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arghya05 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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modifier issue expert Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:26 am
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  • Lap #[LAPCOUNT] ([LAPTIME])
    Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs
    that enable a family with insufficient savings for a
    conventional down payment to be able to move into
    new housing and to apply par    t of the rent to a
    purchase later.
    (A) programs that enable a family with insufficient
    savings for a conventional down payment to be
    able to move into new housing and to apply
    (B) programs that enable a family with insufficient
    savings for a conventional down payment to
    move into new housing and to apply
    (C)programs; that enables a family with insufficient
    savings for a conventional down payment to
    move into new housing, to apply

    (D) programs, which enables a family with
    insufficient savings for a conventional down
    payment to move into new housing, applying
    (E) programs, which enable a family with insufficient
    savings for a conventional down payment to be
    able to move into new housing, applying

    in d and e applying modifes family instead of rent-to-buy program
    is my reasoning correct

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    rishimaharaj Rising GMAT Star
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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:55 am
    Hello Arghya05,
    I think you are correct. It seems that "applying" is modifying "programs" on account of the pair of commas:
    Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs,....., applying part of the rent to a purchase later.
    Because of the incorrect modification, this construction makes no sense, which allows us to eliminate both D and E.

    I think the correct answer is B
    Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs that enable a family with insufficient savings for a conventional down payment to move into new housing and to apply part of the rent to a purchase later.

    1. Subject/Verb agreement:
    programs (plural subject) goes with enable (plural verb). So C and D are incorrect.
    2. Parallelism :
    "to move into new housing" and "to apply part of the rent" is correct. So E is incorrect.

    This leaves A and B.
    A seems unnecessarily wordy with the phrase "to be able to," which is why I'd choose B as the correct answer.

    Hope this helps!
    --Rishi

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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 6:17 am
    +1 to B

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    aspirant2011 GMAT Titan Default Avatar
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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:30 am
    rishimaharaj wrote:
    Hello Arghya05,
    I think you are correct. It seems that "applying" is modifying "programs" on account of the pair of commas:
    Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs,....., applying part of the rent to a purchase later.
    Because of the incorrect modification, this construction makes no sense, which allows us to eliminate both D and E.

    I think the correct answer is B
    Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs that enable a family with insufficient savings for a conventional down payment to move into new housing and to apply part of the rent to a purchase later.

    1. Subject/Verb agreement:
    programs (plural subject) goes with enable (plural verb). So C and D are incorrect.
    2. Parallelism :
    "to move into new housing" and "to apply part of the rent" is correct. So E is incorrect.

    This leaves A and B.
    A seems unnecessarily wordy with the phrase "to be able to," which is why I'd choose B as the correct answer.

    Hope this helps!
    --Rishi
    Hi Rishi,

    Just want to correct one thing in your explanation that any ing form except including and implementing doesn't modify the preceding noun rather modifies the whole phrase, therefore, in the above E option applying is not modifying programs.......

    arghya05 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:45 am
    no i guess you are missing a point , ing modifier are adverbial they modify the entire action,but
    there is also a initiator or main subject who performs the action

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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 7:53 am
    arghya05 wrote:
    no i guess you are missing a point , ing modifier are adverbial they modify the entire action,but
    there is also a initiator or main subject who performs the action
    But I don't feel that here programs is the subject, if there is a subject then it's many house builders.....plz correct me if I am wrong

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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:38 am
    Hi all,
    I think aspirant2001 is correct by saying that "many house builders" is the subject. The sentence could be a complete thought if you put a period after programs:
    "Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs."

    Aspriant2011,
    I am not yet knowledgeable about the specifics which you brought up regarding ing form and modification. Do you have any links/resources to share to read up more on that?

    Thanks,
    --Rishi

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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:47 am
    rishimaharaj wrote:
    Hi all,
    I think aspirant2001 is correct by saying that "many house builders" is the subject. The sentence could be a complete thought if you put a period after programs:
    "Many house builders offer rent-to-buy programs."

    Aspriant2011,
    I am not yet knowledgeable about the specifics which you brought up regarding ing form and modification. Do you have any links/resources to share to read up more on that?

    Thanks,
    --Rishi
    U would have to search BTG, there would be links available for this ing concept.I didn't bookmark any such link therefore unable to paste the same....

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    Post Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:25 am
    Hey guys,

    Great discussion - a few thoughts here:

    1) As arghya05 said, the -ing modifiers can modify an entire clause or action, and that's how that modifier "applying..." is working here. A few examples:

    Congress took great strides toward a balanced budget, raising the debt ceiling but also repealing many upper-class tax cuts.

    Here, "raising" and "repealing" modify the whole action of taking strides toward a balanced budget. You'd call this an "adverbial modifier" - the -ing word takes on the role of an adverb, not modifying the noun but rather the entire action.

    Brian showed his political leanings, using a grammatical example to showcase his desires for upcoming legislation.

    Again, the -ing modifier here, "using" modifies the entire action, not just the subject of the sentence.

    So... in this sentence, "applying part of the rent" describes HOW the program enables these families to move into new housing. "Applying" describes the action "enable".

