GRE -pivotal words structure

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1. +all but (almost ) 9. Although Although he was barred from operating on

Nevertheless patients, he, nevertheless, agreed to do the
At the end of the marathon Charles was all but in same transplant.
dead; he stumbled across the finish line, sentence
mentioning something about his pet iguana. Although I'd like to start, it is, nevertheless, not
possible.
2. +all the add emphasis. If you want to add emphasis, but
more so need an entire phrase to do so, you can use "all the
- here the connective adjunct (nevertheless)
more so".
has a reduplicative role: the relation between
the main and subordinate clauses is already
Quentin's sudden termination was shocking; all the
marked by although, so that nevertheless
more so because he helped build the company as
simply marks this relationship a second time.
many know it today.
3. +but for except. takeway -Using two opposition conjunctions
(although and nevertheless) to express the
But for her eloquence, she had little aptitude as an relation between two parts of a sentence is
attorney. redundant
10. _anything not
His contribution to cinema has been mostly
but
forgotten but for his Oscar-winning role.
What exactly does "anything but" mean? Well,
4. +nothing only it's a rhetorical expression that implies that the
but "he" is many things, A, B, C, and D...but "he" is
When we went to her house she was nothing but definitely not E. In this case, E would be the
kind, showering us with gifts. opposite of the second part of the sentence.

In his book critiques, Jones was nothing but fair, "He was anything but stingy, always giving to
always judging an author on the merits of his or her those in need."
latest novel, regardless of previous flops.
11. as such refer to what had been mentioned .
5. +save except
for The C.E.O. walked around the office as though
Watching T.V. was mama's favorite activity, save for he was King Kong, walking over anyone who
eating chocolate cream puffs. came in his way. As such, all, save for* upper
management, tried to avoid him.
Randy did not consider any of the class ruffians
friends, save for Donald, who once came to his As he walked like a king kong, all tried to
defense in a playground scuffle. avoid him.
6. --> stem come from/ caused by We were a wayward bunch, living for the
from moment and thinking little of the future. As
His insecurity stems from his lack of friends in such, it shouldn't be surprising that none of us
grade school. went to college.

The current crises stem from the former Here the question "as what" is clearly
administration's inability to rein in spending. answered: As a wayward bunch. Just substitute
As <a wayward bunch> and the sentence
7. _all but (Everyone except =)
makes perfect sense. In other words, the
antecedent is the phrase "a wayward bunch".
All but the most famous actors of our day will
likely not be remembered 50 years from now.
8. all but ...
12. .at once x and y an element of surprise because a 21. Even if This phrase is used for emphasizing that a
person/thing embodies these particular situation will remain the same no
contradictory qualities. matter what happens.

At once melodious and dissonant, Perkin's "I'm determined to prove my innocence even if
symphony is full of beautiful melodies that means going to the highest court in the
that are suddenly interrupted by a burst land."
of clashing gongs and screeching
sopranos. I'll go even if you forbid me to.
22. Even now Even now is used for saying that it is surprising
Davinder was at once hysterically funny,
that something still continues.
making people roll on the floor in
laughter, and overly serious, as soon as
"Even now the practice of dowry exists in many
the conversation turned to politics.
parts of Asia."
13. at times sometimes; on occasions.
23. Even so Even so means in spite of that. This expression
14. But (also) can "It depends on your point of view, but is used for introducing a statement that might
appear by itself, also on where you live." seem surprising after what you have said
without being before.
preceded by not
only: "The tickets were expensive, but, even so, the
match was worth watching."
15. "but" sometimes He not only used a fictitious example, but
doesn't appear he also reproduced it. 24. even- calm, composed, cool, cool-headed, equable,
either. He not only used a fictitious example, he tempered imperturbable, level-headed, peaceful, placid,
also reproduced it. serene, steady, tranquil, unexcitable, unruffled
Rowers not only face backward, they race
25. Even then This phrase is used for saying that something is
backward.
surprising because it was supposed to be
16. Even as This phrase is used to talk about two different.
actions or events that are happening at
the same time. Peace could come only gradually, in carefully
measured steps. Even then, it sounds almost
"Even as they discussed the merits and impossible to achieve.
demerits of the project, people were
26. even the To treat someone in the same bad way they
protesting in the streets."
score treat you -be revenged or revenge oneself,
17. even for Even is used to describe a situation which equalize, get even
balanced is equal or well balanced:
27. Even Even though means the same as although, 'in
'Both teams played very well - It was an
though spite of the fact that'. We use it to say that
even game.'
something may not be what we expect. Even
18. Even for Even is used to add emphasis when though gives more emphasis than although:
comparatives making a comparison:
I think they're fantastic, even though they
'It's cold now, but it gets even colder in haven't won any games this season.
winter.'
28. far from it almost the opposite is true; used for saying
19. Even for surprise We use even to refer to something that what was just said is not at all true, and
(adverb) surprising, unexpected, unusual or that the opposite is probably true
extreme:
Jim, selfish? Far from it - he's probably one of
'She likes chocolate so much that she the kindest people I know.
even eats it for breakfast.'
29. far from Not at all; usually used to show that a result of
20. even-handed balanced, disinterested, equitable, fair, fair (something) action was not expected or wanted
and square, impartial, just, unbiased,
unprejudiced We were far from disappointed when they told
us they couldn't come to visit.
30. _for all despite 36. Merely only "I was merely trying to help"

