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Correct usage of "with" in a prepositional phrase

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Correct usage of "with" in a prepositional phrase

by sungoal » Tue Oct 11, 2011 7:18 pm
India, like Italy and China, has no single dominant cuisine: Indian food comprises many different styles of cooking, with each a product of their regional influences, from the fiery vegetarian dishes of the south to the Portuguese-influenced Goan cooking of the west, to the more familiar Mogul food of the north.

a) with each a product of their
b) with each as a product of its
c) each products of their
d) each a product of
e) each products of


Experts please explain, why option B is wrong? Why is it wrong "with each as a product" to modify "styles of cooking" ?

Why the pronoun "its" is incorrect in option B. Isn't this pronoun referring to "each" ?

Experts please help, I am really confused.[/list]
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by avik.ch » Tue Oct 11, 2011 7:54 pm
sungoal wrote:India, like Italy and China, has no single dominant cuisine: Indian food comprises many different styles of cooking, with each a product of their regional influences, from the fiery vegetarian dishes of the south to the Portuguese-influenced Goan cooking of the west, to the more familiar Mogul food of the north.

a) with each a product of their
b) with each as a product of its
c) each products of their
d) each a product of
e) each products of


Experts please explain, why option B is wrong? Why is it wrong "with each as a product" to modify "styles of cooking" ?

Why the pronoun "its" is incorrect in option B. Isn't this pronoun referring to "each" ?

Experts please help, I am really confused.[/list]

A and B are both wrong. When we are beginning a modifier with - "with" - it acts as an adverb modifier, modifying the whole clause. Here the modifier is intended to modify only the cooking ( here it is a gerund), so we dont require any adverb modifier.
C, D and E is perfect with the use of modifier.

So the correct answer should be D.
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by sungoal » Tue Oct 11, 2011 9:24 pm
Hi Avik.ch,

It is not necessary that "When we are beginning a modifier with - "with" - it acts as an adverb modifier, modifying the whole clause" . Please consider the below sentence:

The manager lost his cell phone, with his employees screaming wildly throughout the store

In this sentence "modifier starting with - "with" is not acting as adverbial modifier and modifying "Manager" without any error.
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by mehrasa » Tue Oct 11, 2011 10:56 pm
IMO: D
"each a product of" is correct one
its and their here are ambiguous bcuz they do refer to wrong things and no need to have them in the sentence.
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by GmatKiss » Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:34 am
"each a product of" - IMO:D
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by avik.ch » Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:00 am
sungoal wrote:Hi Avik.ch,

It is not necessary that "When we are beginning a modifier with - "with" - it acts as an adverb modifier, modifying the whole clause" . Please consider the below sentence:

The manager lost his cell phone, with his employees screaming wildly throughout the store

In this sentence "modifier starting with - "with" is not acting as adverbial modifier and modifying "Manager" without any error.
You are correct that "with" phrase also act as an adjective modifier also and in that case it takes the noun in possesive form. ( it gives the inherent quality of the noun )

OG-12, #112 : clans with less xxxxxxxxx/ clans whose......... ( both the usage is correct when we modify it in possesive form. The answer is A due to some other difference)
OG-12, # 95 : resulting flow patterd, with........ ( inherent quality )
But in this sentence we are not stating something about the inherent quality of the "different styles of cooking".

I cannot understand the example you stated.
The manager lost his cell phone, with his employees screaming wildly throughout the store.
How can a manager loosing a cell phone has a conenction with the employers screaming widely. Why do you want to modify "manager" with such a phrase, i cannot understand the essence of the modifier used over here.


But I hope you got why A and B are wrong here and why the usage of "with" is inappropiate here.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Oct 12, 2011 5:51 am
sungoal wrote:India, like Italy and China, has no single dominant cuisine: Indian food comprises many different styles of cooking, with each a product of their regional influences, from the fiery vegetarian dishes of the south to the Portuguese-influenced Goan cooking of the west, to the more familiar Mogul food of the north.

a) with each a product of their
b) with each as a product of its
c) each products of their
d) each a product of
e) each products of


Experts please explain, why option B is wrong? Why is it wrong "with each as a product" to modify "styles of cooking" ?