    2) So it's not "applying" as a modifier that's wrong in D or E. Actually, I'd prefer that phrasing in D or E if it weren't for fatal flaws:

    D - uses "enables" (singular) as the verb for "programs" (plural)
    E - uses really redundant phrasing: "enables families...to be able to"

    So I guess you do have to go with B here, but I could easily see this question rewritten such that it takes advantage of the fact that the second action - applying rent to a later downpayment - is really what makes the first - affording a new house - possible.

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    Post Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:12 am
    Brian@VeritasPrep wrote:
    Hey guys,

    Great discussion - a few thoughts here:

    1) As arghya05 said, the -ing modifiers can modify an entire clause or action, and that's how that modifier "applying..." is working here. A few examples:

    Congress took great strides toward a balanced budget, raising the debt ceiling but also repealing many upper-class tax cuts.

    Here, "raising" and "repealing" modify the whole action of taking strides toward a balanced budget. You'd call this an "adverbial modifier" - the -ing word takes on the role of an adverb, not modifying the noun but rather the entire action.

    Brian showed his political leanings, using a grammatical example to showcase his desires for upcoming legislation.

    Again, the -ing modifier here, "using" modifies the entire action, not just the subject of the sentence.

    So... in this sentence, "applying part of the rent" describes HOW the program enables these families to move into new housing. "Applying" describes the action "enable".

    2) So it's not "applying" as a modifier that's wrong in D or E. Actually, I'd prefer that phrasing in D or E if it weren't for fatal flaws:

    D - uses "enables" (singular) as the verb for "programs" (plural)
    E - uses really redundant phrasing: "enables families...to be able to"

    So I guess you do have to go with B here, but I could easily see this question rewritten such that it takes advantage of the fact that the second action - applying rent to a later downpayment - is really what makes the first - affording a new house - possible.
    Hi Brian, thnks for your response.I am just curious to know about the subject in option D & option E. Please help me on that.....

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    Post Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:47 am
    I had my doubts with choice B because the relative pronoun that refers to the plural programs. Is that correct?

    arghya05 Rising GMAT Star Default Avatar
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    Post Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:20 am
    simple if enable is the main verb the the subject is rent program
    in sc structure

    S1(in sc structure subject),s2(which.................,)ing
    ing modifes the preceding clause before comma that is s2
    correct me if i am wrong

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    Post Wed Jul 20, 2011 7:27 am
    Brian@VeritasPrep wrote:
    So... in this sentence, "applying part of the rent" describes HOW the program enables these families to move into new housing. "Applying" describes the action "enable".

    2) So it's not "applying" as a modifier that's wrong in D or E. Actually, I'd prefer that phrasing in D or E if it weren't for fatal flaws:

    D - uses "enables" (singular) as the verb for "programs" (plural)
    E - uses really redundant phrasing: "enables families...to be able to"

    Thanks Brian. This was very enlightening. I always wondered about the OG explanation for these choices. They appear to be incorrect!!

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    Post Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:41 am
    Brian,
    Thanks for pointing out that "Applying" describes the action "enable".

    Ron/Brian,

    Could you please resolve my below said queries.

    1)In my opinion ,in D and E, "Applying" should also refer to the subject of the previous clause that is "Programs".
    In my opinion, its not the "Programs" that are "Applying" but the families, and thus to me the usage seems to be wrong.

    2)Also, the OG says :for D, applying following a non restrictive clause suggest incorrectly that the Builders. and not the families, are applying the rent.
    Please explain.

    3)In general:
    What does Comma +Ing modifier modifies in case there is a non-restrictive clause with or without comma before the modifier.

    Please clarify.

    Thanks!!! Smile

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    Post Sat Jul 30, 2011 1:32 am
    keep in mind that you're looking at *wrong* answers here.

    in the two choices (d) and (e), "applying..." shouldn't be a modifier at all, because it doesn't actually *modify* anything in the preceding clause -- it gives another, separate aspect of the programs. (number one, the families can move into new housing; number two, the families can apply part of the rent to a later purchase. these are different things.)
    so there's really no sense in nitpicking over what it can or can't modify, because it shouldn't be a modifier at all.

    also, bear in mind that there is some flexibility here -- if a comma + -ING modifier follows a complex expression that has more than one subject+verb pair, then you may have to use a certain amount of common sense to distinguish what is modified.
    the modifier still must modify the same rules, but could refer to either of the subject/verb combinations.

    e.g.
    i carried a bag containing six incubators that enclosed baby chicks, supporting them with nutrients and heat.
    here, the comma -ing modifier modifies only the second subject+verb pair. shown in color:
    i carried a bag containing six incubators that enclosed baby chicks, supporting them with nutrients and heat.

    VS.
    i dropped a bag containing six incubators that enclosed baby chicks, breaking two of them and endangering the chicks' lives.
    here, the comma -ing modifier modifies the entire preceding clause. shown in color:
    i dropped a bag (containing six incubators that enclosed baby chicks), breaking two of them and endangering the chicks' lives.

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