Sentence Correction

3gmater wrote:His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms finally successful, Sir Joseph Lister lent his name to the company that developed Listerine, the first antibacterial liquid.

1.His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms finally successful
2.Since his campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms had been eventually successful
3.Because of the eventual success of his campaigning for sanitary conditions in operating rooms
4.His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms being eventually successful
5.Campaigning, eventually successfully, for conditions to be sanitary in operating rooms

Can anyone provide more insight to question?
Thank You.

I received a PM asking me to comment.

Quickest approach:

B and C change the intended meaning of the original sentence: they imply that Sir Lester lent his name because of the success of the campaign. The original sentence does not suggest that one event caused the other. Eliminate B and C.

E changes the meaning by implying that Sir Lester was campaigning when he lent his name. An -ing modifier such as campaigning suggests contemporaneous action (two events happening at the same time). The intended meaning of the original sentence is that the campaign became successful before Sir Thomas lent his name. Eliminate E.

D contains a similar issue: the -ing modifier being changes the meaning by implying that the campaign was being successful when Sir Thomas he lent his name. The intended meaning of the original sentence is that the campaign became successful before Sir Thomas lent his name. D also is needlessly wordy and includes being, a word to be avoided. Eliminate D.

The correct answer is A.

In A, his campaign...finally successful is an absolute phrase. An absolute phrase:

-- consists of a noun and a modifier and perhaps a few other words
-- is connected to an independent clause without a conjunction
-- modifies the entire clause and provides context.

In the sentence above, his campaign...finally successful tells us in what context Sir Thomas lent his name.

I've been asked to discuss the past perfect tense in answer choice B. The use of the past perfect changes the meaning: it suggests that the campaign had been successful but then it stopped being successful, changing the meaning of the sentence.

One more word of advice: if you're stuck between A and another answer choice, and you can't identify a clear error in A, eliminate the other answer choice and choose A. It's safer to stick with the original sentence.

Hope this helps!