Many investors base their choice

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Many investors base their choice

by hemant_rajput » Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:37 am
Many investors base their choice between bonds and stocks on comparing bond yields to the dividends available on common stocks.

(A) between bonds and stocks on comparing bond yields to
(B) among bonds and stocks on comparisons of bond yields to
(C) between bonds and stocks on comparisons of bond yields with
(D) among bonds and stocks on comparing bond yields and
(E) between bonds and stocks on comparing bond yields with

[spoiler]Can someone explain me what is the difference between c and e and why one is preferred over other?[/spoiler]
I'm no expert, just trying to work on my skills. If I've made any mistakes please bear with me.
Source: — Sentence Correction |

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by Matt@VeritasPrep » Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:49 pm
The idiom here is "based on" or "based upon" SOMETHING, so your opinion should be based on some noun. While "comparing" in E is technically a noun, gerunds are somewhat second-rate in situations like this, as they tend to suggest verbs, or at least something that isn't static. (It sounds funny to "base", or firmly place, something on a verb, or a noun suggesting one.) So the best way of expressing the idea is to clearly base your idea on an unambiguous noun: "a comparison" or "comparisons".

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