ACT English: IDIOMS!!!

Test Preparation ACT Preparation
1

<p>Okay, so I have gotten to the point where I usually miss around 2 questions on the ACT English practice tests. Usually, 1 is a stupid mistake. However, the other one is almost always an idiom question that, for some reason, I am just not able to figure out.</p>

<p>Examples of two of them are below:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>I know I am making a complete spectacle ___.
The answer is "of myself", but I put "about myself"</p></li>
<li><p>Mt. Pleasant's gardens are modeled __ those grown by the Iroquois and other Native peoples.
The answer is "for", but I put "as". Doesn't "for" imply that the gardens are modeled for, as in to help, the Iroquois and other Native peoples?</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Is there any good way or trick to figure out problems like these?</p>

2

<p>I’ll be completely honest with myself but with idioms you just need to memorize it. Not only that try using those idioms in conversation. I am interested if anyone knows any nice way of knowing idioms though.</p>

3

<p>The thing is, I am a native English speaker and feel like these should come naturally to me. Now that I think about it, I can see how they got the answer in #1. However, I still have <em>no</em> idea about #2. I guess their answer sounds a bit cleaner, but who ever says “modeled for”??? </p>

<p>I mean, I could understand them asking about basic idioms (i.e. “better off”, “break up”, “hang out”, etc.), but does anyone really every say that something is “modeled for” something? Surely I am missing something here…</p>

4

<p>It can not be just as. As is always followed by another as, or at least for the most part. </p>

<p>e.g: I was as tall as my brother.</p>

5

<p>The idiom is ‘modeled after’</p>

<p>Idioms never make sense, so they have to be memorized. Otherwise they wouldn’t be idioms. The only way to get them is to read a lot.</p>

<p>Nothing worse than saying something innocent in a foreign language and have it turn out to be an idiom for something vile. :)</p>

6

<p>modeled for… is okay to say?.. WHATTTTTTTTTTTT if the one question i get wrong is an idiom and it brings me down to a 35 im gonna be mad</p>

7

<p>That’s what I’m saying! Ahhhhh, it is ridiculous… </p>

<p>@StatBeast1, I don’t think that I would come across “modeled for” even if I read 100 books.</p>

8

<p>Unless you’re talking about an actual model… like a female or whatever I don’t see modeled for making sense… Like Kate Upton modeled for Vogue! or something like that! who the heck says its okay to say gardens are modeled for native people, it just doesnt make sense -_-</p>