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comparison question -

by agautam » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:20 pm
Researchers are studying plastics that dissolve at different rates, and they are finding that the so-called "quick disintegration" plastics are taking more time to deteriorate than they originally seemed.

they originally seemed
they seemed originally
it seemed that they would originally
it originally seemed
it originally seemed they would

Could you please let me know what is wrong with A ... please explain your answer
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by vishalbpr » Mon Feb 18, 2013 2:36 am
agautam wrote:Researchers are studying plastics that dissolve at different rates, and they are finding that the so-called "quick disintegration" plastics are taking more time to deteriorate than they originally seemed.

they originally seemed
they seemed originally
it seemed that they would originally
it originally seemed
it originally seemed they would

Could you please let me know what is wrong with A ... please explain your answer
Pronoun they is referring to Researchers, so similarly second "they" is referring to researchers. We must use "it" to refer the plastics.
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by Tommy Wallach » Mon Feb 18, 2013 1:34 pm
Heyo,

I'll weigh in on this! The note already made is not correct:
Researchers are studying plastics that dissolve at different rates, and they are finding that the so-called "quick disintegration" plastics are taking more time to deteriorate than they originally seemed.

they originally seemed
they seemed originally
it seemed that they would originally
it originally seemed
it originally seemed they would
(A) This attempts to compare two deterioration times. But they word "seemed" doesn't work. It would say: QD plastics are taking more time to deteriorate than they originally seemed to take. The only way you can do that is if the sentence had already said "to take" somewhere else. But it didn't. Keep in mind, the THEY here is a real pronoun, so it logically stands in for plastics. However, it's ambiguous with researchers, so doubly wrong.

(B) Same as (A), along with a really awkward word order.

(C) Originally is modifying would, rather than seemed. No good.

(D) We need the verb, because we don't know what they "Seemed" to do (same problem as (A), really).

(E) Correct. Keep in mind, the "it" here is expletive, so it isn't standing in for anything.

Weird one!

-t
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by aditya8062 » Mon Feb 18, 2013 9:03 pm
@tommy wallach ,i feel that even E is wrong for the same reason that u have cited for option A ."would" is a helping verb and it will go with the word "take" .but unfortunately this word "take" is not there in the sentence .all we have is is "are taking " .i have read in one link of Ron that only the helping verb "do", "done" and "did" enjoys the impunity for they can stand for any tense verb .this impunity is not enjoyed by "would"
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by Tommy Wallach » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:03 pm
Hey Aditya,

I think this is fair game with would. For example:

I ran much faster than I thought I would.

Fine sentence. There's an understood "run" at the end, even though the verb in the sentence is "ran".

-t
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by aditya8062 » Mon Feb 18, 2013 11:30 pm
million thanks tommy !
so what i do understand by ur post is that the helping verb such as "would" and "could" falls into the same category as the helping verb "did" ;"does" ; "do" .now what i do mean by this same category is that all these helping verb can be used to stand for an action verb and that they can be parallel to any tense of that action verb
let me give examples
i will pick this one from ur manhattan book :I have never seen an aardvark, but last year my father did. ---now as per Ron this is a perfect sentece despite the fact that the word "did" goes with "see" and not with the tense "seen" .and as u can read there is no word "see" in the sentence .so this was the impuity i was talking of the helping verb such as "did" ,"do" and "does"
on the other hand plz note this following sentence :
In an effort to reduce their inventories, Italian vintners have cut prices;their wines have been priced to sell, and they are ---now this is a wrong sentence because the helping verb "are" goes with "selling" and as u can read there is no word "selling" in the sentence .so helping verb "are" does not enjoy that impuinity .
now my question to u: plz confirm whether the helping verb "would" and "could" falls into that impunity catagory or in other words they can stand for any tense of an action verb ?
highly thankful to u for ur prompt reply
regards
aditya
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by Tommy Wallach » Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:03 pm
Hey Aditya,

Not "could", and I can't speak for any situation with "would" other than this sentence. But yes, the example sentence I gave, and the correct answer here, are good to go.

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by allfta » Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:56 pm
Tommy Wallach wrote:Hey Aditya,

Not "could", and I can't speak for any situation with "would" other than this sentence. But yes, the example sentence I gave, and the correct answer here, are good to go.

-t

Hi tommy.
Thanks for this detailed explanations but I have doubt in the use of the word -they-.
1.
Why the word in E is allowed while it in A, as you said, seems a bit ambiguous possibly referring "researchers".

2.
Furthermore, I really doubt about if a pronoun -"they", in this case- can refer two different meanings -"researchers" and "plastics" in this case- in a one sentence. I learned this command of pronoun usage is not allowed. Please confirm.

Thank you!
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by vietmoi999 » Mon Jun 16, 2014 6:05 am
very hard.
when the second part of comparison consists of two clauses, the question is very hard
If anyone in this gmat forum is in England, pls email to me([email protected]) . I have some problems and need your advise. Thank a lot
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