of" + [gerund]. I would say:
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increase customer loyalty.

Here also To gain a competitive advantage is also the goal of an action.

So here why don't we use gerund here ?
Dear sakshamgmat,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, you are confusing two completely different things. :-)

On the one hand, yes, the infinitive of purpose is used to express the general purpose of any action. This is NOT an idiom. This is a general grammatical structure that can be used in a large variety of contexts. Examples of the infinitive of purpose:
1) I am working hard and regularly solving questions to get a high score on the GMAT.
2) To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increasing customer loyalty.
3) We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

On the other hand, the word "aim" is a specific word with a specific idiom. When we using the word "aim" to explain the purpose or goal of action, we using a specific idiomatic construction, and we are not using the infinitive of purpose structure. This is a completely different way to express the purpose of an action. There is no reason in the world that they should be the same--they are two completely different things!

Let's say I have two ways of getting from Town A to Town B. I could drive my car, which requires gas. Or, instead, I could ride my bike. The question you are asking is like the question: if I need gas for my car to go from A to B, why don't I also need gas for my bike? Again, two completely different things, and what has to be true for one doesn't have to be true for the other.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)
avatar
sakshamgmat
avatar
Joined: 02 Nov 2016
Last visit: 18 Apr 2017
Posts: 19
Own Kudos:
9
 []
Given Kudos: 9
Schools: ISB '18
WE:Consulting (Consulting)
Schools: ISB '18
Posts: 19
Kudos: 9
 []
Idioms SC 04 Mar 2017, 22:24
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
mikemcgarry
sakshamgmat
Hi Mike,

I don't remember the source but here's what I had compiled from that source.

1. To express intent, use (to + infinitive) over (for + Gerund)
Eg:
and create a special nongovernment for taking ABC

and create a special nongovernment to take ABC (Correct)

Consider a sentence like.

I am working hard and regularly solving questions to get a high score on the GMAT (looks good as it expresses intent)

I am working hard and regularly solving questions for getting a high score on the GMAT (looks wrong)

With this logic I chose

To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim to simplify online payments and increase customer loyalty.

again aim expresses intent.

I understand it may be an idiom rule but I want to know the perspective and explanation from an expert like you.

If we are talking about the goal of an action, then we use "aim of" + [gerund]. I would say:
To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increase customer loyalty.

Here also To gain a competitive advantage is also the goal of an action.

So here why don't we use gerund here ?
Dear sakshamgmat,

I'm happy to respond. :-)

My friend, you are confusing two completely different things. :-)

On the one hand, yes, the infinitive of purpose is used to express the general purpose of any action. This is NOT an idiom. This is a general grammatical structure that can be used in a large variety of contexts. Examples of the infinitive of purpose:
1) I am working hard and regularly solving questions to get a high score on the GMAT.
2) To gain a competitive advantage, a well established credit card company launched a new program with the aim of simplifying online payments and increasing customer loyalty.
3) We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

On the other hand, the word "aim" is a specific word with a specific idiom. When we using the word "aim" to explain the purpose or goal of action, we using a specific idiomatic construction, and we are not using the infinitive of purpose structure. This is a completely different way to express the purpose of an action. There is no reason in the world that they should be the same--they are two completely different things!

Let's say I have two ways of getting from Town A to Town B. I could drive my car, which requires gas. Or, instead, I could ride my bike. The question you are asking is like the question: if I need gas for my car to go from A to B, why don't I also need gas for my bike? Again, two completely different things, and what has to be true for one doesn't have to be true for the other.

Does all this make sense?
Mike :-)

Hi Mike,

You have summed it up quite well.
I was assuming that the infinitive + to construction is a general rule for a sentence in which the purpose of an action is discussed.
I guess that is why we have idioms sorted in a separate list in flashcards , as in some cases ,the usage of idioms in sentences might be an exception to the general rules we study.



Thanks :D
Saksham.
Moderator:
MBAACCOUNT2025
General GMAT Forum Moderator
141 posts