Questions about "..so...as.." , commas and singular or plurar problems

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Nana12345

#433495 Mon, 22 Oct 07 06:21 PM

Dear,
I am going to take GMAT exam. When I was practising, I met some grammar problems. Please help me to understand correctly about them.

- About "...so...as..."
1. The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculptured portrait, the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
       My question is why can use "so... as" struture in an affirmative sentence?
- About commas in sentence
1. Scientists have observed large concentrations of heavy-metal deposits in the upper twenty centimeters of Baltic Sea sediments, which are consistent with the growth of industrial activity there
    (A)... (B)... (C)...
    (D) sediments from the Baltic Sea, findings consistent with the growth of industrial activity in the area
    (E)...
     The correct choice in book is (D). However, I wonder why between "the Baltic Sea" and "findings" donot have any connections after the commas?
2. Stories about air travel mishaps are carefully edited out of news programs prepared for in-flight viewing, since they have no desire to increase the anxiety some passengers already feel about flying
     (A) since they      (B) because airlines       (C) inasmuch as they         (D) due to airlines           (E) in that the airlines
     The correct choice in book is (B). My question is why the sentence has a commas between the main clause and the dependence clause
3. Blinded by the sun's reflection, the crevasse was all but invisible until the climbers nearly stumbled into it
     (A) (B)
     (C) The crevasse was all but invisible to the climbers blinded by the sun's reflection, until they nearly stumbled into it
     (D)..(E)..
    The correct choice in book is (C). My question is why the sentence has a commas between the main clause and the dependence clause which is located after the main clause
4. Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War, Horace Pippin, a Black American painter, worke by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his left
     (A) (B) (C)
     (D) The right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War
     The correct choice in book is (D). My question is why there isnot any connections like "having" before "The right hand and arm.." to connect two clauses

- About singular or plurar
1. Recognizing, understainding, and adjusting to changes in the global marketplace has become an increasingly complex task for mast product managers
     (A) Recognizing, understanding, and adjusting to
     (B) To recognize, understand, to adjust to
     (C) The recognition, undestanding, and adjustment to
     (D) Recognizing, as well as understanding and adjusting to
     (E) That one recognize, understand, and adjust to
     The correct choice in book is (A). My question is that "Recognizing, understanding, and adjusting to..." is plural, why the verb is "has become" but not "have become", and what's wrong if I choose (D)
2. Out of America's fascination with all things antique have grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that are bringing back the chaise lounge, the overstuffed sofa, and the claw-footed bathtub
     (A)..
     (B) things antique has grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that is bringing
     The correct choice in book is (B). In this case, "have grown" should agree with the singular noun "market" or with "Out of America's facination iwht all things antique"?
3. Declining values for farm equipment and land, the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, is going to force many lenders to tighten or deny credit this spring
     (A)...
     (E) the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, are
     The correct choice in book is (E). I wonder the subject of the sentence is "declning values" which is singular noun or "values" which is plural noun?
Thank you

Best,
Nana

Nana12345

Joined on Mon, Oct 22 2007

New Member (01)

Affirmative sentences, Clauses, Commas, Grammar, Nouns, Plurals, Singular nouns, Verbs

Gatekeeper

#438742 Sun, 04 Nov 07 06:24 PM

(Numbered 1 through 8 according to your blue question)

1. Not following the question.. sorry.
2. I believe it is a nonessential relative clause. - But I can't come up with a reasonable answer for your question at the moment.
3 & 4: In both cases, the phrase which you are calling a "dependence clause" (which, by the way, should be dependent, instead of dependence) is not. They are two independent clauses. For example,
Stories about air travel mishaps are carefully edited out of news programs prepared for in-flight viewing. They (or Airlines) have no desire to increase the anxiety some passengers already feel about flying.
When you combine two independent clauses with a conjunction, it is customary to use a comma.
5. D is not correct. Check the book again, I believe (from a quick search on Google) that it should be E (or "His right hand and arm crippled by a...")
6. D seems like a better choice. The subject-verb matches with that option.
7. Fascination has grown a market. (subject - verb - direct object)
8. "declining values" subject; "are" verb

Gatekeeper

Joined on Sat, Nov 3 2007

Baton Rouge, LA

New Member (15)

Clauses, Commas, Direct objects, Verbs

Grammar Geek

#438783 Sun, 04 Nov 07 08:15 PM

Nana, welcome to the forums.