Why the pronoun "its" is incorrect in option B. Isn't this pronoun referring to "each" ?

Experts please help, I am really confused.[/list]
COMMA + WITH generally functions as an ADVERB modifying the preceding clause.

The result in B is that each seems to refer to FOOD, the subject of the verb being modified:

Indian food comprises...with each [FOOD] as a product of its regional influences...

Since the intended meaning of the sentence is that each STYLE OF COOKING is a product of regional influences, eliminate B.

Also, AS a product implies that each style of cooking is NOT actually a product of regional influences but only serves AS a product of these influences. Since the intended meaning of the sentence is that each style of cooking actually IS a product of regional influences, AS is incorrect -- another reason to eliminate B.
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by avik.ch » Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:05 am
GMATGuruNY wrote:
sungoal wrote:India, like Italy and China, has no single dominant cuisine: Indian food comprises many different styles of cooking, with each a product of their regional influences, from the fiery vegetarian dishes of the south to the Portuguese-influenced Goan cooking of the west, to the more familiar Mogul food of the north.

a) with each a product of their
b) with each as a product of its
c) each products of their
d) each a product of
e) each products of


Experts please explain, why option B is wrong? Why is it wrong "with each as a product" to modify "styles of cooking" ?

Why the pronoun "its" is incorrect in option B. Isn't this pronoun referring to "each" ?

Experts please help, I am really confused.[/list]
COMMA + WITH generally functions as an ADVERB modifying the preceding clause.

The result in B is that each seems to refer to FOOD, the subject of the verb being modified:

Indian food comprises...with each [FOOD] as a product of its regional influences...

Since the intended meaning of the sentence is that each STYLE OF COOKING is a product of regional influences, eliminate B.

Also, AS a product implies that each style of cooking is NOT actually a product of regional influences but only serves AS a product of these influences. Since the intended meaning of the sentence is that each style of cooking actually IS a product of regional influences, AS is incorrect -- another reason to eliminate B.
I have a doubt here ,

john went out of the room, with his head held high. - here its an adverb modifier.
I bought a car with ........... ( adj modifier, modifying the inherent quality of the car )

but in OG-12 #95,

its resulting flow pattern, with............ - here its modifying the "resulting flow pattern", which is a simple gerund ( noun ) . Can you please explain the role of with in this case.
My doubt is that - can a modifier starting with "with" after a comma can act as a adjective modifier.
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by GMATGuruNY » Wed Oct 12, 2011 6:50 am
avik.ch wrote:but in OG-12 #95,

its resulting flow pattern, with............ - here its modifying the "resulting flow pattern", which is a simple gerund ( noun ) . Can you please explain the role of with in this case.
My doubt is that - can a modifier starting with "with" after a comma can act as a adjective modifier.
The woman without a doubt is John's mother.

In the sentence above, without a doubt is an ADJECTIVE describing the woman. What KIND of woman? The woman WITHOUT A DOUBT.

The woman, without a doubt, is John's mother.

In the sentence above, without a doubt is set off by commas in order to indicate that it is an ADVERB modifying the entire clause (particularly the verb). HOW is the woman John's mother? She IS -- without a doubt -- John's mother.

Here is the OA to OG12 SC95:

The resulting flow pattern, with crests and troughs that remain stationary although the air that forms them is moving rapidly, is known as "standing waves."

I would argue that the modifying phrase is set off by commas in order to indicate that it is an ADVERB modifiying the entire clause, explaining WHY the resulting flow pattern IS KNOWN as "standing waves."
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by avik.ch » Wed Oct 12, 2011 8:46 am
thanks GMATGuruNY for your clarification...

Thank you.
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