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a method to protect VS protecting

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by patanjali.purpose » Sun Nov 11, 2012 6:27 am
OG12- 30 For members of the seventeenth-century Ashanti nation in Africa, animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment, a method to protect warriors against enemy arrows and spears.

(A) a method to protect
(B) as a method protecting
(C) protecting
(D) as a protection of
(E) to protect

I wonder why is A wrong here: IS "animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment" NOT A METHOD?

(2nd Problem) Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement, a method to protect themselves against predators that would much rather attack an individual member that strays from the group.

(A) a method to protect
(B) as a method protecting
(C) protecting
(D) as a protection of
(E) to protect

Similar to OG problem AND confusion ALSO remains the same: Why is A wrong - is "Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement" NOT A METHOD?

IMO in the OG problem, "animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment" is not clearly worded as A METHOD, but in 2nd problem ""Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement" is ACTUALLY A PROBLEM. Therefore, I am confused between A/C in 2nd Problem

OA for both - C
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by naveenchandra kv » Mon Nov 12, 2012 5:42 am
Hi,

In both the problems we are looking at modifying entire clause. This is possible only by using "ing" form of the verb i.e protecting.

Coming to Que-1, do you think that animal hide shield is a method?? Definitely no.. Here we need to modify the entire clause-- animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment-- to make complete sense. Hence "ing" form of verb is essential.

Also remember that, we cannot use an infinitive after a comma.

Use the similar reasoning for Que 2 also.

Hope it helps.
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by patanjali.purpose » Mon Nov 12, 2012 2:57 pm
naveenchandra kv wrote:
Coming to Que-1, do you think that animal hide shield is a method?? Definitely no.. Here we need to modify the entire clause-- animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment-- to make complete sense. Hence "ing" form of verb is essential.
I have the same opinion that "animal-hide shields with wooden frames were essential items of military equipment" is not A METHOD. BUT,...
naveenchandra kv wrote: Use the similar reasoning for Que 2 also.
IMO same thought process is not true for Q2. IMO "Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement" is INDEED A METHOD.

That's the reason I raised this doubt.

Hope it helps.[/quote]
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by naveenchandra kv » Mon Nov 12, 2012 4:11 pm
we cannot use an infinitive after a comma to describe an entire clause.

Try to reverse the sentence and check whether it makes sense or not.

1. a method to protect themselves against predators that would much rather attack an individual member that strays from the group, Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement.

or

2.protecting themselves against predators that would much rather attack an individual member that strays from the group, Flocks of birds and schools of fish instinctively use highly-coordinated wavelike movement.

If you see this, we can easily make out that the second option makes more sense and use of Protecting is correct.

I am reiterating, we are not allowed to use "to+verb" after a comma.
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