gmatexam439 wrote:
Dear
mikemcgarry,
Thank you for the explanation, but could you give some pointers about how can we infer whether a sentence is comparing action or noun?
There can be 2 grammatically correct choices such as "X plays as Y does" and "X plays like Y". How can we pick the correct choice between the given 2. Is there any rule for this? If not, could you please point out a good source that will help me in improving my understanding of the topic.
Regards
Dear
gmatexam439,
I'm happy to respond.
You are correct that there often are two 100% grammatically correct ways to make a given comparison. You asked, "
how can we infer whether a sentence is comparing action or noun?" That's a fantastic question, but your mistake is to assume that the answer to your question is a "rule." Many students, especially mathematically-talented non-native speakers, labor under the misconception that the path to GMAT SC mastery lies in some mythical complete collection of the "rules" of grammar and language. In fact, that is a complete chimera, and the rule-based approach to GMAT SC mastery is doomed to failure.
Let's talk about the brain for a moment. The cerebral cortex, the intellectual "thinking" part of the brain, has two halves, called hemispheres. The left hemisphere, or left-brain, is very logical-based and rule-based; it is linear, organized, and precise. The left-brain is very good at "differentiation," the process of telling the difference between two closely related things. Computers can easily do most right-brain rule based tasks. The left brain thinks in terms of clear, logical, step-by-step thought. The right hemisphere, or right brain, is the world's best pattern-matching machine: it matched verbal patterns, spatial patterns, emotional patterns, etc. The left-brain is very good at "integration," the process of seeing the overarching pattern that binds separate things together. The right hemisphere is involved in facial recognition, voice recognition, etc.--tasks that still are an enormous challenge for computers to master. The right brain is responsible for dreaming; it is used to appreciate poetry and for the capacity of imagination.
Many tasks use both brains. In math, the right-brain is used in something like algebra, which is very rule-based, and also differential calculus; the left-brain is used in the pattern-matching needed in integral calculus, as well as aspects of geometry and topology. In language, the clear rules of grammar, such as SVA, are covered by the right-brain, but the left-brain handles much of rhetorical construction as well as a number of subtle questions of meaning. There are no rules for meaning. Meaning and interpretation are firmly in the province of the right-brain. A mathematically talented left-brain thinking might ask for clear, step-by-step rules, but there aren't any. You have to develop the left-brain skills to get at this side of language.
For more on the hemispheric differences, in mathematical context, see:
How to do GMAT Math FasterNow, for a left-brain dominant mathematically talented non-native speaker, how does this individual develop right-brain skills, i.e. the intuition about emotional impact and meaning in language? I have two suggestions.
One is to develop a rigorous habit of reading. When you read, you will see and understand examples in context: this kind of learning in context builds intuition slowly, especially those subtle intuitions which never could be reified as a rule. See:
How to Improve Your GMAT Verbal ScoreMy other suggest is as follows. Search official question. If you find any in which you find it hard to tell whether the comparison is between nouns or verbs, then search for it on GMAT Club, add your question to the thread, and invite me to comment. It's through the discussion of individual concrete questions we can figure out what will help you understand this better.
Does all this make sense?
Mike