For all his hard work, Michael was passed When you use merely, it always has a negative,
over for a promotion. disapproving tinge to it.
31. _if anything if at all =somebody is disagreeing with
"She was merely a minor player in that drama,"
something, and wants to prove that the other
case is actually true.
but it can mean ironically
"She was merely the star of the show,"
Bob:
It seems like this city is getting more 37. Much to "Much to [someone's] X " is a set construction
dangerous every day. [someone's] denoting that something causes a strong
X feeling of X in the person named. So "much to
Steve: my chagrin" means 'causing me a great deal of
Actually, it doesn't seem that much worse chagrin'; "much to my dismay" means 'causing
from when I first moved here. If anything, the me a great deal of dismay', etc.
crime rate has actually dropped, since the
38. _nothing This phrase is used disparagingly to show that
city's population has almost doubled in the
more than somebody is not very good at something. The
last ten years.
sth word that follows "than" should be a negative
32. in retrospect - reconsidering the past with the knowledge negative description.
one now has
He is nothing more than a second-rate
Use "in retrospect" at the beginning of your musician, busking at a bus stop; his friends are
sentence to tell what you think of something always happy to escape his warbling falsetto.
after it happened.
Harry is nothing more than a seasoned
"In retrospect, I probably should have known Hollywood hack: his scripts are as numerous as
it was a scam." they are contrived.
39. not only [A] The controversy not only damages sales but
In retrospect, I realize that my parents were
....but (also) also shareholder confidence.
just trying to do what was best for me.
[B].
33. "in the ability to understand an event or situation The controversy not only damages sales but
retrospect" only after it has happened: context of also undermines shareholder confidence
same as "in parallelism
hindsight" David realized, in hindsight, that he should The controversy damages sales and
have finished school. shareholder confidence.
34. Just As "JUST AS" with "LIKE". 40. not only [A] Not only does the number of migrations vary
Like: Can only be used to compare nouns ....but (also) with the month, but also with the type of
[B]..e.g species.
"My uncle looks like my aunt." --> Correct: -
We're saying the two look similar to each Parallelism The number of migrations varies not only with
other. the month, but also with the type of species.
41. not only [A] ...
As: Can be used to compare clauses
....but (also)
[B].
"My uncle looks at me as my aunt does."-->
Correct: We're saying they both look at me in
-Opinions
a similar way.
42. not only [A] The most important rule to remember about
35. "just as X, so This idiom means "in the same way" and is
....but (also) using this construction is that [A] and [B] must
Y" used to mention analogous situation.
[B] be parallel structures,
(comparison)
-
"Just as athletes go through training drills in
Parallelism
order to be agile on the field, so do musicians
practice scales so that they can perform with
ease."
43. Not only . . . It is used to present two related pieces of 51. so that We use so that to say that one person does
but (also) . . information. Both pieces of information are something and as a result someone else can do or
( Def.) being presented by the writer as surprising or doesn't have to do something else:
unexpected, with the second one being even
more surprising than the first He bought his wife a car so that she doesn't /
didn't have to take the bus so often.
44. Not only . . It was not just a big bear, but a grumpy one as
, Not just..., well. 52. Too In addition; to a higher degree
Not alone..., When to Use: to indicate something extra or to
but also...as Not alone did she win the race, but she also express excessiveness.
well... beat the record.
( Usage ) He not only used a fictitious example, but he Test: by replacing "too" with "also" or "excessively,"
reproduced it too. depending on the situation.
45. not so not really A but a lot more B. The following
1. I'd like some ice cream too.
much A as sentences should hopefully make that less
Test: I'd like some ice cream also. (Correct!)
B abstract.

2. The TV is too loud.

The scholar was no so much insightful as he
Test: The TV is excessively loud. (Correct!)
was patient: he would peruse texts far longer
than any of his peers. 53. Too...to Too...to shows undesirable excess and has a kind
of negative meaning.
He was not so much as jealous as downright
resentful of his sister's talents, believing that The boy has too little intelligence to understand
their parents had put little interest in his this.
education.
Her behaviour was too rude for me to tolerate.
46. Only by Only by guessing can you solve this puzzle.
54. Whereas The full structure is "whereas" [clause #1], [clause
(You can only solve this puzzle by guessing.) X, Y #2]. These two clauses should be in parallel, and
they should contrast one other in some essential
47. prefer and Prefer and would rather can be used
way.
would interchangeably.
rather.
Whereas most professional sports, such as
Would you like to go out for dinner tonight? ~
football and basketball are played against a clock,
No, I think I'd rather eat at home / I'd prefer to
cricket is free of the influence of clock.
eat at home
55. whether The word whether indicates that there is a choice
48. Rather than Rather than means instead of and can be used
or a doubt between two alternatives.
in combination with would prefer to and would
rather
In the phrase "whether or not," the "or not" is often
optional. you can drop it.
Rather than lose precious sleep discussing it
now, I think we should go to bed and talk
Whether he leaves or stays is of absolutely no
about it in the morning.
importance to me.
49. So...that... show a cause and effect relationship
56. X rather "rather than" is a contrast signal
than Y
actionintended result ; causeeffect
If this is the logic of the question, then we have to
understand that X and Y are contrasting words. If
" He is so ill that the doctors don't expect him
X is given and you have a blank in place of Y, then
to survive."
simply look for a contrasting word for X.
" He is so proud that he will not ask for help."
The composer has never courted popularity: her
50. So...that... ... rugged modernism seems to defy rather than to
woo the audience.
57. yet If you have yet to do something, you have not done it:
to
Have yet to is defined as an activity, task, event or circumstance which has not occurred or which has not been done, especially
when you think it should have happened or been done.