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Source: Official Guide for GMAT Review 2016 Sentence Correction; #78

1

The 32 species that make up the

The 32 species that make up the dolphin family are closely related to whales and in fact include the animal known as the killer whale, which can grow to be 30 feet long and is famous for its aggressive hunting pods.

2 Explanations

1

Junjun Zhuang

Just wondering why the explanation in OG says that in answer choice D, as big as is an idiomatically incorrect expression of the comparison

Aug 16, 2016 • Comment

Adam

Hi Junjun,

By itself, "as big as" is fine. But the verb phrase "to grow as big as..." here is incorrect.

We're not comparing anything; we're saying that the killer whale can grow to be 30 feet long. The idiom is "to grow to be..."

"...as" is used to compare two things. If we wanted to compare growth, we would write:

The killer whale can grow to be as big as a bus.

But we still need "to be."

Sep 2, 2016 • Reply

2

Gravatar Mike McGarry, Magoosh Tutor

Aug 18, 2015 • Comment

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Section 9.6 Sentence Correction

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