Sentence Correction

LifetimesofSC wrote:both incorrect

LifetimesofSC wrote:both incorrect

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:As we know that when 'which' is used after comma, it should modify immediately preceding noun. Here are two examples from OG:

Ron's letters to Mary, which were written over a period of beginning a few years before Susan's marriage and ending to Emily's brother and ending shortly before Emily's death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else.

Because of plunging prices for computer chips, which is due to an oversupply, the manufacturer has announced that it will cut production.

Is use of which correct here?

crackgmat007 wrote:

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:As we know that when 'which' is used after comma, it should modify immediately preceding noun. Here are two examples from OG:

Ron's letters to Mary, which were written over a period of beginning a few years before Susan's marriage and ending to Emily's brother and ending shortly before Emily's death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else.

Because of plunging prices for computer chips, which is due to an oversupply, the manufacturer has announced that it will cut production.

Is use of which correct here?

Not an expert, but I will try to explain.

Ron's LETTERS to Mary - Note that Letters is being modified by prep phrase 'to Mary'. Which correctly refers to the whole noun phrase 'Letters to Mary'. Same explanation holds good for second example. Which refers to noun phrase 'plunging prices for computer chips'

HTH

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:

crackgmat007 wrote:

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:As we know that when 'which' is used after comma, it should modify immediately preceding noun. Here are two examples from OG:

Ron's letters to Mary, which were written over a period of beginning a few years before Susan's marriage and ending to Emily's brother and ending shortly before Emily's death in 1886, outnumber her letters to anyone else.

Because of plunging prices for computer chips, which is due to an oversupply, the manufacturer has announced that it will cut production.

Is use of which correct here?

Not an expert, but I will try to explain.

Ron's LETTERS to Mary - Note that Letters is being modified by prep phrase 'to Mary'. Which correctly refers to the whole noun phrase 'Letters to Mary'. Same explanation holds good for second example. Which refers to noun phrase 'plunging prices for computer chips'

HTH

But I guess Manhattan says 'which' can modify preceding noun and not phrase.
isn't that true?

crackgmat007 wrote:
I saw in the guide that 'which' refers to noun but cannot refer to an entire clause. Also, applying the above rule learnt based on OG explanations (in some cases), I could weed out incorrect choices.

Can you pls tell me which page # in MGMAT SC guide? I want to make sure I dint miss anything

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:

crackgmat007 wrote:
I saw in the guide that 'which' refers to noun but cannot refer to an entire clause. Also, applying the above rule learnt based on OG explanations (in some cases), I could weed out incorrect choices.

Can you pls tell me which page # in MGMAT SC guide? I want to make sure I dint miss anything

I found this concept in one og MGMAT CATS, not in guide.

Do you mean that which can modify noun or phrase but not entire clause?
Plz tell me the page no. of Manhattan guide where you read this concept. I'll clear my doubt

crackgmat007 wrote:

vaibhav.iit2002 wrote:

crackgmat007 wrote:
I saw in the guide that 'which' refers to noun but cannot refer to an entire clause. Also, applying the above rule learnt based on OG explanations (in some cases), I could weed out incorrect choices.

Can you pls tell me which page # in MGMAT SC guide? I want to make sure I dint miss anything

I found this concept in one og MGMAT CATS, not in guide.

Do you mean that which can modify noun or phrase but not entire clause?
Plz tell me the page no. of Manhattan guide where you read this concept. I'll clear my doubt

Guide states noun but not to an entire clause. Although it doesnt explicitly rule out noun phrase, OG examples suggest so.

Refer to Pg 109 - Chapter 6

lunarpower wrote:the gmat tends to write sentences in which "which" or "who" stands for the ELIGIBLE noun / noun phrase that's closest to the comma.
by "eligible", i mean that the noun has to
* AGREE IN TERMS OF SINGULAR/PLURAL with the FOLLOWING VERB
* AGREE IN TERMS OF PERSON/THING (i.e., no "which" for people, no "who" for things)

here's an example:

the box of nails, which is on the counter, is to be used on this project.

in this case, "which" CANNOT refer to "nails", since the verb "is" is singular. therefore, the nearest eligible noun is "box (of nails)". so, "which" unambiguously stands for that.

in our observation, the gmat has been VERY good about this.
whenever i've seen a "which"/"who" that refers to "X + preposition + Y" rather than just Y, it has ALWAYS been the case that X was singular and Y was plural (or X was plural and Y was singular), and the verb had a form that matched X and didn't match Y.

--

so, in your example:
Ron's letters to Mary, which were written...

in this example, "mary" is ineligible for two different reasons: mary is a person, not a thing (so "which" is wrong), and "mary" is singular (so "were" is wrong).
either of these makes "mary" ineligible to be the antecedent of "which".
so the antecedent is the noun phrase, "ron's letters to mary".



hope that helps.