cotton gin

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cotton gin

by clock60 » Fri Sep 17, 2010 12:54 pm
The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.

a)being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that

b)having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously

c)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

d)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly

e)being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one

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by gmat_perfect » Fri Sep 17, 2010 4:11 pm
clock60 wrote:The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.

a)being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that

b)having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously

c)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

d)one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly

e)being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one
Being:

Being is almost always incorrect in GMAT.

A tip for checking being:

See the sentences:

Being genetically engineered, the cotton yields huge amount of grain.

Being the chairman of the department, he is narrating the event.

--> In these sentences, being has been used as the opening modifier.

I have seen the correct use of being in these type of sentences.

Look, in the options A, B, and E the use of being/having is not this type.

We are between C and D.

However is an adverbial conjunction, and it should be used to join two independent clauses.

IC + ; + Conjunctive Adverb + , + IC

This is the structure of the use of conjunctive adverb.

List of conjunctive adverb.

A semicolon and a comma are used together when a conjunctive adverb separates two main clauses.


I wanted to go; however, I was too busy.

Here is a list of common conjunctive adverbs.

accordingly, furthermore, moreover, similarly,
also, hence, namely, still,
anyway, however, nevertheless, then,
besides, incidentally, next, thereafter,
certainly, indeed, nonetheless, therefore,
consequently, instead, now, thus,
finally, likewise, otherwise, undoubtedly,
further, meanwhile.

==> In the option C, there is no Independent clause after "however".

--> This kills the option C.

Answer is D, BUT


Whereas has been used in the way as the coordinating conjunctions are used.

I have doubt about this question. I have not yet seen such a sentence in which "whereas" can be used like FANBOYS.

We can wait for the reply from the experts.

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by puneetdua » Fri Sep 17, 2010 7:37 pm
My Vote for D

A) Being -> Wrong

B) Having been -> wrong

C)turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity
i rejected C coz of above construction information between 2 commas is normally ignorable on GMAT , but here it is not, So rejected .

D) Correct

E) Being -> Wrong

others input please.
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by clock60 » Sat Sep 18, 2010 9:41 am
thank you guys
oa D

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by ankurmit » Sun Sep 19, 2010 6:57 am
E seems a better choice to me.

We cant ignore a better and clear sentence just because of usage of " Being"
--------
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by psychomath » Tue Sep 21, 2010 6:34 am
E looks better to me too...Can anyone explain how being is used? I didnt understand the explanation above...
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by clock60 » Tue Sep 21, 2010 9:20 am
guys i don`t know, why E is wrong, though i have official explanation
The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier.

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by ChrisBKnewton » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:00 am
clock60 wrote:guys i don`t know, why E is wrong, though i have official explanation
The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier.
Hi clock60,

On the GMAT, the use of the word "being" is awkward and unpreferable. As you know, the Sentence Correction section of the GMAT is all about choosing the best version of a sentence. Whenever possible, try to choose an answer choice that does not contain an awkward and indirect word like being.

ankurmit, you say that "We cant ignore a better and clear sentence just because of usage of 'Being'" -- in fact, most of the time, this is precisely what you should do! If you can eliminate all but two answer choices on an SC question, and one of the remaining choices contains the word "being" -- pick the other choice!

In general, the best version of a sentence on SC:
  • almost never contains the word "being"

    is active

    is concise

    does not usually contain the word "having"

    does not contain extra prepositions

    does not contain unnecessary pronouns

    avoids the use of an -ing word after a possessive
I hope this is helpful!
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by anantbhatia » Thu Sep 23, 2010 10:11 am
However is an adverbial conjunction, and it should be used to join two independent clauses.

IC + ; + Conjunctive Adverb + , + IC

This is the structure of the use of conjunctive adverb.

List of conjunctive adverb.

A semicolon and a comma are used together when a conjunctive adverb separates two main clauses.
@perfect: does the conjunctive adverb always appear with a semi-colon?

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by gmat_perfect » Sat Sep 25, 2010 1:08 am
anantbhatia wrote:
However is an adverbial conjunction, and it should be used to join two independent clauses.

IC + ; + Conjunctive Adverb + , + IC

This is the structure of the use of conjunctive adverb.

List of conjunctive adverb.

A semicolon and a comma are used together when a conjunctive adverb separates two main clauses.
@perfect: does the conjunctive adverb always appear with a semi-colon?
Here you go:

Conjunctive Adverbs

You can use a conjunctive adverb to join two clauses together. Some of the most common conjunctive adverbs are "also," "consequently," "finally," "furthermore," "hence," "however," "incidentally," "indeed," "instead," "likewise," "meanwhile," "nevertheless," "next," "nonetheless," "otherwise," "still," "then," "therefore," and "thus." A conjunctive adverb is not strong enough to join two independent clauses without the aid of a semicolon.

The highlighted words in the following sentences are conjunctive adverbs:

The government has cut university budgets; consequently, class sizes have been increased.
He did not have all the ingredients the recipe called for; therefore, he decided to make something else.
The report recommended several changes to the ways the corporation accounted for donations; furthermore, it suggested that a new auditor be appointed immediately.
The crowd waited patiently for three hours; finally, the doors to the stadium were opened.
Batman and Robin fruitlessly searched the building; indeed, the Joker had escaped through a secret door in the basement.