Idiom List

Idiom List

1) a debate over
2) a lot
3) a responsibility to
4) a result of
5) a sequence of
6) acclaimed as is the correct idiom (Acclaimed to be is wrong)
7) accompanied by….
adapted for
9) Adverb twice cannot be an object of proposition ?by?. ?Increase by twice? is incorrect; ?doubled? is correct
10) affect to..
11) agree with
12) Aid in (Aid for is incorrect)
13) Allergy to (Allergy of, allergy for are incorrect)
14) Allocated to is the correct idiom
15) alternative to….
16) as a result of…
17) as an instance of
18) as good as…or better than
19) as great as
20) as much as
21) Associate X with Y
22) assume …to be of…
23) At least as strong as(At least as great as)
24) Attempt to ?do something? (Attempt at doing is incorrect).
25) attend to (someone)
26) attribute X to Y/X is attributed to Y
27) based on
28) believe X to be Y
29) Believed to have
30) benefit from…
31) better served by X than Y ..
32) between X and Y
33) Both X and Y (Both X as well as Y is incorrect) Both at X and at Y is correct. Both on X or on Y is correct.
34) Business ethics – Is a singular word
35) call…to consider…
36) centers on
37) Combined X with Y OR Combined X and Y (Both are correct)
38) Compensate for
39) Concerned for – worried; concerned with – related/affiliated
40) conform to
41) Consider X to be Y (a little controversial)
42) contrary to…
43) created with
44) Credit X Rupees to Y?s account (When money is involved)
45) Credit X with discovering Y (Credit with doing something)
46) decline in….
47) defined as
48) depends on whether
49) depicted as
50) Descendent of (Descendent for is incorrect)
51) Different from one another (Different one from the other is wrong)
52) Distinguish between X and Y (2 very different items, distinguished, say red and green colors)
53) Distinguish between X and Y (Distinguish X from Y is incorrect)
54) Distinguish X from Y (Two pretty similar items, say original paintings from fake ones)
55) doubt that
56) either…or
57) enable to
58) entrusted with…
59) Estimated to be (Estimated at is incorrect)
60) expected that X would be Y …
61) expected X to be Y …
62) extent to …
63) fascinated by
64) for jobs..
65) for over…XXX years…
66) forbid X to do Y identical with
67) forcing …to…
68) From X to Y (Grow from 2 million to 3 billion) (From X up to Y is wrong)
69) Given credit for being ones – who
70) had better(do)
71) In an attempt to (gain control)
72) in contrast to
73) independent from
74) indifferent towards
75) Intent on
76) interaction of …
77) Just as – So too
78) May be (This is a word) is idiomatic, maybe (This means perhaps) is not idiomatic
79) Mistake X for Y
80) modeled after
81) more than ever
82) more X than Y …
83) more…than / less…than
84) more…than ever…
85) must have (done)
86) Native of (Native to is also used in some cases)
87) Neither – Nor should have parallel forms associated to it.
88) no less….than
89) No sooner than
90) Not in a flash but in a
91) not only…but also
92) Not so much to X as to Y
93) not X …but rather Y ..
94) noted that ..
95) one attributes X (an effect) to Y (a cause)
96) One X for every ZZ( some numeric number) Y’s …
97) Persuaded X to do Y
98) Plead guilty for failing
99) Potential for causing
100) potential to
101) prohibits X from doing Y
102) range from X to Y
103) range of …
104) reason?.. that incorrectly seen as reason?.. because
105) ?Regard as? is the correct idiom — Regarded as having, Regarded as ones who have
106) regardless
107) regards X as Y …
108) replacing with…
109) Require that X be Y (Not require that X is Y)
110) research to
111) responsible for
112) restitution…for …
113) resulting in
114) retroactive to
115) Same as X..as to Y
116) same to X as to Y
117) seem…to…(seem is plural)
118) so (adjective) that
119) So X as to be Y (So unreal as to be true)
120) So X that Y (So poor that they steal)
121) subscribe to
122) such…as
123) targeted at
124) that X …that Y …
125) That X is called for is indicated both by Y and by Z.
126) the same to X as to Y
127) to .. used to (example to get used to or to become used to)
128) to contrast X with Y
129) To exchange X for Y (exchange X with Y or any other form is incorrect)
130) to mistake X for Y
131) to monitor …
132) to orbit…
133) To ratify (At ratifying is incorrect) An attempt to ratify is the correct use
134) to result in
135) to sacrifice X for Y
136) to survive
137) To try to fix is the right idiom (to try and fix is incorrect)
138) To worry about someone?s condition (To keep worrying over an action)
139) used in the construction…
140) used to (do)
141) viewed marriage as
142) way to provide (Way for providing is incorrect)
143) When ?rates? means ?prices charged? it should be followed with ?for?
144) widely anticipated that….
145) Worried about (When talking about someone?s condition)
146) X [is] expected to Y
147) X as Y ..
148) X forbids Y to do Z …
149) X is attributed to Y
150) X is different from Y (different than Y is incorrect)
151) X is to what Y is to
152) X is unknown, nor it is known – is a correct idiom (Neither is not required)
153) X ordered that Y be Z’ed…
154) X ordered Y to be Z’ed..
155) X ordered Y to do Z
156) X prohobits Y from doing Z …

(Contributed by David)

Note: Add more idioms in comment box. We will add them asap.