I'm sorry, but I was just overwhelmed by your post. Can you please ask only one or maybe two closely related questions in one post, rather than so many at once?

Grammar Geek

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006

Pennsylvania, USA

Veteran Member (15,590)

Barbara, who answers in American English.

Commas

Clive

#438826 Mon, 05 Nov 07 12:15 AM

Hi,

I'd lke to offer some comments.

- About "...so...as..."
1. The Emperor Augustus, it appears, commissioned an idealized sculptured portrait, the features of which are so unrealistic as to constitute what one scholar calls an "artificial face."
My question is why can use "so... as" struture in an affirmative sentence? Why do you think you can't? There's nothing wrong with the structure. It's just a but literary in style.

- About commas in sentence
1. Scientists have observed large concentrations of heavy-metal deposits in the upper twenty centimeters of Baltic Sea sediments, which are consistent with the growth of industrial activity there
    (A)... (B)... (C)...
    (D) sediments from the Baltic Sea, findings consistent with the growth of industrial activity in the area
    (E)...
     The correct choice in book is (D). However, I wonder why between "the Baltic Sea" and "findings" donot have any connections after the commas? The latter part of the sentence is basically in apposition to thestatement in the first part. Consider a simpler example. "He asked me my name, a question unexpected by me."

2. Stories about air travel mishaps are carefully edited out of news programs prepared for in-flight viewing, since they have no desire to increase the anxiety some passengers already feel about flying
(A) since they (B) because airlines (C) inasmuch as they (D) due to airlines (E) in that the airlines
The correct choice in book is (B). My question is why the sentence has a commas between the main clause and the dependence clause It's optional. Thew riter just used the comma to make the sentence easier to read and understand.

3. Blinded by the sun's reflection, the crevasse was all but invisible until the climbers nearly stumbled into it
     (A) (B)
     (C) The crevasse was all but invisible to the climbers blinded by the sun's reflection, until they nearly stumbled into it
     (D)..(E)..
    The correct choice in book is (C). My question is why the sentence has a commas between the main clause and the dependence clause which is located after the main clauseThe same answer as the previous one.

4. Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War, Horace Pippin, a Black American painter, worke by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his left
     (A) (B) (C)
     (D) The right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper's bullet during the First World War I'd prefer to say 'His right . . . '
     The correct choice in book is (D). My question is why there isnot any connections like "having" before "The right hand and arm.." to connect two clauses Consider a simplified example. "His ink gone, he stopped writing". It's a common, valid, shortened form of 'Because his ink was gone'.

- About singular or plurar
1. Recognizing, understainding, and adjusting to changes in the global marketplace has become an increasingly complex task for mast product managers
     (A) Recognizing, understanding, and adjusting to
     (B) To recognize, understand, to adjust to
     (C) The recognition, undestanding, and adjustment to
     (D) Recognizing, as well as understanding and adjusting to
     (E) That one recognize, understand, and adjust to
     The correct choice in book is (A). My question is that "Recognizing, understanding, and adjusting to..." is plural, why the verb is "has become" but not "have become", and what's wrong if I choose (D) The writer is thinking of all 3 activities as so cloely related that they represent a single 'unit'. Consider 'Fish and chips is my favourite meal'.

D does not so much show the 3 tasks as a unit.

2. Out of America's fascination with all things antique have grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that are bringing back the chaise lounge, the overstuffed sofa, and the claw-footed bathtub
     (A)..
     (B) things antique has grown a market for bygone styles of furniture and fixtures that is bringing
     The correct choice in book is (B). In this case, "have grown" should agree with the singular noun "market" or with "Out of America's facination iwht all things antique"? Market. That's the subject.

3. Declining values for farm equipment and land, the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, is going to force many lenders to tighten or deny credit this spring
     (A)...
     (E) the collateral against which farmers borrow to get through the harvest season, are
     The correct choice in book is (E). I wonder the subject of the sentence is "declining values" which is singular noun or "values" which is plural noun? Why do you think 'declining values' is singular and 'values' is plural? Both are plural.

Best wishes, Clive